Hello!

Greek beauty brand Apivita has recently launched in Singapore - located on B3 at ION (near Uniqlo and Kiehl's), it offers natural, holistic skin, body, hair care as well as health products like honey, tea and supplements.

Founded by 2 Greek pharmacists, Niki and Nikos Koutsianas for their own pharmacy in Athens, Apivita is inspired by the biodiversity of the Greek flora, the philosophy of Hippocrates and the life of the bee. It's name itself means life of the bee - Apis is Bee while Vita is Life in Latin. To this end, you will see bee products featured prominently in many of Apivita's products - nourishing honey, rejuvenating royal jelly and antiseptic propolis are star ingredients in face, body and hair care in Apivita

Even the store lighting reminds you of the importance of the bee, with the honeycomb design ...

Apivita prides itself for being mostly natural - there are some organic ingredients used in the formulations but they strive for a natural composition of between 85-100%. Many of the ingredients used are grown and harvested in Apivita's own farms to maintain strict levels of quality. All products in the Apivita line are FREE OF PARABENS, PROPYLYENE GLYCOL, SILICONES, ARTIFICIAL COLOURING OR SCENTS.

Apart from the usage of herbs and essential oils together with honey, royal jelly and propolis, Apivtia has also replaced plain water in its products with organic infusions - green tea water, calendula water, rosemary water and witch hazel water. 

****************************************************************************

I had a little tour of the store and I was very attracted to both the chic colourful packaging and the huge range of products - the best part, what we have in our boutique in ION isn't even the entire range. I took a look at the product brochure and it goes on and on and the brand hopes to add more products to the range here soon. 

Let's take a look at some of the products available ...

Starting off with Health Products - I was surprised to see "edibles" in a beauty care boutique. I tried the tea with one of the honeys and I really quite liked it.

Similar to Phyto's hair care (available in Robinsons and Watsons), Apivita also has a haircare oral supplement with Royal Jelly

******************************************************************

Apivita has a dedicated kid's line which is great - it's nice when there is something for everyone to choose from. The kid's range comprises mainly shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

I'm not sure how much of the kid's range is currently available - the snapshot of the brochure below shows the entire range available. I personally wouldn't mind trying the Rose and Honey Conditioner :)

******************************************************************

In terms of Hair Care, Apivita has a wide range of herbal-infused shampoos and conditioners, including an anti-ageing variant

I was a tad disappointed to see that the brand did not bring down the hair dyes for sale in our local boutique - I was totally looking forward to that, seeing how I dye my hair often.

***************************************************************************

In terms of Body Care, Apivita has several ranges to choose from - I like how the different variants tackle different body concerns

Here is a closer look at some of the variants available in store

I forgot to take a whiff of the Body Refresh - it has aloe and fig and I love fig! If you like jasmine scents, you must check out Body Euphoria - it has a strong, sensous jasmine scent about it.

***************************************************************************

There is a large range of Skincare that is FREE OF SLES/SLS, PARABENS, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, SILCONES and MINERAL OILS. The range of skincare covers several skin types like Normal to Dry, Oily to Combination, All Skin Types.

As you can see in the image above, I like how Apivita even indicates the percentage of natural ingredients in the skincare products.

There is also a prized variant in the skincare range called Queen Bee - the star ingredient is Royal Jelly and the Queen Bee products are rejuvenating and meant for slightly more mature skin or skin that is in need of revitalisation.

**********************************************************************

One of the things about Apivita that I was attracted to the moment I walked into the store was this wall of facial and eye masks

There are 2 categories - Express Beauty and Express Gold. Express Beauty is the classic line while Express Gold uses a higher concentration of intensive, premium ingredients.

The Express Beauty masks like Express Beauty with Honey retail at SGD$58 for 12 sachets while the Express Gold like Express Gold with Royal Jelly retails at SGD$72 for 12 sachets.

There are 12 decent sized sachets inside each box

I just used Express Beauty with Propolis today and there is enough product in one sachet to generously cover the whole face and neck. When you do the math, each application of Express Beauty mask works out to be SGD$4.83 while each application of Express Gold mask works out to be SGD$6 - very reasonable.

These are also great for travel - just pop in 2 or 3 sachets in your toiletries bag and you're done. 

********************************************************************

Speaking of travel sized - some of Apivita's products are also available in travel-sizes, like this shower gel and conditioner.

This works well for 2 reasons - one, you can always pick up travel-sized products for a trip or staycation without having to decant products. Two - it's a good way to try scents and products without committing to a huge bottle and a whole lot of cash. 

**********************************************************************

I checked with the store - Apivita has a try-before-you-buy policy on some products so depending on stock and availability, you might be able to get samples to try before purchasing. There are also testers available throughout the store.

When I asked, I was told that Apivita's product range is mid-ranged and affordable - around the range of Kiehls. I have asked for a price list and I will update the entry when I get hold of it.

*****************************************************************************

Overall, I think this is a great new brand to explore - my first experience with Apivita was from a care package I received from a dear reader, Dafne, in Greece - and she mentioned that Apivita was a great Greek household name, like Korres. I'm glad to see it here - 2012 is really the year of great new brands making their presence felt here!

