The Stuff I'd Used

I tried to think long and hard to choose one product that is the best I used this year. Just something I love and deserve to be recognize. There are many products I tried and end up loving. I rave about them before. There are some that I have not post which I will blog in the new year ahead. It has been a fun year getting to know some of you and reading all your posts. It also has been fun trying out different products and generally be more dedicated to my skin. Even if that means trying out something that doesn't work for me. I just like to experiment. So lets just get on with the product. MUA Intense Kisses Lipgloss in Lips are Sealed I really love the color of this gloss. The best of all it's only £2. It's plum with a magenta undertone. It's dark enough for the night time, and bright enough for the afternoon. I want say cool and hot weather, but Singapore has no seasons. So just morning and night. It has micro specks of shimmer, but you can't really see it. The ...

This one of those item that you get free when you purchase a certain amount of Clinique product. The duo is in 04 Strawberry Fudge. I like that's it's small. Really great for traveling especially when you know you won't be putting eyeshadow but just in case. The colors are neutral enough. But it's not as pigmented as I would like. The colors are just very soft. It's very light, and probably only good for people who doesn't want their eye makeup to show.

Another concealer. Another shade too light. This one looks like a lipstick. At first, it's not as creamy and it looks kind of dry. But once you swipe it off, it transfers easily. It's quite light, but cover blemishes alright. Just that it doesn't last. After awhile I like this not for blemishes as its too light, but for under eyes. Just one swipe, blend and you're ready to go. Since it's lighter, it's kind of a brightening concealer. Not the perfect cover up, but it does has its purposes. So this is not a total fail for me, but I wouldn't repurchase.

I don't know about you, but I always get Christmas presents in the last minute. Sometimes I can't find anything good, and I will just end up giving out goodie bags. I will personalize each bag and it will contain some random knickknack. Or I will put things that the person actually need. I once put a makeup bag full of makeup for one girl starting college. She got hooked on makeup since. So here's an example of random goodies. I reuse a beauty box and filled it in with basically anything and everything. I wanted to put in some chocolates and sweets but I forgot to include that. I like getting candles, they are nice. Ikea has some candles. They smell good when you put them close to your nose, but other than that it is not that good. The popular one in Singapore will be Yankee candles. I absolutely love their mix berry scent. This one is Yankee Candle in Christmas Cookie . It smells define like Creme brûlée and frosting. Candles are not cheap, so it makes a great present on i...

We talked about about makeup and skincare, so lets focus on the nails. There are manicure and pedicure sets. There are a mix sets of everything. There are nail polish sets at different prices. I so want the Sephora X. When it comes to nails, it's pretty much random and anything goes. Last year, I received at least a nail polish from everyone. They know how much I love to play with my nails. As a nail art lover, I own a lot of nail polishes. Not as much as others, but plenty comparing to regular people. I took a poll of my friends, and on average they own 8 polishes. That's because less than half of them only own 3 each. Nonetheless, compare to them, I own "hundreds", 204 to be exact. In my defense, some of them are mini bottles. So I can roughly imagine what will be great to give for someone "starting out" so to speak. For me it will be a DIY basket. Make your own basket to give them. Inside will include mani pedi stuff, cuticle oil, base and top coats, some...

Instead of another makeup set, why not get your hands on the tools of the trade. Makeup brushes. You can never have enough of them. There is just so many to choose from, high end to a cheaper option, a set or single brushes. I think Bobbi Brown has really nice sets of brushes. Sephora has beautiful sets too. People always want MAC brushes, so it can always be an additional gift. Therefore, there is nothing better than getting makeup brushes. I bought Sigma Mr Bunny Travel kit from Luxola . Sigma website do ship internationally, but there is shipping cost. I was debating between the regular and travel set. I was also debating between the regular or the Mr/Mrs Bunny. End up I decided to get this. I think synthetic brushes are better and easier to maintain. This kit comes with the container which is really nice and secure for traveling. Once it's open, it became two containers which is perfect for storing the brushes, whether at home or on holiday. It also comes with 7 brushes: Penci...

A palette that pretty much contains everything will be the perfect gift for anyone who loves to travel. Especially those who love to travel light. Or just anyone really. It's good for touching up on the go, a sleepover at a friend's, a stay over at the chalet, a short trip to Batam, JB or even Sentosa. I think it's nice to be able to bring as little as possible. With a palette, most of the makeup will be in one place. Well, it depends on the palette really and usually foundation will not be included. But there are many palettes (or sets, like the Benefit kits) to choose from. Oh, it is also nice as starter kit. I pretty much try wearing eyeshadow when I was a preteen from the Dior travel palette . So here I have the Elizabeth Arden Travel palette. I don't actually like having eye shadow and lipstick/gloss together, but it's alright. It's nice to have them in palettes, even though a separate section will be nice. This comes with 2 eye shadows (Smoke and Moonbeam...

