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I am a sucker when it comes to smokey eyes. Although my daily makeup routine is pretty fuss-free and consists primarily of light makeup, I do like to indulge and go a leeeeetle over the top when it comes to events and partying. It was thus hard to resist the Too Faced Smokey Eye Palette when it was dangled in front of me with a discounted price of $49.

I’ll tell you what happened.

I walked into Sephora hoping just to chill and look at the pretty colours that deck the shelves of the various makeup brands one fine and dandy day; I had no intention of shopping for anything. And then, I realised that Pop Beauty was having a 50% off their eyeshadow wallets. Okay… Breathe, I said to my already excited little heart. Let’s go see if they’re worth checking out.

Lo and behold, they were p r e t t y awesome.

For a 24 colour eyeshadow wallet (they’re called wallets cause they’re flat and long and well, duh, like real wallets) whose original price was $65, $32.50 was a pretty good price for that number of eyeshadows. And convenience came in the form of the wallet which had everything – eyeshadows, blushes and lipsticks sans foundation. Imagine going out in the day without makeup and having a last minute meeting scheduled for the afternoon. What do you whip out? Your makeup wallet of course. Just slap on some lipstick, blush and maybe some eyeshadow if you have time. Sounds really inviting to a lazy bugger like me.

“Okay, let’s think about it”, I told myself. Afterall I really had no intention of buying anything and wasnt going to go on a spur of the moment shopping spree. Whilst walking around and browsing the pink shelves of the Too Faced counter, the salesgirl approached and whipped this out.

HOLY COW!

Smokey eyes in a beautiful black and purple packaging! And check out the gothic font.

It was hard to resist. I can feel my inner goth rock chick slowly creeping out.

So I succumbed. I bought it.

There were three different types of smokey eye colours (9 colours in total) in the palette: day smoke, classic smoke and classic smoke. Perfect for use in all different occasions.

Had my brother’s 21st dinner party last night and I decided to break out the palette. So here’s my face of the day with the Classic Smoke from the palette.

Isnt it gorgeous!?

The colours really stand out on camera and is soooo pigmented.

Face of the day

Face:
Everyday Minerals mineral foundation in Olive Golden Medium (my holy grail!)
Benefit Dandelion blush

Eyes:
Too Faced classic smoke in Smokey Eye palette
Kate Gel Eyeliner
Beauty Buffet eyebrow pencil
Maybelline XXL Waterproof mascara
L’oreal Voluminous mascara

Lips:
Maybelline Fruity Jelly lipgloss

Get the look here.

My blog is struggling to keep itself afloat. Or rather Im trying my very hardest to keep the blood pumping and running through what used to make dweam.com. A recent conversation with a good friend revealed that our blogs are becoming so random. Posting randomness about goodness knows what has become the norm. I think we’ve kinda just lost focus. Okay lah, maybe I’m just boring and lazy. Lol.

We wouldn’t say we’re ugly but definitely not the kinds to post pictures of ourselves red-faced, semi-sober and possibly in various states of undress. The latter qualities, however, are what makes some of the blogs out there “popular”. Voyeurism has been taken for a technological ride. We, on the flip side, are seekritive people leading a life of shady activities and unmentionable business (HAHA), hence churning out limited posts that aren’t exactly colourful and detailed regarding our whereabouts and whatnots.

So anyway I’ve hopped on the Twitter bandwagon and after only about a week on Twitter, I feel that micro-blogging is a much easier and personal way to communicate.

Here are my top 4 reasons why I like Twitter so far.

1) It’s like SMS. It feels as though you’re directly texting your friend, making it similar to a personalised message. But infact your “text” is reaching more than just your intended audience. A wider audience just happens to be lurking behind the screen. Best part? It’s FREE!

2) Yes blogging is free too but it doesn’t sound the same when you post on your blog sveral hours, or even days later, how much you thought the person next to you stank. Yes tweeting is in real time and would sound as though your friend is yelling at you all the way from Jurong or Pasir Ris ,”OMG! The person next to me stinks like a sewer!! Save me.”

3) 140 characters is easier to think of than a 500 word post.

4) Keeping track of your friends’ activities is very much easier. You don’t need to navigate different pages as everything is published on your “Home” page. No need to remember different web links!

