Review | Aritaum Mono Eyes Eyeshadow

Happy Sunday everyone!

El here with a review on Aritaum Mono Eyes eyeshadows! I got these recently after watching a Youtuber swatch #70 Evro and fell in love with it. Instead of 1, I got 3 as the seller on Qoo10 had a buy 2 get 1 free offer, so I might as well....
I was so excited to try them out when they arrived in my mail!(but I had to wait since I had a couple of deadlines coming up)

 Read on to check out whether I love them and also the colour swatches!

5 Beauty & Makeup Essentials to Look Fresh Faced for School!

Hi Everyone!

  Hope you're having a great week so far. It's said that it's the clothes that make the man, but don't neglect your face! All the cute clothes in the world will not make you look any better if you've got dull skin and dark circles. So here I am, sharing with you 5 makeup and beauty products in my arsenal that I find to work well and are budget friendly.

#1// Eye Roll On

  Frequently stay up late? You probably have to deal with puffy eyes and dark circles in the morning. Personally, I really hate it when my eyes get so puffy that I find it a pain to fully open my eyes.

  A solution to easing the puffiness is to massage and cool down the eye area, improving the circulation there. This will help to ease the fluid retention which causes puffy eyes a well as help lighten the dark circles. I recommend using a eye roll on which usually has a metal ball roller which helps to massage the serum into the eye area as well as cool the eye area.

  Personally, I use a small tube of Clinique's All About Eyes Serum which has a metal ball roller inside. I got this while I was overseas. There are cheaper alternatives from other brands like Garnier.

  No spare cash to buy an eye roll on? Fear not! There are many home remedies that can be found online (do research well though). Personally, I like the cold spoon trick and doing the eye massage myself. For the cold spoon trick, just place a metal spoon in your freezer before you go to bed so that in the morning, you can use the cold spoon to press against the eye area to help with puffiness.

Wedding Lunch OOTD

Hi everyone!

 How have you been? Recently, I attended a wedding lunch celebrating the union of my uncle and his wife at the Regent and had a great time! It was my first time attending a wedding lunch since usually couples host dinners at hotels/restaurants instead of lunches. Hence I was slightly unsure of what to wear. With dinners, I'd usually try to glam myself up and go all fancy. Lunch feels like a more casual affair since it's in the day time and after the lunch I probably will have other activities to do. Thus I feel that the dressing should be leaning towards casual formal but still have that "special" aura about it.

  After trying on various combinations and outfits, I decided on the combo below:

Outfit Details: White caped top: Taobao; Camisole(inside): H&M; Striped high waist skirt: Zara; Bag: Korea; Shoes: Tracce; Bracelet and rings: Lovisa.

  Personally, I adore this outfit. The white cape top is cropped and I like how the cape conceals a part of my arms, making them look slimmer while making my shoulders more structured simultaneously. Basically it's really flattering and chic top. I also felt like a superwoman with my "superhero cape" in this <3

  As it's cropped, I decided to pair it with a high-waisted skirt that I recently got from Zara during their sales. The light pink colour and the cut of it makes it ultra feminine yet chic as it hugs my curves. The two strips of cloth that are tied at the top of the skirt helps to hide a bit of my bulging stomach and also makes the skirt look more casual. The skirt looks amazing but it was a pain to walk in them because the hem restricts my movement.

  For some casual elegance, I wore my sandal heels that have quickly become a favourite since they're so chic and comfortable! They go with alot of outfits too thanks to the neutral colours. For accessories, I decided to go with gold coloured items because it flatters my skintone plus look expensive. For bags, I chose to bring my red purse with the gold chain sling which complements the chic look.

Here are some more pictures that I took at the wedding:

Me at Regent Singapore! It was a beautiful hotel with a simple elegance and lush decor that evokes memories of the old world's grandeur. 

  Makeup wise, I did a neutral eye and bright lip. I was also trying on this new pair of false lashes for the first time because 1- I wanted it to be special and 2- I like the idea of having long lashes without having to put mascara.

  It's a new brand of lashes I'm trying and I was blown away by how it felt like I was not wearing any falsies. Indeed spending the money to buy better quality lashes is worth it. I occassionally wear those cheapo 10 pairs of lashes for $10 and the lash bands of those lashes are stiff. I end up getting irritated when the bands poke at my inner eye corners.

Diamond Lash-Nudy Couture/ Elegant. That's the name of the lashes I got. I guess you're supposed to look very natural with it. Retails in Watsons for around $23.

The lashes have the slight flare at the edge which gives my eyes a more defined feline look. They're not overly dramatic looking despite the length of the lashes. The lashes are super soft and fine, making it possible to wear it for long periods and also to layer with other lashes.

Here's a quick look at all the makeup products used. Personally, I'd recommend a waterproof eyeliner like CLIO's Kill Black liner since there might be some waterworks happening. Like when I tear up looking at couples' montages (I get emotional easily).

Clockwise left to right: Benefit Brow-zings Palette (Medium); Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation (O40); Majolica Majorca Skin Remaker Compact (OC10); Diamond Lash False Lashes (Nudy Couture-Elegant); CLIO Kill Black Brush Liner; Revlon Colorstay concealer (03 Light Medium); Etude House Kissful Tint Choux (#1); Benefit Box Blush (Coralista)

If you're curious about what I ate for lunch, I've got a shot of the menu here:

The roast chicken dish and the broccoli dish were superb! I also loved the braised lobster soup, which is a great alternative to the highly popular but cruel shark's fin soup dish.

