ASOS Haul (they gave me discount codes!!) + a really important tip!

I bought these 5 items in 2 occasions - both with different discount codes that worked on top of already discounted items. Hooray! 

I thought the leggings were quite crazy, but I guess it will not look so risqué if I match it with a long black tunic top and a black pair of slip-ons?  

ASOS Leggings in Tribal Print with Side Elastic Criss Cross Detail
ASOS Silky Shorts in Floral Print
Blue Vanilla Printed Midi Skirt

Bourjois 1 Second Mascara
Bourjois Dark Khol Mascara

Anyway, I realised that there is a way of further reducing the total amount that you pay when you check out from ASOS. You know how they always change the currency to Singapore Dollars? HECK NO! Change it back to British Pound and after you do the exchange rate checking and the mathematics, you will realise that it's actually slightly cheaper if you check out in British Pounds than if you check out in Singapore Dollars.

For example, the silky shorts in floral prints? It was 12.50 pounds, but when I converted to Singapore Dollars, it's S$30.74. Of course, there are hidden credit card charges when you check out in a different currency, but I checked that too and I paid less than S$30.74. OH YEAH!!

Have a great shopping time guys! :) 

Additional 15% off sale items ("FETCH15"). 

Ends Sunday, 8th June 2014, 7pm SGT. Only valid on one transaction per customer. 

Review: COVERGIRL Lash Blast 24hr Mascara in 800 Very Black

I love the original COVERGIRL Lash Blast Mascara dearly, and I was devastated when I ran out of it. I wa about to purchase another of the orange tube but this other mascara caught my attention - COVERGIRL Lash Blast 24hr Mascara. 24 hours?! What a claim!! I decided to just get it and give it a try. 

The COVERGIRL Lash Blast 24hr Mascara retails for S$15 on Shopping District, but sadly it's no longer listed on the site. Perhaps you want to try out the other variation of the Last Blast line? 

There was only one option available for colour - 800 Very Black. I don't like to apply coloured mascaras so a deep black mascara is always preferred.

The COVERGIRL Lash Blast 24hr Mascara claims to:

• give you 100% more volume for 24 hours
• give you lush, volumized lashes

It is also safe to use for those with sensitive eyes and those who wear contact lens. 

Take note of this phrase - "Removes easily with CG Clean Makeup Remover". This mascara is so heavy duty that only a couple of makeup removers can remove it. I have tested so many makeup removers and I have come to a conclusion that this mascara is not easy to remove at all. I have more than 10 different types of makeup wipes/oils/gels/etc and only 1 managed to get rid of the mascara completely?! 

Ingredients list

Packaging: It's just like the original COVERGIRL Lash Blast, but with a black tube and metallic orange wordings. Personally, I prefer this packaging. The original one is entirely orange and it's not for those who prefer sleek and professional-looking packaging. This black tube is more forgiving. However, the COVERGIRL Lash Blast 24hr Mascara is similarly bulky and it's not travel-friendly at all. The mascara takes up a lot of space because of how thick it is.  

Brush design: When I compared this to the original COVERGIRL Lash Blast mascara, I can see that the COVERGIRL Lash Blast 24hr Mascara has a slightly bigger brush head. The fine, plastic bristles are flexible and the bristles crowd the front and back of the brush head. This brush design is the reason why I loved the original COVERGIRL mascara. The plastic bristles are not stiff, hence it's easy to apply and you are less likely to make mistakes. The crowded ends also mean that it's easier to apply product on the shorter, finer lashes at the inner and outer corners of your eyes.

However, this brush is quite huge and so it can be quite difficult to work with for beginners. Practice makes perfect, so don't let the huge brush intimidate you!

Application: Once you get used to the large brush head, it's quite easy to apply. It's also really easy to apply product on the tiny lashes.

Smudgeproof? I used the COVERGIRL Lash Blast 24hr Mascara for one entire day and half a night (8am to 11pm - 15 hours!) and I did not see any smudging. There was also no product transfer to my bottom eye area. So all's good!

Longevity: Definitely lived up to the claims. I may not have worn the mascara for 24 hours, but for the 15 hours that I had it on, my lashes looked consistent throughout. Two thumbs up!

Removal: My nightmare starts here. I was testing this mascara for a good week and every single day I used a different makeup remover and it just wouldn't come off! I used Maybelline's makeup remover, Hada Labo Cleansing Oil, etc etc and none of them worked! Finally, I restocked on the BIORE makeup wipes and they worked wonderfully with this mascara. PHEW. Can you imagine my horror when I couldn't remove the mascara properly and I had to sleep with mascara on?! NOT GOOD. I also woke up with crazy smudges. Aiyoh.

