My untouchable beauty wish list!

Oh dear, very itchy!  Not talking about that, I'm talking about itching to shop in Space NK!  For those of you who are less familiar with the UK beauty scenery, Space NK is a beauty apothecary store which stocks up on the highest quality of makeup, skincare and haircare brands from all over the world.  It's definitely one of the most interesting beauty chained stores in the world.  If you can't visit a Space NK store physically yet, perhaps you should check out its website to see what makes you tick - they do international delivery to most of the countries in the world..... dangerous alert to your purse!  Ooops!

There has been quite a few exciting new launches recently from two of my favourite brands, Hourglass and Eve Lom.  Living in Hong Kong means I miss out on all the hourglass good stuff, although Eve Lom is available here, EL's latest launch on makeup are somewhat a distant dream to me for the time being.

As a blusher junkie, hourglass' latest invention Ambient Lighting Blush £28, looks absolutely lush - I really want to get my hands on those.  I own its Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light.  I bought it because it's a cult product but as I started to exploring using it I liked it more and more.  Ambient Lighting Blush is the blusher version of the Ambient Lighting Powder.  It is available in 6 shades and I love that their names correspond with the Ambient Lighting Powder, such as Dim Light vs Dim Infusion.  Perhaps you can colour match your blusher with the lighting powder?  I know I'm vain like that!

Eve Lom made her name of her amazing skincare range, of which the Cleansing Balm is a real hit and has been known as the best facial cleansing product in the world of all times.  I'm yet to try it purely because of the price tag.  But when I found that that EL has launched an exciting range of makeup base products - I can almost guarantee to myself that I would try something from it.

I have my eyes on 3 products:

Brilliant Cover Concealer - £30, available in 6 shades, contains SPF 15. 

Flawless Radiance Primer - 50g for £40

Radiance Perfected Tinted Moisturiser - £48, available in an amazingly 12 shades, contains SPF 15.

I'm a firm believer in spending a little more on base products, they are the layers that you slap on first and are closest to your natural skin, it's got to be right so that it sets a good and flawless foundation to your face.

All of these products are available on a pre-order only basis - what are you still waiting for?  Go into the shops, or have a look on its website.

Have you pre-ordered yet?  What have you got your eyes on?

The weirdest body wash

I'm not someone who is willing to spend a fortune on body products especially body wash. So, when I finished my last one, I decided to continue with the budget buy on body products theme and had a nose round Fusion by Park 'N' Shop, a local Hong Kong supermarket. I love Fusion, it stocks up on a ton of Waitrose stuff, and a few stuff from Superdrug! It reminds me of home.

In Hong Kong, it's not difficult to find something black or green in colours - what I actually try to say is, say in any Bakery Shops, you can easily find a green or black buns on the rack - the green ones are normally green tea flavour and the black ones are either charcoal baked or black sesame flavours.  Weird?  Nope!  It's interesting and yet a norm in Hong Kong, I noticed.

This Charcoal Essence Deep Cleanse Refreshing Body Wash caught my eyes immediately despite sitting amongst all the other hundreds of body washes products on the shelves.   As I glanced through the ingredients list, it says this body wash contains charcoal essence, hence the black coloured product.

It's pretty bizarre really the first time when I pumped this good stuff out - it really is a thick black creamy textured body wash.  It is not fragranced, rather it smells of a cleaning product, bizarre again! To the best of my knowledge, charcoal has a function of deep cleanse - a bit similar to a black mud mask if you think about it.

However, it doesn't feel as if it's too strong for me skin but rather, I felt that my skin is being deeply cleansed and I feel nice and fresh afterwards.  It doesn't dry my skin out and it's pretty hydrating, too!

Another close-up to this bizarre looking black creamy product!

Charcoal Essence Deep Cleansing Body Wash HK$29.99 for 800ml available from Fusion by Park 'N' Shop.

