Friday, August 27, 2010

Urban Decay Holiday 2010 - Eyeshadow Primer Potion Professional Size

All Photos Provided by Urban Decay.

Urban Decay Holiday 2010 - Eyeshadow Primer Potion Professional Size (Limited Edition) ($45 Value)








Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Professional Size has 25ml (0.85 fl. oz.) of product. Compared to the original Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, which only has 10ml (0.34 fl. oz.) of product, it is a lot bigger.

Just noticed there's a "Expires 6 months after opening" logo at the back of it. The packaging is definitely better than the original bottle since you don't have to cut it open to get the excess trapped in it but for the size of it, I really doubt anyone can really finish it within 6 months.

This is currently available at Sephora.com for USD $29.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Robin Niu (牛尔老师)'s Beauty Workshop in Singapore

Taiwanese beauty expert Robin Niu (牛爾老师) is a well-known skincare expert in Taiwanese beauty show "女人我最大" (Ladies First).

What you see is a coverage of his Beauty Workshop in Singapore. I find it to be very informative.

In part 4, he emphasizes on the importance of exfoliating daily, not by using harsh cleansers or exfoliators but by using a cotton pad to rub on the toner (or lotion ). It removes the dead skin cells. Then he flips the cotton pad to the other side to pat the excess toner (or lotion) into the skin repeatedly to ensure all the goodness gets pumped into the skin instead of just sitting on top of the skin.

In part 6-9, he demonstrates the different massage techniques for body and face. Frequent massage of lymphatic nodes at the collar bones, armpits and the groin area helps in draining excess fluid, detoxifying the body and improving blood circulation. When done on the face, it reduces puffiness by draining excess fluid. With the right facial massage techniques, it also helps in face-lifting and making you look youthful.


Part 1: He spends 3 hours a day on skincare (Robin Niu's beauty tips Pt 1)
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/52708.html

Part 2: Do Taiwanese girls have better skin? (Robin Niu's beauty tips Pt 2)
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/52706.html

Part 3: Singapore girls' make-up boo-boos (Robin Niu's beauty tips Pt 3)
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/52704.html



Part 4: How to combat pimples (Robin Niu's beauty tips Pt 4)
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/52722.html

Part 5: Dried fruit better for skin? (Robin Niu's beauty tips Pt 5)
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/52720.html

Part 6: Armpit massage for beauty (Robin Niu's beauty tips Pt 6)
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/52718.html

Part 7: Pat your lines away (Robin Niu's beauty tips Pt 7)
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/52716.html

Part 8: 8 magic ways to look younger (Robin Niu's beauty tips Pt 8)
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/52714.html

Part 9: Massage your eyebags away (Robin Niu's beauty tips Pt 9)
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/52712.html

Part 10: Power mascara (Robin Niu's beauty tips Pt 10)
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/lifestyle/52710.html

Monday, August 23, 2010

Polyvore.com

Another fashion related fun application which I stumbled upon long ago.

Had a go with it, trying to put stuff together. I must admit, I'm not very good with it.

Check out http://www.polyvore.com if you haven't.

mulberry



chic

Sunday, August 22, 2010

New Hauls: Revlon BOGOF at Watsons

Got some stuff from Watsons. There was "Buy One Get One Free" (BOGOF) promotion at Watsons for selected Revlon products. It's really rare in Singapore so I just had to get something.

There was BOGOF for Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss and the latest Spring collection was also included. Picked up Coral Reef (extreme right), which I've been wanting for a while, and 040 Nude Lustre (third from left)




Coral Reef is really bright, neonish-looking coral in the tube. Nude Lustre is a nude neutral pink.

There was also BOGOF for Revlon Matte Eyeshadow and Revlon Luxurious Color™ Kohl Eyeliner.

I was rethinking about getting Venetian Blue since it's super bright. But I got it anyway since there wasn't much Kohl eyeliners left for me to choose from. Yup, so I picked up Venetian Blue and Tempting Teal.





From left: Venetian Blue and Tempting Teal



With these two eyeshadows, I feel content in completing my Revlon Matte Eyeshadow Collection (except for Pink Whisper, which I don't see a need for it).

Overall, I'm really happy with my little haul. The lipglosses were better than I thought. Very smooth and not sticky. I'm thinking of getting more.


Revlon BOGOF promotion will last for a week from 19 August to 25 August 2010. It is only available at selected Watsons.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Tips: Balancing Body pH Level

Bookmarked!


Are you more Alkaline or Acidic?

What does this actually mean?

Simply put, if you are more acidic you are poisoning your body!

If the food you are eating is not pH balanced it is likely to turn into poison once in the digestive tract and then instead of your body absorbing nutrients it will absorb poisons. To live a healthy vibrant life we are to find a balance between acid and alkaline foods.

One of our body’s highest priorities is to keep the blood at an ideal pH balance of 7.365. Eating pH balanced foods allows your blood to be able to extract the maximum amount of nutrition available from those foods. If you are eating more acid producing foods your body will start breaking down and the signs of aging will show before their time.

Fat is an Acid Problem!
A man by the name of Dr. Young has a theory that the cause of obesity is actually an acid problem! What does that mean?
The body creates fat cells to carry acids away from your vital organs so the acids don't choke your organs to death. Fat could be saving your life! Dr Young goes on to say, "Fat is actually a response from the body to an alarming over acidic condition" and the solution is to Alkalize and Energize to rid the body of both acid and fat.

This theory was also the belief of the early Taoists. (Taoism is the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine .TCM). Dr Stephen T Chang who comes from a 400 year lineage of Taoist practitioner’s put it this way, "If one ever goes to the back door of any restaurant, one will find food corruption in garbage cans. Not long ago, this food was served to customers. So the only thing separating the front and back of the restaurant is a wall and a few hours time". "We would not purposely eat garbage because we know we will become sick from ingesting poisons. Yet, we do eat garbage every time we eat without a thought for pH balance".

Fatigue, a major complaint in our society, comes from an acidic body.
The toxins produced in an acidic body reduce the absorption of proteins and minerals. This will then weaken the body’s ability to produce enzymes and hormones interfering with the reconstruction of cells and other necessary components of energy production. The result is fatigue, poor endurance, an inability to add muscle tone, and general weakness.
Some other signs of an acidic body; yellow smelly urine, gas, indigestion, heart burn, headaches, sore eyes, foul smelling stools, bad breath, sore gums and teeth, allergies, aches / pains and nightmares.

So what can we do?

Answer: eat four parts alkaline to one part acid and this should maintain your bloods pH level at 7.365. When this balance is maintained micro organisms such as pleomorphic virus, bacteria, yeast, and fungus will de-evolve back to their original healthy state.

What to eat?

Alkali forming foods – millet, Udos oil, avocado, sunflower sprouts, raw almonds, carrots, dates, coconuts, celery, cucumbers, lemons, limes, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, green leafy vegetables, soy beans, walnuts, soy beans, wheat grass, tofu, lima beans, turnip tops, peppers, beet tops.

Acid producing foods – butter, margarine, eggs, veal, fish, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, prawns, lobster, oysters, whole wheat, rye, cheese, milk, sour cream, yogurt, mushrooms, coffee, tea, alcohol, refined sugar.

I am not saying not to eat these things or you can only eat alkali forming foods though to live a healthy, disease free life you may consider balancing out your diet if you do have signs of an acidic body.

Source: link

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Sample Review: Mentholatum Acnes Medicated Sample Kit

I've been using the Mentholatum Acnes Medicated Skincare Sample Kit (which I got from fr3b.com ) due to bad breakouts.

The products included in the kit are Mentholatum Acnes Creamy Wash, Acnes Powder Lotion and Acnes Sealing Jell. They come in really mini sizes.



Mentholatum Acnes Creamy Wash comes in a tube form. It's stated as a mild and non-irritating cream wash for daily use to effectively prevent pimples, remove excess sebum and keeping your skin soft and moist. The cleanser is indeed very creamy and has a citrus smell like lemon. It lathers all right for me but I do find it does wash off dirt, sebum and dead skin really well. There was no squeaky feeling. The only thing I dislike about the cleanser is that I feel my face looking very white after it and it was not a brightening/whitening effect. It was as if there was a layer of powder over it. I was thinking it could be possible they added some clay inside so that after washing, there'll be a layer of clay to absorb the excess sebum from the face. As I don't have the ingredients list listed on the samples, I can't really check on it right now. Will pop by Watsons to look at it. Another possibility is that it washes off too much dead skin. I also feel the skin doesn't feel that soft but instead feels a little rough as if there's powder. But overall, I find it a good and effective cleanser since my pimples did disappear after a few days of usage.

Acnes Powder Lotion comes in bottle form. It is stated to be a toner that contains oil-absorbing powder to keep face clean and fresh for long hours. It also helps to refine pores and keeps face free from oil. I do like this powder at first. It was in liquid form with white powder sediments in it so you'll have to shake it before using. You can use a cotton pad and pour onto it and use it to wipe all over the face but I just pour it in my hands and dab it on my acne areas. After applying, it dries and you can see that it totally mattifies. This toner did help a lot with my acne. I applied it only over the acne area after using the cleanser and it just helps to soothe the pimples and soak up all the excess sebum. The pimples would dry up really fast and I could wash off the layers of dead skin the next day. However, I do feel it is quite drying and also it does not have ample oil control to last for a day. My face oils up very fast after applying and the amount of oiling was even more than I normally would. It did help initially when I used it on my acne, but after that when my acne was clearing up, this powder lotion ended up giving me more blackheads over the area I applied instead. I supposed it was stripping too much oil, and the excess sebum caused a second round of blackheads. :(

Acnes Sealing Jell comes in a squeeze tube form. It's just normal pimple gel with no weird smell. I don't have much to say about this product. It did shrink my acne and flatten it but it didn't heal it. I do have bad cases of cystic acne so I would say this doesn't work miracles on cystic acne. For normal zits or whiteheads, it does dry them up and force the pus to the surface. I find this to be a decent product but just not fantastic.

Overall, I was still quite impressed with the sample kit. It did work well for me at my worse moments. It also cleared up my chin, which was my acne prone area, and for the first time in a long time, I could actually feel my chin was smooth. -sheds silent tears- It cleared up one side of my cheeks but not the other. I applied more of the powder lotion on one side so I could tell it was the lotion giving me the blackheads. But I really don't think the powder lotion is a bad product. It would work if you have really bad acne prone skin and my advice would be to stop using the powder lotion once your face started clearing up by 80%, just before it backfired. Switch to a normal cleanser or toner since your skin has returned from oily acne skin to normal skin.

If you are based in Singapore and still interested in the sample kit, you can redeem it here .

Mentholatum Acnes has a variety of products ranging from cleansers, moisturisers, masks and oil control sheets targeted towards acne prone people. I really do think they are worth checking out. The range is really affordable and products retail for SGD$6.90 onwards.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Urban Decay Holiday 2010 Sneak Peek - Book of Shadows Vol. III

All Photos Provided by Urban Decay.

Urban Decay Holiday 2010 Sneak Peek - Book of Shadows Vol. III











Eyeshadows: Perversion, Uzi, Loaded, Kush, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, Last Call, Rockstar, Money, Haight, Maui Wowie, Smog, Bordello, Radium, Snatch, Suspect, Psychedelic Sister
Travel-size 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil: Zero and Ransom
Eyeshadow Primer Potion: Original.

The Book of Shadows Vol. III features 7 NEW shades, 2 Sephora Exclusives (not part of UD perm. line) plus Snatch (Show Pony), 6 Best-Sellers

7Bella - MakeUpShow Giveaway

This entry is up so that I can enter the giveaway.






7Bella.com (a Singapore-based online store) is having a giveaway here. Prizes include items from Urban Decay, Lunasol, Givenchy and MakeUpShow brushes.

The giveaway is open to all readers in Singapore and international readers.

Rules to enter the Giveaway:

• Join our 7Bella - MakeUpShow Facebook Page by clicking "Like" http://www.facebook.com/pages/7Bella-MakeUpShow/122741217756863

• Enter by clicking “RSVP” to join this event with "Attending" status (ONE entry)

• THREE entries for bloggers who linked this giveaway info on your blog (in your sidebar/ blogroll) and then leave a comment in our Facebook page to inform us.

• SIX entries for bloggers who write a post about the giveaway on your blog, using the title “7Bella - MakeUpShow Giveaway” and then leave a comment in our Facebook page to inform us.
3 winners would be decided through random.orgWinners will be decided and published on 09/09/2010, 11.59pm Singapore Time. Winners will have 1 week to contact us with mailing address.