Please join me in welcoming the new additions to my mask family!

A few weeks back, I put my face (teehee) in the back seat and decided to post up the photo you see on the left.

While I genuinely use facial masks about 3 times a week, that post was my entry in another contest held by @SephoraSg

I enjoy participating in mini contests held by them because their contests, more often than not, give each participant a fair chance to win. The criteria of their contests usually entails uploading a creative photo.

It also helps that the prizes usually intrigue me. (I'm currently in a cosmetics and skincare phase). I don't join every one I see though.

If it's a prize I know I won't enjoy, I won't join. Mainly because I prefer to let someone else who wants it more to have a higher chance of winning. Good Karma right? Haha.

On the other hand, contests that I dislike joining are those that require to "like-and-repost". It is very unlikely that winners are chosen with the help of a randomizer, so what are the odds? Most of the time, winners of such contests are usually a specific type, so it isn't that random at all.

Plus I dislike flooding the Instagram feed with reposts.

So enough babbling and let me introduce to you the 3 different masks included in the prize.

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FOR BELOVED ONE | Melasleep Whitening Bio-Cellulose Mask

For those who may not know ( i.e. me), For Beloved One is a cosmeceutical brand from Taiwan.

FBO is said to be a firm advocate in cherishing every woman and providing a range of safe and effective skincare to the diverse desires and needs of consumers.

This particular mask on the left, is actually the first of its kind.

Box Description Effectively brightens skin, reduces blemishes and wrinkles and moisturises skin. Bio-Cellulose material enhances absorption of essence for firm, radiant and tender skin and long-lasting results.

There's 3 x Sheets included in this pack so I'll give one a go for review and pass the other two to my mum because I'm sure she'll enjoy it more than me. I hate sheet masks because I find those messy. The fact that this is a whitening mask also doesn't attract me because I don't think I need it. *flips hair

PETER THOMAS ROTH | Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask

I own a deluxe sample of the Cucumber Gel Mask, as mentioned in a previous post, and I quite enjoy it. Whilst I don't use that often enough to see a major difference, I like the instant cooling relief it provides my face.

I pretty sure I'll enjoy the Rose Stem Cell version too since it seems to be the same texture but won't know until I actually try it.

Box Description A cooling, rejuvenating gel to help stimulate cell turnover for younger looking skin. Helps repair signs of ageing, including appearances of fine lines and wrinkles, dehydration, dullness and sagging as it strengthens and tones the look of skin.

GLAMGLOW | YouthMud TinglExfoliate Treatment

Ahh... The most obnoxious (and expensive) of them all.

Box Description Provides gentle resurfacing exfoliation to activate collagen synthesis to leave skin smoother, brighter and softer to give a more youthful appearance. The mask absorbs impurities without removing natural oils to leave tighter skin texture and tighter pores.

I can't mention enough how much I enjoy the sister product, i.e. SuperMud Clearing Treatment, and almost been keen to try on the other 4 masks in the line.

I was never however, too intrigued that I had to go out and buy the full size of the other masks because if my SuperMud ain't broke, why fix it, am I right? Plus these are too expensive to buy a full size with the risk of not liking it. (For example, the ThirstyMud. I did not like that at all and I'm glad I only bought the travel size).

Like seriously, the packaging reminds me of those stereotypical popular kids in high school
who know they are the coolest and have no shame flaunting it.
But apparently, I don't care. Haha.

Hence to receive the full size of this, I am eternally grateful. I'm pretty sure I would enjoy using this though maybe not more than the SuperMud. If anything, I'll gift it to Q who's running out of his SuperMud, I just bust opened a new bottle of the SuperMud. :D

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I'll update my findings once I've tried out the masks. A post on the FBO mask will probably come up first since that simply takes a day to test out. After I get rid of backlog though. Hahaha.

With that, goodbye sexy! (;

♥ Sheena V

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Today, I'll be talking about armpits.

You read that right.

Armpits.

Nothing too disturbing lah of course. I don't want people to think I'm a freak. Haha.

