Beauty Asia 2013 is currently underway (from the 25th - 27th February) and I had the opportunity to drop by with Mag (of makeupstash) yesterday and make a quick round!

For the uninformed, Beauty Asia is an annual beauty trade show. In fact, it is one of the most established trade shows in the region and caters to the beauty, spa and health industry. The exhibitors present are usually distributors whole-selling products at a 'trade-rate' to trade professionals or new brands seeking local acquisition.

For more information about Beauty Asia' and its exhibitors, do visit their website!

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This year's show, which marks its 17th apperance in Singapore, was held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre over at Marina Bay Sands.

Since the interior is rather typical of an exhibition with simple booths and such, I will skip the overall venue shot and go straight to some highlights and snippets that I took from the show.

Of course our very first stop once we entered the Halls would be... Hakuhodo, no less.

While the initial buzz of Hakuhodo's attendance at the fair created some stirrings and excitement online, we later learnt that the brushes while available to see and touch, were not for sale. Apparently the brand's purpose to partake in this trade show is to source for a local distributor to bring the brand to our shores (ahem anyone listening? Heh).

I would admit it is a slight bummer but yet this means more saved here! Though I cannot say that with conviction because my physical encounter with the brushes has got me setting my sights on some!

Kokutan Series (not all)

S100 Series (not all)

Face brushes from the J series? I can't be too sure.

Itacho brushes from Japanese Traditions Series

The Kinoko brushes – how adorable are they!

After this little 'look-see' session at the booth, I think I have ignited a lemming for the G5553 (2mm) Round / Angled and Maple Kinoko Brush White (Large). I mean... how can you resist the Kinokos? They look so soft, fluffy and pet-able!

Until a local distributor picks up the brand, you can currently acquire Hakuhodo brushes via their USA website – HakuhodoUSA.

It actually isn't bad to order there either considering their shipping is relatively efficient and quite affordable (sans tracking). Though of course, there is nothing like being able to (hopefully, eventually) shop for them in person and get them straight away!

Another stop at the show to give a brief mention about would be this interesting Rubber peel-off mask.

The samples they had out looked a little like dough, coupled with their zip-lock packaging, I almost assumed this store carried an ingestible beauty supplement.

While I can't speak for its usage, Mag and I gave it a shot on the back of our hands and walked about half the show mindful of not letting this drip on ourselves and our bags.

While I was terribly intrigued with how it sounds and looks (flubber, anyone?), after sampling it on the back of my hand, I can't say it left much of an impression on me.

Or rather the only one it did was the immensely long drying time which sadly would not work well in my schedules.

I did not read into the science of it but based on how it felt alone... I couldn't detect how it had helped my skin. Oh well.

Moving on, the rest of the fair covered aspects from hair products to hair equipment, skincare products to skincare machinery, false eyelashes to eyelash extensions (read Charlene's experience with lash extensions at Beauty Asia), makeup products and of course not forgetting nail polish, nail art and nail supplies!

Phew, now that is one long sentence! Those who are really particular about English, please forgive me there.

Check out this mind-blowing Nail Art!

Sha-Nail Nail Stickers – See their Facebook album here

SUR INC's polishes

SUR INC 'Print' Manicure Sets

NfuOh polishes!

Odyssey Nail Polishes (from Odyssey Nail Systems)

Cuccio Colour Nail Polishes

China Glaze for S$3!

Star Lash Lashes! Just cause it was easier viewing them this way!

A whole wall of Star Lash Lashes!

That would be all the pictures I managed to snap, with my camera, at the show because most of the time it was too hectic jostling with the crowd in tiny spots and of course being too distracted with the multitude of brands available. Unmentioned here, there was also Zoya, Orly, Deborah Lippmann, OPI, Nail Tek and lots more!

While I do my nails solely for the fun of it (nothing professional), I couldn't help but feel both, in awe and tempted to purchase whole-sale packs of nail buffers, cuticle sticks, files and such. Though of course reason got the better of me.

Why would I need 20 (or more) blocks of nail buffers?!

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Eitherways, I walked away from the fair with a seemingly humble haul and certainly a great experience. More about my haul in another entry!

I am thankful for the invite to event and of course glad to head out, after so long, and have a little fun with great company – thanks Mag!

I know that I am hardly ever this efficient with my entries these days but I had a little help with baby and decided to take this time to snap up a batch of products and churn this out too! Who knows when I would be able to have spare time on the computer again so I figured to throw this up before it gets too passé!

Next challenge: The haul entry! Heh

Thanks for reading!

Hello!

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend and Selamat Hari Raya to those who celebrate the occasion!

In this entry I will be running through 2 things -
one, the facial experience and
two, the introduction of a fairly interesting (and potent!) product, which is also part 2 of the facial experience.

Hope that doesn't confuse you!

The facial experience works to compliment the usage of the product by prepping your skin, cleaning it and ridding it of any surface impurities. It's not a necessity as the product can be used day-to-day in the comfort of your own home but hey, if there's a pampering facial session to go with, I'll take it!

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I had my facial session at Beauty Veranda, one of the few beauty salons that carry out this Jyunka M+ facial treatment (along with carrying the product).

(image from Beauty Veranda)

The session was kept simple without fancy machines and devices since the aim of the facial is the serum - Jyunka M+

Due to a series of situations, I didn't have my proper camera with me so you will have to make do with some iffy shots snapped with an iPhone. My bad!

My beautician for the evening, Cherry, pointed out that it has been awhile since my last proper facial session. According to her, while my skin is looking good, it wasn't at the most optimal as some portions could use a little exfoliation to brighten it up. And to think I felt that my skin didn't need that much love now!

