In love with L'Herboflore

Did you think all Cuddles bought in Taiwan was My Beauty Diary masks for Bubbles? No! Cuddles went to Taiwan with the aim of hunting down some L'Herboflore goodies for herself. L'Herboflore has branches at Taipei 101 (B1) and also at Eslite Underground Mall in Taipei Main Station.
 

This is Cuddles' first overseas haul without Bubbles (under the watchful eye of Mother Alpaca, who approved every purchase with a nod). She hasn't done too badly, has she?

L'Herboflore had some new products and promotions for summer...

Moisturising exfoliating gel (NT1600), which removes dead skin cells so that your skin absorbs moisture from masks better. A new product made from cactus. It has a pleasant, fresh smell and isn't cloying or overly fragranced.

Use this 2-3 times a week, before you use a mask. Apply a layer of gel on your face, wait 30 seconds, then slowly massage the gunk out of your pores. Cuddles likes this because unlike other exfoliating gels she has tried, this one does not dry out the skin, and glides smoothly so you don't end up tugging on your face to exfoliate.

 Moisturising toner (NT1500), also new, also from cactus. Use this daily after cleansing your face.

The ongoing promotion: Buy 2 tubes of exfoliating gel for NT2500 (reduced from NT3200) AND get a FREE moisturising toner (NT1500) and 10 FREE sheet masks (NT50 each)! And the lavender/palmarosa masks were also having their own promotion: Get 10 masks for NT600 (usual price is NT80 each). So, Cuddles got all the stuff in the first photo for NT3100, and even managed to get back NT148 because tax refund is possible when you spend more than NT3000.  

Here are the 10 free sheet masks that Cuddles got! L'Herboflore lets you try out the masks -- they make them in mini sizes (but complete with eye and mouth holes) that fit on your hand. And they give them out even if you just happen to walk by the counter.

 The lavender and palmarosa masks (NT80 each). The lavender scent is heavenly.

 
Cuddles likes L'Herboflore masks because they are among the few masks that fit nicely over her rather high forehead, and sit nicely on the alpaca face instead of bunching up. They also don't sting like some masks do. And the packaging is so pretty... L'Herboflore is available in Taiwan and China only, but the girl at the Taipei Main Station counter gives out her Whatsapp and Line number, so you can order more stuff from her and she will send it over.

Here is the complete photo of What Cuddles Bought In Taipei. Most of the shopping was done at Watsons (Ximending), Cosmed (Taipei Main Station) and Mirada (near Ximending). Cosmed and Mirada had amazing promotions for masks, think buy 1 box and get another free. Bring your own bag to store your beauty buys; they charge for plastic bags. Now Bubbles wants to go to Taiwan too. The alpacas will be back. BTW, Cuddles visited the alpacas in the Taipei City Zoo.

Sulwhasoo workshop review

Because of her contributions to Sulwhasoo's annual sales report, Bubbles was invited to attend a complimentary "Discover the power of Ginseng" workshop yesterday (19 June) at SEVIIN at Tangs. Bubbles had no idea what it would be about (and secretly hoped they would serve a ginseng chicken soup), so she showed up to find this (sans the soup):

Sulwhasoo workshop at the Loft at SEVIIN

Individual seats for participants

You can choose to sit in front of the skincare....

or the makeup.

Bubbles always picks the skincare seat because it's easier to reach the products that way (2 people to 1 set of makeup and skincare). Bubbles is also a germaphobe so she absolutely cannot share makeup. 

The Sulwhasoo compacts (foundation and powder) are brand new (which is awesome) but the lip products, although clean, have been shared before (which is a common practice in beauty workshops). Bubbles has a mental THING about sharing lipsticks and lipgloss because she doesn't know if the previous user squeezed/smeared some onto a cotton bud before applying it on her lips, or whether she applied it directly to her lips. So if this bugs you, bring your own lip product and the only thing you'll worry about catching is the bus. 

Heading the workshop - the perky Chaven Lee

The workshop was informative, with the trainer sharing lots of skincare tips and solutions. Participants could stop her to ask questions at any time, and she answered all of them with a smile (even the grumbly ones). This time, Bubbles took some notes on her phone. With all the bad press about parabens in beauty products, she never knew that her beloved Sulwhasoo products are all paraben-free, or that the First Care Activating Serum could be used as a lip mask.

First Care Serum Lip Mask: Pat one drop of it all over your lips using your finger. Next, use 2 fingers - one at each corner of your mouth - and press down for 3 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Thereafter, place one finger just below the middle of your bottom lip and press down for 3 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Apparently this will reduce double chins. Just do not lick your lips cos it will NOT taste like caramels and strawberries. 