Some shots of the food:

Left: Steamed Black Garoupa. Right: Pan-Fried King Prawn.
Funnily, I only took photos of the two dishes that I was not impressed with. The seafood dishes were overcooked :(

I love the little gifts given at the wedding this time because I got chocolates and a brownie. Specifically because they're edible and yummy to boot!

This had heart shaped chocolates in them. I love the simple elegance of the packaging.

All in all, I had a great time at the wedding even though I was seated with a few people that I was unfamiliar with. I was super bloated from all the food I ate XD. I love weddings since they bring families together and I get to eat good food. Plus, I love it when I see people who are in love with each other get married. I hope you've enjoyed this post!

Till next time,
El   xoxo

El's Recent Hauls

Hey everyone!

El here! It's GSS season in Singapore which means sales galore! It's not even end of June yet and I've been doing quite a bit of shopping. Originally, I was planning on just doing a quick post on my shopping haul from my recent trip to the Metro sale. However, thanks to all the 'SALE' signs that I see during my lunch hour, I've been shopping more than I ought to.

Here're the new things that I welcome into my family:

Striped Dress: H&M; Jacket: H&M; Bunch of rings: Lovisa; Shoes: Tracce

First up, let's talk about that striped dress I've got. This is like the dress of my dreams. I'm sure everyone knows that horizontal stripes have a widening effect and vertical stripes are slimming right? All these years, I've been hoping to get a dress that has horizontal stripes for the top part and vertical stripes for the bottom. Why? So that my big butt will look slimmer and my top look wider! Finally I get such a dress. I got it at H&M at 19.90. Who cares if it wasn't on sale? I've been waiting for this to appear since forever.

Next up is this beautiful brown double row buttons jacket from H&M that I'm in love with because it's one of those pieces that can be styled in many different ways. It can be chic, cool or casual-- it's a chameleon piece. Best of all, I got it at $30 which is almost 50% off the normal price.

For some reason, I've been in the mood to buy rings, especially gold coloured ones. It didn't help my wallet that Lovisa had a bunch of stuff going at 3 for $13 so I helped myself to some. I got the 'WISH' ring, the geometric ring and the bunch of gold midi rings for $13. I got the pack of 4 gold rings for $5, as you can tell from the stickers.

The wish ring is a really cute ring that can be flipped over to a star pattern. I thought it would be fun to own a ring like that so I got it.

Here're the items I got at the Metro sale

I got myself a pair of new shoes!!! They were $49 and there was a 20% discount so they're in my budget range. These pair of shoes are like the crystallization of the ideal pair of sandals I've been looking for. I've been wanting a pair of heels that has ankle cuffs, gold metallic elements, black straps and also won't make my legs look short. Imagine my joy when I saw this pair of shoes at Metro. I love how they're not too high for me and how comfortable they are! The nude coloured ankle cuffs also does not cut off my legs visually so my legs are still proportionate. Plus the gold heel detail ups the style factor of the shoes. When I wore them out for the first time, it felt like I was wearing flats. However, my legs were sore from wearing them when I took them off at the end of the day. I was surprised because it felt like I was wearing flats all day but the ache was the kind that I'd usually get from wearing heels. Lesson learnt: Heels will always be heels even if they feel like flats.

Besides the pair of shoes, I got myself the lipbalm from Shu Uemura.

I absolutely love this balm, but this is like the most expensive lip balm I've ever used so far. It's $48 usually but thanks to the Metro sale, I got it at 20% off. Honestly, I would never have bought this lip balm if I did not use this at my workplace everyday (so it has been 1 month of trial). This keeps my lips moisturised for a long period and does not dry out to form a thin flaky layer on my lips which I find many lip balms tend to do (like Origins' Lip Remedy, Nivea's and Burt's Bees' lip balms). It's also not sticky too! This is more like a gel than a balm I feel. The texture is like a non-sticky gloss that the lips will absorb and stay moist for hours. Anyway, it's a pretty big tube so I guess it'll last for quite a while. Besides, it was a great time to get it because there was a direct 20% discount! :)

Here's a makeup tip for the lip balm: First layer on the lip balm. Then apply a bright matte lip colour on the lips using a lip brush. The colour will be sheered out by the balm as well as appearing glossy. Nonetheless, the colour will still be bright and long lasting. You'll get the bright colour payoff from matte lipsticks and still get moist looking lips! I know the point of matte lipsticks is so that you'll have matte lips but there are times a girl's lips are not in the best condition to be wearing matte lips. Also, most brands don't sell certain colours in normal/glossy finishes that are available in matte finishes. So this method will enable people to wear their favourite matte lip colours in different ways.

That's the end of my haul post. Expect another one soon as GSS season ends in July. More shops will be having sales and that's when I'll really go crazy. Thank you for staying till the end of the post with me. Comment in the comments section if you do like the post. For more updates on this blog, follow us on Twitter @ChapalangGirls or like our Facebook page here!

Till next time,
Love
El   xoxo

Product Review: Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream

Hello everyone!
Today I'm going to give a rare review on a new product that I've been trying-- Bourjois' 123 Perfect CC cream! I saw this in Metro and after seeing Lisa Eldridge use it in her videos, I was tempted to get it. So after many months of contemplation, I finally took the plunge when Metro had a sale. I got it during their 20+20% sale, so I got it for around SGD 16. I think this is rather affordable for makeup from a good high-street brand like Bourjois. I've been using this product on and off for around a month now, so I feel I've got a good grasp on its effectiveness on me to write a review on it.


