While purple is my favorite color I rarely wear purple-toned eyeshadow (or purple-ish clothes for that matter, how odd...). Sure I do wear it more often then pink, or bolder neon colors but I prefer to use blue or green over purple.

Though I am starting to reach for purple these days and I attribute that to this Lee Hyori advertisement that I saw.

(image credit: allkpop)

I guess this is what they mean by having a muse or some sort of inspiration.

Hyori is obviously wearing colored contacts but word is purple hues help to play up and enhance brown eyes. While it's quite a 'to each their own' sort of deal, it is still widely recommended for brown eyed girls to don purple when in doubt and looking to use color.

This is also the look I wore for my MissxMatch shoot.

I took this chance to use the 88 Metal Mania palette that I had not touched in forever.

Product Used:

FACE
Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse in BB Beige
Make Up Forever HD Liquid Foundation
Lumiere Invisi-veil (to set)

EYES
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Macroviolet Fluidline (as a cream shadow base)
88 Metal Mania Palette (from Magical Tannsu)
28 Color Palette
Sleek Storm Palette
Hour Glass Calligraphy Liquid Liner in Black
MAC Powerpoint Liner in Engraved
No-brand False Lashes

CHEEKS
I Nuovi Blush in Dolly
Highlight and Contour palette (from Magical Tannsu)

LIPS
Victoria Secret Lipstick in Heartbeat

Highlighted products were provided by companies/distributors,
I was not obliged to use/feature them in LOTDs.

Not sure if the purple played up my eye color or anything but I find wearing plummy shades and having it smokey is more of my thing if I'm choosing to go purple. I have tried a more maroon or reddish toned once and wasn't a huge fan of it but I guess it's just about pairing it right and blending it with the right color combinations!

Are you fan of purple/plum eyeshadows?

Thanks for reading!

Hello again!

It's all clothes/nails these days huh?

Well, makeup posts will be back shortly. It's just that aside from the same old neutral variation I'm wearing for work I haven't experimented much with makeup of late. I know, I'm boring. My nails on the other hand are undergoing the 'Extreme Makeover' process every few days. Maybe not extreme, just that I've been painting them a lot.

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Anyway, awhile back the folks at Perry Amber offered to give me a discount voucher and had me check out their website to see if anything interests me. I was a bit conflicted on what to call it due to my very particular need for organizing but since I forked out cash it's a haul, settled.

So these are the items I got from them.

Since I wasn't a huuuge clothes person (no, seriously) I checked out their bags. I am in need of a new day-to-day bag that I could throw everything in, something casual yet still spunky and this caught my eye.

It's a decent size to fit my wallet, makeup pouch, notebook (slightly smaller then A-5 size) and a couple other miscellaneous things. I wouldn't say it's a school bag because it can't fit an A4, though you might have luck with A5 items.

It is still roomy and deep enough to throw in small random things (USB, harddrives, small water bottle etc) that I usually carry around.

I would say the Skull design isn't the prettiest around but I still like the touch it gives. Maybe if I find a prettier emblem I could replace it? heh.

It comes with 2 handles but I chose to detach the shorter one (handles are all detachable), having it more like a sling-side bag then a handbag.

[view it here on Perry Amber]

They don't have that many clothing articles up for now so I didn't feel too conflicted or overwhelmed when browsing. A couple of pieces were lovely but like I said, I'm not huge on clothes so it's quite easy for me to pass on clothes.

However when I saw this collared top I knew I wanted it! From the front it looks like any ole collared top....

but from the back....

[view it here on Perry Amber]

It's got such beautiful lace detail! And it's a little flair too so it's nice to throw on over a camisole and shorts for a casual look. I haven't tried wearing it formally but I believe it would work great with a high-waisted bandage skirt?

I'm not the fashionista here so you can decide for yourself but it comes in both black and white. I like the black one too but the lace detail is more apparent on the white.

Check out the items available on Perry Amber!

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Now that I'm done going through my haul, Perry Amber has generously extended a
S$10 Voucher to 2 readers!

