Mineral Eye Shadows

So what is all the hype about Mineral Eye Shadows you ask? Or perhaps even the lack of it.

Recently I have noticed that there has been a lot of those loose powdered mineral eye shadows popping up on the market. Being the curious cat that I am, I decided to give it a shot and try some. One of the stores where I usually get my skincare products were having a promotion on them (A FREAKIN AWESOME STEAL, if I may say so). I mean 3 shimmers of choice for $10?!?! Doesn't get much better than that! So I bought 3 just to try it out and I loved it so much that I went back for more the day after...Yikes! They actually have it in a large fishbowl like thingy and you really need to dig around to find colours that you like. 

Then, once you found colours that you like, you just have to step to the back of the mirror where they display the makeup and try out your colours. **Warning! Because the powders are displayed upside down, make sure you tap before you open or you may just have a colour explosion in front of you.

Now the shimmers actually come with a 8-in-1 ways to use instruction card, I on the other hand prefer to just stick to what its actually used for and use it on the eyes or contouring. Sometimes, especially the fine glitter, for the nails. Here is a copy of the 8-in-1 ways to use the shimmer:

I gave some pots of shimmers to my mum to try and she loves them too! We have problems with oily eye lids but we both feel that when the shimmer is applied with a good eye primer, the colour stayed on without smudging or moving. I usually use Urban Decay Primer Potion but for loose eye shadow, I prefer to use MAC Painterly or even MICABeauty Eye Primer. Again, I prefer the MICABeauty one because I left my MAC Pot unproperly closed once (ONCE!!!) and it started to dry out...bummer! My MICABeauty Primer is still nice and as it should be.

I bought an 9 stack, some shimmer powders and the opened one on right is the Primer, just so you can see that its not cracked and dried up!

The trick to applying mineral eye shadows is to either use a firm brush or to apply it wet (and I mean wet the brush ok! Not the product, unless you mix it into a paste- messy and unnecessary). Because the eye shadow is so densely pigmented, all you really need is just a teeny bit to give you some really gorgeous shades. Being over zealous and picking up too much with your brush could result in you getting it ALL OVER your face/clothes/makeup table/everything! In the end, that one pot of shimmer that u paid $3 for could last you anywhere from 1-2years! 

*Tip: Usually when you open the shimmer, there is a plastic covering on the top of the holes, DO NOT REMOVE THIS! Just poke a hole in 1 (or 3) of the holes and tap upside down before using. 

(L) Plastic removed, (R) Holes poked in plastic (See what I mean!)

Whatever the case, don't knock it till you try it! I know that pressed eye shadows are easier, more user friendly and less messy but honestly, it is nothing a little bit of practice can't fix. Believe me- once you master the art of handling the loose eye shadow, you will never turn back. Go check out the promotion, I believe the salesperson told me that its while stocks last as they are trying to clear the last bit of the old brand before switching to the new brand. Either way, its not a concern for consumers because mineral make up is not supposed to expire because it doesn't contain any junk in it!

After Eve The Skin Studio

B1, Wisma Atria (opposite Holland & Barrett)

Tel: 6737 3309

Cheap and GOOD!

So recently I have been having a bit of breakout on my chin, sporadic (nothing to freak out about) and so I wanted to get something that would ensure a thorough face cleaning. ESPECIALLY under the chin! We eat, the oil transfers, we don't really wipe it for fear of removing makeup and so after a long day out...I want a clean chin!

The solution is a magical, amazing, potion called ESKINOL!

I started using this when I was 14years old. And I've always loved the way my face felt so squeaky clean after using it. Even though it says its a cleanser, I use it as a toner. Wash my face, Eskinol on a cotton pad and once over including my neck (especially since I don't want yucky dirty lines on my neck!), moisturize! This is a regime I am most happy with- quick and simple! Even as my moisturizer changes to accommodate my "aging" skin and different climates, a bottle of Eskinol has always been a constant, be it in my travel kit or on my dresser.

I've tried to use The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil but somehow I am not getting the same effect as when I use Eskinol. I realized that Eskinol keeps my face clear and clean. Even my sister, who has cystic acne and hyper sensitive skin, has now switched over to Eskinol. Apparently Eskinol + Dalacin C is a sworn remedy for acne. I can't say I have tried but my sister's skin seems to be improving so it must work.

The best part is...the price tag! For a mere $3 and a trip to Lucky Plaza, you can walk away with a bottle for yourself. The smaller bottle is $2.50. They have about 8 different types of Eskinol Cleansers but I have always used the Oil Control with Pure Lemon Extract (more than 10years now!!!). My sister uses the Pimple Fighting with Dermaclear Formula. 

