Lola Duo Lipstick in Strawberry / Cream

The allure of double duty products never fail to make me swipe my card… be it double function or simply two color housed in pretty little tube like this Duo Lipstick by Lola.

When I purchased this, I don’t know anything about Lola… except that the duo lippie was calling my name… and the packaging is plain cute black-red combo that just exudes fun loving, sexy attitude!

Lola is an American brand which is available in several countries in Asia. According to their website, the star products are eye primer, lippies and powder.

Now the product! I don’t think I have to describe the sexy tube of this lippie! Tiny red diamante simply adds attitude to the tube! Plus, the tube also houses a tiny mirror which automatically flips open when you open the lippie tube! I am loving this… no more digging for mirror before retouching! Fantastic design and idea… however… it lacks a little in the execution… the tube is made of light plastic that is lacking substantial feel… May be I am spoiled by my favorite Guerlain Rouge Automatiques, but I feel this tube is a little hard to twist… or may be mine was simply a bad tube…

Strawberry / Cream is a pretty duo of blue based pink with super subtle shimmer (which doesn’t show up when applied on lips) and pinkish cream nude that simply adds life to my pale lips. When mixed the resulting color is creamy fresh, natural looking pink. The nude is super suitable for the office and the pink is pretty for night out with friends too! truly duo product that’s useful!

Texture of the product is also lovely, super easy to apply and blend. Coverage and pigmentation is excellent! Not as creamy as YSL Rouge Voluptes, but creamy enough not to dry my lips. It feels light on my lips and the nude crème doesn’t settle on my liplines! Love!

Bottomline…

Pretty design + wonderful product and color is the combo for me… appreciate the compact mirror on the tube too! However, the packaging itself is not that easy to deal with. 

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Trollop & Queen

Now, this is one product that truly lives to its fame! After trying on so many lip colors with similar concept – pigmented and meant to be mixed to create your own shade,  I do think this is, so far, the only one that is truly pigmented!

OCC is famous for its lip tars, but they also have other stuff like eyeshadows, tinted moisturizer and even airbrush system!

Lip Tar promises light yet intense layer of color with satin finish. Ease of gloss application, yet longevity of a lipstick.

I got Trollop and Queen for myself as a starter. OCC describes Trollop as true cranberry pink while Queen as bright coral pink. On me Trollop was first released in fall 2010, on me it is warm pink with a dash of coral. Queen is colder pink with fuchsia mixed in – my kind of comfort zone color!

Single teeny weeny drop of this baby is enough for my lips and fingertips! I applied and evened out the color with my finger tip and the result is even, bright, pigmented color with satin finish. It felt lightweight and the pigment never settle on my liplines. It did stain my fingertips a little. Lip tar pigment didn’t make a stiff layer on my lips, it just sits nicely on top of my lips. I did saw the pigment transferred on to my teacup rim after sipping. But it doesn’t matter, as the color remained bright.

Just to share how pigmented Lip Tars are, the half lip swatch on top was made by the super tiny drop I made for my hand swatch. Super pigmented, super easy to blend. I am just loving it!

During application I can taste a little minty sensation, but it didn’t last long.

Bottomline,

I am loving these babies for their pigment packed colors and longevity! Looking forward to try something from their 2012 mettalurgy collection!

Haus of Gloi Soft Bubbling Scrub in Snow Wolf

Recently I am so smitten by Haus of Gloi. They packaged their boxes well, and the Pumpkin Butter in Three Treasures was heavenly. Unlike some stuff claiming 'handmade' but still using pre made bases, Haus of Gloi made everything from scratch. Adding cherries on the cake, their products are vegan and cruelty free. How lovely. Another item I ordered together with my pumpkin butter was Soft Bubbling Scrub in Snow Wolf.

(picture from hausofgloi.com)

I am not sure how I will like this soft bubbling scrub concept, therefore, I ordered a tiny sample of 2oz (56 gr) size. Let me tell you, it doesn't disappoint!

Soft Bubbling Scrub is basically whipped scrubby soap. The product is water activated, so, apply after you wet your body. Massaging in circular motions will cleanse your skin while the scrub particles is doing its job. 

