Alooooooha! I am currently writing this in Maui! I hope all is well with you. I want to apologize in advance because my photo editing software is at home but I thought I would use my cute photo decorating apps so I can upload as soon as possible. I thought while I’m here, I would do a review on the My Scheming’s Rose Dew Moisturizing Mask that I used after our day of flying. Six hours on a plane can really dry your skin out! Let’s get started~


About the product:
As the name states, there is rose dew extracted from roses in this mask. The lovely scent of roses fills the air around you giving you a more relaxing and soothing experience. The moisturizing properties of the rose dew deeply penetrates the skin which is great when your skin is crying for hydration. With the extra moisture penetrating the skin cuticles, it also helps with your skin’s elasticity.

How to use this product:
Similar to my first My Scheming brand mask, you use this after cleansing. You place the “silk” side of the mask and throw the plastic piece away. It is there so one can unfold and apply the mask with ease. Be sure to smooth out any air bubbles on the silk mask so it covers your whole face evenly.

I left the mask on for 20 minutes. It is recommended you use this mask for about 15-20 minutes. The silk will be VERY slimy/slippery so you might want to readjust half way through your allotted time. After the time was up, I tapped the mask to ensure the moisture would transfer to my skin. Next, slowly peel the silk away from your face. It leaves a lot of moisture on your face. At this point, you can either rinse your face or leave the moisture for extra hydration. To enjoy the full effects of the mask, I left the moisture on my skin.

The results:

IMAGE NOT EDITED OTHER THAN FLOWER DECO
I’M IN LOVE! This product is so hydrating and I can feel my skin singing praise. My skin feels clean, silky, and hydrated. Plus, leaving the moisture on my face allowed my skin to continue absorbing the much needed hydration. Another positive is the moisture didn’t leave my face feeling sticky. It feels a little slimy but as the moisture dries, you can feel the sliminess go away. The mask also didn’t irritate my eyes or my skin!

I know I will definitely try this mask again. I would recommend doing this mask after any day of travel, a day in the sun when you might not be hydrated, or even in the winter time when your skin is especially dry.

Rating:
Buy it HERE.

XO Monie

Labels: beauty, review

It’s very rare for me to use up my makeup and face products at the same time but it recently happened. The result? A small Sephora haul to replenish plus some new items that I purchased to test out.


Mascara: They’re Real by Benefit. Since I don’t get lash extensions anymore I needed a mascara that makes my lashes look thick and long. I’ve tried so many mascaras, from high end to drug store, and They’re Real works the best for me. I think the brush is the secret. It evenly coats my lashes while the build-able formula does its part and aids in creating the look you want. Sephora also has the smaller size that I would recommend buying if it’s your first time purchasing the product. Please note that my lashes are naturally fairly long and thick so my results may be different than others.

Vitamin Hydrating Mist by First Aid Beauty (FAB). This is actually a new product for me. I used to purchase the Evian mist to keep my face hydrated but when I saw this product from FAB I wanted to check it out. I have very dry and sensitive skin including psoriasis on my eyelids. FAB products keep my psoriasis and dry skin under control so I thought this mist would be worth a try.

It has a scent to it that I don’t particularly like but friends like it and describe it as “refreshing”. The mist helps cool your face as well as provides moisture. As marketed, the mist is enriched with vitamins. There’s vitamin B5 to reduce the appearance of redness, vitamin E to nurture and hydrate your skin, and vitamin C to help brighten. There’s also an antioxidant booster to help fight against free radicals.

I haven’t noticed much of the brightening but I did notice that it helped moisturize my face during the day. Would I buy it again? I’m not sure. Right now, it’s hard for me to say since I haven’t been using it for too long.

Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer by FAB. I LOVE THIS PRODUCT! This is my go to moisturizer and I’ve been using it for 2 years. It keeps my psoriasis under control and penetrates the skin to provide the moisture my face needs. I use this after washing my face (morning and night) and before I apply makeup. If my psoriasis flares up, I apply a little extra and pair it with the thicker ultra repair cream. Honestly, it hasn’t flared up since using this product unless I stop using it for an extended amount of time (mainly when I’m on vacation).

