Oh Hello! Another Dior post! Bet you’ve been missing these huh? *Winks mischievously
This time it’s all about the new IT product that entered my life. Dior IT-Lash mascara. Their newest mascara which promises to do ‘everything’. Lengthen, Volumise AND curl.

So I have tried this mascara for almost two weeks straight, day in and day out and I am here to give you my humble opinion on this product based on my experience so far.

But first! Let’s take a look at the sexy black packaging! Sorry in advance for all the makeup p*** to come, but the lighting was good and these Dior products are always fun to shoot!

Of course, lacquered black would be the ideal choice as it’s universally appealing and looks elegant sitting on any vanity or counter top. And as always the Dior logo sits present yet discrete, impressed on to the tube.
Functionality wise the packaging is very sturdy, and is easy to store. No accidental rolling off the tabletop! And I like that!
I believe this is the very first mascara that I own or even seen that comes in a boxy design now that I think about it!

So on to the applicator wand. As you may have noticed, it’s not a regular brush wand made of bristles. It’s actually a thick brush made of soft Elasomer molded into thin spikes. And according to Dior, the arrangement of these bristles aids in coating each and every lash with a thick coat of mascara from root to tip.

The wand itself is very easy to use and pretty straight forward. The usual zig zaging application method works great! But in addition, the tip of the wand too is covered in these elastomer spikes, to help you get to those tricky areas such as the farthest corner of your lashes and work the mascara right in with precision using just the tip! I also like to use the tip to coat the bottom lashes with ease, no more clumsy smudges.

As far as volumising goes sadly I never saw anything wowing. Although, compared to my DiorShow Extase, this was actually more thickening.
To me what was special about this mascara was its ability to open up the eyes with maximum lift and also separate the lashes. The formula of the mascara is much lighter than my usual favourite, the Le Volume Chanel which has been repurchased continuously since it’s launch. I am a big fan of the super volumised luscious lash look it delivers. However that mascara always seem to dull the curl of my lashes thanks to it’s heavy formula. The Dior on the other hand is much lighter and doesn’t weigh down the lashes. I actually only need to get the wand really close to the base and ‘lift’ up the lashes while applying and it naturally gives them a slight curl which creates the illusion of big eyes.
I no longer need to curl my lashes everyday!

Apart from the above, this mascara also separates and lengthens lashes. The brush combs out any possible clumps and separates each and every lash. If you are used to heavier mascaras, you’ll instantly notice ‘more lashes’ when you use this! It’s only an illusion which is cleverly created with the brush which combs and defines each lash without allowing them to cling together, something that volumising mascaras don’t do as they usually clump lashes together. I really LOVE this effect, cos even the tiniest lashes that sit in between are perfectly coated and look more defined.

Here’s a quick look at the two wands of my current HG mascaras side by side just for reference.

So apart from the typical black mascara, the Dior IT lash comes in three other vivid colours. Purple, blue and my personal favourite, the pink! These are limited edition though and some shades are already pretty much sold out at most counters.

Unlike other coloured masaras I’ve tried before, these IT mascaras deliver a more striking, richly pigmented coating. It’s apparently down to the new gel base that reveals pure colour so that the pigment in the mascara are truer and vivid.

Here’s a look at the black and the pink.

My preferred method of using the pink is to apply it just to the outer corner of the lashes after I have applied a coat of black. It gives an unexpected pop of colour that’s pretty and flirty!

Lastly, I’d like to touch on performance.

This mascara lasted all day. No smudges, no flaking, only thing though I noticed if I tried to layer it, there was some visible clumping. I prefer to wear this as a single coat for a day time look.

Removal

The formula is water resistant but can be easily taken off with luke warm water or makeup remover. Very similar to the Chanel in that sense and I usually prefer this type as waterproof mascaras always feel so stiff when worn and the IT Lash feels very flexible and light to the touch once dry.

Final thoughts-

I believe this mascara is great for everyday use, especially for those who don’t require major volumising.
If you are already blessed with a decent set of lashes, you’d be able to appreciate the lengthening and separation this offers. However if you have very sparse lashes and rely on a thicker formula, this is not for you.
Also if you have smaller eyes or droopy lashes, you will love how this mascara widens your eyes and give a pretty doe eyed look!

Product info-

Dior Addict IT-Lash retails at SGD 52 at all Dior counters. (Mine was provided by Dior SG for reviewing)
Product contains .30 fl.oz 9ml which is 1ml less than DiorShow Extase.

Hello hello!

So a couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting a VIB (very influential brow!) , .. the lovely Jared Bailey, international spokesperson for Benefit Cosmetics services. He is the final say when it comes to perfectly groomed brows!
Jared is just so jovial and full of life, and made me feel completely at ease discussing you know, normal tea time conversation topics… like brows!

Now if you’ve been paying close attention to my Instagram, you’d know I am a complete brow freak!
And I was thrilled at the opportunity to pick up some great brow advice from him to share with you!

So here’s Jareds words of advice!

*Thou shall only pluck one hair at a time – no ‘speed plucking’! (Believe me, I wish I had listened; now I have a random bald spot at the beginning of my brow! which i’m soooo annoyed about it)
*Respect thy mirrors personal space – stand at a reasonable distance, as you need to view your brows as a pair… concentrating on just one, is a recipe for an over plucked disaster. Every so often step back and look at your progress and check symmetry.
*When in doubt, put your tweezers down and get thyself to a brow bar. There are professionals who can sort them out! Head to your nearest Benefit Boutique!

So that was the short version of the story… Let’s dive deeper into some brow shaping tips, also called brow mapping! This basically is a guide to shape your brows (by plucking them) into a perfect arch that suits your face. Following this simple guideline will give you fab brows without much effort! All thanks to Jared!

First things first. You need to find the ideal starting point for your brows.
If you take a quick glance at the pictorial guide below, I used a brow spooly brush to align the point. Just rest the spooly on the dimple of your nose running vertically till it reaches your brow line. Your brow should ideally start here. According to Jared, if you start your brows closer, you can slightly sharpen your look, and on the flipside, starting a bit further off the center would soften your appearance. It’s all an illusion ;-)

Next, we locate the highest point of the arch. This can easily be done by placing the spooly again from the dimple of your nose running straight past your iris to the point where it intersects your brow. Keep in mind that the higher you draw your arch, the sharper and more youthful it looks, of course overdoing it is not ideal… Just slight exaggeration is advised.

Now onto the most important part! The final point that brings your brows balance. The end of your brows.
Simply take that spooly, place it at the side of your nose, and align it to run past the corner of your eye to the point where is meets the end of your brow. If your brow falls short, just use a pencil to lightly extend it to that point when you do your makeup.

So there you go! A perfect arch to suit your face!

Next, I’ll show you how I take my freshly groomed brows and fill them out for a simple day look. It’s basically my favourite part of my makeup routine, and I am excited to share it with you.

*Normally I’d fill in my brows after I have done my eye makeup and foundation. But to make sure you see my brow routine clearly without getting distracted by heavily made up eyes, this is me filling them up after just applying my base.

Firstly, I draw a rather precise line to outline the edge of my brow. All filling has to be done above this margin. I used my trusty Kate brow pencil to do this.

Next, I fill in any bald spots and sparse areas, to make them look uniform.

Usually brow powders don’t stick to bare skin well, so this helps with the brow powder filling that usually follows. In this tutorial though, I skipped filling the entire brow with brow powder and only used my brow pencil to fill my brows and brushed it out with the spooly for a very natural but groomed brow look. See?

However I did go over it using my Benefit Gimme Brow that helped comb all my brow hairs into place and keep them neat, the gimme brow also thickens the lashes by coating the finer hair, giving a more plush look.

Lastly I used a tiny bit of brow powder just at the start of my brows for a softened look and I did this last after doing all my makeup. (Hence the strange little unfilled part at the beginning of my brow! haha) Just scroll down to the closeups to see the finished brow!

So groomed brows like these would be wasted without some pretty eye makeup right? so I used some Benefit products to create a soft eye makeup look to go with them!

As you can see, the start of my brows are now softly filled in and the Benefit Gimme brow has thickened my brow hairs and brushed them into place.

P.S- I kinda went for a tousled hair look to go with the flirty makeup and summery cotton halter top ;-)

 Products used

Eyeshadow- Benefit World Famous Neutrals eye kit. Was pleasantly surprised how perfectly curated the eyeshadows were.. And the silver is great for glamourizing the neutrals for a night time look! I used the eyeshadows over the two cream bases that came with the kit.. it helps the eyeshadow stay put and gives depth to the makeup.

Mascara- They’re Real Mascara.

Brows- Benefit Gimme Brow, Guerlain universal eyebrow kit and Kate cosmetics eyebrow pencil

Cheeks- Benefit Lollitint

Lips- Benefit Kiss You lipgloss (a very pretty lilac shade which is going right into my makeup bag after this;-) Wish I’d used it more before!)

Complexion products- Chantecaille Future skin foundation, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, Cle de Peau concealer stick.

Eyeliner- Eyeko

False lashes- Star Lash

*from the above list of products, the Benefit Gimme brow, World Famous Neutrals eyeshadow kit and They’re Real mascara were sent to me by Benefit Cosmetics, everything else were purchased by me :-)

A Special thanks to Benefit Cosmetics Singapore for the opportunity to meet Jared and for the collaboration!

GIVEAWAY!!!

So for those who are residents of Singapore, Benefit SG has very generously put together a gift or gifts rather to three lucky readers! There’s a grand prize and two other consolation prizes up for grabs!

The winner of the grand prize receives a goodie bag over $300, which includes

A complimentary wax and brow tint, a complete set of They’re Real franchise which includes mascara, Push up liner and remover, Posie balm, High Brow, cream and powder eyeshadow and much more!

