Major Skincare Haul from philosophy! :D

1 May 2012 was a good Labour Day for me because I won a S$500 voucher from philosophy! If you are not familiar with the brand, it's a skincare brand started out in the States, and it's immensely popular with beauty bloggers and youtube beauty gurus. 

It's finally available for sale in Singapore now! Available at all Sephora counters! :D 

Website: http://www.philosophyskincare.sg/

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/philosophysg

Coming back to the topic of the awesome S$500 voucher that I won - OF COURSE I WENT CRAZY. 

There were so many terms and conditions attached to the vouchers, but it all went well and I was able to spend all S$500 in one go! Better now than later since the likelihood of me forgetting is quite high and the vouchers will expire on 30 June 2012! 

The miracle worker (philosophy calls their staff "miracle workers"!) at ION's Sephora philosophy counter was also a gem. I don't really remember her name, but she was really nice and full of smiles! :) 

Without further ado, here is my loot! 

I left Sephora feeling so freaking guilty because I have never spent so much money in one sitting in my life before. Oh my gosh. Technically I didn't pay a single cent, but I wasn't used to this sudden splurging. 

They also gave me 2 free philosophy pouches (full of mini philosophy products inside) for spending so much.

Here's a breakdown of what I got and their prices!

Purity made simple 3-in-1 cleanser for face and eyes - S$34 for 240ml
The microdelivery exfoliating facial wash - S$42 for 240ml

What was included in the free pouches. 90ml purity cleansers were S$17 each, I believe? The pouches were very sleek, and they're not those cheapo freebies other brands normally distribute. These pouches are sturdy and have compartments for different products. Even the zip feels different!

Purity made simple mineral oil-free cleansing oil for face and eyes - S$39 for 174ml

Hands of hope hand and cuticle cream - S$15 for 30 ml

Hope in a tube eye and lip firming cream - S$50 for 15ml

Turbo C booster powder - S$50 for 7.1g

You are supposed to mix this with your serum/oil-free or water based moisturiser and apply on your skin for the extra vitamin C boost! :D

STAR BUY: hope in a jar oil-free gel - S$59 for 60ml

Best moisturiser I have ever used so far (I received the trial size during the workshop and LOVED IT), this is especially good for oily/acne prone skin!

I may do individual reviews for the products but not in the short run because these need some time to work their magic!

YIPPIE YAY YAY! :D

Review: The Face Shop Make Me Star Waterproof Gel Liner

Another South Korean eyeliner that really surprises me with its longevity! 

You can find The Face Shop Make Me Star Waterproof Gel Liner here: http://list.gmarket.com.sg/item/THE-FACE-SHOP-THE-FACE-SHOP-LOVELY-ME-EX-MAKE/405777530

It's S$6.90 and available in so many different colours! Free shipping too, and the seller will throw in extra samples! :D 

Plus point: my favourite SNSD member, SeoHyun, is the face for The Face Shop, and especially this eyeliner!

For S$6.90, this is well worth your money. I dare say this eyeliner has almost the same amount of product as Urban Decay 24/7 liners. 

There's a smudger at the end of the brush, which is a nice touch especially if you want to do a subtle smokey eye.

I also realised the trick with using South Korean eyeliners. Many people always claim that these eyeliners are not as smudge-proof as they seem to be. However, that's because they meddle with the eyeliners before the eyeliners had the time to completely dry out.

I will elaborate further when I show you guys the swatches!

Also, this product lasts for 18 months after date of first usage.

I think I'm going to start labeling my cosmetics with the dates that I first use them, and the dates that they expire. I don't want to risk using expired products on my skin!

The product itself looks like the normal pencil eyeliners.

The difference is what makes the name "Make Me Star", this is an eyeliner that has glitter particles in it! It's not so obvious and not over the top, but it's good when you need delusional moments, or moments when you want to feel fabulous.

Swatches under sunlight

Swatches under camera flash

Now here's the part about the importance of waiting and South Korean eyeliners. YOU JUST NEED TO GIVE IT A GOOD 5 MINUTES ON ITS OWN, and it's good to go for the entire day.

I wasn't patient at first, and started scrubbing 1 minute or so after application, and so I got myself into a smudgey mess, as seen below.

Swatches under camera flash - smudged after 1 minute or so

And then I thought to myself: why not scrub some more after 5 minutes?

I got carried away. Haha. I scrubbed my hand again around 20 minutes after application, and OMG it didn't budge AT ALL, NO MATTER HOW HARD I SCRUBBED.

