Estee Lauder Haul!

So, yesterday was the first day of the Estee Lauder model search, and although I have no aspirations or interest in modeling, I signed up for it as part of the I.H.A.S. (which will be discussed some other time) process. The deal was too good to pass up. For RM 280 as an entry cost, you get hair and make-up done, a photo shoot where they print out a PhotoShop-ped copy of one of the pictures of your choice, a RM 230 Estee Lauder voucher, a free makeover at Estee Lauder which is redeemable at any time, and a voucher for 30% off hair at the hair studio which did everything on the day. In short, an offer I couldn't refuse.

So, I shall not put up the pics because they are emo as hell, and the PhotoShop-ped picture is revolting because it's so fake. However, I did get some pretty fantastic items of make-up that I am quite happy with.



First off, because I recommended someone who went for it, I got an eyeshadow quad:



I initially thought it was the same quad I had purchased from Best Buy, but I was wrong. This has pinks instead of browns. So, yay! New eyeshadow.

Now, the thing with the RM 230 voucher is that you have to spend it on the day, and you can't spend less than RM 230, so you inevitably end up spending more. Smart tactic.

So, in a bid of vanity, I got the Advanced Night Repair (RM 190) which is an anti-aging serum:



Even though it's a night serum, it can be used in the day too to achieve better results. I shan't be using this right now though. I'll wait for my Clarins thingy to finish off. A little patience never killed anyone, and I desperately hope I do not start aging in the near future.

So, for the remainder, I got the Double Wear Stay-in-Place ShadowCreme in Ivory Lace (06) (RM 65):



With it's colour and purpose, I'm pretty sure it's a dupe for MAC's Bare Study Paint Pot.



What it does is to provide a base and prevent creasing of your eyeshadows. Now, a lot of people have complained that even with Paint Pots, they still need a primer to stop it from creasing. I'm not sure how much better this is, but I shall test it out.

The colour on this is light enough not to show up, which is always a good thing:



You can see the slight shimmer, but nothing else.

The final thing was the Pleasures Delight Perfume sample:



This perfume is not as revolting as it looks. It's actually rather nice. It has a sweet smell, but not saturatingly so, and extremely light and wearable. I don't really buy perfume anymore, but I would seriously consider this if I intended to get one.

And that is that for the shoot. One of the most awesome things about yesterday though, was the make-up artist who sorted my eyebrows out. She did an amazing job. I had been annoyed for 2 days because the woman who did my eyebrows made them uneven and terrible. Cow. I should beat her. But now they're sorted and there is equilibrium again.

Shopping & Gifting!

So, yesterday was plenty of fun. I spent the entire day shopping. What's not to love about an entire day of shopping?

Now, let's be clear. I didn't shop solely for myself (I'm trying to make myself feel better), but I did the whole gift shopping thingy. May is highly eventful. First off, Mother's Day is coming up next Sunday, so I went and got the mother a gift since my brothers will be doing nothing of the sort. "We" got her a voucher for a spa thingy which includes a massage, facial, etc. A pampering session basically, which I'm positive she will love, and is much deserved. Around the middle of the month, my brothers, who are 2 years apart mind you, have their birthdays 1 day after the other. I shall not however be divulging what I got them.

Naturally, since charity begins at home, and home is where the heart is, and that would mean charity begins with me, I had to shop for myself too. It's only reasonable. I was sensible enough to carry a big handbag so it looked like I didn't shop a lot. I love lying to myself. On top of which, there was a Zara warehouse sale on, which we lined up for for almost an hour, but never got into, so I had to make myself feel better. Naturally.

Now, there is this Korean brand of make-up called Elianto which is pretty good. I've tried their eyeshadows, and they are lovely. Usually, their brushes are quite crappy, but a couple of months back I found a set of 5 brushes they had on offer which were absolutely astounding. I love them! The fluffy powder brush is so, so soft. They really need to make all their brushes this quality. The most amazing thing is that they don't shed! They really don't! So, everytime I go to Elianto it is with the hope in my heart that they have come out with new brushes. No such luck. I did, however get some palettes for the Stila eyeshadows I got.



