bloomzy /

Review: Essential Nuance Airy Japanese Hair Mask

The Essential hair masks are a product I’ve been wanting to try out for a while.
When I say a while, I mean I’ve had this on my list for several years now. Crazy, right?
Even when I was living in Japan I never got round to actually trying the hair masks out.
Well I finally decided to buy one of these from Alpha Beauty Store a few weeks ago.
There are a couple of hair masks in the collection, and I went for Nuance Airy.
It claims to give damaged and limp hair a new lease of life, with a light and bouncy feel.
Naunce Airy is specifically aimed at helping those with coloured/heat styled hair.
It aims to repair the last 15cm of your hair, but you can use it over all of your hair.
After washing your hair and towel drying it, pop this on for 5mins and then wash off.
You can use this 2 to 3 times a week, when washing your hair.
Pros:
+ Smells amazing
+ Left my hair soft & silky
+ Adorable packaging 
+ Good for coloured/damaged hair
+ Lots of product

Cons:
– Won’t smooth out frizzy hair

Notes:
The Essential hair mask lived up to all of my expectations. First off, can we please talk about how gorgeous the packaging is? I’m not a fan of pink but this is adorable and definitely lives up to the high standard set by Japanese packaging. The product itself has a rather buttery, thick texture to it. It’s not unpleasant and actually makes it a lot easier to handle. The shea butter and honey in this means that it smells amazing whilst you’re wearing it, and the smells lasts long after you’ve washed it off too. I thought it might weigh my fine hair down slightly, but that wasn’t a problem at all. It left my hair soft and silky feeling, although it didn’t stop my hair from frizzing…but then not much does. It’s also worth mentioning that I had my tips bleached a couple of weeks ago, so they were a bit dry but this At £9.58 this isn’t cheap, but there is plenty of product to go around. It’s definitely something I’ll be buying again. 
You can purchase Essential’s Nuance Airy Hair Mask at Alpha Beauty Store.
The store may be closed for the first week or so of February due to Chinese New Year.
bloomzy /

Review: DHC Liquid Eyeliner EX Pen

Liquid eye liner is one of my must-have beauty products.
I use it in my everyday make-up so it’s important I have a good one.
Recently I was recommended a liquid eyeliner pen by Japanese brand DHC.
I love Japanese beauty products, and DHC, so of course I had to try it out.
Pros:
+ Applies easily
+ Love the packaging
+ Good staying power

Cons:
– Smudges during wear
– Needs to be used with a primer

Notes:
I really wanted to like this and to start with I did. I noticed that some of the liner had smudged (transferred) from my upper lid but I thought that may have just been because I didn’t use primer on the first wear. I prefer not to have to use a primer but I understand that some products just need it. Yet when I wore it using primer it still smudged. I really don’t know how to work this liner, as the person who recommended it uses it everyday and had no problem with it. I guess I’ll have to just try another primer. On the plus side, this applies well and seems to stay, despite the smudging. On top of that the packaging is simple and cute, and the pen itself is great for carrying in your handbag. I’m on the fence about this one. Price wise it’s on the higher end of what I would usually pay at £16, so I’ll definitely be giving it another try before I give up entirely.
You can buy DHC’s Liquid Eyeliner EX at Beauty Mart.
bloomzy /

Challenge: STEAMCREAM

A few weeks ago I was sent a small package from STEAMCREAM*.
They wanted to set a few bloggers a fun little challenge using their product.
The aim was to use the STEAMCREAM in several ways, as part of your daily routine.
It was to show the versatility of the product and to prove that it isn’t just another old moisturiser.
When my pack arrived, honestly, I was a little dubious as I stared at my ‘ingredients’.
I love natural ingredients being used in beauty products but I wasn’t entirely sure I could do it myself.
Well thankfully I proved myself wrong because I managed to create 3 separate products with my STEAMCREAM.
Oat exfoliating mask, bb cream, and sugar body scrub
All 3 of these only involved mixing a product (foundation etc) with the STEAMCREAM.
It was so simple that it didn’t take up much time at all, which was great as I’m always in a rush.
My two favourites though had to be the exfoliating oat face mask & the invigorating sugar body scrub.
My skin felt super smooth, moisturised and calm (some products can upset my sensitive skin) afterwards.
The BB cream didn’t work out that well for me, but I never have been a big fan of tinted moisturisers etc.
Still, I would say that this challenge was a success, even though I had my suspicions to start off with.
When I first discovered STEAMCREAM I thought it was just another moisturiser.
Well luckily for me, I was wrong. It’s a whole lot more than that!
Visit STEAMCREAM to purchase a tin, and have a go at your own challenge.
Alternatively, you can buy it in Selfridges, John Lewis and from ASOS.
bloomzy /

Video: Hyper Japan 2013

I’ve made a small video with some footage that I took at Hyper Japan 2013.

