Favourite beauty products of 2016!

Seems like I'm getting worse at this game year by year, but anyway seeing as it's the last day of 2016, I thought I'd do a recap of my favourite products this year! 

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH) Liquid Lipsticks 

Liquid lipsticks were a HUGE hit this year and whilst I've tried a number of brands - drugstore to high-end - my favourite hands down are ABH's in specific the shade ASHTON. It's described as a midtone yellow brown but it's so. much. more. 

These liquid lipsticks have the best lasting power on me as well as the least drying among all the other brands. They retail at USD20 and you can get them here. 

2. Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask 

Another big thing for me this year were paper masks. Like, I've always used them but this year I've elevated my usage of them. Masking it up nearly 4 to 5 times a week and I feel like it's made a huge difference in my skincare routine. Plus, it's all very relaxing! 

I bought a bunch of this mask whilst I was in Korea and my only regret is that I didn't buy more! It's only about MYR3 in Korea and it's retailing here in Malaysia for MYR5.48 per piece. The mask fits my face perfectly so there's no excess flapping anywhere. The ratio of essence to mask is also perfect so I don't feel like I'm wasting all the essence. My skin also always feels super plump after I've used the mask. 

My favourite out of the bunch is probably the Aloe. 

3. Belif The True Cream - Moisturising Bomb

Okay first let me clarify, I have fallen deep in love with a lot of Belif's product. Even the herbal scent of their products completely draws me in but this cream, I've been using it as a night cream and let me tell you: My skin feels so refreshed in the morning when I wake up. It's glowy without looking gross and feels soft. 

It's retailing at MYR160 for 50ml and you only need the tiniest amount per application. Read more about it here. 

4, Biore Cleansing Oil 

I've always been a user of Shu Uemura cleansing oils but they're proven to bite quite a chunk out of my wallet every time I had to repurchase. So, I went off to find a solution and the solution is this: Biore Cleansing Oil is my lifesaver every single night. 

Light office makeup: Biore Cleansing Oil to the rescue 

Heavy dinner makeup: Biore Cleansing Oil to the rescue

24 hour makeup worn: Biore Cleansing Oil to the rescue. 

What I am trying to say is that this cleansing oil only costs about MYR 20 - 25 depending where you purchase it and it does an ultimate job at removing every inch of makeup. I still double cleanse of course but I've just been through a journey of very disappointing makeup removers/cleansing oil that just didn't cut it. 

Best believe I will not be leaving this out of my routine for a while. I've got about 4 backups in my cupboard as I type. Just in case. 

5. Clarins Ever Matte Skin Balancing Foundation 

This is my HG foundation - it keeps my skin oil-free for a good amount of time, the colour match is perfect and it never ever feels heavy regardless of how much I use on my face. Also worth mentioning it's got a very nice fresh cucumber scent which I love. 

Retails for GBP28 and the only downside of this is that it is not sold here in Malaysia. So I don't know what I will do when I run out of it. You can read about the foundation here, I'm in the colour 109 WHEAT just for reference and I'm a MAC NC25

So, here's my top 5. Sorry not that sorry about a pictureless post but I've MISSED typing in huge chunks of text so this felt good. 

2016 has been a pretty good year in terms of beauty products/skincare/ skin life in general and I'm hoping 2017 will be a better one too and that I don't get any crowfeet!!! 

Lots of love,

Amelia. 

ColourPop Lippie Stix and Ultra Matte Lip

Ah, Colourpop. A brand we've seen and heard all around the internet world for the past 2 years or so. They've recently opened for International Shipping on the 15th of July so now everyone (except China and Turkey) will be able to get their hands on this highly coveted brand. 

I received my order last week and I've been dying to type about them! Big big thank you to lovely Charissa for helping with this order. 

The thing about Colourpop is that it's affordable. The price range for most items are between USD5 (RM20) to USD10 (RM40). Super easy on the wallet -- plus they always have all in the in-season colours so who says it's expensive to keep in trend? 

My little Colourpop haul - 3 Lippie Stix, 2 Ultra Matte Lips and 4 Super Shock Shadows 

I'll only be typing about the lip products I bought today. Save the eye products for another day because I haven't actually gotten around to using them. 

