Sunday, September 30, 2012

REVIEW: Love More's Latest Babies!

I decided to make it a point to go to bed with happy thoughts (Not that I'm bogged down with a lot of negativism. Most of the time, I'm just feeling okay. Like normal.). Hence, I have been swallowing copious amounts of 'Friends' which meant very late nights (I just find it a little strange to watch a string of sitcom episodes in the daytime.). I'm slowly adjusting my body clock back to human hours but just a week of unhealthy sleeping hours and it has started to manifest itself on my face (Sleep early, my friends!).

So I was really glad when Sarina from Secretive sent me more masks. Thank you, Sarina! Your parcel was really timely! :D

In this entry, I'll be introducing and reviewing Love More's latest additions. These masks seemed to be built upon the ancient Chinese's beauty secrets and you know, whatever the ancient people do, you had better take note! Where beauty is concerned anyway. Heh.

I was given 4 of this range's masks; Mountain Tea Polyphenols Moisturizing Mask, Pearl Barley and Milk Smoothing Mask, Loofah and Aloe Vera Hydrating Mask and Wine Yeast Whitening Mask.


Each mask was sandwiched between 2 plastic sheets, punctuated with holes. This made unfolding the masks a lot easier. They were adequately soaked in the essences. There were some remaining essences in the packets and I used them on my arms and legs.

The cottony soft masks were nicely and neatly cut, though they were a little big for my face, especially the holes for the eyes and mouth. But they still covered pretty much most of my face. The nose strips were long enough to cover the tip of the nose. The masks adhered 'tightly' to my face during the duration (20 minutes) that they were on. There were neither loose flaps nor essences dripping off my face.

The Mountain Tea Polyphenols Moisturizing Mask is 'The Oxidative Stress Reliever'. Mountain Tea has the greatest anti-oxidising effects among the plants used for skin care. A good source of Catechins, this mask helps to reduce the appearance of pores and gives your skin a lift.

The mask felt especially cooling on my face upon application, though it kinda ebbed away with time. The Mountain Tea scent was quite strong but I didn't notice it after a while. Anyway, it was a pleasant and pretty calming scent. After 20 minutes, my skin was left feeling hydrated. However, I didn't really see any difference in the appearance of my pores. There was no visible lifting effect either.

The Pearl Barley and Milk Smoothing Mask is 'The Secret to Milky Smooth Skin'. Barley, being rich in proteins, Vitamins B1 and B2, amino acids, has long been known for its whitening properties. Combined with milk, this mask provides the maximum revitalizing effect, leaving skin firmer, smoother and more radiant.

I'm not sure if it was because I had flu (Hence, the sensitive skin.) on the day I used this mask, but it stung the skin on top of my lips pretty bad. Nevertheless, I still left it on for 20 minutes (Since it was just that area. *shrugs*). Haha. The stinging was lesser in intensity towards the end of 20 minutes but it was still... Well, stinging. The mask left my face feeling soft and a tad brighter. However, I didn't notice any change in the firmness of my skin.

The Loofah and Aloe Vera Hydrating Mask is 'The Ultimate Ancient Beauty Secret'. Loofah juice, extracted from the vine, is known for its skin renewal property. It is rich in proteins, citrulline, xylanase, saponins, linoleic acid, palmitic acid and lecithin. Together with Aloe Vera, this masks keeps your skin refreshed and hydrated while repairing and refining it.

This was quite possibly the most calming mask out of the 4 I tested. Aloe Vera masks seem to work really well for me (The raw ones don't. I have no idea why. I actually got an Aloe Vera plant, cut up a leaf and applied the 'gel' all over my face. I was pricked by the thorns and all. But nope, nothing happened.). The scent was the most pleasant out of the lot too. The mask was really refreshing and I actually fell asleep while I had it on. After 20 minutes, the redness in my skin was reduced and my skin was well-hydrated. (:

The Wine Yeast Whitening Mask is 'The Secret of Baby Soft Skin'. The use of yeast in skin care came from the Sake brewery women, who had soft and youthful skin. Yeast is rich in proteins and is a powerhouse in refining and brightening your skin gently.

I was looking forward to using this mask because of its yeast content. The yeast scent was slight. The mask felt really comfortable on my skin and after 20 minutes, I removed it to find skin that was more radiant and more even in tone.

I think this range of Love More masks make good weekly treats for the skin, especially for the tired ones. I really enjoyed the Loofah and Aloe Vera Hydrating Mask and Wine Yeast Whitening Mask. (: There were some effects of the masks which I did not notice but do take note that I used each type of mask only once. Masks are skin care products so they may need several applications and time in order to 'unleash their full potential'.

