Need your help...!!!!

Hello my dear bloggies!!!

So today's a different post... cuz... I... need your help!! =D

So this is an idea I've been thinking a lot about lately...  I'm thinking about opening up an online store, where I can sell Asian cosmetics/skincare  =)


For those who read my updates about my life you will know I'm going home to Taiwan for two months =D  And I will have access to a ton of Asian makeup/skincare brands =D I will list the brands at the end of this post. So I know a lot of ppl out there are really interested in Asian cosmetics etc, some can't access them because of language barrier, and some just can't afford them. I have looked through quite a number of online stores that sell Asian cosmetics, and the prices on their websites are just... ridiculous for me. Obviously I haven't figured out the logistics, but I intend to sell the cosmetics at a more reasonable price, as well as reasonable shipping. I have talked to my parents about this idea and thankfully and surprisingly, they're very supportive XD

So how are you guys gonna help? Buy from me of course!! LOL JUST KIDDING! By providing your opinion =D

So here's my first question...

Will you buy from me?!

Please be honest don't be afraid of hurting my feelings XD Cuz I know obviously there are other routes like e-Bay and other online stores that you might prefer to purchase from. I need to ask because obviously I need a market if I want this to work XD

And my second question... What brands are you interested in buying? And specifically, what products from what brands would you want to buy?

So if you have a minute, I would greatly appreciate it if you can answer these two questions for me! >_<
Or you can e-mail me at theprettibrowneyes@gmail.com if you prefer =)

For now, I think I might start this "business" by taking orders (rather than buying stocks you know lol). Once I'm in Taiwan, I will be able to accept requests and orders since I will be able to go look around for products and stuff XD And I'm thinking about two ways of shipping, either you're willing to wait for me to return to US to ship domestically so it's cheaper for US residents, or I can ship from Taiwan (which price will vary from how fast you want your items, and how heavy they are, if you want tracking, etc).


Thank you guys SO much for taking time to read this =D I appreciate it more than you can imagine!

Now onto the brands of cosmetics I will be able to access
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1. If you're familiar with Watson (屈臣氏) or Cosmed (康是美) (which are my favorite drugstores in Taiwan), I can pretty much buy anything the drugstore carries for you.

2. There are also Sasa stores in Taiwan, so anything available at that store I will be able to access as well.

3. I know high-end brands like Lancome, Shiseido, Chanel have Asian lines of products that are not available in the US (oohh I cannot wait to get my hands on... I have a list XD) so if you're interested in an Asian line from high-end, let me know I think I will be able to find them. 

Now onto brands:

1. AWAKE (KOSE)
2. Sekkisei 雪肌精 (KOSE)
3. Dolly Wink (Koji)
4. Candy Doll
5. Majolica Majorca (戀愛魔鏡) (ohhh I'm so excited!!! I'm gonna stock up their mascaras lol!!!)
6. Canmake
7. KATE (Kanebo)
8. COFFRET D'OR (Kanebo)
9. Lavshuca (Kanebo)
10. INTEGRATE (Shiseido)
11. Aqualabel (Shiseido)
12. Maquillage (Shiseido)
13. Melliesh (Yui Kanna's brand)
14. Fiberwig
15. Kiss Me
16. My Beauty Diary facial masks
17. Jill Stuart
18. Paul & Joe
19. Anna Sui
20. Chic Choc
21. Skin Food
22. Missha
23. Skin79
24. Laneige
25. The Face Shop
26. Maybelline, Loreal... (they have different products than US I believe! lol)
27. BIORE
28. H2O+
29. Shu Uemura (no longer available in US)
30.  Dr. Wu
31. 1028 (Kevin老師)
32. RMK (been dying to try their products too lol)
33. Lunasol
34. IPSA


And of course, I will have access to boxes of false lashes, other facial masks brands, cleansers, serums, moisturizers, exfoliators, eyelid tapes/glue if anyone's interested at all? And I've been wanting to buy one of these facial massage things that's supposed to help get rid of water retention =D

I think that's about the brands I can think of for now?! There are definitely a lot more!

As extra questions... would you also be interested in buying Asian hair products? (like Asience, Mod's Hair)
Asian clothing? Asian accessories? (earrings, necklaces, cell phone charms etc)?

I'm not sure about hair products/nail products yet (since a lot of hair products come in aerosols) cuz it'd be tricky to go through customs.

Anyways, I think that's it for now... Thanks again so much for reading this =) and please let me know, your opinion is much appreciated =D

<3 Frances

Candy Doll Loose Mineral Powder Review

Hello there!

