Cover Girl LineExact liquid liner

I think Amy Winehouse has done more for the eyeliner than anyone else in the twenty-first century:

How I choose to remember her. Sigh.

I've frequently wondered about the brand and type of eyeliner this talented young chanteuse uses to create her iconic look. I believe it's created using liquid or gel liner, but definitely not kohl, but given how she's such a mess right now, I wouldn't be surprised if they were drawn on with a permanent marker. I don't see how she can get up every morning (or evening...) and draw those exaggerated but symmetrical wings on with a steady hand.

There is only one Amy Winehouse, however, so while I love and applaud her for standing out in a sea of bottle blond mermaid artistes, there are ways of wearing cat's eye-liner there are just as dramatic but less Bride of Frankenstein-y such as Pat McGrath's version for Louis Vuitton's Fall 2007 collection. The look was created with a liquid liner McGrath had developed for Cover Girl called LineExact, which actually resembles a felt-tip pen:

Sharpie, or eyeliner?

Maybe both.

As one would expect of a pen liner, the LineExact is simple to use - the ink is evenly distributed (remember to shake it first) which makes drawing a continuous line easier than usual, and the fine tip allows you to control the thickness of the line with greater precision. Mistakes are easily erased with a dampened Q-tip as the liner is not waterproof. If you like to blend and smudge your eyeliner, LineExact is not the liner for you as the smudgeproof formula dries within seconds of application.

My complaint is that the liner "feathers" a little upon application, although I have been unable to determine whether that is due to the formula or the texture of my eyelids. A single tube doesn't last for long either - I purchased mine last December and used it very sparingly, but when I tried it on the back of my hand this morning, it had dried out. Otherwise, this is an ideal product for a liquid liner novice to practise winging out her eyeliner and a safe, non-irritating option for drawing whiskers or zebra stripes on faces.

Cover Girl LineExact Liquid Liner comes in four shades - very black, smoke, brown and brown black - and retails for about US$6.50 in drug stores.

Chanel Sublimage Essential Regenerating Eye Cream

I knew I needed to start being more religious about eye cream when I realized that all the runway models and most of the American Idol contenders were younger than I. In the dawn of my twenties, I dressed my eye area with Clinique's All About Eyes, an unobtrusive gel-cream which I never replaced after the wee tub was scraped clean. Years of wearing shimmery/glittery shadows and scowling at people (not necessarily at the same time) have taken a toll, and my eyelids have begun to crinkle ever so slightly. Only a few weeks ago, after sharing a light-hearted moment with Mother of Shryh, said mother leaned in and peered into my face.

"Daughter of mine, you are getting old," she pronounced with great solemnity, tracing in the air the lines around my eyes with her fingers as I tried to bat them away.

"I know," I replied petulantly. "Which is why I am using the Chanel Sublimage Essential Regenerating Eye Cream."

I bought the Chanel Sublimage eye cream because of the excitement this little jar generated among beauty junkies and I wanted to see if it deserved the encomium. I would never buy the mother product -- the face cream -- as it would have been too heavy and rich for my exasperating combination and acne-prone skin, but I figured I need all the lushness of a Sublimage product for my eyes. I've used it for about five months now and am thrilled to see the bottom of my jar.

The Chanel Sublimage Eye Cream isn't cheap -- it retails for about USD$175, and I bought mine for what seemed like a song (okay, USD$140) at an airport duty free shop. For that price, you get a satisfyingly hefty glass jar with a metallic dark khaki top which instantly adds a touch of glamour to your bathroom counter. It comes with a little scoop to minimize contamination -- I've lost mine, but I wash my hands thoroughly before dipping my fingers into the jar. The texture of the eye cream is rich but non-greasy. I'm very prone to getting milia beads on my undereye area and I'm pleased to report that it was never a problem with this eye cream. The cream is easily absorbed, leaving the eye area soft and hydrated, and the comforting, slightly vanilla-y scent completes the experience.

But at that price, one would expect the Chanel Sublimage Eye Cream to wildly outperform other lesser-pedigreed eye creams, right? Unfortunately, no. This eye cream professes to target wrinkles, fine lines, the loss of firmness and moisture depletion of the skin. It certainly moisturized my eye area and plumped out several fine lines, but that was the most I got out of it. I'm not displeased or dissatisfied with this cream in the slightest -- when my ship comes home, I'll be happy to have a jar permanently on my marble counter next to the solid gold faucets. Until then, there is a slew of cost-conscious eye creams for me to explore which will do the job and hopefully, keep Mother of Shryh away.

Beauty Panic!

When one of your staples is so low in a pan, it's almost time to bring out the new one. But, I'd be most unhappy to toss out a box knowing there's still so much product left behind.

Do what a geekchic does!

Take out your trusty toolbox. Root around for a testpen. Sanitize it the best you can: Wash it with anti-bacterial soap. Rinse it clean. Repeat. Drizzle hot boiling water all over the metal tip. Fling it dry. Gently pry one corner loose. With one corner out loose in the middle, slowly and gently tap or knock the sides of the box. Loosening one piece breaks the "foundation" of the cake and the rest of the pieces would come loose very easily from the vibration created.



There's something highly satisfying from using up every single bit of the product before opening up a new box.

Benefit Thrrrob

Having gotten our Victorian Licenses burning in our wallets, we made our way to the city yesterday for a good roam around.

