Monday's Beauty Bits

Can't master the coveted winged eyeliner? Neither can I. Boo... but I'm keen to try this trick suggested by the ladies of Beaut.ie and use my credit card!

Hoorah! Himalaya Herbals seem to have finally tackled the one drawback to the beloved Neem Face Mask - it now washes off easily. Thank goodness! No more forced rubbing and scrubbing to get it off

If you've been keen to try Revlon Nailpolish in Red Hot Tamale and Opulent Pink, now's your chance! Watsons (bless them) have a buy one get one free offer going. Two shades for RM19. Whee! I've already hauled some and stand by for much revlon nailpolish reviews. Don't say I didn't warn ya!


Syen's miraculous nose scrubby thing is back in stock at Daiso (as of Saturday night). So are the desktop blotters, other blotters, and roll-up reusable bags. I love these bags. They're the size of regular plastic bags, come I'm cute patterns, are super hardy, easy to roll up amd store and, like everything else in Daiso, retail for RM5 each.

Hairmask Happy: Sunsilk Damaged Hair Reconstruction

Of late, in the last couple of weeks, I've been rather cranked out. I personally feel it's due to a variety of factors - work, exhaustion etc etc. The hubby has his finger pointed at PMS.

Whatever the reason, a little retail therapy was in order (just a little one), so off I pranced into Guardian looking for some relief. Just a little additional note too, that whenever I'm particularly stressed, I always shop at the Hair section.

Why? Because my brain somehow associates hairmask with sessions of pampering, just what I need in times of duress. I've tried changing that mindset, believe me, but it will not go away. And that's how I walked out of Guardian with a tub of Sunsilk Damaged Hair Reconstruction 3-Minute Intensive Treatment.


Some two weeks after, I must say this hairmask is not bad at all. Containing Olive Serum Nutri-complex, it claims to reconstruct the hair beneath the hair surface. I don't know how much of reconstructing this hairmask has done with my hair, but I must say that my hair is really soft and shiny after having used it thrice.


In terms of its consistency, Sunsilk definitely feels thicker compared with say, this L'Oreal hairmask. So while I would categorise it with my other heavy-duty hairmasks, I'm happy to report that it rinses out well, so my hair doesn't feel particularly weighed down. I also did not notice any premature greasing up of my scalp, as some heavy masks or conditioners are wont to do, as I only wash my hair on alternate days. Score!


It smells fruity too. Yum. =P

Even prior to purchase, I've heard plenty of good things about it. Someone even compared to Kerastase's hairmask, but as I've never tried Kerastase, I can't make a first hand comparison.

Overall, I'm rather liking it, and priced at about RM14-ish (if I remember correctly) for a 270ml tub, it's definitely pampering I can afford.

I'm hairmask happy for now. *grin*

Guest Review: Meldee goes Barbie in Shanghai

Meldee pays Shanghai a visit, takes a trip on the plastic fantastic, and drops by So Loverly as well. Aren't we lucky? =D

Shanghai.

The land of xiao long bao, endless skyscrapers, a flood of people, and....Barbie Shanghai.

When my cousin, who happens to be studying traditional Chinese medicine in Shanghai told me about it, I did a double-take. Was she for real? A 35,000 sq ft store on prime China real estate land devoted to the original plastic fantastic, big-boobed, blonde bimbo? Where you could buy the dolls, have parties, play with makeup, and even enjoy a spa treatment?

Well folks, believe it.

When I paid aforementioned cousin a visit in Shanghai not too long ago, she insisted we pay homage at the Altar of Pinkness--and why not? For all my feminist leanings, Barbie was still a huge part of my girlhood, whether I agreed with the stereotypes and criticisms attached to her now, or not.

Stepping in, I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it was pink, but not overly so--I was expecting huge fluffy pink things, glitter, glitter everywhere, and huge faux flowers. And screaming, bratty little girls. But nope--none of that in sight. It was spacious, airy, and although there were huge lashings of pink--dare I say it--it was almost elegant. Sophisticated.


Zooming up to the fourth floor (there are six floors in total! For the grown-up girl, the sixth floor houses a bar, where yes, alcohol is served, but only with proof of age) where the spa was, I felt like I was in some strange parallel universe, but I could not wipe the goofy grin off my face. While we booked our appointments for a facial, I browsed the skincare (almost satirically called 'Plastic Smooth') and makeup sections.

I admit I lapsed into a spell of temporary insanity, and decided that regardless, I would buy something--anything--from Barbie, just so I could say I did. Er, yeah.

Anyway, the facial we were booked in for was pretty impressive. We were brought into a quiet, dimly lit double room where we could be together (I am a total and utter banana--I speak not a single word of Mandarin). There were plush white dressing gowns with the words 'Barbie' emblazoned across the back (in pink, naturally), fluffy white clean towels and even an en suite shower and toilet. We got changed, hopped on the tables, and were basically treated like princesses for the next hour.

Never has anyone, myself included, ever removed my eye makeup so lovingly and tenderly!

At Barbie, while they sell their own range of products, for the spa treatments we were told that they use some of their own products as well as salon-standard stuff. None of the products used smelled strongly or stung.

We had lavender essential oils (heh, I know Syen hates it) wafted over us to put us in a state of relaxation, after which we had our faces steamed, dabbed with creams and lotions, wiped clean, slapped on with a face mask and massaged.