About my skin: I've got oily, blemish-prone skin, and it doesn't help that the climate I live in is ridiculously hot and humid. Usually, if my skin's in the healing stage, there'll be dry patches. Also, I've got big pores that I wish will look less obvious and many blemish scars from years of picking at the pimples (yes I couldn't resist). My skin undertone is yellow and probably a MAC NC 20-25 for foundation.

About the CC cream:
Bourjois claims that the CC cream has 3 pigments for colour correction:

• Apricot- Anti-Fatigue
• Green- Anti-Redness
• White- Anti-Dark spots

It also claims to give a luminous complexion and smooth skin. It also boasts of 24 hr hydration and that it's oil free.Sounds pretty good so far right? However, it has SPF 15, which is not really impressive for a CC cream compared to CC creams by other brands like The Face Shop and Revlon, which have SPF 50.

Texture:
   The CC cream is quite watery. It reminds me of the consistency of my Shiseido foundation and MAC's face and body. People has also commented on its similarity to Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua foundation's texture. Due to the slightly watery texture, it gives a very natural coverage and your skin will feel like it has no makeup on. This makes it great for day wear.

Packaging:
   The packaging is a plastic tube with 30ml of product. It is quite stable if you put it standing. I like that it is small and handy. It's packaging makes it easy to stuff in my pouch and bring it out if I want to. The packaging looks rather cheap looking but hey, it's the content that matters.

Coverage:
   I got the colour shade 31 Ivory, which is the lightest in the range sold in Singapore. The shade is slightly too light for me even after letting it set, but it's not that obvious. The coverage is light but buildable. It still looks and feel natural with 2 layers on. I like to use my hands or my beauty blender dupe to blend it.
   Firstly, it does make my skin look less tired by making my complexion look brighter and smoother. It also made my pores less obvious, which is a major thumbs up factor. This cream usually takes a while to set and adjust to my skintone, so I always look freakishly like a ghost at first. The CC cream does a decent job in covering up most of the redness in my skin and also the lighter blemishes. You will still need  a concealer if you want to cover all the blemishes with this CC cream. For me, I usually don't go for the flawless complexion look because I'll feel that I look 'mask-like'. It's the same logic as people not covering up all their freckles for that natural look(to me).

Here's a look of my face before and after applying the CC cream:

You can see from the before and after pictures that my overall skintone looks brighter and better. It cancelled out most of the redness but there are still some blemish marks left that are not fully covered.

Camera Flashback:
   There should not be a strong flashback because of the low spf theoretically. However, the flashback effect is quite obvious despite it having just SPF 15! Or it could be that it was day time and my camera's flash is pretty strong. Or the CC cream had not fully set when I took a photo with flash. Anyway, due to different factors, I ended up with a scarily white face for the test first time round.

First test shot! EEK!GHOST!

I tried it again the second time round: (Warning: not for the faint hearted)

I tried the flash test again.My face still looks whiter than my neck :/

So after trying the camera flash test 2 times, I decided to never ever take close up photos with flash when I use this. It looks good with natural light though.

Lasting power:

   The CC cream lasted pretty well on my face throughout most of the day. It will still be on my face at the end of my school days with some coverage left, albeit some of it will have faded off due to my oily skin. I don't use a primer with this because I don't own one. I use my Vichy moisturiser which does a pretty good job at oil control. Usually, I set my face with the translucent loose powder from Essence(All about Matte). The CC cream stays on till the end of the day. However, some of it will fade away because of my oily skin. When I have this on me, my skin gets oily usually around 4 hours later, but not crazy oily unlike what Revlon's CC cream did to me (my face became an oil swamp 2 hours later). Nevertheless, my skin still looked pretty good at the end of the day(due to the mixture of oil and makeup, I had this overly dewy look). The downside is that some of the CC cream highlighted the dry patches of skin. Well look at the photos and judge for yourself!

This is me with makeup like concealer and powder added on top of the CC cream. For that day's pictures, I used the Majolica Majorca foundation powder to set the makeup. 

   You can see in the picture above that at the end of the day the reddish bumps and blemishes in my skin were showing. I did not do touch ups at all that day(I only blotted my skin once) so all that's on my skin is the CC cream and remnants of powder used earlier.

Overall Rating: 3.8/5
   I like the light texture of this product but I am not blown away by the coverage it gives. The coverage is pretty decent but not enough for people with many blemishes and redness. The color correcting abilities of this CC cream is slightly above average, but not will not fully correct the redness in the skin nor the blemish scars. I think this product is most suited for normal/combination skin, as the product will show the dry patches of skin. If you've got pretty smooth skin with no dry patches, then you should give this product a try if you like natural looking makeup. If you've got dry skin, make sure you exfoliate and moisturize properly before you use it. For oily skin girls,you got to use a good primer or setting spray to hold the product in place or do regular touch-ups.
   However, I do wish it has a higher SPF because I like to do away with having to layer my sunblock beneath it. I haven't gotten any breakouts from using this yet so I'm happy. Overall, for the price, it is a product worth trying. However, I won't be repurchasing this anytime soon because there are lots of new products with similar textures available. But for girls searching for a great daytime base product to use, this might be worth a try!

Till next time
Love,
El   xoxo

Hong Kong Haul!

Hello everyone!

Here's me back with my post on all the goodies I've got for myself from Hong Kong. If you've not read about my trip to Hong Kong, click here to read it!

Anyway let's quickly move on to the stuff that I've bought in Hong Kong. First up, my T-shirts and tops!

1: Monki, 80 hkd. 2: Some shop in Kwai Fung, 20 hkd. 3: 6ixty-8ight, 168 hkd. 4: Esprit, ~45 hkd after discount. 5: Monki, 80 hkd. 6: Esprit, ~45 hkd aft. discount.

