My Women Stuff Readers' Choice Awards 2011 - EPIC! :D

WARNING: Pic-heavy post!

Right, now that’s sorted – I’d gone back to KL (yes, yet again!) over the weekend for the inaugural My Women Stuff Readers’ Choice Awards on 29th October 2011…and boy, the only word I have for it is…EPIC!

When Paris had said she was thinking of organising this shindig a few months back, we were all massively excited. And now that it’s actually over, we can’t wait for the next round! But more about that later…

The morning got off to a great start with the committee arriving bright and early to help with the set up – although admittedly, we had to be bribed (just a little bit!) with cupcakes and coffee…we don’t play play when there’s Just Heavenly cupcakes served up! :D

Set up didn’t take quite as long as we had expected (yay for awesome pre-planning!), so we had some time to sit down for a bit and chitchat.

In fact, we had enough time to dig out our stuff to swap! LOL…since our group is now rather international, every time we meet there’s something to pass over!

The mastermind and queen Paris – now this is multitasking, people…talking on the phone, signing the board at the same time AND managing to look effortless while doing it!

There were also forms given out for attendees to guess the winners – and I promise, no one bribed me for the answers! :P We had scores from 3 up to 16 out of a total of 25…interesting…

After food and plenty of squeals of “OMG, so YOU’RE **insert blogger/ online/ website name**” throughout the room, everyone was ushered into the room for the winners’ announcement. By the way, I think the statement on the glass was most apt – “Quietly brilliant is doing great things in a humble way with the belief that the best things are experienced, not explained” I'm sure we all had a great experience there, right? :D

And for those of you who are curious as to who the winners are, the list is up on My Women Stuff here.

Once the winners had been announced, the top 4 scorers from the ‘guess the winners’ game were hauled up – and the winner (who actually got the most answers right) AND correctly answered the pop quiz question about My Women Stuff was…Hsu Jen! She walked away with a prize from Estee Lauder…lucky girl!

There was also a bonus prize for anyone who had an item from the winner’s list with them that day – it was no surprise that Lyn@BeautyCabby won…just check out her beauty bag! :D

And then…it was on to the Lucky Draw with Paris and our lovely emcee Juan@toughcookee. There were some epic moments during the drawing for sure, but what happened next was most unexpected…

I picked up the Dior skincare and fragrance hamper worth RM750! Guess it was really lucky No.8 for me that day, since I was later told that was THE grand prize of the draw…*still in shock*

There were also 3 contenders up for Best Dressed – Erin, Dom and Lee...I love how their poses were so alike in this shot! :D The prize of a Clinique fragrance ended up going to Erin (I like to think it was for the rocking boots she wore)

Just Heavenly also sponsored a cake in the form of their Choc and Cheese cake, which was absolutely delicious…there was barely any left once we were done with it!

With the youngest (and cutest!) attendee of the awards…Jebat! :D He’s none other than the son of our emcee Juan, and just check out that happening hairstyle!

And yay, we remembered to take a group pic! L-R: PinkElle, moi, Dom, Paris, Connie, Rinnah, Xin and Lyn. Although…we’re missing Juan, Yani and Plue who had to leave earlier.

Oh, and if you were wondering what was in my Dior prize… :D

(by the way #evurl girls, if you’re reading this…some of this love is gonna come your way soon!)

And last but most definitely not least, the goodie bags! We knew they were going to be epic, but this was just…*jaw drops*

In no particular order, there were items in the bag sponsored by Pantene, Garnier, L'Oreal, Olay, Himalaya, Hada Labo, Revlon, Vichy, Kiehl's, Estee Lauder, Yuan Soap, Maybelline and Esmeria Organics.

Also included in the bag were vouchers from Apronbay, Lace Petals *ahem* and Poise Wellness.

My absolute highlight of the goodie bag? This gorgeous necklace sponsored by Tine of Sweet Contemplation Accessories. I may be biased since she’s family, but heck, she deserves it! :D

There were three options for the necklace as seen *ahem* modelled by Rinnah, myself and Dom. We loves our SCA necklaces, yes we do! :D

And as the saying goes, that’s it for now folks! My Women Stuff Readers’ Choice Awards 2011 may have ended, but hey, there’s no reason why we can’t start looking forward to another one next year right? (although Paris might need a bit more convincing…you know what to do!)

Want to read what some of the other bloggers said about the My Women Stuff Readers’ Choice Awards 2011? :)

Paris (My Women Stuff of course!)

Juan (My Views My Reviews)

Lyn (Beauty Cabby)

Xin (Pretty Beautiful)

You can also read (and feel!) the excitement as the event unfurled on Saturday via Twitter with the #mwsawards hashtag.

Who's up for Violent Lips?

