tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87723272048818958012024-03-14T12:33:31.029-04:00sylknitsSylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-85205485000841626752014-01-15T15:20:00.002-05:002014-01-15T15:20:50.680-05:00Noro Fingerless Gauntlets <br />
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I was on a knitting hibernation for the longest time. In fact, the last time I finished a knitting project was more than a year ago. I got so lazy, I didn't pick up the needles nor go yarn shopping at all. I still bought knitting magazines but they were just for collection purpose.<br />
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The first time I stepped into a yarn store this year was to buy yarn for my friend's mitts but I didn't have the mood to knit until I saw these mitts from the latest issue of the Noro knitting magazine. I've always had a love/hate relationship with Noro yarns. I love their colorways but they do not make the softest yarn in the market. In fact I find most of their yarn scratchy and do not feel soft at all. They aren't the cheapest yarn in the market. At that quality, I do find them being overpriced but they do have amazing colors in their yarn. Other self striping yarn just can't beat Noro in their colors.<br />
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When I saw these I had to make them. I'm never a big fan of knitting nupps as they take forever to make but I love how these mitts turned out even though they are a little too big.</div>
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I did modified the mitts to make them a better fit for my hands. I have to say the instructions are written for people with very big hands. I followed the instructions and made them and my friends with large size female hands still find them too big. So if you have average sized hands, modification is necessary.</div>
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I made it smaller by casting on 40 stitches instead of 44 stitches. I also increased less stitches at the thumb gusset. I did a 16 stitch increase instead of 20 stitch increase. But these mitts are still a little too big. If I'm making them again, I will cast on fewer stitches, using smaller needles and I will also make them shorter. </div>
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-72759653248122577902013-10-03T11:17:00.003-04:002013-10-03T11:17:53.593-04:00Aoyama SushiI love Japanese food and it's something I never get bored of. I don't mind having Japanese food every single day. One advantage of being in Toronto is there are a lot of decent Japanese restaurant.<br />
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Aoyama sushi is my current favorite since it's so close work. It's only 10 minutes drive from work so it became my go-to weekday restaurant. It's close to Le Cafe Michi but it seems that it's easier to get a reservation at Aoyama. I haven't tried every single item from their menu but the following set is definitely one of my favorite.<br />
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You start off with their seafood soup. They put the soup in the teapot and you pour the soup into tiny bowls. After you finished the soup, you can open the cover and eat the seafood inside the pot. </div>
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You then get some Japanese appetizers. I'm never a big fan of their appetizers. I prefer their sashimi and sushi. </div>
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For the sushi in this set, you get 4 pieces of toro, 2 pieces each of the following fishes- Hamachi belly, salmon belly, snow crab leg, egg, scallop, amaebi, uni, eel and a set of salmon rolls. </div>
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Their sashimi is fresh, they offer one of the best hamachi belly in town. The toro is impressive, one of the better toro offered in town at a decent price. </div>
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Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-70007533466020157212013-09-22T16:18:00.000-04:002013-09-22T16:18:15.254-04:00Fine Collagen Powder vs Meiji Collagen PowderI'm currently taking Fine collagen powder even though I still have half a can of Meiji collagen powder left. This is the only time I will have two different kinds of collagen powder on hand at the same time so I've decided to do a comparison post between the two.<br />
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So both are popular collagen powders from Japan. With Meiji, each spoonful of collagen powder provides you with 5000mg of collagen which is enough for daily consumption. With Fine collagen, each spoonful provides you with 5250 mg of collagen. For me, I take 2 spoonfuls a day if I'm taking powdered collagen.<br />
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Left: Fine Collagen, Right: Meiji</div>
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the packaging is different. I expect this to be different from the Japanese package as the Fine collagen is sold under's the name Japanese Secret. I personally prefer the packaging of Meiji over the Fine Collagen. For Meiji, I don't have to open the lid completely.</div>
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Fine collagen powder</div>
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Meiji Collagen powder. </div>
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Left: Fine Collagen, Right: Meiji Collagen</div>
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From the powders, you can tell that the Fine powder is much finer than the Meiji one making it easier to dissolve than the Meiji one. I would say the Meiji collagen powder is on a grainier side than the Fine powder. If you dissolve it in hot beverage, you won't have a problem dissolving it. But if you dissolve it in cold juice, I find it quite hard for the Meiji collagen powder to dissolve completely. </div>
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For the taste, I would say the Fine collagen powder is a much better choice. It tastes like vanilla, so I enjoy added it to my soy milk or coffee in the morning. It tastes awesome. But for the Meiji one, it has a fishy taste, I can only add it to my coffee or soup to cover up the fishy taste. </div>
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Are you currently taking any collagen supplements? </div>
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-10262683871833666972013-09-13T09:46:00.000-04:002013-09-13T09:46:35.449-04:00Ole Henriksen Power peel Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This has become my favourite peel after trying it out the first time. I've tried other peels before but the results aren't that great. My friend tried it a few months ago and she praised the peel set stating that it gave her baby soft skin after using it. So this has been on my watch list for a while. I was reluctant to pick up the peel set due to its price. It's just a lot more expensive to get it in Canada than in the states. The set of two peels costs $20 at Sephora in Canada while it costs $16 in the states. The price for the set of 6 peels is $56 in Canada and $45 in the states. As I was curious about this product so I finally picked up the set just to test it out and I'm impressed with the results. After using it, it left my skin clear and soft. And currently, they came out with a bigger size which is a much better deal. I picked up a set when I was ordering an eye shadow palette for my sister.<br />
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It normally costs $10 for each set of peel and each sachets comes with 3ml of each product. The new set costs $27 and comes with 15ml of each product. So it's only costs $5.4 for each set of peels. at this price, it's definitely worth trying. It's currently sold out on their website, but you might still be able to get the starter set in store. <br />
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The power peel consists of a three step treatment. So far I've only seen two of the individual products come in full size format.<br />
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The first one is the walnut scrub. It's a grainy scrub and I think if you have sensitive skin, you might find it a bit harsh on their skin. I have oily combination skin and I have to say I love the scrub. It's on the grainy side but it's not too coarse on my skin. From its instructions, you scrub it on your face for a minute and then you'll wash it off. I really enjoy using this scrub and I will consider buying the full size scrub for regular use.<br />
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The second product in the kit is the lemon strip which is the aha peel. This is the second product that you can purchase on its own. You will have a tingling sensation once you apply the mask but you get used to it fairly quickly. It doesn't irritate my skin at all.<br />
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The last step that came with the set is the camomile comfort mask. It's a soothing cream mask that calms down your skin. It's a soothing moisturizing mask that provides moisturize to your skin. I think this product only comes in the power peel set and I haven't seen the full size product on its own. <br />
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For the lemon strip I do have questions about it because the instructions is different in the full size product and in the peel set. In the full size product, it says you're supposed to use it after the scrub and leave the mask on for 10 to 20 minutes then wash it off. But from the power peel set, it's says you leave it on your skin for 2 minutes then you apply the camomile comfort mask on top of the lemon strip mask for 15 minutes and then you wash it off. So does that mean the camomile comfort mask is optional? Or you just apply your own moisture soothing mask on top of the lemon strip? Or you can just do the lemon strip for 20 minutes and then do a soothing mask afterwards?<br />
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Have you tried any Ole henriksen's products?<br />
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-9120120788555058512013-07-11T15:03:00.003-04:002013-07-11T15:03:42.028-04:00Clarins Double Serum Clarins is one of the brands I trust when it comes to skincare. I do prefer Asian brands over western brands as they just work better on my skin but when it comes to a western skincare brand that I like, it has to be Clarins. I've tried a few Clarins products and I do enjoy using all of them.<br />
