SensEpil - Hair Be Gone!

Imagine getting ready for a hot date. You are running late and as you slip on that sexy black dress, you realize, crap, you forgot to shave! How nice would it be to not have to worry about stuff like that...ever again? Imagine not having to deal with razor burn, ingrown hair or feeling like your skin is being rip (during waxing). I have been seriously comtemplating about laser hair removal but I have not yet dare to venture into. Last night, I saw this little device on Sephora.com that claim to give the same result as an in office laser hair removal treatment in the convenience and privacy of your home.



(The information below is from Sephora website)

What it does:
Silk'n SensEpil™ is an over-the-counter innovation that delivers the clinically proven effectiveness of the well-established, market-leading Silk'n™ sold by physicians. This breakthrough product harnesses the power of proprietary Home Pulsed Light™ (HPL™) technology to create a cutting-edge, safe, user-friendly hair-eliminating solution. Look no further if you want a quick, gentle, safe, and affordable way to diminish unwanted body hair. This must-have device and replacement cartridges provide a lifetime of personal treatments at a fraction of the cost of physician office visits.

On the website, it states that "80% of users experienced a noticeable reduction in hair after 3 months". I interpreted this as, you got to have a realistic expectation, patient, and dedication to use it on a consistent basis. It is retail for $499 plus a $50 cartridge. Do you think it is worth it? Have you tried it?

New Youthful Trends Primer and Coupon Code

Let me introduce you to a 100% natural, water base primer from Youthful Trend. As you know, most primer contains silicons and this is a great alternative if you are allergic to silicons or just looking for something more natural. An added bonus is that it also contains caffeine which increase topical blood flow while protecting skin from UV damage and other environmental factors.

This primer claims to works with every skin tone and type, with all types of makeup including powders, creams and liquids, reduces facial sweating, tightens lines and bonds your makeup for a look that lasts all day long. You can also spritz your face in the morning to smooth your complexion – even if you don’t plan to wear makeup. This natural formula can also be used as a night time hydrator (with or without) your favorite night cream and it can also be used to remove makeup. Wow, doesn't it sounds like quite multitasking? I personally have not tried this primer out yet but am looking forward to giving it a test drive.

Retail for $29.99, for 2oz on www.youthfultrends.com. In addition, there is a special offer, 25% off for Beautiful Canvas's readers, using coupon code SHEBLOG.

Happy Shopping!

Review Clinique High Length Mascara

Price: $14

Pros: I more often than not have an issue of mascara smudging. My minimum requirements are always no smudging and flaking. I am happy to say that there is no smudging and flaking from this one. It also gives considerable length though nothing extraordinary. There is no volume but it does not claim to do that so I guess you can’t fault it for that.

Cons: Since I have short lashes, I need them to stay curl so that they are more visible. This mascara de-curls my lashes after I manually curled them with a curler. Also, as I mentioned, there is no added volume.

Final Thoughts: I like that it leaves no smudges but it just did not wow me. I also think the brush takes some getting use to and I am not sure it is better than others. I think this better suit those whom already have beautiful lush lashes that do not need added volume and curling power.

Tried it and love it? Hate it?

Disclosure: The product(s) being review is purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

Victoria’s Secret, why are you treating your customer this way???

It has been over a month and whenever I think about it, it still upset me so I just got to vent. I went to VS in Tyson Corner, VA. The cashier was a Hispanic male (I should have asked for his name) whom asked if I would like to apply for their Angel card (credit card). I said no, I am not interested in applying for a credit card. He proceeded to wrapping the items I purchased. Before he rung me up, he persistently showed me their coupon book. He went on to say how great it is to be a member and they will send you weekly/monthly coupon. I repeated myself and said no I don’t want to apply for a card. He said oh no, it’s not, it’s free, it only takes a minute and asked for my driver license. Red flag! It’s my fault in that I should have known better whenever someone asked for my license but I wasn’t thinking, under pressure I gave him my license. Everything happened so quickly, 30 seconds later, I was done with my transaction.

I walked out of the store, checked my bag and my goodness, he slipped the credit card user agreement pamphlet into my bag. Sleek B! I specifically told him twice I don’t want to apply for a credit card and he never went over the APR rate and term of agreement with me like he should. I went back, asked to speak to a manager, told her what happened and demand that they cancel it right away. I got no apology what so ever from the both of them, instead I got disgruntle, go away kind of looks. At the store, I finally spoke to someone on the phone who confirmed me that the card is cancelled.

