Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Celestial

As promised, this is a review of Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Celestial! 

Description on the website:

•                For the first time, the intense, richer color of a lipstick is enhanced by a smooth satin shine

•                Ultra-intense, ultra-comfortable – it lasts all day

•                It's neither a lipstick... nor a gloss... it's BIGGER than both

The earth-shattering lip lacquer from Rimmel London combining the intense color of lipstick with a lacquer like shine, Show Off Lip Lacquer is an explosive make-up phenomenon that represents the end of color as you know it.  Packed with pure color pigments, its lusciously creamy, conditioning formula promises a never-before combination of color, shine and comfort that last and last.

Price:

I bought it at 30% off on ASOS.com. It's also selling at S$13 on Shopping-district.net, which is really affordable.

Texture:

It feels a lip gloss, but it's not sticky.

Scent:

It has quite a queer chemically-fruity scent, but the funky smell doesn't linger for long.

Swatch:

Celestial is a rosy medium pink that is very natural and suitable for daily wear.

Packaging:

The lip lacquers are packaged in a plastic tube, with an unique doe-foot applicator. Unlike Big Bang which has really intense pigmentation, Celestial is more on the natural side,  thus I find that the applicator works pretty well at scooping up the right amount of product.

What I like:

• The product glides on smoothly and it doesn't feel sticky
• Lovely pigmentation
• A very versatile colour that suits almost any kind of makeup looks

What can be improved:

• Lasting power is better than Luna, but as with the other 2 lip lacquers (Big Bang and Luna) I own, it's slightly drying after the initial gloss wears off

Celestial is one of those MLBB(my lips but better) colour. Initially I thought that the shade might be too dark for me, but it turned out to be just right! After trying out Big Bang, Luna and Celestial, I have to say my favourite has to be BIG BANG because it's just so bright and in your face! However, I get more use out of Celestial and Luna because they are just very easy, no brainer everyday colours.

I'm currently trying out another lip lacquer-type product, and I feel that it's BETTER than the Rimmel lip lacquers! More on that in another blog post! :)

Read my review of Rimmel's Lip Lacquer in Big Bang and Luna!

Lady M at Marina Square

Lady M opened its first Singapore outlet at Marina Square. I happened to pass by the outlet a couple of weeks ago, and decided to try out some of their pastries! This blog post consists of photos taken on 2 different occasions because I went back again!

The store layout is very modern, very spacious and somewhat unconventional. Actually I would say everything is very utilitarian and functional. There are no excessive decoration, just a few potted plants here and there. The queue on both occasions wasn't too bad at all, but they were slightly short-handed, so it took awhile before the waitress came over to take our orders.

For a new outlet, the condition of the menu is quite sad. I mean, it's a small thing, but it won't cost alot to buy a folder! Anyway, here's the menu. I think there's quite a decent variety of cakes.

With my date:)

Gâteau Nuage 

Gâteau Nuage translates to “cloud cake,” and that’s exactly what this sophisticated version of the classic cheesecakes offers. Cinnamon-kissed graham cracker crust meets an airy whipped cheesecake base. At the top, a thin layer of sweetened sour cream – silky finish to a perfect cheesecake.

I love it. 

I'm usually not a big fan of cheesecakes because I get jelak (sick of it) very quickly. But this is real good. Smooth and light, not too rich, but still very flavourful. The sour cream actually tastes like yogurt to me, and it helps to offset the richness of the cheesecake and lifts it up to another level. Now I just wish that they could make the graham cracker crust thicker cos it's damn good.

Lady M® Mille Crêpes 

Lady M Mille Crêpes feature no less than twenty paper-thin handmade crêpes layered with ethereal light pastry cream. Delicate and irresistible, the top gently caramelized till golden. Sink right in, alternating crêpe and cream layers literally melt in your mouth leaving a subtle sweet finish.

The Mille Crepes is basically just thin crepes + vanilla cream filling, nothing too extravagant. Like their Gâteau Nuage, the Mille Crepes is really well-balanced with just the right amount of sweetness. The crepes are also super thin and delicate, which is quite hard to find in Singapore.

If I had to choose between the two, I would go for the Gâteau Nuage, just because it feels more substantial than the Mille Crêpes. For a light dessert, I would definitely go for the Mille Crepes.

Lady M

• Marina Square Shopping Mall, 6 Raffles Boulevard #02-103
• Singapore, Singapore 039594
• 
  

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Luna

A couple of months ago, I reviewed Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Big Bang, and I was blown away by it's pigmentation and lasting power. At the beginning of November, I did a small haul on ASOS and bought Luna and Celestial (review coming soon!).