I'm super satisfied with the shirts I've bought this time, especially the shirts from Monki. I love buying shirts from there because the cloth is thin (but not like cheap cloth), feel super smooth against my skin and has really great uni designs on it. Best of all, if you always feel fat just because you're size xl etc, you'll feel happy here because you won't be wearing that size. I wear a size S there for the shirts and can even fit nicely into XS! Haha. So if there's no Monki outlet near you and you happen to be in Hong Kong, go check one of the shops out. You can go to the Monki store at Langham Place which is directly connected to Mongkok MTR as it is the easiest to access. If you're ever in the area of Tsim Sha Tsui, there's a new Monki store there which is bigger (2 floors!) and the interior is really cool. I discovered it on the last day of my trip while wandering the streets in TST area(that's where my guest house was located). It's a new shop so the address hasn't been listed on Monki's site, but it is definitely worth a look.

Anyway, here's a special spotlight on shirt 1. Look at the graphic. Such a cool idea. I now have a cat crawling through the hole of my body. It's like I'm one of those hollows in Bleach with a hollow hole in the body!

On this trip, I finally got a new watch! My mum bought this for me at the usual watch shop she frequents in North Point (it's just opposite the MTR exit). It's from this brand called Wired, which according to the lady, it's by Seiko. The design of the watch face is really unique and pretty. I like how it is girly yet still has that air of sophistication that I think is suitable for ladies in their 20s who are maturing into women. It's quite amazing how fast my heart was charmed by this watch despite having considered getting a watch from Fossil or Marc by Marc Jacobs for months. I walked into the shop and bam! it was the only thing I saw. I've not seen this brand in any watch shop in Singapore yet so I'm very glad I got this when I saw it. The prices of watches in that shop is always cheaper than what is charged for in Singapore, so my mum loves getting a watch from there.

Watch from Wired. The lady at the shop charged me 1000hkd, which is the discounted price for friend. haha.

Next up are the cosmetics and beauty stuff I bought from Hong Kong.
As I've mentioned in my other post, you definitely have to beauty products in Hong Kong. Go to any Watsons, Sa Sa, Colormix and Bonjour there and get mindblown by the array of stuff and the prices.

Box 1

• A spring eyelash curler by SANA that I got from Sa Sa. It was 69 hkd but I used the 10hkd with 50hkd spent voucher from Sa Sa on it, so I got it at 59 hkd. I've not tried it yet though. 
• A 50ml size sample of Clarins' Toning Lotion with Camomile. Price: 38 hkd. I'm waiting for my Vichy Toner to finish so I can put this to the test. 
• A 5ml tube of Clinique's All About Eyes serum which was selling at 48 hkd. It even has a roller ball inside too! Tried this serum for the first time today because my eyes were puffy from lack of sleep and it un-puffed pretty quickly!
• Sinful Colors' Nail Polish in the color Dream On (113) at 19.90 hkd. It's supposed to be matte finish, which I didn't realise until now. I've been wanting to try Sinful Colors' nail polishes for a while now, but I can't find any in Singapore yet. Imagine my excitement when I saw this in Sa Sa. Plus it's super affordable (around 3+ sgd). I grabbed one for myself and another for a friend. I would have grabbed more if I had not bought more nail polishes from Watsons before the trip...It's a little sad that I've to restrict my (quickly growing)nail polish collection.

Box 2

• From Watsons, I bought Fasio's Limited Edition Full Dynamic Eyes Set at 98 hkd. This is a super value set because I saw that the prices for each individual item on the shelf going at around 80 hkd each (I think. It has been a while since I last saw the tag...) The set contains the Full Dynamic Volume Mascara and the Mascaliner. They're both full sized products if I'm not wrong. The Full Dynamic Volume Mascara has your standard big round mascara wand. The Mascaliner is a mascara plus eyeliner in one, if you've not guessed from the name by now. The brush is a comb brush, and at the end of the brush is a tiny nylon tip which is the liner part, enabling you to draw sharp lines (says the box). Anyway, I love the mascaras from Fasio so I look forward to trying them out soon.
• In the skinny box beside is Canmake's Quick Easy Liner. It cost me 46 hkd after the 10hkd discount, making it a really cheap eyeliner. It's a liquid liner with a 1.65mm felt tip. It's pretty small and light, making it easy to carry around. It looks like the ink will finish very quickly though... Anyway, I saw an advert for this at the back of a japanese magazine so I went to get it. The eyeliner felt tip is slightly stiff but easy to draw with. It stays on well but it still smudged on me at the end of the day. I like how it's easy to remove. I guess I like my liquid liner from Dolly Wink better but this is definitely a lot cheaper. 
• The pink pen at the bottom is the Color Brilliant Pencil from Lavshuca. It's in the shade PK-2 and it pencil liner. It's a bright pink colour but not the hot pink that I was hoping for. It was pretty cheap and I got it because I've been wanting to try a liner from Lavshuca for a long time now. It's not that bright on my tan skin though. I think it'll look great when mixed with my purple eyeliner or as a base eye color as well. This kind of pink will always be in for Spring.

