B.liv by Cellnique Review

This review has been a long time in the making, so I'm glad that I can finally put it up. Today I'll be reviewing some products from the B.liv line from Cellnique.



First up, some of the Dullness Cessation, Bright is Right Pearl Brightening Masks from their website. They asked me for a few of my "problem areas" that I would want products for, so I could test their usefulness. At the time, I had been having some trouble with dull, lifeless skin and had been noticing my pores, so they sent me these masks to try.



From the website, the benefits of the mask are:

Benefits:
• Restores skin’s radiance and lightens skin 
• Nourishes the skin and makes it softer, finer, brighter and smoother 
• Accelerates the skin’s natural process of shedding dead skin cells and replaces them with new ones revealing a pure, fresh and healthy-looking skin. 
• Provides instant hydration and helps skin preserve its optimum moisture balance.

I used this mask at night as soon as I got it, because I really wanted to try it and see if it worked. This mask has a great scent, it's not too strong so I didn't mind wearing it for 20-30 minutes at all. The mask was very heavy because it had so much liquid, so it was nice to lay back for thirty minutes and wait for it to work its magic. And it did! After thirty minutes when I took it off, my skin was brighter and softer. Since then, I try to use it every week or every two weeks, and it works every single time, making my skin feel softer, more relaxed, and even lighter. The price on the website is $30 for 14 pouches, and that is actually a really good price for such a fabulous product. I did a quick google search and found that the My Beauty Diary black pearl masks are about $20 or so for 10 masks, and the Bright Is Right masks work way better for me than the My Beauty Diary masks. 

Price: 5/5. 

Effectiveness: 5/5

Would I repurchase? Definitely. 

Next is the I'm dryness conqueror eye mask. 

Because I'm in college and have been super busy this semester with tests, homework, and my organizations, I haven't been getting a lot of sleep, and my eyes are betraying me. My undereye circles have been really bad this semester, and my eyes have been puffy and showing my lack of sleep. After I got the eye mask, I tried it out one morning when I woke up and noticed how puffy my eyes were. 

Whatever formula B.liv has been using, they need to keep doing it. It has a very light, almost unnoticeable scent and there is a lot of serum in the masks. As you can (kind of) see from the picture, the eye masks are literally eye masks, so I kind of felt like Batman wearing it. :) And it really worked! I've tried a lot of things for my eye circles and bags, like freezing a spoon, ice cubes, cucumber masks, and all of them have been very short-term solutions, lasting for only an hour or less. But with these masks, the circles were gone for almost a week, so it doesn't have to be used daily. I use it weekly, and it really has helped, and you could probably stretch it to two weeks at a time. 

The price on the website is 7 masks for $29. Honestly, this price is kind of high just because I'm really cheap and as a college student, $29 is a lot. But for the usefulness, I definitely think that I will splurge on it, but probably only use it twice a month or something so that I can stretch the use. 

Price: 3/5

Effectiveness: 5/5 

Would I repurchase? Yes, begrudgingly, and I would try to make it last. 

The B.Liv Spots got shot anti-blemish serum. I was having trouble with scars on my face because my skin was not used to the water that they use in my dorms (it's well water or something like that), so they sent me this to fix it. 

This isn't a magical, overnight spot remover. I had to use it consistently for a week to see results. After two weeks, the marks are very faded and barely there, so I definitely think it works! The smell is a little bit strange, but it wears away after a couple of minutes. As you can see, it has an applicator at the tip, so I don't have to reach into a jar or use a squeeze tube, and it helps conserve the product. Plus, a little bit goes a long way! The site lists it as $25 for 15 mL, and I think this is super reasonable. The product works, there's a lot of product with a nice applicator, it doesn't have a funky smell. If I ever run out, I'll definitely repurchase this.

Price: 5/5
Effectiveness: 5/5

I hope you enjoyed the review! I actually got these products awhile ago, so I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to post a review. But these products are amazing. The site offers free shipping and free samples with every order, and I always love a site with free shipping. Definitely go check them out!

`Rakuzen

(This product was sent to me for review, however, all photos and opinions on this post are mine, unbiased). 

May 2013 Birchbox Review

I got my Birchbox yesterday! I'm going to try and start reviewing it monthly if I keep up the subscription.

This is what you see when you first open the box. The card that lists the items in the box.

And when you lift the tissue paper, you see all the items neatly packaged!