All you have to do is:

• Be residing in Singapore
• Be a follower on my blog or youtube or twitter (leave youtube or twitter usename).
• Comment in this entry with "I want Perry Amber!"
• 2 comments will be chosen at random using random.org

For fun you could list down one (or maybe more) items you are eyeing on the site just to share! Would love to find out what items you all are eyeing!

The giveaway will run till the 7th of October!

Thanks for reading!

I have another Fashion Feature posts on my hands and this time it's from MissxMatch.

I don't do Fashion Features often because the only time I can shoot would be during the (very precious) weekends. Hence I only take on Fashion Features for online clothing stores that have unique or really nice pieces that call out to me that I would want to recommend to you all!

The layout format on MissxMatch reminds me of the old-school way on livejournal whereby you scroll through an entire page to see all the items under 'tops' or 'bottoms' etc. They carry Tops, Bottoms, Dresses and a few statement rings under the 'Accessories' section.

I would consider their clothing style to be girly, feminine yet youthful. Hard to put in keyword terms but they offer office/work friendly attires that would still sit well with those prefer a dash of cutesy-ness, or uniqueness to their wardrobe. Say a bright orange corporate blazer for example?

Well I didn't pick that up so you'll just have to hop over to their site to see it, but for now these were the pieces I chose.

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Ditched the colored contacts for this shoot because I was having an annoying flu and my eyes kept watering up. Not sure if it showed in my expressions but I only had weekends to shoot so flu or not I wanted to get this done.

Ignore my face, look at the clothes! ha.

[ For reference I am a UK6, 161cm ]

MissxMatch does not have a direct link to this, scroll through dresses to find it.

This is a fitting (and short) one piece cotton dress. The cut is very simple but it comes with a subtle leopard print detail. I like the subtle-ness of the prints since most animal prints are bold, if you prefer something more muted yet still animalistic, this is nice. Paired with a statement neckless it could be chic enough to wear to a date but you can dress it down for day-to-day wear too. Since it's a little short I have worn it as a tank top with shorts. It gathers a little because of the length but it stil works and doesn't look 'lumpy'.

Scroll through dresses.

This is another interesting top that has a translucent backing. The front is a little sheer too but not as sheer as the back. Sheer-ish attires are quite popular now and I'm liking how unique this is. Not only is the front and back a different color the length/cut is different too. The back ends in a U-curve which is quite cute. It can be worn casual (like me here) or more formally (as displayed by the model on MissxMatch) so check out their site to see a different 'feel' to this piece. There is also a tiny pocket by the side. Just had to point that out as it seems tiny pockets on t-shirts are the rage these days.

The following 2 items are most probably my favorite of the batch and I can't choose between them, you'll see why!

Chanel inspired Collar Top, $23

Out of stock now, but will be restocked! Scroll through New Arrival.

With a color theme inspired by Chanel (largely the Spring/Summer 09 collection), the cut for this top is sleek and a little boy-ish but still chic at the same time. The ruffles around the chest (and one at the centre-back) adds the feminine touch to the top. It's a little sheer, but nothing to the point that you need to wear a camisole under. I like how it can be paired tucked in with high-waisted shorts or tucked-out.

Last but not least...

Waterfall Blazer Cardigan - Black ($23)

Scroll through tops

I kept the rest of the outfit the same as the previous except I threw the blazer over and voila an upgraded form of corporate yet not all stiff and formal. The blazer comes with small shoulder pads to beef up the shoulder structure, but you can easily pick them out if you don't fancy that (I have it in). The drapey front of the blazer is but flowy cloth that falls into place so it moves as you move. In short, I just really like the blazer and for S$23, I really think it's not bad!

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So those are the pieces that I got, hop on over to MissxMatch to check out loads more!

Especially their rings, they have a small variety available but they are really cute, like this for S$10 (picture taken from their website).

Thanks for reading/looking!

Disclosure:
Clothes were provided by MissxMatch - I am not affiliated to them.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Luxola.com is now up and running! A few days back I saw many tweet mentions about the Luxola site being up. I've heard briefly about it being an online store that brings in luxury cosmetic brands but didn't really know what was offered.

