Love Eve Beauty

Hello Kitty x Marks and Spencer custom purchase open

2010-07-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Custom purchase is now available for this range of Hello kitty x marks and spencer make up. due to release in 3 weeks time.

Customer with over £20 purchase will get a free Hello Kitty London sticker

All order can email to admin@loveeveltd.com

Website for custom purchase is : www.loveeveltd.com

Unlike - JuJu aquamoist

2010-07-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

I have been trying my heart and soul out to like this JuJu Aquamoist series. This is just one of the product from JuJu Aquamoist that I try my best to like. oh no.. it didn't work out.

Let me present you another product that didn't work out for me.

The serum...

I really tried. I read and reread the instruction and still cannot get it work for me.

Reason for unlike:

1. It does not suit my skin. it leaves a very sticky feeling to my skin, no matter how thinly i spread it, before or after toner, morning or evening. The stickiness on my skin really irritates me. S tried so hard to attach my eye shield with tapes at night and he complain ' your face is so sticky and I can't attach the tapes on it' that's how bad it is

2. It does not work even it is in winter. Lets suppose that it moisturizes skin. So, if it is a gel moisturizer I suppose it works in summer better than winter? oh no.. get your blot paper out if you want to use this. I try to use this even in a UK summer weather (nice and dry and not hot at all) still. it just stick. Even in winter, it still sticks

3. Why not use it as gel mask? or apply another layer of moisturizer? i tried. still doesn't work. I don't want to feel like thousands of bees stick to my face if I use it as gel mask.

So verdict:

stay away from it.

If you still want it, you are welcome to get it from me. I'm selling this for USD $5. Maximum use : 10 times (finger lightly dip in it)

Surviving British Summer - laneige power essential skin ex rules

2010-07-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

This summer is driving my absolutely up the wall. I am barely surviving because of the heat. i know it is nothing compare to Hong Kong, but still, my skin went riot and I need to change my routine completely.

I'll split this summer special skincare review bits by bits, I'll write a specific product I tried this summer (since the heatwave started) and review them.

First.. is my saviour.. without this. My skin will give me bums, pimples, etc.

Laneige Power Essential Skin EX

What's this?

It is difficult to explain. I was given this my a friend and later pruchase it for a different purpose. My friend gave this when I asked her to CP me a toner. I bought this to use as a toner mask. But this summer, I am using this as a moisturiser. Can I just say this is multi-purpose then?

Price:

I paid around $160 HKD, which is £13.5/$20USD

Sasa.com selling this for $149.00, which is $19 USD

Yesstyle.com is selling this including International mail (to anywhere in the world) for USD $49.00

How to use:

put some on a cotton and whip your face with it.

Alternatively, buy some dry paper mask and soak the toner up and have a toner mask in the morning :)

My verdict:

As a toner mask, it works. i love the smell and the feel, and my face feels refreshing. It is rather cheap and doesn't hurt the bank. i started using this as a toner mask since 2007, when I was really poor and I can only afford toner mask (there's no My beauty diary masks available then..)

I only discover this as a moisturiser this summer because nothing works on me anymore. Anything I put on which is vaguely called 'moisturiser' (you name it... JuJu moisturising gel, Boots Vanishing Cream..) they just become oil and stick on my skin.. and S had lots of problem to put the eye shield on for me at night because my face is soo oily that the tapes does not stick.

So I need to seek another way to moisturize and thought I'll just put some 'thicker' texture toner as moisturizer and hope the best. And this works.. skin immediately stop having red spots, pimples etc

Laneige is my summer saviour for now. I run out of IPSA metabolizer but don't want to spend money to haul IPSA to UK ($80 USDDDDDDD)... so I'm digging out everything I had and try again..

Will talk about the other products that work next post....

Halo girls... back from the surgery

2010-06-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

do you miss me?

Hiya, I'm back!!! I have had some good rest throughout the week, including my mom and bro calling me to make sure i stay off internet. If you are on twitter you know that I've been twitting even 5 mins after the op. but hey, I can see and now has 20/20 vision.

I want to blog about my experience before i forgot. If you ever think about geting laser surgery you can consider after my own experience

I arrived at the clinic with the football match, France vs South Africa on. I was the first one that afternoon so the nurses all came out watching the match. We had a bit of chat so everything went smoothly.

I won't bore you the details how they zap me 8 times but everything went ok, and it was painless. The aftermath is I ended up with swollen eyes and need to wear eyeshield for 2 weeks. Please stop laughing after you look at this pic.

My first night after surgery. Very swollen eyes (is lack of sleep) and with eye shield to prevent me from rubbing my eyes at night (yes, is Hello Kitty Pyjamas)

That's me next day up and ready to for my check-up. Top from Bread and butter and my green leggings from Taobao hehe

The worst thing that no one talks about are the eyedrops. This is what I got after a week, my left eye is a bit inflamed so I got given more eye drops

And that's me after 1 week. Still wearing my sunglasses, and I had too much time so everything I wore there comes from the internet which I ordered within 1 week.

Top : Fred perry top (1/2 price) with a black skirt from Urban Outfitters

Bag: Vivienne Westwood Green Tartan Orb (courtesy of ebay) with receipt bought from genuine VW shop

Iphone case: Paperchase, is a colourful butterfly case which I love. (but looking at the Sena Wallet case hmmm)

I promise my next blog will be beauty related...

Goodbye online world.. We'll see each other again... soon

2010-06-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the day I have my eye surgery. no idea if it'll be a success (yes everyone says it'll be but I'm scared to death) I wave goodbye to you until my eyes can see.

Before my surgery been doing shopping (we love shopping) to prepare myself of the next few days

ready made meal, no brainer meal that you can just put in microwave and ready to eat
face wipes. As no water can go into your eyes, you can wash your face
no makeup for 2 weeks. (I wanna ask can I at least wear concealer?)
extra painkillers
tidy the flat. to make sure only cats are the only obstacle from room to kitchen or toilet

so off I go now.. We'll see each other soon

CP Fr Hong Kong and my little business

2010-06-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

I'm the cutest cat in the world by Mui Chu

so continuing on my haul.. I recently asked a friend to help out to get two pieces of clothing from a local Hong kong brand called th.

they managed to get the copyright of Creamy Mami, a famous cartoon from my era hehe

so this is what i got...

Creamy Mami t-shirt

On the label, it also has the stickers :) and oh my god... it is even cuter with the prints

also got this little dress

the ribbon makes it sooo cute... I couldn't resist the tempation not getting this

So my business...

I actually run an online business outside the blogasphere. I help people to CP stuff back to Hong Kong and been working for over 1 year now. Some of my customers found this blog so I may just speak here.

I mainly CP anything (from t-shirts, vivienne westwood shoes, to even facial machines, and a greenhouse) to anywhere in the world, but I focus on helping Hong Kong customers. And this is my company website:

www.loveeveltd.com

I am also looking to expand the business by offering CP from Hong Kong and other places around the world. And primarily, Japan, Korea, USA, China and Malaysia. If anyone is looking for some business experience and opportunity, please let me know.

I need someone who are good at internet shopping, have a bank account and good at fashion for this job. (Some space at home to store items is a bonus) This can be either dealing with customers from where you are, or helping to stock whatever the customer need. I now have someone from Hong Kong so if you are any of the above region, feel free to contact me direct at eve@loveeveltd.com

Although the website is primarily in Chinese, don't worry, most of our customers speak English so language is not a problem.

The business is definitely expanding and hence I'm delegating this business out more.

So this is my little blurb abt my business.

Taobao haul - real size Hello Kitty handbag

2010-06-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

I just did a massive Taobao haul last week. Taobao? what's taobao. It is the China version of ebay, but rather than bidding, it is like online shops (so more towards the Gmarket concept). I need some red pockets for my wedding and some practice exercise for my JLPT exams in Dec. when it is only £2 per book compare to £16, you know where i want to buy them

I might one day write a guide on how to taobao... rather complicated especially you are from overseas. Taobao is strictly a Chinese only website and although it is only open to the China region customers, there's a way getting round that problem and buy super cheap goods.

picture heavy, here it goes

Who doesn't fall for this gorgeous Hello Kitty Handbag? It is made of shiny plastic wire and crystals...
It is one of its kind... they have purple, pink, and yellow in colour and different sizes as well. Mine is between a medium and large (60cm)

A jill stuart inspired dress in Chiffon. I really can't say no for this.. cost of £15.

A pair of camelia sandals and some redpockets for our wedding (I think is around £7 for both?)

A Black Camelia Print handbag (roughly £30)

see I love Camelia...

I also hauled from Hong Kong with the help with a friend... and I'll talk about my little business that I run behind this blog as well (it is all about hauling)

Cosmetic surgery? Laser eye surgery - consultation day

2010-06-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

Goodbye to glasses and hello to circle lens?

Anygirls here are short-sighted, long sighted and with axis? I am short-sighted since the age of 6 and it doesn't get any worse. I'm a -10.5 with axis and basically I go blind with I don't wear glasses. It is so bad that i can't play with circle lens as they're just not strong enough for my eyes.

Reason why i do this post is so that anyone out there thinking of laser surgery can be more informative. not many post is dedicated over the pre-consultation, and despite the high successful rate, the internet is filled with horror stories. I find it a bit despressing that always the negative wins over the positive. How many stories we read about preventive jabs are great but the horror stories about how painful it is?

My first impression was the sales pitch of these clinics. If you search, many clinics offer different kind of discount. Half price, referral etc. However, one needs to take care of is fixed price policy. The price shouldn't fluctuated because you have a higher prescriptions. But the price should be the same to anyone if it is a -1 to -10. Why? there's no difference to the techniques they used, after care. A flap to the eye still need to be created and the laser still need to go there and burn some tissue off.

I went with the one I know of. It is a clinic that is round the corner to my university and it's been there since 2003 (that branch at least) it is still there now so I have no problem finding where it is. The clinic is hmm fashionable shall i say? free hot drinks, relaxing chairs, cute sales great advisor and optician who knows their job.

I was given a 2 hour appointment because of my high prescriptions and a need of further testing to see my suitability to IoL. the easy test, all involve shining super bright light on your eye, a puff test (its a bit like blowing sudden air to your eye) and various balloon watching test determine your current eye prescription. I was then lead to a qualified eye surgeron for further testing.

My drops that numb my eye

Then I do further eye testing to see what prescription I need. then the moment of truth. Numbing your eye and poking eye test....

My doctor put some yellow drops to my eye, which is the same they'll use on the day to numb my eye... then further testing can be continued. I saw a poking instrument, I asked 'are you going to poke my eye?' She said, 'No...' with hesitation.

Unsure when she poked my eye but she did and i didn't even know. That numbing medicine rocks!

So the verdict, which the doctor explained in details...

my prescribtion is still do-able under laser but not IoL
I have thicker cornea meaning that usually in my case I am not consider as borderlin case, but I have plenty of tissue to burn, and if my eye-sight is not corrected to 100%, they can still operate on me again
My eyes are in an odd shape that is oval rather than a sphere shape. That means there's not enough room for lens insertation and I'm not suitable for that procedure
I cannot use the latest technology which is called wavelength because it will take away more tissues. Doctor think is best to use the simpliest method and give me a chance if a further corrective operation is needed

Then I was whisked to the sales person. now, be careful, they are sales.. They don't care if you're just there for fun or serious. All they want to do is to get you booked in so that you can't say no. I am now booked in for a surgery two weeks from now, but I have asked them to call me again to decide then. You must think of as many excuse why you are not up for it at that little room where the sale is spining their pencil... 'I need to arrange someone to pick me up and hence they need to take a holiday' is a good excuse. 'I might be able to pay in full but need to just check if I can withdraw from my fixed deposit' is another good one.

For me, there's nothing to say no. I'm -10.5 and I am totally blind. In fact, my eye test is all free because of my high prescription, I'm just a little step away from calling myself disabled.

So I have booked in to have a laser surgery in 1 week. There's a long list to do... I'll be working my butt off from now

Primer as base review - part 1

2010-06-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

Today's is thursday and I suppose to be meeting up girls for a makeup shopping spree. Unfortunately, this has been cancelled so I arrange an eye-appointment instead.

After the total realisation that I changed in skin-tone, I'm desperate for foundation yet not wanting to spend my money away (I got a super huge bill of tax to pay off, and just paid my wedding photographers etc) I'm now using Primer as foundation, with a top-up of Shu Uemura Loose Powder in 7YR

You might think, if you use primer as foundation, can it cover up the scar? Actually, that's where concealer comes from... because I use primer just to even out my skintone, I have no worries about the shade of foundations if it match me or not.

Shu Uemura UV Under base Fluid in Medium Beige

I first got hold of this from a swap with Jennifer. When using as a base, I don't see it particular helpful to make the foundation stay longer, but it helps with even out skin tone and make your skin illuminate. It has been sitting in the bottom of my makeup bag for a long time but since it's Shu, i just keep it.

So when recently i run out of foundation option... i dug this out again. Unlike my other primer such as Maybelline Angelfit, this even out skintone. Wearing this on its own helps, and top up with Loose powder and concealer, I'm good to go.

A swatch on hand

Another useful point of using primer is that, when you're in the sun and you need to top up your sunscreen every 2 hours.. if you use foundation, is likely you need to take them off and apply fresh. With primer, You just top it up as it is and blush on loose power. Fresh face again :)

You might wonder if wearing such primer on its own has a different to wearing foundation. Of course it does! I much much prefer a perfect foundation as it evens out all my imperfection more.. but since I'm skint for now, i decided to work on anything I got and make the best use of it.

From NC35 -> Nc25 my exp getting lighter skin

2010-06-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I did a beauty post :) i thought I'll share a little bit of my whitening secret.

i have commented about my skin looks lighter, in fact many of my foundations doesn't really work now. i have been trying to get a more even skin tone. i'm not the type that try to get whiter skin for the sake of it, but i have two main problem. My face and my neck shade is at least 2-3 shade apart. My neck is a lot lighter than my face, and I'm trying to get it more even. Second is my right hand part of my face has been getting lot of pimple scar last year, and leave a few scars. I try to even out the scar so that I don't need to wear concealer over that part.

I cannot pin point which product helps to lighten my skin but these are the products that I use that say it helps skin whitening

IPSA Metabolizer EX4

this is a moisturizing lotion, combining the function of toner and moisturizer in one. I think the texture is more like a light emulsion. This has anti-aging and whitening properties, and the most important of all, this is the only moistuizer that helps my skin to go oil-free in those days in Hong Kong.

It has a very light texture, and I'm quite happy about it. This is the most moisturizing version you can get, but it doesn't really work in winter. I have been using this since October.

You can purchase this from Bobodave, or ask some of the online shop that can help with a CP. The cheapest is actually to get it in Hong Kong. Cost me $550? in HKD, which is nearly £50. But it is 100ml...

Sana Soy whitening serum

I mentioned this before in this post.

So roughly the combination of these two porducts helps me from NC 35 to NC 25.

On another note, I'll be meeting Jamilla and Jennifer this thurs as Jennifer is back in London again. We'll hit the counter in Selfridges!! yeah!

Wedding photography in Japan (for English speaker)

2010-06-03T06:10:00.000-07:00

Photo taken by Rankin

This is part of my Bridezilla series :)

readers! readers! I just want to say thank you to everyone who is reading this blog. I recently got emails on a daily basis asking questions and just saying hi which I am very grateful. those who are on twitter, getting my daily dose of twits know that my heart has flew to japan for various reasons.

i thought I'll share some of my research on getting wedding/engagement photography in Japan.

1. How to choose, studio/location:
Basically, they are separated into two categories. Wedding day photography and also Engagement photography. Both self-explanatory. Many engagement photography happens in a studio. And there are some called Location photography which is outside the studio.

I find there are more studio engagement photography in Tokyo compare to other places. And if you want more natural photos, I recommend Location photography.

Location photographer generally are free-lancer from my research. Therefore, you need to sort out your own dress on the day. Some studio wedding photographers do location photography but they are generally more expensive.

Studio photography:

Watabe Wedding

They are one of the best in Japan and no doubt they will take care of you.

2.Free-lancer or not?
I personally prefer free-lancer, as becoming free-lance meant that they're really good at what they're doing. I prefer the personal touch, the face to face communication with them.
Studio is better for those who need a more inclusive service, i.e. dress hire, makeup, transportation etc.