What a week…I spent Mon and Tues out on MC thanks to a fever, Wed was a public holiday in Singapore…and in the blink of an eye it’s already Friday, and I’m a few hours from hopping on a plane back to KL to attend the My Women Stuff Awards tomorrow! :D

Since it’s Friday, I thought I’d share something a bit more light-hearted that I spotted in Watsons earlier this week…

Can you guess what they are from just the name?

If you guessed some sort of lip plumper (like I did – think ‘getting punched in the mouth’ pouty lips? maybe? LOL…) you’d be wrong!

Violent Lips is actually a range of temporary lip tattoos that are supposed to create a statement. The creator is just 14 years old – Isabella Haddad. (Gee, and to think I was only starting to discover makeup for myself at fourteen…eeps!)

L-R: Pink Giraffe, Pink Polka, Pink Cheetah, Red Zebra and Pink Hello

L-R: Pink Glitteratti, Gold Glitteratti, Silver Glitteratti, Red Fishnet, Leopard, Zebra and Pink XOXO

These are the options available in Singapore for now, but believe me, these are quite tame compared to their full range available online!

Can’t imagine what it would look like on you? LOL…well, neither could my 'model' (who chose to remain nameless…)

There’s even a step by step video to show you how to apply Violent Lips – from what I saw, it’s actually similar to the temporary tattoos I used to like applying as a kid, where you ‘sponge’ them on to your hands and legs with water and clean off with baby oil. :D

Each pack contains 3 applications and can supposedly last up to 8 hours, but at SG$19.90 per pack, I reckon they came out just in time to ride on the Halloween novelty factor. Would you give it a go just for fun? I just might...

On that, have an awesome weekend ahead and Happy Halloween in advance! :D

New: amethystory products (plus sampling)…

Anyone who knows me even remotely well will know I’m bonkers for the colour purple – lilac, aubergine, you name it, I probably have something in that hue…so when amethystory hit Singapore, I just had to give them a try. All in the name of being adventurous, right? (Plus these looked pretty nice on my bathroom shelf too…hehehe...)

There’s also an opportunity for you to try the amethystory Mineral Aqua Gel out for yourselves at the end of this post, so scroll on down…

The three products that I tried out was the Mineral Aqua Gel (their star product), Mineral Bubble Face Wash and Mineral Aqua Whitening Enhancer. I’ve been using all three together for the past few weeks, so it only seems fitting that I review all of them at one go – warning that this is going to be a long post! :)

1. amethystory Mineral Aqua Gel

The amethystory Mineral Aqua Gel basically sloughs off dead skin – if you’re familiar with Ginvera Marvel Gel, this is somewhat similar…no surprise since the amethystory brand comes from the Ginvera people as well.

Description:

The amethystory Mineral Aqua Gel formula is specially blended with Amethyst, Hyaluronic Acid and Bio Energy Fluid to help enhance the removal of dead, dry and rough skin while promoting skin rejuvenation, instantly leaving skin hydrated, clear, new and fair. After removing the dead skin layers, your skin is left in the optimum condition to completely absorb subsequent skincare nutrients.

How you use this is to start out with a dry face and hands – pump a sufficient amount onto your palm (for me, two pumps is more than sufficient to cover my face and neck) and massage it onto your face in circular motions until you see little beads of dead skin (like that in the pic above) start to form, then rinse off with water.

The Aqua Gel is great for use on your face or body – and I’m loving it for the latter. They do say you can use it daily, but I’ve found that using it twice a week works best…otherwise you won’t see much of an effect anyway.

2. amethystory Mineral Bubble Face Wash

Look a little familiar? LOL…when I saw the Mineral Bubble Face Wash I couldn’t help but think about a certain marshmallow face wash from another brand (you know the one I mean!).

Description:

The amethystory Mineral Bubble Facial Wash is a soft and creamy foam enriched with moisture factors and mineral nutrients to gently cleanse and remove impurities, dirt and oil from pores. After washing, it provides long lasting moisture to the skin. Regular use of the Mineral Bubble Face Wash will polish away old skin resulting in smoother, supple skin.

Similarities in packaging aside, I actually like the smell of this face wash – not too strong, just a gentle fragrance that makes washing my face quite pleasant and doesn’t leave a tight feeling behind (not to mention the foam makes it quite fun!) I find that even one full pump dispenses quite a lot, so I generally try for half to two-thirds of a pump per use.

Both the Mineral Bubble Face Wash and Mineral Aqua Gel above contain Amethyst, Hyaluronic Acid and Bio Energy Fluid – the Amethyst is said to help improve skin complexion and skin tone and the Hyaluronic Acid provides intense hydration, while the Bio Energy Fluid helps balance oil secretion and provide mineral and trace mineral elements to nourish skin.

3. amethystory Mineral Aqua Whitening Enhancer

Last but not least is the Mineral Aqua Whitening Enhancer, which I would say is similar to a toner – I’ve been applying this after cleansing my face, and it smells similar to the face wash, which is pretty nice.

