Inspired by beauty

1000+ Followers Giveaway

2012-01-25T03:26:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, welcome to my 1000+ follower giveaway! I would like to show my appreciation to my amazing readers. Thank you for supporting my blog and also for leaving such sweet comments. I'm also grateful for the lovely new friends through blogger.

The Prize:

The prize includes a vintage inspired mirror by Paul & Joe. The mirror comes with a velvet brown pouch, and can be folded to a standing position.

An adorable flower bracelet from the Danish Pilgrim (one of my favourite jewellery brands).

Figs & Rouge 100 Organic Balm in Sweet Geranium.

Sleek idivine palette in Storm.

A sweet Chanel Charm.

Miniature luxury goodies including:

2 x Chanel Hydramax + Active Serum

Lancome Genefique

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Liz Earle Skin repair Light Moisturiser

Jouer Luminating Moisture Tint in Pearl

2 items personally handmade by me.

The first is a small floral pouch, and the second the Rose de Mai Makeup Brush Roll from my online Boutique Handmade By Penelope.

Samples of Lancome Genefique and the award winning Sisley Express Flower Gel Mask .

* OPEN INTERNATIONALLY*

Rules:

1. Must be a follower

2. Simply leave a comment with your name, email address, and a new year's resolution

3. +1 entry if you mention my giveaway in your sidebar

+2 entries if you write a post on my giveaway

3. Giveaway ends on the 25th of February

My Latest Obsession: Figs & Rouge 100% Organic Balm

2012-01-23T03:26:00.000-08:00

These were actually introduced to me by my mum. She read an article which stated that Emma Watson was a big fan.

I adore the vintage inspired packaging which makes me want to collect them all. But I have to remind myself 'just how lip balm does one need?', and sadly the answer is 'one'.

These balms are rather hit and miss with people worried that they are not moisturising enough. I personally LOVE them. They are great for dry hands too, though due to their small packaging, I only use them on the lips.

They have quite a gritty texture which melts away into a moisturising balm once applied.

They make great gifts too as they are super pretty and are light to carry. I've stocked up on them for all my relatives (my mum is one of 7 siblings - so there are plenty of relatives) when I go back to Malaysia for Chinese New Year.

Peppermint and Tea Tree - Quite an elegant white packaging. Super fresh minty scent. Gives a minty tingle to the lips, really gives me a pick-me-up whenever I use it.

Pomegranate - Fun pink and spring green packaging. Has the most subtle scent of the three, an amazing fruity scent that is not too sweet. Hard to describe, slightly lemony. Love it!

Wild Cherry with Sweet Orange - Sweet gold with red cheery and little bird packaging. Has a deep sweet cherry scent that is unlike conventional lip balms are not sickly sweet. Slight cherry and citrus taste.

Why I Love Them:

100% Organic

Gorgeous packaging

Available in different varieties

Comes in 2 sizes, the little one even fits perfectly in pockets

Feels moisturising on lips and hands

Multi-purpose

Available from Boots and Amazon

~£4.75 (large) £3.99 (small) Amazon

£4.99 (large) Boots

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T02:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese (Lunar) New Year to you all! May you have a prosperous year filled with much love and joy. This year it's the Year of the Dragon.

I'll be in Malaysia to spend time with relatives for this special occasion. It would be the first time I've been back for Chinese New Year in about 10 years, and I'll be spending it with my mum's side of the family at my Grandma's house in Kuching, Sarawak.

Lets hope I get to see some Lion Dancing! When I was yo

ung these Lion Dancers would go from home to home and perform, so it was such a wonderful treat for to see them at my own front yard.

Also, it'll be the first time my husband goes to Borneo, so I'm taking to climb Mt. Kinabalu in Sabah.

As we're married, my husband and I have to give out ang paus (literally red packets). Typically, they are filled with money to give out to young relatives. I loved receiving them as a child (let's hope now that I'm grown up, I'll still receive some)!

Thankfully there's only one child in the next generation so my husband and I won't bankrupt ourselves. We'll probably be giving one to my grandma as well, so I bought a pack of cute ang paus!

I love cats, and so does my grandma, so I think these will go down very well.

Review: John Masters Organics Shine On

2012-01-21T03:49:00.000-08:00

This review will be a very positive one as this product is one of my all time favourite hair care products.

John Masters Organics Shine On Leave-In Treatment for Supernatural Shine & Softness

I love organic products, but for some reason have never tried John Masters Organics before. When I saw this products in my local organic beauty store, I was instantly taken in my the name. Hair with supernatural shine and softness? Sounds perfect.

'Shine On is a natural, leave-in hair treatment that uses organic kelp in place of syntheticsilicone. It smoothes the hair shaft, resulting in supernatural shine and softness, all day long.'

The packaging really appealed to me. The glass packaging gave it somewhat of a luxurious appeal.

The product itself was in a very light gel/pomade form. Though essentially a gel, it did not feel heavy or greasy on the hair. It had a subtle scent that you would find in typical hair gels.

I use a small dollop of this on towel dried hair (in place or hair serum) and let hair dry naturally. Once dry I notice that my hair looks a lot healthier. It has great shine, though a healthy looking shine opposed to greasy looking shine. My hair doesn't feel weighed down at all, though it does feel incredibly soft.

This product can also be used on dried hair. Though I prefer using it on towel dried hair, it does work well on dried hair too. Hair instantly looks smoother and shiny. Though care must be taken not to overload the product on dry hair as in this case, too much product can result in greasy looking hair.

Pros

Great packaging

Lightweight and non-greasy

Gives hair great shine

Makes hair feel soft

Cons

Pricey at ~ £26/ 113g tub (though this product has lasted me ages)
Packaging makes it more difficult to take on travels

Dior Garden Party Haul; Garden Clutch & Rosy Glow

2012-01-16T03:20:00.000-08:00

I already find it difficult to resist buying new makeup, but always find it near impossible to stay clear of Spring Limited Edition products. Spring makeup generally consists of my favourite makeup shades; romantic fresh pastels as well as colours inspired by florals.

A strong case in point would be Dior's Spring 2012 Garden Party Collection, inspired by Christian Dior's garden in Granville, Normandy. The 2 products from this collection I could not resist were the Garden Clutch and Rosy Glow blush.

Dior Garden Clutch 002 Granville Garden

Makeup Palette for Glowing Eyes and Lips. Eyeshadows and Lip Gloss.

'A pale pink case with a delicate woven decoration, and two silver-plated rosebud clasps: The Dior Garden Clutch is a precious accessory inspired by Dior's jewellery-making expertise.

The case opens to reveal the must-haves for fresh, radiant eyes and lips: three eyeshadow shades to light up and emphasise the eyes and two lip glosses, one to enhance the lips, the other to give them color.'

I hope you can see why I found this difficult to resist. I adore the cute clutch packaging, with two roses acting as a clasp.

I chose Granville Garden 002. It comes with; 3 eyeshadow shades (taupe brown, champagne pink and mint green), 2 lip shades (one Lip Maximizer and the other an Ultra Gloss), and a double ended applicator brush. The 2 lip shades are in the hidden compartment protected by any stray eyeshadow powder.

The shadows are embossed with a smattering of roses.

A view of the lip gloss shades. They are very sheer and glossy. So sheer in fact, that I could not take a decent picture of the swatches. However, allow me to redirect you to fruitylashes who has an amazing swatch of the lip glosses for those of you who are interested.

Swatches of the eyeshadows. Each shade contains fine satin-like shimmer.

Dior Rosy Glow 001 Petal

Healthy Glow Awakening Blush.

'Dior creates its first blush that enhances your unique cheek color for an ultra-natural and customized healthy glow effect. Rosy Glow intuitively adjusts to the moisture of each skin to make the cheeks blush with delight, as if revitalized with a breath of fresh air. Its ultra-fine powder texture and its irresistible rose fragrance offer a moment of pure indulgence with each application.'

I love makeup that reacts with the individual's skin for a customized effect. This is usually found in lip products, so I was very happy to come across one for the cheeks - and in powder from too.

The blush itself looks beautiful. Embossed with 'Dior' all over it, it looks a very bright, very vibrant bubblegum pink. (Please note: Due to poor lighting conditions, the blush actually looks a lot brighter in real life!)

A close up of the blush.

On my skin, the blush does not actually look as bright (which to me was a bit of a relief). Instead it turned a soft pink with slight red undertone.

What I love best about this blush is that it gives the skin a lovely radiant glow. Cheeks look instantly brighter, a whole lot pinker, and looks fresh and healthy-looking too.

*Tip: I always make the mistake of putting too much of this one, and after a minute or two of reacting my my skin it becomes its customized shade and I've realized -too late- that I have applied too much on. So apply only a tiny bit, wait to see what colour it changes too, and only then apply a bit more if needed. *

Wishlist: Dresses I Can't Afford

2012-01-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

I was feeling low one night and decided to cheer myself up by looking at dresses I can't afford on shopbop.com. This had an unsurprisingly effect of making me feel even more blue as I came across some pretty cute dresses!

Allow me to share some of these with you:

Nicholas

Reem Acra

Matthew Williamson

Nanette Lepore

Robert Rodriguez

The Reem Acra dress is something I would have really loved to get married in. I chose a classic looking dress and part of me sometimes which I chose a more vintage inspired one instead.

♥ Surprise Package from Riya ♥

2012-01-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

It's always lovely to receive a surprise package in the mail. I was truly not expecting it and it definitely made me week! As I've mentioned in my previous posts, I've been feeling super stressed and down lately. Sweet comments from you all and thoughtful packages like this really makes me take a step back from it all and realise just how kind people can be out there. Especially when I feel i'm in a world where it's every man for himself!

Riya is an absolutely gorgeous beauty blogger, and exceptionally sweet and generous too. Do check out her blog, she's actually hosting a birthday giveaway now with a whole host of prizes.

Her package to me contained numerous goodies, too many to mention each and every one of them! As you can see from the pic above, these goodies included; a Nars eyeshadow, Missha Lip and Cheek Duo, Castledew eyeshadow palette, Dollywink eye products, Hello Kitty face mask and an adorable bunny mirror.

I love the packaging. It cheered me up and brought a smile to my face. I remember admiring the Missha blush duo on Riya's blog and the kind girl went and got me one!

The shades she chose for me were all colours which I would have chosen for myself!

I'll leave you with a close up of this adorable eyeshadow palette. Thanks again Riya for such a sweet gift that brightened up my day.

Winter FOTD (fail)

2012-01-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for your kind words in my previous post. Here's hoping that things will look up for me in 2012!

I had a look back at my previous FOTDs and realised they all look a bit the same. So today I tried a different look.. I wanted to create a wintery 'just in from the cold' look, but it ended up looking the same..again!

That's my husband making himself a snack in the backgroud.

I decided to post this look up anyway, and try the wintery look again another time.

Products Used:

Shiseido Integrate Eyebrow Pencil

Bobbi Brown Gel liner in Black

Nars Multiple in G-Spot

Dr. Hauschka Lipgloss in 04

The obscenely named multiple is a new acquisition from Nars' Holiday 2011 Collection.

It looks like quite a dark rouge in the stick, but on the skin it looks more subtle. It gives the skin that lovely rosy cheeks look. Due to poor lighting, the shade is not to obvious on my skin. So I'll do another FOTD for you featuring this multiple.

The multiple swatched on my arm in 2 different lighting conditions to give you a better idea of the colour:

Korean Beauty: Peripera Review

2012-01-09T03:04:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a brilliant start to the new year. Mine has been pretty good but extremely stressful. I've been so stressed and worried about things that my sleep is suffering, I'm not eating healthily and my skin isn't looking great. So part of my New Year's Resolution would be to not stress too much, get plenty of sleep and eat healthily.

