Evening stroll on the Southern Ridges with my family

I have been wanting to walk on The Southern Ridges since they opened. My family and I finally made it on the Southern Ridges last week during the long Easter weekend.

We started at Hort Park and made our way towards the Henderson Waves.

The view is just amazing. I feel very thankful for the wonderful guys who came out with the idea to do this. What a beautiful place to stroll and get your exercise!

We stopped before Henderson Wave and walked back. We took our stroll in the evening at about 5.30 p.m. It took us about 45 minutes for the whole trip.

I think early mornings and evenings are the best time to take a stroll. It can be quite hot and humid. Always check the weather reports, with the sudden rains and thunderstorms it can get quite dangerous if you got yourself stuck in the middle of the walk. Parents with small children, prepare lots of water, snacks and an extra change of clothes. Be prepared to carry your little one because the walk might be quite tiring for them. The walk is made of steel grates, quite slippery when wet. I don't think it is stroller friendly.

This is something you must do if you love nature.

Beauty gifts from a friend

I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends and acquaintances. I received this from a wonderful friend (thanks so much Kimoko) who found out I loved sheet masks and false lashes.

I am amazed by the variety of sheet masks. I usually only buy moisture boosting and whitening ones from Neutrogena or Loreal.

The ones from My Beauty Diary look very interesting, I am going to have a good time trying them out. Check out the variety of masks they have.

Kisses to Kimoko, thanks sweetie.

Current lemmings

I have bad bad eyes. I came across J Crew's new summer frocks and I am in lust! J Crew clothes are above my price rangebut I can' t resist these beautiful dresses.

Cecilia Dress in Retro Orange

Same dress but in white

This cost USD $158. I definitely want to take the plunge and get this but I'm torn between Retro Orange and White. What should I get?

Which color should I pick?

• Retro Orange
• White

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This dress is also so gorgeous. It is the green I have been looking for. Sigh. I plan to buy one to try out if the size fits before I get another. What do you think?

 

Eyelet Derby dress in Warm Jade

Estee Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Wild Fire review and swatches

Wild Fire is part of Estee Lauder's Wild Violet Pure Color Spring Collection. I first saw it here in Makeup Blogette's blog. It was so striking and pretty on her that I had to get it for myself. So I picked it up during my Nordstrom haul.

(Taken from Estee Lauder website)

PRODUCT DETAILS

Color so incredible, it leaves your lips wanting more.

True Vision™ technology takes ordinary color and makes it extraordinary.

In a seductive spectrum of shades, from sublime to vivid.

TRUE VISION™ COLOR

Maximized color impact

Magnified vibrancy, clarity and dimension

Amplified brilliance

INDULGES YOUR LIPS

In 2 seductive finishes: Satin, Lasting Creme and Lustrous, Lasting Shimmer

Medium-to-full, buildable coverage.

Long-lasting wear

Fade-resistant

Enriched with lip-loving ingredients, including apricot kernel, shea butter and murumuru butter that leave lips soft and creamy smooth.

I'll be honest, I would never have picked up an Estee Lauder lipstick. I guess it is because I have just been so focused on Chanel. I find the gold casing very pretty. Not tacky at all. I love that it is not entirely gold, the bottom part of the casing shows you exactly what colour it is. So if you have a handful for Estee Lauder lipsticks, it is easy to locate what you want in a jiffy.

I can't seem to capture how gorgeous it is. It is a striking orange red not for the faint of heart. It is creamy and glides on intensely in one stroke. It is very pigmented.

Under bright sunlight

Under bright sunlight

Taken in indoors

Taken indoors

I took pictures of swatches on two different occasions. I could not decide which want to show so I'm just going to bombard you for the deliciousness that is Wild Fire. I'm not sure why the first set of swatches appear slightly sheerer than the second set though.

I whipped out my Chanel Rouge Allure in Passion for a comparison.

