And more damages ...

From our Seoul holiday.

 1-for-1 so I got a total of 16 of them!  And the net price was only less than a quarter of what's retailed here. 

Bought them as Christmas gift for our colleagues ;)

 

Skin 79 - another new love found in Korean skincare :P

And don't be shocked by this... the price was only 16% of what is sold here!!

This BB cream (in orange) is really good! 

 

Skin79 BB Mousse which is so-so only.

And replenished my Skin Food Peach Sake Powder.  It's only a third of the price here, definitely worth stocking up from Korea. 

 

 Disappointingly, earrings were not as cheap as I thought they could be.  But still, bought quite a few pairs, for myself & for the nieces ;)

So generous in giving out samples. Just look at how much I've got from the trip!
 

IN

Bought this dress more than a year ago & am delighted to know that leopard print makes a comeback :) Or did I have foresight that it'll be the in item after a year? Haha.
Wore it to a wedding dinner last Monday (yes!! Wedding banquet on a MONDAY!!!)... still looked trendy! ;)
Love the V-shape low back!

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Prepped!

For this Fri's Dinner & Dance.  With matching gold shoes! :D

About The Preps

For Con's wedding

I bought a dress that's worn by Karen Mok before. But it looked very different on me...

I looked fat, especially at certain angles.. Can you imagine? I wore a Size L!!

Hubby bought this gorgeous looking tuxedo shirt...

We took the opportunity to have an enjoyable 3.5-day long weekend. On Fri, we're on half day leave & started the weekend with my honey's favourite Korean lunch.

We'd a late & slow one at a Korean restaurant near my office that exudes quite a bit of Korean feel - Dae Bak BBQ Restaurant. I'd say, for now, that's the best Korean meal I've had in Singapore considering it's tasty, cheap (@$10/set for lunch) & we'd the luxury of time to savour our food.

Ginseng chicken soup set & beef rib soup set for hubby. It's the first time I could finish the soup & meat *thumbs up*

After lunch, since we still had time before my manicure at FEP, we took a stroll to Good Morning Nanyang @ Hong Lim CC for a cup of tea. After the long awaited move, the standard was as good as their franchised outlet at Sembawang Shopping Centre.

Nails to match my dress. A combi of the lady boss' & my ideas ;)

Mani Interest

The last 2 weekends I sorta experienced the life of a manicurist, hehe.

I DIYed gel nails!
A trip to MagicBoo, a beauty products wholesaler/retailer (great recommendation from hubby dearest!), led to a damage of about $100 & an interest in DIYing my nails.
Gathered a few other lacking items from Far East Plaza & voilà, this is my very own Gel Nails Kit! ;)

This my 2nd attempt. The 1st was quite a mess.. so I redid it 2 days later on Mon when we're both on leave.

This was done last Sat. Much better but still got lotsa room for improvement. The nail on my ring finger is actually an extension that I did. Not bad at all right? :)

Total bill for this kit - $240 (including the UV lamp that's @ a cheap price of $42). I just need to do 2 nice sets to break even... & I'm already 1 down, haa (hopefully it lasts at least for 3 weeks though)...

You see, once you start to do gel nails there's a high tendency you get hooked. Or is it a self-justification?:P For CNY & some other special occasion I think I'll still go to my manicurist as she does a really great job (but very ex.. + extension + french + Christmas/CNY surcharge = $140!). So on normal days when I just want my nails to look polished & maintenance free, this a good way ;)

But it's definitely no ez job. Thousands of kisses to my honey who's, as usual, so ever supportive of what I want to do... ran around with me in search of the missing products, not only once or twice... even in the late evening all the way from home to AMK! And staying awake into such 'early' hours just because his wifey has taken up a new interest & at exploration stage..

I'm very sure now hubby knows about gel nails even more than many ladies out there, hee!

Comparison

Smokey eye look VS sans eye makeup look.
Whole smokey effect was done with the newly bought Nature Republic's Pearl Black Gel Eyeliner.
I like the versatility of gel eyeliner (have already bought 1 Maybelline black & 1 Maybelline purple eyeliners a couple of months back) - from drawing eyeliner to blending into eyeshadow.
By the way, I've switched to mouse/cream eyeshadow as the staying power is better for my oily lids.

