Friday 28 August 2009

Stage Celebrations…

Stage is celebrating its 1st birthday (hard to believe its been that long already, and that’s what the tie-up with Lipstick Gossip was for in my previous post), but the presents are going to you all – fancy a mug or Trio Traveler brush set, anyone?


Teeheehee…I have the “Makeup Diva” mug…something about the lipstick imprint is just supercute!

And how’s this for spoiling you over the weekend? Stage is also celebrating Merdeka over 4 days from 28th (that’s TODAY) until the 31st of August (so that’s Friday till Monday) with a 31% discount on the 2nd item onwards.

Hmm…should I go get myself a couple more lipglosses or nail polishes? Hehe…*daydreaming*

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Lipstick Gossip @ twenty.one kitchen+bar…

** I wasn’t going to post this up quite so fast, but it’s all Kimberlycun’s fault! LOL…looking at her photos of the shindig made me itchy to download all my pictures, and well, since I was at it already, here we are!

On the last Thursday of each month, twenty.one kitchen+bar (henceforth known as twenty.one) is turned into a big girls-only party with canapés, cocktails and primping galore. Known as Lipstick Gossip, a bunch of us were invited by Stage and twenty.one to attend the most recent instalment of Lipstick Gossip last night. (what better excuse to have yet another mad night out eh? *grins*) Muchos gracias to Stage for the invite!


twenty.one was quite packed with ladies – I think the total number was 100, but it felt like quite a few more were squeezed in! Alas, the only men that were at the event were the working ones – I’m referring to the hairstylists, caricaturists, masseuse (!!) and photographers. Now what were YOU thinking?? :p


Me likey my caricature, even if the artist made me look a bit like Joanne Kam – complete with ‘longkang’!!

There were a heap of photos taken, but since Photobucket slashed my bandwidth down to a measly 10GB a month, I leave you with a montage of the event instead…


Who can you spot? :D ParisB, PinkElle, Xin, Kahani, Syen, Meldee, Jo, Kimberlycun, Plue, Connie and Rinnah are all somewhere in the shots (and me too of course!)


Being the gluttons we are, the tiny canapés at the event (delicious though they were) didn’t quite manage to fill us up, so we ended up doing what we do best – wander off to look for food! Hehe…after the event finished, the lot of us ended up at a nearby mamak stuffing our faces with tandoori, naan, mee goreng and the like!

On a side note, traffic in town was seriously screwed up thanks to the fasting month and rain. Since I left directly from the office, I had to do my primping in the car beforehand. Yes, I’m one of the people you see applying makeup at traffic lights – mind you, I’ve gotten it down to an art where I can stare at myself in the mirror AND still keep an eye on the car in front of me. The end result?


Taken after I got home from the party – not too bad for traffic jam and traffic light stops? I even managed to apply mascara at the Bukit Bintang traffic light, much to Connie’s amusement…LOL…


All the colours I used on my eye are from the Beautilicious Victoria Palette, together with Lancome Oscillation mascara.


Have a good weekend peeps! I’ll be headed up to Genting for a short break and some fun…can’t wait!! :D

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Thursday 27 August 2009

Revlon Matte Collection Pt 2 – Swatches and an Eye Look…


After this post on Revlon’s matte collection, I had an opportunity to catch up with the brand people to play with the products over brunch. Lo and behold, I got the swatches of the eyeliners I wanted, and got swatches of the blushers to boot!










While we were there, we had a chance to play with the ‘not available yet’ Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Lipcolor, which is designed to hold its own against food, drink and such.


Some swatches of the shades we had...surprisingly, Stellar Sunrise looked pretty good on me!


Just for good measure, I attacked it with a baby wipe to see what would happen…as you can see, even with vigorous rubbing traces of the lipcolor still stuck! There’s no question about the lasting power of the lipcolor, but let’s see if it’ll make its way to our local stores just yet.

And as mentioned, here’s the eye look I created while playing with the products. It’s similar to the look I was talking about in my previous matte collection post with the blue-green shade which I made more ‘green’ to match the top I was wearing.


