I'm moving!

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm moving blogs to:

KusanagiGirl.com



There are a lot of things going on in my life that can't be captured on a beauty blog, so I've created a "life" blog where you can still find my posts on makeup and skincare products, as well as all the other things that are going on in my life.

Hope to see you there!

Product Review: Jurlique Purely Bright Mist Spray

Hi Everyone!

I'm back again with a product review on the Jurlique Purely Bright with VitaBrightKX Mist Spray.  Sorry the picture is a little blurry.  I took it with my phone and it looked better on the phone.

Anyways, Jurlique is a brand I was introduced to by my aesthetician at Ann Karen Spa.  I was curious as that was the first time I had ever used it and I've heard good things about Jurlique "all natural" philosophy.

This was a full sized glass bottle of the Purely Bright Mist Spray.  There was quite a lot in it.  Probably 2 months worth of product for morning and night use.  I have to admit that I'm not a fan of the spray nozzle as the mist isn't as fine as as I would like.

Vitamin C is supposed to be great for brightening skin.  I'll admit that I probably didn't read the product claims too carefully because there is only one claim and it's not a direct claim about making your skin brighter:

Hydrate and soften skin for a radiant glow.

In terms of hydration and softening, this mist does what it says.  It reminds me of the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence that hydrated and softened my skin, sometimes to the point where I wouldn't feel the need to follow up with a moisturizer.

In terms of radiant glow...  Okay, my skin looked radiant after spraying this mist and patting it into my skin.  But that radiancy lasted only for a while.  By the mid morning or mid evening, about 1-2 hours after application, my skin looked normal again, and by normal I mean a little dull looking.

I wanted to love this product to the point where I could confidently say that I will repurchase this, but I just don't know if I love it enough for a repeat $34.00 purchase.  I probably won't repurchase this, but only because I don't love it enough to spend the money on it.

Have you tried Jurlique before?  Tell me what you think of their products!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sephora Haul: May 2013

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all are having a great week so far!

I was really excited to get my new Sephora order in the mail because I had run out of day moisturizers and really wanted to get something new for the summer months.

I got the Tarte Maracuja Oils on clearance or something like that.  This was a huge thing during the Christmas shopping season, I think.  I figured I'd give it a try because I love the idea of rolling stuff onto my face then blending it out.  Haha.  I'm so lazy!



I remembered Gummy saying she really really really liked Koh Gen Do.  I figured I'd give this brand a try, especially when I saw that they have gel moisturizers, which will be perfect for summer.

I also got some freebies.  I'm not sure if I will try out the retinol eye cream by Dr. Brandt just yet.  I'm not in the mood to have a complicated skincare routine in terms of moisturizers for the cheeks, and other moisturizers for the eyes, etc. etc.  It's in the summer that I like to go simple too.

I am interested in trying out the Koh Gen Do Spa Gel!  It seems like it's going to be a great exfoliator.  I also think there's enough in there for 3 usages!

The two colognes at the top are for Mr. P.  He's tried the LaCoste before and liked it.  I'm not sure how the Jean Paul Gaultier will turn up on him.  The scents I like best on Mr. P are light and crisp, like Aqua di Gio or Bvlgari Marine.

Then Sephora sent a fragrance sampler.  I haven't opened it yet.

That's it for my short haul.  I'm really proud of myself for not going crazy and buying up other limited edition makeup!  It was in my shopping basket, but at the end of the day, I'm still trying to hit pan on blushes I bought back in 2008!!!

Have a great day!

Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum

 

Hi Everyone,

I got this sample of Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum as a sample in a Sephora packaged a while ago.  I just started using it last week.

One of the main ingredients is hydroquinone, which is a skin lightener.  I'm waiting to see the results this product can have on my age spots.  

So far, I really hate the consistency of this serum.  It's like putting glue on my face.  It's thick and slimy, then it gets tacky and sticky... and it never seems to absorb into my skin.  My skin always feels sticky, even hours later.

