Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Set #4 Mint Frappe

Was doing my makeup before leaving the house when i suddenly saw my index finger....the horror.....my nail polish was gone....never found it though lol! 

Went to remove my nail polish, bracing myself for a round of intensive session, cause nail polish with glitters are usually difficult to remove...and i found out that....it can be peeled off!! It does not comes off easily but you can actually remove most of them manually without the help of a nail polish remover. After peeling what i can, i removed the leftovers with the nail remover and it was a breeze~!

Since my nails were clean again, decided to try out the Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nail Set in #4 Mint Frappe. Here's a shot of the nail polishes. It's a green/blue version of #6 Angel's Kiss.

The second color (with the shimmers) in Mint Frappe is even more sheer than that in Angel's Kiss. In my Angel's Kiss review, i mentioned that i used 3 coats of the second color, but in Mint Frappe i used 4 coats instead. 

 With 3 coats of the second color                                    With 4 coats of the second color

The third color (with the glitters) in Mint Frappe appears to contrast against the first two colors more, compared to Angel's Kiss. Same problem faced in Angel's Kiss with the spreading of the glitters is also present in Mint Frappe. So with the strong contrast of the green glitters, i would recommend 1 coat of the third color, 2 coats would be a little over powering.

Under room light                                                                      Without room light

 The picture taken under room light is not true to what Mint Frappe is, the second color seemed washed out, and the gradation effect looked weak. So i took another one without the room light, away from the sun, surprisingly it turned out fine, just a little dim. But the glitters are quite to true to its color (picture closest to its true colors would be the one with all three side be side), and it only required 1 coat of the third color to achieved this look. Mint Frappe is really a gorgeous shades of green/blue/turquoise, kinda reminds me of china blue porcelain/jade and mermaids, really suitable for a beach outing.

The only thing i regret is that i could not capture the second color (with the shimmer) accurately, intend to get a camera this June during IT Fair, so bear with me until then.

Hope this post helps and thanks for reading!!

Suki-Ya @ Marina Square

Met with my mum for lunch at Marina Square, was contemplating which restaurant to go, and we went to Suki-Ya!!! It's a japanese Shabu-Shabu restuarant, and they serve all-you-can-eat-sukiyaki and shabu-shabu!!! For those who are not interested in shabu-shabu, they do serve ala carte or set meals if i'm not wrong. Sukiyaki is like japanese hotpot, whereas shabu-shabu is the 'swish swish' technique used when cooking your thinly sliced meat in boiling soup broth.

They have instructions and advice on having sukiyaki on every table

You get to choose two soup stock from the three available ones (sukiyaki, kimuchi and....chicken broth?)

We choose sukiyaki (on the left...taste like soy sauce and miso mix) and kimuchi (on the the right...a slightly spicy miso-based soup). Apparently, they charges for drink, SGD1.50 for free-flow water i think -.-.....well since i have soup, nobody is complaining about the lack of beverages. 

The bar where all the other sukiyaki ingredients are up for grabs

They serves some unique hotpot food, pity i didnt take pictures of them..*sobs.....i'm sorry...They also serve lettuce, leek, firm tofu(not the silken ones), pumpkin slices, assorted mushrooms, meatballs(not the kind you see in supermarket, they are really yummy) and CHEESE TOFU!!! I nearly went ballistic when i saw cheese tofu on the bar, really love them.   

Main highlights of sukiyaki is the sauce you dip the meat into and of course, the MEAT!! (beef, pork & chicken)

 I choose Miso Tare (cause it's recommended to go with kimuchi) 

with chopped radish, garlic, spring onion and a sprinkle of chilli

*gobbles down the beef

Yummilicious~

The price for adult lunch buffet is SGD15.90++, i guess it's pretty reasonable since you have free-flow meat, soup and veg. Really recommend Suki-Ya for huge group of friends or family gatherings, great place for a good chat and yummy food ^^.

  

Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder Review

Innisfree is a korean brand of skincare and cosmetic, they are really famous for their Jeju Volcanic Pore skincare line, Green Tea skincare line and No-sebum cosmetic line.

The selling-points of Innisfree's products:

1. Natural.
2. Environmentally friendly.
3. '6-Free system' which is Paraben, Talc, Coloring, Animal Ingredient(?!...do they mean animal testing ? maybe they meant 'all botanical ingredients'?), Mineral and Fragrances.

Just like it's name, this loose powder is highly raved for it's oil controlling properties. It claims to have Dual Sebum Control System and coverage/smoothens pores and fine lines. It's oil control properties is relatively good, lasting almost 5 hours before my face started to shine. As for the coverage/smoothening of pore, i can't say my pore are really covered, but my face does feel really smooth after application ^^. There's a light herbalish scent? Can't really figure how to describe it, but it fades after application.  

sorry about the pictures, getting a new camera this june so bear with me^^

The Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder comes in white unlike your conventional loose powder which is skin colored. Quite surprised at the color when i first got it, was wondering whether it'll give a white cast, but lo behold it does not (unless you decided to put tons of it onto your face -.-). Application is as per normal, lightly pat the loose powder onto your face after BB cream or foundation. They don't sell replacement puff (same as the 3W Clinic Natural Make-Up Powder) so same advice, pat and not drag the puff when applying to prevent caking of the puff.

Got this loose powder from Qoo10 during a time sale at SGD5.90, the usual price is aroung SGD8-8.80, so quite a buy actually. The Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder is a really great loose powder, but SGD8-8.8 for 5g is little too pricy. I can get 3W Clinic Natural Make-up Powder (30g) at the same price. Unless you can't live without this little pot of powder, 3W Clinic Natural Make-Up Powder would be a better substitute.

Hoped this post helped, thanks for reading!!

Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Set #6 - Angel's Kiss

This picture does not do the nail justice!! For more accurate depiction, see below.

As promised, i managed to grow my nails a little longer and tried Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nail Set in #6 Angel's Kiss myself. The gradation is really pretty and bling, perfect for weddings and clubbing, or whatever event that needs a little dolling up.The nail polish dries fast, but like what i posted previously, the colors are really sheer especially the base color. Here's a closer view of the nails....

Sorry about the clutters in the background

To get this desired look, i used 2 coats of the base color, 3 coats of the middle color and 2 coats of the last color, topping it off with 3 coats of top coat to seal everything in.  I felt that the gradation effect could be better if my nails were longer, cause everything seemed to be crammed at the bottom half. 

It took me around 30 minutes to do both hands, everything goes onto the nails smoothly except for the last color, the one with the silver glitters. I spend more time trying to spread the glitters evenly, they just clump together and not budging from the brush, when they do, they come out in a HUGE clump.....*sigh.... For the top coat, i strongly suggest at least 3 coats, unless you want the silver glitters snagging your hair or clothes and the silver glitters really can scratch!! I felt an itch on my face and scratched, i thought it was going to leave a mark. So top coat, at least 3 coats okay ^^.   

Well, with a little more practice, it'll really look like professional gelish mani, and this gradation nail set is really idiot-proof, no advance nail techniques or tools required. SGD5.90 for a fake gelish, why not? Try it yourself, your friends will be amazed!!

Qoo10 had another time sale, and the shopaholic in me could not resist and i....*sheepish....bought another set!!! This time i bought it from another seller, The JD, was quite upset that no samples came along with it..*sobs...

Mint Frappe

Will try it out too, and do another review after i got tired of Angel's Kiss and have longer nails. Hope this post helped, and thanks for reading!

Graduation and Celebrations!!

I graduated!!!... From Temasek Polytechnic!!... yesterday!! Time really flies, just 3 years ago i was still figuring out where is the block that i was supposed to go to....*sigh....now i'm joining the workforce already (still unsure of whether to pursue a degree or what degree)...Oh well, just to share with u guys how my graduation went ^^.

Cover of the booklet given out, looks really sweet with the dandelion theme

The Stage where i received my certificate and posed with the director...so nerve wrecking!

I reached school around 5pm to register, and gosh the weather is killing everyone -.-.....Imagine formal attire + heels with graduation robes and horridly humid weather....even my make-up was melting off my face, super unglam. 

The graduation ceremony started around 6pm, ended 7:30pm (really fast right!), took pictures with everyone until 9pm? Our stomach started growling, and it was late, so we hit Shuffle at Clarke Quay!!

  

So upset at myself for not snapping a pic of the entrance and place

Shuffle is a bar, essentially speaking, but they have a live band! and the food there is really good. well, there was a in-house promotion i think....Any 2 cocktails for SGD20!! How good can my graduation gets??
The people at Shuffle were really nice and friendly, dropped my fork while trying to take pictures, and they are like ninja, appearing behind me with a new one. And, my friend's phone kinda died halfway, the waiter were kind enough to let him charge his phone while we ate.

 We order 4 pizzas, but i'll post the ones that i recommend, that is....

 Satay Pizza (slightly spicy) 

Marinated chicken and beef chunks with savoury peanut sauce - SGD18

(Never knew that peanut sauce would go so well on a pizza!! The meat chunks are heavenly!!)

Smoked Duck  

Duck slices, cucumbers with a black pepper base - SGD18

(Combination of smoked duck and cucumber was really refreshing. That duck will melt in your mouth!!)

Well, i admit that SGD18 is a lil bit pricy for a 10" thin crust pizza, but if you share it's not that bad, you can try more flavors. It took 4 pizzas to feed 8 people, so i guess each pizza can feed two, so SGD9 for really savory pizza? Why not, student meal at Pizza Hut is around SGD7.9, i would not mind paying SGD1.1 more for more unique flavors.

AND...the highlights of the post....COCKTAILS!!!

Shufflin'  

Barcadi, White Rum, Fresh cranberry juice, Lychee fruit & Fresh strawberry

SIGNATURE COCKTAIL

(My Fav!)

Two Heavens 

Vodka, Gin, Blue Curacao, Lychee fruits, Fresh strawberries & Gomme syrup

SIGNATURE COCKTAIL 

(so pretty!)

China Blue 

Lychee, Blue Curacao & Grapefruit juice

Had a great time, wanna go Shuffle again, their Smoked Duck Pizza is really yummy and i want to try other cocktails like Meterorite, Jaggermeister and From 7's With Love...  Wait for me!!!!

3W Clinic Loose Powder in No.21 & No.23 Review

The 3W Clinic (previously known as DoDo Palgantong until 2009) is a Korean brand, and its cosmetic line has been greatly raved about in Japan and Korea. It's the #1 loose powder in Japan and used by korean artistes to create long-lasting make-up and flawless finish.  

Since i have oily skin, i always set my BB cream with loose powder to reduce shine and for longer lasting make-up instead of using pressed powder since pressed powder feels heavy and often causes creases around my eye. The first loose powder i used from 3W Clinic was their Limited Edititon DoDo Palgantong Make-Up Flower Collection, it came in Original Beige and Lavender Purple (for highlighting). Finished the Original Beige, and repurchased the 3W Clinic Natural Make-up Powder in No. 21 and No. 23(for sis) on Qoo10!! 

So when i first received  3W Clinic Natural Make-up Powder in No. 21 and No. 2, i was really wowed by the size of the product. This product is 30g, which is really huge, compared to the Original Beige(10g)  from the Make-up Flower Collection. It costs SGD 7.90 on Qoo10 and the last i checked, SASA sells the simliar loose powder but with more shades for selection for SGD 22.90 (bloody expensive!...). 

No. 21 (right)                     No.23 (left)

No.23 (right)                  No.21 (left)

No.21 is more suitable for really fair skinned individuals with pink undertones, or you can use it on BB cream that are too dark for your skin tone to brighten it up. No. 23 is quite similar to Original Beige from Make-up Flower Collection and should be suitable for individuals with yellow undertones or the common asian skin tone, it's slightly darker with more beige in it. Would recommend getting No.23 if your're unsure whether No.21 is suitable for you, because No. 21 can give really harsh white cast on individuals that are not fair enough. 

Finely milled powder and it does have a light baby powder smell that goes away after application. 

It comes with a soft and white puff applicator, they don't sell replacement puff applicator on Qoo10 and i don't remember seeing it being sold in SASA. so take care to pat the loose powder in and not drag the puff applicator across your skin to prevent the applicator from getting too caked up.   

Would i repurchase? Economically speaking, yes, the usual size of loose powder sold in the market is usually around 10g(other the Skinfood Buckwheat loose powder,23g) and to pay only SGD 7.90 for 30g is really worth it. I took like 4 months to finish my Original Beige(10g) so i'm guessing that 30g would last me 1 year. But the shopaholic in me would like to try loose powder from other brands, like the Tony Moly Baby Doll BB Powder and Skinfood's wide array of loose powders *squeals... 

Hoped this review helps ^^

Beauty Credit Honey & Black Sugar Mask Review

                     Front view                                                                                         Back view

For those who don't know about Beauty Credit, also known now as Somang, they are a Korean brand. They have like 5 retail outlets in Singapore, you can check it out at their website under the 'Stores' tab. Beauty Credit Honey & Black Sugar Mask is both a mask and a scrub, it claim to rejuvenate tired skin as well as exfoliation and glowy skin after one use.

The directions on the back are all in Korean, but i could made out "10-15분 " in the midst of all the words, and 분 = minute in Korean. Tadaa~.... so apply for 10-15 minutes before you wash the mask off, i guess some gentle scrubbing while washing off would help with the exfoliation.

lols looks like a heart shape

Bought this mask pack in a korean spree like 1-2 year ago, for like SGD18.30, guess the price should be slightly higher now. Other than the delicious scent the mask gives off and the slight warm sensation when applying (it fades off pretty quickly),i don't see the promised glowy skin.

Will i repurchase this? My face do feel softer after using the mask but i would rather spend the SGD18.30 on something else if i were looking for exfoliation. Perhaps the this mask would shed more magic onto individual with dry or combination skin?

L'egere Super Light UV Whitening BB Cream Swatch and Review

This is L'egere Super Light UV Whitening Blemish Balm Cream that i have been using for the past 1 year, and i thought that it deserves a review. I mean it manage to stay in my makeup stash for the past year without collecting much dust and you can see from the dent in the middle,  i've manage to use up quite a lot of it (quite a feat you know ^^). *cries...i could not find the box that came with it, guess i threw it away last spring cleaning.

