Latest hauls^^ [7] Lunasol, Crabtree & Evelyn X Hello Kitty, and HABA

One of the more massive hauls I have did over the holiday season (in terms of $$ spent) was my haul from Hong Kong. My haul arrived in a 5kg box from Hong Kong!

Full layout of my haulage:

This time around I have hauled 3 main things. First off, it is the Lunasol X'mas 2011 party coffret set; second was my long awaited HABA ion machine and their skincare items; and third was a limited edition crabtree and evelyn featuring Hello Kitty.

In fact, the Lunasol set and the Haba items were purchased from Sogo Department store during their anniversary sale. I wouldn't have haul them if the price was so attractive! (well, someone really need to check out my shopaholic symptoms...*blush*)

Moving on to the haulage, here is my haulage from the lunasol party coffret set.... the outer packaging box is so pretty and shiny!!! (and it is also a fingerprint magnetic...)

In Japan, this set retails for 6,500 yen, but because of the high yen these days, it would have have cost over $80usd.... but Sogo has a more competitive pricing and I hauled mine in roughly $70usd...

Lunasol provides its coffret with 4 full sized products:

1. the Skin Contrast Face Powder in 01 Glow
2. Full Glamour Gloss in EX19 Tender Glow Pink
3. Cream Cheeks in EX 04 Tender Glow Pink
4. Eyeshadow palette in EX 01 Tender Glow Beige Brown

5. A fury makeup pouch (the promotional pictures looks more glam than the actual pouch)

Honestly, the main reason for getting this coffret set is because of this eyeshadow. People that knows me well already know that out of all makeup items, I love eyeshadow the most :P

And EX-01 Tender Glow Beige Brown is yet another neutral palette.... and yes, how many more neutral palette do I need??? lol...

EX-01 in shade

EX-01 under sun

EX-01 appears to be another warm toned neutral palette. Swatches can be found here at BirkenBagBeauty.

Moving on to my next item in my hauling is the Crabtree & Evelyn set featuring Hello Kitty. To be honest, I don't really get about the handcreams, shower gel, etc that came with the set, as we can get Crabtree & Evelyn products fairly easily in the US. All I was eyeing for was the Hello Kitty vanity case.... and Crabtree collaborated with Hello Kitty for these sets and they are exclusive to Asia.

Other then the Citron one that I hauled, they have have limited edition sets for other scents like Rosewater, Iris, Gardeners, Nantucket Briar, Lavender, La Source and Summer Hill. See Rouge Deluxe post for pictures from the rest of the Hello Kitty collection.

Yellow isn't normally my favorite color, but the lemon-y scent is my love. And recently I bought a pot of lemon verbena from Trader's Joes and I have placed it on my work desk... I have been rubbing the herb's leaves every now and then and the smell is absolutely divine!

I like the pouches from other scents, but I cannot justify myself buying everything in the range and pay excessive shipping for them (lotions and creams are kind of heavy!)

This was what I was up to. A summer feeling/life is full of lemons vanity bag:

it has a magnetic closure and comes in 3 zippered compartments. The middle compartment can be removed with 2 snap button closure. These compartments are pretty roomy and they can fit most travel sized toiletries and even my clarisonic mia! Only if I have more chance to travel!

The cute logo with Kitty's bow.... I am not sure why we don't have this collection in the US.... and Hello Kitty remains an Asian kind of thing....

Moving on next is my haul on Haba. I got these items from Sogo's Anniversary sale. Haba have regular sales on sets once in a while, but the sale from Sogo was one of the better ones with better offers.  

I have always wanted to try the Haba Ion machine, and I decided to get it. I have been using it for perhaps once a week so far and I like the results. Whitening serums are more effectively absorbed into my face and I notice a lightening of post acne scars. And my overall skintone is whitened as well. But this machine is a tad on the pricey side, however, I think because in the US facial spas are quite expensive to go, I think this ion machine is a good investment for me. 

And the entire treatment takes 8 minutes for one cycle. Now that my schedule is free up, I will keep using it and do it more frequently!