Box 3

• Here are my 2 boxes of face masks from this brand called "My Scheme" (this is my bad translation of the chinese name. It's wo de xin ji in chinese). This brand is similar to My Beauty Diary in alot of ways. Both are from Taiwan, paper masks, have cute pictures and most importantly, work well. However this brand is slightly cheaper than My Beauty Diary in Hong Kong. I got these masks at 2 boxes for 80hkd on offer at Colormix, which roughly sums up to 13+sgd for 2 boxes and 6+ sgd for one! That is a total steal, as in Singapore, the price of one box is around 12sgd I think. If you're thinking that the masks are cheap because they're expiring, then you're wrong. They're expiring 2 years from now, by then which they'll have been used up by me already. If you're a fan of My Beauty Diary, Hong Kong sells them cheaply is you aren't going Taiwan. Different shops were selling them at different prices though. Colormix was selling one box for 78 hkd, while Sa Sa was selling 3 for 159hkd(53hkd/box). The Bonjour shop further down the same street was selling a box at 52hkd. Hence my sister got herself 2 boxes of the masks from Bonjour(they weren't expiring soon either). They cost around $14-16 in Singapore so it's worth the while to stock up on masks while in Hong Kong. :)

Here are some random stuff that I got. Ice Breakers' Sours(Love them!) and the Ice Cubes (which are chewing gum) from a supermarket. I like the Sours mints from Ice Breakers, so I was super happy to find them in bigger packaging than in Singapore. I've not seen the Ice Cubes before so I bought 2 for gifting. The bottle in the middle is makeup remover that aims to make itself a Bioderma dupe. Like  Bioderma, it is a micellar solution that claims to remove your makeup and suit sensitive skin. I got it because it's a huge 500ml bottle and it only cost me 68 hkd from Sa Sa. It works pretty well so far. I need to put it to the hard test of removing waterproof lash fibres mascara to check the effectiveness someday...

Socks are from a shop in Kwai Fung, Hairband from Argyle Centre(Mongkok) and the nail tools are from Dragon Centre 5th Floor (Sham Shui Po).

More random stuff. These are the odds and ends that I gathered from the various shops I went to. 2 pairs of socks(the leopard one is so cute!), a fancy red hairband, nail striper brushes in 3 sizes and a nail file. The things I tend to buy while wandering around...

Here's a picture of the Pocky that I bought at the Marketplace because I've not seen them before:

From Left: Mango Mousse Pocky, Rare Cheese Cake flavor Pocky and Green Tea  Mousse Pocky.

These Pocky flavors are not found in Singapore I think, as I've not seen them in any of the NTUC/Cold Storage/Giant here.My sister and I bought one box of each kind to try. So far, I've tried the cheesecake one and it was yummy. Reminded me of biscuits with lemon cream filling.

Now let's welcome a new member to my bag family:

Ta-dah! I bought this at the Aeon Jusco at Tsuen Wan for 189 hkd after discount. It was on sale and I was swept away by the design and bold colours. I've been wanting a new backpack for school (one of my other bagpacks broke after 5 years... :( ) It has 3 compartments and a laptop section so it'll do finely for school. Benefit of having such a bagpack is that I'll always know where my seat is in the sea of uniform tables at the canteen during lunch.

Lastly, I bought a new pair of flats while walking in Wan Chai market. It's from a shop called Union and it was having a sale. I bought mine at 299 hkd I think.

This pair of shoes are leather and has fringe plus tribal design at the toes, making them ultra cool to pair with everyday casual-wear. Fringe is quite trendy too. I love the coral and the softness of the leather (so soft!). I think they're real because they feel and smell like it. I've been wearing them to school and they're really comfy to walk in and absorbs impact quite decently.

Well that's all about my haul from Hong Kong. Personally, with the exception of the watch, I notice my shopping has been quite tame this time round. I didn't spend money on exorbitantly priced items, neither did I buy alot of makeup and skincare compared to my last trip there. I'm a little proud of myself for having not spent so much :) However, not having spent a lot of time shopping doesn't mean the trip was boring though. My family spent more money on eating expensive but mostly yummy dim sum and other food. I can't wait to go to Hong Kong to do more shopping again, preferably during the sale season for their spring/summer clothes!

Till next time.
Love,
El   xoxo

Christmas Outfits by El

Hello people!
So who's excited for Christmas? I hope you are! Unless you're like me. I'm actually starting to feel tired of waiting for Christmas, since I got all too excited waaaaaay too early(like in October). I started planning my gift list and singing Christmas carols in the shower in October because I knew my essays and exams will eat into my time later. It's starting to feel like Beckett's Waiting for Godot for me, where everyone just keeps waiting for Godot to appear but he never comes...

Seriously, 2 more days to Christmas and it feels so far away! I'm actually not doing anything special on Christmas day itself(but I do get to go out with friends the next day yay!). But this post is about what I'd wear for Christmas, so let's all pretend that my life is quite happening and I've got some great gathering to go to. I'm gonna show 2 outfits (one casual + one glamorous) that I think would be great outfits to wear for Christmas.

OUTFIT #1-Street style
First up, a more casual outfit that is on a bit of the cool side:

Outfit- Asymmetrical white tank: NA; Dark green skirt: Forever 21; Black buckles boots: taobao, brown sweater: Cotton On, Black bag: NA.

So I decided to have a skirt+boots combination because I like that it gives it a sense of edginess(I think my boots look like what I'd imagine knight boots to look like haha.) For contrast, I chose a white, flowing, asymmetrical blouse which is partially translucent( there's this shimmery translucent section at the side that is reveals my body). Asymmetrical tops also has a good slimming effect because it elongates the body. I thus have a bit of feminine elements to soften the hard edges of my knight boots. I put on 'tough' accessories like my yellow studded bracelet and black triangle earrings to round off the look. 

Yellow studded bracelet: Cotton On, Black triangle earrings:H&M.

