December Empties

I wish everyone has had a happy holiday last week, I spent the entire week on vacation in December and have managed to finish quite a lot. 

Sofina Beaute Makeup Cleansing Gel - I tried out a deluxe sample size of this and reviewed HERE. Was very impressed by gel-to-liquid formula when it comes to makeup removers. So I redeemed this full size for free using shopper's point. I may get another bottle using rebate in the future, but since I"m moving towards 'cleaner' products, that might not happen, lol.

MoroccanOil Hair Treatment oil - I loved this and swear it with my life, and this is my second bottle of the stuff. It has come to my notice that it's quite laden with silicones and the 'real stuff' (aka argan oil) is rather low in portion. Plus real argan oil is supposed to be good on its own, there's no need to mix it in a chemical concoction to make it 'look like' argan oil. I've also noticed my hair has become thinner. I'm determined to 'detox' my beauty regime so, its time to bid farewell to this.

Emptied products in August

So much had happened during late August and early September. I took a whole week off and caught up with some sun, rest, and gym, was hoping to catch up with books but to no avail. Then I changed to a new laptop and there's all the nuisance about connecting to the Internet. Call me old-fashioned but Windows 8 is quite difficult to work with, and there's no simple photo editing tool...oh well lol.

Let's get to today's topic: empties in August.

Emptied Products in June

June was a slightly more productive in terms of product empties, even though it had been slow on the masks front. There were 6 items which I tossed (shame I know!), read on!

Emptied Products in May

I spent a week on vacation this month and therefore the empties this month would be separated in two parts (pictures taken at different places!). 

Emptied Products in April

April went by in a breeze and I spent most of the time in sickness, ewww. It's not a very productive month in terms of empties but here's what I managed to finish:

*Updated* BLOG SALE

The long overdue mega blog sale is HERE finally! I figured that these little pretties could use better homes since I hardly use them, if not at all. The blog sale is open to everyone in the world, I'll try to ship within the next few days after I received payment. 

PLEASE READ THE RULES BEFORE BUYING :)

1. Ships both local and international, via airmail.

2. All Prices are listed in USD $. Only PayPal gift payments are accepted. I will give you instructions on how to pay with PayPal gift if needed.

3. Shipping is $4 for the first item and $0.5 for each additional item in your purchase order. Add another $2 if you would like to send by REGISTERED airmail (i.e. with tracking number).

4. All sales final. No returns. No exchanges.

5. Prices of items and shipping non-negotiable. I don't open a shipping company and ship for free.

6. If you'd like to buy, email to jenlovesbeauty@gmail.com with “Blog Sale” in the subject line. Please include your PayPal email address in your message; I need to know who the money is coming from. Indicate which items (and color) you wanted.

7. Please do not send payments until I emailed you back confirming that 1) the items are still available and 2) my paypal address.

8. Items are on a first come, first served basis. Payment is due within 24 hours. If payment has not been received within 24 hours, the items go to the next person that’s interested in purchasing those items.

9. I'll put "PENDING" on the items within 24 hours when I got your email, when payment is cleared I'll put "SOLD" next to the item.

10. The condition of each item is as described and shown in the photos.

11. I will pack and bubble wrap everything carefully. I'm not responsible for what may happen in transit after the items leave my hands.

12. Happy Shopping!! :)

BLUSHES:

Lunasol Cream Cheeks in EX04 Tender Glow Pink (used five times, LE, 12g)   US$20

Lunasol Cream Cheeks in EX08A Soft Orange (used twice, LE, 8.5g)   US$22  SOLD

Giorgio Armani Blushing Fabric cream blush in 01 (used once)   US$28  SOLD

Giorgio Armani Blushing Fabric cream blush in 03 (used once)  US$28  SOLD

(CLICK ON TO READ MORE!!)

