BaByliss Style Pro 1000

 WOW!

So I've always been the type of girl who showered and ran out the door with wet hair. Now that I have a little more time to spend on grooming before I get out the door, I decided to purchase something to style my hair with. Being that my psychomotor skills are lacking to put it kindly, a brush and hair dryer was useless to me. It's a wonder I'm not bald yet.

It's time to invest in...

The BaByliss Style Pro 1000! It was on offer in Carrefour at Mall of Emirates, Dubai today so it was a steal at AED235 (USD64). Pretty cheap eh?! Doesn't break the bank.

There are 4 attachments included to dry, straighten, smooth and for volume. When I unboxed it I was a little daunted as it looked quite big and I was worried that I would not be able to manage using it. But it turned out to be quite easy. Note that I did use a normal hair dryer to get my hair to about 80% dry as instructed in the manual, and I applied some serum to protect my hair from the heat.

In the picture above, from left to right... #1 is the Paddle Brush is for drying and detangling. So you just comb through your hair with the brush. #2 from the left is the Rotating 50mm Soft Bristle Brush. #3 from the left is the 38mm Thermal Brush. Both #2 and #3 are for volume. Lastly #4, the right most one is the Straightening attachment.

So far I've tried the straightening attachment and the rotating brush (the big cylindrical one). I first straightened my hair then used the rotating brush to curl in the ends.

The rotating brush works pretty well. There are 2 buttons that rotate the brush in either direction. As I was looking at it I was thinking of all the ways I was going to get my hair tangled in this thing and end up having to cut my hair off. However, I'm glad to report that no hair was harmed in the trial of the BaByliss Style Pro 1000. 

[don't judge my face, it's late
 and I'm getting ready for bed &
I didn't take this picture with the intention of posting it here]

Result is that my hair feels really smooth and I curled the ends in the front in and it looks pretty nice. It didn't take a long time to do either, I think all in, plus drying was less than 10 minutes. I did not burn myself even though I think I was touching a lot of the brush while fussing with it. I would give it a 9/10. Only -1 as it was not cordless and a little too big for my liking. I think I would have managed it with greater ease if it was cordless and smaller. Although I do think that's just me being a newbie psychomotor moron. 

Absolutely recommend!

Bioré Cleansing Oil

I've had quiet good experiences with Bioré products in general. When I was younger, I used their face wash. I remember enjoying the menthol feeling making my face tingle and was particularly soothing and refreshing. when I saw this special edition My Melody Cleansing Oil I couldn't resist hahah.

This product boasts to be able to remove waterproof makeup so I decided to put it to the test. A standard day of make up would consist of foundation, powder, blusher, eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara. All of which aren't issues in my opinion, except THE EYELINER. This eyeliner is SO good that if I were caught in a tsunami, they would find my dead body washed ashore after 2 days... with perfect eyeliner. Serious. 

The way you use this is to apply the oil without wetting your face. Best if face and hands are dry. 1 pump is sufficient. Smells like apple, quite nice. Rubbing the oil in circular motions all over your face. You can see the foundation and powder, even lipstick come off quite immediately. Which is pretty good... except the eyeliner. That eyeliner!!! GRRR!!! It refuses to come off, it sort of just gets smudged around a bit (think panda eyes). After that you're supposed to rinse off with water and use face wash.

I must admit I don't rub my face for 5 minutes... but I do it for at least 1 minute. I give up. I use eye makeup remover to get rid of the eyeliner in 2 seconds. As a whole, the Bioré Cleansing Oil is a good product to buy. It removes make up well and is reasonable S$17.90 at Watson's. 

In comparison to the Belif Cleansing Oil Fresh, I think this is a bit thicker and oilier. But they both do the same job, you can read my review about Belif Cleansing Oil Fresh here. Belif doesn't get rid of the eye make up either. Bioré is however the cheaper option. It's worth giving it a try. 