There is the little powder puff thing, which is just to rest and steady up my hand for eyeliner.

Anyway, these quads are pretty nice and sturdier than their 10-shadow palettes. They had bigger ones, but those hold 6 shadows and 1 blush. I might get it in due time because my old Elianto palette, which is ludicrously flimsy is broken! In any event, I've filled them with my shadows, but there is the 'Lake' shadow that's left. I shall figure something out.

This is the pink & white quad:





This is the black & white quad (RM 14):





Yes, two of the shadows are new, which brings me to the fact that I went to Stila again. I love Stila. Especially when they're pretending to close down.



First off, I got a couple more eyeshadows in Pigalle & Promenade (RM 25 each):



These are absolutely gorgeous. I didn't swatch them because I didn't feel like it, but basically Pigalle is this dusty burgundy shade that is very gorgeous, and Promenade is a pink duo of baby pink and a dusty rose pink that works well together.

Next, the Kajal Eye Liner in Sapphire (RM 35):



It's such a pretty deep blue, and it goes on amazingly smoothly! I love it! I want more!



And then, since it's spring all over the world, I had to get the Spring Ephemeral Eye Shadow Trio (RM 50):



This is a pretty neutral trio, which is terrific:



And of course, since Stila is next to Make Up For Ever, it would be blasphemous if I didn't visit:



When I went to MAC the other day, I forgot to get translucent powder. So, since I'd heard that MUFE's was good, I decided to just get their HD Powder (RM 120):



And then the woman presented me with an offer I couldn't refuse. Now, to be honest, I have an obsession with Kabuki brushes. By obsession, I mean that if I see it, I have to buy it. To put this in context, I bought the Maybelline mineral foundation just for the kabuki brush, which is horrible I might add. So, when she said "Oh, let me show you the brush for the powder." I figured that it'll just be a normal brush, and despite my brush-obsession, I would be able to say no, and walk away. This, however, was not the case. She pulled out a kabuki brush. And in a bid to control myself, I reminded myself about the incident with the Maybelline brush. That worked quite well until I touched the brush. It's so soft! I'm in love! It's actually comparable to the MAC 182. Damned sales people. So there is it. I bought the Kabuki (RM 180), and it came with a very nice pouch:



The brush is made from natural bristles, and is quite dense and small (as it should be):



So, after that, on the way to Craft Heaven to buy brushes, we dropped into Bonita, where a brilliant sale was on, and I got a pair of sunnies (RM 19.50) which were 50% off:



We all need sunglasses right? It came with a pretty neat holder too:



So, when we finally ended up in Craft Heaven, I managed to control myself somewhat and only buy one brush. The Loew-Cornell Maxinne's Mop 3/8" (RM 13.40):



For the record, I am completely artistically disinclined. So why am I buying painting brushes you might ask?

Because this particular brush is a brilliant dupe for the MAC 239! It's extremely soft and packs on colour amazingly. This is my second one. I mean honestly. The MAC 239 is RM 103, and this is RM 14 maximum. It's a no-brainer for a perfect dupe that works just as well.

That is all I bought, but as good days tend to be, I also got a gift from the person I went shopping with. We all know how I love gifts. Especially in the form of eyeshadow. She recently went to India (hahaha), and got herself a nice stash of fabulous make-up, and while she was there she evidently decided that I should benefit from her trip there too and got me this:



A very sleek nice case that doesn't look extraordinary when closed (except for my reflection in it), but the colours are fabulous as I found out while drawing make-up faces on my hand last night:



The insignia on top says "BR" for those of you who are interested. And I already have a huge matte palette from them. Their eyeshadows are of amazing quality, and very pigmented. Makes me happy.

And that was the result of my leaving the house yesterday. I need to be locked up. I'm blaming oniomania:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oniomania

So you see, it's not my fault!

MAC Haul!

So, I went to MAC today. As always, the MAC in MegaMall has horrible staff, so I didn't exactly get any semblance of help. Which may be a good thing since I do not enjoy people hovering over my shoulder.

