New Love: Joico Colour Endure Shampoo & Conditioner

Product love!! Joico Colour Endure shampoo and conditioner :)

I recently coloured my hair - more like my long overdue root touch up. At the salon they didn't blow dry my hair using that round thing brush or any other product except this shampoo and conditioner and my hair has never been softer and healthier even after colour.

I've been using it for 2 weeks now and I am really happy I bought it coz it wasn't that cheap compared to what I normally use before but it's worth every penny :)

Pros:

1. keeps the colour looking vibrant and new

2. keeps my hair healthy and moisturised

3. I conditions hair for easy stylin' - trust me! 

4. Tames my hair :)

Cons:

1. $25 AUD per bottle - but it's worth every penny! 

2. Shampoo is not bubby and i am used to bubbles.. HAHA

3. Conditioner doesn't have that lovely smell - again I am used to Herbal Essence :)

Will I repurchase? Yes unless i found something better :)

Priceline Sale + Lipstick amnesia

There is a sale currently going on at Priceline stores Perth wide. From cosmetics to skincare, sale galore! (I just got back from there ... talk about wasting lunch time :P)

I always pick up Priceline's catalogue on my way to work as it's just there in my way waiting for me :)

Today wasn't different, i stopped and picked it up early this morning and found this... Revlon is having Buy 1 Super lustrous lipstick and get 1 lipgloss free

Hence I had to go back at lunch time to get it :)

I got Blushing Nude lipstick and Glossy Rose lipgloss :) The latter is my favourite lipgloss ever. I've gone through tubes and tubes of it (well not really tubes but you know what i mean) and it's always nice to get it for free :P

Now I think the lipstick is something that I already have! (i think). I am not sure but I am currently having this lipstick amnesia LOL

Blushing Nude lippie is somehow similar to my Bobbi Brown lippie in Tulle but I wouldn't know until I get home and swatch them both :P

There are so many good deals happening right now so make sure you check out. I think it runs until 28th September or while stock lasts :)

Arrrgghhh! I seriously need to upgrade my iPhone :) So sorry about the quality of the photos. Just can't wait to share about the sale :)

Spa in a pencil - Utowa's Nude White Eye Crayon

I've been in search of THE "white" eyeliner ever since I knew about the trick. You know, white eyeliner makes the eyes look bigger and less tired :)

I know MAC has one called "Fascinating" but I always think that white is very harsh colour on my skin tone (NC40) and that's why i've been trying to stay away from it.

I heard about the Stila eye kohl BUT i find it so creamy that i know for sure it will just melt off my eyes.

So clearly I was losing hope and was close to just giving up until a makeup artist at my favourite Mecca cosmetica recommended UTOWA cosmetics.

After some heart to heart talk LOL I finally got my white eyeliner - i got the UTOWA Eye Crayon in Nude White


What i like about it is that it's not really white-white but more like a Beige/cream/nude which I think is more suitable for my NC40 skin, more natural :)


I like the formulation because it's not that creamy yet it's not that dry so it sits perfectly on your waterline :)

It's great for contact lense wearer like me. I didn't get any irritations or anything and it's long lasting. I think it helped that i primed my lower lash line with a paintpot :)

Here's a swatch so you can see what I mean by Nude beige instead of white-white


The MUA at Mecca said that this pencil was tagged as Spa in a pencil :)

I love it :)

PS. if you look at MAC Girl About Town (post) photo - you'll see how this eyeliner looks like on my eyes :)

FOTD: MAC Girl About Town

This was taken on the last day of Iftar (Breaking of the Fast) dinner that I had with friends.

I love bold lippie to complete a rather "boring" outfit :)

Here's what I used: (this photo was taken using my very old iPhone)

Face:
NARS Sheer Matte foundation
MAC Invisible Set powder

Eyes:
MAC Ricepaper e/s
MAC Wedge e/
Faceshop half lashes

Lips:

MAC Magenta lipliner
MAC Girl About Town lipstick

It was a fun night :)

New Love: NARS Sheer Matte Foundation

I finally made my decision! I chose NARS Sheer Matte foundation. Don't get me wrong, it was a tough decision because i love both formulation and i wish i can afford to take both but I can't so it came down to the "season" as my major criteria of selection.. LOL

Since it's spring is in and soon it's summer so I would really love to be shine free and a matte foundation can help me achieve that hence the arrival of my new love!

