Hey Guys!

Hey guys!

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be officially blogging about Fashion and Beauty on my new blog, Covered Girl.

I haven't decided what to do with this blog just as yet, but all posts are here for you to enjoy as long as you want to!

Peace lovies! Hope to see you guys on the new site!

xoxo

Gym: You go hard, or you go home.

I have been schlepping around the house for so damn long (thanks holidays!) so I went to the gym today.

I haven't been going for any cardio classes for the last SIX MONTHS (yep I got a major shock when I realized that today).

Sad to say, any endurance or stamina I've built up over the year has just been flushed down the toilet.

I nearly passed out, puked and I gave up after literally 30minutes of cardio kickboxing.

I can't believe that I let me do this to myself, so I'm taking it pretty hard today.

So just wanted to say, when people say you go hard or you go home - just make sure that you go as hard as you can without trying to kill yourself in the process.

Peace lovies.

Til the next post!

Health & Fitness: Omega-3 Fish Oil & Weight Loss

Don't worry, I'm not about to start writing a science paper. I just wanted to share some useful information.

Taking a capsule of Omega-3 Fish Oil 45 minutes prior to working out will help burn more fat during and after your workout.


A journal published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted a study to determine the effects of omega-3 fish oil when combined with exercise.

They had a group that took the fish oil without exercise, a group that took fish oil with exercise and similar groups who took sunflower oil supplements (the placebo).

At the end of the study they found that those who combined exercise and the supplement lost weight but those who combined exercise and the fish oil supplement, lost more weight (almost 1.5kg of fat mass). The exercise constituted of 45 minutes of walking or running three days a week in conjunction with taking a 6g capsule of Omega-3 fish oil. Participants kept their regular diet of around 2000kcal a day

After reading up on this study, I realized that there could be no harm in trying this out. After all the benefits of taking Omega-3 supplements include reducing risk for heart disease and reducing levels of LDL and triglycerides (i.e. "the bad fat" that contributes to high cholesterol levels). Seriously just Google benefits of Omega-3 and you'll be amazed. (Click here, I've done it for you)

I am considering trying this out but there are so many brands of Omega-3 Fish Oil supplements, that I have no idea which one to choose!

Let me know if you're planning on trying it out!

Peace lovies.

Til the next post.

xx

Beauty: November Bellabox

The concept of a monthly subscription box filled with the latest samples in the beauty world is more than overdue on our sunny island. I've been watching Birchbox reviews by missglamorazzi (aka Ingrid) for far too long, wishing that somehow, someway it would grace our shores. And it finally has! Bellabox.sg launched their first box of goodies in October 2011. 

Being apprehensive of the quality of products in the box, I wasn't ready to part with SGD15 in October so I held back, waited for reviews and was sold the minute I saw OCC Lip Tars on the Bellabox.sg FB page (the reviews still didn't phase me much, I don't regret not having the October Bellabox).

What is Bellabox?

For SGD15 a month, you get 5 samples from cult favorite/up and coming/established brands. You pay the $15 as a monthly subscription on PayPal (you don't need an account, just a credit card) and you can cancel anytime before they bill you for your next box.

Pros 

You get to try some pretty cool products and you can buy them on their website if you really love 'em. You get reward points for writing product reviews and sharing your opinion.

Cons

This being my first box and all, I can't say that I'm disappointed with it. But I'm pretty sure you'll get to a point where you won't want some of the stuff in the box. 

So now that that's out of the way, here's the November Bellabox!

The November Bellabox

The theme for this month's box is Beauty by Nature featuring beauty products that are made from some top notch natural ingredients. 

Skinfactory Eye Dream Honey Patches

Retails on Bellabox.sg for $15 for a pack of 4 masks

This is supposed to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and puffiness. I haven't really experienced any of these things so I might pass this off to me mum to give it a try. 

Korres Body Butter - Guava
Retails on Bellabox.sg for $37.00 for 150ml
 

Who doesn't love Korres? But I wasn't too fazed by the body butter sample I received. Yes it's amazeballs but I'd have preferred getting a sample of their organic and natural makeup. Some eyeshadow, primer, whatever.

