One of the highlights of Beauty Asia 2014: Hakuhodo brushes!
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Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Beauty Asia 2014 Haul: Hakuhodo Brush and Nail Polish!
Beauty Asia 2014 was held for 3 days in February last week, and I am excited to say, since it was in a central area, I managed to head down during my lunch break to take a look! And of course, I couldn't resist hauling! This time, unfortunately, unlike last year, I missed the guided tour meant for press and media, so I guess I'll just focus on the hauls that I had this year!
One of the highlights of Beauty Asia 2014: Hakuhodo brushes!
One of the highlights of Beauty Asia 2014: Hakuhodo brushes!
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Etude House Play Color Eyes Eyeshadow Palettes Swatches and Review
Etude House, the Korean-based brand that is best-known for its girly, affordable products, has released two limited-edition eyeshadow palettes, the Play Color Eyes eyeshadow palettes. There are two shades of Play Color Eyes Eyeshadow Palettes to choose from: #1 So Hot Play and #2 So Chic Play. Both have a variety of shades from neutrals to deep and daring shades.
Etude House Play Color Eyes Eyeshadow Palettes
I also liked that there were a variety of finishes - there are your mattes, shimmers, and metallic finishes that can be worn as-is, but would look awesome foiled for that pop of colour. So with either palette, you have a range of colours and finishes to play around with.
Etude House Play Color Eyes Eyeshadow Palettes: Back, #1 So Hot Play, Front, So Chic Play
Let's move on to the individual palette close-ups and swatches, and you'll see what I mean.
Etude House Play Color Eyes Eyeshadow Palettes
I also liked that there were a variety of finishes - there are your mattes, shimmers, and metallic finishes that can be worn as-is, but would look awesome foiled for that pop of colour. So with either palette, you have a range of colours and finishes to play around with.
Etude House Play Color Eyes Eyeshadow Palettes: Back, #1 So Hot Play, Front, So Chic Play
Let's move on to the individual palette close-ups and swatches, and you'll see what I mean.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Giveaway: Last Day to Enter!
If you haven't yet, today is the last day to enter my international giveaway to win products from cool Japanese brands, including Juju Aquamoist, Forme, and Hurry Harry! (As of now, there are 26 hours left, to be exact.) You'll win every product in the photo below!
Giveaway: Juju Aquamoist Whitening C Cream H, Juju Aquamoist Whitening C Essence H, Forme Acne Care Concealer for Strawberry Nose, and Hurry Harry Collagen Serum Bar.
The giveaway will be open for a month, so it will close on 23/2/2014, 2359h Singapore time, and, all you have to do is fill in the form below! Every entry counts! Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Duochrome Flakie Nail Polish Swatches: Born Pretty Store Multicolored Shell Glitter Nail Polish
I love my duochromes, and I love my flakie glitter, and recently, I found a source of awesome nail polish that is a duochrome flakie! And the best part is? It's not overly expensive, either.
Born Pretty Store duochrome flakie nail polishes!
These little bottles of awesome are the Born Pretty Store Dazzling Starry Magical Multicolored Shell Glitter Nail Art Polish, (and, by the way, you can use code MCAW10 for 10% off your order). I had two colours, #4 and #11, so I figured I'll show you guys how they fared on me. These are fairly sheer, and I think they perform best over a base, although you can certainly layer them at 2-3 coats for opacity.
Born Pretty Store duochrome flakie nail polishes!
These little bottles of awesome are the Born Pretty Store Dazzling Starry Magical Multicolored Shell Glitter Nail Art Polish, (and, by the way, you can use code MCAW10 for 10% off your order). I had two colours, #4 and #11, so I figured I'll show you guys how they fared on me. These are fairly sheer, and I think they perform best over a base, although you can certainly layer them at 2-3 coats for opacity.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Reader Question: Retinol in a Skincare Routine
Sometimes, I get interesting reader questions that are featured on my blog, because I think that the question might be relevant to my blog readers. While some of my older reader questions come from my Formspring page (which is still in use, although Formspring itself seems to be no longer as popular as it was), this one came to me via email.
I thought this question was worth featuring, because it is a good example of how a seemingly easy question asking for product recommendations actually begets a much longer answer - indeed, sometimes skincare is never that simple! The reader was asking for product recommendations for retinol products. However, when including retinol in a skincare routine, I'd advise some care as retinol can interact with your other skincare products. So while people tend to focus on product recommendations, I'd also advise ensuring that the products you pair your retinol with don't inadvertently counteract each other.
Question:
I was actually mailing to ask you for a product recommendation - since you're so good with ingredients. I'm looking to add retinol to my skincare routine and was wondering if you could suggest something that's not too strong. I haven't used any before.
At the moment I have a vitamin c serum and my usual Kiehl's moisturiser. Oh and there's some salicylic acid from Hope in a Jar Night. Thanks so much!"
I thought this question was worth featuring, because it is a good example of how a seemingly easy question asking for product recommendations actually begets a much longer answer - indeed, sometimes skincare is never that simple! The reader was asking for product recommendations for retinol products. However, when including retinol in a skincare routine, I'd advise some care as retinol can interact with your other skincare products. So while people tend to focus on product recommendations, I'd also advise ensuring that the products you pair your retinol with don't inadvertently counteract each other.
Question:
I was actually mailing to ask you for a product recommendation - since you're so good with ingredients. I'm looking to add retinol to my skincare routine and was wondering if you could suggest something that's not too strong. I haven't used any before.
At the moment I have a vitamin c serum and my usual Kiehl's moisturiser. Oh and there's some salicylic acid from Hope in a Jar Night. Thanks so much!"