Description on the website:

•                For the first time, the intense, richer color of a lipstick is enhanced by a smooth satin shine

•                Ultra-intense, ultra-comfortable – it lasts all day

•                It's neither a lipstick... nor a gloss... it's BIGGER than both

The earth-shattering lip lacquer from Rimmel London combining the intense color of lipstick with a lacquer like shine, Show Off Lip Lacquer is an explosive make-up phenomenon that represents the end of color as you know it.  Packed with pure color pigments, its lusciously creamy, conditioning formula promises a never-before combination of color, shine and comfort that last and last.

Price:

I bought it at 30% off on ASOS.com. It's also selling at S$13 on Shopping-district.net, which is really affordable.

Texture:

It feels a lip gloss, but it's not sticky.

Scent:

It has quite a queer chemically-fruity scent, but the funky smell doesn't linger for long.

Swatch:

On my lips, Luna is a milky peachy pink. I imagine it to be really flattering for a wide range of skin tones.

 Packaging:

The lip lacquers are packaged in a plastic tube. Not super glam, but for the price, I can't really complain.

What I like:

• The product glides on smoothly and it doesn't feel sticky at all
• Lovely pigmentation, but it's not as intense as Big Bang
• The pretty milk peach pink is really flattering on my yellow-tone skin

What can be improved:

• Application could be slightly streaky at times, and it doesn't go on as smoothly as Big Bang
• Lasting power is not amazing, a few sips of my morning tea and it's pretty much gone

Overall, I think Luna is a lovely everyday colour, but I would prefer it to be more long-lasting. The brighter colours from the range are definitely the show-stopper, with intense pigmentation and great lasting power. I think if you only want to try one colour from the range, pick the bright reds and pinks!

Lush Dream Cream

Body creams, lotions, body butters, moisturizers. Some people struggle to keep up with the mundane task of slapping on those creams after a bath. For me, it's absolutely essential and I'd feel really uncomfortable without my body moisturizer.

I discovered Lush's Cream Cream on my trip to Japan and I'm currently on my second tub!

Description:

Our number one, best-selling product of all time, Dream Cream contains every ingredient nature makes for soothing sore skin. One of our proudest product achievements ever, we love this body lotion because it makes people happy. It transforms suffering bodies into states of peace with our calming blend of oat milk, lavender and chamomile to care for irritations, reduce redness, and banish blotches. Olive oil and cocoa butter are perfectly suited and incredibly effective for dry or chapped skin, and especially gentle for even the most sensitive types. Do your skin a favor, treat it right with Dream Cream.

Price

I bought this in Japan and I think it was around S$24 (240g)? I'm sure it will cost a lot more in Singapore, that's why I bought a backup after my first 2 uses in Japan.

Texture

Quite creamy but not thick, and it sinks into the skin about a minute or two without leaving a greasy layer.

Scent:

Herbally lavender scent. I can't say that it's the nicest smell in the world, but I definitely got used to it, and I think I even grew to like the light lavender scent.

Packaging

I love Lush's packaging. Even though it's not the most hygienic to have products in a tub like this, I really don't mind. I actually like dipping my fingers into tubs compared to pumping products out of a dispenser. That's for body products of course, for anything that comes in direct contact with my face, a pump please.

What I like:

• It absorbs easily, but it's still moisturizing enough.
• That fact that Lush uses a ton of natural ingredients! I have quite sensitive skin and it's just good to know that you're not putting on a layer of unhealthy chemicals on your skin every single night. I mean, I'm sure they use some sort of chemicals to prolong the shelve life of their products or whatever, but at least (I like to think) it's more natural than other some other moisturizers you get at the drugstore.

What can be improved:

Other than the price, i think I'm really happy with the Dream Cream! Nothing much to complain about really. 

It took me about 3months to finish an entire tub with daily usage and I'm currently halfway through my second tub:( Honestly, Dream Cream performs better compared to say Johnson and Johnson, but I get so much more product with Johnson and Johnson and it's a baby friendly brand! I might just go back to J&J after I finish Dream Cream, but if I have unlimited spending power, Dream Cream all the way.

The Providore at Mandarin Gallery

The Providore at Mandarin Gallery is brought to you by the people behind Jones the Grocer. I was there a few weeks ago with kx, su and rose for dessert.

I love the interior decor, which is both rustic and chic at the same time. We ordered a few desserts to share since we had quite a heavy dinner.

Mixed berry gelato ($5.50). Super light and refreshing, great for a sweltering afternoon or after a heavy meal. It's extremely addictive, with a good balance of sour and sweet, and I find myself reaching for it constantly.

Salted butter caramel gelato ($5.50). The person who came up with the idea of mixing butter with salted caramel is genius. Salted caramel is something that I can never resist, and I think this definitely made it to one of my top 3 salted caramel ice cream.

Strawberry shortcake ($8.50). Unfortunately, this looks better than it tastes. It's on the dry side, and I personally feel that the cake wasn't spongey enough.

