SHINE, SHIMMER & SPARKLE

Hello .. hope you are well :)

A little while ago, I popped by Chanel and picked up 2 items from the Blue Illusion de Chanel Collection. The Blue Illusion de Chanel was inspired by Chanel's haute couture show earlier in 2012, which featured 150 variations of blue - the blue palette for eyes and nails is refreshing, contemporary and the deeper shades are this season's take on the traditional smokey hues of blacks and greys.

There was another Illusion d'Ombre in the collection, Destination - a paler silvery blue which I deliberated on, as did I on the Precision Eye Definer in Aérien - I left after deciding I could live without those 2.

I've yet to wear Apparition but I loved how it sparkled and glimmered in my swatch in-store and in the pot (as seen below)

Chanel's Creative Director Peter Phillips describes Apparition as an "intense greyish blue". 

I usually don't wear my Illusion d'Ombres on their own - I prefer using them as a topper for my eyeshadow, for a pop of glimmer and sparkle on the lids or the centre of my lids. So far, my collection of the Illusion d'Ombres include Vision (gold), Graphite (golden-pewter khaki), Fantasme (sparkly silver white), Illusoire (smokey eggplant) and Riviere (pale teal green) .. and now Apparition.

Her World Plus featured some lovely shots of the backstage action of Chanel's 2012 Spring Summer Haute Couture which featured the Blue Illusion de Chanel makeup, of which I share a couple. You can view the rest of the wonderful photos HERE

My favourite photo of the lot!

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When I first saw these photos of Le Vernis in Skyline, I knew I would HAVE to check it out - rather than a frosty polish, it seems to have that ethereal glow about it that makes it so pretty.

I wasn't wrong ...

Skyline is a pale, pearlescent blue, with the slightest touch of silvery periwinkle to it. When you inspect the bottle closely, you can see ribbons of pearly shimmer coursing though it. 

At first, I thought it might be a touch pale and stark - however, I think the pearlescent quality gives it such a beautiful lustre, it looks like pearls on the hands.

I find that it can look a little deeper or a little brighter depending on lighting or the angle (as seen in the shot below) - it is not a shade-shifter but I think the lustrous quality of the polish lends itself to this nuance.

Taken against the greying evening sky - you can see how there are no grey tones in Skyline at all

It is relatively easy to apply but there are some visible brushstrokes which can probably be minimised further with real meticulous application. I found that a coat of Seche Vite made the brushstrokes a little less obvious though.

I don't have any other polish remotely similar to Skyline so I can't make any comparisons. However, The Beauty Look Book, as usual, has an amazingly comprehensive comparison swatch photo in her blog entry HERE - do check it out and you'll see how the luminous Skyline leaps out at you from the nail wheel.

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Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a beautiful week ahead

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Disclaimer: Products purchased with my own money. Official descriptions and photos of the Chanel haute couture show courtesy of Herworldplus.com

Hola!

Working late into the night is always treacherous - I somehow always end up trawling one website or another and then the tired eyes widen with delight when something new and shiny makes its appearance on my laptop screen. This time, it was Essie's latest addition to its Luxe Effects topcoat range, Stroke Of Brilliance.

Stroke Of Brilliance joins 2 other glitter top coats in the Essie Luxe Effects family - A Cut Above (metallic rose-pink glitter) and Set In Stones (metallic silver glitter).

Essie describes Stroke Of Brilliance as "platinum sparks". I would call Stroke Of Brilliance a metallic periwinkle - platinum is usually a "metallic tint of pale grayish white" (according to Wikipedia's colour descriptions). There is a great deal of a metallic purple-blue-gray tinge to the glitter in Stroke Of Brilliance. That said, it does look deeper and brighter, depending on lighting and angles, as you will see later in the swatches.

There are 3 sizes of metallic periwinkle glitter suspended in the clear base - large hexagon-shaped glitter, small hexagon-shaped glitter and a smattering of tiny micro-glitter - all the glitter is the same metallic periwinkle.

