Saturday, December 8, 2012

Cover me up

So if you know me, I'm all about the lazy girl makeup routine. I can go without blusher and foundation but I cannot live without concealer. So here's some that I've tried.
Revlon PhotoReady, ZA Concealer Perfection, Revlon Age Defying, Benefit boi-ing. 


You might be wondering why I have more than one of the same concealer, and the reason is this - it's near impossible to find the perfect shade so I've taken to mixing them to get it right (I do this with my foundation too).

So what's the difference? Let me break it down for you.

If you don't know about the Revlon Photoready range, the products are supposed to have photochromatic pigments that reflect and diffuse light ideal for... photo-taking! If you look in a mirror under a light, you'll see tiny tiny reflective shimmer. It's a cream concealer that comes in a stick form, glides on smooth and provides full coverage.

I bought the ZA concealers when there was an offer for it at Watsons. Also a cream concealer that comes in a tube, I find it a little too 'sticky' but it's relatively good for covering my dark circles because of its consistency. I first bought this in 3 which is a little orangey then went and got 2 the next day which is a little too light for me, but mixing the two gets the right color.

The Revlon Age Defying concealer I got some time back (I don't even know what convinced me to get this). It's nice because it has a twist applicator that releases product onto the soft brush. I find the coverage this provides a little sheer and the color is a little light on me, so I use this as a highlighting tool just down my nose.

I'm more of a drugstore shopper than department store, so this boi-ing was courtesy of Chelly who I think found the color too dark on her fair skin. I generally don't use this like I do other concealers on targeted areas like dark circles or the dreaded pimple. I use this on days when I want coverage on larger areas - if I feel like my cheeks have some redness but don't want to use foundation all over. My gripe about this would be the fact that it comes in a pot, it's so unhygienic using fingers to pick up the product or even a brush. I don't understand why cosmetic companies still produce things in pots. I really don't. 

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Dream a little dream of me- DreamCatcher Nails!


Had nightmares as a kid and found that these dream catchers didn't work? Yeah. Me too. 

But they sure as hell are pretty to look at though!

I was surfing around and saw so many nail tutorials that taught you how to pain your own dreamcatchers on your nails! So pretty! Must try!




Although it may look a little complicated, it really is rather easy. The top part is quite intricate so i decided to try them only on my thumbs.


Base color is ChinaGlaze "Hopeful" and for the accent finger I dipped my nail in a glitter pot and flattened everything out. (Confession: I was planning to go for a disco ball thing but I gave up halfway).
For the black lines, I used a striper brush dipped in black polish and gently pulled the brush across the nail. I used a dotting tool for all the other details.

Note: Because of the space you need for the details, medium to long nails only.

Try them out!

Love,
Chelly

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Mac Prep Primer

Okay! So the other day I was watching
"Get it beauty self" this Korean make up thing. They basically teach girls how to work wonders with colours! It's insane! Like one of those Taipei mei after and before eyelash and eyeliner thing? But Korean style..so it involves alot of shading and contouring, damn power la..and as usual, me being a sucker for this kind of thing, went to buy one if their featured product, the mac prep primer!!!

Okay so I usually use Chanel's Le Blanc light revealing primer and I love it! It's light, smells nice and illuminates the skin! So you might ask why change? Because..they feature it Leh! And the girls look so good! So?I must try! Who knows? This one might be better! Hahah girls.. never contended. Plus Mac is a cosmetic brand, covered on some Asian show, so our skins should more or less match. No?

Okay enough said! Lets get down to business!

So Mac Prep Primer promises to even out skin tone like an enhancer to prep ur skin for foundations and also helping it to last through the day, adding radiance and glow! And it has SPF 35, so it's not too bad, though 50 would be ideal..but let's not be greedy.

me without makeup.










































And now! After applying the primer.. Does my skin tone look any better?

























 me with liquid foundation, it doesn't feel heavy, oily or sticky!
I manage to apply it smoothly!



























Ok my camera isn't of the best quality, I will change it but anyway i personally I feel it that the primer instantly lightens my dark circles and gives this slight dewy look, whether not it would last through the day, we have yet to find out. But comparing to Chanel, this one doesn't make my face as white as Chanel does. So I think I might prefer this for now unless it starts melting in Singapore weather!

So for now it's 4 stars!!

Love,
Charm

Sunday, October 28, 2012

make a wish and blow them out

For a few months I've been going crazy over Lush Lacquer's Birthday Cake. It was love at first sight.