First on the list is the COOLA Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face (the blue tube on the right). It is described as "This mineral sublock is infused with organic antiaging ingredients like evening primrose extract and broage seed oil." It smells amazing, a very light scent, and isn't greasy at all. I've been using a little bit in the morning after I wash my face, and it is perfect. I will probably repurchase this once I run out.

On the left is the Marvis Classic Mint Toothpaste. It is described as "a stylish Italian import with an invigorating peppermint flavor." The packaging is cute and it does look nicer than the Colgate or Sensodyne toothpaste tubes littering my sink, but I'm not sure if the packaging and the tingling effect from the mint is worth the extra expense (especially since Colgate has a similar one). I probably won't repurchase this.

 

Sorry for the lighting on this picture, I've been taking pictures for the blog with my cellphone because the camera is actually really nice and it focuses a lot better than my actual camera (go figure), and I haven't been able to figure out how to avoid casting the shadow. I'm sure there's a simple solution, but I didn't have time. Anyways! This is the Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. It is described as being "beloved by celebs, this award-winning formula adds tons of texture and helps revive second-day styles." This smells fabulous! And also I am always on the lookout for a dry shampoo that isn't difficult to use and blend in (since most of the time the powder is white and my hair is very black). For this one, so far, so good, although I've only used it once. I'll have to try it more before I decide if I'll repurchase.

On the right is the Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner. Sadly, mine came in black instead of some super cool color, but I guess black is the easiest color to use and match for everybody's eye, so I'll take it. It's described as "inspired by traditional Indian formulas, this velvety liner glides on easily and lasts for hours." Yes, it glides on easily, but it hasn't been lasting for me, only for about two or three hours. I probably won't repurchase this, especially since it retails at $21 for 4 mini pencils, and I can get a full-size NYX pencil for $1, which I know lasts on me. 

On the left is the fancy Acroball pen. Nothing special, although the card tries to boast about the design. 

Overall, I think I might cancel my Birchbox subscription. I haven't been happy with my last few boxes, and I'm not sure it's worth the money. I think I'll wait another month before I bite the bullet and cancel, though. 

I have another nail art design post in the works and some reviews, so keep an eye out! 

Rakuzen

Flowery nails~

Some more nails that I did while preparing for exams. I did fine on them, just in case you were wondering. So doing my nails during the study break may have actually helped? Also it was nice because I haven't had a lot of time to do them throughout the school year.



They look a little messy, but whatever. I had inspiration from a nail art picture that I had in my files, but I don't really know where the source is. Also, I feel like they were a little messy, but they looked fine up close!





For the french mani tips, I used my ArtDeco white striper. I never do french tips, but I figured that since I would do a design on them, it wouldn't matter. (And as you might be able to notice if you look closely, it is kind of sloppy.)

Then I used my black nail art pen/brush to draw the branches. I got it for like, a $1 at Rite-Aid during the after-Halloween sale and used for the first time when I did these nails. I love it!

I used Revlon Impulsive for the purple flowers and Essie Mod square for the pink. First time that I used either polish! Then my Seche Vite as top coat.

Hope you like it and that it inspires you to do nail art! I just got a book about Nail Art in the mail that was sent to me for review, so I'll try a few of the designs and post about the book soon. Stay tuned!

`Rakuzen

Springtime nails!

These are my nails from last week. I haven't had time to post! But final exam week always gives me time :) Plus, these past few days it has been so warm and spring-y out that I had to make spring time nails!

This was a popular design last year and I really love how cute and simple it is. I tried using spring colors but I only brought about twenty or so polishes with me when I moved to college, so I didn't have as many choices as I would have liked. In fact, I'll do a quick paragraph about that at the end!



Thumb nail: Zoya Wednesday. Pointer finger: Sally Hansen Wet Cement. Middle finger: Sinful Colors Pull Over. Ring finger: L'oreal Penthouse Pink. Pinky finger: Zoya Arizona.





I love these polishes (which is why I happened to have them with me). I tried to be as spring-y as possible! I used my Art Deco White nail polish striper to draw lines on each nail (3-4 per nail). On my pointer finger, I finally used one of my dried flowers from the wheel that I bought over the summer. I LOVE THIS NAIL DESIGN!

The polishes that I brought with me to college.



If you want to know what they are, I can post it. As you can see, lots of polishes haha. China Glaze, OPI, Essie, Butter London. Some of them I haven't used yet though (surprise, surprise). But still! I store them in a small cardboard box on my desk.

