Beauty Experiment: On Pressing Mineral Eyeshadows with Aloe Vera and Throwing them into the Mail

About half a year ago, I tried pressing my Silk Naturals eyeshadows with a mixture of rubbing alcohol and FOTE Aloe Vera. It took a while to get the mixture right -- I figured out that shimmery eyeshadows need a little more aloe vera gel for better hold -- but the end result was this.

One week and a few hokey pokeys later (I tried shaking the pans, dropping them on the floor, tossing them into the air... everything short of throwing them at the wall), the pigments were still holding together. I even popped a palette of them into my bag to carry around campus and the pigments emerged intact.

Last month, I decided to put them to the ultimate test and popped 3 palettes into a box I was sending back home.

If regular post isn't a test for eyeshadows, I don't know what is it.

The result? Two palettes survived but one did not. The pigment in the top right hand corner pan shattered and spat out a poof of pink sparkles when I popped the lid open.

Thank goodness it's a colour I don't use often.

After careful inspection, I realised that the Silk Naturals matte, satin and dark shimmer eyeshadows press and hold together better than the lighter hue shimmer eyeshadows. The lighter shimmer eyeshadows showed some flaking while the rest were holding up well after their bumpy journey. Perhaps the shimmer particles don't hold together well or the aloe vera + rubbing alcohol isn't the right mixing medium for these eyeshadows.

If you want to give this mixing medium a go, the ratio is 1/3 of aloe vera gel to 2/3 rubbing alcohol for matte eyeshadows. You need a little more aloe vera gel for pressing the other eyeshadows so 3/7 aloe vera to 4/7 rubbing alcohol (i.e. the aloe vera should be a little less than half of rubbing alcohol) should do.

Another tip: Cover your finger or coin in plastic instead of tissue or a paper napkin before gently pressing the loose eyeshadows into place. There is good reason for this as (1) Tissue gets stuck to the wet eyeshadow, and (2), any red pigments will get soaked up by the paper napkin, making your eyeshadow incredibly hard (it's like working with a brick once it has dried). Plus, the colour is never the same again.

On a random note, all of my loose mineral eyeshadows which I carried in my luggage home ended up exploding all over the place. I have no idea how 10+ lids managed to loosen themselves during an 8 hour flight and make such a mess, especially after I screwed all the lids tight before packaging them. Thank goodness I put them in tupperware. This is goes beyond reason, I swear.

Bathing in the Milky Way: The Body Shop Raspberry Shower Gel

When scientists aimed a giant scope at the milky way they found the presence of ethyl formate. It's the chemical that gives raspberries their flavour and rum it's scent.

Isn't that beautiful? The milky way tastes of raspberries and smells of rum.

So when using this shower gel (which PrettyBeautiful gave me -thanks babe!) I indulge myself and imagine that it smells of the milky way. Could use a touch more rum though ;)

Like most body shop gels it's beautifully scented, foams nicely and washes off cleanly. Although it's gentle, it isn't moisturising and can be rather drying. So follow up with a lotion if you're dry-skinned.

I believe this retails for about RM25 for 250ml. A touch pricey for me which makes it an even lovelier indulgence. What's your fave Body Shop shower gel scent?

Monday's Beauty Roundup: March, 2010

Hello dearies,

How was your weekend? Mine saw my brand new spanking bookshelves arriving, and I'm mucho happy about it. Believe it or not, my books have been packed up in their boxes since way before I moved (after the wedding) and there they remained until now as I hadn't managed to get new shelves to house them. But no longer! Wheee! =)

Anyway, the month of March is almost over. So let's see what the other blogging ladies have been up to this whole month!

• ParisB of My Women Stuff gets us thinking about money! Wanna know if what you're buying is actually worth the price you're paying? Keyword: Cost per wear. Geez. And I've never actually looked at things that way before. Eeks!
  
  
• Don't have time in the morning to preen to your heart's content? No problem. Nikki of Askmewhats does it in just five easy steps in FIVE minutes! And she even has product recommendations.
  
  
• Can't tell if you're wearing too much makeup? Yes? No? Maybe so? Yani of Red Luscious Lips has six easy pointers to see if you've gone a little too far with the war paint.
  
  
• I think I just found me another lipbalm lemming. After stocking on three tubes of Nivea's Pink Grapefruit (which is yummilicious, btw), Beetrice of Beetrice's Review HAD to share about Nivea's Fruity Shine lipbalm in Pomegranate. Eeps!
  
  
• Lipglosseating Jenn has been a busy, busy bee, but she still manages to share a really funny story. With awesome MAC Spring Colour Forecast swatches to boot!
  
  
• Wanna get a Hot Mama? Connie of Skindeco gives her take on this blush. Sorry boys, it IS only a blush.

Now continue reading for a little something I thought I'd share with you girls.

Knowing that Smashbox's Heartbreaker collection was now available in KL, I made a mad dash to their only counter yesterday to check out... Baked Starlight. Of course. A quick try showed that it was pigmented enough to show on me, so naturally, I caved. That cost me RM116.


And then the sales assistant had to tell me that with a purchase, that entitled me to a Fusion Blush in Regal for a mere RM59. Regal is an LE from an old collection, and something I'd been eyeing before but never purchased because it cost a lot more then. But for RM59... Gah! Why did she have to hit my soft-spot?

And that is how those two blushers are now sitting on my dresser. Anyway, for the rest of you blush-mad girls who are keen, I think this is not too bad a deal to check out.

