"Of Faces and Fingers"

KATE Makeup Haul: Eyeshadow Palettes and Lip Products (And a Related Ramble)

2013-05-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Kanebo, the Japan-bases parent company of KATE (drugstore cosmetics brand that I've swatched before), Lunasol (upscale cosmetics brand), Freshel, Impress, and Blanchir, had a sale just a couple of weeks ago. And you know me - I just had to check it out! I do have a fondness for both KATE and Lunasol, so it would have been understandable if I had emptied my wallet into Kanebo's coffers.

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Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion Review: New Nano Formula

2013-05-20T06:30:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, Asian drugstore skincare brands can be excessively gimmicky and trend-driven, rather than truly effective. That's why Hada Labo (literally "skin lab" in Japanese) has won my respect out of a plethora of available options, just because they have simple, cosmetically elegant products that work. While they do have a supremely effective marketing slogan ("one drop locks up an ocean",

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Quick Look: Sleek Lip4 Palettes (Lip⁴, Really) in Ballet and Siren

2013-05-17T06:30:00.001-07:00

Sleek has released the Lip4 (it's really Lip⁴, meaning Lip Cubed, but Lip4 seems easier to type, heh) Palettes, and because I've been busy in real life (which you know, I have, because I can't exactly survive solely on the light and heat emanating from my laptop), I've been kinda...sitting on these. No excuses, I know, but I hope some pretty Lip⁴ Palette photos and my first thoughts of them will

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Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activator Review and Analysis

2013-05-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Lancôme always has very interesting and cutting-edge products, and this time, they've lived up to expectations with their latest Advanced Génifique Youth Activator. The claims for this product stress the research that has gone into updating the formula - it's "inspired by 14 years of research in gene science and 9 patents covered until 2029", and is "enriched with a biotechnology derived

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Samsung's Fashion Steps Out: Orchard Fashion Runway

2013-05-11T06:43:00.001-07:00

Last weekend saw one of the highlights of Samsung's Fashion Steps Out, the Orchard Fashion Runway. During this event, Orchard Road is shut down and transformed into a fashion runway. This year, 173 models, each wearing one outfit, strut down the 600 meters along Orchard Road. It's an impressive affair, and I was able to capture a few shots, both backstage and on the runway, for you! Balloons...

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Cellnique D'Sensi Calming & Hydrating Cream Review

2013-05-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

Cellnique is an Asian brand, but the impressive thing about is that, unlike other Asian brands that tend to be more marketing than substance, churning out near-identical faddish products, Cellnique seems to have a unique position in the market. They have solid technology behind their products, and their products actually work. Cellnique isn't cheap, to be sure, but it is really good. Case in

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Illamasqua Haul: Nail Polish and Eyeshadow!

2013-05-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

Illamasqua recently had an Easter sale (which took the form of an easter egg hunt), and of course, I HAD to order something. So, look at my loot! Ta-da! Illamasqua haul! Yay! Now, I know that I do have more than enough makeup and nail polish, but you guys shouldn't judge me for my beauty product acquisition illness. I mean, it was a sale! 45% discount with an extra 10% discount on top of that,

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Beauty Blog Link Love

2013-04-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Musicalhouses tries out a summer staple (yellow nail polish), and thinks she just might like it! Phyrra brings you all of the new Silk Naturals Chromatics Cream Eye Colors. Will you fall in love with them? There's makeup bases, and then there's makeup bases. Don't miss theNotice's review of the super-cool shu uemura POREraser & Brightening Mousses -- these are definitely the latter! Jude

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DIY Chalkboard Manicure Tutorial: Cheap, Easy and in 3 Steps!

2013-04-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Ciate has recently started promoting their Chalkboard Manicure, which involve nails that, look like chalkboard doodles on your nails. If you recall, Ciate was previously famous for their "I-claim-to-be-first-with-this-trend-although-I-wasn't" caviar manicure, and then threatening bloggers with legal action because they DIY'ed their own caviar manicures (not because they were trying to pass off

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MUFE White Definition Instant Brightening Powder Foundation: I (and my Pimples) Get Made Over

2013-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

MUFE launched its White Definition Instant Brightening Powder Foundation SPF30 / PA++ sometime back last month. I'm a little slow on this, because colour products are easier to get excited about, but every now and then, it's always great to be reminded that even in a slew of attention-grabbing colour products, a good base is paramount. That, and, well, this makeover was really quite something,

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Laqa & Co Fat Lip Pencil in Wolfman Review and Swatch

2013-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Laqa and Co is a very specialist beauty brand - its only products right now are the lip pencil, as well as nail polish pens! It's definitely one of the most niche brands I've seen, and fortunately they do pretty nice products. I've written briefly about both the Laqa & Co Fat Lip Pencils and Nail Polish Pens before, and they were pretty good when I tried them out in store. So, now I'm FINALLY

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Beauty Clinic 2 Step Ampoule Mask Review: Trouble Smart Laser and Hydra Smart Filler Masks:

2013-04-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm usually a person whos in a hurry with my skincare - if I have to wait forever for it to sink in/absorb/massage in, it's not a product I generally would use very often. The exception to that rule are face masks, which I love because it just feels so pampering and luxurious. And what's more luxurious than a face mask? A two-step face mask! Beauty Clinic has a series of 2-Step Ampoule Masks,

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Sleek Haul: Mostly Blushes and one Eye Dust!

