Back to Basics: Skincare with Apple Cidar Vinegar

Hellooooo lovelies out there! lone time no blog REALLY. Had to take a little hiatus becuase of the crazy schoolwork and hectic schedules but wahaha im back! :) And what is better than starting from basics again? So, for today, lets talk SKINCARE. Lets be honest, makeup is fun and all. It's basically magic imo, with its power to create and conceal things that lie on the surface of our very skin. But what would boost to the fun of using makeup? It all starts with beautiful skin. Which lady (or guy) wouldnt wanna have beautiful, healthy and glowy skin? I know I sure do. And what better way to show our love for our skin than to go back to nature and get such inspiration. In comes one of my HG skincare products! APPLE CIDAR VINEGAR *wild applause* okay, it's not most natural in terms of getting it straight from your own backyard, but it sure is more natural than any facial cleanser or other soap-laden products that we put on our faces to clean them!

 

So what makes apple cidar vinegar the wholly goodness that it is? Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is an effective natural bacteria-fighting agent that contains many vital minerals and trace elements such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, chlorine, sodium, sulfur, copper, iron, silicon and fluorine that are vital for a healthy body.(according to http://www.homeremediesweb.com/apple_cider_vinegar_health_benefits.php) Ingesting it, i know, can be a little off-putting for some because of the odour that it supposedly has, but with such great benefits, the odour is definitely something I can overcome. However, I dont have the habit of drinking ACV but rather, use it as my daily toner! Yup this wonderful baby can be put on the face to tighten pores and also may help in clearing up some of those lil fiends of pimples due to its bacteria-fighting properties. If you have read the oatmeal post that I did awhile back, I mentioned suffering from a bout of acne awhile back and was desparately trying to find natural sources for improving the condition of my skin. While oatmeal was great for reduing my blackheads and scarring, ACV also helped to reduce my scarring and keep those lil fiends of pimples off my face. These two babies were and still are my HG items for skincare and major plus point: they're really inexpensive! (and natural of course)

As for the brand of ACV to use, I prefer Braggs cuz it's more convenient for me to get anyway. I just take a contain pad and spray a few sprays of it from a bottle that I got (the ones with atomizer tops) and apply it directly to my face every morning and evening when I wash my face. Really easy! However, if you have sensitive skin, you might wanna go for it at a lower concentration. (diluting it with some water if the respective ratios) But for me, it works fine at full concentration. Dont be surprised if your skin turns a teeeny bit red after using it (esp at the beginning) but IF it starts to have a reaction, please do stop using it (EXERCISE CAUTION) Everyone's skin is different so I cannot say that it will 100% work the same for you as it did for me.

So, hopefully, this is of some help to some of you lovelies out there! What are some of you guys' favourite natural beauty secrets to maintaining a beautiful canvas? Do share, I would definitely love to know! ;)

REVIEW: Essence Ready For Boarding "Beauty On Tour" Palette

Long time no post my dears! Deadlines, projects are sapping my time away but I sure missed blogging!! Finally found some time to do one! So today, let's talk colours for Spring and Summer! :)
Essence recently released their 'Ready For Boarding' Collection and first and foremost, I love the 'vacation' theme of it! (sucker for such themes all the time! XD). Although the collection has tons to offer, I decided to only get sucked in by the eyeshadow palette~ (control-and-resist mode activate!)

(courtesy of nihrida.com)

Well, here's our star today!~

Also comes with simple "tutorials" to inspire!

with flash

without flash

Alrighty, first, the shadow breakdown!:
(from left to right):
1) Light Silvery grey 2) Pale pastel yellow 3) Seafoam-Mint green 4) Periwinkle blue 5) Pale champagne (with slight micro-glitter) 6) Medium bronze-brown  with a warm lean

All the shadows have a shimmery finish (with the champagne shade having slight micro-glitter). Texture of the shadows you ask? Not bad for the price! not bad at all! Pretty smooth, pigmented and easy to blend! I have to say, Im pretty impressed by this little darling. For the price, you really cannot go wrong. Colour range is lovely too, with nice neutrals and pops of colours that look great in the months of summer and spring. Nothing too crazy that screams COLOURRRRRRR. Just light, clean yet with a slight twist. The yellow and green have really caught my attention in this palette as they are ao refreshing to see and easy to apply and use. The brown has to be my favourite as it is so warm and works well to add depth to any of your looks!

