(L-R)  Gloss Prodige in Candy, Raspberry, Grenadine

The Gloss Prodige is not a very sticky gloss with a fair bit of shimmer, and does not leave lips feeling tacky after a while. It wore a rather surprising 3-4hrs with eating and drinking and is a fairly moisturising formula with a very strong fruit candy-like scent. Not an unpleasant and nasty scent that I can’t accept so I was fine with it, the scent disappears after some time anyway.

As I have been using brighter shadows, my pick for lipcolour of the month is the Candy shade, which is a very nice MLBB/YLBB by a billion times sort of shade It is a cool pinkish berry with some iridescent shimmer that does not feel gritty. Love this and it’s currently a mainstay in my bag.

 Clarins Candy Berry (04) Gloss Prodige

Plain lips

Clarins Candy (04) Gloss Prodige Lip Gloss

See what I mean?

Shu Uemura Under Base Brightening Mousse SPF 30 PA+++

I wonder what Mr Uchiide-san, Shu Uemura’s International Artistic Director, was thinking when he greenlit the Shu Uemura Under Base Brightening Mousse, because if you just slap it on your face like one of the Under Bases already offered right now, you are going to end up looking like… Like…

Uncle Fester!

Shall we get technical here? Purple counteracts yellow tones; and since most East Asians have yellow undertones in their skin, adding a little purple can help brighten up this yellow undertone, but when there’s a -bit- too much purple, you may completely counteract the yellow in the skin and end up with an ashy face.

Not very attractive. The problem is the amount you will need to use on your skin to achieve its purpose as a UV and make up base and still avoid looking like a corpse is pretty tough. Good luck if you happen to be tanned. All I can say is… Use only a little of this if you absolutely need to and remember to bring it down your neck and any exposed chest area. Apply your regular sunscreen because this product will not be sufficient in small amounts as an effective sunscreen. Also, unlike the other Under Bases which you can simply use without foundation, I strongly suggest otherwise for this, as that is the only time I can see this product not turning anyone into a pseudo-geisha-uncle-Fester.. *shivers*

Concluding statement: Maybe save yourself some trouble and just don’t buy this at all!

Shu Uemura Whitessential Intense Whitening Essence

Oh the things I put on my face for this blog might just kill me one day but I’ve gotta warn you against this particular product. Sorry Shu Uemura, you have let me down once again and I’ll have to blast you for this! Claims to have some strange ‘Mito-white complex’ thing that I don’t see anywhere on the list, which also barely has anything else that will whiten you up as promised. First on the list is the Shu Uemura famous ‘Depsea water’ which is basically some water from some Japanese sea, the second product is simply water. That is a lot of money to be shelling out for water, darn it! And then we have two hydration ingredients followed by dimethicone- this is silicone and will only give the illusion of smoother skin.

The Whitessential Intense Whitening Essence also contains a big bunch of fatty acids and esters that should really rightfully, in my honest opinion, belong in a moisturizer and not in a serum, because it makes the product very heavy and hard to absorb. That was exactly the case in my experience; I found that the product was very creamy and would never completely sink into the skin no matter how long I left it. And then I definitely found that instead of hydrating my skin, this actually made me feel like my skin was shriveling up. Stick with me here on the ingredient mumbo-jumbo…because this serum contains alcohol and alcohol dries your skin. Enough said.

Additionally, the only whitening agent I spotted on the ingredient list is pretty low in concentration (my freckles are not happy) and the fun fact is that it requires an alkaline solution to dissolve in. Shu Uemura tossed sodium hydroxide in a facial serum to make it alkali. What?! Remember your skin’s pH is around 5.5? Meddling with the pH, which is naturally acidic to have antimicrobial properties, is not a smart move at all.

Concluding statement: This product belongs in the bin.

And I am so frustrated from writing this post that I shall head off to bed Goodnight. I’ll post about my favourite lip products the next time I pop in, because I can actually write favourable reviews ha ha!!

