Saturday 18 August 2012

Camomilla ~From Italy ~Hello Kitty

Calling to all the crazy fans of Hello Kitty, Polka Dots, Ribbons and whats not, you might fall or might not fall in love with Camomilla but I did.

So a little short description of Camomilla, extracted from their facebook page.

"Camomilla Milano is an Italian fashion accessory manufacturer that creates bags, wallets, purses, shoes, jewellery, hair accessories and more. The brand was founded in Milan in 1983 by Grazia and Maurizio Belloni, husband and wife duo."

First founded this shop when I went for my facial at Ion Orchard.

The only biggest attraction that got me snooping into the shop was the major Hello Kitty displayed within that shop. Major character of the shop is still Hello Kitty. There is other stuff too like bags, pouches, with ribbons or polka dots or simply just plain design but still so chio!

One biggest downfall I felt is their items are kinda very costly for the size or not but the workmanship of their Hello Kitty collection is somewhat not that fantastic. (I am not sure about the rest because I only buy the Hello Kitty items from their shop)

Usually some small retail shops who has defected goods would give you some discount if you are willingly to take them but hell no, this shop doesn't. (No matter how you put it) So it's either you purchase it or just leave the shop entirely. After all, if it's a small insignificant defect, there bound to be supportive consumers. It's Hello Kitty we are talking about. 

They have a flagshop in Vivocity too. Though I only came to know of it yesterday.

And so if you are really interested, these are the information:

Camomilla Milano Boutiques
Vivocity #01-119 Tel: (65) 6376-9940
ION Orchard #B3-41 Tel: (65) 6509-1990
Opening hours:
10.30am to 10.00pm

For enquiries, please e-mail info@rosablu.com

So here are some photos of my recent hauls from their shop. And by the way, for ION card members, if you purchase $100 and above from their shop, you can get a 10% discount. I am not sure it is valid till when though. Bank of China also has discount promotions tied up with them. (I didn't check that out though, BOC promotions!)

 Their carrier. Only given when you purchase bags or bigger items.
 Made of soft synthetic leather and freaking expensive. But it Hello Kitty versus my pocket and Hello Kitty emerged victorious! SGD$99.50
 The interior.
 The magnetic lock.

 Hello Kitty pouch. One of the products with poor workmanship. The nose is not in centre between the eyes. You probably can't really see it from the photo. Else everything is kinda fine. It is about SGD$20 if I am not wrong.
 Back of the pouch.
 Hello Kitty pencil case? Can be used either as pouch or pencil case. 
This is my so claim defected item, there is some cloth coming not stitch properly at the neck area. Maybe I am too fussy but the so called defects are still ok. I just find it defected that's all.
 SGD$35
 Bought this wallet when I first went to their store. It has the pink shade too when I went there yesterday but there wasn't any such shades when I bought this wallet. It's actually kinda bulky but not really heavy. Just decided to add to the post since I am blogging it.

Disclaimer: I am not afflicted to the store and it's just purely review on the shopping experience and items purchased from them.

Kikki

It has been a long time since I set foot into Kikki and what marvelous way to have an ultimate discount with Kikki which the discount will be ending today. #lucky

You spend $60 and above and you get an instant $20 off. What better way to make use of the promotion and upkeep your stationary?

And what greater ways to know that they have also launched the scheduler and time planner for Year 2013. (It's still kinda early I know but it's absolutely great for people already have plans for 2013!!)

Here my loots from Kikki!






There are pockets in the scheduler for your most intimate and personal notes. (Just kidding!, Just put whatever, receipts from shopping etc!)
There are also the usual address book and notes and in addition, there is an expenses tracker for monthly basis. Nope, it ain't as heavy as you think it is. So I give up waiting for moleskin scheduler which I hope it was my next year scheduler. #Whatever.

I might just get it anyway.

Happy Kikkíng!

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Mel Bags Affair

Another haul of the day: Bags!!!

I am an absolute sucker for bags and when I say I am a sucker, I mean to say I can buy a couple of bags in a month. Its not about the price, it's more of the love for the design, my kind of design. You know? A bag shopaholic!!



