April Favorites | 2015

I have a little bit of everything for the month of April, skin care, makeup, hair but majority of them is from one brand, L'oreal. What a coincidence!
Starting from the skin care category, I only have one favorite this month and it's the Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-oil. My skin doesn't like oils, I've learned that after trying the clarins facial oil, fresh seaberry oil, ole henriksen, etc. Until I met this one by the body shop. This vitamin E overnight serum is a miracle on my skin. It's not greasy or oily, very light and doesn't take long to sink in. The result is I woke up with better skin every morning if I put this on at night. My overall complexion is much brighter, looks like I was well-rested even when I wasn't. 

Makeup favorites of the months first is the L'oreal True Match Natural Mineral concealer. This isn't new, I had this for a very long time and I totally forgot about it. It is the best powder for setting concealer under the eyes, It adds coverage, brightens and sets everything in place. No need to worry about creasing or fading, it helps my concealer lasts all day. It is probably discontinued, but I think you can still find it online. 

Next item is the Lo'real Brow Stylist Plumper Brow Gel Mascara. I was very excited to get this because I've read great review and I really in need of a brow mascara to fix my sparse brows. I like that it tinted the brows, very easy to use and will set the brow in place. It contain fibers but very very tiny so it doesn't adds more hair to my brows.  I will use a brow pencil to fill in my brows then finishing it with this mascara. It definitely makes my brows looks fuller and make the color last all day. 

For lip product of the month, it must be the Jordana Easyliner for lips. I really like this brand, it is super inexpensive, easy to get and they often have some great products, like their Best Lash Mascara .  Their lip liner is the best you can find in the drugstore. They have many different shades from nudes to pinks and reds. It's retractable, great color payoff, stay on well and it costs like $2 each.  I have three different shades Baby Berry, Tawny, Sedona Red. My favorite out of the three is Baby Berry. For the past month, I like to pair it with the Rimmel Lip Lacquer in Nova in the center of the lips, it creates a nice gradient effect. 

Last but not least, the hair product of the month is the L'oreal Blow Dry It Quick Dry Primer Spray. This is a really great find of the month. This serves as a heat protection spray and a primer spray for hair styling. I feel like it helps shorten the blow dry time but not a significant difference. It does makes my hair very soft and more manageable, it also smells good.

That's it for the all the favorites for the month of April. Thanks for reading.

Jordana Easyliner for lips in baby berry, Rimmel Lip Lacquer in Nova

Ree

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Drugstore Great Find: Eucerin Gentle Hydrating Cleanser

I came across this face wash by Eucerin not long ago and since my skin is very dry and irritating, I decided to give it a try. I have mostly positive experience with the brand and I have used some body care products in the past.

This facial cleanser claims for use of dry and sensitive skin, gentle and non-irritating. My skin is very sensitive and I have some redness going on at the moment so I think it shall works for me. I use this cleanser both morning and night after removing any makeup I have on. I found this cleanser really does what it says. It's very gentle, does not irritate and cleans the face well. It doesn't make things worse for me and my skin feels comfortable after wash. It lathers easily and I find it works better with less water. If you get too much water on your hands or face, the foams will drip down and it will not get the cleaning job down well. It rinses away very easily and doesn't leave any residue behind. My face is very clean and not drying afterwards.

For a $5 facial cleanser, I think this one is definitely a good one. I would recommend it for people have dry, sensitive skin and looking for a gentle and non-irritating cleanser. It should also works with combo skin type, but I'm not so sure about oily skin. 

❤

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November Hits & Misses

I know I'm late on this but I decided to share my November favorites and disappointment with you. For the past months or so I actually had a lot of new products to try, from skin care to makeup and I found couples of good products so that I want to talk about first.

First let's start from skin care. I have two products from First Aid Beauty, the Ultra Repair cream and instant oatmeal mask. I'm currently using the cream as my day moisturizer. Honestly, I had my doubts when I place my order though, worries that it's going to be thick and heavy, difficult to absorb , but after I tried it, it turns out really really good. Easy to spread over, absorb quickly, it's thick enough to deliver the moisture but doesn't leave any heavy or greasy feeling behind. Skin felt calm and well protected afterwards.