Okay now if you will excuse me, I need to go check my Twitter page. The 80 over updates that spam me when I’m merely several hours away, is scary.

After much advice, I got me a Technorati Profile.

Although I dont really know what it does. =

It’s time for Monday free giveaway again! This time the items are focused more on face/skin care. I’ve heard so much about those paper face masks that some Taiwanese girls swear by. So much so that they wake up half an hour earlier EVERYDAY just to apply it before they leave the house. I got some myself and got some extra free samples Im giving away for you to try!

Please note that all giveaways are limited to Singapore and Malaysia addresses.

#1 – Kaolin Powder Sunlight Finishing Powder Reserved!
This is an oil-absorbing Kaolin clay and light-reflecting Mica by Everyday Minerals. Use it a primer or finishing powder to help your skin tone have a softer and smoother radiant finish!

#2 – Bio-essence Tanaka White Skin White Perfecting Stretch Mask Reserved!

#3 – Collagen Essence Mask Sheet pack from Korea Reserved!

#4 – Dermalogica Total Eye Care with SPF 15 Reserved!

Leave a comment with your name and email!

Finally I have the time to finish this long overdue post! And I’ve gotten the official pictures from the official photographer of the night – LetThereBeLight.com.sg. So be prepared for an overload of photos!

25th April 2009

The big day for Kieng arrived.

I’ve never been a jie mei for anybody as yet. So although this was my first time, I knew it was critical for us 6 girls to arrive early for the jie xin niang routine. We were over at the bride’s place around 730am as she was getting hair and makeup done.

While she was getting ready, we cam-whore and fill our tummies as Kobe, Kieng’s beautiful golden retriver looks on.

Soon the blushing bride is ready!

And we all clamour for a picture with her. Even Kobe!

The bride and her entourage of 6 jie meis. The colour scheme for the day was green.

Soon enough, the groom arrives. And it’s customary for a little boy to open the door. So cute! Same pose as his daddy. Haha!

The jie meis get to work holding the fort bargaining with the guys. Kieng’s sister is chief negotiator and Kobe is on our side too!

But we were nice and provided breakfast for the guys first: sausage chilli and bitter gourd muffin coupled with lemonade! Muahahahaha!

After which we decided they had to wax their legs if they wanted to gain access.

Of course we werent going to let them off so easily. There was a dance segment and a makeup segment where the boys had to be dolled up with lipstick.

Bangra dance anyone?

And finally, after almost an hour, they charged in because someone had gotten hold of the key! But not before we block the door of the entrance to the bride’s room and they tried to shoot us with a super soaker. LOL.

Of course, we cleverly hid behind the groom and used him as a human shield. HAHAHA.

And when we let him pass, he had to sign one last contract before he gets the girl.

Say awwwwwwwww….

After the excitement of the morning, we move on to the customary tea-drinking ceremony at the groom’s place first.

Group picture!

To the bride’s house after she changes.

Off we go! I really like this picture. Very vintage.

Offering tea to her parents.

Happy parents.

It wasnt till almost 1 plus that we left for home to get ready for the wedding dinner that night. One last group picture before we adjourned and meet again later.

Phew think I’ll keep the wedding dinner for another post.

Short note:I just added Twitter to update where/what I’m doing! It’s mad addictive! Add me!

You know those ling-ling long-long phones that Japanese girls carry around? Those with tonnes of charms and stuff stuck to it; that is what they call hime-den or princess phone. So purty!

All pictures from strapya-world.com

I’m sorry I havent been updating. I’ve been busy doing back-breaking work. This is my new hobby!

Following in the footsteps of them Japanese girls who transform their mobile phones with tonnes of bling and adorable cakes (I really like those with the icing and cake/fruit on it), I’ve taken to DIY-ing all sorts of personal things. It just makes my belongings looks so decadent! And the cakes all look so real! I feel like I could eat them up for Im such a glutton when it comes to sweet treats. ARGH!

All pictures from strapya-world.com

YUM YUM!

First it was something simple – my ibanking device. Not exactly very eatable, but still looks good.
Now I dont know which way is up. Lol.

Then it was a pen.

Up next, mirrors!

