BCA Month Updates #4

Funny how the month has flown by so fast – it’s already the end of October! This will likely be the last round of BCA updates since there's only a few days left, which will cover off Origins, Bobbi Brown and Sephora.

Origins has done a special pink bottle and box for their Peace of Mind on-the-spot Relief (RM53). This should be quite familiar, since they’ve been doing this for a few years now. The Peace of Mind is still a best seller, and what some of my friends (and family!) like to call ‘expensive hong yao’ or ‘the better smelling Western medicated oil’. LOL!

On the other hand, Bobbi Brown also created an exclusive Bobbi Brown Pink Shimmer Brick Compact (RM150) which contains 5 bars of iridescent colour. These babies were hand made in Italy and come in a specially designed compact case with pink text instead of the trademark white. In Malaysia, these are only available at the Bobbi Brown outlets at Isetan KLCC, Lot 10 and Gardens Midvalley while stocks last.

Last but certainly not least, Sephora came up with an entire BCA collection which changes from year to year. Seriously, they never fail to impress me with their products, but if only they would allow international online shopping and bring in more variety in this part of the world! Sigh…

All items here are from the Sephora BCA Collection: Pink Eyelash Curler (US$16), Compact Mirror (US$18), Pop-up Brush (US$8) Makeup Palette To Go – BCA Edition (US$15)


There’s a whole lot more available on the site, but these were some of the more interesting ones. And there we have it folks – the end of the BCA Month Updates! :D Hope you had as much fun as I had looking at the products!

Sweet Contemplation Accessories Friends and Family Sale…

Just a quick post since I’m absolutely bogged at work today – Sweet Contemplation Accessories is having a Family & Friends sale from 25-31 October 2010 with 20% off all orders with the promo code INTHEFAMILY10. No minimum amount necessary, and international shipping is free for orders over AUD$100.

Worth checking out, especially since Tine’s got some nice new stuff up on the site – but please don’t buy up the whole site before I’ve had a chance to! :D

Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets…

When it comes to taking off your makeup at the end of the day, who admits to feeling rather lazy at times? I’ll admit (rather sheepishly) that I’m not the most diligent at taking off all my makeup at the end of the day, although I’ve solved that by taking a shower as soon as I get home so I’m forced to remove my makeup.

For this purpose, the less fuss required the better, so when I was given a box of Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets to try out, I was more than happy to give it a go. Coincidentally, I was also given a few of the travel packs by someone else which I decided to pass on to other friends to try as well. If you’d like a sample to try for yourself, keep on reading!

Description:
Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets thoroughly removes all traces of makeup including waterproof mascara without irritating or drying your skin. It also minimises the need for repeated wiping on eyelashes, eye are and face. The cleansing oil does not remain on skin so there is no greasy or sticky feeling after use. Contains a moisturising agent that leaves skin soft and smooth, not tight. Sheets are made from 100% natural fibres and formula is alcohol-free, ideal for all skin types.

The Verdict:
For those who love convenience, the Biore Cleansing Sheets (as they shall be referred to for the duration of this post) are great – the 48 sheet pack comes in a sturdy plastic box with a snap-top that can be manipulated with one hand. Even though I’m not one to typically like pink, the purplish-pink hue of the box appeals to my *cough* feminine side. :D

When you first open the box, the sheets come in a foil packet with a resealable cover not unlike travel wet wipes packs, which you peel off before putting the top back on. Although the sheets have an oil cleanser, there is significant water content in the pack which can dry up if left in the open for long periods of time. To make sure the lid is closed after removing the cleansing sheet, simply press the top until you hear a firm ‘click’.

Now, for the challenge – the Biore Cleansing Sheets are more than adequate at removing the usual foundation, powder and blush, so I decided to put them up against some makeup items that are known for their stubbornness to remove…liquid waterproof eyeliner, shimmer lipstick (I hate it when glitter gets stuck on my lips), smudge-proof long-wearing eyeliner, glitter eyeliner and shimmer cream eyeshadow.

First swipe – the lower halves of the lipstick, long-wearing eyeliner and glitter eyeliner are almost gone, while the liquid eyeliner is faded but still there. The shimmer cream eyeshadow surprisingly held its ground and showed little change.

