SHINE, SHIMMER & SPARKLE

Hello!

I was recently introduced to Badger Baby Balm by renowned makeup artist, the lovely Larry Yeo - it's one of his favourite products to use as a lip balm and this particular tip of his was also featured on the Badger Balm Singapore Facebook.

I was totally blown away by the Badger Baby Balm - it makes lips so soft and supple that lips just feel sooooo good, with or without lipstick.

Last year, I talked about how the Jack Black Lip Balm was probably the best $10 I ever spent. I think this just stole the Jack Black version's place. Probably the best SGD$11.90 I've spent this year!

 

Its base is a combination of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Castor Oil and Beeswax - it might look like a solid disc in the pan but when you touch it either with a cotton bud or your finger, it loosens up and has a soft, balmy texture. The super emollient nature allows it to spread very evenly and easily across my lips where I allow it to soak in and work it's magic. I feel it on my lips even after a couple of hours - the feeling is an emollient glide but somehow, I don't find it waxy or oily - perhaps a "comfortable grease" might best describe it.

The magic is when you blot it off or scrub your lips (gently pls!) with a toothbrush - lips feels so soft SO SO SO soft and plump and supple and you know what? That feeling LASTS - for many many hours - under lipstick or on its own. I need to point out that I use the Badger Baby Balm at night while I sleep; I also put it on immediately after I shower so that it can soften and moisten lips while I do my makeup (that's how I use all my lip balms).

I'll say this - it doesn't have the prettiest scent - Chamomile and Calendula combined with the Beeswax base. It doesn't smell icky but it's just not like fruit or floral scented. I don't care because it's amazing for my very dry lips so even if it did smell icky, I'll still love it (maybe 5% less if it was icky smelling :P)

The Badger Baby Balm is actually a multi-purpose balm to be used on babies or adults with sensitive skin so I guess it has a variety of uses - I'll just stick to using it as my Magic Lip Balm.

 

Ok so here's the "invasion" bit - I actually went on a mission looking for the Badger Baby Balm and ended up finding it at Four Seasons Organic Market at City Square Mall - Badger products can be found in several organic product shops, Unity outlets, Bud Cosmetics and even Metro. And what happens when I see the Badger Baby Balm nestled among other Badger products?

THIS happens.

I got a little Badger-loco, squatting by the shelf, rummaging around, looking at everything and carted these home. And zero regrets. Let's take a closer look.

 

So, for convenience sake, I picked up a proper lip balm - Badger Lip Balm in Lavender Orange (SGD$7.90).

I don't carry the Baby Balm with me - I use it only at home so I don't dirty it or have to carry around cotton buds should I need to re-apply lip balm. Sometimes I want to clean off all my lipcolor and apply a fresh coat so it's best for me to apply another layer of lipbalm underneath.

There were several scents like Vanilla Madagascar, Tangerine Breeze, Highland Mint but I was drawn to the Lavender Orange having loved the Jack Black Lavender Vanilla ones. In this Badger Lavender Orange, the lavender scent is predominant. It has a lovely emollient texture owing to the Olive Oil base - not as emollient as the Baby Balm - but fantastic all the same.

Did I mention the Lavender scent is lovely?

 

Long, hot days and long hours in front of the PC sometimes bring about a dull ache around my temples; I get the same ache when I crawl into bed after a very long day. It's not quite a headache per se (unlike migraines which are very distinct and last for days when I unfortunately get them) - when these dull aches kick in, I try not to pop a pill and look for headache balms instead. I currently use an Indian version, Amrutanjan, but that burns a little. Enter the Badger Headache Soother.

It has the same texture as the Baby Balm - emollient - but I feel this absorbs into skin a little better. The Headache Soother has a wonderful, calming scent - the Peppermint provides a little tingle and you can faintly detect the minty scent but the soft Lavender is the dominant scent. It's reallllly lovely to use when I'm all tired out, snuggled under the covers in the quiet of my room and I have the soft, calming scent of Lavender wafting gently. It's not terribly strong but it's enough.

 

And finally, we have my new favourite soap - the Badger Rose Geranium Face & Body Soap (SGD$12.90)!

I confess - I totally DID NOT NEED TO BUY THIS. I have quite a good stash of Lush soaps, Dove cream washes, Philosophy gels and so on but one whiff and I wanted this. Don't be fooled by that blah looking brown soap bar - it's the most unglamorous, un-pretty soap bar but the scent that comes out of it is amazing!!! It's not the usual synthetic Rose scent - it is a powdery Rose but something about the Geranium also makes it herbaceous.

The Four Seasons Organic Market outlet I went to only stocked the Rose Geranium, Moroccan Mint and Baby Soap but I realise there are other scents, after checking the Badger Singapore Facebook - Mailette Lavender sounds good!

 

The soap can be used on both face and body but I still prefer using a face wash for my face. It has base of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut Oil and Palm Oil and piled with other nourishing ingredients like Castor Oil, Shea Butter and Organic Oatmeal.

Apart from the scent that really makes me go gaga in the bathroom, I swear, immediately after my shower, my skin feels cooler. It could be the Coconut Oil content - in Ayurvedic medicine, Coconut Oil is known to be a coolant (it reduces Pitta or heat in the body). You have to try this one to find out for yourself.

The Rose Geranium Soap bar lathers up well and leaves skin very clean (not squeaky clean that it's dry) but clean enough and very comfortable to the touch. I've been using this twice and thrice a day ever since I bought it and I'll have to pick up another one soon, at the rate I'm going. At SGD$12.90, it's around the same price as a standard bar of Lush soap - not the most inexpensive - but I'm willing to pay for both the lovely scent and how it loves my skin. If you love Rose scents, YOU MUST HUNT THIS DOWN AND TAKE A WHIFF!

 

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So there we have it - this little Badger has invaded my life - a totally welcome invasion! I don't seek out organic products usually but this line of products has really gotten my attention! Thanks again to Larry for introducing the Baby Balm to me, leading to these other lovely discoveries!

 

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Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day ahead!

 

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Disclaimer: All products featured purchased with my own money. I am not affiliated to Badger; all opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone.

Hello!

For Mother's Day and her birthday, I usually try to get my Mom something nice and 'pampering' - you see, my Mom likes her makeup and fuchsia lipsticks but she doesn't stalk counters like we I do and look for new collections. She will use that one eyeshadow until it's allllll finished and then only think of getting another one.

This year, I was really lost about what to get for her - I circled around the beauty halls in Tangs, Takashimaya and Metro Paragon numerous times because I couldn't get any fragrance, lipsticks or blush as she has declared she is fully stocked! So that left me with eyeshadow as my best option this year - and my mom is a little particular about her eyeshadow. She is only comfortable with the neutral gold shades - nothing too bronze, too dark, too yellow, too shiny.

So after much swatching and testing, hmmming and driving BAs up the wall at several counters, I finally settled on 2 Shu Uemura eyeshadows

IR Soft Gold 370 is a nice soft gold that is neither too yellow nor too bronze. It has a very smooth texture and fine shimmer that won't look garish. I picked a second shade, ME Soft Copper 270 - contrary to it's name, its not really an orangey-bronze shade which coppers usually are. Instead, ME Soft Copper 270 is a soft rose-gold has an overall bronzed tone. I liked it on its own - I love rose gold shades and I hope my Mom loves it too.

The added plus is that ME Soft Copper 270 can be layered on top of IR Soft Gold 370 to create a third shade - a pinked gold. I thought it looked lovely layered.

 

Here are swatches I sneaked from the eyeshadows after I'd given it to her and she tried them out :)

I've since passed my Mom the MAC Paintpot in Let Me Pop so that ME Soft Copper adheres better and stays on longer. She seems to be comfortable with it so far :)

 

I wanted to get something else but just didn't find any other makeup I thought my Mom would like. So I picked up a scented candle for her instead. I know she was pleased with the scent of the Yankee Candle in Vanilla Cupcake I bought recently.

I was torn between Fresh Cut Roses and White Gardenia but I know for sure that my Mom loves white florals like me so this was my eventual pick.My Mom spends a lot of time reading in her room so I think this will be a lovely accompaniment.

 

And finally, I picked up this bracelet from Aldo - I actually bought it a little while ago when I spied it in the store and hid it, saving it for Mother's Day. My Mom always wears bracelets and bangles on her left hand. I knew I hit jackpot with this because she gushed over a similar design when we were watching a Hindi movie!

I love how it glistens and sparkles in the light!

Zero effects added! Love them crystals!

Mother's Day down ... now to rack my brains of what to pick for her birthday. Hopefully the Fall collections will have something lovely I can get her.

Do you pick your brains picking pressies for you Mom or loved ones? What do you usually get? Maybe we can share our ideas and help each other! :)

 

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Thanks for stopping by and have a great day ahead!

 

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Hello!

Short notice but there are 2 tickets up for grabs for the Redken Rock The Runway Hairshow as part of this year's Audi Fashion Festival!

Redken is the official hair sponsor for the Audi Fashion Festival 2012 and to commemorate this, Redken will have it's own hair show, Rock The Runway, where Canadian hairstylist Jorge Joao will showcase his hairstyling expertise, featuring the latest runway hair trends using Redken's hair products.

At the same time, Redken will also be debuting it's new colour range - Chromatics - which boasts a 4 dimension colour result so you can incorporate runway trends into your hairstyle.

The Rock The Runway show is THIS THURSDAY, 17 May 2012 at 10pm.

If you want to be a part of this visual treat - Shu Uemura is the official makeup sponsor for this show, so you can just imagine how fabulous the looks will be! - all you need to do is leave a comment below, answering this question:

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE TO ATTEND THIS REDKEN ROCK THE RUNWAY SHOW?

 

Leave your name and a valid email address which you will check often or if you don't mind, you can also email me your mobile number if you'd like to be contacted via SMS (the time frame is short, hence these "drastic" measures - your number will be kept confidential and erased from my email once this is over!)

There is a pair of tickets to be swept away by one winner. Giveaway closes on TUESDAY, 15 May 2012 8pm so I have enough time to contact the winner!

If you need a reminder of what kind of visual treat you might be in for, here is a collage of the Redken Shapes and Shadows Show I attended last year :)

Good Luck!

UPDATE: GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED AND WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED! THANKS!

 

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Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Redken; tickets kindly sponsored by Redken

Ello!

This week, RMK will be holding a couple of live Hands-On Makeup Classes as part of their 15th Anniversary Celebrations.

Together with RMK's national Trainer, Song Huiping, RMK Makeup Artist Aya Sasaki from Japan will helm the classes - the spotlight will be on the 15th Anniversary Makeup collection.

The makeup classes will be from 18 - 24 May 2012, 11am to 830pm at Takashimaya itself.

There is a registration fee but this is FULLY redeemable for RMK products - essentially, the class is a bonus! :) In addition to this, there are door gifts, a face chart of your personal look as well as a polaroid photo of your look created during the class. The details are as follows:

1 person - SGD$120

2 people - SGD$200 (a savings of SGD$40)

If you're still thinking of something to do with your Mom since the Mother's Day vibe is still in the air, this might be a perfect girls-day-out activity to indulge in. I recently attended a Lancome event with my Mom and we had fun so I know this works! :)

 

If you'd like to sign-up for the classes, please call 62388043 to register.

 

Here are some shots of the previous RMK class I attended last year, with Kosuke Wada, RMK's makeup artist from Japan - lot's of useful and different tips to be learnt!

Somehow, there is a problem with hyperlinking in OnSugar, so here is the URL for the entry I wrote on that makeup class for your reference

http://cocomotion.onsugar.com/-ACTION-RMK-STEP--STEP-SKINCARE-MAKEUP-WORKSHOP-MR-KOSUKE-WADA-PIC-INTENSIVE-16903942

 

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Hope you find this useful! Enjoy the week ahead!

 

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Hello!

I want to gush about This will be a quick review on Laline's Creme De La Creme Whipped Body Creme in Cherry Blossom (SGD$29.90)

I've mentioned many times that I totally detest DETEST moisturisers that leave a heavy moisturised feeling on my skin. And for that, I know it's bad, but I actually skip moisturiser most of the time. And even if I do use any, I'll use it at night just before bed and seek solace in the air-con of my room.

So when I bumped into a friend, Shu, in the Laline boutique, she excitedly asked me if I had tried this Creme De La Creme and I was really hesitant. And I almost fainted when Shu proceeded to squirt a huuuuuuuge blob on creme on me.

 

The description on the packaging describes it as an "airy dose" of fresh cream - the creme contains natural mineral oils, aloe vera and chamomile.

Look at the dispenser - it's almost exactly the same as the ones you see in fresh whipped cream you find in the supermarket.

 

Look! It even dispenses exactly like whipped cream! So pretty!

 

Laline wasn't lying when they said "airy dose" - it REALLY is AIRY, MOUSSEY, FOAMY, SMOOOTH - like meringues being prepared!

And you know what? I was totally surprised - it's possibly the lightest body moisturiser I've ever EVER come across in my life. Totally lightweight, no greasy feeling, no heavy feeling .. nothing. Just smooth and lightly moisturised. Skin LOOKS moisturised with that soft gleam and feels soft and smooth but never do you get this greasy buttered up feeling.

Amazing. Fun to play with but really amazing. Love it! So Thank You to Shu for insisting I try it! If you pop by Laline, do look out for the Creme De La Creme and try it! You just might like it!

 

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Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

 

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