The Benefit counter at Myer was having a field day! They've got a huge promotion to launch the very pretty, very shimmery face powder thrrrob!

Shaped exactly like its predecessors Dandelion, Georgia, Hoola and Dallas, thrrrob is meant to simulate the natural flush one gets when her heart races. And, like all its other predecessors, it comes with a square little brush with the exact same soft bristles.

I picked up the box and held it side-by-side with my staple Dandelion and Dandelion simply looks peachier compared with thrrrob. Dandelion is a simple ballerina pink with no shimmer but on the other hand, this new member to the family has the faintest bit of shimmer that's hardly noticeable when brushed onto my hand.

Taking into account that neither Dandelion nor Georgia shows up at all on my hand, it is not really saying much. As usual, I had on my regular Dandelion and was rather reluctant to slap on more colour. However, when I swiped the powder with my finger, it's a very sheer dusky pink that would most definitely look gorgeous on the Asian skintone. To be fair, the picture below does do thrrrob justice. This is probably as close to the real thing as it gets.



If it is as sheer as I'd seen it, I would see it no problem at all for cool-toned and fair (moi!) girls. You've just got to be a bit careful and light-handed with it. Even with Dandelion, on certain pale days, I could go overboard and end up to be too red.

Currently retailing for AUD$49, it's priced exactly the same as the other face powders from Benefit. Taking a step back, with the AUD being almost neck-to-neck with the USD, it's rather ridiculous to be paying almost double for a product here. thrrrob retails for only USD$28, so if you've got your own cosmetics mule doing the runs for you, get this in the US (and let me in too to share in with your mule!).

There's also a promotion running in Myer currently. Purchase thrrrob and any other item, you'll get a free gloss from the Her Glossiness range retailing for $32.00 each. Or, purchase any Benefit item, and get a tiny free Benetint sample.

Myer stores carrying Benefit Australia wide:
Bourke St, Melbourne
Chadstone, Melbourne
Highpoint, Melbourne
Queen St, Brisbane
Bondi Junction, Sydney
George St, Sydney
Castle Hill, Sydney
Chatswood, Sydney
Hay St, Perth
Rundle Mall, Adelaide
Pacific Fair, Gold Coast
Chermside, Brisbane

Two Faced Galaxy Glam Eye Shadows.

Now, I'm a complete dunderhead when it comes to science, which is even more appalling after I tell you that I was in the Science Stream in high school. But I adore space documentaries and science-fiction movies (Mars Attack counts! Shut UP!), and wild horses cannot drag me away from a planetarium, especially the dome theatre shows. When I was in Washington D.C. last November with only an afternoon for touristy activities, I visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum first, cramming in two shows (one dome, one 3D) before running off to an Edward Hopper exhibit at the National Gallery. Two of my best memories include starry skies, frosty temperatures and great company. I love the feeling of wonder as I gaze up into the skies and fantasize about interplanetary travel, and the feeling of despair that we know so little still even after making great progress in space exploration. I have a greater sense of my place in the universe, which is to say, staggeringly insignificant. Stargazing is a remarkably effective ego check!

So naturally, I'm *ahem* over the moon over Two Faced cosmetics's Galaxy Glam Eye Shadow because it looks like this:

Out of this world. Picture from sephora.com

Is it really eye shadow, or did someone snag a part of the galaxy with her butterfly net and set it in a silver case? Where MAC's Flashtronic mineralize shadows gleamed in the pans like planet surfaces, the Two Faced Galaxy Glam shadows make me feel like an astronaut orbiting the earth in a shuttle. The Galaxy Glam Shadows come in four shades:

• Deep Space - black with cobalt blue
• Moonbeam - black with laser light green
  
• Shooting Star - black with galactic gold
• Supernova (shown) - black with peach and pink

Priced at US$19.50 each, the eye shadows are available online at sephora.com and various Kit Cosmetics outlets in Australia.

Free miracles with $500 serum. Right.

You know how in certain action flicks the hero, after single-handedly dispatching armies of bad guys with his pinkie finger, makes his way into the inner sanctum of a temple, turns the wheel in the right combination, causing a cube to come floating out on a bed of dry-ice clouds and golden rays before it clicks and slides open to the sounds of a soprano-only heavenly chorus to reveal some holy grail-ish artefact that will save humankind from a Certain Fate? Judging from the picture, Amore Pacific's US$500 Time Response Skin Renewal Serum is one of those:

In paradisum deducant te Angeli...

At that price, I expect miracles to happen on my face, wine into water and all that jazz because this serum is meant to be used in conjunction with the Time Response Skin Renewal Creme (US$400) and Time Response Eye Creme (US$250). Yow. Makes my Chanel Sublimage stuff look like serfs.

Your Australian Correspondent Updating

After the interview was over, with plenty of time left on my Metlink 2-hour ticket, I decided to roam the streets of Melbourne. Not that there's much I hadn't seen in the CBD, but I was a woman with a mission!

First stop, Belinda at GPO Bourke St. Reputed to stock Balenciaga bags but my hopes were horrendously dashed when I saw they stock merely MiuMiu and Marc Jacobs. The very friendly sales assistant directed me to Miss Louise right next to Chanel on Collins St to try my luck.

Next stop, Myer and David Jones for Laura Mercier and Chi Chi, particularly Eye Magic as detailed.

Chi Chi, to be honest, is a very fun and simple brand of cosmetics fully Australian-owned. Now, Eye Magic, is, honestly, not very impressive.

