All The Things I Can't Live Without...

One and a half weeks ago, I finally purchased my first Stila product! And that is the smudge pot in "Cobalt Clutch". It was part of the Barbie Loves Stila promotion back in 2009, hence the price for it was only S$16. Also because I got it a the Smoochiezz flea market at The Cathay, and they're known for their cheap but authentic cosmetics.

Ha ha, I'm still highly amused by the holographic cover, however amatuer that may seem.

The smudge pot is a brilliant blue, with some silver sparkles (I think, I can't really tell the colour of the sparkles inside. FML).

I've heard so many good things about Stila smudge pots and I was really exciting at owning one; however, I think I got myself too hyped up about it. It kinda disappointed me.

First was the pigmentation. Even though the blue looks so opaquely stunning in the pot, it doesn't translate like that at all on the lids. I have to keep layering to finally get the full colour of the gel liner out. And also, the product flakes on me. Even when I'm layering it on. It's not that the smudge pot is old or dry, cos it's still creamy and spongey when I stab my eyeliner brush into it, but it just starts flaking when I apply it on my lids.

The only redeemable point would be that it does last a long time on the lids (once it decides to stop flaking off). And also because I really love that shade of blue.

Here's me wearing the gel liner over some peach e/s to match with my blue tank top:

Matchy matchy, me likes~

All in all, I'm glad I got it on sale, cos I won't want to fork out S$40++ for this kind of eyeliner. I wonder if the other smudge pots are like this? Or is it just because this is blue, that's why it's not that opaque and it flakes?

Anyway, thanks for reading this entry! 1 more week left till I leave SG, gotta start packing soon.

After finishing my DHC Lash Serum back in March -and I was pretty impressed by it too- I went ahead and bought the Canmake Lash Care Serum to try. I mean, it could be better, it could be worse; nobody knows unless you try it right?

Well, sad to say, to me it's an inferior product to the DHC Lash Serum. It may work better for other people, cos our lashes do differ, but for me it didn't work at all.

Here's the weird doe-foot applicator:

1st problem:

Canmake states that the soft doe-foot application makes application easier and safer (by not injuring your eye if you accidently jab the wand into your eyeball). But I don't feel it's so when I was using it. It's so much easier to apply serum to the lashes when it's a brush applicator rather than this lipgloss-look alike. Yes, it does feel safer but I haven't jabbed myself in the eye with any applicators yet and I can't seem to coat my lashes properly with this - I only seem to be rubbing my lash line with the gel essence.

2nd problem:

With an opaque container, no mention of any measurements and the doe-foot applicator, it seems like there's hardly any essence left after a few uses! I guess this is the packaging's fault.

With the DHC Serum, they state that it's 6.5 ml and the container is transparent, so you know exactly how much you're getting and how much your using. The brush applicator makes it able to use every drop to the last bit too. For the Canmake's, you don't know how much essence there is in there, you can't peep into the container and because of the spongey doe-foot applicator, I feel it absorbs more of the essence than my lashes do.

Comparing to DHC's, which I used religiously twice a day and it lasted me about 9 weeks, Canmake's only lasted me barely 7 weeks with once a day usage. I even forgot to apply it on some days, so it definitely isn't as much as DHC's.

3rd problem:

I would guess this is the most critical one, cause this lash essence does nothing for my lashes at all. I was pretty satisfied with the length and thickness DHC's serum gave me and I wasn't expecting much for this. If it could let my lashes grow a bit more, great! If it could maintain the lashes I have now, that's good enough. But I feel it not only didn't make my lashes grow, it didn't maintain them at all. I noticed my lashes falling out more often when I'm using Canmake's. It's really annoying, cause then all those beautiful long lashes that the DHC serum managed to coax out just went to waste. How vexing!

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Ha ha, so enough of rambling, let's know some of its facts:

Smell: It doesn't really smell like anything. :) Quite a neutral smell, as opposed to DHC's olive oil-like smell.

Texture: This has a 50% water, 50% jelly texture. It's like a thin gel, which becomes thicker (and eventually doesn't appear on the applicator anymore) as you use it. It's definitely less watery than DHC's lash serum, so it won't make you look like you've been crying if you put too much.

