Colourpop Lippie Stix Review

Remember when everyone is over the moon with Colourpop Lippie Stix last year? I was one of them. Last year Colourpop didn't do shipping to Malaysia yet so I had to search high and low for reseller that stocks them and compare prices among several. In the end, I bought mine from Red Vanity from Instagram because they have ready stocks of the colors that I want.

It was so hard to decide which shades to get and I've read tons of reviews on Dayre from fellow Colourpop enthusiast which you can read here,  here,  and here. If you love make up and skin care, you can just follow Gillian's Dayre because she do make up and skin care review from time to time.

I decided to go with Lumiere (Matte), Topanga (Satin) and Frida (Satin) in the end. Lumiere is the collaboration shade from Colourpop with Youtuber Kathleen Lights. You can watch her channel for more Colourpop Lippie Stix reviews and swatches because she owns like all of them, no kidding.

These are the swatches. As you can see, Lumiere has matte finish meanwhile Topanga and Frida have Satin finish.

First impression of the Lippie Stix for me are:

1) I love how simple the packaging is and instead of in the usual lipstick form, it is packed in a tube form. 

2) The swatches are pretty close to what I saw online.

3) It has slight scent to it which bothers me because it lingers on my lips. The scent is rubbery/plastic kind if you know what I mean.

4) The staying power is good for 4 to 5 hours without touch up but matte finish tend to last longer than satin finish.

5) The matte one quite drying but still bearable for me.

With Lumiere

Close up of Lumiere on my lip

It doesn't show on camera but the color is actually darker in real life. It is plum/purple pink. I love the shade but it is little too dark for daytime outing. So I normally wear this color for a night out.

With Topanga

Close up

This shade is bright orangy which I didn't expect it to be so far off from the color on top of the lippie stix (refer to the 2nd photo above). It compliments my skin tone well but my least favorite. In the close up photo, the color looks nice but in real life it looks like the first photo which is very orange-y.

With Frida

Close up

This is my favorite everyday shade. it is pinkish nude and suitable for everyday wear. Although in the close up photo it looks nothing like pinkish nude. My camera lighting is messing up with the real color. 

For the price that the Colourpop offer, I think this is a good product overall. I mean for $5, what else can you ask for? Some even claims that it is on par with Kylie Jenner Lip kit. I have the mini size Ultra Matte Lip in Foxy which comes with 5 minis ultra matte gloss which I got last Christmas. I probably to a review on that soon. 

Hope this review helps and Colourpop ships to Malaysia now for the purchase above $50.

Glam Glow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment Review

I've promised to do a review for the famous Glam Glow Youthmud in my holiday haul post. So here it is. I used it twice a week or whenever I need a little skin pick-me-up.

My very first impression when I opened the jar, wow this is a very small product for a very expensive price. It is retailed at RM255 for 50ml. And it doesn't smell good too, it smell like mud, duh?!

They claimed that this is the savior for Hollywood celebrity when they need glowing skin for photo shoot. It is like Photoshop in a jar, okay, I exaggerated the last sentence.  

The contents are French Sea Clay, Green Tea extract, Camelia Leaf and Cucumber extracts which will helps to hydrate, absorbs dirt and oil without over drying the skin and remove impurities as well as brightens the skin.

When I first applied it to my clean skin, I couldn't help but noticed the strong mud scent. I spread thin layer over my face and it stung. I was not prepared for the sting to happen but if you have sensitive skin, it will be better for you to test it on a small skin patch.

The sting lasted less than 2 minutes and once the mud started to set, the stinginess gone as well. I guess you should have expecting the tingling sensation from the name of the product itself. The texture is chunky and not as smooth as your normal mud mask.

I let it sat for 10 minutes until the mud completely dried. You will know when the mask is completely dry because your face will feel tighter and it is impossible to smile, thus the non smiling photo.

This is how it looks like when it is dried.  I washed it off with water and exfoliate my skin with it. 

My verdict:

My skin does feel smoother and cleaner after the mask. My pore are less noticeable and blackhead mostly gone from the exfoliation. And the great thing is that it doesn't dry out my skin. However, after my first try, I got a huge pimple on my chin. I'm not sure if this is related to the mask but I rarely get pimple. Since I have the Supermud as well, I used the Supermud as a spot treatment for my zits and it helps.

