Lovely presents (part 2)

Met up wif Mag over lunch the other day. It was a last min thingy (thanks for calling Mag!) n I'm glad we had the chance to lunch together. Spent the time gabbing abt K-dramas n stuff we'd read online. Mag is a really vivacious person yet thoughtful at the same time. We've to do lunch some time again, Mag!

Mag also gifted me with a package of goodies. My goodness, that's a lot of things. Can't wait to try them out ;)

----------------
Now playing: 장근석 - Good Bye
via FoxyTunes

Dr Jart in Singapore!

I've heard quite a bit about Dr. Jart, so imagine my delight and amazement when I found out that Watsons has brought in 4 items from the Dr Jart range of products.

Though there was no sign (yet) of the famous Dr Jart BB Cream hydrating spray(?)/mist(?), I was contented for the time being with the range of 2 BB creams and 2 products for acne and blackheads.



Wasted no time in laying my hands on the 2 BB creams as soon as I could today :) Watsons is having a 20% discount on some products til 4 Sep I think. These happened to be under the discount as well, so I was rather happy with my buy. Really looking forward to trying them out.

I found mine at the Watsons at Tiong Bahru Plaza but I think these should be available at most Watsons stores esp those which carry a good range of makeup/cosme brands.

Have fun trying them out :) I'm looking forward to the weekend! Yippee :)

* All photos from Watsons

----------------
Now playing: 苏打绿 - 花茶
via FoxyTunes

Sheer indulgence

Got the opportunity to do a guest review on the luxurious and aptly titled Sheer Indulgence Facial at The World of Organic Skincare, thanks to Aichaku of Beautification. Below is an excerpt of the review which is posted on her blog.

----------------------
Thanks to Aichaku of Beautification, I got to sample the luxurious and aptly titled Sheer Indulgence Facial at The World of Organic Skincare.



Firstly, some facts:

The World of Organic Skincare is located at 468 River Valley Road, right opposite Valley Point Shopping Centre. Their number is 68380168 and other than facials, they also provide a whole menu of other spa services like nail treatments, massages and yes, even Brazillian waxing.


The World Of Organic Skincare distributes 2 organic skincare brands: Living Nature, which is free from synthetic ingredients and preservatives, and Organic Apoteke, a line of organic cosmetics and skincare based on ayurvedic principles.

I was hosted by the director of The World of Organic Skincare, Lawrence Chee and my therapist for the Sheer Indulgence facial was the lovely Mei Lin who is also the GM.

The facial:
The session started with my filling up a form, listing my typical skincare routine and my concerns regarding my skin. Mei Ling used this as an assessment tool for my facial as The World Of Organic Skincare customizes their facials according to different skin types. The only thing in common is the manuka honey mask because it is very gentle and suitable for all skin types. On top of that, I really like the fact that all their products are pumped out on the spot at the cocktail bar according to customers’ needs; nothing is pre-prepared.


As I have sensitive skin, Mei Lin recommended that I use the Enzyme mask and the Hydrating mask rather than the Kaolin clay peel. The Kaolin clay peel is an exfoliating treatment which has the added benefits of brightening overall skin tone, with firming and lifting properties to boot.

The facial started with makeup removal and cleansing. I had the option of testing out both the milk cleanser as well as the foaming cleanser. What was interesting to me is that the foam from the foaming cleanser actually comes from a plant called gum-digger's soap. No chemicals or foaming agents were used to create the suds which is rather magical for me :)

Read abt the background and the rest of the review here.

----------------------
Updates on 24 Aug:
I've received some enquiries on the price of the facial and other details. Have checked with Lawrence via email and this is his reply:

The Sheer Indulgence Facial costs $138 and lasts about 75 minutes because of all the products and procedures used during the facial.

"A couple of ways to get a better deal...
1) buy $150 worth of products to be a Privileged Customer and get $150 worth of Treatment vouchers plus discounts on future purchases (15% on products and 20% on treatments) - this is like getting a free Sheer Indulgence :)
2) Go for the package (for the moment, I think it's buy 6 get 3 free)....we usually don't push this unless the customer enquires, but it is another great deal and something we offer customers who enjoy the facials very much."

So there you have it. Do feel free to check them out if you're interested (contact details are at top of post) and have fun!


----------------
Now playing: The Fray - Look After You
via FoxyTunes

Nanoce BB cream

I bought this some time back but hadn't had the chance to use it. As you know, I've been enamoured of my Lotree for some time. It's difficult to get out of a comfort zone esp when it's been working so well for me. Plus the fact I've sensitive skin makes that much more difficult to venture out in new territory.

