A job interview look

First impression counts, and before you can say “first impression”, people are already making personality judgements. Hence, it is important that we are constantly aware of how we look and take notice of our personal hygiene.

I went for a job interview some time back, and spent half a day thinking about professional makeup, and how to groom my hair, etc. I could have run a Google search, but then I decided to experiment what whatever I have in my drawer instead.

After thinking hard about it, I decided that the trick to look professional is to not overdo the makeup. Before I get started, here is a guideline to create the professional, corporate look:

1. Focus on either the eyes, or lips.

2. Don’t hurry, take time to blend well.

3. In case you perspire too much, remember to blot your face before adding loose powder.

4. Stay away from shimmers.

5. Go for a natural, sophisticated look.

6. Avoid orange or green eyeshadow. Stick to brown or grey, or use colours from the naked palette.

**

In this entry, I am going to share my makeup style and perhaps you can use the same style for your job interview.

Here’s what I started with:

BB cream, and nothing else.

Brushed all over with loose powder.

Used a warm coloured blush for a very natural look.

I know I shouldn’t have used coloured lens, but I ran out of clear lens so I made do with the coloured ones. Don’t try wearing coloured lens for a corporate interview.

Here, I also coloured my lid with light gold at the inner corner and purple at the ends.

And I made the colour a little more intense

Here’s both eyes

Filling the brows

Suddenly, everything falls into place

Nude colour

That’s me being unglam.

Used a brown liner for a less intense look.

The finished look.

Now, I just need to change clothes and bun the hair

..like this.

Now, that should make a good first impression. I think.

What’s your favourite interview look? Any tips? Feel free to share it with me!

Bobbi Brown: Brightening Nudes Collection

Has anyone seen the new Bobbi Brown brightening nudes collection?

I was as excited as RMK collaborated with Kate Spade and Estee Lauder collaborating with Michael Kors last Christmas to produce awesome makeup in a pretty bag.

I saw the RMK + Kate Spade collection in Hong Kong, and the Estee Lauder + Michael Kors collection in Bangkok. Pity both aren’t available in Singapore.

Here are pictures if you haven’t seen it online or in magaines:

 

I’ve been wanting to write about the pretty colour palette since last year, but I have forgotten about the existence of it till I saw the new Bobbi Brown Brightening Nudes.

Now that I’m looking at it again, I only have three words to describe how I feel - Lust, lust, lust.

(Damn, I should have gotten it from the airport last year. Duty free!)

So, the new Brightening Nudes collection by Bobbi Brown will be available early March (Oh, and Urban Decay’s Naked Palette 2 is going to be re0-stocked in Sephora during the same period. Save money and start anticipating!) and if you’re a fan of the ‘glowing look’, check out and try out the stuff when they’re available at the counters!

Is anyone else a sucker for nudes (colour, not women)?

 

Lunar New Year

It’s eve of the Lunar New Year once again. I am not sure how many people actually look forward to this occasion, but I sure am having mixed feelings.

Part of me feels excited about dressing up (trust me, I know some girls’ main purpose of celebrating the Chinese New Year is to doll up and look good), and part of me dreads the visiting because some relatives just don’t have good things coming out of their mouths. And as usual, I have to bite my tongue before I talk about one’s husband’s China mistress, or how loser another relative’s 30 year old jobless daughter is.

This year, my cousin who is the same age as me has decided to bring her boyfriend to visit our relatives. Of course I have to be prepared to counter such market spoilers. If the relatives asked where is my boyfriend, my reason this year would be ‘mummy doesn’t like my Indian friend’ and hopefully this would allow them to think about racial issues while I switch the topic to ministerial pay.

But the purpose of this entry is not about annoying relatives, but to share some tips on makeup that won’t make you look like a smudged idiot by the end of the day.

I have been really lazy, and I couldn’t be bothered to dye my hair or paint my nails just because I could get more compliments out of it. But as I am typing this, I have a good mind to colour block my nails using pastel colours this Chinese New Year.

Having makeup done properly suddenly occurred to me when my dear friend decided to party tomorrow night. That means I have to make my makeup last for a good 16 hours. I know I can reject her, but not when I’m feeling this down and a good friend could just be the solution(a great distraction?) to my problems.

So, here goes.

First and foremost, to make your makeup last longer, you probably would need waterproof ones, like those the girls from the local synchronized swimming team uses. This formula should work for at least 5 hours, if not the full 16.

Foundation – You may wish to try the compact foundation from Paul and Joe ($67) as many people I know swears by it.
Eyeshadow – To make eyeshadow stay and not crease (if you have deep set eyes), use Urban Decay’s primer potion ($30).
Eyeliner – My favourite waterproof eyeliner from M.A.C ($27). Washing my face with cleanser wouldn’t get rid of it even.
Lipstick – Stila long wear lip colour ($36) to minimize touchups.
Concealer –  Definitely Amazing concealer (You can find this at Sephora at $45)
Hair – Go with L’Oreal Elnett hairspray. This baby wouldn’t let you down.
Mascara / falsies – Use the new Maybelline The falsies volume express. This is the bomb. ($17)

Having the above would save the first half of the day. What about the second half?