It's so pretty and it reminds me of melted ice cream cake. It has an off white base with bits and pieces of  tiny glitter inside. Not too much glitter that it looks heavy , but just nice. Check out the reviews here and here

Being in Singapore, buying from Etsy is just too troublesome for me and I vowed to find a dupe, or try my hand at franken polish.

Until I found a pretty good dupe at Etude House!
Introducing Etude House Dear My Party Nails PBL 601 (only SGD $6.90 !)
The texture was alright and the base seems to be slightly lighter and perhaps more sheer than Birthday Cake. It dried quick and looked really pretty!
This is with only 1 coat
I left it at only 1 coat because I really liked how sheer it was and it really made the glitter seem more vibrant than Birthday Cake. However, I imagine it'd look alot more like Birthday Cake with a few more coats.

Definitely one of my favourite polish for a simple mani!




Saturday, October 27, 2012

Removing glitter polish.. THE FOIL METHOD


I have avoided glitter polish for precisely this reason. I had SUCH a love-hate relationship with my glitter- I LOVE how pretty it is but HATE how hard it is to remove it!

Although the white glue method is really good, I still didn't like how the mani never lasted whenever I used a glue base.

But everything changed.

Introducing the foil method!

It started off because I wanted to remove this:

I started reading all about it on Instagram and nail blogs (like this), about wrapping polish remover around your nails will bits of foil. Honestly, the idea isn't new. Its how most nail places remove your Gelish or Acrylic nails, but to use it for normal glitter polish? Thats new. (to me at least).

I started by preparing all the stuff I would need. I cut up each cotton pad into quarters and tore pieces of aluminum foil as well.

After soaking each mini piece of cotton pad, I placed it on the nail and pressed it a little to really allow all the "juices" to reach all parts of the glitter polish.


And then it occurred to me that I forgot to check how long I was supposed to leave it on for. But I figured 3-5 mins should probably be enough?

Well I was wrong.

After 1 min, my fingers started to feel warm. The heat increased and I decided that I was most likely time to remove the foil pieces. I couldn't believe how fast it took!

As I removed the foil, I pressed down onto the nail and pulled the "bundle" out.

I wasn't expected anything too amazing, after all, it was only a minute!




However.....
oh wow, the entire glitter manicure came off.
I forgot to take a picture but you can see how nice and clean my thumb is! When I opened the foil bundle up, you can actually see the entire shape of my nail inside, coated in green glitter. Amazing. If you are stingy (which I obviously am), you can re-use the cotton inside to wipe off any spots that the bundle might have missed. Super easy, super quick and super AWESOME.

I no longer have to curse myself silly whenever I buy yet another bottle of glitter that i'll seldom use because removal is no longer such a pain in the butt.

I feel like Im looking at all my glitter polish with new eyes.


Sunday, October 14, 2012

Color Wheel


I was surfing around YouTube last night before going to bed and was clicking here and there and found this interesting video about the color wheel explained thoroughly with makeup. I've talked about this with some friends before and people interested in make up will know this but that's not everyone. Anyway, it's a good to know. Enjoy!

This is how love looks like!

How pretty is this??

As the holiday season is approaching, Estee Lauder is launching this limited edition powder compact! It comes in a lovely glided case and comes in the 12 different zodiac signs. It comes with a Swarovski on the clasp and contains the highly raved Lucidity Translucent Pressed Powder inside. 

Personally, I haven't tried the powder but with a name like that, I can already imagine its pretty sheer and can probably only be used to blot and set make up. 

All that for SGD 180

My brain tells me, thats WAYYYYY too much to pay for powder that you can't even see but look at that case!!!!

Friday, October 12, 2012

Green Sparkly Things

My first proper manicure from my zoya polish that I bought from Qoo10!
From their website:
"Zoya Nail Polish is a nail polish free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. "

I have no idea what that really means but I am sure it all things good! Its even safe for use on pregnant ladies!
The polish went on really smooth and it was  breeze to paint with. It was like painting with liquid butter (if that makes sense?).
I also noticed that it did not really have that alcohol / chemical smell that other nail polish formula, yet it still dried as quick as the usual ones.


You will notice that I had a golden mess going on for the ring finger. Urgh, tried to be a smart ass and tried to apply some gold with cling wrap. SUPER FAIL.

The Zoya polish lasted for really long and it was completely chip free. Even though I used SV as the top coat, it showed very little shrinkage as compared when I use SV with OPI and ChinaGlaze.

