Yay for another Sampling Sundays post! Today, I wanted to share my thoughts on the Dior One Essential Serum.
As you can see in the photo above, I received two samples and have since used them up in a span of approximately three weeks.
I don’t know where to start with this foundation! The boyfriend got this this in December last year when we were in Penang. It was, he claims, an early, and the only Christmas gift I’ll be getting from him. I, on the other hand called it an “everyday gift,” much to his dismay. 
The Diorskin Nude foundation has been reformulated, and boy am I glad I waited for this to appear on the shelves before taking the plunge!
Some of you may know that I'm really happy with my skincare regime and have not tweaked it much since September last year. This is rare for me as I usually swap my skincare around quite a bit as I love trying different things and I'm not usually satisfied with the products I use.
In comes the epic breakout I suffered in September / October. Mum then revamped my skincare routine and insisted I incorporate SK-II into it.
My skin has improved so much then and I'm going to let you in on what changed my skin in a little bit!
Today, let's talk about SK-II's Repair C
Hello lovelies! I hope all of you have had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the new year! I for one am extremely excited about the new year and I will let you in on why in a bit. Meanwhile, allow me to introduce you to today’s post!
Yours truly has been given the opportunity to participate in a Femme Boulevard post! Femme Boulevard is a monthly column written by three fabulous bloggers: Joey , Lily, and Teri. For the month of December, the three lovelies decided to open their column to all us beauty bloggers out to join in the New Year festivities and so here I am, attempting to do something totally out of my comfort zone!
The theme of today’s look is metallic / shiny lids with vampy / bold lips. Imagine my slight horror when I read those words as I have never really worn bold lips out nor have I worn metallic lids very much. Thankfully, it can be an editorial, wearable look or “anything, as long as you have fun doing it” qoute Lily.
I chose my look based on something wearable as I will be attend a cousin’s wedding early January 2013, the main reason on why I am so excited about starting the new year!
Onto this wearable look! Here are the products I used to create the look:
As I will be wearing a teal dress (either the one featured in this post or another) to the wedding, I thought I’d match my eyeshadow with my dress. I then dug out my Guerlain Les Ombres de Nuit 4 -Colour Palette from Guerlain’s Christmas 2011 collection. The look also requires vampy lips and I immediately thought of the Guerlain Nuit d’Amour Rouge Automatique from the same Christmas collection!
Here’s a list of the other products I used:
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51
2. Creme de La Mer The Radiant Concealer in Light
3. K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24h Waterproof in Black
4. No7 Nude Lip Liner
5. Shiseido Perfect Mascara Defining Volume
6. Guerlain Terracotta La Selection De L’ete
7. Guerlain Blush 4 Eclats Rose Plein Vert 05
8. Guerlain Rouge Shine Automatique in Altoum
9. Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil in 05 Stone Grey
And… Here’s the look!
Pardon the peeling nose, I’ve just recovered from a full-blown cold but my nose has not ceased shedding its skin just yet!
Onto the face first, I used Bourjois’ Healthy Mix foundation as it’s more moisturising and it’s yellow undertones really help conceal the redness around my nose and cheek area. My skin has also been dry of late so this is a go-to for evenings out! A light dusting of blush went with the look as I didn’t want to take any attention away from my eyes / lips. An attempt to contour went in too with the Guerlain bronzer but it doesn’t really show up in the photos.
For the eyes! I first applied a thin layer of the shimmering grey shade all over the lids. Then I took the blackened blue shade and applied it on the outer lids, slowly working it into my crease. I layered on the colours slowly and carefully as I wanted all shades to blend well together. The lighter teal shade was used on the middle of both lids and blended out. The key to this look? Blend, blend and blend some more! I dabbed some of the shimmering grey eyeshadow on the corner of my eyes to make them pop a little.
As this look will be worn in the evening, I brought some of the blackened blue shade down under the outer corner of my eyes and blended that out with the teal and grey shades, working my way to the inner corners of my eyes.
The eyes were tightlined with the K-Palette eyeliner, a gift from my soulmate who with Lily introduced me into the world of eyeliners. =) As usual, I then curled my eyelashes with my trusty Shu Uemura lash curlers and lashings of the Shiseido mascara went through them. Brows were lightly filled with the Shu Uemura Brow Pencil.
