Looks: Purple + taupe eye

So last weekend, I was in Singapore to attend a friend's wedding.

Between running after two young nieces, and running around town to shop a bit, it was rather a whirlwind of a lovely weekend!

Anyway, I thought I'd share an EOTD with you lovelies on what I did for the wedding dinner.

I had decided to go with a trusted and much-loved purple and black cocktail dress. And so I decided to have something somewhat similar for my eyes.

(Apologies, but this was the only shot I had of myself the entire night! I decided to crop my friends out, out of respect for their privacy. In my haste, I forgot to take any face shots.)

Review: Anna Sui Spot Concealer

Despite its name, this isn't specifically for blemishes. Most spot concealers contain salicylic acid or some form of acne-fighting ingredient making them inappropriate for use around the eye. However, in Anna Sui's case, they mean spots as in dark spots and it's been great for concealing my undereye circles!

When I first got this for review, I have to admit I was apprehensive. Like all Anna Sui cosmetics, it's quite strongly scented (but not overwhelmingly so) of rose. It also contains the dreaded (for me) ingredient, dimethicone. But as that only affects me in certain areas and in high concentrations, I figured I could get away with it under my eyes.

Sounds like Fast Food: Bobbi Brown's Lips & Cheeks To Go

I hardly buy face palettes as most seem to be made with fairer people in mind. The blush is either too light for me or the lip shades are bubblegum pink – I look disgusting with pink lips.

This palette first caught my eye at the Myers counters last Christmas in Sydney. A palette which matches my colouring is a rarity so this went on my lust list. When I saw it on eBay for less than AUD60, I immediately bought it!

It may not look very exciting – functional palettes hardly ever do – but this has a firm spot in my handbag, 3 days out of 5.

Great place to tame them hairs: Apronbay

One of the best things about owning a blog, besides the amazing friends you make, is getting introduced to great products and services you would not have otherwise tried. Without this blogger's event I would never have walked into Apronbay in Bangsar as I'd assume it's way beyond my meager budget. But it seems you can get first-class service at reasonable prices!

Apronbay was named after the docking bay for airplanes. Recently launched (Sept 23), it sports a travel concept and each of the treatment rooms is themed after locations around the world. Founded by Ashley Loon and a good friend, Ashley was inspired by her experience as an air stewardess with Singapore Airlines. 

Why So Loverly is leaving Nuffnang & How clients and agencies should treat bloggers

It seemed like such a good idea. A local advertising service catering to the blogging community, bringing unity and credibility to the medium. Unfortunately, Nuffnang has proven to be manipulative, disrespectful to the community and frankly rather clueless of the value and power of the blogging medium.

As such So Loverly has removed all Nuffnang ads and will be forfeiting the money we have made on it in protest against such treatment. 

This really isn't about the amounts of money we've made. It's entirely possible that if So Loverly had stooped to slightly less ethical blogging practices we could have made considerably more. Here are our reasons, based on my personal experience as a professional journalist, backed by my co-bloggers:

1. Nuffnang inherently disrespects the blogging community. By attempting to run competitions instead of campaigns - pitting one blogger against another and by attempting to ban bloggers from dealing with other social media advertisers, Nuffnang is ignoring the media's inherent value. The truth is Nuffnang would not exist without bloggers whereas we'd happily go on blogging without them.. They need to learn their place.

2. Nuffnang attempts to monopolise bloggers. Recently, Nuffnang created their "Glitterati Plus" group. To belong to it bloggers must, among other things, attend about 50% of all Nuffnang events and attend and post exclusively on Nuffnang events and advertisers. This is ridiculously deluded. The onus is on Nuffnang to create events and campaigns so compelling that bloggers WANT to be at their events. This is how the media is supposed to work. Please don't let them continue with this delusion. 

3. Nuffnang dangles events as prizes and payment. Media events are money-making for the organisers and provide the sponsor with publicity. Dangling it as a prize or payment is like awarding work for work. How ridiculous is that? If I win the event as a prize I should not have to blog about it. Instead they are making money both ways. They run competitions and get paid, award an event they are presumably PAID to organise as a prize, and then reap the benefits of bloggers blogging about the event. Also, competitions pay them better than campaigns as not all participants are compensated. 

