March Sephora Haul!

You know what? I blame Sephora. They keep shoving us 10% discount vouchers, I feel guilty if I didn't get the chance to use them. So one day I walked into Sephora with a shopping list and a heart full of determination, only to find out that most NYX butter glosses and matte lip creams I wanted were out of stock. What? No!

Well the good news is, Sephora was having a promotion at that time so I ended up getting 15% discount on all purchased items, yay!

First up, I picked up Triple Action Cleansing Water from the Sephora Collection as my friend recommended it to me. I also want to compare it to my HG Bioderma Sensible H2O Micelle Solution as they are actually quite similar except for the price tag. Come on - let's face it, Bioderma is extremely expensive.

I also got a lip product from the Sephora Collection which is their Cream Lip Stain in 04 Endless Purple. It is a wine burgundy red lip cream (sort of like a liquid lipstick) that gives a matte finish and it looks so pretty on my Youtube crush Diana (Easyneon). She used this in one of her tutorials and I know immediately that I had to have this.

Another lippie I picked up is the NYX Butter Gloss in Apple Strudel (BLG08) and I am really loving it so far! It has a lovely peachy-pink tone and it just looks so natural on me. It has definitely become my new favourite MLBB, I'll tell ya that.

Next up, I got my HG Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Setting Spray as I've used up my travel size one which I got from the previous haul. This setting spray - I kid you not - is the bomb. It not only makes my makeup last whole day but also somehow reduce the cakiness and powdery looking feeling. 

I also picked up a sample size Tarte Maracuja Oil while queueing for payment at the counter. That row of mini/travel size products which is strategically located ithere... It always sucks me in like a black hole 'cuz I want to impulse-buy all of them! 

Anyway, this bottle of wonderfulness comes in 0.5 fl oz while the normal size contains 1.7 fl oz. I have heard so much about this so when I saw this standing beside the aisle with a RM50 price tag, I snatched it immediately. Maracuja oil is actally extracted from passion fruit and it contains a large amount of essential fatty acids and vitamins that will help to recharge and replenish our skin, well, at least according to Tarte.

Every night I put 2 drops of this maracuja oil onto my palms and gently rub them against each other. I then massage them into my cheeks which become rather dry due to the rough weather at Taiwan.  So far it doesn't break me out, it absorbs well and it really moisturises my skin. I highly recommend this to anyone with dry skin!

Lastly I picked up two Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed and Blissful. Call me crazy but this is actually my first step in starting my Tarte blushes collection, hee. Well I couldn't resist, they're so pretty and good quality that I am actually thinking of getting either Natural Beauty or Babydoll next. (...Or maybe both?)

Freebies time! Sephora kindly gave me the samples of Fresh Soy Concentrating Eye Makeup Remover, Fresh Rose Hydrating Eye Gel Cream, Boscia Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil, Total Age Defy Cream from their house brand..... and a 3-step sample kit from Biotherm Homme.

I mean, I learnt from a video that the whole skincare for men and women are just a common gendered marketing technique but still, seriously? Come on man. Well that aside, definitely looking forward to trying all the samples out! :D

I also received a black and white bedroom slippers for being a black card member. I was initially feeling happy from getting freebies until my mom started shouting at me for accepting shoes during Chinese New Year. Yikes. (Shoes are pronounced the same way as 'evil' in Mandarin and as a part of Chinese culture, it is considered bad luck to accept shoes as gifts during the new year.)
Sorry mom. But thanks anyway, Sephora. 

Current Favourite: Unix Take Out Mini Multi Iron

I first saw this in one of Shu Ann's Tried and Tested episodes where she visited Seoul. I was immediately attracted by the vibrant colours of these curling tools. These travel-friendly mini irons are only as big as my palm and I was very fortunate to be able to track it down at Watson during my trip to Taiwan. And what's more, I paid NT$399 (~RM47) instead of NT$499 (~RM58) all thanks to some anniversary event Watson was having at that time. I opted for the Multi Iron which can be used to straighten and curl hair and it comes with a pouch and a cord holder.

I usually apply Lucido-L Designing Aqua Hair Curl Lotion (a heat protectant spray) and Ma Cherie Decoration Keep Spray before and after curling my hair. I only curl the end of my hair as recently I've been loving an airy and simple look over big bouncy curls.

This is how it looks like after some time even after setting my hair with spray. The curls as you can are not very lasting, I must say.

If I'm not wrong, Unix can only be found in Korea and Taiwan at the moment. But you can also get it online either through Ebay, Amazon, Taobao or Qoo10.

