Love your skin!~Goodness of Oats

Hello lovelies! Today I thought that I would talk about skincare! Something different other than makeup for a change. For me, the power of makeup never ceases to amaze me. It can make things appear and disappear. Kinda like Houdini, wont you say? ;) However, makeup cant (unfortunately) make zits or other imperfections on our face disappear. We need to constantly show our skin some love and affection! In addition, what better way to love your skin other than giving it one of nature's goodness? :D

Lo and behold....*drum roll* THE OATMEAL~~~~ *wild applause*

Oatmeal is known to be anti-inflammatory, having the ability to soothe inflammations and heal the skin. Inflammation is one of the number one causes of premature aging, so in this sense it also serves a potential anti-aging benefit! Due to its mildy rough texture, it has a exfoliating function that wont be too harsh on your skin. It is also good for skin conditions such as eczema (as oatmeal is supposedly hypo-allergenic) and what's more, Oatmeal can soothe chicken pox, mosquito bites, and dry skin. They also soothe mild burns and generally any type of irritated skin. Not to mention, oatmeal if generally relatively inexpensive and easy to find! Sounds like one big power house, doesnt it? ;)
 
What can I say? This is my life saviour! A year ago, my skin went into a crazy bout of acne. My all-along no nuisance skin had gone insane. I tried many products ranging from high-end to low-end to get my skin back the way it was in terms of texture and condition but boy nothing worked. This honestly really cut back my confidence and I hated to leave the house without at least BB cream and concealor on my face. Bumpy, red and scarred. That was how my skin was. (sorry I dont have a picture! Didnt think of ever posting this or even starting a blog then!) Then, in came the oatmeal. I had known oatmeal is great for one's skin, health, diet etc. But little did I expect the results I got from it. After using oatmeal for at least three weeks, I could see my skin having a change. It had calm down, my blemishes were healing and my scars were fading. It removed several blackheads on my cheeks and my skin is so much smoother and radiant looking! Now, I dont feel scared to walk out in public with just my naked face! :) I was soooo amazed by the greatness of oatmeal and it's now a HG face product in my everyday skincare regime!

Here are the steps for using oatmeal (any type really; organic, instant, quick-cook etc) as a wash everyday:
1) I grab about 2 tablespoons of oatmeal in my palm and dampen it with some water (warm is better). (dampen it whereby it has a little excess liquid)

2) I then use the milky liquid that the oatmeal and water produces (this is good stuff! dont pour it away!) and gently message my face with it.

3) going back to the now slightly softer oats, I message it on my face for 2 mins and let it sit for about 2 mins or so.

4) Now just message your face briefly with damp hands again and rinse off. Pat your face dry.

*You can even use it as a mask once our twice a week for that extra boost for your skin!

It's that simple! :) If you are worried about clogging up any drains or sinks, try grinding the oatmeal up into powder. Seriously, guys I LOVE THIS. BIG A PLUS!!!! (**Do note that everyone's skin is different. Something that might work on one person might not work on the other.) If you are fine with oatmeal, (not allergic or anything) and are looking for a natural treat for your skin, I highly recommend you give nature's simple gift a try. It is such a wonderful treat for your skin! :)

Any other natural things that you have in your beauty routine? Share them with me because I would love to hear it! :)

Fragrant Treat: Essence "Like A..." EDT

Hello again beauties! Hope everyone had a great week! If you dont know already, Im a crazy fragrance junkie. Who doesnt love smelling good? haha Anyway, today Im gonna talk about the Essence EDTs in "Like a Walk In Summer Rain" as well as "Like a Trip To NYX". Both of which, are sooo nice~

First of all, let me say how much I love the way they name these. It somehow makes the scentes relatable in a way that they bring memories~~~ haha ok cheesy crazy person here.




Based on frangrantica.com, here's the scent breakdown:

Like a trip to NYC:

Top notes: cardamom, elemi, grapefruit and cranberry.
Heart: rose and datura.
Base: cedar, amber and white woods.

