Brow Resurrection @ Browhaus Wheelock - Review (Unsponsored!)

So. I'd been wondering about the Brow Resurrection services at Browhaus for awhile so when Arissa (from Monoxious) had a promo on her Instagram last month for 10% off the trial price, I jumped at the opportunity! While I don't have sparse brows, I do feel sometimes that the arch is a tad too sharp and makes me look abit aggressive sometimes even though I'm anything but! Also, they're abit unbalanced ^-^;;

So umm...alot of the Browhaus reviews I found online were sponsored, so I wasn't 100% sure what kind of customer experience I would be in for as I'd popped into Browhaus @ Tampines1 before to ask if there was a walk-in slot available for eyebrow threading and also called to enquire about a slot for Brow Resurrection. There wasn't as Browhaus seems pretty busy all the time so you really need to make appointments in advance e.g 2 to 3 days advance for Brow Resurrection. I was fine with not being able to get a slot since I wasn't in a rush but I didn't get a very welcome vibe from both the lady at the reception and the guy who answered my call so....yeah....=\

Anyway~~~~

I dug around for reviews from customers and found them to be quite mixed with a portion airing their irritation at package hard selling and poor customer service e.g irritation when customer rejects a package. I shopped around some more and decided that the Wheelock branch seemed to be the most 'friendly' so I gave them a call. Happy to say, the lady who answered was polite and friendy, got my appointment down for 2 days later.

Situated on the 3rd floor of Wheelock Place, it's just opposite MTM so you can't miss it.

The ladies were very smiley and I felt quite comfortable as they sat me down and one of them explained to me about the procedure (method + 100% vegetable dye and so on so forth) and the paperwork that I had to sign. After that I was introduced to my brow technician, Ella, who spoke mainly mandarin which is ok since my mandarin is pretty fluent; but occasionally her accent was abit thick and I couldn't understand her (^_^;;)

First she drew the shape of my soon-to-be new brows:

A little surprised as I had thought they would draw my brows in strand by strand so I could see the full effect but she only drew the outline. I was just a little teensy bit insecure as I haven't had full brows since I was 14 so....I just decided to wing it and go ahead.

On went the numbing cream!

Ella left them on for 20 min and brought me some tea and magazines to keep me occupied =) Oh! I was also given a personal pack of earphones in case I wanted to listen to some music from my phone =)

This is my view while I'm waiting and she preps the tools. I took all my photos as if I was just a major camwhore so they wouldn't think I was a secret shopper or something =P

20 min later, Ella returned and wiped off the numbing cream after which we set about choosing the colour of dye I would be using. Considering that my hair was a dark ash brown tone, she chose a dark brown grey shade that would match it exactly. She also showed me the tools used for Brow Resurrection still in their packs to show that they were new and opened them in front of me.

On with the dye!

I actually really like my nose here haha =P ok irrelevent

Mahahahaha I look like Crayon Shin-chan! The Husband was quite amused XP

And then we started! Ella brought me a rolled towel for my neck so it wouldn't get sore, so nice of her! And I'm happy to report that there was NO PAIN at all. All I heard was a scratching sound throughout that didn't bother me much. And throughout the process, Ella was very concerned if I felt any pain so even when I decided to take a deep breath, she stopped and asked if it hurt. She even reapplied some numbing cream halfway through to make sure.

The whole session took 1.5hrs and because I was free to entertain myself with my phone or just grab 40 winks, it wasn't a drag at all.

If you have trouble picturing it, here's an animated clip from Browhaus with a simple explanation about Brow Resurrection~ More related info in the Q&A portion of this post below.



Bam! Here are the before and after shots! Starts from the day of the session (27th Aug), immediately after and so on~ (All photos are without brow makeup)

Before:

After:

Quite impressed cos the 'strands' look so real!

End result: Slightly more defined brows, especially at the head and tail. More balanced and a slightly gentler arch. (^_^)v

I've passed the 2 week mark and back to washing my face normally again, thank god. I've been poking around my brows though and it looks like I've lost quite abit of ink thus the slight gaps but overall still an improvement so I'm not too upset. I do have to fill them in a little though. It's looks like it's mainly my own brow hair now so...I dunno...maybe all that scratching acted as a growth stimulant? =D

I think it turned out decent for about $450 (Brow Resurrection trial plus 1 touchup session). The ladies there explained to me a couple of times that everyone's retention of the ink is different thus the need for touchup sessions. So whilst I lament the couple of gaps that have resurfaced, the overall effect is still satisfactory for the trial price. At this point I'm not entirely sure if I would ever purchase the package at full price though >_< maybe because I didn't have like severe brow issues?

