Here’s a list of products that I am using and loving at the moment:

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder
This product was actually purchased by mistake. Thinking it was a loose powder, I bought it and wore it on top of my foundation and it made my face looked too heavy! I hated it until I found out that this mineral powder is actually a foundation (I’m not used to mineral makeup before), which is great because I don’t need to wear loose powder anymore. It’s like a 2-in-1 product – it’s a foundation in the form of powder and it seems to melt into my skin, making it look so natural. The result is a FLAWLESS and radiant complexion!

Laura Mercier Secret Concealer
Shhh…this is my little secret to hide those ugly dark circles of mine! It’s creamy, smooth, blends well into the skin and doesn’t look cakey.

Laura Mercier Eye Basics
An eye primer which helps to enhance eye shadow colors but I usually wear it on its own without any eye shadows especially when I’m in a hurry. I got this in Flax which has a pretty pearlescent tint and I love how it brighten up my eyes. It dries up real fast so you have to blend it quickly. A little goes a long way!

MAC 214 Brush
Remember this entry where I said I wanted to get a smudge brush? Well, I finally got one! This short shader brush is perfect for smudging, defining the upper and lower lashlines, making the perfect ‘v’ at the outer corner of eyes and great for applying shadows near the tear ducts area too. It’s a little pricey for me but it’s worth it!

Dior Crayon Eyeliner
I love Stila Kajal Eyeliner but it’s a gel-like formula and I have to apply it with a liner brush which can be a bit of a hassle when I’m in a hurry (you’re always in a hurry when you have kids, no?) so that’s why I turned to Dior’s. It’s easy to apply, doesn’t smudge and really black. I have been using it for years – this is like my 10th purchase!

Maybelline Magnum Volum’ Express Mascara
I have raved about this mascara before. It’s basically the perfect mascara that gives the length, volume and curl I want.

Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights
This is actually a highlighter for the face but I use it as a blusher. It’s a coral-peachy color and gives a nice subtle glow on the apple of my cheeks.

Majolica Majorca Rouge Majex Lip Gloss
The color I got is BE205 which is a sheer nude color with a little shimmer. It’s slightly scented, not sticky and best of all, it’s CHEAP! (It’s only about RM30).

Yesterday morning I woke up as usual, took my shower, shampooed my hair and when I rinsed, I noticed my hair shed more than usual! It was even worse when I combed my hair (when it’s all dry). Time for a new shampoo!

That night I quickly dragged my husband to Shins at Mid Valley to get Nioxin hair care products. From the online assessment that I did earlier at home, I found that I should get the System 1 range which is for fine, natural hair that is normal to thin-looking. I grabbed all 3 products that were recommended on the website.

Shins ran out of Scalp Treatment System 1, so I took the System 2 instead. The Cleanser (shampoo) was the last one they had and as you can see in the picture, the bottle looks worn out and dented a little, almost like a tester bottle but I didn’t care because I was in dire need of hair loss solution. I had never spent that much on hair care products before so they better work!

Oh that reminds me, remember the Bawang shampoo that I blogged about dulu? A Chinese reader of mine emailed me some time ago to inform that she reads in a Chinese newspaper that the shampoo actually contains cancer-causing chemicals! I don’t know how true it is but it’s better to be safe than sorry!

I’ve heard of how good the iconic Shu Uemura cleansing oils for like a million times but the thought of applying oil on my face just turned me off and so I was never tempted to try one, until that day when I attended Shu Uemura makeup workshop. Well, not exactly on that day itself because I actually didn’t really like it at first. If it wasn’t for the sample bottle that I received, I wouldn’t know just how good the product is.

I immediately purchased my first bottle (the Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/I) after finishing the sample and boy, I was hooked! It made my dry skin feeling soft and supple and I never felt any tightness right after cleansing. I like it!

I’ve been on my third bottle so far and one of them is the White recovery EX Brightening Cleansing Oil (the blue bottle). I wanted to try that one because I have dull complexion (been skipping my weekly scrub and mask, that’s why) but it was a bit drying for my skin so I switched back to the previous one. My skin was soft and supple again.

The only complain I have about Shu Uemura cleansing oil is that it always leaves my eyes very blurry right after cleansing no matter how careful I applied it on my lids. It doesn’t sting or hurt, but it sure is uncomfortable. My vision would be so blurry and everything will look like this:

It’s like I’m both long and short-sighted! It only lasts for a minute or two tho but sometimes when I’m in a hurry (what with the kids and everything) the blurriness really bothered me.

Then I came across Juice Beauty products from a brochure that my sister-in-law brought home. The products are made from organic ingredients and are free of petroleum, silicones, artificial dyes or fragrances, parabens, propylene and other harmful chemicals. I browsed the website, read the reviews and was keen on the Green Apple range.

“Juice Beauty’s Green Apple collection is exclusively formulated to accelerate cellular turn-over, boost antioxidant protection, help increase firmness, smooth, brightens and refine for radiant, ageless skin”.

I was sold! Anti-aging is also what I’m looking for in a product because I am at that age where anti-aging should be a concern. I mean, who doesn’t want to look young?

So a few days later, I went to The Gardens and bought this:

It’s the Age-Defying Kit which retails for RM255. I heart skincare product that comes in travel-size or trial kits because samples are usually for 1-2 applications only. Not enough! You need at least 3 days to know whether the products suit your skin or not, right? So travel/trial kits are perfect!

This kit contains 100ml Green Apple Cleansing Gel, 15ml Green Apple Peel FULL STRENGTH, 7ml Green Apple Antioxidant Serum, 15ml Green Apple SPF15 Moisturizer (for daytime) and 15ml Green Apple Antioxidant Moisturizer (for nighttime). Not so bad for the price, ey?

The kit was actually supposed to have 5 different products like I just mentioned, but two of the products in my kit are the same (I don’t have the SPF15 Moisturizer). I only realized it when I got home.

At first I thought of exchanging it with what was supposed to be in the kit but later changed my mind because it’s only a daytime moisturizer. I still have my Olay Total Effects anyway. The Green Apple Peel FULL STRENGTH acts like an exfoliator but this is what the instruction says: apply on the face, leave for 15 minutes then rinse well. Sounds more like a mask, no? This stuff tingles and smells kinda like yeast. In fact all of the products don’t smell like green apples, which is a tad disappointing because I love apple scent! But the combination of all the products (including my Olay Total Effects moisturizer and Hada Labo toner) makes my skin look somewhat brightened after only 3 days of usage. I love waking up to a beautiful skin!

I know it’s still pretty early to tell but that’s a good sign. And now I’m tempted to try the Green Apple Hydration Eye Mask. My dark circles are getting worse and if I don’t do anything about it, I’d turn into a raccoon in no time!

My left lid felt kinda heavy and itchy when I woke up this morning. I looked in the mirror and saw this.

Oh nooooo!

I wonder if breast milk works to heal adult’s eye infection (or whatever it is) as well….

So I was browsing topshop.com when my eyes saw the word Make Up at the top of the page.
Topshop does makeup? How cool!

I clicked on the tab right away and was impressed with the design. The black crayon-like doodles on the white packaging is uber cute!

I don’t think they’re available in Malaysian stores yet but if they were, I would love to get my hands on their kohl eyeliner, cream eyeshadow, eyeshadow duo and the mascara especially.

Mmm… the crayon eyeshadow pencil looks interesting too. Gee, I feel like trying everything!
Does anyone know when will the makeup line be available here?