If you have extra money to spare and your skin is not sensitive, I'll say you can give this a try. But if you have acne prone skin, this might cause further breakout in your skin.

Holiday Hauls

One thing that really excites me about travelling international is the duty free shop at the airport. I kid you not. Oh, I'm not talking about tobacco products (it is way way cheaper before tax), liquor or chocolate as well as perfume. 

It is the skin care and make up that make me beaming from ear to ear. Every time I browse skin care and make up at duty free, my logic all gone out the window. It doesn't matter that I still have 2 brand new cleansers, multiple masks/moisturizers/mascaras at home, I still feel the need to purchase more. 

It is like I'm only travel international a few times per year so die die must make use of the duty free. Not that I know how much the price difference but every thing does feel cheaper when you swipe your card. Just be prepare for the heart attack when you're opening your credit card statement that month.

I was away to Bali last week with my sister and we went a tiny bit crazy at the duty free. I was only looking for eye cream because I've ran out of my Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repaired Eye cream. And I came out with basically whole set of skin care to makeup wtf.

My duty free loots

One of my biggest weakness at the duty free shop is travel size items. It is perfect for travelling (duh) and a great opportunity to try new products.

I got this travel size products from Kiehl's featuring the Ultra Facial Creme, Avocado Creamy Eye Treatment, Amino Acid Shampoo, The Original Rich Nourishing Creme, Hand Salve and a Lip Balm #1 (which is in my bag) for only RM299. 

I think this one is a steal considering the Ultra Facial Creme, Hand Salve and Lip Balm are in full size. I also got the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye which I still forgot to use at night now. MAC Studio Fix is an impulse buy for me. I've finish my compact powder and in need of a new one. I was using Loreal True Match (the rectangular one) but I think they discontinue it. So I got Loreal Real Paris Lucent Magique  Tri Powder. I did tried my sister's Studio Fix and really love it. So she dragged me to MAC counter and let the MUA picked my shade. Since it is cheaper than buying outside, I purchased the Studio Fix. 

Long story short, I had very little self control when it comes to skin care and make up shopping. Same thing happened when we're in Sephora in Bali.

My sister made me Googled Sephora Bali and made it a must for us to stop by ='=

And stopped by we did. In the span of one hour waiting for her to tried on all the lipsticks there, I came out with a big bag of stuff and instantly became poorer. Truth is, I do not need anything at all because I have so much excess skin care and make up products at home. 

But I just kept on putting more and more stuff into my basket.

And these are our hauls combined.

I got the Glam Glow set which came with full size Glam Glow Tingling and Exfoliating Mud Mask, mini size of Supermud Mask, Facial Cleanser and duo applicator brush. I already tried the Mud Mask and loves it so much. I will do a separate review post soon. 

Another items which are mine are the Dr Jart BB cream and the Beauty Blender and Beauty Blender cleanser as well as Porefessional Matte Rescue which apparently a better version of the old one. 

I did have something on my must buy list for this trip, which is dry shampoo. Batiste Dry Shampoo is my holy grail product because it really helps my oily hair and extends the day between washes. Sadly, it is very difficult to get. It is sold online but they can't ship to Sarawak except Hermo but the price in Hermo is like almost double the original price.

The only place that I know carries Bariste Dry Shampoo is Jaya Grocer in KLIA2. I even purposely purchased 15kg of luggage allowance to lug back the dry shampoo.

I got 5 bottles of the full size.

My favorite scents which are Cherry and Fresh are not available so I chose whatever is left. I also wiped the mini dry shampoos off the shelf. I go through one bottle of the spray in a month. This product helps me so much in the morning because I can just skip hair wash and sleep for extra 15 minutes. Also it adds volume to my limp hair. 

Random buy from Bali:

Bath and Body Works mini candles. 

They're having Buy 3 get 1 free promotion so my sister and I get two each.

These are my random buy at Bali Airport because I wanted to finish off my Rupiah.

Oh yeah, I did bought something apparel wise and it is something that I have been on the hunt for. I missed the chance to get it while I was in Hong Kong and randomly stumbled upon it at KLIA2. It was on my birthday wishlist.

My black Nike Roshe

I am so happy to finally got this sneaker. It will perfect for travelling and will match any outfit effortlessly. That means two things off my birthday wishlist now. Feeling so grateful and thankful that my wishes are coming true. 