It's packaged in a rectangular paper box with clear instructions on how the strips should be applied. On a plus side, there's a huge variety of colours to suit both the warm and cool toned girls. The one I picked up was, believe it or not, for smoky eyes! In the very regular brown, black and grey shades, the smoky eye effect was achieved.

It's in fact very affordable, priced at AUD$14.95 for 7 pairs of strips.

I'm very doubtful of its effectiveness because I believe everyone has eyes that are shaped differently. I have almond-shaped, longish eyes, the Cow has irregular-sized eyes and Shryh has round eyes. So, how in the world can a strip manufactured to be mass marketed fit every shape there is in the world?

Having said all that, I'm curious to try it out.

Keep your eyes peeled for the review!

Innovation or gimmick? Chi Chi Eye Magic

Press and swipe. These eyeshadow strips by Australia-based Chi Chi Cosmetics are all it takes to achieve "flawless" results. The Chi Chi Eye Magic comes in 18 different colour combinations inspired by the Australian landscape and can be found in Myer department stores and leading pharmacies across the country. "Professional eye makeup in a single stroke"? I admire the the founders' efforts to demystify the eye makeup process, but I have some doubts about the universality of their tricolour rainbow strips. Will it work on a single-lidded Asian gal? The wrinkly, saggy skin of an aging femme fatale who can barely draw a straight line with her lipstick? Will it look as fake and tacky as temporary tattoos? Only time, and our Australian correspondent, will tell. ;)

Beauty for 2007

Shryh has done an excellent job in introducing what this post ought to be. There's no way I could top it, so, without further ado, the geek's version for this.

7. Falsies, False Lashes, Lashies with the upcoming wedding and an obstinate streak in not wanting to end up like a kabuki, I decided to do my own makeup. So, practising to latch on false eyelashes were one of the main hurdles I had to overcome. I've gained HUGE satisfaction from this process and am amazed that one does not need expensive lashes to gain the wide-eyed look. One just need lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots ... of patience.

6. Smoky Eye is one trend that doesn't seem to be ebbing away anytime soon. The latest spring collection from Chanel brings forth a very seductive smoky eye in blues and navy. I am definitely not the most adventurous when it comes to makeup. I know what works for me (Dior eyebrow pencil, concealer/highlighter pen, pressed powder to set, Dandelion, mascara and gloss) and I rarely stray from this. But, the temptation and mystery of a smoky eye proved too strong for me to resist. I finally caved in one day and started to practise. I'm starting to get more comfortable with it and have even stepped outside of the comfort zone to play with brown, purples and blue smoky eyes.

5. Mix-n-match someone once very kindly complimented on my makeup collection that it's a nice size because I have something from every colour and it's just perfect to play around with. But, being the rigid and anal person that I am sometimes, I've found it very hard to move away from mixing colours from one palette with another colour from another palette. This year, I've set aside all reservations and decided that once and for all, I need to be more adventurous. My Dior mono shadow in Ready-to-beige has been used very often in most of my smoky eye adventures as a brow highlight. At the same time, I use Smoking Black from the same range mixed with greens from my RMK trio to create a green smoky eye.

4. Perfumes & scents are something Shryh and I are always discussing. It's a year where I've amassed a pretty decent collection of fragrances. Something for every occassion there is.
For evenings: Gucci Envy Me, Stella by Stella McCartney
For daily staples to handle stupid managers and insane technical requests: Dior Addict 2, Ralph Lauren Romance
For my big day: Vera Wang Truly Pink
For insanely hot tropical days: Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, Forever & Every by Dior
For weekends and sleepless nights: Gapscent Dream
For cold, dreary, rainy days: Lacoste Touch of Pink
For flirty, girly days: Benefit Maybe Baby
Of course, a quick browse through this list tells everyone that I'm a floral fragrance kinda girl. So, my very first scent from Hermes is also my very first scent out of the floral, fruity-floral category kind of fragrance. And, ever since then, I've fallen head over heels in love with the works of the very talented Jean-Claude Ellena, perfumer for Sur Le Nil, Sur Le Mediterranee, Shryh's Eau de Merveilles and the highly-coveted Kelly Caleche. 2007 brought forth also many, many lessons in top notes, middle notes and base notes for both Shryh and myself. More for me since I've much more to catch up on. It's amazing how Shryh and I detect different notes on the same scent on the same skin. We've learnt to describe scents, we've associated images with scents and we've come a long way in distinguishing the different elements in each of the top, heart and base notes of each scent.

3. Mascara was another phase that we went through. We went through weeks of stringent testing of the many different mascaras in the market. And, believe me, when we say stringent, we really mean stringent. The mascaras were subjected to different types of environment and the results were duly noted. A clear winner for this was the much-acclaimed Maybelline Great Lash. The iconic pink and green tube is reputed to be sold once every 2 seconds worldwide. How's that for a chart topper? As for yours truly, I discovered the marvels of 2000 Calorie by Max Factor (waterproof, of course. We wouldn't expect anything less) about 5 years ago as an independent working adult in Melbourne. I promptly fell into its spell of no flaking, no smudging even under the creamiest under eye concealer. Sold! It still remains a great staple in my makeup bag.

