As part of my “Travel Must-Haves” series, I’ve decided to include duty-free exclusive items which are also usually travel-friendly. Furthermore, I don’t really see reviews on travel palettes much on the blogosphere but there is a pretty awesome blog called, Beauty-Free, which showcases only travel exclusives, and A Model Recommends tends to include them as well because she travels a lot as a model.
I’ve actually blogged about my Chanel Les 4 Ombres as a versatile eyeshadow quad but I think that is more for short trips like a week or even two, but sometimes I travel for three to four weeks so a bit of variety is very much welcomed.
This Dior Cannage Color Collection Eye Palette does just that because you get eight shadows to play with and the deep black shade can double up as an eye liner. I’ve tried so many looks with this palette and brings endless joy to me when I put on my makeup (don’t you look forward to putting on your makeup if you are a beauty junkie?). You can do a wearable day look with the lighter shades and the neutral side of the palette or go for a dramatic smokey eye with the dark blue and purple. The pink and purple shades blend together beautifully and make for a fun playful look. What I absolutely love to do is to pair the top right white shimmery shade and the bottom right brown shade for a chic day-to-night look.
The only downer about this palette is that on the right side where the neutrals are, the first and second shades are surprisingly similar when swatched although one looks like a light yellow toned shade and the other a stark white shimmery shade. The dark brown shade turns a bit purple when oxidized so it makes me think this is truly a “purple” palette as the left side is also predominantly purple where the light pink shade has hints of lilac.
The colours are all cool-toned so I often pair warm blushes and lipsticks with any look I do from this palette.
Do you like travel exclusive palettes? Tell us what they are and why!
PS: I’ll be on holiday and I’m not sure if I’ll get internet access so please bear with me if comments don’t get published or responded to quickly.
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Gosh, it’s been ages since I did a “Things I Love…” post, so here’s blowing off the cobwebs and giving you my list of loves…
♥ Strawberries being in season again! They are actually a summer fruit but they are grown in hot houses in Japan during winter so these red juicy babies are locally available and affordable again. We get them off-season from the US which are always pricey and they look pale as well.
♥ Improving my beauty vocabulary in Japanese. My fave thing to do after a day’s work is to sit in a hot bath and read Japanese beauty magazines Voce or Biteki very slowly.
♥ Hanging out with my family when they came Tokyo in October. That was definitely a big highlight…It was their first time visiting my home and I was their tour guide for a couple of days. It was so nice to show them my adopted country and why it’s so amazing.
♥ Receiving exchange hauls from blog friends like Kat from Mat-Kai Oshaberi, Justine from Sakura Lovely, and Brianna from The Sun Girl Says. It was so fun! I got to try brands I can’t get in Japan and nab beauty goodies at lower prices.
♥ Going to more Singapore-related events in Tokyo. I used to think they were boring but somehow being a longer term expat makes me want to interact and relate to other Singaporean expats here. And there’s always excellent Singaporean fooooood when I go to these things haha…
♥ Looking forward to my year-end holiday, okay I’m not going to hide this….our honeymoon in Vietnam. And that means stopping over in Singapore – yay!
As you know, I went through a mineral foundation craze earlier this year but it’s funny how things have changed. I am now a BB cream freak and love having glowy skin as opposed to a matte finish. However, you can achieve a “glowy” look with mineral powder foundation: highlighter and a misting face spray. But since my skin had an attack of allergies (not just on my wedding day, but subsequently too which I talked about on Twitter), I’m still trying my best to use as few products on my face as possible so no misting spray for now.
Also, I really want to at least make a dent on my mineral foundation that has been sitting in my powder room virtually untouched. I did try to use it as a finishing powder but it’s not my favourite because I tend to look a bit blotchy at the end of the day. The mineral foundation I have is actually for full coverage which probably explains why it doesn’t work quite as well as a loose translucent powder.
Anyhow, my sister once told me that she sometimes mixes sunscreen with her mineral foundation so it is faster and easier to use. I think the key to achieving a flawless, uncakey finish for mineral foundation is to do it in layers and with very small amounts of product which is actually very time-consuming. I thought it was a brilliant idea and made my very own…
All you need is your favourite sunscreen (mine is the Hada Labo UV Moist Cream SPF30 that is free of additives like parabens, colouring, fragrance, and alcohol so suitable for my ultra-sensitive skin now), mineral foundation powder (from Meow Cosmetics; actually a blended formula with an Estee Lauder loose mineral powder), a small container for mixing (from Muji) and storage, and a toothpick.