In case you were wondering about my brown cardigan, I brought it along because I thought I'd be cold that day. It's one of those long, drape-y cardigans that I think is quite cosy.  I tied the cardigan around my waist to create a relaxed vibe and also to make my legs look more flattering.

Yay Kate Spade Saturday is coming!

As can be seen from the picture above, the cardigan will cover the outer edges of my thighs, giving the illusion that my legs are slimmer than they are. I chose brown because it goes well with the green of my skirt. Overall the look is quite cosy and comfortable. It's suitable for a day out of watching movies with friends or gobbling down cakes at cafes. 

OUTFIT #2-Decked in Lace

For a more glamorous look, one can always trust lace to up the wow level in your outfit.

Outfit- White chiffon top: Dorothy Perkins; Lace see-thru skirt: H&M; Red bag: Korea; Heels: Bata.

This is an ultra feminine look to me. Not only does the blouse has chiffon, it also has crochet details AND sequins. That is one huge amount of feminine details packed into it. The feminine air is further enhanced by the see-thru lace skirt I have on. I seriously adore this skirt for the lace details and the fact that it is see-thru. The lace details are really pretty and the lace skirt veils my legs, giving this air of mystery and-- (may I boldly suggest)-- sensuality to the outfit. The purplish grey colour also softens the look, making this outfit great for a fancy dinner party. I wore my coral red heels and took my red quilted bag for a pop of colour so that I will not look too washed out. I find that I neutrals always need pops of colour to brighten the look or else you'll fade into the background (and nobody wants that). A more comfortable shoe alternative would be a pair of ankle or chelsea boots, which will also create a chic look.

A quick look overall at my outfit. I pinned my hair with my favourite pearl clip that I also wore in my monochrome affair post. I also wore a gold bangle but I did not have a good close-up of it >.<. 

And here's a closeup of my top becaue I think all the lace and sequins deserve a picture on its own! 

Makeup

For makeup, I did a red lip with neutral/burgundy eyes and mascara. Red lips always scream festivity on its own, but is pretty high maintenance. Feel free to go with your favourite red tinted lip balm or lip tints that are more fuss-free.

My bareface! I'm actually pretty happy with my skin now since my pimples are clearing away. 

I actually used burgundy eyeshadow but it just did not show up in the camera. Anyway, it's mostly neutral eye makeup as you do not want to have anything else fighting for attention with those red lips! 

These are the makeup I used:

1. Revlon Colorstay Concealer (03 Light Medium). I use this everyday to cover blemishes. 

2. Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation SPF 15 (O40 Natural Fair Ochre). Awesome foundation that gives medium coverage even though it's liquid.

3. Bourjois Blush (16 Rose)

4. Essence All About Matt! Fixing Loose Powder

5. Catrice Cosmetics Re-Touch Light-Reflecting Concealer(010 Ivory). I use this to cover my undereye area

6. Benefit Browzings Brow shaping kit (medium)

7. Sleek i-Divine Eye shadow Palette(au Naturel 601). For my eyes, I used the colours Conker to line my eyes and a little Mineral Earth to blend the edges.

8. NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base. This is great as a primer.

9.NYX Single Eyeshadow (Rust)

10. Fasio Hyper-stay Mascara Magne-plus curl long. This has a comb brush with lash fibres that gives me long lashes that do not flake or smudge at all. 

11. NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick (Electra)

12. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (Pure Gold). I used this as the base colour.

13. NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow (Oro). I used this in the middle of my eyelid because it just pops out.

Products that aren't shown:

NYX Slim Lip Pencil (Deep Red). You definitely need to line your lips if you're gonna use red. 

Holika Holika Makeup setting spray. This is pretty good and affordable to use for setting makeup. 

To add an extra oomph to your makeup, add in a pair of false lashes if you're able to. I don't enjoy wearing false lashes so I didn't put on any. You can also swap the red lips with a pink shimmery gloss to add an extra sparkle to your face. 

Well I hope you enjoyed this post! Hopefully it gave you some inkling on what to wear for your Christmas this year! This will be my last post before Christmas so I'm gonna wish you all lovely people a blessed Christmas! Have a great time during this festive season and eat all you want :)

Merry Christmas!

Love,

El   xoxo

P.S If you're wondering about my hair, I permed and coloured it. I'll blog about my experience some other time :)

Christmas Outfits by Christine!

3 days to Christmas!

If you're a Doctor Who fan, then this means 3 days to the X'mas Special.

And saying goodbye to Matt Smith :(

Have a X'mas party to go but don't know what to wear?

Fret not!
Elle and I have come up with 2 outfits each - one for a chill and relax kinda party and one for a formal up-you-go kinda party.

But of course, with a few details here and there, the outfits can bring you from casual to formal and vice versa.
Now, on to what I have for you guys :)

 First up:

THE CASUAL GLAM

Outfit
Lace L/S Top: Chicwish
Red Velvet-like Skirt: Cotton On
Red flats: Rad Russel
Bag: Charles & Keith
Accessories: Bow Ring, Toy Outpost & Hako; Ribbon Hair Clip (Elle's)

Grab a pair of black stockings, slip on a pair of red heels, add a statement necklace and change the tote to a clutch to instantly "upgrade" the outfit.

~~

Next:

THE COSY FORMAL

Outfit
Green knit sweater: H&M
Navy dress pants: Mango
Heels: J-runway/Glifeed
Bag: Tangs Studio
Accesories: Snake Double Ring, Lovisa; Knuckle Ring, Dorothy Perkins, Necklace, gift.

