Bubbly Michelle

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair PowerFoil Mask Review

January 6, 2016January 6, 2016by Bubbly Michelle6 Comments

New year, new launches and Estée Lauder kicks off the season adding yet another player to their Advanced Night Repair line.

If you’ve been enjoying this cult product, their new PowerFoil mask is obviously something to look forward to. It’s got all the benefits of Advanced Night Repair and then some!

Specially developed for speedy results, PowerFoil is all about delivering radiance, a fresh glow and skin that’s plumped up with hydration.

Here’s a blurb to get started,

Concentrated Recovery

New Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery PowerFoil Mask provides a surge of powerful technologies to set the right environment in skin for optimal repair delivering key Advanced Night Repair actives in every mask.

Repair Technologies – The high performance, foil-backed sheet mask includes Anti-Pollution technologies and nearly half a bottles worth of Advanced Night Repair’s exclusive ChronoluxCB.

Hyaluronic Acid – each sheet mask immerses skin in a double dose* of moisture locking Hyaluronic Acid, ensuring the ultimate hydrated environment at night when skin is most susceptible to water loss.

Potent Anti-Irritants – A potent blend of anti-irritants including Lady’s Thistle, Birch Extract, Magnolia Bark Extract, known to help calm and soothe skin.

*Versus Advanced Night Repair serum.

Apart from the impressive active ingredients, what’s interesting is this innovative mask employs a ‘dual-matrix’ technology of a foil backed sheet mask. Where the inner matrix (cellulose/cotton mask) comes packed with the Advanced Night Repair active ingredients and the outer matrix (the foil) enhances absorption by basically acting as a cocoon sealing in the treatment.

Application

For a custom fit, the mask comes in two parts as seen above. You basically wear the bottom half first and then do the top. Pretty straightforward and easy to use 🙂

Overall it’s comfortable to wear and didn’t feel weird having a foil sheet on my face (quite enjoyed looking in the mirror seeing Iron Man staring back) since the cotton sheet was beneath.

For those of you with ultra sensitive skin, it’s worth mentioning the mask does feel slightly tingly when in use. Something that won’t go unnoticed if your skin tolerance is low, like mine. However this sensation does subside within minutes once the mask’s off as those skin calming ingredients start to kick in. I wasn’t left blotchy like some other masks i’ve used.

Results!

Just 10 minutes (as suggested) of this mask delivered refreshed, radiant and plumped skin. With the most noticeable change being three expression lines on my forehead had dramatically smoothed out. I’m guessing it’s the ultra hydrating boost of Hyaluronic Acid which plumped up the skin to the point it looked ironed. I am loving the effect!

Overall thoughts

If you are looking for a boost for dull and tired skin or have fine lines/wrinkles that need a little extra work I’d highly recommend you try this. Excellent for quick results just as promised. I would definitely be buying some for gifting!

Pricing and Availability

The masks will be available as singles and sets of multiples as follows. (At counters from 15th Jan)

1 pc – SGD 32

4 pc – SGD 120

8 pc – SGD 216

Makeup

31st Night makeup feat. Shiseido Festive Camellia holiday palette

December 30, 2015December 30, 2015by Bubbly Michelle8 Comments

Hi guys! Wow it feels like I haven’t blogged in aaages but Christmas got me so busy I haven’t had time to take a breather from all the madness! But i’m here now, so today’s all about creating a makeup look with this gorgeous Shiseido palette that’s limited edition for the holidays. Apart from the really unique packaging, I find the inside just as lovely as the outside with a selection of colours that should be workable on all skin tones through the seasons! It truly is a stand out product.

The colours I am working with today are the pink, the midnight blue, tan & sparkly violet. Almost all shades seen here are super finely milled and highly pigmented. The only colour I felt didn’t match up to the standard was the blue. It appeared faded when worn and a little dry in comparison.

Here’s today’s menu.

Shiseido Festive Camellia palette
Maquillage lipstick RS354 (new for the season & an everyday favourite)
Chantecaille gloss in Pink Melon
No 7 Lip pencil in Nude
Clé de Peau highlighter in 11 (the blue toned one)
Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme Mascara (Holiday 2015 collection)
Mac Extended Play Gigablack Lash mascara (for lower lashes since the wand is tiny)
Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen
MAC Fluidline eye pencil in Black Brilliance
Glitter eyeliner by Make Up Store, in the shade diamond
Illamasqua blush in Hussy
Lashes by Eyelure

To create this look I started off with the eyes. I primed my lids with Benefit Stay don’t Stray primer (great for oily lids and also creates a nice base for the eyeshadow as it conceals any redness) and then went in with a soft ivory (Burberry Trench) all over. This step makes blending easier as the other colours won’t stick directly to your lids and can be moved around easily.

Then I went into the tan shade and ran it across the outer corners of the crease with a soft blending brush (where I plan on layering the pink over top). This basically is the transition shade that helps everything blend together nicely, with the colours grading from navy, to pink then tan.