My handphone camera doesnt do the gorgeous bronzey one justice! But the white one does look very princessy.
:3

Cough. But it is an expensive hobby. I just blew a 100 bucks on these crystals.

Wonder what I will zhng next. Maybe an entire car.

credits to daylife.com

Looks like somebody beat me to it already!

ZOMG! The hottest girls are gonna come to town!

The Pussycat Dolls!

June 4th!

You think I’d be able to score another meet and greet with them this time around like I did with SingFest last year?

When I grow up, I wanna be a Pussycat Doll!

Who says there can only be ONE?

Even in an international pageant we must never forget to give credit to those who deserve it. Beautiful skin deserves great recognition because it takes effort in maintaining it. Luscious locks and fit figures are a mixture of both good genes and meticulous care on the individual’s part. A good physique also requires time and effort on the person’s part to develop, thus we must give credit where credit is due.

I remember how I received the Miss Body Beautiful award during the Miss Singapore International pageant in 2007.

Although it came as a surprise, it was definitely nice to know that all the buffing, scrubbing, polishing and exercising paid off and was recognised by the esteemed judges.

Like it or not, we all NEED a little recognition now and then.

Even better if it comes with CASH prizes, a MODELLING contract and of course, FREE goodies for 1-year!

As part of your contract, you get to model for GLOW magazine, chock full of beauty, health and wellness tips, proudly distributed by your very own Personal Store – Watson’s.

Sounds too good to be true?

Definitely not.

And it’s all so simple to do.

Read the rest of this entry »

I think I just got picked up by a good-looking 9 year old in school. Hahaha.

He leans in close, looks at my teeth, looks up at me, smiles warmly and says,

“Miss Valerie. I think your teeth are really white.”

Hahahahahahaha. I think that’s the best pick-up line I’ve ever heard so far.

Short note: Photobucket kills the quality and sharpness of my pictures! It makes them blur. See if you can pick out those that are uploaded on Photobucket versus those that are hosted on flickr.

Even before I have the time to finish editing the Rhythm Stylus pictures, in comes a whole new slew of pictures. Thankfully I dont have to edit these pictures much and you’d be glad for that because it’s an overload of beautiful girls!

I had an invitation to attend the Miss Singapore Universe finals 2009 at the Shangri-la. Because I was involved in the pageant last year as a contestant, it was obvious I would curious about this batch of girls and how the event was run in comparison to the previous year.

I arrived late because I had an earlier appointment and thus had to slap on my makeup almost half an hour prior to the actual event. Also, as it usual whenever you need a cab, Murphy decides to infer and it takes you FOREVER to get a one. Eventually we managed to hop into one and upon arrival, was very impressed with how had Shangri-la decorated the Island Ballroom and the HUGE runway for the girls. The atmosphere was abuzz with glitz and glamour. Everyone was dressed the the nines and was very very polished.

The book this year was pretty well done up too and it seemed as if they had a lot more sponsors backing the event this time around. The casual wear sponsor this year was Harley Davidson! The lucky girls got to be dressed in Harley gear for their photoshoot. I would die to do a shoot in Harley Davidson outfits!

A fancy scmancy five course fine dining was our dinner for the night. After the appetiser of a crab cake with thai-styled sauce was served, we had a mild ginger cream based soup with prawn. It was definitely new but tasty; the prawn was firm and juicy.

Then the main course was delish cod fish!

To end the night off as the results are announced, TIRAMISU that came in the form of a pyramid similar to those in Egypt.

Absolutely heavenly.

Anyway, enough small talk. Here are the girls. I had prime seats near the judges; right smack in front of the stage. That allowed me to get pretty good shots with my Canon DSLR. Whooohoooo!

I thought all the girls looked beautiful. The makeup was carefully done on each girl; the evening dresses had good cuts, were slinky, simple and stuff I would ACTUALLY wear.

Presenting the girls individually in their evening gowns by Hayden.

April Wang. Yes she’s Chinese.
I love her gown. So simple and classy!

Siti Syabaniyah. Her sparkly gown costs around 3.5k! Gasp!

Ethel Tan.

Christine Ng. Dont you think the colours on her gown are absolutely beautiful?

She also clinched a subsidiary award for the Obsession Hair Award.