 One of the benefits for Mel designed bags, they are usually light in weight and very roomy. Light is very a critical considering point for me as I like to carry a lot of stuff out. Being a small built person, I really hate to have the enormous weight weighing down my shoulders. As mentioned, I like to bring a lot of stuff so yes, roomy is also equally important.
 This bag has a couple of internal compartments and one at the back of the bag on the outside. This bag on it's own has to be hand carry. However, it does come with a sling strap for you in case you got tired from carrying it with your hands. (I guess every bag these days comes with a sling, it is almost a fashion icon now.)
The straps, needless to say can be adjusted to your own preferences but I prefer the shoulder bag feel so I will usually shorten the strips to the maximum I can go.

Have you been to Mel and purchased anything from there? Do you like their stuff?
Their brick and motar store has a very auntie look, but trust me, if you dig and explore hard enough, I am sure you can find something you like. Until than, cheers and look forward to the upcoming weekends!!

Etude House mini haul

Before I emptied the contents of my mini haul from Etude. For all the pink members of Etude out there, Etude has temporary cease their membership benefits from 8 August onwards as they are currently reviewing their membership criteria. So sad, bought my membership card but failed to get the discount. The staff mentioned their item's price are slightly reduced. It seems the same to me though.

Nevertheless, here some quick pictures of my mini hauls.

 The very sweet, girly packaging from Etude as usual.
 From left to right: Double eye lid tape SGD$2, Tweezers SGD$5.90, Ribbon flat brush SGD$7.90
 A clearer view of the ribbon flat brush. 
The double eyelids tape is considered cheap, though I do not know the effectiveness of it. Honestly, Double sided eyelids tape is much better because the tape is concealed and it will make the double eyelid looks natural. Normal double eyelids tape can be seen when you take a closer peek on the eyes. Will blog about it when I have the time.
 Some freebies they gave, promoting their Etude Season 2 store which showcase latest product, better pricing and latest makeup trend.
 They also included 3 freebies: 1) Collagen Moistfull cream, 2) Moistfull aloe mask, 3) BB cream



They have also three 10% redemption coupon valid between 9th aug 2012 - 9th sept 2012.
So fans of Etude, what are you waiting for? Start shopping now! ^_^

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Scoot...Scoot..Scoot


Scoot is having a promo for the 1st 1000 seats at a discounted price to Aussie.

Check it out now!





Have fun flying~

Creating a flawless look

With the increasing demand of needing to look good, many cosmetics company has competively comes out with new products to enhance facial features. Foundation liquid, Compact foundation, and the list go on.

They have products who will create a radiance look, a glowing effect, covering of pores and so on for an effective flawless look especially under the camera.

There is so many aspects to look after, when it comes to cover ups. Dark Eye circles, freckles, open pores, pimples, acnes scars, mild redness and so much more.

Using one product alone is insufficient to cover all the flaws and using too many products aka layering is also probably a bad idea because if it is over-layered, it becomes thick and cakey. Besides, if there is so much layering to do, it means it also takes the same amount of effort to de-layer the makeup by effectively removing the make up with a proper double cleansing. Either do that or prepare for further skin damage cause by outbreaks and other factors.

Primers

Primers is meant to even out the skin texture and the first step to create a flawless skin. It is also to hold your makeup so that it last longer throughout the day.

Primers are usually transparent in colour.

 Primers

There are also primers available solely for the eyes aka the eye primers.
Eye primers usually intensifies the colour of your eyeshadow. Common top hits eye primer will be urban decay brand. It also one of the more costly eye primers available in the markets.

 Eye Primers

The best place to shop for any primers will be sephora. They have many good brand primer for your selection. However, the price of each primer on average will kickstart from $45 onwards.

Concealers


No matter how good a concealer can be, it's very hard to conceal the flaws on its own. It's always best to have concealers with a few shades so you can mix to suit your skin tone best. Never layer concealer just to cover the flaws unless it just for photoshoot purposes only.Else, it will simply show crack lines after a while especially under the undereye.

For people who has dry skin, it's better to consider using liquid concealer to avoid all the cakey look. However, liquid concealer is not one of the best options if you are looking for heavier coverage.