Description:

The Mineral Aqua Whitening Enhancer formula is blended with Amethyst, Tranexamic Acid and Hyaluronic Acid to boost hydration and whitening of skin, and enhance the penetration of skincare products for full absorption. Regular use of Mineral Aqua Whitening Enhancer will provide skin with minerals for better skin rejuvenation and at the same time lighten complexion evenly for a fairer, more radiant and youthful glow.

I must say I do like the way the Whitening Enhancer has been packaged – the bottle comes with a secure screw top and a small opening on top so I won’t be accidentally tipping out too much of the liquid at one go. As far as usage goes, I usually tip out about 5-6 drops of this to pat onto my face which is absorbed quite quickly.

The Tranexamic Acid in the Whitening Enhancer is supposed to fight dark spots and help even out complexion, as well as contains an anti-inflammatory to help enhance the whitening effect, but after just a couple of weeks I wasn’t expecting to see anything drastic. The Whitening Enhancer is a decent enough toner, but that’s about it.

Overall, I’d say I really liked the Mineral Aqua Gel and the Mineral Bubble Face Wash, but would pass on the Whitening Enhancer. I can see why the Aqua Gel is their star product, considering it does a pretty awesome job at removing dead skin. :)

Sampling:If you’d like to try the amethystory Mineral Aqua Gel for yourself, please visit the amethystory Facebook page here to redeem a sample.

Sample Subscription Boxes - Unboxing the BellaBox…

Sample subscription boxes – there has been plenty written about these kind of programs in the US and the UK which sends people a selection of items to try based on their preferences and type for a monthly subscription fee. This has since spread to Australia (Tine has written about her experience with Beauty Box), and more recently, it has reached Singapore in the form of BellaBox.

BellaBox delivers the latest deluxe beauty products to your door, brand new and exclusive for you at SG$15 a month. We handpick and deliver 5 of the most luxurious beauty products to hit the market. Discover new products you will love, and make new purchases with confidence.

Back in August, I signed up for the Singapore version of BellaBox ahead of its official launch, and a couple of weeks after the website officially launched in October for orders and making my payment, this pink box arrived for me.

Inside was a glossy beige and brown striped box – I must say I really did like how they packaged the box along with the little touches that made it a joy to open.

Once I opened the box, there was a welcome introductory note on the top, along with a list of the box’s contents and full size pricing at the back. The contents of the box were also wrapped up in tissue paper with a small sticker.

And ta-daahh! Here are the contents of the first BellaBox – 50ml bottles of Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner each, miniature vial of Oscar de la Renta Esprit d’Oscar, 30ml OPI Avojuice Skin Quenchers, and the brown twisty thingies in the picture are actually hair-ties called Twistbands.

For the monthly subscription fee of SG$15 I reckon they could have done a bit better with the first BellaBox, but all things considered it wasn’t too shabby, and included useful products. Will be sticking with them a while longer to see what else they come up with before forming my opinion about the sample subscription box hype.

Some of the brands BellaBox is working with include Aveda, Davines, OPI, Twistbands, Oscar de la Renta, Korres, OCC, Pangea Organics and Pearly Wipes. 

Has anyone else signed up with BellaBox or similar sample subscription box programs, and what do you think of them?

Give your boobies some TLC and *ahem* eye candy…

Yeaps, you read that right! :D

Just when I thought Breast Cancer Awareness month didn’t have anything new, yesterday evening this popped into my inbox which I thought was just too awesome not to share.

Image from Mashable

It’s an awesome, light-hearted app that Rethink Breast Cancer has created for Breast Cancer Awareness month – it’s called “Your Man Reminder”, which basically has hot guys reminding you to do your self-examinations.

Oh, and in this case the TLC means ‘Touch. Look. Check’:

• Touch – feel for any differences and understand how your breasts should feel like
• Look – check yourself out for any differences in size, shape and surface texture (ie. dimpling)
• Check – when in doubt, always get it checked out by a healthcare professional

Cool right? Actually, the coolest (and hottest) part is below. The video they’ve done on this is just jaw dropping for all the right (and *hawt* wrong reasons)…just have a look and decide for yourself! :D

Warning: A bit NSFW with the topless hawt guys – watch in office at your own risk!

Now how’s that for reminding you to feel up your boobies? :D

Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2011 – Feel Your Boobies!

Breasts, boobies, fun bags, bazookas, puppies, papayas…whatever you (or the men you know) may like to call them, they’re beautiful in any size and shape. They’re fun, comforting and nourishing at different phases of our lives, but situated so close to other vital organs such as our lungs and heart, breast cancer is a serious issue indeed.

As a guide, you should do monthly breast self-examinations if you’re 20 years old and above, with an additional annual clinical breast examination by a healthcare professional and mammogram once you hit 40 years of age.