These Love More masks are available at Secretive at $2.90 per piece.

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Saturday, September 29, 2012

GIVEAWAY: LEADERS' InSolution's Parcels

Happy Saturday, lovelies! I have been preparing this giveaway for a while now and was waiting for the 'right' time to hold it. Thanks Joyce and Leaders InSolution for sponsoring this and for being so patient! :DDD

I'll be giving away 2 sets of the above! The sets also include the monthly (5th and 6th!) pieces of masks I won at LEADERS InSolution Mask's Bloggers Launch Event and promised to share with you (Apologies that that was stopped for a while as I was pretty busy with work and travelling! :\).

Here's what you need to do:
1. Leave a comment with your name and email address on either Love, Charlene Judith or Sunbathing Muffins.
2. Have an address in Singapore.
3. Leave only one comment.

The giveaway ends on October 12th, 10pm. Good luck!

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Friday, September 28, 2012

TELLY: Poetic Justice《微笑正义》

It isn't everyday that I rush to complete my tasks of the day JUST so that I can plop myself in front of the telly at 9pm and watch my drama in peace. And it isn't everyday that I catch a Mediacorp production. Too often, the dramas involve a lot of screaming and shouting, unnecessary bitch slapping and way too many in-your-face moral lessons. And a lot of screaming and shouting. Which I really, really hate. It's like it has been a long day and all you want to do is to go home and watch a nice drama but nope! You just hear lots of mangled, shrieking noises and I just want to throw things at the telly.

BUT anyway, Mediacorp seems to be taking a different direction with Poetic Justice《微笑正义》 and I love it to bits! This drama is about a group of people involved in investigative journalism. Each episode deals with a different case and I like that the cases deal with not very common but probable issues and they vary quite a bit. AND well, (This is because I'm a very girly girl.) the best thing of all is that a love triangle is interwoven in the story line!

(Though I'm a little upset with last night's episode because now, it's like the 2 girls have to wait for the guy to make a decision and I'm just like "GIRLS! BACKBONE PLEASE!!!".)

Rui En portrays Liu Yan Zhi(刘言之), a television journalist and news anchor of fictional media company, Real TV. She started out as a nondescript character and as a result of certain circumstances, became one of Real TV's news anchor.

I felt that Rui En was always acting way too cool and she was really unnatural as Zhang Ya Le 章雅乐 in A Tale of 2 Cities《樂在雙城》, but I really like her in this show. AND I like that Mediacorp is finally doing something MORE with artists' looks (Read Xiaxue's entry here.). Rui En looks fabulous with this copper red shade!

Rebecca Lim is Feng Luo Ling(冯若凌), the anchorwoman of 'Real TV'. I don't really like the fact that she started out as a really ambitious woman, only to mellow down because of *drum rolls* love. MEHHH! But oh wells. There needs to be a story.

This is the first time I'm seeing her acting chops (Nope, I didn't watch 'Fighting Spiders'.). She wasn't very impressive in No Limits《泳闯琴关》 but this! She acted really well and I've become quite a fan. And seriously, she looks like Vintage Barbie!

The two leads of the show... Yada yada yada.

And quite surprisingly, I really like Sora Ma as Zhong Rui Yao(钟芮瑶)! She's incredibly cute and her funny banters with Guo Liang's Ouyang Qiu(欧阳丘) created a nice contrast to some of the serious tones of the drama.

The drama is punctuated with songs by Ding Dang and it really set the right moods for most scenes. The above insert song is my favourite. (: I have some issues with the filming (Like some scenes were dramatically edited; Movements that were made to go slow turned out corny instead of climatic.) but umm... Heh heh. I'm just a girl who has only attended ONE film module and well, watched like a gazillion idol dramas.

Anyway, I really LOVE this drama and have been tweeting and forcing getting people to watch it (As usual.). I hope Mediacorp produce more of such shows because then, it will stop floundering. Or drowning.

And because XinMSN's Catch-up TV sucks, you can watch the episodes here.

Photos from Channel 8's Facebook Page.
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WWW: ZALORA.sg

Right before I left for my Sydney trip, I had a breakfast meeting with Zalora girls, Melissa and Joyce. So... This entry is way overdue. Eeps! :\ Thanks for being so patient, Melissa and Joyce!

Though it has been a pretty long while back, I still remember the meeting pretty vividly because Melissa and Joyce were just so cheery, bright and literally bursting with energy (Apparently, they were actually really tired. I so could NOT tell.)! The meeting really set a happy tone for the rest of the day. (:

Melissa and Joyce were really excited to share about Zalora with me. Zalora is basically all that we will ever need for our online shopping on our sunny little island! It is a one-stop portal for fashion and footwear, for the ladies, the gentlemen and the babies! The online retailer seeks to bring us 'a Singaporean lens on global trends' by engaging both local and international brands/ designers.

In the realm of cosmetics, one of the brands that Zalora has brought in is Aussie-born Gorgeous Cosmetics. Founded by David McConnell, this brand 'flourished out of passion, loyalty and the pursuit for elite quality'. McConnell started out in the hair and makeup industry and distinguished himself very quickly and early by winning several awards at Australian Industry Award events.

Before the age of twenty, he had already opened his first boutique in Toorak, one of Melbourne's more prestigious suburbs. He strives to deliver quality of the highest standards to his many loyal clients and to empower women with them so that we can achieve glamour everyday.

Zalora has brought in quite an extensive range of the Gorgeous Cosmetics collection! Pictured above are the Sheer Brilliance Liquid Foundation and Base Perfect Liquid Foundation.

Sheer Brilliance Liquid Foundation is described as 'a velvety soft foundation' that provides a sheer and natural coverage. Lightweight and infused with the goodness of Vitamins A and E, this liquid foundation glides seamlessly across skin to give you a complexion that is fresh and radiant. It is suitable for all skin types.

Base Perfect Liquid Foundation is a silky foundation that is both oil-free and long lasting. Described as a 'smooth emulsion', it 'blends effortlessly onto the skin' to give a flawless complexion. It contains 'special light diffusing pigments to amplify the light, giving skin the appearance of a healthy luminosity'. This also contains Vitamins A and E to soothe and condition the skin. It is suitable for all skin types.

Gorgeous Cosmetics also has a huge selection of Lipstick shades and Zalora offers the more popular ones. The Lipsticks are 'fine in texture and feel luxuriously soft and light-weight on lips'. Highly-pigmented and moisturizing (They are enriched with emollients!), the colours are here to stay!

Well, of course, that is until you clean them off!

And this! This is THE Blue Eyes 4 Pan Palette and isn't it just SO COMPLETELY GORGEOUS!!! Well, I haven't exactly got blue eyes but these colours seem to fit dark brown eyes just fine! I am in love with the top left corner peachy shade! And the golden brown, the chocolate brown and the deep sparkly midnight shade... (Eyes are currently the size of Anime character's.)

Sophia did a gorgeous look with this palette and you can view it here.

Here are the swatches! Also featured above are the iLine Liquid Eyeliner Pen and the Colour Pro Blush.

Before I left, Melissa and Joyce also gave me my very own Zalora bag! Sleek, black and topped with a bow... Yep, I am keeping the bag. :D

Here are the goodies! To the right, sits The Aromatherapy Co.'s Orange & Jasmine Hand & Nail Cream. This cream is a delicious concoction of organic Orange and Jasmine essential oils, Manuka Honey and Vitamin E. Besides wrapping your hands and nails in a blanket of nourishment, this also helps to improve poor circulation!

My 50ml tube has been a very handy dandy 'going out' buddy! Each time my hands feel dry (And they do so pretty often.), I whip this out and apply a pea-sized amount. This sinks into the skin really easily and smells heavenly! The light citrus-y scent is especially invigorating and brightens my day in an instant!

Here, we have Beauty So Clean's Cosmetic Sanitizer Mist and Gorgeous Cosmetics' iLINE Liquid Eyeliner Pen!

Beauty So Clean is the world's 1st cosmetic sanitizer. It comprises of 'a 3-piece cleaning system to clean, rejuvenate and remove bacteria from your makeup without altering the colours or drying it out'!

Initially, I thought this was a brush cleanser! But nooo!!! This actually disinfects your makeup! The first piece of the system is the Cosmetic Sanitizer Mist. Give a spray of this mist on your powder-based products and consider them sanitized and germ-free in just 10 seconds! The second piece is the Cosmetic Sanitizer Wipes. Use this on your lip glosses, lipsticks, mascaras etc. and they will be free from debris like dust, lint and food particles! The final piece of the system is, but of course, the Conditioning Brush Cleanser. Whether the bristles are natural or synthetic, this cleanser will dissolve makeup quickly whilst conditioning them at the same time. (:

Last but not least, Black Chicken Remedies! Haha. A really cute name (Just like Sunbathing Muffins! Heh!) and I do love to black chicken soup (Okay, Char! Stop thinking about food!). Anyway, legend has it that the Black Chicken is an ancient crone, known for her healing powers. And she would only heal those with good hearts. You can read the story here. And it's really cute that there is this disclaimer on Black Chicken Remedies' website: Black Chicken is the stuff of legend, but there's no myth in the remedies afforded by practical and specific application of 100% essential oils.