Anyway, according to L'egere, this bb cream is something that any oily skin individual (me) living in the tropics would wish for. It has a decent SPF of 34, i wouldn't say its high cause there are other BB cream out there with SPF40-50. It claims to have whitening properties as well, but i cant really see the effect though (cause i dont really go out in the sun much and there's not much whitening needed...lol).
Well these are the main ingredients and its respective functions (taken from L'egere):

• Arbutin                     - reduces skin pigmentation and whitens spots
• Sodium Hyaluronate  - moisturizing, anti-aging and oil regulation
• Ceramide                 - moisturizing, skin protection
• Astaxanthin              - anti-aging, promotes glowy skin 
• Gingko                     - anti- free radical, anti-inflammatory
• Aloe                         - soothing, non-irritant

What really kept it in my makeup stash for so long was its oil-control properties, as compared to the other bb creams that i'm concurrently using. I didn't see much shine on my face whenever i'm using L'egere Super Light UV Whitening BB Cream, usually just blotting once in the evening would suffice. It contains polymeric powder to reduce oil secretion and to absorb oil. Well, i've yet to try my Dr Jart Sliver Label Rejuvenating BB Cream which is geared towards oily/combination skin, so i can't really say that L'egere Super Light UV Whitening BB Cream with the best oil control properties, but its worth a shot ^^.

Swatch of L'egere Super Light UV Whitening BB Cream

Shade: The shade is really light, with pink undertones, would be suitable for fairer individuals. Pity that this bb cream is not available in more shades.

Consistency: The consistency is little thick, but no problem blending, patting the bb cream in will do the trick.

Coverage: Despite its thick consistency, the coverage of this BB cream is actually quite sheer, concealers is definitely required if you have dark eye circles. This BB cream would  be good if you want a natural nude look, but don't expect flawless finish.

Scent: it has a light floral scent, not too overpowering. Despite the SPF 34, surprisingly there's no sun block-ish smell to it.

Where to get it: If you are uncomfortable with online shopping, the last i saw BHG does sell L'egere Super Light UV Whitening BB Cream, but pretty pricy *wince.... well, i forgot which spree did i bought mine, but if you want a cheaper alternative, buybbcream does sell L'egere Super Light UV Whitening BB Cream.

Hope this post helped you guys out ^^

Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nail Set Review

The Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nail Set comes in 6 sets of colours, in which #3 Love Violet is the most popular i guess, given that its sold out on Etude house's korean home page (the last i checked) and has the lowest in-stock quantity in the seller's option list.

Bought the Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nail Set in #3 Love Violet, #5 Princess Marry and #6 Angel's Kiss, at Qoo10 which was previously known as Gmarket from Pretty Shop (seller).

The parcel came after like 7 days, pretty fast given that they were shipped from korea. Pretty Shop was generous with gift samples, probably cause i bought 3 gradient nail sets though -.- .

Just this noon i went to Shine Korea Supermarket at Marina Square, and passed an Etude House outlet at City Hall MRT, popped in and they finally had the Juicy Cocktail set! Just the Angel's Kiss only though. Lol went ahead and asked the SA for price... guess what...$15.90!! *eye roll....could have bought like 3 sets of Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nail online with that money!!


Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nail sets and samples galore~!!! God i love samples >.<

                                                                         Princess Marry                                                                                                  

Love Violet

Angel's Kiss 

Sorry about the poor quality photos, will work on getting a decent camera in future ^^.


Love Violet is exactly like its name, lovely shade of violet that looked chic yet sophisticated, its not difficult to see why it is so popular among the other colours. Below is the best Love Violet i've seen done by Pretty Shop's customer. She did state that multiple layering of each colour were required to achieve this effect. Fret not, other reviews did state that the nail polishes were fast-drying, i guess patience and practice is all you need.

Check out my review

Princess Marry is a gradient of gold hues and sparkles, kinda like dipping the tips of your finger into gold glitters. Great colour to match with black or for Chinese Lunar New Year for luck (*ahem Mahjong). I guess this colour will give a 'atas' feel to your hand as the glitter pieces for Princess Marry is much larger than that in Love Violet. Below is the best Princess Marry done by Pretty Shop's customer, unlike Love Violet, one coat was all it needed to get this desired look.

Picture taken from Qoo10 premium review section

Note to be taken:

The nail polish volume (4ml) of the gradation set are tiny, compared with a O.P.I nail polish (15ml). Don't expect that each bottle will be the size of a regular O.P.I, perhaps comparable to a mini O.P.I.

That's all for this post, thanks for reading! Will be doing another post and try out Angel's Kiss some time later cause my nails are stubby now and realized that there are not much detailed review done on Angel's Kiss yet.

See ya ^^