Sunday, December 18, 2016

Dear Althea, All I Want For Christmas Is... A Little Bit Of Everything

It's the most wonderful time of the year and all I want for Christmas is a little bit of everything from Althea.

That's not true. 

I actually want everything from Althea, but rules and good manners dictate that I shouldn't abuse Santa Althea's generousity. Also, the rules say clearly that my Christmas Wish List has to fit into one Christmas Box (but then you never said how big the box can be!)

So, I present my wishlist in the form of a familiar Christmas story that I'm completely ruining (or improving!) to make my wishlist. Hope this brings joy to someone. :)

A Christmas Carol: An Althea WishList 


The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. He carried his own low temperature always about him; he iced his office in the dog-dags; and didn't thaw it one degree at Christmas. But perhaps he's just hadn't had the luxury of trying out the Herb Warm Pack, which will surely keep even the chilliest of hearts warm with the seven kinds of medical herb components.


Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, “My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?” No beggars implored him to bestow a W-Lab Silk Remedy 5% Capsule Hair Pack to conquer their severely damaged hair. 


no children asked him for the Mizon Acence Blemist Spot Solution Serum to soothe their irritated skin without the added stickieness, to be used after toners and essenses/emulsions. 

Or the Monstory Greenman Trouble Care Mask to say goodbye to their skin troubles with the mugwart prescription, which looks like a lot of fun to try and do, not that fun is something Scrooge is acquianted with in the least. 


No man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to purchase the Natural Pacitif Fresh Herb Origin Serum as a skin anti-oxidation barrier to prevent skin degeneration, with sour anti-aging elements, wrinkle treatment function and vegetable preservatives, because they can see from his wrinkles and blemishes that he does not use any face serums, or if he used skincare products at all.


No one as inquired of the place to purchase some footcare products like the Skinfood Mint Sparking Foot Scrub to provide clean but soft exfoliation and get rid of foot ordor.
'

Or Tony Moly Shiny Foot Moisture Cream to smoothen and moisten their feet after.

No one has asked any of those of Scrooge. Even the blind men’s dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, “No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!" His eyes probably just needs some eye care, for even the most evil of eyes will be soothed by the Skinfood Salmon Brightening Eye Cream.
But what did Scrooge care! It was the very thing he liked. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call “nuts” to Scrooge.

Speaking of nuts, the 1st Collaboration of Package with Hapooooom has to many 'o's it's nuts and I would really love one if it could fit into the extra large Christmas Althea Box for me. ^^

I could go on forever, as is the thing with wishlists for things I want, but I can't tell if the box is full already. Maybe it is overflowing already, but I'm sure Santa Little Helpers can work their magic and just fit everything in (with brute force if necessary). Just squish the boxes, smash the containers, fold the masks and make everything fit. Muahaha. ^^

Fingers crossed Santa picked me, cause I've been... good? Well, at the very least I've been decent this year!

[Review] LS Cosmetic Premium Oriental Herbal Mask Pack: Chaga Mushroom Mask Pack & Agaricus Mask Pack

Price: RM20 for 16 pieces
(About $4.50)
Verdict: 4/10 for Chaga, 7/10 for Agaricus
Repurchase: No

Price & Shop

I purchased these sheet masks from Iqueen's shop in Shopee mainly because Iqueen.my ships by weight to Sarawak regardless of how much I purchase whereas Shopee gets me free shipping for purchases RM25 and above. It's a no-brainer, really. 

Shipping via Iqueen's Shopee store is spectacular. It took about two days to arrive, which is awesome. The price seems to have gone up to RM28.98 now, which I think might have something to do with the expiry date no longer being February of next year. The reason I got my masks for so cheap was probably (100%) because it was expiring within 3 months of purchase. XD Still, these masks were super cute and super cheap, so I don't regret the purchase. I kinda knew there was a 'buuuut' somewhere when shopee sold 8 of these masks for only RM10 since I've seen these on Guardian stores for about RM8 per piece (I think?). 