Like A Walk in Summer Rain:
Top notes: lemon, orange, cyclamen, aldehyde and watermelon.
Heart: marine notes, lily of the valley, freesia and floral -ozonic accords.
Base: moss, cedar and musk. 

For the Like a  trip to NYC, it is fruity-floral. On me, it somehow smells like apple haha But I love how light yet chic-smelling it is. Great for when you want to smell a little special but in a not overdone way. I somehow think of shopping on the beatiful streets of NYC in the spring when I smell this. However, it isn't all that special enough for me to fall in love with it simply because it smells like something else that I used to wear all the time. Nevertheless, it is still a good one if you want a quick and simple fruity-floral scent. The lasting power on me is pretty decent, 4-5 hours of wear. Not too bad considering it is an EDT.

For the Like a walk in summer rain, I LOVE IT!!!! One of my top 5 go-to scents. It never ceases to amaze how Essence got this scent right down to a point. It is really like a walk in Summer rain!!!!! <3 It smells so clean, yet somehow girly at the same time. (in the wild haha) REALLY REALLY NICE. Never smelt anything else like it! I should have hoarded it the last time I saw it. why didnt i??? I have no idea. But it smells like a great scent somehow to wear to a picnic, a day out in the park etc Such a beautiful scent. I highly recommend this if you like the smell of rain (summer rain lol). That might sounded weird but hopefully you get my drift haha ;) In terms of lasting power this seems to last longer on me than the other one (NYC), which I of course enjoy.


Verdict: Do I like them? :NYC: yup but like only not crazy over it
                                         Summer Rain: YESSS I LOVE IT
Would I repurchase?: NYC no, but summer rain, yes if I ever could!!
Grade: NYC: B
            Summer Rain: A

Anyone else lovin these scents? or simply just the smell of rain? ;)

REVIEW: Too Faced Romantic Eye Kit

Hello my lovelies! Valentine's Day is coming and I thought this review would be so appropriate! I shall cut to the chase and say it's the Too-Faced Romantic Eye kit! haha Romance is in the air, birds are flying, bees are buzzing and the cheesy me is being a silly willy and rhymin' things. hahah -.- Be it spending some quality time with your lil sweetie pie or celebrating your free and independent status, who says you cannot have a little fun with your makeup?

Quick recap: Too-Faced kits comes with 9 beautiful eyeshadows categorised into DAY, CLASSIC and FASHION looks. The kits also come with three how-to-do-it cards which is great for anyone especially those who don't know where to start with their looks.

Without flash

With flash

Here comes the fun part: Shade breakdown!!! (plus I love how the shades are named after things at a wedding! so cute!):

Day:
Soulmates:Cream white with a slight shimmer and a light pink duo chrome (SO PRETTY OMG)
I Do: Satin grey taupe
Un-Veil: Satin black with a slight brown undertone

Classic:
Kiss the Bride: Matte Pink Cream
Cut the Cake: Shimmery light cool lavendar
First Dance: Matte Plum Purple

Fashion:
Bouquet Toss: Matte Green Cream
Honeymoon: Shimmery Green Gold
Ever After: Shimmery dark brown

With flash: L-R (Soulmates, I do, un-veil, kiss the bride, cut the cake, first dance, Bouquet toss, honeymoon, ever after)

Without flash L-R (Soulmates, I do, un-veil, kiss the bride, cut the cake, first dance, Bouquet toss, honeymoon, ever after)