I am also really enjoy using the Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask for a quick fix when my skin feeling extra dry or uncomfortable. What's great about this mask is that it's quick and easy, only takes 10 minutes and you are good to go. I like it a lot because of this, some times you don't have time for a 20-30 minutes facial, you know. Besides above mentioned, the result this mask is offering also amaze me, skin felt very smooth, super soft and hydrated.

 On to lips and eyes, I have a new eye cream to share. After I finished the Bobbie Brown Hydrating Eye cream, I decided to go natural again and try something different from the drugstore so I picked the Burt's Bee Radiance Eye Cream with Royal Jelly. I saw a lot of good review on Amazon and drugstore.com and that's the main reason I decided to give it a try. This eye cream has a really different texture to it. It's a cream but very light and fluffy, that makes it easy to apply and absorb. I like it because it's not heavy but good enough to take care of the delicate area.
For the cold winter months I have to have the smith's rosebud salve for my chapped lips.  When I noticed applying lip balm wasn't enough to solve the problem I will use this. The best way I found for this to work is to apply a very thick layer before bed (go generously), and next day you will wake up with baby soft lips.

 On to makeup and skin care related product, this is what I'm most excited about,  I have discovered a new favorite makeup remover. It's the Soothing Makeup Remover Lotion by Klorane.  I think the best way for me to describe it and for you to understand is to compare it with a well-known similar product, which is the Bioderma. This works exactly like the Bioderma, very gentle, the texture is like pure water, it takes down makeup instantly with a cotton pad and it's non-rinse and alcohol free. It's gentle, with simple ingredients and it also has a pump so no need to pour and it's easy to control the amount. The only complain that I had is for waterproof mascara, it's a little difficult to remove with this, but I had the same problem with Bioderma so it doesn't bothers me that much. Between the two, I will definitely choose this since it's easy to get, available at Amazon and drugstore.com.

For the miss of the month, I have the Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara and Earth Beauty Mineral Colors Blush in Primrose. I know a lot of people like the organic wear mascara but I just found it doesn't works for me. I have tried the one in the picture and the one with black packaging, both have the same issues. The good is it does coat my lashes well and add definition and volume, but it doesn't hold my curls well and most disappointingly, it smudges really bad. I noticed it takes a bit longer to dry but even after it's completely dry it smudges after one or two hours. And watch out if you are having hot drinks or food, like hot soup, it melt instantly and gets to everywhere.
On to the blush, when I bought it I really had high hopes for it because it's a mineral blush, made with simple and natural ingredients, so I thought it's going to be good. Turns out it disappointed me badly on the pigmentation. It comes with a nice decent amount of product and the color looks really pretty, but honestly, it has no pigmentation. I will have to use a heavy hand to get the color to show and it doesn't even look good on. It looks flat and the color isn't match what's in the container, it looks a bit dark and dirty for some reason.

Anyway, here's my hits and misses of the month, I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading.

❤

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Makeup & Skincare Haul

Hello, today I have a haul to share, things that I got for the past one or two weeks. If you read my previous post then you probably know how much I love the Shiseido sunscreen.  I was at TJmaxx the other day,  sweeping the skin and makeup section as usual and I saw the Shiseido Extra Smooth Sun Protection Lotion, SPF38.  This is the lotion version for both face & body(100ml, 3.3fl. oz.) since I am almost running out of my current one, which is the cream one ( for face, 50ml, 2fl. oz.) so I figure to give it a try. The texture of this is very runny and liquidy, easy to spread and apply very thin to the skin. It works quite similar to the cream one, however you will need to shake it well before using and the package design makes it a little messy when pouring it out. 

Next I got the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer and Clean Express Waterproof Makeup Remover. I wasn't quite sure about which color I should get because it's very hard to tell the color in the store. No.10 light looks little dark for my skin tone so I ended up pick 15 fair but turns out it's not the shade I want to use to conceal my dark circles. Anyway, it works quite well conceal the rest imperfections on my face.

