Ed Pinaud Eyeshadow Palette!

On Friday I had to pop to town to sign some papers for my trip, so after that I popped by Kinokuniya and got the L'officiel magazine that came with the free Ed Pinaud eyeshadow palette! The first palette I got was #02 Emerald... Then on my way home, I saw copies of L'officiel at the Buzz kiosk at the bus interchange so I got another copy and got #06 Violet, which is full of lavender-toned pinks which I'm not too crazy about. This morning I got another copy from the kiosk but I got #06 again. -_-U I feel like I'm gambling hahaha! I need to swap it with somebody!
This is what I bought from the drugstore on my way home - Nexcare facial cleansing cloth. I've been using it for a couple of days, hopefully it will save my skin which is really cranky right now due to tonnes of stress stress stress!!! I will be so incredibly busy from now till end of March. :(

Hope everyone had a great weekend. (:

Swatches: BB Creams!

Finally, I got around to posting a photo of all the swatches of my entire BB cream collection - I'm posting this so that I might be motivated to do reviews on them. :P

Top Row, L-R:
Gowoonsesang Brightening Balm SPF30 PA++
Etude House Goodbye Trouble BB Magic Cream (Moist) SPF30 PA++
Etude House Goodbye Trouble BB Magic Cream (Refreshing)
Innisfree Trouble Care BB, SPF27 PA++
Coogi Flowertox 3 Action Super BB Cream, SPF 25 PA++
Missha Watery, SPF27 PA++
The Face Shop Quick and Clean

Bottom Row, L-R:
Skin Food Aloe Sun BB Cream SPF20 PA++, Shade #1 Light
Skin Food Aloe Sun BB Cream SPF20 PA++, Shade #2 Natural
Scandal Magic BB Cream
Dr Jart Black Label SPF25 PA++
Dr Jart Silver Label SPF35 PA++


According to my judgement, they can be categorized into peach/pink undertones, greyish undertones and yellow undertones. (I'm always looking for yellow undertones but they're quite rare - even if they're slightly yellow, they have the tendency to be orangey, like the Etude House BB Magic moist - you'll notice the base is orangey because it oxidized as it dried.)

Peach - Skinfood Aloe Sun #2, Innisfree Trouble Care, Coogi Flowertox, Missha Watery, Dr Jart Black Label
Grey - Gowoonsesang, The Face Shop Quick&Clean, Scandal Magic
Yellow - Etude House BB Magic (both), Skinfood Aloe Sun #1, Dr Jart Silver Label

I really like the undertone of Dr Jart Silver Label, I find it really suitable for yellow-toned Asian skin, but it's too light on me. :(

I'll be posting reviews of one tube every week - look out for them. ;)


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That aside, I really need to rant about something - I've been doing this online simulation game whereby we make decisions on our business strategy as a group, and get results every week. I was so confident of our decisions this week and was so excited about seeing profits profits profits, but when I looked at the results, I was shocked! It appears that one girl in our group changed the decisions at the very last minute without consulting any of us, and she was very ill-informed, hence the horrible results. I feel so... betrayed. Is that the correct word? Oh well. We'll see how it goes. :'(

Tibi Spring 2010 eyeshadow is amazing + Review of TBS Divide & Multiply Mascara

Psst, my giveaway is still on, please join if you haven't!
I've been seeing this photo in almost all the recent issues of my magazines! I absolutely love the combination of hot pink and lime green - makes me think of a flower! I have always loved matte bold colours as well, they look a bit more unique and artsy than the usual glimmery, glittery or pearly colours. So I tried to recreate it... (was going to wear it out on Friday but it was cancelled due to a last-minute other commitment... oh well...)



I am mad proud of the liquid liner because I did it all in one stroke on my left eye with my right hand!!! And I've only ever used liquid liner a couple of times. Haha!

I used the hot pink raspberry blush as eyeshadow from Bobbi Brown Raspberry Face Palette and green shade from Silkygirl eyeshadow duo (slightly shimmery). I didn't do any yellow cos I don't own any, sadly. The look is supposed to be from the Bobbi Brown Brights collection, though the lime green and hot pink look like the ones from MAC Lillyland Pearlmatte eyeshadow! (They're not fully matte though.)

Other stuff used include K-palette eyeliner, Koji eyelash curler and Body Shop's Divide & Multiply Mascara. And since I have photos ready, let me do a review on the mascara. :P


The Body Shop Divide & Multiply Mascara
This mascara was another GWP - I never would have bought a TBS mascara since they're not known for making good mascaras. It's supposed to give defined lashes and it does! The brush is awesome - it separates lashes beautifully. It's such a great brush, I'll be washing it and using it as a lash comb when I finish the tube. Other than that, it was quite disappointing. It doesn't hold a curl and smudges on me - especially since my lashes will go flat which makes it smudge even more easily. :( A good everyday mascara for people with fine lashes that have natural curl - bad for people with thick, weighted lashes.