I made a video for you guys just to say hi personally… I am a dork and don’t do well being in front of the camera so please excuse the lameness… But it’s all right, laugh all you want, life is short

Click here to view the embedded video.

Basically Kittymao Beauty is going to be 100% super honest (maybe a little too honest!) with product reviews and I’ll be posting about tips and trends about beauty and make up… How to wear a red lip, how to do a perfect wing eyeliner.. Make up for Asians because there is not enough of that around! I can’t promise pictures of myself but I’ll definitely try to get a friend haha! Video tutorials? I’ll consider that if I get enough demand!

Today on my (poor) face I tried out the above mentioned products:
Lime Crime Makeup Candy Eyed Eyeshadow Helper
MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash Mascara
Glamour Doll Eyes Eyeshadow in Dirty Jeans and Aqua Foil
Chanel Vitalumiere Hydra Moist Radiance Emulsion Compact Foundation

Lime Crime Makeup Candy Eyed Eyeshadow Helper

As I mentioned in the video, I’ve heard a lot regarding Lime Crime and their repackaging of mica and the quality of their lipstick, but when I saw this product on Modcloth.com (where I shop often ) and all the other reviews, I had to give it a go. Despite hating to deal with loose eyeshadow (and mineral ones), I have this stupid tendency to buy and hoard them, and then when I try to use them, they just fall all over the place EXCEPT on the place where I want them to go. I didn’t even like to use the famous Mac Vanilla pigment on my clients because it was *that* annoying. So back to the product. It arrived with the sides slightly separated from the container like so:

It looks a little like it has dried up but it still has a creamy consistency and you don’t have to use a lot. The cover does not screw into a completely tight position, so that is a little iffy. Who designed it? It’s cute, yes, but can you imagine if your Urban Decay Primer Potion had a cap that won’t stay on properly!

I managed to get around 8 hours and counting of wear time with some minimal creasing with this and my Glamour Doll Eyes eyeshadow that I will be reviewing also in this post. 8 hours for loose shadow on me is not too shabby as I have very oily eyelids, and I was surprised that my eyeliner (Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes pencil eyeliner) did not smudge today! It usually does give me the panda look, so I believe this primer had something to do with it. Will I update on this product? You bet I’m going to be putting Lime Crime to the test!! Stay tuned to this blog for more news on this primer!

MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash Mascara

I actually like this mascara and will be wearing it often.. What a surprise. The brush, being a little bitty as you can see, helps you reach tiny lashes in the corners of your eyes with no problem at all. Prone to a clumping a little but nothing you can’t brush out with a lash comb (stop being lazy!) and personally? I dig the slightly clumpy look. I didn’t even curl my lashes when I used this and it pretty much curled it for me on application. My dad actually asked if I was wearing false lashes, hahaha!!! I’m surprised, really. MAC does not usually do good mascaras, although I did heard good stuff about their Haute and Naughty Lash. Which I will review in future since it’s in my basket of goodies.

Glamour Doll Eyes

GDE is an indie make up company that makes mineral loose eyeshadows that are very vibrant with great colour payoff. Here’s my attempt at making swatches (forgive me- I am new to making swatches but here are two ’tilts’ of my hand to show you, especially in Dirty Jeans, the golden shimmer and the blue base. It is simply gorgeous on and both colours complement each other amazingly! Use Dirty Jeans on the lid, but don’t bring it too far up, of course(!), and then Aqua Foil on the outer corners… And there you have, an super easy colour combo. Just add highlights to brow bone, and inner corner of eye and you are set!!

Chanel Vitalumiere Hydra Moist Radiance Emulsion Compact Foundation

This is not really a foundation for the weakhearted, or the ones who are running short on time. You really have to take the time to blend this into your skin to avoid having it look like it’s just sitting there looking like a hot mess. I totally recommend a stippling brush, or what some would call a skunk brush.

