Relaxing beauty ritual: Neutrogena Deep Clean Cleansing Lotion

I have a new favourite method of removing my makeup. It's not more convenient - in fact it takes longer, and it is only marginally more effective. So why do I do it? Because I find the slow luxurious ritual of massaging this cleansing lotion in and tissuing it off at the end of a long day wonderfully relaxing.

I love doing this while watching a serial I've downloaded at the end of a long day. Also I find my skin stays clearer when I take the time to remove every single scrap of makeup combined with the mild exfoliation the lotion and tissue-ing off provides.

The Lotion
This lightweight lotion comes in a convenient pump bottle. I find it very suited to oily acne-prone skin. It may have a chemical exfoliant like salicylic acid - so it can sting if left on too long. This could also make it unsuitable for dry sensitive skin.

Effectiveness
Although this remover has the chops to get light makeup off, I find with longlasting foundations several rounds of application and removal is needed. Two rounds for Clinique Superfit and three rounds for Revlon Colorstay. With two tissues used for every round this is admittedly wasteful and I do feel guilty. So I'm looking out for a more efficient cleanser that will also let me keep my ritual.

Also a separate eye makeup remover is needed as this lotion cannot remove waterproof mascara and eyeliner effectively. Plus it can sting your eye area a little.

I also don't feel comfortable about not washing my face. So I will still give my face a quick wash with a facial cleanser and water.

Repurchase?
Because it keeps my skin so clear, and only costs RM22.90 I may buy this again. But not before I try out a few other tissue-off cleansers. After all, I've almost finished this bottle so it must be doing something right!

Update (April 19, 2009): I've upgraded Neutrogena's deep clean cleansing lotion to HG status. In the week I tried other cleansers my skin detriorated slightly - no matter how much I cleansed. Once I went back on the lotion, my skin started improving in clarity and texture within 3 days.

Monday's Beauty Bits

To give a cream, gel or stain blush a natural glowing-from-within look, pat it on over foundation and then dust some powder, mineral or powder foundation over. This is also great for ensuring your blush isn't overdone.

Love vitamin E in your creams and serums? Rather than buy a large jar with a short expiry date or lower levels of vit E, try pricking a vit E oral capsule and using the contents like a serum. Always fresh and more concentrated than anything in a cream.

Do you find your gel or cream liners melting down your face? Try setting it with matching eyeshadow or a translucent powder - like silica. It works for me. :)

To get more uses out of your false eyelashes take time to clean, shape and store your lashes. Also, rather than just yank them off your eyelids, hold a cotton pad soaked in eye makeup remover and wiggle side to side. You should be able to remove the lashes easily.

Speaking of removing eye makeup - this may be rather 'duh' of me, but a side-to-side wiping motion works better than a top down approach. It removes more, faster.

Find your facial wipes drying out too fast? Try storing then with the sticky flap down. It keeps the flap closed and ensures your top wipe is always moist. I've always done this but xsparkage reminded me that not evryone knows this trick.

My Perfect Brown: L'Oreal Colour Appeal Star Secrets Eyeshadow Quad - Penelope Cruz

I was going to be lazy and postpone this picture-heavy post for a bit, but when I realised that the quad was LE and being phased out, I put a rush on this review.

I have never paid much attention to L'Oreal's eyeshadows as I've never come across outstanding reviews of them, plus they always seemed overpriced. So imagine my shock when the legendary Steven Sunny, who did my best friend's wedding makeup, rejected his massive collection of MAC, Bobbi Brown and RMK shadows to use... a dark brown from a L'Oreal Quad Eyeshadow Palette.

"It's the perfect neutral brown, with enough gold shimmer to prevent it looking flat, but not so much it interferes with photography," said Steven as he deftly swept eyeshadow on the Bride's lids. He also used it on my eyes and I lo-o-o-o-ved it.

The moment he was done, I pounced on it lightning-quick and found, to my dismay, that it was a long-phased out LE edition quad eyeshadow: L'Oreal Color Appeal Harmony Eyeshadow Quad in Perfect Harmony. Thwarted but not despairing, I set out to find a quad that most resembled it and found this.

Just like the Perfect Harmony Quad there's a light beige (almost white) shimmer shadow, a shimmery sheer gold, a shimmery pink, (to the best of my knowedge) THE brown.

As you can see, it's a lovely lovely brown. I have a bit of a goldilocks complex when it comes to brown eyeshadows. Oh sure I've found ones I like but they are always a little too warm/cool/red/grey/shimmery/matte/sparkly/flat... but this brown leaves me with no complaints. If only the texture was a little creamier...

Ah well there's no helping me is there?

But it's true, L'Oreal shadows are not comparable to high-end shadows. They are sheerer, harder, and not as creamy. But with a little patience, good colour pay-off is attainable, and the shadows can be blended quite nicely.

The three highlight shades are very very shimmery and sheer. I mostly only use the light gold to blend with the brown. The white and pinks double up as highlighters dabbed on the inner corner of my eyes, down my nose bridge, and across my cheekbones.


The shades can be taken easily from day to night, just add more gorgeous brown!

Wear
Over Revlon Colorstay foundation the shadow holds well, and lasts about 6 hours on my oily skin before some smudging or fading occurs. Over Mac Paint Pot, it's good for at least 12 hours straight. Perfect!

Conclusion
I have compared this palette to the latest series of "Made for Me Naturals" and it's just not the same. The dark brown in these palettes are matte and meant for lining (but my goodness they're long lasting - it took 2 days for the swatch I took to wash off! And I wash my hands alot!) and the crease shade is too light and shimmery.

So if you spot this palette, most likely in less frequented pharmacies, do snap it up. It's only RM39.90 compared to the Made For Me Naturals palettes which retail for RM49.90. Just a word of advice, the only way to identify it by name is the signature on the top. Penelope signs "cruz" with the symbol of a cross. So look for the illegible signature that ends with what appears to be a "cross" or "t".

Video: Friday is for full-on vanity room!

