How My World Went Tippy-turvy

If you've been following this blog long enough, you'll KNOW that I am a peach girl. I love peach lipsticks, peach glosses, even some peach eyeshadows, and definitely peach blushers.

MAC Springsheen, Peachykeen, Fafi Hipness, and NARS Deep Throat can definitely testify to that. =P

And even with more recent purchases, I have always seemed to favour the peachy-pinks, the peaches and the corals. For a warm-toned yellow girl (MAC NC25, Bobbi Brown Beige), I know for sure that these shades will suit me, and it's only a matter of how much to slap on. Peach? Oh, it's a safe colour for me, alright.

Pink, on the other hand, is for the cool girls. Blue-eyed, honey-blonde girls who look like they could wear all the pink in the world and still look alright. Stereotyping, I know.

But all along, I couldn't help but wonder, "Can a warm yellow girl possibly wear pink?"

Which got me experimenting. First with MAC Pinch O' Peach, which doesn't quite count as it's so light. And then with Cargo Catalina, which, for a looooong time, was the pink-est blush I had. I made the mistake once of wearing a wee little bit too much of it, got the you-look-like-a-clown statement from mom, and immediately, I put the blame on the PINK blush.

"Peach would have never given me this problem," says I.

*glares at pink blush*

So there ended Experiment: Pink for a while.

Until chance had it that a friend asked me very recently if I was interested in a MAC blush she had for sale. And of course I was. She ended up bringing MAC's Hello Kitty Beauty Powder Blush in TIPPY. 

*GULP*

Even in the warm yellow-ish lighting in my office, I could see it was a VERY bright pink. Not usually my taste. But Experiment: Pink came to mind again, and it's not all that often you get a rather discounted MAC blush. So I caved and bought it.

But it wasn't until I got home that I went "WHOAAA". It's not a bright pink, it's a VIOLENT pink! I mean, look at it! It makes even Catalina look peach.

(For comparison's sake (l-r): MAC POP, Tippy, and Catalina. Violent, I tell you.)

And after sitting and staring at it for a few days, I finally had the opportunity (and courage) to try it on. And with my usual MAC#129 too!


And I was amazed. Tippy rocks! (Just be careful to use a light hand, is all.) So this is the story of how my world went Tippy-turvy. Talk about a paradigm shift.

But I'm happy. Pink blushers, come to mama!!! =D

Review: Tresemme Vitamin C Deep Cleansing Shampoo

I remember some time back, there were these ads all over the telly on this new brand of hair products called Tresemme. This was waaaay before I had even met Kahani and yet I remember going, "I wanna try that.."

So to cut a long story short, I did end up buying a 500ml bottle of that Deep Cleansing Shampoo. And what started out as a mere "wanna try" has climbed up all the way to Holy Grail (HG) status, as far as deep cleansing shampoos are concerned.

Why haven't I reviewed this earlier? I have no idea... so read on to find out why I love it so much.

So anyway, a couple of years and about three (or four) bottles later, I'm still sticking with this shampoo. Why? Because it does what it says it'll do. It cleanses, it smells pretty good (despite the fact it's supposed to be citrusy), and it's cheap. What's not to love?

A little word of warning though. When I say it cleanses, it REALLY cleanses. So I'd stick to using this only for that weekly or fortnightly deep-cleansing session if I were you. It says "Gentle enough for every day use", but not on me, no thank you.

But how I actually like to use it is to mix it with another shampoo. If I feel my scalp's a little oilier than usual, or if I feel my hair could use a little lift, what I do is I mix my Tresemme with, say, my Dove Daily Care shampoo. That way, I don't feel it drying out my hair, and I get the deep-cleansing action too. No idea if I'm the only who uses it this way, but it works for me. To each her own, right?

And then I'd proceed to give my locks a little bit of love from John Frieda. And my hair will be right bouncy clean and lovely. It seems to add just a wee bit of volume too, since my hair is no longer weighed down with all that gunk.

Now you might ask, Why the need to deep-cleanse?