I also pick up the Too Faced Shadow Insurance from ulta since it was on special for $10 . I'm glad that the Ulta 21 days of beauty is back, last time I didn't have time to go and there's couple of things that I want to get. This time I'm really excited because I saw some awesome products on special for half off.

Last but not least, these are some facial masks by the brand My Scheming. I got these last week from a beauty store at Flushing, NY. I remember seeing these online but never tried it before so I got three different ones to try. These masks are very similar to My Beauty Diary Mask. So far I only tried the Bamboo Charcoal + Volcano Mud Extract Pore Minimizing Mask. My experience is quite positive on this one.  It smells really good and fits my face well. It hydrates and tightens my skin at the same time and I do see the difference of my pores after using it. 

Hope you like my haul and thanks for reading!

❤

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New: Skincare Routine

For the past 3 months I was heavily relying on facial masks to maintain my skin condition. I do it very frequently, almost every other day because there's not much I can do while traveling. I was planning on establish a new skin care routine months ago, since I'm running out of everything and the products in my last routine didn't do enough for me. So as soon as I came back, I was anxious to get some new products to use. 

As you can probably tell,  AHAVA is my brand of the moment. I've changed my entire routine with products that are natural or formulated with natural ingredients. I would want to use more natural products for my skin (and body)care, I know it sounds expensive but I'm willing to manage that with less spending on the makeup category. 

CLEAN:
AHAVA Refreshing Cleaning Gel   
This is the cleanser that I use both day and night to wash my face. It is a soapless gel that removes makeup and impurities for oily skin. It's gentle and very comfortable to use, leaving my face very soft without any dryness. I alternate this gel and the Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap every two to three days. When I need a deep clean I will use the black soap. It's a bit strong and it takes time (to lather and you have to leave it on for a few mins) but it gets everything out and leaves my face squeaky clean.

Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner
I got this toner because I heard this is a possible dupe of the Bioderma. Getting used to cleaning water, I will be very excited if this is the one because it's so inexpensive and easy to get. It does remove face makeup effectively and it felt refreshing, but it's not as gentle as Bioderma, quite irritating when it gets close to my eyes.

PRIME

Lumene Age-Defying Repairing Serum

Lumene is the brand that I will go for when picking out a skincare from the drugstore. Their products are good quality, filled with natural ingredients and most importantly, effective. Anti-aging is always the concern of my skin problem so an age-defying serum is a must have in my routine. This serum contains 90+% natural ingredients, it can be absorbed quickly and leaves my skin plump and supple. 

HYDRATE

AHAVA Essential Day Moisturizer/ Night Replenisher

I was a bit worry when getting these two facial cream to use now. Worry that I could get pimples if they are too oily or too rich. The truth is, they are quite rich and thick consider for the weather but I haven't got any problem of using them so far. On the contrary, my skin haven't been so comfortable since June. These cream are easy to blend into the skin and can be completely absorb in short times. It leaves skin well hydrated and incredibly soft. The only thing I would complain is the scent. It doesn't smells bad, no, but it's quite strong and overwhelming, but eventually it will weaken and diminish once it sink in. I did use less amount of product compare to how much I use for cold weather, just to avoid my face getting oily during the day.  

PROTECT

AHAVA Sun Protection Anti-aging Faical Moisturizer SPF 50

Haven't open and use this because I still have my Shiseido Extra Smooth Sunscreen. Sunscreen is a must have in my day routine because the purposes of preventing burning and anti-aging. Spotted this one on sale for about $8 and I figured why not stock up on an extra sunscreen.

Thank you for reading and plus a FOTD for you. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

L'oreal true match powder, Bobbi Brown eye brightener, Maybelline instant age rewind dark circle concealer, Maybelline color tattoo bad to the bronze, Kiss me liquid eyeliner, Kiss me long & curl mascara, Nars orgasm, Revlon lip butter strawberry shortcake

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Skin Care Routine | Spring & Summer 2013

 FACE
Shiseido Perfect Whip Cleanser
This is the facial cleanser that I'm currently using for both day and night. I like the formula of this cleanser, it lathers into very thick and ultra smooth foam, looks and feels pretty much like whip cream. It's very gentle  as the same time cleans well. It doesn't leave my skin dry after wash and very affordable.

Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap
This is the product that I use for deep cleaning my face. It's an organic cleanser that claims deep clean pores and get rid of dead skin. Unlike regular cleanser, it has a gelly texture and its a bit tricky to use. I only use this 2-3 times per week because it's quite harsh. I will have a separate post on this.

Naruko Magnolia Brightening & Firming Spray
After I cleaned my face, the first step I will use this to spray my face. It claims brighten and firming so I felt it will work better as the first layer. It's very easy to absorb also hydrates my skin.

Naruko Raw Job's Tears Whitening Toner and Lotion
This is the new skin care set I am currently using. Since Naruko products are known for natural, easy absorb, zero oilness and heaviness, I always enjoy using them at summer time.
The Raw Job's Tears series is more nourishing than the other series that I've tried, such as the Narcissus, Marjoram & Lavender series. I found that the toner is an extremely easy and fast absorbing product, it left my skin well hydrated. Compare to the toner, the lotion is a lot richer so it takes a little longer to absorb. Both these products are great keeping my skin really calm and hydrated, I am really surprised that my skin hasn't experience any problems at this time of the year .

 EYES, LIPS and BLEMISH TREATMENT

Peter Thomas Roth Anti-aging Cellular Eye Repair Gel
After I finished the Coffee Bean Eye Cream by 100% pure, I wanted to switch to a gel product to use and has anti-aging purposes. I found this at the sale section on Sephora.com and I bought it immediately because I know this is the one. I heard a lot of good things about this brand and always wanted to try it. This eye gel claims for under eye wrinkles, fine lines, under eye puffiness, it has a lot of vitamins and natrual ingredients in it which I think is really good. I like that is really light weight and smooth, I do see the difference after using this, it helps reduce the  puffiness of my eyes in the morning.

Peter Thomas Roth Un-wrinkle Pink Ice Lip Balm
This was featured in my March Favorites post, I am currently using this as a moisturizing and anti-aging lip treatment. Unlike other lip balms the texture of this one is very different. I like it because it doesn't feels waxy, slippery or heavy on the lips, it applies very thin on the lips and long lasting. I do see the results that it reduces wrinkle and fine lines of my lips.

Vichy Anti-blemish Intensive Treatment Cream
This is my all time favorite blemish treatment. I always have this in my skin care routine and always use this to treat blemish and acne. It has salicylic acid 2.0%, which is higher than usual blemish treatment products. It works fast in getting rid of any blemishes and breakouts, usually I can see the difference overnight, it takes 2-3 days for large and severe acne problems.

FACIAL MASK
Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX
This is the sleeping mask that I use at night, repurchased numerous times and I still found it's the best. It hydrates and brightens my skin overnight, I just love how easy that it and how my skin looks in the morning after using this and plus it smells so nice.

HadaLabo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion
This is actually a lotion but I use it as a facial mask. Because it's very hydrating and low irritation, I like to use it with compressed paper masks. It does a great job for super quick hydrating treatment and leaves skin well hydrated and glowy.

My Beauty Diary Q10 Rejuvenating Mask

One of my favorite mask by My Beauty Diary, previously I was using the black pearl one, it does really great job brightening and whitening my skin. This one does nourishing, hydrating and brightening. I like masks of this brand in general, they fits really nicely on my face and contains lots of serum,  most importantly they really does the job.

If you have a skin care post please let me know, I am very interested to see. Thank you so much for reading and sorry it's a really long post.

