Holiday Haul December 2013

As promised, here is my holiday haul of the items I purchased while overseas :) **Excuse the messy background, I took this pictures just I removed them from my luggage**

'Love' Ornament

I've been looking for something like this for awhile now, but I haven't found one I like here in Singapore. So, obviously, when I saw this, I immediately got it without any hesitation. Even though its so simple, I really like it a lot :)

Schwarzkopf Live Colour XXL in 93 Shocking Pink
If you guys saw my last update post, you would have seen I mentioned that I dyed a streak of my hair pink. This is the dye I used to do so. They had tons of different colours, like red, purple, orange, and blue, but I chose this bright pink in hopes that it will be the most obvious on my brown hair since this whole range of dyes are meant to be used on blonde hair. Luckily enough, it did show up on my brown hair and it's pretty obvious too! It comes with the dye, 2 sachets of conditioner, a pair of gloves and detailed instructions on the different ways to dye your hair with the product (whether you want to do streaks, dip dye, or colour all your hair). The dye can be kept once opening for touch ups as this is only a semi-permanent dye and will wash out after about 8 washes

L'Oreal Feria Hair Dye in P38 Violet Vendetta
Yay, another hair dye :) I got this to dye all my hair, rather than just doing streaks or dip dye (the main reason why I bought the pink dye) And this dye is suppose to be permanent AND really obvious for dark hair. I haven't used this yet, but will probably do a post about it and what it comes with when I use it

One Direction 'Our Moment' Perfume
Let me just admit something first. When 1D first launched their fragrance, I told myself I would get it even though I don't really like the smell of pink grapefruit. When it was finally out in Singapore, I went over to 2 Sephora outlets to get it (Vivo and Suntec), but both of them didn't have it, and they said its only available at the outlet in Ion. Since I wasn't planning to go to Ion anytime soon, I decided not to bother about it and just live without it. When I was overseas, I happened to stumble upon it in a perfume store. I tried it and IT WAS AMAZING! Its like heaven in a bottle. I love the smell so much I would have gotten it even if it wasn't 1D's fragrance. Sadly, the shop only had 30ml and 50ml bottles, the 100ml was sold out :( I got the 50ml but I was just happy to have it. My mum likes the fragrance too, so as you can see its not just teenagers who like the fragrance :)

Aussie 'Luscious Long' Shampoo and Condition, 'Miracle Moist' Shampoo
I've always wanted to get Aussie products, but they aren't available in Singapore. When I found them overseas, I picked them up. They were having an offer too (buy 3 for some amount, I can't remember), so that was goooooooooooooooooooooooood. One sad thing was that the particular shampoo and conditioner I wanted, 'Miracle Shine' Shampoo and 'Mega Instant' Conditioner, was sold out, so I got these instead. Even though these are nice, I still prefer the 'Miracle Shine' Shampoo and 'Mega Instant' Conditioner as it makes my hair uber soft and shiny (I tried my friend's one, that's how I know)

New Look Hair Accessories
I went a little cray cray in New Look lol. I've been looking for flower crowns for some time here in Singapore. It was ever since I saw one at a local New Look. Its was really cute plus it was on sale. But upon closer inspection, you could see it wasn't in top form :( Because of that I decided not to get it and I've regretted it even since as I just cannot find another flower crown that I like here in Singapore. I've seen one at H&M but the flowers where too big. I was happy when I found a flower crown in the New Look outlet at a shopping mall there. Its was perfect and exactly what I wanted! It had 3 different coloured flowers, white, red and hot pink. I fell in love instantly. When I looked around, I saw more floral accessories. They were just like flower crowns, but small as they were meant to be placed around a bun. They had 3 different colours available, black, red, and a rosy pink. I took the rosy pink one first, but after awhile, I wasn't sure if I should get that colour as I didn't know if I had anything that will go well with it. I went back and wanted to get the black one instead, but the black roses couldn't really be seen in your hair. I ended up getting the rosy pink one and the red one and I love them both. I still feel that I should have gotten the black one though, even though it wasn't that obvious in your hair. It's just that if I like something, I feel the need to get it in every colour. Haha. Oh and the rosy pink one was more expensive then the red and black one cos' the roses are made of a different material