That is where you whip out your mirror and makeup kit like you’re a bride.

#1. Be sure to bring blotter.
#2. Use loose powder, or compact foundation to reduce the shine on your face.
#3. If your falsies are tearing off, use glue and re-do your lashes.
#4.  Concealer gone? Touch up!
#5. Re-apply lipstick every few hours. (Don’t try using Nyx round lipstick)

And that should keep you looking fresh all day long!

Updates: Here’s my pastel colour block nails that I am gonna wear this Lunar New Year!

Have a very blessed lunar new year! xoxo

Playing makeup with sis

I love to play makeup.

My friends always promise to come by my place to play makeup, but we end up watching movies or slack instead.

Thankfully, I have a sis who is willing to let me doll her up. She’s like my huge barbie doll, and she can even fit into my clothes.

(I don’t know why would anyone agree to be my model because my curling iron would damage their hair, and removing makeup is such a chore. By the time sis reads this entry, there’s no point crying over spilt milk.)

Here are pictures of mildly curled hair and a light smokey effect for her Asian eyes:

 

Don’t ask me where are her clothes and hair accessory from. I have no idea.

xx

Overdue: M.A.C glitter and ice :(

I think I’m a very lazy person. And by the time I want to blog about a particular collection, I would then realize that it is already 2 months old and a new collection would be out.

One such collection is the M.A.C glitter and ice collection. By the time I got down to writing this entry, winter (that’s what this collection is about) is over and the posters at M.A.C stores are currently changed to Daphne Guiness for M.A.C.

Anyway, I first caught sight of the glitter and ice posters at Sephora, ION Orchard and loved it!

Johnny Weir couldn’t look any more gorgeous in the poster. In case you didn’t know, he is a figure skater and is an Olympic athlete.

This collection is inspired by ice-skating, but I took notice of Johnny’s armpit hair and discoloured nipples more than his skate shoes. Oh, I’m a terrible person.

This entire collection is about glitter, and I am amazed how these cosmetic companies find something ‘new’ to market every season and make people excited to buy.

Here are more pictures to the collection:

Mineralized eyeshadow.

If I could use up whatever that’s left at home, or have too much spare cash, I wouldn’t mind splurging on new products every season. Tsk.

Glitter, glitter, more glitter.

 

 

 

 

 

Swatches of some of the colours – Such Flare, Double Spin, Soft Sable and Eloquent Air

If this whole collection is in my room now, I would be a very happy girl! Any sponsors?

Haul from Hong Kong

This is my first haul post on this blog, and I am really excited about it.

I was excited when I made my purchase, I was excited when I took pictures of the items, and I am definitely excited about writing this entry.

When I was buying my cosmetic and skincare products from Hong Kong, I was eager to have my old skincare products replaced for 2012 because using the same products will cause my skin to be immuned to it, thus making it not as effective as new ones.

But damn, I’ve been using my little jar of 50ml moisturizer for more than a year and it’s nowhere near empty. Time to slap cream on every few hours!

So here’s some of the skincare and cosmetics which I bought from Hong Kong.

Majorlica Majorca Honey Pump Gloss Neo in BE 133

This gloss costs $12.90 in Singapore (available at Watsons) and I got it for HKS44, which is about SGD 7.50.

The reason why I bought this cause I went for Majorlica Majorca’s Glass trick workshop with my little baby sis recently and she wanted it so much. Since it costs a fraction of the price, I think that is quite an incentive for me to buy.

Calvin Klein creme eyeshadow in Gold Velvet

Bought it for about SGD10 after discount. The original price for this product is Hk$135, which is about SGD 23. I haven’t seen this in Singapore yet but it’s approximately USD$20 overseas.

This is a great buy, because it’s a good substitute for the L’Oreal infaillable gold eyeshadow which I didn’t buy, and I got it at an awesome price.

Revlon bedroom eyes eyeliner

I haven’t seen this product around in Singapore too. But a quick check online confirmed that it retails for about SGD 13.

But guess what? I got it for approximately SGD 1.80. Less than 2 bucks!

Recently, I have been using a lot of gel liner. But sometimes I use liquid liner because it’s less of a chore as I need not wash the brush.

Estee Lauder eyeshadow in Sugar Biscuit Satin and Chocolate Bliss Matte

Once thing I dislike about Estee Lauder’s products is that the cover always gets scratched easily and it looks pretty obvious. My Bobbi Brown products get scratched on the surface too when placed in my makeup pouch, but it does not look as obvious as Estee Lauder’s products scratched. In comparison with the products in the market, I gotta applaud Chanel for having the most scratch-resistant casing.