ColourPop Lippie Stix

(L-R) Brink (Coral),  Contempo (Mauve Pink), Pillow Talk  (Grey Brown)

These are basically like Lip Sticks but creamier. They come in a variation of finishes i.e Matte, Matte X, Pearlized, Creme, Satin Luxe, Sheer, Satin etc. Since I'm a HUGE fan of matte lips I chose Brink and Contempto (both Matte) and Pillow Talk (Matte X). 

The formula of the mattes are comfortable on the lips, I wouldn't say they have the best staying power but compared to the Matte X's  I would say they are definitely more drying. I really like the Matte X formula and I can foresee myself getting more of this formula in the future. Although, it seems there is not many choices in the Matte X selection. The Matte X is really creamy and it feels like it would just slip and slide off but the colour stays on for a considerable amount of time. 

All three of these Lippie Stix cost USD5 each. 

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip 

(L-R) Bumble (Reddish Brown), Kae (Brown)

Can I just say first and foremost, Kae is a bitch to put on. Never mind it's a dark colour, the formula was gloopy and extremely thick it was a nightmare to put on. The applicator just had SO MUCH product concentrated at the tip. It was impossible. Bumble was a lot easier  (also can I just say Bumble is an A in my books) so maybe the quality just varies. 

Kae is a colour from the ColourPop x Karreuche collaboration and while it's a nice colour, I don't think I'll be reaching much for it considering how difficult it is to put it on. 

The longevity of these are decent. The colour oxidises to a darker colour throughout the day and they are quite drying. Also, wanted to note that the colour disappears from the inside of your lips first so you'd get that weird thick lipliner effect at the end of the day if you don't do any touch ups in between. 

I paid USD6 for the Ultra Matte Lips. 

(L-R) Bumble, Kae, Brink, Contempo, Pillow Talk 

(Clockwise starting from Top Right) Bumble, Kae, Brink, Contempt, Pillow Talk 

So my verdict for ColourPop lip products so far? 

GO FOR IT. 

I mean for USD5/6 there's not much to complain even if the products are a tad bit drying. At least they don't smell or taste funny and if they're not long lasting, you can always just keep reapplying because they're only USD5 at the end of the day. Buying backups/replacements would be a lot more wallet friendly. 

Already making an e-list of the next colours I want to purchase. Can't wait! 

Lots of love,

Amelia xx

MAC Cosmetics: Whirl, Viva Glam Ariana Grande, Speak Louder

I know it's July which means it's been 3 months since my birthday has passed so this is just a little backdated but today I wanted to talk about the 3 lip colours I've been able to add to my MAC lipstick collection! I have been so fortunate to receive all these colours for my birthday this year. My friends really do know what I'm all about. 

As you can see, the only colour I've used out of the 3 has been Ariana Grande's 

(L-R) Whirl, Viva Glam Ariana Grande, Speak Louder)

First off, Whirl is mostly described as a "dirty rose" colour, more towards the brown although in the picture of the lipsticks above, it does no justice to the colour at all. I would say it's darker than MAC Persistence. I am absolutely loving this range of colours right now, so I can totally see myself getting a lot of use out of this colour. It's of a matte finish which is my most perferable finish at the moment. 

Then we move on to Viva Glam Ariana Grande which is a deep deep purple. I am a huge Ariana Grande fan, love her music, love her face, love her snapchats (which usually contains a lot of snaps of dogs) so naturally, my friends would think about getting me her lipstick! I am actually very lucky this birthday because 2 friends bought me the same lipstick! Apart from the very deep - almost black - purple, I am saddened to say that because it is such a dark colour, the application is very patchy and takes a while to put it on properly. Best worn using a lip brush in my opinion. 

The Viva Glam range are one of my favourites as every cent of the selling price of each Viva Glam lipsticks are donated to the MAC Aids Fund. I've also got Nicki Minaj's one. 

Last but not least, a colour that I seem to be lacking in my entire lip collection: Pink. Speak Louder is a very blue based pink.. almost poppy pink if I must say. It is of a cremesheen finish which makes it more moisturising and there's a little shine to it as well. While it's not a colour I will find myself wearing a lot, it will look so pretty with a clean eyeliner look, thicker eyebrows and pink cheeks! 