Benefit Oxygen Wow

The first thing I said when I used Oxygen Wow! for the first time was... WOW! I had purchased Petal, the same shade as the Hello Flawless! powder that I use. I bought this online and didn't even go to the shop to test the colour. If that's not brave, I don't know what is.

I used Stay Flawless before applying Oxygen Wow! since that's what everyone was recommending. (If you have read my previous posts about Stay Flawless, you would have seen how my entire face began to shrivel up and crack when I used Stay Flawless with PlaySticks. It was horrors! Thank goodness it didn't happen with Oxygen Wow) This liquid foundation went on really easily. One pump was sufficient. It blended and spread well. The coverage level is very high. I think this possibly provides better coverage than PlaySticks. Oxygen Wow! is also very lightweight and doesn't make you feel like you have a layer of make up on, which I think is pretty good considering it's got good coverage. 

PlaySticks is of a cream consistency which I felt was too oily for my combination skin and for this humid weather. Oxygen Wow! is liquid and for that reason I think managed to even my face out much better. Oxygen Wow! is also Oil-Free which is ideal for oily or combination skin. It doubles up as sunscreen, broad spectrum SPF 25. Not enough sunscreen for extended periods outdoors in my opinion but for going to the office, I think that's ok. 

This power combination of Stay Flawless + Oxygen Wow! + Hello Flawless! lasted me from 8am to 11pm. Throughout the day I only touched up once, at 6pm I blotted my face and brushed on a light layer of Hello Flawless! to look a bit fresher before going out for dinner. 

Oxygen Wow! is a foundation that I would highly recommend. It's got good coverage, matches my sallow skin tone well, lasting power, non oily, sunscreen... not sure what else you could ask for. I got it from Benefit online for US$36. Considering exchange rates aren't so great for me at the moment, I still think it is worth it. Go check it out!

For some reviews about the other products which I am talking about... You can read my previous posts about PlaySticks, PlaySticks Verdict, Hello Flawless! and Stay Flawless

Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer

So you probably know by now that I'm a big fan of Benefit Cosmetics. I find their make up to be good to my skin and colours suitable for my skin tone. During my last big buy, I decided to try Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer. Primers are especially important in hot and humid climates like Singapore. From the moment you leave the comfort of your air conditioned room, you feel your whole face melting off. Literally. Followed by consistent blotting and soon enough, you have almost no make up left and it's not even noon yet. 

Stay Flawless comes in a stick which I find particularly useful when I have to travel. It glides on your skin really easily and is almost colourless. What I particularly like is the slightly cool sensation you get when you put it on. I'm not sure why that happens, but it feels soothing. It feels slightly tacky on your skin but that's to make your make up stick to your face for 15 hours right?

The first time I used it, I was extremely shocked! I had used it and then applied Play Sticks, the followed by Hello Flawless! powder. Almost immediately, my skin started to crease and crack. Play Sticks has a very creamy consistency, like a soft crayon. I could feel my face tightening and I when I looked in the mirror, I saw my face cracking up. It looked like dried up clay mask... I quickly washed everything off my face and heaved a sigh of relief.

The next time I used it, I got a slightly better results. I used Stay Flawless then I used You Rebel Lite. Being a tinted moisturiser with a more liquid consistency, it didn't cause that dryness that I had when I paired Stay Flawless with Play Sticks. So a word of caution... make sure you use a liquid foundation when you use Stay Flawless.

When my next shipment come, I will try it with Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! This is a liquid foundation and the reviews that say that Stay Flawless is good, they all use it with Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! So till next time... Let's see if this US$32 that I spent on Stay Flawless was worth it in the end.

You read about my reviews about Play Sticks, Play Sticks Verdict, Hello Flawless! and You Rebel Lite

Benefit Play Sticks - The Verdict

I've been using Play Sticks on a daily basis and am ready to commit to comment now. I think it's a great product that provides good coverage for scars, open pores, pigmentation. It goes on well and is easy to use. Once you use powder on top of it, your skin does look quite flawless.