Overall, for the price of SGD$7.90, I really can't complain. Impressive quality for the price. Plus the size of the palette (around the size of a palm) makes travelling a breeze with it! If you are curious about what this little darling has to offer, I'd say go check it out.

(In Singapore, prices range from SGD$2.90 for wet wipes to $7.90 for an eyeshadow palette)

Essence Ready for Boarding retails at all essence counters at these selected Watsons stores (in Singapore).

Locations:

Anchorpoint
Beauty World Centre 

Plaza Singapura (Level 4, new extension)
Bedok Central
City Square Mall (opening mid March 2013)
Lot 1 Shopping Mall
Lucky Plaza
Ngee Ann City  

Sun Plaza

IMM
Park Lane
Parkway Parade
Rivervale Mall
SMU

Verdict:
Do I like it? Yes, not bad at all!
Would I repurchase? Although I think it's a neat palette, probably not simply because I have quite a few "colour" eyeshadows already (and I'm largely a neutral type-of girl)
Grade: B

Stay happy my dears! ;)

REVIEW: Maybelline Colour Sensational in Red Porcelain

Hey everyone! Long time no post! Deadlines and commitments in school are draining me out phew! but Im so happy to bring you guys this review today on the Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Red Porcelain. The Maybelline Colour Sensational range in general is really nice, tons of shades and great texture and pigmentation. This baby today is Limited Edition and is a red lippie which is nothing short of amazing. (who else for bold classic red lips? :D) Let's jump into it!~

Maybelline Colour Sensational in Red Porcelain

Maybelline Colour Sensational in Red Porcelain

To be honest, I had actually wanted to pass this up when I first saw it in the drugstore. In the tube, it might just look like any other classic red which made me want to pass it up. After passing it up countless of times in the drugstore, I finally swatched it out of curiosity. It looked pretty promising and I caved in, just give it a try. REALLY NICE. When swatched, it comes off a little brighter and looks like a red that can suit almost everyone of varying skin tones.Packaging is the same as the other colour sensational lipsticks in that it has a nice silver tube and a colour cap that shows its "base" colour. Looks nice and clasic imo! In addition, it is not drying on the lips and sits nicely without seeping into fine lines. The Red Porcelain formula is enriched with nourishing honey nectar and a milky lotion to give it a creamy feel the minute it glides on to your lips. So yay to no dry lips! :D (major pet peeve wouldnt you say?)

One coat on the lips of Red Porcelain

2 coats on the lips of Red Porcelain

As you can see from the swatch, it almost looks like it's leaning towards a tomato red but it looks relatively neutral in person (maybe a 10% lean towards the warm side?) This lipstick glides on really smoothly and no patchiness whatsoever. Great pigmentation and better yet, has minial transfer (" quick kiss the back of your hand" test). Even after eating dinner (Think char-grilled. Sauce and stuff :0 ), the lipstick left a nice red stain on my lips despite the main colour having faded. (what I love about bold lipsticks, they tend to leave a nice stain behind :))

Overall, I must say I am pretty impressed! What made this nice for me was the moisture that it provided for my lips while still delivering such great pigmentation. Defiintely going to be one of my "often-reached-for" lippies! So my lovelies, want some great red lips without having to compromise in the moisture department, Ill say this one is a keeper. ;)

(In Singapore, the Maybelline colour sensational lipstick can be found mostly Watsons and Guardian Pharmacy)

Verdict: Like it?: You bet'cha!
Would I repurchase?: Yes
Grade: A-

REVIEW: Urban Decay: Disney's Oz The Great and Powerfu

Hello again my beauties! Hopefully you guys are as psyched as I am for Urban Decay's lastest limited edition palettes, inspired by Disney's Oz The Great And Powerful! Who says we cant be a good or bad witch whenever we desire? ;) The moment they launched in Sephora Singapore on the 28th of Feb, I went to snag these babies within the first hour! (10.40 AM to be exact lol). Talk about dedication LOL (crazy makeup junkie talking over here ;P ) Seeing as people might be tossing and turning wondering which witchy palette to grab up, I decided to place both palettes under the same review so that you guys can see all in one post and compare! :) So, who should we summon first? ;) Theodora? or Glinda? Hmmm...

