Walgreens Grand Opening Haul ♥

As I mentioned in my last post, I did not purchase too many things; however, I did find a couple great deals, which I was very happy about! ^_^

The first items I picked up were from the beauty section (LOOK boutique) on the 2nd floor of Walgreens.

My purchase was nicely wrapped up in this bag!

I purchased two 1.69 fl. oz. Vichy facial mists (Vichy Thermal Spa Water) at $4.50 each (Regular Price is $9.50). The smaller facial mists are easy to pack in your purse and perfect for traveling (since it is less than 3 fl. oz., you can also take it with you on the plane):

The last item that I picked up was the Tiger Corporation 350 ml Sahara Mug (MMR-A035 PE Power Pink) - only $14.99! Plus, I received $3.00 OFF since I had a $3.00 Walgreens Grand Opening coupon that I cut out from the newspaper =P The total with tax came out to only $12.70! Since Tiger Corporation mugs/thermoses are usually $25.00 to $30.00 (even online), this was a super good deal. I was glad that I did not purchase the Tiger Corporation mug/thermos that I saw in Don Quijote a couple weeks ago, which was almost $30.00!

There were a couple different types of Tiger Corporation mugs/thermoses in different styles and sizes; however, I purchased the smallest sized mug/thermos. I have been looking for a smaller mug/thermos that would easily fit in my purse for some time. This mug/thermos was the perfect size!

It also came with a stainless steel tea strainer attached to the stopper:

If you are looking for a good mug/thermos to carry hot or cold drinks, I highly recommend this mug/thermos. I previously bought two larger Tiger Corporation mugs/thermoses, which I absolutely love! Whenever I pack a drink in this mug/thermos for work, it usually stays hot or cold for the entire work day (assuming that I do not leave the lid off for most of the day). I also love how I can depend on this mug/thermos to not leak if I throw it in my bag.

The only thing that I do not like about this mug/thermos is that it can take some time to clean (if you are really thorough) since it has several parts. Also, if you are not careful and drop this mug/thermos on a hard surface, you may end up with a dent in your mug/thermos since it is made of stainless steel - which happened to me once T_T

{UPDATE: I saw this same mug/thermos in 450 ml when I stopped by Don Quijote last night to pick up some snacks for my trip to Korea in a couple weeks. Although the mug/thermos was larger (at 450 ml instead of 350 ml), it was about $35.00! So expensive T_T I was glad that I found such a good deal at Walgreens ~*^_^*~}

♥ Grand Opening of Walgreens in Ala Moana Area ♥

After much anticipation, the Walgreens across from Ala Moana Shopping Center, and along Keaumoku Street, finally opened today! I went with my family to check out the grand opening festivities. There was a lot less parking than I thought - somehow the parking structure looked so much bigger from the outside...

We went to the store after lunch (around 1 or 2 in the afternoon), and it was packed - there was so much people going in and out of the store! The first thing I did when I got there was make a beeline for the beauty section. The beauty section ("LOOK boutique") is on the second floor of Walgreens.  I was excited to see a lot of make up and skin care brands that I do not usually see in our local drugstores or department stores. There were several skin care and make up brands that I had never seen or heard of before, and there were a couple skin care brands that I had only seen in drugstores in Korea (like Olive Young or Watson).

In particular, I was excited to see that this new Walgreens carried "Vichy" products. Last year when I was in Korea, my friend recommended that I try the Vichy Daily Dark Spot Corrector, which I saw on the shelf in Walgreens today!

The Vichy Daily Dark Spot Corrector is a bit pricey though (about $45.00), so I did not purchase this today. Instead, I picked up 2 Vichy facial mists (Vichy Thermal Spa Water) which were $9.50/each. Luckily, on my way to the check out counter, I found a $5.00 off coupon on Vichy products. Therefore, I ended up paying only $4.95 (including tax) for each Vichy facial mist.

The beauty section in the new Walgreens was nicely organized and designed, and everything looked very modern and trendy. I was also surprised to find a small nail studio in the corner of the beauty section (looks like they offer manicure services?). I am not sure if they also normally offer skin care services, but my Mom said that an employee in the beauty section offered to give her a free facial!

(View of 2nd Floor from Escalator)

After purchasing my items, we headed down to the first floor. The first floor had mostly food items and souvenir/gift items that you would probably find at an ABC store in Waikiki (e.g. beach towels, reef walkers, scented soaps, etc.). Near the entrance on the first floor, there was an area called "Up Market" which sold sushi, frozen yogurt, salads, fresh fruit, and other ready-to-eat food items.

