It’s spring break guys!! I’m heading to the Gold Coast tomorrow with my friend, Nad, who’s going to be flying in from Singapore! I haven’t seen her since my last trip home so I suspect there will be plenty of bitchery over coffee and late night gelato. My travel beauty kit is always the first to be packed and I realised some of the products I’ve chosen to bring with me haven’t been formally introduced on the blog yet so here it is: my spring break beauty essentials.

Tortoiseshell Sunglasses: These are from Peony Lim but they’re currently sold out. I think you can find a similar pair from Karen Walker, bit pricey though.

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation in 004 Nude: I had no interest in the PhotoReady foundation but when I spotted bottles going for SGD$15 at the Changi Airport, HELLO INTEREST KINDLED. There have been a lot of mixed reviews regarding this line: some think it’s great, others argue that it’s too much of a glitter puff. I think it’s perfect. It’s light, has medium coverage and the shimmer blends right into the skin for me.

Maybelline 24-hour Color Tattoo in Bold Gold: Haven’t tried this out yet but I’m going to be using this as an eyeshadow on days when I need to have my sunnies on 24/7 (stalking surfer boys MEHEHE) or as an eyeshadow base on days when the Gold Coast sun isn’t out to blind me.

Bobbi Brown Day to Night Warm Eye Palette: Previously seen here. I was just gifted Urban Decay’s Naked Palette for my birthday this year but this Bobbi Brown one gets to travel with me because it’s a lot smaller and has a good mix of neutral and dark shades.

Topshop Cream Blush in Pinch: Also artfully reviewed here. It’s always handy to have an item that’s versatile enough for your cheeks and lips when on holiday!

Revlon Lip Butters in Candy Apple and Peach Parfait: These lipsticks certainly live up to their hype, they apply so smoothly and have a great assortment of shades. Candy Apple is my favourite because it’s the first red lippie (albeit a little on the coral side) I have that doesn’t need to be applied with a lip brush. Amen.

Biore UV Perfect Milk SPF 50+ PA+++: After my little skin cancer scare last year, I’ve become such a sunscreen hoarder omg – I buy two bottles at a time whenever my current bottle feels considerably lighter. My biggest beauty fear is running out of sunscreen and having to stay indoors until I get the bottles shipped over to me from Asia since this particular sunscreen isn’t available here. I’ve tried many brands from Neutrogena (gross) to Kose (too expensive) but Biore’s is definitely the best because it’s cheap, doesn’t smell like sunscreen and has a matte finish.

Covergirl Liquiline Blast in Brown Blaze: Easily the best beauty purchase I’ve made in a while. The eyeliner is great but I think the amazing thing about the Liquiline Blast is the smudge brush that comes with it. Line your eyes a little thicker than usual, blur out the edges with the smudge brush, and you’ll have an effortless 2 minute smokey eye. Great stuff.

Maybelline One by One Volum’Express Mascara: It’s similar to my former HG mascara from Majolica Majorca but is a lot easier to remove.

MAC Brow Gel in Beguile: I switch between this shade and Girl Boy depending on my mood and it’s been my favourite for 4-5 years now? I’ve tried eyebrow pencils but I always go back to brow gels – it’s so much easier!

I should probably get back to packing before I forget other important things like my plane tickets, or my passport .__. Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you guys after my holiday!

Whenever I get a breakout, I involve myself in a lil chemical warfare by slathering a thick layer of benzoyl peroxide on the affected areas but I believe my overzealous use of benzoyl peroxide over the years have led the pimples to develop a strong defense system against my favourite chemical. Damn. I needed to find something as potent as benzyl peroxide and fast because waking up to a bump infested face isn’t a good way to start a day. It was a hard search – how do you expect to find something more potent than a chemical that has ‘peroxide’ in its name for god’s sake? Well, people. I haz found it. The DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask works better than my 2% benzoyl peroxide pimple cream, might burn a hole in your pocket depending on the budget you’ve allotted for skincare but the good news: It won’t burn a hole in your face.

This mask has single-handedly cleared the hormonal breakouts I’ve been getting on my forehead and I’m honestly amazed. The DDF mask is similar to the cult favourite Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque except it’s pricier and the sulfur percentage is higher. The texture is a lot smoother too – I find the Queen Helene version to be so much thicker and a lil’ hard to apply. I like using this as an overnight treatment whenever I have a breakout everyday until my skin gets clear again and it’s been working so well! I wake up to nice, oil-free skin and blemishes are either gone or making plans to move back wherever they came from. Definitely HG material here.

The bad thing about being fair is that it’s incredibly easy to get post-pimple scarring. Whenever I get a zit, I try my best not to pop/touch it but when it goes away, it gives me a little ZIT #2104 WAS HERE BITCH tat on my face every. single. time. That just pisses the fork out of me. I leave you alone most of the time while battling the urge to shove you off my face, treat you with respect mainly fostered by fear and this is how you repay my hospitality?? Bitch plz.

I did some research on natural oils that would help get rid of the redness and apparently, rosehip oil is your best bet so here’s my new anti-redness treatment/night-time moisturizer: Trilogy Organic Rosehip Oil. I’ve been using this for a month now and the redness I get on my skin has been reduced slightly! It’s not a dramatic change but I think I’m getting there. Rosehip oil isn’t an overnight miracle and you need to be patient to see results but my skin condition has improved significantly since including this in my skincare routine, it’s more supple now so I’m just waiting for the day all the redness goes away.

You can use any rosehip oil from the health store but a lot of people seem to like the Trilogy version and since it’s readily available here (It’s from NZ), there was no reason not to check it out. The lovely minimal bottle it comes in is a nice bonus too + the cheap price tag- It’s $18 for a 20ml bottle. I know it’s not a lot but you only need 3 drops a night so it’s going to last forever.

