MAC Pro Longwear Concealer vs MAC Select Moisturecover NC30

I've tried many concealers before but didn't really have a particular favourite one until I found these MAC concealers - Pro Longwear and Select Moisturecover.

Review: Bare Escentuals Prime Time Foundation Primer Oil Control

I had a 20% discount voucher to spend at Sephora last month. I picked up 2 Essie top coats and a Bare Essentials Prime Time Foundation Primer Oil Control. I've never tried any face primer before besides Smashbox Primer that broke me out, I decided to give this one a try.

My Beauty Diary Natto Mask

My sister brought home plenty of My Beauty Diary masks when she went to Taipei for vacation in December. I managed to *steal* a few from her, one of them is the Natto mask.

According to My Beauty Diary, the natto masks offer nourishment and is highly effective in moisture retention. The sheet has a very faint smell of natto and it didn't bother me.



The sheet is thinner then other sheet masks I've tried before. There was plenty of essence on the mask and was little messy when the essence dripped as I put the mask on. I left it on for about 30mins. After removing the mask from my face, I put it on my neck for another 10mins. I slowly massaged and patted the remaining essence on my face dry.

The mask did what it say - moisturing and firming. My face was soft and moistured after using it. I could also feel the firmness on my skin. I used the mask before going to bed and I skipped my night moisturiser. When I woke up the next morning, my skin was still moistured after 8 hours and it wasn't oily.

It's my first MBD mask and definitely wouldn't be the last.

L'OCCITANE Rose des Neiges Hand Cream

I've been using L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Hand Cream for many years. I picked up Rose des Neiges Hand Cream last week after finishing my last one.



Rose des Neiges hand cream contains shea butter and rose oil. It keeps my hands moisture and soft and I love the lovely scent of white rose which isn't as heavy as many rose scented products I've tried before.



This hand cream comes in the normal 30ml tube, it fits perfectly in my little cosmetic pouch.

What's your favourite hand cream?

NOTD: Essence Where Is The Party?

I love Essence nail polishes. Not only they're cheap, they are also available in different fun colours. I recently picked up Where Is The Party?. What caught my attention was the duo chrome effect in the bottle! M was with me at that time, even he thought that was cool! My husband is absolutely fine with my nail polish collection because his mom is a nail polish lover too! :) She was the one who got me into all the gel nails and nail art years ago.

Where Is The Party? is a combination of metallic purple, olive green and grey with silver shimmers. I took the picture using a Nikon SB-400 Speedlight, flipped it up so it bounced off the ceiling instead of firing the flash directly to my nails so that it would show better colours of the polish.

From the photos below you can see the colours. Aren't they pretty? It's my first duo chromed nail polish. I hope Essence will make more of them.

2 coats give a perfect finish. The nail polish itself dries pretty fast. That's another reason why I love Essence.






I gave myself a little manicure. I used to get my nails done at the salon every 3 weeks before but have decided to DIY instead. Now I can't wait till my pinky nail grows longer again. It's so ugly.

Alverde Macadamia Nut Shea Butter Body Butter

I've been using Alverde Macadamia Nut Shea Butter body butter for almost 3 months now. I was a little skeptical and didn't know what to expect because I've never tried any dm brands before. By the way, dm is a German drugstore chain.

I love body butter but the only brand I've tried is The Body Shop. I bought a travel size to try out and I was immediately sold after my first use. The body butter is creamy and it absorbs into the skin quickly and isn't greasy.



I use it every morning after shower on my entire body. It's not heavily scented and it doesn't last long so I don't have to feel like a walking a giant macadamia nut. Ok, I'm exaggerating :) The body butter isn't heavily scented but it does have a faint nutty smell.



All Alverde products are natural and vegan friendly.

Chanel Lipsticks

I used to be a lipglosses only type of person. About two years ago, I started falling in love with lipsticks. I'm quite particular with the brands I go for because I can't stand some of the scented lipsticks! The smell is just too much for me.

My favourite ones are from MAC (need I say more?), Benefit, Rimmel and NYX. I've never tried any lipsticks from high-end designer brands before. When the department store nearby was having 50% off some selected Chanel cosmetics, I was thinking, why not?



I picked up Rouge Allure Adorable and Rouge Hydrabase Rose Rebelle. Believe it or not, Rouge Allure is US$51 and Rouge Hydrabase is US$49 here, outrageous price for a lippie! Anyway, I shouldn't be complaining too much because I got them at pretty decent prices :) One thing for sure that I'll never pay retail prices for Chanel lipsticks here.

Rouge Allure - Adorable
My first Chanel cosmetic ever! It's from the Rouge Allure Collection in 2009. Just like the name says, Adorable is adorable! It's a gorgeous soft pink - my type of colour.



