Saturday, October 29, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The Corner Shop x Claire Inc.
Last Thursday evening was spent swanning (the only appropriate verb) around The Corner Shop's Strand Arcade store, happily stroking the wonderful textiles that made up Claire Inc.'s wonderfully curated collection of vintage pieces from a B for Betsey to a Y for YSL. After some convincing from dear Emily, I did end up trying on the most stunning Karl Lagerfeld coat/jacket/hybrid-or-other and am very much in love. I've given it almost a week. If it's still there when I return, it was definitely meant to be.
Don't you love my rationale?
The textures and colours were such a divine experience (and magical to shoot!) - I'm definitely going to have to recommend that you pop in. Even it is for just a touchy-feel.
*love*
xx
Monday, July 25, 2011
NOTD: MAC Hangin' Loose (Surf Baby Collection) w/ Leopard Print!
 |
| Three (3) Coats of MAC Hangin' Loose Nail Lacquer and One (1) Coat of Seche Vite Top Coat |
MAC Hangin' Loose is a neutral pink beige cream with very tiny white sparkles that seem to only be noticeable in bright lighting. This polish is from MAC's recent Surf, Baby! Collection and is still available on the MAC website (here). I'm not sure if I can justify paying $15 for a nail polish, so I'm really happy I got a chance to try this through a swap.
I really like the formula of this polish. It's not thick, not too thin, very creamy and dries fairly quick. It is a little on the sheer side and applies a little streaky with the first two coats, but I applied a heavier third coat and everything evened out very well. I actually love this polish and I think it's the perfect nude. I'll be wearing this much more often!
For the leopard print, I first applied dots of OPI You Don't Know Jacques Nail Polish (grayed brown) all over my nail (around 5-6 dots in total). Then, I took a toothpick and used a generic black nail polish and outlined the brown spots. I also made a few extra black dots. Then I used a silver glitter nail art pen and added small lines of glitter to each spot.
What's your favorite nude polish?
Miss Anjolee.
Anjolee Diamond Bracelet - MINKPINK Faux-fur Coat from Market HQ - Yves Saint Laurent Lipstick from YesStyle.com - Facefront Bronzers as eyeshadow
Funnily enough, I would imagine that a girl wearing a luxurious coat such as this, dark lips, and diamond bracelets, would go buy the name of Anjolee. So, naturally, I was delighted when Marla asked that I put my own stylistic spin on one of Anjolee's fantastic diamond bracelets for women. I've been waiting for an excuse to wear this lipstick with my favourite bronzer-turned-eyeshadow together in its mysterious, almost overly-mocha-ed way; and the combination of the two with the polar opposite, but equally elegant bracelet seemed ideal during a week that hadn't produced sunshine to excuse itself by.
Yes it was an absolute pain to shoot in.
First day back at Uni was surprisingly productive. And hello/thank you to the lovely little misses who came and said hello while I was morning-running! Can't say I was in my best state :)
*love*
xx
For Beloved One Melasleep Whitening Bio-Cellulose Mask Review
For Beloved One is a Taiwanese skincare brand that is most famous for its masks, which are apparently used by its local celebrities including Barbie Hsu(大S), Annie Yi(伊能靜), and Niu Er (牛爾). One of its best-selling masks is the Melasleep Whitening Bio-Cellulose Mask, which features what the company calls is a "bio-cellulose" texture - meaning that instead of using plain ol' paper like the rest of them cheapo masks do, this expensive mask (S$63.00 or US$45 for a box of three pieces) is made of some biological fiber material, whatever that is. This mask has style, baby!
The mask itself comes in a clean-looking, sleek white box. Unfortunately the box got a bit dinged on its way to me. But it still looks cool, right? Unlike most Asian brands, which tend to drench themselves in cutesy packaging, For Beloved One keeps it clean and simple.
The individual mask packs (yes, that's S$21 for each pack here) comes in a sealed pack, and the design is exactly like that of the box.
