She Space Minerals

I've made an order from the She Space Minerals when I saw the Makeup Masala blogged about this. What caught my attention about their minerals aside from being great with color ranges, but also the way they name their products!

They call this e/s sampler the Complete Cinderella Samples Collection which was a special for August. The total amount is USD18.00 plus I have to pay USD2.00 for shipping (which ain't bad). The total of USD20.00 (approx less than Php1,000)

I made my order and paid for it via Paypal last August 13th and I got the package more than a month after, I don't mind though, coz they have written in their site that it will take them time to deliver the orders, at least, they told us in advance!

Anyways, here's what I got ....

And here's all 38pcs e/s sampler all laid out

And I just did some random swatches for you pretty readers to see
Just check out their names, too cute!



1. Dragon Breathe
2. Seven Little Men
3.You Cheat I win
4. Be the Fairy Tale

Closer view
(swatched once without base)

I'll be doing some looks using some of these pigments!
They are mostly shimmery,
I don't mind having them in my collection, so pretty!
Definitely Fairytale-like!

HK Food Tripping

HK is not only a shopping haven but a food haven as well! I love the food they serve and everything just tastes amazing!!!

I haven't had the chance to write down all the food places we visited coz a lot of times, we ended up looking for food then eating them all at once coz we are starving!!! When you plan to visit HK , always remember to wear comfortable shoes because everyone's just walking, and not just walking, everyone's brisk walking!!!

I found myself longing for food all the time because we just burn down the calories just several hours after eating! Let me show you some food porn! I do apologize as I don't have all the names and details about the food. All I know is that the food served it's purpose of making my "5 senses" happy! I missed HK food! I missed the shopping!

Pork Chop Rice from Cafe de Coral

Huge serving of pork chop and rice!!! This can be shared by 2 people, but this served only 1 hungry individual! LOL My sister-in-law!

Cafe de Coral is well known for it's fast service, delicious food at an affordable price. You'll see Cafe de Coral everywhere! Do give this fastfood chain a shot!!!

These are the food from HK Disneyland

Chicken Curry

Barbecued Pork with Rice

Soy Chicken Rice

This was my 2nd time at the HK Disneyland and we had our lunch on different restaurants, all I can say is, HK Disneyland food is expensive and NOTHING AMAZING! But since you are inside and you are hungry, You've got no choice but to eat!!!

------------------------------------------------

When we went to the Harbour City mall (the largest mall in HK). We were so hungry and we don't want to walk far. Good thing we saw a nearby restaurant called Can-Teen. Can-Teen's ambiance is that of a regular canteen but in a Class A version! They serve a lot of Cantonese food. You can choose from noodle soups, noodle dishes, barbecued duck, pork, chicken and a lot of drinks and desserts!

Again, we ordered a lot but ended up taking photos to just 2 dishes! LOL We are a bad food blogger for sure! Now you know why I don't have a food blog LOL

The Barbecued Duck Rice

The Cold Cuts Dish

We also went to the IFC mall, they call this the OUTLET mall with a lot of apparels like Esprit, Giordano, Bossini, Adidas, Reebok, etc.. all on special prices! On the top floor, they have a HUGE food court in which they serve dishes from all across the globe! (well almost)

We took orders from different restaurants and Here's what we got!

Japanese Dish
Beef Katsu with Rice

Macau Dish
Portuguese Chicken Rice



Northern China Dish
The Beef Noodle Soup




Sze-Chuan Dish
The noodle dish with Sausages



Cantonese Dish
Chinese Hofan Noodles

Our flight was at night and we went to the airport without having dinner yet. So we decided to fill in our stomach with HK food galore before we leave the country.

We love Ajisen Ramen both from the Philippines and HK. I've tried Ajisen Ramen Restaurant in China as well and trust me, though they are of the same name, the taste tastes different! I think they cook their dishes according to the taste buds of the people living in the country.

Tofu
I love the version from the Philippines better :D

Crunchy Boneless Chicken
We don't have this in the Philippines, I wish we do!
I love love love this dish!



Tomato Noodle Soup
This looks spicy because of the color, but it isn't!
If you don't like Tomatoes then skip this! I love this because I love the taste of tomatoes!
I believe we don't have this in the Philippines either!



Noodle Soup with Crunchy Seafood
We definitely don't have this in our country and I wish we do!!! I love the soup and I love the crunchiness of the seafood roll!



Ajisen Ramen Special
This we have it all across the globe!
It tastes the same back home

I've also been loving Okashi Land at the MTR station, we would buy something yummy to put it on our backpacks for back-ups! As in HK you need to walk a lot and in between walks, we sometimes need the energy ! And these are what helped us survived the long walks!

It was a gastronomic experience! I would love to go back to try more dishes! But of course, I need to save up and work out those buns before I go back to HK! See ya and have a great week everyone!

