Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No. 7 The Starlet (204) Plush Eyeshadow ~ 3 Looks & Review

The Marc Jacobs Beauty line finally arrived in Singapore just in time for the long-weekend and I decided to stop by Sephora Ion to have a look at it given the buzz it's been receiving.

If there's anything that I am sucker of, it is definitely eyeshadow palettes and let's just say I came home with a huge dent in my wallet because of one particular palette -  The Style Eye-Con No. 7 Plush Eyeshadow in The Starlet No. 204.

So why this palette instead of the infamous Lolita one? The first and foremost reason is because by Fri afternoon, there were no more Lolita palettes left in stock :( The Starlet palette itself is the last 3 they had. Now I'm not sure if this is a blessing in disguise since, honestly speaking, I do not need another neutral palette. The Starlet gives more breadth of colour since it has a mix of neutral and bright colours all in shimmery finish thus giving me the best of both world. The second reason is because Temptalia herself also gives this particular palette an A grade.

The palette comes in a sleek black box and a pouch containing the eyeshadow palette as well as a mini eyeshadow applicator which I most probably will not use (brushes, in my opinion, always apply shadows better compare to sponge applicators)



The palette consist of a huge mirror and 7 colours all in a metallic shimmer finish. From left to right:
Colour #1 - a taupe with a hint of metallic sheen
Colour #2 - a pink champagne shimmery colour
Colour #3 - a shimmery dark brown colour
Colour #4 - a shimmery coppery orange with warm undertone
Colour #5 - a yellow gold-ish metallic finish
Colour #6 - a silvery grey metallic colour
Colour #7 - a dark grey metallic colour

Below are some swatches in natural lighting:

1st row from left: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5. 2nd row from left :#6, #7

My video:

  

First impression:
I am a huge fan of the packaging - it's lightweight, sleek and easy to clean. This is definitely one of most good looking palettes I've seen :) The Starlet sure has a mix of everyday kind of colour as well as more daring colours.

Application wise:
All the colours have very good consistency - it is buttery, easy to apply and easy to blend. The colour payoff is also very good. What you see in the palette is what you get when you blend the colours on your lid. The only downside is the shimmer fallout, especially for the Colour #2 and Colour #5. I would suggest you either put a tape/tissue below your eyes while applying the shadows and do your face makeup afterwards to prevent lots of touch up for your face.

Some looks I've played around (check the video above on how the products and colours used):
Look 1

Look 2

 

Look 3

 

Overall review:
The things that I like from this palette is definitely the packaging and the colour consistency. The palette definitely is of superior quality and has that luxury feel to it which explains its price tag. The colours in my opinion are pretty flattering and easy to use/blend.

On the downside, I have to honestly say that I am not a huge fan of the price tag. I will not recommend this palette if you're looking for a value-for-money kind of palette. This Marc Jacobs palette retails for S$90 and comes with 7 shadows and a small sponge applicator; compare this to Urban Decay's Naked palettes which retails for S$83 and comes with 12 colours and a dual-brush.

Another downside is specifically linked to The Starlet palette. Given all the colours fall under the shimmer and metallic finish, I do feel the need to supplement this palette with matte colours, transition colours as well as highlighting ones. Although it's a compact and lightweight palette, I can foresee this will not be the palette I'll bring when I travel :( maybe I'll have a different story to tell if this is the Lolita palette...

All in all, whether this palette is a worthy purchase depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a value-for-money palette, I suggest you skip this (maybe until there's a sale coming up) but if you're a sucker for packaging, a fan of Marc Jacobs or has tons of neutral palettes on hand, then The Starlet palette can be an alternative to consider beside The Lolita eyeshadow palette.

Sephora Mini Palette (Sephora White Card Member Birthday Gift) Product Review

One of the perks of being a member of Sephora on your birthday month is the free gift which you can redeem in store without any purchase required (yeah, I sound like a cheapo but let's be honest here - anything free is awesome don't you think so? haha)

So last week I decided to redeem my gift and I would like to share with you what I got - a Sephora Mini Palette.

 

 

The palette comes with 4 shadows, 2 lip gloss and 1 blush.

From top left to bottom right, below are all the colours:

1. Catherine NO3 - I guess I can describe this as a cool undertone grey metallic colour

2. Must Have MO4 - This is a rich black colour

3. Creme Caramel MO8 - Like it said it is a cream colour very close to my skin colour. I have the most problem with this colour since it never shows up on my eyelids.

4. Coffee Brown NO8 - This is a shimmery dark brown colour with a hint of red undertone

5. Rouge Shine 30 - A very pigmented shocking pink colour which you can either build up to a bright pink or use just a hint to give a stained lip look

5. Rouge Shine 05 - A pinkish clear lipgloss colour with shimmers

6. Exclusive Blush - A pinkish coral blush with no shimmer




First impression: I really like how compact this palette is and how it can fit 4 eyeshadows and 1 blush. Realise i didn't mentioned the 2 lip colours? This is because I do not like lip and powder products to be inside one palette because the powder most of the time will transfer into the lip products and stick there. 