Though I personally think smokey eyes don't suit me that much... What say you?:)

New?

Earlier this year I was at 77th Street & saw this pendant.

Priced @ $35 & the lady said it's a new arrival.
But you know what.... I bought it in Bangkok during one of my work trips in MAY 2004, @ around S$12 (it's already expensive to me as my budget for pendants in Bangkok was S$6-$8 each).
So 6 years later, it's still considered new?!

I've vivid memory of it because the day I returned from Bangkok with the pendant on 31May 04, I attended my primary school alumni night & proudly wore the pendant to the event.

'Entre' turned 'Imcee'

There's this boutique, Entre, in FEP that I used to visit regularly. Chanced upon it a year ago when I needed to modify my wardrobe to suit my then new job & environment. Pants, especially, sold there suit my figure very well. Sometimes my purchase could get a lil too crazy.... 3 pants, 3 tops at 1 go...... And I didn't buy from just this boutique!

A few weeks before CNY, I visited Entre again with the intention of getting a few pieces for new year but didn't expect to have reached a vacated unit instead. They'd moved!? Or closed down!? There's no sign at all during our past regular visits! My reaction then must have been quite dramatic, haha, but I was really sad to have lost a place to get good & non-expensive pants. We literally went back every week, hoping to find it reopened but I was always disappointed. Their telephone line wasn't terminated but there's no reply all the time. It's sad, I needed some time to find another place with pants that fit me nicely.

Then about a month ago, the lady from Entre called me. She's taken over the business & has reopened at the exact location as previous, with a different name. Yeah! Which means there's continous stock of pants for me....!:D

Went there 2 weeks ago & bought 2 pairs! ;)

My Entre/Imcee Collection in a year, including 9 pairs of pants... mostly satin-lookalike pencil trousers

My Collection

The BB cream I own

From left (the oldest):
Scandal- from Sasa. A bit too glossy & fair on my skin.
Skin Food - My second piece, bought during our last Korea trip. Price was cheaper by nearly half! Initially I found it good but gradually feel that my face greases pretty easily.
Etude House - BB pact.
Etude House - BB cream. This & the previous were also bought when we're in Seoul. Disappointly, too rich for my skin!
Castledew - Good. Been using for more than a year but only less than half is depleted. Quite a matte finish with medium coverage. Goes well with my new Lotree Rosa Davurica Loose Powder.
Lotree - my latest addition. Matte finish but a lil too sheer. Am alternating between this & Castledew's.

Heard Lotree's DIY BB cream is good... hmmm.... But nope! I'm not getting it any sooner as I've banned myself from shopping before our KL trip! :P

My Accessories Maker

It started with the accessory for our blackie baby. Ever since we missed an exquisite piece from The Scarlet Hotel's Flair, we've been searching everywhere for a comparable crystal ornament for the last 1 year. Hubby felt bad as he wanted to consider the one @ Flair & when he finally gave the go which was like weeks later, it wasn't there anymore:( So he promised to find a good substitute with me, hmm. But it wasn't easy at all to find one that comes with a big crystal ball and we finally settled for a streak of (small) crystal balls, as below.

Idea & design from both of us.
Custom-made by a shop in Far East Plaza.
We like it... & it's cheap!

From there, we're inspired to DIY some accessories for me. And I have a loving hubby to execute the designs I would like to have ;) He has been really wonderful...

My beautiful crystal necklace & love it more that it's handmade by my honey :)

It's a copy of a pair we saw somewhere with a price tag of $59.90.
And mine - 90% similar, 80% cheaper & 200% of love!

His first attempt was one with a simpler design.

