Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Becca Lip & Cheek Creme in Rosebud

This is a post of a long-forgotten haul that was done months ago. I seriously never got down to reviewing it because I was getting far too lazy when it comes to using my makeup babies nowadays. Work-wise, it is just BB cream / 2 way foundation followed by brows, cheeks and lipstick. Weekend was worse..... either the same as workday or just plain naked awful skin out of the house, hahaha. Yah, I am getting lazy and I shouldn't!!!

So anyway, this long forgotten haul was none other than Becca Lip & Cheek Creme in Rosebud. I don't recall when I heard about this brand before but I was briefly introduced to this product by Tracy a few years back when she raved to me about this gem that she found hidden somewhere in her stash. I wasn't a fan of cream or liquid blush at that time because I was a staunch supporter of 2 way foundation which I find doesn't go well with cream of liquid blush. Imagine you have powder foundation on and when u gently blend in the cream or liquid blush, you are sweeping away the foundation? I'm not sure about you but at least that's how I felt. However, years has passed and I actually prefer liquid foundation for that natural and uncakey look which is just perfect for cream or liquid blush. After slapping on the foundation, gentle blend in the blush and set with loose powder, PERRRFECT! :)

Please pardon the 'sweat' on the product but I guess this seems inevitable in cream product. So here we have Becca Lip & Cheek Creme in Rosebud. It is housed in a cute rubbery case and comes with a small compact mirror in the case. I like how thoughts are being put into this design since it makes it so convenient for ladies to touch up (cheek or lips) on the go. I chose Rosebud which is soft pink which leans slightly warm. When swatch on the skin, it looks really light and subtle but this is exactly what I like about this shade as I prefer blushes which gives me that subtle glow instead of looking strong and scary.


The texture is extremely smooth and application was a breeze just by using my fingers and patting it in. I do not need a lot of product for it to show on my cheeks and after setting it with loose powder, it stayed on for approximately 4 - 6 hours for me.

Do you have any Becca Lip & Cheek creme? What would you recommend for my next purchase? :)

Sunday, December 16, 2012

All Day Breakfast at Robert Timms

This is yet another post on food, haha. But it has been a while since I lasted posted on food isn't it? BC and myself actually stopped hunting down places to eat over the weekends because he is either busy with work or we are too lazy and tired to find new places and just settle for the normal, boring, usual places near our places. So yesterday, we decided to head down to Robert Timms at Wheelock Place for brunch before he head off for work while I meet up with J.

The last time Robert Timms caught our attention, it was unfortunately packed and we were not able to get a table as we did not make a table reservation. This time, we make a table reservation a day before and thus we got a nice table in the indoor area.


The All Day Breakfast menu is pretty extensive from french toast, american breakfast, eggs benedict and cereals. Price seems pretty decent between 12 - 19 (depending on the dish you chose) and from the pictures, it certainly look enticing as well.


BC ordered a french toast with fresh fruits while I opt for sausage with scrambled eggs croissant. There is a choice to choose between plain croissant and multi grain croissant. I chose the plain one because eating a multigrain one sounds weird in my opinion. Haha.

BC was not happy with his french toast because honestly, he has HIGH expectation of what a french toast should be. To him, french toast should have eggs soaked right through the bread and not just sitting on the surface of the bread. Robert Timms' french toast was unfortunately the latter. My sausage with scrambled eggs croissant was normal, but the scrambled eggs taste more like bite-sized omelette. I am fine with the taste but I still feel the eggs at Hatched win hands down.

BC enjoyed his skinny latte very much because it was frothy and strong, just what he need before his work on a Sat. My russian earl grey tea taste weird........ it taste more like burnt tea leaves in a pot with hot water added and was bitter to the max. Despite me adding sugar to the tea (which I usually was able to drink my tea without milk and sugar), it still taste bitter. So thumbs down for the tea.

But despite the food which I thought was normal, I have to praise their service. Their serving crews are attentive and polite which is a super plus, in my opinion. I probably will not head over for the breakfast menu and russian earl grey tea, but I would certainly want to try their desserts or coffee. :)

Friday, December 14, 2012

Review: SexyLook Extra Brightening Duo Lifting Mask

This review is on another mask thaSecretive.sg has kindly sponsored. Here we have SexyLook Extra Brightening Duo Lifting Mask, which is enriched with Malachite, Peptide-5 and Platinum nanoparticles (helps in efficient absorption of the active ingredients into the skin layers)

SexyLook Extra Brightening Duo Lifting Mask also contains tranexamic acid, hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, West Indian Cheery extract and Vitamin B3 for the brightening effect.

