Update On My Life and Your Tea Tiny Tea Teatox!

Hi guess what.

I'm still alive.

Sorry for the lack of posts (for about 4 months!) I've been on a bit of a hiatus to get my life together. If you guys don't follow me on social media (YouTube, Twitter, etc) I recently took up a new major in Biology, so now I'm a double major student! Cue the late nights and ramen.
I was a bit overwhelmed with all the unnecessary drama in my life, so I quit my job, took up yoga, and ditched all the petty social life-related drama in my life. It's an understatement to say that I'm in a happy place right now.

Along with my fresh start, I decided to try out a detox. I wasn't sure how I felt about juice cleanses, since you wouldn't be able to eat or drink any thing but juice during the period of time.

A) I don't think my parents would be very happy about that
B) I don't want to pass out from hunger during class
C) It's the end of the semester which means exams and assignments. I need my energy.

I heard about Your Tea through Instagram (ps follow me at littlemissjuliana!) and there were many success stories of their most popular tea, the "Tiny Tea Teatox" which reduces bloating, increases digestion, improves your skin and amps up your energy levels. I also liked how you didn't have to ditch regular foods, unlike other juice cleanses. I decided to try out their 14 Day Tiny Tea, and I'm on Day 4 today.

First of all, I would like to clarify that I'm not drinking this to lose weight, but to lose excess water weight and to get more fluids in my body. I have always struggled with my weight, and now instead of thinking "I want to be skinny", my mantra is "I want to be healthy". I've started to eat cleaner and healthier too. This tea obviously won't work in slimming down your figure if you'll stuff yourself with your daily McDonalds whilst drinking this tea.

The packaging is heaps cute. Pink is probably the answer to every girl's heart.
Some people say that the taste is a bit weird. I usually add a squirt of honey in my cup of tea, but I'm fairly used to the flavour cos my mum always makes Asian teas and medicine and other herbally stuff.

You're supposed to have this tea 30 mins before or after every meal. It says two a day but it's apparently a typo- it's supposed to be three cups a day. I usually make it in my Lilly Pulitzer thermal cup and have it on the way to uni, and have breakfast when I get there. One downside is, every now and then I might oversleep and skip breakfast entirely, so I'm still unsure as to whether or not I should still drink it on an empty stomach.

I've already noticed that my stomach is a bit flatter and I'm less bloated. I'm not sure if it's fully because of the tea, since I've been eating healthy, working out more and drinking more fluids. I also drink a lot less coffee (which I usually put 3 sugars in) and I have a lot of energy from this tea.

So far, I'm really liking it, and I'll do a full review on my YouTube channel once I'm finished with the 14 days.
If you watch it per this blog post recommendation, be sure to let me know in the comments of that video!
See y'all soon xxx

Favourite Summer Lip Combo

Hey everyone!

If you guys have seen my latest June Favourites video, I mentioned that I'd swatch my favourite summer lip combo. Well tadaa here it is! I'm absolutely obsessed with this lipliner-lipstick combo, its super nudey pink but not like an I'm-dead-but-I'm-trying-to-be-trendy look.

First of, is the MAC lip liner in Dervish. It's just a muted rose-nude shade that is exactly my lip colour and can go with any lipstick. I like to line my lips for a bit of a fuller pout, and is also a great base for your lipstick to adhere to.

Second, is the MAC lipstick in Angel. This is apparently Kim Kardashian's go-to nude lipstick, and I can see why. It's just a light baby pink nude shade that goes with practically any eye makeup.

The swatch above is the lip liner, and below is the lipstick. These two together is just an absolute match made in heaven. That dervish angel ;)

All in all, I totally recommend this combo. If y'all haven't checked out my YouTube channel, go give it a look-see!

Sorry for not posting in absolute ages, Sally and I went on a little blogging break!

Love, from Julsie xox

MAC Pro- Longwear Concealer Review

G'day y'all!

I have the longest school days of all time, sometimes I'm in class from 9am to 7pm, which means putting on my makeup at 7am and having it last for at least 12 hours.

Sortof an issue when I have oily skin and makeup tends to melt throughout the day.

So I wanted to invest in a long wearing concealer, something that's high coverage enough for my hyper pigmentation but feels light on the skin for the humid and sticky Hong Kong weather.

So I went and got myself the MAC Pro-Longwear concealer. I'm in the shade NC20, 15 for winter months and 25 with fake tan. But since it's spring/summer, I'm at my natural shade.

After using it everyday for 2 months, I feel like it's an adequate time to finally review it.

Packaging:

I don't exactly like the pump for a concealer. I find it hard to control- sometimes on good days I might need less or if I have horrible skin over finals week, one pump isn't enough and two pumps is way too much.

I pump it on the back of my hand and apply it on my face with my finger. I find that I'm always wiping some excess off the back of my hand cos the pump always dispenses way too much product for one go. Bonus points for hygiene though.

