I loveeee iHerb. I like that I am able to purchase brand and products that are not available in Malaysia. I like that sometimes some of the product goes on sale. I like that they ship to Malaysia, and I like that they now have Shipping Saver that save me some money on shipping. I like a lot of things when it comes to iHerb . My routine every morning while holding a hot cup of coffee is to browse through iHerb for their weekly special. Unfortunately not all are on 20% discount now, it is “up to 20% discount” only. But I still find some really good deals and gems. Last week’s discovery which shook me is that iHerb now carries a small collection of Pixi Beauty! And it is much more cheaper than Sephora.my.

I really do want to bag every Pixi Beauty I found. Of course I didn’t. I tell myself to be rational. I only have one face and I do have a mini Sephora at home . In the end I decided to buy the Pixi Beauty Glow Mud Mask (RM88.40, after 10% discount from RM98.22). I also get additional 5% discount using the code RKZ742

Next is something which I have been holding on for a year because (1) I’m not sure if Physicians Formula Malaysia will bring this in, and (2) it’s always out of stock. The last time I spoke to Physicians Formula Malaysia team, they told me they are not bringing in this Butter Bronzer. Reason being is the Pina Colada scent. I personally had smell the bronzer as I requested for Physicians Formula Malaysia to let me take a sniff and I find the scent to be quite nice. It wasn’t anything nauseating. You know I am super sensitive with smelly beauty products so I know one is not when I smell it. This one definitely smells good. I waited until now and finally I caved in. Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer in Bronzer (RM62.06) is a Shipping Saver item but there was no 10% discount. I still get a 5% OFF with code RKZ742.

I have been wanting this cutie Real Techniques Miracle Mini Eraser Sponges (RM22.77) for so long and I have read nothing but good review on it. It is always out of stock too. It is supposed to be a sponge to wipe out makeup boo boo but most people are using it as a beauty blender. I am using it to blend out my under eye concealer . I do like the idea of using this to blend harsh lines though.

Last item I bought was EOS Shave Cream in Vanilla Bliss (RM20.38, after 10% discount from RM22.64). iHerb carries four different scent and this Vanilla Bliss scent was highly recommended. I am quite scared with any vanilla scent but to be honest, I can’t smell anything lol. Okay, that is a good thing after all. I have used this twice. So far I like it. Works better than hair conditioner lol.

3 out of 4 items (except EOS Shave Cream) are on Shipping Saver tab, which means it helped to lower my DHL Express Shipping fee more and more. Initially I have 4 Shipping Saver items in my cart but I removed one item. So overall I paid RM9.29 for this round of haul. Compared to the RM50-ish I have been paying recently, this is a good deal. A REALLY GOOD DEAL. If I ever choose Global Mail (normal mail) shipping, it is free! But I prefer DHL and I am more than willing to pay less than 10 bucks for that. On top of that, I even get an extra 5% OFF by using the code RKZ742 AND I get RM9.24 cash back from this haul alone.

Did you managed to catch all my Instagram Stories on this and shopped too?

You may use my code RKZ742 to get 5% OFF your purchase. iHerb also introduced credit rebate upon purchase where you will get a certain amount of rebate back into your account (expires in 60 days)after each order placed. And many more deals and offers!

The post iHerb Haul with Pixi Beauty OMG! and Then Some appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

A few months ago, I read the news about Miniso and how they are Japanese brand but strangely they had only four stores in Japan while having more than a thousand stores in China. What exactly is Miniso, you asked? Miniso is a Japanese lifestyle and fast fashion brand that sells merchandise such as homeware, bags and electronics at low prices. You know, something like Daiso? Strangely the store’s logo resembles Uniqlo. They even had the dupe for some Uniqlo products. Hah!

At the same time I saw Miniso hoarding board at one of the shop lot in NuSentral. Before I know it, I walked past a Miniso outlet in IOI City Mall. I went in, glance at the beauty section and saw a few brushes and brush set that looks exactly like Real Techniques. I did not buy any at that time eventhough the price point is really attractive. A duo eye brush set retails for just RM10 and a Cosmetic Bag With 3 Brushes Set retails for RM39. Needless to say I went back a week later just to grab a set of the Miniso Cosmetic Bag With 3 Brushes Set.

The set’s name according to the label is Cosmetics Bag With 3 Brushes Set. I removed the ‘s’ from the word cosmetics as it does not sound right. It is also strange how Miniso mentioned the pouch included first. Pouches or bags are usually mention last, not at the beginning. Oh well. Whichever works for Miniso.

Miniso Cosmetic Bag With 3 Brushes Set is the exact replica of Real Techniques Travel Essentials Set. It comes with three brushes – a multi-functional brush, a flat foundation brush, and an eye shadow brush. Even the colors of the metal handle is the same as Real Techniques . I absolutely hate the rubbery bottom part of the handle of Real Techniques brushes, sadly Miniso copied the same style as Real Techniques as well

Since I do not have Real Techniques Travel Essentials set to do a perfect comparison, I thought I might show you how it looks like side by side with Real Techniques. I have to say, after using the Miniso brushes for a few weeks now, I kind of like it especially the multi-functional brush and the flat foundation brush.