How about a set of bb cream? A trial size to see what you like the most, or the person you are giving it to. I always think that miniature set are not only cute, but it's a great idea to try out different kind. I know Sephora has a bb cream set that consist of high end brands. There is also Dr. Jart, Skinfood and L'egere bb cream set that I know of. So this is the difference between the 4. It is hard to really see the differences, but to me, the hot pink is darker. The light pink is kind of the lightest. Texture wise, its all pretty similar. At first, The Prestige BB Cream doesn't gives off a matte finish, but it's not too dewy, so it's just in the middle. Second time I used it, I loved it. In fact I love this the most (among the four). It applies so easy, really smooth, give off a more matte finish and really long lasting. It also kind of brighten my face. Super+ Beblesh Balm comes in second. It gave the pretty much same appearance as the diamond, but this one is...

Know anyone who love perfume more than anything else? This kind of gift set will be perfect. If they already have a favorite perfume, it will great as a backup plus it's nice to have the additional extra product(s). Usually it comes with a body lotion, a shower gel, a mini perfume, a roll-on perfume or even some trinket. There are many different types in the market. Mini perfumes set that you always see in inflight shop is also a great gift to get. I don't know about you, but I feel a set is much nicer to look at than just one single perfume. Anyway, I have here the Bebe Sheer set. I absolutely love the scent. I did bought the Bebe perfume accidentally before, and even though the scent kind of grew on me, I still love the Sheer better. And I really like that it comes in a set with the body lotion and shower gel. The perfume is a lighter version of the original Bebe perfume . Sheer is made from a blend of floral notes, fruit and musk, and inspired by the airy fabric textures ...

For the teenagers with acne prone skin, this is a good set to get. They say there is no better product than Proactive to help get rid of pimples. Then they say that if it doesn't work, move on to Murad. Proactive is cheaper though. My sister tried every drugstore brands out there that claim to get rid of acne and none seems to work. So after so long, we finally get her this kit. One reason why I don't want her to use Proactiv is that it's a kind of product once you stop using your skin will go back to the way it used to be, just like SKII. (The former with teenagers I know, the latter with the adults my mum and aunt know) Her skin seems to be getting worse, so we finally did get them. Even though research shown that it only will get rid 2/3 of acne and its extremely drying. The set comes with a cleanser (step 1), step 2 toner, step 3 moisturizer and a free mask. The Renewing Cleanser is nice with a few micro beads that act as a scrub. It's not drying which is nice. The...

So for the men. There are more guys caring about their appearances nowadays. Those don't care as much eventually will, when their girlfriends/wives push them to. There are many products for men out there, like SKII, Kiehl's, and even Neutrogena. There're just many options to choose from. I mean its an excuse to get guys to start using. If they get it for Christmas or birthday, they have to use it right? Anyway, I think this is a nice set to have, and it's not even skin care except for the moisturizer. Its a travel size, so it's perfect for that and as a starter kit. Plus Bvlgari just screams fancy. Bought this at Far East Plaza for a friend. This comes with a body lotion, an aftershave moisturizer and cologne. So it's nothing much really, perfect for a low maintenance guy. What I love is the scent. It just lingers on. The body lotion is also very moisturizing, well I tried. It's no shame really, stealing a use for yourself after giving it to someone. Haha, b...

Another place I can think of is Marks & Spencer. They sell a great variety of product, well mostly toiletries. They also have perfume and home fragrance. The thing bout them though is that they are for the more mature ladies, I feel. Like I only go there to buy stuff for my mom or my aunt. Another alternative is Crabtree & Evelyn. But that's more for everyone, and it's a little pricier. There's many shops that's perfect for gift set shopping. With so many scent to choose from, I think it's hard to choose just one gift. And I know you'll go I don't want to buy another hand cream, nor do I want to receive one, but it's Christmas. It's no excuse for another boring present, but I am not suggesting to buy everybody hand creams. Unless that person really need one or want one. I just think these kind of gifts are perfect for those last minute guests or just random gifts. There are just so many option for Christmas presents, it's really hard to j...

When it comes to Christmas or birthdays, my mind comes to The Body Shop. TBS has so much gift sets at different price point. It's easy to find a gift for practically anyone. I have tried a lot of TBS products, some I had already reviewed in this blog, and I still have more that I have not. I am not being paid for promoting TBS nor am I working for them, but I think it's just a great place. They have makeup too, but I have not personally try them out. I just think its affordable to get anything from there. Even though it can be boring getting another TBS item, but it's something that can actually be use. Here, I have the seaweed travel set. This comes with a cleanser, toner, moisturizer and night cream. The seaweed series is for people with oily skin. I like that it's travel size, I like that I can sample the range, but I don't know if it's cheaper to get the original size and divide accordingly or this whole set. Anyway, upon trying, I was so taken aback by the ...

Once upon a time, there was a teenage girl reading magazine at a salon. She read an article featuring some woman which for the life of her she can't remember who. But what she did remember was that the woman was a lip balm junkie. She can't live without it. Thus she had plenty of them. She will go out and buy one if she forgot to bring it with her. But her favorite of them all is the Kiehl's lip balm #1. She swear by that product. The teenage girl, as a lip balm junkie herself promise that she will have to try that someday. Many years had past, and she finally got hold of it. This is like a better improve version of Vaseline. It's a gel form and really thick. Makes your lips super shiny. I only use this at night and I apply really generously. The next day, it will be all gone. I always put a really thick coat as I like to feel them when I rub my lips. It will be very thick. If I just apply moderately, when I rub my lips, it doesn't feel like I have lip balm on. Whic...

Why oh why I have such bad experience with Dior. Why? *insert sad face* I was given this lip liner. At first it was great creamy and glide on easily, but despite having the cap, it dried on me. The color is beautiful but it just doesn't work anymore. I don't know why it is like that, but I am utterly disappointed. I only managed to use it twice, and that was for toying around. Oh why?

This 7-in-1 anti-aging cream is really thick. It takes forever to dry but you will feel really moisturize after. I like that it has SPF 15 so it's added sun protection. I tried other Olay products, and they are really good for my skin. So this one no exception. But I just think its too rich for me. I need something with better oil control. But if you do not want to spend hundreds on skin care, I think Olay is a good alternative. They have "dupes" for higher end brands.

This is one of those freebie you get from magazine. I can't remember which magazine from the UK. I wanted the lipstick, but I only managed to get the liner. This is the Avon super shock gel eyeliner. Look at that. See how dark it is. It's also very buttery. A true gel in pencil form. Every time I use it, I have to sharpen it after. It "melts" so easily. You have to wait for a few seconds for it to set. I don't use it as an eyeliner, more for tightline. But it's pretty messy, it doesn't give a very clean finish. But I guess its just me not knowing how apply eyeliner. Since its messy, it's good for smoky looks. I really do like it though.

There was a time, everyone and their mama used this product. Well not everyone, but it was super popular in Jakarta. Why do love it, is cause this is a miracle product. This is sort of like a hair dye, hair treatment and hair mask all in one. There are other brands that cater to brown hair, but it wasn't as good as this one. I shared this with my mom. At first we bought the individual pack which came with the disposable gloves. Then we bought the ones in this box. This box contains 10 sachets. We have to buy our own gloves. Since my mom regularly touch up her roots, disposable gloves is readily available at home, so it wasn't a trouble for us. Noni Black Hair Magic supposedly contains herbal medicine for hair nourishment essence which is pure natural essence that helps for blackening hair. They use USA technology, whatever that means. Anyway, the people on the street was saying how you are suppose to use at least 10 sachets, which is one box. Apply every week once for a month, ...

Bought these, cause the packaging is just so cute. The size is great for traveling and you can't really go wrong with Vaseline. This is 25ml. A 24h nourishing lotion for touchably soft, smooth skin. The product is light, blends easily, dries quickly, makes my skin really smooth. The scent is quite light. From the bottle it's quite pleasant but nothing distinctive. On the skin, I don't really like it. It's still undetectable but if you take a sniff, it just isn't nice. I don't know what it smells like, but the packaging says pure oat extract, so maybe it's that. Or it react with my skin ph balance and, yah. Wouldn't be buying the nourishing one again purely cause of the scent. Even though it sinks in faster than the Healthy White Perfect 10 . But the latter has a nicer floral scent.

A red blush looks really intimidating on the box but I picked this up cause I want something different for my collection. It's just a cardboard box kind of packaging, secured with magnet, so it's really simple. It's quite big and like all baked product, it's dome in shape. So it's actually quite bulky. I wouldn't bring it for travel that's for sure. The color payoff is good, but instead of red it's more pink. You can use it sparingly and it will be lighter or you can pack on the color which will gives you a really bright pink. In fact, if lightly dust over your cheek it is more coral than pink. It has tiny specks of shimmer, but it doesn't show. I can't remember how much I bought this for but it wasn't expensive. It's not my favorite blush, but I find myself reaching for it a lot. So that's something isn't?

Today I'll be sharing the things I have been using in the shower this past month. So these are the products. 1. Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser I like this for removing my makeup, well face makeup. It has a nice florally scent and therefore it can stink your eyes. So I don't use this to remove eye makeup. It lathers on really well and seems to do quite well in removing most of the foundation on my face. However I wouldn't be buying this again as I prefer an all-in-one product. 2. Clean & Clear Active Clear Acne Clearing Cleanser This is just a so-so cleanser in my opinion. It cleans alright, but doesn't benefit me in anyway. 3. Klorane with Quinine and B vitamins A revitalizing and strengthening shampoo for thinning hair. I have not had the chance to really buy a proper shampoo. This conveniently appeared in the shower, so I used it. This doesn't lather easily which I don't like. It makes my hair shiny in a good way, looks healthy and ...