If there’s one thing I love and hate about seasonal holiday periods it’s definitely the gorgeous collectible make up sets that are pushed out to tug at your heart strings. After the Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 3, I can safely say I have enough eyeshadows palettes to last me the whole of next year.
So although I might not be buying any more eyeshadows (I reckon one month of abstinence should be a good start), I can still tempt you to buy some right? Heehee.
Because it’s December and the end of the year is coming, bring out your party clothes and most glamourous make up because it’s time to make merry. The bareMinerals Shimmer & Shine Collection seems well stocked for that. It’s a 10 collection packed with paraben-free, sulphate-free mineral make up that will set you glowing in the most brilliant shades.
What’s inside:
- 4 x 0.01 oz Eyecolor in Shimmer (frosted cappuccino), Flicker (burnished violet), High Shine Gold Medal (pale gold), and High Shine Vapor (graphite)
- 0.012oz Big & Bright Eyeliner in Intense Black
- 0.02 Clear Radiance All-Over Face Color (sheer translucent glow)
- 0.02 oz Pink Petal Blush (bright poppy pink)
- 0.14 oz 100% Natural Lipgloss in With a Twist (tulip pink)
- 0.14 oz 100% Natural Lipgloss in Sprinkles (diamond shimmer)
- Full Tapered Blush & Eye Brush
- Booklet featuring instructions for Shimmer and Shine looks
Ever wanted princess hair like them Disney princesses? Well, here’s my method on how to get princess-like hair.
1) Gather your hair into a high ponytail
First you’ll need to tie your hair in a secure ponytail at the top of your head. The higher the better, because you want your princess bun to be seen. Adjust until desired and when you’re satisfied with the position of your hair, squeeze a generous amount of styling mousse into your palm and massage it into the loose ends of your pony tail.
2) Back comb the pony tail
With a comb, comb the ponytail upwards against gravity. The idea is to add as much volume to the normally slick ponytail and give it that little bit of messy flyaway effect. Remember to backcomb the entire ponytail.
3) Twist hair into a loose bun
Once you’re happy with how much volume has been added to your hair via the backcomb, it’s time to get styling! Twist the backcombed ponytail in one direction around the rubber band into a loose bun at the top of your head. Dont worry if the bun is a little messy, in fact, that’s what we should be aiming for. Once all the ends of your ponytail has been tucked into your bun, firmly secure the messy bun with another rubber band.
4) Accessorise your hair bun
Here comes the easy part. Once you’ve got your bun in place, to fully fall into the role of a princess, accessorise with your prettiest and sparkliest hair accessory. Armed with your best pretty, you’re ready to meet your prince charming. Sidekicks are optional when you find him, but I decided to bring my darling hamster as my trusty sidekick.
Yes inspired by Rapunzel’s magical hair with super powers, I decided to come up with my own magical hair style. My hair style might not be able to pack a punch or do superhuman stuff like Rapunzel’s, but it’ll still win me some awesome prizes from the magical hair contest. Stylish hair can make or break an outfit, but Disney’s Rapunzel has hair that does so much more.
Walt Disney Pictures presents RAPUNZEL: A TANGLED TALE, one of the most hilarious, hair-raising tales ever told. When the kingdom’s most wanted—and most charming—bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) hides out in a mysterious tower, he’s taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn’s curious captor, who’s looking for her ticket out of the tower where she’s been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an over-protective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs. In theaters this holiday season in Disney Digital 3D™, RAPUNZEL is a story of adventure, heart, humor and hair—lots of hair.
You know how Disney movies are: they’re warm, funny, touching and a tear-jerker all at the same time. It’s hard not to fall in love with these characters from Rapunzel A Tangled Tale the first few minutes you meet them on screen. I’m not going to spoil the movie for you, but the two animal sidekicks, Maximus the horse and Pascal the chameleon, are ones you have got to watch out for. You can get a glimpse of the other characters on Disney’s official homepage.
Full of hilarious moments, swash-buckling action scenes and moments that tug at your heart strings, Rapunzel A Tangled Tale is a MUST-WATCH this 2010. It’ll keep your eyes glued to the screen at all times. The animation is beautiful, songs are lovely marks and I would expect nothing less of Walt Disney Pictures’ 50th full-length animated feature.
