blushfully

Kalahoo That’s Who!

2012-01-27T02:00:00.000+10:00

Once in a while you come across a random find that turns out to be a precious gem. Being a beauty enthusiast those occasions come quite often, not that often but I have been finding more and more hidden underrated gems as of the past year. One is Stila Mineral Matte Eye Shadow in Kalahoo.

This post was actually rather inspired by a request from a fellow beauty blogger, Reese from Tropic of Beauty. We were on a ~~conversation~~ twittersation about using eye shadow to create shadow under our eyes inspired by a video by Lisa Eldridge on Marilyn Monroe Make Up which was amazing, I might add. The way Lisa Eldridge went through the history and explaining each details are the reasons why I enjoyed it so very much. Anyway I said that I use just one eye shadow for that. So here it is, dedicated to this one eye shadow I have been reaching for almost every day or each time I do my make up.

The shade Kalahoo is rated 4.3 in Make Up Alley which technically means that I’m not the only one who loves it. It sort of is a slightly brown-er version of MAC Copperplate, if using MAC as reference is best to describe it.

I purchased it many moons a yonkers ago at Cosmetics Fragrance Direct (if my memory serves me correctly) for only about AU$10, I think. Bad memory, I know. I’ve not seen it in Mecca Cosmetica but apparently someone in Make Up Alley said it is similar to the shade Rain. Strawberrynet might have it.

Oh – no strawberrynet doesn’t have it. I just checked. Bummer.

I use this for:

eye contour on the crease
eye shadow all over the lid
shading under the eyes for shadow effect
eyebrow

Yeap! I use this colour for my eyebrows too. I have several colours depending on my hair colour and whether it is a day time or night dramatic looks.

There you have it.

Do you have an eye shadow that is an all-rounder and can be worn any time and you’d be good to go?

I’m Leaving on a Jetplane… What to bring?

2012-01-25T10:00:00.000+10:00

With the travelling rate still going strong amongst people I know, I wonder if you have any tips or products in regards to flying comfortably and to remain feeling fresh. I think flying 6 hours is fine but imagine 10 or worse, 20… and plus the waiting in between transit and all. It adds up! So how do you remain fresh?

1) Eye Drops

For those with contact lenses or glasses or just those with eyes that could feel dry during your time in the airplane, eye drops are a must. You would not want to be feeling dry eyes – utterly uncomfortable!

2) Face Spray

This could be your toner or any kind of facial spray. And, of course in travel size. I used to loathe the idea behind facial spray but I now thank you for them! My picks: Mario Badescu Facial Spray, MAC Fix+, MAC Charged Water, Lush Eau Roma Water Toner. Look for unbreakable packaging.

3) Moisturiser / Lotion / Serum

If you have sample sachets of lotion or serum – perfect! Bring them, they would come in handy while flying or during transit so you don’t have to carry around extra kg (not that they weigh a kg, but they add up!) Flying is drying, and you don’t want to shrivel to an raisin by the time you have to exit the airplane.

4) Lip Balm

This goes hand in hand with the previous product. Your lips may get dry – so don’t forget your lip balm. Just something easy that you don’t have to use your fingers or an extra applicator to apply.

5) Plenty of water or fluid

Not that you need to carry a huge litre of water bottle around but one you might not think of whilst on the plane, though I think you should be. Yes it may cause you to go to the toilet more than once during the journey, but hey, better get your body hydrated rather than dehydrated! Dehydration can lead to headaches and nausea, and dry skin.

6) Concealer

Hah! Don’t murder me because I mention a makeup product. Hey, during the time you might develop some redness or what not – who knows. Or a blemish might appear (God forbids!)… Concealer is your ~~friend~~ best friend.

7) Powder

If despite the dry atmosphere you know you might get a little oily, especially those T-zone area. Or in my case, the centre of my face. Maybe a lightweight one would be better than a full coverage one. For instance, a Mineralized Skinfinish Natural may be a better option rather than the Studio Fix. Although that’s personal preference. In my opinion, the fuller coverage one might look a little cakey when you reapply during flight.

8) A multipurpose lip/cheek product

Again, this is a personal preference. But I find that I might look “sick” or “pale” or “washed out” after a long flight. I like a multipurpose lip/cheek product like Eyeko Fat Balm is perfect to carry around. Not only it is not drying it gives a nice pop of colour and glow to your cheeks so you look fresher in an instant! Now I regret not getting more of these Fat Balms. Thanks to Kylie from Blooming Diaries blog for introducing me to Eyeko Fat Balm (It was my birthday present). It is even blendable by fingers, too! Too easy!

9) Foot Spray

This might sound odd but even this is a novelty for me. Your feet will definitely get tired and sore from the “sitting down” – your feet will thank you for this little spray. This instantly refreshes and I believe you need to look after your feet – you’re standing and walking on them all the time. They’re bound to complain. Not literally, but you would feel the tiredness and soreness, then…? Something with a bit of mint would be refreshing for the feet. I’m currently loving Shoemistress Refreshing Foot Spray. It contains aloe vera, lemon and peppermint. It does help soothe and refresh my feet.

10) Floss

You might not be able to brush your teeth for some reason and you have something in between your teeth that you simply cannot remove with bare hands. What to do? Floss is your only hope. I used to not bother with it, but trust me, there are times I am thankful for having this with me.

Red and Gold for Chinese New Year 2012

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000+10:00

GONG XI FA CAI

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

It’s the year of the Dragon~

RAWR!!

Wishing everyone a prosperous, successful and blessed year ahead.

Let me start the day by sharing you what I’ve got on…

The arm candy term is inspired by Faye Lu Review from her blog post HERE
Say hi to her from me when you visit her blog, will ya? =)

I’m off to yum cha~ wheeeee!!

: gold watch by Movado (vintage, it’s my Mum’s); gold snap bangle by Colette; gold and wood necklace worn as bracelet from Indonesia (vintage)

Be Calm with Be In Awe Calming Serum

2012-01-21T16:47:00.001+10:00

The skin is a complex structure that at times may be aggravated and clogged and all sorts of other ra ra ra, you get what I mean. Now with all the range available out there to ‘treat’ the skin, its own walls may not be strong enough to hold it together, hence sensitive. I find that perhaps incorporating natural products into my routine would help and how surprised I am, I can’t begin to tell you.

I was introduced to the brand Be In Awe by a fellow blogger, Me My Best and I – and you can see her journey here. That led me to email Rebecca Powne, the owner of an Australian brand fittingly named Be In AWE. AWE stands for Ancient Wisdom Encapsulated.

This is what Rebecca has to say about the skin being sensitive:

“I often find that most people do not have 'naturally' sensitive skin, therefore the main reason for irritation is poor skin barrier protection. The skin therefore is compromised and will react to many products. Once your barrier function is restored you can start to build your skin up with low levels of Vitamin A (retinol) and potent antioxidants.”

Be in Awe based their science from the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda (Eye-your-vay-da), literally translates to “the science of life”. It encompasses prevention, healing and longevity and it aims to prevent disease and to rejuvenate the mind and the body (source: here).

Rebecca Powne is a skincare professional who has been in the industry close to twenty years. She completed B.A. in Ayurvedic Studies (Indian Medicine) in London and B.H.Sc in Clinical Dermal Therapies in Melbourne. Since launching in April 2011, the products have expanded from Melbourne to Sydney and will hopefully, hopefully make it to Brisbane.

After consulting with Rebecca about my skin, she suggested I try the Nirvaata Calming serum and use Amala Clearing serum whenever there is any breakout or spot treatment. I am meant to use it to clean skin, after a toner.

A little background on my skin: it can get dehydrated easily, it can get irritated (itchy or red) easily as well. Any kind of rubbing would accentuate that too. I get flushed easily and there are times when I just want to find products to ‘soothe’ my skin. The answer is this Nirvaata Calming Serum.

“The Calming Serum gently helps to reduce skin irritation from external stressors. It is recommended to assist in alleviating redness, itching and burning sensations.

nirvaata Calming serum contains a powerful blend of natural anti inflammatory ingredients which have proven to aid in skin barrier function, reduce the effects of external stressors and maintain the cell’s energy levels; added to this are essential fatty acids, Bisabolol and Vitamins E and D3 to ensure a calming effect on the skin.
The calming serum is designed for post laser/IPL, peels, shaving and sun exposure to restore the skin’s cells to a normal structure. It is also suitable for daily use for sensitive skin conditions.”

What I find…

Creamy in texture, lightweight, not sticky or greasy, silky smooth, very calming, soothes irritated red skin.

Smells divine in the borderline of marzipan and marshmallow and keeps my skin excited each time I ~~sniff~~ apply the serum.

As it is anti-inflammatory as well, I seriously just turn to this serum for any reactions I get just from daily stressors or due to environmental causes – I get itchy patches! I massage this serum and itchyness gone. (Apology for unable to show photos but how do you show itchyness in photos?)

I use this at night time after toner and before my moisturiser. For those with oilier skin and if you find it moisturising enough, you can skip the moisturiser.

Full ingredient list

Water, Century (Centaurium erythrea) extract, Phragmites kharka extract, Poria cocos extract, Sorbitan Olivate & Cetearyl Olivate, Butyrospermum parkii (karite) seed butter, Colloidal oat flour, Guar gum, Linoleic & Linolenic acid, Tritium vulgare (Wheatgerm) oil, Bisabolol, Zingiber Officianale (Ginger) Root oil, Cholecalciferol (Vit D3), Frankincense oil, Tocopherol (natural vitamin E), Lactic acid, Sodium lactate, Natural preservative.

From my experience, my skin enjoys and likes oatmeal as a cleanser because it really does soothes my skin and softens it. Notice its appearance as one of the ingredients in this serum. It acts just as I would imagine it to be. It soothes and softens, and keeps my skin calm.

Bisabolol – is an anti irritant, anti inflammatory and anti bacterial. It also has skin healing properties.

Frankincense oil – soothes and calms, also rejuvenates ageing skin.

I was impressed with the sample size that I want to buy the full size! So I emailed Rebecca wondering how and where I can buy one, since it is not available in Brisbane.

And she was very kind to gift me the full size! I THANK YOU!

However, the website will soon be available for online shopping! YAYYY!!

Price: $69 (for 50ml pump bottle as seen in above photo)

Note: Little goes a long way with this serum.

What’s next: I am leaning into purchasing the Clearing Serum (to treat acne or any blemishes), and perhaps the other serums as a start into anti aging prevention. No harm in starting early.

If you happen to contact Rebecca do say hi to her from me.

You can find out more information by visiting the Be In Awe website.

Disclaimer: The product was provided free of charge in accordance to personal skin consultation with Rebecca Powne, owner of Be In Awe. I receive no compensation in reviewing the product and was not obliged to, as mentioned in Disclosure Policy. This deserves a review because it’s worth it and would like to introduce it to you, my readers.

English Pronounciation Poem

2012-01-21T03:00:00.000+10:00

I came across this article (poem) around 5th January (through facebook, surprise surprise) and managed to take a video reading out loud the so-called “poem”… and it is super duper long!

So I thought… I’d give it a go… what do you think?

http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2011/12/23/english-pronunciation/

I tripped, but hey…

PS: I’ve included the link as well, so if you want to do a video response or anything, I’ll be interested!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Review: Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000+10:00

I dare you to say that title 3 5 times.

I am a Lush fan, no denying that. Two and a half years ago I hated Lush. I could not even stand walking past the store, let alone going into one. It all changed… I could not remember when, but I tried one product. That one product led to two and led to three and the rest is history.

I am no newbie in the fresh face masks department. Brazened Honey, BB Seaweed, Cupcake, Oatifix, Ayesha, Mask of Magnaminty… I’ve tried them. Some worth the mention in my blog, some others… I’ll reconsider for next round. The only one I would stay away from is Ayesha. I am slightly saddened by this because it does feel nice but the smell… oh.. my.. gosh.. it stinks so bad I could not stand it on my face. There, I’ve said it.

Now I had been meaning to try a new Lush mask for the past couple of months or so, but everytime I walked in to get it, the one I had my mind on, it was out of stock. Until the other day… one hot Friday… that it was there… one black tub staring at me… “Pick me! Pick me!”

As all Lush fresh face masks it comes in its signature black pots. Be careful when opening, there may be some liquid that is ready to spill. Not to worry, just mix them a bit to become the consistency of a paste.

Now here’s the little tricky part… the removal.

Once it gets hard and you feel as though you’ve had botox and cannot smile – it’s time to remove. That’s usually around 10 – 15 minutes.

You can either use a muslin cloth or face cloth, dampened it with warm water and put it over your face to create a steaming sensation to loosen back the mask. You don’t want to rip it off your skin, of course not.

Then gently with the warm water or cold water whichever you prefer, gently swirl your fingers over the mask… and massage it off your face… and rinse away.

Do I like it?

Face feels plump and refreshed afterwards – I like
Face looks brightened – I like
Face is not irritated – I like
Mask feels smooth to apply – I like
Mask has no pungent stinky smell – I like
Mask is a little tacky during removal like glue – I don’t like

That’s way more “I like” than “I don’t like” so this is a winner! Yay!

Will repurchase =)

Plus – if you return back 5 black pots you can pick a mask for free! Another Yay yay yay!

The product was purchased with my own money. No compensation or sponsor was involved in the making of this review.

69th Golden Globe: Who Wears What

2012-01-16T16:55:00.001+10:00

Dresses and pretty faces, I see what has been running hot in twitter and media in the past several hours. The 69th Golden Globe Annual Awards.

Here I will share a few of the many faces, and see if any is worth for an upcoming inspired look.

Piper Perabo
wearing mostly NARS

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation; Cle de Peau Concealer; NARS Douce France Trio Eyeshadow; NARS Nuite Blanches Eyeliner Stylo; NARS Push Eyeliner Brush; NARS Larger Than Life Lengthening Mascara; NARS Johpur Eyebrow Pencil set with Shiseido Translucent Brow Shaper; Using Yachiyo Brush to apply NARS Gilda Blush; NARS Rosebud Lipliner; NARS Frivolous Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil; NARS Baby Doll Lip Lacquer.

Nicole Richie

Dianna Agron

Angelina Jolie

Do you find it rather … “Chinese New Year”-esque?
Or does it look more timeless beauty to you?

The red lipstick seems to be making a comeback.

Claire Danes

Mila Kunis

Kate Beckinsale

I’m loving the fact that she’s supporting Hourglass Cosmetics in this look.

Prepping the skin with Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer to create the flawless canvas. Then a light application of Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturiser in Sand.

For the cheeks, Hourglass Illume Crème-to-Powder Bronzer Duo in Sunset was used. Then topped with NARS Miss Liberty to add glow.

You can check the rest of the makeup breakdown in Temptalia.

Jessica Alba
Gracious in my eyes, not the best dress but … she pulls it off.
Loving her nude makeup look.

Jessica Biel
Not the best dress on her either though I like the concept of the embroidery…
Loves her effortless hairdo

Freida Pinto
Freida, Freida… need I say more of the beautiful Indian ladies?

Rooney Mara
She looks so different from the character she plays in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Kelly Osbourne
Did, what, the, her hair, huh? Ok, I’m not a fan, sorry.

Maria Menounos
Her dress colour!!!!

Katharine McPhee
Oh my Lordy! Now THIS I LOVE! The fresh makeup, the hair colour, the cut, the nude pumps… What’s this hair colouring technique called? I WANT!

Images credit to PR press release and Temptalia.

And

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/golden-globes-awards-2012-live-updates-photos-commentary-and-winners/story-e6frfmvr-1226243627042

Behind Being a Beauty Blogger

2012-01-14T09:00:00.003+10:00

The thing about me… is that I’m not just a beauty blogger I don’t really label myself as one. I like to say I blog about beauty, yes, but I also blog about life and have you not read my reviews on some restaurants and their food? Perhaps the little snapshots of my weekend? You get what I mean.

On Wednesday, the lovely Tine from Beautyholics Anonymous wrote an article on “What Does A Beauty Blogger Do?” and I find it very interesting with some truth reflected back to me. I can relate. As I have said I also blog about beauty. Three quarter or the majority of my posts are about beauty. I do it because I like to and not being pressured into. Mind you, there have been times I felt being pressured into writing a review but ended up realising that it is your choice whether to put up a review or not. To even put up any post at all.

So I though I would share some of these “truths” with you, my readers, as well…adding my own.

Sneaky sneaky lemon squeezy – taking photographs of makeup counters or products or displays in shopping centres or in stores using your phone (turned to silent, but mine … the camera does not have a silent button for its shutter sound, bummer) – either for your blog or … you guessed right, twitter. … I am twittering, I’m twittering, yeaaa….
Carrying wet wipes in handbag – Tine mentioned this, but I normally just ask for tissues or grab any available tissues nearby. This is for those swatch-a-thon moments when you just feel the need to swatch… everything and anything you feel like. Why? For the blog.
I swatch on my left leaving the right hand free to do the photography when I am out in the shops. Usually the swatch will be in line with each other and even the SA will be amazed how many you are swatching and how perfectly aligned they are next to each other. Little do they know… you’re including this in your next blog post.
I browse makeup and beauty counters and stores to “check out what’s new”
Some SA would know you by name… because you’re there… again.
I go into stores to “check prices” or “test how they feel”
Any makeup or beauty products I buy or received must not be opened until I take a picture of it… before, during and after… Unless I find a way to put it all back to how it originally is packaged.
Packaging must not be thrown until I have at least taken a photo or jotted down the ingredients list and any information they claim to be. Unless I can find it online.
I look for bookcases, cd cases and filing organisers – for organising products
There is at least some makeup or skincare products on my desk – I use them all the time!
I have drafts or reminders noted on paper and laptop of “To Review” or “Blog Posts”
I don’t throw out empty products straight away – for “empties” post
I get excited when I see the pan of any products I’ve been using or running low on products – I’ve hit pan, guys! Yeah!
Never thought Organic Chemistry would come in handy… until now when I begin to pick on the Ingredients list
I stick labels on the products (recent habit) of the month when I started using them
First thing I notice when going overseas:
- Duty Free Cosmetics department – what are the limited edition travel edition
- What brands are available and how much cheaper compared to Australian dollars
- What I should stock up on
When I describe products I go by whether I will repurchase or recommend them. Are they dewy, matte, or do they blend like a dream… (Don’t you love that phrase… it’s like butter!)
I want to buy several products from either different brands or same brand but different types – for blog research and comparisons
I know upcoming product earlier than the SAs in the counter
You are known to your friends as… “always on your phone!” – because you check twitter and reply to people’s comments and messages
I would take a camera but thank God for the camera in my phone for when I’m out because I can take photos and straight away “blog” or “tweet” about it.
For others might say "love the dress" - I'd stare at their cheeks or their 'flawless complexion' (or any facial features) and would wanna ask... "what do you use?" or compliment them for those features ("love your lipstick!")
I take photos of myself – FOTD
I take photos of my nails – NOTD
I take photos of my clothes – OOTD
I want that that and that – for giveaways
I hope to someday have my own little walk in beauty room

So there you have it… I’m sure I have missed out one more or two or how many more there are.

Recent Empties January 2012

2012-01-11T21:50:00.001+10:00

I made a video – YAY!

Enjoy!

Recent Empties January 2012

If you would like to know more about any of the products mentioned, let me know, in comment below =)

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

2012-01-11T16:37:00.001+10:00

Times and times again I feel as though I am stuck in the middle, on a train ride with blank sceneries on the both sides. Perhaps lost in a forest stressing out which road to choose, the right or the left or the one right in front. I guess this post is just a little reflections of what happened recently… a little rambling, a little rant and as always, sprinkles of randomness.

How was I when I started this blog almost 2 1/2 years ago. This blog was born on October 2009, would you believe it? You didn’t know that, did you? I feel like I was a different person in 2009, 2010 and 2011. It seems that every year, with each turn I take, each mistake I made and each fall I stumbled… makes me who I am today.

Everybody is onto new year’s resolution. I only look forward for the better, for success and for my prayers to be answered. To be more patient and to listen more carefully. To be at balance and to keep moving forward wherever whichever path you take. It will all make sense, in the end, I will look back and connect all the pieces that things did happen for a reason and it will always be that way.

