Last weekend, we celebrated my Husband’s 30th birthday party with his nearest and dearest. It was a roaring success with chips ‘n’ dips, Nando’s, jelly, basketball-themed cupcakes, dance games on the Wii and a Manicure Corner!
The Manicure Corner was squee-worthy!
I brought out 80% of my nail polish collection and laid it all out on a table. I also added the nail necessities such as nail files, nail polish remover and my nail dotting tools. And of course, I had to add some sweet chocolate treats in the middle so you could eat that whilst waiting for your nails to dry.
All the girls, aged from 5 to 50+, had their nails painted that night. And the more artistic girls got to try out their nail art techniques.
It was so much fun! Yep, a Manicure Corner is definitely a great party idea because now the 5-year-old girl has asked her Mom if she could have a Manicure Corner for her birthday party in October. Guess who’s bringing the nail polishes to that party? 
The guys played with the Wii and had awkward guy chat…but I could see them looking on and wishing that they could get their nails done too! LOL.
What do you think of the Manicure Corner? I think I want to throw a Girly Party next time and have the Manicure Corner, a Face Mask Corner and a Makeover Corner.
You know that movie scene where the wife is doing the laundry and empties out the pockets of her husband’s jackets and finds something incriminating like a red lipstick or some other woman’s underwear or a love note? Well, something similar like that happened to me today and I am ready to share because I need your help in analysing the situation…
My story goes like this…
I had just got home after my disastrous haircut (more on that another day) and was frying some bacon and eggs. The oil was splattering everywhere so I didn’t want to dirty my top nor did I want to put on some frumpy apron (FYI : I don’t actually own an apron). As luck would have it, my Husband’s hoody was lying nearby so I grabbed that and put it on.
The pockets of his hoody were jangling so I took out all the crap in there. Keys, spare change…and then this!
Yes, a sample of Guerlain Issima Anti-Ageing Creme Foundation!!
What on earth? What does it mean? Why would he have that in his pocket? I haven’t visited the Guerlain counter since…FOREVER!!! Has he been secretly wearing foundation?? Does it belong to another woman? Is he having an affair? Is he planning to buy me foundation?? Does he even know what foundation is??? So many questions…not enough answers!
I am uber confused. My Husband has a lot of explaining to do when he gets home!!
Meanwhile…I have a little problem! The pressure cooker (which he usually uses) has just thrown a big hissy fit and soup has exploded all over the gas cooker!!! Oh dearrrrrr!!! He can clean that up while he explains to me the mystery behind the foundation sample.
I will update this so stay tuned…only 45 minutes till he gets home…hmm…
What do you think is the worst thing to find in your other half’s pockets? I think that I would be very disturbed if I found my Mum’s bra in his pockets…so good thing it’s just foundation I found today.
UPDATE : He claims he found it in one of my beauty drawers and that he thought it was lip balm!!! I don’t recall having any Guerlain samples EVER! But I shall watch him closely for the next few days…to see if he IS wearing the foundation LOLOL. And no, I know he won’t be cheating on me because he spends all his free time with me and he only works with a bunch of guys and obviously, because he loves me! Maybe he’ll buy me some Guerlain foundation…??
I am currently wearing and loving a beautiful nail polish from Lancome’s new nail polish collection, Vernis In Love, in 105M Corail In Love. I was at the Lancome Rouge In Love launch a few weeks ago and I found this beauty and a lipstick in the goody bag.
105M Corail In Love is a coral peach shade which is classy for any occasion. It’s my first time trying a Lancome nail polish and I am pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to paint my nails with the wider-than-expected brush. However, it took me 3 coats to achieve full opacity so it’s not a one-coat wonder.
It’s been 3 days now and even with no top coat, the wear on the tip of my nails has been so minimal!! Super impressed with Lancome Vernis In Love’s chip-free and streak-free formula!
And just because I can, here’s another close-up of Lancome Vernis In Love Corail In Love. Ahhh, so pretty!!!
Famous Last Words
Lancome Vernis In Love comes in 22 shades and are $29 at your nearest Lancome counter. Go check them out because you won’t be disappointed!
What’s on your nails this weekend?
Just in case you didn’t know, I started my new job a couple of weeks ago and basically, I spent my first pay cheque before I even got paid! Please don’t judge me…but I was born with the spend-a-lotta-money gene and if I go on a spending ban, I will spontaneously combust!!
Anyway, enough rambling and let’s check out what I spent my $ on.