All of this for RMB160, or about RM80. My cousin had taken up a package of 12 sessions with three of her other friends, which cost about RMB2,000 (RM1,000). They apparently do have promotions off and on, where you can get a full-body treatment and facial for around RMB450 (about RM225).

After the decadent treatment I popped outside to pick up some Barbie goodies. I picked up the All Doll'd Up compact powder in In the Spotlight and a lipstick in Golden Glam for RMB180 (RM90).


The powder contains talc, corn starch, Nylon-12 (Nylon?!), Dimethicone, Boron Nitride, Octyldodecyl Stearol Stearate, Methylparaben,Propylparaben, Iron Oxides and Chromium Oxide Greens (I actually don't know what I'm talking about, being a relative makeup noob). Gee, I actually put all that on my face?!

Anyway, I haven't actually busted out my compact yet (have hit pan on my MAC Studio Fix, so am wanting to finish that first), but I tried my cousin's, which is the exact same shade as mine.


Apologies for no swatches of the lipstick--I found that the colour is pretty true though, and shows up on my lips almost exactly as it looks. It's got lovely gold flecks in them--I'm not a huge huge fan of shimmery lippies, but this one actually looks pretty nice, and can be worn at work.

They girls at the counter initially suggested something in Barbie pink, and as unlikely as it sounds, I said no, because even I have my limits!

Funnily enough, there are not very many reviews on the grown-up Barbie makeup line. At least, not in English! Which is not surprising, considering (I think) the All Doll'd Up line is only available in Shanghai.


So if any of you makeup mavens head over to The Shangs, consider stopping by Barbie along Central Huaihai Road. If you're taking the Metro, stop at South Huangpi Station (or even South Shanxi Road) on Line 1, and it's a brisk 5-10 minute walk from there.

Even if you're not a huge fan of the original Plastic Fantastic, it's worth checking out, just so you can say you've been, if only for a laugh!

Sunscreen Series: Olay Complete UV Defence SPF15 Moisture Lotion & Cream

Every skincare nut knows that sunscreen is the most important product in our cupboard and that SPF15 is the bare minimum we should be using on our skin. Yes? (If your answer is no, you definitely need to read more beauty blogs like So Loverly.)

When one's morning beauty routine consists of wash face, tone, serum, moisturiser and the sunscreen, the layering of products does tend to drive a person insane. Thank goodness for moisturisers with SPF and my personal favourite happens to be this classic goodie from Olay.

I don't know if this is sold in Malaysia -- I always carry mine back from Australia so I never bothered checking -- but you can get this in Australia, US and Canada albeit in slightly different packaging.

There are cream and lotion versions of this product and both of them have different formulas for sensitive, dry/normal and combination/ oily skin. The cream version only caters for sensitve and dry/ normal skin though.

I have tried all 5 variants across the SPF 15 range (a bit nuts but this was over a period of 3 years and I wanted see if there was a difference) and discovered that the Olay moisture cream for dry/ normal skin worked best for me in autumn, winter and spring while the lotion for dry/ normal skin was my best bet for summer in Australia. The sensitive skin formulas were okay but my skin didn't really like it while the combination/ oily lotion only worked well in humid Malaysia. It wasn't moisturising enough in Australia.

The only one which broke me out was the combination/ oily lotion and that was more because it wasn't moisturising enough for my skin. My skin tends to break out when it isn't hydrated.

The difference may have something to do with the fact that the active ingredients are different for each skin type. The active ingredients for the Olay moisture lotion and cream for Normal/dry skin and sensitive skin (yes, they are similar) are as follows:

1. Octyl Salicylate: UVB protection
2. Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane/ Avobenzone: Long wave UVA protection
3. Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid: UVB and short wave UVA protection
4. Octocrylene: UVB protection

The active ingredients for the combination/ oily skin version are:

1. Zinc oxide: provides both UVB and UVA protection
2. Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane/ Avobenzone: Long wave UVA protection

(I really do need to create a simple sunscreen chart for future reviews)

The Olay Complete UV Protection Moisture lotion is priced at AUD 13.15 for 150ml while the cream sells for AUD13.35 for 50g. It's so affordable, you can't cite price as a barrier to getting a decent sunscreen for your face.

Review: EcoTools Blush Brushes

While time and again, I've always declared my love for my MAC #129 (which has always been my go-to blush brush), over the last couple of weeks, I realised that two brushes were slowly but surely catching up in reporting for blush duty.

Enter the EcoTools blush brushes. I picked them both up in separate sets - the 5-piece (the Makeup Mix Shop for ~US$10) and 6-piece (Aust trip for ~AU$23). And in both cases, the blush brush is the one I headed straight for.

In fact, I've been using these two rather frequently that it's almost quite up there in the Favourite Things category together with my #129. Awesome.

Mineral Powder Brush (aka Short-handle Blush Brush)


Okay, so this isn't really a blush brush, but heck it works perfectly fine as one. Since the set it comes in has a baby kabuki, I'd recommend you use that for powder and use this for blush.

Size wise, it's purrfect. I've been using this for my blushers of late, and it picks up blush and applies them very well. It's short handle also makes it really great for when I'm on the go, and for travelling.

Blush Brush (Long-handle)


This is an actual blush brush, which you can pick up with the set, or individually. Of course, the set gives you more bang for your buck. While the handle is longer, it isn't particularly heavy, and allows for a comfortable hold.