Soap & Glory 'Clean On Me' Shower Gel, 'Hand Maid' Hand Cleansing Gel, 'Hand Food' Hand Cream
So there's a reason why I got each of these. For 'Clean On Me': I always wanted to try S&G shower gels, but I didn't know which one to buy. So when I saw a travel size bottle of this, I decided to get it to try out and see if I like it (and yes, I really like it!) As for 'Hand Maid': I recently had a new piercing, and with all new piercing, you have to clean it everyday. Since I was travelling and always on the move, I didn't have time to properly clean my hands before touching my piercing (also due to sheer laziness). So I thought cleaning my hands with this before touching and cleaning my piercing would be better than nothing. For 'Hand Food': My hands got really dry from the long flights, plus it being winter time didn't not help my skin. I brought sufficient moisturiser for my face, but I didn't bring anything for my hands. That's why I bought this hand cream to prevent me from having old lady hands

Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose
I did bring lip balm while there, but when I saw this I couldn't pass it up. I've always wanted to try it since I heard good reviews about it, but never got around to getting it here in sg. Finally decided to get it while overseas (plus it was cheaper there). I really love it. It's super moisturising and I love the texture of it, it doesn't feel super thick, unlike The Body Shop lip butters, which I find too thick in texture. I really recommend it. (it smells nice too)

One Direction Kiss You Lip Polish in Cherry
When I was browsing the make up area in Boots, I saw a nail polish with Liam's face on a tag. I looked at the other nail polishes and saw one with Harry. It took me awhile to realise that the section I was standing in front of was for the official One Direction make up collection. Anyways, once my brain was done processing, I decided I should get something from their collection. Among all the items there, the thing that caught my eye was their lip polishes. I decided to get Niall's one which is cherry flavoured.

Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me
Another lip product?! The only reason why I got this is because it is different from the baby lips we get here in Singapore. Here in Singapore, we get different flavours of baby lips, but none of them add colour to your lips. Plus, the packaging for the one we get here is so boring -.- I got this literally at the last minute, just before I had to board my flight, I rushed to Boots to get this, and I'm glad I did! I love it so much and now I see why so many people can get all the different flavours and colours of it. They are so much better than the baby lips available here. And I love the colour it adds to my lips. Would love to get more when I get the chance.

Barry M Nail Paint in 356 Berry Cosmo and Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in GNP 335 Watermelon
Barry M is another brand I've always wanted to try but isn't available in sg. I picked up these two shades when I found them in the nail section of Boots.
(I didn't have time to repaint my nails, so please excuse the pictures)

Reindeer Earrings :)
I decided to get these in the spirit of Christmas

PIZZA PLATE :D
HOW CAN ANYONE NOT GET THIS?!

Battlefield 4 for PC
Why not? It was cheaper there too, so that's a plus.

Update: 22 December 2013 {3 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS}

3 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS! YAY! :)

Anyways, I thought it would do a short update post today as I don't think I will be posting anything till Christmas.

1) Possible (by possible I mean very likely) Upcoming DIYs
I've been on Pinterest a lot lately and have really been inspired by the DIY projects on there and I decided to try doing some of my own! I really like how my little projects turned out and was thinking of doing a few DIY posts showing you how I make or decorate some stuff to spice up your room. I guess I'll also include some photos or links from the pins I saw that I really liked or that I decided to recreate. I'm sure you'll enjoy doing them as much as I enjoyed it!

2) End of the Year = 3 Major New Posts plus a few other posts!
So ever since about June or July, I've been planning 3 big posts for you guys (it was originally just 2 posts, but I had to split 1 into 2 separate parts!) and I plan to post them towards the end of the year, which isn't that long away anymore! I decided to post them at the end of the year since I was busy pretty much 24/7 this entire year due to O levels, which (thankfully) is looooooooooooooong gone. But till the end of the year, I will also be posting a few other posts, such as a holiday haul, a review and of course DIYs.

