✧ Mini haul: Lash stuff & Rosehip Oil ✧

Hi everyone!

I'm flying off this weekend so I thought I might squeeze in a blogpost before I leave. The long-awaited trip is finally around the corner and I can't wait to see how our Airbnb listings will look like in real life. Before I get too excited, I should probably focus on the main objective of this blogpost, which is to share with you some stuff that I've bought for my holiday.

I am not one to use fake lashes because I have always felt that they are heavy on my eyes and I don't fancy the feeling of having my eyes weighed down. I think I have only used fake eyelashes twice ever since I started playing with makeup. One day, I came across a local Instagram seller called Shoppers Droppers (link here!) and saw that they were carrying some Ardell products. I came to know about the brand Ardell when I watched a few of Jaclyn Hill's videos and saw her liking towards Ardell's falsies, typically those in the Demi Wispies style.

So I thought to myself that I should probably try using falsies for once and what better way to get into that than by getting myself some Demi Wispies!? So I sent Shoppers Droppers an Instagram direct message and was responded very promptly, which I highly appreciated. I ended up getting Ardell's lash applicator and their LashGrip black eyelash adhesive. I also saw that Shoppers Droppers had some rosehip oil in their in-stocks and since I had read on the internet about how good RHO is, I decided to add the rosehip oil into my purchase list as well.

In addition to my purchase order, Shoppers Droppers was kind enough to send two additional Jouer products to me to review. I was not paid or sponsored in any way so my thoughts and comments are 100% honest.

Here are some pictures I took today!

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

↯ My order items! ↯

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

↯ Lash stuff! ↯

▶︎ Ardell Demi Wispies ◀︎

▶︎ Ardell Demi Wispies ◀︎

▶︎ Ardell eyelash applicator and LashGrip black adhesive ◀︎

▶︎ Ardell eyelash applicator and LashGrip black adhesive ◀︎

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

↯ Rosehip oil ↯

▶︎ Life-flo pure rosehip seed oil ◀︎

▶︎ Life-flo pure rosehip seed oil ◀︎

I have been using rosehip oil for about a week now, incorporating it into my daily skincare routine and I love it! It keeps my skin really hydrated because I have combination of dry and oily skin. Whenever I use my Laneige BB cushion, my skin tends to be really dry with patchiness here and there. But when I used it yesterday, my skin surprisingly did not feel dry at all! There were no dry patches like there usually would be. I was thoroughly surprised.

I will continue using rose hip oil for a longer period of time and update whenever necessary! But so far, I really do like how it has been beneficial to my skin.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

↯ Lip stuff! ↯

▶︎ Jouer long-wear lip crème liquid lipstick and one from their limited edition mermaid collection ◀︎

▶︎ Top to bottom ◀︎

Long-wear lip crème liquid lipstick in the shade pêche

Mermaid long-wear lip crème liquid lipstick in the shade in the shade daiquiri

↬ Pêche- a light peach shade with a pink undertone in a matte finish.
↬ Daiquiri - a medium-toned peachy, coral shade in a metallic matte finish.

Both lip products have a sweet, vanilla scent and they swatch beautifully and effortlessly. Looking at how beautiful the swatches are, I decided to apply them on my lips. To my surprise, it was rather difficult to apply Pêche and it was quite streaky. I had some trouble layering Pêche and trying to make it work but I could not. On my skin tone, Pêche was a little light and made me look washed out. But these aforementioned problems are quite common with lighter shades from any brand. I'm certain that the darker tones from Jouer's liquid lipstick line will be much better, considering they actually do swatch veryyyy easily and effortlessly. 

I moved on to try out the mermaid limited edition one in the shade Daiquiri and Daiquiri applied much better than Pêche did. It's a beautiful shade, and I think it will look really good paired with brown smokey eyes!

▶︎ Daiquri feat. my bare, post-workout face ◀︎

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

 ☃ A little round up.. ☃

I can't wait to try and use Ardell's lash products for my trip! The Ardell Demi Wispies falsies are BND22, lash applicator and adhesive are BND10 each. As for the rosehip oil, it's priced at BND12. The Jouer lip products are BND30 each. Give Shoppers Droppers a holla if you're interested in getting these items! They also carry other products such as Milani and Rimmel, and they have Huda Beauty's liquid lipsticks on the way so head over there if you're looking to get yourself some of those goodies!