I recently came across a Korean brand called Peripera. I'm terrible in that I judged this product by it's name and wasn't too impressed with it (it reminds me of Para Para, a plant in the Amazon that is used to cure erectile dysfuntion.) But then I read rave reviews on these products and decided to give them a try. I'm so glad I did as I have extremely happy with my purchase!

I bought the Peripera products from Prettyandcute. First up is the Peripera Wonder Talk Lip Balm in Wonder Red. The packaging is really fun and it comes with an interesting applicator (the pink think stuck onto the side). The applicator sticks to the lip balm tub magnetically, which is handy or else I would have lost it already. Applicator may look funny, but it applies the lip balm really well and prevents sticky fingers and badly applied balm on the lips. Although I did get entremely funny looks from my husband and in-laws with them actually asking 'What ARE you doing?'

The colour of this lip balm is a sweet cherry red. It applies sheer on the lips, though colour pigmentation is actually quite good for a lip balm. With heavy application lips can actually look a bit red.

The lip balm has a semi-sweet, light, fruity scent. It feels a tiny bit tingly on the lips, a bit the the sensation you get with fresh mint. It does not feel sticky at all, and the texture is definitely more of a balm than a gloss. It also gives the lips a slight shine. Here's the product on my lips with just one light layer. It looks nice and natural yet giving me slight rosy red lips which makes me look a little bit healthier (I look a bit ill with a nude lip).

Next up is the Peripera Smile Fit Blusher in Rose Pink (no.3)

I love the lace pattern on the packaging. Really cute. It comes with a portable brush in a separate compartment underneath the blush.

I'm impressed of the quality of the brush. I prefer it to a lot of brushes which comes in the palette of luxury brands (Chanel in particular). The brush is lovely and soft. The bristles are packed dense, and feels silky soft on the skin.

The blush itself looks a tad brighter pink than in the picture above. On the skin it's a bright, yet soft pink. I especially like this blush as it brightens up my whole complexion nicely.It gives the skin a nice 'soft focus' glow and gives the impression that my skin is a whole lot nicer than it actually is! This is the first blush I've come across that does this.

I'll end with a pic of a recent FOTD that featured both the blush and lip balm to give you an opportunity to see what it looks like in vivo.

Korean Makeup FOTD

2012-01-04T03:16:00.000-08:00

Hi evreyone, hope you're all haveing an amazing start to the new year!

Here's a look I created using the Peripera Korean makeup that I bought recently.

I decided to do a softer, more sublte natural look. This look is super easy to create, with just 4 products used. The main ingredients are a soft pink blush and a rosy tinted lip balm.

Products Used:

Shiseido Integrate Gracy Eyebrow Pencil
Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Caviar Ink

Peripera Smile Fit Blusher in 03 Pink Rose
Peripera Wonder Talk Lip Blam in 04 Wonder Red

I've used this Peripera blush before in my lazy 2 product FOTD. (Click here for post). It's a lovely pink blush that isn't vibrant, yet it does brighten up the complexion nicely.

A close up of the blush on my cheeks:

I know I look a bit horsey in these pics. I hope it's not indicative of how i'm going to look like for 2012!

Blogger Christmas Love

2012-01-03T02:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to my lovely readers. Hope 2012 is a special year for you all with hopes and dreams coming true.

I know this post is long overdue. I've received a couple of Christmas cards from my fellow bloggers. The first is from Julie at Pop Champagne. Check out her stunning blog to see her amazing sense of style!

An adorable card from her. Inside the card were lots of goodies including yummy teas and an glorious Japanese bath salts.

Nic Nic from bangbangsheshoots (one of my favourite beauty blogs)also sent me lots of goodies. The sweeties were so scrumptious. All of them.

She sent over another of my most favourite brow pencil of all time, as well as the new Canmake lipgloss. The bath salts turned my bath a wonderful purple and had a lovely smell of apples! And amongst many other goodies she also sent me an adorable cat hand warmer!

Thanks Julie and Nic for your lovely Christmas wishes!

New Products In My Boutique

2011-12-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

I've updated my boutique to include some new items I've made including jewellery rolls and makeup brush rolls.

Here are some of the new items featured in my shop:

Peppermint Creams Jewellery Roll. Made from luxury mint green silk dupion.

I did not foresee just how popular the original Sakura on Snow would be. As they sold out within just a few days, I decided to make Sakura on Snow 二. This version has a cherry red sweetheart lining, and comes complete with detachable macaron and bow charm.

Woodland Frolic with delectable mint cookie charm.

Re-release of the Sweetheart Prism Bag. The original of which sold out within a day.

Rose de Mai makeup brush roll, complete with blush pink velvet ties.

Posie makeup brush roll, compete with celestial blue ties.

All of which can be found at my boutique 'Handmade By Penelope'. Please come and give it a visit!

My Lazy 2 product FOTD

2011-12-19T03:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, hope you're having a great week. As Christmas draws nearer, things have been pretty hectic but I'm trying my best to keep my promise to you all and post regularly.

Here's a super lazy FOTD in which I've only used 2 products. It's a quick look that will only take a minute to reproduce and I've chosen shades that instantly brighten up the face.

Products Used:

Peripera Smile Fit Blusher in 03 Pink rose

YSL Glossy Stain in 12 Corail Fauve

The Peripera blush is a new purchase, which I'll feature in future posts. It's such a pretty, easy to wear shade of light pink.

I've mentioned the YSL Rouge Couture Glossy Stain in a previous post (click here for post). They're so pretty that they can be used on it's own on a 'naked' face and would brighten up the complexion nicely.

Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead of you, and to those living in cold countries - wrap up warm!

FOTD using Mii Cosmetics

2011-12-15T03:20:00.000-08:00

As promised, here's are some pics of my new Mii products in action.

Products Used:

Luview Real Skin Primer Cream

Integrate Gracy Brow Pencil

Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Caviar Ink

Mii cosmetics Uplifting Cheek Colour in Kissed

Mii cosmetics Moisturising Lip Lover in Smile

I kept the eyes relatively simple with a dark grey/brown eyeliner. I'm a huge fan of Bobbi Brown gel liners as they ere so easy to use and produce a more dramatic effect than pencil liners.

After growing out my fringe I started realising that an eyebrow pencil was a necessity for my sparse brows,. This just adds to the list of products used, so I left out mascara as I didn't want to overload my face with too many products.

My favourite of the Mii products is the blush in Kissed. It feels soft and silky on the skin and the colour brightens up the complexion nicely. It's a pretty pink shade that is great for days when I feel my skin is looking a bit sallow.

New: YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain

2011-12-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love the idea of lip stains, but in reality I find them extremely drying on my lips. Application is usually a chore as I just can't seem to get them to apply evenly. All my lip stain problems were solved when I came across YSL's new Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain.

Currently exclusive to Selfridges, they retail at £22.50.They come in around 20 shades, so choosing one was extremely difficult.

I also had the embarrassing case of knocking over the display. It started with me knocking over just one lip gloss, but in trying to save it dropping to the ground, I knocked over another, which in turn knocked over a whole row with a domino effect. Anyway, luckily I managed to salvage the situation somewhat with only one dropping onto the floor.

I ended up selecting 2 shades:

9 Rouge Laque

12 Corail Fauve

I really like the packaging of these lip stains. They are fairly chunky and cuboid with a small window to see the colour of the satin.

These lip stains are extremely pigmented. The texture is lovely, creamy and rich. Unlike conventional lip stains they do not feel dry on the lips at all, in fact they feel fairly moisturising.

Swatches of (L-R): 12 Corail Fauve, 09 Rouge Laque

I'll start with the one on the right, 09 Rouge Laque.

Rouge Laque on the lips:

Rouge Laque is a vibrant red with orange undertone. It can also be stained very lightly with fingers for more subtle cherry red lips which can be more easily worn during the day.

Corail Fauve is less pigmented, and is an easier to wear shade.

It's a beautiful coral-peach shade.

Corail Fauve on the lips:

The applicator for these lip stains is a heart shaped for precision application. This is necessary as I personally find this lip stain difficult to apply. Rouge Laque is especially difficult, due to its intense shade. Careful application is needed or else I'd end up looking like a clown with red lipstick outside the edges of my lips.

The finish of the lip stains are super glossy. They have good lasting power, slowly fading after an hour to a more subtle stain.

Luview: Haul and Review

2011-12-07T03:10:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. I've read such good things about the Korean Brand Luview, that I decided I must try them out for myself. I bought some products from their online shop which ships internationally.

I bought the following products:

Crystal Mineral Pact

Real Skin Primer BB Cream

Whitening Capsule BB Cream

Glossy Kiss

I normally wouldn't buy so many products from a brand I've never tried before, but the prices were so reasonable I couldn't resist.

I'll review each product in separate posts, and today I'll review the Whitening Capsule BB Cream.

I do love the packaging of Luview products. They were far more superior than what I would have expected for the price. The Whitening BB Cream is housed in a sleek bottle with push top nozzle.

This cream is said to have whitening and moisturising effects. It has a medium to thick consistency which is easily applied and blended. Initially white, the cream blends to a pale beige (which matches my skintone exactly) with micro shimmer.

The cream half-blended:

The cream fully blended:

The cream on my skin:

I'm quite impressed with the coverage of this BB cream. It has a medium coverage which looks light and natural on the skin. The coverage is good enough to even out my skintone and covers any redness on my skin. I do not think the cream alone would be enough to cover any potential blemishes.

I love the finish of this BB cream. It doesn't cake and give that 'obvious makeup' look. It just covers small imperfections and gives a flawless, radiant finish.

I found this cream to be long lasting, and best of all - it does not irritate my sensitive skin.

Pros:

Great Packaging

A Little of the product goes a long way

Good Coverage with a flawless finish

Does not irritate my skin

Contains ethereal looking micro shimmer

(and I normally detest shimmer)

Cons:

Not to keen on the strong scent

Would like it to contain SPF

I won another Giveaway!

2011-12-05T05:28:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been extremely busy the past few weeks, but promise to keep up to date with my posts from now on!

I've won another lovely Giveaway! This time it's from the stunning Charisse at Georgeousskin. Do check out her blog, she does great product reviews and her FOTDs are beautiful!

My prize was this gorgeous blush from Korean Brand Hello Holika. I've seen this blush on various blogs, so when I saw it as featured as a Giveaway, I entered the contest immediately.

Hello Holika Cat Blush 01

I am a huge cat lover so the packaging really appeals to me!

The blush itself is absolutely stunning! I love all the individual colours and the cat silhouette is adorable.

Here's another pic of the blush taken on a different day to show you a more accurate representation of the colours. I've used this blush a few times by now.

A closer image of the blush:

Swatches of all the different shades + all the shades mixed together (far right):

Thanks So much Charisse for this blush, it's truly an amazing prize!

Topshop Head Over Heels Cream Blush and FOTD

2011-12-01T04:27:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, sorry for the lack of posts! I've had a busy week so far. Here's a quick FOTD that I did using Topshop's Cream Blush in Head Over Heels.

I bought Head Over Heels in the Summer when I was looking for a light peach blush. I used a small amount added lightly onto my cheeks for a fresh peachy look with slight glow.

Products Used:

Lancome Eclat Miracle (lightly dabbed onto cheeks as highlighter)

Lavshuca Melty Eyes in BE-1

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara

Shiseido Integrate Gracy Brow Pencil

Laura Mercier Cake Liner (not pictured)

Topshop Blush in Head Over Heels

Myface Cosmetics in Lipstick Strawberry Fields (stained on lips with finger)

My Online Boutique Has Launched

2011-11-22T04:10:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Just a quick post to let you know my online shop is now open! It's been great fun making both the bags and the shop.

I would love it if you support me by giving it a quick visit at:

http://handmadebypenelope.blogspot.com/

Here's a quick look at some of the items available in the shop.

