Mini Haul from Hong Kong

I finally had the chance to visit Hong Kong for a short trip. My first visit to Hong Kong was when I was 12 years old, which is like 20 years ago!

Anyway, it was a short but nice trip. I wished I had planned it for longer though. Perhaps a 6 days 5 nights trip instead of a 4 days 3 nights trip. There just wasn't enough time to see and try everything.

As you all know, Hong Kong is famous for its shopping and food. There were lots of cosmetics shops like Sasa, Colormix, Bonjour everywhere. I didn't really spend a lot time in there, I basically just went in to find the things I want, bought them and left.

Here's my mini haul:

Top row: Guerlain Meteorites, Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask
Bottom row: Nextbeau Piggy face masks, Bifesta Sebum Cleansing Water, 3CE Long Wear Eye Crayon & Creamy Waterproof Eyeliner, Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam, Koji Curler, Heroine Make Mascara
 
The things that I got in Colormix were definitely cheaper than Singapore. The Bifesta cleansing water retails for about $17 in SG while in HK it only costs about $10? I got 2 bottles and have opened one to use. It's my go-to cleansing water as it's really efficient. The Heroine Make mascara was about $14 in HK while in SG it's $19-21. I could have gotten more things but I really didn't have time to browse through the shops.

The Koji curler was also very affordable at only $7 for one. Initially I wanted to get the Shu Uemura curler which is about $17, as compared to $30 in SG but I chose Koji in the end as it's so much cheaper and as good to use.

I saw a big Innisfree shop in Mongkok and went in for a look thinking that the prices might be cheaper than Singapore. However, after buying these, I realized the prices are almost the same as Singapore. >.<

The Cleansing Foam is quite nice, it lathers up with lots of foam and smells lovely. After cleansing, my face doesn't become oily as fast.

The Super Volcanic Pore Clay mask is superb as well. My face felt thoroughly clean after using it, looks brighter and felt fresher.

My purchases entitled me to a free cardholder with a Korean star on it, whom I do not recognize. Haha...

Next up, 3 Concept Eyes haul from Stylenanda in Silvercord, Tsim Sha Tsui. Initially I wanted to get a Lip Marker for a friend but I ended up with a couple of items for myself as well. The SA told me that she would give me a sample of their BB cream if I purchase 3 items.

I got the Creamy Waterproof Eyeliner in #2 Zorro. It's a pearlescent black as described in the website. Basically it's black with some fine glitter. I love this kind of eyeliner. Makes it standout than the usual black.

The second eye product I got was the Long Wear Eye Crayon in #Fallen, a soft cocoa brown. I haven't tried it yet but the SA said that it was a long lasting and easily blendable shadow. She was using the same shade on her eyes and it looked gorgeous.

The BB cream sample I got is the Back to Baby with SPF35 PA++. I've used it once and the coverage is medium to low. It also doesn't make my face oily like some BB creams do.

As for the Guerlain Meterorites, I have read so much about it on blogs now I finally got one for myself! This is actually purchased from the airport duty free. It's a duo package and each tub contains 8g of product. I've yet to open this but will do soon to try it out!

Well, that's all for my mini haul. If I have time, I'll also blog on my Hong Kong trip in detail.
Hope you enjoyed this short post.

I miss blogging!

It's been exactly one year since my last post. I've been slacking for so long, I thought I should get back to blogging. Wanted to document my 'make-up' journey and also bits and pieces of my life, so that one day when I look back...at least I know where have I spent all my money..LOL.

Been thinking of doing this post about showdown between 3 BB creams that I have thought of buying after reading Haru's post about non-Korean BB creams, you can take a look here.

My bff advised me to get a sample of each brand to try before purchasing the full sized item. The 3 brands are Dior, Biotherm and Clinique.

From L-R: Diorsnow (3ml), Biotherm White D-tox (5ml), Clinique (teensy bit- they didn't have a sample size, so they gave me some of the BB cream in the mini container that you see above)

The samples

Swatches, from top left (clockwise), Clinique, Dior & Biotherm. Please pardon my freckled hand >_<

My bff, who's a fan of Dior kept persuading me to get Diorsnow but I resisted the urge, as I need to try out all before deciding.

My verdict after trying out all 3? As below..

Dior: Not too heavy, quite liquidy in texture, easy to blend and not too oily. After applying it in the morning, I topped it off with MAC loose powder and I only need to blot maybe after lunch time.

Biotherm: Almost same texture as Dior but lighter in colour. Easy to blend as well. Almost the same staying power as Dior. I would say the coverage is lesser than Dior.

Clinique: Texture is creamier, not so easily blended. Felt a bit dry but made my face oily in shorter span of time as compared to Dior and Biotherm. Coverage is so-so, not very fantastic and colour is very light as well. Perhaps this came in the mini container and caused it to be exposed to air easily, the cream was dried up after one week. Boo.

Overall, I would say Clinique is out of the race, it's a tie between Dior and Biotherm. Dior is definitely on the higher price side..I'm still undecided on which one I should get. Currently I'm using Skin79 and Cybercolor BB creams but finishing soon. Shall update once I've decided on which one to get!

Etude House Haul

I was bitten by the Etude House bug in July and got some stuff there. Pity my purse..

My collective haul
Bought the LUCIDarling Fantastic Gradation Eyes in #1 Gradate Pinky Silver

I love pink but this is my first eye shadow palette in pink!

Shot without flash. Clockwise from top left, base in a light pink-white shade, liner in black with shimmer, highlighter in silver and the main shade which is a lovely pink. It came in a pallete with mirror, 1 sponge brush and a mini eyeshadow brush.

Shot with flash.


The back of the palette has the graphic instruction on how to apply the different colors. Nice touch!



Also got a Multi Eye Shadow Brush. It's got a unique shape as compared to the eye shadow brushes I already own, so this is a good addition.

I always buy fake lashes but I only use them on special occassions. I don't know why? This is Etude House lashes in Vivid long.

Some nail polishes. This shot below is with flash. 2 bottles of Petit Darling Nails & a bottle of Dear Darling Nails.

The colors from left: PK005, 24, and BL505.

Etude House in Singapore is the only cosmetics brand that I know of, that gives you a sample as soon as you step into their shop. It doesn't matter even if you are browsing without buying. But I did get the below freebies after buying those stuff above.

Total Age Repair Royal Essence sachet, a cute pen, a mini Precious Mineral BB Cream (that can be hooked on to your phone/keychain/etc) and mini bottles of O2 White toner and lotion.

Look how cute is this mini BB cream?

Some details on the BB cream:

I've not started using any of the above stuff yet, because I have too many things that I bought and kept and totally forgot about! =/

One last look at the cutie free pen =)