Friday 30 November 2012

Expiration Ambiguation - How to tell when your beauty products expire?

Before you know it, Sunday will soon be upon us so it's CONFESSION TIME!! ψ(`∇´)ψ

After a chat with some fellow beauty junkies, I found that there is an area of concern that needs addressing because it is too often forgotten.



Now, I'm not just talking about the shelf life but also the life of the product after it's been opened. Most products already have the manufacturing date printed on the product packaging and most of these will also have the expiration date (shelf life) stated as well. But what if they don't?

Wednesday 28 November 2012

A quick look @ L'egere Pure Aqua Pore Tightening Ice Toner~

As you've probably seen from the BHG sale loot some posts back, I bought the L'egere Pure Aqua Pore Tightening Ice Toner (what a mouthful, try saying that 10 times quickly =P) after some raving from a girlfriend. As I've only just started using it for about a week, it hasn't yielded the desired results (i.e small small smallerrrrr pores, which is quickly becoming something of an urban legend to me) yet but it's enjoyable enough for me to want to share a quick peek!

Product in question:

S$27.90 from BHG's aLT beauty corner

Labelled 'Suitable for all skin types', this product is designed to:
  • sooth, heal and hydrate tired skin with the rich mineral and vitamin content of pure Alaskan glacial water
  • tighten pores and control sebum secretion with the patented P-Refinyl Pore Tightening formula 
  • reduce redness & swelling, unblock clogged pores and kill acne-causing bacteria with salicylic acid
Used before makeup, it's supposed to keep the shinies in check and help your makeup stay put. For me, the shine control and cooling effect was very attractive given the hot weather in Singapore~

As you'll see in abit, Legere's not kidding about the 'ice cooling' bit.

Monday 26 November 2012

Makeup for Heroines : Impact Framing

I'm sure you are no stranger to Heroine Make. This popular brand has been in Singapore for some years now but I think this is my first product from Heroine Make!



Heroine Make Impact Frame & Curl mascara S$23.90
Are we surprised at all that it's (yet another) mascara?

Sunday 25 November 2012

COTTONBALL CRUSADE'S 1ST GIVEAWAY WINNER~ (☆^ー^☆)

(☆^ー^☆)====(☆^ー^☆)====(☆^ー^☆)====(☆^ー^☆)====(☆^ー^☆)====(☆^ー^☆)

Remember this? This giveaway is now closed!



The Random Line Pickers have spoken and our winner is~~~~~~ Ms Saralyn Low! =D

Congratulations Saralyn~ I'll be in touch soon for your details!

Thanks to everyone else for participating~~ I'm looking forward to doing more giveaways in the future, hope you'll join me again then! (。◕‿◕。)

Saturday 24 November 2012

Glowing with Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

If any of you dear readers are on the Bellabox Singapore facebook page, you might have noticed the recent Nuxe contest!! (^0^)


Won the 50ml Huile Prodigieuse OR (Multi-usage Dry Oil - Golden Shimmer)!!
Bellabox is an Australian owned high-end beauty box subscription company but also has a branch in Singapore. Every so often they have contests on their Bellabox Singapore facebook page where you stand to win some of their star products. The Nuxe Multi-usage Dry Oil is 1 of them and I WON!!! *skips circles around her confused dog*

Having only recently noticed this brand in Watsons, I think it's worth a closer look. Nuxe stems from a French pharmaceutical laboratory and is now a bestselling brand in pharmacies and drugstores. It's all about natural-origin cosmetics and skincare, committed to:
  • Selection of natural active ingredients
  • Containing no mineral oils, synthetic colorants or animal-origin ingredients (my favourite point!)
  • Non-comedogenic products
  • Optimum safety and effectiveness through tests by an independent lab approved by the French Ministry of Research
  • Preservative system without parabens
  • Eco-friendliness by preferring to use recyclable materials, discontinuation of leaflets, use of smaller folding cartons, etc.
(above information extracted from Nuxe Paris catalogue)

Now, a look at the Multi-usage Dry Oil!

Thursday 22 November 2012

Sale Loot!

Chanced upon a 1 day sale at my neighbourhood BHG last week and I popped in after realising the 30% to 50% discount. The aLT beauty corner stocks a fair range of Japanese and Korean beauty/skincare products so I figured it would be worth squeezing my way through.

The range at my neighbourhood branch is less impressive compared to the ones downtown but still, the discounts were decent. Emerged 30min later with these:


From Top:
Kaiketsu Shirokuma-kun Reusable Undereye mask (S$12.90)
& Pure Smile 3 Pc Aroma Mask (S$6.90) Prices before discount.

The Shirokuma-kun Masks seem to be quite popular and this 1 set pack is designed for multiple usage and, wait for it....INFRARED RADIATION. This pack is supposed to have immediate effect after leaving it on overnight, sounds spiffeh! Watch out for the review~

The Pure Smile mask caught my eye because it was a 3 piece set i.e 1 pair of undereye sheet, 1 face sheet and 1 neck sheet. It also came in various fragrances like Rosewood, Sweet Orange, Lavendar, Bergamot and Peppermint among others. All the masks are formulated with collagen hyaluronic acid and aloe, the main differences being the aroma essence used. I bought Rosewood and Peppermint for myself (combination - oily skin) and Bergamot for my mum (dry skin)~

Also:


From Left: Sana Gafixx Mascara (S$25.90) &
Legere Pure Aqua Pore Tightening Ice Toner (S$27.90)
Prices before discount.

The Sana mascara I bought because....well....I like mascaras! =P The Legere toner was a chance find as the Legere skincare was just a 4 or 5 product range that was in a rather unnoticeable corner. I have a girlfriend who's been raving about it to me so I figured, at 30% off, why not~

Did you pick up any good deals over the week? =D

Wednesday 21 November 2012

"Dress Code : Formal" >___<;;;

I attended an old classmate's wedding dinner last weekend and didn't feel like wearing a dress like I usually would for such occasions. For some reason, all my dresses weren't hanging on me properly that evening =___=

So after rummaging through my wardrobe, I ended up with this:


Forgive the lousy quality & random posing.....I get awkward in front of a lens..>_<;;;

Finally broke in my boots too!

Monday 19 November 2012

Be Poreless like the Egg Duke?

I absolutely MUST tip a hat in Japan's direction for constantly churning out these adorable mascots! The Egg Duke is the poster boy for Naris Up's Pore Clean Pack with Eggshell essence and Charcoal~

This be the Egg Duke~
Available at Sasa and random beauty stores (I bought mine from British Essential) for S$14.90, I understand that there was a 2-step version available before this that separated the eggshell essence's sebum-softening and the charcoal's cleansing. Don't fret, judging from reviews the effect seems to be more or less the same.

Saturday 17 November 2012

Spot of retail therapy to start the weekend!

This is gonna be a really quick post but I love my new hardware~~ ^o^

Oh-so-cheap @ Cineleisure
There was an accessory pushcart on the ground floor that was having a S$3 sale on quite alot of stuff so like the crow I am, I zoned in on the metal and starting picking stuff up! I especially love the 2 claw ones~~~

Good deals are a good start to the weekend =) Have a good one y'all!

Friday 16 November 2012

Quad Royale-ing~

I took the Edward Bess Quad Royale for a test drive last week~ Having seen such nice reviews, I was hoping it would look just as gorgeous on me!

In case you've forgetten, this is the Quad Royale Face Illuminator and Colour from Edward Bess.


Quad Royale Shade 03: Summer in Capri ; S$56 from Luxola.com

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Japanese & Korean Beauty How-Tos? (Part 2 - Of Bird Poop & Rollers)

Yep you read that right. I said Bird Poop. Kind of hard to relate that to the conventional idea of beauty and skincare right?


Uh..yeah, I guess.
Today I'll share a couple of these titbits that could, possibly, maybe, inch you and me towards our beauty ideals~ Maybe.

As we say in Asia, it's easiest to earn a womans money. When it comes to beauty, I guess we're especially susceptible. Korea, Japan and China are up there in the rankings when it comes to producing, or reintroducing, these weird and wonderful thingamajigs. Let's take a look shall we?

Monday 12 November 2012

Banishing the Black-eye~ (temporarily =P)

Before you get all excited and think I've found the holy grail for eradicating undereye circles, I have to be honest and say THIS IS NOT IT. Sorry y'all~ ^_^

But this is still a pretty good find, especially for people who're sensitive about the fine lines around the eye area like me.

S$19.90 at Nishino Pharmacy, Sasa and selected Watsons

What I have here is the K-Palette 0Kuma (Zero Kuma) concealer in yellow beige~ It's been in Singapore since early 2012 but somehow I didn't notice it, despite the cute packaging, till now =_=..

Saturday 10 November 2012

Opening My Wallet @ the Edward Bess Open House

At the Edward Bess Open House last week, I really wasn't intending to buy anything. I just wanted to pop down, take a look at the full range, play with some testers and leave before my credit card squirmed its way out of my purse.

Makeup display to some, minefield for others.

The simple display didn't take anything away from the quality of the products.

M.A.C Glamour Daze & Holidays~

Popped by the viewing of the Glamour Daze and Holiday range at M.A.C Robinsons Raffles City yesterday with Arissa, my first time at such events and got completely overwhelmed by the number of people squished in there!

Too...many.....people.....
Sorry to say but crowds really get to me. I'm very much a personal space kinda person, park me in a corner with a cup of tea and I'm happy. Yep, that kind.

But anyway, I must say that the holiday sets are really cute! They'd probably make very good gifts and those holders are just too adorable~

Pictured here: M.A.C 2012 Holiday Face, Eyes & Lip Palette, Face Palette, Eyeshadow Palatte.
Leopard Lip Gift Set in the pink leaopard print pouch on the far right. 

But the thing that caught my attention was...=_=...I'm sorry to say it wasn't a product but...this:


Nope, not the Glamour Daze range (colours were totally not me though the packaging was super cute) but the Glamour Daze pin-up. Look at her nails! Aren't they cute!!! I want to do that! ^___^

COTTONBALL CRUSADE'S FIRST GIVEAWAY! (●⌒∇⌒●)

 ( ´ ▽ ` )ノ ==( ´ ▽ ` )ノ== ( ´ ▽ ` )ノ== ( ´ ▽ ` )ノ== ( ´ ▽ ` )ノ ==( ´ ▽ ` )ノ== ( ´ ▽ ` )ノ ==( ´ ▽ ` )ノ

It's been a little over a month since the first Cottonball Crusade post and I thought I might celebrate and say thank you for the support with a little giveaway for my Singaporean readers~

M.A.C Eyebrow Service voucher x 2 (S$30 value)
+ 1 Konjac Sponge (Tomato for Anti-oxidants) from Sasa (S$6.90 value)
For ONE lucky reader:

There are 2 Eyebrow Service @ M.A.C Raffles City Robinsons vouchers valid till 31 Dec 2012 and 1 Konjac Care tomato konjac sponge from Sasa~ The konjac sponge as you may know, is one of my favourite cleansing tools EVER. You can read my review HERE if you haven't seen it yet (tsk tsk). =P

How to win this?

Simple! Just follow the steps below~

  • 'Like' the Cottonball Crusade on Facebook
  • Leave a comment on this post (just show some love!)
  • Sign off with your Facebook name

Contest ends at 23:59hrs GMT +8 on 24 November 2012. A winner will be randomly picked and notified through Facebook! =)

Note: This giveaway is only applicable to readers in Singapore as the vouchers can only be used in Singapore.

I'll have other giveaways in future that overseas readers can participate in as well so stay with me people!!

Friday 9 November 2012

Japanese and Korean Beauty How-Tos? (Part 1 - Diet)

You can't help but wonder if there's something special in the water in Japan and Korea. The beauty secrets of both nationalities have been a popular topic for women (and men) owing to the youthful looks and graceful aging demonstrated by both celebrities and regular people alike~

So what's the deal?

There's quite alot of material on this topic so I shall separate them into different posts for digestable reading~ ^_^ Today, we'll explore some common components in the Japanese / Korean diet~


Image 10059845 by maya picture

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Same Same But Different?

Remember when I said that the Konjac sponges might come in different densities? Well, I'd just like to illustrate that with the 2 sponges from 2 different brands.

From Left: Dry Charcoal Konjac Sponge (Pink Package from Watsons)
& a moist Aloe Konjac Sponge (Konjac Care; Star King from SaSa)

The Charcoal Sponge is completely dried up like a prune in the above photo, but when moist it will expand to the same size as the Star King Aloe Sponge and look like this:


From Left: Moist Charcoal Konjac Sponge & moist Aloe Konjac Sponge
 
If you can tell, the Charcoal Sponge is slightly more porous than the Aloe Sponge. I'm not sure if it's because of the additional 'ingredients' that make the Aloe Sponge feel firmer and more spongy. It also doesn't give the 'omg so clean but so hydrated' feeling that the Charcoal Sponge imparts. Visually, it looks like the net-like structure of the konjac fibers is more concentrated on the Aloe Sponge thus the less 'contour-friendly' feeling.
 
I haven't opened the other sponges yet but I believe that the ones with additives (tomato, cucumber etc) from Star King are all of the firmer variety. Personally, the softer Charcoal Konjac sponge appeals to me more for the texture and the cleaner, more hydrated feeling. Just a little comparison for your reference~ =)

If you noticed, I received 2 Yamamoto Farm Konjac Sponges at the Watsons sale from my Collagen box sets, very lucky 'cos I was about to buy them online~ The sponges I have been using are made in China but I've been looking to get the Japanese ones for comparison. ^^

Have you tried the Konjac sponges from different countries yet? How do they measure up against each other?

Monday 5 November 2012

Lazy Lazy Lazy Day Out...

Dropped by Luxola for the Edward Bess Open House last week...since it was just a quick run downtown I couldn't be bothered to dress properly..yes LAZY I know~ So I decided to go for a pyjama look, not too far from the truth since I got up quite late that day =P

The Husband was kind enough to drive me down and sat quietly through the session while I ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the makeup~


heart-shaped shadow in the car~


This was one of the few times I tied my hair. I have a big face so I ALWAYS want my hair down to hide it but...it's been SO HOT this couple of days I did a side ponytail with my new hair-thingy from H&M =)


Pyramid studs! I LOVE STUDS!!

Sunday 4 November 2012

One Great Thing in a Little Squishy Package~

Ever thought that you could actually get by WITHOUT cleansers? No more foaming soaps, gels, milks or creams? As it turns out, you can. Well, almost anyway. If you wear makeup regularly, you'll still need your usual makeup removers + cleansers to completely clean up but in all other situations, this sponge will do the trick!

Konjac Sponge Specimen A - Looks like a rock but cleanses oh so gently~

This is~~~ A Konjac Sponge~

You may have heard of Konjac sponges some time ago (maybe a year or two?) when it first swept through the beauty market but the hype died down quite soon and I've not heard much of it since. This is very common in Japan (and I'm sure in Korea and China as well) and retails for a few hundred yen at Matsumoto Kiyoshi. I regret not picking this up when it was always in my face. I'd put it down as pure hype then, an unfortunate characteristic of many Japanese beauty products.

Friday 2 November 2012

Why Edward Bess, what a nice Glow you have!

I was browsing Luxola last week~~ Luxola, by the way, is an online cosmetics and skincare store that stocks the likes of Dr Jart, Estelle & Thild, Korres, Edward Bess and Petronille Cosmeceuticals just to name a few. They were having a pretty sweet 25% store-wide discount just before the weekend and I had to grab something. Something, anything. Com'on it was 25%!

Needless to say:



I once told a friend that I am my own best enabler *sigh* so true..