This is crazy.

Swatches under camera flash - smudged a good 20 minutes later

I tried this eyeliner on my eyelids already, and it's actually rather awesome, and a VERY economical substitute to my HG Urban Decay eyeliner in Zero.

Many of you must be thinking of the hassle, WHY NEED TO WAIT? SO TROUBLESOME.

If you want to take the easy way out, then get panda eyes lor, simple as that.

It's not a hassle anyway; I applied it, finished my makeup routine, and then blew dry my hair and changed into my work attire, and it dried up in the process. So I don't see how waiting can be cumbersome.

Pigmentation-wise - nothing to whine about. ABSOLUTE BRILLIANCE. Got star some more, bling bling!

Will I buy this again?

• OF COURSE. I'm ordering some more as I'm typing now. YAY TO OTHER COLOURS. MORE MORE MOREEEEE. 

Shiseido Sale Haul!

SALE SALE SALE. Just nice pay just in. :D

It's at the building that houses H&M. You walk past the H&M window display, and you will see a glass door. Just take the lift to the 12th floor and you will see the Shiseido office!

I went with Chay Teng and we reached the location at around 1220pm. There was already a queue to go in, which is rather good as this meant some sort of crowd-controlling was present. Bags were not allowed in, and so the staff there helped to distribute number tags for bag storage.

Both of us went in after 15 minutes of waiting, and madness ensued.

There is NO politeness and courtesy at places and events like this one. I think people start to throw aside their values once they step into the arena.

Anyway, let's not talk about rude bitches.

HAUL TIME.

It wasn't a very good sale, to be honest. I expected more colours to be available. For example, my trusted ZA foundation was on sale at 3 for S$12 (!!!) but they only had it in #20, which is like the palest colour. =_=

More colours were available for the more expensive brands, but overall, it wasn't a die-die-must-go-and-disseminate-wealth kind of sale. Go if you really want to stock up on your usual stuff.

I got myself some ZA skincare stuff. I love the fragrance of ZA skincare products, so why not? They were going at 1for S$5, 3 for S$12!

I also needed some foundation as I'm running out of my ZA (HOLYGRAIL) foundation. Got myself the Maquillage pressed foundation set for S$30. This retails for S$88 in stores (S$63 for the foundation, S$25 for the casing. SERIOUSLY?!).

I also got myself the Shiseido AQUALABEL Liquid Foundation for S$8. It retails for S$25.50.

I'm quite scared to try the cosmetics out because I don't want them to be to white on me! ARGH. PLEASE LET IT BE A GOOD MATCH!

Anyway, the sale is still on tomorrow! GO GO GO (only if really needed, I don't really think it's worth it if you don't lack anything).

:D

Review: Etude House Surprise Essence Concealer

I'm rather obsessed with finding the perfect concealer these few weeks because I couldn't find my Holy Grail NYX photoready HD concealer anywhere!! :( 

I saw the Etude House Surprise Essence Concealer on sale on Qoo10 (or Gmarket) and I couldn't pass it up! It's no longer on sale now, but the price of S$8.90 is still fantastic! The seller will deliver the item to you in a week's time and she threw in some samples in the package too! 

Here's the link: http://list.gmarket.com.sg/item/ETUDE-HOUSE-ETUDE-HOUSE-SURPRISE-ESSENCE-CONCEALER/402676050

This is available in 2 colours: Light Beige and Natural Beige. I think most girls I know will fit Natural Beige; Light Beige is for very very fair-skinned girls (those lucky vampires!)

The applicator is the typical doe foot applicator that normal liquid cosmetics use. I like this kind of applicators better than the brush type because you can control the amount of product with this more. Brushes are a nightmare - you dip it in, you apply it, you get a huge dollop of product.

The consistency of this product is more to my liking. It's thicker than normal liquid concealers, and a teeny bit less thick than cream concealers. It's actually a very good concealer for everyday usage or days when you don't need ultimate ZAPZAP coverage.

I noticed that this covers large pores and under-eye circles VERY well. PLUS POINTS!

Usually after you apply concealer under your eyes, you check whether it's good enough by adjusting your head into a looking-down position, and then you see if you still can see grey areas under your eyes. With this, I actually didn't get much grey areas! Major love!

Swatch under photo flash

Swatch half blended

Swatch fully blended

Overall, I'm quite happy with this concealer. It's cheap, and it does what it's supposed to do! It's not the most fantastic concealer in the world, in terms of coverage, but sometimes you gotta let your skin breathe a little bit more!