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Clarins Double Serum is a product launched earlier this year and I got a bottle to try out during one of the shoppers mega redemption days as I don't want to spend $85 on a serum I've never tried before. This serum is different from the serums I've used before. It's half oil and half liquid. I've never tried a serum with oil in it.<br />
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It comes in a bottle with a pump and with each pump, it will dispense 1 unit of oil and 2 units of liquid serum. I love the idea of how it mixes the oil and serum together. I've almost finished using the bottle of serum so I've been using it long enough to start seeing results.<br />
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First of all Clarins has been selling this as an anti-aging serum and they call it a complete age control concentrate. It claims that it will make skin look firmer, wrinkles look smoother, complexion look even and pores look smaller. I don't have a problem with my skin firmness nor wrinkles so I don't expect to see improvements. But for evening out my skin complexion, I don't see any result. When I was trying out this product, I kept the products I used on a nightly basis at a minimal, I was using cleansing soap, a regular hydrating toner, double serum and night cream. I even skipped my favourite whitening serum to check out the results of this serum. I also used regular exfoliants and masks during the period. The result was my skin looked dull. I had to add back an exfoliating toner and whitening serum to make my skin look bright and even. For the pores, I don't see any improvements.<br />
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It does an amazing job in hydrating my skin and I love the smell of this serum. To me, this serum did nothing but provide hydration to my skin and I do not need to pay that much for a serum that does nothing but to hydrate my skin. This is better than your average $15, 20 dollar serum but for serums at this price range, there are better options out there. At this price tag, I expect more than just a hydrating serum. Speaking of hydration, I would say the Give & Give lotion is doing a better job than this serum at a fraction of its cost.<br />
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Have you tried the double serum? What are your thoughts on this serum?<br />
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-68264718143832760202013-07-09T09:51:00.000-04:002013-07-09T09:51:45.283-04:00Jabistro tasting menuJabistro is one of the newer Japanese restaurants in town. It is one of the hype restaurants and it seemed like a lot of people like it. But is it worth the hype? I don't think so. I've had one of the worst experiences at this restaurant.<br />
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We went there to celebrate my friend's birthday and we ordered their fisherman's choice tasting menu. It's their once a month special tasting menu that's only available once a month on the last Sunday. And I have to say this is one of the worst tasting menus ever. This is not what I consider an authentic Japanese tasting menu. The fisherman's menu was $400 for 6, if you have extra people, it'll be $75 per extra person.<br />
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Menu of the day. We didn't choose wine pairing as we prefer ordering our own drinks. </div>
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Lobster and toro sashimi. It tasted good but I don't like my sashimi being salted. I prefer having control over the amount of soy sauce I use. I wasn't given any soy sauce at all. </div>
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A piece of over fried black cod. It was over fried and some parts of the fish tasted burnt. </div>
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Roasted duck breast tasted alright</div>
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marinated tako salad. This tasted fine but was nothing special.</div>
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This isn't something I expect to find at a Japanese restaurant especially given the price tag. We've been given a whole fish and we had to serve ourselves. The boston lettuce even came with the root just to show its freshness. The fish didn't taste special at all. There were scales stuck to the fish. And this is not the kind of fish where you can actually eat the scales. To me this is worse than having fish at home. At least for the fish I eat at home, my family ensures there is no scale on the fish. </div>
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Lobster sandwich with mussels and there weren't even enough mussels per person. for the lobster sandwich, this tastes like a lobsters sandwich you get from McDonald's from the PEI. Again we have to serve ourselves and distribute the food among ourselves. </div>
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Sushi that came in a huge platter. The way they put it does look nice but there wasn't enough sushi. We each had 4 pieces of sushi and for some pieces of sushi, the fish wasn't big enough to cover the rice. </div>
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We were given two pieces of smoked fish sushi and two pieces or traditional sushi. For the traditional sushi, the fish was seasoned with salt. That is not how I prefer my sushi, I prefer adding soy sauce and wasabi to my sushi. The chef's skill wasn't that good as some pieces were falling apart. Given the chef's skill wasn't that good, the sushi should be served on your individual plates not in a platter. I did not order a sushi boat. </div>
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Dessert was awful, we bought our own cake and the strawberry cake on the side was what they served. They made their cake in house but it tastes like regular pastries you get from those average Chinese bakeries. The cake was dry and tasteless. We didn't have to serve ourselves because we brought own cake and they had to serve us our cake. They wouldn't give us a knife for us to cut the cake. They knew it was an ice cream cake and by the time they finished cutting up the cake and started serving us, it was another 10 minutes and my ice cream cake started to melt. After the meal we still felt hungry. It wasn't so bad because of our own cake. </div>
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Overall this is not a restaurant I would go back and I would not suggest my friends to try this place. When we made the reservations they knew it was for a birthday gathering and they said they would do something special and in the end we did get something special which was a terrible meal that we had to serve ourselves. We arrived early while the birthday girl came a little bit late, they actually asked us to start our meals before the birthday girl arrives. I've never been asked to start my meal before the whole party arrives. Never at any other restaurants and starting the meal before all your friends arrive is just rude. We were charged 18% for gratuity when we were basically serving ourselves for the entire night. The waitress only came by to pour you two cups of sake and bring you the food from the kitchen. </div>
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Given the meal wasn't cheap at all and with the food served, it's not worth it's price tag at all. For the same price, you're better off to try the omakase at Kaji Sushi which is the best omakase in Toronto and it's an authentic Japanese restaurant and run by Japanese. </div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">So during the visit I picked up two items from Erno Laszlo and one item from Natura Bisse. From Erno Laszlo I picked up the Hydraphel Skin Supplement ($49) and Firmarine face soap ($49). I also picked up the Oxygen finishing mask ($43) from Natura Bisse. I actually bought the wrong mask. I was supposed to pick up the essential shock mask but I picked up the oxygen mask by mistake. There are several items from Natura Bisse that I wanted to try but none of them were in stock. The items I wanted to try are all from their diamond white line. I'm not even going to comment on their stock level. More than half the Natura Bisse display is empty. None of the new products are here. I know Natura Bisse was available at certain The Bay counters but it seemed that they all got closed down. I do wish they will restock products from Natura Bisse as they are highly recommended by my friend. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">The generous samples given to me by the beauty advisor. This allows me to try out an entire Erno Laszlo night time skincare routine.</span></div>
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The beauty advisor at Murale was so nice she offered me samples from Erno Laszlo so I could try out their products. Regular sample sizes are 2 ml a tube and even when they say they are giving out deluxe samples, they are around 5ml so when I saw the samples she gave me I was shocked. I was given deluxe samples of the Firmarine night cream and Transphuse night serum sample. There is 15ml in each sample. The samples will at least last me a month and the total value of the samples are worth $192. That's already more than what I spent at Murale and I also got $25 dollars worth of optimum points from my visit. So I definitely had a great haul from Murale.<br />
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What's your latest beauty haul? <br />
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-60597730159627348902013-06-30T16:21:00.000-04:002013-06-30T16:21:11.889-04:00Fine Collagen and Amino Acid Powder ReviewFine Collagen and Amino Acid powder is my latest collagen supplement haul. I've been taking the Meiji Collagen for a while and I do find that my skin is more hydrated with less dry patches appearing on my skin. Collagen helps improve skin elasticity and diminish fine lines. The problem with Meiji is I have to buy it online and I always get hit with duties when I buy them from Sasa. I normally get charged $30 for every $110 I buy from Sasa. Unless my Sasa order is under $50 otherwise I always get taxed. Meiji collagen powder are always on buy 2 get 1 free promotion at Sasa. Average cost is $32.27 a can/bag. $32.27 is cheap for collagen but once you factor in all the taxes, it comes out to around $42 a can so I've been looking at alternatives.<br />
