favourites

Red Hot Summer

Posted on by Hanan.

While it is full-swing summer mode in most of the northern hemisphere, here where I live, it is a constant summer. Living smack dab in the equator has its pros and cons, one being an eternally summer styled wardrobe and makeup. I’m always wearing a light base and tons of bronzer.

What got me thinking was how to incorporate more colour , not in my wardrobe, but on my face.

As much I love the nineties look that has been taking over the world, it got me reaching for my neutral browns over my bright lipsticks and shadows. Personally, I want to get more comfortable wearing brights and donning classic red lips during the day. I tend to have the habit of shying away from red lips, for fear of calling too much attention or just avoiding the hassle of lining my lips and avoiding smears.

Hence, I made it a mission to wear red lips on a regular basis during a day. Slowly I became more comfortable and actually enjoyed how red lips transformed my look into something more chic and polished. To avoid looking overly “done”, I opted for warmer reds that have a more youthful vibe, and also perfect for sunny weather.

Here are my FAVOURITE summery reds.

 

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1. Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in ‘Teroso’, S$32

The brightest and loudest shade of red I have. It’s practically orange with a hint of red. These Stila liquid lipsticks are the OG matte liquid lips that have been around before everyone started making their own version. The formula is thicker and moussey, but dries completely flat matte.

The only issue I have is that this formula leaves no room for mistakes. Lip liner is a must for me so that my lips don’t look horrifically lopsided. It’s also pretty drying, as with most liquid lipsticks. But its amazing  for bold day time looks.

 

2. Catrice Ultimate Stay Lipstick in ‘Behind The Red Curtain’, S$8.90

This is my everyday red. And it’s so affordable to boot. It’s a new colour to the ‘Ultimate Stay’ range, which offers a semi-matte finish and claims to be long-lasting. To me, this is the most comfortable lipstick that does not compromise on pigmentation. It’s not completely opaque at first pass on the lips, which I prefer as it makes it more versatile.

I can wear this all day, without feeling like my lips are cracking. The colour is a warm red, bordering on neutral. I usually pair this with a coral lip liner to make it warmer and more orange toned.

I would also dab my lips with a tissue after application and reapply a second layer to increase longevity and create a more matte finish. Obsessed with this shade!

 

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Nudestix ‘Satan’ on my lips

3. Nudestix Lip + Cheek Pencil in ‘Satan’, S$25

I am absolutely gutted because I think Nudestix doesn’t make this specific shade anymore. I got this from their holiday lip kit that came with mini sizes of their coveted lip pencils that I love. Out the three in the tin – Mystic, Whisper and Satan – I love ‘Satan’ the most. As blasphemous as that sounds.

It’s a vibrant neutral red shade with a satin matte finish. It’s to die for! The lip pencils are creamy and glide on the lips like butter and stay comfortable the whole day, without any bleeding or patching issues. They are not transfer proof but the pencils make for easy reapplication.

UGH DEVASTATED that I can’t buy it in full size. But I’m waiting for the Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencils to come to Singapore. ‘Stiletto’ looks similar to Satan.

 

4. Sephora Cream Lip Stain in ‘Strawberry Kissed’, S$24

The name screams summer! The Sephora cream lip stain are essentially liquid lipsticks that leave a stain on your lips. These have been around for a while and have one of the best formulas – long-lasting, without being overly drying and a beautiful matte finish. Strawberry Kissed is a bright pinky red. A great option, if you prefer a blue-toned, bold summer lip.

For a less defined lip look, sometimes I dab a bit of this at the centre of my lip and blend it out, to create a gradient lip. Almost as if I have been sucking on a strawberry popsicle.

 

 

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reds

 

Stila ‘Teroso’ on my lips

Pair these bold lips with a classic looking eye. Throw on a light crease colour, winged liner and some blush. Let the lips make the statement.

Personally, as someone who is enamoured by eye shadows and cannot leave the house without throwing a colour on my eyes, I find that gold shadows work so well with these reds. It brings out the warmth in your skin and makes the look more summery.

 

Go on now, show your bold lipsticks some love!

 

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March Favourites

Posted on by Hanan.