Finally, I lined and filled in my lips with the No7 Nude lip liner before applying the Guerlain Nuit d’Amour Rouge Automatique with a lip brush onto my lips. Upon applying the shade I felt it could do with a little shine so I slicked on a layer of Guerlain’s Altoum Shine Automatique but it’s barely visible, even in real life. Guess I shouldn’t have bothered with it. =p
I tried my very best to take photos without me looking really silly but I guess I am not photogenic at all. Sigh. I’ll let the photos do the talking.
This one, I took in hope of showcasing the eyes without looking weird. Succeeded in the eye department, failed in terms of looking weird.
Then there’s this shot. A family member mentioned I bear an uncanny resemblance to The Joker.
+___+
Do you think the look meets the shiny / bold look? The look’s nothing metallic as I can’t bring myself to wear such a bold eye out but the shine gives my eyes more depth. The deep plummy lips seems to breathe a new lease of life into an otherwise boring matchy eye and dress look. What say you?
Do not forget to check out what the other ladies think! =D
Beaute Fabuleuse
BellaChique
Bronzer Bunny
ChloeAsh
Eye Heart It
Joey’space
Messy Wands
Mostly Sunny
Musing On Beauty
I really enjoyed collaborating with so many other bloggers and I hope there will be more opportunities like this in the future! Till then, a very Happy New Year to everyone and here’s to a fantastic year ahead!!
I have something rather exciting coming up in the next few days so be sure to stay tuned!
When it comes to cleansers, I usually opt for the cheapest variant because my cheapo mentality tells me not to spend money on something you will be “washing off” in a jiffy. As I tried various cleansers from different ends of the price spectrum, it hit me: there is a difference.
In comes the SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser:
Now this isn’t my first encounter with this product, nor the brand as Mum has been an avid SK-II user for a good 5 years now. I used certain SK-II products during my university years but strayed when I discovered the joys (or woes) of trying out different skincare products. Also, not all SK-II products I tried then agreed with my skin but that is a story for another day.
Fast forward a few years later and many more skin issues later, I’m facing one of the worst problems my skin has ever had to face. Bumpy cheeks that sting when I touch them, Random clusters of spots appearing on the cheeks and forehead… It’s never been this bad.
Mum then came to the rescue and chucked aside all the other random skincare products I’ve been using and gave me a set of SK-II products, insisting I give this brand another chance. So I did as I was at wits end, as you will notice in my revamped current skincare regime page.
This SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser is my second full-sized tube, having used up the first 2-3 years ago. I remember how much I liked using it as it didn’t leave my skin feeling “squeaky clean” a.k.a “taut” unlike some other cleansers I’ve tried. I only use a pea-sized amount for my face and neck as this lathers up beautifully into a soft, bouncy cloud of foam that doesn’t pull at my already irritated skin.
This product lies on the upper end of the price range, retailing at RM209 for 120g of product but it is worth every single penny. Also, I clearly remember how long my original tube of this cleanser lasted – close to a year. Pretty value for money and you get a product that is of great quality.
Here’s the ingredient list for those interested:
Have you tried anything from SK-II and did it work for you? Although not all of their products worked for me in the past, they do now and I’m guessing it’s because I’ve…. Aged.
+___+
I have been travelling a little more than I’d like to over the last month and this has found its way into my travel kit! Here’s why: I thought I’d talk about more water-based products I favour since reviewing Astalift’s Jelly Aquarysta just yesterday so in comes Laniege’s Water Sleeping Pack EX!
This is a sleeping pack, which means the product is to be applied on top of your regular skincare regime right before bed.
Jump to read more about this product! 
The first thing that hit me was the lovely blue tinge this product takes on. I don’t usually babble about colours but this one really struck a chord in me and the fresh scent that accompanies the Water Sleeping Pack seems to go very well with the colour as there is a light fresh scent to it. Some may wonder if a fresh scent would awaken one’s senses rather than lull one to sleep but fret not, the smell dissipates quickly. As quickly as this light product sinks into the skin, I may add.
I’m going to keep this short and simple as I believe there are many reviews on this product out there but I wanted to talk about this too because this product is the first, and only Korean skincare product I have tried so far (BB creams don’t count as skincare hehe) and I have enjoyed using this quite a bit!
Laniege says to use this once or twice a week as an overnight treatment but this is light enough to be used every night, which is what I do. Non-sticky and absorbs quickly into my skin without making a mess on my pillow, this product is a keeper and its affordable price tag at RM100 / £20 for 80ml of product helps loads!