Quick Q&A

Several friends had some questions for me when they knew I'd gone for Brow Resurrection so I'll just repeat them here~

• How is the trial different from the full deal? (Easily the most popular question lol)

Well, the procedure you get is exactly the same. However, you can only buy 1 touchup session (approx S$160) with the trial after which you have to repurchase the full package again if you want to continue. The full package price includes the aftercare kit (retails ard S$160) and 3 touchup sessions. As usual, it's cheaper if you buy the full package at the time of your trial appointment - they offered me S$1,200 at the time of my appointment as opposed to the usual approx S$2,000. The full package should provide a 2 yr supply of good brows.

• Is the aftercare kit (aka camera kit) a must-buy?

No, you can opt not to purchase it. They whined abit but left off when I said I had a hand-me-down from a girlfriend (not true). A girlfriend had mentioned that the 2 pots of the aftercare kit contained a vaseline-like cream and a clear, hyaluronic-acid-like serum so I just went with the vaseline since that's what we use for tattoo aftercare too. I am not sure if this substitution affected the end result though =\ my girlfriend barely touched her aftercare kit and her brows look fine~

• Did it hurt?

Not one bit! But the numbing cream wore off about half an hour after the session and developed a burning sensation that lasted about 4 - 5hrs. Felt quite hot but not really bothered. 

• Was the aftercare troublesome?

At first washing my face around the brows wasn't so bad. But when the itching started after about 3 days I was soooooo urrgghhh about it! A couple of times I forgot and scratched at them for like a millisecond and freaked out lol =P After a week, they began to peel a bit so I had thin inked flakes of skin that looked like mosquito legs dropping on my cheeks. So yeah, you have to work around that. No direct sun exposure, facials, swimming or sauna-type activities for 2 weeks too.

'Mosquito legs' XD

And one of the biggest questions..

• DID THEY BUGGER ME ABOUT THE PACKAGE SIGNING?

Well, they did explain it to me again and again and again....and again. But thankfully they were not forceful and didn't 'meh' me when I politely declined again and again.....and again. The reception's smile got a little bit frozen but remained friendly otherwise. So I reckon the Wheelock branch is pretty safe in that sense ^_^

Will be going back for my touchup in a month or 2 and will update again then! Hope this review has been helpful! Do feel free to ask if there's anything I missed out~ =) On a sidenote, did you notice that my skin looks pretty good in all these photos?? Even in the ones without makeup! I didn't realize it until I did up this post! Guess all that Skin Inc is paying off! =D

*UPDATE: Had to put my touchup on hold due to my pregnancy as the insertion of colour (because I have doubts how natural is the commercial definition of 'natural' these days) may affect the baby... XP Back to using eyebrow liners~~~

Pucker up quick! - Mini-review on Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm

Greetings from Tokyo! (^---^)v The weather has been really nice, despite a slight shower earlier yesterday~ Averaging ard 27ºc I think? Quite perfect! Especially when there's a nice breeze most of the time~

I packed my new Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm this trip and have used it the past couple days. The colour is really nice, buildable too! I have the matte balm in Unapologetic, which is a pretty darn bright shade of rose pink. Paired with a light eye, it's not as overwhelming as I'd thought! And also not as drying as I expected a matte lippie to be~ (I still have a layer of balm first though, my lips tend to go slightly dry in cool climates~)

Revlon describes this lippie as:

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm offers velvety color with balm-like moisture. Infused with a Triple Butter Complex of Shea, Mango and Coconut Butter. This retractable chubby crayon requires no sharpener.

Hope you can see the colour ok~ It's my first time blogging from my mobile so the controls are a little icky (^--^);;

As you probably can see, it's not super duper matte, more towards a velvety finish. I blot off after application and top it off with a layer of Edward Bess nude lipstick over my cupid's bow so that my lips don't look super pouty.

The staying power of this shade is pretty good! After blotting, there will still be some transfer after a meal but the colour remains obvious though not as bright a shade as before so I only touched up after meals.

I'll do up a proper review when I get back! I only have 1 - 2 light layers of Unapologetic on thus the not-so-bright rose pink pucker but it is definately buildable for heavy impact.

p/s: Loving my new green-based ash hair colour! Who says those little neighbourhood aunty salons can't do a good job? The aunty who did my hair was excited cos it was her first time attempting this colour...she was so happy when it came out alright.....and I was helping them clean out their stock of green dye too apparantly lol XP

Clinique Even Better Foundation - Better than BB?

