3CE Creamy Waterprof Eye Liner Review and Swatches

3CE (3 Concept Eyes) is a Korean makeup brand, that has an aesthetic similar to that of MAC - not too expensive, quirky, colourful, and of high quality. 3CE has gotten quite a cult following here in Asia, so I've been slowly building up my little hoard of 3CE items. 3CE's Creamy Waterproof Eyeliner Pencils are one of the things I've been buying, and after amassing 4 shades, I thought it's fair enough for me to give a review on their pencil eyeliners!

3CE Creamy Waterprof Eye Liner: One of the Korean cult brand's products

3CE has, of course, more than just eyeliners - like MAC, their range of products spans from lipsticks to eyeshadows to foundations to base products to lip tints and the like. I've been reading great things about their eyeliners (along with the entire brand in general), which is why I thought these would be a good place to start.


3CE Creamy Waterprof Eye Liners: Slim pencil eyeliners with rave reviews
So, without further ado, let's get started! In addition to swatches, I've also done some tests to see how long-lasting the eyeliners are, so this will be a bit of a long-ish review, but I hope it's worth it!


3CE Creamy Waterprof Eye Liner Packaging: Sleek black boxes

Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur Review, Swatches and Ingredients Analysis

Etude House's Beauty Shot Face Blur is the latest base makeup product from Etude House, and while it's not quite new to Singapore, having been launched about a month or so ago, I figure better late than never! The Face Blur functions sort of like a cross between a primer and a sort of light foundation, and according to the Etude House English website it is a "lightweight cream" with "multi-blurring effects for instantly refined and smooth skin" for a "3-in-1 multi filter effect like adjusting light on skin". It even has SPF15/PA+ sun protection to boot! Sounds great, huh?

Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur: The latest makeup base product from Etude House

The Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur is supposed to give your skin a perfect finish and instantly make your skin "selfie ready" - I suppose given that "selfie" was named Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year in 2013, I guess there's no better way to market a product! Of course, in Asia, base makeup is always important - all sorts of base makeup like BB creams, BB cushions, and the like sell very well here. I'm totally expecting this to do well here!


Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur: Make your skin "selfie" ready!
Anyway, I know you're wondering - how does this differ from all the other primers out there? And does it really cover pores, perfect skin, and so on? Well you're in luck! We're just about to start on a little nerdy ingredients analysis of the product, before going on to swatches and a demonstration!

Creme De La Mer Dupes: Ingredients Analysis and Similar Products!

Creme De La Mer is one of those iconic products in the beauty industry everyone's heard of. It is legendary, and the very definition of a cult product, and is often claimed to be a "miracle broth" that miraculously somehow helps in anti-aging. Despite its outrageously high price, or perhaps because of it, the buzz around this product is high - celebrities are said to use it, lots of blog reviews can be found raving about it, and those who spend the money on it claim that it definitely does work. It is the one and only Creme De La Mer, after all, and it is so unique that nothing can come close to it, and there aren't any products like it - or are there?

Creme De La Mer: A legendary product, with legendary hype (Source)

You guys know that I get pretty skeptical of such claims. It has been said that the humble ol' Nivea Creme is a dupe for Creme De La Mer - but of course, if you search the Internets, you'll find people saying that they don't see a difference between the two, and you'll also find tons of people who say that the La Mer version is still much better, and the plain ol' Nivea can't compare.

So with that said and done, let’s examine the Creme de La Mer more closely, and find out what exactly is in this "miracle broth". From there, we can figure out how the product works, and then, see if there are any dupes for it, or if not dupes, perhaps similar products. And the only way to begin this process is to get down and dirty with the Creme De La Mer ingredients list!

MUFE Artist Plexi Gloss Swatches: All 35 Lipgloss Colours!

MUFE (Make Up For Ever) has a new line of lipgloss, the Artist Plexi Gloss, that will be launched in Singapore on 16 April. These lipglosses come in 35 shades, and I've heard that they will be replacing the Lab Shine Lipgloss range. The shade range of the Artist Plexi Glosses are seriously immense - everything from reds, to pinks, to corals, to nudes, and even some cooler shades like purple and black. They come in two finishes - Pure, which is a glossy finish sans any sort of shimmer whatsoever, and Pearly, which has a slight shimmer finish (no discoball, gritty glitter here).

MUFE Artist Plexi Gloss: Formulated with special polymers to give unparalleled shine

The shade numbering system for the MUFE Artist Plexi Glosses is quite simple: shades in the 100s are nudes and beiges, shades in the 200s are pinks, shades in the 300s are corals, shades in the 400s are reds, and the 500s are purple and other more funky shades. The "Pearly" shades are distinguished from "Pure" shades by the addition of the "P" at the end - so for example, 400 would be a red shade with a Pure finish (no glitter, just glossy), while 401P would be a red shade with a Pearly finish that has some very fine shimmer.