3) Change in hair colour?!
Okay, not exactly all my hair, but, I plan on doing my own ombre hair soon (it might end up as a dip dye instead). I'll definitely take some pictures of the process and do a post about it. I plan on doing a pink ombre, so (hopefully) from my natural hair colour, to darker pink and finally light pastel pink at the very tips. I initially wanted it to go from my natural colour to pastel pink, but I heard that your hair has to be near white for the pastel colour to be picked up properly, so I thought it would be best just to try the pastel at the very tips, so if it doesn't pick up properly it still won't look that bad. I hope everything goes well. I will obviously have to bleach my hair first since I have naturally dark brown hair. I've never bleached my own hair before, and I'm kinda scared I'll mess up the ombre effect. I also hope my hair won't be too dry after the bleaching, although I know it probably will be. After doing a little research, I realised that I would have to bleach my hair twice, the first time to bring the dark brown to an orangey colour, and the second time to make it blonder. This will really dry out my hair, so I'll have to go all out when it comes to conditioning my hair.

4) New Eye-shadow Palette
I was actually thinking of getting a new eye shadow palette some time soon. I've always been debating which naked palette I should try, whether the Naked 1 or Naked 2. I know they recently released a Naked 3 palette, which has more rosy toned colours. I do want to get that palette, just that I don't think it's available yet here in Singapore (maybe it is, its just that I haven't checked Sephora since I've been back from vacation). I'll get it eventually. There is also a Naked Basics, which only has 6 shades, but since half of those are highlight shades, overall it didn't appeal to me. So I'm still stuck between choosing either the Naked 1 or Naked 2 to get. The Too Faced palettes also appeal to me, especially the Boudoir Eyes palette. I'll go to Sephora soon and see these palettes up close, I might just end up not getting any actually.

Naked 1 Palette

Naked 2 Palette

Naked 1 and 2 Comparison

Naked 3 Palette

Naked 1, 2, and 3 Comparison

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette

** All pictures are from Google :) **

Hair Colouring Trends: Hair Chalking, Dip Dye, Ombre, Reverse Ombre, and Hair Veiling ♥

Hey guys!

So since I've recently been really into hair dyeing and colouring, I thought I would do a post of (what I find) really nice hair trends I've been noticing and maybe this can give you some ideas if you're thinking of dyeing your hair :) *Images are not mine!*

Hair Chalking
I did a post over a year ago about the sudden hair chalk craze (as while as the pros and cons of chalking your hair) as at that time everyone seemed to be talking about it and doing it. However, I've noticing that now (at least where I'm currently living, Singapore) hardly anyone is talking about it. But I do know that in countries like America, hair chalk is becoming more readily available and can easily be found in beauty sections of drug stores and even grocery stores, indicating that there is still a demand for hair chalk. That is why I find that hair chalking is still a trend and included it in this post! *NOTE: Although people usually use hair chalk just to add streaks of colour, with a lot of patience you can achieve a dip dye or ombre look*

**Dip Dyeing and Ombre**
Before I talk about them separately, I would like to clear a common error people have with these two techniques. Most people think that dip dyeing and ombre-ing are basically the same thing and use the terms interchangeably. However, they produce two very different results. Read on to know more about the different results...


Dip Dyeing
In dip dyeing, the result you get is simple, it will look like you basically just dipped the ends of your hair into dye, meaning that there will be a distinct line as to where the dye is. Doing this on your own hair is very easy, a lot easier than trying to achieve an ombre look, especially if you are not a hair stylist or have no experience in hair dyeing.

Ombre
In ombre, you are transitioning/fading from a darker colour to a lighter colour, so there will be a gradient of colours, rather than just one distinct line. Ombre looks really nice with curled hair and I personally prefer ombre compared to dip dye. Ombre is also good for people who want a new colour in their hair but don't want to bleach or dye all their hair

Reverse Ombre
Okay, so you know what an ombre is. A reverse ombre is basically, well, the exact opposite of an ombre. Instead of transitioning from a darker colour to a lighter colour, hair will transition from a lighter colour (ie: Blonde) to a darker colour (Brown) in reverse ombre. This effect of transitioning from a light colour to a dark colour is also nice for other colours of hair, like transitioning from light pink to a darker pink near the tips.