**Disclaimer: While this is a sworn remedy for me, as with all products, there will be a minority who will be more sensitive to products than others are. Please also note that the second ingredient in Eskinol is alcohol- so if you are sensitive to alcohol in facial care, consider your options. This was not a sponsored post, this is just a post to share as we should never keep good beauty secrets to ourselves. 

TGIF! And April's Bellabox

TGIF! And what an awesome way to welcome the weekend indeed! Stepped into work to find on my table, the highly anticipated 1st Bellabox! After seeing some posts appear on my Facebook feed, I decided to go to the website and read up a little bit about what Bellabox was all about. My curiosity was piqued. While they are not the only beauty box company in Singapore, I decided to give it a shot despite reading mixed reviews about them. I've always love trying new stuff and sharing my "finds" with friends. Those close to me also probably remember a time when Christmas gifts were "My favourite things of -insert year-". While its been a while since those Christmas boxes, because i haven't found anything to rave about I still like sharing my little discoveries and finds with friends and family. What better way then to get a box of goodies every month, I mean, every girl loves gifts!

So here we go! At $19.95/month, we receive a box of 5-6 goodies depending on the profile of person you are (they make you answer some questions to determine your profile and then stuff gets put in your box)- apparently! My April box was a cute blue and white polka dot box (which I shall use to store stuff after this) with: 

Like most promotional stuff, it came with a brief description of the items, including the RRP (that's Regular Retail Price, for those who don't know) and the sizes it's available in. Oh yeah, you can also purchase it at bellabox.sg.

In full display:

From Left to Right: Fragrance Du Bois Capsules, Activa Well Being Hair, Model Co Fat Lash Mascara, Batiste Dry Shampoo & Jyunka Ultra Defense UV Pro SPF 50

My reviews on the goodies (I shall update this when necessary): 

1) Fragrance Du Bois - These little capsules sure made the either box smell heavenly! It is crafted using Oud oil and other sustainably sourced ingredients. It is also an ethical brand which promises to plant trees for every item sold (now I know why the RRP is so damn expensive at $395 for 50ml...you are paying for the tree!). I like that it smells quite musky and vanilla-ish and can't wait to test it on a day out!

**The fragrance went on nice and smooth and the smell was very natural- it didn't make me sneeze like most scents do. It lasted for about half a working day. Still skeptical about spending so much for a parfum tho.

2) Activa Well Being Hair - These little babies contain 3 main "synergistic activities" for maximum efficiency- Saw Palmetto, Bilberry and anti-oxidants for beautiful hair and a healthier scalp. Seeing as initial treatment requires you to consume 2 capsules/day for 10-20days followed by 1 capsule/day for 1-3months, this blister strip is barely going to make a dent in my hair care. Maybe there is a grow hair quick capsule instead?

**3 days of consumption and one blister strip isn't nearly enough to be able to see a difference. Seeing as I already has my own natural supplements, I probably wont go out and buy more these to add on to the number of "supplements"

3) Model Co. Fat Lash Mascara - I will add photos to compare to my Maybelline Falsies (which I swear by) at a later date and you can decide for yourselves. 

4) Batiste Dry Shampoo - Already using this as a matter of fact! And they sent my favourite scent too (tongue twist much?)! I love smelling like a beach holiday and the coconut/tropical scent of this dry shampoo always makes me want to throw on a bikini and slather on some tanning oil! It also helps me get through the day without feeling overly self conscious that I have greasy hair. Having said that, I haven't quite mastered the art of holding the can 30cm away so sometimes I end up with greyish looking hair...Ooops! No drama, nothing a little fluffing of the hair can't do.

5) Jyunka Ultra Defense UV Pro SPF 50 - Perfect! With age, suddenly I am compelled to use sunblock as part of my regime. Gone are the days of "I'm allergic to sunscreen"! Now, I damn well better find something that works, unless I wanna forgo the good skin that I have been blessed with! I like the fact that the main ingredient is water and that it is made for sensitive skin. Plus points for being slightly tinted but after doing a patch test on my wrist, I felt that it was a little bit too greasy for my liking. Not deterred tho- I shall test run it over the weekend on one of my outings. 

**At first due to the plastic-y smell I was quite put off by it. But after using it for 3 days now, its not that bad. While it goes on sticky, it eventually absorbs well into the skin. Reading up on the brand, several other products have won awards however the sunscreen is not one of them yet. 

So, that's all for now...already looking forward to my next box!

Hello Weekend!

Simple Nail Designs

I was feeling grey but at the same time there was this bit of colour that was gagging to be put on the nail. An all round grey nail would drive me insane. Something simple that looks fun. Depending on how you choose to mix your colours, you can evoke many different moods and themes. I don't really like to invest too much time on designs especially when my nails are in transition from gel nails to my natural nails.

