Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Review - Bath & body Works Body Cream Vs Victoria's Secrets Hydrating Body Cream

Hihi! Hope everyone survived the dreaded Monday blues well and are still thriving for more! :o)
If you follow my blog, you would have probably realized that I'm an avid fan of body creams and lotion. And review for the day - Bath & Body Works Vs Victoria's Secrets!! Body creams are really personal and subjective to individual's preferences, so do note that my comments are entirely based on what I like.

Both reign from USA and are either hard to locate in Singapore or they are being sold at crazy prices when you do spot them in Singapore!!
Bath & Body Works

The variety of the scent that's available at B&B is mind-boggling to say the least! And on top of that, you can actually get each bottle/tube of lotion for as low as USD3 during of of their online promotions!! This was exactly what I did some time back and ordered a whopping 9 bottles of lotion from their website. Nope, I have not finished any of the B&B lotions that I hauled previously... But seriously, when has that ever stopped me from getting anything that I want??!? :o)
And onto the pros and cons of the lotion:
Pros:
  • Easy to work into the skin
  • Light scent - good for the night cause I don't want to be overwhelmed by the smell that it actually bothers me
  • Wide variety of different fragrances - you will DEFINITELY find something that you like - finding it is the problem cause there's just so many to go through!
  • Different texture of cream to choose from - lotion (lighter on the skin) Vs cream (heavier and more moisturizing)

Cons:
  • Scent does not last on the skin
  • Only available online for SGP

Victoria's Secrets:

Shopping in the Victoria's Secrets store in San Francisco itself was such an indulgence for me! I was so over-whelmed by the fact that I was in the actual VS store shopping and not doing the online 'click and checkout' thing that everything just seem like a fairytale!! :o) Awwww......
And like everything else in USA, the selection is just over-whelming!! I took ages to decide on what I want!
Pros:
  • Very moisturizing on the skin - this lotion really does work and just transforms your skin into this silky smooth veil
  • Lasting scent - the smell of VS creams actually last longer than the B&B counterparts
  • Over-whelming selection of different scent to choose from - just like how B&B is
  • Varied texture of cream/lotion to suit different needs as well

Cons:
  • Stronger fragrance - this is really personal, might be a pro for some who loves stronger smell
  • More expensive than B&B - this is going at 5 bottles for USD30 (USD6 per bottle)
  • Only online shopping for SGP or SGD19 per bottle (you bet, I have seen it going at SGD19 for a bottle of VS body lotion!)

My haul from B&B is already on it's way to Singapore as I'm typing right now. I hope that I'll be able to share my purchases with you really soon. But in the meantime, sleep tight and thanks for reading! :o)

Saturday, August 28, 2010

The Gaga Haul

Hi all!! It was my lucky day on Friday when the MUA at Raffles City Mac found 4 remaining Gaga lipstick stashed at the bottom of their drawer when I was just trying my luck - it's sold out everywhere by now! Yes, I know I'm late on the bandwagon but I was really just trying to hold back looking at the HUGE amount of products I have to go through. Anyway, here's the pics:


And the swatch of the lipstick:

Actually I'm not really sure whether I would be able to carry off this cool-tone pink with my everyday look - I tend to be quite light-handed in my everyday makeup since I work in a more conservative environment. But there are some changes going on with regards to my job scope and hopefully, I would be able to be a little bit more adventurous on my makeup after that change is finalized. Wish me luck and thanks for reading! :o)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

My Stila Palette Collection

Hihi! I'm a closet fan of Stila makeup - closet because no one seems to share the same love that i have towards their collection and no one even seem to care about what I think about them. But this is my blog and all I want to do now is to dedicate an entry to my Stila palette collection. A view of all that I have till date:

 

Double Duty Beauty Palettes:

Double Duty Beauty Palettes - Day to Night Plum Palette

Double Duty Beauty Palettes - Day to Night Gray Palette

 

Jade Blossom Look:

 

Stila Warm/Cool Palettes:

Warm Palette:

Cool Palette:

 

The Look Collection:

