Haul: Watsons and Sasa

Soooo.. I've been really good about not buying anymore makeup seeing that my collection can probably last me the next 10 years!! But it has been a while since i blogged a haul so I thought I will do a mini one today! (:

Watsons had a 3-day sale last week and I happened to chance upon it. 20% off storewide when you spend at least $30.. and I thought to myself "that's very do-able!". Plus Sasa had an event and I couldn't resist the sale so here we are with this haul. (:

My entire loot!

First up is Essence! I figured they are never on sale so this was seriously the best time to get them. As tempted as I was to get everything, I held back on lipliners, eyeshadows and blushes and only got 2 nail polishes instead. The shades I got are 172 Splash! and 173 Over The Rainbow. Both shades are a slight duo-chrome and look so pretty in the bottle. I'm especially in love with Over The Rainbow which is the blue-ish purple shade! Regularly at SG$2.90 each, they were only SG$2.32 after discount (steal!).

Left to right: 173 Over The Rainbow and 172 Splash!.

Pen gel liners has been out for a while now and ever since I saw Maybelline release their version of it, I've been wanting to try it so I finally got my hands on it during this sale. It usually retails for S$21.90 but I got it for SG$17.52 after the 20% discount. Will definitely update with a review on this one!

Maybelline Lasting Drama pen gel liner.

This item wasn't part of the 20% discount because it is already on sale. I've heard people say how easy it is to use and since it's now on offer for SG$13.90, I thought why not try it out. I was deciding between a bright orange-y colour or the darker pink/purple-toned dyes and ended up picking Antique Rose. I'm hoping my hair will look subtly purple in the sunlight but who knows how it'll turn out. Can't wait to try it still!

Liese Bubble Hair Color in Antique Rose.

On another occasion, Sasa had an event at Plaza Singapura and there I picked up a couple of skincare for myself and just one makeup item for my sister. One of our holy grail concealers is the Canmake Cover & Stretch Concealer (which I really should do a review on) and it was on sale for only SG$11. I have lots of other concealers to go through so I only got 1 in the shade 01 as a backup for my sister.

Canmake Cover & Stretch concealer in 01.

I became a little obsessed with face masks even since my trip to South Korea and although I bought several months supply of them, I just couldn't pass up on $1 face masks at the Sasa event. I got several from Puretree which I've tried before and the extracts are those which I don't have in my current stash anyway such as Lemon and Honey. I picked up just one packet of Pearl because it seems very luxurious.. haha. Skinlite was the other brand that caught my attention because of their Cucumber masks, so I got a regular sheet mask as well as a peel-off mask.

Assorted face masks.

That's everything I've got to share in this mini haul. Hope you had a great long weekend! (:

My NYX Powder Blushes collection (review + swatches)

* Sorry for the disappearing act! I know I have been gone for months and my poor blog is lacking alot of love. Alot has happened in recent months but I am back now with this long-overdue review. Hope you enjoy it! (: *

Today's review features some old products in my collection which I love and they are the NYX powder blushes! NYX is now available in Sephora Singapore but back then I could only get them from Smoochiezz and occasionally online (when there's free shipping). You may have already heard of them because they are super hyped up and for good reason. In the states, these range from US$ 5-6 depending where you get them. At Sephora and Smoochiezz, they will set you back SG$10 each. The 7 shades I am swatching today are Silky Rose, Pinky, Peach, Terra Cotta, Spice, Espresso and Pinched.

*Sidetracking a little, I do remember a time when Smoochiezz sold NYX products at a lower price but for the life of me, I can't remember what price I bought the powder blush back then. For comparison sake, the round lipsticks used to be SG$4 but are now SG$6 (hence I think the blushes then were $7-8).*

Top row, left to right: Silky Rose, Pinky, Peach and Terra Cotta.
Bottom row, left to right: Spice, Espresso and Pinched.

Top row, left to right: Silky Rose, Pinky, Peach and Terra Cotta.
Bottom row, left to right: Spice, Espresso and Pinched.

PB04 Silky Rose.

PB05 Pinky.

PB 06 Peach.

PB12 Terra Cotta.

PB14 Spice.

PB23 Espresso.

PB25 Pinched.

I love these NYX blushes and definitely get a lot of use out of them. My favourites are Silky Rose, Peach, Spice and Pinched. If they weren't so expensive in Singapore, I'd probably have alot more in my collection but as mentioned earlier, I bought some of them long ago through Smoochiezz when their prices were lower while others I bought online at near US recommended retail prices. Still, I would thoroughly recommend them because they have such a wide colour selection of various finishes and have great pigmentation and staying power. Which is your favourite shade of the NYX powder blush? Do let me know and I'd love to check them out! (:

Review: Maybelline Stripped Nudes lipsticks

Maybelline came out with the Buffs collection end of last year in the U.S. and I literally drooled watching Youtube videos of hauls, swatches and reviews on their lipsticks. It was to my pleasant surprise that the Stripped Nudes (equivalent to the Buffs I assume) were released in Australia in February this year and the best thing was that they were on sale during the week that I visited Perth! They regularly retail for AU$16.95 which is similarly to other lipsticks in the Colorsensational line but I only paid AU$9.99 at Chemist Warehouse.

Maybelline Stripped Nudes display at Chemist Warehouse.

Maybelline Colorshow Stripped Nudes nail polish.

This collection also has 4 new limited edition shades of their Color Show nail polish which retails for AU$5.95 each. Comparing the U.S release and the Australian one, the Buffs features 10 lipsticks and 5 nail polishes while Stripped Nudes offers 6 lipsticks and 4 nail polishes. As I was trying to be good about not buying makeup on this trip, I resisted buying any polishes and got only 2 lipsticks.

Maybelline Stripped Nudes lipstick.

Left to right: Tantalizing Taupe and Honey Beige.

Left to right: Tantalizing Taupe and Honey Beige.

Tantalizing Taupe.

Honey Beige.

I love how there are several shades to choose from even though they are all nudes. Between the 2 shades I got, my favourite is Tantalizing Taupe because it is more pinkish. Both are smooth and apply evenly with great pigmentation on my lips. Definitely wished we had the whole range available in Singapore. Still, I'd thoroughly recommend these if you're a nude lip lover and is able to get your hands on it!

Review: Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm

Revlon is one of my favourite drugstore brands. I am a huge fan of their lips products, especially their lip butters (check out my reivew/swatches here). So when they came out with a new matte range of the balm stains, I was beyond myself because I only own one of the Just Bitten Kissable balm stain in Honey. Other brands soon hopped onto the "chubby lip pencil"band wagon and came out with their own versions. However, not many has a matte range which got me excited about this line. 

There are a total of 10 shades released in the States as well as in Australia however, only 8 shades were released in Singapore and they are Unapologetic, Shameless, Showy, Complex, Sultry, Audacious, Mischievous and Standout. The shades missing from the Asian market are Elusive and Striking. I was lucky to pick up Elusive on my recent trip to Perth. They retail for SG$19.90 (AU$17.95) a pop but if you know me, I always wait for them to go on sale. I currently own 4 of the shades available, namely 230 Complex, 205 Elusive, 225 Sultry and 250 Standout. 

Left to right: Complex, Elusive, Sultry and Standout.

I will begin by saying that these matte balms are really quite something. Although they are matte, they apply super creamy and are well-pigmented. The matte balms do not look like it contains alot of product when you twist it all the way up but it is definitely substantial to last a long time.

Total amount of product when twisted up.

 On to the swatches...

Left to right: Complex, Elusive, Sultry and Standout.

Complex is the only nude shade in the line so I had to get it. It does take a couple of swipes for it to show up on my lips but luckily the colour does not wash me out.

Complex.

I spotted this shade because it was such a gorgeous light nudish pink. Had I came across this shade when I first swatched the matte balms in-store in Singapore, I would not have bought Complex to be honest. Really glad I noticed it in the stand at Priceline. Elusive is definitely my favourite and it is perfect for everyday wear.

Elusive

Sultry is also another lovely berry shade that compliments my skin tone. It's like a rosier version of my actual lip colour which also gives a very natural look despite it being slightly darker. This shade leaves a slight tint when I wipe my lips.

Sultry.

This is also another must-have for me. I mean.. matte red lip colour, who wouldn't love that? Standout actually leaves a stain on my lips but it is quite expected with the darker shades.

Standout.

Apologies for the slight feathering on the lower lips in the last 2 lip swatches. These lip crayons are so pigmented, I had to wipe my lips several times to get the previous colour off before applying the next one hence the faint red outline around my lips.

Overall, I really enjoy the Matte Balms because they apply well and last a fairly long time, about 4-5 hours at least. They do transfer slightly if you blot your lips but they are still visible on me even after eating which is pretty impressive. If you love yourself some matte lips, you'll love this product. Definitely worth checking it out! (:

NOTD: Ulta3 Tropez

I was unfamiliar with rose gold until my sister recommended it to me as a jewellery piece before the whole trend started. Now, make up brands are coming up with lines revolving around this colour. I became quite obsessed with it myself, especially after all the amazing launches featuring rose gold-inspired make up. So I've been on the hunt for my perfect rose gold nail polish and I think I've found it! Keep in mind that the Sally Hansen's Gold Roses isn't available in Singapore and Australia and I still want to get my hands on that polish since everyone can't stop raving about it.

It was pretty accidental that I came across this polish. I can't exactly remember if it was Target or Wizard Warehouse that I found this amazing baby in the midst of all the polishes in a bin for only AU$2! Here's a look at Ulta3's Tropez in the bottle...

Not too bad right? Initially I worried that it wouldn't be the right tone of rose gold (too copperish, if you know what I mean), i'm just particular like that. Copper and rose gold is different in my opinion. Anyway, when i went home I could not wait to paint my nails with it and to my great pleasure, it looks decent enough to pass off as rose gold. I'm not sure exactly why but in certain lightings, it looks more rose gold and other times, it looks just a tad copperish. 

I applied 2 coats of polish on top of Revlon Gel-smooth base coat and finished off with Seche Vite top coat in all the pictures.

In the shade.

In natural light.

Outdoors in natural light.

As you can see from the pictures, Tropez looks rather varied in different lighting. It might just be my camera settings too but in person,  I look at it and think "What a lovely rose gold polish!" Because of the metallic finish, it can look streaky if you're not steady with your brush. With the first coat, I casually applied the polish. On the application of the second coat, I made extra care to ensure that I did not have too much polish on the brush and painted my nails evenly to prevent any obvious wavy streaks. The top coat definitely helps to blur out the lines a little. So there you have it, my thoughts on the perfect (in my opinion) rose gold polish. Hope you enjoyed! (: