All posts tagged: beauty review

TBG 2016 Makeup and Gadget Picks

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The 2016 launches that made the cut here on The Beauty Gazette. The Shu x Murakami collection is  super cute. The Eye and Cheek Palette in Cosmiikawaii ticks all the right boxes for on-trend shades like burgundy and deep coral. Tom Ford Soleil Eye and Cheek Palette in Warm has all the perfect colours for a goddess makeup look. Urban Decay Vice Lipstick. 100 shades to choose from. Love the cream and matte shades that packs a punch. Fave: Ravenswood, the perfect #MLBB (My Lips But Better) colour. Shiseido Rouge Rouge– Excellent texture and colour with a beautiful sheen. Lightweight but truly gorgeous pay off. Go for Bloodstone. Dyson Supersonic Dryer, never tried a leaner, meaner, sexier hairdryer Estee Lauder x VB collection surprised me with classic bright shades that are unlike VB, but with classy smokey hues that are so VB Foreo Luna 2. If you think the Clarisonic is too harsh for your skin, this is the alternative. Gentle and effective for exfoliation. I left it in the shower for a whole year …

Estee Lauder Double Wear Nude Cushion Stick 

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Made for quick and easy application, the “cushion stick” is a cream foundation in a twist-bottle. The sponge applicator is shaped like a fat donut, with the lightweight formula dispensed through the hole in the middle. So all you have to do is twist for one pump of the foundation, tap it onto the skin, and blend with the applicator.  This product offers light to medium coverage with a satin-matte finish. 

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence Limited Edition Festive Designs 2016

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If you swear by SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence, then its yearly limited edition designs will get you hyped. Another pretty addition to the dressing table, this year’s FTE is emblazoned with the ephemeral Japanese art of Suminagashi. An ancient marbling art form, Suminagashi translates to floating ink in English.  Surprisingly easy to create, and each pattern is different; so you can never re-create the exact same lines and curves because it is all left to chance. The masters drip bright paint onto a tray of water to create patterns; then lay a sheet of paper on top of the ink so it is”printed” on. Suminagashi is fitting for this year’s SK-II FTE festive theme. After all, the FTE was inspired by aged sake, which kept the brewers’ hands youthful-looking. My own experience with the FTE? I’ve used it for many years, and it never disappoints. It keeps my skin clearer and translucent-looking. So much so that whenever I stop using it, I actually see a difference in my skin tone and start to break out. …

Skin Inc Pure Recovery Dew

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Hands-down, this new hydrating formula is the most lightweight one that I’ve come across. Described as a “gel-to-dew” moisturiser, it is dispensed from the pump as a translucent white gel. But when you spread the dollop onto the skin, it turns into droplets of water. So you’ll feel like you’ve just applied an essence on your skin. Or splashed some water on your face, except that it does not dry out your skin. Emollients are added to keep the skin hydrated for longer. This Skin Inc Pure Recovery Dew ($72) concotion contains Japanese onsen water from the famous Izuma Yumura hot spring that is rich in minerals and soothes; hyaluronic acid to keep skin moisturised; and the antioxidant French pine bark. I like the fact that this formula is easy to layer between my extensive day skincare routine: essence, <Recovery Dew>, serum, cream moisturiser, sunscreen, primer, foundation. Because its texture is watery when applied onto the skin, this moisturiser also blends perfectly with the rest of Skin Inc’s water-based serums. So you can continue to customise …

Clarins Booster

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Just like how you would pop vitamin pills – or perhaps even take a vitamin shot in the arm – to get a quick charge so you can go about slaying the day; Clarins’ new Booster drops are made to give your skin that extra TLC even when you are on-the-go. Just pick the right one for your skin condition and lifestyle, add a few drops into the moisturiser or foundation, blend in your palms and apply. I really like how the watery serums are super lightweight and almost odourless. So it blends right into my regular skincare creams and foundation without changing its consistency. And yet, I get the extra skincare benefits which I feel almost immediately. After using it for the past week, my skin looks clearer and perkier; and more awake in the mornings. Because switching up your skincare routine is troublesome, just add a few drops to the ritual for maximum benefits. The Energy Booster ($65) is customised for those who are often up late, have a hectic lifestyle, jet-lagged, or …

Tom Ford Winter Soleil Eye and Cheek Palette

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If you want to indulge in a single handy palette to get you through the year-end holidays and  the new year, this Limited Edition Tom Ford one is it. With its coral-pink blush (no glitter or metallic flecks for the grown woman) and complementary light pink highlighter, this palette ($250) best suits those with fair to tanned skin tones. In particular, I am in love with the eyeshadow quartet (like I do with all the other TF shadows) because they have the right amount of matte, sparkle, and pigment for a multi-dimensional smokey make-up look. The shades are built on soft and sexy brown shades, which are a lot less harsh and in-your-face than black and grey shadows. All you need is a kohl liner, mascara, and a matte bronzer to complete Tom Ford’s iconic goddess aesthetic.

Origins Rituali Tea range

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Trump won the US elections earlier today. And when the going gets tough, the tough gets masking. Increasingly, I’ve come to realise that to do well in the corporate boardroom, rest and “me-time” is incredibly important. To be sharp and efficient in the office, I need at least two to three hours of “me time” to read, meditate, put on a mask; and at least eight hours of sleep. Origins’ new Rituali Tea range is perfect for my beauty night caps. Although I prefer to stay away from tea before bed – the caffeine will keep me up the entire night – I appreciate the anti-oxidant packed leaves blended in masks. Inspired by tea rituals, the range is an indulgent home spa one; especially when you have the time to wind down in the evening or over the weekend. The Matcha Madness Revitalising Powder Face Mask with Matcha & Green Tea ($68) and Oolong-La Purifying Powder Face Mask with Oolong Black Tea & Chai Spices ($68) actually froths up like real tea latte when you …

Shu Uemura Tint in Balm

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Shu Uemura’s lipsticks hold a special place in my beauty room, amongst my vast collection. Typically Japanese, the lipsticks are balm-like moisturising, semi-glossy, easy-to-wear and sheer (so it’s ok if you can’t apply with precision, just clean up and blend with fingertips for a sexy just-ate-a-popsicle look), and come in all flattering shades for the Asian skin tone (pinks, corals, and reds). The main difference with this new launch of Tint In Balm range (which launches October at Shu Uemura Singapore counters) is its potent pigment formula. These solid lipsticks are dispensed in a click pen. They are bright and pigmented in a single slick, and the lipstick melts once it touches the lips. Use a lip brush for more precision. These give you a glossy finish, like you would get with a liquid lipstick. As moisturising as a balm, they also stain lips. Available in 10 poppy shades at $42 each. My picks: the Cherry Fervour in juicy cherry red, the fuchsia Pinky Hype, and the vibrant orange-red Orange Shock. Because these are so …

Shu Uemura Stage Performer Block:Booster Protective Moisture Primer SPF 50 PA+++

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When you need your makeup to last from the morning board meeting to evening cocktail drinks, a good primer is your secret weapon.  Shu Uemura’s new Stage Performer primer is a good option.  The multi-tasking formula moisturises with a lightweight gel formula, protects skin from pollutants to a certain extent, contains good UV protection – SPF 50 PA+++, and colour corrects (I like Fresh Pink) for that healthy glow.  Of course, it also smoothens the skin for easy makeup application, and helps the face paint stay on for longer.  My foundation lasted all day with the Stage Performer. Without it, my foundation is almost always gone by mid-day, and I’ll have to touch-up with a BB cushion compact. This make-up base can also be worn on its own for off-duty days, for smoother-looking and more even-toned skin.

Tom Ford Velvet Orchid collection

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I love the idea of a make-up extension line that is inspired by a perfume. There is a cohesiveness in the story line. And if make-up were part of the outfit that a woman slips on before a night out, the fragrance completes it. Tom Ford’s Velvet Orchid EDP was launched in 2014, to complement the house’s iconic Black Orchid EDP.   How the brand describes the scent: “An oriental floral that evolves the carnal grandeur and seductive power of the iconic Tom Ford Black Orchid into an uber-feminine fragrance lavished with notes of cool citrus, dramatic petals, suede accord, and vanilla. Rich, spicy, and intensely floral, it evokes a warm exotic garden. Notes: Orange Blossom, Hyacinth, Jonquil, Cattleya Leopoldii Orchid, Suede Accord, Vanilla Tincture. Lavish. Dramatic. Seductive.” What it smells like to me: Rich and sexy, sweet and musky; suede, relatively intense, warm and womanly. Like the perfume, the new make-up from the Velvet Orchid collection is encased in luxe and hefty, gold and purple packaging. The Velvet Bloom blush is a light pink mauve …