(Note: Photos Heavy)

This was an inspired hairstyle… that I wore to work one day. Kind of forgotten how to redo it now, hahaha…
Totally looking forward for better hairstyle that is easier to style hahaha… the inspirations are still coming from Ms J Lo and with the bangs.

We now have the $10 quick and easy haircut in Sunnybank. Pay $10 into a machine, get your ticket and get your haircut.
Lush Brisbane Queens St Store finally had their cleansers and fresh masks available – though I did buy the last Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Mask (review coming up soon this month!)
Want some Korean BBQ? Red & Grill is the restaurant I would take you. Yes, yes there are Obaltan, Madtongsan, Hanwoori, and gazillion other Korean restaurants in the city but unless you are on a Korean special foodie adventure and craves to try all lest you cry… I’d pick this for grill.
Asking for hot pot? I’d take you elsewhere.

Café 21 (at Treasury Casino, Brisbane) – unfortunately is not up to the standard I expected it to be. It should not even be anywhere near the services and the food I experienced last Sunday. Spaghetti (smoked salmon with cream sauce) – the cream sauce was tasteless and tasted like glue or paint…
Cappuccino – the first one that came out was not hot (it was cooler than room temperature even!!) and it did not taste like coffee. It tasted like… barely there coffee in water. Too watery. What the!
Service was also… yeah anyway, unfortunately definitely not recommending. If you feel like anything pasta, I would totally just go to Groove Train (King George Square preferrably if you don’t want to wait the line at the Eagle St Pier)

My nails of the week – OPI Atomic Orange
The view of my backyard… hahaha not really, it is an area near where I live.

And what’s my house without the joy of our baby boy… Rama

It is currently 4.15pm right now and Brisbane has turned to quite a hot oven. It is not a sauna, Indonesia is a sauna. Singapore is a sauna. This Brisbane weather is a bit more like… grilling satay. Hot weather, hot sun, hot wind and dry. Wait, satay is not that dry. Anyway, you get what I mean. I just had a shower and already I feel like I need to jump back in! I feel as though I have a fever. Not the kind of weather my brain would like. Nor my beauty products would like. Damn I hope none are melting, they are far away from the sun… *stares at the products*

2012… the year that everybody says is going to end. …and I’m turning 24. Hah! The calendar still goes beyond 21st December so we’ll have to see. I do think that life goes on and to focus the thoughts on what to do now, and to be done… not worrying about the “if the world ends”… I probably won’t live well to my fullest that way. Stay strong, stay true to yourself…

in hope

and

in faith

Daylight Defense with Dermalogica Review and How You Can Win One

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000+10:00

I guess if you had never met me, you could get away with not wearing any sunscreen. But you and I both know, at least by now you should be, that I am a strong believer in sun protection. I was not very much so before, but ever since I do realise that the Australian sun can be ~~potentially~~ quite dangerous – I cannot stress enough how crucial sun protection is.

How is everyone’s first week of the new year? I still cannot believe it is already the year 2012. Did the world just skip the year 2011? Oh wait, it didn’t, it just went by so quickly.

So this summer, Dermalogica teamed up with… well… no other better candidate than sunscreens and offer you the kind of skin kit we all need. I think so, it is also very handy, considering it comes with… oh I’ll show you soon. Also for those who like to sunbake or just have no choice but to be out in the sun, this kit caters for all. The products in this kit also contain vitamins, anti-oxidants and hydrating botanical extracts.

I have used this for several weeks now, on and off with my other sunscreens – and I have not felt any burning. Yay! Saved!

What I like about it:

Comes in a nice pouch – I really like this pouch, the colour, the texture and that it is see through without being too transparent. I can clearly see and find what I am looking for when I’m out, very easily. I have been carrying this everywhere with me as my makeup kit in my handbag. I somehow feel as though, even the pouch has a sun protection tint! (you know, like a car’s window’s tint) … get it?
Solar Defense Booster SPF30 – can be applied directly or mixed in with your moisturiser or your foundation. It is lightweight and does not feel greasy. It does not have the strong stinky sunscreen smell many other sunscreens possess. This product IS meant to be added to your favourite moisturiser without compromising your favourite moisturiser, so to say.
Multivitamin Bodyblock SPF20 – is slightly thicker in texture but still is not greasy or smells anything strong. It is easily absorbed into the skin. Nice product and I have not tanned so easily or burned. It is not oily nor is it drying.
Solar Shield SPF15 – this is a cute little practical sunscreen stick that I now carry everywhere with me. It looks like a lipbalm but you can use it anywhere around your body, wherever you feel needs the extra shield when you are out. You can use it on your lips, your ears, your nose and I used it on my nape and shoulders the other day because the sun had suddenly decided to go all out with their power. I did not get burned – yay! It contains vitamin C and E to counteract free radical damage. Perfect for lips and ears. This comes out clear.
After Sun Repair – is a clear gel that you can apply after you have been out in the sun. It is cooling and calming. This can be used on face and body. No strong fragrance. It contains Japanese Alder which accelerates DNA repair.

Now you can purchase the products individually at their website www.dermalogica.com.au or … at the Dermalogica counters for AUD$59.

But guess what!?

Wanna win one?

You can!

How to win?

You have to be a subscriber – click “Join This Site” on your right
(through Google Friend Connect)
Tell me your Google Friend Name in the comment below (1 Entry)
Don’t forget to let me know your email as well, so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner
Tweet about the giveaway mentioning @blushfully and @DermalogicaAUS (+2 Bonus Entry)
Example: Win @DermalogicaAUS Daylight Defense Kit by @blushfully (link to blog page)
Like Blushfully facebook page and Share (+2 Bonus Entry)

AUSTRALIA Only

Sorry for everyone else overseas! I promise I’ll do another giveaway that is International…

Giveaway closes on 30th January 2012 at Midnight (+10) Brisbane Time

Winner will be notified via email to arrange postage details.

Disclaimer: The products mentioned were kindly provided by Dermalogica.

Get Gorgeous this Summer with Summer Sands

2011-12-31T09:00:00.000+10:00

Starts tomorrow.

I think this is an incredible deal and if you have not heard of touched Gorgeous Cosmetics, this is a time to do so. They’ve welcomed us to the New Year with an amazing deal, of purchase $49 and receive all these (full sizes) for free. I’m not saying this for any compensation or endorsement whatsoever, I am broadcasting this because I know they have some gorgeous products – which I love. Peach Glow blush, Base Perfect full coverage liquid foundation, Powder Perfect powder is very smooth, and they have the best brush cleaner to totally get those pink bristles back to white.

http://gorgeouscosmetics.com/

Let me know if you are getting anything and taking advantage of this promotion =)

I feel like blogging today

2011-12-30T18:50:00.001+10:00

Is it the weather? Is it the wind? Is it the way the clouds move across the sky… or the fact that today is the second last day of the year 2011. Wait, what?

Looking back, I often wonder if I had done enough and perhaps, the way things did happen the way it did… was for a reason and because there is a purpose… somewhere down the line. What’s in store for me?

Life throws at you many kinds of things, some might knock you off balance, some keep you right on track, and some… swept you off your feet. My patience has been and will always be tested…once or many more times. My heart may be touched and moved by a movie or the things people do. My strength may be weakened but with each fall I know I have to get up and walk again. Or even run…

I’m not good with words… at times. I still try to better myself at a lot of things I do… but I do wish you all will have a magical New Year!

Happy New Year 2012…!!!

Cheers

Hits and Misses of 2011

2011-12-29T13:00:00.006+10:00

Things I didn’t like:

.Garnier Fructis Thermo-Active Spray
Why? It stinks. I don’t like my hair smelling like what this smells like. Go on, have a sniff, it’s just… ew.

.Shiseido Perfect Oil (Blue Pump Bottle)
Why? Worst cleansing oil I have tried. It does not clean makeup or remove anything. Fail.

.Australis Make-Up Finishing Spritz
Why? Overpowering scent with sort of a strange finish on my skin. I just much prefer other facial sprays.

.Shu Uemura Face Architect Remodeling Cream Foundation
Why? Doesn’t blend into my skin, maybe wrong chemistry bond or my skin just does not like it. Plus I bought the wrong shade.

.Garnier Mineral Deodorant Roll-On
Why? This was just way too wet under my arms. Maybe I should try a spray on one next time. But my current roll-on works perfectly fine (Hugo Boss Bottled. Night. Deodorant Stick and MooGoo).

.NARS Nico as Blush
If you want to use this as highlighter or simply powder - go ahead. I just do NOT understand how this is considered a blush. This is not a blush, more of a face powder.

.LACURE Waterproof Mascara
I know this is cheap, available at Aldi supermarkets. It looks uber cute. It is sleek and with its gunmetal packaging, it shouts "Buy Me!" but don't. This does not do anything to your lashes. Did they even put anything in this? Anyway... bad experience, yet they might have some lovely products in their range nevertheless.

.SUKIN Facial Scrub
Bamboo beads, I was expecting gentler approach to this natural brand (I like some of their products just not this one) ONLY , note... ONLY because this is too harsh on my skin. It's tooo rough... this is also because my skin type is leaning towards normal combination. This is more likely better suited to those with oilier skin. Again, I prefer gentler exfoliators.

Things I like:
(Warning: There are many… good find this year)

J Lo’s hairstyle

aannndddd… keep reading to find out on what products worth mentioning…

BRUSHES / TOOLS Category

.Revlon Foundation Brush
This paddle brush was an accidental find at a chemist store at less than $10 and has been doing a flawless job at applying my liquid or cream foundation. No complain. I bought 2.

.Cosmetica Manicare Stippling Brush
Perfect to apply my cream blushes (especially the super duper pigmented Illamasqua Libido). Warning, it will shed with application of liquid foundation. So this one is best for powder blush or light application of cream blush. Available at Target.

.MAC 109 brush
I adore and love this brush. I want to cuddle it at night because it is so cute. I stare at it and stroke its bristles… ok, ok you get what I mean. This is finally perfect for contouring my cheeks. Thanks so much to a good friend of mine for gifting me this all the way from the US of A. Next MAC brush list would probably be the 168 and 187 *squeal!

.Random brand eye brushes from IMATS Sydney
400S – 05 (Pencil Crease) – an awesome dupe to MAC 219 (which I don’t have… yet)
473 – 08 (Special Shader) – a dupe to MAC 217 (which I don’t have… yet)
I’ve been using these two brushes all the time! Every time I’m doing my eyes! Seriously!

.Sportsgirl Eyeshadow Brush
Still one of my best eyeshadow brush to apply and press eyeshadows onto my lids. Even applying highlights on my browbone. No shedding or dyeing issues. Soft and sturdy – going strong after all these years.

.Shiseido Eyebrow/Eyeliner Brush
Best. Angled. Eye brush. Ever. I totally love the luxurious metal handle and its cut. Perfect for filling in and defining my eyebrows. Now I just need another one for eyelining. Whee! Tip: Get it at strawberrynet – so much cheaper! Plus, you don’t really need the box, ok.

.Hourglass Blush Brush No. 2
This brush is multifunctional – at least to me. It is named blush brush but I have used it for applying liquid foundation and as of lately, bronzer or darker foundation to contour my face (cheeks in particular). This brush has been with me for 2 years! Can you believe it!? Still in perfect condition. My very first luxurious expensive brush. It has a metal handle just like the Shiseido one as well. My love for Hourglass brand can be found HERE.

.ELF Powder Brush
This is the all black flat top brush. I love this brush for its multifunctionality (you can use it for blush, bronzer, powder, liquid foundation), however it has sadly been made with the lowest quality in terms of the handle. I have about 2 or 3 of this brush (because it is fairly cheap) and none of the handles have hold up. It’s wonky, it’s loose and I had not poured water on to it, okay. The bristles are still alright so I still use this to apply my powder to set my liquid foundation. Or to buff out anything.

Wish they have a bigger version of MAC 130 brush… it’s so small … if there’s a bigger version of it, I think I would want it.

.Gorgeous Cosmetics #024
This was my very first Gorgeous Cosmetics brush and still going strong. It applies blushes, bronzers just at the right amount and right size for my face.

.Sponges
I never thought I would like sponges but they give such a natural finish and can be used to set my undereye. Thank Heavens for sponges!

.Hands
Yes, the tools that have been given to us naturally… fingers can do so many things, applying eyeshadows, blending, applying cream blushes, applying cream bronzers, applying foundation, applying concealer… anything creamy. =)

SKINCARE Category

.SKII
Facial Treatment Essence – I’m in a dilemma when I fell in love with this. It is expensive. I was simply trying out the little samples and now I don’t want to go without it. It contains more than 90% of pitera, which is the main ingredient of the SK-II range. It effectively softens my skin and brightens it, I have a feeling I must thank this product for keeping my skin very baby-bottom’s smooth recently. Though when I look at the price, gasp! faints… yet I will someday get it or wish wish wish that someone give me a present of a big bottle of this.

Facial Treatment Cleanser – this seriously keeps your skin well hydrated and does not dry out your skin. I really like the feeling after cleansing with this, and it still retains its moisture level quite high, my skin feels comfortable and smooth even 10-15 minutes after wash, not that I would really leave it that long normally unmoisturised. I enjoy having moisturised skin and I think this is what has been keeping the oilies at bay because it is not over producing oils to balance the skin (which goes hand in hand with the next cleanser I will mention…)

.JURLIQUE
Replenishing Foaming Cleanser – Gentle, low-foaming cleanser that softens and brightens my complexion. I really like it and some days I can mix it with exfoliator or oats. I love its scent, of gentle marshmallow and violet. It is also soothing and calming. It feels like rubbing marshmallow all over your face, minus the stickiness. Detailed review HERE

Purely Age Defying Ultra Firm and Lift Serum and Cream – You might want to argue with me and think this product is not suitable for my age. I beg to differ. This has been keeping my skin looking good, as far as I know. I’m savouring the serum and to not use it all up… as yet. While the cream, on the other hand, has managed to last me this long I’m not even 1/4 through it! Yay! To some drier skin types, this may feel a little tight. To those with oily skin types, be warned that you might break out. But somehow for me… it is just the right consistency at night (I use this at night time only) with just a dab and pat pat pat all over my face starting from the outer areas of my face going inwards to the centre. I’ve been doing this motion of applying moisturiser for the past few months and I think it has been doing me wonders. It keeps my oiliness at bay and keeping the drier areas moisturised.

.DERMALOGICA
Daily Microfoliant – An award-winning product and I can see why. It decongests. If I’m feeling terribly congested due to a whole day’s work and sweat with makeup on, I will use this at night and my skin will feel fresh and clean. Without the squeaky-ness. Because it microexfoliates, it will also leaves your skin looking brightened and glowy. Subtle effect, but something I’ve always been looking for in an exfoliator. Yet another expensive product, sigh. Review HERE

Skin Hydrating Masque – this is a nice thin gel consistency, different to most masks with their paste like texture. It boosts the hydration in your skin whenever you need that extra pick me up.

.MARIO BADESCU
Enzyme Cleansing Gel – Finally, not too expensive. Original retail price was AU$35.95 and has been reduced down to $18.95! Squeal! This is a non-foaming cleansing gel that removes your base makeup very well. It has a very refreshing scent and leaves your skin feeling smooth. It does not irritate nor has it given my sister and me… any red patches. Suitable for all skin types, I enjoy its practicality and unbreakable packaging. Perfect for travel, no worry no fuss. Review HERE

Facial Spray – Previously AU$22.95, this is now only AU$11.95!! Lovely facial spray that contains aloe and rosewater. Its scent is not overpowering at all and is soothing, refreshing and actually sets my makeup. Totally have to have this in my kit. My sister loves it too and won’t go anywhere without it.

.OATS
I have enjoyed a lot of skincare goodies this year and it includes the ever so natural plain quick oats. I pour some onto my palm, clench my hands and run water through it, soaking the oats, making it soft and moist. Then the fun begins, as I rub it gently over my cheeks, my forehead, my nose and my neck. You can feel it gently exfoliates your skin without aggravation or any harshness. When the oats softens, you can also feel your skin softens. Baby bottom’s softness – yay! So inexpensive, cheap yet effective. Will always have a container of it in my bathroom. I also love this in the morning. Plain, quick oats…

.OLAY
Lotions (sensitive) – Pleasantly surprised when I decided to give Olay Complete range a try. However I only pick those products targeted for sensitive skin, because it has almost no scent. I use the daily UV SPF 30+ sunscreen during the day and some nights I alternate with their Olay Moisturising Lotion. Very inexpensive and has not irritated my skin. So, a winner in my eyes.

.LUSH
Fresh Masks – Cupcake, Oatifix, and Brazened Honey are my current favourites, depending on the conditions my skins are in. The novelty of them never wear off on me. Cupcake smells and feels like melted chocolates. Oatifix smells like banana cake. Brazened Honey decongests and so refreshing. The feeling of spreading them over your face, because they’ve been in the fridge, is soooo niiiceeeee!

Eau Roma Water Toner – have been using this for the past 2 years. Has not aggravated or irritated or dry out my skin.

.MY SCHEMING
Face sheet masks – on the topic of masks, these are serum-full face paper mache sheet masks that are excellent in hydrating and brightening your skin. Made in Taiwan. Non sticky and non irritating. My sister loves it too. Reviews HERE (Caviar) and HERE (Grape Seed Extract)

.LIFEBUOY
I’m not sure where to place this, however because I also enjoy the body wash and hand wash, I shall place this in the skincare category. Small amount goes a long way with this brand. It is most likely due to their percentage of Sodium Laureth Sulfate I am not too sure, I know they have it in the ingredients, but none has caused irritations. It has antibacterial properties – I like.

.BILLIE GOAT
Foot Soak – leaves my feet feeling refreshed and calming… wonderful after a whole long day standing at work

Moisturiser – absorbs quick into the skin, gentle scent, moisturising, non-irritating to my body or my sister’s

(PS: I still want to try the MooGoo range, definitely one of the brands to try in the year 2012)

*Edit*

.SHISEIDO
What I like from them? Their lipsticks with the iconic metal logo casing, beautiful finish and beautiful colours. Creamy, not sticky and lasts a good hour or so.

Skincare range - The Skincare, White Lucent and the idea behind having softener toner that preps the skin for better absorption of moisturisers. Last Winter (June/July in Australia), The Skincare range with the Night Moisture Recharge, Extra Gentle Foaming Cleanser and the Skincare Hydro-Nourishing Softener (3 Steps System) saved my dehydrated flakey skin.

Perfecting Liquid Foundation, Transparent Loose Powder, Cleansing Oil, Foaming Cleansers, Concealer - they generally have great products in store. Including their branch such as Lavshuca (love the eyeshadow quads), Majolica Majorca, etc. I also like their sunscreens.

.KIEHL'S
Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleanser - it smells different, unlike anything else I have smelled before, yet it is rather enticing. It decongests and definitely cleanses your skin. Price point on medium high, even after the price drop. I would love to alternate between this and Lush and Dermalogica if I have all three "decongestants". They are decongestants for my pores.

.GATSBY
Cleansers - yes you read that right. Gatsby who usually makes the best hair products - that one - now has their own skincare range with their cleansers as the star of the show, in my opinion. The refreshing cleanser is black in colour, with beads, feels and smells refreshing. I also use this to decongest my congested pores. Their other range includes Brightening, Smoothing and Anti-Acne - they are all generally nice products without causing any break outs. I don't like using them everyday because my skin prefers gentler approach, but some days I use these as spot cleansers. That means I use it only on certain areas on my face. So glad my dad introduced me to this cleanser. Hahha... - PS I love Gatsby Moving Rubber hair wax.

.ANTIPODES
Hallelujah Lime and Patchouli Cleanser - this has been another cleanser saviour, gentle and non foaming creamy cleanser that smells quite different to your normal perfumey scent (to be honest, I now prefer these natural scents than the perfumey scents). This cleanser also able to clean makeup, apply it dry and use a damp face cloth to remove. This comes in a glass bottle pump, so be careful storing it. There are 2 types, too: Natural and Organic - I prefer the Natural one for some reason my skin likes it better. On the plus side, the Natural cleanser is cheaper than the Organic.