Well, although I don't put a million products in my hair, the Dove shampoo, plus the conditioner, the occasional mask, the Frederic Fekkai, PLUS the lovely Malaysian humidity, can cause quite a bit of gunk to sit on your scalp. Unlike a normal shampoo, which might function to moisturise etc, a deep-cleansing shampoo works by removing all that product build-up. And this one definitely does that.

So there you go. A nice clean scalp so you can start applying your hair products all over again.

Yes, because we women are complicated like that.

I've tried one or two other deep-cleansing shampoos, but they didn't quite make the mark. Call me shallow, but there's something terribly unsettling about bright green opaque shampoos. (The Swamp Thing, anyone?) I'll take my translucent Tresemme any day. So until I find something better, this shampoo HG by me.

Seriously, for about RM14 a bottle, what's not to love?

Guest Review: EGO Cleanser a buffed up Cetaphil

After a brief hiatus, the much-missed regular guest-reviewer on So Loverly, Elizabeth Gimbad is back! Hoorah!

The Cetaphil Challenger Cometh!

With its plain blue and white packaging, Ego’s QV range really does seem to be the Australian answer to Galderma’s Cetaphil. The fact that these products are nearly always placed side-by-side in pharmacies just reinforces the impression even more.

For non-Ozzies, Ego is an Australian pharmaceutical brand which (like Cetaphil) produces skincare products for dry and sensitive skin. They use very plain packaging in blue and white (like Cetaphil), and don’t fragrance their products either (like Cetaphil). The only differences I have seen so far is that Ego offers eye cream, moisturisers with SPF and does not test on animals.

After running out of my trusty Cetaphil a few months ago, I picked up the Ego QV facial cleanser instead. It was selling at around AUD10 for 200ml and I didn’t feel like buying a 500ml bottle of Cetaphil.

My cosmetic-whore fingers were itching anyway.

Outside appearances aside, these two products are completely dissimilar. The Ego cleanser is very milky, watery and froths up quite a bit compared to its counterpart. I have been using Cetaphil for such a long time, I have forgotten how it is like to use a cleanser which bubbles. It gave me a bit of a shock at first.

Those who found Cetaphil too emollient for their skin may want to give Ego a try. It removes oil and makeup so thoroughly, it eliminates the need for double-cleansing. Great for the nights (or mornings) when I come back from clubbing or stagger home late from the computer lab.

Other Cetaphil users may find Ego too drying on their sensitive skin though.

I have not tried Ego out on cheek stains yet but I think it would be much better than Cetaphil. I usually have to double-cleanse and then do the 2-minute trick (sing the “abc” song twice while cleansing) with Cetaphil.

Another great thing with this product is that it doubles up as a body wash while I am travelling. Bathing with Cetaphil gives me an “aiyee” icky feeling all over my body.

In the case of Ego vs. Cetaphil, I am choosing Ego. They are both great products which work great for me. In terms of convenience and travel though, Ego wins hands down. It is also much cheaper than Cetaphil in Australia.

So far, I have only seen Ego products being sold by Caring Pharmacy in Malaysia. I am not sure of the price though and it seems to run out fairly quickly. In Australia, you can get Ego products from any pharmacy and the facial cleanser is sold in bottles of 200ml and 500 ml for about AUD10 and AUD20 each.

Rant & Rave: Face Shop's Top Coat beats Sally Hansen's Mega Shine Top Coat HANDS DOWN!

While I do try to keep my reviews moderate, there are times when it's an all-or-nothing stance. In terms of toughness, stamina, and all around shininess, Faceshop's blue topcoat beats Sally Hansen's Mega Shine HANDS DOWN. And when the winner is around 1/5 the price of the loser, salt is rubbed into the wounds of the ass-kicked.

I really really wanted to like Mega Shine. I've used it for a month. I've used it with polishes ranging from dirt cheap to Sally Hansen's own Hard as Nails. And yes, it dries in 60 secs, yes it's shiiinyyy, but does it last eight days? Hell no. 4 days if I'm lucky. And often the chipping starts in a day or two. Terrible!

Faceshop's Topcoat is as shiny, dries just about as fast, and does not chip. So far it's been 3 days and already it's beaten Mega Shine which would have shown a chip or two by now. Maybe my review is premature, but come on guys, the polish is RM5.90. The raving could NOT wait. I'll update this at the end of the week to let you know how my nails are doing.

Till then, save your hard-earned dough, and do not get Mega Shine.

Thanks to Nikki for her awesome post that led me to this 'lil gem.

Sheepish Update (March 20, 2009): The actual price is RM9.90. RM5.90 is a promotional price that has been going on for aaaaaaaaaaages.

Love Mega Shine? Love Faceshop? Holler your support in the comments!

Monday's Beauty Bits

Is tea tree oil really a good treatment for acne? The blogging dermatologist, Dr Benabio doesn't seem to think so. Worth a read.

Silk Naturals has introduced a crazy new fun category called Gumballs. For $0.50 a pop you get to try out crazy new inventions Karen's got up her sleeve, as well as obtain random samples in her "surprise me" section. The samples could range from anything on the site, to something new she's tweaking. I'm definitely getting a surprise me next time around! And OH MY I just saw her latest GWP is a cream blush called LOVERLY. Oh no. Now I have to buyyy...

Updated: The post on Nexcare 3M patches has been updated to include prices for the 36-patch box retailing at RM11.90

Check out the latest Estee Lauder and Chanel makeup collections on ParisB and Tine's blogs. Pretty! Love the wee golden dragonfly!

Aussie Haul II: Makeup Madness!

Hey girls! After showing you what I got from Priceline in my earlier post, today you'll get to see the rest of the makeup stuff I hauled home from Australia. Goodness, it wasn't until I was taking the photos that I realised I actually bought quite a bit of stuff. =P

Also, you'll get to see what Tine and I were up to during our meet-up!

Click on to see more!

Ooh.. not only did I get the EcoTools brush set, but I went back and got the foundation brush too (for about AU$8.90)! The brushes are really lovely and oh-so-soft! =) Can anyone guess which brush I started using first? LOL. 

Blush whoring! (l-r): Cargo Blu_Ray blush/highlighter, Cargo blush in Tonga and The Balm Hot Mama blush.

Rimmel lipsticks in Metallic Blast (left) and Metallic Seduction (right). I picked these up from the a Direct Factory Outlet in Sydney for only AU$3 each. =P

Ok, THIS trio I picked up on a whim for AU$3, because it looked so much like NYX, and I just wanted to know if it would perform as well. It's a brand called BYS, which I've never heard of. I got it in a shop called Gloss in Castle Tower I believe. But BAH, swatching it revealed that it's NOWHERE near NYX. And the casing is really flimsy. I think the transparent plastic is about to fall-off anytime now. Oh well, I got my answer. (In case you were wondering, it was all wrapped up so I HAD to buy it to try.)

And I got the bronzer for about AU$6-ish because it swatched on quite nicely. And the swirls really reminded me of Shiseido's Multi-Shade Enhancer. This one's called Heavy Glow. I picked it up on a whim, and now I'll have to see if I can actually work it. LOL.

TA-DA. Tub of Lucas Papaw Ointment.

L'Oreal's Chrome Shine in Starry Black. This is one GOOORGEOUUSS shade I tell you. From Priceline for about AU$13-ish. (Hehe, I HAD to get it, Tine!)

Tine and I on our first meet (and I HAD to have a massive zit on the nose. Sigh). Coffee after dinner! =) Sorry girls, geekchic banned me from putting up photos of her.

Second meet, where Tine met my Coastal Scents blush brush. LOL. And MORE coffee! I love that place, there's coffee EVERYWHERE. =D

Cheers!

Video: Friday is for flamboyantly Marilyn

This video post was inspired by a gorgeous tube of NYX Black Label lipstick Beetrice gave me for my birthday. The shade? Tribute to Marilyn - the most perfect blue-red shade of lippy I have ever seen. Part 2 & 3 of this tutorial is after the jump.

