Category Archives: Cosmetics

SilkyGirl Lipcolor Balms

I’m not one who uses lip stick that much, but recently I’ve been feeling that my lips lack colour and look a bit naked when the rest of my face is made up. Unfortunately, most of my lip sticks have to be thrown out due to being kept for too long. No worries though, that means I can go shopping for new ones!

I’ve also recently noticed that lip crayons are kind of cool and the in-thing in the lipstick department these days. But before I could get my hands on the ones from Etude House, they are gone and discontinued. That’s when I discovered that SilkyGirl has them!

There are two lines of lip crayons (or lipcolor balms as SilkyGirl calls them): Moisture Boost and Matte Fever. Moisture Boost is a slightly older line while Matte Fever is new. As the names suggest, Moisture Boost features a more balmy and wet look while Matte Fever is well…matte.

According to SilkyGirl, Moisture Boost is “formulated with Vitamins A, C and E to ensure that your lips stay supple.” Matte Fever is “enriched with Calendula Flower Oil, White Mulberry Extract and Vitamin E to soften and soothe your lips.”

What do they look like? They look exactly like fat crayons. I feel the long barrel is easier to hold than the traditional lip stick barrel. The pointed tip like a crayon/pencil also makes it easier to apply on the colour especially when you’re tackling the edges and corners of your lips.

04 Rose for Moisture Boost. 01 Vogue for Matte Fever.

I’ve a rather tanned complexion so light pinks don’t go well with my skin tone. I’m also quite cautious about reds as I’ve never tried anything too striking and the last I want to look like is a clown. So I chose more rosy subdued pinks for both lipcolor balms.

Here are the available colours for both lipcolor balms:

Moisture Boost colour chart
Matte Fever colour chart

So how do they look like when applied?

The shades look quite similar when applied on my hand. Matte Fever 01 Vogue does look a slight tinge redder. And of course, the most obvious difference is that Moisture Boost has a more wet, slick and shiny look.

How about when applied to the lips?

My naked lips.
With Moisture Boost 04 Rose.
With Matte Fever 01 Vogue.

My verdict:
If you’re looking for more striking lip colours, go with Matte Fever. The slick, wet look for Moisture Boost kind of made the lip colour more subtle. I guess I would use Moisture Boost on a normal basis when I just want to put on some light make up, and Matte Fever for night functions or when I just feel like dressing up more. I really do like how Matte Fever turned out on my lips though. I’ve never used such a striking colour before, so this is something new and it turned out pretty well!

[SR] Biore Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover

I must say I’m quite lazy when it comes to removing make up. I like things to be fast and fuss-free. Biore’s new and improved Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover is just that!

Thanks to the kind people of Biore and The Sample Store, I got to know about the wonders of this make up remover.

The attraction began even before I started using the product. It looks all pink and princess-y. <3

The new and improved product has a smoother jelly-like texture that is gentle on the skin and rinses off easily without any rubbing, pulling or tugging of the skin. It’s high cleansing ability allows it to dissolve and lift off traces of make up easily. It also contains 40% moisturising essence that nourishes and hydrates the skin for a dewy moisturised finish.

Two to three pumps of the make up remover is all you need. There’s no need to use cotton pads, just use the product directly on your face. Make sure to spread the make up remover evenly over your face and eye area. Gently massage to dissolve the make up, then rinse it off with water.

My make up regime is definitely not the heavy sort. Here you see roughly all the make up I use (except foundation, concealer and powder which is not seen here). From top to bottom: Lip gloss, eyeshadow, black liquid eyeliner, black pencil eyeliner, white pencil eyeliner, brown eyebrow liner, black mascara.

The first few gentle massages got rid of almost all the make up. I swear I really didn’t need to rub that hard. A few more gentle massages and all of it was off.

What I really liked about the make up remover was that it didn’t feel oily at all and it had a nice fragrance. After washing off everything, my skin did not have a sticky or greasy feel. My skin did not feel tight, but rather refreshed.