I'll run through the facial as brief as I can, just so you know what was done but since it is a prepping step, it's not that far different from your usual sessions.

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I was ushered into a small room where my session was held at and did the usual of changing into the robes provided.

Cleansing
The facial started off with Cherry cleansing my skin and removing all traces of makeup.

Epidermal Peel
After cleansing, Cherry continued with an epidermal peel. She used Jyunka's Epidermal Peel Cream which is a product you can actually purchase from Beauty Veranda for an at-home exfoliation session.

Upon application, this does have a slight stinging sensation to it. That feeling is most similar to the facial procedure of putting fruit acids on your skin, where you get a biting feeling that isn't entirely painful (depends on your threshold!) but I would say it's far from comfortable. I sucked it up and winced at the biting, knowing I would have smoother skin after!

Epidermal Lotion
After leaving me in some agony for 5 minutes, okay I dramatize, Cherry returned and applied some Epidermal Lotion to my skin. Because the peel tends to pull the skin's pH into the acidic zone, the Lotion works at neutralizing and returning it to the optimal pH levels once more. This also ceases the biting sensation.

Facial & Shoulder Massage + Masking Session
Following the above, I was treated to a very relaxing facial massage along with a much-needed shoulder massage. Digressing here but I could literally feel how much more tense I was in the right shoulder and Cherry helped me massage the tension away - as much as she could that is. See, don't always lug your bags on one side!

While the shoulder massage was underway, Cherry had also thrown on a soothing facial mask for me. There are various types available and they will 'prescribe' one for you based on your skin condition. If I am not wrong, I received the hydrating one becaused Cherry noted that my skin was tip-toeing in the dry zone.

So I was a little unfair and clumped the remaining bits together, but like I said, the facial session itself isn't too miraculously different to go into detail of and I don't want to bore you too much before I get to the main point of this entry!

Once the whole facial session was over, I did notice a slight brightening effect to my skin and it seems as if some dead skin and darkened portions were sloughed off, not to mention smoother skin!

It's not a magical brightening procedure but it did make my skin appear more rejuvenated.

Know what this calls for? Cue mildly freaky before and after photos:

Not major but I would say my skin looks slightly better and more 'perked up' in the After?

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So moving on, after the facial session was completed, I was ushered out into a consultation room to witness the effect of and also to try out the Miracle Fluid, Jyunka M+.

Introducing Jyunka M+ Fluid...

Before this experience, I received the fact sheet and did some googling of my own. The search results were actually rather intriguing and apparently this Miracle Fluid (as Jyunka calls it) has been mentioned since a good while back on forums like Cozycot and Flowerpod. While it probably isn't that new to the market, it's the first time I was introduced to this.

Jyunka M+ Fluid is largely made up of Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid) which is a nutrient essential to our bodies. We do see the inclusion of Vitamin C in a lot of skincare products as well because it helps promote clear and beautiful skin.

Vitamin C works best when it is absorbed directly by the skin. While ingesting it has its benefits, it doesn't contribute all that much to surface beauty since a good part of it gets lost in our dietary tract and does not even get absorbed for our skin. However, since pure Vitamin C is sensitive to sunlight, oxidizes with oxygen and water-soluble (our skin is a barrier to water and absorbs oil-based items quicker), it is difficult to properly find a way to slather that straight onto our skin.

However, Jyunka had found a method to solve the problem and it does involve a little bit of science but I will aid the explanation with some visuals! I know it's a lot of words but if you are into the science of how things work (and to understand how this seems more potent), do read on!

Yes, this flashback to chemistry lesson in school is the answer. Jyunka encapsulates their Vitamin C within this little thing called the Qu-some Particle.

Basically this Qu-some Particle is

• Super nano in size so it can penetrate the skin's first membrane
• Alternates water and oil layers to help penetrate different layers of the skin. While the outermost layer of the skin absorbs oil quicker, the inner-most layers do better with water.
• Helps hold the active ingredient stable within the particle

So in short, this ensures that Jyunka M+ Fluid is fast-absorbing and you honestly see results about 10 minutes in after application (more so if it's your first-time).

To wrap up my experience with the science part of Jyunka M+ Fluid, I was shown a little experiment about how potent the Vitamin C content is in comparison to ... a lemon!

Iodine was dropped into 2 'jars' and while a tad more Iodine was dispensed into the Jyunka one, it doesn't matter.

(Above) Upon squeezing the lemon juice, the jar did turn significantly lighter in tone (pre-stirring) while the Jyunka remained exactly the same in shade.

After stirring both jars up, the one with Lemon Juice cleared up to a cloudy state while the one with Jyunka M+ became completely clear! That was really surprising given how soy-sauce-looking it was previously.

With this experiment, it was explained that besides the obvious fact that one squirt of Jyunka M+ packs more Vitamin C than juicing half a lemon, Jyunka keeps the Vitamin C 'encapsulated' until stimulated.

For some reason the last part of that sentence makes me laugh but it is truth. The Qu-some Particle stabilizes the Vitamin C within until you stir it or in our case of use, until you rub it out on your skin.

Science talk aside, I was asked to try Jyunka M+ Fluid on one half of my face while I was at the beauty salon.

How did that turn out?

Well, you'll just have to stay tuned to the review entry to follow! I feel this post is getting way long and I have done enough here with introducing my Facial Experience with Jyunka M+ so I will save findings, detailed skincare benefits and all for what's to come!

Stay tuned if you are intrigued with the wonders of Jyunka M+ Fluid!

Thanks for reading this lengthy entry and really, you don't have to wait long for the next one!

