HG Cleanser: LUSH Angels on Bare Skin Review//LUSH 流星天使洗面膏

This post will introduce another item from my January favourites post, it's ice cream! LOL just kidding...it's Angels on Bare Skin Face Cleanser that comes in an ice cream pot. I bought this when meeting up with a fellow blogger Stellar in Hong Kong. It's the first LUSH skincare I bought and I am in love with it ever since!

今日同大家介紹近排非常非常之喜愛既洗面膏, 佢就係LUSH既流星天使洗面膏喇. 包裝好似雪糕咁, 好有新鮮感! 舊年俄同Stellar去街時買既, LUSH既香氛皂之前都有試過, 但佢地既護膚品就係第一次用, 用完就愛上了 .

Directions for use: Take a blob (I take the size of my thumb nail) from the pot and mix it with water. Add water bit by bit though... it's easy to go overboard with water and the texture will be very runny.

用法: 拎適量既洗面膏放手心 (個人會拎大約像姆指指甲大小份量), 加少量水. 不過水還是慢慢加, 太多的話便會令洗面膏質感水汪汪的了.

If you have sensitivity towards smell and scent, I encourage you to smell this before buying. This cleanser carries a strong herbal /lavender scent which can be soothing for some (or tormenting if you don't like it). I like the smell a lot though :3 As you can see in the photos, there are lavender (?) granules inside it. The product info says rose is for softening skin, ground almonds for exfoliating, and lavender is for controlling the skin's natural oils. This is another reason why I like this cleanser because it doubles as an exfoliator when you mix it with water, it becomes a 'paste' and the granules are not harsh to rub on skin. Since the formula is so gentle, LUSH website says this cleanser is suitable for all skin types.

流星天使洗面膏有好濃郁既薰衣草味, 聞落好舒服, 好relax. 個人非常喜歡它的味, 每朝起身洗完面成個人醒晒, 臨訓前洗完面之後塊面好滑. 洗面膏裡面有碎杏仁, 薰衣草同玫瑰香薰精華油, 拎黎洗面同時去角質好岩. 用黎做面部磨砂都唔洗驚會令毛孔變大, 因為D碎杏仁都好幼細, 好溫和 (見下圖).

Thoughts:

Ever since having this cleanser, it makes me look forward to the cleansing step each day and night, partly because the exfoliating bit is fun, seriously! I don't abject the herbal smell, I found the smell to be quite soothing on the senses, and this product definitely leaves my face feeling so fresh like it can finally breathes again, no products can do that so far.

As far as my wallet is concerned, I would gladly make a repurchase of this cleanser despite the price tag being a bit over my usual budget for a cleanser (I paid ~$130 HKD for this jar, $119HKD/120 grams). A jar of this would probably last you 1.5-2 months (buy it HERE). I think I'd try Dark Angels next!

呢隻洗面膏令我每日都好期待洗面既一刻, 我好鍾意佢既磨砂既效果, 香之餘, 洗完面令到個人好relaxed, 塊面又好滑. 雖然佢比我平時用開既洗面膏貴少少, 一jar可以用兩個月 (buy HERE), 但係好值得試試, 所以回購既機會都頗大, 但係我會想試下黑色天使洗面膏.

P.S. A guy friend of mine was complimenting on my skin the other day and said my skin has become smoother, I immediately thought of Angels on Bare Skin!! It might be the NARS Copacabana Multiple that I have been using, or worse, the powder foundation that I've been using is not good at controlling oil and making my skin look 'glowy'.But I'm pretty sure Angels on Bare Skin has its effects!

P.S. 前幾日有男友人讚皮膚滑了, 我第一時間就諗起Angels on Bare Skin!!

HG mask: Orbis Foam Esthe Pack Review //不可缺少既護膚item: Orbis 暖暖泡沫面膜

Today I am reviewing one of my favourite products in January 2011: the Foam Esthe Pack mask from Orbis. This bottle has made its way into my list of HGs within a month, does that say something? hehe. In fact I'm surprised I only came to discover this gem after being a loyal Orbis skincare user for over 3 years. When Stellar visited Hong Kong in December, I took her to Orbis and she wanted to try this since this mask is #1 top-seller of Orbis in Japan. I've been using it for the 8th time and would like to say "oh dear, where have you been all these years?!?!"

今日同大家講下我一月份最愛用既產品之一: 佢就Orbis 既暖暖泡沫面膜. 自從Stellar黎香港我地一齊買呢支面膜之後, 佢已經榜上有名. 聽佢講呢支泡沫面膜係日本係第一好賣產品, 用左Orbis skincare 超過三年, 竟然而家先發現到佢既存在, 真係遲左D -.-''

The mask came in an airtight metal bottle with a pump and a lid, it contains 100g. Retail price is around $240 HKD (~$31 USD) but you can easily have a discount when purchasing more than 2 bottles or if you're an Orbis member! I can already smell the possibility of a repurchase, lol.