Of course, the eyeshadows are nice and buttery. Smooth, pigmented and easy to blend. The thing that is nice about is kit is that it gives you a nice roll of neutrals but also has colours inside that are appropriate for a romantic date or wedding etc. Nothing too over the top crazy-flashy but still colourful and tasteful at the same time. I really love the soulmates shade because of the beautiful duo-chrome soooo gorgeous!!! My favs would have to be Soulmates, I do and First Dance. Naturally, you don't have to strictly follow the day , classic and fashion looks. You definitely can mix it up and play with any combination that you can think of. While I think these shades are really amazing and love how there is a mix of eyeshadow finishes, I cant seem to fall head over heels in love with this palette. I can't really think of any reason not to like it either but it just doesnt punch me in the face and make me go WOW. If you like some soft colours and some neutrals, I would say go ahead and give this romantic baby a shot (everybody deserves a chance~~~ ;) )

Verdict:
Do I like it? Yes
Would I repurchase?: Probably not. lovely palette though
Grade: B

What are some colours that you like to use on V-Day? Doing up the lips or eyes? ;) Have a good v-day lovelies!!

REVIEW: LA Girl Luxury Creme Lipsticks

Helloooo my lovelies!!! Today im doing a post on one of my weak points! hahah yup you got it! LIPPIES~~~*faint* I just love lipsticks. Natural colours are nice and all when I wanna look a little more natural, more everyday. HOWEVER, THE BRIGHTS. I LOVE DA BRIGHTS. Bring on the RED, ORANGE, PINK etc cuz BAM! how lovely are they?! I love how the bold or bright lips can make your overall look so different! Be it classy, chic or chirpy, bold/ bright lips are an easy way to instantly add some oomph to any simple look. Plus, most of them tend to leave a pretty stain on your lips even when the original colour has worn off.

Today, im gonna be talking about one of my favourite drugstore brand lipsticks. L.A. Girl. hmm not the most popular but yet delivers great quality. Especially their lipsticks. I also own some of their nail polishes are I must say, they are niceeeee. Not only are they relatively inexpensive, they are rly decent quality!! Nice colour range to this line but I own mostly the brighter/ bolder ones. But I have seen the more natural shades and they definitely do not lose out!

L-R (Pure Ectasy, Last Night, Sexy, Infatuation, Romance)

L-R (Pure Ectasy, Last Night, Sexy, Infatuation, Romance)

Ok, quick shade breakdown!: (all the shades have a creme finish)
Pure Ectasy: Light yet punchy orange (almost like an orange cream soda colour but slightly brighter)
Last Night: Bright blue-hot pink (rly nice hot pink with a touch of fuschia, one of my favourites!!!)
Sexy: Rose based hotpink-fuschia with a blue-violet pearl (slightly rosier and darker pink than Last Night)
Infatuated: Bright Orange Red (one of my favourite reds in my arsenal!)
Romance: Mulberry plum (great for fall!!!)


I really love this line of lipsticks! Much more than the NYX Round lipsticks to be honest. The NYX  ones, thought pigmented, have too much of a slip but these are both pigmented and definitely stay on longer on my lips. They are creamy, smooth and I really like how the lipsticks are slopped. They somehow make application easier for me without having to bust out a lip pencil/ brush. (BTW I LOVE THEIR LIP PENCILS TOO!!!) Packinging is nothing to go crazy over but decent enough for me for the price.

(I did swatches on my lips and then pressed my lips on the white tissue to try and show you the colour as true as I could get it to be. Colours are more vivid in real life of course esp for infuated, it is more red than as seen in the lip swatch)

Pure Ectasy

Pure Ectasy

Last Night

Last Night

Sexy

Sexy

Infatuated

Infatuation

Romance

Romance

 And now for the merged tissue puckers (haha):

 Arm swatches:

No flash L-R (Pure Ectasy, Last Night, Sexy, Infatuation, Romance)

With Flash L-R (Pure Ectasy, Last Night, Sexy, Infatuation, Romance)

Overall, you dont have to keep going over your lips like a maniac in order to get a vivid colour on them. On my arm, those swatched were made with only at most two 'coats'. Hello pigmentation! These lippies are amazing for the price. I always cnt get over how great they are. For me, the only downside to them I would say are the smell of these. The old ones really smelled like cheap plastics AUGH but phew! cuz the newer ones are sooo much btr in smell. So if you can and you see that the old smell may bother you, try smelling them first. lol Really lovelies, give them a try! I think these babies dont get enough attention to be honest! They definitely can beat some other lippies that are put out in the drugstore as far as I can say. Love how they are so creamy yet pigmented at the same time. WOW.

