Just cleared out another bunch of empties from my stash!
1. Dove Damage Therapy Intense Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner: This helped to detangle my hair but I didn't find it as moisturising as Tsubaki's conditioners.
2. Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF30 PA+++: I love this sunscreen and will definitely re-purchase it as it is very affordable and feels completely non-greasy. I've been outdoors under strong sunshine frequently over the past few weeks and this helped to prevent my skin from burning (my skin gets burnt quite easily from just one to two hours' exposure).
3. Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum: I've reviewed this here. This worked well for de-frizzing my hair but I didn't notice any significant long-term improvement in my hair.
4. Canmake Make Me Happy Fragrance Whip Wax: Formulated with camellia oil and rose water, this light whipped hair wax is supposed to help create and maintain an "airy style" with soft curls. It worked well for taming the flyaways without making the hair feel stiff. The fruity scent is quite light and I could not detect it after applying it.
5. Shu Uemura White Recovery EX+ Whitening Lotion: This refreshing lotion hydrates my skin without leaving it sticky, but I haven't seen any significant lightening of my skin pigmentation.
6. Shiseido Benefique NT Lotion: This was just an average toner.
7. Sample sizes of eye makeup removers from RMK, Ettusais, Etude House and Jill Stuart: These were all bi-phase removers that worked well for removing eyeshadow in a single swipe with eyeliners and waterproof mascaras requiring a bit more effort. The only one that stung my eyes a little was Ettusais Speedy Eye Make Off. I don't splurge on expensive eye makeup removers as Cleansing Express works well for me and is very affordable.
8. Fragrance samples of FlowerByKenzo Essentielle, Jimmy Choo, KenzoAmour and Flora by Gucci: I was surprised that I liked the Jimmy Choo fragrance, which is a modern fruity chypre fruity, with green top notes, tiger orchid, sweet toffee caramel and Indonesian patchouli. Flora didn't leave much of an impression on me while KenzoAmour garnered an unexpected compliment, which is always a pleasant surprise.
And finally, I also used up my L'Occitane Verbena Leaf Soap. I adore the refreshing scent and exfoliating effect but I noticed that it leaves the skin on my shins dry.
As a fan of Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils, I was excited when Urban Decay decided to release a new line of 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliners. The packaging is virtually identical to Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liners and MAC Superslick Liquid Eye Liners, except that that Urban Decay version comes with a slim brush applicator instead of a tapered sponge applicator.
I've swatched the Urban Decay eyeliners in this earlier post and the Stila eyeliners in this post. In Singapore, both the Urban Decay and Stila eyeliners retail at S$32 each for 1.7ml whereas in the US, the Urban Decay eyeliners retail at US$20 versus US$22 for the Stila eyeliners.
After trying out the UD eyeliners for the past week, I still prefer the tapered applicator of the Stila and MAC eyeliners over UD's slim brush which is slightly more difficult to control. The advantange of Stila's tapered applicator is that the lack of bristles means that there is no risk of splaying, resulting in splotches or an uneven line. It took me a few tries before I was able to draw an even line with the UD brush. It doesn't splay excessively but it does require a steady hand.
The UD brush is slim enough to get really close to the lashline and allows you to build up the thickness of the eyeliner quite easily. But if you are a novice or you don't have steady hands, the Stila and MAC eyeliners are just easier to use.
Urban Decay's Retrograde and Siren are quite different from Stila's Royal and Electric, which are more sheer and watery. Even when layered a few times, Royal and Electric tend to look semi-translucent whereas the two UD shades have a more opaque finish. Compared to Siren, Stila's Electric is a more vivid emerald. UD's Retrograde is a deeper, more intense royal purple than Stila's Royal, which has a brighter tone.
Below is a look that I did yesterday with UD's Retrograde along the upper lashline and the 24/7 Glide-on Shadow Pencil in Delinquent from the upper lashline to the crease and along the lower lashline. Although I like the richness and sparkle of Delinquent, it is just impossible to blend. I don't know if the other UD Shadow Pencils are easier to blend as I only purchased Delinquent. It glides on with just a bit of tugging at the skin, and sets like iron pretty much immediately, unlike the slimmer UD Eye Pencils which allow for about 30 seconds for blending before they set.
