Marshall: I'm all fired up!!
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Friday, December 22, 2017
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
My new favorite mask - tarte Tight & Bright Clay Multi-Mask
I absolutely love this new mask! Had been eyeing this for quite a while & tried to wait for it...wait for it...and I just had to get it! Reviews were good and their ingredients are always decent so I took advantage of my recent Sephora discount and bought it.
Here's the product description:
It is a great product but doesn't really have the best instruction. I guess tarte wanted to make "multi-masking" a selling point, but I'd rather not put 2 masks on at the same time. I actually like them separately because the purple/lavender part is a great for exfoliation. I would put them onto my nose, forehead and cheeks, wait until the product is dried (much quicker than the recommended 10-20 mins) then add a bit of warm water to exfoliate using circular motions. Not sure why the instructions did not suggest that neither.
Then apply the gold part onto your face. I'd definitely want my full face to get the benefits of hydration and firming so that's why I'd use them separately. Again, wash off the mask once it's dried and don't just wait 10-20 mins like the instruction said...you don't want it to dry out your skin. Rinse with warm water. On my first use I got clearer pores, smoother and
firmer skin! Love it! tarte does not disappoint again!
Here's the product description:
Get a custom at-home facial with two targeted formulas that work in total harmony to treat your skin’s specific troubles zone by zone. Both formulas feature tarte’s iconic Amazonian clay to restore a gentle skin balance.
Purple Detoxifying & Purifying Exfoliating Mask is perfect for the oily T-zone, this shine control mask helps tighten pores and detox your skin from the day’s pollutants. Amazonian clay works as a natural purifier to treat blemishes and blackheads. Gentle micro-exfoliants polish away dead skin cells to treat flakes and uneven skin tone without over drying.
Gold Hydrating & Firming Gel Mask is ideal for dry or delicate areas like the cheeks and under the eyes. This hydrating and brightening treatment also helps calm redness and inflammation. Amazonian clay boosts clarity and circulation, while hyaluronic acid restores your skin’s natural moisture balance for a supple, soft, and energized look.
Purple Detoxifying & Purifying Exfoliating Mask is perfect for the oily T-zone, this shine control mask helps tighten pores and detox your skin from the day’s pollutants. Amazonian clay works as a natural purifier to treat blemishes and blackheads. Gentle micro-exfoliants polish away dead skin cells to treat flakes and uneven skin tone without over drying.
Gold Hydrating & Firming Gel Mask is ideal for dry or delicate areas like the cheeks and under the eyes. This hydrating and brightening treatment also helps calm redness and inflammation. Amazonian clay boosts clarity and circulation, while hyaluronic acid restores your skin’s natural moisture balance for a supple, soft, and energized look.
Suggested Usage:
-Apply the purple clay mask wherever you want to tighten pores and minimize shine
-Apply the gold gel mask wherever you want to hydrate and brighten dry or dull areas.
To apply each mask:
-Apply to clean, dry skin and leave on for 10 to 20 minutes.
-Rinse well to remove.
-Apply the purple clay mask wherever you want to tighten pores and minimize shine
-Apply the gold gel mask wherever you want to hydrate and brighten dry or dull areas.
To apply each mask:
-Apply to clean, dry skin and leave on for 10 to 20 minutes.
-Rinse well to remove.
It is a great product but doesn't really have the best instruction. I guess tarte wanted to make "multi-masking" a selling point, but I'd rather not put 2 masks on at the same time. I actually like them separately because the purple/lavender part is a great for exfoliation. I would put them onto my nose, forehead and cheeks, wait until the product is dried (much quicker than the recommended 10-20 mins) then add a bit of warm water to exfoliate using circular motions. Not sure why the instructions did not suggest that neither.
Then apply the gold part onto your face. I'd definitely want my full face to get the benefits of hydration and firming so that's why I'd use them separately. Again, wash off the mask once it's dried and don't just wait 10-20 mins like the instruction said...you don't want it to dry out your skin. Rinse with warm water. On my first use I got clearer pores, smoother and
firmer skin! Love it! tarte does not disappoint again!