As you can see from the packaging here, this is a lifting mask which is supposedly to give the 'lift' and firming effect. However, similar to other SexyLook masks which I had tried, the mask is too small to fit my face thus I cannot pull the hooks to my ears. Thus this mask works like a normal fitted mask than lifting mask for me.

This mask is sooo packed with the essence that I can feel an immediate relief to my skin when I put it on. For your information, I always like to put my masks in a fridge before using so that the chill will give me a soothing effect. The mask soak up sufficient essence and at the same time is not dripping wet which is what I love about this mask. I can still go about doing my housework, watch TV or read and not be 'paralyzed' and stop all activities.

For ladies who has been having late nights and needing that extra radiance boost, you have to give it a try. While reviewing this mask, I was suffering from PMS and late night from reading and my face looks real dull. But after applying this mask for 20mins, I look significantly 'awake' and brighter. This definitely works very well as an emergency mask when you need to go for that special date. :)

SexyLook  Extra Brightening Duo Lifting mask is now on sale on Secretive.sg at $7.90 for a box of 5 masks (usual price $8.90) hereTo find out more about Secretive.sg and the masks available, do join their Facebook page!

Secretive FB: http://www.facebook.com/secretive.sg
SexyLook FB: http://www.facebook.com/SexyLook.sg
LoveMore FB: http://www.facebook.com/LoveMore.sg

Disclosure: The product in this review is sent by the company for my review and consideration. All opinions stated are my own honest views and no compensation is received for this review.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Review: Lovemore My Melody Oil Free 3D Fitting Mask

Thanks to Secretive.sg, I have to chance to review more Lovemore masks this round and the packaging is mad cute! My Melody!!! So here we have Lovemore My Melody Oil Free 3D Fitting Mask.

I was provided with both moisturizing (blue) and whitening (pink) to try and review.

I am personally impressed with the new 3D fitting mask as it is different from previous 3D mask that has loops that you loop over your ears. Those design doesn't work well for me as I have a round and broad face, thus the loops end up at the side of my face and not able to reach my ears. Lovemore My Melody Oil Free 3D masks on the other hand is designed to contour-fit your face (imagine your palm over your face) and it covers snuggly over your face and jaw. I love it because this is the only 3D mask that works for my not-too-small face. :) Do you know the contour fit of the mask is also design to absorb the essence optimally?

Lovemore My Melody Oil Free 3D Fitting Mask: Moisturizing (blue)
Honestly, I have never fully comprehend how a product can be oil control and moisturising at the same time. But after using this mask, I think I am enlightened, haha. If you are someone with oily, combination skin that it is prone to dryness on skin surface, you will know it is super tough to find a suitable moisturiser that properly moisturise and yet not cause your skin to be oily and sticky. Imagine that on Lovemore My Melody Oil Free Moisturizing 3D Fitting Mask. The mask is soaked with essence that provide all the moisturizing goodness without you having to hold a bowl beneath your face to hold the dripping essence. After 15 - 20 minutes is over and the mask is removed, essence is lightly patted into my skin, I don't have the irritating sticky sensation at all. At the same time, my skin feels plump and moisturized. Really love this mask!

Lovemore My Melody Oil Free 3D Fitting Mask: Whitening (pink)
Lovemore My Melody Oil Free 3D Fitting Mask in pink colour is whitening and it has the same oil control properties of the blue mask. Similar to the blue moisturising mask, my skin doesn't feel sticky and oily after removing the masks. It also look fresher and slightly brighter due to the Vitamin C present in the mask.

If you ladies are interested to try these masks, Secretive.sg has them on sale at $2.90 each (usual price $3.90) hereTo find out more about Secretive.sg and the masks available, do join their Facebook page!

Secretive FB: http://www.facebook.com/secretive.sg
SexyLook FB: http://www.facebook.com/SexyLook.sg
LoveMore FB: http://www.facebook.com/LoveMore.sg

Disclosure: The product in this review is sent by the company for my review and consideration. All opinions stated are my own honest views and no compensation is received for this review.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

A must see site for cat lovers!

