Uguisu Poo Uguisu No Fun Illuminating Mask

Good day everyone! Nowadays, there is one quite exotic beauty regimen that is gaining so much popularity for those who are beauty conscious and even to popular artist. This way of enhancing one's beauty is a practice that came from the East Asia, specifically Japan, and it is done with the use of a bird poop, Nightingale's poop to be specific. Well, it is not directly applied fresh, this feces will undergo to certain procedure 1st to remove all its harmful component and later mixed with water and rice bran to make a facial mask.

Since, going to spas to undergo bird poop facial is quite expensive and inconvenient. So, I decide to look for alternative, and by doing so, I find this bird poop facial mask that has been available in Japan's market for quite sometime now. It is called "Uguisu Poo Uguisu No Fun illuminating mask"

Well there are other type of mask available in their company like calming mask, clarifying mask and hydrating mask. But, I picked and tried this one because it is more suitable for me and it may attend some of my skin problems. And, to be honest, I'm still using it right now since I really love its effect.

Here's a quick review of this product:

Packaging:

     It packaging is quite simple and it is placed in a white bottle with a sticker of the product saying what type of mask it is. Then, all of the details are on Japanese characters, which make it quite difficult to decipher, and I had to check their website for instructions. In contrary, the bottle's opening is quite narrow which makes it easier for users to get the right amount and avoid spillage.

Mask Powder:

     Honestly, I was expecting it to smell and appear as if it is really a feces, and amazingly, it smells nowhere like poop and there are no traces of it being made from a feces. It is really neat and fine.

As mask:

     Just like most of powder based-mask it is quite messy to apply (maybe its just me, LOL). Overall, I felt nothing extraordinary when applied as a mask.

It's effect after usage:

    When the mask is on, just like I said earlier nothing feels extraordinary while wearing the mask, but, after rinsing the mask off, its effect was astonishing. It made my skin glowing and smooth just with just after first time of use. And, weeks after of using it, my problems with post-acne scars are diminishing giving a clearer looking skin. Moreover, it made my pores really tight and lightening my blemishes resulting to an even skin tone. Lastly, it helped in minimizing wrinkles and fine line, giving a younger looking skin.

Overall:
 
    This product is really one-of-a-kind, highly effective and astounding. I never thought that it would give some much benefit with such a relatively cheaper price compare to going in spas, and, in the convenience of applying it within the four corners of your room.

Recommendation and Suggestion:

     The only thing that I really dislike in this, is its packaging, they should consider making a international version of its packaging so majority of the world will be able to understand what's written on it, nonetheless, this product is great. I would recommend this product to be tried by everyone and I'm quite sure you'll like it and enjoy using it too. Just picked the right type of mask based on your skin condition to maximize its benefits.

That's all. Thank you for reading and I hope I was able to shed some light to details of this products.

For more information about this mask and its company, you may visit them at:
www.birdpoopfacial.com

3 ways to extend that summer feeling

Aussies can’t complain too much – we’ve had quite the gorgeous summer. Hot but breezy days, balmy nights and ice-cold cocktails – yep, it seems we’ve definitely had a pretty perfect summer.

So, with rainy days and chillier nights forecast for the not too distant future, what can we do to extend that blissful summer feeling? I can think of three things you can implement into your beauty regime to help stall the chill setting in…

Switch to a summery scent

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that choosing a summery scent is a sure fire way to pull yourself out of a rainy season slump. Whether you love fruits, coconuts or fresh summery blooms, you’re sure to be able to find a scent that suits you and screams summer. We love Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche SkinScent, as it contains notes of coconut milk, sandalwood, vanilla, mandarin, lavender and jasmine. If you prefer something a bit more floral, try Molton Brown Mahina Fine Fragrance - the paradise-inspired scent encapsulates the French Polynesia and features notes of orange blossom, ylang ylang and vanilla.