I am completely aware the makeup on the rest of my face does not necessarily go with the lipstick, but I was too lazy to change up my makeup. 

I'm very pleased with all 3 shades even though I'm not too sure where I'm wear the Ariana Grande one out to. Not appropriate for work/dinner, probably if there were events/parties whereby I will not be eating/drinking too much. Would be so difficult to reapply. 

Lipsticks/Lip products really are my favourite kind of makeup. It can change your look up in an instance and there are a million and one colours to collect/try. 

Lots of love,

Amelia xx

Anastasia Beverly Hills: Modern Rennaisance Palette & Liquid Lipstick

We all know Anastasia Beverly Hills (abbrev. - ABH) is famous for their brow products.. especially their dipbrow pomade. However, since I've gotten my eyebrows embroided on, I'm not so big on brow products/ I'm really bad at drawing eyebrows. I don't know all of y'all do it, I completely salute you all i.e Girls who have to draw on their eyebrows every single day. If I didn't do eyebrow embroidery, my eyebrows would be a proper wreck. Can't even draw a straight line, imagine me trying to draw on two perfect brows. 

Anyway, ABH came out with their Modern Renaissance Palette recently and it was really love at first sight. I've been crazy about all the warmer colours for the eyelids recently.. oranges and red.. so when I saw this palette, I knew I had to have it. 

Apart from the amazing selection of colours (my favourites are Burnt Orange, Red Orche and Realgar.), the shadows are super pigmented and so very buttery. A little goes a long way with these and they blend effortlessly. I've yet to try the longevity of these, so I'll be testing them out next week but from what I've read online, they're meant to be long-lasting as well. Which is great for me cause I've got my make-up on for an average 12-14 hours a day usually. 

Of course I had to get some of the ABH liquid lipsticks that I have been seeing all over Instagram. I limited myself to just 3 colours and here are the chosen ones: 

(L-R) Ashton, Carina, Stripped

Verdict on these Liquid Lipsticks? 

Long wearing, comfortable and NOT drying. I wore Carina for dinner yesterday and it lasted throughout the entire meal and even when I did a touch up afterwards it was easy and smooth (unlike some other liquid lipsticks I've tried). There's no specific scent to them and they're completely waterproof. They are also quite opaque so one swipe of the liquid lipstick was enough.

Lip swatches: 

Ashton

Stripped 

Full faced MOTD with Carina on my lips 

I bought them off ABH's website it self with the Modern Renaissance Palette costing me USD42 and the Liquid Lipsticks at USD20 each. Delivery was only 5 days with DHL and I'm very happy with the whole process.  Actually, I'm just really happy about the entire purchase. #NORAGRETS

Lots of love,

Amelia xx

MISSHA X LINE FRIENDS

You're read about my newly acquired Cony themed Innisfree Long Wear Cushion, now let me introduced to my most recent acquisition of a couple of items from the MISSHA x LINE FRIENDS collab that's been all the rage in Korea! 

When the MISSHA x LINE FRIENDS collection first came out, I couldn't decide what to buy so I didn't buy anything! So responsible right?! However, I must not be the only one who thought that way because Althea.kr, from whom I've made several purchases so far from that never disappoints, came up with two variations of MISSHA x LINE FRIENDS boxes that you could choose from, which were great for people like I who could not make up their minds! 

I opted for the RM249 box as I did not want the Hand Cream and First Time Essence. So, here's what I got in my box (which btw, I think is a really great deal):  

   

 In Clockwise Direction (L-R) 

Brown Air Puffs - Replacement for the Cushion, M Magic Cushion Matte Brown in #21, Tension Blusher in PK02 Pink Ruffle, All Around Safe Block Sebum Zero Sun, Dual Blending Cushion Shadow in Almond Chocolat, Coloring Tint Balm in Love To You, Poptastic Jelly Tint in Club Red and a Brown & Sally Pocket Mirror! 

How cute is the detailing of the puffs that come with both the Cushion and Tension Blusher?! TOO CUTE.  I actually cannot deal. Would be really sad once I've run out of these puffs. 