The consolation prizes include a wax and tint session to groom your brows, They’re Real franchise in deluxe size and a powder eyeshadow. All which totals up to $100 each

So leave a comment over here along with your e-mail address if you want to win!

P.S- To double your chances of winning, post a selfie of your daily eye makeup or a complete #fotd pic (your choice) on Instagram and tag #BMxBENEFIT and #reallinersg (Don’t forget to make your account public so I see your entries!)

I’ll pick a winner next Sunday (20th July) So you have plenty of time to practice your #fotd selfie looks ;-)

Thank you for reading and wishing you a fabulous week ahead!

BubblyMichelle.

xx

A couple months back I was on the look out for new sunscreens to prepare for the hotter months that were to come, so I got busy and was scoring the makeup counters and drugstore aisles for suitable contenders and been busy testing them since.

Now I am someone who’s new to wearing daily protection (been only at it for around 2 years now). Mostly since I hate having to add ‘yet another layer’ on to my face before I do my makeup.. It really is a pain to be honest, and on most days it’s moisturizer, followed by sunscreen and then primer! By the time I get to my foundation, my skin is looking so oily I just want to puke!

So far I’ve tried a few (La mer, 3Lab etc..) , and the one I’ve enjoyed before this is by Clarins which is a very light weight sunscreen that I was somewhat happy with! However I did still notice a slight oiliness that I wasn’t entirely thrilled about. These days I only use it when I need very high SPF, like if I’m going sailing. The Clarins one comes with a whopping SPF40 and is very lightweight for such a high protection level.

For day to day use, my current favourite is this one by Avène with SPF 30. It’s one sunscreen that leaves ZERO oiliness on skin and completely absorbs in. I also really love the soft scent of Avène products which is soothing and never overwhelming.

For those who like to go bare faced with no makeup (lucky you btw) this is perfect as it leaves no white cast, a tell tale sign of sunscreen use. I love that it’s pretty discrete in that sense and it’s something that I always look for in my daily sunscreen.

The texture of this is of a normal moisturizing cream. Not heavy or sticky. And the nozzle dispenses the product easily and the very soft squeeze tube controls the flow without exploding in your hand like some of the thicker sunscreens, where you squeeze n squeeze the tube so much trying to get out the product and after that air pocket has cleared, a whole load get’s dumped into you hand! Not cool >.<

So for application, the amount I squeezed off the tube is not quite enough, I believe double that amount is best, and I promise you it won’t feel heavily on your skin.

This sunscreen absorbs into your skin quickly and leaves skin feeling slightly moist and soft to the touch. No tackiness. The best way to describe it’s texture is of a light moisturizer, the type they market for normal to combination skin types. Basically this does NOT feel like a sunscreen at all.

As all Avène products, this too is made specially for sensitive skin types, and as a regular user of Avène I can vouch that they have never caused any irritation (I have sensitive skin btw). I really like that something so effective is found in drugstores and if you happen to have access to French pharmacy brands, I highly recommend you try this!

Product details-

It comes with 40ml of product and I believe retails in the range of $45-$55 (SG dollars) I purchased mine a while back, so I can’t quite recall the exact price. Will recheck and update it here soon!
I purchased mine from Watsons Singapore.

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great week!

xx,

Michelle.

Brand new to the GlamGlow® franchise is the ThirstyMud™ hydrating treatment mask which I was lucky to receive a month ago.

It promises ‘deep instant extreme hydration for long, medium and short term results’.

As you all probably know by now I love anything moisturizing and hydrating as it instantly plumps up the face for a youthful healthy look, so I was more than happy to give this a go.

After sufficient testing, I am excited to share with you my thoughts on it, so grab a coffee and sit back, it’s time for a quiet Sunday read ☺

GlamGlow® ThristyMud™ comes in a heavy jar of a beautiful aqua colour which we are programmed to instantly associate with hydration. It’s attractively packaged and feels rather luxurious. I personally hate flimsy plastic jars for housing skincare and GlamGlow® always get the packaging part right!

Another thing I noticed was that the product quantity is more compared to my trusty SuperMud™! The size difference in the jar was hard to miss, so I checked! and I was happy to discover that this comes with 16g more!

First impressions

ThirstyMud™ is of a gel consistency. I love how light it feels as the creamier types usually make me feel like they would clog my pores. Although it’s of a lighter consistency, you don’t have to use a lot of it, just a thin layer should do.

The ThirstyMud has a coconut scent to it which is quite addictive and feels very summery! Perfect for lounging on lazy days and pampering your skin.

Up on application, the mask feels refreshing and minty and I noticed that on sensitive areas such as around my nose and lips it felt a bit tingly. Something unexpected, as I don’t normally experience this sensation with hydrating masks. However I must mention that it wasn’t uncomfortable or bothersome.

Application

The first time I tested ThirstyMud™, I left it on for the specified time, which was 10-20 mins (for daytime use).

Since the mask felt rather tacky I decided to wash it off after the treatment (which also can be wiped off, it’s just down to preference) as I don’t like my skin feeling sticky throughout the day.
I noticed that using water to remove the mask was extremely refreshing as I was left with a cooling sensation as I splashed water over my face.
Results wise I wasn’t blown away. I have used other masks that give similar results as far as ‘instant hydration’ goes.

So first time underwhelming aside. I decided to give the mask a second chance by leaving it on longer as this can be used as a night treatment where you slap it on before bed and wake up with hydrated, plump skin.
I didn’t like the thought of sleeping with a sticky face so I put it on during the afternoon and went about doing my chores at home with the mask on and washed it off later that night. .
This time around I noticed better results. Keeping it on longer did benefit my skin much more.
The drier areas on my face, such as my cheeks felt softer and supple. I really liked the after effect.

So in conclusion I’d recommend leaving this on for as long as you could. You do get better results that way.

Also worth a mention, GlamGlow® ThristyMud™ is also recommended as an inflight treatment where you put in on when you board and leave it throughout the flight duration to save skin from the dry cabin air! Which I fully intend to test out on my next long haul flight ;-)

Lastly, would I purchase this? Probably not, as I do own other masks that do a decent job at a lower price point. I would consider this more of a luxury indulgence.
But that being said, I do feel that it’s something worth trying out for yourself as GlamGlow® masks always have mixed reviews. What works for me might not work for you and vice versa.
So far from the GlamGlow range, my favourite has been the SuperMud® which is my holy grail, purifying, blemish busting, spot treatment mask that I would never go a single day without. But given that I do have relatively hydrated skin the effects of the ThirstyMud® was a little underwhelming although this mask does hydrate and restore moisture as it claims to.
I feel those with clear dehydration issues would notice it’s efficacy better.

Other info

GlamGlow® ThirstyMud™ is 100% Paraben free and suitable for all skin types.
Recommended usage is 2-3 times a week.
Priced at SGD92 (50g)
Retails at Escentials outlets at Tangs Orchard (beauty dept) and Paragon (3rd floor)
Also available in the U.S at Sephora.

Thank you Escentials SG for providing me with the sample :-)

And thank you for dropping by! Happy Sunday everyone!

What better time to do a post on how to pack a travel makeup bag other than when I am about to travel right? So here I am transiting in SL, waiting for some last minute documentation to come through and head on a nice little summer vacation to an undisclosed place ;-)
In the mean time let me show you what I’ve packed.

This looks like a lot. And yeah maybe it is. But other than those few extra eye palettes, everything else is my day to day makeup. Plus it’s for a slightly longish trip so I needed a few extras to avoid regret!

To make sure you don’t miss anything, I suggest you follow a check list or pack things in the sequence you apply your makeup, so you go step by step and don’t forget anything. I have a nasty habit of leaving mascaras and eye primers behind, so I have finally, FINALLY got a checklist ready to make sure I don’t leave things behind in future!

So here’s a list of what would essentially be in my travel makeup bag.

1) Foundation (Or BB cream, tinted moisturizer depending on preference)

2) Primer* (Essential if you want to keep your foundation in place. No time for touch ups when you are busy relaxing or just having fun right?)

3) Concealer

4) Setting Powder (I use the Chanel Les Beiges in 02 and I also packed a little sample of my La Mer powder in a Sephora jar as well!)

5) Finishing Powder (Optional)

6) Bronzer (Optional)

7) Blush (One pink and one coral toned is ideal so that there’s something that matches your lipstick choices, if you wear deeper shades of lipstick, a nude or a beige blush will be good to have as well)

8) Highlighter (I didn’t pack a separate highlighter as I plan on using the lightest shade of my Edward Bess Quad Royale! Love a good multitasker)

9) Eye Primer

10) Eyeshadow palettes (Easier to travel with than packing a load of singles. I usually pick one neutral quad for daytime and a smokey quad for night, I also pack a peachy shade too cos I am obsessed with peach and can’t live without a peach fix even while I’m on vacay!)

11) Eye liner (Liquid or khol liner depending on preference. And if you are heading somewhere beachy, some colourful waterproof eyeliners are a great addition since they are a fun, easy way to update a neutral day time look with minimal effort, and the best part is, they take up very little space and I love throwing a few of those in)

12) Mascara

13) Lash curler (Optional)

14) Brow products (Pencil or powder or BOTH if you are brow obsessed like me)

15) Lip products (I usually pack reds and nudes as they are easy to pair up with my daily looks)

So here’s more close ups of what I packed. I used my Laura Mercier Artists portfolio to pack a majority of these.

The foundation + Kevyn Aucoin SSE + primer ( I packed in a zip lock bag), lash curlers (in their original box) and the massive It Palette, they all went in my cabin bag safe and sound, tucked between my clothes for extra cushioning. The Guerlain travel Meteorites though I packed in their original box and put it in my hand luggage as it’s packaging is fragile. I don’t want to have to deal with a cracked jar while on vacay! Instant fun spoiler  >.< .

