Event: The Grand Bal Dior

Just received this in my mailer.....

It seems to me that Dior started to churn out palettes that resembles a clutch year after year during the festive season since 2009 or 2010. 

This year's palette, Palette Grand Bal Carnet de Maquillage seems to be a tad plain compared to last year's pastel garden theme. Gold, silver and red seems to dominate this season and its not difficult to see why.

And yes, Dior has a upcoming event at Intercontinental Hotel Singapore at Middle Road on 5th October, do rsvp by 24th September if you are interested. 

Review: OPI Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection

Just when you thought what's next after their collaboration with the Muppets, the Pirates of the Carribeans.... what else can they come up with?

Yes, the most recent collaboration would be with our dearest gloved gal friend...... Minnie Mouse.

The entire collection is rather small compared to the ones that OPI churns out every now and then, there are only 4 colours in it, mainly the Pinks and the Reds.

There is a creme based pink polish "If You Moust You Moust", a pinkish semi translucent polish with heart shaped flake "Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It", a shimmery bluish cool tone red "The Colour of Minnie" and "I'm all Ears" which is a shimmery stronger tone of Pink (almost red).

Red is not my colour, although i like it very much but it just does not grow on me, be it on the body, on the face or on the nails.

I got myself just "Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It" as i am drawn to the cute hearts suspended in the translucent pinkish liquid. 

                                                                 Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It.

                                                 2 Coats but with strategically placed hearts......

The quality of this polish did not wow me, like i mentioned earlier its just a matter of impulse buy as i regretted it after eagerly apply it on my thumb the first thing i reached home with it.

The consistency of the polish is slightly thicker than the creme formula but not so thick that it makes spreading of the polish on the nails a chore. Although getting the hearts out of the bottle requires some practice, you would need patience as well as a tooth pick to help you get some hearts out, and placed them on the nails.

The end result is something that is rather cute (definitely not for corporate world), and i almost forgot that i regretted hauling it home with me. It takes 2 coats to get some decent colour on the nail, 1 coat is sufficient if you are layering it over another colour.

Not a must buy from the collection, a must if you grew up singing the Mickey Mouse song and that Minnie Mouse is the only mouse you will not jump on the chair when you see her.

Available at Scape Weekend market for S$10.00.

Review and FOTD: Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush in Blossom

Hauling... there are just some days that you feel like nothing but to haul.

Okie, here's my most recent cosmetic hauling, a very small but quality haul. : )

I present Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush in No. 5 Blossom.

                                Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush in Blossom, 7g or 0.24oz.

                                                         Light Glow in No. 5 Blossom.

                                                  The iconic design, velvet-like pouch.

                                The details that the people at Burberry pays attention to.... : )

                                                                       Just Gorgeous.

                                                                 A Close look at the blush.

      The brush that comes with the blusher is not too bad, good if you are touching up outside.

                                                 One gentle swipe with my MAC129.

               After a whole day's work (8 to 9 hours later), i used 1 swipe on each side of the cheek.

Note:I usually go for the neutral and "try to have good complexion" kind of look as my company would not take certain look too well.

                                           The troop of makeup that i use in the morning.

The bases (L-R): RMK Pressed Powder in 04, RMK Smoothing Polished Base, RMK Liquid Foundation in 104 and Creamy Makeup base in 02.

Stila Eyeshadow Palette (forgot the name, it's a neutral palette), Clinique Lash Power Mascara in Black Onyx, The Bodyshop Brow & Liner Kit in 02 and Maquillage.

                        Highlighter: Chanel Empreinte de Chanel (used on top of the cheeks sparingly).

L-R: MAC 219, MAC 217, The Bodyshop Liner Brush, Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush and MAC 129.

Well... well... well, i have heard so much rave about the quality of Burberry's makeup line and so now here's my humble take on the Blusher (the one item that interest me most, and the liquid foundation would come a close second).

Packaging is something that Burberry did very well in this aspect, the cloth cover and the metallic casing with the house's signature design simply ooze high-end, especially the lid is held closed with magnetic strip.

In terms of texture, the blusher is extremely soft and well...... buttery. It makes the picking up of powder a breeze, a very gentle swipe of my brush and what i get is well enough for 1 application. Impressive.What's more, the plaid design does not disappear that easily, i have been using it almost everyday (except my off-work days), it is still very much intact.

Colour payoff is something i would be quite concern about, considering that i am rather tan and most blushers would not show up that nicely on me. I realised my worries were actually unfound. The pigmentation of this blush is WOW. The very first swipe impart a healthy pinkish coral on my cheeks, it has a certain transparency that looks as if it is in my cheeks, not sitting on top of it. Intensity can be built up very easily, yet one does not have to be overly cautious as i do need to be with NARS blushers (yes, i am talking about my beloved Taj Mahal). Again, impressed.

Now, lasting power..... i have oily combination skin. In our tropical hot and humid weather, i would not expect the blush to wear as well on me as our foreign counterparts. I get about 5 to 6 hours of decent wear and by the time i reached home to take a snapshot of my face which is about 9 hours later (apologies of the half face photoshot, i swiped a cotton pad full of makeup cleanser before realising i have not taken a photohot yet). A hint of the colour remains, not too bad. I guess it will stay on better and longer on other skin types.

Overall, i really like how easy it is to wear the blush and the quality of it wow me. At this stage i am very much eager to try another blusher of theirs and probably their liquid foundation too.

So, yah i like it.

Priced at S$61.00 for 7g or 0.24oz, made in Italy. Available at Tangs Orchard.

Note: The Singapore pricing is quite comparable with the US pricing, so it is not necessary to ask friends to haul this for you overseas. Though i do find overseas GWP more generously than Singapore.

Fragrance Quest II: Hunting for the Hard to find......

