Makeup Stash!

Makeup Stash! Lunar New Year 2012 Giveaways

Published at: 04:01 am - Saturday January 28 2012

Blaze into the new lunar year with these products that are bound to stoke the flames of a drugstore-beauty lover’s heart!

This year, you stand to win:

BeautyBlender

(2 boxes, each worth S$29.90)

Bifesta Cleansing Express Sebum Cleansing Lotion + Sebum Lotion (30 ml)

(3 sets, each worth S$16.90)

Bifesta Eye Makeup Remover + Sebum Lotion (30 ml)

(3 sets, each worth S$12.90)

Clio Kill Black Waterproof Pen Liner

(1 tube worth S$22.90)

DHC Mild Touch Cleansing Oil

(1 bottle worth S$37.50)

DHC Pore Essence

(1 tube worth S$58.50)

Dolly Wink Limited Edition Pencil Eyeliner Brown + Sharpener

(3 pieces, each worth S$21.90)

Dolly Wink Limited Edition Pencil Eyeliner Black + Sharpener

(3 pieces, each worth S$21.90)

Heroine Make Limited Edition Rose Hand & Nail Cream

(3 tubes, each worth S$15.90)

Gatsby Paper Series Set : Gatsby Powdered Oil Clear Paper, Gatsby Facial Paper and Gatsby Ice Type Paper

(3 sets, each worth S$10.10)

L’Oréal Color Riche Lipstick

(3 tubes, each worth S$19.90)

Lollipops 3D Palette

(1 piece worth S$33.50)

Lip Smacker Coca Cola Cooler Bag Set

(1 set worth S$32.90)

Skin79 Vital BB Cream

(1 bottle worth S$49.90)

Steam Cream in Amani Na Upendo by Mustapha, Salon Ya Africa by Malikita, Koku and Shu

(each tin worth S$25.90)

Superdrug Optimum Swiss Apple Overnight Skin Renewal Serum

(1 bottle worth S$29.90)

Watsons Collagen Yellow Skincare Series Brightening Cleansing Foam, Brightening Peeling Cleanser and Moisturising & Whitening Day Cream

(1 set worth S$39.70)

♥

For updates on and offers from these brands, follow them on Facebook:

L’Oréal Paris Singapore

Skin79 Singapore

Steamcream Singapore

Watsons Singapore

.♥.♥.♥.♥.♥.♥.♥.♥.

To take part in this contest:

1. Follow Makeup Stash! on Facebook or Twitter.

2. Post the link of this beauty giveaway on Facebook or Twitter.

3. Since it’s the Year of the Water Dragon, answer either of the following questions:

Which hydrating product do you currently use or want to try?

Which hot makeup item do you currently own or want to try?

4. Leave your Facebook/Twitter nick for verification purposes. (If you would like it to remain private, please indicate this in your comment and I’ll remove it after verification.)

5. Leave a valid email address. (It will not be revealed publicly; simply write it in the email field when you leave a comment.)

Note:

This contest is open to Singapore residents only.
This contest will close on 3 February 2012 at midnight.
Shade variations are at the discretion of the brands.
Winners will be randomly drawn.
Winners will be notified via email.
If there is no acknowledgement within three days, another winner will be picked.

.♥.♥.♥.♥.♥.♥.♥.♥.

Here’s wishing you a very Happy Lunar New Year

roaring success in whatever you do!

Image source: Special thanks to my very talented graphic designer friend, Sara, for the beautiful dragon and water/fire images.

Posted in: beautyblender, bifesta, clio, dhc, dolly wink, gatsby, giveaways, heroine make, l'oreal, lip smackers, skin79, steam cream, superdrug, watsons by makeupmag 113 Comments

Review | Tom Ford Beauty Eye Color Quad in 08 Sahara Haze

Published at: 11:01 pm - Thursday January 26 2012

Here is Sahara Haze, an eyeshadow quad from the Tom Ford Beauty Color Collection.

The shadows rest within a sleek dark chocolate palette embossed with the brand’s name on a golden outer panel.

The palette contains a quartet of complementary colours.

In it are:

A reflective buttercream gold
A satin grey sage (it can pull a khaki taupe)
A deep olive infused with flaxen gold sparkles
A blackened forest green with gold shimmer

Sahara Haze is certainly an apt name for this palette with its shades the hues of a desert and its foliage.

Formulated with advanced color processes, the four luxurious finishes—sheer sparkle, satin, shimmer and matte—offer a spectrum of intensity and effects and deliver incredible shade fidelity and outstanding adhesion.

– Tom Ford Beauty

Happily, the above isn’t PR spiel. One of the more unique eyeshadow palettes I’ve seen in a while, Sahara Haze impressed me not only with its interesting colour combination but also with its varied textures that blend incredibly well and work perfectly together, as well as on their own. While the golden olive with its twinkle and tonal depth is arresting, the grey sage is particularly intriguing – it looks almost incongruous in this ensemble but is, in fact, wonderful for contouring my single-lidded eyes and for uniting the other three shades.

A clear embodiment of the high-end Tom Ford luxury brand, this palette – no doubt with all of the Estée Lauder expertise behind it – is pure joy to use. I didn’t expect it to impress me this much but it did: The shades are buttery soft, gliding across the skin with utter ease, while the sparkles and shimmer are refined (there’s little-to-no glittery fallout), adhering effortlessly to the eye. They build up well too, creating beautiful depth and dimension. The glitter bits in the golden olive do not feel gritty despite being rather large; their ultra-smooth texture actually reminds me a little of Asian glitter cream eyeshadow.