It's in a glass container, which I have no problem with. If you are one of those roughies then it might not be for you, because it might shatter if you drop it.

Coverage:

As for the product itself, it contains 0.30 fluid ounces, which isn't too bad for it's price of $19USD. I find that it has amazing coverage. I would say it's medium to full coverage, and definitely buildable. It's long wearing- I find that I don't have to touch up on throughout the day. Of course it'll naturally melt off a bit but not too much that I have to touch up on. I found that it's also slightly water resistant, which is great if the weather is feeling bipolar and decides to rain on a sunny day.

Usage:

I quite like to use this on hyper pigmentation as well as the circles under my eyes. It feels lightweight enough for it to go under my eyes, without it creasing. I like to use my finger for this product because I think it makes it super blended and natural. For under my eyes, I layer this under my eyes with the MAC Prep + Prime highlighter in Radiant Rose, which is a really moisturising combination and really brightens up my eyes for a really awake look. Even though I might look like a zombie with all the uni stress.

All in all, I give it

Packaging: 6/10

Coverage: 9/10

Convenience: 8/10

Price: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

Follow me on my instagram @littlemissjuliana and my twitter @MissJulianaYu for more updates!

Love from julsie xoxo

Benefit Rockateur Blush Review

Hi everyone, Juliana here!

So last week I reviewed the Benefit Gimme Brow eyebrow gel (read it here) and in that same shopping trip, I also got the Rockateur blush. It's gotten a lot of hype on the online world of YouTube and blogs so I thought I might share my thoughts on it too!

First and foremost, Benefit has done it again with the incredibly cute packaging. The pink background and lace overlay makes it look super sultry and sophisticated. This is actually my first benefit box o' powder so I can't exactly compare how the packaging is similar/ different to the others but this alone is an A in my books. The only downside is that the packing IS paper at the end of the day it's less sturdy than your typical plastic packaging of a lot of other makeup brands like MAC or Laura Mercier.

Like all the other Benefit powder blushes, it comes with a brush and a built-in mirror, great for on-the-go touch ups. It also smells great, but it's only noticeable when you put it on; you won't be able to smell it on yourself throughout the day.

The blush is described as a rose-gold blush, which lezzbehonest is the weakness of every girl out there! It has a super cute engraving that says "ROCK" as well as diamond-shaped crevices which makes it really easy for the brush to pick up the product.

I reckon it's more of a peachy rose gold shade, which looks totally natural for those gals out there with yellow-based toned skin. As a fellow Asian, I am definitely yellow-toned haha!

It has a slight sheen to it which comes off as really natural, none of that dodgy glittery pigmentation.

The product itself is really easy to blend and definitely buildable for extra pigmentation. I like my blushes natural looking so a little definitely goes a long way!

I'd definitely recommend this, it's absolutely worth all the hype that it's been getting on social media.

As always, keep up with my social media through my twitter @MissJulianaYu as well as my Instagram @littlemissjuliana

Love Julsie xox

My Top Four Uses of Coconut Oil!

Hello all, it's Jules here!

Wow it's actually been a really long while... I know that I keep saying that at the start of every post, but I've just been so incredibly busy :(
So much has actually happened in my life, from acing my first set of college exams (yayy!), to girlfriend gossip sessions, to boyy drama ;)

But anywho, I'm here to tell you about my top four uses for coconut oil! At first I didn't really give in to all the hype about it, and also cos for some ridiculous reason they sell it for reaaaaally expensive at my local pharmacy. But the other day I found it at this organic grocery store for a lot cheaper! Since I got it, I've been using it a TON and I have no idea how I ever lived without it!

1. Moisturiser
Coconut oil is an amazing moisturiser, and with the dry winter air, it's great to have a moisturiser that a) smells amazing and b) is all natural! I've found that natural products work the best for me, that includes my apple-based shampoo, banana shampoo (from the body shop, it's so hydrating!) and honey-cinnamon facemask to kill sudden hormonal acne.

2. Hair Mask
Like I said before, coconut oil is incredibly hydrating, but you can also use it for your hair! Use about a spoonful for your entire head of hair, leave it in for about 10 minutes then shower as normal. I found that my hair is softer and shinier, and definitely less brittle in this dry winter weather! Another great tip is to use a teensy amount on clean hair. It acts as a leave in conditioner, keeps the static from raising your frizzy baby hairs and also is more natural and hydrating than a product that you would use. Be careful to not use too much or you'll end up looking like a slimeball!

3. Body Scrub
You will be amazed by the results of simply using coconut oil and sugar on your skin. About a spoonful of coconut oil to a packet of sugar will do- mix it up well, and rub onto your skin. I find that it's best to do this inside your shower so grains of sugar don't fall everywhere- you don't want soft skin with a side of a roach infestation! I like to do this if I know that I'll shave my legs- I'll hop inside the shower, scrub my legs with this body scrub, shower like normal then shave my legs at the end. It'll result in a much closer shave... that means no stubble!