For the second swipe, I let the Cleansing Sheet sit on top of the test strips for a couple of seconds before wiping it off. The lipstick is completely gone, while there are still faint shadows of the rest…as well as some glitter and shimmer left in its aftermath. Now this is the part that I was hoping the Cleansing Sheets would fix, since I hate having fine glitter stuck to my face after the makeup’s gone.

By the third swipe, all the test strips were gone – along with the glitter, which can be clearly seen on the Cleansing Sheet. The tightly woven cotton of the Cleansing Sheets must’ve had some effect, since normally when using cotton pads I find at least some glitter left behind.

I liked the mild floral scent of the Cleansing Sheets as well as the non-greasy after feel. All I needed was a quick splash of water and that was it. I can get 90% of a full face of makeup off in under 2 minutes, which is a great time-saver and the main reason why I’ll keep this around for a while. Score!

Now, if you want to try the Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets as well as the Biore Makeup Remover for Eye & Lip, you can get a trial set of both by clicking on the image below:

** Please note these sample sets are subject to availability and are for those with a Singapore mailing address only.

One of the lovely ladies I passed the travel pack to was Connie, who compared them to the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes. You can read her take on it by clicking on the link – I think she’s partial to the Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets as well. :)

Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets are available from most personal care stores and retail in a travel pack of 10 sheets (RM6.90/SG$2.95) or a large box of 48 sheets (RM32.90/ SG$16.20). Refills of 48 sheets are also available for the large box (RM25.90/ SG$11.50).


Rating: 4.5 / 5
Value: $$$

Go support the Pet Epicure this weekend!

Not a beauty related post, but a worthy one for sure. Pet Epicure, a private pet rescue and adoption center (also a pet boutique and cat hotel) will be running an adoption drive this coming weekend. There will be heaps of cats up for adoption, each with their own personalities just waiting for a new home to call their own.

And just to make it easier, all the cats that are ready for their new homes have been given the all-clear by a vet, are potty-trained and most importantly, neutered!


Date: 23rd and 24th October, 2010 (Saturday & Sunday)
Time: 10am to 4pm
Venue: 16, Jalan Bandar 2, Taman Melawati 53100 Kuala Lumpur (click here for map)
** For further details, you can also contact Alicia (the Pet Epicure owner) at 012-331 3318.


So, if you’re free this weekend and have some space in your heart and home for a feline companion, do head on down to Pet Epicure yeah? :) Happy weekend, folks!

Benefit Christmas Collection 2010…

While going through my emails yesterday I came across the new Benefit 2010 Holiday/ Christmas Collection, so I thought I’d share it with you all…some of them are really pretty! :D

Beauty Wonderland (US$49) – contains some kind-a gorgeous foundation faker, sugarbomb blush and BADgal mascara.

Some Beauty to Love (£29.50) – contains CORALista blush, eye bright instant eye brightener, BADgal lash mascara and “that gal” brightening face primer.

The Fab Lane (US$49) – contains hoola bronzing powder, BADgal lash mascara and “that gal” face brightening primer.

Beauty Be-Bop (US$60) – contains some kind-a gorgeous lite the foundation faker (best suited to fair complexions), high beam luminescent complexion enhancer and ultra shines in back to the fuschia lip shine.

Her Name was Glowla (US$36) – contains CORALista blush, high beam luminescent complexion enhancer, moon beam iridescent complexion enhancer, 5-shade eyeshadow palette, BADgal lash mascara, life on the A list lip gloss and a fluff shadow/ hard angle brush.

Shimmer Shimmer Shake (£27) – contains 3 shimmer powders (only 2 shown above) of mint julep (golden turquoise), miss moon (white gold) and ruby-doo (plum pizzazz)

All You Need is Gloss (US$26) – contains 3 double-ended wands in 6 shades: I’m with the band (golden pink shimmer), almost famous (copper penny), life on the A list (bubble gum pink), who are you wearing (passion fruit pink), back to the fuchsia (sparkling fuchsia), 24k (sexy gold); World’s Best Mascara (US$29) – contains BADgal lash mascara and BADgal plum mascara.