Unfortunately this was after my camera died so it was all taken on my iPhone.

Even so if you watch it in 720p HD you will still get the full effect.

Enjoy!

bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Hyper Japan 2013

Here is the first post from Hyper Japan 2013.
This post is very photo heavy, so I’ve hidden it under a cut.

Japanese inspired nail art @ Sanagi Atelier – website

Angelic Pretty, Japanese cosmetics, wigs, toys, accessories and more @ Dreamy Bows – website
This stall was also run in conjunction with Tofu Cute – website
Handmade jewellery and accessories @ Roxie Sweetheart

This is just a small collection of photos I managed to take before my camera died.
I was impressed with the selection of Japanese fashion and cosmetic stalls on show this year.
Of course I love the culture and food sections equally, but I wanted to focus on the fashion/beauty.
I’ve placed a little info and credit under some of the photos, so you can shop online for yourselves.
Keep an eye out for a special Hyper Japan 2013 Youtube video coming soon!
Which stall looked the most interesting to you?
If you went which was your favourite stall this year?
bloomzy /

Review: Born Pretty Holographic Nail Polish

Born Pretty Holographic Nail Polish*
Another nail polish to add to my ridiculously large collection!
This time it is a gorgeous silver holographic shade, with a very futuristic feel to it.
Left: After 2 coats, Right: After 4 coats
 
Pros:
+ Great shade
+ Applies easily
+ Amazing holographic finish
+ Can be worn sheer or opaque
 
Cons:
– 3+ coats are needed for an opaque finish
– Small bottle
 
Notes:
I love the shade of this polish, it’s so much nicer than other holographic polishes I’ve tried.
It applied very sheer to start with and it took me 4 coats to get an opaque finish (which I prefer).
However that does mean that this is kind of a 3-in-1 polish, meaning you could use to just add a bit of glitter to your fingertips, layer it with other colours, or you can wear it opaque. I was pretty impressed with the selection of shades available on the store too so I’ll definitely be checking out more of the collection.
You can purchase Born Pretty’s Holo Polish here, and view the other shades here.
bloomzy /

Review: Yuko Lock In Colour Shampoo & Treatment

Yuko Lock In Colour Shampoo & Treatment*

I’m a fan of Asian beauty products, as most of you will probably know by now.
When I was living in Japan of course I used Japanese shampoo and I quite liked it.
However after returning from Japan I switched to natural shampoos/conditioners instead.
So I was interested to try this Japanese shampoo/treatment duo when it arrived at my door.
I still use natural shampoos 99% of the time but I like to mix it up every now and again.
Founded by a Japanese hairstylist in 1996, Yuko is a well known brand for hair straightening techniques.
They have now branched out to include other products in the range such as shampoos & conditioners.
I was sent the Yuko Lock In Colour Shampoo & Treatment to try out.

Pros:
+ Plenty of product
+ Lathered well on my hair
+ Washed out easily

Cons:
– Dried my hair out
– I didn’t notice a scent

Notes:
I was so looking forward to using this but it just didn’t work out for me.
Naturally my hair is quite dry after washing but natural shampoos have remedied this.
However this duo dried my hair out and left it very frizzy. I’d like to say some of this is due to the lovely hot weather we’re having but these products are meant to help target that. It just seemed to be down to the shampoo and conditioner, which is a real shame. This is probably due to the fact that my hair hasn’t dealt with non-natural products for a long time (apart from dye). I also didn’t notice a scent, which is a shame because I love it when the fiancé comments on how nice my hair smells (slightly creepy, I know). I may give this another go at some point but unfortunately it just proved that natural is the way to go for me. This would be better suited to someone who uses non-natural products regularly.