The Face Shop Charcoal Phyto Cleanser

Hey Ladies,

The weather is finally cooling down and we can finally break out the jackets, scarves, and boots! So excited!

So I've been using a cleanser from The Face Shop for about a month. The Charcoal Phyto Cleanser is semi-gentle and cleans pretty well. I say that it's "semi-gentle" because after washing your face and patting it dry, you can feel just a litto teensy bit of that dry tightness that you get from harsh cleansers. You can also feel a slight prickly feeling while the cleanser is on your face. I don't consider my skin as sensitive so I'm thinking that it's how the cleanser is.

I don't know if I would repurchase this cleanser since I don't actually see any benefits from using this besides that it cleans my skin pretty thoroughly. Each tube of this costs about $10 and there are other varieties including green tea (which I will be reviewing after I have used it for a longer period of time).

Hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather!


<3 Winsley

New Nail Polish For Fall

Hey girls,

I have been so bogged down with work and school starting that I didn't have time to post. But now since school has started for about 3 weeks now and I finally have adjusted to the flow of things, I'll be posting more often. :)

So the other day I had some time so I popped into Walgreens and Duane Reade to browse. I wound up buying 5 bottles of nail polish which is something I try not to do since I'm running out of space in my nail polish drawer! 

Not all the nail polish was interesting. I had to buy a plain black and a plain white since I feel like these are staples that I should have. Mine dried out since they were pretty old so I decided to get some replacements! Now on to the more interesting colors. Since Autumn is fast approaching, I wanted to get a deeper color. I wound up getting "Siberian Nights" from OPI. It's a deep plum color that suits the crispness of Autumn. 

I've been into glitter lately. I wound up buying 2 glitter top coats. Revlon has a new glitter top coat called "Galaxy" which has black, blue and silver glitter with some chunkier hexagonal iridescent glitter too. I think it would look good paired over a dark color. Putting it over a light color might not be too appealing since the black glitter will seem too jarring and out of place. In the picture below I paired it up with "Metro Chic" from Sephora by OPI since it's an in between color so you can see what I mean about it looking better with dark colors.

The second glitter nail polish I got was from Sinful Colors called "Frenzy". It really is a frenzy of colors. It's all purple and blue glitter. It reminds me of "It's Bouquet With Me" from Sephora by OPI.

I've also been really liking this base coat lately. My polish is able to stay un-chipped for about a week under normal circumstances. It's the Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat. It may look white in the picture and in the bottle but it goes on clear. 

I guess that's it for now. Posts will be more frequent since I've gotten into the rhythm of things :)

<3 Winsley

Emjoi Epi Slim Cosmetic Hair Remover (Epilator)

So today, we're going to talk about armpits. That's right, this will be a review of an epilator I recently tried. Now, I'm usually a fan of waxing or plucking underarm hair but there are two problems with that: time and money. Depending on the rate of hair growth, one would need more waxing appointments, which on average cost about $10 near where I am. This can add up very quickly so of course you then venture out to pluck them yourself. This is great, but it takes a lot of time and patience (also a lot of neck pain afterwards). So I got lazy and decided to try out an epilator. An epilator is basically a tool that does the plucking for you, electronically. They come in a range of sizes, battery operated or rechargeable. I still wasn't too sure on how this would work for me so I decided to test out a cheaper and smaller version. I chose a smaller sized one in hopes that the level of pain would be reduced, but also keep in mind that might take longer to get every hair out. I read some reviews and they were pretty mixed on the how painful it actually is since everyone has a different level of tolerance. But if you are accustomed to waxing and plucking anyway, this shouldn't be any more painful. After a while your endorphins kick in and it's all swell. =) Alright, so enough of all these words on the screen, let's see some pictures!

This is the Emjoi Epi Slim. Can be purchased from Amazon or Target.They run from $15- $20.

These are not blades. When it spins, the metal plates come together pulling the hair out.

Requires 2 AA batteries.

And it comes with a tiny brush to sweep out the hairs stuck between the plates. Cleaning it is essential because it causes the gap to be smaller, effectively pulling out the hair.

Verdict: Will definitely by again!

Epilators aren't as scary anymore and I might even venture out and try out the larger version of this, as this is meant for travelling. On the instructions, they suggest that you use this in a circular motion to reduce the amount of tension in one area so less pain is felt. However, I find that even without using it in a circular motion, it is still virtually pain free. It's more of a shocking sensation that you feel initially, but after the first 10 seconds, it's nothing much. They also advertise that it's effective in removing hair from the bikini area, I would think that it definitely will be more painful. I personally did not try it so I cannot speak for it's effectiveness. But for the underarms, this is something that I highly suggest you ladies try.