We all know that deodorants contains a bunch of chemicals to help control our body odour. However, like everything else, there are good chemicals and bad chemicals. Some of which can react badly with the skin, causing angry bumps etc.

I personally struggle with underarms that are sensitive to chemicals. I have to be careful on what I place on my underarms or fear a rash. (I'm also picky on body soap because of that). I've tried different brands and types and I seem to always form an adverse reaction.

I'm lucky in a sense that I don't stink quickly (at least I don't think I do) so long as I've taken an extra shower within an hour before leaving home. If I'm out for 4-5 hours doing regular errands or having classes in an air conditioned room, I'm pretty much safe.

Of course, I still fear for the days I'm out longer. Then I'd have no choice but to succumb to the evil chemical filled deodorants. Hence I'm always on the look out for alternatives.

Which led me to discover "The Healthy Deodorant".

The Healthy Deodorant: Vanilla Summer

LAVANILA LABORATORIES | The Healthy Deodorant

Note: This is item, to my knowledge, is not available in Singapore. I ordered this off Sephora's site here. 

I purchased this about two months back after hearing about it being talked on YouTube as a 100% natural deodorant.

It doesn't contain aluminium, which is believed to be what causes the rashes for people like me. So I was like, "Okay, let me give it a shot". I had wanted to order stuff from Sephora anyway. Full ingredient list here. 

First things first, this does not irritate my skin. Huge relief there, knowing that it didn't come all the way from US for nothing. Haha.

With that out of the way, let me just lay out the pros and cons out quickly.




Pros
- "Vanilla Summer" had a fresh linen scent to it with a hint of vanilla. Which is great because I absolutely l.o.v.e fresh scents.
- 100% Natural. Notingly, no parabens and aluminium.

Cons
- Because it is without any harsh chemicals, it is not heavy duty. Therefore if you are one to suffer from really bad body odour, this might not be for you. Also, any form of strenuous activity would render this deodorant useless. This is more of a "errands-running" kind of deodorant.
- It leaves a white residue (shown below). This might not pose a problem if one is fair but because I am deep-skinned, the residue is obvious on me. Therefore whenever I use this deodorant, I have to take note to avoid tank tops or sleeveless dresses.

White residue visible

Overall This is a GO for me. Mostly due to the fact that I do not find the cons to be deal breakers. I personally do not perspire easily and I do work + study in an air conditioned environment so the mild strength of the deodorant is fine. The only thing that irks me in the white residue but again, I'll just wear something sleeved.

I hope this has been useful! And if you have recommendations for deodorants without any harsh chemicals, let me know!

♥ Sheena V

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Putting Nars Pure Matte Lipstick to the test!

A few days back, Q and I went out for a seafood dinner at Newton.

So I thought, what better opportunity than to test out my new lipstick right? Hahaha.

Before I get on to how the lipstick fared, here are the swatches;

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Amsterdam

 I would describe the colour as a deep, blue-toned red with a hint of brown. A plus point for those struggling with stained teeth (me).

Application: 5 out of 5 Noting that the tip of the lipstick is round, unlike the usually tear drop shape, it is surprisingly easy to colour within the lines with precision.

Pigmentation: 4 out of 5 Swiped once, the colour is fairly opaque. I also found this lipstick to be buildable, to create a deeper red.

Texture: 5 out of 5 Perfect texture for a matte lipstick. The formula was neither drying nor hydrating. It had a touch of creaminess to allow the lipstick to glide on smoothly but it still dried down to a matte finish. Once applied and set, the lipstick did not move around.

*No foundation, only mascara, eye liner and the lipstick.

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Amsterdam

So now, how did it fare the eating test?

Just so you know, I had a lot of sauce based dishes;

I had applied the lipstick, without a lip liner, an hour before the picture on the left.

As you can clearly tell, from a normal distance, the colour remained the same after the meal. It did not bleed, which is always a good thing. Don't you hate it when that happens?