4. Fades Discoloration
I have horrible acne scarring from before- I think it was because of the stress of exams + hormonal breakouts (booo). Skin discoloration is because of an excess of melanin production in that one particular area of skin cells. So, I found that using coconut oil really helps with fade the discoloration and also improve my overall skin tone. I'd much rather use less foundation/ concealer and invest my time and effort into my natural skin. But, since I have oily skin, I use this suuuuper sparingly otherwise my skin would break out!

All in all, I found that coconut oil is amaaaazing for day to day use- I don't know how I ever survived without it! I'm sure that there are much more uses for this everything-in-a-jar product. No more splurging on expensive skincare products! It's always such a disappointment when an expensive product is a let down :(

Julsie signing off for now, love you! xoxox

Too Faced Natural Eye Palette

So um, again, I'm really really sorry for the delayed posts- both Sally and I are knee deep in work and school things, plus personal life issues :/

But on a brighter note, I have a new review for you guys! (Drum roll please....) The Too Faced Natural Eye Palette! At university, everyone here has really natural makeup, if any, and as a makeup crazed person, of course I'd be pulling off all sorts makeup that I can get away with whilst looking as natural as possible.
With some light nudes, taupes, and light pinks with a sheen, you can do a super natural eye makeup, but with the dark browns and shimmery bronze/golds, you can easily amp this up into a night out look.

As you all know, I'm off at college, and this palette has just been my life saver. It's one of the only eyeshadows that I bought with me, and it has everything I can possibly need. It comes with 9 natural shades of eyeshadow, but it includes some shimmery and even a BAM sparkly one. Like what. That's just me in a palette.

Left to Right: Heaven,  Velvet Revolver, Sexpresso, Silk Teddy, Push- Up, Erotica, Nude Beach, Honey Pot, Cocoa Puff

As you can see from the photo above, there are three rows: "Day", "Night" and "Fashion", and this palette has a secret compartment which holds three cards that teaches you the three looks, if you're a beginner and don't know where to start. The cards slips in in the flappy part of the palette, so you can even carry those cheat sheets with you!

I've been absolutely loving this palette, as there are a ton of college events and nights out, so I'd be amping up my eye makeup, but also eyeshadows appropriate for class. 

Leave me a message as to what you think about it, or tweet me at @MissJulianaYu!

Love, from Juju xoxo

PUPA Silk Touch Foundation Review

I promised myself that I was going to stop buying makeup for a little while, since I'm on my summer holidays and probably won't be going out much.
But of course my little nagging conscience came up with every possible excuse as soon as I walked into a makeup pharmacy.
Behold! A new foundation :)

Luckily, it wasn't much of a damage to my wallet. At only HK$78 ($74 with a student discount! Scoreeee!) I got myself the PUPA Silk Touch Foundation. I first heard about the Italian brand PUPA when I was youtube-surfing through some Italian beauty vloggers. I only just got a teensy bit excited when I found the brand at my local pharmacy! The people who worked there thought I was a bit crazy.

The product info at the back claimed it was a 2-in-1 foundation; as moisturising as a fluid, and as matte (and luminous!) as a face powder. With 30mL of medium to high coverage product and being hypoallergenic and dermatologically tested, I thought I might give it a go!

First of all, I have normal skin, but it tends to be a bit oily during the hot and humid months of Hong Kong. I love how this is a light, creme to powder finish, so I could skip my powder when I use this. My biggest skin insecurity is my acne scarring. There was a time in my life where I really didn't care for the well-being of my skin, and left behind some awful marks. But, this foundation has amazing coverage, and is definitely build-able. It has "un innovativo elastomero siliconico" (innovative soft-touch silicon) which means that it can help shrink the appearance of pores, as well as help the foundation smooth onto the skin. The creme to powder finish also makes it really long wearing, so this product is basically the combination of a primer, concealer, foundation and powder.
I'm flabbergasted.

It reminds me of the European equivalent of the Asian BB cream. But, my skin has never been compatible with BB creams, they just tend to sit a bit uncomfortably on the surface of my skin.

But, this foundation does what the product info says- it blends into the skin and "senza effeto maschera" (without a mask-like effect).

The pharmacy that I bought this in only had the shade 02, which I was skeptical about, but it blends perfectly into my NC15-NC20 skin tone.

The PUPA Silk Touch Foundation really reminded me of the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation that I sampled from the makeup counter a while ago, but without the hefty price tag. It's definitely worth purchasing and sampling for yourself.

I'm still gaping into my mirror, speechless, at the flawlessness of this foundation.

Love, Juliana xox