But I finally did n got some pictures of the process to boot! :) I'm feeling proud of myself kekeke.

Here's my picture review of the product. Be warned tho: scary photo ahead.

Nanoce BB cream

My sensitive blotchy skin after moisturiser but before using any makeup

This is the amount I used for my entire face. It's not as creamy as Hanskin or Lotree but I find that a little goes a long way. Coverage-wise, it is lighter than Hanskin Super Magic BB.

Et voila! The result. I thought it did a rather good job of covering my blotches.


----------------
Listening to: Lisa Ono 小野リサ - It Don't Mean A Thing
via FoxyTunes

Rimmel extra super lash

Just a short, quick post to gush about my latest mascara ;)

I bought some Rimmel mascaras quite a while ago. Haven't had the chance to use them or post any reviews yet.

Finally took out the waterproof extra super lash building mascara this week and today's my 2nd time wearing it.

I LOVE it.

For some one who rubs her eyes a lot, this mascara is a godsend. It goes on easily; something about the brush makes it catch my tiny Asian lashes well. It builds up well; I got really long n defined lashes. It DOESN'T flake; believe me, I rub my eyes more than I really should, but I still do it anyway. And it stayed put.

Best part of all, it comes off easily with makeup remover. I've a bone of contention with mascara removal with the Majo Majo ones but with this one, it was a breeze. I put eye makeup remover on cotton pads, place them over for lashes for abt 1 min, then gently swipe. Et voila! Everything goes off. I wash my face as per normal cos I don't like the oily residue of my makeup remover but that's it :) Easy peasy.

At $13.90, I think this is quite a steal plus if you have the Watson's card now, you get some points too ;)

My 2 cents worth. Have a good weekend everyone! Was on course the past couple of days. Gimme some time to catch up with all your blogs n your lives :)


----------------
Now playing: Yuri Sangja - 사랑해도 될까요?
via FoxyTunes

It never rains but it pours

First the beauty stuff :)

I've been lazy recently, just comfortably going abt my daily skincare/makeup routine without putting much thought to it. Have not been shopping for a while - was supposedly on a shopping diet which seemed to have worked for a bit. Downside of it tho: I tend to pull out all stops when I really do buy something.

Case in point: Was browsing Sasa this afternoon for an eyelash curler. I seemed to have misplaced it somewhere, somewhere which led to me wearing mascara without curling my lashes first. Do I hear a collective gasp of horror from my makeup sisterhood in cyber space? ;P Yeah, that's how far I've gotten, lol.

Anyway, I was in Sasa. Decisions, decisions. So many eyelash curlers in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours ... aaacck. Believe me I stood before the display rack for quite some time. In the end, I got these:


hahaha...

On a fangirl note, there's this Taiwanese drama serial, Black & White, which I've been watching on and off. The story is a straight-forward cop-and-robbers kinda stuff, not breaking any new ground here. I watch it more for the eye-candy in the form of Vic Zhou and Mark Chao. If you like Hana Yori Dango or the Korean Boys over Flowers/Boys before Flowers, well, Vic Zhou is one of the original Taiwanese F4 who filmed the Taiwanese version of Hana Yori. He's the guy in the character of Hanazawa Rui :)

Anyway, I happened to be at the same shopping mall where there was a fan meet-and-greet for the main cast of Black & White.

Look at that crowd. It was drizzling but the fans were there. Had to rush off for a prior appt tho, else I would have hung around a bit to try and get my very first fangirl moment in action ;P and to see how these stars look like in person of course. Oh well.

Have a good week ahead everyone!


----------------
Now playing: SS501 - Fighter
via FoxyTunes

Guerlain 2009 Summer Look Workshop

So, I attended the Guerlain workshop yesterday :)

There was a fairly big turnout, maybe around 30 participants if I'm not mistaken? The presenter was a trainer with Guerlain whose name I couldn't quite catch. The presentation started off with an introduction to the House of Guerlain - their history, their philosophy on perfumes, makeup and skincare.

Then it went on to showcase the summer collection. I've to say, the containers/packaging of the summer collection is LOVE *hearts* If you've used Japanese, French and cosmetics from various different places, you know how each brand reflects a certain cultural design aesthetic and sensibility? Well, Guerlain is pure French - thoughtful, whimsical, delightful.