I however, will not be buying it again once this stick is done. Reason being that the weather here is too humid and lately it's been so hot like 35ºC with a humidity of more than 90%, so my skin gets really oily a couple of hours later. I must admit that I do have skin that's a bit on the oily side, but I have noticed that it's significantly oilier when I use Play Sticks. I think it's too creamy for oilier skin types.

If you live in dry climates and/or have dry skin, I think Play Sticks will be great for your skin as it will provide sufficient moisture and won't have your skin feeling dry and flaky.

To read my previous post about Play Sticks - go HERE

It's Skin PO Effector

I haven't fallen into the whole Korean craze. Not the music, not the make up, not the style, no Psy or Rain... but I found one of the BEST products I've ever used. I was in the Changi Airport DFS waiting for my friends to purchase their alcohol and was browsing the cosmetics section. I saw a row of colourful bottles, what looked like serum and it was calling my name. It's not very expensive, under S$20. So I just took a chance and picked out. It's a dream come true!!!

Power 10 Formula PO Effector

Pore Minimiser

Now I have all along had pretty large pores and lately I haven't been going for my laser treatments. So I've been noticing that my pores are larger and it is getting to me. However I don't have the time to get to the clinic. Therefore anything that says that it minimises pores, I'm willing to give it a go. 

After using it for a week, I now realise how it works. What is does is make your pores look smaller by filling in the pores. This is why the PO Effector is a thick starchy consistency, unlike the other serums which felt like a dense liquid.

How to use: After cleansing, apply PO Effector (amount depends on how large your pores are), followed by moisturiser, foundation, powder. The PO Effector makes your skin look so flawless. It's really amazing! It also lasts well... in the terrible heat and humidity (it's about 35 degrees everyday now with 90% humidity), my pores are still not visible after a whole day at work. I think that's just never been possible... up till now.

This is my new favourite thing and I highly recommend you get it... I saw it on Strawberrynet for S$17 only. At the airport I paid like $18.90 or something like that.

Benefit Play Sticks

I did a big shop at Benefit Cosmetics recently and bought some interesting stuff. In the past I didn't use foundation, instead I used You Rebel Lite which is a tinted moisturizer that provides light coverage and doesn't feel like you're wearing a thick layer of makeup. This time I thought I'd try something with a bit more coverage for a few reasons. I was hoping that it will be able to disguise my big pores and make my skin look a little better.

Play Sticks

I have been using it daily, after moisturizer but before Hello Flawless! Play Sticks does provide slightly better coverage being that it's a creamy consistency so it can fill in any holes and reasonably cover any red pimples. I do feel that my skin is a little oilier these days and I am not sure if it's because of the Play Sticks or just our bad weather. 

Play Sticks comes in only 3 colours, so if it doesn't suit you, then you might prefer to go for Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! which comes in more colours (matchy matchy with the Hello Flawless! powders). The next round I will buy Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! to try, I hear good things about it. I use light beige with Hello Flawless! in petal. 

The three colours are playfully named, as with all their stuff:

• Spin the bottle (light beige)
• Tea party (medium beige)
• Jump rope (medium tan)

Because it comes in a stick, it makes application extremely easy which is a real plus for me. The consistency of the foundation is also a winner coz it's smooth. However, I'm still entirely sold on this product. There's something about the way the powder goes on that I don't really like. It seems to be a bit... coagulated. I'm not sure why, but it doesn't feel like it sits well into my skin. Only after some light perspiration then it settles. Perhaps my moisturizer is too light.

For now if you're interested, I'd suggest you go to the Benefit Boutique to test it out before buying, to see if you like it and also for the colour. It cost me US$36 and I'm 50/50 on this one. I might post a conclusion later on how I feel about this product.