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Fine Collagen powder is from Japan and it's produced by Fine Co. a company that's been around for almost 40 years. Like the Meiji collagen powder, you mix a teaspoon of the collagen powder with any liquid to consume it. From my visit to the local dry goods store I remember seeing three kinds of collagen powder from Fine. One is the regular collagen powder, one is regular powder but 30 day prepackaged one and the last one is the collagen from the Japanese Secret Line. This was actually my first time seeing the Japanese Secret Line collagen. Most of the time I only hear about the regular collagen powder. There might be more but I was already drawn towards the fine collagen powder so I didn't pay attention to the other products.<br />
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regular collagen powder- $45 but currently they have $9 cash back</div>
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30 day prepackaged collagen powder-$49 ( not sure if there is any special promotion) </div>
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Japanese secret line collagen powder-$45 a can but they are on buy 4 get 1 free promotion. So after discount is comes out to $36 a can</div>
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I would say if you don't get taxed, it's cheaper to get it from Sasa but being a person that gets heavily taxed on all my regular Sasa orders, it's cheaper for me to buy my collagen at the local store. </div>
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What's the difference between these three collagen? the regular and 30 day prepackaged ones are actually the same just in different packaging. the 30 day ones are great for traveling but if you're not traveling, buying the can would be a much better deal. But is there a difference between the Japanese Secret collagen powder and the regular collagen powder? I'm not sure as the ingredients from their website is different from the ones I see on the can. The content is also different. The one I bought in store has 200g while the one showed on both the US and Japanese website stated that there is only 180g. But one thing is for sure the Japanese Secret Line is made for western market and the regular one is for Asian market. </div>
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Copied from the Fine Website:</div>
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Regular Collagen ingredients list: </div>
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<tr><td align="left" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;" valign="top"><img height="130" src="http://www.fine-kagaku.co.jp/english/photo/0030000000192.jpg" vspace="10" width="130" /></td><td align="left" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;" valign="top"><img height="130" src="http://www.fine-kagaku.co.jp/english/photo/hiakorahako.bmp" vspace="10" width="130" /></td><td align="left" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;" valign="top"><img height="130" src="http://www.fine-kagaku.co.jp/english/photo/0030000000032.jpg" vspace="10" width="130" /></td></tr>
<tr><td style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;" valign="top"><img src="http://www.fine-kagaku.co.jp/english/images/contents3.jpg" /><br />210g<br /></td><td style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;"><img src="http://www.fine-kagaku.co.jp/english/images/contents3.jpg" /><br />210g<br />(7g x 30sachets)<br /></td><td style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;" valign="top"><img src="http://www.fine-kagaku.co.jp/english/images/contents3.jpg" /><br />231g (refill)<br /></td></tr>
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<tr align="left"><td rowspan="7" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;" valign="top" width="380"><b>Beautiful Skin is built from within...</b><br /><br />In the FINE laboratories we have blended the finest extracts, essences and natural elements to enhance the body's natural ability to build beautiful, flexible skin and joints. We are confident you will love the effect of Hyaluron & Collagen on your body.</td><td align="left" colspan="2" nowrap="" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;" valign="middle"><b>Supplement Facts: 7g</b></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Hyaluronic acid</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;"><div align="right">
60mg</div>
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<tr><td bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Fish collagen</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;"><div align="right">
5,250mg</div>
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<tr><td bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Elastin</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;"><div align="right">
15mg</div>
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<tr><td bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Pearl coix extract</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;"><div align="right">
450mg</div>
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<tr><td bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Vitamin C</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;"><div align="right">
100mg</div>
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<tr><td bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Biotin</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#FFDEFB" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;"><div align="right">
45mcg</div>
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The Japanese Beauty Line Collagen ingredients list</div>
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<tr><td align="left" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;" valign="top" width="130"><img height="130" src="http://www.fine-kagaku.co.jp/english/photo/hyaluron_collagen_original.jpg" vspace="10" width="130" /></td><td align="left" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;" valign="top" width="180"><img src="http://www.fine-kagaku.co.jp/english/images/contents6.jpg" /><br />180g<br /></td><td style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;" valign="top" width="220"><b>Supplement Facts: 6g</b><br /><table style="width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Vitamin C</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">100mg</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Biotin</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">45μg</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Hyaluronic acid</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">60mg</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Collagen(Fish)</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">5,250mg</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Elastin</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">15mg</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">Pearl coix extract</td><td align="right" bgcolor="#ffd700" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;">450mg</td></tr>
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<tr><td colspan="3" style="color: #5a3b30; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4;"><b>For Younger-looking skin</b><br />This Original blend of extracts, essences, and natural elements helps the body build beautiful, flexible skin and joints FROM WITHIN. HYALURONIC ACID: nourishes and hydrates collagen based tissues, joints, and eyes. Low molecular fish-peptide COLLAGEN: maintains strength and flexibility in skin, as well as in connective tissues; ligament; bones; joints; muscles; tendons; gum;teeth; eyes; blood vessels; nails; hair. ELASTIN: keep skin resilient and firm. VITAMIN C: vital for collagen production in the body. BIOTIN: essential to skin, hair, and nails. PEARL COIX: strengthens joints, hair, and skin, and provides digestive support. These vital ingredients, enhanced with wheat germ and aquatic calcium, provides a total skin support program.</td></tr>
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Ingredient list from the can</div>
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As you can see the ingredient list is quite different from the website so I'm not sure which one to trust. Other than the ingredient list and content being different, this can is straight from Japan. </div>
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The can was sealed air tight.</div>
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It didn't come with a spoon. I still have 2 cans at home so hopefully there is a spoon in those cans. The regular version comes with a 7g spoon. You can also see that it has a creamier color than the Meiji Collagen powder. </div>
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Taste? I have to say it tastes quite good. I have no problem mixing it with water. It has a hint of vanilla flavour and makes it easy to drink. It doesn't have the fishy flavour like the Meiji collagen. Since I've been taking collagen on a regular basis so I don't notice any difference in my skin. I heard that people see improvements in their skin after taking it for a few weeks. But since I'm already taking collagen so I don't expect to see any results with it. </div>
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Do you have the habit of taking beauty supplements? </div>
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Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-44312128612258088992013-06-20T15:48:00.002-04:002013-06-20T15:48:30.264-04:00Vivienne Westwood Watch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have always loved Vivienne Westwood jewelry and accessories. I used to buy one or two items from her jewelry line each year as a little treat to myself. I would buy more but it's not readily available in Canada so it had always been hard for me to get her items. I used to buy from Hervia but they stopped carrying Vivienne Westwood products and it took me a while to hunt down online stores that carry her products. I was so excited when I found out that Amazon US carries some of Vivienne Westwood products. I immediately ordered a watch I always wanted as none of the other UK sites were willing to ship to Canada. This has to be the biggest disappointment I've ever had with Vivienne Westwood.<br />
