Follow my Instagram @xoxoVera23

Hey guys!

I just thought I'd jump on here real quick to say that you guys should follow me on my Instagram @xoxoVera23 where I post pictures of makeup daily!

That is all.

Thank you :D

HAUL! ♥ Products I got back in September :x

Hey guys! So I did some shopping recently (by recently I mean back in September but whatever) and I thought I would show you some stuff I got! :)

Beauty Blender Original
Got my first beauty blender! Woohoo! I purchased it at Sephora for $37. It comes with a mini Solid Cleanser that works amazingly on the Beauty Blender as well as other makeup sponges and brushes. One thing I should add about the Beauty Blender is that the gorgeous pink colour does fade each time to wash it. Mine has faded to a muted pink colour, but I still love it nonetheless :)

Tarte Smooth Operator Finishing Powder
Got this at Sephora for $21. Thought it would be good to get just to try out and if I liked the product I could go and purchase the full size. I've used this already but I'm not sure if I like it enough to purchase the full size once I used this one up. Will have to used it a lot more before I decide

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (in Shade 1N2 Ecru)
Finally decided to pick this bad boy up! I got this because I needed a long wearing foundation when I was in Australia because I would be out all day every day while I was there and I didn't have time to touch up my makeup. Used this for about a month and a half now and I AM IN LOVE. It's a really good foundation for oily skin and at the end of the day my skin still looks good. Retails at $58. Got mine from the Estee Lauder shop.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation (in shade 2)
Got a sample of this foundation and instantly fell in love so I obviously had to pick up a full size of this! It's lightweight and looks like skin while still giving good coverage. Surprisingly it still looks good on me at the end of the day (I do have oily skin and prefer foundations that are more matte). Retails at $62 and I got mine at Sephora

MAC Fix+
Finally got a bottle of MAC Fix+! And so happy I did. Not much to say about it. I just enjoy spraying it on my skin when my skin feels a little dry or when I just need to be refreshed. Bought mine for $28

Maybelline Colour Show Eye Liners (not sure of shade name as it's not on the actual eyeliner!)
Oops can't remember the price of these guys as well (Should be around $9) but I just thought of getting some coloured eye liners. (I love layering the Catrice Liquid Metal eyeshadow over this blue eyeliner!) :)

Various Brushes!
Decided to pick up a couple of makeup brushes from the drugstore! I can't remember the exact prices but I'll give an estimate :)

Cosmetica Double Ended Eye Shadow Brush (Around $7 I think)
Catrice Double Ended Brush ($4.50?)

QVS Flat Top Brush (Really don't remember the price sorry)

Real Techniques Face Set (I believe it was $40)

EcoTools Fan Brush (I think it was $13)

Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadow (in shade 060 Petrol Pan)
Picked this up from Guardian for $9 I think. I've been loving having a pop of colour on my lower lash line and picked this up for that reason. Really pigmented! :)

Sephora Lip Set (was limited edition)
Picked this little lip set up at Sephora for $29. Get way to try a couple new lip products! Comes with:
-Tarte Lip Gloss in Blissful
-NYX Butter Lipstick in BLS22 Gumdrop
-Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Melted Fuchsia
-Sephora Rouge Infusion in 10 Red Essence
-Givenchy Le Rouge Lipstick in 202 Rose Dressing

Catrice Limited Edition Matt Lip Cream in C01 Never Leave Coral Reef
To be honest, I got this because I thought the packaging looked like Whitening Lightening Lip Glosses. I picked this up for $7.90 (I think) and even though I haven't really used this often enough, I really like the formula of this. The colour is really pretty too :)

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation (in shade 120 Classic Ivory)
Picked this up when I was in Australia. I have tried this a couple of times and it's not the best foundation for oily skin. Also it doesn't give amazing coverage. I used this on days where I need just a little coverage but I have to powder loads.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous Foundation (in shade 810 Classic Ivory)
Also picked this guy up in Australia. Was really excited to see it there since Covergirl isn't available in Singapore. I have tried this already and to be honest I don't know why people were raving about this product. To me it just seems like an average foundation.

Another update ♥ Plus a little foundation talk (;

Hi guys!