As you can see I went to town with lip products and eyeshadows, of course this is totally unnecessary and you don’t have to pack that much! In this case the eyeshadows were packed mainly cos I want to test them out for upcoming blog posts, and the extra lipsticks though are simply cos I like having tonnes of choice in the lip department as it’s usually an easy way to tie an outfit together and look well groomed without much effort.  Normally I transfer all of these into a little pouch when I arrive at my destination so that they are in one place for easy access when I put my makeup on.

So there you have it. Packing made simple. Of course many things I included are luxuries to have while on vacay. But if you are like me and consider your daily makeup routine more of a relaxing ritual, then all of these are essentials ;-)

Finally, thank you for dropping by today, I wish you all a wonderful weekend, and don’t forget to enter the Benefit Giveaway thats open to Singapore residents (P.S- make sure you read the giveaway instructions well so that your entry qualifies for the giveaway).

xx

Michelle.

What’s not to love about NARS collections. They always do things differently and almost always come out with a unique colour scheme of their own each season and fall 2014 was no exception.

This season the craziest hype is circling this very duo i’m about to review for you. The NARS Dolomites duo. And truth be told, it was high on my wish list too. Luckily mine came conveniently for me in the NARS press kit! Thank you Candice & Iris!!! xx

Before we get to the review and makeup look I created, let me run you through some fabulous behind the scenes pics from this particular campaign shoot.

Starting with the campaign image!

The makeup artist James Kaliardos uses the Jardin Perdu Duo. And the intense purple seen here is Tatar eye paint winged out to an extreme V.

For the lips, Bansar Satin Lip pencil was used for a rose brown pout.

Not entirely sure what this polish colour is, but the one that’s seen in the campaign pic is Endless Night, a deep burgundy shade.

Now for some collection details.

NARS Fall 2014 Night Caller collection – Releasing in August (Singapore)

The eyeshadow duos released,

Jardin Perdu (LE)Dolomites (LE)

There are also two new Satin Lip Pencils,

Bansar, a rose brown shade

Mondore (LE) A cranberry shade. Both were incredibly smooth and are on par with the usual SLP quality, Must haves from the collection.

A new Matte Multiple also released.

Mauritanie (LE). Described as a strawberry red.

Four new eye liners in the shades,

Night Flight (Black with cobalt blue pearl)

Night Bird (Black with purple pearl)

Night Clubbing (Black with gold pearl)

Night Porter (Black with green pearl)

Lastly, one new blush was released.

Unlawful which is described as an amber pink with silver pearls

Now onto the review!

Dolomites eyeshadow Duo

Limited edition for fall and comes with what is described as (Left) a rose quartz shade and (Right) a chocolate brown shade which are pretty accurate in my opinion.

The rose shade has a very high shimmer content and is similar in intensity to the purple of the NARS Kauai eyeshadow which released in Spring. The texture was pretty similar too, and was very smooth and buttery. Application was a breeze but there was a little bit of fall out as I packed on more product.

The ‘chocolate’ shade is a medium deep, reddened brown with a satin finish. The application of this was very smooth and blends well. It wasn’t as ‘creamy’ as the rose shade but was somewhat more finely milled and softer. I really loved how this looks on the eyes, specially so on those with medium olive skin tones! It’s actually perfect for a classic burgundy smokey eye once layered over the rose shadow.

Overall this duo wore really well for the entire day and I never experienced any creasing (please bare in mind that I always used an eye primer before application). There was only minor fall out while applying the rose shade and that too wasn’t a deal breaker for me.

Product info- 

This duo comes with 4g of product and retails at SG$ 50

Final Verdict- GET IT before it’s gone.

Sycorax Dual-Intensity mono eyeshadow

Described as a black. This is one of the twelve new eyeshadows that were released in June which are part of the permanent collection.

These new dual-intensity eyeshadows come in a new and improved packaging with a magnetic closure, they also don’t attract as much fingerprints as the usual NARS eyeshadow casings. I really love that actually so I am glad they are slowly moving away from the old rubber type plastic packaging and coming out with this new look! Certainly looks more high end (with a price to match) while still remaining within the brand identity.

Sycorax is a black eyeshadow with little silver micro shimmers dispersed through it. Since this formula can be used wet and dry it allows more variety and depth when creating a smokey look. Upon dry application I found the colour payoff to be rather poor. Although  the wet application did give a stronger stroke, I still found this too rather disappointing as I was expecting a much more intense look. I think this may be due to the fact that the other eyeshadows in this range did swatch incredibly well, and I was expecting the same result. Overall it’s a good black eyeshadow, but not a great one.

Product Info- 

Dual intensity eyeshadows comes with 1.5g of product and retail at SG$44

Night Porter Eye liner pencil

According to the NARS press release Night Porter is a black eyeliner with green pearl.

The liner was incredibly creamy and smooth, draws without any dragging. Colour wise the black was intense and the green micro pearl gave it that something extra. I loved it. However what I noticed was that this never sets so it’s prone to smudging. Somewhat similar to the Urban decay liner formula, but better of course as those don’t apply as creamy or intense. All in all I love the look of this once applied. It instantly intensifies the gaze and draws attention to your eyes.

I am still not sure about how I feel about this liner overall, but I am blown away by it’s creaminess so I might pick up one more of these in maybe Night Bird. I can totally see this being worn by itself for a smudged out grunge look!

Product Info- 

Night Porter retails at SG$ 36

Moving on to a look that I created using these three.

I started off with priming my lids and worked the rose quartz shade onto the entire lid concentrating more on the middle for a high shimmer finish. Then I took some of the brown and deepened the outer corner and also towards the crease. I softened the edges with a blending brush and then went in with the black eyeshadow just above the lash line. I smudged it out a bit further then used a wet brush to draw a more intensified black line closer to the lashes but just the outer 2/3. Finally ran the Night Porter pencil close to lash line and defined the outer corner of the eye.

For the lower lash I lined 2/3 of the outer corner with the brown shade and finished the look with a coat of mascara.

Here’s the final look. A soft rosy finish with a smoked out brown crease. Ideal for no fuss everyday makeup!

A closer look at the eye.

There you have it! My take on NARS fall. Hope you enjoyed reading my long post and found it useful.

P.S- NARS cosmetics are sold in Singapore at counters exclusive to Tangs orchard and Robinsons at the Heeran.

So here I am again, writing about something I’ve been absolutely LOVING these past couple of months.

As you may have already seen, Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow N° 02 (LE) made it to two of my monthly favourites posts so far. But I never really felt the need to do an individual post on it since every other beauty blogger and their cat had already shared their thoughts on this! However since I keep continuously getting inquiries about this powder I figured i’d get a post up in case any of you are still debating if this is something you ‘need’.

Let’s start with some eye candy as always!

Here’s my untouched Chanel Les Beiges N° 02, just a mere 30 mins after purchase. I snapped a quick one with my iPhone as I unboxed this during lunch.

The embossing looks so crisp and nice. I really do miss seeing it in this pristine condition!

Although this may look like any old Chanel powder in it’s classic black packaging, it really isn’t!

It comes in this very minimalistic beige casing that in my opinion looks even better, and just perfect for summer.

But seriously, as if Chanel could ever get the packaging wrong… (rolls eyes).

So this limited edition summer 2014 Les Beiges Healthy Glow Multi Colour powders comes in two shades. Les Beiges N° 01 which is more suited for fairer complexions and Les Beiges N° 02  aimed at fair to medium skin tones.

I purchased N° 02 and this shade should suit everyone from NC 15 to NC 35 as it’s a very sheer powder.

*Anyone higher than NC35, this would be unnoticeable on your skin as far as bronzing is concerned.

Upon close inspection you’d notice that this is of a satin finish. However it’s super fine, and you don’t really notice the shimmer when you swatch the individual strips separately. Only the uppermost stripe has detectable shimmer when swatched. (Click on the image for a closer look)

I really love that the colour isn’t orange or too red. It’s just a beige that’s very neutral and should suit even the fairer rosier skin tones without looking unnatural.

Once dusted over the face, the shimmer in this brings a radiance that isn’t noticeable. it’s discreet and more of a glow rather than outright shimmer. It corrects the ‘flatness’ that results in foundation application and restores the natural contours so your foundation doesn’t look mask-like. I could actually skip blush when using it since it adds depth to my face.

It’s the perfect powder for rushed days or for when you travel.

The finish of this powder is ultra fine. Personally it’s the softest i’ve ever encountered and never looks powdery or feel too heavy on the face. For those with oilier skin types this might not be sufficient to keep your foundation well set. Instead, i’d recommend using this over your regular powder as a finishing powder for added glow and radiance along with some extra sun protection as this contains an SPF 15.

I usually use this to set my makeup without applying my regular powder and the tool of preference is a fluffy Hakuhodo powder brush. Although there is nothing wrong with the brush that comes with the compact, it’s actually of a very good quality with soft bristles. I just don’t think the fan shape is ideal for getting an even swipe of the three shades.

So application wise, there are a few different ways this can be used. My preferred method is swirling the upper two strips and dusting all over my face. I then use the last shade as a shader to add a little extra colour to my cheeks. I never use this as a contour, but for those who love shading, there’s no harm in adding a bit of this just around the outer edges of your face and under the cheekbones. (Notice how I didn’t use the word contour? it’s cos this is NOT a contour shade >.<)

Here’s the third strip worn on the cheeks as a subtle blush. I used it for my NARS review look yesterday.

If you want to get even more mileage, you could use the 1st strip as a subtle highlight too. It’s discreet enough for daytime use and gives a slight lift to your features when applied to the bridge of the nose and chin.