I’ve tried a lot of sunscreens from drugstore brands to Dior but I count the Sekkisei Day Essence SPF 25 PA+ from Kose as my favourite. It doesn’t smell or feel like ordinary sunscreen and doesn’t leave the dreaded ghoulish white cast on your face. I hate that sticky feeling you get after applying sunscreen- you get none of that from the Day Essence. You only need about two pumps to cover your face and mmm the scent! Smells very “Sekkisei” lol, if you’re an avid fan like I am you’d prolly know what I’m talking about. It’s slightly floral and smells like ordinary moisturizer- it applies like one too which is one of the reasons why I love it so much. It glides on like a light emulsion on the skin and makes an excellent base for make-up!

I know this isn’t a skincare item but I’m so impressed by this gel liner that it would be horribly selfish of me not to share this with the world. I am IN LOVE with this gel liner. I don’t know why, it’s not like it doesn’t have flaws – no sir, it does. I’ve tried using this to line my lower lash line and it feathered away into a smudgy muddle after a couple of hours. However, it is absolute PERFECTION on the upper lash line. This is the best drugstore gel eyeliner for the quintessential cat eye. It’s a rich, glossy black and actually comes with a brush that isn’t rubbish! It’s comparable to MAC’s fluidline except it’s much cheaper (can’t remember how much I got it for, I think it was SGD$16?) and despite its inadequacy to stay put on my lower lash line (I prefer using my pencil eyeliners for my lower lash line anyway), I really like this little gem.

So that wraps up my skincare review post! School starts tomorrow and it’s probably going to be as stressful as the previous semester so I might not have time to blog as often. I hate talking about academic stuff on this blog because it’s dry, boring and extremely depressing but school will always be my top priority. It’s not easy being here and certainly not easy on my parents’ bank account either. I am constantly filled with guilt every time I check my school fees, God my mother can easily buy herself a Hermès bag with the kind of money we’re paying the university every semester.

Sometimes I wonder if I was even meant to be here at all since I only chose to come here because my ass got rejected by my own local university twice. It’s not the usual sob story where girl graduates from poly with lacklustre results, gets rejected by her local university and decides to go abroad instead. No. This girl here graduated third in her cohort, received a damn medal from the school for it and STILL got rejected by her local university. It’s heartbreaking to work so hard for a damn good GPA only to be deemed unworthy by your own local university but well, I’m over it. There’s no point in remaining bitter about Singapore’s remarkable education system because I’m here now and I’m determined to do well. I scored straight As last semester by some bizarre stroke of luck and I’m hoping to repeat the same feat. My subjects this semester are slightly more daunting than the previous but I have nothing to say except: BRING IT.

Went to the city today to check out the European paintings exhibit at the National Gallery of Victoria but I didn’t go in the end because I wasn’t feeling too well. Picasso and Monet will have to wait another day. I found out a couple of days ago that I wouldn’t be able to take Art History next year which is such a shame really because I love that subject (and not because my tutor happens to have one fine ass). It’s the only subject that bears the slightest resemblance to design- something I’m familiar with, having dabbled with it for the past 4 years. I’m kinda gutted about it but well, it’s not the end of the world so I’ll just stick to my random visits to the gallery for my art history fix (what a pity tho, my tutor was a total hunk and has a PhD in Art History which I find SO sexy).

I’ve been keeping my make-up really light the past month, I know make-up trends for fall and winter in the world of ~FASHIN~ often lean towards the intense but something about the dreary weather we’ve been having here just makes me want to rebel against the conventional sooty smokey eyes and dark lipstick. I love a good smokey eye but I love the warm brilliance of the sun more. Pink lips and soft hues of taupe & gold in the middle of a somber winter? I am so there.

Face:
MAC Studio Fix foundation in NC25
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC25

Cheeks:
Rock & Republic’s Contrived Pressed blush in Kinky

Eyes:
MAC paintpot in Rubenesque as a base
MAC eyeshadow in Woodwinked
MAC pigment in Blonde’s Gold
MAC eyeshadow in Shroom as highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Honey
Maybelline gel liner in Black
MAC Browset in Girl Boy
Majolica Majorca Lash Expander NEO

Lips:
Lancome L’absolu Rouge in Rose Rhapsodie

I’m loving the gold eyeliner in this one, I think it’s a nice bright change from the smudgy black lined eyes I tend to go for. Finally got to try out the Rock & Republic blush Cat sent me for my birthday and as I suspected, this baby has enough pigment to fill 5 MAC lipstick vials. I had to be very careful with this blush because it’s easy to OD on blush when you’re pale like me. I swiped my brush over the blush with the lightest pressure possible and it was enough to create a delicate flush of pink. I love the blush, Cat! Thank you so much <3

Btw, you only see one side of my face here because I have a pimple on the other cheek LOL. I know it's become socially acceptable to pretend that you have the body of a porn star with perfect skin but I just don't like the idea of retouching my photos to death. You can still see I have pores in my photos and my forehead has tiny marks - battle scars from previous hand to hand combat experiences with pimples (those bastards!).

I have a couple of beauty reviews coming up this week and in true tea noir style, they're going to be squashed together in one single entry lol. I'm also thinking of doing a photography/camera entry too because I've been getting so many questions pertaining to the camera I use for this blog etc - is there anything you would like to know about photography? If you're too shy to ask in the comments, ask on my formspring where your identity and soul remains safe from me. Even if you don’t have a photography related question, ask me anything anyway!