Haul: Daiso Nail Art Glitter Set Purple: Holo Hearts!

The other day I went to Daiso for a little bit of budget rummaging. If you follow me on Twitter, you would have seen me laughing at their tiny nail polish holders, which are obviously not meant for nail polish-holics like me! Anyway, I did find something I ended up getting at Daiso - a set of nail art glitters!

I believe this is called the Glitter Set Purple (No 75). They also had them in other colours, I saw blue and yellow. But I picked the purple, because you know I have a thing for purple, right? It's my absolute favourite colour! The set comes with some diagrams and instructions. Basically the 3 jars in the set are stackable. You have to remove the lids, and screw the bases of one jar onto the top of the other jar.



There are 3 pots of glitter. One is your averge fuschia glitter powder. Not bad. The next is a bunch of small light lilac stars. Also not too bad. Both are things i like and will use. But the thing I really bought this set for was the hearts. They're like, purple holographic hearts!



You know I love me some holo bling, so I'm going to just give you another close up shot of the purple hearts. When seen from different angles, they have this holographic sheen which is absolutely awesome! I love it, and I definitely can't wait to use it. This was also the key reason why I picked purple over the other sets - for some reason, only the purple set had holographic hearts. The hearts in the other coloured sets were just plain plastic hearts.



I paid a whopping S$2 for this set, and I'm happy. Yay for cheap goodies! Anyway, I don't know if your Daiso carries this, but if you do see it, remember to get it! Holo hearts aren't all that easy to come by cheap!

Elianto Haul + Penang Trip: Fun in Malaysia!

As some of you may know, I travelled up to Malacca and Penang in end-October and early-November respectively with some of my colleagues. Both times were fun, and good opportunities to recharge from the daily grind of work. And of course, since I was in Malaysia, I couldn't help indulge in hauling a little bit!


(Street view of Penang)

I hauled Elianto, a local Malaysian brand that's cheaper in Malaysia than in Singapore. If you read the marketing schtick of Elianto, the brand claims it's a Korean-Malaysian brand, but I think that's really just marketing spiel, because in general Korean and Japanese brands tend to sell better than other local Asian brands (e.g. Taiwanese, Hong Kong, etc). Thus, some local brands try to portray themselves as being Japanese or Korean-like, in an attempt to latch onto the cachet of such brands. In fact, if you go to Korea, I doubt you'll find Elianto - the last time I went there (although it was a couple of years ago, to be sure), the brand wasn't even available there.

But regardless of their marketing (are they Korean? Malaysian? Malaysian but made in Korea? Vice versa? If you google it, you'll see everyone's confused, and some consumers are feeling scammed over the "you're not really Korean" thing), Elianto does have some very nice products, and they are very cheap too. So, I bought a few items. I just couldn't help it!

Altogether, I bought two eyeshadows and two nail polishes. I actually bought a nail polish in Malacca, first, and then the rest were bought shortly later when I was in Penang. I would have bought a LOT more, but both times I was with my colleagues, and I didn't want them to think I was crazy...*looks around suspiciously*

Anyway, let's take a look at the haul up close. The nail polishes were good...I bought one first, went home and tested it out, and realized that it had a really great brush and great texture. Not too thin or thick, and opaque in two coats. Awesome. So I bought another one. I bought Burnt Umber, a gorgeous brown-red with green glitter, and I hope it has a green flash too, but we'll have to wait til I try it out. It reminds me of MAC's Club eyeshadow, but in nail polish form. I also got Racing Green, a forest green with light green glitter. Also a standout of the line, if you ask me.



Next, for eyeshadows! As with all brands, some of the Elianto eyeshadows were hits, and some were misses. However, both of these were fantastic - great pigment payoff, great texture, and great finish. They're also generously-sized, with pans that are bigger than MAC but smaller than Stila.

I bought Taupe, which is NOT TAUPE but a nice medium-deep olive green-brown shade...very nice and neutral, and universally flattering too! I also bought Toffee Brown, which is a deep brown with neutral undertones. I hadn't realized that these didn't come with their own containers. Apparently you're supposed to buy a palette and stick these in the palette. I guess I'll just my Stila palettes instead. Oops.



