* Frond's Fun with the Colors of Life *

The PIRATE collection - eye shadows from the Lolita Group

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:53:00 +0000

Many of you, particularly Voxers, know that I love mineral makeup... especially colorful eyeshadows. Admittedly, mineral eyeshadows take some getting used to in terms of techniques and application methods but to me the payoff and the fact that they are basically never expiring as long as you keep them dry, makes it all worth while.

When Jo from LolitaGroup posted this pic on her wall... I was rather attracted... sparkles have always called to me...

so you can imagine my excitment when she passed me a set of samples... time to swatch and to try them out!

Without further ado... here are my pics...

first up, these were swatched dry and without a primer/base - from left to right, top to bottom - Golden Age, Pirate Bay, Treasure Island, Parley, Treaties, Protocol and Truce

to me, it was rather 'meh' at this point... and I was a little disappointed to be honest. But its so silly to think this way when most if not all mineral eyeshadows require a nice sticky base to make them show their "true colors".

so here they are on a transparent base (my all time fav - Monistat)... see the difference? Love the sparkles to be honest... so *bling bling*. Just nice for the festive season ahead.

If you don't like them, simply blend the colors out and they'll drop off. But be sure to have a layer of loose powder under your eyes to ease the clean up. :P

on a black base (NYX Jumbo eyepencil in Blackbean). I like how they look so jewel like here... especially Protocol, a really gorgeous burple... blue/purple.

and last but not least... on a white base (NYX Jumbo eyepencil in Milk) - this one I had to post two different shots cos, to me, there are differences in the way the eyeshadows look... but aren't they pretty?

on white, Pirate Bay comes into its own as a golden yellow...

Overall, my favourite color has to be Golden Age. It makes a really nice highlight if you're doing an all out EOTD. If you're just looking for a quick pick me up, it works well as an all over lid color together with a quick dash of eyeliner. the other color that I find myself reaching for fairly often is Treasure Island. Its a brown with a reddish tinge to it (i'm horrid at color descriptions!) I love using it as a quick crease color. I find it works with most of the colors that I use most regularly - purples and blues.

In terms of lasting power, these eyeshadows should take you through a work day of 7-8 hours comfortably. But I did experience some creasing after that point.

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DISCLAIMER :while I am friends with Jo and have received this as a freebie, it does not in any way affect my review of these eyeshadows. As ever, my thoughts on these are as honest and open as I can be. She knows I'll tell her directly if there's something I totally dislike about these! I have many times before on other products. :P

Silky Soft Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:54:00 +0000

Almost 3 years ago, my girlfriend brought in this new product called Miracle Protein. She talked to me about it but I really wasn't impressed... then she sent me a sample to try... nothing to lose right? I popped it into my favorite shampoo and gave it a go. To my surprise, it really did work! How?

no need for conditioner... shampoo it in... leave for about 10 secs or as long as you can... then rinse off... (I normally shampoo first... then using the Healing Soap, wash everything else, then my face... then rinse off everything... definitely more than a 10 second affair *grin*)
leaves hair silky soft and smooth... well, my hair isn't frizzy to begin with but with this, I don't get knots or tangles either
provides some protection against UV rays - don't really understand this point but hey, its good right?
keeps the hair healthy... protects against drying - this is especially true when I go swimming. You know how chlorine just kills the hair right? makes it all dry and coarse and yucky. Well, after a swim trip, I normally add a little more silk into my shampoo and within one or two days, my hair is back to its normal silky self... *happy*
no split ends! about a year and half ago, I started growing my hair out... and didn't cut it for about year as well. I expected to have split ends galore... but surprisingly, I didn't. My hair stayed healthy looking and even my hair stylist was surprised when I finally reappeared for a trim.
thicker hair - after close to three years of usage, I'm kinda thinking if my seemingly thicker hair is due to my constant usage of miracle protein... kinda makes sense right? if the hair roots are getting fed good stuff everytime I shampoo, the new hair should grow out stronger and healthier.
doubles up as a hair mask... if I'm taking a nice hot bath in my tub, I'd mix up a batch of extra strong shampoo + silk (usually about 6-8 teaspoons with a bit of shampoo), foam it up and stick a shower cap on top... by the end of my soak, my hair is nicely marinated and after rinsing, I get shiny, healthy, silky soft hair...

if you're wondering how to mix up the silk and shampoo... I have a nice little picture tutorial here - http://fr0nd.blogspot.com/2009/02/silk-protein-pic-tute.html.

But seriously, Miracle Protein can also be used in lots of other ways... LolitaNY has a host of various products incorporating this specific ingredient... I love it in her Essence Spray (makes my face baby soft), her clay masks (again, moisturised, baby soft, clean skin), her bar soaps (her healing soap is my daughter's and my absolute favourite... and I use it as an all over soap ie... body and face). Basically, Miracle Protein is a top-to-toe type of product, only limited by your imagination and need for a silky smooth healthy finish.

My new HG foundation...

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 08:09:00 +0000

So... I've noticed that I've got more and more nail polish posts... so I thought I should introduce something that has been a recent addition to my makeup table.

warning... I don't normally like reading gushy posts and I try my best not to write them *BUT* this is probably going to turn up to be one. I tried my best but you know I don't normally find HG products. I'm loyal to stuff but I don't label them HG. Just scrolling through my blog, I think the only time I mentioned "HG" was when referring to my favourite e/s and base combination.