4. Nuffnang assumes all Malaysian bloggers are ignorant and teenagers. Not only by the practices listed above but the promotional ideas they forward. For example, the Vaseline "Are You Moist Enough?" blogger competition which had bloggers writing "the best post" answering if they were "moist enough". Who thought this up? A bunch of horny teenagers? Not to mention the ridiculous prize - the Vaseline Are You Moist Enough Party (after which, Nuffnang tweeted that "all ther staffs are moist" [sic]). Frankly, it's the job of professional media to attend these things and we're paid to do so - it certainly isn't doled out as a "prize". 

5. Nuffnang treats foreign bloggers with more respect. If you read online, they treat Australian bloggers with considerably more respect than local ones which, when you consider that Nuffnang is Malaysian, is a crying shame. 

6. Nuffnang is advertorial heavy. Advertorials are really not what blogs are about. Being paid to say something is good undermines the value of blogs as word-of-mouth opinion. If So Loverly ever accepted money to say a product was good, when we didn't think so, would you ever trust us again? So Loverly has never accepted money, products or services to voice an opinion we didn't believe. Giving us a free product or service to try merely gives us the chance to try something we might not have otherwise and will usually guarantee an HONEST review. (Edited from "Nuffnang wants us to lie to you" as I felt that was more sensationalist than fair. I don't think advertorials are ethically wrong if disclosed. I do feel they are a strategic mistake however).

These statements are opinion and perhaps not fact. But I have tried to be fair and balanced in my evaluation of this social media advertising service. Do read it through and make your own decision. 

So how should companies and agencies deal with bloggers? Here are 10 pieces of advice on handling Bloggers for brands, PR and media agencies:

Would you buy books on beauty?

So some of you may know that I'm quite a book happy person. As I'm sure some of you are.

And when it comes to books on beauty, the market does not seem wanting. From Bobbi Brown, Jemma Kidd, Laura Mercier, Kevyn Aucoin to Scott Barnes, it would seem that almost every makeup artist worth his salt out there has a book to his/her name.

Which is not a bad thing of course. Knowledge is, after all, to be shared.

Review: Shiseido Luminizing Lipglosses in PK303 and PK406

I

It's been awhile since I've had the chance to try a high-end Japanese lipgloss and to be honest, it's quite a treat! When it comes to cosmetics, the Japanese have a different aesthetic from the West. For one thing there is absolutely no scent, smell or stickiness whatsoever. Which is actually, pretty neat in my books - saves me having to match the flavour of my lip balm to my gloss! Ever paired a lemon balm with a vanilla or coconut gloss? Don't DO IT.

*ahem*

Shiseido sent me two of their Luminizing Lip Glosses to review in Bellini PK303 and Pop Life PK406. I love the brush applicators, but wish the tubes would pull more cleanly from the mouth. If you're not careful you can actually splatter the lip gloss... yes, I'm heavy handed and always in a rush.

Both impart some colour although they're quite sheer, and give an interesting jelly-like finish. I can't quite explain it. It isn't creamy, vinyl, sparkly, shimmery, glossy or plumping. It's a fascinating shiny, jelly-like look which I really quite like. =D

They don't last terribly long, and qualify as "light" glosses. But in general you won't have to touch up until after a meal.

Tried, Tested and Tried Again: Reviewed Products Revisited

We are frightful enablers here on So Loverly: our reviews not only inspire lemmings in others but amongst ourselves. I have lost count of the numbers of times I have read a review by Kahani or Syen and thought, I want to try that.

Unfortunately, not all products recommended by Kahani and Syen work for me and vice versa due to our different skin needs. Kahani has mad oily skin, Syen's skin combo-oily while mine is oily-dry. The cleanser which broke Syen out works great for me but I won't touch Kahani's HG acne treatment with a 10 feet pole. Clinique's DDM gel works for Kahani and Syen but not for me.

There was that one product which all of us agreed on disliking albeit for different reasons; Syen hated the scent, Kahani got breakouts while it gave me rashes AND made me sneeze.