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I was so excited when I saw the watch and I even paid for express shipping to Canada. Well the watch did arrive in one piece in a nice Vivienne Westwood box and the watch was also nicely packed. But the quality of the watch wasn't up to the expectation. If you look at it in the box. It looks very pretty but once you try to use it, it's a different story.</div>
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You can already tell it's a pendant watch and it's a pendant hanging from the leather strap. The pendant fell off. It wasn't attached to the clasp properly. The clasp was twisted and there was no way I could fix it. And being a watch, I certainly want to look at the time. The watch wasn't working. There was mechanical problem with the minute hand and it kept on twitching before it stopped. I do work with watches but there was no way I could fix this on my own. Even with the tools I have at home if I open it, I might probably damage it. I had no choice but to return the watch. </div>
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Lesson learned. Don't buy watches that don't look like traditional watches as you can't fix it without damaging it. But this does not stop me from buying her products. I still buy her accessories and jewelry. </div>
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Have you heard of Vivienne Westwood? Do you own any of her products? </div>
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-20227472366989582992013-06-19T18:19:00.000-04:002013-06-19T18:19:01.298-04:00Review: Shiseido Anessa whitening uv protector<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shiseido has always been a brand I like and use. I prefer their Asian lines over the ones we get at the high end counters. I'm not saying the products in the counter aren't good. It's just that they are not that suitable for me. </div>
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I've always loved the Anessa UV Protector line from Shiseido. I find them affordable and works great. They are also non-greasy which is something I look for in a sunscreen. I hate the chemical smell from most sunscreen in the market and most of them give you the sticky and oily feeling. </div>
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There are different lines from the Anessa line and I normally use their Perfect UV sunscreen. I received a sample size of the whitening UV protector when I purchased the full size Perfect UV sunscreen. This is a perfect way for me to test out a product. I don't need to buy it and there is enough product for me to truly test out the product. </div>
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Like the Perfect UV sunscreen, this has a milky lotion texture and it's light enough to be used on both the face and body. Even it's a milky lotion, I find it providing enough moisture to my skin and it doesn't leave my face looking oily. With SPF32, it provides enough protection for daily use. </div>
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After you apply it, it might feel a little sticky for the first two minutes, but once it gets absorbed into the skin, you don't really notice it being there.</div>
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This doesn't leave a white cast on your face and like other Anessa sunscreen, it's wet proof and sweat proof. As with all sunscreen I do use a cleansing balm to remove it. As with the whitening effect, I personally don't notice a difference to my skin tone. </div>
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But there is something about this sunscreen I don't like or from there's something from their whitening line in general. When I apply it to my face, it doesn't irritate my skin but I can smell the alcohol in the product. I never had this problem before and I've tried using the other sunscreen from Shiseido and none of them gave me this problem. I also tried Shiseido's brightening toner and all I could smell was alcohol so I blame it on their whitening line.</div>
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Other than the smell I would say this is a great sunscreen. Perfect to use during the warmer months. It is even suitable for using on your body.</div>
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What is your favorite sunscreen? </div>
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-80992424874652620222013-06-18T22:52:00.001-04:002013-06-18T22:52:22.879-04:00Face Q Beauty and Bebe Foot Review<br />
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I love using foot masks. I'm the lazy type of girl and I love the idea of how I don't need to use a pumice stone and spend hours to scrub off the dead skin on my foot so I enjoy using foot masks since all I have to do is sit for an hour or two and let the foot mask work its magic.<br />
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I was so excited when I saw the Face Q Beauty and Bebe foot mask at TnT supermarket since it claims that you only need to leave it on for 1 to 1.5 hours compared to leaving it on for 2 hours (Baby foot from Japan). I love using Taiwanese products and I've tried masks from Face Q before and for the prices they charge, the quality is decent. It's from the same company, so these foot masks shouldn't be that bad.<br />
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Well, I'm not sure was it just the package I got or every package is the same. Everything was nicely packed in the box. I had to open up the foiled package and inside I find the two foot masks. The mask wasn't leaking but it felt so sticky I had to sit in my washroom for the entire time as I was afraid that the serum would leak and I would get it on my carpet. I normally put it on and I walk around the house as they are made of plastic and never leaked. That was the first disappointment.<br />
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The fitting of the mask isn't that great. This is a one size fit all mask and I have petite feet so it felt like it was falling off and they didn't give you any tape so I had to find my own tape to keep the mask in place.<br />
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The smell wasn't that great either. It smelled very strong and it wasn't a pleasant smell so I had a hard time using the mask. The smell from the Baby foot brand smelled a lot better than. I always wanted to remove the mask as I hated the smell. But I still managed to keep them on for an hour. The smell wouldn't bother me as much if the mask actually worked but to me this mask did nothing.<br />
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When I use the baby foot masks, I normally notice peeling after the 3rd day. But with this mask, there was no sign of peeling at all. You're supposed to notice dead skin flaking off gradually and you will have soft skin in 2 weeks time. But two weeks passed and I didn't notice any peeling on my feet. So it turned out to be a waste of time and money for me. I'm better off using other brands. There is also a foot cream that came with the foot mask. A cream is a cream so I don't think there would be any disappointment with the cream.<br />
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-46964239167367704622013-05-27T16:56:00.000-04:002013-05-27T16:56:06.685-04:00Le Cafe Michi omakase dinnerLe Cafe Michi is one of my favourite Japanese Restaurant in town since it's within reasonable driving distance for a weeknight dinner. I go there often but this was my first time trying out their omakase menu. I normally enjoy having control over my own food. most of the food in the omakase menu were good but I just prefer ordering my own food. Every time I go to this restaurant it's always packed so it's necessary to make reservations if you're going on a weekend.<br />
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Appetizers. Something I hate about omakase is their appetizers. Most of them aren't that good. The only good appetizers I've tried at a omakase were from Kaji Sushi. Others all failed to impress me.<br />
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This was good. I love the walnuts in the salad. But a salad is a salad so it's nothing special.<br />
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Assorted sashimi plate. You have saba, ika, tobiko, salmon, hamachi, amaebi and tuna. As usual the quality of the sashimi was great. This is one of the few places where I will eat their tunas as most places don't offer fresh tuna sashimi. The best part is they give you good quality wasabi not the ones that come straight from a tube.<br />
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Japanese style steamed egg</div>
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Steamed egg with assorted mushroom and leek. This is offered most of the time if you have omakase at a Japanese restaurant in Toronto. </div>
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simmered fish as one of the hot dishes</div>
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assorted sushi. They have great futomaki here. The uni are also good. I've had my best uni don at this place. They gave me 3 different batches of uni on my uni don. </div>
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For dessert, they have lots of choices. They normally have around 6-7 kinds of dessert you can choose from. This time I chose their sugarless chocolate mousse cake. It's not too sweet so it was good but I do prefer their other cakes over the mousse cake. </div>
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For the other dessert we chose the regular cream brûlée. I didn't try it so I don't know how it tasted. </div>
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Address: 1802 Pharmacy Avenue, Toronto</div>
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Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-58507534960387291372013-05-26T15:05:00.001-04:002013-05-26T15:05:33.837-04:00History of Whoo Nok Yong PackHistory of Whoo is a brand I've been trying out. I love Korean skincare brands as I find a lot of products suitable for my skin. There are lots of Korean brands but I'm leaned towards using the herbal lines. I've tried a few products from Whoo and they are amazing products. I'm impressed with the results I see so I will try out more products from History of Whoo once I finish using up my regular skin care products. I will probably try out their whitening line first as I've heard amazing results from their whitening products. <br />