Lets start with the light and on to the dark, shall we? lol

Helloooooo GLINDA~!!!

The Glinda Set

The Glinda Set

TORNADO: A shimmery deep purple with pinkish undertones

(DUOSHADE) AURA: Left: iridescent white w/blue duochrome Right: iridescent white w/ pinkduochrome

MAGIC: Pinkish purple with gold microshimmer

ILLUSION: Satin Pale Golden-Peach

(DUOSHADE) OZ: Left: Aged gold shimmer w/gold glitter Right: Bluish-grey silver shimmer w/silver glitter

South: Shimmery Taupe grey with slight warm lean and silver microglitter

The Glinda Palette

Glinda Super-Saturated Lip Pencil

(Without Flash) L-R: Tornado, Aura, Magic, Illusion, Oz, South, Rockstar (eyeliner), Glinda (Super saturated lip pencil)

(With Flash) L-R: Tornado, Aura, Magic, Illusion, Oz, South, Rockstar (eyeliner), Glinda (Super saturated lip pencil)

Isn's this all of the girly-princessy goodness?! Enchanting is what I would use to describe the theme of the Glinda Palette. As per Urban Decay's new formula for their eyeshadows, the texture of the shadows are buttery smooth. Although I did notice, for the duo shades they weren't the case. The duoshades are no doubt pigmented like the rest of the shadows, but they dont seem to be as smooth as the others. Nevertheless, they are great colours and nothing that can't be worked with. My favs would have to be Aura and Oz(despite it's crazy notorious UD glitter) as they seem more unique and different. The duochromes in Aura is just to die for and I can see why it is a much raved shade. Oz though the glitter, is nice as it reminds me of the fairy-tale-ish type of royal colours you might expect in films like Oz. As for the 24/7 eyeliner in Rockstar, no complains there. Creamy, purple goodness. Good that it is a purple and not another Zero. Great for that soft eyeliner or tiny pop of colour! The Glinda lippie is no doubt, a great beige-rose shade, great for a everyday lip for those who dont wear bold lips all the time. I do believe it is the shade NAKED in the permanent line though (I took out my naked lippie to compare). Since I love that shade, I definitely wont complain about this shade being in the Glinda set.

Now, "evil" comes and so does THEODORA!!

The Theodora Set

The Theodora Set

The Theodora Palette

BROKEN: Satin Pale Cream

BEWARE: Matte warm beige-brown

BEWITCH: Satin medium chocolate brown

WEST: Shimmery warm brown with slight burgundy undertone

(DUOSHADE) SPELL: Left: Satin charcoal black w/green and gold shimmer Right: Metallic gold w/tonal glitter

(DUOSHADE) JEALOUS: Left: Dark moss green pearl and pale green pearl (almost a light jade green)

Theodora Super Saturated Lip Pencil

(without Flash) L-R: Broken, Beware, Bewitch, West, Spell, Jealous, Zero (eyeliner), Theodora (lip)

(with Flash) L-R: Broken, Beware, Bewitch, West, Spell, Jealous, Zero (eyeliner), Theodora (lip)

Ahhh~~~ the beautiful sultriness of these shades. As you can see, th shades in the Theodora palette are largely browns and neutrals, which I love actually. (Hard-core neutral lover). When doing swatched, I was soooo amazed by how buttery the shadows were. Packed with pigment and smooth like velvet (especially the shade in Beware, which happens to be my fav neutral in this palette)! However, similarly to the Glinda palette, I did notice the Duoshades were not as smooth as the solo shades. (very strange) But again, nothing that cannot be worked with. My fav shades in this palette would have to be Beware and the gold in Spell. Very very veryyyyy nice. I rly so like the "darkness" of this palette. Plus the design of the metal palette itself is GORGEOUSSSSSSS. Nice that they threw in colours in this palette too though and they were colours that are nicely associated to the "dark" qualities!! <3 Again, we see another Zero, which I mean I generally dont complain for black eyeliners. I wished it was another shade though, like a rich bourbon brown maybe? The lippie, Theodora, is probably F-Bomb, another permanent one in the Super Saturated Lip Pencil line. Very very nice complexion boosting red that leaves a cherry red stain on your lips after the main lipstick had worn off. Plus it's sexy and shows off a girl's cheeky "dark" side. ;)

