geminisc’s Neighborhood

Sole affair

Frond
13 hours ago
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Remember I was babbling about my new heels here? well, the pics have finally been uploaded so here they are.

First up, what I refer to as my cute heels. They aren’t formal at all and not what I expect to see from heels. The brand is North Star which normally sells track/running shoes. Hence the casualness of these I guess.

Like I said in the last post, original price was RM89.90. Got them at a whopping 70% off. So after taking into consideration the FX rate, price for me was S$20/US$14.

Love the teal blue and white. Got a lovely teal long dress that would match pretty much perfectly *happy happy*

and look at the heels. Gotta make sure to practice a little before leaving the house. Haven’t really used heels this high since I’ve had kids and that’s… erm… 9 years ago?

On to something a little more ethnic. If you were to meet a Peranakan woman a couple decades ago, chances are high that she’d be wearing one of these

(pic from here)

Well, personally, I don’t like the old fashioned look of these and prefer to have an open toed pattern (to show of my pretty nails especially after a pedi… yes, I’m vain)

So this is my latest pair of beaded sandals (I’ve got two others. Pics on the way). Actually, I have no need to get these… I just wanted them. And they looked so pretty. So I picked my pattern and my color (you can choose both) and the nice lady made a pair of sandals for me.

See how pretty the little flowers look? And to think someone hand beaded them one by one. Oh the time taken… if I had to do it, my eyes would surely be totally crossed!

Finally, here’s my lovely cheap pair of ‘classy’ heels. They were a “quick! I have to get these” type of buy. One size too big but at S$10 they were seriously a steal. Love the stitching detailing, the buckle and the nice red inside. Had to buy two sets of insoles just to make them a little more wearable.

Haven’t worn any of these shoes yet.. been in a pretty casual mood lately. But they’re sitting pretty on my shoe shelf and I can’t wait to wear them. :)

MAC Warm & Cozy Random Swatches

Reddy
16 hours ago
5 comments

I was out yesterday with my family. So after our trip to the Singapore Flyer.. I pleaded to head to the my favourite MAC counter.. Warm & Cozy was launched a few days ago.. So here are some random swatches from the collection..

Siss and Warm Me Up are lipsticks and in this photo, they've already sort of got smudge off. The shadesticks have definitely improved in formulation.. They glide on really smoothly and have really good pigmentation. However, they aren't great for me.. They tend to crease really quick on me. So if you've got fine lines, do re-consider your purchase.

Guess what! I came home empty handed after the visit to the counter. HAHAHA! Alto I'm really tempted to go back and get the By Candlelight MSF. *Sigh* We'll see.. Frond reminded me to make do with what I have. LOL! So wish me luck in trying to stick to that..

New Loves, Old Loves, and Disappointments/Lessons Learned in 2009

Hoozey
2 days ago
8 comments

I thought I'd share some products that I fell in love with this year, some that continue to keep me in love (so worth mentioning again) and some things that I wouldn't purchase again.

New Loves

*Beauty Society Enormous Lash- Face Fab is a representative for this company and of course I had to try out the EL because I'm a mascara ho and anything that will enhance my lashes I will try- especially since there is a money back guarantee if not fully satisfied. I got in on EL buy one get one free and have definitely seen results- as I have posted with photos on this blog.

* Lime Essential Oil- For several years I've been playing with melt and pour soap and making scrubs- using both essential oils and fragrance oils to scent. In general I tend to prefer EO over FO because FO can often have a "chemically" finish which I do not like. I seem to have a very sensitive nose (DD says I'm part beagle like our one dog Sully) so I notice scents being off. Even with EO, one can be disappointed with the scent-- for instance I have tangerine EO- expected to be bright and sweet like when one peels a tangerine and it was not very scented and rather bitter smell. So this year I ordered lime essential oil and it is my HG scent for the scrubs I make myself. I never seem to tire of the scent.

*Natural Soap Warehouse Key Lime Soap-- I've been a fan of natural soaps for a few years now but just ordered from Natural Soap Warehouse this year. By far my favorite is the Key Lime Soap-- it has the bright, fruity scent of lime essential oil which I love so much and it's natural soap which leaves my skin softer and less dried out. For the NSW price, I won't be bothering with scenting melt and pour soap base and will just keep ordering loaves of this soap. Many of the other scents are quite lovely but the Key Lime will be a staple for me.

