2013 Blog Sale is now LIVE!

Hi everyone, 

I've been doing a bit of purging over the past few weeks, and I have accumulated enough items to update my blog sale page :) . You can also access the sale on the Blog Sale tab above. 

I have some other items that I am thinking of purging so please continue to check back over the next week or so. 

Have a good night and hope you enjoy!

Cindy x

Makeup for Autumn and a New Direction for the Blog

Happy Weekend Everyone!!

Just wanted to share a quick post about the makeup I have been wearing for this new season :) Obviously with the seasons being reversed here in Australia, the new collections coming out are more summer themed. While I have bought a few items, I haven't really had a chance to review them since they aren't appropriate colours for the fall. One of these days, I might just go "F*ck it" and wear them out anyway haha

• Chanel Harmonie Du Soir
• Guerlain Les Fauves
• Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill #28

• Guerlain Parure de Nuit (reviewed by Cafe Makeup here)
• Korres Coral 
• Chanel Sable Rose 

I realise the bronzer is not the most natural pick for everyone, but for me, it is a must. My body is quite tan all year round and having a ghostly white face for me is not an option.

I have started a resolution recently to limit my makeup purchases to what I will wear a lot, instead of just buying it because it looks pretty. From this point on, you will probably start to see a lot of old favourites making appearances in blog posts, with the occasional new buys. 

I've been having a secret relationship with beautiful handbags lately - that has also been helping me curb my makeup spending :) With that in mind, I've attached my latest handbag purchase... an Alexander Wang Rocco in Dark Brown.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and talk to you very soon!

Cindy x

May Empties

Hello everyone! 

It has been a while since I have blogged, sorry for the disappearance. It has been a tumultuous month for me at work and it could not be helped. 

Today I have a new post for you, and it is something I have been working on all month. With the number of products I try, it takes me a long while to actually finish a full bottle of anything, so this was truly a Herculean effort for my short attention span.

1. L'Occitane Amande Shaping Delight - I used this in conjunction with regular exercise to help tone my skin. I don't actually know if it helped significantly with shaping and contouring but I noticed an increase elasticity in my skin. I probably won't get this again. The product lasts a whole month with continuous use.

2. L'Occitane Delightful Shape - Ditto the comments above. Slightly tingly upon application and I hated the smell. Won't repurchase. The product lasts 2 weeks with continuous use.

3. Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse in Beige SPF 30 PA +++ - I love this stuff. Great base for foundation and gives a flawless finish. I love that it has SPF as well because I am really lazy about slapping on lots of products on my face :P A full bottle lasts about 2 months.

4. Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Repair Oil-Free Day Lotion SPF 15 - My favourite, light weight oil free moisturiser. It is one of the very few moisturisers that do not cause greasiness and never breaks me out. Holy Grail material. This lasted quite a while with everyday use - about 2-3 months.

5. Bioderma Crealine H2OSolution Micellaire - This is hands down the best makeup remover I have ever used. It takes one swipe to remove all traces of makeup and even better than high end brands. It took me 2 weeks to use this little bottle up.

Hope you have enjoyed this post... I honestly can't wait to do next month's empties. It feels so satisfying to use up all these items at once. 

Cindy xx

Nail of the Week - Chanel May (eventhough it is April)

Chanel May is the perfect neutral milky pink, with an unbelievably glossy finish. I wore three thin layers of this polish with Le Metier de Beaute 2 in 1 Top and Base Coat. After the first coat, I wondered whether I should just leave my nails as it was, because I really liked the nice sheer pink effect that the polish gave me. In the end, I decided I wanted to see the full potential of this polish and I am glad I did :)

Chanel May has a great consistency. Not too runny and not too thick. I could apply nice even layers quite easily and even if I didn't, the polish was great at leveling itself out to give you that salon finish.

What do you think about Chanel May? It is still available in some Chanel counters. If you are looking for a new neutral, bright (but not Barbie) pink, this might just be the polish for you!

xx Cindy

OB For Shu Uemura Spring Collection 2013 - Some swatches and my initial thoughts

I wandered into David Jones today to see the newly released OB for Shu Uemura collection. I was *almost* swayed to buy the new matte eyeshadows but there were no testers (they haven't been provided with any for this collection, how strange!!) so I decided to pass. The items I did pick up were either collector's items or items I knew I was going to use frequently. 

Here are the items I bought...

OB For Shu Uemura False Lashes - $25

Look at how beautiful these are. I really love Shu Uemura eyeshadows, they are of the highest quality and never feel heavy on the lids. I think both of them are going to look super cute, but not the most natural looking false lashes. Best to save this for the special occasions, I think!

OB For Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine in Princess Coral - $39

Princess coral was released with two other lipsticks in Orange Dream (true orange) and Sakura Pink (super bright bubblegum pink). This colour was the most flattering for someone as dark as me, and the orange shade was just to close to the matte orange lipstick I bought during Shu Uemura's Spring Collection release!

OB for Shu Uemura UV Underbase Mousse in Beige (POREraser) and BB Beige - $48

I never realised till I bought these two products that the under base mousse have different weights, depending on the type that you buy. The original version is simply called uv under base mousse. The ones I purchased are the POREraser version in Beige (light blue/yellow can, moon princess) and the BB version in BB Beige (green/blue can, forest princess). The POREraser version is much lighter and more aerated than the original mousse (reviewed here). It has SPF 35 PA+++ and has 50 g of product.  The BB version is much denser, but close to the original version. It has SPF 30+++ and has 65 g of product. 
 

