Isabel Lee | Malaysian Beauty & Lifestyle Blogger: May 2013

Why I want a Havaianas!

I've avoided flip flops aka selipar Jepun for as long as I can remember because I've always seen them to be so UGLY! But then I started class at Taylor's and this is the condition of our parking lot - so rocky and hard to walk on!

Literally 10 minute walk to class everyday. Then you might need to walk up 7 floors and if it rains, you can say bye bye to your sneakers. Hence, everyone in Taylor's including me wears flip flops.. But it's just so un-glam lah.. =/

Then I stumbled upon the God of flip flops - Havaianas.

OMG! Flip flops can actually be pretteh! So many shades of pink too *melts*

There's even a range with elevated soles! You can still have the height heels offer with the comfort of Havaianas. I always love some height in my shoes!

If you're the girly girly kind, there are even these with cute hearts and flowers. Love the teal btw.

On days when I feel like dressing up to class, there are fashionable flip flops like these! Bling bling ones for when I'm dressing 'cool' or floral ones for girly days. I think these might even be pretty enough to wear with dresses!

So many designs and I love all of them! You know how awkward it is when you bump into another girl wearing the same outfit? Well, now you can wear unique flip flops that speak your personality.

And.. What's my main reason for wanting a pair of Haiavanas? So I can wear 'em to the Spa Party! Of course, that's only if I win invites.. So double fingers crossed!

Why I Want to Attend the Big Spa Party!

The Butterfly Project is having this big Spa Party and here are my reasons why I want to be there!

Having Timeless Truth Masks & Posh! Nail Spa as the sponsors, I'm sure we girls will be treated to an absolutely amazing pampering time. You might know already, I love TT Masks! And manicures too~~ ^_^ I've had plenty of 'ME-times' but this is a WE-time!

It's like these scenes in movies which I never got to experience! Can I have a Girls' Day In with my blogger girl friends too? =(

What happens when you put a big bunch of vain bloggers together? Photo spammmm! Manicures and cameras don't go well together but there at the spa party, Fotobox will be providing.. well, a photobox! Since Tres Chic - The Party Planner is also a sponsor, I'm hoping the place will be prettily decorated so our photos will look good (as good as us =x)! A photobooth is seriously one of the best things in an event! xD So convenient to take photos, perfect lighting and it makes us look good too nyahahahha!~

What completes a girly day? Food!! - Provided by Idea Food Solution
Yes, apart from beauty, my passion lies in eating as well =x Buffet of pampering, photos and now food! It can't get any better..

Then of course, there are the other sponsors. Can't wait to see what surprises await the girls at the spa party!

With all these brands at the Spa Party, I definitely do not want to miss it! Since the dress code is bathrobes & flipflops, I'll also be participating in a Haiavanas contest to try and win a pair! ^_^ Keeping my fingers crossed

Biotherm White D-Tox C.C. Cream

I know what you're thinking.. "So Biotherm has jumped onto the CC Cream bandwagon" - Well, not really.. We've already seen several CC Creams in the market. They are an upgrade from BB Creams which are normally like tinted moisturizers. However, this latest product by Biotherm is an innovative CC base which provides Colour & Care!

Being more than just a makeup base, this product contains skincare to protect your skin so while it temporarily masks your imperfections, it is actually preventing them from developing as well! So one day, you won't have to cover them anymore =)

Makeup + skincare packaged in a cute lil bottle!

I really like the nozzle cos it's sturdy and easy to control. Also helps that the product isn't very watery =)

The colour tint is really subtle and almost disappears into skin. It does not leave behind any sticky or greasy residue.

The Biotherm CC Cream offers 5-in-1 Care & Correction: Corrects, Hydrates, Smoothes, Protects & Illuminates.

SPF 50+/PA++ together with triple illuminating Lumina Marina Complex protect your skin from the effects of the sun while brightening it.

Purple CC Evenness successfully brightens and corrects the yellowness in my skintone (I'm REALLY yellow, trust me..). It glides on really well so I don't end up with purple blotches (personal experience in the past).
* No editing on my skin

There are in total 5 colours to tackle different skin tone problems.

I didn't think it would actually smoothen my skin but proven wrong by my photos! Skin feels powdery smooth but it doesn't really help with the pimples though (Get Green CC Cream if you have acne). Somehow, foundation adheres much better like it's melting into my skin instead of just sitting on top.
(click to enlarge)

Over here, I have foundation on both sides but CC Cream on the left side only. This makeup base hydrates skin and provides a smooth canvas for foundation to go on so it doesn't look cakey. Notice how my skin is normally flaky and dry..
(click to enlarge)

A closeup!

Overall, I think this is a pretty good product since it is skincare + moisturizer + sunblock + colour correction + base. I can even use this on days when I'm not using foundation, just for that lil boost & SPF.
*No editing on skin apart from panda eyes in these 2 photos

Oh btw, Rainie Yang is the ambassador! I want skin like her too~~

Ingredients :

Size : 30 ml

Price : RM 135

Made in France

** Product was provided by the company for review purposes. However, this has not affected my thoughts on the product in any way.

K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow Mascara (02 Natural Brown)

With coloured hair, frankly my dark eyebrows look strange sometimes. I usually leave it unfilled since I have fringe but when you remove my fringe.. Hello, floating eyes?! Looks worse IRL! Like bulging eyes or sth..

Ta-da! This is the product I've been using to disguise my naturally black eyebrow hair. K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow Mascara in 02 Natural Brown. There's a lighter one in 01 Camel Brown as well.

The special brush!

I use the brush side, not the U-side to apply. It's really easy since the formula is quite watery but adheres well. Just go back and forth until the hair is covered til the roots. On my first few attempts, I got the colour on my skin and took too long until it clumped =/ Practice makes perfect~

There you go~ Love how it makes the hair the same colour as my eyebrow pencil. It softens the whole look.

The colour itself is a bronzey yellow that's quite shimmery so I wouldn't say it's the most natural eyebrow mascara I've seen. Can only be spotted close up though.

I do think it is slightly too light & yellow for my hair colour but I can live with it =)

Softer brows are just so much more demure and girly! Great if you're into gyaru looks.

Compulsory photo of me looking stupid lol But I think my brows look pretty nice here haha!

Apparently resistant to water, perspiration and sebum but in general, my brow products don't normally budge.

Probably matches their Lasting 2-Way Eyebrow which I have reviewed in 01 Chocolate Brown & 02 Honey Brown. And for light brows, brown eyeliner would be awesome! I really like their brown eyeliner. And not to mention my current fav undereye concealer, the Zero Kuma Concealer.

Price : RM 42.90

Bought from : Sasa

Made in Japan

Nature & Co Vital Purity Lift Mask

Another product from my HiShop Welcome Pack..

This time I'm reviewing the Nature & Co Vital Purity Lift Mask.

Original packaging is in a jar, which I'm not too sure how it'll work since it is a clay mask..

Description:
Tightens pores and smoothens skin texture
This cool-feeling lift mask smoothens out sagging skin
The natural clay ingredients banish dullness to produce soft, smooth skin
No artificial coloring

Has a really thick texture but is easy to spread.

The creamy mask applies smoothly and doesn't slide off. Avoid eye areas. I experienced some warmth from the product (hence avoid eye areas) which apparently is from the organic lavender extract which has cooling & tightening properties to lift skin.

Leave on skin for a maximum of 5 minutes. The natural clay base removes waste products and promotes skin turnover. Forgive my Angelina Jolie lips.. I didn't wanna crack the mask xD

And this when I realized that I ALWAYS frown, even when I'm doing nothing for 15 minutes dammit!

Really easy to remove even with water, unlike some other clay masks I've tried. Also, it doesn't really dry out my skin, which is surprising. Although I don't see any miraculous effects, it makes my skin feel nice and removes shine.

Size : 140 ml

Price : RM 88.90

** Product was provided by HiShop for review purposes. However, this has not affected my thoughts on the product in any way.

Empro Aqua Gel Base & Aqua BB SPF 30 PA++

Empro has recently upgraded their Aqua Series, namely the Aqua Gel Base & Aqua BB SPF 30 PA++! The range is meant to hydrate & nourish skin while covering imperfections.

Look at this! It's so pretty and sparkly~~ Love the light teal colour.

Looks really silvery in photos. Sorry bout that.. Once blended out, it's not that obvious but it just provides a slight shimmer. Smells really good too and the gel texture is really light. The product is supposed to brighten skin, promote skin regeneration and cover skin problems (uneven skin tone & imperfections) without clogging pores.

"Made from natural ingredients including minerals like coral, pearl, diamond and amethyst, prolonged use of Empro’s Aqua Gel Base will improve your overall dull skin texture and most importantly, helps to protect your skin for pure, even and spotless results - always."

Here, I have applied it on the left of the photo. See? Told you the shimmer isn't too obvious until you look like you jumped out from Twilight.

However, upon close inspection, you will see that the fine shimmer actually helps to brighten your complexion and being out your features. It highlights my cheekbone on the left when it is usually really flat and meh~ Good if you like to create a dewy complexion like the Koreans have.

Next up is the Aqua BB with SPF 30 PA++ which functions as a moisturizer, primer, foundation and sunblock.

"With frequent usage, it is proven to be able to reduce fine lines and discolouration. It provides UV protection with anti-ageing, skin repair benefits whilst rejuvenating the skin.Furthermore is also contains Ceramide and Hyaluronic Acid which enhances the moisture level.

Made from organic ingredients including flower and plant extracts like Rose, Golden Chamomile, Plum Blossom,Marigold,Dandelion, Chameleon, Thyme, and Japanese Ashitaba Leaves which is popularly known as the "Health Herb rich in anti-oxidant properties with 16 kinds of amino acid and a variety of vitamins. Additionally it contains ShisoLeaves which is rich in minerals and vitamins and has good anti-inflammatory effects."

The texture of the Aqua BB is not thick and it's really easy to spread. In fact, you have to use less product as a tiny bit is sufficient.

Looks really natural and it doesn't appear cakey on skin.

I wouldn't say the coverage is really great since I still need concealer but it does even out my skin tone and hide certain scars, veins, redness, pores and blemishes.

*No touch up done on my skin in any of the photos in this post
My panda eyes are really just ridiculously dark so I didn't expect the Aqua BB to cover it anyway.. It does however, brighten my dull skin and give me a more even complexion which is good enough. As I'm quite tanned, the initial colour is too light for me but it adjusts quite well after about 15 minutes.