The mask claims to have three awesome ingredients in it that will brighten and whiten your skin: Lumiskin, Melaclear, and Matrixyl. Now terms like that are just marketing jargon, of course, (you know, much like the "Age Rewind Complex" from Maybelline's Age Rewind line, or Pond's "Derma-Recovery Complex" from its Time Rewind Wrinkle Cream) but a closer look at the ingredients shows that they are just a bunch of other ingredients - fatty acids (Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride), glycerin, water, as well as some ingredients that may help with skin brightening, and are usually used in cosmetic products for skin whitening or pigmentation (Diacetyl Boldine, dithia octanediol). The good thing is that they at least bothered to make the active ingredients the top three ingredients in the list, so they probably aren't skimping on the good stuff in this mask.
This is what you see when you first open the packet of mask. You get one layer of mask, sandwiched between a papery layer and a plastic foil, and the mask is swimming in the facial essence, which is a milky white liquid.
Anyway, I did mention that one interesting thing about the mask was its selling point of being made of a "bio-cellulose" (another marketing jargon there) material. What this means is that the mask is actually not made of paper, but some filmy substance that kind of feels like a thin layer of jelly. It reminds me of that agar jelly substrate we had in petri dishes back in the days when I was still in school. It kind of has that squishy feel. Here's a shot of the mask material:
One thing I liked about this mask was that because the mask material wasn't made of paper, it felt a lot less flimsy than other masks I've tried. In fact, the manufacturers claim that the mask naturally sticks to your skin, and you can walk around with your mask on your face. I tried that, and I think they're right. Because the mask is made of this film-y material, it adheres to the skin better. I was essentially working on the computer while using the mask.
Here's a really unglam shot of me wearing the mask. Look, ma, the mask is actually staying on!
After application, the mask leave behind a film of liquid on your face, which takes awhile to sink in. The instructions on the package encourage you to continue with the rest of your skincare routine without washing off the mask residue. After usage, I did feel like my skin looked a little brighter. However, I personally felt like it was better when I washed it off, because when the residue was left on my face for too long, my skin seemed to react to it in a negative manner, with my pimples experiencing some swelling. I'm not sure exactly what ingredient it was, but my skin is usually ridiculously sensitive, so it could have been anything. I doubt mosts people would have this sort of reaction to a mask.
Anyway, at S$21 for each application, this mask isn't cheap. I personally believe that you don't have to spend a fortune on good skincare (and in fact, some of the best skincare products I've come across aren't actually expensive), but I do think this mask has some good points going for it if you're willing to splurge. For one, I like the fact that it clings to your skin when applied, so you don't have to lie around comatose on your bed when using this mask. I also feel that enough thought and care has been put into the ingredients to make them work, and the mask seemed effective enough on me. If price isn't an issue, this mask would be worth checking out.
(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)
The mask itself comes in a clean-looking, sleek white box. Unfortunately the box got a bit dinged on its way to me. But it still looks cool, right? Unlike most Asian brands, which tend to drench themselves in cutesy packaging, For Beloved One keeps it clean and simple.
The individual mask packs (yes, that's S$21 for each pack here) comes in a sealed pack, and the design is exactly like that of the box.
The mask claims to have three awesome ingredients in it that will brighten and whiten your skin: Lumiskin, Melaclear, and Matrixyl. Now terms like that are just marketing jargon, of course, (you know, much like the "Age Rewind Complex" from Maybelline's Age Rewind line, or Pond's "Derma-Recovery Complex" from its Time Rewind Wrinkle Cream) but a closer look at the ingredients shows that they are just a bunch of other ingredients - fatty acids (Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride), glycerin, water, as well as some ingredients that may help with skin brightening, and are usually used in cosmetic products for skin whitening or pigmentation (Diacetyl Boldine, dithia octanediol). The good thing is that they at least bothered to make the active ingredients the top three ingredients in the list, so they probably aren't skimping on the good stuff in this mask.