2. Bronzer might be too harsh a term on this limited edition palette from Bobbi Brown. We all know her shimmer bricks are one of her best-selling makeup products and thus, this birthday present from Shryh in Sandstone has worked wonders on my newly Australian-tanned skin. Of course, being Asian and being completely fearful of wrinkles and lines, I slap on sunscreen very faithfully each day. But, being DownUnder in summer has most definitely given me a tan. It's not that noticeable but it's most definitely there. Dandelion works to give me a pretty flush still, but it's a tad too pink. A light dusting of Sandstone warms the cheeks up to give the slightly-sunkissed healthy look. So, my first bronzer ever.

1. Partner in crime - Shryh, we've most definitely NOT bought too much makeup. In fact, if anything, I don't think we've bought enough. Thank you for the very interesting lessons. Thank you for always reminding me of my Specktra log in and password and thank you for ogling with me on Specktra. I have yet to find anyone who's as passionate about this but hey, I'm glad this wonderful technology called the blogosphere has brought us together in this! To more makeup, more perfumes and many, many, many more chocolate and coffees.

Shu Uemura: 1928 - 2007

Shu Uemura, the inimitable Japanese cosmetics pioneer and Hollywood makeup legend, passed away on 29 December aged 79. Click on the links below for more news:

TIME: Uemura, makeup pioneer, dies
Reuters: Japanese make-up guru Shu Uemura dies at 79
Bloomberg: Shu Uemura, Japanese makeup artist, dies of pneumonia at 79

2007 in Beauty.

I'm quite indifferent to year-end festivities as I don't celebrate Christmas (spent hunched over a laptop while my family cavorted in the hotel pool) and the New Year as a holiday baffles me. None of the places I've worked in were big on office parties, and while I like champagne and fireworks, I dislike sweaty, drunken crowds of revellers.

But the new year never fails to bring on a bout of introspection, and g33kchic's coverage of 2007's best beauty products reminded me that I had a great year in beauty. Screw raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, these were a few of my favourite things in 2007:

7 for 2007

7. Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Pocket Pal - I received this as a gift from the chic geek herself, but did not really use it until 2007 was on its last legs. I'd resigned from my job and was hiding in L.'s apartment in California, trying to figure out The Next Step. It seemed ridiculous for a recluse to put on a full face of makeup, but I didn't want to be a complete slob so I pared my normal routine down to the barest minimum: all I used were eyebrow pencil, mascara, concealer and lipbalm. In a fit of inspiration, I dabbed some Benetint onto my cheeks and voila! the perfect 'bare' face. Benetint imparts a natural 'just-came-in-from-the-cold' rosiness to the complexion, and the sheer, practically transparent formula makes this liquid blush nearly impossible to botch. It did give me a bit of a scare as the product appeared to irritate my skin immediately after application, but the red patches disappeared after a while and it's yet to happen to me in Malaysia.

6. Blinc Kiss Me mascara - I am now utterly ADDICTED to this mascara's ease of removal. Eye makeup remover has always irritated my eyes, especially when I'm trying to clean about six coats of waterproof mascara off my lashes, but such battles are a thing of the past with the Kiss Me mascara in my cosmetics arsenal. I still need a second mascara for occasions that demand thick, sooty lashes, but I think I've found the perfect mascara for every day use.

5. MAC rediscovery - Having sampled a few MAC classics like the clear lipglass, Spice lip liner and Studiofix compact foundation, I dismissed MAC cosmetics and moved on. The consistency of MAC products leave something to be desired and there are better products out there: Dior shadows are more finely milled, more densely pigmented; Nars lipglosses aren't as sticky etc. This year, I've discovered very, very belatedly that their limited edition makeup collections are unrivalled. The Barbie Loves MAC collection first caught my eye, but I didn't make my first purchase until Flashtronic. Then the floodgates opened. My Smoking Eyes quad from the Smoke Signals and Electroplush lipglass from Flashtronic are now among my favourite items to use.

4. Vincent Longo eyeshadow trio in Easy Rider - The first eyeshadow palette I've used to the very end. The cool, velvety neutrals went well with my skintone and I wore this nearly every day to work.

3. Winged-out eyeliner aka the Cat Eye - I'm still an eyeliner novice, but I spent many hours this year learning how to 'wing out' my eyeliner to approximate the look favoured by silver screen sirens in the 60s. Instead of liquid liner or kohl, I used dark eye shadow and the eyeliner brush from the dual-ended applicator that came with my Bobbi Brown palette for a softer look. This took me quite some time and I was invariably late to work on the mornings I decided to wear eyeliner in this fashion on weekdays. Oopsy.

2. Hermes Eau des Merveilles EDT - Pepper, oranges and salt. The scent I put on in the mornings to empower myself before meeting fussy, tiresomely garrulous clients. The scent I can count on to stand out and assert itself in a room without being chokingly overbearing. The scent with which people began to associate me and the scent that garnered me the most compliments!

1. My partner in crime - The only person whom I know will pull a pair of women's stockings over her head to rob a beauty emporium with me. Right, g33kchic?? We probably (only probably!) bought more makeup than we needed, but I'll be damned if we did not have a fantastic time discovering new products, gawking at the hauls on Specktra and running wild among the makeup counters in department stores with a patient Mr. g33kchic in tow. May you get your bottle of Kelly Caleche this year!

Beauty Products of 2007 according to ACA

Time: 6:48pm
A Current Affair is rolling out the beauty products for 2007 and yours truly would be updating live from the scene: her lounge/living room.

Stay tuned!

