Lust, Not Must: Luxe Beauty Products I Prefer Not To Be Without

You know there are always products that you buy even though you know logically, that there are lot of affordable alternatives? They aren’t a “MUST” and life most definitely can go on without them. However budget allowing, you will keep going for these - over cheaper alternatives - every time. 

Here are some of mine!

Tom Ford Eye Color Quads - so pricey, but so gorgeous. And the color combinations are always so beautifully put together that you don’t need to be great at color coordination to put a great eye look together.

Fresh Sugar Lip Balms - finding perfect lip balm is like finding a perfect mascara; everyone likes something different. And it's like Goldilocks trying different bowls of porridge when you're looking for the perfect one - some are not moisturizing enough, some are too gloopy and sticky, some are too runny, some are too thick... I always sigh despairingly at how expensive a tube of Fresh Sugar balm is compared to something I can pick up at the drugstore - but I always repurchase them. And I sigh and wish I was one of those for whom Maybelline Babylips works just fine.

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipsticks - no these are not the most expensive lipsticks I own; but I do use them up pretty darned fast because they are so soft and creamy and need lots of touching up through the day. But we still love them.

La Mer The Intensive Revitalizing Mask - sleeping packs and leave-on masks are a dime a dozen these days. So why do I have to fall in love with one of the most expensive ones around? This is instantly nourishing but still feels fresh on my dry skin. The comfortable feeling and glow lasts for the whole day.

Aurelia Bamboo Muslin Cloths - hot cloth cleansing has made a world of difference for my skin. It polishes and exfoliates without irritating my dry and semi-sensitive skin. And these anti-bacterial, ultra-soft muslins are still my favorite. I remove makeup and use a cream cleanser, then dampen one of these in hot water and finish my face cleansing routine with a few wipes. No foaming wash required.

Serge Lutens fragrances - no these aren’t the priciest as far as niche scents are concerned, but I definitely have more favorites from this line - and use these more - than my Frederic Malles or any of the other niche lines. So naturally I wish they were cheaper or came in larger, more economical sizes than the standard 50ml.

La Prairie Skin Caviar Foundation and Concealer - this costs a veritable bomb. But it makes my skin feel so good and gives such a perfected, luminous, demi-matte finish that I just buy it against my better judgment. Plus, having a matching concealer in the cap is just - handy.

Lolita Lempicka Le Premier Parfum

My journey with Lolita Lempicka's eponymous house fragrance, Lolita Lempicka (now called Lolita Lempicka Le Premier Parfum) is a long and winding one.

My first memory of it was the ad campaign which showed a magical fairy-like woman in a sheer lavender gown, legs and arms sparkling in the twilight as she languishes in an enchanted forest.

That was the age of Cool Water Woman and Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue. To my untrained nose at the time, the mish-mash of dark syrupy-sweet herbal licorice (something I never developed a taste for and which still appalls me today) and medicinal cherry liquour that is Lolita Lempicka was off-putting.

Around 2003 I really started getting into fragrances for the first time, and was seduced by the sweetly toxic Dior Hypnotic Poison, which was my induction into the world of gourmands. After I discovered Angel, Lolita Lempicka (ironically created by Annick Menardo, the same parfumeur who created Hypnotic Poison) would repeatedly come up on the beauty boards as its more modern, avant garde successor. It was only a matter of time before I sought it out in a perfume store.

My forgotten bottle of Lolita Lempicka; over 10 years old. The juice is still pristine!

I bought it, wore it several times and gave it a good go, but finally decided I hated it; couldn't stand the cherry syrup note and the black licorice, so I tucked it away in a dark cupboard. It smells beautiful when you catch a whiff of it from a distance; the powdery violet and iris, mixed with the tonka, patchouli and praline smells like a gorgeous confection with icing sugar dusted over it. But on hot days or if I smelt it close up, it was too sweet and rich in a heavy and medicinal way to me.

Then early last year, when I was packing up to move to a new apartment, I finally rediscovered my old bottle hidden away. And it looks and smells as good as it did.

Oddly enough, I like it now.
And I liked it enough that I placed an order for the l'Eau de Minuit edition, which I actually prefer since it doesn't contain the cherry note, is softer on the licorice and sugary praline, and more fuzzy and grown-up with lots of myrrh and benzoin to accompany the dark vanilla.

Funny how tastes change. I still only wear it on occasion. Licorice is not a note that sits easy with me because I didn't grow up eating it here in Asia, and frankly it's a taste that I have not acquired. It's just a very odd and medicinal/herbal spicy-bitter smell to me. In scents where it's very faint, like Serge Luten's Jeux de Peau, I love it.

But where it's quite dominant, like in Lolita Lempicka, I spritz very sparingly, sniff from a distance, and reserve it only for cooler temperatures.

• Top notes - ivy leaf, pineapple, lemon, rosewood, sour cherry and anise
• Heart notes - lily of the valley, rose, jasmine, licorice, violet and iris
• Base notes - sweet almond, vanilla, heliotrope, tonka bean, musk, praline and vetiver

Make Up For Ever Arty Blossom (Spring 2014) palette swatches!

Arty Blossom is a fun collection of 8 shades ranging from browns to orange and bronze, to Powerpuff Girl colors of blue, pink and green, as well as an ivory.



The main thing you want to note is that this isn’t exactly a palette for people who are shy of color. Most of the colors are not your typical “everyday neutrals”. Even the 2 browns are very strong shades (unless you have darker skin, in which case those are really beautiful for everyday).

IRONICALLY, pink, blue, orange, and green look very strong in the palette but they’re quite luminous and pastel on the skin.They’re translucent so they can be worn on deeper skins without looking too chalky white, but this also means if you want any intensity, you will need to use them wet.

There’s a fair amount of fallout, which is to be expected for pigmented shadows. If you’re using the stronger shades, it’s better to do your eye makeup before applying your base.



The makeup pictorial above is to let you take a closer look at the colors and textures! (I did not wear any primer or base under the shadows and I used them dry, so that is the payoff to expect.)

[Nails] Psychedelic Swirls: Adventures with XL Nail Stamping Plate B

If you're an expert, you probably already know everything I'm about to say.
But if you like doing your nails but haven't heard of "Konad" or "nail stamping", it's one of the easiest ways to "cheat" and create intricate designs on your nails without visiting a salon.

People who get into stamping get quite fanatic about it, because it's such an economical way to jazz up your nail look. Plates and stampers can be re-used for years, and there are so many different looks and effects you can get into. It's also not hard as long as you use the right polish and good quality plates.

Stamping Tools:

To get started, you need a

• metal stamping plate with some designs on it
• a flat scraper (some people use old gift cards or credit cards)
• a rubberized stamping tool
• stamping polish (or any existing polish that is very thick, very pigmented)

Konad is one of the best-known brands that supply metal stamping plates and all the peripheral accessories like rubber stampers and metal scrapers (you can find them on naildelights.com). They also supply stamping polishes. Now Konad stamps and polishes aren't cheap, and there are so many different designs that you often find yourself in a "gotta collect 'em all" situation.


In recent years, many manufacturers have come up with alternatives to Konad, most of which are much more affordable. "XL" stamping plates like these below can have up to 40+ designs on them and cost as low as about US$7 each on Amazon and eBay, if you buy 3 of them.

Not all work extremely well, but most are ok, and a lot depends on the stamping polish you use.