Anyway, now that you've seen pretty makeup pictures, what about travel pictures? I'll even throw in useless commentary :)

First, a chendol stall! Penang is famous for its food, among other things, and we spent a lot of our time hunting down some of the more famous foods there. One of them was the chendol (feel free to google any unfamiliar food names if you're not from this part of Asia). There are quite a few roadside stalls in Penang selling chendol, and I don't think we ever figured out which one was supposed to be good..we just kind of ate randomly from a couple of stalls. Here's a typical roadside stall, with a customer (my colleague) eating in front of the stall. Now that's what you call alfresco dining!



Then, outdoor food markets! I honestly can't remember where this is, but apparently it's one of the more famous and thus touristy ones. This one came recommended by some friends, which is why we went to it, but the food wasn't that great. It sure was crowded though.



A close-up of some raw food hanging from a stall in the food market. It looks gross, but all that's gonna be turned into delicious food! Yummy!



Yet another roadside food stall. This one is higher-class though, you actually get to sit in the shade to eat your food. The carrot cake (once again, google if you're not from this area of the world - it's not quite a "cake" in the Western sense of hte word) from this stall is apparently quite famous, and it was pretty good. It's also not cheap by Penang standards - about RM7 for a smaller-than-usual plate of carrot cake. But I really liked it, and thought it was worth the cost and the trouble to walk there under the hot sun.



And some sightseeing, and possibly a very interesting spot to visit if you're into architecture - the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. This was built by a trader named Cheong Fatt Tze, who lived in the late 1800s to early 1900s. He was quite rich, so the house was very ornately built, and very big too. In fact, the servants lived across the road in specially built apartments for them, so this house was just all family members. Unfortunately, fate can be cruel, and the family's fortunes went downhill after the Second World War, and the mansion was eventually sold off, and now is owned by a group of local Penang people who wished to preserve it.



Anyway, this was a long post, thanks to the photos, so I hope you enjoyed it! I only put up photos from Penang, because I was too lazy to go through my Malacca ones to upload, and I didn't want the post to be too long. Anyway, my only regret was that I didn't buy more Elianto items, but the next time I'm in Malaysia, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for those!

Hello Kitty Lipbalms Haul: Never too Old for Cute!

As some of you may know, I travelled to Japan recently for work. Unfortunately, since it was for work, there wasn't much time or desire to haul (so unlike the last time I went to Japan, I don't have any funny photos to show you), but when I was at the airport, I had some extra Yen coins to get rid of, so on impulse I bought these two adorable Hello Kitty Lipbalms!

The first one is a Hello Kitty Rosette Treatment Lip, which is basically just a plain uncoloured lipbalm/lipgloss. Awww, you just gotta love the packaging! The apple drawiwng on the packaging is meant to indicate the smell (it's touted as having a sweet apple scent).



The Hello Kitty Rosette Treatment Lip is just like plain ol' lipgloss to me. It doesn't treat lips as much as it claims to do, but it's decent - perhaps not too much different from Vaseline, only that it feels a lot less sticky on. But obviously when I bought this, I wasn't thinking of how effective it was. I just wanted the Kitty!



The Hello Kitty Rosette lipbalm does have a very strong sweet apple smell, although the smell dissipates very very fast upon application. I find that a pity - although I know the scent is artificial, I really like it, because it reminds me of those Yupi Burger candies I used to eat. Anyone ever tried those?

(Image source)

If Yupi Burger isn't your thing, the other thing I thought it also smelled a lot like was those Haribou sweets. Yup, here's another excuse for me to shamelessly put up another photo of childhood candy!

(Image source)

The other thing I bought was a Shiseido Water in Lip Lipbalm, which is basically a drugstore range of lipbalms Shiseido put out. Nothing special, except that this one has Limited Edition Hello Kitty Packaging! (Yes that's what it says on the packaging, anyway). So I just had to get it. The lipbalms come in a few flavours. The one I have is raspberry. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't comment on what it is like, unfortunately.



I gotta admit it - I really bought these just because they were so cute! (Don't look at me like that - I'm pretty sure I'm not alone!) Fortunately, lipbalm is one of those things that you can never have enough of, so I'm pretty glad I bought these.