On lazy nights I only apply this instead of my regular skincare regime and I still wake up with hydrated skin. Should I hit the hay sans any skincare product on my face, I usually wake up to tight-feeling skin as I sleep in an air-conditioner environment. However, I do not recommend you follow in the footsteps of this lazy blogger so please apply this on top of your usual skincare routine!
Having used this during UK’s dry winter months, this has definitely helped re-hydrate my skin after spending a day out in the cold and coming home to a warm, heated home that also contributes to the drying of my skin. Using the Water Sleeping Pack helped tremendously during then and I really noticed a difference: my skin was glowing as opposed to being dull as it would normally be.
I was also pleasantly surprised with this product as my reactive skin did not react badly to this product so mega plus points for this. Highly recommended to everyone who wants that extra moisture boost!
As I’m fast approaching my mid-twenties, I thought it’s high time I looked into some anti-ageing skincare as having crows feet and laugh lines is the last thing I’d want to have before I hit 30. It doesn’t help that Paul’s the same age as I am, resulting in a bit of teasing from friends and family who mention men age slower than women. Hence, it’s likely that I will look older than he does before I know it!
In comes this product that promises to target the premature visible signs of ageing and much more:
In theory, this product ticks all the right boxes for me. Read on to find out more!
Astalift is a brand developed by Fujifilm who have built up a wealth of technologies catering towards film photo imaging. Astaxanthin, a natural antioxidant is prevalent in all Astalift products and this regulates cytokine levels during the production of melanin and inhibits excessive melanin production. This is to say that the antioxidant shields the skin from the harmful effects of the environment, as mentioned on the Astalift website.
The Jelly Aquarysta is said to deliver visibly younger, luminous and ‘replumped’ skin. Sounds great to me! What’s even better is its jelly-like texture. I usually use my baby finger to pick up a small amount:
I favour my clean finger over the spatula that comes in the box because I find the latter picks up too much product. With my finger, I only need to tap lightly on the surface of the product and I get the perfect amount for my face.
Here’s a close up on the texture of the product, swatched on my arm:
A jellied texture that turns watery when massaged onto the skin! I favour light, watery serums that absorb quickly so this ticks all the right boxes in terms of texture.
Application wise, I find that my skin feels slightly taut after but it’s nothing uncomfortable / unbearable. I have been using this on and off since, using it 3 weeks in a row and then abandoned it for a while as my skin erupted like no tomorrow. I picked it up again a few days ago and discovered that some product had somewhat evaporated, leaving me with less than a quarter of a tub of product! :s I distinctly remember having at least half a tub of Jelly left a month ago so I was rather surprised to find that the level of the product had sunk, prompting me to review it. :p
Does it perform? Yes and no. My skin was noticably smoother but I felt that this also made my cheeks a tad dry and I had to apply more moisturiser to my cheeks to stop them from feeling tight. Other than that I did not experience any miracles but then again I am lucky to not suffer from any fine lines or pigmentation yet. *touches wood*
Even though the Jelly Aquarysta can be used as preventive care, I found that it did not do that much for me to garner a second purchase but this has a place in my book of good skincare products to use when my skin matures a little more.
An interesting fact I noted about this lovely jelly is that it always looks new! Here’s what it looks like after dipping my finger into the tub:
See the dent in the tub? This dent disappears after a few seconds, revealing a smooth surface again:
Tadah! This may sound a tad crazy but this is why I liked using the product so much as I felt as though I was dipping into a brand new product every single time I applied this. :p
Have you tried this? Do you use anti-ageing skincare and do they work for you? Let me know!
Instead of doing my September Empties or Favourites (which will be coming up), I thought I’d share with you one very important item in my skincare routine that I’ve really enjoyed using ever since I received it in the post thanks to a swap I did with Steph more than two months ago!
I have not tried anything from Cellnique which is a Malaysian brand usually sold in beauty salons so I was really excited (and a tad nervous) about trying it out as I have extremely reactive skin. However, Steph kindly reassured me and says that this has been her go-to toner / lotion for quite a few years so I bravely took the plunge!
In comes this Soothing and Hydrating Lotion which is housed in a plastic spray bottle that holds 200ml of product:
Simple, rather clinical-looking packaging that doesn’t garner much attention but the product has a lot for me to shout about!
