Empties #20: April 2015 – Part 1

April was… oh, actually I have no idea what this past April was like because I was so crazy busy that I can’t remember what happened! It’s really been an insane month – tons of work, wedding planning, lots of gym sessions so that I can fit into my gowns later; I was so shocked when I saw my empties bucket filled – I thought there was no way I could have used up so much stuff in such a short time, then I realised that it’s the end of the month already! Anyway, let’s take a peek at what’s in there!

Unboxing: LookFantastic Beauty Box April 2015

It’s been awhile since my last unboxing – over a month! Somehow I think I have jinxed a few beauty box services – everytime I sign up for something, they close down in the next 3 to 6 months. That happened to LipFactory (closed within 3 months of me signing up), then Memebox decided to stop international shipping (within 6 months of my first box) and now, just a few days ago, Bella Box has announced that they have closed down in Singapore (also within 6 months of me re-subscribing to them). Thankfully, LookFantastic is still standing! Please, stay open!

Review: Addiction Lipcrayon in 007 Red Lantern

The Addiction Lipcrayon in Red Lantern was one of the many beauty items I picked up in Japan last Christmas. I haven’t heard anything about it but I was in a happy mood, and if I only bought things that I’ve heard about then life, and this blog, will be pretty boring, wouldn’t it? I don’t know why I picked this shade, since I’ve almost never worn a full-on red lippie out before, but something about red lipsticks just make me want to grab it – and my cupboard full of unused red lipsticks is testament to that!

Midweek Peek #22: The Chosen Neglected Lippies for my Handbag and the Clear Out

I’ve never been really a lip product kinda girl but recently I realised that I have a ton of lip products! I really only put on lip products, other than lip balm, during special occasions, so I don’t know why I have accumulated that much. So to reduce my stash, I’ve drawn out a few lip products that I’ll bring out everyday and try to use up in the next 3 months! A few of them are pretty old, but they still smell and the texture and consistency are still the same, so I’m comfortable with using them.

First up, a No7 Sheer Temptation lipstick in 40 Lovely; I love the smooth and light texture, and easy to wear light pink tint. MAC Cremesheen Glass in Astral is such a lovely juicy-looking gloss that I’m not sure why I don’t use it more. I’m nearly done with the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in 025 Peach Parfait, a really glossy and comfortable sheer lipstick.

I actually really love the MAC Lipglass in Ready to Roam – a really full-on red gloss that’s really eye-catching and not too sticky; I’m just not too comfortable with that much colour but I guess I can sheer it out a little to get myself used to wearing some colour on my lips. Last but not least, is the Fresh Sugar Rose Shine Lip Treatment; this adds just a little colour and I’ve been using it in place of a balm.

So this is it – the 5 items that I will try to bring out everyday and hopefully I will use up pretty soon! What about you? Do you have any strategies to use up neglected items more quickly?

Weekend Ramblings: Favourite Burgers, Eating Cookie Monster Macarons and a Wedding Cheat

A quick run through for the week, nothing much on the makeup front – I’m having a bad skin week and have been laying off from my makeup AND skincare; sometimes the skin just needs to take a breather, rather than a truckload of remedies to make it better.

The 5Min Review: Primera Alpine Berry Watery Cream

I got this little 15ml jar of Primera Alpine Berry Watery Cream as a gift when I purchased a full jar of their serum and I’ve been using this most nights for over 3 weeks. It’s small but it sure does last long! The store is really popular in Korea, and always packed with people; but outside of Korea, I’ve not seen this brand around so I’m not sure where you can get this. This is one of their most popular items.

Haul: Because Nobody Goes to Thailand without Some Shopping

A quick little haul post today – I just came back a week plus ago from a weekend trip to Bangkok. And, nobody goes to Bangkok without some shopping, so here I am with some beauty shopping! I didn’t actually get any Thai beauty brands – mainly because I didn’t really see any really great quality Thai makeup and I don’t have confidence in their skincare. Plus they have Boots, which is a drugstore from the UK – I used to live in the UK so I really miss boots and all the amazing British brands, so whenever I go Thailand, that would be my first (of many) stop.

I got some Boots skincare and primer, which was going for Buy-1-Get-1-Free, a Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer since I’ve heard so much about it, and a NYC IndividualEyes palette in Midtown Mauve. I had to get a Physicians Formula Happy Booster Powder because I’ve used another shade of this before and loved it but it’s not available in Singapore. Finally, I totally stocked up on Soap & Glory beauty products – with a Love at First Blush, a set of 3 Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Crayons, and a Kick Ass Instant Retouch Pressed Powder.