Thank you so much for reading and making it down this far. I hope you have a great week ahead of you! Gladyator signing out.

Read More

✧ Review: Mily D Vanity Mirror by ColorpopBN ✧

TGIF!

We're already nearing the middle of August. This blog has just turned two years old. I posted my very first entry on the 6th of July 2014. It's crazy how time flies! I have loved makeup and enjoyed collecting them since, I'd say, the year 2012? But only picked up the courage to start a blog two years later, thanks to the beau's motivation and support.

I don't know whether it's sad to say that I have never owned a proper vanity mirror until now. For the past many years, what I have been using are basically: normal mirrors with my study lamp (a Panasonic one with white LED light). Come to think of it, I wouldn't say it's sad because I still managed to do my makeup with no problem at all.

I have used the aforementioned method for the longest time, then I decided I needed a 'proper' vanity mirror, one with lights. So I actually went to Paloma to purchase a BND159 (if I remember correctly) Beurer Illuminated Cosmetics Mirror. 

I only used it once or twice, and sold it off because it didn't suit my needs. So since then, I had gotten back to my trusty old way of using my 6-years-old mirror and my Panasonic study lamp which has served me well since I was in my second year of Undergraduate in UBD.

It is now finally time to try something new because ColorpopBN (Instagram account link here!) has kindly sent me to review their Mily D Vanity Mirror and share with you all my thoughts on it. I was not paid or compensated in any form. This will be my 100% honest opinion, as per usual.

Mily D Vanity Mirror by ColorpopBN is a vanity makeup mirror with inbuilt 16 white LED lights. The entire mirror, with its base attached, doesn't feel heavy at all. It's travel-friendly because of its size, which is that of an iPad. In addition to that, it has a touch-screen ON/OFF interface, it is wireless and is operated with four AA batteries. So you need not worry about any wires dangling or getting caught by itself in your luggage. We all know the pain of trying to un-dangle wires... 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

↯ Mily D Vanity Mirror ↯

▶︎ White box that includes the mirror and the base ◀︎

▶︎ Base of the mirror ◀︎

▶︎ Front of the mirror ◀︎

▶︎ Back of the mirror with the hinge, to be attached to the base ◀︎

 ▶︎ ON/OFF switch ◀︎

▶︎ ON/OFF touch-screen interface ◀︎

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

To see how bright it is, I turned off all the lights in the room and had the vanity mirror as my sole light source. I also turned off the auto-flash settings in my camera so the pictures will be as they are in real life. To my surprise, it really managed to light up pretty well, even in total darkness!

▶︎ Look at how clear the reflection is! ◀︎

▶︎ Also, yes, all the pictures on my blog are taken with my trusty Samsung NX Mini because I don't have a DSLR or a fancier camera huhu ◀︎

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

↯ Additional specs ↯

▶︎ General-facing direction of the mirror ◀︎

As you can see in the pictures above, you can have the mirror tilted at 0° up to 180°. I personally would only tilt it to an angle that I'm comfortable with when doing my makeup and would not actually 'rotate' it because it might loosen the hinge to the point that you might not even be able to tilt it at all. But that's just my preference. Tilt it however you want, homie!

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

 ☃ A little round up.. ☃

I like the fact that this Mily D Vanity Mirror isn't at all bulky and at the same time, you get the quality from the LED lights too. An important aspect, to me at least, is that it is wireless! You needn't designate an electronic socket just to use the mirror when doing your makeup. You can bring it around when you travel because it isn't big at all. However, you might want to consider storing the mirror properly so it does not get scratched in your luggage.

If you're ever interested in having a mirror like this but don't want to pay loads of money to try one and have the possibility of not liking it in the end, you can give Mily D Vanity Mirror a try. It retails for BND45 and comes in a few colours such as lavender, white and mint (!!). Give ColorpopBN a holla if you have any questions regarding this mirror, or you can simply comment down below if you have any questions or thoughts you'd like to share!