For the verdict - go HERE

Davidoff Cool Water Deodorant

First things first... I'd like to state for the record that I do not have body odour. However for the sake of the general population, I use deodorant to ensure I smell nice all the time. The only times that I do not use deodorant is when I'm sleeping coz it's not necessary and when I exercise coz I don't want any  pores to be blocked and allow my body to detoxify.

I've been using Davidoff Cool Water Deodorant for more than 15 years now. In between I've also tried other smells like Polo Sport, Issey Miyake and Boss. Yes those are ALL men's deodorants. Not only do I use them because I like the fragrance, I am also unable to find any ladies deodorants that aren't antiperspirants. Ladies antiperspirants are also lighter and don't last as long.

There have been a lot of reports around about antiperspirants blocking the sweat ducts, therefore the body cannot purge the toxins and the toxins find their way to your lymph nodes and BOOM breast cancer. Now I don't know how true these reports are and I'm not really qualified to make any statements about that. For me, deodorant is it.

Davidoff Cool Water Deodorant smells fresh and for some strange reason does not smell quite the same as the Eau De Toilette. Smells a bit lighter and less sharp. I know the eau de toilette generally smells better on oilier people, somehow when it's mixed with their body oils it smells more woody and less sharp. 

It's been tried and put through the harshest tests - 15 hour work days, walking 10 hours in Malacca, hours of hardcore dancing (and back in the day, you could smoke in the clubs so there's all that smoke smell added into the mix), 12 hours of zoukout, flying more than 24 hours to get to the other side of the world... it's really been through almost everything, probably with the exception of farming. At the end of each test, not much remains intact, sometimes even my legs feel like they're about to crumble. But aha... the deodorant still smells good. In other words... no armpit smell! It's a total win if you ask me. I've never had to reapply through the day. NEVER.

One small problem is that it you can't find this in the stores, unless you go to the specialty stores that will order it in for you. One stick like this generally lasts about 9 to 12 months and costs only SGD $22.50 on Strawberrynet. If you're a frequent shopper on Strawberrynet, you get loyalty discounts on a progressive scale, once you're at your 20th order and up, you get a 10% discount. Orders above SGD$40 after discounts, which is easy and will also get Free Shipping (with certain exceptions when your order is on fragrances or home scent items). Your order normally gets to you within a week or maximum two weeks. Items are gift wrapped individually, I'm not sure of the reason for that and the box is filled with a lot of spongy stuff to ensure your purchase doesn't get damaged. I've been buying from them for years and it's not been damaged before. I highly recommend Davidoff Cool Water Deodorant and also Strawberrynet coz there's nothing worse than an online shopping spree gone wrong.

Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil

I've had skin troubles for a big part of my teenage life and even into my twenties which was extremely depressing. I've gone through almost every brand imaginable, doctors for all kinds of scary AHA products, hormone pills and whatever else you can think of. It was a very disheartening process each time, trying something new and then getting no results or worse... total painful breakouts. I used to have to wear make up all the time because my skin was so sensitive that I would get a few pimples going out for a couple of hours without make up.

Sometime during all that, I got a job working in a spa and my colleagues recommended that I go very simple. They got me generic stuff that was very soothing for my skin and didn't contain any perfume or additives. I remember the face wash was light green and smelled like cucumber. More importantly, I remembered the relief my skin felt when I washed my face with that for the first time. Since then, I was convinced that I had to go natural. 

I've read a heap about Rosehip Oil and all the good things it does for scars. It boasts to help with scars, stretch marks, eczema and other skin concerns. I now only use Trilogy Certified Organic Rose Hip Oil every night, I don't add any other night creams or moisturisers. The rosehip oil does feel a bit oily but above all, my skin feels soothed. In Singapore the organic products all cost so much and I was really hesitant, but I checked online and saw a really good brand on Strawberrynet for a really good price.

