Paul & Joe Lipstick and Compact Mirror

When I passed the beautiful Paul & Joe counter display at Times Square in Hong Kong, I knew that I just had to get something from it. I've always admired their beautiful packaging and it makes me want to buy everything and take them home!

They were promoting their 2012 Autumn Collection of lipsticks where you can have your pick of 20 different shades in 3 different textures: sheer, natural or full. The best part is that you can choose your lipstick case that goes with it! Then you just buy the lipstick refills and replace them when you're done!

They had 5 limited edition lipstick cases that were made out of a thick card material which were very cute but I wanted something that was a little bit more durable.

I actually really wanted the limited edition gold and green case, but I thought it was a little bit expensive for an empty case so I compromised and I chose their pink and white retro-looking lipstick case.

Paul and Joe Pink and White Retro Lipstick Case

For the lipstick, I chose their Full Coverage "302 Retro" which is a beautiful pink-beige that is pretty close to my natural lip colour which makes it a great every-day lipstick. The formula is very creamy and moisturising to the lips. It doesn't have fantastic staying power on me but I don't mind, I end up having to reapply after I eat or drink anyway!

Paul and Joe Full Coverage 302 Retro

After I decided on my lipstick and lipstick case, this compact mirror caught my eye... and I made an impulse purchase. I love it though, it's so cute and fits perfectly into my little makeup bag that I carry around with me.

Paul and Joe Compact Mirror

Paul and Joe Compact Mirror

You can get these lipsticks and the pink and white lipstick case at beautybay.com with free worldwide delivery.

Have you used any of Paul & Joe's products? I'm curious to try some of the other makeup like their blushes. A brand that delivers on quality and packaging? I'm definitely on board!

Yve
<3

Grease Sing-a-long Night!

Grease is one of my all time favourite movies; the songs make me smile and I still remember dancing around in my bedroom to "Greased Lightnin" when I was young :)

So when I heard that there was a Grease Sing-a-long in town, I knew I had to go!

It gave me a chance to try out a 1950s look and I thought I'd put some of the photos up of the look I came up with. I kept it pretty simple: red nails, a high ponytail, cat-eye eyeliner and a bold lip. A 1950s-esque dress completed the look!

Cat-eye and bold lips

High ponytail with a ribbon

Nail polish: Essie After Sex

It was hard for me to get a photo of myself in focus! But here's my 1950s inspired dress that I got from Glassons

It was a fabulously fun night dressing up, learning the hand jive, and singing and dancing with other people who are just in love with the movie as you are!

Yve
<3

Couture Nails Inc Carnaby St

I am really excited about this post! I got a birthday present from my sister-in-law and I was completely bowled over! It was a nail polish from Nails Inc but it was extra special because it was personalised using the Couture service.

First - check out this gift box: so cute and so classy. I was excited just to open it!

And what did I find inside - this gorgeous, bright, happy nail polish with a jeweled cap! It was nothing like I'd seen before.
The colour is called Carnaby St which is super cute as that is one of my favourite streets in London.

I was examining the nail polish bottle -- and who wouldn't, it's simply adorable -- and I was surprised to find a personalised sticker on the bottom. It was then I realised that Couture Nails Inc must be a personalised nail polish service.

But before I get into that, let me just get into a swatch of this beautiful nail polish. I've always been wary of yellow nail polishes, I worry that it would make me look like I was jaundiced. I'm glad that I was given this then as I don't think I would have chosen it on my own. It looks like a perfect shade of yellow in the bottle (it's described as a brilliant canary yellow on the Nails Inc website). The colour translates perfectly onto the nail. The formula is creamy and easy to worth with - I achieved an opaque finish in 2 coats.

I think this would be great pop of colour when summer comes along :)

Now onwards about the personalised service. I just had to do some research on it because it is a great gift idea.

On the Couture tab of the website, it allows you to pick the colour of polish you want, add the cap of your choice, name the shade and personalise gift box with stickers. It costs £20 which might seem a bit much for a bottle of nail polish but it makes a great gift and it would surely delight the recipient (as it did me!)
Unfortunately they only deliver within Great Britain so that's disappointing for me as I won't be able to utilise the site but hopefully it will be a great gift idea for you all living on that side of the pond!