Rating: 6/10

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I've been mad busy even though this coming week is recess week - tonnes of projects, assignments, deadlines, plus ballet and violin exams all in March. :( I'm quite excited about a particular project I'm doing on Eu Yan Sang though, I do think I picked the right company - there's abundant information on it and prospects look good, the annual report etc are really easy to read as well! (Or maybe I've just grown a bit less clueless as compared to freshman year... haha...)

To end off, here's a picture of a birthday cake, I love birthday cake photos. (:

Giveaway: Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion

After my great experience trying out the Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, I decided to do a giveaway! Here's your chance to win a bottle of that lovely goodness! (Prize will be shipped directly from Skin MD Natural.)

All you have to do is go to the Skin MD Natural website and list one ingredient in the Shielding Lotion and tell me why you need to win!

This giveaway is open to international readers and everyone is entitled to 2 entries in the contest machine below consisting of

• One mandatory entry where you list one ingredient and tell me why you need to win
• A second optional, additional entry for followers of my blog (just write in the box - I'm a follower!)

Good luck everyone! (:

Contest ends 1st March!

Plus - get 20% off your order at the Skin MD Natural website with this code - CC10.


By the way, Tina is having a giveaway as well - hop over there!

Review: Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion

Recently Skin MD Naturals sent me a bottle of their Shielding Lotion to try out. Apparently they have this massive online marketing blitz and lots of people have reviewed it but I must have been living underneath a rock because I never knew! Anyway, on to the review.

As you can see, Skin MD Naturals is a really light, watery gel-lotion with a nice neutral scent that reminds me of those simple, no-frills and fragrance-free products you might get from a dermatologist's. It's very easily absorbed and is totally non-greasy, which is a delight in Singapore's hot weather. The best thing is that it's a multi-purpose lotion for face, hands and body, which is such value and convenience in a bottle! (I can totally imagine packing a bottle in my luggage when I travel to save space.) Plus, it's paraben-free!

When I first received the lotion, I was having a really bad cold and so I had really dry hands from washing my hands all the time to prevent myself from infecting others. (I have really dry hands usually anyway, cos I'm a hygiene freak and wash my hands all the time. My sisters cannot stand it when I keep applying hand lotion, lol.) My entire stash of hand creams couldn't help, because the hand creams don't stay on my hands long enough to be of much help, since they get washed away once I wash my hands. So without hoping for much, I decided to try the Shielding Lotion.

The first thing I noticed was that it's totally non-greasy, yet really moisturizing, unlike many other handcreams. I need my handcream to be non-greasy especially since I'm a part-time pianist and can't be greasing up the piano keys. The Shielding Lotion absorbs like a dream and seems to form this protective layer which doesn't wash away as easily as my other handcreams. During the first couple of days, I had to reapply frequently as per my usual habit, but after that I seemed to regain the protective layer on my hands and didn't have to apply as frequently. Plus, my sisters are always complaining about the lavender fragrance of my favourite Crabtree & Evelyn handcream, but they seem fine about the neutral scent of Shielding Lotion.

I started reading the brochure they sent me, and I realised it could be used on the face, and some blogger actually tried it as an eye cream. It sounded so promising, I decided to try it as well! The texture of the lotion is so light, I have absolutely no qualms about using it on my face - it's lighter than Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, but just as or even more moisturizing. Seriously, any kind of skin, from dry to oily, will love it. It's totally oil free and absorbs like a dream, and is a great base for smoother make-up application. Non-comedogenic, so no worries about breaking out. I expect people who enjoy using the fragrance-free Simple Skincare products for sensitive skin would love this lotion as well.

I tried it under my eyes as well, it moisturizes so well and leaves my under-eye area smoother and my fine lines less noticeable. (Yes, I have fine lines - from rubbing my itchy eyes and tugging when putting on my contact lens and applying/removing concealer. Sigh.) Of course, it's not marketed as an eyecream so it doesn't help remove dark circles or anything, but for hydration, it's awesome. And for the price - so worth it!

10/10! (budget HG material)

I know this is a really long review but I am so impressed with it, it's really affordable and you can use it for so many different purposes, I'm definitely packing a bottle with me when I go to the US in May. According to the website, Skin MD Natural is available in Singapore as well, I think maybe in Guardian pharmacy, but I haven't had the time to check it out. I am definitely repurchasing if it can be found locally! There's a version with SPF15 as well for sun-protection, I expect it'd be great for lazy days when I don't feel like applying sunscreen.