The Beauty Shizz
When a beauty blogger repurchases a beauty product, it’s guaranteed to be winning products! And that’s why I bought the following again :
- Invisible Zinc ESP Moisturiser ($34.95) – I wear sunscreen all year round and this chemical sunscreen is one of my HG skincare savers!
- FACE OF AUSTRALIA Gentle Make-Up Remover ($7.95) – With my lash extensions, I’ve been going through my Bioderma Crealine H2O like no tomorrow so I had to get a cheap yet effective alternative. (P.S. Have you entered my Bioderma Giveaway yet?)
- FACE OF AUSTRALIA High Definition Liquid Eyeliner ($11.95) – Everybody raves about Asian liquid pen eyeliners (K-Palette, Kiss Me, Dolly Wink) but I can’t use them because their tips are too fine. This FOA one is perfect for me.
- Colgate Total Dental Floss ($4) – My new favourite saying to my patients is “Only floss the teeth you want to keep!” I don’t know how many times I need to say this but floss, floss, floss!!! (Go on, watch the flossing video I filmed.)
I bought a couple of cute and dinky nail polishes from Max Factor. These are Max Effect Mini Nail Polishes in Diva Violet and Red Carpet Glam. They were less than a $1 each so I couldn’t resist.
4 x Models Prefer Lipstick & Nail Polish Organisers ($5 each) : These are a steal and will look pretty awesome once I fill them up with my lipsticks and nail polishes! They were originally around $20 each but I saw them on sale in my local Priceline. Bargain! *pats myself on the back*
The Non-Beauty Shizz
The immune system of my mouldy bra is stronger than mine!! I am feeling extremely poorly and my doctor prescribed me lots of pills (which cost me around $16) and I thought I’d try some health-boosting vitamins which came in the form of Swisse Chlorophyll Detox Health Drink. I bought it because it was half-price at $11. I haven’t actually drank any yet but I bet my gag reflex will have a party!!
I recently devoured The Hunger Games trilogy and it revived the bookworm in me. I bought Fifty Shades Of Grey ($10) and I heard it’s an erotic read. I haven’t read erotic books before so I am a little bit afraid. What if it turns me into some sexy raging horny beast? My husband can only hope!! LOL!! And of course, reading is no fun without a good cuppa tea and that’s why I bought this cutie chihuahua The Dog cup ($8). It kinda reminds me of Legally Blonde…
The Non-Pictured Shizz
I couldn’t be bothered taking photos but I bought a 40″ Sanyo LCD TV for the boy’s 30th birthday. It was $399 from Dick Smith. That shop kinda creeps me out with all their “Dick” jokes! Anyway, the TV is now in our bedroom and I can’t stop watching the damn thing while I munch salt and vinegar crisps in bed!
I also spent stupid money on new crockery and cutlery. It’s for all the imaginary dinner parties that I host. *cue awkward giggle*
Anyway, what have you recently splurged on? Do you spend faster than you can earn? What did you spend your first pay cheque on? My first ever pay cheque as a dentist (around 8 years ago) was spent on La Mer products…and I didn’t even finish using the bottles of expensive goodness because I didn’t think they were all that!! True story.
A few weeks ago, I received a few Manicare make-up brushes in the post. They were part of the Retractable range and included the Kabuki, Concealer and Foundation brushes. These brushes would fit in beautifully with any travel make-up kit. Or if you like to touch-up your make-up during the day, then it’s great to have these compact-sized brushes.
Seeing as I have no travel plans in the near future *sad face*, I used these Manicare brushes as part of my normal make-up routine and they did a fantastic job. Some synthetic brushes are really harsh and scratchy on my skin but that wasn’t the case here. I was very impressed!
My favourite brush had to be the Kabuki brush because of how multi-functional it is. It can be used for powder, bronzer, blusher and is dense enough to be used for mineral make-up too. LOVE!
Famous Last Words
If you’re looking for affordable, good quality make-up brushes, I would happily point you in the direction of Manicare. They are so confident in their products that they even have The Manicare Guarantee – where if you are not completely satisfied, you can return your product and get a replacement free of charge. Not that I would return my Manicare brushes because I am completely satisfied…
Now all I need is to book a holiday! Yay! Oh wait…I need to save up first and stop spending. Yes, I have been spending a-plenty lately so stay tuned for tomorrow’s haul post 
What is in your travel make-up bag? Have you used Manicare brushes before? Where’s your next holiday destination?