Long term readers of this blog would know I lurve SilkNaturals' foundation. For years now... well, for as long as I found SN's foundies, they have been a staple in my m/u routine. I love how they sat on my face, I loved spending time once a month mixing them up, I loved being able to tweak them to each day's needs/wants. I loved feeling like I had just skin on and not a thick layer of gunk.

So what has changed? nothing really... I just found something that makes me feel more beautiful and seems to work better on my skin as well. Let me see if I can explain why (pretty much off the top of my head)...

This foundation melts into the skin. You can't feel it once its on. Doesn't even need that spritz to make it sink in.
it kinda doubles as a concealer for me. works lovely under my eyes to hide any darkness. when applied around my nose, it lightens the shadows there so that my nose doesn't look quite so fat. (finally found a use for EDM's eyebuki... it works great in those areas!)
it works as a highlighter of sorts... when applied with a sponge strategically, I get cheekbones! well... not really, but my natural flush appears and the need for a blusher goes down by quite a bit.
its got nothing in its ingredient list that will hurt my skin. Jo even does a patch test for some ingredients to make sure of that.
while it doesn't have a SPF rating, I know its got mineral sunscreens like Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide in it that helps to block both UVA and UVB rays.
its got silk in its formulation that helps to moisturize and protect my skin's moisture levels
as compared to SN, I use less of it... with more effect. Perhaps that has to do with the different coverage levels. I don't really know. All I do know, is less of it goes into my swirly bowl and my face looks fine.
and the BEST part of it? its all personally CUSTOMIZED to fit your needs and wants in terms of foundation. So if you want more coverage, you got it! If you want to hide those ginormous pores... *drum roll* they're gone.

Jo L. at Lolita NY does this by walking you through a set of cards. Each card deals with a different area of concern. She asks about your sun exposure (to determine how much sun blocking ingredients you need), skin type (for oil control, moisture, etc), figures out your skin undertones (warm or cool) and asks you if you want any extra goodies (eg you could request to look more glowy/dewy).

The set of cards on the top left were her original version. I was honored to be the first to get to use the latest set (bottom centre). It was fun to read all the little writeups on each card and decide what I wanted in my foundation.

I've known for a long time that I'm a cool girl... and given that I love purple, it was such fun to see her pop some purple correcting powder into my mix. It helps to brighten up my face. Especially good on days when I feel like death warmed over. The two small piles of powders where what colored up my base mixture. Jo L. says I've got an easy skin tone/color to work with. And given that I've watched three other friends get their custom blends done and all of them took longer to get perfect than mine... I guess I gotta believe her. :P

Here was my finished product... what's new is that little recipe card that Jo L. included. Its an easy way to keep track of what went into your particular blend. And if you need to tweak something the next round, you already know what you started with. I heard from Jo L. that some overseas clients are asking that once they have their specific 'recipes', they'd like to order online... I'm not sure if that service is going to be provided but I guess they're really hoping that it will be.

I tried to swatch this foundation... but failed miserably. How do you swatch something that is the perfect match for your skin? That's really what it looks like... skin. MY skin but better.

I've used this for two weeks plus now... really can't find anything to complain about. I did switch back to SN for a day and found it just needed more work to buff in, to set, to mix up (and to think I used to enjoy tweaking). Call me lazy...

In interests of being honest, this was a 'sponsored' foundie... Jo L. is a dear friend to me and she seen me drool while she mixes up custom blends for other friends. I kept trying them and loving the way they felt and how they looked when applied. Then I'd lament that it didn't suit my skin... like duh... it wasn't meant for me... So it was a real surprise when she asked me to sit down slightly over 2 weeks ago and set about mixing up powders for me. Its so different when you know the end result was going home with you!

Again, being totally honest... am I gonna buy more when this pot runs out... you betcha!!!! If you're looking for a skin-friendly mineral foundation, you really can't go far wrong with Lolita's!

*disclaimer* there has been no gun put to my head to make me write this post or any other post about any product/company. My opinions are my own and not influenced by friendship or any other such thing. And I think this is really my first sponsored post... in a sense... everything else has been bought by my own moolah.

Katy Perry Nails - the Pinks

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:09:00 +0000

Got myself a mini set of OPI's Katy Perry polishes... these are the pink.. and I just did them today. Frankly, I'm sooooooo not a pink nail person. And am already tempted to slap some other crackle color over to hid the pinkness... arrrgghhhh....

well, without further ado...

in the sunshine...

in the shade

index finger - the one that got away (2 coats) topped with teenage dream (1 coat)
middle and little fingers - the one that got away (2 coats)
ring finger - teenage dream (2 coats)
* no top coat used

Lolita New York - two rather special e/s shades

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:53:00 +0000

Just wanted to make a special mention of two eyeshadows in Lolita's collection. They are Blue Lagoon and Studio 54.

Not sure if you can see the difference in the picture but its really noticeable when its on your own skin. The top part of the swatch is done dry with no primer; the middle portion is done over a glycerin-based primer and at the bottom, you have a wet swatch. Same eye shadow color but three rather different looks.

