Quick photo for the day!

This is what I got from Diva:

From left, a "Make Your Own" necklace, Red Roses ring, Gold Triple ring, Set of 6 earrings, Black hair rubber bands.

I love the "Make Your Own" necklace, because it allows me to create tags like "Nice" for Positively Nice. hahaha. And I can wear it out!

So you can actually create popular words like "love", "faith", and your own name! Cool!

The Red Roses ring really caught my eye because the colour is really vibrant, and I like flowers a lot.

I like the Gold Triple ring because it comes in 3 different texture. There is a plain one, a sparkly one and a rough texture one.

Set of 6 earrings are pretty much just a handful of backup earrings that suit my skin colour, in case I lose those on my ears.

And then, I need more black hair rubber bands because those I got from Sasa somehow disappear as time goes by. haha.

******

I like going to Diva every now and then to sniff out fitting accessories, because I find that their designs are really good, and they have a very wide range of colours, without being horridly overpriced.

Do you go to Diva for accessories? If not, where would you recommend?

Yours truly,
Jyoan
PosiNice

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Smack Lips with LiP SMACKER by Paul Frank

Pretty packaging, catchy names is what sells.

LiP SMACKER Lip Gloss by Paul Frank in Clancy's Cotton Candy

 Super cute! Agree?

Available: BHG, $4.90


Volume: 4.0g


Star Properties: Enjoy a really moisturizing, truly delicious lip gloss that's lickably sweet and such a treat!


Instructions and Ingredients as follows:

 The very important ingredients list for lipbalms.

 The continuation.

Packaging
I couldn't resist buying this because it is cotton candy pink and there is the mad cute giraffe cartoon on the tube! Other than that, it's pretty much a standard lip balm tube.

Colour
The product looks a very sweet, cotton candy pink, but this is not tinted.

Fragrance
I like the cotton candy sweet smell that this has. I really think this whole product reminds me of the word "delicious", as though I could just eat it up. =D

Feel
The lip balm feel nourishing, but not hydrating, in the sense, I think castor seed oil and beeswax (the main ingredients here) are less oily than say sunflower seed oil, and also feels like there is less water. Petrolatum/vaseline is a lot, a lot more oily. And Burt's Bees Pomengranate Lip Balm is more hydrating, in that it leaves a watery sheen on my lips, but Lip Smacker does not.

This is not sticky at all.

Effectiveness
I find that this is a rather good base for lipsticks, as it is on the drier side, yet still leaves a film on my lips, enough to protect my lips from direct dryness of the lipstick.

I find that with more moisturizing lip balms, like Burt's Bees and Natio, it can be a bit of challenge applying lipstick over, because the oil and moisture prevent the lipstick pigments from adhering to my lips properly.

Cost
At $4.90, this is very great value for a good enough lip balm that does not use petrolatum as its main ingredients, something that I am very particular with because my skin somehow reacts poorly to petrolatum.

This is Nice! 3.5/5.
I will still stick to Burt's Bees for an everyday lip balm when I am not using lipstick, as it more hydrating. However, I do enjoy reach for Lip Smacker as a really good lipstick base recently. I am comfortable with finishing this lip balm, but probably will not repurchase.

This is also not hydrating enough to be an overnight lip conditioner.

Have you tried any Lip Smacker Lip Balm? What do you think of it?

Lip Smacker's latest designs are nostalgic bottle caps, and you may like to read more about it from Sassydoll, here.

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Hyper Diamonds for Sparkling Eyes?

Does brown bothers you? Personally, I really hesitate quite a bit when it comes to trying out anything brown. So when it comes to my Maybelline Hyper Diamonds Eyes Palette in Brown, I didn't open it the first thing I came home. Instead, it is only now, many months after I bought the eye palette that I tear open the plastic wrap.

Maybelline Hyper Diamonds Eye Palette in BR-1 (Earthen Brown)

With cover on. I really like the way they cut the cover into a diamond design. I am a big fan of this type of no-frills glossy, 100% see-through covers. 

Available: Major pharmacies and supermarkets.
I do think this is a permanent line for now as it has been around for more than a year. It is quite a raved drugstore product in the West, so I believe sales is pretty good.


Volume: 3.7g


Star Properties: For a sparkling, opened-eyes look with a ready-to-wear eye colour palette.

 The label on the back for you to check the colour label. This is BR-1.