My Dad and I each got a 16 oz. Icee, which was only $0.59 - one of the Grand Opening specials today! ^_^

And my Mom got a small Dole Whip, which was about three or four dollars.

The check out lines were not long (maybe 2 or 3 people in front at the most), and there were an ample number of check out counters to pay at. As a whole the customer service was good (except for the one slightly rude worker in the "Look Boutique" section who seemed a bit grumpy), and there were lots of employees walking around prepared to assist and answer questions.

If you want to read more about the new Walgreens or see more pictures of the store, there is an article about the store on the Pacific Business News website.

I did not purchase too many things at Walgreens today; however, I did find a couple good deals. I will make a second post about my purchases today since this post is getting a bit long and photo heavy =P

Laneige Perfect Renew & Nature Republic Aqua Mist ♥ REVIEW

It has been such a long time since I last posted - more than a year ago! It is amazing how time flies. Work has been keeping me extremely busy, but that should not be an excuse T_T I have not been taking good care of my blog, and I apologize to any readers out there who may have been following my blog.

Over the last several months, I have not bought many new skin care products or make up. I did a major clean-up a couple months ago and reorganized my room. In the process of cleaning up, I found that I had a lot...actually not a lot, but TONS (really!) of samples and full size products that I did not use. I hate throwing away products that I did not use (even if it was free) - it is very wasteful. I did not weigh all the products I had thrown out, but I am quite sure that the total weight of everything I threw out that day was a little less than 10-15 pounds. I really wanted to cry T_T I could not believe that I had been that wasteful. Since that I day, I have been slowly going through all the products I have which I have not used. Below is a small review of some of the products I have been using recently:

-♥- Laneige Perfect Renew Line -♥-

Over the last couple months, I have been using products from the Laniege Perfect Renew line. When I was cleaning up, I found that I had 2 boxes of the Laneige Perfect Renew Full Trial Kit which I never fully used (maybe I had previously used it only once or twice when I traveled). It was a free gift with purchase.

I loved the packaging of this trial kit - it contained small bottles of the full size products, and there were none of those super small samples that only last once or twice and come in that hard plastic packaging that is difficult to rip open (if you know what I mean). It is the perfect skin care travel kit!

The trial kit contained the following 5 products:

1) Laneige Perfect Renew Skin Refiner
2) Laneige Perfect Renew Emulsion
3) Laneige Perfect Renew Essence
4) Laneige Perfect Renew Cream
5) Laneige Perfect Renew Dual Touch Eyes

All the products came in a pretty white box which listed all the products in the trial kit and their ingredients on the back of the box. The products are also listed in the order that they should be used (Skin Refiner being step 1 and Dual Touch Eyes being step 5).

Each product contained a brief description and/or directions on how to use the product on the back, and all of the descriptions and directions were written in English which was a nice added bonus!

I previously purchased and used the Perfect Renew Essence before, but I have not tried any of the other products in this line. From what I have heard about this line, it is great for people who are interested in anti-aging products. According to the Laneige website, these products are "infused with LANEIGE’s exclusive anti-aging ingredients, Ceramide Corrective Water and Skin Recharger Complex™, are clinically proven to reverse visible signs of aging."

So far I have used up everything except the emulsion and "Dual Touch Eyes" eye cream samples. As a whole, all the products in the line are light and have a watery texture. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the cream was not thick or greasy, but very light and moisturizing - perfect for my oily to combination skin. I also enjoyed using the "Dual Touch Eyes" eye cream, which is packaged in two small separate containers -"Dual Touch Eye Day Cream" and "Dual Touch Eye Night Gel".

According to the description on the back, the "Dual Touch Eye Day Cream" has the following benefits:

• Brightens eye area by gently absorbing into skin.
• Gives anti-aging effect by preventing skin aging from UV light.
  

and Dual Touch Eye Night Gel has the following benefits:

• Concentrated gel absorbs into skin caring first sign of aging.
• Moisturizing and aging care penetrates deeply into the skin overnight, give smoothness to eye area.

(Front)

(Back)

I always purchase my Laneige products through our Amore Hawaii store at Palama Market; however, the Laneige website shows that the emulsion, cream, and a firming eye cream can be purchased through Target if you are interested in trying any of these products. The Laneige website shows that prices range from $35.00 (for the emulsion) to $55.00 (for the cream).

