NARSissist 2015 Matte/Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette

The original NARSissist palette was an instant classic.

The 2015 edition is a sort of "NARSissist-lite" if you compare it to the previous, but the shades are still beautiful and pigmentation is actually more consistently smooth and easy-to-use across all the shades, compared to the original. I was especially impressed by the 4 matte shades, Nassau, Maya Bay, Ithaca, and Dogon. These were incredibly velvety and blendable.

The shimmery shades, oddly enough, felt a touch more chalky in comparison to the mattes, but the colors kinda make up for that. Mandchourie and Bonifacio are gorgeous, and the two dark, sparkly shades, Zagreb and Heraklion, surprised me by not having a ton of fallout. Unlike many of the old-school dark sparkly shadow formulas from several brands, the pretty sparkly glitter doesn't just "disappear" when the shadow is applied onto the skin.

The cherry on top of the cake is the sleek mirrored case. I've really liked the recent limited edition release cases. The signature rubbery matte NARS packaging is beautiful, but they don't always stay beautiful because the polymers start to react with air and break down after awhile, and everyone who's owned any number of NARS products is familiar with how they eventually become sticky and start to hang on to every particle of dirt and grime.

This case will not give you any of those problems. (The mirrored top is a fingerprint magnet in its own right, but at least you can wipe this down!)

If you're not really into all-neutral palettes, or just want something a tiny bit different, this one has a single muted khaki which is gorgeous. I actually consider this a palette for matte lovers, because with the exception of Bonifacio, the rest of the "shimmery" shades aren't really that shimmery at all.

Mandchourie has a very muted low sheen, and Zagreb and Heraklion are pretty much matte shades with sparkles. None of these are anywhere near metallic by any means, so I would treat those 2 as mattes. 

The NARSissist Matte/Shimmer Palette is available now at Sephora ION in Singapore. 

Albion Skin Conditioner Review

Albion has long been one of the top high-end beauty brands in Japan, and even before I'd seen the products myself I'd heard of people passing Albion shopping lists to travelers visiting Tokyo.

This skincare line is based on rigorous scientific research and officially supplies the Japanese Imperial Family, so they've certainly got a prestigious reputation as well as the sales figures to back them up. But I admit I am pretty jaded when it comes to skincare, especially toners. In this day and age when removers are much more effective at removing makeup and rinsing off without residue, the whole "cotton pad and toner" step in skincare routines is outdated and redundant, and meant to dig more cash out of wallets. There are little to no skincare benefits, and in cases of harsh astringent formulas (e.g. exfoliating toners) they are overly harsh on the skin and can cause more skin problems. 

For me, it only makes sense to add that extra step if the product in question is a "treatment water" of sorts, which contains ingredients more concentrated than, or complementary to, the rest of your skincare routine. They should also be gentle and contain enough beneficial ingredients (none of that spring-water nonsense; sorry Evian!) to be used as a misting spray throughout the day to soothe, condition, and protect the skin without disturbing makeup.

Albion's Skin Conditioner (SGD$140) meets all these requirements, happily enough. This product, more fondly known to fans as "Ski-Con", has been the No. 1 seller in Japan since 1974. They sell over a million units per year in Japan alone. Based around Jobs' Tears, the formula is meant to help skin maintain optimum health by regulating cell metabolism and helping to reduce the negative reactions caused by external factors like weather, as well as internal factors like hormonal fluctuations and a poor diet.

This year, they've brought out a limited edition Skin Conditioner Mist in a small spray bottle, which can be tucked in your purse for on-the-go refreshment, which is perfect for me because I find treatment waters more useful on the go. Unlike Caudalie's Beauty Elixir, which has menthol and contains alcohol, this is more suited for dry, sensitive skins. Skin Conditioner has a medicinal-floral scent, which I kinda like because it smells a little like old-school cologne waters my grandparents used to use.

The bad news is, this mist bottle is not for sale. The very good news is - it actually comes free in a limited edition Summer pack with every full-size Skin Conditioner purchase while stocks last. As a nod to the legion of Ski-Con fans, the kit also includes 2 packets of facial cotton and a pack of sheet masks, which you can saturate with Skin Conditioner and place over your face for quick treatment sessions, something loyal users have been doing for decades.

I did take my time trying out the product before typing up this review, so I'm not sure if there are any stocks left right now!

If you use Albion skincare products already, you will be aware of the rather different order in terms of skincare application. Skin Conditioner is supposed to be used as Step 3.

1 - Cleanser

2 - Milk lotion

3 - Skin Conditioner

4 - Serum

Those who have never tried Albion before might find it odd to apply the lotion before "toner" and serum, but Albion's milk lotions are more like preparatory products that help prime and soften the skin to increase product penetration and moisture retention. 

My experience?

