February favorites: dreams

Wow! February passes so quickly! I guess having 28 days actually makes a big difference~

This month, I've been very into inspirational quotes, because they really help change your frame of mind! Reading inspiring quotes from inspiring people really illustrates how a person's attitude and mindset affects his or her actions! Here are two of my favorites for this month!

What stood out to me about these two quotes is the "dreams" aspect. Both state that you can dream for a future, but you must actually go out do pursue those dreams, because your goals in life won't happen just because you want it. It takes passion and perseverance! If you don't have the passion to pursue your goals, you'll end up giving up when things get tough. You need perseverance, because the journey isn't going to be a walk in the park. You must stand strong in the face of difficulties.

Lastly, don't let a "No" discourage you. "No is the first word to success," because you have the courage to continue even when others may not believe in you! When you have this courage, you're bound to succeed. Your dreams are your dreams, so don't let others say you can't do it!

hehe, this last quote was from my professor. She assigned the class a journal entry in which she had us ponder on her ponderings. This was my response to her quote! :)

Weekend food fun at Pikey!

After the difficult and stressful Biochemistry exam last week, I was definitely in need of some friend-time, food, and relaxation. Being in California, my friends and I decided to check out some brunch locations in Hollywood! We went to the Pikey, and the food was phenomenal! I definitely had a great time! The chance to spend time with friends and eat good food was definitely worth the 1-hour traffic each way! hahaha. I'm still a little bummed about the traffic, but at least the experience at Pikey was wonderful. :)

Curry on Toast with fried duck egg

Full English breakfast with fried eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, roasted tomato, and mushroom with grilled toast

Brioche French Toast with seasonal fruit (berries) and crème fraîche

What are some of your favorite foods to eat for breakfast?

I absolutely love breakfast foods, but my favorite would be (good) French toast and pancakes!

Beauty haul: Innisfree Jeju hand creams

I'm super excited to share my first experience with Innisfree, a Korean brand that focuses on natural beauty products! Lucky for me, I ordered when they were offering BOGO for hand creams and free shipping over $30! I just had to stock up on some hand care products, especially since my hands are always dry in this dry, Californian weather! 

This is how the package arrived--in a box labeled Innisfree. Lol. All the products were well packaged and Innisfree even put all the hand creams in a smaller, white box--how convenient that my creams weren't spilling all over the place~ hahaha.

For this order, I purchased 12 Innisfree hand creams for US$27, making each hand cream $2.25 each! This is, in my opinion, a great deal, considering that Innisfree creams are contain natural ingredients and are so cute to carry around! They're not bulky at all~ I also purchased 1 eco-finger mask mask for $3, so I could get the $30 minimum for free shipping (code: NEWYEAR2)!

Additionally, each order comes with three samples and a scratch coupon (free shipping, 10% off, or 20% off)! For samples, I choose the green tea seed serum, soybean firming serum, and Jeju volcanic pore essence. However, there many other samples that you can from--currently, there are 13 sample choices. 

from left to right, top to bottom: camellia, narcissus, peach, daphne, rose, gardenia, and lotus.

Here's a closer up of all the hand creams from this order! I can't wait to try them! Of course, I didn't buy all 12 hand creams for my own personal use. I'll give giving some away as gifts! :) I believe they'd make a cute addition to any gift bags! I already have someone in mind! Hope she likes them :D

If you buys are interested in these hand creams, Innisfree has a buy 2 get 2 free deal right now! AND if you put in the code NEWYEAR2, you can have free shipping! They currently a bunch of other deals, too!

To purchase these hand creams, check out:

Innisfree - 4 for $9 ($2.25 each + free shipping over $30)

W2Beauty - $9.68 each + free shipping

Jolse - $5.98 each + free shipping

Have you ever tried Innisfree's hand creams? If so, what do you think of them? If not, which one would you like to try?

