Kelier Purple Shatter Nail Polish NOTD: Shatter is now Colourful!

Wow, trends sure move fast! Remember back in ye goode olde times (well, more like a few months ago) when shatter/crackle polishes only came in boring black? Now, if you've ever wanted to shatter in a more colourful manner, you can! First it was China Glaze, and now all the other nail polish companies are following suit! Finally, the colourful shatter trend has trickled down to the comman woman, and shatter polishes are now available for cheap - and in colour.

I got my Kelier Nail Instant Cracking Nail Polish from Born Pretty Store, where they are currently selling them in a variety of colours for the low, low price of US$4.52 per bottle - and you get a discount if you buy more than one! As I'm sure you know, the Hong Kong-based Born Pretty Store has been on the radar of nail bloggers of late, for their cheap supply of nail products and tools.

Here are the results of the Kelier purple shatter polish on my nails. The base is Color Club's Who Are You Wearing?, a beautiful (if sheer and annoying to apply) off-white colour with a tinge of griege, that purple-grey hybrid that's been so popular in nail polish collections since 2009 or so.



One of the first things I noticed about the Kelier shatter polish is that it takes longer to dry and shatter on your nail. If you watch, you can even see the crackle lines forming! I even had enough time to take a few quick snaps, so you can see the polish shattering!

Here is what the polish looks like when first applied. As you can see, there aren't any shatters yet.



However, very quickly, the polish starts shattering from the area where the polish layer is thinnest:



And then you see more shatter lines forming as the polish dries and crackles further:



Aaannd...done! Ta-da!



As with other shatter polishes, how thick or thin the polish is influences how it crackles. Just like the Barry M Instant Effects Nail Polish, the thicker the layer, the less cracks you get, and the larger the cracked pieces are. So depending on how shattered you'd like your polish to be, you can adjust how much polish is applied on the nail. As you can see in the photo below, the ring finger has the thickest layer of polish, while the index finger has the thinnest layer of polish, and both shatter differently.



One of the things that I found odd about the Kelier purple shatter polish is that it peels off very easily, even with topcoat over it. Even though I had topcoated over this mani, I found that the smaller cracked pieces were starting to peel off the next day. I'm not sure why this is - perhaps the polish dries too slowly. I'm speculating that some fast-dry drops may help, but it is a little bit of a disappointment.

One last thing I noticed is that this is hard to get off. It doesn't remove easily, making removal a bit of a pain, but I suppose it's worth it for the cool purple shatter effect, right?



So would I recommend this? Yes, as a cheap, easily-available alternative to some of the other coloured shatter polishes out there. For my girls in Asia, who find China Glaze's coloured shatter polishes difficult to get hold of, this could be an easier to find alternative. However, the problems I had with peeling and the difficulty of removal mean that I would love this polish more if the formula is improved.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Get Your Bagology Reading at Sudocrem Tube's Facebook Page!

Can the contents of your bag tell your personality? Can you read someone's character by what they carry in their bag? I know what you're thinking - how much can your bag tell about you, anyway? Well, maybe how much money you have, or maybe, how neat or messy you are? Well, you'll be surprised!

As part of the launch of the Sudocrem Skincare Cream Facebook page, the Sudocrem folks are having Debbie of handbagtherapy.com perform bagology readings for anyone who uploads a photo of the stuff in their bag to the Sudocrem Facebook page! Isn't that cool?

Now for the unintiated, Sudocrem is a skincare brand, most famous up to now for their nappy rash cream. Now, Sudocrem has branched out into facial skincare, and the brand has launched a blemish cream, the Sudocrem Skin Care Cream. And as part of their launch, they have tied up with the handbagtherapy.com folks to give you a shot at having your personality read through your bag!

This personality analysis works for guys as well as girls (come on, guys, don't pretend you're not curious!), and I couldn't resist giving this a go. Here's the photo I uploaded (OMG, everyone knows now that I carry a hot pink plastic purse and a neon orange plastic purse in my bag, and we can see how ancient my mp3 player is....)