Everybody loves a bit of Chanel

For a rather long while, Chanel makeup was a very distant dream to me; one that it felt like stars on the sky, I can see it and admire about how sparkly and beautiful they are but never have been able to touch and own it.

The fantasy ended just over a year ago when I took the plunge to try out the Vitalumiere Aqua foundation.

Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation remains as one of my favourite foundations all times.  Vitalumiere Aqua is a watery based foundation, you need to shake the bottle before squeezing out the lovely product out.  Dry skin loves this formulation, it hydrates and provides a light to medium coverage.

Owning a healthy collection of high end nail polishes always makes me faint, purely because of the insanely high price tag, when you can get some good quality nail products with a fraction of the price.  However that didn't stop me from wanting not one but two Le Vernis Nail Colour by Chanel.  I have these in #569 Emprise which is a peachy nude colour, with very fine shimmer that runs through it.  #18 Rouge Noir is a classic dark forest (burgundy) that of the line.  The formulations are pretty long lasting and the application is very easy, too.

Have you tried any mascaras by Chanel?  I had this one Sublime de Chanel Waterproof Length and Curl Mascara  .  I usually get on with plastic bristle brush but sadly I didn't with Chanel's.  I didn't find it either lengthened or curled my lashes..... I've heard too many people said that mascaras normally perform better from the drugstore range... and I think they may be right!

Do you take notice of other ladies as they take their lippies out from their handbags and wondered what lip products do they use?  I certainly do and I always find ladies who own a Chanel lipstick has got taste...  So it's a no brainer I got myself a Chanel lipstick, this one Rouge Coco Shine in #46 Liberte.  Its hydrating formula is so good for the dry lips, sometimes I can even get away without having to prep my lips before applying this.  The slim packaging is very handy, too especially to fit it in a clutch when you struggle with space.  After being impressed by Rouge Coco Shine, I went for the Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in #165.  This is by far my favourite lip gloss at all times.  It gives such a glossy finish to my lips whilst it is not sticky at all.... I wore it in extremely windy days and being windswept a few times but the lip gloss on my lips have not caught my hair; which is a good sign for a lip gloss!

My petite Chanel makeup collection wouldn't be completed without a blusher or two.  Joues Contraste Powder Blush in #74 Ultra Rose is a very bright rose pink on the pan, light handed is highly required!  I must say I didn't use it often enough as I have to be honest I didn't find this powder blusher perform as well as others that I have.  It's a little too pigmented for my liking and it's not the easiest blusher to blend so I often end up looking like a clown whenever I have this on no matter how careful and light handed I am.....  On the other hand, Le Blush Creme De Chanel in #64 Inspiration.  I found myself constantly reaching out for this pale pink cream blusher.  It goes with almost any makeup look that I might be wearing and works especially fabulously with smokey eyes.

Finally, I was lucky enough to be sent one of Chanel's latest launches - CC Cream in #12 Beige Rose.  This CC Cream in beige rose is a special formula for Asian ladies which is supposed to give a slightly pinky finish to give that healthy glowing look.  Unfortunately I have mixed views about it after one use (first impression).  When I had it first applied on my face using my fingertips, I found that the product clanged onto some of my dry patches on my face, e.g. round my nose.  I have to say it did give quite a flawless complexion overall and it appeared quite matte.  I wouldn't recommend this for dry skinned girls!

I hope you liked my little Chanel makeup collection!  Have you used any of these?  Which Chanel products would you recommend to me?

Nail Polish Dupe: Dior vs Kiko

Who doesn't love a bit of extravagant nail polish?  But every time when I make a purchase of a nail polish which costs more than a tenner, my heart sinks and would just go back to a drugstore nail polish the following time.

The other day, I struggled to establish a connection with any of the nail polishes that I have, aka. didn't know which colour to wear.  I decided to pick a nude shade, and one that I haven't worn in a while.