Moving on.

Jeanine Quee. Her green dress is my favourite among all the dresses! So floaty, so whimsical, akin to a mermaid, with a hefty price tag of about 1k.

Rachel Kum. Easily the prettiest and obvious crowd favourite.
She has a really sweet face and I think she looks like a Barbie doll!

Soon the main course is served and the Top 5 girls are announced. This year, the total number of finalists was lesser than that of last year’s and they thus only had Top 5.

In no particular order,
3 – Cheryl Wee
4 – Rachel Kum
7 – April Wang
11 – Jeanine Quee
13 – Emiko Thein

After which the infamous Q&A segment followed.

The questions this year were rather tricky. They included:
- What is the biggest lie you’ve ever told?
- What have you done in these recession times to help yourself?
- Do you think a beauty queen should be seen drinking till drunk and smoking?
- Would you date a guy much younger or much older than you?

I think Cheryl did a very good job with her question. She answered confidently and very eloquently with great content on dating very much younger or older men.

See the distress on her face? Rachel’s question was a tough one. She got the one about recession and for the first part of her answer she kinda was beating around the bush, fumbling to piece together a coherent answer. I must admit, however, that she did make a great comeback and finished off the question pretty well saying she has based her spending on needs instead of wants.

Jeanine picked, “Do you think a beauty queen should be seen drinking till drunk and smoking?” and answered well too saying “No” and justifying her answer appropriately.

Honestly, I think all of the girls answered really well and none had blonde moments.

Other girls at the mike.

Very soon THE RESULTS!

But not before, AJ Dela Fuente, who is a regular on Broadway and has appeared in many of its productions, sang and tried to throw jokes into the audience to no avail. Honestly, I dont think any one in the crowd really knew who he was and everyone was waaayyyy more eager to hear the results!

But I have to give him credit; his voice quality is definitely impressive.

Because of the great number of sponsors this year, the girls had PLENTY of subsidiary awards – 7 to be exact.

Miss Fitness: April Wang
The unlimited usage if DS MediFitness facilities for 1 year, monthly face or body treatments at the DS MediSpa and $500 cash is hers to keep!

Miss Personality: very pretty Rachel Kum. She wins $500 cash sponsored by Harley Davidson and Hyundai.

Miss Singapore Shawl Universe 2009: April Wang again!
A $500 Eco Friendly Bamboo Shawl with Jade and Crystal and $500 cash is her prize!

Miss Nice and Natural: Cheryl Wee.
You think they mean someone who has never had plastic surgery? Haha! She gets $500 cash and Uppercuts products

Miss Snap-on Smile: Siti Syabaniyah
She gets smile enhancements worth $2500 and $500 cash! Shiok or not! But I think it’s funny how people who win Best Smile or what nots get treatments to ENHANCE their smiles.

FINALLY it’s time to announce the Top 3.

First up, the 2nd runner up. Bernice Wong, Miss Singapore Universe 2003, is invited to give out the sash and flowers. She’s dressed a short red dress skin tight dress that shows off her legs. I must say she lost weight tho. She’s so skinny in person and didnt actually look very happy to be on stage.

And the winner is….. Cheryl Wee!

Eh Cheryl doesnt look very happy in this picture to only land herself as 2nd runner up.

It was obvious Cheryl had really strong support from her friends and family. They occupied FOUR tables and even had large posters printed for everyone to hold.

Isnt the composition of the picture awesome?!

Then, the first runner up. The person who will succeed the position of Queen should the queen not be able to fulfill her duties accordingly is…. April Wang!
She also clinched 2 other subsidiary awards earlier. Lucky girl!

Lastly, for the announcement of the winner, as per tradition, they invite the winner last year on stage. The queen, Shenice Wong, takes her last walk as queen before she passes her crown on to her successor.

I thought it was quite funny that as she came out on stage, some guy made this comment: “That’s not real man. That’s ALL not real.” Wahahahahaha!

The anticipation of the remaining girls.

And when the results are announced, Rachel is stunned. But there was never really any doubt. She was the clear crowd favourite.

Miss Singapore Universe 2009 -
Rachel Kum
Also winner of Miss Personality and Miss Body Beautiful. A triple award winner!