E.L.F PROFESSIONAL CREAM EYELINER - BLACK

I've used a few cream eyeliners in the past but I always seem to go back to my trusty liquid eyeliner. To be honest I've only used this once and was not happy. The brush it came with was difficult to control, maybe because it was just too tiny for me to hold. The consistency felt too dry to use and it wasn't black enough. It got there though with a few layers. By the end of the day, it was a just a total eye mess. For a product that claims it's "smudgeproof, budgeproof".. they are so wrong!! My fault probably because I did not use an eye primer but I don't usually have to use it if I'm just using eyeliner.

A bargain product that I really wanted to like but unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. However, I think I will use it again and see if it will stay put with a good primer underneath. Can't give up just yet!

Have you used this product? What are your thoughts.. yay or nay?

Love Nat x

NAILS BLOGGED 001

 Love & Beauty Multi - Forever21

Limited Edition Lilac Foil - Barry M

I'm not too sure how I feel about the foil editions of Barry M. I picked up this lilac one as I haven't got a colour like it in my collection. I thought it was kind of bland on its own so I mixed it up with this Forever21 polish I picked up in Singapore. I totally love this nail polish, it reminds me of of all things disco-ey. :) Perfect for this season, I'm sure I'll be wearing this more in the next few weeks. It's a shame that Forever21 doesn't offer nail polishes in the UK as they have some great colours. I'm gutted that I didn't pick up more while I was out there.

Have you tried any of the foil colours by Barry M? What do you think? 

Love Nat x

IF YOU LIKE IT, THEN YOU SHOULDA PUT A RING ON IT!

I love me a quirky ring, well rings in general. A great but simple accessory that can jazz up any outfit. Bought these while I was away travelling, night markets in Asia are the best place to get jewellery for pennies! There were also these little stores in the shopping malls where companies can hire a box to sell their products. I'm sure there's a name for these kind of shops?! Unfortunately, they are overloaded with goods from stationary to iphone cases but if you take your time, you will definitely spot a good item.

I actually stumbled across this type of store in Kingly Court, Carnaby Street the other day. Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the shop, but it's on the first floor and I definitely recommend you take a look. Great place for Xmas pressies :)

Love Nat x

ASIA HAUL

Hi guys,

Thought I'd just share with you all what I bought... beauty, fashion and accessories! 

SOUTH KOREA

(I had the time of my life but I just wish I brought more money with me... haha! There is NO WAY on Earth that you could go to Seoul and leave empty handed).

Missha - Liquidly Facial Milky Cleanser 

This is a 2 in 1 product - Cleansing to Peeling. You pump a bit of the cleasing into your hand and massage it around your face, like you would a normal cleanser, leave it a few seconds and then rub it off your face with your fingers. It is very similar to a gommage, as you rub it off it pulls off dirt and dead skin cells. The cleansing properties and milk ingredient mean that after rubbing the product off, it doesn't leave your face dry, unlike other face gommages or exfoliators. Obviously, don't rub it off harshly, even small circular motions do the trick, this also stimulates your skin cells. 

Etude House - BB Cream 

One of the only cosmetic products to have said to be part of the 'Korean Hallyu Wave.' Although originally a German product, it has become a must have and highly recommended by the popular actresses and celebrities in South Korea. This blemish balm or blemish base cream was used by dermatologists to cover up scars and blemishes of patients post laser surgery. Now, it has been developed to give coverage, provide moisture and give a flawless, no-make-up, healthy glow look. The Etude House brand is a home grown beauty houses and is endorsed by top South Korean celebrities like 2NE1 and Lee Min Ho (yummy? ^^). Famous for their cute packaging and of course their BB Cream and BB range. 

  

Etude House - Apricot Stick Lipstick *sorry no link included

I don't have a lot of lipsticks but I picked this one up, not only for it's unique pen shape but it felt like it was inbetween a balm and a lipstick. It didn't feel drying whatsoever but the colour was more of a tint rather than a full on lippy - confused? kind of... but I liked it, so i bought it, hehe!

Etude House - Nail Art Pen & Quick Dry Nail Polish *sorry no link included

If you know us then you know that it is very rare to see us without nail polish! To be honest, I just picked up the nail art pen for a little bit of fun. As far as the Quick Dry nail polish, I have quite a few top coats but I don't have anything that is perfect, so why not pick one up from the fastest growing make up industry in the world. 

  

Etude House - Goodbye Dark Circle Patch *sorry no link included

Have yet to try this. There are so many cream out there to sort my dark circles out but I haven't looked into them yet, I'm a bit skeptical about putting creams or serums that  contain caffine or that look like they would make your dark circles sink in more. I thought I should try these patches first before I reach for a serum or cream. Plus, when I saw the cartoon racoon on the packaging I thought, "Oh! That's me!" ^^   

TheFaceShop - Essential Mask Sheet Hyaluronic Acid 

The Face Shop is a Korean brand but has many stores all over Asia. One of their popular products are their face mask sheets. Made of a soft cotton, the mask is soaked with the ingredients in the sachet and when you put it on you kind of look like Jason Vorhees (hehe!). The Face Shop have different types of mask sheets, some with fruit, vegetable, vitamin, cereal and herbal propertites. Each providing results to cater to your needs. If you go to the store there are little cards on the shelves to tell you what each mask is good for. I have actually tried these masks prior to going to Seoul but I have the Essential Mask Sheet in Pearl, which has brightening properties and maintains healthy skin and the Essentials Mask Sheet in Ceremide for bad skin days or use it as a revitaliser for that 'time-of-the-month' skin. I picked up the Hyaluronic Acid as it provides hydration, which is perfect for the colder months in London as my skin tends to get dry in the Winter. 