Skin Conditioner is extremely light-weight and leaves no residue or scent once it sinks in. It's also extremely good at soothing inflammation and general skin stress, so the product is recommended for acne-prone skins as well. I test many skincare products each week and I often get reactions to some of the harsher ingredients. I do have "SOS products" that I use in these occasions, but I've found placing a cotton pad soaked with Skin Conditioner over the raw, red areas and being able to mist my face every couple of hours - even when I'm out and wearing makeup - really helps subdue any reaction faster.

The most surprising thing was how conditioned and moisturized my skin felt. There's no dewiness or grease but my skin just felt more supple and balanced, even after hours in cold air-conditioned rooms. I was previously a fan of the brand's Exage Moist Rich Serum Mist for hydration, but I have to say this has taken the top spot because it feels lighter on the skin, more soothing, and seems to have a balancing effect that lasts for hours. My guess is I needed the extra soothing, conditioning properties instead of just hydration. 

I probably haven't said this of many treatment waters to date, but I highly recommend anyone with sensitive or reactive skins try this out, regardless of whether you are oily, normal or dry. It's not a cheap buy, but one I feel is worth the investment, if you're in the market for a proper treatment water.

Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet SG50 Engraved Bottles

In honor of Singapore's 50th National Day, the house of Dior is celebrating SG50 with 6 exquisite limited edition engraved designs on their #1 bestselling fragrance in Singapore, Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet.

There will be 6 different designs available for sale at separate Dior beauty counters island-wide.

Vanda Miss Joaquim (pictured above) features Singapore's national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, engraved all across the front. This design is exclusively available at Dior Robinsons The Heeren.

Garden City (Dior Boutique, ION) and Flower Kingdom (Takashimaya) are two rather similar palm leave and flower designs, except the Garden City design features an orchid, and Flower Kingdom has less distinct floral patterns.

I especially like Tropical Paradise (Dior Robinsons, Raffles City) which features chic fans of tropical palm/coconut leaves.

Marina Bay Sands (Dior Boutique, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands) and The Merlion (Dior Tangs Plaza) show off cute city skylines along the base of the bottles.

Dior's done a lot of glass engraving in the past year or so with their glass artist, but this series feels extra special to me. How many times do we get  to celebrate our 50th year of independence? Maybe my grandchildren can pull this out one day to admire and look back, when we're celebrating our 100th National Day.

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Swatches and Demo

It almost seems there will be no end to the Naked series!
The latest item to join the family is Naked Smoky, which for the first time sees the 12 colors grouped by theme, so you can easily create looks using the 3 "quads" in the palette, or by picking balanced trios just by choosing 1 warm, 1 cool, and 1 matte from the palette.

Warm Neutrals:

Cool Neutrals:

Matte Neutrals:

There are plenty of soft colors but definitely more deep shades in here, considering it's a "Smoky" palette. The mattes are slightly more chalky, which is quite common for mattes. They're pretty smooth and blendable though, so you don't need to worry that they'll go on patchy and uneven.

But as usual for Urban Decay, it's really the metallics that stand out. They are smooth, pigmented, and just gorgeous as heck. I'm more of a warm neutral girl, but the grey/plum shades in this palette are just too nice. The warm shimmer shades are beautiful as well of course. (I'm a huge fan of Dirtysweet.) The good news is I didn't experience quite as much fallout with this palette as some of the earlier Naked palettes. In fact, I didn't even need to clean the skin under my eyes after doing the eye look below.

This palette has only 1 glitter shade, Armor, which is good because they have a tendency to fall off the lid and all over the cheeks after a few hours. Still, this wasn't as bad as I remember some shades being in Naked 1.

One of the fun things to do with this palette - since the cool and warm tones are quite balanced - is to do part warm, part cool looks, like the one I did above.

I do feel several of the shades, and the balance of light and dark in this palette are somewhat similar to the Naked original palette, so technically speaking, you don't need both unless you're a collector and fan of all Naked palettes. This has more deep/smoky shades than Naked 2, so you can consider it if you want deeper options. And of course, it is very different from the rosy-hued Naked 3, so it's actually quite a good complement to that palette if you want a good range of different neutrals.

The Naked Smoky palette launches 20 Aug in all Sephora Singapore stores at SG$83.

Skincare Rave: Skin Inc Get Glowin' Brightening Mask

I've heard people raving about Skin Inc's Pure Snow White+ Mask, but hadn't tried it until recently. The product has undergone a rebrand and is now known as the Get Glowin Brightening Mask.

I was recovering from rashes and general sensitivity recently, so I was quite reluctant to try new face masks, especially since many brightening masks tend to work through the use of exfoliating acid-based formulas. The basic premise of Get Glowin' Brightening Mask is its anti-inflammatory, antioxidation, and hydrating properties however. 

