Goodies from Robinsons
It was Teachers’ Day a couple of days ago and traditionally each year we would have a staff dinner and wonderful parents would sponsor prizes for teachers to take home. Well, this year, I won a $50 Robinsons voucher and so I happily trooped down to Raffles City to do abit of shopping. And here is what I ended up with!
Bunny Tee from Wasabees, Duo Lash Glue, Ardell Lashes in 109 and Maybelline Water Shine Pure in R21
Frankly speaking, Robinsons have really really nice clothes. I particularly like the label Oasis because they have such pretty dresses in quirky summery prints but sadly, the price is wayyy out of budget. I think a chiffon top costs $109 and the dress I liked (note the past tense) costs like $149 which is just plain ridiculous.
So, I settled for something that is more affordable which is basically this $33 bunny tee by Wasabees. It’s so soft and comfy and it actually comes in a teal blue and a slouchy version as well but I figured that grey was easier to match. I love the material. So soft and cotton-y. Definitely comfortable to wear in Singapore’s hot humid weather.
Now that I secured my bunny tee, all other clothes are off limits so I took the escalator down to the first floor to look at shoes and cosmetics but nothing really caught my eye. I think you know by now that I’m not much of a foundation wearer and I currently have too many blushes and eyeshadows so I tried to stay away from Bobbi Brown, Benefit and Mac. And because I recently bought that bow flats from Naturalizer that I talked about in my previous post, shoes didn’t really appeal to me either. As a result, I found myself gravitating towards the wellness section and I found Ardell lashes.
I’ve heard so many good reviews about these lashes that I decided to give it a whirl. And because I’ve got a wedding coming up, I thought why not try something bold and dramatic? Which is why I settled for 109 because it is so long and full and what I really love about these lashes are that it’s length gradually increases towards the outer corners of your eye so that it looks natural. Also, it’s made from real human hair so it’s good to use for up to 3 weeks! Quite a good deal for $8.95 I think though you could probably shop for this online at Drugstore for cheaper.
And I couldn’t buy lashes without lash glue so I got my hands on Duo adhesive in dark tone so that it dries black which is awesome cos it blends into your mascara and eyeliner.
I’ve never tried applying false lashes before so I’ll let you know how it goes. I hope it’s comfortable. It’ll be such a waste to remove it halfway through the dinner. Anyhow, the lash glue is $14.90 which basically means that with my $50 voucher, I needed to only top up $7. But as I got to the cashier, I realised that there was 20% off certain items so in the end, I only had to top up $2! Hurray! I love shopping vouchers!
On the way home, I stopped by a Guardian to stock up on toiletries and it was then and there that I decided to do a red lip to complement my dramatic lash look. And so I started to scout around for the cheapest yet most dependable brand of lipstick. I decided to go for a drugstore brand mainly because I know I wouldn’t wear red lipstick often so there wasn’t much of a point investing in an upmarket brand. And so I settled for Maybelline’s Water Shine Pure cos it was like $13?
As you can see from the swatch, the colour is a watermelon red and it stays true to its name. It’s kind of glossy and I guess it’s because of the watery base which actually feels quite nice and moisturising on the lips. I’m not sure how good the staying power of this lipstick is but I reckon I need to layer some gloss over to make the colour pop. I’ve always been quite iffy about red lipstick cos it’s too bold for everyday use and I somehow can never get the right shade for my skintone so let’s see how this lippie works out. *cross fingers*
Face Off! [Part Two]
Continuing with my post on foundations, this post will review and look at mineral foundation (compact), two-way compact foundation as well as pressed powder. So far, I’m only willing to feature products that I myself have used, so my knowledge of these products is likewise limited by what I’ve used :) In this post I’ll be featuring my new-found “perfect” foundation, so I can’t wait to talk about it!
Watsons has been having its 23rd Anniversary recently, so it’s come up with pretty good deals! I simply couldn’t resist from purchasing this mineral foundation (pressed), especially since with my late/hectic mornings, I’ve realised that compact foundations are more efficiently and quickly applied than loose mineral foundations (which til now, had been my favourite). I haven’t used this yet so I can’t give a review, but this mineral foundation claims to be moisturizing, without preservatives, fragrances and oils (suitable for sensitive skin) and will not clog pores due to its micro-minerals. I’m definitely looking forward to using it!
Presently, I’m pretty much hooked onto my Za Two-Way foundation. The term “two-way” simply means that it can be put on either dry or wet. Personally, this is really awesome for me because I dislike how “cakey” powder foundations can get, and by applying this two-way foundation wet, I get the nice flawless, natural result one would see from the tedious process of brushing on loose powder. Though some have recommended wetting the sponge, what I simply do is apply it directly to my moisturized face so there’s really not much trouble. I’d have to say though, that this product leans on the more expensive side, though it does have “treatment benefits” for acne etc., hence my choice to try out and purchase the Maybelline product.