The Biore Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover is definitely the fuss-free product that I’m looking for.

It retails at $24.90 (230ml) at all leading supermarkets, personal care stores, western pharmacies and department stores.

VanityTrove Pre-GSS Warehouse Sale 2015

EDIT: Just got word that this sale has been extended from 2-5 June 2015 from 11am to 6.30pm. New brands have been added to the sale and you can expect to see up to 90% off for items.

Another deal that landed in my mailbox that’s worth sharing…

I’ve bought a couple of special boxes from VanityTrove before, but that’s not really why I’m sharing this deal. I mean take a look at some of the brands that will be represented at the sale. If not for being pregnant and the hassle of travelling, I would love to check the sale out. I love using the VDL primer…(maybe I should do a review on it some time…)

Photo credit: VanityTrove

Tokyo Luxey Gift Box

My last beauty box to talk about! Haha, that does not mean I’ve cleared my backlog of entries. I still have more to share about. 🙂

I’m pretty excited to share about this beauty box: the Tokyo Luxey Gift Box. If you know me well, you’ll know that I get excited about Japanese stuff. I began using cosmetic products by Maybelline, but now I’ve started to include a few Japanese brand cosmetics.

Just look at that fabulous box! *kira kira*

What’s included in the box:

  • Fairy Drops Vanilla Puff Mineral Powder in Dark Ochre
  • Kiraan! Metal Magic Liner in Red
  • Evangelist BB Cream in No. 2 Ochre
  • Fairy Drops Platinum Waterproof Mascara
  • Dolly Wink False Eyelashes in 20 Glamorous Doll
  • 24h Cosme Powder Foundation in 03 Dark Ochre
  • Make It & Co. Premium Gel
  • Make It & Co. Face & Body Wash Oil

I appreciate Tokyo Luxey’s thoughtfulness in preparing the box for Singaporeans. Unlike most Japanese women who are porcelain fair, some of us Singaporeans are not like that. Yes, me. As much as I would like to be fair, I can’t. I tan easily and don’t lose the tan easily too. Well, I can be super paranoid and go around wrapped up tightly so my skin is not exposed to the sun or carry an umbrella wherever I go, but that’s so not me. I’m really grateful that Tokyo Luxey included powder, foundation and cream in shades that would fit my skin tone. Whoopee!

A few comments about the items in the box… I’ve been using one of the mascaras in the Fairy Drops range and love it to bits. The formula is not too dry and sticky or too wet. I’ve used other mascaras that make my eyelashes clump too easily. Very annoying. I’ve been mighty pleased with Fairy Drops mascara as the formula glides on easily. This is really good for people like me who have short eyelashes. Can’t wait to try out the mascara included in this box.

Ooh…and they included Dolly Wink false eyelashes. Everyone knows that Dolly Wink falsies are really cool (and a little on the expensive side) because they are endorsed by model Masukawa Tsubasa. She used to be a Popteen model and I’ve been a faithful Popteen magazine reader since their first Chinese edition issue. (Please don’t ask me why even with Popteen magazines, I ended up being a noob with make up and clothes.) *sigh* Anyway, back to the topic. The eyelashes Tokyo Luxey included in the box is really good for newbies to falsies. Not the super thick or long dramatic types, these falsies are natural-looking. To be quite honest, I’ve never tried putting on falsies except for my ROM, wedding photoshoot and wedding days. And those days don’t even count because the make up artist was the one putting them on for me. Lately I’ve been thinking about trying on falsies, so maybe this will be a good starting point.

Before I ramble on and on, you can get the Tokyo Luxey Gift Box at USD32 (which comes up to SGD39). Very worth it as the items are worth about USD300!

Here’s some videos for more information on the items included in the box:

If you love Japanese cosmetics like me or just want to give it a try, get the Tokyo Luxey Gift Box now!

