So I've recently gotten into tight lining my upper lash line. I never knew it made such a huge difference!  As I don't have many (actually, close to 0) good quality pencil liners, I decided to go get myself one. Almost every makeup brand makes pencil liners so I did a bit of reviewing and found that the Sephora one actually has been getting quite good ratings. 

I got this at my local Sephora for about $20SGD (10USD/6GBP) . From the packaging I'd say it looks like your regular, garden-variety creamy pencil liner. The first thing I noticed when I took off the cap was that it isn't retractable. That put me off quite a bit because I hate having to sharpen my pencils (think NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils, as much as I love them). The nib/point(?) is quite thick and the formula is of a very creamy consistency. It glides on opaque with one swipe on the back of my hand. It's also semi-waterproof (smudges with a bit of rubbing without water).  You have to wait quite a bit for it to set/dry and because of this, when I use it on my lash line, it smudges when I blink. I solve this by going over it with a bit of liquid liner and it sets the creamy pencil perfectly! 

It finally came off with Bioderma! You can actually see how hard I had to scrub with my trusty Bio and there's still bits left. 

All in all, although I hate sharpening it because it wastes so much product, it isn't too shabby a liner! I plan to try the Bourjois Contour Clubbing pencil when this runs out but if that doesn't work out, I'll high likely repurchase this! 

I love Sephora's makeup brushes but I found the makeup itself a bit iffy. This definitely exceeded my expectations of the Sephora brand makeup collection and I'm keen to try out more things from them, namely their lip cream stains and eyeshadows! 

What are your thoughts about the Sephora makeup collection? Any recommendations? (:

I know it can't be easy on the wallet for some of us to keep up with the large array of new products being launched or makeup we want to try out, therefore I've put together a list of tips on how to save money while shopping for makeup on a tight budget! This is just what I would do personally and I'm in no way saying you HAVE to follow them! (: Just thought it was worth a share! x 

1. Only buy one colour/shade of a product that you're unsure of.

It may be tempting to follow gurus and get a new product in all of the shades, but what if you don't like it? Then you would have wasted more money than you would have if you'd just gotten one to try out first!

Plenty of hype has been going around about the Marc Jacobs makeup line ever since it came out last year (or the year before, I can't remember). Youtubers and bloggers alike were talking about it and people were stampeding (ok not literally) to the stores to grab their products. One of the most talked about is their Supercharged Genius Gel Foundation. 

I decided to check out the hype and got a sample of it in Bisque Light. As you can tell from the pictures below, it doesn't match with my hands but it does with my face, although Ivory Medium would probably have suited me more.

It is essentially a (of course) gel-type foundation, comes in 16 shades and claims to: 

Be an anti-aging, long-wearing, weightless, natural veil that doesn't settle into fine lines. It is formulated with lifestyle ingredients (what does that even mean) and Buoyancy Gel™ technology. It also contains Soft Focus Powder to reflect light and minimise imperfections, while revitalizing multi-vitamins provide supreme hydration for even application and luxurious wear. The versatile formula also builds easily from natural to full coverage, providing supreme hydration. 

Now, that's hella' lot of claims! But first, let's talk packaging. The foundaiton is housed in a luxurious frosted glass bottle with a black plastic cap. Very chic and high-end looking. The glass seems sturdy but heavy enough to break if dropped from a certain height. It comes with a pump, though! It doesn't seem light enough to conveniently carry around, so something to keep in mind. (: 

Now the texture itself IS like a gel/serum and spreads really easily across the face. It blends well offers light-medium to medium coverage with the first layer. However, upon applying the second layer, it started to cake up and the second layer didn't really 'melt' in with the first. It became so obvious I was wearing foundation and looked like a mask. Therefore, this fails to live up to its claims of being 'easily buildable'. It did offer full coverage, but not in the Revlon Colorstay kind of way... More of in a 'sheet-mask' way. 

On the bright side, it did make my skin look youthful and.. I don't know, 'boing'-y looking (hah, my mad vocabulary skills). It didn't settle into fine lines and did blur my imperfections quite a bit! It isn't a matte finish but dewy/satin and didn't cling on to my dry patches, so I'd have to agree with the 'hydration' and 'minimising imperfections' parts. 

I had to set this with a powder and of course, that pushed the cakey-ness to near maximum. Although the texture is light, the second layer kind of made it uncomfortable for me to wear for long hours. I would think this is a foundation for big events that will last only a couple of hours (2 layers) or if you're going to be out for a bit and don't need that much coverage (1 layer). 

I tried layering this on and below other foundations and it didn't work for me. Heh, just a little nugget of information. (:

Overall, I don't think this is worth the hype and would not spend this much on something I can dupe with from the drugstore. If we're talking about gel/serum foundations personally prefer the two Bourjois Healthy Mixes over this.  