From Apivita, the products I'm most interested in are the Queen Bee range and the Express Gold Mask in Rose and Royal Jelly - there is just something about Royal Jelly that makes me want to try it - I have all sorts of shimmering gold coloured fantasies running through my head each time I hear "Royal Jelly" :P

Pop by and have a look-see ... you never know what might intrigue you!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week ahead!

*********************************************************************************

Disclaimer: This entry contains information extracted from the press file provided by the brand. I am not affiliated to Apivita. All opinions are my own.

Hi!

Where did August go? Seriously - its suddenly almost end August. On the bright side, Fall 2012 collections are slowly making their way around and here is a look at Lancôme's offering for Fall 2012 - Midnight Roses

The Midnight Roses colour collection is designed around the purple colour spectrum - a homage to the most elegant women in the world. Each product in the collection straddles the fine line between mystery and magic but ultimately aims to seduce with its "purple-tinted dimensions". This is the final collection created by Lancôme's current Artistic Director Aaron de May, who was inspired by the romantic, alluring atmosphere of Parisian nights. 

Lancôme Laboratories found that purple - which is revered as an enigmatic and sacred shade which is often associated with royalty - was a shade that was difficult to accurately conjure. However, using Colorimetric Science, Lancôme has since managed to create authentic purple pigments, thanks to a "very fine, new-generation satin-aspect of mother-of-pearl". With this new technology, shades of purple, in contrasting yet complementary textures of matte and gloss, are the stars of this collection.

In Singapore, the 6 piece colour collection comprising 3 lipsticks, 2 Crème de Brilliance in a new cashmere texture and a blush highlighter palette will be available in all Lancôme counters from September 2012 onwards.

Let's take a closer look at the shades available.

********************************************************************************

L'Absolu Nu Lipsticks (SGD$44 each) in 3 sheer shades

3 translucent lipsticks that drench lips with glossy colours - as with many other Lancôme lip products, these L'Absolu Nu lipsticks contain Lancôme's patented anti-ageing complex, Pro-Xylane.

309 Soie de Lilas is a soft, cool-toned lavender rose; 310 Rose Damas is a soft, warm rose; 311 Prune Résille is a deeper shimmering garnet rose - my favourite of the 3.

The lipsticks are meant to be sheer and glossy for a juicy, kissable pout.

********************************************************************************

On the other end of the spectrum, is the new Crème de Brilliance in a new texture for Fall 2012 - L'Absolu Crème de Mat (SGD$40 each). Lancôme describes it has having the "smoothness of a gloss, the coverage of a lipstick and the comfort of a cream" - I just call it cashmere. Rich, opaque and in 2 seductive shades.

There are 2 shades available - 100 Potion d'Amour which Iris recently featured HERE and 300 Magie Pourpre which I am featuring here.

Like the other Crème de Brilliance glosses, the L'Absolu Crème de Mat also comes with a angled flocked applicator - the spear-shaped tip works well to smoothly go around the contours of the lip for even application.

I love both the shade and texture of Magie Pourpre - I wore it out this weekend just to test it out and I loved how it was a tenacious stain, lasting through a meal of roast chicken, salad and potatoes and gelato - there was fading but the colour was still intense and even enough that I could technically get away with not re-applying.

A proper review will be up soon, seeing how I really love this - I might break the lip product ban, if I like Potion d'Amour, when it makes its appearance here.

Magie Pourpre is a deep berried-fuchsia - or it might be a fuchsia-rose? (according to the colour chart in Wikipedia). The colour is so rich, saturated and inviting - gorgeous.

At first, I thought it was more of a reddened shade - a raspberry red perhaps? On me however, the fuchsia tones are very very prominent. In my stash, I found another lip gloss similar in both texture and shade in MAC Kissable Lipcolour in Scandelicious.

Beside MAC Scandelicious (released with the Peacocky and Shop MAC, Cook MAC Collections), you can see how much pinker and brighter Magie Pourpre is. It's really a bright, look-at-me shade and something you can really grow to love.

************************************************************************

Blush Highlighter in 001 Moonlight Rose (SGD$70) is like "reflected moonbeams dancing on the banks of the Seine" much like the soft glow of light that bathes Paris at midnight.

Natural sunlight

Moonlight Rose Blush Highlighter is crafted with a new technology that combines a "high-comfort marshmallow texture with an illuminating effect". It's a weapon in the arsenal of The Come-Hither - it catches and reflects light and illuminates the visage and decollètage.

I was looking at Moonlight Rose and was immediately reminded of a similar-looking highlighter in my stash - Guerlain's Cruel Gardenia

In the pans, you can tell that they are not quite exactly the same - Cruel Gardenia looks much warmer and like a pale rose gold while Moonlight Rose is more of a gilded champagne rose. 

On my skin, upon close inspection, the slightly warmer tone of Cruel Gardenia is apparent, while Moonlight Rose is brighter and a little starker. But in a passing glance, you could say that they pull pretty similar on me.

Both have a soft texture - I'd say that Cruel Gardenia has a slightly more soft, almost creamy finish - Moonlight Rose is not far behind, with its very finely-milled smooth glimmer.

If you had missed Guerlain's Cruel Gardenia and wanted something in the same family, you might want to check out Lancôme's Moonlight Rose. In fact, just check it out anyway - that superlative 3D Lancôme-rose emblem on the highlighter is enough reason to check it out.

I'll use Lancôme Moonlight Rose the same way I use my beloved Cruel Gardenia - I love using a soft application of this atop of matte blushes and it creates a lovely soft-focus glow on the cheeks and catches the light in a very pretty way.