Oh man the pangs of envy when I saw this. To be able to renovate an ENTIRE room into your beauty haven is a dream come true for many of us. And for some who may even have the option, here's some great ideas on how to decorate and organise by the makeupgeek herself. I have to admit, I love her taste!

Awesome find! Crabtree & Evelyn Cocoa Butter & Cardamom Tinted Lipbalm

Don't you love it when need and desire neatly converge combined with luck and affordability? See I had a bad reaction to something, I'm not sure what, resulting in irritated chapped lips. So I put a halt to all lip products for a bit and relied on tinted lipbalms - but I didn't have the perfect one (of course), and was on the lookout.

Then, the office party door gift turned out to be RM150 in Crabtree & Evelyn vouchers. SCORE! Sure the guys were complaining a bit, but I was one happy camper. So the next day I bounce joyously into a C&E store and pounce on their lotions on potions. Ok, lotion. It cost a whopping RM95 (I'll review it soon!). Anyhoo, looking around for something affordable to bump up the spend to RM150, I spot their tube lipbalms and snapped this lovely up along with its partner, Garden Mint Lip Balm for a fabulous RM35 each. For C&E, that's cheap!

Review of Crabtree & Evelyn Cocoa Butter & Cardamom Lip Balm
This really is all natural. The tint you see are minerals (mica, iron oxide and titanium), not dyes - and is has remarkable pigmentation (like a mineral lipgloss more than a tinted balm) and is even long-lasting. Now how often can you say that about a tinted lipbalm? The shade is a lovely muted neutral pink with red undertones and has a slight shimmer combined with a lotta gloss.

It even has full-spectrum SPF8 as it contains Titanium Dioxide, a great physical sunscreen.

The texture is thick but not sticky, and it is luxuriously moisturising with all the cocoa butter. It healed my lips after only two days of use. YAY!

It tastes delish - slightly sweet, but the smell. Oh the smell. Mmmm... like dark chocolate fudge. And not too strong or sweet either - I can't stand that. One whiff and I knew Syen would fall head over heels in loooove. (She did. She bought it immediately!)

I highly recommend this, it's so pigmented you can get away with just this and skip the lipbalm as well. Great for us gals dashin' around all day.

Review: Garden Mint Lipbalm
I thought I may as well review this one too since I'm at it. Now, I loooove mint, especially in lipbalms. But this one made even me go, "WHOA!". Fumes of menthol attacked my lips and nose and let me tell you, on chapped lips it stiiiinggsss.

Once my lips heal I'd like this balm if not for one thing. It's not sweet at all. In fact it tastes really like green, faintly bitter ground mint leaves. I feel like I've just chowed down on a clump. Some girls may like this, but I find the very green taste slightly disturbing.

It's also more slick than its tinted sister and slips off the lips faster. Still, if you hate sweet balms and adore a kick of mint, this baby is your baby.

Review: Etude House Peach Cheek Blusher is a no go

I have been slightly obsessed of late with the idea of the portable blush that I can tote along for touch ups. At the end of a long long day, or even in the middle of one, the last thing I need is to look as washed out as I feel. What I want is something that will let me dispense with a seperate blush AND brush.

As such I've been eyeing Clinique's Quick Blush which has a brilliantly inserted blush in the cap of the portable blush brush. However when brilliance costs RM110 (YES that's how much they're charging!) I'm sorely tempted to get a portable brush and somehow glue a blush pan into its lid! When I read Zara's review of i-Blossom's cheek stamp blush, I thought that this format would be my solution. So when I saw that Etude House had the exact same delivery system I snapped it up instantly!

Packaging
This is indeed literally a "stamp" blush. The sponge is spring-loaded! Although using this method to get the blush on your cheeks is somewhat fatal as I'll explain later.

The container is solid, and the stamp helps keep the blush cushioned and prevent shattering. This makes it ideal for tossing into your bag and toting it around as it's hardy. However, although it isn't large it is bulky. At 4cm in diameter and 3.5 cm high, it simply isn't a great size to tuck into ANY part of your makeup bag. Or even bag at large. This makes the idea of carrying it around less feasible.

The formula and colour (aka the Boo)
Where this blush truly disappoints I'm afraid, is the colour and formulation of the product. When using this sort of delivery system, the blush should ideally be sheer, and in a nude shade with a naturally luminous (not sparkly) finish. This blush is crazy pigmented, matte, chalky and comes only in CANDY shades. I chose Happy Peach (Shade 5) thinking it the warmest and most grown up of the available shades, and it stilll doesn't work well!

As you can see, the blush leaves a clear matte, dolly-coloured circle! Now I know Korean girls, and the Muse herself, love kawaii, cartoony sweet looks, but I don't! I want to glow, not look painted!

Even when I do my best to use the blush with the lightest possible touch it still requires hard rubbing to blend out - which musses my underlying makeup. Also even when blended out it doesn't look like a natural glow in ANY sense of the world. Using a brush to apply this blush also doesn't help.

Conclusion
I'm afraid I'll have to chalk this one up as a failure. At RM39.90 it isn't a very expensive failure, but no one likes disappointment. I'll continue to try using it as a pop of colour over bronzer just so as not to waste the product. But it has completely failed the reasons I bought it in the first place. Boooo!

What's your favourite on-the-go handbag blush? Please share, I need to find one!

Update 26/04/09: The great thing about blogs is the diversity of opinion you can find. One girl's trash may be another's treasure. Hit the link for a very different take on this blush by Paris B. =)

Monday's Beauty Bits

After a hiatus that had me worried for the continued survival of St Ives in the country, I've spotted my beloved Citrus Body Wash on the shelves again, for RM16.90. But I did spot it in Caring Pharmacy for RM13.90. Yay! *hugs morning citrusy goodness*

Slightly Sheepish Update: The Face Shop's Top Coat is indeed RM9.90. Its current RM5.90 price is the result of a very very very long promotion. Still go get it while you can! Also, the method of applying a topcoat every alternate day to your nails doesn't really work so well as it does start turning blue. Boo!

The lovely Nikki is once again tempting me with her review on Makeup Masala gel liners. Especially since, I have to admit, Coastal Scents liners have a tendency to smudge on me if I'm not careful.

