DIY Home Spa - Biore Aroma Time Bodywash ꒰●꒡ ̫ ꒡●꒱

I've been in sort of a girly mood since Valentine's Day...something like a heart-shaped hangover I guess =P I suppose part of the reason is the bodywash I've been using~

Biore Aroma Time - Elegant Spa fragrance

I picked up the Biore Aroma Time bodywash around early Feb because I wanted a nicer, more pampering sort of bodywash~ and also because my friend was late so I was wandering around Nishino Pharmacy at Shaw while waiting....so technically it isn't completely my fault that I bought beauty products AGAIN ngahahaha~  <(￣︶￣)>

Retailing at S$17.80 / 550ml

Made in Japan, this bodywash comes in 2 fragrances:

• Elegant Spa - a rich floral fragrance consisting of 3 notes: Creamy Gourmand, White Floral and Sweet Fruits

• Paradise Air - a clear floral & fruity scent consisting of 3 notes: Airy Musk, Aqua Floral and Watery Accord

Back of the bottle info in a nutshell:

Envelope yourself in premium aroma scent and create a beautiful atmosphere for your bath. (Something along those lines =P) Formulated with natural aroma essences.

Gentle enough to be used on delicate baby skin, Aroma Time Bodywash is of the same PH balance as normal skin and formulated to gently cleanse the dirt off the body.

How to use: Apply an appropriate amount of bodywash (2 pumps recommended) to a damp towel or sponge. Foam will build up as you go over your skin with the towel/sponge, rinse off after.

Additional info off the web: Rich formula makes your skin feel nourished as if you've had a cream or milk bath. Naturally moisturizing easily dry areas like elbows and knees, the bodywash also contains skin whitening ingredients that can be easily absorbed by your skin.

My weapon of choice - The Body Shop Ultra Fine Bath Lily

I use this with the ultra-fine bath lily from The Body Shop to ensure a solid foam buildup and it works great! Instead of using 2 pumps as recommended, I tried it with just 1 as well as 1 1/2 pumps and it was very sufficient for a full body scrub down.

Look at that foam!!!

The foam builds up very easily on wet skin and is rich and quite creamy~ LOVE IT! If you use 2 pumps you get ALOT of denser foam (seems almost neverending to me =P) and a stronger aroma whilst you're bathing. It feels like I'm bathing in a cloud of flowers~~~ ꒰ღ˘‿˘ற꒱❤ Really makes one feel like a lady of leisure~

I feel it's necessary to use this with a sponge of some sort as I'd experimented using just my hands and it simply doesn't foam up. So yeah, pick up a bath lily or foaming net or something from Daiso~

The only downside I've detected is the bottle. After using the bottle, I'd left it lying on its side on the table and after some time noticed that it had leaked a small amount from the pump area. A small inconvenience you might want to take note of to prevent wastage =) Or maybe I just have a slightly defective bottle.

So in short, the Biore Aroma Time Bodywash is:

• a pretty luxurious aromatherapy spa-in-a-bottle at a reasonable price
• more easily found in Japanese pharmacies or supermarkets.
• can be used at half the recommended amount without too much difference, you can get a whole lotta foam with less of the scent if you're not a fan of strong fragrances
• the creamy base notes of the fragrance makes the floral scent very elegant & more pleasant, less potentially nauseating I feel?
• leaves a clean feeling without the tautness, also no unpleasant afterfeel
• skin feels nourished and pleasantly, though only lightly, scented after use (scent doesn't last more than a couple hours on me, probably because of the humid heat of Singapore)
• bottle MAY leak if left lying on its side, just fyi~

I'm very pleased with this bodywash, can you tell? (^ _ ^) It makes bathtime that much more relaxing and is the perfect start to some me-time before bed! ꒰ღ˘‿˘ற꒱❤

♥ Valentine's Day Baking - Hidden Heart Cake ♥

A week and a half after Valentine's Day, this post is rather belated~ Please excuse my tardiness~ (>_<) I've been a tad more social recently so it takes me out of the home quite often (^__^);; But anyway, I wanted to share this cake that I made for Valentine's Day~ It's quite easy and lovely to look at. Got it from Boulder Locavore's beautiful Hidden Heart Valentine's Pound Cake post...(｡♥‿♥｡)