For extra intensity I then took a Dior Kohl liner (any kohl pencil would do) and smudged it close to the lash line and outer 1/2 for extra depth. This creates a sticky surface for the navy blue to catch on and also deepens the look while making it even more longer lasting.

I then added the pink to the entire inner corner and above the navy to blend in with the tan. Lastly pressing the glittery violet shade to the middle of the eye lid with a flat definer brush. This final step transforms the navy to a purple and gives all the colours a smooth flow.

I then finished up with liquid liner and also tight lined my upper waterline with my MAC fluidline pencil. This one’s EXCELLENT for the waterline. Super creamy so it won’t irritate and also hella long lasting. Just make sure you use a cotton bud with miscellar water to take it off at night 😉 you don’t want to sleep with eyeliner residue!

Now you are ready for the base! Clean up any fallout (I use Bioderma) and prime with a mattifying primer if you have difficulty keeping your t-zone matte. It will stop your base from sliding off after the oil kicks in.

If you have combination skin, moisturise the dry areas so your foundation goes on smoother without catching on to flakes (if you have any). Ladies with dry skin can benefit from a little hydration before foundation. Just make sure you give your moisturiser a few minutes to absorb well into your skin before applying your regular primer or the extra layers will cause the foundation to slip off. Overall work in thin layers and never pile on product. That’s key to making sure your makeup stays put.

Once the base and under eye concealer is done I then added the tan eyeshadow following with the navy on the lower lash line smoking it out with a pencil brush. Doing this step last after concealer creates a true blended effect so the lower lash line doesn’t look too harsh 🙂

For the lips I chose this Maquillage colour in a soft pinky nude.

It’s super hydrating adding a touch of colour to the lips without feeling heavy. In general red lips are so high maintenance I’d rather use a nude so I don’t have to touch up all night! Just make sure you fill in the lips with a liner so everything stays in place longer.

Lastly, it’s a bit of blush and highlight! For a longer lasting blush you can always go in first with a light cream blush and top with your desired powder blush. As always, a cream before a powder really extends wear. Though keep in mind to pat the cream blush on as you don’t want to move the already perfected base!

For the brow routine I lightly filled in my brows with the Tom Ford Brow Sculptor. Also topping off the pencilled brows with a powder will extend wear and give a more perfected look. Additionally a brow mascara or brow wax will really help seal your brows in place. A few extra steps to make sure your brows stay on point all night long!

Lastly to keep everything in place, a makeup setting spray will be your best friend! I spray on a nice coat of Urban Decay All Nighter for makeup to stay put. It does help.

So here’s the final look.

I added some individual lashes. No pressure, but let’s be real it does glam up the entire look. My method of application was 4 long lashes at the outer end keeping the inner corner quite bare as I wanted my pink eyeshadow to show through. Of course a medium lash length would have looked more natural but I wasn’t going for natural today! haha

IF you hate applying individuals, you can go for a shape as these Ardell ones below, or even use a half set (they sell a shorter pair that’s basically just the outer half) which are actually really easy to put on and very comfortable worn!

So there you have it! A little walk through my suggested makeup look for 31st night. I hope you found the post useful and gathered a few helpful tips in the very least!

And finally, A HAPPY NEW YEAR to you! ❤ Thank you for being here with me this year. I look forward to posting exciting new content next year as well! So see you back here in 2016! Cheers!

Lifestyle, Makeup, Skincare

A Holiday Gift Guide for the Ladies

December 19, 2015December 19, 2015by Bubbly Michelle1 Comment

One more gift guide for this season and it’s all for the girls! I rounded up some beauty, skincare and home décor for a balanced set of options.

The 1^st rule to gifting is always giving something you’d genuinely like to receive. Something extra special. As everything seen here!

Overall I abstain from gifting makeup as much as possible. With exceptions made for palettes (has lots of variety) or kits keeping within the brands I know the recipient enjoys.

The palettes & kits that caught my eye were,

1. Clé de Peau Holiday Coffret – A stunning limited edition palette for someone VERY special. The packaging is exceptionally beautiful with a masquerade theme this year and come with an eyeshadow quad a red lipstick and a mascara. Retails at $240.

2. NARS Steven Klein Despair Blush Palette – A selection of 4 blushes (3 new & LE) with a mini brush. I love that the packaging isn’t Christmassy which makes this a timeless piece. A great gift for the girl that seems to have everything and sure to be enjoyed for it’s sheer beauty. Retails at $120.

3. Clé de Peau Body powder – A shimmery highlighter for the body which could instantly be put to use for all the parties leading up to Christmas! Retails at $150.

4. Make Up Forever 15 Artist Shadow Palette – A great mix of neutrals & pops of colour. Unfortunately when I stopped by Sephora, the tester was no where to be found. However I still wish I got myself one. It’s great value for money! Retail price, $116.