Since this new baby costs only SGD 3.10, I don’t have grounds to complain.

This product is not sold individually so there’s no price for it. However, it usually comes together with mascara, and other products like lipstick or skincare and sold as a travel set.

Elizabeth Arden Hydrating Mask - SGD 11.70

Dr MJ BB cream – SGD 4.85

Sophie Monk Beauty Mask

I remember heading to the 7-11 to buy some magazines (apparently HK sells magazines from Taiwan too. Yipee!) and passed by mannings (which is Guardian in Singapore).

I stopped by and picked this up cause I heard about a lot of people raving about this after Makiyo came to Singapore to promote Sophie Monk’s products. And since I have gotten everything else at a better rate, this must be cheaper in Hong Kong.

Sometimes I really wonder why is this brand Sophie Monk, because when I first heard about this brand, I thought it’s the actress from Sex and Death 101. Lol.

By the way, I can’t recall how much is this sold in Guardian, and how much I got it for.

Bifesta (cleansing express)

It retails at SGD 16.90-18.90 at drugstores in Singapore, and SGD 10 in Hong Kong.

Of course I bought and brought 3 bottles home!

Aquamoist Toner

SGD 22 in Singapore, SGD 12 from Hong Kong.

And I brought 2 bottles back

Neutrogena Hydroboost Water Gel

This is sold in Singapore for SGD 20.90, and I got it for SGD 18.

Lesson learnt. When in Hong Kong, don’t buy drugstore brands that you can get locally. Get the high end brands and there will be more savings!

Schwarskopf Osis + Dust It Mattifying Powder

I have been dying to get this because it works better than most hair wax. A little of this goes a loooong way, and is perfect for keeping my flat hair volumized.

I have seen it in the little shops near AMK Hub that sells lots of FMCG products, and it costs about SGD 26.

Guess what? I got it for SGD 16! <3 <3 Gotta love Hong Kong.

Shu Uemura eyelash curler

Last but not least, I got this award-winning eyelash curler to replace my old one. This eyelash curler from Shu Uemura does not only crimp my lashes perfectly, it will never ever crimp my flesh and make my curling lash experience painful.

SGD 32 from departmental stores in Singapore, and SGD 17 from Hong Kong!

***

There you go – my haul from Hong Kong.

Now you know what to do when you hit Hong Kong the next time round.

xx.

 

Back to Singapore!

I am back!

Just in case you were wondering if I posted up some entries while I was overseas, the answer is no, I didn’t. Although I had internet access in Hong Kong and Thailand, (and even replied to some of your emails) I didn’t spend my vacation writing entries.

In fact, I had the entries scheduled to be published to ensure that the blog does not die off while I was away.

Although I have these ‘emergency entries’ saved, publishing them earlier means that I will have more and more backlog entries. Le sigh. I will try to get my new entries up as soon as possible. Because makeup and skincare changes every season, and by the time I have them updated, it will already be history.

I was in Hong Kong from the 20th December to 24th December and it is my third consecutive year going to Hong Kong in December.

As usual, going to Hong Kong during winter means that I can’t buy wearable clothes back because the weather in Singapore is too warm, and wearing winter clothes (that’s what that’s sold during December) is just not practical.

Most Singaporean girls like myself love going to Wang Jiao Zhong Xin 旺角中心 to hunt for bargain clothes. But going there during winter means I see jackets and outerwear everywhere.

This grey jacket is one of the two apparels that I bought in Hong Kong. SGD7 from Wang Jiao Zhong Xin (旺角中心):

(Cropped my face again cause I’m a terribly shy person. Teehee.)

Since I took pictures of my daily outfits, I just have them uploaded here:

(LOL with the mosaic face, I can pass off as a xxx in one of Lianhe Wanbao’s gossip stories)

I’m actually quite ashamed to post these pictures up because I wear the same thing for winter every single year (down to the shoes!). Haha.

Okay, I know the above pictures has nothing to do with this blog because I usually talk about cosmetics and makeup.

So I’m going to get down to posting up my looks while I was in Hong Kong.

Look #1.

Base – BB cream from Hanskin
Blusher – Bobbi Brown in Apricot
Lips – Etude House LUCIDarling gloss in Red
Eyeshadow – Bobbi Brown’s Maple Sugar and Beige Linen
Eyeliner – Gel liner from RedRougeRally’s makeup shop

Try to ignore the camera. Makeup style for that day was lazy and very amateur, and it is what we usually see on typical Singaporean girls.

Look #2.

Base – BB cream from Hanskin
Blusher – Bobbi Brown in Apricot
Lips – Nivea lip balm
Eyeshadow – Bobbi Brown in Beige Linen and Cavier (black)

Look #3.