Everything is handmade by me, so stock is limited and everything sold in very low numbers. I'll be adding new items/ designs from time to time, so please revisit the shop.

I ship internationally and payment is secure via paypal.

I'd like to say thanks to everyone who complimented my bags, giving me confidence to open an online boutique.

November Haul: Japanese and Mii cosmetics

2011-11-18T05:23:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a beauty haul post in ages. I've been trying to save money by cutting down on my beauty purchases. But not being able to buy any products got quite depressing, so I thought I'd treat myself to a few things!

I ordered these Shiseido Maquillage products from apopofkawaii.com, my go to shop for Japanese products.

I bought their Moisture Rouge Lipstick in RD336 and a refill of the Design Cheek Color in 80.

The packaging of the lipstick is wonderful. I love the shiny pale pink/lilac cap!

I've had this blush shade before, and have been using it for the last 2.5 years, so I only had to buy the refill. This is one of my favourite blushers ever. It gives the cheeks to most lovely radiant flush.

Swatches of the 4 individual shades:

Swatch of : (L) the lipstick in RD336 and (R) the 4 blush shades swirled together:

Sorry for the above swatch. I must agree, it's the crappiest swatch ever. I will do an FOTD post with a review on these products sometime in the future so you can get a better idea of the shades.

I've kept hearing great things about Mii Cosmetics. They have been featured in numerous magazines as well as various blogs. I've been wanting to get my hands on these products for a while, but found it extremely difficult as they were only stocked in specific spas around the country. However, they were recently made available online at http://www.gerrardinternational.com/

I have to say, I really like this website as it gave me free next day delivery AS WELL as a free gift!

I bought the Moisturising Lip Lover in Smile

Uplifting Cheek Colour in Kissed

Luminous Tinted Moisturiser

The tinted moisturiser was bought as a gift for my mum as the mii skin products come in shades too dark for me. My mother plays golf ALOT so is nice and tanned.

The blush is a super pretty shade or bright pink. It looks a lot less bright (and more subtle) on the cheeks.

The lipstick is a gorgeous petal pink shade. Am really happy with my choice of shade (as shopping for makeup on the internet can sometimes lead to nightmares!)

Here are swatches of the (L) blush and (R) Lipstick:

As with the Maquillage products, I will do an FOTD with these products when I next get some free time.

Here's the free gift I got with my purchase! It's a full sized Dramatic Powder Finishing Brush.

The brush is of great quality and feels so soft on the skin.

This Month's Empties

2011-11-16T03:08:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I'd like to say thank you to those who commented on my last post. Your compliments on my crafted bags were really sweet! I've received quite a few requests from you to sell these bags online, something which I'm seriously considering. I've been busy making bags for the past week to see if I can make enough to sell. I've also been busy seeing how easy it is to set up a blog shop - answer: not that easy!

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my progress and will let you know if and when my blog shop becomes a reality.

Here are some products I've finished recently. The first one is more of an indulgent treat, but quite a few are essentials which I've stayed faithful to for some time.

1. Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath and Shower Oil

This heavenly scented oil was given to me as a gift. I really love this! I add a few drops to my bath for the most relaxing soak ever. It's a blend of chamomile, sandalwood and vetivert and together they make the most gorgeous scent. Using it results in a bath that leaves me feeling stress-free, happy and sleepy at the same time!

2. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

A really effective cleanser. This has gotten me hooked on using muslin cloths to thoroughly cleanse my skin. I used to have pretty large pores, but they have disappeared now after prolonged use of this cleanser. Click here if you'd like to read more on my thoughts on this cleanser and my skincare routine.

3. Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

Another no frills skin product that does it's job well. It also features in my skincare routine post if you'd like to read more about it. It's a lovely product which smells great, but to me not a skincare essential.

4. Benefit Badgal Waterproof Eyeliner

This black eyeliner technically isn't finished yet, but I've had it for 1.5 years so for hygiene reasons this needs to be replaced! I find most eyeliners smudge too easily, and those that don't are extremely difficult to remove. This eyeliner is a happy medium!

5. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Beige

This to me is an essential product. I've used so much of it since I've has a terrible bout of insomnia lately leaving me with dark circles. This concealer is great. It comes in a large variety of shades, so I've found a perfect match for me skin. It's fairly long-lasting, and does not crease of cake. As much as I like this product, I'm trying to improve my sleep pattern so that I won't have to use this anymore. I've been using this brand of concealer on and off for the past 5 years!

6. Loreal Absolute Eye & Lip Make-up Remover

Another essential item for me, and another item that I've stayed faithful to for the past 5 years. It removes makeup like a dream. I find it works just as well as luxury brands, but at a fraction of the price (it's sold for £4.99).

My New Hobby

2011-11-10T03:40:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone, hope you're all having a great week! I've been super busy with my new hobby - sewing!

In a bid to save money on future Christmas presents (ever since I got married, the list of people to get gifts for have expanded almost exponentially), I decided to create makeup bags to give as gifts. Once I started making them, I realised I enjoyed making them so much I couldn't stop!

Here are some I've made so far, all of them have a contrasting fabric lining:

This pastel flower bag is made from Cath Kidston material, and I've made a little macaron charm to go with it.

The bags below has pastel bears holding macarons.

I've made little macaron charms for them too.

A bag with little deer and mushrooms:

I gave this bag a lilac and polka dot lining.

A Gingham and Cherry bag:

A Mini hearts and Bow bag:

Hope you liked them! I'm thinking of giving one away as part of my next Giveaway x

My Jewellery Acquisitions

2011-11-07T05:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the lovely girls who suggested Halloween costumes for me. I had a last minute inspiration to go as Quorra from Tron (was just going to pretend I didn't know the theme was 'Villains'), but I couldn't find any electroluminescent wire in the space of 5 hours. So I had a last minute switched to Lady Deathstrike from X-men, played by Kelly Hu. My adamantium nails came out really well, but sadly nobody realised who I was! I kept being mistaken for Edward Scissorhands, and even worse- Freddy Kruger!! What a big Halloween fail!

Nevertheless, my husband won 'Best Costume'!! Am so proud of him, although I did catch him voting for himself!!

Now onto my post on my recent jewellery acquisitions. Over the last few months I've bought quite a bit of jewellery and thought I'd do a post on them. Here's a pic of my jewellery collection, I like using stand to store them.

My recent jewellery haul:

I got this necklace from Swarovski. Was actually there to purchase a graduation gift for my sister in law, but couldn't resist this necklace for myself when I saw it.

My husband got me this sweet and dainty flower ring from Carat. I really love it!

I recently got really into statement jewellery, but can't manage to pull them off as they temd to swamp me. This art deco inspired necklace from Monsoon is great as it's big without looking too chunky.

This necklace was from Banana Republic. I quite like their jewellery, and I really like ethnic insipred jewellery so this one was hard to resist.

I got this long necklace from Warehouse. Thought it looked quite dainty.

And lastly, also from Warehouse is this bow necklace. I love anything with bows on it!

I'd also like to share with you a scarf I just finished making. It took me quite some time to make, but thankfully I finished it just in time for the cold winter months ahead.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Matte Lipstick in Nude Velvet 03, Swatches & Review

2011-10-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I know Nude lipsticks are a nightmare to get right. Especially with my skin tone, they tend to make me look washed out and slightly ill. Most nude lipsticks don't actually enhance my face, but make it look worse. So when a nude lipstick comes along that looks great and actually brightens my complexion, it's such a rare occurrence that I must rave about it.

The lipstick in question in Estee Lauder Pure Color Matte Lipstick in Nude Velvet.

This is part of their new limited edition range of matte lipsticks. I don't know why, but I just love the texture of a matte lipstick. Matte lipsticks ARE drier than normal lipsticks, but somehow I like the velvety feel on my lips. Maybe because I can feel the lipstick, I am reassured it's still there and not rubbed off?

This colour differs from traditional nudes in that it has a certain 'peachyness' to it. The colour isn't a flat brown nude, but a beautiful nude with a slight peach-pinkness to it.

On my arm, I must admit the colour does look fairly brown...

But the colour looks lighter and peachier once actually on the lips. Sorry for the dry looking lips!

I'm in love with the shade of this lipstick, but I have to say this lipstick does accentuate dry lips (as you can see in the above pic). So I would recommend getting rid of any dry flakes (try scuffing them gently with a wet toothbrush) before use.

Pros:

Beautiful light peachy-pink nude colour

Feels velvety soft on the lips

Cons:

Matte lipsticks are a little drying, and accentuates dry lips

Limited Edition

Colour may be a little light for some

*Can any of you help me by recommending a good blush shade to go with this lipstick?*

HELP! Please help me with ideas for a Halloween costume

2011-10-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, just a very very quick post.

I have a Halloween party to attend on Sat, and have no idea what/who to go as.

The theme is 'Villains'.

Good ideas given to me so far are 'Black Swan' and 'Lady Deathstrike'.

I'm a huge fan of sci-fi movies so something from them might be good.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

My husband's costume on the other hand is sorted. He's going as the pig from angry birds. He made the costume himself!

I would quite like to go as something more flattering than this.

Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek Peach Macaron

2011-10-24T03:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a close up post of the blush my sister gave me; Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek in Peach Macaron PK301.

Majolica Majorca is a Japanese drugstore brand owned by Shiseido. Puff de Cheek is a cute little round pot of blush in adorable packaging. It comes in a variety of adorably sweet shades, and I have it in Peach Macaron (PK301).

You must be thinking 'what happened to the puff? Why is it all frayed?' I have to admit that it didn't come like that. I dropped the puff on the floor, and decided to wash it in the washing machine?!

Peach Macaron is a lovely medium peachy pink shade. Not overly orange and not overly pink.

Here are pics of Peach Macaron on my cheeks:

The puff and blush both feel silky soft on my skin. Thanks again Jill for this blush!

Gifts From My Sister

2011-10-22T04:31:00.000-07:00

My sister came to visit me during the Summer. She lives all the way at the other side of the world in Australia. She's 3 years younger than me, but is already a successful doctor. I'm very proud of her!

Anyway, she brought along a few gifts for me.:

A sweet Japanese lunch box.

It comes with 3 adorable pastel forks.

She stopped over in Malaysia to visit our parents along the way, and bought me this blush from Watson's.

Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek in Peach Macaron.

It's a pretty peachy pink shade, which I'll do a separate post on later.

From Australia, she bought me a big tub of Lucas Papaw Ointment. It's a multi-purpose balm which I've raved about before. I use it for just about any skin ailments; dry skin, sensitive skin, minor burns and rashes.

My skin used to get irritated and slightly red due to hypersensitivity. I don't suffer from those problems anymore as I slather this on my skin whenever it begins to feel a bit prickly.

Peter Alexander is a gorgeous sleepwear shop in Australia, and my sister got me a pair of pink pajama shorts with black cats.

The cats almost has a velvet look and feel to them!

It was fun having my sister around. Her trip felt so short, but we got to do lots of thing we both enjoy. We watched The Phantom of the Opera (me for the first time, her for the 4th?! She's a bit of a Phantom freak). A tradition of ours is to also go to museums and zoos together to relive our childhood. We had a private tour with the Natural History Museum, and my husband took us to Longleat Safari.

Thanks Jill for your presence all these lovely gifts!

My Recent Non Beauty Acquisitions

2011-10-18T04:35:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to save money on beauty products so that I can have more to spend on clothes. I've so far managed to curb my spending on products and finally no longer feel guilty buying too much makeup.

The following haul was purchased over a space of a few months, and I never got round to posting about them.

First up is one of my favourite purchases this year. A sequin dress from Mango.

I love romantic, ethereal looking dresses, and I like how the sequins aren't too 'bling' on this dress. I also love the soft, ballerina feel of the skirt.

Also from Mango is this bolero.

It's sequined too, like the dress.