Applicator: Doe-foot. I dislike it, enough said. ):

Price: It's usually going for S$17-18, I think, but I got it at S$14+. At that price, it's slightly cheaper than DHC's but that doesn't justify the miserable amount inside. At the usual price, it's more expensive than the DHC's.

Place: I bought mine at John Little, which explains the discount, but you can find it at Watsons too.

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All in all, I really won't repurchase this. In fact, I've already bought another DHC Lash Serum, started using it and am loving it! Please do keep in mind that this is just my personal experience using this product. It may work differently on other people so if you want to try it, go ahead (and since it's not that pricey and stuff). But this review is just to give people a heads-up, you know, on what to expect and whatsnot. So I hope this review is useful to those looking for an eyelash serum. Thanks everyone for reading!

Following up with my previous post, here's the promised swatches of my WnW "Comfort Zone" palette I got. Do note that these swatches were done without any base; you can probably tell from the pigmentation why everyone is raving about these eyeshadows.

What my palette looks like, with the top right shadow quite cleanly knocked out of its pan. :) But I don't mind, I can still use the little bit that's left.

The left column of eyeshadows, the neutrals side:

Oh gosh, I LOVE everyone of these neutral shades. The highlighter colour is such a buttery soft gold-white, and the peach is just nice for those simple "shimmering-eye-with-winged-eyeliner" looks, and the last almost-black colour looks almost like MAC's "Beauty Marked"! I can probably sell away my "Beauty Marked" already, because this fella's pigmentation pwns MAC's!

The right column of eyeshadows, the green side:

See the duochrome on the last shade on the right?!

And again, I adore all the shades, though I probably won't reach for the lightest green shade much. When I swatched the highlighter shade, I immediately regretted that it was almost all gone from the pan, cos it's soooo pretty and shimmery! The dark forest green with gold glitter is awesome too, and needless to say, my fav would be the last shade with its teal duochrome. It's said to be a dupe of MAC's "Club" e/s.

A thing to note is that because the pigmentation is so good, it may stain your lids (or fingers in my case); make sure to cleanse the e/s off properly! :)

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Now onto the LOTDs that I wore to school last using this palette. Sorry if the photos had weird colouring or bad quality - I had to use my iPhone to snap the pics, cause I don't bring my camera to the dorm with me.

LOTD #1

I brushed on a washing of the peach shade all over my eyelids, and lined my eyes thickly with the duochrome brown-teal shade.

Can you spot the cool teal shimmer in the last 2 pics? How amazing is that, ha ha!

LOTD #2

Green eye makeup to go with my green polo T. Here I used the light gold-green shade on the lids, the dark forest green to contour my outer V and the shimmery taupe highlighter at my tear ducts! Oh, and I used Urban Decay's 24/7 Liner in "Covet" as a base, to make the green pop.

LOTD #3

So I was wearing a taupe-coloured top yesterday, hence I decided to matchy-match my eyes. The taupe highlighter shade went all over my eyelids, and the darker sable brown contour shade was used to contour my outer V. Additionally, I used a matte taupe shade form my 88 palette to blend the two e/s together.

I seriously love the taupe highlighter shade. ): Kinda sad now that there's so little left in the pan, but given the chance, I'd purchase another "Comfort Zone" palette along with the other two!

One warning of caution though. The e/s are incredibly INCREDIBLY soft. I understand now how they get so easily damaged during shipping, cause they seem to crumble at just a single nudge! I think this palette would be gone if SG was to have an earthquake. =\ Touchwood. But you get the idea how soft it is! All in all, I think this palette is worth all the hype and raves it's getting, and if you can get your hands on it, please allow yourself this purchase!!

Thanks for reading this post, hope you enjoyed it! :D

Ok, so here's the review! A short one I promise, cos I don't think you guys wanna hear me rant on and on (and I don't have much time).