I'd like to say a huge thank you to the girls at ColorpopBN for sending me this little gem!

I hope this blogpost has helped you in a way or two. Thanks so much for reading and making it down here! Have a great weekend ahead of y'allz.

Gladyator signing out!

Read More

Lip products from indie brands!

I think most of us makeup enthusiasts in Brunei know more or less on well-known makeup brands such as ColourPop, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Benefit, MAC, Tarte, Jeffree Star, Kat Von D and the likes. So, naturally, most local Instagram sellers carry those brands.

A local seller, O.D.D. Da Bn (Instagram link here!) was kind enough to send me and let me try a few lip products from brands that she carries, brands that I have never heard of! I was not paid or sponsored in any way to write up this blogpost. As usual, my thoughts and opinions are 100% what I honestly believe in.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

↯ The Lip Bar liquid matte lipsticks ↯

The packaging on these are unique! I really like the cap of the product. To those who are into vegan products, The Lip Bar products are vegan.


From top to bottom:

↬ Boy Trouble - a medium orange shade.

↬ Drama Queen - a plum shade.

↬ Bawse Lady - a classic red shade.

Both Boy Trouble and Bawse Lady apply beautifully, even with only a coat. Drama Queen, however, applies rather patchy and was quite difficult to work with. These are BND16 each on O.D.D. Da Bn.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

▶︎ (Top to Bottom) ◀︎

Lonely Planet Cosmetics liquid lipstick BND35

↬ Lexington - a medium brown shade with a slight orange undertone with a matte finish.

Coloured Raine lip lacquer BND35

↬ Single - a mauve-y, dusty rose shade with a semi-matte finish.

Milani Amore MATTalics lip creme BND25

↬ Matte About You - a peach shade with a pink undertone in a metallic finish.

Glam Box Cosmetics lipsticks BND20

↬ Press On - a medium red shade with a satin finish.

↬ High Tail - a fuchsia shade with a satin finish.

Both Lonely Planet and Milani products smell quite alike Kylie Cosmetics' liquid lipsticks. They share a sweet scent which some people might find uncomfortable to wear but it does go away after a while. One thing I noticed about Coloured Raine's lip lacquer is that it's a little runny and the lid around the tube can get quite messy because of the consistency of the product. The world has undoubtedly been taken over by the rise in popularity of liquid lipsticks so it's cool that Glam Box's traditional lipsticks are not entirely matte but rather has a satin finish, which is much less drying compared to other formulas.

It's rather rare to see such brands around here because the most commonly carried ones are as aforementioned in the beginning of this post. Hats off to sellers like O.D.D Da Bn who take the plunge into bringing indie brands to us!

Please feel free to leave a comment down below if you have questions! Thank so much for reading and have a fantastic week ahead of you.

Gladyator signing out.

Read More

✧ Online Haul: ColourPop Cosmetics ✧

Hi everyone!

It has been more than a month since my previous ColourPop Cosmetics haul annnnnd I'm back today with another one. All my previous ColourPop purchases have been made through local Instagram sellers because ColourPop did not ship internationally. But since the 12th of July this year, they have officially started their worldwide, international shipping!

That news came alight to me when when I was sent an email by ColourPop as I have signed up as member wayyy back when. That was the best news I heard all week! I already started adding things into my cart even before the 12th of July because I'm kiasu like that haha. I joke, I joke. I was just genuinely excited!

I made my purchase on the day that they launched their international shipping, and my order was fulfilled and dispatched on the 14th of July via USPS. My package arrived Brunei on the 27th of July, but I only received the post office postcard/notice to collect my package on Friday the 29th.

My entire online purchase consists of 17 items = 4 ultra matte lips, 7 ultra satin lips, 3 lippie stix's  in their latest matte x formula and 2 blushers and one highlighter. Now, before you say I'm crazy for hauling that many items, I'd like to say something! The shipping fee is a flat rate of USD25 (≈ BND34) which in my opinion, is rather hefty. So to *ahem* justify spending that much money on the shipping fee itself, I decided to go all out on buying more products. So for each item, shipping would only be roughly BND2 (=BND34 ÷ 17 items). That way, I'm actually making the shipping worthwhile. Amirite!?

