She Loves HK

Run, run, run!

2010-04-24T15:14:00.004+01:00

Hope everyone has been enjoying the lovely weather.

So tomorrow is the London marathon. I've been running, or jogging should I say, for 2 weeks now. Usually I run 2 times during the week, and then on the Sunday. But as tomorrow is the London Marathon I won't be able to do my morning run. Got out of the house extra early today (for a weekend) as I needed to be back by 9 as I am working this weekend.

Managed to run at a faster pace today for most of the time which was good, I think it was because it was cooler, and also because I seem to have more energy than compared to when I come home after being at work all day (even though I woke up feeling so tired and in a lazy mood).

Saw the barriers had been put up. I ran past a man who asked if I was running the marathon tomorrow, I laughed. "No, not running the marathon," I replied. Then I added, "Not yet anyway." Was wondering if I would ever get fit enough to run the marathon one day? Maybe, if I kept my training up. Sometimes I think that maybe I would have been taking part in a 10K race if I didn't stop training after my 5K race in September last year, and also I wouldn't be so fat as well, haha.

Holiday soon, I still haven't yet tried out those masks. Keep meaning to, but always end up forgetting about them. Must remember to try them before I go, so if they are good I can stock up when I'm in HK!

I put some new shoes on...

2010-04-05T21:55:00.000+01:00

...and suddenly everything is right.

Well, not new shoes! I'm bringing out my running shoes which are probably covered in dust. It's been 8 months since I did my 5K run last year. I am not an active person, I hate exercise - but I decided once again I would take part in another 5K run for a good cause, as well as get fit and lose weight in the process. I've been putting on weight steadily over the past year, and I have no one to blame but myself and my greediness.

I ran for Cancer Research UK last year, and I'll be doing the same.

Bring it on!!

Lip balms with SPF

2010-04-03T13:11:00.000+01:00

I’ve been getting more conscious about protecting my skin from the sun, by using products with SPF. In terms of protecting the lips I usually use some lip gloss or lipstick with added SPF, but sometimes I just want to use lip balm.

Some time ago I went to Boots and picked up the Carmex lip balm in a jar with SPF. I liked the original version as I find it to be very good for keeping my lips moisturised, especially in the winter. However after a day or two of using it my lips were getting drier, and they were also becoming red and bumpy. I thought maybe it was the cold weather, but I stopped using it just the same and went back to the original Carmex. My lips healed and were back to normal so I gave the SPF one away to my sister.

A few weeks later I thought I would try another lip balm; maybe I would have better luck with it. This time it was the Vaseline Lip Therapy with SPF. But again the same thing happened with my lips. Boohoo.

It must be the sunscreen ingredients that disagree with my lips, which don’t appear to be the same as the ones used in my lipgloss and lipsticks I guess.

Does anyone else have the same problem as me who could recommend me a lip balm that doesn't cause a reaction?

J-drama and stuff

2010-04-03T12:45:00.000+01:00

I stopped watching J-drama series some time ago, as most of the more recent series failed to interest me. I am more into serious dramas, and most seem cheesy which is off putting even if they are not specifically comedy based. So I have just been watching K-dramas instead.

On recommendation I've decided to pick up Love Shuffle again, yes it's a comedy, but I thought I'd give it another go. 5 minutes into the second episode (I watched the first one ages ago) I've given up again, all because I can't stand how Tamaki Hiroshi looks in it. He's looks so fragile as he is so thin, and his cheeks are sunken in. He looked much better and healthier in Nodame Cantabile. Heh.

I am currently addicted to playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the PS3. I was never great at FPS (first person shooters), probably because I never game those sort of games much of my time and gave up straight away. Ever since Resistance 2 I've been getting better, I think.

Stuff from Sasa

2010-04-02T15:07:00.001+01:00

Happy Easter everyone!! Eat lots of chocolate eggs and hot cross buns :)

I did my first Sasa online order a while ago, I wanted to try out some masks after seeing some reviews on blogs and so on. Silly me ordered loads of stuff so I could take advantage of the free shipping. After processing the order I just remembered about customs charges. Can't remember how much I had to pay but it just made everything seem less cheap overall. I should have waited cos I am going to be going to HK next month.

Sasa were having a 2 for 1 promotion on the Silk Whitia masks (except for the pearl ones). I still haven't gotten round to trying the masks out yet, but since its a long weekend I think I'll do some pampering. Will post a review on these later when I've tried them.

Product Review: Avene Thermal Water Spray

2009-12-12T09:38:00.002Z

I’ve been using this product for over a year now. I first purchased this when my skin was extra sensitive and very dry, and I was trying out various products, of which most irritated my skin very easily. After reading online about some water sprays, I came across the Avene Thermal Water spray and popped into Boots to have a look at it. I was debating whether or not to buy it... as it just was just a can of water. According to the description, the water soothes and calms irritated skin – I thought, sounds great, but does it actually work? I decided to buy it.

One night I had a new jar of face cream I wanted to try out as my skin had been incredibly dry and flaky. After applying the cream my face started stinging and red patches appeared as it was irritated. I quickly whipped out the Avene thermal water and spritzed it over my face. It felt very soothing, and it calmed down the skin, and the patches were not so red anymore. I continued using it the next couple of days and the redness was gone. Usually when I get a reaction like that it would take about a good few days, up to a week even, for my skin to recover.

My face tends to get irritated and blotchy every now and again, so I continued to use this regularly and it has helped to keep my skin under control. I usually use it after cleansing and toning. I spray this lightly over my face, and then pat it in with my hands. Then I apply my moisturiser after it. I find that using the thermal water spray before I moisturise makes the moisturiser go a long way as I don’t need to use as much.