In the end, I resorted to using my fingertip to rub the Shadow Pencil and then gently smudging it onto my eyelid with my fingertip instead of applying it directly using the Shadow Pencil. I blended a purple eyeshadow from the YSL Ombres 5 Lumieres #11 Midnight Garden palette into the crease to soften the look. After about 7 hours of wear (without any primer), there was a bit of creasing of the Shadow Pencil at the inner corners.
The UD liquid eyeliners have slightly better lasting power than the Shadow Pencil but they are still not completely crease-proof. They wear quite well for about 8 hours, after which I start to see some creasing (or rather some skin showing between the lashes and the liner) in the outer half of the lashline. It's not very noticeable unless one looks very closely.
Below is another look that I did with UD's Retrograde eyeliner paired with the YSL Midnight Garden palette.
Another look with UD's Siren eyeliner.
When I ran the swatches under water, Stila's Electric was the only shade that ran and stained my hand. But when worn on the eyelids, the Stila eyeliners generally have better lasting power in my experience although they apply more sheer than the UD liners. Both brands are easy to remove with either a bi-phase eye makeup remover or cleansing oil.
Overall, although the wearing power isn't perfect, I do like the UD eyeliners as the shades are well-pigmented with a lovely metallic glint, and not dupes of shades that have already been released by other brands.
Shu Uemura will launch its Vintage Collection of 13 new Pressed Eyeshadows on 30 September in Japan. The official website has not listed the individual shade numbers yet.
There will also be a Rouge Unlimited Vintage Pastel Collection of limited edition lipsticks, plus a new Red:juvenus Eye Roller (3990yen, 10ml) and Stretch Mask (7350yen for 6 sheets, each containing 24ml of serum).
COVERMagazine.hk's Facebook page has a behind-the-scenes video on the shooting of the ad visual for the upcoming holiday collection by Wong Kar Wai and featuring Chinese-French actress Sandrine Pinna.
Japanese beauty journalist Tomoichi tweeted this pic of the RMK Christmas Palette 2011 (11,550yen), which will be released on 4 November in Japan. The palette includes eyeshadows, blushes, a Pressed Powder N, a mini pink lipgloss and a Separate Curl Mascara.
On 25 November, RMK will release a Christmas Base Makeup Kit (7875yen) which includes the popular Creamy Polished Base and deluxe sample sizes of the Creamy Foundation, Cleansing Milk, Creamy Soap and Skintuner Smoother. Both sets are done in collaboration with Kate Spade. You can see more pics on Tomoichi's blog on Cosme.net.
Aside from the holiday coffret, Lunasol will launch a new Tender Glow Collection for winter on 11 November in Japan. It includes:
1. Modelling Cheeks: limited edition shade (2625yen for refill)
2. Cheek Brush (S): Blend of squirrel and goat hair (4725yen)
3. Full Glamor Lips G: two limited edition shades in coral pink and pink rose (3150yen)
4. Full Glamor Liquid Lips: two limited edition shades (2940yen)
5. Nail Finish: 2 limited edition shades in red and beige grey (1575yen)
Lavshuca will release two limited edition Sweet Up Cheeks sets and Dramatic Memory Liner on 1 November in Japan. The Sweet Up Cheeks each contain three shades formulated with silk and pearl essence plus a brush. The Dramatic Memory Liner is a limited edition waterproof creamy eyeliner that will be available in two shades.
Starting this Friday 23 September, the Body Shop will be running an innovative campaign with the launch of its iButterfly Asia iPhone app in Singapore, as part of its 35th anniversary celebrations.
Simply download the app for free and use your iPhone/iTouch/iPad to look for butterflies within a 150m radius of any of the 40 Body Shop stores in Singapore. "Catch" the butterflies seen through the iPhone's camera viewfinder by swinging the iPhone like a butterfly net. The butterflies can then be used to redeem free prizes and discounts, including 10 grand prizes of $500 worth of Body Shop products. You can also view their Facebook page for more details. The campaign will run through to 16 October. Good luck!
According to Majolica Majorca's Facebook page, their first ever Majolica Majorca Voyage mook will be published on 21 November in Japan. The 96-page mook will retail at 1300yen and comes with a lovely hand mirror and Majolicence shimmer gel. The mook can be pre-ordered on Amazon Japan. Hopefully, this will be available at Kinokuniya in Singapore as well.
It looks like Lush is finally coming back to Singapore's shores with a new shop in November at the basement level of Wisma Atria, where they originally had their first shop more than 10 years ago. That's just in time for Christmas! Check out their new Facebook page here.