Askmewhats Reviews: Neutrogena Sun Block

The night before I left for a trip, I knew HK's going to be really sunny and I would need all the sunblock I can get to protect myself. I wanted something really light, sheer, and doesn't have this heavy feeling and smells ok. I hate the smell of sunblock to be honest, that is why I seldom use them!

It was a good timing when I saw the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunblock with SPF 50+! I would go for SPF 25, but since they have it in 50 I may as well try it!

Here's how it looks like

Here's the sunblock as I sqeezed a bit on my hand
Not too sticky and not too liquid-y, just right

Here's how it looks like when rubbed a bit

And here's how it dries up....ULTRA SHEER

Neutrogena Says ---

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer^™ Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 50+ is a revolutionary, dermatologist-tested formula that contains Helioplex^™ technology, the latest breakthrough in UV protection.

Helioplex^™ delivers unbeatable UVA protection. It works better to help prevent damaging UVA rays from penetrating deep under skin’s surface. Dry-Touch technology absorbs excess sunscreen oils, leaving a clean, lightweight, non-shiny finish.

Askmewhats Says ---

Pros

• It honestly works! I've been out directly under the sun at the HK Disneyland from 9am til 6pm and I didn't get burned!
  
• Smells so good
• Feels so light and absorbs quickly
• Sweat-proof (I was sweating like a pig and I didn't have the chance to re-apply and I was fine)
• Affordable
  

Cons

• can't seem to find one!
  

Overall

I will definitely take this along with me and will definitely use this everyday! I've started to use sunblock for my face as seen on my post here. I've been on a lookout for a body sunblock but I get turned off with the strong scent that I don't like. I really love this and I highly recommend this to anyone who plans to go outdoor and doesn't like the "icky" sunblock feeling.

Tips

• Apply a good amount 15minutes before you go outdoor. Re-apply if you sweat too much or if you've been exposed from the sun too long.
• Apply sunblock on hidden / frequently forgotten areas like the knees, elbows, behind the ears, neck etc...
  

Will I repurchase?

YES!


What's your HG sunblock?
I haven't used a lot of sunblock and I always have mine expired before I have the chance to finish it up!
Why? I always buy a new sunblock before an outing or trip but always ends up leaving it unused.
With this sunblock?
I heart, I will be using this EVERYDAY!

My EDM Samples

My first MMU foundation is my Bare Escentuals' (BE) MMU foundation which I got in full size. I would say it didn't or did work for me. It's didn't do anything super bad to my skin like cause irritations or breakouts, my only concern is it darkens my skin after a couple of hours and I am not acidic at all!

Anyways, after BE, I lost my interest on MMU foundation because I don't want to order online because I really have a hard time choosing my color. Digital Angel, sent me a sample of an Everyday Minerals Foundation (EDM) which she and her sister loved so much! Though it looks a little bit light on me, I used it and I fell in love with the coverage and it's lasting power.

I have to clarify though that I am not saying goodbye to my pressed powders, liquid foundation, but I've been leaning onto using MMU foundation the past few days, because...well...it depends on my mood :D

So, I went online, checked out the EDM website and decided to order their 5 mini sampler as it's free, I only have to pay for their shipping which is quite reasonable amount of $4.55 (approx Php214.00)

The good thing about ordering NOW is I do have a "sample" color on hand. With the Fair Light Intensive sample from Digital Angel, I chose a shade one step darker and everything got easier afterwards!

I paid via Paypal last August 31, 2008 and I received my EDM samples a little bit over 2 weeks! (not bad) and since it was packed in a smaller package, I do not need to go to the Postal office to pay for taxes as it was delivered straight to my home!

This greeted me one morning!

I love that their samples all came in small pots instead of resealable bags Definitely GENEROUS amount

(Note: I've read their site recently that the temp jars will be used till September 15th, so I'm not really sure how they would pack their samples after the 15th of September)

In this pack you have the freedom to choose ---

3 foundations - you can choose their finishes as well (original glo, semi-matte, matte and intensive)
1 Blush/Face Color
1 Concealer

And here's what I got --- Foundation (color and their finishes)

• Golden Light (intensive)
• Buff-Fairly Light Neutral (intensive)
• Buff Ivory (Matte)
  

Blush

• Weekend Getaway
  

Concealer

• Mint Color Corrector

And of course, let me show you some swatches.
I am an NC30 for MAC Studio Fix Foundation
Paul & Joe Foundation No. 30

1. Golden Light Intensive
2. Buff - Fairly Light Neutral Intensive (my color)
3. Buff - Ivory Matte
4. Fair Light Intensive (From Digital Angel - thanks enabler LOL)

Left - Mint Color Corrector
Right - Weekend Getaway blush

Askmewhats Reviews (EDM Foundation) ---

The finish and the coverage is great that's why I gave in ordering samples. It lasts more than half a day before I need to do touch-ups. Considering the weather here in the Philippines, not bad at all!