The ingredients list, for those with sensitive eyes/skin. 

 After the top label is peeled off, you will see the application instructions.

Packaging is really good, and I like how the sponge-tip applicator is big on one side and thin on the other. Shows that thought was put in when they designed this.

The swatches: (from left) A (pale yellow highlight), B (shimmer skin colour), C (medium dark tea brown), D (brown line colour), E (Hyper Diamonds glitter top coat).

I am going to go ahead and apply the eyeshadows according to the instructions since I am using this for the first time, and see how it works.

Step 1: Put the Highlight Colour (in the 'V' section of the palette) on the whole lid and the inner corners of the eyes using the larger side of the big spong tip.

I like how the colour really shows on the inner corners.

Step 2: Blend the Medium Light Skin Colour (in the right triangle of the palette) on the upper medium lid with the opposite side of the big sponge tip.

Step 3: Blend the Medium Dark Tea Brown (in the left triangle of the palette) on the lower lid using the small sponge tip.

This is pretty much the only colour that I can really see. 

Step 4: Use the line colour in deep brown (from the top of the palette) to line the lash line, with the opposite side of the smaller sponge tip. <-- This is the reason why the sponge tip was made small on one side!

The deep brown is slightly visible above the lash line.

And then, that's all for the eye lids! Quite short and easy.

I went on to do the whole face, and I used the Maybelline ColourSensational Lipstick in Crazy for Coffee to match the brown nude look of the eyes. So this is the entire look below:

I put on the Kamayaki Cheek in Passion Orange blusher very lightly. I used it because there is a matching highlighter, and the sheen is apparent in the photo. I really love it!

I used a push eye brush (horizontally cut, stiff bristle brush), to push Maybelline Black Gel Liner into my lash line and water line, so it gives the feeling of not having any eyeliner on at all, but rather, thicker eyelashes.

There! =D I really like the colour from Crazy for Coffee. It is very, very close to my natural lip colour, so it fits my skin tone so well, as though I really aren't wearing anything, other than lip balm to smoothen. I find that this colour serves more to even out my own lip colour, feeling in the blanks, much like the way a brow pencil works.

******

Quick take on the Maybelline Hyper Diamonds Eye Palette:

I think the colours are very sheer and really reminds me of Japanese eye shadows. I do like the look that came up when I follow the instructions. However, I thought maybe I can try using it in a smokey eye way. I am not sure if using this to do smokey eyes will work, but I'd love to try.

I can't pass this out or say I love it just yet because really, I've only used it once, and basically demonstrating the instructions and show what it looks like if you follow the instructions. It is a really nude look, which is great for everyday work.

I will definitely post the look again when I use it for smokey eyes. =)

Do you have any Maybelline Hyper Diamonds palettes? How do you find them? Do you like nude looks? Or do you prefer more vibrant and colourful eyes, or the classic smokey eyes?

Yours truly,

Jyoan

PosiNice

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Crazy for Coffee? Yes! Me!

When I tested the new Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipsticks on my lips, I just couldn't say no and walk away.

I don't understand why nobody is raving about it! haha, was it the competing launch of Revlon Lip Butters that stopped people from buying Maybelline?

Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Crazy for Coffee

Available: All major pharmacies, departmental stores, and supermarkets. U.P. $17.90. 
Watsons Launch Promo Discount, $13.90 (30% off for limited period only). 
Not to worry actually, as most neighbourhood Watsons do periodic 20% discounts to clear stocks for more shop space, especially when they know a brand is going to launch a new range, and need display space.

Volume: 4.2g

Star Properties: Bolder, richer colour only from our pure pigments. Creamier feel only from our nourishing honey nectar. Comes in 4 luscious colour range, of red, plum, nude, and pink. Made in USA.

Packaging
I am really in love with their packaging. I can't help comparing this to the Revlon lip butters because the ColourSensational range actually goes along the same marketing line, in that the nudes have a bronzy brown translucent tube, the reds have a red tube, plums in purple, and pink in pink. (I wonder who copied who. LOL!)

Personally, I am all for colour coding when it comes to lipsticks, because I like to know roughly what colour it is just by looking.

And I am all for translucent casing. Not to mention the gloss finish they give this time round as compared to the red matte one of Maybelline Moisture Extreme (that was very unappealing to me). Add on the sleek silver holder inside, I'd say, Maybelline has a winner this time!

