Nana Beauty Shop Compression Knee Socks (Black)

As many might know, compression socks exert pressure on the legs to help to promote blood circulation and prevent fatigue. They are tightest at the ankles and gradually become less constrictive towards the knees and thighs. I have been using 20-25Pa compression stockings from Japanese Gunze Sabrina, which certainly serve their purpose well. 

This time around, since there was a time sale (they always seem to tempt me to spend unnecessary $), I decided to get this pair of "brand-less" compression socks to try out during sleep time. 

Spanning 78 cm, this pair of socks came without any retail box to verify its source (even though deep in our hearts, we know where the product is likely to be made from). It ranks very well on the aesthetic scoreboard, with all the nitty-gritty details:

I couldn't help thinking about the ease the sock is put on, at least till my knees. To someone who has been using 20Pa compression stockings, this does not feel like anything near 10Pa, how does will it exert its effects proper? I would say it's comfy but not tight enough for the ankle and calf. 

At my thighs, the sock got too tight and cut into my flesh. If blood can't flow to and fro properly from my calves and lower legs as the supply is restricted at my thighs, there might be blood stasis at the lower legs. Call me paranoid, I wouldn't want to risk having thrombosis. I'll probably roll the socks down to my knees when I put these on. 

This is ill-fitting is rather expected, since proper compression socks should be matched to people based on leg sizes. The fact that the dimensions of my rather odd legs does contribute to the poor fitting as well - more flesh at the calf relative to the thigh. I'm 21cm at the ankle, 35cm at the calves, 39cm at 1" above my knee, and 46cm at the thigh area where the socks are pulled highest to. So the socks are not tight, tight, slightly tight, most tight in the above order. Not good for me.

Oh I just love to look at item feedback that people give on Gmarket, for they make me laugh sometimes. I have just something to clarify after reading some, that compression socks don't "fight fats", rather, they drain edema in the legs so the legs appear slimmer. Fight fats with a healthy lifestyle instead.

Source: Gmarket

Price: $8.90 + Free shipping
Item Rating: 2.5/5 
Processing time: 6 day (s)
Delivery time: 3 day (s)

Pinglejia-home Cami Secret

I have plenty of dresses with low necklines so I tend to have a plethora of tubes to go along with them so that I can wear those to work. You see, professionalism is a much desired quality in my profession. And I don't wish for my valued customers to spend too much time checking something else other than his medications. 

Anyhow, the strapless tubes tend to slide down after a while and can be quite warm in our weather. A few months back, a colleague did mention to me about some sort of triangular cloth that is designed to cover only the cleavage area, and it can only be bought exclusively in USA. 

Fortunately for me, I stumbled upon the stated item - Cami Secret on Ebay. Ebay is such a wonderful site, transcending international trade boundaries and bringing the world closer. 

For $5.82, I got 3 pieces of Cami Secret - black, beige, white which suffice for general everyday use. The sewing is beyond what I have imagined (in a positive way), and the material is smooth to touch. There are two clips to be attached to bra straps. They did make my dresses more suitable for work. But if the dress is more body hugging, the outline of the Cami Secret can be seen. 

Update: I found out that Gmarket actually sells it too, at a higher price but faster delivery since it's a local listing.

Source: ebay

Price: USD 4.50 + Free shipping

Item Rating: 4.5/5
Processing time: 0 day (s)
Delivery time: 18 day (s)

Hittime_hk Make Up Brush Guards Protector #1

Make up brushes need to be pampered and dressed up too. Yes?

Powder Brush booms: Yes!

Blending Brush rasps: Definitely...

Eye shadow Brush purrs: Why not?

Concealer Brush drawls: Surreeee...

Kabuki Brush squeaks: Of course!

Well, we have a unanimous reply from every brush. Wish granted:

Now every brush is happy. 

Source: ebay

Price: USD 0.99 + Free shipping

Item Rating: 4.5/5
Processing time: 0 day (s)
Delivery time: 13 day (s)

Iphonex 4800 mAh Battery Charger

"Eh, your thing charging my room for almost 2 days liao.." I turned towards the monotonous voice of my bro, and gave a puzzled look. My thing?

A few moments later, a wave of realization hit me, and I hit myself in the forehead while rushing to his room to retrive my newly-bought charger. It's going to be roasted, omg. Cradling the device in my hand, I inspected the overly-charged charger for any signs of damage.

Shiny, black, rectangular, sides liend with a blue stripe, one micro-usb port, one mini-used port, a round button framed with blue outline, the letterings "Mimi" etched at the bottom, weighing approximately 110 grams.. Seems like it's still intact.

Oh wait, what about the charging capacity? Immediately, I whipped out my Samsung GS2 and connected the charger.

11:34, 26% battery.

13:35, 96% battery.

14:08, 100% battery.

Hitting the charger button after which, it was a pleasant surprise to find that there were still 2 out of 4 lighted blue specks (image below shows 3 specks). 2.5 hours for 74% of battery charge, and the charger still has approximately 50% charge left.