It leaves your skin feeling silky, soft, and clean. There’s no gross film that some lotions or moisturizers may leave. It’s very light weight which allows your skin to freely breathe. I honestly don’t think I would ever go to another moisturizer after using this.

Face Cleanser by FAB. This is the face wash I have been using for a while now. I originally bought it to use in tandem with my face moisturizer but just stuck with it since it works so well. It removes dirt, makeup, and daily grime leaving your skin feeling soft and fresh. Part of why I stick to this cleanser is because it’s gentle on my skin. It doesn’t clog pores and when I do get a blemish here or there, it helps keep the area clean. I would recommend this product to those who have dry or sensitive skin.

Detox Eye Roller by FAB. Another new product that I have actually fallen in love with. It is meant to alleviate under eye puffiness and dark circles and I found that it’s been working! I’ve been using this product morning and night after I cleanse my face and before I moisturize it. It does tingle and honestly, it kind of stings, but the cool metal feels nice on the face. After regular use, I’ve noticed my dark circles aren’t nearly as bad and my eyes aren’t puffy when I wake up. I feel like it makes my eyes look more youthful and once the tingling is gone, my eye area feels very refreshed. Even though it’s early, I would repurchase this little eye roller.


Although this isn’t my full skin care regimen, I use the majority of these items daily. I can post a skin care post at a later date but I hope this little haul and review was helpful! (Especially for those who have sensitive and dry skin.) Stay freeessshhh~!

XO Monie

Labels: beauty, haul, review

At our Asian specialty store, Uwajimaya, they had a whole shelf of face masks. I decided to go with these three to start:
The Rose Dew Moisturizing Mask for days that my skin needs extra moisture.
The Apple Brightening and Hydrating Mask for days where my skin needs a picker upper.
The Skin Clarifying Astringent Mask for days where my skin is “breaking out” or just not looking it’s best.

Mind you, I didn’t read the backs of any of these and just went with the name of the mask. There were literally so many to choose from! At only $2.00 a piece, it’s quite a steal. I’ll most likely go back and try other options. Let’s start with the Skin Clarifying Astringent Mask.


About the product:

This Taiwan brand describes this mask to help purify pores, balance oil secretion, condition skin, and help bring back hydration and nourishment to the skin. On top of that, the hyaluronic acid should make your skin feel silky, smooth, and clean!

How to use this product:

After cleansing, place the “silk” side of the mask on your face. There is a plastic piece that allows you to unfold and apply the mask easier. One you placed the mask on your face, you can peel away the plastic and smooth out any air bubbles in the silk mask. I found that this mask fit well but because it was so wet, I found it sliding down my face. It might be useful to stay in one place and not trying to do housework while wearing the mask.

I left the mask on for 20 minutes. It is recommended between 15-20. After time was up, I tapped the mask to make sure the moisture would transfer to my skin. Next, peel the silk from your face. It’ll leave a lot of the moisture on your face. At this point, you can either rinse your face or leave the moisture on your face. I left it on to experience the full effects of the mask.

The results:

IMAGE NOT EDITED SO YOU CAN SEE THE SLIGHT DIFFERENCES
I found that the moisture left my face feeling sticky and not as clean or silky as it claimed. However, I feel like my skin looked smoother, hydrated, and in slightly better condition. One of the nicest things I found with this mask is how it didn't irritate my eyes. Most face masks that are similar hurt my eyes but this one had very minimal irritation.

So will I try it again? Yes. I think maybe with multiple applications, you’ll see more results. However, I feel like doing this before going out or at the beginning of the day would be best because you certainly will feel refreshed. I would also recommend rinsing your face to feel cleaner skin.

Rating:
Buy it HERE.

XO Monie

Labels: beauty, review

A while back I posted about cutting my hair short. It has grown out a bit but I still bought extensions since I felt naked without long hair. I want to start this post off with the fact that I am not sponsored in any way. This is just my review and thoughts on the Dirty Looks Bobby Glam extensions I ordered. Let’s go~


The trouble with my hair, most extensions do not blend at all. This is because my hair is super thick and slightly coarse (a friend said I have horse hair :[ ). I honestly never understood how extensions would blend into other people’s hair. Whenever I bought the same set that looked good on a friend looked terrible on me.

