Lips -NYX - Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo 
theminx 9/6/2011 3:29:00 AM
Lovely texture - non-drying and doesn't feather. Lasts well too. The colour looks bright blue-toned red in the tube but sadly it turns fuchsia on me. I'm NC45 for reference.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Chanel - Illusion d'ombre Eye Shadow - Mirifique
theminx 8/11/2011 12:23:00 PM
This is what Mac Black Tied, MIlani Storm and countless other black shimmer eyeshadows have tried to be but failed. I've only used this as a liner and it's hands down the most gorgeous shimmery/sparkly black liner ever! No fallout during application. Very long wearing - I had no smudges, even on my lower lashline. However, even with UDPP under and UD All Nighter setting spray over, the sparkles and some of the colour still transferred onto my lid. The small brush that comes with the product is awesome for a thicker, dramatic line and seems perfectly designed for the winged look. Chanel's description of this product: “This intensely shimmering long-wear eyeshadow offers true versatility. An innovative gel texture that is both soft and cushiony allows it to be worn as eyeshadow or eyeliner. Includes a specially designed shadow/liner brush, developed specifically for this unique formula.”The texture is unique and hard to describe. Somewhere between a powdery creme and a mousse, but it's soft and spongy at the same time. Looks awesome in the little glass jar - matte black with microshimmer - somewhat like newly applied asphalt. I rated this 4/5 lippies because of the transfer of the product onto the lids. Otherwise it would be a HG product for me.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - My Chihuahua Bites
theminx 8/11/2011 12:00:00 PM
Beautiful orangey bright coral creme with some pink tones. I was afraid this colour would be too bright on my NC45/50 dark skin tone, but it looks just pretty and fresh on my short nails! Not crazy about the formula though. With 2 coats this was still streaky, so I used 3 coats but I can still see my nail bed if I look closely, and some unevenness as well. Plus it seemed to take forever to dry, even with Seche Vite quick-drying topcoat. One lippie off for that. Similar colours: LA Girls Colour Addict in Indulge (but Indulge has gold shimmer) and Sally Hansen Sonic Bloom (SB is brighter and more orange)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Sparrow Me The Drama
theminx 8/3/2011 11:27:00 AM
This polish is the perfect wearable "Barbie" pink on my NC45/50 skintone and short nails. Reminds me a lot of something Nicki Minaj would wear, but somewhat toned down to be suitable for a DDD that isn't starring in a million-dollar music video. Not bright or garish, just surprisingly pretty in an expected way. The 'dusty' tones that I see on the bottle aren't evident on my nails. Overall I'm pleasantly surprised that this polish worked on my skintone.
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Polishes -OPI - Ski Teal We Drop
theminx 7/25/2011 11:52:00 AM
Not a good colour choice for my dark NC45/50 skintone. This dusty navy blue looked dull and dirty as a mani colour, perhaps only a tiny bit more flattering as a pedi colour. In my head I pictured that it would look elegant in an unconventionally chic way :(. The formula is great - perfect in 2 coats, easy to apply because of the Prowide brush and lasts well.....but just not the colour for me. Wish I could return this.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Blue Cross - Cuticle Remover
theminx 7/25/2011 11:31:00 AM
Best cuticle remover I've used and also the cheapest! Mine came in a giant 32 oz bottle; I paid about SGD$15 for it here in Singapore. I struggled with this at first because it was so liquidy. I decanted a small amount into a small Muji squeeze tube, but it still got all over my nails, my table, my clothes - just a mess. Then I decanted it into a clean Manicare cuticle remover bottle and finally I experienced the real magic of this product. I brushed over cuticles, going over each nail 2x and sort of 'flooding' the cuticles on 3 sides of the nail but not till my fingers were dripping. When most of it evaporated (about a minute), I used an orange stick and cuticles just turned to mush and came off with almost no effort. I would definitely recommend using a brush to apply this product. Otherwise it can be really messy and ineffective.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Silver Shatter
theminx 7/25/2011 11:06:00 AM
LOVE!! For reference I have OPI Black and Silver Shatter, and I find that both "shatter" beautifully when used in a thin coat over completely dry polish. I'm loving Silver Shatter over dark colours like navy blue. Without a topcoat, it's just "wow, cool". But with a good topcoat like Seche Vite just pushes it into the HG territory - it sparkles so much it practically radiates a glow! I've worn this over LA Girls Rockstar Deep Sea Mica (deep shimmery blue) and OPI Chick Flick Cherry (a classic red creme) as accent nails and both looked gorgeous. Can't wait to try this over lighter polishes. PSA: Singapore ladies, I hope you're not paying the full retail price of SGD$23 for OPIs at Metro & BHG. Do a Google search and you'll find them for as low as SGD$9 at various beauty supply stores.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Seche Vite - Dry Fast Top Coat
theminx 7/25/2011 10:53:00 AM
This topcoat is just magic. I've almost finished my fist bottle, and will definitely re-purchase. I'm amazed at how incredibly glossy and fast-drying this is. It really brings out the *bling* in a lot of shimmery and metallic polishes. I can't comment on how long this wears, as I do my nails a few times a week. A small downside is that it got horribly gloopy and stringy when I was halfway through the bottle, but I added about 10-15 drops of OPI Nail Lacquer Thinner and it worked like a charm. Didn't affect the glossiness or fast-drying qualities of the polish. This topcoat did cause crazy shrinkage on my Etude House polishes, but so far it's working well with all my OPIs.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Bubble Bath
theminx 6/28/2011 12:15:00 PM