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Spring Run! Sunday 11K + Ft Tryon Park nature walk
After a warm, sunny Saturday, Sunday was rather gloomy - cool and cloudy. But it was a perfect day for a long run!
This time I decided to go a bit further up north and to check out Fort Tryon Park and the Inwood neighborhood. I have never been to the northernmost tip of Manhattan so I thought why not?
So I did my 10k up north to GWB, ran up the hilly ramp and took the pedestrian bridge to cross the Henry Hudson Parkway to the street level. And walked up Cabrini boulevard towards Fort Tryon Park.
Fort Tyron Park is the ancillary site of the American Revolutionary War Battle of Fort Washington. The park is at an elevated level of Manhattan and situated between NJ and the Bronx, and provides many nature walking trails that allows you stroll while enjoying the scenes of Hudson River, NJ cliffs, and even the Bronx.
This time I decided to go a bit further up north and to check out Fort Tryon Park and the Inwood neighborhood. I have never been to the northernmost tip of Manhattan so I thought why not?
So I did my 10k up north to GWB, ran up the hilly ramp and took the pedestrian bridge to cross the Henry Hudson Parkway to the street level. And walked up Cabrini boulevard towards Fort Tryon Park.
Fort Tyron Park is the ancillary site of the American Revolutionary War Battle of Fort Washington. The park is at an elevated level of Manhattan and situated between NJ and the Bronx, and provides many nature walking trails that allows you stroll while enjoying the scenes of Hudson River, NJ cliffs, and even the Bronx.
At the north side of the park, there's The Cloister, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum, for the medieval arts exhibit.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Skincare Conundrum: Do You Get What You Paid For? Creme de La Mer vs NIVEA creme
I'm a skincare junkie, I really like to try new skincare products and trends or even hypes - whether it's the new snail ingredients, splash mask, derma-rolling etc. Bring them on!
Recently years, I have grew more conscious and paid much more attention to the ingredients list on the products. There are a few reasons to this:
1- I'm tired of wasting money on products that won't work
2- There are really effective ingredients that shouldn't cost a fortune
3- Some of the products sold in luxury department stores actually contain ingredients that are harmful to the skin
4- Fragrance (synthetic) is one of the products that might damage and shut down the skin's collagen production - skin's natural healing process.
I've been better but I must confess, it is extremely hard to resist the temptation to make a purchase after seeing all the advertised benefits from various products that promise miracles no more dullness on the skin, erase all dark circles, instant brightening, reduce lines, stop aging, and even looking 10 years younger instantly. Nothing but a total transformation on the skin. Who doesn't want that? Read the reviews and you'll always find at least one lucky lady who hit the jackpot because she 'has tried everything but this is the only thing that works' her skin. Don't get me wrong, it is certainly possible that the product works so well on her. But the question is: will this finally be my turn?
Should you pay premium for products with the claimed benefits that you're looking for?
Sephora recently started carrying La Mer products. I was pretty excited. Going down the memory lane, I used to spend a fortune on department store brands in my earlier days and La Mer was one of them. I tried the signature Creme de La Mer, as well as The Cleansing Gel, The Exfoliator, The Eye Concentrate, The Regenerating Serum, The Treatment Lotion, and The Concentrate. (Notice how every product starts with 'The' like it is The one and only product in the category you'll ever need) My recollection was that I felt okay about the Creme-it kept the skin moisturized; the cleansing products were not the most effective; the Eye Concentrate smelt like sushi roll (seaweed + soy sauce); and The Concentrate made my skin very smooth. My skin did not look worse so I guess it was defying aging (But I was in my mid 20s at that time so collagen production was abundant too). However, for the hype that everybody was hoping to get from the products - the miracle broth that heals wounds and scars, neither the Creme nor the Concentrate was able to heal the small scar near my lips as they claimed.