2013-04-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

I hauled from the Sleek Makeup website sometime back, and now I'm the proud mama of four Sleek blushes and one Eye Dust! I'm pretty excited! I actually really liked ordering from the Sleek website, the swatches provided on skin really helped to visualize the products (although there are already tons of Sleek swatches out there, including mine). But it was the delivery that was a little bit

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Kiehl's Cuts Prices on 21 Customer Favourites - Yay!

2013-04-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a little slow with the news, but yes, in case you haven't heard (or in case you've heard but haven't acted on the news), Kiehl's has lowered the prices on not one, two, or three, but TWENTY-ONE of their products. Many of them are customer favourites, too, such as the Midnight Recovery Concentrate (down from $90 to $80), Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF50 PA+++ ($68 to $52) and Calendula

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K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Real Lasting Eyeliner Review: New and Improved!

2013-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

K-Palette has improved their already-popular 1 Day Tattoo Real Lasting Eyeliner, and now it boasts longer lasting power, faster drying time, increased resistance to water, sweat and sebum, and easier removal. The blurb that came with the product even said that the product had ingredients like hyaluronic acid and Swertia Japonica essence to to boot! That sounds like a good deal, so of course I had

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Nivea UV Whitening Body Serum Review

2013-04-10T06:00:00.001-07:00

Nivea has recently released its Body UV Whitening Body Serum SPF25 PA++, which claims to be "the first body serum for intensive whitening and repair of accumulated dull and sun-damaged skin". Sound awesome, right? Of course, since I'm a shade-worshipping, sunscreen wearing (and don't forget sunscreen-blogging) kinda girl, I naturally had to check it out! Although this is marketed as a "Body

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Emerald Colour of The Year Eye Look (And Random Thoughts on this Colour of the Year Thing)

2013-04-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

So, Emerald has been officially declared the colour of the year for 2013. Speaking of which, who on earth decides these things? Fortunately Wiki has the answer: "Twice a year the company hosts...a secret meeting of representatives from various nations' color standards groups. After two days of presentations and debate, they choose a color for the following year...the color for summer 2013 was

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Vanity Trove April: Elizabeth Arden and Dr Ci:Labo

2013-04-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

My monthly Vanity Trove has arrived, and although I'm a little late to the party, better late than never, right? Let's jump right into it - this month's trove is rather uncomplicated, and really only has two brands - Elizabeth Arden, and Dr Ci Labo. Of course, this can either be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences, so let's take a look, shall we? The Elizabeth Arden part certainly

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Did You Guys Fall for My April Fools' Prank?

2013-04-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

(Image source.) Didja guys fall for my yesterday's prank? Happy April Fools! You guys know that I love pulling these pranks right? :D Yesterday's post was a classic example :P Well, I'm actually not launching a BB cream. I'm not planning any cynical attempt to con unaware consumers out of their money with cute packaging, crappy formulation, and K-pop stars. It's just a jest. I love you guys, and

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I'm Making My Own BB Cream!

2013-04-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Now, recall back when I wrote my post a few months ago, comparing BB creams ingredients versus their actual skin benefit? I was pilloried for that post, as I might have guessed. Nevermind that in my original post, I had caveated, "I'm not saying ALL BB creams suck, and I'm not saying ALL BB creams will aggravate sensitive skin. Some brands have better formulation than others, and some brands have

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Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Review

2013-03-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Olay has reformulated and relaunched its much beloved Regenerist line, and nothing excites me more when an old favourite is given its due in the spotlight. After all, the original Regenerist line was highly popular when it was first launched ten years ago in 2003, and was further propelled to greater heights of popularity when a widely reported 2006 study showed the Olay Regenerist beating out

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Yellow Nails: I Actually Lurve Them! (AKA NOTD With Etude House Glittering Bloom Yellow)

2013-03-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming, and all the brands are starting to put out their summer collections, and my nails are officially yellow! This is actually a really rare thing for me. If there are any longtime readers of my blog (love, love, love you guys!), you may vaguely remember that a long, long time ago, I had actually painted my nails yellow before, and I couldn't actually quite make up my mind as to

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Chamos Trouble Skin Solution Magic Powder: Double Layer Acne Product

2013-03-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've recently found out about the Korean skincare brand, Chamos, and one of the products that intrigued me was the Trouble Skin Solution Magic Powder. As you might guess, I have pimples (don't get me started, now), so any pimple product that claims to do wonders for pimples is definitely something that would be up my alley. Now there is a Chamos English website based out of Singapore with

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Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream: Review, Swatch, and FOTD

2013-03-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Kiehl's has launched a new BB cream - the Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream. While BB creams are no stranger to the market, and are starting to feel to me like a marketing fad that has overstayed its welcome (I've actually previously blogged about how BB creams mis-market themselves), nevertheless, it is good to see that even though I have a "meh" attitude to most of the BB creams on...

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Sleek Showstoppers Palette: Swatches and Review

2013-03-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yes it is indeed another Sleek Makeup Palette! I love their palettes, so this is a welcome addition to my growing collection of Sleek palettes! This time, the palette is the Showstoppers Palette, and it is indeed an apt homage to all the stunning palettes the UK-based drugstore brand has put out. The palette is perhaps one of my favourites so far, in terms of colour selection. While some of the

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