My Loots

My 1st batch of falsies.
Love those brown ones when I want minimal eye makeup. No eyeliner needed to wear these.
And the last 2 pairs in the left column are Shu Uemura lookalike, if not the same. Got it @S$7.50/pair while Shu U's selling for S$39.
Just received my 2nd batch last Fri night that I've been so looking forward to :D
There's free shipping within USA for order above USD100. So we used vPost, strongly recommended by hubby, to bring it back though took additional 10 days to reach. Whereas I got the 1st exactly a week after I placed order. But I don't mind at all, considering the cost savings :) Had paid S$21 for the above 9 pairs & only S$19.40 for this most recent shipment of 47 pairs. Err yes... 47 pairs. But am selling a few pairs to my colleague :P

Stock taking! 49 pairs here (2 pairs + 1 tube of lash glue are freebies from vendor)

The brown lashes:

The S$39 pair in Shu Uemura Lash Bar:


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A big box of VS items arrived finally.
It had almost toured half of the world before reaching me.
This was shipped directly from VS as vPost wanted to charge me S$70++ (based on weight & the hair products were heavy) whereas VS charged S$31 (based on value). Ie. we'll have to do our sums before committing as to be fair, did save quite a bit for my lash shipment through vPost like mentioned earlier. And the vPost toolbar is indeed very useful in pre-advising the shipping rates (right, honey?;]).

Read the text that's boxed red
My So Sexy range + panties/thongs. Some are as Christmas presents;) Another shipment on the way for 2 remaining pieces.
Used the shampoo & conditioner the next morning. Smelt oh so nice :)


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Sample items ordered online from a local company selling US mineral makeup. Nice lil containers that come with sifter.


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My Alima products.


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Skinfood Aloe Sun BB Pact
Sasa's Scandal BB cream.
Shared some with colleague.
Like the result of this but prefer the ingredients of Skinfood's. Hmm...

Recent Craze

I believe at certain points in life, if not at all times, girls do addicted to online shopping. Or so I try to justify myself.

Am a late bloomer. Been successful in convincing myself that the safest way of shopping would be to buy what's in my hands & be near to the person who swipes my card. I'd managed to stand by this thinking (though conservative) for so long which had effectively kept my credit card bills in control & hubby from shocks.... till recently.

The very 1st item I purchased online was a dress, more than a year ago. But that's under the influence of a friend as the vendor was her friend. And it didn't turn out to be a pleasant experience as the dress was ugly. Or rather, it's ugly on me. Forced myself to at least wear it once & it's given away. Lesson learnt: no dress or pants without fitting.

Then how did my e-shopping fad begin? Ardell Lashes. Browsed their webby a month ago & you know how crazy I've a super soft spot for falsies. After hesitating for a coupla days, finally made my first purchase. Great stuff! Regretted that I didn't get more. So my 2nd batch came up shortly & ordered end of last month. Damages: USD 104.26. Oops.

Shortly after, started a shopping list with Victoria's Secret. The sale was too tempting to resist. Also heard good feedbacks about the So Sexy range of hair products. Have been e-tracking my shipment... it's finally reached Singapore this morning! So meaning I'm going to receive it any time now!

Next, spent hours shopping for my mineral makeup which I've finally got down to search after lemming for months. Apparently mineral cosmetics have been a rage in recent years but the ignorant me only heard about it a year ago (Youngblood) & it sounded too good to be true. Especially seemed to be just right for my problematic skin. But deduced that the products must be too costly for me to afford & it wasn't widely available in Singapore then. Or even now,
though getting more common.

Had purchased 2 sample items from a Singaporean company bringing in US MMU. Hot from the letterbox when we returned this evening.

Just had another shopping cart checked out @ Lumiere Mineral Cosmetics. Free shipping including international destinations till 1 Jan 08!! Too good to miss. So got a limited edition Christmas set of MMU @ USD19 (only!) & some brushes. Gonna inform hubby of my yet another purchase.


Earlier this week, was browsing the much raved-about Alima MMU & about to pay for a list of sample items I've chosen. What stopped me was the shipping cost. Glad I did. Found out that there's this tiny shop in Central selling Alima products. Went there with hubby last evening & got what I wanted! Hee! Of course, for a complete range, still gotta go online. But at least by then, the quantity of items purchased will be more justified for the shipping cost charged.

Adding on to the MAC brush set from hubby & the few I just bought, should be a Kabuki brush. Spoilt with choices & am doing my homework :) So my shopping continues...............

While I'm typing this, I heard the door bell rings. It's the UPS man delivering my VS items @ 10.25pm! Yeah!

