BS: Monsooner Me, Dear Santa.

I only can afford to indulge in a luxurious pedicure and manicure once every year before the Chinese New year. Partially because I can’t justify paying $100 to get my nails pampered more than I can justify paying a similar amount on facial. After all, I can jolly well paint the nails myself.

So with the years, my taste in nail colour has gone from subtle to outrageous.

I got my nails painted bright orange-red. All I need is blonde hair, a swimsuit and I can hit the beach.

These are currently, my favourite colours from OPI.

Girlify me.

From left: Ladies & Magenta-Me, Feelin’ Hot-Hot-Hot.

A tinge of Alice in Wonderland.

From left: Yoga-Ta Get This Blue, Absolutely Alice, Disco Ball Sparkle (only available in Japan)

Festive Chinese

From left: Dear Santa (I heart this colour so much!), The Thrill of Brazil, Monsooner or Later (The colour I have on my nails at the moment).

Happy Chinese New Year!

Christmas Buys

Christmas is my favourite time of the year.

I’ve bought all my cards, have thought about what I’m going to give to my friends this year, and am in the process of planning parties.

Christmas is also a fantastic time for self-indulgent, as all merchants flood you with their Christmas specials.

I simply heart Shu Uemura and their Tsumori Chisato collection. Love the cute kitty.

I was also pretty tempted to stock up on some body shop gems. I have this thing about buying their hand wash. And their Christmas limited edition hand wash seems so divine.  They even have it in almond!

And I really love their body butter. Although I have to say I use it quite differently from most people. I pamper my feet with them. My favourite is grape fruit.

And let’s check out one of my favourite have-it-all store, Muji…

The recycled kimono collection makes good presents for friends.

Moving along to fashion bites, Miss Self Fridge stocks up on some awesome clothes. Where fierce and girly chic mix.

But this Christmas what I really want to stock up on….

Are these…

From Nars:

Their blush in Orgasm, concealer brush, and small domed eye or eye contour brush.

On the lighter note, I was rather tickled that Nars actually came up with this gift set.

From Jill Stuart:

I hope that the perfume smells as nice as it looks. And the blusher simply oozes cuteness.

BS: Foot Scrub

One of the best joys in life, is to have your aching feet scrubbed, polish, and pampered.

Six months of regular scrub sessions using Body Shop’s pumice foot scrub has left my feet happy!

Slather the foot scrub mix onto wet feet. Using the grey side of the foot file, gently scrub at the patches of dead skin on the sole of the feet. Thereafter, use the pink side of the foot file and target at the smaller patch of dead skin, this is to allow a smoother finishing at the sole of your feet.

This is probably one of the most economical foot care that I found, that really works.

Another product from Body Shop that works well with the foot file is the Lemongrass foot polishing.

Do remember that the product works well only on moist or wet feet.

Review: Narciso Rodriguez for her.

Over the past year, I’ve accumulated a lot of perfume samples, and I shall take the time to review them one by one.

For starters, I shall start with Narciso Rodriguez for her.

Narciso Rodriguez for her smells as sharp and clean as it (the bottle) looks. There is simply no hint of overpowering powdery flora fragrance, but bears a crisp note of it instead. The scent sort of reminds me of a power corporate who is enjoying a sumptuous weekend lunch in a top class hotel, decked out in her classy black and white.

However, because it is so classy and clean, the scent may appear a little generic. It also bears minimal excitement and fun. It’s more appropriate for wear on your I’m-in-a-fuss-free-mood-days. On the light side, it is for these reasons that I’m liken to use the perfume as my room scent and spritz it in my diary.

If you want to get a perfume that is subtle, simple and no-frills attach. Give this perfume a go ahead.

BS: CK blusher

After many years of hiatus, Calvin Klein cosmetics was re-released in Singapore sometime last year. Debuted at the Changi Airport transit duty free beauty bar at T2, not sure if other outlets do carry the brand ever since.

I bought CK’s blush in 101 shiver, 102 spare, and 109 fiery.

101 shiver is of a peach tone, and gives a natural glow to the face. You will need to apply more as it is a little light.

102 spare is of a pink base. Similarly, it is a little light, so you will need more blush. There is no drastic difference between 101 and 102. And I would recommend both of them as daily blusher ( for that natural glow on the face). Just add a pop of colour on the apples of the cheek - I use Nars blush in Deep Throat.

109 fiery is more intense. A little goes a long way. However, the blush tends to wear off really fast and the difference becomes apparent (unlike 101 and 102 because they are lighter), so touch ups are necessary. I would recommend using a make-up primer before applying the blush. I use Bare Escentuals make-up primer.

Also, I really like the modern packaging. It is definitely an improved design from the initial metal cases. The CK blush also comes packed with a mini brush, which is useful when you are in a rush, but does not do a good job in applying the blush evenly, so I use a travel brush instead.

CK stand up bar at Naunce-Watson at Departure / Transit Mall Central, Changi Airport Terminal 2. Telephone 6546 8254.

BS: Neck Creams

It is often said that neck care is one of the most neglected part in our beauty regime. And, one of the tale-tell sign of a woman’s age, is the condition of the neck.

Neck creams are expensive, because our neck’s skin is thicker; thus our neck needs richer ingredients. And for young working adults, we don’t want to invest in rich neck creams too early, because that’ll mean we need ultra rich creams when we’re 50.

For now, I have been using richer face creams instead. Do you have instances where you purchased a face cream, only to have your skin suffering from a break out? Or, the product clogs your skin, simply because it is too thick? I have. And I find it a waste to throw them away, so I apply them on my neck instead. And have found that whatever my facial skin can’t take, my neck is happy to slurp them up. And it stays moisturised.

Over a period of about two months of using a whitening face cream for my neck, it seems that my neck has gone fairer too!

So when you’re thinking of throwing away that can of rich facial cream, perhaps you can offer it to your neck instead. =)

BS: RMK Concealer

After using Bobbi Brown’s concealer for two years, I decided to try RMK’s concealer. After all, RMK is one of the top selling cosmetic houses in Japan - and all Japanese women takes their make-up regime very seriously.

The RMK’s concealer comes in a mirrored compact case and is packed with two brushes. The concealer comes in two different shades - which is useful in covering uneven skin tone. It also comes with a compact finishing powder, which helps to set the concealer, making it last longer. Overall, it is portable and creates minimal mess.

I mainly use the concealer for covering up dark under eyes, and I feel that it does a fine job at it. I don’t do touch up at all throughout the day and the concealer remains intact after a long day at work.

The coverage is light, thus you need to dab on a little more concealer to ensure proper coverage; but this allows you to moderate your use of the concealer. Upon application, the concealer is not drying, thus there is no caking, and the illusion of fine lines forming around the eyes lessens.

If there are two things that I wished the concealer would deliver would be that 1) there is an additional cover for the concealer brush to keep the brush palette clean, and 2) there is an SPF component which would be awesome! Otherwise, the RMK’s concealer is great for busy ladies who likes fuss free make up.

Hush Puppies Ballet Flats

I love heels. But, my work requires me to run around far too much, and so I seek comfort in wearing flats.

I’ve learned that leather shoes go a long way, and well soled flats go an even longer way. You can imagine my delight, when I scored a pair of trendy Hush Puppies ballet flats during a recent Expo sale for less than $20.

The best part is, this is the first pair of flats that I can wear for 12 hours straight, and my legs don’t ache at all! It is a miracle! No cuts and no bunions, just plain good ol’ comfort.

Me and my happy feet.

If you’re pondering, I’m sitting at the hair salon. It has been 3 years since I last did something funky to my hair - I got my hair permed and I cut bangs - I love it!

BS: Bare Escentuals basic kit

I have finally gotten my hands on the Bare Escentual (BE) mineral foundation. Just to be sure, I spent about two weeks to test the product out.

Using only minerals as the base of their products, BE prides itself as being au natural. Their foundation feels flawless, so much so I feel like I ain’t wearing any make-up at all! My skin feels naked. BE’s foundation gives you a light to medium coverage, so if you dread the feeling of wearing thick make-up, or if you fear that your make-up will melt because you perspire a lot, BE’s product is for you. On the flip side, if you need full coverage, I would suggest sticking to compact powder - you would require lesser time to cover the same amount of coverage.

I’m still trying to get over the fact that the foundation feels like my second skin and I’m loving the fact that it fills the fine lines so well.

That is why, I love love love using BE’s foundation as concealer. For about a year, I have been using a creamy eye concealer. Even though the colour fits perfectly, I really hated that it left the delicate skin around the eyes dry and crinkled. I was delighted that in contrast, application of BE’s powder was so gentle on my skin, it prevented more harsh lines from forming. I did use the tip of my finger to blend the powder in.

Another product that you should get is mineral veil. Don’t be fooled by its sheer outlook - mineral veil subtly wraps up your make-over with a polished look. It radiates off a hint of glow. And that is essential in looking fresh for the entire day.

Because BE’s foundation is so revolutionary, it does take some effort to learn how to apply their foundation - swirl, tap, buff. Also, unlike traditional foundation, BE’s foundation requires more application; more time is needed to cover blemishes.

A note of caution is to test the foundation prior to purchasing it. It has been said that BE’s foundation do cause skin irritation to those who are sensitive to Bismuth Oxychloride.

But all is well! The foundation will not cake or turn creeky after a day’s worth of activities. Touching up is a breeze, as you just need to buff some powder on. Dabble a bit of thier bronzer - warmth, and you will look sun-kissed.

Beginners can purchase their basic set consisting of two foundation (our skin tone might change colour due to the season. I used one as foundation, and the lighter one as concealer), mineral veil, bronzer, make-up primer, and three brushes (kubuki buffer brush, bronzer brush, concealer brush) for SGD140. Quite a good deal considering a tub of foundation retails at SGD48 and the buffer brush at SGD 68.

Bare Escentuals is the number one selling foundation in America. What are you waiting for?

Buy Bare Escentuals at Sephora: 391 Orchard Road #B1-05. Ngee Ann City. Phone: 6836 5622. Or 2 Orchard Turn #01-05/06. Ion Orchard. 6509 8255. 

Shu Uemura makeover

I was invited to attend the Shu Uemura’ s official opening at Ion on Saturday. Oh, what fun I had!

For the event, I wore a sweet blue Forever 21 top which had simple pleats at the edge and a row of satin buttons behind (I like!), white Miss Selfridge skinny jeans, my 4-inch Nine West heels, and my beloved 2.55.

I attended the function with one of my besties, Wenbing. We got there 10 minutes before the occassion, and were one of the first lucky 15 attendees to receive a free express make-over by the Shu Uemura team.

Because the Shu Uemura boutique is really petite, it was quite uncomfortable to squeeze with 130 other attendees; we decided to take a quick bite at Ginza Bairin, before heading back to the shop for our make-over. I had chicken cutlet with Japanese curry. Looks delicious don’t you think?

My cutlet lunch + Before make-over.

There after, we spend the next 1 plus hour exploring Ion. What a HUGE place this is. I felt like I was in American Mall all over again, except that this is walkable. But, Ion has a lot of escalators, and that made exploring the mall very complicated. I shall blog about the shops another time, when I do get to explore Ion again, sometime this week.

My aching feet. I really need to get it padded.

At 1430, we promptly returned back to the Shu Uemura boutique for our mini make-over.

Wenbing getting her make-over.

For the make-over, the make-up artist used materials solely from the shop’s newly launched autumn collection. I had bright turqoise eyeliner painted all over my eye lid, and peach tone blusher.

When I first opened my eyes to look at myself, I got a pleasant shock. I felt like a bird. A pretty bird.

Wenbing and I after the make-over. Because I have slightly hidden eyelids, you can’t really see the turqoise eyeliner unless I blink.

As a thank you gesture, Shu Uemura gave us samples of their cleansing oil and a bottle of their lotion. I also got a cute handphone charm for buying their products. I had to get the turqoise eyeliner - it was loud, but cute. I also bought their highlighter (colour 31).

6 hours after my makeover. The turqoise eyeliner is still in place!