MUFE Artist Plexi Gloss Appicator: Specially shaped with a little cutout in the middle to give a smooth, even application of gloss

I'm told the glossiness of the Artist Plexi Glosses is acheived by a special blend of polymers that form a smooth surface on the lips, giving a nice shine. Another thing that's novel about the Artist Plexi GLosses are their applicators. As you can see they are a spoon-shaped applicator with a little cut in the side - apparently this is so the applciator can scoop up the right amount of gloss, and apply it smoothly to the lips to give a nice, even application on the lips..

But enough about the glosses. I know you guys came to see swatches, so let's cut to the chase! I've got all 35 shades swatched for you, so yay for that!

Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30 Review, Swatches and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's recently launched their Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30, and it's billed as a multi-use product. The Kiehl's website says that it is both a "brightening eye cream" and a "primer for the upper eye lid", so a hybrid "both a makeup and skincare product" kind of product. So yes, this is a pretty exciting-sounding product, because now, you don't need to apply a separate eye cream and concealer, because it does it all, and has SPF to boot! I've even heard some people tell me that with its multi-tasking benefit, it's basically "like a BB cream for eyes". Eye cream, concealer, primer, sun protection - looks like the product does it all!

Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30: A multi-tasking eye cream, concealer, primer, and sunscreen for eyes!

Now, of course you guys know how I feel about the hype BB creams get - and I've also actually reviewed Kiehl's BB cream as well. So I thought it would be great to, as is my fashion, start by deconstructing the hype around the product, to analyse the product and see whether it really does confer both skincare as well as makeup benefits.


Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30: Billed as a "BB cream for eyes", this promises to help you skip a few steps in your routine.
And, because you know how much of a skincare nerd I am, you'll know that this analysis begins at nowhere else other than the ingredients list! Don't worry, I promise it gets much more interesting after that, with swatches and a full review!

Brush Egg Dupe For $2: Daiso Egg Laundry Board

You might have heard of the Brush Egg, which is "a texturized, high-grade silicone finger glove" to "help with the deep cleaning process of makeup brushes" (quotes taken from US and Canada Brush Egg site). It's been getting some traction, particularly on Instagram. It's US$8 on their website, which I guess makes it fairly affordable. But, I've managed to find an even cheaper dupe - this little baby was found at Daiso for just SGD$2!

A Brush Egg dupe for just $2 at Daiso: The Egg Laundry Board!

Before you think, "No way, a Brush Egg dupe for just $2? Surely they can't be that dupe-y!", let me show you a photo of the original Brush Egg (in the photo below along with some makeup brushes and other purple coloured props). They really are identical!

Definitely looks like the actual Brush Egg (Source)

Believe me yet? Anyway this humble Brush Egg dupe is actually an Egg Laundry Board that Daiso sells. Basically it's a small, handheld laundry board that you can use to remove a spot from an article of clothing, without having to throw it into the wash. So say if you get a food stain onto your blouse, you could, instead of putting the blouse into the washing machine, just use the Egg Laundry Board and some detergent, and manually wash out the stain in your sink. Pretty nifty, huh?


The Brush Egg Dupe/Egg Laundry Board now does double duty as a mini-laundry board and a brush cleaning tool
For those who are just looking for a dupe of the Brush Egg - now you know the dupe, and now you know where to get it! For those interested to know how I use this brush and what I think the best way to use it is, I thought I'd do a more in-depth review and a quick demo to show you how this little Brush Egg dupe works!

About My Undertones Advice and Skincare and Ingredients Analysis Services: HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S!

Yesterday, I shared that for a small fee, you can now get Undertones Identification and Skincare and Ingredient Analysis from yours truly!

I realized I had forgotten to include one tiny little detail, so I thought I'd add it on now:

(Source)

Hehehe. Did you guys fall for it? Don't worry, I won't actually be charging you guys for anything! I've always valued the people who read this blog, and the people who bother to contact me, and I could never ever even think of charging people for something as trivial as emailing me or contacting me! So yes, email correspondence, including asking about undertones and skincare products, remains free! Yay! :P (And for the people whose undertone questions I haven't responded to yet - I'll get back to you soon, I've just been busy! I don't intend to charge you either!)

On another note related to this prank, it seems like monetization of blogs is such a common thing that we don't even blink an eye when we hear another blogger attempting to turn his/her blog into a money-spinning venture. I guess we're so used to it that noone really cares, or is surprised anymore. And to me, that's a little sad, because there are still tons of bloggers out there who don't make money off their blog, but still keep blogging for the love of it (including yours truly!). And I honestly don't feel good inside when I hear of bloggers who try to make money off their readers. I wouldn't say that's unacceptable or off-limits, because some bloggers seem to find a working model for it that keeps their readers happy, but personally, I could never ever do it. It would just feel so crass and money-grabbing to demand that the people who are supporting you (or at least reading what you write!) pay for the pleasure of knowing your thoughts. And, in this day and age where the internet pretty much pulls up whatever free information is there at your fingertips in a couple of seconds, I don't personally think it ever makes sense for a blog to charge its audience to read its posts, or to interact with its authors. But that's just me.

