Got a wonderful gift! =D

Some days ago I received a wonderful package from my blogging bestie Iris (I am sure you know here blog, if not then click here) =D
I know her for over 4 years now (she kindly CPed tons of Japanese beauty stuff for me while she was in Japan! I bet she must have spent dozens of hours shopping, wrapping and sending out my stuff lol!) and we even met once (so far...) =D


She sent me the most wonderful skincare, and it came right in time after my Grapia Peel disaster!

The BabiesOnly Let's Face It skincare kit consists of organic skincare from Australia so mild that you could use it on your baby!
I love the cute logo and hot pink/lime colors used for the labels and bag!


It contains a Rose Milk Cleanser, Rose Mineral Water Spritzer (this is so yummy on hot days!), Pure Rosehip Oil (you cannot imagine how soft and even my skin got after just 2 days of using this!) and Rosehip Cream (great for a more intense night care!)
I love the herbal smell of the products and their performance is just great!


She also sent me a whopping 11 face masks (I had already used one when I took the pic haha!) from The Face Shop in a variety of versions (great to try various masks for different purposes!). These are among the first The Face Shop masks I own and they're really nice and hydrating!


I also got a cute letter and some Kenzoki samples I am very eager to try out as I read great things about Kenzoki!
Thanks so much to my dear for her most generous gift!! *smooch*

Some cute Etsy haulage!

I am very behind on posting hauls etc. but today I wanted to share some Etsy stuff I received over the week.
I've been hauling like crazy as there are just too many cute things to resist!
I will sort the hauls by sellers as this is the easiest way lol!

-ElliBathNBeauty:

I ordered the Vanilla Cupcake Whipped Cream Soap and Chocolate Cupcake With Vanilla Frosting Whipped Body Butter, 4 oz. tubs each.
These smell SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO yummy! I feel like they're edible lol! What I love about these items is also the cute labeling (they look elegant and professional so they'd make great gifts, too!) I also think the wrapping was really nice and the added skincare ingredients like Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Grapeseed Oil, Almond Oil etc. are a great bonus, too!



-GurleysGoods:
I ordered 2 iPhone cases from her as they looked nice and practical. It turns out that I love these! They look sleek and the patterns I picked are really cute! The fit is perfect as these are made specifically for the 3G iPhones.



-Chetanddot:
This seller uses some of the prettiest Japanese fabrics and I love the things she comes up with so I ordered a bunch of stuff that matches. Really love the items and they're made with lots of love!
I got a drawstring bag, a makeup pouch, a small case for cards etc. (I use it for my driving license and car papers), a wallet and a pocket tissue pouch.


-Siamsquare:
I think this lady is incredibly talented when it comes up to produce cute and practical wallets, cardholders and other pouches/bags etc.
Her items are really extremely well made and so pretty and comfy to carry around. I got a wallet and a cardwallet and both are really perfect! Look at all those slots and pockets for cards etc!
I am a sucker for Japanese fabrics which she uses in most of her items.


-Tagodesign:
Professionally made and super cute glasses pouch. I was searching for a cute way to store my sunglasses for some time now and found this super pretty case made of Japanese fabric. Most amazing was the delivery speed, I ordered this on Monday (seller is based in Japan) and received the item on Thursday (regular airmail!).
Of course excellent craftsmanship. They have tons of pretty pouches in all sizes available!


-Anniesplace:
Here you can buy very pretty baby receiving blankets/swaddler blankets. I got 2 of these for my cousin who is due in June =D Obviously she's getting a girl as you can tell from the colors =D The blankets are very well made and the fabric is super cute!
I ordered an XL blanket for my toddler so she can use this in summer when a thicker blanket is just too hot!


-Happyfriends:
Cute little amigurumi friends sent from France =D I picked out the cute little elephant! He's so sweet and makes a nice decoration for my handbag (as you can see in below).


-Tippythai:
Handmade purses/handbags. I picked out 6 bags so far (received 4 of them already) and I am so impressed with the quality/craftsmanship and amount of pockets you find inside the bag!
I just took a pic of the bag I currently use but I have 2 more in purple (one in a brighter purple canvas material, 1 in a lightweight hemp/cotton blend) and a gray one with lavender lining. The 2 more bags I ordered are a black messenger bag with unbleached canvas lining and a bright cherry red canvas bag (both made as custom order with different sizes than offered).
Even though I own a few expensive designer bags I prefer Tippy's handmade ones as I prefer a simple and convenient style over fashion hehe (I always admitted that I am not much a fashion person!).


I still have tons of packages on the way so you can expect more Etsy haul posts soon!