Recover

I started off my December with flu, then slight fever followed by sore throat and now coughing. Very not glamorous. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to feel better again and be in good health. End of November was a busy month for me. I had work training and my best friend of uni wedding back to back. The beautiful wedding deserves a post of it own though. 

This is just a short update of what's happening for the past 2 weeks.

Getting my Starbucks fix with chocolate cream chip because I don't take coffee.

Never realized how beautiful the night view of the twin tower.

I only realized this when I saw a group of people standing on the roadside taking photo of the view.

So, I joined in from the car.

Christmas is coming so I got myself a little something.

My favorite purchase ever. Full size items with a fraction of its price.

All of these for only RM185. Even the full size Porefessional alone already costs RM115.

So this is totally worth it because I use Porefessional everyday and already been through 2 tubes.

Another awesome buy. The best of Sephora contains 9 best seller products from Sephora itself in full size and costs RM155. #winning.

Such a beautiful clouds. This was taken on the 28th floor of G Tower.

And then I spotted that little orange car. Nice gimmick Auto Bavaria.

So that's how I spent my 3 days 2 nights working trip.

Speaking of the work trip, it was for a training called The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Normally, I'm not a fan of self improvement program because they tend to be boring and I get nothing out of it. But this one is different. An effective trainer does make a huge different because I've learnt so much in the span of 3 days. Prior to this trip, I was feeling negative and down, thus I'm not enjoying my time at work. This training helps me to see things from others paradigm and learnt to not to let my surrounding affecting me. Some things cannot be change so, just embrace it and focus on the positive side.

It is a good reminder for myself, not only in my work area but my personal life as well. 

Welcome to the working week

Hello, did I scare you? Hehehe my bad! I'm feeling rather happy today because one of my favorite blogger Suet is following me on Dayre. This is awesome to the max. I've started to read her blog way before I started mine. She's one of the few bloggers that inspired me to start my own. I'm so happy too because now she and other bloggers are slowly getting active at blogging again, all thanks to the new apps, Dayre. I love their writing because they are so original and stay true to themselves. 

Another reason I'm so excited today is because weekend is approaching and December is coming soon. December is definitely my favorite month because 1) Christmas is coming, nothing can beat that. 2) The bf is coming back soon, I miss him so much. 3) My family vacation 4) New year is coming, new hope and new goals!

Close up of my make up. On my face are Laneige Water Supreme Base & Laneige Water Supreme Foundation, Benefit Stay Don't Stray & Maybelline Pure Concealer Mineral. On my eyebrow are Cyber Color Brow Pencil in Dark Brown & Benefit Gimme Brow. On my eyes are NYX Runway Palette in Champagne. On my lips is Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie. Oh, my mascara is from Maybelline The Rocket and my blush is from Lioele. 

My last minute before sleeping manicure is a total failure. Look at the right side, not even a minute after finishing it, I already messed up the nail polish and chipped it. But I'm too lazy to remove it because of the strong scent of nail polish remover. Right now my room is smell like alcohol, all thanks to my impromptu manicure before bed. Lesson learnt, no more next time.

I put aside these products on my dresser because I wanted to finish them all. There are only some left and I've been abandoning them for a really long time. I want to clear and finish my skin care and make up because I seriously have way too many excess products. I have this bad habit of buying products and forget about them until some time later when I rediscover them again at my pile of mess. So, I determine to stop this and promise myself to finish all the products before I buy a new one. I foresee no more new products for me until at least April 2014. Better save those money than spending it on stuffs that I don't need.

My makeup after almost 12 hours. 

This is the current book that I read now. It is funny in a sarcastic way and good for unwind. The story is basically about a loser guy whom trying to get back with his ex but never failed to ruin his chances with his stupidity. I got it from a book fair at Kuching last time.

Happy Thanksgiving to those whom celebrate. Be thankful for what you've got and count your blessing always. This is also a gentle reminder to myself.

P/S: I wish Malaysia has Black Friday sale. There are so many Black Friday sales online but most of the sites do not ship to Malaysia. Bummer!

Essential Makeup items

Whenever I see a beautifully make up lady, I always wonder what products that she used. If you could take a peek into their make up dresser, you would, would you? Me too! It's always interesting to see what works for them and discover another great products to try out.