As is with the other 2 glitter top coats, A Cut Above and Set In Stones in the Luxe Effects series, the glitter in Stroke Of Brilliance is dense. You really only need one coat for mostly full coverage of the whole nail.

I love how the base is totally clear, allowing the base colour to shine through and complement the metallic glitter beautifully. The glitter also lays flat once applied to the nail - some other glitter polishes tend to curl or stick out of the nail surface despite topcoat which gets annoyingly scratchy.

I first sported this combination for a pedicure and loved it so much, I've now redone it on my fingers. The base is OPI Do You Lilac It - a creamy lilac and I have one coat of Stroke Of Brilliance atop, sealed off with a coat of Seche Vite quick dry top coat. I think Stroke Of Brilliance will complement whites, baby pinks and creamy greys very well too.

You can see, even in natural lighting (no flash), the metallic periwinkle glitter looks deeper or brighter depending on the angle - it has that reflective quality to it, which is what makes it so alluring.

Outdoors with Flash

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Indoors with Flash

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I purchased my bottle of Stroke of Brilliance from Tammy HERE - what I do love about Tammy is how fast she responds to your queries and how fast she mails the polishes out. I had Stroke of Brilliance in my letter box in a matter of 2 days. 

If you loved the first offerings in the Essie Luxe Effects collection, you really should take a look at Stroke Of Brilliance - beautifull mettalic glitter, fabulous coverage and just so pretty.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fab day ahead :)

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Disclaimer: Product featured was purchased with my own money; all opinions are unbiased

Hi!

Hope you have been good :)

A little while ago during Shu Uemura ION Orchard's 3rd Anniversary Celebrations, I picked up 2 items from the AW2012 Chocolat Donna Collection (click HERE for collection details)

I really should stop picking up the lashes .. really. But I couldn't resist this pair - it's so cute and fluffy but the real deal was that it's small and I forsee myself being able to handle it with far more deft than a full lash - I could always pop it into the outer corners ...

I have amassed quite a few nice pieces in my lash collection and I really must get to wearing them - they're really too pretty to be just sitting in their acrylic cases. Soon, soon ...

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With that frou-frou moment over, let's move on to the more practical aspect of my haul - the Limited Edition Glow On Blush in Framboisier.

Framboisier is special - it has a proper name unlike the other Glow On Blushes which are only given number codes. Framboisier is a slightly cool-toned raspberry shade that has some plum tones in it. What saves it from being overly cool on me is the tiny gold micro-sparkles laced throughout the blush. Rather than a purplish-plum tone (which don't seem to sit well on me), Framboisier turns out to be more of a pretty raspberry flush on me.

Along with Framboisier, the displays in the ION Boutique also featured an apricot-orange Glow On Blush - it turns out that this was another Limited Edition Colour, Apricot. I had received earlier as part of the press kit during the Colour Atelier Sparkling Glitters launch and had wondered why I couldn't find the shade listed in the Shu Uemura websites. According to the Shu Uemura USA website, Apricot or P541 is part of the Chocolat Donna Collection - a "spicy accent to your sweetness".

I've since placed both Apricot and Framboisier in one Prima Palette - the palette was snared at an amazing price thanks to dear Elaine who helped me to pick it up in Hong Kong recently.

You see, I've always wanted to have an orange and pink blush duo to carry around with me. When it comes to blushes, I only wear shades from 2 colour families - coral-orange or pinks (I don't wear lavender, nude, brown or plum blushes because they don't quite agree with me). I used to only carry my beloved NARS Torrid with me in my makeup pouch but I can't use Torrid, which is a golden coral, to touch up my blush on days I happen to be wearing a pink shade - on very very long days, I find that after a blot and a swirl of powder to touch up, a dab of blush refreshes the whole look). And I didn't want to add bulk to my already burgeoning makeup pouch and carry 2 blushes. So the slim Prima palette with these 2 blushes is a great way for me to tote my blushes around. 

