Tuesday 28 August 2012

Haul 28/08/12

Just a quick post on what I bought today. I'm down with a bad cold and thought shopping was so much better than staying in the sick-bed all day.

Clothes:

Coral Knit £17.99 H&M

Bodycon dress £14.99 H&M*
Jewellery:
Black chucky gem droplet necklace £8.99 New Look
Charm Necklace £5.99 New Look*
*Buy one get one free on jewellery in New Look =D

And the follow are jewellery pieces I bought at Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair last Sunday...

 

Happy Shopping! haha! 

Review: Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation


First of all, I was told by a few people said that this was good for oily skin. What a lie. But to be fair, I wouldn't know for sure if I hadn't tried it for myself.
I've been using this foundation for a week now and have been wearing through different sort of occasions depending what was happening during the week of course! Some days I wear it with a finishing powder some days just pressed powder.

The first thing I noticed about this foundation is that it gives a rather dewy complexion to the skin. I immediately thought "this is so not for oily skin!" because as much as how nice the dewy effect looks, if you have oily skin, your face will just become more and more shiny quicker. Nevertheless, I still wanted to see how long it will last until my face gets really shiny.

FACE BEFORE FOUNDATION WAS APPLIED 
So to start with, I had a few blemishes around my face (the most obvious one being on top of my lip) and redness around the nose area and the bit between my brows (the daylight meant the camera couldn't capture the redness but its there).
FACE AFTER FOUNDATION IS APPLIED

The coverage for this foundation is light - medium, but I felt that it was build-able. In fact, I found that since I normally use my fingers to apply, I decided to switch to using a flat-top brush and that gave more coverage with fewer layers.
On a hot day, the shine comes through quicker, maybe 4hours? and then I would feel I need to use oil blotting papers. On cold dry days, it lasts longer, perhaps a maximum of 8hours for me personally. I have mix feelings about this foundation partly because I do love the shade, it does feel hydrating, it's not heavy, has SPF25 and oil-free (this was probably the bit that was misleading some people) but I was rather gutted to notice instantly that my face wasn't going to stay matte. 
However, I will still keep using this foundation because I discovered that by using a finishing powder or blotting powder the foundation will stay longer so its the end of the world with this product -just invest in a really good finishing powder instead (and because its £24.50 non-refundable.....I am forced to keep it anyway).

My shade is Champagne which when blended, matches my skin very well
Also just to note: the liquid comes out more on the watery/thinner side than I thought, which is why it gives only light-medium coverage.
Also the only reason I'm looking for a foundation/base for oily skin is because all of a sudden my skin decided to lean more to the oily side, I'm not sure if its because of the change in weather or the act of my hormones. 


Next I am going to try Maybelline's SuperStay 24hr foundation. If you have any review/make-up look requests then feel free to leave a comment below OR you can follow me on my Twitter account @SoapyC and I will reply you there. =]

Tuesday 21 August 2012

OOTD: Vintage Maxi Dress

Just a quick post on my outfit of the day:




I was at a vintage fair yesterday and this dress (out of only 3 garments I bought) was my best buy! £5 and the pattern and fit was perfect. I thought there maybe some damage to the hem or armhole etc because I found a few dresses that were damaged, but this was one was still intact like new.
To accessorize, I wrapped a belt (H&M) around my waist to accentuate my body's silhouette and a neck/collar jewellery piece (also from H&M) that I thought would complete the whole outfit. =]

Monday 6 August 2012

Easy Red Lip Look


Hey folks! It has been 2yrs since I had filmed videos and even then they were rubbish! Out of the blue though, I decided to film one for fun. However forgetting that editing isn't fun at all as it took me 6hours to work out how to use the programme, start editing, then I had to re-edit because it crashed and I had forgotten to save -nightmare.

In the end though, I was happy with the result. =]

About the look


I sometimes feel that some Asians (particularly amongst my friends) that having a bright red lip seems too much for them if it was to be worn casually. Personally, I love red lipsticks. So I decided to show people how to wear it as an overall look.
In balance with the bright lip, I kept the eyes simple and accentuate the cheeks. Truthfully though, to wear anything bright or a bit more quirky and different, all you need is a touch of confidence. And the bright lips? -Just smile.







Wednesday 20 June 2012

FOTD: Sweet Pink


This is actually the make-up I had on yesterday, but it's pretty similar to my every-day look anyway. I am currently totally in love with the Kate Moss spring collection lipsticks for Rimmel in the shade no.16! It's a sweet rosey pink and normally I would be more a coral or nude person, this one made it to my everyday-go-to lipstick list! My eyes are then, to keep the look soft, I used brown shades from the Naked Palette. My cheeks I used a new favourite of mines from MAC's mineral blushes collection.