The texture of the bubbling scrub is like dense whipped cream - still light but retains its shape when taken from its jar. I am keeping my jar away from water and making sure my hand is not dripping wet when I dig into the jar. The whipped cream melts easily on my skin while I massaged it. Just because the name is 'bubbling scrub', dont expect bubble bomb here... on me, it doesnt bubble much - intensity of the bubble is just like when you applied shower gel without bath lilly/bath sponge. The scrub particles are just nice - not too fine, not too large/rough for me. The scrubbies too, will dissolve when you slowly massaged in the product. 

Upon seeing shea butter as one of the ingredient, I was kinda worried this will make my bathroom slippery. But it doesnt, that's another plus point. After rinsing, my skin feels clean and fresh yet nicely moisturized. I think Haus of Gloi have another winner here. 

Now, the fragrance, Snow Wolf is balsamic fir with a dash of vanilla to round it off. It reminds me of walk in pine forest... the freshness of the air with homey, familiar, comfortable vanilla. This is a perfect scent for me to unwind after a long day in the office. relaxing yet fresh. Part of me wish they add a little minty stuff to give the scrub a little sparkling coolness factor. But, hey, I am not a perfumer... but  a girl can wish, right? ( I do hope someone from Haus of Gloi reads this paragraph...)

Bottomline, 

another winner from Haus of Gloi... perfect sized scrubbies, lovely texture, moisturizing quality. Plus... wonderful Snow Wolf fragrance makes this one a favorite in my bathroom. 

Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter in Three Treasures

I couldnt remember how I came to know Haus of Gloi... was it the vintage image? was it the handmade factor? or was it the fact that products are vegan? Anyways... finally I clicked that checkout button and puff! A tidy box filled with nicely wrapped lotions and potions arrived on my desk. How lovely!

(picture from hausofgloi.com)

Haus of Gloi is Matt & Britton, each order is always accompanied with lovely handwritten thank you note. Appreciated personal touch! I am loving the way the pack things in my box. Each item was carefully wrapped with paper and the box is sturdy. Too bad my itchy hands has opened everything before I remember to take pictures of the nicely packaged stuff. Oh, another thing, they also sealed the jar with Styrofoam seal - I love details like this- making sure my precious drops of butter dont spill out and products stays fresh.

Ahem, enough about boxes and wrapping materials. now the product. Gloi's Pumpkin Butter is thick glossy cream. It gets absorbed rather easily when applied on my skin, but due to the richness, this might be too thick for whole body use for those with normal skin. But I do think this will benefit everyone with dry elbows and knees. 

The moment I opened the jar, I was just awestruck. The fragrance simply fills the air with goodness. Smooth resinous frankincense, not smoky, but fresh and rounded. I am so getting another tub of this!

And now I cant stop sniffing my hands... ah... the fragrance!!!

Bottomline, 

Fantastic product -very moisturizing and rich. and the fragrance... heavenly. I am definitely getting another one before this one runs out. 

Stila Merry & Bright Collectible Holiday Palette

Nude shadows was never my thing... I want my shadows colorful and bright! But recently, I realize how handy it is to have nudes eye shadows in hand. It can never go wrong with nudes to highlight and emphasize crease!

That's why when I saw Stila Merry & Bright I jumped to purchase it. The set contains (of course) the eye shadow and make up palette plus lipglaze in kitten.

The palette is smaller than standard Stila travelling girl palette, but it contains more shadow variety! Super wearable nudes and neutrals in shimmery and matte finish. Plus a convertible lip and cheek cream. As usual, the palette also features handy mirror and simple face chart.

Strangely enough, I am most happy with the convertible color! I find it super handy to use. It gives my cheek that natural pinky flush.

The eye shadows on the other hand... Was a little meh. I love glisten and joyful the most, ebony and butterscotch the least. I find the two mattes too powdery for my taste. And I prefer my black, very black...

Bottomline,

Handy palette for travelling and touch ups. But for the price I don't think it is very worth it for me, as I can foresee myself using only the convertible, glisten and joyful. May be, molasses once in a while. But this palette can be a real gem for nude n neutrals starters who want variety of finishes in a single palette.

Pantone Color of The Year 2013 - Emerald

After 2012’s highly successful Tangerine Tango, Pantone has announced 2013 color of the year… Emerald!

I personally find Emerald super easy to work with… it is cheerful enough for spring/summer outfit and makes you get noticed during grey cooler months. To tone it down, pair up with beige or navy. When I feel like adding splash of color, I pair my emerald with a little sunflower. Emerald is one of those versatile colors which make both silver and gold jewelries pop equally.

In my beauty beauty & make up universe, I loved a little emerald eye liner in rotation with my staple jet black – like Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Covet. Or, apply little green eye shadows from Lancome’s Color Design 5 Palette in Vert Tendresse.

My personal Asian drugstore pick would be Kanebo Kate’s Eye Blend Zone Eye Shadow palette in GN-1 and Majolica Majorca Jeweling Eyes palette in GR 780.

Nails… ah… there are thousands, if not millions, of gorgeous emeralds out there- in variety of finish too! Like China Glaze Exotic Encounter if you like crème or China Glaze Deviantly Daring for duochrome lovers.  

So, are you going to embrace emerald next year?

(pictures from pantone.com, Sephora.com, chinaglaze.com, adambeauty.com, shiseido.co.jp/mj, head2toebeauty.com). 

Poshe nail strengthening treatment base coat

I always have problem with my weak, easily chipped, at times peeling nails. gross, i know. Until, my best buddy reccomended me Poshe treatment base coat!

I have been wearing it pretty much for over a year. and I can see my nails r getting stronger, not as brittle as it used to be. it is amazing, remembering how long I have worn and loved this baby, but havent manage to blog about it until i nearly finish my last bottle!

One problem with Poshe though, it tends to make certain formula of polish (like my favorite holos) pools and look unsightly. Overly watery polish formula also tend to have similar problem when applied over Poshe.

Poshe dries glossy and clear. it really helps to prevent staining. my nail is not as badly stained as it used to be as well!

Bottomline...
wonderful and really working, protecting base coat for my nails. it suits most nail polish formulas I have been using (I wear mainly OPI, China Glaze, Zoya and occasional Color Club & korean brands like Etude House).

Make Up Forever Aqua Liner in 14

I havent been using MUFE products recently... the last thing I bought from them was a nude-mauve lippie. THen I was interested in their spring bohemian eye shadow palette, but it turned out sheer and not to my liking. And then i forget their make up products (MUFE brush cleanser remains a favorite, though...).

Until.. yesterday my lovely cousin sent me this eye liner. She very well knows I dont need yet another black liner, but she insisted this one is special and different.

She is correct! this liquid eye liner is lovely in many ways! the formula, the brush tip, the color! everything!

first the brush, it is made of foam, similar to MAC's Superslick eyeliners. Yet somehow it feels more easier to control and use than MAC's.

then the color! how wonderful... multi colored shimmer suspended in black base. it gives certain colorful sparkle when I wear it. I wont post any picture here, Temptalia's website posted a wonderful swatch of all the series.

The most important feature is... the formula! Okay, I have to shake it a little before wearing, to make sure the shimemer got mixed nicely with the black base. it dries fast and it last long! until I decided to remove it. On my oily lids, this one lasts longer than MAC's superslick. Superslick might peel off (not smudge, people, but peel off) by the end of a long day. But with MUFE (which I have tried few days in a row by now), it never happens!

much like its twin sister from MAC, MUFE Aqua Liner is easily off with regular soap or make up remover. I dont have to use my FANCL oil cleanser arsenal to clean this up. again, it doesnt smudge, it simply 'peels off' when i gently massaged in make up remover or facial wash.

Bottomline,
I am running to my nearest MUFE counter to grab some more colors!
Easy to use, lasts long and easy to remove. PLUS it doesnt ever smudge! What more can I ask?

One thing though, Why oh Why they named their colors with numbers?!? MUFE, give them names for easier reference please...

Maybelline blushstudio Jelly Glow in 02 Fresh Pink

Can't deny it, my latest addition is blushes... I find myself purchasing different textured blushes lately...including this fun, pretty, cute jelly glow blush from maybelline.

It is housed in domed plastic palette, which reminds me of baked blushes. but the texture of this baby is not hard as the baked cousin.... it is springy and soft and totally fun to use!

pigmentation wise, Jelly Glow is rather sheer rosy pink- no matte no frosty no pearly here. just healthy pink glow. Building up color is easy peasy with this one. 

Honestly, I have no complaint here... reasonably priced, fun product.