Here are the swatches of the 2 shades in my palette

I swatched both blushes heavily in these shots - it's not that they are sheer but the blushes are finely milled and have a delicate sheen about them. This makes it a little more challenging to accurately capture on camera but make these good options to tote around for that subtle touch-up. 

Apricot P541 was a real surprise - it looked almost matte in the pan to me and then when I sheered it out, it blossomed into the prettiest golden sheen.

If you love golden corals and oranges, I think you should most definitely take a look at P541 - I have no idea whether it will be a permanently available shade so the recommended course of action would be to sweep down to a Shu Uemura counter swiftly :)

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Thanks for stopping by and have a great week ahead 

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Disclaimer: All products featured, except P541 Apricot, were purchased with my own money. I have no affiliations to Shu Uemura. All opinions expressed are unbiased and my own. 

Hello :)

The weather is unbearably hot these days - it does rain occasionally but when the sun is out, it's glaring, biting and I feel so hot and bothered. My fan, umbrella and sunblock have become inseparable companions.

I was browsing around Etude House recently and the large font of SPF50 on this canister immediately drew me to it - like a magnet I say. 

The Sun Prise SPF 50 PA+++ Cooling Body Spray had me hooked in one spray.

Like it says, it does feel rather cooling on application - not a minty-cool but just a general cooling feeling. 

But the biggest draw was the texture - it was not sticky or greasy at all. The other spray sunblock I used to use was by Neutrogena - a cooling formula that smelt of cucumbers but that was far more oily-feeling than Etude House's Sun Prise (and that Neutrogena one was the least greasy one I found in Watsons at that point).

Sun Prise is packaged in a metal canister - much like an aerosol spray with a super fine nozzle

The sunblock is dispensed in a very fine mist - the liquid is a little milky looking and leaves a slight cast on my arms but the cast goes away after about 5-10 minutes. 

I tried so hard to get a shot of the super fine mist but it's literally invisible when sprayed in the air - the best I could do was a night shot (where the camera decided that the lights of the far away buildings was far more interesting to focus on).

Here is the ingredients list

Among natural ingredients like Aloe Vera, Mangosteen and Eucalyptus, the main active ingredient is Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate - a chemical sunscreen which protects the skin from sunburn by absorbing, reflecting or scattering UV rays (this is the same ingredient found in the Olay White Radiance Sunblock I'm curently using).

Ok, here's the frou-frou part - the scent. It's scented like BABY POWDER. No fruit, cucumber, lotion nonsense - but soft, powdery, unobstrusive, comforting baby powder. That's the deal clincher for me. 

I love spray sunblocks / sunscreens like these because they are convenient to apply - I'll confess I'm very religious about sunscreen on my face but often forget about my limbs so I usually keep one of these in the car. The spray canister allows me to use this on the go and there is no mess or grease on the palms. Best of all, it makes re-application a cinch. The cooling formula definitely is a bonus.

I threw away the receipt so I can't confirm but I think this retails for about SGD$24. It's probably way cheaper to purchase in Korea (everyone says that!) but I'm glad I took the plunge and purchased it.

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Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

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Disclaimer: Product purchased with my own money. All opinions are my own. I am not affiliated to Etude House.

Hi!

I recently picked up the Ettusais Foamy Rich Mousse (SGD$32) at the last Metro 20% sale and I must say, I really really love it! 

I have this thing about facial cleansers - apart from the stinky green anti-bacterial neem soap I'm sometimes compelled to use, I use a facial cleanser daily. I usually have 2 open (ok, at least 2) - on inside the bathroom to use in the shower and the other in the sink area where I wash my face (during the day or before bed).

I like good, robust cleansers - it's not that I'm sadistic and want a stripped, squeaky-clean feeling (which can do more harm to the skin actually), but I like a robust cleanser that gets all the grime off and leaves the skin feeling fresh and clean. Not too moisturised - I have serums, lotions, milks and moisturisers for that.

