Great buys at The Body Shop

*Only applicable in Singapore.


The Body Shop is having a promotion* on their Nature's Minerals line.

Foundation
Regular: $43.90
Sale: $29.90

Kabuki Brush (with purchase of the foundation)
Regular: $33.90
Sale: $10 *best buy ever!*

Nature's Mineral Set (consists of a foundation, brush, blush and eyeshadow)
Regular: ????
Sale: $59.90

Just in time for the sale, I was running low on my Diorskin Nude Foundation and am lemming a new kabuki brush (since my Bobbi Brown kabuki decided to shed like crazy!!!).

Reviews will be up after I've used it for long enough :)

Updated skincare routine

My skin has gotten better since I stopped using blushers about 2 months ago. I have also cut down on my skincare routine. Less is best for me! *and my bank account* :p

Morning

1. Cleanser: Cetaphil
2. Toner/ Mist: Avene Thermal Mineral Water
3. Serum (Hydrating): Neogence Hydrating Essence
4. Sunscreen: Niks Gentle Sun Protect SPF50+ (even though I'm mostly indoors, I will still use a high SPF sunscreen. It's called being "Kiasu" or greedy in Singlish context.)

Evening

1. Makeup remover: Fancl MCO
2. Cleanser: Blot dry face with a towel, then 2 pumps of Cetaphil massaged into dry skin. Rinse.
3. Toner/ Mist: Avene Thermal Mineral Water (Some times I wet a DIY facial mask with this water and leave it as a sheet mask on till it dries out. Really soothes the skin!)
4. Masks: Depending on my skin condition for that day.

• Dry skin- Ucara Revitalizing Mask
• Blemished skin- Dead Sea Premier Mask for Problematic Skin
• Dull skin- Silkwhitia Whitening Sheet Masks
• Good skin day *rare*- A thick layer of Fruit of the desert Aloe Vera gel

5. Serum (Hydrating): Neogence Hydrating Essence

If I have any spots I wana get rid of, I will use a little of Niks Glycolic Acid 12% as the last step.

A small rant...

I think my face really hates products from The Face Shop. Whether it's their cosmetic or skincare line, it always irritates my skin. The serum which I was using for the past 4 days really caused me to get a few more spots than usual. Especially on the chin and forehead area (which I rarely break out on). It could be the fragrance which they LOADED the serum with. My skin is really sensitive to fragrance in skincare products. Example would be the Beautymaker hydrating serum as well... Wonder why they wana include something not necessary in a skincare product :(

I have since gone back to purchase 2 bottles of my beloved Neogence hydrating essence... Lucky they had a 20% off at Sasa for the Neogence range of products! *hearts*

And the list goes on... and on...

The last time I updated my list of items which were finished and gone was in January.

If I remembered correctly, I stopped at item #3.

So here's what I've completed since my last update! :D

4. Essentials Hair Mask
5. Ucara Revitalising Mask
6. Fancl MCO *HG!!!*
7. TBS Merry Cranberry Body Wash
8. TBS Honey Moisturizing Shampoo
9. Dr. Ci: Labo Cleansing Gel
10. Simple Toner
11. TBS Body Smoother
12. Tsubaki Conditioner
13. Niks Aroma Acne Clear Gel
14. 2nd bottle of Fancl MCO *HG!*
15. Niks Vitamin C Mist
16. Loreal Exfotonic *LOVE!*
17. Dove Shower Gel
18. Rene Furterer Okara Shampoo *which gave me eczema along my hair line!!!*
19. Avene Thermal Mineral Water *expensive water in a can...*
20. 1 box Silkwhitia Whitening masks *HG!*
21. Neogence HA serum *Will repurchase!*
22. Dr. Ci. Labo Foaming Wash
23. Essentials Conditioner

Wow! Seems like alot!

Some items were really great! Some really sucked! Especially the Rene Furterer Shampoo :( It gave me eczema on my forehead and behind my ears!!! I had to see the derm twice... It's much better now. But I can still tell that its still there...leaving dryness in those areas :(

I go through conditioners and shampoos real fast. I love lathering my hair in a huge bubble "hive" haha...

Would have liked to take photos of the finished items but I sent most of them for recycling already... *takes care of the earth/ tree huggers* :)

New obsession: Stage Cosmetics

Haul from Stage Cosmetics.

Stage Cosmetics is a relatively new brand on the beauty market. Probably a year old or so? Their first branch was launched at Bugis Junction is Singapore. From then on, Stage cosmetics could be found at quite a few larger malls such as Ion... If I'm not wrong, Stage Cosmetics is a Malaysian brand. Do correct me on that if you have any info!!!