While the long and the short-handle brushes don't look terribly alike, they do share several similarities:

1. Both should appeal to tree-huggers, what with bamboo-handles, and recycled aluminium for ferrules. The brush itself is made from synthetic taklon bristles, which are 100% cruelty free.

2. Both brushes are also insanely and incredibly soft! It's so nice to brush it against the skin. *hehe* Granted, the brushes are rather new, but they have never felt scratchy, unlike the #129, which can be a little annoying, once it's in need of a wash. I have also not noticed any shedding or bleeding.

3. Both are really good, especially for pigmented blushers. I notice they tend to pick up a little less pigment, so using these brushes with pigmented blushers allow you to slowly build the colour up instead of going bada-bing-bada-boom on your cheeks, if you know what I mean. If your blush is not thaaat pigmented, an extra swipe or two is all you need. No problemo.

(L-R: MAC #129, short-handle and long-handle. You can see the difference in the density of the brushes here. The MAC is still the most dense, which is likely why it picks up the most pigment of the three.)

(L-R: Short-handle, long-handle, MAC #129. You can see how the brush heads are shaped from their side profile. MAC is the most tapered, but the other two blend rather well too.)

In conclusion, if you're looking for a blush brush, I'd highly recommend these two. They perform wonderfully, they're nature-friendly, and they won't burn a hole in your pocket, unlike high-end brushes which can cost anywhere between RM100 to over RM200 a piece.

My MAC #129 is facing some stiff competition indeed.

Monday's Beauty Bits

Kahani is on leave this week so I will be feeding you our Monday beauty bites, err, I mean bits.

Not a beauty bit but a reminder to stay cool. The Sydney heat wave started over the weekend, with temperatures hitting 40 C on Sunday. Goodness knows how the rest of this week will turn out but don't forget to carry water, facial spray and sunscreen with you to cool down. I have a stash of face masks cooling in my fridge as I write this.

I hate wastage so it always irritates me whenever I get a perfectly good product in terribly inefficient packaging. Half the time, I end up cutting the bottle in half (if I can) and decanting the remainder into an small tub. This isn't a new idea as most of our mothers do it but I was just wondering how many of you bother doing this as well.

Remember this Skunk Brush? I mentioned in my review that it bled quite a bit and it took a couple of washes to get the dye out. Guess what? The dye is STILL coming off and after an indefinite number of washes, I have given up on this brush. Into the bin it goes.

I try to keep my hair off my back as much as possible because of bacne. This poses a bit of a problem in the shower so after applying a hair mask or conditioner to my hair, I bundle it up into a shower cap, leave for a bit, rinse and put my hair back into the (rinsed) showercap. Not only has this reduced the number of pimples on my back, but allows my conditioner to penetrate the hair shaft more effectively.

While I am on the subject of hair, the curly girl routine is working great for me. It has been 4 months since I started and while I don't get great waves and curls everyday, my hair has been looking better since I gave up shampoo (well, I still do shampoo my hair but only once in a reeeeeeally long while). Not only do I have less split ends, but my hair seems to be growing faster -- which may be a minus point for some people.

Disappointing: Revlon Muticare Base & Top Coat

Many beauty companies are wary of bloggers are they're afraid we'll slam their products needlessly - especially if they can't influence us with advertising as is the way with mainstream media. But the truth is, I am happier to rave about products I like than to mention the ones that didn't work out. I also prefer to just not mention the one-the-fence meh products that didn't work for me but aren't so awful they can't work for someone else. Skincare and makeup formulas are so subjective. But once in awhile you get a product that almost definitely doesn't work no matter what you try, and this is where we post to encourage other ladies not to waste their money. I'm sorry lovely ladies at Revlon's Malaysian distributor who sent me this product to test, but this is a bad apple.

As a base coat
I've tried this with Stage nailpolishes, Revlon nailpolishes, Elianto, Sally Hansen (see I do my research) and in every case the nailpolish goes on streaky with it. All of the above work well with The Face Shop's pale pink base coat and even bare nails gets a better result. So as a base coat, even if you allow over an hour for it to dry completely, this is a no go.

As a top coat
Here's where the product really broke my heart. It does give a lovely glossy finish but you know what? No matter HOW long I leave it to set it still gets hatch marks from bedsheets and stockings, or worse, gets smudged and smeared by shoes. Do you know how far I've gone to ensure it was dry?

I've painted the colour coat one day and left off painting the top coat till the next day. Two hours to dry before bed time and when I wake up... hatchmarks.

I do the same on a weekend and give it 4 hours to dry before bed time. No hatchmarks. But the NEXT day after a day with stockings on I find my nails matte and smudgey. It's had over 14 hours to dry before I popped them into shoes. This is unacceptable!

Conclusion
Save your money and don't buy this. At around RM20, if this had worked as a base and top coat it would have been great value. But the way it performs it just ends up costing you more in time, labour, fustration and nail polish.

Sunscreen Series: Cancer Council Australia Everyday Sunscreen

I am no puteri lilin* but I am bloody well paranoid about getting skin cancer and irreparable sun damage ever since I started studying in Australia.

This has only been further reinforced over the years but not because of the SunSmart reminders everywhere in this country. Each time I step on a plane, I encounter a Malaysian auntie/grandmother who migrated here 10-20 years ago and suffered awful skin damage and pigmentation from the awful Australian sun.

One well coiffured grandmother even lightly dabbed off her foundation to show me how bad her sun spots were. On hindsight, I should have asked her what foundation she was using -- it really covered up her spots -- but I was reeling at the sight of 20 over years of sun damage.