Is this absolutely necessary? Honestly, no. You can recreate what I did here using a straightener or a curling iron. But like I said, I was sold when I saw how tiny and cute and colourful they are. But if you're a frequent traveller, why not? But heads up, this might not be suitable for people with long and thick hair as the wand is fairly tiny and it might take ages to style.

FYI: The little black circle at the bottom left corner in the last picture is the eye of my crocodile plush toy I got from Ikea. Yup. I am 20 something (the exact number is a classified information!) and I still own plush toys. Totally normal. *awkward giggles*

Innisfree Long Wear Cushion SPF50+/PA+++

Don't you find it annoying when your foundation melts under the sun? Innisfree Long Wear Cushion debuted last summer to target this exact problem. With Malaysia being hot and humid, I thought I'd test it out and give it a go.

After wearing it for a couple months... I dunno. I have mixed feeling towards it.

Do I like it? Yes.
1. The coverage is good; it has medium but definitely buildable coverage.
2. Light-weighted, feels like nothing on my skin. (FYI, I hate the sticky feeling that heavy foundation usually leaves on my face.)
3. It gives a matte finish.
4. And not to mention that you'd only need roughly 1 to 2 minutes to apply foundation on your entire face.

But why do I feel slightly eh?
1. THE SCENT. The foundation gives off a herbal scent. I usually have high tolerability towards scent but this herbal smell is really really unpleasant.
2. Long wearing? Not quite. It kinds of slide off after 6 to 8 hours so I always have to make sure I apply some powder and a finishing spray to set it.
3. It gradually oxidised so my face always looks kinda dull at the end of the day.
4. Only 3 shades available. I know this is a common problem within Korean cosmetics but still. Come on man.
5. Looks cakey and powdery on my dry cheeks.

You are probably screaming at me after reading #5. "It targets people with oiler skin!" I know I know. But I was sold when it states that it gives a matte finish.
So if you have dry skin or you are looking for a dewy finish, this is probably not the one for you. (You can opt for Water Glow Cushion instead.)

Should you give it a try? Yes.
Do I like it? It has its flaws but I really like it and I can work my ways around it.
But is it a Holy Grail foundation for me? Probably not.
Perhaps I should try Water Glow Cushion next time.

Ah well. The search continues.

Taiwan Photolog #1

Time seemed to slow down when I was taking a stroll in Lavender Cottage - I have never felt so calm and peaceful.
Traces of lavender can be found in my room, particularly a little sack of lavender beside my pillows, and a postcard sent from my lovely friend.
Fond memories that are filled with friends and laughter will be cherished forever.

Soap & Glory Mini Haul: It's All About the Powders! - Solar Powder, Glow All Out & One Heck of a Blot!

Solar Powder - £11
Glow All Out - £11
One Heck of a Blot - £12

A few months ago my good friend Kelly was at the UK and I thought I'd take the chance for some guilty purchase. Yup. Soap & Glory. The packagings are simply too hard to resist. I mean, look at them! They're so cute! Anything with vintage theme will always be my soft spot.

I'm going to start off with my least favourite -- although I was really looking forward to trying this as I heard so many good things about it -- The Solar Powder. It consists of 2 tones - 1 lighter and 1 darker but for me it is generally too light even for my skin tone. It barely shows up on my face! *pouts* It is also not as pigmented as I thought; I needa swatch a few times more until it shows a hint of colour on the back of my hand. Boo. So now I will only reach out for this if I simply want to bronze up my face to prevent looking like a pale-faced zombie, which is good in a way that I won't have to worry going too over the top and risk having cheeks and forehead that look as if I just got punched by Mike Tyson.

Glow All Out on the other hand, does its job well. Albeit the shimmery looks pretty intense upon swatching, it looks fairly natural on my cheekbone and emits a beautiful glow, perhaps due to the peachy tone. 

As for the translucent powder... I love my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. It's cheap, it does what it says so I'm content. But , unlike One Heck of a Blot, it sometimes cake me up and gives me dry patches if I'm not careful enough during the application (light is the key!) even when I only apply it around my oily T-zone. Also, packaging wise, One Heck of a Blot is much sturdier when compared with Rimmel powder's flimsy lid, so it is more travel friendly as it is stored in a round compact. The puff is of no help as it is just a thin sponge so I usually dust the powder either with my e.l.f powder brush or a huge kabuki brush I got from the Body Shop. 

Good job Soap & Glory (ignoring the bronzer though). And thank you Kelly! <3