All About Teas: Tea Voyage

 I started dabbling into Teas during my 1st job (admin work, pretty damn boring) and never turn back. There are literally thousand different kinds of teas (I'm not talking about brands by the way) and flavours of teas that I get overwhelmed sometimes.

My favourite has always been Earl Grey. The tart citrusy flavour (from Bergamot orange) leaves such a refreshing taste in my mouth that I couldn't get enough of it.

But the teas that I'm going to show you below is kind of life-changing (jk, not I'm not) as I didn't know teas can expand to this extend. I know about the Mango, Peach, Oolong etc kind of tea but these below are kind of mind-boggling.

Seriously... Tea that can cure gastric!? Er, yes please!!! Tea Voyage offers such diversified teas (those that are herb or just plain floral) that I couldn't decide which to try. So I went for those sounds good (and smells good of course). 

So far I have tried the Rose White Tea and its so far so good. The tea bags are packed full with dried roses and some bits and bobs that strangely look like shrivelled plants. The aroma is not too pungent and it tastes subtly of roses. I like that I don't get those strong artificial flavours that some supermarket offers... 

The downside of these teas are that they are freaking expensive. Like seriously, expensive. The little package that you see above consists only of 3 bags and it costs S$4.95. Yeah, that's S$1.60 per tea bag. Thus, I wouldn't recommend them for daily drinks but more of like a luxury high-tea kind of drink. And another thing is that they do not have a permanent shop (they sell in mobile stalls -__-''') thus, its only available thru delivery (if you can't find them).

But, its a good experiment with teas anyway. A unique way of tasting teas with character :)

Beauty: Real Technique Brushes

These brushes sure do cause a stir in the beauty sphere as they are claimed to be the softest cheapest high quality brushes that woman can get their hands on. And I agree with them totally (two hands up in the air in fact) as they are the best brushes in my collection (much more enjoyable than the Zoeva ones or MAC ones).

They are products from Youtube sensation Pixiwoo (Samantha and Nicola Chapman, oh and I love their brother too ^_^) which I absolutely adore and wish to meet them in person. 

As wonderful their personalities, the brushes certainly does not disappoint as they feel soft on the face (I'm looking at you, prickly Sephora brushes) and doesn't shed much after washing. They even manage to retain their beautiful shape after several washes... Kudos!!!

Multi-Task Brush: for effortless application of powder, blush and bronzer

Buffing Brush: ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation

 Pointed Foundation brush: use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage

Essential Crease Brush: soft, tapered design for effortless contouring

Fine Liner Brush: ultimate tool for precision application of liquid or cream eyeliner

Setting Brush: complete any look with a controlled dusting of powder or highlighter

I would definitely recommend anyone who is new to buying brushes or don't want to splurge too much on brushes, try these instead. Sam's picks collection is quite extensive in terms of from bases application to eye liners. They basically cover all areas and you don't have to crack your head deciding which one to own. Click here to buy. 

So have you tried any of their brushes?

Beauty: Everyday Eyeshadow Palettes Lovez ~ Dior, Lancome, MUA and Topshop

Phew, today was tiring as I totally sweat it out at the gym. By the time this post is up, I'm packing my stuff for Thailand (for business purposes) trip and probably be quite flustered fussing about what to bring. 

Alright, let's jump into the palettes. These 4 palettes are what I've been rotating on a daily basis and I just couldn't get enough of them. I mean, all the eyeshadows (with the exception of the lighter colours of the Lancome one) are just so soft and buttery and incredibly pigmented (well, Dior is a slight notch down though). 

From the back (See!? I can use my DSLR properly by focusing the back and blurring the front wtf), Lancome X Alber Elbaz Hypnose Doll Eyes 5 Colour Palette and MUA (Makeup Academy) Starry Night Eyeshadow Palette. 

Ever since I acquire the MUA eyeshadow pallete (which is super affordable) I've been using it non-stop. Although it doesn't show up in the photo but all of the eyeshadows contain sparkly bit and has a sheen to it. Its just surprising that the eyeshadows are nicely pigmented, long lasting on the eyelids, less fallouts and they only show signs of creasing after 8 hours of wear. The colour range is more towards cooler tones and it suits my olive skintone well. This is absolute love. 

I wasn't as keen towards the Lancome as I was with the MUA as some of the colours are of chalky and will make a mess out of your face with its fallouts (I'm looking at you, white and lightest grey). However, when I'm only paying for half the price of a normal Lancome palette (sales event), I would say its pretty much a good bargain. 

The front, Dior Couture Eyeshadow Palette in Pink Pompadour and Topshop Smokey Eye Palette in Constellation.

The Dior palette was a gift (which I truly am grateful for) and I instantly fell in love it. The packaging is to die for and the embossed lacey bits on the eyeshadow is just so feminine and girly. Totally up my alley. Sufficiently pigmented, pastel colours buttery soft and long wearing, this Dior is just gorgeous. Money well spent I'd say (although not from my pocket). A full review on this Dior lovely would be up soon. 

