Latest trend : Beauty Boxes

Alright. I admit it.

IAMDARNCURIOUSABOUTIT.

You may be wondering, what is this 'IT' is this lady referring too?

BEAUTY BOXES

*sparkles glides across your display screen*

It's EVERYWHERE. I am not exaggerating.
maybe a little. hee. 

So far the ones I am currently aware of are :

Mivva Beauty Box 


Wonder Box 

Vanity Trove

Modbox

________________________ (*^*) __________________________

All of them are so DESIRABLE!
Oh no. Just when I thought of a way to end my spending habit. Here comes a new 'enemy'. OHBOY.

Okay, lets see what so special about them.

First off, the obvious. All of the beauty boxes has the exact, if not, almost the same subscription frame consisting of one-off, 3 months, 6 months & one year. 

Mivva Beauty Box works with brands such as :

• Paul Penders
• Skinlab
• Murad
• Stage
• Bio-essence 
• Heme
• Oriks
• Privia U New York
• di' palomo
• Facial First
• posh! nail spa

Wonderbox's collaborators :

• Clinelle 
• Elianto 
• Empro
• Gamila Secret
• Jurlique
• Kerastase
• Murad
• O.P.I
• OFFICE
• Ronasutra
• Sampar Paris
• Sothys Paris
• The Body Shop
• The Face Shop 

Vanity Trove's trove givers : ... my jaw literally dropped when I clicked on the 'BRANDS' located at the top left of the page. THERE'S SO MANYY!! No wonder its RM60 a trove. LOL.
List of brands here : https://www.vanitytrove.com/brands

Modbox's list of brands :

• Cellnique
• Claire, Handmade with love
• Himalayas 
• Juice Beauty
• Kiss Me
• Luview
• My Beauty Dairy
• Sante Naturkosmetik
• Skin 79

PHEW. I hope that I have provided an easy viewing for you girls to compare the list of brands they house. Just for fun or to help you decide which beauty box to start off with first! Hehehe.

The highlighted brands are the ones I am excited about as I am familiar with them & their products. The others.. Gotta do a background check on them. *spy mode ON* And it looks like Wonderbox has won the first round with the most highlighted brands that I find interesting & motivating enough to part my hard-earn money with. Next in line would be, Modbox!

I'm glad that I did this post of randomness because now, I know where to start off first :D 

TTFN,
Sarah.

Review & Swatches : NYX Retractable Eyeliners

NYX. A brand that never fails to surprise me.

Ever since internet & cosmetics collided in my world, I found NYX.

Here, as you can see. I have a collection of NYX Retractable Eyeliners.

Some ordered through sprees & some from Sephora <3

From left : Gypsy Blue, Golden Olive, Bronze, Brown, Gold & Silky Cashmere 

The colors are superbly pigmented, smooth & oh-so-breathtaking. 

FYI : Sephora Malaysia only carry 3 colors from this line which is Black, Olive Green & Silky Cashmere. OHSOSAD..... *tears*
They should seriously consider to expand the color selections of their NYX line. If not, online spree is the only way. 

Here is a breakdown of the colors I have :

Gypsy Blue - Teal, fine shimmer.
Golden Olive - Olive green, fine shimmer.
Bronze - Dark glittering bronze, contains obvious gold glitter chunks.
Brown - Chocolaty brown with a neutral base, not to black nor too red. Matte finish. PERFECTO!

Gold - A yellow-based gold color with a tinge of vintage touch to it. Not those bright gold.
Silky Cashmere - A neutral toned pink-brown with a shimmery finish. 

Above : Make Up Remover test. Only wiped ONCE across the swatches.

From the picture, we can see that Gypsy Blue is the obvious winner in terms of withstanding a single swipe of the make up remover. The make up remover used in this test is Mandom Bifesta Beauty Cleansing Express Sebum (a review coming up!) which is one of my must-have cleansing product in removing make up & dirt. ♥ 

OK. Let's talk facts.

Pigmentation  - ♥♥♥♥♥ 

Longevity - ♥♥♥♥♥ 
Price - ♥♥♥♥♥ 

The eyeliners from this NYX Retractable line is without a doubt excellent in terms of pigmentation, color & texture. It applies smoothly & does not tug my eyelids. Smudging is possible in the first 5 second time frame for that soft or sultry look. It does not bleed or smudge once it is dried up.

