Sponge & Dash

So here I bring you my latest base addiction. In between all the sun and storms we've been getting (all in the span of 24hrs), the humidity is just too damn high. A dewy base in high humidity is tough to maintain, and I try to steer clear of matte bases because I have a flat face, so here's the slap & dash routine that I've been favouring that falls somewhere in between. Oh yes, tool addiction - beautyblender (which I didn't photograph).

Both the Hada Labo BB Whitening Cream and the Topshop BB Cream offerings have spf and pretty darn good coverage that evens out most things. The Hada Labo BB Cream has a dewier finish, while the Topshop BB cream has more of a matte satin, but mixed together, the finish is both lightweight and incredibly skin-like as they offset each other in terms of finish. I find that the trick to getting the skin-like finish is to apply with fingers, quick and easy, no brushes involved. There's none of that sweaty looking dewiness, just a soft... if I might say... glow. 

Smear on some of the Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer on your undereye darkness and press it in with the dry beauty blender and you'll find that it does indeed live up to its creaseless claims. Again, I find this concealer works best with the dry sponge because the sponge presses the concealer into the fine lines to create an even coating over any dark circles. Please, no wet sponges near this concealer because water is repelled from it and you'll just end up wiping off your base. Tried and tested. The shade I have is Light-medium which is a very good peachy shade, similar to the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach.

L-R: Canmake Glow Fleur Cheeks 04, Topshop BB Cream 3.0, Hada Labo BB Whitening Cream 02, Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer Light-Medium

For some beauty and cuteness in your life (and as a welcome to spring in other parts of the world?), you need the Canmake Glow Fleur Cheeks. A brilliant palette that unlike most of the blush range of Canmake which are incredibly glittery has the softest sheen ever that brings the right amount of flush to the cheeks. I have the shade 04 which is a good balance of peach and pink that would suit most skin tones. The brush that comes with it isn't retarded and useless either. Bonus!

Top everything off with a little slice of heaven which is the Guerlain Meteorites to diffuse any shine and pores for simply perfect looking skin. For some reason though, the effect of the Guerlain Meteorites is hardly discernible to me, but when the SA in sephora tried it on me I was amazed. Any tips on how application?

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So there you have it, I can complete my face in just about 5 mins now and be out the door. Great for me because I'm always late. Just call me whirlwind val. 

October 2013 Favourites

Hello! It's November!!! I really can't believe how fast time is passing now. It seems just a moment ago I was lamenting the start of my final school year and now the end is actually in sight! Anyway, I'm here for a very parred down October 2013 favourites because I've been extremely nit picky about what has been going on my skin this month. Also, no thanks to my skin being uber sensitive this month, it pretty much reacted to everything that was going on it, even products that it previously did not react to. Sucks to be me! 

Well, let's start with my current obsession with small bags. I currently have 26 small bags dumped into my cart on an online shopping website. That's how obsessed I've been for the past month (or more hehe). I wandered into Topshop the other day, and found this little Topshop Box Chain Suede Bag on sale for half off! Navy blue + rose gold... No way I was giving it up. The crossbody strap is currently too long for me so anyone with ideas on how to shorten it please lemme know! Unfortunately, the not-so-little obsession has not been curbed...

Skincare wise, the star product of the month has to be the Mizon Snail Repair Intensive Ampoule. It heals new scars at a phenomenal rate, and provides just enough moisture for my dehydrated yet sensitive skin. I would put this on 5 times a day if I could!

L-R: Majolica Majorca Blush in OR211, Silkygirl Eyeshadow Duo in Mocha Latte, Everyday Minerals Concealer in Pearl Pick me Up, 3CE Full Cover Concealer in 02

I've been watching one too many korean youtube make up videos, which is probably why I'm favouring dewy skin and orange cheeks. The korean dewy skin look is just rather too dewy for my liking, so I make do with the Majolica Majorca Blush in OR211 which is a matte orange blush that isn't too pigmented, and the Everyday Minerals Concealer in Pearl Pick Me Up as a highlighter. Pearl Pick Me Up really isn't a concealer, rather it's a pearly pink powder that works beautifully to brighten up any dull areas of the face and I find using it on the cheeks, nose and inner eye works wonders.