LIPS
Rimmel Kate Moss Spring Collection Lipstick in no.16

EYES
Crease: Naked Palette - Sidecar
Outer crease bring towards middle and up: Naked Palette- Buck
Brow bone: Naked Palette- Virgin
Mascara: Maybelline Colossal Waterproof Mascara in Black
Top liner: L'oreal's Super Liner Carbon Gloss in Black
Bottom Liner: Maybelline's Gel Liner in Black and runned over with HD Brows shadow in Carbon
Brows: HD Brows Vamp Palette in Rich Brown

FACE & CHEEKS
Face: Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation in 103 True Ivory,
Maybelline's Mineral Concealer in 02 Natural (I heard this line is discontinued?), 
MAC's Studio Fix Pressed Powder in NW20
Blusher: MAC's Mineralize Blush in Dainty

No Filter and under natural lighting
That's it! It's boiling in my room just now so I'm going to go cool down for a bit (like stick my head in the fridge!).



Tuesday 19 June 2012

OOTD: Cake Date

Recently amongst the Edinburgh community (that I know of) there has been a rave about Patisserie Valerie opened in town. Of course I could not help but drag my lovely friend to the place and indulged on a piece of gateau each (and an excuse to have a girl date).
On this occassion, I finally wore my top I got a few weeks ago but never had a chance to wear it (had you lived in Edinburgh and knew the weather you'd understand). I bought it obviously because of its long tail at the back which floats romantically about as you walk through the breeze (I was sort of worried a passer-by may grab my tail haha). Had the weather been even warmer I would have worn shorts but I teamed it up with leggings instead and a cropped denim jacket to keep warm, keeping the look casual with a hint of making a fashion statement.
And the cake? It was a chocolate and custard layered cake that tasted just right. I'm really not a fan of desserts that makes you feel sickly after.
So are you a fan of cakes? If so what kind?

Top- H&M
Denim jacket- Primark
Leggings- Urban Outfitters
Necklace- New Look
Wedges- New Look
Hat- H&M

Monday 18 June 2012

OOTD 18/06/12

So it has been a while since I have last posted and I will admit that I got lazy as soon as summer holidays started.
Here is a look at my outfit for today.
It was a rather sunny outside and temperatures were mild (you can not ask for better when you live in Scotland). I took this opportunity and decided to divert myself away from my usual leggings fancy and wore a skirt instead.
I rarely wear skirts (unless it's a nightout), but eversince I've entered fashion school, I believe I've become a little more confident in them.
I picked up this pretty hi-low skirt when shopping with my friends. At first I was reluctant in purchasing it but as most friends would do; they convinced me to!
Teaming a top with this skirt was a headache for me as I couldn't decide whether to wear a loose-fit t-shirt or a lace top or a cropped jumper! They all matched but none felt right to me so I ended with a bodycon-fit top (its actually a dress but works as a top when you -obviously- tuck it into the skirt).
Since I was just running some errands (and foolishly went shopping again) I wore flats and carried my beloved French Connection bag which I believe I have shown you previously.
Oh and on my way driving home (with my window down because it was so hot in the car) a VERY nasty bug decided to land on my skirt. Needless to say I had freaked out big time(!) and the car in front must've thought I was going mental!

Skirt- Miso (Republic)
Bodycon- H&M
Bag- French Connection
Necklace- Topshop
Pumps- Topshop
Bracelet- Tiffany & Co


Tuesday 27 March 2012

Skin Food Finish Powder



As well as the Aloe Fresh Pack I ordered mentioned in my last post, I also ordered Skin Food's Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder. It is a light powder much like those translucent powders you get with other brands. IT smells of what it says - peach and sake (ok sake may taste bad to you, but it doesn't smell too bad and the rice used to make sake is actually good for your skin, and yes I like drinking sake  =] ).
Most times after applying everything on my face, it still looks a bit oily, and this powder helps it to set and to keep it matte.
What I really like about this is for myself personally, it can manage to keep my face matte all day, yet it has never dried out my skin (so far) and it makes my skin feel extra soft.
It claims to apparently "Helps to relieve skin troubles caused by excess sebum". I'm not too sure about it helping skin troubles as I regard this as part of my make-up routine, but if it did contribute to helping my skin be better like it is now, then well done! =]

Find this product also at www.sasa.com

Thursday 22 March 2012

Aloe Aloe!

A lot of beauty junkies will recommend one thing if you have dry skin, redness or dull looking skin: aloe vera. This plant (though it may look like a cactus plant, it actually belongs to the lily family) contains aloe gel inside its leaf. The gel contains amino acids and vitamins including vitamin B12. You could use the aloe vera straight from its leaf but many of our products containing aloe vera will be "stabilised" - stabilising is a process in which it will prevent its goodness from degrading as it would without.
You could also drink this as a juice and it will provide you with your vitamins etc. as well as helping your digestive system.
It is also known to:

  • aid acne problems with it's anti-bacterial properties
  • sunburn as aloe vera is a coolant as well as a healer
  • reduce and eliminate minor skin pigmentation
  • rebalances the oil on your skin -its gel-based means it will "check" your oil as well moisturising your skin.
For more information on aloe vera benefits go to (and this is me making a reference haha): http://www.thealoevera.com/aloe-vera-benefits-to-skin.html

I recently tried out an aloe vera-base product by Skin Food - a Korean brand.