*LaCrosse Double Bar Lash Curler- at about $5.99 this curler does the best job on curling my lashes quickly and easily. I've already bought a backup in case they stop making it. Post about it here.

* MMBB indelible liner pencil in Smolder- Lisa sometimes does a special order on these liner pencils and she suggested Smolder to me. I LOVE it- it's purple but smoky and just such a great liner color. When I travel, this pencil is always in the makeup case since it's great for so many different looks.

*Argan Oil- Lisa also recommended this- Sally's Beauty Supply sells a version of it and I picked it up. It can be used on wet or dry hair to help condition and prevent frizz. Usually this kind of product really weighs my fine hair down but this stuff works great. I bought the trial size for $1.99 and soon went back for the large size because I do not want to be without. When I was getting the large size the girl working at Sally's says "That stuff is great!" She even gave me a helpful hint of putting a little bit of it into hair dye to keep color longer.

*Aquafresh Isoactive Toothpaste- I really like the foaming action and how clean my teeth feel after using it.

*Revlon Eye shadow brush- I happen to find these at Big Lots for $1.99 if I remember correctly, but would even pay the real price (under $10) for this brush. I find myself grabbing this brush all the time.

*OCC Lip Tars- Due to the generosity of Lili, I was able to try almost all of their colors and can't tell you how fun they are. I only wish that they did smaller (more affordable) sizes so everyone could get the entire set and try them out. I am thinking about purchasing the entire set and breaking them down into smaller containers (like I put Lili's into the little paint containers that are 8 strung together with a round sticker on top with name) and sell to friends so more people get a chance at them. It only takes a tiny bit to get pigmented look- so the big tubes seem over the top. LMK if you think you'd be interested in a smaller sampler- if I get enough interest, I'd buy all the colors and do that.

Old Loves that still have my heart.

*Wen- (and Classy Minerals Hair Zen) cleansing conditioner. I just can not go back to shampoo since starting on this. My hair is super soft and conditioned but the added benefit is that I don't get "hair product" breakouts anymore.

* Emu oil-- LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stuff for my dry skin. In the summer I use a few drops of emu oil (which I scent with EO- usually lavender, even though I'm not a lavender fan it's beneficial to skin so I "get over" it and lavender is definitely better than "chicken fat" scent) mixed with a bit of water. In winter I use this same mix and then apply Olay moisturizer over it to give a bit more moisturizing and "sealing" in. I really think that emu oil is responsible for how young my skin continues to look.

*Emu soap- I don't make this, I buy a melt and pour base online and then add a bit more emu oil to it- I leave unscented. This is the only cleanser I use on my face. It just seems to work for me.

*Sugar and Honey face scrub- I especially love this in the winter. I mix about a teaspoon of honey with sugar until I get the right consistency and then scrub my face (and lips) in a circular motion in the shower. My skin feels so soft and all dry flakey skin is removed. Sometimes I add a bit of lemon juice to the mix. It works and tastes good too. LOL

*Humidifiers in the winter. I run humidifiers all over the house during the winter. I think it helps my skin and also seems to keep illness at bay.

*MMBB sprays- I use these for every makeup application I do. My favorite is the grape spray but I also love the neroli & immortelle. Lisa can attest that I insist on having a backup long before I run out.

*Fit Flops- I just love these shoes. I think I owe 6 pairs. I kind of hate winter because it's too cold to continue to wear these and I'm not really a fan of the clog versions they make because they are lined. They are the only flip flops I will wear because my feet never hurt when I wear them.

*Natural Soaps- last year I gave my mom and MIL a gallon each of the unscented (although I scented later) gel soap from Vermont Soap Works. My mom said she preferred this one to the Soap Factory one because it lathered better. Since I liked the Soap Factory one, I guess I would love the VSW version and plan to order some soon, although I have lots of bar soaps from Natural Soap Warehouse to use up first.