Cat lovers alert! You guys MUST check out this site that has 50 wonderful pictures of  island cats in Japan. They look so free and live!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/50-amazing-photos-from-cat-heaven-island-in-japan

My favourite picture has got to be this. The friendship between the child and the cat is so real.

Monday, November 19, 2012

OPI The World Is Not Enough

It has been a long while since I revert back to painitng my own nails and for a while I have also stop buying new polishes. However, OPI Skyfall Collection was just lovely and the names of the polishes are in line with all the James Bond movie titles. I picked up 4 shades from this collection and my favourite of them all is 'The World Is Not Enough'.

The World Is Not Enough is a lovely taupe shade with rosy shimmers. The pic I took above does not do the polish justice at all and please also pardon the lousy painting skills whereby polish ended up on my cuticles as well, lol. This shade seems pretty light and I took 3 coats to achieve the opaqueness as shown above.

Do you have the OPI Skyfall collection? Which shade is your favourite?

Friday, November 16, 2012

Sephora 20% off haul

When I heard that Sephora is having 20% storewide discount for their members, I was disappointed because I wasn't a member. Then I told myself that I need nothing so it's ok. But guess what, I went back to Sephora for 3 consecutive days to get the following!!!

Top row: MUFE HD liquid foundation, Clarins UV Plus HP, Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser, Sephora lip brush
Bottom row: Sephora Daily Brush Cleanser, Fresh Sugar Lip Polish, Dior Rouge Nude lipstick

On the 1st day of visiting Sephora, I was all prepared to purchase the lip brush at full price in order to get the membership so that I can immediately use the membership to get 20% off the MUFE foundation. However, when I was paying at the cashier and the cashier asked if I am a member and I said no, this nice lady behind me offered me her card so that I can immediately get 20% off. It's truly comforting to meet a kind soul.

Anyway, eventually I did get my membership by purchasing MUFE Aqua Shadow waterproof pencil (which is not shown in the pic above) and I became a happy (cum obsessive!!!) shopper hauling skincare and more makeup, lol.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Tom Ford Cheek Colour in Wicked

Tom Ford makeup line has been highly raved on the beauty blogsphere and for the longest time, it was unavailable in Singapore. I used 'WAS' because Tom Ford is finally reaching our shore at the new revamped CK Tangs! However, being super impatient, I couldn't wait for Tom Ford to arrive at CK Tangs and just went ahead and order from Saks Fifth Avenue and I blame it on my work stress because I took a break away from my excel spreadsheet and went online shopping!!! BAD BAD BAD

Other than Tom Ford Cheek Colour in Wicked, I also took this chance to purchase Tom Ford Lip Colour in True Coral. Man...... the colour of True Coral is truly gorgeous, I can't wait to show you guys in the upcoming post.

So back to Wicked...... In the pan, it looks like a softer hot pink blush with light pink shimmers. If you are put off by the shade, fear not because when swatched, the effect came out much softer. The shimmers does not make it look like a disco ball at all because it is very subtle and enough to give that glow. Ladies with oily skin or open pores need not be afraid of the shimmers enhancing the shine and pores because it is that subtle!


In terms of texture, I have only a word for it...... 'BUTTERY', lol. It's very smooth and pigmented so you will love the texture but remember to go light handed when applying. It's not difficult to blend the blush onto your cheeks, it is that smooth. :)

Lasting power......... I applied it around 730am this morning and now that it's 9 hours and I still see the shade on my cheeks, do I need to elaborate further?

You guys should really check out Tom Ford Cheek Colour when it reaches Singapore!!!!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Burberry Lip Cover 09 Blush

I have been wanting to venture into lipstick shades that are out of my comfort zone but unfortunately, I just got no balls for it. Thanks to Burberry Beauty for giving me samples shades of their ever popular lip covers, I managed to try a shade which I absolutely love, out of my comfort zone and still not too bright till I am scare to carry it. This lovely shade is 09 Blush which looks like a muted red with tinge of brown in it.


* Please pardon the disgusting pimple at the side of my face :(

I like that this shade is redder and brighter than my naturally dark lips and doesn't look too over the top. It also certainly help to brighten up my look considering I have stopped using eye makeup to work since I am too lazy to wake up earlier to do eye makeup, haha.