Hope you like it! I do have a couple more nail art posts to put up, some product reviews that have been waiting for me. Off to study!

`Rakuzen

Beauty products that I'm loving this month (April)

Hey guys,

This is just a quick post on beauty products that I'm loving right now. First, for my face/makeup in the morning:





This is my makeup routine! From left, Rohto V Eye Drops (as seen in Michelle Phan's Simple Fast Makeup video), Aquafina chapstick, Yes to Carrots Acne Spot Stick, Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner in Black, Revlon Perle 045 Black Galaxy, ELF Studio Concealer Corrective Palette, and NYX Slim Eye Pencil in Purple.

Quick reviews of everything:

The Rohto V Eye Drops, I bought from Walgreens when they happened to have a sale. I think it was around $4. The Amazon link sells it in a pack of 4, but you can get it at any drugstore. It has this awesome cooling sensation and it makes your eyes whiter. Perfect for the mornings when I didn't have time to let my eyes rest enough. But I usually use it at night before I go to sleep when my eyes are red from wearing my contacts for too long.

Aquafina Chapstick: Miracle-worker. Nothing else works on my lips as well as this does! ChapStick chapstick, vaseline, Baby Lips, nothing. I usually buy these at the dollar store. I usually use the square, blocky one but I couldn't find it this morning, nor could I find it at the dollar store when I went last week. I hope they didn't discontinue it because it is literally the only thing that soothes and hydrates my lips.

Yes to Carrots Acne Spot Stick: I love this. In the morning after washing and moisturizing my face, I roll this on my acne spots and let it dry before applying concealer or foundation. It seriously works! Plus, if you keep the roller cold (it's winter here in Michigan, so when I leave it on the metal windowsill it's really cold), it can feel really nice.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner: I got this from a Birchbox a few months ago. I love this! It makes such a beautiful line and it's so dark. So much love. I will definitely re-buy this!

Revlon Perle Black Galaxy: Because my eyelids are hidden double eyelids (where they have the crease, but the crease disappears when I blink), if I wear the eyeliner alone it will smudge really bad. So, I have to set it with this eyeshadow, which is nice because it's very glittery. Also, you can use a makeup applicator, get it wet, and use it as an eyeliner (which I do on the bottom eyelid).

ELF Studio Corrective Concealer: This has some bad reviews but I love it. A brush doesn't really work well with this formula, so I usually use my fingers and just rub it on the spot that needs to be concealed.

NYX Skinny Eyeliner in Purple: I love this! NYX has some really nice quality products. Pencil eyeliner usually doesn't work for me (smudges too easily, too harsh on my lids), but I put this under my eye and it lasts for a long time! That's my makeup for the morning for now... I switch out products as I discover them (my friend was helping me clean my room and was reorganizing my makeup train case and I found a lot of stuff... All unused haha. So I change my makeup style whenever I feel like it

I'm going to try and do a post like this every month since my products run out and I lose interest and start digging in my makeup box for different products. This is April's! Hope it gives you some good ideas and some good product choices.

Chinese New Year Nails

新年快乐!!!!!!!!

If you can't read Chinese, that says "Happy new year!" in Chinese!

Sunday is the day for the Chinese New Year/Spring Festival. It will officially be the year of the snake! Yay!

In honor of my favorite holiday of ever, I did my nails! This is exciting because it has, unfortunately, been awhile since I've had time to do that. But here's a quick and simple design that I did.



I chose red and gold because they are lucky colors in China. The thumb, middle, and pinky finger are all Zoya Stella. My pointer finger is China Glaze Ruby Pumps because it was glittery and I wanted to see how it looked. It was too dark though, so the rest of the nails I did in Zoya Stella. The glittery gold is Butter London West End Wonderland. Such a perfect gold (both for this design and in general!)



The red and gold design: Paint your nails with base coat (I used Essie's Ridge-Filling base coat), then two coats of your red. Use the gold polish and swipe it diagonally across your nail. It took me about three coats to get the gold to be opaque, but it dried really fast and it is SO glittery and eye catching, especially in the sun!

I had wanted to be able to do more Chinese New Year designs, but I ran short on time. No matter! Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days! So expect at least one more red/gold/Chinese New Year-esque nail design before I move on to Valentine's Day nails! If you're looking for a quick design, I posted a cut-out hearts design last year. I picked up a gorgeous pink Orly at CVS today, so I plan on putting that to good use! (And yes, I realize that I haven't posted any new nail polish purchases. Truth is, I haven't been able to buy nail polish lately because the nearest Rite Aid is kind of far and it's really cold here in Michigan. Oh well, it'll be a good chance to finally use the half of my collection that's been sitting untouched.)

Happy Chinese New Year!

Review: GEO Angel Violet Circle Lenses

Hey guys!

I'm here with a review on my new GEO Angel Violet Circle Lenses! Wheeee!

Actually, I have a ton of reviews and stuff lined up. (Mostly, I'm just waiting to take pictures... then to do the dreaded watermarking, aka the bane of my existence). I have a review of some products from a brand called cellnique, Burt's Bees,and I have more circle lenses to post! But no... don't worry, this won't be becoming a circle lens blog. For one, I don't have enough money for that! And two, I don't really want to have to wear all the circle lenses after I open them! (That sounds weird... what I mean is that I want to save some to open in a few months, instead of hurrying to get all the use out of them as I can before the year is up, when I'd have to buy more.)

Anyways!

I ordered my GEO Angel Violet Circle Lenses from Kiwiberry. I can't find the lenses on their site anymore, but I'm sure you could order them from another site. However, I bought my lenses from Kiwiberry during their Cyber Monday sale, when all lenses were 50% off! Add to that their buy 5, get the 6th pair free deal and I ended up getting six pairs of lenses for $57 shipped. Not bad at all! Especially since 5/6 had prescription in them.

They sent my items in three batches, and actually, I only have received my GEO Angel Violet lenses and a pair of grey lenses so far. I sent them an e-mail and they were super nice about it, so their customer support team is excellent! I'll do a review on my other lenses when I get them. (They're re-sending my lenses. However, because my prescription is so high (-6.5,-6.5), I had to select new lenses in place of some that were out of stock.)



A picture of the bottles. I should mention that it's been a year since I opened circle lens cases (hehe... the pictures from THAT experience are still on my camera, actually...). I COULD NOT GET THIS OPEN. It was horrible. Mostly because I didn't want to damage a nail, but still! What a pain. I did get it open though.



The lenses in the bottle! The color is so vibrant and beautiful, I was super excited to put them on.



This is my natural eye without circle lenses, in fluorescent light. As you can see, my eyes are super dark, really almost black. Such a pain. That's why I love wearing circle lenses! (Also... the black mark under my eye is just my eyeliner smudged by the end of the day. Don't worry.)



Wearing the lens, in fluorescent lighting again. Sadly, the color didn't show up quite as vibrantly on my eyes. That beautiful color from the bottle? Only slightly noticeable.



The lenses in daylight. (It's kind of creepy how you can see the reflection from my lenses...)

Enlargement: 4/10. These lenses are 14.2. I have really small eyes, so I like it when my circle lenses have a little bit bigger of an effect. However, these look very natural, so people could really only tell that I was wearing them when I tilted my head and the light hit my eyes just right.

Color: 6/10. Not too bad, I guess. They blend in pretty well with my eyes, but when the light hits them right you can tell that I'm wearing them.

Comfort: 10/10. Despite the enlargement (or lack, thereof), these lenses were so comfortable! The first day that I wore them, my eyes felt really fuzzy and like I wasn't seeing clearly. Not sure why. But today (the second day?), I had to wear them for 10 hours (8AM class, and then I didn't have a chance to take them out until 6 or 7.) No pain! They only started to get uncomfortable when I was staring at the computer screen for too long, so I decided to take them out. I didn't use eyedrops today, either! Fabulous. (Although I obviously don't recommend that. You're only supposed to wear them for like 8-10 hours max, I think.)

I will keep wearing these. Since I'm in class all day, I think natural is better in this case than having really big, unnatural looking eyes. Plus, I get so self-conscious when people ask if I'm wearing lenses. (It makes me laugh and then my eyes go (n.n) and you can't tell I'm wearing lenses). Lately, people have been asking me "Why would you do that to your eyes?!" or "Aren't you afraid of going blind?!" Err, I wear the circle lenses to correct my (horrible) vision. The color and enlargement is just an added bonus. And also, I'm already going blind. Might as well have nicely colored eyes while I do it!

Anyways! I think I'll soak my EOS 3-Tone grey lenses and wear them in a few days to review. It makes me so excited to get circle lenses!