Skin79 Petite Princesses

I received the pair of Skin79 "Petite Princesses" Beblesh Balms from the Diamond collection earlier this week to try out. As mentioned in my earlier post, they are currently available exclusively at the Watsons Week at the Tampines Mall Atrium Sale from 29 November to 5 December. They are slated for release in Watsons stores island-wide come January.

These are 15g in size and retail for S$23.90 each. The Diamond Prestige BB Cream (in the light pink tube) usually retails at S$39.90 for 40g. The Petite Princesses do work out to be slightly more expensive per unit, but they are much more convenient for travel or for trying out the BB Cream without investing in a full size. The tube is quite lightweight with the only minor drawback being that the nozzle is not covered. The pump is quite easy to control such that it dispenses only the desired amount.

I've already reviewed the Diamond Prestige BB Cream so I'll focus on the new Absolute Total BB Cream SPF37 PA+++ in this review.

The Absolute Total BB Cream is supposed to be suitable for all skin types and performs ten functions: whitens, improves wrinkles, fends off UV damage and pollution, nourishes skin, hydrates, builds resilience, controls sebum and acts as a makeup base and foundation.

Like the Diamond Prestige BB Cream, the Absolute Total BB Cream contains Diamond Powder and a Blooming Jewel Complex consisting of five jewel elements for added radiance. It also provides higher sun protection levels of SPF37 and PA+++ compared to the Prestige, VIP Gold and Super Plus BB Creams which have SPF25 and PA++.

The Absolute Total BB Cream is supposed to provide sheer coverage with a radiant finish. The light beige shade matched my MAC NC25 skintone quite well.

Overall, I found it quite easy to apply and blend. The texture feels quite creamy, similar to the Super Plus and VIP Gold, and helps to even out my skintone but the finish is more sheer than VIP Gold. In terms of oil control, it was not bad and I only needed to blot about every 2 hours.

Skin79's line of BB Creams can be quite overwhelming due to the sheer number of choices. The Watsons at Ngee Ann City has a Skin79 display with testers for all the products so that's a good place to try them out before deciding which one to purchase.

For this look, I'm wearing Dior 5 Couleurs Iridescent 09 Sky Glow and Rouge Dior 752 Red Premiere, that I picked up at the Dior sale. I was worried that this quint might turn out to be too bland but I was pleasantly surprised by the richness of the shades!

Here's the ingredients list.

Anna Sui Holiday Collection and Sets

The complete Anna Sui holiday collection is out at the Tangs Vivocity counter. Looks like the soap set has arrived too! As the SA was busy, I didn't get to ask about the price.

There are also a number of makeup and accessories sets available. The set below includes the liquid primer, moisturising powder foundation and case. The price was not displayed though.

Loose face powder and powder blush set.

Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick

Clinique's famous Black Honey Almost Lipstick is now exclusively available at Tangs! Favoured by many for the universally flattering sheer berry stain that it imparts, Black Honey Almost Lipstick has been one of Clinique's most popular lip products for many years. The Almost Lipstick line is not available in Singapore but it's a pleasant surprise to see Black Honey finally here on our shores!

Sightings at Watsons

Spotted some new stuff at the Watsons in Vivocity earlier today. This is the new Nicole by OPI nailpolish line. The range of shades is quite extensive but not really that cheap at S$17.10.



Rimmel's new Lash Accelerator mascara (S$19.90) is supposed to help promote lash growth.

My Beauty Diary set of 21 masks plus a Skin79 Lovely Girl BB cream as a free gift.

There are two sets available, each retailing for S$29.90. The Lovely Girl BB cream is not sold in Singapore. The size of the BB cream is not stated but it is supposed to have a retail value of $99 (not sure if that is in Taiwan dollars).

The Dolly Wink line of false lashes are back in stock.

Also available now are Paris Hilton false lashes, retailing at about S$10.90 for a pair.

Lunasol Holiday Coffret 2010

Just read on Cozycot that the Lunasol holiday coffret has arrived at Takashimaya. It should be priced at S$118, which is just a bit more than the retail price in Japan (6825yen, which is about S$107). I'm skipping this coffret as the shades don't appeal to me, although I think most ladies will find the shades very easy to wear.

My buddy Kathi has just reviewed the coffret on her blog, Lotus Palace. Do check it out!

Samantha Thavasa Opening in Singapore

Samantha Thavasa will be opening its very first store in Southeast Asia in December in Singapore! The store will be at Level B1 of Ion Orchard. To win invites to their launch party, all you have to do is follow Samantha Thavasa Singapore on Twitter and re-tweet their contest tweet. The contest is on from now until 30 November. Do also check out their new Facebook page for more details.