Happy Monday ya'll!

An Overview: My MAC Lipsticks ~

It seems to me that it's been a while since I've talked about colours and about my lipsticks. So today, I deem it absolutely necessary to pay some attention to my lipsticks, which are screaming blue murder and neglect.

I've always had a slight fascination with MAC lipsticks. Walking into a MAC store, you seriously cannot help but be amazed at their lipstick collection. Well, in my experience, at least.

They have not 10, not 20, not even 60, but 165 (or thereabouts) lipsticks in their permanent collection alone. Yes, one.hundred.and.sixty.five. Yes I checked. Don't believe me? Go count yourself on their MAC website.

I won't profess to intimately know ALL their lipsticks. That would be madness. So instead, today, let's take a look at my humble collection of a mere nine MAC lippies, shall we?

Top row (l-r): Sandy-B (frost), Blow Dry (lustre), Pleasureseeker (glaze), Barely Lit (lustre), Giddy (lustre); Bottom row (l-r): High Tea (lustre), Hug Me (lustre), Strawbaby (lustre), Viva Glam V (lustre)

(Kindly pardon my swatching skills. Much to learn, I have.)

If you look again at the first photo at the top of the post, you'll see my lipsticks in the order as captioned in the second photo. As you can tell, most of my lipsticks are warm toned. And many belong to the coral/peach family, such as Sandy-B, Blow Dry and Pleasureseeker.

Barely Lit is a brown-based nude, High Tea is a pearly-sheer beige, and Giddy is a gooorgeous yellow based warm pink. Hug Me is a wonderful (and much loved) muted warm pink (which looks scarily brown in the swatch), while Strawbaby looks cool but swatches on as a warm berry, even if it has blue flecks. It is a really interesting shade, and a great beginner's red.

And finally, Viva Glam V, which is mauvey pink with gold shimmer. It is a hugely popular shade from MAC.

MAC has eight finishes for their lipsticks: lustre, frost, amplified creme, glaze, amplified, satin, matte and cremesheen. My favourite, if you cannot already guess, is lustre. Of all the finishes, I find this works best for me. It may have shimmer or not, but lustre lipsticks generally feel a little creamy and is easy enough to work with. Glaze, I find is similar to lustre. I love me a lipstick which is just a tad sheer, with a smooth creamy/glossy finish.

I'm not a fan of matte lipsticks, so I've never quite ventured there. Frost I find is well, too frosty for my liking these days (I think I've grown a little older in taste), and amplified is just too pigmented. If you're a fan of strong colours and pigmented lipsticks, this might work out great for you.

I've heard of friends complain that they find MAC lipsticks too drying, which I think could be true of some finishes, such as frost or matte. Granted, some lips are drier than others, but applied with a lipbalm in advance, I have no such problem.

What I also love about MAC lipsticks is the delicious vanilla scent. Like a true junkie, I can scarcely resist taking a good sniff everytime apply my lipstick. If you like vanilla as much as I do, you will love it.

In terms of staying power, I can't really say much as I tend to re-apply my lipbalm and lipsticks quite often. But in my experience, they seem to last a good few decent hours on.

MAC lipsticks cost RM63, the last time I bought one, and price wise, I'd say they fall into the mid-range category. I don't know if they've gone up in price, but the good news is, MAC also has a Back-to-MAC programme. Bring in six empty MAC cases (powder, blush etc.), and redeem a MAC lipstick for free.

Sounds really great. My only problem is, I'll need to work on finishing products quicker!

In conclusion, I really do love my MAC lipsticks. They're relatively affordable, there's a whole variety of finishes and colours to choose from, and they smell incredibly yummy. What's not to love?

Have you tried a MAC lipstick?

Grapefruit Shampoos: Lush Happy Hippy & Mannings Strengthening & Repairing

It's a sad fact that Malaysia lacks Grapefruit scented shampoos. Or grapefruit scented most things. Boo. So I do got a bit boinkers when confronted with grapefruit anything.

Look at that pic, if I wish hard enough and you wish hard enough think we can reverse the sizes? Because I'd LOVE to have a giant bottle of Happy Hippy and am currently wondering what I'm to do with the rest of the Manning's shampoo. Why?

Mannings Shampoo
This smells like everything I'd want any grapefruit shampoo to be. Only once it's rinsed out the smell disappears. No happy days of sniffing my locks. *sighs*

And it's not harsh, it's really really gentle. Too gentle maybe. At the end of the day my hair lacks bounce and is somewhat limp. I tend to use this when I'm washing my hair for the second time in a day (in this weather can you blame me?) or if my hair seems dry (hardly ever).

If you're looking for an affordable nice and mild creamy shampoo with a gorgeous grapefruit scent (that doesn't last), you'll probably LOVE this. At HKD27.90 it won't break the bank - you just have to fly to Hong Kong to get it!

Lush Happy Hippy
I owe a vote of thanks to the lovely Plue for this fabulous Chrissy pressie! Until I took a whiff of this "real grapefruit juice" containing shampoo and shower gel I had NO IDEA grapefruit products could smell sooo goood. It's the freshest, juiciest grapefruit scent you can imagine and guess what? It scents your hair so you sit around in a happy cloud of grapefruit all day.

It is quite harsh though, and can be drying as a shampoo and shower gel unless you're an oily gal like me. I use it as a once a week clarifying treat or when I need a pick me up.