 

I have to give you guys my honest review. I LOOOOVEEEEEE both of these products. They really give the perfect foundation finish every single time, not too matte and not too dewy. I feel that the POREraser is excellent at diffusing the look of pores, and it has just enough coverage to wear on the weekends when you need coverage from the sun and not wear a full face of makeup. The BB Beige is much heavier in coverage and a little more matte in finish, and it doesn't feel as weightless as the POREraser. However, I think that if you use this as a base, then you wouldn't need to wear as much foundation or wear concealer. 

The POREraser Beige mousse is slightly lighter in colour than the BB Beige. It doesn't make a difference to me because the colour difference is barely perceptible after foundation.

I know some people don't like to wear SPF in foundation due to the flash back effect in photos, but I truly don't care if my skin can look as flawless as they do when I wear my Beloved Shu Uemura Under Base Mousses :)

Bottom Line: I think I may need to hoard these.

Swatches

The foam on the left is the POREraser Beige. See how soft and runny it is? The BB Beige is so dense and it can truly hold its shape. 

L-R: POREraser Beige, BB Beige

L-R: POREraser Beige blended out, BB Beige blended out

The photo above is a pretty good colour representation for these two products. I think what is also evident is the coverage that you can get with the BB line of the UV Under Base Mousses. Both of these swatches are done with the lightest touch on the pump. If you have never used this product before, the pump will take a while to get used to. You need to pump out LESS than what you think you need because it is so easily blendable and spreadable. I think even that BB Beige blob I managed to get out of the can is too much... it definitely looks like I applied way too much of this product!!

The rouge unlimited in Princess Coral is a perfect juicy coral that is semi opaque with a beautiful (and I mean, beautiful!) high shine finish. Its very easy to wear and it makes the lips look very hydrated and healthy. I am not aware of any lasting hydration properties when the lipstick wears off but that's ok. We have lip balms for that :P It looks slightly patchy there in my swatch but I might have just put on too much. Honestly, it looks so amazing on the lips, I definitely recomment the Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine lipsticks from Shu Uemura :)

Hope you found this post helpful. Happy shopping!

x Cindy

OB for Shu Uemura Spring 2013 Collection - New Release!

"On a constant quest for innovation and beauty, shu uemura invites you to a magical world for spring 2013. Inspired by Japanese artist ob and the young creators of her generation comes a limited-edition collection that celebrates the rise of a new era in art. in-between reality and a dream beckons you into ob’s creative universe, a world that appears normal at first sight but is filled with fantasy and delight; a world that showcases the emerging vision of a generation of creators who came of age in a radical new digital world. Discover this magical landscape and create a new you – someone you’ve never imagined yourself to be – with a line-up of gorgeous shu uemura products intricately wrapped in the beauty of spring and the sensitivity of a new generation."

I have been seeing some press release blog posts lately for my beloved Shu Uemura. This time, Shu has collaborated with young artist OB to decorate the packaging with the theme of this collection. I'll let the pictures below do the talking.

 

- Pink (Cherry Blossom Princess): Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil

- Yellow (Moon Princess): High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil

- Blue (Forest Princess): Whitefficient Clear Brightening Gentle Cleansing Oil

The pictures above are just some of the items in the collection courtesy of shuuemura-usa.com.

I will definitely be picking up the UV Under Base Mousses and the two LE false lashes as I love to collect them. Side note, I have really been enjoying this primer/sunscreen under my foundation because it gives me the perfect result every time.

Sadly, there isn't a limited edition packaging for the Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil. It is currently my favourite out of Shu Uemura's cleansing oil selection and I would have love to hoard at least one :)

This collection will be released in David Jones counters around Australia next week. Prices of all LE items should be consistent with the prices of their permanent counterparts :). I will confirm this for you when I know as I have only been told verbally by the sales assistant.

Update: Here is the price list for Australia ... 

Cleansing Oils 150 ml and 450 ml - $88 and $98 (the Whitefficient line is more expensive, forgot to ask. Oops!) 
Under Base Mousses - $48
Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine Lipsticks -$39
OB for Shu Uemura False Lashes - $25
OB for Shu Uemura Eyeshadow Duo Case - $10
OB For Shu Uemura Foundation Compact - $15

All these prices are cheaper than their permanent counterparts.

xx Cindy

Makeup on High Rotation: Punchy Orange Tones

I have been inspired once again by the Great Lisa Eldridge when I saw this video on youtube. I have decided to select a few items in the same colour family that she recommended for a fresh orange lipped look that will suit me (very tan skin, yellow undertone) for an every day look to the office.

For the eyes, I have been using the following palettes/single eyeshadows:
- Becca Balearic Love
- Burberry Trench and Midnight Brown
- Urban Decay Naked Palette
- Laura Mercier Burnished Copper Creme Eyeshadow
- Chanel Cinnamon 

From left: Becca Balearic Love, Burberry Trench

Clockwise from top: UD Naked, Chanel Cinnamon, LM Burnished Copper, Burberry Midnight Brown

For blushes, I have picked these three workhorse shades in my collection to pair with the orange lips. I usually wear orange and peach toned blushes everyday.
- Tarte Tipsy
- Laura Mercier Lush Nectarine & Orange Blossom

From left: LM Lush Nectarine, Tarte Tipsy, LM Orange Blossom

For my lips, I chose three different variations (in terms of finishes and pigmentation) of punchy orange lip products.
- Lancome Juicy Tubes (came in a pack of 5, it was a gift :))
- Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Matte M CR 342
- Becca Ultimate Colour Gloss in Malibu Punch (I LOVE this. It is competing against my beloved Chanel glossimer in Calypso!)

From left: Juicy Tubes (can't remember the name!), Shu Uemura Supreme Matte M CR 342 , Becca Malibu Pumch

Have a great night guys, hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing about it and organising my "makeup of the week" capsule collection :)

Cindy