I also used a spatula (pictured below) from one of my Naruko night jellies to scoop the mineral foundation powder into the small container. You can also use a tiny spoon or a small butter knife to transfer the powder.
Initially, I intended to use the spatula for mixing but my sunscreen was quite creamy and the mixture balled up much like dough so the spatula was too unwieldy for stirring. Solution: a toothpick came to the rescue! It took me under five minutes to get the following…
Just keep stirring the “dough”, plus I added just a touch more sunscreen, and it would eventually look like a cream foundation. In fact the slight greyish undertone of this foundation makes this look like a BB cream – lol! I thought I should’ve made more but this little container goes a long way because I think I chose a very creamy sunscreen to begin with — I opted for this because the weather is getting drier now.
The end result reminds me of a tinted moisturizer which is great for when I just want to even out my skin tone but I wouldn’t use this to a “nice” event or when I need to look more polished. I did try building it up but found the coverage to be light so I might experiment with more powder and less sunscreen for my next batch. One final note: I would still layer on some sunscreen before using the mixed version simply because I think having a generous amount of sunscreen on your face and body is essential to prevent sun-related skin damage.
There you go, a quick-and-easy way to use up mineral foundation if you are struggling with your stash or you would like a fuss-free type of application.
Are you a fan of mineral foundation? Yes or no, tell us your experience and share your thoughts on which brands you would recommend.
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I thought a show-and-tell kind of post would be fun to do and I’ve never ‘fessed up to what I tote around with me all the time. I think a woman’s bag says a lot about her and I wonder what mine says about me…
In the picture above, I have my waterproof Coach vanity bag right at the back, a Coach fuchsia coin purse on the left, a Coach wristlet which is effectively my wallet, a Hello Kitty pencil case on the left in front, and a Larabar to its right. I realize that this makes me look like quite a Coach freak but that’s another story.
I didn’t think it would be accurate to chuck a bag in the picture because I tend to change my bags every few days and they all look quite different. Furthermore, I don’t own any designer bags so that wouldn’t be very exciting for you to see anyway…
As you can see, I don’t really carry a lot of stuff. For my Coach vanity bag, I have the following:
- Jurlique Viola Cream (I use this as a handcream as my face can’t take most moisturizers these days)
- Esprique Mellow Rouge 422 (this is like a lip stick/lip gloss hybrid so I don’t need a gloss on the go)
- Yuskin Miffy Lip Cream
- Blotting paper
- Tissue
- Sanitary napkin and panty liner
- Hair ties and pins
- Name cards
- Card holder for all my discount/membership cards from various brands and stores (many Japanese brands have reward cards – awesome!)
- Bag holder (small red and round thing at the bottom of the picture; I always think this would be handy at a bar or restaurant that doesn’t have space for bags)
I forgot to photograph my house keys but I think they wouldn’t make a huge difference to my “What’s In My Bag?” post. I usually put them in my coin purse anyway so I wouldn’t forget them. I have a bad habit of putting my keys on any flat surface in the house and I can’t seem to find them when I need to get out of the apartment (usually in a screaming hurry).
I don’t carry blush or pressed powder because I don’t really see the need to touch up when I’m out. I don’t stay out for hours on end either as I mostly work from home. I have tried doing that before and I dislike the cakey look when I put on more pressed powder on top of fading foundation/pressed powder. I think it looks worse or maybe it’s just my pressed powder – lol!
So, I’m definitely very low maintenance and I hardly use the contents of my vanity bag but it’s great to have this “security blanket” in case of an emergency. I’m always grateful to find tissue or my discount cards in there and I feel more groomed when I touch up my lipstick if I’m going from one appointment to the next.
Lastly, the Larabar is always a lifesaver because I tend to get hungry quite often when I’m out. Larabars are mainly made up of dates and various nuts and dried fruit/natural flavours, plus they are gluten-free, soy-free, and absolutely yummy. They are about 220-250 calories depending on the flavour you choose so they are great as a snack on the go. I get Mr BB to buy them in bulk when he flies to and fro the US so I have a constant supply of these on hand.
What else do you think I should carry in my bag?