I picked the nail lacquer by Kiko in the shade #220 Satin Beige.  I remembered I fell in love with it the first time I applied it - a beige/ nude colour that flatters my slightly olive skin tone on my hands, and at the same time it's got some very fine glitter that runs through it.

It also dries quick and lasts well.  I normally apply 2-3 coats to get that more opaque finish (to my taste) but less sometimes can be more if you want a more sheer finish.

The finish is natural, elegant and very easy to wear and it goes with any outfits that you are carrying that day.  One of the highest quality nail polishes I have tried and with that price tag (£3.50), it really cannot go wrong.

As I was wearing it, it reminded me instantly of the Diorific Vernis Nail Polish by Dior that I purchased before Christmas.  I was attracted by the very cute golden vintage rounded bottle.  I picked #318 Frimas which is a nude shade.

Similar to Kiko's, Diorific in Frimas has some really fine glitters that run through it which gives a really subtle sparkly finish when painted on the nails - enough to take you through from day into the evening!

Kiko's satin beige has more of an orange undertone whereas Diorific Frimas has a more greyish pink to the nude shade.  Strictly speaking the colours are identical but I dare you, once you tried both; you would be like me, to be reminded of either when using one of these.

How about trying both or one of these dependent on your budget?

Kiko Nail Lacquer  £3.50

Diorific Vernis nail polish by Dior  £20.00

Cynthy and a chocolate shower

Who doesn't like eating chocolate?  But did you ever want chocolate-scented skin?  If you do, please read on.

This Chocolate Creamy Body Wash comes from the Sephora Collection Creamy Body Wash range which I bought in Paris in the summer.  A reminder of what I bought in Paris you can visit here and here.

I was intrigued when I first saw this then as I glanced acrossed the shelf, this range also offers scent such as Green Tea.

As you open the cap of the tube, there is an intense fragrance of chocolate sends to my nostril which 'woke me up' a little bit.  The creamy texture this body wash made the product felt very luxury and really rather refreshing!  The pale brown colour makes you think you are truly showered with melted silky chocolate.

Compared with other body wash products, this one is very moisturising which I didn't feel the need to be obliged with the application of a body cream after a shower.  Does the chocolate scent linger on the skin afterwards?  Not really.  But does it matter?  No, not for me at least.  I actually would prefer it didn't make me skin smelling like a bar of chocolate.

I wondered if this could be a diet-fix solution for someone who craves for chocolate?  If that fails, this would certainly be a very sexy gift comes Valentine's day or Wedding Anniversary.

2013 Creme De La Mer Awards: Makeup Part 2

If you have missed Part 1 of the 2013 Creme De La Mer Awards, Makeup, you can click here to reveal which products have made the cut!

The Best Bronzer
As I became a little more adventurous with my makeup, I found myself slowly picking up bronzers to sweep over my face.  I don't use bronzers to add colours to my face to create that sun-kissed look but I like to use it to give my face a little structure that it needs, mainly to give it some cheek-bones.

Nars Laguna has immediately made it to my number one bronzer's favourite, even though I only started using it back in November (so, there, I cheated a little bit).

I tried a few others such as Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder which I like as it's quite a light bronzing colour so I can build it up to however much I like it to be.  But nothing beats Laguna, lightly dab on the pan with an angle brush, a few sweeps and strokes on the face, I can see my cheek bones looking more prominent. 

The Best Highlighter

The best highlighter ever has to be the highlighting shade from the Chantecaille Coral Reef Palette.  As you can see I have so hit pan on this, and it's been really truly well loved by me.

It's not shimmery at all which I discovered I like the best in a highlighter.  Come on, you don't want to look like a disco ball at the end of the day, do ya?  I don't think Chantecaille does this shade in a single shadow - I'm currently rationing this and am searching for the next best thing.

The Best Blusher(s)

This has got to be my most category of makeup to choose just ONE winner.  Blusher is my number one favourite makeup product, and for me to have to choose just one is harder than completing an university degree!  So, I'm going to cheat here, I'll choose one powder blusher, and a creamy one.