(Yup, I have this strange ability to attract auntie and grandmother types. Wherever I go, I get mothered, fed, petted and lots of advice on life. My travels are always full of entertainment.)

ParisB has already sang her praises for my favourite everyday sunscreen: The Cancer Council Everyday Sunscreen. You can find this brand at practically any grocery or pharmacy in Austraia. It's that popular, affordable and that good.

All Cancer Council Sunscreens have a 30+ SPF rating, which is the highest SPF rating allowed under Australian regulations. So if you come into Australia and wonder why on earth doesn't this place sell stuff with SPF 50 or SPF 75, you now have your answer. From what I remember, sunscreens with an SPF rating of over 30 tends to have unstable active ingredients which usually break down after 2 or 3 hours, giving you less protection than you actually thought. The Australian regulatory body felt that this lulls consumers into a false sense of security and smelled a little of false advertising as you would reapply less frequently with a higher SPF rating. Hence the SPF 30+ rating.

Just a reminder here but SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor against UVB rays. The SPF rating stands for how much longer you can be under the sun without getting a burn compared to without applying sunscreen. It's a mind boggling business but if it takes you 10 minutes to get sunburnt without sunscreen, applying a sunscreen with a SPF 30 means that you can stand under the sun for 300 minutes (10 x 30) without getting burnt. SPF measures protection from UVB rays only, not UVA.

To be on the safe side, I always reapply every 2-3 hours.

This particular product is great for everyday use. Not just because it doesn't smell too strongly of sunscreen and it absorbs easily into the skin, but because it gives broad spectrum protection. The active ingredients (and the UVA/ UVB protection it gives) are as follows:

1. Octyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate): UVB protection
2. 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor: UVB protection
3. Oxybenzone: Short Wave UVA protection
4. Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Avobenzone): Long Wave UVA protection

A good sunscreen is supposed to be able to offer UVB and UVA (both long wave and short wave) protection so this particular sunscreen fits the bill nicely. I am a little worried about the second active ingredient though as it is not permitted for usage in the US and Japan due to health concerns.

The Cancer Council Everyday Sunscreen is AUD 14.95 for the 200ml fliptop bottle. It also comes in other sizes and packaging which you can see here. I personally like the roll on version for travelling.

What is your favourite everyday sunscreen?

*Puteri lilin: literally translated, it means 'wax princess'. It's a Malay term used to describe err, delicate people who avoid the sun.

More minty lip balm: Yes To Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butter

I suppose y'all have noticed by now but Syen and I are just a touch Lip Balm mad. We also both seem mighty curious about organic range, Yes To Carrots. It's cheap & cheerful tree-hugger philosophy just strikes a chord and you want to like what they put out. So I was pretty keen to try this mint balm (I have a thing for mint balms too) I picked up in Singapore.

Formula
Organic and critter-friendly (yep lookin' at you Pet) the site promises that the balm's key ingredients of coconut and olive oils and vitamin E are:

All grown using environmentally sound practices without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides that could be harmful to our bodies or Mother Earth.

* All Natural Ingredients
* No Animal Testing
* Paraben, Petroleum and Phthalate Free

Use & Flavour
Sadly, I find the balm notas moisturising as I'd like. It's rather hard (there's no glossy finish so it's guy-friendly balm btw) and I have to apply and reapply frequently. I haven't noticed my lips looking better or softer either, but they haven't dried out. Fortunately, I LOVE the minty flavour!

It's not sweet in the least and greatly resembles the scent and flavour of Garden Mint balm by Crabtree & Evelyn. Only less intense and easier to apply as it's in a tube form. I keep it by my keyboard at work and find it a refreshing break when writer's block hits.

Conclusion
I love the flavour enough that I might be tempted to repurchase if I come across it again. At about SGD$5 it's nicely affordable for a fun treat - just wish it was available in Malaysia.

Monday's Beauty (Holiday Collections) Bits

Hello people! Hope you're this week is starting out great for you guys. Today's Beauty Bits will be snippets of some of the holiday offerings that I've managed to check out over the past week. I've managed to exercise some amount of self-constraint, but got a little naughty too. So read on to find out what I products I succumbed to!

I don't know about the other MAC lovers, but after going through the MAC collection again a little more thoroughly, I found it slightly disappointing. The only eye palette I had found myself drooling lustily over, Sorceress, didn't swatch nicely when I was on the verge of buying. Even the dark purple took work for it to show up, and that just doesn't cut it for me. Not for a palette which costs RM180. I had also wanted the Hocus-Pocus face palette, but as I already have Peachykeen, logic got the better of me and so I walked away. Verdict: I'll pass.

I ran into Shu Uemura too, hoping to find their Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine lipsticks (glossy finishes in lipstick form always appeal to me), but all I got was a super-blank look from the SA. What I found out instead was, that the tsumori chisato holiday collection is out. No swatching done (Shu usually swatches beautifully anyway), but a quick look at the collection told me it was not for me. Verdict: I'll pass. (Anyone who does know anything about the Supreme Shine lipsticks, however, I'm all ears!)

The Body Shop, now is a different story altogether. Christmas offerings this year include their regular Cranberry range (called Merry Cranberry) and the new Black Velvet Apricot. But what I really, really dig is their Nutmeg and Vanilla range. I took a whiff, then whiffed and whiffed again. The scent is just divine, for a vanilla-mad girl like me. If you like vanilla, you'll want to check this one out. Serious. The body lotion and body scrub have my name written all over them. Verdict: Come to momma!