Rouge Hydrabase - Rose Rebelle
After trying Adorable and how much I like it. I decided to stop by the department store to see if there's anything else I could grab when the sale was still on. I found Rose Rebelle and fell in love with the beautiful mid-tone rosy pink colour. I didn't have a similar colour like this one so I brought it home :) It was part of Chanel Spring 2009 collection.



Rouge Coco - Jersey Rose
I picked this one up from the duty-free shop in the airport on Tuesday. I paid US$31 for this one, I guess that's the normal price you lucky ladies in the US? I absolutely love the pink, slightly peachy tone. It's light and perfect for spring - I'll definitely wear this colour in the summer too.



It's weird to say I can't wait for my next business trip so that I get to buy more cheaper cosmetics. I'm pretty sure my wallet won't be very happy about it :)

Lush Smitten Handcream

I started using LUSH products since 2002. I love their bath ballistics and bubble bar slices. I've also tried Dream Cream and Dreamwash which are both great products. I was at LUSH in April to pick up some bath ballistics. The sales assistant recommended Smitten Handcream, I was told it worked very well for dry hands. I really liked the scent so I decided to give it a try.

It comes in a 100ml jar. Like Dream Cream, it's not that thick. I like handcream that isn't too heavy.

I was using this handcream religiously for one month and did not notice any difference. My hands were still dry, so I stopped using it.

I decided to give it another chance again. I use it more often and it really does moisturize my skin and keeps it soft. *thumbs up* 

What I don't like about this product?

- It's so greasy. 

Will I buy it again?

Maybe. I've read that LUSH is going to discontinue this product. I still see them at the LUSH store I usually buy my stuffs from last week. It's a great product but I've tried other handcreams that work really well on me, like L'Occitane Shea Butter Handcream which can be a little bit too pricey for its size.

Clarisonic Mia Review

I wash my face twice a day, exfolite twice a week and have facial in the salon once a month but I still feel that's not enough. I had pretty good skin before I started wearing makeup everyday in 2007. I occasionally have one or two pimples due to hormones. I've been struggling with breakouts since mid-2008. I didn't change my skin care or makeup but I keep getting pimples, especially on my cheeks.

I've seen a dermatologist who told me I've sensitive skin and should only use products that are gentle. I've tried different brands but none really worked, I still have breakouts! I read about Clarisonic on the internet in 2008. I never really paid attention on such products because I always thought they're such a waste of money. It was desperation that lead me to get one because I really didn't know what else I could do for my skin.

I was a little skeptical about this product. In the end, I decided to give it a try. Hubby was in the US again for business so I got him to go to Sephora to pick one up for me. It came with a charger, a sensitive brush and a travel size Clarisonic cleanser.

The sensitive brush is really gentle for me. The routine with the brush only takes 60 secs. I take it with me to the shower twice a day. I use my regular cleansers - Cetaphil in the mornings, La Roche Posay EFFACLAR Purifying Foaming Gel in the evenings. I noticed my skin's indeed softer after the first use. I don't have big pores and they aren't usually very visible so I don't really see any difference on my pores size.

I've been using Mia for 2 weeks now and I could see my skin is getting better. I was sitting in front of my vanity one morning, getting ready to put on some makeup, I noticed my kinda glowy skin. I'm no kidding! It's no longer as dull as it looked like before.

You've probably read that Clarisonic may cause breakouts when you first using it. It happened to me but it wasn't that bad. Before using Mia, I had a few black/white heads around my lower cheek and chin area, remember this post? The Body Shop Seaweed scrub did a great job removing a few of them but they kept coming back. My skin is now smooth and soft. It's definitely getting better, there are only a few acne scars.

I'm in love with my Mia. I can't imagine living without it. It's worth the money. Most importantly, it works and my skin condition is getting so much better.

Gosh Velvet Touch Eye Liner Waterproof

It's 10/10/10 today!! :) Happy Sunday, lovelies! It's sunny and surpringly not too cold today. DH is still in D.C this week, that explains why this weekend's been pretty boring for me. I can't wait till he's back home in a few days.

I don't wear full makeup everyday. My everyday makeup consists of foundation, powder, blush, lipstick, mascara and filling in my brows. When I'm not feeling extremely lazy, I'll wear eyeliner. I love them but I've watery eyes and oily lids. Non-waterproof eyeliners smudge and crease like crazy on me. That's why you'll find heaps of waterproof eyeliners in my makeup collection from high-end brands to drugstore brand like Gosh.