*Philosophy Falling In Love, Baby Grace and Pure Grace perfumes- as I mentioned before, I tend to have a sensitive nose and most perfumes do not agree with me. I love these three fragrances and can't say how happy I am to know that they will always be around. My signature scent is Falling In Love, but I still find myself grabbing Pure Grace (especially if I'm going in public after a workout) for it's clean, soapy scent and when I want a little more sweetness I grab Baby Grace. My DD loves Amazing Grace and it looks like I will have to buy my mom some because she kept using Amazing Grace lotion in DD's bath on her hands and commenting on how she liked it.

*Maybelline Full N Soft Mascara- I've tried many, many, many mascaras (see multiple posts of various mascara reviews- just look up tag of "mascara review") but haven't found anything better than FNS

*Mineral Foundation- don't see myself ever going to anything else. Recently I found my foundation looking a little eh, but I found that a change to Lumiere Flat Top brush, MMBB spray and less foundation is producing the look I love again.

Makeup Diary- Even though I do less FOTD photos, I still rely on a small little notebook to mark down what I wore, ideas to blog about, etc. It keeps me sane because if I didn't write these things down, I would not be able to post many FOTD and actually remember the products.

Things I was disappointed with-

Soy products- I started drinking soy milk daily as a way to combat belly fat but found that they are just not for me. I found that my skin started breaking out like crazy and didn't particularly like the bloated and gassy side effects. I guess I'll take working out harder to combat the belly fat-- not like some other parts of my body can't use this too. LOL

Pricy mascaras- I got the Sephora Lash Stash mini mascara set and all I can say, not one of them is worth the price when I can get Maybelline Full N Soft Mascara for half the price. See review.

Chagrin Falls Shampoo Bars- This is just because my hair is really fine- my hair was once described as a forest of skinny trees- so these Shampoo Bars really weighed my hair down and left it rather oily looking. My DD has coarse hair and she actually found these helpful for her hair (although the one that has patchouli scent annoyed DH so I passed those along to a friend that I knew enjoyed them.)

Here's the final two FOTD for 2009- I'll post them now and will be starting on Makeup Diary #3... kind of funny that I ran out of pages with this post.

Dec. 26 (My mom and Brian were visiting and we went to see a local band play later that evening.)

P1000621

Dayna foundation using Lumiere Flat Top brush, MMBB Grape Spray and less foundation.

Tarte Dollface and Flush gel blushes

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Eyes- Coastal Scent Bare Necessity indelible, Apricot Dreamzzz all over lid. Cocoa Nut in crease, Mad Magnetism indelible on waterline, Iced Sugar Plums as liner and outer corner. Luminous White Gold as brow and inner corner highlighter. Loreal Extra Volume with Collagen and Maybelline Full N Soft (WP) mascaras

Lips- Botanics Chicory pencil. Cover Girl Plum Shine (lipstick like tube but sheerer than lipstick) Dec. 30

Dec. 30

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Dayna (applied as Dec. 26)

Tarte Dollface and Merry gel blushes

Eyes- CS Bare Necessity as base, Sunbeam (inner 1/2) Iced Tee (outer 1/2) Magnetism waterline and upper lash line. Black Sparks over GD as liner and then a little dry on outer corner.

Lips- Jordana Mauve Silk liner, Cover Girl Wet Slicks No Care Bare.

NEIGHBORHOOD CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS POST ON YEAR IN REVIEW

New Year's Eve FOTD

Reddy
2 days ago
5 comments

This is what I did for my NYE. Since I was heading to my parents and would be taking off the makeup really soon after, I didn't bother much with my look. You wouldn't guess that I was actually having the beginning of a really bad migraine.

I switched up for a different powder foundation.. So it would less ghostly. It doesn't give that flawless photofinish look that I like but it does okay for casual days.

I managed to surprise myself.. I've been stuck in a neutral rut for so long that I came to the point of hating all the neutral looks I do. BUT this one, I likey a lot! It's the right shade and tone of brown!