Dammit…as always, my eyebags decided to make an appearance…*grr*…


Close up of the eye portion – sorry if it’s not that clear, I took the photos in the car on the way out! :s (I’m wearing Revlon Superlustrous Lipgloss in Glossy Rose – my own – on my lips)

What do you all think? The colour’s not as strong as in real life – I reckon Paris and Kahani had a good laugh at it, since any stronger and it would have been suitable for a ‘lady of the night’!! Have you all tried any of the products from the collection, and if so what did you think of it? :) Hit me up ladies!

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Wednesday 26 August 2009

Beautilicious Warehouse Sale…


As promised, here are my thoughts on the Beautilicious Warehouse sale happening from today until Friday (28/8/09). It’s situated quite out of the way, but nevertheless worth the trip! Parking is next to impossible to find, but you can always find a place to park if you’re determined enough! :D


Everything’s nicely laid out with testers to try – when I went during lunch there wasn’t anyone there (probably due to the location), my friend even had time to sit down and let the advisor test out the palette on her! LOL…


If you’re buying for yourself and not picky, there are bargains with special prices for products that have slight defects. They say ‘scratched, bruised or missing parts’, but to be honest the defects are quite minimal…and the discount more than makes up for a small scuff in the corner of the product.


LOL…yes, if you were wondering, this is what I walked out with…all this, including the brush rolls below cost me LESS than RM300 for the entire lot! (at retail prices, this would have cost me RM520)


If you can get your hands on this, the brush roll is one of the best bargains there – at just RM10 (normally RM29.90), what’s not to like?


With my purchase, they gave Magic Eyeshadows…I happened to run into Julie, and she was kind enough to throw in a few more into my bag!


For those of you planning to check it out, these are a rough estimate on prices:
Brush roll (usually RM29.90) – RM10
Pie Pan Eyeshadows and Blushers (usually RM15.90) – RM7
Palettes (usually RM49.90 – RM79.90) – RM20-RM40
Brushes – RM7
Lip Paints & Liquid Lipsticks (usually RM25.90) – RM15
Glossy Jams (usually RM25.90) – RM13
Magic Eyeshadows (usually RM15.90) – RM5


Have fun, and let me know what you bought! :)

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A rose by any other name...

Product sampling, freebies, trial sachets...they're all the same thing right? LOL...for those of you that drool over free stuff (yes, there’s a little in all of us, just that we don’t admit it!) today’s about a few freebies running till the end of August. Click on the images below to go to the respective sites.



Oh, and I went past the Beautilicious warehouse sale today…picked up some gorgeous bargains, which will be posted up later this evening. The sale’s only on till Friday and things are pretty cheap (palettes going for RM20 upwards, eyeshadow pans at RM7 and so on), so better hightail it there if you want them! :D

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Monday 24 August 2009

Kiehl’s Gently Exfoliating Body Scrub ‘Grapefruit’…


When I got a tube of this during an event some time back, I must say I was looking forward to using it…simply for the grapefruit factor (Kahani and myself seem to share a propensity for all things citrusy!)



Description:
Kiehl’s Gently Exfoliating Body Scrub ‘Grapefruit’ with Aloe Vera and Camomile is a creamy and highly effective body scrub that gently yet effectively exfoliates to remove dead surface skin cells without over-drying. Formulated with gentle, natural exfoliation particles and skin-enriching emollients that help to smooth skin, our unique “body scrubber” leaves skin silky soft, refreshed, and primed for moisturisation.



The Verdict:
To be honest, I was quite happy with the whole experience – except the smell! I was expecting a nice blast of grapefruit scent to make an appearance, but instead the scent is nothing close to grapefruit let alone citrus. I would liken the smell of this to something more…creamy, in line with its texture (!).