LOVE IT!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Nail Alert: OPI The Man With the Golden Gun



Have you seen the new topcoat by OPI? To celebrate James Bond's golden anniversary, OPI has released a special top coat that contains 18 carat gold leaf! Talk about feeling high class!

It also comes in a limited edition gold bottle and its a bit pricey as compared to the regular polish (about USD30)  but what did you expect? it's gold on your nails!

This ATAS top coat is meant to be painted over a base colour and appears as golden flakes with a super shiny finish to your manicure.
I think it gives off a rather nice robin egg look, instead of the usual shatter (which can come off a little over powering). 

I would love to get my hands on one! But I would feel absolutely guilty about changing my nails once a week! Can you imagine just throwing gold away like that? I wouldn't be able to sleep at night! 

Next on my to do list........FIND A DUPE! How hard can it be? We have silver flakes readily in the market, someone will make a gold foil flake look alike...right?

In the meantime, the rest of the James Bond collection is quite standard and nothing really screams BUY ME (i think).

From right to left  1st row- The Spy Who Loved Me, Casino Royale, You only Live Twice, Die Another Day, Skyfall, Golden Eye
2nd Row - The World Is Not Enough, Moonraker, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Living Daylights, Live and Let Die, Tomorrow Never Dies 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Naked nails

Over the weekend I decided to remove my nail polish because they’d been chipped on my toenails and as much as I like dark colors, the green on my fingernails was a little too somber for me.

So I went to Sasa to check out nail polish removers because Chelly had recommended that they had alcohol-free removers. Unfortunately, the outlet I went to didn’t have much to choose from and none were alcohol-free. So I settled on this – Oversa. It was the only one that didn’t look like the usual Sally Hansen and Cutex polish removers.


This claims to have nutrient oils, pro-vitamin B5 and keratin and it comes in a convenient pump bottle that nail salons are so fond of using. It also smells really nice, like a cross between a floral and powder scent, reminds me of my grandma. I wonder if it’s dangerous that it smells good that people don’t see a need to use it in a well ventilated space? After removing the polish, my nails didn't have that über dry feeling but instead was smooth with what felt like a thin layer of oil. For a small bottle of 175ml, it doesn’t come cheap at $7.95 but for the goodness it packs, I don’t mind paying the price. Will see how long a bottle will last so watch this space.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Glitter at Tiffany's

I ran out of nails to paint so I decided to do my toes instead. I was looking for an easy design that didn't require too much time because my back starts to hurt when I bend over to do my nails. #growingold


I started out with 2 coats of Re-Fresh Mint from China Glaze and sponged the glitter on.

For sponging, I either apply the paint directly on the sponge or pick it up from a pastil plate. I read that a lot of girls actually re-use their sponge but I can't do that. The polish dries up and everything becomes stiff. Unless they wash it I guess. But what for? These things are really cheap.

In order to maximize the sponge and make the entire "cake" last (didn't you hear? the world is ending, stock up on sponges! heh heh ), I tear a tiny piece each time and use a tweezer to sponge the polish on. Each piece should be able to last an entire set of nails. The trick is NOT to let the sponge soak in the polish, your printing becomes sloppy and gross. All you need to do is dab and go, dab and go.
Try to make the bottom edge of the nail covered with glitter and slowly dab less and less as you approach the top. If you want a really finished look, you can dab the base colour downwards a little when you are done with the glitter.

This style is very forgiving and is especially useful if you have smudges or dents you would like to cover.

As with everything else, finish off with topcoat! In this case, I used SV, my absolute holy grail item.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Review: SNAIL Cell illuminating Multi-Step Treatment

I am a big fan of snail products and can hardly resist when I come across a new cream/mask/gel/whatever-else that is supposedly infused with it.

In Singapore, I think it was the Korean brands that first started bringing in snail stuff. But recently I have been seeing a lot of other brands bringing it in too.
Here is a video I found from 3 years ago, discussing snail secretion in beauty products in America. 