Will I buy it again?

• Yes! I actually am tempted to get a few more as backups (I go through concealers rather quickly. Too much junk on my face, OHWELL). It's not a huge-ass concealer as well! The packaging is rather different that usual concealers because it's longer and narrower, hence it will fit in most makeup pouches! GO GO GO GET YOUR OWN NOW! :)

Review: Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer

I first saw the Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer on dulcecandy's youtube video and she was raving about how good the concealer was! 

Of course I was stoked! I'm the concealer-holic girl - I don't step out of the house without concealer applied because the atrocity underneath is too much for others to handle. So, hey! I'm doing them a favour!

This retails at Watsons for under 20 bucks. 

I especially like products that try to be more skin-friendly by adding minerals, vitamins or other goodness for the skin!

This concealer has a slightly runnier consistency than normal liquid concealer. I'm definitely not used to it because I'm accustomed to the thick consistency of cream concealers.

Because it is so runny, it doesn't really conceal very well. I would say this would be a fantastic concealer for girls that experience no acne problems on their skin and only have redness that they have to conceal. For those looking for a heavy-duty concealer that covers spots and breakouts properly, you might want to give Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer a skip.

Swatch under camera flash

Half blended out

Completely blended out

This concealer is definitely a no-no for me. I have acne scars and so I DEFINITELY need to cover them up to look ultra fabulous. All this does, is give the ever so slightest coverage - even a BB Cream covers more than this concealer.

However, I realised this is really good for under eye circles. It's a runny concealer, hence it blends out really really easily - no tugging and pulling the sensitive under-eye area!

Will I buy this again?

• Nope...well perhaps unless my skin miraculously clears up or something, because I'm quite sure the micro-minerals do some good to my skin right? Right now, it's just collecting dust in my cosmetics cabinet, I tossed it aside right after 2 usages. Oh dear. 

KORRES now available online! (Singapore only)

For KORRES fans in Singapore, the brand is now available online! More convenience for the women (and men) on the go! 

Visit the online shop here: http://www.korresasia.com/  

Currently, they are having a promotion - Receive free shipping with S$50 nett or more spent!

Or you can like their facebook page to get more updates, promotions and discount codes: 

http://www.facebook.com/korresasia 

Right now I'm eyeing the following:

Pomegranate Cleansing Wipes: http://www.korresasia.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=66

Pomegranate Cleansing Mask: http://www.korresasia.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=68

And the Tropical Set, which consists of minis Mango Showergel, Coconut Body Milk and Guava Body Butter: http://www.korresasia.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=237

I like how physical shops are gradually easing into the online shopping arena. Convenience for busybees!
GO GO GO! :D

Payment method: I tried using a guest account, and I was able to pay using PayPal only. According to the website, if you have an account with them, you can pay using your trusted credit card! :)

Lemming: Sephora Set for Summer

This Sephora Set for Summer is too perfect for those who want to try out best-selling items from the popular brands before buying the full-sized products.

This retails for US$39 (a US$135 value), and can be found here: http://www.sephora.com/set-for-summer-P288548?skuId=1332717 

In this kit, they have a "10-piece collection of must-haves for a golden and glowing summer":

1. 0.07 oz full-size Sephora Collection Mono Eyeshadow in Choco Excess 19 (dark chocolate with silver glitter)
2. 0.13 oz Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Dusk
3. 0.08 oz Too Faced Mini Peach Leopard Brightening & Perfecting Bronzer
4. 0.125 oz Sephora by OPI nail colour in I'm Wired (opaque electric coral red)
5. 0.08 oz Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment (sheer berry rose in pink case)
6. 0.18 oz Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold Make-Up Base
7. 0.10 oz Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes! Mascara in Black
8. 0.34 oz Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Make-Up Setting Spray
9. 0.20 oz full-size Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Pop (cool pink)
10. Sephora signature makeup bag

Simply must-have! So I'm going to purchase this through an awesome friend! (yes eve talking about you! :D)

Obsession with Earrings

I'm obsessed with earrings. My hair covers my ears 99.9% of the time. I don't really know how my brain works. 

Below are some of my favourite earrings from Forever21.com, asos.com and topshop.com!

Three very obvious trends that I love:

1. Gold embellished earrings
2. Earrings with one primary loud colour (turquoise, lavender, highlighter yellow, etc)
3. The above 2 combined together.

TO DIE FOR!!