❤

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Review: HadaLabo Gokujyun-a Rentionl Lotion & Moisture Milk

HadaLabo Gokujyun-a Rentional Lotion 170ml,  Moisture Milk 140ml

HadaLabo Rentinol Lotion adding different ingredients in order to let you enjoy anti-wrinkle, moisturizing and elastic, as to create a compact skin. Aging causes the skin loses its elasticity. This product adding the collagen, and it is weak acid, providing a mild treatment to skin, smoothen the fine lines and brings supple to skin.

 for dry and delicate skin 

made in Japan

 (description from sasa.com)

I've been using this set for about 3-4 months now and it has helped my skin safely past the long winter that we had here. I have previously used some of other skin care products from this brand such as the Tamagohada cleanser and Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion, it all work out pretty good on me so I brought this set around Dec last year to use for the winter season.
This line is targeted for anti-aging and moisturizing, it contains rentinol, collagen and other nourishing ingredients. The lotion is very thick, it feels almost like serum unlike any other toner/lotion that I have used. It took around three weeks for my skin to finally get use to it and before that I just felt it's oily and it takes long time to completely absorb into the skin. It does keep my skin very well nourished but my face would be too oily throughout the day especially follow by the moisture milk, So I only use this lotion at night.

The moisture milk has a milky gel texture, applies easily and I find it much more easier to absorb compare to the toner. I use it both day and night and it's been working great for me. It keeps my skin very well moisturized at all time, my skin feels soft and rejuvenated. Both these products come in a nice decent size and you only need one or two drops each time so it will certainly last long. I would recommend these products for dry and mature skin to use at cold season, it's too rich for young age people. If your skin condition is normal then you can switch to a light toner.Overall I think both products are very good in terms of moisturizing. Personally I would prefer using a lighter lotion or toner, it's easier for the skin to absorb and also laying on other products.
Recently I switched my skin care routine for spring and summer season, I will have a post of that very soon.

P.S  Drugstore.com now carrying some HadaLabo products, not much but I'm appreciated, it made so much easier to get these products in the States.

Thanks for reading.

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Review: Naruko Narcissue Total Defense Hydrating Gel

Naruko Narcissue Total Defense Hydrating Gel 60ml

Product Detail (from Naruko USA Website) :

NARUKO Narcissus Total Defense Hydrating Gel is a refreshing daily gel moisturizer that both hydrates and prevents aging best for normal, combination and oily skin. Made with highly effective ingredients such as Africa legume polysaccharides, snow fungus extract, lecithin, oil molecules, rose dew, and essential oils (mandarin oranges, sweet oranges, ylang ylang) that help to condition, moisturize and brighten skin, this lightweight water-like gel moisturizer hydrates all day and is not heavy. Furthermore, the ingredients algae extract and peptides offer anti-aging and firming benefits.

This moisturizer can be used for both day and night time; however, if you need a more hydrating moisturizer for nighttime, please use the Narcissus Total Defense Night Repair Cream.

This is a gel moisturizer by the Taiwan brand Naruko.  I have tried a lot of their skin care products in the past two years and most of their products have very natural ingredients, feels very gentle and light on the skin. I like Naruko products in general, I love to use them at summer time. This gel moisturizer I bought with other products from this line, which is the Narcissue line, this line targets general basic skin problems. I have a review of other products you can check it if you want.
This product  is very light-weight and feels good on the skin. It's a gel texture so very easy to apply and feels very smooth on the skin. Because it's so light it takes no time to absorb and feels not sticky at all. Naruko products in general are very light and gentle, that's exactly how I felt about this one. However as a moisturizer, it doesn't provides enough of moisture for me especially at winter time . My skin doesn't feels dry but it doesn't looks well hydrated either. So I like to use this after a moisturizer as the last step of my skin care routine (just want to finish it), it works fine like a mask locks everything I have underneath.
I think this would be more suitable at summer time because it's so light and fresh, if you have oily skin then most likely you will like it. As for me, I don't think it's an outstanding product. I don't think I will repurchase this again since the price has gone up to $20 but I'm still interested trying other products from this brand.

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Updated: Skin Care Routine

 Cleaning

In the Morning I use the Shiseido Perfect Whip Foam Cleanser wash my face. I am really surprised by the formula of this cleanser, it foams up with just a tiny bit of products, like it's name feels like whip cream on my face. I will do a review of this later.

