Clinique Cheek Pop in Plum Pop and Ginger Pop

Long long time ago while I was still young, broke and experimenting with makeup, Clinique is always my go to brand because I was battling my acne skin with their skincare products. But years went by, other brands came up with better products and somehow Clinique lost that edge. But recently, Clinique has definitely made a comeback with the cheek pops that there are LOTS of raves about it on the blogsphere!

There are 2 shades available in Clinique Cheek Pop and I had to control myself not to get all 4. Being very rational, I decided to go for only Plum Pop and Ginger Pop.

Not sure if you recall Clinique's not so pretty green plastic case that they always use to house blush and powders? Thank goodness that case was not used to house these beauties and instead a sturdy thick clear plastic case was used. I still remember one of my friends use to tell me she doesn't use Clinique because their casings are ugly.

Check out the print! Isn't it gorgeous?

Left to right: Plum Pop, Ginger Pop

Let's take a look at the swatches below. Plum Pop is a nice cool pink which honestly does not look plum at all. Ginger Pop is a warm brownish orange shade which is perfect to get that healthy sun-kissed look!

I have to shout this out loud, I LOVE THESE CHEEK POPS!!! The texture is soft and buttery (comparable to Burberry blushes!) and it last very well on my combination skin around 6 hours. The colour intensity can be build up from soft to intense which is great. Price wise?? Retailing at S$39 over the counters and US$21 over Nordstrom or Saks, I say this is a pretty good deal!

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balm in 06 woppin' watermelon

Lately I have been on a high from lip products because I usually do not have much time to play with eye makeup before I head out to work so what easier way to perk up your face?? That will be playing with your lip colour. Thanks to the hot and sexy mama, Jacq from My Beauty Hoard, I got to try Clinique Chubby Stick in 06 woppin' watermelon.

I felt that I am playing with a kiddo crayon when I am holding it, don't you think? Haha.

The way to apply it is the same as taking a huge marker and drawing on your lips, it's very easy and precise. See the silver portion on the stick in the picture above? Just twist it and the stick balm will move up (just like any normal lip stick or lip balm).

Woppin' watermelon look like a hot pink shade but when swatched, it is more of a natural pink shade.

Given the moisturising effect from the chubby stick, the colour intensity is very light and you will not believe that I had to 'draw' like close to 10 times just to get it to show up in this picture. For ladies with dry, chapped lips and want that 'my lips but better look' you will love this chubby stick. It's intensely moisturising and give your lips that subtle shine. 

I would think Clinique Chubby Stick is more suitable for a weekend, light makeup wear. If you prefer a lip product with more colour intensity and yet moisturising, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine will be a better pick.

Completed: Clinique Moisture Surge moisturiser

I have been a good girl lately and finishing up my stuffs one by one! *pat on the back*. This time round, I have completed another moisturiser, Clinique Moisture Surge!

It is an excellent gel moisturiser for combination and even oily skin given the light light texture of the gel.

In Singapore's hot and humid weather, getting a suitable moisturizer can be tricky for my sensitive and combination skin. It cannot be too rich to cause breakouts and had to provide sufficient moisture and hydration. This is especially when I notice that my skin gets oilier when I do not slap on sufficient SUITABLE moisturizer.

What I like about about Clinique Moisture Surge is the lightweight gel texture, which gets absorbed into my skin immediately after applying it. No oily sheen or sticky feeling. My skin doesn't get oily as quickly as it is hydrated and thus I do not get the tight feeling (and in worse case, itch). No breakouts as well which is like a super thumbs up!!!

For gals with sensitive skin, this moisturizer is also suitable given its soothing properties with aloe vera as 1 of the ingredients. And.... It's fragrance-free.

Would I re-purchase it? Yes, for it's hydration properties but currently no, because I have certain skin concerns I would like to target (like early anti aging, and whitening) but I might just purchase it to rotate with my other moisturizer if needed. :)

Completed stuffs!!!

What did I say about me being a good girl? See what I have completed over these 2 months!!

From left to right: Paul & Joe Refreshing Skin Toner, Clinique Moisture Surge, Lancome Miracle EDP, Clarins Whitening Pure Aqua Lotion, Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser

I bought Paul & Joe Refreshing Skin Toner during one of the sale at Takashimaya some time back because my toner then (which I cannot remember) is running low and the cheapo streak in me thought it would be good to get it since it was on sale anyway.

I am not someone particular about toner because I was using it as it was part of the 3-step process that I had been following in my skincare regime. Essentially as long as I do not feel discomfort on my skin after wiping the toner over my face and not cause breakouts, it's a decent toner. Paul & Joe refreshing skin toner was light and as mentioned 'refreshing' and has a light citrusy fragrance. I'm not sure if I will purchase it again but based on the factors that I felt fresh after application and causes no breakouts, it is worth considering.

Clinique's Moisture Surge is no stranger in this blog and you can refer to this post for my review of it.

Lancome Miracle EDP is a popular fragrance among many ladies and I had always been re purchasing it after all these years. This fragrance is an absolute love of mine.

Another toner which I completed is a sample size of Clarins Whitening Pure Aqua Lotion. The only peeve I had was the fragrance. For someone who likes fragrance in skincare, this is abit too strong for me. Other than that, it would definitely be a toner I would repurchase.

Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser is my love. I have raved about this baby in this post and I have no doubt about repurchasing this again. (In fact, I already did in the recent Metro sale).

So have you completed any stuffs lately??

Makeup removers

When I was younger and had serious acne problem, I always envy girls with good complexions who look good with or without makeup. Given the sensitivity of my face whereby it will turn red easily, I always will need a good foundation to even out the redness of my face. But my concern then was also if the application of makeup will aggravate the acne condition. I consulted this salesgirl from Clinique many years ago (I became her regular regular customer as I was using alot of Clinique stuffs when I was younger and she is someone who gives genuine advices and not out to make the extra bucks from me) and she said it is important to properly remove the makeup for everyone, regardless of whether they had good kin or bad.

Even since then, I always have placed an important emphasis on getting a good makeup remover which can thoroughly cleanse and remove away the makeup without the harsh effect on the skin. There are basically a few types of makeup removers: Oil, Rinse away in gel / foam version, Lotion and Water. And there is also the more convenient makeup removal wipes. I have tried the different versions and below are the brands that I have tried and tested.

1: Rinse away version

Clinique Wash Away Gel Cleanser was my 1st makeup remover that I have tried. Back then which was years ago, I have oily and acne prone skin thus I need something that is stronger and gel based so that it doesn't feel oily on my skin. Using this cleanser is similar to using any normal cleanser, squeeze the gel out from the tube, massage on the face and then rinse off, it's that easy. Then followed by the normal cleanser. IT IS IMPORTANT TO DOUBLE CLEANSE.

I stopped using this cleanser after the 1st tube as I found it too strong and drying for me.

2. Lotion

Lotion form makeup removers are usually creamy in texture and more moisturising thus this will allow your skin to feel more comfortable and not drying after wash. However, it is usually non rinseable due to the creamy texture thus after massaging the lotion on the face, we have to use cotton pads or tissue papers to wipe then off before we followed with our usual daily cleanser.

Clarins Cleansing Milk for combination skin was what I tried and although it's texture is creamy, it is not overly oily. Like all other Clarins products, it comes with a light fragrance (which I like). It does remove makeup thoroughly (except for waterproof mascara) but I dislike the hassle of using tissue papers to wipe off the lotion thus I did not continue with this anymore.

3. Water

The new technology in makeup removing is using cleansing water. I have tried a trial size of Cleansing Express Bright Up. The selling point of this makeup remover is that it is a makeup remover and cleanser in 1, thus double cleanse is not necessary. However, I still followed with my normal cleanser after using this as I feel the cleansing water alone will not remove ALL traces of makeup. The instruction usage is to pour the cleansing water on cotton pads and wipe the makeup off the face. For full makeup, we will need approximately 4  pads to remove all makeup thoroughly. Like lotions and rinse off formula, it doesn't remove waterproof mascara well as well. What I dislike about this is that I ended up using ALOT of the cleansing water to remove my makeup and I end up finishing the product very fast (my habit is to keep wiping until the cotton pad remains clear and thus i easily use 4 - 5 pads when removing full makeup).

However, when you are on a makeupless day (only will sunblock), this will be a good cleanser as 1 - 2 pads is sufficient to remove the sunblock. (PS: You do know you need to double cleanse even when you only apply sunblock right???).

4. Oil

We always think that oily skin should not use oil based makeup removers but we are WRONG! Oil based makeup removers can remove makeup better than any other form of makeup removers and cleanser for oily skin as 'oil removes oil'. So the oil cleanser not only removes the makeup but the oil on the skin. My personal favourite is oil based make up remover like Fancl's Mild Cleansing Oil which can even remove waterproof mascara all in one (ie I do not need a separate eye makeup remover for my eye makeup ).

1 tip when using oil based makeup remover is our hands and face must be dry so that when we massage the oil onto the face, it does not emulsify 1st. After massaging, wet your hands and using your damp hands, massage your face again and that's when you see the oil changing into milky coloured water. After which, you can rinse off and VIOLA!!! your makeup is remove. Your face will not feel oily in anyway and feels totally clean but not tight. Fancl is my favorite makeup remover and I have been using it bottles after bottles.

Have also tried Biore's Hydra-Clear Makeup remover and Kose Seikisho Perfect Cleansing Oil but they don't remove waterproof mascara well enough like Fancl thus Fancl is still the best!