Fit & Ingredients


The fit of both masks were identically decent. The material of the mask clings nicely to my skin for a good 30 minutes. They're both somewhat tea-stained though (a little yellow-brownish?) which was worrying for me in the beginning, but I realized that it's just the essense. Speaking of which, the essense is a little slimy and gel-like, which I prefer to dripping, watery essenses. 

Ingredients for Chaga Mushroom Mask Pack (From Shopee): 
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Alcohol, Inonotus Obliquus (Mushroom) Extract, Angelica Gigas Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Angelica Dahurica Root Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Betaine, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Panthenol, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Carbomer, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Flavor

Inonotus Obliquus (Mushroom) Extract an antacid while adenosine is good for wrinkle-care, according to the back of the mask. Popylparaben registered a 7 on safety on cosdna but everything else seems fine. 


Ingredients for Agaricus Mask Pack

Oddly enough, there's no ingredients on this mask pack. I couldn't find ingredients online either, but I found that beautius stocks it for $3.30 per piece and they highlighted the efficacy of agaricus:


Agaricus Blazeii Extract improve your skin elasticity.  Lessen skin irritants and supply moisture help your skin more beautiful. Beta-glucan, polylsaccharide in agaricus mushrooms, creates interferon which activates immune cells in the human body. It not only activates cells but also affects the digestive organs and the endocrine system, with excellent effects to treat different types of dermatitis.
Sounds magical! Also, @.@ so expensive!

Performance For Chaga Mushroom Mask Pack

The Chaga Mushroom anti-wrinkle Effect masks deals with wrinkles with anti-oxidant, chaga extract and adenosisne to keep skin healthy. The mask has a pretty heavy scent that was... confusing. It's perfumy I suppose, but not in a mushroomy or nice way. 

I only used one of these because I acutally bought this mostly for my mom. I tried one in order to review it and it ended up being a bad decision. My skin doesn't really like this. Instead of calming my skin, it made my breakouts angrier and my cc's even larger. I can't be certain, but it might've caused a few cc's on it's own, which is disappointing. I'm not quite sure what's causing cc's on my skin, but I have a suspicion it's actually niacinamide. 😢My mom really enjoys this though and since it's aimed for wrinkles, it's probbaly not for my skin anyways! 


Performance For Agaricus Mask Pack


The Agaricus Mask Pack aims to improve skin elasticity and lessen skin irritants as well as supply moisture. The scent for this mask is so much more tolerable. In fact, it's pretty negligible. The essense and mask material is identical, even down to the tea-stained color of the mask. 

Thankfully, this sheet mask is definitely better for me compared to the Chaga. It was hydrating and cooling with a slight calming effect on my breakouts. In terms of plumping and moisturising, it's just... meh. Both essenses didn't dry sticky though, which is a plus for it. Unfortunately, it didn't really awe me as much as I had hoped. 

I got these masks mostly because of the packaging and I don't really regret the purchases. It makes me happy everytime I take one out to use. ^^ I won't be repurchasing any more of these LS Cosmetic Masks to try though, since it really doesn't have much going for it apart from the gorgeous packaing and that's satisfied for me. ^^

Price: RM20 for 16 pieces
(About $4.50)
Verdict: 4/10 for Chaga, 7/10 for Agaricus
Repurchase: No

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Saturday, December 17, 2016

[Review] Malaysia Subscription Box: Cubecrate December Box

Price: RM35
(Given a free in exchange for an honest review by cubecrate.com) 
Verdict: 10/10
Repurchase: NA

This month's Cubecrate subscription box is expectedly Christmas-themed and it's gorgeous. I'm so in love with the theme of the month and everything that's included in the box. If you're uncertain about what Cubecrate is, it's a surprise subscription box that costs RM35 per month and includes a variety of locally sourced products ranging from beauty to decor and handmade items that you wouldn't think to try out on your own. For three months, the subscription is RM90, so it's cheaper to buy more, as is the case with most things online. :)