Above is Black Chicken Remedies's Love Your Body Oil. This 'puts back into your skin what life has taken out'! Sounds pretty good and it gets even better for an essential oil lover like me! This body oil is a blend of 12 remedial oils (Avocado oil, Rosehip oil, Hazelnut oil, Coconut oil, Sandalwood essential oil, Geranium Bourbo essential oil, Patchouli essential oil, Lavender essential oil, Carrot essential oil, Ylang Ylang essential oil, Nutmeg essential oil and Vitamin E oil.) to provide deep, lasting hydration and calm the mind. :D 100% natural, this oil also helps to prevent the signs of ageing!

And very recently, British bath and beauty label, Anatomicals, loved by Victoria Beckham and Joss Stone, joined Zalora. Developed by two brothers, Paul and Gary Marshall, this 'edgy line approaches bath and beauty with a very much British sense of humour, giving Anatomicals the clever attitude that promises to jazz up every skincare regimen'. The products have incredibly cute names like 'The Showering Inferno' and 'Sud the Lot of You'. Haha. Head on over here to view the products which Zalora has brought in!

Whoo boy! This has been a mighty long entry! I'm going to take a break now but do check out Zalora here! There's free shipping island wide AND you have the option of paying cash on delivery! Huge YAY's for those who don't prefer online transactions! :DDD

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

HAUL: Twisting with Twistband!

Bought a bunch of Twistbands a while back with my Bellabox points! As mentioned earlier, I love that these bands are so colourful and often, I just wear them around my arm. :D

But alas! These things fray real easily so I won't be purchasing them again. ):

Anyway, just in case you missed the earlier entry, Twistband is now available at Watsons in cute Tiffany blue pouches!

P.S.: Pardon the lame title. I just had to do it. Heh.

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GIVEAWAY: Essie's A Crewed Interest (Result)

Huge thanks to all who joined my giveaway for Essie's A Crewed Interest! Entries were taken from both Sunbathing Muffins and Love, Charlene Judith and here's the result!

Congrats Pam! I'll be emailing you today. :D

To the others, fret not!!! There's another giveaway coming right up! *two thumbs up*

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

SPOTTED: Bands and eyelashes.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Here are some new offerings that I spotted at Watsons during the past 2 days!

Twistband is now available at Watsons! I think the prices are the same as Bellabox's. The only difference is that they come in this cute Tiffany blue pouch!

Twistbands are really fun accessories because they are so bright and colourful! I love them wrapping around my hair AND arm. Haha. Yes, I do just wear them on my arm sometimes. BUT the ends of the bands fray really easily and they become really untidy looking. ): I wish Twistbands would so something about it!

D.U.P's Eyelashes Fixer EX is also here in Singapore, along with the falsies! These tubes are going at $19.90 each. Michelle used this on Kim for our XOXO, Esmée photo shoot and the falsies stuck on like they belonged to Kim! Really, really sturdy!

YAY for Watsons for being awesome! :DDD

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Monday, September 24, 2012

EVENT: Fancl's Ballet of Beauty (Part II)

This entry is the continuation to my Fancl's Ballet of Beauty soiree (Read it here! :D). I'll be introducing the products that make up Fancl's Basic Skincare line. (:

Fancl's Basic Skincare line consists of just 4 steps (5, if you remove your makeup!)! Remember, all that Fancl wants to do are the necessaries and she wants to do it with as few chemicals as possible. Bid preservatives goodbye! :DDD

Step 1: Cleanse with Fancl's Facial Washing Powder.

With the touch of water, Fancl's Facial Washing Powder lathers into a dense, fluffy and creamy foam. Formulated with Advanced Amino Hybrid Technology, the foam gently lifts sebum and impurities from your skin while retaining its essential moisture. This gentle facial cleanser, that is suitable for all skin types, leaves your skin feeling baby soft and silky smooth.

Step 2: Moisturize with Fancl's Lotion.

Fancl'sLotion contains moisturizing agents wrapped in Lecithin Capsules. These enhance the deep penetration of the lotion for healthier skin that is more supple. The lotion also helps to protect your skin from stress caused by the environment, especially from the harmful UV rays.

Step 3: Nourish with Fancl's Milky Lotion.

Fancl's Milky Lotion seals in the moisturizing benefits of Fancl's Lotion with nutrients for long-lasting hydration. The lotion is rich in Veiling Agents that are wrapped in Lecithin Capsules. They seal in the moisture and prolong its retention inside your skin. It also protects your skin from external irritants and leaves it soft and supple.