They have a wide range of products at really reasonable prices! A lipstick would cost $23, concealer $20, loose powder $30, single shadow pots $20, eyeshadow palette $63.

From time to time, they will have promotions such as the current 40% off store wide *GASP* and special items priced at $8 each. *that's where the haul began*

I've never tried Stage Cosmetics before. Maybe it's the resemblance to MAC that kinda puts me off buying their stuff? It's like they're trying to "copy" MAC's footsteps... aka no originality. But that's my first impression about the brand.

ANYWAY! They were having a great SALE! So I picked out a couple of things to try out from the brand.

Wonderluxe Lipstick
Sale price: $8
Original price: $23
I picked out Lush Lotus, Apricot Angel and Blooming Bud.

These are matte lipsticks. Very similar in scent to the MAC lipsticks. They both have that vanilla scent! *see what I was trying to say about being a MAC-wannabe?!* The range of colours is okay...about 50 or so colours. Most of them are quite dark. The ones I picked out were the brighter and more Spring themed ones.

Texture is less drying than MAC's. It is quite long lasting, leaving a tint behind after a meal. I layer a balm over it for added sheen. Love these. I highly recommend you to try them out!

Wonderlust lipstick in Victoria.
Sale price: $8
Original price: $23

Similar to Lustre finishes in MAC. Very sheer and lightweight. Poor lasting power. But moisturizing to the lips. Not as many pretty colours as the Wonderluxe. I would say a good buy... but not a must have.

Photo Pro Creme Concealer in 06 Honey.
Sale price: $12 (40% off)
Original price: $20

This concealer won awards in Herworld/ Female magazine. So I just had to try one of their star products. Not a bad concealer. Was not cakey. Easy to blend. 6 shades to choose from. Covers my DARK eye circles very well + acne scars. Lasted for the whole day in this humid weather.

06 was a good match for me. I would say the BEST concealer colour ever matched to my skin tone. I'm very happy I got this product. Yes, purchase this! You won't regret it!

*MAC has a pot concealer as well. Not sure of the name right now... But MAC's was cakey. And the colours were really -off-. too yellow/ orange for a normal human being. Unless you're jaundiced* :p

Angle Lash Mascara
Sale price: $8
Original price: $20


Nice wand. Kills the curl upon first application. DO NOT BUY!!!!

Photo Finish Dusting Powder
Sale price: $18
Original price: $30


20g of golden dust. Pretty, very shimmery *me likes!*, finely milled. I would try this out as a bronzing powder or highlighter. And cute puff. A little tacky. But cute none the less.

And now... a comparison between MAC's and Stage's packaging... first up! The Lipstick box.

As seen. Both are black. With the name and weight on the top.

And for anyone who is interested in what goes into the lipsticks... hahaha.. here are the ingredients for comparison as well. Happy comparing!

Stage on the top, MAC below.

Even the plastic bag is similar! Clear on one side, red on the other. MAC's bag is clear on one side, black on the other.

And that's the end of my comparison and haul from Stage Cosmetics. Overall, not a bad brand, just that it lacks creativity in the packaging and marketing of the brand.

Review: Neogence Hydrating Essence

I have super sensitive, dehydrated yet oily skin. Such problematic skin! It's been a difficult quest finding the perfect moisturizer. Cream or even gel moisturizers clog up my skin real bad, so I've stuck to trying out essences and serums.

I was on a look out for a new hydrating serum, so I decided to walk into Sasa.

This was what the SA recommended to me... Neogence Hydrating Essence. It is priced at $38 for 20ml which was pretty costly to me. It is made in Taiwan. I went through a bottle within 1.5 months. :( not very economical.

What the product claims:

• Lasting moisturizing
• Dry line erasing
• Tautness Soothing
• Ultra Pure Hyaluronan
  

Ingredients:

• Aqua
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Methylparaben

It does live up to its claim!!! So if you have dehydrated skin like mine, I would really recommend you pick this up from Sasa online. You'll only need 2 drops per application to cover your whole face. It absorbs nicely, no sticky feeling!!! It reduced tautness immediately.

My routine was to spray a fine mist of Avene Eau Thermale Mineral Water then apply 2 drops of serum. My face also clear up of clogged pores over the 1.5 months while I was using this product. Not sure if it was because of the serum... but I'm quite happy with the condition of my skin now. It is less sensitive and more smooth in texture.

Would I repurchase this? Yes! But I've decided to stray for a little while... I'm trying out The Face Shop's Post Acne Brightening Serum to clear my facial scars. Will do a review on that after I've finished the whole bottle :)

April is the month of many hauls...

Since it is my birthday month, I felt I should pamper myself a little bit more than usual. Well... I went over board and was caught up in a crazy month of hauls!

First haul of the month was from MAC!

Can you believe it... A MAC counter has been opened at the heartland mall near my home! It's like a 15 minutes walk over to the nearest MAC counter!!!

And here's what I got :D

1. Bubblegum Glaze Lipstick
2. Viva Glam Gaga Lustre Lipstick
3. Creme D' Nude Cremesheen Lipstick
4. Tilt Frost Eye Shadow
5. Sable Frost Eye Shadow

I also got a few fragrances this month...


With the freebies :)

1. J.Lo Live Platinum
2. Miss Dior Cherie Blooming Bouquet
3. narciso rodriguez EDP for her

I still have a HUGE haul from Stage Cosmetics (which I will write about in a seperate post). They were selling their lipsticks at $8! What a steal! I snapped up 4 of them at a go!

More on that later :)

Dupe Alert! Chanel's Vs Missha's Nail Polish

A little comparison between Chanel's Le Vernis in 505 Particuliere (as seen below)


and... Missha's Lucid Nail Polish in BR03 (below)

Pretty similar I must say! I was quite tempted to get the Chanel version, however I wanted to see how different it was from my Missha's. So I did a mini swatch and went home to compare! And lo and behold, a dupe!

I must say, the quality you get from Chanel is farrr better than the one from Missha. It dried to a glossy finish (even without a top coat), whereas Missha's was a little duller (nothing a top coat can't fix???).

For the difference in price, I would still prefer to get Missha's and then get a super good top coat with the extra cash :p

Any other dupes for nail polishes?

The new muse of my makeup stash

Gorgeous.

I'm a Mac convert!

My bro gave me his brand new MacBook *not the cosmetic MAC though :( * the start up and shut down on this baby is super fast!!! Love it!

And here's me giving the same smiley face as my baby mamegoma aka baby seal...

I'm turning 24 tomorrow :( *old*

It's true when they say that after your 21st birthday, every following year you'll still feel like 21 :p at least for me :3

I hauled some stuff yesterday *birthday presents to myself* XD

Chanel Rouge Coco in Camelia... J.Lo fragrance in Live Platinum and The Face Shop Post Acne Brightening serum :D It been a long time since I hauled this much at a go! Haul post coming up!

How I store my makeup collection

This post is for popcorn! :) she requested it a while back and I feel bad I took sooo long to get it done :p *sorry!*

Here's how I store my makeup:


These plastic drawers are in my clothes cabinet. :) Cool, dry and dark places are the best for makeup storage. That way, they don't go bad quickly!

Let's start with the bottom drawer!

Eyeshadow palettes, mascaras...

2nd drawer, makeup brushes! I used to put them into jars, but I found them dusty after a while. So I rearranged my makeup drawers and got them placed into a drawer of their own :)

First drawer, all my blushes :) which I hardly use now :( since I'm on a blush ban because of my skin condition *which amazingly improved without the use of cheek products!!!*

On to the next set of drawers!

The bottom most drawer, houses my lippies! *disguested with the number*

3rd drawer are for items which I am trying to complete for Project 10 Pan 2!

2nd drawer are the items which I use less often. Random MAC single eyeshadows, liquid eyeliners, RMK eyeshadow, Chanel pressed powder...

Top most drawer houses the things which I HARDLY use. :(
On to my other set of plastic drawers! I got these from Seiyu (which is a departmental store in SG). They looked very Muji Style! :D

More stuff...

Even more stuff...


So basically, I just jam every thing into their little drawers. Leaving no space for them to move around. Hahaha... I like grouping them into categories so it's easier to find stuff. :)

How do you organize your makeup collection? Do share! :D

My first bar of soap

The Bodyshop's bar soap from the Merry Cranberry line :) Smells delicious!

The carvings on the top are *too pretty* to use! Of course, by now it's gone :( after the 2nd use the carvings faded. *Sobs*

There are little bits of apricot kernel in the bar soap, so it has an exfoliating effect. It can come across as "scratchy" if you really rub the bar on your body directly. But if you lather it well before application, it's really nice :)

Sadly, it's limited edition, and if you want to get your hands on this, you'll have to wait till Christmas time :(