Now for the real problem. We have no Lush in Malaysia and it's crazy expensive in Australia and Hong Kong - the two nearest destinations. I'll have to beg the next UK-bound person to pick up a 250ml bottle for me - it's only £5.50 there. I'd buy more but Lush products, being all natural, don't keep that well and considering how sparing I am with this it may go bad before i get to the end of it.

Needed! An Eye Makeup Remover

This sore-eyed kitten image was taken from The Foster Babies' Blog

Help me out here, ladies. I need some recommendations for a good and inexpensive eye makeup remover.

I have been mostly using Neutrogena's oil-free eye makeup remover (its the blue bottle on the bottom left here) for the past two years. Now that I am back in Malaysia, I have got to look for an equally effective and inexpensive alternative.

This is where you ladies come in.

But before you start giving me suggestions, let me tell you what I have tried over the years and which have miserably failed.

1. Maybelline Eye & Lip Makeup Remover
Most of you would know this one. It was the first makeup remover I ever used and would have continued with it until it started giving me milia a few years ago. I was quite upset when that happened as I was pretty pleased with it (wipes off waterproof mascara in 30 seconds) up til then. (If you don't know how it looks like, check it out on Plue's blog here)

2. Simple Conditioning Eye Makeup Remover
Let's just say that this is on my "Never again, not even if there was only one bottle on the shelf and a sheep" list of things to buy. Mascara simply would not budge from my eyelashes with this stuff and it stung my eyeballs so badly, I wanted to pop them out of my eye sockets and rinse them in saline water for relief.

3. Any Eye Makeup Remover from Nivea
I like Nivea products in general but their eye makeup removers belong to the same category as Simple's. Absolute rubbish at removing makeup and by golly, do they sting the eye. OUCHIE. I was rolling around on my bathroom floor for a while.

4. Olive oil and other vegetable oils
Don't mind the oiliness but they all cause milia.

5. Baby oil
Works a treat but I am worried about milia (see 1 and 4).

6. L'Oreal Gentle Eye & Lip Makeup Remover
Another popular drugstore makeup remover. I bought this last week only to find out that it breaks me out in rashes. Arrrrgh. 4 days later and I am still waiting for some tiny bumps on my eyelid to subside. Boy, do I look cock eyed at the moment.

7. Vaseline
When All Else Fails, there is always Vaseline. I usually use this as a backup but I would prefer something which doesn't cloud up my vision so much.

So, ladies, I need an eye makeup remover that is inexpensive (I am soon-to-be-earning a civil servant's salary), non-oily, dermatologist-approved and hopefully animal-friendly.

Whadayya say?

My Favourite Things: St Ives Whipped Silk Advanced Body Moisturiser

Hello lovelies,

As requested by April when I decided (against my better judgment) to let you girls know how many moisturisers I had, here's a review of one of my absolute faves - St Ives Whipped Silk Advanced Body Moisturiser.

I first met this Whipped Silk moisturiser several years ago, when it was first released. Anyone remember the old packaging with the blue caps?

Originally, there were two scents available, I believe, as I remember clearly there was the one with the purple rose, and a pink rose.

Today, St Ives seems to only have the purple rose variety. But no matter. It's still one heck of a moisturiser.


For the Malaysian climate, St Ives couldn't have done better. It's moisturising but light enough even for our humid weather. I'd say this is even lighter than this Oatmeal & Shea Butter variety. If you're in a temperate country, this is a summer lotion alright. As much as I love it, I'm afraid it won't be able to carry you through winter.

Slathering it on, it does a great job of moisturising the skin without any of that greasy feel. It sinks right into the skin, which is a rather important point for me when it comes to body lotions.


A cute little extra that St Ives did as well, was to design the dispenser in a star-shape. This feature was also available in the original blue-capped design, and gives your moisturiser a whipped-cream look. Nice touch, don't you think?

As for the scent, it has a lovely and light floral scent which is very pleasant, and a little comforting. I love applying this at night as I find it has a rather calming effect on me.

The list of ingredients is as below:


Price-wise, it costs about RM16 for a 354ml bottle, which isn't pricey at all if you ask me.

To conclude, I really love this moisturiser, and it ranks up there with my all-time Dove holy grail. I have one bottle at home, and I'm still using my old bottle at my parents' place for when I visit them.

Yup, I love it that much. Have you tried it?

Monday's Beauty Bits

So Swedish (edited: Oops not Canadian thanks paris & connie) brand, Make Up Store has closed shop and moved out of Malaysia (thanks for the twitter-info, ParisB!). I've never tried anything from them - have you? Will you miss it?

On the plus side I've heard a rumour that Burts Bees is coming to town! True?

More Revlon Colorstay revelations. After a couple of months, I have the chuck the bottle even if there's some remaining becuase it dries up and the finish gets heavy and cakey. Also, interestingly enough, it appears to break me out then - but not before. Huh!

If you melt in heat and humidity - don't renew your passport at the immigration office at Terminal 2 Subang. The air cond's been down since 2006! Not really a beauty tip unless you plan to get your pic taken there too. Don't do that either btw. :( ParisB's experience at pusat bandar damansara sounds so much better!

Nailed It: Sally Hansen Dries Instantly 30 Second Top Coat

Rather than send all the way to the US for the rather disappointing fast-drying topcoat by Orly, all I had to do was look in our local pharmacies. Goshdarnnit! No it doesn't dry instantly, or even as fast as Orly. In 30 seconds it's dry to touch, but it won't withstand anything more than the lightest of touches (when are cosmetic companies going to learn to stop overpromising?) but it does dry fast and it outlasts Orly!

