Everyday Makeup Basics

Hello! Happy weekend everyone!

I was about to get ready to head out and thought I'd share my everyday makeup basics.

Chanel concealer around my eyes and nose/mouth area/small blemishes,

a light dusting of MAC Studiofix on same areas,

Shu Uemura eyebrow pencil,

a swipe of Holika Holika's Jewel Eyeliner,

(and if I don't feel too lazy)
some Elizabeth Arden lippie that I got for $10 with purchase at DFS.

And then maybe a few dabs of Love,Chloe perfume, my latest obsession. ;) 

That's it! I would love to hear what you use! :)

Spa

 

On a recent holiday to Bali, I did my first full spa package! (I know, where have I been?!) 

This is the Bali Hyatt, and on a morning when I managed to arrange some childcare, I headed off to spa paradise to do their Royal Lulur Treatment. 

 

 

Before the whole thing. Hiding them dark circles under my shades. :P

 

The

 

At the reception area, there were individual 'huts' where I did the whole works:

Massage, exfoliation peel, milk bath and then facial massage. 

Was bliss... 

 

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack Ex

My second most favourite product on my shelf right now- Laneige's Water Sleeping Pack Ex! 

 

 

I don't remember how I chanced upon this product, but perhaps it was after getting a sample of this at a Laneige counter. I tried it for a few nights and fell in love!

I have sensitive skin and what I always thought was combination or acne prone skin. After using this product, I realize I may have been wrong to have used lots of harsh acne-preventive products to try to combat my problem! 

What I think I have now is this: sensitive, oily- underneath, and dry on top, skin. What a mouthful!

 

 What I have realized after using this product is, I wake up with skin that is smoother, brighter and the small pimples that I used to get all over my forehead that never seemed to leave me... have completely gone! I kid you not.

What this sleeping pack aims to do is provide intense hydration, vitality and a brightening effect during the hours you sleep, which is when skin cells are renewing themselves and working their hardest. :P

 

 

I use about a dollar sized dollop at the end of my routine. It is a lovely, light, gel- like texture that smells heavenly and spreads very easily.

My routine follows as such:

Remove make up 

Cleanse with Cetaphil (another product I believe has helped my skin immensely!)

Layer a thin film of Vichy Norma Derm Night (I will review this soon- I love it!)

Spot treat pimples (if necessary) with Vichy Active Anti-Imperfection Concentrate   

and then...

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack Ex.

 

 

 It spreads easily and it may seem like a lot of product to use at first, but keep massaging it into your skin, in gentle strokes, including some on your neck, and even gently under your eyes, and it all absorbs in a few minutes.

 

 

Once dry it is smooth and not sticky or moist at all! 

I used to think... so weird... sleeping with a mask on overnight? But it is ok because it completely dries. 

When I wake up, my skin is slightly oilier and shinier, but this product does NOT make me break out at all. After washing my face with Cetaphil, my skin looks moist and plump and smooth! If I could see little spots threatening to break out the night before, after using this overnight, I swear those spots just disappear! It definitely soothes the skin, perhaps with that antioxidant effect from one of their ingredients, Hunza Apricot extracts.

We are meant to use it 1-2x a week but I have used it everyday and every other day some weeks, and there have been no side effects! It just runs out faster and you need to stock up again ;)

This is one awesome product I cannot live without! I really want to try their Firming Sleeping Pack next!

 

Retails for SGD 45. 

 

Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence

My long overdue post on one of my favourite skin care products ever! 

  

A few months ago I chanced upon this new product: Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence. I don't have a problem with sunspots or much pigmentation, but I was slightly bothered about uneven and dull skintone, which this product claimed to help in 2-4 weeks. 

 

What this product claimed to do was help with 6 functions: Luster, Moisture, Brightness, Evens Skin Tone, Slows Melanin Rate and Reduces Dullness.

I have tried some Laneige products and they didn't make my sensitive skin break out, so I bought this with no real expectations. 

 

 back of the bottle all in Korean

Within a week of using it, my skin seemed brighter (and thankfully, no breakouts at all!). At week 2, I met a good friend and she noticed how my skin seemed much brighter and translucent!

I was sold! (I wasn't paid to try this, I bought it with my own money!) As I have continued to use it every morning after cleansing, even with just once daily usage (we are meant to use it twice a day), my skin has improved considerably. I must be into month 4 or 5 of using this now...

My skin tone has evened out a lot, especially around the nose and mouth areas which often tend to be slightly darker for most women. In fact, I sometimes only use concealor around my eyes and my entire face brightens up without needing concealor around the nose and mouth areas! That's how well it works!

If you are going after the fair, milky, translucent complexion Korean actresses have, you must try this product. 

 

What I do after cleansing is take about a 5cent sized (or less) squirt of this, and take a bit and smooth it over small areas at a time. Because of its runny texture, it spreads very easily and absorbs very quickly. After that, I cup both palms over my face and neck at different sections to further allow the essence to absorb. (I dunno, some trick I saw on their website, or maybe the Sulwhasoo website haha). 

 

I obviously use more than this, but even with this small amount, you can see how runny the texture is.  