The dry swatch looks more faded and less intense. The middle part looks more vibrant and has a glossy sheen to it. Wet, these could easily be used as liners.

I can see how one shade can easily be used for an entire EOTD... as a liner, as a lid color and as a blended out color.

Pretty sure that I'll be getting samples of these two shades when I dop by Lolita NY again... and will report back with EOTDs or something similar. :P

Til next time....

My current nail lurve....

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:53:00 +0000

Let me just say this first... last year, my heart was given to glitters. OPI's Mad as a Hatter made me smile every time I saw it on my nails. Sad to say, I can't find it anymore... and just can't find a reasonable dupe of it... *cries*

This year, I've found myself drawn increasingly to duochromes... multichromes. A friend just asked me exactly what a duochrome is... so I did some looking around... you know what? there isn't a definition found the dictionary. So here's my definition after some thinking. You know how when you look at an oil spill in sunlight, it shimmers with all sorts of colors depending on the angle you're looking at? that's a quality of duochromes. Every angle you look at them, you see different colors. Some have only two or three shades. For example, blue and greens and teals... or magenta, purples and pinks... while others have so many colors that they are like opening a jewel case never knowing what gemstone you'd get.

I haunt a few nail polish blogs and when I saw this particular shade... well, I fell in love with it. What first really sold me on this color was AllLacqueredUp's blog post... it looked like something from outer space literally. Mysterious and other worldly.

Then I headed to google images (one of my favourite places to find swatches) to see what other pics there were... here's just a snapshot of what I found.

I used this shade this year for Chinese New Year and I think it just added a little bit of fun to my otherwise "sane" outfits.

These pictures were posted before but here they are again... ORLY's SPACE CADET...

I wonder what my next nail polish love will be... it sure isn't crackle nail polishes... although they're lots of fun! *grin*

Lolita New York - rainbow colored eye shadows - PIC HEAVY!

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:09:00 +0000

This is a follow up on my previous post...

I spent a good hour playing with the eye shadows while wating for a friend to get 'lashed' up. *giggle*.

Eye shadows made by Jo L. are not new to me. I've been playing with them since her SilkMineral days. The textures and staying power have always been good. Different from my usual TSS shades. Slightly more creamy, if that makes any sense.

The full size prices were too high for my comfort zone and I have yet to finish a full size. To be honest, I haven't even finshed any sample baggie I have! Altho' I'm really really close with one of my favourite highlights. So it was with real excitment that I heard Lolita NY was now selling their eyeshadows at SGD3 a baggie. There's an option to pay for jars if you want them that way too. I went home with four little baggies of loveliness... read til the end to find out which. *grin*

These are swatches made on dry skin with no primer at all. I used the cotton buds provided at the store. So pigmentation as you can tell, is rather good. Except for a couple which turned out weird and I found out later where formulated to be used wet.

So lets get to the colors themselves... I'm gonna post several photos so you can get a better idea of the shades. Click on each picture and you should get larger images. Names will be listed from left to right, top to bottom.

Gold Socceress, Green Witch, Purple Temptress, Blue Elf
Break of Dawn, Misty Glow, Dreamy Haze, Yearning Heart
Angel, Charm, Fallen, Unspeakable

I'm gonna start from top to bottom. Angel was a matte purple with a vibrancy that I haven't seen elsewhere. Fallen and Unspeakable have a satin finish that is really very gorgeous.

Really liked Dreamy Haze and Yearning Heart. They have been calling my name for a long time.

Loved the look of the first row in their pots. The colors looked so complex and interesting. Was really disappointed with the way they swatched though... later I found out why. They were supposed to be used wet... so here's more pics of them swatched with a wet cotton bud. Apologies for the small pics but I think they do capture the eye shadows rather well.

NEXT!

New York Taxi, Brooklyn Skyline, Manhattan Skyline, Studio 54, Soho
Serendipity3, Liberty, Central Park, Hudson River, Niagara Falls
The Broadway, Moscato, White Rajah, Warrior Dance, Eagle Dance, Ritual Dance, Daan Kayuh

Studio 54 looked like a lovely crease color...

Central Park was a green that jumped out at me. But I have similar colors already in my collection.

Love the last row of mattes... brought a sample of Daan Kayuh home with me to use as a brow powder.

NEXT!

Asti, Cordon Rouge, Negro Diablio, Tequila Sunrise, Emeraldtini, Blue Lagoon
Rose Gold, Pure, Autumn Ray

Guess I'm on a green streak or something but Emeraldtini called to me and so did Autumn Ray. So I brought both of them home. My other pics for this visit were Yearning Heart and Daan Kayuh.

Stay tune for one more post on these eye shadows and then another on the blusher range... so many pictures and so little time to blog... such is life huh?

musings about coupon sites

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:08:00 +0000

Here locally, there's been a sudden influx of coupon sites. I know in the States, Groupon is making itself known as well. Basically, they are sites that offer heavily discounted deal on various products and services. Its a win-win for both company and consumer. We get a good deal and the company gets publicity and an influx of new customers.