I would definitely be purchasing the full sized lip cover in 09 Blush soon!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Burberry Velvet Foundation Trench 205

Time flies and it's the month of November already....... gosh, how did time flies so fast? Further to the Burberry Autumn Luxe workshop which I attended last month with Jacq, today I am finally posting my review of Burberry Velvet Foundation.

Just as the word 'velvet' that is part of the name of this foundation, Burberry Velvet Foundation is an oil-free foundation that provides long-lasting coverage. Unlike Burberry Sheer Foundation which is housed in a clear glass bottle, Velvet Foundation is housed in a frosted glass bottle with the iconic checks.

I am matched to Trench No. 205, which is a pink-based shade and it looks pretty natural on my face.


The texture is easily blendable by finger or brush but somehow it seems easier to blend using a paddle brush than a dense brush like Shiseido Perfect Foundation brush. In the workshop, we were told that we can massage the foundation with their best seller, Sheer Glow before applying it on our face. With this method, not only is it fuss-free but it gives me a 'my skin but better' look. I think this is perfect when you want to look totally natural and glowy.

Burberry Velvet foundation has very light rose scent which comes from the wild rose extract that is present in the foundation to provide hydration to your skin and at the same time long lasting coverage. I have no issue with this scent as it is lighter than Sheer Foundation whereby the scent is sooo much stronger and totally puts me off.

When applied on my face, Burberry Velvet foundation feels light and non sticky which is absolutely wonderful. Certain foundations which claim to last long on our skin tend to make my skin surface feels tight and uncomfortable due to the oil controlling properties. But I do not have this problem with this foundation. Even then, the foundation still last me pretty well whereby I only need to blot with a tissue paper after 6 hours.

With all the above plus points of this foundation, there only seems to have 1 problem. It does breaks me out a bit. I have combination skin which is prone to break outs, especially when I am using a product that is not suitable for me. In my first week of daily usage, I experience quite a fair bit of breakouts. I thought it could be attributed by my long hours at work or insufficient rest but interestingly the breakout subsided in the second week when I stopped using it coupled with intensive acne treatment. After which, I started using this foundation again after 2 weeks later SPARINGLY (once every 2-3 days) and I don't experience that same level of breakout anymore, just a bit of whiteheads here and there.

For ladies with sensitive skin, you might want to consider getting a sample first before committing to a bottle, just to play safe. Nonetheless, I still think Burberry Velvet foundation is a good foundation with decent lasting power, just that I don't think it will fall into my category of HG.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Shop away with Zalora!

With the advancement of technology and evolution of shopping, having a good shopping experience is no longer limited to shopping centres with units and units of shops for you to have a good buy. In fact, a good shopping experience can also be achieve ONLINE, at the convenience and comfort of your house with just a click of the mouse :)

Today, I would like to introduce to you a wonderful shopping portal, ZALORA Singapore. It is an online shopping website that carries a variety of products to cater to you, whether you are male or female, adult or child. How good is that? Imagine you shopping for yourself and conveniently shopping for your partner or your child? Isn't that cool?

For beauty junkies out there, do check out their Women's Beauty section. You will be glad to find Murad, Korres, Ardell, Ecotools, Dr Jart, China Glaze, Essie etc on the site. There is something for you to pamper yourself  from head to toes. :)

I'm sorry but I really need to side track to rave that Zalora carry Melissa shoes too!!! Me like!!

For careful shoppers, like myself who worries that your purchase may not be satisfactory, eg it doesn't fit you, you will be glad to know that Zalora has a 30 days return policy, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. As long as the item is in original condition with original packing and receipt intact, Zalora will accept your returns. For more detailed information on the return policy, do read their FAQ section.

Since Christmas is around the corner, Zalora can be another site for you to consider your Christmas shopping. I am going to be Santa Rina and inform you that you will be entitled to 15% discount at Zalora when you quote voucher code "zaloraluvin". This voucher code is valid till 31st December 2012 but do note that it cannot be used with other discounts or offers. :)

Before you guys shop away, do check out this funny Zalora video on YouTube.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Ettusais BB Mineral White

How's everyone doing? If you are reading this post, I just want to thank you for not forgetting this little blog of mine and sorry for the long silence. Life has caught up on me and everything was just crazy. There is literally not much 'me time' for myself that I can just not do anything.