Anyway, a volunteer was requested from the audience after which the trainer proceeded to showcase the various products from the summer collection. The products used were also passed around and I had the chance to test out the texture of various things as they came by. The textures were delightful for the creams and gels: light, not sticky, absorbs quickly and with a light fragrance. Now, you know I'm not a fan of scented stuff, so I could do without the fragrance but otherwise I was really tempted to break my shopping diet ;D

After the demonstration, we were invited to several different tables where mirrors and products were already prepared. Tissues, cotton buds were passed around for ladies who wished to remove their makeup and try on the summer collection.

I wandered around the various standees looking at the products on display. Had a tiring day and was abt to call it a night when my eyes rested on a small table by the side. There were testers available though no one was around to do any show and tell. Managed to get some questions through to the trainer as she passed by and realised this was the Terracotta collection.

I was very impressed by the design aesthetics and product textures of a few things which I tried. Being on a shopping diet, took some time before I convinced myself and surrendered to the siren's call of "Buy, buy, buy" ;P Finally narrowed down the list to 3 ;)

Here are the photos of what I got, the goodie bag and some photos from the evening. Enjoy!



Testing out the blue Kohl eyeliner for the summer range


Guerlain's summer collection


The colours for the summer KISSKISS stick gloss


My goodie bag


Samples galore - can't wait to try them out


The stuff I bought from the Terracotta collection


L-R: tinted lip balm, mineral eyeshadow in Holy Smoke, mineral eyeshadow in Paradise Sand


A thoughtful touch: a mirror hidden in the cap of the lip balm


The eyeshadow applicator got me: looks like a little cotton stub, oh-so-easy to apply


To find out more about Guerlain, click here.


----------------
Listening to: 이승기 (Lee Seung Gi) - Let's Go On A Vacation
via FoxyTunes

Oh WOW

Oh my, oh my, oh my.

I'm actually going to attend some beauty thingy!!!! *rubs eyes and looks at the email invite again*

Okies, for the more experienced beauty bloggers out there, it may be a small thing n they may be inviting like tons of people n stuff, so cool it girl. But for a noob like me, it's quite a big deal. Esp when I wasn't expecting it.

Let me backtrack a little. Y'all know I get email updates from Cozycot ya. So I got a little excited when I received a news update that there's going to be a makeup workshop for Guerlain where we get to check out the summer collection and maybe have some hands on? I'm like, yes, I wanna go!

So, emailed my registration. And guess what? Got an email reply which I reproduce here in its entirety:
-----
Dear Cotter,

Thank you for your registration.

Selected cotter will receive an separate email confirmation from CozyCot. Attendance is strictly by email confirmation. Walk-in will not be entertained.

With love,
CozyCot Crew
-----

Oh ok. So how does the selection go? Do I have to be like one of the really "subscribed-to" bloggers or something? With this in mind, I basically forgot abt this event. To be plain, I thought no way I'd get selected.

So, here I am, on a Friday afternoon in the office: doing wat I need to do at work, waiting for my weekend, checking my emails. Then I got this:



Woot! ;) Maybe I should print this out in case they sent it to the wrong person?

I wonder if I'm allowed to take photos? hehehe...

Now I'm really looking forward to next Fri too.

Have a great weekend everyone!


----------------
Listening to: Lisa Ono 小野リサ - Caravan
via FoxyTunes

Enprani All that BB

Discovered this Korean brand, Enprani, while queuing up at the 7-eleven store during my Taiwan trip ;) Have never seen this brand before even though it is supposedly the 4th best selling brand in Korea.

It was a long queue, so I had ample time to read up the product description and its purported amazing qualities. Being an adventurous soul, (yep, despite my sensitive skin), AND someone irresistably drawn to bb creams ;P I decided to give it a try.

These were what I bought:




Went to Enprani's site for more details and discovered Son Dambi is their spokesperson for the cosme products! ;) I think she's quite cute and a really good dancer. Those who watched WGM (We Got Married, a Korean reality variety show) will know what I mean.

I wore All that BB over the weekend and didn't have an allergic reaction. This had whitening properties, SPF PA 25++ and is oil free.


This bb cream came in a creamy texture, not paste-y at all. I liked that the cream was very light weight and went on smoothly. It felt like I was wearing nothing at all. However, coverage is quite light, so you've been warned. I wear it to even out my skin tone and have some sun protection for my skin.

What I didn't like was the floral scent when I first put on the product. It wore off as I went about my day, so that's not a biggie.