One of the freelancer photographer I asked. (he speaks English and very reasonable price if you're in Tokyo and surrounding area

久保真人

http://www.kuppography.com/engagement.html

3. Package
One of the most important question to ask is how many photos you will take and how many they will edit. Many would just say they will take i.e 100-400 photos and pick 20%-50% of the photos for further editing.There are package that includes makeup, dress, and perhaps transportation. Be sure to read everything what is included or not and pick what suits you.

4. What is not included?
If you are doing location photography, the transport between 1 place to another is not included. Some package will tell you how many location you can do and some say not.
The other is printing more photos afterwards. I will advise if you want to pick the package that includes as many photos as you can, then you won't regret later.
If you go with freelancer photographer, you'll need to arrange 'everything' yourself. Make up, hair styling. They can recommend a makeup artist for you in most of the cases.

One of the more exclusive studio based in Fuji City (where you can take the photos of Mount Fuji) all inclusive with dress, makeup, accessories etc. Shame I just don't have time to do it.

Photo Office Rose

http://www.photo-rose.net/

5. Album or DVD?

Nowadays, you can choose if you want it to be make into an album style or just print it yourself. I prefer to get everything in DVD because I do print my own album if necessary. And it is difficult to reprint from photos. Many photographers never give you high-res photos and keep it for their own sake. Because if you want to reprint, you must contat them and they can charge further. Therefore, I will definitely ask for high rest photo copy rather than an album style

Kentaro Mishima

http://mishimaoffice.com/eng/packages

He is based in Kyoto and has been very accommodating. He even includes transportation and change of clothes in between location without charge!

That's all from me. Hope it'll help some bridezilla out there

what shall i do with my foundation? and apopofkawai launch

2010-06-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

It's a rollercoaster since I last posted. Wedding and other things has been happening. A few of my twitter bloggers know a big big news that I received last week, which I'll keep under wrap for now as there are quite a few things to do before i can annouce it.

Just a quickie to say. Nic nic from bang bang she shoots has launched her makeup site.. hehe, I already got a long list of item to send her , and hence my title post.

www.apopofkawaii.com

Remember i said I gone a shade lighter? well.. in fact it is 2 shade lighter than all my foundations except those I purchase in Hong kong doesn't suit. The only thing that suits me is Canmake 3D Foundation in 03, and Jil Stuart 103 (it is very light but still... it is better suited than others)

I need a recommendation for a foundation that suits a NC25.. any??

A day out in the beach

2010-05-27T01:58:00.000-07:00

in front of a beach hut

FOTD: Anessa Sunscreen Sparkle spf 50, Ettusais Powder Foundation 04, DHC Rose Lip Balm

Hair: just a hair band bought in Taiwan

Clothing: Tsumori Chisato Dress

In the hottest day of 2010 so far, me and S decided to leave the cats at home and went to the seaside for some beach, seafood and away from the computer. Rarely, I have a day that there's no shift and no need to rush home for work, so we totally took the opportunity to go to the beach.

We went to a seaside town called West Mersea somewhere on the East Coast of England. We choose there because there's local seafood, namely oysters and lobsters around there. Althought we know it is not in season, but it is worth a try.

The company Shed is the place to go for seafood. Nice and fresh. A seafood platter for 1 is only 7.50 for takeaway, since there's no seat and it cost £2 more per head to eat in, me and S bought 2 portion of seafood platter and went to the beach for a seafood picnic.

Don't be fool by the sand. It is no sandy beach, it is a rocky/pebble beach and we met a Chinese couple went shellfish hunting. They were armed with a big bucket and I thnk some razor calms wouldn't survive under the Chinese fishing. It was interesting to see what we were concerned was not enjoying the sea water, diving in, sunbathing, but.. what's on dinner tonight :)

Review 2: Cancer Council Sunscreen + Washing off suncreen

2010-05-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

To continue from my previous post, here's the day wear face sunscreen and some swatch

Review of Cancer Council Day Wear Face Sunscreen

What's good?
Perfect for face. It is not oily at all! There's no blotting paper needed when I was in sydney, and in fact, I was bare face most of the time coz I have clear skin and re-applying sunscreen is more important than to have makeup in this case.
no white cast, to me this sunscreen feels more like a moisturizer than a sunscreen for face
Refreshing - coz it has added aloe vera to its ingredients, when you apply, it feels cooling and refreshing when you apply to your face.

What's not so good?
little more expensive it is 15 AUD which is around £8.
it has 75ml compare to the 110ml of your body sunscreen (still a lot more than Anessa)

The swatch

On the left: Day wear sunscreen

On the right: 2 hrs body sunscreen

You can see the body sunscreen is a lot thicker than the day wear sunscreen

On the left: Day wear sunscren

on the right: 2 hours body sunscreen

After applying, you can see the body sunscreen is not absorb immediately compare to the day wear sunscreen (the shiny part f it) but be assured, it is definitely absorb totally without greasiness once you rub it more

Both does not show white cast after rubbing it.

So back to my last post, I had some horrible experience with white cast. That's due to over-applying my sunscreen (Anessa) every 1 hours on the beach.

I came home and head straight to the shower, and trying to show it off. To my horror, my normal shower gel nor my L'occitane sugar rub can wash it off. I really thought that I can 'rub' it off with my sugar rub..

So on a desperate measure, I need to use my Fancl Cleasing oil and it works wonders. I used up 1/3 of the bottle just to wash off my sunscreen.

But it seems the less SPF you got in the sunscreen, the less white cast you have (hmmm...) definitely with the Cancer Council sunscreen, even I re-apply according to the instructions, I have no white cast in the end of the day when I got home.

Has anyone got any good wash-off sunscreen tips? I am sobbing over my fancl cleansing oil now and at this rate, I'll be hauling more very soon.

Souvenir from Australia: Cancer Council Sunscreen

2010-05-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

Hiya!! To girls who are in UK, we finally have some summer weather. I went to the beach yesterday (actually to be exact, I went for the seafood on a seaside town...) and remembered i haven't done review to the sunscreen yet.

If you remembered back in the beginning of this blog, I posted my favourite sunscreen, Anessa. It is non-oily and gives a bit of a sparkle. However, I just finished my bottle of 50ml and I carried to much to Sydney so need to buy something local. I read from Jojoba, who's now based in Australia about the Cancer council so I bought it when I was there

Cancer Council Sunscreen SPF 30 review

What's good?
Cheap. it is only 6GBP for such a big tube for 110ml (compare to £22 for just 50ml of Anessa)
I like the fact that it is clearly labelled how long this will last. I read so much about girls who pile their sunscreen every 1/2 hour, with this label, you know you should re-apply every 2 hours .
This is not greasy compare to other sunscreen, also not thick at all. (i'll talk about this thickness diaster in the next post)

What's not so good?
Australia has funny laws. You can't label your sunscreen to be over SPF 30, and hence, many company who has SPF 30 or more just say spf 30+. I know my Anessa will give me SPF 50, but this as far as you can tell, is just SPF 30

I wanted to write shorter review so the rest of the review will come in this week :)

the 'get to know me' quiz

2010-05-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

I saw this from Jamilla's site, since been a bit lazy with beauty post I'll do something at least to keep you all entertain. Not tagging anyone but feel free to do one on your own blog!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:28am

2. How do you like your steak? medium rare, as the restaurant always do it to done anyway

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I watch movies on airplanes.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Anything on the History Channel.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? London and Muscat, Oman.

6. What did you have for breakfast? Toast and Coffee.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? ANYTHING Spicy!

8. What foods do you dislike? Anything too bland or fatty.

9. Favorite place to eat? Bar Shu, London

10. Favorite dressing? Caesar

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? Golf GTi

12. What are your favorite clothes? I shop a lot at ASOS for non-work clothes and Max Mara for work clothes.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Australia and the South Pacific...never have enough time!

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full

15. Where would you want to retire? Taiwan or china. I can hire someone to take care of me without moving my arse

16. Favorite time of day? Evening when I'm nearly finishing work

17. Where were you born? Hong Kong

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Men's swimming/diving (speedos baby!)

19. Who do you think will not tag you back? S of coz. never ever. actually even sent him on a mission to buy me Ffish food (Ben and jerrys) in the middle of the evening

20. Person you expect to tag you back first? Mom. she nagged abt wedding

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Anyone? just not my dad pls.

22. Bird watcher? I watch the birds with my cats

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? night

24. Do you have any pets? 2 cats, the famous Dao dao (who looks like a lion this morning) and the kitten Mui Chu (who looks like a rat)

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Canmake 3d foundation is love!!!

26. What did you want to be when you were little? The list of jobs I want to be includes teacher and lawyer. more like i wanna be a princess!

27. What is your best childhood memory? pushing my brother off a swing :)

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Cat

29. Are you married? To Be.

30. Always wear your seat belt? of coz. I dun want to get fined!

31. Been in a car accident? Yes, crashed my car into someone else coz I was not looking

32. Any pet peeves? people who dun want to use their brains

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Mushroom and pineapple

34. Favorite Flower? Blue Roses

35. Favorite ice cream? Ben and Jerry's Ffish food

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? McDonald's and KFC

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? too many, ok i'll be frank 8.

38. From whom did you get your last email? My music producer who is going to produce the music

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Jill stuart or Miu Miu

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Being a geek and hacking games..

41. Like your job? Yes. Best ever. work from home and internet related

42. Broccoli? Yes, with garlic stir-fry pls

43. What was your favorite vacation? My Kyoto trip with my best frd Kaz

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? S in New Malden Korean restaurant

45. What are you listening to right now? Angela Aki 'Answer'

46. What is your favorite color? Pink

47. How many tattoos do you have? Nil

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? anyone who wants to do this

49. What time did you finish this quiz? 10.59 GMT

50. Coffee drinker?Starbucks only

Bride-zilla diary: choosing the procession music

2010-05-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

in the studio recording strings (2007)

So at the moment, my head is near to explosion. Firstly, phd is banging on my everyday. I talked to Yoshiko Yamaguchi on a daily basis (I know she's still alive but still part of my research) But now my concern turn to getting the music sorted on the day

For those who don't know, I used to work in the music industry in HK, and produced a few tracks. My processions music will consist some of the production I did and I may just paste it here to see what you think.

the song translated to Love Simiplicity. It is originally written about a couple will be together no matter what, but kind of didn't make the ultimate committment (signing your life over the dotted line) but i'll change the lyrics to reflect that.

this is another song I produced, which is called 'Silly guy' actually because the lyrics is written in such a way, not many people know the true meaning. It is about falling in love with a geek/otaku!!! One of the line says 'He's just a silly guy, not many people understand him. It is hard to leave him, but I dun think I can't wait before I made the decision to stay or not'

this song was produced when I was in between hong kong and london, yet.. i love the strings part...

I do something rather funky as well... here's something I produced... in Canton-pop classical style lol

sweet blog awarded by Penelope

2010-05-18T06:18:00.001-07:00

thank you penelope for this award :)

hair claw from sasa. the best hair accessories....

2010-05-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

over-statement? Think if I spent 3 days in front of mirror trying to do a ballet bun.. when hair claw quietly crept into my life and transfer my hair style.

I think Yumeko has talked about it before, but I couldn't find that article about it.

These are the hairclaw that you can get from Sasa.com. They are not called Hair claw but Hair clip and made by Lucky.. i first bought them from Taiwan and found them in Sasa (which i bought every single one of them available) so i'll quickly do a hair- demo photo (which is my first)

Ballet bun claw:

is by the first claw on this blog. It really makes ballet bun a breeze. less than 10 sec and no hair clip and you get a prefect bun. I get a better bun with my current hair

you can have a tail from this or hold it all up. I usually wear it sideways and it is really easy to use again. This is particularly good for girls with heavy hair.

the smaller claw helps to tuck in some of the hair that cannot be hold with other clip, I find it good to use for smaller ballet bun

the only problem I got is this:

until now I have no way using this... ifollowed the video but still get hold my hair in place.. anyone can help?

on a last note. i have handed in my notice to marriage (after a long struggle I'll put it under my bride-zilla diary)

And this is the makeup I had during the day

FOTD: Canmake 3d foundation, 03, Shu Uemura 7YR loose powder, Lunasol 10th anniversary pallette (used the orange variation eye shadow and the liquid eye liner), JS 11 blush powder, and Heroine Make lipgloss, MM mascara
Dress: Bread and Butter (love love love this brand, I find it is a good brand for someone who's size 10 and a bit large in HK)

The woes being a bridezilla. 6 months before wedding

2010-05-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

My wedding venue in Wales

So you might have thought i'm quiet. I have soooo much to do since I came back from Australia which is totally unbelievable. Mainly I absolutely must do my phd (yes working everyday) work work work (work is on the increase at the moment) and wedding.

Last year at this time, many things I thought I needed has been organised. Dress is a tick, rings, tick, venue, tick. And due to the unfortunate incident where the Home Office held our passport up for nearly 3 months, things are not as on track as they should. With me being the sole bearer to the organisation to the event.

We have decided not to have a professional photoshoot in Japan because we definitely have a wedding session in hong Kong. Instead we plan to take our own photos with a tripod and go around the country whenever possible.

so within this month, here's a list what need to be done:
1) hand in notice to marriage. it took us a month just to get an appointment
2) meet hotel to re-arrange the timing of the day. S has a 2nd thought and it is all subject to what the hotel says
3) meet the registrar. decide how long/short the vows can be.
4)booked all makeup artist and hair stylist. Which I am being lazy and just went with the hotel recommmendation
5) re-design the invitation cards. We forgot sth really important. I'll say next time

Cherry Bloossom weekend

2010-05-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

It seems spring has arrived (and winter came back as well) and UK has enjoyed from blossom. I went to Kent, somewhere called Brogdale Horticultural Trust.
They hosted some beautiful cherry trees, orchards, pears etc and education purpose. And also some local butchers, diary products and farmshop.
my purpose? to enjoy some cherry blossom in a country in UK.

the blossom in UK

I put on a lighter makeup on the day (except diaster happened in the end), I also permed my hair when I was in HK. not my intention to perm it, but my hair stylist said 'Girls who are getting married get their hair permed and permed it.

FOTD: Canmake 3D foundation in shade 03
Jill Stuart Shade 11 Rose Fiary blush
Shiseido pencil eye liner (which as I predicted, just simply smudged very heavily at the very end)
Maquillage lip conditioner

the camera we used is a Sony DLSR A200. great beginner's DSLR (cost only £250 brand new), the automatic mode is just simply perfect. I bought a Minolta Portrait lens (cost me only £55) and the colour came out very sharp. Of coz, a loving bf who simply see the best of you in his eyes helped.

so bye for now :)

Giveaway winner announcement!

2010-05-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

apologies to the lack of updates. i have been uber busy with wedding/phd/work/cats. in fact I wonder if I have time to breath..

As promised the giveaway has now closed

There are 18 lovely comments that were left and all eligible to enter, using a random generator. i have picked a winner.

Number 6.. that's EVIE from Singapore

i'll be emailing you within today or tomorrow asking for you address. so stay tuned.

Second giveaway is coming tomorrow!!! and it is something of its kind. Small but unique is all I'll say..

rant rant rant (and dun click unless u want to be in trouble)

2010-04-28T03:38:00.000-07:00

You might think I'm crazy. I think I am too. Indeed, when the majority of the family are on the cyber space (yes, you dad.. you peep my twitter and possibly be linked here, now go away) You feel that you cant say what you like before you realised they're peeping.

I did a few blogs that I rant and talked about my life, and all been closed down by S. Yes, he demanded that. His family is a very modern family that make technology pays them money so he feels that blogging is evil. I need a blog post to get a few things off my chest. so beauty product review is on hold, at least at this moment.

Stop reading if you don't want to see the evil Eve. That's deep down true evil (but if you're nosey carry on!!)

______________
Recently realising that I have only 6 months before my big day, for some funny reasons, all the old ex-s and enemies decided to wave hi!! on cyberspace. I know there's at least 5 people who share the same name (both first and family name) and hey.. you managed to find me... now in an interesting turn to their life... this is what I discovered:

1) ex- No. (I dun know how to number.. say No. 1?) got married with a girl who I think all the way was to marry for immigration purpose. Had a daughter a year ago and sadly his father passed away.
Are we talking to each other? no. coz he called be the 'BIATCH'.

please. you're welcome to hit me when you see me in town, but you decided not to. Remember when I saw you last time? You decided to be a coward and dug your head deep into your noodles.