呢隻面膜用金屬罐包裝, D泡沫可以用噴咀嘎出黎. 內有100g, 賣$240 HKD左右, 不過如果係佢地會員既話或者買2支以上通常都有折. 我已經預視到回購既可能性極高, 嘿嘿....

The SA told me this mask is used to beat the 'yellow-ness' induced by frequent use of makeup, in other words, it helps to purify skin and even your complexion. This is what I need.

店內小姐同我地講呢隻面膜好適合經常化妝既人用, 可以令塊面無咁黃, 同埋淨化毛孔, 等膚色均勻D. 正中下懷~

The foam mask came in a mousse texture, I was instructed to pump the size of a ping-pong ball for the whole face and spread the mousse/foam evenly across skin. The texture is very light.

面膜呈泡沫/慕絲狀, 軟綿綿好得意. 店員話擠一個乒乓球大小既份量塗勻全面.
Indulge yourself with a little mousse...cover any possible 'holes' and pores. After 5-7 minutes, I washed off with water and everything came clean in like 10 seconds. I've had a difficult time with other wash-off mask (say clay ones), those took me a few minutes to wash it off completely.

等5-7分鐘之後, 用水洗淨. 我發現好容易就洗乾淨, 10秒鐘就乾淨哂. 唔會好似D泥mask咁好難先洗得甩.

Thoughts: I'm extremely impressed by this product, it smooths and plumps my skin, made it feel soft to the touch. This is very convenient to use in shower or before bed, as it only takes 5 minutes. It's not that 'harsh' on skin as some purifying clay masks out there, I can use it 2-3 times per week.

極度喜歡呢隻面膜, 用完皮膚超滑, 好方便, 又可以沖涼時用, 5 分鐘就搞掂, 岩哂我呢類懶人 XD 仲有佢唔似D泥mask咁, 唔洗驚吸乾塊面既水, 對皮膚都好溫和, 一個星期用2-3次到啦.

Pros:

- quick fix: only need 5 minutes

- leaves skin VELVET SMOOTH and plump

- texture is like mousse

- helps purify skin

- super easy to use, wash off and lathers extremely well

- comfortable warming sensation on skin

- won't make your skin tight after using

- unscented

好處:

- 方便快捷: 5分鐘搞掂

- 令皮膚超滑同飽滿

- 慕絲質感 (輕盈)

- 可淨化皮膚

- 清潔容易

- 泡沫暖暖地好舒服

- 不會令皮膚崩緊

- 無香味

Cons:

- airtight and metal bottle packaging: difficult to estimate how much product is left inside

- have to be careful when dispensing product out, might end up pumping more than needed

不足:

- 密封包裝不容易判斷仲有幾多product剩

- 使用時很容易會擠出過多product

Ease of use// 使用容易程度: 10/10

Product quality// 產品質素: 10/10

Price//價錢: 7.5/10

Packaging// 包裝: 8/10

Repurchase //回購? Y

Swatch comparison: Smashbox Regal Blush a dupe of NARS Gina

NARS Gina has always been my HG orange-peach blush (full list of my HGs here). Seriously, I can't find the sunny-healthy pure orange glow Gina gives me in any other blushes. Yet, this changed when I received Smashbox's fusion blush in Regal from a swap. The latter came in the fall collection in 2009. I've not been impressed by Smashbox before (their Photofinish primer light broke me out, their under eye concealer [forgot the name] makes my undereye area shimmery, mascara smudges etc). But this blush is clearly different from the previous Smashbox experience I've had.

When I opened Smashbox Regal blush, I immediately dug out NARS Gina and put them side by side. Although both of them look kind of pink in the first picture, but they actually aren't pink. Both blushes belong to the orange peach family (NOT coral). Upon first glance, NARS Gina is a much brighter orange than Smashbox Regal. the latter is a much subdued orange in the pan. NARS Gina is matte, Smashbox Regal, however, contains half-matte and half-shimmery on each side of the blush. But the shimmer didn't show up at all when swatched (YAY ^_^).

Smashbox Regal is housed in a magnetic compact with a leather (or faux leather?) packaging, with a special logo printed on it saying 'fall 2009 collection'. NARS Gina comes in the usual black rubber compact. You may notice I taped the NARS compact with tape, that's because after a while, the NARS black rubber will start to degenerate and peel, and it gets extremely awful and sticky when you touch it. I can literally touch it only after I taped it up.

This initial swatch told me these blushes are dupes for each other, lol.

Since it didn't show up well in the first pic, I applied more to get it to show up in camera...

Here's how they look on cheek:

Both blushes show up the same on my cheeks. I like them both :) However if I were to choose one, I'd pick Gina because it's insanely pigmented, I only need a light swipe! Yet, the rational side of my brain tells me Smashbox Regal contains more product (7 grams) versus Gina's 4.5 grams, lol! I found myself reaching for both equally, I can't live without orange blushes especially on rainy and cloudy days, or on days with sleep deprivation.

Do you have a favourite orange blush? Do share yours!