SUQQU Blend Eye shadow in EX-06 Usuchaori

Among all the items that Jacq swapped with me, SUQQU Blend Eye shadow in EX-06 Usuchaori has got to be my favourite of them all. Neutral lovers, like myself will fall in love with this palette! EX-06 Usuchaori is a limited edition palette which is released as part of 2011 Christmas collection.

The first thought that ran past my mind is that it look very much like Urban Decay's Naked palette with 3 shimmery browns (light brown, copper brown, taupe brown) and matte beige.

I have rave enough of SUQQU's eyeshadow's texture. This is no exception at all. Smooth and buttery........ Although SUQQU palettes are considered to be high in price, you get every single cent back in quality and pigmentation.

It is totally a breeze to do arm swatch because the pigmentation is amazing and the colours show up nicely and clearly. In comparison, the matte beige shade is drier in comparison but it is quite a norm for matte shades.

SUQQU indeed has wonderful palettes with amazing texture and pigmentation and although they usually cost close to $100 per palette, the money is definitely well spent. I noticed SUQQU palettes tend to be more neutral so it's definitely worth while to at least get 1 from this brand.

YSL Pure Chromatics No. 8

I have been reading a lot of reviews on YSL Pure Chromatics but have not gotten round to trying it out at the YSL store or counters, not even a swatch! Finally, all thanks to Jacq, I can play with YSL Pure Chromatics!

This is another palette that neutral lovers will like. YSL Chromatics No. 8 is made up of 4 gorgeous shimmery shades (champagne, light beige, copper gold and dark olive). The shimmers are fine and I did not experience any fallouts during application. You can read this post for Jacq's thoughts and FOTD with this palette.

I tried a simple FOTD with this palette and I fell absolutely in love with it. For readers out there, I have SEVERE droopy eyes due to my monolids and I constantly look tired. Below is a picture whereby I only applied YSL Chromatics No. 8 on my left eye and by comparing against my right eye which is base, you can tell the difference between the 2 eyes. Perhaps it is just me, but don't you find my left eye to be less droopy?

So here is the complete look! Yes, that Ms Eden at the background taking her beauty sleep, what a bum, lol

Here is another shoot. :) I think my smile looks really awkward. 

Weekend is here early for us this week and I am looking forward to it already, you guys have a Happy Easter!

SUQQU Blend Color Eye shadow palette in 11 Himesango

Today's post is yet another 'Project Swap' item with Jacq and it's none other than SUQQU Blend Color Eye shadow palette in 11 Himesango.

Himesango is made up of 5 shades (3 shimmery and 2 matte). The shimmery shades are smooth and easy to apply and blend and the matte shades are drier in texture. Honestly, I have not been using the matte brown in the palette as I tend to use the shimmery brown to apply to my outer corner of the eye lids.

This palette looks seriously close to 10 Kozuecha and I remember how hard it was to choose one of them when making my purchase. I decide to do a 'tissue swatch' and compare Himesango and Kozuecha so as to show you how close these 2 palettes are and here it is.

Top row: Himesango

Bottom row: Kozuecha

Other than the 2 lighter shades looking different, I feel these 2 palettes are basically twins. Do you need both? I say nah, 1 is definitely good enough.

Paul & Joe Cheek Colour in 07 Prima Donna

After my first purchase of Paul & Joe Cheek Colour, I knew I am hooked and I cannot stop there. So I added 07 Prima Donna to my collection.

07 Prima Donna is a palette of bright candy pink with light brown shade. Both shades contain slight shimmers which is just lovely.

Initially, I was thinking that perhaps the brown shade can be used for contouring but after testing it out, I thought it look redder than in the pan so I will still stick to matte bronzer for contouring. The bright candy pink look warmer and peachy after swatching as well which is absolutely love. After mixing the 2 shades, you get a brownish peachy shade.

From left to right: Light brown, candy pink, mixed

Among the 3 Paul & Joe Cheek Colour that I purchased, 07 Prima Donna is the only shade that gives me 3 different blush shades. I would definitely recommend anyone to check out this shade. :)

Just a preview of the next part of 'Project Swap' with Jacq, she has passed me the following products to play!!! OMG, it's alot of toys and I still has 2 items from the earlier swap which has yet to be featured in this blog so do stay tuned for the 2nd wave of Project Swap. :)

Beauty Blogger Tag: 32 Things You Didn’t Know About Me!

