Hi my lovelies, today I bring you a blog sale where I’m selling off some personal skincare items from Naruko and My Beauty Diary.

I’ve been battling extremely sensitive skin since last Sept and I know I have raved over Naruko and My Beauty Diary before.

I really wanted these brands to work for me, but I think I’m allergic to something or other in their products. I cannot pinpoint what it is exactly because even some skincare for sensitive skin make me breakout in rashes or acne which do not have parabens or fragrance.

I just want to pass these products onto someone else who would appreciate them more than me. Please don’t be turned off by my experience because I think my sensitive skin is your not run-of-the-mill type where it can be quickly or easily solved. Right now, I just use my Hada Labo es Facial Wash, Physiogel Cream in the day and vitamin E oil at night. That’s it — not even lotion/toner. And this is why I haven’t been able to blog much about facial skincare — I feel sad about this but I think I should just move on and not hoard skincare that I cannot use.

The Naruko products do feel luxurious on the skin, are made of natural ingredients, free of chemical additives like parabens, and are mostly packaged in glass containers so they are lovely to look at and smell wonderful.

Here are some points to note before you buy:

+ I will only accept payments via Paypal (my account is luiyuming [at] gmail [dotcom]) and all prices are in USD.
+ The Naruko products were bought last year in June, July, and Sept in Singapore and Taiwan and the MBD ones were bought in July. Naruko products are good for two years if remain unopened and sealed.
+ All prices include shipping.
+ I will put the retail prices that are quoted on the Naruko US website. However, I cannot remember the retail prices of MBD but am selling them at really low prices as well.
+ I will not bargain over prices — all prices are fixed. Please understand that I’m not making any money from this sale and I only want to cover the delivery costs from Tokyo.
+ I will not be registering items posted and will not take responsibility for any lost mail.
+ I will only consider a product sold when a payment is made to my Paypal.
+ Once you notify me you would like a product, you have 24 hours to pay, and if you don’t, the product will go back on sale. Please be considerate in replying to any correspondence in a timely manner.

Narcissus Total Defense Fundamental Serum (Day), USD10 (original price: USD23) – SOLD; Marjoram & Lavender Brightening Serum, USD10 (original price: USD23.50) – SOLD; Magnolia Brightening and Firming Serum, USD10 (original price: USD23.50) – SOLD

Narcissus Total Defense Moisturizing Day Protector, USD9 (original price: USD21) – SOLD

Narcissus Total Defense Night Repairing Dew, USD8 (original price: USD20) – SOLD

Narcissus Total Defense Night Gelly, USD9 (original price: USD20); Raw Job’s Tears Supercritical CO2 Whitening Night Gelly, USD10 (original price: USD21). – BOTH SOLD

If you buy both of these night jellies, I will throw in the Magnolia night jelly (pictured below) for free. Please note that the Magnolia night jelly has been opened but not used. I wanted to photograph it before using it so I could blog about it later but I never got a chance to use it because of my frequent rashes. This was bought in September 2011 in Singapore.

Magnolia Brightening and Firming Night Gelly, USD5 (original price: USD21) – SOLD

Raw Job’s Tears Supercritical CO2 Whitening Toner, USD10 (original price: USD20) – - SOLD

Tea Tree Oil Out Acne Clay Cleanser, USD8 (original price: 16.50) – SOLD

[ampm] wakeup skin smooth washing powder ; USD7 (original price: USD20) – SOLD

My Beauty Diary Peach Soda Eye & Lip Makeup Remover, USD8 (other online retail prices can be seen here). – SOLD

*If you buy all three MBD products, I will let you have the lot for USD18.

My Beauty Diary Strawberry Yogurt Amino Acid Cleanser, USD7, (other online retail prices can be seen here)

My Beauty Diary Aloe Amino Acid Cleanser, USD7, (other online retail prices can be seen here)

That’s it! Please help me spread the word about this blog sale and shop away. Many thanks in advance!

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Hisashiburiiiii! (It’s been a longtime, in Japanese) I know it’s been ages since I uploaded a proper video but I’ve been trying to find solutions to my uploading issues, so this is me with a “no-frills” video (no music or intro or text) which is about my October Favourites (video link here; or you can click on the photo above to take you there). My thumbnail is upside-down *groan*…Anyway, the video plays right-side up…This is so bizarre…Edit: I re-uploaded this and Youtube is not acting up anymore — everything is right-side up!!

Sorry if my voice sounds stuffy but I’ve been battling the flu since last week but I’m feeling heaps better today.