Small Haul: China Glaze and Annabelle

Although I'm a huge makeup junkie, I have to admit that due to my busy job, I don't really buy as much makeup as I'd like - it's hard to keep up with all the collections when you're working 12 hours a day, 5 days a week! I think I actually do spend more time in the office than at home. So thank goodness for proxy hauls, which I engage in by asking my fellow blogger friends to help me purchase stuff I want. (Thanks Lynn for helping me shop!)

This haul is really tiny, but it's a happy haul! The first two things I got were two China Glaze nail polishes. I don't have that much China Glaze (by brand Nails Inc comes out tops) but I love what I have, and I'm always wanting more. And I happen to be on a teal/turquoise nail polish kick at the moment. So I ended up with Beauty and the Beach, a sheer shimmery turquoise, and Metallic Muse, which I got just because it would be awesome to konad with, and because it's just so cool!

L-R: China Glaze Beauty and the Beach, China Glaze Metallic Muse

I actually meant to get Turned Up Turquoise instead of Beauty and the Beach, because sheer polishes aren't really my thing, but they were out of stock of Turned Up Turquoise. Oh well.

Next, I got one Annabelle eyeshadow. Yes, just one. I had actually given my friend a long list of eyeshadow names, but they were all unavailable (come on Annabelle, how often do we people from Asia get to go to Canada?). So she ended up getting Divine Diva, which was close to one of the shades I wanted.



Okay, that photo above doesn't really do justice to the colour in the pan - for some reason the light keeps reflecting off the plastic. But it's really a gorgeous colour - it's a brown, with a hint of plum, and gold shimmer. I've read online that it's a dupe for MAC Trax, which is good, since I don't have Trax yet.

Here's a better shot of the actual eyeshadow pan itself. Isn't it just gorgeous?



I can't wait to use all these shades on my eyes and nails (not all at once, of course). Welcome these little additions to my huge makeup and nail polish family!

Japan Cosmetics and Skincare Haul (and Other Funny Things)

A few weeks ago, I went to Hokkaido in Japan. I really enjoyed it, and I did all sorts of really awesome things - I went to a hot spring (you aren't allowed to wear clothes in there, so it takes some getting used to!), visited both the Ishiya Chocolate and the Asahi Beer factories (those were highlights for me, because in my day job I get to visit factories too), and just generally enjoyed the sights and sounds of gorged myself on the awesome Japanese food, especially the seafood and the dairy products. It was such an amazingly beautiful place with so much to do.

But of course you're not interested in that, right? So I'll show you what I hauled while I was in Japan. Now we're interested! :P

Firstly, I'm going to have to disappoint you by saying that my haul was rather small. In part, this was due to the fact that once the exchange rate was accounted for, prices were actually the same, although we were in Japan. Unlike US-based and Europe-based brands, which like to mark up their retail prices by at least 30% once they export out of their home market, Japanese cosmetic brands don't seem to have the same mindset. So yes, unfair as it may seem, while a NARS blush is nearly USD$50 in Japan and only USD$25 in America, the girl in Indiana pays the same for a Shu Uemura eyeshadow as the girl in Tokyo, unless you happen to buy from some unscrupulous third-party reseller who jacks up the retail price. So yes, that did dent my haul, but on the bright side, I can buy all the Japanese cosmetics I want back home knowing we're more or less paying the same prices worldwide.

So, that rant aside, let's start with the fun stuff of what I got: Shiseido Integrate nail polishes! For the unfamiliar, Integrate is one of Shiseido's subsidiary brands, calibrated for the drugstore market, along with a line of other brands, including Majolica Majorca, ZA Cosmetics, Maquillage, and Ettusais. Most of the colours were rather ho-hum, playing into the casual nail polish user's preference for sheer pinks and reds, but there were a couple of more interesting colours I spied. I got RD701, a dusky, dusty, greyed-purple with a pink flash, and GD841, an antique gold-green shade with a pink flash.



Don't they look gorgeous? I can't wait to use them!

I also got a Canmake Nail Glitter 02, one of their ranges of nail polish. Basically consisting of four colours, each colour is a different coloured glitter (pink, teal, silver, gold) in a clear base. I got the gold, as it looked more interesting.