Today, I would be sharing my thoughts on Ettusais BB Mineral White which is a newer BB cream than Ettusais' BB Mineral Cream (highly raved on the blogosphere). There is a good reason why I love BB cream and the answer is SPEED. I am always in the rush in the morning because I am a lazer (love lazing in bed and snoozing my alarm). By the time I get out of my bed, I will realise that I am getting late. Coupled with 4 fur kitties who will demand their breakfast to be served and toilets cleaned, there is seriously not much time left for me to pamper my face before leaving for work. BB cream is a godsend because not only I get to give my skin some skin benefit, I can also skip sunblock, makeup base and foundation and just replace it with 1 step. Isn't that great??


For ladies like me who whine about BB cream too fair or grey on their skin tone (despite being told that BBcream blends into your skin tone), you will be happy to know that Ettusais BB Mineral White comes in 3 shades: 10, 20 and 30. For my NC30 skin, 30 is the shade for me.

The texture is light and easier to blend with fingers or brush but I prefer using my fingers as the warmth of the finger somehow makes the blending smoother and easier. After blending into my skin, it looks matte and natural. It feels smooth, non sticky with a semi matte finish and I will usually brush a light layer of Laura Mercier translucent powder to set it and make it last longer. Coverage is sheer to medium and it's buildable, although I personally do find it looking slightly chalky if I over apply. Staying power? Good!!! Typically last me approximately 6 hours until I need to blot.

I did ask the SA on what is the difference between Ettusais BB Mineral White and BB Mineral Cream and she said the former makes you look more radiant. I swatch over the counter and at first look I do not feel any difference between the 2, so pardon me if I can't comment anything on the differences. For ladies who tried both BB Mineral White and BB Mineral Cream, do let me know your thoughts. :)

Monday, October 1, 2012

Burberry Autumn Luxe Workshop

When I received the email from Burberry Beauty on a workshop showcasing the Autumn collection, I knew I had to quickly buzz hot mama, Jacqueline from My Beauty Hoard as she is a vivid Burberry beauty lover. She quickly said YES and here we are at the workshop!

Silly, blurry me left home without my phone and camera and Jacq kindly offered to share the pics with me. So all pictures posted in this post are all courtesy of Jacq. Thank you, Jacq!

We were pleasantly surprised to know that it is not just a workshop showcasing the new Autumn collection but also a chance for us to learn tips on how to contour and highlight. There is also hands on experience to play with the Autumn collection as well as the new Velvet Foundation (more suited for combination and oily skin).




Mindy gave us a very detailed step on step demonstration on how to contour and highlight our features using different shades of foundation. We also got personalised advices from the BAs who were in the workshop to tell us how to enhance our personal features.


We had a good time testing out the new Velvet Foundation because honestly, I wasn't impressed with Sheer Foundation. For my NC30 skin, I was matched to No. 205 which is a pink-toned medium shade foundation. Jacq, on the other hand was matched to No. 204, which is a warm-toned medium shade. (and Jacq is tanner than me!). This is a classic case whereby you HAVE to match the shade personally over the counter and the sequence of the labelling does not necessarily means anything. Jacq and myself did not managed to get all the swatches of the velvet foundation and only managed to swatch the following shades.


From left to right: 201, 203, 205, 208

So here comes the joke of the day...... While having lunch with Jacq before the workshop, she asked me if I would get anything. So I was telling her since the workshop is at Escentials, I would like to try the Becca cream blush and probably just a lipstick (from Burberry or Chanel). Jacq was very determined to purchase the Velvet Foundation so that was on her to buy list. But after the workshop, I ended up with the following......
Total failure........ Lol. But I have to say, the first impression of the Velvet Foundation coupled with Fresh Glow was amazing and I was instantly sold to take the plunge and just purchase the full size there and then. I am currently trying out the foundation to gat a better feel and a review will come soon.

For details of lip and eyeshadow swatches of Burberry Autumn Collection, do refer to Jacq's postings for more pics and details.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Shu Uemura whitefficient clear brightening gentle cleansing oil

Shu Uemura whitefficient clear brightening gentle cleansing oil........ Honestly, this name is a mouthful for me and I will just remember it is Shu's cleansing oil in the purple bottle with whitening function, haha. This post is not exactly a review post but more of an initial feel of the product since it was a sample bottle of 20ml which last me about 1.5 weeks with about 10 usage.