Disclaimer: I received this box in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, as usual. ^^ You can also check out: 


December's Box


This month's box arrived on the 15th December, which is really early, in my opinion, but just perfect. They've packed such a beautiful, luxurious box for December that it really feels like Christmas came early! ^^ First thing's first, Cubebrate's box has a new look, which I'm totally on board with. Instead of their usual slightly oversized box, this box is much smaller and much more to scale compared to the items included in the box. That means the items aren't banging around in the box and risk getting broken during delivery. So the items are all snuggled safely inside the boxes. ^^

December's box is overflowing with goodies and the box is really jammed packed with items that are well-thought-out and Christmas themed. It's all quite lovely. 

Oishi Tea: Lemon Honey Tea

Like I mentioned, this month's box has so many goodies I'm not sure where to start, so I'll begin with what's now a monthly staple: Oishi Malaysia Green Tea. This month, I was sent honey lemon green tea, which didn't disappoint. As usual. ^^ Cubecrate is slowly turning me into an Oishi fan at this point. I watered this down though, since it is a little sweet for my buds. :) 

Cubecrate 2017 Calender Designed by Moodoodles

I love this calender so much. It's a 2017 calendar that's designed by Moodoodles. The design is simple and sweet, with the front and back covers designed with a giant fat... cat? I'm not so sure. ^^ The calender inside is nondescript though, which is a tad disappointing considering how beautiful her art is. I did a little stalking and found that Moodoodles does a bunch of beautiful Word Arts that're available for sale on her Facebook and Instagram page.

Tatoos by Taratats 

This is an interesting addition to the box. It's a temporary tattoo by Taratats. From the pamplet: "Taras is a revolutionary idea making metallic temporary tattoos the new age must have accessory." That's a bold new idea! XD The tattoo is supposed to last from 4-6 days, depending on how well you applied it and where. The instructions are easy enough and it works exactly how those cute temporary tattoos I used as a kid works, by wetting the tattoo and putting it face down on the skin for 20-30seconds. 

I'm not a paritcular big fan on the designs provided though, if only because I'm not good with coming up with cool designs, so I'm not sure what I can do with these. XD Still, it'll be fun to play with! 

Fraiche Designer Delectables Snackable Granola 

Next is a Snackablesfdd sample pack of granola choco-gingersnap, another handcrafted guilt-free snack. Fraiche Designer Delectables is a team of two sisters who use only fresh and high quality ingredients to create their snacks. I had this with milk and the ginger aroma was actually a little over-bearing for my liking. I still finished it regardless though, cause it's healthy and it's lunch. XD

Beyond Beauty Voucher & JE Botanicals Body & Room Spray

 There's a voucher for Beyond Beauty that's just an extra for me, since it's unlikely that I'll make a trip to kl just to use the voucher seeing as there's no Beyond Beauty in Kuching. 

There's actually also a tiny spray that's a Christmas themed room and body spray by J & E Botanicals that I failed to take a picture of. >< I'm sorry. It smells like how you would expect Christmas to smell like, cinnamon, spice, and everything nice. The tube's cap came loose during transit, which is more of a design flaw of the bottle. There's a little less than half of the product left by the time it got to me. On the plus side, the entire package smells delightful!

 Candle Nuts By Nadia

This month's candle by CandleNuts by Nadia is such an improvement from last month's box, where we saw a tiny candle (here). They boasts to be the first handpoured candle in Malaysia that uses palm wax as their wax source. True to it's claims, there was much less soot produced with this candle compared to the other candles I've tried. 

The candle doesn't seemed to be named, but it smells sweet and mildly fruity. Maybe it's candy-cane? :) The last candle from her  that I used, while tiny, managed to keep my house smelling delightful for hours after. 