Ettusais' new Foamy Rich Mousse does just that - it is robust cleanser in that it is formulated with Ettusais' star ingredient AC Control Oil which helps with keeping skin acne-free. At the same time, skin doesn't feel tight or stripped given Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin and Collagen in its formula.

According to Ettusais, here are the main features of the Foamy Rich Mousse

Ettusais has dubbed it has having 5 functions ...

Ettusais indicates that it can be used to clean off makeup - I haven't tried that yet and to be honest, don't quite intend to - I'm a firm believer of double cleansing and always prefer to use a cleansing oil to remove all my base and point makeup and then a good cleanser to clean off everything else. 

Foam massage is apparently a popular skincare method used in Japan. Ettusais indicates that foam massage is a great way to gently massage the skin - massage in turn is clears and evens out skintone as temperature rise, increasing blood circulation (and perhaps draining toxins away).

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Packaging-wise, the aerosol canister has a safety-mechanism on the cap so you won't go accidentally shooting yourself with foam - or it making a mess in your toiletries bag.

Lift up the safety flap and dispense the foam out through the small nozzle- once you learn how to control the pressure, you can easily control the amount of foam dispensed. It really dispenses with that swooshing sound you hear with whipped cream.

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How do you use it? Ettusais recommends massaging 2 ping-pong sized balls of foam in circular motions as depicted in the diagram below, avoiding the eye area.

My favourite way to use this fresh citrus-scented foam cleanser is on dry skin - there is somehow so much traction from the foam and skin really feels like it has gotten a thorough cleansing and yet, the foam is so gentle. It's a great way to start and end the day.

I know - you're probably wondering that the word foam, rich and mousse appears numerous times in the text but where is it? I saved the best for last ...

Here it is, in all its rich, moussey, foamy, dense, pristine white glory ...

Whipped, fluffy, airy and yet so dense and rich ... Beautiful contradictions are the best!

I forgot to mention - I was debating between this and another foaming cleanser and Joey's quick review via What's App sealed the deal for me! Thanks Joey! Check out what she has to say about it in her Day Skincare Routine entry HERE

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Thanks for stopping by and have a great day ahead!

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Disclaimer: Product purchased with my own money. This entry contains information provided by Ettusais. All opinions are my own; I am not affiliated to Ettusais. 

Hello :)

If you buy one glitter polish this season, it really must be Make A Spectacle from China Glaze Halloween Collection, Wicked.

I never do this - I never call anything a must-have or must-buy but I think this is one amazingly arresting polish that any glitter polish lover must have in their collection. I think even non-glitter polish lovers will appreciate this.

Make A Spectacle consists of medium-sized flat discs of iridescent glitter that largely flash aqua-blue and golden-orange and some pink; the clear base has a smattering of tiny micro-glitter that flash the same 3 colours. The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw it was iridescent fish scales. I googled that and lo behold, I was right - there is a fish that has a similar golden-orange aqua-blue, pink flash

The Sicydium Punctatum - a variety of the Goby fish in the Caribbean (the Marble Goby is served in Chinese restaurants here by the way - I've eaten it before)

I picked it up at the flea at SCAPE (Dyon International's stall) because it was glistening in the sun. Then I put it back because I thought, hmmm, it looks like something I own already. But it kept glistening and a little voice went "Buy Me Buy Me Buy Me" and so I did.

No regrets.

Depending on the base colour and the way the light hits it, this iridescent glitter topper can look different. After a little experimenting, I found that it looks the best on bright blue - a combination I'm sporting on my feet right now. No feet pics and my fingers are all super short so I've swatched these on a nailwheel. 

All nail swatches are without flash - these were somehow a little difficult to photograph and I had no sun in my balcony today. Flash just makes everything look dark somehow - can't see the gorgeous details at all. I didn't want to adjust the colour so in real life, these are a tad more vibrant.