I'm mostly exciting to try out the All Around Safe Block Sebum Zero Sun which is basically a sunblock that's meant to keep oiliness at bay and the M Magic Cushion, mostly because I've been reading a lot of good reviews of it online. The only product I've ever used from Missha is their The Style Liquid Sharp Eye Liner which is one of my favourite products but I know they're really popular for their BB creams as well. I'll come back with a proper review for both the Tension Blusher and M Magic Cushion once I've used them both for a decent amount of time! 

This is the way to make Amelia buy products - stamp LINE Friends and Hello Kitty all over the products and confirm I'll buy it. (T^T) Such a sucker for anything Line and Hello Kitty related. 

Lots of love,

Amelia xx 

MAC Persistence

It has been a good 2.5 years since I've actually bought a MAC lipstick with my own money. But seeing as I'm turning 25 in a week - TBH any excuse would've worked.. I thought I could treat myself (#TREATYOSELF2016) to one and the colour that I have chosen to spend my RM74 on is.. 

Persistence. 

Which is funny, when you come and think of it cause I've been so persistent on not spending money on MAC lipsticks. 

Anyway, it was a close call between Persistence and Whirl but alas! Persistence won, mostly because I've been looking for more brown-toned lipsticks. 

It may look slightly orange in the picture above, but when worn Persistence's actually a very nice wearable medium brown with hints of orange-red undertones. It was actually almost muddy when swatched on my hands but we all know, that because we have different pigmented lips most lip colours would look different worn on the lips. 

It's of a matte finish and I am crazy about it rn. I don't quite have anything in my lipstick wardrobe just like it so it's really one-of-a-kind for me. 

Have you given brown lipsticks a try? Maybe you should.. I know I've tempted my friend Yen Mei enough to say she'll delve into more nude shades. Yay! Success!

Lots of love,

Amelia xx

Innisfree Long wear Cushion

Been away for the longest time, thanks to busy schedules, having visitors (which have been just so lovely), DOTS and Please Come Back, Mister not that I'm complaining. Any reason to watch Rain on the big screen is always welcomed in my life especially since I will be missing out on actually seeing him in real life because I'll be in his country. #TalkAboutFate #FanSince2005 Mega bummed out but I like to think that the next time he comes back to Malaysia I'd be able to afford the most expensive category to watch him perform and that makes me feel tiny bit better..

So enough about me and Rain, which is a completely unrelated topic to what  I've always wanted to talk about today which is my HG face product that I found in the later months of 2014 and have not been without ever-since. The Innisfree Long Wear Cushion in No. 21 Natural Beige. I've actually put my love for my Smashbox BB cream, Clarins Ever Matte Foundation on hold because of how good this cushion is. 

I'm an oily-combi skinned gal and also part of Team #SweatSoEasilyYouWishItWasAJoke so looking for a HG face product was really difficult especially when I spend most of my days out for at least 12 hours straight so I needed something that would literally last throughout all the blood (rain), sweat and tears. It also doesn't help that I live in Kuala Lumpur so it's crazy humid and hot here as well. 

With the Innisfree Long Wear Cushion, I hardly ever need to blot (just to be clear, I still lightly sweep my face with loose powder after applying the cushion). I used to always blot pre-cushion times! My blush and eye makeup sits longer on my face and I am usually happily surprised every time I return home after a long night of dancing and sweating to see that my face is still in fact, intact. 

Okay lah, I don't want to make it sound like this cushion is so godly but I honestly really really like this cushion. Everything from the little blue puff to the scent to the staying power.. I can't find fault in it! I even use it doubled up as a concealer on days that I'm too lazy to fish out my concealer and it works! I LOVE IT. I believe that it is quite sweat proof because whenever I wipe sweat off my face I hardly see any brown residue on the tissue. It will however, wipe off when you're blowing your nose hard. Unfortunately, had to experience this as I had a little ill episode last week. I've also tried applying this cushion in really bad lighting and it's such a breeze to blend, it's basically effortless!

ProTip: If you think you've dried out your cushion, use a tweezer and flip the cushion over, there's usually tons of product left on the other side. So this product can nearly last 6 months with every-day use which makes it affordable too. 

