Blogshop review: VANITYdrive

WE HAVE A NEW CONTENDER IN THE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY.

Vanitydrive is a new blogshop that brings in apparels that are unique and that will cater to different tastes and wants!

Apparels are also priced affordably. No more "siao, why like that also cost S$35!" scenarios. Their snuggly knit (from their latest collection) is priced at only S$23.50. HOW AFFORDABLE IS THAT?! Some blogshops think that knits should be overpriced and attach ridiculous pricetags on their knits, like S$30 for a freaking simple knitted top. NOT WITH VANITYDRIVE! YAY TO THEM FOR THAT!

Fabulous clothes with commendable quality at good prices. What more can you ask for?

"WE LIVE NOT ACCORDING TO REASON, BUT ACCORDING TO FASHION."

A rather apt tagline, I must admit. For us girls (at least most of us), fashion forms a majority of our lives; not to just look and feel good, but to live.

Vanitydrive is an up and coming blogshop that promises to bring "different styles to suit different girls' needs" and "to make every girl gorgeous".

They have just launched with their third collection "Ho, Ho the Mistletoe!", and its filled with gorgeous lounging sweaters in a variety of colours, reversible special-event-appropriate dresses and a chic and edgy black dress. Though the collection is a tad small compared to other blogshops, but it sure does cater to different girls' needs!

You have the comfy sweaters for girls who want to feel comfortable yet still look good. You have the fitting dresses for girls who need to attend important events. You also have an innovative black dress with asymmetrical hem for them edgy girls!

Certainly, this new collection is comparatively small but addresses every tastebud!

OK, PICTURE TIME! :)

This is my favourite out of this collection. Simple black dress that is brought to a whole new level! Put on a pair of killer heels or statement wedges and you are good to go to impress the crowds wherever you are!

Some items from their previous 2 collections are still available, and I'm loving this cardigan from their second collection! :) They also have it in white! Do check out their website for availability!

Here's their blogshop link: http://vanitydrive.livejournal.com/

The owner was very kind to allow me to choose 2 apparels for myself! :) Since I loved Jaime Knitted Sweater in Blood Red so much, I had to choose it!

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the knitting of the cardigan. The material is also super soft and I feel like hugging myself to sleep after wearing it.

Though I must admit, it's a wee bit too thick and warm for the fickle Singapore weather. Certainly not to be worn during sunny days! Good for rainy days or those trips to the movies! Or those horribly cold lecture theatres.

This leather trimmed blazer/cardigan is from Vanitydrive's first ever collection and I must say it's a definite keeper! Even my younger sister has been stealing it from my wardrobe ever since she tried it on when it first came in the mail!


I was quite scared that Leather Trim Shrug in Mustard will not fit me since I'm not that petite-sized. However, it fits perfectly, and no it doesn't fit snug! I don't feel self-conscious wearing it! YAY!

The sleeves are also leather-trimmed at the end. Such killer details are definitely what I look for in my kind of clothes. :)

The leather-trimmed collar is quite a new thing; I had to take a litte more time to get used to it. Maybe it's the cutting, or maybe it's my shoulder shape, or maybe because it's brand new; the leather is still very stiff and so it kind of hurts a little bit when I try to crane my neck upwards. I believe wear and tear will do some good though. :)

They also had it in a deep emerald green colour, but I figure mustard will be more on track with the current trends and mustard also allows better contrast for the leather trimmings!

Do take a look at this new but certainly not boring blogshop!

Website: http://vanitydrive.livejournal.com/

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/VanityDrive/311408592211597?sk=wall

Vanitydrive is currently having an awesome promotion! You can get a 10% off your entire bill just by doing these simple steps!

1. Like Vanitydrive's facebook page to be a fan of the page.
2. Like and share the latest collection's album.
3. Printscreen the image as it appears in your newsfeed and attach the JPEG image along with the payment notification.
4. GET 10% OFF YOUR TOTAL PURCHASE! :)

Disclaimer: Jaime Knitted Sweater in Blood Red and Leather Trim Shrug in Mustard were sent to me, courtesy of Vanitydrive, for review purposes.

OOTD (15 December 2011)

To celebrate the boyfriend's survival of reservist (actually there's nothing to celebrate since it's quite slack. Haha. Just finding all kinds of reasons to commemorate something!) we went to Vivo City for a good Hongkong dinner at Central Restaurant. It was really quite awesome. Good prices some more. The only qualm I had about it was that the mango desert was way too bland :(

We went to chill at Vivo City's rooftop afterwards! The skyline of Sentosa was quite magnificent.

Gonna have as many dates as possible with the boyfriend because after Saturday, I will be gone till 27th. My gosh. :(

Anyway, breakdown of the outfit!

Top: Gmarket
Shorts: H&M
Shoes: Covet @FEP
Bag: H&M
Necklaces: Talisman @FEP
Bangle: H&M
Rings: Thrifted online

OOTD feat H&M ALL OVER :D

It's 7.55am and I'm already in the bus going to school. I have been helping a senior of mine with her group's FYP production, in terms of makeup lah, what else can I do? Today's the second day and I'm rather excited to go back to my passion again. Yesterday was fun but I did makeup on two guys only, so the GAN JUE not there yet. Haha.

I was fixing myself this morning, randomly pulling out the apparels out of my closet because I woke up late (nothing new there) and when I walke out of the house, I realised I'm all decked in H&M! :)

Sweater: H&M
Shorts: H&M
Shoes: Mimosa (FEP)
Bangle: H&M
Necklaces: Gmarket + Talisman (FEP)

HAVE A GOOD DAY EVERYONE! :D

Noob in the industry

Selling my unwanted stuff on facebook can be quite addictive. My sister is the real expert in this area. She helped me sell 8 items in under 15 minutes. She's mad good!

Vivi January 2012 issue

Look at the gorgeous Ayumi Hamasaki gracing the cover once more. This woman knows no sign of ageing, or practically the entire female population of Japan knows nothing about ageing.

I have officially jumped onto the "fake-collar" bandwagon because I don't have a fat neck (unlike the rest of this temple) and so LOVE THEMM.

Mission: buy loads of blazers. LOADS.

Review: ELF 32-piece Eyeshadow Palette (Warm #10601)

There is no logic behind why a woman needs so many eyeshadow palettes, especially neutral palettes. SIMPLY NO LOGIC.

We don't need them palettes, but we want them palettes, so what to do? Satisfy your desires before you go cuckoo. Wise advice from the ever-rational me.

I shall stop chattering and start the review proper.

I bought the ELF 32-piece Eyeshadow Palette from Smoochiezz Flea for S$15. Yes it is more expensive than the retail price on elf.com, but ohwell, I get it instantly without having to wait for long, dreary shipping. IT IS WORTH THE MONEY, GUYS.

The reason why I bought yet another neutral palette: there is no reason. Or maybe just because I'm obsessed with neutral shades. That is all.

Seriously - the original palette is as striking as this one, but I'm talking about practicality here. I will probably try to be creative twice or thrice a month, popping some colours onto my eyelids and looking all cheerful and artsy. But the other 90% of the time, I wake up late, have barely enough time to mask myself with all the products and then have to zoom out the house before I get TOO late. These occasions call for simple colours that still can give a wee bit energy to your eyes. THAT IS WHY NEUTRAL SHADES ARE GOOD.

Look at these colours!! *spasms*

It comes with a long mirror and a double-ended sponge-tip applicator. The mirror is a pleasant surprise. Big and handy!

I divided the palette into the first 16 on the left, and then the next 16.

Here is a clearer photo of the first 16 GORGEOUS colours.

Swatches for the first 16 colours, under flash.

The next 16 colours. Colours on the bottom row are so suitable to be used as eyeliners! Just dip a wet angled eyeliner brush and apply on lid! :)

Swatches of the next 16 colours, under flash.

Pigmentation: ELF eyeshadows are always a joy to work with. The lighter shades are a little bit less pigmented, but not to the extent that they are horrible. Layering still can give the full-blown effect.

Variety: I'm quite pleasantly surprised that ELF included so many matte shades for this palette. Not only that, the matte shades actually come out quite pigmented! Many cheap palettes include matte shades that BARELY give any colour even when swiped vigorously. This is different, and I must say this is a very, very remarkable feature of the palette. Another plus-point will be the few glittery shades included (actually, this palette only have one). Glittery shades are nightmares because the glitters go everywhere, even into your eyes (ouch) and THAT IS AWFUL. Good going ELF for not including an army of glitter eyeshadows!

Packaging: Not too big, not meagrely small. A good size to carry around in your makeup bag!

What is lacking: The double-ended sponge-tip applicators almost serve no purpose. I use it to clean the palette. Maybe include a sufficiently decent eyeshadow brush the next time? ELF US$1 eyeshadow brushes are extremely decent, so maybe include one of those?

Overall, this is a great palette to add to my neutral palette collection. Next to acquire: URBAN DECAY NAKED 2 PALETTE! (Perhaps a year from now or so...Oh well...)

Review: Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner (Limited Edition Design)

This set retails for S$29.90 at Watsons islandwide. I'm pretty sure most Watsons will have it, but just to be safe, maybe attack the more prominent stores.

This review is for the Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner.

I have reviewed the Dolly Wink Volume Mascara; you can read the post here or you can just scroll down to the next post. :)

Apparently this purple dotted design is a limited edition design from Dolly Wink! Quite cute, IMO. Combination of royal purple and turquoise is quite alluring!

It promises "smudge-proof, water, perspiration and sebum resistant" wear and easy removal. I must say, the product keeps to promises quite well!

The brush is VERY VERY VERY fine and thin. This facilitates control during application. However, this posed a certain problem for me.

I like to wear my eyeliner quite thick and so when I'm using this liquid eyeliner, I need to go over the area for quite a few times. Rather troublesome, especially when compared to my trustworthy UD pencil eyeliner that allows me to cover a larger eyelid area in one swipe.

The formulation of this eyeliner is quite runny when JUST applied. What surprised me (in a good way), is how fast it dries. In less than 5 seconds, the just-marked area was dry and after trying to wipe it away, it stayed put. PLUS POINTS.

