Archives for December 2009

Christmas Gift Guide & Best of 2009 : Smooth as fresh snow

Paris B 2 Comments

skincare_picks

What the… ??

Skin as smooth as fresh snow is what I’m going for 🙂

Skincare is always a tricky thing to get as gifts. Well, unless you already know what your friends are using and what their concerns are and what they are allergic to! Here are my picks for the best of skincare in 2009 – available in department stores and pharmacies.

For acne prone skin or oily skin:-

  • I like the Vichy Pore Refining Essence from Vichy Laboratoires – it works so well for me to reduce pores.
  • Cellnique Skin Action Serum gel is great for melting black and whiteheads and reducing spots.
  • Kiehl’s Rare Earth pore refining masque helps get rid of oil, and leaves skin feeling smooth.

For anti-aging or older skin:-

  • For a touch of luxury, I’d get Elemis – the Marine Recovery cream which is crazy awesome but it is only found at selected spas for now – notably at Mandara Spas in and around Kuala Lumpur (I know of Renaissance Hotel and Sheraton Imperial Hotel).
  • Not quite luxury but still in the expensive range of skincare is Lancome Primordiale Nuit which is an amazing night cream I like too and have for years.
  • Dior Capture XP Nuit overnight recovery serum seems to be working well for me now that I’m nearly done with the bottle!

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Healthy skin for the holidays with Vichy + Win products worth over RM159!

Paris B

vichy_give

If you have oily or acne prone skin, the Vichy Normaderm Total Blemish Correction line of skincare is a pretty decent line to try. For Christmas, Vichy Laboratoires has come up with 2 limited edition skincare sets containing full size products, and an exclusive cosmetic pouch with purchases over RM120.

In the Vichy Normaderm range (green cosmetics bag) there are products worth RM199.90:-

And in the Aqualia Purete Thermale moisturizing range (blue set) is products worth RM220:-

  • Vichy Purete Thermale Purifying Foaming Cream Cleanser – 125ml
  • Vichy Purete Thermale Hydra-Perfecting Toner – 200ml
  • Vichy Aqualia Thermal Mat – 50ml

I haven’t tried this line so … we’ll see! 🙂

Each limited edition set retails for only RM159 at all major pharmacies.

However, 1 lucky reader of MWS will win herself or himself a Vichy Normaderm skincare set plus cosmetic pouch! Details are below 😀

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Christmas Gift Guide & Best of 2009 : Smooches under the mistletoe!

Paris B 13 Comments

guide_lips

Kissing under the mistletoe! A lovely Christmas tradition 😉

Pucker up with these lovely lip products that make great gifts too! Here are my personal favourites from 2009.

Best Lip Products of 2009

I love the Dior Serum de Rouge lipstick so this is a natural choice for me if you want to treat yourself to a bit of luxury. There are 8 colors to choose from and if you’re expecting a bit of bonus from work for a job well done over the year, this is also a good way to reward yourself 🙂 Retails at RM109. Worth it! So worth it! Already 2 people have told me so! And if you get it as a gift, your friend would love you for it! 🙂

Or another glam choice would be Lancome’s Rouge Absolu lipstick – gorgeous eye catching colours to suit most skintones. A little more affordable than the Dior 🙂 or if you want something personalized try to get the Guerlain Rouge G lipstick case engraved. I believe Guerlain can arrange that for you or you can just get it done at any engravers.

On a budget? Not to worry! Bloop de Paris creamy lipstick gives you creamy lips too at a much lower price and more budget picks follow.

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Maybe its Maybelline Long Extreme Double Stretch Mascara

Paris B 21 Comments

Ooh… Maybelline mascara and I have a love-hate relationship. I love how cheap and affordable they are (especially when mascara dries up so quickly) but I hate how they tend to weigh down my lashes and smell chemical because the fumes bug my eyes.

So, when I got my hands on the Maybelline Long Extreme Double Stretch mascara I eyed it with suspicion.

maybelline_extreme

The Maybelline Long Extreme Double Stretch mascara (which is a mouthful btw) reminds me of the XXL Volume mascara. Same principle – 2 step mascara. Step 1 involves you applying a layer of white fibers on your lashes to add length and volume and Step 2 is to apply the mascara over the fibres. I hated XXL so I was already a little prejudiced 😛

There was some consolation for me:-

  • The brush head though long, is not fat like the XXL Mascara
  • The chemical fumes are not too strong – my eyes hardly feel anything
  • The brush bristles are well spaced and reduces clumping

On the flip side the brush handle connected to the holder is too short since its a dual ended mascara so I have to hold the brush at an angle and use only the front half of the brush or the holder/body will bump against my face. I’m not sure you know what I mean 😛

The brush does apply the white fibers quite evenly and when I use the black mascara over it, it does not turn grey. The black covers the white fibers quite well and the fibers do help to lengthen your lashes so thats all good.

However, do note that its NOT a volumizing mascara so don’t expect va-va-voom fat lashes as in the TV ad. Seriously, those lashes in the ad are plastic! You can see the light glinting off the plastic shine 😛 Here’s a picture I prepared earlier to show you the effects on my puny lashes 😛

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