Currently, Innisfree in Malaysia (and Singapore if I'm not wrong) is doing a little collab with LINE for Earth Day 2016 in April. I'm a sucker for anything LINE - especially Cony (the white Rabbit) cause I feel like she's my alter ego so I went nuts for this promo. Managed to snag the pretty pink Cushion Case and I feel so happy whenever I look at it. The other Cushion Case that's available is Brown (the brown bear) in Yellow. In order to be able to snag the super cute Cushion Cases, you'd need to either purchase 1 X Cushion or 2 X Refills. I obviously went for the refills.. more affordable! There's also a nice Brown toiletry bag with a set of Innisfree Green Tea Kit for customers who've purchased RM300 and above.

This sounds like an advert, but I'm definitely not paid for this post. I just really really enjoy this product and whilst I will be buying some other cushions to try while I am in Korea  (IOPE, HERA) I know that the Innisfree Long Wear Cushion will ALWAYS have a place in my heart. 

Check out more information about colours available and ingredients HERE.

Lots of love,
Amelia xx

Too Faced Melted Metal Metallic Lipstick Tutu and Dream House

First and foremost, Happy Chinese New Year! May every one of you have happiness, and live long and prosper in the year of the Fire Monkey.

As most of you would be aware by now, I am a huge fan of lipstick. How just one bullet of colour is able to change your look from day to night, from office to dinner.. It’s amazing. So when the makeup world went ahead and created liquid lipsticks, well you can just imagine something that’s long wearing, mostly matte, and is opaque? I’d totally be into that.

When Too Faced released their Melted Liquefied Lipsticks, I remember going absolutely cray and bought my first shade in Ruby which turned out to be downright disappointing. First off, it’s meant to be a very red red, but upon wearing it on my lips it turns out to be this very deep pink which left me really sad. Also, the texture was almost too powdery for my liking and the after-wear left me with dry chapped lips that peeled. I was also gifted the colour Fuchsia, and while it was not as disappointing as Ruby, I don’t find myself reaching for it either. 

However, not very long after, Too Faced released yet another line to their Melted lipsticks… The Melted Metallic Metal Liquefied Lipsticks. Here’s where it gets interesting.. see, liquid lipsticks are usually almost always matte but these ones, they were metallic which meant there had to be a slight “metallic” sheen to them and so I was intrigued and decided to give Too Faced another chance. After all, third time’s the charm right? 

Of course, I didn’t only buy 1. I *had* to buy 2 of them – in the colours Tutu and Dream House. You can probably guess which of the two I ended up in favour of . 

Tutu (Left) and Dream House (Right)

Tutu is a beautiful  medium coral-pink with a slight gold/pink shimmer. The longevity is decent - lasts for a good couple of hours through drinking and nomming on non-oily food. It also stains my lip a light coral shade which is nice and doesn’t leave that godawful “lip-liner” effect. It also didn't dry my lips which I really appreciate. The only thing I probably didn’t enjoy about this product is probably its opacity or lack thereof. I need about 3 layers to completely cover my lips and I don’t even have very heavily pigmented lips.  

All in all, I don’t think I would buy more of these Too Faced Melted Lipsticks – metallic or not. Dream House is a bright (blue toned) Fuchsia which gives off a pearlescent finish (heavy specks of glitter alert!) that I find myself not really liking. It's also quite patchy on the lips. It’s annoying isn’t it, how swatches on the back of your hand are never alike to when you actually wear the product on your lip? I find myself loving the product on the back of my hand and then being really disappointed when I actually wear them on my lips.  I would repurchase Tutu (I'm three quarters done with the product) as I don't have anything quite like it (actually reconsidering my decision still) and plus points for it not drying tf out of my lips but for the other colours? It's alright, I'll pass.

Other Liquid Lipsticks that I have tried and have preferred over this range of product are 3CE Lip Lacquers and NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. I’ll review them at some point so y’all can see what they’re all about! I’m currently *dying* (yes, a little dramatic- but really) to have some Lime Crime Velvetines in my collection as well as The Balm’s Meet Matte Hughes . So fingers crossed for those babies soon!

If  you have any liquid lipsticks that you know of and would love to recommend, please feel free to holler! Always open to reading about new products.

xx,
Amelia.

