Category Archives: Beauty

Clinique Chubby Sticks in Two Ton Tomato, Mighty Mimosa & Pudgy Peony review

When it comes to my make-up miracles, Clinique already has two in the bag (their Cream Eyeliner and their Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Foam). Last year, their Chubby Stick lippies joined the hall of fame – and now they’ve unleashed a series of fantastic brand new shades (and they really are fantastic), my love has only lifted higher and hiiiigher!

Although I love Clinique (I know I sound like a broken record but: stringently allergy tested, 100% fragrance-free, dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested i.e. a GODSEND sensitive skin), their make-up can be a little… whisper it… boring. Work-safe colours, neutral shades, workmanlike branding – their cosmetics very rarely got the pulse racing, even if they worked wonders. The first round of Chubby Sticks in Hong Kong were lovely, pretty, perfect everyday colours – but this latest set of shades really pack a gorgeous punch.

Even the names – Two Ton Tomato, Mighty Mimosa, Pudgy Peony – have me sort of salivating. You just know they’re going to be as fun, colourful and cute as the name “Chubby Stick” deserves.

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bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 4.0 in The Truth palette review

When did bareMinerals get all fun?! Last I remembered, they were a rather holier than thou company extolling the virtues of mineral make-up back in the day when no one else really cared. Well now, everyone cares… and bareMinerals is coming of age at just the right time.

Their packaging and products have had a bit of a makeover (love their hot pink bags) and top of my to-try list were the bareMinerals READY eyeshadows. I can’t be doing with messy loose pigments on the daily basis, which is what bareMinerals were predominantly famous for, but these new eyeshadows are solid pressed babies in duo or quad palettes rather reminiscent of *cough*Nars*cough*.

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Deborah Lippmann Just Dance nail polish review

Cometh summer, cometh turquoise. I’m actually obsessed with turquoise all of the time anyway (see here for proof), yet as soon as the sun starts shining, my world turns totally aqua – so Deborah Lippmann’s Just Dance, part of her Holiday 2011 Dance Music mini trio set, seemed perfect for my turquoise turn!

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Deborah Lippmann On The Beach & NARS Koliary nail polish review – a tale of two blues

A Tale of Two Blues…

Yup, you’re getting two reviews for the price of one here! Now you know me… my usual philosophy is why write 100 words when 500 would do… but the reason behind this package deal is that NARS Koliary and Deborah Lippmann On The Beach are basically the same colour. Admittedly, a very gorgeous bright primary ocean blue, but the same colour nonetheless – and I imagine you’d enjoy reading two identical reviews as much as I’d enjoy writing them!

It’s a simple colour, but both brands execute it stunningly. Pure bright creamy mid-tone blue. No turquoise or green or purple hints hiding beneath the surface, no shimmer or glitter or special effects – just straight-up primary blue on a platter. It’s a delicious palate cleanser of a polish and one that always gets me compliments whenever I wear it.

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Clinique Lash Power Lengthening Mascara review

You already know from my previous blog that my must-wear make-up is eyeliner. However, I know that for plenty of people, the thing they just can’t leave the house without is mascara… so here’s Clinique’s new Lash Power Lengthening Mascara to tempt you!

I will be honest – I very rarely wear mascara as it… or rather the removal of it… tends to wreak havoc with my sensitive teary eyes (a lifetime spent crying at Disney movies and rom-coms? who knows!). Nevertheless, on the rare occasions that I do, the two brands I trust most with my lashes are Becca and Clinique… so bring on the Lash Power Lengthening Mascara!

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Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Intense in Intense Plum, Intense Ivy and Intense Charcoal review

Some people never leave the house without a sweep of mascara. For others, it’s a swipe of lipstick. But for me, it’s a slick of eyeliner!

I do actually leave the house without make-up on a regular basis (are beauty bloggers allowed to admit this?!), but if I’m venturing more than a couple of MTR stops away and if there’s a chance of being seen by anyone that matters, out the eyeliner comes! As a result, I have two go-to holy grail eyeliners – Clinique’s Brush-On Cream Eyeliner in Smoke Grey and Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in just about every colour under the sun. But I’m always on the hunt for more… enter Clinique’s Quickliner for Eyes Intense.

clinique quickliners intense plum intense charcoal intense ivyLeft to right: Intense Plum, Intense Charcoal, Intense Ivy

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American Apparel Neon Orange nail polish review

This summer is all about neons. The other day on the train, I spotted two girls who looked like they’d got dressed with the sole purpose of glowing under UV lights at a rave – fluorescent yellow vest top, fluorescent pink bandage mini skirt, it literally was like they’d coloured themselves in with highlighter pens!

For those seeking a slightly more subtle take on the trend, a pop of neon nail polish is your best bet. China Glaze, Essie, OPI, Orly and even Deborah Lippmann have all jumped on the bandwagon with neon collections hitting the shelves in time for summer. However, American Apparel got there first with their neon collection last year – and luckily, I have a prime make-up mule Nunu to supply me with such fluro goodness from across the seas!

I already showed you Neon Coral (LOVE); this time, it’s American Apparel’s Neon Orange. You’d typically expect neon orange to be more similar in colour to that of Neon Coral (errr… I can see this is going to get confusing!), but this was an awesomely unexpected take on the shade.

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MAC Casual Colours in Keep It Casual and Relaxation review

I’m a big fan of multi-tasking products. Vaseline? Tell me somewhere I don’t use it! (No… not there though… snigger). Blushers slash highlighters? Can’t get enough of ‘em. Bacon? I put it on everything. (Sorry… just had to get my love of bacon in there.)

But lip/cheek stains generally don’t rock my world. Let’s face it – the skin on your lips is extremely different in terms of texture, colour and just about everything else from that on the rest of your face, so for a product to work equally well for both areas seems a bit of a stretch. So although I liked the idea of MAC’s Casual Colours – lightweight pots of creamy colour for both lips and cheek – I can’t say I was expecting great things.

Left to right: MAC Casual Colours in Keep It Casual and Relaxation

In fact, I ended up loving these little multi-tasking lovelies a lot more than expected! The whole aim of the collection is effortless easy make-up (I love MAC’s tagline for this, ‘Stilettos off! Hair down!’) so most of the Casual Colours come in neutral shades for perfecting that carefree au naturel look. Of course, the one I liked the best was the least au naturel in the bunch… well, I do always have to be different!

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NARS Kutki nail polish review

As my nail polish collection multiplies by the minute, some tough decisions need to get made. In make-up mental mode, I picked up all of Nars’ Thakoon nail polish collection (an stunning series of summer brights, for those that haven’t already seen it). But when I got home and applied Nars Kutki, I had to ask myself – do I really another pastel blue?! The answer, of course, is a resounding YES.

Unlike China Glaze’s Sea Spray, there is not a hint of dustiness to Kutki – it is a true powder blue. Unlike Chanel’s Coco Blue, there is no secret shimmer to it – it a dreamy creamy crème through and through. Unlike many inferior pastel blues, there is not a hint of chalkiness to it; Kutki is bright soft summer skies all the way. It is, in short, gorgeous.

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Deborah Lippmann Mermaid’s Dream nail polish review

Over time, you may have learnt a couple of my nail polish weaknesses on this blog. Turquoise. Deborah Lippmann. Glitter. So imagine what would happen if all three got rolled into one… well, it did. Helloooo Deborah Lippmann Mermaid’s Dream!

Even from bottle shots, I knew this was going to be one of my favourite polishes ever. Mermaid tail nails has been a long-held obsession of mine and, well, this one even had it in the name. Mermaid in the name and mermaid in the bottle – it was always going to be a winner in my book!

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