Archives for November 2016

Dry-skinned gals in the APAC region will enjoy the exclusive Bobbi Brown Skin Nourishing Glow Foundation

November 14, 2016 Paris B 18 Comments

In this global age of e-commerce, I’ve never quite understood the need, nor desire for there to be region-exclusive products. Skincare perhaps, but not makeup. Why? Answers on a postcard please.

I say so, because this Bobbi Brown Skin Nourishing Glow Foundation, that is really, quite a nice product for drier skintypes, that many in the cooler countries will appreciate, started out being Asia-exclusive. I’d been sitting on this for a while (ok, almost a year. My bad!) and thus far, I’ve only seen this go as far as Australia and New Zealand. Perhaps, this is an Asia-Pacific exclusive?

As part of the “skin nourishing”, this foundation is supposed to contain a collagen enhancing ferment, that helps boost the production of collagen in skin. Higher collagen = more plumped skin. I suppose, if you use this exclusively over long periods, there might be something there. But this being makeup, I’m a little more sceptical about whether there are any real long-term benefits to the skin. I’ve had a discussion with someone before, and I’ll share my views in a separate post 😉

As for the “glow” bit, there are supposed to be powders in there that reflect light and restores radiance to the skin. This makes you look perky even if your skin looks peaky 😀 But what I really liked, is the texture, for those who have drier skin and don’t really want a foundation that leaves you looking like an oil slick, nor feels like a mask 😀

Your Say: Is beauty becoming too much of a luxury?

November 11, 2016 Paris B 68 Comments

I am a big follower of news and current issues. My Twitter feed isn’t for everyone (as some of you have found out LOL!), because it really is a personal account, and I often run off on a non-beauty related tangent. But what with Twitter feeding me news, and my own personal experiences, I cannot help feeling the economic pinch. I speak for myself here in Malaysia – I do not profess to know what’s happening in other countries. This might not be true in a higher economic/income nation.

Basic things like prices of food have spiralled remarkably in recent years. Grocery shopping can be quite a challenge, and I know of people who struggle to make ends meet, much less have spare cash for savings or even luxuries. It is very sobering, in a country where resources are plentiful, but mismanaged. (Ok, no more politics)

When I first started being interested in beauty – skincare and makeup – over 15 years ago, I was earning quite an average basic income. Glam sounding job, but no high-flying salary to match. Yet, back then was when I started my beauty collection and experience – Dior lipsticks, Chanel blushes, Guerlain Meteorites. I was using Estee Lauder, La Mer and SK-II as my skincare. Estee Lauder ANR was my crack! They were expensive, but they weren’t prohibitively so. I wonder if it is also because the brands did not go crazy with new releases every 2 weeks. Things hung around a lot longer which made them more attainable after a spell; and for makeup, you had time to save up for the seasonal collections because there were maybe 4-5 a year.

These days, almost every brand launches a big collection one week, and 2 weeks later, launches a capsule collection. MAC Cosmetics went from having 1 new collection a MONTH to 1 new collection A WEEK. I understand the brand’s drive to increase sales – but what about for the consumer?

Be good and you might find the Jo Malone Cologne Collection under your tree this Christmas – or just buy it yourself

November 9, 2016 Paris B 22 Comments

If there’s one beauty category that intimidates me, I’m not afraid to say that it’s fragrance aka perfumes. Perfumes are shrouded in an air of mystery and snobbery that I just cannot relate to because I’m just very straightforward about things. All I can say about a perfume is one of two things – I like it, or I don’t like it. I can’t even explain why LOL!

Why else do you think I don’t talk so much about perfumes? I can’t be that blog that breaks down each scent to its little molecules, because I have no idea what’s going on. How’s that for truth eh?

So, walking into a perfume store like Jo Malone intimidates the hell out of me. When the sales people ask me “What kind of scents do you like?” I freeze up. How would I know?! I’d only know when I smell it!

Which is why my first purchase from Jo Malone wasn’t a full sized perfume. It was a travel collection of minis, that introduced me to the brand and to the concept of fragrance combining. Since then, I’ve had numerous queries on where these sets can be bought. The answer – In an airplane 😛 They are special duty free sets that are only available very selectively on certain airlines. I think selected sets can be purchased at the UK Jo Malone website or certain stores but I’m not sure if it’s a permanent thing.

So, when my eye fell on the Jo Malone Cologne Collection set for Christmas 2016, I just knew I had to share the information! 😀 If you are new to Jo Malone, or are loathe to drop over RM400 on a bottle of perfume, only to realise that it isn’t quite your taste, or if you want to combine different Jo Malone fragrances, without selling your kidney, this one is for you! 😀

When you need a swipe of colour on eyes, lips and cheeks, Bite Beauty Multistick delivers

November 7, 2016 Paris B 13 Comments

Sometimes, I feel like Maria in the Sound of Music – Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good!

Well, relatively speaking, since I was pretty much that goody-two-shoes kid you wanted to smack anyway LOL! But I’d read a lot about Bite Beauty lipsticks from my North American friends a few years back, and I really really wanted to try them, because they are supposed to be really amazing silicone-free lip products.

We don’t get them here in Malaysia just yet, so I resigned myself to not being able to try them for a while longer. But one mysterious day, a large package dropped in my lap. There was no sender information, and it was flown all the way from the USA. That’s all the information I could glean from the package.

Inside, were these.

I let out a little squeal of delight! Unfortunately, I had no one I could thank, as there was absolutely no information at all outside or inside the box. I think it came from Bite Beauty or possibly Sephora in the USA, although I have no idea how they obtained my mailing information, since that’s not something I toss about willy-milly! So, if the sender is reading this, thank you so much! 🙂

Once my excitement subsided, I realised that these were in fact, something new from Bite Beauty – Multistick. Bite Beauty had sent me a selection of their new Multistick, which is a product you can use on eyes, lips and cheeks. Intriguing!

Archives for November 2016

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