BLOSSOM-ing DREAM

For the first time, Shu Uemura comes up with a collection with all eyeshadows mat.  All three limited edition palettes!  That’s rather unusual (but nice) isn’t it?  Not a single shimmer eyeshadow in the whole collection.

Imagine the mat shades on your eyelids looking like velvety flowers petals blowing in the wind as you express with your eyes.

The pastel shades of pink, blue, lilac, green and yellow together with some neutrals can give your makeup looks some fresh beginnings and moods this Spring/Summer season.

In the collection are 2 brightly coloured styles of false lashes to bring colours to your eyes if you think you are not that good with your blending…

Go check them out and emote joy with your eyes!

Oh yes!  GOOD NEWS!!  To celebrate 30 years of beauty, Shu Uemura Singapore has generously re-priced 30 of their beauty icons to new LOWER prices! 

 

CHARITY SALE!

Chérie Chérie Bow…

For Spring 2013, Dior dresses their makeup collection with bows, which the late Christian Dior himself adored, and their famous houndstooth checks.

There’s a lot of pinks here as the couturier found pink to be “the softest of colours” and the colour “of happiness and femininity”.

The star product this in the collection are 2 palettes of 3 eyeshadows, a black eyeliner and a fresh pink gloss.

Below are my picks… I happen to like all 3 nail polishes!

Get in the Pink ladies!

Daria Strokous

Chérie Bow Palette

5 Couleurs Eyeshadow in 854 Rose Charmeuse

5 Couleurs Eyeshadow in 724 Rose Ballerine

Diorblush in 729 Pink Happiness

Diorblush in 659 Tender Coral

Twin Set Eyeshadow Pen in 060 Grey Sigh

Twin Set Eyeshadow Pen in 840 Ballerina Pink

Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Gloss

Vernis in 155 Tutu

Vernis in 306 Gris Trianon

Vernis in 355 Rosy Bow

 

Shiseido Makeup Spring/Summer 2013

For Spring this year, Shiseido Makeup launches 25 new shades of Perfect Rouge lipsticks. 15 rich shades of Perfect Rouge and 10 soft shades of Tender Sheer.  From very sexy nude-ish beige to vivid shades like red and fuchsia.

Still keeping to the original camellia-shaped packaging has been updated too. Perfect Rouge remains in it’s slick black case whereas Tender Sheer gets a new red coat.

At the base of each lipstick is embossed with “TOKYO GINZA SHISEIDO“.  A gesture of Shiseido’s confidence that you will enjoy them so much you’ll use it all the way till the words are gone and beyond…

Also, launched are 2 palettes of Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio and 2 Luminizing Satin Face Color compacts.  All of very soft and shades inspired by the colours of the setting sun on sand dunes and beach grass on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina.

Enjoy the collection that would suit most, if not all, skin tones…

Available in stores in February.

shades of precious stones….

Creative director of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, Lloyd Simmonds, said, “Pink quartz, amethyst, pyrite, malachite, azurite, jade, each possesses a hypnotic beauty…”  which i totally agree.  Different kinds of stones bring different kinds of energy to a place or a person…

And the purity and colours of the stones of rich and crystalline shades, were the inspiration for YSL Beauté’s Spring 2013 collection.

Enjoy the shades!

 

my unpleasant experience with some online beauty portal!

Some months back, I received an email from an online beauty portal asking me if I’d like to be a speaker at a Beauty Forum they were having.

The event was to be held on 8th December 2012, lasting for about 4 – 5 hours.  But I would be needed for around 1 – 2 hours “at the most”.

So I agreed and told them my fee for doing the presentation which includes a chit chat session with the attendants, a makeup demonstration and be a judge in one of the segments.

I got a reply saying that they’d like to “propose a possible partnership” with myself and my company, Oblique, “in exchange for your support and presence at our event.”

“As a speaker at _______ Beauty Forum, we can also offer you media entitlements and advertising space through our website, email blasts and social media outlets. These can be used to promote any of your events, products or general features.”

I was even given the stats of their portal.  1 million visitors; 150,000 registered members; No.1 Women’s website from 2006 – 2010, etc.

I replied that I don’t do barter trades.  So I politely turned down the offer.

After which I was asked if I would “consider a special rate” as it was the first time they were holding the event.

After a few more emails and phone calls, I received an email saying that the event was confirmed and so was my appearance.  However, they did not need me to be a judge anymore so I was asked if the rate were any different since the fee I quoted was for around 2 hours of work.