Glossy bronzy translucent tube with the ingredients list.

Name
When it comes to lipsticks, I have quite a soft spot for apt and pretty names. Crazy for Coffee really speaks to me, because while I am not a daily coffee drinker, I actually enjoy black coffee because I like the taste of coffee at its truest. And I appreciate how different geographical locations can give different flavours of beans, how people blend them to create unique tastes, etc. Then there is still the macchiato, latte, cappuccino, chili coffee and all. =D

In case you need the number code, it's 275.

Colour
Crazy for Coffee to me, looks like a milk chocolate brown on the stick, and its swatch holds a slight red tone. I will be very honest to say that this actually does not reminds me of any coffee colour at all!! hahahaha. I've never seen red tones in any coffee, no matter how much milk I add, or no milk.

However, I am not complaining, because I feel that as a lipstick, it has to be a wearable and attractive, and having red really changes the dimensions of a brown. For one thing, brown is one of my disliked colour, and I do not have other brown lipsticks in my stash so far.

I bought this because I was so happy with how wearable the colour turned out to be when I tested it on my lips. I mean, my skin is already on the tanned and yellow side, I don't need a brown to make myself look more sallow.

I managed to capture the exact tone in the photo, just that in real life, this shade looks more intense.

Feel
I feel that this lipstick definitely lives up to its advertorial tagline, that it is bolder, richer, and creamier, with nourishing honey nectar. It is one of those rare products that live up to the tagline.

ColourSensational feels like nothing on my lips. It makes my lips feel soft without being heavy, smooth without being obviously there.

For those of you who love the moisturizing properties of the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks (the tin gloss purple tubes), I assure you that the new ColourSensational is a more compelling formula, as the Rimmel Moisture Renew are way to oily to last long.

Long-Wear
The new ColourSensational range is very long-wear for a drugstore lipstick. As I mentioned, this is truly nourishing without being oily like Rimmel Moisture Renew, so it does not "rolls" off my lips. And this is very important because it means I don't have to keep running to the washroom to touch up, saving on time and product, which was one big concern when I wore Rimmel.

(Don't get me wrong. I like Rimmel Moisture Renew. Love the colour range, pigmentation, moisturizing properties... but I think there just might be a teeny bit of room for improvement in terms of wear time.)

I will not put it on the same level as high-ends though, because it is still true that Chanel and Dior are quite a lot more longer-wearing. I would put ColourSensational at around 4-6 hours while a Rogue de Coco stands at 12-14 hours (but I pay 3 times the price for it).

Stain
One thing I realise about long-wear lipsticks is that, they stain. In the sense, if you swatch this lipstick on the back of your hand, and leave it there, you will find that it seeps into your skin like pen ink, and you can never rub it off then.

This means that after a long day without reapplication, you will still find a tinge of colour of your lips, that is the stain, so you will not end up bare lips, which is good. But do remember to use makeup remover on your lips to wash off thoroughly.

On the lips:

Can see the light nourishing sheen!

Fragrance
There is a sweet smell that I am not exactly fond of when the lipstick comes within fingers' length. However, I am not particular about this point. I think it may matter for some of you, so do test it at the drugstore before buying. You don't want to buy and hate it because of the smell. =)

Cost
At the discounted price that I got it, I think the quality is well-worth every cent. Plus, 4.2g is quite a lot of product. Make Up Store lipstick is only 3.5g.

Maybelline ColourSensational range is really a great start for anyone, and a great way to expand, because all the colours are very wearable. Even the plummest of plums, reddest of reds, brownest of nudes and pinkest of pinks, are not going to look daunting to wear or turn out too glaring for most people.

I hope this collection stays, just like the Watershine collection. =)

Shoutout: I hope those who bought Revlon Lip Butter try this too!

Overall: Nice Nice! 4.5/5
I told myself not to buy this because I have tonnes of standard colours. I had itchy-hands, tested it at Watsons. Loved how light it feels on my lips, how matching it is for my skin colour (really natural nude), how pigmented it is to cover my dark lip colour. Couldn't help choosing one.

After using it a few times, I realised it is lasting and non-drying.

AND, I repurchased! Not one, but two more. Now I have Red Revival, and Yummy Plummy. =PPP

Have you seen the Maybelline ColourSensational around? Are you interested in trying them? Or have you already bought? What do you think of it?