If that was not bad enough, a week later, I got a letter in the email and you guessed it, it was my lovely VS Angel card. Didn’t both the manager and whomever I spoke with on the phone confirmed that it was cancelled? Even if I call back to have this card cancel, I am still screwed because it had already affected my credit score. I am shock by their horrible customer service and the tactic their cashiers use to get customers to sign up for the credit card. Buyers BEWARE!!!

Anyone else get bad service at VS?

Review DHC Acerola Cream

Packaging: Cute little pink jar.

Performance: I totally heart DHC Acerola line. You can read my rave on what the serum did for my skin here. I also like this cream a lot. It is very light in texture, like soufflé. Don’t let the lightweight texture fool you, it does it job when it comes to hydration. I alternate between this and Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion (trying to finish it off) and I can tell the difference when I use the Acerola Cream. My skin feels smoother and softer after application and remains that way till the next morning. It feels like there is a barrier of protection. DHC said that it is not make for dry skin so it may not be moisturizing enough for dry skin or winter months. The only thing I am not too crazy about is the packaging. I think it is light enough where they can put this in an airtight pump, then it would be perfect!

Recently I used this to make my own tinted moisturizer. Oh, it helps make the tinted moisturizer so smooth and just glides on.

Price: $23 for 1.4oz, available at dhccare.com

Disclosure: The product(s) being review is purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

D.I.Y. Bridal Makeup Tutorial

Photo Credit: Brides.com

I have been writing a series of posts about wedding day skincare and it would not be complete without a post about makeup. I save the best for last  Are there any soon to be bride planning on doing your own makeup? It could be because the economy is tough right now or just because you want to do it yourself. It’s funny how we said men don’t notice these things but my fiancé actually requested that I do my own makeup. I am flatter that he thinks I have skill. Still, I am nervous but I think I can pull it off. So, I am no professional but this is from my experience and how I would go about it. Hope you will find it helpful.

Hopefully you have been diligent with your skincare routine and everything is in top shape. If not, it is okay, that is what good concealer is for.

1. Always start your makeup with a fresh, clean face. You can spray a moisturizing and soothing toner after you cleansed your face.

2. Use a moisturizer that is appropriate for your skin type. For flash photography, avoid using product with sunscreen as it can give your face a white cast.
(In my experience, I only get a white cast from physical sunscreen so you may be safe with a low spf level of chemical sunscreen. However, don’t just take my words for it as we all use different products. Always do one or two trial run, take some pictures and see if you like the result)

3. Apply a primer of choice. There are many different types, such as, for moisturizer, oil control, pore minimizer, skin tone corrector. Make Up Forever has color primer intend to correct skin tone. Pink and mauve are for brightening and green is for neutralizing redness.

4. Wait a few minutes for primer to absorb then apply your favorite foundation. Personally, for special occasion, I prefer liquid and cream foundation over powder as it provides better coverage.

5. Spot conceal where necessary. For concealing under eye areas, I have done reviews on Bobbi Brown Corrector and Benefit Erase Paste.

6. Set your foundation with a setting powder.

7. This step is optional – apply your bronzer. Do not go too dark or it will look unnatural. Just apply it anywhere the sun would hit your face, like your cheeks, temple, bridge of nose, and don’t forget your neck. Blend, blend, and blend.

8. Even if you wear a bronzer, you should still wear some blush on the apple of your cheeks because it will look more natural and flattering. The trick to make your blush long lasting is by layering. First apply a layer of cream blush and I like doing this using a skunk brush. Then apply another layer of matching color powder blush on top to set.

9. As always, don’t forget your brows. You can read my tutorial on how to draw your eyebrows.

10. Follow with your eye makeup. I will hold off on this as eye makeup should be another tutorial on it own. Beside, there are so many different looks and variations.

11. In between step 2 and 3, you should apply a moisturizing lip treatment. By the time you are done with your makeup, you would have enough time for it to absorb. Blot any excess off with a tissue. If you like to neutralize your lips, you can pat on some concealer. By doing this, it also help your lipstick last longer.

12. Line your lips and apply a matching lipstick using a lip brush. I find that when apply with a brush, my lipstick last longer as well. Blot your lips on a tissue and add another layer with a lip brush. Apply a little bit of gloss only on the middle of your bottom lip for a pouty look.