Davines MELU Anti-Breakage Lustrous Shampoo & Conditioner 
Retails on Bellabox.sg for $28 and $29 for 250ml respectively
 

I love love l o v eeeee the smell of this stuff. Just smells so clean! I am definitely going to be using this til the containers are emptied!

Duchess Marden Damascena Anti-Wrinkle Serum
Retails on Bellabox.sg for $89.90 for 30ml

Yet another thing I'll probably be passing off to me mum to try. It smells divine though and I'm tempted to try it myself. The sample I received is 1.8ml and I'm probably guessing that the 30ml you get if you were to pay the full price might last you a long while. Maybe both me and mum and the sisters will be giving this a try. :P

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) Lip Tar in Pageant
Retails on Bellabox.sg for $18.90 

Alas, this was the reason I spent $15 on the box. The color I got is Pageant, a bright hot pink color that when worn, reminds me of something Nicki Minaj wore in her Super Bass video (although minus all the frost). I absolutely love the minty smell of the lip tar and after seeing that loads of other peoples got different colors, I think I might be buying me some from the website. I hope the tube you get is bigger though, I can't help but think this is a sample size.


So that was this month's Bellabox! 

I'll try to do up a review of the stuff that I'm interested in and if I buy anything I'll be sure to post up a haul video.

Anyhoo


Peace lovies.


Til the next post.

Books: A Game of Thrones

 






A Song of Fire and Ice Book One
A Game of Thrones
by George R.R. Martin

I never heard of the series of A Song of Fire and Ice by Martin until I chanced upon the HBO trailer for the first season of Game of Thrones. And honestly, only after watching the entire first season (10 episodes mind you) did I decide that I should probably start reading the books.

There is a whole plethora of information out there on Martin and the books which were originally meant to be a trilogy  and now has 5 books to the series name with a reported 2 more scheduled.

Everyone is pretty much in raptures about the HBO series, but the books are somewhat of a different quality. I think HBO did credit to the books, which are so much more vivid in description and detail as compared to the show.

If you're looking for a good read, I'd suggest first checking out the pilot episode of the series and deciding from there. It's not a book that everyone would enjoy, as odd as I find it, some people just don't like fantasy as a genre.

Give me dragons, swords and heroic tales and I'm in. I can't wait to start Book Two. :)

If you read it, let me know what you think.

Peace lovies.

Til the next post.

Fashion: Erm...?

Whenever I see Kourtney Kardashian, I will always remember how she pulled her baby out while giving birth. Strangest and yet coolest thing I've ever seen.

So I've been reading up on the Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries filing for divorce after 72 days blah blah and I saw this photo of Kourtney.

At first, I just saw the dress and thought. Hmm, cool shape. Then the pattern kinda overtook the shape and then I saw she was wearing flip flops.

One. The dress looks like one of those oversized abayas/jalabiyas meant to be worn AT HOME.
Two. The pattern isn't so bad truly and at least she tried to break it up with a black belt in the center.
Three. Flip flops? Really?
Four. Let's not even get to the fact that the dress overpowers Kourtney's petite frame.

Questionable taste at its best. I'd save this outfit for home use thanks. 

What do you think?

Peace lovies.

Til the next post.

Nails: Happy Halloween!

Hope you lovely spooks had a happy fun time on All Hallow's Eve (aka Halloween)!

I just wanted to share an awesome nail design that I did special for October 31st. :D (Spare the photos - taken at night with my iPhone!)

Left hand

Right Hand

What I used

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nails 09 Timeless White
OPI He's My Boo (the perfect Halloween orange!)
OPI Black Shatter
OPI I Only Date Werewolves (to draw on the pumpkin face)

My friend and I had a great time playing with chocolate eyeballs and fanged lip chocolates. It made my manicure look like a monster! I love it.