More nail polishes

2009-11-15T09:24:00.000Z

I went out to the local supermarket and picked up a copy of this month's Glamour Magazine - they are currently giving away a free full-sized bottle of Nails Inc nail polish with each copy. There are 4 different shades to choose from - I picked up the Elizabeth Street one - a flat, pale pink colour that I have been after for a while. I haven't tried Nails Inc polishes before as they are expensive.

Whilst rummaging through the copies on the shelf, a couple of the nail polishes had been stolen from the magazines - some people won't even shell out the £2 for a magazine??

I was going to try the Nails Inc polish when I got in, but my package from the US had arrived. I purchased OPI You Don't Know Jacques? and Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

Was excited about trying it on, so here is a swatch taken with flash - it's darker in person:

I am really liking the colour - its sort of a dirty greywith some brown and purple undertones. And I was very impressed with the Seche Vite top coat - it made my nail polish glossy and it dried very quickly!

My sister bought OPI Ginger Bells - one of the nail polishes from the Christmas collection - its a nice warm, creamy orange shade.

Excuse all the nails, needed some cleanup hehe!

From my last post about the Barry M, when I took off the Spring Green my nails were a little stained so they have let me down again :(

Green nail polish

2009-10-30T16:54:00.004Z

I wanted to get some more nail polish again recently. My recent purchases were China Glaze polishes (usually I am a Rimmel nail polish fan) and therefore was eyeing cheaper nail polishes, well the Barry M ones. I have to say I was disappointed with the last nail Barry M nail polish I bought - it took a good few coats to get a good coverage, and after painting my nails I decided I wasn't going to wear that particular nail polish ever again. The only other BM nail polish I owned was when I was around 16, and that has disappeared so long ago! I kept hearing raves about their nail polishes, so I decided to give BM another try.

After mooning over blogs and seeing the lovely Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Jade that is popular at the moment, I decided to pick up the 290 / Spring Green. The other shade I picked up was 294 / Cyan Blue. I got them on a 2 for £5 offer in Superdrug.

People have stated the Spring Green as being a dupe for the Chanel Jade polish, although I haven't seen the Chanel one in the 'flesh' myself, I don't think the shades are very similar - the Barry M one is more of a vibrant grassy green, and also its a flat colour, whereas the Chanel is a bit lighter, with shimmer. Check the swatches over at All Lacquered Up.

It looks a bit dark in this photo.

Non-beauty related, I was just blog surfing and stumbled upon Beauty Addict which reminded me of the email I got from ASOS about the Giles Deacon Nibbles scarf giveaway recently. I am so sad! I spent over a couple of hours trying to get my hands on a scarf. I never usually win anything so that made my day, hehe. Today is the last day, so try and get your hands on one!

Cleaning me brushes

2009-10-09T22:53:00.002+01:00

Finally got round to cleaning my brushes... some of them hadn't been cleaned in ages - eeek, I am really lazy! I only really use two brushes or maybe up to three on an almost day-to-day basis, I feel like I've wasted money on some of these brushes that I probably used one or twice and wouldn't use again - although I'll probably pick up the eyeshadow brushes again when I start experimenting with eyeshadows. Haven't worn eyeshadow in a long time.

I usually just wash my brushes using baby shampoo - apply some into the palm of my hand, take a brush and wet it. Then swirl around in the shampoo until its clean, and then give it a rinse under cool water. After seeing Panacea81's video, her way of cleaning brushes is similar but I've adopted her method of filling up the sink with water to use for rinsing the brushes. Oh, and laying them to dry! I used to put them all into a glass to dry, but that's not good for the brushes!

Korean makeup

2009-09-20T09:52:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I stumbled across a Korean makeup artist's page on YouTube - Jung Saem Mool. She has worked with many celebrities in Korea. I am really enjoying her videos and watching how she works - how she applies the makeup in light, gentle motions. I don't understand or read Korean, but you can probably get the gist of what she is doing though. Korean celebrities always seem to look so flawless - their makeup looks really natural and effortless.

Go check out her videos!

This is part 1 of 2 for a working day look, transitioning to a night time look.

Review: Dermalogica Super Sensitive Faceblock SPF30

2009-09-20T09:07:00.000+01:00

Some time ago I struggled and finally finished my Clinique moisturiser which contained SPF. The moisturiser was always my HG, but ever since my eczema breakout last year I have been trying to use products that are less heavy. I am currently using a mosituriser with no sun protection, and so was looking around at various products and reviews for facial sunscreens that catered for sensitive skin types.

The Dermalogica Super Sensitive Faceblock SPF30 is a milky-like fluid that comes in a small squeezy bottle, it is a mineral based facial sunscreen. Although it instructs you to apply this before your moisturiser, I do the opposite. I usually shake the bottle before use - and be careful when you open it, as sometimes some of the fluid comes out of the nozzle and disperses into the cap. There is a subtle herbal smell, not at all unpleasant. I usually squeeze a tiny amount onto my fingertips at a time and apply it to the skin - it spreads easily and does leave a white cast but as it sinks in quickly, the white cast disappears.

I have dry, sensitive skin (my face being the most sensitive part!), and eczema-prone skin, and it hasn't irritated me at all which is great. I do find it maybe a little drying though so just make sure you moisturise well before using it. According to Dermalogica you cannot use it on your eye area or on your ears so you will have to use something else for that, which is my only gripe with this.

Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 6.7%, Zinc Oxide 9.2%

Inactive Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone/vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Hexyl Dimethicone, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Sodium DNA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Silica, Carbomer, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Linalool, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.