Ultra matte lips and ultra satin lips are USD6 (≈BND8) each. Lippie stix's are USD5 (≈BND6.70) each. Blushers and highlighters cost USD8 (≈BND11) each. So when you add the shipping fee of BND2 to each item, you are still paying much lesser than you do when you buy from local sellers here. But of course, it'll only be cheaper purchasing online yourself when you order a lot and make use of the hefty shipping fee. You can always gather some friends to buy online and split the shipping fee accordingly!

So if my calculation is correct, one ultra matte lips is BND10, one ultra satin lips is BND10, one lippie stix is BND9, while blushers and highlighter each is BND13. The prices of these will potentially be lower as you buy more products in a single purchase, taking full advantage of that hefty shipping fee. So from this experience of purchasing online myself, I'd say it will only be cheaper purchasing online yourself than buying from sellers if there are more than 15 items in your order.

Now, time for pictures that I took today! 😊

⬇︎ The beautiful box that my order came in ⬇︎

▶︎ 10 points to ColourPop for the Harry Potter reference! ◀︎

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

⬇︎ Lippie Stix Matte X⬇︎

▶︎ (Top to Bottom)  ◀︎

↬ Pillow Talk - a medium brown shade with a matte finish.
↬ Cami - a muted and rosy plum shade and has a matte finish.
↬ Back Up - a purply plum shade with a matte finish.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

⬇︎ Ultra Satin Lips ⬇︎

▶︎ (Top to Bottom) ◀︎

↬ Echo Park - a peachy, nude shade.
↬ Spritz - a medium bubblegum pink shade.
↬ Alyssa - a light, dusty pink shade.

↬ November - a medium peachy pink shade.

↬ Dopey - a medium, dusty rose shade.

↬ Frick 'N Frack - a rosy, terracotta shade (I LOVE this one!)

↬ Panda - a deep violet shade (which reminds me of NYX's Prague but a deeper colour).

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

⬇︎ Ultra Matte Lips ⬇︎

▶︎ (Top to Bottom) ◀︎

↬ Solow - a light, neutral pink shade. 

↬ Clueless - a dusty, mauve pink shade (a little darker than Solow).

↬ Scrooge - a deep, rosy shade. 

↬ Bad Habit - a medium, plum shade with a hint of pink undertone.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

⬇︎ Blushers and highlighter ⬇︎

▶︎ (Top to Bottom)  ◀︎

↬ Butterfly Beach - a soft, peachy shade with gold and silver highlights.
↬ Birthday Suit - a light, neutral pink in a satin finish.

↬ Cruel Intentions - a warm rose matte shade with no shimmer.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

 ☃ A little round up.. ☃

I've blogged about ColourPop Cosmetics for the umpteenth time and all I'm going to say is, you will definitely get your money's worth. I've read articles and watched videos that Kylie Jenner's lipkits particularly her liquid lipsticks, and ColourPop's ultra matte lips have the same formula and that they are made from the same factory. So to some people who do not want to invest so much in Kylie's (overpriced) lipkits, ColourPop has many dupes and has wayyy more variety of shades. I have tried both and I daresay the qualities are almost similar and both apply totally the same. The only significant difference I notice is the smell from Kylie's liquid lipsticks, which are heavily scented. ColourPop ones don't have that much of a strong scent.

If you're interested in trying out ColourPop's products but you don't want to spend so much money on ordering online (that shipping fee though, sigh), you can perhaps purchase one or two from local Instagram sellers and give it a whirl. There are tons of sellers who carry ColourPop products. Ultra matte and satin lips often range within BND15 to BND20 while lippie stix's range within BND10 to BND15. I haven't seen that much of the blushers and highlighters but you can always ask the sellers on their prices.

I hope this blog post has helped you in a way or two! Thank you for reading and have a grrrreat weekend!

Gladyator signing' out.

Read More