So I just posted this update on my other personal blog here but I thought I would do an update here as well! ♥

So I'll be leaving for Australia on Monday night and I'll be gone for a week. I'll be uploading pictures from my trip on that blog too so do check that blog out for pictures when I'm back (I have pictures up on that blog from my UK/Paris trip I had back in March)

Also, you can follow me on instagram @aloe_vera for pictures while I'm there. You can also follow me on twitter @aloe_vera__ if you're interested on updates while I'm there!

Anyway, since this is a beauty blog, let's talk some makeup! ♥ For the past few weeks I've been trying out and testing some foundations mainly for this trip. Reason being is that a regular day for me on this trip would consist of getting ready at 6am and only returning back to the hotel at 6pm. So I wanted to find a foundation that would be long wearing and also help control oil since I do have oily skin. So far the foundations I like that I recently tried are Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation and MAC Pro Longwear Foundation. I am in shades 2.0 and NC20 respectively. I do intend on getting a full size bottle of the Urban Decay foundation first just because I felt that I liked that a little more (don't get me wrong, I really liked the MAC one as well, I'll just get that at a later date). I believe the Urban Decay one retails at $62. Even though it doesn't have a matte finish, I really like it. It sets to a very natural finish and it really does look like I'm not wearing any foundation, which I enjoy because I hate foundations that are too heavy and make it obvious that you're wearing foundation. It does last a good amount of time, a lot longer than what I expected. However, it doesn't keep me matte, even after setting the foundation with a powder (which doesn't surprise me since it doesn't claim to be mattifying). Oh yeah, coverage wise I find it is a medium coverage. Overall it is a good foundation and I'm glad I decided to pick up a sample of it. I can't wait to get a full size bottle of it ♥ As for the MAC Pro Longwear foundation, I haven't tried it as much as the Urban Decay one. I have tried it about once or twice though. I feel like it is a little heavier on the skin compared to the Urban Decay but it's nothing too heavy to the point where you feel like you have loads foundation on. The reason why I haven't used it as much as the Urban Decay one is because I want to save my little sample for when I'm in Australia. That way I can really test out the longevity of this foundation and see how long wearing it is for me. So yeah, I guess this is a mini review on those two foundations lol. They were the only 2 that really stuck out for me from all the samples I've been trying recently. Definitely going to get the full size bottles of these 2 foundations eventually I suppose, since I do intend on getting the Urban Decay one first. Anyway, other foundations I would like to try out soon are MAC Face and Body (I know it may not be the best foundation for my oily skin, but I am looking for a good light foundation that I can just throw out to even out my skin tone a little), MAC Match Master (a little intrigued by the concept of how this foundation will adjust to the undertone of your skin. Not sure if it will be good for oily skin though or how long it will last on the skin), Bare Minerals Bare Skin Foundation (similar to MAC Face and Body in my opinion since they are both really light weight foundations that stills makes your skin look like skin. However, this one is suppose to be somewhat of a skincare product as while. It's suppose to brighten your skin and eventually lighten dark spots as while. Will definitely check this one out when I'm back from Australia.), Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (only recently became interested in this foundation even though it has been hyped up for so long! Its supposed to be extremely amazing in terms of its longevity on the skin once applied, And it's also supposed to be good for oily skin by keeping you matte pretty much all day! I only have a full day left before I leave for Australia but I really want to try to get a sample before I leave so that I can use/try this out while I'm there to see how long it lasts on my skin and if it really lasts that 15 hours claimed by Estee Lauder. ps: if I'm really desperate for this foundation I might sneak into duty free at Singapore Airport and get a bottle just before I board the plane lol), MAC Studio Fix Fluid (wanted this bad boy wayyyyyyyyy back when I first got into higher end makeup. It's supposed to be quite full coverage and quite thick, which was why I wanted it back then since I did have some acne back then. I still would want to try this foundation out even though my skin has cleared up. But I'm definitely not going to jump right in and get a full size bottle so I'll just get a sample first).
Those are the top foundations I would like to try ASAP. I'll definitely do a review here once I've tried them! :)

Anyway, that's all for today's update post. Do remember to follow me on twitter and instagram :) ♥

xoxo, Vera ♥

IT HAS BEEN SO LONG :O

Hey guys!

Wow, it's been awhile hasn't it! Haha don't think I've forgotten about you guys because I'm back :D yay!! So since it's been some time, I do hope to eventually get back to regular blogging with haul and reviews and what not. I also hope to start doing video again?? I did a few some times ago too but I kinda stopped because I honestly didn't have anymore time to film and edit, but I'm hoping I will be able to film some Get Ready with Me at the very least since I'm currently on holiday.