Nature Republic - White Head Melting Source 

I don't often have problems with whiteheads but everytime they do appear I'm just unsure what to do. I don't like 'popping' or squezzing spots,blackheads,whiteheads,etc, I just think they always look worst after pinching them. I really should have bought the Tony Moly blackhead/whitehead remover (quite a known product in Asia) but I bought this because the saleslady put so much effort in trying to explain to me in English what the product actually does, bless her little Korean socks!! ^^

 Rings - Owl, Rabbit, Bow

Two Sweaters - Grey & Green

PHILIPPINES

Watsons - White Nose Pack Blackheads and Whiteheads Remover *sorry no link included

What's the irony in buying this particular product? ... It's a Korean product. I tried this on my last trip to the Philippines and I decided to buy some more because it works for me. I've tried sooooooooooooo many pore strips but I just can't seem to find the results I want with them so i decided to look elsewhere. This works like a mask for your nose, you spread it evenly over your nose, leave it to dry then pull it off like you would a pore strip. Its 17peso per sachet, dirt cheap as on average £1 = 70pesos. In one sachet you can get about 2 uses of the product in it just as long as you store it properly once opened, so that the liquid doesn't dry in the sachet.The only thing I don't like about this product is that it can get a little messy but like I said, I get better results with this than anything else.

Watsons - Firefly Dental Floss *sorry no link included

Cannot live without my dental floss. I don't feel the same if I don't floss... is that sad? haha! I have humming bird dental flosser but I don't like to take it around in my bag on my travels because I'm always scared i might loose it... I only have one. I bought this packet of dental floss because they were cute! yes CUTE dental floss - ONLY IN ASIA! lol! They are actually designed for children, the bright colour and the handles have a firefly design ( I <3 it!). The actual packet has got a ziploc style closure thich means it keeps the rest of the dental floss clean and hygenic.

Hair Ties *sorry no link included

I think these hair ties are already one of my favourite products of 2011. Again, it's one of them products that you would have only found in Asia. Cute and clever. The rubber spring design stretches quite far. I have really thick hair and it can wrap around my pony tail 3 twice, whereas when I have a new traditional hair tie, I have to use it several times before it begins to stretch. Have you ever needed to tie your hair back for a few minutes then when you let down your hair you have a great big dent in your hair? These don't do that! a few minutes or so of this in your hair then you take it out, just brush out hte kinks then you're all good. I have slept with one of these in my hair and yes it did leave a little dent (which is expected after a few hours) but nothing compared to traditional hair ties.

Have you tried any of these products? Let us know what you think!

Love TJ x

ETUDE HOUSE PROOF 10 HENNA FIX MASCARA

While I was away in Asia, one of Korea's famous beauty brand shop, Etude House popped up everywhere. I also heard good things from other blogs/reviews so I thought I'd give it a go. Luckily, they were doing a 30% off everything sale which was the main reason for drawing me in. :)

Not really knowing much about the brand itself, I asked the sales assistant to tell me what their top selling product was besides BB cream which does not suit my skin tone at all. She pointed me to this mascara and told me that they sell over 10 a day. Honestly speaking, I'm not much of a mascara fan, I have really small eyelashes so don't really take much care with them but considering this was made for Asian eyelashes, why not see what all the fuss is about hey!

It's made with henna extract and it's waterproof which was ideal in humid weather but I found the texture really heavy and thick and was quite clumpy when put on the lashes. I love the shape of the curved wand though but that's probably the only thing I give my thumbs up to. However, I have seen reviews of the mascara having a spiral wand. Not sure if that was part of the special 2NE1 edition.

If you do happen to purchase this product, make sure you have a good eye make up remover as this bad boy did not budge. I'm sure a few lashes came out while taking this off :( I've seen good reviews about this product so it might just been my bottle that was a bit meh.

Maybe I'll try this product again but for now, I think it'll be at the bottom of my make up drawer.

Have you tried this product? Thought it was any good, we would like to know what you think!

Love Nat x

RIVER ISLAND ME CRAZY

If there's one shop that tickles my fancy at the moment, it's definitely River Island. I'm praying I win the lottery so I can buy everything. The other day I popped over to the new Westfields in Stratford. After not finding anything WOW, I was beginning to give up but River Island immediately took that feeling away. I was close to burning a (deeper) hole in my pocket.

As soon as I stepped into the shop, a tunnel vision of light directed me to this bag. Once I picked it up, a lady came towards me, took the bag out of my hands and said "Dah'lin, can I see.. it's amazing!" Errr I know!! Lady did not purchase it however, I'm sure she's regretting it now. The bag is a perfect size for my daily essentials, it also comes with a shoulder strap if you need both hands and don't want to use the top handle. :)

I also spotted these boots in my size. Yay! I love River Island shoes/boots but could never find anything in my size. Damn you small feet! River Island.. you need to stock up on more size 3's. I'm sure I'm not the only one having a problem :)These boots have not left my feet since I bought them, I am loving a bit of heel at the moment instead of my usual flat shoes and it was the perfect compliment to my studded bag. Life is good!

Other items I am loving at River Island is this blazer just because I'm still in love with this wine colour. There is also something about glittery/sequinned shoes that are rocking my boat at the moment. They aren't an ideal every day purchase but I think these brogues would suffice my need for a bit of sparkle.

What's your favourite shop at the moment? 

Love Nat x

WHO ARE WE?

The Blogging List Team

Nat & TJ - Friends for over 15 years who shares a growing interest in beauty, fashion and all things pretty :)

We are your girls next door that want to share our interests and experiences. You'll find reviews on our latest purchases from our local drugstore to the products we find out in Asia. 

We are not experts, we are just like you. Inspired to do what we do by the generosity of others who have shared their knowledge. This is a space for us to experiment, be adventurous and creative with our everyday buys.