Beauty Haul x Sephora Grand Opening @ Chermside Westfield, Brisbane

So, it has actually been more than a year since I wrote an entry for this space. Jokes on me because scroll down and you might find that I wanted to blog more last year. Unfortunately, due to Uni commitments and demand I wasn't able to set aside time to plan content for this space. However, if you followed me on Dayre, I definitely did document a majority of the days of my life on there for 2016.

Now, on the other hand, I feel like coming back to this space. So to kick start my 1st ever post in a year / 2017, I wanted to share some of my beauty hauls and I will also be updating on my skincare routine in the weeks to come. Times changed, people change, routines change.

First up, my first ever 3CE online purchase.

They recently launched the 6 colour-colour correcting concealer palette in their Studio Collection. I have been eyeing on one of these palettes for quite some time (like I was waiting for NYX's, but the rack at Priceline was always empty, not quite sure if it has yet to be brought it or it is always sold out). I also took the opportunity to get a Blush in #Maybe, Longwear Eyeshadow Stick in #Baguette and 2 Rose Lip Pots!



I have only been using the salmon shade (2nd in the Right Column) and a bit of the purple and green. It works alright, but I think you need to moisturise the skin around your eye area prior to using this in order for it to look nice on your skin. This palette also smells amazing!!! My current earcandy is also IU's Palette (just saying).



I am madly in love with the longwear eyeshadow stick! I have always used matte eyeshadows in natural shades like browns with orangey undertones. I had initially wanted to get the one in 'Jumping' which is like the popular colour, but on second thoughts, might be too pink for my liking.

Photo from 3CE / StyleNanda

#Baguette is an orangey/copperish shimmer eyeshadow colour which is very flatterring not only the model's fair skin, but also myself (slightly tan, mid-tone). This has been my go-to for days I put on make-up. So simple to use, just simply draw a few strokes on your lids, blend it out with fingers and good to go. End of year when I am heading to Korea, I will grab more colours.

Next I got myself a new blush! Not being adventurous, I stuck to a peachy one #Maybe. I knew I had to get it after I saw the photos on 3CE's site. The model and the whole make-up with the blush was perfection.

I really love the colour. It gives that natural flush and this blush is really long lasting! I have now placed a small brush (from a Japanese highlight) in the blush so I can bring it out to touch-up (but then again, I don't know why, because I never needed to).

  

My Lip Pots are in #Coral and #BrickRed I love the Brick Red one, gonna use it now that it is autumn and winter soon and I would experience more autumns and winters in Switzerland and Korea. The coral one is alright, not very pigmented, like a usual coral tinted lipbalm just like Liptone from TonyMoly.

2) ASOS

I recently got the thisworks sleepover kit, which has the pillow spray, rollerball and the balm! I would say the roller ball and balm are my favourite. The spray however is not as strong as I had like it to be.

I have since placed the rollerball and balm into my 'skincare kit' that I bring around. 

3) Sephora Opening

A couple weeks back. I did something crazy. I took the 1st bus out to the mall to queue for Sephora. Westfield had new stores opening, and sephora was one of them. The very first one in Brisbane! Last year Sephora opened in Gold Coast.

The queue formed on the night before the actual opening so I actually hesitated that night whether to still go to mall early in the morning. I took my chances and hoped. Took quite a while before we were issued number and wristbands. Was so relieved when I received my card. 

I queued from about 6.15am till 12/1-ish. We had to stay in-line in order to redeem our free gifts! But it was fun talking to strangers (although Asian mums say not to talk to strangers).

A post shared by MIKO. Y | 杨凯婷 🍥 (@mikomxy) on Apr 5, 2017 at 10:12pm PDT

All the things that I got from that day. It was pure joy!

This was the palette that I had to queue 6hours for (better than the 200+ infront of me who possibly queued overnight or from wee hours, I had slept and went early, so it was a better deal for me). The first 300 had the blockbuster kit which I couldn't care less for. Cause too bulky and I don't exactly like sephora lip and cheek stuff.

Here comes all the freebies that were given out while we were in the queue. Swear we were so excited whenever the Sephora staff was handing out all these samples.