Some of their other products worth checking out:
Honey Mask - antibacterial and moisturises the skin
Exfoliator - gentle jojoba beads to exfoliate your skin
Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream - hydrating and comes in huge jar of 30ml
Their face oils are also lovely - for those with dry skins. To those with combination/oily, be warned that this may cause an even more "dewier" effect that some might not be a fond of. Aka, yes, oily.

MAKEUP Category

.MAC
Face & Body – a current staple of providing a your skin but better look, very natural and blendable and buildable (very lightly). May not be for the oily skins, because it is very dewy. Awesome to mix with thicker foundations to give just the right coverage and finish. You can even mix your high coverage concealer with this for the best of both worlds (great coverage, thin texture to blend easy on your skin)

As you see in the photo below I was wearing a mixture of Face & Body and Mineralize Satinfinish SPF15 foundations (with dabs of the Studio Finish concealer over any blemishes) for the natural finish look. If you’re wondering who’s the lady next to me, that’s my mum – I could not just leave her out of the picture. She’s past her 50 by the way… I swear, that’s a high standard to live up to, when she ages and looks like this in her 50… OTZ …

(taken at Shorncliffe beach, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia – December 2011)

Studio Finish Concealer – it covers and it lasts. Good concealer. Cute little concealer.

Mineralized Skinfinish Natural – what a powder, it never looks cakey never looks too powdery. I can even get away just wearing concealer and this for some of those easy days.

Select Moisturecover – I have this in NW20 for some areas that are more blueish in tone. This is nice and very easy to blend, yet does not last very long but enough for half the day worth. Lately, I’ve been mixing this and the studio finish concealer – result that I really like.

Amplified Lipsticks – still my favourite kind of lipstick out of the entire range of MAC lipsticks. My picks are Morange and Blankety.

.INGLOT
Freedom Palette Eyeshadows – shade 348 is my dark eyebrow colour

.STILA
Shade Kalahoo Matte Eyeshadow – is my daytime, light, eyebrow colour

.ILLAMASQUA
Cream Blushes – they last a whole day, blends like butter on toasts, beautiful natural colours. My fav is Libido. Swatches available in my previous post HERE

Concealer – another incredible concealer find. This is their standard opaque concealer, creamy and conceals thoroughly. Little pot even has a little mirror – cute!

Powder Blushes – gorgeous range of shades. My pick is Lover (although I don’t even have it… yet) and Ambition (very natural pink rosey flush)

.GORGEOUS Cosmetics
Eyeshadows and Blushes – they are amazing. Huge pan and you literally only need to dab. Loving the colour Hedgehog and so many others (eyeshadow) and for blushes I pick Peach Glow (will get this next week) and Sesame.

Brush Cleaner – the best spot cleaning product for my brushes. You can see it in action HERE

.MAYBELLINE
Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner (Made in China) in 02 Brown – this is the Asian edition (I bought this in Indonesia) and I believe the formula is slightly different than those sold in Australia. I have one in brown and it gives me a natural look, does not flake or smudge or fade. It lasts until the time I have to remove it. Definitely much cheaper than Bobbi Brown.

.AUSTRALIS
Eyeshadow Primer – Boy, am I surprised to see that this actually works on my lids when some others have failed to do so! I have only been relying on Urban Decay Primer Potion, and gave this a try when it was given at ABBW. Normal retail price is only AUD$11.95! Great!! This helps keeping my eyeshadows intact until I need to remove them.

.MODELS PREFER
Have surprised me with their products. The airbrush brush, the bronzer, their liquid foundation and even their powders are not bad! For the price, if you’re looking for something to start out your makeup collection but not having the extra bucks for 1 MAC item, start with this, your $$ will go further with more products (especially when it goes on sale or 3 for 2 deal). Available at Priceline. Click HERE for previous post on the brand.

.ESTEE LAUDER
Total Makeup Remover – it has a lotion gel texture and boy, does it remove makeup. Expensive at approximately AU$56 for 200ml.

Pure Color Lipglosses – not sticky, has enough slip to stay on your lips and lasts for a good hour or two or more!

.LAURA MERCIER
Foundation Primer - I have this in the all skin type, the standard one, because some parts of my face tends to go oily, some tends to dehydrate, so I needed one for all occasions, with no spf. This is a lotion gel texture that glides smoothly on the skin. It makes application of foundation (liquid or powder or both) ... smooth and easy.

LM also generally has lovely products; mosaic powders, blushes, and their foundations and powders are some base products I would love to try in the future.

.CHANEL
Coco Rouge Shine lipsticks - hydrating, lovely sheen and beautiful rose scent - luxurious lipstick nonetheless
They have beautiful lipsticks and lipglosses (Glossimers), and their foundations are of such amazing quality too (Vitalumiere Aqua for the non detectable flawless natural finish as though you're not wearing anything and just have amazing skin!)

.EYEKO
Fat Balm - in particular the shade Raspberry... - very natural on cheeks and travel friendly.

I apologise for the long list but I thought I’d share with you my favourites…
it would be easier for both of us to refer to in the future, if ever need to.
I haven't even included the hair products! Oh!

is there anything that I missed but you would like me to mention or talk about?
feel free to let me know, in comment below

what are some of your favourites for 2011?

Wishing each and everyone of you a wonderful New Years Eve and

Happy New Year 2012!

Toasts for lights in the dark of days
And many more opportunities
And for smiles upon your faces

Stylelicious: Hot Claire Pink Danes

2011-12-29T10:44:00.001+10:00

This is what she wore to 2011 Golden Globe Awards… and I… aah… go on, do the long aaaaahhhhh…

Something about the simplicity of this Calvin Klein halter dress that is simply… captivating…

Its elegance… its cuteness…

and her makeup is flawless!

Those cheeks… remind me of Gorgeous Cosmetics in Peach Glow – now I MUST have it!

(Images credit to Google search)

FOTD au naturale

2011-12-28T14:26:00.000+10:00

You've probably noticed how I'm about being natural with my looks especially for daytime casual and chilled afternoon...

It sure has been awhile since I did a FOTD, and I quite like the finish of this.

Here's what I'm wearing today:

Stila Kalahoo eyeshadow on brows and on eyes
Gorgeous Cosmetics Face Base Primer (testing out sample)
Gorgeous Cosmetics foundation in 2N (testing out samples - both Sheer Brilliance and Full Coverage mixed) - used sponge to apply
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark (to set)
MAC Studio Finish concealer in NC30
Gorgeous Cosmetics Pro Color in Sesame for blush/contour
Guerlain Kiss Kiss lipstick in Pink Shine

Cleansers Diary: Jurlique Foaming Cleansers

2011-12-27T19:16:00.001+10:00

This sort of “diary series” has been swirling in my head for quite some time. I have even written down on paper what I thought could be a blog post entry. Anyway, I will explore more of the world of skincare and cosmetics in this format, I hope you don’t mind. Cleansers today, toners the next, and even varieties of them. What I mean by varieties: there are cleansing oil, foaming cleanser, cleansing gel, low foaming cleanser, crème cleanser, foaming crème cleanser, etcetera!

This one in particular will be an overview of Jurlique cleansers and I will run through each of them as best as I could exploring the main ingredients of each and which you might want to consider trying out, case you need a new cleanser from Jurlique. I had been trialing them via the sachets for quite some time and really wanted to buy one. Trouble was, I could not decide! You could see my dilemma, HERE.

For those who have not heard of Jurlique… They are an Australian brand since 1985, with their own farm in the hills of Adelaide. Find out more about it HERE.

Their cleansers are straightforward. Its main focus is on rebalancing your skin so that it is not too oily or not too dry. Their range can be found HERE.

I personally prefer the foaming cleansers. (photo below was taken from the website)

First thing you would notice is their scents. They have those herbal scents such as roses, lavenders, marshmallow, violet etc. If you hate those kinds of scent, I can’t help you. I like them, in small doses. To me it's lovely and gentle enough. Their bottle is a twist pump, a secure one that lets you pump just enough amount for your entire face.

If you’re feeling oily – definitely have a play with the Purifying Foaming Cleanser or the Balancing Foaming Cleanser. They are both designed to rebalance oiliness and to purify the skin without stripping its natural moisture. It leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean. I know, I have tried it. I like the Purifying Foaming Cleanser** a wee bit better for some reason. I was pleasantly surprised that it did not make my skin feeling tight or dry after washing my face. Both the Purifying and Balancing cleansers come in gel-like texture. Low-foaming yet lathers up.

.Purifying Foaming Cleanser
contains Rose and Witch Hazel – to help rebalance, soften and restore the skin
Horsetail and Calendula – helps to hydrate, soothe and balance the skin
Green Tea, Grapeseed and Turmeric – natural antioxidants to assist in cleansing the skin off environmental damage

.Balancing Foaming Cleanser
contains Ginseng Root – to firm the skin
Rosehip oil – to restore skin’s radiance
Vitamins E, C and Ginkgo Biloba – to protect the skin
Marshmallow – to hydrate, softens and soothes

If your skin is on the drier side and in need of extra boost of softening, I would recommend the Replenishing Foaming Cleanser (the one which I love)

or if you are on the sensitive side (redness or irritation prone) there’s one called Soothing Foaming Cleanser.

Both are of creamy gel-like texture that lathers as well yet still on the low-foaming side.

One thing to note, Soothing Foaming Cleanser has a more distinct lavender scent. Whilst Replenishing Foaming Cleanser has a more marshmallow and violet scent – so yes, can’t you tell how I like the Replenishing Foaming Cleanser?

Surprisingly I can also notice a slight brightening effect and my skin feels so soft and smooth each time after using the Replenishing Foaming Cleanser**. My skin is typically combination and lately been trying to rebalance itself with greasy T-zone and dry cheeks. Hence my combination of cleansers depending on the condition of my skin at that point of time. Some days are oilier than some, and some are drier than some.

.Replenishing Foaming Cleanser
contains Marshmallow – to hydrate and soften the skin
Violet and Calendula – to soothe and rebalance skin’s sensitivity
Macadamia and Avocado Oil – comforts and protects against moisture loss

.Soothing Foaming Cleanser
contains Groomwell and Sichuan Peppercorn (traditional Chinese herbs) – to soothe the skin
Macadamia Oil – rebalance dryness and to maintain moisture during cleansing leaving the skin feeling comfortable

1 1/2 or 2 pumps are sufficient to massage my whole face and under my chin and neck. I like the low foaming texture because it is not harsh or overcleansing my skin.

Here’s 1 pump of each… (yes I have mixed them as well… and they work nicely)

Unsure of which to buy first? Don’t fret, ask for a sample at your Jurlique counter. I think it’s actually best to test it out first and get a consultation rather than buying the wrong one. Then what are you gonna do?

As for me, I like to have the option of both, so I would repurchase and have them both in the bathroom. That’s only serving the purpose of my temperamental skin, some days are oilier while some other days it is drier. I probably have enough justification to myself why I need two different cleansers. Hahaha…

Available at all Jurlique counters at AUD$45 for 200ml

Tried any Jurlique product lately?

**Products were provided for review consideration.

Top 3 Products Under $20

2011-12-16T09:40:00.001+10:00

Recently… very recently, I was asked by the leading lady of Leaders in Heels

to do something…

and it resulted in

THIS!

(click the above picture to be redirected straight to the post)

teeheehee

I talked about 3 of the products I always have in my beauty cabinet, in my house. For approximately less than $15, in fact. I tell you what, I have repurchased this over and over and will continue to do so. Now, THAT tells you a good indication of why they are worth the mention.

Alright, now if you could head over to the Leaders in Heels, be very kind and leave a message, will ya?

Cheers!

Have a great weekend~

Review: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

2011-12-15T12:16:00.001+10:00

I have a feeling I’m late in reviewing this winner product, because I think I’m one of the last person to try this. Putting that aside, I can see now why it had won awards and still a favourite among us skincare/beauty enthusiasts and beauty editors. It’s unique, it’s simple, it works!

At $83.50 a bottle, this is expensive. It will, however, last you a very long time. You only need half a teaspoon. In my head, I am imagining those traditional herbal Chinese medicine back in the days, where they usually gather up powdered medicine wrapped in papers. If you know what I mean, comment below.

Recommended for all skin types – I worried if it might have caused any reaction on my skin. Nope, it does not. Instead it is leaving my skin smooth and soft, and decongest any congested areas (such as my chin, nose and forehead or between my brows).

Rice-based powder formula is activated when in contact with water, that turns it into a paste. It micro-exfoliates your dead skin cells. Then rinse off. It is gentle enough to be used everyday, it really is.

Contains Papain (papaya enzyme), Salicylic Acid, Rice Enzymes, Green Tea, Ginkgo, Colloidal Oatmeal (you all know how I feel about Oatmeal – very soothing to my skin).

If you get a chance to try this, do try… I tell you the novelty does not wear off with me. Pouring these little grain of rice on to my palm and making it into a paste give me a little thrill. As I massage my skin with the paste I can happily say that I am cleansing and getting rid of my dead skin cells, revealing brighter, smoother skin.

Worried about how it smells? It does not smell very much of anything at all.

Judging from how much I have used, I think this 1 bottle could last me around 8 months. If you use it even more sparingly, say twice a week, it could even last you a year. Of course that depends on whether you use this every single day or twice a week.

PS: I use this after I have cleansed my face. This is an exfoliant, not a cleanser.

Dermalogica does provide sample sachet, so if you are curious and wondering whether to give this a try, it does not hurt to try. If you like it, that’s wonderful. If you don’t, then you’re not angry for having spent $80+ on it. I think all skincare companies or any companies should do samples.

For more information, check out Dermalogica website

Available at Dermalogica counters (David Jones included) and beauty salons, also in Adore Beauty

Have you tried Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant?

What’s your favourite exfoliant?

Disclaimer: This product was provided for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. The mentioned product is worth a review because I think so.

5 Current Samples Favourites

2011-12-15T11:09:00.003+10:00

You might wonder what I meant by “samples favourites” – I meant what I said. Yeap, it is based on the sample sachets I have tried in the recent weeks. Just from those I can already tell which ones I really like and would love to purchase the full size, however I am being patient and not rush into buying them… yet.

In a way these are kind of wishlist… or products I would love to repurchase based on having already trialed them beforehand. Not simply buying blindly.

Aesop Fabulous Cleanser

- This truly is a fabulous low-foaming oil based cleanser without the oiliness or greasiness or ickyness. It leaves your skin feeling cleansed and smooth, as though it really does softens your skin with just a wash. The scent is not overpowering and not too sweet either. I made a mistake previously in thinking that any cleanser would do for my face, but I finally come to a conclusion that a cleanser is as important as what moisturiser you use on your face. Not only it is cleansing your skin it should assist in keeping your skin clear and to not dehydrate the skin (too many cleansers do this).

Jurlique Lip Care Balm

- Another pleasant surprise from Jurlique. At first I was wondering what she had put on my lips, it was slightly grainy. After few minutes of letting it sink in, oh my gosh, my lips felt so smooth I could not stop feeling them. I have only tried it in store, not in sample sachet. At $32 a tube… I’m going to cry…

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

- Can I say I have been very surprised lately by some brands? SK-II is top there in the surprise factor. I thought it was not going to make any difference whatsoever. But I have a little sample of this, after cleansing my face and applied toner, I poured some of this essence water on my palm and dab them all over my face, including the under eye areas. Result? Super smooth hydrated radiant skin. No kidding. What the! Pitera concentration is supposedly 90% in this product, hence the potency of it being in the high zone. I was very surprised that without further moisturiser cream, this essence water was enough to hydrate and tone my skin. Comes in 75ml, 150ml, 215ml and 250ml. Not cheap, but I think it will be a great investment someday…

Ella Bache Everyday Zinc SPF 30+

- The thick consistency of this sunscreen may put some people off. However in days I am not wearing any makeup and when the sun is gloriously ~~shining~~ burning and my skin, this is a saviour. This also seems to be able to cover pores and gives me a nice smooth finish. It does take some getting used to, and what I did was to massage it between my fingers first and dab on my face and seriously give it a massage to really get in the skin. Definitely a kind of veil on the face in very sunny days. Makeup might look dewier than usual if applied on top of this sunscreen, however, and you need serious matte powder on top to counteract when you do. A bit of work but is still a good product. $49 for 50ml tube.

Toners

- I have a thing for toners, well maybe for cleansers too… and serums. Out of the ones I have tried, I am liking Aesop B & Tea, Aesop Parsley Seed Antioxidant – these both feel as though they have some kind of serum oil in them that leaves my skin feeling hydrated and glowing from within. I am also curious of: SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion, Shiseido White Lucent Softener, Estee Lauder, Mario Badescu, Dermalogica, Jurlique…

Have you tried any sample that impressed you from first try and make you want to purchase the full size?

Jurlique Facial Experience - First Time

2011-12-09T16:03:00.003+10:00

As I sit here sipping my skinny flat white, having just downed a slice of quiche lorraine, I can't help but think of what a good day this is.

I went for my very first Jurlique experience, being given a 30mins facial complimentary from Jurlique Wintergarden. I had found out that this was a mini version of the Aromatherapy Facial which normally runs for 60 minutes.

I'm feeling my own lips - what's in that lip care balm? My lips feel like baby's bottoms. I can't stop thinking about it. But at $32 for a tube of 15ml, which is more expensive than a Mario Badescu moisturiser - I bite my hands, not literally. Let that stay in my wishlist.

I was greeted by Amy who then introduced me to Katie. Katie used to work for Aveda and now she handles the treatment in Jurlique Wintergarden concept store. She's lovely, they both are lovely.

After stripping down to just towels - haha, not really. Anyway, Katie then asked which scent I prefer. I did not know what they were. Hydrating Essence later I found out. Between the two, I picked the one on my right - turned out to be the Chamomile-Rose. The other option was Calendula-Lavender, which perhaps did not quite suit my mood at that particular moment.
During the massages and the warm compresses of hot face towels, there was one product that stood out. Most likely due to its scent that tickles my senses. It turned out to be the Daily Exfoliating Cream, which contains honey and oats. Yum!

Her gentle pressure points massage using the aromatic oil and cream was heavenly. I could just have my face and shoulder massaged like that every month. Haha...

When it was about to end ... I felt relaxed and as though I just came down from clouds.

Now the dilemma, I want to get all the products she used! Hah! Thinking I will limit myself to 1 or 2 products. Yet, putting the rest in wishlist. Some products are best used and applied only during these facial treatments, I think.

First I must get my hands on that Daily Exfoliating Cream, methinks... And the Rose Silk Finishing Powder (especially for days like this that I'm not wearing any makeup at all). Speaking of Rosewater, the mist is lovely, but I'll stick with the much less expensive Mario Badescu spray for now (AUD$11.95). Definitely I am interested in the Balancing Day Care Cream and the Skin Balancing Face Oil. The Sun Lotion SPF30+ is out of the budget range at the moment... I be honest with you.

Hopefully this will give you a little insight to my Friday afternoon with Jurlique. Be it a short 30mins, it was nonetheless a moment to remember.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Have you tried Jurlique experience? If so, which one? Or which one would you recommend?

For full prices and information, visit the Spa Menu

Thank you to Jurlique Wintergarden Concept Store for the opportunity. For any query and bookings, please do not hesitate to contact:

Hayley / Amy / Katie
(07) 3210 6808
Or
Email: jjqueenstreet@jurlique.com.au

PS: anybody watch Fringe? If you follow me on twitter (@blushfully) you would surely be aware that I'm currently a little addicted to it... So fascinating!!

x
Sent via BlackBerry® from Vodafone

EDIT on 15/12/11

I had asked Katie from Jurlique to further elaborate on what went on last Friday... Here's what she has to say : )

The oil that I used during your facial massage was the Skin Balancing Face Oil

Rich in Evening Primrose, Macadamia Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Avocado Oil
and Jojoba to hydrate and protect skin from moisture loss. Rose Hip and
Safflower Seed Oil also softens fine lines and improves elasticity.
This is great to use either Morning or Evening as it is lightweight in
texture and penetrates deeply to balance and hydrate the skin.
It can be also used under your Daily/Evening moisturiser for intense
hydration and it is perfect applied with gentle massage for your weekly
spa ritual at home. The Skin Balancing Face Oil is also great for oily
skin types as it helps to rebalance the oil production.