Cool... the Look

Feminine..... the Look

Pretty....... the Look

Chic.... the Look

 

Mod Look Palettes

Mod Look 1

Mod Look 2

 

Italian Ices Palette:

Italian Ices..... Uno

Italian Ices..... Tre


Italian Ices..... Due

 

Random Palette:

Four Pan Compact - Sage Set:

 

Re-orient Bamboo Blossom:

Yup, a super picture heavy post that I have here! I have been falling back in love with some of the Stila palettes while I was sorting through them for this blog post and I really hope to do some FOTDs soon with these. Hope you girls have been having a great week and thanks for reading..... :o)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Nail Bits: NOTD - TFS PK104

It's the weekend and it's definitely time for some loud colours to be spotted on my finger-tips! Featuring the FACE&it series of polish from TFS:

I'm wearing the colour PK104 in the above picture. The polish is a little darker in real-life but still pretty much true to what was being shown in the picture. I initially thought of switching to a more work-appropriate colour come Sunday, but I really like how this looks on me. So reluctant to take it off that I've decided to keep it on for probably a day or 2 before I remove it.
By the way, I totally forgot to mention that this polish is the quick-dry version from TFS. When using it, it really does perform true to it's name - dried up pretty fast and save me all that smudging mess. And the above manicure was achieved with just one coat of the polish. So I must say this is some pretty opaque polish. Have not tried other colours from this series yet, so I won't know if it's colour dependent or if it's true for the entire series. Will report back soon. In the meantime, sleep-tight and good-night! :o)

Love Haul: Taiwan Lashes

Hihi! I had a lovely weekend to recharge myself for another crazy week ahead. The best part of the weekend was to meet a girlfriend whom has just got back from Taiwan with stuff for me!!

Yes people, it's falsies again!! Seriously, I don't think I have done enough research before her trip to know what I should be getting in Taiwan - all I know is that falsies are dirt cheap in Taiwan! So here I am with more falsies than I will ever need in my life. Haha.... :)

Here's a close-up of the lashes:

Trendy Eyelash (pink plastic packaging)

My Eyelash (Black box)

Definitely no outrageous lashes here from my girlfriend because she wasn't sure what I would like. So she chose to err on the side of caution. I really liked what she has gotten for me, and more should be coming my way when she travels to Taiwan again coming Nov 10'. It's really great when friends travel cause they get to bring so much goodies back for me!!

Hope you had a great weekend like me and thanks for reading! :o)

Thursday, August 19, 2010

OOTD - YOG Orchestra Concert at Esplanade

Hihi! Something great has happened in my life and I'm really looking forward to that new chapter in my life - hence the lack of blog posts lately. This is a long over-due post on the outfit that I wore to the YOG Orchestra concert at the Esplanade with the girls. *Picture heavy from this point on*







Transparent tank top - random shop in Sgp, Distressed jacket - Mango, Tulle skirt - Mango, Boot - random fr Hong Kong, Ring - random shop in Bugis, Necklace - random shop in Northpoint, Bag - Mango
I really enjoyed having such a night out with the girls. Hope you had a good weekend as well!! :o)

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Hair Woes No More

It's a hot tropical country that we are living in - that's equivalent to having to deal with frizzy hair and oily scalp for almost everyone.
I have had problems with oily scalp for the longest time!! I need to wash my hair everyday in order to not have my hair looking like it has just been through an oil slick or having so much irritation with my scalp that it actually itches all day long. BUT, that's until I discover something new - La Bourse Hair Detox Shampoo!!

What it claims:
  • Contains garlic extract to help enlarge capillary blood vessels and activate hair papillae to encourage hair growth
  • Clean and nourish for stronger hair roots
  • Re-condition dull, dry hair
  • Tones hair scalp in seasonal hair loss

How it Performed:
Since this is a detox shampoo, it's definitely not something I would slather on every night because my hair was already too fried from the chemicals I'm loading it to begin with. So I used this shampoo twice a week. And after weeks of using it, I can proudly say that it has definitely relieve a lot of scalp irritation for me - no crazy scratching of my scalp during the course of the day.
And after prolonged usage of this shampoo, I actually noticed my hair having more volume than before. Maybe it has helped to removed so much of the other hair products residue that's weighing my hair down, it actually helped to give me so much more volume. That's a clarifying shampoo right there for you!
I won't go as far as to comment on the conditioning effects and the improvement on my hair texture because I'm not using it everyday to be able to make a judgement on that. I think it really depends on what you want this shampoo for..... For me, I wanted this to be a clarifying shampoo and something that would relieve my scalp irritation - it scored an A on both counts!! So because of that, this is definitely a re-purchase for me after I'm done with this bottle of mine!!
Hope you had a good Saturday. Good night and thanks for reading. :o)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Bling me Out!!

Hihi!!
I think I'm in the accessories phase of my shopping haul lately - I bought 2 more necklaces from probably my favourite jewellery shop in Northpoint!

Aw...... Don't you just love how this dainty little crown looks nestled amongst my little fern? In contrast to earrings, I love tiny little necklaces that almost can't be spotted from far. I just find that there is something sensual and sexy about wearing something that only people near to you can spot. I think I really like necklaces like these that you can just pick up and wear it with whatever outfit you have on that day - it's just so versatile! And not to mention that this only costs SGD16 - really great pricing for this small little jewel. :o)

In contrast to the previous necklaces, this is something really blinged-out and lady-like - definitely not what I would wear with my normal casual outfits. But I would like to have something classy to wear for those special night outs. And so there it goes sitting snugly in my basket as I trudged towards the cashier. This sets me back SGD28, but I would still think that it's quite a bargain for how intricate the necklace is.
This week has really spent me out quite abit with all the early morning teleconferences. Need to hit the sack soon. Night and thanks for reading.... :o)

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Review - Body Scrubs (Ahava, Body Shop, Aqua Rine)

I love my body scrubs and I ain't shy to declare this to the world. :o)
Ahava - Uplifting Butter Salt (Mandarin Cedarwood)

This body scrub is exactly how the name describes it - butter salt!! The texture of the scrub is almost cream like when you touch it in the tub:

This is probably the most non-offensive scrubs out of all that I have tried till date! You can only feel small granules sugar and dead sea salt when you start to apply this to your skin and even that, it almost melts into your skin immediately - leaving only the most luxurious feel of natural oils on your skin. The most exciting part comes when you rinse off the butter salt!! OMG!! The skin feels amazingly smooth and it lasts you for a good couple of days.
I absolutely adore this body scrub but this is also the most expensive out of all that I have tried! It cost SGD43 for 350g of products but technically speaking, you don't need to use alot each time - so it might actually work out to be a bargain depending on how you use it.
The Body Shop - Moringa Body Scrub:
Ok, I think hardly anyone has ever let the years gone by without trying out any body scrubs from The Body Shop!

The Body Shop offers a couple of different textures in their body scrubs, but I really only like the creamy granular kind:

I have tried the gel-like kind (passion-fruit) and those that are of the creamy sugar texture (cranberry) but I find those to be of much more hassle to use in the shower and the after-effects just so-so. So I'm sticking to only those with texture that are similar to the moringa ones and so far I have tried both moringa and olive and loving it!! :o)
Aqua Rine - Rose Bath Sea Salt:
This is such a bargain!! I got a whopping 400g of products all of a sum of SGD9.80 from Sasa!!

If you have followed some of my earlier posts, you would have seen that I have such a weakness for products that smell of rose or cherry blossoms! Not sure why that works on me, but I just lose my mind when I smell rose and decides that I need whatever that it is in my stash!

Texture wise - it's creamy, granular and smells divine!! I love using this when my skin gets so dull that I think I need a good exfoliating scrub to get all the dead skin off! Not to mention that this is as cheap as chips and if you get it during the 20% sale that Sasa sometimes have, it's even more of a BARGAIN!! But you see, I can never wait when it come to anything with a rose-like smell..... :o)
That's all I have for my body scrubs! Hope you have a good National Day! :o)