**********************************************************************

Fall and Winter collections are always full of beautiful sultry hues - the notion of allure always takes centrestage and Lancôme's Midnight Roses colour collection for Fall 2012 is no exception. The stars of the collection would definitely be the Crème de Mat glosses and the Blush Highlighter in Moonlight Rose. 

Thanks for stopping by and hope you had a great weekend. Hope the coming week is beautiful!

************************************************************************

Disclaimer: This entry features information and products provided by Lancôme. I am not affiliated to Lancôme; all opinions are my own.

Hello!

A little while ago, I had the opportunity to get a closer look at REN Skincare at Escentials. I've never used anything from REN save a couple of the shower products from the Morrocan Rose range

REN means "clean" in Swedish (and they later found out that it also means "honourable endeavour" in Chinese) and both these terms encapsulate what REN's skincare line stands for - a committment to delivering products born out of new technology, effective and sophisticated and yet, free from all skin unfriendly ingredients. Every REN product has a label on it that reminds the consumer what the product is free from:

*************************************************************************

REN has neatly categorised and colour-coded it's skincare range into 2 large categories - Skin Types  and Skin Concerns

Under Skin Types, there are 5 sub-categories:

So depending on which skintype you have, you can narrow down your choices to that particular range

Products with Grey labels can be used by All Skin Types, Blue labels are meant for Normal Skin Types while the Mustard-Green labels are for those with Combination Skin.

It also has 3 sub-categories with products dealing with specific skin concerns such as Radiance, Anti-Ageing and Blemish Prone.

The products with Orange labels are often geared towards exfoliating and radiance-revealing

You can find out about the entire range of REN skincare products HERE

***********************************************************

To get the best use out of the products, the key is to not only pick the correct products for your skintype and skin concern but to use it in an effective way. Rui Branco, REN's Director of Education, demonstrated a cleansing and soothing skincare ritual, with emphasis on facial massage and lymphatic drainage.

Remember, upwards and outwards is the key to a lifted visage!

************************************************************************

I got to play around with some of the products and let me share with you a couple that caught my eye. 

I didn't manage to snap a picture but the cleansing gel in the Combination range looked and felt great - the Mayblossom T-Zone Control Cleansing Gel which is an anti-bacterial formula to for skin prone to oiliness and breakouts in the T-zone (how about the U-zone?)

*************************************************************************

The No.1 Purity Cleansing Balm is another interesting product ...

The thick, greasy looking balm feels more like a soft butter and starts to breakdown the moment you spread it out. In the collage below, you can see how emollient it looks (#2) and when water touches it (#3 and #4), it emulsifies into a milk. I was taken by how pleasant it smelt and how comfortable and soft skin felt post-cleansing - no greasy feeling at all.

*********************************************************************

A couple of products from the Radiance range also piqued my interest - the Glycoatic Radiance Renewal Mask (orange label pictured below) and the Resurfacing AHA Concentrate.

I have a personal liking for such products - I find that continuous usage of products with AHAs, Glycolic Acids and so on (of course, within a safe concentration) really helps my skin - I deal with minor breakouts around the chin, nose (and sometimes the neck!) as well as uneven skintone - coupled with useless sleeping habits, my skin thanks me for a dose of these resurfacing products.

**************************************************************************

REN has just launched a new sunscreen - Photoactive Sun Veil SPF 15 (SGD$79 / 50ml) which falls in the All Skin Types range.

The sunscreen comes in an opaque pump bottle with a small pump dispenser that controls how much is dispensed.

Photoactive Sun Veil uses submicronised Zinc Oxide to protect the skin against UVA and UVB radiation but is free from chemical sunscreen and nano particles. 

I liked the fact that the base was actually Damascus Rose Water. It also contains flourospheres from Morinda Citrifolia - otherwise known as Noni (Indian Mulberry and actively marketed as Tahitian Noni Juice) - these flourospheres are capable of absorbing UV rays and turning them into visible red light which boosts the expression of elastin - firmer, revitalised skin. Noni is also prized for it anti-inflammation, anti-acne and moisture retention properties when topically applied to the skin.

The sunscreen itself is light and spreads easily on skin; it absorbs fast and there isn't a greasy, sticky feeling or a feeling like it floats on skin.

From what I've noted so far, there isn't a white cast on skin when I'm wearing the Photoactve Sun Veil.

That said, I really wished it was a higher SPF - SPF15 seems miniscule in comparison to the SPF 50 I'm used to. That said, the folks at REN indicated that this can be worn over makeup too - just pat it on gently.

**********************************************************************

I'm looking forward to exploring the REN range a little more - I usually start by trying out the cleansers and I have my eye on the Radiance range. The Glycoactic Radiance Renewal Mask was on my wishlist I posted on Instagram earlier this month

Have you tried anything from REN? Any favourites? Or have you been itching to try? Share! :)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend and week ahead

****************************************************************************

Disclaimer: Product featured was given to me for consideration. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone. Information on REN and Photoactive Veil extracted from press kit provided.

Hello!

Lancome has recently revamped it's eyeshadow range and premiered a range of 22 new eyeshadow singles, Ombre Hypnose Mono Eyeshadows (SGD$36 each).

The eyeshadows come in individual pans in little black square compacts - like squared, mini versions of the Ombre Absolue Palettes.