Have you used the Couture Nails Inc before? What do you think of yellow nail polishes?

Yve
<3

Review: Little Witch Mote Mascara

As I mentioned in my haul before, Little Witch Mote Mascara was a complete impulse buy. I was sucked in by the row of number 1 awards it had won and displayed on its packaging.

Little Witch Mote Mascara

I had never heard of Little Witch brand before and I was excited to try out the mascara.

It claims to lengthen your lashes by 180%, holds your curl and is easy to take off with hot water. It also claims it has special conditioning and strengthening ingredients to give you more luscious lashes.

Little Witch Mote Mascara

 I was surprised to find that I really do like this mascara (considering impulse buys don't usually work in my favour).

It really does lengthen my lashes by a fair bit and I do like that it doesn't look clumpy, even with two coats on.

The wand looks pretty standard but feels really gentle against the lashes.

Little Witch Mote Mascara Wand

It doesn't seem to hold the curls the way I want it to though and my lashes go back to its straight position after a while. But my lashes tend to do that with most mascaras (damn my stick straight asian eyelashes!) so I still prefer my Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara as it seems to hold my curls a little bit better.

Little Witch Mote Mascara - No Mascara

Little Witch Mote Mascara - Used eyelash curler and one coat of mascara

Little Witch Mote Mascara - Two Coats

Two coats don't seem to give it any extra length though - I don't see much of a difference.

I love that it doesn't smudge and I've worn this from morning to night with absolutely no problems at all. One of the worst things for me is looking into the mirror at the end of the day and find that I look like a raccoon and I have no idea how long I've been looking like that.

I'm not sure if I've seen any big improvement on the lusciousness of my lashes though!

All in all I give a thumbs up to the Little Witch Mote Mascara and would be interested to try the other version of this mascara which is a volumiser rather than a lengthener.

You can get this mascara from Sasa.com.hk using this link for US 17. They provide worldwide shipping.

What's your favourite mascara?

Yve
<3

Jewellery Haul: Forever 21

I believe I only put up a jewellery haul not too long ago and I think I remember writing that I won't need any new jewellery for a while....oops.

I was in holiday mode - that's my excuse! I just saw these really cute statement necklaces from Forever 21 and I couldn't resist :)

I absolutely love this floral bib necklace! I've already worn it a couple of times and it's a fantastic way to add interest to a plain top or dress.

Forever 21 Floral Bib Necklace

This next floral rosette necklace is a bit chunkier but I guess it's along the same line as my first necklace. I love the pink colour though and it makes a slightly bigger statement.

Forever 21 Floral Charm Necklace

The last one is more dainty and I figure it would probably be more versatile with more outfits.

Forever 21 Flower Charm Necklace

I guess I went a little floral crazy! But I'm pretty happy with all my purchases and at least Forever 21 purchases don't break the bank :)

Links:

Forever 21 Floral Bib Necklace retails for $8.80.

I couldn't find the link for the Floral Charm necklace but here is a similar one in blue.

Forever 21 Flower Charm Necklace is on sale now for $2.99.


Are statement necklaces for you?

<3
Yve

Bloglovin'!

I have joined Bloglovin'! It's a great way for you to follow me and all the blogs you love and you will never miss a post!

Thought this might be easier for you to follow my blog if you so wish!!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Hope you're having a lovely day!

Yve
<3

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils

I had heard a lot of great things about the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils in the beauty community so I knew I had to nab them when I went on my shopping spree in Sephora.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Lucky and Eldorado

I picked up two colours: Lucky and Eldorado. There were some awesome blues and greens that looked great too but I thought since I had not used them yet and wasn't sure of their quality, I had better stick to a couple of colours that were versatile and I could use a lot.

They are for sure, the best eye pencils I have used. The reason I steer towards liquid or gel eyeliners most of the time is that pencil eyeliners usually pull my eyelid as I draw them on which is both uncomfortable and unpleasant to use. Plus they smudge under my eye in a few hours making me look like a raccoon.

However, I wanted to give these a go anyway because if they lived up to their hype, I could use an eyeliner that is less harsh than a gel eyeliner and could give me a softer eye-look.