Base – BB cream from Hanskin
Blusher – Bobbi Brown in Apricot
Lips – Nude Silky Girl lip gloss
Eyeshadow – Bobbi Brown in Cavier

Lids look so uneven here. I swear the eyeshadow looks balanced out of picture.

Look #4.

Base – BB cream from Hanskin
Blusher – Bobbi Brown in Apricot
Lips – M.A.C in House Wine
Eyeshadow – Bobbi Brown in Cavier, Navajo, Pebble, Chino and Maple Sugar
Eyeliner – Gel liner from RedRougeRally’s makeup shop

***

And for the other day, I didn’t wear makeup so it’s pointless to post, right? After posting up these looks, I realized that my face is shown anyway. So much for being shy

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

In my next entry, I’m going to blog about my beauty hauls from Hong Kong. Stay tuned!

xx

Tutorial: Eoljjang eye makeup

After ordering and receiving my coloured lens, I am into the “Eoljjang” (Ulzzang) makeup and look.

Ulzzang is defined as “best face” or “good-looking” in Korean, and the “Eoljjang” is someone who is popular based on their appearance. (Damn superficial as these Eoljjangs get celebrity status because their popularity is based on their appearance and nothing else.)

Basically, to achieve the Eoljjang look, you’ll need a doll face, with huge eyes, perfectly sculpted nose and clear skin.

I don’t have clear skin at all, so I am going to use makeup to cheat. As for the doll face, enlarging my eyes would do the trick. My nose is far from perfect, and I need a nose job more than anyone else.

But in this tutorial, I will just focus on the eye.

Wore my Super Barbie Eye lens in Bambi Grey.

I have extreme dark eye circles, but nothing makeup can’t conceal.

After application of BB cream from Hanskin and concealer from my 15-concealer palette, my dark eye circles become less obvious.

I used BB cream from Hanskin from Korea, because I needed a fairer, porcelain skin. BB creams from Japan and U.S will not be able to give me that kind of effect. If you want to look extremely fair, BB cream from Korea will be perfect for you.

If you want to buy the 15 concealer palette, shop HERE.

Drawn brows with my Daiso eyebrow pencil in Black. Korean girls like extremely thick brows to keep them looking young, but I can’t carry off the thick eyebrow look so I drew it the normal way.

Trying really hard to balance both sides..

Highlighted my brow bone with the lightest beige from my concealer palette, and used eyeliner to draw the outer half of my lower line.

This immediately made my eyes bigger and more enticing.

Then, I used eyeliner to line the outer half of my upper lash and joined it with my lower lash line with a ‘V’.

My eyeliner is Castledew Colourshot Pencil in Black (non-waterproof). I love this eyeliner because it is double-sided, and there’s a pretty pink sparkly rhinestone on top of each side of the cover.

(Blurred my face because I am extremely shy, haha)

As you can see, I used a cotton swab to smudge the eyeliner to make it less harsh.

Applied waterproof Mascara - Maybelline’s Volume Express.

Used falsies for my left eye.

Finished look.

Easy peasey, lemon squeezy.

This look is really simple, try it and rock it!

Confessions of a makeup junkie

Oh no, I recently found some more makeup that has been put away and forgotten.

Because I will be going away from 20 December this year to 3rd January 2012, Momsy made my siblings and I promise her that we will pack our rooms before December. Hence, I took the initiative and cleaned some parts of my room before Spring cleaning becomes more difficult than ever.

(Wait, isn’t it still ‘Fall/Winter’ now? *ignoring the fact that it is Summer all year in Singapore*)

Then, I found some makeup that I bought more than a year ago, from ESPRIQUE and Estee Lauder. In mint condition.

Suddenly, I remembered that all makeup has an expiry date and I panicked. Immediately, I went to check. I took the little kit and looked at every corner. Then, I saw the expiry date – September 2014. Sigh of relief.

If it is already expired, I would probably stab myself. Someone please remind me to think 2 times, 3 times, x times before I purchase anything.

I know that I have too many eye shadow colours, blushers, BB creams and lip colour for my own good, so I shall keep them all and play with different styles everyday, do more tutorials so none of it would go to waste. *beams

Want to see the good things that might have gone to waste have I not find them stashed away in the corner?

From ESPRIQUE (by Kose) -

The entire set

And from Estee Lauder -

Brushes

I believe that I have more makeup items stashed away somewhere in the room.

Till then, xx.

My little sister

Finally, my little sis agreed to model for me!

In these pictures, she is in her school uniform because she took her Econs exam earlier on.

Young people should not wear too much makeup, so I gave her a very nude and subtle look. As she is still young, she doesn’t have wrinkles or dry skin which makes makeup application extremely easy.

The only problem I have with her was her dark eye circles. Poor students of Singapore need to slog their lives away, and most of them end up having dark eye circles. But then I think it is genetic, because my dark eye circles and eyebags are really horrid.

