So the hubs went out of town...

And I went all kinds of crazy. The buying kind.

Since the hubs left the country a couple of weeks ago, I've this sudden urge to satisfy all my crazyeyeshadowsespeciallybrownsandtaupe lemmings. And the gorgeous Dior Golden Savannah palette was only the beginning.

Home and Jetlagged: Japan Report and Mini Haul

I just stepped off the plane from Japan yesterday and am still recovering from the long flight -- tiny seats, lots of crying babies. For those not in the know, partner and I have been travelling around Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka for the past two weeks. It was a spur of the moment decision and we nearly didn't get our visas approved in time. 

Tokyo is the best place for shopping but I decided not to buy anything there. We were travelling by train from city to city and relying on public transport so I didn't want my bag to be too heavy. We had stopped in Malaysia for a week before that and I had to beg the parents not give me anything as we were trying to travel light. Does anyone else's parents do this to them?

There are also other reasons why my haul is so small but I'll get into that later.

French Pharmacy Mini-Haul

So I was recently sent on a work trip to cover the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and in between the crazy amounts of running, networking, taking down seminars and interviewing people I managed to snatch a bare 30 mins to dash into two French pharmacies and Sephora (not bad aye?) and grab a few items in a frenzy of high-powered shopping.

In a sorta clockwise fashion, starting with the pencil on the far left, I picked up (with mini reviews)...

1. Sephora's Flashy Liner Waterproof Pencil in #14 Flashy Taupe (amazingly smudge proof pencil and dark taupe is such a great eyeliner colour!) for €6.50
2. Topicrem Rounge a Levres Phantom (a really fun lipstick that goes on clear, turns pink) for €9.90
3. John Frieda Frizz Ease (because this summer my hair's gone from sleek to shriek) for €15.90
4. Vichy Derma Blend Ultra Corrective Foundation Cream-Stick (silicone free, here's hoping!) for €20.90
5. Sephora Triple Action Cleansing Water (for the plane, wipes break me out) for €3.90
6. Clarins Rouge Jolie Rouge Brilliant in #7 Raspberry (I blame Lisa Eldridge for this one, but pretty, sheer, shimmery and smells of berries, so far I like) for €20.90

I also picked up...

US Haul Part IV: And finally the brushes!

Hello lovelies,

I guess the title says it all. This is pretty much the final installment of my US hauls. *grin*

As I've mentioned before, I did pick up quite a few brushes there, so they truly deserved a post on their own. Here goes!

US Haul Part III: Drugstores + Factory Outlet cosmetics

Hello lovelies!

It is truly good to be back. Deepest apologies, things have been kinda rough over the last few weeks (personal issues and all) here, but they're starting to look better now over at our So Loverly HQ in Kuala Lumpur.

For all you dearies who have been so kind and patient with us, we thank you for your support from the bottom of our hearts. You're what keeps this blog going.

Anyhoo. Continuing where I left off, the hauls! So you've seen what I've hauled from Sephora and Macy's, now it's time to show you what I hauled back from the drugstores.

From Walgreen's, Bartell, CVS, Ulta, Target, Duane Reade to Safeway... I think I've covered almost all the drugstores in New York and along the west coast. Almost. I think I missed out on Rite Aid.

As the hubs says: "I don't think I've met ANYONE ELSE who gets this excited over a drugstore." Hopeless, I know.


So, here goes!

US Haul Part I: Sephora ~

Hello lovelies,

I am back! Didja miss me? Shameless, I know. But ah well... *winks*

And now that I am back from gallivanting across the United States, I bring you photos of what I've hauled back. I bought quite a bit of stuff, so I think I'll have to spread it out over several posts. Beginning from what I picked up from Sephora(s).


Hope you don't mind me bragging about my hauls. After all, what's a haul if not to share and show off a little, right? *tee hee*

Here goes...

Quick Peek: My Sleek Haul!