There are 4 texture variations to choose from - Matte (soft velvety finish); Pearly (luminous silky halo); Iridescent (boosts aura of eyes); Sparkling (dazzling).

All the 4 textures are available in shades of varying intensities - Light, Medium and Intense. Similar to Lancome's Rouge In Love lipstick range, where Lancome takes the guesswork out of deciding which colours to wear at what time of the day, the new Ombre Hypnose Monos fall into 3 categories:

Fresh & Luminous - these light shades are soft and fresh and create a soft halo of light on the eyelids - this range spans soft pinks, beiges and a grey.

*******************************************************

Chic & Sophisticated - these medium shades are bright and edgy and inject a pop of colour. In this range, you will find violets, blues, turquoises and rich bronzes

******************************************************

And finally, Deep & Glamourous - this family of intense shades are bold and smokey - think deep violet, chocolate and iridescent pewter.

Lancome indicates that the eyeshadows can be used on their own or even layered atop of each other to customise your own look. I was more interested in the texture - all the swatches you see above are one single swipe, dry and with no primer. Effortless!

*********************************************************************************

Michelle Phan's visit to Singapore coincided with the launch of these new eyeshadows 

Michelle used these eyeshadows to create a day-to-night look during the demonstration. Here are some shots from that demo.

And the complete look - a soft, chic smokey with killer winged eyeliner ...

..... and you have to see Michelle's eyeliner - I was fixated by it for a moment (and it was perfectly symmetrical).

****************************************************************************

There are a couple of eyeshadow shades that really caught my eye like P207 Bleu de France, S203 Eclats de Violet, P205 Lagon Secret (teal!) but the one that took my breath away was I202 Erika F

When I saw it in the Deep & Glamourous display, I didn't realise it was Erika F - it was a highly coveted Asia-Exclusive shade when it first came out and the beauty community in the US, UK and elsewhere were in a tizzy. In the older packaging - I think the mono eyeshadows were then known as Lancome Ombre Absolue - it was G40. I have it and I loved it. Unfortunately, it looks a sorry sight since I was silly enough to depot it.

Here it is, side-by-side with the new I202 Erika F.

When I saw the display at the Lancome press event, I swore that despite the same name, the eyeshadow was different .. at least a little different. G40 Erika F is gorgeous but I202 Erika F was amazingly sparkly. Let's take a look at the swatches (dry, no primer):

I honestly think I202 Erika F pops a little more - there is a more iridescent finish and it glimmers even more than G40 Erika F.

I also think the base colour is a little more intense in the new version. Maybe my G40 Erika F is very old - but I thought it was just a touch sheerer than the one-swipe-wonder I202 Erika F is. 

The new Erika F totally reminds me of Chanel Epatant (major love!) - it's got that same sparkly pewter characteristic. I think they'll be awesome together.

**************************************************************************

Together with these new eyeshadows, a range of makeup brushes will also be making their appearance - I don't have the details or the price list (I remember someone commenting they weren't terribly expensive either) but they looked and felt really good.

**************************************************************************

If you love iridescent pewter eyeshadows, you must must must check I202 Erika F out - I think it's a superbly versatile shade - you probably can sweep it all over your lids for day and add a smokey contour in the crease for a sexy evening eyelook. 

I'm glad to see beautiful shades in a beautiful formula - these new eyeshadows by Lancome definitely delectable and the simple way of distributing them into different intensity families makes Colour Artistry easy and accessible by all.

Have a look-see and you just might fall in love with one, two or three ...

***************************************************************************

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day ahead

***************************************************************************

Disclaimer: Information extracted from press release; all opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone. I am not affiliated to Lancome

Hi :)

Many moons ago - I really have no idea - NylonSG posted this photo on their Instagram and I immediately sat up.

Mineralised eyeshadows - the HyperCosmos Duos - from Maybelline looked totally awesome in this photo.

As I've mentioned before, I really have a penchant for pigments and mineralised eyeshadows - I have a pretty tidy stash of the MAC mineralised eyeshadows (I've accumulated a couple more since this overview post HERE) as well as a few from Too Face, PUPA, Laura Mercier to name a few.

I love mineralised eyeshadows - the intense colour pay-off and the beautiful pearlised glimmer many of them have are unparalleled, especially when used foiled. The last MAC mineralised collection, Heavenly Creatures, left me a little disappointed given the colours and payoffs seemed different from the usual bang-on formula of MAC.

Just when I moaned that I didn't get my mineralised fix this year, along come these HyperCosmos Duos from Maybelline. And I can definitely say - these didn't disappoint me at all.

Right now, I'm actually missing one colour - LG-1 - and the moment I get it, I'll update this post with a swatch of that shade, Truth be told, I liked these very much and wanted to show you how they looked as soon as I could.

According to the brand, these are produced with a new technology where the baking process removes excess water pigments for a purer, more intense and saturated colour pay-off. The formula is a combination of crushed pearls and pure pigments for what maybelline calls "not-too-dull-not-too-shiny". 

******************************************************************

Let's get the minor grouses out of the way:

• Packaging-wise, these are a little flimsy. The clear domed-case allows an unfettered view of the pan of baked eyeshadow inside but it feels incredibly light. The clasp on all of my eyeshadows were really tight so I'll be careful opening these - don't want any flying out of my hand.  