Powder Time Lover (£25) – contains CORALista, dallas and dandelion face powders in a box together with a brush.

Did anyone notice that the Powder Time Lover looks suspiciously familiar? It actually reminds me of the Benefit Powder Pop which I picked up at the Benefit warehouse sale early last year! The only difference between Powder Pop and Powder Time Lover is that they’ve replaced Hoola with CORALista which I reckon is a much nicer and popular shade. :D

No idea yet as to whether these beauties will be making their way to Malaysia or Singapore, but they’re already available online. As always, international shipping on the Benefit website is free for orders over US$115 so if you make a bulk order with some friends, it’s definitely more worth it since locally the prices are rather expensive. You can check out Benefit's entire holiday collection here.


Did anything catch your eye? :D

BCA Month Updates #3

With just a couple of weeks to the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I’d share with you Singapore’s 2010 Breast Cancer Awareness campaign which is currently running – I thought they did an awesome job, even if the actual images themselves were debatable. Be warned though that the following images may be sensitive to some.

Singapore’s 2010 Breast Cancer Awareness involved a series of postcards that were freely distributed throughout the little island. While that in itself isn’t particularly unique, the images and the approach to the postcards definitely were. There were 3 postcards in total, all of which are shown below:

I can imagine some of you would be quite taken by these, while others may recoil in horror. Nevertheless, safe to say they did catch your attention, right? It puts the issue (quite literally) in your face.

There are also special boxes set up throughout Singapore to collect donations for Breast cancer Awareness, as well as a special pink that has been designed.

If I remember correctly, the pins are available with a donation of SGD$5. If you’d like to see more of the Singapore 2010 Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, they are on Facebook here.

This would definitely have been banned in quite a few countries (including Malaysia) but I’m curious as to what all you ladies think about it – does this work, or flop?

** Edit: Apparently, someone at Photobucket thinks this is actually offensive and deleted one of my photos - I've since re-uploaded it, but if it disappears it's because someone at Photobucket is too narrow-minded!

Guerlain Rouge G Lipstick – a definite splurge…

Some time back, Paris wrote about the Guerlain Rouge G lipsticks which had me chomping at the bit to get my hands on one but the US$41 (RM149) price tag also had me gagging – who could pay that much for a lipstick??

Sure, it was very pretty and looked absolutely gorgeous, but the price was a big turnoff for me. Then as luck would have it, StrawberryNET had to offer me a one-time special 25% discount on any purchase, and it turns out the Guerlain G Rouge was slightly cheaper at US$39.50 on the site. Coupled with a returning customer discount, it ended up costing about US$28 (about RM100). I'll consider it my makeup splurge for the year… :p

Description:
Rouge G de Guerlain Jewel Lipstick Compact was designed by Lorenz Bäumer, one of the most talented jewellers from the Place Vendôme in Paris. The horizontal design with feminine curves houses a secret – a mirror automatically appears when the compact is opened. The lipstick has a pure elegant, contemporary design, and closes magnetically. This exceptional object boasts a comprehensive, premium formula containing a star ingredient – ruby powder, which acts as an optical whitener to bring out the colour and shine of the shades. The blend of natural active ingredients (Tiger Grass, wild mango butter, Gugul resin, used in Ayurvedic medicine) complete the formula to plump up, smooth and bring moisture and softness to your lips. Available in 25 shades.

The Verdict:
I’ll admit, the first thing that caught my eye about this wasn’t so much the lipstick colour, but rather the case itself…metallic and sleek, and which woman wouldn’t want a mirror built in for easy application? (not that I really needed it, but this is about want and not need, remember?) The entire case itself is pretty heavy, which just adds to the luxury feel…although it may not be my first choice if I’m going out with a tiny purse or clutch since it’ll take up quite a bit of space and weight.

The shade I got was #4 (Gentiane), which is a lovely rose-pink tone that goes on really smoothly. I really can’t find much to say about this lipstick, other than the fact it makes me feel absolutely pampered when I wear it. Lasting power is also pretty good, requiring only one touch-up after food.

