Thursday, July 18, 2013

June Favorites!


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I'm finally doing a 'Favorites' post! I can never stay away from cosmetics and skincare products, so I want to share the few good ones I have been loving so far. Plus, this is probably one of the most highly requested posts over the years (now you know how much I procrastinate)!

Let's start with the hair!

1. L'oreal EverPure Color Care System Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner

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If there's one part of my body that hates me, it will have to be the hair, simply because I mistreat it so much. I've straightened it, curled it, highlighted it, dyed it countless of times. I was dancing a little in the shower first time I used this range in the UK. The shampoo smells amazing and lathers up really well (a little goes a long way), and the conditioner just leaves my hair so soft and (almost) tangle-free! I love it so much that I bought more now that I'm back in Singapore.

It specifically caters to colored hair, but I reckon you can still use it even if your hair is uncolored. I like it for its moisture benefits anyway. Alternatively, L'oreal has other ranges you can check out! Tbh, I'm not a big fan of the packaging. Tubes are so much hassle; I prefer bottles or pumps in the shower.

L'oreal EverPure Color Care System Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner (250 ml) retails for $14.90 & $15.40 in Watsons (Singapore) and £3.99 each in Boots (UK).

2. L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil

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Another jackpot from L'oreal, this hair oil is indeed extraordinary!! This was sent to me for a review, but I fell in love with it instantly and have since bought another bottle + half-coerced Divya and Jehki to buy one for themselves. While the use of "oil" sounds awfully greasy and heavy, it's anything but that. After every hair wash, I apply two pumps of the oil to my hair - after blow-drying and before styling (when my hair is about 3/4 dry). It turns my limpy, dry excuse of a hair, into something that looks healthy and nourished! While it markets on its non-greasiness, too much of it can still turn your head into an oilpot, so use sparingly! The scent bothered me at first but I'm used to it now. Plus, Divya loved how it smelt, so I guess it's subjective.

Just fyi, hair products like this one only improves the appearance of your hair, not the actual condition, so don't expect miracles over time! To put it simply, the part of our hair that has grown out of our scalp is essentially dead. No amount of hair products can "treat/repair" it. It can, however, protect it from further damage or make it seem as though it is healthy by enhancing its shine, etc. Only products that target the hair roots have a shot at improving the quality of your hair.

P/s: This is called "Elseve" in Singapore.

L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil (100ml) retails for $19.10 in Watsons (Singapore) and £8.49 in Boots (UK).

3. Nivea Q10 Plus Age Defying Hand Cream

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To be honest, I haven't tried the body moisturizer from the Q10 range yet (only added it in the picture for visual appeal), but I have used and reused the Q10 hand cream. In fact, I've emptied out two tubes of it! I am very particular about my creams and lotions. It needs to be moisturizing, non-greasy, not watery, and smell good. This product is all that and more.

I don't know much about what Q10 does, but I do know it's a common ingredient in most "anti-aging" products. If it's good enough for older people, it's good enough for me! If you want to know more, I'm sure a little Google investigation will tell you all that you need to know.

Nivea Q10 Plus Age Defying Hand Cream (100ml) retails for £2.83 in Boots (UK).
Nivea Q10 Plus Firming Body Lotion (400ml) retails for $20.90 in Watsons (Singapore) and £4.66 in Boots (UK).

4. Maybelline The Eraser Instant Anti-Age Foundation

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I've heard/read/seen so many youtubers and beauty bloggers rave about the concealer from this range so naturally, I went hunting for it. But with me being me, I bought the foundation by mistake. Thank god it was a happy mistake!

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Unlike other liquid foundations, this one comes with an attached sponge applicator. You twist the sides and the product comes oozing out. It may be pretty unhygienic, given that you're putting the same sponge on your face over and over, but I like it anyway. What I do is dab the foundation on my face with the sponge and then blend it out with my fingers or a brush.

This foundation has medium coverage that is buildable. It blends well and leaves your face with a slightly dewy finish. You can set it with a little powder if you prefer a matte finish. It comes with SPF18, which is a bonus, but definitely not a pushing factor. I just love that it doesn't dull down my skin like most foundations, which is pretty common since I have a yellow-based skin tone and is slightly tanned. Plus, it doesn't oxidize, which means it will stay whatever color it is when you first apply it on your face. I'm using it in 030 Sand.

Maybelline The Eraser Instant Anti-Age Foundation (20ml) retails for £9.99 in Superdrug (UK) and £8.50 from feelunique.com.

5. Sleek Face Form

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This contouring kit is a gem! I've been looking for a good bronzer for ages, and this caught my eye in the drugstore. It comes in a simple, matte compact, containing a contouring powder, highlighting powder, and a rose gold blush. And will you LOOK at the size of that mirror!?