The Nail Lacquers
 
He's My Boo and I Only Date Werewolves are from the OPI Spookettes Mini Collection. The inspiration for my little pumpkin came from this photo:

They actually gave stickers but I decided that I didn't want to use the stickers. I'd rather save them for constant inspiration. In the photo above you can also see the color of He's My Boo. It really is just a Halloween color.

Peace lovies. Hope you're having a great All Saint's Day!

Til the next post.

Beauty: OPI feat Nicki Minaj

Ok seriously, who doesn't love Super Bass? It's an awesome fantastic song with a super technicolor music video that is reminisce of the Aqua and Barbie girl franchise days. If you don't you probably won't be much into the recently announce Nicki Minaj and OPI collaboration.

I just had to share my thoughts on the matter. The colors are not astonishingly ground breaking and the collection is a little like Nicki Minaj herself, neither here not there, despite being all out wacko (I mean that in the nicest way possible!).

Super Bass Shatter

Yup. A n o t h e r shatter color. The only shatter I own and will probably ever own is the eponymous Black Shatter that launched with the Katy Perry OPI collection and the first Serena Williams collab. The deep purple color is an absolute beaute though. If only they didn't have it with the darn shatter effect.

Pink Friday

See what I mean with the whole throwback to Aqua and the Barbie Girl franchise days? This right here is classic Barbie is a STUNNA way. If Nicki Minaj pulls this color off then I'll consider getting me a bottle. More swatches needed to convince me to part with my cash though.

Metallic 4 Life

Holy B L I N G - A - L I N G Batman. This color is the love child of a disco ball and and well, like ten other disco balls. My inner magpie is screaming with delight. Here's the catch - it's a glitter (read: pain in the beeehind to remove).

Fly

Oh my awesome love at first sight. Teal is my friend. My best best best best friend. Well, I mean, next to a few other colors of course, but something about this color just makes me want it everywhere - on the walls, on the ceiling, on my cupboard doors, on my iPhone (the cover, not the screen obviously). This has won a definite Y E S from yours truly.

Save Me

I'll be honest here. This color reminds me of a get-up Ms. Minaj has shocked us with before. And it just makes me think - is the name supposed to mean something? The color's making me think of confetti vomit. *whoops* o.O

Did It On 'Em

Now, I'm not expert on G terms but what on earth is that supposed to mean. Lime is not my friend. At all. But I can see a pairing between this color and the Super Bass Shatter looking pretty fierce. Problem is, I don't see the worth in a bottle of nail polish that can only be paired with another nail polish color. It's double the money for one manicure.

Right, so based on first impressions, I'm really only interested in Fly. The teal color is most definitely fly. The collection debuts in January, but I expect it'd be March thereabouts before I can get my hands on it.

Here's looking forward to it!

Peace lovies.

Til the next post.

Shocker

Something happened today that I never in a million years would've thought.

Maybe it was because I am in an emotional state or because I just never knew how emotional I was about a certain topic.

Anyway.

I broke down and cried while telling a part of my life journey in front of a room of 18 people.

-__-"

I don't know whether I'm terrified, embarrassed, or just plain confused.

Maybe I'm all of the above.

What it did was made me realize that there is something that I never thought to verbalize, but I did and now I know that it affects me more than I care to say.

I've decided to be proactive about this and find out more.

School is mad crazy at this point but always make time for what's important to you!

peace lovies

Life Coach: The Biggest Room

Question.

What's the biggest room there is?

Answer.

Room for Improvement.

The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.

I must've been living under a rock because until recently, I had never heard that phrase.

But it's something that's been on my mind a lot lately.

You see, I hate this class. To me, it's a ridiculous class. I've done it before, I know how to do what they're trying to teach me and yet there I am, 8.30am on a Friday morning, half-awake only to hear the shrill nonsensical laughter of what can only be described as a fake, irritating and annoying tutor. 

I hate it so much, I wish I could communicate to the tutor's face how much I hate it. 

It's not that I didn't know that we always have room for improvement, but it just didn't click. 

I may know how to communicate better than most, but there truly is always room for improvement. 