Here's my take on some previously reviewed products:

Ecotools? Maybe not.

Hello lovelies,

Meet my latest brush acquisition. It looks like Ecotools, it feels like Ecotools, and it even holds like Ecotools. But Ecotools, it is not.

But it sure is an Ecotools wannabe, though.

Meet Fenling.

Hugo Boss Bottled Night Launch & Monday's Beauty Bits

I confess I really do love an excuse to dress up and the Hugo Boss Bottled Night launch at Zouk KL gave just that. And of course it's always good to spend time with Connie & ParisB. =D

For a full breakdown of what I wore and more pics, head over to Frocking Around.

The event was MC'd by the rather ubiquitous Xandria Ooi and besides extended fashiony video clips and plastering us with stickers of the perfume, the night really was quite free of the star product. No scent strips, no lavish descriptions of the perfume beyond describing it as, "the modern man's secret to seduction and style!" *hairtoss*

(Updated) Review + Rave: Estee Lauder Shadow Creme in Silver Leaf

You know that lovely feeling when you're digging through your existing stash and find a keeper you always had all along but never quite knew you had it?

Yeah. I just had one of those moments.

And no thanks to this pot of Estee Lauder Stay-in-Place Shadown Creme in Silver Leaf. It is just beautiful.

The Pantene 14-Day Hair Challenge

I'll admit that when Pantene first asked me to trial their latest range I was apprehensive. My experience with Pantene in the past has been that it's great for a few uses but after a few days things tend to go a little weird due to heavy silicone buildup. I agreed to the 14-day trial after promising myself that I'd stop if things went south. The verdict? Not bad, not bad at all! With at least one product that's gone on my Holy Grail list. Read on to learn more and for individual product reviews:

Claims

From the Press Release (am starting to love the purple prose on these things):

P&G's  latest release of its new improved Pantene Recharging Fluid Pro-V Formula range that will give women more reasons to rejoice in their crowning glory. Touted to be the solution that will address the toughest hair issues faced by women the world over --- ranging from split ends to hair fall to the bane of having to deal with rough, tangled hair – 14 days is all it takes for total hair transformation! And, that’s not even taking into account the amazing ability of the product to reduce hair fall due to breakage from as much as 100 strands of hair to 2*.

The bag the products came in also promised to make all my "hair dreams come true". Tee hee!

Guest Post: An Unfortunately Named Product which Really Works

Bedak sejuk (in bowl), gamat water and Kelantan luhur

That favourite grandmother remedy, "Bedak Sejuk" (i.e. dried rice powder) is no stranger to most of us Malaysians. 


When the Gaudy Goddess told me the name of this particular traditional bedak sejuk, I burst into loud laughter. 


"You have got to be kidding me," I laughed.


"No no no. I am serious. Really. That's the name."

Read on to find out what it is.

I battled acne and oily skin throughout my late teens up to my twenties. Fortunately, I have outgrown this and enjoy better skin barring the occasional pimple. I guess that having oilier skin during "that time" of the month coupled with our humid weather is a recipe for this.

"Try this, it will make your skin look fresh," my friend urged.

I stared at the grey disc. It didn’t seem like much.

Trying to understand Cellnique's Body Plush Emulsion Wash

See, I don't get this wash. Not that it's a bad wash mind you, but I honestly don't get what possessed Cellnique to market it. For one thing, it comes in a tiny 250ml bottle - which is a size you associate more with a facial cleanser than a body wash - and for another, they're pricing this tiny bottle at RM59. At least, the price tag on the bottle they sent me to test says this tiny thing is RM59. Well, who knows? Maybe it's phenomenal and worth it. 

So I read the press release it comes with:

"An invigorating burst of fragrant sumptuousness; and a gentle caress of velvety opulence. Formulated with a bouquet of rich, moisturizing ingredients, the silky cream coats the skin like a layer of gossamer. Perfumed with the finest essence of Orange, the cream's spellbinding scent envelopes you in a sweet-smelling cocoon, and intoxicates you with its aroma-therapeutic fragrance. In spite of its lavish thickness, the cream rinses off easily, while leaving the skin feeling deliciously soft and sinfully smooth. The gorgeous scent of citrus - though not overpowering - lingers lightly on the skin long after you step out of the shower." 