After about 30 mins your nails are rock hard and shiny providing you paint this over mostly dry nailpolish. Unlike its red-bottled counterpart (that's also twice the price), it won't dry wet nailpolish. But as top coats go it isn't bad.

It dries to a nice glossy finish and lasts a minimum of four days without chipping. Of course if you go around using your nails as a portable toolkit you're probably better off with bare nails. =P

Conclusion
At RM29.90 it won't break the bank, it's readily available, and it works! I'll be repurchasing this one - after I cave and give the red-bottled version a try...

Moving into High Gear: Braun Silk-epil 7280 Xpressive Epilator

Hair removal methods. We can't live without them. Unless you are Monique, most of us either shave, wax or use depilatory creams to remove our leg hair (and some).

Me? I am more of a waxer. The results last longer and the hairs grow back finer. The only problems I encountered with leg waxing were the occasional burns from too-hot wax or when I accidentally drop a cold wax strip on the carpet.

Carpets don't like being waxed, by the way.

So for my birthday last year, I bought an epilator for myself. My boyfriend actually offered to buy it for me but I told him that friends might think that he found me too hairy and decided to drop a not-so subtle hint. I forgot what he finally got for me but I am sure it was a lot more romantic.

After much dithering and reading, I decided on getting an epilator from the Braun Silk-epil Xpressive line. The cheapest I could find was the 7280 model and I ended up getting it off eBay for about AUD 150. I think it was selling for over AUD 200 in normal stores at the time.

This pink thing is the most expensive item in my beauty arsenal and I have no regrets so far. It comes with 3 different head attachments: a beginner's epilator cap, a normal cap and a shaving/ hair trimming attachment. While I haven't tried using the shaver head, the others work fine though I prefer using the normal cap head.

Epilators work by having a revolving head which rapidly yanks out your hair. If you are used to waxing, epilating doesn't hurt all that much and if you aren't used to it, the Xpressive models allow you choose between 2 speeds of hair yanking: fast and faster, or speeds 1 and 2. I prefer setting mine on speed 1 as I usually go over the same area couple of times before moving on.

The only drawbacks I have found with my epilator so far are firstly, it doesn't always yank out hairs by the root so I sometimes have to epilate a couple of days later. The second is that it is kind of noisy.

(A good friend in uni used to use hers at night so you could sometimes hear it whirring when you passed her door. It's good thing our room walls (she was my neighbour then) were thick. But some people thought that she was drilling a hole in the wall or since it was 1 a.m., others thought she was up to no good with a vibrator.)

There is no denying that epilators are pricey but when you sit down and do the math, you end up saving more in the long run. I wax about once every 3 weeks (ie. 17 times a year) and spend about AUD 15 on a pack of cold strips each time. That adds up to about AUD 255 annually.

Think of the amount of money I would have left for skincare! Or a Clarisonic system.

Hmm.

My Bobbi Brown Custom Palette

You know I have a weakness for palettes and am eternally chasing "that perfect one". The perfect palette is one that can take me from day to night and will be all I need for a weekend getaway (maybe even longer!). It doesn't have to contain lip products, but blush and eyeshadows are a must. So when Bobbi Brown announced her custom palettes way way back, you can bet I went weak at the knees.

Once I learnt the prices for the palette (RM40) and for each individual eyeshadow (RM75) and blush (RM85) that weakness got even worse. Argh!

But I didn't go crazy and buy it all at once. Nope.... I got the palette at a discount, and all the shades in it are gifts slowly accumulated!

Syen started me out with the Lavender metallic eyeshadow and for my recent birthday she bought me the shimmer shadow in Champagne (which by the way is a PERFECT highlight shade).

The brown eyeshadow in Mahogany and the blush in Nectar are from gift vouchers for last Christmas and this birthday from a guy friend (I kid you not). Bless him. =D

Mahogany is really pretty but I honestly expected it to have more depth. It never seems to get quite dark enough for that perfect eyeliner / outer corner shade, but its great as a casual lid colour. I would add one more dark brown or black eyeshadow to my beauty bag for night and liner use.

Nectar, as you can see on Syen's post, is lovely. Loverly even . I find it to be a warmer, more pigmented version of Cargo's Blu Ray blush and so actually works well with both cool, warm and even glammed out looks like smokey eyes or red lips. I still find myself missing a bright cheerful pink blush that makes you look fresh and awake though. The look from this palette is really fresh and natural though.

So now readers I put the question to you. Pretty as the lavender shade of shadow is it's not quite in keeping with the palette's versatility. Should I therefore get myself a darker brown / black eyeshadow like Espresso or Smoke or a pink blush like Peony, Soft Pink or Pink Sugar?

Which should it be? And what shade do you vote for?

What's Your Number: Gorgeous Skin ~

Oh fudge.

I remember a few months earlier, when I'd already started on my little cream craze (which has apparently gone BOOM!), and there was this particular conversation with Kahani that went along something like this.

Me: I'm really keen on trying out that new Vaseline (Stratys-3) moisturiser. It sounds AWHSUM.
Kahani: Uh-oh.
Me: What?
Kahani: You're having one of your crazy fetishes aren't you? Now it's moisturisers.
Me: Err... well. I only have uhhh... (ran off to count) TEN bottle/jars/tubs/tubes of moisturisers. I'm still alright.
Kahani: Riiiiiight.