Last but not least and again with the discount, I got the Topshop palette for 70% off. Although I seldom use dark blackish colour, I just love the coral and purple colour within this palette. They are surprisingly soft and pigmented. They lasted 7 hours on me before fading a little. I just love that the packaging comes with a mirror and the exterior is littered with quirky pink polka dots. Great buy. 

Yup, that's it for now... Till next post ^_^

Beauty: Little Black Beauty Box August Edition

Wow, time has been passing by so quickly and we are already in August and with the August edition Beauty Box. 

Unfortunately I wasn't impressed with this month's beauty box as it seems to scale down on the product quantities and its actually pretty sad looking with the box only 1/5 filled. Although there are a few premium brands included, it is still quite disappointing really...

Ioma Cell Protector Sun Screen SPF 50 PA+++, Benefit Dream Screen  SPF45 PA+++, SKII Cellumination Lotion, SKII Cellumination Deep Surge, Shiseido White Lucent Eye Cream, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

Radical Anti-aging Restorative Moisture Cream, Ralph Lauren Sample Perfume and Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion (seriously, I've been getting this sample all the time). 

I sure hope that next month's wouldn't be as boring as at least be like 3/4 filled and not a measly 1/5 else I would have to reconsider my subscription which I definitely don't want it to end.

Review: MAC Alluring Aquatic

This review is so so so late that I'm quite ashamed to post it up now **head hangs low** But nevertheless, better late than never. 

To be honest, the main reason for me diving into this collection is because of its packaging. Top on my wishlist, I tried to get my hands on all most of the items as its not common that a MAC collection gets me this excited. 

Aren't they just swoon worthy!? You may have seen this collection floating around the internet couple times but this is by far my favourite... The water droplets looks all too real and are course to the touch (not in a bad way though).

So I've manage to pick up an eyeshadow (only this color entices me), 2 lipsticks and a bronzer.

The bronzer seems to be on a sheer side and does not give too much colour payout, thus a heavy hand is needed during application. I felt that this bronzer is a reminiscent of The Body Shop's bronzer whereby its easy to blend and does not have any shimmer in it. It doesn't look chalky on me even when tons are applied. I like it as it does its job as expected. 

The Lorelei Eyeshadow looks stunning in its packaging with its golden tones and shimmer applies smoothly on the eyelids. A tiny amount of fallouts do occur thus I would recommend using fingers or with a primer underneath. The eyeshadow is extremely pigmented and wears well for 6 hours on me before any signs of fading. A thumbs up from me.

Goddess of the Sea Cremesheen Lipstick. A befitting name for a befitting lipstick. Medium dark berry tones with a sheeny finish that lasts a good ol' 4 hours on me with a single swipe. The consistency is creamy and and its comfortable on the lips without the heavy icky feeling. If you shy away from heavy colours, just dab this in the middle of the lips and sheer it out with your fingers, you'll get a very nice tinted finish.

Next up is the Mystical Cremesheen Lisptick. On me, its a my-lips-but-better with a stronger red hue (note that my lips are slightly on the paler side). As with the Cremesheen's formula, its creamy and felt moisturising which surprisingly this lasted a good 5 hours before the colour recedes. A rosy beigy tone, this is bound to attract the likes of those who wants something muted. Love it <3

Unfortunately I'm too late on the blushes (all sold out before I can get my hands on them) and wasn't too keen on the lipglosses. Overall, a A- from me and which in my opinion is a money-worth-spent collection.  

Beauty: Purchases From the Internet ~ Feel Unique & Luxola

If you do subscribe to Feel Unique's newsletter, you'll tend to get discount codes from time to time. Ranging from 15% to 25% off, its pretty good considering you get to save a lot if you have something to buy. The good thing about Feel Unique is that it ships international worldwide for free. However, the downside is due to certain rules and restriction to shipping areas, certain brands (especially higher ends like such as Dior or Guerlain) are unable to ship to Singapore. 

Luxola always has this discount code (30% off) littered around the internet (if you notice the Google ad bars everywhere on random websites) and passing off something like that just doesn't mix well with my shopping conscience wtf >.< Its a Singapore based website thus it offers free delivery within the island and each delivery are handled-with-care (even if you only purchase 1 item) whereby the delivery guy brings a pretty paper bag to put your stuff. The downside is that Luxola seldom has massive offers/sales on its site.

So, I went ahead and click away on some stuff that I wanted to get for a very long time (I blame Youtube for this). 

The infamous Tanya Burr's Lipglosses from Feel Unique. I bought "Lets Travel the World", "Chic" and "Afternoon Tea"

From Luxola, I bought Zoeva Brush Set, Zoeva Brush Cleaner, Sleek Blush By 3 and with a free sample sitting at a corner.

And also from Luxola, Sleek i-Divine Oh-So-Special Palette and Edward Bess Lipstick.

So far, I am very happy with all my purchases. However, I have impose a makeup ban on myself as I really spend too much makeup for the past few months, shopping has to stopped for a wee while >.<