Like any typical human who likes to compare, I dug out the white 5000 mAh charger and placed it together with this black one. For almost similar charging capacity and unequivocally lower price, this charger is more petite and lighter than the white one. 

Honestly, I would have gotten this right from the start if I had seen it first.

Source: Gmarket

Price: $19.90 + Free shipping
Item Rating: 4/5
Processing time: 3 day (s)
Delivery time: 6 day (s)

Agape Babies California Baby Sunscreen Unscented

This has to be the most oddly shaped article that I have retrieved from my mailbox - a wrapped tube of sunscreen. Strange as it might be, I knew what the item was before opening it. 

Ranking a low hazard score of 2 on EWG, this product has been on my shopping list since I have set eyes on it. In my last USA haul, I did not order the item to avoid additional shipping since it was not from the same merchandiser that I was purchasing items from. And it's pretty costly for 82 grams of sunscreen, which probably wouldn't last for a month if slathered on daily. I eventually gave in to my temptation after chancing upon a listing on California Baby products on Gmarket.

Sunscreen in a tube strikes me as creamy, thick and luscious. However, this one is more like a lotion, and flowed out profusely when I tilted the tube.

Due to the high percentage of micronised titanium dioxide inside, it is no doubt that the sunscreen can be "whitening". So no matter how much I spread the layer, the sunscreen still imparts a ghastly sheen to my skin. Did the director of Twilight use this product to make the vampires glisten under sunlight? 

To put the sunscreen to test, I rinsed my arm under running water and the sunscreen stayed put (image on left). A piece of tissue and water made most of it come off. But my skin continues to have that eerie glow.

I would think that this product would be good for outdoor sports since it is water-resistant and stays on the skin long. For daily use, it can be too greasy and a hassle to spread evenly (unless you wish to audition for a role in Twilight). I had to wash my arm countless times to get the greasy feeling off, so scrub your skin well if planning to use this product!

Source: Gmarket

Price: $30 + Free shipping
Item Rating: 3/5 
Processing time: 3 day (s)
Delivery time: 1 day (s)

Sweet Reika 5000 mAh Battery Charger (dual port)

After being piqued by the charger that didn't last very long, I bought another one at a staggering $31.90. Currently there is a discount and it's selling at $29.90 =< It's infuriating that prices are so dynamic and when the selling price is lower than what I have bought the item at, I'll fume. 

One special feature of this charger is that there are two ports, one 500Awhile the other is 1000A output. The former one charges phone while the latter one charges larger appliances like ipads. I did not use the higher output one, so it's kinda wasted. If only charging phones, I recommend another cheaper alternative: Power Crystal Black, which I will have a review done soon. There is a 1/2 year warranty, which made me feel more assured, and the seller informed me my warranty number when I threw away my card. Thumbs up! 

The charger managed to charge my Samsung GS2 for about twice before going flat. On my last attempt to charge my handphone, I had some problems charging as my phone didn't seem to pick up the charging, akin to my experience with my previous charger. Hopefully, there wouldn't be more of such trouble but only time will tell.

Do remember to press the button to charge, if not your handphone is charging the charger instead.

Source: Gmarket

Item Rating: 3/5

Price: $31.90 + Free registered mail shipping
Processing time: 1 day (s)
Delivery time: 2 day (s)

Pretty Shop Cosmetics (Secret Beam Highlighter, Raspberry Eye Mask)

Secret Beam Highlight Pink/White ($10.50)

Usually powders for highlighting are of one shade. Thus, when I first laid eyes on Secret Beam Highlight from Etude House, it intrigued me as there appears to be a myriad of colours featured for the item. Out of curiosity, I purchased one along with my raspberry eye masks. 

As I gingerly swirl my blending brush into the colourful palette, white powder flaked off the surface and to my disappointment, there wasn't a rainbow of colours on my brush.. What was I thinking of?? =/

Still having hope that there will be more colours than that white tinge, I swiped the brush on the back of my hand and looked on in dismay.. seriously, what was I thinking of??

Anyway, I found that the highlight does make a difference to the radiance of the whole face, but do not overdo it. Tap your brush to remove excess powder before blending into your skin. By the way, it can be too bright for yellow or tanned skin, so if you have typical Asian skin, either go for the gold version or lighten your face with a fairer foundation. 

For those who new to highlighting, it's as simple as highlighting your lecture notes - just refer to the image (borrowed from NYX listing) below on the areas to highlight. 

Raspberry Line Lift Collagen Eye Pad ($1.40)

These eye masks are $0.50 cheaper than that time when I first bought them from another seller! Please read review of the item here.  

It seems that Korean cosmetic industries are fond of dishing out samples. If I were to collect a lot of those of the same type, wouldn't it mean that I can get a retail amount from it? But what if the samples are made from leftover long-expired products? I shudder at that thought. 

Source: Gmarket (Secret Beam) (Raspberry Eye Pad)

Price: Refer to above + Free shipping

Item Rating: 4/5
Processing time: 5 day (s)
Delivery time: 11 day (s)