Emptied Products in February 2013

Hello folks, February had been a slow month for product empties. I only had 2 full sized products finished *sniff* but there are lots of samples being used! I"d love to post this by the end of February but things just got so hectic. Now, let's see what I finished during the past month...

My staple products of late

It's been quite a while since I last shared my staple products. One of my resolutions for 2013 is to blog more, and here I present to you my staples for the past 2-3 months:

Jill Stuart Blush Blossom 07 Charming Lily Swatches

This is going to be a quick post. Hot & fresh swatches from the latest blush blossom from Jill Stuart 2011 "Kitten Eyes" summer collection - #07 Charming Lily.

速記: Jill Stuart夏天Kitten Eyes系列的胭脂, 07 Charming Lily.

ABAD Day 21: Jill Stuart Mixed Compact Blush in #10 Sweet Biscuit//"每日一胭脂"系列 第21天: Jill Stuart Sweet Biscuit胭脂

This will be the only blush from Jill Stuart to be featured in the A-Blush-A-Day series. I've chosen #10 Sweet Biscuit because from the pic below you can infer that it's been used a lot, the imprint on the blush is gone and there's a dip in the middle. I have yet to see pan but er what can I say? I wish it'll hit pan soon, haha.

這是唯一會在"每日一胭脂"系列中被 featured 的 Jill Stuart 胭脂, 我選了#10 號色是因為用得這個最多次 (看下圖), 中間已經有凹位了, 還未"見底" 但希望快會看到吧! 哈哈!

Pretty princess-y pacakaging and a blush brush is included (detachable).

很公主感覺的包裝, 附掃 (可分拆).

Since the individual shades are not showing up that well on the back of my hand, I swatched them on a napkin. The 4 shades in this blush is a pastel orange, pastel baby pink, bright orange red and a cinnamon-like brown.

由於4種顏色在手背上的試色不太容易看得到, 我把它們分開試在紙巾上, 那效果會更明顯. 4色分別是粉橙, 粉紅, 鮮橙紅, 淡淡的肉桂啡.

4 shades swirled together:

把4色混起來:

How it looks on the face:

掃在面上是這樣的:

Intensity: Medium pigmentation

Finish: Mostly matte

Price: ~$43 USD

Lasting power: 6-7 hours

Repurchase: Yes

Overall thoughts: I prefer the Mixed Compact blushes from Jill Stuart over the newest Blush Blossoms (loose powder blushes) because of the former's ease of application and the fun of swirling the shades together. The brush attached with the compact is of decent quality, it's not super super good but it gets the job done pretty well. #10 Sweet Biscuit houses the most unimaginable shades together: pastel orange, bright orange red and cinnamon light-brown, the effect came out pink. It's not extremely pigmented but just 1-2 light swirls and the color shows.

上色度: 中度

效果: 大致上是啞光的

價錢: ~$43-44 美元

持久度: 6-7 小時

回購: 會

總評: 比起最新的 Blush Blossoms碎粉胭脂系列, 個人較喜歡這4色胭脂系列, 用起來不會太messy, 1-2 下已經上色了. 隨盒附送的胭脂掃不是很好很好那種但用它來塗的效果絕對是不錯的. #10 Sweet Biscuit 內的4 種顏色可謂獨有: 粉橙, 鮮橙紅, 淺肉桂啡, 出來的效果又是不錯的粉紅色. 顯色度還可以.

What is A-Blush-A-Day (ABAD) Project?
On each day, each of us will present a different blush (old or new) we used each day (so that's 4 x 30 = 120 blushes), with swatches done either on face or on hand, and a short review. For my list of 30 blushes to be used in this project, click here. Don't forget to head to Elaine's, Vonvon's, PopBlush's blogs for daily blush surprises!

什麼是"每日一胭脂"系列?
我們每天會介紹當日使用的胭脂, 4人 x 30 = 會介紹總共 120 個胭脂 (新與舊), 配以試色圖(於手上或面上), 再加短短的用評. 本人於未來30天會使用這些胭脂. 去 Elaine, Vonvon, PopBlush 的blogs看看她們在用那個胭脂吧!!