So since I can't change the class, I'll change my attitude towards it. Seeking knowledge is all about bettering yourself and if you don't bring a positive attitude of optimism to a class or a situation, you'll never learn anything from it and it would've just been a waste of time that you'll never get back. It's high time we may every use of the opportunities given to us in life, especially the bad ones.

The tutor and the class are still a joke to me but if I can approach 8.30am on Friday morning with a more open mindset, I might be able to score more than a big fat ZERO for my class participation marks and improve myself even further.

So always think about it lovelies. You might be the most fantastic awesome person at something...

... but there will always be room for improvement.

Peace lovelies. Til the next post!

The Daily Fat: Gym on a Monday?

I always say, don't start on a Monday.

Mondays are just more depressing than other days.

Apparently more people commit suicide on Mondays than any other days.

It's the first day of the week, our awesome weekends end when it's Monday. Boo.

So I usually say, don't start on a Monday.

After a good long month of fasting (and an awesome surprise when stepping on the scale!), I decided it was (almost) immediately back to the gym.

I was talking to my mom about it the other day and she put it really simply for me: If you don't go, then you'll just keep making excuses for not going. It's not about going tomorrow, it's about going.

I almost didn't go because I was so tired burning the midnight oil completing a massive assignment that was due earlier today.

E X C U S E.

That's what I told myself. So I packed my gym bag, took a power nap and I went out the door on the way to the gym.

In truth, I haven't been to the gym since like April. And I was pleasantly surprised at my stamina. My first time in the Jurong Point Amore Fitness outlet today. I like it a lot, and I really like that it's all females and even the PTs are female. In Tampines 1, the PTs were mostly male and they were very intimidating.

I hope to be back at it tomorrow. Probably going to do some weight training instead of just cardio.


WORKOUT

Cardio (Elliptical/Crosstrainer), 20 mins interval cardio (1 min moderate pace at resistance level 3, 2 mins intense cardio at resistance level 5), -165 calories.

Alright peace lovies. Fingers crossed I'm back with another workout update tomorrow!

Til the next post!

Beyonce is Pregnant!

Beyonce is pregnant! She turns 30 this Sunday (Sept 4th) and a good week before her Bday she tells the world (in a seriously mind blowing performance) that she is PREGGERS!

I love Beyonce and Jay-Z as an amazing power couple and it's my firm belief that awesome people should procreate and fill the world with more awesomeness.

BTW, I'm totally loving her Dolce and Gabbana purple sequined tuxedo!

Totally puts a spin on maternity wear don't you think? OMG. I can't wait to see what she wears out while she's pregnant.

Til the next post.

Peace lovies.

Fashion: Kardashian Sister Fashion

Khloe, Kourtney and Kim Kardashian at the Kardashian Kollection at Sears launch party.

I really love what Khloe is wearing, kinda medium heat on what Kourtney is wearing and totally ice cold for Kim's jumpsuit.

I love love love a good print and I absolutely love how Khloe pairs it with a simple black blazer. Her ombre hair kinda does the trick as well. Kourtney looks fab but I'm not loving the extra length on the flat bow.

Needless to say, it's a no for Kim's jumpsuit. But her wedding look was a total yes. Need to get posting on the makeup for that one!

Til the next post.

Peace lovies!

Hijabi: For My Sisters

I chanced upon this poem on someone's FB feed and shared it on my profile. Thought to share it with a bigger audience. :)

Baby, it's all good!

(author unknown)

What do you see when you look at me
Do you see someone limited, or someone free
All some people can do is just look and stare
Simply because they can't see my hair
Others think I am controlled and uneducated
They think that I am limited and un-liberated
They are so thankful that they are not me
Because they would like to remain 'free'

Well free isn't exactly the word I would've used
Describing women who are cheated on and abused
They think that I do not have opinions or voice
They think that being hooded isn't my choice
They think that the hood makes me look caged
That my husband or dad are totally outraged
All they can do is look at me in fear
And in my eye there is a tear
Not because I have been stared at or made fun of
But because people are ignoring the One up above
On the day of judgment they will be the fools
Because they were too ashamed to play by their own rules
Maybe the guys won't think I am a cutie
But at least I am filled with more inner beauty
See I have declined from being a guy's toy
Because I won't let myself be controlled by a boy