Oh and this is my favorite tree/bush in the garden. It's blooming right now and when the wind is blowing it's snowing pale pink blossoms! So cute!

Bison Grapia Peeling Massage Cream Programme EX - Stay away if your skin is sensitive!

Since my skin has been stable for the previous months I got a little more adventurous and decided to try a mild AHA peeling from Bison's Grapia line. Bison btw is the same company that makes Baby Pink and other cute little drugstore items(Murumuru Lip Butter etc.).
Grapia products contain Italian Fermented White Grape Essence. Sasa lists 4 products from this line.

The Grapia Peeling Massage Cream Programme EX (what a name!) comes in a huge 250g tub so you'll get plenty of uses out of it.
When I received this huge thing I thought I had mistakenly ordered a bodycare product but it's indeed meant for the face (Sasa says that this dissolved makeup and it's listed under skincare, not bodycare).


Anyway, you get a tub full of white cream heavily scented with a sweet artificial grape scent (Sanrio used to put a similar perfume in their cute little grape-scented fineliner pens I used to love when I was a kid!).
When I first scooped out some cream I thought it felt quite nice and thick. I applied to my face and massaged it as instructed on Sasa's website.

I then washed the gunk off and followed with my regular cleanser, toner and face care.
That's where the itching began! Before I used my toner (super mild stuff from Kanebo Freeplus) etc. I noticed that my skin felt tingly even though I had only used the Grapia stuff for less than a minute on my face. My skin felt itchy and big red bumps started to show after a few minutes.

Big no-no! I removed the tub from my bathroom right away as I am sure I will not use this again. I only wore a thin layer of cortisone cream with a layer of Hanskin Magic BB Cream the next 2 days because otherwise people would probably have run away screaming when they would have seen blotchy red me =(

I don't know if this is actually exfoliating but I can say that ladies with sensitive skin should not really consider buying this. The product got a positive review on Sasa though so perhaps it does work if your skin can tolerate it.

Giveaways closed! And the winner is...........

......comment #19 - Rhumbafrapp (MaryJoyce)

Please email me to lotuspalace@web.de to claim your gloss!

Thanks everyone for participating! Since Lotus Palace is turning 1 by end of May you can expect some nice giveaways soon!!

2 EOTDs... A little color =D

In the previous days you could really feel the approaching summer as we had moderately hot (for Austrian standards) and sunny weather so I was quite in the mood for some more colorful eye looks.
I was a little boring over the past months as I mainly went for neutral and smokey eyes and only did colorful or bright eyes every now and then.


The first pics shows Shiseido Hydro-Powder in Violet Vision, IPSA Cream Eyecolors in Rose & White (LE item from their 20th anniversary kit from Spring 2007) Majolica Majorca Lash Base and Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus. On my inner rims I am wearing Kate Square-Cut Eyeliner in BK-1 and Kate Supersharp Liner in BK-1.
I have to add that the Shiseido Hydro-Powder in Violet Vision is one of the worse cream shadows. Even though the HP shadows usually are totally crease-free this one does crease and the color intensity leaves a lot to be desired. It took me about 4 layers to have it show up like you see on the pic!


The 2nd pic shows the Maquillage Forming Shiny Eyes in #51 (love this, it's so gorgeous!), Canmake Gel Liner, Kate Square-Cut Eyeliner in BK-1, Majolica Majorca Lash Base and Fairy Drops Mascara (not that impressed with it but it's a decent mascara at least)

Summer 2009: Lavshuca Lip Gloss & GIVEAWAY!

Lavshuca revamped all their products/packaging so since the brand debuted in Spring 2006 they went from cute pink/white-girliness to dark purple not-so-innocent princess. I personally like the new kind of packaging better as it looks more elegant and princessy but I know many are sad that the brand underwent quite a change.

Anyways, their Summer 2009 collection is disappointing as it consists only of their new squeeze-tube Lipgloss coming in 8 colors. Cute lipglosses but nothing else. I wanted more cute eyeshadow palettes like last year's fantastic ones!


Being disappointed didn't keep me back from ordering 5 of the new lipglosses (it helps that they're really cheap!) lol (man, you know I am a freaky addict!)

Actually I detest lip products in squeeze-tubes (except lipbalms). I don't actually know why as squeeze-tubes are a good rather hygienic medium but I am weird so.... =X

Anyways, I LOVE the new Lavshuca Lipgloss. The texture is sticky and tacky and rather thick (so nothing for you if you mind this sort of gloss) and they leave a very glossy and shimmery finish with great staying-power (for a lipgloss)!
These are unscented, too, which is always a plus in my opinion.
You apply this straight from the tube by squeezing the gloss out on the slanted hard plastic applicator.