This is Tarte's thesculptor in number 1, park ave princess. It is so blendable. But I not very pro with contouring yet. I usually use Benefit's Hoola to do light shading.

This benebalm sample is so cute. So tiny! But very travel-friendly which I love.

A free make-up pouch! There were a few designs, but I got this. Pouches I usually use it to put all my other stuff, so the design don't really matter.

Other sachet samples which till date have not tried. Will try them soon else I will never try them.

They also gave free Sephora Triple Action Cleansing Water. I opened it to smell, and it smells good. All my cleansing product either has to have no fragrance or smell just right.  Travel-friendly product again.

I think I found a dupe for NOV's washing cream (cleanser). YAY to no more needing to spend like bomb on my cleanser. The Dermaclear is a cream type like NOV (unlike what it states foam), but it foams up very finely and smoothly. It is able to remove light make-up. But with make-up I still prefer to double-cleanse. I bought this on the opening together with a concealer brush (since 10% off Sephora Collection)

M.A.C was opening too and they were giving out flyers for us to fill in to redeem a FREE LIPSTICK. I was sold immediately. But the first colour I got was very nude, which I wasn't happy about. So after I paid for my Sephora stuff, I thick-skinnedly went into M.A.C to ask if there were other shades I could swap for. I think that had last one or last few in Testosterone which is a sheer pinkish-red shade that I liked (I saw someone in the Sephora queue had it and I was quite jelly about it).

You will never know if you don't ask. So i was 2x happy that day. Got so much freebies and managed to swap for something I preferred.

Alright that's all. That's me on my way home after Sephora's opening. I think I had #Baguette on my lids and #Maybe on my cheeks. Sorry for the poor quality photos, not sure if blogger made it looked worse. My Samsung NX mini was beyond hope and I had to downgrade, to Sony WX500 which I haven't had much opportunities to play around with. I miss my NX mini with it's manual zoom and touch-screen function.

Hope you enjoyed looking at my new stash of beauty products. Not sure when I would get the time again to blog. But till the next time, work hard and also enjoy~

My Skincare History

Well, let's see if I can revive this space of mine since I'm procrastinating. So unproductive these days with my school work. Someone needs to splash some cold water on me.

Read Gillian's post about her getting into skincare on her new blog - BeautyNotion. Kind of got me to think about when I did get vain and more knowledgeable about skincare. I have a different skincare history than most girls. Since young, I always had rashes, so my 'skincare' started when I was prescribed a certain kind of BB Cream - Betamethasone benzoate if I remembered correctly. It always had bet/ben labelled on it. I think i started moisturising my face since secondary school days. I would often head to the shopping mall near my school and Watsons was my playground other than MacDonalds. I would love looking at the skincare products, and mostly pick up acne/pimple-concerned products. I did have dermatology session with my family doctor (she's good as a GP and a derma),  I remembered being prescribed a vitamin C serum, which i believed would help with pimple since it has antioxidant properties. I was pretty blessed for my teenage years. I only had breakouts near the hollows of my face for a few times and that was all. But I do have my fair share of scarring which I still have today, but not as obvious as before. So that was it.

I think the skincare journey really started when I entered polytechnic and when I watched korean beauty shows. I would often research and look up interesting products and try them. It was also because I had CCA in school till late, and I have to bathe in school. So i literally do my cleansing in school and all other stuff like moisturising. I got more and more interested as I signed up for an account on thesamplestore, the days I would redeem free samples to try and review. I think when I hit my final year of poly was where the peak of the journey began. People around me were also starting to care more for themselves, and because of internship, many small talks with my colleagues were surrounding skincare as well. The journey continues as I took up 'Beauty Panelist' on thesamplestore. I know i have MIA for damn long, because the circumstances here are not allowing me to do what I used to do.

Here, in brisbane. I do try some products but am restraining myself because the Aussie markets products suitable for mostly caucasians, so I will head back to SG to get my skincare products. I have already decided to invest money and time on a particular brand and line of products because I happened to bring and try the sample sets here. I will get down on it really soon. Till today, I think my major skin complex is roughness (when I don't drink enough water) and also back acne (it's still haunting me till today). That's why I have never wore bare-back dresses and tops, because it is that bad and because of stubborn scars.