Ooh la la! To celebrate Mother’s Day, we have a giveaway with 5 lucky winners who can walk away with a Bioderma Gift Pack worth $89.90!!! The prize is the miracle cleansing water Bioderma Crealine H20 which I LOVE (read my review) and Bioderma Crealine AR, a daily soothing and anti-redness cream.
Ahhh…how lovely! Now I’m getting all broody and wishing I was a Mommy so I could get wonderful Mother’s Day gifts like this! LOL. I’ll pencil it in for next year
How to enter : Like Bioderma Australia’s Facebook page and leave a comment on this post with a valid email address and tell us one of the beauty secrets that your Mum has shared with you.
Terms & Conditions
1. The Bioderma Gift Pack Giveaway is for Australian residents only and will start from now till Friday 11th May 2012 11.59pm AEST.
2. Must be a subscriber of The Best Beauty Blog (subscribe now)
3. 5 winners will be chosen based on merit of creativity. I will email you asking for your postal details which will then be forwarded to the Bioderma PR who will send you your prize.
Good luck everyone! Looking forward to read all your beauty secrets.
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the lovely Katrina Beckett, owner of Lash Me, to see if I would like to trial a full set of mink fur lash extensions. Considering I have short stubby Asian lashes, you would have assumed that I would have jumped at the chance…but I didn’t. In fact, I was very apprehensive because I have had eyelash extensions before back in 2005(?) and it was the worst experience ever because due to a combination of factors (possible allergy to latex in glue, heavy weight of synthetic lashes, unhelpful beauty attendant), all my lashes were ripped off and I looked weird for weeks without eyelashes!!
However, Katrina reassured me that there was no latex in the glue and mink fur is a lot lighter and gentler to natural lashes; so before you knew it, I was lying down chit-chatting away to Katrina and Hannah whilst mink fur was being expertly applied to my lashes.
Look at the difference! My natural lashes are almost non-existent!!
I was absolutely delighted to see the results. The length and volume of the lashes are just perfect and they look so natural. And best of all, it’s been over a week and I have had no issues with the mink fur nor the glue whatsoever.
I have been getting compliments left, right and centre!!! Having long luscious lashes has made me look more awake and I feel extra sexy to the point where I may be talking to you like a normal person but I’m batting my eyelashes to the beat of “I’m sexy and I know it. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah!”
However, there a few downsides to having eyelash extensions :-
- I have had no problems with wearing eye make-up (water-based mascara can be used but I didn’t think it was necessary) but removal is just a little bit more tedious as I need to use a Q-tip to remove eyeliner carefully around my lashline.
- Face-planting into a pillow is out of the question because it would totally crush my lash extensions so I have had to adjust my sleeping position.
- And I really miss rubbing my eyes!!!
But the positives outweigh the negatives and it’s worth it just to have long luscious lashes
At the time of writing, I have only had them for around 10 days so I don’t really know how long they will last me. A few lashes have fallen out here and there but they still look great. If the fall-out starts to become uneven (e.g. when the lashes on the right side look longer than the left side), it’s reassuring to know that I have options to either get in-fills or get them removed altogether.
If you’re looking to have eyelash extensions in Melbourne, I highly recommend Lash Me which is situated in 6 Inkerman Street, St Kilda, Melbourne VIC 3182. A full set of mink fur eyelash extensions cost $170 AUD at Lash Me. There are also salons in Queensland. For all the lowdown, head to www.lashme.com.au
In the BB Cream community, one of the popular brands is Skin79 – a Korean BB Cream. Last year, I bought the most adorable Miniature Set which contained 4 samples of :-
1. Skin79 Diamond Luminous Pearl BB Cream
2. Skin79 VIP Gold Super Plus BB Cream
3. Skin79 Hot Pink Super Plus BB Cream
4. Skin 79 The Oriental Gold BB Cream
Don’t be fooled by the miniature size of these BB Creams because surprisingly, they have lasted me for ages and I have nearly just finished one of them – The Oriental Gold BB Cream – which must mean it was my favourite out of them all!
Swatches Of Skin79 BB Creams
My Mini Reviews On Skin79 BB Creams
For ease of reading, I am going to break them down and talk about them individually :-
1. Skin79 Diamond Luminous Pearl BB Cream
This was my least favourite out of them all because it was the only one without SPF, whereas the rest had SPF 25+, and it contained too much shimmer for my liking, Complete with a whiter-than-my-skin-colour and pearlised finish, it made me look like I was a Twilight vampire. It is also a lot runnier than the others and it squirts out the tube too easily. I must give it credit for being the only BB Cream here which has a name which makes sense to what it truly is – diamond luminous pearl, indeed!