Note: All swatches are with 2 coats of coloured polish, 1 coat of China Glaze Make A Spectacle and 1 coat of Model's Own Topcoat.

On red and maroon, the glitter in Make A Spectacle flashes more golden orange and green; the aqua blue flash is apparent only in certain angles. It also made Velvet Bow look a little deeper than it actually is.

On white, Make A Spectacle looks lovely and ethereal - it flashes a very subtle pale aqua, lilac and a silvery pink instead, which is more clearly seen in this shot below:

Make A Spectacle looks the best on deeper blues and greens as you can see below

On black and dark navy, the glitter discs in Make A Spectacle behave in a tri-chrome manner - they flash green, gold and aqua depending on the angle the light hits it. 

On green, the glitter is primarily a golden-orange and green-toned flash as you see with the swatch of Bourjois Vert Chlorphylle.

The best effect is on the bright blues - you get this amazing duochrome flash of very bright aqua and gorgeous peachy gold. You can possibly entertain yourself flexing your fingers and toes, I say.

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How do these match up to other iridescent topcoats in my stash? I rummaged through and came up with 3 others to compare to.

I'm not comparing these to any of my flakies polishes like Zoya Maisie because the shape of the glitter is totally different.

To be honest, my heart skipped a beat when I saw China Glaze Snow Globe (Holiday 2011) - it looks like a very close contender in the bottle. But once applied ... totally different.

Anna Sui 012 and DL Stairway To Heaven are much less dense than Make A Spectacle.

Anna Sui 012 has octagon-shaped glitter that flashes a deeper green and orange while DL Stairway To Heaven has square and octagon shaped glitter than flash a deep aqua and iridescent orange.

China Glaze Snowglobe is the closest - unlike Make A Spectacle, it actually has 3 different sizes of glitter: medium, small and micro-glitter. The micro-glitter in Snowglobe is still a little larger than the micro-glitter in Make A Spectacle and it also twinkles an iridescent purple-blue. Both have clear bases.

To be honest, I prefer Make A Spectacle to Snow Globe - it just looks ... nicer.

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Formula-wise, this polish is great - all the above swatches are just ONE COAT. The polish dries rather smooth and flat (unlike some mylar flakies which stick out of the top coat). The thing is that Make A Spectacle tends to dry a little semi-matte so you need topcoat for a more polished finish. 

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It's amazing - I've acquired so many new polishes (some Indie glitter ones even) and I love all of them but Make A Spectacle is really the most alluring of them all. You really have to see it in person ... let it toy with your emotions and play with your mind .. like the siren of a mermaid sitting on a boulder, her mermaid scales glistening .. something like this? 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week ahead!

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Disclaimer: Products featured purchased with my own money.

Hello!

A little while ago, I made an online order at Everyday Minerals and got myself 4 brushes. 

Amazing. And I'm so annoyed with myself for not having checked them out earlier. It started off with wanting a brush for contouring and then one thing led to another - it also helped that Chantana is a great fan of the Everyday Minerals brushes so I discussed my order with her too.

I picked up 3 brushes under the Custom Kit where you can pick 3 items at 25% off and then added one more brush 'a la carte' to the order. The only problem with the Custom Kit is that the system allows you to only order one set at a time - so you can't beat the system and save on shipping in that way. Despite that, this was far from a shabby deal - all 4 brushes cost me USD$52.23 inclusive of shipping (works out to be about SGD$68). That averages out to about SGD$17 a brush, which is very decent.

Let's take a closer look at what I hauled:

The Itahake Brush

It fits snugly in the hand - I do wish the edges of the brush handle were a little more rounded but it's not a big issue. The bristles are very smooth and silky feeling and they pick up product well. I use this primarily for contouring around the jawline and sometimes along the cheekbones. It doesn't leave a patch of colour and blends well enough without losing too much definition.

