Sephora and Beauty.com Sale Hauls

Recently, both Sephora (USA) and Beauty.com ran their 20% off sale events so I broke my no-buy to pick up some holiday sets. If you follow the MakeupAlley boards, you would have seen that the Sephora sale was a mess of poor communication and mismanagement, resulting in much unhappiness and board dramas. Rouge members got early access to the sale from 6-9 November, while VIB members could shop the sale from 13-16 November. Some Rouge members were unhappy that they could not shop the second sale for VIB members, so Sephora ended up making an exception on a case-by-case basis for those that complained.

I'm a Rouge member but sat out the first sale. On the last day of the VIB sale, I happened to drop in at my local Sephora and got drawn in by their wealth of Sephora Favourites sets. The Skin Wonderland (U.P.$68 with a value of $228) looked especially tempting with their array of 16 deluxe samples, mostly from high end brands. The SA readily agreed to give me the 20% off, so I ended up adding a few other items to my basket.

Some of these products are my tried-and-tested favourites like the Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist, SKII sheet mask, Kate Somerville ExfoliKate, Caudalie Divine Oil and Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. Also included are some much newer products that I've been wanting to try sch as Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment, REN Keep Young and BeautifulInstant Firming Beauty Shot and Nude Skincare ProGenius Omega Treatment Rescue.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit palette (U.P. $80) gets a lot of flack for containing less product (0.294oz) than one full-size Ambient Lighting Powder (0.35oz, $35). However, for someone who hasen't hit pan on any powder product in a decade, having a variety of shades to play with makes more sense. $80 is certainly a tad overpriced, but at 20% off, it becomes more palatable.

The Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment Illuminizing Trio (U.P. S$26 with a value of $44) contains deluxe mini sizes of the three illuminizers that she had earlier launched for Fall 2015. Again, it's a great way to sample the different formulas, and the generous sizes means that these can last even the most heavy-handed strobing devotee a long time.


From Beauty.com, I purchased several of Anna Sui's Holiday 2015 offerings as I loved this year's sets, especially the Makeup Box which is a relative steal at $22.

It's sturdy and well-made, with an embossed pattern on the lid. Anna Sui sold a black version some years ago, which had an additional inner tray that is lacking in this white box. That black case has held up very well over the years without any rusting or dents, so this white box leaped to the top of my holiday list.

The Moisturizing Care Kit (U.P. $20) is a nifty little set containing a tri-layered Nail Care Oil, Rose Hand Cream and lip balm.

Below is the Holiday Snow Collection 02 Thawed Heart (U.P. $59), which turned out to be much less orange toned than it looked online. The lipstick and blush usually retail for $30 and $36 individually. The box is surprisingly hefty and solidly constructed. This has sold out on Beauty.com.

The Paul & Joe holiday makeup coffrets were an easy pass for me, so I settled on one of their Luxurious Bath & Body Collection 01 Columbine (U.P. $50), which has a sweet floral aroma composed of notes of citrus, black currant, rose, jasmine and amber. This has also sold out.

Finally, these are the free birthday gifts from Ulta (the Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lipgloss) and Sephora (NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella and Rikugien, plus a Larger Than Life eyeliner pencil).

Ulta also gave me a $10 voucher which I used together with my points to redeem this Tarte Total Lip Service set.

My apologies to my regular readers for the long absence of review/haul posts aside from the updates on upcoming collections. Most of my days are taken up with my son, plus I have been blessed with the surprise of being pregnant with twins. Although I'm only 16 weeks along, I look more like I'm 6 months pregnant. My makeup purchases have drastically reduced as I hardly have the energy to put up makeup most days, so this is the first year in many that I've skipped getting the Suqqu and Addiction coffrets (which were much less impressive compared to previous years). There's a long, long road ahead, but I'll still try to post here whenever I find something worth sharing.

Thanks for reading!

Holiday 2015 Collections Preview

Instagram is awash with sneak previews of the Holiday 2015 collections so here's a quick round-up of what's been unveiled to date:

Paul & Joe cat masquerade set

By Terry Contour powder duo and lip palette with 10 shades (another pic here). Also a mystery trio of golden pots (possibly skincare?).

Kevyn Aucoin palette

Hourglass bronzer and highlighter palette

Tarte for QVC, Light Of The Party palette, blockbuster set (and here)

Dolce & Gabbana and Laura Mercier

Urban Decay palette (looks like Vice #4)

Charlotte Tilbury lipstick set

Too Faced palettes, here and Melted set

Stila liquid lipstick set

Bite, Fresh, MUFE and Bobbi Brown lip sets

Marc Jacobs The "Free" Spirit Style Eye-Con No. 20 Plush Eyeshadow Palette

Sephora Give Me More Lip set

Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt set

Buxom lipgloss set

Benefit blush set and here

Maquillage Snow Beauty

Cosme Decorte Marcel Wanders The Secret Nymph collection

Steam Cream

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Having struggled with oily skin for so many years, I've finally found a product that is literally a game-changer for me and worthy of Holy Grail status. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF15 is a silicone and mineral-based, oil-free primer that has given me results like no other primer or foundation that I've ever tried (and I've tried a lot!). In terms of oil control, this has the competition beat absolutely hands down.