March came and went in a breeze. I almost didn’t realise that April had begun. It snuck in so quickly. Of course, I’m bringing a monthly round up of a few favourite things. I did some travelling in March so, I really got a good sense of what I consider an essential as I had to edit down the amount of stuff I packed. I’m far from a minimal packer, but I definitely strive to be. Don’t we all!

 

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1. Kindle  (SGD$ 250)

This is an absolute ESSENTIAL for me when I was travelling in Jakarta. I never went anywhere without it. With the crazy traffic in Jakarta, I spent long hours in the car trying to get from point A to point B. Though snoozing the whole way through is an option, I’m eternally grateful for my kindle because I managed to finish two books whilst I was there. Since I have the Paperwhite version, it has a lit screen, making it easy for me to read in the car even at night. It’s so light and compact, I can’t believe how I have lived without this.

 

2. Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask  (SGD$ 27)

Besides it’s adorable frosted pink packaging that just looks so pretty on my vanity, this lip mask is a saviour for my dry, chapped lips. I wear lots of matte lipsticks during the day. Furthermore, the dry Jakarta air and airplane ventilation has ravaged my lips. Turning them into cracked desert ground. This lip mask is designed to be slapped on before bed, and you wake up with moisturised lips.

Firstly, I love the glossy, thick texture. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea as some don’t like the slippery consistency. I love it! It’s emollient, coating my lips with berry scented goodness. It isn’t the MOST hydrating thing I’ve tried, but it’s a pleasure to put on every night and it makes my lips very plump.

 

3. Hada Labo Air Aqua UV Day Emulsion, SPF50/PA+++  (SGD$ 19.90)

This is my holy grail sunscreen, hands down. Super accessible at Watsons or Guardian. It’s a light, runny moisturiser with a high broad spectrum SPF and it protects me from the tropical Singapore sun. I had initially regretted this particular purchase as I had accidentally bought the “dry skin” formula, instead of the one for oily skin. But I find that I am using this everyday as an all-in-one type product due to its extra moisturising properties. It truly acts as a moisturiser, sunscreen and primer in one. Helps me get ready quicker in the morning, cutting down all the product layering I previously had to do. It leaves my skin soft and velvety, also makes my pores look less apparent.

 

4. Real Techniques Setting Brush  (SGD$ 18)

A brush sold by itself (thank god) in the signature Pixiwoo Pink. This can be found in our local drugstores at a reasonable price. While this brush is made for precise setting of areas of the face with powder, it is incredible at multitasking. Thanks to its small size, yet fluffy  bristles, it is perfect to buff out concealer under the eyes and all over the face for a flawless, airbrushed complexion. The Setting Brush is also great for placing and blending highlight on the cheekbones, for a diffused luminosity. Perfection!! I definitely need more than one.

 

5. Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown  (USD$ 21)

I’m back together with my OG brow pencil that I was once upon a time crazy about. This is still nowhere to be found in Singapore. I had to buy it off Beauty Bay and pray that it arrived to my house safely. Nowadays, I would recommend purchasing it from Beautylish. The hype for this micro brow pencil has finally died down and that was when I decided to pick it up again. I wanted to go through all the back ups I bought, due to the hype and I fell back in love with it. For people with sparse brows like me, this gives you the most natural looking full brows you can ever get. More so than the pomade, the definer and the brow powders, this brow wiz is the perfect consistency to imitate the look of hairs.

 

Special mention to Zayn’s new album “Mind of Mine” has been on repeat all through March. To be honest, I had no real expectations, despite loving his single “Pillowtalk”. I was actually blown away by the Robin Thick-ese style with some solid R&B tunes. I also loved the Bollywood/Urdu influences that’s sprinkled in the album. Honestly, my jaw dropped when I heard him sing “Intermission:Flower”. So. Bloody. Good.

However, my favourite song in the whole album is hands down “Borderz”.

 

 

And that’s about it for last month. We are already full swing into April. Content on the site is likely to change in terms of its upload schedule as my job is starting to get a little hectic. But I will definitely be posting weekly, as per usual. Look for them especially on the weekend.