Interesting read for acne sufferers are Dr Benabio's (the blogging dermatologist) articles on the effectiveness (or lack of actually) of tea tree oil on acne, and why the Proactive system works (because then you can duplicate have to buy the products).

Perhaps the current downturn has everyone looking for a reason to smile. I keep coming across a profusion of novelty cosmetics like Urban Decay's "naked man" gloss - imagine pulling him out to use in a bar! Or, clean your sweet tooth with cupcake-flavoured dental-floss anyone? But to me, the oddest is still the idea of smelling like a burger.

Luxur Beauty Warehouse Clearance Sale! From 26-27 March at Menara Luxor in Tropicana, there's a warehouse clearance sale for ~H2O+, Algotherm, Babor, Stagecolor. I wonder if Face Oasis is on clearance - would be so great to stock up! But somehow I doubt it. Map and full details here.

Setting Mineral Foundations Aside & Clinique Superfit Foundation Review

This is going to be a slightly introspective post as giving up mineral foundations has been hard on me.
Ever since I fell in love with L'Oreal's True Match Minerals, then Silk Naturals and the most recent being Everyday Minerals - I have loved mineral foundations for how clear they keep my skin and their natural matte finish.

Now sadly, I have to concede that they cannot stand up to my oily skin in Malaysia, or my 12-hour workdays that involve considerable running around. I finally got tired of the caking, the slipping, the fading and the touch ups (usually around the 5-hr mark). And thanks to Tine's rave review, I put in an order of Clinique Superfit when my makeup mule made a trip to the US. Read on for the review!

Clinique Superfit Foundation in Shell
When I first got the foundation it was actually a decent match to me still as I retained the remnants of my tan - product of my last glorious summer in Europe. Now however I have to concede that my face looks darker and slightly pinker than my neck. Dang! Although Shell is fairly yellow-toned, and supposed to be for very-fair people, Neutral from the moderately fair range looks yellow-er and as light. I got a sample and will be giving it a go.

Texture, coverage & Finish
The texture of this foundation is one of the best things about it. It's very watery and light yet has very high coverage. I find however that it doesn't layer too well and can look cakey if you try. For the best finish I swipe it on with my fingers covering most of my face in a thin layer then blend out with my dual-fiber brush for a very natural, semi-matte finish.

Wear
I love that this foundations is oil free, and seems to help control my oilies to a certain degree. It isn't perfect (nothing is that doesn't break me out.. argh!) but it helps. I dust powder over and have to blot in 3-4 hours. Which for me is pretty darned good!

On the other hand, although this foundation is long lasting, I do find that it gets patchy and fades on my crazy oily skin after about 7 hours. Now, 7-hours may be enough for most, but sadly it still doesn't cut the mustard in my lifestyle. I want it to last about 10 hours at least - as that is my average working day. Not to mention be good to go if I want to go out for dinner and drinks after.

I know I'm being demanding and there may not be a foundation out there that can do what I want. If it weren't for the mismatch in colour, I'd stick happily with Superfit as I really do love it. Plus if I'm careful to remove every trace of it at the end of the day - no breakouts! Or not much - it's hard to tell as I get hormonal breakouts too. But it's not much worse than when I stick to minerals

Conclusion
So for now, mineral foundation will be for weekends to give my skin a break. For my crazy work days though it's going to be a long-lasting foundation. Unless I find the precise colourmatch for Superfit, I won't be using it anymore. I can't go around with a face that doesn't match my neck! Thank goodness it was so much cheaper in the US - about RM70 at the time.

So for now I'm giving Revlon Colorstay in Sand Beige a go - it's a perfect colour match and the new formula has been getting rave reviews online. Wish me luck that it works out and doesn't break me out! Especially since Revlon is only about RM55 compared to Clinique Superfit's RM1oo in Malaysia.

Video: Friday is for Foundation - applying Revlon Colorstay

If, like me, you've tried Revlon Colorstay in the past and given up on it because you could never get the finish to look natural you may want to revisit the foundation. The latest hot brush - the dual-fibre stippling brush has provided us with an entirely new way to put that foundation on. And guess what? I've tried it and it works! Here Bethainy gives us review + application technique video. Now, be warned it's over 15 mins and she DOES tend to babble. So just skip along till you see her wielding a brush (about 4:34). Then after she's got Revlon on, you can skip the rest (from 9:30 onwards) unless you want a comparison of Revlon to MUFE HD foundation. In which case, skip till almost the end (around 12:00).

Travel beauty shopping: When in Ho Chi Minh, you buy...

Our guest reviewer, Eli turns travel beauty writer as she prowls the streets of Vietnam's capital city hunting down the best beauty buys. I gotta say though she seems rather fixated on the masks. ;)

When In…

… Ho Chi Minh City, you have to hie yourself over to a supermarket (preferably Citimart) and check out their face mask range. Maybe it’s because the area my parents stays in has a thriving Korean and Japanese expatriate population but our local supermarket had such a wide range of Purederm face masks, I thought I has walked into heaven for a good 5 minutes.

All of my HCMC shopping pics are stuck in Dad’s camera so you’ll have to make do with these pictures:

I got the Purederm Herbal, Pearl Essence and Red Ginseng Essence Masks. They had other types such as strawberry, kiwi and cucumber but I decided to try the most popular ones first. In fact, there were only 2 Red Ginseng Essence Masks left which I quickly grabbed before the Korean lady next to me could reach for them. *looks embarrassed*

The Purederm face masks cost about 11,400 dong (than RM 2.30) each. However, the Red Ginseng Essence mask was priced at 12,800 dong (about RM 2.60). A steal considering that Purederm Anti-Aging and Korean Herbal masks sell for around RM 5+ in Malaysia.

They also carry Purederm anti-wrinkle eye masks. I forgot the exact price but it comes to about RM 10 after conversion, half of what it sells for in Malaysia – around RM 20.

At the same time, I also picked up a few masks from a local Vietnamese company called Vedette. Their products are apparently formulated in France and I couldn’t resist their 5,500 dong (RM 1.10) price tag.