Hair Veiling
Not many people know of this hair dyeing technique, but those who do love it! Hair veiling is adding colour to 'hidden' sections of your hair, for example, the section of hair along your neck line on the back of your neck, which ,when your hair is let down, will be hidden by your top layers of hair. The hidden sections can only be seen if your hair is styled a certain way, for example, if you tie your hair into a high bun.

After seeing these different hair trends, I hope its given you some ideas for your next 'do! :)

Update: 18 December 2013 {7 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS}

Hey guys!

So I'm back from my vacation! :) I don't really have much to write about for this update post, but I thought I'd still do one just so I can get use to updating weekly.

Anyways, one new thing I should post about is that I HAVE PINK HAIR. Okay, not really. I just dyed a streak of my hair pink. I bought the dye when I was overseas and used it the moment I reached home. The dye is actually meant for bleached blonde hair, but I just used it on my streak of hair which is for a lighter shade of brown compared to the rest of my hair (I lightly bleached it before, that's why its lighter).

I'll post more about the dye in an upcoming post, which brings me to my next point....

A HOLIDAY HAUL :) In this post, I'll just share the items I bought while overseas and talk a little about them since I have used most of them. I'm sure you guys will enjoy it!

Along with a holiday haul, I also have other posts coming up, so stay tuned! :*

I think that's about all for this update post
x

Review: Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle Salon Strengthener

Hey guys!

I thought I would just do a little review on the Sally Hansen Miracle Growth product. I got it as I had cut my nails super duper short and I really couldn't wait for them to grow back. I thought this would be a good product to try out and see if it really does work. You apply it just like how you would apply a nail polish. They says to apply one thin coat on a BARE NAIL every other day. I've read review before purchasing this product and many said they don't see any results if you don't apply it on a bare nail, free of any nail polish or anything. I followed this instructions for about a week and so I'll basically talk about the results I got from this product.

*I must apologise for the lack of pictures. When I was actually using the product for the first time, it didn't occur to me to take a before picture and stuff as I didn't think I would do a review on it. I might have a separate post where I basically cut my nails really short again and use the product, but this time I'll take before, after and during pictures and have it up on that post.*

1 DAY AFTER FIRST APPLICATION
So here's what I did. I applied on my bare nails at night and went to bed. The next day, believe it or not, there was a visible growth of my nails. It wasn't a huge difference, like I didn't wake up with claws or anything, but I could clearly see it. Before I applied the product, my nails didn't have any of the white tip. I woke up the next day with a very small white tip. I know my own nails, therefore I know that the white tip won't grow so fast if I have cut my nails recently. This meant that the product had actually worked. I was super happy and continued to follow the instructions.

2 DAYS AFTER FIRST APPLICATION
I removed the initially coat that I applied 2 days ago and reapplied a fresh coat. The white tip of my nails was, again, slightly longer than it was the previous day. I really believed this was a miracle product and was happy that I tried it out.

3 DAYS ONWARD FROM FIRST APPLICATION
I followed the instructions and reapplied the product to bare nails every other day. However, the product seems to not work anymore. Like I said previously, I know my own nails and I know the speed they grow at. I know that by a week, they would roughly been at a certain length, and so on. Even after reapplying every other day, my nails seemed to be growing at the same speed as they would without the product. For example, the length of the white tip after a week of using the product looked exactly similar to how it would without the product. I was really disappointed as I really thought that this product would help my nails to grow faster but it seemed to stop working just after a few days of using it.