Really can't wait to get back to Singapore. School's really stressful and tiring. I have 1.5 months left here!!!

xoxo, Miko

Innisfree Haul - June 2015

Finally got done with exams last week to film this, just managed to edit it. Haven't used most of the products yet except for the lip tint. I am in love with the tint and wish that Spring would come soon (not even done with Winter here in Brisbane). The tint is just the smell of spring. Color pay off was good, stayed on pretty well, doesn't leave marks when I drink/eat. Will slowly try the other products out and review them here on my blog. Anyway, I have also updated the "Skincare" tab above. Go ahead and click on it. It's kind of sad that I can't get Bioessence here and also some Simple Skincare Products, like my current facial wash. Oh wells... trying new brands here.

Monthly Favourites: October 2014

October is ending! Thought of sharing some products that I've been loving and have been reaching for lately. Just realised they are all Drugstore products, yay to easy purchasing. Also, I want to say this a genuine sharing of products I truly love.
01. BIOESSENCE Sleeping Beauty Mask

The BEST sleeping mask/moisturiser I have ever used. Not kidding at all! I have emptied out the entire tub of blue goodness in just 2-3 months. When I first wrote a review that was when I first started using it. & yesterday I have finished using it, I scrap all the remaining product that could be left in the tub to use it to the FULLEST.  What I love about it: NON-STICKINESS & EASY APPLICATION Don't you hate it when you have something sticky on your face? If you are like me, then I would recommend this sleeping mask. Much better than Laneige's (I have used it before, and I dislike the sticky feeling). & also even better than Loreal's Mask-in Lotion (which I started using last night, it has this slight sticky after feel, product didn't claim to be non-sticky so I cannot complain). This you get 2 products in 1: MOISTURISER + SLEEPING MASK. Love how it spreads on my skin very easily and it turns just a bit watery after application which cools my skin down. In short, YOU JUST HAVE TO TRY IT!
02. BIOESSENCE Sunscreen Moisturising Cream SPF56 I have finally found my HOLY GRAIL sunscreen! One that moisturises without whitening my face. It also smells really good and "atas" (aiya you know how quality products smell). This doesn't whiten my skin, but BRIGHTENS it up. Doesn't really have that very sticky feeling, it could feel a little sticky at first, but after a while the stickiness goes away. Wait till I start using the highly raved NOV's sunscreen and do a comparison of which I prefer more.
03. HIMALAYA Gentle Exfoliating Walnut Scrub Love this bomb! I use it twice a week (Sundays and Wednesdays are my exfoliating days), I wouldn't say it does everything it claims (eg. like clearing blackheads), but I would say it help clear out most of my whiteheads and my dead skin cells. I could feel my skin softer after each time I use it and it doesn't dries out my skin at all. & BAM! this bomb smells AWESOME, like a Nutty Banana Milkshake. I prefer my exfoliating product to have some slight gentle abrasion to really deep cleanse it. My brother loves it too!
04. ESSENTIAL Damage Care Hair Serum I cannot leave the house without applying this on. Actually, some days I bring this out in my bag too. Because my hair frizzes very easily, especially in air-conditioned areas where the air sucks and drains all the moisture from my poor hair. Smells great, works great, a handy hair tamer!
05. SILKYGIRL Roll-On Perfume Concentrate in Bulgarian Rose Slightly into scents this month. I actually received this a couple of months back, but didn't have interest in it then. It actually smells quite nice not overpowering. Just a light scent of rosiness. It is a Roll-on perfume so it makes application on-the-go pretty easy too! I guess that's all from me today. I believe you can easily grab these products from Watsons/Guardian/Major Supermarts. I am still on the hunt for my holy grail facial cleanser. Any recommendations?

Sample Store: Ka Bloom!

A big congratulations to the Sample Store team that the brand is getting a face lift and the site relaunching really soon! 