I am currently using the Darling Cream from Etude house and I love it so far. It makes my skin feel soft and healthy the next day. My tub is going to end in maybe a month time and I have started to scout for a new snail cream. So far, I am very interested in SnailStreet Snail Cream. The website is great and it tells you about the wonderful benefits of the cream and the wonders it does with your face. 
I just take the miraculous results with a pinch of salt. If it really is that wonderful, people with flawlessly beautiful skin would be everywhere. It sells for SGD55 and delivery is free in Singapore. Even cheaper than my Darling Cream :D
From the reviews I have read online, it is lighter than the Darling Cream and is absorbed a little better (86% snail stuff). It supposedly dries up upcoming pimples too. The Darling Cream claims to do that too but I honestly have not noticed anything like that. But to be fair, I hardly get pimples to test it out.

In the meantime, I am also trying out some snail masks! SASA has quite a few to choose from and I recently bought a few. Last night, I tried out SNAIL Cell illuminating Multi-Step Treatment mask.

I bought it simply because it looked cool with two portions and everything. (Im a sucker for silly things like that). Also, it was only $2.80 
The top half contains an ampoule that is supposed to help your skin absorb the snail essence better together with all that cell illuminating nonsense. In my science class, I tell my kids that cells are the basic building blocks of life, so no, I really don't think that a simple $2.80 product can make them illuminate. 

The ampoule has a gel like texture and a neutral smell. However, it got really watery and started dripping off my face. Next, you apply the mask on top and leave it on for 20 min before removing it and massaging everything in. The mask was a real let down. Extremely thin and tore easily. 

After I removed it, my face felt so sticky I actually washed it off.
I don't see or feel anything different with my face either. Meh.

Cons:
  • It didn't work
  • Watery mess all over face
  • Super sticky
Pros:
  • Only $2.80
Totally. Not. Repurchasing. 

I have a better feeling about the others I bought though..cant wait to try them out!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Tips from a guru

Came across this video on Pinterest. Such basic information but would no doubt be beneficial to us nail geeks.  

Chanel Nail Expert Reveals His Secrets to Getting the Perfect Manicure at Home

My heart's a stereo


In my previous manicure, I had a serious love-hate relationship with the white glue base..and then i came up with a brilliant idea! I decided to apply glue in the center of each nail and avoid the circumference. This way, at the very most, it's be slightly more difficult to remove at the edges but a breeze to remove the bulk of it :D

Items I used:

For this manicure, I used (left to right) SV base coat, white glue from PopBazic (Less than a dollar at Popular), Got the Blues for Red by Opi, Candie by China Glaze and  Cassi by Zoya.  I used two paint brushes, one for applying the glue and one for painting the heart on. The grey thing in front is my new nail buffer from SASA.

Speaking of nail files, i love them! I remember first buffing my nails in Primary 6 and was just so amazed at how smooth and shiny they made my nails. I bought this particular nail buffer for SGD1.40 at SASA and it works so well at making my nails nice and smooth. I only use these things to smooth my nails though. I don't bother with the shine anymore. So I always try my best to find the ones with the smooth sides only. Save money.
Because I do my nails so often, my nail bed sometimes starts to flake a little and peel.
Also, I have developed a recent aversion to using polish removers and have been simply peeling everything off. Hence my white glue obsession. Making your nails smooth before starting your manicure is important because it removes all the flaky bumps and helps the paint adhere nicely.

See how the nail looks so much better after?


Anyway, after the glue dried, I applied the base coat. Base coat is still important despite having the glue as a base because the glue does not prevent staining. You will still need a base coat to protect your nails.

I applied one coat of Cassi by Zoya and stopped myself from applying two as I had initially planned. It had the makings of becoming a granny looking color and I decided that less is probably more in this case.



Once that dried, I applied one coat of Candie by China Glaze. This polish looks so pretty in the bottle.
But it looks like glittery puke once you apply it.
I don't know why, but it has a sort of matte finish which makes everything look so dull and milky. Also, it gets rough and patchy and kinda gross when it dries.
Thankfully, I am not usually bothered by this because with a glossy topcoat on, it gets pretty all over again.


I know I told myself I wanted a simple manicure without any designs or anything but I really can't resist. I used a small brush to paint the hearts on alternate fingers. I was a little worried about the hearts (especially how on earth am I supposed to paint it on my right hand), and in the end I decided to just go with drawing 2 rectangles that meet at a point. With a toothpick, I pick up a bit of polish and make the top edges a little rounder to look a little more like a heart.

Once all that is done, Gelish time! My personal favourite part.

I quite like this one! Might do it for my toes as well :D

I've got a book on my nails

My favourite mani of all time. Newspaper nails!


For this, I used electric beat from ChinaGlaze and Isopropyl Alcohol from Guardian for the imprinting.