 Application wise: 
I am not a huge fan of the pigmentation. For the eyeshadows, I am hugely disappointed by the cream colour as it does not shows up on my eyelids no matter how much I packed them on. The brown colour is also not as pigmented as how it is shown in the palette. The blush also takes quite a few pack on to really build the colour. The pigmentations I like comes from the black eyeshadow as well as the shocking pink lip gloss.

Overall review:

I will recommend you to get this palette only if it is free because I think you can get way better palettes than this if you're willing to splurge. If you're getting this palette for free like me, then get it (You gotta admit that any free palette from Sephora is something you should take ;))

The powder and lips in 1 palette thing again does not work for me here. The fact that brush is about the size or bigger than the colour pan surface really makes the powder fly around to the glosses. The brown one particularly goes inside the pink gloss pan and it's kinda gross (I think this is just a matter of preference, if you're cool with this, I'm glad to hear that :)) The pigmentation on most of the products are also a letdown.

If you'd like to see more details on the products as well as tutorials, do take a look at the link below:

Thanks for reading (and watching)!

A Milestone as of yet...

Hi all.. Yes I know it's been a while :(

I've been busy and I've just felt very sluggish and unmotivated for a while... To share a little bit, there's something that I have to deal with for a while and it's starting to eat me up day by day.. I'll share with you all when I'm ready about it but in the meantime I'd like to share with you a milestone of my journey as of yet..

Yesterday marks my birthday and I made a promise to myself that I will overcome this shyness and fear of sharing about myself online once and for all and to mark that... I just finished creating my youtube video and is now in the midst of waiting for it to post online..

It's really nerve racking and I know that there's still so much I need to work on to perfect this video (and my posts too) but I hope I will be able to take baby steps and improve on..

The link to my video is:

Do keep a lookout for me and give me your support/advice/suggestion :)

PS. Youtube for some reason hanged on me and never let me change my thumbnail to the ones i preferred :( while i work on this, please excuse my very weird half sleepy sorta going to sneeze kinda face -.-

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask ~ Review

I came across Innisfree on my trip last year to Korea and it recently opened its first store in Singapore. Back then, I decided to purchase one of their star products - their Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask.
I've been using this mask for on and off quite a while. In fact, I'm using it right now while writing this post ;)

 

First impression: I like their packaging: it is simple and not over the top. The fact that they are using recycled material for their boxes is also a nice touch for the brand has a natural, organic image.

As for it's product, when I opened the jar, you can straight away see the mask under the plastic cover. It has a taupey-cream colour and there is a slight scent when you sniff the product straight from the jar. I can't exactly pinpoint the scent - mmm.. I guess it smells like a clean mud? (Sorry guys, I sucked at describing scents). The product has a hard clay texture.

Application wise:
First and foremost, wash your face. For me, I usually use my Etude House Magic Peeling Foam before wearing the mask. Makes my face feels very clean and ready for the clay mask :) After washing and drying my face, I continued with the clay mask.

When scooping the product to my hand, the first thing I'd like to do is soften the clay by rubbing the product between my hands which makes it easier to apply the mask to my face. Although there's a slight scent from the jar, I hardly notice the scent when I put it straight to my skin. Just a heads up, I have a very oily and sensitive skin.

After applying, I wait for 15-20 mins.

5 minutes into wearing the mask my skin starts to feel tight and reaching the 15-20 minute mark, I rinse my face and dry with towel.

After applying the mask:
Post wearing this clay mask, I will usually get this tight feeling on my face. Because of that, I usually continue my regime with a moisturising mask in any kind of form (gel, face sheet etc). After continuing with a more moisturising mask, I usually do not have any issue with my skin. (This time around I am using Face Shop Real Nature Mask Red Ginseng, review coming soon)

Result of the mask:
To be honest, I do not really see any significant difference in my skin by wearing this mask. Then again, I don't know how anyone can measure "absorb impurities and sebum that are deeply embedded within skin pores" (this is what's written in the packaging box).

If the mask getting tight around the skin means it is working, the I guess it worked.

Would I purchase it again? Hmmmm.. Still undecided. It's definitely not a product that I'd die for since I don't really see much difference in my skin.

I guess this mask is a nice thing to try but it is not something that you should invest on mainly because I honestly can't see any dramatic difference in my skin after wearing this. If anyone can see a huge benefit from wearing this mask, do let me know how you're using this product and how often.

P.S. I've hold off on posting this mask and decided to try the product following the instructions given and the result is... I still feel dry around my skin... :(

Bath & Body Works is Coming to Singapore!! What's My Favourite Scents? What to Get?

I am really falling behind on this news (given Today online has posted about this end of last year while I only found out about it last week as I was exploring MBS) but I am so excited to hear Bath & Body Works is coming to Singapore!!