I received a 20ml Shu Uemura whitefficient clear brightening gentle cleansing oil as 1 of the items from BellaBox few months ago and never got to use it. I have been using Shu Uemura fresh pore clarifying gentle cleansing oil (pink bottle) for a number of years and I love how light it is in terms of texture and yet is a fuss-free cleansing oil which I can remove face, eye and lip makeup at 1 go. For this post, I will make most comparison against fresh pore clarifying gentle cleansing oil just to give you a rough idea of how whitefficient clear brightening gentle cleansing oil is.

Functions
Whitefficient clear brightening gentle cleansing oil contains combination of Mito-White Complex and Vitamin C to help prevent the accumulation of melanin deep within and is very much suited for ladies who hates their dull complexion and wish for a product that can remove melanin-filled dead cells and reveil a brighter skin. Fresh pore clarifying gentle cleansing oil, on the other hand is more suited for ladies with combination or oily skin and would like a lightweight cleansing oil that effectively remove makeup, dirt and sebum.

Texture
Fresh pore clarifying gentle cleansing oil has a slightly more watery texture than Whitefficient clear brightening gentle cleansing oil.

Fragrance
Whitefficient clear brightening gentle cleansing oil has a slightly floral scent which I kind of enjoy whereas Fresh pore clarifying gentle cleansing oil is almost fragrance free.

Effectiveness in removing makeup and waterproof eye makeup
Both oils are on par in terms of the removing normal and waterproof makeup without irritating the eys or causing discomfort (such as tightness to the skin after cleansing).

Do I feel my skin looks brighter after using Whitefficient clear brightening gentle cleansing oil? Honestly, NO. Perhaps you need to use a full bottle to get the effect, I'm not sure. However, I am still going to be sticking to my trusted Fresh pore clarifying gentle cleansing oil for now. :)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Spruce @ Phoenix Park

After completing my 2nd year with the current employer and stepping into the 3rd year, L and myself (we joined on the same day) decided to pamper ourselves by going for a nicer lunch. L, being a foodie went online and search for a place near our office and we eventually settled for Spruce.

Spruce is located at Phoenix Park, which is along Tanglin Road. A cozy place on a mini hill top and surrounded by trees and greens, it looks extremely relaxing and definitely a wonderful place for weekend brunch. I am soo going to ask BC to go Spruce for the weekend brunch!

The indoor area looks bright and white with many nice art pieces hanged on the wall. I like the relaxing greens of the outdoor area and we opt to sit outside since the weather was not too hot that day.

They do serve brunch menu but only on weekends and I was actually quite disappointed since I am a No. 1 brunch menu lover. Me and L decided to order 2 main course from their lunch and dinner menu to share. L chose Spruce burger (which is highly recommended by her friend which also seem extremely popular since we see a lot of patrons ordering it as well) and I chose Orecchiette, a pasta dish served with chopped prawns in zucchini and garlic cream.

In case you are wondering why is the Spruce burger and fries so small in serving size, I have to say the staffs there are very attentive to the customers. While placing our orders, L mentioned that we are sharing the food, they took the initiative to serve the burger and fries on 2 plates, this is what I called excellent service. :)

L saw her favourite cider and we decided to share a bottle. Although it has 4.5% alcohol content, we did not get drunk enough to be unable to work after lunch, haha.
And here I am posing like a silly gal!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Forgotten haul.... Rouge Dior Serum De Rouge 580 Smoky Pink Serum

While rambling through my Muji drawers last week, I noticed a slim dark blue case hidden right at the end of the drawer. Wondering what treasure is that, I pulled it out and saw it to be a lovely lipstick that I bought 2 years ago (!!!!) which was left forgotten for the longest time! *slap forehead*

If my memory did not fail me, Rouge Dior Serum De Rouge seems to be an older formula as compared to the new Dior 'Serum de Rouge Crystal' Luminous Color Lip Treatment or Dior 'Serum de Rouge' Luminous Color Lip Treatment. The texture is smooth and moisturising without compromising the colour intensity. Lucky for me, as the lipstick is stored in a room where air con is switched on almost every night, I do not smell anything funky from it.

