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Hey everyone

Please check this video out on the Shiseido Reset White Mask! 

To support Anto, please "like" the Aqualabel SG page and "like" and comment on her video! Thanks!

Love, Tasha

Makeup Bag!

Hey guys,

Ok so these are the stuff i put in my makeup bag that i carry around everyday. Most of the things never change and when its finished i usually get the same thing or a replacement.

Makeup Bag, MAC Liberty of London collection

Compacts :)

Charles & Keith bag holder: As much as i keep telling myself to use this, i never actually do in the end because i always carry sling bags when i go out at night. But i think this is something good to keep in your makeup bag. If you ever carry a Christian Lacroix, you're not going to want to put her on the floor! These are available at a lot of places, i happened to get mine free from Charles & Keith a while ago, i'm not sure if they still have them.

MAC Blot Powder in Medium: I cannot live without this. Its great for touch ups throughout the day. I usually use blotting paper and then go over with this where i need it. Its also good if you're just going for supper and you don't want to use any makeup, dust this over where you need it and it'll keep your skin nice and matte. Available at all MAC stores.

Chanel two sided mirror: This was a present from my mum from years ago. But its really good. Its very slim and light and it comes in a little case so that it doesn't scratch. One side is a normal mirror and the other is a magnifying mirror. I'm not sure if it's still available at the Chanel stores but you should definitely invest in a nice mirror :)

ZA Oil Blotters

Ok honestly i don't really like these, something about the texture doesn't work for me. I really like the Fasio ones but i haven't seen them around in awhile. But these are reasonably good.  No matter how matte and long lasting your foundation claims it is, if you have combination or oily skin, you will definitely see some shine throughout the day, especially if your make up is on for very long hours. Long sentence. Haha. But anyway, i don't go anywhere without these even if i don't carry my make up bag out, like on a night out. I'll always bring these. I don't like to bring my blot powder out at night because for one, my evening bags are pretty small. Two, i'm afraid i'll drop my blot powder in the midst of all the you know you know and its going to smash. So blot powder does it for me.

Hair clips!

K so  i have pretty long hair, and because the weather here is INSANEEE, i can't go anywhere without my hair clips and my hair tie. The black hair clips are from Muji (i think they were about $8 bucks a clip and i don't remember where the brown one is from. I only use schoolies hair ties . They don't pull out any hair when i take them our and they don't have the metal part that joins the hair tie that most bands have. I got mine in Australia but i think you can get them at Watsons or John Little.

Lip Stuff!

Body Shop Vitamin E lip care SPF 15: Ok i have a few things to say about this. First, vitamin E as some anti-ageing properties and it also protects the skin from UV light, pollution, and other elements that damage your skin cells (correct me if i'm wrong). Second of all, this was $9.90. Thirdly, its making my lips peel. So okay, it might be providing some kind of protection to my lips that i can't see but i don't really like that it was $9.90 and that i don't think its fantastic. But always remember to get a lip balm with SPF because your lips need protection from the sun too!

MAC Lipstick in Freckletone (lustre): I got this after i backed to MAC 6 items. I wanted Creme d'Nude but they didn't have it in stock so the girl said try this, its close to CdN. It's not at all. It is nothing like it. But i like it. Its a sheer nude lipstick that kind of matches the colour of my lips. So i get more of a sheen than anything. Since its autumn, nudes and sheer colours are in and hard glitter is out. I think this is a nice lipstick for this season. It looks different on everyone for some reason so go the store to check it out first!

NARS Lipgloss in Striptease: I LOVE THISSSS. I think mine is about to finish so i have to find some way to get a new one. Its nude and its not pink at all. Its like a nude, shimmery, muted colour. Its the kind of colour that suits everyone and it goes with everything. This is my go to lipgloss when i'm in a rush or when i can't decide what to use. The texture of the NARS lipglosses are also very nice. They are not too sticky and they have reasonable staying power.





ELF Lipgloss in Pink Kiss: I bought this for $7.90 at the John Little sale. Its okay. There isn't much colour, just shimmer. But its a good cheap lipgloss to keep in your makeup bag cause it'll probably match everything you wear. Its good for when you have nothing else on your face but you just need some shine on your lips.

