a hoarder's blog

It has already been over a week (ok lah, almost 2 weeks) since coming back from my short trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong, and I've just been too busy to do this haul entry earlier. But I'd better get to it before I forget.

TAIWAN

OK so we shall start with some stuff that I bought whilst in Taiwan. The following were bought at night markets (Raohe and Shilin). I used the exchange rate of SGD1=TWD25 for easy conversion on the go, when in reality it was about TWD23.

• Misc hairbands: all, except the middle one with the thicker braid design, cost TWD100. The middle one costs TWD40.
• Socks: 6 pairs for TWD100 (cheap or what?)
• Card holder: TWD100, hairclips (1 for TWD15), bun holder TWD40 (I don't know how to call that, it's something that helps you hold your hair in a bun and you can do it real fast apparently. The seller demo-ed on me and I was so impressed that I bought it, but I haven't tried it myself. Haha! But it was so cheap anyway)
• A pair of flats (super soft and comfy): TWD199

NEXT!....

• Masks! These were bought at the 7-11 opposite the hotel I was staying at (Rainbow hotel which is in the heart of Ximending). There was some promo going on, 2 boxes for TWD378 (U.P. TWD199 per box). I randomly chose Japanese Cherry Blossom, Black Pearl, Mixed Berries and Q10 rejuvenating masks just cos I can't read a word of chinese and didn't really know which ones to get.

Took a few trips to Watsons and I brought back...

• Neutrogena oil-free eye makeup remover (TWD299, apparently it's BOGO. I don't know how much this costs in Singapore)
• Neutrogena Hydro Boost mousse cleaner which was on sale at TWD199 (again I don't know the retail price locally).
• Carmex in Jasmine Green Tea flavour TWD99
• MM mascaras, each going for TWD340. And if you buy a mascara, there was a promo where you could buy the Eyes Reset Gel for only TWD99 (Bought a set for Kim too).
• MM Skin Lingerie Pore Cover also at TWD340 I think.
• One Lavshuca Melting Eyes quad at TWD400. My most expensive drugstore purchase! At first, I didn't wanna get it, but everytime I stepped into Watsons, I went to swatch it, so I finally gave in. They had 5 or 6 quads in this series and I bought one in OR-1. I also wanted RD-1 but it was OOS at the store I was in. The reason why you see two quads in the pic is cos I bought the other one in Hong Kong for HKD98. So I managed to get the ones I wanted in the end.

HONG KONG

Currency conversion SGD=~HKD5. Again, I used a rough conversion rate.

• YSL mook from the news vendor at the corner of the street from the hotel I was staying at. HKD148. I haven't opened it yet..Oops.

• My first LUSH items! Mask Of Magnanimity (HKD109 after 30% off) and Lemony Flutter (HKD99). I was looking around the shop so hard for more stuff to buy, but couldn't decide. I thought of not getting soap bars cos I didn't trust myself to use them. So yep, that was it. Maybe next time.
• Clinique moisture surge in travel size jars HKD50 from a shop round the corner.
• Davidoff Cool Water HKD105 from the same shop round the corner.
• Gosh in Purple Heart and Blue Monday HKD 78 each at Watsons.

I do still have 2 major hauls from Taipei and Hong Kong to update. Will do so in the next entry. Hehe. Anybody wanna guess what else I bought?

If you've walked by a Clarins counter lately, chances are you might have seen their new products on display. They are the Hydra-Luminous Flawless Powder Foundation SPF20 PA++and the Instant Light Brush-On Perfector, both of which were launched in September 2010.

The Hydra Luminous Flawless Powder Foundation comes in 6 shades and retails at S$55 for the refill pan (13g) and the case is sold separately at S$20. The latter comes with a velvety red pouch embossed with the brand's name.

The two essential elements of this powder foundation: Water and light, hence Hydra-Luminous.

Water is essential to keep skin hydrated. In this respect, hydra-capsules containing plant essences of rosemary, camomile and ginkgo biloba, have been incorporated into the formula to provide a stimulating and hydrating effect to the skin to keep it smooth. Shea butter is another plant-based ingredient used to coat the pigments to ensure an ultra-soft, fine, melting texture which glides over the skin. White tea is also used for its anti-free radical action against pollution, and not forgetting the addition of SPF20 PA++ to protect the skin from the sun.

With the help of all these active ingredients, the skin is ideally prepared to reflect light. The pigments are said to be able to diffuse natural light in a way that sculpts the face. This is referred to as "3D Luminance". The rounded parts of the face are given more exposure to light to enhance contours, while the hollow parts of the face, like the sides of the nose and face, are less exposed to light to heighten contrast and refine facial contours. The 3D effect comes about as the face is thus sculpted and reshaped.