So here I'm taking you to take a peek into my everyday essential make up items. These are the basic products that I've used everyday and work for my skin.

Full make up items

For face :

Pore Putty as make up base

Dr. G BB Cream with SPF 30 PA++

Skin Food Carrot Pact Powder 

Skin Food Apple Can Blush

For eyes:

Canmake Liquid Eyeliner

For eyes: 

Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express

Stage Kohl Intense Pencil

For eyebrow:

Cyber Color Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown

For highlighter:

Lo'real Lucent highlighter

For lips:

Revlon Colorbust Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake (or Sweet Tart) 

Maybelline Lip Gloss

Just realize something crucial is missing from my photos, it's my life saver to fight dark eye circle and hyper pigmentation : Concealer. For concealer, I'm using The Balm Concealer and NYX Full Jar Concealer. 

Now it's your turn to show me yours. Bye! 

New addition of makeup

One of my current resolution is to learn proper make up techniques and few weeks ago, I bought some new makeups to try and see if it works for me. This resolution is sparked by my interest of watching beauty videos from Youtube for the past few months.

I did my research online and it was very tempting to click "buy" or "add to cart" at every makeup items that I laid my eyes on. But in the end, I settled for the basic. The NYX Eyeshadow Palette, NYX Above and Beyond Full Coverage Concealer and Physicians Formula Concealer RX are from http://www.colourscosmeticsmalaysia.com/ meanwhile the rest are from local drugstore, Guardian.

I heard a lot of good review about this concealer that why I decided to get my hands on it. However, it is a bit disappointing tho. It is either I'm too noob or I applied it the wrong way, this concealer did not blend well and too dry which makes it hard to blend. A little amount of this goes a long way or else you will end up looking like a pale green monster.

I never own an eye shadow palette before and not very adventurous with my eye makeup, therefore Champagne & Caviar is my choice. It comes in a very natural and subtle color of earth which makes it suitable for everyday use. The quality of the shadow is okay for a drugstore level. It is not pigmented and matte. 

I wasn't planning on getting this concealer at first but the product that I wanted was sold out and the owner asked me to change. I picked the color fair for this concealer and it ended being too fair on me and require a lot of blending. Enough said, I still prefer my The Balm Time Balm Concealer.

A highlighting pen from Loreal, another concealer that I picked up from Guardian. I only use this to highlight my nose bridge and forehead. It doesn't work well to cover dark circle tho.

The rest of products that I got are Revlon 24 hours  ColorStay foundation (good coverage and really long lasting), Revlon Grow Luscious By Fabulous Mascara (smudge badly on me, maybe I should stick with Maybelline mascaras) and Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lipstain in the color of Rendezvous (which is orange color, the current popular color).

After all the experimenting, at least now I know what works for me. Do give me some tips or recommendation of product to try if you have any. :)

Happy mid April everyone!

I Want CosmoBox

Have you heard about CosmoBox? Well, I have from my favorite blogger Joyce. If you're familiar with Birchbox, it basically run on the same concept. Beauty products carefully chosen and wrapped in a beauty box delivered right to your door steps every months. It's sound fun and excited for a beauty junkie like me. 

What's more important is you get to try high end products at a less than a fraction of its price before deciding to purchase it regularly. Definitely is a wise move to do before splurging a huge amount of money into something that you have no idea will suit your skin or not. For more info, check out their website  http://www.boxculture.com.

CosmoBox February box

So many goodies in just one box

If you know about my quest to delay aging, you will probably know which product that I'm talking about.

It is the Murad Wrinkle and Pore Refining Treatment

I have heard a lot of good reviews about the brand but not ready to fork out quite an amount of money for something that I'm not sure will work best and suit my skin. Therefore when I see this opportunity, I take no time to jump at the chance to get this goodies deliver to my door step and continue my age delaying quest. 

Some people may think that I'm too young to start delaying my aging but recently I started to notice some fine lines under my eyes and some on my forehead. It's kind of bugging me, to be honest. With its 3X White™ technology, I hope it will works wonder for me. Murad products is based in The Science of Cellular Water too which provides hydration for your skin. Do visit http://www.boxculture.com for more info.

There's still hope for me to push the fine line and wrinkle away for awhile while keeping my skin hydrated after all. Let's hope the fairy will grant my wish!

Pictures of CosmoBox products are the courtesy of KinkyBluefairy.