And here's the analysis I was given. As you can see, it's really, really thorough - not just "you like bright colours":


"Thank you for being so excited about your handbag reading which I hope you will enjoy. So let’s get on with it... I can see that others describe you as popular and sociable. People will see you as someone who has a lot of friends or that you know a lot of people. I sense that friends will say that you are a very polite, and courteous lady. Your friendliness is genuine! You are a proud lady – perhaps of your skills, or maybe of your friends and family. This is a wonderful quality about you –to take such pride in work or loved ones. Please remember that you can still be polite AND be more honest with expressing your feelings or your own needs. I sense that this might be difficult for you to do sometimes. Your bag is encouraging you to be brave! Be confident knowing that people who count will love you even if occasionally you put you first! I think when you write then you can be very positive and find a great clarity of words and thoughts, so perhpas you can build on this in other parts of your life. I sense two more important things from your bag: firstly that you are looking for some inspiration in your life, or in a new project- I suggest you look for inspiration connected to health or something about growth. Secondly You are a very sympathetic and empathetic lady but please,please, please - make sure that you are not spending time with people who are cowardly (hiding from the truth) or who are deceitful in nature as they will ‘suck you in’. If you spend time with anyone sick or ill, it is not your only duty – you also have a duty to be young and active and healthy. So, seek out things and people to help you achieve that too! Above all, take care of YOU! Find balance and keep things in perspective. It has been a pleasure to talk about your bag with you, thank you."

Wow! Is that analysis amazing or what? Now to be fair, I'm not sure I totally agree with the reading - I don't think I'm popular or sociable, LOL! But she's spot on in that I do love writing, and writing helps me sort out my thoughts. I guess that's why I'm writing a blog, right? And for some of the rest, I feel a bit ambivalent, like the bit about finding inspiration. But it definitely is thought-provoking, and gave me a lot of food for thought!

So if you want your bagology reading, head over to the Sudocrem Skincare Cream Facebook page and upload a photo of the contents of your bag soon! The bagology readings run until 10th May, so we don't have all day!

St Tropez Skin Illuminator Swatches and FOTD!

One of the exciting shiny new products that have been released of late are their range of Skin Illuminators! These are making quite the splash, given that St Tropez's product range consists mostly of bronzing, self-tanning products and related suncare products. But here they are, with a line of products that appeals to people who wouldn't have an interest in bronzing.

The Skin Illuminators are making their debute for Spring/Summer 2011, and they are packaged in sleek, flat tubes.



Just in case you didn't know, although these are new products, St Tropez has actually had the Skin Illuminator out for awhile. The first Skin Illuminator was the Violet shade, and back then there was only one shade, so it was just called Skin Illuminator. It came in a smaller white tube, and contained 30ml instead of the 50ml that we have now. Yay for increased product size!

Anyway, the story goes that the first shade of Skin Illuminator proved so popular that St Tropez decided to supplement the Skin Illuminator with more shades, Rose and Gold. But for nostalgia's sake, here's the old tube:



The products come in a squeeze tube, and you can squeeze out a bit at a time, just enough for what you need.



Here are swatches of all the three products. You can see that they give off a distinct coloured sheen, which is very pretty.



L-R: Violet, Gold, Rose

And just because I know you guys will be interested in seeing the products up close and personal, here are close-up shots of all the the products one by one.

For starters, here's the Violet Skin Illuminator. This one doesn't have any discernable glitter or shimmer bits, it just produces a kind of purple-blue sheen on the skin, which I think is very cool. I can imagine this one being uesd for all kinds of effects, from subtle to out there. If you're afraid of having a blue glow on your face, it can be blended in. But the violet shade would be good for people with sallow yellow skins.



The Gold Skin Illuminator will probably be much sought after in the Western markets by customers looking to enhance a tan. This one doesn't give off much of a iridiscence like the Violet shade, but it has a certain glow. It also has more discernable bits of gold shimmer, but nothing that would draw your eye too much.



Lastly, the Pink Skin Illuminator. I can imagine this being very popular among Asian girls, since pink-tinged primers and creams are all the rage in this part of the world. This one has the least sheen adn iridiscence, and is the most subtle in terms of effect, so I think this could very well function as a skin primer under makeup as well. It has a soft pink glow, which is very pretty.



To end off, here is an FOTD (Face of the Day) I did with the Pink Skin Illuminator. The Skin lluminator is used on my cheeks, over a matte powder blush. As you can see, it just adds a soft kind of glow that isn't like a glitterbomb. I really like this effect.



As you can see, other than the colour, all three are slightly different. The Violet Skin Illuminator has the strongest sheen/iridiscence, while the Pink has the weakest. The Gold shade also features tiny speckles of shimmer, so depending on your preferences, one may suit you better than the other. Then again, of course, you could just get all three!

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Giveaway: Win a Jelly Pong Pong Mystery Bag!

(Photo from Beautynewsnyc.com)

So you've heard me rave about Jelly Pong Pong products, from their wearable colours, to their formulation, to the adorably cute packaging. And you heard me rave not once, but twice! Now you want to try some Jelly Pong Pong for yourself, and kickstart the love. How can you do that?

You're in luck! One lucky reader is going to get a bag full of Jelly Pong Pong products! Now, I can't tell you what products they are, because it's a Mystery Bag! (That photo above was just for illustration purposes, which I nicked off a website, and does not necessarily reflect the prize that will be sent.)

The giveaway is open internationally, and runs for a month, so it will end on 23rd May, 2011. So that makes it a doubly awesome giveaway - anyone can enter, and you have some time to do so! But of course you wouldn't want to take your time to win something so exciting, would you? So what are you waiting for? Fill out the form below and enter now!



If form above does not display properly, click here to enter the giveaway.

Beauty Blog Link Love

See some before and after photos in My Lips But Better's review of the new Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation.

Queen of Turquoise reviews lipstick with polka dot packaging!

Remember those really expensive Rock and Republic blushes? Musicalhouses has found a cheap dupe of Rock and Republic's Kinky blush!

Sarah from Iheartcosmetics finds the best bikini wax in London town, at Strip.

Have you encountered the awesomeness that is Sugarpill Cosmetics yet? If not, then you're in luck, because Krasey Beauty has the scoop on the line!

Were the Cucumber Wipes a 'yes'? Find out over at Jeweled Thumb.

Find out why Urban Decay Good Karma Brushes remind Makeup Morsels of Martin Luther and his 95 Theses.

Daily Polish shows off a gorgeous blackened blue nail polish you can buy for a steal by drugstore brand Sleek.

Retrodiva knows it's spring when she suffers from her first sunburn of the season. Find out her tricks for treating it and preventing peeling.

Phyrra debuts Geek Chic Cosmetics new collection, N7 and gives you a sneak peek of an upcoming collection, Mana Screwed!

AOYV suggests five must have coral blushes to try this season.

Creamy pink lippies go head to head in The Lip Print's Pink Month featuring Lime Crime, MAC, Maybelline and more!

Whether you're a beauty blogger or just a product lover, you *need* to check out theNotice's first tips for beauty bloggers photography post!

K at Beautifully Addicted To feels the Pinch with Topshop blushers.

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Audrey Dao is giving away $400 worth of NuMe hair styling products, including a hair straightener valued at $300!

What would you choose with a $50 Gift Card from Apothica? Enter to win at Prime Beauty!

Benefit b.right! Radiant Skincare: A Quick Look

Benefit's maiden skincare offering, the b.right! Radiant Skincare range, is launching in Singapore next month (yes, I know, we're way behind the US girls. What can I say, life is unfair!), and I managed to get a sneak preview of what b.right will do for us! Here's what I've brought back from the event to show you guys!

b.right! is formulated with a few key qualities in mind, in order to distinguish Benefit's first skincare range from all the other skin products out there. The entire skincare line was formulated to be, in addition to a skincare line, also a primer for makeup, and meant to be wearable under any subsequent makeup applied to the skin. As a result, the texture of most of the products is also very light and water-y. Another focus of the products was hydration. The Benefit team wanted their products to moisturize, hence the emphasis on water, right down to the packaging. Almost all the products are scented, with a scent I'd describe as a light flowery-fresh type scent, with hints of cucumber paired with various florals.



The skincare range is divided roughly into four areas of focus, each with its own set of products - moisture, cleanse, eye, and specialist. In keeping with Benefit's decision to place an emphasis on hydration in their line, a lot of the products have to do with inreasing the moisture in the skin.

Here is the moisture range. It consists of the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion with SPF 15, the Total Moisture Facial Cream, and a toner lotion meant to prepare the skin for either of the moisturizers, the Moisture Prep Toning Lotion.



Here is the cleanse mini-range. It consists of a cleanser, the Foamingly Clean Facial Wash, an exfoliator, the Refined Finish Facial Polish, as well as the requisite makeup remover, the Remove It Makeup Remover.



In the Eye and Specialist sections, there is only one product. The eye section boasts the It's Potent Eye Cream, the name making no bones about its claims.



The specialist section consists of a facial mist, that is supposed to be able to hydrate your skin, and can also be used as a makeup setting mist. I've no idea why this product is billed as "specialist", but then again, I'm not the founder of a makeup empire.



The star products out of the entire line (as defined by Benefit themselves) are the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion, the Total Moisture Facial Cream, the It's Potent Eye Cream, as well as Remove It, the makeup remover. So if you want to jump straight into their products, perhaps one of these four might be a good first start.

In addition to taking pretty bottle shots of the product, I've also taken shots of some of the individual products, so I can comment on the colour, texture, application, and feel of the product. Of course I won't be able to tell you if it clogs your pores or not, since this was just a cursory experimentation with the products, but I can tell you how it'll feel on your skin.

The one we were all curious to try was the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. It's a white, gel-like cream. It has a very light feel to it, and is oil-free. It did absorb easily and sink into the skin without leaving any residue, so I imagine this would be good for warm weather.



Next, we all wanted to take a look at the Total Moisture Facial Cream. This one is also a white cream, but it has a thicker texture than the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. It also doesn't absorb as easily. That said, this is still relatively easy to rub into the skin, and probably would be suitable for use under makeup.



The It's Potent! Eye Cream seems to be another popular seller, and this one is a beige-coloured cream. It also blends in without leaving any sticky residue, and I imagine this would be a popular one to use under your undereye concealer.



Next up, we have the Foamingly Clean Facial Wash. This one will be popular among girls who like that squeaky-clean feeling after washing their skin, as this one really leaves behind no residue. I imagine it would be popular among girls with oilier skins, but drier skins may have concerns about the facial wash being too harsh for ther skin.



Although the facial wash claims to be Foamingly Clean, it didn't really foam on my skin. It does work into a creamy lather that feels pleasant, but creamy lather doesn't quite spell foamy to me...when I think of foam, I think of bubbles, but here there aren't any. Just a creamy lather that washes off easily.



The Refined Finish Facial Polish looks quite similar to the Foamingly Clean Facial Wash. They both have the same pearly, iridiscent appearance, and both are white cream. However, the Refined Finish Facial Polish is thicker in texture, and, being an exfoliating product, has tiny exfoliating beads.



The exfoliating beads in the Refined Finish Facial Polish are really quite small, although you can definitely feel that they are there, and if you rub too hard, the exfoliator can feel a little abrasive. This isn't one of those gentle exfoliators, despite the small size exfoliating beads. If you have very sensitive skin, I'd advise you to use this with care.

As you can see in the photo below, I tried to get a shot of the exfoliating beads but I kind of failed. The beads are that small. We were also told that this could double up as a mask, if applied to the skin and left for a longer period of time. While this is unusual, it isn't new, and is similar to Neutrogena's 2-in-1 Wash/Mask and Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser, which both also can be used as a wash or a mask.



My thoughts on the skincare? These look like good, if basic, items. The formulations for the most part are effective staples of skincare that have been around for awhile, although the ingredients don't boast anything new and shiny right out of an R&D lab. These will form a good set of basic skincare for everyday use. A great plus point for me is that al of the products are very wearable under makeup due to their light texture and the fact that they are easily absorbed.



Myself (I'm sure you know me, I'm that ugly girl with the glasses that always gets shunted right to the edge in photographs - in this case the right edge) and some of the other bloggers, including makeupstash, rougedeluxe, and sugarcrumb.

I hope this summary of b.right! first impressions was useful to all of you, complete with photos of myself smearing skincare product on my hands and arms (so glam, I know)! Just to show you how focused I was on bringing my thoughts to all of my dear readers, here's a shot of the food provided at the event that I DIDN'T get to eat because I was to busy jotting down my thoughts and photographing the products! :P

Jelly Pong Pong Brazilian Sun Bronzer and Wide Awake Palette

Think of cutesy makeup, and Jelly Pong Pong immediately comes to mind. I swear, the brand finds a cute way to package even the most mundane of products, and their recently-released Lavish Gift Bags are no exception to the rule.

There are two Gift Bags, Gift Bag A and Gift Bag B. In my last post, I looked at some of the Gift Bag products, namely, the Jelly Flush cheek stain and Lip Frosting. Today, I'm completing my peek into the items by featuring the Brazilian Sun Bronzer, and the Wide Awake Palette.

Okay now, let's gush at the packaging together! Ahhh, so cute! *Happy squeals* However, unlike the previous products featured which smelled of sweet edibles, these two products don't have any fragrances added to them.



The Brazilian Sun Bronzer is probably one of the cutest-packaged bronzers I've seen in my entire life. To be sure, the huge packaging is kinda clunky and not very travel-friendly, but it's just so cute. I was wondering why the bronzer needed such a large box, and when I opened the lid, I was quite surprised to see this:



My first reaction was - what is that? There's a flower in my bronzer! But it's not a flower. It's actually a powder puff for the bronzer, but it has the cutest flower top ever.



So what about the bronzer itself? The bronzer pan is glued to the bottom of the entire container, and it's a pretty big pan of bronzer. Since it's lodged inside the container, though, you'll have to use either the puff, or your own bronzer brush to apply the powder.

The colour of the bronzer is also very pretty. It's a medium brown, that doesn't run orangey or look too brash. It's actually quite wearable. It has some shimmer, so this probably won't be your best choice for contouring.



Here's a swatch of the Brazilian Sun bronzer, applied perhaps a bit more heavily than a normal person might apply. On me, it looks a little ruddy, so I'm actually considering using this as a blush colour, in addition to being a bronzer.



The last item that I have to cover is the Wide Awake Palette. This is also a very pretty palette. The packaging is clad in paper, though, so you wouldn't want to put this on your sink, or anywhere it would get wet.



The packaging is so pretty! I love the flower and bird illustrations on the cover.



The Wide Awake Palette consists of an illuminating cream, which is a cream highlighter with a beige colour, a soft lemon yellow highlighting cream, and an eyebrow sculptor, which consists of a trio of eyeshadow powders.



Here's a close-up shot of the products in the palette.



I've swatched the two cream highlighters side by side. Honestly, on my skin, they both turn kind of off-white and look quite similar. The good thing about the creams is that there isn't any discernable shimmer, and both creams are good for highlighting the high points of the face, or even acting as a concealer or brightener for the skin.



Here are swatches of the eyebrow sculptor powders. There is a good gradation of powder colours in the set, consisting of a tan beige colour, a medium warm brown, and a lovely neutral dark brown. A pretty wide array of shades are covered with the colours in this palette. The powders are also actually very soft and pigmented. I actually kind of think they could double up as eyeshadows in a pinch.



Would I recommend these products? I love the bronzer and would recommend it, cute flower puff and all. The palette is also very useful with its variety of creams and shades, but I wouldn't recommend it if you are planning to bring it along for travel. But if you are planning to use it at home, or if you want something with pretty packaging, this would be a good choice to check out.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Jelly Pong Pong Lavish Gift Bag: Jelly Flush and Lip Frosting

Jelly Pong Pong has got to be one of the cutest brands I've ever seen in my entire life. Everything about this brand is nothing short of adorable - from the packaging to the way the products smell. What's more, the brand has recently released not one, but two gift bags, called the Lavish Gift Bags.

The two gift bags are called Gift Bag A and Gift Bag B respectively, and each of them are £15 each. (PS. for my Asian girls, there is a Malaysian Jelly Pong Pong site that ships closer to home!) Gift Bag A consists of their Brazilian Sun Bronzer as well as a Lip Frosting, while Gift Bag B consists of their cheek tint Jelly Flush, and a Wide Awake Palette (consisting of various highlighters and an eyebrow powder). I'm just going to start the review with my favourite products from each set.

You know I'm a lip and cheek product junkie, so of course I'd fall for the Jelly Flush cheek stain (from set B) and Lip Frosting lipgloss (from set A)! Just look at the packaging of those items!



Now I'm not normally a packaging kinda girl, but they have the cutest-looking tubes and containers. And they both smell really sweet and yummy! Both items are actually quite sizable. I don't think I'd finish either product in my lifetime (but then again, I do have a lot of makeup lying around).



The Lip Frosting is a rather large, stubby tube of lipgloss. I don't think it's completely full of glos, though. It's just the way the product is packaged. You get 14g, which is about the size of a Lancome Juicy Tube. So yes, you do get a good amount of product, but not as much as the fat tube suggests.

It smells very sugary and sweet, and just generally very edible. The Lip Frostings come in various scents and colours, and the one in the set is Irish Cream Pavlova, and is a sheer hot pink with slight glitter.



The Lip Frostings come in a squeeze tube, which then probably has to be transferred to fingers before application on the lip. I do find that you have to be careful with these, sometimes I get quite a bit of gloss gushing out all at once. Otherwise, I don't have any issues with the packaging.

Colour-wise, I love this colour. It's a wearable hot pink, very perfect for Spring/Summer. There are glitter bits inside, but they aren't very big or plentiful, so this is still within my glitter-phobic limits. It's the colour anyone could wear if they wanted a pop of colour on their lips.



The Jelly Pong Pong Jelly Flush cheek stain is also one of the brand's better selling products, and boy, this baby is absolutely adorable. It comes in the cutest little tube with a twist-off cap and a pop-up base.

I do have an issue with the base, though. It seems like you can push up the product, but you can't retract it, except by manually pushing the product down to the base again. I guess with this product, you wouldn't want to push it out unnecessarily.



That said, I'm in love with this product. It smells divine and just edible - this one smells like candies and sweets, and the sheer rosy red colour is perfect for anyone to wear. After all, who couldn't use a sheer red cheek colour?

The texture of this is also a selling point - it gives a wash of a sheer stain of colour, similar to Benetint, but it is in solid form, making it infinitely easier to carry around and use. I'd call this product a solid gel. It isn't all wiggly and squishy like a jelly, but at the same time it isn't very hard, and if you rub it against your skin, the product comes off in a wet, liquid-ish form, which is goood for blending in.



But enough of my ravings and rantings on the products. Here are swatches!



L-R: Jelly Flush lightly applied, Jelly Flush heavily applied, Lip Frosting

As you can see, the Jelly Flush is very, very sheer. On the first couple of swipes, the product barely shows up at all, and you have to do 3-4 swipes to get a medium application. I had to really build up the heavy swatch you see in the photo above. So if you are unsure about trying out a cheek stain, this one is perfect for beginners - it's in solid form, it's easy to use, and it's very sheer and buildable, so you wont' have to worry about making mistakes.

I also think the Jelly Flush, with it's sheer red stain, would be gorgeous as a lip colour as well. I used it as a lip colour to good effect, although I felt it was a bit dry on its own, so if you were to use it as a lip stain, I'd recommend using a balm or gloss on top.

The Lip Frosting is hot pink, to be sure, but it's also quite sheer. So no worries about the bright colour looking out of place! It's also very shiny, which would appeal to those who love their glosses with shine and glitter.

And because these are my favourite products, here's a Face of the Day (FOTD) I did with these two products. The Jelly Flush is used on my cheeks, and the Lip Frosting is on my lips:



As you can tell, I really love these products, and if these are colours and products that interest you, they are worth a look. In particular, I think the Jelly Flush cheek stain is pretty nifty for people looking for a non-liquid alternative to stains like Benefit's Benetint or TheBalm's Stainiac, since it gives a similar effect. These are wearable and pretty products, and very suitable as cute-looking gifts as well.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)