I was originally sent two shades of Clarins Hydra Luminous Flawless Powder Foundation, but they didn't match my skin tone. 01 Linen and 02 Petal were unfortunately too light for me. And so I made a trip to my nearest Clarins counter to find out what shade would suit me best. Out of the 6 shades, 04 Almond seemed to be the best match. You can totally tell the difference in shade from the pics below where the right side of my face is covered with the foundation while the other side is left untouched.

Thoughts and such and what I like about the hydra luminous flawless powder foundation:

- The easy application. I spend less time applying powder foundation than liquid foundation. I just swipe it over my face with the sponge that comes with it and smoothen it out a bit to blend. Really comes in handy when in a rush.

- The silky texture of the powder. It's like cream in powder form.

- The radiant effect. The first time I wore it and looked at myself in the mirror, I thought something looked really different. Then I realized my complexion was glow-y and lighted up. Must be the 3D Luminance in action.

- The coverage is medium. It does cover some of the marks on my face like those faded brown scars and blemishes, but doesn't a good job covering a red spot. Leave that to a concealer.

- It lasts me throughout the day. My typical weekday starts at around 8am from the time I go out to work till like 7pm on a day when I come home early. I do blot about twice during the daytime, but it doesn't wear off.

- The case gets dirty easily (fingerprints galore all over), but hey applying makeup is a messy business sometimes.

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The other new product launched is the Instant Light Brush-On Perfector. There are 3 shades available: 00 Light Beige, 01Pink Beige and 02 Medium Beige and each retails at S$45 for 2ml of product. The design is like that of a pen and you need to twist the top end to allow the fluid to flow out of the brush tip.

The Instant Light Brush-On Perfector promises to deliver flawless radiance in a brush. It revives and illuminates the complexion by erasing signs of tiredness, dullness and imperfections in a flash. Sounds like a magic pen to me just from the description alone.

The main ingredients in this product are oat sugars to tighten and firm the skin, and hyaluronic acid to seal in moisture for long-lasting hydration.

So how do you use the brush-on perfector? When applied to 'light-catching' areas of the face, like the middle of the forehead, the side of the nose, the top of the cheekbones and the tip of the chin, the special pigments in the "Light Optimizing+" complex - a Clarins innovation - help to reflect light in all directions to create a blur effect that optically diminishes the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. I noticed some slight shimmer on my skin after blending out, part of the Light Optimizing+" complex perhaps?

While this product can be used on any area of the face where there are shadows and fine lines, I have only used it under my eyes so far. There is indeed a brightening effect and it helps to illuminate and lighten my undereye area where there are obvious dark shadows on days where I have not had enough sleep the previous night. 00 Light Beige looks really white on me, but 01 Pink Beige provides me with a more natural look.

I couldn't help but swatch the Clarins Instant Light Brush-On Perfector next to the YSL Radiant Touch (or YSL Touche Eclat) which I had previously bought  (and kept in the drawer and not used *hides face*). At the time I had also chosen a pinkish shade as it was a better match for my skin tone. YSL Radiant Touch also comes in the form of a pen but with a click mechanism instead of a twist mechanism.

Thoughts on the brush-on perfector:

- Easy to use, easy to carry around, slightly slimmer than a marker pen.

- Smooth matte finish, no oily feeling or look.

- Using too much product at a time will require more time to blend it in. The first time I twisted the pen, too much product flowed out and because I didn't know how much to use, I applied everything, but I ended up with really white patches under my eyes that extended to my cheeks even. so yep, less is more sometimes.

- Not to be used as a concealer as its primary function is that of a highlighter more than anything else.

Learn more about Clarins here.

DISCLAIMER: All products in this entry, except for YSL Radiant Touch, were sent to me by Clarins for review purposes. I wasn't paid to do this and I'm not affiliated to Clarins in any way. Opinions expressed here are my own.

I made my rounds at the YSL sale on Saturday. These are what I got:

1. Rouge Volupte lipstick in 19 Frivolous Pink - $20 [UP$42] (Initially, the lippies were not out when I went there, but when I spotted the sales people sticking the price tags on a new batch of products, I went to check with them on what they were going to put out, and when they mentioned lipstick, I decided to hang around til they were out. I had actually already paid for my other stuff. I looked like a stalker going round the small table. Haha.)

2. Matt touch foundation SPF 10 in shade 6 - $30 [UP $67]

3. Mascara Singulier Exaggerated Lashes Dramatic Styling in black - $20 [UP $48]

4. Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils (false lash effect) in brown - $20 [UP $46]

I also got a Davidoff Cool Water Game EDT 50ml for $37 [UP$75]. I seriously don't need a new bottle of perfume considering my stash is quite extensive, but I just couldn't resist as usual.