Anyway, I managed to get what I went in for, which makes me happy.

First off, I got the Bubbles lippy from the Sugar Sweet Collection (RM 63):



Yes, creamy white! I love it! It's a shimmery white that would work well for a nude look:



Next up, eyeshadow! Yeah, yeah, deal with it. It's Shadowy Lady (RM 57) from their permanent collection that was re-released with the Rose Romance collection:



It's a fantastically versatile colour. It's deep, matt plum purple which works well for the crease, a purple smokey eye, etc.:



Yes, pretty!

Finally, I bought a brush I've been wanting for ages, the MAC 224 (RM 118):



It's a blending brush and works best in the crease. I love brushes. There are no words.

Finally, she gave me a little sample of the Cleanse Off Oil:



I've tried it before, during the Hello Kitty collection launch, and it's pretty good.

So, that's that and I'm now very happy. Shopping releases endorphins and excites the emotional area of the female brain. Therefore, it's not my fault! :D

Till next time!

Best Buy Haul!

Well, Friday was interesting. At 7 a.m. a friend sends me a link to Best Buy Cosmetics and I got so excited that there are no words. Basically, they have sample sizes of all cosmetics, and they give you enough to make up the original amount that the company gives you, but at the fraction of the cost. Smart idea, and I love it!

So, naturally, being me, I had to buy stuff. Naturally. The interesting thing is that I ordered it around 7 a.m., and at 4 p.m. this dude called me looking for my building to deliver it! That is by far the quickest delivery I have ever had:



Remember, this stuff is mostly sample sized, so everything is smaller than it appears. So, first up, we have the Clinique Green Flower Pouch (RM 9):



Not much to say about that. It's quite spacious and it's nice. So I'm happy.

Next, we have the Clinique Clarifying Moisture Lotion (RM 52):



Effectively, this is the toner from their 3-step programme which is supposed to be miraculous. I have yet to try it because I have millions of varying items already lying at home.

Anyway, this comes in a pack of 3, with each one being 60 ml. The original bottle of this is 200 ml (RM 78). I'd say it's pretty worth it. If only they had the others! The facial wash was sold out, and they didn't have the oil-free moisturizer, so boooooo!!!

Next we have La Mer's Oil Absorbing Lotion (RM 32):



Let me be clear about this: It is TINY! 5 ml kind of tiny. But apparently you are only supposed to use a little. But tiny nonetheless. Tiny. The instructions on the box read, "Warm a small amount between fingertips to release key ingredients". You have to love things which are heat activated.

Now then, in case you haven't realized, I love eyeshadow. Love. So, when I saw the Estee Lauder Signature Eyeshadow Quad in 03 Smoky Pink (RM 32), I had to buy it:



As you can see, it too is relatively small, which means that it can be carried around in your bag. It stretches open to reveal the quad and a pretty decent mirror. And of course, a sponge tip applicator that people have to stop producing:



The colours here are pretty neutral and can be worn daily:



The pinks:



On the right you have the lighter pink, and on the left the deeper shade, which is relatively sheer.

The silver-brown:



It's a really nice colour. A little shimmery, but nice and neutral nevertheless.

And, the brown:



It's a deep brown which would be perfect for the crease.

Now, the individual colours are much smaller than they appear. They're about the size of Chicklets. If you don't remember/know what a Chicklet is, you're probably too young to be wearing make-up anyway.

Lastly, mascara! Yes, mascara! Estee Lauder's Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara (RM 30):



The original is RM 85 for 5.6 ml of product. I don't use that much mascara, so odds are that it'll dry up before I use it all, so I'm quite happy with the situation of having two mini ones. Yes, they're quite small, which is a fantastic thing where mascara is concerned:



I have yet to check the wand on this because I already have two open mascaras lying about (of which I will do a review in due time). Basically, you should throw the stuff away after 3 months of opening it because it is just disgusting if you don't. Don't be defective!