Incorporate fruity-smelling products into the mix

Switch out your regular hair products for something fruity and juicy that’ll make you feel like you’re still basking in the heat of summer. We love the WEN by Chaz Dean Regular Deluxe Kit in Summer Mango and Coconut. The nourishing hair kit contains a Cleansing Conditioner, Anti-Frizz Styling Crème and Re Moist Intensive Hair Treatment - a dream team that provides your hair with all of the reconstructive nourishment and pampering it needs to fight the effects of summer, with a scent that makes you think it’s not going anywhere.

Opt for tropical ingredients and hues

If you want to ensure you’re reminded of lying around on the beach during summer, or attending beachside get-togethers, there are a couple of elements you’ll need to have close by. Firstly, start with a sweet, pampering facial scrub like Kiehl’s Pineapple Papaya Scrub, which leaves your skin feeling fresh and soft. Next, take that feeling down to your toes with a creamy summer soap bar, like Pure Essence Sweet Orange Body Bar, which is sure to pamper you from top to toe and make you feel fabulous, fresh and summery. Finish up with a lipstick that would be sure to suit any beachside soiree – anything in the Innoxa Couleurs D’ete Summer Matte Collection should do the trick nicely.

Apple and Gouda Muffin Recipe

I’ve been craving baked goods. Soft, buttery baked goods…oh man. I generally don’t love fruit in my sweets, but I couldn’t decide between sweet and savory, so for this muffin recipe I went for a combination as delightful as cookies and milk, bacon and eggs, or peanut butter and jelly: apples and cheese.

Maybe you haven’t gotten into the apples and cheese combo yet. Don’t be ashamed. Let me tell you though, it’s good stuff. It works hot or cold. In New England (and many old-school diners) they even sell apple pies with slices of cheddar.

Way back in ancient times the wealthy ate fruit, cheese, and nuts at the end of a meal because these things were thought to aid digestion. Eventually these items became slightly more accessible, and the theory is that since the colonists had brought both apples and cheese-making with them, they subsequently ended up combining the two in the same dish.

As for me, I took a less revolutionary, but no less delicious approach: I decided to bake them both into muffins. I shredded the apples so that the increased surface area would create more moisture and a more pervasive apple flavor throughout. This also alleviates the slimy surprise issue that can occur with chunks of apples in muffins.

Apple and Gouda Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter, melted and cooled
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 5.3 oz Greek-style yogurt in vanilla or plain (standard single-serving container)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 c packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 lb gouda, cubed
• 4 small apples

Note: I chose pink lady apples because they have a nice tart edge but finish sweet. If you don’t have pink ladies in your area, I suggest granny smiths for a brighter apple flavor.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake papers.

2. Melt the butter in the microwave (approximately 20 seconds depending on your microwave settings) and set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

4. In a separate large bowl, combine yogurt, eggs, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. This can be done by hand if you prefer not to break out the hand mixer.

5. Slowly stir the melted butter into the liquid mixture and whisk vigorously to incorporate.

6. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, being careful not to over-mix.

7. Peel the apples and use a cheese grater to shred the apple into the bowl. Once all apples are shredded, add the cubed gouda into the bowl as well and fold into the batter until mixed throughout.

Tip: Cubed gouda provides the perfect savory contrast to the apples. Go with larger pieces if you want the gouda to be more pronounced, or smaller cubes if you prefer to balance out sweet and savory flavors.

8. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. The batter will be very thick and the muffin cups should be filled to the top.

9. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

The Apple and Gouda Muffins are best served warm, but they will keep in an airtight container for two days.

My taste-testers grudgingly agreed to the departure in my recent sugar-heavy offerings, and ended up giving the muffins multiple thumbs ups. Nothing makes a baker more satisfied than seeing someone reach for seconds!

Slather these babies with butter while warm out of the oven and you’ll forget you ever doubted the glorious apple and cheese combo.

Readers – What are your favorite fruit and cheese combinations?

photos: Heather for we heart this

Heather is a midwesterner living in Los Angeles and enjoys concocting weird flavor combinations and exploring delicious ethnic foods. She blogs atfoodforfunandpleasure and knows her way around the spice cabinet like nobody’s business.

How-to: fake a lash extension look

When it comes to a woman’s lashes, there’s not much she won’t do to try lengthen, thicken and enhance them. I mean, just take one look at your own mascara collection and you’ll know what I’m talkin’ about.