Using Veil Mineral Primer under my current Sofina Primavista powder foundation, there is only the slightest hint of shine on my nose after three hours and none at all on my cheeks and forehead. Even without blotting, after seven hours, it was only my nose area that looked shiny. With virtually every other primer or foundation that I've tried, my whole T-zone and cheeks get oily and blotting is required at least every 2-3 hours. With Veil Mineral Primer, I only have to blot once or twice a day, every 3-4 hours. That, for me, is unheard of and it means I no longer run through packs of Gatsby blotting sheets like crazy. I recently tried out a sample of Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer and the difference could not be starker. My skin got oily within an hour and I was blotting every hour. Needless to say, I returned to Veil Mineral Primer the very next day.

The white fluid has a thin texture that absorbs readily without any whitish cast on the skin. It does have a silicone-y texture and requires virtually no waiting time before applying foundation. There isn't a significant effect in terms of diminishing the appearance of my pores, but when combined with foundation, the skin surface does look smoother. After using this for two weeks, I've not experienced any breakouts or excessive pore clogging.

Aside from boasting a broad spectrum sunscreen (comprising 2.45% titanium dioxide and 4.20% zinc oxide), the vegan-friendly formula is also free from fragrance, parabens, synthetic dye, sulfates and phthlates. The other ingredients are: Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Polysilicone-11, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Hexyl Laurate, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isosterate, Stearic Acid, Alumina.

This retails at US$52 in the US, and £52 in the UK. It's not cheap but a full size bottle (30ml) should easily last at least half a year, if not more, as you do not need that much product for one application. My 5ml sample bottle is still about two-thirds full after using it for two weeks. The sample bottle has a spatula applicator while the full size bottle has a pump.

I ordered the Veil Mineral Primer from SpaceNK in the US back in February when SpaceNK had an awesome gift with purchase promotion. Aside from Veil, I also picked up the No. 28 Primer Serum and their Extreme Sheen lipgloss, Opaque Rouge and Femme Rouge in their signature Icon shade. I haven't tried the No.28 Primer, which will probably work better during the winter months. Veil is perfect for the sweltering summer weather we're having here right now.

The gift with purchase of $250 was supposed to be worth $325 and consisted of several luxury brands such as By Terry, Rodial, Sunday Riley, Darphin, Diptyque, the Veil Mineral Primer sample and even a full sized Lipstick Queen lipstick. It's going to take ages to try it all out, but nothing tempts like a generous sample bag!

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation (US$55/£40) sounded tremendously promising for oily, blemish-prone skintypes. Available in eight shades, it is a mattifying, anti-aging foundation that transforms instantly into a soft, velvety powder finish on the skin. It promises to absorb oil, camouflage imperfections and provide a long-lasting flawless finish without the need for touch-ups.

The water-resistant formula is free of parabens, oil, fragrance, nano particles, phthlates, synthetic dyes. It also contains Lavandox (from Spanish lavender) to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and Phytostem Edelweiss (an active derived from a rare Himalayan plant) to slow collagen degradation and reduce wrinkle depth.


Housed in a sleek burnished metal pump bottle, it feels sleek and luxuriously heavy. I usually use one to 1.5 pumps for each application. If I leave the bottle untouched for several days, the pump tends to dispense the foundation in spurts instead of a smooth continuous flow, perhaps because the foundation thickens a little while sitting in the pump.

The transformation to a velvety powder finish takes place quite quickly, but with just barely enough time for blending before it sets. Hence, it is advisable to apply and blend this in sections.



It feels very light on the skin, almost like wearing face powder instead of foundation. It requires a tad more effort to blend than the usual BB creams or more emollient foundations. One has to pay attention especially to the hairline and jawline area to ensure that there are no obvious streaks. Although it helps to minimise the appearance of the pores on my T-zone area, it does not totally smooth over the larger pitted acne scars on my cheeks. A separate concealer is required if I want to camouflage the skin pigmentation and red blemishes.

Shell, the second lightest shade, isn't a perfect match for my skintone as it leans a tad beige. The most disappointing aspect was the oil control, which turned out to be less impressive than some BB creams that I've tried. My skin required blotting every two hours, despite the fact that I layered a Paul & Joe face powder on top. It doesn't perform well enough for me to want to re-purchase it but it may work better for normal to slightly oily skintypes.

For this look, I used Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette, which Mag kindly helped me to purchase last September.

This is my favourite Urban Decay palette of all time, thanks to the gorgeous selection of shades and the richly pigmented, silky formula which is now used for the new line of UD eyeshadow singles.

The case is also much more compact and well-crafted than the bulky cardboard packaging of the Book of Shadows palettes.

Majolica Majorca Pressed Pore Cover

A few weeks ago, Watsons was having a rare 25% discount on Majolica Majorca so I took advantage of it to pick up the Pressed Pore Cover in the limited edition mint case from the Sugary Trap spring collection.

The Pressed Pore Cover usually retails at around S$33 for 10g (inclusive of the case). The mint case is much prettier than the regular black case in the permanent range and has already sold out at the Watsons stores that I frequent. I'm not sure if the refillable case fits foundation pans by other Shiseido brands like Maquillage but it probably does.