Beauty tools & gadgets always make great gifts. Hence why companies come out with loads of brush sets specially this time of year. I spotted a few beautiful brush sets at Bobbi Brown and also Make Up Forever. Both excellent quality with the added bonus of festive appeal. If you swing by those counters today, do check them out. Sets always come handy for travel.

5. Bobbi Brown Travel Brush Set – A beautiful silver leather cased set of 6 brushes (full sized) for the face and eyes. This ones’s a slightly splurge-y pick but makes a wonderful gift for that jet setting friend (or yourself) 😉 Retail price – $288

6. Make Up Forever Cult Brush Set – A compact set of 5 brushes in a festive red pouch. I checked them out in store and was surprised how lovely they felt to the touch. A steal at $135.

7. Beauty Blender Makeup’s Best Friend Set – Contains two regular Beauty Blenders, a micro.mini Beauty Blender and a mini Rea.activate liquid. Good value for just $68. I got one for myself!

Skincare is also a popular choice and I love giving ‘the gift of good skin’ to friends & family. In general I prefer picking up curated sets as they have been carefully selected and packaged with gifting in mind and usually good value. Here’re a few that caught my eye.

8. Charlotte Tilbury The Gift of Red Carpet Skin – was a gift to myself this year and it’s been such a great buy! I know my friends would love to receive this too. Retail Price – $59

9. Skin Inc Mask to Perfection – A set of Skin Inc’s best selling masks packaged in a festive silver case. I love this set for value for money and also that it’s beautifully packaged for gifting! ($145, valued at $195).

10. Shiseido Snow Beauty – This powder doubles up as skincare and comes packaged in a gorgeous limited edition snow flake design. A beautiful gift for someone who appreciates collectible packaging. Retail price – $90.

11. L’Occitane Jasmin Immortelle Gifting trio – A set of hand cream, lip gloss and soap. (L’Occitane Singapore is currently having a 10% off discount on selected Christmas sets today. Now’s the time to swoop in!) They have plenty of options for gifting!

Lastly some gifts for the home.

12. Kikki K But First Coffee Mug – I picked this one up for myself as I adore the minimalistic design in simple typography. Also makes an appropriate gift for any coffee drinker 🙂 Retail price – $19.90

13. Jo Malone Candle Trio – Another great gift for the girl who has everything (hoping she hasn’t bought this already!). The set contains, Blackberry & Bay, Pine & Eucaliptus and the popular holiday release, Roasted Chestnut. All smell amazing! Retail price – $180

Store Locations

Clé de Peau – Tangs Orchard

Jo Malone – Tangs, MBS Shoppes, Takashimaya

Kikki K – Ion Orchard

L’Occitane – Tangs, Ion Orchard

Shiseido – Takashimaya, Tangs, Paragon

Charlotte Tilbury – Net-a-Porter, Selfridges

Skin Inc – Ion Orchard & Sephora

Bobbi Brown – Tangs, Ion Orchard

Beauty Blender – Sephora

NARS – Sephora, Robinsons, Tangs

Lifestyle, Skincare

Gift Ideas for Le Men.

December 17, 2015December 18, 2015by Bubbly Michelle2 Comments

If there’s one gift I always save for last, it’s my husbands or dads. They are by far the hardest to shop for and each year I feel like I’ve truly run out of creative gifts ideas and suffer planning my purchases.

This year however my shopping was done well in advance and I have the opportunity to show you what I plan on gifting to these special people in my life. So hopefully you’d benefit by this post too!

So first on todays guide… Monogram or solid coloured scarves in cashmere or light weight fabric. These make useful gifts specially if some winter travels are on the cards. My favourites are by Ferragamo and also Burberry. They make quality scarves which last forever.

Here’re some links. (all from Mr. Porter and directly shoppable! )

Burberry checked ombre scarf (which i’m particularly loving!) , Hugo Boss navy and grey scarf , and a dressy Hugo Boss two toned black and grey scarf.

If you are looking for cheaper options. Here’re some I found at Zara all available in Singapore.

Striped black and white scarf, solid mink scarf, solid grey scarf + hat pack.

For something more extravagant, Tom Ford makes some gorgeous scarves as well. You can check them out in store. (Boutique at Marina Bay Sands the Shoppes)

Next up, body care.

The secret to buying body care for men is ensuring the packaging looks unisex. Something very basic without loud labels is the best way to go. My favourite for gifting is Aesop. Their shower gels make the best gifts and come in a variety of fragrances. All under the price of $35.

Another great place to shop body care is Stenders, and while browsing around I found two things hubby would like. A Chocolate Sugar Scrub and a Coffee Lip balm. It’s no secret all men love chocolate, and a chocolate scrub is sure to be enjoyed! Btw this smells just as good as it sounds 😉

For the man who’s more open to dabbling with skincare, the Givenchy Le Soin Noir range is PERFECT! I’ve already gifted the cleanser to my husband and he loves it already. The product itself is black (interesting right?!!) and foams up lightly to cleanse without drying out the skin. I also love how this smells. Nothing crazy floral or girly, more of a unisex scent. Retail price – $148

Their eye cream is another ultra luxe treat if you’re looking to spoil your man. A nourishing lightweight gel cream that fits perfectly into a mans grooming routine. Not too greasy or heavy that he’d fuss about. Retail price – $285

Moving along to some fragrance options. I narrowed it down to a very luxe version and a not so splurge-y version.