For the full 100 ways you can use the serum, visit: http://www.sulwhasoo.com.sg/en/beauty 

Now meet the stars of the show (from left to right): Concentrated Ginseng Essential Renewing Oil, Capsulized Ginseng Fortifying Serum, Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Eye Cream and Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream.

Of course, no workshop is complete without a product demo - everyone got to try all the products on their faces (ginseng oil was optional). The highlight for Bubbles was trying out one piece of the Snowise EX Whitening mask - this baby costs $16.20 a piece! (And one of the ladies loved it so much she filched the extra next to Bubbles saying "oh I just want to try". Hmmmm. Bubbles went to buy a box of it later.)

$162 for a box of 10. Awesome and calms redness. 

Start with applying the ginseng eye cream after you've loaded up on your basic skincare (cleansing, First Care Serum, Essential Balancing Serum (like a toner) and a mask, if required). Pat in gently with your ring finger because the skin on your eye area is 5x thinner than your face!

A Sulwhasoo skincare post Bubbles did earlier: Click here

The ginseng serum. The sparkles are actually what they call the macro ginsenispheres which release fresh ginseng extract when crushed, forming a protective layer on the skin surface.

The ginseng serum is a rather viscous liquid with small bits in it like grains of sand (looks like the Sulwahsoo ginseng white exfoliating gel). You can crush the little bits to release the ginseng extract. The micro ginsenispheres cannot be seen but penetrate the skin's surface to boost collagen production. The products smells pleasantly of ginseng and absorbs into the skin easily. It hydrates and makes skin feel very smooth to the touch.

Also played with the ginseng oil, but you don't need it unless you have dry skin

Finishing off with the ginseng cream. This alpaca uses cotton buds because hygiene, yo. 

Just because I can. 

The session ended at 9 pm (2 hours) after a Korean-style makeup application demonstration and everyone trooped back to level 1 to claim their door gift, which turned out to be a $20 voucher redeemable with a $200 spend. Bubbles had her paws crossed for a small tube of the ginseng serum (that would have been a fab door gift given the theme of the workshop, and Sulwhasoo workshops are always very generous with samples to take home), but she's not complaining, having tried the wonderful 16-dollar Snowise mask for free. 

And so the day ended with Bubbles buying even more stuff.... 

All in all, the workshop was an informative one, and Bubbles will definitely go for more in the future (this is her 4th!). Sulwhasoo workshops usually require a fee of about $80-$100 which is fully redeemable for products. Remember to take some notes or you'll forget everything after having lunch, especially if numbers are involved!!

Stay tuned for Bubbles and Cuddles' post about the opening of the new Sulwhasoo boutique in Capitol Piazza! 

My Beauty Diary Bounty

Hello alpacas! Cuddles went on a Taiwan trip with Mother Alpaca in June and brought back some beauty goodies for Bubbles. Bubbles, on the other hand, remained in Singapore and purchased a fine bone china teaset.

What could these be?

Cuddles brought back 4 boxes of the Taiwan series of My Beauty Diary masks AND a new candy-coated addition to the alpaca family - Flossy!!!!

Each box of these masks contains 7 masks and a postcard, and weighs about as much as a small paperback. Cuddles bought them at Cosmed where there was a promotion of 2 boxes for NT 419 (SGD$18-$20). Because Cuddles bought 4 boxes, she got a free box of My Beauty Diary natto masks as well. Talk about a good deal!

And aren't the cover designs so pretty? My Beauty Diary's collaboration with Aiko Fukawa has this alpaca's tail in a twist! Bubbles LOVES the cat illustrations. And if you think the box illustrations are beautiful, wait till you see those on the mask foil packs - the colours are richer and sharper and Bubbles might just save one mask per box to ogle twenty years from now...

The 4 boxes in the Taiwan series are: Sun Moon Lake (green) {top left}, Huadung (yellow) {top right}, Taipei (pink) {bottom left} and Kenting (blue) {bottom right}. Now on to the details and review!

Taipei (pink)

Each box is crafted like a mini-drawer. Slit the 2 security seals and pull on the ribbon to reveal the masks and postcard! The boxes aren't shrink-wrapped in plastic unlike the normal My Beauty Diary masks so be sure to choose a nice box! 

The Taipei series is a "Spring Water Moisturizing Mask" which promises "refining" and "moisturizing". It features a cat in a hot spring.

Sun Moon Lake (green)

The Sun Moon Lake series is a "Black Tea Soothing Moisturizing Mask" and it promises these alpacas "soothing" and "moisturizing" properties. 

And so Bubbles decided to try the mask.