In fact, I can get away looking “naturally made up” with just a dusting of The Balm Down Boy blush and the Guerlain G Rouge lipstick, which is my de facto go-to on the mornings I’m rushing for work.

Of course, that said…now how am I going to top this purchase next round eh? ;)


Guerlain G Rouge lipstick is available in 25 shades at Guerlain counters for approximately US$41 or US$39.50 on StrawberryNET.


Rating: 4.5 / 5
Value: $$$ (makes me feel like a diva, it can’t get much better than that!)

International Suit Up Day was LEGEN…wait for it…DARY! :D

International Suit Up Day was last Wednesday on the 13th of October…how many of you suited up? LOL…I meant to post this up last week but it got stuck in my drafts so here it is!

Being so hot and humid in this part of the world, it only makes sense that I went with a sleeveless top (picked it up from Zara during my last trip to London), accessorised with the ‘A Savoy Affair’ necklace from Sweet Contemplation Accessories. With black slacks and minus the blazer, I actually quite like this look. :D

While I’m on the topic of International Suit Up Day, I thought I’d share the eye makeup I did for that day as well…

Although I’m allowed quite a few liberties with the dress code at work, I do prefer more neutral colours since they’re easier to apply on the go and match pretty much everything. I used a L’Oreal Eye palette as well as the Stila Mara Simba duo for this, but any similar colours would do just as well.

And to top it all off, I wasn’t the only person to suit up – my ENTIRE office did! :D So here’s a picture just for kicks…

So, did you suit up, and if you did…share your stories! :D

BCA Month Updates #2

** Note: I’m so sorry guys – I’d been pre-posting all my stuff, only to find out that they haven’t been going up as planned! :s Be prepared for a bit of a barrage over the next few days!

In the second instalment of BCA updates, I’m going to be covering a few more pink ribbon beauty items which include updates from Sweet Contemplation Accessories, Essie, OPI, Clinique and Apronbay.

Tine has an elegant limited edition necklace “Pretty in Pink” going at AUD$30 on Sweet Contemplation Accessories this October – a nickel-free silver-plated snake chain with a Swarovski De-Art pendant in ruby. All proceeds from this necklace go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation towards research, early detection and finding a cure for breast cancer.

And while I’m on a nail-polish kick after having some awesome nail art done, Essie and OPI have both come out with a nail polish for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Essie’s ‘We Can Do It Pink!’ is a soft sheer pink, while OPI has created ‘Pink of Hearts’ which is a pale pink with shimmer. As a Silver Partner of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, OPI will also donate 100% of the profits from this sold through salons and David Jones outlets to the National Breast Cancer Foundation in the US.

Clinique is also no stranger to Breast Cancer Awareness Clinique, having come out with a Limited Edition Mini Long Last Glosswear trio last year. (For those in Singapore, you can pick one up at the local Clinique counters for SGD$39, which is 3 mini tubes of Clinique Glosswear (Bamboo Pink, Air Kiss and Kissyfit), a pink ribbon heart and Clinique ‘C’ charm on a collectible key ring.) Clinique also has a special pink version of the Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion (above) for purchase at Clinique counters. I’ve been told this is available in Malaysia, so that’s good news to the local ladies.

On more local news, you may have noticed a recent addition to the shops along Jalan Telawi 4 in Bangsar – Apronbay, which is a travel-concept beauty boutique, is running their campaign ‘Wax for a Cause’, where 5% of sales from brow and waxing services done will be donated to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association of Malaysia. The place is absolutely gorgeous and you’ll be in the good hands of the owner Ashley. I haven’t had a chance to write about my recent visit there yet, but do check out Connie and Xin’s experiences there – you’ll definitely be convinced! :) For further details on ‘Wax for a Cause’, check out their Facebook page here.


And that’s it for this round! In the next installment, I have some updates on a rather interesting Breast Cancer Awareness campaign in Singapore that will have everyone thinking twice about early detection. Stay tuned!

What do SingPost and Sanrio have in common?

