Dust And What It Can Do To You!

We have been subjected to extreme amounts of dust in our new office with workers drilling, moving, adding, cutting and laying down carpets around us as we are trying to work. Everything is 'work in progress' and nothing seems to be done yet.

I noticed the effect this had on my face when I got up this morning and mind you I have been here for only two days. I got up to visibly enlarged pores and the redness on my cheekes had deepened. My eyes felt gritty this morning too and god know what is going on in my lungs.

Could being in a dusty office have caused this?

Moving!

Hello dear readers,

There will be a severe lack of posts these next few days due to the fact that I (and my colleagues) will be moving office. We are moving from a place most call godforsaken (on most maps, this place is formally named Putrajaya, Malaysia) to Kuala Lumpur. This is where all the action is at and the best food can be found. Also because we are in the heart of the city, it's pretty much where EVERYTHING is at!

There will be no posts for a while because of these reasons:-

• I will be too tired to put anything on my face at the end (or start, for that matter) of every day until we are settled in - hence, trials of all the products I am currently in the midst of testing for you (the things I do for my craft!) will be hereby suspended until life as it were resumes.
• most of my decently long nails will be broken or chipped by the time I unpack my stuff and decorate my work space - hence, any Konading or showing off of nails colors will be disrespectful to serious nail lovers.

See you in a bit! Cheers!

My First O.P.I and Some New Konad Plates

Love, love, love these O.P.I polishes and they are my first O.P.I.

The cutest quad on the block!

Meet Mauving to Manhattan, Brisbane Bronze, Royal Rajah Ruby and Malaga Wine.

Some swatches of the quadruplets.

From the top now....

• Royal Rajah Ruby is a deep red that has a delicious dose of shimmer worked into it
• Malaga Wine is the perfect shade of red and RED is my absolute favourite color!
• Brisbane Bronze - orangey brown and also has shimmer worked in
• Mauving to Manhattan - a sweet pinky purple

Royal Rajah Ruby and Malaga wine are difficult colors to wear in a corporate office. If your nails are kept super short then it would be totally wearable as it won't seem OTT. If you have long nails on the other hand, I would stay away from these two babies and keep them for weekends.

Brisbane Bronze and Malaga Wine on the other hand are more office friendly and totally wearable because your nails won't scream "Look at me!"  

I also picked up some Konad plates (S6, M69, M70 and M72) which means only one thing - you, dear readers can look forward to some nail porn! 

Beaded Blue Chain

I scored this sweet lil' thang last week on a trip to a nearby mall. Got it for about 30 Malaysian Ringgits (a discounted rate from the tag you see) and I love how these little touches can jazz up a plain outfit.

There was a time in the past when I did not like accessories such as these and preferred to wear a plain gold chain and some gold earrings. Now I realise that adding accessories to complement your outfit can freshen your look instantly! It takes a little more time in the morning but with a helpful husband  (who provides the extra pair of hands to help put on the chain) - anything is possible!!

I plan my outfit for the next office day the night before so I don't waste precious time thinking of whether this goes with that. I then think about what accessory or accessories go with the outfit. Oftentimes it is just the addition of a bold ring or a small pair of earrings or a chain. Never all three together and only two at most.

What are your favourite accessories, dear readers?

Smart Storage for Eyeshadows

This is where I store my single eyeshadows.

This storage box from Beautilicious is so cheap and fits six Elianto eyeshadow singles.

I actually bought this compact storage box thinking that my single eyeshadows might fit....was not really sure. However, when I got home, it was a perfect fit. I was really pleased.

In order to get your eyeshadows into the case, gently (and I mean with the gentleness of a lamb!) remove your shadow pan from the original casing. In the case of Elianto shadows, there is a glue from hell which sticks the metal pan to a clear plastic case. It is really difficult to remove. Don't pull your shadow pan out - use a pair of sharp scissors to cut the casing off and then try to pry the remaining plastic from the pan. I tried to do it witout a pair of scissors the first time and I lost a perfectly wonderful deep blue shadow. The pan that held the shadow bent a little and the product popped out in a million little specks! Sad really.

Once you get your shadow out of the casing, remove the strip that covers a small piece of double sided tape that is stuck inside each circle holder and pop your pan in. It sticks very well as far as I am concerned. I have a Dymo (labelling tool) which I use for labelling anything and everything and I have meant to print out the names of the colors and stick it right above each color - nope, haven't gotten round to doing it. Just like me to be lazy!