OVERALL
Overall, I do not recommend this product. This is my second product from Sally Hansen that I really do not like and find that it is a waste of money. The first was their French Manicure pen that was too watery and the colour was not opaque enough to be used for a French manicure style nail. (Review of the French Manicure set here) I think that Sally Hansen should just stick to making nail polishes as I really do LOVEEEEEEEEEEE all their different ranges of nail polishes. But I seem to always be disappointed with their other products. I know it's just two other products that I've tried beside their nail polishes, but the fact that these two products have not performed the way I thought they would really makes me doubt their other products. However, with that being said, I still may try other products from Sally Hansen just to try out and see if they work, but at the moment the only products I would recommend from Sally Hansen are their nail polishes but this is just my personal opinion.

SIDE NOTE
Like I said towards the start of this review, I may do another post where I basically cut my nails short again and use the product again, but this time I will take images of my nails along the process of them growing. I will only apply the product to one hand, and leave the nails on the other hand to grow naturally. That way you will be able to compare them side by side as they grow.

Update! 28 November 2013: I'M FINALLY BACK :*

Hey guys!

I know I haven't posted anything or updated you guys for a really long time. I was busy studying O levels ;_; Anyways, I'm glad that its over now! :D Actually it was over a long time ago, my last paper was on 15 November. My prom was on the 18th. I had so much fun there, but I'm really going to miss my secondary school D: Who knows what lies ahead for me :)

Okay, in terms of this bog, I will have two (maybe three if I split one post into two separate ones) major posts planned ahead :) But I'll be posting them maybe towards the end of December. Can you guess what posts they will be? (; I might also do a review on the Clarisonic Mia 2 soon (Yes, I just recently got it) like maybe a first impression? I'll also try to keep up with my weekly updates and stuff! However I'll be going overseas from early December to mid December so I won't be able to post during that time unless I bring my laptop, which I may not. But I can guarantee that I'll do weekly updates when I'm back on this little red dot! :3

I think that's all for today. I better get back to packing. My luggage has been out for about a week but all I have in it is a pair of boots :/ Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee :*

♥ Summer Haul 2013! ♥

Hey guys!
So over the course of this Summer, I have done some shopping and decided to share it in a collective haul! I didn't get that many things as I had expected, so hopefully next year's Summer haul may have more things :) I also might do a collective haul at the end of December since I do have holidays from November to December. So maybe I will have more items then. But anyways, lets get started! :)

FROM NEW LOOK
During the sales period, New Look always has good deals that I can't pass up, and usually it's their shoes. They did have quite a selection of clothes on sale but it didn't really interest me. So I just ended up getting a few items that were pretty heavily discounted. :)

'Cow Girl' Coin Purse.
Originally $9.90. Got it for $3.90

Purple Heels
Originally $63. Was on sale for $31.50

Light Brown-ish Wedges
Originally $69.90. Was on sale for $19.90 :D

FROM SEPHORA
Even though Sephora did have a sale going on, I wasn't really looking for anything. My mum got me this item as a gift.

Justin Bieber Someday Perfume 100ml
It was originally $98 but got reduced to about $76 due to it being 20% off.

FROM COTTON ON
As with New Look, the clothes didn't really interest me.

Paper Lanterns
Originally was either $25 or $30 (not too sure). Got it for $5

Cat shoes :D
Not sure of it's original price, but got it for $15 :)

Tiger Tank Top
Again, not sure of it's original price but paid $5 for it

♥ Aqua Blue Sports Shoes ♥
Omg, I love these soooooooooo much <3 They are super comfy but I actually kinda regret buying them cos I know I'll be super sad once they are dirty or worn out :(
These were not on sale, hence I paid the original price of $39.95

FROM FOREVER 21
I didn't get any clothes or shoes from here as I found it quite pathetic that the items on sale were the same items that were on sale in March. It wasn't like just a few items from their previous sale that was brought over to their current sale, every item on the rack was from their previous sale. So this really sucked as these items were the items that I didn't like and passed in the previous sale. So it was disappointing that I didn't find any cute stuff in the sale. I did see some cute muscle tanks while I was there but I didn't end up getting them as I have way too many muscle tanks, but I just might go back to get one since I can't stop thinking about it (;

Make Up Bag $10