It struck me that the granules in this scrub are rather big! Not to worry though, as it isn’t as abrasive as it looks. It is remarkably effective though, and my skin feels pretty nice afterwards! I like removing this with a wet washcloth and once I moisturize I can’t stop touching my skin (I was going to say ‘touch myself’, but that would sound so wrong!!)

As far as this goes I like it enough to keep using this, although I wish it smelt more like its namesake fruit. I’ve managed to get around it by adding a couple of drops of my orange blossom essential oil to the mix, but hey, it works great with or without the added scent.


Ingredient list


Kiehl’s Gently Exfoliating Body Scrub ‘Grapefruit’ comes in a 200ml tube and is available at all Kiehl’s outlets.


Rating: 3.5 / 5
Value: $$

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Sunday 23 August 2009

Scentio Skin Refining & Whitening Scrub Milk Plus…

While in Bangkok previously, I went past the Beauty Buffet outlet near MBK and this caught my eye. When I tried it at the shop it reminded me somewhat of Ginvera’s Marvel Gel, so I decided to bring back a tube to see if it would make a good alternative… :)



Description:
Scentio Skin Refining & Whitening Scrub Milk Plus (Scentio Milk Plus) enhances the exfoliating process and promotes growth of healthy new skin cells while milk essence and herbal extracts help to moisturize and nourish your skin, leaving it radiant and soft to the touch.

Scentio Milk Plus contains milk essence, herbal extract, trypsin protein and natural fruit BHA (beta hydroxyl acid). The natural BHA and trypsin protein enhances the exfoliating process, unclogs the skin’s pores, promotes the growth of healthy new skin cells and help to prevent the formation of acne while milk essence and herbal extract moisturize and nourish your skin leaving it brighter and softer.



The Verdict:
Scentio goes by the tagline ‘inspired by nature’, which promises natural skincare products and organic blends. When I first squeezed it out, I was immediately transported to the beachside by its coconut scent. It’s not overpowering, and quite pleasant.


The gel comes out clear, and spreads very easily. To use, I just simply have to spread a thin layer on dry skin, wait for a minute, then start rubbing gently in circular motions.


What I end up getting is little balls of dead skin, which is similar to the likes of the Ginvera Marvel Gel. However, I reckon this works a lot better than the Marvel Gel since it literally removes all my dead skin, and brightens my skin tone. Just twice a week with this and I’m left with nice smooth skin – and it’s a fair bit cheaper than Ginvera too!

Bummer though, cos I’m about to run out of this (time to make another trip back to Bangkok!) so now I’ve limited my use to once every other week to brighten up my skin, and alternate it with my Kiehl’s Brightening Exfoliator. No more flaky skin for me! :D Scentio Milk Plus is also suitable for all skin types.


Scentio Milk Plus retails in a tube of 100ml and retails for approximately THB218 (about RM22) and can be found at all Beauty Buffet outlets in Thailand.


Rating: 4 / 5
Value: $$$

Friday 21 August 2009

Beautilicious Clearance Sale…

Whee!! It’s finally Friday!!

For those of you that are into Beautilicious’ products (or just looking for some good deals on cosmetics!), Beautilicious will be holding a clearance sale from 26-28 August @ 10am – 7pm.


Prices start from RM5 upwards and there are limited quantities available, so if you want to get first pick I’d advise you to get there early! :D Personally, I’m eyeing their eyebrow shaping kit and a couple of other items, so maybe I’ll see you there!

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Wednesday 19 August 2009

Flying business class on MAS…


Last year during my London-Barcelona trip, I had the perk of flying back on MAS business class thanks to my dad who kindly 'donated' his Enrich points (hey, he offered! who am I to say no to a good offer??). I’d gone on business class for work once or twice but only on short trips, so this is the longest flight I’ve had – and I definitely made full use of it! :D


My last view of London before takeoff…gosh I miss this place!

One thing I noticed about business class is that they simply feed you from start to finish! The minute we were safely in the air, they served us dinner (even though my flight took off at 10pm!)