After more than 4-5 hours, the areas I need to retouch are: the side of my nose and forehead, the rest looks ok. Since I applied EDM with a Kabuki brush, more intensive coverage = lesser pores!

Askmewhats Reviews (Mint Color Corrector) ---

Green concealer works best to hide redness. I don't have a lot of redness the past few days (knocks on wood) and I don't plan to have any redness, LOL so I can't really say a lot about the product, for now.

Askmewhats Reviews (Weekend Getaway) ---

This is a nice peachy pink color matte. It looks really pretty if swatched but I find the color doesn't show up on my skin.

How to order samples online (for Philippine readers) ---

1. Register if you don't have an account
   
2. Click on Make-Up on the upper left hand side of the site
   
3. Click Custom Kits
4. Scroll own and you will find Free Sample Makeup Kit -- FREE!
5. Click Add to Cart (you have to do this before you choose your foundation shades, blush and concealer)
   
6. Next comes the tricky part, on the right hand side of the site, you will see that you already have the Free Sample Makeup Kit in your cart but you haven't had the chance to choose any shades yet, don't fret! lol
7. Go back to Make-up, this time click on foundation you will find computerized foundation colors, choose foundation shade you want and drag to cart and it will automatically be added to the sample kit
8. Repeat steps for the next 2 foundation, blush/face color and concealer
9. Choose your payment method and wait for email confirmation!
10. Voila free EDM samples!

P.S. I am not paid for doing this lol Just helping some of you who are interested but had a hard time with their site, it is quite tricky and it took me some time to figure this out too! LOL

I hope this is helpful for you gals who are interested with EDM.
I wouldn't say EDM is my HG MMU foundation because I haven't used much!
I may give other MMU foundations a try!

Askmewhats Reviews: Nana May's Magic Hands (Contest Closed!)

Edit: (Note from Tiny Tapir)
The product should be used on completely dry skin - not damp or wet after washing with soap and water. The oils do clean as well.

Also, the only difference between face and hand s(other than the price! face is more expensive) is that the face salts are much finer - almost like flakes whereas the hand salts are coarser like normal salt granules.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As promised, I will also be reviewing the Nana May's Magic Hands, I have used this for 2 weeks because I've been concentrating on using the Facial Scrub and the Facial Scrub doubles as a scrub for my hands as well! So why waste a product right?

Anyways, the Nana May's Magic Hands look exactly like the Nana May's Magic Face which gets to be confusing at times especially if they're side by side!

Here's the product, same size, same ingredients, same look! I guess they are just packaged separately for hygienic purposes

Nana May's Magic Hands says ---
Hand and body scrub which exfoliates and moisturises the skin leaving it clean, smooth and moisturised.

Ingredients (There are no added chemicals and the products are not tested on animals)

Salts - Dead Sea Salts & Celtic Salts
Essential Oils - Spearmint, Peppermint, Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, Rosemary & Chamomile
Carrier Oils - Jojoba, Vitamin E, Apricot Seed, Avocado and Hazelnut

Askmewhats says ---

Pros

• it really leaves my hands softer and smoother
• doesn't feel oily after washing
• has a minty sensation, great for summer

Cons

• again, a bit messy for someone who's not used to it

Overall

Just by looking at the ingredients, you won't be complaining as everything is just natural and you don't have to go through the process of creating your home made beauty product. It's all in one jar. I usually use this for my hands, feet, elbows and knees. But on weekends, I would use this to scrub my back as well.

Tips

• wash your hands with regular soap and water
• gently scrub the product on your hands then the heels, gently massaging it until the oil gets absorbed
• wash with warm water
• clean with a dry towel

Will I repurchase?

I may just repurchase a Nana May's Face Scrub, since the ingredients are the same, I will use one product for everything!

WAIT....There's MORE!!!!
(hahaha sounds like home tv shopping!)

The wonderful friends from Tiny Tapir sent me another set of the Nana May's Face Scrub and Magic Hands for Askmewhat's readers. I have been contemplating a lot if I'll be opening this up for my international readers or not. I am concern on the shipment of glass and I don't want this to be wasted during shipping.

Anyways, after giving a lot of thought, I've finally decided to package this the best I can to whoever who wins. So YES, this is OPEN to ALL READERS from across the globe...even aliens :P As long as they have postal offices!

So what are you waiting for? Just leave me a comment with your name and email address stating why you want to try this product.
Contest ends September 25, 2008 11:59PM Manila Time
and I will be announcing the winner via electronic raffle on September 26, 2008!

Unsure about winning and you want to try the products?
You can check out their ordering information here

Goodluck!!!