Tom Ford Venetian Bergamot for a zesty hit of bergamot paired with ylang ylang, magnolia, gardenia and a hint of black peppercorn that adds a spicy warmth. The perfume smells divine as you’d imagine and utterly exotic. Something for a man with expensive taste 😉

Retail price $330.

Next up in the fragrance department is the new Dior addition, Sauvage with hottie Johnny Depp as the face of the fragrance.

This one’s more masculine with heavy smoky notes and a core of bergamot. Something bound to be enjoyed by a mature man. The packaging too looks very sleek and expensive. Perfectly Dior! and perfect for gifting.

Another interesting gift idea is stationary. It can be tricky shopping stationary as A. most stores don’t carry stylish stationary worthy of gifting for Christmas, B. how does one buy stationary men would actually use?

Persistance paid off when I discovered this luxurious leather notebook with gold detailing at Kikki K Ion. Perfect for the creative types who’d like to scribble down ideas or designs! It ticks all the boxes. Luxurious finish, unisex simple design. A Classic. Price- $59.90.

Last but not least, a few stocking stuffers.

I find men love receiving edible gifts as much as anything else. Slabs of fine chocolate, tied with a ribbon. A little package of bite sized brownies dressed up in ribbon or personalised tag. Assorted nuts in a hand decorated jar. There’s lots of great, simple gifts that can be made to look festive and holiday appropriate, you only need to jazz them up a bit 😉

Again for gorgeous wrapping paper and gift tags Kikki K is the place to go. Everything’s pretty much bundled in sets for easy gift wrapping and decorating.

Store Locations

Burberry – Ion Orchard and Paragon

Ferragamo – Paragon

Aesop – Tangs beauty department

Stenders – Plaza Singapura

Givenchy Skincare – Sephora

Kikki K – Ion

Tom Ford – Tangs beauty department, Marina Bay Sand Shoppes

Dior – Tangs, Ion, Paragon

Lifestyle, Makeup, Skincare

The Art of Stocking Stuffing!

December 16, 2015December 16, 2015by Bubbly Michelle1 Comment

With less than 10 days to go, i’m guessing there’s a mile long list of things to get done. Gift shopping, mad baking, spring cleaning and holiday decorating galore. In my opinion gifts are priority though, after all we don’t want to be the sad lot running all over town in ridiculous traffic, battling thousands of others on Christmas eve! It’s good to get it done and over with as early as possible. Everything else can follow after!

So today, i’m here to share a bunch of gifts I gathered for stocking stuffing. All super cute and also useful gifts that won’t break the bank 🙂

(click to enlarge)

Most everything seen above is $25 or under with the exception of just two. You are bound to find options for a variety of budgets!

Etude House was my first stop for gift shopping. This year they truly outdid themselves with the cutest holiday treats.

1. Ginger Cookie Contour Maker – The cutest thing I bought this season and I ended up with multiples. This one retails at $ 24.90. Just under the 25 mark! The overall quality is lovely and doesn’t feel cheap. I love it!

2. Pudding Tints – Lip gel tints that came in 5 flavours. They are stains that last all day. The best part was the packaging though, wrapped in a box complete with a bow just like Christmas pudding! Price – $13.90.

3. Bling Me Prism – Even though these weren’t from the holiday collection, I really loved how cute and fun these cream eyeshadows were. They come packaged like a lip gloss, with a wand for application. Overall the quality was phenomenal, they last ALL DAY and retail at just $11.90. BUY ALL.

Next up, Stenders. The one stop shop for affordable yet awesome gifting! Nearly everything they sold were cute thoughtful gifts with the holiday soaps being my favourites!

4. Blueberry Snowflake soap – Intricate and festive, this would make a pretty treat for your gal pals or even the men in your life. There’s also a Goat Milk Angel soap too ($9) for that perfect festive touch.

5. Damascus Rose soap – For the girls who love rose scented body care. Retail price – $9.

6. Coffee Lip Balm (contains 60% natural Shea Butter + coffee oil) – This one’s perfect for the guys. I love that it’s a unisex fragrance and make a thoughtful gift for men who keep stealing their partners lip balms. I bought one for hubby 😉 Retail price – $10.

Sephora shoppers on the look out for gifts below 25, i’ve got you covered too! Here’re some nifty things I received in a press package 🙂 + a few I picked up as well.

7. Let it Snow Handcream – A lightly fragranced hand cream packaged in a snowy blue tube. This one retails at $10.

8. Mini Hot Water Bottle – I ended up buying multiples! A cute blue patch that can be used as a hot or cold compress. The festive print makes it even more stocking friendly imo! Retails under $8 I belive.