Sometimes I also do my own "facials" (via Biore Pore Pack) and after ripping off the blackheads and probably a few layers of skin, I can't use moisturisers as my skin will start to itch and get irritated. I can only use rosehip oil after. Even if I forget and use something that causes itchiness, I wash it off and use the rosehip oil... the relief is immediate. The good part is that rosehip oil doesn't cause clogged pores, considering it's oil. I know some oils do cause clogged pores but not rosehip. It feels light and just comfortable.

I know it sounds too good to be true but I swear by it. I now go out without makeup whenever I like, just with Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil on and my skin feels really good. I get mine from Strawberrynet and it's SGD$60 for 45ml (which is a really big bottle). Each time you only need 2 or 3 drops, massage that on your skin and you're good to go. You don't need a whole lot. You can even use it on scars and it's supposed to lighten the scar in time. Try it!

Amazon Kindle Touch

The Amazon Kindle Touch is one of the most amazing gadgets I've ever had so far. I got it in the hopes that I would start reading more. 

Reading is to the mind what
Exercise is to the body

A week spent with my Kindle and so far I have read every night, even if it's just a few pages before I go to bed. That's probably a success in my books. I bought the Kindle and not the Paperwhite or Voyage for a few reasons. Due to the problems of purchasing outside of USA, I didn't want to spend over US$100 and end up not being able to get it or buy books on it. So I went for the simplest model I could find just in case. One of the big differences between the Kindle and the Paperwhite/ Voyage is that the Kindle doesn't have a light. In other words, you cannot read in the dark. Now I thought about that point and thought, it's probably not good for my eyes if I read in the dark. That said, the technology used is supposed to allow you to read without eyestrain even in the dark. Moving on, the Kindle is wifi enabled, Paperwhite/ Voyage have wifi and 3G (3G only works with AT&T so if you're not in USA then it's pretty pointless). Main things you would require the connection for is to download books or to look words up in the dictionary. Considering all these differences, I got the Kindle. Most basic unit, figuring that if I did want, I could upgrade to a better one later.

One of the strongest points about the Kindle is its Glare-Free Screen. The 6" screen actually looks just like a page in a book. It's amazing how they're managed to accomplish this but they have. The battery lasts for up to 4 weeks for this model (half a day of reading with wireless off). It is also extremely light and easy to hold. You can look up words, stuff about characters or the book and even translater. It's really quite fantastic. You can adjust the font size or darkness to suit. The device has 4G of storage, that's essentially thousands of books. What's not to love?! 

At first I was quite confused about the advertisements when the screen was on standby, then I realised that if you held the button for a few seconds, you can turn the screen off and it will be just white with no advertisement.

One of the obstacles faced is that the Kindle is only available in USA. You cannot buy it online even, unless you're in USA. Now that's just great isn't it? I had to do a lot of research on how to go about this and get what I need. I've summarised the steps here for your convenience should you decide you want to get your hands on one.

1. Create an Amazon account. For all purposes, you need to choose USA as the location.
2. Amazon will not ship the Kindle to any other countries so you require a shipping service. I like to use Borderlinx as they have proven to be reliable and charge reasonable rates. Once you sign up with Borderlinx, they will give you a USA and UK address. You will use this USA address as the address in your Amazon account. Borderlinx will not require you to choose USA as your location, you can put your actual details in there so that your item can be delivered to your home/office/other desired location.
3. Once your Amazon account is set up with the USA address provided by Borderlinx, you should now purchase an Amazon Gift Card. You can select the value you require to purchase your Kindle. Kindle is US$79, Kindle Paperwhite is US$119 and the new Kindle Voyage is US$199. (prices based on regular prices when this post was written, not the sale prices advertised.)
4. Once you get the email with your gift card redemption code, you can log into your Amazon account and redeem your gift card, the value will be loaded into your account. Purchase your Kindle through the Gift Card, not through your non-USA credit card. 
5. They will ship it to your shipping service provider (Borderlinx in my case) and Borderlinx will dispatch it to you.