Since I was home, and out of curiosity, I hopped over and started browsing. One thing lead to another and the last thing I remembered was hitting a Make Payment button.... yeap.

Curiosity kills? I guess, but it's worth it because one of the most attractive things is that Luxola offers FREE next day delivery (locally)! Now that, is what I call service! No more waiting a couple of days to get your hands on the treasures and hoping that nothing broke in transit.

Before this becomes too long, a quick run-down of some brands they carry would be FACE Atelier, Mario Badescu, DuWop, Sleek, Deborah Lippmann and more! Majority are brands that were not easily obtainable in Singapore but now are (literally) delivered to our doorstep.

Hop over to Luxola.com to find out more.

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Here's my very humble haul:

2 Deborah Lippmann polishes, is all! Luxola had also included 2 free sample tubs of the Mario Badescu Whitening Mask with my purchase.

I limited myself quite a bit because all the Deborah Lippmann polishes were pretty but I chose the ones that I wanted for awhile instead of diving in there and buying everything.

Somehow, me being blind managed to miss Waking Up in Vegas with my order and that shade was one I really wanted. But it's okay, it will be mine one day. Granted I could hop over and order it now but I feel bad getting delivery for one nail polish so it can wait.

In the meantime, these were the 2 lovely shades I got.

Bad Romance and Marquee Moon.

Bad Romance

Marquee Moon

(pictures aren't edited in photoshop. It's the manual focus that's making the blurry effect)

No swatches from me just yet because I have something else on right now (no it's not Chinese New Year on my hands anymore!) but will try these lovelies out soon. If anything, I'm swatching Marquee Moon first because the glitter flecks are so interesting it excites me.

If you're looking to get anything from Luxola, get 15% off your order by using this code 'LUXOLALAUNCH'. I'm not sure till when is it valid for, perhaps October? But just try entering it before checking out!

Alright, more from me soon! I realize I've been talking about nails quite a bit... Lets just say I've sidetracked a little and am quite obsessed with nail polish right now. heh

Thanks for reading!

Just before my Hong Kong trip I tweeted about receiving a love pack from the folks over at Canmake.

I wouldn't be going into detail about what I got here but it's basically a couple of nail polishes and the popular (till it got wiped out) Canmake Crack-Lac polishes! Will be posting more information soon, I want to get swatches for it all and appreciate the polishes while doing so.

I finally took some of the shades out to play and ended up with this combination.

Base – Canmake 51
Shatter – Canmake CL08 (Gold)
Topcoat - Seche Vite

I think this might be my first post with red nail polish on! For some reason I hardly ever wear red nail polish and while this came out quite nice it seems to look a little Chinese New Year-ish?

I got sick of it the next day and used a no-brand black polish to create some (rather jagged) french tips to lessen that Red Packet look.

Not the best picture, but from afar its quite cute however I didn't achieve my 'goal'.

According to my mom, it looks even more Chinese New Year-ish with the black tip on. Oh well... it's pretty and I'll probably be changing it up in a few more days anyway.

I have recently hauled some polishes and combined with the Canmake goodie pack, it seems like you'll be seeing my fingers quite a lot in the next few entries to come.

Thanks for reading!

October has been labelled the month for Breast Cancer Awareness. All around, several brands have taken on their own campaign to raise awareness for this health issue that plagues

Personal titbit of information...

Breast Cancer is one of the health issues I am fairly familiar to, not via a first-hand experience but because I have lost my grandmother to this. It happened quite some time back but what I want to share is that Breast Cancer is a very real health problem that can happen just like that to just about anyone. The effects, consequences and amount of pain it inflicts on the patient and those around them is very real. It can leave one weak and bed-ridden and is honestly no small matter at all.

Like most health issues, there is no such thing as being too young to contract it even though percentage of contracting it is higher in elder women. I have always been wary of Breast Cancer and learnt the various steps and methods to do a self examination because I read that 5-10% of breast cancer cases are hereditary. Genetics is rarely a pattern amongst Breast Cancer patients but if there is a such a percentage, it's always better to be safe about it.