As you can see in the close up, there is a slim area to store a brush or a sponge tip applicator. The case did not come with one, you are expected to insert your own. I just use a brush to apply the shadows that I need.

The names of these colors are from top left:-misty gray, scarlet purple, jewellery green. Bottom left:-copper brown,rich blue andmaya blue.

When before I had these eyeshadows in a horrible plastic case which oftentimes did not close properly, now I have a smart way to have my colors in one place.

Where do you store your singles?

Dark Lip Colors Will Not Do You Justice

If you saw my recent purchase of the super cheap Uptown Visions products, you would have seen two really dark lip colors in there. I picked those out because I did not have much of a choice and the store was running a BOGOF (buy one, get on free).

The two colors I chose were Raisin and Eggplant and from the name you would guess that Raisin is reddish and Eggplant is purplish in hue. Not really colors that I like these days.

The colors that I love now are mid to darker pinks and mild reds because I find them most flattering (see picture below on one of the pinky reds I am currently rockin' ). When I was younger, I did love dark reds and when you are young, you are able to carry that off well.

The thing with dark colors is that they tend to make the lips look smaller and it ages you somewhat. Try it in front of the mirror (like I did) and you will be able to see the difference.

I found it really hard to come off my dark lipcolor obsession as I transitioned into my thirties - just goes to show how you fall into a makeup rut and hold fast to the stuff you are used to!

I, for one, never thought that what I deemed as 'light' colors would do my face any justice. I was wrong and in a perfect world, you will get a lip color straight out of the tube that really, really looks good on you. In reality, to achieve a near perfect color that is just right for your skintone requires the mixing of at least two colors and also a complimentary lipliner that 'holds' your color in.

This could just be me as I am really picky about lip colors because many colors leave me looking washed out. I have tried practically the whole range of Bobbi Brown lipsticks at a workshop and did not find one that suited me! Granted their colors are more of the natural to nude tones. 

So, of the two colors, I like Raisin but I have not used it on its own yet. I added a lighter pink layer on my lower lip to tone down the intensity of it. It would work better for an evening out.

As for the Eggplant....thats a tough one to work with as it looks almost black on my kissers! I may use it but not without layers of lighter colors on top and I did consider using it as a liner. That remains to be tried.

As for the quality of these lipsticks....

• 
  
  strong oily smell
• 
  
  felt a little thick but went on super smoothly
• 
  
  rather strong pigment that stained my lips after using it for a few minutes

Not a product I would reach for neither will it be one that is on my list of favourites.

Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer - Yay or Nay!

My first primer is this one by Revlon. I admit I was persuaded by a very flawless looking Jessica Alba to buy this. She made me do it!

I have had this for months and have only used it a couple of times. I used way too much of this product the first time, in my pursuit to achieve Jessica's smooth skin. The second time, I used much less.

This is a clear gel primer with silicone as the agent that provides smoothness as silicone sits on the lines and pores of your face. It is also advertised as having a clean fresh fragrance that is supposed to refresh the senses. 

Unfortunately, I did not like much about this primer, which is sad really as I had such high hopes. The feel of the silicone primer was something that I was not really used to and when I applied it on to my face, it felt like it was sitting there and my skin could not breathe - you know the feeling right? But then again, thats what it is supposed to do, sit on your face!

Thankfully though, I did not suffer any breakouts. If you have oily skin prone to breakouts, then you might want to approach this with caution.

To my horror also, my t-zone became an oily battlefield within 3 hours of using it which is not good because I work long hours and most times am too busy to be bothered with blotting every few hours. Sad to say, my make-up faded really quickly.

As for creating a smooth canvas by covering pores and fine lines, I did not see that happening. Another thing that I did not like was the fragrance which the product claims will refresh the senses.

Here is a list of the ingredients, which I must say was not contained on the product itself. 

Trisiloxane, Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Peg/Ppg-19/19 Dimethicone, Aqua ((Water) Eau), Glycerin, Dimethicone/Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Alcohol Denat., Citrullus Vulgaris (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract), Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Iron Ferment, Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment, Saccharomyces/Potassium Ferment, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 80, Silica Silylate, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol.

Perhaps one tiny plus point is that it contains Pyrus Malus or apple fruit extract which is an anti-oxidant and aids in toning and exfoliating the skin.

At RM55, I will not repurchase this product again and it gets a big Nay from me.

Have you, dear reader, had a better experience with this?