So my best friend, Mich, just got back from the UK (and she's making her way up Mount Kinabalu as you're reading this), and the sweet girl, bless her, hauled back some pretty Sleek stuff for me to try!


I have only just received them last night, so I really haven't had the chance to play with them yet. But click on for more photos!

(Note: Pic heavy post!)

MAC Haul for Spring 2011

Bless me, it's FRIDAY. Sweet!


And now, just a little sharing I'd like to do. It would seem that I've been hauling quite a bit from MAC lately (over the past 3 weeks?).

More photos after the jump!

Bangok Haul: Round Two!

Hey ladies!

So I told myself that I will go back to Bangkok someday, and I actually did. I just didn't realise that it would be quite so soon.

All my life I've never been to Bangkok and then bam - I've been there twice this year. Right now, my chanting mantra is "I've never been to France." *winks*

Anyhoo. The trip was totally ad hoc and rather last-minute. And altogether pretty cool. So check out what I hauled back after the jump. Pic heavy post, this one!

Monday's Beauty Sharing: NARS Haul!!!

Hellooo!

So how was the weekend? Mine was pretty alright, and Saturday saw me bringing out one of my summer dresses, which has been left sleeping in the cupboard for a while now. So I'm rather happy. *grin*

But anyway, we're not talking about dresses here (we'll leave that to Kahani). We're here to talk about makeup.


Makeup that came in with the mail sometime last week. Hello NARS!!!

How do you mend a broken heart?

With retail therapy, of course.

After the incident I told you girls about last week (you can read about it here), I ended doing a little shopping spree to help get my broken heart chugging again.

But before that, let's have a look at what the makeup-mad gals have been up to in June, 2010.

• Beetrice of Beetrice's Reviews has me wanting to run over to L'Occitane to check out their Peony Makeup Collection!
• If you're a little mad about getting your bag super organised like ParisB of My Women Stuff, then this might just be what you need!
• Getting married and want great hair for your big day? Xin of Pretty Beautiful has some pretty neat tips.
  
• Lipglosseater Jenn's review of this Mushroom & Ginseng product had me running back to Boots.
• Yani of Red Luscious Lips is sorely tempting me with this one Benefit product. And it's got great advice to give too. *grin*
• Nikki of Askmewhats shares her love for this body sunblock which I really wished they'd bring in to Malaysia!

And now for pics of my little shopping spree, after the jump.

Bangkok Haul!

Hey lovelies,

Was away to Bangkok for work for most of last week, and I decided to extend (only) a day to shop. Of course.

After all, it was my first time to the glorious shopping haven, and from what I hear, no trip to Bangkok would be deemed complete without hitting the markets and the malls!

Due the lack of time though, I didn't manage to shop all that much, but I'm still quite happy with what I did manage to haul home. Starting with this!

And I'm Back! With my UK Haul!

Hello lovelies!

Didja miss me? Ah well, you couldn't have missed me, could you, since I had those posts scheduled for the weeks I wasn't around.

Apologies for the very late replies. Trying to get access to the Net there proved rather hopeless as we would be out and romping about the whole day and by the time we'd be back at the B&B/hotel, I would be practically knocked out. Truly!

Anyway, I'm sure you girls are more interested in what I've brought home, aye? (Note: I'll give you the price in £ if I can remember. Exchange rate was about RM5. You do the math.)

So here goes!