PROS:

1. Sheer yet it gives your skin the coverage you wanted
   
2. Lightweight so it feels like there's nothing on your skin (love!)
3. Easy to work with - i use my fingers if i am late and brush if i've got time and still get the same results :)
4. I find that i don't have to set it with powder :) but you have to remember - this is the matte formulation so maybe that's why.

CONS:

1. pricey :(
   
2. It doesn't have a pump BUT that is solved!!! The following day after I got it, I went back to Mecca Cosmetica and asked if they sells pumps and they don't anymore BUT he gave me one from one of the old testers! Much appreciated :) now that's what I call Customer Service :)
   

This foundation is available at Mecca Cosmetica and I got the shade Barcelona (Medium 4)

Thank you Dr.mw for the lovely Eid present :) Eid Mubarak! I am easily pleased. Buy me makeup and I am pleased HAHAHAHA

New Love: OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy

My first OPI nail polish (yay!) sad but true i tell you.

Spring is in and so is pastel (close to nude) coloured nails hence this latest purchase or should I say splurge because it ain't cheap :P

I read in the newspaper the other day (under lifestyle section of course) that Nude and pastel nail polishes are very in this Spring. After a long run of dark, rich colours last winter it's time to lighten up and so I did! :)

I got OPI's Coney Island Cotton Candy :)

Choosing the perfect pastel / nude colour is a tedious job because they all look pretty :) and for the price I am going to pay I wanted to make sure that I got the right colour for me. I actually gave up over thinking about which one but rather I just went with my heart and I think I made the right choice.

The colour is very baby pink but not paris hilton pink if you know what I mean. It has a slight hint of beige in it which i love.

Here is how it looks like on my nails - LOVE!

I think I might get another one form OPI or if I find Essie somewhere then I'll try that too :)

OPI nail lacquer is available at David Jones and some selected nail salons.

Because of Looklet

Remember when I was obsessed with Looklet? I would spend hours and hours coming up with outfits on that site and there was one outfit that was stuck in my mind and I was determined to finding a similar design and what not thinking that it's a Europe only stock until I found it in the stores!!!!!!!

Ok, for your visual satisfaction, this is the outfit that I put together in Looklet some many moons ago:

So if you look at the outfit item description on the top right of the photo, you'll see that the top is from French Connection, the other items are somewhat present in my wardrobe already (except it's not the actual brands if you know what i mean).

Pants - skinny jeans, i've got a pair (check!)
Shoes - pink peep toe heels (check!)
Necklace - i got something similar (check!)
Bag - leopard print bag - (check!)

And finally the top......ta da!

I was over the moon when i finally found it! now my outfit is complete and i am a very happy woman :D

I heart French Connection. I have some treasured pieces of clothing from the brand that's been with me for more than 2 years and still look good and new :)

Hot Pink Lips - I want!

After a long day of cooking yesterday (8 hours! for 5 mains and 4 desserts) - I was tired beyond exhaustion but having your friends eat your hard labour of love food made it all worth it :) However, I still felt that I needed an ultimate reward HAHAHA (reasons to shop i tell you)

As my reward, i got myself a new lippie from MAC called Girl About Town
It's a bright fuschia pink that is IN this spring! My inspiration is this photo of KimKardashian!

Make up was done by Troy Jensen and I found this pic from his old blog site where he described how he did this look.

I love bold colours on lips just because my sense of style is often boring with my neutral choice of colours on clothes so I like to get that extra ooommph from a lipstick.

Here's a on the spot swatch on my lips. I didn't use a lip liner and I should have but just for swatching purposes and pure excitement and not to mention laziness to get a liner, I just applied it on bare lips. It's a bit sporadic but I can definitely see a good future with this lipstick, do you?

pleasant surprise!

It was a bad day at work today. One of those when one thing stops working after the other. I was close to crying to be honest and fasting didn't really help me to have that extra tolerance and patience that i need so bad but i tried real hard to be as tolerant and patient today.... i needed to buy something to cheer me up!

Anyway, while shopping for groceries and perusing the aisles for that elusive panty liner my eyes caught this .... ta da!!!