10. Sephora Colour Around the World eye and face palettes – This one’s a sneaky addition which can be broken up and stuffed in 4 stockings! Each named after a city (Paris, Rome, Rio, NY) they contain 4 eyeshadows and a blush to create a look. Retails at $52.

11. Sephora Kiss Me Balm – Tinted lip balms in cute egg shaped packaging! Perfect gift for those younger gals just getting into makeup. Price, $14.

12. Skin Inc Facial in a Flash! – for the jet setting pal. This comes with three components for a complete at-home facial. What’s not to love?! (there’re three sets to choose from depending on skin concern. Collagen for wrinkles & fine lines. Licorice for sensitive and irritated skin. Vitamin C for enlarged pores and oily skin) Retail price – $39

13. Sephora Masks – Face masks are a great way to add a few extra treats without much effort. I particularly love these eye masks by Sephora. They are packaged in cute acrylic cases that contain 5 each. Great for even dividing among a few stockings! ($3 each)

On to a few goodies I picked up from L’Occitane. This years holiday collab with Pierre Hermé was a match made in heaven for any L’Occitane loving lady. I grabbed the Jasmin Immortelle Neroli range, my favourite from the three limited edition lines!

14. Hand Cream – One of L’Occitanes star products. These hydrate well and absorb immediately. No greasy hands! Retails at -$15.

15. Lip gloss – Available in three LE fragrances. Retails at $48 for a trio.

16. Shea Butter Soaps 100g – Make stylish gifts for just about anyone! Mom would love some french soap right? Retails at $9.50.

Last but not least, cute gifts from Jo Malone! No stocking stuffer guide would be complete without their gorgeous cracker!

17. Christmas Cracker – This contains three Jo Malone favourites. Blackberry & Bay Cologne, Lime Basil & Mandarine Hand & Body Wash and a Peony & Blush Suede Body Lotion. All in travel friendly mini sizes! LOVE!

That concludes my little guide for today! Stay tuned for more gift ideas tomorrow! 😉

Makeup

MAC Faerie Whispers | Review, Photos & Swatches

December 10, 2015December 11, 2015by Bubbly Michelle6 Comments

Move over holiday releases, it’s time for MAC Spring! And today on le blog, the much anticipated Faerie Whispers collection!

As with all MAC releases, we already saw bits of leaked photos ages ago. Some at fashion week with artists using the new collections backstage and also some by MAC staff who clearly couldn’t keep a secret. Now that the official embargo is over I can finally share my swatches and thoughts on this new collection! And luckily, early enough before the global launch so all my readers (from both the east AND west) benefit from this post 😉

As you’d have noticed, the hype was mostly surrounding these brand new Foiled Shadows which came out with the collection. Metallic shadows that can be used wet or dry.

The packaging was nothing fancy. Just the regular MAC packaging with a novelty embossing. Overall I really like the final look though, like crumpled paper!

Initial swatches of these (taken at the press preview) weren’t all that wowing if I were to be really honest. There was barely any colour payoff and the shadow seemed to have hardened up. Apparently the swatching set was used earlier, wet! and that was probably why. I’d assume shadows that are meant to be used wet or dry wouldn’t have this problem, but who knows.

Moving along, here’re the swatches from the preview.

*Please note, Sweet Illusion & Fairy Land will not be released in Singapore.

Fairy Land – Warm champagne

Fly By Twilight – Taupe

Sweet Illusion – A pale silver with a pink base

Feminine Wiles – Light lilac Pink

Joy Toy – Golden copper

Enchanted Forest – Warm rich brown.

Faerie Fayre – A deep warm brown with red tones.

Onto some more swatches taken in better lighting 😉

I found the Foiled shadows swatched considerably better with the brand new press samples I received. The product was soft and lightly pressed with good pigmentation.

Touching on application, these go on evenly without any patchiness. They virtually blend themselves. I noticed slight fall out when used over a primer and recommend doing your base last. Overall the quality was quite nice. Just wish the shades were something new. If you know what I mean.

I found two favourites among my trio of press samples. Faerie Fayre and Sweet Illusion with it’s interesting pink base with silver shimmer. I particularly enjoyed Sweet Illusion which wasn’t quite so dupeable as the others. I also loved how it twinkled a lot more in comparison. Perfect for that inner eye highlight!

Now onto lipsticks!

The Faerie Whispers collection contains 4 lipsticks.

Among the Fireflies (cremesheen) – A neutral toned brown with slight mauvey red undertones.

A Sprinkle of Magic (frost) – A warm peachy pink with gold shimmer.

Midsummer Night (cremesheen) – Mid tone coral nude.

Gossamer Wing (lustre) – A translucent beige.

My favourites were Among the Fireflies and Midsummer Night. I found both rather unique in terms of colour.