I was first introduced to Gosh cosmetics a few years ago. I read a lot of good reviews on Gosh Velvet Touch Eye Liners so I decided to give them a try. I only saw Gosh in the country once but I'd never buy anything from that drugstore because people would just open the products (not testers) and try them on. I've seen a few teenage girls who walked in to the store, took one of the mascara and started using them like nobody's watching. Gross, I know! That's why I prefer to shop at Tesco where most of the cosmetics are on locked display shelves. I haven't seen Gosh here for a long time and I guess it's been discontinued? I bought mine from Slovakia where DH is from.

How do I like Velvet Touch liners? They're great eyeliners for 6,50€. The liners are very pigmented, soft, creamy, glide on quite smoothly and waterproof! They're long-lasting and don't crease on my lids. They come in many colours but I only have a few of them. My mission is to get more colours the next time I'm in the store :)

Here are the colour swatches I currently own. I love 007 Alligator, it's my most recent purchase.

Are you a fan of Velvet Touch liners too?

Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass

When I first saw Viva Glam Cyndi lipglass swatches on some blogs, I knew I must get it. It was available launched on 1 October. When I saw Cyndi in person, I wasn't sure about the colour! I tried it on and wow!

Cyndi lipglass looks reddish coral. It does look bold in the tube, but when applied, it's not. I've very pigmented lips and Cyndi looks like a tinted lipgloss on them when I wear it alone. The other reason why I love Cyndi is the smooth texture and it's not as sticky as the usual MAC lipglasses.

Gaga lipglass is light blue pink but I prefer the lipstick. Do you know that 100% of MAC Viva Glam profit goes to MAC AIDS funds? If you're looking for some nice lip colours this fall, try the Viva Glam collections.

What are your favourite lip colours for fall?

The Body Shop Seaweed Pore-Cleansing Facial Exfoliator

I've tried several facial scrubs, including Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub and St.Ives Apricot Scrub Gentle. I didn't like St.Ives Apricot Scrub because it's a bit too harsh for me even the one for sensitive skin. It's been sitting in my bathroom cabinet for 3 years. When I tossed it in the bin last week, there was still 90% of the product in the tube.

I was at The Body Shop having the itch to buy something but didn't know what to get. Doesn't that happen to you too? The salesperson recommended this scrub so I decided to give it a try.

I've been using it twice a week and I really like it. It doesn't dry my skin and I find it quite gentle. I squeeze about 1cm of the scrub and apply it all over my face and massage gently in circular motion until it gets a bit dry and then rinse it with water. The particles are almost the same size, or maybe slightly smaller than Apricot Scrub but definitely finer and more gentle to the skin.

I was surprised the first time I used this scrub. It removed 3 of my white heads. I've been getting some white/blackheads on my chin area recently and I've no idea why! It also removes dead skin flakes which no other scrubs I've tried before without making my skin red.

Are you using this product too? How do you like it? Do you have any favourite scrub which you'll recommend me to try?

MAC Venomous Villain: Briar Rose Beauty Powder

I was eagerly anticipating the launch of MAC Venomous Villain and I finally saw the products in person yesterday. After seeing Kristie's swatches, I thought I'd go for Her Own Devices and Heartless. I wasn't sure about Heartless when I tried it on. Her Own Devices looks lighter than I thought and I was afraid it might not even show up on me. Devilishly Stylish, Toxic Tale and Strange Potion were eye-catchers for me. Bite Of An Apple is an unique blush but I didn't like it on me.

In the end, I went home happily with Briar Rose from Maleficent collection. It was love at first sight. I didn't have anything similar. I know it looks nothing close to Well-Dressed but it somehow reminds of me of the blush my MUA used on me on my wedding day. I knew she's used Well-Dressed but when I swatched it in the store, there's no way the blush would show up on my NC35 skin! She's probably used a darker shade under Well-Dressed.

Briar Rose is cool-tone, violet pink. It gives a very natural looks (light pink) when apply lightly on my cheeks. I think it will be great to use Briar Rose as a highlight with Stark Naked and Dollymix.

Etude House Dear Darling Gloss

I've heard about the Korean cosmetic brand, Etude House but have never tried any of their products. I have used some Asian skin care products but not the makeup.

A friend in Seoul sent us some care package last year. There were some instant spicy noodles (yum!), Korean snacks and a tube of Etude House Dear Darling Gloss 05.



Dear Darling Gloss isn't as sticky as the MAC lipglasses I'm used to. It's glossy, goes on pretty sheer peachy pink with a little shimmer and it's fruity scented. Sometimes I wear it alone as a lip shine over my lipbalm. I also like to wear it over MAC lipsticks like Gaga and Everhip.