Being on a tight budget, I've taken advantage of quite a few offers over the last couple of months. No regrets so far... so why this post?

well, I've found that some of the offers have hidden costs. It can range from dealing with hard selling while enjoying the discounted service to something like this offer... which to be honest, I was really tempted to take up.

Gellish is the new "in-thing" among nail enthusiasts. It claims to be able to last 3-4 weeks with NO signs of wear and tear. The only reason why you would have to reapply is due to nail growth. Current prices for Gellish treatments here are way outta my budget. Seriously. So the SGD25 offer is really a STEAL! and I have until June to use the coupon. Nice :D

So I filled out the necessary details and was about to hit the "BUY" button when a thought suddenly struck me. How much will it cost me to get the Gellish off my nails? Bear in mind, this is a special treatment and so you need to go back to the salon to get them to remove it for you. If you're reapplying, that removal fee would be part of the reapplication fee. Make sense?

But for people like me who won't reapply... well... how much would it cost? well, a lovely GF did the calling around for me and found out that costs vary from SGD2 per nail to SGD 4 a nail. Do the maths... that's SGD20-SGD40 just to take it off...

does SGD25 seem so worthwhile any more? I don't think so!

So I guess what I'm saying is... if you see a deal that's really worth your dollars... read and reread all the fine print and make sure you're happy before you hit the "BUY" button. There are wonderful deals out there... I know cos I just bought one to use tomorrow. :D

No prizes for guessing what's for lunch *grin*

Lolita New York - the shop

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 09:38:00 +0000

Most of you on FB would have already seen herdottyness' pics (yes, I'm talking to you ex-Voxers) to the rest of my friends from near and far... here's my take on yesterday's outing... its gonna be in parts cos I'm swamped with work and really should be clearing that and not blogging... but whatever... *giggle*

frankly speaking, in terms of pics, I don't have that much. Reason being... I am ready to toss my phone cum camera into the rubbish bin as soon as my contract expires and I can get a new one. Seriously... the silly camera keeps tell me to open the lens cover when its already open!!!! can vomit blood... but with a *lot* of persistence, here's some pics from Lolita NY @ Marina Square.

Just some back ground, Lolita NY was set up by the same people who brought you SilkMineral. Jo L, a good friend and salesperson, has expanded the range of miracle protein products available and these are sold solely at her shop and not online. I think its getting to a stage where everything that can have miracle protein in it is available in some shape or form.

Here's the section that has soaps, shampoos, facial cleanser, a lovely foot scrub and her latest product, essential oil blends. Let's kinda walk through the shelves...

Personally, I love her handmade soaps (the ones at the bottom of the picture). Each has miracle protein in it and special blends of essential oils to cater to different skin issues. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I use the soap for bathing and for washing my face. Currently, I'm using some of her older versions of her soaps but just stocked up yesterday with orange/bergamot, clarysage/lavender in both the plain and detox (with dead sea mud) versions. I can't wait to try them out. If you're around Marina Square, do drop by and take a whiff of the gorgeous scents. Then imagine filling your bathroom with them... sheer luxury I tell ya!

heading up on the left side of the pics, you can see two shelves with little bottles of additives that can be poured into shampoos/cleansers. They can do a variety of things, revitalize your scalp, soften your skin, ease eczema and the list goes on. You can either choose to add them to the products she sells OR you can bring them home and add them to what you're using. Now, isn't that lovely?

In between the shelves of additives, is the facial cleanser. Now I have a friend (you know who you are and you really should blog this yourself!!) who has ditched her SKII cleanser for Lolita's. Her baby's skin is doing much better too! Her choice of additives are miracle protein and lavender. I haven't tried it... *yet* just because I'm really happy with the soap bars.

Speaking of lavender... I gotta tell you... Lolita's lavender is like none other that I've smelt. Its soooooo good! I think it'd make a convert of the most die hard "hate lavender" club. Ok, enough of the side track...

Top shelf on the left holds her bottles of shampoo. She's got three varieties... Orange/Beramot, ClarySage/Lavender and TeaTree/Eucalyptus to cater to different scalp and hair needs. Again, I have my own favourite shampoo at the moment and have 1 litre left so this is on the "to try" list sometime down the line as well.

for more information on the soaps, additives and shampoos, head to Lolita's FB page and check out the photo albums. Lots to see and read there :)

On the other side, top to bottom, are facial masks (just add water), essential oil blends and miracle protein.

She's got tester shelves for her latest collections, little packets of trial size products and Taiwan's Yuan soaps.

Now here's the side of the shop that I really really had fun with...

I've been using SilkMineral colors since very early on. These are just a step further. More complex and interesting colors. More on that later on though.

And before I go, here's the price for the lip glosses I mentioned in another earlier post...

ok... I really have to run off to do some actual work.. not blogging... so I'll be back with swatches of all the pretty eyeshadow colors.

Lolita New York - blushes

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:34:00 +0000

Like I mentioned in my previous post, Lolita NY has really beautiful mineral makeup. Given that Jo L. is concerned about keeping skin healthy, her makeup products have ingredients that are safe or even beneficial.

Here's her blushes... I saw Moet two or three times and am totally in love with it. Its the third from the left in the pictures.

(from left to right): krouge rose, peach melba, moet, english rose, crystal, sunset cast, cupid, dee blush, love, paddy dance, after glory, bridgestone breeze

Crackle polishes... love them or hate them?

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 09:17:00 +0000

the newest "IN" in the nail polish arena is crackle polish. I remember when I was a little girl, there was a nail polish that was launched I think by covergirl. It stuck in my mind cos one of my teachers used it on her nails and I thought it was so cool.

fast forward to today... OPI released a black crackle called Shatter in their Katy Perry collection late last 2010 and China Glaze is releasing a collection of 6 crackle colors too. Needless to say, both of those two companies sell polishes that are big 3 free...

and everyone in the nail polish world seems to be jumping happily onto the crackle train... dang.. that sounds like a crack train or something huh?

there's this store that I've been looking at at Toa Payoh central for ages now. They have crackle polish they say is from USA. They had them even before OPI even had Shatter out. Prices are SGD12 per bottle or SGD20 for two.

CRACKLE COLORS ~ TOP ROW ONLY

~ their color wheel with swatches ~

I spent some time there... finally... Wan Ting was a sweetheart. She answered all my questions and let me try the colors out. My nails were bare when I went and she cheerfully painted base color coats and crackle coats. Here's the result.

yellow crackle on top of light blue

dark purple (blue toned), medium purple (red toned), bright pink and peach

white crackle on the index finger,
the other two nails... experimenting with dotting pens and dotting tools

Note the names of the crackle polishes are my own *grin*

I've done some online research and found that the brand X&D isn't from USA but from China... and so probably not Big 3 free... ah well...

I bought the two purples... hardly surprising right? here's what I came up with...

medium purple... kinda like this look

dark purple

Looks really similar now that I'm looking at them again. Am wondering if I made a mistake buying such similar colors. If you look at the earlier swatches, the dark purple was a lot darker. Turned out rather differently at home. Sigh. Crackle polish dries matte... its the top coat that makes it shiny.

I bought a couple of other polishes while I was there... and qualified for their VIP card. That gives a 10% discount on regular prices. I'll post pics as and when I use them.

If you're wondering where to find these polishes, the stall I went to is at Toa Payoh HDB Hub, just outside Lee Hwa Jewellery. This is a permanent stall. They have pushcarts at Northpoint (Yishun) and Jurong Point (Boon Lay).

One last thing... I have 10 different looks on my nails now and I don't have time to take them off. My church friends are either gonna think I'm nuts or I'm super groovy tonight. What do you think?

Pretty glosses that are good for your lips!

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 09:10:00 +0000

okay... its been a while since I blogged because I wanted the posts to be perfect and I just didn't have the time to get posts perfect... does that make any sense? *sigh*

so here's a draft-type post... but at least its going up... *grin*

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Went beauty browsing with thedottiness recently. We headed down to Lolita NY at Marina Square.

Jo L. has added a new range of lip glosses to her range. Instead of the usual balm style pots, she's made liquid glosses which have tonnes of Vit E and other goodies that result in super soft lovely lips.

I didn't take note of colors or prices.. yeah I know I'm a horrid blogger... sighz... but here are a couple of pics.

The glosses aren't too pigmented so they're good for those who prefer lip treatments without too much colour. I was really tempted by the pink shade... the one on the bottom row, second from the left. But Jo L. told me to finish what I had first. LOL! She's really sweet. But I loved the way my lips looked and felt after trying a sample.

NOTD... or maybe not...

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 06:52:00 +0000

well its not really a NOTD cos I'll probably have this til next week... but whatever...

spent some girly time with my daughter yesterday. She wanted... count them... four colors on her toes. We can only do toes now cos she's in primary school already. She has made me promise that I'd do her fingers next Saturday and then take the polish off on Sunday. Poor darling.

so here's hers...

and a closer look

indoors with daylight electric lights

near the window

Colors used were:

China Glaze Grape Juice - purple
Elianto blue

Revlon Blackberry
Unknown brand sparkly pink

and now to my choices...

near the window

indoors with daylight electric lights

Orly's Space Cadet

When I first saw pictures of this polish... I just *had* to have it. Its a multichrome (I think that's the term) that flashes green, purple, pink, gold and maroon depending on the angle. Pictures really don't do enough to show you how lovely this color is. One of my favourites!

Revlon Blackberry

Now I've used this shade before a long long time ago... and I remember it being distinctly darker... cos I just don't go for such red shades... kinda vampy don't you think? Still it does help to get me into the Chinese New Year (CNY) mood...

headed out tonite to try get something to wear for CNY. I've got a new blouse and a new pair of pants but neither match each other!! *bang head* wish me luck?

what I'm using to cleanse...

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 04:40:00 +0000

lots of questions from different girlfriends about what I've been using to take off makeup and cleanse my face... so here's a post... actually been planning to do it for quite a while, just been procrastinating non-stop. LOLz!

so lets start with...

Meet Shiseido's Aqualabel Moist foam cleanser... its the red tube in the middle. Pic is courtesy of Mag... I've actually used up this tube. Kept it in my shower and used it when in the mornings to get my skin cleaned for the day ahead.