Fast forward a couple of months post conversation, and my stash has reeeally gone BOOM. But I don't remember buying that many. Really!

Anyway, some housekeeping was in order, and I now realise I have 17 bottles/jars/tubs/tubes of moisturisers, as listed below.

Lotions

1. St Ives Soothing Oatmeal & Shea Butter Advanced Body Moisturiser
2. St Ives Whipped Silk Advanced Body Moisturiser
3. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula with Vitamin E Skin Smoothing Lotion
4. Vaseline Intensive Rescue Moisture Locking Lotion
5. Vaseline Intensive Rescue Relief and Repair Balm
6. The Body Shop Nutmeg and Vanilla Body Lotion
7. The Body Shop Peach Body Lotion (this was a gift, so it doesn't really count, right?)
8. Johnson's Baby Softlotion (Calming)
9. Nivea Whitening Inner Cell Repair Body Milk (for normal sun exposure)
10. ~H20+ Moisturising Body Balm in Raspberry Guava
11. Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter Body Lotion

Creams

1. Dove Supreme Body Silk
2. Dove Intensive Cream
3. The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

Hand Creams

1. Soap & Glory Hand Food (I hold Kahani responsible for this.)
2. L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Petal-soft Hand Cream (I hold Tine responsible for this.)
3. Nivea Hand Nourishing Cream

So there you have it people. My crazy cream stash. Okay, no more creams for me for the next three months! (Unless it was pre-ordered. Then it doesn't really count. *tee hee* )

So what's your number? C'mon people, be honest here.

Review: Gal Collection Peach Vaseline

Lipbalm. More lipbalm.

Okay, so yesterday it was about Kahani's new collection of citrus-inspired lipbalms. Today, I'll be giving a short review about a very little tub of vaseline I picked up from Hong Kong. In peach.

I apologise if we seem to be going on and on about lipbalms, but it apparently is a passion we both indulge in. Although I'm starting to wonder if there's such a thing as too much lipbalm.

Anyhow, read on for my thoughts on this peachy balm.

Encased in a little tin with gorgeous artwork on top, this little tub of vaseline from Spain won me and Kahani over when we found them in Sasa during our recent Hong Kong trip.

A little sniff at the sample tin won our noses over when both of us could actually smell the delicious scent of peach. It's one of the few brands that seem to get the peach scent down pretty decently, as surprise surprise(!), peach can turn out to be so wrong. A little too sweet and it'd be like a cheap handwash, and a little too much tang and I'd hate it. (Hear hear! I'm actually attempting to describe scents!)

Anyway, this one was decent enough to pass both our noses. That counts for quite a bit, I believe.

In terms of texture, it actually holds up quite well. It's hardly as soft as Vaseline (as in the original blue-capped tubs). My room can be slightly warm in the afternoons, and it hasn't gone a-melting. Although a tad sweaty. Am I making sense?

(There isn't any shimmer in this balm, although this photo seems to suggest there is. Notice it's a little sweaty?)

The irony, though, is that I wished it was just a little more emollient. While you'd be able to feel the lipbalm on, it doesn't feel particularly moisturising. Which isn't bad, just not quite my preference.

But because of the scent, I'm quite happy slapping it on, and then adding just a wee little slick of the original Vaseline or my other love - Lucas' Papaw Ointment - to ensure that my lips are really, really well cared for.

It was going on a Buy-2-Get-1-Free promo at about HKD30+ (~RM15) a tin. Which meant I got mine for about HKD20 (~RM9) for a 15ml tin. Which is not bad at all, really.

Would I be repurchasing? With the amount of other lipbalms I have, I'm guessing not. It's a very nice to have, but that's about it.

Let's just leave it at that, shall we?

Citrus Lipbalm Roundup

It seems, that quite inadvertedly I've gained myself a reputation for being a wee bitty lip balm mad - along with lip stain and blotter mad. And looking at my recent posts and buys I'd guess it's TRUE! And it isn't just lip balm mad, it seems I'm grapefruit and citrus mad. Ah well looking at my lovely pressies, I'm not complaining. =)

Anyway rather than bore you with four seperate posts of my latest citrus lip salves I thought I'd just do a quick roundup of them all.

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Lip Butter

It's just the wee one sitting on top, but I couldn't resist photographing it perched on my mini body butter which, in turn, is on the full-sized body butter. Isn't it cuuute?

Now in terms of scent this lil tub does not disappoint. It's so chockablock of that pink grapefruit scent that started it all that I'm tempted to use it as solid perfume! It does smell scrumptious but to be honest, a bit too perfumey to be absolutely edible.

It also isn't as moisturising as I thought it would be! I only use it at night because it's in a rather inconvenient tub and leaves a whitish cast on the lips but it really isn't as emollient or as moisturising as expected. If you have very dry lips this may not be for you.

In conclusion, if not for the scent this actually is not quite worth the buy. Also, it's been discontinued and isn't available here anymore, I picked up one the last few tubs in a TBS store in Hong Kong for HKD69.

Yes to Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butter in Citrus

This is now one of my absolutely favourite lipbalms! It's more moisturising than its minty sister, and smells exactly like more concentrated St Ives Citrus Energizing Wash! Yummeh!

Like the mint flavoured one, this doesn't leave a glossy finish or have any flavour. Just scent. It's a crisp citrusy cocktail in which I can pick out notes of lemon, grapefrui and lime. Love it! Oh and it's organic, critter friendly and vegan. What's not to love?