They did not disappoint. The eye pencil glides across the eyelid, making it easy to use. There is about a 20 second window where you could smudge it out along the eyeline for a softer look, but after that - it pretty much stays put. It doesn't smudge under my eye which is fantastic for me and I love the pigmentation and colours that I chose.

Swatch of Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencils. Top: Lucky. Bottom: Eldorado

There is some micro-glitter on both these pencils so if you don't like glitter in any form - this might not be for you.

I don't find that they work really well on my waterline though. I've tried putting the eyeliner along my waterline and gently pulling down my lower lid so it has time to set before it has contact with my eyes but it still fades after a few hours. Maybe my eyes are just more watery than others. Other than that, I love this eye pencil and definitely want to invest in some other fun colours.

They are definitely pricey at US 19 each but I do think that they're worth it (considering how many eye pencils I have floating around at the bottom of my makeup bag that I never touch cos they're just rubbish).

Do you like UD Eye pencils?

<3
Yve

Review: Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick in Playful

Tarte Glamazon High Performance Lipstick in Playful. I... absolutely LOVE this lipstick.

I had a feeling that I might fall in love with this the moment I swatched it in Sephora - the formulation and pigmentation felt and looked beautiful.

First off, the packaging! I actually had no idea that the packaging of the lipstick was going to be so great. I had swatched the lipstick, grabbed it off the shelf, bought it and then flew back to Wellington without having a chance to take it out of its box to have a look. So I was really excited when I saw the beautiful packaging.

Tarte Glamazon High Performance Lipstick in Playful

The tube is made of a light bamboo material and I love how the pattern on the tube corresponds with the colour of the lipstick. The tube is longer than an average lipstick (like MAC) but that doesn't bother me.

Tarte Glamazon in Playful - cute bamboo packaging!

The formulation of this lipstick is absolutely wonderful. It glides onto my lips without pulling; it is a dream to apply and the pigmentation is fantastic. You really can get away with one coat of this.

I got it in Playful and it is described as a purple-rose colour. It has no scent which I like and it is really creamy and hydrating.

Swatch of Tarte Glamazon High Performance Lipstick in Playful

The lipstick claims it lasts 12 hours which I don't find true for me. It stayed well through the night when I went out for someone's birthday drinks but I was only drinking out of a straw. A lot of it comes off if you're eating and wiping your mouth with a napkin.

Maybe it does last that long if you don't touch it for 12 hours which is virtually impossible because we all need to eat and drink!

I debated against putting pictures up of the lipstick actually on me because who really wants to see my lips up close? But I know when I do research for my products, I always like to see swatches so I can make an informed decision so here are the pictures below:

Bare lips - no lipstick

Lips with Tarte Glamazon in Playful

The lipstick is a little pricey at US 26, but I think it is absolutely worth it.

My only regret now is that I didn't get it in more colours and since Tarte does not ship internationally and is generally not found outside of Sephora (who also does not ship internationally), I will have to savour this one lipstick that I got. Hopefully they will keep this formulation around for a while so I can nab some more in the future!

Have you tried the Tarte Glamazon lipsticks? Which colours are your favourite?

<3

Yve

Beauty Haul: Sasa and Sephora!

I bought a bunch of beauty stuff from Sasa in Hong Kong and Sephora in Maui! I think I went a little crazy seeing how much cheaper cosmetics were over there!

I won't go into depth on any of them because I'm planning to review some of them as I start trying them out! :) But if there is any of them that you're dying to get a review of first, let me know!

Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Black - I have used this before and I love it! It has a super thin tip which makes it easy to slowly build up the thickness of your eyeliner. It does take a steady hand though!

Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner

Fairydrops Mascara - I've also used this before and it's the best mascara that I have used so far. It holds my curls and has never smudged on me!

Fairydrops Mascara

Little Witch Mote Mascara - a bit of an impulse buy. I've never heard of this brand but the sticker plastered on it tells me that it has won three number 1 awards (Japanese and Chinese has words that cross-over into both languages and that's how I got that information - but what kind of awards did it win? I have no idea. They could have just placed 3 medals there on the sticker for emphasis and I'm fooled to think it's a multiple-award winning product!)

Little Witch Mote Mascara

Shiseido Majolica Majorca Lipgloss in PK 338 - it's small, cute and a beautiful shimmery shade of coral pink - can't wait to use it!