Covergirl Outlast Smoothewear Liner in 300 Onyx

This is kind of like the Maybelline unstoppable and a cheaper version of the MAC Technakohl liners. They staying power is pretty good and i mostly use this to touch up my waterline throughout the day. Top and bottom. I don't believe in carrying pencils around cause you're going to have to keep taking it out of your bag to sharpen, so this is good. I got this from Australia but you can get it from the Covergirl website.

Urban Decay Skyscraper mascara and Anna Sui Super Mascara DX Waterproof

These i got free from buying other products. I really like the skyscraper mascara. I like brushes that are big and the bristles for this are big and you can get a good coat of mascara on your lashes. The Anna Sui one, i don't like so much. Honestly, i'm not a big fan of Anna Sui products. They have a lot of frangrances in them and their colours aren't very pigmented. I've never tried their foundations so i can't comment on that. But when it comes to their eyeshadows, blushes and all that, i don't really like their stuff.

Ok so that's all for today. Catch you guys soon!

Love, Tasha

Foundation Review

I told  myself that I'd do a review once i hit 6 foundations that i love. I think I've found my HG(s) of foundations.

1. Nars Sheer Matte Foundation in Medium 3, Stromboli

I bought this in London after hearing raves about it. I use it with a MAC 109. The coverage is not fantastic but its enough for day wear. I use it at night as well but if you need heavier coverage, i suggest using a normal foundation brush. It's light so it lets your skin breath. I still find myself having to blot after 3 hours or so but i think that's true of any foundation. I've yet to find a miracle foundation that truly stays matte for hours on end. This is my go to foundation for all occasions. I know its a bit pricey, but when it comes to things like foundation that you're gonna use on your entire face, i don't believe in being stingy.

2. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer spf 20 (oil free) in Bisque

I love this stuff! Its so light but it gives decent coverage. Its good for everyday easy wear and is what i use to school. I just dust my MAC select sheer powder over it and I'm set. I would still use my daily moisturizer even though this is a tinted moisturizer cause I'm one of those people who don't believe in depriving your skin of moisture. If you're like me and you have oily combination skin, its best not to totally avoid moisturizing/hydrating products. Just use them in moderation. The more you deprive your skin of any kind of moisture, the more its going to produce oil. So balance everyone, balance. I use my fingers to apply this, i think it works the best cause it warms up the moisturizer and blends it in very naturally. 

3. Chanel Mat Lumiere in 40 Beige

 

I use this when i go out at nights or if I'm going for a big event. It gives full coverage and its supposed to be a long wearing foundation. The Mat Lumiere is meant for oily skin, the Vitalumiere is for dry skin and the Pro Lumiere is for combination skin. I use this with a QVS make up wedge, i think its worked the best amongst everything that I've tried. A foundation brush would pack too much of this on and because its quite a heavy foundation, i think the sponge does a better job in applying a nice thin coat as the sponge soaks up some of the product. It also creates a more flawless finish compared to using a brush, in which case you would really have to buff everything in.

4. Revlon Colorstay Makeup with SoftFlex in 310 Warm Golden

I've only used this three times or so but its a good foundation. I bought it when i was tan so now its too dark for me and I need to go buy the one in Sand Beige. Its a full coverage foundation and i know a lot of people say its really heavy but i think if you use it right, it actually is pretty good. It kept my skin matte for longer than the Chanel foundation did and I didn't need to use a lot of it. I'd use this with either a sponge or a foundation brush but I won't use a lot of the product. Its quite a long wearing foundation  so it's awesome for nights out :)

5. Clinique Superfit Makeup in 65 Super Neutral

I LOVE THIS STUFF. But again, colouring problem. I bought it when I was a lot a lot fairer and now it's too light. Heh. I went to the Clinique counter today and she matched me to a Neutral. I THINK it was 63. But this is good stuff. It really is all that it claims to be and it doesn't feel heavy on the skin. It gives a very flawless finish and I don't have to use much powder to set it because it sets quite matte. I'm itching to try the Superbalanced make up as well so when i get down to buying it i'll tell you guys about it. Recently, I changed up my skincare to Clinique and I'm a true convert. Even their foundation kind of feels like its looking after your skin and not damaging it or clogging up my pores. Good stuff. Very good stuff.