Overall, it is a great lipgloss and the price is great. I would definitely grab a few of these glosses if I have a chance.

Kose Seikisho Mask White

Is this a white mask or a black mask? That's my question when I saw my sister using Kose Seikisho Mask White. According to her, it's the best mask she has ever tried. It was quite disgusting to put black goo on my face for the first time but it smells really refreshing.

What I like about it?

It works wonders, at least for me and my sister. I use it once a week. It removes white heads and dead skin flakes (I always look at the mask after peeling it off my face. Weird? I know!). After using this mask for a few months, I notice my skin is clearer and fairer and soft to touch :). I leave the mask on for around 20 mins for it to dry up. I always use Kose Perfect Clear Gel before applying the mask. I will write a review on this one later.

What I don't like about it?

Peeling it off does hurt. If you have low pain tolerance this product may be suitable for you. Be careful not to apply the mask near to your eyes area and always remove it slowly. I sometimes tear up removing the mask. I'll use a damp cotton pad to remove the rest of it.

Will I repurchase Seikisho Mask White?

Definitely.

NOTD: Orly Pure Petunia

Pure Petunia from Orly Bloom Spring 2010 collection. It's a mauve creme polish. When I first received it in mail back in April, I wasn't sure if it would go with my skin tone. I like the formula, it's creamy and goes on smoothly.

NOTD: China Glaze Hey Doll

China Glaze's Fall 2010 collection, Vintage Vixen is definitely my most favourite collection this year.

Hey Doll looks rosy brown (for me) with shimmers, a perfect colour for autumn. This one is a bit runny and you need at least 2 coats. I applied 3 coats and Seche Vite top coat.

Benefit Full-Finish Do Tell

Wearing a pink mauve lipstick had never came to my mind until my wedding day. My MUA used a lipstick from Inglot to go with my blush (MAC Well Dressed). I really loved the lip colour and I found a dupe from Sephora - Benefit Full-Finish Do Tell!

Do Tell is described as pink blossom on Benefit's website but it looks more like a darker pinkish mauve for me. It's a wearable colour, work-safe during the day and great for the evening.

Like the other two Full-Finish lipsticks I've reviewed earlier, Do Tell is creamy, richly pigmented and goes on smoothly. It's one of the best lipsticks I've bought this summer.

Sigma SS188 & Other Brushes

I have read a lot of raves about Sigma Makeup brushes and would really like to try them since the quality is comparable with MAC brushes. The SS188 I have been waiting finally became available recently. My order arrived a few days ago and I finally got the chance to try the brush out. What can I say? I'm loving it!

The brush is very soft and desnse. It shed a few It flares out and shed a few hair when I first washed it. I used it for applying NARS Deep Throat and was really pleased with the results! It picks up more colour than the other blush brushes I own.

The brush is $14 and $5.60 for international shipping. It only took 4 days for my brush to arrive.

These are my brushes I use to apply blushes I have collected over the years. From left to right. Sephora Professional Angled Blush #40: This brush is dense but it isn't soft enough for my liking. I use it when I'm in a hurry. Sigma SS188, need I say more? EcoTools blush brush: This one is soft and dense and does a great job. I like it but I prefer smaller brush because it is a little too big for me. Red Earth Blush Brush #2: This is one of the oldest brush in my collection! I bought it back in 2002 (ahh... those days in uni and Red Earth cosmetics). It's very soft and is still one of my favourite brushes. The brush started to shed when I use/wash it. It's old but I still love it, I carry it with me everyday in my makeup bag. MAC 187SE: I use this one for liquid foundation and blushes.

Here are some of my brushes, most of them are MAC.

I posted the following review on my old blog on 24 May 2009 when I first received Sigma SS188. It's my favourite brush for liquid foundation, I use it everyday and wash it after every use. It's still in a good shape though it does shed a hair or two sometimes.

Kose Junkisei Prime Mask

I went to Watson near to our hotel in Hong Kong to kill my time a few hours before leaving for the airport. M spotted some Kose Junkisei products and asked if I need them. I thought, why not? He doesn't read Chinese at all but he recognised the brand Kose because I am using a few Kose Sekkisei and Seikisho products.

I've never used any sheet masks before. I've been using Kose Seikisho Whitening mask for years and I love how it removes all the yucky black/white heads.

I found Junkisei Prime Mask highly effective masks. I left the mask on for 15mins, it left my skin hydrated, soft and not irritated! Junkisei line is suitable for sensitive skin. I like the scent too.

I've to Google the instructions in English to make sure I was doing the right thing. The instructions on the box are in Japanese and Chinese.


I don't remember how much I've paid for the box. I remember it was quite cheap. You can find Junkisei line at Sasa online.