In Singapore, LA Girl can be found in selected Guardian stores (price of one luxury creme lipstick: SGD $10)

Verdict: Do I like it? LOVE
             Would I repurchase?: YES!!! <3
              Grade: A-

Have you embraced the brights/bolds? Tell me some other bold/bright lips from the drugstore that you rock! ;)

Fragrant Treat: REVIEW: Abercrombie and Fitch Fierce Cologne

HU HU HU~~~This one is a much-debated one. Today's scent is one that is mostly a MEGA-YAY or MEGA-NAY in most people's book. To me, it's a 200% MEGA-YAY.

Every time I walk into the A&F store, I go crazy with glee with the smell that lingers in throughout the store. It's everywhere. Some people see it as a great punch to the face that knocks you out cold, I see it as a sinful affair between your nose and this little naughty scent. Men, be prepared to lock your ladies inside and woman be prepared to be charmed, 'cause Fierce is coming to get you. Under the A&F website, this is a Men's Fragrance. I can see why of course, with its strong masculine-leaning scent and ab-laden packaging (HAHA I dont know why but I always find the abs on the bottle highly amusing). But when I asked the shop assistant in France, he told me that it was actually a unisex perfume. Whatever you choose to believe, I personally dont find anything wrong with a women wearing a men's cologne. (In fact, I think it makes the scent smell even sexier ;) )

According to frangrantica.com, "Fierce by Abercrombie & Fitch is a Woody Aromatic fragrance for men. Fierce was launched in 2002. Fierce was created by Christophe Laudamiel and Bruno Jovanovic. Top notes are petitgrain, cardamom, lemon, orange and fir; middle notes are jasmine, rosemary, rose and lily-of-the-valley; base notes are vetiver, musk, oakmoss and brazilian rosewood"

I'm no expert in picking up notes in fragrance, but this cologne at first smell is pretty strong. Not surprised that I love it though. This fragrance has some of my favourites: Lily-of-the-valley, rose, rosemary etc. It does have a heavy dose of musk so if you arent a musk-lover, stear clear. On me, the smell although more musk-y smelling initially, softens to a floral-musk. It's 'fiercer' notes (oops a pun) such as musk, cardamom, etc are standing out to me more so than others. I can also smell the florals and fruits at the back, supporting the other notes, making this scent just that awesome. In terms of lasting power, it lasts like CRAZYYYYY on me. Even after bathing (yes I do clean myself 200%), I can still detect a slight scent that this cologne leaves on my skin. I LOVE IT. Both on me and on guys. For guys, a good two or three spritz probably works on you. As for us ladies, one or two should suffice. DONT OVERSPRAY THIS STUFF. It's an double edged sword. Put too much and you would smell offensive and give those around you (or even yourself) a migraine. But just right, it's gonna turn some heads. A definite must-have in my fragrance arsenal.

This cheeky little scent comes in a few sizes (50ml, 100ml and even 1000ml (OMG)(but limited pieces)).

Verdict: Do I like it? : Do you even have to ask? OMG YES!
             Would I repurchase this? OF COURSE.
             Grade: A+

So, any other Fierce lovers out there? or does it cause you to stay a mile or even ten miles away? lol