• The other thing is that the pans of the eyeshadows are not glued on very securely to the base - most, if not all of mine sort of wiggled a little when I swatched them.

And that's it ....

I think I can be a little forgiving, given how well these swatch. I've yet to try them on the eyes and will be sure to showcase them soon but let's just take a look at the swatches.

7 duos - each duo consists of a solid section and a marbelised section in complementary shades - they've covered a good number of bright and wearable eyecolours ranging from pink, blue, green, khaki, gold, bronzey-copper and burgundy. 

You know what I love? All the swatches you see below are done on:

BARE SKIN

NO PRIMER

NO FOILING (DRY SWATCHES)

MEDIUM-INTENSITY 

******************************************************************

Solid: Cornflower Blue

Marbled: Ivory, Light Gold, Light Bronze veining

The marbled half has a bright silvery sheen when swatched; the cornflower blue has the lightest touch of purple and overall, this is one of the lighter and cooler-toned duos. I think the cornflower blue will pop on the lids and I'd love pairing this with a darker purple or blue for contrast too.

*************************************************************************

Solid: Glimmering slight-olive toned gold

Marbled: Aqua blue, olive and dark green veining

When swatched, the marbled section turns into an iridescent gunmetal with a slight khaki-green overcast. I wasn't expecting that shade which was a pleasant surprise. I think this would be a great duo for a smokey eye; the way that khakied gunmetal glimmers is lovely lovely.

**********************************************************************

Solid: Milk Chocolate copper

Marbled: Light bronze, Ivory and Copper veining

The marbelised light copper takes on a very pretty pinked tone once swirled. I think a lot of folks will like this duo - seems so easy and wearable. I'd wear it with a lot of black eyeliner for polished bronze-smokey eye. 

******************************************************************

Solid: Lavender Pink

Marbled: Dirty Brown, Light Bronze and Gunmetal veining

The lavender pink in this duo pulls more pink than purple on me; I was expecting a more purple-toned shade but the silvery gleam and what seems like pink reflects makes this a rather pretty shade. I quite like the Light Taupe that results out of the marbled half - it has a warm, tan hue that doesn't go muddy on my skintone.

***************************************************************

Solid: Salmon Pink

Marbled: Ivory,  Bright Pink veining

I thought this looked like a real pretty blush duo - a corally-salmon and a complementary silver-toned coral for a highlight. This duo has me a little stumped to be honest - the marbled half looks a little stark on my skintone so I'll need to figure out how to incorporate it. I'll probably try the "lightbulb method" or use it in the inner corners (which I rarely ever do!). I'll most likely prefer pairing this salmon with a deeper shade - I think a deep blue, green or pewter will look fab with it.

*********************************************************************

Solid: Burgundy Purple

Marbled: Bronze, Yellow Gold, Gunmetal Black veining

This duo reminded me a little of another MAC mineralised duo I have - Play On Plums - although I'm fairly certain that they are not dupes. The burgundy purple is very rich and jewel-toned and I love the glistening warm tan that results out of the marbled half.

*************************************************************************************

I think for dry swatches and with no primer, these look great. The only one that needed a little more intense swatch was the cornflower blue in BU-1 but again, it wasn't like I needed to go back 3-4 times to pick up colour. 

These were featured in a makeup demonstration by Makeup Maestro Larry Yeo at the recent launch event for Maybelline's new mascara, Lashionista. Larry used one of these HyperCosmo duos on the model - likely CH-1. The glimmer was apparent from even the large screen; you could also see how smoothly and evenly it went on with the brush. According to Larry, when used foiled (I usually dampen my brush with MAC Fix+, these create a more intense application.

Larry Yeo with the Michelle Chong as Golden Tan (click on the video on my side-bar to watch a hilarious YouTube tutorial)

Unfortunately, I don't have clearer shots of the final look but I hope these chaps who drew wolf whistles from the crowd, will serve as compensation

He actually flexed and posed when we demanded asked him to ...

*******************************************************************

Set to launch in September 2012, these new HyperCosmos duos will retail at SGD$17.90 for 2.5gm of product. These are worth taking a look at - smooth, pearlised glimmer, good pigmentation and a good colour selection - I'll be greedy and wish for a few more shades like deep mint, rose gold and emerald green. 

I just have one little grouse - I wished Maybelline had given them proper names instead of codes. There was so much potential for lovely names and surely these baked domes of pearlised pleasure deserve far better than Star Wars robot-esque (CP3O anyone?) names like CP-1 and BU-1.

Looks and a review of the new mascara, Lashionista, will be up soon! 

Till then, thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful weekend

***************************************************************************

Disclaimer: Products featured were provided for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

Hello!

Lush's colour collection made it's debut a little while ago and here's a little bit about it.

30 vibrant colours for eyes and lips in a vegan and cruelty-free formula. The products are all housed in little glass bottles - inspired by Chinese calligraphy ink bottles. They are not only reusable (you can clean it out once your product is finished), they are also practical in that they allow you to see how much product is left.

The collection was developed around the idea of colour therapy - it works 2 ways actually. Picking a particular colour, say a sexy red simply out of gut feeling or attraction - that sexy red turns out to be called POWER. One way to interpret it is that you are feeling powerful that day.