Side Question: Any of you ladies have a remedy for insect bites? I'm not even sure if it was mosquito that bit me, but I was bitten 4 times on my foot! Now it's red and swollen- so gross. Please let me know what you use to aid in the healing process. :)

I couldn't resist!

So I ended up buying more nail polishes and make up. >_<

Hard Candy's Mr. Wrong.

Found this at Walmart for $5. Application was smooth and non streaky but it's to be expected of such glitter polishes. Pictures shown are 2 coats, no base or top coat.

Found this at the CCO! Colors shown are part of the Intriguing Scarlet: 3 Cool Pink Lips.

• Sheer Vision (gloss)
• Overjoyed (lipstick)
• Make Me Melt (lipstick)

This was purchased a while ago from Mitsuwa. It's a sheer light pink lip balm. Goes on smoothly and isn't sticky!

And here's the very last item...OPI's Only Gold For Me! Super chunky glitter that goes on smooth while adding just the right amount of sparkle to the nails. Lovee! Here, I topped it over OPI's Miso Happy With This Color. 2 coats.

Peace out til next time!

~Diana

P.S.  Pics of new haircut coming soon! Plus more OOTD since I recently got a tripod. =p We'll see how it goes.

Summer Ain't Over Yet

There's still time to rock the corals, peaches and updos. Here are two polishes I'm loving at the moment:

Essie's Van D'Go

Revlon's Peach Petal:

This color isn't truly portrayed in the picture above but it took 3 coats to achieve. The formula is extremely streaky. The only upside is that it dries super quickly. If you have the patience for streaky polishes, give this a go. Otherwise, save your money.


A couple of weeks ago I went biking in the blazing heat and decided that my hair needed to be up that day. I didn't want to do a regular pony tail so I added some twists to my bangs.

And here's the back of the tank top I wore that day.

 

Pretty cool, right? It was a gift from a good friend. =)

Until next time,

Diana

CalGel & Candy!

So as Diana mentioned in her last post, we went to get Calgel nails recently. 

Sorry the picture quality isn't so good. I'm not quite sure what to say about the quality. I haven't gotten any chipping yet but 3 out of 10 rhinestones have already fallen off. =/

But on a random, happier note, I stopped by the Toys R Us in Times Square the other day and saw some really cute candy that I couldn't resist buying! 

I bought a My Melody Pez dispenser. SO CUTE! There were Hello Kitty ones too but I'm not a big fan of Hello Kitty so I got the My Melody one instead. I also bought a . . .

Keroppi Tin! Inside are apple sour candy. 

Yea, this is sort of random but sometimes I'm a total sucker for cute things.

Hope your week is going well!

<3 Winsley

Review: Goody Modern Updo Maker

The Goody Modern Updo Maker seemed to be the answer to creating sleek 'dos effortlessly. I had pretty high hopes when I first purchased this from Duane Reade. Running at $7, it claims that three styles can be attained with this tool. So far, I've only been able to master the "Modern Updo," which is essentially a french twist. The other two styles are just variations of this: using it to put up only half of your hair or letting the ends hang over the bun part. It's not rocket science, nor impossible, but a learning curve is involved. 

Pros:

1. Easy to use once you get the hang of the technique.
2. Great alternative to a pony tail when you want your hair up.
3. Price is fairly reasonable, considering that it can last you a long time. (However, there is a paint problem that I will address later.)

Cons:

1.  Instructions on box are not clear. You probably have to google or youtube how to use this.
2. Takes many attempts to make it stable and tight enough hair doesn't slip out.
3. It might just be me, but for the updo with the ends hanging over the bun, it seems to look weird with my straight hair. I would see this working better for those with curly, wavy hair.
4. Could be painful if used too closely to the scalp. When you flip the bun and insert, it may be too tight, thus pulling on your hair.
5. Only two color selections: Blonde or Brunette. Brunette being a light bronze color.
6. The color of the tool is actually coats of paint...that chips off. 

Note the paint chip. Keep in mind I have been using this for only about a week. Because you want your hair to be secure, constant friction against the tool wears away the paint. But seriously, after only one week? Okay, so you can't see it once it's in your hair, but every time you use it, paint will be coming off.

Anyway, here are pics on how it actually looks like once you get it to work.