Aussie Haul I: Priceline Madness!

Hellooo ladies! And I'm back from my trip to Australia. I had a great time there, and apart from all the sight-seeing, it was also a great trip in terms of makeup hauls and meeting up with the lovely ladies, Tine and geekchic.

On our first meet-up there, Tine brought me to Priceline (their local drugstore chain), and then told me, "Ok, now go crazy!" And crazy I did go.

So click on to see the breakdown of what I got. =)

Yes, body wash. Because they are in Cocoa Butter and Vanilla, and are not available here in Malaysia. So there. Both cost about AU$6 each.

Thanks to Tine who made me pay attention to Prestige, which was a line I wasn't really paying attention to. But then she said, "OH. Their shadows are GooOOoD." And then a light shone from the ceiling onto THIS particular counter. Uh-oh.

So I ended up walking away with two liners (Smokey Green and Lightning) and four eyeshadow singles (l-r: Antique Gold, Champagne, Indigo and Caribe). Both palettes and the makeup bag were free gifts. Good buy, no? =)

And WHO can possibly resist EcoTools? Yes, it is pricier than how much it costs in the US (US$10 VS AU$23+). But the raves on this is impossible to ignore. And according to Tine, she can not find a US site which ships to Oz or Malaysia. My purchase is justified.

Again, Tine pointed this sunscreen in my direction, so I picked up a smaller tube to try. I doubt I've ever slapped on so much sunscreen in my life, but it was necessary in Ozland. The Papaw ointment was a rave from my cousin, so I decided to give it a try. You can use it on almost anything, chapped lips, rash, cuts, wounds, etc etc etc. I loved it so much I got another tub. Yes, TUB, not tube. =P

As for the Lip Smackers in Pink Lemonade, these were ordered by Kahani, so they're not really supposed to be in my haul. But they got lonely and wanted to be photographed along with the rest. *tee hee*

So, there you go. Priceline Madness.

And oh, this is just Part I. I did buy quite a little bit more stuff. So hang around to see what else I hauled back! =)

Review: House of Etude and their 55 Kissful Tint Chou in 04 Tangerine Orange

You know, I had such awesome posts planned. Full of self-taken pics, swatches, the works. But truth is, I stare at a computer all day, writing, and when I get home I just don't have the energy. Since my weekend was so packed, I'm sorry girls but posts this week (and it's a crazy heavy week at work) are going to be a little scarcer than I'd like. Unless the lovely Syen posts her haul *grins*. Yep I'm as curious as the rest of you.

Meanwhile let me tell you about my newfound love for House of Etude. Girls, it is an INCREDIBLE line of cosmetics. It's wonderfully priced, and such great stuff. The brushes? Amazing! The lippies? Fantastic! And the variety? Unbeatable! But now let's talk about my latest addiction, here is the kookily named, 55 Kissful Tint Chou, in yes.. tangerine orange! (don't die of shock Syen, I swear, it's not orange, it's a a rosey pink).

What's in a name?
Where I'm concerened, too much I'm afraid. Believe it or not I've prowled in and out of House of Etude a million times without dropping a dime because I'm horrible shallow. Yes its true! The pushy salesgirls with awful English who think, "Wah miss you so fair, like Korean!" is a compliment, and a sales technique. I hate the pink fluffiness, and I really really hate the lousy / hilarious names for their products.

My archilles heel is words. And I've been known to buy a product (ie Silk Naturals Raindrops on Roses Lipgloss) against my better judgement just because I love the name (glad I did, it's a wonderful colour). My weakness for Benefit and Soap & Glory is rooted, at least in part, in their names. Hence the total lack of tempation for Etude.

So the breakthrough?
The ravings of the incomparable Muse and the adorable Plue wore down my resistence, upped my curiosity. So I bought something, this product in fact and fell, hook line and sinker.