2. Skin79 VIP Gold Super Plus BB Cream
This warmed and adapted to my skin tone relatively well. I liked it for its nourishing feel and medium coverage and gave a nice glow.
3. Skin79 Hot Pink Super Plus BB Cream
It’s so similar to the VIP Super Gold Plus that I can barely distinguish them except the Hot Pink one has a slight pink undertone in its shade – but when blended in, I can’t tell which one is which. I do like this a tad more simply because of its hot pink packaging.
4. Skin 79 The Oriental Gold BB Cream
Again, this is quite similar to its Gold and Pink sisters, but it’s marketed for the more mature skin. And hello, that’s me! No wonder this was my favourite. It is thicker and has a more tacky feel than the rest of them because it is simply more nourishing and hydrating for the dry, mature-skinned ladies. When I use this, I like to lightly dust my face with finishing powder just to help take off the excess shine.
Overall
The shades are slightly off from my NC-30 face but it adapts better when I warm it up with my fingertips and apply it light-handedly and build it up slowly with lots of blending. I didn’t experience any breakouts from any of these BB Creams and they don’t budge even after 15 hours of wear and tear.
Skin79 has a wide range of BB Creams to suit different skin types and needs. If you’re a newbie to BB Creams, I would highly suggest getting your hands on a Miniature Set like this to test out which one suits you. And ooh, I found this useful guide to help choose the right Skin79 BB Cream. I’m sure I read somewhere about the launch of a new orange Skin79 BB Cream but it’s not featured on the guide.
Have you tried Skin79 BB Creams before? Which one did you like?
I have a new love and it is Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation – quite possibly the best drugstore foundation to ever grace my face. Here’s how our love story began…
The lovely Rimmel London PR sent me two bottles of Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation in two different shades – 103 True Ivory and 200 Soft Beige.
My heart went boom boom when I traced my fingers round the sexy sleek bottle with “Rimmel London” embossed on the side. It may be drugstore but that itself screams luxe in my books!
All the ladies who love pump-dispensing-foundations can rejoice together!! *fist pump* alert – the pun is very much intended!
Anyway, the true love moment was when I applied Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation. Beautiful. Magic. *swoon* My dull complexion was transformed into a soft, radiant glow. It truly does make me look more awake!!
It glides and blends beautifully on un-primered skin and irons out my skin imperfections (pores, sun-spots) without highlighting any flakies. Yet it is not thick and doesn’t clog up my pores.
I am delighted with the shades because on my NC-30 skin, 103 True Ivory is my Winter shade and 200 Soft Beige will be my Summer shade.
With 6 shades to choose from and a price tag under $20 AUD, what are you waiting for? Get thee to your nearest drugstore!
Famous Last Words
I have nothing but sweet love for Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation.
What is your favourite drugstore foundation?
Once a month, my Husband knows not to mess wit’ me because I become a Moody Cow!!! I will give off Evil Eyes, Chiselled Cheekbones and a Bitchy Pout; but I try not to frown because I don’t want frown lines!! LOL
My Husband will try and defuse my moodiness by trying to make me laugh with his dorkiness.
“You look SO HOT when you’re moody! Keep pouting!! Oh yes, it’s turning me on!!! I love Moody Cowwwwws! Mooooooo!!!”
Yes, he is a dork!! LOL
For the Moody Cow Make-Up Look, I used :-
L’Oreal Paris Nude Magique BB Cream | Bobbi Brown Wild Rose Shimmer Brick | Brows Up Eyebrow Pencil | Urban Decay Naked2 | Youngblood Gel Eyeliner in Black Orchid | Revlon Lip Butter in Cotton Candy
Do you have a monthly Moody Cow moment? It was actually hard work looking moody and intense for the photos!! I wonder how Victoria Beckham does it all the time?!!
Hi, I’m Ling…
Welcome to my beauty blog where I share my love for beauty products.The Best Beauty Blog is on a mission to discover the best make-up and skincare products to enhance natural beauty, hide flaws and rewind time. Just call me your beauty product guinea pig!
All women deserve to be pampered so I am desperately seeking the best beauty salons in Melbourne and will review them with absolute honesty.
I'm also so obsessed with lip products that I started another beauty blog called Lip Stalker!
If you would like a copy of The Best Beauty Blog Media Kit or advertise here or would like your beauty salon to be reviewed on The Best Beauty Blog, please contact me via email thebestbeautyblog[at]gmail.com