Okay, generally, loveeee these palettes. I think Urban Decay did a really good job this time with the themes and colours as well as the design of the palettes. It's USD49.00 on the UD website and SGD78.00 in Sephora Singapore, which is quite a steal for the number of products you get in the sets. (8 eyeshadow shades, the nicely LE designed BYOP palettes, a Super Saturated Lip Pencil). UD palettes are generally great in terms of value and I do recommend for you to try out at least one of these beautiful palettes if you are interested in this limited edition collection.

Here are a few things that are in the collection that are slightly different from the UD permanent BYOP line and the SS lip pencil line:

1) There's the little detail of the OZ collection on the eyeshadow labels and lipsticks! (nice attention to detail there UD!)

Yay to any disney icon LOL too bad we cannot spot the mickeys in this one! ;)

2) If you look closely, the colours of the eyeshadow cases are a beautiful dark "antique" gold colour, veryyy lovely! The permenant ones are silver in colour. This makes the palettes and the collection more exclusive in a subtle way! :)

Left: Oz collection shade Right: shade from the permenant line

Any more reasons to NOT get the palettes? Doubt so! ;) But for my taste, I generally can see myself reaching for Theodora more than Glinda as it suits me taste more with the neutral and browns but it is fun to have Glinda at hand to play ard with soft feminine looks. Plus, I do prefer the design of the Theodora Palatte more so than the Glinda one. If you are looking for a palette to potentially use more (esp. everyday neutral/brown looks), I would say to get the Theodora palette. However, if you are looking for something more girly and soft as well as a more unique palette, I would say Glinda would be for you. Or if you can and just cannot decide which witch you wanna be, get both! These palettes have been nothing short of impressive.

Verdict:

Would I repurchase (both)(if I could): Yes I would. (Some other ppl have even snagged up back ups of these!)
Grade: (both): A (UD has really impressed me overall with these palettes!)

So my lovely witches, which side are you on? ;) Being cheekily dark, or innocently ethereal?

Fragrant treat: Armand Basi in RED

Hey there lovelies!! So sorry for the lack of postings recently but school is keeping me crazy busy! AHH oh wells! But not to worry! Ill be trying my best to post things more frequently and some of the upcoming posts may be of interest to some of you! ;) (Disney's Oz *cough cough*) Anyway today's review is one for the noses! I feel that this baby doesnt get talk about often but it does smell ever so good! :)

Armand Basi in RED! Ahh What a lovely scent in my opinion~ But scent breakdown first:
According to frangrantica.com,
Top notes are bergamot, clementine and peach;
middle notes are iris, heliotrope and violet;
base notes are virginia cedar, styrax, vanille and praline.

Im no fragrance expert but on me, this scent is almost "ginger-y". Reminds me of the orient for some reason, which makes this scent different from the other scents in my collection. It's light yet packs a special punch with the spicy-floral kick it offers. Really really nice imo. I can smell some of the virginia cedar and the bergamot inside which gives it that citrusy component that makes up this perfume. Staying power is something that I wish was a little better though. On average I think it last about 3 hours give or take (do note that it is an EDT). But scent-wise, I like it alot! Definitely something that I like to bust out for a special day or dinner etc. If you like citrusy/ "ginger-y" type scents (or u can call it sexy spicy floral ;)) then I'd say, give this a shot! :)

Verdict: Would I repurchase?: hmmm all other things aside (aka my bottles & bottles of perfumes) yes
Grade: B+

Any other spicy florals that you sport and would recommend? I would love to know!!! <3

Stay happy guys! :)

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? ;)