Will I buy it again? Nope. I will not purchase the COVERGIRL Lash Blast 24hr Mascara again, but that's solely because there are too many different types of Lash Blast mascaras. I want to try them all!

Thanks for reading and hope this has been useful!

Review: Etude House Proof 10 Mascara

Oh my goodness, this review took me so long to write?! It's quite ridiculous how many drafts I have right now. So many pending blogposts and so few are out! My bad guys, my bad. I'm back on my blogging track, FAST AND FURIOUS. This is my 3rd post of the day, super fast and furious!! 

The Etude House Proof 10 Mascara is currently one of my favourite mascaras (the other one being Maybelline Rocket mascara which I will review very soon). It's the mascara that I will grab for travelling because of how easily removeable it is! 

I got it during the Etude House Warehouse Sale for a really cheap price (definitely not more than $10). You can purchase it at Etude House stores nationwide, but I will advise against that because you can get it for so much cheaper on Qoo10. 

Qoo10 Link 1

Qoo10 Link 2 (new mascara!! I want!!)

First of all, the external packaging already looks promising. The mascara is super waterproof that you dip your head in water and it will still look fine - at least that's what I'm getting from the all-blue packaging. Yay for waterproof mascaras!

Anyway, a little sidetrack, do you know that if you want your eyelashes to hold the curl longer, you should use a waterproof mascara? The formula for these mascaras are thicker and this seals the eyelashes into place. However if you have sensitive eyes, I will recommend you to stay away from waterproof mascaras because most of them are a bitch to remove. You end up scrubbing your eyes till they go red and it's not a pleasant experience. 

Back to the review!

The Etude House Proof 10 Mascara will give you a

"clean, intense definition for a long lasting, perfect 10 smoky eye look."

Not sure about the smoky effect, but Etude House Proof 10 Mascara definitely delivered in terms of longevity and intensity.

Ingredients List

Product packaging: I love it. It looks like an elongated nail polish (chuckle, I don't know where this description came from). Somehow the packaging reminds me of The Little Mermaid? Why?! But yes, beautiful packaging indeed.

Mascara brush: The Etude House Proof 10 Mascara has a slightly bent wand with full, sturdy bristles. It's very reminiscent of an eyebrow brush, but much better in terms of control because of the slight angle. I love my mascara to have full, thick bristles because I'd rather go for volume than length. So this mascara scores highly in terms of brush design.

First coat of Etude House Proof 10 Mascara

First coat of Etude House Proof 10 Mascara

Second coat of Etude House Proof 10 Mascara

Second coat of Etude House Proof 10 Mascara

Application: To be honest, I made a mess when I used this mascara for the first time. I wasn't used to the slightly bent design, so I accidentally smudged a lot of mascara under my eyes. FAIL. But after that, I paid more attention to what I was doing and I didn't have similar mishaps moving forward. 

Volumising?: Yes. Definitely. One coat of the Etude House Proof 10 Mascara already provided me with ample volume (see photos above). The second coat gave my eyelashes that extra oomph and I was ready to go! Love it! I will suggest to stop at the second coat though because as you can see in some areas of my lashes, clumps are starting to form. The clumps are easy to get rid of if you have an eyelash brush, but well keeping application at two coats will make life easier. No need to use eyelash brush, save time!

Waterproof?: YES SIR. I actually cried on one of the nights I had this on my eyelashes (and UD Zero on my eyelid), and I had ZERO smudging. None. Quite impressive!

Super washable?: Here's the thing about waterproof mascaras that bothers me to death - some of them are so freaking hard to take off/remove? I used an oil-based makeup remover on makeup cleansing wipes, and I still couldn't get all of the gunk out of my eyelashes. I'm also at an age whereby tugging and rubbing your eyes constantly will have detrimental outcomes (aka wrinkles, boohoo), so I hate it when I can't the mascara out!!! The Etude House Proof 10 Mascara is a different story. It actually feels like a non-waterproof mascara during the removal process - easy and effortless. Using warm water helps too! 

This is very much unlike my newly acquired CoverGirl waterproof mascara which kills my eyes every time I try to remove it. I don't know whether I should do a review on that or not. I don't really want to get that mascara on my eyelashes :S. 