Lemon meringue cake ($8-$9), can't remember the exact price. This was rather disappointing as well. It had quite a dry texture, just like the strawberry shortcake, and it tasted like raw lemon. 

With my girls! Mann, how I wish we were all still in school :(

I've only been to Providore on weekday nights and I think it's a really great spot to chill since there aren't many customers around. Will definitely return for their gelato ice cream! 

333A Orchard Road

Mandarin Gallery, #02-05

Singapore 238897 

Hours: Daily 9am - 11pm

Topshop Lip Bullet in Heartbeat

I'm such a sucker for new lip products. Ever since I bought the Soap & Glory's Gloss Stick (which left a really good impression), I've been wanting to test out more lip crayon type product to see how they fare. Topshop recently brought out their new range of lipsticks (packaged like a lip crayon), and I was immediately drawn to a bright coral colour - Heartbeat.

Description from website:

Richly pigmented self-sharpening precision lipstick with a satiny finish. Twist up format for precise application

Price:
$19

Texture:

Smooth and glossy, but it leaves a layer of film on the lips.

Scent:

No detectable scent

Packaging:
The lip bullet is housed in a twist up stick. As usual, Topshop's makeup packaging is always so simple and chic. One problem I had with the lip bullet is that the product has a tendency to melt and the colour will migrate down the white tip. It's not a very big issue though.

Swatch:

Topshop's lip bullet in Heartbeat is described as a peachy pink colour on their website. On my lips, the peachy tone doesn't really stand out. It's quite a bright colour, but it can be toned down by wearing just a light layer.

What I like:

• The lip bullet is just as pigmented as a lipstick. I was expecting more of a sheer colour, so I was pleasantly surprised by the colour payoff.
• Heartbeat is quite a bright colour and it leaves a nice pinkish stain even after a few hours of wear.

What can be improved:

• I much prefer the texture of Soap & Glory's Gloss Stick. Topshop's lip bullet leaves an 'oily' film on my lips, and application can sometimes be quite patchy.
• The lip bullet is not drying, but it tends to sink into the dry lines on my lips.

To be honest, the lip bullet feels very similar to a regular lipstick, the only difference is the packaging. I have to say that I'm slightly disappointed by the lip bullet. At $19, I think it's a tad overpriced for what it does. I could easily get a lipstick from Revlon that is better quality. Nonetheless, it is a pretty colour, so I'll probably continue wearing it. 

Symmetry at Jalan Kubor

Last Sunday, we popped by Symmetry at Jalan Kubor to try out their brunch! I haven't got the time to properly blog about it because I was so tired and busy last week. Thankfully I've nothing on today, so I'm just chilling at home, giving myself a good break.

Symmetry has quite an understated facade and their signboard is super tiny. Without prior research, I imagine it will be quite hard to locate the place. Thank god for the internet.

We were there at about 12pm and we managed to get a table at the alfresco area within 5min. The indoor area has a quirky indie vibe, but it's pretty small and dark (hence the lack of photos). The alfresco area is a lot brighter, and is a more suitable setting for brunch in my opinion!

Symmetry uses free-range eggs in their dishes! I supposed that explains why their prices are slightly higher than your average cafes.

For mains, I ordered the truffle eggs mushroom ($21). I FREAKING LOVE THIS. If you're a fan of truffle fries, TRY THIS. Just imagine moist scramble eggs and mushrooms soaked in truffle oil. I agree that it's slightly overpriced because the portion is not huge and I don't really care for the toast and the hashbrown, but to me, it's so worth it. I'll definitely go back for more.

Because I choped the truffle eggs and mushrooms, Raymond had to order the eggs benedict ($20), which wasn't too bad too! I'm not sure if it's just a placebo effect, but the egg yolk did feel slightly different than the normal eggs. It's of a brighter orange colour, and the yolk itself was much thicker than conventional egg yolk. I'm not a fan of the muffins below the eggs, as it soaked up all my egg yolk:(

I also ordered the affogato ($6). It was my first time trying an affogato. Heard kx talk about it before, and it sounded quite interesting! If I'm not wrong, it's just a shot of expresso with vanilla ice cream. This is pretty intense for someone who doesn't take coffee on a daily basis, but I think it's worth a try!

Raymond's green tea latte ($5/6) was okay I guess,. Compared to my affogato, it's really nothing too impressive, so we'll probably give it a miss next time we visit.

If you're tired of visiting the same old bugis street and orchard road, perhaps venture into Jalan Kubor and the rows of shophouses there! We saw quite a few quirky lil establishments and picture-worthy spots! 

Symmetry

9 Jalan Kubor #01-01 S(199206)

Singapore 199206

Tel: 62919901