-The sequence with the Jurlique Skincare Ritual is as follows;
1. Massage with Skin Balancing Face Oil, removing excess with warm cloth
2. Rosewater Balancing Mist (or appropriate mist for skin type)
3. Eyecream, Herbal Recovery Gel (Serum), Herbal Recovery Neck Serum
(for Decolletage)
4. Balancing Day Care Cream (appropriate Moisturiser for skin type)
5. Sun Lotion SPF 30+
6. Rose Silk Finishing Powder
7. Lip Care Balm

Thank you Katie for such detail information!

WINNER of 200 Followers Giveaway

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000+10:00

is…

**drumroll**

Congratulations

and

Thank you for everyone who participated~

Stay tune for more upcoming giveaways =)

Skincare 101: Part 1 Introduction to Skin Analysis

2011-12-01T23:41:00.001+10:00

I think it’s about time I write about this. Although I will say it now that I am not a certified medical practitioner or professional nor am I a beautician or a beauty therapist or an aesthetician. I simply speak from personal experiences and from what I have learnt from personal research. Take it like grain of salt (that’s the right phrase to use, I believe)… and let’s begin.

Skincare has always been a journey. At least to me, it is. My skin has not always been the easiest to handle nor it is the most difficult, and I thank God for what I have, I really do.

Teenage years – acne prone and oily. That would be the best description I could give my skin condition at the time. I had numerous whiteheads all over my forehead and pimples are always hard to get rid off. I hated them. Was it from what the food that I ate? Was it from the products I used? Was it weather-triggered? If I knew back then what I know now, perhaps things would have been different. Back then I was not cautious with what I ate. I was not aware of what products I used except somewhat should be along the line of cleanser, toner and moisturiser – I cannot even recall what I had used. Weather-wise, yes it was different. I had been moving from one country to another and another.

In short, my skin now has been the best its ever been. More on that in separate post… perhaps?

My point is however, that we have a certain type of skin with what could be several other skin conditions along with it. You could be more or less of a certain type of skin. For example you could be of oily skin type and dehydrated; or you could be dry with oily T-zone. You could be experiencing very oily moments or less oily and same goes with the dryness level. From personal experience, incorrect product or the use of certain products may trigger these varying levels of oil secretion or the lack of.

If you’re wondering what your skin type is – try this little test…

Wash your face with just water, go on, splash splash, it doesn’t hurt. Then pat dry. Do not apply anything and leave it for about an hour or so ish. Now feel your skin… yes, touch with clean fingers, please. Are there oily areas? If so, where? Are there dry areas? Where? This would give you a good indication of which areas need more attention of; or which areas need more hydration and which need less.

Me? I get the slight oily T-zone areas and between my eyebrows, also beside my nose and on my nose. Undercheeks get pretty dry. My temples feel normal. Hence I would call myself a combination skin type, with varying levels of dehydration depending on weather condition. I know I could get oilier if I use too much of a certain type of face oil. It is only natural for our skin to react. According to picture below… I would call myself a Normal/Oily or Normal/Dry depending on conditions. Hence if I were to explain to others in much simpler term “combination”. Sounds familiar?

Image Source: Batty’s Bath Blog

My approach is …

“Oily skin, ain’t you the lucky one!” because you can get away with so much more than the other skin types. You see… for those with the dry patches, we have to worry with not over cleansing that area or stripping too much moisture out of that specific areas. If we use mask, we have to check whether it is going to be too harsh. The oil actually slows down your aging process – in terms of getting early wrinkles and fine lines, those with the dryer skin types will get them first, or say, easier.

Although, they all have their pros and cons. Dry skin don’t normally get the whiteheads and oily breakouts. Either way, we are made the way we are, and we can choose to balance it and take care of it the best we can.

In the next installment – would you like me to dwell in cleansers I have tried and liked / disliked? or what else would you like me to touch on?

x^___^o

Bits of Brisbane, Breakfast and Blabber

2011-11-30T22:10:00.001+10:00

My current favourite breakfast that is… half cooked fried egg with the yolk still runny so I can dip my toast in it. My toasts would already been smeared with Olive Oil spread. My current fav is the Tablelands Olive Oil spread.

Anyway… just sharing what’s been happening…

So the other day…

That frrrruit punch or dessert drink – HOW I MISSED IT! Such a refreshing drink. It is full of fruits ranging from pieces of lychee, little pearls of watermelon, pineapples, melon etc. It is just so good, especially if you have not had one in the longest time.

Now that deep fried tofu dish was a little snack-ish. That’s the small portion, mind you… for $4.50 at Kingsfood, Market Square, Sunnybank. Deep fried tofu? I like. The sauce? Yum!

That soy milk with mung bean drink – I ordered that specially like that. The girl who took my order had to ask me not just once but few more times whether I had tried it before, and whether I had ordered the right thing. Haha! $3.50

And to sum this up…

I almost ~~got into a car crash~~ stopped in the middle of the road while driving the other day when I saw the sky looking like this… heaven on earth… and these sorts of things that makes me feel… alive… makes me feel… nice. I guess clouds… still give me that icing of contentment in this crazy world called life.

Now, now if you happen to be passing or be at Indooroopilly suburb, there is this café called Earth Coffee by the corner of the road right in front of the train station. It is surprisingly nice and reasonable. The refreshing (on a hot summer day) iced coffee and that yummy (one of the yummiest I’ve had) sandwich of toasted turkish bread filled with delicious chicken, fetta, spinach and sundried tomatoes and other goodness cost a total of $11. Not bad, I’d say… a nice afternoon to spend…

Everyday I learn something new… everyday is a new day with obstacles and surprises… I look forward for tomorrow and the next day and the next and the next…

Love y’all

Get Yo Hair Rockin’ with URBAN

2011-11-30T10:00:00.000+10:00

It’s summer. I can hear my dog’s panting with his pink tongue out cooling himself. I have trimmed his fluffious fur to a grassious cut. (They are now in my vocabulary, don’t you judge.) I think he can thank me for that. While I, on the other hand, can’t exactly do the same and be as lucky as my baby dog and shave my hair now can I?

I like my hair products, I really do. But being a poorbie student it often means I have to bite my tongue and hold my own hand with the other hand and check things out only not to purchase them because the price are on the royal side. This also goes to other products, yet I try to balance things out… I’d skim on some and go full cream on some.

Out came Urban with their new hair styling products at such an affordable prices.

They say…

Hit the streets with the hottest hair this summer with new Rocker Wax and 24HR Coconut Rush Power Gel from Fudge’s trendsetting sub-brand, URBAN.

No matter how you work your look spike it, slick it, mess it up or control it the unique invisible hold of 24HR Coconut Rush Power Gel leaves hair feeling soft and scented with cocolicious fragrance. No more crunch, just a soft natural finish and feel. Rub through wet or dry hair and texturise to get the edge you want.

I don’t know about you… but coconut scent hair product like TiGi Bed Hair Some Like It Hot Serum makes me smile and think of holidaying in Bali chillaxing by the beach drinking fresh coconut. But at $29.95 it can quite a dent in your wallet if you have to repurchase too often, which thankfully I have not had to since I alternate with other products.

And comes 24HR Coconut Rush Power Gel

What does it cost? $4.99

First Impression:

Texture is… soft clear gel gelatine

Hold is… I will have to get back to you on this because I have not tried it

Smell is… somewhat coconut-ey but with slight herbal scent to it

Packaging is… easy, no fuss, open cap with easy hole to get product out

Next in the agenda is the Rocker Wax. Whoever named these surely have got Stereophonics in mind… or LMFAO. "…Party rockin’ in da houusseee tonight!!! Eveerrrybody just have a good goood goooddd ttyymeee” (start singing, c’mon, I know you want to)

What’s this cost? $9.99

Packaging is… nice and funky, quite sturdy, although mine does not seem to want to close tightly – I have their other wax in a tin and it closes clicked very nicely and tightly.

Texture is… smooth, bouncy rubbery feeling, slight tinge of purple hue

Hold is… I can’t tell you this at this moment.

Smell is… blueberries and violet, but it is not overpowering in any way unless you clearly put your nose into the tin. It is subtle and gentle scent, almost goes unnoticed.

Available at Woolworths from today 30th November 2011.

Do you use hair styling products? Or is your hair one of the lucky ones that doesn’t need any?

: )

Disclaimer: The above images and products have been sent for review consideration. The above article was written as per disclosure – they are 100% my honest opinion.

You Got Tagged 15 Weird Facts

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000+10:00

I did this way back in September – although for some reason I thought it would be fun to redo them to see if there’s any change… who knows? The original post is here

Now let’s get on to it~

15 WEIRD FACTS

What's a nickname only your family calls you?
Dan (pronounced Dahn not Dehn) short for Dana … and also Na or Nana (naa-naa) – our “a” is more towards the sound of “uh” instead of “ay” – if you get what I mean.

What's a weird habit of yours?
Writing everything down – just to remind myself but still manage to forget it unless they are thoughts or random ideas or list of things. That’s why despite having a multifunctional blackberry phone I still carry around a diary or a notebook to jot things down with a pen. What I need to buy, need to get, need to write or want… not weird enough?

I crack my left ankle – very often, when I’m bored, just sitting down, anytime, anywhere.

Do you have any weird phobias?
Deep underwater sea creatures, any kind of sharks, any kind of whales, crocodiles, the likes. I can’t even look at statues of them, y’know those you see in museums? Yeah, I’ll duck my head down… *shame*

What's a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're alone?
Usually when I’m alone driving in the car and the songs are playing. But there’s no 1 song. There are many, depending on what was in my head at the time or what is playing. It ranges from 80s, 90s and now.

What's one of your biggest pet peeves?
Hahaha, I think I’ve mentioned this before too many times. The spelling error or bad English. Apart from that, opened caps from bottles or toothpastes. Just. Annoys. Me.

And when I run out of my Lifebuoy hand wash and no back up or refill around to be found.

What's one of your nervous habits?
I look away and my fingers would pick at each other and I’d start biting my lips or my fingers (not nails, oh no, but the fingers).

What side of the bed do you sleep on?
My current bed does not allow me to pick sides

What was your first stuffed animal and its name?
A pink piglet with wings called Piggy or Piglet – I still have it, my Dad bought it for me when we were in Sydney when I was 3.

What's the drink you always order at Starbucks?
Soy Mocha, no whipped cream, no sugar.

What's the beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice?
I don’t tend to preach, only when people ask for my opinion. Mostly I preach to wear sunscreen every single day and I do that. Oh I know, I would suggest to not sleep with your contact lenses on but I have been guilty of doing that a few too many times.

Which way do you face in the shower?
I change positions every time I shower. Face the glass door then the glass wall then the shower head/wall then back to face the glass door. I just prefer to see my surrounding clearly when I shower.

Do you have any weird body skills?
I can touch my nose with my toe, I can always crack my left shoulder and left ankle… and standing on my ankle so it looks like I’ve twisted my ankle. Now that I’m thinking about it… I cringe. LOL

What's your favorite comfort food that's 'bad', but you love to eat it anyways?
Indomie Mi Goreng with melted processed cheese … or … Spicy Korean Noodles (Shin Ramyun or any other) with melted processed cheese and Japanese/Korean mayonnaise – now that I think bout it, I haven’t had them in ages!

I also like good ol’ nachos with sour cream and guacamole and cheese – and that 3 layer dip is too addictive for me to stop or ignore.

What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?
”What dehfff..” (short for wtf); “What the hell”; ”Oh my goodness…”; “Oh Gawwddd…”; “Anyway…”; “It’s like…”; “That’s sooo cuuuteeee!”; “Whateverrrr”

Time to sleep - what are you actually wearing?
Nightie, tshirt and shorts or pajamas, whatever’s comfy depending on the weather.

For those who might be interested, this was the photo I showed the hairdresser when I went to get my fringe/bangs done and hair restyled while keeping the length.

Now you’re tagged!

x^__^o

I Like Them Both and I Can’t Decide

2011-11-24T14:01:00.002+10:00

There must be something in the air when I finally decided to tear open the sample sachets of foaming cleansers the lovely ladies at Jurlique Wintergarden had given me to try out. The main reason they had given me sample sachets first was that I had had a slight reaction previously with their Balancing foaming cleanser. My guess was that either weather conditions and my skin was not co-operating well, hence causing the reaction. However, I still think that it should not have even given me any reaction apart from giving me soft smooth skin. Right? Right? So I had to return the product in reluctance. And instead of jumping into conclusion and purchasing another cleanser, I agreed to try these samples first before buying the full price. Now I’m in dilemma! I think… I like both of them.

Soothing Foaming Cleanser

A soothing foaming cleanser for sensitive skin that lifts away surface impurities to leave the complexion feeling fresh and clean. This is meant to provide just enough hydration and to protect the skin from moisture loss, which may happen anytime throughout the year.

AU$45 for 200ml

Main Ingredients:

Macadamia Oil – helps to rebalance dryness and keep the skin feeling comfortable and soothed during cleansing.

Groomwell and Sichuan Peppercorn – traditional Chinese herbs to help soothe and rebalance sensitive skin

First Experience:

It leaves my skin feeling comfortable, not tight or dry and definitely not oily.
Loves the actual full size bottle of frosted glass and easy to use pump
Loves the gentle lavender scent – very soothing indeed – not overpowering and did not give me a headache or make me nauseous
A small amount goes a long way with this gently foaming cleanser – it does not foam too much yet enough to glide all over your face
Face is left feeling smooth and soft
No redness or irritation experienced

Will I purchase the full size? Yes! Although it is a little steep for me right now at $45 I think it is worth it in the long run. Plus this bottle will last you ages.

Now on to the other candidate of what could be my next favourite cleanser…

Replenishing Foaming Cleanser

A replenishing foaming cleanser for dry skin that lifts away surface impurities to leave the complexion feeling fresh and clean. Okay so they have pretty much written the same “claim” … The difference is that this one is meant for dry skin.

AU$45 for 200ml

Main Ingredients:

Marshmallow – intensely hydrates and softens the skin

Violet and Calendula – helps soothe and rebalance any skin sensitivity

Macadamia and Avocado Oil – comforts and protects against moisture loss during the cleansing process

First Experience:

The gentle (less of) lavender or is it calendula and marshmallow scent is very lovely
The liquid foams up nicely, just sufficient to let it glide all over your face and neck
No dryness or moisture loss were experienced, I did not feel it stripping moisture out of my skin
No redness
No irritation or itchyness
For some reason I feel that this also brightens my complexion ever so slightly

Will I repurchase the full size bottle? Hell yeah, I will! I think this might win… “might”… only because it also have marshmallow and avocado oil and calendula… and that it also seems to brighten my complexion after I wash my face. I like that. This one feels creamy, sort of like mushy marshmallow.

One is for sensitive skin. One is for dry skin. Which will I pick?

Fyi, my skin is not even on the driest kind but it seems to react better with the dry/sensitive type cleansers better. My suspicion is that my skin prefers the gentler cleanser rather than the “oil sucking/squeaky clean” types.

Have you tried Jurlique?

Have you tried their cleansers? Which do you use, if you do?

This review is not sponsored.
Images provided by PR.
For more information you can contact

Jurlique
at
www.jurlique.com.au

Review: DMK ALPHA Acu Masque

2011-11-23T14:55:00.001+10:00

A long long time ago, this girl from blushfully.com was given a gift bag filled with plentiful of beauty products for her to play with. One was an intriguing face masque by the name DMK. However, the season and condition of her skin were not supportive at that particular time. Move forward to many moons later, here she is trying out the product since summer is just around the corner. With summer comes oily and blemishes, and with this masque as the weapon of choice – she moves forward to the next level of skincare…

DMK – or also known as Danné Montague-King (pronounced d-nay mont-a-gu king – source)

Claims…

to exfoliate dead skin cells and tones oily or blemish prone skin

Directions…

After cleansing skin, apply a generous coat of Acu Masque to entire area being treated. Allow to dry for twenty minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

Ingredients…

Water (Aqua), Sulfur, Kaolin, Bentonite, Propylene Glycol, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Glycerin, Zinc Oxide, Polysorbate-20, Titanium Dioxide, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

Let’s break it down…

Water (Aqua) – self explanatory, while it is not your normal tap water this is DI or de-ionised. That means that it has been purified by removing all the ions. This is used to prevent contamination.

Sulfur – used for acne medication because it kills bacteria

Kaolin – also known as china clay, this absorbs oil – serious suction

Bentonite – just like the above clay, this natural mineral aids in oil absorption

Propylene Glycol – is a humectant meaning that it aids in preventing the product to either melt in high temperature or freeze in low temperature. It also assists in the absorption of active ingredients into our skins.

Magnesium Aluminium Silicate – a mineral, clay-like material. It is mainly used for its anti-caking property. Also for its absorbing property.

Glycerin – multifunctional mainly for its moisturising properties. It is an agent for water. Since it is also non-irritating and soothing it is also suitable to use for all skin types even the sensitives.

Zinc Oxide – also known as Chinese white. It’s a mineral powder that is commonly used as a physical blocker to the sun UV rays. It is very easily recognised by its white pastey cast on the skin. However, with the new technology they manage to reduce the size of the particles to make it a clear product. It aids in protecting the skin from dehydration, and rashes from environment causes such as the wind.

Polysorbate-20 – this is an agent that mix oil and water.

Titanium Dioxide – used as coloring agent to make things white. It helps to maintain the stability of the product because TiO2 can resist damage from light, oxidation or pH (source). It is also very, if not the most, abundant element, hence its uses in cleansers.

Diazolidinyl Urea – antimicrobial preservative. Warning: some people may be allergic which can cause dermatitis.

Methylparaben – anti-fungal, fungicide, and often used as preservative. It is produced naturally and found in some fruits, especially blueberries.

Propylparaben – preservative occurs from insects and plants, similar properties as the previous paraben mentioned.

Experience…

You can feel the minty scent – I mean, smell the minty feel – whichever way that is… right on application
Within 5 minutes I can feel the mask sucking the air out of my pores and tightening them like squeezing air out of dough – if that makes sense
Tingly sensation is experienced during the process of battling congestion and the matter of pores – but nothing major or burning feel
During removal, best to use a warm damp face cloth, place it over your face to soften the mask and wipe off gently. You will automatically feel the exfoliating and deep cleansing feeling.

I think this would be best as spot treatment or a “once-in-a-while” sort of treatment. Just because for my skin type (being normal/sensitive and slightly oily in some areas, drier in other patches), I find that if I use this too often it will strip too much moisture out of my skin. Also I prefer to alternate “hydrating” and “deep cleansing” masks instead of using the same one every week. I lean towards the sensitive and soothing products.

I could also perhaps, in my humblest opinion, suggest that this would strictly suit the oilier skin type. The dry can steer away and look for other kind of mask that is not too “vacuum cleaner”.

Do I find it amazing and incredible? Not really, maybe because I am currently not experiencing too much of a breakouts or oiliness.

Did I feel any burning? No.

Did I sense any inflammation or redness or irritation afterwards? No.

Any peeling? No.

Will I repurchase? Not at this moment, though I might reconsider in the future.

Price: $70.50 for 60ml (2 fl oz.) – source (beautydirectory)

For more information, please visit dannemking.com

Have you tried any DMK product?

Disclaimer: This product was provided for review consideration – during Brisbane Beauty Bloggers Event early this year. All opinions are my own. It is being reviewed because I say it’s worth it.

A-Z You Got Tagged!