Two brushes are included with this quad. I haven’t tried them but was surprised to see the angled brush – an unusual but surely functional inclusion. The Japanese brands (Kosé and RMK, for instance) do have interesting brushes/differently-shaped applicators in their palettes but this feature in a western brand is quite unusual and one that sets this product apart from other similar ones with their run-of-the-mill sponge-tip applicators.

In the photos above and below, I have on all four colours in an easy gradated look, over Too Faced Shadow Insurance and a black pencil. These pictures were taken 5 to 6 hours after application.

As you can see, this look is somewhat tame…I’m looking forward to smoking up my eyes further with this quad.

The palette comes in its own velvet pouch à la Clarins compacts.

Despite this, my press sample unfortunately landed on my doorstep with a cracked mirror (it was in a bubble envelope too!). The palette might have luxe heft but the mirror is somewhat flimsy. Thankfully for me, its lightness allowed me to remove the shards cleanly from the compact.

The price of this Tom Ford is certainly eyebrow-raising – it is US$75 at Nieman Marcus, while it is £62 at Harrods. However, if you’re passing through London Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 or 5, you can find it there and probably for much less. (Edited to add: The quads have a suggested travel retail price of £52.70!) The complete Tom Ford Beauty Cosmetics Collection can be found at the same terminals too. I’m sure this is happy news for those of you who are well-travelled.

Do remember that the mirror of this eyeshadow quad (and probably others in the same range) is fragile – do pack the palette as securely as possible when travelling with it.

Posted in: eyeshadow faves, eyeshadow palettes, eyeshadow quads, makeup merry, makeup reviews, tom ford beauty, travel retail by makeupmag 10 Comments

Review | Lancôme Teint Miracle Compact Powder Foundation

Published at: 05:01 pm - Thursday January 26 2012

Here is Lancôme Teint Miracle Compact, the fifth Teint Miracle product after the concealer pen, liquid foundation, cream foundation and translucent loose powder.

The cream foundation sadly isn’t and won’t be available here. Thankfully, this lovely powder foundation has arrived on our shores and will please those of you who love something lightweight for our humid climes.

When I was given a preview of this new product, I couldn’t get a clear shot of the powder pan. It wasn’t because of my camera; rather, the Lancôme rose imprint powder seemed to have a diffused, almost-blurred appearance. I later realised that this was due to the refined pigments in the product; the same optic ones that define the Teint Miracle liquid foundation.

I was also impressed by how soft and finely-milled the pigments felt on my skin when I swatched it.

Packaged in the same way as Lancôme Maqui Miracle Natural Brightening Creator Compact Foundation with the functional fitted click-on refill, it also comes with a dual sponge (the velvety side for application and the silky one for smoothing out the powder). The mirrored casing is quite a fingerprint magnet, though.

Labelled with the Teint Miracle tagline ‘Natural Light Creator – Bare Skin Perfection’ and created with the patented Lancôme Aura-Inside™ technology, this foundation seeks to recreate the natural radiance of perfect skin, making the complexion look like it’s lit from within.

Formulated and made in Japan, Teint Miracle Compact contains SPF 20 PA++ and is suitable for sensitive skin. The powder can be used dry or wet, depending on the desired level of coverage/effect but as a whole, it’s a light-coverage base product.

According to the brand, Teint Miracle Compact differs from Maqui Miracle in that it has moisturising properties with the inclusion of hyaluronic acid, as well as skin-soothing and antioxidant effects, thanks to rose extracts in its formula.

The brand says:

Aura-InsideTM technology is associated to Micro-Rose FillerTM to leave skin more radiant and polished with every application.

This rose-essence in formula combines selected extracts of three delicate roses for soft and fresh complexion: Rosa Gallica helps to soothe; Rosa Centifolia delivers antioxidant benefits to protect skin; Rosa Canina helps to keep skin nourished and supple.

The 3-rose extract is enriched by the natural moisture-boosting ingredient hyaluronic acid which promotes and regulates perfect skin hydration.

Both combined into an indulgent mineral rich powder sense skin’s optimal moisture sensation, leaving skin smoothed and refined with a moist, dewy touch that lasts all day.

After wearing this foundation several times, I’d say:

Skin doesn’t look perfect or entirely flawless and it’s unlikely to correct skin imperfections.

It does offer a soft-focus glow, making skin look healthy and natural.

The powder casts a translucent veil that blurs minor imperfections; I love the luminous appearance that’s evident upon application.

It feels and looks like second skin.

People with good-to-excellent skin can use it alone just for evening of skin tone but it will not be sufficient if you require heavy coverage.

The silky plane of the dual-sided sponge caresses the skin with an amazing glide, imparting almost-poreless coverage.

A fibre optic brush like the MAC 187 skunk brush gives a more diffused look.

It doesn’t stay the oilies; you will need to blot your skin along the course of the day.

Here’s a picture of me with Teint Miracle Compact on my face. (Please ignore the eye bags; this photo was snapped several hours after application and my undereye concealer had faded considerably!)

Surprisingly, despite the number of times I blotted my face, the powder foundation lasted, thanks to the Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Foundation Primer I’ve been trying out. I love the glow that the powder seems to impart, despite its sheer coverage.

Here’s another photo, where I’m wearing Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Sahara Haze.

This was taken a few hours (3?) after application and I believe I only blotted a couple of times. I like how even-toned my skin looks in this picture.

Lancôme Singapore recommends the combined use of the Teint Miracle quartet to achieve a flawless visage by pairing the liquid foundation with the compact for higher coverage, dusting with loose powder to further set the base makeup and finishing the look with the concealer pen.

With continued usage, the rose imprint becomes increasingly indistinct – interestingly, not so much in a depleted way but in a blurry, soft focus manner which I find fascinating.

In Singapore, the refill is S$65, while the empty palette is S$27.

Image source: Lancôme Singapore