I bought the DHC Eyelash Tonic from Gmarket back in early Jan for S$14.90. It's super cheap compared to its retail price in Watsons, so I was a bit apprehensive at its authenticity. Oh btw, I used a coupon with a S$1 discount, so it was going at S$15.90 initially. The seller was based in SG so I got the product SUPER fast; like, in 3 days after payment verification. o___o

How it arrived and the back of the packaging with the ingredients and stuff. "Made in Japan" and the expiry date, which follows the current batch of DHC eyelash tonic selling in Watsons. So far so good on the authenticity, I guess.

The point that attracted me to DHC's serum is that it doesn't contain alcohol. I mean, with Aloe Vera Juice being the 3rd ingredient, it's gotta be good right? At least none of the nasties being in the top 5 ingredients or something. I know L'oreal's serum contains alcohol, that's why I didn't want to use it.

The pamphlet included.

The sight: As you have already seen, it's a golden-coloured transparent liquid contained in an explicably small vial (6.5 mL). It looks a lot like oil and I reasoned the Aloe Vera juice played a part in giving it its yellow hue. Though I suspect that it will stay clear as long as you use it on clean lashes, that wasn't what happened to me. It got cloudy after a while, but also that's because I didn't clean my lashes thoroughly sometimes. No eye infections though.

The texture: Definitely not oil-like at all. It's got this slight jello consistancy; it's 3/4 liquid, and 1/4 jelly. It's kinda wet when you apply it on your lashes, so don't put on too much so you'll look like you're crying or something.

The scent: When I first opened it, I didn't detect any noticeable smell. However, after being opened for a few days, it started to smell like...olive oil. Ha ha, serious! I mean, I love the scent of olive oil so I don't mind, but it may smell queer to some people. Could it be because of the aloe vera inside? Does aloe vera even smell like olives?

The brush: It uses the conventional kind of mascara brush. I've been doing good using it, though I've stabbed myself in the eye a couple of times with it. No biggie, my eyeballs are tough. I feel that the brush allows me to comb the tonic through my lashes easier than, say, the spatula-like thing of L'oreal lash serum.

Did it work: Personally, I felt it worked. Like I said, results vary from individual to individual, but for me, yeah. I definitely saw my lower lashes growing. Presently, they're the length of what my top lashes used to be. That's kinda long for lower lashes, but they didn't grow much in quantity. I still have few (but now long) lower lashes.

Case in point for the top lashes (be afraid of my giant eye!):

Though my top lashes didn't extend as much as my lower lashes, I noticed them becoming curlier at the tips (see the end of my lashes, the curly tips!) and becoming thicker. There was some growth in length, but just slightly visible.

What is more impressive was that the tonic managed to coax lashes to grow out of places where they normally didn't grow. See those red circles? That's above my usual top lash growth border, and I could see a few hairs springing out. Awesome!

For 2 months of constant application of the tonic, I think the results are not bad. I started out being skeptical and expecting nothing at all (cos these kind of things seldom work for me), but I'm pleasantly surprised after all that.

Would I buy it again? I'm currently trying this out:

The Canmake Lash Care Essence. It's got a weird wand...

Anyway, I'm seeing how this goes, but if it doesn't do as well as DHC's, I definitely won't mind re-purchasing the Eyelash Tonic again!

Hopefully after another 2 months, I'll do a write-up on the Canmake one, whether it passed or failed. Thanks for reading this review, cheers!

So does it work?

Ha ha, see it for yourself! It's gonna be a long and picture-dense post.

Anyway, thanks to Zaleha (aizutto) for replying to my poll, and here's the answer to it!

Yeah, I tried to be un-bias about it, that's why I asked you guys without revealing anything first. Seems like Zaleha saw a difference, as slight as it is.

9 weeks back, I bought a tube of the DHC Eyelash Tonic off Gmarket and I've been religiously using it twice a day.

I mean, I was skeptical but since I'm gonna do it, might as well do it right. The following pictures are the physical evidence on what it did for my eyelashes. Even though it might seem slight, I do feel that it worked on my lashes. I'll be doing a description review in Part 2, cos I don't wanna cramp too many things into 1 post.

(Please click on the pics to get the larger version if these are too small for you to see the difference)

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Ha ha, do judge for yourself after viewing these pics, if the tonic is truly useful or not. I know it varies from individual to individual, and personally, I feel my lashes tend to not respond to these kind of treatments well. My friend just used eye cream (to moisturize the delicate eye area) and her lashes grew so much; on the other hand, when I tried that, nothing happened at all.