I got this clutch at a 50% discount from Miss Selfridge. I think it'll be great for Summer parties, especially weddings. Hopefully it'll be quite nice for winter too since it reminds me slightly of snowflakes.

I bought this black lace clutch from Accessorize.

I've always wanted a military coat, but without looking like I'm actually in the army. I can't wait til it gets colder so I can wear my new blue coat from Zara.

Banana Republic just opened a store in Manchester, and I bought this crystal belt from it.

Last but not least, I got a pair of teal velvet ballerina shoes from Topshop.

5 Product FOTD - featuring Lavshuca PK-1 from Riya

2011-10-10T03:53:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, here's a quick and simple look I did today using 5 products. I like/try to keep the amount of products used to a minimum as I know that I can end up with too much product on my face if I'm not too careful and get carried away.

The earrings I'm wearing are from Orelia, bought in Topshop. Speaking of Orelia, I really like the sound of that name and may one day name my daughter (if I have one) Aurelia.

Today's look featured the Lavshuca eyeshadow palette I recently received from Riya at pinkstrawberrielove:

Swatches of the pretty shades below:

I used the brown shade in today's look.

The other products used in today's FOTD:

The 5 Products:

Shiseido Integrate Eyebrow Pencil in GY963

Laura Mercier Cake Liner in Black Ebony

Lavshuca Eyeshadow in PK-1

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush

Une Lip-Toned Colour in L03

I'm receiving an overwhelming response to my giveaway. Thanks to those who've entered!

New Clarins Instant Definition Mascara Review

2011-10-08T03:47:00.000-07:00

I recently received a travel sized sample of Clarins' new Instant Definition Mascara, and here are my quick thoughts on it.

It comes in 3 shades; Intense Black, Intense Brown and Intense Blue -£19

The sample was in Intense Black. As this mascara was a sample size, it did not have the gorgeous gold packaging of the full-sized product.

Here's a close up of the mascara wand -the tip is in the style of a comb.

According to Clarins:

A repairing and nourishing formula that strengthens and adds intense colour and volume to every lash. With a texture that creates a highly resistant, even film along the length of the lashes to give stay-fast daylong wear.

Application according to Clarins:

Using the nylon fibre brush, apply the mascara to the upper and lower lashes working from the base out to the tips. More brush strokes add more volume. Using the elastomer bristle tip, separate and define the shortest lower lashes at both the inner and outer corners of the eye. For lash perfect precision you can also use the tip to comb and place lashes one by one.

My Thoughts:

Here is a pic of my lashes without mascara:

And here is a pic of my eyes with Clarins Instant Definition Mascara:

I found that they do increase the length of my lashes giving an almost false lash look. However it did not increase the volume of my lashes much. The mascara accessed the corner lashes fairly well. My eyes are pretty sensitive, and this doesn't irritate them. In addition, the mascara has good staying power and doesn't smudge. I found them a touch more difficult to remove than other mascaras.

The problem I have with this mascara is it's rather clumpy. More clumpy than other formulas I've tried. I need to separate my lashes with a disposable mascara wand to remove the clumps.

Would I purchase the full size?

Sadly not. At £19 it's fairly pricey for a mascara. I much prefer my Max Factor False Lash Effect which cost almost half that. My main lash concern is lack of volume so I'm more interested in mascaras which give high impact volume to my stringy lashes!

Giveaway Winner

2011-10-07T03:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for entering my giveaway which ended yesterday.

I received an overwhelming response, but sadly there can only be one winner. I've just calculated that winner via random.org. I'm happy to announce that the winner is...

EZZY from Dubai

Congratulations Ezzy! Please email me your address so I can post your prize out to you.

I feel so bad that there can only be one winner, but I'll host another giveaway very soon. Thanks again for all those who have entered, and for the regular readers of my blog who have supported me!

My Skincare Routine

2011-10-03T03:34:00.000-07:00

Many of you have asked me to write a post on my skincare routine, and I've been meaning to write one for the past few months. It's something I never got round to doing, but finally I've gotten my act together. I also wanted to turn this post into a video, but realised I don't know how to make one.

Below are the products I use in my skincare regime. As I'm still (relatively) young, I believe in keeping things simple. An overload of products tend to clog my skin, so I much prefer a simple regime of cleanse-tone-moisturise.

I'm pretty happy with the current condition of my skin. It tends to be sensitive at times, but I find that it's fine when I use simple products that don't irritate my skin. I also noticed a huge decrease in sensitivity when I keep it well moisturised as well as when I switched to luke-warm/cool water when cleansing my face instead of hot.

Here's are a couple pics of me au naturel without makeup I look a bit ill I know. I'm not though, it's just what I look like sans makeup!):

My main skin concerns are hyper sensitivity and pigmentation.

And here is a close up pic taken in better lighting:

I LOVE natural products, but unfortunately most of them don't love me. I try to use organic natural products as much as I can, but most organic essential oils (especially floral ones) irritate my skin. Through perseverance, I managed to find a range of products that use natural ingredients but do not irrritate my skin.

Onto my current skincare routine. I have been using these products for 4 months.

Cleanse with Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth cleanser

Tone with Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

Moisturise with Dr.Hauschka Melissa Day Cream

SPF protect with La Roche Posay Anthelios XL

In the evenings, I replace the Dr. Hauschka cream with Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate, and skip the SPF cream.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser -£12.25

This multi award winning cleanser uses a warm cloth to cleanse the skin whilst gently exfoliating. I've read some reviews saying this cleanser made them break out in spots, so I'm one of the lucky ones this cleanser works well for. It made me break out in little bumps on the forehead. I figured that as it centered on the forehead, in my case it probably wasn't a bad reaction, but may be a result of the cleanser purging my skin and cleaning out the pores. I stuck with it for a couple of weeks, and after a week my forehead was completely clear.

This cleanser has a thick creamy texture with a herbal eucalyptus scent. Combined with the warm cloths, it makes my skin feel thoroughly cleansed while feeling soothed.

The bad points of this cleanser is that I go through them too quickly. A 100ml tub last me only 3 weeks, so I've recently upgraded myself to a 200ml tube. In addition, the whole removing with a warm cloth thing, while is ok with me, maybe too abrasive for other sensitive skins. Also the cloths may need some getting used to. They need to be washed very frequently ( I use a fresh cloth everyday). This can be a pain while traveling. In Peru we would travel to a different location everyday, so carrying semi-dried cloths was a hassle. (Especially when camping!)

Instant Boost Skin Tonic - £12.25

I like the word tonic, and together with the shape of the bottle reminds me of yesteryear where people shopped for remedies in apothecaries.

This alcohol free toner smells of flowers. It does it's job (i.e removed residual traces of cleanser and closes pored slightly) and leaves my skin feeling fresh.

(For the Liz Earle products, you can find their full ingredients list on their website.)

Dr. Hauschka Melissa Day Cream -£23.95

Specially developed to meet the needs of combination sensitive skin, this cream is right up my street. It has a medium to light texture and smells of fresh lemons. It sinks into my skin beautifully and keeps it well hydrated. It never feels greasy or oily on my skin, even in the hot Summer months. What I love most about this cream is the light healthy glow is gives.

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate -£19

In the evenings, I use this heavenly scented oil instead of moisturiser. As I get older, I start feeling the benefits of using an oil. This one feels relatively light for an oil and is a beautiful golden colour. I adore the scent. It's hard to describe, but immediately gives me a sense of well-being.

This oil makes me wake up to super soft glowing skin. It's really made me addicted to using facial oils!!

The £19 version comes in a rollerball. I would probably get it in a pump bottle next time due to hygiene reasons.

La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF50+ - £16.50

There's nothing much to say except that this is the best daily facial sun protection I've come across. It comes in a light fluid which spreads easily across the face and applies like a dream. La Roche Posay is not a natural cosmetic brand, but I love it all the same. I find them a godd, no nonsense brand whose products do what they claim.

...

So that's my everyday skincare routine. I've been using them for around 4 months now, and as much as I love them I'm still fairly fickle and like to try new products.

* As you can see from my pic above, I have skintone imperfections which I'd like to correct by trying out some brightening products*

I'll write another post soon on the treatments I like to use twice a week (masks etc), as well as a note on skincare -sharing tips which I've received and learnt over the years. As that is generally why I began a blog to begin with to share, swap and learn tips and tricks with all the beauty enthusiasts out there!

A Gift From Riya

2011-09-30T04:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, hope you are having an amazing week. I received a parcel from my dear blogger friend Riya this week. She's absolutely gorgeous and has a great blog called pinkstrawberrielove. Not to mention, she's really generous too!

Here's my parcel below. How cute is that panda?

She's so sweet to send me lots of goodies, including adorable bow hairclips.

I love these Asian eyeshadows. L-R: Visee GD005 and Lavshuca PK-1.

The Visee eyeshadow is a pretty yet subtle gold shade! I can't wait to use it.

This is my second Lavshuca eyeshadow and I've become really impressed with them. The shades are so pretty and have a great shimmer.

Will write more about these shadows and feature them in future FOTDs.

I also received this Smashbox Blush/ Soft Lights Duo in Super/Model.

The colour is truly gorgeous and natural looking. The Soft Lights shade on the right hand side provides an ethereal looking shimmer/glow. Again I'll use this in a future FOTD.

A couple of lip treatments. I loved the Lavanila Healthy Lip Shine she sent me a while back, and adore this one in vanilla grapefruit even more! The one on the right is a lip treatment from Dariya. Love the gorgeous packaging and it looks great on the lips too!

An eos lipbalm. I've seen these on lots of blogs and am so excited to finally get to try one! It feels super soft and smooth on the lips, a joy to use!

The Face Shop Nail Polish in PK102, an adorable pink shade with violet sheen:

The Shengjim pencil below is a 2 in 1 lipstick and eyeshadow in shade 01. It's a beautiful, dewy snowy white shade that is so perfect for winter.

Cute crystal stickers in the shape of a strawberry:

A whole range of Hi-Chews. I've not tried them before now, and they're absolutely delicious. So juicy. My husband loves the mango flavour, whilst my favourite is the apple.

She also sent me some delicious biscuits and tea, along with a cute little note:

The biscuits and tea came in a cute little bag:

Thanks Riya for such a great parcel. I love everything in it! Everything was so thoughtfully chosen and I feel so lucky to have received such lovely gifts.

FOTD with NicNic's Gifts

2011-09-26T03:25:00.000-07:00

Today's look was made using a couple of items from the gorgeous parcel Nicola gave me (original post here).

The Shiseido Integrate Gracy Eyebrow Pencil she sent me has made it to one of my most treasured beauty products. It's a perfect match for the brows, making my eyebrows looks lovely and thick, and most importantly of all - natural.

On my cheeks, I used a tiny dab of the Canmake cream blush in 11, also from Nicola.

This is a stunning pink shade...

...which on my cheeks looks soft and rosy. I kept my lips natural looking with a tinted lip balm.

A group photo of the products used in this look:

Products Used:

Laura Mercier Cake Liner in Black Ebony

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow in Beach Honey

Benefit eye Bright

Clarins Instant Definition Mascara

Shiseido Integrate Gracy Eyebrow Pencil in 963

Canmake Cream Cheek in 11 Heavenly Heart

Une Sheer Lips Balm in S03

As I can never get a thin enough line with my gel liner, I've recently switched to cake liners to tightline my eyes. I find tightlining gives a more natural eye.

I almost forgot to mention, I used applied beloved Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate on my skin to give a subtle glow. I didn't mention it in the product list above as its a skincare item.

I've received an amazing response of my giveaway. Thanks to those of you who have entered. If you haven't already entered my giveaway, you can find it here.

Giveaway To Mark The End Of Summer

2011-09-16T03:44:00.000-07:00

As promised here's my Giveaway to say thanks to all of you for your support!

Thank you for the overwhelming response to my first giveaway. I started collecting purchased items for my next giveaway and suddenly realised I has a few too many items. They would be too heavy for one parcel, so I decided to split them into two separate giveaways (therefore more chances for you to win one!). The second giveaway would commence shortly after this one ends and contains an entirely different range of products.

The products included in this giveaway:

In my most recent post, I gave a sneak preview of my giveaway. Since then, I've added a few more items. Picture of the sneak preview below.

I did a poll in which Sleek Palette would wanted to see in my giveaway. The Storm palette won, and would be featured in my next giveaway.

The Oh So Special and Au Natural Sleek Palettes were not yet released when I did the poll, and are included in this giveaway.

Products In This Giveaway:

Sleek idivine eyeshadow palettes in Oh So Special and Au Naturel.

I found the Oh So Special palette super pretty as they included adorable petal shades.

The Au Naturel is their newest palette and part of their Nude Collection.

Three items from Topshop Makeup:

Powder Blush in Powdered

Crayon in Equinox

Lip Polish in Truffle

The blush pictured above is not the actual one included in my giveaway. I used it as a stand in until I purchased one. The actual giveaway blush is pictured below:

It has a cute dotted pattern.

The blush itself is sealed, so I've lifted a pic of the shade off the Topshop website for you to see. Powdered is a new blush in their range, and is a cute bright pink.

The Equinox Eye Crayon is an easy to apply rose-gold.

The Lip Polish is a pigmented moisturising lip polish in a dark berry chocolate shade, perfect for Autumn/Winter.

I've also added a couple of accessories. A bow necklace and a cupcake keyring.

Individual pics of the necklace and keyring:

An Accessorize lipstick in Berry Rose, a suits all rose shade.

A NYX lipstick in Doll, a popular medium rose-pink

A bag of miniature goodies.

Includes:

Clinique Moisture Surge

Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Air Kiss

Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow in Sparkling Nude

Creme de la Mer Face Wask

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Supplement

MAC Pigment in Jardin Aires and Rushmetal

Two travel sized tubes of Jouer Illuminating Moisture Tint SPF20 in Pearl

Giveaway Rules:

Open Internationally

Must be a follower

Leave a comment below with your email address

For an extra entry (+1) mention this giveaway in your sidebar

For and extra 2 entries (+2) write a post about this giveaway

Giveaway ends 6th October 2011

*If mentioning my giveaway in either sidebar or post, please leave me a link to your blog*

FOTD: Using Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Prelude 33

2011-09-13T03:34:00.000-07:00

Today's look features Chanel's New Eyeshadow Quad in Prelude 33. I bought this last week as I really loved the beautiful, subtle shades.

Prelude is part of their Autumn 2011 Collection, and will be added to their permanent range.

Like Chanel compacts before, it comes encased in a velvet pouch.

All 4 shades are cool-toned with a subtle pearly finish.

Swatches of the 4 shades: First two swatches correlate with top two shades of the palette. Third and forth swatch represents the bottom two shades.

I find the two lightest shades perfect for a natural daytime look.

However, in today's look I used the top two shades (the first 2 shades on my arm swatch). Here's a close up of my eye makeup:

Products Used:

Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Prelude

Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Eyeliner

Lancome Hynose Doll Eyes Mascara

Shu Uemura Glow On Blush M33E

Boots 17 Mirrir Shine Lipstick in Hollywood (stained on lips)

I'll finish off with a sneak preview of my up-coming giveaway:

A Couple of Awards

2011-09-09T03:49:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone, hope you're having a wonderful week. I've received a couple of awards lately and have finally gotten round to posting about them. Thanks to the two lovelies that gave me these awards!

The first award is the Top 10 Award from the lovely Maria at The Product Junkie Confessional.

This award requires you to list your Top 10 Cosmetics. So here goes...

My current top 10 products in to particular order:

1. Clarisonic Mia

I bought this a couple of months ago and have been waiting to have used it long-term before writing a review. As I have sensitive skin, and don't believe in over-exfoliating, I use this twice a week. It's made a difference to my skin, my pores are now invisible and my skin feels clean and un-clogged!

2. Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate

This is a lovely oil which I use instead of a moisturiser at night. It smells heavenly and gives my skin a healthy glow. This is the only oil that doesn't make me break out! I love how moisturising it is on my skin.

3. Dr. Hauschka Melissa Day Cream

I'm a big fan of natural skincare, but sometimes natural ingredients don't agree with my skin. This cream however, is specially formulated for those with combination and sensitive skin. I love it as it moisturises and soothes at the same time.

4. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

I know that this is a hit and miss product with people, but I personally love it. I thoroughly cleanses my skin without irritating it. I'm currently on my4th bottle.

5. Neal's Yard SPF Cream

I've just discovered this, and really love it so far. It has a unique consistency - a thick cream with a powdery texture. It gives my skin a semi-matte glow, and never feels greasy.

6. Jill Stuart Blush Blossom

The shade Little Anemone is an adorable peachy-pink. It has a gorgeous packaging and smells of flowers.

7. Shiseido Integrate Eyebrow Pencil

From the lovely Nicola @ bangbangsheshoots. It's the best brow pencil I've tried and matches my brow colour perfectly!

8. Blistex Tint and Shine Lipbalm

The more I'm into natural looking makeup, the more I'm loving tinted lip balms. This is my favourite, as it gives a great nude-rose shade and is not overly glossy. Despite having the word 'shine' in its name, this has a semi-matte finish.

9. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pampelune

A sophisticated grapefruit fragrance. Smells absolutely delicious and has been my favourite scent for years.

Oops, I realised my pic above only have 9 products on it.

Anyway, the next award is from sweet and adorable Riya at Pinkstrawberrielove.

To accept this award, you have to list 7 things about yourself. I'm grasping at straws to thing of 7 interesting things you don't already know...

1. I'm starting to read more and more style blogs. There are some brilliant ones out there full of stunning images. My current faves are "Style is an inspiration of past, present and future" by Vnikali, Pop Champagne, Oh My Vogue and The Glamourai.

2. I love the English countryside. Especially the woodlands. Here are a few pictures taken from our recent hike near Alderly Edge.

3. I also love their stately homes, especially those built during the Tudor Era. My husband and I are members of The National Trust and we visited 'Speke Hall' near Liverpool last weekend.

4. I'm an insomniac, and it's getting worse. I'll lie awake until 6am, desperately trying to fall asleep. I've now resorted to desperate measures. Bought 'Say Goodnight To Insomnia' written by someone who's developed a drug-free programme at Harvard Medical School. I'll tell you if it helps!

5. All my married friends are having adorable cute babies, and I'm starting to feel the pressure to have kids. I don't feel that I'm ready for them yet, and the naughty part of me worries that they'll be uncute. I was distinctly uncute as a baby. Pic of friend's baby. He's half Indian half English, has wavy brown hair, amazing long lashes and the biggest blue eyes.

6. I bruise like a peach. Yes, anything from a tiny knock to my legs makes me bruise. Coupled with my clumsiness, in my younger days I used to be full of bruises. When I went swimming once a teacher actually had to pull me aside and ask if everything was alright at home. I had to work very hard to convince her that I was just clumsy and the only one who gave me those bruises were myself.

7. Speaking of bruises, I had an awful nightmare the other night. It was so bad I woke up, lept out of my bed, fell and badly grazed my knee - leaving a big bruise to add to my collection.

For these 2 awards I tag:

A Gift From Nicola

2011-09-05T03:55:00.000-07:00

The beautiful and sweet Nicola from bangbangsheshoots recently sent me the cutest little package.

She knew that I am growing out my fringe, and am having difficulty finding a good eyebrow pencil. She not only suggested one, but she was so kind as to post it to me too! She also included an amazing bunch of other things.

The aforementioned eyebrow pencil. Shiseido Integrate Gracy in Grey.

Also included was this cute cream blush from Canmake. The shade is 11, Heavenly Heart. The name itself is adorable, and I really love the shade! Will post more about this blush later on. Do read Nicola's post on this blush (if you haven't already). It looks absolutely stunning on her teamed with Nars Orgasm Illuminator. A really simple, yet beautiful look.

She also gave me these Beauty Diary masks in Black Pearl and Bulgarian White Rose. Can't wait to try them out!

I love taking baths, so these bath tablets were also such wonderful gifts! One of them says 'Human is fighting against fatigue. Charley supports you' - how sweet is that?!

Will post more about these lovely products later on, am really looking forward to using them all! If you're reading this, thanks again Nicola x

*Updated* I have just used the strawberry milk bath tablet (the one with the pink and white striped packaging). The tablet itself is a bright rose pink colour. Was such a pleasant surprise. Sorry no pics of the tablet (I was in the bath when I opened it, so there wasn't a camera anywhere in sight).

It effervesced instantly on contact with water. The bath water turned a milky violet. Such a dreamy colour. Had an amazing bath, and I could swear that my skin felt softer afterwards.

Western BB Creams: Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream

2011-09-01T03:40:00.000-07:00

Another Western Brand has jumped on the BB Cream wagon. Garnier has come up with their Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One BB Cream. For an intro into the Western perspective of BB Creams, this Daily Mail Article makes quite a good read.

List of ingredients:

This is priced at £9.99 for a 50ml Tube.

Product Claims:

-24h hydration

-UV protection

-primer and skin perfecter

-blurs redness, sunspots

-smooths fine lines

-illuminates and brightens

and a quote from Garnier website: Go B.B! In just one step, even, cover, hydrate, illuminate and help protect your skin.

The product comes in a fairly small tube beige coloured shiny tube. The tube has a flip top cap for the product to be squeezed out.

The BB cream comes in 2 shades; light and medium. I bought 'Light'.

Light is pale to medium beige shade. My my skin it comes out a shade darker (and more bronze) than my natural skin colour. It would be perfect for those wanting a Summer glow. But for those who desire pale, porcelain skin, I think you will find this shade a little too dark.

Once blended it gives the skin a gorgeous glow.

The BB cream on my skin:

My Thoughts:

Texture and Scent

The BB cream is has the texture of a really thick tinted moisturiser. However, it is light enough to spread easily onto the skin. The cream feels quite nice of dry to normal skin, but I worry that it might be too greasy for those with combination-oily skin. It has a pleasant, fresh, floral scent.

Colour and Coverage

As I mentioned earlier, 'Light' is a little to dark for my MAC NC15-20 skin. Coverage is medium to sheer, similar to tinted moisturiser if applied sparingly. Does not conceal spots or sun-spots. Coverage is build-able. The best thing bout this cream is that it gives the skin an amazing healthy, natural looking glow. This BB cream is pretty long-wearing. It's also fairly hydrating, though I wouldn't use this instead of my normal moisturiser.

Differences to Asian BB Creams:

-no ashy grey undertone

-sheerer coverage (would not function as a foundation)

-shades are darker than that of Asian BB creams

-does not contain whitening benefits

Pros:

-contains mineral pigments to even out skintone

-provides gorgeous natural looking glow

-contains SPF

-sheer build-able coverage

- covers minor imperfections

Cons:

-limited shade range, light was too dark for me

- some might find SPF15 too low

-may be too greasy for combination-oily skins

-some may find coverage too sheer

Quick Hair Mask Comparison: Fekkai Advanced Essential Shea V. Kerastase Masquintense

2011-08-27T02:46:00.000-07:00

A quick background on my hair type. I have very long, thick hair which can become quite dry and unmanageable when using the wrong products.

Fekkai Advanced Essential Shea Ultra Rich Mask

The Essential Shea Collection is new to Fekkai, and it's specially made for those with dry, coarse hair. I bought the Ultra Rich Mask to try, and see how it compared to my much loved Kerastase Masquintense.

£25 for a ~ 200ml Tube

According to Fekkai:

An intense conditioning treatment that leaves ultra-dry, coarse or unruly hair manageable, soft and strong against damage.