Anyway, do look forward to this blog being active again. Haha. Bye :)

Sephora Haul + Reviews ♡ Too Faced, Tarte, etc..

Hey :)

So I filmed a haul video on the stuff I got (watch the video here) and I decided to do a blog post as well. I should also add that I made two separate trips to Sephora to get these stuff, and for both trips I managed to get 10% off ^^

Soap & Glory Puffy Eye Attack HydraGel Turbo Boost Eye Cream
I've been using this for slightly over a week. I do feel like there is a difference in my under eye circles, but I think it is still too soon to make a conclusion as to whether it was due to this product. But I still like this product :)

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette
O M G I'M IN LOVE. I've been waiting for FOREVER for this palette to be available in Singapore, reason being was that I wanted to see if it really does smell like chocolate. AND IT DOES! But, I should mention that the smell isn't as strong as what I thought it'd be. The reviews I've watched and read all described it as a super strong smell of chocolate, as if you were in a chocolate factory or something, and that the moment you open the palette you can immediately smell it. But I find the scent to be quite subtle, you can still smell it, but it's not super strong like all up in your face. As for the actual shadows, they're all really pigmented. My favourite shade is called Champagne Truffle and it is the shimmer base shade that they put in the larger pan. I definitely recommend this palette, whether as a gift or for yourself!

Tarte Be MATTEnificent Palette
If you want a proper review on this palette, click here. My favourite shade is 'Two Plums Up', the last shade in the first row. It is gorgeous and I love it in my outer corner, so much better than the conventional dark brown in the outer corner.

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette
Okay, so I knew I was taking a huge risk in buying this. When I first heard of this palette, I did some research on it and I was able to categorise all the reviews into 2 categories. The people in the first category loved everything thing about this palette, but the people in the second DID NOT LIKE THE SHIMMER SHADOWS AT ALL. They found the matte shades okay, but couldn't justify the price of the palette for just the matte shades. With this in mind, I swatched the shadows in store and I thought that the shimmer shadows were okay. They swatched fine and weren't like what the people in the second category described. So I decided to purchase this palette. The one we get here in Singapore doesn't come with a sample size of the mascara, so that sucks. But it does come with the brush and pamphlet on different looks for different eye shapes. I haven't used this palette yet, so I can't get my opinion on it, but when I do, I'll be sure to update you guys! :)

Urban Decay Naked 1 & 2 Palettes
After being impressed with Naked 3, I decided to purchase the other two. I do like these two palettes, the quality of the shadows are amazing, and I'm so happy I got them both. I know some people do prefer one over the other, but I cannot pick a favourite amongst them three (including the Naked 3)

Stila Stay All Day Eye Liner in Intense Black
I'm so happy I got this eye liner. But I must admit that it did take a little getting use to for me before I was able to use it properly and not mess up my eyeliner. Because I'm used to using an angled brush to apply my gel liner, this felt tip eyeliner was completely alien to me. I kept messing up my liner, and trying to fix it only made it worst. But I'm happy to say that I finally got use to applying it :D

Tarte Be MATTEnificent Palette Review ♡

Hello everyone!

So I got the Tarte Be MATTEnificent Palette a while ago, and I thought I'd do a little review on it.

I first found out about this palette when watching Zabrena's video. In this vlog, she showed a clip of her swatching this palette in Sephora. I was immediately interested in this palette because it was all matte, but what really made me want this palette was when she swatched the shadows in this palette. They were super pigmented and she said that they were really buttery in texture. Its really difficult to find good matte shadows that are super pigmented, but by the looks of the swatches in that video, this palette seemed to have good mattes. Luckily for me, I was able to stop by Sephora later that day to swatch this palette out for myself. I was blown away with the textures of these shadows, every single one of them were buttery and highly pigmented, even the lightest shade. I did a bit more research on this palette before I made up my mind to purchase it, and all the reviews I read had nothing but good things to say about this palette. So I purchased it from Sephora, where it retailed at $69.

This palette comes with 6 eyeshadows, 2 powder liners, and a blush, all of which are matte. It also comes with a double ended brush and a card showing you how to create 2 different looks using this palette. The names of the colours are super cute, with names ranging from 'sand out from the crowd' to 'don't stand black'. My favourite colour in this palette is 'two plums up', which is the last shade on the top row. This palette comes with a plastic sheet with the names of the colours on, aw well as where to place the colours on your lid.