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The Kuuki Brush

Don't be fooled by the apparently slender appearance of the paddle-shaped Kuuki brush. It's bristles are actually pretty dense. Again, very smooth feeling. I don't have very many large brushes so in my stash, this is the closest to my MAC 134 which I use to sweep loose powder all over my face. I use the Kuuki brush in the same way. 

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Then we have the Tapered Sculpting Face Brush

I have yet to use the Tapered Sculpting Face Brush - the Everyday Minerals website indicates it's good for contouring, highlighting and blending face powders. I've yet to try it but I think I might want to use this with my Guerlain Meteorites and see how it works. 

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And finally, the Double Ended Angled Blush and Mineral Brush

I mistakenly used the Mineral Brush end to apply blush and I was wondering why it was so floppy and  big - it's for mineral products! That said, I used this to diffuse blush one day (since it already had a touch of blusher on it) and I must say it worked well. Another one that looks slender but is actually rather dense.

I love the angled blush end ...

It's pretty compact and the width is slim so I can actually use it to contour my cheeks - I've recently been using a deeper matte blush in Bobbi Brown Cranberry to contour the cheek and this does a great job. It doesn't kick up any powder and I just need to dab it gently on the blush pan. I like how it can apply and diffuse the colour well - it's small enough that I can use it on my forehead/temples too (using Larry's method of 3D definition of the face by taking a very very soft blush application at the temples)

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I love these brushes - they work great with the products I have and they feel so soft and silky against the skin. A couple of my other brushes (those from Etude House which I used to adore) unfortunately now pale in comparison to the feel of these brushes. 

I've washed them several times with my Make Up Store Brush Cleaning Soap and I've not had these brushes shed at all. No bleeding of colour either. Partly the greatness of the soap - but also partly the good quality of the brushes - these rinsed out fast and easy and dried well; I shaped them with my hands and let them dry and no wonky bristles (touchwood!)

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If you haven't already, these brushes are totally worth checking out given how good they are at such an affordable price. These are also well-made and sturdy judging from how my friends Amy and Chantana seem to be using their brushes for years; add to that a Cruelty-Free ethos and you have a winner. 

Everyday Minerals has recently released a new brush, the Angled Face Brush, which looks rather interesting - it looks even more interesting given that it is at an offer price of USD$9.99, down from the regular USD$12.99.

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Thanks for stopping by and have a good week.

I'm unwell and have work to finish so I'll be a little quiet these few days.

Hope you do better :)

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Disclaimer: All products featured purchased with my own money. All opinions are my own.

Hi ...

Seriously .. I don't know how long this palette challenge is going to take me (especially since I haven't had a chance to take any LOTDs recently with the ones that are already in the pile). 

And then, I discovered this tucked away this evening .. Clarins, Dior, Shu Uemura, Lancome, Urban Decay and a bunch of Sleek palettes.

A bag that probably could rival Santa Claus' on a bad day. I used to pride myself for never forgetting what I bought but I got a little stunned when I found these. 

And what prompted this find? I was looking at Mag's swatches of the new Sleek Glory I-Divine Palette this afternoon HERE and wanted to get the palette seeing how pretty the pearlescent shades were.

And then I remembered buying a couple of Sleek palettes but don't ever recall posting the pics here or even using them. A little rummaging later, not only did I find the brand new Sleek palettes, I unearthed this bag. Places a new perspective on the term "goodie bag" ya?

And here are the neglected Sleek palettes. I should use them because I love the colours in them and I don't understand how I missed them. I'm a little ashamed of myself and this entry will serve as a reminder.

Let's start off with the biggest shameful revelation of all. The PPQ Me, Myself and Eye palette

I didn't realise I own this. I don't recall ordering it... it appears I have amnesia in the case of this PPQ palette....

... because my account at the Sleek website says I ordered it (for myself and 3 friends) in SEPTEMBER 2011. Almost a (frikking) year ago. That aside, a pretty palette and lots of colour combinations.