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History of Whoo Nok Yong Pack is a wash off massage mask. I've been using this product for a while now. This is an all-in-one mask. It cleans your pores, provides hydration, brightens your complexion. It also leaves your skin silky smooth after using it. The mask is formulated with Nok Yong (鹿茸 Deer antler) and royal jelly. As this is a heating massage pack, it helps improve the blood circulation on your face and it helps the active ingredients penetrate into your skin.<br />
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To use this mask properly, you're supposed to use it after your toner and essence. Let's just say if you're using Korean skin care, it should be used after your first step serum, toner and emulsion. I don't use any other products from Whoo so I've been incorporating it into my Sulwhasoo skincare regime.<br />
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For the pack, you should use Bichup serum under the mask. I believe that First care serum from Sulwhasoo is similar to the Bichup serum so I've been using the first care serum in place of the Bichup serum.<br />
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The texture of the pack is thick and sticky. Without using the three steps before it, I find it quite hard to spread around evenly. </div>
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After spreading it out, it will look oily and greasy so this is very rich mask.</div>
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Once you wash off the mask, your skin will feel hydrated and silky soft. For the cleansing effect, you wouldn't notice it after using it once, but if you use it on a regular basis, you will notice there is less blackheads and your skin is always soft and smooth. </div>
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Do you use any products from Whoo?</div>
Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-25626460996583643542013-05-22T12:55:00.004-04:002013-05-22T12:55:56.993-04:00Fuji instax film comparisonI love taking instant pictures. Ever since I got my first fuji instant camera two and a half years ago I've been using it constantly. Well I have both the wide and the mini but the wide is just too big to carry around so I normally only use the mini. They are the only film pictures I take as I stopped developing pictures since I got my first digital camera. Not counting ugly passport pictures, graduation portraits, the last pictures I actually developed are 10 years ago.<br />
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Both cameras I have are the Hello Kitty versions. I got the Hello Kitty versions because they were the nicest limited editions available when I bought them.<br />
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For the mini I had a choice between the mini 7s or the mini 25s. I chose the mini 25s because it is smaller than the 7s, there is also a small mirror next to the lens making it easy to take self portraits. A that time the 25s only cam in the regular white edition or the Hello Kitty edition. All the other special editions wer made for the 7s.<br />
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For the instax wide it wasn't something I should get as my boyfriend already owns the black version but once they came out with the Hello Kitty edition I chose to get it.<br />
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Throughout the years I've used boxes of film and it never occured to me that the quality of the film are that different. I don't normally go through films very quickly so I don't normally use different films at the same place. <br />
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This time I happened to try three different batches of films on the same day and there are differences. I know there are differences in the film but I always blame it in the lighting since I never did a direct comparison on the different films and I thought it was the lightings that caused the differences in the pictures.<br />
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Left above: Film made in Japan for domestic market</div>
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Right above: Film made in Korea</div>
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Below: Made in Japan sold in American market</div>
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From the pictures you can tell the color in the Japanese made films being the best. The color is just more vibrant. Every aspect is just better than the other films. The color is vibrant but it's still very natural.</div>
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The Korean made ones. Everything is just too bright in the picture. I've tried using these films outdoor and the colors are just alright. If you like very bright pictures, then you wouldn't mind using these films.</div>
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The Japanese made for foreign market ones. I find the colors not as vibrant but it's still looks natural. I prefer these over the Korean made ones.</div>
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The problem with the Korean made ones are they have lots of different special edition film and I am always buying them. But after seeing the difference in the film quality and color, I will avoid the Korean made films and stick to the Japanese ones. The colors in those films are just so much nicer.</div>
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Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-47922470958268502082013-05-16T14:19:00.002-04:002013-05-16T14:19:26.702-04:00FO: Cabled CowlI know this is not the weather for knitted objects but I was looking through my stash of knitted items to get an idea of what to make for a friend and I found a cabled cowl I made some time ago. <br />
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This is still one of my favourite cowls. This is a pattern taken from Vogue Knitting 2009 Holiday issue. When I saw this from the magazine I knew I had to make it since the sample was in pink and I love pink and I do have the perfect yarn for the project. I just happened to have several skeins of cascade 220 lying around the house. I got them at 70% their original price and the cowl seemed like the pefect project. Since I had enough yarn so I chose to make it a little bigger than the pattern. I knitted the pattern repeat for 4 times before I did the ribbing.<br />
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The cables were fun to knit but the ribbings killed me. It was super boring to do the 1x1 twisted ribbings. It tooked several hours to finish the ribbing.<br />
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The cascade 220 was the perfect yarn for the cables. They are stiff but not too stiff and helped the cables and cowl hold its shape. This is not the softest yarn in the market but I always find it doing an amazing job when it comes to knitting cables or when you need the knitwear to maintain its shape. The yarn is a bargain when it's on sale. Even at its regular price, it's still worth using. It's cheaper than a lot of yarns on the market. <br />
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I don't exactly remember the colorway of the yarn but all I remember is it's from the pink family. For the cowl, I knitted more of the cabled pattern but I didn't knit as many ribbing rows as the pattern indicated since I found it too boring and I think that the cabled pattern is more important than the side ribbing in a cowl. I used US size 8 needles for the ribbing and I went up a size to US size 9 for the cabled pattern. I used right under two skeins of yarn for this cowl. I still had around 20 yards left once I was done.</div>
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Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-59177483140671160352013-05-08T20:48:00.004-04:002013-05-08T20:48:58.204-04:00Talika Light duo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ever since I saw this in January I know I wanted one. I get attracted to beauty gadgets easily. I love buying beauty gadgets and I do own a lot of beauty gadgets. My next gadget purchase will probably be a at home rf machine.<br />
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Normally when I buy a beauty gadget I do intensive researches and look at reviews before I buy them. This time I didn't do any research as I'm familiar with LED lights beauty treatments. I own two other LED beauty treatment gadgets and they work fairly well so once I found out this beauty gadget is for reducing dark spots I know I need to get it. The only thing I looked for was a place to buy it and the price.<br />
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This is not a price-friendly gadget. Or I would say none of the beauty gadgets are price-friendly. The MSRP in Canada is $395 plus tax but the cheapest price I can find in Canada is $335 plus tax from an online beauty store. I planned on getting it from Hong Kong since it was cheaper. I can say I got a very good deal from my friend and it was very sweet of her for bringing it back to Canada for me!<br />
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It came with an international warranty card, user manual written in different languages.</div>
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It came with a usb charging cable with ac adaptors and a dust bag. It also came with a Talika Sheet Mask. I heard that these are one of the best paper masks on the market. The results are comparable to SKII masks! </div>
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So this is a double sided LED treatment machine. The white side remits green LED lights that are for reducing dark spots on your skin. Once you turn it on, you hold it 2-3 cm away from your skin and it will turn off automatically after 1 minute. The silver side remits amber light that is for anti wrinkle. Again you hold it 2-3cm away from your skin and it will turn off automatically after 45 seconds. This is also a collagen booster that helps stimulate the collagen production under your skin and thus improves your skin elasticity. You need to use it 2 times a day. What makes this different from other LED treatment machines on the market. This one you can use it anywhere even if you have make up or cream on. As you do not need to put it directly on your face and the treatment time is definitely shorter. <br />