2011-11-23T11:08:00.001+10:00

So I thought it would be fun to do a tag – when I spotted it from Jennifer at Rainy Days and Lattes blog. What else to do but have fun with it, yeah? Here’s my take…

A. Age: 23

B. Bed size: I miss my queen size bed… on a single at the moment

C. Chore that you hate: All cleaning and sorting out clothes except washing dishes or laundry

D. Dogs: 1 German Spitz called Rama (in Oz) – 1 Indonesian crossbreed called Aro (in Indonesia)

E. Essential start to your day: breakfast

F. Favorite color: I like a lot of colours… white, brown (camel beige), orange (peach, apricot), red, yellow (mustard yellow), purple (eggplant, lilac), teal, green (green rose) etc

G. Gold or Silver: Rose Gold or Titanium

H. Height: around 5’5”

I. Instruments you play: strings (incl: piano, viola, cello, violin, guitar) and would love to learn how to play the soprano saxophone and improve on guzheng

J. Job title: student

K. Kids: none

L. Live: in a country called Australia or Oz

M. Mother’s name: Hilda but of course I call her “Mum”

N. Nicknames: Dana … Cenda …

O. Overnight hospital stays: uhm … none so far

P. Pet peeves: spelling errors on billboards or menus. eg: “Dranks” on a huge menu on the wall that everyone can see but it’s been years and they have not changed the sign.

Q. Quote from a movie: … wow I can’t think of any right now apart from… “a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet” … uhm yeah, that’s Romeo and Juliet right there

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Stores you love: bookstore? makeup store? fashion store? anywhere, really…

T. Time you wake up: depends… but recently trying to wake up as early as 6-7am… I did say “try”

U. Underwear: yeah… any that compliment my body

V. Vegetable you hate: I don’t hate that many vegetables but I prefer not to eat… 1/ Lotus – it feels and tastes funny, like Styrofoam or something not that I’ve tasted Styrofoam before. 2/ Raw Onion/Garlic – just because of what my mouth would smell afterwards

W. What makes you run late: putting the outfit together

X. X-Rays you’ve had: dental

Y. Yummy food that you make: spring rolls, dumplings, japanese, indonesian food, butter chicken, curry, pasta, etc whatever I feel like

Z. Zoo animal: tigers, giraffes, deers, elephant

Now you’re TAGGED!

x^__^o

Weekend in Photos: 12/13th of 11th of 11

2011-11-14T16:46:00.001+10:00

Saturday afternoon I went and checked out a new Japanese Noodles Restaurant called Mappen. It was located just next to Formosa (Asian supermarket) at the Sunnybank Plaza. It was a small restaurant with street food concept in mind. And I didn’t mind it. You order a dish, then you can add your own tempura (at varying costs from 80cents to $1 etc) and pay for it at the end of the line (the cashier).

My pick was “beef udon” and for $6.60 regular bowl size – I was satisfied. I also picked up a big slice of freshly fried sweet potato tempura, it was 80 cents. My mum and my sister tried out the other tempura.

-x^__^o-

Sunday… was a very sunny day… and I might introduce you to my muses… my models (HAH!)

and I…

Shorts – Forever New;
White Plain Tank Top – SES;
White Blouse – Supre;
Scarf – Sportsgirl;
Sunglasses – Charles & Keith

I love this pair of shorts, if you haven’t noticed, I’ve mentioned them in my previous post HERE

I’m eyeing these kinds and scallop shorts – need. them. badly…

Have a great week, everyone!

x-^__^-o

200 Followers Giveaway CLOSED

2011-11-11T17:17:00.002+10:00

It has come to my attention not long ago that I reached 200 followers – and as a token of my appreciation and thank you, I would like to give one lucky reader this pack of my personal favourites…

While skincare products such as cleansers and moisturisers may change, these have not changed in my skincare routine for the past year apart from alternating them to other kinds of masks. For those who have suggested what I use in my skincare as part of the giveaway – thank you! You gave me the idea and that’s why here I am giving away these goodies. (Shout out to: Deanna from Deanna Marie Artistry and Miss Dee’s Blog ) Also to those who mentioned “snacks”. Putting the two together… I’ve come to present to you… a little something …

These are face sheet masks by My Scheming – a Taiwanese brand.

I’ve done some reviews on them … Grape Seed Extract & Caviar Extract

And to be honest … the result might vary slightly depending on your skin type, however I find that these face sheet masks don’t feel too sticky or tacky and actually has plenty of serum to entirely cover your face and neck and even décolletage. You’d be left refreshed and brightened – at least I think so!

I like to leave them for around 30 minutes to 1 hour – to let all the goodness soak in. But if you’re a little worried, 15-20 minutes would do the trick. I like them as a “pick-me-up” as well.

If you’re wondering why Pepero? Or Pocky as some of you might know it by… Well if you didn’t know, today is Pepero Day or Pocky Day – so put two together and I hope you would be able to enjoy those yummy scrummylicious snacks without feeling guilty! ^___^

Now how to win?

1) Follow me through GFC and let me know your name (1 entry)

2) Follow me on Twitter and Retweet this giveaway (+1 entry)

3) Like my Facebook page and comment what’s your HG skincare product/s (+1 entry)

Also don’t forget to include your email address.

Example:

1) Followed you! My name is blushfully

2) My twitter is @blushfully – RT done!

3) My facebook name is blushfully and my HG skincare products are Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel and My Scheming masks

My email: dearblushfully[at]gmail.com

Not too difficult, ya?

Winners will be generated randomly.
Once announced I will contact you via email.
Prize will be posted within 2 working days.
Open internationally.

Giveaway will close on 2.12.11 at Midnight (GMT+10 Brisbane)
that’s exactly 3 weeks from now !!!

**CLOSED**

THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED

GOOD LUCK

Spreading the season of giving…

x^__^o

Happy Peppero Day!

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000+10:00

It’s Peppero Day today – 11 November. Why is it 11/11? ‘Cause the 4 1’s resembles 4 peppero sticks… why? well, they said so! Hah! Or… so that we all could grow tall and lean like the peppero sticks? Who knows…

They are yummy, they’re chocolatey, they’re crunchy. Yummy yummy yummy in my tummy!
I’ve had them since I was a kid and everytime I snack on one… or two… or three… oh shush, I’d have the whole box… I’m in happy place. Or close…

So just to share the love… I give you this video by Simon and Martina aka Eat Your Kimchi channel. They’re the cutest couple, seriously.

Happy Peppero Day!

Assiere.com Launch Event at Mei+Picchi

2011-11-05T23:00:00.000+10:00

Last Thursday, 3 November 2011, I attended a lingerie showcase event held at a showroom in Newstead, Mei+Picchi. Little did I know that Mei+Picchi actually began in the 1930s! This was the launch of the online intimate apparel boutique Assiere.com. Assiere carries quite a number of brands but one of my favourite designs came from a designer called Marika Vera with its soft and sensual fabric.

Without further adue, I’d share with you what went on that night…

And let the show begin!

(Warning: Photos Heavy)

And if you’re wondering if that was all, nope, I managed to record some clips from the night and compiled them into a video… and here it is… enjoy…

And last but not least…

With Vanja Stace from Vanja Stace Fashion Blog

and I was also there with Alice from Food, Fashion & Beauty Wonderland although lo’ and behold where is our picture together!? I’ll see what I can do about that…

By the way, Assiere is having their first pop-up store event this month 10th – 13th November

at TCB Centre, Fortitude Valley

More details can be found here

All images are property of blushfully.com, please do not use without permission.
Thank you to Assiere for the invite that I had won through twitter.

Weekend in Photos: It’s Halloween

2011-11-01T11:11:00.000+10:00

I’m sure you are aware that the weekend that just passed coincided with Halloween. Well it’s meant to be the 31st October but the parties and the Halloween-y feel had been going on maybe for about a week already starting with the zombie walk about a week ago!

So with the Halloween in the air, I thought I would do something… different. Have I ever really dressed up for Halloween? My first ever Halloween dress-up was last year and this year I really did not get to buy a new costume or outfit but I did have an idea… and while browsing through a random shop another idea popped into my head. 1 idea + 1 idea = good idea ;p

Before I continue on the idea… I’m just going to quickly mention how I went to MAC to do my 2nd Back 2 MAC #excited !! I’m glad Morange is in the range Amplified… Amplified is my favourite texture from MAC.

Back to Halloween … I found these at the shop and was unsure about the black wings because my initial idea never involved it. However now I’m kicking myself for not getting that black wings. It was sold out by the next day when I wanted to get it!

My idea involved “masquerade”, “lace”, “drawn on mask”, “Victorian”, “Avant garde”, you get the idea?

And with the spirit of Halloween and giving myself a challenge… so on Friday night I thought… why not play around with my makeup (oh, yes, you know how we roll… we just play with our makeup) and came up with…

Although when Saturday night hit… and it was time for me to get ready for the Halloween party that night I did not feel like having a full mask like I had the night before (as seen in previous photos)… but I still stuck to my initial idea of prints and artsyfied face. An angel might as well be in disguise… and went with…

What I used (I had a serious moment of just playing around with this and that and this and that!) – I was just enjoying it so much… hahaha.

If you’re wondering, no that’s not my bra strap… it’s the wings strap (remember I missed out on the black wings? I had to get the white wings instead). My idea? Fallen angel… or Dark angel…

FACE

MAC Face & Body Foundation – C2 (My current HG foundation)
MAC MoistureCover Concealer – NW20 (Undereye and anywhere a bit dark)
Illamasqua Concealer – CC200 (any blemishes or redness)
Illamasqua Powder Foundation – PF200 (to set – since I needed my face to be more “made up” that night)
ELF Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder – Matte Bronze (to contour)

LIPS

MAC Morange (Amplified)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil – 601 Black Bean (on the outer corners to give it a more “dark” look/feel)

EYES

Inglot eyeshadow – AMC 65 (the shimmer black to draw the patterns)
Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner – Black Ink
Pure Luxe pigments – to go over the patterns (just any metallic green, blue, red, etc)
Illamasqua False Lashes – Grandeur from Theatre of Nameless collection* (1 eye)
ES Lashes – A500* (1 eye)
Inglot eyeshadow – 348 (eyebrows)

For any that I might have missed or for any queries, feel free to ask me either by commenting below or drop me an email.

Hope you had an interesting weekend and have a good week ahead!

Eat well, Pray well, Live well

xoxo

All products were purchased by me, unless marked with * by which were given for review consideration. As per disclosure, I give my 100% honest opinion.

Weekend in Photos: 2nd last week of October

2011-10-25T17:13:00.001+10:00

The weekend went by so fast I barely had time to catch my breath…

First… I trimmed my dog… well, he’s shedding and so… that’s a bag full of his hair and he stillll looks fluffy.

And for those who’ve been following me on twitter, you know I recently bought a 30 pack Roti Paratha aka Roti Prata aka Roti Canai and been craving them… and fact that they’re so damn easy to cook doesn’t help… cause I’d be wanting them every night!! BOOYEAH!

(Warning: Photos Heavy)

On Saturday I went to Citra Malaysia – a Malaysian festival, the last one for the year. It started at 9 in the morning! But I didn’t turn up until a bit later at around 2pm since my friend who happens to be in the band The Mechanics was performing at those times in the afternoon. I also had the chance to listen to Yugi – a stand up comedy, which I literally laughed so much till I had tears in my eyes! Hint… knowledge of Indian and Malaysian culture would be good to understand his jokes. I totally could relate since Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia are two different languages with a lot of similarities – I can understand Bahasa Melayu. **psstt Yugi, if you’re reading this… I suddenly have “Mati Keras”, “Orang Laba Laba”, “Penggali Kubur” and “You gay, mate?” all replaying in my head! **falling off my chair laughing** "

On Sunday, after church we went to have lunch at Wagaya Japanese Restaurant at Fortitude Valley aka Chinatown.

The obento (lunch box) is a great idea and for around $12.50-$13ish you get all those plus miso and pickles. I love Agedashi Tofu so that being in the box made me a happy chap already. On the other hand, the tamago (egg) unagi (eel) rice was not something I would recommend or order again. Well that’s because there are plenty of other delicious dishes and this one has to go down to the bottom of the list. The egg was too mushy and too soaked up in the sauce that it just felt like salty mush. I’m a huge fan of unagi (that particular sauce is mouthwatering), however this is no unagi, it is just eel soaked in sauce. Not. Quite. Nice. I guess that particular dish just turned out to be too much of a mush for me. Mushy personality. Nuh uh.

On a brighter side of things, the sushi is a definite winner. Absolutely delicious and I think I am one who’s always up for a good gourmet sushi or sashimi. Not that you can vary much with sashimi since it’s pretty much raw. Hah!

After lunch we decided to walk back to the city – being such a nice day to be by the river despite the sunny weather it was quite windy at times you really need to hold on to your scarf!! (Well, I was wearing a scarf… as suspected if you’ve known how much I wear scarf) I felt like as though I was seeing Brisbane in a slightly different light that day… something quite calming and nice just to walk along the river on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

It was home sweet home afterwards… well I did pop in to Lush to exchange the 5 black tubs to a fresh mask. Since the mask I had in mind was out of stock (Catastrophe Cosmetic) I picked Cupcake since I am never ever gonna get Ayesha again (it feels nice, don’t get me wrong, I just cannot stand the smell, seriously). I’d be honest, I picked Cupcake now because the weather’s getting warmer and my oily area is well… producing oil, so I thought it was an appropriate choice. I have been staying away from this mask until now. It looks and smells like chocolate, too, by the way! Perhaps the major selling point… and I thought of my sisters. I think this would do the trick for them to start using masks. I think it worked!! HAH!

Till next weekend!

xoxo

Ella Bache Myer Brisbane City Opening

2011-10-24T21:26:00.001+10:00

Something about a new store, a launch, a new beginning that always excites me and this rush of little bubbles of excitement came over me when I took my mum to Ella Bache new store in Myer Brisbane City for their new salon opening on Tuesday 18th October.

And yes, if you’re wondering, the girl in the photos is indeed Jessica Watson.

I’m sure each and everyone of you have heard of the name, Ella Bache. However for those who are not aware…

“Because no two skins are alike” – Ella Bache

Ella Bache was created in Paris in 1936, she was a cosmetic chemist. Madame Bache believed that just as we are genetically individual, the same holds true of our skin. Her skincare belief that “no two skins are alike” ensured each client would always be treated as a unique individual. Her scientific understanding of the skin’s function, coupled with a wonderful sense of passion and creativity led her to explore the individual benefits of many food ingredients and she was one of the first to use tomato extract, codfish oil, vitamin C and lanolin to feed and protect the skin. (Ella Bache booklet – source)

I always remember Ella Bache as those with the naked girls advertisements that look like their skins are truly good enough to eat… girls in a spoon like desserts! You’ve seen them ads!

(Sources: Google – Click on images for links)

Apart from the new salon, Ella Bache is also introducing a new device for skin analysis called TrUView. This handheld device is exclusive to Ella Bache salons only. What it is…

This device would allow the beauticians and consultants to better analyse your skin type and concerns. That would allow them to better prescribe the right solution from Ella Bache. This device allows seeing past the surface of the skin to identify skin conditions faster, earlier and more accurately (Media Release – source).

This portable device uses powerful white light LEDs allowing for diagnosis in normal lighting conditions, even through makeup. This can uncover first signs of capillary damage, inflammatory conditions such as rosacea, hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone and breakouts.

UV LEDs are used in darkened areas for a better thorough analysis of oil flow and sun damage. The UV LEDs is blue in colour.

The way it works is like physics – that topic on lenses and reflections.

The consultant would free-hand handle the device and look into your skin – like a handheld magnifying glass.

Being obsessed with anything that involves skin, I had to give this a try.

So after much viewing of my skin, my lovely consultant, Marina ticked all the appropriate boxes in the Solutions booklet for me to take home. This is to ensure I come home with good information on what kind of skin type I currently have, any skin concerns and the recommended products. Since, we know, no two skins are alike, yeah? (Quote: Ella Bache).

Verdict… (To be honest I was not surprised… You and I both know I’m quite critical and particular about my skin… face, I mean).

Skin Diagnosis:

- Clogging (blackheads) – on my nose
- Congestion – on my chin
- Oil flow – Normal to oily, since you could definitely see some oiliness on my forehead, my nose and the sides of my nose
- Hydration – Hydrated
- No pigmentation or sun damage! Yay!

So which products are for me? What’s my skincare recipe (as the booklet calls it)

Cleanser: Lait Exotique
Exfoliants / Deep Cleansers: Revitalisant
Eye & Neck: Crème Contour des Yeux
Suncare: Everyday Zinc 30+
Moisture Protective: Fruit d’Eclat
Treatment: Radiance C Facial Treatment

After all the detailed and thorough consultation, the two lovely ladies had a little discussion and suggested I try out the Revitalisant Exfoliant since my understanding of skincare is apparently not too basic – they thought this exfoliant is more in the “advanced” category of skincare products. Now THAT is interesting. Though, I will do a post later on after I have tried this exfoliant for some time, kay?

In this Ella Bache salon I also got to play around with some Jane Iredale cosmetics range – a huge range, I must say! I have heard of the brand from a friend of mine who says she only uses Jane Iredale foundation and the only one her dermatologist recommended for her, but I myself have not tried them personally. They’re not that easily accessible like some other brands, being only available in salons and selected stockists. The brand’s collection ranges from facial sprays, mineral loose powders, pressed mineral powders, liquid minerals, palettes, brushes, everything and anything makeup-wise they have it!

Although, I have to say… one of the pet peeves of mine is dirty brushes display. Since I didn’t have my own brush handy with me, I did not get to test out their mineral loose powder foundation. It contains Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide – ingredients that also provides excellent sun protection. Boy oh boy was I interested, but the thought of dirty brushes on my face gave me the shivers and I had to give it a miss.

Apart from that I did manage to take some shots with who’s who behind the event that afternoon… and a little shot of my mum and me.

Ella Bache offers a huge range of treatments and services such as manicure, pedicure, waxing, body wraps, facials and exfoliation (body and face)… The Clay Body Wrap or the Mud Body Wrap sound good, hehehe… I’m also curious to try out their sunscreen and cleanser, see how my skin feel about them. Who knows, right?

For more information, visit:

Ella Bache Brisbane Myer Centre
Shop 202, Level 1 Myer Centre
Queen St Mall, Brisbane Qld 4000
T: 07 3012 9779
E: myercentrebrisbane@ellabachesalons.com.au
www.myercentrebrisbane.ellabache.com.au

Thank you to Brooke from KDPR for inviting me to this launch and thank you to Ella Bache for holding the event. Congratulations on opening a new store!

xoxo

Some images are courtesy of KDPR and others are sourced via Google. Other images are mine and please do not use without permission.

Random Snippets of the Recent Weeks

2011-10-21T18:24:00.001+10:00

I’m back in Brisbane… and Dear Gods of Thunder and Rain and the Sun, could you tell me what’s up with the weather here?

I’ve been battling sore throats in the morning and feeling hot and cold at other times of the day. I can feel my body is holding up trying not to fall sick!

Weekend is coming up fast again and I thought I might just share a little snippets of some of the random things in my life as of recent weeks.

And as you could see… I’ve had a haircut and ended up with the full bangs. It’s a long bangs so at times I can also push them to the side and have side bangs. For some reason my hair has a mind of its own and moves to different directions throughout the day. The bangs grow pretty fast, as well, so I might have to wear it only sideway pretty soon until I get them trimmed again.

Hope you all been well.

xoxo

A Little Away

2011-09-30T12:52:00.001+10:00

Hi guys,

Just a note..
I'm away visiting my family and relatives overseas at the moment. So there won't be any much tweets and if I don't reply to your tweet, don't be heartbroken, I do read it... It's just that I can't reply via twitter. My current internet connection here only enables me to email and bbm (blackberry messenger).

I will be back in around a week time.

Meanwhile, #FF to all my lovely twitter fwens:
@kxtran @haute_stylish @hipnhaute @y_o_l_l_y @jfunnyvalentine @memybestandi @plasticdiaries @youvegotnail @beatideas @roseannetangrs @beautyswatch @fortheloveofme @emilyquak @chaigyaru @pinkribbonsjen @AdelineEr @pinkdivamua and so many more... That I'm sure I'll constantly mention in time. It's tricky trying to remember everybody's twitter names :( do post yours in the comment I'd love to add you all in the list :)

Love you all and will tweet back with you then!

xoxo
Sent via BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Boxes are out

2011-09-29T09:37:00.000+10:00

It finally dawned on me that I should really clear out all these empty boxes. Why on earth was I keeping all them in the first place anyway? Saving them for rainy days?