And, this is the part of my haul I'm most excited about. I GOT A TAUPE EYESHADOW! Woohoo! Now for a taupe lover like myself, I compulsively collect and hoard taupe eyeshadow, so I was glad to lay my hands on this little baby. Go ahead, feast your eyes. You know you want to.



Okay, so it looks a little blah in the pan, and the photo isn't great because the plastic wrapping is still covering the entire case, but that's Coffret D'or, dude! Coffret D'or is one of the better makeup brands in Japan, with shades that are actually very smooth-textured and nicely pigmented. I don't know about you, but a lot of Asian-brand eyeshadows tend to be over-glittery, gritty, and have downright wimpy pigmentation (and I'm looking at almost all of them - most Canmake, some Majolica Majorca, some KATE, and the list goes on). So when I swatched this eyeshadow, I just HAD to have it.

It's Coffret D'or's Eye Color in GY-37. Taupe perfection, taupe goodness. A perfect light-to-midtone greyed-purpled-brown with some sparkles, but not too much. This is like my baby right now. I just love it so much, I can't bear to use it.

Other than makep, I got some skincare items. I got my DHC Cleansing Oil, which I find so much better than the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil, as it lathers more easily and rinses off so much cleaner, whereas the Shu Uemura version leaves a residue that makes me perpetually paranoid that the mineral oil in its formulation will break my skin out. Oh yeah, and did I also mention that the DHC Cleansing Oil also has no mineral oil? Perfect for people who are sensitive to mineral oil, like me.



Of course, the drawback is that the DHC Cleansing Oil looks rather gross in it's packaging. It looks like the olive oil I used to use for cooking when I was living in the West (olive oil is cheaper there than in Asia, believe it or not), and that's because it is primarily made of olive oil. Olive oil, and a bunch of emulsifiers, so it rinses off better than pure olive oil. I rather like this. I need to review it sometime.

Lastly, I got some DHC Pimple/Acne Spot Therapy Cream. Now, I have something I want to say to DHC about the packaging of the product: Why is it that the consumers in Japan get the cutesy packaging, while the rest of us get a boring baby blue box? No fair!



The box above is what I bought in Singapore - which is a rather medical, serious and stuffy-looking blue box. The box below, the kawaii one with spots and a drawing of the product working on the pimple, is what you can get in Japan. The product inside is the same though.

The discrimination even extends to the tubes themselves. Why does the Japanese version look so much cuter? Both contain 15ml of product, however, so you get the same product in the same amount, but...I want mine to look cute too!



Anyway, I'm guessing the change in packaging is probably to cater to the market, since it costs the company money to have more than one design for the packaging and boxes and so on. The marketing honchos must have figured out that while cute and kawaii things sell within Japan, for a pimple cream that will be sold outside of Japan, it would probably be better for it to look more professional and medicinal, and more like something the doctor would prescribe. I guess it's working - this product seems to be selling well.

And of course, what kind of tourist would I be if I didn't marvel at the funny Engrish there? To be fair, I do think that since the last time I visited Japan 8 years ago, the English competency has definitely improved. But I still see Engrish gems all over the place. Here's a makeup-related one for you:



I'm sorry, but this ad is just hilarious. It's for a foundation product released by Maquillage, one of Shiseido's subsidiaries, that promises clean, smooth skin. So I guess that automatically allows you to proclaim, "I'M VIRGIN!" Woohoo! Somehow, I can't imagine this selling in the West. Ever. In the rest of Asia, probably (provided it's better translated than "I'm virgin" - I believe the actual message they wanted to convey was virgin-clear skin, or virgin-clean skin, etc). But not in the West. That would seem positively medieval.

Anyway, another thing I found funny were the instructions showing you how to use squat toilet. That's right - toilets which are a glorified and beautified hole in the ground, and you basically squat over them to use them. I don't believe these exist in the West (come to think of it, in my 4 years living abroad in the US and UK I've only ever seen sitting toilets), but they're commonplace in Asia. So I found it funny that the Japanese people have helpfully provided instructions on how to use the toilets for uninitiated, clueless Westerners, complete with diagrams! I never saw any such diagrams when I visited other parts of Asia - I guess they expect you to figure out how to use it yourself, or else handle your bladder well.