Time: 6:53pm

LipGloss: Napoleon Perdis $22.00
Eyeliner: Maybelline NY Line Stylist $15.25
Hair Straightener: VS Sasson Total Freedom Straightener $119.25
Styler/Spray: Tresemme no frizz iron style & hold spray: $7.25
Cleanser: Clinique Take the Day off Makeup Remover $45
Fake Tan: L'Oreal Paris NutriSummer $14.95
Anti-aging: EA Prevage $250.00

Review: Biore UV Perfect Face Milk SPF50+ PA+++

A good sunscreen that's kind on the pocket, offers high sun protection factor as well as does not break the skin out is always a good item for anyone. It doesn't make sense to me when women (and men too, for that matter!) spend hundreds, even thousands (think La Mer) on products to prevent anti-aging and step out into the beach with a sunscreen of spf15. It also baffles me endlessly that Asian women continue to spend hundreds and thousands each year on whitening products in a feeble attempt to erase blemishes and sunspots but do nothing to prevent sunspots from happening in the first place.

A very simple answer lies in your very humble bottle of sunscreen. Ever since my battle with acne began at a tender age of 18, I've always been very aware of taking good care of my skin. If a routine works for you, stick with it. Thus explains my loyalty to Dermalogica products for the past 10 years.

I've only been made aware of sunscreen when I stepped into the Australian summer. My first sunscreen is Dermalogica's Ultra Sensitive Faceblock (SPF 25). I loved that it was so creamy and that it was slightly tinted to help even out my skin tone. I'm still using that sunscreen occasionally but with only SPF25, I'm always on the hunt for something better and of a higher protection factor. I'd previously tried out Kanebo's Freshel line but was hugely disappointed with the white residue.

Which is why I did not hold much hopes up for this particular sunscreen when I bought it on a whim.



However, much to my surprise, this little bottle delivered what it promised! The colour, texture and scent is almost identical to that of Kanebo's: Milky-white, liquid and the typical sunscreen scent. The only slight difference is that the scent in this is quite strong that it pierces the nose. However, moments after application, the scent would have all but disappeared.

As with most liquid-base sunscreen, together with the liquid is a tiny little metal marble which is used to mix components up before application. Thus, the instructions would advise for users to give the bottle a quick shake before dispensing the products.

What I absolutely love about this sunscreen is that there is simply no white residue! And, given that it's of such high spf, I thought I'd end up with emphasized dark eye circles, marked difference between face and neck and the usual works. I've made it a point even to apply sunscreen when I'm at home and I do tend to reapply by middle of the day. Even with re-application, there is no white residue.

Other plus points to this sunscreen is that it doesn't break my face out. Although having said that, I do notice that my fingers tend to be a little bit oily after application, so I wouldn't call this an oil-free sunscreen. For those with sensitive skin, proceed with caution. I'm just thankful that my skin doesn't react to it.

One last plus point would the price, of course. It costs less than RM20 for a 30ml bottle when I got this at Guardian. It was on sale so, it makes sense to stock up on this if this would be a staple in my skincare cabinet.

So, yes, definitely a re-purchase and yes, can't wait to finish using up Kanebo's sunscreen to stock up more on this.

Fun fact: Years ago, when I was about 12 or 13, Biore was one of the first few cleansers and facial exfoliators I tried out.

Sephora Blockbuster Palette

According to the Sephora website, this triple-tiered palette for eyes, face and lips contain 64 shadows, 32 lip colours, 7 cheek colours, 1 shimmer powder, 4 double-ended shadow applicators and 2 lip brushes.

Image from www.sephora.com

Is this THE perfect holiday gift for the beauty junkie? This one says no. Sephora's Blockbuster Palette presents a breathtaking sight, but I would be pretty upset if I found this in my Christmas stocking. I would not be able to justify ANY makeup purchases for the rest of the year (or... MY LIFE!), nor would I use every shade in the palette, which is quite wasteful. Finally, a makeup collection or traincase should be lovingly, carefully assembled over time after much research, discussion and agonizing so it contains the best brands and products for the owner!

In any case, the Blockbuster Palette could be a good gift for someone who does not own a scrap of makeup and does not particularly care but should, because, oh honey, we're not getting any younger, are we?

At US$48 a palette, it's quite a steal. Available in stores and online at Sephora.com.

Review: Blinc Kiss Me mascara in black

Blinc Kiss Me mascara professes to form tiny 'tubes' around the lashes instead of coating them with a layer of paint like conventional, oil-based mascaras, 'tubes' that slide off with a little bit of warm water and pressure. I purchased the mascara from a beauty boutique here in San Jose last Sunday and promptly put it to the test.

The Kiss Me mascara comes in a maroon tin container, which is a bit of a novelty, but like all novelties, rather unnecessary. While I do not see the point of keeping the tin container, I cannot bear to toss it out like a common cardboard box.


Although the Kiss Me mascara originated from Japan, the land of kook and innovation, the slogan on the tube--"STOP painting your lashes... TUBE them!"--is most American. No real surprises there, since Blinc is a privately-owned company based in Delaware.

This mascara's unique formulation promises no flakes, smudges or clumps, and while my own experience has proven this to be quite true, I haven't exactly run a marathon, dived for pearls or cried over the fate of unborn children to REALLY test it. Although the website claims that the Kiss Me mascara will add volume and length to my lashes, the sales assistant was more more honest, or experienced. The mascara really just adds length, he said. Volume may just be achieved with a ten-coat application or if I prepped my lashes with the Kiss Me lash primer. True to his words, this mascara did a good job in defining, darkening and extending my lashes but did nothing to add volume even after 3 coats.