I realized I haven't done many reviews on my Candy Doll products yet :P So I'm gonna get my butt on it! lol!


"Candy Doll is a cosmetic that realizes the wish that the girl wants to be cute. Sweet as fluffy. Happy as milky. It begins sparkling as made magic"
 <---- Sorry I cannot help but laugh at the advertisement XD what is sweet as fluffy and happy as milky?!?!?! makes "sweet and happy" sound so edible XD doesn't even make any sense... XD lololololol. This kind of advertisement is pretty common for Asian products though XD

Yes I got mine from JpMon.com... you assumed it right XD



- it advertises that it will make your pores look invisible
- it says it's long-lasting and recommended for touching up without caking up



Interesting packaging lol







Comes with a paper lid that you remove before use.


You have to be really careful with this product. I would close the lid, tap the powder onto the puff, then use a brush to get the product from the puff. Because if I just tap the container I found that the powder always come exploding out -__-



Powder is very finely milled



Yes the powder is a bit dry.

My thoughts on this product:

- I'm not particularly in love with this product or anything...  it's a nice powder but nothing too impressive...

- It gives a very nice and faint luminous glow ^__^ without making me look shiny. I really like that about this powder.

- I can see why it advertises for making your pores looks invisible... because it has really fine flexes in it that are supposed to reflect light and make your skin look more smooth. But the interesting thing is this powder actually slightly accentuates my pores (particularly on my cheeks where it's dryer skin). I think it's because the powder is rather dry, so it accentuates the dryness therefore my pores look a bit more obvious. However it's not anything ridiculous/too obvious though so I don't really mind it.

- Even though the powder is rather dry, it doesn't really control oil XD And I really don't think this powder is particularly long lasting at all...

- Good for touch-ups? I honestly don't think any powder is good for touch-ups if you're just gonna put it over your makeup without removing the old makeup. Especially if you're touching up because your face looks oily or shiny, it would just cake up on top of your old makeup and look gross if you just puff powder on top of it.

Product demo video! (you probably can't really tell all that well from the video xD)

Okay, two posts is good enough for today. Now I can slouch on my sofa and be sick. XD

Hope you guys enjoyed this post ^__^

<3 Frances

Chanel VITALUMIÈRE AQUA Foundation Review

Hello guys!

Before I get into my post, I just want to quickly inform you guys that Bubbi from Bubzbeauty is launching 24-hour blogTV (she's doing four 6-hour sessions) and all the views/earnings will proceed to charities that help relieve earthquake/ tsunami in Japan. So if you're a fan of Bubbi, be sure to join her! If you're not, even opening up the blogTV and just let it sit in a tab/window will help! Click here to to go Bubbi's blogTV =D

Okay now let's start with the onslaught of foundation reviews! XD Let us begin with... Chanel!!!! :D

Since I don't own the product, here's an image of the product.

Volume: 1 oz.
Price: $45
 

Word of caution:

This foundation does oxidize quite noticeably! I remember turning around to change clothes and went back in front of the mirror and being confused... my face looks like a different color? That's because it is! XD
So I advise be careful and go lighter when you choose your shade. Of course, my advice would always be take a sample home with you!

Swatches:

I got my samples in B20 and B30. B20 on the left, B30 on the right.





I might have to try other shades but for now B20 seems close enough. B30 initially is okay but it definitely dries up too orange -__-

My thoughts on this foundation:
- SPF 15
- Coverage is medium. I love how natural the finish is!
- I love the texture and consistency! It really is water-light, weightless and comfortable!
- Easy to blend
- I don't like how it oxidizes. It might look drab on some people by the end of the day, but it's okay on me. But still.
- I like it doesn't cake.
- I think the scent is funny XD it's supposed to be a rosey scent I think? but it smells a bit more chemical for me.
- The staying power is decent (after setting with powder). If you have oily skin like me (on my nose!) then it might slip if you touch your face lol.
- Finish is matte but not completely matte.
- I like how this foundation doesn't make my face look flat. Some foundations do and I will have to do the shading/highlighting to look more natural. 
- Overall I think this foundation is worth looking into! :) Just be careful with the shades.

As usual... product demo :P you guys will be sick of seeing me apply my foundation by the end of this month XD or it probably wouldn't even take that long lol

I think this video is blocked in Germany due to copyright issues -__-

PS: I was running a mild fever at the time of filming XD although physically I felt like crap, I was still in a good mood XD my body and my mind don't work in sync I guess lol.
PPS: I'd also like to stress, although I DO have good skin, it doesn't look anywhere as good in real life lol! As I've mentioned many many times, youtube REALLY washes out the videos.


final verdict: I didn't purchase it because this foundation slips too much on my oily nose at the end of the day.

