My BeautyLog

Lipsticks - A General Review

2009-08-31T22:11:00.000-07:00

I recently bought a Body Shop lipstick in pastel rose as it was on sale and i liked the colour. I'm in the market for nude-ish beige or pink colours, I'm not that into strong colours yet. The colour looked nice and not dry at all when swatched but when I try it back home it sort of settled on my lip lines and did not lay on top of my lips smoothly. To cut the story short, I did not like it.

Nevertheless, it is a good colour and they have a really sweet packaging, a bit like a silver bullet, sleek and shiny. Lovely. Oh, a peculiar thing about the lipstick, it has a slight tea fragrance, not unpleasant but definitely noticeable.

Here are some pictures I got from the Body Shop US website. The first picture is the shade I got, #54 Pastel Rose.
Another lipstick I have which I don't like is the Bobbi Brown Lip Color which I mentioned a couple of posts before. It was a matte finish light nude-pink which looked pretty at the store. I think it is too matte and dry for my lips as it settles on to my lip lines. I have pretty dry lips which chap all the time so I am really careful with the lip products I use as they can really accentuate the lines.

The lipstick Im using most of the time is actually from Kate, a drugstore sub-brand of Kanebo, if Im not mistaken. The color I have, and I only have one since Im not much of a lipstick girl, is BE 27, a nude beige with slight shimmer which is barely noticable on the lips. Its a nice colour and easy to wear. It looks moisturising on the lips and does not settle on the lip lines at all. I usually apply a layer of lip balm before hand so I cant say whether the lipstick IS moisturising but it does give the picture of nice, lush lips. I'm probably going to get another one as backup when I go back to Malaysia since its likely to be cheaper there.

Coming Soon: Shu Uemura x Tsumori Chisato Collection

2009-08-07T22:13:00.001-07:00

I never thought I'd put up a post like this but I just read from CozyCot that Shu Uemura will be collaborating with Tsumori Chisato (seriously, I don't know who this is =X) for a collection and that collection is ADORABLE, seriously.

Some of the items:

See what I mean? How can anyone resist? The first picture is an eyeshadow and blush palette if Im not mistaken and the second is just a make up bag. I soo want the first one, whether or not I intend to actually use it.

I really can't wait for Singapore to launch the collection!

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Review

2009-07-17T07:33:00.001-07:00

I got samples of SFF the last time I went to MAC, I asked for it by the way, and was not given them just like that. Anyways, I was using it for work yesterday and I liked how it was able to cover blemishes (more like scars) so well! I got it in NC20 and NC30 coz the store ran out of NC 25 so I just mixed the two.

However, I have some problems with the fdn:
(1) It fades/comes off very easily. I 'set' it with Silk Naturals Perfecting Powder by I still see blotches of fdn when I blot or wipe my face
(2) It seems to break me out. Granted, this is not the first time I put it on but I realise that towards the middle of the day, I got 2 bumps on the sides of my nose! I do hope that it is not caused by the fdn so I decided to test it out by going fdn-less today and just using the Perfecting Powder and i realise that the bumps are gone! :(

Nevertheless, I still have some left so I might still give them another one or two tries to be certain.

Oh, I cant wait to move out of my temp room so that I can get mineral cosmetics to try out! They seem so much more affordable! Silk Naturals, EDM etc... Counting the days..

(Mostly) Bobbi Brown Haul

2009-07-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Tangs is having its 12% rebate promotion again so I decided to go down to take a look as I needed some stuff. I threw away my lousy eyelash curler last week and had gone mascara-less for the past 2 weeks! I HAD to do something about it. >,<>$150 to qualify for 6 make up lessons. On second thought, I might not go for all 6 as Im sure Ill be tempted to buy more MU!

I'll post my first impressions on the products here first:

BB Moisture Rich Foundation (S$63.00): I asked for something for dry skin with light to medium finish and was pointed to this fdn. They have another series for dry skin but they were anti-aging and so was not required at this point. When I got home, I cleaned my face and put this on. I have to say, it is definitely more of a medium finish then light. The MA said that fdns are not supposed to clear out your imperfections but this sort of did. I have to admit, though I like the coverage they did make me look 'made-up'. I'll be putting this on with a lighter hand tomorrow as it is extremely blendable and a little really goes a long way.

Bronzing Powder (S$60.00): I did not swatch this but instead tried it on my face and I thought it looked good. When I did swatched it at home I found it a bit yellowish but it probably matches my skin then I would like to admit (who would admit to having sallow skin? Not Me!). I put this on with the fdn and thought it gave me just the right colour. Im not sure whether its my lighting or what but it actually seems like I have blusher. I am using this as a bronzing powder only. I do not think its dark enough for contouring either.

Lip Color in Nude Beige (S$33.00): I was looking for a light nude colour and the MA actually tried a number of different colours for me, going lighter and lighter but I think the lighting at the store actually made the colour look different. Back in my room, I thought the colour looked more peachy and not as light as I had thought. Moreover, the colour is sort of matte and might be a bit dry for me. This MIGHT just be my 'regret buy' of the day.

The MA also tried on a concealer for my undereyes for me but I didn't like how it looked. I thought instead of concealing the light colour made my undereyes look worse.

Lastly, the Shu eyelash curler (S$28.00). It did catch ALL my lashes at one go but I have a problem with it not being 'strong' enough. It is does not curl my lashes as drastically as I would like and I have to clamp a few times to get the effect I want. Its not a must buy but it is definitely something I would appreciate having.

I would also like to point out how much more expensive BB stuff is compared to MAC. I wasn't thinking when I was buying but when I came back I realise the price difference is quite ridiculous. I really should be more careful next time.