Things used to create this look..
- MAC paintpot in Painterly
- MAC e/s in All That Glitters
- Fyrinnae Arcane Magic e/s in Greenman's Forest
- MAC e/s in Unbasic White
- MAC technakohl eyeliner in Graphblack

Like I said, it was a really simple look. I hope you enjoyed your New Year's eve and will continue to enjoy your New Year's day! It seemed like the whole of Singapore was busy partying yesterday night. LOL! Me.. I went to bed and enjoyed a pretty good night rest. My head is still threatening to split into two.. With painkillers (loads of them), its pretty manageable now.

Hopefully 2010 would be a better year for all of us! Best wishes to you all here in Vox!

Happy New Year!

Reddy
3 days ago
3 comments

Saying goodbye to 2009 has never been easier, this year has been a real rollercoaster ride for me. With the husband away for such a long period, I had trouble coping with a lot of things and some of them were emotional.. Now that 2010 is approaching, I hope that it would be a better year..

Personal resolutions aside (after all its personal!).. Let's talk about beauty/skincare resolutions.

One.. I hope to be kind to my skin by giving it a little more TLC which means, it's time to stock up on masks!

Two.. I hope to wear sunscreen regularly. Yes, I am still struggling with sunscreen. Being sensitive to sunscreen sucks.. However, Dr. Wu's sunscreen has been kind to me.. Hopefully it would remain so.

Three.. Buy LESS of EVERYTHING. Sounds almost impossible.. But as Frond keeps reminding me, SHOP MY STASH!

Four.. Blog more often! Or rather be much more consistent in blogging.. And for goodness sake, learn swatching! Hahaha!

Five.. Drink more water! I think this is pretty self explanatory.

That's all folks.. Hope you all have a great New Year's Eve. I'm off to spend it at my parents place.. And hopefully I would be feeling better soon.. I've got a killer headache from my neighbour's drilling and lack of sleep.

First Impressions : Fyrinnae Eyeshadows

Reddy
4 days ago
5 comments

I finally gotten around trying my Fyrinnae eyeshadows.. They've been lying around for a really long time (think: a month at the very least). I've been telling Frond that I really need to get my Fyrinnae samples swatched but I'm a real procrastinator.

I can't begin to describe how in love I am with the eyeshadows.. So vibrant! So pigmented! It's really LOVE at first application. The photo is taken roughly 6 hours after application..

Items used to create this look..
- MAC paintpot in Painterly
- Fryinnae Arcane Magic e/s in Avian Shapeshifter
- Fryinnae Arcane Magic e/s in Feline Familiars
- MAC e/s in All that Glitters
- MAC e/s in Unbasic White
- MAC technakohl liner in Graphblack

My mum's friend complimented my look.. She said it was better than one of my other looks. I'm looking forward to create more looks with my small teeny haul. I highly recommend those who are crazy about pigments to try this! There's really no turning back..

p.s. And yes, I've not tried the Pixie Epoxy (which was the main item in my small haul). LOL!

Goodbye 2009.. and hello to 2010!

Reddy
7 days ago
7 comments

Once again, its the time of the year to do a blog spring cleaning.. I'll be deleting most of my posts and photos. Hopefully I would be blogging much more frequently in 2010.. So till I'm done with spring cleaning! Tata for now! =)

Super Simple EOTD

Frond
Dec 26, 2009
4 comments

Didn’t feel very colorful today… so here’s what I came up with…

No base
NYX JEP in Yoghurt – all over lid
TSS Beyond Skin Deep – patted on lid and blended upwards all the way to the brow.
MM’s liquid eyeliner in 995 (I think… its the greyish/silverish black) – tried for a slightly winged look
MM’s gorgeous lash mascara
Maybelline’s Volum’ Express Turbo Boost mascara in black
Inuovi’s brow pencil in I dunno what color. *lol*

I had forgotten how totally goregous Beyond Skin Deep is. It gives a lovely subtle glow to my eyes that is really so pretty. Am pretty sure I’ve got a spare sample baggie of this color cos I love love love it. Now to rummage through my stash again. For asians, I can’t emphasize how much I love this color! Sadly it was an LE… so I doubt its available any more. Still no harm checking with Heather from TheSheSpace:P

These pics were taken at 11.37pm and the m/u was applied at 4pm so… eyes are slightly oily. Apologies. Forgot to take pics as I was rushing out the door.