NAILS | I-did Ikat #CBBXManiMonday

I seem to be fixated on nail art from five years ago as it seemed there were so many designs and techniques that emerged in that time that focused more on hand drawing with one nail art design being "Ikat Nails". Ikat is a dyeing technique used to pattern textiles with the pattern looking somewhat like zig zags or like jagged lines in a diamond shape. I don't know why I thought I wouldn't be able to do this design at the time, but I'm so glad I tried it now because I think I will be "ikatting" more often even if I am a little late to the game!

 Some PR samples

SKINCARE | Avon x The Face Shop Skincare Routine #LunarJanuary

One of the more exciting collaborations that happened late last year was Avon's partnership with Korean beauty giant and one of my favourite Kbeauty brands The Face Shop! I was not expecting this, but while I learned awhile back that when it comes to skincare, the Koreans know their stuff, it's still a fairly foreign area for the Western world. Despite growing up pretty white-washed, I seemed to immediately gravitate towards Korean skincare when I seriously started taking care of my skin and was enamoured with the technology employed in the products as well as the entertaining approach they took to marketing skincare. Now, I have talked about The Face Shop a lot over the years because I truly think they are fun and effective products to use and try and now I have a whole routine to share with you that goes from head to toe!

 PR samples

SHEET MASK | The MUCH Talked About SK-II Facial Treatment Mask #LunarJanuary

This is the "oba-chan" or "grandmother" of sheet masks! I remember hearing about the SKII Facial Treatment Mask about five or six years ago as the "ultimate red carpet treatment" and was being used by various celebrities to give their skin a reboot. Made in Japan, this sheet mask is soaking in "pitera" which is a yeast by-product "rich in vitamins, minerals, organic acids and amino acids that aid in cell renewal". Sounds, AMAZING right? So, why wasn't I as impressed as everyone else on the Internet?

Purchased by me

NAILS | Newspaper Nail Art #CBBxManiMonday

Life can have its disappointments - like this set of nails. Newspaper nails were a trend around 2012 and though they were on my list of things to try when I first started doing nail art and blogging, there was always something more interesting to try and now eight years later, in our month of "Experimentation" it felt like the perfect time to attempt. As you can see, this did not turn out like I had hoped and though I have my theories as to why, I don't love the results even at their best to try again... 

 Purchased by me

KBEAUTY | Sulwhasoo ShineClassic Multi Powder Compact #LunarJanuary

There are more and more brands jumping onto the marketability of Lunar New Year packaging with effort and innovation ranging from putting the SAME product in a RED box to a truly limited edition piece that you would both want to display and use because the inside is just as beautiful as the outside. The Sulwhasoo ShineClassic Multi Powder (aka blush) is quite obviously, the latter and I wish I had started collecting earlier, but then again I was still a student in 2003 when the ShineClassic compacts were first released and probably had other things to spend my money on like books and tuition! Even now, I know each of these compacts is an indulgence, but I truly feel like I am purchasing a piece of art so I think going forward, I will grab one every year and somehow find a way to display it!

Purchased by me

NAILS | Bio Sculpture Gemini Nourishing Nail Polish in Pursuit of Beauty

Oh my my, TWO manicures in one week?! I can't believe I used to paint them 3-4x per week! This is when using a peel-off base coat is super helpful because one of the worst things I despise about the whole nail art thing is taking off polish. There is something about that step this I truly hate, whether it'd be the cotton balls, the rubbing, the waste I am creating so because I used a peel-off base coat for my Bubble Nails, I popped them off right away and applied this beauty of a blue from Bio Sculpture!

 PR sample