People usually associate summer with bright neons and florals but I've just been drawn to darker shades  recently! All these things are still somewhat summer appropriate, though, IMO!

Red Retro Swimsuit, £65 - What would summer be without the perfect swim suit? I have always loved the look of retro swim suits like this but haven't been able to find a good one that's worth the price! So far, I'm interested in this For Luna one and mod cloth's collection of beachwear! The red of this is not annoyingly bright but still makes a statement by itself!

Ted Baker Leyah Crosshatch Shopper Bag, $331.67 - I've been wanting this piece forever but have been contemplating between the neon pink one and the black. The black one seems more suited for fall or winter but it would be easier to match with outfits and seems like a staple bag to me. It's also very spacious but not too bulky. Loving the rose gold detailing as well! 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat, $35 - This is described as a vibrant poppy colour but from swatches and reviews, it looks more like a neon coral. Definitely astray from my usual bright blue-pink blushes but always fun to try something new, eh? (: I think this colour would look so pretty under sunlight! This is light enough to be worn out into the scorching sun and it's finely milled shimmer gives a breathtaking, ethereal glow to the face! (another shade is called Ethereal Glow hah)

Opal Velvet Choker, $9.24 - Lurking around Etsy, I stumbled upon this dainty shop that sells very vintage-looking chokers and bracelets. I really like the minimalist look of this choker and granted, it may not be the most comfortable to wear during the hot weather but I still think it looks gorgeous, especially when paired with a flowy top! 

So I saw the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets on someone's blog (I can't remember) and was vastly intrigued, but thought, "Nah, Bourjois won't bring this product to Singapore." The very next day, while hanging around my local drugstore, I SAW IT. Four perfect capsules of gorgeousness sitting on the display waiting for some lovin'. It was love at first swatch.

So it's time for favourites again! This April has been a month in which I've dived into my makeup collection and pulled out old stuff to try again, and I realised that I have grown to love them! Also, I finally got the Naked Palette, thanks to my amazing boyfriend! 

First up, and probably the most eye-catching in the picture above, is The Body Shop's Honeymania Body Butter. Many people have said the scent of this is absolutely awful (and definitely NOT like honey) but I think otherwise! This has a lovely floral scent that's fresh and juicy at the same time! I think this was MADE to smell like flowers (because bees pollinate flowers and yaddayadda) and although I didn't notice any huge difference in the moisture levels of my skin, this did soothe it when it got agitated from shaving. The smell also lingers and I just love it! 

The second most eye-catching thing would probably be the Naked Palette from Urban Decay! This was probably the highlight of the month (other than my birthday) and I can't stop using it ever since I got it! The shades have a lovely shimmery and buttery texture to them, and I find that I get the most pigmentation when I use my fingers. My Sephora brush doesn't pick up much somehow. =\ That isn't a big issue for me because I like to pack on eyeshadow with my fingers anyway! My Zoeva blending brush is able to pick up the matte shades, though!

Next is the NYX Concealer Stick in Green. This has been a life saver and I don't know what I'd do without it! The green neutralises my redness immediately and thus making my foundation and concealer hide my blemishes more effectively! Although a little thick, some warming up with your fingers will do the trick! This also made my foundation adhere to my skin a little better!

A few lashings of the L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara and I'm good to go! This makes my lashes really long and black, and also, the drier formula helps grip and coat every lash strand! This doesn't smudge or flake and is waterproof, great for the more humid weather! I kind of tried this once then stashed it away somewhere so this was a new 'discovery'! 

The Body Shop has obviously been one of my favourite brands this month (actually of all time, I use their body soap too) and I've been dipping my toes more into their makeup line! Their Lip and Cheek Stain in Rose Pink has been lovely so far. I like blending this onto my cheeks for a pop of sheer red that makes me look like I've been out in the sun or had my cheeks pinched. Stays all day as well!

Lastly are two lip products, the Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar (also rediscovered) and the NYX Butter Gloss in Vanilla Cream Pie. I've been loving these two together and it gives a lovely pink sheen to my lips! Also, because both are of balmy/glossy texture, they're really hydrating and perfect for Spring/Summer! 

That's all for my favourites this April and I can't wait to try out more new things! 

What have you been loving for the month of April? x 

Sugar is known to be a natural humectant (substance that helps to retain moisture moisture) and so of course someone was going to create a bodycare product with it. One of it is the lip scrub, a scrub containing granules (usually sugar) to help exfoliate dem puckers, making them nice, soft and kissable. The two most hyped-up ones are probably Lush and Fresh. I haven't tried the Lush ones as I didn't care for the scents, but fresh (hah) scent of the latter appealed to me and I had to try it.