Step 4: Maximise hydration with Fancl's Overnight Hydrating Pack

Cocoon your skin with Fancl's Overnight Hydrating Pack to reveal a velvety smooth and plump complexion the next morning. Designed to maximise our time, this pack takes the form of a silky veil that repairs and protects the skin while you get your beauty sleep.

Step 5 (Optional): Remove colours with Fancl's Mild Cleansing Oil.

Fancl's Mild Cleansing Oil is dubbed 'The One-Minute Wonder'. It removes the most stubborn grime in just one rise, in just one minute! Without leaving any oily residue, this oil is enriched with Meadow Foam Oil that helps in removing keratin plugs (Clogs your pores!), protects and retains your skin's natural moisture. Green Tea Leaf Powder Extract and Rosehip Oil are also added to eradicate free radicals and facilitate smooth application with minimal friction.

The aforementioned Fancl products are kept fresh for a year and once opened, they last for 60 days. I started my Fancl regimen on September 9th (Except for the Mild Cleansing Oil! Too many makeup removals on hand at the moment!) and I'm liking it so far! The fact that Fancl products are without preservatives really appeals to me as I'm getting more particular about ingredients now. (: I'll write my review after a month's of usage so stay tuned! :D

photos by Cheryl Julia.

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Dearest Rachel, upon learning that my photos of the ballet performance were blurred, sent me some shots (She is the sweetest PR ever! :DDD ). Enjoy!

Juliet, the ballerinas and me! :DDD

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Saturday, September 22, 2012

HAUL: Bath & Body Works


From not a single ounce of Bath & Body Works to this *points above and jumps around*! Bath & Body Works was having what I deemed as a massive sale over the summer vacation, so having lusted after these babies for an incredibly long time, some Whatsapp messages were sent and TADAHHH!

Thanks Lennard and HG for lugging this back from the land where beauty products abound!

P.S.: Did you know that Bath & Body Works is available at Changi Airport?!? A small collection though. But yay! It's a baby step!

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

REVIEW: LEADERS InSolution's Hydrogel Eye Therapy Patch



Back in July, I received a box of LEADERS InSolution's Hydrogel Eye Therapy Patch, along with some other goodies (Next entry! :D). Thanks Joyce for the lovely parcel!

Our eye areas/ eye bags are probably the toughest part of our face to tackle. The skin there is sensitive and ugh! So. Friggin'. Dark. And as we pile on all our other skin care products, which require us to avoid our eye areas,our eye bags get seemingly darker and more pronounced.

Darkness aside, we are also besieged with problems like dryness and lines. Thankfully, there are a plethora of eye creams and serums out there. But just like the rest of our skin, every once in a while, we need a little more pampering than what creams and serums can provide. We need a little perk-me-up session... And here's where LEADERS InSolution jumps in like Superman with the Hydrogel Eye Therapy Patch!



The box of Hydrogel Eye Therapy Patch contains 5 pairs of patches that will deliver a miracle in 20 minutes. The active ingredients are

Broccoli Extract: Brightens skin tone.
Berry Complex: A source of antioxidants.
Marine Collagen: Enhances skin elasticity.
Snail Mucus: Moisturizes the skin.
Green Tea Extract: Calms the skin.

The patches are free from parabens, preservatives, pigments and colourants.



And here's how the patch looks like, along with the set of instructions on how to use it!

The patches are made of this gel-like, flexible texture and it is because of this that the patches adhere to the contours of the bone structure under our eyes and to our skin easily. There is no chance for air bubbles to happen at all.

When they are placed under your eyes, there is this really relaxing and cooling effect. I just want to lie down and go to slumber land! The patches are also adequately soaked in the essence; there was no dripping of the essence when I had them on.



After using a box of the Hydrogel Eye Therapy Patch, I found that the lines under my eyes, especially my right, are not as obvious as before. They are still there but seem less deep. The skin under my eyes is definitely more hydrated.

However, I didn't notice any brightening effect. Then again, brightening of any part of your skin does require a rather long period of time for it to be visible so I probably need a few more boxes of this.

I think that the Hydrogel Eye Therapy Patch provides a good hydrating, perk-me-up session for your eyes. The patches will come extremely handy after a long day at work, especially if you sit in front of the computer for long hours. (:



Before I leave, do take note that LEADERS' InSolution's September promotion is still ongoing! :D

P.S.: Get excited for a coming entry! :DDD
P.P.S.: LEADERS' InSolution's Hydrogel Eye Therapy Patch was one of Vanity Trove's September offerings!
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