The Best Cream Blusher goes to...... Chanel Le Blush Creme De Chanel Cream Blush.  

I have this in the colour, Inspiron which is a baby pink shade.  I love that it's so versatile that it goes with absolutely every looks that I tried to pull - an au natural or a little more daring smokey eye looks.  It's not the most pigmented cream blush on the market but that's good, because I can build it up slowly to the intensity of colour that I like.  I like to apply this using a Real Techniques' Stippling Brush.

The Best Powder Blusher goes to.......Charlotte Tilbury's Cheek to Chic Blusher, which I have it in the colour Love is the drug.  

I love the dark chocolate brown coloured packaging, and it's so compact as well.  The mirror that comes with it made it a very handy mirror case, too if you need it on the go.  This blusher is composed of two shades of colour which is rather innoative!  The outer circle is a paler pink which you swirl it round with your favourite blusher brush to give your cheek a 'base colour', if you want to intensify the look, then you dab your brush in the inner circle and there you have it, 'pop' your cheek with this brighter and darker shade.  Even though I don't use this on a daily basis, I save it for special occasions, especially for the evening; or when I know I'll be out all day as the colour stays put pretty well.

The Best Eyebrow Pencil

Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil this stuff is good, ya know what I'm saying?  This is my second pencil and I'm still loving it.  It's definitely my staple eyebrow pencil, I go back to it after having tried out others.  It's such a false-proof eyebrow pencil, I cannot imagine how anyone's brows would go wrong if they use this.

The Best Lip Product

I'm not an adventurous person when it comes to lip products, contradictory though, I own more than 20 lip products.  I'm more of a fan of the nude, peachy shades, 'my lips but better' shades are the colours that I would normally go for.   Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector has made the cut. 

Here's why, I love love love how hydrating it is for my very dry, chapped and sometimes flaky lips (no matter how much I care about them - scrub and moisturise).  Whilst this lip perfector hydrates my lips, they add a wave of light pink colour (my lips but better colour that I talked about like 5 seconds ago).  It smells so nice as well, like a sweet marshmallow scents.  All in all, it ticks ALL the boxes for me.

Thank you so much for staying tuned with me till the end of the Makeup Awards.  The Skincare and Nails awards will be to follow..... come back to share my favourites soon.

2013 Creme De La Mer Awards: Makeup Part 1

2013 has been a very exciting beauty year for myself.  It's a year when I made the most discoveries in the beauty world with my sister @forksandbrushes.

I want to take this opportunity to make a little award ceremony here on my blog, to share with you some of the best bits I've tried in makeup (part 1 and 2), skincare and nail products.

This 1 of a part 2 makeup post will all be dedicated to makeup products.

The Best Base Product(s)

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Ultra light Foundation

If you have just started playing around makeup products and are lucky enough to have a bit more money to spend, you have to try this foundation.  It's the first high end beauty product I purchased.  It's ever since become my go-to, fail-safe foundation.  I like the water-based texture that it's very hydrating to the skin, which is great for anyone who has dry skin.  It gives such a sheer finish that it makes your skin glow and look very healthy and dewy.  It also stays put well and doesn't oxidise as the day goes.  This will definitely be on my re-purchase list.


The Best Concealer

For under eye areas: This has to be RMS Beauty 'Un' Cover-up concealer.

This has got to be the best concealer I have ever tried!  I started hearing about the brand RMS beauty at the beginning of 2013 but it wasn't until in the summer I bought products from RMS Beauty from an Organic Natural Beauty Product shop called Being Content (a hidden gem in London).  This concealer is an extremely light creamy texture in a pot.  You can definitely build up the coverage but blending more or less of the product but it would never end up looking cakey.  It's fantastic for the under eye areas because it brightens up the skin.  It can also be built up and used as a foundation.

For spots and blemishes: Laura Mercier Undercover pot

Excuse the state of my pot - it goes to show how well loved it's been!