I really like the packaging of the marigold mask. Am planning to compare the Vedette ginseng mask with Purederm’s version.

Verdelle also sells clay-powder type masks. I was intrigued by one which claimed to contain red coral but ended up not buying any because my skin doesn’t work well with clay-based masks.

Oh, and that pack of 25 empty facial masks cost 19,700 dong (around RM 3.90).

Face masks aside, go to Parkson (pronounced “park-sarn” by the Vietnamese) on Dong Khoi Street for cosmetics shopping. Cosmetics there aren’t cheaper but they carry high-end Korean brands such as O Hui and History of Qi (think it’s called History of Whoo in Singapore) which we can’t get in Malaysia. Prepare to be confused by the latter though because the spelling of “Qi” or “Whoo” looks like “fo”.

I fell in love with the liquid foundation from History of Qi. A quick look at the 1,000,000+ dong (RM 200+) price tag quickly made that love affair turn sour. Mum and I also liked their skin essence so we are planning to get a bottle to split during my next holidays.

I didn’t buy anything from Bourjois (they have several outlets in HCMC) as the prices were about the same as in Australia. I was sorely tempted by the mini-Bourjois products (Australia does not carry mini-Bourjois) but Mum was giving me the evil eye.

It was either Mum or a friend who claimed that L’Occitane products are cheaper by a few ringgit in Vietnam. I am not sure as I am not a L’Occitane user but it’s something worth checking out while you are there.

For more on Ho Chi Minh, I recommend looking at a travel guide. =)

Silk Naturals Fragrance review: The good (Green Tea) and the bad (Pink Grapefruit)

Silk Naturals released a collection of some 20 fragrances around Valentines this year. These solid fragrances are made from a base of beeswax, and are packaged in lipbalm tubes. I love that they're solid because it makes them perfectly portable for hand-bag touch ups and I can put them precisely on my pulse points. As spray-on perfumes often break me out around my chest, neck and face, roll ons or solids are actually quite the god-send for me. And with Pink Grapefruit one of the releases, you can just imagine how excited I was to get my hands on these!

I bought the fragrance in Green Tea, and won Pink Grapefruit in an online contest SN ran. The fact that I won it, and my love for Green Tea, partially consoles me for the disappointment I felt over Pink Grapefruit. Read on for the full review.

Green Tea
The site's description:

Green Tea is clean and refreshing with just a hint of tartness. I remember the first time I smelled Green Tea- it was in France and it opened my eyes to a completely new experience. It's like a breath of fresh air- clean and light, very refreshing- a great fragrance for daytime.

Now I truly love Green Tea, it is closest to Elizabeth Arden's version but has the warmth and subtle bitterness of Bulgari's that the sweeter, more citrusy Elizabeth Arden lacks.

I find myself sniffing it constantly when I wear it on my wrists as I find it both refreshing, as well as comforting and warm - if that is possible. I'm a fan of subtle fragrances and this is very subtle. SO subtle that some of my friends with less able noses can't detect the fragrance at all. So be warned! If your nose isn't the most sensitive you may want to give this perfume a miss - you may not be able to smell it!

While I love that it is quiet and a perfect office fragrance I could wish for it to be amped up a little more - just so someone sitting right next to me can smell it without sniffing my wrists.

Pink Grapefruit
Because I love the scent of Pink Grapefruit so much, and because I had such high hopes for this fragrance, my disappointment in it runs deep - even though I got it free as a prize.

The site claims:

We searched high and low for a spectacular pink grapefruit scent. It's juicy, tart, a little bit sweet and very very yummy- purely pink grapefruit.

While I get the tartness, which I love, the grapefruitiness - also great, and the faint sweetness there is a strange, overwhelming acridity to this perfume that literally stings my nose. If I wear it, I get a headache - rare in perfumes that don't have an alcohol base or aldehydes for me.

It's hard for me to describe the note I hate so much. It's salty and bitter - while grapefruit should have a hint of bitter, this one actually leaves a bad taste in the back of my mouth. Some girls on the SN forum can smell it, some can't. Karen claims it's the tartness, but I LOVE tart fragrances - I'd wear fresh lemon if it was feasible. She's hoping to tweak it and brighten it up a little, I truly hope she succeeds and gives me a pink grapefruit fragrance I love.

Conclusion
I will definitely repurchase Green Tea even if the fragrance is never amped up. I hope she puts it into a moisturiser or something I can smear over a larger surface area! The fragrances retail for US$5.99 each and it's worth checking out the site as there are dupes of famous scents as well as samples for US$0.75 if you'd prefer to sniff it before buying.

NYX Lipstick Comparison

(l-r): Round Lipsticks Iris and Eros, and Black Label Lipsticks in India and Fire.

In my recent NYX Haul post, Connie and our guest review, Eli, asked how did the NYX Round Lipsticks compare to the Black Label ones.

As I was replying to their questions in the comments section, it suddenly occurred to me that my reply had gotten so long I thought it'd make more sense to reply it as a separate post.

So, here you go girls! (and for every other girl who's asking the same question.)

In terms of pigment, both Round and Black Label lippies are rather pigmented. Each lippie seems to have individual characteristics, so it's hard to just group them together.

(l-r): Round Lipsticks Iris and Eros, and Black Label Lipsticks in India and Fire.

Iris is a little sheer, and perhaps not as striking as the other 3 coz of its shade, which is somewhat closer to my skin colour. In terms of finish, it has a slightly dryer look? Somewhat semi-metallic, if you can call it that.

Eros is very pigmented and has no shimmer. It's not matte, but neither is it full-cream either. Kinda an in-between.

India has no shimmer as well, and it's also a little on the creamy side.

Fire has shimmer and it gives a glossier finish of the four. Of the four, I believe this is my fave finish. =)

So there you go, a round-up of the Round and Black Label lippies. Hope this helps. Although I believe you're gonna have to hunt down the finish before deciding on purchase since they're all such individualistic lipsticks!

Monday's (Practical) Beauty Bits

Hello ladies! The short beauty bits today will focus on the practical aspects of staying pretty and avoiding getting yourself into a bloody mess.