Although Rapunzel A Tangled Tale in 3D was released 25 November 2010 and the non-3D film will only be out 2 December 2010 islandwide, I’m going to watch the 3D one again and this time I’m going with princess hair.
You’ve seen what’s inside my make up case and by now you might have already realised that I have all sorts of make up and beauty products inside my make up case. I practically live off my make up case when travelling or at a photoshoot and I absolutely cannot do without my basic make up essentials. You should already know these by heart: foundation, blusher, eyeliner, waterproof mascara and lipstick. But if there’s another basic make up essential you need to have in your basic make up kit, it’s make up remover.
Removing makeup is an essential part of the basic skin care routine. I know how it’s like coming home from a late night out and wanting to head straight to bed. But you know the rules for good skin: never sleep with your make up on. But when you’re pressed for time, the make up removal process can feel difficult and tedious. However, with Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets, I find that make up removal has never been easier. I always keep a packet of these Biore make up removal sheets in my make up bag, just in case I want to quickly remove make up after a long day of living in heavy foundation.
Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets come in 3 sizes – regular tub, refill and a handy pack. A high-performance, yet light and smooth cleansing oil, is present in each moist cotton sheet. It is this unique cleansing oil that removes make up efficiently and makes them different from other make up wipes. It’s so easy to use, you dont need a tutorial on how to remove make up with the Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets.
From eyeshadow to black eyeliner, Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets removes them all. When I’m in a hurry to jump into bed, I just grab a sheet, press it to the desired area of removal and wipe. Viola! Clean, make up free skin in a jiffy.
Enriched with moisturising agents, the sheets hydrate your skin as they clean. But to really put the sheets to the test, I decided to try and remove my eye make up. I use quite heavy eye make up when I go out: eyeshadow primer, eyeshadow, eyeliner, waterproof mascara and fake lashes on top of all that. Everything needs to come off before I go to bed.
Challenge 1: Would the Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets be able to completely remove waterproof mascara?
One important beauty tip to keep in mind during make up removal around the eye area eye make up is to never pull the skin around the eye area. This skin is particularly sensitive and thin. Constant tugging and pulling causes premature fine lines, and this was the next challenge Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets had to face.
Challenge 2: Would the make up removal sheets remove tough eye make up with just gentle pressure?
I held the moist sheet for about 5 – 6 seconds against my eye, using gentle pressure, before wiping the eye makeup off. I was really impressed by how even the stubbornest mascara was thoroughly removed, after several wipes, leaving no residue or sticky feeling.
The light fragrance of Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets makes the process of removing make up all the more pleasant. Coupled with the properties of being efficient, gentle and hydrating, I’d say Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets is staying as one the basic make up must-haves in my make up case for whenever I need quick make up removal on the go!
The end of the year is near, and although it always is hard to say goodbye, the end signifies the beginning of something new. So this time, why not mark the end of the year with a celebration and live it up in style by having a girls night in? In my opinion, a girls night in is always a good idea. You get comfortable, unwind and just have loads of fun!
But before you get your party started, you need to gather a few of your best girlfriends to brainstorm a couple of girls night in ideas. Remember to throw in some girls night in activities and your party night is complete! You’re all set for fun before getting a good night’s sleep. There are of course some essentials for your party you must not leave out. So here are some things you must have for your girls night in party.
1) Food
No party would obviously be complete without food. And since it’s a girls night in, take every opportunity to indulge in all sorts of food that make you happy! Be it ice-cream, chips, sushi or even healthier options like salads and fruits, with your best girlfriends around, there will be no questions asked. So go crazy with your options and let loose. Indulge in whatever makes you happy before you jump into bed. Remember that when it’s Day 1 and 2 of your period, your body burns carbs better. Therefore, dont be afraid to indulge!
2) Face masks
Take the night to relax and unwind with your best friends after stuffing yourselves silly. But before you drift off into peaceful sleep, you might just want to go the extra mile and pamper yourself with a face mask. Paper face masks or the traditional face masks keep your skin moist and taut when used regularly. On this night when your tummy’s filled and you’re extra relaxed, you can look extra beautiful too! You’ll wake up in the morning to fresher, more hydrated skin.