Perfect colour for dark-skinned ladies looking for a polished, natural look (I'm NC45-50 for reference). I must have tried dozens of OPIs over the years to achieve this look - Samoan Sand, Malaysian Mist, Passion, Skinny Dippin in Lake Michigan, Coney Island Cotton Candy etc etc - but everything I tried was too sheer, too opaque white, too pink, too yellow or just too ugly. I only need two coats for this to show up as a sheer barely-there-pink jelly-like white. Makes nails looks gorgeously fresh, sophisticated and clean. Unfortunately this goes on streaky in two coats. 3 coats cuts that problem, but then it becomes too white for my liking. I've heard Essie has lots of comparable colours and a better formula, but since Essie is hard to find where I live, I'll stick with this for now.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -Urban Decay - All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray
theminx 6/28/2011 11:20:00 AM
I bought this at Sephora in Singapore for SGD$48 (equivalent to approx USD$38). Comes in a 118ml (4 fluid oz) plastic bottle with a spray nozzle. Since this product claims to ensure "make-up looks just-applied" I thought that it would control oiliness/shine, but it did nothing of the sort. My face was an oily mess as usual within an hour. My bad I guess, since the product didn't actually mention oil-control, so I still had to use blotting papers and Mac Blot powder. However, after a 10-hour day in 90 degree weather and 100% humidity - my makeup did indeed look much, much fresher than usual - my eyeliner, eyeshadow and blush looked almost as vibrant as when I first put it on. Can't comment on staying power of lipstick because I tend to reapply several times a day anyway. To me, this is a good product, but not like "O.M.G.Fantastic!". I'm not sure if I will buy again. I think I can live with just reapplying my blush etc a couple of times a day. EDIT: I've upgraded to 5 lippies. I just started work in a furniture store which involves a lot of lifting/unloading, basically crazy sweaty work most days. And I don't have time to rush to the bathroom to touch up when we have customers, but my makeup stay on perfectly with this. I'll definitely repurchase or maybe try the "Dew Me" setting spray.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Etude - Nail Polish
theminx 6/28/2011 10:55:00 AM
Etude House is a Korean brand that has several cute little standalone stores in Singapore. They have a few ranges of nail polish, so to clarify, I'm reviewing the Petit Darling polishes with the aubergine-coloured caps. I bought PK009 (bright hot pink creme), GR601(vibrant teal creme) and WH702 (grey with slight shimmer). Love that they are so cheap - each bottle costs SGD$3.90 (about USD$3). I'm in love with this product for the amazing range of colours and how fast they dry. The bottle is so cute too! The application isn't great as it tends to leave bald spots. Not very durable either - it lasted on my nails for 2 days before I got huge chips, despite the use of a basecoat and topcoat. A good topcoat goes a long was in making these little gems look even more gorgeous (I used Seche Vite). I'm very happy I found these and plan to get more very soon.
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Polishes -OPI - I'm Not Really A Waitress
theminx 6/21/2011 1:38:00 PM
I don't think I've ever had such a strong reaction to a nail polish colour. I really hate this on me! I'm NC45-50 and I have this on my toes right now. It applies opaque in one coat, but I used two coats anyway which makes it look exactly like the color in the bottle. The prominent fuchsia tones and the over-the-top shimmer just looks obnoxious. I don't find that the colour clashes with my yellow-toned skin, but the colour itself is just garish and I think it looks kinda trashy. I tried it on my fingernails but it was so un-pretty I removed it immediately. OPI says this is one of their top-selling polishes, so I have to assume it looks good on other skintones. I only own this polish is cos it was sent to me by mistake in an online order and they didn't want it back.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Barefoot in Barcelona
theminx 6/12/2011 1:37:00 PM
I'm NC45/50 with short nails for reference, and I LOVE this polish. I swatched BIB several times at the counter but was undecided because it looked too pink and chalky against my dark skin. Then I saw it on sale and decided to give it a go. When I first put it on my big toe, I was convinced I was going to regret the colour choice, it looked so chalky at close range. But when I finished both feet it looked just awesome! Gorgeous pale milky pink with brown and peach tones. I can't explain how a colour that looks so wrong while putting it on can give such a gorgeous finished result! I have it on my tips and toes now and it's understated, classy and clean and very, very pretty. I can get away with one coat with this polish, but it does need a good topcoat on top to make it really shine.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Loose Powders -Givenchy - Prisme Libre Loose Powder Quartet Air Sensation
theminx 6/8/2011 1:31:00 AM
For reference I'm NC45/50 and I'm using the darkest shade "Tender Sun". This powder is just pure luxury. My skin feels like silk when I put this on! "Tender Sun" consists of 4 cubes of loose powder colours - 3 dark-ish shades of brown and 1 light peachy apricot. This powder is so finely milled and has shimmers that are barely visible but just impart a gorgeous 'glow' on the skin. I use this over Mac Studiofix Powder foundation just on my cheekbones, under eyes (it's great over concealer) and nose. I don't use it all over my face because it has a highlight effect and I don't exactly need my whole face to glow like a beacon. I can't say it's great for oil control though, but I do live in a very humid climate. I usually use a brush for loose powder, but with this, I like to use the puff it comes with. The powder is so fine and light it tends to settle everywhere - on lashes, brows, my make-up counter (LOL), but I find using just a tiny amount helps lessen the fly-aways. This powder can be layered for a less sheer finish. If I'm just running to the store I just put this on with a little eyeliner and tinted lipbalm and I look polished and natural.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Chanel - Rouge Allure - Clandestine
theminx 6/8/2011 1:05:00 AM
I'm NC50 and this is one of my favorite lippies ever! Gorgeous medium toned plum with bronzey overtones/shimmer. Unique and very sophisticated. Very moisturizing and the sleek packaging is great. Definitely one to try if you're have a darker skintone.
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