Shiseido Majolica Majorca Lipgloss in PK338

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisteriser - I've been wanting to get my hands on this ever since I had it tested on me at a counter.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisteriser

Anastasia Brow Wiz - I totally flipped when I saw this in Sephora. I've heard great things about this and there is absolutely no access to this brand on this side of the world so I snapped it up immediately!

Anastasia Brow Wiz

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil - I've heard that these are fantastic so I had to give them a go. I got it in Lucky and Eldorado.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick in Playful - this swatched beautifully across the back of my hand! It was so smooth and the pigmentation was so great that I had to get it.

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick in Playful

Trend toes Real Lacquer Strips in Cherries - I don't know what is wrong with me. All I focused on when I saw these nail polish strips were the patterns. It wasn't till I got home and examined it when I realised the brand name was "trend toes" - I bought it thinking it was for my fingers. But I'm sure I could still use them for my fingers, hopefully the sizes would work.

I really had to hold back from buying even more from Sephora. I came across a lot of things that I wanted to try out but I would have run up quite a bill so I had to stop myself from grabbing more off the shelves!
I also wanted more things from Sasa in Hong Kong too but I literally ran out of time - oh well, next time!!

I can't wait to try out some of these items! Have you used any of them?

<3
Yve

September Favourites 2012

Alright, this post is about a half month late and I have no excuse but laziness!

I traveled for half of September, to Hong Kong and Hawaii. It was a fantastic trip and I enjoyed all of it :) It did involve being in a lot of hot and humid weather and I had not been in this type of climate for a long time since Wellington is usually cloudy, and a tad cold.

So I tried to keep my makeup on the lighter side so it wouldn't melt all over my face during the day (you need your makeup to last ALL day in Hong Kong, the city is so happening that you never get back to your hotel room till about midnight!)

I absolutely love my NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. Now, I use this on a daily basis normally anyway because of my oily eyelids (eyeshadows crease on me within an hour or two without it) but I really got to take it out on the road and put it to the test in September. It worked beautifully, holding my eye makeup in place for the entire day. It's almost finished though so I'll either have to get a new one or perhaps give the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion a try (I have a little tester) and see how it stacks up!

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

I had to stop using my favourite foundation for a while as it clung to my dry skin patches while in Wellington but I got to break out my NARS Sheer Glow Foundation while on holiday and I was so happy to use it again! It gives me a medium coverage, while feeling light on my skin and I love the glow of the finish it gives me.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Santa Fe

I didn't bring many eyeshadows with me to try to cut down luggage weight so I just brought my Urban Decay Naked Palette. The two colours that I used the most was Half Baked and Smog. I love these two colours together.  

Half baked is a beautiful shimmery gold that brings a lot of light to the eyelids and Smog compliments it well to give a little bit of depth to the eye.

Urban Decay Naked Palette: Half Baked and Smog

My favourite blush of the month was definitely Benefit's Sugarbomb. For one, it smells so great! It always brings a smile to my face when I get a whiff of its scent when I put the blush on.

I just love the coral peach colour you get when you swirl all the 4 colours together and I think it's perfect for summer days.

Benefit Sugarbomb

My last favourite was this mask I got from Sasa (a large cosmetic store in Hong Kong that houses a lot of Japanese brands). It's from a brand called My Beauty Diary and they have a range of masks for different purposes. I got the Aloe Vera one because I really needed to put moisture back into my skin. The long haul flights I had to take from New Zealand to Hong Kong and then from Hong Kong to Hawaii definitely sucked out a lot of moisture out of my skin and staying in an air-conditioned hotel room every night did not help matters either. I needed my skin to be well prepped for the makeup artist who did my makeup for my Hong Kong wedding banquet and of course my wedding day in Hawaii and this mask completely rejuvenated my skin in preparation for my big day(s).

My Beauty Diary - Aloe Mask

My September was absolutely wonderful. I got to marry my best friend and spend a wonderful day celebrating with all our close friends. I hope your September was great too!

<3
Yve

Dots and Heart Manicure!

I felt like doing some fun with my nails today and I've never done nail art before so I thought I'd give it a go!