Click HERE for Chantana's swatches of the PPQ palette

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This one I vividly remember - the Sleek Safari palette. I wanted this SO badly (and yet, I haven't used it!) but it was limited edition and not on the Sleek website by the time I found out about it. 

And then one morning, Iris (who was away at that time I think) sent me a text at 5+ in the morning, excitedly telling me that she found it on eBay. I even remember her text - it started off with a "wake up wake up". And she ordered it and had it shipped to my address. This one didn't have a box but I didn't care - I love greens and this is wowza. I think I shall use it this weekend.

Again, Chantana has swatches of these HERE

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Then we have the Oh So Special palette which again, Iris found at the Superdrug in the UK. I remember it was exceptionally hard for her to find, given how neutrals are loved the world over. It's currently available on the Sleek website.

I'll admit. I liked this palette then. But I think I like it more now. I've come to like more neutral shades and I'm comfortable using them now as I've mentioned in some of the more recent posts. In a way, I think it's a good thing this got packed away - I think I'll appreciate this even more and enjoy the shades in this now. I've grown up :P

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And finally, the Sleek Curacao Palette from the Carribean Collection.

Another collection I stalked the Sleek website for (I think Iris might have CP-ed this for me also). Sleek released 2 colourful palettes last year and the Monaco palette from the Carribean collection came out first (which I ordered and I have used!). In comparison, I think this Curacao palette is a little more bright and vibrant - the shades in this palette are named after cocktails :) 

Click HERE for swatches on Karla Sugar of both Oh So Special and Curacao

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So there we have it - evidence that I pack away stuff too well. Actually I think I need more Muji drawers - the current palette drawer has no space and that's why all these palettes and the rest of the goodies in that bag got packed away. So it's the space-challenged Muji drawer's fault that these got neglected actually.

I'm glad I found these palettes - shopping the stash and these Lost and Found encounters are always fun (unless it unleashes buyer's remorse).

I hope to feature these real soon!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you're having a fabulous week so far!

And one more thing, a big thanks to all you lovely readers and a Hello and Thank You to all the new followers. I really appreciate it 

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Disclaimer: All products featured were purchased with my own money. I am not affiliated to Sleek Makeup.  

Hola!

A quick entry on a recent haul I made over the weekend - the Chanel Bombay Express Collection made its appearance exclusively at the Chanel counter in Takashimaya and I jetted off to make some of it mine. Looking at collection images online, I decided that I wanted the Routes de Indes de Chanel Illuminating powder and the nail polish in Diwali. And exactly what I picked up!

"The makeup of the "Paris-Bombay" runway show whisks us away to a fantasised India where the mystery of black meets the sparkle of gold"

I like that hot pink charm - would have been even more awesome had it been in gold!

Truth be told, this is the 2nd Chanel gold collection I purchased from - I previously picked up the highlight powder, Lucky Stripes and the vernis Gold Fingers, from the Vegas Collection - packed it away and forgot about it. I recently "unearthed" that treasure - I should feature it and call it "Treasure Hunt" :P

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I wanted Diwali the moment I saw it - from the online images, it looked very different from Gold Fingers and Delight but sometimes online images can be deceiving. Not with Diwali. It was exactly how I envisioned it to be.

A beautiful pale gold foil polish shot through with loads of silver sparkles - it's been referred to as a gold-silver hybrid. 

It had me very enamoured just from the swatch I did in-store (on scotch tape) - I'm waiting for my nails to grow out a little before I wear this. And I'm definitely wearing this for Diwali this year.

I've mentioned before foil polishes are one of my favourite finishes - I'm so glad Chanel did another one in Diwali to complement Graphite and Delight.

Imagine an aqua or teal in this finish?

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I also picked up Route des Indes de Chanel ... a total extravagance (and not to mention how brand new Lucky Stripes is staring at me in my face). But it was rather hard to pass up.

The illuminating powder is gorgeous to look at in the pan - you should check out that gleam in the store lighting. Breathtaking.