But after looking at these pictures and feeling my lashes myself, I do see my lashes being slightly longer, slightly curlier at the tips and somewhat thicker and stronger.

Then (week 0):

And now (week 9):

So what do you guys think?? Did it work? How about those who have tried the tonic, did it work well for you??

Part 2 will be up shortly, since it's my 1 week holiday! Yay to long hours of sleep and rejuvenation!

I haven't been spending much lately as I was saving up for an iPhone. Plus no pocket money during the holidays = even less spending power.

But things have come around! First up, I've finally gotten my iPhone 2 days back (after waiting for half a year). It's an indispensable device to me, cos I love my music and I love my apps. :) And, I've started receiving pocket money again, yay! Plus, I've sold a whole bunch of pineapple tarts (pity I didn't a pic of them, cos I made a whole mountain load!) so I've gotten some extra spending money.

Ohh, and Chinese New Year is just tomorrow...which means ang bao!

So I went to get the 2 items that I've been eyeing for the past month and finally justified buying (come on, they're necessities!).

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Item #1, liquid eyeliner! This is the Wink Up Essence-In Pen Eyeliner. I had to get a replacement after using my Silkygirl Precision liner for more than a year (and it finally dried out).

They claimed that Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen and Pantothenic Acid has been added to strengthen the lashes and the skin around the area... but how effective is that gonna be when the substances are the last 3 ingredients in the ingredients list??? *is skeptical*

But I'm definitely digging the sleek red packaging and the fine brush tip!

Time to test!

As you can see, the fine tip really allows precised and thin lines to be drawn. I could feather out the lashes singly in the eye pic that I drew. And more pressure can be applied to get a thicker line ala Pikachu~

This eyeliner is water-resistant and quite stubborn to smudging when you rub against it. However, I've only used it twice so I can't say much about its waterproof or lasting properties. But so far so good (and that's a plus cos I'm an extremely picky person)!

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Item #2, a new foundation! This is the Bourjois "smell-so-good-I-wanna-eat-it" Healthy Mix Foundation.

Here's the pump and I got it in Shade 52, Vanilla.

I was quite excited to get it cos this would be my very first foundation, giving that all I've been using thus far are BB creams and tinted moisturizers. It's true, I really feel like slathering some on my tongue every time I apply it onto my face - it smells so refreshingly intoxicating!

Coverage is about light to medium; it's light and moisturizing; the finish is dewy but it sets to a semi-powdery finish. I've only worn it once, so I can't attest to its "16 Hour" claim and I don't know how it does in sweltering weather yet. We shall see, but for now, I'm really satisfied with it.

Here are the pics of the foundation after 6 hours of wear, when I test drove it yesterday.

(I didn't toggle with any picture settings this time, maybe only brighten the pic a bit as it was night time when I took the pics and the room was kinda dim. What you see is how it looked on my face.)

In normal room lighting:

Dewy..but not oily. The shine at my cheeks is partly due to my MSF which I used to highlight. But my nose and the area around it does tend to get a bit oilier than the other places.

With flash:

So that's that for now, I'm really excited to wear the foundation out to visitations during CNY!

Here's wishing everyone and your families a HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR! It's time to get hoppin' (Year of the Rabbit) and hope everyone eats lots of barbeque meat and pineapple tarts!

P.S. Super excited at what looks I'm gonna be doing this CNY. Last year with makeup was fun~~~

It's technically not a haul, since I didn't buy the items but it feels like a haul cos I love playing with new stuff! A few weeks back, The Sample Store put up some retail size Sasatinnie Super Dolly Mascara for grabs and I immediately redeemed it along with a few other samples.

Did I ever mention that having monolids gives me an unhealthy obsession with eyeliners and mascaras?

Anyway, the items I redeemed were the Quick Touch 1 Minute Hair Dye (for my dad to try), the Sasatinnie mascara, La Roche Posay's SPF 50 Sunblock and Bio-Essence's Deep Nourishing Toner.

Such cute packaging~

After reading through the description on the back of the packaging, I immediately ripped out the mascara and tried it!

The applicator is actually a plastic comb (something like the Majolica one) that was suppose to be revolutionary in having teeth all 360 degrees around it. Not sure if you can see it in the pic above. For me, I find that more gimmicky than useful; I'll explain that in a while.

Here are on-eye swatches:

It's actually the mascara I used in my previous LOTD, the one with the orange lip. Looks ridonk-culously good here but I don't really like it.

Here's a few reasons after trying it for a few times:

1) The comb with 360 degrees of teeth does nothing at all. I don't actually use the other teethed sides, just the one with the main grooves.

2) The formula is super wet. Like takes-10 minutes-to-dry, smudge-everywhere kind of wet. ): It's so bad that I need a mascara guard every time I use it, or it's bye bye to my eye makeup.

3) I find it clumps for me, even if many other reviews claim it doesn't clump. Worse still, because it's such a wet formula, you can't even comb and separate out the clumps.

4) Don't bother using it for the lower lashes, it's too wet for that. It just smudges everywhere.

5) When it finally dries, it's kinda...rubbery?? LOL!

In a nutshell, unless it's the last mascara left in my arsenal, I won't reach for it again. It's just too messy to use.

As for the other samples, I haven't tried them yet. Except for the Bio-essence toner, which I find not bad. :) But not all that fantastic either. Now that school has started and I'll be rushing about once again, I guess the frequency of my posts will decrease. But still, thanks for reading this mini review on the Sasatinnie mascara!

I know a lot of people dislike slathering on sunscreen, especially those living in SG because it's so hot and humid here. I know how it feels like, cos only just 5 months ago did I start putting on sunscreen (on my face, haven't done that bit for my body yet). Sunscreens were just too thick and oily, and they feel like a film of white grease that would never set in a climate like ours.

It started off with me experimenting with my ZA Tinted Moisturizer.

 It had a measly SPF of 10, which honestly isn't enough for sunny SG, but it was enough to see a difference. I used to be quite tan a few years back, cause I rode my bike in the sun everyday to school. After enrolling in Uni (not being to ride to school) and starting on the moisturizer, I realized that I got quite a bit fairer. So much so that in a matter of a few months, the tinted moisturizer looked too dark and orangey on me.

That's when I decided to invest in a proper sunscreen and also to get something in a lighter shade to suit my skintone, so I got Biore's Perfect Face Milk (SPF 50, yayness!) and Lioele's Water Drop BB Cream (SPF 27).

With the Biore Face Milk as a makeup base, and a little mixing of the BB cream with my ZA Tinted  Moisturizer, I got a "foundation" that matched my skintone nicely, wasn't too thick/suffocating, had a good amount of coverage, and packed a whole lot of SPF protection! Most BB creams are actually really thick, but this one by Lioele is really watery and cooling to the skin. Unfortunately, it was still too light for my skintone - that's why I used my darker moisturizer as a "colourant".

So I stuck to this routine and while I was working in Sephora, quite a few people actually complimented on my "foundation" and asked me what I used (to which I sheepishly told them "BB Cream"). And after 4 months, I can not only see, I can also feel the difference the sunscreen and BB cream made!

A picture dated 4 months back. Notice the pimple on my right cheek, some uneven-ness/enlarged pores, and the dullness?

Compared to this picture taken 1 week back.

 For one, I got so much fairer. When I went to visit an aunt whom I last saw during CNY (this Feb), she immediately told me I got much whiter and that I'm even fairer than my 9 year old sister now. Of course being indoors the whole time I was working played a part but I think a lot was due to the high SPF I had on too.

Along with the fairness, I noticed the sallow/dull skintone I always had lightened and brightened considerably. My skin feesl more taut and supple, as compared to the non-bouncy tofu-soft skin I had previously. I also saw a slight shrinking of my pores, especially at the cheek area. Plus, even though I don't really get pimples last time (only the occasional few on my cheeks/forehead), I get even fewer pimples nowadays! Just remember to exfoliate and mud mask once every week~ 

I'm sold. Putting on high SPF and perhaps BB cream really helps! I'm glad I started on this regime and I'm still loving the finishing of my customized "foundation". :) Those 3 items are my daily holy grail face products now.

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Now onto the Biore Face Milk review! From the first picture, you'll probably notice that I've moved on to my 2nd bottle.

Name: Biore UV Face Milk

Variety: 3 types - Moist (purple bottle), Perfect (white) and Bright (pink). The Moist is a hydrating sunscreen for dry skin, the Perfect has oil-controlling properties for oily skin, and the Bright is a pink-hued sunscreen for reducing sallowness.   

Price: S$12.40 for 30 ml (can easily get it at a discount at John Little or Watsons)

Texture: So lightweight, watery and non-greasy! Gets absorbed, and sets really easily too, unlike traditional sunscreens.

Pros: Extremely good texture, affordable, easily found in shops, what more do you need? :D

Cons: Just one, it still has got a slight white cast, so use it as a base or mix it with your foundation (or tinted moisturizer in my case!)

Re-purchaseability: Definitely yes!

I've tried the Perfect and Moist types so far, and one thing I can say is, the oil-controling properties of the Perfect face Milk is really good. I bought it thinking it would reduce the slight shine I'd get on my face mid-day, but it controlled oil so well that my face got really dry. Note that my skin is actually normal, not oily and not dry. I couldn't wear it alone as it would cause small patches of dry skin, but layering my BB cream-tinted moisturizer mixture on top gave me a shine-free finish that lasted the whole day!

So I got the Moist version, and boy was it moist, lol! It's so hydrating that my face feels slightly tacky after applying it. I didn't want to use my BB cream in fear of increasing the stickiness, so what I do on lazy days is to just mix my tinted moisturizer into the Face Milk to give it colour, put it on and lastly set it with finishing powder. My face routine is that simple. But when I'm spending a whole day in school and want more coverage, I'll still put on my BB cream.

Oh, and another thing I did was to mix the remaining Perfect face Milk into the Moist bottle - to get a bit of oil-control as well as hydration. So far it's working out fine (no break outs), though I'm still not used to its slightly sticky finish. Better hydrated than dry, for my case now. =x    

 If you're looking for a makeup base that controls oil well, definitely give the Perfect Face Milk a try! The Bright Face Milk also has quite good oil-control ability, plus it brightens the skintone too. The Moist one would hydrate dry skin (especially those who practically live in air-conditioned places) very well. And bonus, they have a whole ton of SPF and PA+++!

Hope this review helped, and thanks for reading guys! Cheers~

[Warning: Image intensive]

In my previous haul entry, I featured this hair iron which I bought online via a Korean spree, so here's the product intro and my thoughts after testing it out once!

The box - yeah, I know it looks tacky but the product is made in Korea so gotta trust them!

The pink hair iron! Lol, 1st time I voluntarily chose a pink one...

... because the flowers at the top will light up when it gets heated enough! And also it's more obvious against my dark-coloured hair.

Primary reason why I chose this model is because its temperature can be adjusted, from 0 degrees to 210 degrees. After using the Sephora hair iron, I've come to realize that an adjustable temp setting is important for a hair iron - it needs to be hot enough to form your curls and make it last, and yet not too hot that it'll damage your hair.

The swivel cable at the end, and the 2-pin plug.

Initially, I was considering either the BabyLiss, Braun or Remington hair iron. After using the Sephora's one so many times, I've seen the wonders a good hair iron can do for your hair (so many styles!) so I was tempted to get one for myself to play with.

Unfortunately, the Braun and Sephora irons are very costly at over S$100 each, and though the BabyLiss iron was reported to be very good, I couldn't find a suitable model to straighten and curl my hair. The Remington seemed the best at that point, but no drugstores.com sprees were opened.

And since there was this rare Korean hair iron spree that was going on, I decided to give it a try! I bought it for only S$46 (inclusive of shipping and normal postage) and the item arrived in SG 1 week later! Apparently, the korean seller was super efficient and immediately sent out the items after receiving the order. So is it good???

My curls after I've done them with the iron, the temperature I used was about 180 degrees. The back wasn't done very well, cos it was my first time doing it on my own and trying to not get myself burnt.

Apologies for my dull-looking face, I had just gotten out of bed, lol!

After that, I ran through a little leave-in conditioner and sprayed a little hair spray. Now it was time to test if the curls would hold, with such little hair products used to maintain them!

6 hours later...

You'll probably notice that after being awake for 6 hours, my face looks perkier and colour has returned to my lips.

They held!!! How totally awesome is it?! Ah ha ha ha!

Even though the curls did loosen a bit, the volume was still there and the big curls + loose waves looked very natural. It reminded me of the time I digitally permed my hair 1.5 years back. Also note that I tested this on a very wet and humid day, when it was practically raining the whole day and humidity levels are insanely high. So I'm pretty impressed that with so little hair spray and such high humidity, the curls held quite well.

Review on the iron itself? Well, it got really hot, lol! So much so I was very jittery when doing it myself, cos I was so afraid of getting burnt. The heating-up time took a bit longer than Sephora's, maybe about 5 mins but it's negligible. Also, I didn't experience any tugging or snagging when pulling my hair through the iron - it's ceramic-coated and the surface is really smooth.

One con would be that since it didn't include any fancy ionic technology, so it may cause the hair to become drier (disclaimer: I am totally unsure of this part cos I have never tried an iron with ionic technology before). Thus maybe more hair priming, with heat protectants and conditioners, would help. I did notice my hair feeling slightly dry after using it, but maybe it's because of my hair spray, cos it makes the hair a little crispy. The next day when I washed my hair, I used a hair treatment mask and my hair went back to its usual smooth and shiny state again. :)

Latest update: I went to sleep and woke up the next morning to find that the curls were still there! They might have loosened a bit in my sleep but they lasted through 1 whole day and night! This means that if you're rushing for time in the morning, you can curl your hair at night, go to sleep and have wonderful waves in the morning. :)

So that's the review on my hair iron so far, I haven't tried straightening with it, will probably mention its effect when I've done that. Hope this review helped, thanks for reading guys!

About 2 weeks back, I received an email from sasa.com (I have got no idea how they got my email add, cos I don't remember signing up for anything) and it was about this exchange-old-for-new promotion thingy going on. Basically, I'll just have to go down to Wisma's Sasa and turn in one of my old mascaras for a new Dejavu mascara, FOC! And this is only available for the 1st 100 visitors only.

So knowing my schedule fits nicely and with this thick skin of mine, I went for it! Here's what I got in place of my Silkygirl Double Intense mascara (was almost done with it after 2 months, my 1st time nearly finishing a mascara).

Look at that hot pink tube with its metallic pink cap. Seriously, I've never used such a pink-pink cosmetic item before. =x

And the brush.

It's the conventional bristle kind of brush, with wide troughs in between layer of bristles. The tip is narrowed and pointed and the wand is pretty short.

Here's some pictures to see if it works~

Yep, I wore it on the day I did the multi-coloured glitter eyeliner look.  So from the pics, you'll be the judge and see if it creates the oodles of volume it promised.

Personally for me, I didn't really like it - I much prefer my Silkygirl Double Intense. The formula was drier so it didn't go on that smoothly, and it starts clumping after 2 1/2 - 3 coats. Also, the large and stumpy bristle brush actually didn't impress me. It was much harder to control, it didn't deposit much of the dry formula on my lashes (which means I'd have to do 3 coats at least = clumps galore) and I found the shape of the brush impractical for coating the lower and outer side lashes.

Also, though it said to be easier to remove with warm water only, honestly I found it a hassle. Who keeps warm water in her room? And once you dab a cotton pad in the water, it will cool to room temperature water almost immediately. Removing it with eye makeup remover wasn't any easier. I did try removing it with the suggested warm water though - the water effectively removed all my eye makeup, including my waterproof stage eyeliner. So to say that it removes with warm water when most makeup will come off with water of that temperature is a bit off, I'd say.

Good points would have to be it lengthens just a little, really doesn't smudge = no panda eyes, and if you adore that clumpy, doll-like look, this will be great for you. For me, nah... I found myself turning to my other mascara after 2-3 uses. But it's a good experience though, thanks goodness it's free.