Will post on the Super Aqua BB cream next time :)


----------------
Listening to: 이승기 (Lee Seung Gi) - Because She's My Girl
via FoxyTunes

Makeup looks inspired by BOF/BBF

Something related to fangirling today :) Boys before Flowers (or Boys over Flowers) was a very popular Korean drama which ended some time in April. Came across this article on the latest spring make-up trend in Korea, inspired by popular drama Boys before Flowers.

These 4 looks are: Flower Pink, Romantic Violet, Bohemian Orange and Tropical Green. As their names suggests, each look will be anchored by its namesake colour.

Read more here.


----------------
Now playing: Scouting for Girls - She's so Lovely
via FoxyTunes

Wonderful haul from Tokyo & Seoul

A big thank you to lovely Aichaku of Beautification and Bittenbefore of Welcome to my everyday for these wonderful things :)


This post has been some time in coming. Sorry I couldn't take better photos of the hauls.

As you know, Aichaku had just been to Tokyo and both Bittenbefore and Aichaku have been travelling to Seoul. Well, I was one of their lucky beneficiaries from their shopping hauls :) I've heard so much abt DHC, so I jumped at the chance to get something from the range when they offered to help with my shopping list.




This is the Q10 travel kit. It comes in a lovely gold pouch *hearts* and the little bottles are so CUTE. It's a good opportunity for me to try out the range n I can also use this for travel too.


I've heard much abt the DHC Cleansing Oil, so this was another must buy.


And these my friends, is the amazing Hanskin haul from Seoul courtesy of Aichaku. She is such a good shopper. Lookit all that full-sized BB creams and loads of samples. The BB creams with Blemish Cover and compact powder came in one special set, while I was told that the Hanskin SAs were really generous with their samples. I could just stare n sigh in happiness for a loooong time :)


As if these aren't enough, I got another surprise - a beautiful floral patterned emery board. A souuvenir from Seoul, courtesy of Aicaku. This is too pretty to use! I think every girl should have one of these. It makes me feel like a princess whenever I use it to file my nails.

I've to play catch up on my reviews as I've been so pampered by these wonderful people around me. Shall post reviews as soon as I'm done admiring the stuff ;P


----------------
Listening to: 김범 - 지금 만나러 갑니다
via FoxyTunes

I spy with my little eye: Biore Pore Pack

Saw these interesting little things while out at lunch yesterday. Sorry if the photos are a little blurred. That's the best my mobile's camera can do.

Sweet peach and White grape; fruity flavours direct from Japan. Just in time for summer, don't you think? ;)

We don't actually have distinct seasons here. It's more of cool n rainy weather, hot weather, hot n rainy weather, even hotter weather ;P June, July are generally the hottest months of the year. It also coincides with most of the school holidays, so it's the closest we get to summer here.

I'm looking forward to wearing my summery frocks!


----------------
Listening to: Lisa Ono 小野リサ - Fly Me To The Moon
via FoxyTunes

Random post

Something random for today.

I'm looking forward to the looooooooong weekend! There're tons of things I've to catch up on and organise. Let's see ...

• I've to take photos of all my stuff from my Taiwan haul. Have been wanting to share with you but just couldn't keep up, wat with work and stuff. Perhaps it's also part denial - I can't believe I bought so much! Yikes.


• Review on my mascara haul. Can I confess something? Other than the 2 Rimmel mascaras, I also bought 3 other different mascaras. Oops.


• Sort out my bags


• Take photos, take photos, take photos

Sorry to sound fussy, I've just a thing abt light (or the lack thereof). There's this love-hate relationship with the sun. I'm glad when the sun's out in full force (yay, brilliant photos) but then again it can get really hot :( I'm not very enthusiastic abt taking photos at night as my room light looks really harsh and I'm not that good a photographer to work around that. So.

Weekend!!!!


----------------
Now playing: Carrie Underwood - Just A Dream
via FoxyTunes

Eyelash treatments

So with my mascara haul, I thot I'd check out some eyelash treatments as well. You know, things which make the eyelashes grow lusher and longer. Being an Asian (or a Chinese rather), my lashes are rather stick straight and not as long as I'd like them to be. I also tend to have problems getting eyelashes to curl. The best I've ever done so far was to go for an eyelash perm, but that can't be a long term solution, can it?

Came across the Foltene Eye Lash & Brow Treatment while surfing online. Has anyone tried this? Does it work?

