D.I.Y. - OCC Lip Tar + Clear Lip Gloss

♫ Big Bang - Blue

Contrary to what I'm listening to at the moment, this post is going to be rather... pink. Or at least, something in the red category.

I've been looking through my lipstick/lipgloss rack, and somehow I got kinda bothered because I've hardly used the OCC lip tars that I bought last year. So I decided to do a little 'experiment' and see what kind of results I would get if I combined my favourite lip gloss with these super pigmented lip stains. :D

= ?
I used my Lip Smacker lip gloss in the flavour "Melon Kiss". These liquid Lip Smackers are my favourite because 1. they smell absolutely wonderful, 2. they're not sticky at all (some people might not like the slick oily feeling on their lips though) and 3. give an instant shine to your lips without feeling heavy. What's not to like, right? :D

Lip balm + lip gloss

This is what it originally looks like in the tube, sort of pinkish. I bought it as a combo, with a lip balm and lip gloss in the same scent. The lip gloss comes with the standard doe-foot applicator wand. When I bought it, I thought it would smell like watermelon, but it turned out smelling like... honeydew? It didn't smell the way I expected it to, but still nice nevertheless.

Liquid Lip Smacker in "Melon Kiss"

Swatches of the lip gloss before I start with the 'experiment'. Uh, I mean D.I.Y. :P It has a pink tinge when seen in the tube and when swatched, but once applied on the lips it goes on completely clear.


Now, we can start our little D.I.Y. 'experiment'! First, pop out the stopper at the mouth of the tube. The stopper helps to prevent the gloss from spilling out of the tube, and also wipes off any excess product when you pull out the wand.

(I remembered to remove it only after I dipped the wand into the lip tar once, hence the bright pink stains. *facepalms*)

Note: Don't throw away the stopper! You can replace it into the tube after you're done. Just rinse with water and dry it off, then pop it back in. :)

Now, take out the lip tar colour of your choice and drop a blob on a clean piece of paper. Just a small drop is enough, because they are super pigmented. Here, I used my OCC lip tar in "Anime", which is a bright blue-based pink.



Take the lip gloss wand, dip it into the drop of lip tar, and proceed to mix until you get the desired colour. You might want to keep some tissue handy in case things get messy. XD


Spot the difference? :D You can see that the lip gloss is now noticeably pinker than it was before. Unfortunately, the wand couldn't reach all the way to the bottom of the tube. >_<

Of course, seeing it inside the tube isn't quite the same as swatching it on the skin/lips, so here's what the gloss looks like after mixing with the lip tar.



Looks pretty intimidating, huh? Don't worry, it looks bright on the wand only because it was used to pick up the lip tar, thus staining the sponge applicator. The lip gloss is now much more opaque, and you can definitely see the hot pink mixed in it. However, on the lips...


...it's a pretty shade of pink. :) It looks light here, but in different lighting conditions it can look a bit darker.

I love how the 'experiment' turned out! I now have my favourite deliciously-scented lip gloss in a nice pink colour, and the best thing is, once the gloss wears off I can still see a hint of pink on my lips because of the lip stain mixed in it! :D I have a good mind to go and grab more liquid Lip Smacker glosses so that I can mix up a few other combinations using my 2 OCC Lip Tars, lol.


I swear, this photo was taken without makeup.
Just contact lens, lip gloss and warm buttery sunlight. ♥ 
Oh, and good camera angles. XD

Outfit Ideas: Green Shorts

♫ SeungRi - 어쩌라고 (What Can I Do)

It's a known fact that Malaysia is a tropical country, which means that we practically have summer all year round. Hot and humid, that's how the weather normally is over here. But then again, there's a standing joke here that we actually have one more season: rainy season. XD

All this hot and humid weather pretty much ensures that we won't be wearing layers of wool knit clothing or fur-trimmed winter jackets anytime soon. Keeping cool is key here, while also staying stylish. So, my wardrobe staple? Shorts.


Seriously, shorts are a must-have if you're living in a hot country like Malaysia. They keep me from melting into a sticky puddle of goo, especially in the midday sun. (Okay, I'm exaggerating, but you get my drift.) Shorts are super versatile, and can be dressed up or down, depending on how you mix and match your outfits. The only bad thing is that they're not exactly meant for formal occasions, so they're pretty much only suited for daily casual wear. Today, I'm going to show you how I regularly style my outfits, using a pair of shorts I recently purchased from Cotton On.  