This is MAS’ signature appetizer – none other than Malaysian Satay! Succulent beef and chicken skewers marinated in fresh shallots, turmeric, garlic, galangal and lemongrass and chargrilled over a charcoal fire, served with cucumber, pulut rice and raw onion.


Breadroll (the garlic bread was exceptionally good!), fresh fruits and appetizer of smoked mackerel with horseradish sauce on fine mixed lettuce.


And if that hadn’t already filled me up, I had the main course to contend with! I had stir-fried black pepper beef with basil served with steamed rice and braised Chinese vegetables.


Dessert was blueberry cheesecake with raspberry coulis…*burp*


After that incredibly filling meal, relaxing in the large chair was such a sin but the massage features floored me. With the adjustments this chair can make, you can almost fully recline…just nice for sleeping on a night flight!


Couple that with a fully adjustable inflight entertainment screen and I was pretty much in heaven…they even had episodes of my favourite CSI show… :)


As always, even the toilet in business class was better than those in coach – this one was stocked with L’Occitane products. I can so imagine that if this was in coach, all these would have disappeared in an instant!


There are also shaving kits available for the men (this is separate from the toiletry kit they gave us when we boarded)

In the words of MAS, they advocate moments of total indulgence in its business class. Just check out the proposition they made in their menu:

"There’s nothing quite like a hot cup of tea or coffee when you’re lost in a good book or engrossed in a movie 39,000 ft in the air.

In addition to the range of teas and coffees to soothe and rejuvenate, we also offer a range of snacks both hot and cold. Whatever your fancy, from muesli bars to filled rolls, chocolate, fresh fruit or a helping of noodles in broth with shredded chicken, tofu and seafood, or just cheese and crackers, let us know.

Go on, spoil yourself!"


Well, I certainly spoilt myself on the flight, that’s for sure! They really weren’t kidding when they said they had an entire selection of coffees and teas – some of the beverages included Ceylon, Cameronian Gold Blend, Earl Grey, Oolong, Chamomile Herbal Infusion, South African Rooibos, Japanese Green Tea, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, Brazilian Santos, freshly brewed Nespresso Grands Crus Blends in Cappucino or Espresso (Roma, Volluto, Decaffeinato) as well as a selection of Nescafe Gold, Classic and Decaffeinated blends.

Heck, there’s even teh tarik and hot chocolate! The whole time on the flight, there was Ty’Nant mineral water on hand in either still or sparkling, a variety of juices, and soft drinks and mixers in regular and low calorie variants…*phew!*

I did spend quite a bit of the flight sleeping since it was a night flight, and boy, it was such a good sleep. They even replaced my bottle of water while I was asleep, so I woke up to a fresh bottle each time. Admittedly, this led to quite a few trips to the toilet but at least I stayed hydrated…LOL…

Once the rest of the passengers woke up, they served food (again!) which was termed as a light repast, but probably more appropriately considered breakfast.


Anyone for a tart yogurt drink, ginger ale or peanuts? *grin*


There was a choice of breads served with butter, jam, honey or marmalade…muesli with a choice of fresh full cream or low fat milk and fruits – and this was just the starter!

The main course was an option of scrambled eggs on a toasted English muffin served with chicken sausage, creamed spinach and baked beans; nasi lemak served with squid sambal, peanuts, anchovies, cucumber and boiled egg; or traditional waffles served with maple syrup and fresh strawberries. By this point I was way too stuffed to manage the entire main course, but silly me forgot to take a picture of my food!


Can you imagine having breakfast with this view? :O

Suffice to say, with business class you really do get what you pay for even if the tickets are pricey. Each passenger is called by name, and the stewardesses are a LOT politer than those back in coach. Behaviour-wise, I didn’t think this was very nice…it made me feel as if they were only nice because we were considered ‘upper class’. I’ve come across really curt stewardesses before on other flights!

But that said, I love travelling business class when I get the chance, even though it’s quite rare…now if only I had a chance to try first class! Anyone want to sponsor me for my next trip? Pretty please? :D

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