Black Box Beauty Boxes

Haha, I like how the title works out to be an alliteration.

As promised, I’ll tell you a little about the beauty boxes I got from Black Box. Yes, I have itchy fingers when it comes to beauty boxes (whether or not I actually use the contents of it), but my self-control is pretty good. So I end up with boxes of contents that I’ll use at least 70% if not all.

Black Box launched three exclusive beauty boxes for Christmas 2014 after their revamp, and I purchased two of them. Each box comes with a snazzy name.

The first one is ‘Bare my Soul, Sweetheart’. It was the cheapest at $9.90 and came in a plastic pack.

As usual, a card is included to tell you more about the products enclosed.

  • Biore Micellar Cleansing Water (1 sachet)
  • Klarity Lasertox CC Miracle White Lotion (5ml)
  • Nivea Fruity Shine Pink Guava Lip Balm (1 stick)
  • Ocean Health Buffered C-500 Chewable Tablets (60 tablets)
  • Nivea In-shower Skin Conditioner Body Lotion (1 sachet)
  • L’oreal Extraordinary Oil Sublime Hair Enhancer (3 sachets)

I thought the contents of this pack were pretty worth it for the price since two of the items are retail sized.

If you’re interested, I did a review of the Biore Miceller Cleansing Water earlier.

On to the next beauty box, ‘Hey Betty, I’m on a Vacay!’ This box costs $19.90 and comes in a neat little shoebox.

  • Za x Betty Boop Killer Volume Mascara (1 tube)
  • Aqualabel White Up Emulsion (20ml)
  • Aqualabel Aqua Enhancer (20ml)
  • Aqualabel Reset White Mask (1 sheet)
  • Ma Cherie Moisture Shampoo (50ml)
  • Ma Cherie Moisture Conditioner (50ml)

At first glance, I was thinking “The contents of this box is really little. That’s pretty expensive.” But after careful consideration, it really isn’t so. The mascara is retail sized and worth almost the cost of the box.

A note about Aqualabel. I’ve been using their enhancer for a few years now and love how it keeps my face moist. Aqualabel has two (or more) series. The common ones are the whitening (blue) series and the moisturising (red) series. I have been using the enhancer in the moisturising series, but lately they don’t seem to be on the shelves anymore. Maybe they have discontinued it. Oh well, I might as well try the enhancer in the whitening series since I have the sample now.

Another tidbit about Ma Cherie. People probably don’t remember or don’t know this, but Takki (Hideaki Takizawa) used to endorse Ma Cherie when it wasn’t available on our shores yet. I still remember a friend going gaga over it and all set to buy home the shampoo and conditioner when she went to Japan.

The third exclusive beauty box is ‘Love, The Alter Ego’ and is priced at $29.90. The last one is ‘I Kissed the Knight Goodbye’ and is priced at $39.90. I didn’t purchase these two as I didn’t fancy the contents and felt they were a bit too pricey.

The second, third and fourth boxes are still available at Black Box. Do check them out.

12 Days of Christmas

I guess you’re wondering why I’m talking about Christmas when it’s long gone. Yes, I do admit that I sat on this one, but I want to make an effort to let you know about the goodies I got from The Sample Store.

So I received the EDM about this wonderful Christmas giveaway where shoppers could collect three different gift box from 14-25 December. Each gift box was launched every 3-4 days during this period and all you had to do was make a $5.99 check out to receive one for free.

Did I mention I love freebies? I was practically sold. Besides, the older you get, the less Christmas presents you get. I just love unwrapping presents…the anticipation of finding out what someone got you and the surprise when you find out what’s beneath the wrapping. These boxes were just like Christmas presents…to myself. Haha.

Each box had a few items that were either sample sized or retail sized.