If you have a bit of broken nail which is heading into your cuticle, be sure to use a band-aid over it to make sure the tear doesn't get any worse. I had the honour of learning this the hard way. Having a little broken bit of nail one day, I didn't do anything about it, mainly because I was out at that moment and because it didn't hurt. However, the broken bit got caught in a zipper of an outfit I was trying on. And it went right across my thumb. OUCH.

So dearies, next time, just stick a band-aid over it even if it doesn't hurt. It'll safe you a lot of trouble and a bloody mess. However, if you're like me, you'll hate have having that band-aid across your thumb for a while. Cos I feel like I've lost the use of a thumb. So what I've done is cut out a small section of the sticky tape and just tape in on my cuticle so it doesn't affect my sense of touch at all! I'm a genius!!! =D (Nevermind WHY it took me so long to figure this out).

And dearies, cut the whole damn broken bit off once it reaches the top of your err.. cuticle bed.

Apply lots of hand moisturiser before you start painting your room. Or polishing your parquet floors. Paint and floor varnish don't gel very well with oil, so it's a whole lot easier to wash off after. And moisturisers are so much more gentler on your hands than thinner is, right?

Also on moisturisers, if you're having a hair-frizz day with no anti-frizz serum at hand, I find body moisturiser or hand cream should be able to do the job temporarily. It doesn't work well enough to replace the need for smoothing creams, but it does help if you need something to solve the frizzies like right. now.

If you've got constipation problems (like me), drinking a full glass of water just before you need to go helps. I don't know if it'll work for you, but I find it works for me. Let's not go into details, shall we?

Any practical ideas you girls would like to share?

NYX Haul: Round Two

So this is what happens when makeup junkies go on a spree. They buy, they like, they buy some more. And they aren't exactly sure when to stop.

Which pretty much sums up Round Two of my NYX hauls.

Shortly after I got my NYX Haul: Round One, I just had to get more? It isn't a question. It's a statement. So read on to see the breakdown and lippie swatches.

Major blush glut (l-r): (top row) Mosaic Powder in Peachy, Dare, Spice and Plummy, and (bottom row) Mocha (which is so not Mocha) and Angel.

No, four mosaics and two blushers is not an overkill. Because Blush Queen said so.

Eyeshadow trios (l-r): Baby Pink/Cotton Candy/Spring Flower, Aquamarine, and Copper/Rust/Bronze. So pretty no? I bought these based on my good experience with my earlier trios. They do not disappoint! Although Baby Pink is kinda sheer.

Lippies (l-r): Round lipsticks in Iris, Eros, and Black Label lipsticks in India and Fire. After missing out on the lippies in the last haul, I knew I had to try them out this time. Black label gives you a more serious, luxe touch, while the Round Lipsticks look fun. I wanted Pumpkin Pie too, but they were sold out when I ordered. =(

(l-r): Iris, Eros, India and Fire. Of the four, I can wear Iris and Fire with ease. The other two need a little more work to wear them. Eros is slightly scary for me still, so I only dab it on instead of swiping it. And surprisingly, India is a rather bubblegum pink lipstick. Not a shade of lipstick I'm used to wearing. So we'll see how it goes.

So there you go folks. What would you say if I said there might be a Round Three on the way?

*grin*

Guest Review: Physicians Formula Wet/Dry Baked Eyeshadow Trio

She's tempted us with the cream blush, at least now the eyeshadows are less soul-searingly desirable. Read on for Eli's review:

I wish I could swoon over this wet/dry baked eye shadow palette but I can’t. It’s not bad, it’s not wonderful, it’s just meh.

I was dithering between Baked Sweets and Baked Smokes such a long time, three sales assistants kept eyeing me suspiciously. In the end, I picked up Baked Sweets and am wondering if it was such a smart choice after all…

Baked Sweets is a purple-based trio of a deep plummy brown, a lavender-gold shade and a a light champagne eye shadow. The colours are supposed to go on sheer when dry and intensify when applied wet. While the latter is true for the plum-brown and champagne eye shadows, I am having problems with the lavender.

When I swatched it in the shop, the lavender shade showed up quite clearly on my skin. After bringing it home though, it doesn’t seem to show up at all. I am not sure if it was the shop lighting or if there is a light layer of something on top of the eye shadow. When I tried swatching it wet, the gold particles in this eye shadow popped out. Pretty but I want the lavender shade to pop too!

Maybe I should try it over primer.

Texture-wise, this palette is smooth but a bit powdery. After reading the reviews on MUA, I am concerned that the eye shadows will break. As you can see, the eye shadows aren’t pressed flat into the pan but are dome-shaped. Pretty aesthetics but inconvenient and potentially brittle. I am having problems getting enough product onto my brush because of the rounded shape and the powdery texture keeps getting everywhere in the pan. I am planning to keep some empty pots on standby in case this shatters on me

The packaging is also worrying me as it is less sturdy and compact compared to the blush palette. This is one eye shadow I won’t bring travelling with me.

The wet/dry baked eye shadow trios sell for $17.95. I would save my money and get something else instead.

Video: Friday is for Flame - smell like a whopper burger!

Yes, men do love their meat! But no matter how desperate you get, would you really go so far as to smell like a Whopper? Yes, believe it or not, Burger King has produced a fragrance they've named Flame. Watch the video review, see the hilariously crazy site, and tell me if you'd like to give this spray a go. Personally, I think I'll pass. =P




Thanks to Kissandmakeup for the find!

Dear MAC ~

Dear MAC,

As an ardent fan of yours, and as a devoted fan of blushers, I have waited for your Grand Duos collection with bated breath. From the first glimpse I had of the gorgeous blush collection, I could. not. wait. for it to reach our Malaysian shores.

The pictures were tempting, and the blushers looked stunningly beautiful. It was a collection I knew I HAD to get my hands on. Blush addicts had been buzzing about these duos long before they were even out.

But before I go any further about this collection, I will have you know that I own 16 of your blushers (and counting), three of your MSFs, many eyeshadows and many many lipsticks. So you can rest assured I speak as great fan of your products.

