OOTDs, Best Boyfriend Award, Pink Dot and Catching Up

I think the most likely reason why I started taking OOTD photos again is I want to proof to myself that I can buy new clothes AND wear them. Seriously, I have way too many clothes that still have their tags on. It's a terrible habit, so I must start to wear all of them!! 

But then hor, I think I'm being overzealous last week because I have lost the steam this week. It's back to comfortable tops and jeggings for me. Alamak how leh like that!! :S 

Dress: Zalora
Vest: Uniqlo
Bag: Taobao
Shoes: ASICS 

Blouse: Uniqlo
Vest: ZARA
Shorts: H&M
Bag: Taobao
Shoes: Puma

Shirt: GU Japan
Vest: Something Borrowed (from Zalora)
Culottes: GU Japan
Shoes: WOO! (from Zalora)

Shoes: Zalora

Wow, I really like shopping on Zalora huh? 

Kengyang went to South Korea for his grad trip and being the nice girlfriend that I am, I told him to just get me 2 Laneige BB Cushion refills and a few masks. 

I guess Kengyang and friends had too much time on their hands because they went crazy shopping at the drugstores. He whatsapped me every single time they were in new shops and remarked on how crazily cheap the sheet masks were. So yes, Kengyang and friends went a little bit overboard in terms of sheet mask and aloe vera gel purchases. But hey I'm not complaining because I get immediate benefits, as seen above. :D 

I really need to go to South Korea for all the amazing beauty and skincare products!

And being the amazing boyfriend that he is, Kengyang also bought me Big Bang socks. :) 

Attended Pink Dot with dorabanana and I really enjoyed the positive energy and overflowing love from everyone! I accidentally tripped and hit a lady but instead of the usual and expected TSK + eye roll, I got a "Are you okay!!!". Everyone is happy for everyone. I love it! 

When I posted this photo, I expected a couple of family members (who always like my Instagram photos) to not like it. And indeed, that happened. But hey, that's their opinion and I respect that. Even though these family members do not approve of homosexuality, they don't go around preaching about how sinful it is either. 

As a Catholic, I have been taught that homosexuality is a sin. As my own being, I do not think homosexuality is a sin. 

Also, people who are using religion as weapons - who are you to judge? 

Did you completely ignore Romans 2:1? 

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 

How about Luke 6:41-42?

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

John 8:7?

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

(all using NIV)

THERE ARE MANY MANY MORE. Don't ignore and just read things that you want to read leh. Selective reading means you don't know your religion entirely. How do you call yourself a follower of that religion then? 

If you have unpleasant things to say at this point, please exit the page and proceed somewhere else. Bye bye. 

Ending off this post with a photo of Shangying and I. We met up a couple of weeks ago for dinner and it was a great catch-up session. The last time I saw her was probably more than a year ago, so it was much-needed meetup!

Have a great week ahead guys! :) 

Review: Laneige BB Cushion [Pore Control] in 23 Sand Beige

I used to think of the BB Cushion concept as "just another gimmick that wouldn't work". Obviously I was very wrong because right now, I can't think of a better way to apply liquid foundation or BB cream. The magic is in the cushion puff used to apply the product. I used up my Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion but I didn't want to stop using the puff so I used it to blend out my favourite Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation. Best decision ever because the puff and the patting motion resulted in a well-blended, no-streaking application. 

I now have purchased back-ups of the puff ONLY because the puff seems to work well with almost all of my base products. 

But of course, that didn't stop me from trying out more cushion products. I'm now more wary of trying out these BB cushions because most of the available ones in the market are targeted towards dry to normal skin users. There are very few that are formulated for those with oily skin, hence when find one, I will get it. 

The Laneige BB Cushion is not a new product - it's probably the most talked-about BB cushion in the beauty industry. It's like the Naked palette of South Korea. Cult product status. However, the original formulation was more for those with dry to normal skin types. I've read a multitude of positive reviews on the Laneige BB Cushion (and very very few negative experiences. Quite a feat!) and I was upset that I wasn't able to try out the product. 

Then, they had a Pore Control version out. It's like Laneige was testing the waters first, then once the product boomed into mega stardom, they released a semi-matte version which will delight those with combination to oily skin types. Similarly to the original version, the Laneige BB Cushion [Pore Control] barely has any negative reviews from users. Very li hai hor? So I also must buy. 

And I did. 

But not the full compact, just the refill. I got mine from Carousell for just S$20. 

I didn't buy the full compact (S$59 in Luxola) because I still had my Etude House compact. Luckily I did some research. Etude House and Laneige are owned by the same company (Amore Pacific), and so some of their products have similar packaging. The Laneige BB Cushion refill fits perfectly into the Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion packaging. S$39 saved! 

Random fact: I just did a quick Wikipedia search for Amore Pacific and I'm quite shocked at how many brands Amore Pacific owns. Aritaum, Hera, Mamonde, Sulwahsoo, Innisfree, IOPE, etc. It's like the Asian L'oreal. 

