Eyeing the Eye #2

Eyeing the Eye #2 by annaindeed featuring Deborah Lippmann

Summer white & gold

Click here to cheek out the polyvore version!

Summer Wish #1: Shoes & Accessories

Happy summer everyone! Happy (almost) summer (solstice)! In preparation for summer's coming, I decided to make a list of things I WISH but unfortunately don't have <3 Hope you guys enjoy this little post.

Click here to check out the Polyvore and the list of the items within :)

Hahaha, sorry, what a list! Anyhow, what are some "necessities" for you guys?

Beach Days

Good day everyone! I just went to the beach this last weekend with my family. It was such a beautiful area--the clouds, the ocean, the cute little buildings~~ It was such a sweet mini-vacation with lots of good food and fresh strawberries. I also played with the squishy sea urchins. My dad, my sister, and I tried to feed them tiny crabs and sea, but they couldn't eat it :P hehehe I felt relieved, because I would have felt bad otherwise XD

 

Do you like going to the beach? I like beaches, but I don't like swimming in them. it's nice just to observe the beautiful surroundings.

Skin Tips: Pollution, oh pollution!

Round 2! The sources for this information is still from the awesome TotalBeauty! I hope you guys find this information useful! I never really paid any attention pollution before...Now I'm sort of worried about the condition of my air! >___<

Source: Wiki Commons

Pollution

• Pollution enhances the properties of UV. Be sure to apply sunscreen regularly! Even though it's smoggy and the sun doesn't seem to be shining through, UV rays may actually be enhanced! Also, there's two types of pollution: particulate and ozone. 
• The particulate is very fine and gets into pores. It can cause aging! Sonic cleansing brushes (like Clarisonic--I want one T___T) are recommended because it can clean 30x better than normal hand washing. 
• Ozone causes the breakdown of proteins and lipids in the skin. Thus, antioxidant serums are really important for combating this pollution.
• Check out State of the Air to see how clean your air is! Sorry, this is for the States only. LA has a rating of F for both particulate and ozone pollution--how sad!

Sources: 1, 2

Do you guys have a Clarisonic Mia? I don't, but I wish I had one >___<

Skin Tips: Summer Sun Care

Hope everyone's been having a great summer! Recently, I just tumbled onto the site Total Beauty...Have you ever heard of it before? It's so interest and so useful. I want to share with you all about some summer skin care tips I discovered on the site. It makes me wanna spend so much money on skin care products now~~ hahaha

Sunscreen

• Look for mineral rather than chemical sunscreen ingredients: zinc and titanium dioxide over avobenzone and octinoxate. Why? Because avobenzone and octinoxate break down as they absorb UV rays, releasing free radicals! Free radicals may lead to aging...On the other hand, the mineral ingredients lay on top of the skin (rather than being soaked into your skin) and provide a protective layer!
• It doesn't matter if the sunscreen has antioxidants! The antioxidants don't work well if "drowned" in SPF ingredients! Rather use an antioxidant serum first and then apply a layer of sunscreen after the serum has been absorbed. The antioxidants can help prevent the breakdown of elastin, but doesn't help reverse the process of aging. Look for a serum containing Vitamin C and E and ferulic acid. Vitamin E can help extend shelf life if combined with C, and ferulic acid helps increase the UV protective properties of Vitamin C. 
• Avoid retinol in sunscreen. Retinol lessens appearances of fine lines and speeds up cell turnover rate. It is best used at night, because the sun lessens its effectiveness, so using such an expensive ingredient is wasteful during the day...

Sources: 1, 2, 3

What's your summer skin care regime like? Mine's really lacking...I barely do anything! Gotta protect my skin more now!

Review: simple smoothing facial scrub with rice

Hello! I'm finally doing another review! I've been using the Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub for a while now -- around two months maybe? So I decided it's a good time for me to do a second skincare review~

I purchased this product at the CVS near by school. It costed about $7 for the tube.

DESCRIPTION

• Reveals brighter and more evenly textured skin
• With added vitamins: Pro-Vitamin B5 and Vitamin E
• Contains skin-loving exfoliator: rice granules
• Suitable for all skin types, especially sensitive skin
• No dyes, artificial perfumes, and harsh irritants that can upset your skin

PACKAGING

The packaging was pretty simple and, well, obviously green. It's a 150ml or 5 fl oz container. There's nothing else really to say. The design is concise and to the point.

REVIEW

I was really intrigued by the rice granules in this cleanser. That's one of the main reasons why I purchased it. During winter break, I had my first facial treatment at Ulta (the lady was super nice) and the product she used on me contained rice as well, so I was really on the look-out for a similar but cheaper alternative. I also liked how there was added vitamins and no preservatives. 

Vitamin B5 is moisturizing and acts as a skin healer. It reduces redness and promotes skin regeneration. Vitamin B5 should help with acne.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, meaning that it products from UV, radicals, and pollution that produce radicals. It's good for sun protection, anti-aging, and scar treatment. 

So, now to the actual review. I do like how the feeling of my skin after using the cleanser. My skin feels clean, soft, and elastic. However, the rice granules seemed a little harsh to me, especially since I tend to apply too much pressure when using it. If I use a much lighter pressure, it actually feels pretty good. One problem is that the rice granules are a little sparse; each pea sized amount of cleanser doesn't contain many exfoliating particles. For me, I wish the granules were smaller. The rice exfoliator used during my facial treatment was much more gentle. It was a powder that was combined with water--I wish I paid more attention~

Also, the cleanser didn't help with my acne. In fact, more and more little acne bumps appeared! I was super upset. I was hoping that the Vitamin B5 would help, but It didn't. My acne isn't very red and the bumps remained small, but even after almost three weeks, they haven't disappeared...I feel that my forehead is a bit more oily as well. My t-zone tends to be pretty oily, but this cleanser doesn't help with that problem. It may be much more suited to a different skin type.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall rating:     

Repurchase? probably not.

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"Windowing" shopping: Zimmermann

I love "window" shopping--on the internet. Even though 99% of the time, I won't buy anything, I still love seeing the styles and fashion available. Recently, I've been hooked on the brand Zimmermann. The clothes are so beautiful and so relaxed, perfect for the spring and summer. The items are quite pricey and something that I can't afford at the moment, but...a girl can always hope, right? ;)

The latest from Zimmermann focuses on the "hydra" and lace prints. The hydra print is a gorgeous, floral blue, and the lace is such a intricate design. I'm so in love with both the patterns and the designs of each piece!

all images from zimmermannwear.com

Does anyone else ever spend too much time "window" shopping? :)