First thing first; this isn’t my first tube of ETUDE My Lash Serum. I remember trying it for the first time some time last year but I never got around to write a review on this product. After few months if I’m not mistaken; I stopped using it because I started to get itchy eyes, despite the visible result.
I guess I never learn.
Because hey, look what mama got back from her last week’s Watsons trip! At just RM23.80, I couldn’t resist bringing a tube home. I promise I’ll be even more careful this time around. Prior to swiping the serum on my eyelashes; I make sure that my entire face has been cleansed, especially the eye areas. More importantly; I should always, always remember to never touch my eyes after my lashes has been bathed in the serum. (Easier said than done, I know.)
Of course, just like how I treat any tube of mascara, I shall not continue using the same tube of My Lash Serum after three months. Thick lashes may be to die for, but I take mediocre lashes WITH functional pair of eyes any time of the day.
I love LUSH! D’uh I always do. But last September haul from their Malaysia online store makes me love them even more. ❤❤ I don’t really remember my reasons for shopping for LUSH that time; urm….I don’t remember any sales nor free shipping promo they were having at that time. Guess it’s one of those concious online haul I made from my beloved brand after months of lockdown & Covid scare in 2021.
My original order consists of 1x soap stack of Honey… & Karma wrapped beautifully in blue-and-orange Knot Wrap, a box of ROSE and a tube of Conga shower jelly. I’ve since finished using every of these products and yeahh of course I love, love “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” soap! Not so much love for Karma though I do love how both soaps were moisturizing.
Box full of LUSH goodness!
Remember I said earlier about how this order makes me love them even more? That’s coz they included not one but TWO free full-sized products as a Random Act of Kindess! Aww how sweet. I couldn’t really finish the Bubblegum lip scrub, boo-hoo my small lips. 🤪 But really, the size of my lips has nothing to do with Bubblegum. I just don’t use lip scrubs in general.
Similarly, the bottle of Eau Roma Water wasn’t successfully finished too. For a start, it’s a generous bottle of 250ml of regally rose-scented toner water. Secondly, the one they sent me as R.A.O.K got only several months before expiry date. In the end, I used this spray-mist water enough to come to a conclusion that this toner water can be drying to my skin and no, I’m still not a fan of rose-scented facial products.
Overall, I’m still so glad for these two RAOK products they sent me. And yes y’all…I’m also thankful for my lips too, regardless of what size they are. 🙏
I said I’m not into rose-scented beauty products, not the actual flower. 🌹
I know, I know. I’m at least a decade late in the Orgasm game haha. I remember how everyone raved about this blusher on blogsphere back in 2009-ish, back when NARS stores weren’t even available in Malaysia. Now we got a NARS boutique right next to Urban Decay (I think) in Suria KLCC. What a lot of difference a decade brings.
£20.83 when I bought it online from Cult Beauty, Sep ’20.
This is my first time using this blusher extensively and I have no idea if this one I have shares the same formulation or quality with previous Orgasms, so I cannot compare. But do I like this Orgasm? I love it. ❤ I’d say this maintains its reputation as the most complementing blusher shade for many skintones. I like how I ‘glow’ with Orgasm on. Love it! ❤
Will I repurchase? Well I won’t say I won’t, especially if NARS keeps the same quality for this OG Orgasm. Plus these days shopping for NARS or any other makeup brands locally is accessible; in stores or online. 😘
Meanwhile, while Orgasm is all fun, flirty & flattering I still play with cheap & equally fun blushers once in a while; like this Blush Box Glowing + Multicolour from Catrice. ☝️While the blusher isn’t as nicely shimmered & glowing as NARS Orgasm, the cool geometrical pad of product was the very reason I grabbed this baby during the guradian Buy1Free1 makeup haul.
Who doesn’t love the classic pencil eyeliners? They’re beginner friendly, low maintenance & gives satisfying result. These are from the drugstore B1F1 haul I did last year. Normal price is rm12.90, available at guardians but they’re usually on sale.
I’m well aware of my oily and sweaty eyelids especially when out in the year-round Malaysian tropical heat, so I always have my lids prepped with eye primer prior to applying any of these pencils. 270 Welcome to the Jungle aka the green one is my personal fave! 💖 Dark green usually complements my skintone well and this one is no exception.
While I appreciate their effort in minimal packaging, I believe they should do something with the product design. Take a look at where the product’s info, like shade name and code; they’re printed at the top end of the pencil. So as we use and sharpen it we’ll also get rid of those info. Maybe this isn’t a big deal but well, just an observation from me. 😉
swatches (shade 270 Welcome To The Jungle is my fave!)
What is this blog if it doesn’t feature mascaras? Plus I’m not gonna move on straight to December without at least a single post in November, a month that happens to be handful for me. So here goes; the first and only mascara review for 2020.
Let’s talk about the obvious; I don’t like its bulky packaging. For a 11ml of black ink, I’m pretty sure the product can be housed in a smaller tube. We all know how much a big + bulky product could take so much space. However I like the shape; it reminds me of a ribbon so it’s comfortable to hold and provides easy application.
I didn’t realise it’s waterproof when I bought this from a drugstore during CMCO. The (smaller) word WATERPROOF is right there on top of the even-bigger WONDER’FULL font, right smack on the tube itself so this is honestly my fault for not examining the product more carefully prior to buying.
The formula on the other hand is rather decent but all in all, this is certainly a lockdown buy which I have no intention to repurchase in the future.
When it comes to eyeshadow primers, I admit I’m not experimental with it. For as long as I could remember I had always use Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) until December last year, when my almost finish UDPP started to dry up & the tip of the handle broke because ugh, strong grip. 😆
I was in Watsons mid-Dec 2019 when I suddenly stood in front a whole section of Milani products! Since when?! Regardless, I was mildly amused to discover that this drugstore brand which (I thought) used to be very popular among beauty blogging community in late 2000s finally made it’s way into our shore. Back then, my only access to Milani was the swap community on MakeupAlley. However on Boxing Day ’19, I learned from L’officiel MY magazine that Milani was indeed just launched in Malaysia.
from my copy of L’officiel Malaysia Dec19/Jan20 issue.
Simply called Milani eyeshadow primer, the name is as straightforward as it could be. It’s a “lightweight, invisible finish” that “works on all skin tones” kinda primer. Yep, yep and yep; except I can’t really say the last part for everyone’s lids but personally, it does work on my not-oily-but-often-sweaty dark toned eyelids. I dare say, the formula works for me as well as UDPP and guess what? I’ve checked and compared both products’ ingredients and they both look soo similar~
In terms of packaging, I’ll be the first to say it doesn’t look exciting at all compared to UDPP’s Original tube in Urban Decay’s signature purple. Yet what makes up for its basic black & grey look, is it’s practicality of the packaging. I mean, who needs a doe-foot tip applicator when you could conveniently squeeze the amount of primer you desire, then blend it well using your God-given fingers? Practical AND hygienic. Yes.
in shade 01 NUDE. Looks too light here but actually blends well on my eyelids.
Available in select Watsons, it’s retail price is rm40 for a tube of 9ml. That is almost half the price but double the size of 5ml UDPP. Will I repurchase it? Well that depends; I personally like both Milani eyeshadow primer and UDPP and since one product could usually last a year, either primer is worth spending for.
Have you tried MILANI eyeshadow primer in 01 NUDE? If you have, let me know what you think about this budget beauty babe. *winks*
In retrospect, 2020 is the year I hardly bought cosmetics. While I’m getting more diligent with my skincare, I hadn’t paid much attention, let alone bothering to spend money on cosmetics. I’m sure I’m not the only one. This year has been hard and humbling to many of us. The coronavirus pandemic puts life into perspective. Especially during the early days of lockdown back in March/April, I had zero desire to put on makeup when I went out. (but I did play with some lipsticks while stuck home during MCO though).
However, September slowly brings back my interest in beauty. It started with Watson’s “50% off cosmetics” promo mid-month. I scored myself a REVLON So Fierce! mascara (rm22.90) and REVLON pressed powder (rm27.90) both as backups.
Then, a week later while casually trying to restock our shower gel at Guardian, I curiously walked through the cosmetics section and oh my, they’re having a one-week Buy 1 Free 1 promo for cosmetics! How could I not? For my first haul, I grabbed:
First haul.
Catrice IRON STRENGTH Nail Hardener rm19.50
Catrice KOHL KAJAL EASY GLIDE eyeliner in 230 rm12.90
Catrice cosmetics sharpener (purple) rm13.10
Catrice Generation Matt Comfortable Liquid Lipstick in 050 rm22.90
Catrice Generation Plump&Shine Lip Gloss in 060 rm22.90
Catrice LIP FOUNDATION pencil in 050 Cool Brown rm16.30
I remember paying for all these 6 products (plus a packet of Shokubutsu refill for rm4.75; 40% off) for a total of RM60.25. Such a good value. So good, I kept thinking about going back to Guardian for two nights before I went to sleep. LOL~ So for the second haul, I purchased;
Second haul. *big grin*
Catrice POWER Plumping Gel Lipstick in 090 rm22.90
RIMMEL Brow Shake filling Powder eyeliner in 003
RIMMEL #InstaFix & Go 2in1 Primer & Setting Spray
RIMMEL Exaggerate Full Colour lip liner in 063 rm19.90
Catrice Voluminizing Lipbalm in 030 rm29.90
Catrice BLUSH BOX blusher in 020 rm27.50
Catrice sharpener (yep, gotta need backup)
Catrice PRIME AND FINE Poreless Blur Primer rm33.90
Opps, I accidently messed up the receipt for this haul so I don’t remember exactly the price for no.2 and 3. Anyways, all these 8 products cost RM120.80. Last but not least, on the last day of the promo I picked up another 4 Catrice goodies; 2 more KOHL KAJAL eyeliners in 010 and 270, GLAM&DOLL Sculpt & Volume mascara in 010 (rm26.30) and another tube of Generation Plump&Shine lip gloss for a friend.