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Tanda Luxe ( Red head)- 3 minutes per treatment area<br />
Baby Quasar (Red)- 3 minutes per treatment area.<br />
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Do you own any beauty gadgets? Which one do you use?<br />
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-6091060323628094852013-05-03T02:08:00.002-04:002013-05-03T02:08:45.246-04:00Paper Masks review 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Left to right: Maskeraide Detox Diva, Tony Moly Pearl Mask, Beautymate Nano Eye Mask<br />
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Maskeraide Detox Diva mask. I think I might be the only one that doesn't rave about this paper mask. May I say this is not worth the hype. I've tried a lot of paper masks and this one is just average. It is not worth its price tag of $5 plus tax. To me this mask is only worth at most $2. The fitting is bad, when I say bad, I mean it. The mask doesn't fit my face at all. The eye hole is opened too wide. I can almost fit my fist through the eye hole. This is just bad fitting. The mouth is opened too wide. I also had problem keeping the mask on. It kept on falling off. I don't believe in paper masks that helps with cleansing and exfoliating your skin. It doesn't adhere to your skin and I didn't notice it help with my congested skin. When I need a cleansing mask I prefer using mud mask or a peeling mask. For $5 a mask I would expect more than a thin piece of paper that doesn't have too much serum in it. For that price I expect to get a piece of gel mask or high quality paper mask.<br />
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Tony Moly Pearl mask. This is my first time trying a Tony Moly mask. It is a thin paper mask with lots of serum in it. the mask was dripping with serum when I put it on so I had enough serum for my hands and feet. I love masks with lots of serum as I can use them on my hands and legs! The fitting of this mask is quite good, it isn't too big or too small. It is a mask with pearl extract so it's supposed to brighten your complexion. I didn't notice it brightening my skin but it did a good job in moisturizing my skin. I would love to try other masks from Tony Moly if I can find them in Canada.<br />
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Beautymate Nano Eye Mask is a decent eye mask. It does brighten up your eyes temporarily but the whitening effect doesn't last. It only last for a day so it's good on those days when you need extra help with your dark circles. for the moisturizing effect, I couldn't really feel any difference. But given the price, it's worth repurchasing for instant fixes.<br />
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-43213841049830920852013-04-25T01:38:00.000-04:002013-04-25T01:38:55.746-04:00paper mask reviews1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Paper masks is an important part in my skin care regime.I use at least 2 paper masks per week. Some are good and some are bad so I've decided to do a set of posts just to talk about paper masks. </div>
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Top Row left to right: Regene honey SOS Nourishing mask, Regene Vita Aqua Spa Rejuvenating Mask, Naruko Magnolia Brightening and Firming mask</div>
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Bottom row left to right: Color Combos Oatmeal Whitening Facial Sheet Mask, Face Q Caviar and hyaluronic Acid Moisture Mask, 彩豐行 Apple and witch hazel purifying paper mask.</div>
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Regene Honey SOS Nourishing Mask. In my previous empties post I've talked about this being one of my all time favourite paper mask. But I haven't gone into details about this mask. This is a royal jelly and honey mask. I love using them during the winter. If I notice signs of dry patches on my skin, this is the mask I always turn to. After using it for a night, the dry patches will be gone. This is a thick paper mask with lots of serum in it. The mask is soaked in heavy cream based serum so I only use it during the winter. It will be too rich for the warmer months. It is a decent mask for its price. I paid around $10 HKD for the mask.</div>
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Regene Vita Aqua Spa Rejuvenating Mask. I've talked about this mask before but haven't gone into the details. This is a deep moisturizing mask that provides enough moisture to my skin during the winter. It works fairly well during the winter but not on the coldest days in the year. This is a thinner sheet mask compared to the honey mask. The serum is water based instead of cream based. For the price I find it being a decent mask. I paid around $10 HKD for the mask.</div>
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Naruko Magnolia Brightening and Firming mask. I love this mask and it had been reviewed before. (<a href="http://sylknits.blogspot.ca/2013/02/review-naruko-sheet-masks.html" target="_blank">Reviewed here</a>)</div>
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Color Combos Oatmeal Whitening Facial Sheet Mask. This is one of the masks I got from my friend during my visit to her place. This is a mask that is always on sale at sasa.com. It is one of the masks with the ear loop design that is for firming your skin. For a whitening mask, it did a terrible job. I didn't notice my face being whitened at all. For the moisturizing effect. I didn't really see a difference to my skin. But it did an excellent job in the firming aspect. I could feel my skin feeling a little tighter at the jaw line. I would use this only as a firming mask but don't expect any other result from this paper mask. </div>
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Face Q Caviar and hyaluronic Acid Moisture Mask. This is one of the masks with the ear loop design. I'm currently trying out masks with the ear loop design as it allows me to run errands around the house instead of lying still for 20 minutes. This is a firming and hydrating mask. If they are only selling it as a hydrating mask, they did a great job as this is very hydrating and it's retailing at a great price. ( $11.99 for 10 masks at T&T when it's on sale). For the price, it's worth trying. But it's a ear loop mask so you should be able to hang it on your ears comfortably. The mask is just too delicate. It breaks easily so it kept on tearing while I was trying to hang it on my ears. So in the end I had to lie down to prevent the mask from falling off. Since it's too delicate so I couldn't tell if it's doing it's job in firming my mask as I couldn't get the mask on properly. If would be an amazing mask if the mask doesn't break that easily. For the price, I would try out different masks from the line. I do find this being better than the beauty diary masks I've tried before. </div>
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彩豐行 Apple and witch hazel purifying paper mask. This is a mask I stole from my sister's stash. Or I would say I traded for the mask. I tried it when I felt my skin was congested. It didn't really help with purifying my skin. It smelled really nice and felt soothing. It didn't irritate my skin but it didn't do anything to my skin so I don't think I'll be getting these again.</div>
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Have you tried any of these masks? What's your favourite paper mask?</div>
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-9374980137756538502013-04-23T12:33:00.000-04:002013-06-30T16:21:37.951-04:00Review: Meiji Amino Collagen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After you reach 25, you can really tell the difference in your skin. Your skin gets dehydrated easier, it starts to get dull and starts to lose its elasticity. Once you get older, your skin starts to lose its ability to create collagen. The amount of collagen in your skin starts to decrease after you turn 20. It isn't that obvious when you're 20 but after you turn 25 you can tell the difference. I would say this is not the best collagen in the market but it's readily available and affordable so it's a decent product that's worth trying. </div>
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There are food that can help boost the collagen in your skin but I don't eat them on a regular basis so taking a collagen supplement is the best thing for me. </div>
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If you live in Asia I would suggest Fancl Tense up. Fancl Tense up is the product that gave me the immediate result. You can tell the difference in your skin after drinking it for 2 weeks. For other products, you don't see a result that quickly. The problem with Fancl is it's not available in Canada. I do not want to carry them back to Canada from Hong Kong. It's heavy and it's liquid format instead of powder so it's impossible for me to get my sister to stock up a year's worth of collagen drinks for me. For liquid collagen that's available in Canada you can get Naruko Collagen drink but they cost $8 a bottle. So basically you'll be spending $240 Canadian a month on collagen drinks which is not worth the price. </div>
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A cheaper alternative is Meiji. The one I tried is the regular line. You can find this everywhere. From ebay to sasa making it readily available for people not living in Asia. It comes in a can and you can get refills that comes in bags. For the first time I would suggest you get it in a can as it comes with a spoon. </div>
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They normally retail at $35 a can/bag so it's roughly $1 a day. Making it a lot more affordable than liquid collagen. </div>
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You can see that it actually looks like milk powder. One spoonful (7g) is all you need a day. I either take it in the morning or at night before I sleep. </div>
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How does it taste? It tastes pretty bad. It tastes a little salty and fishy. I've tried taking it with water and I hated it. I can't take it with water. I've tried mixing it with yogurt drinks but since yogurt drinks are thicker so it doesn't blend well together making it taste rather weird. I normally mix it with my daily coffee or soy milk. You can't really taste it if you mix it with coffee making it easier to drink.</div>