Yes, the quest for the hard-to-find and discontinued fragrances continues......

This time, i am rather well rewarded with my first hunt. I managed to hunt down the long discontuinued Yohji Yamamoto Yohji Homme. Of course, initially i wasn't meant to have it as it was reserved by the shop owner for somebody else.

As fate would have it, when i was about to leave the store empty handed, she called me back telling me that she has 1 last bottle of the precious liquid that i am looking for. Yes, 1 last bottle in the shop and it will not be in stock ever again, so maybe that is the very last bottle of Yohji Homme in Singapore, and yes, i went home poorer but excited about this rare find.

I did not leave the store with just 1 bottle, since i managed to snag Yohji Homme i went on to get a bottle of Gucci Rush which i heard is also discontinued and the few departmental stores i went to do not stock it anymore.

Really excited to wear these 2 rare finds, however i am in a dilemma too. If the 2 fragrances do not grow on me, well that's fine but if they turned out to be something i find myself reaching too more than i would like to, i would be in trouble......

Where am i supposed to find another bottle of Yohji Homme at a reasonable price ? (trust me, ebay is evil bay for some things). As for Gucci Rush, i guess i should still be able to snag a few bottles should i find it to be something i can't keep my hands off.

Well, reviews coming soon too (i hope).

                                     Left: Yohji Yamamoto Yohji Homme, Right: Gucci Rush.

                                               The much sought after Yohji Homme- 30ml.

 I guess the stocks is really old as it is a 1999 fragrance, so some words on the bottle simply flaked away.

 

                     Yohji Homme used to be available in 50ml (it would be housed in a white box).

                                                                    Gucci Rush-75ml EDT .

Fragrance Quest: Hauling : )

Please excuse me for the larger than usual image.... just want to test it out and personally i do think the larger image do more justice to these 2 lovelies. : )

After some contemplation (not much actually : ) ), i decided to hauled Lolita Lempicka's first fragrance and Gucci's Envy (which is very shocking to me that it has been discontinued!!!!!!). 

Upcoming reviews soon......

                                                             I love the pretty pretty bottle.

                                             How is one ever going to resist this apple?

 The swing and miniature is my very first Lolita Lempicka purchase which was more than 10 years ago. I am glad to find that there hasn't been any reformulation to this gem.

                                                                           Isn't it sweet?

Fragrance of the Moment and many more......

For the fun of it........

I present my very humble but evergrowing fragrance collection. : )

Love them all......

What about you?

What's your favourite?

         

Review: Biore Marshmallow Whip Extra Moist Facial Wash

I have disappeared for the entire month of August..... apologies for that. Just that every now and then things in life posed challenges that one has to muster strength and courage to overcome it.

Now, coming back to this.... this would be a review on Biore's Marshmallow Whip Extra Moist Facial wash.

Biore is a drugstore skincare brand that hails from Japan, now i have only used Biore once in my teenage years and i wasn't exactly too fond of the facial wash then as it has proven to be too dry for me. I finished the entire tube then as i wasn't going to waste anything especially since budget is tight, of course my oily pubescent skin didn't react too well to it.

Years passed and just when i thought it was my first and last encounter with Biore...... the cutesy yellow (for dry skin) and pink (for normal skin) bottles in my local drugstore caught my attention. Of course, they had my attention when the commercials for the facial wash kept appearing on TV several times a day.

So there, such is the power of media, i got sucked into it and to sweeten the deal, the facial wash is on offer for S$9.90 instead of the usual S$14.90 (i believe only for a limited period).

So, i gotten the yellow version which is meant for dry skin (yes my skin can act crazily sometimes between extreme dryness and extreme oiliness).

The Biore Marshmallow Whip Extra Moist Facial wash is said to have ultra fine foam that is smaller than our pores and thus is able to perform the task of removing grime and dirt from our skin more efficiently. Furthermore, it is extra moisturising with 40% of beauty serum in it.

That sounds really good and if it really works as it claims, it would my HG for sure especially at the affordable price tag of S$14.90 (the usual selling price).

Biore Marshmallow Whip Extra Moist Facial Wash for Dry Skin.

                                                                  Instructions on usage.

                                                                      List of Ingredients.

                                    Plastic collar to lock the pump prevent any accidental wastage.

                                                               The foamy facial wash.

                                                          The facial wash in action.

Aftermath.

In terms of packaging, it is a no fuss utilitarian packaging. The pump comes with a collar to prevent any accidental wastage of the product, though i thought a in-built lock when you twist would be even better as it would prevent any moisture entering the product through the opening. This collar merely prevents the pushing of the pump, not effective to protect the integrity of the product. The colour scheme and the design of the bottle however should be able to attract ladies who have a penchant of cute things to purchase it.

I have been using the facial wash for almost a month and i am actually left with probably a few days of washing left. The ultra fine foam is actually a joy to use as there is minimum draging of skin, the instructed 1-2 pumps is insufficient for me, it takes 3 pumps for my entire face to be covered in the fine foam. I like that feeling .

My skin do not feel that oil has been stripped from it nor it felt tight after washing with the foam, but i would not say its gentle enough for girls out there with really dry skin. I have oily combi skin where some parts like forehead and nose is really oily and yet cheeks can be really dry. From what i can tell, its a rather gentle cleanser for me, the dirt on your face is really stubborn otherwise this cleanser should be able to cleanse your face properly. Another thing is i can't really tell if the 40% beauty serum added makes any difference to me because i can't really feel it.

Overall, this is a very basic cleanser. It serves its function as a facial cleanser at a affordable price tag. Not something that is a must have for me, do try it if you are interested.

Available at Watsons and Cold Storage Supermarket, for S$14.90 (promotional price S$9.90) for 150ml.