This sounds like a hassle and it was at first because I had no idea what I was doing. But on hindsight, it wasn't actually that bad. Once you have received your kindle, you have to purchase books through the Gift Card as well. I've read that once Amazon detects that you're purchasing through a non-USA credit card, it will block you from purchasing anything. So to be safe, just go through the gift card. You can reload your balance through the website. Here's the tricky part though. After reloading your gift card, you need to remove the credit card details from your Amazon account records. This will then make all purchases through your gift card balance and not your credit card. 

Alternatively, if you can find pdfs of the books you want, then you can just load them into your Kindle from your computer through the USB cable that is provided with the Kindle, that's free. 

All that considered, I still think it's a fantastic gadget and I especially like that it is not a tablet. Tablets have so many other functions (web browsers, games, etc) that it really distracts me from reading. I want to focus on reading and obviously have trouble. This gadget helps me get away from all the distractions and get down to the books. You can read more about what the Kindle can do on Amazon.

Bose SoundTrue In-ear Headphones

With Christmas just round the corner, there are gifts going around everywhere. At home, at work, amongst friends, within communities... There are good gifts and there are GOOD gifts. This is a GOOD to the power of infinity gift! It came as a complete surprise and I wasn't expecting it at all.

I really love music, especially those with fantastic bass. It's like I almost don't hear the rest of the song, just the bass. Needless to say, my eyes totally lit up when I saw what was in the bag. It was the Bose SoundTrue In-ear Headphones and they're just for me!

I free it from the clutches of the packaging and hurriedly plugged it into my phone and oh... my... good... gracious... me... was it music to my ears or what. Every sound was crystal clear, the bass was picked up perfectly and I was in music heaven. 

The structure of the StayHear earpiece attachment is a little strange at first, but it is made in this shape, preventing the earphones from falling off. It is made from soft silicone and is very comfortable, you almost don't know it's there. The package also included a small and large set of ear piece attachments and a carry case for the earphones. 

This would be the second set of headphones I've ever received as a gift. The first one was many years ago. It was a Bang & Olufsen. The sound quality was very clear too and it did provide many hours of listening pleasure. However, there are a few ways in which the Bang & Olufsen earphones fall short to the Bose earphones. The structure of the earphones, although ensured they didn't fall off, also meant it was quite cumbersome to wear. I have 3 earrings on each ear and long hair and wear glasses, all these things do not make it easy for you to wear the Bang & Olufsen earphones. Next, the earpiece that actually sits in your ear for some strange reason do not sit very comfortably and always ends up sitting in my ear quite painfully after a period of time. Lastly, the Bang & Olufsen doesn't project the bass quite as well as the Bose does. All that said, I still use the Bang & Olufsen one, I just have it in a different bag so I use it when I use that bag and still do enjoy it.

The Bose is clearly a winner and I really can't believe my good luck!

Benefit They're Real! vs Dior's Diorshow Waterproof Mascara

I have used a wide range of products from Benefit and what I like most about it Benefit Cosmetics is that they actually deliver what they promise.  The first draw for me is that they give their products very catchy names and have extremely attractive packaging. 

In the past I used to use Diorshow Waterproof Mascara, I found that it could withstand any natural disaster.  It was that good!  I've been drenched in hours of pouring rain and still had my make up in tact.  In trying some stuff from Benefit, I got a tester and found it to be comparable to Diorshow.  

At a glance there's nothing about this that stands out.  As we know, all the pictures that they show us about super thick, long, luscious eyelashes are a lie!  The people they pick to take those pictures clearly have the long end of the stick and won't need any special mascara for obvious reasons.  However people like me who obviously got the short end of the stick, need enhancers... if they sell it, I will buy.  I think that's a pretty clear objective don't you think?