The Press Pore Cover is formulated with three types of powders that are supposed to help conceal pores and imperfections while absorbing excess sebum for a "smooth and fluffy soft finish".

The powder feels quite silky and finely-milled. When applied, it is mostly translucent but it does give the skin a slightly whitish cast, so I'm not sure if this is suitable for more tanned skintones. In terms of oil control and concealing the pores, it wasn't that impressive and I still much prefer the Ettusais Quick Fix Powder which looks more natural and provides better coverage. I'll still keep using the Pressed Pore Cover for touch ups in the middle of the day but I wouldn't repurchase it.

Lotus Palace has also reviewed the Pressed Pore Cover and she didn't like it as much as its predecessor, Powder Fantasia. I don't have the ingredients list in English. The first two ingredient listed are talc and mica. It also contains zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, tocopherol, silica and citric acide\.

The included sponge works in a pinch but the design is too rudimentary as it doesn't have a ribbon strip to help hold it. Instead, I prefer to use the Hourglass Retractable Foundation Brush (S$61 in Sephora Singapore; US$42 in the US) to apply the powder.

The sliding inner cap helps to ensure that the bristles are not caught by the external cap. The sleek lightweight brush is very convenient for touch ups on the go.

The cruelty-free synthetic takelon bristles feel luxuriously soft against the skin and have just the right density for applying face powder. After three days of usage, I did get one bristle shedding but nothing excessive. There was no shedding when I washed it.

Sale at Sephora

Passed by the Sephora store in Ion Orchard today and saw that they had a small post-Christmas sale going on. Some of the items on offer include Hourglass brushes, Veil Fluid Makeup and Illusion Tinted Moisturizer which are at 30% off. Hourglass eyeshadow duos and lipsticks are buy one, get one free. Other sale items include Too Faced Galaxy Glam eyeshadows and lipsticks, and Pop Beauty nail polishes. The Mineral Flowers and Babies Only skincare lines are 20% off. Nothing by Urban Decay, MUFE, Soap & Glory or Benefit on sale, as far as I could see.

Hourglass Cosmetics Review

Hourglass Cosmetics sent me some of their products earlier this month to review.

First up is the Calligraphy Liquid Eye Liner (S$47) which is a waterproof eyeliner that comes in three shades, Indigo, Ebony and Cognac. I was sent Cognac, which is a true jet black. The eyeliner has an unusual felt tip applicator that the eyeliner liquid flows naturally into, similar to Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Liner, so there is no button to push or rotate. The eyeliner is infused with rosemary, perilla, chamomile and aloe extracts for moisturising benefits and pearl protein for an anti-inflammatory effect.

The felt tip applicator takes a bit of practice to get used to in order to draw a precise line. It draws a pigmented jet black line from the very first stroke without any dragging of the fragile eyelid. I usually layer two or three times to ensure that the edges are smooth and that the liner is thick enough to still be visible when my eyes are open.

In terms of lasting power, there was a bit of creasing near the lash roots at the end of a 12-hour day, but it does last through 6 to 8 hours quite well.

Here's the ingredients list.

The Femme Rouge in Grace (S$44) is a creamy beige that doesn't quite sit right with my skintone (I think it needs a touch of brown to be more flattering). It has good colour payoff and looks best on well-exfoliated/moisturised lips as otherwise, it can go on slightly patchy and accentuate the dry patches. The lipstick case looks and feels quite luxurious (and a tad weighty) with the brand name engraved.

The lipstick contains conditioning Vitamin E and other antioxidants, while being free of parabens, sulfates and phthlates. Below is the ingredients list.

I was also provided with two sample shades each of the Illusion Tinted Moisturizer (S$80) and Veil Fluid Makeup (S$87). The pic below shows Illusion in Ivory on the left and Veil in No. 1 Ivory on the right. Unfortunately, both turned out to be just a tad dark for my skintone, which is likely to be more suited to Shell for Illusion and No.0 Porcelain for Veil. I was surprised that Veil has a more watery texture than Illusion, which felt more like a foundation to me than a tinted moisturiser. Veil also seems to have a tendency to separate, so it's best to shake the bottle before pumping it out. Of the two, I preferred Veil Fluid Makeup as it provided a more seamless finish. Both were pretty good at evening out my skintone and required blotting about every two hours.

The pic below is with Veil Fluid Makeup No.1 Ivory and Femme Rouge in Grace. The silicone-based Veil has SPF15 and is free of oil, fragrance and parabens. It contains Vitamins A and E, plus Matrixyl to help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The pic below is with Illusion Tinted Moisturizer in Ivory and Femme Rouge in Grace. Illusion also has SPF15 and is free of oil, fragrance and parabens. It contains Instalift, a natural plant-based glycopeptide to enhance skin firmness, and hyaluronic spheres for hydration.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find the Retractable Foundation Brush (S$61) in my package. I haven't tried it out yet but the synthetic bristles feel incredibly smooth and soft with a good density. The brush is made in China.

You can find Hourglass Cosmetics at Sephora Ion Orchard and True Colors in Ngee Ann City.