I watched lots of youtube videos for this and failed so many times. I tried so many methods, soaking the newspaper strips, soaking the nails (bad choice), dabbing the strips..the list is long.

Finally, i came out with a technique that works for me.

  • Paint your nails with your base colour first. Use grey if you want the real newspaper look. 
  • Cut up strips of newspaper or magazine paper. 
  • Once the nails are dry, place the strips words side down, on the nail bed. 
  • Soak a cotton pad with the alcohol and dab the alcohol onto the paper
  • Do not press so hard till the liquid spills all over the place. Just make sure that the paper is well soaked.  It is important to not let the paper shift when you press.
  • Remove everything and paint a top coat on. Done!!



There are also many videos on how to do these nails using water instead.

 I tried them too, but nothing imprinted . I don't know why. No worries though, the alcohol is easily found and cheap too. So far, i havent found it damaging at all.

Friday, September 21, 2012

What's in a coral

I always thought that Coral was for tan people. So far I have only been using the usual pink stuff for my cheeks. For the past 4 years, Giddy pink from Clinique was the only blusher that i own and use.
However,  I was walking past Bobbi Brown at CenterPoint when I saw this pretty little pot with its pretty colour inside! I know it looks shockingly bright in the pot, but it glides on pretty natural I LOVE IT.

I love this colour so much that it has started a coral phase. I just bought a pair of nude shoes with Coral ribbons on them. Also, rings and bracelets :x
Another from from a few months ago..

I think this was a little too much. It reminded me of porn star nails. A little too pink and a little too glittery.


What I liked about this mani though, was the drip like style at the tips (only on the thumb though). My first time trying it and it was soooo easy! I love it! The pink was from Faceshop and the glitter was from Forever21. Top coat was SV, the best yet!

I don't think you're ready for this jelly

I did this mani quite a while back. End of May I think. It was my first week at ABC school and I remember feeling scared that it was too dark for the school to accept . Looking back, it probably was.

I used black diamond from Sally Hanson and a pinkish glitter from Anna Sui (courtesy of Marissa!) I think it reminds me of the Galaxy.

Removing it was a real pain though. Next time i attempt this, white glue is going to be at the bottom for sure!

Jigsaw toes!


Who knew jigsaw nails were so easy? You start with 4 boxes and then connect them with a dot using your dotting tool!
My only regret? Not using tape for the boxes, I got lazy and free handed the boxes. As a result, I got these uneven looking "jigsaw pieces". But fret not, top coat comes in to save the day as it always does!

I used Pink Plumeria from China Glaze, Rose (it's actually white) from Sasatine 

Ifinallytriedit!

After staring at the Sakura nails by @prettynailsbymal on instagram for so many weeks, I finally tried to recreate something similar.

I used Pink Plumeria from China Glaze, Rose (it's actually white) from Sasatine for the petals, Dubhe 99 from Couleur Inc for the flower center and Lechat black for the branches. And clear Gelish for the topcoat.

This mani lasted so long without chipping..about 2 weeks? I finally removed it because I got tired of the design and it had started growing out..


tape mani with glue base

I just got my thin blue tape from Gmarket!! I was so excited to use them that i rushed through the manicure and didn't give it enough time to dry. As a result, some parts came out blotchy, and as a FURTHER result, the Gelish topcoat came out blotchy as well.
Even after 24hrs, the Gelish top coat still didn't give that plastic feel, but more of a rubbery feel.

I usually test to see if the gelish top coat is good to go by pressing something sharp into it, if it leaves a mark, it means it hasn't really dried yet.. I do this for all top coats actually. For this mani, I used S06 from elianto and Farah from Zoya.




However, the main thing i wanted to try out was using glue as a base I have been reading all over the nail blog world about using normal school white glue as a nail base. It is supposed to peel off in a nice single piece without harming your nail.

The result? It freaking works!! But it works a little too well if you ask me.

My mani only lasted a day before the edges of my middle finger starting flapping about in the middle of class. My plan was to go home and stick some more glue on but....meh who can resist that kind of temptation. I peeled the whole thing off and I am very pleased to report that the whole nail paint came off in a single piece! Think of all the nail damage im avoiding by not using the usual removers! The only downside? Who wants a mani for only a day??
(To be fair, im sure alot of people have their glue bases on for days without it coming off, but because my job is so physical, I think it just wasn't suited for my lifestyle).

Just bought 6 new polish off gmarket! cant wait for them to arrive!!