Jan'16 Favourites

January 2016 Favourites

 

Just like that with a blink of an eye (specifically the left - because I have a slight twitch there..) January 2016 be dones. What have you done? I've mostly been working and eating a lot of cup noodles and not sleeping the best. Looking forward to February though, plenty of CNY plans and travelling and heading back to my homeland. 

Today, we have what I deem my favourite products of Jan'16. These are the items I have specifically been using every day for the past 31 days. Except maybe the Almond Drops because I only acquired it halfway through the month but I've been crazy about it. 

Lemme get down to it- everyone knows this one. Urban Decay's Naked Palette. The first of the entire beautiful Naked range. I can never get enough of this palette. It can bring me from day to night just. like. that. I can never *ever* get sick of this palette. Also, Buck be my favourite brow colour especially when I have lighter hair. 

The Balm's Meet Matte(e) Nude was gifted to me for Christmas a year ago and it's another winner. Matt Singh, Matt Garcia and Matt Wood are my go-to colours always with this palette. It works perfectly with Urban Decay's Naked. Also everything is Matte so it's perfect. 

The newest addition to my hair routine is this little bottle of Bajaj Almond Oil. It's deemed as a "non-sticky hair oil" with Vitamin E.. and it really is, non-sticky. I use it and my hair absorbs it. It LOVES it. I've been reading up on this oil in the e-world and apparently, you can use it on your face/body too! So I've been using it on my undereye (it's meant to be great for dark circles) and I really like it. I've also tried it as an overnight oil therapy thang for my hair (slept in a shower cap and all)  and woke up to crazy soft hair. I LOVE IT.  

ZA Perfect Fit Concealer is simple and long-lasting. I don't have much to say about  it but out of all my concealers (I have a fair few..) I've been reaching for this one this entire month. It's light and has perfect coverage. I don't look like I haven't slept the entire night with it on. It's great. I'm using Colour 01 for my NC25 skin. 

Lastly, the *ONLY* blusher I've been using since the end of Dec'15. Nars Deep Throat. It's a coral with a hint of pink and a golden shimmer-sheen which allows it to work as a mild highlighter as well? It's super long lasting as are all Nars blushes - they make my favourite blushers seriously. One of my dreams is to own every single pan of Nars blush there is in the world but that'll take a while considering I only have 4 at the moment. *big dreams*  

Also, included in my list but not in my pictures is obviously - MAC Velvet Teddy. Read about it here. I cannot put into words just how much I've been appreciating this lipstick. I've already used up half a bullet and worrying about backups. I feel like I need a whole drawer of it. Totally not excessive.. 

xx,

Amelia

Day and Night Routine - 1Q'16

Day Routine

 L-R Clockwise direction: Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract Toner, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, Biore UV Perfect Face milk and Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream

Night Routine

 L-R Clockwise direction: Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract Toner, Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, Namu Snail White and Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

For as long as I could remember, my mom has always stressed how important our skin is to us. 12 years old Amelia and all that adolescent acne/whiteheads/icky stuff coming up on my forehead. Thankfully, that didn't last too long, about a year into that.. the lady working at my mom's facial place made a face at my forehead and I did my first extraction, cried a little and was given some cream that was meant to help. It did help. It helped a lot. I am so thankful for that lady. 

I started off simple, with Nivea, Simple, .. Neutrogena, found out my skin didn't work with Salicylic acid so OXY was a big no-no for my skin. L'Oreal skin care too for that matter.  All trial and error. My first proper 3 step system was Clinique and oh how I love that brand. Looked forward to every Christmas when they would come out with the extra large bottle of toner. 

Anyway, fast forward to 13 years later on and a lot of moisturizers and toners and sunscreen later... my skin has now moved on from oily-combination to sensitive-combination skin. Much to my heart's dismay I can no longer use Clinique's toners or else I'll have dry flaky skin for days.

So here's what I'm using now that I feel has been working for me for the past few months. 