Well they weren't short on superlatives were they? 

Getting to Know You. Yes. You.

And your indulgences as well.


Alrightey. So since it's a Monday, let's take things easy and get things chugging along.

You know, it suddenly occurred to me that I don't really know much about many of you. Hence, I was thinking we could get to know each other a little bit more. I mean, I already know you're a makeup junkie.

(Stop living in denial. Why else would you be troweling through a makeup blog, right?)

But I was hoping you could indulge me by sharing with me a little bit of yourself (ie. age, where you're from, what are you doing now) and your other indulgences (ie. bags, shoes, books etc). Besides makeup, and skincare and haircare etc, what else do you allow yourself to indulge in?

And I'll start with mine.

A Cocoa Indulgence: Dalon Vaseline

Who loves a delicious cocoa indulgence in all its chocolatey goodness just before bedtime?

Me.

Minus the calories, of course. And this lipbalm - Dalon Vaseline - does just that.

Guest Rant: "How DARE they change the packaging on me?"

God I love Petra's (Eli's sister) rants. I love them so much I let her write about them and I publish them on my blog even when they make little sense. Read and giggle, my loves!

By Petra Gimbad


“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!” I dialed Kahani’s number. “KAHANI!”

“Yes?”

“Gotaminute? They changed the packaging!” My mouth was too dry to froth.

“What packaging? Slow down, I can’t understand you.”

“The packaging! St. Ives! Apricot Scrub!” I screeched in the pharmacy.

“I don’t get it. You’re mad!” said Kahani. As always, Kahani was very patient with me.

However, this time – Philistine, I thought ungratefully.

“There is no integrity! How can they change the packaging?”

“You can’t expect the company not to change the packaging to please you.”

Red dots floated into vision. “Yes I can. Can I write about this for your blog? This is an atrocity!”

Bless her, she started to laugh.

Review: Sunplay Skin Aqua UV Mild Milk for Sensitive Skin

Still on the quest for the Perfect Sunscreen, I grabbed the Mild Milk SPF 25 lotion from the popular Sunplay Skin Aqua range to try.

Formulated for sensitive skin, I picked this up for 2 reasons: the first being because I had heard so much about Sunplay, I was curious to try it out; and the second being its affordability.

Drool-worthy: NAKED is gorgeous!

Hello makeup fiends,

Thanks to a darling friend here, I have managed to get my hands on this gorgeous, gorgeous palette - Urban Decay: NAKED - and it was drool at first sight.


And of course, what's a great palette if not to share (and tempt)? More photos after the jump.

Monday Beauty Bits & Beauty Blogger Roundup!

I'm in mourning at present. My regular cheap-frock fix, and a source of much happiness for me, is now gone. It seems Amcorp Mall has chased them away! =(

Watsons is currently running a Buy 1 Get 1 free on Revlon Nailpolishes again. Just when you think I can't possibly want any more... I find myself buying Tropical Temptation (Coral) and Cherry Crush (deep shimmery red). Ah well.

Now for the lovely blogging babes:

• Connie of Skindeco wants you to think before you swipe! If you have little self control, even slicing up the plastic won't help.
• October is breast cancer awareness month and Prettybeautiful does her nails up in its honour.
• Beetrice has me salivating over these new lip balms (a growing weakness of mine) from Mentholatum. Think they'll make their way over to Malaysia?
• ParisB puts an iconic product - in this case Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturiser - to the test.
• Until Plue mentioned it I completely forgot about the oldie but goodie bedak sejuk!
• Jenn, our intrepid MAC spy, shows us just how fabulous felines can really be. 
• Nikkie shoes us how a foot mask can actually turn out pretty neat. 

What is your price threshold?

Makeup is an expensive hobby.

As one who loves trying makeup stuff (and skincare, bodycare and haircare), I'm constantly buying and trying out new products, much to my chagrin of my purse.

It doesn't help that so many products which were previously not available in Malaysia, are now easily obtainable through the Internet and good friends (aka makeup mules).

And as Kahani once noted, "When you order, you order biiig, don't you?"