So review the product already!
55 Kissful Tint Chou is a truly unique product. Like nothing I've ever used. It is a tint, with the appearance and in some ways the consistency of a gloss. But it lasts like a tint, and is completely non-sticky.

The Muse describes it as a silicone-dry texture. I think it's wetter than that, but the effect is a wash of creamy glossy colour that lasts, and lasts and lasts. And even better, it works over lipbalm - something most tints don't.

Tangerine Orange? Seriously?
Remember what I said about hilariously misnamed products? Well... Tangerine Orange is actually a warmish pink that's slightly brighter than neutral. It verges on coral, but fortunately never crosses the line. A bright rose-pink is probably the best description of it.

I adore this colour, it perks me up and goes with just about everything. Do I want to be fresh and pretty? Sophisticated and neutral? Smokey-eyed vamp? This baby works with it all, don't know how but it does.

The other three colours don't appeal to me too much. Number one is supposed to be red, but I suspect will turn fuschia. Number 2 is hot barbie pink! Not for me thanks. And number 3 is a pale pastel pink that I'm sure will wash me out. Girls who love pale pinks though may like it.

Scent, taste, and packaging
It has an unidentifiable sweet scent. Rather candy-ish but not overhwelmingly so. No taste and leaves no unpleasant white gunky build up on the lips either. It comes in a metal tube, with a long tapered narrow nozzle.

The product never squirts out and so far it's endured being bashed around in my oversized bag. I find the packaging makes the amount product very easy to control.

Application
I find that while a brush is ideal, if I'm on the go (or plain lazy) I can get away with dotting the tint on my bottom lip. Smoothing it out with the nozzle's edge, and mooshing my lips together. Perfect!
Price and where?
I only know of the House of Etude shop in 1 Utama, LG, New Wing near Cold Storage. I believe quite a few more shops are scattered around. If you know of any more, please share in the comments!

This tint retails at RM22.90 and it is worth every penny, and then some!

Monday's (Travelling) Beauty Bits

Hello ladies! I'm currently still in Australia, but only for one more day, and then I'll be back onto the blogosphere. =P But since I have Net access from where I am now, I thought I'd just share some tips on beauty when travelling - especially if you're going to a temperate country.

Always (and I mean ALWAYS) bring a light jacket along when you're travelling. Nevermind if your destination is in the midst of a historic heatwave (with temperatures reaching up to an insane 46.7°C), just bring the damn jacket anyway. Why? Because the temperature might plunge down to 15°C at night. And I had NO jacket on me. THAT's why. Damnit. (Oh, and how is this related to beauty? Well, you can't possibly look any good if you're shivering and clattering your teeth away, can you?)

Bring along a heavier moisturiser than what you normally use - both for the face and body. Every time I travel, my skin goes to bits. It becomes extremely parched in some areas and oilier in others. Well, on my face at least. But for this trip, my entire face, neck, hands, legs have ALL decided to dry up. Which means my usual Clinique DDM Gel, which works amazingly well in Malaysia, is hardly enough to keep my skin moisturised here. So it was an extremely good thing I had sense enough to pack along my Cetaphil Moisturising Cream, which was just excellent. I don't think I've ever slapped on SO much moisturiser in my life! And for my body, Dove Body Silk Moisturising Cream kept my skin from cracking and bleeding. Life saver, these two.

Bring cellophane tape along too, to tape up all those tubes of cleansers, moisturisers and whatnots. It's a great way to seal them up and it ensures that there will no leakages in your beauty case. I usually prefer to tape across the cover, rather than around it. I find it uses less tape, it's less messy and works really well to hold the cap/cover in place. So unless your tube cracks... but that's a different story now, ain't it?

And oh, finally, bring a foldable bag which can act as emergency extra storage space when travelling. Well, if your luggage is full, where are you going to stuff all that extra makeup you bought? Duh. (Just remember to keep your makeup well padded in your bag. Don't want any brand new stuff breaking now, do we?)