Here’s a closer look at Among the Fireflies which seemed to pull cooler and grey on me. If you’re all about that 90’s lip. This is for you!

Overall application wise I loved how smooth and evenly this went on. Just 2-3 coats for near full coverage. Also very comfortable when worn.

Here’s one more swatch of Among the Fireflies, again in better lighting.

Also seen here’s one of 2 blushes that released with this collection. Cheek Pollen (an almost coppery nude). Apart from the irresistibly adorable name, this was one of the best products in this collection as far as product performance and formulation went. The blush was very finely milled and had excellent colour pay off. I loved how well this blended, diffusing product evenly. It also wore very well. Over 7 hours without any fading. LOVE!

Unfortunately I don’t have a swatch of Spellbinder. Instead here’s a closer look at it.

Next up, there’re two powders. One an Iridescent Pressed Powder, Sparkling Rose (seen top left corner) and Pearl Sunshine (bottom left). A soft peach Beauty Powder. Both swatching silky with very good pigmentation. I’d say they make great highlighters for a subtle day time look. Of course Pearl Sunshine for deeper skintones.

On to swatches.

Lastly here’s 3 of the 4 Cremesheen glass.

Calypso Beat – a neutral pink with pearl

Enchanter – a copper red with golden pearl

Softly Lit- a sheer pink with pearl

Over Indulgance – a neutral brown (which wasn’t available at time of preview)

All three swatched well without any patchiness. But I didn’t pick out any as press samples to give you a proper opinion on these.

Lastly, a look I created with the samples at hand.

On the eyes I used Faerie Fayre (outer corner) along with Joy Toy with Cheek Pollen as blush. I skipped the lipstick and instead used Only You from the Ellie Goulding collection, blogged here.

Collection Info & Price list

Beauty Powder, Iridescent Pressed Powder – SGD 44

Foiled Shadow – SGD 39

Lipstick – SGD 31

Blush – SGD 39

Cremesheen Glass – SGD 36

Faerie Whispers launch January 1st at all MAC counters in Singapore.

Release date for the U.S – 23rd online and 26th in stores.

Makeup

MAC Ellie Goulding Collection – Photos & Swatches

November 28, 2015December 7, 2015by Bubbly Michelle10 Comments

If you haven’t been following MAC releases closely, now’s the time to pay attention. In January it seems there’s a STUNNING collection out for spring. The limited edition Ellie Goulding collaboration.

If neutrals and rosy pinks are your thing. You’ll probably end up wanting every single product seen here. It’s just gorgeous!

From the packaging to the formula, it was an A+ for me and I’ll be honest, I am liking this way more than anything else i’ve previewed in the recent past. All very wearable and sooo MEEE!

This collection consists of,

2 palettes – Halcyon Nights & Halcyon Days (SGD90)

2 Patentpolish Lip Pencils – Innocent & Revved Up (SGD40)

2 Cremesheen Lipsticks – Only You & Without Your Love (SGD34)

2 Plushglass – Explosion & Goodness Gracious (SGD40)

Lustre Drops – Pink Rebel

Fluidline – Blacktrack (SGD31)

Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash (SGD38)

Veluxe Brow Pencil – Strawberry Blonde (SGD33)

Powder Blush Duo – I’ll Hold My Breath (SGD51)

2 sets of lashes – 20 Lash & 30 Lash (SGD26)

3 Brushes – 209 Eyeliner (SGD43), 129 Powder/Blush (SGD70), 217 Blending brush (SGD46)

The packaging is just, WOW. Everything’s in glossy black with rose gold detailing. Something sure to appeal to everyone!

I thought the palettes looked really nice with their double decker design and quite compact if you plan on keeping them in your makeup bag for day to day. The colour mixes are also very wearable with a powder and cream option to choose from depending on your preference!

Here’s a look at Halcyon Nights. This contained 4 eyeshadows and one Cream Colour Base.

Top to bottom there’s Starry Eyed (frost finish), You My Everything (matte), Saddle (matte), Hanging On (satin).

*The cream colour base included in this palette is This Love (not swatched here).

Here’s Halcyon Days. It comes with 4 Cream Colour Bases and one Medium Dark Blot Pressed Powder.

Top to bottom we have, Wish I Stayed, Every Time You Go, Tint & Root Cream Colour Bases.

Next up, Lip products.

The Cremesheen lipstick in the shade Only You was the first thing to catch my eye. It’s a gorgeous muted mid tone rose pink. The kind of shade that’s great for day to day wear which you’ll get tonnes of use off.

The Powder Blush Duo I’ll Hold My Breath is just a perfect everyday mix of a medium warm bronze (satin) and a peachy pink (matte).

Lastly a look at the two Patentpolish pencils releasing with the collection. You can check out my initial review on this formula here.

Overall Thoughts

I’m super impressed by this collection. It’s one of those rare moments where everything was a must have for me (even though they’re highly dupeable!).