Review: Clinique acne solutions clinical clearing gel

While acne isn't a everyday problem for me, it definitely is a problem when the blemish appears--they're big, red, and painful! :( Because of this issue, I really want to find a product that could help alleviate this problem when it comes up. Since Clinique has always been a trustworthy brand--in my opinion--I wanted to try one of its acne solution products. I picked up the product in stores at Ulta for a hefty $25 for 1ml. The Clinique acne solutions clinical clearing gel can be applied all over the face or used as spot treatment. The product claims to clear blemishes upon application and prevent new ones from appearing. It contains the following ingredients:

• salicylic acid - clears away dead surface cells (acts as exfoliator)
• laminaria saccharina - control sebum production
• sea whip extract - reduces redness and inflammation

MY OPINION

The first thing I noticed was that it smells VERY strongly of ALCOHOL. In fact, there's no other scent besides alcohol...and because there is so much alcohol in this product, when you squeeze out a little bit of the product, it dries up very, very quickly. Sometimes, so quickly that you don't have enough time to apply it on the blemish! Sadly, I didn't see much difference after using this product--even after using for four days straight. However, I didn't use this product more than twice a day.

Luckily, there are a few pluses I've noticed is that this product. The clearing gel will last quite a long time (if used as a spot treatment), as you only need a little to apply on your blemishes. The packaging is also very convenient and sanitary. You can't contaminate the solution inside and you only need to give a gentle squish for the product to come out. The product is also small enough to be carried inside your purse or backpack!

Overall rating:     

Packaging:     

Ease of use:     

Effectiveness:     

Ingredients:      (CosDNA)

Hygiene:     

Where to find this product?

Clinique - $25.00
Sephora - $25.00
Amazon - $22.99 + free shipping over $35

Review: Origins united state balancing tonic

Origins is a great skincare line formulated without parabens, phthalates, and other harsh chemicals. I've seen this brand so many times in Macy's and have always wanted to try some products. While these products are on the pricier end, I believe that their products—or at least their balancing tonic—are definitely worth the price!

I've been using the Origins united state balancing tonic for a little over a month now (ever since middle of December). My parents bought it for me because I didn't have a toner during the winter break, as my Etude House toner was over the liquids limit and I wasn't planning on checking in my baggage... I'm definitely thankful for my parents spending over $20 for this one skincare product!

When I was in Macy's, the saleslady helped me choose this product. At first, I wasn't quite sure that I had combination skin, but she was very patient and helped test what skin type my skin was! She said the united state balancing tonic was great for those with combination skin, so I decided to give it a try.

 

According to its description, this toner contains "state-of-the-art exfoliators [that] slough the flakes, sweep pore clogging debris, and smooth rough spots." Wow~ Sounds cool doesn't it? Continuing on, the toner should de-shine T-zones without being too drying. The toner will reinstate the skin's pH and keep the skin refreshed and moisturized.

MY OPINION

I really enjoyed using the toner. The product has a nice and calming herbal scent. Like I mentioned earlier, I've been using this toner for a month already—actually I’e been sharing it with my sister. We still have about 1/2 the bottle left! The toner isn't drying and is a great addition to my cleanser. It removes excess dirt that the facial cleanser missed. I'd have to admit that I don't always wash my neck well--I have a huge pet peeve about water dripping down my neck and onto my clothing. However, after using this toner on my neck, the cotton ball is noticeably dirty! That's how well the toner works in removing dirt!

However, there are a few negative points about the toner that are worth noting. First, the packaging is very cute and simple, but there's no top-filter on the bottle (as you can see in the above image). I usually don't cap the bottle until I'm finished, so that means the bottle can easily tip over! I'd hate to waste any product...especially on the floor... Second, alcohol is one of the ingredients used in this product. Fortunately, this product doesn't smell too much like alcohol and it isn't drying. Third, the price is definitely on the higher end...this 5fl.oz costs $21.50 at Macy's!

Overall, though, I quite enjoyed this product and would definitely love to try other products by Origins!

Overall rating:     

Packaging:     

Ease of use:     

Effectiveness:     

Ingredients:      (CosDNA)

Hygiene:     

Where to find this product?
Origins - $21.50

Sephora - $21.50
Amazon - $33.50 + free shipping over $35