My Sweetfix Giveaway!

2009-07-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

My Sweetfix is doing a giveaway with awesome prizes, including lush soap and Mac pigment.

Click the link below for a chance to get freestuff!
http://mysweetfix.blogspot.com/2009/06/giveaway-giveaway-giveaway.html.

Good Luck!

Mini Haul - MAC

2009-06-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I wrote 'mini' on top but that's because everyone else on the beautyblogging hemisphere seems to have HUGE hauls, I have to say, this is a huge splurge for me, I am on a serious no-buy for July, really.

Anyways, I went to the Mall very early, 9.30am to be exact and none of the shops were open, except for Starbucks and CoffeeBean. No, I wasn't THAT kiasu, I went out to run an errand and figured I might as well stop by Vivo before I return to my hostel, that way, I won't have to go out twice. I do have some stuff I NEED to get =P

Anyways, I heard that ColourCraft is out at Tangs and so, armed with my Tangs card I dropped by to have a look. To eyeshadows wasn't too appealing. I thought I might like Assembluage but in real life they all looked messy (I'm sure they have been swatched before) so I did not swatch any of them. I also checked out the MSFs after hearing so much about them but I did not really like them as they are really abit too shimmery for me and I was on the market for some more bronzey colours for contouring and to use as blusher.

An MA (Zayne, I think) came up to me and helped me with my mission. He showed me how to contour with a powder blush (Harmony) and Porcelain Pink MSF from the ColourCraft collection. He was really nice. I honestly wasn't too sure of the contouring part as its my first time but I decided to give it a go and bought both products. Most of the times, products and colours grow on me so I did not want to give up too early.

Whilst helping me with the makeover, I was so caught up with the softness of the brushes that I decided to get 2 of them (he used 3 on me). So I got #116 and #226. Initially he used another blending brush on me (I think it was #224?) but it was out of stock so I got #226 instead (I had been wanting to get a blending brush for quite some time alread). It was only when I got home that I realise that #226 is an LE brush that came out with ColourCraft and before that, with the BBR collection and quite well-loved, I guess Im lucky that way. However, one blogger mentioned that it can be scratchy but that washing it with conditioner will help things. #116 is a blusher blush which some use to put on foundation. I did not intend to get that initially but I was won over by its softness when Zayne used it to apply an overall highlighter. (I do think I am vulnerable due to the lack of sleep and homesickness o_O).

Truth is I am pretty happy with my buys though they were extremely pricey for me. They were sort of an impulse buy but I have been contemplating getting such items for a while now so, no regrets and I think Harmony can be used as a blusher too while #226 can be used as a highlighter brush for small areas on top of being a blending brush. I'm off to play with my new babies!

Prices (All MAC):
Porcelain Pink MSF - S$46
Powder Blush - S$35
#116 Brush - S$59
#226 Brush - S$47

Buy of the Day - Dior Gaucho Gloss Palette

2009-06-27T05:00:00.001-07:00

I was at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA fr now on) waiting for my flight to Singapore and I decided to roam the pathetic selection of shops they have at the airport. Its sort of sad really, the chocolates, liquor and makeup are all sold by the same proprietor and I do believe that the price really isn't 'duty-free' as I checked out the chocolates before and they are not necessarily cheaper than what is sold outside. Anyways, that's not the point.

The point is, with RM250 in my pocket and determination to get something, anything to take advantage of the 'duty-free' prices and possibly unique palette/combos, I ran my eyes through the array of cosmetics that were sold. I considered Lancome Juicy Tubes (3 for RM 175) also but in the end decided on the Dior palette (Rm 185) as I have recently read raves about Dior Addict glosses and am curious as to how great it really is.

I came back and ran a search on the palette and turns out its a 'Limited Edition Travel Exclusive' palette Dior came up with. YEAH! I got my wish, something special from the airport, regardless of when it came out or whether the price really is cheap (but I guess I cant compare with prices elsewhere as it is not sold).

[Edit: Anyways, here are some pictures of the palette. I hope you guys can see the colours clearly. It also included a double-ended brush. They are no longer brand new when I took the pictures as it took me more than a week to get a camera (I do not have one of my own yet). After using them for a while I can safely say that this palette is a really nice one to have. It gives me colours that I would not have bought if it is sold by it self but also 'safe' colours. The glosses are non-sticky at all! I do like them. I might just get myself a full size Dior Addict gloss :)]

Hair on my Head

2009-06-23T01:14:00.000-07:00

My very first post will be about my hair. Why? because it is bothering me this very moment.

I had just gone for a wash+haircut at a salon which seems reputable, selling quality products like L'oreal and Keratase but I am left with dry, tangly hair and an irritated scalp. I am usually used to slightly irritated scalp but this seems a bit out of the ordinary. I would have forgone the scalp irritation if i had silky smooth hair, even if for one day only.

I used to have nice almost stick straight hair that people would ask whether I have had them chemically straightened before (which I did not) but now my hair is almost always dry and often frizzy looking. I am so disheartened that I started using 'natural' products which does not contain SLS and random chemicals hoping to improve my scalp and hair condition. They seem to work ok, Im not sure if they help solve the problems but they definitely do not make the situation worse. Although I like the idea of going natural, it can be a bit of a expensive indulgence to maintain for a student with a tight budget like me. For the past month, I have been using Johnson's Baby Shampoo as I am back at my parents' place and do not want them to ask questions on how I spend their money. My hair is very dry but never as tangly as this.

This pretty much confirmed my suspicion that I should not go back to conventional shampoos, at least for now..

I'll probably be doing reviews or at least talk about the shampoo bars I use but that will be when I get back to school/hostel. Wait for it :)