If forced to pick favourites it’d have to be the palettes and the blush duo. Both palettes swatched awesome without any true duds which can sometimes be a problem with limited edition MAC collections. However, if you are going for something unique, I guess the Halcyon Days (cream colour base palette) is a better buy as you don’t see too many MAC cream palettes coming out.

The powder blush duo wasn’t as soft as i’d like and was harder pressed, although I still loved it for it’s novelty embossing and packaging. It wasn’t a bad product just to be clear. Very much in line with the normal MAC blush formula IMO just a little harder to pick up product.

From the lip products I truly loved Only You. Quite a dupable shade which you probably have a 100 of, though I totally am smitten by it. The finish compliments the colour perfectly and I see myself wearing this regularly if not everyday!

Launch dates & Collection info

This limited edition collaboration is set to hit the counters (Singapore) on the 1st of January.

Available at MAC Bugis Junction, Ion Sephora, Ngee Ann City and Tangs.

Makeup

Clé de Peau Beauté | Bal Masqué Nail Lacquer Trio – Review, Photos & Swatches

November 26, 2015November 26, 2015by Bubbly Michelle2 Comments

If it’s luxury beauty you are looking for, Clé de Peau is sure to satisfy. It’s one of those brands that never disappoint with it’s quality matching the fabulous packaging they come encased in.

The holiday collection is no exception, with my current obsession being the new nail polish trio; mesmerizingly beautiful with three perfectly curated shades for the holidays!

It all comes in a fancy box adorned with the mask motif! Talk about #giftingperfection!

Clé de Peau doesn’t carry nail polish in their regular line so I was curious to see how this limited edition product performed.

But before we get down to the review here’s a little background info about the beautiful limited edition packaging these come in.

Everything from the motifs adorning the box to the products were custom designed for CdP by renowned jewellery designer Joji Kojima. In case the name doesn’t ring a bell, he’s the creative genius behind Lady Gaga’s chainmail mask from back in 2009 for her Fame Monster campaign. Check this link!

Right! so back to the product review, starting off with packaging!

These nail polishes come housed in a beautiful glass bottle with the signature Clé de Peau jewel shaped exterior.

The plastic cap (as with most luxury nail polishes) comes off to reveal the brush.

A traditional old school applicator, square cut with longish bristles. Initially I found it slightly difficult to get close to the cuticles as I’m now spoilt with the new rounded applicators by Dior or YSL. However after getting re accustomed to the shape I found it easier to get a neater job done!

Formula

I was pleasantly surprised to find it had such incredibly good pigmentation that I only needed two thin coats for an even, streak free finish. Something I yearn for in metallic nail polishes!

Here’s what the silver lacquer looks like applied. Love, love, love this shade.

Seen here is two coats and a top coat. I find that the top coat adds a nice glossiness and allowed 4 days of wear with very little chipping only at the edges.

Next up a dark warm blood red. This was the trickiest of the three. It applied slightly streaky on the first coat, dragging, with some uneven spots. I remedied this with a generous second coat which gave an even coverage.

In the end I did like how intense this looks applied, it instantly made my hands seem fairer! Overall the streakiness didn’t show in the final result. And I am pretty pleased with the look and glossiness of the red. It didn’t quite need a top coat, though I went ahead and slapped one on anyways.

The khaki metallic green shade which is rather unique in my collection applied similar to the silver. The finish was streak free and opaque with two coats.

LOVE this one as well and definitely something interesting to wear during the holidays in place of a traditional red. The sparkle of green makes it extra festive although you don’t see the green unless you get quite close. I still find it pretty unique and did get a few compliments on this!

Overall Thoughts

The formula did impress me I’ll give you that. And for the price of SGD 90 I find this a good buy (if you normally splurge on luxury polishes) as most high end polishes retail for much higher.

Except for the brush which I felt wasn’t anything to write home about, the overall colour mix and presentation makes this a great gifting option (luxury stocking stuffer maybe?) or as a special treat to oneself.

Other Info

This trio is currently available at all Clé de Peau counters at SGD 90.

Mine was a sample sent for review by the lovely Clé de Peau team. Thank you Juit Wen & Nora! ❤

Makeup

Tom Ford Lips & Boys 2015 – Photos & Swatches

November 25, 2015November 25, 2015by Bubbly Michelle18 Comments

After last years successful release, Tom Ford is back again with his irresistible clutch-sized Boys, and best of all they are here to stay!

I had the pleasure of meeting them in person at a press preview, so I took plenty of photos and swatches to enable you and help you decide which one’s you’d like to take home!

Here’s a look at the glorious 50, sitting pretty in their new home!

This years collection consists of 25 old Boys with an additional 25 new fellas.

In case you missed out the last time, the popular colours are back, so you can grab them without any danger of it selling out 🙂

*Please check out this post for a detailed review on the ones I picked from the first release!

For those of you who did manage to grab your favourites, the 25 new Boys are definitely something to consider. These come in a new pearlescent, metallized finish. Designed to be worn on their own or layered with one another.