I haven't seen this in the Sasa outlets, but getting my grubby paws on a theBalm booklet, I noticed that there are in fact TWO Shady Lady palettes. One in leopard print (which me and Kahani both caved for), and then there's another one - in Zebra print. Looking at the pictures, it looks like several shades overlap, but I'm guessing Shady Lady Vol. 2 should include shades like Just This Once Jamie, Mischevious Marissa, Racy Kacy and Sexy Stacey. Verdict: On the look-out.

And finally, Bobbi Brown. Ah Bobbi, your Chrome Holiday Collection has left me absolutely drooling. And a mighty big collection too, I might add. I checked out the Earth Metal Lip & Eye palette, which looked gorgeous, but chickened out at its RM240 price tag. I didn't dare go near their Chrome Palette. But what snagged me was her Pewter Chrome Eyeshadow. At RM75, it's super-pricey but it's so super gorgeous I just caved. *Sigh* And while I was there, I also got snagged by her Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Maui. That cost me RM115. But it's beautiful I tell ya! Verdict: Came to momma!

Want a Carroty-clean Face?

A couple of months back, when bestie Mich was returning from the UK, she was kind enough to ask if I wanted anything from Boots. Note that she asked if I wanted anything, not whether I needed anything.

(C'mon, be honest. Who needs stuff from Boots? Okay, save maybe for John Frieda.)

Anyway, OF COURSE I wanted. And one new product I decided to have a go at was Yes To Carrots Gentle Exfoliating Facial Cleanser. Blended with organic carrot juice, pumpkin, sweet potato, spring water and dead sea minerals, it sounds almost good enough to eat. Almost. Because I've got second thoughts about the dead sea minerals.

Frankly, I wouldn't really call it a cleanser. It's all scrub to me. The product itself feels like light cream, with very fine scrub beads. The beads, while finer than Neutrogena's Deep Clean Gentle Scrub, can still make me go "Uh-oh", should I scrub too hard and too long. A light hand works best here.

I usually use this after a cleanser, and my skin definitely feels squeakier compared with the Deep Clean scrub. But it doesn't cause any tightness or discomfort, so no biggie there.

Pricewise, it's not exactly cheap as I paid about £6.97 (~RM39) for it. I'm not aware if it's available here in Malaysia as this came all the way from ye olde England. So I'm afraid that unless you have a makeup mule... But then again, many brands are slowly becoming available to us here. So one can always hope. If you're desperate, I believe drugstore.com (where you can purchase online) is now also shipping internationally. Only problem is, Singapore is as near as it gets. Sigh.

Anything else I need to tell you? What's that? Whatsit smell like? You reeally wanna go there? Sorry ladies, blocked nose. Really. Hah! Not that it'd have made a difference anyway.

So verdict? I'd say it's a nice to have. While it's lovely to use and a great option when I'm in the mood to stray, I don't feel like I. must. have. it. Especially since it takes so much effort just to get hold of.

Have you tried it? You like?

Review: L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara

Will you like this mascara? The key question is do you like your lashes spiky and dramatic? Or fluttery and natural++? I'm with the second camp so this mascara doesn' make it into my must-have list, but once you get past that it's actually pretty decent.

I got a tube to try via the Total Beauty network, it's newly launched in the US and I have absolutely no clue when or if it'll get here.

The key differentiator is of course, the sea-mine man-o-war (maybe that's why they called it "explosion"?) applicator. When I first saw this style of mascara wand on Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes Mascara, I'll was pretty interested. I normally turn my mascara wands almost vertical and use the tip to add oomph to my outer lashes so this wand seemed like a good idea.

Wand
I love how small it is and how easy it makes applying mascara smudge-free. I just wish it was well... furrier. The spikes are actually rather far apart and the mascara formula is thick so lashes tend to bond together into triangle shaped spikes.One coat doesn't cut it, two coats and it's WHOA clumps! A lash comb solves almost all the problems, but wouldn't it be cool not to need it?

Effect

I will say though if you like spiky dramatic lashes you'll looove this. It's not big on curl, but it'll give you visible lashes alright. (There is no point my showing you the before. Just imagine my eyes, with NO lashes visible)

Wear
This is the best part about the mascara. It's waterproof, flake proof, and doesn't leave undereye shadows at all. All day. I wouldn't guarantee it's durability if you rubbed it with your fingers though. And here's the truly wonderful bit. It has all the above AND it's darned easy to remove at the end of the day. A few swipes with a dual-phase mascara remover and you're ready for bed. This is something few companies seem to overlook. We love long-wearing mascara but we don't like having to rub rub rub rub rub it off at the end of a hard day.

Conclusion
This retails in the US for just under US$10. Now, even if this showed up on our sunny (rainy) shores I doubt I'd pick it up as I do prefer my lashes fluttery and curled. But read the review and determine for yourself if it's the mascara for you.

A Peek into my Bathroom Cabinet

This cabinet has been houseing all of my toiletries and cosmetics (Canberra is really dry so I don't have to worry about humidity)for the past two years. I am actually going to miss it once I graduate next month.