PS: I'll be back soon with posts on my makeup hauls. Oooh boy... I bought LOTS. *gulp*

Now where's that extra bag? Hmmm... =P

Video: Friday is for fresh ideas - pressing minerals / pigments with hair serum

So this brilliant girl found out that her Biosilk hair serum's ingredients are much the same as Coastal Scents' EZ pressing medium. Which is brilliant since CS charges a whole lotta shipping for that bottle, and I've been toying with creating the ultimate neutral palette from my eyeshadows. I checked out my hair serums and found them all to be far more complex than just ciclomethicone and dimethicone. I'll be looking around at the ingredients lists of clear hair smoothing serums in the future and will give this a go!

Makeup Organisation 2: Solution to Mineral Makeup explosion

Six months ago, this was enough for all my makeup. But one of the hazards of running a beauty blog is that your makeup collection will increase. Dramatically. My mineral makeup collection in particular had grown to a point where I knew something had to be done. So when I spotted this rather attractive A4 drawer set in Popular for RM57, I snapped it up!

It has five, rather shallow transparent trays and comes with stickers to label each drawer. From top to bottom, the drawers contain: mineral eyeshadows, mineral blushes, mineral face makeup (foundations, powders, concealers - mostly samples), palettes, and pamphlets ( I collect them).

Eyeshadows
It took some thinking, but I finally figured out how best to organise my eyeshadows to make them easy to use and find.

First, I took black and silver permanent markers and wrote the names of the shadows on their bottoms. So I could both read the names and see the colours of the shadows.

Second, I made dividers out of an old shoebox and fit them into the drawer to make 6 columns.

Next I organised it as follows:

1. Smokey Eye - blacks, silvers, greys, anything that would make a great smokey eye.
2. Greens - Olive, mint, apple, lime, I have a shocking amount of green-based eyeshadows. This row has inspires me to sport a green eye look far more frequently!
3. Purples - Another very dominant colour group which I love and use regularly.
4. Neutrals - Crease and liner shades. These are my dark taupes and browns.
5. Neutrals - Midtone shades. These shades are used to blend out the darker shades, and are either gold, pink, copper or bronze shades.
6. Neutrals - Highlights.

I notice I totally lack blue eyshadows, but it's really not a look I favour right now.

Blushes
This was far easier to sort than the eyshadows. The dividers were bought at Daiso, for RM5 - they are sturdy, and easy to customise to the drawer. But they have set widths, and as you can see are rather wide for the mineral pots. But any narrower and they are too narrow.

And what of the vacated drawers?
They are put to good use housing my non mineral blushes (of which I have suprisingly few!), gel liners and shadows (so far only from Coastal Scents and Benefit), and my non mineral eyeshadow palettes.

I have even more organisational ideas I'm roadtesting right now. But some have collapsed (literally), and some I think can be improved. When I'm sure they work for me I'll post them up. ^_^

Hallelujah! Nexcare 3M Acne Patches really WORK

When I first got wind of these, and for the life of me I can't remember where, I thought, "nah.. too good to be true". But online review like that of Supergirl's, and the great price of about RM4 for 7 patches at Watsons decided me on giving it a go.

That and the fact that I had two of those big cystic style pimples starting - on my forhead and chin - and would try anything short of exising them to prevent them from reaching maturity.

And hoorah! These babies actually work!

What they are
According to the Nexcare facebook page,

"This product was originally a medical dressing with 3M patented Tegasorb to absorb wound pus when nurses in Taiwan experimented cutting them into small pieces to place on their acne! The birth of yet another 3M innovative product: Nexcare Acne Patch."

Doesn't that just smack of "Eureka!" to you? I just love it.

Physically they are clear, slightly yellow silicone disks in two sizes (for this pack of 7 pieces).

How you use them
On cleansed and dry skin, before treatment products, moisturiser or makeup, place the patch stick-side down directly on the pimple you want to kill. Hold in place for a bit and it should stay on well enough. Apply treatment and / or moisturiser around it.