The product itself

I am indeed in love with this product! Very often I would have redness and dull skin, sometimes dry-skin when I'm not careful. Using this has benefited me as I have seen a reduction of redness on area like my forehead and around my nose. My skin can get so dull because I lack fluids so much and of course my insomnia not only makes my mind suffer but my skin. It has help rebalancing my oil levels too.
It is also so simple to use and if you have 5minutes in the morning, well isn't this a great quickie for a morning facial?
I don't use it in the morning because I'm the late-girl so I don't even have 5minutes to spare. Often I will use it during the night after I've removed my make-up. As you massage this product, you begin to feel a coolness on your skin (yes it does smells nice like most aloe products). After I wash it off, my pores seem a little bit smaller and your skin will be softer and brighter.

This also was a quite an inexpensive product so it's worth a try. You can purchase this at www.sasa.com (if the page turns out chinese, you can change it to english at the top righ-handside of the page.) they do international shipping (shipping fees will vary but you can watch out on when they do free shipping offers).

And what a sunny day it has been here today (I took a drive and drifted into Selkirk haha!). I hope the weather is/was good where you are and if not, there's always tomorrow.

Tuesday 20 March 2012

MUA Work

It's not very often do I do other people's make-up as most people now could do their own. Ever since I started uni (and doing a fashion degree) I embark on various photoshoots -no I don't mean being a model, but helping out on a shoot and in some cases, I help with the make-up.
I don't claim to be a make-up artist though, I still believe this is a hobby I fully enjoy (more like an obsession), bit of fun for me (actually the only bit of fun for me nowadays haha!).

So given the opportunity to do some make-up work in uni has kept me happy. I've also realised that our models are so beautiful when they come in bare faced, I almost don't want to put anything on them! My skills are limited, and I'm always reluctant on doing anything too dramatic (like using bright colours). perhaps in the future I would.
Anyway, I guess all you want to see are the photos, and less of my blabbing-nonsense. ;)




Sara-Jayne


Jade




Clare
I can't be bothered to explain each of the shoots concept, have a stab at guessing yourselves I suppose.
Credits to all the models, the photographers and the rest of the team.

Now, I'm just going to demolish the rest of my birthday cake! haha!

Sunday 18 March 2012

BB CREAM: L'oreal Nude Magique

It's interesting seeing the gradual growth of BB creams in the UK recently. Most of them leave me to disappointment and screaming "I want my money back.", but perhaps I should look at these BB creams in UK drugstores from a different angle: perhaps I should look at them without comparing to Asian BB creams and look at them individually as a product.

A few weeks ago, I embarked on L'oreal's new Nude Magique BB Cream whilst I was "browsing" around Boots. As much as I am on a strict budget, I gave it a 10seconds thought and purchased it anyway.
L'oreal Nude Magique in Fair Skin Tone
swatch
 As far as I know, the BB cream comes out as a white liquid with purple pigments. As you smear and blend this white liquid it will gradually set itself to match your skin. Of course, you may be asking will the colour completely match your skin colour? My answer is, it's close.
Top: bbcream on | Bottom: bbcream off
Even though I chose its lightest shade (typical with BB creams there was only two shades), the result was that it was slightly darker than my own. If you have very pale skin then you might want to give this one a miss. However, I'll be honest- I like this one. The darker tint doesn't bother me, in fact I see it as giving myself a little tan. If I blend it properly and use a right amount I won't look like an orange. My advice is, don't be tempted to use too much because this product takes a bit of time to oxidise before you could see it's colour coming through and in fact the colour comes on faster when swatched on your hand than your face (don't ask me if it's true to everyone, try it yourself, this is purely my findings).
This claims to give 24hour hydration to your skin, but I haven't exactly noticed much about this factor, if you have or about to try it, let me know if you have noticed anything of this hydration malarkey. It comes with SPF12 - typical of BB creams to have SPF but I'm surprised how low it's SPF is. BB creams are normally advertised to have a little bit more than just SPF12, but I guess this is is just me comparing it to the Asian products and let's face it SPF12-15 should be enough for the typical British weather (but I would wear a little higher on a sunny day).
Overall, I like this product. It's unlike the Garnier BB Cream where it's just a tinted moisturiser with very low coverage (or none at all)- a waste of money dare say. Nude Magique has coverage as it is build-able. The down-side of course, it will not (on my skin anyway) make my skin look like it's "bare" but it does give me a good glow and a hint of colour to get me out of being a pale Asian (I must note though, the colour does have a touch of pink undertones, but it goes on fine if you have Asian skin like mine so long as you watch the amount you build-up).

This one gave hope that maybe not all western BB creams are that bad. This one as an individual product worked out fine. Will I try another BB cream? ....only if it's on offer (I'm in a bad case of still being a poor student and unemployed).  

Also I would like to say a MUCH MUCH MUCH  belated "Happy New Year". I have been keeping myself busy even during my Christmas break. And since semester2 of uni started, over the couple of months the work just kept on piling (and the pile is still lurking since my procrastination has grown within me once again the last few weeks). However, I am enjoying this. I enjoy this new change in life. I enjoy of not about changing myself, it was all about improving myself.