To celebrate their relaunch, SampleStore held a relaunch party last weekend (20 Sep, Sat) at the Full house Signature Cafe over at Clarke Quay! So, this post will be mainly on my experience there and the goodies that SampleStore generously gave out!

Making my way there! Actually I took this shot super hurriedly to Kakao Gillian so she knows the way there. Turns out not bad.

My Invitation card that was sent to me a few days before the event. It is so pretty and even had my name on it. I like it that companies go an extra mile to give a more personal touch to it. 

Upon arriving, I received my goodie bag which comes with a 'Beauty Panelist' Sticker! Very glad and fortunate to be part of the SampleStore's Beauty Panelist family! Thank you for the opportunity!

My First Stop, MIA CARE. One of the most amazing thing that day! You know how 3M Nexcare has been highly raved, now I will welcome you a NEW CHALLENGER! Acne Patch from MIA CARE! 

Love how it was so thin! It was on my right hand, can't really see in this photo, and in real life, it's so much more invisible compared to Nexcare & SO MUCH thinner than Nexcare's. Guess I'm switching brands! It will be stocked exclusively at Guardian!

Next, headed over the booth beside, TSUBAKI. A very nice and pretty lady (or it felt more like Jie Jie) who helped tried the products on my hair. My favourite product was the Sparkling Head Spa Serum which has popping sounds during application.

Went to have a look at MyBeautyDiary booth, have used their masks before. I think they have a new range of masks, Aroma Series, it should be launching soon so do check them out in stores as well!

Visited the Goodal booth where there were lesser people then. Got introduced to the Oil Plus Mist which smelled really invigorating & relaxing, to me it smelled really similar to the MegRhythm Eye Mask in Chamomile scent. It didn't have an oily after-feel which was great! Goodal is actually a new korean brand by the people behind CLIO. A little regret not getting it that day (it was on offer), am now thinking maybe this mist will help with my skin's oil balance.

Went to the NOV booth to get my skin analysis done! Had to wait for like 10-15 mintutes, so I took the opportunity to take photos of the surroundings while waiting in line.

As SampleStore's beauty panelist, I was granted early access, which hence explains the little crowd. From 12 onwards, MASSIVE crowd came swarming in. 

Very spacious from 11am - 12 noon, before all the other people with a normal invite came. 

Here's my skin analysis results:

Moisture: Ideal Range

Oil: Too Low

Elasticity: Low (due to low oil level)

So glad I finally get to know my TRUE skin type from this analysis! Thank you NOV, and also thank you SampleStore for having them! I now know that I have Normal-Dry Skin! With that, I can attempt to use slightly 'heavier' products to bring up my natural oil level.

NOV is currently Japan's leading brand for sensitive skin, and that their Dermatologists highly recommend using these products! NOV carries products for IN SHOWER, Skincare and Cosmetics.

After the analysis, ladies (who did the analysis for me) from NOV recommended the NOV III (3) series for me. The booth helpers claimed that those who were recommended NOV III has one of the best skins, with little complexes. *YAY* They will send me a 1 week trial set of NOV III products for me to try and see the difference. The booth helper that attended to me was really friendly and answered all my questions. She said she will include an additional bar soap sample because of my skin condition - episodic eczema. Will blog about it when I receive my trial pack.

Gillian and Celine came at noon! Else I wouldn't survive through the event, because I can be very introverted in a really unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar and overpowering people.

Took a shot together! Celine actually thought I was their age which is like 17/18. This is the result of having baby face, being small frame and attempts to be hardworking with my skincare regime. There's this leading beauty professional in korea that said "Be addicted to skincare". I think I am 75% addicted already.

There were other booths such as Belif (which I went there briefly), and Enavose, the queue for a makeover was such a madness, even nearing the end of event, there were still LOTS of people queuing for it. I did not manage to queue for the hairstyling by Ma Cherie and also the makeover by Enavose.

and of course, a solo shot of myself after Gillian and Celine left, while I waited for Lucky Draw and to waste time before I head for F1 Grand Prix that night. That's why I decided to be decked in Monochrome instead of Floral so I fit in the F1 atmosphere.