Under closer inspection, right in front of a mirror, I could see that bits of it did come off but nothing too obvious. It did help that I have pigmented lips so for those who do not, it might pose a little bit of a problem for you. Although I would say its a negligible problem as it was presentable enough for one to get to the toilet and reapply. 

I definitely suggest wiping off the rest of the remaining lipstick before reapplying because sauces tend to adhere to the lips. Afterall, you just ate and some pieces of food might have adhered to the lips.

Highly Recommended, especially for those wanting a fuss free red lip that will last throughout a meal. Very important factor if you're at an important function or special occasion. 

As always, hope this was helpful!

♥ Sheena V

Disclaimer: The lipstick was gifted to me by Nars SG for winning a contest. No, I wasn't paid to review it. 

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SEPHORA IT PALETTE - SMOKY

Some of you may know that I was one of the lucky five to receive this palette during the opening of Sephora's Tampines 1 outlet. This set wasn't set aside specifically for me, it just so happened that the Vanity Case we picked up included it.
More on that here.

I have previously encountered this palette on my many trips to Sephora but have never had the desire to purchase it.

Why?
1) It didn't swatch great in store.
2) For something that didn't swatch great, it had a hefty S$49 price tag.

This palette includes;

- 12 x 0.033 oz Eyeshadow

- 01 x 0.039 oz Eyeliner Pencil in Black

- 01 x double ended brush: Eyeliner Brush + All-over Shadow Brush

It also came with a (unhelpful) insert, shown above.

Moving on to the product close-ups and swatches; 

Note: All shadows are layered twice in order for it to turn up on camera, which says something :/

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1 & 2: Almost identical but 1 was much patchier. Barely any pigment
3: Glided on relatively smoothly but needed two swipes to build up the intensity.

4: Excess needs to be shaken off else you will get the powder bits as seen on the top edge of the swatch above. Worth noting that this colour is extremely similar to Mac's Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Black Line

5 & 6: Glided on relatively smooth with good pigment.

7: Extremely powdery with larger chunks, more so than 4. It was also chalky.
8: Appears barney purple in the pan but actually a black base with purple glitter when swatched.

9: Difficult to build up.

10: Extremely chalky but the insert did label it as an eyeliner, though it did not feel like one.

11: Barely anything showed up. A chalky black base with sparse blue glitter. 

12: Barely anything showed up, though slightly better than 11. Black base with sparse silver glitter.

The black was not an intense black, more to a blackish gray.

Liner also smudges easily. Only had to run my finger over lightly for it to smudge.

The saving grace of this kit? The double ended brush!

The All-Over Shadow Brush was soft and non-scratchy. Not too dense and not too sparse.

The Eyeliner Brush was soft yet sturdy. I'd imagine it's be good for gel liners.

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Overall, I'd say only 5 out of 12 shadows (3, 4, 5, 6, 9) are worth your time. The liner for me was also a miss because not only is it not intense, it's smudges at the slightest friction! The brushes felt really well made but those alone aren't enough to justify the S$49 price tag.

ALTERNATIVES

Sleek Palette - Vintage Romace
Source

If you're out for something similar, check out the Sleek palettes. One of their palettes, Vintage Romance, contains shades that are Matte, Metallic and Satin finishes. Those are S$22 or even S$15 if you can catch them on sale. Not the best in the market but better than the IT Palette, in my opinion. Sleek palettes also comes with a sponge applicator. The money saved can be used to buy a good eye liner. You'd probably have money leftover as well. 

Urban Decay - Shadow Box
Source

Otherwise, another metallic paletter to consider would be Urban Decay's Shadow Box. Retailing at S$52, it is only S$3 more expensive than the IT Palette. Though it contains less product per eyeshadow at 0.01 oz, the quality makes up for it. Plus when was the last time you used up an eyeshadow?

Hope my brief opinions were helpful!

♥ Sheena V

Sephora IT Palette - Smoky, available here. 
Use code ZBAPC2h to get 15% off your first purchase. 
Sleek Palettes available here.
Create an account and use LUCKY30 to get 30% off your first purchase.

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