According to Cellnique, this lotion contains 14 types of plant extracts which include Witch Hazel, Calendula and Lemon to name a few. Ginger Root Extract seems to be the main plant extract in this product as the lotion itself smells strongly of Ginger! Not great for those who do not fancy the scent.
Marketed as a product that calms down skin that’s prone to sensitivity, this helps to refresh tired skin and replenish moisture.
Firstly, this stings if any product gets into your eyes so be careful when spritzing this onto your face! I usually use between two 2-3 spritzes, pat the lotion into the skin before following up with a hydrating toner. I suppose this can be used as a toner alone but I prefer using this to prep my skin as I find this helps my skin absorb other products eg. serum and moisturiser better!
This product has since replaced my trusted Thermal Water spritzes and I lugged this bottle back from abroad, which is saying something as I do not usually lug big bottles of skincare products back due to weight (and space) restriction. Also, I have been travelling about quite a bit as you would know should you follow me on Twitter and this product has been going places with me! I find this soothes my skin better than the Caudalie Beauty Elixir and my skin feels comforted after a hot day even though Ginger does sound like a spicy product, not a cooling one!
According to information found on Cellnique’s website, Ginger Root Extract can increase skin’s radiance and decrease inflammation that may contribute to acne and psoriasis. This ingredient also promotes smoothness and evenness in skin tone, something I believe everyone wants to achieve.
Will I repurchase this product? Yes I will, only if it is wallet-friendly. I have a feeling this must have cost Steph quite a bit! Thanks very much for this lovely product my dear!
I’ve been liking these spritz-on lotions since coming home as it’s been really humid and uncomfortable which has turned my skin into a reactive minefield. By the way, I am aware I have not chosen a winner for my little thank you giveaway yet but I will do soon, do bear with me as I have been away but I will do my best to contact the winner as soon as possible and send the gift out as soon as I get home!
Thank you for staying with me, lovelies! <3
After a long hiatus, my weekly Scrubbing Diaries column is back! Today I present you one of the more unique facial exfoliators I have used – Purity Organic Skincare’s Facial Exfoliator.
This is a grainy facial scrub where the grains are made of rounded, ground coconut shells! When I first read this I immediately went
‘Oh dear I sure hope this wouldn’t smell of coconuts!’
Do you think it reeked of coconuts? Read on to find out! =D
I’ll cut the chase and head straight to the point. No it doesn’t. In fact, it doesn’t smell of anything! Formulated for sensitive skins, this product deeply cleans the pores with those ground coconut shells as well as a concoction of softening and moisturising ingredients such as Coconut Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and Aloe Vera!
I have always used facial exfoliators that leave my skin feeling slightly stripped of moisture and rather tight but this one leaves a smooth film behind, which I initially found slightly uncomfortable. The smooth film-y feeling goes away after a while but as I’m very much used to the taut feeling left by regular scrubs I wasn’t too impressed with the product but I decided to give it another go, this time using less product!
Purity Organic Skincare’s Facial Exfoliator is slightly runnier than the other scrubs I’ve tried, which is why I accidentally squeezed a tad too much onto my palm (about a £2 coin sized blob) and wasn’t too pleased with the results after!
Next time I tried, I only used a pound coin sized amount and the filmy sensation didn’t feel as bad! The scrubby bits of coconut shells are really gentle on the skin but still gritty enough for you to get a good scrub!
I have been trying this out for nearly a month now and even used it when I suffered from that really bad breakout of mine to no adverse effect, which is good as I usually stay away from facial scrubs when I get breakouts as they simply aggravate my skin!
The Facial Exfoliator helped rid me of flaky skin left behind thanks to some really strong zit-busting gel I’ve been using and it did not aggravate my already painful pimples.
This is what the Facial Exfoliator looks like! It does not foam up and just feels really soft and soothes the skin:
The coconut shells are rather sparse and are not chunky at all so rest assured you won’t be getting the scrub of your life with this product!
Retailing at £5.99 housed in a 100ml tube, this is one of the products that I will always have in my shower as I’m glad I stumbled on a gentle exfoliating product that my sensitive skin is happy to use twice to three times a week.
You can check out Purity Organic Skincare’s website here should you like to find out more about their products. This product receives two thumbs up from me!
How do you exfoliate? I am a little tempted to give the Clarisonic a go but am worried that my skin would go bonkers!