I found coverage to be very buildable, if you stipple it on and not use the useless sponge that is just going to waste your dearly expensive foundation. Pounce your stippling brush on your skin, very gently blend in soft circles and voila! A very lovely finish Dab your brush again on places you need more coverage, and the end result is not a cakey mess!. I do have to warn you that this foundation, as its name suggests, will give you this ‘moist radiance’ look that not everyone is fond of, and that would be a slightly dewy look that not even setting with a dusting of powder can totally eradicate (unless you really do pile that powder on, which I do not recommend because cream + powder = D: ). You may run the trouble of looking terrible if you have to be running errands outdoors in the heat, so I’d say to keep this one to cool weather or outings to places with air-conditioning

Here’s the end of my first huge post as a beauty blog, huzzah! Have you tried any of those products? Let me know what you think! In my next post I will be reviewing my favourite lip colour so far of 2012, my favourite lip colour of 2011, and the new-in-the-market Shu Uemura Whitefficient Intense Whitening Essence (spoiler: it’s not worth it!) and also the new Shu Uemura Creamy Dome Blusher from their Celestial Garden S/S ’12 collection (this one, I love and was wearing in the vid above, but because of my shitty lighting I doubt you can see it!).

Anyway the point of this post is to share with you some sites that ship internationally for free or do so for a flat rate that isn’t going to make you go WTF. Sometimes you need a minimum purchase to be able to get freeee shipping, which is understandable, merchants need to make some moolah after all. So without further ado- the List is here!

1) ASOS.com

Everyone knows ASOS ships free internationally, even if you only bought a ring that was on sale. That makes it kind of top of the list. I just wish the quality of their clothing is a little better. For now, it is safe to buy from these following brands on ASOS that won’t break the bank if they were on sale: River Island, Lipsy, Warehouse, French Connection. I’m a bit leery of their in-house brand, and Vero Moda. There is only so much cheap polyester I can take! ASOS ships normal mail with the UK carrier Royal Mail, and they are very understanding if your mail gets lost- just send them a tweet! If you want to be sure you get something in a hurry, you can always pay £20.00 to get it to you via express mail

2) Shopbop.com

Shopbop ships UPS if you make a minimum purchase of USD100, which isn’t really hard, looking at the average prices of the pieces on there. I did manage to snag a lovely BBDakota dress for a nice price, and sale items are eligible for this shipping deal too. The best part of it is that it will get to you in a matter of days. Around 3. Just sayin’.

3) Feelunique.com

Bet you’ve not heard of this one. They are based in the UK and will ship anywhere for free. I love this site because they stock Jemma Kidd School of Make Up cosmetics, and if you have not heard of their Light as Air foundation, you’ve been in a hole. Right now there is a 10% off all orders (offer ends 17/12) with the code LASTORDERS and any purchase of Jemma Kidd cosmetics above £35.00 gets you a nice little palette!

4) Solestruck.com

“To rid the world of ugly shoes one pair at a time…” is Solestruck’s claim, and the jig is up! With the free international shipping with orders over USD150, you have no excuse to put it on the expensive shipping for those lovely shoes. Here’s the chance to reinvent your shoe closet on the cheap!

5) Kissandmakeupny.com

I feel like this is one of the best kept secrets amongst the list of sites. Want to buy NARS in Singapore? Boo, they don’t have it here! NARS main site and Sephora USA does not ship overseas and Nordstrom charges an arm and a leg- what’s a girl to do? Kissandmakeupny has a flat rate delivery charge of USD9.95, no matter how much you order. Shocker! Apart from NARS, the site stocks Butter London nail polish (unfortunately not *all* shades, but enough ) and Deborah Lippmann nail polish – and they will ship these to Singapore, no problem! Want to try Laura Mercier’s famous tinted moisturiser? This is the right place to shop.

6) Romwe.com

This clothing site offers free international shipping with no minimum spend. The problem is that they seem to take a pretty long time processing orders- I haven’t received mine. I’ll keep you all posted on how this one goes. Worth a look, and newcomers get a 20% code!