In any event, I'm pretty happy with my purchases. They're value for money (except the Oil Absorbing Lotion, but that opinion might change after using it). If you want to try something out, this is where to get it if the counters are being stingy with samples. Don't you find it ludicrous that they give you one of those little pouch thingys that don't hold very much product? That's not really a sample because you're not getting enough time to establish whether you like the product. Annoying.

In other exciting news, Stila has been saved by a buyout, so they will probably be back in action sometime soon! :D

Until next time. Be good, and cure your problems through shopping!

Stila Haul!

So, the consensus is that Stila is shutting its doors. No one is really sure whether its just in Asia or worldwide, but now is the time to benefit from it, because all stock is 50-70% off!!! The ironic thing is that I just got into Stila a month before this happened. I was enamoured with their Convertible Eye Pencil, which is fantabulous, and will be reviewed in due time.

In any event, I went by last week to check it out, and a lot of stuff was already unavailable, but I was informed that new items would be back in weekly. Undeterred, I bought a bunch of unexciting stuff, just to placate myself. Naturally, I went back today.

I got a ton of stuff, because it's all so very worth it! And it's pretty nice stuff too! I did a couple of swatches, but left the individual eyeshadows alone because I don't have a palette for them yet. This needs to be rectified immediately.

Anyway, here are pics and prices of what I got. You may want to go take a look too.

First up, the Stila Eye Shadow Trio in 'Warm' (RM 50):



It comes in a pretty little round box, which will easily fit into your purse.



They don't give you the names of the individual colours, but I'm relatively certain they are available individually. In any event, this is a pretty good neutral palette which can be used daily. The colours are quite pigmented and slightly shimmery:



Next up, we have the Stila Talking Palette 'Complete Day to Night Look' (RM 70). For those of you who don't have friends, but love make-up, meet your new best friend:



It's not much bigger than any other compact, so it's ideal to carry around. The only improvement on this I could think of would be to have provided brushes with it. But, you can't have everything. It comes with a base, lid colour, crease colour, liner and cheek/lip colours, in colours which are absolutely gorgeous:



My camera is simply not doing justice to them (Feel free to send me a new one). The lid colour is a very pretty shimmery sea green. I like.

Now, for the talking part. On the inner lid of the box, there is this little button that you can press and a woman's voice will float out of the box telling you exactly what to do with which brush and colour and whatnot. It's like the new and updated version of those dancing balerinas in music boxes, but cooler because no one really wants to see an ugly plastic thing twirling to shrill music. In any event, for those of you who are not inclined to having someone tell you what to do, there is also a little fold out booklet which comes with it, that gives you instructions of how to apply the make up, and change it from day to night.



Next up, we have Stila Lip Pencils (RM 20/each):



The one on top is the Lip Liner in 'Contour No. 21', and the one at the bottom is the Glaze Lip Liner in 'Plum'. The colours are very, very pretty:



(Contour No. 21 is on top, and Plum is at the bottom)

I am not a fan of pink in general, but I do like this pink because it's very mellow and can tone down some darker shades. These can be used as a lip filler as well, so thumbs up for versatility and pigmentation!

I do love the plum shade. I am a ginormous fan of dark lipsticks, specifically red-toned ones.

Lastly, we come to the Eye Shadows (RM 25/each):



Now, because I'm lazy, you won't get labelled pictures. So deal with it. Anyway, I didn't swatch these because I refuse to open them, and you can't make me! At least until I get a palette for them.

However, the colours are as follows:

First Row:-
Shimmery green on top left: June Bug
Shimmery goldish green next to it: La Douce
Shimmery greyish brown next to it: Slate

Second Row:-
Matt brown: Coco
Shimmery copper brown: Jezebel
Shimmery pale blue: Lake

Third Row:
Eye Shadow Duo (Shade names not provided)

Upon closer inspection, and calmed excitement, I am pretty sure that Jezebel and the darker shade from the Duo are the same! But it's okay. Why have one good thing, when you can have two? That's right. There's no reason!

That's it for today. Exams end tomorrow, and until payday, there will probably be no more shopping. *Depression*