She doesn’t allow me to post her naked face, so I shall start with the picture after I applied BB cream for her.

I envy her for already looking gorgeous with bare minimum makeup. She only has BB cream on, and nothing else!

However, I have a problem with her eyebrows. She doesn’t allow me to trim her brows because she’s going for facial next week, and claims that her facial therapist will do a good job. So let’s just make do with her droopy brows.

Then, I used highlighter and a little blusher to give her face more dimension.

Sigh, God ain’t fair. God already made her 10kg lighter than me, why must give her radiant skin too??

For some reason, her eyelashes refused to curl. I decided to give up and ignore it.

I used Anna Sui Long Lash Mascara to extend the length of her lashes.

Maquillage Moisture Rouge in #PK244 by Shiseido

Then, I smoked her eyes a little using Bobbi Brown’s eyeshadow in Chino and Caviar.

Loose the rubber band, hair band and throw on a straw fedora!

**

Picture perfect!

Enjoy the pics, but don’t ask me for her number!

xx.

Christmas promotion

Shop HERE now!

Dove evolution

I know this video is extremely old, but it does not fail to give me new insight each time I watch it.

Enjoy Dove’s campaign for real beauty.

Gorgeous Christmas gifts!

Christmas is around the corner, and I always get excited about all the pretty gift sets that are being sold this season!

I went to Sephora, BHG, Isetan, TANGS, Takashimaya and OG to look at all the pretty gift sets for this year’s Christmas season, and shortlisted 4 of my favourite sets.

These stuff here comes in fabulous packaging, and are totally drool-worthy! I would love to buy ALL of these, but I have to keep reminding myself that I already have more than 1000 eyeshadow colours at home.

***

Okay. Long story cut short. Here are the items:

#1. Body Shop Smoke & Sparkle eye palette

No one can hate this awesome winter makeup collection by The Body Shop. Sparkly smokey eye, what’s not to love about this set?

I especially love The Sparkler in Boudoir Pink. This sparkle dust comes out when I gently squeeze the teardrop-shaped atomizer (damn it, I took about 20 minutes trying to recall what that word is).

4-Step Smokey Eye Palette: $39.90
The Sparkler: $39.90 Now $29.90
Lip & Cheek Stain: $22.90
Super Volume Mascara: $22.90
Mini Hi Shine: $8.90

***

#2. LANCOME Golden Hat Collection

This newly launched holiday set is damn pretty, and I am taking in gulps of saliva! The Golden Hat collection is created by Kate Winslet, in aid of her own charity, The Golden Hat Foundation.

Illuminating Smooth Powder: $70
L’Absolu Rouge: $44

***

#3. Too Faced Sweet Dreams Makeup

I don’t want to look at the colour of the eyeshadow, cause I will stare at the packaging for a very, very long time.

But in case you wanna know what is housed in the beautiful package, it is 15 eyeshadow colours, 1 primer, 2 blushers, 1 bronzer and 1 highlighter.

Palette: $79 from Sephora

***

#4. Wong Kar Wai for Shu Uemura

The WKW for Shu Uemura series is pretty delicious looking. Everything is tempting, and OMG I want it now!

By the way, the eyelashes you see in the above picture costs S$125. WHAT? If you really want it, get it from the States for USD$75.

This pair costs S$45. Really gorgeous.

And finally, the 2 beautiful palettes. I was thinking very hard about which out of the two I prefer, then after a while, I decided that I like both equally much.

Eye and Cheek Palette: $115

***

There you go, awesome gift ideas for your friends or me.

If you’re feeling really generous and kind this Christmas, do throw these into your gift box:

Dear Santa,

I am a good girl. *puppy eyes*

*yells* NOW GIVE ME ALL OF THOSE!

xx

Why do girls need 1 hour to wear makeup?

I have punctuality issues – mainly due to wearing my daily makeup.

(But sometimes I have to wait for buses and trains, or get stuck in a jam..)

You know, perfection cannot be rushed. Hence, I take an hour just to make sure that my makeup is perfect before I leave house.

I’ll let my pictures do the talking.

Combing and untangling wet hair.

I’m not proud of this. Took me a week to decide if I should put my face here.

Drying my hair – 10 minutes.

Applying BB cream. There you go. Me without makeup.

Errrr, yes. I use this much BB cream.

Lifted up bangs to apply BB cream.

Yes, I know it is a few shades lighter than my skin colour. But that’s how I like it.

Don’t forget the neck!

Just with BB cream, I look more alive and rejuvenated!

No more dullness <3

Concealing – 10 minutes

Concealing my pimple with a green concealer.

Blusher – Bobbi Brown in Apricot
Brush – Estee Lauder

 Adding colour..

Using clear contact lens cause I dropped my  ”big eye lens” last week

And if you are observant, you would have noticed that I have double and triple eyelids today. It’s ok, I can fix that.