13. For extra protection, you can set your makeup with a finishing spray. You can use MAC Fix+ or Skindinavian (they have a variety of spray depending on skin type and purpose)

Voila you’re done!

This concludes my bridal series. It was a lot of writing so I hope you guys enjoy it and find it helpful. If you yourself have any tips, please share with us!

Related Posts:
How to Prep Your Skin For the Big Day
Do and Don't for Healthy Skin
Recommended Read: Makeup Makeovers for Wedding

Recommended Read: Makeup Makeovers: Weddings by Robert Jones

This is one of my favorite books on makeup. It is one of those books that don’t just sit there on your shelf and collects dust after you are done reading it the first time. From time to time, I still enjoy just flipping through the pages as this book is filled with inspirational makeovers. The great thing is that all the looks in this book is suitable for other occasion as well.

I am not sure how those who are very beginner with makeup will like this. Even though there are tips and how to section, this is not a book that is focus on “how-to” for beginner and there is also no product recommendation. Though since new products come out everyday and old one get discontinued, product recommendation is not necessary for me because I feel that it will soon be outdated in a few years anyway.

I couldn’t find this in my local library or bookstore. Though, it is available online at Amazon.com. Check it out!

It’s a gem! Wet ‘n Wild Mega Eyes Cream Liner

Packaging: Clear plastic jar, feels kind of cheap. Also comes with a brush.

Price: $4 at CVS

Pro: It has been awhile since I get this excited about a product, seriously. The reason being, it was an impulse buy and it totally exceeded my expectation. It is soft, creamy, pigmented, glide easily, and smudges proof. While on vacation, it lasted me 12 plus hours on a very hot and humid day without any issue. I honestly did not expect a $4 product to deliver all that. I like it better than the other drugstore cream eyeliner I have tried, like Sonia Kashuk (too drying) and Maybelline. Heck, it is even comparable to my Clinique one.

Con: I don’t like the brush that comes with it but for the price, I don’t care about tossing the brush away. The only other thing I wish is that it comes in more color. I look at their website and the only two colors available are black and eggplant. I would love to see a royal blue.

Final Thoughts: Worth every penny!

Disclosure: The product(s) being review is purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

Morimoto

There are few things I love as much as beauty stuff and they are definitely good food and travel. I love trying out new restaurants. The way to my heart is through my tummy, seriously! Over Memorial weekend, I had the pleasure of dinning at Morimoto in Philadelphia. The restaurant is owned by the famous Iron Chef Morimoto himself.

I was being brave, first time trying raw oyster, it was actually pretty refreshing. The dressing definitely helped.

Oh, the best dessert ever (1st one on the menu...Chocolate something).

There has already been talk about going back just for the dessert itself (told you I like to eat). People of Philly, do you have any other recommendation?

Warm Summer Neutral

If you follow my blog, you’ll notice that I am rather private and is shy about posting my picture, hence, no tutorial, FOTD, etc. Heck, I don’t even have a Facebook account. Yet I have a blog…I know! Well, I guess we all have to start somewhere. Today, I’ll try to crack that shell and ease in slowly with this neutral face of the day. Hope you guys like it.


Face:
Base - Shu Uemera Architect Foundation in 764
Blush - American Beauty Mineral Blush in Coral Beach



Eye:
Primer – Too Face Shadow Insurance (full review)
Lid – Clinique Strawberry Fudge
• It’s a very pretty warm pink with very fine gold shimmer – you see more of the pink in
person.
Outer V and Crease – Bare Minerals Eyecolor in Wild Beauty
Tightline – Sephora Flashy WP eyeliner in Deep Black (optional)
Mascara – Avon SuperExtend (full review)
Brow – A matte soft black eyeshadow (I used Avon in Night Sky)

Lips:
MAC Viva Glam Lady Gaga Lipsticks

Review Sephora Pure Natural Believer Palette

I did not plan on purchasing Sephora Pure Natural Palette but I needed something to reach $50 so I can get free shipping. I am sure glad I purchased it as it would comes in handy for my upcoming travel. For $15 (currently on sale), you get a blush and 6 eyeshadows which come out to be probably even cheaper than drugstore products. The online swatch is pretty close to what you’ll get in person. These have lovely silky texture and are very pigmented. My favorites are the neutral eyeshadow color which applied exactly as the color you see on the pot and they are more on the bronzy side. I am a little disappointed with the green; it is too sheer for my liking but overall, still a great buy!