Last but not least – pressed powder, which isn’t really foundation at all. However, it works perfect for touch-ups throughout the day. It is not recommended that you use these as “light foundation”, as they don’t normally hold well to the face. However, a great use for these would be after blotting your face, as most pressed powders do have properties that control sebum production. I wouldn’t recommend layering on too many powders in the morning as it will dry out your face and encourage even more sebum production (to moisturize the face). But, in the middle of the day if you’re feeling oily, do blot and then use some pressed powder to freshen up and stay matte :)
I have tried Elf’s Clarifying Powder – which has minimal sebum control, but goes on easily and is really cheap, for USD $1. I used to use it after exercises, just for a slight cover up of my blemishes. However, the compact was of really lousy quality so I don’t recommend it if you want to bring it out (though its tiny size seems to make it perfectly fit for a purse)
Elf’s High Definition Powder is six times the price (USD $6) and also way better. It goes on translucent, though the powder is white and really makes your face “photo ready” and vibrant. An improper application might make you slightly too fair, but otherwise I like it as a powder. It’s not as portable as the Clarifying Powder, but a worthy investment, in my opinion.
Mac’s Pressed Powder in NC30 is probably the best pressed powder I’ve come across. Sebum control is awesome, but its slightly too pricey, given how often I use pressed powders. The only I problem I had was that with clumsy, excess application, it definitely turned out “cakey” – so I really appreciated the mirror within the compact. Good lighting is needed during application! :)
I hope you found this helpful! I’ve only reviewed products I’ve tried, and these categories are not solely limited by the range of products shown.
It’s All About the Face [Part one]
It seems that a girl has tons of choices when it comes to foundation these days, so what’s the difference between liquid foundation, mineral foundation (loose), mineral foundation (compressed), compact foundation, two-way compact foundation and pressed powder? Having played around with these various types over the years, I thought it’d be good for me to compile all my knowledge into one blog post, for future reference as well for anyone who’s looking out for an idea of what suits her best :)
Liquid Foundation is probably the type of foundation that I’m most familiar with, though as these bottles are stock images from US websites, they look slightly different from our local versions (e.g. the L’oreal bottle i got was the pump bottle, featured is the pour bottle, but I’ve purchased both styles of bottles from local stores, product is exactly the same..). These can either be applied with a brush or sponge – I personally prefer sponges, but there are those who recommend brushes, which I find harder to clean. With sponges, I dispose of them within two weeks, which is more hygenic than holding onto a brush that you wash once a month. Here’s a breakdown of Liquid Foundation:
- Coverage: The best, when compared to any other type of foundation
- “Heaviness”: Feels the most “heavy” on the face
- Imperfections: relatively obvious, but it’s quite noticeable in any type of light if you apply liquid foundation unevenly
Essentially, I’d recommend liquid foundation for anyone who’s beginning with makeup – but DO note that you must use a pressed powder with liquid foundation, to set it. Otherwise, you do get a slightly “sticky” feeling. So cost-wise, do note that you must invest in a powder as well.
As I’ve tried all three liquid foundations featured above, here’s a quick review:
- Ettusais Flat Design Liquid Foundation – said to “flat-ten” your complexion, hiding all bumps and imperfections, with an anti-bacterial formula, I quite liked this foundation, but found it a tad pricey ($50+) for the small amount. The coverage was relatively good and I really didn’t experience any breakouts etc. whilst using this foundation.
- L’oreal True Match Super Blendable Foundation – it certainly lived up to its name and perfectly matched my skin tone, but I felt that its super blendability also meant super wearability, it faded off my face quite quickly, particularly if I blotted midway through the day. I also experienced some “orangeness”, which is normal when a foundation undergoes oxidation.
- Revlon Colourstay with Softlex Combination/Oily skin – Due to its assertion that it was meant for people with Combination/Oily skin, I kept using this for awhile (went through 2 bottles) before deciding it wasn’t for me. It didn’t help much with controlling my sebum production!
Do also check out Caroline’s review of Maybelline’s Pure Liquid Mineral Foundation here
Mineral Foundation has been pretty raved about these last few years, and for good reasons too! It’s great for anyone of any complexion, plus it looks natural due to the mode of application – normally a kabuki brush or a large fluffy foundation brush. The key about mineral foundation is that it’s supposed to be applied gradually in layers to determine the amount of coverage you want. Here’s my breakdown:
- Coverage: light to medium
- “Heaviness”: extremely light, with only one coat it feels like you’re not wearing makeup
- Imperfections: really not visible unless you have very uneven skin tone
I’d recommend mineral makeup to fairly experienced make up users – it does take some know-how to know where your most uneven spots of your face are, and how to cover it with a brush without being too heavy-handed. Mineral makeup can look uneven after application if you’re not careful with how much you put on the brush. usually I’ll tap the brush on the side to shake off excess.