I was tagged by the Joy of LookNookHook to disclose 32 things that you do not know about me so here it is. Enjoy!

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

It's wavy and frizzy by nature so I usually rebond or perm them once a year.

2. What is your natural hair colour?

Dark brown

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I used to go to a salon during my younger days and stop the colouring / DIY to save cost. But I am having so much grey hair lately that my DIY colouring is not able to cover them properly so I am reverting to doing it in a salon.

4. Do you wear the same style everyday or do you change it?

Same, always let down. I only tie up my hair at home or in gym.

5. Do you do your own mani / pedi or go to a salon?

Usually by myself. The last mani and pedi I did at a salon was for my sis's wedding last year.

6. How often do you change your nail polish?

Used to be once a while since I hardly paint my nails but more often now as I am painting my nails pretty often.

7. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

I don't paint my toes, haha.

8. How long does it take for you to put on your makeup?

Usually 10 mins as I only apply base makeup, brows, blush and lipstick.

9. What do you do first, face or eyes?

Face

10. Do you "collect' makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

Hmm...... collect, except for base makeup as I tend to use the same base makeup all the time.

11. How often do you wear false eye lashes?

The only 2 occasions I put on falsies is on my wedding photoshoot and actual wedding day. Have not wore it since.

12. Do you do full face of makeup everyday?

No, have been too lazy lately. Just base makeup, brows, blush and lipstick.

13. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone, or with family?

Generally not at home and just light or no makeup with family, unless it is a special occasion with them.

14. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Yes, if it is nearby or just a few hours.

15. How many high-end products do you have?

Quite a bit, hehe.

16. Do you plan you OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?

I generally don't plan my OOTD the night before.

17. How often do you change your handbag?

Once every few weeks.

18. What time do you get up and go to sleep?

Wake up 7am (earliest) and sleep 1130pm (earliest)

19. How often or when do you work out?

Have stopped exercising for a while and I need to start my engine again by going to the company gym during lunch time.

20. Left handed or right handed?

Right handed

21. How tall are you?

Totally un-tall at all *sob*

22. Do you speak a foreign language?

No. Just english, mandarin and hokkien.

23. How many pets do you have?

4 beautiful and naughty cats who I adopted and rescued. 1 gal and 3 boys.

24. How often are you on Blogger (or your other blog platform)?

Almost everyday.

25. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

Yes and I do reply to them as well.

26. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

Not all the time.

27. How did you come up with your blog name?

I started my blog with the intention of sharing my life with close friends and slowly extended it to my love for beautiful things. Thus the name "Miaka's Life and Loves".

28. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?

Have been using my iPhone for a while and recently invested in Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V.

29. How often do you clean you house?

I have a part time cleaner who comes over on a weekly basis (total god-send) and I vacuum or 'magic-clean' my floor everyday with dry wipes to remove the cat furs.

30. What is your favourite colour?

Pink or light blue

31. Do you swear?

Yes

32. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Dwell in pre-Monday blues and enjoy my Nespresso coffee.

I would like to tag V of Beautiful Days, J of The Little Butterfly Diary and Tracy of Tracy's Beauty Blogsphere.

I love weekends!!!

Yet another week has come and gone again and very soon March will be over soon. Hope you guys had a good weekend because I sure enjoyed mine!

I had my first try of making baked pasta and was surprised with my own skills, lol. It tasted pretty good and doesn't take up much time. Preparation time plus cooking only took around 30 minutes.

Not sure how many of you ever since a $1000 note because I sure haven't seen one. When my mum's friend showed me, I told her to loan me for 5 seconds to take this picture. Haha.

I used to hate nail polishes with glitters because it is a pain to remove polishes with glitters. But after putting on OPI Teenage Dream for the first time, I really like how it looks!

And how can I not feature my furbabies in this posting??? Check out the bed hoarders (Astro on the left and Simba on the right) and Titus looking blur as usual in the next picture. :)

Lunasol Full Glamour Lips G in 40 Red Beige

Much as I do try to get a good deal from blog sales on and off, I usually do not purchase lip products for hygiene reasons. However, I have been tempted to try Lunasol lip products for a long while so when I saw it on sale on Sophia's blogsale, immediately I grabbed it!

Lunasol Full Glamour Lips G in 40 Red Beige is a brownish red which is perfect for daily use. It instantly brighten up your look without causing much attention like a bright red lips. Upon close observation of the lipstick, there is slight gold shimmers in it which is not visible on the lips upon application.

The texture is extremely smooth and soft. I have tried wearing it with and without a lip balm before application and it works just fine without applying a lip balm beforehand. I especially love the glossy shine of the lipstick, it just make your lips look so kissable, u know??? LOL.

I do not have much red lipsticks and the closest I have in my stash is Burberry Lip Cover in Blush. The swatch below shows the comparison side by side and you can see that Red Beige looks browner and also glossier in comparison.

I am VERY satisfied with my great deal purchase and have been using it for a few days. The only improvement I can think of for the lipstick is the packaging. There isn't a click sound like in Chanel or Dior lipsticks so I tend to snap it harder so as to make sure that it is indeed snap tight. At the rate I am snapping the lipstick case, I hope it doesn't give way one day. haha.

Review: Biore UV Watery Essence

In bright and sunny Singapore, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of having good sun protection. My personal preference is always to opt for a sun screen that is above SPF 30 since I tend to apply my sun screen in the morning before I head out and will not be back until evening. However, the higher the SPF, the thicker and stickier the consistency of the sun screen thus it is always tricky to strike a balance between sufficient sun protection versus suitable texture. If you are looking for a sun screen with high SPF without the heavy sticky texture, do read on and find out more about Biore UV Watery Essence!

Just to give you some background on Biore UV Watery Essence and you will know why is this sunscreen so popular. Not only is Biore UV Watery Essence the No. 1 sunscreen in Japan since 2011, it has also won multiple awards in Asia such as Japan COSME in 2011, Top Beauty Magazine in Japan VOCE's Top Pick and also Biteki Skincare Award.

You might be wondering, what is so great about this sunscreen? Readers who hate sticky sunscreen, you have to read on.

The texture is incredibly light and watery and absorbs so well into the skin. No more sticky, heavy feeling!

After using Biore UV Watery Essence for 2 weeks, I really like this sunscreen. I have combination and sensitive skin which turn red very very easily under sun exposure so I am very particular about sun protection. Biore UV Watery Essence not only protects my skin from harmful rays, it doesn't gives me the uncomfortable sticky and heavy feeling from other sunscreens as it is absorbs very well into my skin. In fact, I felt my skin properly hydrated with the hyaluronic acid in the sunscreen. There is a light lemon citrus-y scent which is quite refreshing too. Some sunscreens leave a very ugly white cast after application which I absolutely hates but with Biore UV Watery Essence, there is no such problem.

Priced at an affordable amount of $18.90, I say Biore UV Watery Essence is a total value for money product. For readers out there who are interested in trying out this product, you will be glad to know it is easily available in selected supermarkets, pharmacies and most importantly Watsons'.

So before I end this post, I would like to share with you some information on UV 101. What is UVA, UVB ray and how to determine the SPF you should apply.

Disclosure: The product in this review is sent by the company for my review and consideration. All opinions stated are my own honest views and no compensation is received for this review.

Le Metier De Beaute Kaleidoscope Eye Kit in Penelope

If you have been reading Jacq's blog, you will know that now we are in a 'Project Swap' whereby we swap some of our products. It is really fun because we get to use stuffs that we have not tried. Other than SUQQU items that Jacq has generously swapped with me, she also passed me some of her Le Metier De Beaute products, one of which is Kaleidoscope Eye Kit in Penelope.

Honestly, when I opened the kit, I am thinking really hard how to use the colours together. For a neutral lover, the 1st shade (gold) and 3rd shade (bronze taupe) is so easy to use on a daily basis. I have interchanged the gold with lavender shade and pair it with bronze taupe and it looks lovely. The last shade dark emerald green is nerve recking for me as I don't usually use such strong colour. I ended up using it as an eyeliner and it is a refreshing change to my black or brown eyeliner.