Outfit

Textured Peplum Top in White (can't remember which blogshop gaveaway) 

High-low Skirt in Black from TheDesignClosets

Chanel Inspired Flats from Qoo10SG

Mint Bag from Charles & Keith

Carried these for like so many hours! It was so heavy! $250 worth of goodies: my $200 beauty panelist goodie bag and another $50 goodie bag from getting chops while visiting booths. Even carried this to F1 Grand Prix that night, arms were so sore the next few days. But it's all WORTH IT! #Girls

Ready for the products in these bags? It's like skincare/cosmetics around the world in ONE BAG! Products from different countries!

01.  NOV

NOV III Trial Sachets

NOV AC Active Trial Sachets

NOV III Face Lotion (Rich)

NOV UV Shield

NOV AC 1-week Trial Set

The NOV UV Shield is highly raved and I am amazed by it's efficacy! It's a ultraviolet reflector sunscreen, which means it can be easily removed using your facial foam/soap, not needing make up remover! Great skincare start for girls (18 onwards) and on days you don't have make up on! SPF 50+ and PA rating of 4 plus (++++) which is currently better than a newly loved sunscreen that I am using.

02. Belif

Varied range of sample products. 

I'm sure this brand is very familiar to all. Highly raved korean brand with Scotland origins.

03. Enavose

Swiss Glacial Loose Powder (SPF15)

Enavose, a Swiss Cosmetic brand. Highly raved by some SampleStore editors that day. I have yet to try this yet, because I want to clear and finish using my current loose powders. Shape of product is so cute! Love the how clean the packaging looks: Silver X Pearl White.

04. Pond's

Face & Neck Lifting Day Cream (SPF 30 PA +++)

Pond's is a Thai Skincare brand. Shall see if this works well on me!

05. Sense of Care

Shea Butter Hand Cream in Rose Scent by a korean brand.

06. Goodal

Goodal, a upcoming korean brand by the same people behind CLIO. 

Functions as a toner, serum and essential oil. Smells really really good! 

You have to try it if you are into Mists / Aromatherapy.

07. My Beauty Diary

Imperial Bird's Nest Mask

Aroma Series Vanilla Moisturising Aroma Mask

Dark Circles Intensive Care Eye Mask

08. Tsubaki & Ma Cherie

Tsubaki Damage Care Shampoo & Conditioner Trial Sachets/Bottles

Ma Cherie Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner

Japanese haircare stuff always smell so good! I'm currently in love with the Japan Series for Herbal Essence! Shall see if these will make me change my love.

09. MiaCare

Mia Care Acne Patch (Day) Trial Pack - 3 Patches

Was so amazed by it and had to buy 2 retail size packs that were on discount that day.

10. InnerShine

Mini Meal Dietary Fiber Mix in Apple Flavour

Berry Essence

Tried Berry Essence probably a year ago, it's really good and quite SOUR.
(I love sour stuff by nature, please don't say I'm pregnant or what not)
But as you know, such essence don't come cheap, so I did not invest in it, glad to have 2 bottles of it now.

& before you go, here's a sneak preview of the NEW SampleStore Website that will launch on 30 September 2014 (note it down!). It's LAUNCHED NOW. So head over now!

Very pretty isn't it? Love how it is so NEAT now, I really think I have OCD that I like things in similar shapes, all my apps on my phone has to be of the same shape.

Honoured to be on an exciting journey with SampleStore as their beauty panelist, but I only have 5 more months in Singapore before I leave for Overseas further studies. Will be quite sad if there's a particular product that I really want to try but I'm not here in Singapore.

Hopefully I will be able to continue trying products whenever I come back to Singapore, which I plan to do so, probably a few days before I arrive back in Singapore, I will accept to any product review available then or if it interest me so by the time I return, product should be at home. Will try the products while in Singapore and in Australia. Let's all hope this works out. *Hope with me alright?*

I have lots of things in mind that I want to do in Australia as well, such as photo blogging and vlogging if time allows and that is if I don't get drowned in assignments too. So look out for these in 2015!