Longevity: It's very long-lasting. But I'm not wowed by the fact that it's long-lasting because waterproof mascaras are supposed to be long-lasting right? So okay, met my expectations. 

Will I buy this again? Oh yes. I'm actually running out of this at the moment. It's quite sad. So I'm contemplating between getting this or getting the new Etude House Proof 10 mascaras, or maybe get both? TEEHEE

Hope this has been useful. Have a great day guys!! :) 

Shopping District Beauty Haul (NYX, elf, COVERGIRL, Wet n Wild, jordana)

I got to know of Shopping District from a friend of mine on Twitter and ohmygosh I was hooked once I visited their website!

Just FYI, I'm not sponsored to write this blog post. I just love the site so much I have to write about it! Easy, fast and hassle-free transaction, and they have so many drugstore products that are not available in Singapore! 

Yay, here's my haul!

Wet n Wild Color Icon Collection Eyeshadow Single in Brulee (S$6.90) - Photo from X
COVERGIRL Lashblast 24 Hour Mascara in Very Black 800 (S$15)
NYX Concealer Jar in 04 Beige (S$9.50)
elf Essential Eyelid Primer in Champagne (S$4)

Jordana 12 HR Made To Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in 01 Black Point (S$8.90) - Photos from X and X

NYX Matte Lipstick in MLS10 Perfect Red (S$10) - Photo from X
Jordana Easyliner For Lips (S$8) - Photo from X 

Can't wait for all my new toys to arrive! Especially the lipstick and lipliner! 

Website

Facebook

Essence Cosmetics Private Sale Haul

Essence Cosmetics is currently having their Private Sale (1st to 3rd November 2013, 11am-8pm) and when I got to know about it through their facebook page, I knew I had to take a look. Fortunately I did make a visit and I bought so many things!! :D I went at around 1145am and there were less than 20 people at the venue (Concorde Hotel, Level 3, Studio 3!) and most of them were first-time cosmetic users who were preparing for prom. So clever ah these kids, so well-informed!

This time round, the sale is definitely bigger. There were other brands on sale too! I bought items from Adidas and Catrice as well. There were also a lot of perfumes on sale. It's a definite must-go if you're a fan of perfumes and good-quality cheap cosmetic products. So many nailpolishes too!

Anyway, here's my haul! In total I spent S$82 on 32 products. SAY WHAT?!?!?!?!

1. essence Home Sweet Home Blush in 02 Wool-D You Cuddle Me? - S$4
2. essence Gel Eyeliner in 02 London Baby - S$2.50
3. essence Soft Touch Eyeshadow in 03 Oh De Prep - S$3

3 for S$10

4. Catrice Gel Eyeliner in 050 Black Jack with Goldie Hawn

5. Catrice Better Than Waterproof Mascara

6. Catrice Evolution to Revolution Ultra Black Volume Mascara

7. Catrice Liquid Lip Tint in 020 Wine-Tastic - S$3
8. Catrice Eyeshadow Base - S$3
9. Catrice Eyeliner Pen in 050 Black Blue - S$3
10. Catrice Re-Touch Light-Reflecting Concealer in 030 Rosy Beige - S$3

11. essence I Love Runway Highlighter - S$3.50
12. essence Eyeliner Pen (Semi-Permanent) in 01 Came - Saw and Conquered (LOL??) - S$3
13. essence 100% Splash-Proof Eyeliner Pen in 01 Ultra Black - S$3
14. essence Rebels Spiderlash Mascara in 01 Punk Royal - S$4

15-20. Assorted Adidas deodorants for kengyang and I HAHAHA. Tiny ones were 4 for S$5 and the 2 huge ones were 2 for S$5.

21. essence 24h Hand Protection Balm (Repair) - S$2.50
22. essence Show Your Feet Foot Protection Stick - S$2

23. essence Oz: The Great and Powerful Cracking Top Coat in 05 Delicate but Determined - S$2.50
24. essence Ready for Boarding Nail Polish in 04 Via Airmail - S$2.50
25. essence @holografics.com Holographic Nail Polish in 01 Gagalectric - S$2
26. essence @holografics.com Holographic Nail Polish in 04 Prism@tic White - S$2
27. essence Nail Art Magnetics in 04 Mystic Wish! - S$2.50
28. essence Snow White Nail File - S$1

4 for S$10
29. Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer in 600 After Eight
30. Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer in 33 In The Armee Glow
31. Catrice Ultimate Nudes in 050 Moulin Rouge Light
32. Catrice Absolute Eye Colour in 070 Mr. Copper's Fields

Crazy bargains!! Can't wait to play with my new items. I just swatched the eyeliners and they are SUPER PROMISING. YAY! :)

Have a great weekend ahead guys! :D I'm going for Halloween Horrors 2013 on Sunday and I can't wait!! :D

Etude House Warehouse Sale 2013 Haul

I chanced upon the Etude House Warehouse Sale at Tanjong Pagar Xpress and the salesgirl told me it's the last day today. So yes, I grabbed the opportunity to get some of the Etude House products that I have always wanted but never bought because of how ridiculously expensive the retail prices were.

These Dear My Deep Color Nails nailpolishes were going for 2 for S$4. 

The Proof 10 Mascara was S$10. 

The Proof 10 Liquid Liner was S$7, and the Oh~ m'Eye Lash Petticoat was S$3!  

Lastly, I got the Lovely Cookie Blusher for S$5! 

Can't wait to use them all! Some Etude House products are really of great quality, but seriously the retail prices are wayyy too marked up! I'm sure yes we are paying for shop rental, import costs etc., but aiyoh it's supposed to be a drugstore brand, no? I don't want to pay department store prices for a drugstore product!

So hooray to warehouse sales!! If you still want to grab some Etude House stuff, the sale is still ongoing till about 8pm tonight! I don't think they will be restocking any more items though, so expect a limited variety of products.

Japan Graduation Trip 2013 Haul: Beauty and Skincare Products

Finally back from my graduation trip! To say that going to Japan has been an experience is an obvious statement. I find it fascinating how a country can stay so fiercely traditional and yet be so advanced in her technology. It's like having the best of both worlds. Food was expectedly amazing; some were beyond amazing, more like heaven-reaching (in a good way). The people were very friendly and extremely welcoming. I guess they are used to tourists already. Anyway, more details on my Japan trip in other posts! I plan to write a couple of posts on my experience and the general way of getting around and not breaking the bank. For now, let's focus on my HAUL. Haul, haul, haul, shopping, shopping, SHOPPING!

Japan's drugstores are crazily packed with goodies. They were so packed, my eyes were tired from looking at the myriad of products available from the different brands. The first time I went in to a drugstore, I was in there for a good 2 hours. Thankfully it was a free shopping day, if not my travel partners would probably abandon me to continue with their schedule. HAHA. 

I'm proud of myself though, because I did not go totally out of control. There are two reasons to why I didn't buy more: 1. Some products looked interesting but I had no idea how to use them since everything's in Japanese. 2. I wanted to at least try to control my money when it came to beauty products so I could boast about it HAHA. 

So yes, I didn't go way crazy, but I still got a fair number of great products! :) Anyway, I can't really remember the exact prices of the items (some were priced at weird 4-digit prices, like 1561yen or something like that, so since I threw away the receipts already, I can't really remember them). 

First up, some facial masks! This brand (LuLuLun?) was amazing. They sold their masks in individual packs, in packs of 7 and in bumper packs of 50. For these, I remember the prices since they are labelled on the packagings! 420 yen for the purple one, and 315 yen for the pink one. They are VERY affordable. S$1 is around 80 yen right now. So I have 14 masks for 735yen ~ S$9.20. HALO DAMN CHEAP CAN? 

Pretty masks that I could not not buy. According to chay, these are Korean? They were quite pricey, if you compare them to the above masks, but they were priced quite similarly to Singapore prices.

Ah. Concealers. How can I not buy concealers? They were about 950 yen each? The brand offered 3 shades and shade 02 was obviously too light for my skin. Shades 01 and 03 look extremely similar, but apparently 01 is appropriate for those with dull skin and 03 is appropriate for those who face the computer the entire day (I figured out from the photos haha)? So I got both because I couldn't decide which one to get.

This mascara just intrigued me. I do not remember the price at all. I just threw it in my basket and paid. :S

Hada-Labo is a really popular skincare brand in Singapore and I found Hada-Labo's BB Cream! There were A LOT of BB Creams sold in Japanese drugstores and I had fun trying them out. Most of them were really cakey so I stirred away from them, but this Hada-Labo one was really light and it felt like a normal moisturiser. Hence, I bought it for its consistency! I think it was less than 1500 yen.

My love for CANMAKE cosmetics started really young. CANMAKE is available in Singapore, but they raised the prices and I was not a happy lady. In Japan, CANMAKE is like SilkyGirl but with products that have more stellar quality, MUCH MORE. Hence, I went a little cray cray and bought 4 CANMAKE products. I wanted to get more eyeshadow palettes but all the shades were so similar, and I have so many palettes at home, so yes I bought only one. The products were all less than 700 yen each (CHEAP) and the Lip Serum was I think around 350 yen?

Integrate eyeliner set that I could not ignore because well, it's an eyeliner set, and I will die without eyeliners. So, in the basket it goes!

SO CUTE RIGHT THIS BLACKHEAD THINGY?! I don't know how well it works but I have tons of blackheads so why not just try? It was slightly less than 1000 yen.

That concludes my beauty and skincare products. I didn't go too bad right? :D I wished I had gotten more CANMAKE products but what to do? I only have one face to doodle on. :(

Next posts will be on my accessories haul and fashion haul! Hope you guys like the haul posts! :) Have a great week ahead, my awesome readers!!

Review: ZA Impact Lash Mascara (VOLUME)

Whenever a drugstore brand launches a new mascara, something stirs inside me. It's like I have to collect EVERY SINGLE MASCARA out there in the market. It's a weird excuse to come up with to defend my lack of shopping control, but I assure you guys, such things are REAL. 

ZA launched the Impact Lash Mascara quite a while back, and unfortunately I didn't get it then because alamak I only have one set of eyelashes so how many mascaras can I use right (A round of applause for my excellent self-control please)? So what do I do? I made sure I used my other mascaras like crazy, like three-coats crazy. Then two of my mascaras got a little bit clumpy, and SCORE! Time to get new mascaras. HEHEHE. 

The ZA Impact Lash Mascara (VOLUME) retails for S$17.50 at any ZA counters nationwide and the mascara is available in the (LONG) and (WIDE EYES) versions as well! I already have fairly long lashes (thank you to the mixed Malay-Chinese genes HOORAH) and so I am all for a volumising mascara. 

The ZA Impact Lash Mascara (Volume) promises:

• Thick lashes that are clump-free from base to tip
• Lashes that hold the curl
• Waterproof and smudge-resistant application for hours

SO HOW DOES IT FARE? Sadly, not very well. It's not THAT bad but I wouldn't buy it again. 

This insert came with the mascara. Cute but ohwell it's obvious how much Adobe Photoshop participated in the procedure, so come on now...

However, the model fronting this mascara is Jun Hasegawa and she's my most favourite Vivi model (sadly no longer a Vivi model now), so YAY PLUS POINTS.

Basically to get the gyaru look, you need to get all 4 mascaras. I shall...just stare at the gloriousness of Jun Hasegawa.

Packaging: Ever since ZA revamped its product packaging, I always thought that the brand looks more professional while still maintaining the youthful vibe. The packaging for the ZA Impact Lash Mascara embodies just that. Professional but still hinting a little bit of youthfulness. I like.

Brush design: The ZA Impact Lash Mascara (Volume) has a slightly curvaceous brush. The bristles are very dense, which makes sense because this mascara is supposed to give volume. It does not have those rubbery, bendable brush head that I really loathe, so everything's still looking perfect at the moment.

Application: If you notice from the next photo, there's a slight build-up at the tip of the wand. This was quite frustrating for me because I had to get rid of this build-up before I apply to avoid too much product on my inner eyelashes.

After one coat of mascara

After two coats of mascara

After one coat of mascara

After two coats of mascara

Volumising? It is no doubt a volumising mascara. Perhaps it volumises too well? By the second coat of mascara, my eyelashes were full of clumps. It was just horrible. I think one coat is more than enough! Unless you have those metal eyelashes combs that can separate your lashes after application...

Waterproof and smudge-resistant? No complaints about both. However, I notice that after a few hours of wear, I have little bits of mascara product on my upper cheek area. It's like as if the mascara is shedding! *gasp* More infuriatingly, some of these "products" made their way into my eyes which irritated the hell out of them. I have never experienced this with other mascaras before so I'm rather confused over this situation. The only thing I can think of is that this mascara is too dried out, but erm I just bought it, so that shouldn't be the case right? WEIRD.

Holds the curl? The only positive trait of ZA Impact Lash Mascara (Volume) is how well it holds the curl. Usually after curling my lashes and applying mascara, my lashes go back to their sad, straight states after a couple of hours. With this mascara, the curl was evident even after a full day! So hooray to  holding the curl, ZA Impact Lash Mascara!

Will I buy it again? ERRR not really. I don't like how I can't apply two coats without clumping my lashes and how I have weird black things IN MY EYES. Next mascara please!