 

 Spread it a little...

 

 

 And in no time it is completely absorbed and your skin is ready for the next step!

 

Following the essence I use a bit of Vichy pimple cream on spots if needed, but definitely follow with sunblock. 

It has the signature Laneige scent, which is lovely, not too heavily perfumed. Laneige products are free of mineral oils, artificial pigments, animal products and parabens apparently! This essence is no exception. 

I haven't finished this bottle,  but my friend, sister and mom have all ordered it to use! ;) Says something about the results! 

 

Some favourites

Who loves coffee? Cupcakes?

Two of my favourites from Holland Village,  d'Good Cafe's coffee and Plain Vanilla cupcakes. ♥

Some Japan and Korea loot

Things have been so incredibly busy around here, that I haven't had time to do proper posts on what I promised. :(

Meanwhile, here are some cosmetics a friend bought back for me from her trips to Japan and Korea.

CANMAKE CL (clear) blushers in CL 01 & 02, and the Skin Food Tomato Jelly Tint in 01 & 02.

I reviewed the Canmake blusher in the past, and love it! It only costs SGD 7.90 there compared to $17.90 here!  And the lip tints were cheap- SGD 5.90!

The capsule masks were her gifts for me. .. hehe.. I will review them once I find time to use them!

Laneige White Plus Renew Original Essence and Water Sleeping Pack Ex

These are two of my absolute favourite skincare products recently. I've used both for close to a month and a half now, and LOVE them!

Both have done wonders for my skin. Will blog about them very soon!

SKIN FOOD Milk Shake Point makeup Remover Review

Here is a review after a very long time!! Unfortunately I have been so busy the blog has taken a back seat. I hope to be back with lots more reviews! :) 

 

 

 I bought this on a whim together with some other purchases as I needed one. And after reading a review on it raving about it and comparing it to Lancome's Bi-Facil. Well... my verdict is that this is as good as Lancome's!

 

It is a two- layer eye and lip makeup remover, so shaking it so both parts mix well is crucial. Once shaken, it turns completely milky white. 

I tried it after a day of work, saturating a bit of a cotton pad with the liquid, and with one or two wipes max, all the makeup melted off. 

 

 

Here I have shown it tested with the Holika jewel eyeliner (brown) and Laneige eyeliner (blue) as well as a shimmery beige Kate eyeshadow. 

 

After one simple swipe, half of it was gone. Second swipe and it was all off! No stickiness, though cleansing after with a good facial wash is advised.

 

This Milk Shake Point remover does have a slightly sweet, milky scent. It isnt overpowering but it is not what skincare usually smells like so some may not like it. 

But with how quickly and effortlessly it removes stubborn eye n lip makeup, and for a fraction of the cost of Bi- Facil, I am LOVING it tremendously!

 

Retails for about SGD 25 in stores. 

PS: a giveaway is coming up soon! 

Reviews: Milk Shake Point, Laneige Eye Mate etc...

Hi everyone!

Sorry for going MIA the past.. I don't know for how long... but I will be back soon with reviews of all the items in my picture!

(And some more posts on my new skincare routine and more products that have worked wonders for my skin!)
Till then, have a great weekend!

Posting from Blogger on Android! Canmake Cream Cheek Blusher CL 01 review!

Hello everyone!

I am back trying to blog with the Blogger app for my S3. I think photos will come after all my words so here goes! (I will fix it when I have time to go on the laptop) 

I read a review of this Canmake blusher over at Bang Bang She Shoots when she was based in Japan, and loved how natural and sheer it was. The "CL" in this small range of their cream blushers stands for "Clear" and sheer indeed it is! Which is what I adore about it!

Finally tracked down this one she used, and though it looks a scary blood red in the container, you can see from my pics that it's really sheer. Much like a tint.

I usually use just two dabs of it and blend it in with my finger. It is super easy to blend too... so this is my go-to blusher every time I head out. 

Verdict: BUY it! It is slightly more expensive in SG, it is apparently much cheaper in Japan.. but I don't think I am able to go there or get someone to buy it for me! Haha. .. I am thinking of getting the pink in this range too! 

I love that it dries to a non-sticky, non-oily finish and yet isn't glossy nor matte, but just looks  like a natural glow from within! 

You can see photos of a couple of dabs in natural light as well as my finger after blending... I also love that you can layer more colour if you prefer a rosier look. :) 

Totally worth it, good for my combination skin, doesn't make me break out, and very easy to clean off.

At Watsons for SGD 17.90. 

 

You can see the red tint on the fleshy part of my hand... very natural!

 

Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Make up Remover Sensitive Eyes Review

 My mom passed me a couple of these generous 30ml bottles of eye makeup remover samples, and I have to say, these are THE BEST I have ever used!

It is as it says, non oily, and for sensitive eyes. And it also says "Instant" Cleanser on the bottle... well, it indeed INSTANTLY takes off waterproof mascara and eye makeup, even heavy eye makeup in like 1-2 seconds with almost no rubbing. Brilliant!

 You can see it has two beautiful blue layers.... you have to shake it before you use it. 