Experience : I used NYX Retractable in Bronze without any eye primer or eyeshadow as I was in my lazy mode. Paired it with my mascara and headed out running about with my errands. After an hour or two, its still intact! WOOHOO. It can withstand Malaysia's hot & humid weather. Love! About 4-5 hours later, I noticed that it transferred slightly onto my crease area. Not complaining as it is hard to come by an eyeliner which is affordable & pigmented. 

The packaging is well thought out as it is retracts in and out easily without any hassle. It helps save time on sharpening & a whole load of mess. Plus, it also helps save a lot of product from being wasted away by sharpening. I started out with pencil liners, but ever since I was introduced to NYX's Retractable Eyeliner things has never been the same again. Bliss~

Well, that is about it for now. I am feeling extremely sleepy but yet my fingers is not showing any sign of slowing down. LOL.

Have you used any of these eyeliners before?
What do you think of them?

I would totally love to hear from you :)

TTFN,
Sarah. 

Sneak Peek :)

Hey dears,

Here are the reviews/swatches that has been lined up after a loooooooooong semester.
I still have not forgotten my over-due RapidLash review.
(Frantically opening every single folder to find the pictures I took of my lashes before I started using it) 
So sit back and relax. I am trying too.
First paper on the 7th of January.
Teaching Ethics.

Oh boy.
Sleepless nights.

Here. I. Come. 

A Giveaway that is not to be missed! :)

Hey girls!

Ever since I have introduced myself to MUA which stands for Make Up Academy hailed from the United Kingdom, I have never looked back ever since.

THE PRICE TAG GOT ME HOOKED!!

So affordable yet they manage to uphold the quality of the items. It's a seriously great base to explore and experiment without burning a BIG hole in my pocket. (Which I already did by purchasing so many items from their site. Heh.)

The products which I have used before or currently using are :
1. MUA Undressed Palette
2. MUA Pretty Pastels Palette
3. MUA Matte Foundation in Shade 1 - Soft Sand
4. MUA Face Primer
5. MUA Extreme Metallics Quad Eyeshadow in Starstruck
6. MUA Intense Color Eyeliner Pencil in Rich Brown
7. MUA Lip Liner in Softly Lined
8. MUA Lipstick - Shade 15 Juicy
9. MUA Blusher - Shade 2
10. MUA Extreme Volume Mascara in Shade 2 Black/Brown
11. MUA Blusher in Shade 5
12. MUA Lipstick in Shade 16 - Nectar
13. MUA Lipstick in Shade 11
14. MUA Lipstick in Shade 13

The products which I have but not yet used/tried are :
1. MUA Trio Eyeshadow in Innocence
2. MUA Every Lash Mascara in Black
3. MUA Mega Volume Mascara in Black

And... The list shall continue to GROWWWWWWWWWWW! <3

I am so itching to start reviewing all these items. Pictures have been taken but I have not been able to bring myself to blog about it yet as these coming 3 weeks is crucial because its the end of my semester. Not forgetting, I still owe you girls a review on the Rapid Lash Serum!! *guilty*

Ok, I will try post up my review on the awesome lash serum soon :)

Anyway, this post is just to let you girls know that there's a giveaway by a fellow beauty blogger : Mary. 

Link to GIVEAWAY : http://happinessthatlasts.blogspot.com/2012/11/mua-palette-giveaway.html

She's giving away a brand new MUA Undressed Palette!! How cool is that??

Go, join now! Its a MUST-HAVE palette :D

Now, back to my overdue assignment on Literary Texts for ESL Learners. Oh, Dr PK. Please don't kill me.

Toodles!
Sarah <3

Review : COMING SOON :)

Hello!

Yep, I purposely chose a BIG & CLEAR picture to show you what's coming up next on this blog ;)
About 3 weeks ago, SHINS Malaysia gave me the opportunity to review this product. 

So, I am in the midst of editing photos and hopefully to update all of you in 2 weeks time.
* Assignments are my priority. Have too. (T^T) 

Thank you, SHINS!

Brought to you by : 

Malaysia

Review : the Balm Frat Boy Shadow/Blush

Hi girls,

Finally got to post these pictures and the review for this blush.