I don't have any nail dotting tools so I just used the end of a bobby pin and made a very simple design so I couldn't mess it up too much :)

Hearts aren't that easy to do! I'm going to need a lot of practice!

Grey colour: Essie Chinchilly; Pink: OPI Mod About You

I really like it! It's really cute and now I want to invest in some nail art tools to make more cute designs! Uh oh - this could mean spending more money because I've had my eye on nail art stamping sets ^.^

What do you think? Do you have any nail art stamping sets to recommend?

<3
Yve

Review: Philosophy Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser

I used to be a good girl and cleansed, toned and moisterised religiously. However when I'm in a hurry, I always want to skip the toning because I don't seem to see the benefits of it instantly like I do with the other two steps.

And I have to admit that I naughtily stopped toning for a while when I ran out of it and while I sometimes felt guilty, my laziness runs deep.

So when I came across the Philosophy Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser which claims to cleanse, tone and melt away makeup in one step, all the while hydrating the skin - I knew I had to try it.

I've used a lot of it already when I took this picture! Sorry - but at least you know I really do use it!

I absolutely am in love with this product. I use it on its own in the morning and with my Clarisonic Mia (read my review of the Clarisonic here!) at night in the shower. I feel that it takes off my makeup really well (I use a separate eye makeup remover beforehand though) and my face always feels refreshed and clean after I use it.

I tend to have sensitive skin and I also wear contacts and it never has once irritated my skin or my eyes.

And of course the best thing is that I no longer have to feel guilty for being lazy - with the toning step included, I can walk away knowing that I have broken no cardinal skincare rules.

I'm keen to try some of the other Philosophy products, especially when all their product names are so cute like "Eye Hope" and "Full of Promise" - yes I'm a sucker for marketing. I guess I'm a prime target for them!

I bought my Philosophy Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser at Strawberry.net. It comes in a 5 sizes, ranging from 90mL to 946.4mL

Have you tried this cleanser or any of the other Philosophy products? Do you have anything to recommend me?

My new favourite highlighter! Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold Review

Phew - the title was a bit of a mouthful!

Sorry I've been absent for over 2 weeks. I flew to Hong Kong for my wedding banquet and then onto Maui to get married! There really wasn't much time to blog :) Hope you'll forgive me! Onto the review...

I have to admit, I'm a bit lazy when it comes to highlighters. Sometimes I forget to do it, sometimes I just plain can't be bothered. So I probably don't need a new one. That's not going to stop me though!

After watching numerous videos from Tanya Burr (pixi2woo) and always being in awe whenever she decides to use the Jemma Kidd All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold, I knew I had to have it.

First, I love the packaging. It reminds me of the rubbery texture that NARS packaging has. It makes it feel like a very luxurious item.

The highlighter in the pan looked so beautiful that I didn't want to touch it. (Does anyone have the same problem of never wanting to touch their new makeup products when they are new because you don't want to ruin the look of it?)

The texture is beautifully creamy. To compare this to my NARS Albatross highlighter, I have to say that I love the Jemma Kidd one much, much more.  Don't get me wrong, NARS Albatross is beautiful too and I use it brighten the inner corner of my eyes but the gold shimmer in it can make it look a bit too obvious when you put it on the top of your cheekbones.

The Jemma Kidd Iced Gold just gives you a beautiful dewy glow that catches the light and makes you look completely natural and vibrant without shouting "Hey! I've got highlighter on today!"
It has great lasting power and I didn't have any trouble with it staying on my face. It is winter here though so maybe I'll have to edit this post later when I try it out in summertime.

This isn't much of a swatch! It basically just comes across as a subtle glow - but you can imagine how natural this would look on your face!

This highlighter makes me want to put in the effort to use it even when I'm feeling uber lazy - and I know that's a winner when that happens!

Jemma Kidd is a bit harder to come by. As far as I know you can't get it in Wellington, New Zealand.

In Australia, they have a select few products of the Jemma Kidd range under the Kit Cosmetics make-up stands in participating Myer stores. I've visited a couple of the Kit Cosmetics stands including Chatswood and Sydney city and neither have anything that I really wanted to try.

The best bet is to buy it online. Beautybay.com sells it for US $25.30 and offer free worldwide delivery.

What's your favourite highlighter?