How well did they work?
Pretty darn well actually! I only used these at night (as a disc shape bump on my face would just be odd), and just one night was enough to greatly shrink the pimples down and have them on the run! Hoorah!

I also placed one over a pimple I had popped (yes, yes, I'm a bad girl) and this helped drain and heal it well overnight.

Where is it found?
You can find these in Watsons, and my guess is Guardian too (although I've never seen them there). There are intro packs of 7 pieces for about RM4, and there are full sized packs that are far more economical if you want to keep using these regularly. Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact number of pieces, or the price (sorry lah, getting old lah), but I worked it out and found the bigger packs to be more bang for your buck. But the larger packs were sold out at Watsons (what is with that place lately? Have you guys noticecd how poorly stocked its been?).

Update: The boxes of 36 patches are retailing at RM11.90

Review: Daiso Hyaluronic Acid, and Grapefruit flavoured balms.

This is a review for two balms I bought at Daiso. The Hyaluronic Acid Lip Care balm was reommended to me by Connie, and the other one I spotted and bounced up to fellow-grapefruit-fan, Beetrice and popped it into her basket. Although she's currently blaming me for her addiction, I'm sure she's secretly grateful. ; )

Now the Hyaluronic Acid balm was a source of some amusement and interest to both Beetrice and connie when I discovered, inadvertedly, that it was a VERY plumping balm when used overnight! Pictorial proof after the jump!

The Before shot, the night before, with nothing on my lips:


Notice the lines? I have a lot of lip crammed into very little area. So although I naturally have full lips, I occassionally use plumping products because they help my lips fill out and decrease the appearance of lines. Likeee....

THIS (The after shot): The morning after I spent the night using the Hyaluronic Acid balm on my lips: My lips are so much fuller the lines are barely visible, and even the crop I made of the shot is squarer! There was no stinging, no tingle, no NOTHING to warn me that this was gonna happen. Imagine my shock when I bearily peared into the mirror and discovered my lips had decided to take matters into their own hands and turn Angelina Jolie on me!

Besides this interesting side effect, the balm itself is very slick and feels moisturising. It applies smoothly, and has no taste, scent, flavour or smell. There is some gloss, but it disappeares swiftly. I tend to only use this in the mornings over a lip-tint, because I have a sneaky and unproven suspicion that it causes my lip stick to roll off my lips faster.

Grapefruit "Lipstick"
Now this really was a find. I fully agree with Beetrice when she says that it smells exactly like fresh, juicy grapefruit. It is just sweet enough not to smell bitter but remains refreshingly tart.

Just like Bee, I find myself applying and reapplying this just because I love the scent so much. I'm now dying to try all the other flavours this comes in, I think I saw Peach, Strawberry, and Lemon. Mmmm!

In terms of balm performance, it's not so much moisturising as occlusive. It forms a waxy barrier that seals moisture in and protects lips. I love this as a day balm because it doesn't interfere with my lipsticks or gloss at all.

How much? Where?
If you're not familiar with Daiso, in Malaysia you'll find it in The Curve, top floor, next to Nichii. Everything in it is RM5, which for my slightly lip-balm crazed self, is definitely a good thing. Now... to get back there and try every single flavour! *twitches*

(Updated!) Monday's Beauty Bits

Update: How is it at all possible that I have gone this long without learning of Paula's Choice being available in MALAYSIA? And even better, they currently have a Valentines promotion featuring 40% off all makeup items! I've bought a tube of Barely There Matte Tint for RM57 and some skincare samples at RM5 each. Thanks Tine! (Warning: Shipping is a tad expensive at RM15)

It's taken many years and many brushes, but at last the penny has dropped. I shall only stick to SMALL eye brushes from now onwards. Small eyes = small brushes. *sighs*

I have gotten threading down pat! The idea is to go slowly and conservatively, and not get impatient and remove an entire very large triangle of hair. This is also great for the area above your lips by the way.

