Singapore beauty haul 2015 part 1: The drugstore edition

If you follow me on Instagram you'd probably know that a Singapore beauty haul post was in the works - I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long! I initially decided to split the haul into two posts starting with the drugstore items first, but to be honest I'm now strongly considering doing this in three posts because I did quite a bit of hauling from Korean green beauty brand Innisfree and I don't want to overwhelm anyone - including myself.  

Okay, so I'll start off small(ish) with the drugstore haul. For the sake of splitting the load I've also included one brand, Missha, that isn't strictly drugstore but I don't consider it a high end department store brand either so the drugstore category was the best fit.  Right, so without further ado I've sorted most of this post out by brand...

Catrice

Catrice is one drugstore brand I've been curious about for a few years now.  While Catrice's more youth-oriented "sister" brand Essence has been available in Australia for the last 5 years or so, we've yet to see the more sophisticated Catrice line widely available - if available at all -  down here.  For the most part I've been a fan of Essence as providing great quality at a very low price point so I jumped at the chance to grab some Catrice items when I spotted the stand at a Guardian drugstore.  My one regret is that I didn't buy any of their lipsticks.  Having done my research after returning I've read that Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipsticks are well pigmented and very long lasting compared to their Essence counterparts.

Being new to the brand I made some very safe and neutral choices. Starting from the top:

• Absolute Eye Colour Monos - I chose two matte shades to be worn either together or alone, going for taupe (350 Starlight Espresso), and beige (870 On The Taupe Of The Matt Everest).  Initial swatches on the back of the hand are promising as these don't feel as chalky as Essence mattes have been in my experience so I'm looking forward to wearing them.

• Illuminating Blush (010 I Am Nuts About You) - This line of blushes looked so pretty and I went for what might have seemed the most 'boring' choice but, fear not, this produces the most luminous peachy glow with just a little bit of sparkle - I'm swatching as I write and getting pretty excited about this blush!

• Defining Blush (020 Rose Royce) - I am now kicking myself just a little for not choosing at least one pink blush from this line because Rose Royce is effectively another peach, although this is a more subdued and natural matte version for everyday.

• Re-Touch Light-Reflecting Concealer (005 Light Nude) - I can't resist my highlighting pens! I'll throw this into my makeup bag as soon as I'm done with my current Maybelline highlighting concealer.

• Ultimate Nail Lacquer (66 Blue And A Half Men) - This polish caught my eye as it looks like the kind of blue that's popping up everywhere this season.

Silkygirl

I made one repurchase and a few extras from this brand:

• Moisture Rich Lipstick Lipstick (Limited Edition 01) - I rationally know I don't need another red lipstick but I was a little seduced by the shiny silver bullet and the lightweight and glossy lippy formula when I tried it in the store.

• Moisture Smooth Lipstick (06 Juicy Pink) - Juicy Pink is another lightweight, buildable lip colour in a warm, medium toned - you guessed it - pink.  Spring influenced my decision here! 

• Magic BB Powder Foundation (01 Ivory) - Of course I bought another pan of my favourite BB powder because this covers and mattifies like no other I've tried so far.  It's ready and waiting in the wings for summer.

Missha

I found a Missha store near my closest train station and there were some items 70% off so I indulged just a little buying these few items:

• Signature Glam Art Triple Lips SPF 10 (TVL01) - This liquid lip colour can apparently be layered and built up from a tint to a full glossy lipstick in three coats.  What can I say? I was intrigued and I'm wondering if it's going to be a Korean version of YSL's Glossy Stains. TVL01 is a very nondescript label for the vibrant raspberry pink you can see peeking through the side of the tube.

• The Style Lucid Nail Polish (VL01) - A violet-pink cream nail colour that will be gracing my fingers and toes as the weather warms up. Say no more.

A few Sasa picks

In times gone by I may not have shown such restraint in a Sasa store but I kept it very contained this time around.  Normally I'd buy loads of sheet masks etc but I'd already bought some from Innisfree so I just got a couple of colour cosmetics:

• Wet n Wild Coloricon Eye Shadow Palette (The Naked Truth) - Neutrals again! I remember overlooking this very palette in Hawaii last year so I snapped it up without hesitation this time. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with having 50 variations of beige and brown...

• Gosh Cosmetics Natural Blush (43 Flower Power) - This is such a pretty peachy-pink blush that blends like silk.  I've heard great things about Gosh blushes so now I'll find out for myself if the hype is justified.

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Part 1 of my Singapore beauty haul for 2015 done and dusted - 

Let me know if you're interested in any in-depth reviews or swatches and I'll be happy to oblige!

Until next time...

Gosh Rainbow take 2...

The last time I tried the perfectly named Rainbow flakie polish by European beauty brand Gosh I didn't do it justice at all (see my flake fail post here). 

This time I applied Rainbow over the dark blue Alkaline Blue and I was much happier with the result.  I know it would look even better over a high gloss black base but these pictures aren't too bad.  The flakie did soak up my top coat and for a perfect glassy finish one or two more layers of top coat would be needed to tame the texture.  Well, here's my second offering.  All pictures were taken in cloudy conditions so the effect is a little subdued...

That's all for now.

Vita :)

A flakie fail :(

First of let me say it's not the polish failing in this post - it's my colour choice!

I've had European brand Gosh's gorgeous and aptly named Rainbow flakie polish in my collection for a few years now. It's been sitting there patiently awaiting its turn in the limelight and I've not done it any justice at all here.  I'd thought this green and orange flakie would leap out from my golden green base (L'Oreal Majestic Green ) but the expected contrast didn't happen.  The colours complimented each other a little too well so they've pretty well blended into each other. This is flakie polish camouflaged.  Lesson learnt - flakies need to go over a dark base to get that spectacular rainbow effect...

Now for the evidence:

A reswatch is definitely in order here!

Vita :)

NOTD: Gosh - Ocean

I bought some bottles of Gosh nail polish a couple of years ago from Zuza back when they stocked the Gosh range of cosmetics.  Although their website suggests they still sell Gosh, I can assure you that sadly they don't anymore in their Melbourne Central store at least...

Ocean is the first of the Gosh range polishes I decided to swatch.  I was expecting Ocean to be more of a true turquoise blue but it leans more toward the green end of the spectrum on my nails - of course it looks more blue tinged in the pictures and I just wish it looked that way IRL!  Its a very metallic finish and looks luminous in bright light.  This was two coats of colour.

Lamplight

Outdoors - cloudy

Do you have any Gosh polishes?  What's your opinion of them?

That's all for now.

Vita :)