My Thoughts:

The mask itself is a pale yellow thick cream. It does not feel too greasy to the touch and is easily applied throughout the hair. Initially the product has quite a nice shea butter scent, but after a minute it turns fairly unpleasant. The smell is hard to describe, I can only say it's quite unpleasant and is quite sharp smelling (making me want to quickly wash it off).

The mask rinses out easily, and doesn't leave any residue. This mask did not work well on me. It did not leave my hair feeling smooth and moisturised. Instead my hair felt sort of dry and brittle. Once dry, my hair look is worse condition than normal, which was disappointing.

Kerastase Masquintense Cheveux Epais

I've been using this mask for about 4 months now, and am very impressed with it.

£25/200ml Tub

According to Kerastase:

High concentration conditioning treatment for very dry sensitised hair:

-glucose: provides an energy boost for nutrition of the hair fibre

-proteins: nourish the hair fibre and leave it soft

-lipids: protect the fibre from drying out and improve its natural protection

My Thoughts:

I was a bit dubious when reading about the glucose giving the hair an energy boost. Glucose is sugar and when ingested into the body it is used by cells as a primary source of energy. How hair can break down glucose into energy, I don't know. Nevertheless, I really like this mask. It's a thick white cream which is quite greasy to the touch. So special care is needed to make sure there's no residue left in the shower/bath as I've found myself slipping on it on quite a few occasions.

Despite being a touch greasy, it rinses out of the hair easily. It doesn't leave my hair greasy at all, instead my hair feels really smooth, silky and soft. I've notice the condition of my hair improving with regular use of this mask.

Conclusion:

I definitely prefer the Kerastase Masquintense. It remains my favourite hair mask, and I've now learnt to stick to products I already know and love.

Tutorial: Nude Makeup

2011-08-22T03:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, here is my second makeup tutorial. It's my step-by-step take on how to easily achieve a Nude Makeup Look.

As Nude colours can really wash out a complexion, it's really important to find shades that suit your skin tone. This can be achieved by trial and error or testing out shades at the makeup counter. I personally avoid too light a lip colour as those tend to make me look really ill.

1. For me, good skin is the key to this Nude Makeup look. For an even complexion, I recommend tinted moisturisers or sheer BB creams over foundations as they let the natural glow of your skin show through. I'm all for enhancing the skin rather than masking it.

I tried out my new Garnier BB cream. As BB creams have quite a thick consistency, only a small amount is needed to blend over the entire complexion. This BB cream was nice and sheer, and left the skin with a dewy glow.

Product used: Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-in-one BB Cream

2. I applied a pale nude eye shadow over the eye-socket to even-out the upper eyelid.

Product Used: Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow in Trench 0.2

3. I tightlined the upper eyelid with a waterproof pencil liner.

Product Used: Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Eyeliner in Black

4. I then neatly lined my upper eyelids with a black gel liner.

Product Used: Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black

5. I then curled my upper eyelashes and applied a coat of black mascara.

Products used: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, Lancome Hynose Doll Eyes Mascara

6. To prevent looking washed-out, apply a neutral shade of blush the cheeks. I used a subtle shade of light pink with a golden sheen.

Product used: MAC Beauty Powder in Shell Pearl (LE Liberty of London)

7. Nude coloured lips are another key component to this look. I only own one shade of nude lipstick, so it's definitely my go-to shade for nude lips. I love how easy to wear it is.

Product used: myface cosmetics Gigabyte Lipstick in Vintage Pink

Here's the completed look. I was going for was a natural, yet polished look:

Nude Heels and My First Sikh Wedding

2011-08-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, sorry for not keeping up with regular posts. For the past week, I've been busy with a week long Sikh wedding. It's been the longest and most extravagant wedding I've been to.

My husband was the best man, and I was made the groom's honourary sister-in-law. This meant we were invited to all the festivities including family gatherings and parties. By the end of the week, my husband and I were extremely exhausted. We had an amazing time though, the groom's family relatives we so welcoming that I really felt part of the family.

Here are a couple of pics of the bride and groom.They are such a perfectly matched couple with so much in common.

The bride is beautiful. She looked like a film star at the wedding reception. The groom is wearing a kilt, as like my husband he was born and bred in Scotland. Below is a pic of them wearing more traditional wedding clothing:

As sister-in-law, my duties included performing traditional ceremonies such as smearing the groom with tumeric paste, and applying eyeliner in a Punjabi eyelining ritual. Here is a pic of me nervously eyeing the eyeliner.

Here is a pic of me with husband and sister-in-law at the wedding reception. The sister of the groom generously gave me this gorgeous blue dress to wear and keep.

My husband was a little nervous as he had to deliver a best man speech to over 400 guests. His family were also invited to the wedding as his whole family has known the groom's family for years. My husband and the groom has been friends ever since they were five. The groom was the best man at our wedding.

The skirt of my new outfit was a little long, and I didn't own any shoes that were very high heeled. I bought this nude pair from Aldo, along with a pair of velvet in-soles to make them fit better. I love nude heels as they make the legs look longer and pretty much goes with most of my outfits.

FOTD with Guerlain Rouge Automatique Cherry Blossom

2011-08-10T03:24:00.000-07:00

For today's look, I'm using one of my favourite pink lip colours, Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Cherry Blossom 161.

On my cheeks I used my new MAC Beauty Powder in Alpha Girl for soft, peachy-pink flush.

I like the consistency of Geurlain's Rouge Automatiques. The texture is pretty creamy, and the colours are fairly long-wearing.

Cherry blossom is a light to medium rosy pink with frosty shimmer.

Swatch of Cherry Blossom:

Lip swatch:

I used quite a thick layer of the lipstick for this swatch so you can have a good idea of the true colour of this shade. For my FOTD I lightly applied the lipstick and blended it out for a softer, easy to wear look.

Products used in today's look.

Face:

Dior Crystal Nude Natural Matte Skin Perfecter in 001 Invisible

MAC Beauty Powder Alpha Girl on cheeks

Eyes:

Shiseido Integrate GY941 on brows

MAC Eyeshadow Smut

MAC Eyeshadow Typographic as Liner

Lips:

Guerlian Rouge Automatique Cherry Blossom

The pores on my skin were looking pretty visible today, so rather than brave a FOTD without any base, I applied my recently acquired Diorskin Crystal Nude Natural Matte Skin Perfector.

It is a translucent, colourless product that can be used on its own, as a base or over foundation. I used it on its own and it instantly made my face look a whole lot smoother.

My fringe is still at that awful awkward growing out stage. When I kept a fringe, it grew so fast I needed frequent trims at the hairdressers. Now that I want to grow it out, it just won't grow fast enough! So for the time being, you will see pictures of me with the top of my head cropped off.

Mac Fashion Flower Alpha Girl & Mac Semi Precious Rose Quartz

2011-08-05T03:31:00.000-07:00

I bought two items from MAC recently. Their Beauty Powder in Alpha Girl from their Fashion Flower collection, and their Mineralized Skin Finish in Rose Quartz from their Semi-Precious collection.

(Above: Rose Quartz, Below: Alpha Girl)

I love the promotional pic for MAC's Fashion Flower. It looks fun, pretty and summery. Though it does look a bit like the flowers are trying to envelope her into the ground.

I couldn't resist the Beauty Powder in Alpha Girl when I saw it. Not only does is it embossed with a cute flower design, but it's a gorgeous shade of pinky-peach (my favourite shade for blushes).

You get a lot of product, about 1.5-2x the size of normal MAC blushes.

A swatch of the blush. I would describe it as a pale peachy-pink with a hint of coral and slight shimmer.

A swatch of Alpha girl on my cheek. This was taken on a particularly sunny day, and the sun casted a warm yellow glow on my skin making it slightly harder to see the blush.

On my complexion it looks fairly subtle. It gives my cheeks a wash of healthy-looking, flushed, summery colour.

I wanted to give MAC's Mineralized Skin Finish a try, and so bought one in Rose Quartz from their Semi-Precious range. Like Alpha Girl, the product itself is really pretty to look at. At the centre is a circle of a myriad of shimmery shades which include lime green, silver and pink.

Swatches of the blush; blended together (left), the outer shade (middle) and the inner circle (right).

Blended together, they colours make a devine medium pink shade with champagne-gold coloured shimmer. The blush on my cheeks:

Now this picture was taken on an overly cloudy dull day. I rely on natural lighting for my blog, so picture quality is 100% depended on weather. Rose Quartz is a lot more shimmery than Alpha girl and not as easy to wear, but I do love the pretty pink shade.

Hourglass Haul and FOTD

2011-08-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is a post on my recent Hourglass Haul. I bought these products from one of my favouritie online stores Zuneta.com.

Hourglass is a Californian brand which boasts cutting-edge formulations and technology in their high quality makeup. From their line I bought the following:

Visionaire Eyeshadow Duo In Suede

Aura Cheek Stain in Petal

Aura Lip Stain in Petal

Visionaire Eyeshadow Duo in Suede - £28

Suede is described as an ivory shimmer, and nude beige shimmer.

The mirror of this compact can swivel 360 degrees, as well as lie flat.

I found the texture of this eyeshadow to be extremely fine. One of the finest I've come across. The powder is very soft to the touch and medium pigmented. It comes with a double ended mini eyeshadow brush which has fine hairs and feels fairly soft.

Swatch of Suede:

Aura Sheer Cheek Stain in Petal - £32

This product is very pricey, but I really love it. It's a lightweight water-based stain that gives the skin natural looking colour with a radiant glow.

The formula is thicker than most stains, which gives me plenty of time to blend it onto my cheeks before the colour sets in. The cheek stain has a twist dispenser, which is great as I can control how much product comes out. It can be applied straight onto the cheeks or applied with fingers. I like to dab it onto my cheeks and use my fingertips to blend.

Petal is a sheer coral-pink. Here is a swatch of it unblended:

Blended:

This shade is more coral than the peachy-pink shades I normally favour. It's easy to blend and feels nice and light on the skin. It doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy. I'm so impressed with this blush that I'm looking to try out the other shades available, namely Flush (a sheer pinky-red).

Aura Sheer Lip Stain in Petal -£19

This is my favourite and most used product of the three, as I find the shade absolutely perfect for Summer.

Again it is a water-based stain with a twist dispenser. It has a flocked-tip applicator which feels soft on the lips. This lip stain is not as easy to use as it's cheek equivalent. As it's a stain with a sheer metallic finish, I need my lips to be in great condition to apply it. The stain will accentuate any dry parts of the lips.

Petal is a lovely pinky coral shade. Quite a unique lip colour, especially for a stain.

Below is a FOTD of my using all three products.

What's In My Bag: Summer Edition

2011-07-26T03:43:00.000-07:00

I decided to do a post on what I carry with me around in my bag during the Summer. Truth be told, it's almost the same as what I cart around during the winter. The main differences are the bag itself and the addition of a sunscreen.

My favourite accessory is the handbag. I go weak at the knees for them, and am more excited shopping for them than I am for shoes. That said, I don't own that many handbags, but I do love all the ones in my little collection. Perhaps, I'll do a post on my handbag collection in the future if anyone is interested.

My most used handbag this season is this foldover Dusty Rose bag from Warehouse. A pic of me with the bag when I took it on my recent trip to Prague.

I bought it for £36 which is relatively reasonable compared to how expensive handbags can be. The quality is great, and in my opinion this bag is worth every penny.

For versatility, the bag can be folded over and transformed into a shoulder bag.

I can fit quite a lot in this bag, but I've got to be careful not to let it get too heavy!

The Essentials:

Mobile, Wallet and Car/House Keys

I've had the wallet for years. I love the little pink bow on it. I attached a Gelaskins protector on the back of the phone as I quite like this cute artwork.