Nevermind that, from now on, boxes are out.

MAC, Hourglass, Benefit, etc... Was it the fact that they were not cheap and keeping the boxes sort of justified the price? Hahahaa...

What about you? Do you always chuck out the boxes as soon as you've taken the product out? Or do you have a drawer full of the boxes? :)
Sent via BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Chat Live with Dr Dennis Gross

2011-09-28T08:00:00.000+10:00

Mecca Cosmetica for the first time is holding a live chat with Dr Gross regarding any of your skin concerns.

Simply log into Facebook on 29th September between 9am to 12pm to be able to chat live.

Though, make sure you are a Facebook fan https://www.facebook.com/meccacosmetica – so you can join the chat!

Will you be asking loads of questions?

You Got Tagged! Beauty Tag + 15 Weird Facts

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000+10:00

I saw this tag in Pretty Much Makeup blog and thought it would be fun to do!! So I thought I’d do it =)

MAKEUP

Blush or bronzer? Blush – I’m a blush kinda girl, if you can’t tell from my blog name already. Bronzer to me is merely to contour…
Lip gloss or lipstick? Lipstick. They’re more sophisticated – lol not only they last longer on your lips, they generally can be stored for longer than lipgloss too
Eye liner or mascara? You got me here… though I think I would have to pick eyeliner. When I wear eyeliner and falsies, I can get away without wearing mascara but not the other way round.
Foundation or concealer? Foundation. To even out my skintone and counteract my easily flushed cheeks and forehead.
Neutral or color eye shadow? Neutrals – from day to night anytime, anywhere, any occasion
Pressed or loose eye shadows? Pressed. Loose are pigmented but they bug me so much when they go all over the place.
Brushes or sponges? Brushes. Oh yes, brushes how I love thee…

NAILS

Long or short? Short. I need to be able to pick up my contact lenses and putting them on without scratching the lenses or my eyes. I want to be able to play my piano without the clicking sound. I want to be able to press the strings on the guitar.
Acrylic or natural? Natural. Oh yes, natural all the way.
Brights or darks? Really depends on my mood… or what kind of colour I’m into at that moment.
Flower or no flower? Depends, again…

BODY

Perfume or body splash? Depends… back in Indonesia I would love the body splash, but here in Australia I’d pick perfume… maybe it also depends on the occasion.
Lotion or body butter? Lotion. Though if it’s winter and my skin’s dry… I would have no choice but to pick body butter… it depends on the season and my skin’s condition.
Body wash or soap? Body wash. Though I still like ‘gourmet’ soaps like Lush

FASHION

Jeans or sweat pants? Jeans !! Forever!!
Long sleeve or short? Long, then I can just scrunch the sleeves
Dresses or skirts? Dresses.
Stripes or plaid? Stripes – I like stripes, like those sailor stripes or just stripes in general
Flip flops or sandals? Sandals – they’re more versatile. Flips flops are floppy though comfy…
Scarves or hats? Scarves!!! Y’all know I love scarves!
Studs or dangly earrings? Studs … though again, it really depends on what I’m wearing and occasions… but mostly, I wear studs.
Necklaces or bracelets? Bracelets. Interesting little fact, I used to hate bracelets but now I think it adds a splash of oomph to my outfit if I wear bracelets… cause I probably wear scarves more than the necklaces.
Heels or flats? Heels. They just add something more to the look…
Cowboy boots or riding boots? Riding boots! No cowboy boots for moi
Jacket or hoodie? Ohhhh that really depends on what I’m wearing!! … … fine, I’d pick one. Jacket it is.

HAIR

Curly or straight? Not curly please, oh gosh no. Wavy?
Bun or ponytail? Bun
Bobby pins or butterfly clips? Bobby pins.
Hair spray or gel? Hair spray.
Long or short? Long. I’ve had them all, short, medium, long and I prefer long on me.
Light or dark? Dark :)
Side sweep bangs or full bangs? Depends on what my hair feels like doing… though I don’t mind both… if only I can do no bangs look but I need the bangs to balance out my facial features!
Up or down? Mostly I wear my hair up, really… even though I like it down from time to time

RANDOM

Rain or shine? shine with the cold winter weather
Summer or winter? Winter – so I can just wear all the clothes like scarves, jackets, boots, all those!
Fall or spring? Fall.
Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate.

15 Weird Facts
What's a nickname only your family calls you?
It wouldn’t just be “only my family” anymore if I say it, does it?

What's a weird habit of yours?
Saying “actually…” or “it’s funny that…” (it’s not actually funny haha funny, I actually mean it to be “it’s interesting that…" but I say “it’s funny” instead…)

Do you have any weird phobias?
Yes… *looks around, ok, no one’s looking* I have a phobia of sharks… and anything of the deep sea creatures. I freeze and freak out and my heart falls out to the ground.

What's a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're alone?
Depends on what song is stuck in my head at that time.

What's one of your biggest pet peeves?
Spelling error – trust me to point that out in menus, signs, etc or font different at the petrol station’s price sign

What's one of your nervous habits?
I fiddling with my fingers…

What side of the bed do you sleep on?
In the middle? My current bed is just a single… can’t do much of sides, besides I change sides when I sleep.

What was your first stuffed animal and its name?
Can’t remember the very first, but I remember piglet… this pink flying piglet my dad bought for me in Sydney when I was 3 years old. And I still have it.

What's the drink you always order at Starbucks?
Soy Mocha, but that’s everywhere else too. But specifically at Starbucks I sometimes also order Green Tea Latte (Hot).

What's the beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice?
Uhm… I don’t normally preach beauty rule… I do what I believe I should do cause most times than not, if I say I do certain things and tell you how to do certain things, I usually do it myself, too.

Which way do you face in the shower?
Face facing the water

Do you have any weird body skills?
Flexibility, I suppose? Not quite contortionist, but my toe can touch my nose (to that extend).

What's your favorite comfort food that's 'bad', but you love to eat it anyways?
McDonalds McNuggets – oh nom nom nom… hot and crispy on the outside… soft and juicy in the inside… oh, dammit, now I feel like some…
I have a few more, though… but that’s the top right at this moment.

What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?
”Oh really?”
”Ooohh okay…”
”Actually…” – my sister caught me on this one too many times!
”You know what’s funny…” – no, nothing’s really going to make you laugh…

Time to sleep - what are you actually wearing?
A nightie

Now, I tag YOU!

I can’t decide… whether I should go full bangs like this (see above pic)

side…

but I do like this effect on the back… the textured long layers… wave

All images from Google Images.

Mani Monday: Weekend Nails

2011-09-26T10:38:00.000+10:00

So this was the nail shade I've been supporting on the weekend. Done by the lovely ladies at the Royal and Langnickel bloggers lounge during IMATS on Saturday.

I had thought of wearing a red hue... But when I spotted this colour, I was just so drawn to it I had to have them on my nails!

As I am writing/typing this now, my body is telling me I need to get a massage!

To those I met on the weekend: was so good, so lovely to have met you in person, finally! Hope your weekend was aawesoomeness

xoxo
Sent via BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Weekend Day 2

2011-09-25T23:45:00.000+10:00

It was pouring down like monsoon this morning as we head off to breakfast session again at the Novotel Hotel. This time, luckily we did not really have to get up at 6am or be there before 8am… breakfast was at 9am.

I had to meet up with more bloggers (which was looooveeelllyyyy) and managed to take photos with some. (*big smiley face*)

It all ended at 3pm … and I craved for McNuggets, seriously they were so so so crispy and juicy and so good when I had some they were the best I’ve had in the longest time ever. I try not to get them too often… we all know why!!

It was refreshing to check out sydney again… the weather felt like winter and wished I had my coat and scarf and ugg boots… but instead I had to rock it out in my dress and flats and leather jacket.

Got to the airport early… dinner sumo salad… and then bye bye sydney… slept like a log on the plane… and welcome back brisbane… !!

What a weekend to remember… shall keep you posted… coming up!!!

xoxo

IMATS Day 1

2011-09-24T23:45:00.000+10:00

The morning started with a 6 am alarm clock which I must say, did not come as a surprise, because I was already awake and rolling around trying to get back to sleep at around 4am. I was hungry too.

Several of us had breakfast at the food court at Harbourside while I had some coffee (soy mocha) and toasted blueberry bagel with cream cheese! (though, I’m sorry, I prefer the Starbucks one better – this one was way too sweet and too hard to bite into!)

Schedule of the day was IMATS till around 1.30pm and we had event to attend to at 2pm at the Novotel Hotel.

Without giving too much away… Gala Dinner was around 6.30pm at the Establishment – though it was not dinner straight away… it was something else…

Thursday 22nd: All of the Lights

2011-09-23T09:37:00.001+10:00

If you have not heard, Brisbane has been having free event every single day for about 3 weeks now and it is about to end tomorrow, the 24th September. It is to mark the Brisbane Festival that began with the Riverfire back in beginning of September. Now we were going to go tonight but well, if you are following me on twitter you would know that I will be flying off to Sydney tonight! Yes, tonight! IMATS is tomorrow – Oh My Gosh!

So what to do… we went yesterday.

The best place to view it – is to sit or to stand at South Bank where QPAC is. They have a few stalls selling food as well, including Malaysian and Indonesian food. I cannot tell you how they are, ‘cause I didn’t try them.

The lights show plays at 7pm and 8pm – that’s the one that I went to. I only managed to take several shots from my blackberry so unfortunately the quality is not that great. I really just went to enjoy it and see it through my eyes instead of through the lenses.

Let the Gotham Brisbane City Lights Show begin… *duunnn duunnn duunnnn (Batman soundtrack playing in the background)

Duuhdduunn duhduuhunnn duunnnnnnnn……
Is Batman going to appear now?

Aaww, he didn’t…

The last picture is a view of the QPAC building with a painting right in the middle of it held by some sort of net material.

It’s a start. It’s a start or a greater Brisbane. It really shows you a different perspective of Brisbane and otherwise you might just think Brisbane as the boring city – as you all very well know, compared to Sydney and Melbourne. But hey, we do have the skyscrapers and if they would have to put screens of moving images or lights every night then maybe it would create a whole new atmosphere altogether like bringing New York to Brisbane. Thank God we have the Brisbane River… cause without that river the show perhaps would not look as good… Was it amazing? Uhm, it could be better… but for now, I’m happy for Brisbane to have at least started something like this.

xoxo

Song of the Moment: I Heard Your Heart Say…

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000+10:00

I came across this song about a month ago but never got around to finding out what the title is or who sang it and now that I do and because it’s such a sweet song that makes me feeling wishful… I want to share it with you…

Avalanche City–Love Love Love

If you do happen to see me during IMATS, do say hi, ~~I might not recognise you at first,~~ … but I’d love to meet you nevertheless!! ^___^

xoxo

Day 21

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000+10:00

It’s day 21 of the 30 days of September. How time flies and I think a part of me is alright with that, a part of me feels as though it should slow down. Though we all know by now that time does not stop or wait for anyone. By the time I wake up tomorrow morning, doing my errands for the day it would be two more nights till my flight down to Sydney. Can you tell I’m excited but at the same time trying to calm myself down or am I in the slightest bit… nervous? May… be.

The thing is I have considered packing and I have started packing, I won’t deny. I guess due to the specific sort of functions that will be happening this weekend I want to make sure I have outfits ready, instead of overpacking and wasting time there thinking of what to wear. Another thing to consider is what makeup to bring. I mean, I have travelled many times before but it seems as though each time I have to have a list of things to bring. It makes trying to travel lightly… not so lightly.

It’s time like these I wish I have more travel-friendly, travel-ready things. I think my mum has that, since she travels so often. Even my dad does, I bet.

So let me get list the things I definitely would need to bring for this weekend in Sydney …

- Dress (for the formal dinner function ABBW)

- Outfit #1 (for daytime IMATS and daytime ABBW)

- Outfit #2 (for breakfast, lunch and afternoon ABBW)

- Sleeping Clothes (x1)

- Comfortable Fancy Flats (x1)

- Comfortable Heels (x1)

- Makeup:
- Primer
- Foundation
- Concealer
- Blush
- Contouring Bronzer
- Black Eyeliner Pencil
- Black Liquid Eyeliner
- Eye Primer
- Eyeshadow Palette
- Eyebrow Colour
- Lip Balm
- Lipstick (x2)
- Brushes

Oh you know the rest…

I guess the fact that I need to really pick and pinpoint which items I would definitely need is a bit hard when I like so many of the items I have… and I use them interchangeably…

What’s your travel friendly tips? I’d love to hear it

On another note…

I had to make a new dog tag for my baby puppy… since the old one is so scuffed and we need to put our new numbers there too!

Didn’t realise it’s a smaller size till I got home and compared – oh well… but it’s still cute and fits him just nicely…

xoxo

Weekend in Photos: 3rd weekend of September

2011-09-20T06:00:00.000+10:00

I read something beautiful the other day …

In the bowl of the sky, the sun and the moon are the lamps; the stars in the constellations are the pearls.
The fragrance of the sandalwood is the incense, the wind is the fan, and all the vegetation are flowers…

Makes one wonder…

So anyhoo, this weekend marked my dearest friend’s 21st and we went to Peasant for tapas and cocktails. For privacy reason, I will only share with you some photos from the night (minus the birthday girl – you know who you are and I *heart* you)

Warning: Photo Heavy – should be able to click on photos to enlarge

The ambience definitely scores an A from me…

Just at the table we’re at (minus those people, they were from a different table)
We were on the high chairs.

Made me feel like I was some place else (not Brisbane)

Sis holding the menu… (sis, you’ve given me permission to show your face in my blog! teeheehee)
Like how it’s a blackboard written in chalk.

Now let the food porn begin…

Pumpkin & Goats Cheese Empanadas
(stuffed pastry)

Potato Bravas, Tomato & Parsley
(Sundried tomatoes, by the way – and fried patatas bravas)

Grilled Chorizo with Mojo Verde
(grilled smoky pork sausage with green cilantro sauce)

Warm salad of cauliflower, pine nuts, saffron & raisins

Red Wine Braised Lamb Shoulder with Spanish Onions & Mojo Verde
This lamb seriously just slides off the bone like silk…

Piquillo Peppers stuffed with Vege Paella, Olives & Almonds

A quick shot of my sister and you know who…
We were both wearing MAC Blankety lipstick
(Though I did have it mixed with MAC Snob beforehand, though I ended up just retouching with Blankety throughout the night at the end)

A shot of my ring of the night…

And… me and my mojito…

So what’s on my face that night…
Illamasqua Matt Primer
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer (Regular)
Scott Barnes Cream Foundation (Beyond Beige)
Graftobian Cream Foundation (Ingenue / Vixen)
MAC MoistureCover Concealer in NW20
Illamasqua Concealer
Illamasqua Powder Foundation
Illamasqua Morale blush
Illamasqua Libido cream blush
Inglot and Urban Decay eyeshadows
Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof Mascara
MAC Snob lipstick
MAC Blankety lipstick

Have a lovely week ahead!
I can’t believe IMATS and ABBW is creeping up so fast!! It’s this coming weekend!

xoxo

YSL The New Blacks

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000+10:00

“There is not one black, there are blacks.” Yves Saint Laurent

He said it and I agree. There are different shades of blacks. This collection gives you their latest mascara, gel eyeliner, eyeliner brush, nail lacquers (fancier term for nail polish) and so I am just here to share with you what could be of interest. I’ll say it straight right here right now, YSL definitely wins in terms of packaging. A golden luxury, a spark of light in a sea of black bottles in your vanity table.

First, let’s talk about the mascara…
(little side note: out of all names, why did they pick “shocking”? It’s shocking to me)

Luxurious Mascara – Shocking

A technological innovation that breaks every rule.
(Every rule? Oh, really?)
Immediate volume that coats lashes in one stroke.
(One stroke? You gotta be kidding me, right?)

The brush is asymmetric and is meant to work the length and curl. The bristles are set in different directions.

What’s so different about the formula?
It is composed of two types of wax: soft adherent waxes, which instantly thicken out lashes and hard waxes to maximise the curve

Comes in 3 shades:
No. 1 Deep Black
No. 3 Bronze Black
No. 4 Sea Black

RRP $52

Next, the eyeliner …

Eyeliner – Shocking

Comes in 1 shade – No. 1 Deep Black

RRP $59

Next… the eyeliner brush

RRP $40

The gel eyeliners…

No. 1 – Deep Black

No. 3 – Bronze Black

No. 4 – Sea Black

No. 5 – Cherry Black

RRP $59

Last but not least the nail polishes… they look like they have the pearl finish to them.

No. 126 – Black Bronze

No. 128 – Black Indigo

RRP $30

(Limited Edition)

Available 25th September 2011

All images courtesy of PR

FOTD: Olivia Palermo Inspired

2011-09-18T06:00:00.001+10:00

Her wardrobe is to die for, her makeup simple and sophisticated, her hair toussled effortlessly, her style… hmm!! I have to admit, I have a crush on Olivia Palermo. Yes I do still like Jessica Alba, Rachel Bilsen, Keira Knightley, Priyanka Chopra, and all the other beautiful ladies out there but for now, let’s just stick with one for this post.

You can see how her eyes is subtle yet that line on her upper lashline is rather obvious.
Her peachy pink cheeks, contoured cheekbones, highlighted areas around her face.

Well I tried…

And of course I’m not her, but I could be inspired by her style.

When my sister got home, she saw me and said, “Ooh nice makeup! It’s really nice!”
Hehehe I guess I succeeded in what I wanted to achieve, just a natural flawless effortless sophisticated look that can be worn day to night, anytime.

Oh jeebus, I realise I haven’t done my brows – oh well!
I think in real life the blush is slightly more “pop” though it looks so subtle in photography. (Damn you photography)
This was taken outside with sunlight.
No editing.

See… the eyes?
Subtle yet I love it!

So what did I use?

Face

Foundation – mix of Graftobian Cream Foundation in Ingenue and Vixen & Scott Barnes Cream Foundation in Beyond Beige
Concealer – MAC Select MoistureCover in NW20 (just for under the eyes)
Contouring – Graftobian Cream Foundation in Enchantress and later topped with ELF Bronzer from Blush/Bronzer Duo
Blush – Illamasqua Cream Blush in Libido and later topped with ELF blush from Blush/Bronzer Duo
Powder – Illamasqua Powder Foundation in PF200

Lips

Kiehl’s Lip Balm (Original)

Eyes

Gorgeous Cosmetics Pro Colour in Champagne
Dior (light matte brown) eye shadow – (a very old palette of my mum’s, all the writing has disappeared so I don’t know what it is)
Urban Decay Darkhorse eyeshadow (from Naked Palette) – on the mobile lid close to lashline
Dollywink Liquid Eyeliner
Face of Australia Eye Definer in Black – to waterline
Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof Mascara

Images of Olivia Palermo – source Google Image

FOTD: To powder or not to powder

2011-09-17T06:00:00.001+10:00

I was having trouble applying my foundation – using cream foundation in the names of Scott Barnes and Graftobian would be a dream in any other day – but that day left me almost in tears as I spotted the dry flakey layer of skin on my face. Just the other month my friend was telling me how oily my face looked!

Despite the initial horror, I soldiered on and thought I’d just braved it. Eyes done. Face done. Then I thought I had missed something… powder. To powder or not to powder? That was the question that lingered in my head. I was worried that if I powdered the dry flakey patches would be accentuated but if I didn’t powder I wonder if my skin would look any better. I decided to powder. And boy I’m glad I did! I think this powder is the miracle worker in this story.

So what have I used in this FOTD?

