Merry Christmas in advance!!

It’s that time of year again – time for catching up with family and friends, as well as when…err…food, drink and merriment are plentiful! :D

As for me, I’ll be headed back home today to spend time with my loved ones (particularly my 91-year old granny!) and just take a break in general – one whole week off! *does a happy jig*

So with that, I leave you with a festive photo taken with Nikki of Askmewhats and some of the other #evurl girls when we caught up recently!

In no particular order, we have Nikki, Xin, ParisB, Syen and Connie. Can you guess who is who? *winks*

Merry Christmas to all, stay safe, and I'll see you after the holidays!

xx beetrice

It’s finally here - Bellabox December 2011…

After waiting (im)patiently and reading the tweets and posts from other people who had gotten their Bellabox earlier in the month, mine finally arrived, waiting for me when I got back to work earlier this week.

I’m most impressed by this month’s box – they definitely outdid themselves!

The contents included samples of Sothys [W]™+ Brightening Fluid and Mask, a SG$50 Sothys Gift Certificate, a vial of Faust’s Potion, a mini OPI nail polish (Not Like the Movies), a set of Eylure falsies…and a full size Savoir Faire lipstick! There was also a small pack of strawberry jellybeans in lieu of Christmas.

Well done Bellabox! This was a lovely touch going into the festive season, and I’m definitely a very happy customer so far. :D

Getting Glittery Nails for Christmas with OPI The Muppets…

While doing some Christmas shopping near my place yesterday evening with Rinnah, we came across the huge OPI display (with testers!) at the local mall, and went a little nuts with The Muppets glitter polishes. The result?

Err…looks like glitter monsters threw up on my nails!

My favourites would have to be the four above (L-R) Gone Gonzo (blue glitter), Fresh Frog of Bel Air (green glitter), Divine Swine (purple glitter), Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It (red glitter). I wanted to try the multicoloured glitter one, but unfortunately the tester was all dried out.

What you see is OPI The Muppets on my nails…about 5 coats worth! :P The only ones that showed up almost immediately were those that were layered over a coloured base (namely on my thumb and little finger) but I reckon it would make for a pretty interesting (not to mention festive) look for Christmas, don’t you? :D

Wicked in Singapore!!

When we heard that Wicked was coming to Singapore, we simply had to go. Rinnah had offered to buy the tickets first, and not knowing exactly when they were opening, I agreed. As it turned out, she was kiasu enough to buy tickets for the day after it opened on 7 Dec. Go Rinnah!

Wicked tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. (taken from the website)

We got Category D tickets which were up in the Grand Circle, but as we mutually agreed afterwards – next time we're paying a bit more and getting the seats closer to the stage! :P

This is the view of the stage from our seat – actually...even after watching the show, I’m still not sure why they had a dragon mounted up there…

But as for Wicked? To put it simply – I LOVED IT!!

It was hilarious how they managed to blend in all the different storylines and characters from the original Wizard of Oz, and yet show a completely different interpretation of the story. :D Epic moments had us giggling like mad in the theatre, especially the “toss toss” and “me too” – want to know what I’m talking about? Go watch and you'll see… :D 

Oh, and did you know Bert Newton was among the cast as well? I remember watching his show in Perth during my student days...he carries a tune well enough, but there's was definitely more talking than actual singing for him.

When I first came across Wicked, it was the song ‘Defying Gravity’ that did it for me – it's not an easy melody with a lot of jumps, but beautiful when done well. And Jemma Rix as Elphaba? Awesome. I had goosebumps when she sang!

What's a show without a programme? :D After watching Wicked, I think I’m going to have to go and watch it another time before it ends…and this time with better seats!

Have a happy weekend ladies! :D

Wicked the Musical is playing at the Grand Theatre at Marina Bay Sands from now until 26 February 2012. Shows are on daily except Mondays, and tickets range from SGD$55 – SGD$250. More details and tickets can be found here.

Putting a purple twist on a French manicure…

Say hello to my purple reverse French manicure! :P

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’d realise that I’m crazy for purple hues. Violet, magenta, amethyst, aubergine, lilac, lavender, fuschia, plum…shucks, name me any purple shade and I’ve probably got something in that colour!

So one evening when I was messing about with some polish shades in my room, I decided to try layering different hues of purple on my nails and after trying a number of combinations this was the final result!

The two polishes I used – Chanel Le Vernis in #210 Lilac Sky and Face of Australia Molten Metallics Nail Enamel in Amethyst.

I realised though that these two polishes are really on the “Save & Splurge” ends of the price spectrum, but in terms of performance I have to admit liking the Face of Australia one more in terms of manageability and colour payoff.