Cotton On Q Short in "Ocean Wave" (green)
 First off, I must say that I love tailored black shorts, because they match with practically any kind of top, but I also love candy-coloured shorts because they add a pop of colour to boring outfits. Plus, I always think that matching black tops with black shorts is just waaaay too depressing. =/ Anyway, I chose green for this pair because green is my lucky colour for 2012, and the green colour itself is quite unique. :)

Outfit 1: Casual Outing
Green plain basic tee
White cotton and lace detail vest
Green shorts
+ Off-white woven wedge sandals
+ Chunky bracelet

I love matching colours for my outfits, and this one is no exception. Many people I know avoid wearing green, but I love these particular types of green because it's so refreshing and, more importantly, doesn't clash with my skin tone. (Which is why I never wear orange or yellow.) This outfit is perfect for a casual day out catching up or shopping with friends.

Outfit 2: Ready For School
White polo tee
Green shorts
+ Sneakers
+ Wristwatch

Ah, the classically simple yet effective everyday outfit. This is the normal outfit for most college/university students here. For girls, just throw on a cardigan if the lecture hall dips a few degrees. Nerd glasses are optional. :P

Outfit 3: Laid Back Semi-Formal
Black blazer
Black and white polka dot sheer sleeveless top
Green shorts
+ Oxford shoes OR ankle booties
+ Mulberry-esque sling bag (like this)

This is what I call being 'casually formal'. The shorts and sleeveless chiffon top are great to combat the hot weather, while the blazer instantly adds a semi-formal vibe to the entire look.

Well, that's all for today. I hope these outfits can help inspire you to try out new looks, or dig into your closet to see what you can mix and match with. Do tell me which outfit is your favourite in the comments! :)

What If...

♫ 林国伟 - 爱情独秀

I was really bored today so I decided to catch up on some good movies that I'd been meaning to watch since last year. In the afternoon, I watched "Anonymous" and I can now say that it has been included in my list of favourite movies. I mean, I was already hooked when I first saw the trailer (but then again, that's what movie trailers do, right?) and promised myself I would go watch it in cinemas, but sadly, it never showed. Stupid Malaysian film censorship system. *coughDorianGraycough*

"But what if I told you, Shakespeare never wrote a single word?"
Just that single sentence, and I was immediately intrigued by the movie's storyline. Ah, the power of words.

I truly enjoyed this movie, because it thoroughly suspends your belief of the world's greatest playwright, and makes you think, "What if all this were true?". I loved the character of the Earl of Oxford, because he is the central character of the story, the character who is directly and indirectly the source of all the events in the story. In fact, it seemed so real that I was almost convinced.. Until the credits came up and I remembered I was watching a work of fiction, that is. Still, it makes you think, makes you wonder, long after the credits have stopped rolling. That, to me, is the sign of a wonderful movie.


Just a short while ago, I finished watching "In Time" and the line that really got to me was this:
For a few to be immortal, many must die.


What happens if time becomes everything in our world? 
How would you waste, or rather, spend your time then?


I must admit, I like the concept of the whole story, but the movie itself was kind of... choppy, like they hurried the storyline a bit too much, and everything seems to happen all at once without the proper transitions. Or maybe it's just me. =/ Also, I couldn't seem to take my mind off of one thing throughout the whole movie: How many pairs of 4-inch heels can Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried) change while on the run, and how does she run in them anyway?

And, well, Cillian Murphy is kinda hot.
I'm going off-track again. Back to the topic, yes, I enjoyed the movie, mainly due to the fact that I found its concept very thought-provoking. If we have to count our days, minutes, even seconds to ensure our survival, would we still do the things we do now? Conversely, what would you do if you had so much time, and thus money, to waste?

What if you only had 5 minutes left to live?
Okay, I just realized - a little too late and while typing this post, I might add - that both movies I watched today were 'what if...' movies. O_o Way to watch movies and analyze them, communications major. *facepalms* I know it's a deviation from my usual cosmetics/beauty posts; I do throw in the occasional food or movie or life in general type of posts. :)

Have you watched any of these 2 movies? What did you think of them?

NOTD: Simple Polka Dot Nails

♫ 林俊杰 -那些你很冒险的梦

Let me bring you back to the beginning of my love for nail polish and nail art.

28 December 2010
This, ladies and gentlemen, was my first real attempt at nail art, and honestly, it lit the spark of my interest into a borderline obsession. There's no other way to describe it.

I was browsing through videos on Youtube one day, and stumbled across this particular video by cutepolish. It looked so pretty, and seemed simple enough, so I chose the colours from my stash, picked up my dotting tool, and the rest is history.


I mean, look at the thumbnail for the video! Isn't that just simple and adorable? :) I was really pleasantly surprised by the results, because I never imagined I could manage to do it, especially with my retarded left hand.

