Kim Chi & Buttercup

Happy Birthday!

2012-01-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

Sooo. Make a wild guess what I bought myself for my birthday? Well, deborah lippman's Happy Birthday of course! You can see swatches of the nail polish here. It was $35 and I'll tell you where I got it from in a minute.

Been wanting to get this for ages but it's pretty expensive. However, thanks to Her World, I discovered Luxola dot com . It was started by 2 friends (i think it was 2) who decided to bring in their favorite brands that were not being brought into Singapore for some reason. They bring in brands like BECCA Cosmetics, Sleek, deborah lippman, By Terry, Korres and KAI. Good stuff. They do sell Korres in Sephora and there is a small By Terry stand at Tangs, but I'm glad they brought it to a local online store. PLUS, there's no shipping charge! And they deliver the products straight to your house. Fantastic. They delivered mine the next day and were nice enough to accommodate to my schedule.

They sent it to me in a nice little paper bag -

And I got a sample of AHAVA's Purifying Gel in it as well! :)

I've not tried the wash yet so I can't give my comments about it. Butttt - I highly highly recommend their store. Go nuts with you CNY money everyone!

Peace out,

Tasha

My Beauty Diary Mask

2012-01-22T01:10:00.000-08:00

These have been all the rage for awhile now, but I never got down to using one till one of my friend's gave me some to try. She passed me the Apple Polyphenol masks and I am so in love.

I don't usually use sheet masks. So far, I've only used one mask which is an anti blemish mask from my dermatologist. That works well but it's pretty drying so I needed something moisturizing to counter it.

A polyphenol antioxidant is an antioxidant found in many fruits and in honey as well. It's what protects the fruit and they work in the same way to protect our skin. These masks are super hydrating and this Apple Polyphenol Mask is targeted for oil control & pore constringing. There are 10 sheets in a box and I bought these from Guardian pharmacy for $12.90. I think that was some special though, usually they're about $14.50.

After you wash and cleanse your face, use your toner and wait for it to sink in. Then take a mask and peel off the protective backing. Leave the mask on for 20 - 30 minutes. Once you're done, peel off the mask. You'll find a lot of serum left over in the packet. Squeeze out the serum and pat it in with the remaining product into your skin. Don't wipe it off. Use the excess on your neck and chest as well. Once everything has absorbed into your skin, continue your usual routine with moisturizer and so on.

I found that the redness in my skin was all gone, and the break out I was struggling with had subsided. These masks are known to show immediate effects so you'll find that your skin is really dewy afterward. It's not a night mask so you can use it before you head out for a night out, just to perk your skin up.

So save one of those red packets this new year and head to get a box of your own. There are different types of masks for different skin types so go take a look at them and find one that's suitable for you skin concerns here.

Happy Chinese New Year guys!

Love,

Tasha

Spring 2012 Trends

2012-01-05T23:53:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. SPRING is hereeee! Lots of magazines, bloggers and fashionistas are picking up their favourite trends for the season. Here are the top few trends from the runway which I think are awesome.

1. Big Lashes

Louis Vuitton's runway features girls with big doll lashes but very natural makeup on the rest of the face. Very pretty. I have a few friends who practice this look and as it turns out, it's in! Pair the big lashes with a soft coral or a natural blush - steer away from the pink blush. Nude lips or even just some tinted lip balm would pair nicely with it. Brush the brows in place and try using a brown eyeshadow and an angled brush to fill in your brows instead of a pencil.

2. Winged Eyeliner

Dolce and Gabbana went back to basics with the classic winged eyeliner for 2012. The key with this look is nothing on the lower waterline and natural brows. I kind of like that the model's eyebrows are not very plucked, it softens the look and it goes well with the winged eyeliner. Similar to the LV look, keep the cheeks warm - you can try a brownish pink blush or keep to the corals - and keep the lips almost the same tone as the blush. Check out this video by Lisa Eldridge as well, she does a look that is similar to this. It just covers the face makeup though, and if you prefer, you can skip the colour on the eyes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj2yi-ByYaY

3. Brown Smokey Eyes

Lanvin's 2012 Spring makeup comprised of soft smokey eyes and long roughed up hair. The makeup artist for this was Pat McGrath and she centered the looks around neutrals, contouring, taupe eyeshadows and nude lips. If you notice, there's no black eyeliner involved. I like this look as an alternative to the traditional black smokey eye, even if it's for a night out. Try different colours - get a good natural base (something like MAC's Groundwork Paintpot is a good nude-ish brown base) and smoke out one colour across the eyelids. Bring the colour down under the lower lash line as well and make sure you soften all the edges of the eyeshadow so that it does not look harsh.

4. Coloured Eyeshadow

Miu Miu went bold with a scarlet eyeshadow. I don't like the colour but I sort of like the single bold eye colour and nude face look. Spring's the time to take our your greens and purples and you can afford to go a little overboard with a colour.

5. The Near to Nothing Look

Oscar De La Renta went with the no make up make up look. To get this look, use gloss instead of lip stick and emphasis should be on the brows. Get hold of some liquid or cream highlighter as well, and use a foundation with a dewy finish. Here are a couple more no make up make up looks:
Lisa Eldridge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGpLLWnO3XY
Pixiwoo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxdOYn2GWb4
PicturesqueMakeup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_kZN9cDmdY

So as much as I like colours, it's a breath of fresh air to see a lot of natural looks on the runway this season. Try and find ways to use your make up that just enhance your natural features instead of creating a whole different look for yourself. Instead of foundation, go with a tinted moisturizer. Instead of a lipstick, go with a tinted lip balm. Put away the cool blushes and the pinks, take out the corals and the browns. But always remember, mascara mascara mascara.

Till the next post,

Tasha