Without further delay, hear’s a look at the new collection!

25 new Boys, ranging from golds to nudes, to reds and berries! The selection as always is mind blowing with something for everyone!

Onto swatches!

Row 1

Please note that everything swatched here is around 2-3 passes for maximum intensity, just so you see the colours clearly.

Row 2

Row 3

Row 4

Row 5

First Impressions

I found almost all the new shades contained a certain percentage of shimmer or micro glitter as expected. However since many of you have been inquiring, i’m happy to report that NOT ALL 25 come in that high metallic finish.

Some shades such as Tony, Roberto and Kingston had very little or fine shimmer. Good news for those of you who prefer a more satin finish.

Pigmentation wise, most of these swatched with semi opaque coverage in a single swipe. With an exception of the lighter shades needing more layers. Overall I like the formula of these and feel they are worth the luxury price tag!

Recommendations

My favourites from the new range were mostly pinks and rosy nudes. I liked that they had a beautiful sheen to them and applied smooth and even without any streaks.

Left to right there’s Louis, Austin, Jake & Daniel.

Other than these I also loved, Kingston (Row 1), Drake (Row 2), Egon (Row 4) and Roberto, Theo and Jay from Row 5.

Collection information (relevant to Singapore).

The Lips & Boys collection is set to launch on the 4th December at the Tangs Orchard Tom Ford counter AS WELL AS the Tom Ford Boutique at Marina Bay Sands Shoppes.

Each lipstick will retail at $50 and will include a novelty lipstick box (seen below) when purchasing a set of three of your favourites 🙂

This year there’s also another larger box set of 10 containing pre selected shades, Ian, Beau, Julian, Addison, Leonardo, Demsey, David, Egon, Daniel & Theo which will retail at $500.

P.S- If you are feeling spendy, or looking for a generous gift for someone special, there’s ALSO a magnificent lacquered box set containing all 50 at $2500!

Now wouldn’t that be the perfect Christmas gift?! ❤ Me thinks YES!

Makeup

Tom Ford Night Sky : Review, Photos & Swatches

November 11, 2015November 11, 2015by Bubbly Michelle10 Comments

Hi there! Just a few more days till the Tom Ford Noir collection launches in Singapore so i’m back with an in depth review on the pièce de résistance. Night Sky.

Night Sky consists of one navy cream base infused with electric blue micro shimmer and a satin navy blue powder eyeshadow speckled with pink and turquoise micro glitter.

In comparison to cream shadows released in the past, Night Sky is just as pigmented and as high quality as you’d expect from Tom Ford. I love how it can be built up to an intense colour (as deep as seen in the pot), or sheered down to a translucent grungy wisp of blue.

It’s all in the application.

On the topic of application, I found Night Sky to require a lot more time and patience than any other TF cream i’ve worked with. It goes on slightly uneven as the cream feels a lot more emollient and tends to sheer out while blending. The best way to go for an even result was to layer on gradually building up intensity. For this I used my fingers (as I always do).

The powder shadow as you’d expect, compliments the cream base perfectly. It conceals any unevenness, adding depth and decadence to this smokey look!

(Left- cream shadow on it’s own, Right- cream & powder layered)

On a side note, I also noticed layering the powder shadow on top of the cream significantly prolongs the wear time. As on it’s own the cream shadow was highly prone to creasing and didn’t last longer than a couple of hours on the lid.

Now on to some application tips and a look featuring Night Sky.

I found that starting with a clean lid worked best. Skip your eye cream and primer. Anything layered under this will only make it harder to work with.

As mentioned before, start with very tiny amounts of product, building as you go. I went for around 4 layers in the look you see below.

To soften the edges of the cream base and create that true smoked out effect I took a neutral toned silvery grey (I used the Silvered Topaz quad) and ran it around the edges. A small step that makes a huge difference. Attempting to smoke out the look using just the cream shadow is a process i’d rather not spend time on. So that was my shortcut!

Here’s the final look.

I decided to take the festive route and add a silvery white shadow on my lower lash line to keep things fresh.

I also skipped eyeliner adding just a bit of tight lining for definition and to thicken up the lashes. This keeps the blue lid in full focus.

Here’s a quick look at some of the makeup used.

Lips – Tom Ford First Time

Eyes – TF Silvered Topaz Quad, TF Night Sky, TF Extreme Waterproof Mascara in the colour Noir & the Tom Ford Brow Sculptor

Cheeks – Tom Ford Frantic Pink blush

In addition to the above mentioned products, I also used Dior Swan Mono Shadow (as the silver liner), Tom Ford Mood Light highlighter, Kevyn Aucoin lip liner in Natural & Clé De Peau Foundation.

Here’s one more look at the eye makeup before I conclude this post.

I hope you found this review informative and an enjoyable read! And please do leave a comment down below if you have any further questions regarding Night Sky 🙂 I’ll answer them ASAP.

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday,

Michelle.