7) Thebeautybooth.com

This site does not exactly offer flat rate shipping, but if you need your Butter London fix and require someplace that ships internationally, this is where you should look. They also stock Xen-Tan which is apparently a great self-tanning product. Stop baking yourself into leather! I personally prefer to be pale as hell, so I won’t be testing out any self-tanner, but you can find this brand here. Shipping starts at £3.50 for the first item and £1.50 for each additional item. SO what’s the deal? If you manage to get a few friends and order together (or just go crazy), shipping is free if you spend above £70.00!

Now, have I tempted you enough yet? Please comment and share this post…. and then maybe I’ll find more shipping bargains to write about!

Chanel pre-fall 2012 via style.com

There’s nothing new about white. I wore a lot of white back in the days when I milled around in science labs, and it certainly isn’t my favourite colour although the saving grace is that it contrasts beautifully with black (oh you should see the amount of that in my wardrobe). Colour-blocking with black and white, which aren’t really colours if you think hard enough about it, and voila, style alert! We’re looking also at the contrast with dark make up and wearing that with some white. Just try not to overdo it. Effortlessly looking in style requires a lot more effort than you think, huh?

Anyway, this makes me want to pull out a white dress I’ve not worn yet…

Giles spring 2012 via style.com

Can I just mention that not everyone can do that cocaine chic look that had just passed a few seasons ago and then continued to linger on a bit? You need cheekbones of a Greek goddess to not completely be overshadowed by the pallor. On the other hand, looking fresh and alert equals a good look for everyone, save Frankenstein. This is a good example to follow, and easy too, if you happen to be running short on time or are just plain lazy. You need: a red lipstick. Preferably your perfect shade (let’s get into how to pick one another day), dab some onto fingers and push onto moisturized cheeks for instant flush. Be warned that for some people, the ingredients in lipstick can cause breakouts, but hey, so do a lot of the pigments in many blushes, so be warned. Dab a spot of lipstick onto centre of lipbalm-kissed mouth and you’ll be looking a lot fresher than when you first got up.

How many steps was that? Now is the time to not run out the house without even a slap of make up, your excuses are up!

For years I have been battling back problems and I finally got diagnosed (with a lot of bad stuff I shall not list lol) after a series of MRIs and X-rays, and it will no longer be healthy for me to do make up as a long term job. I hope to still be able to do some shoots for hobby, but I am currently in a physical state that puts me at disadvantage spending long hours in bad posture positions!

I’m still interested in make up, shopping, fashion… I’m thinking of turning this blog into a something like a beauty/fashion write up place, but nothing is concrete, even sitting at the computer for longer hours is a no-no. I hope to come back with a post real soon!

Love,

Steph

Model: Julia S.

Photographer: Zantz Han

It has been a while since I had last participated in test shooting. Mostly involved in some private events, including one where I got to see David Tao in person hahahaha! I’m not a fan so I wasn’t screaming or anything; I had gone out of the venue innocently to thaw myself (it was FREEZING) and there he was, standing there waiting to be picked up after his performance. Thought that was funny!

Completed also a job for Blackberry, but it is corporate, so no photos to share! I got jokingly chided for using my iPhone in a Blackberry office- so I told them they could give me one I’m waaaaiting, BB! I want to see if you are as good as you claim to be Will continue to be involved in more private work so, well, I’ll keep you guys posted! See you!

In other news, I recorded and posted a video to Youtube some days back about attending the recent MAC Masterclass for S/S ’11 make up trends, and also about some new skincare and make up that I have bought

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There is no audio so go ahead and keep your music playing!

No one paid me anything to do this and no one sent me any of those for review.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

A picture of me, Teddy Bear(Alvin) and Strawberry Shortcake (Serene). Backstage for the Christmas Magic at Expo

Make up: Me

Had a great time working on this production!

Also, for the Tiffany & Co Paloma  Picasso Gala 2010

Model: Ariel U

BMW World 2010

Key artists of the day!

left bottom going anti-clockwise: Joanna, me, Jenifer and Airin

Men’s make up… easy )

That explains a bit why I haven’t been updating! but soon, a swatch post

Maybe even a video Cheers!!