Products mentioned:
Ettusias Mineral BB Cream 30
Jill Stuart Lip Jewel 11
Addiction Emotional Blush
Maybelline Creamy Gel Liner 02 Brown
Essie Not Just A Pretty Face
Sally Hansen Instant Strength Base/Top Coat
Sally Hansen Dries Instantly Top Coat
Hada Labo es Lotion
Hada Labo es Milk
Naruko Magnolia Brightening and Firming Serum
Morrocan Oil
Peanut Butter & Co. Smooth Operator (organic, transfat, cholesterol and dairy-free!)

If you can’t be bothered to click over to my Youtube Channel, you can watch it here:

*Edit: I was mistaken about the Ettusias BB Mineral Cream — it does have sun protection and SPF30 to boot! It says on the plastic box it comes in and not on the tube itself.

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Hello, my dearies, this week has just been manic for me so this post is up a little later than I planned. Thank you so much for your lovely feedback on Beauty Box over at our 3rd Anniversary Giveaway post (leave a comment on what you like about Beauty Box and what you would like to see more of and stand a chance to win amazing Japanese drugstore faves!)…Today is the last day!

Today’s Beauty Box TV episode shows what are the typical steps in a Japanese skincare regime. There are some similarities with Western skincare steps but there are of course a few distinct differences. When I first came to Japan, I was so confused over what to buy for myself but I was eager to try new stuff because Japanese skincare products have such a great reputation. I hope you enjoy watching my explanation!

Products mentioned in this video:

Part I:

Mutenka Cleansing Oil (click here to buy)
Mandom Cleansing Express Moist Wipes
Hada Labo es Foaming Facial Wash (click here to buy)
Mandom Beauty Barrier Repair Facial Mask HA (click here to buy)
SKII Treatment Essence Mask

Part II:

Shikon Lotion
Naruko Rose & Snow Fungus Cubic Aqua Complex
Hada Labo es Milk (Click here to buy)
Jurlique Viola Cream

Did you have a good weekend? I did — I threw a bbq party on Sat at my place just because. I got my friends to bring meat to bbq (I’m a veggie gal) and I revved up my karaoke machine after a 12-month hiatus and I think I got almost everyone on the mike. Needless to say, my Saturday afternoon was spent prepping for the party and Sunday was a slothy day to recover and clean up the apartment. It was so worth it though — I had a blast. Summers are meant for constant partying….!

Anyway, today I’m going to do in-depth reviews of my Naruko products. I know I said it in one of my videos that I love Naruko after a month of using a couple of products, so with an additional month of consistently using several more, I think it’s time to talk about them more seriously.

Narcissus AA Foaming Wash

A lot of bloggers and Youtubers seem to dislike this facial wash but I actually love it. It doesn’t have that stripping feeling which is something that some people want because they feel like they have removed every single ounce of makeup. Fair enough, especially for people who wear heavy makeup daily.

I prefer to use this in the morning when I don’t have much to remove so to speak, and on most evenings, I would wash with this too. But if I feel super gross, I would use my Mandom Barrier Repair Baby Moist Facial Wash. By the way, this Naruko facial wash smells lovely and has the signature orangey Narcissus scent.

Narcissus Moisturizing Dew

This lotion is the bomb. Go get it now. It is a thick hydrating lotion which I think balances out my freakish skin type (oily due to dryness and acne prone). If you have oily skin, I think it could be that there isn’t enough moisture penetrating your skin so this lotion would sort you out. I know some folks dislike the texture of tacky lotions/toners but this type of consistency is exactly what you would want if you need oil-free hydration.

Narcissus Fundamental Serum

The bottle says, “This serum contains a special formula that reaches deep down into the skin, fighting aging while preventing moisture loss and revitalizing the skin.” It is seriously great for hydrating the skin and used with the Moisturizing Dew, my skin is behaving quite well. If I don’t wear makeup, I tend to look shiny really quickly, but with this serum, I feel like the oiliness is kept at bay for longer because my skin doesn’t need to overcompensate for lack of hydration. My face does look brighter and my pores more refined after using this.

Job’s Tears Whitening and Cooling Night Jelly

I checked the Naruko Singapore website and I can’t find this product anymore and I think it’s because there is a new line of Raw Job’s Tears out (red packaging; I got this in Taipei). The main claim on the label is that this is a whitening sleeping mask and I don’t think my skin looks “whiter”, so okay I know that whitening products are meant to brighten your skin tone but I have not seen a marked difference after I put it on or the morning after but as a hydrating sleeping mask, it works very well. Would I re-purchase this? Probably not because I would rather buy a hydrating night jelly instead which brings us to the next product…

Rose and Snow Fungus Classic Hydrating Night Jelly

This is meant for dehydrated skin so is this any different to the previous night jelly? Hmmm, to be really honest, they both work the same. They moisturize and protect my skin as I sleep in an air-conditioned environment and my skin looks pretty smooth and supple in the morning. Out of the two, I would re-purchase this night jelly because it does what it says on the label but I prefer the scent of the Job Tear’s one. The rose fragrance needs getting used to and let me just say I love rose perfumes but not so much in skincare. But after a month and a half of using this product 2-3 times a week, it has grown on me.