I was planning to tidy everything up before taking pictures but I was in a hurry (am going travelling this week) and decided to show the insides of my cabinet in all its full cluttered glory. After all, part of bathroom voyeurism is seeing how dis/organised the other person is, isn't it? *winks*

You can see my body moisturiser, antiperspirant and hair stuff sitting right at the top of my cabinet. They are the first things I reach for after a shower is it only makes sense for me to have them within easy reach. (Plus, the bottle of moisturiser is too darn big to fit into my cabinet anyway).

Yup, that's two shelves worth of nonsense in there. The bottom shelf holds my makeup brushes and mineral makeup samples on the left. My swirly bowl sits right in the middle, complacent thing! The blue tray on the right holds all my skincare, higgly-piggly. The reason why I got a tray was because my tubes and bottles kept falling over each other and I could not be bothered to take the time to stand everything up.

Top shelf! Hmm, on the far right, those two black things hold my pressed eyeshadows (such space savers!). My makeup is sitting behind those two bottles of sunscreen on the right. Lippies and perfume are in the middle and stuff like pressed powders and extra contact lenses are stacked on the far left.

Oh, and 3 things I can't live without:

1. Facial cleanser (not pictured. It's in my shower stall)
2. Toothpaste
3. Sunscreen

NYX Haul: Round THREE!

Hello ladies!

Look what I found sitting in the middle of my porch one fine day last week? (HOW the postman got it over the 6-ft gate in the light shower I shall try not to think about. *shivers* )

Believe it or not (but it's true), I've gone a-hauling again with NYX stuff from Cherry Culture. Again. Well, I was celebrating something (to justify the loot) when I made the online purchase, but for the life of me, I can't remember what I was celebrating now. And besides, they were on sale. Which is still on, by the way.

But it doesn't really matter, does it? On to the haul!

The haul this time round is lip heavy, laden with heaps of lip products I've been meaning to try the previous times but it was always out of stock. And while going clickity-click at Cherry Culture, I noticed that they now had new eye palettes too!

(Top: I Dream of St Marteen. Down: I Dream of Barbados.)

With the good experience I had with my (many, many) trios, I thought I'd give these quints a try. A quick check with MUA also told me what I wanted to hear. These palettes got rave reviews, even if there weren't thaat many reviews. Nevertheless, I wanted them. Good enough a reason? *hehe*

I haven't swatched my palettes (still at the petting and stroking stage), but don't the colours just look so lovely? You can click on it for an even bigger photo of the palettes.

(L-R: NYX Diamond Sparkle Lipstick in Salmon, Round Lipstick in Indian Pink, Pumpkin Pie and B52. I finally got my hands on them! (Oooh, what glee!) The colours are relatively accurate here, so I won't bother explaining the colours, but I'll describe the finishes. Salmon is very frosty (duh), Indian Pink has shimmer, Pumpkin Pie and B52 have a creamy finish. Ladies, if you like creamy opaque lipsticks, I think NYX Round Lipsticks are made for you. These babies pack on colour like no tomorrow.

Another product I've been meaning to try. NYX Tinted Lip Spa (L-R: Vintage, Sake and Copacabana). They're basically tinted lip balms. They're quite lovely to use, and are quite pigmented too, so the colour will show. My fave of the three is Sake as it's not too bright, and not too light. But I have one slight problem though. No idea if it's just me (or if anyone can help me out here), are they suppose to be so methol-y? They smell menthol-y (and if I can smell it), and even makes my lips tingle, but there's nothing listed in ingredients which I can think of would give this effect. Eh?

And oh, just one other little prob. The base of the lip spa is really soft, so I can only push it out a weeee little bit to apply, and even then it tends to rub at the side of the tube. Which may not bother some, but it bothers the hell outa me. Sheesh.

And oh, I got two Megashine Lipglosses too! Which I forgot to put in the group shot, then got too lazy to do another group shot. =P

In Natural (top) and Perfect (bottom). Natural's a brown-pink with no shimmer, while Perfect is peachy with shimmer. Ooh, Perfect indeed! They apply with a doe-foot applicator and I've detected no tackiness, no stickiness, and they smell uhh.. fruity. It's just lovely!

So yup. The rundown of my haul. And now for the bestest bit. Ready? - Cherry Culture now ships to MALAYSIA. How awesome is THAT?

So, are you gonna haul?

Monday's Beauty Bits

Ok, I know I said I'd take a pic of my bathroom cabinet for this week's beauty bits. But what with working on Sunday I honestly haven't had the time or energy. Forgive me Syen!

Swing by Guardian and pick up their "Dermo Care" booklet for some pretty awesome coupons valid till end November. If you're looking to try products from Uriage, Vichy, Eucerin and Avene, you may find the stuff you want going at a discount. I just picked up Eucerin White Solution Oil Control Day Fluid at RM15 off RM66.90. Let you know how it works in a month!

Speaking of Guardian, if you spend over RM100 you'll also pick up their voucher-filled calender with coupons valid till Jan 31 2010. These vouchers even work on top of regular promotions and some are pretty worth it. Not exactly worth shooting for, but just nice to know. =)

That Acne-zapper (literally!) Zeno is in town, spotted at Guardian (yes sorry that's where I've been prowling of late) for RM399. You'll have to ask for it as there are no units on display.

As reported by Paris, Smashbox Cosmetics is HERE! In KL Pavilion to be precise. Known for their legendary Photofinish primer (which breaks out dimethicone-sensitive me in case you were wondering). No word on the prices and if they're marked-up. I don't know about you ladies, but unless the product is a must-have for me, I try to refuse marked-up goods as a matter of principle. A small amount is acceptable, but over RM10 and they can go hang!