For makeup: First I will use the Lumene Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover takes off my eye makeup. This is my all time favorite eye makeup remover. After shaking it, I usually pour some products on a cotton pad then place it on my eyes for 5 second or so, it melts everything off including waterproof mascara. As you can see, it's a two layers formula, so there will be a little bit oilness left. That's why I will use the Bioderma Sensibio H2O next, taking off any residue and also my face makeup. It's very gentle and works like a dream.
If it's ordinary days that I'm wearing very light makeup, then after the Bioderma I will just rinse my face with water to finish. I know I don't have to because it's a non rinse cleaning water, but I still do, to make sure there's nothing left on my skin. If I feel like I need extra step to clean my face, then I will use my face wash to wash again.

Skin Care 

As usual I will use eye cream first. I'm still using the 100% PURE Coffee Bean Eye Cream.
For toning and moisturizing, I use the Hadalabo Gokujyun-a Rentionl Toner and Lotion. I brought this set last month, haven't open it yet, surprisingly I received the same set as gift from my friend at Christmas. I think this line is designed for dry and mature skin, it has a lot of nutrition, like vitamin A and collagen in it, which is very good for hydrating and anti-aging. My skin condition is about normal now so it's a little bit oily for me, but I have only using these for a week or so I can't tell much about it. I will do separate review of these, so stay tune if you are interested.

Related info:
Previous Skin Care Routine and Products
Lumene Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover
Bioderma Sensibio H2O
100% PURE Coffee Bean Eye Cream

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Recent Favorites

Products:

 Hadalabo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion

Origins Ginger Rush Intensely Hydrating Body Cream

Rohto Cool Redness Relief Eye Drop

Palladio Rice Paper natural

First of all, sorry for the lack of update on my blog for the past few weeks. What happen was after I was back from Colorado, we were powerless because of the storm. No lights, no internet, no shower for eight days, cold as hell . I was feeling really depressed, eight days, just too much. Finally the power restored yesterday, oh boy, it feels so good back to the modern life.

I'm really not into makeup for the past month,  instead, care much more about my skin. All the cold air, unstable weather put lots of pressure on my skin. My skin looks dull and I have break outs everywhere. So I changed my skin care routine little bit, thinking about getting some new products to use.

Switching back to the Hadalabo face lotion for toning and hydration, I'm loving it because it helps restore my skin balance very well. I have used this last winter as a toner, but now I'm using it with some paper mask sheets, put it on for 10-15 mins then apply night cream as usual. It solves dryness and my skin tone looks much better now.

Another favorite product I have to mention is the Rohto cool eye drops.  I'm loving it because it works very well cooling and brighten my eyes. If you are looking for a refreshing, redness relief eye drop, you mush try this.

Another storm came as I'm writing, snowing heavily right now.  I wish there's something I can do for those people who still without power today and tomorrow, god bless. Also hope who are now reading this are well and warm.

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100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream

 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream 30g

(Description Online)
What is it: Anti-inflammatory, caffeine rich green tea and coffee de-puffs and reduces swelling while increasing circulation to alleviate and brighten dark circles. Concentrated with potent anti-aging vitamins, antioxidants, and nourishing blackcurrant oil.

Who is it for: Anyone looking to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness.

Truly, 100% Pure- no  synthetic chemicals, no artificial fragrances, no parabens or any other chemical preservatives, no petrochemicals or any other toxins.

It's not easy to find a eye cream that works well on all your eye area problems, but this is my holy grail eye cream, no kidding. It helps nourish the under eye area, reduce dark circle and puffiness.
I recently repurchased this online from drugstore.com and it arrived today.
I still have the old one, you can see in the picture the packaging is different now. I really like the new version, it comes with a pump which is removable, and the tube makes it so much easier to use, not like the old glass bottle, I still have a lot left inside at the bottom but the pump can't reach it.
For me 1 fl oz. lasts about 10 month and the price is really affordable.

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