[edit: Review and thoughts of Jyunka M+ Fluid is up! Read it over here!]

The start of the week isn't the best time to bask in the sun, sand and sea's choice of footwear. However, I want to share about the Havaianas event that I got to attend last week.

Aside from the 50th birthday joy, the Havaianas event was also a store-warming party to celebrate their newly opened space in Ngee Ann City (B1-38), just beside Cedele.

In commemoration of its 50th anniversary milestone, Havaianas decided to allow their fans to get creative and create their own pair of Havaianas! It starts from customizing the style you want, to the color and even some personal touches with their very adorable plugs.

The store space was bustling with people pondering over what to get, watching their flipflops being assembled or just mingling around.

The huge crowd meant that some (like us) were stuck at the entrance for a bit but all was good since we got to read and also write messages on Havaianas's birthday wall!

The birthday wall also acted as a really cute photo-op background!

After the crowd had eased (since we arrived after work, in the later shift of the event), we shuffled in to check out the options available for the custom pair.

The instructions were pretty simple and come on, it's a pair of flip flops, how complex would you want the steps to be?

There are 2 'styles' available, Top and Slim. According to the design and sales assistants, females typically opt for the Slim cut (due to the slimmer more stylized strap) while guys would go for Top (with the thicker and more classic strap).

But there's no hard and fast rule! Guys can get Slim and girls can get Top if they wanted to.

Slim strap on the left, Top strap on the right!

Aside from the colorful array of straps, the soles themselves come in a good variety too! It's really up to you if you want to be all matchy-matchy or artsy with your combination.

And the straps!

With the colors and combinations available, you could say I was completely lost for choice.

After I finally settled on the combination of my sole and strap, I was met with another 'headache' when they mentioned we could pick 2 pins of our choice.

This was truly difficult because I love a good bunch of them yet piling on the bling isn't the way to go either.

After much deliberation, I managed to decide on my pins, colors and filled up the MYOH 'form' with my options.

The form is then handed over to the Assembly Area where you watch the professionals piece your Havaianas together!

Above is my work-in-progress pair and below would be the boy's selection.

After all that deliberation and 'tough decisions', how does the final product look?

Well....

I'd like to call my pair, the watermelon!

I opted for the 'Slim' style and chose red-coral for the base and teal for the straps (not actual color names used). I kept the pins simple with a blinged star on one side and 'Limited' on the other because well... it is limited edition!

Strangely enough I like my slippers bright and bold, like how my other trashed and used pair is hot pink. I do own a 'safe' black pair but I find bright fun slippers take away from the casual flip-flop-ness?

As for the boy, he went with the Top style and had a navy base with orange straps. For pins, he had a cute pair of aviators on one side and a '1962' car plate on the other.

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Excited about our new almost couplish footwear, we wore our Havaianas out over the past weekend!

The boy had actually posted the above picture to his Instagram and somehow Havaianas Europe found it and pinned it to their pinterest! The boy must be pleased.

In all we had a great and fun time customizing and wrecking our brands over which combination we liked best and I am actually most stoked because this is my very first pair of Havaianas!

The MYOH movement was only available from 13-15th July, in celebration of the 50th anniversary. However I hope Havaianas would bring it back as a permanent activity because it really was a joy to customize and color-pick your own flip flops!

Do check out Havaianas's newly opened store at Ngee Ann City's basement and thanks so much for reading!

Do you love and live in flip flops?

Disclosure:
Products mentioned were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

Aloha people!

I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to this weekend and I feel almost recharged and 'alive' already though it's only the wee hours of Saturday.

I wrapped my work week up by dropping by the Make Your Own Havaianas event where we got to celebrate Havaianas turning 50! I don't want to be ignorant here but I honestly had no clue Havaianas had been around for this long.

However, this post isn't to share about the event.

I may be recharged but I am not that productive just yet. Instead, I am going to share a brief snippet of this Make Your Own Havaianas deal.

While being 50 years of age, Havaianas is still keeping up with the 'hip' and urging people to unleash their creativity and style by creating their very own mix-and-matched pair of Havaianas!

Not wanting to reveal too much here but let's just say your entire flipflop is pretty much customizable from soles to straps and even little pins to personalize it!

Well, lets just say if you are in town for the weekend or somewhere about Raffles City / Plaza Singapura, why not drop by a H Store to check out this Havaianas MYOH (make your own havaianas) movement!

Else I would always post a rundown at a later date but hey, some things are best explored in person!

H Stores in Singapore:

ION Orchard - #B2-42
Bugis Junction - #02-20
Raffles City - #01-03
Plaza Singapura - #B1-36/37
Takashimaya - #B1-38 (newly opened!)

I would have loved to put up a full and proper entry about the event this quick but... Outsourced sleep beckons!

Until next time, hope everyone had a good Friday the 13th and enjoy your weekend ahead! Thanks for reading!

Also, Happy 50th Birthday Havaianas!

Previously I had shared that DFS Galleria, located at Scottswalk, had experienced a facelift and are introducing a new service called the Beauty Concierge.

Reading the press release, I was curious as to how the Beauty Concierge would play out and as it happens, I was invited down by their lovely PR folks for a tour of the venue and a Beauty Concierge experience.

Starting this off, I will share the new look of DFS Galleria before going into detail about the Beauty Concierge Experience (which is an extremely enjoyable service).

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If you had frequented DFS Galleria before the revamp, you would remember it as a rather quiet place that is hidden away on the second storey. However after the revamp, the beauty section greets you the minute you step through the automated doors.

Aside from getting hit by a blast of cool air, loud and lively music fills the area and honestly does bring up the mood of the place. I find at least, though I know some prefer to shop in a quiet environment.