Blush: Elevated
Shadows on top row: Sand out form the crowd (base), Peach for the stars (lid), Two plums up (Outer corner)
Shadows on bottom row: Pink outside the box (lid), Rose to the occasion (crease), View from the taupe (crease)
Liners: Dream in chocolate, Don't stand black

I've been using this palette for awhile now, and I am in love. I think this is my favourite palette out of all my others. What makes this palette special to me, besides it being completely matte, is that plum shade. All my other palettes don't have a shade similar to it, so I think it is quite clever of Tarte to add a plum shade for the outer corner colour rather than a conventional dark brown that is in most palettes. Good move Tarte! I also really like the blush. It's super wearable and goes well with any look. As for the double ended brush that comes with this palette, I like the shader side of the brush. The blending side, however, isn't for me. It is good for applying colour, but I don't like it for blending out the colour.

Overall, I give this palette two plums up (get it?). I would recommend it to everyone. If you love matte shadows and use more matte than shimmer, then go get this palette. If you love using shimmers, you should go get this palette as well, it provides good matte shades that you can use in the crease or as a little definition to complement your shimmer shadows. And if you're a makeup collector, GET THIS NOW, since it is limited edition, which I'm quite sad about. I wish it was a permanent item, and I'm sure I'd be really sad once I hit pan on any of the shadows, but I'm sure that would take a long time, since Tarte was generous enough to give 2.15g for each square pan of shadow. But still :( Anyway, I should probably mention that this is my FIRST purchase from Tarte, and I'm really impressed. I do intend to purchase another palette from them soon (but not so soon. I need a break from shopping). This palette I'm eyeing is none other than the Sultry Sunset palette (either than or the Call of the Wild palette). It retails at $63 (Singapore dollar) and I don't think it's limited edition. But yeah. I also want to try their 'Lights, Camera, Lashes' mascara as well as their 'Lash Extending Fibers'. I'll probably do reviews on any new Tarte products I get.

Okay, enough rambling. I hope you enjoyed this review and maybe it helped you decide whether or not to get this palette. In case you were wondering, this is not a sponsored review. I purchased this palette with my own money and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm just really impressed with the quality of the palette and stuff :)




Wanna see me get ready using this palette? Click here

12 March 2014 update ♡

hello ♡

So I thought I'd do a little update today.

I've uploaded the beauty part of my 2013 collective haul. It's not really complete, I haven't added the description for some products, but I thought I'd just upload it because I was tired of always dragging that post out, and also I know that that next few weeks/months will be really busy for me, so that post may get dragged out even more. Therefore uploading it now, although incomplete, might be the best option for it and for me.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I mentioned it on this blog before, but I was overseas from mid February to early March, and while I was overseas I bought more stuff! Mainly clothes, but also some cosmetics. I featured some in my new video on YT, but those weren't all my new products as I didn't want to open and use them all at once. I might do a small post on the cosmetics side of my new products. Might show some of the clothes I bought too, but maybe not all? (I've started wearing my new clothes already, so they'll be all over the place. Some will be in my closet, some in laundry and others just lying on my floor :x ) But yeahhhhhhhhh. If you want to see some pictures from my trip, check out my second blog

Apart from that, there not much else to update on for this blog. I'm still working on my YT, so once I'm done with it I'll link it here (but I already have 2 videos on there :D )

bye :)

Collective Haul 2013: Beauty Items ♥

Okay guys! Here is the second part 2 of my 2013 collective haul, the beauty items! :) It took me longer to finish this post as I decided to do this post a little differently, I wrote down the quotes and claims each of these products have. If you are interested in my opinion on any product, just leave the product you want a review on in the comment and I'll be happy to reply with my opinion :)

Clean & Clear Fruit Essentials Facial Cleanser in Purifying Apple

"Purify your skin with this deliciously scented cleanser with BURSTING BEADS, which burst with energy and natural apple extract. Thoroughly removes oil and dirt, with anti-bacterial ingredients to help prevent common skin problems without over drying. Leaves skin feeling clean, clear and radiant" 

Redken Extreme Shampoo
"

Bed Head Small Talk Thickening Styling Cream
"3-in-1 thickifier, energizer, stylizer. Blah, blah blah. Thichifier - adds body and volume. Energizer - gives life to limp hair. Stylizer - defines, separates and controls."