2) ex- no 2. you're old. Sorry.. if I know you'll look like this now, I surely won't go out with you in the first place

3) ex- no.3 became a PPC (Prospective parliamentary candidate) . his seat is not even endorsed by his party as a targeted seat (meaning not much money will be spent and he'll possibly be crying everyday)

'where's my leaflet? sorry they can't be printed coz we dun have money for colour prints, how's black and white and here's an inkjet printer'.

I secretly planned a memoir of mine if he ever get elected. Publisher please enquire of this lucrative book deal (lol)

4) ex- no. 4 split up with his girl, and decided to be a loser (they're called the Snail 蝸婚族 in Chinese slang). still living in with an ex- and sharing the same flat. I seems to know more of these losers these days

You know, when you split, you should just move on.I generally sent them a bill of all my stuff that I left behind and asked to be sent back by registered delivery. I did this to a guy who can't afford to pay registered delivery. So I agreed to meet him in a very busy station, whack him with the bag that filled with my stuff and left him puzzled to what happened while I disappeared into the crowd

5) ex- No. 5 split up with me coz I found out he wrote his will (yes... how to split his only asset. a paint brush anyone?) dedicated to another girl whom he has fallen in love way before me. the other girl concerned got married and guess what. He was not invited despite he called themselves 'best' friend. In chinese saying, he sulked coz 'Groom is not me' 新郎不是我

6) ok a friend. (not an ex- woohoo) got married at 7 months pregnant. wore a extremely bulky wedding dress at the registration. Everyone knows what is going on, just show your bump!

rant over. happy eve move on to her depressing PhD

paul and joe UT T-shirt (bought in London)

2010-04-24T02:09:00.000-07:00

To all London beauty bloggers. Uniqlo x Cosmetic Brand UT shirt is now in store in the flagship store on Oxford street (students get 10% off as well)

screenshot from Uniqlo JP site... they're all sold out

Reading that all paul and joe UT shirt is out of stock in Japan, my lovely bro (who works in Uniqlo) inform me that the London flagship store has stocked them (the one opposite to House of Fraser). He's unsure whether the other stores has them.. but he said unlikely

How are you resist not buying a t-shirt with the famous pattern from Paul and joe beaute? when it is only £12.99?

the label on the t-shirt

another t-shirt I snapped up. I'm really happy with the design, not just because it is cute, but because it is long t-shirt, you can wear this with leggings rather than jeans/skirts. More style can be created with these Long Paul and Joe T-shirt

My bro insisted I need to buy this. I'm still considering if I should get the green version as well

Another label explaing what is Paul and Joe Beaute, but we all know don't we??

If anyone want to buy, I need to say the size are smaller than the usual Uniqlo size. for a size 8/10, I need to buy Medium to fit. I think coz they're imported as Asia version, the size are smaller than the usual EU uniqlo size

Also, the Canmake UT shirt is also instore on Oxford street, but I don't see the appeal to them (and other such as Vogue). if you are going, the women's collection is on the first floor, to the right of the escalator. It is behind the rest of the UT shirt, in front of the jeans session. Other UT shirt, such as Canmake, is hide underneath the Paul and Joe Collection.

They are not available online via Uniqlo UK, so you must go in and check it out yourself :)

Shiseido Eye Creator 763 (just pics)

2010-04-20T01:46:00.000-07:00

beautiful beautiful beautiful. is my words for it.

I hesitated between this and another pink neutral colour but in the end, the LE (in big blinky sign) wins me over

In it's actual glory.. the true shade

Rather than talking about how good and easy to use. Picture says it all. The way to apply is from left top and work it clockwise. First the base, then eye lid, highlight the middle of the eye lid, eye liner and the corner

Another picture from my own camera.... meow... its pretty

Cheap and Cheerful - Hong Kong Brand Choi Fung

2010-04-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

We all been hauling like mad from Hong Kong sites such as Adambeauty and Gooddealer, who stocks just basically everything from East Asia. I always wonder, is there a local Hong Kong brand. Jennifer might shout at me on this, because she actually took me to see this brand last year when I met up with her, but I thought nothing much as first, I don't know it is a HK Brand, secondly, my head was still trying to understand why Korean brand is so cheap.

Anyway, introducing this Hong Kong local brand, the company who produces it is called Choi Fung. which started around just under 10 years ago and focus on supplying to larger quantites to facial salon etc. Their most famous product is actually Sugar cane shower, for 1L it is only (take a deep breath girls), $2 USD. no kidding, 2 USD for 1L

I want to focus on their skincare products as I picked up some to try on.

First, the Hydrating gel

What is this?

H20 Hydrating Gel

Volume:
150ml (yes, that 3 times our usual moisturising gel size)

Cost:
$150 (roughly $19 USD)

My verdict:
stock it up! according to site, it just contains everything. Kiwi extract, apple extract, Cactus extract, collagen, Hydraulic Acid, Vitamin B5

This is as comparable as H2O+ hydrating gel, which is cost $34 USD for just 50ml. THe texture is the same, absolutely the same. There's no scent to it.
Since there's so much in this 150ml, you're more than welcome to use it just like laneige sleeping mask, splash it on your face and use it as facial mask.
You can also use is as a makeup base to moisturise your face. Multi-purpose baby
I couldn't fault anything about this moisturizer. I nearly bought Dr Ci:Labo Aqua collegen gel, but the price and the 'dupe'-ness of this to h2o+ completely blows me away

the samples I got from buying in Choi Fung

Another product to review, but I'll keep it short as I had put it back to shelf. This is a cleansing oil that takes off makeup just like any other cleansing oil. i think I've been spoilt by Shu and Fancl for too long. After washing off the cleansing oil, a oily film remains on my skin and need to be washed away by another cleanser (in this case, I used Dove soap). The only good point is that it takes away my MM mascara, I soak the cleansing oil with cotton and take off my mascara without problem. Price wise: 200ml for $23, which is around $3USD

How to buy?

THis is the tricky part. They do not have any shop front on ground level meaning you need to know exactly where it is. We called these shops 'upstair shops'. You need to take the escalator in a certain building and walk into their outlet. so please check their website for their address in HK.
If you live in HK, you can take their free delivery offer as well

I am considering doing a group order from this company if anyone is interested. Just drop me a comment and I'll get back to you

Giveaway week 1! Beauty de Kose Snowflake compact

2010-04-16T01:42:00.000-07:00

Spring has arrived, so does the flower of Snowflake!

Decided to give away this unused, 2007 LE edition of the Snowflake compact made by Kose.

The colour of Spring! contains 4 eyeshadows, and 4 lip colour. of course all is unused and brand new!!

The very cute fluffy case that wrapped it up!

Also, the crystal keychain on it.

Related blogspot by other beauty bloggers:

Rouge Deluxe

How to enter:

1. You must be my follower of this blog
2. please leave a comment to say who you are briefly, and where you are from
3. Each follower + comment gains an entry to the prize draw. Which will end in 3 weeks from now, 7th May 2010, at 00:00 GMT

You can also put in additional entry by:
a. Blog this giveaway entry in your blog as a separate entry. MUST BE SEPARATE. If you create just a general giveaway post including this giveaway link and others, this will be not be accepted
b. Twit this link on twitter, and putting @dreve0317 so that I know you have twitted this
c. spread the news on Facebook by sharing this Link

once you have either blog/twit/FB this giveaway, you can create a new comment and put down that you have FB/blog/twit this. If you have blog plus twit this giveaway, PLEASE create a separate comment each time. For example, you have twit plus FB this giveaway then create 2 comments. I'll be using random generator therefore if you didn't put your additional entry separately, I won't be able to count you in

Remember, you have until 7th May to enter this giveaway. A very special LE palette by Kose!

Giveaway coming! And freebies

2010-04-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

Big annoucement.

I'm going to do a giveaway in these few days. This including, bihada Face mask (LE), DHC lip balm (never been used), Lancome eye shadows, Platinum My Beauty Diaries Face masks etc...

These are just giveaway prizes. At the same time, i'll be posting many swatched once/twice Beauty items and clothing for swapping/snapping at the price of USD $1

My home is too cluttered that I must get rid of stuff... so photos and stay tune

surprise whitening product - Sana Soya Arbutin essence

2010-04-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

surprised product of the day. Sana soya Whitening serum

This year.. i decided that I need whitening products. I have no been using whitening products for the last 4 years (yes non of my skincare have whitening properties. unless i need them to lighten the acne scar) and this year, I know I need it.

My face and neck is in two different shade. My neck has a lighter shade to my face, and hence if I match my foundation to my face. it looks dark. I need to match to my neck colour to even it out. I wanted to get rid of this two tone thing so I decided to find something to try.

I saw this at Citysuper (but available at SASA) at a cost of $99 (USD $13) I remembered it had good review so I snapped it up.

And I tell you girls, it works! even for 2 weeks I use it it works....

Product:

Sana Arbutin Soya Essence (Whitening)

Where to buy:

Sasa, they have the whole range from cleansing to moisturizer

Price:

USD $13-ish

How to apply (tricky):

It says to apply after moisturizer or emulsion. The reason is... it is very hard to spread across the skin. You really need your skin to still be wet when you apply the essence so that it will slide across well. I use AmileAmila's Rose emulsion (such a great buy!!!) and straight after to apply this essence.

Verdict:

It simply works.

I am officially a NC 25 (from NC 30)

I still remember playing at the MAC counter and doing swatched and beliving i was a NC 30 when I left london in march. Yesterday when i left for sydney, I tried again. Remember the SA in HK told me, my hand colour is darker than face. I tried NC 25 on face... wow!!! perfect match!!!

My perfect shade are:

Can Make foundation 03

Jill Stuart 103

Shiseido Maquillage OC20 (new edition foundation only)

These are foundations I bought in HK since applying this essence. I always thought I need the darkest, but it is wrong. I am now one shade lighter, but not yet to my neck colour (so my neck is NC20???)

I'll give you more progress report after maybe 3 months (but then Summer will hit us and I'll be darker very very soon)

Being a cupcake lady... I made 250 cupcakes in HK for an anniversary event. And here's my proud cupcakes altogether

(hehe, realised I haven't show my face for a long time.. I had a perm for wedding purpose.. looks a bit more mature)

Cupcake creation

2010-04-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

I made this for my best friend's sister's wedding. Tiffany colour scheme, and managed to made the top cake with some ribbons with it.

It was a great wedding. Bride is absolutely beautiful. food is great!

a mini-pre run to what it'll be like in mine

Taiwan trip 2 photos heavy

2010-03-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

this blog is probably just on photos . i basically spent my first day in the National Museum and ran away from the tourist into the food market in Shilin, finally ended in 101. The second day we went on the tour guide which I mentioned in my first post. And last day, to Xinzhu.

this is the highest toilet :) the toilet on the 89th floor at Taiwan 101

the big big chicken piece that is sold in Shilin Market

this is called Meat Rice Ball. bascially it is made of rice flour and with meat in it. This is a special version in Jiufeng, which is marinated from red vinegar. You are served hot, and you thought it is cooked in soup. Wrong! it is actually cooked in warm oil (not hot) slowly

A famous taiwan dish. Fried oyster with eggs. The oyster are tiny and small (fresh!!) and it is served with a orange-ish sweet sauce. One of the best stall is based in Xinzhu where we went on our last day

the finished product

and finally...

My kevin beautymaker haul (part of it)

Beautymaker powder foundation

Jill Stuart Smooth Silk Powder foundation N review

2010-03-30T00:49:00.000-07:00

I'm back to London. EVEN this is a short stop (just under 1 week) I'm so happy to see my lovely cats, they're giving me cold shoulder at the moment, but it is ok.

This is one of my HG foundation at the moment, which is the Smoth silk Powder foundation. I always wanted to create a silky smooth look on my face, unfortunately, my liquid foundation never able to do so. In HK, I have also been using powder foundation rather than liquid as they give me that 'smooth' look on my face. This JS foundation works even better, it gives a glow as well.

The product:

it is a powder foundation. no need for liquid foundation as base, just apply on its own is ok.

Ingredients:

Wild rose extract and almond oil. jeez, I tell you, i never have a foundation that smells this good.

price:

a very hefty $390 including compact case and foundation. that's $50 USD if you are asking

My shade:

103 (I'm not the darkest now.. finally) but it is a bit pale. I think that's how HK girls want to be, just on the little pale side. she said I can go for 104, but it is actually pink tone.
(I am getting good foundation match when I do it with a SA, so all foundation I get with SA is a very good match so far)

You see! that's where $50 usd went into. packaging. When you open the box, it deliberately shows you the little flower that hangs on your case on the top.

My verdict:
If you excuse me, please blind fold my wallet and my bleeding bank, this foundation would be perfect.
It is smooth yet light on skin. It gives a beautiful aroma, and with the enhanced design (this is only launched last month) it separately the sponge and the foundation into different level now.

where the sponge is now in the new design case

I keep thinking if there's any alternative to this foundation. I don't think I know of. The kevin beautymaker compact also gives a similar coverage, but without the aroma and the silkiness. I love how after a few hours, your skin glows (seriously! my bf commented on how it glows)
I like powder foundation more than liquid, as you can re-apply during the day to the necessary area. I can't really find fault on this. In fact, My bleeding wallet will take me back and get the foundation refill so that it'll last me until October.

Oh js, oh js, how can you be sooo pretty. There's a plastic sleeve that goes between the foundaiton and the mirror. This is on the 2nd level of the case.

my next and perhaps last review for the moment will be js mix blush in colour 11, Rose fairy. Again new colour that is launched in March and an LE item. stay tuned!

Jill stuart: jewel eyes review

2010-03-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

Dear girls...

are we ready for some JS?

Granting the wish for nic nic, decided to do a review for the eyeshadows first.

Jewel Crystal Eyes (eyeshadow palette)

So this is the famous eyeshadows. i have tried the eyeshadows once and find it too shiny and pigmented. I want something more natural but decided to try this out nevertheless.

The colour i pick up is 04, which is on the pink side and very natural. I like the way how you can push the colour around to create a more natural feel but yet. very pigmented.

This particular palette is the new edition that came out. according to the SA, it was sold out until they restock it now.

the swatch. I have only applied once and that's what I get. Very natural colour, but perhaps for many girls, it is some colour that you already got in your makeup bag. I just absolutely panned my IPSA eye palette and hence totally justified myself have one. Just note the darker pink colour is a bit orange in real life, and the dark purple one is a really gd liner colour.

I have tried it today, and it works on me very well. shame cant do FOTD...

I need some advice taking FOTD on iphone or DSLR camera (no tripod pls) anyone can help?

Also, what's next should be on? another jill stuart or?

an introduction to a local HONG KONG skincare brand?

teaser: Jill stuart Haul (super haul)

2010-03-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

To celebrate a few things, I decided to haul some jill stuart last night.

And i basically got all the signautre products, ie. eyeshadow, blush, etc

but!!!

this is something I haven't heard of and decide to get.

Jill stuart Eau de toilette

I'll blog of the haul very soon

I have also a few surprise up my sleeves during this trip. Stay tune!

Happy birthday to me :)

2010-03-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

Just had my birthday last week. Thanks for all the twitter and fb messages !!

this year is my last birthday as a singleton. Well legally (I have a S with me) so my family spoiled me rotten with an evening out at my favourite teppanyaki place in Causeway Bay (Wasan-mi/aji) above Sogo. And a seafood feast at home, and a cake from Zoe the cake shop in Causeway Bay

My birthday present. All girls know what it is :)

Food Porn!

The cherry blossom tree at home that is still blossoming, even it is a month after Chinese new year.

I took many many photos during this trip but i'll do some scheduled post when I can type them in flight.

An annoucment: i'm flying to Sydney on 7th April to 13 April, anyone want to meet up. let me know.

Taiwan travel diary/台灣遊記 (1)

2010-03-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

可能這個部落格的讀者不知道，但是這是我第一次用中文寫的文章。這是因為寫的對象是中文人，所以以一中一英的方法去寫。希望大家不要介意

Perhaps the readers of this blog, don't really know, but this is the first time I write in Chinese for this blog. Mainly coz the people I wrote about are Chinese, I think it is better to write in English/Chinese. Hope people don't mind.

這個長週末去了一趟台灣，原本我的好朋友M 說因為我回到亞洲，想見見我。然後說不如他來香港或是去一個地方去玩玩，給了他幾個選擇，最後選了台灣。S也沒去過，（後來發現他小時候去過，也不告訴我，男朋友的度量哦）

went to Taiwan last long weekend. Originally my best friend m said I'm asia and want to meet up. Then he suggested maybe he should pop over to HK or choose a place to go, I gave him a few choice and he picked Taiwan. S never been so kind of decided this way (then found out he actually been there when we was young, and didn't tell me!!! Is this love as a boyfriend?)