This is yet another gem in Jacq's collection and there is no wonder LMDB Kaleidoscope Kit has receive nothing but raves. The texture is smooth and buttery and I did not experience fall outs during application. The lavender and dark emerald green shade feels slightly drier than the other 2 shades but it's still not difficult to apply and blend.

OPI You're Such A Budapest

Today's post is another post of OPI Euro Collection. This polish is definitely my favourite in my humble collection from Euro Collection and it is: You're Such A Budapest (sound like scolding someone, isn't it? haha)

I am a purple lover when it comes to eyeshadows and nail polishes are no exception. You're Such a Budapest is a gorgeous lilac shade and has very very slight shimmers which you have to closely observe to see it. Unfortunately, the shimmers cannot be captured by my camera.

The peeve about the Euro collection which I complained about previously is the texture. It's thicker than some of the other polishes I have from OPI thus I had to be very careful when applying it. It's important to apply thin layers of the polish and slowly building up the intensity layer by layer. I applied 3 layers of the polishes in the picture above.

Another week has passed.......

Time certainly flies, doesn't it? I always suffer from pre Monday blues on Sunday and before I know it, it is mid week and yes, Friday is here! My week has certainly been up and down but let's focus on positivity!!

Check out naughty Astro! Sneaking into a bag when he has a chance, lol

And here we have blurry Titus who is snuggling beside BC

More Paul & Joe from Beautybay.com. I can't get enough of them!

I can finally eat cold stuffs after my cough has subsided, yeah!

SUQQU Nuancing Cheeks EX-02 Kohakusui

After the earlier post to review SUQQU Nuancing Cheeks in EX-03 Akanemizu, here I am back to review the other blush from SUQQU Spring 2012 collection, EX-02 Kohakusui.

EX-02 Kohakusui is made up of 1 matte shade and 1 slight shimmery shade, similar to Akanemizu. But here we have a orange matte and coral shade with slight shimmer. Comparing the coral shade in Kohakusui against Akanemizu, the latter seems darker. You can see Jacq's comparison here.

One thing I love about this blush is how versatile it is. You can use either shades on it's own or mixed it to get another shade.

From left to right: orange matte, coral shade with slight shimmer, mixed

The pigments are smooth and really easy to pick up with the brush or my MAC 129 Brush and it is certainly a gem. Kudos to ladies who scored this baby!

OPI...Eurso Euro

Has been a long while since I last post about a nail polish because I have been so lazy painting my own nails. Here is a good shade for me to get out and start painting my short nails again.

Please pardon my dry cuticles and lousy painting. It can be quite a challenge painting my short nails at times. So enough of the rambling and let's get back to business. :)

OPI...Eurso Euro is a creamy dark blue shade which I absolutely love. It reminds me so much of nautical design and for you ladies who does nail design, this can be a shade you can explore if you are considering nautical design.

Even though I love this shade, I seriously hate the texture. It is THICK and I achieve opaque-ness with just 1 coat. And precisely due to the thick texture, I find it hard to control the strokes such that I do not over paint onto the cuticles or achieve the smooth surface on the nails. Juju told me to go with thinner and more layers and I have yet to dry. For ladies who has this shade, do let me know your thoughts. 

Guerlain Terracotta Sun in the City Illuminating Powder

Few weeks back, there were some sale going on at Takashimaya Atrium and there is a small counter selling Guerlain, Elizabeth Arden and Paul & Joe Beauty products. Instagram were filled with pictures of Guerlain Terracotta Sun in the City Illuminating Powder and I had to go down and take a look for myself.

I'm not sure what is the actual retail price of Sun in the City originally but it is going for $35 this round. Guerlain at $35 for 15grams of product, it's really cheap!

For highlighter lovers, I do not think Guerlain Terracotta is foreign to you. It is a lovely highlighter with metallic golden shade. The design on the pan, it's absolutely gorgeous. I can't bear to think of the design disappearing after multiple uses.

The texture of this powder is soft and smooth and my MAC brush pick up the pigment so easily with just a light gentle sweep of the pan. I have been lightly sweeping past my cheek bones, C arc from the side of my cheeks up to my brow bones as well as on the nose bridge for highlighting purposes. The effect is natural with a healthy glow that just brighten up my face.