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Do I see an improvement in my skin? Yes. I find my skin being more hydrated. I started drinking it during winter and my skin didn't itch more during the winter. The skin on my face always felt more hydrated. I don't have lines to begin with so I don't notice any changes in reducing fine lines on my face. </div>
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Would I recommend this product? Yes as it helps your skin and once you start to age, you need to find ways to replenish the lost collagen. This helps and it's affordable to use on a regular basis. </div>
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Do you take any beauty supplements? </div>
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-45535953157052712552013-04-22T10:22:00.000-04:002013-04-22T10:22:14.784-04:00Perfume Rotation Results-MarchThis is a long due post as April is almost over. But I've been so busy in April I hardly had enough time to rest. This is the perfume usage result for March and you can see I cheated. For March I was supposed to stick to L'eau D'Issey Florale by Issey Miyake, Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs and Brits by Burberry.<br />
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From the picture you can tell I had two empty sample vials and for the Burberry perfume I didn't use much. For the first week I was happy with the rotation as I enjoyed using both the Issey Miyake and Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume. Once I finished up both samples I started using the Burberry perfume and I don't like it. I used to like this perfume but now I find it too strong for me to use on a regular basis. I disliked it so much I decided to put it down after trying it on for two days so I chose two other perfume samples to finish up. </div>
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I ended up using Anna Sui Secret Wish Magic Romance and Paco Rabanne. I love the Anna Sui secret wish magic romance since I have the full size bottle at home but for the Paco Rabanne. I can't recall how it smells. </div>
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Do you have a perfume rotation system?</div>
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-9277793884567897182013-04-20T03:24:00.001-04:002013-04-20T03:24:44.922-04:00spoils from friends 1I do have to say my friends treat me quite well. They spoil me with different beauty products. Or I should say we started swapping beauty products mainly paper masks so we can all try out different products. Paper masks normally come in box of 10s and it's quite boring to use them all by yourself as some of them are just not so good. You know if you like a mask or not just by trying it once or twice so it's a good idea to swap with your friends so you can try out different things.<br />
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During my recent visit to my friend's place I brought home some goodies.<br />
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Color combos sheet masks.<br />
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Nature Republic and Missha masks from Korea. Heard that the Missha one isn't too good (smells like alcohol). I haven't tried them yet so I can't comment. I'm looking forward to trying the snail mask. I love snail masks!</div>
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SNP pore contraction pack- korean clay pack. Retails at around $70 for full size in Canada. my friend loves it.</div>
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Dr. Dennis Gross peeling set. I wanted to try the Ole Herinksen power peel so my friend gave me another peel to try out.</div>
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Clinique Moisture surge eye mask. I've tried a lot of different products from the moisture surge line but I've never tried this mask before. </div>
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Have you tried any of these products?</div>
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-78259712923806259262013-04-20T01:36:00.001-04:002013-04-20T01:36:30.232-04:00Sugar and Spice II<br />
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I went to Jo Malone again. I always visit their counter every time I go to the Holt Renfrew at Bloor or Yorkdale. I don't go to the one at Sherway Gardens as the JM counter is too small. </div>
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I know I've talked about how the Lemon Tart Cologne and Redcurrant and Cream Cologne from Jo Malone not being something I love at first scent. I didn't expect to get them at all and it's be on the market for over a month they are normally long gone by now so I was rather surprised to find them in store when I went to pick up the English Pear and Freesia room spray.<br />
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English Pear and Freesia is my favourite Jo Malone scent. it's refreshing and not overly sweet. It's my go-to scent on a regular basis. I never get tired of this scent. It's light so it's work friendly. I love it so much I plan on picking up their diffuser once my red rose diffuser runs out. I use the room spray as a linen spray as well. Basically I spray it everywhere in my room! <br />
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The BA was also very generous. He gave me 12 samples to try out different combinations.<br />
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These two colognes work fairly well with a lot of my other Jo Malone colognes and since it's limited edition so I finally decided to bring them home. These two work fairly well by blending both of them together. But I prefer blending them with grapefruit. I find that grapefruit being quite versatile it mixes well with most Jo Malone colognes. I do not think I'll be wearing them on their own. But they do smell great when you mix them with other colognes.</div>
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What's your favourite perfume? What's your latest perfume purchase?</div>
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-35841239212546593192013-04-15T16:51:00.000-04:002013-04-15T16:51:36.960-04:00March emptiesI know this is a long due post but I've been very busy because of the tax season. I didn't use up a lot of full size products this month but I managed to finish up a lot of samples.<br />
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Mamonde Flower Vitamin Massage: I always have problem finishing up massage cream especially this one. This has too much fragrance in it and I hate the floral smell. The first few times I enjoyed it but after a while I hated the scent so it took me over a year to finish this massage cream. I would buy other massage creams but not this one.</div>
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Biotherm Aquasource: I hate this cream. I don't hate the smell but there is something in the formula that caused serious breakouts on my skin. I ended up using it as a body lotion.</div>
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Nuskin clay pack: I love this clay pack. It's a non drying clay mask that doesn't irritate my cheeks. I would definitely repurchase it. </div>
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Clinique clarifying lotion 2: It's a clarifying toner that I've been using on and off for several years. This is not my regular toner but I do use it when my skin is acting up. I always have a bottle of this toner at home.</div>
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Etude House Moistful toner and emulsion: These do not provide enough hydration to my skin. I've tried using them in place of the Sulwhasoo toner and emulsion during my regular skin care routine and they left my skin super dry. I didn't notice the difference on my skin on the first day but after using it for several days, I noticed my skin getting dehydrated. I guess I'm too old for Etude house skin care products.</div>
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Yu-bi Moisturizing cream: There are good reviews about this cream on Sephora but I hate it. It didn't absorb into my skin. I left a waxy layer on my skin and it didn't smell nice. </div>
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Regene Smoothy White concentrate: It is a non greasy sunscreen but it does leave a white cast on your face. If you have pale skin, this isn't a problem for you. This is still one of the sunscreen I repurchase once in a while.</div>
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Missha Super Aqua Oxygen Deep Pore Cleanser: This is a bubble cleanser, you spread a layer on your skin and it turns into bubble then you start to rub it and clean your face. You can use it as your make up remover as well but I wouldn't trust anything other than my cleansing oil or cleansing balm for removing make up. There are other bubble cleanser/masks on the market so I don't think I'll repurchase it.</div>
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Sulwhasoo Clarifying Mask: I love peel off masks. Like all peel off masks, it brightens your complexion and removes dirt from your pores and also remove fine facial hair. This one has an amazing ginseng scent to it. I still have a few samples packs that would last me several times but I will buy it. </div>
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Fancl Washing Powder: This is still one of my favourite face wash. I find this being the best washing powder in the market. It's not readily available in Canada and that's the only reason why I stopped using it. </div>
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Lancome Visionnaire serum: The alcohol scent is just too strong in this serum. After I apply it on my skin all I could smell was alcohol. There are other better serums out there for me to choose from. Not going to buy it.</div>
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Nature Republic fresh aqua serum: For the price it's quite good as a hydrating serum but not readily available in Canada. Again there are other serums I want to test out so I don't think I'll buy it.</div>
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Elishacoy Snail Cream: I love this cream. It worked wonders to my skin. I used it when I was having minor breakouts and it helped calm the pimples and redness on my skin. I like it so much I am considering switching to the snail skin care line during the summer.</div>