So it was with great hurry that I tore over to a MAC counter in town the moment I heard that the Grand Duos were out. And they were everything the photos had promised them to be.

HOWEVER.

I am buying NONE of them. Why? Because your prices are a real cut-throat, that's why.

I am disappointed in you, MAC. At a time of economic recession (so bad it has the potential to dethrone the Great Depression), you dare come up to customers with a price tag of RM95 for a blush? Seriously MAC. SERIOUSLY.

I am terribly sorry, but you are not getting my money this time. I adored the Grand Duos collection, and I still adore it, but I am not forking out RM95 for a blush, duo or not. Gorgeousness will only carry it so far, and a ridiculously placed price tag will not help this collection. Even at RM85, I might have purchased a couple. But at RM95, nice try.

As such, I am boycotting this collection. Blush Princess or no.

And MAC, I do hope you will deeply consider your price-tags for future releases. It cannot bode well for MAC if your customers can no longer buy MAC products at leisure.

Yours disappointedly,
Syen

PS: All who agree, say I.

(Photo credit: Temptalia)

More Daiso Lovin': Desktop facial blotters

As someone with an unstoppably oily face, I was both arrested and amused by the idea of "desktop facial blotters". While I always carry my Clean & Clear blotters with me, they aren't cheap (about RM8.95 for 60 sheets) and usually involve me rummaging in my bag, fishing out the pack, blotting, leaving the pack and running off only to realise I'd left my only real means of oil control on my desk. Damn!

So imagine my delight when I learnt that these note-pad looking boxes actually contain 250 sheets of very thin, silky "washi" facial blotters. They sit around your desk looking colourful and, if you find a nice box, pretty.

Now imagine the convenience factor. I'm pounding away at machine gun-speed on my keyboard in the grips of writer's frenzy when cripes! I feel (yes I can feel it) that my nose is shiny. No matter! I reach over with one hand (the other need not even stop typing) fish out a blotter, pat my nose and et voila, I am matte again. Bravo!

The sheets do blot up oil, although not with the soul-sucking determination of the Clean & Clear sheets. But to be honest I'm not sure I mind. I am beginning to suspect the C&C sheets to be just a tad TOO blotty. They suck up so much oil my makeup looks dry and cakey after. Not a nice look. The Daiso blotters seem to mop up enough grease to keep me looking fresh, but not so much that I stop looking dewy and natural.

At RM5 each they're a huge saving, even if I have to use more than one sheet in particularly oil-rich moments. And considering how MUCH I'm at my desk, late late into the night, it is nice to be able to keep my makeup fresh - even if I'm not.

As you can see I cracked open a box, and was so happy I dashed off to Daiso to pick up another for my dresser at home. The orange one will go to work with me - it matches the office decor. Of course I suspect the odd colleague will mistake it for notepaper and hilarity will ensue.

Is it wrong that I'm this delighted over facial blotters?

This is LOVE!: House of Etude Dual Fibre Cheek Glow Brush

Yet another reason for me to adore the virulently pink House of Etude store! I'm so in love with this brush I used it for a week, and went out and bought another one. YES I have TWO and use both daily! I found it thanks to Plue, read her wonderful review in which she even compares it to the MAC 187 brush here.

So why did I buy two? For starters it's only RM39.90, is incredibly well made and applies everything, from liquid to powder, with an air-brushed finish.

When you buy it it comes packaged like this, which does squish the bristles somewhat. A wash though and it springs back into shape. I've washed them a couple of times now, and at most they've only shed one or two black bristles each. No bleeding, no massive shedding.

I bought two because I wanted one for blushes and bronzers and the other for liquid foundation and face powder. As you can see the bristels are fairly dense so it does pick up pigmented blushes with just a touch. I stipple it evenly onto my cheeks, and use the brush to buff in it. Voila! A really pretty natural glow!

It's also amazing with bronzers giving a sheer, natural and even wash. But be careful when applying as it does pick up a healthy amount of pigment.

The head is smaller than my Everyday Minerals Flat Top brush, and the handle is slightly longer. It applies mineral foundation in a lighter finish than the flat top brush so when I use mineral foundations, I still prefer my good old EM.

When I apply liquid foundations though this thing is amazing! I swipe the foundation onto my face and use it to blend in. This creates a truly even, lovely airbrushed finish. It also works great to stipple on and blend liquid and cream blushes.

For the price, you really can't go wrong. This brush has settled all my MAC dual-fibre brush cravings.

Monday's Beauty Bits & Bridal Emergency Kit

The one thing I've never liked about Coastal Scents is their outrageous shipping. Thank goodness for the wonderful Nikki who's discovered an alternate source for their Gel Liners. Makeup Masala not only offers international free shipping if you spend US$20, they carry NYX and Ecotools! Plus, get a free gift when you enter the voucher code on Nikki's site.

In case you haven't noticed, I've added a section for vouchers and coupons on the left sidebar. I realised I had quite a few going so they deserved their own little box. ^_^

Now for the bridal emergency kit. I'm maid of honour for one of my best friends this Saturday and she sent me this list of just-in-case items. It's staggeringly long! The full list is after the jump. Obviously somethings we can do without, any ideas what we should add though?

Bridal Emergency Kit

Sewing Kit, including safety pins and small scissors
Clear nail polish (helpful for stocking runs)
Sticky tape or Hollywood tape
Perfume (if you are wearing any and needs top-up)
Nail file
Nail polish in the bride's shade
Makeup (Oil blot paper, lipstick, powder, eyeliner, mascara, etc)
Cotton Bud - I found this good to rectify running eye makeup
Eye makeup remover
Makeup Remover
Suntan lotion
Straws (for drinking without messing up lipstick)
Extra stockings
Hairspray
Brush and comb
Bobbypins and hair elastics
Hairdryer
Static-cling spray
Tissues
Lint brush
Earring backs
Baby powder (also useful for getting out last-minute spills on a white dress)
Eye-drops (look for redness reducing)
Contact lens solution
Antacid
Mints
Tampons and pads
Panadol
Band-Aids
Biscuits for snacks - you will get hungry... this always gets eaten by
someone in the bridal party
Bottled Drinking Water
Hand Mirror
Moist Towlettes
List of Vendor Telephone Numbers

Good extras: charged cell phone, camera for taking getting dressed
candids, wristwatch.

