Skin79 has just launched at various Watsons stores around the island!
The Watsons stores in Ngee Ann City, Marina Square, Bugis Junction, Parkway Parade and Jurong Point have dedicated display units showcasing the full range of Skin79 products available in Singapore, while the other Watsons stores will carry a small selection of the more popular products.
The display units are quite hard to miss, being all pink and shiny. When I was at the Ngee Ann City Watons at noon today, there were no other customers but the Watsons staff were crowded around the display asking what the individual products were for. Admittedly with such a large range of BB creams on offer, the selection can be quite overwhelming at first.
Do check out the stores with the display units if you wish to try out the products before buying as only those stores provide testers.
Here's the range available at the Watsons in Wisma Atria.
I have used the VIP Gold and Super Plus BB Creams several times each after receiving them at the bloggers' preview party. Both BB Creams impressed me with their excellent oil control and natural finish.
Here's a pic of me wearing the Super Plus BB Cream (S$36.90), which is suitable for oily/combination skin. The cream feels a bit heavy and dense when you first pump it out, but after warming it up in my palm, it melds right into my skin when applied with my fingertips. It dries to a nice powder finish that lasts very well over more than 10 hours of wear, with just occasional blotting every few hours to remove the shine on my T-zone. It does not provide full coverage but it does even out my skintone quite visibly. I like to top it off with Paul & Joe loose powder for a more dreamy, polished finish. You can read my earlier review of the VIP Gold BB Cream here.
Yet another sale is happening this week! The Metro Expo Sale will take place from Thursday 29 April to Sunday 2 May, from 11am to 10pm at Hall 5 at the Singapore Expo. The first 70 Metro members who spend $100 nett each day also get complimentary parking. I don't know if any beauty brands will be available there but I suggest checking Cozycot's cosmetics page on Thursday to see if anyone posts any further info on what is available there.
The Shu Uemura website has been updated with the limited edition "Neo-Tokyo Odyssey" collection of false eyelashes. Based on a vision of what Tokyo could look like in the future, the collection will be released on 1 May in Japan. The three Premium Edition designs in Neo Reflector, Neo Fringe and Neo Sparkle (8400yen) will be available only at the Omotesando flagship store and Isetan Shinjuku store in Tokyo and Umeda Hankyu department store in Osaka.
You can also see pics of the press event in Taiwan for the Gem Glam summer makeup collection on Iswii.net.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Kinokuniya store at Liang Court, there will be a 20% storewide discount (including 10% discount on stationery items) for members at the Liang Court store from Thursday 29 April to Saturday 1 May.
The Prestige Warehouse Sale is taking place this Wednesday 28 April to Friday 30 April! It is at the usual location in Jalan Kilang. Prestige is the distributor of Paul & Joe and Givenchy in Singapore, as well as numerous fragrance brands which are listed in the pic below. You can read my earlier posts about the previous Prestige warehouse sales in December 2009 and November 2008. The sale can be quite chaotic, and you can expect long queues at the cashier. I'm skipping this one because I'm saving up for the Paul & Joe summer makeup collection :-) Happy shopping, everyone!
Lancome Blanc Expert Mineral White-Reviving Liquid Foundation (S$75, 25ml) promises a radiant, translucent finish while covering both spots and pores. As it is designed and tested on Asian skins, and manufactured in Japan, I had fairly high hopes for it.
Here's the product description.
The ingredients list (not paraben-free).
It comes in a elegant glass bottle with a pump that is easy to control in terms of dispensing the fluid. In fact, one full pump is too much for one application so I usually use about half a pump. After prepping my skin with Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum, I warm up the foundation in my palm before dotting it on and then blending it out with my fingertip. The foundation texture reminds me of L'Oreal's True Match Liquid Foundation (L'Oreal is the parent company of Lancome) in that it is a thin liquid that dries down quite fast to a slightly powdery matte finish, so you need to blend it out quickly. It is essential to sufficiently moisturise your skin before using this foundation because otherwise, it does tend to accentuate any dry patches/flakes.