For reviews, do check out here (Bodyshop & Everyday Minerals)
Maybelline’s Mineral Powder Foundation was something I tried for about 2 weeks before deciding that it really didn’t suit me. As with some particular foundations, oxidisation tends to be a problem with me, and I really dislike turning orange after 4-5 hours of wear, it makes me look really dark and weird. So this was generally a no-no for me, but might suit other people whose pores secrete a different combination of chemicals I guess?
Oddly enough, even though many note that compact/powder foundation would be the best for one with combination/oily skin, I am the least experienced with this type of foundation, mostly because I dislike the “cakey” look. With powder foundation, it is way too easy to go overboard and look like a clown – during my university days, I’ve seen more than one girl go around with a “cracked” face due to an excessive application of powder foundation, or even people with visibly streaky foundation (too much foundation + sweat). Here’s my breakdown of it:
- Coverage: medium to heavy
- “Heaviness”: Depends on how you apply, do you sweep up alot of product? Application with brushes generally mean a lighter (but less efficient & more wasteful) application. Sponges tend to hold alot of product if you use a heavy hand.
- Imperfections: relatively obvious, mirror checks throughout the day compulsory if it’s your first time!
Maybelline Angelfit Foundation was probably the first one I ever used! I bought the wrong shade, applied it wrongly, I pretty much played with it rather than used it. The thing about it was, it was scarily waterproof and water would stay as droplets on my skin. It didn’t however, feel heavy – not that I remember perfectly, but I don’t recall that being a problem with this foundation at all.
L’oreal Super Blendable Match Powder was not something I purchased, but received as a sample from some magazine I think! I liked it but felt that coverage was too light, and I also felt that the shades provided instores didn’t match me very well, so I decided against purchasing the full sized product. Otherwise, it had great lasting power and was only slightly cakey.
[the rest of the foundation types will be reviewed in part 2!]
Related posts:
Maybelline pure liquid mineral foundation
Ruth and I have been great fans of mineral makeup because of the natural finish, the luminous glow it gives your skin, and the oil control power that it provides (read Ruth’s review of Bodyshop’s Mineral Foundation). Furthermore, mineral makeup is supposed to be gentle on sensitive skin because there is no parabens, preservatives or fragrances. This means that it does not aggravate your skin condition, but instead it could actually improve it.
While I’ve been religiously using Everyday Mineral’s foundation in Fairly Light- Original Glo, I’ve yet to be convinced that I have found my perfect colour match. Fairly Light, as it’s name suggests, is a tad too pale for me. As such, I have to mix in a little bit of bronzer to keep me from looking vampiric. And because I’ve grown tiresome of mixing and matching my powder foundation, that’s when I started looking out for it’s liquid version mainly because it’s more blendable and more hydrating (I tend to have dry flakey skin around my nose). So this leads me to Maybelline’s new product, the Pure Mineral Liquid Foundation (you can read reviews about it here).
Apparently, this version is not too popular in the UK and the USA judging from the lack of reviews. I’ve got a feeling that this is a special foundation launched just in Asia (some of the words are in Japanese) and it does say on the packaging that it is tailor-made for Asian skin. As such, the colours gravitate towards beige, ochre and olive tones rather than pinkish tones.
Strangely enough, there has been absolutely no publicity on this product in Singapore but I’ve found an advertisement for it in Hongkong (it’s in Cantonese btw):
So what does this foundation promise to do for your skin? First off, it provides SPF18 PA+++ which is lower than most BB creams (usually BB creams provide SPF30 to 50) but where mineral makeup is concerned, I guess it’s a precedent. While most mineral foundations contain titanium dioxide and zinc oxide which is a natural sunscreen, Maybelline’s foundation guarantees sun protection, so that’s a definite plus.
It also contains micro-mineral pigments to give you radiant glowing skin so there’s no more dullness and it promises breathable coverage that doesn’t clog pores. Also, moisturizing ingredients help hydrate your skin so skin becomes smoother and blemishes are less visible.
Sounds pretty awesome huh. But is it just a whole bunch of hogwash?
Well, after trying out some testers, I realised that the shades don’t differ too much and it is in fact, very blendable. So after much deliberation, I settled for the shade OC2 which was almost a perfect shade for my skin. The formula runs a tad thin though. They weren’t kidding when they said liquid foundation because it was almost runny despite me shaking the bottle. But then again, the runny consistency allowed for very easy application. I just used my fingers and it was enough to create an even canvas for my makeup.
Only issue is that the coverage is lacking. This I would say is light buildable coverage that’s only slightly better than tinted moisturizer so this will only work out for girls with pretty decent complexions. You definitely need concealer for those blemishes. While it does give me a dewy glow, I feel that it doesn’t last. My face gets oily within three or four hours which is not a good thing at all so you definitely need to set your makeup with loose powder. But I do like how it feels on my skin. Very light and breathable and I don’t get any adverse reactions after so I think this would be great for people with sensitive skin.
Price-wise, this foundation retails at around $26.90 for 25ml in Watsons and it comes in 6 shades. Luckily, I got it for $16.90 because Watsons is now having a 20% off promotion plus I managed to redeem some points. So YAY to saving $10! I guess this is rather pricey considering it’s a drugstore product. I probably wouldn’t have purchased it if not for the discount. But that being said, I like the natural finish and the barely-there texture so I’ll probably alternate this with my Everyday Minerals Foundation or better yet, use my Everyday Minerals Foundation as setting powder.
Lipstick Love
I’ve never been a fan of lip gloss. Somehow, the sticky, gooey texture never sat well with me – I would restlessly keep smacking my lips together (quietly) trying to get over the feeling. Lipstick on the other hand, was the horror of my primary school choir days. It tasted icky, made me look like a circus clown, and was generally something we all collectively frightened each other over. SHE’S GONNA PUT MAKE UP ON YOU! THAT SCARY WOMAN IS COMING!! <– our make up artist was a very enthusiastic, rough handed and wrinkled woman who took ultimate glee in bashing our faces with dirty sponges until we were covered in makeup. our instructor even had to tell her to tone it down. that’s how much make up we had on. yucks.
well 15 years or so after that horrific experience, I began to reassess my aversion to lipstick. So I bought one, then another, and another. Fast foward to the present, I have quite a number of lipsticks and though I haven’t tried every single brand out there in the market, I’ve been curious enough to try a number of brands, so I thought I’d put together a full review of my entire stash before it balloons and becomes too large. Lipsticks are reviewed in no particular order:
my lipstick collection, minus the l’oreal/maybelline haul of 15th Nov
(1) Sephora Rouge 0098A Lip Attitude Series $24 SGD (retail store) or $12 USD (online)
The picture on the left shows the lipstick colour as it swatches, with flash, but the pic on the right shows the colour as it actually looks in real life, a deep, dark purple. When I first saw this instore my eyes actually skipped over it, but my friend picked it up and gleefully swatched it on my hand and I was instantly won over. It’s a very pretty, great colour and goes on creamy smooth. Like all Sephora lipsticks it has a very nice perfumed scent, which is not overpowering but very subtle and nice. As it’s an opaque lipstick it covers any lip colour completely so you don’t have to worry about your natural lip colour (which is an issue with other lipsticks). This colour is gorgeous & goes perfectly with black eyeliner and a rock chic look.
(2) Sephora n01 0174A Long Wearing Maniac Lipstick $20 SGD (retail) or $12 USD (online)
This is a very pretty, sweet pink – a colour I’ve been hunting for ages because I’ve always been wanting to try out the “pink lips” look done by many kawaii girls, though not to the extreme. I love the long slim tube of the lipstick, and the colour goes on well, though not as opaque as (1). Unfortunately for me, light pink doesn’t seem to suit me, but I do love its scent and it does feel awesome on the lips. Instead, I tried out layering this with my elf lipstick in barely bitten, previously reviewed here and it turned out great! What I did was put a layer of this lipstick all over the lips, then I dabbed the elf lipstick in the inner middle portion of the lips, before rubbing my lips together slightly. The end result was better than what I hoped for, and I’ll definitely be constantly trying out new combinations pairing up this lipstick with other colours.
(3) and (4) Revlon Shiny Sheer Series in 825 Sheer Glistening Rose and 810 Sheer Afterglow
I bought these lipsticks during the 1 for 1 Revlon sale at Watsons about 2 years back – then I wasn’t too keen on lipsticks but I still liked to have the hint of colour, without the stickiness of gloss. Cue in these lipsticks. They’re great for just a school day as they’re not very obvious and not very shimmery, but can be layered over to give a nice finish for an outing later in the day. My only complaint is that they melt slightly when the weather is hot & will have some difficulties sliding out of the tube. Both lipsticks last about 3 hours each and do not last past a meal.
Here’s a swatch of the lipsticks:
swatches for (1)-(4) as you can see the first two are more opaque – both were swiped on the hand only once each, but (3)-(4) were swatched 2-3 times to get the colour as seen above read more
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Our Quirky Loves