Highlighting my nose (not that I have any..)

Time to fill the naked brows

Working the brow

Taming it

Highlighting – I love how this make my eyes brighter!

Brighter eyes!

(How do you fix unbalanced eyelids??)

Adding a darker colour for a bit of depth.

Lining my eyes with my trusty brown liquid liner

Crimping lashes

(this pic damn act cute lol)

Add a dash of mascara

And my trusty Nivea lip balm – I’ve been using this for the past 8 years!

And finally, my signature red rouge!

***

Here’s the after look:

Or if you sick of bangs like me, wear a hairband to change your look!

Back to the toilet where I started

There you go.

And I know people will scroll up and down, up and down, to see how do I look like before and after application of makeup.

So, I will do you a favour and compile the pictures for comparison.

Enjoy!

xx

 

Wrong eye makeup

I have a tendency to observe how girls do their eye makeup wrongly and I dare say that 9 out of 10 girls don’t do it right.

Makeup is subjective, but there are girls who don’t complete their looks.

These few days, I have been seeing many girls who don’t put on their makeup correctly. No one is expected to “paint” a flawless face like makeup counter girls. The kind of wrong makeup that I have in mind is the kind of makeup that will make strangers take a second look – in a negative way.

My makeup is not perfect, I admit.

If my friends are reading this blog, they probably will squint their eyes and say “Don’t bullshit me, lah. Your undereye forever patchy”. That, is absolutely true. But that is because I was born with a physical defect – eczema.

Unfortunately, my eczema does not only cause my skin to itch and flake at my back, arms, neck, back of my knees, inner thighs, back of my hand, fingers, it also causes my eyes to itch and flake. I have been seeing a skin doctor and my skin is under control now.

For someone with horrid eczema caused by stress and the bad weather in Singapore, my skin is extremely well controlled. Even my skin doctor said that my skin is well controlled and nobody would know that I have such a terrible physical defect. And trust me, it’s not a good thing to go through.

It’s a vicious cycle. I am always trying to get rid of the eczema, but the teasing and negative comments from people around me would cause me to be depressed and aggravate my skin condition, making it worse than ever. Some friends I have. If you are a friend who talked about my eczema before, and reading this entry, you better feel guilty!

So, as much as I try to conceal, moisturize and make my eyebags look better. It will still remain dark, wrinkly and sometimes patchy.

***

Let’s get back to the point and I shall list the mistakes of wrong eye makeup:

#1. Eye makeup without concealer – No super eye makeup can look attractive if you don’t conceal dark eye circles.

#2. False eyelashes without curling real lashes – Why do you need a gap in between like a crocodile mouth? Totally ugly.

#3. Too much mascara – It doesn’t give you longer and thicker lashes. It gives you insect legs.

#4. Eyeshadow that’s not blended – Dark brown and light brown goes well together but eyeshadow should not be in swatches.

#5. Unmatching eyeshadow colours – Like red and green, or yellow and blue. It can be extremely gorgeous when blended properly. But most of the time it’s a nay, not a yay.

#6. Heavy eye makeup with heavy lipstick – No focus can be pretty confusing.

#7. Too much eyeshadow – Some people extend their eyeshadow way out to their temples and elongate their eyes, changing the entire proportion of the face. It might look good for a fashion or beauty shoot, but it’s definitely not great for outing with the girls.

#8. Eyeliner on the lower lash line without eyeshadow – For people who want to look as if they’re depressed and suicidal.

#9. Eye makeup without plucked eyebrow – Find girls like that in all the Polytechnics in Singapore. I don’t blame them. Every girl needs to go through that phase. But if you’re 30 and is a veteran in smoking your eyes, heading out with messy brows is embarrassing yourself.

#10. Uneven winged tip eyeliner – Inevitable, I know. Especially when you wake up with day with uneven eyelids. It’s just not pleasant to look at a longer winged-tip on one eye.

#11. Incorrect concealer colour – Even I sometimes have ash-coloured eyebags after using concealer. That is usually an indicator of your concealer being to light. If that happens, select a darker shade of concealer.

#12. False eyelashes without using eyeliner – Nope, we don’t like to see your glue.

#13. Eyeshadow colour that doesn’t match skin tone – Like a Chinese girl wearing only Yellow eyeshadow, and Indian girl wearing only Black eyeshadow.

#14. Mascara which smudges and ruin eye makeup – Like how I was damn disturbed by the guy (yes, a guy) at Sephora with smudged mascara above and under his eyes. Not a pretty sight.

#15. Overly plucked brows – This can be resolved. Just fill your brows with pencil.

Well, wasn’t that something! I think fifteen is a great number to stop at, else I would be repeating my points.

Remember, no makeup in this world is perfect, but there are many ways to ruin perfectly beautiful makeup. That’s why experimenting makeup and find out what we look best in is extremely important.