This counter sits right by the door and is basically the 'promotional area', very much like the one at Takashimaya. It doesn't belong to one brand and changes over time depending on who wishes to promote what.

The new DFS Galleria looks very sleek and has a fairly spacious walkway. The brands in the centre have a good amount of counter space and the brands by the side practice a shop-in-shop concept.

From a glance, it seems like it's a shopping mall with little shops within.

La Mer's beautifully done up space.

Aside from Giorgio Armani (whom everyone knows is at DFS already), I'm also stoked to have Helena Rubinstein! I have been intrigued with their mascaras for the longest time and have only seen this within the airport's duty free.

And of course, right by the door so you can't miss it.

Since this is a DFS outlet, it does stock some travel sets and full sized promotional packs that you often see at the airport (most notable being the Lancôme Génifique sets). Though the prices aren't as much of a steal as the airport (of course), some still work out cheaper than buying the full size alone.

Shu Uemura's Art of Travel

Aside from the travel sets, I was told that counters here have their own special promotion or gift-with-purchase that differs from counters outside.

Moving on from cosmetics, there is also a perfume section where you can find a pretty good range of perfumes, all neatly shelved.

Again, since this is all about travel, you do find mini travel sized packs here as well.

I think that in an overall, with all the sets and special packages, gifting makeup and perfume just got a whole lot easier.

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After my quick tour of the new area, I was brought over to a corner where the Beauty Concierge was tucked away at.

What I gathered in my mind (from the press release) about the Beauty Concierge was perhaps a small open space in the center of DFS but what I saw was a completely different thing.

Upon walking through that small walkway, you will be in a private and enclosed area that is still rather spacious.

Within this spacious yet cozy area, there is a...

make over section

Skin analysis corner

and also a facial massage bed!

To refresh your memories about the Beauty Concierge, it aims to provide a highly personalized experience for customers by offering complimentary and premium beauty treatments / services in privacy.

The Beauty Concierge specialists are neutral parties and not affiliated to any of the brands. They will base their recommendations on what your skin requires, via the skin analysis, and what you are looking for.

Here's a list of the complimentary services offered at the Beauty Concierge:

• Personalised skin consultation
• Signature skin treatments
• Therapeutic hand massages
• Eyebrow shaping
• Makeovers (including the use of airbrush makeup technology)
• Makeup Workshops and Techniques

 

With my visit, I got to try out the skin consultation, mini facial (falls under signature skin treatments) and make over.

Starting off, I did my skin consultation with this machine.

What it does is take various shots of your face (front and side) and analyse that to give you an overview of your skin conditions.

The results or rather the analysis provided is a comparison to your age group (you provide your name and birth year before you start) hence it makes more sense and gives you an idea of how your skin compares to others your age.

So while the skin analysis can be daunting (to know the truth), it is not 'unreasonable' such that younger skin will have a better result.

Just to share, here are the results that I got:

The closer to 100%, the better and like in exams, 50% is the passing mark.

After your analysis, the Beauty Consultant will sit down with you and run through the results with you, explaining each category and also explaining the 'marking' the machine does on your face.

I find this to be particularly helpful because I was wondering why I scored so low for 'Wrinkles' and according to the BC (beauty consultant), the machine captured some baby hairs by the side of my forehead and deemed those as fine lines. Grr!

Though truth is truth, I scored horribly for UV Spots and Porphyrins which means no more slacking off sunblock, more whitening in my life and also more exfoliating / clarifying masks.

Aside from the BC recommended you steps and tips to take if a category is of a concern to you, the machine also recommends various products from the brands available.

Apart from all this, there are also other cool features to this, such as being able to see your skin from a 3D point of view. That is if you were every wondering how your skin looks like on a flat plane. It is also useful for examining skin textures and problem areas.

See little bumps and ridges? Apparently machines are even more ruthless than my sense of touch.

After this, the therapist asked what sort of a treatments or concerns am I looking at and I instantly mentioned my UV Spots. Hence she proceeded to do a Brightening mini facial on me using products from Shiseido's White Lucent range.

The mini facial consists of a stimulating and relaxing facial massage followed by the BC patting and rubbing the skincare products in for me.

How I wish I had someone to pat and rub skincare in for me on nights where I am too tired to bother with my regimen (but still do anyway)!

Though the massage is relaxing, the loud and lively music from outside does drift in along with the occasional renovation drilling but from what I know they are looking to do something about that. It didn't bother me too much since it was a quick session.

 

After the mini facial you can up-and-go or opt for a makeover / makeup touch up service.

Since I was meeting some friends, I wanted a light touch up though the makeup artist was excitedly introducing and sharing products that I ended up with a proper full face of makeup.

Ah well, at least the make over experience was such fun!

And the final look, though the lighting isn't quite the best.

Products Used:

FACE
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in No. 4
Giorgio Armani Loose Powder in No. 2 (to set)

EYES
Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill in No. 11
MAC Eyeshadow in Shroom
MAC Pro Longwear in Carefree
Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Black Plum
Lancôme Le Crayon Khôl in Black Ebony
Lancôme Artliner in Noir
Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Feline Black (WP)

Blush
Bobbi Brown Powder blush in Slopes 17

Lipstick
Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani in Beige 101
Giorgio Armani Gloss d'Armani in Pink 500

As I was in casual jeans, the makeup artist (Siti, if I'm not wrong) thought to give me a light look yet still with a little oomph since I wanted subtle smokiness.

I ended up lemming quite a few items she used, such as GA's Rouge d'Armani in Beige 101, which unfortunately was out of stock.