If you were wondering about the shaky lines, it’s because I drew the tips in freehand – obviously I need a lot more practice! :P

Hmm…now what other colour combinations can I try? I’ve already tried peach with chocolate tips, sparkly tips on clear nails and glitter on coloured nails…any other ideas besides resorting to actual nail art (since I have absolutely no drawing skills whatsoever)? :D

Chanel Le Vernis retails at RM70 and is available at Chanel counters nationwide. Face of Australia Molten Metallics is a limited edition range and retails at AUD$4.95 each (not available in Malaysia or Singapore though).

It’s beginning to feel/look a lot like Christmas…

Christmas decorations at Changi Budget Terminal

Only 20 days more to Christmas! :D Are you already humming carols, or trying to find your Christmas groove? As for me, the Christmas season really hit home after seeing all the decorations going up – never fails to cheer me up (although trying to get presents for the people on my rapidly-expanding list is an ongoing challenge!)

Since we’re already nicely into December, I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite Christmas buys this year:

1. L’Occitane

L’Occitane comes up with some limited edition festive variants every year – this year it’s the Delice des Fleurs and Delice des Fruits, as well as some very pretty sets which range from RM85 – RM735.

One of my favourite ranges is the Verbena range, so this Verbena Collection (RM110) is just up my alley – housed in a cute green pouch with 75ml sizes of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion, this would be perfect for travelling.

2. Benefit Cosmetics

Ah, the Holidaze sets… :D I refuse to buy Benefit at the counters in Malaysia and Singapore simply because they’re way overpriced compared to the US. And with free international shipping for orders over US$115, I usually pool orders with the ladies to get my Benefit fix.

This is Ticket to Glossytown (US$24) – a collection of 6 mini ultra shine glosses in so frisk me (gilded berry), nudie-tude (goldspun twist), spiked punch (juicy coral), life on the A list (bubblegum pink), foxy lady (diamond rose) and kiss you (clear fuchsia). I love breaking these up to use as additional stocking stuffers. :D

3. Crabtree & Evelyn

Who went for the recent Christmas Preview a couple of weeks back? I did a fair bit of damage there, but as luck would have it…after making my initial purchase, I found a stack of vouchers I had gotten previously that were expiring on 31 December, and ended up making a second round of purchases to use them up! (Note to self: Keep better track of vouchers!)

Suffice to say, my room now looks like a Crabtree & Evelyn storeroom and everyone is getting something Crabtree from me this year…LOL…but here’s one of my favourites!

The La Source Christmas Gift Set (RM178) – contains full-sized shower gel, body lotion, hand therapy and scrubby gloves, all housed in a super cute toiletry pouch. The centre portion is also detachable, which would be pretty handy for small cosmetics.

‘Sea’? Just grab and go! :D (LOL just punning the colour!)

And with that, I leave you with a little tingle in your mouth…mint chocolate M&Ms! :D

The pieces inside are also white, red and green…how cute is that? *winks* So what have you lovely ladies bought for Christmas so far eh? Share!!

PS: If you’re wondering why I haven’t written about makeup collection purchases, it’s simply because I’ve bought some individual items for friends that read this - which will need to remain under wraps! :D

Mystifying my lips with Givenchy Rouge Interdit…

Earlier this year I had been hunting around Singapore for Givenchy’s limited edition Le Prisme Blooming Fuschias blush as a gift for a friend. The SA I came across was very bubbly without being excessively hard sell, so when I was about to pay for my purchase, she told me I could get a GWP if I topped up my purchase with one additional item. Since I was looking for a lipstick at the time (although really, I need another lipstick like an alcoholic needs a Long Island Iced Tea), I decided to swatch some of the lipsticks at the counter, and the Givenchy Rouge Interdit just jumped out at me.

The packaging on this is absolutely lovely…a simple black case with a ribbon attached to the lipstick base, which slides out like in the photo above. My only gripe is that the black case is a fingerprint magnet, but I’ll forgive that for the rest of the gorgeous design.

Although I typically gravitate more towards rose- and plum-ish shades, I ended up picking #07 – Mystic Pink. It looked red in the tube as well as on my hand, but contains tiny pink flecks which make it look pink under sunlight or in photos.

Rouge Interdit is pretty lightweight and is quite pigmented – you can see the effect of one coat on my lips in the picture below:

See the difference in the photo (taken outdoors under natural light) and the swatch (taken indoors under artificial sunlight)? Texture-wise, the Rouge Interdit range has two types – Satin or Shine. Mystic Pink comes under the Satin range, and applies like a dream. Staying power is also decent enough, requiring only one reapplication after lunch.

Since moving to Singapore, I’ve realised that I’ve actually cut back on buying a lot of lip products, but the ones that I’ve bought have been rather pricey – and this one is no exception. I can’t remember the exact price of this lipstick, but I do recall that it was just under SGD$40. Paired with a lipgloss, this lipstick packs a whole different look, but I’ll show you that some other time. :D

Givenchy Rouge Interdit lipsticks are available at all Givenchy counters nationwide and come in over 20 shades. I can’t remember the exact price, but it’s definitely below SGD$40.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Value: $$