The other application of colour therapy is that if you WANT TO FEEL POWERFUL, choose that particular colour called POWER and this amplifies how you feel. Lush used the nexus between colour and emotions and tested these connections rigourously before finalising the colours and the names of the products.

It's kind of fun actually - both the Singapore and UK Lush websites have the online game which you can try out for yourself (although the colours aren't quite vibrant in the online games - if you want the real spin-the-wheel-deal, head to the Lush store).

Here's how it works and the result which show what I'm "feeling" right this moment as I'm writing this post

I clicked to spin and then chose the 3 colours that I was attracted to the most at that point: a pink, an indigo and a mustardy colour.

And here are my results:

Bubbly ... Control  ... Fantasy ... ok, keep note of these names. There's a link really.

****************************************************************

To be honest, colour therapy is fun and I do agree with it to some extent. Some days, I just crave wearing red lips ... some days I want nothing but black eyeshadow .. other days, as much as I love teal and aqua, I just don't want it. 

But I won't quite leave picking the colours to chance and how I feel - I don't pull off Sky Blue very well and heaven's forbid if Calm (a sky blue cream eyeshadow) is something I pick :P

So really, I'd much prefer the second interpretation of colour therapy - you pick a colour because you feel good about it that day and that subconscious value that is attached to it - Control, Focus, Motivation, Drive, Bubbly (all names of colours in Emotional Brilliance) just amplifies how you feel. Makes a bad day good .. A good day better ...

It's hard not to find something to like - there are 2 shades of eyeliners,15 shades of cream eyeshadows and 13 shades of liquid lipsticks which all retail at SGD$30

These are strong colours - but they are versatile in that they are very blendable and can be sheered out or layered before they set. 

The liquid lipcolours contain a mix of rose wax, jojoba wax and calendula (same as the base of Ultra Balm)

Random lipcolour swatches and the lipcolour applicator 

And then the eyeliners - vibrant and gorgeous

*******************************************************

And to complement these are a Translucent Face Powder, 2 new Skin Tints in a bright highlight shade and a bronze goddess shade (SGD$25 each).

The Emotional Brilliance Translucent Face Powder is formulated with talc, jojoba oil and mica.

The Skintints are really pretty - I think these can also be mixed into foundation for a glowy visage.

***************************************************************

Remember my 3 emotions that were picked when I played the online spin-the-bottle game? Bubbly, Control and Fantasy.

Well, in the entire Emotional Brilliance collection, I have my eye on ONLY ONE PRODUCT - this was the first product I laid my eyes on at the preview and the only product that I decided was a must-have for me. I even took a special, exclusive shot of it ... FANTASY ...

The awesome gold eyeliner in Fantasy. And despite looking a murky mustard in the online colour wheel, I still picked it - I swear it was totally coincidental!

I've yet to get to the Lush store since the collection launched but I must soon - seeing how tonight's game sealed the deal for me. And it doesn't help that Sarah just posted a lovely smokey eyeshadow tutorial, using Fantasy as well. That's 3 reinforcing factors. Oh and not to mention the plethora of gold-coloured makeup I just hauled ... Chanel Diwali, Chanel Routes des Indes de Chanel and then the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Vision.

It's a sign ya?

(Please let there be stock .. please let there be stock)

***********************************************

Thanks for stopping by and have a good day ahead!

**********************************************

Hello!

Anna Sui's new range of eyeshadows have just made their appearance at our counters - all 41 of them. The collection, Rebel Girl, was created by Anna Sui with the image of a strong, independent free-willed girl in mind - one who has a particular taste and her own free will.

With the eyes as the focus of the collection, Rebel Girl marks the debut of 41 shades of eyeshadow, comprising 35 powder eyeshadows and 6 cream eyeshadows. 

Similar to the Shu Uemura Colour Atelier concept, the new Anna Sui eyeshadows come in little pans which can be fit into an ornate black compact. Each compact holds 3 eyeshadows - a nifty little trio to slip into your makeup pouch.

The display of eyeshadows at the counter is fuss-free and has the 41 shades split into cream and powder eyeshadows; the powder eyeshadows as you can see above, are further split into colour families like Green Tone, Yellow Tone and so on, making it easy to choose complementary and contrasting shades to customise your palette. Notably, there are 8 shades under the purple tone, given that purple is Anna Sui's favourite colour.

Here are some random swatches of the eyeshadows:

Some of the shades that caught my eye are 301 (a peachy rose gold), 502 (shimmery taupe-brown), 601 (peachy gold) and 902 (golden olive khaki).

The textures of the pearlised powder eyeshadows are rather good - smooth, with a good gleam about them when swatched. 

Along with the eyeshadows, Anna Sui has also launched 5 new waterproof eyeliner pencils in Deep Black, Pearly White, Midnight Blue, Chocolate Brown and Olive Green, retailing at SGD$28 each.

************************************************************************

The new eyeshadow range looks like it might be a great option for those who are new to colourful makeup and want to explore a range of colours. Each pan is a decent-sized 1gm and retails at a reasonable price of SGD$19 (the previous collection of eyeshadow singles from the Autumn 2010 collection were SGD$35 for 2.4gm of product). The case to hold the 3 eyeshadow pans retails at SGD$16 - a fully customised palette of 3 eyeshadows will thus set you back SGD$73.

Have a swatch and you just might find something you like :)

**************************************************************************

Thanks for stopping by and have a good week ahead!

***************************************************************************

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Anna Sui. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone.