I bought this one in Hong Kong as well for HKD19.90 and it's available in Singapore for SGD$5 - so it's actually about the same price in both countries. Maybe slightly cheaper in Hong Kong.

Mentholatum Grapefruit Jelly

This was part of a birthday pressie from the lovely Rinnah and it's the truest grapefruity-est scent I've ever come across. I don't think it's available in Malaysia so I'll have to make Rinnah tell me. I think I spotted it in Hong Kong while I was there but told myself the lip balm mania had to stop somewhere! Gotta stock up next time I'm near it.

Its scent is remarkably like Daiso's grapefruit balm but is slightly tarter (which I love) and well, I'll admit that I have more confidence in Mentholatum balms than Daiso's which make me a bit jumpy everytime I use it. It's not as moisturising as Yes To Carrots but its light refreshing scent makes it great to use throughout the day.

It applies smoothly but isn't very glossy. It also doesn't last very long but I don't mind, it gives me an excuse to reapply. Absolutely love this one.

Star&Rose Sweet Shop Lemon Drops Lip Balm

As if to balance out the lip balm love, this one is absolutely jaw-droppingly dreadful! It's so awful that it's FUNNY. The colleague who gave it to me as part of a darling birthday package from New Zealand (where she was holidaying) was giggling madly with me when I showed her the opened tube and apologised for my complete inability to use it. Her gift was well-meant and she knows I love lemons - but oh my.

It smells like Axion Dishwashing Paste in Lemon. Remember it? I'm not kidding it really does. And as its yellow and gritty it looks like it too. I actually screwed up the guts to apply it and it went on oily and gritty with an overwhelming chemical flavour that had me carefully tissuing it off praying I wouldn't drop dead or that my lips would blister and peel off!

Usually even with lip balms I dislike I'll grit my teeth and just use it up. This one was waging chemical warfare on me. It got binned! So yes if you ever come across this brand avoid it like the plague. The sinister thing is it looks all cute, candy and yummy too. *shudders* Eeeviill....

Wave Control: Garnier Fructis Wave Defining Mousse

One of the things safely stashed in my luggage bag for my return to Malaysia (flight is later today) is this: Ganier's Wave Defining Mousse.

My usual Sunsilk Curl Booster and FOTE Aloe Vera Gel simply weren't cutting it for me over summer. My hair either frizzed up and turned me into a poodle poof-ball, or turned limp and left me looking like a drowned cocker spaniel. So when I discovered this 'cone free mousse at the supermarket for AUD 5.50, I let out a happy squeak and threw it into my shopping basket.

As I mentioned before here, Sunsilk Curl Booster leaves my waves feeling a tad crunchy while FOTE Aloe Vera gel makes me a bit frizzy when the air is dry. Thankfully, Garnier's Wave Defining Mousse seems to be immune to humidity issues or hair moisture levels.

The mousse has to be used on a sopping wet head of hair for it to really work so have it handy the minute you step out of the shower. Just shake the can, spray the mousse onto your hand (I use about a tennis ball size amount for my hair) and scrunch it into your hair, working up to the top from the tips. Leave to air-dry naturally or use the diffuser attachment on your hair dryer if you have one.

The only drawbacks to this product are that one, you have to go around with dripping hair til it dries, and two, the waves don't last after a night's sleep. With Sunsilk and FOTE, you just need a sprinkle of water in the a.m. to refresh your waves.

Malaysia has such a severe lack of affordable, cone-free curl products, goodness knows what I am going to do when my can of Garnier runs out. I will probably KY jelly a go then.

Review: MAC Blush Ombre in Ripe Peach

You know. I have been very, very good all through Spring. Well, up till MAC's Blush Ombre in Ripe Peach arrived in town at least. Despite having many-a-blush that I'd been eyeballing and drooling over all through this season (Dior, Lancome etc.), I've managed to stave off most of it.

Like I said. Most of it.

Willpower caved when I laid my eyes on this blush ombre. MUA was absolutely no help when I did a little digging. It told me that Ripe Peach was flying off the shelves the very day they were up for sale. And sold out too!

Goodbye willpower, hello MAC! This one had my name written all over it.

You know. The old me would never have dared defile it so soon. The old me would have kept the blush in its still pristine state, pet it every now and then, and coo over its prettiness.

The new me got home, ripped open the packaging, and took it for a test drive right away. (Okay, maybe I waited till the next morning.) Just so I could whip up a review for you ladies a.s.a.p. And hopefully you'd still be in time to get your grubby paws on one.

Coral is wholly and totally me, so I knew without a doubt, I'd be able to rock it. If you have got NC25/30 skintone and up, I don't think you'll have a problem wearing it.


This blush ombre starts off from a mild peach to an intense coral, and adds a gorgeous warm glow to the complexion. Its light golden shimmer is there, but barely noticeable on.

Just bewarned though, a light hand works best for this blush. This one packs a punch for pigment. And there is such a thing as too much blush. Priced at RM105, it is rather pricey, but for 9g, I'm willing to close an eye.

You know. I've got a feeling this one's headed straight for cult-dom.

Monday's Beauty Bits

I've heard of the German professional makup line Kryolan before but never actually tried their products. Now you can buy it from this blogshop in Malaysia I gotta admit that the mattifying loose powder is starting to tempt me. Recommendations?