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Valentine's Day Eye Look: Pink and Green Eyeshadow
Valentine's Day is coming upon us, so in commemoration of what is perhaps the celebration that is most cynically exploited for capitalistic gain, I thought I'd do a little eye look for fun! After all, although I don't celebrate Valentine's Day or bother about it, any excuse to play around with makeup is fine by me.
Pink and Green Eyeshadow for Valentine's Day!
And look at the eyeshadow combination I came up with! I picked pink, because it was a Valentine's-Day-ish colour, and I picked green because it seemed like an interesting way to pair up the green.
Pink and Green Eyeshadow for Valentine's Day!
And look at the eyeshadow combination I came up with! I picked pink, because it was a Valentine's-Day-ish colour, and I picked green because it seemed like an interesting way to pair up the green.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
L'Oreal Revitalift Review: Anti-Wrinkle Essence, Eye Cream, Night Cream
L'Oreal has reformulated its Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle line, which is one of the most recognizable and reknown brands of anti-aging products on the market. Now, with new packaging and a new formula, I thought it was worth paying this range a visit again! According to L'Oreal, the newer formulation of the Revitalift range includes Centella Asiatica extract, which is renowned for its repairing properties.
L'Oreal Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle range: Essence, Eye Cream, and Night Cream
There is indeed some evidence that Centella Asiatica extract, when used topically, has the potential to heal wounds by stimulating collagen synthesis and angiogenesis. So, I was intrigued and definitely keen to know more. For this review, I'm looking at three products - the Revitalift Intensive Repair Essence, Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Eye Cream, and Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Night Cream. Let's go through these products, take a look at their ingredients, and see how I fared with them!
L'Oreal Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle range: Essence, Eye Cream, and Night Cream
There is indeed some evidence that Centella Asiatica extract, when used topically, has the potential to heal wounds by stimulating collagen synthesis and angiogenesis. So, I was intrigued and definitely keen to know more. For this review, I'm looking at three products - the Revitalift Intensive Repair Essence, Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Eye Cream, and Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Night Cream. Let's go through these products, take a look at their ingredients, and see how I fared with them!
Monday, February 3, 2014
Chanel Le Blush Cream De Chanel Swatches
I recently gave Chanel's cream blush, Le Blush Cream De Chanel, at a Chanel counter one day, and I just had to swatch these babies for you. While, as you might know, I do have quite the collection of cream blush, I've tended to stick closely to my favourite three brands (which are still unchanged from this Formspring question from long, long ago), Stila, Bobbi Brown, and, to a lesser extent, Becca. So I came to the Chanel counter kind of expecting the Le Blush Cream de Chanel to be the same.
Instead, I found that these were really different, both in terms of texture and application. The Chanel cream blushes are lighter than the Stila, Bobbi Brown or Becca, and less "oily" feeling. They feel a bit more dry and less sticky, if you will. My guess on why this is so would be that the Le Blush Cream De Chanel seems quite heavily formulated with silicones or polymers with similar silicone-y feel, so they do have a nice skinfeel and a very light texture with good slip. This means that they feel lighter and less weighty than the Bobbi Brown or Stila blushes. Comparatively, the Bobbi Brown and Stila cream blushes feel a little more like traditional cream blushes, i.e. kind of like lipstick. I suppose which brand you prefer would depend on your personal texture preferences. I'm loyal to my Stila, Bobbi Brown, and Becca, and the heavier texture has never caused any application problems for me, but I couldn't help but drool over the Chanels, too.
Le Blush Cream De Chanel Swatches
Above are my swatches. If you want to see my commentary on the individual shades, feel free to read on!
Instead, I found that these were really different, both in terms of texture and application. The Chanel cream blushes are lighter than the Stila, Bobbi Brown or Becca, and less "oily" feeling. They feel a bit more dry and less sticky, if you will. My guess on why this is so would be that the Le Blush Cream De Chanel seems quite heavily formulated with silicones or polymers with similar silicone-y feel, so they do have a nice skinfeel and a very light texture with good slip. This means that they feel lighter and less weighty than the Bobbi Brown or Stila blushes. Comparatively, the Bobbi Brown and Stila cream blushes feel a little more like traditional cream blushes, i.e. kind of like lipstick. I suppose which brand you prefer would depend on your personal texture preferences. I'm loyal to my Stila, Bobbi Brown, and Becca, and the heavier texture has never caused any application problems for me, but I couldn't help but drool over the Chanels, too.
Le Blush Cream De Chanel Swatches
Above are my swatches. If you want to see my commentary on the individual shades, feel free to read on!
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Beauty Blog Link Love
Looking for a new mascara? Phyrra shares the Top 10 Best Cruelty Free Mascaras!
Madame B Fatale Shows us her absolute favourite bright lipsticks for Summer!.
Jenny reviews the Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage Quad on My Funny Valentine. The best matte neutral palette ever created?
This week at theNotice, Rae's found a super-hydrating lip balm that leaves all others in its dust. Find out what all-natural wonder trumps Fresh, Dior, and even Aquaphor for dry lips.
--- Musicalhouses is having a international giveaway, with prizes of Japanese skincare and makeup products!
Madame B Fatale Shows us her absolute favourite bright lipsticks for Summer!.
Jenny reviews the Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage Quad on My Funny Valentine. The best matte neutral palette ever created?
This week at theNotice, Rae's found a super-hydrating lip balm that leaves all others in its dust. Find out what all-natural wonder trumps Fresh, Dior, and even Aquaphor for dry lips.