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I found that this year, my makeup and skincare collection ballooned as my curiosity got ahead of me. The problem is I only have one face, a pair of hands, and one body and there are only seven days a week and I only put on makeup once a day (might skip a couple of days if I stay at home), on top of a skincare regime that happens only twice a day.
For skincare, I definitely try to use one type of item (e.g. serum or lotion or moisturizer) at a time so as to not confuse my sensitive skin, so I have a queue going on in my skincare drawer.
But for makeup, I don’t think it’s possible to use items up one at a time, especially for lip sticks, lip glosses…everything really! I think liquid based items should be opened sparingly because bacteria spreads more easily when there is water but obviously I don’t follow that rule seeing that I have a staggering number of foundations. If you are curious how long beauty products last, read this post here. So I’m wondering, “Do you rotate your beauty products?”
I’m just thankful that powder products last a lot longer so I can take my time to use them. But really, I should stop buying anything beauty-related for at least six months as I have so many things in my powder room! I calculated that if I divided the number of foundations I have with the number of days in a year — each foundie would only have a mere two weeks of love from me.
So I made it my business to seriously rotate my products so that I would make at least a significant dent on them. I choose a set of cosmetic products and put them in a makeup bag on my bathroom counter and I only use these items for one week. I tried to do this for two weeks but I got really bored of the eyeshadows especially, so one week is good for me. I got this idea from Beauty Broadcast’s video, Escape A Makeup Rut!, and cosmeddicted’s Rotating My Makeup post and you’ll be surprised how this habit would make you re-discover your own stash and be more creative with new looks.
One last note, I also make it a point to use a different perfume everyday because perfumes do not last forever either!
Have you tried this method before? Does it work for you? Do you consciously use different makeup everyday or do you fall back on a favourite routine?
I’m on a roll with the videos, aren’t I? I’m taking advantage of the fact that Mr BB is on a business trip so I’ve got the apartment to myself. We live in a tiny space so I feel quite self-conscious speaking in front of a camera with him in the background. It’s not so much that I think he would mind or laugh at me, but more the fact that I usually do several takes, and I feel like I would be torturing him with the same lines again and again.
So here are my favourite November products and hope you enjoy this video! If you are interested, you can also catch my October Faves here.
Products mentioned:
MAC single eyeshadows: Brule, All That Glitters, Woodwinked
MAC blush Well-Dressed
NARS highlighter Albatross
NARS blush Madly
Naked Palette
Dollywink Volume Mascara
Kate Mascara Base
Canmake Candy Wrap Lip
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I’m glad I waited long enough to test drive the Ettusias Mineral BB Cream because I really was in love with it but it was during late summer/early autumn that I wore this often and the humidity was still quite high. It gave me a slightly dewy look and controlled my T-zone very well while offering light to medium coverage. I looked fresh at the end of the day so I thought my 1,800JPY (USD23) was very well spent.
The 03 Healthy Skin shade suits my NC25 skin tone to a T (it’s also the darkest shade in the range) and it pairs extremely well with my Paul & Joe loose powder.
I’ve never paid attention to Ettusias before and thought it was a cute drugstore brand but had nothing outstanding. In fact, it has counters in Singapore so I always had this impression it was kind of pricey though run-of-the-mill.
The formula is non-comedogenic and fragrance free which is great for those with clogged pores and sensitive skin. However, alcohol is the fifth ingredient in a relatively short list which made me hesitate to buy it but I got it anyway because it looked amazing shade-wise. I think this is key to controlling oil on my skin but I didn’t get any adverse reaction from this at all.
I used this again recently when the weather turned cold and dry and this BB cream did not work well for me as it was too drying and made my skin feel tight at the end of the day. I would definitely bring this along with me when I visit Singapore because it would be perfect for hot and humid weather.
Have you tried Ettusias Mineral BB Cream? If not, have you tried any of their products? What do you think of this brand?
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Hi my dearies, I know I’ve been missing from Youtube for a long time but I think this video kind of explains it. I didn’t have the heart to film because I had skin problems but I think I found my groove for now. I think my skin couldn’t handle all the strong products I layered on my skin before, especially sheet masks (I know, *sad trombone*) so I’ve switched to a very pared down routine now.
There are many odd products that are sold in Japan and they just have a novelty factor to them (and probably a very short shelf-life) so I’ve never felt inclined to really try them out.
But I was shopping around the beauty section at Tokyu Hands in Shinjuku while my family was visiting back in October and spotted this…
It says, “W Collagen — as rich as silk; snoring and condensation” (this is a very rough translation) and the words above the brand say, “Moisturizing and beautifying spa bath” (I can’t make out the first few characters as my dictionary doesn’t seem to have those words). I’m probably interpreting this wrong but I think the gist of it is that this is a moisturizing treatment to be used in a bath.
The instructions say you can use this as is in the bath or you can chill it for two hours in the fridge and then use it in the bath. I read and re-read the instructions and I gather that you are supposed to spread it all over your body and then soak in a hot bath. It also describes this product as パック, which means mask in Japanese. You can often see these characters on sheet mask boxes. By the way, this mask smelled just like caramel which was quite decadent…I thought it was hilarious that the container says, “Don’t eat!”
So I chose the first option and I must say this product completely baffled me as I think the hot bath washed away all the collagen cream/mask from my skin.
I soaked in a hot bath filled with the same brand of collagen bath salts. The scent was quite lovely — a bit of floral mixed with a hint of soap — and it turned the water a pretty light blue…
After soaking in this bath for 20 minutes, my skin certainly felt quite smooth but I don’t know if it was due to these products as my skin always tends to feel pretty smooth after a long hot soak. I think it has something to do with the dead skin cells being removed…
But you know, it was fun and as an expat in Japan, I think the only way to get to know Japanese products is to just use them!
Do you dare to try products that are weird and out there? What’s the strangest thing you have tried all in the name of vanity?
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I can’t really call this an impulse buy because it actually took a few trips to my local Tomod’s to figure what I would get from Maquillage’s single eyeshadow collection — but, it certainly felt like an random purchase. I was obsessed with finding the perfect single eyeshadow to use on its own — the inspiration came from Beauty Broadcast’s video on her Top 10 Stand-Alone Eyeshadows, so I wanted to see if I could find great single eyeshadows in Japanese drugstores.
Unfortunately, my plan was foiled because the little single eyeshadows from Maquillage did not come with their own little box and they are just in their own container which should be put into a palette case. I discovered this when I bought a shimmery taupe so I went back to get a couple more to fill up the case. The case was quite attractive and sleek so I didn’t mind changing course and building my own palette was fun — yes, I am easily entertained…
In the end, I chose all simmery shades (but to be honest I’m hard pressed to find matte shades in Japanese drugstores) — a pink highlighting shade PK 736 (left), a taupe GY 835 (middle), and a dark brown BR 736 (right) which are extremely pigmented to the point which I think you’d need to be light-handed if you don’t want an overly smokey eye. I love all the shades and the no-brainer combination makes for those busy days when you just need to get out of the friggin’ door and you still look good. But these eyeshadows have so much fallout that I’m thinking I over-payed for something that didn’t perform so well in the end.
However, you can just pat on heavy fallout eyeshadows instead of blending them in a windshield wiper motion, according to Xteener in her video on Smokey Olive Autumn Eyes.
The single shadows were 840JPY each which is pretty affordable but multiply that by three and include the 1050JPY case, this palette cost me 3,570JPY (USD45.90) which is quite pricey for a drugstore item. But I do realize that Japanese drugstores have “high end” and “low end” and Maquillage belongs to the high end part of the spectrum (heck, Maquillage has counters in Singapore).
Here are the swatches for the eyeshadows I got which have very good colour payoff. I especially love the taupe shade in the middle which I have been wearing quite often lately.
For a friend’s wedding, I actually tried using one eyeshadow to do my eyes and I think it came out pretty well in this photo. But there were other snapshots of me with flash and this eyeshadow-till-the brows look was kind of scary and it made me think twice about doing that again.
Here’s a close up of my face with the single eyeshadow look…
Would I purchase Maquillage again for eyeshadows? Definitely not and I would still recommend Esprique for “high end” Japanese drugstore eye makeup as it has better quality eyeshadows at 2940JPY (USD37.80) for a palette. The Esprique Precious line before it was changed to Esprique had a single eyeshadow collection that was sold up till last month but now they are gone (at least from the drugstores in my neighbourhood) and it had some lovely shades but I never got around to trying them.
Do you like doing looks with just one eyeshadow? Have you tried Maquillage eyeshadows? If you have, do tell us what you think!
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