Hope some of you found this helpful ^_~

<3 Frances

I am DETERMINED to find THE perfect foundation!!!!!!!! GAH!!!

I feel like I've tried wayyyy too many of the foundations out there. TOO MANY.
You all know I'm a foundation junkie and I am obsessed with finding the perfect foundation for me. lol!

Just look at all the samplings I'm going through now:


It's kind of ridiculous, I know, lol!
And this doesn't even include all the foundations I've tried/ owned...

I am going to try to list ALL the foundations I have ever tried/owned, and I'm going down alphabetical order so I can keep track XD the list is super long you're warned! Are you ready?! XD

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bareMinerals Matte Powder Foundation (which I do really enjoy cuz it's very quick and natural)

Bobbi Brown Natural Finish Long Lasting Foundation
(Want to try BB Skin Foundation as well lol)

Chanel Teint Innocence compact foundation (looks dry and powdery on me)
Chanel Mat Lumiere
Chanel Vitalumiere
Chanel Lumiere Aqua

Chantecaille Future Skin Gel Foundation (looks cakey at the end of the day and slips easily)

Clarins Instant Smooth Mousse Foundation

Cle de peau BEAUTE cream foundation (good but not outstanding and wayy over-priced)
Cle de peau BEAUTE cream compact foundation (good also over-priced)
Cle de peau BEAUTE refining fluid foundation (bad cuz it's ultra sheer... almost no coverage and horrible staying power)

Dior Capture Totale High Definition Serum Foundation (love the initial finish but hate it at the end of the day- cakey and dry and powdery... looks gross at the end of the day)
Dior Hydra Life Tinted Moisturizer

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation
Estee Lauder Equalizer Foundation
(her foundation has a lot of orange/salmon in it...)

Givenchy Photo'Perfexion Fluid Foundation (they do not have my shade... dammit)

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (it's good but I really think it's overrated)
Giorgio Armani Face Fabric Foundation

Lancome Teint Idole Fresh Wear (does NOT last 18 hours and looks cakey after 6 hours)
(However I desperately want to try Maqui Miracle Natural Brightening Creator Compact Foundation that is only available in Asia!)

Laura Mercier Silk Cream Foundation

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation (sooo heavy! looks kind of cakey on me)
MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Foundation (too heavy as well)
(I tried Mat Velvet at store, forgot why I was unimpressed? On my next to-try list lol)

NARS Sheer Glow (this actually reminds me of Givenchy!)

Shiseido Dual Balancing Foundation (dual balancing my butt lol XD)

Shu Uemura Face Architect Smoothing Fluid Foundation (looks a bit dry and powdery on me)

YSL Teint Radiance
YSL Teint Resist

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
See I told you the list is super long XD Other suggestions anyone? XD

Anyway, I have loads of foundation reviews/ product demos coming up! You guys will probably be watching me apply foundation for the next month XD

<3 Frances

Praying for Japan

Hey everyone,

I'm sure you all have heard about the devastating news about the earthquake in Japan. On 9.21.1999, Taiwan suffered a grade 7.3 earthquake that devastated the country. I was in elementary school then, and I can distinctly remember the fear, the shaking buildings, and the electricity outage that lasted several days after the quake.... Luckily my families didn't live close to the epicenter, so we weren't really affected. But the nation did suffer a great deal of loss... and I cannot begin to imagine an earthquake with the magnitude of 8.9....  plus tsunami. Seeing the videos and images of Japan, hearing the news and climbing death toll and thousands of missing people and the injured... it's heartbreaking.

I am writing this post because I want to encourage you guys to get involved. I noticed a lot of people seem to be unaware that they can actually help Japan. A lot of people don't do anything beyond saying "that is horrible," and that really isn't enough. Either they really don't care about helping, or they don't know that they can. The easiest way to help will be to make donations. And this can be easily done over the Internet, and there are many websites and organizations you can make your donations to. Amount as small as a dollar can help, because everything adds up. Just imagine if every single person in the US made a $1 donation, how powerful that could be. I'm planning to make my donations to Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund and Red Cross as soon as I deposited my paycheck tomorrow.




 Click here to see a list of pages you can make your donations to.

 Thank you guys for reading this! Let's all pray for Japan, and help Japan get through this! :)

<3 Frances