Okay, besides the fact that they both start with the letter ‘S’? :D

Well…to commemorate Sanrio’s 50th Anniversary, SingPost (that’s Singapore Post) has issued a new Hello Kitty & Friends MyStamp collection which consists of 4 sheets of MyStamp, 4 x Birthday invite cards, 8 x A6 envelopes, 4 sheets of letter pad paper and 1 sheet of stickers encased in a hard cover album for SGD$59.90.

The Hello Kitty & Friends collection features not only Hello Kitty but other famous Sanrio characters such as My Melody, Kuromi, Badtz-maru, Cinnamoroll and Little Twin Stars.

And for those real Hello Kitty fans, you can even get a Hello Kitty & Friends laptop bag (measures 36cm x 28cm, fits a 13-inch laptop comfortably) at SGD$45.00. This laptop bag will only be available from 29 October onwards though.

The laptop bag looks like a Hello Kitty envelope/ parcel – I may not like Hello Kitty, but I thought the fake airmail and postmark stamps were pretty cute.

Of course, if you’re really a die-hard and must have it all – there’s a Special Bundle pack for SGD$95.00 which comes in a plastic box containing the Hello Kitty MyStamp collection and laptop bag, which will save you about SGD$10 overall.

SingPost's Hello Kitty & Friends collection is available at all Singapore post offices, or can be purchased online from the SingPost shop@post. Purchases of SGD$50 and above on this Hello Kitty & Friends merchandise between 30 September and 30 November will also be put into a Lucky Draw to win a trip to Tokyo worth SGD$6,000.

Frankly, I’m rather tickled by it. Personally I’m not a Hello Kitty or Dear Daniel fan, and until now still cannot understand the entire Hello Kitty craze that hit McDonalds some years back with people actually fighting over them at the counter. I actually preferred Badtz-maru and Little Twin Stars when I was younger (*shhh*)

Of course, that’s just me and we’re all different, so it’s just a snippet I thought I’d share. :) Are you a Hello Kitty fan?

BCA Month - Estee Lauder...

October already? Where has the time gone?? Seems like only recently we’d seen the last round of pink ribbon beauty products in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And in line with this, Beetrice’s Reviews will be periodically featuring special collections as well as informative bits throughout October to support the cause towards BCA. Definitely not going all pink, but all BCA posts will be marked in pink with the banner above.

First to kick off this year’s BCA campaign is Estee Lauder, who will be holding road shows with Limited Edition Pink Ribbon Merchandise on sale for charity – all proceeds from the sales of these products will go to the BCA fund.

On the left is the Estee Lauder Companies Malaysia BCA Campaign T-Shirts which will be given with a donation of RM50 and are available in various sizes for both men and women, while on the right is the Estee Lauder enamel pink ribbon which you can get with a RM10 donation.

The mall road shows will be taking place from 5 – 7 October at Mid Valley Megamall and 15 – 17 October at 1 Utama (New Wing). They will also be having free health checks and talks, as well as a Sony photo wall and body painting activities.

If that wasn’t enough, Estee Lauder will also be carrying the Evelyn Lauder Pink Ribbon Collection (RM90) which contains 3 lipsticks – Pure Color Crystal Tiramisu, Pure Color Candy and Pure Color Rubellite – housed in a pink clutch-case which can double as an evening bag.

Who remembers the illumination of the KL Tower last year during the BCA walk? Well, this year on 5th October (that’s next Tuesday), Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad will be illuminated in pink to raise awareness for BCA. It’s just one of the many landmarks that have been illuminated since the Estee Lauder Companies’ Global Landmarks Illumination Initiative was started in 2000. Did you know that over 200 landmarks were ‘pinked up’ worldwide in 2008? I didn’t… :) Just have a look at some of those that have been done around the world…

Clockwise from top left: Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany; The Chords Bridge in Jerusalem, Israel; The Concert Hall in Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel in Mumbai, India; Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada; Congreso de la Nación in Argentina

Impressive, isn’t it? It's the 10th anniversary of the illumination initiative, so do let me know if you’ll be checking out the lighting up of the Abdul Samad Building next Tuesday – I won’t be around to catch it, but let me know how it goes! :D Happy Weekend everyone!