I've finally encountered a product that really does apply better with my fingers than with any brush I possess. Benefit's Boi-ing concealer goes on sheerly unless I use my fingers to emusify it. Then it goes on bee-youu-teee-fuully and conceales absolutely. Having said that I still use my foundation brush to pat it in and blend it out. ; )

Two more to go...

I found a way to make the beloved mask (Himalaya Herbals Neem Face Pack) work even better. I find its efficacy and ability to rid me of pimples is increased if I exfoliate my face first. It doesn't have to be a power buffer, even something mild like Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub does the trick.

For a less powdery finish to my Za 2-Way Foundation, I spritz some water (Evian in this case) on the sponge, let it sink in, and then pat the damp sponge gently over my face. It gives it a really natural, slightly glowy finish.

Video: Friday is for fantastically useful - CS Brushes Vs Mac!

Hey everyone, I know updates have been scarce this week, and I'm sorry. Promise things will be back to normal next week. =)

Meanwhile, I found this video very useful! I've already bought a foundation and dual-fibre brush from House of Etude based on the descriptions I've seen here of the Mac brushes. Warning: She monologues. Skip to 1:36!

Secret to lush lashes: IMJU Fiberwig Mascara + Any other good mascara!

Yes, yes I know Fiberwig is overhyped and doesn't really work. Which is why I never could bring myself to fork out the RM58 for it until it went on 25% discount. So why am I blarneying on about lush lashes and all that?

Well I came across this video on YouTube y'see, featuring Elaine of Ford Models which is where I got the tip to do this trick. I was going to append it to this post, but it's now "private" and I can't even see it let alone post it. So bear with me.

There are two things you need to know to get lashes like this (below) with this stuff (Told ya I'd share, read on!)

1. It needs company - it doesn't work well alone.
2. How you apply it, matters!




1. It doesn't work well alone
That's right, you can't use this mascara on its own. What it is, is a bunch of fibers suspended in a very light liquid. The liquid does nothing and frankly it doesn't have enough fibers to really go vava voom!

So what you need to do is first apply another decent volumnising mascara to curled lashes ( I used Stage's Standing Ovation in this pic). Btw, Standing Ovation pairs great with this, as Fiberwig does de-curl. Elaine preferred DiorShow - which is frankly beyond my means because alas, I'm not a Ford Model. *sighs*

2. How you apply it matters
Now you have mascara'd your lashes up. Don't slap the Fiberwig on with a horizontal brush. Point it upwards, and use only the tip to flick at the ends of your lashes.

Go on. FlickFlickFlickFlickFlickFlickFlickFlickFlickFlick... et voila! Longer lashes! This method, which Givenchy tried to cash in on with its really odd looking mascara wand, allows the fibers to build on one another on the ends of your lashes. Extending them, and by using the tip of the wand you're not brushing off the fibers you put on. Plus, since you're only doing the ends, you won't be clumping your lashes up.

Go on, dig out that cursed and hated tube of Fiberwig and give it a try.

Note: Sadly as this method is a bit time consuming, and Fiberwig is a b*tch to get off (little fibers everywhere!), it's not for everyday. But once in awhile when you want the drama but are terrified of can't be bothered to use false eyelashes.

Monday's Beauty Bits

Sorry this is so late going up today. It's been busy busy busy. Also, Syen's leaving on a long vacation tomorrow night, so it'll just be me holding down the fort. Consider this an apology in advance for fewer posts this week. =)

Safety tip from Beetrice, “Instead of pepper spray, use a car fragrance atomiser - it will sting the assailants eyes, and make your car smell nice!”

At Connie’s recommendation, I bought a tube of Hyaluronic Lip Balm from Daiso. I will post a full review, but first I wanted to warn all you girls that they PLUMP. I didn’t know this. I used it before I went to bed and woke up with Angelina Jolie lips! No stinging, burning, itching or peeling... but whoa! The effect seems to last awhile too. It’s been 4 hours, they’ve settled down but are still fuller than normal.

There are definite dangers to self-threading. Go slowly! Go very very slowly...!*rubs bare spot on left eyebrow* But it works, the tiniest hairs it gets them all.