Real men are able to appreciate my mind
And aren't busy looking at my behind
Hooded girls are the ones really helping the Muslim cause
The role that we play definitely deserves applause
I will be recognized because I am smart and bright
And because some people are inspired by my sight
The smart ones are attracted by my tranquillity
In the back of their mind they wish they were me

We have the strength to do what we think is right
Even if it means putting up a life long fight
You see we are not controlled by a mini skirt and tight shirt
We are given only respect, and never treated like dirt
So you see, we are the ones that are free and liberated
We are not the ones that are sexually terrorized and violated
We are the ones that are free and pure
We're free of STD's that have no cure

So when people ask you how you feel about the hood
Just sum it up by saying, 'Baby its all good'

If anyone knows who the author is, do leave a comment below and let me know. I'd love to post her name up here for recognition. :)


Peace lovies.

Til the next post.

xx

Beauty: The under-eye dilemma

Let's face it. Life is hard. It's even harder when you wake up in the morning looking like you've had 20 minutes of sleep in the last 24 hours. Waiting for your dark circles to go away is just like waiting for your knight in shining armor to prance through the streets on his white steed.

Never

gonna

happen.


And let's be honest, there's so much a man can do anyways. I say, save yourself, especially when it comes to your under-eye area.

Under-eye concealers are different from regular ones. Normal concealers usually (but not always) have a thicker consistency and are used to cover blemishes (think pimple scars). But our under-eye area is one of the most delicate areas on our face - it has less elasticity and the skin is thinner as compared to the rest of face. So, just like there are different moisturizers for the under-eye area and the face, we use a different type of concealer.

Under-eye concealers (sometimes known as correctors) usually contain color correcting pigments (most of the time it's a salmon/orange color to counter the dark blue that causes discoloration). One of my favorite under-eye concealers is Benefit's Erase Paste (in Deep No.3). 

One of the things I love about Benefit is that they make it e a s y  for every girl to become a makeup aficionado. So instead of 20 different shades, they stick with 3 - Light, Medium and Deep. No head scratching, swatch-fest happening at the Benefit counters for sure!

I use a spatula to get a teensy amount of product, with a concealer brush dab it on and with my (uber-clean and hygienic!) ring finger, spread and blend the product wherever needed. In seconds, I go from sleep-deprived to A W A K E .

The horrid thing about the ever-sunny and humid weather of our climate is that things tend to slip and slide, and no, not in a good way. The only good thing that slips and slides is you when you're playing on a slip and slide. Anything else, not good.

Most people use their face powder to set their concealers and while they're not wrong to do so, I often find that it creates a ridiculously cakey look. To me, cakey = you look like you're 1000 years old and could dissipate into dust when the wind blows.

In comes Benefit's Powderflage to save the day!

 

This stuff is my honest to goodness lifesaver. I love it so much, I use it to set my regular concealer as well as my under-eye concealer! Powderflage is a special light weight powder that sets your under-eye woes to rest. Seriously, a few swipes of this baby and nothing moves! However, instead of using the flager (i.e. the tiny fan brush it comes with), I usually use a fluffier brush like a crease brush (think MAC 224) to set my concealer.

Under-eye concealer can do wonders to your look. It makes you look like you've had 10 hours of sleep the night before (prepare for enviable stares!). Using a good under-eye concealer is especially vital when you're going for a dark smokey eye look. Smokey eye + dark circles = racoon eyes. Not good at all. 

A good trick to know? Applying under-eye concealer in an upside down triangle shape helps highlight the highest points of your face, making you look like you were born with amazing cheekbones. 

What's your favorite under-eye concealer? Do you use one or just stick with your regular concealer?

Til the next post!

Peace lovelies.

The Daily Fat: Your Work or My Work?

Don't...

Don't ever tell a person how to do their job.