And that’s exactly why some women turn to lash extensions, a process where synthetic lashes are applied with glue one-by-one to natural lashes to give eyelashes a fuller and more luscious appearance.

The thing is, it takes some time, effort and money to invest in such a process, meaning it’s just not an option for some. The good news, though, is that you can easily fake a lash extension-look without putting in much effort at all.

Here are a few clever tricks you can try to fake your own lash extension look:

STEP ONE: ENHANCE YOUR LASH LINE

Look closely at your lashes. See where the lash meets your lid at the root of your lash? In between the roots there are tiny areas of skin, and that’s exactly where you want to apply your liner. By filling in these teeny spots, you’re creating an illusion of thicker, more voluminous lashes.

Try:

Clarins 3-Dot Liner, $38, 02 9663 4277

Apply:

This eyeliner-meets-liquid-liner has been designed for this very purpose. Working from the outer corner of your lash line, dab the liner alone the lash line. Each dab will create three dots between each lash. Keep dabbing until you’ve reached the inner corner and you’ve got a solid black line.

STEP TWO: APPLY CORNER LASHES

Applying individual lashes on to the corners of your eyes will help extend your lashes and make them appear denser and fuller. Using individual ones, as opposed to a full false lash, keeps your look a little more on the natural side and will give your lashes that little bit of oomph they need.

Try:

Ardell Duralash Starter Kit

Apply:

Using tweezers, pick up one of the groups of lashes and dip the end into a tiny bit of glue. Close your eye and apply the lash onto your lash line at the outer corner, ensuring that the curl of the lash follows your own natural curl. Depending on how big your eye is, apply another one or two lash clusters, working your way towards the inner corner of your eye. Make sure you leave enough time for the glue to dry before going onto the next steps.

STEP THREE: CURL YOUR LASHES

Curling your lashes may not seem like such an essential step, but it’ll actually work wonders to enhance your lashes. First off, curling them helps give lashes (especially straighter lashes) that extra bit of curve, and secondly, curling will help open up your eyes and make them look a little bigger.

Try:

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Apply:

Apply the curler at the base of your lashes and clamp it shut, making sure to squeeze tight. As you’re squeezing, tilt the curler upwards as this will lift your lashes a little more.

STEP FOUR: FINISH WITH MASCARA

For the last step, use a mascara that lengthens, defines, and adds volume to your lashes. This will bring all the other steps together wonderfully to leave your lashes looking fuller and more glamorous.

Try:

Avon Mega Effects Mascara

Apply:

Adjust the nifty-looking brush to the angle that works best for you to get the bristles as close as possible the base of your eyelashes. Apply the mascara upwards, making sure to wiggle it from side-to-side as you go up. This will help lift and separate your lashes, while coating them in the defining and volumising formula. Then, apply the mascara on the top of your lashes to really build the volume. The brilliant thing about this mascara is that it won’t clump, so you can be sure that a couple of layers won’t compromise your lash look. To finish off, apply one-to-two coats to your bottom lashes. Don’t be afraid to adjust the angle of the brush as you need – that’s the whole point of the innovative Wonderbrush.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush

…sooo every single makeup fan has been raving about this blush, and I’m here to tell you that it really is as amazing as people say it is.

Now, mineral/baked blushes aren’t new. Anyone remember Laura Gellar whose product used to be at Sephora? She basically had tons of these mineral-type products, and very year MAC comes out with a few Mineralize lines that are based on this concept: shimmery mineral powder running rivers through decently pigmented blush.

Hourglass’s Ambient Lighting Blush takes this to the next level, because my loves, there is no shimmer in these blushes! If you’ve checked out the Ambient Lighting Powder then you know that it’s a setting powder with a touch of velvety shine (not shimmer or glitter) that’s tinted to reflect light. The Ambient Lighting Powder runs through a very finely-milled blush in the Ambient Lighting Blush.

The end result is a blush that is pigmented but extremely easy to blend so that it looks natural on the skin. Actually, you can end up with a professional look without much work because these blushes blend so easily.