Top to bottom: Chanel Rouge Allure in Passion and Estee Lauder Pure Colour lipstick in Wild Fire

Under bright sunlight

I find the Pure Colour lipstick to be thicker in consistency, not exactly light weight as compared to Rouge Allures. It stays put after a meal and drinks with little need for reapplication. I'm not sure long well it will last throughout the day. I have not experimented using this for very long hours. Wild Fire isn't exactly a work friendly colour. I do expect that it may not reapply as well as the first application during the course of the day.

My lip swatches looks totally different from what I can see with my eyes! It looks almost brownie pink and more subdued. It is not! I prefer wearing this without and lip balm and lip gloss, it looks better on its own on my skin. It has a satiny sheen. Because it is such a strong colour even after removing it with makeup remover, it still leaves a slight stain on the lips.

There are currently 30 shades in the Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick collection. Coral Fantasy a limited edition color looks right up my alley too.

These lipsticks cost USD $24. In Singapore, they go for SGD $33. After conversion they are about the same price, so picking it up at local counters makes economical sense.

I give a thumbs up for the amazing colour but even though it has "lip loving" ingredients it did not leave my lips feeling soft and moisturised after wear. I feel that it wears best for 4 to 5 hours tops. Price wise, it is one of the more affordable lipsticks. I would not be putting this under the luxe lip category. More towards the mid price range lipstick.

Ratings: 3 lipsticks and a + just because of the colour

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara Review

I love mascara samples. They are small and easy to carry around. You get to try brands that you would not normally buy and considering that mascara expires in about 4 to 6 months throwing away unfinished samples is less of a heartache. Unfortunately, even though I am currently using full sized ones, I can't resist opening up new mascaras to try.

(Taken from Lancome website)

Get instant lash drama in a single coat with this ultra volume-boosting mascara that’ll take lashes from so-so to show-stopping. The full contact brush, with its S-shaped curve, grasps and loads lashes for a fanned out, full body fringe. Lancôme’s luxe Texturizing Complex features highly saturated waxes and intense black pigments for maximum lash volume. The triple coating system delivers a fluid and creamy application to quickly and easily build big, battable lashes that won’t clump or flake.

Benefits

Unique, over sized brush provides full contact with lashes for ultimate volume

Delivers maximum lash coating with immediate load gives lashes instant volume

Fluid, creamy gliding formula evenly coats lashes from root to tip for buildable volume

Promises intense, deep color

Fragrance-Free. Ophthalmologist Tested. Allergy Tested. Safe for contact lens wearers.

Technology

New over sized S-shaped curve full contact Convex Brush

Texturizing Complex formula with highly saturated waxes

Triple Coating System enriched with Pro Vitamin B5

Deep Carbon Black Pigments

I am fascinated by the wavy brush wand. I have never seen one like this before. It is a good sized wand, enough for me to coat most of my lashes without being so over sized that I have difficulty coating my lashes with smudging them.

The formula is wet. So the first time I used it, I smudged my bottom eye area. You need to let it set for a few more seconds and after bat your lashes on a tissue to make sure the mascara does not transfer.

Mascara off!

Lancome Hypnose Drama on!

Maybelline Lash Stiletto on!

Maybelline Volume Express

For my eye shot, I tilted my head more than usual so it looks like my lashes are much longer than they normally are. I do find that my lashes are fuller and slightly longer that my Maybelline Lash Stiletto. Hynose Drama does not flake nor smudge. Even with a few coats, it does not make your lashes feel crunchy and look like spider legs.

It costs USD $25. I am leaning towards the waterproof version. I am on the fence about it actually. It definitely works better than Maybelline Lash Stiletto. I can't really tell the difference between Hynose and Volume Express. I am not willing the pay double just for something that works slightly better.

 

Ratings: 3 lipsticks

Make Up For Ever High Definition Foundation in 123 Review and Swatch

I wanted a fuller coverage foundation for nights out. Something that would help my skin look good when photographed. I've been wanting to try out MUFE's HD Foundation so decided to get colour matched at Sephora Ion.

(Taken from Make Up For Ever website)

The MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Complexion products use innovative formulas to create a new generation of make up which is both invisible on HD cameras and to the naked eye. The HD Foundation is an oil-free medium-to-full coverage liquid foundation which covers skin imperfections, while remaining invisible on-screen and in real life. Its extremely fine texture is supple and easy to apply. Enriched with moisturizing agents, it leaves the skin soft and radiant. It is available in a wide range of shades to suit all skin tones.

Ingredients:
Amino acid pigments

Oil-free texture
Sericite
Relipidium
Fucogel
Glycerin


Dermatologist tested

There are altogether 26 shades on the website. I'm not sure whether Singapore MUFE  has all the shades featured from the website but I'm very sure it has a wider range of shades for all sorts of skin tones as compared to some beauty companies that have very limited shades.

The SA, Amanda, tried two shades 123 - Desert and 125 - Sand on my neck as I had makeup on. I appreciate that she did not want to disturb my makeup. I always thought foundation should be tested on the side of the chin so this is new to me. 123- Desert looks like a better match on my neck so I settled for this shade.

It comes in a sturdy transparent plastic bottle. I can easily see how much product is left. The pump dispenser is hygienic. I just need to learn to dispense the right amount of foundation.

Left to right: Ga Luminous Silk in 5.5, GA Lasting Silk in 7, MUFE HD Foundation in 123 and Lancome Teint Miracle in O-04.

Second to the left, GA Lasting Silk not blended well thus looks slightly ashy

You can see that the GA foundations are more neutral. Lancome and MUFE leans towards yellow. MUFE is a touch darker than Teint Miracle.

I read through quite a few reviews, most of them said that it covered facial imperfections well. I am very used to sheerer foundations so was worried that this will be mask-like.

For my first try, I used less than half a pump. I used a damp sponge to blend. I was mindful that the foundation would set fast so placed a few dots on the area I wanted and blended it before moving on to another. The coverage was better than my usual foundations without being mask like. I did not need to use a concealer except under my eyes. As an oil-free foundation, it works well on my normal combination skin. It lasted through my cooking session (I made my favourite spinach, minced pork and cheese baked pasta before going out with my family) and a movie show, about 5 hours, without it turning oily.



Less than half a pump, blended with a damp sponge

For my second try, using the same method as mentioned to apply my foundation, it lasted 10 hours on me without blotting my face.

I also tried a full pump with my Giorgio Armani Face Blender foundation brush for a night out. I found out that one pump was just too much, I couldn't finish using it. It gave me great coverage without feeling heavy on the skin. I skipped concealer entirely. It didn't give me a all matte look, more soft focused and with a slight glow. I had it on for 4 hours without blotting. I took a picture using flash and realised that my face didn't shine like it did normally.

My thoughts about the foundation:

I think it is a great foundation for your beauty arsenal. For normal to combination skins, oil control is great. It never felt heavy on my skin. For this foundation, I definitely reccommend using a primer underneath as it will help the foundation glide smoothly over your face. You need to use a light hand for application as it can provide too much coverage. If you prefer a sheerer application, use less than half a pump with a damp sponge. Slightly more than half a pump with a foundation brush for fuller coverage. You need to blend fast. I find the pump slightly hard to control. It is hard to exert the right amount of force to get the right amount of product, but I think with practice I will eventually be able to get the hang of it. Try to buy it online at Sephora Amazon with other products. SGD $75 is way overpriced considering that it costs only USD $40. The US exchange rate is still quite favourable to us.

Ratings: 4+ lipsticks

Give away!

I am a sucker for gift with purchases especially online offers. Recently Nordstrom had a Lancome offer too good to be missed. Buy $40 worth of Lancome products and receive $130 worth of samples. I think I was more excited about the freebies that the actually lip glosses I purchased!

These were the items I received.

I find samples extremely useful especially for travelling and when you want to test out a product but do not want to pay full price for it. I love the makeup pouches too. Every time I get a new one I replace the one I have.

I am giving away the Flash Bronzer Leg Gel and the face brush. I will also throw in a Bare Minerals mascara sample. Just be the first to leave me your email address under comments.