It's demeaning, degrading, denigrating, disparaging and any other negative word (preferably starting with the de/di- prefix) that ultimately results in insulting the person you are talking to.

Here's why:

1. You know absolutely jack-all about the job scope and requirements. You really don't, so don't pretend like you do.

Just don't tell the electrician (plumber, contractor, gardener, handyman, barista, cashier, etc) that he doesn't know what he's doing and he's a moron. Why? Because you're the moron for hiring an electrician (plumber, contractor, gardener, handyman, barista, cashier, etc).

2. You wouldn't like it if someone told your ass how to do your job. You really wouldn't, so don't pretend like you'd actually act all gracious and accept the "constructive criticism". You'd probably want to punch the person right in the face.

There's nothing worse than a know-it-all. Those were the weirdos we hated in high school and wished they would secretly shut the hell up every time we heard their voice. In Grown-Up World, no one really knows it all, so when you pretend like you do, we all know and accept that you're just a jack-ass who doesn't know his head from his tail.

Take my advice and just don't do it. You don't want to piss people off who are ultimately in charge of things that are important to you (your TV, toilet, home, garden and plants, daily coffee, grocery discount, etc).

And especially don't tell people how to do their job at a restaurant. Waiters spit in food. Yes, they do.

Til the next post.

Peace.

Inspiration: MissChevious from YouTube!

Time and time again, we search for inspiration in others before we look to ourselves.

I say, why not look for inspiration in others? Take their stories and their experiences and use it to help you in your life. If they can overcome, so can you.

Best of all, seeing another's struggle and hearing of their stories just reminds us that we are not alone in this world. And that all we want to accomplish, we can with will power and determination.

MissChevious is one awesome makeup guru on YT. I love her videos and her makeup looks. She's my inspiration in more than one way for sure!







I hope you draw inspiration from her as I do.

Peace lovies.
Til the next post!
xx

Make-Up: Kate Middleton's Wedding Look

Kate Middleton's Wedding Make-Up by missdijah on Polyvore.com

When rumors surfaced that the now Duchess of Cambridge would be doing her own make-up, I was hell bent on seeing how it turned out.

Maybe on HDTVs around the world, the blusher looked a bit much and let's just say I'm very happy that the color washed out in photographs.

The products I selected are pretty much conjecture about what she actually used. Since, we're not going to see a list of products from any make-up artist anytime soon, I went with what I saw while watching the Royal Wedding and what I found out from a little internet snooping. 

My leading clue was her blusher. Apparently it was Rose Temptation by Chanel. So my guess was that she probably used all Chanel products. Of course, she could've used anything she wanted and was comfortable with, but why not go Chanel all the way right?

Besides the Rose Temptation blush, I included a matte foundation (Chanel's Mat Lumiere) seeing as her makeup looked flawless without an overly dewy complexion. I had to include the bronzer in there as well. Her cheeks were so beautifully contoured and I applaud her for that. She accentuated her cheekbones beautifully (though, I must point out they don't need much accentuating!). We don't even have to mention the brows. They are gorgeous and strong and such a smart idea for someone who will be seen by millions! Pink lips to complement the pink blush, and of course classic black eyeliner and a grey/blue for her eyelid color. 

Hope that this was entertaining! It certainly was entertaining to put together!

Peace lovies.


Til the next post!

Fashion: The Duchess of Cambridge

The Duchess of Cambridge by missdijah featuring a pleated dress

I think if there was a story about a girl who played her cards right, it would definitely be about Kate Middleton. 

Haha. Ok that sounded a tad mean. :P

Anyhoo, the day after wearing two gorgeous and stunning Alexander McQueen dresses, she chose to wear Zara. She is cleverly entering the realm of a people's princess by wearing items that real people would have ready access too. 

I took inspiration from a photograph of her leaving Buckingham Palace wearing a belted pleated Zara dress with a 3/4 sleeve blazer and some rocking wedges. She's bang on trend and she's nailed it with yet another blue dress. 

Peace lovies.

Til the next post!