這次的旅程很急，一來是想在3天內逛完所有的地點，還有是其實我們想學生一樣，沒錢喇。但是還是座計程車飛來飛去。

This trip is a bit rush, firstly we want to do everything in 3 days, plus we want to save a bit of money like students, in the end, we never took a bus and used taxi every way.

先要謝謝的是陳太 (http://www.wretch.cc/blog/up0109tw)，我們親切的日租，我大概2月初的時候訂房，用電郵聯絡，天啊，她親自打長途電話過來問我台北的行程，講了差不多1個半小時的電話。台灣到英國的，還收我們這樣便宜的房租，太對不起你呢。陳太日租很好的，如果你是海外過來，可以把自己的機票副本作為訂票用的預定，下飛機後聯絡她，她會在機場巴士的車站接你過去。非常方便。

Firstly I want to say thanks to Mrs Chen (http://www.wretch.cc/blog/up0109tw). Our utmost friendly hostess. I probably booked the room around early February and contacted her via email. Jeez, she actually called me on my UK mobile and spoke on the phone over 1 hours. It is Taiwan to UK, and charged us soooo cheaply. I actually feel a bit embarrassed. MRs Chen's hostel is really good, if you are coming from abroad, you can send her a copy of your flight ticket as a booking reservation/confirmation. Call her when you landed in the airport and she will pick you up at the airport express station. Really easy.

到達後，由於我的朋友到火車已經早了到達，我們出門咯（我把這個出門後做的事容後再說）

When we arrived in the hostel, because my friend's train arrived in Taiepi early so we went for sight-seeing (what we did afterwards I'll write about it later)

第二天，是我最期待的，就是九分包車導遊。林先生　（林：是子平朋友才對）一早就在車站等我們　（我們一下車，下樓梯就見到他，黃色的帽子很易認）先帶我們去看煤礦，當然現在沒有了，但是有時候自己不懂事，不清楚日本在台灣的影響，看到了十三層遺址，　有些感觸。　（其他的日程請看林導遊的網頁：http://jinguas.pixnet.net/blog/post/27576256

I was really looking forward to second day. Which is a driver guide to Jiufeng. Mr Lin (Lin probably will say: is ZhiPing only) was waiting for us first thing at the train station (once we got out of the train, down the stairs then we saw him. You can't really miss a guide wearing a yellow hat) First we went to see the mines, which is abandoned nowadays. Sometimes I feel I am a bit ignorant and naïve, not knowing the influence of the Japanese in Taiwan. When I saw the ruins of the Thirteen Floors, I felt something brewing in my heart. (other sight-seeing on offered are available from Mr Lin's website:

http://jinguas.pixnet.net/blog/post/27576256_)

九分的感覺是：吃得好，還有什麼呢？

I can't really comment on Jiufeng, other than there's good food. But other than that, what's more?

最後原本訂好去十分，但是下太大的雨，實在去不行。S　不舒服所以林建議去野柳。S在途中睡，留下M　張開雙眼和林聊天。

Originally we planned to go to Shifeng, unfortunately it was really heavy rain so there's no way we can go. S was really feeling uncomfortable so Mr Lin suggested us to go to YeLiu. S fell asleep in the car on the way there, leaving M with his eyes wild open to keep Mr Lin company.

我們到了野柳之後，其實沒想那麼多，女皇頭呀，冰淇淋呀，通通不知道，還是要聽林的解說。但是我們實在是城市長大的小孩，原本還有一個景點的，我們還是放棄，去基隆。5點才完的導向我們4點已經筋疲力盡，我要會台北！！去了不夠30分鐘已經踏的　（ride a taxi)。去了基隆只是買了化妝品，我們呀！！

When we arrived in Yeliu, we didn't really think much. Those Queen's Head, ice-cream cone, we actually don't really know what's that. We gave up and asked to go to JiNong. The tour should finish at 5pm but we asked to finish at 4pm coz we're far too tired. WE WANT TO GO BACK TO TAIPEI. Not setting foot for 30 minutes we are already on our way back to the station by taxi. Afterall, we bought cosmetics in Taiwan even in Keenung.

Photos coming soon J

Kevin beautymaker and Skincology Order for girls in EU / HK

2010-03-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

shoutout and urgent shoutout

I'm making 1 final order for Kevin beautymaker and skincology order for girls in Hong Kong or EU. Basically, i'm ordering and since they have around a 5 days turnaround time, I'll need to make the order by 16th march

If you want to order please have a look at this site

http://www.payeasy.com.tw/ecoversea/oversea2.html

HOW TO:

Please use the above site for link and quote. I'll then divide the Taiwan to Hong Kong shipping cost among all orders (at the moment I have 5) and ask for payment towards that part in full, then once I arrive in UK on the 28th march, i'll then weight them and send you the shipping cost.

Cost:

Please use this calculator for paypal payment:
http://www.rolbe.com/ppcalc.htm
NT 31 = 1 USD

Other payment method (i.e. cash or UK bank transfer)
Currency rate:
NT 31 = 1 USD
or
48 NT = £1

Delivery cost:
At cost by royal mail:
www.royalmail.com

Example:

1 x Kevin Beauty maker aqua eye concealer: $255 NT
5 girls sharing delivery cost to HK: 750 NT / 5 = 150 NT
local UK delivery: £1 (first class delivery) or 1.63USD (using paypal currency rate)
(this £1 is just a fiction amount, the real cost could be a lot less depending what type of delivery cost you want to choose)

if you pay by UK Bank transfer
= (255+150) / 48 + 1 = £9.43

for Paypal it is:
= (255+150) / 31 + 1.63 = 14.69
using the paypal converter you'll need to send:
$15.44 USD
or
£9.43 with paypal converter:
$16.72 USD

Why so complicated this formula?
unfortunately PAYPAL charges me for receiving money, so either you need to pay in advance so that I can receive the exact amount in GBP or I'll need to absorb the cost.

Don't worry if you dunno how to calculate. I'll do the calculation and quote you based on the above.

I am really doing it at cost price. The more girls we have for this haul, the cheaper the cost of delivery. I have around 5 girls interested and hopefully we can all share the cost. Remember no VAT!!

email should go to:

eve@eveleung.info

Success haul - Shiseido, Sasa and Mannings

2010-03-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

So, it seems I generated some negativity in my previous posts. To the girls who bought the bihada masks via Sasa and big-ish wholesalers, don't worry they're absolutely genuine. But since this experience I will stay away from small-ish buyers especially those from China. If you're buying Bihada, buy straight from Japan or from big companies such as Sasa. They're safe.

My haul from Shiseido Counter in Seibu, Pacific Place

I decided to pick up some lemmings, yes lemmings, I think I had the lemming over Maquillage since last year and I have succesfully panned the Face creator No.22 (thz Fuz for recommendation) so I went to pick up no. 55 and since they're doing promotion, i picked up more lemmings together.

So i picked up:

Face creator No. 55 (great for girsl with darker skintone, like mine. Very natural and contour face well)

Lippies BE 201

Lip Gloss BE 307 (again on the natural tone and they are matching lip sticks and lip gloss)

eyes creator BE 763 (which is limited edition)

and the rest are freebies. apparently I am now a O20 in Maquillage foundation because they have darkened their colour since their last release. So if you have darker skintone like mine, you can now purchase Maquillage with ease. Also with some whitening products and a new make up bag.

Shiseido Goodies no.2. If you become their member, they give you 3 coupons. One for free brow and makeup service. One for free products if you make your 2nd purchase. And 1/2 coupon for a treatment in Shiseido beauty Centre.

I also had some SASA purchase in my first day in Hong Kong

MM mascara base (new edition) and Lash Enamel glamour volume mascara

So far so far, nothing very special but still one of my favourite. The Kiss Me mascar has already tried up so I need something new.

I think everyone knows i'm an Angelfit crazy fan. I bought this Pore zero base with SPF25 in Mannings. I love the Ettusais pore zero foundation and determined that's how I want to look. This pore zero base helped to archieve a near flawless look (no enlarge pores, no flaky skin) I am only use Angelfit liquid foundation in W07 (can't find any in this trip, very weird) and their two-way foundation in O20.

The my beauty diary Platinum White tea Whitening mask. I always love my beauty diary especially their platinum masks. It is a very close paper texture to Bihada Ichizoku. I always doubt how effective is the serum but I am preparing to buy tonnes of these to stock up (probably in taiwan)

And finally DHC rose lip balm x2 in Mannings. they're doing a special promotion, two of these cost

$12 USD. Still a bit expensive but I love anything with rose.

I bought 2 and prepare to giveaway one of these. Stay tune!!

FAKE Bihada Ichizoku mask on sale.. and I got some...

2010-03-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

The very special fake Bihada Ichizoku mask

So, Hong Kong is a beauty shopping paradise. As well as beauty shopping hell. I went to Mong Kok today to check out some of the Custom purchase shops that operate there (these are shops that sell anything from Japan, Korea, Taiwan and other places) for some business research for my own business. I went to this shopping centre behind Sino Centre, and found a shop selling these masks.

My alarm bell should rang because these masks are selling for $9, which is $1.15 USD. hey, the official price is $4USD so I should really know. but I was super happy to see them because I ran out of them and I desperately need something before my Taiwan trip.

My fake bihada masks purchase

So the conversation between myself and the sales lady as follows:
Me: these are the bihada mask! what a bargain
Sales: yes, we source them from Taiwan. I have relatives in taiwan and buy them in
Me: hmm.. there's Chinese translations as well
Sales: yes. that's how they sell in Taiwan

So immediately I grab 4 mask and started to dash. But was stopped to see some My Beauty Diaries Eye Gel/serum on sale. Hmm... never saw them before so I played around. The texture is very smooth after applying but make the testing area slightly tanned. I thought rather than buying it there I better go home to do the research.

Went home and do research on the My Beauty diary eye gel. and found out My Beauty diary never ever release these eye gel, and apparently these are all fakes!! There's even fake my Beauty Dairy cleansing powder as well. So I decided to do more research on these Bihada masks

My clue that they are fake comes in these pictures:

First clue, the Chinese words and translation.

I know some countries require official chinese translation for imported beauty products, but these only limited to those selling through an official agent, i.e. in Watsons and Mannings. If you buy products in Sasa, don't expect there'll be Chinese translation on the product, but a label of what it does will be on display at the shelf.

The Chinese words looks real but it is not. The first 3 lines are in fact written in traditional Chinese, then the rest of the translation is written in Simplified Chinese.

WTF!! no chinese region in the world mix up simplified and traditional chinese

Secondly, the printing quality.

Ok they use the exac packagin material. exactly the same colour

But the printing of japanese words is very slightly blurred (see below)

You see the words below the flower? it is blurred!!!

So fake items even Bihada Ichizoku exist!

Beware ladies (and I'll sure be careful in the future)

how to shop in payeasy (for Kevin beautymaker)

2010-03-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

after a sudden realisation that I'm going to taiwan next friday, I spent 2 evenings looking on payeasy site on goodies to buy. my must buy list includes their foundations and concealer. Was going to buy skincare but decided to try something japanese instead (eyes on JuJu and some whitening serum)

Originally my must-buy list in Kevinbeauty was as long as my A4 pages can hold, unfortunately, their stupid system doesnt allow to put items in shopping cart. Yes there's no shopping cart in their system, and you need to buy items one by one. therefore to buy 3 items, you'll need to put in 3 request and pay 3 times and pick the location of pickup 3 times!!! therefore, I only buy 2 items as I can't be bothered to press the same buttonsssss 3 times.

I'll do a quick English explaination if you are going to buy any Taiwanese makeup on payeasy (just if you stop by in taiwan)

please note:

1. Payeasy/kevin beautymaker didn't pay me or give me goodies to do this. I do this coz I know there are ladies out there who can't read chinese but want to buy
2. All taiwan collection item that are available on payeasy is free delivery (except to overseas buyer) the cost you see is the cost you pay at the end. No need to pay extra
3. apparently it is like a rakuten system. Sellers advertised on payeasy, but they can't group items together to send over to you because they just can't. So if you buy 2 items from skincology and 2 items from Kevinbeauty, you need to make 4 transactions together, but can be all pick up at the same store
4. if you are from overseas and want to make use of the free delivery option, i recommend you collecting your item from a convinient store such as 7-11, OK near your hotel. Because I had bad experience where the item was stuck at the reception over 5 days before i was told it was there!! Also, if you don't want to give out credit card details, you can pay at the convenient store rather than in advance. (good if you thought you want to ditch your order and runaway last minute)

How to:
1. Go to www.payeasy.com.tw and choose which item. Kevin beauty items are listed on the left, where it says 'Kevin'

2. Once you're in the Kevin beautymaker website. All the hot seller items and promotion items are on the left, and in the middle grey panel, they are separate into categories, such as base makeup, concealer, eye makeup, cheek makeup, lips etc

3. I have picked the eye concealer and you need to scroll down the page until it shows you the colour option. Click the red box to buy.

4. It'll then take you to the special promotion page where you can combine specific items assigned by kevin beauty in the order. That's the only time you can buy more than 1 item in each order. Bargain such as 1NT (£0.02) makeup base is on offer

5. once you press the button red button, it'll take you to the login page.
first time buyer need to register as member, click the box on the right.

6. They'll ask your Taiwan ID number as login. For overseas buyer, use your date of birth plus the first 2 initial of your name (i.e. 01011900EV) as your login. the rest is just basic question such as email, taiwan address and taiwan telephone number

7. once you have registered, you will go back to where you login and complete the order. You will need to choose where it will be deliver (home or convinient store) and if you ask for home delivery, what kind of card payment (they have something called online ATM, credit card or bank transfer)

8. once you have chosen the delivery method and payment. It'll confirm your order like this.

9. you'll receive an email confirming an order is placed. Generally, goods are delivered in 3 working days. If there are no stock, they aim to delivery in 5 working days. A separate email will be sent to your mobile and email once they make the delivery and notify you to collect in the convenient store.

10. You can now collecting quoting your name and what order (I'll let you know in detail) at your chosen convinient store

Hope this is useful to girls out there!

Cath Kidston Bag review

2010-03-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

I was chatting with the girls Sheila and Yinnie on twitter and Sheila wanted this bag. It is on Cath Kidston sale site and there's another red one available. So I offered to give a review on this particular bag and why I think it's great.

i have been a great lover to Cath kidston, if you like retro stuff and into girly things, cath kidston is absolutely great because of their design and they offer goods in great designs and yes, it is useful. Their mostly famous for their bags and kitchenware. I personally have this bag some baking equipment, a mug and a cat bed for my beloved cats is on its way.

If you're buying cath Kidston, it is a bit like buying Harrods bag, you go for the prettiest shopper bag and run away with it. (and that's what people buy Cath kidston bag for) but i opted this instead.

Where i bought this?

www.asos.com with 20% discount code and free delivery

Price:

usual price is £55

Design:

On the front you have an extra pocket, with a magnetic clip. It is made of oilcloth, meaning: Staines? wipe it off. Rainy days: protected. and very sturdy as well

the handle is bounded with leather on the topm it gives a good grip

inside there's two more pockets for keys and mobile

my 13 inch laptop fits in perfect and with plenty of rooms

at the bottom, there're metal bits to keep the bag away from the ground. It keeps it clean

My verdict:

Love the design, and most of all. a great bag to use when travelling.

it has zippers and most of the cath kidston bag don't. And it is lightweight becasue of the oilcloth, and it is waterproof. You don't need to worry it gets dirty or you dropped it and you need to send it to the dry cleaner.

Stylish of course, and it is a product that is unique and very English, I must say.

Is there something I want to complain? probably if it has more comparments (but i resolve this problem by having a handbag organiser)

The price is a bit expensive but if it is in a sale, I'll probably buy it. I bought this saying this is my Christmas present so I managed to convince myself with the high price.

If you are in UK or have a chance to buy it. I totally recommend this.

The reasons of MIA plus reflecting..