Final thoughts

As far as formulation goes, this is an A+. I also love the rose smell and looks and feels very luxurious on the skin and worth the money you pay.

I recommend this to you whole heartedly. If it’s within your budget or if you are looking to splurge on something nice. This is the ONE.

*I suggest you decide before it’s gone as it’s limited edition as with all lovely Chanel seasonal releases.

Other Info 

Lastly, thank you for stopping by and wishing you a great weekend!

Hope you found this review useful :-)

xx

Hi Hi!

Todays post is all about products i’ve been enjoying lately. Random lifestyle and travel necessities kinda mix with a few beauty essentials thrown in as well.

I usually save posts like this for Instagram, but this time around I wanted to add some quick reviews too, so what better place to do a detailed post than right here, my outlet, my blog!!!

Let’s start out with the edit.

First up, some things I use when I travel.

My Benefit eye mask- A little treat from my visit to the San Francisco Benefit store on Fillmore street. I love how soft and silky this feels and is my inflight essential. I need this to get some shut eye while I patiently (Or impatiently rather) wait till we land.

Sleep sniff box- It’s a soothing mix of essential oils (Lavender, Cammomile & Neroli) that calms the mind and gets you into a nice relaxed state. I love to keep this in my carry on so I can take a whiff of this and go right to sleep.

Next, some mode essentials

Lace slippers – This is by far my most loved pair of shoes right now. Since i’m a jeans and tee kinda gal, they are super easy to mix and match and I always love how it shows off my pedicure too! It’s a very budget friendly find from Bershka and I really can’t get enough. Plus, they are virtually weightless! I can walk miles in them… Glad I packed these for my holiday.

Red Valentino bag – Just big enough to hold my phone, mirror, lipstick and maybe a perfume. But is oh so light and I love how the bright red instantly lifts any outfit. Plus these shoulder bags are always great when going sightseeing cos you can be ‘hands free’ to have your camera ready while making memories! I am glad I am finally putting this to good use, it’s been neglected for far too long.

Some beauty!

Clarins samples – Always a favourite for when I travel. There are quite a few that I use on a daily basis so I am glad I have them in a convenient travel size as well. The products I enjoy the most are their Defining eye lift serum, Hydra Quench moisture mask, Hydra Quench cream gel and the Instant eye makeup remover.

So a quick review on these.

Defining eye lift -

I am someone who wakes up with majorly puffy eye lids. Although they slowly ‘depuff’ by the time I get around to doing my makeup. I still like to use this to tighten my eye area. It’s a serum that can be applied before your regular eye cream and just a tiny amount will do. I apply it on my eye lid and smooth it out towards the brow in a patting motion so that it stimulates circulation and drains any water retention that causes the puffiness. If you are looking to add one more step to your eye routine, this could be a worthy contender!

Hydra Quench cream mask -

This is a Clarins product that I LOVE. It’s not expensive and works just as effectively as some of the more pricier moisture masks i’ve tried. I also love the nice fresh scent of this particular line by Clarins. I use the gel moisturiser of this same line for morning hydration and have talked about it before.

Instant eye makeup remover -

Just a good speedy eye makeup remover with no irritation. I love how this dissolves mascara without having to ‘rub’ too much. And I am glad I have this in a travel size. Clarins really are soo generous with samples. Kinda addicting in a way..

Back to the post,

Hand creams – I’ve been loving two actually. I use the thicker, more nourishing La Mer one as a night time treatment and this Diptyque Eau Rose as a day time hand cream since it’s smaller and I find is very easy to take around in my bag. Personally I wish La Mer would do a more travel friendly size of their hand cream. Have you seen how heavy the cap is??? It’s insane. I feel like I need a separate bag to carry this in!

Now onto some makeup bag essentials..

Hakuhodo retractable brush – Fits perfectly in my little makeup bag and great to use with any powder I might be carrying. I love how it is encased in this holder so the bristles don’t mingle with the other contents of my bag. So hygienic.

VDL Blotting powder – I love this stuff. I remember how I tried this the very first day at the counter and all dewiness, GONE right in front of my eyes. It’s lightweight and doesn’t leave a white cast cos it’s translucent, so even if you have darker skin, this works perfect for you too.

Diptyque Do Son – This is my favourite Diptyque perfume. It’s a heady scent of Tuberose, something feminine and floral but is still a bit creamy and smooth. I’ve had this for over a year now and I still can’t stop using it. I like to keep a sample in my bag so I don’t have to carry my bottle around when I travel. Works out perfectly for me. But I think I may need to restock my samples next time I visit a Diptyque store..

O.P.I Avoplex cuticle oil to go – Something I can’t live without! You really REALLY need to try this. It’s a little tube with a brush tip applicator which instantly hydrates dry cuticles. Normally for me hand creams alone aren’t enough, and I always rely on this baby to keep my hands looking well groomed and hydrated.

Sensai Lip treatment sample – So I have never owned this in a full size and it is my second sample pot (I got three!). But I am completely in love with this conveniently packaged coin size pot of lip treatment. It’s my nightly lip balm and I also keep it in my makeup bag to use as and when needed. The texture of this is not waxy or oily like normal lip balms, but a lightweight formula that feels like a light moisturiser. It keeps my lips in good condition, so I like to have this around.

Armani Flash Lacquer 520 – This is my go-to lipgloss these days. It’s a medium pink with a slight warm tone. Perfect to mimic youthful healthy lips. I also love that this can be layered over lipstick to make them more pinky and flushed. I believe it’s a fail safe colour for most skin tones.

concluding with some lifestyle products…

Penhaligons Endymion candle – Where do I even begin…. It’s an addictive creamy scent with a very sexy warm profile. I keep this in my living area and light it whenever I need to feel pampered and relaxed. I love love love this!

Breath luxury phone portable charger by M.Craftsman – Can’t count how many times this has been my saviour when my phone died. This portable charger can store up to 2.5 times your iPhone battery and is great for when you are on vacay so you can charge on the go if you are out all day. I actually have two. And how sleek is the packaging with the leather and suede mix? VERY!!!

Last but not least -

Some Fashion/Art in the form of Manolo drawings. Who doesn’t like shoes? And I think Manolo makes some of the most creative and exotic ones. I love to brows through this little book and dream of all the gorgeous shoes that I would just love to try on some day. These are more like works of art. Truly admire Mr Manolo.

So there you have it, a ramble about my current loves. Hope I didn’t bore you too much :-)

In any case I plan to do more lifestyle type posts like this in future to break up the monotony of just beauty and skincare reviews.

Wishing you a great weekend!

Michelle.

So a couple of weeks back I had the privilege of previewing the Make Up Stores Autumn 2014 collections.

As someone who is already familiar with most of it’s products, I can say they do ‘colour’ really well! Somewhat of an artistry brand if you may, very similar to the likes of Illamasqua and Nars. What I love about brands like this is that the formulations are stellar and pretty much consistent unlike high end brands which seem to release random duds. Their shadows are always very pigmented, the blushes apply like a dream, and the eyeliners are some of the best out there in my humble opinion.

As you could imagine I was very excited to see tonnes of colour in the new releases. ‘Paint’ which is set to release in August being my favourite.

Let me take you through what’s new for Autumn in a collage form <3  with a few items that caught my eye in each collection.

I like that the autumn releases come in little capsule collections each month.. And this time around there’s Paint, Scream, and Art. All very different as far as the palette goes, but gorgeous none the less!!

Here’s a look at what’s coming out with the Paint collection releasing in August. Talk about about a riot of colour! Don’t you love it??!!!

As you can see, it consists of two eyeshadows, a gloss, lipstick, pencil liner and a marble blush. There’s also fun little neon nail art embellishments which would be perfect for dressing up a simple manicure.

If I had to pick one item, i’d say go for the marble blush Rosso Verona (SGD 32). These are soo pretty and pack some very good colour!

For those with a more adventurous spirit, the two matte shadows (Atelier and Paint retailing at SGD 27) make for very interesting additions to any makeup collection. Although the satin finish is my personal favourite, Make Up Store is actually known for their amazing quality matte products, so you can’t go wrong there..

Considering the entire collection, the most unique though was Blue Pigment dual colour eye pencil (SGD 27) and the duo lipstick Graphic (SGD 29) and of course the candy inspired lip gloss in Portrait! (Which make for fabulous gifts btw) .

P.S- Portrait is actually more of a flesh toned pink shade on the lips. The burgundy and pink mixes into this interesting colour which is extremely flattering. This retails at SGD 31.

On to some pics I snapped at the event :-)

Watt Microshadow from the Scream collection which is set to release in September

More from Scream, Black Star Glitter

LED Lip gloss in Atomic

A look at some of the Art collection that releases in October, more shades of the duo lipstick <3

Lastly, your’s truly with the beautiful & ever so stylish Monica Rufina, director of Make Up Store Singapore.

Hope you enjoyed the pic heavy journey through Make Up Store Autumn 2014. Stay tuned for swatches and a makeup look featuring the products of the Paint collection and Scream collection later on this month.

xx,

Michelle.

‘Lit from within’, ‘glowing skin’ phrases we hear almost everywhere. Personally I am sick of hearing it over & over, but then it’s summer, who doesn’t want to look healthy and glowy right?

So here’s a guide to achieving glowing skin. A 15 min manual if you may, cos I know we all are pressed for time!

I like to start with skincare. As no amount of makeup can make up for unhealthy skin.

Also since this is a quick guide. I am just focusing on speedy remedies. Starting with..

Exfoliation
As you may already know, our skin is made up of layers and layers of cells. The oldest layer being right on the top.
As skin renews its self and constantly pushes new cells to the surface, this older layer sits on top and starts to accumulate as a coating covering the new healthy skin underneath. This is how you find skin to be dull and lackluster.
In order to achieve maximum luminosity, the accumulated dead skin cells need to be gently brushed away. So we use an exfoliator. Personally I prefer a chemical exfoliator over a mechanical exfoliator (regular face scrubs or wash cloths) which is a very mild form of exfoliation using peeling products with fruit acids or lactic acids (which I shall do a separate post on later). But since many of you are most likely to have a scrub of some sort at hand, I say grab that. If it’s a brightening exfoliator, even better!

Gently exfoliate your skin with this. Vigorous, over enthusiastic buffing is not advised as this leads to broken capillaries and sensitized skin which leads to red and raw skin. Not the look we are aiming for.

Moisturize
For the new skin to be glowy we need to ‘water’ it.
Exfoliation temporarily takes away the natural layer of sebum on top of your skin. So we absolutely must moisturise after exfoliation. This stops skin from loosing its moisture as well as help retain and capture moisture to the upper layers with the help of ingredients such as Hyaluronic acid.
Moisturisers also help temporarily take care of dry flaky skin. Which is the key culprit that inhibits light reflecting off your face (which is what creates the said glow we are after). The best way to explain this is, think of how light reflects off a smooth flat surface as opposed to an uneven bumpy surface. You see where I am going with this right?

Bronze
So it’s summer and the hottest chicks around are sporting a tan. Why aren’t you? Let me break down the benefits of a little tan.
1) Bronzing instantly slims down your face. Especially if you concentrate it towards the outer areas of your face when you bronze. So Ideally you do a quick sweep all over and then go back again just around the outer parameter deepening the tan.
2) You are instantly able to wear brighter lipsticks and blushes than what you are usually confortable with, which in turn draw attention to your features. AND you can easily pull off more dramatic makeup looks! As much as the ‘pale and interesting’ look can be appealing, try a bit of bronzing if only for summer.
3) You look like you came back from an exotic vacation. To me, this is reason enough!

Highlight
So bronzing and highlighting go hand in hand. When a bronzer darkens and ‘recedes’, you need to ‘bring out’ certain areas of your face with a little highlighter. This instantly lifts your features and make them look more sharp and defined. A little highlighter dusted on the high points of your cheekbones, bridge of your nose and chin goes a long way.
If you are naturally oily around the t zone, you can skip the nose as you are most likely averse to highlighting that area.
However I find that if you use a good mattifier under makeup, then this is an extra step that makes your skin look beautiful. As much as I hate oil, I love a lit from within glow. And a highlighter is the quickest way to give you bucket loads of this.
*Of course less is more. Always keep that in mind when using a highlighter. In general use a very sparse, tapered brush or a fan brush for best results.

Finishing powder
This is the final step. A good finishing powder is like the invisible butler. You never see it but you know that the job is being done. So what exactly does a finishing powder do?
It essentially smooth’s out the complexion, like photo shopping an image.
Pores and fine lines are blurred and look less visible. Also the fine shimmer in these helps light reflect off your face better giving you ‘the glow’. It basically makes your skin look healthy and even. I personally never skip this step. Hence why I have my trusty Guerlain Meteorites with me no matter where I travel!

So there you have it. The secret to healthy and beautiful skin. Although it was a lot to read, this only takes a very little time when you actually get down to doing it. After which you are left with gorgeous youthful fresh skin that is luminous!
I hope you enjoyed this post and stay tuned for some body basics that will be coming up later this week to help you get the ultimate summer/beach ready body.

Wishing all of you a happy week ahead!
xx
Michelle.

Here’s a review long time in the making. The lowdown on the Shu Uemura Ultime8 cleansing oil.

As much as I love to put on makeup, I am someone who believes one should take the time to properly cleanse and take it off with just as much enthusiasm.

For the longest time I used a regular foaming cleanser to take off my makeup and just follow with a toner. I now shudder at the thought! For those who still do this, please keep reading, you are about to find out why.

The basic difference of a cleansing oil and a regular cleanser is, a cleansing oil is more or less designed to take off makeup and cleanse your face two steps in one. Whereas a cleanser is usually something that’s meant to just effectively execute the cleansing step, ie take off any dirt and grime off your face and not actually heavy makeup. Me being the obsessor, I like to use a cleansing oil after I have pre cleansed my face with a micellar water. This extra step assures me that there’s zero traces of makeup on my face once I cleanse and am now ready for some skincare!

My very first encounter with cleansing oil was when I tried the SK2 oil about two years ago. And since, I have repurchased that and have also been using two of the Shu Uemura oils in rotation. Today I shall discuss the Ultime8. My favourite cleanser from the Shu Uemura range. It’s priced slightly higher than the others and is the ‘super’ cleanser from the bunch. If you are one who gets seduced by skincare claims by cleansers, this one is the ideal candidate for you to try as it’s the anti aging version.

According to Shu Uemura it’s said to..

 ‘Effortlessly remove all kind of make-up and impurities. skin feels soften, conditioned, hydrated, nourished from within and glows with a new radiance’

I’m sure you are interested in finding out if this statement is in fact true. So read on!

Let’s start with packaging & product details.

The Ultime8 is packaged in this amber coloured pump bottle which is ideal as it allows you to easily dispense the product without fumbling around with a cap and is also a very hygienic method of storing product.

The product itself is slightly thicker in consistency compared to the other Shu cleansers i’ve tried. It feels more luxurious and for lack of a better word, smells ‘expensive’. I say this because usually I associate floral or sweet smelling skincare with poorer and cheaper quality!

>.< Although this is purely my personal opinion! 

 Application and use 

Many of you new to cleansing oils may not know this, but cleansing oil is applied directly onto dry skin. Unlike your normal cleanser where you would dampen skin with water in advance. The reason being, the oil needs to come into contact with the makeup in order to break it down and as you know water and oil don’t mix, and dampening your face creates a barrier that oil would only sit on top of and not come into contact with your makeup.

Let me demonstrate the recommended method of removing your makeup using a cleansing oil :-)

Step 1-

I usually start with about 2-3 pumps of oil for a face full of makeup. (Here’s my ‘made up’ hand for a demo)

Step 2-

Slowly work in the oil onto your face with circular motions. And the makeup would start to dissolve.

Step 3-

Emulsify by adding a little bit of water and continue with circular motions. You’ll be left with a milky solution now.

Step 4-

Now you are ready to wash this off, and finally take a cotton pad saturated with toner to wipe your face. I did this step to check if all makeup is off. And as you can see there is still a tiny bit of residue. If so, repeat the process.

Or, if you are like me. Double cleanse. Use a Micellar water and take off any residue.

Step 5-

Completely cleansed skin!

Final Verdict

The Ultime8 Cleansing oil is a gentle but effective way of taking off any makeup and thoroughly cleansing your skin. It leaves my skin soft, bouncy and mildly hydrated and never feels stripped and tight. I also love that it doesn’t leave an oily residue unlike some cleansing oils and I do feel that this would be perfect for everyone including those with oily to combination skin types but especially beneficial for those with dry or mature skin for it’s hydrating and conditioning qualities.

P.S- I wouldn’t recommend this cleansing oil to anyone with sensitive eyes as it does feel uncomfortable if it makes it’s way there.

Is it value for money?

Yes. You only need a very little to cleanse your face each night. And a bottle would last you well over 3 months depending on how many pumps you use.

Product details 

Available in a 150ml bottle as well as a larger 450ml bottle.

*Mine was a sample sent for review by Shu Uemura SG

Today was the perfect day to write about a memorable Spa experience that I had courtesy of the lovely people at Spa Esprit.

The ideal pre holiday indulgence to get me ready for all the action in the weeks to come!

I decided to try their body treatments and went with what was suggested as a relaxing massage where I was promised to sleep like a baby that night, the Classic Scentsational massage.

It consists of a combination of massage techniques including Swedish, Hawaiian and Indonesian strokes, all perfectly sequenced to help you relax and soothe tense and strained muscles.

For the massage I got to pick my own essential oil blend, and 7th Heaven was my choice. There are 19 different blends of oils to pick from btw!

The spa room was not as impressive as I would have liked. It was slightly pokey and I felt that the ambience could have been better. I think I just picked the wrong location. As the Dempsey branch is beautiful as it’s surrounded by nature and looks more ‘spa like’.   P.S- Check out Makeup Blogettes post on her facial massage at the Dempsey Spa Esprit! However, what matters the most is the treatment and that didn’t disappoint. In fact i’d go as far as saying it was one of the most rewarding massages i’ve received.

My therapist Yetni worked on my shoulders and arms first, spending time on each area without rushing through. With her skilled strokes she kneaded and smoothed out knots around my neck where I was feeling rather stiff and worked in all that 7th Heaven elixir on to my sore limbs.

The pressure was just right and I didn’t feel uncomfortable or handled too rough. I also felt that the length of the massage was perfect and by the time she was done I was almost asleep drowning in the gorgeous essential oil aroma that enveloped my body.

Following my massage I was ushered back to the reception where I was offered ginger tea to further my freshly acquired zen moment. And with that concluded my blissful experience at Spa Esprit.

For those of you who are keen on trying out their treatments, i’d like to suggest this particular one as it’s a great starter treatment where you get to experience how skilled they are. I’d actually love to go back to Yetni.

Bottom line, I was a happy client. From the welcome, to the consultation, massage and post massage ‘me time’ with a cup of ginger tea, I really couldn’t find anything that didn’t satisfy me.

P.S- I did have a very good nights sleep that day :-D

Other info-

Spa Esprit locations

The Beauty Emporium at Dempsey. T +65 64790070

Paragon Orchard Level 5. T +65 68360500

While in London I had the good fortune of discovering the newly launched Lipstick Queen Silver Screen lipsticks. The glossy counterpart of the ultra luxe Velvet Rope lipsticks that were released previously.

Of the seven released, I picked up two. You Kid, a warm medium brown nude and Play It, a medium hot pink. (I am nothing if not predictable! haha)

The packaging alone is a complete 180 compared to the initial lipstick packaging that the Sinner and Saint ranges sport which is a rubbery plastic type. These Silver Screens are housed in a weighty silver casing with a magnetised cap, similar to the Velvet Rope lipstick except those are gold. Personally I prefer the silver and I believe this is by far one of the most elegant lipstick designs that have hit the market, yes, even better than the Tom Ford in my opinion. Which is a good thing as it justifies the whopping £35 price tag they carry.

Moving on to application & formula.

These lipsticks are creamy, but not to the point where you’d have to worry about it sliding around. In fact they seem to hug the lips and stay put. I also noticed that this glossier formula is more forgiving and applied smoothly without catching on to dry flakes and the refreshing minty flavour (naturally scented by Peppermint oil) leaves lips tingly as it glides on.

Pigmentation wise, they’re almost opaque in two swipes with a tiny bit of transparency still peeking through, specially so in the lighter shades.

Below are You Kid and Play It worn

You Kid

Play It

According to the online description the ‘mouth watering’ texture of these are said to be achieved with the high percentage of natural Pomegranate Sterols in these lipsticks. Also fortified with Vitamin A and E overall I found these to be one of the most comfortable lipsticks i’ve owned and were surprisingly weightless and hydrating given how pigmented they are.

These wore well into 3 hours, though they transfered quite easily while sipping water and snacking. Although it must be noted they wore much longer than my other creamy/moist lipsticks and faded minimally and evenly.

Here are swatches of the entire range.

From the 7 I found that there were slight variations in pigmentation. Come Up being the most pigmented as it felt thicker, with Made It & Stella on the lower end of the spectrum swatching almost balmy.

Bottom line, I believe this is a fabulous lipstick to own, the quality was there without a doubt. And I would most certainly buy more and I feel they were worth the price.

If your budget allows you, try one, you won’t be disappointed. And I highly recommend Come Up, Play It, You Kid and Have Paris to start with.

Product Info-

Net Wt 0.12 oz / 3.5 g

Retails at Space NK for £35

Hello Hello!

My very first MAC post! :-D And it’s a nice pic heavy one at that! Here’s a preview of the upcoming Marge collection that will hit the stores next week (of course the US already released it 2 weeks back and as always Singapore lagging behind)

Here’s a bit of eye candy to start with, pics I took at the blogger preview session.

All of the above will be releasing in Singapore.

One blush – Pink Sprinkles

Four Lip Glasses – (Top to Bottom) Nacho Cheese Explosion, Red Blazer, Grand Pumpkin, Itchy & Scratchy & Sexy

Two Eyeshadow Quads – Marge’s Extra Ingredients (please scroll down for review), That Trillion Dollar Look

Nail stickers – Marge Simpsons Cutie-cles

Of course the packaging is always sooo darn cute, suckering in us beauty enthusiasts. Here’re are some swatches to help you decide which to drop into your cart first ;-)

Lipglasses – The most easily wearable from the collection I believe.

Love at first swatch, the gorgeous blue/pink micro shimmer of this magenta gloss- Itchy & Scratchy & Sexy. Pigmentation was stellar too.

For those of you who like a bold strawberry pink gloss with a pink pearl, Red Blazer is for you.

Unique yet wearable, Grand Pumpkin- a milky medium orange (no shimmer) . This had medium opacity and looked pretty on the lips despite the bright swatch! There was a little of the gloss settling into lip lines, but nothing major.

Lastly, the most interesting one, Nacho Cheese Explosion, a medium yellow with some sparkles. Idk who would really wear this, but the name is soo cute. Unfortunately, the pigmentation of this was less that impressive too… ooops!

Pink Sprinkles is a medium tone cool pink with shimmer. Applies somewhat sheer but buildable and blends easily. I highly recommend this blush as it’s flattering and a very wearable shade. Great for those who are heavy handed with their blush and shy away from overly pigmented blushes. A great everyday shade :-)

Now onto the two eye palettes, starting with That Trillion Dollar Look eyeshadow quad.

This quad comprises of all greens, ranging from a bright chartreuse to a grass green, muted olive and a blackened murky green with shimmers.

Next up, Marge’s Extra Ingredients eye quad.

A medley of soft shimmery pink, purple, bright blue and deep aubergine, this palette I felt was more wearable and fun. I also like the mix of colours and finishes. Let’s take a closer look……

Firstly, how cute is the packaging?!!!

This palette includes,

A baby pink that applied frosty and sheer, a brightening inner eye highlight. On medium skin tones like mine, this looked more of a soft cool white. Even with the slight fallout, it was nice and workable.

The purple was a medium toned neutral shade. It felt soft to the touch and needed to be built up as it applied sheer. A stunning shade that can be even worn by itself.

The blue was a bright medium one with a soft shimmer finish. Although a bit bold for an all over lid shade, it does look great as a bright pop of colour worn as a liner. I liked the texture of this best, it felt soft and spreads easily.

The last shade in the palette a deepened purple was somewhat disappointing. It was a bit on the drier side and barely swatched on my hand. On the lids it performed better.

Close up, Harpooned Heart – A cool toned luster finish baby pink (PRETTY!)

Overall the pigmentation of the palette was ok. When swatched with fingers it barely had any payoff, however Mac eyeshadows do work better with brushes as the pigment is rather tightly packed and a harder finish, they pick up better with an eyeshadow brush. I used my Tom Ford and Hakuhodo goat hair brushes which did the trick.

Here’s a fun weekend eye look I wore yesterday to test out wear, I recommend using a primer to make sure you use the eyeshadows to their full intensity:-)

As you can see, the colours coordinate with each other really well and bring out the eyes.

Final thoughts

From the collection I found that my favourite was the Pink Sprinkles blush. It was a very soft girly shade and performance was fairly good as well. The Lipglasses were also a great pick. As much as I love the eyeshadow quad for it’s fun packaging and bright colours, I know it’s not something everyone would gravitate to. In any case while at the counter I strongly recommend that you try it on the eyes rather than swatching  :-)

Collection is set to launch on the 12th Sep at Ion and Tangs Mac counters. Happy Shopping!

So today is the day I let you in on a little anti-ageing secret. Here’s the miracle duo that I turn to when my skin needs regenerating, refining and aluminizing. The fabulous Visionnaire and Génifique combo!

I’ve been quite the devoted user of Visionnaire and Lancôme skincare for the last 2-3 years. All thanks to Alex who put me on to this fabulous serum that he swore by. Back then I used it mostly to treat my annoying acne and allergy scars.

Visionnaire according to Lancôme,

‘The innovation of Visionnaire is the first skincare with LR2412, a molecule designed to penetrate throughout all the layers of the skin’s epidermis, triggering a range of micro transformations. With Visionnaire skin perfector treatment, wrinkles are visibly reduced, pores minimized and imperfections such as uneven skin tone are corrected for a perfectly even complexion’.

Packaging

Visionnaire comes in a blue plastic pump bottle, a hygienic and easy to use form of packaging. The pump dispenses a very little product at a time, so there is no wastage. Only drawback was though I always am caught by surprise when my bottle runs out as there is no indication of how much product has been used up unless you hold it up to direct light (which I don’t do on a regular basis!).

Visionnaire droplet (top) Genefique drop (bottom)

Application

Visionnaire is a milky white solution with a slight pink pearlescent look . I don’t detect any fragrance in this, which is something I like.

Normally I go for two pumps. And this is enough for my whole face. It absorbs fast and I am prepped to go onto my moisturizer next.

Testimonial

So let’s get down to the good stuff!

Throughout the course of the years I used Visionnaire, the most noticeable benefit was that it refines skin and treats pigmentation. Any unevenness in skin tone is basically sorted.

I also use this as a treatment for sensitized skin, whenever my face get’s itchy duo to acne or allergies I apply a thick layer on the affected area and go to bed. My skin feels calm by morning and most often than not, breakouts are pretty much controlled.

Recently (3-4 months ago) I was sent the new Génifique- Advanced Génifique. And was suggested to use this as a pre serum before my Visionnaire.

According to Lancôme Génifique is said to give you,

‘Visibly younger skin in just 7 days. Skin looks as if lit from within – breathtaking radiant. Its youthful quality returns: cushiony soft and velvety to the touch. Drop by drop, skin is vibrant with youth, its tone becomes astonishingly even, its texture dramatically refined’

Packaging

Génifique come’s in a very clinical looking glass bottle with a dropper dispenser.

The twist up cap ‘sucks’ up just the right amount of product needed for one application and dispenses it with a click of the button. And I love that the very bottom of the bottle is transparent, so you know just when you are about to run out! genius design!

Application

Génifique is a runny transparent liquid. Not as runny as water but a slightly thinner solution than Visionnaire. One pump of the dropper allows the right amount for one application and I spread it all over my face. It does take slightly longer to absorb than the Visionnaire and leaves skin feeling moist and supple.

I then follow it with Visionnaire.

The revelation!

After years of using Visionnaire by itself I was astonished at how amazing the results of the duo were.

Génifique took anti ageing to a whole new level. Within a couple weeks I noticed one of the three wrinkles on my forehead had faded. No longer was it deep! I also noticed my skin more supple, moist and looking healthier. The regenerative powers of Génifique were clear.

It’s evident that Génifique has a ‘booster’ effect on Visionnaire and I love using these two on a daily basis.

Together they work well to keep my skin young and radiant. 

Hello ladies! ..and gents.. (in case there are a few of you reading as well :-) )

Today post is all about a fabulous FABULOUS neutral eye quad. Yup! I know I got your attention now! Satin Moon. Part of Clé de Peau Beauté’s A/W collection.

For those of you unfamiliar with the brand here’s a little info.

Firstly let’s put a common misconception to rest. Many of you mistake Clé de Peau Beauté to be French although it’s in fact Japanese and is under the Shiseido parent company as one of it’s luxury brands which mainly focuses on luxury skincare while also delivering a high end range of makeup.

CDP is all about subtly enhancing ones features while focusing on radiant, youthful skin. Therefore it’s unlikely you’d have seen bright heavy colours within their seasonal makeup palettes. However that being said, this time around they did surprise everyone with some stunning bold eyeshadows that were fresh and unique. I felt it revived the brand and made it more appealing to the younger consumer enticing them to dip their toe into the luxurious realm of Clé de Peau Beauté.

The new collection consists of 8 new eye palettes, two mascaras and three limited edition lipsticks. At the time I was on vacation and never got to make a dash to the counter. However Christmas came early when I arrived home to a beautifully packaged press kit with a generous selection of goodies from the new collection! YAY!!!

Let’s take a closer look at the eye quad I have for you today..

Clé de Peau eyeshadows come housed in a faceted midnight blue casing embellished with a gold band where the logo sits  elegantly on the far right corner.

Here’s a look at the beautiful blue casing as it catches the light.. looks like a blue sapphire!

Inside….. a stunning palette consisting of warm neutrals which were used to create Amanda Seyfrieds stunning look for the campaign photos.

Satin Moon consists of-

A warm light muted beige-y gold in a fine shimmery finish

A warm bronzed brown in a fine shimmery finish

A shimmery taupe (almost neutral once applied, this was the least warm shade)

A slightly warm deep brown which was a satin finish with a complex mix of purple, green micro shimmer

And a close up of the beautiful shimmer in the deep brown shade

Overall the texture of these were very soft and a single swipe picks up quite a bit of product as it’s rather loosely packed. You don’t need to dig into the palette to get the product onto the brush. Once applied on the eyes, they apply sheerer than expected.

These eyeshadows almost blend themselves and I doubt i’d be able to do an eye look and it end up with harsh lines. They all mix into each other so beautifully. To be honest I never used a blending brush! My basic flat eyeshadow brush did the entire look. All I did was sweep the shades into each other.

While testing these eyeshadows out, I created two different looks on two separate days. One a warm smokey eye and second a more neutral taupe eye look. The versatility of this quad caught me by surprise as it’s normally impossible to create a neutral and a warm look with just one quad. But the trick is to selectively use colours to create the tone you require.

For a warmer undertone, I used 1,2 and 4 of the compact and for the cooler more neutral look, 1,3 and 4 were used.

I thought this quad was very user friendly, versatile and also hits the mark perfectly as far as luxury goes. The quality was there, from packaging right down to the colour mix, it’s just perfectly curated.

A quick guide to selecting a quad 

If you are looking for a warm toned quad- 301 Marmelade sky, 305 Satin moon , 307 Stellar gaze are beautiful picks

For a cooler mix – 303 Baby Universe, 304 Champagne supernova, 306 Silver eclipse, 308 Cosmic aura are lovely

If shimmery eyeshadows aren’t your taste, 303 Baby Universe is for you! In fact this was the only quad that had two satiny matte shadows mixed with two shimmer eyeshadows (All other quads comprised entirely of shimmer mixed with satin/micro shimmer shades) A perfect everyday quad with a rosy undertone.

My personal favourite – 302 Star Dust was a gorgeous mix of forest green, olive mixed with a little pinky beige. A great ‘coloured’ alternative for a neutral eye look for day wear.

Final thoughts-

As always I recommend using an eye primer to get the desired intensity and wear time. And application wise, any eye brush would do cos the formula is easy to work with and overall just A+. These were long lasting and didn’t crease.

I feel the texture and formula of these lie between the Tom Ford quads and Chanel. Not as pigment heavy as Tom Ford but not as subtle as the old Chanel quads.

For more comparison swatches and a great review on this quad, drop by Sabrinas blog :-)

Other info- 

CDP eyeshadows are sold with the case and product refill separate. Each retailing for SGD 30 and SGD 80 respectively. If you are one to depot your eyeshadows or use them for artistry, you can opt to buy only the refill and save 30 bucks. Although part of the magical experience of owning Clé de Peau makeup is the gorgeous packaging :-)

Hope this post was informative and let me know which one’s caught your eye. Personally I am in love with the Baby Universe palette and I think i’d snap that up next! All thanks to Terence at the Tangs CDP boutique who used this on my eyes the other day… now I am hooked!

For those of you who caught my Make Up Stores Autumn Winter launch roundup a while ago, here’s the next installment. Swatches of the Paint collection which released in August. I’m a little late, but I hope you’d still find this post useful ;-)

A quick look at the products that released.

Two eye shadows -

Atelier – a soft powder blue

Paint – a medium Azure blue

Due eye liner pencil -

Blue Pigment – a medium bright blue + deep navy blue

Duo lipstick -

Graphic- a warm light pink with a beige core

Lipgloss wand duo -

Portrait – a soft pink mixed with a deep burgundy

Blush -

Rosso Verona – A bright pink red with speckled tangerine and magenta

* There’s also lashes and neon Nail Deco in ‘Drip Drop’ that came out with this collection

Let’s start with my favourites from this collection, Rosso Verona. A blush after my own heart!

Although it may look intimidating in the pan, it actually delivers a very believable, natural flush which is perfect when paired with softly defined eyes and a good MLBB (my lips but better) lipstick. That being said, this product was soo pigmented I needed the lightest touch to get the desired intensity.

Those of you who love bright and well pigmented colours like Exhibit A by Nars or Illamasqua blushes, this would be right up your alley.

Here’s the swatch. It actually IS this intense when swatched with a heavy hand and I am happy to report that it was never powdery and had a beautiful satin sheen.

So as you may have gathered by now, the collection is all about fun and bright colours as the two eyeshadows seen below,

Atelier and Paint.

Between the two I find Atelier more to my personal taste. A pretty feminine shade to add some colour to the eyes. Atelier applies true to pan even on my medium complexion and shows up well. the pigmentation wasn’t very high, and slightly powdery during application.. However I didn’t find it a difficult colour to work with as it can be built up to a good colour saturation and it was quite a welcome addition to my eyeshadow arsenal which lacks a good matte powder blue. I recommend using this over a primer to prolong wear.

Paint is a bright medium blue. Which pulls rather teal when I apply it on my yellow toned skin. On those with neutral colouring this should show up more bluer. The colour payoff wasn’t stellar so building up was needed to achieve the more intense colour I was looking for. Normally Make Up Store matte eyeshadows are some of the silkiest and pigmented ones out there so I did feel slightly disappointed.

Duo eyeliner in Blue Pigment

The mix of blue and navy can be used to create several eye looks without having to invest in two different products. Also the design enables you to even create an ombre look if desired and did deliver good colour though it did drag a bit on the lid.

Onto lip products!

So i’m most excited about the candy inspired spiral duo gloss, Portrait! I love anything that’s inspired by sweets to be honest. Cupcakes, lollipops, macarons… the list goes on! So it was inevitable I fell for the packaging before I even opened the gloss!

Luckily though it was not just a pretty face. It’s actually a well pigmented gloss that delivers good colour which translated semi opaque on the lips! Excellent formula. And at the price point I feel everyone should pick up one of these. The mix of the two shades, pink and burgundy created a dusty mauvey pink that’s very wearable day to day. I see myself using this a LOT. I specially believe those with even medium to darker skin tones would love this as it does show up on pigmented lips.

The lipstick Graphic is a soft pink. A shade more suited for fairer skin tones. I like the cute design with the sheer beige core. This is to give the lips a 3D effect so that once applied, the centre of the lips glisten and give more volume and depth. Since my lips are rather pigmented this doesn’t show up on me much. On fairer complexions this would look really pretty though.

The texture of the pink feels a slightly dry, so application gets a bit uneven if you try to build it up and catches onto flakey bits. I suggest you give your lips a good scrub before slapping this on and wear it in a thin layer.

Final thoughts

For those who are interested in trying this collection I’d recommend the blush, the gloss and the light blue eyeshadow which is absolutely cute. I feel the powder blue paired with a satiny peach gold eyeshadow would look stunning!

Other info

Microshadow in ATELIER – S$27

Microshadow in PAINT – S$27

Eyepencil Duo in BLUE PIGMENT – S$27

Duo Lipstick in GRAPHIC – S$29

Lipgloss Wand Duo in PORTRAIT -S$31

Marble blush in Rosso Verona – S$32

Make Up Store can be purchased at the stand alone store at Paragon 2nd level, also at Robinsons beauty department at Heeran as well as Vivo City.

*All the products featured were a press sample I received for review when I attended the blogger event in July.

Hello!

Welcome to the first installment of swatches of the newly launched NARS lipsticks. The Audacious lipstick range.

But before we get to the swatches, here’s a little intro.

NARS describes them as, ‘Modern Lipsticks so shamelessly seductive in touch and texture the sensation is audacious. Unabashed luxury glides on like satin across the lips with single-stroke coverage. A spectrum of 40 shades of unstoppable impact. Swipe on. Strike bold.

The product promises-

* One stroke full coverage, creamy wear.

* Luxurious texture enriched with ingredients to smooth & nourish lips

* Long Lasting

As stated on the NARS website these pretty much are full coverage opaque colour in one swipe, except for a few of the darker wine colours that didn’t quite hit that mark. The new and improved packaging is also an upgrade from the older version which was a rubbery plastic type that attracted a lot of dust and lint.