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The contouring powder is the perfect shade for my skin tone. I've bought a couple of bronzers in the past and they always turn out too dark or they don't even show on my skin. Now, I mainly use it to shape my ginormous nose and it works amazingly.
The highlighter packs a good amount of shimmer. It doesn't leave my cheekbones looking 'shiny' but is enough to enhance my non-existent nose bridge.
As for the blusher, it's a beautiful coral shade with golden shimmer! I don't think I've seen a blusher quite like this from other makes. It goes on your skin smoothly, blends like a dream and - despite the shimmer - doesn't look like it's too much.

Like with all Sleek products, the three colors are very pigmented and with 20g, there is a lot of product in one compact! I've barely made a dent in it after months. I'm using it in Light.

Sleek Face Form (20g) retails for £9.99 in Superdrug (UK) and USD12.49 from sleekmakeup.com.

6. Ecotools Brushes

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With the right make up, you'll need the right brushes. I practically own the whole Ecotools collection! They are synthetic and so, so soft. I wouldn't say they are the densest brushes I own, but they do what they are supposed to. As you can probably tell from the name, Ecotools pride on being earth-friendly, so bonus! The bamboo handles are just incredibly simple and pretty.

The foundation brush has to be my favorite. While it looks more natural to blend liquid foundation with your fingers, I hate getting mine dirty so I always reach for the brush. It doesn't leave any streaks and spreads the product around evenly. Also, these brushes are fairly easy to clean, which is quite important for me seeing that I clean them every other day now.

Ecotools brushes range from $7.10 to $23.90 in Watsons (Singapore) and from £4.99 to £19.99 in Boots (UK).

7. Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9% Pure

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You must think I'm insane for introducing alcohol as one of my favorites, but believe it or not, this is what I use to clean my make up brushes! No fancy brush cleanser, no soap, no shampoo. I use 99.9% pure alcohol for ALL my brushes (real and synthetic) and it works wonders.

A lot of make-up artists use alcohol to sanitize their brushes so don't worry, I'm not crazy! In fact, I trust this more than those expensive brush cleaning solutions on the market. Alcohol is often used to kill germs and sanitize wounds, so why not brushes? I even use it for my nail equipment. Try to get alcohol that is 99% pure, but if it's as difficult to find as it is in Singapore, anything above 70% is fine.

Every other day, I'll pour a small amount of the alcohol into a glass bowl, swirl my brushes around and watch the alcohol turn murky brown while my brushes revert back to their original colors (it's quite therapeutic). I usually pour away the alcohol once it turns opaque, pour more alcohol, and continue cleaning my brushes. It's recommended to clean your brushes AT LEAST once a week, but I don't mind cleaning mine every other day because with alcohol, the moisture evaporates much quicker than water or normal cleansing solutions. Normally, it takes about 3 days for my brushes to dry but with 99.9% alcohol, they dry completely within the day (or the next day for 70% alcohol)! If you're worried about what it might do to the brush quality, I've been using it for more than six months now and my brushes have only become cleaner and softer. Once you jump on this bandwagon, you'll realize how much money you can save!

Isopropyl Alcohol 70% (500ml) retails for $7.50 in Unity (Singapore).
Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9% (500ml) is priced at £8.99 from amazon.co.uk (UK).


8. Michael Todd Charcoal Detox Mask

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I have never heard of Michael Todd until I received an entire face regimen of their brand (which I will review next month). I did a little search to see what I was getting into and found loads of good reviews on this particular mask so I ordered it off their site.

The mask comes in a pump bottle, which is clean and convenient, and you don't waste any product. Smells a little funky, but hey, you only have to tolerate it for 20 minutes. It does what it says, which is the best I can expect out of any facial product. The mask unclogged my pores - I inspected it under my 10x mirror (hahaha, not even kidding) - and my skin looked visibly brighter right after!

Michael Todd Charcoal Detox Mask retails for USD34 from michaeltoddtrueorganics.com (International).

9. Nail Polish (OPI Hawaiian Orchid, OPI Mermaid's Tears, China Glaze Fairy Dust)

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These nail lacquers are my absolute favorite! You can probably tell from how much I've used them.

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I love how wearable they are, especially Hawaiian Orchid, which is a muted, (SLIGHTLY) shimmery, pink that goes well with all skin colors. Trust me, I know my nail polish. Mermaid's Tears is a dusty mint green that is pretty popz at the moment. I don't know why but this shade of green appeals to me so much. It's not strong enough to steal the show, but not boring enough to be overlooked. As for Fairy Dust, it's just a go-with-all layering glitter, jam-packed with holographic specks of glitter. I am soooo addicted to it, I use it on almost all my nail colors and nail art without having to worry it will overpower them!



// So there you have it, nine of my favorite products for the month of June! Let me know what you think of this post...whether I should continue doing more or stop right now (don't be mean!!), and what YOUR favorite products are (because I'm a shopaholic and I want to try them out) haha.

Love you gaise and byeeeeeeeee xx

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