That’s when I started researching. If you’re new to extensions, one thing you need to know is how many grams the extension needs to be in order for it to even blend. Some girls were saying 160g is a lot of hair and would blend well. However, after continued research, old sets I’ve tried were anywhere from 160g to 180g and did not work for me at all. I later found that most Asians need a minimum of 200g for it to start blending. I thought, okay I want something that is somewhat long and at least 200g. That really narrowed down my options.


After literally a week of research, I decided Dirty Looks was the way to go. I mainly saw positive reviews, they had a set of extensions that should blend easily, and shipping looked decent.

Enter the Bobby Glam Full Head Hair Extensions Quad Weft. I ordered these bad boys in the color Organic (an off black or soft black color) and in the 220g. For the 220g, the length is 20-22 inches which would bring my hair back to my original length before I cut it. These are made with Remy hair which is the best quality for human hair extensions. And since it’s a “quad weft”, it had four wefts to an extension. Most extensions only have one weft. The nice thing is that there are only 7 pieces that you need to worry about! These are currently on sale starting at $224.14. The regular price is $292.48 so there are some HUGE savings!

It didn’t take long for the package to arrive. Seriously, the shipping is insanely fast considering it arrived from the UK. I think it took maybe a week and that’s because I’m in Washington state. I’ve heard some packages coming much sooner when they’re on the East Coast of the USA. The package arrived in a small silver envelope and fit perfectly in our mailbox. There was no need to worry about trying to pick it up from the office.


I opened the package and loved what I saw. Everything was very visually appealing and just plain pretty!

1. A cute postcard with their contact info which I will list at the end of this post.
2. This little booklet has everything you need to know: tips for getting started; how to apply your extensions; how to style and store them; extension care; and their return policy with return form. It’s full of lots of pretty and colorful pictures too so it’s really easy to follow.
3. My extensions which I will go into further detail below.
4. And of course my receipt which is not pictured.


As you can see, the extensions came in a package with two sections. The first section has the majority of your extensions. The second section is your test weft. OPEN THIS SIDE FIRST! You use it to see if the color of the hair matches. For a better description of my hair, it looks jet black but up close you can see that it’s not. It’s a soft black with red tones. The color organic was a perfect match. If it doesn’t match, then you can send it back. They have a whole section in the booklet that explains how to exchange the product and get the correct color. You can even return the product as long as the safety seal hasn’t been broken.


Now, if your color matches, you can open the safety seal. IF THEY DO NOT MATCH, DO NOT OPEN THIS SEAL! They will not be accepted for returns once this seal is broken. This is for safety and health reasons. I mean really, would you want to receive extensions that someone else opened?


Since my hair matched, I opened the packaging. The hair is tucked neatly into a hair net so the hair will have a slight wave to it once removed. The hair is very soft, shiny, and silky. The color organic has some golden strands and the photo above are the wefts in natural light against an all-black table. The weft measurements are as follows:
1 piece of the 4 Clips, 9 inches (the longest piece that wraps from temple to temple)
2 pieces of the 3 Clips, 5.5 inches (used at the back of your head)
4 pieces of the 2 Clips, 4.5 inches (used on the side of your head)


Putting the hair in was very easy. The clips stay in place and they don’t slip. If your hair is naturally soft, I would recommend backcombing so they stay in place. They don’t feel heavy and I don’t notice any major shedding. They tangle just like real hair but I’ve noticed it doesn’t tangle nearly as bad as my own hair does. They are still silky, soft, and shiny after 4-5 uses.

The biggest question for me was: Will they blend? The answer is yes and no. For the most part they blend. I think if I had a few more wefts they would blend even better since there are some spots where I can tell my hair is short. Keep in mind blending short hair into extensions gets harder the longer the extensions are. Adding that with thick hair seriously just puts the odds of blending against me. However, it can be done! I will post a video or explanation with how I put them in and style them to blend into my own hair at a later date.


Overall, I’m happy with the product. I give them a 5/5 since they do their job. It’s not the extensions fault that they don’t fully blend because my hair is just difficult. I would honestly recommend anyone to check out Dirty Looks because they’re the best extensions I have ever used. I know I will go to them again in the future.

Find dirty looks here:
DirtyLooks.com
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XO Monie

Labels: beauty, review