Oh and I spotted a new L'Oreal Hydrafresh moisturiser the other day called Icy Matte. The ingredients list has NO DIMETHICONE which immediately piqued my interest. Although it's really cheap at under RM30 I just got a large bottle of Clinique's DDMG and so am not keen on trying a new moisturiser. Anyone tried it yet? Can't find any info on it online.

Speaking of new, I'm lemming the new range of lipsticks from Chanel - Coco Rouge like crazy! They're not here in Malaysia yet but if you want to drool, Beautygeeks has videos and Makeup & Beauty has swatches! Mademoiselle & Cambon are calling to me!

Craving OPI, China Glaze or Essie nail polishes? Fruity Sensation is holding a nailpolish spree for these brands - I've never shopped from them before so I can't vouch. But if you're looking to buy it might be worth a try.

Finally, beauty tip of the week: I took a pretty bad tumble two weeks ago, which you can read something about at my other site, Frocking Around. My knee was bruised and cut up fairly badly and as it healed it started to itch. I began using a pump of Colonial Dames Vitamin E Oil on it nightly and today there's no bruising and barely any scar. I'm quite sure I don't usually heal so fast. So whee! Give it a try on your cuts and scrapes when they start healing.

Beauty Confessions: My Tiny "Spring" Haul

Hey lovelies,

If you haven't been hitting the malls lately, just a little word that spring collections are out everywhere. With that in mind, I thought I'd just show you ladies what I've managed to haul up in the last couple of weeks.

Pardon the haul, it IS very tiny. And not entirely spring-y as many of the items are actually more of skincare rather than products from Spring collections, but I wanted to share with you girls anyway.

• Reading Kahani's review of St Ives Apricot Scrub, (and snagging a little sample from her) I had no choice but to pick up a tube myself. It seems to have gotten a little elusive these days, but I'm glad I found mine in a bigger Guardian outlet in Sri Hartamas. And I must say, it's like meeting an old flame for me too. Loves!
  
  
• Another product I picked up was the St Ives Timeless Skin Mineral Clay Firming Mask, thanks to great reviews on MUA. That forum's done me in again.
  
  
• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sublock with SPF50+. This one was more of a necessity as my usual sunscreen was running out. And so I decided to give this one a try. Not too bad. Just can't decide yet on whether it actually makes me oilier or otherwise, since it IS thicker than the watery consistency of my current sunscreen, but it disappears into a dry-finish almost instantly on the skin. We'll see.
  
  
• Yes, yes. I've gotten another tub of hairmask. And this time it's Sunsilk Smooth & Manageable Hair Recovery Treatment (with creamy yoghurt). I picked it up for one simple reason. It was going for RM3 at a jumble sale I was at. RM3. And yes, it is original, albeit in older packaging. Awesome buy.
  
  
• Onto something more exciting - MAC! MAC's Colour Forecast collection is out and those of you who are interested in its star product - blush ombre in Ripe Peach - had better get running. Based on raves on MUA, this product has been selling like hotcakes. It is miiiiighty pretty.
  
  
• Alright, so the only item left in the photo is Dior's Serum de Rouge, (which I know came out last year but) which I picked up early this year. Paris has a great review here. I got mine in #760 Raspberry Serum - a bolder colour than what I'd normally wear, but hey, a special lipstick calls for a special colour, non? And it really is something special. Loves!
  
  
• And lastly, you've already met my Benefit Sugarbomb (not photographed here), which is part of Benefit's Spring Collection.

What about you? What have you hauled lately? Please do share!

Budget Beauty: Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Cooling Toner

For some time now, my HG has toner has been Clinique's Clarifying Lotion 3. When I first started using it, it made such a noticeable difference to my skin and increased the efficacy of acne treatment products like Differin. So if it's so great, why am I looking to switch? Well, it's pricey. It's RM78 for 150ml, which just isn't that affordable - even when decanted into a smaller drop bottle and used only once a day. While the bottle lasts up to 6 months I just felt it wasn't worth the price.

I initially bought this toner to use in the mornings, but after a mishap where I spilt the tiny amount of Clinique toner I had left, I started using it morning and night. Well guess what, 3 weeks later and my skin hasn't suffered - not that I can see!


Why I think it works as well

I tossed my old bottle of Clarifying Lotion 3 but if memory serves (which the internet confirms) its active ingredients were withhazel and beta-hydroxy acid / BHA also known as Salicylic Acid. Guess what? Neutrogena's toner-of-the-really-long-name has all the above. It has Witch Hazel & 0.5% Salicylic Acid. I'm not sure of the concentration in Clinique's but even if Neutrogena's is lower I cheerfully slop it on twice a day instead of the meager drops I used to gingerly wipe on each night.

Does it eliminate blackheads?
My blackheads are under constant assault - but they're still there. I mask, tone, scrub, treat, and use serums just about daily and while the count is lowish some will prevail. If the assault ever stops they multiply so fast I have cystic acne in 3 days. Not kidding, stopping just one part of my arsenal usually has a negative effect. So what I CAN say is, switching to this toner hasn't made things worse. So it appears to be as effective as Clinique's offering.

Some drawbacks.... or not
There are two additional things this toner does that I don't mind but others may loathe. It does have that "cooling" menthol tingle, and it smells of citrus.

While I've secretly enjoyed all these cooling tingly products during the heatwave, I know that in truth they are at best an unnecessary ingredient as they do no good, and at worst irritant to sensitive skin. Clinique's toner is also unfragranced which this isn't - a booboo for some. Sorry Syen, you'll really really loathe this toner's lemony scent.