Haba's White Lady is also their signature product, and it is used in conjunction with the Ion machine. Because of the nice pricing, I hauled 2 sets of them. I am going to be a Snow White... someday!

These cotton sheet masks are to be used with the Ion machine treatment. They are really high quality and thick sheet masks... but because they are cotton, they tend to absorb a lot of liquid.... meaning you are using a lot of essence that you paid for.... so I tend to use my paper masks for this ion treatment.

And my purchase also comes with a GWP.... it's a 2 piece chirimen pouch and coin case and a lipstick with a hydrating essence core. 

Overall it it a good buy. But when my White Lady is used up later, I may have to come up with an alternative whitening essence to replace it, because:

1. White Lady is not available in the US

2. They are quite pricey with their original price.

So far I am considering whitening treatments from Kiehl's, Neogence, and Dr. Wu as potential replacements for White Lady. I just hope they will be as equally effective....

So, my skincare experiment continues!

Latest hauls^^ [6] Revlon Lip Butter haulage.... went overboard!!

To date, I have hauled over 55 sticks of Revlon Lip Butters....

Do not be mistaken, I only own 3 Lip Butters myself.... as I am not a big fan of lipsticks (remember, I am an eyeshadow kind of girl?)

Of course I will not be able to consume 55 pieces of lipstick by myself alone.... These butters are requested from my pals who live in Asia and partly because of the rave on youtube and mostly because of it comparable quality to Chanel's coco shine, and most importantly the ongoing buy 1 get 1 at 50% off deals in the US, friends have asked me to custom purchase for them....

Doesn't the layout looks like a rainbow???

This is part of the haul going to Singapore recently.... I haven't photographed the entire haul I got because I have sent them out to other parts of the world earlier....

I bet laying out 55 lipsticks on my desk will freak my husband out!

Personally I only have 4 lip butters myself-Peach Parfait, Pink Truffle, Berry Smoothie, and Sugar Plum. Peach Parfait is my favorite pick. 

What is your favorite color? Do share!

Latest hauls^^ [5] MAC Pearl glides are here!!!!

What is this long row of MAC boxes???? They are the long awaited MAC pearlglides! 

They have finally landed at our doorsteps before the weekend....

This massive layout of the pearlglides.... can you count how many are there in the picture?

30 of them...

Actually I don't need all 30 of the pearlglides. I just need one of each from the collection, which is 7....

The rest are haulage for my overseas pal (blink! Elaine!). Pearlglides are released here on February 13th but I was able to place an online order on the 10th. No rushing to the mall and fight for the MAC store BA's attention! And they arrived here on the 15th! Impressive!

I have heard a lot of good things about the pearlglides when I first started chatting with Elaine and back then these pearlglides are limited edition and I really wanted to try them after Elaine said how soft and smooth they glide on, and hence the name pearlglides.... 

But after searching high and low, the only place that had them was Ebay, which is a whooping $30+ per pencil... the aftermarket potential of these little gems are really out of my mind....

So since then I tried to find pencil liners by other makers, like Chanel or Urban Decay or NARS... but none of them has the same kind of color that I was looking for....

So here it is:

And it's thankful that they are permanent items now. I hauled all 7 colors for myself: 

•  Undercurrent is a blue-based teal with green-gold and teal shimmer. It has good color payoff in a single pass. Urban Decay Junkie is nearly identical.
• Industrial is a gray-casted blue with hints of brown. It’s an interesting color, and I found it difficuolt to describe. The color payoff is so-so in one pass, and even layering, it doesn’t build as well as the other shades. I couldn’t think of a dupe.
• Petrol Blue is a dark navy blue with sapphire shimmer. It has decent to good color payoff in a single pass but layers nicely. It’s similar, but brighter, than toki doki Skeletro. Make Up For Ever #3L is similar but not as intense.
• Designer Purple is a brightened violet purple with violet and silver shimmer. This shade had some of the chunkier sparkle. It has good color payoff in one pass. MAC Rich Purple was the closest dupe I could think of, but it’s darker, less violet. Urban Decay Delinquent is similar but not as bright.
• Lord It Up is a warm bronze brown with gold-bronze shimmer. It has good color payoff in one stroke. It’s similar to Urban Decay Corrupt.
• Black Line is a dark brown-based black with dirty gold shimmer. It has good color payoff in a single stroke. It’s similar to Shiseido Black Sand.
• Black Swan is a blue-based black with silver-blue shimmer. It has good color payoff in a single stroke. I don’t know of a dupe for this one.