Jill Stuart Dreamy Garden Collection Petite Gloss Trio Swatches// Jill Stuart 公主夢幻迷你唇彩組合試色

Warning: This post contains extremely pretty contents, read on if you're up for princessy and cute things! The Dreamy Garden Collection from Jill Stuart has been launched on 1st April, the collection is only available in Hong Kong & Taiwan. Some bloggers have asked me to CP them the new eyeshadow palettes, perfume, etc. I only got the petite gloss trio, hence I will be posting swatches of the glosses instead of the eyeshadow palette, but I'll include some teaser pics of course.

警告: 這篇post內含極漂亮同華麗既包裝, 請自行決定看不看.

Jill Stuart 公主夢幻系列已經係1/4 登場了, 只在香港及台灣發售. 有唔少外國的bloggers托我購買新系列裡的眼影盤及香水 , 我就買了gloss trio, 所以只會post唇彩試色圖, 但當然會包括teaser pics 啦.

The flowery and feminine design on the paper box:

包裝紙盒上的花朵圖案, 很有女孩味:

Many people are after this shade in #102 Amazonite Dazzle because it's not similar to the shades released before, and not found in the entire Jill Stuart eyeshadow range.

很多外國bloggers都說要#102號色的眼影盤, 因為盒裡的顏色和Jill Stuart現有的顏色很不同, 以前也沒有出過.

Here are official promo pics, but they don't do justice at all, to the pretty packaging you will see below!

官方圖片, 我說實物比圖片靚得多!

Now come to the glosses. I was thinking of skipping this collection altogether (not in a mood to shop lately), but I thought I'd swatch them before I pay the other items and go. Man, it was such a wrong decision (-_-) I found two of the glosses pretty pigmented and I fell for it. Grrr.

轉談今次的迷你3色唇彩. 我並無打算買任何東西 (最近無shopping的mood), 但臨走前做了個錯的決定: 試色上手. 我發現其中2隻色異常地上色, 所以...*吼*

Pretty box which houses the gloss trio:

漂亮的盒子:
Side of the box:

側面看:
"Omg it's so pretty I wanna cry..."

漂亮到想喊吧?
Colored gem stones on the lipgloss caps, such a nice detail!

每支唇彩的蓋都有不同顏色的閃石, 很精緻和用心的設計.
The 3 shades are: #101 Pretty Tutu, #103 Sweet Perfume, #102 Cherry Whip. #103 Sweet Perfume INSTANTLY reminds me of NARS Angelika lipgloss after I swatched it *faints*...but minus the heavy glitter in NARS Angelika, #102 Cherry Whip is a matte coral shade (can I say "matte" again? ♥), these two are the most opaque ones. #101 Pretty Tutu is a pretty transparent shade with fine glitter/shimmer.

3隻顏色分別是: #101 Pretty tutu, #103 Sweet Perfume, #102 Cherry Whip. #103即時令我想起NARS Angelika的唇彩色, 但#103無NARS那麼多閃粉, 接近啞色系. #102係無任何閃粉的珊瑚色 (可不可以再強調是啞色系? ♥), 這2色都是比較實色. #101係接近透明色, 但有很幼細的閃粉.

Swatches:

試色:
Honestly I'm blown away with the pigmentation of #103 Sweet Perfume and #102 Cherry Whip! The regular line of jelly lip gloss from Jill Stuart doesn't come close to these two. #101 has the prettiest fine glitter/shimmer I've seen, they're not chunky and looks so dreamy in the tube. I am totally digging the 3 shades!! (P.S. If anyone needs help purchasing the new collection, email me.)

#103 和#102的上色度頗impressive. #101裡的閃粉是我見過的最幼細, 不會結成一塊塊, 看下去很夢幻的感覺. 趁現在有promotion, 去親自看看吧!