For the eyes, I've been favouring the Silkygirl Duo Eyeshadow in Mocha Latte for its neutral colours. The pinky colour is an almost dupe for Mac's Naked Lunch, and the brown colour can be used to smoke things out for a more intense look. The pigmentation is really good considering that Silkygirl is one of the cheapest lines in the drugstore. 

Undereye concealer can be a pain to find sometimes, with most concealers being too drying for the undereye area. The 3CE Full Cover Concealer in 02 isn't the highest coverage concealer out there, but is very moist (for lack of a better word) for the undereye area and though it doesn't cover everything, it does brighten. It is the most comfortable undereye concealer I've ever used. Used in conjunction with a corrector, the finished look is somewhat glowy and nice. Mine is a sample, but if I had a chance to purchase the full size I would. 

So there are my very few favourites of a month - not a very good month for me in terms of skincare and makeup finds. What are your favourites?

Weekly Favourites #13

Hello friends! It's the weekend! -does a squiggly jiggle- You know those times when you think all is good and then WHAM! you walk into a glass door? Well, just when I thought my skin was being a darling and clearing up, it turned into a rebellious teenage ahlian (singaporean female gangster) and broke out in a major kind of way again. Such is life. I think it was telling me that I've strayed from my derm-prescribed routine just a teensy bit to far and to get my ass back there. So for fear of more retaliation, I've headed back to the derm's routine and my favourite product is the DRX Max-C. Yes, my derm is the very well advertised DRX clinic, and no, this is not an advertisement for them. I paid a bomb for my treatments. Back to Max-C, this vitamin C serum seems to calm my skin down, reduce the scarring and sinks in just about immediately and I use it religiously. I also find that this is the only product that my skin doesn't seem to have build up a slight resistance to. Heng ah (singaporean for phew).

The only addition to the regime is the Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Essence, which I have included in my September favourites. I only use this under my eyes because it really seems to be helping with the one single deep crease that I have under my eyes. Don't freak out at the 'resurfacing' name, or the thought of putting AHA's near the eye because this is a really gentle product.

Freaking out skin = coverage and breathability in my foundation. Mostly because I would hate to scar people by giving them the full blast of my scarred face. For that I've returned to a mix of the Topshop BB Cream and the MUFE HD Foundation which are a dream team. Great coverage with an extremely thin and lightweight layer and SPF. Could not ask for more.

My last weekly favourite has got to be the Osim Umist Baby Humidifier. The boy got me this for christmas last year. Question: which girl really wants a humidifier for christmas? But turns out he knew me better than I knew myself and Umist Baby (cutest name evaaaaaa~~~~) has been a constant companion (for the year) and a lifesaver for the past week. Having a humidifier in Singapore may sound like the stupidest idea ever, given that our humidity is somewhere in the 70-80% region but I do quite like (that's a lie, I Really like) to use the air-conditioning and that makes my environment really dry which in turn is really hostile to sensitive skin. The Umist Baby lasts for about 6 hours which is kinda short but good enough for me!

What are your weekly favourites? And would you like a humidifier?

August 2013 Favourites

I can't believe it's already the end of August, it seems like it was just yesterday I took a year off from school. At any rate, TGIF people! Oh the good days. It was really hard to narrow down my August favourites because there was just so many things that I was using but wasn't absolutely loving. It's just one of those funks that I fall into... y'know, one of those I-have-nothing-to-wear-but-staring-at-wardrobe-full-of-clothes days. First world problems indeed.

What I have really been loving alongside with my clay masks are these Biore pore strips. I would use this everyday if I could. I love standing in front of my mirror and spending 5 mins just peeling the strip off ever so slowly and witnessing every single whitehead wiggle out of my nose. Just one of my disgusting obsessions. When I was younger, I would just peel the nose strip off so fast that all the plugs would just break off and remain in my nose and I would wonder why the strips didn't work. Slow and steady is the trick girls, slow and steady.