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After all the basic  is done, the next step is to decide to go for liquid foundation or compact foundation.

Liquid Foundations



If you are prone to oily skin, I will suggest you avoid liquid foundation as liquid foundation contains a higher "oil" content and it probably make you more uncomfortable. Though liquid foundations these days are not as creamy as it used to be and it has a very light feeling, I am still not a fan of liquid foundation personally.

However, if you are a die hard liquid foundation person, you can consider using mousse.



Compact foundation


Easy on the go. Easy for touch ups. Can be used both wet and dry.

Pressed Powder





Press powder is usually used to set makeup on face in instances where liquid foundation is used. Personally, I used press powder regardless which option I opt for.



Pressed powder are much finer and smoother to feel on the skin. However, dusting so many layers on the skin means it can be overlayered. In this instance, I will use  a powder brush to dust off the face to remove the excess powder before setting the blusher and the eyeshadow.








As most cosmetics products are fine tuned these days means it's easy to "melt" on your skin due to facial heat.If you do not overlayered the powder, it should give you a very natural finish once your facial heat sort of melts the powder.






Do you have other ways of creating flawless look you would like to share?

Review on Biore Aqua Jelly

When I first the saw the cute advertisment on TV, I know I have to lay my hands on it. Biore make up remover series has been one of the most user friendly and cheaper alternative make up remover I have used. It effectively cleans your face and leaves a dewy feeling especially the new Aqua Jelly.

 The Original Packaging

Out of the box and ready to use ^-^

Translucent in colour so you can't really see the liquid on my palm -_-


This is in comparison with the older version of Biore. Actually with the new upcoming products and newer packaging, some of the older version of their make up remover is still around in most major drugstores and shopping centres.

With this addtion to the family, Biore now has 4 types of makeup remover. The other 2 being the liquid makeup remover in the blue bottle as well as the cleansing wipes.

The aqua jelly is thicker than their older counterparts. It has a very nice floral smell as it gently rubs off your makeup. Despite it's formula, I am glad to say its not an oily combination. Some liquid cleansing products can feels oily even after you have washed it off. Yet, it is powerful enough to  thoroughly remove your makeup. Isn't it awesome?

It also leaves a QQ feeling on the skin. 

I wanted very much to upload a photo of the makeup remover effect on makeup but the photo was somewhat hideous. Not the product making it hideous but my skin conditions is completely expose and erm, not a very scene to view.

So...

Have you tried the new makeup remover from Biore? Do you like it? Or perhaps you have other brands you will like to share. 

Disclaimer: Please note that this is not a sponsored post. Just a review on the product I purchased.

Monday 13 August 2012

Titanium Dioxide ~ Ingredients in makeup

Be Warned~ This is going to be a wordy post.

As the cosmetic industry reached another age of evolution and enhanced technology, it also means that women these days can look forward to a beautiful flawless skin. Effort or Effortlessly through dolling up.

However, few have stopped to think about the effects these technology will impact on our skin and on our health.

Natural beauty is no longer the 'IN' thing and even if it is, it's probably a very far stretched goal for many. So, the next option to beauty is using cosmetics. Cosmetics that contains chemicals to enhance our features, to beautify our face. However, long term and heavy usage of these chemicals can be deadly. (Though there hasn't been any scientific proves that cosmetics can "kill" a person or detoriates one's health)

Titanium Dioxide is one of the active ingredients in most cosmetics these days. It can even be found in sunscreens, products that suppose to protect us from the harmful UV rays.

I came to learn about the effects of titanium dioxide while I was researching on bismuth oxychloride, another ingredients which will cause underlying clog pores for some.

*Image of powdered titanium dioxide extracted from diytrade.com
Titanium dioxide on its own active form is toxic, so does inhaling of titanium dioxide. Like I mentioned earlier, its has not proven to be deadly for use in major cosmetics. It's rumoured to say that titanium dioxide on prolong usage can cause skin cancer.

So what is titanium dioxide?