580 Smoky Pink Serum is a cool-toned mauve pink shade, and if I recall correctly was part of the autumn collection years ago. The slimmer than usual tip makes it really helpful to apply the product at the corners of the lips.

I love the colour intensity and moisturising shine from this lipstick and have been using it for the past 1 week. At the same time, I actually get a kick from the clicking sound when twisting the lipstick, sound so mechanical but I like it (weirdo, right???)

In comparison to Chanel Rouge Coco Shine and Dior Addict, I would rank it in the following scale:-

- Chanel Rouge Coco Shine win hands down in terms of moisturising factor followed by both Dior Addict and Rouge Dior Serum De Rouge

- Rouge Dior Serum De Rouge is ranked higher in terms of colour intensity followed by Dior Addict and Chanel Rouge Coco Shine ranking last.

I hope you ladies have not forgotten any hauls that you made previously and it is definitely good for you to pull out your makeup drawer and take a good peek now. :)

Friday, September 14, 2012

Miaka's tips on smudge-proofing her eye makeup

Hi all!!! How have everyone been? Sorry that I went silent for a while because I was falling sick and work has been extremely busy where I had to work into the wee hours of the night in the office. This basically left me with not much energy to do anything once I reach home except to take a quick shower and throw myself onto the bed and sleep.

To be honest, I have not been hauling much so there is really no product to share in this post. But I thought I will share some of the small things that I do to prevent my eye makeup (especially eye liner and mascara) from smudging and giving me the 'panda' eyes by mid day.

So a simple introduction on my skin condition: combination and occassionally towards oily (especially in the extremely hot and humid weather in Singapore). I have very sensitive eyes (which tear often) so especially during long days in office, I will avoid eye makeup. All these are factors that contributed to my eye makeup not able to last well. Over the years, I have tried ways and means to try to preserve the eye make up and avoid smudging as much as possible and I would not say the tips I am sharing are fool proof but they do help.

1) Using waterproof mascara

Needless to say, with a waterproof mascara, smudging can be reduced to the minimum. We just have to make sure a proper oil-based eye makeup remover is used to properly clean the lashes

2) Avoid rubbing your eyes (I think this is pretty logical :))

3) Layering a light layer of powdered eyeshadow over the eyeliner (of the same shade or close)

We typically apply our eyeshadow before drawing the eyeliner as a final touch so as to get a clean, crisp line. For me, I prefer to apply my eyeshadow, draw my eyeliner and THEN lightly apply a thin layer of powdered eyeshadow over the liner (using the same colour or close). I find that the eyeshadow powder helps to 'set' the liner in (similar concept to using powder to set the liquid foundation). You just have to take note to use a light hand and dap on the powder eyeshadow using a thin brush so that the liner will still remain as a clean crisp line and not a smudged smokey look to be.

I have tried this method over my HG Chanel Stylo Yeux waterproof eyeliner, Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner as well as K Palette liquid eyeliner and it certain minimise smudging to a huge extent. However, for ladies who love the sharp and intense dark liner on their eyes, you might not like this method since the layering of the eyeshadow over the liner will soften the line.

4) Using a powder puff instead of loose powder brush to set your loose powder after liquid foundation

My rationale of using a powder puff instead of brush to set the loose powder is that the puff covers the moist portion of your face better thus your face is 'drier' and less prone to smudging. Think of it this way, when you use a puff to roll the powder over the foundation, you roll and set it in. However, when you use a brush and dust the powder on, the powder just stays on and does not seems to really settle in.

You might be concerned that you might be pushing more powder into your pores which will end up with more blackheads and all but with proper makeup removal, it should not be a problem.

5) Powder your undereye lightly for touch up

When your undereye is kept 'dry' with light touch up, smudging can be minimises since the surface is dry and does not 'attract' the pigments from your eye makeup.

I hope the tips I shared above will be helpful to you. Given the different skin conditions and products that we are using, results may defer though. :)

Monday, September 3, 2012

Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in RD311

I have seen many ladies laying gloss over lipstick in order to achieve the intense lip colour and yet have that shiny glossy pout but to me, it was just plain troublesome. Furthermore, I always have concern about dirtying the doe foot application of the gloss when it sweep pass the lip colour of the lipstick. I know I am being paranoid but that's just me. As most lip glosses are sheerer in colour intensity, lacquer rouge are what ladies should look out for to achieve the 2 in 1 colour and gloss look. Today I am posting about the new Shiseido Lacquer Rouge that I purchased while I was feeling down and crappy with a bad bad flu.