On the packaging it boasts:
- 94% saw dramatic length and volume
- 90% saw base-to-tip curl
- 94% saw visible lift
- 100% saw long wearing results

Anyways, on my sparse and so un-long eyelashes, I apply this mascara on.  It glides on easily and within the few seconds it takes it dry, it actually curls my eyelashes a bit.  I'm not sure how they make stuff like that but it is possible so it seems.  Needless to say, I put a few more layers on because I have no limits and am pretty sure 'less is more' applies to everyone except me.  It does a good job at making my eyelashes seem fuller, thicker, darker and adds curl.  Just for the record, I don't have curly eyelashes because I have straight hair and it's not inherent in Chinese to have curly eyelashes.  With They're Real!, the curl effect actually opens my eye up and makes me look like I have bigger eyes and more alert.

They're Real! also doesn't smudge or run after a whole day.  I haven't tried standing in the midst of a hurricane yet but I'm sure it'll still be there even if I do not make it out alive.  When trying to remove this, I have to use quite heavy oil based removers to get a proper clean.  This indicates to me that it is truly waterproof.  In conclusion, all that they're boasting about, I found to be true.

It's a hard fight between the Diorshow Waterproof Mascara and Benefit They're Real!, I'd go with either.  The prices are similar, US$25 for Dior and US$23 for Benefit so that's not a point that you could challenge either.  To be completely honest, one big reason why I'm using They're Real! now is because I buy other Benefit products so it makes it easier just to order the mascara as well, considering they're both equally good.

Benefit Dandelion

Another favourite from Benefit is Dandelion.  They've classified it as a brightening face powder, but since I'm so fair, I use it as a blush.  It may seem like a very light pink, but when I put it on, somehow it shows up very well.  

It gives my skin a nice blush that doesn't make me look like a backstage Chinese opera performer.  The powder is fine and goes on easily.  One of the big reasons that I love using Benefit cosmetics is that not only do they improve on their products and keep introducing new ones, they always maintain the quality and colours.  I've bought their face powder Hello Flawless! in Petal more than 10 times over more than 5 years and each time, the quality and colour is consistently good.  

I've bought Dandelion about 3 times now (one box lasts a really long time even with daily use), and I'm very happy that they've revamped the packaging.  The old box was a little bit cumbersome because the cover was separate so you had to take it off and set it down somewhere.  The old box also never had a mirror, which means you had to set the cover down, then use a separate mirror.  Now they've improved the box to be a flip top which is SO much easier and they've also included a mirror on the inside of the flip top.  They've always included a little brush that sits in the box nicely.

I bought this online for US$28 and it lasts for at least 6 months!  Now you see why this is another essential in my beauty box.

Benefit Dream Screen

The reports have come out and everyone's on about sunscreen.  To be perfectly honest, when I go out on the weekends, I don't even use moisturiser.  Doesn't help that I enjoy going to the pool or to the beach.  Now that I'm older, I should at least pretend to be a little bit wiser.  I've decided that I will wear sunscreen when I go out, regardless of the weather or activity.

When I use make up, the sunscreen that I use is You Rebel Lite, my previous post was about that.  That has worked out pretty well thus far.  I did realise that my beauty box lacked sunscreen for when I'm not wearing makeup.  Therefore... I purchased Dream Screen from Benefit.  It has SPF 45 which is pretty good coverage.  But that was not the selling point for me.  What got me to click "Buy Me!' was that it claimed to have an invisible silky-matte finish.

If you're like me and have sensitive skin/ oily skin/ problem skin... the list goes on, you would have tried almost every item out there.  Anything that says matte or oil control, just buy!  I've become apprehensive about the matte finish but my main focus was the SPF. 

When I tipped the bottle to use it, I was slightly taken aback because it came out like looking like milk, consistency (not the smell).  Smell was like sunscreen, nothing special.  I don't know why but I had expected it to be more creamy instead of liquid.  Never mind that... I slap it on anyways.  To my delight, when it dried, it WAS silky-matte.  Just like it said.  It didn't feel oily like how sunscreen usually feels.  It was comfortable for the rest of the day that I was out so I would totally recommend it.