Note: This is obviously not a paid advertisement. I was sent a bottle by the company to try out, and I personally didn't expect it to wow me this much, especially with the no-frills look. Seriously. :O I am utterly surprised I couldn't find reviews on Makeupalley.

Review: Clinique High Impact Mascara

I went out for dinner 2 nights ago and this was done in like 5 minutes flat! (Cos I was running late again, hehe.) Used my Bourjois Effet Metallise metallic eyeliner in bleu cinquant and fil d'or, plus the Clinique High Impact mascara. My favourite eye colour is teal/turqoise/emerald, I find it really complements tanned skin. And recently I've been crazy about lining my lower rims in all sorts of colours, cos I find it's a subtle and quick way to show a flash of colour.

So anyway, I got this Clinique High Impact Mascara as a GWP and I do love it quite a lot! It gives really good volume in just a couple of quick swipes, absolutely no clumps, and can really hold a curl without weighing down. It's non-waterproof and does smudge a bit after a hot day outside, but if you're in air-conditioning mostly, it stays pretty well. I hear that the full-sized version isn't that great because of the larger brush size, but I've never tried it before and I think the sample size is great. (I still have another sample sized tube so I'm not in danger of running out!)

8/10!

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I had a great dinner (to celebrate my sis' birthday) at Tung Lok Signatures at Vivocity - we had this really amazing sharks' fin soup with double boiled chicken (or something like that), the waitress said you're not supposed to add vinegar and pepper in it like normal sharks' fin soup because it's been boiled for 5.5 hours and the broth is all milky goodness! To die for!!! My mum usually double-boils her chicken soup for just a few hours, so I told her to double-boil it to death the next time to see if her soup turns milky white and yummy as well, hehe.

And to top it all off, the service was impeccable and our waitress spoke Cantonese in a really adorable accent! (Cos my mum asked her something in Canto.) I love the sound of Cantonese. And the manager was wearing this amazing teal eyeshadow. We got 2 vouchers so I'll be back for a return visit! Must take photos of the amazing food then. Yay. :D

Review + Swatches: Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer and Color Correcting Eyelid Primer

These were recommended to me by my friend during my internship last year, then I went to google and realised Fuzkittie liked Beautymaker stuff as well, so last year when I went to Taiwan, I ordered a whole bunch including these from the Payeasy website! It's pretty easy for foreigners to order from Payeasy, you can order like a couple of days before you reach Taiwan. You'll need to sign up for an account, and choose to pay by cash and collection at a convenience store (by choosing the store location on a map). Basically you need some understanding of Chinese and pretty good map-reading skills. :P


The packaging is quite pretty, I find the box similar to MAC's style. The price is really affordable, they always have promotions on Payeasy. I would consider Kevin Beautymaker to be in the same category as drugstore brands, though they're slightly marked up on websites like Imomoko.


From left: Kevin Beautymaker Color Correcting Eyelid Primer, Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer in #1 Bright and #2 Natural
The packaging is really above average - there's a magnetic closure, and the mirror is really convenient!

Basically the tagline for these products is - 'First brighten, then conceal!' So you're supposed to use the eyelid brightener first followed by the concealer. I guess the concept of the eyelid primer is kind of like Benefit's Lemonaid.



Swatches: Kevin Beautymaker Color Correcting Eyelid Primer, Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer in #1 Bright and #2 Natural
The colour of the concealer in the pan looks scary and dark, but once swatched, they're actually quite light. The best thing about these would be the aqua texture - really light, watery and blendable! I find the concealers to have a peachy tone though, and may not be very suitable for Asian complexions, cos I find yellow works better. And I guess that's where the pale yellow primer helps!


The Naked Eye

With eyelid primer (under the eyes as well)

With eyelid primer and concealer #2
The effect of the concealer is quite natural and doesn't cake or crease. The primer, on the other hand, creases like crazy on my eyelids from the moment I put it on. So I wouldn't call it a primer exactly, it's more of an eyelid brightener, and works quite well over UDPP. It's pretty chalky as you can tell from the swatch, but if you blend well it really makes you look wide awake.

Rating: 7/10 for both

Pros: Great texture, no caking, affordable with great packaging
Cons: Non-lasting primer, poor colour selection with peach tones


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Anyway, one weird thing I notice with my general use of concealers is that when I use concealer, I look a lot more Chinese! When I don't use concealer, with the dark shadows around my eyes, I find my eyes look rounder and according to my friend, 'deep-set' and dimensional, but with concealer alone, while I do look more awake, I also look more chinky cos it sort of flattens my undereye area, and makes my eyes look more narrow and slanted and... small. Does anyone else experience this?! I'm really curious!