Hello my lovelies, are you enraptured in holiday collection fever or what? I just thought I’d cured myself of drooling after the fall collections and here is an arsenal of amazing coffrets being offered this season. I would like to get one set but don’t know which!

Let’s start with the Japanese brands first…

Lunasol’s Tender Glow Collection has got to be one of the most value-for-money sets amongst the Japanese brands out there. For 6,825JPY, you get an eyeshadow palette (Party Eyes TG EX01), a cream blush (Cream Cheeks EX04), a lipgloss (Full Glamour Gloss N EX 19), a loose powder (Skin Contrast Face Powder 01). Lunasol fans will know that one eyeshadow palette is 5250JPY so you are getting quite a few products for just a bit more.

I would love to get this but I already have many neutral palettes so do I really need one more? And I’m wondering if the loose powder shade can be swapped out as the one in the picture is definitely too light for me.

At first glance, Jill Stuart’s Fairy Collection looks like a lovely treat for 7,875JPY which is not too bad but I wouldn’t say it’s very “worth it” on closer inspection. In the set, there is a Jewel Crystal Eyes 104, one Loose Powder N 101, a Jelly Lipgloss 103, and two fragrance satchets in peach and lavender — all of which are encased in a frilly cosmetics case which is frankly way too girly even for me.

Personally, I would like the eyeshadow palette and the lip gloss but I’m really not sure if I should get yet another face powder of which I have several already (not Jill Stuart ones but in general).

Now the star of all the Japanese brands is definitely Addiction’s Sleepless Nights Collection. It looks the most exciting and it’s a kit meant to prep you for a glamorous night out. Priced at 9,765JPY, it is on the pricey side but you do get enough goodies that make it an honestly good buy. Another draw is that this whole set is limited edition and I’m not sure if they would eventually include these items in their permanent collection.

The compact has an eyeshadow duo with a shimmery charcoal grey and a glittery silver, plus a very light cool-toned baby pink blush. The blush is not as light as it looks when swatched and warms up a bit on my slightly tanned skin tone and the SA had similar colouring to me and it looked very pretty on her. The other items are a plum nail polish, a mini sheer pink lip gloss, a black eyeliner with multi-coloured shimmer specks (very very cool in person!) and a tiny pot of body/face shimmer. The one downside to this collection is the bag which kind of looks cheap and nasty in person. The sequins were a bit sad and ragged to put it bluntly.

Now onto non-Japanese brands…

I had been thinking about MAC’s Festive Frost Face Kit since I’d been spying them on US and UK blogs (Jamilla has a great post on this). But I don’t think there would be the exact same set available in Japan because in the Dec issue of Biteki, it says you can get a Make It Perfect Brush Kit/Mineral Eyes set for 8,400JPY or you can get the six eyeshadow palette, called 6 Snow Globe Eye Shadow in Warm, Sultry, and Cool for 5,775JPY. The info is not yet up on the MAC Japan website though the Glitter & Ice collection is on sale at counters right now.

I’m a bit torn up about the Holiday Style Collection by Estee Lauder but this must be the best value kit amongst all the holiday offerings at the moment. For 12,600JPY, you get a 15 eyeshadow palette, a 4 blush palette, three lipsticks, two mascaras, two lip glosses, one eye pencil, two lip pencils, a cleanser, a mirror, a clutch, and a makeup bag. Estee Lauder makes stellar, high quality products but their branding and packaging are just too oba-san (old lady) for me — just look at the red bags/mirror (!!!). However, I’m very tempted because the matte eyeshadows look incredible!

What are you drooling over this holiday season? Have you already got one or two holiday sets already? If you have, do share what you like about them!

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I’m honestly amazed how quickly base makeup can fall out of favour with one’s skin tone (which explains my never-ending fascination with foundation) and I attempted to save yet another “fail” in my collection.

I went through a mineral makeup phase which lasted all of two to three months last winter until the weather got too humid to wear just powder. During that time I really was pleased with my Meow Cosmetics purchases and bought a full-sized backup, but unfortunately, the shade is just way too dark for me now. I must have been so tanned last winter (weird, I know, but I went to Singapore and Sydney which had a blazing summer)…

Despite my attempts to mix my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium Dark and the Estee Lauder Nutritious Vita-Mineral Loose Powder in Intensity 1.0, I have fallen out of love with the highly powdered look (very aging) and use finishing powder very sparingly these days. So what I have done is to mix the Estee Lauder powder (too light) with my Meow Cosmetics Mineral Foundation (too dark).

Tada! Looks waaaaay better now. It has a slightly ashy undertone still, but when applied lightly, it is hardly noticeable and the pink undertone from the Estee Lauder powder does help heaps.

I tried to photograph the mixed loose powder with my other finishing powders, e.g. Jill Stuart, but the camera emphasizes the contrast so it’s not really accurate. As you can see, the picture with the blended powder alone is lighter than the one above.

I tried to compare it with my HG loose powder by Paul & Joe (by far the most refined powder I’ve ever encountered and a good match for my skin tone) and it also looks so dark.

It’s not a perfect result but this is definitely useable and I don’t feel so bad having products that can’t work for me.

Do you ever try to make products “work” for you? Do you find it annoying and toss it out or do you just deal with it?

This is my first-ever FOTD and my skin has cleared up quite a bit since my last breakout fiasco. I figured that it’s not that often I have okay-looking skin and I’ve “re-discovered” an old foundation that was unloved by me for the last year, so I thought, “Let’s do an FOTD!”