Here's a typical diagram you might find. I think they claim too much credit in calling these "Japanese style toilets", since they're found all over Asia, certainly not just Japan. I'd call them "Asian style toilets", but hey, I don't write instructions for toilet usage:



And this, hands-down, has got to be the BEST "how-to-use-our-toilets-for-clueless-tourists" manual ever. It's got painfully detailed step-by-step diagrams, and classic Engrish lines such as "Do it" and "If you lose your balance, you are gonna fall down on shit". ROFL! They even have instructions in Mandarin, although I don't know why they need those - the rest of Asia is familiar with these toilets.



So now that I've wowed you with the awesome makeup I bought, laughed with you at the funny Engrish, and grossed you out with toilet signs, I hope you've enjoyed this post. While I know I can sound mean laughing at stupid things like Engrish and toilets, let me assure you that I have nothing but utmost love for Japan and its people. I'll be posting as I use some of the items, but until then, I am glad that my visit to Hokkaido has left me with beautiful memories, and gorgeous makeup and skicnare items.

Asian Face Powders Haul: Ponds Magic Powder and Bhaesaj Teen Powder

Everywhere I go, I'm always discovering new beauty products and tips. And thanks to friends who travel and are nice enough to buy stuff back for me, from time to time, I get to lay my hands on some of makeup tips, tricks and hot items from other countries!

My friend, Lynn, recently went to Thailand, and bought back these two Asian face powders for me, the Ponds Magic Powder, as well as the Thailand-based brand's Bhaesaj Teen Powder, both of which are extremely popular in Thailand, and have garnered a following in Asia as well.



These face powders look like body powders, but they're actually used as face powders in Asia. Pretty neat, eh? I've actually reviewed the Johnson's Face Powder previously, so these powders are in the same vein as the one.

Here's a photo of my face powders, including the Johnson's one previously reviewed.



I'm so excited to have hauled this, even if in proxy through a friend, LOL! I can't wait to start using and reviewing these!

Cheap Awesome Haul: Yashali Nail Polish

So while I was browsing around on one idle weekend, I found a small shop selling a bunch of polishes for just SGD$1 each! Faced with such a plethora of options, I couldn't help but haul! I mean, those polishes were less tha US$1 or a quid! Woohoo!



L-R: Yashali polishes in 023, 006, 042, 052, 037, 045, 066, 036

Okay, okay. So I know that the colours were kinda boring - a few of them were gifts for less finger-funky ladies, which explains the colour selection. I got the cool ones! :P My personal favourites are 036, an awesome milk chocolate brown that kind of looks like it could be a dupe for all the Chanel Particuliere-wannabe polishes out there, as well as 066, a lilac glitter suspended in a clear base. Oh yes, I may hate glitter on my face when it comes to makeup, but I lurve it on my nails as polish.

I had no idea what kind of brand Yashali is, but apparently it's a Taiwanese brand, made in China, which unfortunately is often stereotyped as the great big land of cheap things. It seems most prevalently sold in Hong Kong. I couldn't get an ingredients list, so I can't vouch for it's safety. I wouldn't be surprised if the polishes weren't B3F (Big Three Free - meaning free of formaldehyde, DBP & toluene). But they're cheap and pretty cheery. I've read other bloggers who have bought Yashali polishes and featured them, but I don't believe anyone else got it for SGD$1! The average price, from what I know, is around SGD$5. *Starts making a note to add cheap polish to bragging rights*

Anyway, cheap-ness aside, I'm pretty excited to use these - as I always am about nail polishes - so I'll be updating on how the polishes are as I go along using them. What do you guys think? Would you buy cheap polishes? Do you get excited about brands you're not familiar with, or would you stick with the tried and tested?

Haul Post: Illamasqua Beg, Models Own and Why I Didn't Buy Chanel Particuliere

I know we're in the middle of swatching our Barry M Dazzle Dusts, but I just had to take out a bit of time to show off my haul - we'll be back to the Dazzle Dusts in my next post, promise!