I never looked to Bobbi Brown eyeshadows prior but the one she used, Black Plum, is a gorgeous deep brown with an aubergine edge. I can't seem to get that one out of my mind yet!

 

In Conclusion
I had a very enjoyable and insightful experience at the DFS Galleria's Beauty Concierge and the skin analysis really taught me where to look in terms of my skin concerns. I would highly recommend everyone to go for the skin consultation to see if you are really using the right approach in terms of caring for your skin and if it is meeting your needs. While the BC said I can continue on with hydrating products, I think I need to start introducing whitening products into my regimen and also be a whole lot more disciplined when it comes to using sunblock!

The make over service is also a good way to be introduced to new brands if you let the make up artist do their thing! They are very helpful and Siti followed me out when I wanted to check out some of the items she had used. She also introduced me to a few other things and created some lemmings (ahem GA Face Fabric) but all my rambling aside, this is truly something you should check out for yourself!

The Beauty Concierge services are complimentary and by-appointment only.
Call +65 62298107 to book an appointment.

Also do check out the newly revamped DFS Galleria if you haven't already! I dropped by twice and didn't manage to leave empty handed both times... more about that soon!

 

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure:
Session was hosted by DFS Galleria and Mercury PR, special thanks for their hospitality.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

What has been abuzz in the beauty and fashion industry over the past few days was most probably that giant tentage outside of Ngee Ann City. Yes, the Audi Fashion Festival!

Last year I had a chance to watch the Redken and Shu Uemura runway show (post here), which was quite a visual experience.

This year, special thanks to Mag, I got drop by backstage at the Raoul A/W 2012 Show last Friday and watch as the professionals from Mac Cosmetics work their makeup magic on the models.

The makeup look for Raoul's A/W 2012 fashion show was created by Senior Makeup Artist at MAC, Beno Lim.

This look is all about dark smokey eyes and a very clean and sheered out foundation finish, making the skin appear as natural as possible yet still flawlessly concealed.

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Let's take a look at the steps he took and also the final outcome.

First, Face and Body Foundation was used along with a mix of Cleanse-off Oil and Moisture Infusion Prep and Prime. Cleanse-off Oil was added to make the foundation more emolient and have a sheerer, more natural finish.

Following that, Black Track Fluidline is used to line the upper lids, along with Carbon eyeshadow to create a smokey winged-out shape.

Afterwhich, Smolder Eye Kohl is used on the lower lashline/lid for a heavier and smokier definition.

Following that, Beno used the 217 (I believe) to blend Smolder out. I don't recall him going back to Carbon but he could be using the remnants on the brush.

As for the lashes, False Lashes Mascara was used along with MAC's False Lash in No. 20.

To define the brows, Brow Crayon in Lingering was used along with Clear Brow Gel. I especially love the color and shape of the model's brows and how it suits her face and hair so well.

Moving on to the face, some contouring was done using Mineralized Skin Finish in Medium Dark. The MSF acted a little as a blush too, adding a touch of warmth to the model's skintone without using an actual blush shade.

As for the lips, some foundation was dabbed very lightly over to lighten them, followed by Lip Erase which is a Pro product and not available to us. However I own the slightly darker version (Dim) from the Dsquared collection and it's pretty much concealer in a way.

For some color, Peachstock lipstick was dabbed on to give the lips a nude finish.

Lastly, a touch of Prep and Prime Loose Powder was used to set the foundation.

And here's the final look!

And the tools to make you runway ready!

I didn't manage to get a proper shot of Beno who was super busy the entire evening but Mag managed to! You can read about her backstage post here!

Special thanks again to MAC Cosmetics for the insight, Beno for his time and also Mag for allowing me to tag along!

 

Thanks for reading and hope everyone had a great weekend!

Mine flew by so fast I don't even remember what happened! I think part of it is because I spent hours allowing myself to be hooked on Diablo 3 even when I said I wasn't going to start but I just had to see what the 10 year wait was about. I don't know about the wait but I very much prefer this to how 2 works out but that's enough rambling from me!

Lush!

To this day I still get all excited when it comes to this brand. Not that I squeal and prance around the store but it still feels like there are so many different things to look at and find out about each time I head down to the Lush store. I used to just be all about their soaps but having a local outlet really helps with discovering new products!

Which was exactly what we did with this cozy little Lush gathering.

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We were each handed a fresh rose and bandung (rose syrup with milk - my fav) to sip on upon entering, all this was in theme of their main product for the night. Even the staff present were all color co-ordinated in red!

Well now, what is that rosey star attraction, you may ask?

It's the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner!

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner is a rose-scented "shower lotion". Basically, we have conditioners for our hair so here is a conditioner for the body!

Infused with Argan Oil, which is rich in Vitamin E and essential fatty acids, that helps to improve the elasticity of the skin and also contains anti-aging properties.

On top of that, it contains an infusion of Cypress which is a cooling herb and said to help with sweating problems. Think, a moisturizing body conditioner that has a slight deodarant after-effect, that's some interesting twist.

I haven't tried the deodorant declaration out for myself but we were given a nice conditioning rub of Ro's Argan on the back of our hands and yum, this stuff smells so good. Though this is a comment coming from an ardent fan of anything rose-scented.

The scent is mild, not too strong, sweet or floral. If I could compare it to something I would say it reminds me of the wafting rose scent in Anna Sui's products. Rather similar at least.

May (the lovely lady holding the tub, also one of the owners of Lush Singapore) mentioned that this also works really well as a shaving cream for soft and smooth skin after!

 

Aside from that one introduction, the folks over Lush made sure that we left the store with soft, smooth and pampered arms!