Eyes

Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer
Urban Decay Naked Palette
- Virgin as highlight on brow bone
- Sin as base all over lid
- Buck as crease/contour
- Half Baked on mobile lid

MAC Corduroy on lower lash line
L’Oreal SuperLiner in Brown
CoverGirl LashBlast Waterproof Mascara
Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara*

Face

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer (All Skin Type)
Graftobian Cream Foundation in Ingenue and Vixen mixed
Scott Barnes Cream Foundation in Beyond Beige
Illamasqua Concealer in CC200
MAC Select Moisturecover in NW20 (For Undereye)
Graftobian Cream Foundation in Enchantress (For Contour)
Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Libido
Gorgeous Cosmetics Pro Colour in Sesame or Rhubarb (I still don’t know the name) (more on cheekbones)
Pupa Luminous Blush in 04 (more on apples of the cheeks)
Spritz with MAC Fix+
and…
Illamasqua Powder Foundation in PF200

Spritz with Mario Badescu Facial Spray

Lips

Dr Hauschka Lip Balm
Castle Dew Lipgloss No. 33

Disclaimer: All products mentioned were all purchased by me.
except the one with * (which really is only that one mascara)

Battle of the Foundations: Illamasqua Skin Base vs Light Liquid

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000+10:00

The other day I took the plunge to test two different foundations on each side of my face. I’ve been in need of a new liquid foundation. One thing that really bugs me is that when it looks fine in store but turns out to be too dark when I go out in daylight. Also if they don’t photograph well… Tough call, huh?

That’s when I came to Deanna at Illamasqua Brisbane City Myer counter. I chose to try the Satin Primer this time – because as I’ve mentioned earlier my skin’s been acting up very recently and it is at a very dry condition.

I was surprised how well both blended onto my skin. I could not tell the difference although I knew which was which.

First applied at 5pm… and I took these photos later at night…

Both with flash…

And now with no flash…

I love how both don’t give me a white cast and looks like my own skin – don’t you agree? I can see the glowiness without it being too greasy. Although at the end I still could not pick a winner! It’s a tricky one this time.

Could you tell which is which?

Want to find out?

My right – Light Liquid
My left – Skin Base

Could you have guessed?

Have you tried any of Illamasqua foundation?
Which one is your favourite?

xoxo

Review: Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000+10:00

Just the name Doll Eyes make my eyes blink and look at it twice. I think it’s because I’m always intrigued with having those luscious llama lashes that the mere idea of a mascara that would help me achieve that made me go “Helloooo~~!!!”

This post is a follow up to my previous post of the new Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara

At $52 these babies aren’t cheap – shall we put them to the test?

- will it hold my curl?

- will it give me the volume?

- how does it do in terms of lengthening?

- fluttery doll eyes effect?

- does it smear? smudge? budge throughout the day?

Read on…

A quick look at what the brush looks like. I’d be honest with you I like the brush. From the moment I took it out of the bottle you can actually smell the rose fragrant straight away. So if you’re sensitive in terms of fragrance in your cosmetics especially in your eye product – this mascara is a straight no no.
(Note: All Lancome mascaras have the strong rose fragrance, this one is no exception)

Yeah I’m so good at taking photo of my own eyes I look retarded – the point is that you can see how my lashes are with no mascaras on. It’s there and I like that I have lashes but they’re not really there THERE, y’know? (reason why I wear mascaras of course)

And after…

Oooh so it may look long and bushy… but! (yes, there’s a but)

This is how it looks face front.

Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

So back to those questions…

- will it hold my curl? Unfortunately no it doesn’t

- will it give me the volume? Yes it does

- how does it do in terms of lengthening? It does lengthen so yes

- fluttery doll eyes effect? I suppose

- does it smear? smudge? budge throughout the day? Luckily no it does not smear or smudge

- how does it feel? My lashes feel soft not crunchy at all

- will I repurchase? To be honest, at $52 I will have to say no I won’t repurchase. It’s just too much. I mean, you can get $10 mascaras out there that does the same or if not better.

It’s a hard one, I like it yet I don’t love it nor do I hate it. It’s one of those that you know it’s a luxury item and it’s nice to put it on apart from the sudden rush of rose garden scent you’d be sniffing. I have to also add that it is one of the prettiest mascara I have seen – its rose details all over its curvy body.

If you already have amazing curled luscious lashes and want to splurge on a pretty luxurious mascara then this is for you. But if you’re like me and have the poker straight lashes that cannot justify spending $52 (though you would on foundations and such) then this mascara is sadly going to be a miss…

xoxo

Disclaimer: The product was sent to me for review consideration by the PR company. I am not affiliated with the brand. Review given is 100% my honest opinion.

First Visit to Aesop Queens Plaza Brisbane

2011-09-14T08:00:00.002+10:00

I had the chance to pop in to Aesop store at Queens Plaza yesterday, it’s the one on Adelaide St next to the other stores like Zimmerman and G-Star – yeap, that side of the mall. I popped in because of recommendation from a dear friend (whose skin is one to envy, seriously!)… Truth be told, my skin’s been acting up again recently perhaps from the high wind and sudden sunshine. Who knows! For what I know my skin is temperamental.

So I entered the store, not exactly sure what to expect (it was my very first visit to Aesop). The girl, I-Wen (pronounced: Ee-wuhn) greeted me. And boy oh boy her skin! That’s what I noticed right away, her skin is flawless – oh my goodness. I told her that I’m looking for a new skincare range because my skin’s been acting up lately and been recommended to check out Aesop. I was then surprised at her first question, “Where are you based? Are you based here in Brisbane?” She has got to be the very first skincare consultant to ask me that question and I agree that it does make such a difference. Where you are living currently does play a part in the way your skin is reacting. At least to my skin it does. I know I was oily skinned before I came to Australia and now that I am here my skin tends to get dry and sensitive and dehydrated and at times, oily. I think that recent increase in oil and grease were actually caused by certain products I was trying out.

Annnnyway back to Aesop.

First she tried the cleansing oil on the back of my right hand. Then she tried the cream cleanser on my left. To my horror, we both realised how dry my hands were – that’s the first time I have dry hands I can see the wrinkles EW! Okay maybe not so SJP’s hands of death but they’re quite a shock to me whose hands are normally fine. I repeat, it’s NOT like SJP’s hands but I can feel the tightness and dryness… Oh, I’m going to cry!

Then as we chatted she applied the Parsley Seed Antioxidant Toner and Parsley Seed Antioxidant Serum – and if my face was as soft as my hand… I’d seriously… die in peace.

Giving her advice and tips, she recommended that I would wash my face with just water in the morning to try and balance it out. She figured that my skin is quite imbalanced at the moment that’s why it’s acting up and dry and all that. To be honest I am very skeptical about washing my face with just water in the morning but I’ll try it. I will. Close my eyes and just splash water. She also told me that I actually might have normal skin, just that it’s quite reactive to the environments conditions such as weather, season, wind, air con, sun etc etc. Diet and water play a huge part in the condition of your skin too.

In terms of service, I have to say that it was one of the best I have received at a beauty store. She was so friendly, so approachable, understanding and not pushy, and did I mention her skin is fabulous! I find that it truly is a selling point when the staff really knows what she’s talking about and the walking true evidence of the goodness of the product or a brand. She also wanted to me to be very sure with the products first before purchasing instead of trying to sell it off to me in one go and have it returned the next day.

I came home with more samples than I expected (I really cannot wait to try them!) and an information booklet and a price list (yay for price list, I always find it very handy so I can figure out how much I need to fork out or whether I need to spread out the purchases)

I wonder if they really do work wonders… I’m holding my breath here… Will I like them? I’ll get back to you on that…

Aesop
Queens Plaza
+61 7 3229 1337

xoxo

Disclaimer: No sponsorship or compensation were made for writing this post. My visit to the store was my own intention in search of new skincare products for my skin.

Weekend in Photos

2011-09-13T08:00:00.001+10:00

Last weekend, the weekend that just passed was a special one. It was my friend’s wedding on the 11th of September, which was also her 26th birthday. Apart from that I just let the photos take over control of the story…

Bhangra in progress at Queen St Mall
(though I think the dhol needed its own microphone or just louder in general and need people to dance, too many were too ~~sober~~ silent.)

What a view of Brisbane!

I redeemed the voucher from Shop Til You Drop and got myself a Kiehl’s lip balm (original)

The wind was so crazy, so seriously, that it knocked the bins off

Saturday night I went and checked out Gelare (at South Bank) with the girls and had the best Chocolate Caramel Fudge Brownie ice cream… sooo gooodd

Cute butter at the wedding reception

Just a quick shot of the face of the day
- Illamasqua Matt Primer
- Scott Barnes Cream Foundation in Beyond Beige
- Illamasqua Concealer in CC200
- Illamasqua Powder Foundation in PF200
- NARS Laguna (to contour)
- Illamasqua Blush in Morale
- MAC Blankety
- Chanel Glossimer in Petit Peche
- Inglot Eyeshadows

The girl on my left (right in the picture wearing black and white) is my youngest sister

The above two photos – credit to Stephanie (see picture below)

Not the best pic, plus I cropped it from a larger pic
Quick pic of one of my sisters and moi …

Dinner at the reception was… interesting.
I guess they were trying to cater everybody…
It was served without rice, but there was rice on the table for us to take ourselves…

I love this, though – so cute!

At the end of the night, we went to Mt Coot-tha
The above photo is again credit to Stephanie

Day 13th of 30 Day Blogging Challenge

xoxo

Mani Monday: Rimmel Lively Lilac

2011-09-12T09:00:00.001+10:00

Initially I was having trouble naming this post – so I just went with the star of the show, Rimmel Lasting Finish nail polish in the shade 170 Lively Lilac.

The nail polish applies well and so smoothly. With just 1 you could get a nice finish though I usually like to do two coats because I’m more into the opaque finito.

Anni from Haute and Stylish called them “easter eggs”, which never crossed my mind, but I guess it sort of does remind you of easter colours. That was not my intention though! I just thought the colours were nice together. Again I was sort of inspired by colour blocking, so really just playing around with different colours and I love having colours combo like these.

Have a lovely week everyone!

What’s on your nails?

xoxo

Swatchlicious: Illamasqua Cream Blushes

2011-09-11T23:55:00.002+10:00

For many of you the name Illamasqua is no stranger but for some… it may spark some questions. I could go on and tell you a whole long and winding story about the brand but for today I will just showcase some of their blushes – cream blushers in particular.

To me these cream blushers had made me fall in love with cream blush since my previous experiences with this type of blushers were not quite so lucky. However these cream blushers last all day on me and look so natural when blended of course. Don’t be so shocked at how intense they are because Illamasqua cream blushers are nothing but impressive and pigmented. I have swatched them at their true intensity with no blending…

From L-R: Sob, Betray, Rude, Libido, Promise, Dixie, Seduce, Crush
(For those wondering I’ve just managed to name them off by heart – *LOL*)

L-R: Devour, Brazen

Which one I like? Oh boy oh boy… which do I pick! It really depends on what kind of shades you’re after.
Which are the most popular? Rude is – however, to be honest with you I have tried Rude on my cheeks and I didn’t like it because on my “already pink flushed” cheeks it looks … plain pink. However, I would definitely suggest you try it in store because I know everrryybody (literally everybody) I know who have tried Rude … lloovvesss it!

OMG I just realised I missed to swatch "Laid” – one of my favourite pink…

I like Libido… Sob… Promise… Betray… Seduce…

Oh and I also suggest you use them sparingly at first application, maybe with a duo fibre brush (just a tiny dab) and blend blend blend before you add more colour. Then you can either leave it for a natural glowy cheeks or set it with powder blush or just your normal powder.

Another tip about them is that I like to dab them on my lips and use them like lipstick…

Day 11 of the 30 Day Blogging Challenge
I know this had to get released a bit close to the end of the day…

I hope this has somewhat been helpful for those looking at Illamasqua Cream Blush

xoxo

Disclaimer: I am mentioning the particular product/s because I think they are worth it – so there I’ve said it.

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless is finally in Brisbane

2011-09-10T09:00:00.002+10:00

Last Tuesday the 6th of September I had the privilege to attend the Brisbane Beauty Bloggers of Illamasqua Launch of their latest collection “Theatre of the Nameless”. The name itself leaves you wondering what it is all about, yeah? I know it did to me. The whole concept is to take us back to the 1920s where exotic dancers, nightclubs and Moulin Rouge-sort of feel but its edgier and more dramatic sister. Is it exotic? Is it seductive? Is it adventurous? It is all the above.

(Warning: Photo Heavy)

Illamasqua has not failed me in giving quite a “drool-worthy” effect when I scanned through the collection, mainly the blushes and the pure pigments. You know me… and blushes…

It was lovely to finally meet the brand’s new PR/Ambassador, Mandi Levanah – since we have been contacting each other over emails it’s really nice to put a face on the name. The queen of theatrical makeup, Tiarah, was there in her alter ego character of the collection, Sebastian Droste.

Daniel, the newest member of the Brisbane counter, channeled the lead character of the collection, Anita Berber – whose lover (sometimes) and dancer friend is no other than Sebastian Droste.

Oh… Burrhhh – Buhhhh….

Deanna, on the other hand… showcased the use of the collection latest precision liquid eyeliner in Havoc (dark purple) and how brave is she on having red eyebrows!

We were quite a bunch that Tuesday night…

Here Tiarah is demonstrating and showcasing each of the products from the collection on her model.

Deanna explaining what she had used on her model… and it looks like… this…

With the star of the show… (*lol*)

Anni from Haute & Stylish doing the (*some kind of dance*) with the Sebastian Droste (aka Tiarah)

With Yolly (aka Yolanda) from Shopping Intervention
and gosh I’m so bad at taking photos like this, always don’t know where to look and always looks like I’m… uh I dunno…

The wall… of Anita Berber
Something quite eerie yet alluring about it…

Beautiful props on display…

By the end of the night, you could sense that everybody was eyeing:

- Ambition blush
- Berber pure pigment
- Beguile pure pigment
- Ruberry texture nail polishes
- The va va voom lashes

Note: The blush Morale was not available yet during the launch night, however it is now available despite the original plan of not having it in Brisbane, we Brisbanites is not going to miss out anymore!

Have you checked out the new collection? Are you lemming the blushes and the pigments like I do?

“My wishlist grows everytime I visit Illamasqua counter” – me

xoxo

Disclaimer: Thank you to Illamasqua and Mandi for organising and the invitation to this event.

You Got Tagged! Would You Rather…

2011-09-09T13:19:00.002+10:00

Day 9 of the 30 Days Blogging Challenge

1) Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lipglosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?

GAH! I wouldn’t want to lose any! But if I really have to choose… I’d rather lose mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks and lipglosses… though some of my lipsticks aren’t that easy to replace but I think it’d be harder to replace the palettes and eyeshadows.

2) Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

Never be able to cut it again, no doubt!

3) Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?

Coral doesn’t seem to work that well on me, so I’d pick pink

4) If you had $1000 to spend, Would you rather buy clothes or makeup?

Clothes!!! It would totally be more worthwhile because although makeup does empower and gives you the confidence, nothing like a stunning figure shaping flattering dress and a good well fitted blazer and a pair of heels… so yes, clothes!

5) Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?

Lipstick as eyeliner? Wouldn’t that be too sticky? Ew!
I’d pick eyeliner as lipsticks… that would be interesting… it’d just be like lipliner…

6) Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

Sephora of course – self explanatory? – one store for all

7) Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?

One lip color I reckon… because I don’t really mind not having anything on my lips but eyeshadows do make a difference to my eyes, so to use just 1 eyeshadow color would just be… sad.

8) Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?

Winter clothes in summer – why… because I’d rather stay warm than too cold, I suppose… I’d rather work it off with a sweat than fall sick with a cold and cough and what not haha

9) Would you rather dark nails or bright nails all year round?

Oohhh tricky… I used to really into dark nails though I think now I would pick the bright nails all year round. Seeing them bright on my fingernails make me smile, it’s like sunshine on my fingertips!

10) Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?

Favorite lip product… why? Uhm, I think the eyes matter more than the colour of my lips…

11) Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a pony tail or a messy bun?

Heehehe, if you’ve met me in real life at least more than once you would know I would definitely pick… Messy bun. I wear that all the time, most of the time… pony tail occasionally and all down even less frequently haha…

12) Would your rather never being able to paint your nails again or never use lipgloss?

I would rather never being able to never use lipgloss again… I mean, again, I can do without it and to not be able to paint my nails again… *sad face* plus, I can just use lip balm…

13) Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all or sharpie them in everyday?

OMG no eyebrows!!?!??!! O_O HORROR!! Worst nightmare! I wouldn’t even have shaven them all off in the first place, that’s for one. I wouldn’t sharpie them, I’d use my brow kit or brow shade to fill them in… Omgoodness, whoever made this question!

14) Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

I’d rather live without nail polish. Without makeup is … *insert another sad face*

There you have it! And You Got Tagged, ladies!
Would be interested to see what your responses are

Have a good weekend!

xoxo

Spring 2011 Products I’m Using–Update

2011-09-08T09:00:00.002+10:00

You can see the Winter 2011 Products I’m Using edition HERE – and since it’s hitting Spring over here in Australia, the land down under, I thought I’d update on this… since there had been a number of changes. I blame that on the change of season and weather.

If you could put the list side by side, some things don’t really change (and that’s a good sign). However, without further adue…

Shampoo: Wella Pro Series Shine Shampoo
Conditioner: Garnier Fructisse Butter Mask / Style Aromatherapy Natural Hair Mask with Dead Sea Minerals
Other hair products: Occasional Macadamia Oil or Fekkai Glossing Cream
Styling products: Tresemme Heat Protectant Spray (before blow drying) / L’Oreal Elnett Satin Very Volume hairspray
Shower Gel: Palmolive
Body moisturiser: Vaseline Cocoa Butter / Billie Goat Soap Moisturiser
Deodorant: MooGoo Fresh Cream Deodorant
Fake Tan: N/A
Pre-cleanser: Curash baby wipes (face) / Garnier CleanSensitive 2 in 1 Gentle Makeup Remover (usually for eyes)
Cleanser: Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel / Antipodes Hallelujah Natural Lime & Patchouli Cleanser / Oats
Toner: Lush Eau Roma Water / Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Lotion
Exfoliator: Oats
Peeling: N/A
Mask: My Scheming Face Sheet Masks
Serum: Jurlique Purely Age-Defying Facial Serum
Moisturizer: Jurlique Purely Age-Defying Ultra Firm and Lift Cream
Sunscreen: Biore UV Perfect Milk SPF50+ PA+++ (face/body blue bottle)
Primer: Illamasqua Matt Primer
Foundation & brush: Models Prefer Liquid Foundation in Golden Beige / Brush – MAC 109 OR Scott Barnes Cream Foundation in Beyond Beige with sponge or Revlon foundation brush
Concealer: Illamasqua concealer (CC200) / MAC MoistureCover in NW20 (undereye)
Powder: L’Oreal True Match / Models Prefer Pressed Powder in Light/Medium / Maybelline Dream Matte / NARS Nico
Blusher: Illamasqua / MAC / Models Prefer / L’Oreal
Bronzer: Scott Barnes in Nonchalant / Models Prefer in Sunkissed
Contour: Stila perfecting foundation stick in shade d (would like to get Illamasqua Hollow cream pigment)
Highlighter:
Eyeshadow base: Urban Decay Primer Potion
Eyeshadows: Inglot / Urban Decay
Eyeliner: Face of Australia Eye Definer pencils / L’Oreal Super Liner Liquid in Brown
Curler: Shu Uemura / Shiseido
Mascara: CoverGirl LashBlast Waterproof / Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof
Eyebrows: Inglot Matte Eyeshadow in 348 (using Shiseido angled brush) / Benefit Brow Gel
Lipstick: MAC Blankety / Shiseido Perfect Rouge in BE310 Dune / Revlon Living Lipstick in Orchid Beach
Lipgloss: Castle Dew
Lipbalm: Dr Hauschka
Nail Colour: Rimmel / OPI

I’d be interested to see what you guys are using =)

xoxo

Poetic Moment: The Guitar

2011-09-07T09:00:00.000+10:00

I wrote this many many years ago… and despite it being so old I like to revisit and reread and reminisce… and I thought I would share the thought with you.

I started writing this on August 28th, 2008 and actually continued editing it till the following day, August 29th. I find it therapeutic and the fact that it still holds a meaning after all these years… something special about writing that just gives me a peace of mind.