So yes, reading the blog will remain free, and no, I'm not planning to charge anyone for emailing me or asking me questions. I'm happy to answer them, and flattered that anyone thinks my opinion is worth seeking! And, I'm always happy for the relationships and interactions that I've been able to make as a result of my blogging hobby, and that definitely includes my readers too! (But if I do take a while to respond, I hope you can bear with me - real life really can and does get in the way of online activity!)

And since we're on the internetz, I thought this was relevant, too!

(Source)

Hope you had a good one yesterday!

Get Undertone Advice and Product Ingredients Analysis For Just $5 and Up!

Edited to add: I've gotten some shade from people who thought this post was for real, so in case it isn't clear, this post is an April Fool's joke, and is not a serious post. This joke reveal post that I made the next day also explains that, but it seems like some people only saw this post without seeing the joke reveal and so they got the wrong idea. This April Fool's joke was inspired by the fact that I get a lot of undertone and skincare/product advice requests from readers (and also by the fact that I don't always manage to clear my inbox!), but I love interacting with my readers and would never ever charge them for it! I guess this year's joke was just too believable which I guess is a good thing for an April Fool's prank!

I've got some pretty big and exciting news I want to share, that I think you guys will like! As you know, I'm somewhat known for my undertones for Asians post, which is one of my most popular posts, and still prompts people to send me comments and emails to this day. I'm not kidding, I really mean this literally - I have a couple of emails from readers in my inbox asking me about undertones that I have yet to get around to! But beyond undertones, I'm also known for my skincare analysis and general ingredients geekery, which you see and love in basically all my ingredients analysis posts. These posts also prompt a lot of interaction from readers - sometimes very long emails, going into their skincare conditions and histories, often from people who are just confused and feeling at their wits' end, wanting guidance on their skincare products and routines.

Launching: Personalized Undertone Identification, and Skincare and Ingredients Analysis Services! (Source)

You guys know that I love my readers (you!) and I'm always willing to help make your lives better in any way possible, in my small capacity as a humble beauty blogger. So, as a result of this response from my readers, I've decided that I could do more to help you guys, in these two areas of expertise - undertones (not limited to Asians), and ingredients and skincare analysis. So, I've decided to launch two analysis services, that will be personalized to you! You can opt to receive these services either via email, or live via Skype sessions. The services are:

1. Undertones Identification and Advice:
If you are not sure of your undertones, or how to classify your skintone (cool, warm, olive, neutral, etc.), I can help to identify your undertone for a small fee, e.g. I can tell you, "You are a pale olive with cool undertones." This is the most basic service I offer, called "Undertone Identification".

For an optional, minimal fee, I can also offer extra "advice" (hence the "and Advice" portion mentioned above). By "advice", I mean that in addition to just helping you identify your undertones (e.g. "You're a pale olive with cool undertones"), I can further help you understand your undertone (e.g. What exactly does being a "pale olive with cool undertones" mean) also answer related questions, (e.g. Given my undertone, what colours would suit me, how do I choose an appropriate eyeshadow or lipstick colour, and so on).

Although the original undertones post that prompted me to start this service is about Asian undertones, you don't have to be Asian to use this service - I can also identify and advise for all sorts of races with different undertones!

2. Skincare and Ingredient Analysis and Advice:
You've seen me work my ingredients analysis skills on this blog, and you like what you've read. But I'm not superwoman, and I can't covered every product on the planet, and I haven't covered the specific product you're wondering about. Now for $5 per product, I can offer my ingredients analysis of the product! E.g. I can tell you, the key ingredients of this moisturizer are mineral oil, an emollient, glycerin, a humectant, water, rhamnose, a form of sugar that functions as a humectant, and ascorbyl palmitate, which is a form of Vitamin C that is fairly stable. This is the most basic service I offer, and is called "Skincare and Ingredient Analysis".

Again, like my Undertones Identification and Advice service, for an optional, minimal fee, I can also offer extra "advice". In this context, I mean that if you're wondering how to choose between two products, or if you're wondering what ingredients you should look out for given your skin type, or if you have specific concerns about your skin, I can offer more advice and answer more questions. For example, if you have blemished skin and want to know out of your current regime which products are likely to be contributing to the acne, I can help to run through your regime and pinpoint which are the most likely culprits, and advise you on how you can choose better products.

Of course, this Ingredients Analysis and Advice service is not just limited to skincare product. If you have a makeup product (eyeliner, foundation) or a body care product (body lotion, body scrub) that you want to analyse its ingredients for, then feel free to use this service as well!

Does this sound interesting to you? I figured this is something a lot of my readers would be interesetd in, since I do get quite a lot of emails and other correspondence on these two topics! If you're keen on knowing more, click on to see the rates and fees for these services (they're really cheap, I promise, nothing's more than $15!), as well as a handy-dandy FAQ to get you started! The registration and enquiry form is also below the jump, so do click on if you want to formally register for a service, or put in an enquiry!