-♥- Nature Republic Aqua - Super Aqua Max Facial Mist -♥-

I picked up this product on Black Friday last year while looking around the Nature Republic store at Ala Moana for a good facial mist. I love facial mists! They are easy to use, mess free, and most facial mists can be applied before or after putting on make up. If you like that dewy/moist type of look which is very popular in Korea, I recommend purchasing a facial mist. I often use a facial mist in the middle of the day, when my skin starts looking or feeling dry.

Description: This refreshing, cooling facial mist provides moisture to dry skin and revitalizes tired skin as its minute spray works on the entire face.

How to Use: Whenever the skin feels dry, spray to face while closing eyes, and gently pat to enhance absorption. It can be used after using our toner or after applying a makeup.

Costs: I can't remember exactly how much it cost; however, if I recall correctly, I believe the Black Friday price (10% off the regular price) was about $10.00 for the 3.38 fl. oz. can.

Rainbow Beauty Mini Haul ♥ REVIEW

Rainbow Beauty Sense of Care Hand Cream

I recently purchased two Rainbow Beauty Sense of Care Hand Creams w/ Shea Butter (and Paraben free) from a small vendor at one of my Korean Drama meetings.

I must admit I was initially drawn to the product's cute packaging (as always, I love products w/ cute packaging! ^_^).  Fortunately, the vendor had samples, so I could test the hand cream prior to purchasing it.

I decided to use the lavender hand cream first, and so far, I absolutely love it! Usually I don't care for products with a strong lavender scent, but this hand cream has a very mild pleasant lavender scent.

I also love this hand cream because it's not super thick and creamy. I love hand creams with shea butter, like L'Occitane's Shea Butter Hand Cream, because they're very moisturizing. However, I also find that they tend to leave my skin with a "greasy" feeling for a while afterwards. Rainbow Beauty's hand cream may leave your hands with a slight "greasy" feeling at first, but it absorbs quickly and the "greasy" feeling goes away after a couple minutes.

• PRODUCT: Sense of Care Hand Cream (4 Scents Available: Olive, Lavender, Sakura & Rose). I purchased the lavender and rose scented hand creams. You can learn more about this product at the Rainbow Beauty Website.
• SIZE: 1.18 oz - The perfect size to carry on the airplane and fit in your purse. This hand cream only comes in one size. 
• FUNCTION: Each scented hand cream has a slightly different function/"skin benefit".
• Olive - "The olive extract rejuvenates and moisturizes rough hands creating vibrant-looking hands. Absorbs quickly and protects your skin from dehydration."
• Lavender - "The lavender extract rejuvenates and calms rough hands creating vibrant-looking hands. Absorbs quickly and protects your skin from dehydration."
• Sakura - "The Sakura extract rejuvenates and moisturizes rough hands creating vibrant-looking hands. Absorbs quickly and protects your skin from dehydration."
• Rose - "The rose extract and other flower extracts moisturize dry hands creating soft and smooth hands. Absorbs quickly and protects your skin from dehydration."
• COST: The vendor I purchased my hands creams from was selling the hands creams as a set - 2 hand creams for $10.00 + 1 free facial mask. I looked at various websites on the Internet, and it seems that this hand cream is selling anywhere from $4.20 - $12.00 per bottle. 
• OVERALL THOUGHTS ✯✯✯✯✯: Overall I love this product and I would have to give it a 5/5 - the packaging is cute, both scents that I bought are pleasant and mild (perfect for people who don't like hand creams with strong scents), reasonably priced, quickly absorbs and keeps my hands feeling very moisturized.

My $10.00 hand cream purchase also came with a free brightening sheet mask:

I've never used this brand, but it looks like a good sheet mask =P The vendor was also selling other sheet masks from this line at her booth. I believe these sheet masks were selling for $1.00 - $2.00 per mask. I love how the description and directions are written in English and Korean on the back of the mask - simple and easy to use!

The vendor also gave me free Daeng Gi Meo Ri shampoo and hair treatment samples. I am not sure how popular this brand is in Korea, but it is very popular among the Korean community in Hawaii. I know a lot of people who use this hair care line. I heard the smell of this "oriental shampoo" can be a little strong and perhaps a little strange for some people since it has a strong herbal scent, but I also heard a lot of good things about this shampoo. I am looking forward to trying it! ^__^

♥ Happy New Year / SK II Cellumination Essence EX ♥

SK II Cellumination Essence

After much consideration, I finally decided to give in and purchase a product from SK II at Sephora last weekend.