(description from temptalia)

Swatches time!!

Under sun

Under shade

See the shimmers? How pretty...

Water-test, with some rubbing.... staying put!

Now with Kose Cosmeport cleansing oil with a few rubs..... coming off easily!

Overall very happy with my pearlglide purchase... now I would need to experiment more with different looks with these buttery pearlglides!

Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color N -My Collection^^

Since I cannot find anyone near me that would like to share Elaine's cool idea of "Project Jelly" with me, I have to collect these Jelly Eye Color one by one all by myself....

Eye Jellies I have collected so far:

#104 satin lingerie

#09 midnight shine

#10 vintage decor

#13 antique chiffon

#14 dazzling tear

#17 murmuring river

#18 bird flutter


The family of Jellies in their pot, under shade:

Under sun:

Swatches on the back of my hand, with labels:

You can refer to my detail posts about the 3 shimmery bases for #17 murmuring river, #104 satin lingerie, and #14 dazzling tear here. They are quite similar but they all have their subtle difference.


#18 bird flutter is some color that I need to use in caution so I don't look being punched in the eye, but regardless it is a lovely coral color that will look awesome on someone with fairer skintones.


#13 antique chiffon and #10 vintage decor looks like they are from the same family of taupes. I like to use them together with the lighter #13 antique chiffon on my overall lid and #10 around my outer V. 


#09 midnight shine is the latest addition to my family. This color was released a while ago, but back then I wasn't into makeup and it was not until lately that I decided to explore eyeshadow colors out of my comfort zone (browns and neutrals). But they are currently sold out in Jill Stuart counters in Hong Kong, so I have to succumb to Ebay to get it! It is a lovely royal blue that looks fantastic on a evening date for me (or Lenny Kravitz concert I have been to last month!) I am glad I hauled it before I regret!


Another picture for swatches under the sun:

And in shade. Interestingly in this picture, the taupes appear to be more greenish than they should be?

Interestingly, I must admit that in my earlier stages of applying these jellies, my fingers were quite clumsy and glitter is everywhere in my under eye area. Now as I get better I like to reach out to them because they are very easy and fast to apply..... and the best part? I dont need to use a eyeshadow brush, meaning one less item to wash after make up!

Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color N -Shimmery bases

I remember my very first Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color N was from the 2010 X'mas Secret Tease Collection, 104 satin lingerie , and it was one of the first higher end Japanese makeup that I purchase when I first started getting into makeup.


Since then my Jelly Eye collection grow and up till now I have a total of 7 colors from the past year's worth of collection.


Today I am going to share the shimmery bases that I occasionally use for a bling effect. They are:


14 dazzling tear
17 murmuring river
104 satin lingerie 

From the photos, dazzling tear and murmuring river looks very similar to each other, and they are kind of a eggshell color with tons of shimmers in the pot. Satin lingerie, on the other hand, has a soft pink hue to it.

Satin lingerie is also the only one that has a special cap with black lace details (because it is from a LE edition??) while the rest has white lace details.

Test swatches on my arm. From left to right, 17 murmuring river, 14 dazzling tear, and 104 satin lingerie 

Under the shade. As you can see when swatching it, murmuring river and dazzling tear is really showing a difference here. Yes, both are very shimmery, but I will say murmuring river appears to be whiter and more silvery, while dazzling tear is more golden and has a champagne tint to it. And I also think murmuring river has the most shimmer out of the 3. Satin lingerie doesn't really show any kind of pink pigments to it and its glitter seems to be the chunkist out of the 3.