To do this, they prepared 2 demonstrations using a selection of various Lush products to both scrub and moisturize away!

I didn't snap many photos hence the chunk of words you see thus far (and will continue to see, oops) but these were the items used for Demo 1!

Demo 1

1) Start with a good scrub using Buffy
2) After rinsing, pat dry and hydrate the skin using Soft Coeur massage bar (which is edible... hmmm)
3) If Massage Bars leave too much of a tacky residue on you, you can always pat on some Silky Underwear (body powder) to smooth things out!

Here's Kas getting her turn with the demo! I had to resort to snapping pics of others since I can't shoot when getting my hands wet.

Demo 2 was a little more, I would say, 'hard-core' with the exfoliation and I could honestly feel my hands getting so much more supple, smoothened out and 'scrubbed' after. This demonstration was really hands-on and made us use both our hands.

Here's what was used:

Demo 2

1) First they slathered generous amounts of Lemony Flutter (originally a cuticle cream) for us to rub on our fingers and all over our hands
2) Then, we were given a dollop of Ocean Salt (body scrub) to exfoliate our hands with
3) Rinse it all off after and surprisingly it washed off easily with no greasiness
4) After rinsing, pat dry and bring on the hydration with Dream Cream!

I was surprised to know that Lemony Flutter could be used before an exfoliation to help enhance the effect. It helps to soften the dead skin, especially the around the cuticles, which then makes it easier to exfoliate them away.

That marked the end of the party session and we wrapped up the night with snapping random shots of the shop and also some chatter.

Here are some shots from the shop along with a captions, to ease the word load.

Special Mothers' Day Lush packaging (the flower one)! As opposed to the usual Lush logo wrapping.

Another Mothers' Day item (the pink angel with yellow wings). This is actually for dish-washing, not a soap!

No Drought dry shampoo which had us all crowding around it. I passed up on getting it but I'm having second thoughts...

Me being dumb, decided to snap a shot of my hand to showcase how soft and smooth it was after the demo but I doubt pictures do anything for that! Instead, here's a nail color preview :)

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And lastly, if you have made it all the way through this text-filled entry, here's the Promotional information for you!

In the month of May, for every Ro's Argan Body Conditioner you purchase, you will have your name entered into a Lush draw! So if you purchase 3 tubs, you will be entered 3 times.

The prize at the end of this draw is a 12-item Lush gift set worth S$150!

You can drop by the store to enquire more about the giveaway or read up about the goodness of Ro's Argan Body Conditioner via Lush's blog!

If you have been curious about this or love it to bits, now would be a good time to pick it up or stock up.

 

With that, thank you for reading!

Also, do share what are some of your loves from Lush, be it their soaps, conditioners, anything! So I know what to check out the next time I drop by the store.

Thanks to Evonne, I had the chance to drop by Make Up Store's preview event where I was introduced to their Summer 2012 range.

At a very appropriate location by the beach at the East side of the island, Make Up Store explained that this Summer, it is all about the majestic oceans and what lies within. Very fitting for that refreshing dip in the hot summer heat! While we rarely have seasons, aside from rainy and dry, I think it's safe to say that the weather has been hot, hot, hot of late.

The deco, drinks and atmosphere was played up very well to suit the theme of the event and nothing was left out. All right down to the location and that was a marvellously meticulous effort on Make Up Store's part.

p.s. the salmon was delish.

But back to the collection!

The idea behind the Coral collection is allowing your face to "illustrate the ocean with it's immaculate landscape of seaweed and starfishes". That sounds entirely vibrant and captivating and while in the pan the colors do look rather daunting if you are a neutral lover, you would be glad to know that they aren't as hard to pull off!

Products in this Coral collection include:

• Microshadow in Starfish - yellow (S$27)
• Microshadow in Lagoon - blue (S$27)
• Microshadow in Algea - moss green (S$27)
• Eyedust in Sea Moss (S$29) - this one is beautiful!
• Eye Pencil in Wave - blue (S$27)
• Eye Pencil in Water Spring - green (S$27)
• Lip Pencil in Pink Soda S$27
• Lipstick in Attitude (S$29)
• Lipgloss Pot in Sea (S$27)
• Blusher in Pink Reef (S$32)
• Nail Polish in Tanja (S$22)
• Nail Polish in Jari (S$22)

 

The lipstick, lipgloss pot and lip pencils are all in complimenting shades. The way the lipgloss pot functions would be for those who want a hint of pink without that vibrancy of a lipstick and with added moisture.

When worn on the lips, it actually looks fairly similar, as you can tell with the models below. The one in pink is wearing the lipgloss pot and the one in white, the lipstick.

I did some swatches of the shadows and liners available in this collection and Yina had helped me snap a shot below.

They Microshadows carry a decent wash of color, which you can build, along with a soft (what they refer to as) 'Tahitian Mother of Pearl' effect.

The swatches were done without any primer of any sort but I think these would look lovely over a base. That random white streak you see at the right is their Hi Tech Lighter, an intense base color for eyeshadows to adhere to.

Here's a shot of the model's makeup look during the makeup demonstration.

What I forgot to swatch was the Eyedust in Sea Moss, which looks absolutely gorgeous in the pot. It's just, me being afraid of a mess didn't want to fuss with it but Kas has a beautiful swatch of it here.

I will go into the blush, lipstick and some other interesting stuff in my next post where I showcase and swatch the items from the goodie bag. Do look out for that!

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In the mean time, aside from solely mentioning their Summer 2012 offerings, Make Up Store had also introduced some newly released products.

One of which is this Body Butter (in Melon), a savior for those with dry skin conditions. It feels a little heavy on and is something that I would use at night to prevent the aircon from drying my skin out.

Though a very welcoming use for this was through a hand massage that was performed on us the minute we arrived.

This tub costs S$59 which may sound like a lot but it's a fairly big disc and I would reserve it for going over dry areas like elbows, knees and heels along with an occasional sweep across legs and arms. I believe in my posession, as a moisturizer drainer, I could use it for a good while.

Another really interesting product is this Candle Massage Oil. From my memory it feels like I have heard of such a product before but I just can't recall where from right now.

Containing shea butter, almond and coconut oil, this candle releases a lovely chocolatey aroma as it burns and sweetens the area though in a way that isn't cloying or sickly. After burning the candle for a good while, you can actually dispense the melted oil and use that as a massage oil.

The very first thing I thought of as they went around pouring a little for everyone to try was "Isn't it hot?!".

As turns out the oil has the ability to prevent itself from heating up too much. I really can't explain the science of it but it carries a nice warmth to it without feeling scorching hot.

Again, being an oil, it runs quite thick and would be ideal for a choco scented massage. It would feel quite indulgent to use it daily or regularly.

The candle holder has a tiny spout to aid with dispensing the oil though it can still run down the sides if you aren't careful. All in all a very novel product since there aren't many out there but honestly I have this nagging feeling in the back of my head about hearing of this somewhere else. Where is that somewhere else?!

 

Aside from the Summer collection, there are loads of other new inclusions to Make Up Store's shelves, including pouches, soaps, body wash and all. The best would be for you to pop by the stores and give everything a look for yourself!

The Summer 2012 Coral Collection is currently available at all Make Up Stores.

Paragon #03-20 Tel: 6887 5828
Vivocity #01-02 Tel: 6276 0988
Raffles City #B1-33 Tel: 6337 5688
313@Somerset #04-10 Tel: 6884 6008

 

Have you dropped by the stores or eyeing anything from their new products?

I'm certain that news of Stila being back in Singapore and available to us again has spread through our beauty community like wildfire. After all, it's the iconic Stilagirl, who doesn't love her?

I'll admit I don't have much history with Stila during the time it was around but my makeup chums (appalled that I don't own Stila, and I mean this is a positive way) had gifted me with a couple of items which I do love.

Though back to this, Stila is back and currently a resident in Sephora with a well stocked shelf!

Mag, Chantana and I were down on a Friday evening and the shelves (Stila and another new arrival Laura Mercier - yay!) were bustling with people. Whats more these shelves were facing each other. Can you imagine the congestion in that particular aisle?

Guess we have a good handful of makeup fanatics on our little island!

There are enough posts announcing the warm arrival of these brands on our island so while I had chimed in with it as well, that's not entirely the purpose of this post.

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Stila Cosmetics had arranged for a Makeup demonstration, part of promoting their new Spring 2012 makeup palette - In the Garden.

Long-time Stila Makeup Artist Dominick Briguglio (his twitter) was invited down all the way from USA to show us 2 looks that can be using this palette (and a mix of other products).

The first model for the night was none other than Chantana!

Sorry, not very flattering shot of Dominic but Chantana is cute here!

The first look was a more color focussed one, making use of the mossy-greens available in the palette.

Dominic started off by prepping the skin with some color-correcting primer, liquid foundation and concealer.

I didn't take down a mental note of the entire procedure, colors used though I do have a rough idea. Maybe I can try replicating it from the little fragments I am able to recall.

Though here are more pictures of the makeover process.

The overall look is a mossy-green with an added accent of pinkish-purple on the inner lids - using rosette (only purple in the palette).

Finishing the eyelook with liner and mascara, Dominic added some color to the lips and cheeks.

Cheek: Lillium Convertible Cheek and Lip Color

According to Mag's informative run-down, the cheek item used was Stila's Custom Color blush in Coral (oops, how did I get Lillium?)
Lips: Yumberry Crush Lip and Cheek Stain with Lipglaze in Grapefruit over.

After Chantana's makeover, Dominic demonstrated Look #2 on a different model. Look #2 was suppose to be a smokey yet midly natural.

We stuck around for a bit before adjourning to the Stila shelf to avoid the demo-watching crowd. We were particularly drawn towards the Stila Jewel Eyeshadow which was used in Look #2 because they look so shimmery and lovely!

However the Stila shelf was already bustling with people hunting down products used in Look #1. After some joustling, we got to swatch the Jewel Eyeshadow shades and they were all lovely! Decisions, decisions....

Of course I only swatched the ones I was attracted to but there are loads of lovely shades. Kas recently picked up Amethyst, one of the darker tones, and did a look with it here!

We enabled each other, swatched a couple of products and ooh-aahed at everything. It was a fun time makeup shopping with pals and in the process of enabling, our combined (keyword: combined) shopping basket looked a little something like this.

Will post up my haul very soon! Time has been tight (again) these days but I will stick around as best as I can *shakes a determind fist*

Have you checked out Stila? Picked up anything since their return?

Thanks for reading!

Fashion Steps Out 2012 created quite a buzz last week when a stretch of road at Orchard was cordoned off for a runway show. Yes, picture killer heels strutting on tar and gravel, can't get edgier than that!

Following that, Fashion Steps Out launched a Pop-Up Bazaar at the covered walkway infront of Mandarin Gallery. This Pop-Up Bazaar will run from the 23rd of March till the 25th of March (Sunday) so if you happen to be in Orchard, swing by Mandarin Gallery to give these stores a look!

Earlier this evening, they had a preview session for invited guests before opening the space to the public (which was from 7pm onwards).