Box 1 (14-17 December)

  • 1028 Visual Therapy Moisture Booster Activating Mask (1 sheet)
  • Suisse Programme Platinum Precious Luxe Eye Cream (3ml)
  • Suisse Programme Platinum Precious Luxury Lifting Eye Concentrate (3ml)
  • Uucare All-in-one Convenient Pack
  • Himalaya Daily Health Capsules (60 capsules)

Box 2 (18-21 December)

  • MegRhythm Steam Eye Mask (1 sheet)
  • Pond’s Men Acne Clear Oil Control Whitening Foam (50g)
  • dearberry Berry Bright Serum (10ml)
  • Pond’s Age Miracle Face & Neck Lifting Day Cream (10g)
  • Frg Toilet Seat Cleaner Wipe (1 sheet)
  • Frg Instant Stain Remover Wipe (1 sheet)

Box 3 (22-25 December)

  • Perspirex Plus Antiperspirant Roll on (5ml)
  • White Formula Intense Brightening Toner with Tranexamic Acid (35ml)
  • VDL Lumilayer Primer (8ml)
  • Miacare Acne Patch for Day (3 pieces)
  • My Beauty Diary Snail Facial Hydrating Mask with Repair Cream (1 sheet + sachet)

Was most happy with the face masks and the VDL primer. I’ve been using the VDL hydration primer and love the way it works to keep my face hydrated and less oily. Shall save the gushing for another time (post).

Well, this is just a preview of what you can get from The Sample Store. Lots of interesting beauty products there. Look out for more promotions like this one!

[SR] Biore Micellar Cleansing Water

Thank you Biore and The Sample Store for sponsoring another product — Biore Micellar Cleansing Water.

I was attracted to this product the minute I received it because the bottle is pink! The princess-y gem-like bottle is really cute. Ok, but that’s just me. Lol.

I’ve been using Fancl’s make up remover all this while simply because it’s the best, but ever since Fancl stopped operations here in Singapore, I’ve been wondering what I would use after my supply of make up remover finishes. Maybe the Biore Micellar Cleansing Water is the replacement I am looking for!

My make up regime is really not that complicated and is definitely not super heavy: concealer, foundation, powder, eyeshadow, eyeliner (pencil and liquid), mascara, brow liner, lip balm and lip gloss.

One full pump is almost enough to wet the whole cotton pad.

Before I jump into the results, let me tell you more about the cleansing water. It contains natural mineral water from the Northern Japanese Alps which makes it gentle to the skin. Enriched with collagen and white tea extract, the cleansing water will leave skin brighter, softer and more supple. Its anti-bacterial formula helps to prevent pimples and breakouts, and minimises pores for clearer and a more refined complexion. Most importantly, the watery micellar technology used in this cleansing water effectively dissolves and lifts of more traces of make up in one wipe!

It’s alcohol free, fragrance free, oil free, colorant free, allergy and opthalmologist tested, and non-comedogenic. So it’s really suitable for all skin types, even those with sensitive skin!

My make up came off quite easily with a few wipes. Used only two cotton pads for half my face. For my eye make up, as instructed, I held the cotton pad on my eye for five seconds before gently wiping off. I was quite surprised that most of my eye make up came off quite easily in one wipe except for the mascara which needed a few more wipes.

To show you how easily my make up came off, I decided to do a test on the back of my hand. The foundation and powder blend is on the top half of my hand…can’t really see it in the photo but it’s there. In order of the lines on my hand: eyeshadow, white pencil eyeliner, black pencil eyeliner, black liquid eyeliner and mascara. Lip gloss is on the left. I only forgot to draw a line using my brow liner.

This was what came off after one wipe…

Yup! Almost everything came off except the mascara. But no worries, that came off after a few more gentle wipes.

I was honestly surprised that the Biore Micellar Cleansing Water worked so well. The great part is there’s no sticky or oily after feel. No rinsing is even required! My skin did feel clean and refreshed!

This product is available in all pharmacies, hypermarkets and supermarkets, and major departmental stores. It retails for a mere $18.90. Definitely worth it!