Dream Screen by Benefit for US$32 online, I'd say it's one of my new favourite essentials in my beauty box.

For the benefit of those who haven't seen it, this video shows you what happens to your skin when you use sunscreen.  It's amazing how glorious the sun is and yet can do so much damage. Watch the video here

There's even a song about sunscreen, I've included this for your listening pleasure. Watch the video of the sunscreen song here

Benefit You Rebel Lite

My makeup parcel has arrived... yipee! One of the products that I had purchased from Benefit was You Rebel Lite.  It's a tinted moisturizer with SPF 15, Aloe, Vitamins A and E.  I had previously purchased You Rebel once and couldn't use it coz I found the colour too dark for my skin tone. 

 

SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating is a measure of the fraction of sunburn producing UV rays blocked, in this product there's SPF 15.  Aloe is good for soothing and moisturising the skin, Vitamin A is known for anti-aging properties and Vitamin E will help the skin fight free radicals.

Today I got to use it and I am very happy with it.  I applied moisturizer before applying You Rebel Lite, for the sole purpose to ensuring my skin is well moisturized and hydrated.  A big mistake when applying makeup, so I have learned through the years of bad makeup, is that less is more.  I very carefully squeezed about 0.5cm of You Rebel Lite onto my finger and dabbed it all over my face, blending after.  I'm super lazy so I just used my fingers throughout.  I'm sure it'll probably go on more evenly with a foundation brush, or so they say.

The very first thing I did notice was how well the colour suited my skin.  It was like it wasn't there!  The coverage for blemishes and scars was moderate.  I don't expect it to be able to erase my scars 100%, but I think it did a pretty good job.  The consistency is thick-ish, maybe slightly thicker than toothpaste.  So it's still easily spreadable and at the same time, providing pretty decent coverage.  After that I applied a light layer of Hello Flawless! in Petal (Never Settle) and I'm out the door, this is at 8am.

The next thing I noticed at 4pm today was that my skin felt considerably less oily.  I have quite oily skin, depending on the weather, time of month, etc.  But as compared to yesterday where I only applied moisturizer and Hello Flawless!, my skin is not greasy.  It does not make any sense to me -  putting on more moisturiser to make your skin drier.  It is however fact, that your skin is oily because it's trying to compensate for the lack thereof.  Technically speaking, your skin is oily because it's actually dry.  Weird but true.  So those of you who have oily skin, remember to moisturise!

This can be used in place of a foundation if you want something that's really light weight.  My conclusion is that You Rebel Lite is a fantastic buy, for only US$25 direct from Benefit's website!

If you'd like to read my review on Hello Flawless, click here!

OPI You Don't Know Jacques

Sunday I went to a fun fair and was "encouraged" to buy some nail polish.  There were many colours to choose from, unfortunately many were much too garish for my liking.  Then I saw an interesting colour that was Matte, it looked muddy and I wasn't sure what it would turn out to be.  But I'd never bought a matte polish before and thought it was one of the best choices out of what was offered.  OPI called this one You Don't Know Jacques, originally released as one of OPI's Fall 2008 La Collection De France.  The name of this colour is a play on the phrase "you don't know jack" meaning you know nothing.  Jacques obviously being the french version.  OPI always comes up with really cute names for their polish.

Last night I decided to try this colour out and at first I was like ewww... then the more I looked at it, the more I grew to like it.  First of all, the matte finish looks pretty neat and it dries in seconds.  The colour is a gun metal grey, and infused in the background is like a dark mushroom brown.  This shade is modern and edgy, unlike the usual black and reds we commonly come across.  There's only 1 downside to this... is that to maintain the matte look, I didn't apply any top coat.  Which means that it's half a day in and it's already chipped.

On the whole, I do like it and I'd recommend it!  I got it at SGD$8 for a full size bottle.  Gotta love fun fairs :) Don't forget you can also buy this online.