I did some live tweeting from the event venue itself but for the most part I was caught up in taking in the sights and exploring the space so here's more coverage on this Pop-Up Bazaar.

While the bazaar isn't a huge bustling area with lots of pop-up shops, the participating brands did have some interesting services going on that are worth a look. However I'm not too certain if some of the activities were arranged solely for the preview launch.

One eye-catching pop-up store would be Miss Selfridge's candy store.

One example of the special service would be this, purchasing candy at Miss Selfridge and getting a photoshoot along with an instant photo!

Another brand present is the widely known accessory store, Diva and here is their special service.

I thought this was pretty cool because they are currently promoting their feathered headbands, which are a fashionable item right now. So if you do decide on purchasing it, they can style your hair in theme with the headband. Though any purchase can be made to qualify you for the hair styling service.

Not very flattering shot but I picked something up and got a quick styling session done on my otherwise very neglected hair.

The Diva pop-up store was also carrying newer items that were (on Friday) not available to the other stores. One example is this colorful and fun looking nail stickers.

(stolen from my twitpic)

Though by the time this entry goes up, it should be available at all Diva stores islandwide (launched on Saturday).

Another brand doing a preview session is Laline, a bath and body care company that had just set foot in Singapore.

Created by two Isreali cousins, Laline has a couple of boutiques within the States and their home country. I believe (from information on their website) that a store in Singapore would be their first in Asia!

The brand has a range of bath and body care products from body lotions, shower cream, body scrubs, body mists amongst many other things. They have a few scent ranges available as well though my overall thought is it leans a little to the sweet side, not exactly my cup of tea. I did like one range - Ocean - yet it was a like not love so I walked out with nothing in tow.

But here are some rather interesting items to the brand.

Oil Soap, sounds extremely interesting yet I'm not very experimental when it comes to using oil on my body. Anything too rich and my eczema freaks out. I will wait patiently for some opinions and reviews about this though.

They carry foam and mousse body soaps in a couple of their ranges and I thought it was interesting. I debated on the idea of picking it up but sadly didn't find a scent that I loved enough though I'm on the fence about Ocean, still.

Okay nothing very different about the body lotion above but I snapped it because I liked the design and colors.

Moving away from Laline to the pop-up store at the very far end, the store that buzzed with the most traffic throughout. Not very bustling in the shot below which was taken before the crowd came in.

Topshop's Print Space!

Basically you can choose a design (from 6) to print onto a canvas bag where there are a couple of customization options for the bag itself and after the bag is printed!

To print your bag, all you have to do is purchase a Topshop voucher of S$20, or was it S$28, and you're good to go! That voucher can later be used at Topshop stores to offset your purchase so, if you think about it, you really aren't paying for the bag.

I had a ticket to redeem a free bag and was pretty undecided about the 3 designs on the extreme left but after much delberation I made my choice.

Once you fill up this slip with your design choice and choice of handle length (long or short) and color (black or white), simply pass it to the staff and wait for your tote!

Further customizations can be done in this, I call, inking corner. Where you use alphabet stamps and an ink pad to stamp out letters of your choice! You can now flaunt a topshop tote with your name on it, if that's something you fancy.

After having our bag created and customized we strolled around and checked out the other participating stores.

Here's MAD Museum of Art and Design who took 2 pop-up stores, one for their work and another to create a little cafe.

Graphic print t-shirts for sale at MAD's Cafe booth.

Also present is another seemingly tongue-in-cheek store, What Women Want, who sponsors clothings and accessories to the reality tv show, Supermodelme.

Aside from retail spaces, there was also a demonstration of what they call, Tee Recon - cutting, braiding and reconstructing a plain old tshirt to something new and fashionable.

The demonstration was done by Ash Lee, a fashion designer who will be launching her own label in April. If anything, I love the recon-ed tee that she has on, can anyone point me to where I may purchase something like that?

While food shouldn't take the cake during an event (unless it's a tasting), I just have to give this a mention because the cakes and little tarts served during the preview were yummy!

That salmon tart (second row from front) haunts me right now as I look at this picture, so savory!

Red Velvet cake! Which was a hot item and snapped up everytime a new batch came out. They had carrot cake too which was delicious as well.

And the lovely pals I spent the evening with, Kas and Chantana!

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And now back at home I snapped quick shots of what I lugged back, starting with the Topshop totebag, held up by the ever-so-useful boyfriend.

I chose this design in the end because I zoomed in on it at first glance, strayed to others a little but stuck with my first love in the end.

I didn't feel like stamping my name or blog username on the bag so I went with something random. Come to think of it now, perhaps an interesting quote would be a good call?

And that one item I picked up from Diva, which qualified me for a hair styling session. It's a bracelet / necklace / belt / really versatile thing.

I believe this was S$22. I caught sight of a bundle of bracelets that were so woody and feel very gypsy-ish (sorry, 2am and words are escaping me) but I refrained from splurging on them, they were S$30.

And of course, my 'new' hairstyle!

Thank you Kas for the shot, my self-cam skills have degenerated.

 

So that wraps up my evening out at the Fashion Pop-up Bazaar!

Again, it's going on from the 23rd to 25th of March, which basically means you have the weekend to drop by and check it out if you want to give Laline a look, get yourself a topshop tote bag or just pop by if you're the in the area!

The pop-up stores are located at the front of Mandarin Gallery (which is located across Ngee Ann City).

Thanks for reading! Which Topshop tote design would you pick?

 

Disclosure:
The event was hosted by Sinkid & Fashion Steps Out 2012 and Topshop tote was provided.
Diva bracelet was purchased on my own. I am not affiliated to them and opinions expressed are my own.