From the local baking supplies store and supermarket I got my ingredients:

Cocoa chips + walnuts + eggs + loaf baking pan (approx. 7'' long 4'' deep)
+ edible colouring + strawberry flavoring + cake mix

Ok so I know using cake mix is quite a short cut here but I figured I might have my hands full with the technique and didn't want to have to worry about the cake recipe so I settled for something safe! Thank you Betty Crocker~

Chose Rose Pink instead of straight pink or red for a nicer colour~

Using the yellow cake mix, I put in about 15 - 20  drops of the colour paste and about 2 teaspoons of the strawberry flavoring. The flavoring intensity is of course subject to individual taste so test as you go~

My cake mix was this shade when I put it in to bake:

 

And came out looking like this:

 

 

Waited for the cake to cool completely before taking a knife to it. Sliced the cake into about 1'' wide pieces and used an approx. 2'' wide heart-shaped cookie cutter from Daiso to make the hidden heart slices~

 

Poured a small amount of the chocolate cake mix into the pan and left it for a few min to pull itself together before lining up the heart slices together and pouring the rest of the chocolate cake mix over them. This part was a little bit difficult to do on my own because there was a constant worry of the hearts slipping all over the place while I was pouring the chocolate mix in...

 

Scattered cocoa chips and walnuts over the top and into the oven it went:

 

 

It'll rise higher than usual because of the extra volume from the heart slices, so no worries there.

 

And then the moment of truth! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

 

 

It's not as pretty as I was hoping was still pretty decent I think! Served this with some Dreyer's Roasted Almond ice cream and it was omg yum~~~~ (｡-_-｡ )人( ｡-_-｡) The Husband was also quite wow-ed and wanted to know how it was made hehe..

 



The only thing I would change the next time round is the choice of cake mix. Super Moist was not a good idea as the cake took much longer to bake thoroughly the 2nd round due to the already-baked heart slices that were probably in the way of the dissipating heat? The cakes had to be kept in the fridge too because they were too moist to be simply boxed and left on the dining table... (^_^;;;)

 

Hope you enjoyed this post~ Next time there's an occasion I'm gonna try a Hidden Rainbow cake! 

Urban Decay Spring 2014 - Naked Ultra Nourishing Gloss

I recently came into ownership of a few products that have yet to hit the local market =D So~ whee! I'm quite excited to review them~

This~~~ is the Naked Ultra Nourishing Gloss from Urban Decay's Spring 2014 collection~ Already available in the States of course, this range of nourishing lip glosses come in 9 'Naked' shades (varying natural shades) and is touted as 'Like a luxe balm and a rich gloss in one, it’s laced with ingredients that are good for your skin—like Hyaluronic Filling Spheres™, vitamin E, avocado oil and shea butter to hydrate and condition your lips. Rosehip seed oil provides an extra hit of vitamins, including vitamin A and vitamin C.' (extracted from Urban Decay) The formula is also vegan and free of parabens, sulphates and phthalates.

Set to retail at S$32, I have to say, the packaging is pretty gorgeous~

Love the cut-out NAKED!!

So easy to spot in the sea of black packaging in my makeup bag~

From top: Lovechild and Nude

Lovechild is described as a 'Medium Pink' and Naked, a 'Nude-Pink with pearly pink shift'.

I expected Lovechild to be a tad brighter but the swatches proved otherwise. Naked was..well...naked with only a very light hint of colour so it's mostly gloss effect. Lovechild too, was surprisingly sheer.

From left: Lovechild and Naked

The brush is a slim, slanted paddle applicator that doesn't pick up too much gloss from the tube so no worries about a gloppy mess on your applicator~

 

One layer of gloss was quite enough for me since I'm not usually a lip gloss wearer...too much shine and stickiness isn't really my thing...

 

 

Decided to give Lovechild a whirl!

 

 

Aside from a slight pink tone to my lips, it's pretty much all gloss factor. Personally, I quite like the colour because I'm very much a nude/au naturale kinda girl but this is probably disappointing for fans expecting a little more.

 

The gloss was also unfortunately a tad sticky in the beginning..such that strands of my hair would stick to my mouth if the wind blew but it seemed to settle in after some time and stopped being so sticky.

