Malaysia to HK Beauty Shopping List

I've been mentally putting together a wishlist of items to stock up on when I return to Malaysia. These are either items that are unobtainable in Hong Kong or cheaper in Malaysia (however slight the difference). Some of these I've been harping on but this list is as much for me to purge my mind of this list as it is for reader-reference. As I have a friend willing to help me cart 20kg back to HK, I can REALLY stock up with multiple tubes!

1. Himalaya Herbals Neem Mask. I've concluded I really can't do without this stuff!
2. Differin - you need a prescription to get it here. 
3. Silky Girl Mascara
4. Cellnique Pro Sebum Gel - it's supposed to be available here but I can't find it.
5. Etude House goodies (lip stains at any rate)
6. Soap & Glory goodies (Sephoraaaaaa!)
7. Maybelline Hypersharp Liquid Eyeliner (It's HKD75 here but HKD60 in Malaysia).
8. Everyday Minerals Foundation (It's easier to get in Msia via Loving Minerals or The Body Bar
9. Urban Decay raid (More Sephoraaaaaa!)
10. Uniqlo Bra Tops - recommended by ParisB. I love them but selection here is limited.
11. Yummy Bud's Kids orange shampoo (Bud's Baby's is here, can't find the Kids range.
12. INGLOT! I forgot Inglot...(updated 1 Aug)

I think that may be enough for now...unless something else pops to mind. Insatiable me...

Review: Mandom Cleansing Express Sebum Cleansing Lotion

Mandom Cleansing Lotion is one of those Micellar type cleansers. You know, some kind of special water which promises to remove your makeup, cleanse your face and leave it moisturised after use. It sounds like a godsend for the truly busy and the truly lazy.

I have been dying to try it out for quite a while. See, I belong in the former category of The Truly Busy and anything which promises to save me time immediately piques my interest. It seems so convenient: Just swipe and go. Perfect to use before exercise or while travelling. Since it's water, you don't have to worry about stickiness if it spills in your bag or on your clothes. The fact that Mandom Cleansing Lotion comes in large 300ml bottles for RM34.90 makes it much more appealing than cleansing wipes.

So how did it fare?

Old Faithfuls: Products that have stood the test of time

Hey lovelies,

While we beauty bloggers always love to check out new products and see what else we can get our manicured nails on, sometimes, I believe it's good to take a step back and look at the good old products that have served us well over the years.


You know, good friends that have never left our bathroom cabinets or bedside tables.

Review: MAC Gem of Roses Lipstick (Semi Precious Collection)

I hope this review doesn't come too late for you girls who are considering this lipstick.


Because Gem of Roses really is quite pretty.

Revlon Nail Polishes in Orange Pop, Sheer Rose & Temptress

Orange Pop, Sheer Rose & Temptress

Nail polishes are quite the indulgence of mine. So when I saw these going for HKD25 each, I found them hard to resist! For the price, two hits out and one miss isn't too bad I suppose.

Orange Pop

Gorgeous summery colour with fun slightly holographic shimmer. It has enough red to be a grown up shade yet playful. It even smells like orange pop when dry. Love!

Quick Peek: MAC Pearl Mineralize Skinfinish (Semi Precious Collection)

Hello ladies,

MAC's Semi Precious Collection is in town now, and here's a quick peek at an MSF I picked up.

Notes on beauty shopping in HK

HK is a place where you can find most things, sometimes. Erratic stocking, monopoly-run pharmacies and budget cosmetic stores make beauty shopping here a constant treasure hunt rather than a once-a-month stockup. You can score fantastic bargains but sometimes at the price of incredible frustration.

For the most part though I make do and will likely only be stocking up on Himalaya Herbals Neem Face Pack and Silky Girl Mascaras.

Here are some personal notes on beauty shopping in HK. It's still a work in progress:

If you see something you want for a good price at Bonjour, Colourmix, Angel or Sasa, buy it. You may never see it again and very likely not for the same price.

They may have the brand you want, but not the product you want. For example, Clean & Clear Clear Fairness range? Yes. The moisturiser? No. Also, Neutrogena's Deep Clean Toner is conspicuously absent even though the rest of the range is present.

Clinique is cheaper here in general than in Malaysia, and definitely cheaper if bought at discount shops. 

Loving: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Shadow Cremes!

Of late, I've been loving eyeshadows. I've been diligently wearing my eyeshadows every morning now, and I've discovered another love. Cream eyeshadows.


I mean, what better friend for good eyeshadows than a good eyeshadow base, right?

Review: Annick Goutal Mandragore Pourpre

The first time I heard about Mandragore, I was thrilled. From all descriptions, it sounded like a green perfume with a twist and who can resist a perfume inspired by fairy tales, folklore and Harry Potter? Plus, that packaging! Isn’t the men’s square bottle absolute <3?

When I finally got to sample it, I was sorely disappointed. Here was the green but without the oomph I wanted.