But now, for the fun part! The Kiss Me mascara is a CINCH to remove. After dissolving the rest of my makeup with my trusty Shu Uemura beauty cleansing oil, I step into the shower and let the warm droplets hit my face. I then place my index fingers at the base of my lashes and gently push the tubes off, removing every little bit of mascara within seconds. It really cannot get easier than that! This is what the 'tubes' will look like. They're more like string, aren't they?


Maybe it looks a little gross to you, but I'm still fascinated by the process despite wearing and removing the mascara for nearly a week. I wish makeup removal was this easy and painless all the time.

Blinc Kiss Me mascara retails for US$25 and comes in five shades - black, dark brown, medium brown, dark blue, dark purple and dark green. It is available for purchase online on blincinc.com and Amazon.

Travelling and the Beauty Junkie.

I recently made a 15 hour trans-Pacific journey to the United States by plane, and as you all know, long-haul flights to this part of the world can be hellish for a beauty junkie. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations stipulate that anything remotely liquid or gel-like, such as lip gloss and moisturizer, may not carried on board in containers exceeding 3 oz or 90ml, and all of these have to be placed in a single quart-sized ziploc bag. I chafed against these rules when they were first announced, but I have come to appreciate them as my carry-on bag has since become significantly lighter. I used to pack full-sized toiletries and a whole makeup bag into my carry-on in addition to two paperbacks, an ipod, cellphone, water bottle, pashmina, travel wallet, purse, pencil case, several notebooks... no wonder I regularly ended a journey with a sore back!

While makeup essentials such as blush and lipstick that prevent one from looking like death warmed over after a long flight are no longer an issue, cleansing and moisturizing treatments are. Fortunately, travel-sized items and miniature gift-with-purchase (GWP) novelties abound, and they are especially easy to obtain in Asian air transportation hubs in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul and Japan. While I've yet to experience the last two, cosmetics-shopping in Hong Kong and Taipei is great fun as the shops carry brands like Jurlique, Shu Uemura and La Prairie. I never mind layovers in these airports as I'm able to pick up a couple of hard-to-get items at much lower prices. This time round in Taipei, I purchased my favourite Shiseido Anessa SPF50 sunscreen and the Chanel Sublimage eye cream that was US$40 cheaper than those sold in department stores. Unfortunately, due to the no-liquids rule, my purchases were sealed in a plastic bag with a warning not to open it until I had reached my final destination in the U.S. I also spotted (but sigh, passed up) an adorable pink-themed Shu Uemura set containing a beauty oil cleanser and rose-scented depsea water spritz in travel-friendly sizes as well as 2 full-sized eye shadows in pink and black. While they would have been perfect, I was determined to use what I had packed into my ziploc baggie, which included:

• Single-use, sample-sized sachets of Aesop's Primrose Facial Cleansing Masque, Oil-Free Facial Hydrating Serum and Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Eye Serum. Yes, I used a mask instead of a facial cleanser in an airport bathroom (to great effect, might I add) because I procrastinated and forgot to stock up on Cetaphil and facial cleansing wipes before my trip.
• Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel
  
• SK II Signs Eye Mask
• Travel-sized L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
• Shu Uemura eyebrow pencil
• Chanel Inimitable mascara in black
• C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint in red
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in #2
• Travel-sized apple mint toothpaste
• Tiger Balm

Now, even if TSA decides that travel-sized toiletries were too huge a risk and bans them completely, we could possibly live with it as long as we could keep ourselves hydrated during the flight by drinking several litres of water, right? Unfortunately, what applies to your facial cleanser applies to your water bottle as well - no bigger than 3 oz and placed in a quart-sized ziploc bag. Granted, the air hostess will come around periodically with her tray of drinks, but this is hardly an effective way to keep our skin cells plump and hydrated during an hours-long flight. Also, come ON - 90ml of water? A mug or glass of water usually contains around 250ml! What I do to get around this limitation is to actually bring an empty 500ml or 1 litre bottle on board, and get it filled as soon as I can once I'm on the plane. Now that I've written this down, I'm afraid I have doomed empty water bottles to a senseless banning.

Well, until then, happy travelling, beauty junkies!

First Attempt for Dark Nails

This Fall/Winter season calls for short, dark nails in multiple hues of reds, wines and rich greys as seen from Chanel.

Speaking of Chanel, they do the most deliciously-dark matte black polish. Retailing for a whopping RM70 per bottle, this unemployed had to find another solution. Fast!

That's where your local Watsons came to save the day. Silkygirl does a black that's called Jet Black that is rather similar to the one from Chanel that I'd been coveting. Look, I'm a novice with dark nails. There's absolutely no reason why I should be spending so much on a nail polish. A good base and top coat, yes, but not yet, for nail polishes.

And, stealing Shryh's idea of displaying both the results of the nails as well as the bottle, here's my very first attempt.



It's a lot of work waiting for each layer to dry before another one is painted on. What with trying not to go over the edge and paint the skin, trying to leave the cuticles unpainted, it's a major pain in the ass! With dark polish, I've been told to stick to short nails for a chic look. Any longer, you'd be going for the vampish, Halloween look.