This is what you see when you first open the packet of mask. You get one layer of mask, sandwiched between a papery layer and a plastic foil, and the mask is swimming in the facial essence, which is a milky white liquid.
Anyway, I did mention that one interesting thing about the mask was its selling point of being made of a "bio-cellulose" (another marketing jargon there) material. What this means is that the mask is actually not made of paper, but some filmy substance that kind of feels like a thin layer of jelly. It reminds me of that agar jelly substrate we had in petri dishes back in the days when I was still in school. It kind of has that squishy feel. Here's a shot of the mask material:
One thing I liked about this mask was that because the mask material wasn't made of paper, it felt a lot less flimsy than other masks I've tried. In fact, the manufacturers claim that the mask naturally sticks to your skin, and you can walk around with your mask on your face. I tried that, and I think they're right. Because the mask is made of this film-y material, it adheres to the skin better. I was essentially working on the computer while using the mask.
Here's a really unglam shot of me wearing the mask. Look, ma, the mask is actually staying on!
After application, the mask leave behind a film of liquid on your face, which takes awhile to sink in. The instructions on the package encourage you to continue with the rest of your skincare routine without washing off the mask residue. After usage, I did feel like my skin looked a little brighter. However, I personally felt like it was better when I washed it off, because when the residue was left on my face for too long, my skin seemed to react to it in a negative manner, with my pimples experiencing some swelling. I'm not sure exactly what ingredient it was, but my skin is usually ridiculously sensitive, so it could have been anything. I doubt mosts people would have this sort of reaction to a mask.
Anyway, at S$21 for each application, this mask isn't cheap. I personally believe that you don't have to spend a fortune on good skincare (and in fact, some of the best skincare products I've come across aren't actually expensive), but I do think this mask has some good points going for it if you're willing to splurge. For one, I like the fact that it clings to your skin when applied, so you don't have to lie around comatose on your bed when using this mask. I also feel that enough thought and care has been put into the ingredients to make them work, and the mask seemed effective enough on me. If price isn't an issue, this mask would be worth checking out.
(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Love this bright lip combo!
Wet n Wild 511B Nouveau Pink (First mentioned in my haul post here)
NYX Round Lipgloss in Doll Pink (Mentioned in my '09 NYX post here)
I love bright lipsticks, but the truth is... they make me nervous. For whatever the reason may be, bright lipsticks are out of my comfort zone. I do admire a good bright lipstick when I see one, maybe even purchase it, but it will just end up collecting dust in my lipstick drawer.
There are some days where I'll feel like being a little more adventurous with my lip color, and I'll toss on MAC Vegas Volt, MAC Morange, NYX Louisiana or OCC Divine Lip Tar without much thought. In the past month or so, Wet n Wild Nouveau Pink has pretty much replaced all of those other brights I like to wear - who woulda thought at 99 cents? It's such a flattering shade that really brightens up my face (and I'm pretty sure it makes my teeth appear whiter). It's really pretty on it's own, but I like pairing it with NYX Round Lipgloss in Doll Pink. It takes it up a notch.
If you're terrified of brights (or red) like me, I recommend experimenting with the inexpensive brands before investing in a high end lipstick you may only wear once a year. Wet n Wild has great options for a low price. If you like the color, force yourself to wear it! Don't look in the mirror every 15 minutes while you're out, forget that you're wearing it. If you can get through a full day of wearing it before putting on something else neutral, you've passed the test! I bet you'll get some compliments too while you're out. Try it more often! ☺
What is your favorite bright lipstick?
Your Summer Makeup Questions Answered
| With summer comes great weather and great makeup concerns. Don't fret, we have your answers here |
 This is a TotalBeauty.com makeup article We took your most pressing makeup questions -- from how to keep it from melting to the best colors for summer -- and got them answered by celeb makeup artist Chantal Moore. She's worked with Jennifer Garner, Kristen Bell, and now you! |
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