Best Things in Beauty : décembre 2010

vendredi 31 décembre 2010

Tokidoki for Singpost

While I was overseas, Mag (Makeup Stash) also very kindly helped me to snag this extremely limited edition SingPost Tokidoki Mystamp collection. This has probably already sold out at all local post offices. Mag's post office only received 5 sets, and she got the last two. I'm really thankful for friends like Mag who go out of their way to help me like that!

The collection consists of a a Jigsaw Puzzle Set and a Notebook Set. Only 2000 units of each set were produced, with each set retailing for S$39.90. You can view the official press release here.

The 500-piece jigsaw puzzle comes in an adorable metal lunch box with an A5-sized sheet of six stamps.

Tokidoki creator Simone Legno created two characters exclusively for this collection. It's the character holding the mail and dressed in a superhero outfit with his dog! The lion with the fish tail is modelled after the Merlion, an icon of Singapore. Some famous streets in Singapore like Orchard Road are also named in the scene.

It's been a long time since I completed a jigsaw puzzle, but I used to love doing these. Well, except for the time that I completed a massive one only to find a piece missing. Quite thoughtfully, the Singpost set includes instructions for how to obtain any missing pieces.

The Notebook Set comes with an A5-sized sheet of six stamps and a notebook with a folder.

The folder is very well-padded and features a massively crowded scene of Tokidoki characters.

Love the cheery bright red interior of the folder!

Many thanks and big hugs again to Mag!

Libellés : stationery, Tokidoki

Samantha Thavasa Launch Party

Back in November, I was invited to the Samantha Thavasa launch party for their new store in Ion Orchard. I was unable to attend as I was away in New Delhi but Mag (Makeupstash.com) and Kas (Shine, Shimmer & Sparkle) went and kept me updated almost instantaneously through the wonder of Twitter.

The party kicked off with a fashion show.

You can see many more photos of the party on Samantha Thavasa's Facebook page.

After the show, the guests adjourned to the new store (located on Level B1 of Ion).

I was ecstatic to see that they had brought in the Liberty range, including the latest Liberty x Hello Kitty collection!

Founded in 1994, the Samantha Thavasa brand is famous in Japan for its collaborations with foreign celebrities like Penelope Cruz, Victoria Beckham, Tinsley Mortimer, Beyonce and the Hilton sisters. Top Japanese models Yuri Ebihara and Jessica Michibata are the current faces of the brand.

The prices range from S$70 to S$300 for charms and small leather goods, and from S$300 to S$500 for bags. According to Herworld.com, the Hello Kitty bag costs S$469. The Petite Choice Liberty Boston bag that I purchased in Osaka is selling here for about S$285, if I recall correctly. I had paid S$255 for it in Osaka.

Mag also kindly gave me her doorgift of a Samantha Thavasa Petite Choice charm and notebook from the party!

Many thanks to Mag for the gifts and pics!

Libellés : accessories, bags, events, Samantha Thavasa

New Year's Eve FOTD

my last post for this year with a look i will welcome 2011 with.
i wish you all have a great start into the new year! may 2011 bless us with great make up, of course next to love, health and success.

as you've already seen on pics:

foundation: Guerlain Parure Gold + Shiseido Sun Protection Foundation + BeautyBlender

powder: Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre + Artdeco skunk brush

concealer: Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer + Hakuhodo brush + Manhattan Wake Up

brows: Shiseido brow pencil GY901 Natural Black, p2 dark brown brow gel

mascara: Shu Uemura curlers + Hourglass Film Noir mascara + Shiseido Perfect Mascara

cheeks:

NYX blush in Taupe to contour + Hakuhodo S103
NARS Deep Throat blush + MAC 116
MAC Too Chic Beauty Powder for highlight + MAC 131

eyes: i was all about gold and purple sparklelisciousness

MAC Chilled On Ice Paint Pot + MAC 217
Bobbi Brown Black Velvet Sparkle Eyeshadow + MAC 242
Barry M Dazzle Dust in Oyster Gray (#89) to smoke out + Louise Young LY38
MAC Retrospeck in inner corner + DaVinci small round blender
Max Factor Colour X-Pert Waterproof Liquid Liner in #03 Metallic Lilac
MAC Blooz Eye Kohl on waterline - not in this photo

lips: Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in #77 Santal

have a save night and see you next year!