On my recent trip to Osaka, I was delighted to discover this Samantha Thavasa Petit Choice Liberty print Boston bag at the Daimaru in Shinsaibashi. The bag is available in three Liberty prints. You can see another of the prints here.

I spent about 20 minutes trying to decide between this pink paisley print and the purple flower print, and eventually decided to get the latter to match the Samantha Thavasa wallet that I got back in Tokyo in March on my honeymoon.

The bag is made in Japan and costs 16,275yen (about S$255), while the wallet had cost around 13,000yen. The material is cotton coated with PVC. I liked the fact that it was very lightweight and didn't feel stiff.


The bag is from the Petite Choice range, whereas the wallet is from the main Samantha Thavasa line. Hence, the logos and leather trimmings are different. I've been using the wallet for the past 6 months and it's still in tip top condition.

The leather trimming on the wallet is a light beige, whereas the bag sports a medium brown trimming.

The bag also comes with a detachable long strap.

Inside, there are two pockets on one side of the bag.

Hopefully the new store in Ion will carry their Liberty print range!

More x Gelato Pique and Glow x Helena Rubenstein

Stopped by Kinokuniya again this afternoon to get the new January issue of More and Glow.

More comes with a pair of Gelato Pique socks in their trademark "moco-moco" fluffy fabric in mint and lavender.

The magazine is pricey at S$19.30 but it's not that bad when one considers that Gelato Pique's room socks usually retail for 1890yen (about S$30). The material is incredibly fluffy and soft, with a decent thickness. These will come in handy on overseas trips during the cold season. Uniqlo currently also carries some roomwear designs in this type of fabric.

Gelato Pique's winter collection.



The February issue of More will include a L'Occitane zip pouch and a Shea Rich Butter Cream sample. Due out on 25 December in Japan.

The January issue of Glow (S$19) comes with a gold Helena Rubenstein makeup pouch with a black lace overlay on both sides of the pouch. The lace design is inspired by Helena Rubenstein's Lash Queen Sexy Black WP mascara.

I haven't tried Helena Rubenstein's makeup line before but I liked the metallic gold and black lace design of the pouch. Their mascara is often voted the number one mascara in various Japanese beauty magazines. You can find the makeup line at DFS Galleria in Scotts Road.

The pouch is quite roomy, measuring 11x21x6cm, and has three internal side pockets.


It is quite well-made with reinforced stitching. One does have to be careful with the lace-covered portions so as not to snag it acidently.


The next issue will come with a Roberta di Camerino felt bag and satin drawstring pouch. The handbag is a mini version of a popular "R handbag" design by Roberta di Camerino. The release date is also 25 December in Japan.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Watsons Week at Tampines Mall Atrium Sale

If you've been thinking about trying out Skin79's BB Creams, you can purchase these at a 20% discount at the Watsons Week at the Tampines Mall Atrium Sale from 29 November to 5 December. All Skin79 regular-price products will be available at 20% discount except for the BB Miniature Set (4x5g) and this "Petite Princesses" pair of travel-sized Diamond BB Creams. The latter set will be exclusively available at this sale. It will be launched island-wide later in January.

Voce, Nonno and CanCam Magazines Haul

Dropped by Kinokuniya (Ngee Ann City) yesterday evening to check out the new air shipment of Japanese magazines. I came home with Voce, Nonno and CanCam.

The January issue of CanCam (S$19.30) comes with a L'Occitane "Snow Rose Love Set" that includes a Snow Rose print cotton handkerchief and a sachet of Snow Rose Body Cream (8ml).

The body cream is enriched with sweet almond oil and rose absolute, and leaves a subtle iridescent veil on the body. The handkerchief measures 40x40cm and feels quite soft.

The magazine is a bit pricey even after the member's discount but the Snow Rose print is just too pretty to pass up! Furthermore, it's quite rare for L'Occitane to do a collaboration item with a Japanese magazine.

After deliberating for several days, I also finally picked up the January issue of Nonno (S$17) which comes with a glitter-covered Milkfed zip pouch. The pouch is padded and quite well-made with neatly reinforced seams both externally and internally. However, I suspect that the glitter pieces do flake off if rubbed with too much force. There are already a couple of empty spots on the reverse side of my pouch. Nevertheless, I love the sweet pink and metallic blue colour scheme.

It's soooo bling!


I picked up the January issue of Voce (S$15.50) mainly for the spring collection preview and the awards list for the best beauty products of 2010. It also comes with Shiseido Benefique NT Lotion 8ml, NT Emulsion I 8ml and Cotton N.