I have unearthed the most ancient bottle of Orly In A Snap ever. Mom's been hoarding it and she just passed it to me. How I wish it was still available in Malaysia! The glossiest, fastest drying, bestest top-coat in the world. You can slap it on and hit the sack without fear of hatchmarks and unless you really abuse your nails it should last you a week chip-free. Topping up's a snap too (pardon the pun). I just ordered a new bottle from the US via eBay, if the new formula is better than the old one, it'll be worth the hassle!

Get Down Boy!

Oh the thoughts that run through the mind. I know what you're thinking. And don't even try to lie. *tee hee*

If there was ever a blush designed to get you at 'Hello', this my dear friends, would be it. Meet the Balm's Down Boy blush.

The latest (I think) to join my (already bursting) collection of blushers, this one has definitely wiggled its way up to the top of the well-loved and frequently-used list, to join the likes of MAC Pinch O' Peach, Springsheen, and Cargo Blu_ray. Purchased a month back or so (from Sasa Selective in 1 Utama), this finely milled blush is almost my go-to now when I'm in the mood for pink.

(It appears cooler in the photo than in person.)

The wonder of it is that it's neither precisely warm, nor precisely cool. It somehow manages to just straddle itself on the fence of being a gorgeous neutral pink. To me, anyway. So pair it with the lippie of your choice, and I'm sure it'll slide either way just fine. *winks*

Devoid of shimmer, it manages to perk up a pale complexion and gives you a healthy pink flush. For my NC25/30 skin, two swipes is all I need for a gorgeous glow which lasts a good decent couple of hours. You know, blushed without screaming blush.


It reminds me of very much of Dandelion, but better. Why? Because this actually shows up on my skin. Perfect.

Packed nicely in a practical, slim cardboard body, it comes complete with a mirror too, which makes it perfect to be toted around for touch-ups. And the wide pan makes is really easy to pick up the blush evenly. Benefit could definitely learn a thing or two here.

At RM65 for a (huge) pan of 9.9g, I'd say it's priced midway. Not a cheapie, but not quite high up there either.

So. You gonna get Down Boy? *grin*

Beauty Dodo Disaster: When Brazilian Waxes go very very wrong...

The following was submitted by a traumatised reader who wishes to only remain known as the Beauty Dodo. So those who know her PLEASE don't howl out her name in the comments section, k?

Brazillian waxes are funny things. I once found myself at a party full of lawyers, with a lovable and boisterous woman next to me regaling the rest with stories of how she led men to the torture chamber. We compared salon experiences in Bangsar – my RM 45 experience and her RM 88 one at the Strip (which she loved).

These men, corporate bad boys and human rights defenders, were traumatised.

Some of my friends are odd creatures: one cheerfully waxed his crack and sac for his wife. “It wasn’t too bad,” he said cheerfully. He looked very satisfied.

Note to self: love of life must be willing to undergo pain.

After food hunting in Bangsar, a friend suggested popping into Impressions. Located next to Chawan on Jalan Telawi 3, she insisted they were great for eyebrows and good enough for Brazillians.

I was nursing a broken heart so I decided to give a wax a go. Pain can comfort. This was nothing, I have been known to sign up for white water rafting out of boredom the day before.

In we went. We were greeted by a woman with impeccable eyebrows.

“Eyebrows? Eyebrows? You – Brazillian? WHAT? YOU BRAZILLIAN?”

Everyone knew who were getting their bits done and who were not. Meaning: us, the clients waiting for a haircut next door and the few browsing the clothes in front of us (the beauty salon was located within a tailoring shop).

A woman squealed from inside the salon. “I am never doing this again! What was I thinking?”

Pussy, I thought.

“Don’t worry honey, you’ll forget all about it tonight,” soothed a John Goodman lookalike. A couple of women cracked dirty jokes.

A friend who got her Brazillian done in Thailand lay on newspaper during the procedure. Yet, it was effective, neat and quick. Mine was not. I had really good experiences with this place with the eyebrow threaders – they were polite. In contrast, my waxer whacked the top of the bed grumpily and glared at the side of my body to climb up. I did.

“Take off your clothes!”

I obeyed meekly.

Then, she started whacking, not patting, talcum powder onto my bits. WHACK WHACK WHACK WHACK WHACK. Her fingers went places. Oh God, I thought, molestation. I had waxes when beauticians were extremely careful to limit contact. She was less cautious.

After I got intimate with powder, she dipped her spatula into the wax. IT WAS TOO HOT. For those of you who have never done a wax, too-hot wax scalds and takes a while to harden. It dripped all over my thighs.

A moment after she pressed the spatula to my skin I noticed to my horror there was pubic hair on the stick. SOMEONE ELSE’S HAIR.

I expected her to wait a while before tearing the hair off. No. In she went. The wax seared my bits. Another no-no – beauticians should apply neatly. She slopped the stuff all over like she was trying to seal every orifice because her life depended on it. A mess of white powder, wax and hair, I peered down and saw a furry animal that threw up all over itself.

She went over the same place a few times because the wax was too molten to grip and pull hair effectively.

I do not recall whether she applied powder or lotion at the end. I was too focused on how her fingers were indiscriminately whacking crevices and surfaces. WHACK WHACK WHACK WHACK all over my bits.

I paid her RM45 and flew.

The area smelt funny for about 24 hours despite extensive washing. I found wax clinging stubbornly to my skin for the next few days during showers. And, it was not the neatest job.