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The Face Shop White tree snow serum: It did nothing to my skin. It was heavily fragrant and I don't like it. Not a product I would consider buying.</div>
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Julep one step polish remover pads: I like these little pads. They are convenient so I would probably buy some.</div>
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Tymes agave nectar body lotion: The samples was so small I couldn't test out the product properly. </div>
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Sally Hansen Raidiant hands, nails and cuticles: I find it too greasy and non absorbant.</div>
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Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Puree Body Lotion: I know I shouldn't be using this in March and should save it for the summer but I wanted to finish it quickly so I used it in the wrong month. It would be perfect for the summer as it cools your skin but using it during winter means that it's not hydrating enough. </div>
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Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia cream: I love this body cream. I love the scent and I think it'll be a splurge when I get my bonus and tax refund later this month. </div>
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Burts Bee lotion: Another non absorbing lotion. I still have a few samples of these I need to get rid of. </div>
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Benefit that gal primer: It brightens my complexion and I got it at a great price so I still have one or two at home. </div>
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Mereadessco lip balm: I don't like this lip balm, it's not hydrating and it does nothing to my lips. It was so hard to finish this product as it did nothing to my lips. </div>
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Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes: I'm normally not picky about face wipes but these face wipes I find them drying and couldn't remove all make up on my face. </div>
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Selena cotton pads: I love these cotton pads and they can be split into 5 layers for lotion masks. I already found a place that sells them cheaper than J town so I will get them next time I head out. </div>
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What products have you used up lately?</div>
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<br />Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-68974337995289761172013-04-15T00:15:00.001-04:002013-04-15T00:15:35.358-04:00History of Whoo sunscreen comparisonRecently I've stopped using my Shiseido sunscreen on my face as I prefer using cream instead of lotion on my face. I like the Shiseido sunscreen but UI do want to try different brands and I'm currently trying out a few products from Histry of Whoo. I've been trying their 2 sun cream and 1 BB cream. <br />
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The 2 sun cream I've tried out are from the basic line and the whitening line. The BB cream is from the regular line as well. <br />
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left to right: regular sun cream, BB cream and whitening sun cream</div>
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left to right: regular sun cream, bb cream and whitening sun cream</div>
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Regular sun cream: It is white but it does not leave a white cast on your face. It's very moisturizing.</div>
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BB cream: It's lightweight with medium coverage. it has a light herbal scent and makes your skin very smooth after using it. I find this non greasy.</div>
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Whitening sun cream: It has a pink undertone. Even though it's thick but I find it spreads out easily, like all whitening products, it's not very moisturizing. The pink undertone helps correct your skintone and creates a glowing complexion.</div>
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I've tried each of them for a week and I would say in the current weather, I like the whitening sun cream the most. It's non greasy and drys up quickly. My face isn't oily after the work day. My face normally gets a little oily after a few hours. My face didn't feel oily at all after the work day. It would be prefect for the warmer months. I wouldn't suggest using it during the winter . For the whitening functions, I haven't used it long enough to notice a difference to my skin but I heard that they have an amazing whitening skin care line. I love it but full price is not wallet-friendly. It costs around $70 for the 45ml tube.<br />
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I like this BB cream. It's a perfect shade for me. I love the scent and it is perfect for the weather. It didn't cause any breakouts on my skin. It is also non greasy on my skin. Only complaint is it's too expensive for a BB cream. Again, it's around $70 for the 45 ml tube if I buy it in store in Canada. I know Sulwhasoo is around the same price range but with all the promotions we have in store, the History of Whoo one costs twice the price of the Sulwhasoo one.<br />
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The regular sun cream is a little too rich for the warmer months. I would say it's a little too rich for people with oily/combination skin. I only used a small amount but I find it being a little greasy and sticky to the touch. I wouldn't use it during the warmer months. I'll try this product again during winter.<br />
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Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8772327204881895801.post-55770888977731250392013-04-06T05:08:00.002-04:002013-04-06T05:08:50.317-04:00facial cotton comparisonThis is a comparison for the readily available better quality facial cottons available in the GTA. I've tried a lot of facial cottons and I find the quality of Asian brands being a lot better than the generic cotton pads available in most drug stores.<br />
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Let's just say the round generic ones are too rough for your face and they are also too thick and suck up too much product causing you to use more. The quality is so bad I don't even want to use them on my face. They are not entirely cheap. They normally cost around$2.99 for a pack of 100 cotton pads.<br />
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The small round ones they are not as rough on the face but it's too small and tend to peel so I don't even bother buying them even for removing nail polish.<br />
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There are 5 cotton pad brands I generally use because I use a lot of cotton pads. I use around 6-10 per day and that's just for my face. I personally prefer the Shiseido one but it's too expensive for me to use it. I do not want to spend $10 on facial cotton every month.<br />
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These are the cotton pads I've been currently using and there are all readily available in the GTA. The three in the paper boxes are available at T&T a local Asian supermarket. There are several T&T in the GTA including one in downtown and one in Mississauga so you can find them easily. The Shiseido one is available at most Shoppers Drug Mart and Shiseido counters. The prices range from $ 2- $9 (before tax) for the above cotton pads.<br />
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Kyowa cotton pads are Japanese facial cotton pads that are made out of 100% cotton. These go on sale quite often and they are $ 2 when it goes on sale. Each box have 80 sheets. They are soft on the face and they don't suck up a lot of products. </div>
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Selena is another Japanese brand. This is also 100% cotton you can tell the texture is different on both sides. On one side is smooth while the other is a little rougher. I use this with my hitachi hada crie as this is soft on the face and doesn't break up easily like the Shiseido when I use it with the hada crie. I think original price is around$ 5.5 but when it's on sale, they are $2.99 for a box of 90 sheets.</div>
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Cosmed cotton pads. These come from Taiwan. This is not cotton but paper fiber. Well from the box, it says that it's made out of 100% air-laid non-woven fabric. I would say this is different from other cotton pads I've tried before. These are not the softest on the market but soft enough I will use them on my face. But I still prefer 100% cotton ones over this one. That is the full size of each cotton pad. So it's definitely a lot bigger than other cotton pads on the market. Can be used for doing lotion masks.</div>
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Original price should be around $7 but when it's on sale they are $3 for a box of 180 sheets. </div>
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One of the most expensive cotton pads on the market. 100% cotton. They never go on sale. Even if you get them at the warehouse sale they are still expensive. Last time I checked the price at the warehouse sale was only $1-2 dollars cheaper than their normal retail price. Regular price is $9 for 165 pieces. </div>
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These are soft on the face and can be separated into 5 layers for doing lotion masks. </div>
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There are other facial cottons that are soft and can be split into different layers. They are both Japanese brands and available at the beauty store at J-Town at Woodbine and Steeles. One is pink plastic package (forgot the brands) and the other one is the Selena green package. I think the prices are $4.00 and $3.59 respectively. They also have sample packs opened and you can feel them before you buy them. </div>
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Is the Shiseido one a lot softer than the ones mentioned above? Not really. The Shiseido one is softer but not worth the price difference when compared to other Japanese facial cottons out there especially the ones where you can split into different layers. </div>
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Which facial cotton do you use? </div>
Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12268349713860357650noreply@blogger.com4