Another angle under the shade. It also shows that both murmuring river and dazzling tear is more packed with shimmers, while satin lingerie doesn't have much shimmers in the jelly mix.

Another shot under the sun. Notice how pretty the shimmers are?

For those who prefer mattes, they should stay away from these glitter bomb like jellies. They do have some fall out and application of them can be a tad tricky, because you typically apply these jellies with your finger and blend it in. During the first few times of using these jellies, my clumsy fingers caused some of the glitters to fall on to my under eye area, which are a pain to remove because these glitter just stays on! But these jellies have pretty good lasting power and in terms of creasing, I have only experience slight creasing by the end of the day (usually 6 hours or more).


Somehow I wish they come out with smaller packaging because I don't think I can ever finish the entire 6g of them before they dry out.... nor do I have buddies close by me that is willing to do a "project jelly" with me.... so it will take a long time for me to use them all up!

Latest hauls^^ [4] Jill Stuart Jelly Eye color N 17 murmuring river and 18 bird flutter

Before I start on this post, Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! 

I have been getting my Jill Stuart and other Japanese brands from my usual sources these days. Recently in my mail is my Jill Stuart 2012 spring collection haulage!

I am always happy to see big packages in my mailroom!

Hint of pink.... well packaged in bubble wraps!

My hauls included limited edition nail polishes and eye jellies from Jill Stuart Spring 2012 collection. The Maquillage Mascara Combing Remover is a gift from the seller. I will try it when I need to travel around later. I wonder how does this compare the the Kiss Me mascara remover? Seems like a good alternative to eyemakeup removers!

My loots of JS Jelly Eye Color N in 17 murmuring river (right) and 18 bird flutter (left):

17 murmuring river is a nice champagne/silvery based shimmer that will can be used as a extremely sparkly sparkly base or a shimmer highlight at the enter of the eyes. I tried it once with a smokey eye look and my hubby was like, what did you do to your eyes? They look so sparkly!


17 murmuring river in its pot:

Swatches at the back of my hand, under sun, it looks more sparkly in person:

Swatches under shade, you can see the glitters better here:

Murmuring river on my finger tips, you can see the champagne hue here:

For 18 bird flutter, it is a peach/coral tone jelly with not as much fine shimmers as murmuring river. It looks pretty pigmented in the pot and I am afraid this color maybe quite hard to pull off because I may risk myself looking being punched in the eye:

It actually went on quite sheer.... in the picture below you can see bird flutter (top) and murmuring river (bottom). Since murmuring is more shimmery, the camera was able to pick it up better.

Moving on to nail polishes. I was inspired by Miss Elain-nio because she told me that Jill Stuart nail polishes have a distinctive sweet scent that will linger even 2 days after you finish applying the polishes. Since I spotted them at a decent price (compare to ebay!) I picked them up as well.


I got the 2 new spring colors (limited edition, 10ml each) in 53 flower shower and 43 milky freesia. Flower shower is a coral tone nudy peach color with little shimmers while milky freesia is more of a pale lilac with minimal shimmers. As with most JS nail polishes they go on quite sheer, and I would mind that as they will be goo gradation nail bases.


And from their 2011 Fall collection, I got their Petite Nail Collection that comes with 3 bottles of 6ml of 114 red current, 115 bird song, and 116 deep fur. It also comes with a sheet of nail art stickers.

Nail art sticker, too pretty to be used!

Full line up, from left to right: 53 flower shower, 43 milky freesia.114 red current, 115 bird song, and 116 deep fur.

A quite note here. OPI, Essie or Zoya nail polishes are typically 15ml each, so with JS's 10ml or 6ml sizes they contain considerably less than the brands here.... but on the other hand, who can normally use up a full 15ml during the life span of a nail polish before it dries up? And plus, we never get such cute packaging for nail polishes here in the US....


Comparison of the top gems, the LE version has a pink gem:

And size comparision between the 10ml (left) and 6ml (right):

Swatches of these gorgeous nail polishes will be done later when I free up and have time to paint my nails...


and my collection of JS jelly eye color N will follow shortly...