I also figured out the best combination for the Topshop BB cream in 3.0 which I mentioned here, and that is with the MUFE HD Foundation in 120. Together they give a high coverage, soft focused finish that feels like almost nothing on the skin. Also doesn't hurt that I have neither in the right shade (the SA matched the MUFE for me too...Sephora should really improve their lighting) so when mixed together it's a heavenly, creamy blend of the appropriate shade. The Topshop BB cream is slightly fragranced, almost like a grandma scent and the occasional whiff does have me wrinkling my nose. Still, price to pay for nicer looking skin.

My little sister purchased the Sleek Face Form in Light for me when she came back for the holidays and I finally realized the hype over Sleek's highlight/contour products. I'm not such a fan of the rose gold blush, since I already have similar colours and consider it a yesteryear colour, but the bronze shade really works in definition without being too orange on my nc30 skin. The highlighter really holds its own and I use it when I want a stronger highlight than the NYX mosaic highlighter. The kit is so nifty and versatile, i just wish it had a matte blush. Oh, I also used it on my other little sister who is darker than me, and the contour shade still worked! Like I said..nifty and versatile.

The Estee Lauder Double Wear ShadowCreme in Cafe Au Lait is something that I've recently opened after a good... half year? Patting myself on the back for patience. I had to open this to stop myself from purchasing the Maybelline Colour Tatto in Bad to the Bronze (addiction much?). This is a really nice bronze/taupe mixture with multicoloured micro glitter in it. It is not a dupe of Bad to the Bronze and comes off much lighter in colour. The glitter comes off more on the silver side, but for some reason, when on the lids it can look quite golden rather than bronze, especially when a darker brown is blended in. It's a nice subtle shade for all over the lid definition and catches light in all the right places. Best of all, no creasing or fading throughout the day.

Lastly, I've been wearing the Majolica Majorca Blush in OR211 quite a bit this month. In the pan it comes off a rather pale orange, but on the cheeks it transforms to a rather coral shade. The colour pay off is not super intense, which I like for daily wear. Also it's such a tiny cute pan I really can't resist it sometimes.

From L-R, MAC Studio Fix NC30, MUFE HD Foundation 120, Topshop BB Cream 3.0, Majolica Majorca Blush OR211, Sleek Face Form in Light bronzer and highligher shades, Estee Lauder Double Wear ShadowCreme 22 Cafe Au Lait

What are your August Favourites? Do recommend me some! Happy Friday everyone!

Weekly Favourites #4

Hallo everybutty! I've been a rather good girl when it comes to purchasing makeup and skincare because 1) I'm lonelygirl89@hotmail.com ie. haven't been heading out and wearing makeup and 2) I'm still on the doc's skincare regime. But I did crack the other day and purchase some make-up and I've been wearing them (when I can) since because they've been just SO GREAT. 

I've been lusting after the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer and/or the Nars Tinted Moisturizer for a longlonglonglonglong time but due to cost issues I've been holding out (that means looking for better deals online haha). Then, one fine day when I was browsing Topshop makeup I saw the Topshop BB cream and I tried to google for a review on the spot - there were none T_T. So I swatched it and was like HMMMMM this actually feels rather luxurious and I was also looking for a darker foundation/BB cream because I realized many of mine were a tad bit too light. I succumbed and bought it in the darkest shade (3.0) because I thought it matched and came home to realize that it's rather too dark for my nc30 skin. It works extremely well when mixed in with my foundations and BB creams (MUFE HD, aqualabel foundation, hada labo BB cream, Estee Lauder BB cream - I use a 50/50 mix, sometimes 60 Topshop/40 other foundation mix) and leaves the most flawless finish on the face that I could not achieve with my foundations alone. It does not seem to compromise the coverage of the foundations too, so I believe that the coverage of this BB cream is really decent. One shade lighter did seem too light for me though, but it also seems to oxidize slightly so it might work. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

I cracked at the Essence stand in Watsons the other day. I cannot help it, Essence is just too darn cheap. Even if it doesn't work it's like... oh that's just the price of a bag of chips. I can do without a bag of chips. I have the Essence 3-in-1 concealer and didn't really like that, but this Essence Match-2-Cover was so reminiscent of the Bobbi Brown concealers (THAT I WANT) so I caved. This is a tub...2 tubs of creamy concealer goodness. The formula is slightly dryer than the Bobbi Brown Corrector's, but has the same amount of slip and boy does it cover. For SGD$4.50 (vs the over $50 you pay for the BB concealer + not so useful powder), this is so worth it. For my nc30 skin, the shades in this compact are too light for blemishes. However on my undereyes, it does helluva good job in correcting and concealing the darkness. Again, people, this is only $4.50. Please run out and get it now.