Packaging: I don't have the actual Laneige BB Cushion packaging because the refill is currently residing in the Etude House compact, but I'm very glad that someone in Amore Pacific decided to make the refills compatible across brands. Yes, they are not going to earn a full S$59 from customers, but they are going to earn the refill money from returning customers. Kengyang is in South Korea now, and I have asked him to get me 2 refills of the Laneige BB Cushion (Pore Control). If they only sold the full compact, I wouldn't even ask him to get me one.

Shade: I got mine in 23 Sand Beige. I think there are 5-6 shades available depending on where you buy the product. I searched online and the darkest shade is 33 Coffee (which looked NOTHING like coffee). 23 Sand Beige is an almost perfect match for my skin tone. My skin tone is more on the yellow-olive side and 23 Sand Beige is a little bit pinker than my skin tone. This is great because I always look for foundations with a slight pink in them to neutralise the yellowness slightly.

Pigmentation/Coverage: The Laneige BB Cushion [Pore Control] has incredible coverage. I always forget that it's marketed as a BB cream product because the coverage is almost like a liquid/cream foundation. I would say that one layer will give you medium coverage, and you can build it up to almost full coverage by piling on the layers without feeling like you armed yourself with a thick face mask. It covers my acne scars quite well even only with one layer. I usually apply two layers - one on the entire face, then a second one on the areas that need more TLC.

Come, come I show you pictures!!

First photo: No makeup at all. This was after I applied my day moisturizer.
Second photo: First layer of the Laneige BB Cushion [Pore Control] (as you can see, it has a semi-matte finish, and not dewy finish)
Third photo: Second layer of Laneige BB Cushion [Pore Control] on lower cheeks and upper mouth area.
Fourth photo: Follow up with finishing powder
Fifth photo: Completed look!

Very impressive right?

I show you a more drastic change.

Lai, before and after!

有没有很厉害 !!

Longevity: You definitely need to use a primer before using the Laneige BB Cushion. I tried with and without primer and the difference is quite staggering. Without a primer, this lasted me for 3-4 hours before things started to look a little bit too oily for my liking. With a primer, this lasted double the time. A good 7-8 hours before I needed a powder touch-up.

Will I buy it again? I already have 2 backups, and I'm willing to stick to this BB Cushion till I find another one suitable for my skin type. Whenever I find a product that works for my skin, I will stick to it and I'm quite resistant to product changes. Just like how I have used my ZA two-way foundation for almost 10 years. If there are no better alternatives out there, I will stick with the Laneige BB Cushion (Pore Control). Great, great product!

Have a great day guys! Do let me know if you have more BB Cushions that you want me to try! :) 

Lisa Eldridge is Queen.

Lisa Eldridge is one of my most favourite makeup artist ever. I have learnt so many tips from her and now she has a video on Korean makeup! I was so inspired, I ordered over S$100 worth of Korean cosmetic products via Qoo10. 

I want to go to S.Korea! 

Innisfree Masks from Korea (thanks Chay!)

I seriously NEED to go to S.Korea. Not for apparel shopping, but for skincare and beauty shopping. Oh man, S.Korea has some of the best skincare and beauty products, and I'm talking only about those products that are available for purchase in Singapore. I'm quite sure there are plenty of other smaller brands that have yet to be franchised internationally, and I'm pretty sure they have bombdotcom products as well. 

I already have a plan - bring a damn huge "pasar" shopping bag.  You know those that can fold, fold, fold until damn thin one, but once opened can rival Hermione's tiny beaded bag enchanted with Undetectable Extension Charm? Yah, those are very awesome. IMAGINE THE NUMBER OF SHEET MASKS I CAN BUY!!! 

Ah S.Korea, wait for me~~

Chay was in S.Korea and she helped me get so many Innisfree masks. I'm a firm believer of Innisfree's anti-trouble masks. They seem to be the most effective and you really can see a difference! 

I sent her some photos of the masks that I wanted, and Chay said she just showed the salesperson the photos and they loaded her basket with everything. Talk about awesome service!! 

I have used the Tea Tree It's Real Squeeze Mask and Tea Tree Hydro Gel Mask before and I really liked them, so I got some more of those. After browsing Innisfree's website, I saw that they had other anti-trouble masks too, so I also got some to try out. So far, the Anti-Trouble Second Skin Mask has been AMAZING. I have yet to try the Anti-Trouble Intensive Ampoule Mask (BHA), but I'm looking forward! 

I'm also a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of the Jejubija+Aloe Capsule Recipe Sleeping Pack. A 10ml pack can last me 5-6 nights. Super wu hua. Chay got 10 for me! :D

I'm so ready for a S.Korea trip. Planned one with Chay for autumn 2015 and I'm hoping the plan will come to fruition soon.

Also, an update on my (our) HDB - we got a S$40K grant! Actually Kengyang got all the grant lah haha, I cannot get grant one since I'm not a Singapore Citizen. But aiyah in the end same same. S$20K AHG and S$20K SHG. YAY! :D

That brings me to my next big change - when should I change my citizenship? Should I or should I not? I feel like a huge traitor to Indo but....I have lived in Singapore for 16 years. I know so much more about Singapore than Indo. I even know all the words to the Singapore's national anthem and pledge. If I plan on living in Singapore for the rest of my life, then I should just change my citizenship right? But then, family-wise, I will be the first one to change. Yikes. HOW LIKE THAT?