RMK Makeover

From today until 3 June, you can get a makeover, hairstyling and express manicure at the RMK counter at Isetan Scotts with a purchase of S$100. I did not make any appointment in advance for it but when the MA told me about it, I decided on the spot to try it out as I was curious to see how the Gel Emusion Compact would look on my skin. Below is what I came home with, including the deluxe skincare and base makeup sample set that is the gift with purchase of S$150.

My first pick was actually the Spring Modern Eyes 02 Moss Green but it was sold out. The popularity was due to it being used on the model in the ad visual. So I got 01 Goldish Blue (S$73) instead. The brush applicator is actually made of squirrel hair, which is quite rare as squirrel hair is usually used for larger face/cheek brushes.

Mix Colors for Lips 03 Natural Orange (S$36)

Nail Color EX SH-03 Shiny Red (S$25) is one of the most popular shades in the new line of 30 shades.

I decided to get the Nail Care Gel Oil (S$20) as my fingers are perpetually dry due to frequent hand washing. One push of the button at the end of the pen dispenses enough product to do all the fingers.


After cleansing my skin, the MA prepped it with Skin Tuner Smoother, followed by Face Protector SPF31 and then the Creamy Polished Base 01. Next, she applied the Gel Emulsion Compact in 101 with a sponge. She explained that the RMK makeup philosophy was actually to apply less foundation and more base.

The Gel Emulsion Compact turned out to be not suitable for me as after a couple of hours, there was some pooling in my pores and my skin got oily quite soon. Nevertheless, the makeover was actually the most enjoyable one I've ever had as the MA was very pleasant, easy to talk to and knowledgeable.



The manicure was done with P-18. This actually has a richer pink tone in real life. It looks so much better than my own amateur attempts! Think I'll need to start investing in professional manicures.

If you're interested in the makeover service, just call the Isetan Scotts counter at 6887-5308.

FOTD with Paul & Joe Protective Foundation Primer UV

A few readers asked for reviews of the Paul & Joe Foundation Primer UV so I tried it out today as the base under Maquillage Lasting Powdery UV EX foundation in Pink Ochre 10.

The light beige primer has SPF40 and PA++ but surprisingly, the texture is a very light cream that spreads very smoothly and absorbs easily without any whitish cast or greasy feeling. It does help to even out my skintone and reduce the appearance of small pores. The coverage is light, so you will need a separate concealer for under eye circles and blemishes. It is moisturising enough that I can skip applying a separate moisturiser after cleansing my face. (If I apply a moisturiser, plus a primer and foundation on top, it's virtually guaranteed that my T-zone will be shining like a disco ball in less than an hour. So I usually skip moisturiser if I am using a primer.)

Here's the ingredient list (not paraben-free). It does contain silicones but it's not a glue-like silicone-heavy primer like Smashbox Photofinish. The Paul & Joe primer costs S$49 for 26.9ml but you can get it as part of a S$90 set right now that also includes a Face Color and a lipstick.

The Paul & Joe Foundation Primer did help to create a smooth canvas that made it easier to apply and blend my powder foundation. In terms of oil control, it was actually better than I expected because the previous Paul & Joe primers that I've tried were usually not good at preventing shine. With this primer, I had to blot about every 2 hours. After trying out the Maquillage Lasting Powdery UV EX foundation for a week, it's safe to say that it's definitely not as good as the Maquillage Lasting Stick Foudation. The Lasting Stick Foundation provides much better coverage, lasting power and a more flawless finish.

I am wearing only Korres Mandarin Lip Butter Stick in Purple on my lips. As you can see, it gives a lovely wash of colour. It is quite moisturising and non-sticky. I also liked the Paul & Joe Face Color #7 very much but it's difficult to capture it accurately in the pics.

I liked how the liner turned out here! First I used MAC Fly-by-Blu Pearlglide liner on my upper lashline and the outer half of my lower lashlined. Then I layered Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Liner over the upper lashline, drawing it out to create the upward flick. The glint of blue that you see on the lower lashline is Fly-by-Blu. I have tried using the Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Liner on my lower lashline but somehow it always ends up looking messy so I usually end up wiping it off. The eyeshadow is very simple, just Beaute de Kose Eye Fantasist SP063 Dark Cherry from the lashline to the crease and Chantecaille Menthe Iridescent Eyeshadow over the browbone area.

Thanks for reading!

Clothing Haul

The Great Singapore Sale is back and judging by the madding crowds in Orchard Road yesterday and today, it looks like everyone is out shopping! I also picked up some new clothes, including a grey knit Mango dress, an earth, music & ecology camisole and dress made with Liberty fabrics, plus some stuff from Uniqlo.