Would I recommend it? I really don't know. It's something that you just have to try out for yourself and see how much it works for you. Considering that I have long, layered, thick hair, it will probably be easier for someone who has less layers and such. On occasion, I can get this to work, but if I'm in a rush Monday morning, I wouldn't bother with this.

Onto something that makes me happier: Calgel nails! Winsley and I got them done last week. There will probably be a picture of Winsley's nails in the next post, but for now, you get to see mine.

That's it for now! :)

If you have tried the Modern Updo Maker, what do you think?
If you have not, do you plan on trying it?

xo, Diana

Mod About You Meets Rumple's Wiggin'

*Please excuse the dry cuticles >_<

Hair and Nails

I dyed my hair last week since my highlights were growing out and starting to look brassy. I figured that I would go darker so my new hair growth would transition into the dyed parts. Hopefully, that will be the case and that the dye wont fade too much.

So this is what I used: (sorry for the poor quality pic, courtesy of google)

Before:

After:

I guess it's not that different, but I'm glad the color evened out a bit.

Now onto the nails. This is just two coats of the face shop's nail color in RD 301. Can't say much for the lasting power because I painted konad and glitter polish over two days later.

Konad done with plate m63. I used the green polish from the Icing set I got a  couple of weeks ago. I don't bother buying the "special" polishes for konad because you can just use regular polish. Just choose extreme colors and expect the results to be a bit muted. Plus, it's a good way to use up your current colors, especially if they are colors you don't use often.

I figured I needed to glam them up a bit more so I added one layer of Milani's "Disco Lights."  See the spahkleee?

Here's everything I used numbered in order.

Close up of the plate I used.

I also did a bit of nail polish shopping yesterday and picked up a few items.

Mod About You:

I hope you ladies enjoy the rest of your week!

xo, Diana

Collective Haul

Hey Ladies,

Today's post is gonna be a collective haul from Sasa, Canada and various places in NYC. Be forewarned, this post is very picture heavy! ^.~

Let me start off with a pic of how my nails look today:

All I used was clear nail polish and some very fine white iridescent glitter. Its just a simple semi-clean look.

Now on to the haul! Diana and I did some online shopping at Sasa and picked up a "few" items. hehe. 

I picked up some nail art glitter. Now I can go crazy with the bling!

Pink grapefruit scented oil blotting sheets!

Since there have been such good reviews about the Laneige Strawberry Yogurt Pack, I thought it is time for me to give it a try. When I opened it, it smelled EXACTLY like strawberry yogurt. Yum! I think it's gonna take a lot a will power to keep from licking it when I have it on my face lol.

This is supposed to be a very good spot whitening serum. And that fact that it's limited edition. . . just gotta give it a try!

decided to get a mask bowl set. it'll come in handy one day right? It comes with measuring spoons, the bowl, a brush and a spatula. The green color wouldn't have been my first choice but they didn't let you choose the color. :(

I totally forgot the purpose of this, but it's SO CUTE!!

I've heard a lot about Skin Food masks so I decided to pick one up. Smells soooo good!

When I went to Montreal I saw GOSH products at a pharmacy called PharmaPrix. I wanted to try at least one product from them since GOSH isn't sold in the US. I decided to pick up a lip gloss. 

There really isn't a color to it. It mostly goes on clear. Its not really sticky and its really smooth. 

I didn't really get much in Montreal. Was too busy sightseeing lol

Went to Walgreens a while ago and picked up the Mega Shine top coat and the new Sally Hansen Continuous Treatment for strength. 

I've been using it for about 3 weeks now and I really like the Mega Shine. It's supposed to make your nails look super shiny, make your manicure last for 10 days and it's also supposed to dry in 60 seconds. It does make my nails really shiny and it does dry in 60 seconds but if your nail polish underneath is not completely dry, and you accidentally brush your nails against something, it won't mess up your nails like usual, it will cause wrinkles in your nail polish though since the top coat as already completely dried. I haven't really been able to test out the claim about the manicure lasting for 10 days since I do my nails so often, I very rarely keep the same nail polish on for 10 days. As for the Continuous Treatment for strength, I really haven't noticed a difference in the strength of my nails. I guess I'll test it out for a while longer.

My MAC Technakohl eyeliner broke so I had to go get a new one :(

I also got the Konad system. It takes some practice but after I got used to it, I'm really liking it!

That's it for now. Let me know if you'd like any reviews of any of the aforementioned products!

Have a good weekend ladies!

< 3 Winsley