ASOS had a sale and I bought makeup and nail polish, and only makeup and nail polish. I don't know why I have that problem. I never buy clothes, rarely buy shoes, occasionally buy bags (my other weakness), but give me a sale and throw in some makeup and I'll be all over it.

Anyway, this means I get to show off my haul, and because I love you guys (aww!), I included a couple of bottle comparison pictures. I know they're bottle comparison pictures and not swatches, but I promise I'll get around to the swatching soon!

But first, the haul.

I got my first Illamasqua blush ever, and it's in the colour Beg. It's a pretty, slightly deep dusty rose colour, that is more neutral than anything else. At some point in the future I will do swatches and possibly an FOTD and a full review, but you'll have to go on this for now:



I know, it's a beautiful thing right?!

Then, because it was also really cheap, I bought a duo set of nail polishes, consisting of two Asos by Ciate colours. This particular set has Sienna, a purply-taupe-grey-brown creme which is the type of nail colour that is right up my alley, and Alexa, a navy blue creme. Obviously you can tell I bought the set just for Sienna:



And I also bought a Models Own It set, because it was just 2.50GBP. How could I resist? It had a nail buffer (which I doubt I'll use), a lipgloss and a nail polish:



Ok, Ok, so on to the comparison pics. I do intend to swatch and review these and make them more extensive, but here is why I didn't buy Chanel Particuliere, although purply-brown-grey nail colours are just my thing. *clears throat* I already have too many taupey-purply-brown-grey nail colours. I know Particuliere may not be a dupe for any of them, but I feel like I may have too many shades in the same colour family, as it is.



L-R: Essie Mink Muffs, ASOS by Ciate Sienna, Nails Inc Jermyn Street, Rimmel Steel Grey

I know, that's not a lot by nail fanatic standards, but by civilian standards, that's way too many! :X And what's more, these are just the ones I have here. There are a couple that I don't have on me right now, like $OPI Metro Chic.

To make the comparisons easier to see, I've turned the bottles on their sides as well, so you can look at them:



L-R: Essie Mink Muffs, ASOS by Ciate Sienna, Nails Inc Jermyn Street, Rimmel Steel Grey

See, I tell you, I can own all of them because they're NOT identical, not even in the bottle, even if they're all close. Honestly, this makes me vacilliate a lot on Chanel Particuliere, because chances are, I know Particuliere won't be an exact dupe for any of these, but it'll probably be pretty close. And while I abide by the if-it-isn't-an-exact-dupe-it's-a-justified-buy rule of nail fanatics, I also know that 99.99% of people aren't going to be able to tell the difference. Add that to the fact that Chanels here retail for 16GBP (and yes, I do know they're more expensive elsewhere), and you get a very indecisive girl.

That said, I am happy with what I have, and here's how they're different. ASOS by Ciate Sienna is the most purple, while Essie Mink Muffs is the most brown, and Rimmel Steel Grey has strong hints of purple and grey, while Nails Inc Jermyn Street is an equal mix of all three. If you're just going for one, I guess which colour you'd be picking is a matter of preference, and skin undertone. I think they're all neutral enough to be worn by most people, but if you really want to split hairs, in general, some purples and greys can look a little odd on girls who are really warmtoned, so if you're really warm, you might want to try Essie Mink Muffs and Nails Inc Jermyn Street, which are more brown. If you're cooltoned and you love your purples, Asos by Ciate Sienna is a good pick, while if you want something a tad more grey, Rimmel Steel Grey (which is only partly grey) is perhaps best.

Alright, showing-off time over! We'll be back to the Barry M Dazzle Dusts in my next post. Thanks for humouring me guys!

Nail Polish Haul: OPI, Essie, China Glaze, and Orly!

Awhile back, to reward myself for getting through a particularly stressful period of school (believe it or not, despite all my professors' assumptions about the "copious free time" we have, us grad students are actually a relatively busy bunch), I decided it was time to place an order of my lemmings. Hey, don't judge me - my groupmate bought himself a camera, so I figured it was perfectly reasonable for me to buy nail polish. And so I did. And these babies arrived all the way from the great USA, the land of cheap Chinaglaze, etailers of nail polish, and buy-1-get-1-free drugstore makeup promotions. Oh, just thinking about it makes me so jealous!