Conclusion
If your skin is oily and isn't overly sensitive to fragrance and cooling tingly things, it should take to this toner pretty well. At RM22 for 200ml it's definitely great value for money and while a bottle won't last me as long as Clinique's I don't mind replacing it every 3-4 months instead of every 6. If nothing else it lowers my stress levels. And hey considering I have been unable to replace my pricey Clinique DDMG and ~H2O+ Face Oasis moisturisers - something has GOT to give!

DIY Beauty: Artichoke Tea Face Mask

I wasn't planning to put up another DIY post this week but I have to rave about this mask created by yours truly.

See, I am having my period and am feeling absolutely miserable due a mixture of hormones and the blues (I am returning to Malaysia to work next week so Mr. A. and I are going to be separated for quite a while). On top of that, I spent most of last week having late nights drinking and talking with ex-university mates. I fully expected my skin to be shot to hell this week. It was already showing signs of a nightmare: dry patches, pimples, clogged pores and, worse yet, the beginnings of cystic acne.

But my skin has never looked better (except for a few scars, that is).

Thank goodness for artichoke tea.

After examining my face and sighing for the 100th time last Friday, I pottered into the kitchen to see what I had on hand.

Yoghurt? Ooh, great. I always had great results with yoghurt. What next? Honey! Honey isn't bad too. I like honey. Bee pollen? I have been experimenting with it off and on but it doesn't seem to do much. Green tea? Hmm... Wait, that's too drying so forget it.

Then my eyes lit on a packet of artichoke tea.

A couple of months ago, my parents sent me several boxes of Vietnamese artichoke tea (picture of brand on left. It comes from the Dalat region) with a note that the tea was great for strengthening the liver and the gall bladder. I ended up keeping it for the days when I had indigestion, constipation or felt sluggish. A cup of artichoke tea usually put me back on track after a few hours.

It was easy. All I did was to tear open the packet, shake out the loose tea into a bowl and pour about a tablespoon or two of hot water into the bowl. While the tea was brewing, I went to wash my face.

Once I was done, I added a teaspoon of yoghurt into the bowl and mixed it all up. The mixture was a bit runny though so I shook some bee pollen into the mix to thicken it (omit the bee pollen if you don't have it. Some corn flour would work too, I think). Then I applied it on my face, concentrating on the areas with congested pores and existing scars. As the mixture was still a bit drippy, I layered some tissue paper on top just to keep everything on.

I washed my face 15 minutes later and was surprised. My skin looked brighter and the red areas seemed calmer. I have never had such obvious results from a DIY mask before.

After 4 days of daily use, my skin looks great. The dreaded cystic acne has disappeared, my dry patches are gone and my scars have healed rapidly. I don't even have to use a moisturiser afterwards unless it's night time.

There are only a few drawbacks to this mask though. First, it's rather messy and looks like shit (no other way to describe it. Mr. A told me to go sit in a corner until I washed it off). Second, artichoke tea isn't easy to come by. Third, it takes quite a while to wash off if you add bee pollen to this. I use up quite a bit of toner and cotton wiping the yellow residue off.

Give this a shot if you can get your hands on some artichoke tea. The results are well worth the mess and the trouble.

Now, excuse me while I take another look in mirror.

Review: Benefit 10 Bronzer & Highlighter Palette

I managed to score this cute little palette for about RM50 - the price seems to have gone up now. Boo! I'll admit that as I do already have the 10 Box-O-Powder and the Dragonfly Stila Duo, if the palette hadn't been so goshdarned cute and cheap I wouldn't have been tempted to buy it.

It arrived just in time for my recent weekend trip to Singapore and with just one extra dark shade of brown shadow I made it do for my entire trip. Best way to test out the usefulness of a palette and this one held up pretty well actually.

Subtle and natural, that's the look this palette gives. None of the shades are strong and all are glowy (not quite shimmery). The shadows are enough to emphasise the eyes and the bronzer/highlighter makes a gentle glowy blush when blended. And of course contouring always rocks.

The glosses are actually quite pigmented and there are cool and warm shades - both of which work great with the palette.

For night I shaded on a darker eyeshadow, popped on red lipstick and was ready to paint the town red. Which I did. Much to my poor head's dismay the next day!

Conclusion
It's a neat little palette, well-made with solid cardboard, a mirror, and strong magnetic closures. While I wouldn't pay full price for it, at RM50 it's well worth it for toting along on trips where you mostly want a low-fuss, easy day look.

Monday's Beauty Roundup: February, 2010

Hello lovelies, and hallo-ah March!

Jiminy Crickets, it's March already. Third month into the year and things are generally looking bright and cheery on my end (apart from a sore throat that's turned into a wheezing cough. Bah. Humbug!). I hope March will be a great month for you.

With that said, let's have a look at what the other beauty blogging sista's have been up to in February.

• ParisB of MyWomen Stuff tempts us with more massage goodness. This time, it's Thai massage from Touches de Siam. (I reeeally could use some.)
  
  
• Connie of Skindeco shares her love for The Body Shop's Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask. And tells a little heartwarming tale along with it.
  
  
• Want to know the secret on how to look like you've had a good 10-hours of sleep every night? Yani of Red Luscious Lips has her answer in a little magic pot of La Mer.
  
  
• Nikki of Askmewhats shares her love for this Kerastase hairmask which she says makes her hair all lovely and shiny. And who doesn't love shiny hair, right? Of course right.

Have a great week ahead ya'll!