The next Essence item I got suckered into was the Essence Liquid Ink Waterproof Eyeliner. It's really tiny, like 8cm tiny and the brush is stuck so tightly in the container that when I pulled it out with too much force, the liner splattered onto my lips and face ): That aside, I saw there was only ONE of this eyeliners left in the display. Obviously I had to get it since it was under SGD$4.00. I am as Singaporean as it gets. If there's only one left, it has to be good. I was right! This is black as ... squid ink. It is a very watery formula that is slightly tricky to work with, and goes on glossy but dries a deep matte black. You can see it in the photo above. The brush is not that fine, but I'm not really a fine eyeliner girl so it works for me. One weird thing about this eyeliner is that IT IS NOT WATERPROOF. Sucks right? So don't believe those claims. While it is not waterproof, it is definitely OILY EYELID PROOF. See the world's better again. I have problems getting this off even with my oil-based makeup remover. It comes off in flakes with the oil. So girls, just don't cry in public. Or just bring the tube out since it's so tiny. I love this even more than I love my K-palette eyeliner cos that's not as black as this.

Lastly, my companion for being lonelygirl89@hotmail.com. My first ever piece of "proper" jewelry from the boy, a present for our 3rd year and also just before he left for the US of A for 4 years of study (It's crazy, because we've already studied for 4 years). I love snowflakes - thumbs up for him!

Apologies for the long post for just 4 items, hope it was enjoyed! If anyone has the same favourites, or likes it after trying, let me know. Have a good, restful Sunday.

blush collection

I apologize for the lack of updates, it's been a really busy week and continuing into the next one.

Just a sneak peak at my blush collection, and a list of my top few blushes. I forgot about the maybelline mineral blush, but since I've already blogged about that....

So here are most of my blushes, I took this pictures quite quickly so I didn't manage to dig out some of my blushes, but this is most of them. As you can see... I have a broken blush. That is not the only one, sadly. I tend to drop my blushes T_T. Owell, I will get around to fixing them (resolution haha).

So anyway, maybe if anyone wants a review on any blush in particular, just let me know! To list the brands present, they are:

• too faced
• nyx cream
• nyx mosaic
• nyx powder
• bourjois
• collection 2000 (bought in uk)
• the balm liquid tint/stain
• majolica majorca
• maybelline mineral blush
• barry m (bought in uk)
• mac
• mark & spencer (bought in uk)
• famous (bought in uk)

These are my top 5 in no particular order. As you can see I tend to favour peachy/coral colours more than true pinks.

• too faced in papa don't peach
• topshop cream blush in neon rose
• nyx cream blush in natural
• nyx powder blush in natural
• m&s lip and cheek tint in peach

M&S lip and cheek tint - peach

Coral cream blush. True cream, leaves a very dewy finish. I love it for days I pretend I don't wear blush. Needs to be layered quite a bit for a more obvious cheek. 

NYX powder blush - natural

True pink powder blush. Excellent pigmentation. Suitable for the very fair. Also for days when I don't want blush too be too obvious. Can be used with a heavy hand and still not be too obvious. 

NYX cream blush - natural

More peach in the cream blush than powder blush even though they're named the same colour. Lovely cream when used with a stippling brush or fingers. Dewy finish with high pigmentation. Use sparingly. Like the colour states, it's very natural on.

Too faced - papa don't peach

Peachy powder blush with shimmers, excellent excellent colour payoff. Gives gorgeous glowy cheeks! Only blush I brought with me and used for 5 months in Sweden. I LOVE THIS. THIS IS MY MOST USED BLUSH. MUCH BETTER THAN MAC IMO.

Topshop cream blush - neon rouge

Coral cream to powder blush. Looks scary in the pan but natural on the cheeks. Matte finish. 

Hope this tiny condensed review helps. Will do better reviews on each later on. Oh, I got my Too Faced blush from www.smoochiezz.com for $20 only! I think it's sold at SASA but it's definitely cheaper online.