Ooooh. It smells fruity, but not in a dishwashing liquid kind of way, more like a mild breakfast yoghurt minus the milky scent. The mask is DRIPPING with essence (Bubbles poured a whole palmful from the packet after removing the mask) but the eyeholes are much smaller compared to regular MBD masks. 

The alpacas conscripted their pal Gelatoni for a photoshoot. Doesn't he look like the cat on the cover? The mask feels thinner and has a more fibrous texture when dried compared to other MBD masks. Bubbles felt that her mien was brighter and more even-toned after using the Sun Moon Lake mask. It was also very moisturizing, to the point that her face felt sticky, but that resolved itself after a nap. 

Kenting (blue)

Ken you see the Kenting goodness (harharhar)

The Kenting mask is an "Algae Elastin Moisturizing Mask" which promises "intensity" and "hydration". It features a cat chillin' on the beach.

Huadung (yellow)

The Huadung mask is a "Mountain Hydrating Firming Mask" which promises "hydration" and "firming". This one the alpacas like because it came with TWO postcards.

And this concludes the My Beauty Diary Taiwan series mask haul. The alpacas aren't sure whether it will be available in Singapore, or whether it is limited edition, so SG alpacas, keep your eyes peeled and paws crossed!

Etude House flagship store opens in Singapore & Play 101 pencil swatches

So Etude House opened its largest-ever flagship store today (17 October 2014) and Bubbles was invited to attend the private VIP event the day before! Sneak preview! Meet Pony (a Korean makeup artist who is a-w-e-s-o-m-e)! How could this Alpaca say no? This alpaca got an autograph AND a selfie with Pony. Huzzah!

So Bubbles headed down to Etude House on 16 October, to watch Pony's makeup demonstration from 6 - 7 pm. Pony is as perky in real life as in her youtube videos, and sooooo pretty. She spoke in Korean, which was then translated into Mandarin and English.

What Bubbles first saw when she stepped into Etude House

Pretty Pony giving a demonstration

However, Bubbles got distracted by the Play 101 pencils Pony was using because she was standing in front of... the Play 101 pencil stand.

Here are the 50 available shades swatched for your viewing pleasure (the handwritten number corresponds to the shade number). Bubbles took the (rare) opportunity to do this because it was a private event and everyone was either watching Pony or doing their own shopping. She was also hidden behind the display shelf. Bubbles doubts she would have been able to do it on an ordinary day without people having doubts about her sanity. But hey, a useful colour reference chart's now stored on her phone!

Play 101 pencil swatches #1 - #20

Play 101 pencil swatches #21 - #40

Play 101 pencil swatches #41 - #50

Bubbles' favourite is No. 27 (a soft sparkly coral-pink). As of today, Bubbles owns 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 33. Bliss! She bought 3 yesterday (25 - 27) and then went back for 28, 29 and 33 today to get a free storage tin.

Bubbles also enjoyed the Etude coin capsule machine... she got a bracelet and 2 tokens in her goodie bag, and promptly exchanged the two tokens for two sets of charms. Tokens can also be used in the Etude House photobooth, which works just like a neoprint machine. Currently, the going rate for 1 token is $20 spent ($20 gets you 1 token, $50 gets you 2 tokens, $100 gets you 5 tokens).

The downside of the capsule machine is that it depends on LUCK - Bubbles should have quit when she was ahead (with an Eiffel tower charm and a lock and key charm - the two prettiest charms), but she spent her additional 5 tokens (after dropping $100 into Etude's 2014 annual sales report) and was sorely disappointed. 3 pink "E" charms, a repeat Eiffel tower charm, and a handbag charm (which is sweet and sparkly but looks tacky compared to the lock and key & Eiffel tower). So alpacas, spend your coins wisely. Photos won't disappoint you (and you can use the makeup testers around the shop to spruce up your look anyway).

Pretty charms

Bracelet (it will cost you 1 coin) and 2 free coins from the goodie bag

Bubbles was delighted to see this princessy carriage. It is a cross between a sweet shop and her dream vanity table. Etude House had also conscripted 6 male models to pose with guests outside the carriage during the event. However, Bubbles was more attracted to the carriage. If she could win this after spending a certain amount (instead of autographed Xu Bin memorabilia) Bubbles would have maxed out her credit card. 

Limited edition Princess Happy Ending products found ONLY in Etude House at Wisma! However, this alpaca got her paws on them while in Korea. Nevertheless, she bought more (the Cinderella eye shadows, which have a very spongy texture) because a girl can never have too many pretty things.

The packaging is gorgeous

And the insides are equally beautiful. This is the Belle blush (coral). Toodles, alpacas! Bubbles is off to enjoy her purchases!