A couple of days ago, I decided to do this particular design again (it was almost the middle of the night, mind you), so I searched for the tutorial on Youtube. Approximately 30mins later, my NOTD was done. :D

I replaced the glittery silver line with gold.
I (still) don't own a silver glitter liner, so I used a gold nail art polish to replace it. What do you think? :)


These are the items I used for this simple polka dot manicure:
  • Scotch Magic tape
  • Dotting tool
  • The Face Shop base coat
  • Revlon nail polish in "Black Lingerie" (2 coats)
  • Etude House nail polish in WH702 White (for the polka dots)
  • Golden Rose nail art polish in 108 Gold
  • Seche Vite fast dry top coat

Review: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in "Strawberry Shortcake"

This is probably one of Mayday's best music videos to date. It's funny, heartwarming, touching and will make you smile even though a ninja is cutting onions right behind you.

(All items reviewed were purchased using my own money, unless stated otherwise.)


Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters have been raved throughout the beauty blogosphere ever since their release, and the reviews are rave indeed. I'm going to do a review on the Revlon Lip Butter I purchased yesterday, which is in the shade Strawberry Shortcake.



Revlon has really amped up its product line lately, as you can see from these lip butters and updated nail polish line (the ones I mentioned in my previous post). I love the packaging for these lip butters because they're so pretty - they resemble frosted glass with a quilted pattern, and the colour matches that of the product inside. What's more, there is a clear 'window' at the top of the tube so you can clearly see the colour of the lip butter.


In the tube, Strawberry Shortcake shows up as a light blue-based pink. It looks pretty daunting if you don't know that it's actually quite sheer and can be layered up for opacity. :)

You can see that it is definitely a cool-toned shade, and the shimmer is quite evident in this swatch.

Yup, the scary-but-necessary lip swatch photo. I absolutely love this colour! I didn't even have to put lip concealer in order to get the soft milky pink shade so often seen in Japanese makeup guides. ♥

Overall, I must say that the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters do live up to the hype. It's like a cross between lipstick and lip balm! :D The packaging is really cute, the colours are sheer but pigmented, last longer than conventional lip balms, and are unscented.  Lately, I've been steering clear of my scented lipsticks and balms because they give me a headache - not a good sign. >_<

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters retails at RM 25.00 (2.55g), available at Watsons and Guardian (not sure about SaSa stores).

✓ Pros: Moisturizing, sheer but pigmented and easily buildable, unscented, pretty packaging, quite long lasting.
✗ Cons: Product might settle into lines if lips are dry/flaky.

CNY Short Trip + Haul

♫ 张智成 - 你爱上的我

It's time to get back on track with my regular posts! *fingers crossed* Since it's Chinese New Year, we do the usual visiting relatives, eating lots of good food and receive 'ang pao's. :D What's different this year is that we went down to Johor (in 2 cars, no less!) for a few days to visit our relatives there, and also headed  to Singapore for a 1-day trip. Of course, we had to stop by the newly opened and much talked about Johor Premium Outlets (JPO). It's practically located in the middle of nowhere. -__-"


The layout and building structures looked similar to the other premium outlets my brother went to in Japan. There were quite a few high-end brands there like Zegna, Burberry, Armani, Michael Kors, as well as other popular brands such as Coach, Levi's, Lacoste, Esprit, La Senza, Nike, Adidas, etc. Nice place to have a stroll, but the prices weren't really all that amazing. Granted, they are cheaper than the ones you get in their KL boutiques, but most of the brands I went into consisted of old stock at prices I could get during sales season anyway. My cousins also said that in the USA it was much cheaper. So.... not impressed. =/

We arrived in the evening. This was the only photo I took of the place.
Had a really late dinner with the relatives in Johor, and everyone slept at 1 a.m., lol. Entered Singapore around noon the next day and went to the Omni-Theatre (my dad loves the place), then had lunch in Tiong Bahru. After that, walked around Orchard Road shopping, shopping, and more (window) shopping.

Hauls from here further down ↓ in the post. :P
We parked in Ngee Ann City, so it was perfect - I could go to both Watsons and Kinokuniya! It was also really close to ION, where I have to get my takoyaki fix.

It was almost 10 p.m. when we arrived at Long Beach to have dinner. Black pepper crabs and crispy duck ftw! <3

One last look at the Marina Bay Sands before we leave.


Car enthusiast in me could not resist snapping a photo of this sleek navy Maserati. :D


Everybody was exhausted at the end of the day. Aunt and I came down with really bad flu the next day and could barely walk around, let alone endure the visits to various houses before the drive back to KL. >_< It was a great trip nevertheless, though a bit short and rushed. :)

Anyway, on to the stuff I managed to get!