My impressions of this... didn't really like it. Its not that it didn't clean... it did and left the skin feeling a little taut. Which is kinda strange for something that's supposed to come from the Moisturizing range. Why I didn't like it... I think its because I've gotten used to the effect a AHA cleanser has on my skin and this just didn't feel as clean. So this isn't on my rebuy list!

Here's... the current day cleanser and my current m/u daily remover...

lets talk about the cleanser first. Its Hado Labo's AHA/BHA Exfoliating Face wash. For those of you in Asia who really like MMBB"s AHA cream cleanser, this is a really good alternative. So much so that I'm on my second tube.

its what I use in the mornings. I love how easily it foams up. Don't really have to use much to wash the entire face. I double cleanse so I do take my time washing during the first round (usually I'm rinsing off the shampoo from my hair). Kinda giving the AHA/BHA part of the cleanser time to work on my skin while giving the face a bit of a massage. The second round is just a quick clean.

what i'm left with is lovely clean skin thats ready for whatever I put on it next. Really really like it... enough to have started on my second tube!

So now on to my nite routine...

for my makeup cleanser... it really started out as a kinda experiment. I ran out of my usual and visited the Value Dollar near my place. While there, I saw this small bottle of Pond's White Balance Cleansing Milk. Its got AHA too... which always gets my attention. *grin* Anyways, I tried it. Figured since its mineral oil based, it should be oily enough to get makeup off.

So how has it worked... the answer is yes as you can see from the level of the cleanser left. I only use about the size of a 20 cent coin. I head for my eyes first to give it a little more time to work on my Majorlica Majorca liquid liner (which is usually the most stubborn m/u item). A gentle massage all over the face makes the bb cream, fondation and everything else glide off my skin. I use a piece of facial cotton to wipe off the cleanser before I finish with washing my face.

I'm currently trying a new soap from SilkMineral... its called the Detox Facial Soap. This bar of soap has two sides to it. One side has dead sea mud which helps to pull out dirt and grime from the pores. The other side is mainly a lavender/silk soap which gives the skin a more gentle cleanse.

I use the dead sea side first, rubbing it over wet skin. This does *not* foam but you definitely can feel there's soap on your skin. I concentrate especially on my nose area which is always a hot spot in terms of blackheads. After rinsing it off, I use the lavender side as a quick follow up.

What I end up with after all this is a face that feels clean and fresh and not at all tight. In fact once patted dry, its really soft and feels a little more supple. I've only been using this soap for two weeks now and don't feel confident enough to say much more. I will report back after I hit the one month mark. So far, I'm happy.

I have a bar of the Healing Facial Soap which I'm using as a bath soap... again, have just started using it so really can't give much feedback but like the Detox soap, it is making me happy.

Here's a quick look

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 04:13:00 +0000

This is posted while slurping down my lunch... rushing off for a workshop...

Monistat - as an all over primer
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yoghurt -inner lid area blended upwards
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Horse Raddish -outer lid area blended upwards
TSS A Girl Like Me - patted on the inner lid
TSS Living with Flowers - patted on the mid lid
TSS Make Believe - outer v and up into the crease
Majorlica Majorca highlight shade - highlight
Majorlica Majorca liquid liner in green.. can't remember the code number lah.

oh and just heard from a good friend... TAYLOR MADE MINERALS is closing! everything storewide is going at 40% off.
*wanders off muttering to self... no buy... no buy... no buy...*

Just because

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 05:32:00 +0000

its been so very long since I last posted a EOTD... and that's because I seem to have totally lost the mojo. Been doing super simple one e/s, one liner looks that make me happy enough. Have a new love for my liquid liners *giggle*

Anyways, after a week of not feeling good, I woke up today feeling perky and ready for some colors and brushes. So here's what I came up with. Gotta say though, my skills need work. Have lost quite a bit of my preciseness and quickness. Ah well...

My girl wanted to know if I was going out and I told her "no". Then she wanted to know why I was doing makeup and I told her... "just because...". *grin*

Apologies for the brows... they really do need work!

What I used:

EOTD
Monistat - as an all over primer
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yoghurt - lid area blended upwards
TSS Cynical Fairy - patted on the inner/mid lid
TSS Dimwitted - patted on the mid/outer lid and blended
TSS Can't Hide from Karma - out v and up into the crease
TSS Lucky Charm - to deepen the crease
TSS Go To Shop - highlight
Majorlica Majorca liquid liner in blue.. can't remember the code number lah.

Face
Gransenbon #12 blush
Skin79 Gold bb cream
SilkNaturals & SilkMinerals powder/foundie mix

couldn't resist... had to share...

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 14:21:00 +0000

yup yup, I've been so lost... so gone... so not here...

*but* have just gotta share this. The letter's message is not important. Suffice to say that its from a government agency.

we're so late... more than a century late.. whatever are we gonna do???

totally random

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:04:00 +0000

Since I’m away enjoying the loveliness that is Melaka… I thought I’d share this with you…

Can you guess what this is?

gave you two pics so it might be a little clearer…

no prizes for correct answers though… maybe one if someone does guess correctly… A, you’re disqualified cos I already told u!

give up?

well, my littlest fell asleep on my lap one afternoon. And since I was rather comfortable I let him. When he finally awoke aboout 1.5 hrs later, this is what I found on my thigh. The imprint of his ear! Does the pic make sense now? *evil grin*

I tell ya, the things that this mummy takes pics of is crazy.