Makeup is subjective, but we want to make ourselves gorgeous, not ruin how we look.

Hope you are more mindful of your makeup and check the mirrors more often!

Hope you find this entry useful!

xoxo,
JJ.

Daiso finds

All from Daiso!

I have always wondered if the makeup from Daiso really works. Since I have been dying to experiment some of the makeup items, I decided to purchase and try it out.

Each item at Daiso costs $2, so four items would amount to $8 – a pocket friendly price, and in this entry I would discuss how effective these items are and how it worked for me.

Item #1 – Sponge for Foundation / BB cream 

I understand that some people might be paranoid about the makeup they use, especially when buying from Daiso because the cost is only $2 per item and it might be unreliable.

The last thing we want is breaking out in acne the following day after using cheap makeup. Also, price might be a surrogate indicator of quality and hence the perception of Daiso products is that the quality is low.

If you don’t trust the cosmetics from Daiso, there are other beauty products like nail buffer, double eyelid tape, makeup sponges, cuticle remover, etc.

And as you can see in the picture above, I bought the makeup sponge. $2 for 12 pieces. And if I used 5 times per sponge before I dispose it, it’s 5 cents per usage! Great buy, right?

(I am assuming that using 5 times per sponge is acceptable because I know of people who use their sponges for weeks before disposal. Think of the bacterial buildup. Yikes.)

Item #2: Eyebrow pencil

Here’s how the tip looks like.

Tested at the back of my hand. 

Will this cause you to break out in acne? I doubt so.

Firstly, it is used at the brows in little quantities so it can’t possibly cause your entire face to break out in acne. Secondly, the ingredients used are black iron oxide, lanolin, hydrogenated vegetable oil, alcohol, talc, Vitamin E, and some others that you can find in other brands of eyebrow pencil as well.

It glides on skin and isn’t too light or too dark and I like it. I also tried it on my brows and it works like any other eyebrow pencils!

I have no complains, and I wouldn’t mind buying it again.

Item #3: Stick foundation

When I removed the cover of the stick foundation, my first reaction was “dang!” because the colour looks really yellow. As you can probably tell, the colour of the sticker does not reflect the colour of the foundation inside at all.

So I tried it on my skin. Yeap, I was certain that it wasn’t my skin colour.

It was too yellow and too opaque for my liking.

I glided the stick foundation on my skin and regretted big time. The feeling left on my skin was extremely oily! I use BB cream all the time and I am used to the liquid formula. But this stick foundation does not feel like the usual liquid foundation at all. If I have to wear this all day, I’d rather hang myself.

I thought it might be only the top layer that is oily, so I scraped off the top and tried it again. No difference.

After that, I had to use my eye makeup remover to thoroughly get it off my skin. It was definitely a bad experience.

For foundations that are darker in colour, they may be used for contouring. And foundation colour that is lighter than your skin colour may be used as a highlighter. Foundation with a thicker formula can be used as a concealer, or to smooth out uneven skin. But I do not know what to do with a super-duper oily stick foundation.

On the brighter side, this stick is convenient to carry around and that is the only good thing about this little tube.

Do yourself a favour, save your $2 and don’t ever get this from Daiso.

Item #4: Highlighter

Now this little container reminds me of the mineral makeup that I have. I like mineral makeup because of all its benefits (and I will discuss them in another entry).

I picked this up with my eyeshadow brush and brushed it on the back of my hand, and I love how pigmented the particles are. It is shimmery and made my skin look as if it was glowing.

Next, I tried it on my nose bridge and above the apples of my cheeks.

It turned out to be really pretty, and it’s definitely glowing. It also works great as an eyeshadow to highlight the inner corners of my eyes and just below my brow bone.

This is a great buy, and I will not hesitate to buy it when I finish using it (that’s if I ever do cause my makeup seems to last forever).

***

So here are my thoughts about these items I got for at a great price.

If you like to save money like I do, go pick up some fabulous items from Daiso!

..and leave the stick foundation alone.

More rude people. This time at The Face Shop.

I went to The Face Shop earlier on, trying to find products which I haven’t seen before.

But what I found so interesting is the sales staff at The Face Shop.

I should have noticed it before, but I hadn’t. Apparently, each time I walk into the store trying to find something to buy, or just browse, the sales girls would stand beside me and stare.

It happened at Plaza Singapore, IMM, and Suntec City. Surely there’s a pattern that is forming.

Instead of telling me the how does BB cream work, why is their collagen botox cream effective or introducing the new arrivals to me, they get out of the counter and stand beside me to breathe down my neck.

Stare and stare and stare.

I think they should realize how rude it is to stand beside me and stare without uttering a single word.

And when they are right beside me, it is already intruding my personal space. So much that I am not able to read the ingredients on the bottle of toner without feeling pressurized to buy.