Took the pictures about a month or two ago & haven't got around to review it yet.

Boo, Sarah, Boo.

Alrighty, o chaps!

Let's start, shall we? :) 

I purchased this blush from my local cosmetic store, SaSa during their 15% off sale.
Not much price difference but I was so into the brand, the Balm. The love story with the Balm began when I first got my hands on their palette, Shady Lady Vol 2.

It was LURVE (love) at first swatch.

Pigmentation :

Very pigmented.
I have to use my Ecotools Blush Brush specifically for this blush because the brush is so soft that it picks up just the right amount. No overkill here.

Formula :

Matte. Contains no shimmer which I LIKE. Excellent for oily/combination skin girls like ME :D

Longevity :
Air-conditioned surroundings - approximately 8 hours.
Sun & sweat surroundings - approximately 6 hours.
Average wear time - 8 hours tops.

It's packaging is made out of cardboard just like most of their products are too. I love the cheeky names that the Balm has labelled their products. Especially the line "So many men, so little time...", makes me go all  giggly in cheekiness!

It comes with a usable mirror intact just above the blush. Noticed the word I used here, usable. Nothing so innovative about it but it will come in handy when you wanna do some touch-ups. I personally prefer a bigger mirror so that I can see where and how much I am applying. (not so pro yet)

without flash under fluorescent lighting. 

with flash. (almost true to color)

Of all the Balm cheeks collection, this was the only powder blush I dare put on my face. Ha.
Nothing wrong with the other colors. It's just that this was the only shade that suited my skin tone without making me look like a clown =P

Their cheeks collection consists of :
the Balm Down Boy , the Balm Cabana Boy, the Balm Hot Mama, the Balm Stainiac

And they have a highlighter & bronzer too!
the Balm Mary-Lou Manizer AKA "The Luminizer" (Which I have and love it! #tobereviewedsoon)
the Balm Betty-Lou Manizer AKA "The Bronzing Bandit"

Conclusion : 

Overall rating - A+ 

So, what are you waiting for? It's hard to ignore the beautiful peachy pink blush which will give a healthy flush to the cheeks making it look so irresistibly cute!

*Just for references purposes, I am a NW25-30 :) 

Review : Insta-Dri, yes. Awesome, no.

Hey girls!

My review on Sally Hansen’s Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color is mainly a comparison about its claims and my personal experience with the product.

“Nail color covers in just one coat, brilliantly. The Perfectionist Brush contours to any nail, so color always glides on precisely, quickly, flawlessly. And, the exclusive Flexiglass Complex combines beautiful, brilliant shine and super-strong wear. So simple, so Sally”

Sally says : Nail color covers in just one coat, brilliantly.
I say : The color, Pronto Purple is beautiful. I thought the color was in a way too matured for my taste but it turned out quite pretty. (I have this fear of being passed-off as an 'aunty' due to my ‘matured’ look. #firstworlddilemmas.)  Awesome if paired with a black nail polish. But, the color didn’t show up brilliantly with just one coat as claimed. My picture shows one coat of Pronto Purple. Kinda weak but the color is only brilliant after two coats.

Sally says : The Perfectionist Brush contours to any nail, so color always glides on precisely, quickly, flawlessly.

I say : Dislike the brush. Its too thick and slightly too wide which causes clumping in the middle of the nail during application. Yes you have to be quick when gliding it on as the formula dries up pretty fast. I experienced clump-land on one or two nails but its even worse if I use my left-hand to paint my right. Urgh!

Sally says : And, the exclusive Flexiglass Complex combines beautiful, brilliant shine and super-strong wear.

I say : Nay on the super-strong wear, unless you have someone shampoo your hair for you.
The edges faded/chipped a day after my daily rituals. I found it quite disappointing as I expected highly from Sally Hansen. My RM8.90 Essence nail polish dries a second-slower but lasted 5 days or more.

Great for :
 - Students who love changing nail colors according to their outfits.
 - Busy, working ladies who want a complete the look for a night out after work ;)

Conclusion :
I would recommend for anyone who wants a SUPER, QUICK fix.
It does dry extremely fast. Too fast for my liking as I am slow-poke in painting nails (It’s a leisure time activity.)
All in all, at least it does live up to its product name. Insta-Dri!