Ditch the clutch and heels for a mini-crossbody and a pair of comfy loafers to transform this outfit for those under-the-radar parties.

~~

Get into the X'mas spirit, wear something red or green.
Or wear both colours at the same time.
It is X'mas, live it up!

I'm really psyched about X'mas although I am probably spending it at home.
Going to a X'mas party on X'mas eve though :)
Will you be attending any parties?
Comment below!

Warning - not for the faint hearted. 

Special reveal: MY BARE FACE
A close-up comparison of the before and after.

Warning - not for the faint hearted. 

Yeah, I have pretty bad dark circles and eye-bags.
So far, eye creams are not working for me.
Any recommendations? :)

Anyhow these are the products I used to transform myself :)

1.Wet 'n' Wild Ultimate Brow Kit in 963 Ash Brown

2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation in 52, Vanilla

3. Laura Mercier foundation primer

4. Revlon New Complexion Loose Face Powder in Translucent #2

5. Revlon Colourstay concealer in 03 Light Medium

6. Canmake Cream Cheek in CL01

7. Majolica Majorca Blush in RD 255 (Nars Orgasm dupe!)

8. Nyx Matte Lip Creme in Amsterdam

9. Urban Decay Naked Basics

10. Maybelline The Falsies - Volum' Express Waterproof

11. Nyx eyeshadow in ES160 Africa

12. Nyc Eyeshadow in ES41 Tropical

13. K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 1-Day Tattoo

14. Mac Kohl Eyeliner in Fascinating

15. Bourjois Contour Clubbing Waterproof Eyeliner in 51 Golden Dress

~~

Hope you guys are inspired by the outfits and makeup!
Instagram (mine and Elle's) or tweet us your versions.
We'd love to hear from you.

Look out for Elle's Christmas party outfits, coming up next :)

Till next time.
Love,

Christine xoxo

Christine's Watsons Sale Haul

As El mentioned in hers, the both of us went to Watsons' one-day member sale albeit at different stores last Wednesday. This is really a good time to stock up on make-up, haircare, and skincare as discounts hit as much as 20%+ 5% (member) off and not to mention, there are the buy-one-get-one-free offers!

I went to two Watsons - Tiong Bahru Plaza and Lot 1.
Some of the items I bought are to replenish my almost depleted stock. 

Then there are those I wanted to try.

Here goes.

Note: Prices stated are after discount.

1. Complete multi-purpose solution for contact lenses, $22.60

This 3-pack solution usually costs $26 at stores selling them. For $22.60, I'd gladly stock it up. Plus I'm running low.

2. Majolica Majorca Honey Pump Gloss Neo in OR240 and Aurora Tear Liner in Blue, $9.90

This came as a package deal. I think if they were to be bought separately, it'd cost over SGD$20. So, it's a really good deal. Thanks to El for pointing it out to me. 

(Coincidentally, or not, we both got the same lipgloss shade)

I got this at the Tiong Bahru Plaza outlet. The salesgirl was really nice. She offered to change the lipgloss and liner in the already packaged ones to the combination I wanted. She also swatched the colours of the lipglosses for me although they were tons of people around and the store was packed. Thumbs up to her.

3. L'Oreal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Oil, $16.90

I have come across some good reviews about this hair oil and have been wanting to get it.
It's supposed to help maintain the frizz and keep your hair moisturised.
Smells musky though, like sandalwood - not really my kinda scent.
But we'll see how well it works on my unruly, frizzy hair.

4. Bio-Oil, $12.50

I just started using this oil about 2 months ago to lighten the scars on my body as a result of eczema.
It claims to be a skincare product for scars, stretch marks, uneven skin tone, ageing skin and dehydrated skin.

So far, the oil does what it claims - my scars have started to lighten.

And it doesn't hurt that it smells really nice, like baby powder.

I am almost down to the last few ml of my existing bottle though so this sale gave me a great excuse to get another bottle. 

5. L'Oreal Paris Studio Line Fix & Shine Finishing Spray

Just needed a hair spray to replace my empty one and this caught my eye.
It's my first time using this L'Oreal product.

It claims to be an ultra-fine formula that is anti-frizz and boosts shine.
So far, I've used it once and it doesn't seem like it does what it claims.
Maybe a few more tries.

6. Nivea Lipcare in Soft Rose and Essential Care, 2 for $6

I have almost used up my Vichy lipbalm that I got at the last Watsons sale.
It's pretty pricey for a lipbalm at ~$18 although it did help my eczema-inflicted lips.
But it's just too expensive for a lipbalm.

To me, Nivea's lipbalms are just as good and they are 6 times cheaper (on discount).
So I decided to get the Nivea ones to replace the Vichy one.
Yay to moisturizing protection for lips!

7. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish in Confetti Punch(left) and Silver Streamers(right), $5.40 each

Initially, I didn't want to get any Sally Hansen nail polishes when I saw that they were going on sale as well in the Watsons sale booklet. However, when I walked past the counter, Confetti Punch caught my eye.
Since I don't have many glitter polishes, I thought that I might as well get it when it's on sale.
Also, silver streamers looked like it would be a pretty unique glitter since it's in a black and silver combination.

8. Nip+Fab Spot Fix, $15.10

Not sure about how well this works but Nip+Fab has gotten some pretty good feedback about their other products. Hence, I got this for those days when random pimples pop out at the most inconvenient timings.
I'm sure we've all had those irritating pimples.
Hope it works well!

9. Essence Floral Grunge Mini Lipgloss Set, $5.10

The mint coloured lipgloss got my attention.
Plus, it's in mini-size!
How cute is that!
For the price, I would gladly experiment with the 3 lipglosses.

10. Essence Floral Grunge Hairband in 01 Freakout, $4.70

I saw this as I was getting the lipgloss set.
It's a common enough spiked hair band but I really like that the spikes alternates between gold and silver.
Ubiquitous yet quirky at the same time.

And also, FREAKOUT. Hah. What a name for a hairband!

11. Veet Hair Removal Cream for Sensitive Skin, $9.50

The name says it all.

~~

What would you have gotten at the Watsons sale?
Share with us your thoughts on twitter or comment below! :)

Till next time.

Love,
Christine

El's Watsons Sale Haul

Hello people! How's your week going? This is going to be my last post before I stop for exams, so it's extra long.

Christine and I went for the Watsons members only sale and grabbed some of the stuff that we've been wanting to get. We both went for this sale but at different Watsons. The queue was crazy at my side, but I did manage to get most of what I wanted. I spent A LOT of money as I was getting some makeup from Majolica Majorca and also Vichy skincare, two very expensive brands at Watsons. I usually only buy expensive brands at sales( like most other people probably). I bought some random stuff as well, like food etc. I saved quite a bit from the sales. Sadly, my receipt's gone, so I can't tell you the exact prices and discounts I've got.

Are you ready for my massive haul? *Drum rolls*

*****

Ta dah!

This has got to be the most I've spent at Watsons in a while. I'll just introduce everything I've got in a clockwise direction. 

I've got myself some Nutella sticks to bring for class. They were going at 2 for $5.90. I've eaten a pack and it was pretty good. Lots of Nutella but too little biscuit sticks though.

Next is Tri-Activ Moisturiser and the Purifying Astringent Lotion from Vichy's Normaderm range. The lotion is a toner, which I liked after stealing some from my sister to use. It is soothing and smells nice. There was a 20% discount for Vichy products, so it's a good time to spend some money on skincare.

I've used a couple of Tri-Activ Moisturiser samples before deciding to buy it, as it is pricey. However, this is a good product. I find that it does control my oily skin. Best of all, I've noticed that it really helps to calm down my skin. My face was all angry and breaking out after not sleeping much for a few nights(thanks to essay deadline). After using this, I find that my skin heals faster. I know that it's this product, because that's the only thing new in my routine. Or it could be because Vichy's Hyaluspot works even better with products from the same range. Anyway, I'm quite surprised that I like this range, since I dislike the purifying cleansing gel from the same range! 

The white packet beside is a free sample of Vichy's new 3 in 1 Cleanser+Exfoliant+Mask that I received from the promoter.  The instructions say that I can use it as a cleanser/scrub or as a mask. How cool is that?

I also bought Nivea's lip balm in the colour Soft Rose. There was a 2 for $6 deal for Nivea's lip balm, so my sister and I each got one. Can't wait to use it and see if it does leave a rose shine like the package claims.

I also got myself a mini can of dry shampoo from Batiste to bring with me everywhere I go. I've been wanting to get this so that I can style my fringe in school when it starts clumping together. There's no discount for this, but since I was there...

Below is a tub of hair treatment  mask from John Frieda's Frizz-Ease range. I think I got it at 13.90,which is a 7% discount. I've been curious about the effectiveness of the Frizz-Ease range since reading about it last year. I was so happy when Watsons finally carries the brand this year! 

 

Beside it is the Skin Remaker case from Majolica Majorca(MJ). It's the limited edition rose gold casing and it was the last one at my Watsons. It has a nice mirror inside. I bought this to hold the Skin Remaker powder. The case looks super luxurious and elegant. The place to put the pan uses a clip in mechanism, making it easy to refill. There's also a place for the sponge which came with the powder.

That brown, rectangular package beside the case is the powder! It is sold separate from the case, so you'd have to buy them separately. I got mine in the shade OC10, which is a very good colour match for me. I've been wanting to try the powder after reading the reviews online. For those of you who doesn't know, MJ is by Shiseido. Since I love my foundation from Shiseido, I think the powder is worth a try. I got 25+5% discount for the items, which is a bigger than usual discount. 

I probably will give a review on this powder in the future after testing. Check back here in later if you're interested! 

To the left is the mirror from Majolica Majorca which I got for free for spending more than $35 on their products. It's really cute and handy. The green thing next to it is the free passport holder from Watsons. Amazingly(or maybe not so), Christine and I got the same colour even though we were apart. Haha.

In the center is a MJ set going at $9.90. It contains a Honey Pump Gloss Neo (shade OR 240 aka Orange) and the Aurora Teary Liner (blue). This is really worth it because the gloss itself would have cost around $12+ I think. It's a really tiny but expensive gloss. I have one and I like it. It's not sticky and it makes my lips look pretty. I'm planning to give this gloss as a christmas gift to a friend while I keep the liner for myself (I know I'm a cheapskate). 

Beside it is Bio-essence's Miracle Bio Water. They're 2 for $16.90, just like what the pink sticker on it screams. This is probably another of those thermal water mist sprays like Avène Thermal Spring Water and Vichy Thermal Spa Water. I just bought it because I'm almost done with my bottle of Oguma Aquakey, which is another facial mist. 

That's all for my haul.Whew! It has been a super long post. Thanks for staying with me if you've read till the end. I can't wait for the next Watsons sale to get more awesome stuff. I'd love to check out the Sally Hansen section to see if there's a sale for their polishes because I forgot about it. I hope you've enjoyed this post! Look out for Christine's own Watsons haul post coming soon! See you again in December :)

Till next time.

Love,

El   xoxo