If you’re a Chinese, you must be celebrating Chinese New Year like me here, which is marked by new clothes, reunion dinners, lo hei, mandarin oranges and red packets. Because I was working till Tuesday, and I’ve been rather busy, I didn’t really have time to buy new clothes this year. But I do have some new pieces and one of them is a cheongsum that you see here. I’ve tried it on once and my hubby said it made me look older. I think the reason he said that is because it reminded me of my sister-in-laws who are always dressed in cheongsums during this festival. Well, I’ll be taking some pictures and I’ll post them up some time later and you tell me okay?

Eating all day long
Chinese New Year is really a time to eat, eat and eat. We had our reunion dinner at a shabu shabu place last evening and this morning, I woke up to prepare a sweet soup dish consisting of white fungus, dried longans, red dates and eggs. My husband is preparing some chicken for lunch and later, I’m heading to my mom’s place for dinner and meeting four extended families that will fill up three tables. And one of dishes that I’m look forward to is the Yu Sheng, which is a raw fish salad that one of my brothers will be whipping up. The tossing of Yu Sheng, commonly referred to as “lo hei”, is a common practice among the Chinese, symbolizing abundance and prosperity – the higher you toss the salad, the more abundance you’ll have. Anyway, my brother’s Yu Sheng is really good and so I usually do not order Yu Sheng during Chinese New Year when eating out as no restaurant can match his standard. And this is a picture I found of his Yu Sheng, taken during the 2009 Chinese New Year.

Year of the rabbit
By the way, for the non-Chinese, the words in my picture means “May everything work out well for you and the Lord blesses you”. And the reason for the rabbit is because this is the year of the rabbit, an animal in the Chinese zodiac of 12 animal signs, each of which represent a distinctive set of characteristics and personalities. So Chinese babies born in 2011 according to the Chinese calendar is a rabbit. So are those born in 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, 1939, 1927, 1915, and 1903.

Any of you a rabbit here?

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~ This is the second part of a guest post from Crystal of Watermoolen on products from Spa de Soliel, which were sent complimentary to her for review on behalf of Viva Woman. ~

Organic Olive Essence product line
This is the second part of the review on the Organic Olive Essence product line. To read in detail about the company, please refer back to the first part of the review, where you can also find reviews of the body butter and hand cream from the same line.

In brief, Home Spa Collection is an e-commerce store that sells a variety of skincare products depending on your skincare/haircare (i.e., anti-aging, acne) needs.The eco- friendly skincare/haircare company believes in creating their products within days of the order, and all products do not contain parabens and mineral oils. The Organic Olive Essence beauty line is also certified organic by the USDA through CCOF and OASIS and is in the final process through NSF and Eco-Cert (U.S. organic certifications). I’ve spent about one month testing all the beauty products provided by Spa de Soleil.

All organic & natural ingredients with no parabens

In my first review, I stated that there was no sign of olive fruit extract or olive juice extract in the ingredient list. However, I was informed by the company that there was a mistake in the ingredient list – there is actually olive fruit extract in all of their Organic Olive Essence products. Like I mentioned in the first review, I like that there are no parabens or signs of chemical preservatives in their products. Most moisturizers/night creams are water or oil based, so it’s nice to discover that the first ingredient in this moisturizer is organic aloe vera leaf juice.

This cream does not contain any signs of gold even though it is called the “Gold Healing Nutrient” cream. However, the company did mention this phrase, “Optional: For additional anti-aging benefits and a subtle warm glow, add desired quantity of 24k gold to cream and mix well with spatula.” I’m assuming that you may have to purchase your own 24k gold dust to sprinkle onto the cream.

Suitable for all skin types except dry skin & noncomedogenic
Though the label indicated the product is suitable for all skin types, I think that it’s not that suitable for dry skin. During winter time, my skin tends to get dry quickly so I usually need a heavy cream. Despite the product looking heavy, this cream is actually quite fluffy and seems to act more like a moisturizer than a cream. It isn’t a real problem since I just slather more product onto my face. Also, I confirmed with the company through email that this cream is noncomedogenic (non-clogging pores). This cream did not cause any new breakouts or clogged pores, which is a plus! In addition, if you have sensitive skin, this cream can be a great night moisturizer.

Light, floral scent
The scent is absolutely wonderful, possibly one of the best characteristics of this cream! It definitely gives me an aroma-therapeutic feeling every time I apply it onto my face. It’s a light scent which doesn’t stay onto your face too long (great for sensitive skin because even though it contains “natural fragrances,” you wouldn’t want the scent to linger onto your skin). The scent isn’t very distinctive, so all I can say is that it smells like an expensive bag of potpourri! It’s a great way to end the night with the floral scent.

Packaging
The opening of the jar isn’t as wide as the cap. In fact, when I almost used up the product, I had to use a Q-TIP to scrape the remaining because my fingers could not fit through the opening of the jar. I’m not sure why they didn’t make the jar opening wider so that you wouldn’t need to use a Q-TIP or scraper to get the product out. I’m thinking the reasoning behind the small opeing is to reduce contamination in the cream.

Conclusion
The cream claims that it will help restore moisture to your skin and protect it from the environment (i.e., the sun, pollution) and that you’ll get “firmer skin in 7 days.” I’ve used it for a month, and I have not seen any significant changes or firmness on my skin. What I did notice was that I did not have any breakouts caused by the product so this cream is truly noncomedogenic. Maybe it’s because I am in my mid 20s and am not experiencing any visible wrinkles. However, I did enjoy the overall experience of this cream despite the inconvenience of the jar. In terms of long usage, I’m sure the skin will reap many benefits from the natural ingredients in the cream. This cream currently costs $29.99 and comes in a 1.75 oz jar (Home Spa Collection). This jar was used up in a month when applied only nightly on the face and neck.

Crystal will also be reviewing their facial gel cleanser in a bit.  Look out!

Almay triple effect one coat nourishing mascara waterproof Playboy Play It Lovely, Play it Sexy & Play It Spicy ~ new fragrances

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I don’t know about you but I have a fascination with Geishas. For the longest bobbi brown oil free even finish compact foundation time, I’ve been yearning to watch a Geisha performance and was glad to have that opportunity with Kaden from Miyagawa-chou in Kyoto, a renowned Geisha group who was invited by Biore to perform at the Luxe Art Museum and at the same time, show how the Biore range of makeup removers help keep their skin flawless and supple.

Makeup is elaborate and time consuming
The Geishas are really beautiful in person. And as you can see, their makeup is so elaborate and time consuming. I understand that it takes around three hours to be made up and most of the time is spent laying the foundation, so to speak. What caught my attention is that they leave a line of bare skin around their hairline and so this gives the illusion of wearing a mask, and on the nape of the neck they leave two “V” shape lines unpainted, apparently for sensuality. Have you also noticed that some of their lips look so small? Well, that’s because a new Geisha only color her top lip.

Traditional Japanese dance and music
Although the main sponsor of the event really wanted us to check out their range of makeup removers, but we got to experience traditional dance and music performed by the three Geishas. Of course we couldn’t understand what they were singing but we were all captivated by their exquisite poise, graceful movements and lavish kimonos. They’re such a delight to watch in person!

Porcelain clear complexion
The performance ended with a demonstration on how Biore’s makeup remover helped removed their heavy makeup. And despite the heavy coat of foundation, they still maintain porcelain clear complexions! I can give the Biore makeup removers a go and I would have no doubt that the products can remove my normal makeup and keep my skin clean and pristine…but I know I can never enjoy the same flawless complexions as the Geishas no matter what they say.

Bobbi brown oil free even finish compact foundation

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