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What's In My Makeup Pouch?

Back then, when I first started makeup, I was quite afraid that I would get chided by my parents for putting spending time on makeup, and for putting so many colours on my face. So I did things the escapist ways, and basically packed my makeup into a cosmetic pouch, brought the pouch out, and only do my makeup in washrooms outside!

Due to that, I have cultivated the habit of having an essentials pouch, even though I now do all my makeup at home. I posted about how I found the ideal makeup pouch from Etude House here, and I feel now that I have stabilised most of the items in it, I should update on what my essentials are! =DD

Feeling really excited sharing this.

Here's the helicopter view of my pouch. I really like the way it is made to open up wide, with that two flaps of cloth on both sides still holding the contents in.

 Overview of my pouch.

Right there, in the back pocket, is my cardcase of cotton buds or Q-tips, whichever you prefer to call it.

In the two pockets in front of that, is my pretty pink Canmake Eyelash Curler in the left pocket, and my pink Majolica Majorca eyeshadow quad.

Close up on the back of the pouch.

On the other side, which I like to refer to as the front, are my M.A.C Give Me Liberty of London Cremesheen Lipstick in Ever Hip, Natio Lipbalm, a reused Neutrogena Deep Clean sample size clear plastic bottle containing Biore Hydra Clear Makeup Remover, and Benefit Sugarbomb.

Yes, that slot is big enough to hold the huge Benefit boxes!

Tip of the day: Do not throw away all those sample size bottles! Keep the good, hard plastic and transparent ones for times like this. This way, you don't have to go out and search for a good travel size bottle to hold that little bit of makeup remover.

The other side.

In the middle of the pouch, I slot everything else that wouldn't fit into the pockets.

For beauty tools, I have the EcoTools Blush Brush, Sasa Lip Brush, M.A.C 213 Eyeshadow Brush, and Make Up Store Retractable Blush Brush.

Seriously, I am not too sure why I keep two blush brushes inside. But I reckon it's because of the shape. The Make Up Store one is a perfect circular dome, which is very, very rare to find nowadays.

Most modern day blush brushes are slanted, or flat like EcoTools.

One of the brush that I missed out because it's in my Sonia Kashuk pouch, is the EcoTools Fluffy Dome Blending Brush. That's also a must.

Essential makeup brushes.

Yes, you do not need an array of eye brushes, because the sponge tip applicator in an eye quad will pretty much take care of everything else.

 The rest of the makeup are my Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin, Clinelle Blemish & Conceal Stick, Etude House Lip Liner, Koji Springheart Eyeliner in Black, Empro 1 Day Liner and Empro Brow Pencil, Sasa Superdolly Mascara, Make Up For Ever Aqua Smoky Lash Mascara.

So that's all! My essentials pouch is quite plump, but this pouch is actually quite stretchable, and can contain all these with space to spare.

I am very careful to weed out non-essentials when I sometimes start to dump all sorts of items in there.

Basically, this must be a pouch that I can zip up, just grab, run out the house, and I should everything needed for a full face makeup. So all these are my most reliable products and most neutral ones for my skin tone. =D

How about you? Do you keep a really bare essentials pouch? What is inside your pouch?

Yours truly,

Jyoan

PosiNice

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LOTD: The Magic White Jacket + 5 Tips For Looking Well Coordinated

This is very similar to my look in That Girl in Pink. haha, because I have quite a lot of whites and pinks in my wardrobe.

White jacket from a pushcart at IMM, pink bra top from Uniqlo, white shorts with detailed pockets from Red2.

I am actually wearing the same pink bra top from Uniqlo as in my previous That Girl in Pink look. =D

But this time, I have on a white jacket that is short, and would show the midriff if I wore it alone.

And for bottom, I am wearing a pair of white shorts with details on the pockets, making it less plain.

This look can be easily tweaked for various occasions, like a white skirt or white pants for work! (I have lots of white skirts, so that really makes it easy to change the entire feel of the outfit.)

This will looks extremely well-coordinated because I carry the same white handbag everyday and pretty much wear the same white heels everyday too!

Tips:
1. The idea is this - you have to have generally matching jackets/pullovers and bottoms (shorts, skirts, or pants). This is based on the same tip that it is much easier buying tops and bottoms so you can mix and match and save money, instead of splurging on one-pieces like trench dresses, shift dresses and rompers!