I came across the brand while I was in 6th grade, which is like.. 12 years ago?, when my friend sprayed this really nice smelling body spray called "Pear Berry." I have since then been on the hunt for that stuff and until now still have yet to get my hands on it. I was so close on getting it during my exchange in the States but it sold out before I can get my hands on it...

That thing aside.. I did manage to try some stuff from them during my exchange last time and let me share with you 3 of my favourite scents. Just a heads up, I prefer scents that are a mix of fruity and floral that is fresh and not being overly sweet..

1. Carried Away:

Described as "A blend of lush raspberries, white jasmine and whipped vanilla inspired by the way love sweeps you off your feet."

I came across this scent during my summer exchange in the States and loved how this has the perfect blend of floral and fruity without smelling too sweet. In fact, it smells refreshing. I hope this product will be sold here in Singapore because I'll definitely be stocking up on this ;) My boyfriend is also a huge fan of the scent

2. Moonlight Path

Described as "A soft blend of lavender, lilies, oakmoss & musk inspired by moonit walks in lush gardens."

This is the one scent that I like to wear before bed or when I like to chill and relax in my room. It's the perfect soothing smell that helps you unwind. This scent is also perfectly fine to wear outside but my personal preference is to use it before bed. It's a really nice soothing scent :)

3. Pear Berry

Described as "A beautiful blend of the scents of juicy pears and ripe forest berries."

Ahh.. The scent that started it all..

This scent has that fruity fresh smell into it which, until today, is something that I'd like to get my hands on and spray myself allover with.

Sorry the lighting and angle are very off. The product itself is not exactly in mint condition as I had it for more than a year now. I am only showing you this to show you what I have and how I much I loved them....

Now there are other scents that my friends have sworn by such as Cucumber Melon and Sweet Pea but for me, these 3 scents stood out. Hopefully with them opening their shops here, I'd be able to try even more scents and perhaps add more favourites to my list ;)

Beside the scents, I also really like the formula of their:
1. Body wash: Using their body wash makes the whole shower smells nice. And what I really like about it is that it is moisturising but easy to wash out. I find that many soaps just either dries you out or leaves residue behind, which I'm not a fan of.
2. Body lotion: The body lotion is moisturising without making my skin feel sticky which is really nice. The smell also lingers on in the clothes that you wear. I especially like using "Moonlight Path" lotion before going to bed and I love how it makes my pyjamas smells nice.

Body spray wise, I would have preferred a longer lasting scent, but hey, body sprays are not meant to stay as long as how perfume smells do (though layering the body wash, lotion and spray does help in making the scent last longer..)

What I'm dying to try when the store comes to Singapore: Their candles!!! Face it, it is super heavy to bring back candles on a luggage and let alone how heartbreaking it is if it breaks on the way. So I'm looking forward and hoping that I'd get to try some of these :)

Soo looking forward for B&BW to open here in SG! Meanwhile, do leave me comments on what I scent or product I should try. And if anyone knows any updates about the B&BW in SG, do let me know :)

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No longer MIA

It's been almost a year since I actually posted anything on this blog and I must say... I'm pretty disappointed in myself (Definitely did not fulfilled my new year's resolution last year). I was too caught up with everything around me and I also had too ambitious goals..

With the start of the new year, I think it's about time (too long I think) to pick myself up and start on this all over again..

So what have I been up to? Did I reach any of my resolutions? (In summary, yeah I did)

2013 has definitely been the most life changing year for me as of yet.

I graduated university...

Finished a marathon...

Managed to catch up with old friends and got to know a great guy...

Entered workforce..

And that's just some of the highlights.. 2013 is a year to remember..

I categorised my resolution in 4 points and I shall update those here:
1. Stop procrastinating: Well, I didn't stop but I am getting better at handling this.
2. Finally be healthier: Nope I didn't reach my ideal weight by my birthday last year :( but I did trained for my marathon which helped me lose some weight in July which I then gained back and more :( Realising how much I weighted, I decided to get healthy again in October and followed Blogilates. I still stick to the programme and I must say I've been toning up and losing some weight :)
3. Love and respect myself more: still a work in progress which I don't know how to measure.. I guess I'm in a better place right now but I don't think it's a great place yet..
4. Share about myself: I definitely didn't post 5 blog posts per week -.- I guess it's a very ambitious goal for a girl who has never blogged nor liked writing so much in the first place.. And I am still shy sharing about myself.. I hope this year I'll be able to post 1 post per week and perhaps open up more about myself..

Moving forward... I thought things through and my 2014 resolution shall be:
1. Be more active on this blog (aim for a post every week)
2. Start a youtube channel maybe?
3. Run at least 1 marathon this year (StandChart?)
4. Keep a food journal, eat clean and exercise daily
5. Be happy

Whatever it is your resolution in 2014, I hope we'll be able to achieve it.. If you'd like to share your goals this year, share it :)