Early detection is key to fighting it so here are some quick steps that you can practice to examine yourself.

Moving on from that, Estee Lauder Companies will be doing their part to help raise awareness for Breast Cancer.

Quick trivia:
Estee Lauder is not new to showing their support for this cause. Evelyn H. Lauder (Senior Corporate Vice President of Estee Lauder) had helped to set up the first ever Breast and Diagnostic Centre, found in New York City, in 1992.

Estee Lauder has also been actively raising funds for this cause and in October 2011, there has been close to $50 million in contributions to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

This time around Estee Lauder is also trying to raise funds with 3 key items that they will be promoting in the month of October -- Clinique Great Skin, Great Cause, Clinique Great Lips, Great Cause and Estee Lauder Perfectionist [CP+] Wrinkle Lifting Serum. S$10 from the sale of each item will go towards the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The promotional items will come as pictured below:

Left to Right: Estee Lauder Perfectionist [CP+] Wrinkle Lifting Serum, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, Clinique Mini Long Last Glosswear SPF15

The sad truth is that to date, there is no found cure for Breast Cancer and the recommended practice is early detection. Upon detection, the patients will undergo very costly treatments such as radiation treatment and surgery. Following that there would be chemotherapy which is continually conducted to keep up their fight against the illness. Imagine the amount of money and time that will go towards all this.

Hence if a cure can be discovered it might be able to lessen all these financial and mental stress.

Also, Elizabeth Hurley, the spokesperson for Estee Lauder, is also the face of the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.

She quotes that "Awareness and early detection, along with raising more funds to find a cure, are the key components to conquering this disease. I look forward to a future free of breast cancer."

Of course finding a cure is easier said then done, but we can always hope.

In the meantime we can stand by our fellow women and cheer them on, give them encouragement. There is more information on how you can otherwise do your part (if you are financially unable to) for this cause on Singapore's Breast Cancer Foundation website.

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In light of the topic and situation, I guess I would like to give a quick shout out to my grandmother, a great woman that took care of me as a child when my parents were both working and then always standing on my side during the whole 'teenage going against parents' phase. It was hard to reverse the roles and for me to take care of her instead when she was ill because it was just painful to see her looking sickly. I still remember the time before she was warded, I would accompany her to chemo sessions and they seem to take the life out of her as she always walked out feeling weak after.

Regardless, I secretly appreciated that she put up that much of a fight to stick around with us a little more even though it was probably hard on her. Even though she lost the battle, she will always be remembered as a great and wonderful woman that I look up to and respect.

In fact, this is to all great women we have lost to this and if you know someone who is fighting it, give them support and love! Happiness is an antidote in itself!

RIP Grandma, I love you.

Do spread awareness about Breast Cancer to your loved ones around you! I'll be providing more updates on this as we swing into the campaign in October (:

Wishing everyone good health and thanks for reading my post! Sorry if it leaned a little more personal/emotional then my usual. I thought sharing a first-hand account with this would be the best way about it.

Disclosure:
Opinions expressed are my own, not affiliated to Estee Lauder Companies

Hello!

Some quick look shots I snapped in the morning before heading off to work. Afterall I did promise to post up a look shot of the Canmake PW16 blush -- basically the orange one.

To jog your memory it's featured on the left in the picture below.

I used it light handedly enough to have it show up as a mild flush in-person though I'm a bit bummed it doesn't translate stronger in pictures. I'm afraid you can't see the blush much so I'll attach 3 pictures and hope at least one of them gives the blush the justice it deserves.

(click on image for full size, it helps!)

It does not show up strongly since this is a mild color by nature. You can build the intensity up but I opted for a natural look since I was just going to work.

I like the tone of this blush because it works well with and blends in with contouring. Since it's a brighter color, it adds a nice lift to the cheeks, and has a significantly different form of 'bringing life to the face' as compared to pink/red blushes.