Come on, why are you staring at me? Are you going to tell me something that I don’t know, or are you going to make your presence felt?

Well, if it is about making your presence known, you’re doing it extremely well. I am aware and can’t miss the fact that there is someone beside me, watching my every move, and waiting to see if I would buy something.

Perhaps buying is the last thing that I would do, because I felt so uncomfortable that I wanted to leave the store immediately!

Staring does not only make me feel uncomfortable, it makes me feel as if you’re saying “buy now, or leave and don’t waste my effort”. And staring with an unfriendly disposition certainly does not help.

I do not expect the staff to greet me when I enter the shop, or to smile, or to say “Thank you, see you again!” when I leave the shop. Honestly, I’d rather be ignored than being stared at (like how the people at Prada ignore me).

If you are a sales person trying to sell a product, where are your sales skills?

Had I all the time in the world, I would sit all of them down and teach them some sales skills (I scored a Distinction in that module, by the way) so that no girl would need to experience this uneasiness and unpleasant feeling.

Now if you’re wondering why is The Face Shop empty when you enter, it probably is because that the staring of the staff made every girl in Singapore so uncomfortable that they don’t feel like stepping into the store again. Also, be prepared to be stared at.

I go to The Face Shop all the time, and I buy their products quite often. If this staring goes on, I might just head over to Etude House, where the staff are more friendly. After all, their products are easily replaceable.

My point is, if you’re gonna stare me down like a fourteen year old gangster (think of the girl who recently boast about slapping her mom twice) the next time, I will ask you to explain the effectiveness, usage, price difference and uniqueness of every single product you have in your store. Let’s see how much tolerance you have for me with all your sales experience (or the lack of it).

Till then, ciao.

Bifesta for girls who appreciate efficiency

Isn’t it troublesome to remove makeup after usage?

After spending a bomb on our pressed powders, eyeshadow and lipsticks, we still have to fork out money to buy makeup remover.

Although we don’t really want to spend money on it, we understand that makeup will clog our pores and we will have bad skin the following day.

Oh, who haven’t heard of the horror stories yet? Doesn’t help when girls who talk about clogged pores exclaim loudly and end it with a grimace.

That being said, I tried Bifesta for the first time today.

Previously known as cleansing express

I am pretty sure that if I continued using this for the next few weeks, I am not going back to my L’Oreal eye makeup remover.

My current eye makeup remover

Right now, I am using this L’Oreal eye makeup remover with cotton pad everyday.

What it is lacking is the pump that Bifesta has. Great for lazy people. But it costs only $5.80 from Chinatown whereas Bifesta costs about $18. Teehee.

With Bifesta, I need not wash my face off with a facial cleanser and then moisturize it afterwards because it already contains moisture. I just need to rinse off the makeup remover lotion with water and I’m done!

Now I am wondering if there is any economical sense for me to use the cheaper alternative, but spend an additional 5 minutes to cleanse and moisturize my face. By the way, my cleanser costs about $20 and moisturizer costs $80.

Then again, it is not possible for me to use Bifesta alone, without any cleanser or moisturizer in my house. Right?

Perhaps I should keep a bottle of Bifesta around for lazy days, and stick to the cheaper alternative for non-lazy days.

Perfect solution. Pun intended.

Trick or treat?

Happy Halloween!

I celebrated Halloween for the first time in my life last Saturday.

In Singapore, celebrating Halloween means having a chance to dress up in ridonkulous costumes and hit Clarke Quay or the clubs.

And last Saturday, I received an impromptu invite from my close friend who won and got invites to the 98.7fm rsvp Halloween party for 3 years (yes, what the hell.) Also the same guy who looked washed out after wearing white makeup – read entry here.

Because I have not been to any Halloween parties before, I did not know what to expect.

Turns out a few interesting things happened after I decided to dress up as an evil witch -

1. I did eye makeup with the red eyeshadow which I never thought I could use. From my 78 eyeshadow palette. Available at makeup shop.

2. I made a kid burst out crying after he saw me staring at him.

3. I drove with caution and an impatient taxi driver high-beamed me, and stared at me while over-taking my vehicle. Impatient taxi drivers are extremely common in Singapore. But what’s not so common was the astonished look on his face after he saw the driver – me the evil witch.

4. Never expected Clarke Quay to be so crowded. The amount of people there easily triple the number of people there on a Wednesday.

5. Realised that it is not a good thing to wear villian makeup. If I ever celebrate Halloween again, I will go as a hot French maid or Police so people will take notice of me. But what’s the fun of looking pretty on Halloween if I already look pretty every non-Halloween day? Kidding.

So that’s my short summary on what happened during Halloween.

Just to be sure I don’t arouse your curiosity, here’s my look for that day:

By the way, this is the exact kind of look that I am afraid to see when I look into the mirror at midnight.

xoxoxo.