I'd be interested to hear any other tips or products to try for eyelashes. Do share :)


----------------
Listening to: 이승기 (Lee Seung Gi) - 다 줄꺼야
via FoxyTunes

Rimmel is in Singapore

At Watsons Ngee Ann City to be exact.

Sorry I've no photographs to show as I was too busy talking to the friendly SA. And ok, I confess: I was also too shy to whip out my camera phone while there's an SA around.

There was just a standee within Watsons but I thought the range was rather comprehensive, though I don't think it's the entire range. I did see the entire minerals range; the full range of mascaras; most of the lipsticks and glosses plus the eyeshadow palettes. I'm not a very foundation nor blush kinda girl, so sorry, really didn't pay attention to that.

I bought the Extra Super Lash Waterproof Mascara in black ($13.90) and the Sexy Curves Mascara ($17.90) also in black ;P

What intrigued me really were the different brushes, the pricing (!) and of course their claims to give me the best lashes everrrr... :) *hiaks hiaks*

Will try to post reviews soon.


----------------
Now playing: Sara Bareilles - Gravity
via FoxyTunes

Diorshow Iconic Extreme

Received this in my mailbox today: Seems like this is finally making it to our shores!

What caught my attention was the claim that it is totally rinsable with no eye makeup remover needed. Now that, I have to see for myself.

This product will be launched on 1 May at Raffles City. Read more about the product on Dior's website.


----------------
Now playing: 바이준 (ByJun) - 당신의 사랑이 늘 행복하기를...
via FoxyTunes

Hanskin Magic BB Cream

Got this as part of my Taiwan haul. There's been many reviews on this, so I won't say too much. Sufficient to say, I LOVE this. It's creamy (creamier than Lotree or Skin Food); it spreads well; doesn't irritate my skin, in fact it feels comforting my skin when I spread it; covers well ... and the list goes on.

I wanna try the Caviar Gold BB Cream! :) Did you know they also have a night BB cream as well? I thought that's really cool ;) Check out the site here.


----------------
Now playing: SS501 - 하얀사람
via FoxyTunes

Reviews and stuff from Taiwan

What with work and being sent on courses by my company and family (yes, my mum said I don't talk as much to her as before ... go figure) and stuff ... whew, I feel like a juggler with many balls in the air. The past week got me thinking on this blog and my myriad posts. Plus my hauls from Taiwan and some presents and the arrival of some other hauls, I think I've a lot of material to blog on til like, June? July? ;)

Anyway, was thinking that, henceforth, I'll share more reviews on stuff that I really like and leave out the so-so stuff. Unless it's stuff that's really BAD, which I think I've to put the word out in my little corner of cyberspace too ;)

Here's some photos I took on my recent Taiwan trip. Believe me, I thot I was in heaven ;) Enjoy and have a great week!

This was the DFS counter at the airport before I boarded the plane to Taiwan. Had my first struggle here: should I start buying stuff now, or should I wait for Taiwan in a few hours' time? *kekeke*

A Victoria's Secrets section I came across at DFS. Arrrggghhh, lookit, pretty packaging n PINK!

My Beauty Diary Strawberry special pack for Valentine's Day, consisting of Strawberry Yoghurt mask, Whitening Pearl mask and Eye mask. I saw this at Cosmed, one of my fave shops in Taiwan. At that point in time, I did not have any luggage space left, so don't ask me why I didn't buy this. I'm still sorta kicking myself!

Have you ever regretted not buying something?


----------------
Listening to: 8eight - 참지마
via FoxyTunes

Taiwan makeup haul

I've been really busy at work and getting home late. Don't get to see the sun much these couple of days! Thot I'd better post a quick pic of some of my makeup hauls from Taiwan while I can.

Sorry the lighting's so bad.

This is a tiny fraction of what I bought. Guess you can tell I bought a lot of lippies and BB creams. Had read so much abt Nanoce and Hanskin, couldn't pass up the opportunity when I saw them ;P Almost wanted to cart the entire Lavshuca standee back wif me but common sense prevailed plus I've never ever tried this brand b4, so thot I'd better err on the side of caution. Tho now that I'm back, I wonder, why didn't I buy more?! Lol.


----------------
Listening to: T-MAX - 나쁜 마음을 먹게해 (Ballad ver.)
via FoxyTunes

Too Faced Vintage Sale

In some other news, Too Faced is having a mega sale online until Apr 6 for their vintage vault items. Should I or should I not? Ah... decisions.

Check it out here.


----------------
Now playing: 范逸臣 - Love Story
via FoxyTunes