Tubes in the backrow (l-r):
1. Batiste Dry Shampoo Blush (150ml) - found this in a store called Sally Hair for about £2.10
2. Colgate Total - liked the packaging and picked it up in a Buy 3 For 2 along with number 16 and a teeny tube of John Frieda's Brilliant Brunette Shampoo (next to big condi tube). I had wanted a travel sized condi, but picked up the wrong tube instead. Damn.
3. John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Liquid Shine Illuminating Conditioner
4. John Frieda Root Awakening Strength Infusing Conditioner
5. John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shine Release Moisturising Conditioner - got 3,4,5 in a Buy 3 for 2 as well! Brilliant, no? I'm now swimming in hair condi. Ah well.
6. Jergens Naturals Total Nourishment Body Moisturiser with Acai Berry - have heard so much about Jergens, it's about time I tried!
7. Dove Visible Effects Body Lotion - we don't have it here? =P Also because it seemed a tad similar to the next moisturiser, so I wanted to do a comparison. Do I really need to make more excuses?
8. Dove Visiblecare Brightening Creme Body Wash - we don't have it here?
9. Vaseline Sheer Infusion Stratys-3 Mineral Renewal Body Lotion - AT LAST! I get my grubby fingers on this. Been itching and itching to try this, and by George, it blody works! (Yes, yes, a more comprehensive review will come along shortly.)
10. Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream (118ml) - had to get a backup of my HG hair serum. Picked it up at SpaceNK for £17. It was a bit of a splurge.

Front row (l-r):
11. The Body Shop Moringa Body Scrub
12. The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub - I know we have TBS here, but this was on a BOGOF offer! AND we don't have the Coconut range here, something I've reeeally been lemming after. So it was 2 body scrubs for £12.50. Whee!


13. Eve Lom Cleanser - I read one review and was sold. My hugest buy so far at £28 for a 50ml tub. Gosh, I really hope I don't get hooked on this. *gulp*
14. LUSH Sweet Lips (vanilla & choc sugar lip scrub) - Do I have to explain this?
15. LUSH Almond & Coconut Smoothie (shower soap) - sounds and smells yummilicious.


16. Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter (minitub)
17. L'Oreal Chrome Intensity eyeshadows in Timeless Green, Jade Silver, and Dazzling Khaki - again, Boots' done me in with their Buy 3 for 2. They were £5.99 each.
18. Vaseline Rosy Lips - preeetty!
19. Boots tinted lipsalves - they were cheap?

Ahem. And they're not all. Conspicuously missing from being photographed were 2 small bars of LUSH Honey I Washed the Kids and Vanilla in the Mist soaps. And a bottle of Happy Hippy. A certain someone is going to be very happy. =P


As for this one, it's totally non-beauty related, but I thought it was quite cute. £1.30 fluffy leopard print bedroom slippers from Primark. Needed something to wear in the rooms over there, and this was cheap and sorta cute. *tee hee*

So. Wadaya think?

Come to Mama: My UK Wishlist ~

By the time you ladies get around to reading this, I'm happy to report that I'm already tromping around in ye 'olde England (and Scotland too)!

As it's my second trip there, I'm well prepared to make a beeline for skincare/haircare/makeup haven - Boots (and a place or two else)! And to show you just how serious I am, here's my wishlist!

FROM BOOTS:

John Frieda
1. Brilliant Brunette Illuminating Conditioner - John Frieda makes my all-time fave condi, so I'm really tempted to try this one out.

Vaseline
1. Stratys-3 Mineral Renewal body moisturiser - I hope I'll finally be able to get my grubby paws on this!
2. Rosy Lips

Prestige
1. Eyeshadows - these are awesome, and I hope to check them out again.

Cargo
1. Suede Blush in Sunshine Coast or Montebello (or both? I can't seem to get enough of Cargo blushers!)

Front Cover
1. Rainbow Eyes - I saw this somewhere, and it looks mighty tempting. They call it an eyeshadow encyclopedia!

FROM SpaceNK:

Frederic Fekkai
1. Olive Glossing Cream - my absolute HG hair product for shiny, shiny hair! It's time to stock up.

FROM LUSH:

1. Sweet Lips
2. Honey I Washed the Kids
3. Vanilla in the Midst Soap - Vanilla. Enough said.
4. Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie - this sounds terribly me!

While I'm at it, I might as well add that it's possible I'll be hauling whatever else strikes my fancy which doesn't leave me broke.

*Muahaha*

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!

Hong Kong Haul: Grapefruit Madness

Syen and I went off to Hong Kong and pursued our respective crazes. Grapefruit appears to be a far more popular scent in Hong Kong than it is in Malaysia. Alas for Malaysians. So yes I went a touch mad over there and bought (clockwise from left):
1. Giant bottle of Mannings (aka Guardian) Grapefruit Strengthening Repairing Shampoo (HKD27.90)- I have no idea if it works well, but by gum it smells like fresh grapefruit juice! Not unlike Lush's Happy Hippy which I got to experience thanks to the lovely Plue.
2. Yes to Carrots lipbalm in Citrus (HKD19.90) - more lemon than grapefruit it's still nice and zingy.
3. The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Lip Butter (HKD69) - Pricey but no longer available in M'sia and chock full of the scent that started the entire craze in the first place!
4. Dove Go Fresh in Grapefruit & Lemongrass (HKD27.90) - Sadly more perfumey and powdery than its grapefruit-fresh shower gel counterpart. Boo. It was sealed up so I had to buy it unsniffed. It's pleasant and has some citrus just not what I was hoping for.

Lover of Art Deco and Art Noveau that I am these tins of deliciously scented lipbalm were impossible to resist. I'm planning on giving it a coat of clear lipbalm (edit: NAILPOLISH - can you tell I have lipbalm on the mind?) to protect the lovely artwork.

And as Syen mentioned, we shared in a large tub of Mask of Magnaminty. Let's see how this pricier mask measures up to Himalaya Herbals' Neem offering shall we?

Monday's Beauty Confessions: Hong Kong Haul!

Happy Monday everyone!

Hope this is a great start to your week ahead. Kahani and I did a short trip together to Hong Kong over last week, and boy did we have fun!

There was the shopping, the clubbing and insane amount of yakking. So check out what I hauled back.


1. St Ives Soothing Oatmeal & Shea Butter Advanced Body Moisturiser - I've had crazy body moisturiser lemmings lately, and this was on my list of wants. When I came across this one on the Net, I wanted it, but it wasn't available here. So what joy when I found it in Mannings over there!

2. Nivea lipbalm in Pink Grapefruit - I got ANOTHER back-up. Because I love it that much. =P

3. Gal Collection Peach Vaseline (lipbalm) - Smelled of peach and was on offer. Enough said.

4. NARS Torrid blush - Because it's not available here?


5. Clinique High Impact SPF15 in RSVPink - Found this in Sasa or Bonjour for HKD19 (~RM8). Need I say more?


6. LUSH Mask of Magnaminty - Kahani and I shared a tub of this popular LUSH mask. Not photographed as it's currently still with her.

Not much makeup compared to my first trip there, but here's what else I brought back!


A H&M semi-trench coat - I've been searching for a decent jacket of late, and Kahani proclaimed that we would go jacket-hunting for me in HK. We found this lovely gem of a jacket in H&M going for HKD399 (~RM200) in a brown-taupe shade.

It was love at first sight. Being on the more vertically-challenged end on the spectrum of things, I thought this jacket's length was perfect for me. You can wear it light, or pad it up for colder weather by wearing a woolier top or cardi underneath. Whatafind! Wheeee!


Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Lens - My priciest purchase in HK at HKD1,620 (~RM736), I've been eyeing this zoom lens for a while now, and when I found that it was about RM300 cheaper there... uhh... you guessed it. Granted it's made in Malaysia, and not Japan. But I've been playing around with it and so far I'm well pleased with it. A great general zoom lens for those on a budget. Awesome!

Monday's Beauty Confession

I've kinda run out of steam on Beauty Bits for today, so instead, I'm going to make a confession. Of the makeupholic kind. I'm really hoping Santa's being really busy wrapping pressies and the sorts, because (I think) I've not been terribly good. =P


It would seem that we're already right smack of the holiday seasons, what with so many sales and holiday collections out in full swing. While I've managed to dodge MAC and some of the big brands (ie. Estee, Dior etc) this time round (bought nothing from them from their hols collection), I wasn't so lucky with Neutrogena, The Body Shop and Bobbi Brown.