6. YSL Perfect Touch Radiant Brush Foundation in 6

This was the first liquid foundation I ever owned. Ok funny story. My mum gave this to me and I didn't realize it was a turn top brush until Audrey (thank you babe) told me. So for the longest time I was wondering why the foundation kept leaking out. Moment to react everyone. That aside, I actually really do like this foundation and I might consider buying it again in the future. It's not made for combination oily skin, so you will definitely see some shine. But its very moisturizing and it gives a very natural dewy finish which is nice. I don't think it's good to look too matte all the time. At the end of the day, your foundation is supposed to make your skin look better. You want people to tell you you have nice skin, not that your foundation looks good. I don't actually use the brush because I don't think i'll be able to clean it very well. But you can use it first and then use another brush to blend it in. Just make sure you blend with a good brush so you don't see any clumps or foundation lines.

Ok so that's all I have for today :) Talk to you guys soon!

Love, Tasha

NAKED

Hey guys.

I know, i know its been ten years. BUT TODAY THERE'S CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION.

THANKS TO CLAR :), i got the NAKED palette by Urban Decay. And it's wonderful :)

I'm not sure what the retail price will be when it hits Singapore but she bought it for about S$65 from the States and it costs US$44 online (not including shipping and all that jazz). The girl at Sephora told me it'll be in by September so please please go run for it when it comes out. 

  

It comes with a mini Primer Potion, 12 eye shadows, 2 eye liners and a mirror. And the packaging is gorgeous.  Its a kind of brown velvety material. The colours are super blendable (even the matte ones) and well pigmented. I don't think there's anything i don't like about this :)

L to R: Virgin, Sin (Drink Me Eat Me in the Alice in Wonderland Palette), Naked, Sidecar

L to R: Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse

L to R: Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

Naked and Buck are matte shadows. Gunmetal, Creep, Sin and Sidecar have glitter in them and the rest are more frosted. 

 

The two eyeliners are in Zero (black) and Whiskey (brown). I don't really recommend them for your waterline or if you're planning to use them the whole day because they do run a little bit but they are super blendable and work great as a base for your eyeshadows. It might just be our weather though, so if you're in a non humid climate they might work for you. Oh and the pencils are joined at the ends which is quite neat. And i believe Whiskey was made just for the NAKED palette. The normal brown 24/7 pencil is called Bourbon which is a deeper brown.

So come September, the palette will hit both Sephora's (ION & Takashimaya) Urban Decay counters. I'm really not sure about the price but i'm guessing it will hit about $80. It's honestly a wonderful palette to have, especially if you're into neutrals or if you're just starting out with make up. Think about it, you'll never have to buy a brown eyeshadow ever again :) And especially cause we're entering fall/winter!

For swatches: http://www.makeupgeek.com/articles-reviews/review-new-urban-decay-naked-eyeshadow-palette/

For tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSkMMRL5kuw

Love, Tasha

London Part 2

Hey hey heyyyy

Ok so i did end up going back the next day to London but i went up to the North over the weekend so i couldn't upload the pictures earlier! 

I went back to NARS and got some things and i didn't mean to but i walked past a HUGE MAC store in Covent Garden and. Well. You know. Hehe. I'm saving MAC for the airport though. Heathrow has a MAC counter and they usually have everything, even the stuff that is usually sold out everywhere else!

NARS Sheer Matte Foundation (Stromboli), GBP29/S$55.10

 

I heard WONDERS about this foundation so i had to buy it for myself. I'm a MAC NC25 (i think) but i got pretty burnt over my holidays so every foundation i own now is too light for me. So i went to the John Lewis near Regent Street and the dude matched me to this colour. I gotta say, he was really good and really patient with me. We had to try tons of colours cause i wanted a perfect match.

Ok this is a medium coverage foundation so if you want an absolutely flawless face, you should go with something else. But i don't believe in masks so i think medium coverage for day wear is good enough. Maybe for a night out you could go with something heavier. But then again the NARS sheer matte is buildable. I was recommended to use my fingers for this foundation but some have also said that i sponge would work well too. I heard it can be quite streaky looking if you use a synthetic foundation brush but i haven't tried it so i will get back to  you guys again on this.

For colour matching, i think the best thing you should do is actually go to the stores and get it. I know we can't get NARS in Singapore but if you buy it online, i really can't guarantee that you'll get a good colour match. Even when i went to the shop, i thought i was a certain colour but really i had to try so many different ones before i found the perfect shade.

I know everyone says the sheer glow is better but with my skin type and with the weather back home, i really don't believe in anything that has the word glow in it. I'd rather be safe and stick to something matte.

NARS Lip Gloss (Striptease), GBP17/S$32.30

 

It was a fight between this and the Turkish Delight lip gloss but i couldn't sleep after not buying this so i had to get it. Its a really nice nude gloss and less pink than the Turkish Delight. This would go great over a nude lipstick or would even look nice just on its own if you've got  a strong eye on. 

But i do think that NARS is really expensive. I mean Laura Mercier was even more expensive and i love NARS but with price as a consideration, MAC is cheaper and could probably give you the same satisfaction as NARS. But it is really pretty and the artistry behind the products is amazing. In the John Lewis shop today, they've actually got NARS international lead makeup stylist, James Boehmer who works closely with Francois Nars to do sessions with people. So its 35 pounds i think for a session but its fully redeemable for NARS products. 

MAC Eye Shadow (Humid), GBP11/S$20.90

 

 

I bought this as part of the MAC To The Beach collection but it is a permanent colour. Humid is one of the most talked about green eye shadows and i've been wanting to get it so as soon as i saw it as part of this, i grabbed it. I love the packaging. Its so fun and summery. Of course the Liberty of London collection was the prettiest ever and i will do a haul on that once i get back home. The green is quite an intense green with shimmer and i think i like this most when its used just as one colour all over the eye. Pop on some eyeliner, and you're ready to go. If you want to try colours, summer is the best time. So please take out all your green, corals and bronzes and use them! 

I haven't tried anything other than the Turkish Delight lipgloss so once i do and i use the foundation, i will let you guys know how it is :) 

That's all i have for you today!

Love, Tasha

London Part 1

Hello my lovelies, how've you been?

The first place i ran to once i hit Europe was Laura Mercier! There were a couple of things I've been really wanting to get from there so of course i bought them in like 2 minutes.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 (Bisque), GBP32/S$60.8

Yes i know, it was really expensive but i've read so many good things about it that i had to buy it! And its a 50ml tube.The girl at the counter helped me choose from a few colours and bisque fit me best. I tried to get a good picture of the colour but it didn't come out nice cause of the lighting but here you go, http://www.lauramercier.com/store/shop/Tinted-Moisturizer_Tinted-Moisturizer-SPF-20_prod210061. I'm quite in love with this. The salesgirl applied it for me at the store and i wore it the whole day. It was wonderful. Very light, medium coverage, it doesn't get very oily and it didn't melt. Of course the British weather helped. But i still think this would work really well for our Singapore climate. I'll use it when i get back home and let you know more about it!

Laura Mercier All Over Eye Colour Brush, GBP24/S$45.6

The other thing i've been wanting is a good all over eye shadow brush. I keep wanting to buy the coastal scents ones but i never get down to it. This brush from Laura Mercier is really good. The bristles are not too long so you will have a good control of your colour and i find that there is less fallout when the bristles are not too long. And the brush feels awesome! It would work wonderfully if you just plan to use one eye shadow colour and it would work well to use with a base eyeshadow. I know its a little pricey but its really quality stuff and the MAC brushes are not cheap as well anyway.

So thanks to the wonder of Selfridges & Co., we not only get awesome salt beef sandwiches. We also have: NARS. Thank you London.

NARS Cream Blush (Penny Lane), GBP19.50/S$37.05

  

Mel darling this is for you :) So they had a bunch of cream blushes but this one was really pretty! Its a kind of nude pinkish brown colour that will give a really nice glow to your skin. I always believe that as much as colours are really fun, a nude-ish colour like this will give a nice healthy glow to your skin and because of the texture of cream blushes, the right shade will give a nice natural flush which is really pretty and could match everything.

Mel says her skin holds cream blushes better than normal blushes. Lucky girl. But for those of you who find that the cream blush doesn't stay, you can dust a finishing powder over it (i use the MAC Prep + Prime transparent finishing powder) and it works wonders. But make sure you get a really light fluffy brush otherwise you're going to wipe the blush all off.

Again i couldn't get a nice shot so here you go :) http://www.narscosmetics.co.uk/color/blush-and-bronzers/cream-blush.html

NARS Lipgloss (Turkish Delight), GBP17/S$32.30

Only the most talked about lipgloss in the world. I'd never seen it in person before until i got to the store today and i have to say that it's a lot more of a marshmallow pink than i thought it would be but its still hell pretty. The shimmer isn't too strong and it just gives a nice sheen to your lips :) Makes the boys go crazy. Although i do know many boys who hate lip gloss. Hmmm.

This is great over a nude lipstick and even more wonderful on its own. Because its quite cool toned you can also use it to tone down a lipstick you think is too strong. If you want a lipstick that goes with everything and that isn't too shiny, turkish delight is the way to go. The texture is good too. I hate hate hate sticky lipglosses and those that bleed over your whole mouth. So far this one has been okay for me but i'm going to use it a couple more times before i make my judgement! 

So on a final note, the prices in SGD are an estimate. The exchange rate today was about 1.9 so i used that so it might not be exactly accurate but it is how much i paid in pounds :)

IF ANYONE IS IN LONDON, HOLLER AT ME! :)

Take care guys! See you really soon! Like tomorrow? :) Hehe.

London Peace and Love, Tasha

Back in Business

Hey guys!

Many apologies for the longggg absence. Its been quite crazy, i've had to do so many things lately. So sorry for that. But we're back! Judy just did an awesome entry on cheesecake brownies and she's gonna do more for you really soon!

Just a little update, i'm in London so for the next few posts, i'll be showing you guys some make up stuff i picked up in London! London has awesome awesome make up. Today i found out that Topshop has a make up range! So i'll check that out tomorrow and show you guys some nice stuff! :)

Look out for London Post Number 1!

Love, Tasha

Cheesecake Brownies

Thank goodness its over!!! My exams I mean. And university life. I'm gonna be graduating this semester so anyone know of any good job opportunity, please let me know.

And can somebody please tell me whats up with the humidity levels recently? It feels like a sauna outside on most days. And as Tash would gladly testify, that's never good for your makeup (right babe?). Annoyed, annoyed, annoyed.

Anyway. So the other day, me and Mel decided to bake some cheesecake brownies. If you haven't yet tried out these brownies, please do. They are awesome. Except for the part where they stuck to the aluminium foil. Usually I use baking paper but I thought I ran out of it so I decided to use aluminium foil instead. Bad idea. Just stick to baking paper next time. It'll save you a lot of trouble. Unless of course you like scraping off gooey brownie bits of aluminium foil. Which honestly wasn't that bad...

Here's a list of all the ingredients you'll need:

For the brownie part,
175g unsalted butter
350g white sugar
Pinch of salt (if you're using salted butter you can leave this out)
80g cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or milk)
3 eggs
80g all purpose flour

For the cheese part,
250g cream cheese (1 block)
2 egg yolks (not the whole egg!)
7 tablespoons white sugar

First, combine the butter, 350g sugar, salt and cocoa powder and set it over a double boiler. Let the ingredients melt and combine, stirring occasionally.

After about 5-10 minututes, it should look something like this: grainy, messy and coarse.

At this point, take it off the boiler and add in the milk or vanilla extract. Stir and allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes. Do not add in the eggs yet because the heat from the mixture will cook the eggs upon impact, causing it to curdle and ruin the entire batch.

Once the batter has cooled, add in the eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition until well combined. The batter should be smooth and thick by now.

Now, sift in the flour and fold until the flour is completely incorporated. Set aside the entire batch.

In another clean bowl, cream the cheese, yolks and 7 tablespoons of sugar until smooth. It should look something like the image above.

 

Now comes the fun part. First, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and position our oven rack in the middle. Then, pour the brownie batter into a lined 9 X 13 inch baking tray. Use baking paper, not aluminum foil as I did. This is because the brownie will stick to the aluminum after baking - not pretty. Trust me. Once all the brownie batter has been poured, slap on the cream cheese mixture on top (see pictures above) and swirl using a spatula/knife/whatever you have on had. Don't worry about being too neat or messy. Just swirl it and have fun!

After which,chuck it in the oven and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Check for doneness using a toothpick inserted right into the center. It should feel moist but not dry.

The end result should look like the picture above on the left. Lovely ain't it?

Peace out!
Judy (and Mel!)

Yea baking is glamourous, what can I say? I wonder how Nigella does it. Hmmm.