I actually thought this was a pretty small haul! But I was travelling by budget airline this time and didn’t want to check in my baggage so I knew I couldn’t purchase anything more than 100ml. The fiance was really amazing this time – he brought me to find the largest Boots store in the area, which was quite out of the way and was where I found a lot of these items that weren’t available in the smaller Boots. I’m definitely marrying the right man! 😛

Random Thoughts: A Heart to Heart Chat

I’m just taking a moment to take a breath, and have a heart to heart chat. Perhaps with myself, perhaps with whoever is reading this or perhaps noone cares about what I am blogging about. I enjoy typing words, letting my thoughts flow as it go. Sometimes it’s the best way to work some issues out – to have them in words out there in front of you. Sometimes it works as a great reminder for yourself of how you’ve spent your time, what you have thought about, when you look back at the post years later.

Sometimes I feel like I am trying to do too much; at other times I feel like I am not pushing myself hard enough. I know there’s a lot more I can do, and people are asking me to do things. The thing is that I know that I can do them all, but sometimes I just don’t give a damn. The fiance calls me a beta person – I disagree; I think that I am so beta, that I’m almost clearly gamma. I can’t sit still and everytime I’m thinking about one thing my mind just explodes and goes in ten different ways.

My wedding is in a year or so; I have to lose 20kg (I am about 20kg over the healthy weight), invite 250 people. I just got into a quite prestigious but part-time Masters degree programme. I want to look for a new job because of many reasons that I cannot explain online. My family’s little business has had a little trouble these few days so I have to chip in to help as I am the ‘responsible’ one in the family. I like to blog – I find it quite relaxing so I wouldn’t like to stop. I also have the same 24hours as everyone else. I don’t know how I am going to do it all but I hope I can.

Sometimes I forget to breathe and I come out of it panting and slightly lightheaded.

The 5Min Review: I.MYSS Cantabile Stick B.B Concealer in #01 Light Beige

Hi everyone! I’m back with another quick 5minute review! I hope everyone likes these shorter reviews, but if not, please let me know! I’m not doing away with full reviews, but with work piling up I’d rather bring these quick reviews out first than sit on a half written full review for ages.

Anyway, I got this I.MYSS Cantabile Stick B.B Concealer from a Memebox back in December and have been playing with it for a while so it’s time to share some thoughts on it. This is a ‘automatic concealer pen’ that you turn to reveal more concealer. Personally, this is my favourite style of concealer because I don’t need an extra brush or dip my finger into a pot. It’s easy to apply and convenient for travel.

This is supposed to sell for USD13, according to Memebox, and comes in 2 shades, Light Beige and Natural Beige. Light Beige, which I have, is a perfect match for my face. This glides on super smoothly, the texture is creamy but not too oily and stays on for a very long time. I don’t use it under my eyes – more on blemishes and scars. I just draw over my blemishes; sometimes I don’t even need to blend it out because it matches so well with my skin color.

I honestly have nothing bad to say about this concealer – I think this makes my skin looks so flawless through the day. Plus it is not drying at all – some concealers dries down and leaves behind a drier patch but this does not. My skin truly looked amazing throughout the day with this. Love!

The 5Min Review: Clarins Gentle Exfoliator

I’ve heard so much about this Clarins Gentle Exfoliator, especially from Caroline Hiron’s blog, but it was so hard to find – this is not sold in Singapore, I couldn’t find it online, and when I finally found it in Italy, it was sold everywhere. I finally found the last one in a countryside store and grabbed it. Can’t remember how much it cost though – at that point, I really didn’t care because I finally found it!

This is meant to be a brightening toner, with Tamarind and White Nettle to get rid of dry surface cells and enlarged pores. This contains glycolic, salicylic and tartaric acid.

This has a pretty strong chemical scent, but this does not feel as bad as it smells. I’ve tried a few other acidic toners and some of them really sting the face – but this does not. The texture is slightly thicker than a lot of toners I’ve used – it’s still liquid just not as fluid in consistency as water. I use this once a night, putting it on a cotton pad and wiping it over my face.

In short, I like it – it’s not drying on my skin, and doesn’t sting. I feel like it keeps pimples at bay, and my skin feels slightly less congested when I’m using it regularly, but I can’t really see the brightening effect. I wouldn’t go out of my way to find it again though – I don’t think it did enough for me to scour the entire world for it but if it’s convenient for you then I would recommend it.