Enjoy…

The Guitar

The guitar stood there in the dark
Waiting for someone to strum its strings
But in the dark it cannot see
What it wanted to see or wanted to be

The guitar is patiently waiting
As it listens;
Something is noisily counting
Oh, oh, it’s the clock…
The time tells no one what it’ll bring

The guitar rests there loosening its strings
Wishing someone would tune it,
Pluck by pluck
So it remains there, waiting
And it waits…
It waits…

Waiting, the guitar looks up to the sky
And saw the baby blue sky breaks
Into pink, purple and golden sunset
And said hello to the stars
As it adorn the blue-black sky
And smiled at the rabbit-faced moon,
As it grins
Towards you and I

The guitar feels the air is getting colder
As the guitar gets older
And realises that there’s no one
No one to pluck its strings
No one to watch the sky with
Or to hold it tight

So it remains,
Waiting
…

Outfit of the Day: Blocking Stripes

2011-09-06T09:00:00.000+10:00

I wore this over the weekend… and was actually quite surprised how comfortable I felt wearing it that I think it’s worth the mention…

Both dress and top from Sportsgirl

Will I wear it again? Oh yes – without second thought

Totally loving the comfort and the ease it makes me feel, hehehe…

Trekking Today

2011-09-05T09:00:00.000+10:00

On the weekend I went trekking (more like a forest walk) with my sisters and some friends at the Brisbane Forest Park aka D’Aguilar National Park that overlooks Enoggera Reservoir.

If you’re planning to go check it out, just remember that the gate closes at 4.30pm. We did not know that and luckily we took the shorter walk instead of the trail, though the trail would have probably been a nicer route to take. Anyway… I shall let the photos speak for themselves…

Nature needs no further explanation.

Some of the trees were sadly took down by storm or events that occurred in the past such as floods etc.

Day 5

Have a great week ahead everyone!

xoxo

2 in 1 Reviews: Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel & Lifebuoy Antibacterial Hand Wash

2011-09-04T09:00:00.001+10:00

That has got to win the longest title I’ve ever given my blog post. No matter, because it’s the thoughts that count, right…?

First in this 2 in 1 Reviews, we have Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel.

What it is…

This non-foaming, gel cleanser thoroughly removes the day’s make-up, dirt and oil without drying the skin. Papaya and Grapefruit Extracts are exfoliating Alpha Hydroxy Acids that help prevent dulling build-up that can cause blackheads and pimples.

How to use it…

Twice daily, massage in a circular motion on wet skin avoiding eye area. Rinse with tepid water. Pat dry and follow with toner or astringent.

Ingredients

Deionized Water (Aqua),Glycerin,Papaya (Carica Papaya Fruit) Extract,Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis Fruit) Extract, Monomide, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben

What do I think of it?

I love it. I freaking love it that I’ve converted my sister to freaking love it too. Okay, enough of the word ‘freaking’ before it turns freaky.

At first, I must admit I wasn’t sure whether I would like the ‘non-foaming’ formula, most likely due being so used to ‘foaming’ cleansers (such as Shiseido Extra Gentle Foaming Cleanser which foams like no tomorrow). Though after trying out the sample and finishing it, I knew I had to get the full size bottle and I have no regret purchasing that.

It smells fresh, very fresh and relaxing and something I would smell again and again, and won’t get sick off. It’s somewhat a gentle scent, that I would even like on my man… for me to take a sniff. Haha!

I think it’s because of the Papaya and Grapefruit extracts – and my skin loves them.

After cleansing, my skin did not feel tight or squeaky. I did not feel as though it stripped my skin despite its ability to gently exfoliates. I just love how it cleanses without irritating my skin. Some people may not like the bottle but my sister and I had a laugh because it reminds us of Chemistry labs. I actually like the bottle because it’s easy to use and will not break. I’m also thinking of it being very travel friendly because it will not spill everywhere.

And… it really removes my face makeup. Look… (warning: gross image ahead)

That’s what the cleanser and face cloth took off my face.

- Cleanses my face without overdrying or stripping TICK!

- Removes my base foundation makeup TICK!

- Smells nice TICK!

- Non messy; non drip; non breaking; travel friendly packaging TICK!

- Reasonable price for size and quality TICK!

- Will I repurchase? YES!

Now on to the 2nd product of the 2 in 1 Reviews… it actually lead up from that second picture with my foundation all over the face cloth… what do you do with it once it’s like that? Well… you can clean it! But with what, you may ask, right? To clean it so that it looks…

Back to normal like this?

I use…

Lifebuoy – the life saver

Hahaha… Lifebuoy Antibacterial Hand Wash is what I use to cleanse my face cloth after each use. I also use this hand wash to cleanse my sponges and even my brushes mixed with the cleansing oil whenever I need to deep cleanse them.

This Lifebuoy hand wash smells so good, so clean, and a tiny blob foams so much it’s enough for both your hands and arms.

- Smells good TICK!

- Antibacterial TICK!

- Doesn’t leave a film after washing TICK!

- Multifunctional that it cleanses my makeup tools TICK!

- Repurchase? HELL YEAH it’s a staple in my house. I have at least 2 and a refill. I need this in my life.

What’s your staple in terms of such cleansing products? Is there any that’s worth the HG status and you cannot live without? You just have to have it in the house, if not you’ll literally rush out the door and hunt them down to have them back in the house again.

Tell me what you guys think of this “2 in 1 Reviews” idea…

Have a good weekend everyone

xoxo

Disclaimer: All products mentioned were purchased by me with my own money. They were worth the mention… because I think they do.

Day 3: FOTD featuring Models Prefer Liquid Foundation

2011-09-03T09:00:00.001+10:00

It’s a sunny day and decided to put my hair up in a bun – a style I’ve been supporting for the longest time now and just simple and easy for me to do anytime anywhere. Just need a hair tie and bobby pins. For some reason though, my bobby pins must have legs and run away. I always need to buy more. Ugh…

I find it interesting but annoying at the same time that under different lighting your face colour alter… In some angles you would appear more pink, in some others, darker and so on and so forth. Annnyywaayyy…

So, what’s on my face?

- Models Prefer Liquid Foundation in Medium Beige
I’m having mixed feeling whether this shade matches me… in some lighting it doesn’t and some it does… I guess you can’t always have it all… You know me and foundation. My love with foundation continues…

- NARS Nico
I actually used this as a setting powder because I don’t know who decided to place this into the blush category. I got this in a swap, fyi, until now I’ve never take the plunge to purchase a NARS blush or any NARS product while we’re on the topic. I have nothing against the brand, and I do believe it’s a really nice brand. Maybe I just find reasons of not needing them (my so called self control self reasoning haha).

Back to Nico being a setting powder. It does that job fine. I guess you could somewhat compare it to MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural (which I am also dying to get my hands on but told myself to wait). Good thing is that this will not alter the shade of your liquid foundation, because it does not exactly have an additional colour of its own.

- Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Laid
Enough said… My two Illamasqua Cream Blushers are my go to blush when I don’t think any other blushes just cut it. They last all day on me despite being cream and they blends like a dream. They like my cheeks and my cheeks like them. Perfect couple… or love triangle, really. Heehee…

- NARS Laguna
To contour a tiny bit around my face… Again I did not purchase this and I only have this in the mini size that Mecca Cosmetica gave away as gwp or something way way back in previous year. The mini size is handy that I can pop it in my bag and bring it around but then again I don’t really need to re-contour on a daily basis I probably just carry a blush instead if I really need to. It’s a nice alternative, this Laguna bronzer, though I would not say it’s a HG. Let’s just say I wouldn’t burn a hole through my wallet just to buy this again.

- Dr Hauschka Lip Balm
What’s on my lips – just bare – with just this lip balm for protection and moisture

- Face of Australia Eye Definer Eye Pencil in Brown
Just to waterline and tightline around my eyes

- Inglot Eyeshadow 348 (Matte Dark Grey)
For my eyebrows

- CoverGirl LashBlast Waterproof Mascara
- Inglot Eyeshadows in shades 461, 399 and 467 (to hightlight browbone)

That’s it.

Have a lovely weekend everyone~!

You may have loved and lost, but those with hearts still beating remain beating with you missing the one you have lost. - me

Models Prefer Liquid Foundation

2011-09-02T09:00:00.001+10:00

To be honest I’m not a big fan of the name of this brand. “Models Prefer” just sounds too “try hard” but despite that, I am quite pleasantly surprised at their nice products. I think if IMATS fails in providing me with a good array of brushes, look out for a brush haul from Models Prefer for me, though I am holding up quite well recently in resisting the urge to purchase their brushes.

Models Prefer is available in all Priceline stores, though varying in some of the items they carry. They stock almost everything you need in terms of cosmetics ranging from cream concealer, liquid concealer, pressed powder, highlighter, bronzer, blush, eyeshadows, and their brushes, have you not seen their range of brushes? Anyway they even have coloured sponges, tweezers, etcetera!

I came in to Priceline the other day wanting to get rid of my unwanted and unliked products to be exchanged for a 25% off Revlon – and being in need of a new foundation I thought I was going to pick up a Revlon foundation, either Colorstay or Photoready, yeah you know, the usual. However one thing I have with Revlon foundation is that I find their colours turn out to be too warm aka too pink toned for my face. The idea of putting pink on my easily flushed pink face was very out of the question so I kept wondering around and testing every possible shades available.

Then I did something I never did before, I asked one of the Priceline SA for opinions. She told me the foundation she had on was “a Priceline one” and I was confused, wondering, “Huh? Priceline has their own foundation?” She actually meant the Models Prefer brand! Hahaha!

Anyway, to cut the story short I tested the shades and was down to 2 shades: Medium Beige and Golden Beige. I was surprised that the shades were pretty good in providing coverage for us more of golden base, or for those looking for a yellow toned foundation instead of pink tone ones like you see in most other brands. Then I asked the SA, we then tested them side by side on my neck to see which one blended better. The Medium Beige seemed like a pretty darn good match – done!

RRP Price: AUD$14.99
NET: 30ml

Comes in a pump frosted glass bottle I personally don’t mind the packaging. The cap is very badly designed though, it doesn’t actually stick, no I mean it doesn’t click shut to the bottle, it just sits there. Warning – do not pick it up by the lid, seriously the bottle will fall off your hand and shatter everywhere. You don’t want that!

So far I am impressed with its coverage and finish and it lasts on me for around 6 or so hours before I have to touch up, at least today it was. It leaves a natural matte finish, not drying nor is it dewy or shiny.

A little FOTD featuring the liquid foundation

For a price like that, the packaging (apart from the cap) and the quality of the product – I am surprisingly impressed. We’ll see if I change my mind… I hope not!

Have you tried any Models Prefer products? I’m intrigued to try more!

Cheers to day 2 of the 30 Day Blogging Challenge ;p

xoxo

Disclaimer: Product mentioned was purchased by me. I am in no way affiliated with the brand or company. No compensation was provided for this review mention. It was worth the mention because I said so … teehee

First Inglot Eyeshadows Haul

2011-09-01T09:00:00.001+10:00

Exactly a week ago I coincidentally spotted Inglot having a 30% sale on selected items, being me, knowing me, who had been longing for the Inglot Freedom Palettes for the longest time… of course walked right in and resulted in… a little haul. Not much… but I love love love the colours that I just have to share with you.

First Inglot Eyeshadows Haul–Blushfully

I hope you enjoyed the little clip… and let me know if there are some other colours I should look out for. ;p

Freedom System Palette Pro 5

- 461 (Double Shimmer Nude Beige)
- 451 (Pearl Gunmetal)
- 434 (Pearl Purple Taupe Plum)
- 348 (Matte Dark Grey)
- AMC 65 (Black with Fine Silver Shimmer)

Freedom System Palette Pro3

- 423 (Pearl Brown Chocolate Plum)
- 399 (Pearl Dark Mauve Pink)
- 467 (Double Shimmer Nude Champagne Highlight)

From L-R: 423, 399, 467, 461, 451, 434, 348, 65

1st of September today – my daddy’s birthday. Happy Birthday Dad…

And may this mark the beginning of the 30 Day Blogging Challenge… and a month to remember.

xoxo

Top Ten Favorites of the Month

2011-08-31T09:30:00.001+10:00

With the August month coming to an end and me recently finding some gems, I figured it would be just the perfect thing to do a favorites blog post. I also thought it would be nice to make it a Top Ten rather than me blabbering on and on about a gazillion products.

1) MAC 109 Brush

This is my very first MAC brush and thank you to a dear friend of mine who got it for me from US. (You know who you are, thank you so much!) I originally intended to use this to contour, but instead, nowadays you would spot me using this to apply my liquid foundation. For some reason it gives me just the right coverage and the superblendability capability of the way this brush is designed just made it the more right. (Haha, great English there… “more right”). For extra information, I like to spritz some Fix+ on to the brush or on to my face before applying the liquid foundation. Or Mario Badescu Rosewater Facial Spray, which also deserves the honour to be mentioned…

2) Mario Badescu Rosewater Facial Spray

To me, Fix+ helped with foundation blending and lowering the risk of having your makeup looking cakey. However, this rosewater scented facial spray actually does help with setting my makeup, especially the base makeup such as your foundation. Even my sister loves it. I’ve been using it every single day ever since I got it, it is also refreshing and calming. The rosewater scent is gentle and not offensive. You can find them at Kit Cosmetics (AUD$22.95) or at BeautyBay.com

3) Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel

While on Mario Badescu, I thought I would mention the star product. This was my very first Mario Badescu and I must say I was skeptical about it at first, but you wouldn’t believe how much I fell in love with it, and now got my sister to fall in love with it. It does not dry out your skin nor does it aggravate the skin. It does not leave the skin sore or red, no tingly feeling and it actually does melt your makeup. I use this to remove my face makeup too, using damp warm face cloth. Oh! And have I mentioned this smells so good…? It smells so fresh – seriously. Definitely will repurchase. Available at Kit Cosmetics (AUD$35.95) or at BeautyBay.com

4) Models Prefer Liquid Foundation in Medium Beige

This foundation had me fearing the worst when I purchased it. However, I was so pleasantly surprised I could not believe that it only costs $14.99 and that it is perfect for my current day to day wear. I must say its oil control is not too bad either. It could have been around 5 or 6 or so hours till I think I should touch up or powder up, but apart from that the makeup still stayed and looked flawless. It has a medium buildable coverage. No fragrance and comes with a nice pump that dispenses just the right amount. I sometimes use a pump and a half or two if I feel like an extra coverage. On the other hand, in photographs it doesn’t look that great and looks a little flat. That’s alright though, I could probably try out different foundation that works better with photography settings. In the meantime, this is perfectly fine and wallet-friendly so it’s a keeper. You can find Models Prefer at Priceline stores.

5) Inglot Eyeshadows

It took me long enough to hold myself back from buying the Inglot Freedom Palette. But when they had a 30% sale on the 5 round palette and 3 round palettes, I thought it was just meant to be. You wanna know why? Because almost all the colours I picked were the lucky last ones or the second last, mostly were the last ones! They are pigmented, such nice color payoffs, soft, smooth, blendable, and the price is nice. Will I consider getting more colors? Oh yes I sure do!

6) Tapered Tulip Shaped Face Brush for Contouring and Applying Bronzer

I have seriously been loving using this brush to apply bronzer to contour my face. It just applies at the right area, right size and blends automatically without it looking patchy. Definitely be looking into getting 1 or 2 more from IMATS! I would love to use this to apply highlighter and blush too. Versatile, for sure.

7) Face of Australia Eye Definer Pencils in Brown and Black

These are LOVELY! I mean it, I’ve tried many eyeliners and many have smudged and smeared and gave me a panda eyes. These do not. They are also at a great price range that I would definitely recommend them if you’re interested in getting a nice pencil eyeliner. Soft and doesn’t tug or pull your skin. It’s nice. What else can I say. I like it.

8) Illamasqua Concealer

This does what it claims to do and looks like my skin when I have it on. It covers yet look natural without looking cakey. Loves the little mirror inside the packaging, so it is super handy to carry around everywhere. Slip it in my pocket and I’m ready to hit the town all night long. Hah!

9) OPI RapiDry Top Coat

Nice alternative to Seche Vite (which I might say, can get goopey and clumpey at halfway mark, so it’s annoying). This RapiDry Top Coat actually does dry your nails pretty fast and makes them smooth and glossy looking. It’s nice.

10) Castle Dew Lip Glosses

You’ve heard this raved on before from a couple other bloggers from Brisbane, namely Yolly from Shopping Intervention and Anni from Haute & Stylish. That’s because these lipglosses are indeed nice. Costing at only AUD$6.50 they are such a bargain at such quality. I can wear them every single day and not worried of them kissing my teeth or smearing. They last quite a decent period of time too, after eating and drinking. It has a slip but not overly sticky, which I probably would hate anyway. It has a nice sort of jelly lollies scent, nothing offensive and I am usually not too big of a fan of too scented lip products because I would literally get headache and feel nauseous. This does not make me feel so. They come in a huge range of colours too.

What are your top ten?

Have a good week everyone

xoxo

30 Days Blogging Challenge

2011-08-30T22:40:00.001+10:00

Hi guys,

I was thinking of doing a 30 days blogging challenge this upcoming September month, for it seems that it will be one kind of a hectic month with plenty of events and things almost every weekend, if not, every weekend. What do you guys think? Some days I might not be blogging anything about makeup, though, or maybe I might insert a little snippets of look of the day or outfit of the day or picture of the day – those sorts of things… Would you be interested in reading a blog post like that? I’m wondering…

Anyway, let me know… in the comment below. Tomorrow is already the last day of August. Where has the month gone…

xoxo

blushfully

Kalahoo That’s Who!

I’m Leaving on a Jetplane… What to bring?

Red and Gold for Chinese New Year 2012

Be Calm with Be In Awe Calming Serum

English Pronounciation Poem

Review: Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask

69th Golden Globe: Who Wears What

Behind Being a Beauty Blogger

Recent Empties January 2012

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Daylight Defense with Dermalogica Review and How You Can Win One

Get Gorgeous this Summer with Summer Sands

I feel like blogging today

Hits and Misses of 2011

Stylelicious: Hot Claire Pink Danes

FOTD au naturale

Cleansers Diary: Jurlique Foaming Cleansers

Top 3 Products Under $20

Review: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

5 Current Samples Favourites

Jurlique Facial Experience - First Time

WINNER of 200 Followers Giveaway

Skincare 101: Part 1 Introduction to Skin Analysis

Bits of Brisbane, Breakfast and Blabber

Get Yo Hair Rockin’ with URBAN

You Got Tagged 15 Weird Facts

I Like Them Both and I Can’t Decide

Review: DMK ALPHA Acu Masque

A-Z You Got Tagged!

Weekend in Photos: 12/13th of 11th of 11

200 Followers Giveaway **CLOSED**

Happy Peppero Day!

Assiere.com Launch Event at Mei+Picchi

Weekend in Photos: It’s Halloween

Weekend in Photos: 2nd last week of October

Ella Bache Myer Brisbane City Opening

Random Snippets of the Recent Weeks

A Little Away

Boxes are out

Chat Live with Dr Dennis Gross

You Got Tagged! Beauty Tag + 15 Weird Facts

Mani Monday: Weekend Nails

Weekend Day 2

IMATS Day 1

Thursday 22nd: All of the Lights

Song of the Moment: I Heard Your Heart Say…

Day 21

Weekend in Photos: 3rd weekend of September

YSL The New Blacks

FOTD: Olivia Palermo Inspired

FOTD: To powder or not to powder

Battle of the Foundations: Illamasqua Skin Base vs Light Liquid

Review: Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara

First Visit to Aesop Queens Plaza Brisbane

Weekend in Photos

Mani Monday: Rimmel Lively Lilac

Swatchlicious: Illamasqua Cream Blushes

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless is finally in Brisbane

You Got Tagged! Would You Rather…

Spring 2011 Products I’m Using–Update

Poetic Moment: The Guitar

Outfit of the Day: Blocking Stripes

Trekking Today

2 in 1 Reviews: Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel & Lifebuoy Antibacterial Hand Wash

Day 3: FOTD featuring Models Prefer Liquid Foundation

Models Prefer Liquid Foundation

First Inglot Eyeshadows Haul

Top Ten Favorites of the Month

30 Days Blogging Challenge

200 Followers Giveaway CLOSED