The coverage is sheer to medium. It does even out my skintone but does not completely conceal dark spots or my under eye circles. In terms of oil control, I still needed to blot my skin every hour or so (which is normal for me) but at least the foundation doesn't pool in my pores or start streaking when my skin starts to get oily.
Overall, I felt that it was a decent foundation but not really holy grail material for me. I still find Lancome's Maquicake UV Infinite Powder Foundation to be more user-friendly in terms of ease of application and with better oil control. Also, if you have dry skin, the Blanc Expert Mineral liquid foundation is probably not suitable for you.
The lovely Kas from Shine, Shimmer & Sparkle gifted me with this Lancome Ombre Absolue Palette C10 Renaissance Printaniere a couple of weeks ago. The Ombre Absolute series was just released last year. The texture is quite silky with a lovely glimmer that is not too frosty. The shades are best applied with the sponge applicator for greater intensity.
For this look, I also used Virtuose Precious Cells mascara and Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero.
I attended another two makeup demonstration events today at Orchard Central organised by Cozycot. The first was by RMK and the second was by Lancome. The RMK makeup artist did a very simple look on the model with the new Gel Emulsion Compact, Super Basic Concealer Pact and the yet-to-be-released Mix Colour for Cheeks (Shiny) and Mix Colour for Eyes (Shiny) from the summer makeup collection. She explained that Rumiko's (the brand's creator) makeup philosophy was that every lady should be her own makeup artist and hence, the products are designed to be very easy to use.
The MA advised using more primer and less foundation for a more natural look, as the primer would help to create a smooth canvas and fill in the pores. Another tip she gave was to use less foundation on the forehead as compared to the cheeks so that the face did not look overly made-up. And indeed, the model's skin looked polished yet natural after the MA had applied the Gel Emulsion Compact with a sponge. For both the Mix Colour for Cheeks and Mix Colour for Eyes, the MA just swept the brush over the shades in one swipe and applied it directly to the skin, instead of applying or layering the various shades individually. She also used the Extra Deep W Mascara on the lashes. For this mascara, it is recommended that you apply the mascara first, followed by the fibre-filled base, and then top it off with another layer of the mascara.
The Lancome demo showcased the new Virtuose Precious Cells mascara. The MA used the Oscillation Powerbooster as the mascara base, before applying two coats of Virtuose. She did not use an eyelash curler to show how Virtuose was able to lift and curl the lashes. Coupled with the Ink Artliner, the model's eyes looked very well-defined and pretty.
The MA also used the Palette Blason on the model's cheeks. She applied the lighter shade on the cheeks and upwards towards the temples and then she applied the darker pink shade on just the apples of the cheeks. The model looked absolutely glowing after that!
For the RMK event, we received samples of the Liquid Foundation #102 and Creamy Polished Base 00 plus a card for a makeover at the Isetan Scotts counter. I'll definitely be taking that up as I'd like to try the Gel Emulsion Compact and the spring collection eyeshadow quads.
As for the Lancome event, we received a Le Crayon Khol Noir, UV Expert Yeux Neuro-Shield SPF30 PA++ and Blanc Expert Ultimate Whitening Purifying Foam.
Thanks to Cozycot for organising these two events!
If you missed Urban Decay International Makeup Artist Eric Jimenez's Master Classes at Sephora Singapore earlier this year, do check out HerWorld.com for this excellent video of him creating a gorgeous smokey eye look at one of the Master Classes. There is also a video of him answering questions sent in by readers.
You can also read my earlier account of the Master Class that I attended in February here and some of the makeup tips that Eric taught us.
The May issue of Her World comes with a Metro booklet that you can use to collect free samples with a dozen beauty brands at the various Metro stores. I picked up the magazine yesterday and decided to try my luck at Metro Paragon this morning. I was mainly interested in the Elizabeth Arden Pretty Body Lotion 100ml but it was all snapped up. The Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil (8ml) and Lancome UV Expert GN-Shield SPF50 (5ml) had also been fully redeemed while SKII was not doing the skin consultation + 3 piece sample until after the current 20% sale.
Still, I was quite happy with the samples that I received: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (1.5ml) and Eye Recovery Complex (0.5ml), Laneige Water Bank Essence EX 10ml, Clinique Derma White Lab Bright Fortifying Complex 7ml, Biotherm Skin Vivo Reversive Anti-Aging Serum 5ml and Ralph Lauren Romance Always Yours 1.5ml.
After that, I attended the Stila spring makeup demonstration show at Orchard Central organised by Cozycot. I haven't heard of a Stila event being organised for the longest time so this was quite a treat. The demo was done with the new Jewel Eye Shadow Palette, Black Diamond mascara, One Step Makeup foundation and Yumberry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain. The makeup artist created a very simple sweet spring look but unfortunately, even though I was sitting in the front row, it was difficult to see how the products really looked like on the skin.
Nevertheless, the goodie bag more than made up for it! We had to collect the goodie bags from the new Ninki-o store on the second level. Ninki-o sells the most popular beauty products and gadgets, as well as clothes. The goodie bag contained two Stila Jade Blossom fragrance samples and, to my great surprise, a four-piece Ren skincare sample set! Ren is a UK skincare brand that is made without petrochemicals, sulfate detergents, synthetic colours, animal ingredients, parabens, glycols and diglycols (such as propylene glycol) etc.
In Singapore, REN can be found at the Escentials boutique in Tangs Orchard, which also carries Stila. I have used Ren before and love their Mayblossom and Blue Cypress Cleansing Gel, which is extremely gentle yet effective. And finally, I also received a Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel by flashing a SMS from Cozycot.
Tried out my new Lancome Virtuose Precious Cells today as I was eager to find out if it was worth the S$49. Lancome's mascaras are widely regarded as the gold standard in the beauty industry, just like Shu Uemura's eyelash curler, but I hesitated to splurge on a mascara that would have to be discarded after 3-6 months. Virtuose Precious Cells is touted as the first smudge-resistant cream mascara that extends lashes’ life cycle to visibly regenerate lashes. It also promises "high definition curves and length" and 12-hour hold thanks to its unique 3D Prism brush and advanced lash-care formula.
Often with cheap drugstore mascaras, the volumising formulas gunk up the brushes and you have to wipe the excess product off before applying. (I just threw out three Bourjois Volume Clubbing mascaras because the mascaras were just a clumpy mess. Fortunately, these had cost just S$2.80 each as they were a magazine freebie.) The Virtuose brush is fairly large but it comes out of the tube without being caked in the mascara. This helps to facilitate the smooth application of the mascara without clumping. I also found that the curved brush is especially good in lifting the lashes and enhancing the curl.
I liked the jet black formula and the fact that it did not make my lashes hard and brittle after it dried down. Virtuose worked very well in terms of lengthening and separating my lashes without weighing it down. The volumising effect was not that significant though. Nevertheless, I felt that it added very lovely definition to my lashes. The mascara glides on smoothly and builds length effortlessly with a few quick brushes.
The two pics below were taken after 7 hours of wear. As you can see, the curl of my lashes held up beautifully! There was also zero flaking, smudging or smearing despite this not being a waterproof mascara.
Compared to the other mascaras I am currently using, I think Virtuose Cells is better than ZA Wide Eyes Mascara in terms of building length. It is also much easier to remove than the Majolica Majorca Lash Enamel Glamour Volume On mascara (which is a waterproof formula). Visee Lash Wide Impact (Curl Long) and K-Palette Real Lasting Volume Mascara produce the most similar results as Virtuose Precious Cells with K-Palette being slightly better in terms of adding volume but K-Palette contains fibres while Virtuose does not. Overall, I do like Virtuose Precious Cells very much but it is a pricey splurge for a product that has to be used up within a few months so I'd probably need another really good gift/promotion to tempt me into repurchasing it!
Lancome is releasing different "Precious Cells" mascaras in different regions. Europe got Hypnose Precious Cells, while the US will be getting Definicils Precious Cells. One of my favourite beauty bloggers, Jamilla Camel (who is based in UK), just reviewed the Hynose Precious Cells mascara on her blog, Makeup For Professional Asian Women. Do check out her review!