I stayed away from Maybelline and Loreal though; apart from trying not to support the giant company, I just can’t justify paying 20% -40% more than RIMMEL or Catrice price range. Silkygirl and in2it? Urm…too teeny bopper, thanks. Now please excuse me while I’m spending the rest of this year experimenting with my B1F1 goodies.
I swear I’ve sworn off benefit. For years I hadn’t bought anything from the brand I fell hard for in my mid-20s. It just happened organically; as I grew older, I grew less and less fond of this brand which tend to overhype their basic products with funky (unnecessary) packaging and “premium” price range. Plus with more commitments coming along, I simply have to economise and find cheaper alternatives. So I didn’t pay attention to this brand, until Cult Beauty came out with a 20% off promo in late January for benefit products. Oh-kay.
GALifornia blusher (full size), 5.0g. 22.50GBP on Cult Beauty UK
From what I could remember, benefit box-o-powders used to be around 12g-18g worth of products for RM125. Now I bought this (on sale) for 22.50GBP, and it’s like, five grams of blusher. Really, benefit? Sure, GALifornia has a cool-looking box with a groovy 70s vibe and the blusher is embossed with pretty sun pattern and I gotta admit, it is a lovely blusher that brigthens my cheeks. But, five.grams.of.product. For over RM125.
Hoola Caramel, 8.0g. 22.50GBP (price on promo)
Meanwhile, they’re a little generous with Hoola Caramel, a sister bronzer of Hoola and Dallas (I think). For the same price, it has 8 grams worth of product. It may be a bronzer but it’s good enough for me to be used as matte face powder especially if I go overboard with my sunscreen. I don’t really use this product often though.
Both GALifornia and Hoola Caramel come with a cute blusher brush but they’re useless. I’m much more comfortable using my H&M Beauty dual brush so I gave away these mini brushes as toys to Aida.
Are you a benefit fan? What’s your favourite blusher / bronzer ?
At LUSH Pavilion, we’re the first customers that day!
In August, I had an unplanned LUSH mini haul. Unplanned because I was actually driving my way to Kajang but due to a road closure I wasn’t aware of, I suddenly found myself in Jalan Bukit Bintang. Ah, serendipity~
I really enjoyed my haul last December and with 5 empty pots ready to be exchanged for a free Fresh Face Mask, I had a wishlist set since January of LUSH products I wish for. Wishlist was written, yet it wasn’t implemented when I went to LUSH Pavilion by accident that day. However, I went home happily with four products; a 45g pot of my favourite Dream Cream,
All pics from LUSH Malaysia official website, since I completely forgot to take a haul pic. (What?) one 90g bar of Milky Bar soap, probably the cleanest and fuss-free soap I’ve tried from LUSH, A bar of Michelle, Ma Belle soap. Ahh- now this is classic LUSH soap! It reminds of Honey I Shrunk The Kids but with some golden glitter. Next, the fourth and the final product, which I’ve no idea I’ll fall in love into… …a solid deodorant that is Aromaco! Totally unexpected! I’ve always been a roll-on deodorant kinda person and had always been sceptical of solid deodorants. However, Aromaco successfully changed my mind about solids when it comes to lathering my pits. There’s less packaging, it’s value for money since a block of 100g solid seems to last months and it’s spill or leak-proof. Yay!
A lil’ over a month later, I finished both soaps but Aromaco still got a lot left & looks like it’s here to stay for few months more.
I was looking for a new face moisturiser on the start of the nationwide MCO in late March. Armed with 25% off discount code, I checked out TBS mobile app as back then, The Body Shop MY was one of the few brands that were able to operate online during MCO.
Apart from this moisturiser, I also got myself some loofahs & a bottle of British Rose hand soap (❤ it!)
While I really love the moisturizing hand soap (or gel? wash?) and definitely would love to repurchase, I can’t say the same for the Vitamin E moisturiser. It’s way too sticky for my skin. The scent is decent but not enough to tempt me to use it every.single.day. And twice a day? Nope. My skin was sweaty and ‘heaty’ once the cream was applied, as if it never set on my skin.
Turns out, this product is way too rich for my skin, especially in this hot & humid Malaysian weather I’m in. Now I use it as neck cream instead.
BTW, how lovely is that (somewhat wilted) pink rose? ⚘ It’s part of the flower bouquet I got myself last week. 😄 It’s 2020 guys, a woman can buy herself a bouquet of flowers to lift her mood so that it’s more WFH-friendly.
Flowers from Flower Chimp, RM99 with free card & delivery
Mascaras & Motherhood 