2. It is almost a must to have one white jacket and one black jacket in your wardrobe. This way, you can wear washed-out T-shirts underneath, spaghetti stripes, tank tops and the likes (which are all soooo cheap! can get from pushcarts, Cotton On, etc) without looking too slack.

3. It would be great if you have a white and a black cardigan too! The lack of cutting/structure of cardigans can totally turn the look another way round and change the mood!

4. Uniqlo is definitely the place for basics. It may be daunting at first because of the price for simple piece of fabric. But basics are meant to be worn many times, so they really should have some quality and last, instead of going thin and have colour washed out quickly. You really don't want to keep running to buy back your favourite pink spaghetti every 2 months, do you? (I am saying this because I have an Esprit pink spaghetti that got so thin quickly I can't wear it out. And it was costly, so it was a waste of money.) At least I know Uniqlo has quality and lasts.

5. I like to go to Red2 to restock on more formal looking basics too, as they really only sell White, Black and Red. It is expensive, imo, and I don't often. But when I know I need to replace one of my whites or black, I will pop into the store to take a look. This occurs only once  a year or once in two years! The white shorts I have is so good that I have been wearing it for some 2-3 years already. No signs of wearing thin. So really, what I pay is proportional to the quality I get, at Red2.

So that's all for today, the Magic of a Jacket!

What about you? What is your magic clothing that when you wear, can turn everything around?

Yours truly,
Jyoan
PosiNice

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The Lipstick That Made Me LOVE Again

Lipsticks, to me, have always been the symbol of the classic woman in mature adulthood, and the symbol of cosmetics. Some economists even tried to study economic downturn by the number of lipsticks sold.

However, my first lipstick was too dry and put me off the lipstick track for a long while. It was the boom time for lip glosses, and stuck by more juicy, hydrating and moisturizing glosses until Chanel made a shot to change this, with their Rouge Coco line for young women.

I liked the way the creator of Rouge Coco really believed in women wearing lipsticks and how he truly understood why young females opt for lip glosses above lipsticks, and he made an attempt to reverse the trend with Rouge Coco.

So when it was launched, I bought three of them, 05 Mademoiselle, 11 Legende, and 32 Sycamore.

(From left) 05 Mademoiselle, 11 Legende, and 32 Sycamore.

I am very into lipsticks name, and I must admit that I was quite confused about which colour to pick back then because they all looked so pretty, and I ended up choosing my names. =P

Mademoiselle, in French, refers to "my little lady". I am not too sure about Legende, but I thought it sounds like "legend", and had a once-in-a-lifetime feel to it. And Sycamore is a type of tree, which stands for the brown colour of the lipstick.

Look at those wonderful colours:

(From left) 05 Mademoiselle, 11 Legende, and 32 Sycamore

As you can see, I didn't touch the other two colours, because these were really too precious to use. haha. I stick to one colour, and just keep using it, although I think I would feel sad when I finish Legende. It is too pretty a colour.

I've swatched them below:

(From bottom upwards) 05 Mademoiselle, 11 Legende, and 32 Sycamore

05 Mademoiselle is a rose pink. It is very, very similar to Make Up Store's Poppy (my first lipstick), but is a tinge more brown than Poppy, more towards a rosewood colour. Poppy is slightly plum, more purple tone than Mademoiselle.

05 Mademoiselle.

11 Legende is as I've described in my recreation of pixiewoo's Kelly Rowland FOTD post before, a penultimate pink. It is suitable for almost all skin tones.

 11 Legende

32 Sycamore is sheer copper brown. It has that tinge of pink you see in copper coins or wires. It is disastrous on my lips. It makes me look like a grey zombie. And I don't know what to do with it now since I don't think anyone would want a used-once lipstick. It reminds me of M.A.C Riveting (the very last lipstick in linked post).

32 Sycamore.

Tip of the day:Sycamore really taught me that if I want to buy a lipstick more than $20, I had better find a similar colour from drugstores beforehand, because I really don't want to end up totally regretting a buy of $44, and not ever touching it again. In this case, at least know what types of browns I can and cannot wear.

Sometimes, one can really miscalculate because Sycamore looks really pretty and suitable from the swatch... ... I guess, if possible, ask the sales assistant if you can test a lipstick on your lips.