The good news is that this sample will last quite a long time.  So I hope to report back on whether or not this product really does lighten age spots and pigment scars.

Has anyone else used this?  Let me know what you think and especially how you use this product.

Have a great day!

Finished! April

 

If I finish something on the morning of May 1st, does it still belong to May?  Well, I will have a bunch coming up in May.

For the month of April, I finished this little bottle of Bio-Oil.  I liked to use it after my showers on my body, rather than my face.  It did a good job of moisturizing my skin through the night and into the next morning.  I can't say that it provided 24 hour hydration, but that's to be expected with most things.

I wish I had more, but it's okay.  This gives me plenty of reason to explore other oils too, or go back to my organic and DIY kicks.  :-)

I hope you all had a great week!

My Wedding!

Hi Everyone!

I never realized how much a wedding ceremony could change the dynamic between Mr. P and myself, even though we've been dating and living together for a number of years.  Everything is more about us than ever before!

Anyways, I promised Gummy that I would post some pictures up from our intimate wedding.  We invited only family and a few friends to join us, people that we knew would be in our lives and our children's lives for the rest of our lives.  Having a small wedding was great because we got to spend a lot of time talking with our guests and it kept the focus on how close we felt with all of our guests and we got to see our guests interact and make friends with each other.  They even exchanged funny stories about each of us with each other.  LOL!  No secrets here!

Reading scripture during the ceremony.

Picture with Mr. P's family.

Picture with my family.

First picture inside the house as Mr. and Mrs. P.

Our dear guests whom we feel so honored to be in front of on this day.

This is my little nephew who got all dressed up and was happiest running around in the grass. 

Mr. P and I knew that we wanted a wedding in our backyard ever since we realized owning a home was just around the corner.  Our practical side knew that wedding venues cost a fortune and sometimes come with extra fees or "preferred vendors" that you can't really get out of using or negotiating down the price.  Additionally, some of the venues we looked at charged by the number of guests.  Mr. P and I were not in agreement on the number of guests we wanted to invite above the VIP guests so we decided it was best to stick with our own backyard as a venue and stick with our VIP guest list.  Our romantic side was in love with the idea that we'd start our lives in our new house with a spectacular event and memories, and we'd just be adding to the memories as the years went by.

One tip for keeping costs down if you plan on doing a DIY intimate wedding - don't mention the word "wedding" and don't talk about getting "married."  We did not tell the catering company this was going to be a wedding.  We told them during booking that this was a party and we wanted it self-serve buffet-style.  Only after they arrived and after I changed into my dress did they realize it was a wedding.  This really kept costs down and we had more than enough food left over to send home with our guests.

Our wedding cakes.

Also, with regard to the wedding cakes, we decided to buy several lovely 8" cakes from a local Taiwanese bakery rather than go the traditional tiered wedding cake route.  The Taiwanese cakes were really decorative and gave our guests the option to try whatever flavor they wanted or a piece from every cake.  I found this was really convenient, as Mr. P and I didn't have the time or patience to sit down with a wedding cake consultant to go over decorations, flavors, and what price to be charged by the slice and how many slices we needed for our guests.  I got the idea for multiple cakes as a wedding cake back in college, when I was flipping through a wedding edition of a gardening magazine.

DIY table decorations - spring flowers.

I think my most memorable part of the day prior to the ceremony was panicking and flitting around the house with my makeup half done, my hair half done, and not even in my dress, and trying to cut the spring flowers we bought and arrange them in our mason jars.  I would not have been able to get it all done if my best friend and kindred spirit did not show up to save the day!  I trust her with all things pretty and beautiful.  She was the one who took over arranging the spring flowers into 8 mason jars and tying beautiful bows around the jars.  I wouldn't have been able to do it without her.  Period.  Anyways, at the end of the night, we gave the mason jars with flowers to our guests to take home.  I hope they found a good use for the jars. 

I hope you all enjoyed this post!  Have a great day, everyone!