So read on to find out what I've hauled. Some are LE, and some aren't. They're generally just stuff I've gotten for meself to merry up my holiday season.

Bobbi Brown

1. Illuminating bronzer in Maui: It's suppose to be a bronzer, but to me it's one gorgeous huge pan of coral blush. Happiness. Not LE, but it's something I've been lemming since it came out, so I'm just glad to have got it.
2. Chrome Eyeshadow in Pewter: Gorgeous colour and butter texture. Can we say uh-may-zing?

The Body Shop

1. Nutmeg & Vanilla Body Lotion: Vaniiiiillaaa...
2. Nutmeg & Vanilla Body Scrub: Vaniiiillaaa... (Enough said).
3. Peach Body Wash: Re-stocked for the hubby. And for me.
4. Large Pin Brush: Not photographed but also something I've been meaning to get for a while. Yay!

Neutrogena

1. Healthy Skin Blends Sheer Highlighting Blush in Fresh and Healthy: I've been lemming after these for years, and I finally managed to get them through a friend who was returning from the US. In the end, he gave them to me as a gift. Thank youuu Marc-o!!! =D

I thought I had been awfully good this holiday season. Well, apparently not.

What have you hauled?

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?

Singapore Confessions & a look at Hourglass Cosmetics

It is shocking, truly shocking the amount of financial damage you can do when you're stressed. One working day-trip to Singapore (for an F1 event), one mall (Takashimaya), two shops (Watsons & Sephora), and 1.5 hours makes for SGD$100 in damages. Ouch.

Watsons (Damage ~SGD$60)
1. 2 Nivea Pink Grapefruit Balms - $6.50 for 2
2. 2 Clean & Clear Pink Grapefruit Blotters - $10 for 2
3. Clean & Clear Powder Blotters LE - $6.50
4. 2 Insolia Shoe Inserts - $13.50 each
5. Yes to Carrots C Me Smile Lip Balm in Mint - ~$5
6. Nexcare Microfibre Face Towel - ~$5
7. Juice Organics Lip Plumping Gloss (Free Sample Kit) - $10

Sephora (Damage - $42)

I had decided to spend SGD$100 on myself (and not buying anymore cosmetics for the rest of the month) and so after Watsons I went into Sephora to see what I could snag for that price and wandered right into the clutches of Hourglass Cosmetics makeup artist, Michael Pierce who was in Singapore just for that weekend to promote the new counter in Sephora, Singapore.

Michael proved truly lovely and I suspect he was rather grateful to find someone who had heard of Hourglass cosmetics - and heard great things. I was wavering over their expensive but legendary gloss, Extreme Sheen when he swayed me by loading me down with samples to try and a full-sized eyeliner that was about the same price as the gloss - $42.

Yes that's my justfication for going crazy and splurging RM100 on one gloss. I've never done this before. Even the naked man gloss wasn't this pricey. But it IS a really nice gloss and Angelina Jolie loves it. And if it's good enough for Angie's pout...

*cough*

Now about Hourglass cosmetics, it's a high-priced line with a select range of cosmetics that are high quality. No MAC-style releases with this line. All shades are very flattering, all formulas are cutting edge and sophisticated, and each capsule collection is designed to make you look pretty, not arty. Packaging is lush, solid and very very pretty. Founded by Carissa Jane, the line is cruelty free and packed with natural ingredients so the makeup almost amounts to skincare. I can't wait to review the goodies I've got! I've already cracked open the gloss (of course) and liner and love them both to bits. Pity I'll very probably never be able to afford them again. *sighs*

On the plus side, even though the prices are high the prices in Singapore are much the same as the prices in the US. None of us like paying the huge markups lines like Benefit, Smashbox, and Clinque exact from their Asian consumers. So at least you're paying a fair price.

Standby for reviews!