The Audacious packaging is much larger and is a smooth matte black with a magnetic closure which snaps into place when recapping. Feels much more luxurious and definitely worth the S$6 price hike. (These retail at S$44)

Now onto some lipstick porn to help you get familiar with todays batch of colours!

Row 1 top to bottom – Claudia, Marissa, Michiyo, Greta, Angela

Row 2 top to bottom – Janet, Fanny, Silvia, Vera, Vivien

Shade descriptions

Row 1

Claudia – A cool toned light medium pink. This was noticeably drier in texture in comparison to the others. Although this did not affect the application much and did deliver a nice opaque layer of colour in one pass.

Marissa – A warm toned light medium pink. A very flattering ‘bubblegum’ shade that made it to my personal favourites. This went on smooth and opaque.

Michiyo – A bright medium pink. This swatched smooth and creamy and was a stunning bold colour along the lines of NARS Schiap but with less white, I believe this makes it flattering even on medium to darker complexions.

Greta – A bright coral pink but warmer with more red undertones compared to Michiyo. This too was crazy pigmented and swatched the best from this batch. The texture was smooth and creamy.

Angela – A cool toned medium orchid pink. This went on smooth and opaque with rich colour pay off.

And a closer look

Row 2

Janet – This swatched beautifully and had more slip compared to the others. Also worth noting was that this had a faint blue/purple iridescence to it which made it stand out from the rest as everything else was creamy matte or satin matte to the most part.

Fanny – A slightly muted, cooler with more red undertones in comparison to Janet.

Silvia – A bright, medium deep magenta.

Vera – A rich brightened berry shade.

Vivien – A muted neutral berry shade with brown undertones. This felt slightly drier yet was fully opaque in a single swipe.

And a closer look

Close up of Janet. I hope you can spot the iridescence :-)

Top picks 

Based on texture and ease of application I picked three. Michiyo, Greta and Janet. These swatched exceptionally well with impressive colour pay off and vibrant hues.

As personal favourites I liked Marissa a lot. A very easy to wear warm pink that would suit most fair to medium complexions. If you are into pinks, this is something that’s worth checking out. And the fabulous colour pay off is a good incentive to pick one up even if you may have similar colours to this!

Least favoured

Claudia was a very difficult colour to pull off as it ran rather too cool toned on me.

Other info

NARS is available in Singapore at TANGS Orchard as well as Robinsons Orchard.

*also note, Robinson will only be carrying 30 shades where as TANGS will be carrying the entire 40 (including the 10 exclusive shades)

Each lipstick comes with 0.14 Oz 4.2g of product and retails at SGD 44.

Lastly thank you for dropping by and I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for the other swatches which I shall be posting within the next few days.

xx

Michelle.

Hi again!

Did you catch the first installment of NARS Audacious lipsticks? If not, head here.

In this post I feature another 10 of these gorgeous lipsticks. Personally this is my favourite batch as it features mostly reds!

So if red lipsticks are your weak spot, you are in for a treat!

Before the swatch fest, here’s a little background info to get you started.

NARS describes the Audacious line as, ‘Modern Lipsticks so shamelessly seductive in touch and texture the sensation is audacious. Unabashed luxury glides on like satin across the lips with single-stroke coverage. A spectrum of 40 shades of unstoppable impact. Swipe on. Strike bold.

The product promises-

* One stroke full coverage, creamy wear.

* Luxurious texture enriched with ingredients to smooth & nourish lips

* Long Lasting

As stated on the NARS website these pretty much are full coverage opaque colour in one swipe, except for a few of the darker wine colours that didn’t quite hit that mark. The new and improved packaging is also an upgrade from the older version which was a rubbery plastic type that attracted a lot of dust and lint.

The Audacious packaging is much larger and is a smooth matte black with a magnetic closure which snaps into place when recapping. Feels much more luxurious and definitely worth the S$6 price hike. (These retail at S$44)

So here’s todays 10.

Row 1 top to bottom – Catherine, Julie, Juliette, Natalie, Kelly

Row 2 top to bottom – Grace, Geraldine, Lana, Annabella, Carmen

Shade descriptions

Row 1

Catherine – Described as a sunny guava, this is a medium coral-orange which leans warm.

Julie – A warm peachy pink. A perfect shade for a pretty rose bud pout which would work well on fair to medium skin tones. Application was smooth with almost opaque coverage.

Juliette – A bright pink coral with a faint golden micro shimmer. This was full coverage in one pass.

Natalie – A warm medium coral pink. The formula was just nice and applied smoothly and was opaque in one swipe.

Kelly – Warmer and deeper in comparison to Natalie. This was a coral red. The coverage was excellent and went of very smooth. This had the best texture and smoothest application within the bunch.

And a closer look,

Row 2

Grace – A deeper more pink version of Kelly. This applied creamy and smooth and achieved full coverage in a single stroke.

Geraldine – A bright warm medium orange. This too was full coverage in a single stroke.

Lana – A bright orange red. The coverage was fully opaque and was noticeably creamier and smooth than the others. There was clearly more slip to this shade.

Annabella – A bright medium poppy red. As with Lana the coverage and application was top notch.

Carmen – A neutral true red. This too applied smooth and was fully opaque in a single swipe.

And a closer look,

Top picks

So in this batch I had 6 picks (Don’t judge). It was too hard to pick just a few! All were soo tempting!

However what stood out the most to me though was Lana, Annabella & Carmen and are must haves if you are keen on reds.

I also loved Kelly & Grace for a super bright pop of colour.

Last of all, I picked Julie. I feel this is a crowd pleaser sort of shade that would look pretty on just about anyone!

Overall most of these colours are great for spring and summer. Soo bright and vivid, and the texture and colour payoff was exceptional. There were no duds here.

Least favoured

Geraldine had to be it. As much as I love orange lipsticks, this was something i’d pass on. It just looked too yellow for my liking.

Other info

NARS is available in Singapore at TANGS Orchard as well as Robinsons Orchard.

*also note, Robinson will only be carrying 30 shades where as TANGS will be carrying the entire 40 (including the 10 exclusive shades)

Each lipstick comes with 0.14 Oz 4.2g of product and retails at SGD 44.

Lastly thank you for dropping by and I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for the other swatches which I shall be posting within the next few days.

xx

Michelle.

Hello! It’s time for more NARS.

But before we get to the swatches, here’s a little intro.

NARS describes these as, ‘Modern Lipsticks so shamelessly seductive in touch and texture the sensation is audacious. Unabashed luxury glides on like satin across the lips with single-stroke coverage. A spectrum of 40 shades of unstoppable impact. Swipe on. Strike bold.

The product promises-

* One stroke full coverage, creamy wear.

* Luxurious texture enriched with ingredients to smooth & nourish lips

* Long Lasting

As stated on the NARS website these pretty much are full coverage opaque colour in one swipe, except for a few of the darker wine colours that didn’t quite hit that mark. The new and improved packaging is also an upgrade from the older version which was a rubbery plastic type that attracted a lot of dust and lint.

The Audacious packaging is much larger and is a smooth matte black with a magnetic closure which snaps into place when recapping. Feels much more luxurious and definitely worth the S$6 price hike. (These retail at S$44)

Here’s a list of the 10 shades featured in todays post.

Row 1 Top to Bottom – Charlotte, Audrey, Dominique, Anna, Anita

Row 2 Top to Bottom – Venessa, Jane, Brigette, Barbara, Raquel

Row 1

Shade descriptions

Charlotte – A dark burgundy red. A stunning stunning colour for fall! The texture of this was more emollient and had a glossy rich sheen once applied.

Audrey – Described as red currant, is a warm muted wine red with brown undertones. This applied smooth & creamy with full coverage in a single pass.

Dominique – A dusty medium mauve lilac.  This shade was very muted and had heavy grey undertones which made it a little dulling on the lips. The application itself was smooth and achieved good coverage in a single stroke.

Anna – A medium cool pink rose shade. The application was smooth and had very good coverage in a single stroke.

Anita – A medium warm rose pink. A perfect MLLB shade if you were on the look out for one.

Row 2

Shade descriptions

Vennessa – A medium muted warm mauvy pink with brown undertones. Application was smooth and creamy with a satin finish.

Jane – A warm terracotta orange with a creamy smooth formula & satin finish.

Brigitte – A warm rose nude with peach undertones. This too was opaque in one swipe and a satin finish.

Barbara – A neutral medium, rosy brown nude. On my complexion this was an updated version of a 90’s lip. Application was smooth & creamy with good coverage in a single swipe.

Raquel – A warm pinky beige nude. Application was smooth and creamy with full coverage in one swipe.

Top Picks

Overall my favourites were the nudes. They came in many different undertones so you are bound to find something that’s suited for you. My personal picks from the nudes would be Raquel, Barbara, Brigitte & Anita.  They all look great on medium to fair complexions except Raquel which is a touch too pale and would look best on fair complexions.

Audrey too caught my eye as it was a very rich wine shade that was perfect for the coming months.

*I also should note that this batch had many lipsticks with a satin finish. Though barely noticeable when worn they still look more like a demi matte.

Least Favoured

Dominique. This was very ‘dusty’ once worn and the grey undertones made it difficult to wear.

I feel this particular batch was very uniform as far as the formula & coverage went. There were no shades that performed poorly so it’s only down to colour preference when it comes to choosing.

Other info

NARS is available in Singapore at TANGS Orchard as well as Robinsons Orchard.

*also note, Robinson will only be carrying 30 shades where as TANGS will be carrying the entire 40 (including the 10 exclusive shades)

Each lipstick comes with 0.14 Oz 4.2g of product and retails at SGD 44.

Lastly thank you for dropping by and I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for the other swatches which I shall be posting within the next few days.

xx