Then it will look like this... I use cotton pads to do 2-3 quick soaks of it (just turn the bottle over quickly against the cotton pad) and it's sufficient for one eye. Like I mentioned, it removed makeup so quickly the first time I used it, I was shocked! Skin around the eye area is very sensitive, so minimal tugging is great. 

Verdict: 

Definitely the best eye makeup remover I have ever used. No wonder it is a cult favourite. I also love that it is oil free and not oily. I need to go check out the prices of this but since very little is used, and to prevent as much tugging near the eye as possible is important to keep those peepers as wrinkle-less for as long as possible, I'd say it's worth it.

Bio Oil Review

 A friend bought this for me some time back, and seeing how much I've used, I guess it's safe to give a proper review on this much hyped about oil. 

So we moms have given birth to a kid (or 2 or 3 for some of them!) and one friend was saying that her nurse mother in law had recommended it to her and it helped her prevent stretch marks during pregnancy, or something like that. 

 These are the things it supposedly helps to prevent/aid. I started using it mainly for dehydrated skin on my legs and some uneven skin tone on the body.

It has herbs and plant extracts as well, here's the full list.

 It's a very light oil, very faintly orange in colour. After massaging in, it does feel non-greasy, but takes about a minute or two to fully absorb into the skin. See the spot of eczema on my hand at the bottom of the above picture? I tried to show how moisturizing it is below. 

It leaves a slight sheen on the skin, and you can see that that eczema spot does look less dry. 

After a minute, it is pretty much absorbed. 

Verdict-

I wouldn't recommend to use it on the face unless you have normal- dry skin. I've seen reviews of it being used to lighten acne scars, but I think adding oil to oily-combination face won't help. I haven't tried but I doubt so. I tried it on my legs and unfortunately, it doesn't moisturize my skin enough. 

For uneven skin spots like scars, I also found it didn't help at all! I don't feel it lightened like it claimed it would.

So no, I won't be buying this again. Though it does smell nice, light and pleasant.

Retails for about SGD 15-16, I have seen it at Watsons before. 

Will you look at that??

 This is just an in between, fun post for me :) Showing you guys the amount of samples I have in my cupboard!! 

All the sachet samples collected over the past 1-2 years, some given to me by my mom too.

I don't know if it sounds weird, but I like to go through the pouches to look at what I have sometimes.... hahaha... 

And yup, more samples/gift with purchases in bottle form!!! Crazy, isn't it?

I'm not sure if you guys would appreciate posts about product sachet samples? I hesitate to write these (more a stress-reliever for me than anything, writing these posts) because I like to use products for at least 2 weeks to a month or even longer to get a good idea if the product worked or not. 

Also, there are heaps of Korean products I want to try! I read reviews online all the time to get an idea if I should purchase them or not... Am checking out Innisfree because I like how it's more natural than most brands? Or so it seems. :) 

Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser with Orange Extracts Review

 My mom actually gave this to me for Christmas or my birthday, I forgot when it was, and I've been using it with my all-time favourite scrub, Ionax (reviews on that to come later), alternating them. 

This pleasant scrub is pretty mild and not too abrasive. Also smells pretty nice. ;)

 I threw the box out ages ago, but from the website, it says that it's for all skin types, polishes away dirt, makeup and impurities. It contains orange extract to soften, revive and refresh, and moringa seed extract to purify, and refine as well as retain moisture.

 So here's what the scrub looks like. There are little beads but they're not too large, so it doesn't feel rough on the skin. It's also a one-step cleanser so it does foam up a little, good for those who are lazy and want to do both cleanse and scrub at the same time. 

Verdict: It's extremely mild and because the seeds aren't packed into the scrub, it doesn't really exfoliate the way I love how my Ionax scrub does. I think it does get rid of mild flaking of the skin, without drying the skin too much, but I can't say anything for its claim of retaining skin's moisture. 

I wouldn't purchase it again, because though it makes a good 'in between' hardcore scrub sessions, it's pretty much a waste of money unless you have pretty good skin to begin with and just need something really mild. 

Hope that helped, and look out for my review of Ionax soon! :)

Skin Food Tomato Jelly Tint Lip Review

 I bought this on a whim with a haul of Christmas gifts, and since I'm a lip gloss kind of girl, I thought I'd try it out. This is now one of my favourite go-to lippies! 

 I bought #2 Berry. There are 3 shades, Cherry, Berry and Orange. 

 Here's what it looks like from the tube. 

It has a very sweet, childhood candy scent some may not like. I'm pretty fond of it.... ;)

I just swiped it across my lips once at the bottom and rubbed my lips together. As you can see, it's really natural... just a tint of color. It is pinkier with more layers, of course, but I still get comments that it's very natural.

It's quite moisturizing too and non sticky. Texture is light and gel- like, which I like. Even after you eat and wipe your mouth, the tint (as its name suggests) leaves a tint of color on your lips. I really like that. Just be sure to use a proper makeup remover to remove it all off at the end of the day.

Bought it here for SGD 7.90. Will definitely repurchase when it's finished. 

Just checked out the Skin Food Singapore page and this retails for $20 here!!