Since then, I have returned to thread my eyebrows. Never a wax.

- Beauty Dodo

*Impressions is no longer located next to Chawan.

Review: Purederm Sheet Masks

Remember these Purederm masks I bought in Vietnam at the beginning of the year? I finally finished the last of them last month (I bought 2 or 3 of each) and think I can do a fairly decent comparison review.

Now, Purederm has a pretty wide selection of face masks so I had trouble deciding with ones to choose. In the end, I bought 3 different types: Herbal, Red Ginseng and Pearl.

Red Ginseng and Herb contains 23ml of essence, which is standard across the range, while the Pearl mask contained 19ml. 23ml is still pretty generous (beware, the mask driiiips you remove it from the sachet) and I always had extra essence leftover for another mask (Just stick a facial mask sheet in the sachet and leave it refrigerated overnight in a ziplock bag).

The sheet is pretty thick so you don't have to worry about it tearing as you remove it from the packet. I had some problems with the fit of the mask -- too short to fully cover my forehead and a little wide at the sides -- but it wasn't too much trouble to fold and adjust.

The essence used for the masks was a bit too sticky for my liking so instead of massaging the residue in, I usually tissued everything off instead. Even so, my skin sometimes felt uncomfortable (especially with the Herb and Red Ginseng masks) and I often found myself rinsing the essence off.

Compare and Review
Performance wise, the Herb mask did absolutely nothing for me. Other than soothing a developing pimple or two (fine, I give it credit for that), I felt that the essence simply sat on my skin like a bump on a log. It performed okay on the moisturising front but I couldn't really experience the full effects as I kept rinsing my face and applying moisturiser afterwards.

Red Ginseng was a huge disappointment for me. I was expecting more from it as it was really popular with the Korean expatriates in my area. Although it performed a little better than the Herb mask -- I didn't feel the need to rinse this off all time and it was moisturising -- the fake ginseng smell threw me off completely. My boyfriend thought that something in the garbage can was kicking up a stink.

I am not big on fragrance and the scent of the Herb and Red Ginseng masks drove me absolutely wild. The Pearl mask had synthetic scent to it as well but it was bearable compared to the other two. Synthetic herb scents are horrible.

My favourite out of the three was the Pearl mask. It didn't smell too bad and was both moisturising and brightening. I usually mask at night and the brightening effect was able to last for the next two days. No wonder they only put 19ml of essence in this mask. The brightening effect might have been able to last a week if the sachet contained 23ml of essence.

Would I repurchase again? Maybe. I would get the Pearl mask again if it was cheap so I can add it to my travel kit (sheet masks are so convenient for travel) but otherwise, I think that there are better products out there.

I bought these from Ho Chi Minh for about RM2.50 each.

Pretty Polish: Two great shades by Stage

I've had Stage nailpolishes for sometime but never reviewed them simply because until now I didn't have shades I liked. The two on the right - Enchanting (brown) and Fascinating (plum) were given to me by Stage in goody bags but even though they are both lovely colours in their own right both look rather blah on me. They were too dark for my taste and didn't quite compliment my skintone. But I knew that quality wise they were good so during the last BOGOF offer, I seized the chance to pick up two colours I knew I'd love Pretty (Pink - go figure) and Gorgeous (red).

Pretty
I truly adore this shade it's a lovely golden pink but with a cool metallic finish that gives it an edge. Rather Barbie Warrior Princess. =D

Gorgeous
Is GORGEOUS there's no other word. I spend time happily cooing at my shimmery red toes. Not too dark, not too candy, not too scary, it's classy yet fun at the same time. I love this shade to death and have worn it for a month straight on my toes since I got it. Whee!

Formula
Neither of these shades are fast-drying, but they don't take crazy long either. Of course, a lot depends on your top coat as I discovered, but that's another review. Without a top coat, a single coat of Pretty on my nails lasted 3 days without a bad chip. Which believe me is impressive considering what I put my poor talons through. But both shades really come into their own with a good top coat so slap it on!

Conclusion
I love these shades so much I will definitely repurchase when they dry out (who ever heard of FINISHING a bottle of nail polish?). I may be tempted by one or two more shades but truth to tell, Stage isn't blessed with that many colours. Also at RM35 a bottle, the polishes are a bit beyond my budget so I'll be waiting for the next BOGOF offer to stock up. ^_^

Monday's Beauty Bit: What's In Your Bathroom Cabinet?

Hello! Hope today's started out well for all you ladies out there! =)

Anyway, over the weekend I got a little bored and I started wondering what you girls have in your bathroom cabinets. Or for those of you who don't have a cabinet, then what's on your bathroom sink.

Because I figure, what you have lined up before you in the morning to get your day started, or what you use at the end of the day, is probably more essential to you than you might even realise.

Also, if you do have a bathroom cabinet, I'd looove to see your stash.

So for starters, I'm gonna show you mine.


It's still a little bare, but it'll fill up in time, I'm sure. *tee hee* Anyway, I won't list everything down, just three of my can't-do-withouts:

1. Cetaphil
2. Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub
3. Venus shaver (hey it's important, ya know?)

Okay, now for the fun bit. Paris, Tine, Connie, Beetrice, Jenn and Kahani, you're tagged!

Aww c'mon, share your goodies!

PS: It's really simple. Just a photo of your bathroom sink and/or cabinet, and list three can't-do-withouts. Easy-peasy!