I was debating getting it again, somehow I even tried to convince myself that maybe I would see more result now that I'm older, or maybe I should take advantage of the April VIB Rouge sale and give it a try again. What about the fragrance in the products? Who cares...
I decided to just do a few more research before making up my mind for the purchase. Thanks to the power of the internet, I searched for a substitute for The Creme, and NIVEA Creme come up. Yes you read that right, the NIVEA creme that you can buy from a pharmacy store for as low as $1 for the 1oz tin. Really? Yes, because the base ingredients between the two products are pretty much the same! (except the fermented seaweed aka the Miracle Broth). NIVEA (a century old German formula) does not need to be 'activated' by rubbing the products on your fingers until clear (or 20 seconds) like Creme de La Mer requires, but the texture supposed to be very similar.
Between all the comparisons and claims, I decided to try it out myself. I know it is jar packaging which means lights and air can shorten or deteriorate the life of the ingredients, and yes I'm aware that both products contains fragrance. I got the 6.8oz (a little bigger than I'd like but nothing smaller) NIVEA creme from a nearby pharmacy and started my little tests. I carefully opened the package seal to expose only a small amount of the jar, used a skincare spatula to scoop up products into a 0.5oz empty jar.
I tested on face and body. It was pretty easy to put it on the body and even though the consistency was thick, the cream spread out smoothly and absorbed quickly on the body. For face, it was a little hard to apply, so I got creative and borrowed the La Mer method: warm it up first by rubbing it. It did turn a bit lighter and I patted the creme lightly onto my face. It felt a little thick like I had jelly on the face. I left the NIVEA creme on overnight and the next morning I woke up to a pretty good sign: the lines on my face were a bit less visible! I don't think it was collagen production overnight (It takes a while to generate it) but the thick paste probably did the work (prevent further creasing). Now I'm really excited!
I read online that if you can apply some rosewater with a cotton on your face after putting on NIVEA creme, which can help getting rid of the thick layer and greasy feeling. I tried and it was okay. I think what would have worked better is to make the creme lighter, so I added a drop of Tarte Maracuja Oil (other face oil works too) onto the creme on my hand to make a light cream. It worked wonderfully and I was able to apply it onto my face with circular motion. Easy to apply and did not create a thick layer on the skin. I also tried adding the rosewater toner, it worked too but was a bit harder to mix them up evenly.
So I'm pretty happy with NIVEA creme and will continue to use this nightly before bedtime. I will add more updates as necessary. But I'm pretty happy that I found a much more affordable alternative before spending a good amount of money again.
Disclaimer: No compensation has been received in exchange for writing this article
Recently years, I have grew more conscious and paid much more attention to the ingredients list on the products. There are a few reasons to this:
1- I'm tired of wasting money on products that won't work
2- There are really effective ingredients that shouldn't cost a fortune
3- Some of the products sold in luxury department stores actually contain ingredients that are harmful to the skin
4- Fragrance (synthetic) is one of the products that might damage and shut down the skin's collagen production - skin's natural healing process.
I've been better but I must confess, it is extremely hard to resist the temptation to make a purchase after seeing all the advertised benefits from various products that promise miracles no more dullness on the skin, erase all dark circles, instant brightening, reduce lines, stop aging, and even looking 10 years younger instantly. Nothing but a total transformation on the skin. Who doesn't want that? Read the reviews and you'll always find at least one lucky lady who hit the jackpot because she 'has tried everything but this is the only thing that works' her skin. Don't get me wrong, it is certainly possible that the product works so well on her. But the question is: will this finally be my turn?
Should you pay premium for products with the claimed benefits that you're looking for?