Initial Thoughts: After reading so many excellent reviews about various SK II skin care products online, I always wanted to try at least one product from SK II. However, I always felt hesitant to purchase SK II products since they are so expensive in my opinion.

Since I have sensitive skin, a lot of expensive skin care products that work well for other people, often times does not suit my oily skin type.

In my mind, I couldn't justify taking a chance and spending $150.00 for a skin care product that might cause my skin to breakout or work only as well as the $20-$30 facial brightening essence I was currently using.

• PRODUCT: SK II Cellumination Essence EX (I found out about this product through a Korean Naver blog. Also featured on Eugene's Get it Beauty, a Korean Beauty Program).
• FUNCTION: According to Sephora - "This hydrating serum with New Aura Bright Complex works three ways to diffuse light reflectance within the surface so that your natural colors radiate a soft, translucent glow from within. It also hydrates and refines the surface to boost skin’s natural tone, and to help diminish the appearance of discoloration for a more even complexion." Although this product definitely helps to even out skin tone, I also found that it functions as an excellent skin whitening/brightening product!
• COST: A 1 oz bottle (as seen above) cost $150.00 at Sephora. The Sephora store in Hawaii only sold the 1 oz bottle; however, Sephora's online store shows that there's also a 1.6 oz bottle selling for $220.00. Fortunately, since I had a $105.00 Sephora gift card, I only ended up paying about $52.00 after tax.
• APPLICATION: In short, a little goes a long way. I usually put one tiny drop on my forehead and one tiny drop on my chin, and spread it evenly over my entire face. The slightly watery and very smooth texture of the essence makes it easy to apply. Since it is quickly absorbed by my skin, it does not leave my skin feeling sticky or oily!
• OVERALL THOUGHTS ✯✯✯✯✯:  So far I've been really pleased with the results. Right now I would definitely have to give this product a 5/5 and two thumbs up! ^_^ Although I am breaking out a little along my jawline (which is nothing new), I think this is due to it being the "time of my month" more than anything else. The first night I used this product, I noticed that it actually helped to significantly decrease the size and redness of a painful pimple on my chin.
  
  As I mentioned above, this essence also functions as an excellent skin whitening/brightening product. After only a week, I noticed a difference in my skin tone color. Although only a minor difference, my skin tone seems to be brighter and lighter. Unfortunately I didn't take a "before" picture so I don't have any proof =P, but I found a couple of screenshots from the Get it Beauty show which shows the "before" and "after" photos of people who used this product:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  -♥- Wishing all my readers a very Blessed and Happy New Year! -♥-

~*THEFACESHOP Hawaii ♥ New Location!*~

Great news for everyone who lives in Hawaii or may be visiting this weekend! =P

THEFACESHOP is opening a second location today at Ward Centers in Honolulu, Hawaii!

Even better news... the store will be having major discounts on all products and special free gifts!

~*~See below for more information!!!~*~

THEFACESHOP 2nd Location Information:

ADDRESS: 1960 Kapiolani Boulevard, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96815

Now for the most important information...

See below for information regarding special free gifts and discounts being offered this weekend to celebrate their grand opening:

~*I want a Kim Hyun Joong 2013 calendar =P*~

I will probably stop by either tomorrow or today to pick up some products that I've been wanting to try out, and refill on my favorite Face Shop products like their Me:Ex Blusher (Peach) and lip tints. After all, there's no better time to test out a new product than when it's on sale and when you can get a free gift! ^O^

This weekend only, the store will also have special grand opening hours!

THEFACESHOP WARD CENTERS

GRAND OPENING WEEKEND!

This Saturday and Sunday, November 3 and 4

Saturday Hours: 10:00am to 9:00pm

Sunday Hours: 10:00am to 6:00pm


Be sure to stop by this weekend at The Face Shop to restock on your favorite Korean cosmetics and skin care products, and test out their new products! 

Nature Republic & Skinfood Haul ♥ VIDEO

Finally had time to film, edit, & upload my "Nature Republic & Skinfood Haul" video! Be sure to check it out if you enjoyed my "Nature Republic & Skinfood Haul Review" post, and please comment, like, and/or subscribe if you enjoyed my video!



~*Thank you so much again to everyone who has been subscribing, commenting, and liking my videos. I can't say thank you enough times! ^__^ Every single subscriber, comment, & like has been a huge motivation and encouragement to keep me blogging and posting!*~