I’ve heard people say that because of the Ambient Lighting Powder, the blushes aren’t that pigmented, and I haven’t found that to be true. I have Luminous Flush in the blush, and it’s plenty pigmented. It shows up as a bright pink on my skin and I only dip my brush into the pan once. I think the pigmentation depends entirely on your skin-tone and what other makeup you’re wearing. If you do lots of contour or you enjoy wearing bronzer, then you might need to apply more product.

The colours available are:

Radiant Magenta
A golden fuchsia blush combined with Radiant Light for a summer glow.
Mood Exposure
A soft plum blush fused with Mood Light to brighten the complexion.
Diffused Heat
A vibrant poppy blush combined with Diffused Light for a subtle halo effect.
Ethereal Glow
A cool pink blush fused with Ethereal Light for a moonlit luminosity.
Dim Infusion
A subdued coral blush fused with Dim Light to add warmth.
Luminous Flush
A champagne rose blush fused with Luminous Light to evoke a candlelit glimmer.

You can find Hourglass cosmetics at Sephora stores. $41.

Mary Kay At Play Jelly Lip Gloss Swatch

Posted by Hollie

If you ladies remember, I recently posted about the Mary Kay At Play Baked Eye Trio review and swatches. This time, you'll get to meet the Mary Kay At Play™ Jelly Lip Gloss which is included in the Mary Kay At Play makeup line.

Trendy and vibrant lips are in. Mary Kay has got you covered for any occasion with the new Mary Kay At

Play™ color products featuring the new Mary Kay At Play™ Jelly Lip Gloss in gorgeous hues! This playful new line features three fabulous Jelly Lip Glosses in flirty and fun shades. Pout no more… these high impact glosses are ultra shiny and glide on smoothly, leaving lips feeling soft. Providing brilliant, intense

shine with a sheer kiss of color, the new Jelly Lip Glosses will inject a little excitement into your bag of

makeup tricks.

Mary Kay At Play™ Jelly Lip Glosses are super easy to wear and can easily be tossed into any wristlet,

pocket or handbag for travel and perfect share-ability. We all play in our own way! Mary Kay offers

three fabulous Mary Kay At Play™ Jelly Lip Glosses in flirtatiously fun shades...

Dazzle with berries. Glide on Berry Me for a gorgeous pink lip.

This stunning shade will provide a soft, luscious pucker

with ultimate shine!

Teddy Bare is perfect for those beauties craving a more “au naturel”

lip shade! Apply this gorgeous color for a more subtle look that still

has an amazing noticeable radiance!

Love a sizzling red lip? Hot Tamale is off the charts with its brilliant

shine and vibrant color! This stunning shade will be sure to deliver

an ultra-glossy finish with high-impact shine for a perfect pout.

(photo taken under natural light)

(photo taken under natural light)

Mary Kay at Play Jelly Lip Gloss in Berry Me Swatch (left)

Mary at Play Jelly Lip Gloss in Hot Tamale Swatch (right)

Mary Kay at Play Jelly Lip Gloss Applicator

What I like about it...

* affordable at only Php 355 each

* contains decent amount of product at 9.5 ml

* unscented, didn't notice any fragrance

* comes in a squeeze type tube, I find it easier to get the product out

* has a hygienic applicator, since I can easily wipe it off with tissue

* awesome staying power, lasts a good 4 hours on me

* provides a shiny, wet look

* leaves my lips moisturized and soft

* has decent color pay off, but not opaque. It just leaves a hint of color

What I don't like...

* a little sticky, that's why it lasts long

* can be a mess if applied directly from the tube, I prefer to use a lip brush for this

My rating: 4 / 5

Cover Photo and Info courtesy of Mary Kay Philippines

I love to use this on days I feel like wearing a no-makeup look. The hint of color these glosses gives out is perfect for that natural look. I prefer to place the gloss at the back of hand, then apply it on my lips with either a lip brush or just my finger. In case you're wondering, these are less sticky compared to MAC Lipglass lip gloss.

If you want a moisturizing lip gloss that lasts long with a hint of color, then this is for you. But if you hate thick and sticky lip glosses, I suggest you skip this.