Anyway here is my amazing haul. Please pardon the crappy pictures, they were taken at night under my yellow lamplight, and I suck at using photo-editing software:



Ooh, China Glaze Khromes! I've been wanting these FOREVER for konading purposes! I got China Glaze Sci Fi, Robotika, Millenium, and 2030, in that order from left to right. I'm going crazy just imagining the konading possibilities! Oh, I also got Essie Chinchilly. Mmmmm, grey. But this is not any ordinary grey. This is grey with the slightest green tinge, so chic and unique.



Ooh holos! And duochromes! And my favourite nudey greige mushroomy colour! In order it was Orly Golden Halo (this one is supposed to be sheer though, darn), Orly Country Club Khaki (my favourite! I know I have enough greige nudes, but I can't help it...I need to collect them ALL), and OPI DS Signature and DS Extravagance. I kind of prefer Extravagance, because it has that jewelled quality to it in the base colour, but DS Signature shows more of the holographic "rainbow" in the bottle. I can't wait to try these on my nails - I just KNOW they'll be amazing!

So that's my stress-induced haul. I know I can't be the only one hauling during times of stress, and hey, I figure at least getting a few more pretties is a better way of coping with stress than smoking pot, gambling or drinking :P Yeah, yeah, I know I'm full of excuses...But I can't help it, they're all so pretty!

Jemma Kidd Strike a Pose Swivel Palette Haul Photos

Look what followed me home the other day! Well I mean, strictly speaking it didn't quite follow me home, because I ordered it by mail, but I couldn't help it! It was on clearance at ASOS (and you know how I love ASOS when their beauty products go on sale), and it was just 6quid, making it even cheaper than in it's native USA, where it's sold for $32. When you live in London (the place my professor not-so-fondly calls "the ripoff capital of the world"), and you can buy something from the US for cheaper than it is sold there, you know you have a deal! (I'm talking about makeup, not agricultural products...dumping of agricultural produce is a whole different matter...)

So home it came. These are just phoos of the product. I haven't used it yet, because...there's just something about palettes that makes me not want to ruin and maim them. I just kind of like them to look at them. I know, I'm weird. And knowing me I'll probably not bear to use it, and end up giving it away in some form or another. (Like a giveaway, maybe? :P) I have no idea, we'll see.

Anyway, here are the photos of the palette. Although I might end up giving it away, I figure I could just post photos anyway, since all I saw in a cursory Google search were manufacturer's product photos, which we all know are about as accurate as online dating ads...

Anyway. The palette is pretty nifty. And it's cute too. And it's got pretty nice colours! Cute pop-art inspired exterior, check. The entire thing is actually about the size of my palm. It doesn't exactly fit into my palm - it's a little bigger than that - but it's definitely a nice size for a palette, not too big and not too small.



Cute flip mirror that swivels around like the promotional photos for the product show, check. I actually like this one very much because of the mirror. It's not a wimpy sized mirror in which you can only see your nostril. You can see a good bit of your face with this one, so it's actually a good sized mirror for travelling with. However, I'm not sure if I want to actually carry this around in my purse. The closure of this palette is quite non-existent. The only thing that holds the lid and the palette together is just a magnet, and since its a swivel palette the lid swivels off the palette quite easily. I imagine if I did put it in my bag the lid would just swivel off and everything would become a mess.



And lastly, pictures of the product in the palette. These were as colour accurate as I could make them. As you can see, these are all very lovely, neutral colours, I'm especially loving the eyeshadow colours. They're all pretty work-friendly too. The palette comes with 4 eyeshadows, 1 cream highlighter and 1 cream blusher, both of which are shimmery, and 1 lipgloss. The lipgloss is a tad glittery, but it's not OTT by any means.



I kind of wish the cream products were powder instead, because cream and powder together in a palette usually just equals a huge mess, because the powders will get into the creams and mess them up. I guess it can't be helped for lipgloss (which is why I dislike lipglosses in palettes), but what about a powder blush and a powder highlighter?

Anyway, sorry for the lack of swatches and for the lack of a full review on the colours themselves and their wear and pigmentation - I did say I have a thing about not wanting to touch my palettes. It's just so pretty to look at, I can't bear to ruin it by touching it...