NOTD~ Pink, Purple, Sparkles

July is almost over. Glad that I was able to paint my nails even if I was super busy haha. Today I am going to show my nail art design. Its not that fancy, but better than plain nails, or nothing :)

The result x)

First, I painted my nails with a light pink nail polish. I used something from Etude House. I dont know what's the name of this shade because the label of the bottle is in Korean but there's a number shade for reference and in my searching I think it was referred to as Pinkade. I have already swatched and reviewed this nail polish and you can read about it here. I had about two coats since I find it too sheer for my liking.

With Flash Photography

Under normal lighting the nail polish seems a little darker but its indeed a light one.

Without Flash Photography

 And then I took out my favorite bottle of glitter nail polish. Its from Wet n Wild and the shade is called Hannah Pinktana. You can also see more photos of this nail polish in my review post here. I applied it on top of my pink nails diagonally. This is how it looked like after applying *u*

And for the final touch, I added Flower Lace Nail Stickers on the boundaries of the pink and purple colors. This particular lace sticker is from Born Pretty Store. There are actually 10 pcs in one pack and I decided to use this particular design because I find it fit for this nail art :)

Again, here is the result of my experimental nail art. I think purple and pink blends with each other so I might again use this combination next time.

If you are wondering what products I use, here they are again :)

Flowers Lace Nail Water Stickers Nail Art Decals ($2.99) - Born Pretty Store

Wet n Wild Hannah Pinktana

Etude House Nail Polish in Pinkade

Caronia Clear Top Coat

Review: Daiso Charcoal Mask

Hello there :) I'm back again with another product to review. I've had this product for quite a while already and I have been using it ever since I got hold of it, but not on a weekly or monthly basis. And since I have already tried it more than once, I feel confident now to post my review of this product, the ever popular Daiso Charcoal Mask ^_^

Originally, Daiso products can be bought in Japan as these are from their 100 yen shop. Super affordable right? But when you buy this online like on ebay for example, it would really cost you much so I suggest that you try to look at your local shop if they have Daiso products. As for someone like me who lives in the Philippines, this can be easily found in a shop called Saizen, which is an eighty pesos something shop. So its just like the original Daiso which is 100 yen per item only.

Its a charcoal peel off mask that promises to remove blackheads, whiteheads and other skin dirt as well as tighten pores. Hmm. Considering the hype that this has become, the reviews online are actually fifty fifty, a mix between good and bad ones. But then again I still think that in whatever product, there will always be good and bad reviews because of course each person has a different skin type. What might work for someone might not work for the others. But here is my honest review of this product :)

SPECIFICATIONS

• Item Name: Charcoal Mask Natural Pack
• Brand: Daiso
• Country of Origin: Korea
• Size: approx. 134 (L) x 36 (W) x 36 (D) mm (5.28 x 1.41 x 1.41 inch)
• Net Weight: approx. 80 g (2.82 oz)
• Weight with Packing: approx. 91.7 g (3.23 oz)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

This is a Charcoal Mask is made by Daiso that is formulated with Natural ingredients from Oak trees. It removes oils, dirt, keratin and sebum in the sebaceous follicles of the skin. It deeply cleans the pore, leaving your skin clearer and smooth with less visible pores.

INGREDIENTS

Water, Polyvinyl alcohol, Ethanol (alcohol), Charcoal, Magnesium aluminum silicate, Crystalline cellulose, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil Methylparaben, Cortex mori extract, Xanthan Gum, Butylparaben, EDTA - 2Na

MORE DETAILS

Formulated with Natural ingredients from Oak trees

Removes oils, dirt, keratin and sebum in the sebaceous follicles of the skin

Deeply clean the pore and leaving your skin clearer with less visible pores

Made in Korea

Produced by Japanese Brand Daiso

HOW TO APPLY

After cleansing your face, apply evenly on the entire area on your face in appropriate amount. Please ensure that eyebrows, eyes, and mouth do not come into contact with mask. Let it completely dry for 10 ~ 15min. If completely dried out, peel if off starting at the bottom, pulling toward the top. (You will know this when it's no longer sticky and skin feels tight.)

• Use it once per week
• It can be very sticky so peeling it off can be a bit difficult. You can apply an amount that's just enough to cover your skin's surface (Don't layer it on thickly)
• For sensitive skin, test the product on a small patch first to test for irritation and allergies. Apply facial essence before use, and slowly peel it off starting at the top toward the bottom
• After peeling off the mask, cleanse your face well with cold water to close up the pores

After cleaning my face, I applied it for the first time on my entire face just for this review. I usually only put it on my nose, T-zone and jaw because the peeling process hurts :D

PRECAUTION

• If any irritation occurs, stop using it and consult with doctor
• Keep out of reach of children
• Having it on your eyes please wash it immediately.
• Remove the residue with water after peeling it off from your face.
• Keep away from the reach of children.

I had two layers of this mask applied on my face because I figured it works best if it is thick. But you have to apply it layer by layer and just build it up.


After it has dried up completely, I started to peel it off. Yes, its painful :|  But you'll get used to it too. Haha Its just painful because facial hairs are removed too. Here's how the peeled mask is. It looks dirty and gross and ew and all, sorry :)

MY THOUGHTS

I really love this mask. Now I totally understand the hype about this product. It works well and is also very affordable. The only thing I dont like about this product is that its not locally available, and buying on ebay would cost me a lot. But other than that, this product really works well for me and I like it. Also, it says it can remove blackheads but I cant seem to see any black heads on the mask because uhm its black? Haha I'm not sure though

Pros

✓ removes dead skin 

✓ removes facial hair

✓ removes white heads

✓ very affordable when bought in Saizen or Daiso

Cons

x not locally available

x expensive if bought on ebay

x painful when mask is removed

x sticky when applying

x black color makes it impossible for me to see if blackheads were removed too

RATING

♔ ♔ ♔ ♔ ♔

If you want to try out these mask, you better check out your local Daiso stores. I also saw that there are 2 more other products of this range and I am hoping to get my hands on them soon when my mother visits Saizen again in Davao City. I will be reviewing them soon, and a lot more other products :)