 

Here's another shot where you can see the gloss factor abit better.

 



You can also see the slight pink it lends to my lips, quite pretty actually ^^ But touchups are required after meals because the gloss just disappears even though I tried to be careful. I did notice that my lips were not as dry in between touchups though, so the nourishing factor does count!

 

In a nutshell, Urban Decay's new Ultra Nourishing Gloss:

• comes in a gorgeous packaging that's both decorative and functional
• 9 shades of nude - Versatile or Boring, it's subjective
• smells abit like playdough...but only noticeable if you stick your nose right at the tube
• product is a tad sticky upon initial application but seems to settle in after awhile
• covers slightly dry lips nicely with a luscious gloss that doesn't feel heavy on the lips
• nourishing formula helps lips stay moist-looking after the product is wiped off or eaten =P
• definitely requires touchups after meals, staying power doesn't seem to be a strong factor here

In all honesty, while I think it's pretty and all, it's unlikely I'd purchase this since it really doesn't pack much of a 'wow' factor in any area. *sigh*

Pucker up - Canmake Stay-On Balm Rouge

I envy ladies who can work solid colours on their lips. I really do! Some may say that I have full lips that should be emphasized...but I really can't.... (>__<) And therefore, I have an overflowing arsenal of nude lipsticks, lipglosses and lipbalms. And that's what I'm sharing today~

The Canmake Stay-On Balm Rouge:

Retails S$19.90 at Watsons

Comes in 6 colours (colour description from canmake.com):

01 - Rosier Rose; A delicate, pretty rose pink
02 - Smily Gerbera; A bright, stylish orange
03 - Tiny Sweetpea; A pure red that highlights your complexion
04 - Savonly Lily; A coral beige that blends in beautifully. classical and a casual look (That's mine)
05 - Flowing Cherry Petal; A pink that offers a short-cut to girlishness
06 - Sweet Clematis; Pink Beige which we can use without choosing a sence

Summed up, this is a coloured lipbalm. Containing no UV absorbers, this stick delivers a comfortable layer of protective balmy colour with ingredients like macadamia oil, rosehip oil, grapeseed oil, pomegranate oil, honey, shea butter, royal jelly extract etc. For you ladies who're big on SPF for your lips though, this product has only SPF 11 and PA+ so maybe layer it with your SPF30 lipbalm? I layered mine a couple times with my Maybelline Dr Rescue lipbalm and it was fine.

Anyway, I got this on my last Japan trip for around 600 yen (about S$10) so it's actually really really cheap! The amount of product is really good too, just slap it on and don't worry about it running out soon =D The next picture should give you an idea of the size...

As you can see, it's not one of those dinky little tubes~



The only gripe I have about this it the shape...would've preferred it to be an angled stick like lipstick but that's a really really small issue ^_^ Swatch time!

It looks darker on the stick but goes on really nice, balmy & sheer. A couple more shots just so you can get an idea of the sheen & balminess...

When I first applied it, my lips were a tad dry and at first I felt like it was highlighting the drier patches on my lip but after a few minutes, the balm settled in and it looked great!

Light colour but totally covers up my darker outer lip shade!

My darker outer lip bothers me to no end so it's instant love when I get a lipbalm that helps even the colour out. There's a very slight/fine shimmer in the pigment that's hardly noticeable so it makes for a nice natural lip sheen.

In a nutshell, the Canmake Stay-On Balm Rouge

• is an easy go-to option for sheer as well as richer yet balmy colours with basic SPF 11 PA+ lipcare
• comes in a pretty plastic casing with a firm cap (no accidents!)
• amount of product allows for lavish usage =P
• balm take a minute or 2 to set in and pretty up your lips if they're running abit dry/chapped; will probably not be sufficient for severely dry or chapped lips
• feels light on the lips; no sticky icky feeling
• the colour is only slightly buildable for this shade; layering brings up a glossier sheen
• staying power for this shade is decent; light tapping will remove some sheen but colour holds up ok; touchups required to maintain a 'made-up' look though
• 2 thumbs up for au-naturale looks =D

Overall, I really like this balm rouge and I'm looking forward to my next trip so I can buy try the richer colours like Tiny Sweetpea! ლ(´◉❥◉｀ლ)