I bought Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Light Foundation Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10/PA++ (Intensity 2.0) in January as a “gentle” base during my horrible breakout phase last winter. I looked up Makeup Alley and found that those with acne-prone skin liked this particular foundie because it was light-weight, non-clogging, non-oily, and had decent coverage.

To be honest, I liked it at first and then I didn’t like it because it didn’t give me enough coverage and looked patchy on me. Furthermore, the brand Estee Lauder is not something I usually reach for as I prefer girlier brands, e.g. Jill Stuart and Paul & Joe, but I realized I’m actually smack in the demographic that Estee Lauder markets at – LOL!

But on hindsight, my skin really was a mess and I think I didn’t put enough of it on as I used to have a very light hand with liquid foundation. I just felt it didn’t give me that ultra-smooth complexion that some BB creams can (like the Nanoce one but it’s too rich for non-winter weather). And because it is very light-weight, I think it wasn’t moisturizing enough for the freezing temperatures in Feb and Mar in Tokyo. My skin was flaky at that point in time but I wouldn’t blame it on this foundation because I think I wasn’t moisturizing my skin enough and was using an arsenal of drying acne products.

BUT, in this warm-ish fall weather when it is over 20 degrees C in the day and 16-18 degrees C at night, somehow my skin has been LOVING this foundation. I do use it generously but it doesn’t cake. The only complaint I have is that it is a wee bit too light for me shade-wise but Intensity 3.0 is way too dark for me.

It gives a dewy look if you don’t powder your face after and it gives surprisingly good coverage to redness and freckles.

Other items used in this FOTD:
Lunasol Modeling Eyes 01 Beige Beige
Dollywink Eye Pencil in Brown
Lancome L’Extreme Mascara
Meow Cosmetics Brow Beater in Dark Brown to line brows
Esprique Precious Gradation Layer Cheek 01 Coral Red as blusher and face highlighter
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Medium Dark as bronzer
Revlon ColorStay Pressed Powder 104 Medium
Jurlique Love Lip Balm
Chanel Rouge Coco Cambon 31
Lancome Juicy Tubes mini (sparkly nude)

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Hello my lovelies, a week has gone by since I returned from Singapore and it’s has zipped by so quickly I don’t know what hit me. I went to Singapore to settle some wedding stuff but I managed to find time to shop. Duty-free and a cheaper currency are all there is to tempt me. I ♥ shopping when I go back to Singapore!

Before I get into my post proper, just a reminder that my giveaway ends in 24 hours! So go on over and put your name down….

I don’t usually buy so much at once and the bulk of my beauty shopping is really my Naruko products which I have been lemming since forever. For those who don’t know, Naruko is a natural paraben-free skincare and cosmetics brand from Taiwan that is formuated by celebrity skincare and makeup guru Niu Er. I’ve heard so much about how great Naruko is on Youtube that I had to get some. Though it is not available in Japan, there is a Singapore website so I just ordered a bunch of products and got them sent to my parents’ residence. I’m also flying to Taiwan in July so I might pick some up there but I’m not sure if Naruko is an internet-only shop which is the case in Singapore (click here) — it was only sold online and none of the stores carried the brand.

I know I said in my early summer skincare routine video that I was avoiding herb ingredients but some Youtubers with sensitive skin tried Naruko and they didn’t have flare-ups….and my skin is improving so hopefully it’s not as sensitive as it was before. What can I say, I’m really an incurable beauty junkie!

Anyway, hope you enjoy this video and till the next episode!

Products mentioned:

Part I Skincare:

My Beauty Diary All In One Sample Pack
My Beauty Diary Apple Polyphenol Mask
My Beauty Diary Strawberry Yogurt Mask
Silk Whitia Whitening & Moisturizing Mask
Silk Whitia Anti-Oxidation Whitening Mask
Naruko Narcisuss Day Care Range:
Foaming Wash
Mousse Facial Wash
Moisturizing Dew
Moisturizing Day Protector
Total Defense Fundamental Serum
Night Jelly
Tea Tree & Naouli T-Zone Blackhead Pore Remover
Job’s Tears Whitening & Cooling Night Jelly
Rose & Snow Fungus Night Jelly
AMPM Wakeup Skin Smooth Washing Powder (free gift)

Part II Makeup:

Clarins Blush Prodige Illuminating Cheek Colour 03 Miami Pink
MAC Mineralize Skinfinsh Natural Medium Dark
Estee Lauder Nutritious Vita-Mineral Loose Powder Makeup Intensity 1.0
Lunasol Ocean Eyes 05 Colourful Ocean
Lunasol Modelling Eyes 01 Beige Beige
Clinique Age Defense BB Cream SPF 30/PA+++
MAC Blush & Stipling Brushes
MAC Brow Set Beguile
MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick Gotta Dash!
Urban Decay Good Karma Liner (Brow Brush)

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Gosh, I really needed that holiday in Hokkaido. It didn’t seem that long ago that I was on an airplane but this one was true relaxation (compared to my whirlwind year-end trips that leave me exhausted). And I never get tired of looking at snow — coming from the tropics, snow means it’s romantic, quiet, and cosy.

I know my blog has featured lots of organization-type posts (here and here), so let’s do a simple haul post to rave and review what I’ve been using that I got from my Sydney-Singapore trip. I got a mix of old faves and new products.

Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf oozes sexy vanilla appeal. I especially love the dry down that reminds me of woolly sweaters and cupcakes.

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