Ahoy, April! Let’s go!

February Roundup.

Posted on by Hanan.

Happy Leap Year, everybody! It is a cliche thing to say, but damn this year is zooming by. The end of a month is a good time to look back and reflect on certain things that made the month either amazing or bearable.

For me, I would think about my essentials, daily routine and how certain products have worked their way into becoming a crucial part of my life. Well, my life in February at least. Who knows what March might bring and who might be knocked out of my precious routine.

 

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1. MCM glasses

Future post alert on these babies I bought late January and been wearing to death all February. MCM eyewear is now more readily available in many optical stores and they have expanded their sunglasses and spectacles range. The ones I have are the MCM2600A model, which are rather large and oversized but that is precisely the reason why I love them so much. From the colour to the fit, I fell in love with these hardcore. More on this soon!

 

2. ZOEVA 227 Luxe Soft Definer

You can read more about my absolutely essential eye brushes here. These things are so crucial to my makeup game that I can never be without it. As I tried to experiment more with my eye makeup this month, I realised again how amazing these affordable brushes are.

 

3. CATRICE Glossy Lip Glow

A super random addition to my ‘handbag makeup’ but this Catrice lipgloss is something I quickly became obsessed over throughout the month of February. Catrice is a drugstore brand from Europe that makes good quality, affordable makeup that is very “on trend”. It’s not the most ‘luxe’ looking thing in the world, but its so affordable and such a joy on the lips.

I initially bought this intrigued by the ‘Lip Glow’ title. It reminded me of the Dior Lip Glow in gloss form. To be honest, I had zero expectations for this gloss, as I sampled the entire ‘Lip Glow’ range from Catrice. Fast forward to the present and I’m already a quarter through this gloss because its so incredibly moisturising while giving a very subtle tint to the lips. That subtle tint is perfection. I can wear this without a shred of makeup and it keeps me looking less corpse-like. Furthermore it’s scentless, tasteless and absolutely FLAWLESS.

 

4. Too Faced Hangover RX Replenishing Primer

HOW IS THIS NOT IN SINGAPORE STILL?! I have been waiting for this primer to be sold in Sephora since Autumn 2014 when it first launched in the US. We’re well into 2016 and it’s still not here. I grew impatient and decided to buy it online from Beautylish. I had to pay for shipping but it was worth it.

This primer is a daily staple and I’m almost out. It’s a moisturising primer that is silicone free. I personally have oily skin, yet I find that this primer keeps my face well-balanced throughout the day. It has electrolytes from Coconut Water as well as probiotics to provide skincare benefits along with its priming action. In a pinch, I can even use this as a replacement for my day moisturizer. I’m going to be so, so gutted when I actually run out of this because Beautylish no longer stocks Too Faced. *cue my frantic screams of panic*

 

5. Netflix

Another thing that we were late on the bandwagon. However, I will happily jump on this one because their website and app is LIFE for people who want access to a variety of movies and TV shows in HD. It is still in its initial stages and I am currently waiting for them to expand on their current selection of movies & TV series, perhaps even add more international titles. Imagine how much they can make if they started streaming Korean Dramas. Currently, I am addicted to ‘Suits‘ (in fact, it is playing as I am typing this out) and I have rediscovered the magic of Quentin Tarantino.

 

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6. Black tote from ‘Miles To Go‘

I normally refer to this as my ‘giant black hole with straps’. It’s astonishing what I can fit inside this thing. My MacBook Air, makeup, books… the list goes on. It’s a real life version of that Beaded Pouch that Hermione carries. I bought this in Perth at a local Bookstore because I loved this quote from Kurt Vonnegut. But you are able to purchase this online as well, with a wider selection of literary quotes.

I didn’t realise how versatile a black tote bag was. The only annoying factor would be that it does take a while for me to dig things out. Sometimes I find myself standing there, rummaging through my bag for a good 5 minutes trying to locate my house keys. But it’s a small price to pay considering how it matches every outfit I decide to throw on and is the perfect bag for everyday.

 

So there’s a roundup of all the fabulous bits and bobs that I loved in February. More to come in March!