Shiseido Lacquer Rouge is housed in a chic black plastic tube and comes with a doe foot applicator. Although I hardly was able to finish any lip product, I would prefer the case to come with a small window so that I am able to see the amount of product left in the tube (similar to YSL Glossy Stain).

Size-wise, it is slightly longer than Chanel Coco Rouge Shine.

I think I have mentioned several times that I have naturally darker lips and thus finding the most suitable  shade that is 'lighter than my lips and yet not making making me look ghostly' is pretty challenging. However, when I saw the swatch on Sophie's post I am immediately drawn to shade RD311 which is reddish beige shade. In fact, when I went to the counter at Clementi BHG, that was the only shade I swatched, tried and finally paid. The shade came out exactly like I wanted.... slightly lighter than my natural lip colour and yet looking natural. LOVE LOVE LOVE!


The texture is amazing. Smooth and colour is thick and glossy, without the stickiness of MAC lipglosses (which is seriously a pain in the a**). Comparing Shiseido Lacquer Rouge to YSL Glossy Stain, the latter is lighter in texture and sheerer in terms of colour intensity. Having said that, I would not say I prefer one over the other, both are in a league of it's own.

Although this haul was an impulsive one (especially with the effect of the flu medication, haha), but it certainly was a GOOD one. :)

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Ardent's Cafe @ Neil Road

This is another week of brunch outing again. I love brunch (so I can sleep in later) and I love all day breakfast because I can never get enough of scrambled eggs. The new place which I had explored last weekend is Ardent's Cafe at Neil Road.

The decoration of the cafe is actually not bad but I forgot to take picture of the place as I was busy chatting with juju and BC most of the time when we were there. It is actually quite cozy with big arm chairs and sofas or normal dining table. The 3 of us ordered different food from the menu they are taste quite nice.

I shared a Big Breakfast and mascapone and nutella pancakes with BC. By ordering Big Breakfast, we get to choose 5 ingredients ranging from eggs, ham, bacon, snail sausages, smoked salmon, potato balls, sauteed mushrooms, baked beans, roasted beef, turkey ham with toast and salad. I like the flexibility of mixing and mataching what I want in my breakfast. We chose 2 portions of eggs (scrambled, of course), snail sausage, turkey ham and potato balls. The eggs is nice and smooth but could be a bit more salty (as it was quite plain) and the snail sausage has cheese oozing out which is quite nice. I like the potato balls because it is something different from the usual hash browns.

We had a surprise with the mascapone and nutelle pancakes as it came looking like pancakes with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. But the chocolate ice cream is actually nutella mixed with mascapone. It taste really rich and goes very well with the pancakes. However, for me who doesn't have sweet tooth, we couldn't finish the nutella spread at all. It was served with maple syrup and some pureed kiwi (i think) which we hardly touched since the nutella spread is all we need.

Juju ordered a baked omelette which looks quite interesting. It has tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus and I think ham in it? I had a taste of it and it has a slight tangy taste from the tomatoes.

Ardent's cafe has a very interesting man-made grass area as their outdoor area. It has swing and some outdoor tables and chairs for outdoor dining which is quite nice. Unfortunately I did not managed to take any pics as it was raining when I wanted to. But if you are interested to see more pics of their cafe and outdoor area, you can check out Beatrice's blog posting here and juju's posting here.

I have no complaints about the food at Ardent's and in fact I like their all day breakfast menu. But I certainly has issue with the service staff there. When we arrive at Ardent's, we were the first customer and there were only a female staff there. Her service attitude is really bad..... She doesn't smile, and when we ask her question about the option of choosing 2 portion of eggs in our Big Breakfast, she was impatient in explaining to us and answered in a tone like we were idiots. Seriously, I am put off by it. I'm ok with no smiles because I don't smile as much too but as a service staff, it is important to take note of your tone when talking to your customers, isn't it? If I know everything about your menu and cafe, why would I bother to ask you??? For someone from a country whom I know ALOT of friendly people, I think she really need to self reflect.

Nonetheless, for brunch fans, I would still recommend this place to you for your enjoyment of their food but I will be praying for you that you do not get the lousy service I exprienced.


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