Some of you may remember my Liberty hauls from Hawaii and Tokyo. Since falling in love with Liberty, I've developed a soft spot for colourful small floral prints. earth, music & ecology is a Japanese brand that is availably exclusively at Isetan Scotts. The dress that I bought is also available in black and light yellow. There are also matching sleeveless tops.

The pink camisole was 30% off so I couldn't resist getting it, even though I already have the green version.

Over at Uniqlo, I picked up a pair of leggings (S$14.90). These are very comfortable, light enough for Singapore's blazing hot weather and go with just about any casual top.

At Uniqlo, I also got a Disney Tinkerbell innerwear set (S$19.90) that comes with a camisole top, undies, scrunchie and drawstring bag. This is also available in black and pink.

Love the Tinkerbell motif!

Paul & Joe Haul

Did some damage at the Isetan Private Sale yesterday (Thursday) at the Paul & Joe counter, thanks to the attractive GWP and sale offers.

In addition to the usual GWP, the counter was giving a $15 voucher (to be used on next purchase) with a S$100 purchase. On top of that, Isetan cardmembers also got to enjoy the 10% Beauty Bonus vouchers and HSBC cardmembers receive an additional 5% rebate voucher with every S$100 purchase.

The Sahara summer collection is not available yet but with purchase of S$150, the GWP is the Sahara makeup case, five deluxe skincare and foundation samples and a full size nail polish (about 4 colours to choose from).

Paul & Joe currently has six skincare and makeup sets to choose from, all of which offer attractive savings. I got the set with the Face Color, Lip Stick N and Protective Foundation Primer UV (S$90).

The tester for the Face Color #7 looked muddy but it actually turned out to be much more luminous and pretty.

To qualify for the GWP, I also picked up the Nail Base Coat and Nail Enamel #20 (S$22 each) and the Lip Gloss N #4. The lipglosses are being revamped soon so there is currently a 40% discount off the usual price of S$34. The older range of eyeshadows and cream foundations are also currently on 40% discount.

The case is quite cute although the satiny fabric looks like it may stain easily.


Love the cute gold zipper charms!


The Takashimaya counter has a different set of two zip pouches in the Sahara print as the gift (together with an Collection Sparkle face color and deluxe skincare samples) with purchase of S$150.

Korres Lip Butter Sale

The Korres store at Ion is having an incredible sale on its popular Lip Butters! These are currently going for just S$12.90, instead of the usual S$21. If you don't like the pot packaging, they also have the new Mandarin Lip Butter Sticks SPF15 for S$16.

I picked up the Lip Butters in Mango, Pomegranate and Jasmine and the Lip Butter Stick in Purple. The sale is on until 27 June but I wouldn't wait too long to snag these lovelies! The Lip Butters are not as emollient as the Anna Sui Protective Lip Treatment or Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Tinted Lip Treatment, but they add a lovely pop of velvety colour.

Lavshuca Fall 2010

Lavshuca will release its Fall 2010 collection on 1 August in Japan. The collection includes:

1. Dramatic Memory Liquid: Long-lasting liquid rouge in 8 shades

2. Creamy Gel Liner: pen-type long-lasting gel liner in 6 shades

3. Long Lengths Maker: lengthening mascara

Bit of a disappointment that there are no new eyeshadows. Then again, it's been a long time since Lavshuca put out anything remotely exciting.

Ed Pinaud x Nuyou @ Kino

Kinokuniya is giving away an Ed Pinaud Magical Eye Shadow with Nuyou magazine (S$5). The offer is exclusive to Kinokuniya.

The magazine also comes with a cloth eco-bag, in either orange or black. The eco-bag is bundled with every issue, and not exclusive to Kinokuniya. The bag is made of pretty poor material though which makes me wonder why they bothered with it at all as it's just a waste of resources.

The eyeshadow is supposed to have a retail value of S$75 but that seriously sounds somewhat inflated, even if it is made in France. But for S$5, I think it's definitely worth picking up! Even if you end up not liking it, it still costs less than a cup of Starbucks :-)

I haven't tried it out but it looks like a baked mineral eyeshadow with a shimmery finish and flecks of silver micro-glitter. The staff said that they had only one shade although the poster in store had shown two duos. The bottom opens up to reveal a brush and a sponge applicator.

Shu Uemura Fall 2010 "Florescent"

FANet has posted more pics of the Shu Uemura Fall 2010 collection! The Florescen collection includes a Graceful Bloom Palette (7140yen) with purple and green eyeshadows paired with soft pink blush. The palette design is similar to the Tsumori Chisato x Shu Uemura palettes from 2009.

The Dreamy Petal Palette (7140yen) has pink, purple, brown and gold eyeshadows paired with red blush.

The collection also includes a Floral Shimmer MIneral Powder (4725yen) with gold pearl, Nail Colours in purple, red and god (1785yen), and Partial Floral Phaser lashes (2310yen).


The release date is 1 August in Japan!