Libellés : brand: BOBBI BROWN, brand: CHANEL, brand: GUERLAIN, brand: MAC, brand: MAX FACTOR, eye make up, look

The last thing I did in 2010

Just handed my mother a cheque for the final payment on our apartment. With that, it feels truly good to head into 2011 completely debt-free. Becoming a homeowner is one of those major steps in life that makes one feel like one is well and truly an adult. My blog probably gives some people the impression that I'm a profligate shopaholic but actually I have always saved a significant portion of my income. And yes, even my mother was surprised that I actually have managed to save so much! It feels amazing to finally accomplish this after ten years of working.

Speaking of which, I'm always slightly puzzled when people ask how I can afford to shop so much. I would have thought that the answer was obvious: I work for it! No silver spoons, no sugar daddies/rich husbands, no fancy investments. I just worked and saved. What I've accomplished though is nothing compared to my mother. My father left us before I was even one year old and she raised my brother and me single-handedly through sheer grit and determination by working as a facialist and a hairdresser. She didn't have a rich family and she left school at 16 to support her family. At one point, we were so poor that we had all of 60 cents in the house! If you saw her on the street, she would probably just look like any humble old lady to you but to me, she's still the most inspiring person in my life.

View from my bedroom window with the port lights in the distance.

Sleek Curious i-Divine Palette Look #3

Today being the final day of 2010, I was in the mood for a fun, light-hearted look. The shades that I used in the Sleek Curious i-Divine Palette are marked with an "X" in the pic below.

Using Beauté de Kosé Eye Fantasist GR751 Dew Green as the base, I applied the sky blue shade from the inner corner to the middle of the upper lid, the teal shade from the middle of the lid to the outer corner and the purple shade blended into the crease.

Next, I used the light beige shade as a wash over the browbone area and at the inner corners and lined the lower lashline with the silver shade. I also added a touch of the dark olive shade at the outer corner of the upper lashline but you can't really see it in the pics as most of it ended up being covered up by the Hourglass Calligraphy Liquid Eye Liner in Cognac. I finished by applying Visee Wide Impact (Curl Long) mascara in BK002 Blue Black.

The key to this look is to blend the edges between the different shades so that there is a smooth gradational effect. I use the MAC mini shader brush #228 (middle brush in the pic below) to apply the blue and teal shades. Then I use the MAC #224 blender brush (right) to lightly apply the purple shade in the crease and then blend the edges between the different shades. I also like using the #224 blender brush to apply shades that have a tendency to be too frosty, like the light beige shade. The #224 brush gives a diffuse, sheer finish so you get more of a pearlish glimmer rather than an icy frostiness.

The MAC #213 brush (left) is also very useful for applying shades when you want a more pigmented finish. The #228 brush is for more precise work, like along the lashline. My #213 and #224 brushes are "Special Edition" versions from a holiday brush set that I purchased around 2001. MAC brushes that come as part of a set are marked with "SE" and are not as good quality as the regular brushes. Nevertheless, these two SE brushes have lasted very well through all these years with regular washing with the MAC brush cleanser. The #228 brush is from the regular line-up and one of my staples.

For the rest of the look, I used Lancome Teint Miracle Liquid Foundation O-03 topped with Cosme Decorte AQ Face Powder N 001, Dior Skinflash, K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow 02, Beauté de Kosé Rouge Fantasist PK891 Raspberry Pink and Esprique Precious Gradation Layer Cheeks 01 Coral Red.

Have a wonderful New Year's Eve, everyone! :-)

Libellés : EOTD, FOTD, Sleek

Upcoming Japanese Magazines Freebies

Here's a list of upcoming Japanese magazine freebies. The release dates listed below are for Japan so please check directly with Kinokuniya if you wish to know when exactly they will arrive in Singapore. Kino's air shipments usually arrive on Wednesdays and Fridays but this is subject to changes (e.g. due to public holidays in Japan).

Steady (7 Jan): February issue comes with a L'Est Rose A4-size bag (29x38x8cm). See the video clip here.

InRed (7 Jan): February issue comes with a Beams tweed pouch (24x12.5x9cm). See the video clip here.

Sweet (12 Jan): February issue comes with Snidel two-way tote bag (26x40x13cm). The top part can be folded into the bag to make it a more compact size. This is Snidel's first collaboration item with Sweet. See the video clip here.