Hello!

I've used several products from the Origins line - Modern Friction for Face and Body, Zero Oil Toner, the Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask and some of the base and point makeup (when it was available in Singapore - they had very pretty eyeshadows and the lipsticks used to come in pink casings). However, Origins has 2 other very famous skincare ranges - Mega Mushroom developed by Dr Andrew Weil for Origins and Plantscription. 

Origins has boosted its Plantscription range and is now a complete anti-ageing arsenal - it currently comprises a face cleanser, a toning lotion, 2 eye treatments and a serum.

The star ingredient used in the entire Plantscription range is the use of Anogeissus. Native to West Africa, Anogeissus is worshipped by the West Africans for its anti-microbial and wound-healing properties. Origins prides it for its ability to protect collagen and boost skin's natural poduction of glycoproteins known as Fibrillin, which results in a firmer, younger-looking complexion.

Previously, the Plantscroption range comprised the star product, the serum and an eye-treatment. The range has now been expanded as a complete skincare routine. Let's take a closer look at the products in the Plantscription range.

*******************************************************

Plantscription Anti-Ageing Cleanser and Treatment Lotion - NEW!

The Anti-Ageing Cleanser (SGD$53 / 150ml) is smooth, creamy and lathers well; so far, I find that it's a very gentle, neutral cleanser - neither is it overly moisturising or hydrating and neither does it strip skin and make skin dry. It contains Anogeissus, Oat Protein, Jasmine Flowers and Aloe Vera.

The Anti-Ageing Treatment Lotion (SGD$58 / 150ml) is a light milky-looking toning lotion - it feels soft and comfortable on skin, similar to how the Japanese and Korean softening lotions feel and aims to deliver softening and conditioning benefits to the skin as a prep to receive the nutrients from the subsequent skincare products to be applied. It contains Anogeissus, Jasmine Flowers, Caffeine and Aloe Leaf.

*****************************************************************************

There are 2 eye products in the Plantscription range. Both eye products retail at SGD$78 / 15ml. The Eye Treatment is an existing product in the range while the Eye Cream is NEW.

The Anti-Ageing Eye Treatment is light-weight and more of a gel-creme texture as you can see on the right. Apart from Anogeissus, it contains Kombucha (fermented black tea; repairs cross-hatching around eyes and saggy eyelids), Scutellaria (to improve skintone) and Magnolia (anti-irritant and reduces dark circles.

The Anti-Ageing Eye Cream in comparison is much richer in texture and is said to be an ultra-hydrating eye cream. It contains Anogeissus, Centaurium (restores elasticity), Cucumber (reduces dark circles), Squalene (rich in essential fatty acids) and Jojoba (moisturises and restores skin's protective barrier).

Here are how the textures look like - you can tell that the Eye TREATMENT is definitely more lightweight.

***************************************************************************

And finally, the star and original product in the Plantscription line, the Anti-Ageing Serum (SGD$118 / 30ml)

The genius that is the Plantscription Anti-Ageing serum is that it is said to have the power of a leading anti-wrinkle prescription ingredient but without the adverse effects of photosensitivity, skin shedding, burning, stinging, redness, dryness, flaking and itching. It is formulated with Anogeissus, Seigesbeckia, Rosemary extract, Vitamin C and Peptides which together, help build collagen and elastin in the skin, reducing depth and length of wrinkles. 

***********************************************************************

The new products in the Origins Plantscription range - the cleanser, treatment lotion and the eye cream will be available at all Origins counters from Aug 2012.

Thanks for stopping by and have a good week :)

**********************************************************************

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Origins; all opinions mentioned are my own. Technical information extracted from press kit furnished by the brand. 

Hello!

Recently launched and currently exclusively available at Changi International Airport, SK-II's latest offering is Stempower.

Stempower is SK-II's latest moisturiser which targets 10 signs of aging

How does it work?

Let's look at what SK-II happens to our skin as we age:

The skin loses its "radical firmness" as we age, creating problems like enlargened pore size, loss of radiance, sagging and so on.

At the cell layer, young cells have a spring structure in the basal layer, hence a springier touch.

So how do we correct the flattened structure and thin epidermis? 

SK-II discovered that in addition to the iconic rejuvenating Pitera, a new ingredient, Stem-Acanax, has the ability to stimulate and activate the root cells, thus re-creating the springy texture of the basal layer, as seen in younger looking skin. The Stem-Acanax is extracted from the root of the Siberian Ginseng.

Studies show that Stem-Acanax has the ability to stimulate the Lift-Protein and improve the springy structure of the basal layer of the skin as seen in the chart below.

The thing about SK-II's Stempower is that it claims to address 10 signs of aging in 10 DAYS. The SK-II Scientists use the Ageless Vector - 1 degree of change is equivalent to 1 year in ageing. A 1 degree increase reflects a 1 year increase in ageing and vice-versa.

And according to SK-II the Stem-Acanax and Pitera have the ability to reverse the ageless vector - it REDUCES the degrees instead, which contributes to younger looking skin. Perhaps not just younger LOOKING since it targets the root cells - perhaps younger skin altogether?