2010-02-27T01:50:00.000-08:00

Hi girls,

if anyone is still reading.. I have been on MIA over 2 weeks (coming to 3 maybe)

too much happened in life so I quickly recap on a few:

1) Chinese new year... meaning mom shouting down the throat the work she needs to prepare. Luckily nothing much
2) valentines day ... meaning nothing to happen coz of chinese new year on the same day
3) dad in UK.. yes with two very noisy kids who made mui Chu the kitten very very scared... Dao dao is being too kind to hide away.. and become subject of unpleasant experience. I became the organiser of the trip so really was far too busy to look at myself in the mirror and see how bad I look
4) preparing for HK trip. the currency rate goes up and down like a roller coaster these days. everyday been calculating how much I need to bring ...
5) bloody accounting. It is the month of VAT returns yet again.
6) continuation of wedding woes. been trying to organise a wedding photoshoot in Japan (mount fuji), unfortunately my japanese is rather poor on writing so it is a very long process, and the back and forth between emails is making me scream. And plus... money concerns, budgeting and invitation card needs to go out soon
7) phd the ever growing pain. I actually broke down in tears in front of supervisor not knowing to continue or not. My work is very slow due to work-life commitments

anyway.. just want to blog about my take on this blog.

I started beauty blogging because of my way understanding about beauty products. Although beauty products is very much a product that in general we buy when we want to, but I believe we should be studying it in details. My phd training.. hmm.. make me scrutinize all the products I use and hence I write uber long reviews.

But when time doesn't allow me to, I tried micro-blogging. But it didn't work. My reivews aren't getting out the way I want to be.. my camera.. is not working (I sold my TX-1, which has a swivel lens camera that I can see how I actually look in photos). When you can't do FOTD... well.. it is difficult to illustrate the products etc

I'm looking at a few cameras (need to be cheap) to re-do these FOTD so i'll be looking and looking and looking.

anyone got any suggestion on a camera that is good on self-portrati let me know.

bye for now.

Eve

Tell me am I in Korea?

2010-02-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

In new Malden at a shop
You pick your own tempura
Holy am I in Korea?

Raspberry deluxe

2010-02-07T07:10:00.001-08:00

Best chocolate in London

2010-02-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

Apparently the best chocolate in London at William Curley in richmond

Pink Cupcakes

2010-02-05T14:39:00.001-08:00

Baked these last week for my first customer. As this is the first order, i thought i'll go over the top and baked some pink cupcakes to do a wow factor

It is made of Homemade Strawberry from my best friend J. And apparently my cupcakes taste better than Primrose Bakery hehe (And definitely better than Magnolia)

I made some greentea cupcakes today unfortunately my camera ran out of battery so no photo.

Any girls in London who want to pick up stitching again, I now provide cupcakes for them.

The Thrifty stitchers - http://www.thethriftystitcher.co.uk/

They offer half day to 1 day beginner class where you can take away a bag or a cushion. Or even to drop in for 3 hours when they open for drop in session and bring in anything you want to do. They'll be there teaching you step by step (I brought 4 S trousers and 3 jeans to alternate. I was told being too ambitious)

Anyway, they're launching a new class on chop and change. Shortening, lengthening hems, piping, etc etc. So for any ladies who want to learn a skill to alter their own clothing without visiting their local laundrette.. it is brilliant

http://www.thethriftystitcher.co.uk/classes_we_offer.html

And you'll be eating Evie's cupcakes as well

Hong Kong / Taiwan Spree advance notice

2010-02-03T06:44:00.001-08:00

ok

not lots of update again..

that's coz I have been preparing for my trip to taiwan (yeah!!!!) a birthday present from S so I'll spend a weekend surrounded by the flowers season in Taipei. When I go to Hong Kong in March.

that means. Eve's custom purchase is running again.

this time, rather than doing individual orders, (because I'd be running around like a mad cow) I will set different deadlines every week when I'm in Hong Kong for spreeing. I'll personally go to bonjour and Sasa to get your spree and send it over to you in whereever you are. All at cost price plus £1 service charge. (that's to cover my transport by going into town)

please send me URL for whatever spree you want:

for Hong Kong spree, if you can have a look or even order directly from these website, it'll help me a lot. I will collect them from the shop, so the local mail charge is free

http://sasa.com - we all know the greatness of Sasa. All Hail to Sasa
http://www.gooddealer.com - a site where you can buy cheap japanese brands
http://www.beautyshophk.com/ - a site to buy taiwanese and korean makeup (especially beauty diary mask and skinfood)

Watsons and Mannings are OK to spree as well (they have Kate, MJ, Angelfit and some chinese made beauty products which is good value such as 美肌之誌 Sewame etc)

I'll also go to taiwan and I personally will buy lots and lots from Kevin Beauty Maker and Beauty DIY

they are only available for online purchase, and again I'll collect it myself so no local postage

www.payeasy.com.tw

they have brands such as Kiss Me, Ju Ju and local taiwanese brand which makes your eyes dizzy

can all email re: spree be directed to my email, eve@loveeveltd.com

or leave a comment and I'll come back to you

bye for now....

Too faced emotionally activated lip gloss

2010-01-28T04:29:00.001-08:00

Just bought this At asos.com
thought is a gd dupe to Dior addict lip glow which also changes colour
to ur lip
So far the too faced makes a dark pink to my lips rAthe than pink
Will do A detail review soon

Do u miss them?

2010-01-25T04:54:00.001-08:00

Havnt post dao and chus photo for a long time
Do u miss them?
Can't bear the fact I'll be leaving them behind for 3 weeks in HK
And possibly a wkend trip in taiwan in march

Natural foundation trial

2010-01-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

Used maybelline pure mineral foundation and lavchuca powder foundation
cake today
When I used maybelline before I thought it is too light on coverage
but on a gd skin day it is perfect
Been putting too much foundation and caked up so looking a more naturaL
base look. just dap some powder on area ie chin and nose is perrrfect
Still on trial looking for the best eyeline that dun run even Barry m
fail on me
Only thing works is gel liner or liquid liner pencil liner heads
To bin

Borghese blue and pink mask

2010-01-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

Love the blue mask
My face feels so refresh like drinking mint tea

Updates.. mini-blog trial

2010-01-22T01:04:00.000-08:00

so... i’ve been in Mia.

I got 35000 words in phd waiting for me and I must crack on

still my love for beauty didn’t die, in fact it grows and I start opening up more of my haul from last year...

I decided rather than a long review, i’ll do mini-blogging

1 pic a day and a few words..

but at least this blog is still running

if you want to know what i do daily hehe

dreve0317 is my twitter username

add me..

Maybelline Angelfit Two Way foundation review

2010-01-11T14:28:00.000-08:00

So while I freeze in the very snowy weather in UK, i managed to stay home (ooo I stay home all day anyway) and take more photos with iphone. Seriously, The iphone camera functionality is not bad at all.

This is a review to compliment to Jennifer’s review to the two way foundation. Muah. jennifer. I won’t forget you even you’re in Denmark and still desperate find you the sleek palette

Anyway, Jennifer managed to haul this for me from Hong kong as I wanted to try this. She got OC3 under my instruction ‘get the shade which is darker than yours’ and hence OC3.

And if you are thinking why the case looks so different? I blinged it. I did this first thing I got it as I thought the casing is a bit plain

What’s this?
Maybelline Angelfit two-way foundation

What’s special about this?
Apparently is the Number 1 seller in Japan, and it is design especially for Asian woman. Also according to what I read online, it is really good if you are SE Asian woman as all reviews ‘complain’ it is rather dark. It starts the shade from OC1 which is roughly NC 20. Some even say OC1 is equalivent to a NC30 to start with.Anyway, what I want to say is this is a foundation for ladies with medium skin tone.

How much?
with casing around £10, without around £8. not bad not bad...

What do I think of it.
To start with, and unfortunately. The shade is a bit too dark. It think OC3 is even for girls of NC35-37.
The texture is rather dry even I wet my sponge to apply. But if you moisturise and prime your face well (i.e. I tried with priming Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer) it solved the drying area around the nose.
Coverage is good, not as heavy a the liquid version but good enough as a travel companion to use on its own.
Smooth on applying, and I can’t fault it at all.

Would you recommend it?
Yes. All medium skintone ladies which absolutely haul one. We should support a company who ‘accidentally’ made something especially for us.

P.S. I am also selling this away if anyone wants it. (I must dejunk my foundation) I’m creating a sales haul, but if anyone wants this I’ll sell this for £4 without case. Swatched once.

To compare how dark it is, i took a swatch of what i generally use:

E = Ettusais Pore Zero foundation in OC40
it is a lot lighter compare to the Angelfit OC3. And a lot yellow-tone. This is my one of the very little collection of perfect match foundation I got

N = Nanoce BB cream No.2
you can see a bit darker than Ettusais but still lighter than Angelfit. But remember, Nanoce supposingly adjust to your skintone so the darker colour here does not reflect truly on my face

A = Angelfit OC3
the darkest and not very easy to swatch either. It took at least 3 swatch to show up here on the cotton pad.

Skin MD Shielding lotion review (in lomo)

2010-01-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

*Disclaimer: this product is given to me by Skin MD Natural for review purpose*

Wow. think the PR in Skin Md thought the parcel been lost. no.. it’s been sitting with me since the postal strike stopped but as I have tonnes on my list, and I don’t want to write yet another normal review. i decided to fully test it out before writing this.

What is it:
Shielding Lotion. basically the concept is to create a layer to prevent your skin from harm of the outside world. For me, it sounds like the use of primer for foundation or simply foundation to protect your skin.
This version I receive also contains SPF 15, which I think is crucial on all foundations and moisturiser. (IPSA Listen to me here!!!)

How to use:
Apply after your moisturiser

How much and weight:
this version with SPF 15 cost 19.99 per bottle for 120ml
and the one without spf is 14.99 (ouch... it cost as much as my boots No.7 cream)

lotion on my hand

How do I use it and when:
you know when you have a boyfriend... they sometimes turn round and say... ‘you know i think you have just put on too much make up there’.

Recently. maybe my Shiseido whitening toner is working.. all those foundation I bought in Summer (lancome, revlon etc) does not fit me another more. So the complain about too much makeup is being heard on a day in day out basis.

But... I don’t really want to go out with a bare face, so this works in replace to the foundation i have and create a layer of protection. I only dig this out because of the cold weather. The texture is rather thick and towards oily for me, and it is not immediately absorb by skin on face. perfect! this is what a winter moisturiser should do in the days when your skin dried out due to too much warm air at home

Now, this is not just a face lotion, but hand and body as well. i apply the lotion to the area of my ezcema on my legs and it really smooths it out. i prefer applying body lotion first then the shielding lotion later.

According to their site, you can replace your moisturiser with Shielding Lotion. oh yes, i love all in one

Verdict:
I really like the concept. Ok, it is call shielding lotion but for me is the ‘tell the boyfriend to go away and I’ll put a bare face for you’ lotion. I love the fact that you can put on something between your bare face and the harsh environment. I use this on the days even bB cream might be too lazy for me and I slap this on for a pop out to the shop trip.

In terms of a body lotion, i think the texture is better on the body rather than the face. i think the lotion is suitable for cold countries, but i’ll avoid this if I’m in Hong Kong. If my BB cream doesn’t work in HK, I dun think this is.

I totally love this but unfortunately it is rather on the pricey side. If you see this as a unique product, £19.99 won’t be an issue (Paul and joe is the same price). But the plain design will put people off. I wonder if the plain design is helping to keep the price low (?) for this unique product.
I wouldn’t have pick this up in my local pharmacy unless i get this for review purpose. I’m going to keep using it, in particular my body area to see if it’ll help with the eczema.

Will i buy it again?
Yes. Only in winter months and body use. I am going to replace my daily moisturizer with this and see how good it’ll be. My IPSA Metabolizer R4 (the most moisturise version) is not doing me anything this winter (we have snow snow and snow) for the past 2 weeks. And I want to see if it’ll help the eczema

If you’re looking only for something as a primer, or ‘boyfriend stop moaning lotion’ it might be a bit pricey. I would love to see if the price can go down around 3 to 5 pounds.

PS.

All photos taken in this review is by an iphone with the Lomo effect. I thought I better write something dfiferent, as there are quite a few beauty blogs that has feature this product

Tiffany theme cupcakes

2010-01-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

My friend J’s sister is getting married in April, and asking me for a few times they wanted to see if I can help with baking 200 cupcakes.

I initially gave them a commercial price, but thought, oh well, i’ll do it to what they need. So deal done, and I invited them home to taste some of the creation.

It took me around 2 hours to bake 24 cupcakes, mixing colours and baking without enough trays is slightly difficult but I managed.

Also received some cake stands as x’mas present so it was just perfect to put it out.

The bride wants a tiffany theme wedding.. so here you go. Enjoy !

I actually like this design a lot. Nice and simple. no fuss.

just another photos by the window

the top tier

the

the most popular design, two tone rose design...

I also gave these to Yinnie when I met her the same night. i simply can’t eat 24 cupcakes at all. Cats and S refused so I gave it to people who would appreciate it.

It's Snowing!!! My trip in Yorkshire

2010-01-04T04:33:00.000-08:00

Happy new year!

I have been busy with all those celebrations and taking care of the 2 little monsters at home. SO this is travel post :)

those who are following me on twitter (Dreve0317) knows that I have been busy. I met up with yinnie for NYE. hehe surprise darling! And of course, there were some cupcakes to offer as well. Shame we can’t stay as we need to dash back to my friend’s brother, who was home alone as a typical Otaku.

Went to Yorkshire last weekend and we were so lucky. There was thick snow everywhere. Except S’ car cant’ really deal with snow, so I kept going out to check the traffic so that his car can roll back and reverse to somewhere safe.

So here you go.. some travel fun photos

this is Castle howard near York. We went in free because the staff were too cold to man the ticket offce or the security box. We had the all place to ourselves!! And yes i was excited and jumping around

lying on top of snow... in front of the main mansion in Castle Howard

my magical wellingtons boots from Joules. They keep me safe on black ice and dry!! thank you S who told me to bring them along. Poor S with his trainers

If you want some pretty waiters/waitress in uniform and good afternoon, you must go to Bettys (Cafe). They serve one of the best afternoon tea in my opinion. the down point was you need to wait. No reserving allowed.
See the woman in furcoat? I thought I was in russia haha

The Bresaola sandwich at Bettys. Raw beef with very very nice salad. Oh yummy!!

If you came to England without trying some local produced sausage.. you have missed out. This is one of the best banger and bash i tasted. on Goodramgate in York.

so that’s all from me. I have tried out a few new products this x’mas so I shall blog about them soon, when i can take some time out from cats.

Dao and chu eating... chu is really growing very quickly. they have the same bum now

Here's the new iPhone

2009-12-29T10:02:00.001-08:00

iPhone yeah

2009-12-29T10:01:00.001-08:00

Trying to blog fr iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

Food around the world

2009-12-21T11:27:00.000-08:00

the bibimbab we had in Berlin. the restaurant is called IXTHYS

Just came back from Berlin, interesting trip. Most so, I felt that globalisation is just around us. S has a phobia in German food. Why do you need so much potatoes and meat in your diet? can’t some simple cabbage be added to the meal? (which I kindly pointed out that there’s Kale on sale in X’mas market)
Anyway, this trip consist of eating in a:

Vietnamese restaurant - i had a pho and vietnamese filter coffee
Korean Christian restaurant - the best bibimbab ever!
Russian market store - the borsch was just so good

the currywurst with bread

and of course, currywurst, various sausages, crepes,maroon etc which you just need to have in German.

Usually when I travel, i like to have some kind of ethnic cuisine. I love how generic food melted into a foreign culture. I went to a Chinese restaurant once in Italy, the waiters loved me for the fact I spoke Chinese. And I had fun eating some kind of Italian Chinese food. I still remember that i kept thinking the Chinese food was not right, when local Italian was walking in all the time.

My home made Kimchi

I love going to vietnamese restaurant in France, Korean in Germany, Chinese in London. Cantonese cuisine in Taiwan, French in Australia. You are not looking for authenicity in these places, but a kind of hyberdisation and a type of globalisation in the food. You are trying to look for the local elements in foreign food. You are trying how a dish is recreate using local ingredients. Always, how vegetables and meat are used fasinate me. My friends don’t understand why I walked into an Argentinian restaurant in Frankfurt, but hey.. Argentinian food can be just that little different, i had a brazilian lemonade there!

I just cooked some fusion cuisine yet again. Hot pot with korean kimchi (made at home), and Sichuan Chilli soup base. oh yummy....

Lancome Spring collection - Crayon lippies?

2009-12-21T08:10:00.000-08:00

The new collection from Lancome. The new 2010 Spring collection is called The Rose

ooo.. lovely.