Sephora recently started carrying La Mer products. I was pretty excited. Going down the memory lane, I used to spend a fortune on department store brands in my earlier days and La Mer was one of them. I tried the signature Creme de La Mer, as well as The Cleansing Gel, The Exfoliator, The Eye Concentrate, The Regenerating Serum, The Treatment Lotion, and The Concentrate. (Notice how every product starts with 'The' like it is The one and only product in the category you'll ever need) My recollection was that I felt okay about the Creme-it kept the skin moisturized; the cleansing products were not the most effective; the Eye Concentrate smelt like sushi roll (seaweed + soy sauce); and The Concentrate made my skin very smooth. My skin did not look worse so I guess it was defying aging (But I was in my mid 20s at that time so collagen production was abundant too). However, for the hype that everybody was hoping to get from the products - the miracle broth that heals wounds and scars, neither the Creme nor the Concentrate was able to heal the small scar near my lips as they claimed.
I was debating getting it again, somehow I even tried to convince myself that maybe I would see more result now that I'm older, or maybe I should take advantage of the April VIB Rouge sale and give it a try again. What about the fragrance in the products? Who cares...
I decided to just do a few more research before making up my mind for the purchase. Thanks to the power of the internet, I searched for a substitute for The Creme, and NIVEA Creme come up. Yes you read that right, the NIVEA creme that you can buy from a pharmacy store for as low as $1 for the 1oz tin. Really? Yes, because the base ingredients between the two products are pretty much the same! (except the fermented seaweed aka the Miracle Broth). NIVEA (a century old German formula) does not need to be 'activated' by rubbing the products on your fingers until clear (or 20 seconds) like Creme de La Mer requires, but the texture supposed to be very similar.
Between all the comparisons and claims, I decided to try it out myself. I know it is jar packaging which means lights and air can shorten or deteriorate the life of the ingredients, and yes I'm aware that both products contains fragrance. I got the 6.8oz (a little bigger than I'd like but nothing smaller) NIVEA creme from a nearby pharmacy and started my little tests. I carefully opened the package seal to expose only a small amount of the jar, used a skincare spatula to scoop up products into a 0.5oz empty jar.
I tested on face and body. It was pretty easy to put it on the body and even though the consistency was thick, the cream spread out smoothly and absorbed quickly on the body. For face, it was a little hard to apply, so I got creative and borrowed the La Mer method: warm it up first by rubbing it. It did turn a bit lighter and I patted the creme lightly onto my face. It felt a little thick like I had jelly on the face. I left the NIVEA creme on overnight and the next morning I woke up to a pretty good sign: the lines on my face were a bit less visible! I don't think it was collagen production overnight (It takes a while to generate it) but the thick paste probably did the work (prevent further creasing). Now I'm really excited!
I read online that if you can apply some rosewater with a cotton on your face after putting on NIVEA creme, which can help getting rid of the thick layer and greasy feeling. I tried and it was okay. I think what would have worked better is to make the creme lighter, so I added a drop of Tarte Maracuja Oil (other face oil works too) onto the creme on my hand to make a light cream. It worked wonderfully and I was able to apply it onto my face with circular motion. Easy to apply and did not create a thick layer on the skin. I also tried adding the rosewater toner, it worked too but was a bit harder to mix them up evenly.
So I'm pretty happy with NIVEA creme and will continue to use this nightly before bedtime. I will add more updates as necessary. But I'm pretty happy that I found a much more affordable alternative before spending a good amount of money again.
Disclaimer: No compensation has been received in exchange for writing this article
Monday, February 6, 2017
Drawings
Haven't been drawing for a very long time, at least not just random/quick drawing but a little more detailed sketches and coloring. With my daughter constantly asking me to draw her favorite Paw Patrol characters and other random objects on a notepad. I decided to turn this activities into a more serious one and really pick up on doing some serious sketches again. So here they are, still not as good as I wish, still quite a bit of flaws in the techniques. Oh well I guess I'm glad that I did not try to turn this hobby into a career or I'd really be a struggling artist.
Everest: Ice or Snow I'm Ready to Go!
Rubble: Rubble on the Double!
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Monday, January 2, 2017
Blind Date with a book
Book Culture @ Columbus AveUWS
What makes this bookstore a local favorite. Too bad I am not a big fan of literature and fictions. Otherwise I would have tried my luck!
Sunday, January 1, 2017
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