KATE

Kate Designing Eyebrow N by Kanebo

Bought the above on my last Bkk trip. Thought it'd be more useful than eyebrow pencil as & when I go for fuller brows. At first I disregarded the 2 much lighter tones & it's just the dark brown I wanted. Now I'm starting to appreciate these 2 shades as I can mix & match. Love my latest brow colour that matches my light brown lashes! ;)

So my verdict is:
- Choices> 4.5/5
- Colour> 4/5
- Ease of use> 4/5
- Staying power (on my oily face)> 4.5/5

However, am now concerned about the stock supply. I can't get it in Singapore... used to have difficulty to even find a Kanebo cosmetics outlet. Thus was happy to finally see their new counters when shopping last week & they do carry Kate range of make-up. But... just not this particular item I'm searching for. Visited their counters in 2 different department stores & lastly being told that it wasn't sold in Singapore. The salesgirl then recommended another similar product of 3 brow powder palette from another range, T'estimo, but its price - $46 (or $42? can't remember). Whereas I got mine @ S$18+!

So anyone's going to KL or Bkk?

Meanwhile.... 1 of my next cosmetics purchase might be an eyebrow mascara. Very tempted to try. Hmmm..

My Falsies

Hubby bought for me from Taipei

All different designs

(1) A box of 10 pairs of criss-cross purple lashes with thinner strands & strips.

(2) Same as above but in black & with even thinner strands.

(3) The standard but ever-so-nice & natural criss cross version. Hubby knew it'd never go wrong with this design :)

(4) Like the more exagerated look. But a lil heavy to wear for whole day... will wear it again only at night (for a few hours). Bought at Bugis Village, 3 for $5!

(5) Not as fantastic as they seem to be. And look a bit plastic. From The Face Shop.

(6) 1 of the great buys from BV. Yet to try out so not sure about the quality.

(7) Not nice... The strips are also too flimsy. From Dodo Club.

(8) My all-time favourite... the criss criss lashes from Dodo Club which I've stock up 6 or 7 pairs!

(9) Same as no. 8 but with purplish-blue shimmers.

(10) With glitters.

(11) Another one of the 3 from BV.

(12) Can't remember where I got this but it's one of the first pairs I own which I bought some time last year. Too blunt cut... don't dare to wear.

I made a count few days ago when I packed my lashes. All in all I have about 40 pairs and the addiction is still going strong...... Gosh..

vanity fair

Am into fake lashes since coupla months ago .. like the convenience of it.. no more panda eyes (smudges) & they open up my eyes immediately! ;)

Started with Sasa's but I found them difficult to use. So I switched to Dodo Club and have since become a fan of these falsies! The small tube of glue that comes with each pair of lashes is really good & makes the putting on process a breeze..

Some pictures on my eye "accessories" & you'll get to see nothing but my Eyes eyes eyes. Hee.

One of my Sasa pairs (more expensive but less durable). This with a more exaggerated design (longer & thicker lashes). Didn't really like how it turned out on my eyes. The usual problem was the ends (inner corner of the eyes) starting to detach from my lid after a few hours. Obviously the glue I got from Sasa wasn't good.. it also left some glue marks on my lids after touch-ups.

From afar it looked better


This was my 1st pair from dodo club (all @ $3.90 + a small tube of glue). Doesn't look obvious right? It's supposed to be thick black lashes in medium length. Anyway, they're a lil too heavy on my lids.. so not getting this type again.

Another so-so design.

Out of the various designs I've tried before, my fav is still the criss-cross version.

At first I didn't get this as thought I would look funny with the many xxxx on my lids.

But they looked so different after putting on & I simply love it! And I heard this design often goes out of stock.

The side view. Like how the long lashes curl up effortlessly.

These from dodo club are of better quality and I can use up to 10 times (heard some people can even use for a month!). I've grabbed 6 pairs during my last visit. Hehe.
One of these days may try The Face Shop's similar criss-cross version @ the same price & has also received quite good feedbacks. But I believe no other glue can do as good a job as dodo club's. And Shu Uemura's too ex.. can't bring myself to spend so much on a pair of false lashes especially I'm not one who knows how to take good care of my stuff.

Hubby will be going to Taiwan end of this week. Have requested him to get me a few nice ones (& cheaper!) from Xi Men Ding. Don't doubt my hubby hor... he knows my stuff very well

Meanwhile, at times I still go natural with my own lashes. Hee.