I recently got my grubby hands on several bottles of foundation via a beauty swop meet with a girlfriend and Clinique's Even Better Foundation was one of them~ I think this was a Spring/Summer release back in 2012?

30ml / Retails at Changi Airport DFS for S$35 / Sephora USD27

Dermatologist developed, this foundation suits 2 - Dry Combination and 3 - Combination Oily skin and claims to help brighten and even skin tone as well as lighten spots gradually over 4-6 weeks with its cocktail of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, grapefruit peel, mushroom yeast extract and white birch extract.

Extracted from Clinique.com:

Wear oil-free, dermatologist-developed Even Better Makeup SPF 15 and something amazing happens: Without any makeup, see improved clarity, a more even skin tone, visibly diminished age spots. For all ethnicities. In just 4 to 6 weeks. Broad spectrum SPF helps protect against future darkening. For continued benefits even after you take it off, partner with Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector.

Comes in 20 shades in the US but only 10 locally (boo~) so some may find that a tad restrictive. My girlfriend is slightly fairer than me (63 - Fresh Beige) but being quite light-handed makes this shade alright for my medium fair skin. Spreads and blends very easily so I only use a pearl-sized blob for my entire face!

Blends quite nicely as you see~



Yep, this amount. For my whole face~

I don't have any acne issues at the moment...so my main areas of concern are the sun spots/pigmentation around my temples.

With 1 layer of Clinique Even Better with concentration on temples

Coverage is exactly as the bottle says i.e Moderate. If my spots were just a tad lighter it might have been sufficient coverage but I find I need 2 layers or a light dusting of powder to have those spots concealed to satisfaction.

Here's a before and after comparison between absolutely no makeup and Clinique Even Better plus a very light layer of bareMinerals powder, Sleek Makeup Blush by 3, Canmake Balm Rouge and eye & brow liner~

Those are my new glasses from Furla =P Sorta in a love-hate relationship with 'em at the moment.. (>__<)

I think the Even Better liquid foundation is....ok. I like that it's light, blends well and doesn't oxidise or cake much with 2 or 3 layers except on my undereye area but that's pretty normal for me. The finish is neither powdery nor dewy on me so it looks au natural~ Holds up quite decently in our humid weather and on my combination oily skin. Touchups were required after about 6 hours even in an air-conditioned environment but this might be due to my light-handedness with it.

I can't say much about the evening or lightening of skin tone and age spots though as I'm juggling this with a couple other foundations I have open.

In a nutshell, Clinique's Even Better Foundation is:

•  A light creamy textured liquid foundation that gives natural-looking light to moderate coverage; for 2- Dry Combination and 3- Combination Oily skin types.
• Light sunblock capabilities; SPF 15/PA++, also claims to help even out skin tone and lighten spots with continued use.
• Not pricey per se but properties are easily comparable to drugstore options e.g Maybelline or Kate.
• Natural finish holds up decently in Singapore's humidity on my combi-oily skin with touchups required abt 6 hours in.
• Moderate coverage would be perfect for those with just light spots and zits to conceal.
• Doesn't oxidise or turn cakey with layering.

Would I buy this? Not likely.

I like the lightweight formula but with this level of finish and coverage, I'm inclined to think my usual drugstore BB creams can give this Clinique product a run for its money~

WIWT - Weekend Edition

Hello hello~ How was your long weekend last week? For those not in SE Asia, last Friday was Vesak Day (a Buddhist holiday) so everyone got a long weekend! Gladly, I was in the country and able to spend the time with my family!

It strikes me that it's been quite awhile since my last outfit post so I might as well =) Umm...I'm not terribly fashionable but I like to think I'm stylish enough =P So if you will please indulge me~

Friday!

Rundown: Went to town and hung around people-watching while waiting for the husband to finish up a meeting. Walked around some more, had a bite and caught Iron Man 3 after he was done! (The show was awesome btw. Robert Downey Jr never disappoints, he's like another Johnny Depp almost!)

I took photos at my lift landing because I'm crowd shy and taking photos in public just makes me even more awkward than I already am >_<

My collarbones decided to make an appearance that day =)

Please say Hi to my girls, Ben & Miko! ^^

 

 

 

(Awkkkwarrrrd~~~~ >_<) I had light makeup on that day because I was lazy rushing for time, hope I could carry a fresh-faced look! Also, I'm really digging the dango bun hairstyle ever since I finally figured out how to get it nice, neat and high without tying it 682583 times! Finally I have an updo that's easy and versatile~

 

 

 Studded ribbon clip from Forever 21~

 

Accessories for the day



Closeup!

Last but not least, my latest pair of boots from Tokyo~ They were a random find, on sale because they were the last pair and in my size! *hearts*

 

I like them so much they get 2 shots =P



Breakdown:

 

Swallowtail pullover - KappAhl

Shorts - Forever 21

Boots - no brand (Random shoe shop in Shibuya)

Bag + Bag charm - Agnes b.

Watch - Thomas Sabo

Bracelets (anti-clockwise from top left) - Far East Plaza, H&M, Pandora

 

 Saturday!

 

Rundown: Popped out for a wedding lunch in town then back by evening because the husband had to work T_T so I get to spend the rest of my Saturday lounging around the house procrastinating.

 

It was my first time to a wedding lunch so I was slightly lost about what to wear. I have very very few clothes that belong in the grey area known as 'smart casual' so I ended up in a really simple cotton swallowtail dress from Gina Tricot :

 



 

No face because the humidity completely destroyed my hair =( And I was looking so nice when I just left the house too! *sulks* See!!!



Nice right? Zero zilch sans photoshopping!

I really liked my makeup on Saturday~ Had on the new lashes from Tokyo and they're quite perfect, not too in-your-face ^_^

 

Products used were:

 

• Clearlast Pore Smooth Base UV
• Kate Powderless Liquid Foundation in shade OC-D
• Gafixx Skinny Silhouette S302 mascara
• RiPi れるまつげ false lashes in RP-05 Pure Natural
• Sleek Makeup Blush by 3 in Lace (used shade Guipure)
• Edward Bess Ultra Slick Lipstick in Sundown

I always look so much better in my own headshots... (>___<) sigh...

 

Oh new shoes too!



Weathered leather heels from Aldo; Flower clip from H&M

But the main (though small) point of my outfit was definitely my bag, which I got in Tokyo at 流儀圧搾 (Ryugi Assaku)~ JRunway in Singapore also stocks selected items from this brand!



From 流儀圧搾 sub-brand 雅結 (Miyabi-Musubi) 4,990yen (currently out of stock); Bag charm from agnes b.

I loveeeeee this bag to bits~ The dragon and sakura fabric is totally up my alley! I only wish it was slightly bigger =P

 

So yeah that's my WIWT weekend edition~ I had fun sharing, hope you had fun reading too! ^__^

The Perfect Palette from Sleek Makeup Blush by 3!

Sleek Makeup, with the opening of Carmine Avenue at Scape on top of the extended range available on Luxola, is slowly making its presence known on our little island, and I hope it's being welcomed with open arms 'cos I like what I see so far!

Recently got round to purchasing Blush by 3 from Luxola and.....instant love! Available in 5 palettes, with red, orange and plum variations in the mix. I bought Lace:

Sleek Makeup Blush by 3 - Lace / S$20 from Luxola.com

Fully pigmented! Matte and shimmer!

As you can see, the shades are really quite bright and pigmented. I was quite apprehensive at first because they looked really bright!

Wanna be Forever Young~ =P

I'm not going to lie. I like falsies. I think they're fine, and a girl can use 3 pairs at the same time if she wants. No hating here. ^_^ I seldom use mine though. But I'm guilty of buying boxes of them whenever I get the notion that I want to put more effort into my makeup!

I just broke out a box that's been parked in my drawer for months! Glad I managed to get them on in just 1 try and that they're quite natural though thicker than what I used before~

Love the flushed look my Blush by 3 (Sleek Makeup) palette gives~ LOVE! Love the natural lip from L'Oreal's Shine Caresse~ LOVE! Love the enhancement to my lower lashes from Maybelline Lashionista~ LOVE! lol lots of love in this post hahaha~

This was also the first time I used the Kiss Me Heavy Rotation Perfect Eyeliner which didn't disappoint! No smudging despite being both outdoors n indoors for the next 5 hours~ Blush by 3 held up very well too~ No touchups (not even lipstick after dinner) for the 5 - 6 hours I was out and this is what I beheld when I got home:


Barely a budge from my makeup! ^__^

Products used today are:

Details:

• Kate Powderless Liquid for Cover - Ochre-D / OC-D
• Sleek Makeup Blush by 3 - Lace (used Crochet, first shade from the left) Review coming up!
• Maybelline Lashionista
• Kiss Me Heavy Rotation Perfect Eyeliner N - 02 Deep Brown
• L'Oreal Shine Caresse - Venus
• Edward Bess Ultra Slick Lipstick - Sundown
• Hollywood False Eyelashes - TP008

In case anyone was wondering how the Edward Bess Ultra Slick Lipstick fits into the whole equation, I used it as a lipliner that day, lining my outer lip then dabbing inwards before blending with the Shine Caresse. ^__^ It's my attempt at mimicking a youthful pout =P Did it work?

Have a good weekend everyone! xoxo

Shedding light on the Sleek Luminaire Highlighting Concealer~

Hello all~ ^_^

The last time I dropped by the Luxola office for the Edward Bess openhouse, I purchased the Sleek Luminaire Highlighting Concealer as I was in the market for an undereye concealer at the time. I only recently got to using it though:

S$17 from Luxola.com; Available in 3 shades with L02 being the middle child

Brush tip + Click dispenser control
The initial pumps came up slightly cakey but was fine from then on.

I haven't had the best experiences with highlighters as they tend to not make much of a difference =( The Sleek version?

Seeing Red?

In about a month's time, it'll be Chinese New Year~ Money in, money out, you know how it works =p For many years, CNY was just a great excuse to go out and buy new clothes and shoes~ But this year, with a bursting wardrobe of BNWT items, I got myself a new lipstick from H&M instead! And because it's CHINESE New Year, it had to be red~


LipStick by H&M in Up All Night (4.95euro)
Bottom Left: 2 layers, 1 layer and 'just dabbing' shade swatches

Red lips have become quite the fashion/beauty staple these days~ Ranging from the Hollywood Glam to Punk to Kpop stylings, pretty awesome. I like how it looks on others but never gotten the gumption to try it myself. You see, I have rather thick lips that I prefer to play down thus my preference for nude shades. But I thought it would be fun to try something different...after all, you never know! And for just 4.95? (Plus colleagues egging me on in the background) Why not?

Honestly, I'm undecided. From some angles it looks ok but mostly it looks too much for me, like it's lipstick wearing me~ And is it just me or does it make me look old??!?!  My parents got a shock when they walked in the door and saw me with a red lip. They bade me to never scare them like that again =_= Guess I have to play around with it a little more....

But about the H&M lippie:

• very pigmented but came out a tad lighter than I expected
• pretty good staying power, doesn't stain the cup rims if you blot after application
• slight touch-up necessary after meals
• comes off easily with lip makeup remover (I use L'oreal Gentle Lip & Eye makeup remover)
• petite price, definately wallet-friendly!
• comes in a range of colours from nude to natural to deep red

If I was going to get yet another nude lipstick, I probaby go for H&M 'cos it's so cheap I wouldn't need to use sparingly like I do with my Edward Bess nudie >__<

Have you checked out the H&M makeup range? Got any favourites? ^__^

Merry Christmassssssss~~~~~ \(n__n)/

Ben begrudgingly gives me her attention in exchange for some treats

December FOTD - Everyday Junkie

Why, I do believe this is my first Face Of The Day post? *^_^*

I've always loved the all-over nude look but was never able to get a nude lipstick that didn't settle into my liplines too much and wasn't a lip gloss. Everything was always too matte, too glossy, too dry, too gooey...etc >__< But all that's history with Edward Bess's Ultra Slick Lipstick. Everything is just right with this lippie. Incidentally, this's the product that shot his makeup label to fame!

December FOTD - Everyday Junkie

Using the usual base stuff i.e Kanebo Freshel BB Cream, bareMinerals loose powder, Kate eyeliner, Maybelline theColossal Volum'express mascara and ZA brow pencil. (Oh yes! I just got my eyebrows threaded today! LOVE freshly threaded brows sooooo much~~~)

Colour from:

note: colours are a tad more pinkish in the photo

The h&m eyeshadow palette was very cheap, less than 10 euro. Only used the 6th and 8th shades, which are a deep rose gold and shimmery milk chocolate shade respectively, to line and shade my eyes. My new elf warm bronzer was only S$9.90 and EB lipstick was a S$19 score on the Luxola sale! =D

So that's my December FOTD, you like? =)

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

Mini Haul Alert!

I've been doing a spot of shopping recently and these are some of my beauty drawer newbies!! I'm particularly excited to start on the Nuxe cleansers but I've just started on my new Shiseido Perfect Milk so I'll just have to hold my horses~

Whee!!! (*^o^*)