I believe Miniso Multi-Functional Brush is the dupe for Real Techniques Multi Task Brush. I used the brush for powder mainly to set my foundation. It is fluffy and soft, slightly tapered. When I run my fingers through both brand’s brushes over and over again, I can’t tell the difference. Both are equally soft but the Miniso one are so much softer. Probably it is flufflier. I also did a comparison with my Real Technique Blush Brush off camera and Miniso wins! It is way more softer than the Real Techniques.

As for the flat top foundation brush, Miniso one is the best in comparison hands down. I like that the Miniso one has thicker brush head compared to the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush. I do not use the Miniso Flat Foundation Brush for foundation but for concealer on my under eye. More bristles means easier to dab and blend. The Real Techniques one is just too flat and small for my liking.

The least favourite brush for me from Miniso set is the Eye Shadow Brush. I have always been wanting the Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush so I was pretty excited to see one in the set. This is the main reason why I bought the set. It is crap. It is just too hard for buffing out eyeshadow color. I may still get away with using this brush to do eyeshadow packing.

Now, the pouch and also the brush stand case. Both looks the same and function the same. Both has a toggle and string to tighten and create a brush stand. Undeniably, Real Techniques case are much more harder and well-made. But Miniso one is not too shabby at all. It works just as well even though it is not as thick as the Real Techniques.

I get this question a lot whenever I share about Miniso brushes on my Instagram – is it worth to buy? Worth it or not depends on individual. Some think it is just brushes so why not, some cannot take dupe products. As for me, I say why not? I personally uses a lot of brushes at one go so I need more brushes to rotate with. For RM39 I get a decent brush stand/holder, one multi-functional brush, one foundation brush, and one eyeshadow brush. What’s not worth it?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored review. I bought the product on my own.

The post Dupe Alert: Miniso Cosmetic Bag With 3 Brushes Set and Comparison With Real Techniques Brushes appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

LOL at the title. It sounded as if I’m about to go on a rampage on DHL Express which was not as express as my previous hauls. Could it be because of the $8 flat rate promotion or change of policy? I have no idea. All I care now is how relieved I am that my parcel arrived on Saturday morning, after 7 days of travelling. Lucky box.

Here is my small iHerb haul. I was thinking to go amok with iHerb this time, taking advantage of the flat $8 DHL Express shipping which ends on 31st October. I did. I put everything in the shopping cart and cut the list down to this extend . I never haul a lot with iHerb to avoid tax. That explains why all my iHerb haul is in a small quantity. Unless everything is free then I will make sure my haul totals up to RM499!

I was thinking to drive down to Publika to get a Real Techniques Stippling Brush as it’s cheaper at Ben’s Independent Grocer (RM38). At the same time I was keeping an eye on iHerb for the weekly 20% special. Just when I was about to place my order for something else, voilà! The weekly special refreshed and my wish came true. All Real Techniques brushes was on 20% discount. I bought a Real Techniques Stippling Brush (RM34.16 after 20% OFF) and grabbed the new Real Techniques Deep Cleansing Gel (RM30.74 after 20% OFF) for review.

I love the Clearance section at iHerb. I saw a bunch of E.L.F. makeup I want. Most of it are already sold out so I ended up with three items. There should be more but I cut them all out. It’s the matter of need vs want. I chose need.

E.L.F. Long-Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow #Soiree (RM10) was on Clearance, E.L.F. Long-Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow #Toast (RM12.82) is not. The price difference is not a lot so why not. Another eyeshadow on sale that I really wanted is the E.L.F. Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow #What’s Your Name? (RM10). I was thinking to grab all Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow that are on sale but it’s more of a want than need.

I grabbed a box of Nestle Hot Cocoa Mix Rich Milk Chocolate Flavor (RM8.55) for a dear friend. This friend has been sending me a lot of stuff so I bought this as a part of a parcel that I’m going to send to her. If you are reading this and receive this in a few days time, yes it’s for you

The next item is rather random. It’s the kind of thing that you don’t need but it’s so darn cheap that you will regret if you don’t buy it. One thing you must know about iHerb is that their Trial items or ad hoc special items changes all the time. Just when I was about to check out (a few days after that), this Sierra Bees Organic Lip Balms Variety Pack (RM4.27) appeared on the page I was on. A pack of these lip balms is just RM4.27! I am currently using the cocoa butter version and it is really good. So I bought this pack. The price is seriously too good to pass . Why not, right? Why not.

This time I did not drive to DHL delivery facility in Shah Alam to collect my parcel. It wasn’t an urgent one so I just let DHL send it to me using PosLaju. Thank goodness last Saturday was not the first Saturday of the month otherwise I would have to wait until Monday. I was not worried that I will get tax by the custom as the haul amount is within RM100++. However this time round I do get a stack of documents including an official receipt from Jabatan Kastam Diraja Malaysia on the tax. The amount stated on the receipt is RM0 as the haul amount was lower than RM500 and there wasn’t anything hazardous. Initially I was thinking to get a pack of chia seed for my smoothie. I saw the disclaimer on the product page stating delivery might be delayed due to custom clearance on chia seed so I decided not to get it.