Do you take random weird pics? what are they about? I’d love to hear. :)

Don’t you just love cashmere?

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:55:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

I know, I know, I’m on a major neutrals kick lately…. ah well. Guess its just trying to use something that will last the whole day without looking messed up after I’m done with chasing kids. Its the hols and this mummy is tired…

k… on with the EOTD for today… stash shopping again, this time trying *not* to use TSS at all… so here’s what I came up with.

From SilkNaturals website – description & swatches:

Dolce- copper brown shimmer- MAC Sweet Sienna clone

my thots : Love the ever so slight glitter in this e/s. And it does a fab job at defining my crease when I’m going for a ‘nude’ look.

Cashmere- shimmery nude pink

my thots : this is one of those colors I love using all over my lid. It brightens up my eyes and gives me a polished look without making me look ‘made up’. If that makes any sense whatsoever.

Monistat – all over eye area
NYX Jumbo eye pencil in yoghurt – on lid and smudged
SN’s Cashmere – patted on the lid and blended upwards til brow
SN’s Dolce – crease
Maybelline’s gel liner in brown – upper liner

I’ll be leaving on a road trip with my family and parents to Melaka this weekend so I’ll catch up with posts when I get back. I sure hope I can stop myself from buying a hundred and one things. Sigh. I know that getting my beaded sandals redone is definitely a must do. :D

My new favourite washing up toy…

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:35:00 +0000

Credit to http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=5282621

When L’oreal launched their new “Go 360deg Clean” in Jan this year, I was intrigued.

credit to Nouveaucheap

The scrublet that came with it was just so interesting. I wanted to try it but refused to ante up the funds to buy the cleanser. I rarely change brands once I’ve found one that works for me.

So on a recent foray into Daiso – that gloriously horribly wonderful SGD2 store – I saw this. Yeah, I know I’m probably super late in getting one but here’s my review anyways. :P

This pic is from Mag @ MakeupStash. She reviewed it way back in Sept ‘09. *whispers… see how late I am??*

There was a newer version available close to the cashier but I chose this one cos I liked the tip on it that would enable me to get into the nooks and crannies of the nose area.

The way I use it is to apply my cleanser all over (after using a m/u remover to take off my eye m/u). I use my fingers to lightly massage it in then pick up my scrublet. With gently pressure, I go over all over my face. Including my eyes. The scrublet is soft enough to handle that area without pulling or tugging the delicate skin. Usually I pay extra attention to my crisis zones – nose and area around – and put a little more pressure there. I’ve never had irritated skin as a result of this.

For me, its proven to be a lovely light massaging tool that effectively clears my pores. Better than if I just used the cleanser solo. I can really see a difference in terms of how much junk is not in the pores. Even my ‘permanent resident’ blackheads have grown smaller and are much easier to squeeze out. My skin always feels cleaner… not squeaky clean but firm and clean. You really gotta try it to understand what I’m babbling about.

For $2, this is an invaluable tool that I’m not planning to do without. Already have plans to head down and get another one for my other toilet so I don’t have to go hunt it down whenever I change rooms.

Even got my hubby to try it and for once he’s willing to say “I use it every now and then”. Trust me, this is a guy who uses the same soap for his entire body and face! So I’m guessing he sees or feels some difference.

Let me know if you’ve tried this and what your experiences are with it… would love to hear about them!

Green Eyed Monster… NOT!

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 12:28:00 +0000

As someone who isn’t living in the great US of A, I frequently read about offers that are ever so tempting BUT only available ‘locally’.

It makes me soooo annoyed especially when my hopes go UP then come crashing down. Having blogs on my reader that descibe in gory detail how to get lippies at 50cts or looking at the gorgeous new collections available only statewide totally doesn’t help either.

Just as a for instance… ZOYA is having a nail polish exchange where you send in any old bottle of polish and get a brand new shade of your choice for US$3.50. Now how lovely is that? sigh… seriously, stateside gals, take up the offer. The colors look soooooo gorgeously bright and beautiful!

Yeah, I guess you could call me a sucker for punishment cos it doesn’t stop me from trying again and again OR drooling over images on my computer screen.

So I try to remind myself about…

from weheartit.com

which also brings to mind what my church is currently going through. (yeah, I know I don’t talk about religion here normally but its strange situation which I know that God will make right!)

So what’s in my m/u rainbows? well, here in Singapore we’ve got access to so many Asian brands. Particularly ones from Japan and Korea. I know that I’ve just jumped on the Korean bandwagon. Lovely shades of m/u at oh so affordable prices. And easily available either at shopping centres or online.

I’ve got a lovely neighbouring country with lots of local brands at lovely prices (especially if I get them during sales and a nice FX low). Sure am looking forward to heading there next week!

I have every freedom to live vicariously through other people and their wallets. In fact, if I got everything that I drooled over, I doubt I’d have the time/energy to actually use them all.

and last but not least, there are so many online communities here selling 2nd hand stuff. I tell ya, every weekend I’m trolling this particular group waiting to see if I can find any gems for sale. So far, I’ve bought OPI polishes and some other random m/u items. All at affordable prices. I’m happy although my wallet isn’t.

