Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate

For my skin routine, I am always in search of a good eye cream.  Although I recently read that eye cream is a fake since the ingredients are the same as moisturizers, I do believe that good eye cream can perk up the eye area by brightening and reducing fine lines.

The Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate is a beauty blogger favorite with rave reviews from multiple sources.  At $70, it is not cheap for a 0.15 ml pot of this rich cream.  The texture is thick, creamy with just a small pinky swab is sufficient for each eye at night.  Because it's so thick, I only use it at night to avoid any creasing with concealer and makeup.  

This small container lasted about 6 months and did keep my eyes hydrated.  However, at this hefty price, I will keep looking for cheaper substitute.

Where to buy: Sephora

Teforia Teapot

A few months ago I discovered the b8ta store in Palo Alto, CA whose mission is to provide startups with a store front space for retail customers to discover new innovations.   Upon review of all the new gadgets, I came across the Teforia tea pot.  It was an interesting design with features similar to Keurig coffee maker.   The sleek design reminds me of Apple phone where less is more.   As an avid tea drinker, I was interested in how this teapot would make tea better or make my life easier. 

Similar to a Keurig coffee maker, the Teforia has pods with different kinds of tea.   The one that I tasted (and in the picture) was chamomile.  It took about 5-8 minutes to brew and my understanding is that once the pod has been used, the tea leaves can be brewed again.  Upon tasting the tea, the taste was subtle but not different or memorable.  Their selection of tea is also very limited, no sencha or matcha.

I googled Teforia today and it looks like the company is closing.  For $1,000 per tea pot, this is a very expensive hardware without dramatically changing how tea is made.  I will stick with my sencha and matcha bought from Japan.

Hotel Collection: Le Grand Bain at Sheraton Fairplex

When I travel for work I try to stay at SPG properties.  In my recent trip to SoCal I stayed at the Sheraton Fairplex and was happy to find that they've changed their hotel beauty products to Le Grand Bain.  Not only are the packaging more contemporary and functional but the products are more effective too.   The products include citron for faint fragrance, vetiver for calming effect, and aloe and vitamins for moisture.  These products are also paraben free.  Great change Sheraton!

SK-II and Tatcha at Sephora!

SK-II and Tatcha are two of my favorite beauty brands and I'm so psyched they are available at Sephora!  Beauty junkie rejoice!

My Beauty Diary - Platinum Mandelic Acid Brightening Mask

I love the My Beauty Diary brand and wanted to try more products.  I purchased this Platinum Mandelic Acid Brightening Mask from Taiwan back in April and have been itching to try it.   This sheet mask is super thick and feels more like a wash clothe than a mask.   There was not enough essence on the mask and it was hard to apply to the face.   This is not my favorite and I'm debating on what to do with the rest of the masks.

Where to Buy: Taiwan

Fairmont Sonoma Inn - Le Labo

I travel a lot for work and love trying out the beauty products at the hotel.   On a recent trip to Fairmont Sonoma Inn, I was introduced to the Le Labo brand.   This brand is based out of NYC.  These products are AMAZING!!!  I love the smell of rose and this Rose 31 is unique and memorable. The fragrance really lingers.  I was so in love with the products, I requested for more from the concierge.  I hope to re-create the rose garden at home =)

Travel Essentials

On a recent trip to Sonoma, I brought all my travel skincare essentials:

* Tatcha One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil

* Tatcha The Deep Polish

* Clarins One-Step Facial Cleanser (was planning to use this as a toner but it was a fail)

* Tatcha The Essence

* Cosrx Triple C Lightening Liquid

* Lirikos Marine Ampoule

* Tatcha The Water Cream

* EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46

Where to buy:  purchased on Tatcha.co, Sokoglam, and dermatology office