USE DISCOUNT CODE – RKZ742

$5 off on your first order with no minimum purchase amount

The post iHerb Haul October 2015: DHL Express not so express this time appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

Ever since I found out that Real Techniques is launching Real Techniques Nic’s Picks set back in August 2014, I was super excited. I’ve always been fond with chrome-handle brushes and they’re near impossible to get in Malaysia. I knew that I can get my hands on Real Techniques brushes easily. Can you imagine my excitement when this set is made available in iHerb.com?

Real Techniques Nic’s Picks is a limited edition brush set from Nic Chapman, one of the sisters behind beauty blog and YouTube channel Pixiwoo and it was finally launched in October 2014. It wasn’t until middle of November that I placed my order from iHerb.com. I was patiently waiting for iHerb to come out with the special 20% OFF offer and it finally happened. Needless to say, I placed my order in less than 5 minutes and a few days later, the brushes arrived my doorstep. These beauties remained in the box until two weeks ago. I took them out, gave them a good deep thorough bath and eagerly used them the next day.

Sam Chapman came out with a similar set last year aptly named as Sam’s Picks. I was contemplating if I should get Sam’s Picks earlier this year and while I was still contemplating, I heard about these chrome-handle Nic’s Picks. It’s just about the right time as Sam’s Picks was discontinued and Nic’s Picks made it’s way in.

Nic’s Picks set consist of a collection of Nic’s favourite brushes. The set features five brushes including three exclusive brushes that was specially designed just for the set.

Here comes the brushes! They are all in it’s original shape before deep wash. The chrome is so shiny that it catches the sunlight all the time, making it a challenge to photograph. The first thing I notice is the print-on brand name on the chrome handles. Now, these non permanent wordings even on other Real Techniques brushes rubbed off after a while, which I don’t like. I could only imagine how fast they will rub off from chrome surface. It’s such a shame because a Real Techniques is not a Real Techniques without the brand print on it. These brand print are especially pretty on the chrome handle because there is a mixture of orange, pink and purple color this time.

I have friends telling me that they are not fond of Real Techniques brushes being light in weight. Personally I have no problem with them. I didn’t even realized they’re lighter than normal wooden handle brushes until I was told so. However if you’re not fond with the regular Real Techniques brushes being light, you may have a problem with this Nic’s Picks. Despite being a chrome-handle brushes, they are extremely light. Even lighter than the regular Real Techniques brushes. I certainly did not expect this. Does it effect the application? It definitely did not.

Duo-Fiber Face Brush

This duo-fiber face brush is not new. It is one of Real Techniques most favourite face brush. Nic said that duo-fiber brush is good because you can never over-apply due to the bristle. It’s perfect for any lightweight application, blending of face powder as well as pigments. This is the brush that I’ve yet to used yet but I’ve seen lots of video on it. I think I will either use it for blush or for face powder.

Exclusive Cheek Brush

This is the main reason why I wanted this set badly. This cheek brush is exclusive to the set. As the name suggest, the brush is meant for any makeup application across the cheekbone. I love this brush because it is rounded on the top but flat surface on the side. I used one side for blush and the other side for highlighter. It’s perfect. And the soft bristle can also be good for bronzer / contour application as well.

Exclusive Angled Shadow Brush

Also another brush which I’ve not used yet but I will soon. I keep on forgetting this brush everytime I do my makeup. The top tip is perfect for crease application. It packs on color and blend at the same time. Do note that the size of the brush may be too big for small Asian eye lid so it will be a challenge at the begining. Once you get the hang of it, it will be just like any other eye brush.

Base Shadow Brush

I’ve always wanted Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush and I finally have it in chrome handle. I’ve kinda used it for the wrong purpose i.e. to apply color on the crease. Due to the densely packed bristles, I ended up with strong crease color lol. This brush is perfect for packing on color to the entire lid. I’m also using the curvy side to blend eyeshadow away. Did I tell you the soft bristles is great for everything?

Exclusive Eyeliner Brush

Yes this is new and exclusive. You might have notice that there’s a similar bigger brush from Your Eyes/Enhanced Starter Set. In fact that is the brow brush and this is the angled eyeliner brush. Many of you complained saying that you wished the brow brush is smaller, well now you have it. The brush is small, which is good as eyeliner brush, bristles are shorter and densely packed which means it’s firm enough to draw a perfect line. Suits small Asian eyes too lol.

Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection – New line of luxury makeup brushes

Lo and behold! Real Techniques have just released a brand new line of luxury makeup brushes which consists of everything in metal. These are pricy, ranging from USD16 to USD26 each depending the type of brush. At the moment they are available in-store only such as Ulta and Boots. I shall wait for it to be made available at either Real Techniques website or iHerb although I doubt iHerb will have it.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored review. I bought the product on my own.

The post Real Techniques Nic’s Picks: My first impression appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona