[Frowns] Anastasia Lash Lifting Mascara - probably the worst mascara of 2011

I received a sample of Anastasia Lash Lifting Mascara Black in one of my Birchboxes.  The description reads: "One coat of this exclusive silky, non-clumping, double effect mascara will add full volume thickness and uplifting curl", but unfortunately the actual result did not meet its description - it doesn't add volume, thickness, nor lift even after multiple coats.  I consider this probably the worst mascara of 2011.  It's still too early in 2012 so I ranked it against the other mascaras I've tried last year.  The only aspect that meets its description is the non-clumping part, which makes sense because it really doesn't seem like anything is added onto the lashes, so there wouldn't be any clumps, obviously.

Here are some disappointing before and afters:

[Fancies] Xiang Xi Ren 香袭人 Rose Essential Oil

OMG I found a new love!  My mom went to China and brought back Xiang Xi Ren 香袭人 Rose Essential Oil.  At first I didn't think too much about it since I've never really understood exactly why essential oils are great.  But when I started using it in my skincare routine I immediately fell.in.love with it!  First of all, it smells AMAZING, the scent alone makes the somewhat mundane daily skincare routine really additive - so additive that I actually look forward to putting this on my skin twice a day.  I mix it with my eye cream and face cream and use it on my neck as well.  I love smelling like roses now!  It is very classy and womanly :)  Regarding benefits of rose oil, I'm not quite sure, I did some basic search and seems like it has anti-aging benefits, and as far as I can tell my skin looks pretty healthy since I started using it a week ago.  We'll see if it actually works.

For those of you who can read simplified Chinese, here's the product description.  It talks about benefits like whitening/brightening, anti-wrinkle, tightening, moisturizing, calming, cell regeneration, brightening dark circles, helps with stretch marks, good for menopause , etc.  You can put 5-6 drops in the bath, or use it for massaging the belly area to sooth cramps.  I've not tried it in bathes nor massages, I only mix it (1 drop to be exact) with my eye and face creams.

If you haven't tried rose oil, I urge you to try it! :)

[PRK] Week 3 - what a clear week!

This week has been good, my eyes are seeing perfectly, or so it seems :). I'm also using less eye drops throughout the day; my eyes get the driest when I'm at work staring at the computer, but when I'm at home or just out and about they don't feel as dry. I'm also not that sensitive to light anymore :)

It's such a good feeling waking up with clear vision, and not have to worry about contacts :)

Yes to Blueberries Age Refresh Eye Firming Treatment

I finally finished using Yes to Blueberries Age Refresh Eye Firming Treatment. I lost track of how long it took me, probably 6 months or so. Do you guys use up your current products before starting another one? I always do, mainly because I am kinda cheap and don't like to keep on buying new skin are :p

Anyway, on to the review. I don't have good thing nor bad thing to say about this product. It's one of those things that I wouldn't throw out but wouldn't buy again either, mainly because this eye cream takes awhile to get absorbed, I have to tap and tap and tap every time, it just takes too long for me and I'm lazy :p. The cream doesn't feel heavy, has no scent, comes out white from the pump. I think the pump is what I like the most, I know that air doesn't get into the product and it can stay fresh for the entire duration; this is extremely important since it is all natural and preservative free.

[Spotted] Hello Kitty 2012 Year Of The Dragon Compact Mirror

Wow Sephora is really going at it at its Hello Kitty collection, they now have a golden compact in celebration of the dragon year!  I think they should incorporate dragon designs on it though, like the ones I've seen in Asia where Hello Kitty wears a dragon outfit =p  Also, I wonder if this compact is easily scratchable, it almost looks too cute to keep around in the purse along with keys and pens, and anything that might scratch it, know what I mean?

Available at Sephora for $18

[Tried and True] Laura Geller Baked Balance N Brighten + Balance N Bronze

Yes yes, another post on Laura Geller Balance N Brighten Fair, you know I love Laura Geller!  And I have proof!  See how I didn't just hit the pan, I've used up the entire thing!  Back in Aug 2011 I bought the Balance N' Brighten SPF15 in Porcelain after I hit the pan of the one in Fair, I've been mixing the 2 together since my color falls in between, and it's taken me 4-5 months since then to finish the Fair completely.  These things last forever!!

Anyway, this is what I use to trick people into thinking I have good skin =p  Highly recommend it if you haven't tried this already!

By the way, I've also used up pretty much my Laura Geller Balance-n-Bronze Compact, Fair.  It is a split pan containing the Balance N Brighten in Fair and Laura Geller Bronze-n-Brighten, Fair which is a bronzer.  I use the bronzer side DAILY for contouring.  This is also a good compact to carry for traveling since it contains both the foundation powder and bronzer :)  

[Spotted] Super adorable Hello Kitty Die-Cut Ring

Hello Kitty Die-Cut Ring: Pink Rhinestone - Size 6

I saw this Hello Kitty Die-Cut Ring today on their website today and I've never seen anything like it! It is shaped into the silhouette of her face. The ring features Hello Kitty's initials and signature bow in pink rhinestones. Too bad they don't show a a top-view of this ring because I do wonder if it looks bulky from above.

Comes in a cute jewelry box too!

$32.00 SALE $22.40

[PRK] Week 2 and a small fender bender...

Uh huh... I had a small fender bender today *sob

I went out for lunch today, and as I backed out from my stall I hit the other car that was backing out too. As much as I like to believe that I am able to see clearly enough I am really not... Last time at my post op appointment my eyes were 20/40, which meets the legal requirement for driving. Since then my eyes have been improving daily but they are not 100% yet. I am still sensitive to light, I still wear sunglasses inside the office and when I drive at night, and sometimes I still get fuzzy vision.

Since I know I can't see perfectly yet I haven't been driving to places I don't know, mostly just to and from the office. Today for lunch I went to a cafe next to my usual grocery store, and since I know the route pretty well I felt comfortable enough to drive there during my lunch break. Little did I know that I would have trouble seeing the car that was backing out behind me, that car was either dark grey or black that blended in perfectly with the road, and it was sunny which created a huge glare on my back window. I really couldn't see her!! So sad... @_@

Good news is that my car is near perfect with very minimal scratches and dings. But unfortunately her car has a ding which I am responsible for :(

Hopefully the damage isn't too bad and not too expensive...

Eyes, hurry up and heal!!

[PRK] Day 12 - First day back at work

I've been fortunate to do the surgery before our company's end of year shut down, so I had more than 10 days to recover before driving and before working.

Driving today was fine since I was familiar with the road. When I came home at night though I needed to put on sunglasses because all the lights from the street and cars were blinding me. Yes I wore my sunglasses at night in my car haha.

As far as working is concerned. I decreased the resolution on the screen so that things were bigger and easier to see. Staring at the screen was tiring for my eyes so I needed to use more lubricating drops than usual. My vision also fluctuated throughout the day, certain hours were blurrier than others. I also felt sensitive to the office lights as well as the day light coming into the windows when I sat in a conference room. Tomorrow I plan to wear sunglasses at work as well haha.

Hopefully tomorrow gets better.

[Deals] Caroline Chu Skincare is first time on Hautelook

Caroline Chu Skincare is first time on Hautelook!  I've written a review for this line back in June, check it here.  Hautelook also offers her new 2012 Anti Aging Starter Kit which is a pretty sweet deal - 52% at $29.

Join Hautelook if you haven't yet :)