Another thing that I was quite impressed is how pigmented the product is despite being in a pen form. I have a lot of bad experiences with pen-form eyeliners; they dried up too fast! Usually when I'm done with my eye, and I moved on to the next eye, the brush would be all dry and difficult to work with!

This was a dear to work with! :)

This is how black the eyeliner was. IT IS REALLY REALLY BLACK. HOORAH.

Flakiness: NONE AT ALL. This eyeliner is so crazily tough. Usually after a long day, you will start to get flakes on the lower lid area. With this eyeliner, my lower lid area stayed clean even after 12 hours of wear and NO touch-ups. Truly amazed.

Removal: Super easily removed with a good makeup remover. No pressure needed to remove it also.

There is one negative point though; since the eyeliner dries SO FAST, the moment you start reapplying on a previously applied area, the dried area may be removed by the brush. I don't know how to explain it better, but sometimes that leaves you with unsightly holes and you have specially attend to those areas - MORE TIME CONSUMING.

Holy grail liquid eyeliner? MAYBE not at the moment.

Review: Dolly Wink Volume Mascara in Black

I have my issues with Japanese mascaras. It all started with my second wand of mascara from Fasio. It was the mascara that made me realise how much more awake one could look using a mascara, and also the mascara that made me realise how tough it was to remove the mascara from my lashes. I literally had to pull my lashes to get those badass out of my lashes. Naturally, I lost quite a few lashes, and I got really scared of using Japanese mascaras.

That was around 6 years ago.

And I have bought Japanese mascaras over this period of 6 years, but I rarely utilised them because the truth hurts: they are a bitch to remove, even with specialised Japanese make-up remover (I SLAP YOU FASIO, YOUR EYE MAKE-UP REMOVER FREAKING SUCKED).

A few months back, Watsons had their members' preview event and of course because of my lovely schoolwork, I had to give it a miss. There was a big hoo-ha about the new Dolly Wink Mascara + Eyeliner set, and so many beauty bloggers were raving about the set! Of course, this calls for a wake-up call. I NEED A NEW WAND OF MASCARA.

This set retails for S$29.90 at Watsons islandwide. It was out of stock a few weeks back at prominent stores like Ngee Ann City branch, but I bought mine this week there and there were a lot of them in stock! SO GO GET THEM NOW! :)

The packaging is just major chio. Japanese cosmetic brands really put a lot of time and effort into their packaging. Everything always look cute or glamorous.

The smaller tube is the eyeliner that came together with the mascara in the set. That will be reviewed in a later post (which will be above this post, and which means if you read from the first post onwards, you have read the review on the eyeliner! HALO TO YOU! :D)

The wand is a strange one. The tapered brush shape at the tip allows for "easy application on the lower lashes, creating generous volume on the lower lid that is key to achieving the dolly look". Yes, that was word-for-word plagiarism from the above description.

Sadly, I have not tried the tapered tip on my lower lashes. I'm quite sure that it will work wonders though, because it worked wonders on the upper lashes!! This mascara made me a Japanese mascara CONVERT.

Let's see how it really works on my lashes! Note: I have curled my lashes using my Shu Uemura Lash Curler.

I apologise for the blur photo above. DAMMIT. But at least you can see how voluminous my lashes has become, and the formulation actually helped to keep the curl. Many mascaras just have weird, runny formulation that WEIGH DOWN the lashes. Boo those mascaras.

Let's take a look from the side!

Yes, I know it is gorgeous.

NOW LOOK AT IT FROM BELOW.

Nope, I don't really have such long lashes. This is the length given after two applications of the mascara. Quite impressed actually. HEH.

SO WHAT DO I THINK OF DOLLY WINK VOLUME MASCARA?

Formulation: It's the magical formulation of being in the middle of runny and dry. If I can use the word semi-molten to describe the formula, I would, but I can't since that will anger all the language hardcore fans out there. I shall leave it as being THE PERFECT FORMULATION which is not too liquid-y, and not too dry. Dry enough to hold the curl, liquid-y enough to prevent "spider lashes" from occuring.

Application: It was a breeze. Sometimes mascara wands have fat centres and those are the culprits for transfer during application - you try to apply as perfectly as possible, then you realise, URGH I have mascara on my eyelids too. The wand body for this mascara is a straight one (I shall refer to it as a boyish shape, compared to others which are more curvey, DO YOU GET IT NOW), and so application is less of a hassle since there's less risk of transferring to the eyelids now.

Longlasting?: YES IT IS. And I swear there is NO FLAKING AT ALL. This mascara is just magical in all levels. I applied it at 10 in the morning, noticed a little little less curl at around 2, and then when I removed it at 8, IT WAS STILL INTACT, NO SMUDGING WHATSOEVER.

Removal: Of course, I had to bitch about the same old thing. It is really quite hard to remove. However, the Biore Makeup Remover that I reviewed a few weeks ago is awesome in removing this! :)

HALO HOLY GRAIL JAPANESE MASCARA! :)