It is housed in a sturdy matte black plastic case which looks plain but chic. Considering it is 15grams of product, it actually look quite big. See the comparison I have done using MAC blot powder.

Do you have Guerlain Terracotta Sun in the City Illuminating Powder? Hope you like it as much I do. :)

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine 05 Fuchsia in Excess

For a while, I have been wanting to try new YSL Rouge Volupte Shine but I just cannot decide which shade to get. I actually went to the store at ION Orchard 2 times or more to swatch the lipsticks and always leaving empty handed because I just cannot decide what I want to get. The 3 shades that I have always been considering are: 05 Fuchsia in Excess, 06 Pink in Devotion and 12 Corail Incandescent. Interestingly, they are from different shade family with 05 in purple, 06 in pink and 12 in red. Eventually with the help of friendly SA, Francis, he tried all 05 and 06 on me and commented that 05 looks the best on me.

For ladies who love the moisturising effect of Chanel Rouge Coco Shine but hate the fact that the colour intensity is not there, you should take a look at new YSL Rouge Volupte Shine. It's moisturising on my dry lips and gives my lips a healthy glossy shine and the colour shows up nicely on my naturally dark lips.

05 Fuchsia in Excess is a cool berry-red shade which is something that I have not yet tried. I purchased this shade with the consideration that I have been lazy with my daily make up and thus it will be able to perk up my morning 'have yet to wake up' face. Lol. The swatch below is how it looks on my lips when I lightly apply on my lips. Should you apply it with the normal strength when you apply your lipstick, the colour intensity will come out stronger.

For a lipstick with high gloss factor, I am impressed with the staying power. After 4 hours and a lunch break, my lips looked lightly stained. For other lipsticks that has this amount of shine, the colour would have been long gone.

Have you purchased the new YSL Rouge Volupte Shine? Do share your favourite shade with me as I doubt I will be stopping at one. :)

Guerlain Blush G Sakura - Cherry Blossom Blush

When I saw pictures of the Asia exclusive Guerlain Blush G Sakura - Cherry Blossom Blush, I really really fell in love with it. Everything from the design to the colours are just calling out to me. We are not sure when will it be launched over the counters except that it will be in March, thus when 1 of my friend is going for a business trip, I troubled him to help check out Changi Airport Duty Free to see if it is available for sale and it is!!

Guerlain Blush G Sakura consist of 4 shades: a pink coral, white, bright fuchsia pink and light muted pink.

The blush is housed in a white plastic case and comes with a grey velvet pouch. A pink brush comes along with it and is kept in the space beneath the blush pan.

Similar to Guerlain meteorites, Blush G Sakura has a light flowery scent as well. I am not someone who is bothered with scent so it's pretty all right with me. For ladies who dislike scent in their products, you might want to take note.

I am satisfied with the appearance of the blush (shade and case) and even the scent but let's just say the excitement ends there. From the swatch below, you can tell how disappointing the pigmentation is. Plain plain light and believe me when I really tried my best to get it to appear on my arm. Using both my finger or the brush that comes with it, both doesn't really work.

Swatch in the same sequence of appearance in the pan

The white shade does not really appear well in the picture and is almost non existent. The bright fuchsia pink is a total b*t*h (please pardon my language) because it is just so hard to swatch it. Among the 4 shades, the white and bright fuchsia pink is very very very (x 1 zillion) hard to swatch. The texture is hard and dry and just doesn't work for me.

Surprisingly the 1st shade in the pan (pink coral) and last shade in the pan (muted pink) appears to be more pigmented. But the texture is dry and powdery.

I tried using my MAC 129 brush to pick up the pigments by swirling around the pan to mix all the shades up, it does seem more optimistic. When applied on the cheeks, it gives a light pink subtle glow, which seems to work better for me as a highlighter or layering with other blush.

Guerlain Blush G Sakura is retailing for $75.50 at Changi Airport Duty Free and I'm not sure how much it would be over the counters. I would recommend you checking out the blush in person and determine if you still want to purchase it. It will be a good idea for you to ask the SA use a brush and try it out on your cheeks before deciding to go for it or not.