I saw this article from a magazine from Hong Kong, and started really curious about it. Lancome is something i’m a bit into recently. Their quality is great, suits my skin and generally, other than the colour and packaging is too conservative. I cannot pick any fault of it. And you can find it all around the world (which is important as a frequent traveller)

What is interesting about this collection is that they’re launching a ‘Crayon’ lippes (C in the pic/bottom right) that’s very hmmm...

The colour of the lip gloss (A in the photo/top left) also reminds me of some of the dior lippies colour.

More pics from the collection

This is the 1956 design by lancome which this year’s collection got their inspiration on.

A very rare preview by Evie.

(all credits go to Me magazine, Hong Kong)

The haul and the love(S)

2009-12-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

X’mas x’mas x’mas..we love x’mas and it is time to gift.

Thanks so much to Jamilla for her X;mas card. This year, rather than putting all cards received aside (coz I never send cards... shame!) I duly displayed them. Unfortunately cats thought it is a knock the card game and every hour I am on my hands and knees to pick up the cards from the floor..

Anyway, I thought to those who are reading, you’ll notice I haven’t show any haul pictures for a long time.. so in a haul special.. I’ll show you some of my haul recently, nothing exciting and to say thank you all ladies who did swap, Secret Santa with me.

A super large disclaimer: because my cats love any kind of sticker that comes from the package, they have mess up which is which and therefore swaps are grouped into whatever cat find it first (and hide it last). Forgive me. I am Slave No.2 to cats (No.1 S title goes to S)

This is a collective haul from Uniqlo (and where i met miss_Waterlily at a japanese restaurant after this shopping)
My bro works in Uniqlo and it was family week, so I went in and snap as many clothing for myself and S.
I bought all essential items, Heat tech (they’re sooo goood.. soogood that it is unbelievable)
a premium down jacket from +J collection
a cashmere jumper from +J
a few tights.
cardigansn and jeans for S

This comes from Tammy from not a rich girl. She’s my secret santa and sent me some goodies. OMG! ELF blushes!!!! and face shop (never tried them before)

more goodies from Tammy (and some random samples I received from other packages)

more goodies from Tammy (oh benefit oh benefit, how can you be so pretty?) (Sing along with oh! x’mas tree)

Masks sheet that was consumed nearly as soon as it arrived at my door (oh yes those cellar tapes as well by cats)

My high end swaps/wins
Top right: a Dior blush swap with Jennifer (love you sweetheart. I’ll send you some survival package when you’re in Copenhagen)
Top middle: a little present from Yumeko (that came along with the handbag organiser)
Botton left: the Dior blush that I win from Jamilla’s giveaway. i should really put this under the x’mas tree but unfortunately the tree is destroyed every 5 sec.

Been approached to do a review for SKIN MD. and some samples. I’ll do a giveaway once I’m fully settled from my daily life chaos
and bottom left, is something I bought from cosmetic-candy blogsale (think is the black pore cleanser)

I found my natural shade!
Middle: lavshuca 070 two way compact. A bit drying but perfect shade colour. (that’s how I know I’m now a NC35)

Right: shu uemura brozne base control. I plan to use this to mix for the right shade with my existing foundation

Left: Shu Urmura UV Primer, again a swap from Jennifer
right: a Japanese primer from japan. Privacy

So that’s all from me.

I’ll try to post a review on a few of these items within this week. Been busy trying to setup 2 business at the same time. and fiddling with all these website design..

oh well. once it’s done you’ll have a look :)

and Finally

Merry x’mas to all girls! hope you have a lovely x’mas

calling for people who want to spree imomoko

2009-12-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

hi girls

ok one off special. Just wondering if any girls who are in UK or Europe want to join a mail spree in Imomoko.

Imomoko is having a 15%off with all products on their site and I have 1 item that I want to haul (Just used up my concealer and want to try Kevin beautymaker)

but.. despite the cost of the kevin beautymaker concealer only cost 7GBP after the discount, the shipping is killing me.

So.. since the shipping is only 15.99 USD and it is for any order (no limitation as I understand) I am looking to anyone who wants to join a spree together.

This is how I think we can work it out:

email me at kanonlin@gmail.com on which items you want, deadline 19th Dec
I will email you back on the shipping price depending on how many girls join. If 4 girls including myself is buying, then the shipping cost is 15.99 divided by 4
I will invoice you with paypal and you can pay me
put in order with imomoko
once it arrived in UK, i’ll send it out to you by local post. Again, I’ll only take the cost of local post and ask for paypal payment.
Any girls in Europe are welcome to join since we’re free from custom tax anyway

Here you go. One -off special

Back from Berlin (short post)

2009-12-14T15:56:00.000-08:00

(photo taken in Postdam, Germany, in freezing cold weather. -7’c )

just to say I’m back

tonnes of post to do, esp those x’mas special

just to quickly say a big thank you to Kay (Bihada Diaries) on organising secret santa. I had fun picking up goodies for others and on the receiving end as well

I have a very big bag of goodies that I got from blog sale..

and also i realised.

I am a NC35 now. Cosmetic Candy.. I’m joining you. pass me your foundation and we’ll share haha

Packing for a long trip - Make up (part 2)

2009-12-05T00:25:00.000-08:00

I am doing this Part 2 post together with my trip to Berlin. I know what I need to pack and been playing with all my foundation to make sure the best is taken with me and since Ryanair is the most horrible airline in the world, I’m carrying just cabin luggage for 4 days.. including clothing for a very snowy weather (how do I do it? I don’t know)

What to bring for Make up :

If possible, bring all of your point makeup please. That’s if really possible. The reason is there’s no way you can hit a pan with point makeup only if you wear it every day. Do you wear the same eye colour/blush everyday? not me. i alternate from smokey eyes to natural eyes, blue eyes to sparkly eyes. From orange blush to super pink blush, and rosy to peach etc. I only hit pan with 1 blush and that’s gransenbon (totally love you granesebon)

So bring all them your point makeup and that’s your reason not to spend on replacing your makeup when you are away with the same colour thing. Those saved pennies add up and will be well used in the future.

Here’s my recommendation:

Foundation

bring compact / two way

liquid foundation x 2 (bring something moisturising and some with high coverage)

powder (only if you are already using powder to finish off your makeup)

Eye-Palette

1 natural and 1 smokey, also at least 4 different sparkling colour
you can re-create with a palette of 4 colours and mix with the sparkling/outrageous colour you brought.
that’s very easy to create a new look

Eye makeup

2 tube of mascara (one for long lashes, one for volume)
eye-liner

Blush:

4 different blush in the following: rosy, pink, peach, contouring

Lips:

it is up to you. I think maximum is around 6 colours. I don’t really use lipsticks so they’re all gloss

Tools:

bring everything with you. Tools is so important that is not easy to replace

so there you go.

I’m off to Berlin for the next few days. Hope to update you with photos...

Packing for a long trip - Checking in and Skincare (Part 1)

2009-12-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

So a few days ago, Jennifer ping me on iM to ask me more tips on how to pack for her trip to Denmark. Being the one in UK, and travel a lot seems to be the right person to ask.

Last trip that i travelled for 6 months was back in 2007, when i went back to HK and around E.Asia for my fieldwork. I packed my life away and don’t own half of the makeup now. Then it was my 1.5 month trip in Hong Kong in 2009, for various travelling again, this time, I picked quite a lot with me.

So.. jennifer.. rather than writing a 1000 words message for you on IM, decide to do a post. I think Jamilla might be able to offer a few help here as she travels a lot as well.

One thing to bear in mind is that you prioritise what you bring, i think makeup/skincase is roughly 3rd most important thing to stuff inside the suitcase if that’ all you bring. Nowadays, airlines have a stricter policy and when they say 23kg, it meant it!

The way to bring more within the limit is to bring 2 bags on board (if your airport/airline allows). This includes a cabin size luggage, and another a backpack, or a supersize hangbag. If you know you are slightly overweight (27kg) and the check in counter asks you to unload, your cabin size luggage/backpack will come in handy.

HONG KONG EXPERIENCE:

if you are boarding in Hong Kong and want to maximise the luggage you bring, this is how i do it.

Check-in Luggage:
put all extremely important items in luggage and go to a travel agent and buy an airport express ticket (if it is 1-way, it is only $70 instead of $100). This will allow you to check in 24 hours before flight.

Then put less important items (the stuff you think your mommy will help you to send over to you if you are overweight) into cabin luggage

With your supersize hangbag, only put your flight essentials (passport, doc etc) and do not load anything else.

Check in at the counter with your luggage and super size hangbag at the airport express checkin first (this is to make sure you guarantee a seat) if you need to unload due to overweight at this point, you can unload items into your supersize hangbag.
(the reason why you do not show your cabin size luggage is that you’ll be told off, their instructions say to eye-scan any additional luggage that the passenger brings into the cabin. If they spot you with 2 luggage at the airport check-in counter, they will say you are not allowed to bring both)

If you do not need to unload many things, your cabin size luggage and your supersize hangbag should allow you more room to fit anything you want to bring. (P.S. that’s why you check in early, then go home and pack again)

Then board with your cabin size luggage and supersize hangbag.

If you do not board at the airport express, but directly in the airport, you risk being overweight and cannot do anything about it. At least if you check -in first, you know what you still want to bring and have time to pack a package to yourself.

generally at the security gate, they allow a supersize hangbag plus cabin luggage. The reason why is people sometimes shop as much as a supersize hangbag at duty-free. So technically they cannot say you cannot bring an extra bag. There’s no policy of how many bags you can bring except by the airlines themselves

if you bring in this way, you should be able to bring : check in- luggage 23 kg, cabin luggage 10kg, supersize hangbag 10kg (if you can carry all)

Back to the post:

Lets do it in 2 categories:

SKIN CARE

Venturing to the unknown place, you don’t know what it is like. Dry? super dry? cold? etc
My advice is bring what you know works with you best there then when they are not suitable, buy local products.
Also, my advice is to buy European brand (i.e. Lancome, Clarins, olay, neutrogena) if you want to buy before you travel to save cost. They are multi-national company, and usually their skin care line is available around the world. Therefore, it is safe to assume these skincare products will suit wherever you go to by guessing.

I totally recommend you bring these with you, the rest I didn’t mention (such as Toner) can be bought when you arrive there

Make Up Cleanser - yes. Hong kong has a better collection than in Europe. Bring a oil base cleanser (get the 450 ml Shu Uemura oil cleanser from Sasa, they’re the cheapest in the world)

Cotton - European drug-store cotton is the hardest thing you’ll ever tried. If you remember how Chinese (maindland chinese) cotton feels like, they are exactly the same except never improve during the time

Paper soak up mask - not those like Beuaty Diary, but those you pour the toner/essence. This is cheaper than bringing mask and you can buy the toner that suits the climate for face mask rescue

Moisturiser - bring your favourite (in J’s case, bring a winter one, I’d say a cream based moisturiser) and you know for the 1st month, at least you know something you use before

Lip balm - I always bring vaseline lip petroleum (my fav though is Rose Petal exclusively Uk only). When you are in really dry weather or just need a bit of lippy, it is great. Light and extremely useful

Eye cream - again bring your HG and think about it later

I’ll talk about what to bring with make up in the next post

What's on your x'mas list?

2009-12-01T22:36:00.000-08:00

I have been a bit down recently. One of my employer (well I work for multiple ppl) gave me 12 hours before work asking if I can cut my pay 1/2 to work with her. So Immediately said no and goodbye my cupcake job. (but I can still deliciously cupcake at home. I learnt all the skills) How cheeky can someone do that?

So instead of bitching about that stupid woman (the cupcake Co is called Faircake, just in case you want to send her hate mails) I decide to make good use of 2 months worth of holiday and write a bit on a PhD and do some lemming over a lot of things :)

This is just a post dedicated for X’mas.. for self-indulgence

1. Samsung ST 500/ ST 550

look at this baby, do you know why I want it? because there’s a twin LCD, a LCD in the front so that you know how you look like.
Isn’t this clever?
This is just the camera every blogger needs for your FOTD
This is costing around 170 on amazon, but 130 in Hong Kong.

Shu Uemura Liquid fondation in SPF 10

Keen to try again!
think this is a rather thick foundation which I used in May for the wedding
Must get it in the right shade this time

iLap

this is a laptop holder for the comfort of your head, wrist and back design especially for macbook
It’ll help with the overheat issue for macbook alumniumn and hopefully it’ll solve my wrist pain when i use the touchpad

4. iPhone 3GS

do I even need to explain why i want this? just because it is cool
I am using a N95 8GB which is cool and very very useful in many ways, still i want something classy hehe
the problem is I am saving myself with a super cheap monthly rental from my mobile company (so cheap you won’t believe) and more than 1 company phones.
Iphone is rather difficult to unlock and since I’m travelling very soon again, unsure if I should really get this.

5. Pet’s costume

dao dao might hate me but I’m sure Mui Chu will allow me
I want to dress them up for x’mas to busk around ...
do you think people will throw stones at them or give me a few more bucks to dress them up as Hello Kitty?

What is your x’mas gift list then??

Shu Uemura Nobara foundation review

2009-11-29T06:41:00.000-08:00

I bought home the Shu Uemura foundation which makes me a super happy girl.

The NOBARA Foundation is a cream foundation in a horrible plastic container

I also bought the sponge because usually the company make the sponge just to go well on its own product

So here you go:

NOBARA Crema foundation:

The pros:

high coverage, natural look
no need for powder on top
wedding artist favourite (oh yes! oh yes!, it was the bride-zilla shopping mode)

The Cons:

horrible plastic container that you have no option to put in a normal compact case (shu uemura don’t even do the compact case for this)
this horrible version is going to be discontinued, and replace by the stick version

Stick version is good right?
Not for your money. The plastic container version holds 13g, but the stick version holds only 10g. THey charge you the same.

Price:

I got 10% off so I’m a happy bunny

the NOBARA foundation: 22.90 GBP
the sponge: 3.51 GBP

To the photos review (which says a truth better than me)

the best example of how never trust SA to fit your shade under a big big light..

even though I have Jamilla next to me when I test this.. see how different it is to my normal skin tone.

this is at least 5 shades lighter.. anyway you can see how it compares to my original naked skin

Shu Uemura VS Maybelline Mineral Liquid foundation (754 shade to 03 Sand)

unfortunately the skin tone mishap continues. But it still match my face colour in general. Look at my hand, it matches the tone on my face

I find that the Maybelline Mineral Liquid foundation matches with a bit of yellow tone.

But look at the eyes area, Shu Uemura obviously have better concealing powder than Maybelline, it hides the eye bags without using concealer

Shu Uemura VS Angelfit Liquid foundation (743 vs W7)

If you look at the area where the word ‘Angelfit printed’ you can see the red tone is not very well covered by Angelfit.

Both does not contain SPF so you need to apply sunscreen, and Primer to hide the red tone

Shu Uemura wins on coverage, again compare the eye area and you’ll see Shu covers better

Shu Uemura VS Revlon color stay (754 vs 310)

Now moving to European brand of foundation and even you can’t see it clearly from photos, it does give you pink tone
So for me it needs some kind of whiter powder to mix in and match my skintone.
Coverage wise is nearly the same as Shu, just Shu wins on providing yellow tone foundation

Shu Uemura vs Lancome Color Ideal (754 VS 03)

Finally, the very expensive lancome foundation, again with a bit of red tone once you compare it with Shu

i seriously hated this foundation coz it is just not quite right. Does it cover my spot? no
does it cover my eye bag? no
does it match my tone? no
and why it is so expensive?

So Shu won because of my hate towards Lancome color Ideal

I am going to try their liquid foundation next, perhaps after x’mas to see how well it fits. Stay tuned!

Another giveaway Eki Love 1400th giveaway special

2009-11-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

sorry about all these but giveaways in Blogger world must be talked about

Eki is giving away Jill Stuart plus other goodies.

this is her link

http://ekimura.blogspot.com/2009/11/belated-1400th-follower-jill-stuart.html

Shu Uemura Nobara foundation review

2009-11-28T06:41:00.000-08:00

I bought home the Shu Uemura foundation which makes me a super happy girl.

The NOBARA Foundation is a cream foundation in a horrible plastic container

I also bought the sponge because usually the company make the sponge just to go well on its own product

So here you go:

NOBARA Crema foundation:

The pros:

high coverage, natural look
no need for powder on top
wedding artist favourite (oh yes! oh yes!, it was the bride-zilla shopping mode)

The Cons:

Price:

Shu Uemura VS Maybelline Mineral Liquid foundation (754 shade to 03 Sand)

Shu Uemura VS Angelfit Liquid foundation (743 vs W7)

Shu Uemura VS Revlon color stay (754 vs 310)

Shu Uemura vs Lancome Color Ideal (754 VS 03)

Blogger meetup and haul!

2009-11-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

met up with jamilla, Yinnie and kelly last night at Westfields London. It was a long planned blogger meetup and great to see everyone.
i managed to get out from a concert organised by my boyfriend due to a very heavy slowly cooked pork served somewhere in North London. Super Yummy, but me and boyfriend is now on a vegetarian diet until this pork is totally digested.

We first went to have some food at the food court, Westfields always have great choice with food, and food court meant that there’s plenty of space to sit down and chat

so the haul. A combination for CP’s and self- indulgence because I had a no-buy for nearly 2 months (before i bought some NYX). CP is not shown here as a surprise factor.

here you go

Tsumori Chisato x Shu Uemura LE Planet cat palette

the last one in westfields shu uemura counter

and..

10% off

just some filer to prep my nail.. I’m into weird colour nail polish at the moment

my haul from cosmetic candy from her sale blog and Superdrugs buy (3 for 2 darling!)

Nail INC - China Town

Barry M - Jade Green, Dark Grey, Red

the Highlight of my day

Laura Mercier foundation Primer

Shu Uemura Nobara Foundation and sponge

(if you’re thinking of buying Nobara, please buy the old version. Their stick foundation version is 3g less than this old version)

and finally to Yumeko

your handbag organiser has arrived in good form. I ate all candies and used the pressie. thanks so much

next post will be all about the Shu Uemura foundation

SHOP N' CHOMP Giveaway

2009-11-27T05:17:00.000-08:00

how can someone resisit the LE of tsumori chisato x Shu Uemura? (will do a post coz i managed to get one for myself)

http://shopnchomp.blogspot.com/2009/11/giveaway-time.html

bargain buy! NYC pressed mineral powder

2009-11-22T13:27:00.000-08:00

So after nearly 2 months of no-buy, I broke my no-buy (but hey.. 2 months is impressive) and bought something to make me happy. I had a very depress day when I was told I was not good enough... sigh.. well i’ll keep going..

What’s NYC?

I am not sure. I think it is an imitation of the famous NYX brand (which I heard is coming to London)

All i know it is known for their mineral powder, My Beauty SPot did a good review on this.

Where can you find them?

Superdrugs. Which is just your local shop really

How much?
big smile please

The mineral powder cost only 3.99
and the face powder is 4.99

total damage is 9GBp for 2 items (15 USD)

Pressed Mineral Powder

They offer the loose powder and pressed powder. But i choose pressed because it is easier to carry when travelling

packaging wise : is really drugstore. No fancy and it makes you don’t want to buy it

However, if you look pass the packaging it is pretty ok

my thought:

I have not tried other mineral powder but feel this is really good. No caking and gives a smooth complexion.
My skin has cleared up a lot (until I used that l’egere again..) and applying the mineral powder gives me a natural healthy look.
I use the body shop kabuki brush because it is a lot softer and good in applying
Is there any con I can pick on? nearly nil

absolutely love the fact it is only 7 USD...

my first experience with mineral powder is great so far. but won’t be replacing my liquid foundation

the shade in Natural Beige is a perfect match as well (to NC 30)

(I’ll do the face powder in a separate post)

Beautyblender review

2009-11-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

the product from ASOS

Beauty Blender review

I bought this back in October when i complained I should throw out my old old old iPSA Sponge .. i thought i just quickly review this HG items that should be sitting in a beauty fanatic bag

Beauty Blender, what’s this?

A foundation sponge with a round bottom and a sharp top to help you to blend in that foundation to look like a second skin.
Apparently use be celebrities such as Beyonce

the empty packaging that holds that beauty blender

Ok, tell me your damage then?

14.99 for a little sponge so that you feel so guilty you want to kill your boyfriend who did not stop you from buying this. Best place to buy. ASOS when they offer free delivery

How to use it?

try youtube. there’s tonnes of people who made a beauty blender guide on how to use
basically you dip you fat part of the sponge in your foundation and bounce it against your face
the tip is for concealer for those hard to bounce.. no no.. it’s reach area

the sponge in itself. very used.

What do you think? (except really believing that Beyonce use it)

Absolutely brilliant product. I can see why people can’t live without it. It really makes any foundation to glide flawlessly on your face. My concealer don’t cake anymore with this as well.

What I don’t like is that they tried to sell you that you need to clean it with their very special cleanser. It is rather expensive and I skip it and use my Pantene shampoo instead. it is not super clean but it still cleans it.

Also, the amount of foundation it needs, enormous. I use 3 times as much as I use with the IPSA Foundation sponge. unfortunately, IPSA foundation sponge that i used (for 4 years) is not available anymore. So I am not sure if the sponge technology is being created to make us use up the foundation.

will i buy it again? yes. definitely can’t live without it.
Will i recommend it to people? yes coz I’m evil and want you to a meal worth of money in make up haha

london blogger meetup

2009-11-16T15:31:00.000-08:00

Hi girls.

Quickie post.

London Blogger meetup!

Who’s there:

Jamilla, Yinnie, Myself, and a few other beauty bloggers+ readers

Where:

Westfield, London

Time:

6pm

What are we doing?

X’mas shopping

I wanna come...

Living in UK, surviving away from the goodness of Asia

2009-11-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

These 2 weeks has been a relaxing week, i don’t have many cupcakes work to do so I stayed at home most of the time. I did some PhD work and just a reflect on everything I have done. Suddenly I realise I have been in UK for 11 years (Arghhhhh) and thought, if someone told me in 1998 that I will stay here for more than 10 years, I probably give you a bunch of money and ask him to go away.

To anyone who are coming/planning/staying now in UK but from Asia originally, we all have the same complain. No good food, no entertainment, no wandering down the street at night, no dessert shop to eat after dinner. Sunday is absolutely boring and never ever trust your local Chines takeaway to deliver your mommy’s level of Chinese food. the list goes on.

I thought i’ll just share a few tips on how to survive in this rather grey country. This is purely based on own experience and no offence.

My home made sushi meal. With homemade sushi (sashimi from a local japanese shop/Atari-ya and homemade miso soup, no instant soup powder)

1) Buy many cookbook and cook at home
When i was in Hong Kong, i never ever cook my own food. Cafe de Coral saves my life and i pay less than 3GBP/5USD for a good meal with tea, soup and main course serve with rice. However a decent hot lunch in UK set you from 5GBP/8USD per meal so cooking your own at home becomes absolutely crucial.

2) Get a driving licence
it is difficult to go around without a car. And if you live in London, then it is ok, but in UK,you’re dodge with strike actions, engineering work, not enough drivers to drive the trains etc, and car is a good way to get around. Also, many places in UK cannot be reach easily with public transport (i.e. the famous bicester village) so car is a necessity
There’s car club nowadays so you don’t really need to own a car. Join a car club

3) Join a cultural society in Uni and they will know
If you love say Vietnamese food and not sure where to go, join a society and mingle with them. There’ll some food expert in all cultural society and can point to you where to go. I gather my knowledge via society events about where to eat in London, and survive

4) Invest on a computer and internet
the kid which I’m guardian of stayed with me for the past 2 weeks, and all he did was watching anime. now, 10 years ago, we have no laptop (they cost over £1000) and no internet. i know of a friend can’t survive in a foreign country coz there’s no internet. Nowadays mobile broadband is cheap and if you can’t have landline at where you live. Get a broadband USB stick. Invest on a good laptop so that you can do everything on it. I think I’ll die without my macbook and my broadband.

the afternoon tea I had in Buxted Park

5) Be a tourist
Every now and then, I travel. Maybe i travel too much, but travelling helps me to enjoy the country more. Imagine you are stuck in London, you will never know about the magical view in Bath, the academic atmosphere of Oxford, the clotted cream and scone in Cornwall. Also, the cheap airlines offer to take you out of the country to enjoy Europe. (that’s the reason why S came.. he wanted to travel in Europe). There are cheap day tour offered by coach company to take you out and see. And.. the best thing of UK? sitting in a beautiful cafe surrounded by cakes and scones, with a pot of tea...

Ettusais Dark Circle fighter Dual, concealer and essence review

2009-11-06T16:20:00.000-08:00

Since there’s tonnes of ppl interested in Ettusais, I decide to do yet another review on some other products I have.

This is something I purchase in HK when I was there in summer 09.

Ettusais is a Shiseodo brand specialising in Adult acne problem. If you have problem with oil control in humid and hot climate, or just in general, Ettusais is definitely for you. A friend who went to Fukuoka with me went all crazy with Ettusais. I was rather surprise how popular Ettusais is among girls between 20-30.

In Japan, Ettusais is a drug store brand, but in HK it is a counter brand. So if you love samples. Ettusais in HK is absolutely brilliant. I think I walked away with at least 20 samples with my purchase. (and yet to use them, haha)

Eye zone massaing essence

To use:
as a eye serum at night.

Purpose:
to fight dark cirlce (it says nth about lines ok?)

What it claims to do:
help blood circulation around eye area
also kick dark circle away with dry fine lines

Weight:
15g (rather standard...)

Price:
nearly 40 USD

the essence comes with a pump. I always think how company can produce an illusion that 15g is actually a lot

How it looks like in real life. It has some shimmering properties in the clear gel

Verdict:

Ok I’m 28. I know i’m old. I know according to the majority of cosmetic company, I shall be crazy over anti aging products. Hey, I do look 18 ok? so getting a dark circle fighter product totally ok.

but... this is rather disappointing. My dark circle is definitely there. It didn’t work the miracle
It is rather drying as well (for UK autumn climate) and I need something more moisturising.

When the SA tried it on me, I like the quickly absorb texture. But... I can’t really use this as a base for the makeup because it is not helping to moisturising at all.
My boots No.7 perfect and protect is doing the job.

So finaly verdict? don’t waste your money on this.
If you want something to fight back dark circle. the Shiseido White Lucent Eye treatment works much much better

Eye Zone tinted color essence

Now now.. this is a really interesting product

Official introduction and product use:

No alcohol, no fragrance, no Oil elements and skin sensitivity taste

Have skin tone adjustment, can adjust dark circle and blemish to natural skin tone

What it is?

According to my SA, it is like a eye cream but tinted. So it is a skin care routine rather than makeup, which is good for your eyes

Volume:
4g (very standard.. but I think Boi-ing is around 7g)

The actual product. Very convinient to put in handbag

It is like other pen-concealer, it has a brush head to apply on the eye area

Trying on my hand, do you see I have the cross scar? Courtesy to Mui Chu.
Going to use this eye essence to cover it up

Applied on the scar area, it has lightened up the scar, but yet to cover

Verdict:

this is the first ever eye concealer that is not really a makeup product. We have BB cream, tinted moisturiser which is suppose to be a skincare routine rather than makeup.
now we have Ettusais eye essence that is like a tinted moisturiser, not too harmful to the skin.

I like the idea of it. I don’t need to think too much if I didn’t take this off at night. Hey, it is eye essence, moisturising yet cover up my blemish. The texture is quite smooth, but as it is primarily to lighten up the area of your dark circle, I don’t think it helps with acne scar or blemish. It is purely for eye area and that’s it.

I probably will buy a 2nd tube of it as I like the idea. I like how it applies using the brush.

So, if you are interested, you can safely buy this.

With Love from East Asia

2009-11-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

So after nearly a week without blogging. I give you 2 post at a time.

Mainly is to say thank you to 2 people. Kay and Jennifer who’s package arrived amid the 3 weeks postal strike. (yes for the past 3 weeks, the postal strike in UK every weds thurs fri.. it took 1 package from HK 3 weeks to arrive.. and it has cash in it..)

First Kay’s package ended up roughly the week before.. all I did was munch through her chocolate biscuits thingy..
I swapped some BB cream to her, and she help to buy the JuJu Aqua Moist hydraulic acid serum which I was desperate to try. I have a pharmacist friend who swear hydraulic acid is really good for your skin and it is a must ingredients for good skin routine. Since JuJu says it is 100% hydraulic acid.. lets see if it will transform my skin

the chocolate cookies thingy which i ate almost immediately (yes it is empty) the JuJu acid serum on the top right and some sample from Kay.
i was quite anxious coz my package took 3 weeks to reach Japan..

The second package came from Jennifer. I saw she was offering to swap away her dior Blush and since we both have similar skintone I thought It’ll good to try (and when i met her in summer, she said it is her HG.. ) I also got a swap for a Shu Uemura Primer as I’m a primer and foundation addict at the moment..

I totally recommend jennifer as a swapper. I met her in MUA and since then she even took me to makeup shopping 1st day when I arrived in HK. The swap I got from her all come with original box.. and tonnes of samples

see all the goodies? thank you muah! and the maquillage lippies sample..

seriously for people with darker skintone, we need to sample the colour before buying. We simply can’t fit any colour they launch.. that’s how i buy my other lippes

I am currently super uber busy even I don’t need to go to work in cupcakes. I am setting up a second company, working through my self assessment and struggling with phd.

I wonder if anyone here can read Korean? I’m struggling with some korean content and need some help... it is about Leon Lai, who sung a tv theme song in Korea...

I noticed there’s lots of interest in Ettusais so I have taken all my Ettusais products photo and will do a review on them. They are mostly products with nearly no review so keep an eye on this blog..

that’s all from me.

Please vote for my friend

2009-11-05T01:58:00.000-08:00

Remember my work at Big Bang Music?

One of our writers, Kevin Tsang, composed a piece of music and selected as the finalist in the CASH Music competition.

CASH Music competition is the one and only music composition for composer and lyricist in Hong Kong, and many such as Ivana Wong won the competition and further their career.

well.. Kevin already wrote a few music for people such as Joey Yung etc, but seeing him as the finalist in the competition is such a big joy

so to support him here’s what to do:

go to the website:

http://www.rthk.org.hk/special/cash2009/?509

Click No. 1 親疏之別

at this 姓名 please put your name

at this 電郵 please put your email

at 電話 please put a telephone number (random is ok: such as 26784390, HK number starts the first digit with 2, 3 or 9)

at 驗証碼 that’s the verification code you saw on your right

then press submit

This is a facebook book to submit Kevin

http://www.facebook.com/evieleung?ref=name#/event.php?eid=167358769535&ref=mf

Now.. if Kevin you’re reading this.. I deserve some nice dinner when I’m back next year. Or a super gift for my wedding (maybe a song you compose?)

Ettusais Zero Pore Compact foundation review

2009-10-31T00:22:00.001-07:00

the shade chart and the actual foundation

Ettusais has always been my favourite brand. I fall in love with their oil control powder first when I live in Hong Kong. in the hot climate in HK, it is very hard to find anything that doesn’t need blotting every few hours but Ettusais.. wow! no blotting whatsoever. I am quite surprise how popular this brand is among my friends as well.

I went to Wales last week to sort out the wedding, and to pack extremely light, I dug out my Ettusais Compact foundation. Surprise surprise, people been commenting how great my skin look so I decide to do a post on it.

I have been using this compact foundation and this must be my third purchase. In Hong Kong, I definitely can’t do without this. Blotting paper? never exist in my handbag.

The back fo the foundation. I use 40 Beige which is my shade.

I think this is made by Shiseido company. Ettusais is special brand for Adult acne problem. And one of the very few shiseido brand that can cater for darker skin tone. 40 in shiseido shade guide is always a perfect match for NC30

I lost the original case so I bought a raycious case. it fits perfectly, and much more beautiful than the original as well

Price:
248 HKD which is around 33 USD

Texture:
it glides on smoothly on the skin with the sponge given. the instruction says no need to wet the sponge. Just apply directly on face

Coverage:
Average. Definitely need concealer

my skin

in the official website, the before and after look

Here’s a crop of a picture I took in Wales. As you see, some of the acne scar is not properly covered but the foundation gives a glow to the skin. In real life, I look like I have smooth skin

Verdict:

In the introduction of this compact, it says
‘No oily face, no sticky skin, a natural look. Non-chemical sun protection’

It has SPF 12 PA++ in it, weight 11g. and in actual term, if you use it everyday I finish the compact in 3 months.

I like it a lot as it is very comparable to my other liquid foundation, in fact, I like the finishing a little more compare to some of the liquid foundation I have. Perhaps it is just because i never use powder as a finishing touch on my liquid foundation.

If you live in a hot humid climate, I totally recommend this foundation to you.

Dao Dao and Mui Chu Special (豆豆同妹豬special）

2009-10-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome Mui Chu (we call her Chu as nickname)

S and I been debating having a second cat for a long long time. And it became a big issue because S is absolutely spoiling Dao too much (you know.. giving him 10 kisses and listening to Dao’s order ... switch on the tap! open the door! split your legs!!), and there’s a possibility of me going back to full-time work so we decide we want a second cat as a Dao’s companion.

Mui Chu is from the prefix Tanyrallt and she was the only one left in that litter. She is extremely playful, gets along with other cats and we were too excited bringing her home.

Mui Chu is actually my pet name in my family.... S loves the name so much (in fact all older generation call me that) and decide to name her Mui Chu.

Only just 1 day, both of them are kind of getting along.

Mui Chu and Dao in bed (and my messy clothings as well)

Arghh... that’s just cute

Both up early in the morning. Dao wasn’t too happy he’s grounded. Mui Chu just happy Dao is around

For Dao Dao fans... some shot of Dao waiting for you after a day out..

Another one.. you can see he just loves Kitty TV

HG Cleanser review

2009-10-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

x’mas is coming and hence my wallet is getting squeezed every day. I decide to do another HG post

(taken by my new Minolta 35-70mm F4 lens.. not bad at all)

ok basically they are separated into super HG (meaning I will never replace them) HG (like it but I know a good alternative) and random purchase

Super HG:

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil

this is the only makeup remover I use. Around 3 years ago, I was using johnson and johnson cream cleanser and the cleansing oil wave just hit me. I bought this bottle coz none of the cleansing oil available in the market (Fancl, DHC etc) produced such a big bottle.
The best place to buy is SASA, but beware of their expiry date. Usually they expire within 1 year of purchase from Sasa
There is different variation of this Shu Uemura Cleansing oil, but I don’t feel any difference to them except their scent and bottle colour.
It cleanse everything. Forget the next procedure. it takes everything off except eye makeup

Muji Cotton Pad:

Both are must have items. The first is the one recommended by Saeki and a lot more economical. One piece of cotton and be split into 4.

the other is purely for my toner/lotion use.
Why Muji? coz 99% of the cotton pad sold in drugstores in UK are rubbish. So hard! so thick! so arghhhhhhh...
the only pad I can use are from Muji.. thank god for globalisation...

HG
Lancome bi-fical or Boots Dual eye makeup remover
both takes off MM mascara easily without pain, combined with Saeki’s method, that’s even better.
I find Boots dual eye makeup remover as effective as the lancome, which is 2/3 of the price cheaper.

Random:
that’s including...

Emulsion -
any brand, I use this to take off my makeup on very late nights as I can’t be bother to wash my face anymore. I find emulsion are great for taking off makeup and no need to buy makeup remover wipes separately

Lancome Gel Eclat cleanser
Lush Angel on Bare Skin
Lancome exfolliance Clarte
Laneige Straweberry peel

these are rather random purchase so if anyone want i’ll do a review separately...

It is a cookie day

2009-10-24T00:51:00.000-07:00

This week super super busy... Lets start with something nice

So other than a PhD student I now work as cupcake assistant, meaning I bake cupcakes.. This week we have an order of

5 tier wedding cake
200 cookies piped with guest name as wedding favours
100 cupcakes
1 top cake

so I was put into an accelerated course on making cookies and here’s what i did:

this is my first attempt piping and I find using the simpliest colour makes the best cookie...

I plan to make some cookie for x’mas and just learned how to ice a cake, so x’mas cake is my biggest challenge from now.

also did some sugar modelling

I fancy making some pretty girls but think they look much better with their facial expressions

So that’s gd.. did 100 cupcakes with making the colour buttercream as well all is well and it is very easy now..

Also, my ASOS order arrived! yeah!!!

so I’ll do a review of the beauty blender.. such a good product!!

_____________________

Frankfurt trip and Maybelline Pure Mineral Foundation Review

2009-10-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Frankfurt and maybelline pure Mineral Foundation

So the post about frankfurt which I went just 2 weeks ago. I thought i’ll post this up before i forget...
I basically spend all my time at the hotel (doing my tax return !!!) I can totally understand why people moans, in fact I am soo overdue that I am getting a big slap by my tax office

So while I am doing my accounts:

German Apple Custard cake (and the vaseline rosy lips next to it, you can see.. Rosy Lips is my HG)

Went to frankfurt coz S went for training. Except he whole heartedly hate german food. This is an argentian steak covered with cheese and garlice with super super nice potatoe crisp/fries.. and behind there’s the guana juice from Brazil. I love globalisation...

I finally venture out and took a 2.5 hour with the tourist office. They operate everyday morning and afternoon. In here, i use mascara, Maybelline pure Mineral Foundation and rosy lips. Again just to hide those blemish on face...

sigh.. i look fat (we all say that right?)

The famous Korean dinner in Frankfurt. And look at the starters! definitely much better in London. For those who don’t know, there’s a big Korean community in Germany, so you have really good korean restaurant. But not cheap. The pancake is around 14 euros
But love love the starters

Ok back to the Maybelline foundation.

i got 030 as shade, I think they have 4 shades.
Compare to the powder mineral foundation, I always prefer liquid, not very sure why, but this is personal preference (will blog about my experience with compact foundation next post)

I bought this because i feel that I need a cheaper foundation, even cheaper than Revlon. And this only cost 7 GBP, and i bought it in the airport before i left for Frankfurt. Bought some sponge at boots, but they’re rubbish.

ok my view:
Nice and simple. Less coverage than BB cream, but better for your skin. It is quite sheer, and easy to apply. However, i need more concealer to hide my acne scar by using this.
Another little complain is it doesn’t stay on face long enough for my liking. In my previous photo, I only been out for 1.5 hrs since I apply and it looks like i haven’t put on. I think I need to get a powder to set it (lemming over Barry M powder)
It is a buyable product for girls who wear makeup, espeically in office environment. And that’s what I’ll use for my cupcake lesson.

Finally..

A big news.

Dao has a new girlfriend.

welcome. mui Chu (妹豬）

our new additional to the Dao Dao Kingdom

Two lip balm review - Vaseline Rosy Lips and rosy Petal salve

2009-10-15T01:09:00.000-07:00

Winter has arrived!! at least in the UK, I finally took out my heavy coats and hang them up. for some reason.. I don’t have enough winter clothings this year to get by.. I wonder why.

Anyway, I thought I’ll do a lip balm review, reviewing two of my HG products

Rose & Co Apothecary Lip balm

Cost:
5GBP / 8USD

Where to buy:
not everywhere, selected boots, waitrose or online

reason to buy:
this is an alternative to the normal Vaseline lip balm, except it is made from Rose petal and a lovely Rose scent

My verdict:
Great product but very pricey. 99p versus 5GBP for a rose scent. However, this is only available in the UK, and the pretty packaging.. I can’t resist
It has no colour and not as ‘oily/waxy’ as Vaseline. I use this on my skin problems if in case i have no body cream on me. Great to just put it in the bag and use it on lips or skin.
They have other products along this Rose pedal and lip balm range.. still thinking if I should get it.. it is pricey for me though

Vaseline Petroleum jelly Rose Lips

Price:
Varies from 1.29 to 1.99

Availability:
Waitrose and some selected drugstores. Not as widely available to other Vaseline products

My verdict:
if you are on the go, and need a hint of colour I totally totally recommend this. In fact, on a quick day, this is one of the only 3 products i put on my face other than foundation and eyeliner.
This is cheap but not easy to get, and I believe not available outside UK as well. Your lips will love you by putting this on rather than a lipstick. This keep my lips from drying out.

One of the best buy and souvenir from outside UK. in fact, I stock myself with this rosy Lips and give out from time to time to people who wanted this.

Both of these products is a must have for me when I travel....

ASOS 25% Off all orders

2009-10-13T04:05:00.000-07:00

This is big news.

ASOS.COM is having 25% of all orders until 21st oct

spread the words

voucher code: asosgrazia

FOTD: Guerlain Palette and dao

2009-10-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Long time no see (my face on the blog)

I have finally found the ultimate way doing FOTD without buying a new camera..

I found a tripod at home so I manage to do it by setting up a mini studio at home. hehe... hence it rather nice quality photos

Except I need to do Manual focus on the camera (focus on an object in a distance, focus it, set it and change into manual focus mode)

But hey.. finally get a photo that I want..

This face is onlu make use of the Guerlain Palette which I received. Natural is the word Natural is my WORD!

i particular like the lippies colour (it went on very nicely) and the mascara which came with it (I think it is even better than my MM)

The eye shadow is pinky natural, and have 5 shades to choose from

I use my Nanoce BB cream.. the foundation I use on the run.. but you can see it is rather coarse on my face compare to my foundation which went on smoothly

So Dao is making his special appearance again! Hello Dao!!

One last thing..

Happy birthday S.
this is your last birthday being Single.. next year. You’ll be a married man haha

Chizu Saeki's Book review: what i follow

2009-10-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

Since june I have been waiting for this book from my local library as they needed to bring it in for me from another London borough, Finally able to read it myself and see if it is amazing and rave about.

If you do not know what this book about, it is written by Chizu Saeki, the beauty guru in Japan (however i doubt whether she has botox or cosmetic surgery as her skin does look a bit fake) and she wrote this simple book about how to take care of your skin.

She did write a few things we should all know by now. In particular, determining your skin type and how to care. So I skipped nearly 1/2 book and take notice in a few things. You are all welcome to get hold of and make a decision by yourself.

After reading, I think this book is really useful and I have taken a few advice from the following:

Lymph Message

According to Saeki, this is where you can change the condition of your skin. Lymph points are where your body process waste.. if you are as unhealthy as me, when you message your lymph point it should hurt like hell. Many Hong Kong girls swear by doing lymph message (in HK, you can get special Lymph message only in beauty salon) you can lose weight...
I tried it on myself, works great and relaxing..

I tried the message on S.. he said it hurts like hell

Cleansing process

As someone who didn’t really learn a lot of makeup techniques from mother.. my skills aren’t great in this department. My mom said I have lines because I didn’t take off my eye make up properly and according to the book, people only have fine lines around the eye because of inadequate make up removal.. residue stays there and clog the pores and area and lines appear

Chizu technique as follows:
Soak 2 cotton with water and your makeup remover
fold one of them into triangular shape and place under your eye
the other to remove upper part of eyelid
use a cotton bud, soak it in makeup remover and gently remove your eye makeup mascara and eyeliner
also remove the residue around your waterline
lastly, remove the remaining eye makeup using the triangular shape cotton which you have been placing under eye
repeat for the other eye

My old technique:
soak cotton with warm water and makeup remover
place cotton over eye for 1-2 mins
remove makeup by gently wiping it off

do you see a big difference? I was soo surprise that there was so much eyeliner at the undereye area and cotton bud!

Also she said you need to try to take as long time to take off your makeup as you put on them.. so if you take 30 mins to put on makeup, you need to take 30 to take off them (or prepare anyway)

Morning cleansing procedure

Chizu recommended using lukewarm water only in the morning but do a moisture mask as well. Completely different to my old technique. which is clean with cleanser but do mask in the evening

Message your face with serum

The book has specific instructions of the direction of how to apply your serum and moisturiser. Basically you massage and pull your skin to the direction to tighten it

That’s all I learn from Chizu... which I think is useful

Do I want to spend 12.99 GBP (20 usd) on this book? No... I think I better claim my tax and borrow from library..

From Jamilla with Love

2009-10-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

Recently did a swap and bought a few items from Jamilla, all of them within a few days apart. I thought i’ll share my haul with you all. Thank you Jamilla in spoiling me with these which i never can afford

The photos are taken with holding the items in front of my macbook webcam. This is the only quick way to take photos since I no longer have a compact camera. I am lemming over the Samsung ST550.. which beautified your face and has 2 LCD which allow you to see how you look like. My old Canon TX-1 has a swivel camera like a camcorder but it was broken (out of focus) too quickly. And now I got a DSLR Song A200, which is a bit bulky to use day to day in my opinion.

Guerlain Make Up Palette

Neutral is my best friend...

Dior Bronze Sun Couture Palette (i thought the colour looks perfect on my already tanned skin)

This is a aswap from Jamilla, the Armani Designer Modelling Compact Foundation SPF22 No.5

Which is very interesting, it is cream foundation but you use the brush to apply

Looks little light on me (but the correct word is glowing!!!!)

Shu Uemura Pro Concealer 3YR

I tried very quickly on my eye bag.. and jesus...

Good bye boi-ing, good bye laneige

This is my fav..

Promise to do a FOTD next post, this is due too long

Heidelberg

2009-10-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

Heidelberg

I’m back again.... I thought I’ll play with my macjournal software a bit and do a travel post. if you feel uncomfortable with this font.. let me know

Went to frankfurt last week, mainly for business but we went 1 day early to escape from the nothingness of Germany (according to S) so we picked heidelberg to visit.

Apparently the hercules statue..

unfortunately we went a day’s late so ended up seeing the aftermarth (tired street performers) and sunday... meant only icecream shops are open..

still we went up to the Heidelberg castle and look around. Great to travel when you have a student card

the famous bridge

the red Heidelberg castle

One of the embassy building on the hill

originally we can leave at 5pm, but S thought since we spent 30 euros each to get here, we should stay longer. in Evie’s logic that meant she can mess up with time. Had dinner at 5pm, to leave and catch the train at 7.20.. giving themselves 30 mins to catch the train

except.. public transport is just bad in europe therefore we didn’t catch the train and waited for an hour

by the time we caught the train, it was a Regional service train.. rather than 50 mins journey became 1.5 hr

totally totally exhausted

JLPT exam

2009-10-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

a random piece but I’m taking my JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency test) in 2 months time.
Rather scary but hey.. I’m on Level 2 , just one more level to qualify to study in Japan hehe

but this is the last year they are holding the exam so must really really study hard (I heard it is a lot harder as they might abandon the multiple choice style question next year)

will do a review probably tomorrow..

My 2 cents on BB cream

2009-10-06T02:14:00.000-07:00

I am here to declare I won’t buy anymore BB cream. (and use up everything I have or swap them away). Having been using BB cream for over 1 year, I think I can make a good judgement if it is suitable for me or not.

I’ll break down why I decide to give up:

is it true it is all in 1

the all in one includes, no primer, no moisturiser, no sunscreen, no concealer
Well that’s how it sell it to me. however, it is rather dry to apply on (and you only use little of it) you need to moisture. Yes you don’t need primer or sunscreen as it includes it, but most of the BB cream does not have concealing power compare to a normal concealer. I need to dab some concealer around eye around.
So in one way, BB cream wins, but most of the foundation also contains SPF and long lasting nowadays.

What BB actually means

Blemish cream. It is for dedicate skin after surgery or to skin that is prone to spots. Therefore it is rather dry in nature. Jamilla did a few great post on her experience using BRTC after her IPL treatment. But in general, the mass market BB cream does not contain such quality. Gary Chung, a makeup artist from Hong Kong is actually anti-BB cream, he feels BB cream is being misunderstood and used in the wrong way. (that’s before he get paid to sell Mioggi bb cream)

weather condition

For my combination skin, i find that bb cream cannot be wear in wet tropical weather . My problem is that I can only use BB Cream in weather like Uk, cold and dry most of the time. The oil control properties do not exist in the BB cream I use for some reasons (Missha in particular)
You can mix BB cream with foundation if you want to wear it. But why spend your time doing it when foundation does the job anyway?

adjustable shade

This is where i find most of the problem. I have NC30, and basically nearly all BB cream cannot cater for my skin tone. The only bb cream that can ‘adjust’ to my skintone are L’egere Red tube, Missha Shade 23, Nanoce. The rest, bin!
For fairskin you probably ok with most of the bb cream exist. For me.. I’m afraid that bb cream needs to go.

5. coverage and texture
again, this varies from brand to brand. Some provides light/featherlike (Begin My Pride, jadilla J, L’egere) coverage, and some with extreme coverage (Missha). We tend to think if BB cream is ‘1’product, the coverage etc should be similar from brand to brand. Oh no, very wrong.
Firstly, you need to require new skill to apply bb cream. You use a pea size and fingers to apply. Secondly, you need to wait until it adjust to your skintone before you do anything. All in all, too much fuff and not liking the idea.

All in all, do I recommend BB cream to anyone? Yes. if you have some skin treatment and need some gentle foundation. Yes to those who want light coverage.

i travel lots and can only pack 1 foundation, so since no idea how bb Cream will perform in each country, it is safer to pack foundation only.

(this entry is written by macjournal.. what do you think?)