All posts filed under: Tried and tested

ColourPop liquid lipsticks

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It’s been rumoured that Kylie Jenner’s popular liquid lipstick range is concocted in the same factory has ColourPop. We have no idea how true that is, but it piqued our interest in this cult but affordable cosmetics label. After roadtesting four of its shades, now we know what the hype is all about.  These really affordable lippies – from US$6 – give you the bang for your buck.  Just one single dip in the tube and coat gives lips an even, opaque colour. The shades are unique, subtly different, and one-of-a-kind. That is one thing you have to know about ColourPop shades.  Some like Tulle, look different when it is in the tube (a mauve-y pink) and when it is on your lips (much darker). And the colours look very different on individuals. So the swatches that you see online may not be as reliable.  ColourPop lippies, especially the liquid ones, are a bit like the Kinder Surprise of lipsticks. But perhaps that’s also why the brand is so fun, and popular. The Ultra Matte …

Aesop Lucent Facial Concentrate

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The Australian label’s new serum is another beautiful formula. Clear, viscous, and slick like gel, it is made to be layered between other skincare products without burdening the skin with a  sticky, greasiness. It contains rose petal extract, Vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbyl phosphate (that is said to help firm skin, reduce the appearance of pigmentation, and protect from UV damage); as well as Vitamin B3, or niacinamide, to soothe and balance skin. No sticky after-feel and sinks right into the skin. Even on its own, it left skin soft and supple. Use with a skin-softening lotion before application, and follow with a moisturiser and sunscreen afterwards for best results.    

Sunplay Skin Aqua sunscreens

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Good sunscreens can also be affordable, especially when they are of the Japanese drugstore variety. And nothing pleases a beauty junkie more than a great drugstore find (the French, South Korean, and Japanese pharmacies are the best for guilt-free shopping sprees). Japanese women are known to be especially picky when it comes to their sun protection. They have their anti-UV ray umbrellas, and then they have their super SPF 50+ PA++++ sunscreens that are lightweight and comfortable to wear. Like the new Sunplay Skin Aqua range. The UV Essence has a gel-cream watery, refreshing texture; while the handy mist feels barely-there on the skin. The UV Mist makes the re-application of sunscreen over a full-face of makeup super fuss-free. It can also be used on the scalp and hair, and to protect hard-to reach areas such as the back, and back of the neck. If you have intolerant skin that is prone to breakouts, try the fragrance-free options that come in blue bottles. The UV Milk feels moisturising, and makes for a good make-up primer. …

Make Up For Ever Pro-Sculpting Palette: 4-in-1 Face Contouring Palette

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I’m usually not very confident when it comes to using cream contouring products. They seem less forgiving when I make mistakes; as they are often more pigmented than contouring powder, and more difficult to blend. But I gave Make Up For Ever’s new Pro Sculpting Palette a shot, and I love it. The texture is creamy but lightweight, and so easy to blend, with just the right amount of pigment so it is not so scarily intense. The palette comes with four shades. I tried the one in no.20. From left: A nude shade for very fair skin. On my golden-rose Asian skin tone, it looks almost white. So I used it around my eye area to brighten it, clean up the area around my brows, and blend out the eyeshadow. I used the shade with the MUFE brush in no.174 with straight hairs (the middle brush in the pic). The milky brown latte colour is made for sculpting the face. Always pick matte shades for contouring, like this one, so your face would look …

Estee Lauder Genuine Glow Collection

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Exclusively at Sephora Estee Lauder counters, the new Genuine Glow collection is inspired by the signature dewy-skin glow of the K-Beauty trend. The five products in the collection are all made for giving you that effortless, fresh-faced, au natural make-up look. Wear these to the gym, or just to look like you just hit the gym. These fuss-free products are easy to carry around and apply on-the-go; some are even multi-tasking. The Reviving Oil Lip Tint comes in a click-pen that dispenses the glossy gel-balm through a silicon applicator. The product is easily absorbed, and does not leave behind a greasy after feel. It made my lips feel soft and just ever so slightly poutier due to the minty formula. This product is also a lip tint, which left my lips with a natural-looking, just-bitten pink.   The Priming Moisture Balm leaves skin with a silky finish, so your foundation sits better on the skin, and lasts longer. While it is hydrating, wear this primer over lotion, serum and moisturiser for best results. It also …

Nars Survival Kit 2

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All you need to look like you’ve got everything in control.  Like when you’re at the airport of a foreign country for a  work trip and discover that your luggage didn’t arrive with you. Or when you’ve just got yourself a fabulous but tiny purse, and need to fit your whole life in it.  Enter the Nars Survival Kit 2.  The palette features the light lavender Tokyo II (also colour-correcting) eyeshadow to brush all over the lids  to make eyes look brighter.  The rich, deep brown Galapagos eyeshadow with gold flecks is made for smudged, sexy smokey eyes. Some prefer to wet the brush and use the shadow as liner.  The Modesty and Day Dream Blush make for multi-dimensional cheek bones; use the light colour on top cheek bones and the coral pink on apples of cheeks to hairline.  The pigmented deep red-fuchsia Phantasia Lip Gloss adds polish and a pop of colour to the face.  Complete eye makeup with Black Moon Audacious Mascara. 

Original Mineral Project Sukuroi Gold Smoothing Balm

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I dye my hair pretty often.  And there is nothing I hate more than dry, brassy strands.  So besides trimming my locks often, I am always on the look out for good hair conditioners/ leave-in treatments/ masks. The kind that sink into the strands and really nourishing and healing them instead of staying on the surface of the hair and weighing them down with an annoying greasiness. Like most of the Original Mineral haircare products, this smoothing balm really works for me.  My coloured and bleached hair becomes super smoothe, manageable and bouncy-healthy looking whenever I use it. The colour of my hair also looks richer after use. Project Sukuroi was inspired by the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold lacquer. The hydrating and conditioning formula is made with antioxidant-rich oil from the Camelina plant, Australian macadamia oil that locks moisture in, as well as Keratin to strengthen, restore and smoothe hair.  Another plus: O&M products are free from sulfates, parabens, triclosan and phthalates.

Origins’ new masking essentials

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When there’s so much to do between the deadlines, online shopping at midnight and catching up on Orange Is The New Black episodes, it is little wonder that you don’t have time for a spa session.  So brands like Origins are stepping up on its masking range, so you can get your DIY facial done infront of the screen at home. I really like the new By All Greens deep cleansing mask. The creamy formula foams up like most oxygen masks when you spread it onto the skin. Made with green tea, spirulina and spinach, it perked up my skin like a vitamin shot. It felt plump and had a nice glow. My skin did not feel too tight and dry afterwards, while the pores looked finer too. Spritz on the Maskimizer Primer (which works like a regular skin softener) before applying the mask for best results. The new GinZing Peel-off Mask is a little tricky to apply.  The formula contains quite a bit of alcohol, it can sting and smart the eyes as you …

Jeffree Star

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If you don’t already know by now, I’m a huge fan of the indie make-up label by Jeffree Star.  A former make-up artist and one-time Internet pop sensation, Star turned back to his all-time passion – make-up!- about a year ago.  And he has proven himself to be a genius as a make-up formula magician. He creates textures and colours that no one else has (just like how all the other famous brand founders Francois Nars, Charlotte Tilbury, Wende Zomnir of Urban Decay, Bobbi Brown, all started out). Star takes things further with intense pigments, and shades that look like meh in a tube but wears beautifully on every skin tone. They are matte but not drying, liquid but so easy to apply, and lasts like no other. His Velour Liquid Lipsticks are always sold out – especially the more popular ones like Unicorn Blood, Androgyny, Gemini – within minutes after they are launched on his site. Star has since moved on to lip scrubs and some serious Skin Frost highlighters that will make you shine …

Clarins’ new trio: V-Facial Intensive Wrap, Enhancing Eye Lift Serum, and Beauty Perfector

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Clarins makes some of the best skincare made for getting rid of water retention on the face. The newly-reformulated clay-based V-Facial Intensive Wrap has a lightweight mousse-like texture. It contains zerumbet ginger, beautyberry and escin from horse chestnut to help reduce puffiness. Lady’s mantle extract is also added to help brighten skin, while the white clay mattifies and gets rid of impurities. I slathered this mask on after a gym session and it made my skin feel clean, firmer, fresher, and brighter. This clay mask did not leave my skin feeling tight and dry either. This do-it-all mask is a good option to bring along on trips.  Clarins’ new Enhancing Eye Lift Serum is a lightweight gel formula made to lift (with organic oat polyoses, kaki extract, zerumbet ginger, and guarana extracts) and brighten (lady’s mantle extract, horse chestnut escin) the areas around the eyes. The best part? It makes eyelashes darker and thicker (panthenol) too. It is easily absorbed, and feels refreshing on the skin. This new Beauty Perfector with SPF 30/ PA+++, anti-pollution …