The embossed design looks like a lotus flower - and the lotus is the national flower of India, which goes very well with the theme. 

The design on the highlight powder is apparently inspired by a rare piece of fabric from an Indian-themed collection created by Chanel in the 1960s. 

The highlight powder glistens with an overspray of silver glitter - the overspray isn't the finest and can be brushed off rather easily. In the slightly blurred shot below, you can see how that silver glitter gives the highlight powder that glistening, glimmering effect.

But unlike some other highlighters released in other brands and collections recently, the glimmering overspray does not sweep away to reveal a matte highlight powder. 

What lies beneath is a gorgeous, yellow-toned gold powder with very soft, fine shimmer. It doesn't have the frostiness or starkness I've seen in some of my other highlighters. A very elegant look - rather than shimmer or frost, what you'll see is a delicate glow.

I only wished that Chanel did something different to the compact for this collection - like a gold imprint on the casing in a similar design ... that would have just really brought it all together. 

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If you like gold-toned makeup, this is definitely something worth checking out - it's definitely not a must have - with Diwali at SGD$37 and Routes des Indes de Chanel at SGD$100 - these are luxurious little treats. I'll dub them presents to myself to reward myself for all the hard work I am GOING to do ...

I'll be sure to feature these in upcoming entries!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fab week!

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Disclaimer: Products featured purchased with my own money. I am not affiliated to Chanel. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone.

Hi!

I popped by the Dior counter to compare the Croisette Collection's teal eyeliner to a Chanel one and I got totally distracted - and ended up with Dior Vernis in Metallic Silver.

Practically the same shade as one of my favourite "snake print" pearl necklaces, Metallic Silver is one of 5 polishes released in the Anselm Reyle Collection.

I remember Joey posted the collection details sometime back and it was to have launched in May 2012. I can't remember if I saw it back then but it was prominently displayed at the Takashimaya counter this weekend and the BA told me its new and exclusive to Takashimaya.

Truth be told, the blue (Electric Blue) stole my heart but I swore I have similar blues in my stash and passed. Well, I likely have similar shades to Metallic Silver (off the top of my head, OPI Suzi Skies In The Pyrenees Suede seems to be in the same colour family but the finish is totally different) - but Electric Blue is a creme and Metallic Silver is a foil finish. Foil Finishes Finish First. :)

Even in shaded natural light, the ribbons of metallic silver run through the polish so prominently. It's beautiful!

In terms of finish, this Dior polish reminds me very much of the foil finish of the RMK one I love in Shiny Red (reviewed HERE) - Metallic Silver looks like it has a lot of glitter in it but there is virtually zero grit or roughness. It dries to a smooth, sleek finish, made even smoother by topcoat.

Swatches of Metallic Silver are done with base coat. 2 coats of Metallic Silver and 1 coat of Seche Vite

The gunmetal polish has ribbons of silver micro-glitter accentuated by a generous sprinkling of fine aqua micro-glitter in it. It's only visible if you look really closely at the bottle. However, the aqua micro-glitter gives Metallic Silver a little of a blue flash in some lighting, which is nice, like in the shot below.

I love foil finish polishes - I've come to realise that foil finish polishes are more elegant than glitter polishes and they are often conversation starters - RMK Shiny Red gets a LOT of questions and passes the "Distraction Test" with flying colours. (PS: The Distraction Test is when in mid-conversation, someone cuts you off halfway to ask what polish you are wearing)

I love Metallic Silver for the same reason - it's very shiny and sparkly and the shade straddles the dark and bright spectrums. It's not too deep like a black glitter polish and neither is it too light like a silver. I have some ideas for nail art with this too - I'll be sure to post it when I get it done.

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I just hauled me some Chanel over the weekend and now I'm looking forward to seeing the new quints and the nail polish duo from the Dior Golden Jungle Collection. And Guerlain has new blushes out soon.

^$$$^ (see the wings on the $$$?)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

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Disclaimer: Product featured was purchased with my own money.