I replied that my fee would remain the same as even though the judging part was out for me, I’d still end up being there for about 2 hours as I’ll need to arrive prior to the event and can’t be arriving right before I’m supposed to go onstage and leave right away after.  I mean, I get paid the same amount by several clients doing the same or less work too.

So I was told by the person who’s been contacting me that she would need to speak to her HQ and get back to me again.  Which never happened.

Besides this person contacting me, I have been contacted by another person asking me for recommendations of my fave beauty products too.  Me being kinda busy and forgetful, I only emailed her my list less like 5-6 days before the event itself.  Which i did not get a reply from her too.

So I wondered what happened, and went online to see if i could find out anything.

To my shock, I saw that another makeup artist has been confirmed for the gig and I wasn’t even informed about it.  ME ANGRYYY!!!

I saw the makeup artist at an event and found out from him that he was also approached about the same time as me for the event.  Those sneaky people at the portal…  And to my bigger shock, this makeup artist is doing it for free!!!  WTH!!!  Come on!  As it is, the market is not very strong already.  Why would anyone wanna do work for free???  He was telling me he was doing it for a certain cosmetics brand.  I didn’t quite get it.

Correct me if I’m wrong.  If he had wanted to thank the brand by doing something back for them, then I think it would be more apt to do it directly for the brand and not for an event that was not organised by the brand.  ???

People will call it “spoil market”.  Agree?

Back to the portal.  So I was not happy but it was the festive season and I thought I’d be kind enough not to dampen everyone’s festive mood.  So I waited until today to call the person who contacted me and asked her what happened.

She said that she had emailed me telling me about it which I never received.  I even asked her to look up her mail box but she couldn’t find the email that she had sent to me at all in her Outbox or Drafts Box or anywhere at all.

Seriously, I’ve never heard of emails going missing.  If they were not delivered successfully, we’d receive a mail delivery unsuccessful email.

Also, the other person I emailed to with my list of beauty faves would have found it puzzling why I was still sending her my list when I was no longer involved in the event.

Wouldn’t she have felt it weird and replied me or told her colleagues about it?  Is there no communications between them???

Actually, this is not the first time this portal has approached me for a similar kinda gig.  They have approached me couple of years back but it didn’t pull through due to the fee as well I guess.  Cuz I didn’t get a reply after I quoted my fee.

I just wanna share my displeasure on this incident as I think it is very unpro what has happened.

I have worked with so many cosmetics brands and beauty establishments and we have good relationships after so many years.  Even the ones who would tell me they don’t have enough budget for me, but the good relationship remains and till now we still work together happily.

They should have informed me even if they didn’t want to cozy up to me for a better rate.  No?

I guess I can only SIGH to this….

AQMW xmas 2012 coffret

Are you a fan of KOSÉ‘s COSME DECORTE AQMW makeup and skin care range yet? If you are, you’d be happy to know that they will be releasing this very limited edition coffret this xmas!

It includes an eye shadow quad that would suit most, if not all, skin tones.  A lip gloss that is pearly pink with their very pretty signature “butterflies” encased in the tube.  A loose powder for the face and body with coloured pearl pigments of red, blue, purple and other hues to bring out the best of your skin tone that comes with a very pretty and luxe powder puff that is decorated with a rose ornament that makes the whole dolling up experience more beautiful…

Look out for it in stores soon! 

I am “Career Star” in CLEO Singapore August 2012 ;-P

I’m honoured to be featured in the August issue of CLEO Singapore as their Career Star.  And the opportunity to share my experiences with people who are interested in them.

Thank you Katherine for the interview!

Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia June 2012

Just wanna share with you guys some beauty tips from myself and 2 other makeup experts from the UK and USA collected by Li Ying Lim.

Hope you’ll find them useful. 

From Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia June 2012 issue.

lips like lacquerware

The beautiful lacquerware has been a big part of the Japanese culture since some 9000 years ago when the oldest known example of it was discovered at a ruin in Hokkaido.  Over the years , it has become popular the world over, adding elegance and classicism to any room.

And now, Shiseido introducesLacquer Rouge.  12 new shades of brilliant coloured lip lacquer with great colour pay-off and staying power.  Looking like a lip gloss in a tube, it gives you the convenience of a lip gloss with the intense colour of a cream lipstick.

The lacquerware would take a few steps to come to perfection from getting the mold to adding the coloured lacquer coat to polishing the final top coat to achieve its shine.  But with Lacquer Rouge you’ll only need one steady sweep across your lips and you’ll get long-lasting, intense colour & shine without the stickiness.  How’s that?