I still love the effects, though. The hard work paid off and I'd love to have a navy blue and a shimmery plum colour next.

New Goodies From Benefit

Browsing beauty websites is one of my favourite hobbies. It's like window shopping. All from the comforts of my room. And, Benefit cosmetics always has one of the most fun stuff. Quirky names, pretty packaging, they all seem to beckon at me from across the oceans.

One of the first few stuff which I came across was a set of brushes. Or, I should say one of the first few things which caught my eye since brushes are always interesting. This set contains 4 brushes, from its description: the powder brush, fluff brush, hard angle brush, and the talent brush.

I would think the fluff brush would be your regular large eyeshadow brush. The hard angle brush (last brush on the right depicted below) can be used for filling in the eyebrows and finally, the much-talked about talent brush (2nd last brush from right below) is multi-use. I imagine it would be suitable for a cream eyeshadow and even for undereye concealer! I wouldn't dream of using this to correct spots because it's just too wide for precision.

This set goes for USD$44.00.



Justine Case, a twist to the popular phrase just-in-case is a set made up of miniatures of Benetint, eyecon, california Kissin' and Some Kind-a Gorgeous in a pan. I would think this would be a good chance for those who have been dying to want to try some of these products. Benetint has received its fair share of good (and lousy!) reviews but you'd never know if it'll work on you until you've tried. eyecon is their eye cream which is touted to reduce dark circles but having tried an entire tub, I can safely say that it does not work. Well, that's the thing with dark circles. You cannot simply eliminate them with products. Trust me on this. California kissin' is a blue-tinted lipgloss which is supposed to make teeth look whiter. Well, it is true that a red lipstick with a hint of blue would make lips whiter but I still could not justify spending so much on a lip gloss. According to some complaints in forums, Some Kind-a Gorgeous is too expensive to be used solely as a foundation. You'd see the bottom of the pan in no time. Well, like I'd said, you wouldn't know until you've tried it.

This cute little palette retails for USD$30.00



Grabbing all the favourites from their range of products, Best of Benefit: Iconic Classics consists of Dr.Feelgood - a balm and/or primer for the face, Benetint and Badgal Lash mascara. These products are all packed up in a pretty little paper box and ready to be given away (or kept for yourself). Other than Dr.Feelgood, I can't say for how good the rest of the products are. I am actually rather disappointed with Dr.Feelgood. It made me break out at the oddest places! The little spots would pop out at the little crevices at the sides of my nose. Between the nose and the cheek. Just one or two. I've completely given that up. But, having said that, I've still not learnt my lesson and would, every now and then give it a go, just in case, I've gotten over the reaction.

This pink package retails for a whopping USD$58.00



Finally, a little gift set they've dubbed Best of Benefit: Beauty Bag Essentials consists of Dallas the bronzer, Badgal Lash mascara as well as eye bright, a pink pencil to be used to brighten up the eye area.

This retails for USD$46.00.



I've always loved stuff from Benefit, but somehow, I was just not inclined to buy anything this time round. Maybe the phase for Benefit has finally passed.

Note that this is not in any way sponsored by Benefit. I just think that their products are cute and are worth sharing. I shall not be held responsible for any spending sprees going out of control.

Being Frugal

As a Dior Club member, I was given a tiny little gift on my birthday. And, when I say tiny, I really do mean tiny.

As I stared at the tiny little tube in my hands, I thought wryly to myself, "Is Dior being funny or sarcastic about giving me an anti-ageing eye cream as I get a year older?"

Yep, on one hand I was glad that I got another 2ml of the Capture R60/80 eye cream. On the other, I couldn't help but think of how apt or how "thoughtful" they were being.

Well, 2ml of eye cream is really not a lot but considering how little we use each time, I think 2ml was more than sufficient. Until I got tired of squeezing every tiny drop out. My fingers would hurt and I would struggle to balance between squeezing the tube and popping a finger to 'receive' the cream out from the tube. As much as I loved the hygiene that's presented with a squeeze-tube, I hate that it's so hard to not to waste expensive products like that.

So, I rooted around for a small clean travel-sized container I seem to have a lot of. I found one and proceeded to chop my tube of eye cream into 3 pieces. The tip, the middle part and the flat bit at the end. When I purchased the full-sized Dior eye cream, I was given a spoon as well. For the same hygienic purpose, I would presume. Using that spoon, I scooped every bit out from the 3 bits of the tube. It was highly-satisfying to see that not a single drop of product was wasted.

I repeated the same thing this evening with my trusty Olay Total Effects serum. However, this time, it was much, much harder. This is where your other half came in handy! Once again, I rooted around for yet another clean travel-sized container. And, I saw that it was the last travel-sized container I have. Thankfully, nothing is running out yet. Armed with his trusty Swiss army knife, he chopped the Olay bottle into half and once again, I scooped everything out.

With the eye cream, I think there was enough of product to last me for a good couple of months! Imagine how much product there is left in the tube had I just tossed it away! With the serum, it was good for another extra week at most, but, it's still a lot of product left behind!

For a change, I wish manufacturers would come up with bottles and tubes that would allow us to use up every single drop. It's not just that I'm a miser (yes, I can be when it comes to beauty products) but it's also, I think, the responsible thing to do.

Now, if only there was a way for me to open up my Olay Total Effects moisturizer!

Dior Warehouse Sale

One word: Meh.

Held at the basement carpark (B1) of Menara Milenium, Jen and I caught glimpse of it the moment we entered the parking lot in search of a spot. It was tiny. And dingy. Sort of.

I was thankful that I came prepared. I knew events like these would not allow for handbags to be brought in so I stuffed cash, IDs, credit cards and my mobile phone into my pockets and walked in. I was right.

The guard eyed us warily in search of a handbag. There was a cashier on one end of the room and then tables were fashioned into a long 'L' shape following the length and width of the room. Products on sale were mostly the regular stuff. If you're after a limited edition palette you missed out, sorry to say you'd have your hopes completely dashed.

The first few tables were Dior body products which I skipped entirely. Then it was the Dior whitening range but I was not interested. Their Prestige range was on sale as well but I'd never be able to afford it so I moved on. Lip products were really cheap.

All lip products (glosses and lipsticks) were going for RM40 each or RM70 for 2. There was only one green and one pink shade of gloss from the Diorshow gloss range. There was a green Dior Kiss gloss but I was not interested. They had some of the older Dior Addict (not Dior Addict 2) range which was not too bad. Dior Rouge was there as well. This, I can vouch that it's very cheap. Your regular Dior Kiss gloss would be RM68, Dior Rouge would be above RM80 and Dior Addict would be close to RM80.

For eye makeup, the older single shadows were on sale for RM30 each. They had quintets from previous seasons as well. One of my favourites- Stylish Move (970) was on sale for RM70. There were a few other quintets but I cannot remember the names nor colour code. Grabbing a quintet would save you by more than 100 bucks because each one currently retails for RM178.

Moving along would be face products: blush and foundation (liquid and powder). They had the regular rectangular pan blush which I was not really interested. Dandelion has served me fine and it shall continue to do so until I decide it's too young for me. Diorshow blush is one of the cutest things I've ever seen and I've really liked it from afar for a long time. Retailing for RM132, it goes for only RM60 at the sale. Unfortunately, there was only ONE colour on sale and the colour would turn my cheeks bright orange.

Diorskin Flash was going cheap as well at RM60 a pen. I can't remember the current retail price.

I do like Dior foundations because they are completely lightweight. But there were not enough of colour selections and I wouldn't dream of buying foundation in that kind of lighting, no matter how cheap it is. One good thing about this event was that there were no sales assistants hovering over you. No one was trying to push products. They would give suggestions or help when asked but other times, they just stand around and wait for you to make the first move. At the foundation counter, one of the girls tried to sell her foundation on me. She picked around for what she thinks is the correct colour (I would think it is the correct colour too) and tried it on my hand. I politely declined citing of my complete sloth-like attitude when it comes to foundations.

Curiosity got the better of her, "So, do you use anything? Compact powder? Loose powder? Compact foundation?"

Errr.... nothing. Only sunscreen, actually.

She took a careful glance at my skin and conceded to keeping away the testers,"Oh. Yeah, you're right. Lucky you, then. You've got good skin."

I replied my thanks with a beaming smile. I mean, who wouldn't be pleased at hearing that?

THIS is the kind of attitude that Malaysian sales assistants need to learn! To know when to back off and to know when to try and prod a sale along! Last lot of makeup products were brushes. A complete brush set goes for RM280 with a casing but I've already got a pretty good brush set so I gave that a pass. They've also got the concealer brush going for RM40. I can vouch for the brush set that it's a good investment. I've played with them at the regular counters and I love how soft they were. And, they are not usually for sale. I've seen that it's on sale at either Jusco or Metro at MidValley but that's about it. So, if brushes are what you need, I would say, go for it.

Following tables were filled with fragrances. The usual Dior Addict 2, Dior Addict Shine, Dior Addict 2 Peonies were there. Then, their older Poison and Pure Poison sets were available as well. Jen was rather taken in by the Dior Homme fragrance. When I first gave him a sample, he exclaimed loudly,"UNCLE SCENT!" However, having tried that a couple of times more, he found that he quite liked it. It was going for RM90 for a 30ml bottle. I gave him a Baldeserrini last Christmas and it's not even half-used, so I suggested he should give this a miss. He was a bit upset that he didn't manage to get anything but, really, at the rate he uses fragrances, I should be getting him 10ml bottles next!

By the time we were about to leave, the crowd had started to come in. Office workers who had finished work by 5-ish started to stream in and I was right: Events like these are vicious! I was still at the lipstick table with Jen when these 2 women with their backpacks pushed their way in. I was in a relatively good mood or I would've elbowed them. Jen left to make way for me as I continued browsing.

Quite a number of men were there as well. One of them wanted a Diorisime but was told that they don't have it. Like I'd said, it was pretty small and products on sale were from their regular range. I could see only the Dior Addict 2 Peonies to be from the limited edition range. Another man was walking up and down all the while describing each product to his other half, I would presume. It was kinda hilarious. So, Boss, don't be afraid of going there without HY, yeah?

I guess my only peeve were the LABELS. Dear Lord, the labels! Sales assistants had merely torn off lids of cardboard boxes and scrawled names of products and prices, then propping them up. Imagine seeing luxury makeup products being labelled with a cardboard box! My instant reaction, "Aiyoh!!!" It's like wearing a vintage Chanel gown and pairing that with RM3 flip-flops from pasar malam.

It was an eye-opening experience, I would say. Because they had quite little products, the crowd was thin, which was something that I like. If other warehouse sales were this simple and straightforward, I think I would attend more.