Garnier Pure Active Spor Purifying Toner
"It's purifying formula delivers an instant double action to FIGHT SPOTS and FADE MARKS:
1. The concentrated formula, with well known anti-bacterial ingredient, helps refine pores and protect against spots.
2. Enriched with a natural active derived from Blueberry, the formula soothes and visibly reduces the appearance of marks."

Guardian Annecy Collagen Hand Cream

Catrice Nail Lacquer in Meet Me at Coral Island
"Nail Polish for ultimate colour, ultimate high shine, ultimate coverage"

Bed Head Ego Boost Split End Mender and Leave In Conditioner
"Boost that ego and save your hair! Ego Boost Split End Mender & Leave in Conditioner will seal, smooth and protect your hair."

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Styling Spray
"Restores definition, elasticity and bounce to natural curls. Leaves hair touchably soft and shiny. Alcohol-free. With thermal protectant"

=

Suave Kids Detangling Spray
"Suave Kids Detangling Spray tames the toughest knots, bed-head and flyaways for less than the more expensive brands. This effective formula takes the trouble out of combing and enhances hair's natural softness and shine."

Sephora Special Birthday Gift Palette

Victoria's Secret Such a Flirt Refreshing Body Mist
"Refreshing formula is infused with conditioning Aloe Vera and calming Chamomile. Spray on for a touch of scent."

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Colour in Strobe Light

The Body Shop Hearts soaps in Vanilla Bliss and Ginger Sparkle

Press & Go Press On Manicure (medium length)

Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle Salon Strengthener
"Sally knows miracles do happen thanks to a scientific breakthrough utilising Advanded Peptide Technology. Nails grown 30% longer in just 5 days*. This exclusive nail colour formula with Peptides, Keratom, Biotin and multi-vitamins, reinforces nails to resist splitting, cracking and breaking. *Based on consumer study of gloss and colour inensity."
I already did a review of this product. Click here to see my review

Dewy Tree Lemon Brightening and Tea Tree Blemish Focus Masks
(Tea Tree Blemish Mask) "Trouble care ingredients such as Tea Tree Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensus Leaf Extract, Sciadopitys Verticillate Root Extract help to calm sensitivity and soothe you skin. It helps you skin to be healthier, balance and free from skin troubles of white heads, black heads and acne. Cotton sheet mask with silky touch delivers these highly concentrated nutrients efficiently to the skin for a balance and blemish-free complexion"
(Lemon Brightening Mask) "This Brightening Focus Mask contains Lemon Fruit Extract which consist of several vitamins and Flavonoid. It will change even brighter and clearer your skin with Brightening care compomemts such as Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract and Morus Alba Bark Extract."

Nivea Extra White Pore Minimiser Mud Foam

Catrice Prime and Fine Smoothing Refiner

Catrice Made to Stay Highlighter Pen in Eye Like!

Catrice Infinite Shine Lip Gloss in Sugar Crush

Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstice in Frozen Rose

Catrice Liquid Lip Tint in Are you Red-y?

Clarisonic Mia 2

 

Braun Satin Hair 7 Hair Dryer

Lush Herbalism

Lush Snow Fairy Limited Edition Shower Gel
"It smells if candy floss and pear drops transports all of us back to days of standing in the sweet shop with our pocket money clasped in our fist, trying to decide what to buy."

Philosophy Purity Face Wash

Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution Serum

iWhite Tooth Whitening Stick

Sephora Super Supreme Body Butter
"Nourishes without leaving an oily film. Skin is soft and smooth after application: 97.5% of women satisfied after 6 days of use. In use test on 40 volunteers."

Bamboo Summer Ocean Beach Waves Spray
"A lightweight text

Essence Floral Grunge Nail Polish in Be Flowerful
"Nail Polish - Quick Drying"

Essence All About Curl Mascara
(this mascara is new and isn't on the official essence website for Singapore)

Watsons Cleansing Facial Wipes in Floral Herbal

Essence Nail Art Express Dry Drops
"Sometimes, every second counts - with the express dry drops, your nail polish will dry in just 60 seconds! Thanks to the pipette, you can apply this product drop by drop. And the best thing is: your nails and cuticles are pampered with vitamin E and Almond Oil for extra shine at the same time!"

Organix Moroccan Argan Creme Sheer Hydration Leave-in Mist