 Stick Wit Me Sticker

There's also a Stickwitme Christmas Wreath sticker that can be used to personalize bags and accessories. It's leather and designed to adhere permanently, so I'll have to be certain where I want this forever. 

Glitter Angel Chrismas Ornament

Last but not least is a glitter angel christmas ornament from cubecrate, which is so glittery it's making everything it touches shimmer. Honestly, the glitter goes everywhere, so do be careful with this. XD 

Overall Impression

As you can probably tell, I'm incredibly pleased by this month's box, not just because there were so many items in the box, but because it's so Christmas-y. Everything seemed to be well-thought out instead of just a bunch of items thrown together. My favorite item is probably the calendar by @moodoodles. It's such a beautiful, practicle, and useful item.

In terms of getting your money's worth, this month is definitely worth RM35. This month's box definitely deserves a 10 out of 10.

I also do quick, short reviews on my instagram so if you're up for it, do follow me here too! :D https://www.instagram.com/peachy_amy/
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Saturday, December 3, 2016

[Review] Demeter x Moomi Cushion Perfume: Icelandic Aurora Scent

Price: NA
Verdict: 9/10
Repurchase: No.

Price & Shop


I won this from 0.8L Malaysia's instagram share and win contest and like last time with the Innisfree Clay Mask that I won, I received it within a month of winning.  I reviewed it briefly on my instagram account too. :) You can also buy this from ebay for about $24... which is pretty ridiculous in my opinion. 

Demeter is a fragrance company that specializes in unique scents. It's original mission was to capture the beautiful smells of the garden and nature in wearable form, with fragrances such as Dirt, Grass, And Tomato. They've since gotten waaaay side-tracked with fragrances like sweet baby (one of the refill packs given), pizza, play-doh, and clean soap (anothe refill pack). They're now known for their catalog of unexpected and interesting scents. Who would like to smell like play-doh? D= 

Directions


I couldn't find the ingredients of the cushion, but they do promise to keep all fragrances completely natural. The brand also doesn't use artificial color of parabens. 

There were no instructions with the cushion perfume, but it wasn't exactly rocket science. Basically, you just dab the tiny cushion on the cushion and transfer the perfume to your hand or neck or basically whereever you wanted to smell nice (wink?). These are good for touchups and are non-intrusive as compared to touching up spray perfumes. 

Packaging, Fragrance & Performance

The tiny cushion pack is actually surprisingly sturdy. The cushion puff is inside the pact and is seperate from the cushion, which soaked up 2.5g of product. The mini cushion puff is so tiny that I worry about dropping it accidentally and breaking my heart in the process because it's so cute and how am I supposed to replace such cuteness? T.T Actually, that's a valid question. How am I supposed to replace this? 

The fragrance for this Demeter cushion perfume is Icelandic Aurora, which is fresh and cooling. It boasts to be long lasting and cooling with no sticky residue. I tried this on my hand and it's definitely not sticky. The scent is pleasant but as is the fact with most perfumes, my nose stopped picking up the fragrance after a while so I'm not so certain about the long-lasting promise. The scent does fade completely after about three hours though, so maybe it's not  The refill packs are clean soap, baby powder, fuzzy navel, white musk, and sweet baby respectively and it looks to be 2.5g of product per refill pack. I suppose once this fragrance is used up, I have to wash everything and refill the pack with a different fragrance. Cool. ^^ 

I've never heard of cushion perfumes before and I was super intrigued by this. It turned out to be very simple and just soo.... unnecessary really. Why in the world would anyone need a cushion perfume? Other than for novelty and cuteness factor of course, and this is really super cute.

 Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Super adorable packaging
  • Fresh, pleasant scent
  • Convenient for travelling (and okay for airplane travel since it's not a spray perfume).
Cons
  • Very little product (2.5g will not last you long at all)
  • It's super small, so chances of dropping the puff is quite high. T.T 
  • Expensive
Price: NA
Verdict: 9/10
Repurchase: No.


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