Love it: Drew Barrymore

 

The lovely-as-always Drew Barrymore in J Brand Denim Leggings (why don't people like to use the word jeggings?!) and a Catherine Malandrino leather jacket (I want!).

I seriously want this jacket. And I also seriously want this feather earring trend thing to start in Singapore. Maybe I should find a way to attach it to my hijab. Anyone know where to buy feathers? Spotlight?

Oh and YES to awesome red hair (that is not literally red à la Rihanna). 

Drew rocks my socks. 

C'est finale. 

Til the next post lovies.

Peace.

Tip Thursday: Fat or Fat-Free?

If you are on a diet, I guarantee you've thought of this before.

Should you buy the fat-free version just because it says fat-free?

It does make common sense - you need to cut down on "fat" so you cut out the fat from the foods that you eat. It makes so much sense that you think you're doing the right thing.

The skinny on the fat deal

Fat-free products intentionally deceive you by displaying a lower caloric consumption number (i.e. the part that says kcal on the nutrition label). Foods low in fat usually mean that the manufacturers have compensated for taste elsewhere. 


Let's use everyone's favorite Vitamin Water

What you lovelies are looking at is the entire label from the Vitamin Water bottle. For now, just look at the nutrition label part on the right. 

1. Number of calories per serving. There are 2.5 servings per bottle which mean that per BOTTLE, you're consuming 125kcal. So much for 50kcal.
   
2. Total fat content 0g. This is technically true. There are no MUFAs, trans or any other kind of dietary fat in the drink. We're talking scientific 'fat', not the fat that appears on your hips here.
   
3. Total Carbohydrate content is 13g. JUST LOOK at where the entire 13g actually comes from! SUGAR. A person's worst enemy. Yes, sugar is a carbohydrate! It is a polysaccharide made by monomers of glucose/ribose bonded together. (High school biology suddenly flooding back to you?)
   
4. I don't need to explain why something that contains less than 1% juice is not the best thing for you. Especially when you're getting 4% of sugar per serving (that's about 10% of the entire bottle!)

Let's face it. We're being lied and cheated even through the mandatory nutrition labels. They think us consumers are so caught up in the hype of fat-free, no sugar, etc etc, that we don't pay attention to detail.


And the truth is we don't. We need to pay just that extra bit of attention to what we put into our mouths.


I'm not saying I have the perfect diet. I'm human like everyone else. When I found out that fat-free didn't really mean fat-free, I felt so cheated. 


Because really, they don't care about you at all. 


You need to care about you. 


Alright lovelies. 

Til the next post!

Haul: Stage Cosmetics Closing Down Sale

The Backstory

My lovely friend tweeted about the sale and after seeing (ahh the wonders of twitpic) and hearing of her purchases, I decided I needed to get down to Bugis and spend some moolah.

To be honest, I kinda forced my money to part with me. (WHAT?!) Yes. Sad but true. There wasn't really much that was left at the sale. Plus, I have never tried any Stage Cosmetics products. I was just barely aware of the brand's existence really.

The Haul

An overall shot of the haul. I bought 9 things altogether. What you're not seeing in the picture is the extra pink makeup case that I started using already. They are mega roomy and fit all sorts of brushes and pencils. Superb.

Everyone needs a good eye primer and we're all on the search for the one that fits us best (I don't believe that Urban Decay's Primer Potion or Too Faced Shadow Insurance suits everyone's personal taste!) Stage has two eye primers, one in Vanilla (if I'm not mistaken) and one in Almond. I'm guessing the purpose of different tones is to suit variable skin tones but a base is a base. I got PRIME TIME in Almond. 

The color is not very similar to my skin tone, it's much lighter. So much for primer shades for different skin tones. 

There were 3 lip gloss colors left. I mean, good for them that their stock has sold out. Bad for me. I chose a rather 05 Helen a light nude shimmer gloss and 03 Minerva a totally sexy brown nude for the darker girls out there. 

I am loving the brown nude. So sexy, shiny, shimmery 

And of course, what's a makeup haul from a sale without lipstick? I bought Red Revolution, Paparazzi Pink, Walnut Wonder and Framboise Frenzy. Loving the names. 

Basically the names translate to classic red, amazing pink (in LOVE with this color!!), classic nude and a cross fuschia-plum color. I am loving Paparazzi Pink. I tested it out the other day (as in wore it, rather than hand swatch-ing it) and I LOVED IT. Staying power isn't amazeballs but I think with liner and gloss it might do better. It's so hot hot hot. 

And that's the haul. I'm loving the lipsticks the most. 

The Damage

Overall it was.... SGD45! I was so surprised. 9 items - that's a sweet $5 for each! I really wished I had been to the store earlier to see the full range on sale. Maybe then we'd be talking expenditure in the 3 figure category.

I hope you enjoyed the haul lovelies! Anyone head out to buy anything from the sale? It was just last week! (I went on the 29th of March)

Peace lovies. 


Til the next post.

Haul: Daiso Love

I just love love love heading to Daiso. 

I mean, what's not to love? Bargain buys EVERYWHERE in the store. I especially love the bargain beauty buys. 

Now personally, some things I picked up cost a little bit more than other stores when you do cost per item calculations (if you do, most people don't - I do though). But I was too lazy to brave crowds to go to another store, so I just picked the things up from Daiso.

My favorite Daiso is probably the one at Plaza Singapura. Although, I do love the VivoCity one because of it's sheer size!

On to the haul! I did pick up some box containers that I am using for my MUA kit. I didn't think they were that interesting to feature so I left them out :) Oh and I don't think I need to mention that everything cost $2 each!

Enjoy!

2 packs of the 13pc Triangle Sponges

These are simply amazing for powder and working foundation into the crevices of the face (around the nose, corner of the eyes). They also do really well when wet. They are so cheap you could choose to just throw away after use!

1 pack of the 10pc Square Sponges

I'm not a true fan of square sponges but they are good for using a lot of different kinds of powder. I bought them more as a back up to my triangle sponges. But in retrospect, I have so many triangle sponges, I think I'll hardly use these.

Eyebrow Gel

I was first introduced to the Daiso version of eyebrow gel when I attended the Advanced Makeup Workshop by DollMeUp Cosmetics. The trainer, Nazlin, swears by certain products from Daiso because they're inexpensive and good. 

I wanted to try the product for myself before deciding if I should add it into my kit. I currently use the eyebrow gel from The Body Shop. Maybe I'll work on a comparison sometime soon?

Loose Powder in A and B

This is another product that DMU Cosmetics MUA & Trainer, Nazlin uses. She mainly uses it when doing smokey eyes or arabic eyes to easily sweep away fall out and clean up after completing eye makeup. I wanted to give these products a try too. I figure if they're just simple loose powder and the shades can be used on a variety of skin tones, then why not! The powder is meant to be wiped away anyways.

If you understand Japanese, please tell me what it says! I can only understand the A & B :)

Pack of 12 mini Barrette clips

MUAs need to be able to do basic hair. Thus they need clips.

MUAs also need to keep hair away from face while applying makeup. Thus they need clips.

Sponge Detergent

I have always felt the need for a sponge detergent. Regular brush cleansers just don't do the proper job when cleaning sponges. I actually considered spending over $30 on a SPONGE cleanser from MUFE. Needless to say, that just doesn't make sense. I mean, my sponges cost approximately 15c a piece. I seriously do not need an expensive sponge cleanser.

So I picked this baby up when buying my sponges. I saw it, couldn't understand the Japanese and was about to pass it up as just another brush cleanser til I saw the words Detergent. The photo below doesn't show the part where it says it cleans sponges. But not to worry. I'm in love with this product and I'm going to do some sort of review on this thing!

This is definitely my best buy of the day :)

So that was my lovely spending spree at Daiso. So tempted to go back again and hunt for more. Since I am perpetually on broke-mode, I shall have to save the spree for another occasion!

Peace lovies!

Til the next post.

xoxo