The long-lusted pastel green Dolly Wink nail polish (S$ 12.90). I bought the Spring Heart eyeliner (S$ 7.90) because it came with a free Dolly Wink nail polish.

Revlon Top Speed nail polish (S$ 9.90 each) in 110 Pink Lingerie and 610 Lily. Super love the pastel colours! ♥ The Top Speed range isn't available in Malaysia yet. :(

Sheene mini powder compact (S$ 1.90 each). It's really small and cute; great size for a small bag or clutch.

Splurge buy! Steam Cream (S$ 25.90) in the limited edition tin "Nocturne". Been itching to get a tin after seeing it on Serendipity's website.

Finally, from Kinokuniya - super kawaii Uni Style Fit pens! These polka dot ones are limited edition refills (S$ 1.95 each) with a 0.38 point. They're not proper pens but refills, which you pop into the Style Fit multi pen case. Since they're click type retractable, I'll just use them as regular pens because I didn't wanna buy the casing, lol. *is a cheapskate*

So that's about it for now. I'll leave you with a couple of pics of the Revlon nail polish. Totally in love with the sweet pastels! ♥


D.I.Y. - Nail Polish Remover Dip

When Sephora first opened in KL, I went in for a stroll as well as to drool over the much-raved Urban Decay products, among many others. While I was really excited to see so many new cosmetic and skincare brands entering Malaysia, I was more than a little daunted by their price tags. Sephora's house brand range was pretty huge as well, including their nail polish collection. Moving closer to the display rack, this particular item caught my eye...

Photo credits to The Fashion Economist, as this item isn't listed on Sephora.com

And it was a staggering RM35!! 
(Well, give or take a few MYR; I can't remember the exact price.)

It's just a bottle of dip-in nail polish remover! If you haven't seen or heard about these before, nail polish remover dips are basically wide-mouthed plastic containers which have a piece of foam/sponge soaked in nail polish remover liquid inside. You dip your finger into the container, leave it there for about 20 seconds and your nail comes out with all the nail polish gone. Dip 'n done, eh?

Anyway, long story short, I was so disgusted amazed at the ridiculous price, because I have been using the exact same thing (different brand, of course) bought from Daiso since 3 years back. And as you know, stuff from Daiso is only RM5. =/

Ellefar Nail Kiss - nail polish remover dip
This, ladies and gentlemen, is my solution to pesky nail polish removal since 2008! At first they were super easy to find in Daiso around my place, but then their stocks started getting lower, and lower, until finally I couldn't find them anywhere. T__T The last time I saw them in stock, I practically grabbed half a dozen and threw them into my shopping basket without another thought. O__O

Alright, sorry for rambling on with the background story. ^^;; Today's post is about a Do-It-Yourself "How to make your own nail polish remover dip", so let's get on with the step-by-step pictures! :)

First, you'll need to prepare some items.

1. Scissors
2. Craft blade (if you don't have one, you can just use the scissors)
3. Piece of sponge (I use those that people use to wash cars, they're dirt cheap and you can use them lots of times)
4. Plastic container with wide mouth (make sure it's not too deep and your finger can dip inside)
5. Nail polish remover liquid (drugstore brands, your fave strawberry scented ones, etc)


Next, using the base or cover of the container as a guide, roughly measure and cut out a square piece of the sponge. It's okay if the sides are a bit rough, since it can be easily squeezed into the container.

You should get something that looks like this.

Now use the craft blade (or scissors) to cut a slit in the middle of the sponge. This is so that your finger can dip inside and be fully covered by the nail polish remover. For more stubborn nail polish or glitter particles, you can rub your nail against the sponge to remove them more effectively.

Hang in there, we're almost done! :)

It's time to stuff the sponge inside the container! Don't worry if it's a little too big; as long as you've cut it more or less according to the container's size, it should be able to fit in. (In fact, it's better if it's slightly bigger.) The sponge will shrink and become much softer after being soaked in the liquid.

Final step - pour in the nail polish remover. Remember to pour it in little by little, as the dry sponge needs a few seconds to absorb the liquid. Continue pouring until you estimate it to fill about half the container. For mine, that's about 50ml (1/3 of the bottle).

Tadaa! We're all set!
Now you can just dip your finger into the container every time you want to remove your nail polish. No need to mess with cotton pads and spilled nail polish remover! If you find the sponge is getting dirty, just repeat the process, which should take less than 5 minutes. :D

Hope you found this step-by-step DIY tutorial useful~ ^^

P/S: Oh, and check out this really cute animated picture by styleseeking zurich on how 'magical' this dip is, haha!