And SK-II has a suggestion as to how Stempower can be used to aid efficacy of the moisturiser:

The massage being demonstrated by SK-II's Beauty Consultant Training Manager from Thailand, the very youthful and pretty Niti - she had beautiful beautiful skin and her nails was the exact same deep crimson as the SK-II box (I know, Off-Topic but it was so distractingly attractive)

***********************************************************************************

I just finished my other moisturiser and have embarked on my Stempower journey last night. While at the SK-II event, I had a skin analysis which I shall share a little with you.

Using the handheld scanner on the left of the picture above, my skin was analysed on 5 dimensions: Firmness, Texture, Radiance, Spot Control and Wrinkle Resilience.

I came out of the analysis with good results in the Firmness (Elasticity) and Texture dimensions - the blue coloured bar indicates the national average in SK-II's database that my results are compared with. The purple stick indicates my results - in which case, I fared above the national average on these 2 dimensions! Yay!

I did ok in the wrinkle resilience area but didn't fare too well in the radiance and spot control dimensions. The recommended regime for me was thus: Facial Treatment Essence, Stempower and the Whitening Spots Specialist. Personally, I would be interested in the Wrinkle Resist also!

***********************************************************

I've since started using Stempower. First I patted in my SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (this is my existing bottle which I've been using for a little while)

And then followed by a generous dollop of Stempower - I think it was a tad too generous actually

It smells slightly similar to the Facial Treatment Essence but much milder.

Texture-wise, it is actually rather dense - it took me a little while to completely massage all the moisturiser in and after that, my skin felt very moist. Very different from the previous moisturiser I was using (the Clarins Hydraquench   range which just disappears into skin). That said, Stempower didn't feel overly oily, greasy or floated on my skin - my skin was also not exceptionally oily this morning when I woke up. But I would definitely stick to just using this at night - I don't think I can handle this texture under my makeup in this heat.

I'm quite intrigued by the 10 Day claims, really. Let's see - I think one good way to see how it might be effective would be to see how much more nicely makeup might go on. Let's hope Stempower does something great for my skin! 

May The Power Be With Me ...

******************************************************************************

Stempower is now available at Changi International Airport and will roll out to the counters soon. It is available in 2 sizes - SGD$149 for a 50gm jar and SGD$219 for a 80gm jar.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week ahead.

*******************************************************************************

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to SK-II. Stempower Moisturiser was provided for consideration. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence featured was purchased with my own money. 

Hello!

Clarins has recently reformulated and launched 3 toning lotions to cater to various skin types. Alcohol-free and packed with star ingredients, these are more like skin care lotions rather than just basic astringents.

The logic behind these toning lotions is the acknowledgement that while cleansing is the fundamental step in skincare, it also can inadverdently remove the "saprophytic flora" of the skin - the flora is essentially the skin's first line of defence against external aggressors and bacteria. To restore this flora and maintain the skin's natural healthy balance, Clarins developed these toning lotions where the Bio-Ecolia, extracted from natural sugars, will help restore and maintain the delicate flora.

Each of the toning lotions focus on supplying nutrients and hydration to the skin - no matter what skin type, oily, dry, combination, hydration is the first step for clean, clear, healthy skin. Hydration falls under more of a skin condition category, rather than skin type. As mentioned above, tests show an increase of 200% in hydration levels after using these new toning lotions.

*****************************************************************

Toning Lotion with Iris - Oily and Combination Skin

Purifies, tones and hydrates skin with purifying ingredientsWitch Hazel - tightens pores, refines skin texture

• Iris - purifies and improves appearance of problem skin

• Aloe - hydrates and soothes

• Bio-Ecolia - balances skin's flora

**************************************************************************

Toning Lotion with Chamomile - Normal to Dry Skin

Restores skin for a supple and velvety feel and preps skin for skincare

• Chamomile and Linden - softening action

• Vitamin A & B5 - regenerates skin surface and hydrates skin

• Vitamin E - protects against free radicals

• Bio-Ecolia - balances skin's delicate flora

***************************************************************************

Extra-Comfort Toning Lotion with Aloe Vera - Dry or Sensitised Skin

Very gentle alcohol-free toner with a light gel texture to meet all needs of sensitised skin

• Linden, Marshmallow and Sweet Almond - soften and comfort skin 

• Aloe Vera - hydrates and soothes

• Bio-Ecolia - balances skin's delicate flora

****************************************************************************

After using these toning lotions, a test panel reported the following, together with a marked increase in hydration.

*************************************************************************

Clarins also suggests how these toning lotions may be used:

As opposed to the usual method of sweeping a cotton-pad soaked with toning lotion, Clarins suggests that these toning lotions can be applied with pressing movements - a little reminiscent of the manual auto-lifting method used with the Clarins Shaping Facial Lift

****************************************************************

I haven't started using these new ones yet as I just bought and am using the Kiehl's Blue Astringent Toner (just before these arrived!). However, in the past, I have tried the Toning Lotion in green for Oily to Combination skin - I can attest to it's gentleness and hydrating effects. For day use, I usually prefer something a little stronger and more astringent as a prep for the day's assault of the oilies. My night skincare routine is a little more relaxed, luxurious and richer and that's where I prefer to use products which are more gentle. From memory, the green toning lotion made skin feel soft and pampered, ready for serum and night cream application.

*****************************************************************

These new skin-loving toning lotions are available at all Clarins counters at SGD$43 each.

*****************************************************************

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

******************************************************************

Disclaimer: Featured products were provided to me by Clarins for consideration. Technical information extracted from press kit provided. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone.