Boots Anniversary Giveaway will surely make everyone FEEL GOOD!

A beauty hamper arrived at my doorstep last week - it's from the amazing PRs of Boots HK! I took these pics upon their arrival, and I have BIG NEWS to share with you: Boots HK is hosting an anniversary giveaway in October! Read on for more deeds!

Topshop makeup lands in my stash// 有朋自遠方來

A quick post for some announcements: Two days ago I met up with Lynn, a reader from Singapore, we went shopping and had a great time! She spoiled me with makeup from Topshop Singapore (HUGE thankyou to you, Lynn!), knowing that Hong Kong doesn't have Topshop. She got me Face wipes, a nail polish, kohl eyeliner pencil and a cream blush. I am in love with the cream blush already! Speaking of which, does anyone know if some of the cream blush shades are being discontinued? I googled for swatches online and #Crushed Berry looks nice as well, but I can't find it in Topshop's website though. Will do a review on the cream blush later.

有2件事要宣佈: 前天我與來自星加坡的讀者Lynn見面, 帶她去購物. 她知道香港沒有Topshop, 便帶Topshop的妝物比我, 我又被寵壞了, 哈哈! 她帶了: 潔面/落妝紙, 甲油, 眼線筆和胭脂膏. 雖然我之前並不知道, 但有點不好意思吧 ^^" (多謝 Lynn!)

我暫時只試了胭脂膏, 質地好易推. 講開又講, 有無人知Topshop胭脂膏是否斷了色? 我Google過試色圖, 很喜歡 #crushed berry的顏色, 但網上已經無列這個顏色了.

Secondly, the winner of the Hello Kitty giveaway has been drawn:

另外, Hello Kitty抽獎得獎者是:
The winner is: EVA!!! Congratulations! I'll be emailing you shortly.

Do check out her blog over at: Bella Chic!

EVA! 恭喜! 我現在會聯絡你的了.

For those who didn't win, I'll be holding more giveaways shortly. Stay tuned!

沒有中獎要密切留意了!

Project 30-days results + giveaway WINNER!

About a month ago, I started this project 30-days (post here). Now it's time for the results!

I realized the pics are taken at different times and it's hard to adjust the lighting and the angle, size LOL......sorry about that!

First we have....

a small but noticeable tip in the Canmake Cream Highlighter. I used it for highlighting the brow bone and nose bridge.

Next we have my everyday powder foundation: Benefit Hello Flawless in Honey. Wow the pan's diameter enlarged XD!
Length of Urban Decay Bourbon eyeliner has gone a bit shorter when compared to the unsharpened/untouched Zero:
Ettusais loose powder. I can't really judge how far this has been consumed within one month...the results aren't significant eh? I applied with a powder puff, maybe that's why? (since a puff takes up less product than a brush through the sift?)

One of my HG blush: Cargo Blu-Ray HD blush/highlighter in pink shimmer (i believe...). Blush surface has been disturbed even more in the middle, in real life a tiny tiny dip is beginning to form...it didn't show up much on pictures though :/ The latter pic is more similar to the original thing in terms of color.
Marc Jacobs EDP:
Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand cream. Whee it's getting less product inside. I use this only at night before sleep.
Dior Lip Glow Color Reviver balm - completely finished yay! (previous review here)
Jill Stuart Day Care Essence - a month ago there are about 10 uses left, same as the Dior lip glow I chose these two to include in the project because 1) they're the easiest to finish up; 2) can't wait for them to be gone/binned. XD I have used this Day Care Essence as a primer (with SPF) for about half a year, although not regularly. This should be long gone by 4-5 months of uses.
My thoughts on project 30-days:

It's easy to stick with the same foundation, primer, eyeliner, hand cream, highlighter, perfume; yet it's not the case with blushes, lip products and loose powder. If you have a huge stash, it's even more difficult! I found that I can stick to a blush for at most 3 days (unless you have determination and self-discipline of a saint, haha) but after that my hands tend to *drift* towards the others (oh well but I didn't!). It's freaking hard to stick to the same blush :/ especially when you have too many to choose from XD With lip products it's the same case, it's hard to stick to one item when you don't like it in the first place!

I would continue sticking to the same powder foundation, concealer and hand cream, but that's all LOL.

p.s. I just remembered I forgot to take a pic of the Canmake concealer! The tube itself is opaque so it's hard to judge how much it has in the beginning/after 30 days. I'm going to stick to that concealer until it's completely used up/dried up. I am even thinking of dismantling it like people do to their UDPP, but not sure how to cut through the tube -.-.

On another note, the giveaway winner is.....*throws confetti*

fleur!

Congrats hun! Please email me your info and details within 48 hours :)

Thanks to you all who participated!! ^_^

Products I'm digging into this month + giveaway note

While I was reading this post on MWS, I figured it'd be interesting to see how makeup products will turn after intensive use within a month XD This is because I never finish anything, with the exception of mascaras being tossed because they passed their date of 4-5 months. The closest I've come to finishing a product is with sunscreen-primers (I only use primers with SPF and also use as sunscreen alone). You're supposed to wear sunscreen everyday so this doesn't really count I guess? The second closest occasion is hitting pan on 2 foundation compacts, and one concealer - that's the *only* items I've hit pan on. I have way too much blushes, eyeshadows and the like so none of them gets regular love. *shame*

And I picked the following items:

- CARGO Blu-Ray High Definition Blush/Highlighter in Pink (HG!)

- Canmake Cover & Stretch Concealer UV #02 (HG!) (previous review here)

- Canmake Cream Highlighter

- Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Bourbon (HG!)

- Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Therapy

- Marc Jacobs Eau de Parfum

- YSL False Lash Effect Sample in Black

- Dior Lip Glow (previous review here)

- Jill Stuart Day Care Essence (transferred into a small jar due to small amount remaining)

- Ettusais Medicated Acne-control loose powder

- Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation in Honey (HG!)

Phew, picking which items for this month is not an easy task! I recently 'shopped' my stash and took out Benefit Hello Flawless and it was my HG powder foundation up to now, and since I've hit a medium-sized pan on it, I want to see a larger pan XD. Choosing eyeliner is the easiest - black liners look too harsh on me, browns are perfect for everyday use if I can't switch. Canmake concealer is my HG and I've been using it for almost a year (easier to finish up?) so that's definitely on the list. Canmake cream highlighter is included because application is fast, and it contains so little product so easier to hit pan on LOL! Jill Stuart primer - needless to say, only 6-7 uses left, the tube was already dismantled by me, HAH! Ettusais loose powder because it's been used for more than a year (O_o just realized up to this point) and seems never be able to finish it. YSL mascara sample because it flakes and smudges in my undereye area - throwing it away is kind of wasteful...(let's see how long I can tolerate this mascara). Dior Lip Glow is chosen since only 1cm of the product is left in the tube and I disliked this product so much and wanted to use it up. Marc Jacobs EDP is a signature perfume of mine and the scent is perfect for fall and winter. Since winter is approaching and I often reach for hand creams, so it's included. Eyeshadows are left out because I don't wear eyeshadows often.

The hardest part was choosing which blush to use...finally CARGO Blu-Ray blush was chosen because I love the formula - it applies dreamily like melting butter (short for words...). And the blush changes color according to your skin or lighting I think...so much fun to see it show up in different hues of pink everytime! :D

Before heading to bed - please meet this fellow:

They're the new glasses I got. These are the first pair of thick-framed glasses I have. And why am I digging it this month? 'Cause November is the season for assignments, revisions and exams!

Have you had similar experiences of choosing particular makeup products and tell yourself to use it intensively? How did it go? How do you choose which products to include?

p.s. In case you haven't, check out my giveaway here :)

Jill Stuart New Releases

Jill Stuart has updated their website, announcing 2 new releases:

Body Protector, a sunscreen for body with SPF 50 PA+++, valued at $220 HKD for 50ml (OUCH!) In stores 1st of May. You can also enjoy a promotional offer for this body protector, at $220 you can buy this body protector together with a 85ml shower gel. Offer has limited quantities.

There will also be a new aroma candle released called Gardenia Bliss. Retailed at $370 for 250g. In stores on 10th May.

I am still hunting for the spring LE blush in #104!! I pre-ordered the one in #103 and I will have to wait until I am home to see it!

Review: DiorShow Iconic Mascara

received this mascara sample from Sheila during the beauty blogger meetup swap in London. It's a sample sized mascara and contains 4ml of product.

Here's what the bristles look like, a big thumbs up for the dense bristles!

The bristles might not be well-captured in the photo, but they are not aligned in a parallel manner. Towards the tip of the comb, the bristles kind of make a turn and swirl their way to the top (if that makes sense at all, lol).

Here's how my lashes looked like after application. I lined my eyes with Stila x Barbie eyeliner pot in Cobalt Clutch, which is an electric blue. I didn't expect this mascara to do a lengthening job, but it did lengthen it a bit.

I woke up with a sleepy left eye (does this happen to everyone? or some people?), I do find it weird, sometimes my eyes are of equal shape but sometimes they're not. I curled my lashes with a Shu Uemura lash curler.

Immediate thought:

The consistency of this mascara is pretty thin, i.e. no sticky paste or fibre-like threads hang on to the comb when I pull it out from the tube, which is good news, it means less messier application! (unlike Majolica Majorca lash expander's comb...but more on that in a separate post, maybe). However, the consistency is so thin that I didn't feel like my lashes are well coated. It didn't volumize either. Yet, the bright side is, its so thin that it doens't clump your lashes, I don't need a lash comber (those mini ones) to comb the clumped lashes.

What it says on Sephora's product description:

"A mascara with an innovative oblique brush that curls and defines lashes. "

Well, there you are. This statement is very well said, this product did what it claimed to. It doesn't claim to volumize, doesn't claim to lengthen. I like the design of the brush that prevents your lashes getting clumped.

HOWEVER, look at how it turned out after 6 hours:

The mascara had fallouts and these deposited in the undereye area, which made me look like a racoon. I found this happening to my Majolica Majorca Lash Expander too. But hey, it's Dior, so you're not expecting it to have fallouts, eh?

Verdict:

Won't purchase it in full size because of the fallout issue. But the brush design is worth checking out when hunting for HG mascaras in future!