I sometimes carry with me:

a compact mirror, my favourite lipgloss, an SPF50+ cream

I've recently bought the Hourglass Lip Stain in Petal and I'm really loving it. Petal is a really pretty pinky coral shade. I've recently ordered a few Hourglass products (which I really love!) and am in the process of writing up a haul post about them.

Now, onto looking like a hypochondriac:

I occasionally suffer from migraines, IBS and am allergic to certain foods. So to be fully prepared I take with me ibuprofen tablets, anti-histamine and anti-spasmodics (all procured by my Doctor husband). I hardly ever use them, but it's good to know I have them just in case.

I got the little blue purse free from Estee Lauder. It's so handy for carrying my little arsenal of tablets. I also pop in a sample tube of my favourite lip balm (Clarins Moisture Replenishing Lip balm), a tiny hand cream, and a tube of Becca's Beach Tint.

I've fainted quite a few times in the past from low blood sugar, so I always take with me a couple of little chocolates. I got these cute little Ritter Sports from Aldi. I don't take the whole lot with me, just a couple. my favourite is the Butter Biscuit flavour.

On rainy days I carry this umbrella that my husband bought me from Japan.

I love reading and go through so many books a year. I like to carry around some light reading with me. In this case, it's Gilding Lily by Tatiana Boncompagni. An easy to read fiction about New York's high society.

Japanese Makeup Haul From apopofkawaii

2011-07-21T03:54:00.000-07:00

I love Japanese cosmetics and have recently placed an order on the beautiful Nicola's online store apopofkawaii. It's a terrific shop filled with lots of little gems only available in Asia. My order arrived really quickly - within a week if i'm not mistaken, which is amazing seeing as it's sourced in and shipped from Japan.

Here's my order all neatly packaged together:

I bought 4 products:

Visee Mineral Cheeks Baby Finish RD-2

Shiseido Integrate Blush PK210
Lavshuca Melting Eyes BE-1
Integrate Eyebrow Pencil GY941

I first set eyes on the Visee Mineral Cheeks Baby Finish at Worship at the House of Blues, a beautifully written blog with the most gorgeous pictures. The blush looked so gorgeous, and after some deliberating, I decided to make a purchase.

The blush is so pretty, I spent many lost moments admiring it.

More pictures of the lovely blush:

Swatches of each of the 4 shades, and a swatch of the 4 shades blended together (on the extreme right). Blended together, this blush is a bright peachy-pink shimmery shade.

The blush on my cheeks, all 4 shades blended:

The blush on my cheeks came across quite shimmery, which I'm not used to. I think the next time I use it, I'll avoid the shimmery white shade.

My favourite makeup item is blush, and I couldn't resist trying the Shiseido Integrate Blush in PK210.

This blush is a cool toned baby pink.

The blush on my cheek:

It gives a soft, baby pink cheek. I can imagine this blush to be very popular in creating either cute 'Ulzzang' makeup or a sweet 'doll' look.

I also bought the Lavshuca Melting Eyes in BE-1. It has a funny name, but the I think the shades of in this eyeshadow palette are gorgeous.

The shades are fairly shimmery. I find Japanese brands to have really beautiful shades of makeup, but some of their formulas tend to be a bit on the shimmery side.

Swatches of the 4 shades:

As I'm growing my fringe out, I need to start grooming my unruly brows. I bought Integrate's Eyebrow Pencil GY941. I've read great things about how easy to use and natural looking this eyebrow pencil is. GY941 is a dark grey with a hint of brown.

The shade is a perfect match for my eyebrows.

Nicola also added a packet Hello Kitty facial blotters. So cute!

Before I forget, thanks to all of you who wished me good luck in my Citizenship test. Lucky for me, it was very straightforward and I passed!

I Won Aintthatpretty's Gorgeous Giveaway!

2011-07-19T03:41:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to have won Aintthatpretty's 200 Follower Giveaway! Natasha of Aintthatpretty is extremely creative and has her own online boutique. She's also gorgeous with beautiful features and porcelain skin reminiscent of the 1950s.

My Prize:

The prize included 3 items of jewellery from her online shop.

These crystal drop earrings are so beautiful! My pictures do not do justice to how intricate these earrings are.

I can't stop marveling at how extremely well made they are.

I also really love the bracelet and brooch!

I've wanted to buy this Jazz and Petunias Tote from her Femme Fatal Collection ever since I first browsed her shop, so was really happy when I won it. As the winner of the Giveaway, I was able to choose which design I wanted. I loved all of her designs, but this was my favourite.

Natasha even added extra goodies in the prize. These included Beauty Friends Potato and Cucumber Sheet Masks, Collagen Eye Mask, DHC Coenzyme Q10 Facial Film Soap and Nivea Soft Cream. I've not tried any of these brands before (apart from the Nivea) and am really excited to try them.

And lastly a pic of the cute flyer and card of http://www.aintthatpretty.co.uk/

Thanks Natasha for these amazing prizes, I really love them all.

My Beauty Inspirations

2011-07-12T03:38:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, sorry for another short post. I've been super busy this past week, especially with my UK Citizenship exam tomorrow. I haven't been keeping up-to-date with the reading of my favourite beauty blogs, but hopefully I'll manage to find time soon.

For today's short post, I'd like to share with you my list of women who I find incredibly beautiful. Those who inspire me to take better care of my skin, and sometimes inspire my makeup application.

I'd first like to start with two celebrities whom I think have the most gorgeous skin. Scarlet Johansson and Jessica Alba.

Their peachy, flawless complexions have inspired me not only to be serious about my skincare, but to make more effort as to what I put into my body. Just looking at their skin makes me want to drink lots of water and to eat plenty of healthy fruits and vegetables.

Olivia Palermo is more famous for her amazing dress sense, but I can't help but admire her delicate features and superb makeup application. With her huge eyes, long lashes and pink cheeks, she always looks as pretty as a doll.

Next up, this young model from Hungary has the most exquisite features - especially her wolf-like blue eyes.

Barbara Palvin

I admire the next three women for their extraordinary exotic beauty, as well as their timeless elegance and poise.

Gong Li:

Not only is she such a beautiful woman, but I really admire her acting skills and am a big fan of her films.

Queen Rania Of Jordan:

Not only is she beautiful and a Queen, but she's intelligent and speaks out for what she believes in.

Aishwarya Rai:

I think the picture speaks for itself.

Who are your beauty inspirations?

Chanel Tweed Corail

2011-07-08T04:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, just a quick post on my latest blush acquisition: Chanel Blush Duo Tweed Effect in Tweed Corail 20.

I've read lovely things about Chanel's tweed effect blushes, and after much deliberating (and researching through various beauty blogs) I chose Tweed Corail (french for Coral) for its gorgeous peachy coral shade.

This blush has a stunning embossed tweed look which unfortunately (but not surprisingly) gets more and more blended with each application.

A close up of the tweed effect:

The colour is a beautiful peachy-pink coral shade with gold flecks. Just perfect for brightening up my cheeks for Summer, giving me a pop of colour and a sun-kissed glow.

The powder feels soft and blends easily onto the cheeks. This blush is buildable; you can apply the blush sparingly for a natural look, or you can apply more layers for stronger colour. Here is a medium application of the blush on my left cheek (your right).

The sales assistant at Chanel was lovely and gave me this cute little Chanel charm with my purchase.

Anyway, sorry for the short post, hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Tutorial: Natural Looking Makeup

2011-07-04T03:45:00.000-07:00

This is my first makeup tutorial, and I decided to stick to looks which I love. I'll be sticking to what I know best. Since I'm no expert in eye makeup application, I will refrain from any looks which require complicated eyeshadow techniques. My tutorials will mostly center around soft, subtle daytime looks, as well as the occasional evening makeup.

I've been inspired my minimal makeup recently and wanted to do a natural makeup look. This look isn't trying to look like I'm not wearing any makeup, but instead it's using makeup to enhance my natural features.

The tutorial takes inspiration from women who tend to favour natural looking makeup, and have glorious complexion like Song Hye Kyo and Jessica Alba.

Please note: I'm not trying to look like them, and this tutorial is not based on their makeup application. I'm just inspired by their natural beauty.

*You'll see pics of me looking very different in various stages of this tutorial. I'm not confidant baring my unmade face to the internet, but decided it's necessary for the tutorial!*

Tutorial:

1. Foundation should blend in perfectly with the skin, having absolutely no difference in shade from your face. Apply foundation only on areas where it is needed. It shouldn't be obvious that you are wearing foundation, so use a light-weight formula and only apply a light layer during the day. A tinted moisturiser would be ideal. For a super natural look, I advise skipping foundation altogether and let your own beautiful skin breathe.

For this tutorial though, I'm wearing an illuminating tinted moisturiser. It evens out my skintone, but I have noticed this shade does dull my skin slightly.

Product Used: Madara Moonflower Tinting Fluid

2. Either forego eyeshadow, or use shades that are light, natural and flatters your skintone. I used a warm neutral brown shade on the upper lash line.

Product Used: Chanel Eyeshadow in Sand

3. Unfortunately, my eyes need eyeliner to make them look more wide awake. Apply a thin line of eyeliner (either brown or black) to the lashline. I used the blending tip end of my pencil liner to gently smudge line for a softer look.

Curl the lashes, and apply a coat of mascara. I tend to miss out the mascara during the day (mostly due to laziness), but when I do wear mascara , Clinique's Naturally Glossy Mascara would be my daytime choice. It's one of the more subtle mascara's out there. It lifts and lengthens the lashes without the clumping and false lash look.

Products Used: Benefit BADgal Eyeliner in Waterproof Black, Clinique Natural Glossy Mascara in Jet Black

4. Choose a shade of blush that doesn't contrast too much from your complexion. For a healthy, glowing, natural look avoid blushes which are too powdery. A cream blusher is highly recommended, or a powder blush which has silky smooth texture.

I'm using a powder blush from Guerlain, and tapped off the excess powder before applying it to the apple of my cheeks (the flashy part when you smile). This blush is halfway between a blush and a bronzer, and gives a very subtle browny-pink colour to the cheeks.

Product Used: Guerlain Blush 4 Eclats in Tendre Aurore

5. Apply a tinted lip balm, or a subtle shade of lipstick. I find Laura Mercier's Sheer Lip Colour in Baby Lips my perfect 'my lips but better' shade.

Product Used: Laura Mercier Sheer Lip Colour in Baby Lips

The finished look:

Affordable Beauty: My First e.l.f Haul

2011-07-01T04:58:00.000-07:00

I've read so much about e.l.f. cosmetics from beauty bloggers and decided to give them a try. e.l.f. stands for eyes lips face. They are an American brand which strive to deliver good quality makeup at very low prices.

Products bought:

Conditioning Lip Balm in Blissful Berry and Romantic Rouge (£3.50 each)

Mineral Lipstick in Pouty Petal (£3.50)

Mineral Blush in Joy (£3.50)

Studio Blush in Tickled Pink (£3.50)

Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Raspberry (£1.50)

The first thing I noticed about the Conditioning Lip Balm is that the packaging is pretty huge! I'm not too impressed with how chunky they are, and it's quite difficult to access the balm if you have long nails.

The balms look bigger in real life than they do in these pics (4 x 4 x 3cm in dimension).

These balms have nice, thick consistency and have good pigmentation (more of a lipstick than a balm). In addition, they contain SPF15 to protect against the sun. The finish is creamy rather than overly shiny. Romantic Rouge is a sheer, rosy red. Blissful Berry is a warm, berry rose.

L-R: Romantic Rouge, Blissful Berry

Lip swatches of Romantic Rouge...

...and Blissful Berry

I love both shades, but my favourite of the two is Romantic rouge for providing sheer rosy red lips.

I tried a couple of items from their mineral makeup range. Their Mineral Lipstick in Pouty Petal is a light cool pink.