Back to why Rouge Coco made me fall back in love with lipsticks... ...

I think it's the creamy nature of it, with really good colour payoff, while truly not being too dry (but not hydrating), yet lasts the whole day out. 

This made me believe that lipsticks can still be good, and not like my first experience, so it was the turning point.

From that point onwards, I couldn't stop myself from more lipsticks. LOL!

Is there this one lipstick that really stands out in your collection? What did it do for you?

Yours truly,

Jyoan

PosiNice

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My First Lipstick - The One That Turned Me Off

This is post is a spin off from The Lipstick Bandits' first collaborative post for 2012 (I started out reading My Women Stuff's article here). Their theme for it really set my brains to work, and while I was typing responses to some of the articles, I found myself having more and more to say, that it has now become a post on its own.

I hope you'll enjoy reading "The True Singapore Girl's Story", even though my makeup experience is really short, and may seem a bit negative about lipsticks. hahaha, but there will be Part 2!

******

I remember, it was back in 2006, when I first did part-time work, that I wanted to start putting on makeup. The big question in my head was, so where do I start? Where do I buy from? How do I know what are the basics I really need?

It was in that same period that mineral makeup started gushing into mainstream, and I saw an interview of the owner of Make Up Store. And that article answered my biggest questions, because it dawned on me that all I needed to do was go down to the store, walk in, ask the sales assistants for a makeover, and ask them to introduce me a basic set.

That I did. Basic, but expensive basic set I got.

To side-track first, it was actually a luxurious feeling, walking in to a boutique store, sitting under bright lights, in front of well-lit mirror, and have two people fussing over me.

Back to the first lipstick, and so, the sales assistants picked for me my first lipstick, in a colour I would call a sort of mauve pink.

That valley in the top of the lipstick was caused by me dipping the lip brush right into the lippie. haha. And I did it because this is what my mum does to all her lipsticks. Moreover, it never occurred to me that I would like to swipe the lipstick directly on my lips, as it would look too bold for me. I don't do this now, as I've learned the value of swiping lipstick straight on. I brush my lip brush on the back of the lipstick instead.

Happiness didn't last long because I found out that contrary to my childhood belief, lipsticks, or maybe just the Make Up Store lipstick, is very drying.

To side-track again, I have issues with almost every single Make Up Store product I got that day! If anyone is wondering why Make Up Store didn't take off like M.A.C, it's probably the bad quality of its products. But I will elaborate one by one should there ever be another chance to write stories.

It was so drying that despite putting lipbalm, which I bought from Make Up Store as well, I couldn't stop my lips chapping! I said in my old post, how good the Aroma Balm is at healing, but it doesn't works under the horrid, horrid Make Up Store Lipstick!

******

The name of this lipstick is Poppy, and it is actually a pretty rose vale colour. It was chosen for me by the sales assistant. I'd have to say that she made a great, great choice, as any rose tone lipsticks are arguably the best for first timers. Till now, I find it hard to find an exact same shade in other brands.

I thought that this lipsticks has that same matte taupe undertone as a couple of others, so I swatched them together. But to my surprise, my other "similar" lipsticks are in fact all quite different!

Left to right: NYX Round Lipstick in Paris is a mauve lilac pink (lol, very complicated colour), Make Up Store in Poppy is a rose vale with a slight sheen, and Maybelline Colour Sensational in Crazy for Coffee is a reddish brown.

******

All Make Up Store products price extremely similar to M.A.C, so this lipstick didn't come cheap. And the very notion of me using it only a few times, and finding it unusable, then having to chuck this at the back of my drawer really did made me so disappointed.

I've always regretted spending a bomb on Make Up Store products.

******

And so, that episode set me on a big search for the best lipbalm, and also on lipstick-hate and lipgloss-love.
(By now, I have indeed found the best lipbalm, but I still can't stop my obsession for lipbalms, but that's another story.)

And then, it's on to the other story about lipglosses, and the great search for a good lipgloss, starting with the L'oreal Glamshine. But really, that's another story altogether, and that's it.

That's pretty much it for my first lipstick and how it turned me off.

I rekindled my love with lipstick, but I feel that will be the Part 2 of this story. Do check out the rest the links I've inserted along the way for more stories! So thank you for your time, I will see you and my next post, and have a nice day! =D

How about you? What is your first lipstick? And did it turn you on or off?

Yours truly,
Jyoan
PosiNice

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Colour Up Your Life with Fun Tissue Boxes

Colours have always been a great fascination for the human eye and the human sense of aesthetic. Its importance has grown even more in this day and age of stressful urban life, as seen in the proliferation of multi-coloured products like iPod in 12 colours, HD makeup in a wide spectrum of colours and many more. Likewise, in household items, colours also play a big role in spicing up the monotone routine in a city-dweller's life.

In my personal life, I like to perk things up by adding colour with tiny things here and there, and the tissue box cover is one of them!

I am quite a big user of tissue, so I basically have one box in every room, in fact two boxes in the living room. I just like to have tissue within reach of my hands, wherever I am.

My 5 pretty tissue boxes in the house. 

I bought two new ones when I was in Phuket. I really like their silky tissue box holder. They are all good quality handicrafts that are really worth buying. They come in so many colours too!

The elephant is a sacred national symbol in the Thailand. 

I bought this sky blue one because my SO like blue.

I like the intricate artwork. 

Yellow is supposed to be my lucky colour, so I bought this duck one. It really reminds me of a childhood favourite character, Piyo Piyo!

Bought this from a random store at Eastpoint. But that store has closed down. 

These two were bought from Daiso, and I like how simple they are, in one flat colour. Yellow for my living room, and hot pink to match the rest of the decor in my bedroom.

They have hooks at the back, so you can install hooks on the underside of the table, and slot these underneath, instead of just placing the box on the table and taking up space.

However, these are two short, in that if you buy those value added tissue, with more sheets of tissue, it will not fit in. Only the Watsons one, with 150 sheets can fit.

Daiso boxes.

That's all! How about you? How do you decor your room/house? Do you care about whether your tissue boxes are in these pretty things are just stick with whatever picture the manufacturer prints?

Yours truly,

Jyoan

PosiNice

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There's Mail Again!

I reviewed the nail polish by SG Nails the other day, and because I was really very upbeat about it, I order another two on the spot! haha.

SG Nails promises to have the polishes at your doorstep within 3 business days, and true enough, I received my order on Monday morning.

I really like how they have a personalised invoice. There is the basic instruction to apply 2 coats to achieve opaque look in both my first and second invoices. And the last line here is to thank me for reviewing Outed By A Probot!

I feel really touched to know that the owner is receptive to whoever wears their polishes. <3<3

And they typed out the contents of your package clearly, together with the cost.

I have mentioned that you need only pay upon receiving the goods in perfect condition, so I guess, this is to gently remind customers about the payment. =)

As you can see, I've got the green polish called Purely Logical, and the Copper Bronzy one called Purely Logical.

I want to test how long the SG Nails polish can last without chipping, so I will not be removing the current coat of light blue Outed By A Probot anytime soon. I will review these two when I get to use it! =)

Meanwhile, do you like using glitter polishes? If yes, what is your favourite brand and colour? Do you go to the extent of buying your polishes online?

Yours truly,
Jyoan
PosiNice

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Confused by La Roche-Posay? We’ve demystified it: here’s what to use for your skin type | Beaut.ie

Confused by La Roche-Posay? We’ve demystified it: here’s what to use for your skin type | Beaut.ie

Love this! I have never tried any La Roche-Posay products before, but I've heard how good it is for the skin. Admittedly, I didn't want to take the plunge because of the highly foreign and confusing words on the bottles. This is it! The solution to solve confusion!

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Surprise Find! Nicely Packaged Cotton Pads and Q-tips!

I realise this is going to be a very "white" post because all the photos are of white products. =PP

So I was striding down the aisles of Watsons yesterday, something I haven't done in a long while. I just had that feeling that there's going to be something new and interesting, and I was right!

It was like hitting jackpot when I saw these wonderfully packaged clean white essentials of the bathroom!

You know how, if you do go to a gym like California Fitness or True Yoga, there's always the standard display of cotton pads and cotton buds for all members to use after their bath... ... I really like the luxurious feel of having a well-equipped bathroom at home. And this is it!

The point of this post is really not so much to review these products. Rather, it is to introduce them as beautiful items to go onto your dresser!

Watsons Cotton Puffs and Pure 'n Soft 2 Way Cosmetic Cotton Makeup Buds

Available: Watsons, $2 each


Volume: 25 pcs of cotton puffs, 80 cotton buds


Star Properties: Beautifully packaged. Thick cotton pads. Two way cotton buds.

