BOBBI BROWN MINI LONG-WEAR CREAM SHADOW STICK TRIO

I always think Christmas is the best time of the year to get the cosmetics. I have been good this year, I was very much in control with what I purchased. HOWEVER, when I saw this trio set, I just couldn't resist. There has been hype about the By Terry Eyeshadow Stick, but for £28, I think it is all a bit pricy for an eyeshadow sticks.  When I saw this trio, I thought, this is exactly what I need. Despited my vanity is already eyeshadow overloaded, I had to get it.

The three shade is Smokey Topaz, Expresso Bean and Pink Sparkle.  All three of them contain glitters, very subtle and very pretty. Not at all like shouting out loud for attention type. The Smokey Topaz is a taupe eyeshadow with a tad of purple undertone in it. Pink Sparkle is the same with the name, a very nice light pink, but when you blend out, it looks very similar with Sin in the Naked 1 pallet. Expresso Bean is a rich black eyeshadow which I use as an eye liner. I have not yet tried to blend this one out on the whole lid. I might try one day and I will let you know how it looks!

They are all very creamy and easy blendable.  But you do need to work quite fast when you apply them, otherwise, once they set, it is very hard to remove and you will need to really rub your eyelid to blend it, that, we don't want it at all.  

The photo doesn't really show how sparkly they are on the lid. Those eyeshadow do brighten up my eyes and make me looks more awake but not looking like wearing heavy makeup.  I have been wearing this eyeshadow trio everyday since I got them. Day to night, from work to party. I think it is a very good gift set to get to yourself.

What else you got for this Christmas? :)

Alicia xx

Chanel Rouge Allure #96

I think I am addicted to lipsticks. I really think so! I have no idea how many I have in my collection already, but yet, I still managed to get a new one.

I recently went to Manchester to visit a friend of mine. I have not seen her for years and I am always very fond of her makeup. This time when I finally saw her in person, I was specially impressed with the lip colour. Turn out, it was the Chanel Rouge Allure #96 Excenrique and of course, I had to get it immediately.

It looks quite red on the tube and made me think that might be a bit too dark for my daily use. But actually, when I applied it on the lips, it looks very natural and just brighten up the face.  It has a slightly orange under tone, which is great, suits my Asian skin very well.  I don't own many Chanel Rouge Allure, but I have to say, the quality is excellent. It applied very smoothly. I would say it is satin finishing, so it won't look flaky but you do need to make sure the lips are not too dry before applying it. The lasting power is not bad, but I won't say it is long lasting. I do need to apply it after few hours, but that is also because I drank a lot of water/tea/ coffee...everything!  It won't dry out the lips like some lipsticks do, but you can sort of feeling it sets on the lips, which I don't mind. As long as it stays there and won't move around, I am happy. 

I kept thinking that there is no way I have never tried some similar colours before; consider how addicted I am toward to lip colours. When I came back in London, I checked through my collections, and, guess what! I found out that Estee Lauder Daring is almost identical to this Chanel Excentrique. Estee Lauder Daring was the limited edition for Selfridges London only, and I think it was only for this summer. I am not sure have they brought it out again as regular collection. But if you are one of those who wanted to get the Daring but didn't manage to. I think Chanel Excentrique is very similar. If anything, the Estee Lauder Daring is more in the orange side compare to the Chanel Excentrique

Anyways,  if you like red lipsticks with the orange undertones, I strongly recommend this Chanel Rouge Allure Excentrique. I have been using this lipstick everyday since I got it, and I still enjoy it! Think I might run to buy another one, just in case...! That's how much I love this lipstick. Go and try it! :)

Alicia xx

Sanctuary Skin Care

 

I have heard about the Sanctuary skin care line for a long time, however, I have never got a chance to get round with it.  I received a Boots gift card the other day from a student. So I went to my favorite shop in the world:Boots! Duh! I was just looking around as usual and try to find things to buy. ( Apparently, that is the way I shop! Randomly!) When I saw the 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask, I was reminded that I was actually looking for a good deep cleanser mask. Luckily, Sanctuary do a lot products in the sample size. This way, we can try the products first before we devoted to the full size. I was very impressed with the Detox Mask, and then I went a bit crazy to buy more samples. 

   

The first one I used was the 5 minutes Theraml Detox Mask. It does give a very nice warm feeling when applying on my face. I was very surprised how clean my face look after I washing off the mask. I am totally buying the full size one for this. The Moisture Boosting Mask is quite average, I thought. It still gives a very nice touch on the skin and apply very easily. However, I don't think it does BOOST the moisture on my face as it claimed to do. When I wore makeup the next day, I can still see a bit dry patch on my skin. 

 Throughout the three small tube, I am most impressed by the Night Concentrate. My skin can be quite dry after washing. The Night Concentrate helps to moisture my skin and after applying it, my face felt very soft and smooth. The formula is very rich, but not too thick. It doesn't leave the very closed up feeling on the skin. The Exfoliator reminds me a lot of the Origins Never A Dull Moment Exfoliator. The consistency is a bit too thick for my test and it felt a bit rough on the skin. After I washed off the mask, I didn't see a major difference on my face, so I can't really say I would buy this product again. The Illuminate Moisture Lotion SPF15 is quite rich. However, I wouldn't recommend it to people who has the oil skin. It will work well if your skin type is dry combination. But it might be too oily for the oil type skin.

Oeverrall, Sanctuary is a very good brand in the skin care line. The price is not too bad. It is not as cheap as other drug store brands, but definitely a lot less than the high end ones. I would try out more products on this line for sure! 

Have you try any products from the Sanctuary? What's your thought? :)

About me

Hello Everyone!

So I decided to start the blog this month. I am Alicia and I am a freelance musician who happened to enjoy doing makeup and nail...all these things related to beauty/ fashion.  :)

Last week in London, we finally had very summery weather, and thought I would take the chance and dress up a little for the small date out!

Normally, I am not a big fan with blue colour. Blue just doesn't go with my skin tone, I thought. However, lately, I have been enjoy this jacket from Zara. It has the leopard print inside and it is very light. I wouldn't say it is a super warm jacket, but it can certain keep me comfortable in the wind. The bag is from Michael Kors. It is the large Sophie bag. I got it from the summer sale in the Michael Kors in Covent Garden.  I am pretty happy about this bag. It is very big and not at all heavy. Not like the MK Hamilton, which was a bit too heavy for my taste. I got one Hamilton and I only carried it out twice since last Christmas. I guess, I just can't really deal with the heavy duty bag. Anyway, this Sophie has a very good size and nice weight. I am really pleased with it.

On the same day, I finally decided it is time for me to do something with my eye brows. I went to the Blink in Westfield, London. The lady, who served me, was very professional and didn't push me to buy anything. When I left the store, I was all very happy and satisfied. My brows now look much cleaner and frame my face much better. I would really recommend people to visit Blink, if you have any brows problems! ( Apparently, they also have facial service, but I have never tried it, so I can't really say anything about it! )

The photo was taken half hour later after my brows done. I thought it looked tidy and very natural. How do you think? :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my first ever blog, and talk to you soon!

xx