Being greedy for Japanese makeup I purchased 5 colors. But since I am trying to be a nice person only 4 are for me and 1 is for a lucky reader!

The colors I got are (left to right on the pic):
PK-1 (light nude pink, sheer pigment), PK-2 (juicy neutral pink, sheer-medium pigment), RS-1 (deeper raspberry pink with decent pigment), RD-1 (juicy red...you can win this one!) and BE-2 (pinky nude with decent pigment/no shimmer. Fab color!)


I got mine from Ichibankao. I think they retail for somewhere below US$7 =D

Giveaway: I am giving away the Lipgloss in RD-2 (2nd from right no the pics above...brand new and unused, just took it out of the box to take pics). You have to be a follower (being a subrsciber only doesn't count!) to participate and just leave a comment below (no need for a specific content) including your name/nickname (I have to be able to distinguish you from others).

Givaway ends on May 18th at 6 PM (my time, that's GMT +1).
I will announce the winner in a new post. Please email me within 48 hours to claim your prize or 2nd chance winner will be selected. Good Luck!

My first Etsy haul arrived! (Anderson Soap Company haul)

When I spotted pics of Anderson Soap Company's Soap in a Jar (Fluffy Whipp) in Yumeko's blog I was instantly attracted to the cute pots of whipped soap (never saw a whipped soap before!) but I held off ordering as I was not familiar with Etsy (and I didn't want to start a new addiction!). After reading more raves online, including Ning's blog I finally gave in and ordered a bunch of items.


The order I received today was placed on May 5th so the items arrived here super fast! This is actually the 3rd bunch I ordered from dennisanderson on Etsy but the first package that arrived (the other orders were placed on May 2nd...so they should get here shortly!)
I had a 25% off coupon so I couldn't resist ordering more stuff!

Anyways, I received a sweet cherry-smelling package with the following items:

-Soap in a Jar Fluffy Whip in Peppermint Patty (smells like After Eight with a faint coffee note), Lemon Meringue (sweet lemon/vanilla scent) and Vanilla Bean Harvest (super lightweight vanilla custard sort of scent) ...I am waiting for several more scents incl. Cherry Blossom and Iced Oatmeal Cookie


-Buttercream Luscious Lipbalm (scent is just a hint of sweetness...feels quite moisturizing on my lips)


-Room & Linen Sprays in Blackberry & Viennese Latte (smells so good!!) and Homespun Vanilla (sweet light classic vanilla scent...will use this in my new car)


-Exfoliating Poppy Black Cheery Soap Bar (very strong cherry scent! The package smelled like this!)
-Exfoliating Oatmeal Milk & Honey Soap Bar (soft light sweet milky scent. Really lovely!)
And I got a Pure Romance Shea Butter Soap Bar (haven't really sniffed this yet) for free!


Now some might wonder that I actually purchased non-Asian beauty stuff... Honestly when it comes to bath and body stuff I am eager to try others stuff ...but only what's hard to get or different from the regular stuff (you won't find Dove or L'oreal stuff in my bathroom!) lol.

I used to be a big Lush fan till about a year ago but fell out of love for many (personal) reasons:

-Totally insane prices (like US$7 for a bath bomb here!)
-Scents often not as yummy as they could be
-Haircare is total crap. Made my easy-care shiny hair a big frizzy mess and I tried nearly all Shampoo Bars, Shampoos and Conditioners they have up for grabs!
-Face care irritated my skin and the cream felt like sitting on my skin
-Ugly packaging (yes, I know I am shallow but the ugly black pots just annoyed me!)
The only stuff I still love is their Snow Cake Soap and Perfume and their Butterball bath bomb. For some reason the Snow Cake Showergel didn't smell as good!


Anyways, I really love the idea of handmade soaps using as little ingredients as necessary and adding good stuff like Shea Butter, Olive Oil etc.

So far I haven't actually used my new Anderson Soap stuff yet but everything smells DELICIOUS!
The 2 vanilla-scented items (room spray and whipped soap) have a rather faint scent but it's detectable and lingers even though you might not expect it to.
And all things look so pretty, especially the soap bars! I will get more to stock for gift-giving when I place my next order.

If you're interested I recommend subscribing to the mailing list (click here) to receive special offers etc. (that's where I got my 25% off coupon).

But even without coupon his stuff is very affordable (soap bars range between US$3-5.50, whipped soaps cost US$5.25 etc.)

Will post my other hauls once they arrive!

ATTENTION: ETSY IS DARN ADDICTIVE!
I placed several orders for more bath stuff, purses, bags, walletes, iphone sleeves etc. It's hard to stop once you get into it!!