*Extract from Wikipedia -
Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium(IV) oxide or titania, is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium, chemical formula TiO2. When used as a pigment, it is called titanium white, Pigment White 6, or CI 77891. Generally it comes in two different forms, rutile and anatase. It has a wide range of applications, from paint to sunscreen to food colouring. When used as a food colouring, it has E number E171.

Ok, I know. It is a little too scientific. However, here is another extract from wikipedia:

Sunscreen and UV absorber
In cosmetic and skin care products, titanium dioxide is used as a pigment, sunscreen and a thickener. It is also used as a tattoo pigment and in styptic pencils. Titanium dioxide is produced in varying particle sizes, oil and water dispersible, and with varying coatings for the cosmetic industry. This pigment is used extensively in plastics and other applications for its UV resistant properties where it acts as a UV absorber, efficiently transforming destructive UV light energy into heat.
Titanium dioxide is found in almost every sunscreen with a physical blocker because of its high refractive index, its strong UV light absorbing capabilities and its resistance to discolouration under ultraviolet light. This advantage enhances its stability and ability to protect the skin from ultraviolet light. Sunscreens designed for infants or people with sensitive skin are often based on titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide, as these mineral UV blockers are believed to cause less skin irritation than other UV absorbing chemicals. The titanium dioxide particles used in sunscreens have to be coated with silica or alumina, because titanium dioxide creates radicals in the photocatalytic reaction. These radicals are carcinogenic, and could damage the skin.

Ideally, titanium dioxide do not cause any major health issues. It is the nano particles of titanium dioxide that may cause some issues. In order to have the extra fine powder with a luminous glowing effect on the skin, there is a possiblity that nano particles are used. Since it's not a mandatory standards to list the ingredients as nano particles, it will simply be listed as titantium dioxide. (As researched from various sources)

I have also heard that the top 5 ingredients listed in a package is usually the top 5 active ingredients but it is present in all cosmetics and sunscreens. (Almost all cosmetics products) #shake heads

So for all the health conscious people out there, this may be a consideration factor for you.

Still, we are unable to live without sun screen and a lot more beauty factors so vanity totally outweighs health. Oh well, just part and parcel of life. Don't you think?

Disclaimer: This is merely what I cajoned from the various sources I read from the net. It might or might not be true base on scientific research. Any interested party, can read further at wikipedia. Just google "Titanium Dioxide" for a list of happy reading.*

Angled Tip

I suppose you must be guessing what is it with that weird post title?

Nope, it not a graphic object. Its not any weird objects.

It's a .......

.....


....


.....

Stationary post.

It has been a mini haul a while ago and honestly I cannot remember where I bought them. But it should be either ANBC or papermarket. I mean where else would I shop for stationary in town?

The pen is suppose to let you control the flow of the ink and of course, the strokes.

When I say the strokes, I mean to say you can control the thickness of the strokes by exerting the appropriate pressure when writing. How cool is that? #totally fascinated.



Ok, the photos doesn't really bring out the idea of the pen or rather the aim they have hope to achieve. It's probably the writing surface or the paper. #Whatever~


Lancome Rouge in Love

The most raved about lipstick that classifies its colour for 3 different needs of the day - Lancome Rouge in Love.

When the lipstick was launched by Lancome, I honestly wasn't too interested. After all, I am really not really a lip stick or lip gloss person. What drives me out of my boundaries?

I tried one of their colour for fun and I immediately fall in love with the shimmering nude shade. This shade - 210M was actually out of stock for awhile.

 The lipstick seems smaller to hold as compare to their previous collection. But I have always have a thing for their nudy. I recall my last nude lipstick is also Lancome. #shakeheads.

 Isn't the colour awesome or what? But it's more like a tint on your lips than having any lip colour on your lips. In short, it almost like a tinted lip balm just creamier to the lips. (Apologies for the horrified background)
 The lancome logo on the cap of the lipstick
 Colour on my hand, I am ubber fair by the way.
And, no worries, it ain't blood stains or stains~I just wanted to show a more precise colour of the lipstick on a erm~tissue paper. A totally wrong combination I guess but well, its better than contaminating the lipstick on the paper.

Do you own a rouge in love? Or are you a fan on LANCOME?