I'm not sure how to best describe it but I like that almost artificial yet still natural hint of color on; artificial mainly because noone blushes orange! I would say it's better off labeled as a cheek color as opposed to a blush and I like that soft vibrancy orange blushes give!

Here's a strong and blended out swatch of the Canmake blush.

Quite odd how I got this probably a year ago and am only giving it love right now. Guess makeup really is about re-discovering what you have in a different time and appreciating it again. There's still hope for the other items chucked at the back of the drawers!

This isn't a look of the day because I can't remember what I had on my eyes and didn't take a close-up eye shot. But if you're wondering about my lip color I was wearing Victoria Secret's Lipstick in Heartbeat, which I received from Sophia (retailtherapy -- thanks Sophia!)

Perfect lipstick shade for my orange blush obsession right now!

Are you in a orangey or coral blush mood these days or have always loved it?

Thanks for reading!

Like schooling days I tend to start digging up blog photos and drafting posts when doing assignments. I was in the midst of a report this afternoon but somehow sidetracked and found/edited these pics. It seems I can't do one thing alone and need to do multiple things at a time or I can't focus.

Anyway, I found this belated haul (attained early august/late july) that I've yet to post up so I thought I should do so. Don't mind me!

Mom's birthday was in early August and it seems I am always getting cosmetic items for her. It was a Chanel Le Rouge lipstick last year, and another Chanel item this year. Reason being, my mom is interested in the brand but never thought of splurging on getting anything as spending money on cosmetics was never a huge priority on her list.

Which I guess would be quite perfect for me!

Since this is belated I can reveal what is all wrapped up above.

I found out that my mom was running low on her foundation so I went down and picked up the Chanel Le Blanc Whitening Compact Foundation for her. She was always a powder foundation user and it wasn't hard getting her shade right either since we are of the same skintone/shade.

The BA recommended this when I mentioned my mom is constantly looking for something to brighten her complexion. I swatched the tester and the powder feels extremely silky and hearing my mom rave about it of late, I feel tempted to get one for myself...

but we'll see how that ends up.

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Since I was at the counter I browsed the nail polishes and decided to treat myself by picking up Paradoxal. I always thought this was a limited edition shade but after visiting several Chanel counters after, they still have stock of it so... is it permanent then?

Someone enlighten me!

So glad to finally own this!

While waiting for the BA to wrap up my gift, I browsed the counters a little more and that lead to my next purchase.

I spotted the Soleil Tan de Chanel 4 Facettes Bronzing Powders from their Summer'11 release and immediately asked the BA if there was stock for Bronze Corail.

I was expecting a no since it was released for quite awhile now but as luck had it, there was! And the very last one too!

The powder felt very smooth and velvety when I was swatching them and the shades are pretty pigmented too. The following was from one swatch of the product to the back of my hand.

The shades can be used individually, or mixed up (in pairs or altogether) for a different end result. Here's the end shade when all 4 strips are mixed together.

From the swatch I thought it looked vaguely like Cheeky Bronze or Stereo Rose and decided to swatch those alongside Bronze Corail.

But they aren't exact dupes and Cheeky Bronze is a little lighter, it's just that it was caught at an angle but it's no where close to Bronze Corail.

Guess I'm quite relieved about that though I feel bad for going on about something that isn't available now.

Oops, my bad and thanks for reading!

Biore had recently introduced an interesting product to their range, the Biore Marshmellow Whip Foam.

I first heard about this product from Kas's blog, followed by their ambiguous television commercials. Kas made it sound very fluffy and fun and I was honestly this close to going out and purchasing it, until I received the mail and product from Sample Store.

True to visuals (because I didn't check it out in-stores prior to receiving it), it comes in a cute, rounded and rather squat looking bottle with a dispenser.

Nozzle comes with the stopper to prevent accidents!

Size comparison of the bottle.

Why the Foam?
Before I started using this I did some research on the difference between foam and cream/gel cleansers. There must be some benefit or differentiating point for them to want to market a foam cleanser, aside from the fun of using it.