Sephora + Pantone universe make up set

The moment I saw the promo pictures for this babies... I totally drool for it. After a month plus of waiting... I got my very own set! I cant be more excited!

Prior to Pantone universe, I never thought poppy bold unapologetically tangerine would be wearable to mere mortals like myself. But hey... This set changes my mind. It contains a lippie, lip gloss, 4 colors eye shadow palette, 3 shades of blush and an eyeliner.

The first thing I grabbed is the lipstick. Housed in sturdy metal tube, the lipstick in tangerine tango cream is sheer yet build able bold tangerine shade with dash of little shimmer. One swipe is all it needs to give you glossy poppy tangerine lips. It glides nicely and have sweet fruit scent. To make it more wearable, I blot my lopsided lightly, and it makes my lips just nicely tinted.

 (wearing lipstick in tangerine tango cream)

The lip gloss in tangerine tango luminous has then same scent like tie lipstick. The color is similar to the lipstick, but with more golden shimmer. This baby is totally opaque.

 (wearing lipgloss in tangerine tango luminous)

(lippie vs gloss swatch)

My favorite item in this set is the blush duo in desert flower and coral. Both color are so pretty and wearable. Unfortunately i destroyed my lovely coral when I stupidly picked it up by the lid and subsequently poked the coral side of the duo with my nails. Sad sad sad. After this hard learnt lesson, I realized, that the best way for me to open my palette safely is by carefully twisting the lid to loosen the magnetic closure. Well well...

 (the blush duo & prisma)

Now the color.. Desert flower is pinky apricot that gives my cheeks health flush. It offer sheer satin finish. My favorite coral is wearable coral with a hint of pink and pretty gold shimmer,very pigmented. You don't have to buff your brush too hard with coral, just tap it lightly to pick up little color. Trust me, little goes along way... I can see working with coral as a pretty eye shadow too!

(blush swatches)

The other blush is called prisma chrome blush in apricot brandy. This baby is housed in much more travel friendly and safe compact with a mirror inside. The shade is tangerine apricot with lovely shimmer. More sheer than coral and less buttery.

(eye products)

The eye shadow quad is another wearable piece of this set. Colors are wonderfully coordinated. Scallop shell is light shimmery champagne. Carnelian is soft blendable sheer tangerine with shimmer, my favorite color in the quad. Sparrow is darkened plum with little shimmer, unfortunately this one is little sheer. Too sheer for my liking to be used as liner, just gonna wear it as crease color. Pavement is black with little shimmer, another sheer color in the quad.

(eye liner in tangerine tango, shadows in scallop, carnelian, sparrow & pavement)

Eyeliner in tangerine tango twist is one of the hardest piece to wear for me. It is a pigmented tangerine with silver shimmer. It doesnt budge once it is applied, even on my oily lids without primer. I usually use it to line my lower lid. Or Couple it with urban decay eye liner in rockstar.

I do think this set is one of the most economical I have ever encountered. The quality is good, the colors are surprisingly wearable. Totally worth it!

Madison Street Beauty Mineral Eye Shadows

Recently I activated my etsy account in search of a dose of cute food miniature jewelry. Instead, I found Madison Street Beauty shop. They were having 60% sale, and I tought…hm…I could use a few more purples in my collection… (which of course, I ended up purchasing more than purples)

The company claims that all the products are natural. Etsy site displayed that MSB have thousands sales record, so I figured this must be a trusted company. Aside from the eye shadows, they offer powders, blushes, lip balms and more. 

I got a few of their mineral eye shadow sample sized tub. One lovely thing from them is the tub! I cant imagine purchasing samples in plastic bags! How on earth am I going to keep them, or take the product out of the bag? Messy messy I envisioned… so, yes, the tub is a great help and another reason why I go on purchasing this as well. 

First, the purples…

038 Wisteria is sheer pinkish purple duochrome with shimmer – easy to pick and breezy to blend

035 Japanese Lily is sheer matte baby purple – I find it hard to pick the color out of the tub of this one. And it seems to sink in my skin and make it appear like bruised skin…not flattering on me at all

036 Amethyst is dark deep purple with shimmer- almost duochrome – I love this one as liner color, very easy to work with

040 Heliotrope is matte neon deep purple – another hard to pick hard to blend color. May be I just don’t have any idea how to use this kind of color. Again, it looks like bruised skin on me.

Now the Blues-Greens …

016 Electric Periwinkle is a truly electric matte cobalt blue. Pigmented and I find it not so easy to work with.

050 Mermaid is shimmery teal. Medium pigmentation. Of the whole lot I got, this is my favorite color

068 Emerald is deep mossy forest green with shimmer with good pigmentation. Another love for this one

076 Enchanted Forest is forest green with a dash of slate and shimmer. Lovely color and consistency!

Finally, the random colors I picked just because…

055 Apricot is apricot-tangerine shimmering color. Another one with lovely texture

002 Celestial Silver is pigmented shimmery silver, most pigmented silver I owned so far. But it doesn’t give the molten metal effect.

026 Skyline is black with silver shimmer. Just like milky way in dark black sky. Another lovely one, even though I don’t have any idea what to make of it 

Across all colors I owned from MSB, I find the matte pigments to be harder to blend – they tend to form soft tiny balls in the tub too.  The metallic and shimmers are lovely.

The Etsy shop has swatch of every colors, however I do think at times the swatches doesn’t do the lovely shadows justice. I do recommend purchasing the sample sizes first before plunging to full sized items. 

Another lovely thing… they ship ultra fast! I think this is the fastest Etsy shipping I have ever received!

Medusa’s Make Up Eye Dusts

I found Medusa’s Make Up thru musingsofamuse.com. It started as adoration to the brand’s simple yet pigmented blush, which lead to their website, medusasmakeup.com. I started browsing, with no expectation, as I know most brands don’t ship their stuff internationally. To my pleasant surprise, they ship international!!! 

With such lovely price proposition, USD 7 for eye dust and USD 10 for their lovely blushes, stuff in my cart started piling…

Eye dust is natural mineral powder eye shadow. It pretty much can be applied everywhere: eyes, face, lips… so versatile! It comes in 48 rainbow colors! How lovely! So far I got 13 of them… and currently seriously thinking to complete my collection! 

The formula across these colors I owned are heavely and consistent! They all packed serious pigments, some are borderline duochrome ! shimmer and silky…glides nicely and blended evenly. Add that wallet friendly price… this is pure joy!

Colors I got are vanilla latte, desert storm, blow, sahara, agent orange, pretty in pink, barbarella, liquid sky, atlantis, new wave, wasabe, counterfeit and comet. 

Vanilla latte is warm shimmery brown with a dash of mauve, blends nicely on my skin tone making it perfect crease color for natural shimmery look. 

Desert Storm is iridescent shimmery champagne –matches my skintone nicely, I sometime just wear this and eye liner on my lazy days.

Blow is simply shimmery white-seems pretty less useful in the beginning, but I find it nice to line inner corner or half lower lashline with it-just to make my eyes opened up a little

Sahara is iridescent shimmery sunflower yellow. I am not a yellow person, so I don’t use this as much as other color.

Agent orange is iridescent shimmery warm orange with a dash of coral… my favorite when used as accent color paired with brown on crease.

Pretty in pink is iridescent shimmery cold pink with a dash of lavender… this is one of the most duochrome of my collection. Sometimes it is pink, some times it is iridescent lavender. Very very lovely and unique.

Barbarella is shimmery lavender purple with slight metallic punch to it

Liquid sky is shimmery darkened sky blue

Atlantis is shimmery light navy blue

New Wave is shimmery blue with a dash of teal, my personal favorite of all three blues I owned

Wasabe is shimmery yellow-green with dash of certain neon quality in it. Another unique shade.

Counterfeit is lovely shimmery golden olive green-a color so easy to wear. The color almost blend on my skin.

Comet is shimmery pastel green 

I totally adore all colors, even though I tend to use some more than the others. All of them are shimmery and lovely. Swatches here was made by fingertip, light single swipe, without primer. 

One thing I’d like to change from these lovely dusts is the packaging. The tiny tubs arrived to me filled to the brim and with no sieve or some sorts on the top of the lid, it is just messy to open. The dusts got spilled a little when opening and closing the lid. 

Bottomline…

So worth it…im gonna grab some more colors for myself!

Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream

After hearing and reading so much fuss about this product, I decided to give this a try. After all, an online retailer sells the sample sized stuff of this one.

What’s interesting is the ingredients, the company claimed to use only purest, all natural ingredients. Olive oil, beeswax, honey, bee pollen, royal jelly and propolis. Sounds good. Let’s see if it is worth all the noise.

Texture wise, it looks a little like petroleum jelly, just less glossy. It is not fragranced, but somehow has this faint smell of something sweetish, the kind of sweet that I don’t really fancy. Lucky it was very faint and upon application the smell just dissipates.

Feels firm when touched in the jar, but quickly melt and get absorbed easily upon rubbing. Just like any balm, my skin feels moisturized after application.

Some people suggest using this as make up remover as well as moisturizer. Curious to try it, I swiped my favorite Urban Decay 24/7 Eye pencil on back of my hand and applied the cream after the eye liner sets. Light massaging took off the make up! Not bad. I am not sure if I want such heavy cream anywhere near my already oily lids thou…

For the other miraculous claims, I haven’t used it long enough to see if it improves my light scar or skin texture in the long run.

So far, this looks like promising product, but given the smell, I prefer my Badger Balm much more. Smells better and does the moisturizing job well too. And 37-ish USD (that’s before international shipping) for 4 oz (about 110gr) of product is just too too ridiculous. I’ll stick to my lovely Badger Balm.

Neutrogena Ageless Essentials Continuous Hydration SPF 25 with Helioplex

Ive been looking for light, moisturizing SPF for my arms for ages by now. For some reason, I keep on bumping into either SPF cream/milk without moisturizing property or those thick gooey smelly SPFs. Until I bumped in to this…

According to the direction, I is supposed to be used for face, neck and chest… but I am using it for my arms and hands, as I prefer to split moisturizer and SPF for face. But too lazy to do the same for my arms…hehe…

The texture of this one is just perfect. Light cream with just enough moisturizing feel. the formula sports fresh fragrance, if you smell hard enough, you might be able to detect the SPF-ey smell. Not as noticeable as other SPFs though.

Doesn’t feel oily too! Perfect for spring/summer!

Another plus… it doesn’t ‘slid off’ / ‘washed away’ when I wash my hands. With that, this has become my desk essential!

Big Ruby Supercool Nail Tattoos

I am sooo excited upon pressing the ‘order’ button from Big Ruby! I want… no… I NEED… Nail tattoos! Totally! And today, it arrives on my doorstep! Yay!

Big Ruby is proudly American brand and proudly animal lover too! Plus they made really cute and cool designs for your nail. And…they deliver internationally! What’s not to love from this brand?

I ordered 3 designs from Big Ruby: gardens, tweet and sea creatures. With my order, Big Ruby also sent me the really cool skull&crossbones tattoos (available for limited period of time as freebie...I think...)! Just in time for my Pirates of Caribbean fever (yes… I am still suffering from the Pirates fever until now…) Each design comes in individual resealable plastic sheet containing 86 designs… smaller ones for your mani and bigger ones for your pedi.

These tattoos are easy peasy to use. Reminiscent of temporary tattoos from my childhood! Just cut the design you want, peel off clear plastic sheet & press the design face down to your nail (or skin). Then add a drop or two of water and keep on pressing the design firmly for 15 seconds or so. Slowly peel off the white paper backing and… voila! Instant nail art. LOVE…

I really really recommend applying top coat on your design. Else you end up like me… being too excited and touched the newly applied design and make an ugly mark on it. Be patient… and don’t get overly excited… dont forget your top coat!

Second try, I applied single coat of OPI Rapidry top coat. so far it has been 3 days and my tattoo is still sitting pretty and glossy, even though tip of my nail mani has shown wear and tear chipping. I am happppyyyy with this!

Would recommend this cool stuff to any lazy nail art lover. Granted, these doesn’t shimmer or glitter like regular girly girl decal… but this totally has the cool vibe on it. Im not affiliated with Big Ruby, but in case you are interested, they are here -- http://www.bigrubytattoos.com/

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Shadow Pencil in Morphine

What can I say... the color is amazing, the texture is amazing, the lasting power is amazing

I first fell in love with Urban Decay colourful and creamy 24/7 pencil eye liners. Graduating from the eyeliner, I saw Morphine. The color is simply... amazing... light purple with iridescent glow. It just makes my eyes appear fresher and bigger when applied properly.  

This chubby pencil is so creamy and glides easily without tugging. Easy to work with (as long as you don’t let it set), easy to blend with the 24/7 eye liner pencil. It applies evenly too.

The loveliest thing is... the color stay put and vibrant all day long. My lid is super oily, most shadow wont stay fresh and will migrate by the time the clock hits 4pm. Not this one. 

I am sooo going to buy more... totally recommended!

MAC Viva Glam Cyndi Lauper Lipstick

This one is a last eyar product... but it is... My first ever red lipstick! Before Cyndi Lauper, I am always pink and mauve person, occasionally peach. But I just cant say no to Cyndi Lauper...

The sales lady told me this is going to be limited edition and available only in 2010. Good marketing to prompt me purchasing it as soon as I got my salary! But earlier this year, I still saw Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga’s blue-pink lippie.

I wont describe the texture and fragrance here – it is classic MAC lipstick with hint of vanilla fragrance. The color itself is rather sheer warm red. Just nice for red first timer like myself.

In summary...
Packaging: classic MAC
Color variations: 5/5 MAC has the most variation of colors, finish and shades I have ever seen so far
Texture: light, glides nicely
Moisturizing: 3/5, somewhere in the middle, but best used with balm underneath
Staying power: 3-4 hours
Is it worth it?
Yes if... you have been collecting MAC’s viva glam, you are red first timer
No if... you expect super intense red

Tarte Natural Cheek Stain in Glam

This is the beginning of my love affair with cheek stains...

Got this from one of Sephora’s box sets. I just adore the packaging. Lovely color too... pink-coral with golden shimmer...

On skin, it is sheer and makes my cheek glows...

It is lightly fragranced- very soft and soothing fragrance. And feels moisturizing when I applied it on my cheek and blend it. in drier climates, I think this would be a nice comfortable on skin kind of blush. But in tropical climate like Singapore, I think it is a little too moisturizing for me. I can see those with dry skin would be happy with this blush.

However, this is not really a stain. When i swathed it on my skin, i can easily remove the color with clean cotton pad. It doesn’t stain my skin at all.

Whenever I use this one, I always set it with sheer powder. And it works perfectly. I am thinking to get more colors if they ship it over to Asia...

In summary...
Packaging: made of plastic, golden in color...pretty and festive
Texture: light, glides nicely, shimmery and moisturizing
Moisturizing: 4/5
Staying power: stays pretty much all day
Is it worth it?
Yes if... you adore the color, you want moisture with your blush
No if... you have oily skin, you expect a staining product

Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balm in Sweet Orange

Oh, I cant believe I haven’t post this favourite of mine!

My first encounter with this American, organic brand was ... an organic restaurant! Of course, the cute badger on the packaging was the one that’s really calling me. My first purchase was Badger Winter Wonder Balm. It was totally lovely and become my staple soon after.

Too bad, not so long after I got addicted to the balms, the restaurant decided not to sell them anymore. This forces me to get my stock from the internet – http://www.uncommonscents.com . and this was where I saw the lip balm and decided to try.
As you can see ... the packaging was really cute with the badger in the front. It is made of plastic – light and simple.

The package which I got contains Lime Rocket, Sweet Orange and Creamy Cocoa. The texture of the balm is just nice on my lips, not too light not too heavy. It is not flavoured, just lightly scented. Nice scent I must add – all Badger products which I tried were wonderfully scented anyway...

The color appears yellowish in the container, but applies clear on lips.

I am using this as lip treatment when my lip feels ultra dry, to prep my lips before applying lipsticks .... and sometime as cuticle balm too. I know... it sounds crazy, but it works well for me.

With the nice price... This product is totally very ultra worth every penny!

I am soooo loving this product!

Nothing goes to waste everytime I purchase stuff from Badger... I love the box so much, I don’t have the heart to throw it away... I am using it as...

My brush container! Dont you just adore that badger?

In Summary...
Packaging: simple plastic with ultra cute badger as the poster boy/gal
Price: USD 13 for a pack of 3
Texture: just nice 
Is it worth it?
Yes If.... you love lightly fragranced lip balm
No if... you don’t like shopping online (for those in Asia)

Note:
I just realize some specialty mom and baby shops in Singapore carries limited Badger products. Most shops sells the balms only, not the lip balm.