Jill Stuart Valentine Love Collection Info and Photos

I was kindly informed by a blogger who reminded me that Jill Stuart's Valentine Love Collection is coming up, in fact it's set to release on 24th Jan! Oh how quick...another 2 weeks to go before Chinese Lunar New Year!

(all images taken from Jill Stuart official website)

My heart fluttered as I checked out their promo pics! I felt so bad ever since I missed out last year's Bridal Collection from the brand :( because I was outside Hong Kong. But I know this year I will be able to get my hands on this collection and can custom-purchase a few sets for bloggers too! I am loving the dessert-theme here, the gloss trios look like candies in a box!

4 new and limited edition products would be released:
They are:

1) Heart Gloss Trio neatly put in a heart-shaped tin:
The cap carries heart-shaped crystal with a "J" on it:

There are 3 different colors in one tin: #101 Sweet Rendezvous (bright fuschia pink); #102 Cross My Heart (pure red); #103 Platonic Romance (nude pink).
2) The second product is 6ml nail polishes (they're smaller than regular-sized ones) and come in 5 shades: #109 Love Scandal (far left); #110 Captive of Love (second left); #111 Love Potion (the middle shade); #112 Love is Blind (second right); #113 First Love (far right). Each is sold individually.
3) Also being released is a set of two blotting papers. The one on the left is #01 Heart and Cupid; the one on right is #02 Love Key

4) 2 Emery boards for nails will be introduced:
How they look when flipped over: (not sure which from the above corresponds to the ones below :P have to find that out!)

(Source: Jill Stuart official website)

I am eyeing on the gloss trios and some of the nail polishes as I think they're absolute value for money, not to mention the heart-shaped tin looks cute on the dresser :)! The nail polishes look decent and are cheap to invest when compared to their regular-sized bottles too.

P.S. If anyone needs help purchasing these, please email me in advance as I will be able to make pre-orders. Limited Edition collections and products are sold out in a matter of 2-3 days (not to mention their Christmas Coffret last December!). More info on my custom-purchase services here.

What are you eyeing on :)?

Jill Stuart Spring 2011 Collection info and photos!

Happy New Year people! Life had been busy since I returned from Taiwan (Christmas gatherings, birthday celebrations, new year's eve countdown and work), I'm planning on a few upcoming posts but first I want to post this: Spring 2011 Collection from Jill Stuart!

This year there are a few products up in the alley so hopefully there's something for everyone. They will release a new line of lip glosses called Lip Jewel, a new color for blush blossom, a new color for Mixed Blush Compact, 2 new shades for Jewel Crystal Eyes Palette, and 3 new nail polish colors.

12 new shades are included in the new Lip Jewel line, each gloss is named after some precious stones like ruby, catseye...there will be 2 limited colors, #11 and #12.

06 Little Anemone will be the new color for the blush blossom range. Also notice that the price of blush blossoms is increased. *o*
Price of the Mixed Blush Compact is also raised, the new color will be #13 Milky Pink.
Dolly Bloom, Marshmallow bonbon, Petal Shower will be the 3 new colors added to nail polishes range. Retailing price is increased.
Angelic Topaz, Sweet Amethyst are the 2 new shades for Jewel Crystal Eyes palette range. Retailing price is raised too.
And finally, something for Jill Stuart Club Member who spent over $5000 HKD in the past year until March this year. They can redeem the following set of dishes and plate (without the products), I say this set looks very classy!!

(all images taken from Jill Stuart official site)

Which item catches your eye?! :) Personally I will be picking up the Mixed Blush Compact in #13 Milky Pink 'cause I'm a big fan of the mixed blush compacts anyday over the blush blossoms lol!

P.S. If you need help purchasing these, contact me early in advance because their new products are always sold out in a matter of 2-3 days.

On another note, do you have any new year's resolutions for 2011 (both beauty and non-beauty related)? Please SHARE! ^_^