So I’ll count my rainbows and enjoy every moment and item I have.

What are the rainbows in your life?

more from A Girl Like Me…

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 08:25:00 +0000

Wanted to play up A Girl Like Me more after using it as a blending color in the earlier eotd. Used a different color placement this time. Less of a smokey eye look. Photos were taken after a long day hence the slight clumping at the crease line, slight fall out below the eye and the shiny skin.

Monistat – all over eye base
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yoghurt – all over lid smudged
TSS Beyond Skin Deep – patted on lid and as a highlight on brow bone
TSS A Girl Like Me – on the crease and up towards the brow bone
TSS Biggest Impact – used a small angled brush and drew in a darker line right at the crease and blended upwards
Majolica Majorca liquid liner in BL603 (blue)

A Girl Like Me Click’ed with Fleeting Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:09:00 +0000

So I thought I’d shop my stash for some neutrals. In particular, I looked for some browns.

The two darker browns were from one of the first e/s that I ever purchased from TheSheSpace. I think it was one of the collections from June 2008. I didn’t buy the whole collection of “A Stone’s Throw”. The two lighter colors are from the Live Inspired collection which dates back to Fall 2008. I have the entire collection of that and I think it marks the start of my TSS madness. :P

In particular, I absolutely love Beyond Skin Deep. Its the perfect neutral shade for my skin tone. Many times, I find myself wearing this color all over my eye area with just a colored liner for that bit of drama.

Monistat – all over base
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries – all over lid and smudged
TSS Fleeting Wisdom – patted on lid
TSS Click – used a crease brush to blend it upwards past the crease
TSS A Girl Like Me – to blend Click and Beyond Skin Deep together
TSS Beyond Skin Deep – highlight under the brow

and here are the e/s descriptions

Fleeting Wisdom - Darkest tree bark brown with flashes of sheer crystal twinkle

Click - Deep dark chocolate with hints of bronze and copper

A Girl Like Me - Sheer plum with a hint of cocoa and gold twinkle

Beyond Skin Deep - Velvety bisque with a hint of soft rose

a little bit of this, a little bit of that

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Mon, 31 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The problem with having a little girl in the house is that she loves to get into my makeup zone. And what does she do there… well, make a mess of things. What did you expect?

Its fine *if* she’s under supervision… if she’s not… all sorts of things happen.

credit to WeHeartIt.com

Just as a quick example that happened last night, I went to wash up for bed and found… wet powder residue all over my sink area! my swirly bowl was wet and right side up near the sink (not where I usually leave it upside down) and the pot of powder… well, it was empty and had little drops of water running around inside. It looked kinda like this…

credit to WeHeartIt.com

The nice thing to note is that I finally have proof first hand that mineral makeup is waterproof! everything was running on top of everything else. Rather fun to watch actually.

So this morning, I sat down and mixed up a new batch of powder to put in my freshly washed powder pot… here’s my recipe for now…

1.5 tsps of SilkNatural’s Date Bait powder
1 tsp of SilkNatural’s Perfecting Powder
.5 tsp of SilkNatural’s Zinc finishing powder
.5 tsp of Coastal Scents’ silica powder

Mix it all up and here’s what you get…

Let me give you the rationale behind this blend. I, personally, find the perfecting powder by itself a little too plain. I wanted a little hint of color to even out some skin tones hence the addition of Date Bait.

Date Bait, by itself, on my skin is way too dark (I’m a NC20 I think) but blended into together with the other powders, I get a subtle almost pinky cream shade.

The Zinc finishing powder is for sun protection plus I find it really makes the powder feel quite a bit smoother. Seems to go on better somehow. Hard to quantify but hey even if it doesn’t really do anything in terms of texture, I rest easier knowing I’ve got an additional amount of sun protection. :P

Silica… hmm, at one stage there was sooo much talk about silica. Basically, I’m using it for the oil control and simply to use up the huge bottle I bought from Coastal Scents a long time ago. Once I run out, this ‘ingredient’ will likely get dropped from my list unless I decide to buy some from SilkMineral, which would cut down my shipping cost and time.

To use, I just shake some out into my swirly bowl, add a little SilkNaturals glow if I think I need the extra boost, swirl my EDM long handled Kabuki through it and apply on my face.

I love using SilkNatural’s powders… they give me a nice even finish and seems to ‘blurrify’ my pores a little. I like being able to mix things up til I get the ‘perfect’ combination for me. Its a little bit of effort but oh so worth it. And I love the price tag on them too. :)

Am contemplating purchasing a bb powder pact to use while I’m on the go. Again, the sun protection is a major factor for me… but then again, who am I kidding, I *never* touch up once I’m out the door… excuses, excuses…

What face powders do you use? and why do you like them? let me know ok?

RIP Gary Coleman

noreply@blogger.com (Frond) — Sat, 29 May 2010 02:38:00 +0000

Different Strokes was a big part of my growing up years especially while in the USA. Gary made me laugh. I miss the series and I’ll miss his “watcha talkin’ about”.

I can still sing this theme song… can you?