Watsons Cotton Puff Instructions and Precautions
(I have no idea why Watsons call these the cotton puffs, because they are not fluffy balls. I find that it is more apt to call them cotton pads, so I will use cotton pads from now on, and only refer to them as cotton puffs when I am officially naming the product.)

The cotton pads are lint-free, which I suppose, means that these pads will not fluff out on you, and have those funny strings of cotton sticking all over, especially when I use them to clean off my nail polish. (Not sure if you get what I mean, but basically lint-free is better.)

It claims to have superior absorbency, which I haven't tried, so I can't vouch. But I can see and feel that each cotton pad is much thicker than the standard Watsons or no-brand ones.

I am very impressed that they bother to tell you that you can use this to apply cleanser, toner or nail polish remover. I mean, do we not know that??

Even more impressed by the caution for us to keep this out of reach from children. Not to mention instructions for us to store it in a cool, dry place.

There are specifics that this is 60mm by 60 mm big. Very strangely, this has an expiry date of 3 years from manufacture. I never knew cotton pads expire!

Besides all these, they have instructions in Mandarin and Thai too! Really amazing packaging.

Cover
It comes with a really cute cover, which makes that luxurious feel of having a custom made box on your dresser, that you can open up and reach for a luxurious feel cotton pad. haha.

I already have another cotton pad dispenser which I got through my facialist 6 years ago. That was the time when you can never find this dispenser in Singapore. Nowadays, you can find similar dispenser at MiniBits, where they sell those black coloured Anna Sui-like stands at an exorbitant price that I refuse to pay, though I have been thinking of getting a second dispenser for a long while.

That pretty much explains why I am raving about Watsons selling this!

Height Comparison

On the left, is my dispenser gotten through my facialist whom bought it from Korea. It is a lot taller, and has a hole at the bottom, so I refill from the top, but use from the bottom.

This is really my life-saviour because it saves the hassle of taking your cotton pads from those super big extra value packs of cotton pads! Not to mention, those packets are ugly.

On the right of the photo above is how the Watsons box compares to my original dispenser. It is a lot shorter, so you will have to refill more frequently.

Size Comparison

As mentioned, these lint-free cotton pads are actually 60mm by 60mm, meaning they are square. But the standard cotton pads that come in big value packs are rectangular. So as can be seen from photo above, if you refill the the box of lint-free cotton pads with normal ones, you'd get a bit of gap in the box.

But I am fine with it, because I really like the box!

Pure 'n Soft 2 Way Cosmetic Cotton Makeup Buds

Instructions:
Same thing, they have a description of the buds, usage instructions, caution, storage and materials.

They also print other details like the addresses of the distributors in Singapore, Thailand.

The plastic is a No.5 PP, which means it is hard and durable plastic.

Cover
I really adore the way this container opens up. So cute.

If you look closely, the tip of the cotton bud is pointed, which makes it better for cosmetic purposes as compared to standard round tips one that you can get in bulk.

In fact, I've coincidentally found a video that teaches how to use this pointed tips!

Thanks to Clumps of Mascara, because I have all along thought that pointed tips are a waste of money, and pretty much the same as round tips.

The Two Ends

As can be seen, one side is pointed, while the other is like a paddle, resembling those sponge-tip applicators that you get in eyeshadow palettes.

I pretty much think that you're supposed to use the paddle end to apply the eye shadow, and the pointed end to clear off imprecise application. Not sure it will work though.

But really, gone are the days that cotton buds are limited to ear-drying after a bath! Nowadays, there all sorts of cotton buds, and the Japanese ones are especially creative, as Viva Woman introduced here.

Storing It
There it goes, into my card case that fits inside my makeup pouch! It can fit 10 of these!

Cost
These are sooo cheap, at $2 for one box. I think it's worth just buying the box alone. I have been searching high and low for a good and cheap cotton pad box, and am really glad I found it.

So this is all! How about yourself? Do you place cotton pads and cotton buds on your dresser so that you can reach for it everyday? If yes, what containers do you put them in? Or do you just leave it in the packets?
Any great value for money discovery you made at Watsons? Feel free to share and include the link in my comments box below!

Yours truly,
Jyoan
PosiNice

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