REVIEW: Too Faced Matte Eye Kit

Hello again! Today we have another lovely all-matte eyeshadow kit! Who doesnt love matte eyeshadows?!?! *chirp chirp* haha Well im crazy over them. They are always good for creating impactful but understated looks. Clean, simple awesome (even the coloured mattes are sooo beautiful). Imo, matte shadows are the hardest to create in terms of pigmentation, chalkiness and bleandability. That makes it even better when you find a good matte eyeshadow! (double the thrill haha). Finding an all-matte eyeshadow palette isnt easy either and not alot of brands put out great matte eyeshadow palettes that deliver consistent quality throughout their shadows. So, today's star is the Too Faced Matte Eye Kit. Too-Faced is notorious alongside with another brand (Urban Decay *cough cough*) for their crazy obssession with loading buckets-full worth of glitter and sparkles in quite a number of eyeshadows. So, it was naturally intriguing to me when Too-Faced added an all-matte eyeshadow palette to their oh-so-famous kits.

As per Too-Faced eyeshadow kit format, The Matte Eye Kit comes with three easy-to-follow cards for a Day, Classic and Fashion look. Very nice for those who feel overwhelmed when they have a ton of colours to work with in a palette. Also, of course, are the nine beautiful matte eyeshadows~~~ (no spongetip/brush applicators whatsoever). Needless to say, the packaging is always so pretty~~~ hahaha (packaging sucker over here)

Without Flash

With Flash

So here we go with the shade breakdowns (all if which are matte):
Day: 1) Tufted Suede: Light tan meant for highlight (although those with rly fair skin, this might not work as a highlight for you) (this doesnt rly show on my NW/NC20 skin though)
         2) Chincilla: A medium tan taupe (great for a transition shade/ in the crease)
         3) Coffee Bean: A dark warm-neutral brown (great for defining/eyeliner)

Classic: 1) Velveteen Bunny: slight off white (love the name!! not chalky. not bad for a white e/s)
              2) Pebbles: cool grey (like pebbles~ haha)
              3) London Fog: dark navy blue (sounds so poetic for some reason ;D)

Fashion:  1) Fresh Linen: light pale pink (great for 'lifting' the brow)
                 2) Vintage Violet: medium dusky purple-violet (prob my favourite shade from this palette, the 'duskiness' is soooo pretty!)
                 3) Midnight: dark grey-black (more on the greyish side)

without flash: (L-R: Tufted Suede, Chinchilla, Coffee Bean, Velveteen Bunny, Pebbles, London Fog, Fresh Linen, Vintage Violet, Midnight)

With Flash: (L-R: Tufted Suede, Chinchilla, Coffee Bean, Velveteen Bunny, Pebbles, London Fog, Fresh Linen, Vintage Violet, Midnight)

The shadows over all are pretty great I say! Not overly chalky and blends pretty well! Also, the colour combinations (although you dont have to rigidly stick to the three categories they did) are rly nice! Nice sophisticated looks with pops of colours while not looking too over the top and as though you were going to a 1970s nightclub/disco. I can see any woman wearing this to work with a chic and classy attire. In terms of pigmentation, they are decently nice as you can see from the swatch and are definitely buildable. I didnt experience any fallout while using this kit so that's a plus imo! They are pretty smooth and easy to work with imo and I do like the overall quality of the palette. If you are not a matte eyeshadow lover, then obviously I wouldnt say this is for you. BUT if you are a matte E/S junkie like me (WHEEEE) then go ahead and check it out!

Overall, pretty impressed! Love how Too-Faced included nice and classy colours such as a beautiful dusky violet and navy blue, a great alternative to neutrals when you want to do something a little more special. As much as I like this kit, I still find myself using my Meet Matte Palette from the Balm more for some reason. Probably just due to my laziness to reach for this one which is further away from me when I do my makeup haha. Nonetheless, both of these palettes are amazing and I definitely will get much use from these two matte palettes.

Verdict: Do I like it? Yes I do indeed
Would I repurchase?: For the fact that it is all matte, yes. But since it is not an all neutral palette, I dont know if I would repurchase it due to the frequency-of-use factor
Grade: B+

Are there any other all matte palettes that you are in love with? TELL ME!!!! XD I would definitely love to know!!! Matt(er)s Unite! haha (cheesy me)