At the end of 2012, I started making baby steps in exploring the beauty world.  Laura Mercier Undercover pot was one of the first high end beauty products that I decided to try after hearing only positive reviews about it.  It continued to sail through and became a firmed favourite of staple products in my beauty drawer all through 2013.  I exhausted the bit which was used to cover up under eye bags and have loved it.  Until the second half of 2013, the bit which is used as blemish concealer has become my best companion.  It's creamy in texture so it blends extremely well to cover up spots/ blemishes.  The powder at the bottom compartment comes in really handy to set the concealer.  When I said set it does exactly what it's meant to do.  My concealer stays put all day long and my spots/ blemishes..... are completely invisible.

The Best Eye Shadow

When every other blogger seems to be raving about how much they love Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24hr Cream, I tried but didn't connect with the beaut of it.  I, on the other hand have fallen firmly in love with L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow.  They come in the form of pressed powder pigments and all shades are shimmery but no OTT which I like to use as a day-time look.  Sometimes when I'm lazy or in a hurry, I like to just use my 4th fingers to sweep these across my eyelids.  When I feel fussy and can afford to take my time to do my makeup, I like to use Real Techniques' duo-fiber brush to blend it all over my eye lids.  You don't need to be an expert to apply this onto your eyes, the shadow does the job itself once it touches your eyes, it sounds like magic but it really is like that.  By using just one colour makes you look like you've spent ages to blend blend blend a few different shades.  L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow, have you tried any of it?

The Best Eye Shadow Quad

Charlotte Tilbury's Colour-Coded Eyeshadow Palette

The launch of CT's makeup range was probably one of the most exciting things happened in the year of 2013, for the beauty world and for me as a beauty blogger.  I was there on the very day when Charlotte launched her makeup range in Selfridges.  There was a real buzz at her beauty counter, and there were just so much makeup products to choose from.  I'm so glad I picked up her Colour-Coded Eyeshadow Palette in Dolci Vita.  I have been using it on a weekly basis, if not daily.  It is that good.

You can use all 4 shades to create the look that you want.  For me, I found myself reaching glittery shade the post.  It has a sheer pale brown undertone to this glitter, I like to use my 4th finger to press this powder over my eyelids, either on its own or over an eye makeup that I will have done.   

The Best Eyeliner

Kiko Precision Eye Pencil

I love me some eyeliners to frame my eyes to make them look bigger, brighter and rounder.  Hands down Kiko Precision Eye Pencil is by far the best eye pencil on the market.  I have switched from lining my eyes using black to brown to give a less harsh finish to my eye makeup.  Kiko eye pencil is soft, so it makes drawing the lines very easy, great for beginners.  Although the pencil is soft, it doesn't need to be sharpened often that the tip of the pencil is still pointed enough to draw you the perfect liners that you are after. Since Kiko is not available in Hong Kong, I have already stocked up on an extra eye pencil!

The Best Mascara

Max Factor Clump Defy Waterproof Mascara

As someone who has very short eyelashes, I am the first to admit that it's very difficult to settle for one mascara that fits the bill all round.  Not only are my lashes short, they are quite sparse and naturally not curly... *sobbing*....

In my short journey of trying over 10 mascaras in the year of 2013, I stumbled across Max Factor Clump Defy Waterproof Mascara.  The plasticky bristle style brush, with a slight curl wand seems to do some magical tricks to my eyelashes.  Of course I also have to rely on my Shu Uemura x Karl Lagerfeld eyelash curler to do some necessary prep but a few coats of this mascara, my eyes are opened up beautifully - curled up, lengthened and looking a lot more voluminous.  I also heard that non-waterproof mascaras are better to hold the curls in eye lashes, I know I'll give the non-waterproof version a go in the near future.

Have you used any of these products mentioned?  Are any of these also your favourite of 2013?

Stay tuned for Part 2 Makeup of the 2013 Creme De La Mer Awards,