(Note: this could be out in other states for all I know so don't quote me that it just arrived in Australia. I bought this from Coles Mirrabooka in case you're wondering.)

This was released in US around 3 months ago? and in UK 2 months ago? I considered eBay so many times but somehow I gave it a miss :) But now it's finally in my hands!

I'll do a review soon :) (so exciting!)

I am still tired and grumpy but somehow I feel like a winner for finding this unexpectedly :)

Trying Out: Nars Sheer Glow & Matte Foundation

I am currently trying out these 2 foundations: Nars Sheer Glow and Nars Sheer Matte Foundations.

I got some samples from Mecca Cosmetica the other day hoping to meet my new HG foundation.

The MUA applied the sheer glow and still gave me both samples.

When she applied sheer glow, I can immediately say that it's indeed lightweight and sheer but still covers what you need to cover and still feel likes you have nothing on. (Impressive i tell you!)

Sounds to good to be true? well that's just my first impression.

The following day I tried on the Sheer Matte and to be honest I didn't find any difference.

According to Nars cosmetics, this "sheer" formulation is more like a treatment and foundation in one. It promises to improve your skin texture over time. I thought it's similar to Clinique's even better makeup sans the SPF.

Anyway, i think i'll get one at the end of the month. Which one? well don't know yet. I'll have to try it for a week at least then decide.

One thing i noticed was I didn't have to set it with powder which is pretty impressive. I hate that sticky feeling when you apply liquid foundation and it only goes away when you set it with powder? with this one, it sinks in to your skin and doesn't require powder to set. at least for me.

hopefully some of you who bought this can give me advice?

i am leaning to Sheer Matte only becasue of my skin type - Normal to oily skin.

MAC Technique Class #1

I booked myself to a MAC Technique class in David Jones Perth counter :)

I am going for the "Smokey eyes" class and I am excited :)

*Erin, the lovely manager approached me while checking out the new collection - which i am yet to post together with my haul - She asked me if i am interested to learn Smokey eyes techniques and i said yes please and next thing i know i am paying for it.

It's $120AUD and it's a 2hour class. They provide you the tools and the makeup (of course). She said there are food and refreshments :)

The fee is redeemable with products as always :)

I didn't know they do it here hence I haven't been to one that's why I am trying this out and you can too if you're in Perth West AUS. There are still spots left.

Here are the details:

WHEN: 20 September 2009 (Sunday)
TIME: 830 - 1030 am
WHERE: David Jones Perth - MAC counter
WHAT: MAC Technique Class (Smokey Eyes)

To book it, just head to the counter and make the payment to secure your spot.

Hopefully I'll get a good experience out of this because I am interested in doing the Bridal makeup course when it's available.

If you're attending this, let me know and let's meet up. Code word is poop :)

Makeover Project: Fun Bluish-Green :)

A dear friend of mine, more like a sister kindly volunteered to be my model for the night. It was just something that we've been talking about doing one day and last saturday was the day.

She wanted something bright and out of her comfort zone so I thought of green and gold for an Aussie touch :)

Forgive the lighting but this is the best spot we could find in the house.

So here's what we used (all MAC)

1. Woodwinked all over the lid
2. All that glitters on the middle part of the lid for that added sheen
3. Cool Heat on the outer-V to the crease
4. Carbon for extra definition on the outer-V
5. Talent Pool just above the crease for the bluish-green effect
6. Ricepaper as a highlight
7. Engraved pencil to line the upper lash line
8. Clinique mascara

I could have used Humid e/s but I didn't think through :( We'll do another look when we meet :)

She liked it, i liked it, her sister liked it :) It's very fresh, subtle yet fun and bright. Very Spring-y :)

We had so much fun doing it and i think we'll be doing it again.

PS. Thank you *N for the lovely night :)

Updates on upcoming posts

Hi Ladies!
it's been a while since my last post. so not happy to be not blogging but my weekend just robbed me my blogging time. So updates on upcoming posts:

1. MAC Haul and disappointment - i am so disappointed about the Make-up Art Cosmetics collection it's not even funny

2. I did 2 makeup make over to 2 of my friends over the weekend so I will post that too

3. Makeup Technique class - i booked myself to one and I am excited. i'll post details on a separate post and if you're in Perth AUS and attending then maybe we can meet up

so that's it for now. I still can't believe how fast my weekend just went.

Hope you had a great weekend :)

In and Out # 3

In

1. Shu Uemura cleansing oil - this stuff works wonders. it still painful to pay the price for it but it really does the job and it does brilliantly. I only use this one when i have a full makeup on or when i am in a pampering night mode.

2. shiseido lash curler - my lashes have never been happy to meet this gem :)

3. flatform/pump shoes - i love it. i currently own one from ninewest that i love so much. they just released new colours and i am soooo tempted to get it... we'll see if it calls out to me.

4. aveda pure abundance - i just said goodbye to limp hair last week :)

5. Chanel coco mademoiselle - i feel so posh when i wear this even if i am in my uggs and track pants, i feel very glamourous

6. MAC Cream colour base in Crush Bougainvillea - i can never fall out of love with this one. it's the perfect blush colour when you dont feel like wearing makeup but want to look good :)

Out

1. Losing a blush - i love my MAC dollymix :( i am still deeply saddened by it

2. split ends - i am sooooo tempted to cut my hair! should i? would i?

3. B.O. (body odour) - there is one girl in my building that has a massive B.O. she's sooo pretty but with B.O. i wonder how can i help her?

Name and Shame

As a response to Lollipop26's post, here's my worst Customer service encounter.

Note: Gist of the story is MUA doesn't know the product exists and i told her it does. I edited this to make it funnier but it's as close to the what have happened.

It was the day i decided to get MAC SOft Ochre Paintpot. (great day to be honest!)

I did my research, i checked the website and saw it there, no out of stock note next to it. So i thought i'd rather get it in person than buy it online to save me from postage cost.

So I called the counter first and asked if they have a stock and here's how it went:

*Ring, ring, ring

MUA: Welcome to MAC *cough cough* David Jones, this is the bitch , how may I help you?

MsChikee: Hello
MUA: Hi
MsChikee: I'm wondering if you have a stock of Soft Ochre paintpot?
MUA: Sorry what paintpot?
MsChikee: Soft Ochre - the matte yellowish/beige
MUA: We don't have that paint pot in MAC, are you sure it's from MAC? it could be one of those limited edition you know
MsChikee: It was but now it's permanent and I saw it on the website
MUA: Well, we have in stock everything that is on the website but i don't know what soft ochre you're talking about
MsChikee: is it a Pro-colour?
MUA: We are not a pro store (in a very condescending tone BTW)
MsChikee: I know you're not a pro store my question is, is it a pro colour?
MUA: you will have to call them, ok i am serving customer now. i can't help you anymore

*MUA hangs up

I was in rage that day...

so I rang the Myer's counter and the MUA there was VERY HELPFUL. She told me that it's a pro colour in Australia and that it's easier to order online or via phone and she gave me the number to call.

I wished I've asked for the manager but then again she hang up.

Ok I feel better now :)

New Love: FaceShop's Oil Control Pre-makeup (Span)

I found a product that controls oil, smooths and prep your skin pre-makeup, lightweight, effective and cheap! Yep, Cheap!

My New Love - FaceShop (Span) Oil Control Pre-makeup :)

I only apply this on my T-Zone where I normally get oily midday or end of the day. I've been using this for a week now and I am quite amazed with it. I give it 8 out 10 if I were to rate it.

Longevity wise, it lasts 7-8 hours which is perfect because I work 8 hours a day.

Effectiveness, I find it quite effective. Not the best product but definitely does its job. I wonder how this will hold up in summer or when it's humid so watch this space for more updates in the coming months.

Texture wise, it's a clear gel like consistency that is applied easily on skin and smooths the skin and makes foundation stay longer :) I personally prefer clear bases over white cream bases. It just puts me at ease that I don't look like a clown with white face :P


Price wise, I got this for $16.95AUD which is cheap in my opinion :) (FYI: I was told this is Php375.00 in Philippines which is around $10AUD)

Overall, I like and I think I will repurchase. I am very comfortable with Faceshop's skin care products. I feel that it caters for Asian skin although don't let my opinion stop you from trying this if you're not Asian because I am pretty sure this is marketed for women who love to pamper and take care of their skins.

Have you tried this product? How do you find it?