Some sources report that foam cleansers are better at breaking down oil and dirt, making it ideal for those with oily/combination skin. While I'm really not certain how much cleaner it cleanses (as long as my skin feels cleaner after & doesn't break out, it works), it does not feel stripping or drying after use even though it sounds heavy-duty.

I find foam cleansers are quicker to use as it saves you some time and the extra step of lathering it up well between your palms beforehand. Needless to say they are quite fun to use and rinse off easily as well.

That 'tail' at the end isn't the foam dripping, but rather the excess when I smeared it from the nozzle after dispensing the foam.

Foam that defies G-force
I have used a foam cleanser before back in secondary school (Neutrogena Foaming Cleanser anyone? The brown-ish clear bottle) and remember it being more of watery bubbles then actual foam. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that Biore's Foam cleanser actually dispenses thick and fluffy foam!

It has a non-drip formula and the foam stands up to gravity pretty well. I held it upside down for awhile and it didn't look as if it was going to drip. I didn't get a shot up-side down, but here's one with it perpendicular to the ground.

No dripping!

Creamy lather and softly scented
The foam blends out quite creamy and has a nice scent to it, making it pleasant to use.

Upon smearing and rubbing it becomes this creamy foam, instead of soapy water.

I was half expecting it to be a pain to wash off but it rinses off easily and does not leave a film behind, just what I like! It doesn't have a squeaky clean feeling after, which would resonate with some to slight tightness after wash. If anything it reminds me of the after-feeling of using Cetaphil cleansers - a soft clean feeling, mild but still cleansed.

How long does a bottle last?
One con about foam cleansers would be that they generally contain soapy liquid that somehow gets compressed into foam through the dispenser. Hence, a good amount of this liquid is being used up each time and depending on your usage, that could mean the product would finish pretty quick.

Though Biore claims their bottle can last 150 pumps. So assuming you wash your face twice a day, this could last you a good 2 months plus.

Sounds decent.

But if you wash more then that, or use more then 1 pump per wash (which really isn't necessary because I find 1 pump is mad fluffy already!) then the product might finish up pretty quick. Averaging this to my own normal usage, a 125ml cream cleanser (Biore is 150ml) can typically last me 5-6 months - which is why I take forever to actually finish anything...

So this Biore sounds pretty short-term to me but good if you like changing your cleansers up.

General thoughts
It's a nice product to use, and like the many times I've mentioned it's quite fun to smear a thick fluffy foam all over your face. It's mild nature makes it feel very safe to use, I wasn't concerned about breaking out and indeed I (personally) did not experience breakouts from this. I wouldn't say this is a holy grail for me as time to time I would still reach for my cream cleanser for that rich creamy (different sort of creamy) texture. And then again, since when have we ever stopped at having just 1 cleanser.

But it's a nice product to have especially for washing your face in the morning. Quick, fuss-free and gentle since you don't need much deep cleansing to remove dirt and grime then.

This product retails for S$13.90 (150ml) while they do carry refill packs at S$10.90.

Disclaimer:
Product featured was provided by Biore, Sample Store.
All opinions expressed are my own - I am not affiliated to them.

I will confess. I didn't post up a photo of this new color job prior to my trip because I didn't manage to snap a photo in time.

According to the 'which hair color should I do' poll I did sometime back, majority chose the option Jewelry Ash.

I was quite intrigued by the color as well so I gave it a shot. Thankfully I did some research beforehand to know that Jewelry Ash doesn't make your hair look as fancy as on the box so I wasn't too disappointed and it was within the range of what I expected.

It lightened my hair a little, hardly noticeable, and at least it's a rather interesting shade, to make up for the 'deception'!

Looking a little reddish at times

And at times a little ashy

It gets pretty light under the sun (d'oh!) and from angles the edges almost seem like a mousey dirty blonde. Yes I might be consoling myself here, but it's not a bad color, I'd say.

If you're looking for a medium brown boxdye with varying tones, this will be interesting. But don't be fooled by the pretty model's hair color on the box. I think your hair has to be blonde beforehand to achieve that color.

Thanks for reading!