3) Movies
Ever held back those tears when watching a sappy romantic movie? Well, fret not. With your girlfriends around, you can feel safe turning on the water works. Bring out the most heart-wrenching, tear-jerking movie you can find and bawl your eyes out like a baby. You know you’re protected cause you trust your girlfriends to be there to hold your hand and cry with you during all the tear-jerker scenes.
4) A well kept secret
Your girlfriends have probably seen you through all your ups and downs, shared your secrets and listened to your gripes. And when you’ve got your period, it’s your girlfriends you turn to. Therefore, if your period arrives during your girls night in, you can trust them to keep you happy and safe on top of Whisper’s Overnights. Feeling at ease, protected and secure throughout the night when you sleep, leaves you feeling fresher and happier when you wake up! Some secrets are open secrets and this is just one of them.
5) Nail polish
The idea for girls night in should be about bonding with each other, building trust while looking and feeling good. After stuffing yourself silly, pampering your skin and sharing your best kept secrets with your girlfriends, top it all off by painting each other’s nails. There’s nothing like freshly manicured nails to make you look like a million bucks.
When you’re full from your favourite snacks, have rejuvenated skin and brilliant nail art to complete your pampering session, you’ll want to sleep peacefully throughout the night. With tips for better sleep and the security of knowing that Whisper’s Overnights protect you during your periods, you’ll wake up the next morning from your sweet slumber walking on sunshine.
I’ve been on a hair craze these few days experimenting with all sorts of ways I can do my hair. But if there’s one hair style for women that I haven’t tried, it’s ringlets. If my hair takes ages to curl, I dont really want to be thinking how long it takes to do ringlets. Thus, I can’t help but admire Taylor Swift’s hair.
When it comes to a hair style like that, I can’t think of one artist that carries off that particular hair style better than singer Taylor Swift. In fact, curls are her signature hair style. Think Taylor Swift and the first thing that defines her is her cute curls. So when it comes to women’s hair styles, the last thing you’d think of is Taylor Swift with straight hair.
But here she is in a magazine feature, spotted with long straight hair. She also sported long sleek locks at the CMT Music Awards in Nashville back in June 2010. I cant say I really like how she looks in long hair because I’m so used to seeing her in curls. But having her hair straightened does change things up a little bit. Still, I think I’d rather she keep the youthful and very feminine curls. I wonder if I’d be able to carry something like that off without looking crazy. Hahaha. Any one has any tips for hair they can share on how to get Taylor Swift’s curly locks?
Update: Comment number 35 from JJ is the winning comment!
Happy Birthday Sephora Singapore! Thank you for being one of my absolute favourite make up stores in Singapore. I’m so glad you opened up here in Singapore because you stock absolutely everything that a make up collector junkie like me could ever want.
It was just yesterday, literally, that I made my way down to Sephora Sinagpore get the Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 3. It also happened to be their very 1st birthday! I was really lucky I got my hands on one of these amazing palettes because there were loads of people in the store.Sephora Singapore had stocked so many pretty packages all wrapped in bows, perfect for gifts for Christmas and people were shopping themselves silly. But I was only there for one thing.
I now have another eyeshadow palette to add to the obscene number of existing palettes I have in my make up bag. What did I tell you about the Book of Shadows being gorgeous? It was bigger than I expected too!
When I first set eyes on it, I was stunned. My heart skipped a beat and I couldnt believe that the Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 3 was within my reach. At the same time, however, I was taken aback by its size. It really is almost the size of a book! But since I missed the Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows, I didnt want to miss out on this one too. Another reason I HAD to have it was the fact NYC held so many great memories for me when I was there this year.
I cannot help but gush at the lovely pop up that greets you when you first open the eyeshadow palette. If you’ve been to New York, you’ll realise they’ve included all the major landmarks of NYC. This is definitely the perfect memento to take home whether not you’ve been to New York. Central Park, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty and the iconic yellow Taxi are conveniently packed into the Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 3 for you to take home and fall in love with New York City.
If you arent already enchanted by the City that Never Sleeps, let me tempt you with a travel sized bottle of Urban Decay’s best primer potion. Yes, the very same Urban Decay Primer Potion you see in the eyeshadow palette above.
To win, all you need to do is answer the question below in the comment section with your name and working email and you stand a chance to win the travel sized Urban Decay Primer Potion.
Where can you find the Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 3?
Contest closes Friday, 19th November 12 noon and is limited to Singapore addresses only.