I absolutely adore this Mineral Blush in Joy. The texture is smooth and soft, and the shade is a gorgeous pale lilac pink. It gave my cheeks a very healthy looking glow.

Swatches of the Mineral Lipstick in Pouty Petal (L) and Mineral Blush in Joy (R)

Lip swatch of Pouty Petal

Pouty Petal turned out fairly pale on my lips. It's a pretty shade, but I find this would be better suited to those with fairer complexions than I. I would prefer a more pigmented lipstick, and this shade required a few coats of application to get the colour to show up on my lips.

Next up is e.l.f's Studio Blush in Tickled Pink, a pretty muted pink shade.

Here is a swatch of it on the far left, in comparison to Pouty Petal and Joy.

As pretty as the blush was, it didn't do much for my complexion and I much preferred the Mineral Blush in Joy.

On to the cheapest of the lot, the Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Raspberry that only costs £1.50

These glosses have the same twist application as Stila Lip Glazes. The packaging of the e.l.f. glosses were of lesser quality in comparison to the Lip Glazes. I'm not complaining though as they only cost £1.50. (even cheaper if you are in the U.S.).

Raspberry is a pretty reddish-pink:

The formula is thicker than the average gloss and it has a nice, creamy finish and my lips look plumper with it on. It has a sweet, minty scent. Like a lot of glosses they tend not to last very long. All in all, a good buy and I already have my eye on other shades in the range -namely Strawberry and Cherry Tart.

New: Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator & Cooling Eye Illuminator

2011-06-28T03:45:00.000-07:00

Estee Lauder has recently launced a new campaign called 'Every Woman Can be Beautiful', which features 3 new faces to their brand including China's own Liu Wen.

Two new products have been released: Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator and Cooling Eye Illuminator. These products caught my eye (mainly because of how beautiful Liu wen looks in the campaign shots), because I love skincare items which have make-up properties.

Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator

This product comes in 2 sizes 30ml (£46) and 50ml (£62). As they are very expensive, I bought the smaller 30ml bottle.

According to Estee Lauder:

"The first fast-acting Serum from Estée Lauder Research proven to significantly reduce the look of uneven skintone: blotchiness, blemish marks, dark spots, discolourations. Instantly skin looks fresh and radiant. 79% of women saw an immediate improvement in the look of uneven skintone. Skin looks noticeably clearer, brighter and more even-toned. Dark spots appear reduced."

I love the pretty pearly blue packaging. The product is easily dispensed via a pump. Only a small amount is necessary per use. I would recommend using about half the amount shown in the picture below.

The serum is a lightweight pearly lotion.

The serum has a touch of gold pearl which, once blended, creates a gorgeous illuminating effect. Initially I was worried about glittery/shimmery particles on my skin, but all that was noticeable was a beautiful glow.

The illuminating effect is more obvious on my face. Here is a pic of me in a recent FOTD using the illuminator (I have added a touch of BB cream to nose and chin areas).

The serum makes an immediate difference to my skin. I feel radiant and confident with it on, and do not feel the need to cover up my skin. It brightens up my skintone and gives the skin a great glow. In addition, it does not irritate my skin in the slightest, and it feels lightweight and non-greasy.

As for non-immediate effects, I've been using this serum for over 2 weeks now and have noticed an overall brightening in my complexion which has nothing to do with the pearlescent illuminating qualities of the serum. I had uneven skintone from sun damage on my recent trip to Peru. After using the serum for 2 weeks, the slight discolouration on my skin has disappeared.

* I have to note that the discolouration on my skin was modest to begin with, so I don't know how this serum will fare with dark spots. *

I feel that this serum has evened out my skintone nicely, whilst brightening my complexion.

Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator ~ £40

I was very lucky to receive this Eye Illuminator as a gift. At £40, it's a very expensive product.

Here are pics of the long list of ingredients:

According to Estee Lauder:

"This highly concentrated complex targets the underlying causes of darkness and puffiness for dramatic brightening and de-puffing, instantly and over time.... Every stroke of the innovative ceremic tip cools, massages, helps de-puff and re-energize eyes."

The cooling ceremic tip. I can vouch that this tip does indeed feel cooling on the eye area.

It comes in 2 shades, and I bought the lighter shade of 'Light-Medium'.

The tint is a supremely sheer pale creamy-beige with a hint of pearlised gold. The texture is very creamy, but light and not thick enough to cover dark circles (though it does minimise their appearance). Once spread, the cream gives a brightening, illuminating effect.

I use this illuminator sparingly in the mornings and it instantly brightens up my eyes. I love the refreshing, cooling sensation the applicator gives, and my eyes instantly becomes less puffy. My eyes look refreshed, and I feel more wide awake. I haven't used this cream long enough to notice any long term lightening of my dark circles.

Reminiscing 10 years ago - Products I loved in High School

2011-06-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! This post will give everyone a sense of how old I am. It was just less than 10 years ago that I was in high school, learning about makeup and proper skincare. I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and share with you the products I used when I was in high school.

I went to an English boarding school (a cute little pic of it below), and sharing a boarding house with girls was great for sharing beautyand makeup tips!

Though my makeup collection now is pretty large, in school I could count the amount of makeup items I owned on one hand. Gone are the days when I didn't ever feel the need to wear makeup. I used to go on dates without any makeup on. The girls in the boarding house used to drag me back and put some clear lip gloss on my lips, and curled my lashes to make me more presentable for my date. I did own some makeup though, I just don't know what I was saving the use of them for!

Here is a pic of my and my best friend 10 years ago (I am the one on the left). It was a school ball followed by a disco and I can't believe that we didn't bother with putting on any makeup. Oh how times have changed! The pic must have been taken after the ball as the boys in the background look a bit drunk. The girl in the picture is still my best friend to this day and was my maid of honour at my wedding 2 years ago.

My husband just saw the picture, paused and said 'you both look better now', then walked off before he could have a good laugh the pic. I feel like I better show a current photo of my best friend as that old pic really doesn't do her justice.

Now onto the products I used as a teen:

1. Benefit Benetint

Benefit products are pretty expensive especially for a high school student, so I saved up to purchase this. It was definitely worth the money as it gave a natural flush to my cheeks and lips. Almost a decade later, I still use this product (not the very same bottle though!!).

2. Body Shop Brow and Lash Gel

I can't quite see the point in using a clear gel as mascara, but nevertheless that's what I did back in the day. It gave such a natural look that I might as well have not bothered!

3. Labello Velvet Rose Lipbalm

The balm is a nice baby pink, though it goes on almost colourless on the lips. I remembered it being creamy textured and really moisturising.

4. Shiseido Pureness

This was my skincare routine for most of my highschool and university days. I found these products to be effective and fuss-free. The moisturising lotion was extremely lightweight and perfect for oily or teenage skin!

Which products did you use / are you using in your teens?

Weekend Haul: Chanel Rouge Coco, Models Own, Maybelline Dream touch Blush

2011-06-20T03:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Hope you are all having a wonderful week! Here's a quick post on a recent weekend haul.

(L-R) Revlon ColorBurst in Blush, Chanel Rouge Coco in Organdi Rose, Models Own polish in Utopia, Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in 01 and 02.

I've been admiring Chanel's Rouge Coco Organdi Rose for some time. I'm really glad I finally bought it as it's such a perfect everyday mauve-rose shade.

Here is a swatch of the lipstick on my lips. I love the texture of Rouge Coco. I like demi-matte formulas with a creamy finish.

Though I really love rosy pink and cheeks, lately I'm leaning towards more natural shades. These Maybelline Cream Touch Blushes are really popular. They're selling really well and everywhere I look, they are almost sold out. I bought shades 01 Apricot, 02 Peach

(L-R) Apricot, Peach

The blushes blended out:

I'm really pleased with these blushes. They're really easy to apply - you almost don't need a mirror! I love the shimmer quality they posses. They give my skin a really healthy glowy sheen.

I normally favour nude nail polishes, but couldn't resist Models Own Utopia. The shade is a light lilac and a great shade for when I want a fun, summery look.

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Blush is a great natural, my lips but better shade. I like to use it on days where I want more natural looking makeup. The pic below is a bit dark, and in real like the shade is slightly more peach coloured.

FOTD Using Smashbox In Bloom Eyeshadow Palette

2011-06-13T03:39:00.000-07:00

This FOTD was created using my current favourite eyeshadow palette - Smashbox In Bloom. This palette has a range of pretty, easy to use shades that I find will be perfect for Summer/ Autumn.

Please ignore my hair. It's at that really awkward stage of growing the fringe out. This is probably the first post in a long while that anyone's seen my eyebrows!

Sorry for the extremely blurry shot of my products used!

Products Used:

Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator

Sunplay Skin Aqua Moisture BB cream

By Terry Hyaluronic Eye Primer

Smashbox In Bloom Eye Shadow Palette

Bobbi Brown Gel Liner, Black

Estee Lauder Double Wear Mascara

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge, Pale Pink

Bobbi brown Lip Colour Pink

To prep my skin, I used Estee Lauder's New Idealist Skintone Illuminator. It's a skincare product that is designed to perfect skintone whilst providing a subtle illuminating effect.

I've had this product for two weeks and really love it. I normally use it in the morning under my daily moisturiser and it really brightens up my skin.

I've taken a couple of holidays in the last month and though I religiously apply sunscreen, I've noticed uneven pigmentation especially around the nose area. So for this FOTD, I applied Sunplay Skin Aqua Moisture BB Cream on the notice to even out my skintone.

From the Smashbox Palette, I selected a pale rose gold shade and a moss green (top left, bottom right).

Here are swatches of the two shades:

I used the rose gold shade all over the upper lip, from the lash line to the crease. I then applied black eyeliner, and brushed the moss green shadow on top of the lash line to soften the eyeliner.

I then applied a coat of mascara to the lashes to finish of my eye-makeup.

For my lips and cheeks, I chose to go bright and pink.

I used Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink on my cheeks, and love the subtle glow cream blushes give to the cheeks. It's a Bobbi Brown filled FOTD today as I'm using Bobbi Brown Lipstick in Pink on my lips.

Sunplay Skin Aqua Moisture BB Cream Review

2011-06-09T03:40:00.000-07:00

Today I'm reviewing a great BB cream that I bought from Sasa.com awhile ago.

I like to keep my makeup light, especially in Summer when the weather is warm and too much product makes my face feel/look greasy. I decided to try this BB cream out for special occasions where I want a little coverage on my skin, but still want natural looking skin. The Mentholatum Sunplay Skin Aqua Moisture BB Cream SPF27PA++ sells for ~US$ 17, and is one of my favourite BB creams so far.

Front View:

Back:

This BB cream claims the following properties:

sun protection

whitening

moisturising

anti-ageing

oil control

concealer

foundation

The BB cream has a thick, creamy consistency, and a nice smooth texture. Like most BB creams, it only comes in one shade. Unlike other BB creams, this one doesn't have a greyish tinge to it. Instead, the colour is a warm beige when squeezed out of the tube.

When spread out, the colour turns slightly lighter.

I find that the resulting colour matched my skintone exactly.

Here's a picture of my skin with the BB cream.

Texture, coverage, and scent:

The BB cream is pretty thick, which makes application a little hard. Once spread evenly, it provides good medium coverage. Less is more with this cream, applying too much would give a slight cakey effect and would also be difficult to apply. It has a light scent which is hard to describe (but not unpleasant). I found that the BB cream does have a moisturising effect on the skin, but would still use if over my daily moisturiser.

Finish:

I love the finish of this BB cream. Eventhough it's a moisturising BB cream it does not leave an oily looking finish. Instead, the effect is more demi-matte. A plus point is the radiant glow it gives my skin despite being slightly matte.

Pros:

-contains SPF

-gives a dewy finish yet does not look oily

-good coverage

-did not irritate my skin

Cons:

-not available in the UK