Day Routine

I start off with the Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract Toner which smells amazing, feels like I'm using chamomile tea all over my face. It's refreshing and so good for my sensitive skin. Followed by Clinique's  Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel which is my all time favourite moisturizer.. but as you can see this one's finishing so it'll be replaced with Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream. I end my day routine with a sunblock of some kind. The one I'm currently using which is Biore UV Perfect Face milk  which I feel is great at mattifying and perfect as a makeup base. I usually have my makeup on for about 12-14 hours a day and by the end of the day it's still decent-ish looking! 

Night Routine

I use the same toner as the day, which is great because this Kiehl's toner is great at removing all the excess dirt that I hadn't been able to wash off with my cleansing oil (I switch between Shu Uemera Porefinist Anti-Shine Fresh Cleansing Oil and Biore Cleansing Oil). I follow with Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate which I had tried multiple samples off before splurging and getting the full sized version. This stuff's amazing! I wake up to glowing and smooth skin and I *love* it, don't think I could live without it anymore. My night moisturizer is Namu Snail White which I always stock up on when I'm in Thailand. You can buy it here in Malaysia but it'll cost a good RM60 more. I finish off with an eye cream (Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado - super value for money. Tons of product. I don't know when I'll ever finish using it) and because I am prone to dry lips and I love lipstick too much to not do something about it, Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask  comes to the rescue.

I also do a paper mask (that I keep in the fridge) whenever I can - about 2 to 3 time a week. So nice to come home after a tiring day and popping a cold mask to the face. Sometimes  I fall asleep which isn't the best thing to do - but it happens. 

Also, another thing that I'm a big advocate of is to *ALWAYS* take off your makeup at the end of the night/day/before you sleep. Always always always. Even when I'm home at 4am and still drunk af, I'll always take off my makeup. It's really important. Like I can't even stress how blinkin' important it is.

If you have any recommendations for sensitive-combination skin.. let me know! I'm always up for trying new products - mostly because I get bored so easily and I just like buying things. Heh. 

xx,

Amelia.

MAC Velvet Teddy

As most of you would know, or might not know. I am a makeup fiend. Like, I actually *love* makeup. I love lipsticks and blushers and mascaras (although in that field I only love one brand of mascara) and bronzers and have I mentioned lipsticks? I freaking love lipsticks. I could do my everyday makeup with a pinky-nude lip and that'll be normal and then I changed it up with some red lipstick and bam! Suddenly people think I've changed my entire look when really, all I did was switch up the lipsticks. 

They're my favourite makeup item.. the lipstick.Which will explain why I have too many at home, I've never actually counted how many but I know it's enough for my friends to have an intervention and long story short, I've been on a lipstick ban for the past 2 years. I'll come clean though, yes, I buy the occasional drugstore/korean brand lipsticks but they don't compare with MAC. Never. I've actually not bought a MAC lipstick for about 2 years now. 

So imagine my sheer delight when Su Wan came by with my Christmas present last week. It's a colour I've been coveting for the longest time but have had to put it on hold until I've finished at least 1 of my lipsticks (no, I still have not finished even one of my lipsticks). So, thank you Su Wan! You're always telling me to have self-control and to not fall into the deep end of my obsession so I was really surprised! 

Here it is, in all it's glory... 

MAC Velvet Teddy

 Y'all know being Asian, it's sometimes hard to find like the perfect nude that won't make us look sick or anemic? This one is perfect. it's not too dark so it doesn't look too brown and it's not too pale so it doesn't make us look sickly.

And there's something about MAC's matte formula too. It's never drying (at least for me) and it always lasts for a substantial amount of time on the lips even with drinking and eating. So that's something I love about it. 

Here are some unfiltered pictures of myself with them on my lips. If you see one of these pictures up on Instagram sometime soon please know that I filter all my Instagram photos to the fullest so that is *why* they won't look like me. Hell, even my momma couldn't recognize me when I showed her one of my Instagram photos. 

 See what I mean, about it not making me look like I'm about to pass out? I AM IN LOVE WITH IT.

I can finally cross off Velvet Teddy from my "Lipsticks to get from MAC" list. (Yes, the list is about 2 years old. Ever since I started the ban). 

Also, I realized I have never done a post on my most prized possessions in my lipstick collection yet (mostly cause I was so damn lazy last year and had no motivation to blog) so I will get to doing that sometime soon!

xx,
Amelia