It was back to the drawing board for a fresh, green perfume.

 Then Mandragore Pourpre was released as a flanker to Mandragore. I was intrigued but had to wait for quite a long while before they finally brought the Eau de Toilette in to Malaysia two months ago.

The sales assistant spritzed, I leant in for a whiff and...

EOS medicated tangerine - disappointing cult lip balm

After hearing so much about these organic balms. Stars love them, they're adorable and they're among the best lip balms you'll ever use. Well... not so much.

Lip balms in Hong Kong are surprisingly limited in selection these days, I can't find the C for Carrots line for example. I spotted this in Bonjour (discount makeup store) for HKD33 and picked it up - why this flavour? They didn't have any other, stores here are erratic stockists.

I expected to like it though, I love tangerine! But alas, it smells like sickly sweet sugus with a medicinal undertone. It's also quite hard - so while sure it functions as a lip balm, it really isn't that emollient.

It IS cute though, and makes for a great desktop lipbalm as it's easy to spot and sits around happily on its own looking cute. Still not sure how people tote these around, sure they're small but they're bulky.

Anyway, I won't be repurchasing this flavour. I STILL may give EOS another try as reviews have proven this to be the least popular one (so THAT's why it was in a discount store!). Summer fruits seems to be the most beloved and the one I'll likely try next. I'll still grit my teeth and use this one up though.

List of Lusts: Fall Collections 2011. And then some.

Summer has only just really kicked in in the Northern Hemisphere, and here we are, talking about Fall Collections. *gulp*

Anyway... here goes.

1. MAC Semi-Precious Collection


The MSFs above, and the mineral eyeshadows are looking gooood. I haven't been quite this crazy over a MAC collection for a while.

Buying Bourjois in Hong Kong

In a word, don't.

Products here are double what they cost in the UK. I understand some mark-up is necessary but double is unacceptable.

For example, Bourjois' Bio Detox Liquid Foundation retails here for about HKD240 and in the UK for GBP10 (HKD124).

Unless products are on sale for at least 50% off, and even then you're paying full retail, it really isn't worth your money.

Buy instead from asos.co.uk where you pay UK prices and international shipping is free.

If you're looking for Bourjois Counters to try their products, the two best are in Seibu, Langham Place Mongkok and in Times Square. However, Watsons in Melbourne Plaza has a biggish counter. Although it's not updated frequently you're more likely to score 50% off deals here.

Review: Poppy King for No. 7 in #2 Power

No. 7 next to Lipstick Queen's Saint

My apologies to those saw this post without a writeup earlier today. Was stuck in a meeting and couldn't paste the review til afternoon.

My best friend acceded to my selfish demands and brought back the No. 7 Poppy King Lipstick in Power and the lipgloss in Allure from UK last month. Let's take a peek at the Power lippie today.

Gel Manicure NOTD + Review

I walked into Apron Bay the other day, planning to have my eyebrows threaded. Little did I expect I would also be getting a nail manicure.


But since I had time to kill, oh well, I did.

Monday's beauty essay: Silicone-Free Base Makeup

Thanks to trials with primers that were basically all silicone, I managed to nail down the fact that cosmetics or skincare products that have too much of the stuff tend to break me out. My theory is that while silicones absorb oil, at a certain point my crazy oily skin saturates them and then all hell breaks loose as they sit around, holding the oil trapped against my skin.

This blows, because silicone, either in the form of dimethicone, cyclomethicone or cyclopentahexane tend to be present in just about every single wonderfully textured, miraculously long-lasting and beautifully finished cosmetic. Unfortunately, the more poreless the finish, the bigger my acne.

Bear in mind that for the most part, this is an inert and non-comedogenic ingredient that most skins tolerate, even love. In fact, silicone is often recommended for sensitive, acne-prone oily skin (which, in my case makes me want to scream into a pillow with frustration). Also, that the warmer the climate, the less silicone I find my skin tolerates so if you’ve moved from a cold dry climate to a warm humid one and find that your skin’s going crazy, try slashing silicone from your beauty regime.

Since eliminating silicone from my foundation, however, I’ve found my skin to have cleared up marvellously to the point where it can also tolerate other products, like powders and moisturizers, that have the ingredient far down their lists. So the most important step may be to eliminate the worst offender to get away with it elsewhere.

From Googling around, I know that there are girls out there who, like me, have skin that react badly to the stuff. So I’ve decided to post this essay and maintain a list of silicone-free products on it to help everyone stuck in my situation. I will, of course, link reviews to the products when I’ve given them a try. A terrible number though are really hard to obtain in Asia. Drat!

For reference, my beauty routine (which could use some updating) is here.

The Sleek Storm palette is Divine. Truly.

It seems that we've been a little short on colour on this blog of late. But that'll be fixed today.


With the Sleek Storm i-Divine Palette. And I truly, truly think it IS divine. Oh yes, indeed.

(Pic heavy post!)