All this information was on the back of one of the items I picked up this year, which is this pink ribbon pin from the Breast Cancer Foundation in Singapore telling people to "Treasure the Breast Things in Life".

It’s a two-toned silver pin with a crystal in the centre, which is being given out with a SG$5 donation to the Foundation.

And remember, doing regular self-examinations on your boobies is important!

PS: In previous years, I had run features every October on breast cancer awareness-related beauty news, but this year there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly striking or new so it’s going to be an “as and when” update.

Gunk Begone! – Skin Food Egg White Pack…

Advance Warning: Gross pics ahead!

Still with me? Great! :D I’ve always had a problem getting gunk out of my pores, and my fascination with pore packs still holds strong after so many years. First it was the Biore pore packs, then the black pore packs (which looked great, but didn’t do much more other than show up the gunk better!), and then…I was introduced to the Skin Food Egg White Pack by none other than the daughter of the fellow who brought Skin Food into Malaysia. (here’s looking at you, K!)

Description:

The Skin Food Egg White Pack (Peel-Off Pack for Nose, Forehead & Jaw) eliminates blackheads effectively for a flawless complexion. Contains egg white to help control sebum and refine pores.

The pack contains 10 strips, 5 for the nose (left) and 5 for the forehead and jaw (right). Technically, it should be chin and not jaw, but oh well…

The Verdict:

First off, it’s nice that they’ve created specific strips for the forehead and jaw (chin) area – I have to admit, I’d actually cut up the Biore pore packs before just to paste them onto my forehead and chin areas (you’re not supposed to, but *shhh*!) But with dedicated packs, I can get my nose, forehead and chin area gunk free in one sitting without having to resort to scissors.

Using them is pretty much per standard instructions – make sure your face is clean and makeup free, then wet the nose/forehead/jaw area with water before pasting on the strip and waiting for it to dry. The instructions on the sheet say 10-15 minutes, however you’ll know when it’s time – the strip hardens into a crispy layer on your skin!

Peeling it off is the most fun – you start at the edges and work your way towards the centre (in the case of the nose pack, that would be the tip of your nose). Sometimes if you actually do that while looking in the mirror, you can see the blackheads being pulled out by the strip. It’s pretty cool, but not advisable if you’re easily grossed out. :D After that, you just rinse the residue off your skin.

Nose strip – you can see the biggest blackheads are on the tip of my nose (eww!). The pore strip also takes off hair, so don’t be surprised to see fine hairs stuck to the strip when you take it off!

Forehead strip – even more remarkable, this pulls out EVERYTHING. Blackheads, fine hairs, stray eyebrow hairs…I’m always amazed by the amount of gunk that comes out with this one.

Chin-wise, I don’t really have much to show you since my jaw area isn’t congested to begin with, so I usually just plaster the remaining patch wherever my pores are feeling particularly congested. My skin always feels super smooth afterwards – the egg white at work I reckon. :D

Just one minor gripe though – the egg white formula tends to smell a little bit weird when it gets wet, not unlike raw egg. It soon dissipates though, so unless you’re particularly sensitive it shouldn’t bother you.

Price-wise, this is substantially more expensive than the Biore pore packs but I feel it’s more effective at removing blackheads since I only need to use it once every couple of weeks.

I am so obsessed with this, I don’t think I’ll be using any other brand for some time to come! Xin is also just as taken with the Egg White Pack, you can read her take on it here.

The Skin Food Egg White Pack (Peel-Off Pack for Nose, Forehead & Jaw) is available from all Skin Food outlets nationwide, and retail at RM24.90 for a pack of 10 strips.

Rating: 5 / 5

Value: $$$

Finally!!

A plan almost FOUR years in the planning…

Spanning people from Malaysia and Philippines, but meeting in Singapore (talk about being *ahem* international)…

Multiple email threads that subsequently got hijacked to talk about beauty because we’re mad like that…

……

……

……

Okay, it wasn’t as epic as the ABBW 2011 we’ve been hearing so much about from the Aussie bloggers, but we like to think it was just as much fun…we finally met up with Nikki @ Askmewhats! :D

Camwhoring at its most epic – squeezing 6 girls into the same pic. Hah! :P (and we didn’t even need a wide-angle lens after dinner…teeheehee…)

It was awesome! Plenty of food, horrifyingly loud peals of laughter – it’s a good thing we got a private room, otherwise……

Despite the taunts and jibes, Nikki and Xin did NOT do their much talked about dance (darn, ladies...how come we let them off so easy??)…although Xin became a rather amused ‘tiang’ (Malay for ‘pole’) for us…*ahem*

The whole group with our ‘official’ photographer, Mr Askmewhats…

What else can I say? We had a total blast over the weekend…I think we love Nikki even more after this, if that’s even possible (Mr AMW, you’ve got competition! :P)

And the next meet up will NOT take another 4 years! :D