Cafe Me Likey!

A while back, when I posted about my first NYX haul, a reader, Engmin asked if I could do a post showing how to use the NYX Mosaic Powder in Cafe.

Of course I can! =)

Many apologies it's taken a little while, but here it is!

Although it does look rather dark and foreboding in the pan, I'm pleased to announce that it's actually one very friendly bronzer. Instead of giving you streaks of brown, this one is actually gives you more of a golden glow. Which is just lovely.

Here, I've applied only some foundation and powder, before I dust on any bronzer or blush. As you can see, my skin looks somewhat sallow and pale.

So the next step is to use a nice fluffy brush, like say this Coastal Scents one, and lightly dust Cafe on. Just smile, and dust dust dust on your cheeks. Like how you would apply your blush. I like to have the brush go over the area again in a circular buffing manner too. As I didn't find Cafe very pigmented, I could apply up to about three swipes.

Also, after dusting on your cheeks, just lightly go over your forehead and the bridge of your nose, where the sun would hit your face. It'll perk up your complexion in no time.

As you can see here, my complexion seems to have brightened a little. And as you should also be able to see, even after three swipes, it still looks very natural. So don't worry about adding a little more of that Mosaic Powder. You won't end up looking like you fell in the mudpond, promise!

And to finish up the simple look, I just added a wee bit of Bobbi Brown's Nectar blush to the apples of my cheeks. Add lipbalm, and voila! Done!

Oooh, just a little note that I love to use my EcoTools blush brush for bright pigmented blushers. It seems to pick up less pigment and diffuses it nicely over the cheek area for a quick and no-fuss blush application. LOVE!

Easy peasy right? If you don't have Nectar, any bright pink, peach or coral blush should do as well.

Hope this was helpful, Engmin. Do let me know if you've rocked it! =)

Video: Fridays are for Flirty Dates!

Oops I forgot to post a video last Friday and for that I deeply apologise. Truth is, I was so busy I forgot it WAS Friday! Had a total lapse of temporal sense. >_<

Friday nights are great date nights. Or they're good nights to go out and collar yourself a date for the next Friday! So here's the loveable AmyB, whose voice and accent I love, with her take on flirty date makeup. Love the tip about lipgloss, so true!

Guest Review: Physicians Formula Crème Blush

Once again, Elizabeth Gimbad is making me sigh for Australian goodies. If only Physicians Formula would come back to Malaysia!

I always had a fascination with Physicians Formula after seeing it in a US copy of Seventeen over 10 years ago. It was a detailed piece on how to use their multi-coloured face powder. Goodness knows why I was so fascinated by it, I just was.

You can imagine my delight when I found out that PF was sold in Australia but I never found anything which I liked enough to justify their price tags until a few days ago. Priceline (my favourite Aussie drugstore) was offering a free eyeshadow palette with every $15 purchase when I spotted this crème blush.

Three colours on discount at $24.95 with free eye shadow. Oho. What could I say but “yes”? Its so pretty!

There are two crème blush palettes available in Australia: Rose and Nude. I bought Nude as Rose was too pinky for my liking. PF also has an extra palette called Peach in the US. Pity they don’t sell it here because the descriptions on Makeup Alley describe it as being more reddish than Nude and less pinky compared to Rose. Sounds like something I would get.

As you can see, the palette comes with a decent-sized mirror. It’s also quite sturdily packaged and shuts firmly. No worries of it shattering or messing up my handbag while travelling.

Sorry for the grainy swatches (I need a better camera and the lighting in my boyfriend’s place is awful). The swatch on the right comes from the largest circle. It’s a peachy-brown which I use on the apples of my cheeks. The second brownish blush is used for contouring – I blend a bit above the hollows of my cheeks. The third light pink shade is pretty redundant for me. It hardly shows up on my NC 37 (I finally got a match from MAC!) skin. Am planning to use it as an eye shadow and see how it works.

I tried wearing this yesterday and the colour stayed on for about 5 hours. Might have lasted for longer if I hadn’t got wet in the rain. Sydney is really rainy right now.

Overall, this is a really nice blush palette for a natural look. I heart, I love, I recommend. If only the Peach palette was sold here!

Review: ~H2O+ Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment and Face Oasis Shine Neutralising Gel

It's been well over a month since I got these two lovelies to try, and the reason for my delay is a good one. You see, first I used the hydrating treatment at night, and the Shine Neutralising gel during the day. Lately though I've stuck to using the Hydrating Treatment night AND day (daaaayyy and niiiighhhtttt.... *ahem* sorry). The results surprised me! Read on:

~H2O+ Face Oasis Shine Neutralising Gel
Anything with "Shine Neutralising" in sounds like just my thing. So when, at my slightly puppy-dog-eyed request (insofar as I can pull the look anyway) the nice ~H2O+ people gave us samples of the Shine Neutralising Gel, I was ecstatic!

Unfortunately though after two weeks use I was forced to admit that the gel just may be breaking me out very slightly. I believe it's due to the higher dimethicone content which was probably added to make it more oil-absorbant. Darn.

However until that happened this gel was a joy to use. A lighter formulation than the original face oasis (hydrating treatment), it sank in immediately with a hint of refreshing metholated tingle. This made it very fun to use in the mornings. Makeup went on easily over it, and as it contains no oils I think I stayed matte even longer than with Vichy Normaderm.

The light-green gel has the distinctive ~H2O+ Oasis scent (which I love). A slightly sweet, refreshing ocean-based scent. A tiny tiny bit goes a looong way on my oily skin. My 8ml sample lasted me two weeks and I still have half a tube! I had no issues with dryness and my skin looked happy - except for teh all-too-familiar dimethicone caused white heads. *sighs*

The full sized 50ml jar retails for RM159, and while I won't be buying it. I can definitely recommend it to any oil-skinned gal, or guy, who's looking for a light moisturiser that does the business without adding to the oil. Providing they are not sensitive to dimethicone. *sighs*

~H2O+ Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment

|Night|

I absolutely adore this as a night treatment! I really don't use very much, just four small dabs on my forhead, cheeks, chin which I massage in. Used with my usual night time treatment of differin I've been waking up to smooth, perfectly hydrated skin and visibly smaller pimples!

Also I have a tendency to go overboard on the pimple treatments leading to angry red skin. This lovely stuff calms it right down! I even look forward to its lovely soothing aquatic scent - I sniff it during the day. *blushes*

I've also tried using it as a hydrating face mask. While I think it works, I also believe this is wasted on me, as I don't need that much hydration, and it's a bit of a waste to slather so much on!

|Day|

I'd always firmly believed that this product was too heavy and sticky for day use. I don't have the time to sit around waiting for it to sink in! But one day when I concluded that Shine Neutralising Gel was breaking me out, and I had run out of Vichy I thought "what the heck, I'll just use as little as possible!".

So I touched my fingers to the gel, to get the merest smidge of product, and dabbed it first on my dryest areas - around the lips, and the sides of my nose, before gently spreading it out. This product has a lot of slip so you can really spread it out quite a-ways! I find it spreads even better on damp skin, so I give myself a spritz of evian if I feel like it. Then a tiny dab more for my cheeks, and the left overs are patted onto my T-Zone.

With such light application it sinks in instantly, and my skin is ready for foundation. While I expected my skin to be hydrated by this, what really surprised me was the decrease in oil production! My skin, while still oily, only needs two blotters in a normal workday with one powder touch up. Amazing! I'm really quite staggered about this. After all my mattifiers, all the oil controlling products, its a hydrating treatment that does the trick!

I'm half convinced it's a trick of hormones and circumstance. And half hoping that my happily hydrated and calmer skin feels no need to pump out the oil. Just as good, I believe the complete lack of oil combined with happy hydration is helping my skin clear up a treat. Any pimples that appear from running around in the heat all day dies in the night. So my skin is clearer than its been for awhile.

I'll keep my fingers crossed and toss out ALL my other moisturisers! This single jar is all I need. HOORAH! HG!

A 50ml jar of Face Oasis also retails for RM159, and will I be repurchasing? Yes, yes and YES!

 Not sure if the product will work as well for you? Check out these great reviews from ladies with dryer skin than mine:
My Women Stuff
Skin Deco
My Makeup Reviews

Monday's Beauty Bits: MacGyver Beauty

Although he does have awesome hair, I'm not planning on providing tips to help you look like MacGyver. Nope! This weeks' tips are ideas on what you can do if you're on a trip at a remote hotel without a pharmacy in sight, and you left half your makeup kit at home. Horror! Here are some fun ideas I dreamt up in my idle moments (yes this is what I think about, stop edging away you!)

Oh no, pimples! Blackheads! And you left your emergency masks at home? Try a honey, sugar and lemon mask. If you're lucky your hotel room bar will have packets of sugar, and a small jar of honey. Otherwise there's always a rather confused room service attendant to call. Mix all three slap it on, and let it sit for 30 mins. Then gently rub it off so the sugar can act as a scrub, and rinse. And don't forget the ever-handy aspirin mask. Room service can bring that up, just remember panadol is NOT aspirin!

Honey can also act as an emergency pimple treatment. Guest reviewer Elizabeth Gimbad once advised a desperate friend to dollop honey on a big pimple, slap a bandaid on and go to sleep. And guess what? It worked!

Forgot your eyeliner? Use an eyeliner brush and your mascara. Forgot the brush? Use a cotton bud. Black eyeshadow and water also works. =D

FORGOT the mascara? *gasps* Umm.. go medieval and use petroleum jelly mixed with soot applied with a toothbrush on the lashes and with a cottonbud for an eyeliner. (ok, this one I have never tried, but it's how mascara started!) Or try black eyeshadow. Whichever is handier.

No lip and cheek stain? According to Poppy King the Lipstick Queen medieval ladies used to use lemon to sting their lips red. And I'm fairly sure they pinched their cheeks red. Again resort to increasingly confused room service. Haven't tried this one either I must add.

No tweezers and your eyebrows have run amok and you have a moustache on its way? Watch this video on threading. Learn it, love it, and you'll always have a means of hair removal at your disposal.

Left your foundation? Well I hope you have your concealer at least. And compact powder. Mix the concealer with some moisturiser and apply as foundation. Conceal as usual and pat the compact powder over to set. If you have no concealer, try patting a heavier compact powder over moisturiser for slightly heavier coverage. This may result in caking though so approach with caution. Light yellow, matt eyeshadow can also double up as a brush-on undereye brightener.

White or cream shimmery eyeshadow can double up as a highlighter. Dust on nose bridge and cheek bones to contour, and add a pat to the centre of your upper lip for fullness. Similarly, matte grey-brown shades of shadow can be used to contour, and shimmery golden browns used to bronze.

Mineral blushes with clear gloss or lipbalm make fantastic lippies that perfectly coordianate with your blush. They even darken or turn colour slightly so it's not too matchy matchy.

Other good multi-tasking items to tote along almost everywhere you go are Johnsons Head-to-Toe body wash, a tin or tub of Vaseline, and Aloe Vera Gel (good for everything from moisturising and soothing burns to hair gel!)

Got any tips of your own? Tried some of the above with good / bad results? Tell us! Can't wait to hear your ideas. =)

Syen: This has absolutely nothing to do with the DIY beauty tips, but it IS a beauty bit. Flowerpixie once asked where she could get Cargo products in Melbourne and since I have been there now, I am glad to inform you girls that you CAN get Cargo products there.

Melbourners, make your way to Melbourne Central and on the top most floor is a makeup store called Zuza. There you can find heaps from Cargo to Gosh, to Smashbox to Bloom. The prices might be slightly pricier than what they cost in the US, but if you gotta buy it, you gotta buy it. =P

The BAD news is, you'd better RUN!!! The cashier told me that they were going to stop selling Cargo products there sometime in March I believe. So RUN!!!