You Will Need:

Nail polish colour of choice

2 different Acrylic paint colours (you may also use nail polish but these tend to dry really fast)

Dotting tool

Top Coat

Instructions:

1. After applying base coat, apply two coats of your preferred nail polish colour

2. Put some drops of the paint colour that you will use for dotting on a piece of foil

3. Using a dotting tool, start to dot the first colour while leaving a space in between

4. Fill in the spaces with the second colour of choice

5. Wait for it to dry a little and cap it with a Quick Dry Topcoat (Seche Vite is still my favourite)

Voila! 

Fun looking nails in minutes.

Pidgin @ Dempsey

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking an old friend out for a belated birthday dinner at Pidgin located on Dempsey Road. Although it was a little bit difficult to locate at first with me literally pacing up and down in front of Block 8 & 9, Jones the Grocer area, I finally located it a little further down where Block 7 was! It was the old Pamplemousse with the owners reinventing the space and turning it into a restaurant that focused more on local fare with a twist. Pidgin, meaning a simplified language with influences from different languages used for communication between people not sharing a common language, is a name that definitely fit a restaurant featuring dishes that to me were somewhat "Singlish".

The inconspicuous front...

As I walked in to the restaurant, who should greet me but an old friend who had recently just started working there! Having said that, we definitely had a lot of good recommendation of dishes which resulted in us ordering more than we should have for a party of 3 but walking out thoroughly satisfied with our taste buds tingling! I have to mention that a party of 3, odd number as it is, is the perfect number of people to go for dinner there as most the appetizers were served in 3's. Perfect for everyone to taste and try nearly everything. The menu is a simple one page menu (Check out: http://www.pidgin.sg/food.pdf) but with everything described so well, you really can go overboard with the orders!

Top: (L) Crab Otah Croquette, (R) Chicken Rice Arancini
Bottom: (L) Sambal Escargot, (R) Spicy Tuna Tartare

Foie Gras with Rojak Sauce

We started with all of the above! The Crab Otah Croquette was nicely done- very flavourful with a nice crabby feel to it. I kept scooping up the sauce with my Otah because the sauce was delectable. We all agreed that while the Chicken Rice Balls sounded interesting at first, its nothing to shout about. It lacked the chicken-y flavour I was hoping to taste but I guess that it would be hard to beat the original Chicken Rice that one can get at hawkers center's all around Singapore. The Sambal Escargot was featured on the specials menu and I loved the twist on the traditional garlic butter Escargots. I do wish that the Sambal had a bit more bite to it but then I love my spicy food so again this is very subjective. The tuna tartare was introduced as a "I kid you not, you HAVE to order it" dish and honestly, no regrets! There was a perfect balance of flavour and the tuna was extremely fresh. Its something I would definitely go back for! The Foie Gras, oh what can I say...I finished the whole dish by myself? For any fans of foie gras, this is a MUST have- creamy, fatty, balanced with the sweet tangy rojak sauce...SINFUL!!!

Top: (L) Uni Tagliolini, (R) Duck Confit
Bottom: Lamb Rack

We were extremely pleased with our mains! I tried Uni for the first time, again by recommendation. No Regrets! I shared that dish and it was perfect for two to have about 2 forkfuls each. I couldn't get enough of the sauce and this dish is better finished while hot! If I could, I would have licked the plate clean to save them some washing! The Duck Confit was fall of the bones, melt in your mouth, super duper good! Served with a side of potatoes cooked in duck fat which was perfectly crispy on the outside and well done on the inside. You could taste the lychee in the duck sauce but it only served to bring out the flavour of the meat. My friend who is a lamb fanatic, enjoyed her order of Lamb Rack. It was served on a bed of eggplant something which made the dishe even more appealing as she is the type who loves a lamb anything and an eggplant anything. Having said that, the portion of lamb was huge! Unlike the measly portions you get at some restaurants, this was like lamb rack on steroids! I later found out that most of the ingredients are imported fresh from the respective countries (duck/foie gras- France, tuna/uni- Japan, you get the gist) and that is probably why the food taste just so damn good!!!

(L) Milo Dinosaur, (R) Pear Terrine with Red Wine Sorbet

Ok I have to admit I was pretty stuffed by the time dessert came around but that didn't stop me from enjoying the Milo Dinosaur which they had nicely adorned with birthday wishes for the happy girl. It is a nice finishing touch if you enjoy chocolate! We got 2 cute old school tumblers, MINI tumblers of single scoop Lychee sorbet which cleansed the palate nicely after such a huge meal with so many contrasting and bold flavours. Especially nice was the pear terrine which was complimented with the red wine sorbet. The sorbet was nicely done and wasn't too sweet at all, this is also another "Special of the Week" dish.

Overall, I would definitely come back with friends who enjoy good food. Short of being rolled out of the restaurant, I had a lot of fun with all the dishes because I never know what to expect from some of them. With wine (by the glass), its about an average of $100/person which is quite good considering the amount of food we ordered!

Pidgin Kitchen & Bar

7 Dempsey Road, 01-04

Tel: 6478 0080

Illamasqua comes to Singapore!

Wow...in line with my current and on going obsession with make up and colours and finding the perfect bright lipstick for myself, it was just unfortunate that I had to walk past the Illamasqua Roadshow that they are having at the center atrium of Wisma Atria!

I actually dismissed it when I first walked past thinking it was just another makeup brand and I had enough makeup considering the haul that I just purchased from Inglot, Malaysia. I have no idea what made me turn back to look and when I saw that it was Illamasqua- that's it, I knew I was in trouble!

My Haul...

I had read/heard/seen reviews about the Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation and had been gagging to try it for the longest time. Well, here was my chance. I manage to get one of the makeup artist named Selina to help me out with choosing a colour that was best suited for my skin tone. The foundation is actually inspired by the Asian BB creams however it is reputed to go on even more flawlessly and effortlessly then other creams on the market. Great! I hate gunky products. True to the promise, the foundation went on very smoothly and all that was require was a tiny amount. One can choose to built up should they require more coverage. I settled for No. 8.5 ($59.50)

Before applying the foundation, she applied something on my skin that made it all tingly and fresh feeling- of course I asked what it was and it turned out to be the Hydra Veil ($58). It is supposed to be a primer which gives you a lifting effect and sets your makeup so you can do away with stuff like makeup setting spray. Hmm, this is something I shall have to try on a full day of work or night out. SO, I got one of these too. One thing I noticed was that the foundation and hydra veil were both made in Thailand, when asked, explanation given was that, when the best foundation manufacturers were sourced, Thailand was it. 

Anyways, having spent more than $80 allowed me to purchase the "Perfect Pout" set for only $80 (worth $152) this comprised of 6 lipsticks, all matte (which I love) and all brights (which I doubly love), so far trying it on my hand, it went on smoothly and was very creamy. I look forward to actually using the colours. I also bought a lipliner to go with my nude lippies. 

These are the colours in the "Perfect Pout" set including a limited edition Isis colour

Anyways, damage done. I walked away with more than I bargained for including a makeup/toiletries kit which they are giving away to people who spent too much. I'll probably add on reviews on the products as I test them out over the weeks. 

Wedding Planning...and then some!

So again I have disappeared off the grid for a bit but I'm glad I'm actually taking the time to sit here and log in some blogging hours.

Despite being left alone here while the HTB (Husband To Be) is out of town, you'd expect that i'd be left with a lot of time on my hands. Unfortunately, with constant reminders that my upcoming nuptial is around the corner (this is subjective) I decided I'd better knuckle down and get some stuff confirmed before anything that I wanted got snapped up. Of course, one of the benefits of having the wedding on a Thursday and during the Hungry Ghost festival (obviously not superstitious) is that I kind of have the pick of the lot. Having said that, no special prices for anything and in the past week I have slowly watched our joint account go from nice numbers to less than satisfactory numbers (again, this is subjective). 

In the end, I feel like I have gotten more done in the last week than I ever have since getting hitched. Its been a week of taking care of all the finer details, getting vendors for the actually reception and stuff that has made me both excited to be attending my own wedding and scared because it is my own wedding. Making some of the decisions with minor supervision is also quite daunting because I have a tendency to only want the best and will pay the price for it.

When the HTB and I decided to pay for our own wedding, we did so with the clear mind of setting a budget and sticking to it. While I am blessed that I am able to afford such an event with a fairly lenient budget (meaning I couldn't ask for more), its ridiculous how some vendors which cater for non wedding events have a different pricing when it comes to weddings! Why is that so??? Its not like you are going to work any harder or less during a wedding. Just because most people only marry once in their life so maybe you should get what you can now? It just did my head in! Its no wonder that couples end up going into debt just from the wedding.

In the end, while I was one of those brides that wanted her wedding to be most unique and the best and the grandest and...you get what I mean! Who am I trying to impress? After choosing the most overused theme of 2014, the year after my favourite college novel was turned into a movie and on the heels of Boardwalk Empire, the 1920's is making a huge comeback- there is no way that my wedding will be any of the above. But you know what? I DON'T CARE! It means all of the above to me and the HTB. And that's all that matters.

I'm cutting it crazy close to the budget but as long as everyone walks away feeling like they had fun- I would be happy. I can understand why the bride gets really loony before the wedding. Hence the reason why I am trying so hard to learn the art of letting go and live and let live!