Just so you can see what the night jelly looks like — this is the Rose and Snow Fungus one. A little goes a long way and I can see these lasting me for a while. Confession: I tend to use these daily when the fiancé is around because he finds sheet masks scary-looking. As a result, I have used these night jellies as sleeping masks for three weeks straight I’m happy to report that my skin behaved exceptionally well. Are these night jellies better than sheet masks? No, actually. My conclusion is this: use a mask daily, whether it is a sleeping mask gel or a sheet mask; it would do your skin a lot of good.

Tea Tree and Naouli T-Zone Blackhead Remover

This clay mask does a fabulous job of pushing out sebum from clogged pores and the size is ideal for travelling. The texture is less clay-like than the next product I’ll be reviewing, the Tea Tree and Naouli Acne Clay Cleanser, but works really well. I would recommend leaving it on for 20 minutes instead of the measly three minutes they recommend.

Tea Tree and Naouli Acne Clay Cleanser

Now this clay mask/cleanser is better than the blackhead remover because it not only unclogs pores but it leaves my skin baby smooth. It has little granules so you can scrub your face as you splash water to remove the mask. Apparently you can just wash your face as per normal with this cleanser but I wonder if you would get the same effect because I have only used this as a mask. If you had to choose, I would recommend getting this clay cleanser instead of the blackhead remover.

And this, my friends, is the end of my long Naruko ramble and I actually bought a whole bunch more when I was in Taipei. I never thought I would be so into a Taiwanese skincare brand but it’s really working out for my skin type. I think Taiwan has a predominantly hot and humid climate so I would imagine oiliness would be a big issue for women there, as with women in Singapore. If you want light, oil-free, hydrating, great-smelling skincare, you gotta try Naruko (FYI – not a sponsored post at all!!!).

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Hello my lovelies, a week has gone by since I returned from Singapore and it’s has zipped by so quickly I don’t know what hit me. I went to Singapore to settle some wedding stuff but I managed to find time to shop. Duty-free and a cheaper currency are all there is to tempt me. I ♥ shopping when I go back to Singapore!

Before I get into my post proper, just a reminder that my giveaway ends in 24 hours! So go on over and put your name down….

I don’t usually buy so much at once and the bulk of my beauty shopping is really my Naruko products which I have been lemming since forever. For those who don’t know, Naruko is a natural paraben-free skincare and cosmetics brand from Taiwan that is formuated by celebrity skincare and makeup guru Niu Er. I’ve heard so much about how great Naruko is on Youtube that I had to get some. Though it is not available in Japan, there is a Singapore website so I just ordered a bunch of products and got them sent to my parents’ residence. I’m also flying to Taiwan in July so I might pick some up there but I’m not sure if Naruko is an internet-only shop which is the case in Singapore (click here) — it was only sold online and none of the stores carried the brand.

I know I said in my early summer skincare routine video that I was avoiding herb ingredients but some Youtubers with sensitive skin tried Naruko and they didn’t have flare-ups….and my skin is improving so hopefully it’s not as sensitive as it was before. What can I say, I’m really an incurable beauty junkie!

Anyway, hope you enjoy this video and till the next episode!

Products mentioned:

Part I Skincare:

My Beauty Diary All In One Sample Pack
My Beauty Diary Apple Polyphenol Mask
My Beauty Diary Strawberry Yogurt Mask
Silk Whitia Whitening & Moisturizing Mask
Silk Whitia Anti-Oxidation Whitening Mask
Naruko Narcisuss Day Care Range:
Foaming Wash
Mousse Facial Wash
Moisturizing Dew
Moisturizing Day Protector
Total Defense Fundamental Serum
Night Jelly
Tea Tree & Naouli T-Zone Blackhead Pore Remover
Job’s Tears Whitening & Cooling Night Jelly
Rose & Snow Fungus Night Jelly
AMPM Wakeup Skin Smooth Washing Powder (free gift)

Part II Makeup:

Clarins Blush Prodige Illuminating Cheek Colour 03 Miami Pink
MAC Mineralize Skinfinsh Natural Medium Dark
Estee Lauder Nutritious Vita-Mineral Loose Powder Makeup Intensity 1.0
Lunasol Ocean Eyes 05 Colourful Ocean
Lunasol Modelling Eyes 01 Beige Beige
Clinique Age Defense BB Cream SPF 30/PA+++
MAC Blush & Stipling Brushes
MAC Brow Set Beguile
MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick Gotta Dash!
Urban Decay Good Karma Liner (Brow Brush)

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