The main key selling points of this product are:

• the host of soothing, repairing, anti sun-damage extracts such as licorice, ginseng, hyaluronic acid, stabilized Vitamin C, Morus Alba root, natto, aloe, and tyrosinase-inhibiting Scutellaria Baicalensis, which stops formation of dark spots and skin burning.
• nano technology to ensure maximum absorption of active ingredients; active ingredients are no larger than 100nm, which means they can penetrate deeper and work faster. 
• a web of positive ions pulls negative ions from within your skin, which helps speed up clarification and gives an immediate boost of translucency

Get Glowin Brightening Mask should be applied for 10 minutes and then rinsed off with lukewarm water. If you need intensive repair for a big occasion, you can use this daily for 2 weeks straight. I haven't tried using it that intensively, but I really liked what I saw every time I used this.

When you first apply it, you actually feel a soothing, cooling sensation on your skin. The nanonized water and extracts very quickly go to work smoothing and calming your skin. It's not often that I actually find masks pleasant on the skin; they're usually drying (oil-absorbents), tingly/stinging (exfoliants), or sticky/messy (hydrating/soothing). This non-drying, non-greasy, fluffy white cream just feels refreshing.

The first time I used this was after a workout outdoors, when my skin was all flushed and I could really use the speed cooling and the emergency after-sun repair. When I rinsed off the mask 10 minutes later, my skin felt completely fresh, and also looked very smooth. This isn't a pore-refining or anti-blemish mask but somehow it felt like my pores were tighter as well. Don't quote me on that; I can't figure out what ingredients actually does that, but I am guessing it's the positive ions.

I personally can't say for sure if neutralizing negative ions from within the skin has any long-lasting benefits, but it sure feels good and gives a quick instant boost.

And I like the fact that this is able to perform rapid repair and help neutralize free radicals - especially after sun exposure and physical activity when skin is much more stressed out and inflamed. I apply SPF50 PA+++ (at least) every time I go for a workout, but there's no way to block 100% of UV damage, especially with all that sweat. So the best way to take care of your skin is to pair pre-exposure sun protection with post-exposure repair.

Get Glowing' Brightening Mask is available at Skin Inc stores and on iloveskininc.com for SGD$98 for 30ml, S$178 for 50ml and $286 for the jumbo 100ml size. It's a bit of an investment, but in my opinion getting skin repair right is critical. Many of us don't think twice about paying over $90 for premium mud masks which have little to no long-term anti-aging benefits. 

I do as well - so there's no reason to skimp on a repair mask which will go a much longer way in terms of skin rejuvenation. If forced to choose, I'd far rather invest on this and skimp on my mud masks in future. But that's just my opinion!

Urban Decay’s new Matte Revolution Lipstick Swatches

Intense matte lipsticks seem like a natural fit with Urban Decay, which is known for edgy intense colors. So it’s a bit surprising that it’s taken them this long to actually launch a matte lip range.

Still - better late than never! There are 9 new creamy colors (SGD$33) that will launch on 20 Aug in Singapore, each infused with shea, illipe, avocado, olive and babassu oils. Some of the shades are slightly creamier feeling than the others - several of these lean closer to the texture of MAC Satin lipsticks more than typical Mattes - but they all do eventually settle into a matte finish after the excess oils and emollients absorb or evaporate.

The shades are quite creamy and smooth-feeling, so they tend to appear creamier in my lip shots partly because of the bright lights, and partly because they’re all freshly applied when I shoot them.

I grouped the shades into neutrals/warms, and cools. As you can see, these aren't wallflower colors. With the exception of Stark Naked, most of them pack a punch and are quite dramatic looking. 

Stark Naked is a peach-toned nude. It's one of the more matte textures in the bunch.

1993 is THE 90's brown tone. And it's quite a creamy satin texture. If you want it matte, you will either need to kiss a sheet of tissue or roll your lips together a few times to get rid of the shine.

Tilt looks tangerine in the tube but goes on with a neon coral undertone. A very fun shade, with more of a matte texture when worn.

Temper is a brick red. Possibly one of the less dramatic deep colors, because it's so wearable. The tomato-brown undertones give it slightly more neutral undertones compared to typical reds.

Bad Blood is one of my faves in the range. It's not actually a matte-matte; it's quite creamy, but it's a gorgeous deep red with oxblood undertones. Very classy and something of a 40s retro-red.

UD's signature purple in lipstick format. Bittersweet might be as creamy or more creamy than Bad Blood even. It takes about an hour or two to settle into a more matte finish. As with all purples it looks much more blue and outlandish on camera. In real life, it's got more pink undertones, and is actually pretty wearable as far as purples go.

If  a proper neon pink is more your style, check out Menace. This type of shade never goes wrong in matte texture. Menace is also one of the most "matte" of the range, and you'll get minimal shine compared to the other shades in the collection.

After Dark is special because it's the only matte shade shot through with a frost. This dark plum with a blue iridescence is pretty darned cool to look at. But the blue frost actually doesn't really look that apparent in real life unless you're looking very close. It's just a very dark plum. Also one of the more matte ones among the 9.

The shade that made my heart stop the moment I saw the full range was Blackmail.

Ah, you know I love a good noir. This black-rose shade has plum undertones, but mostly just looks almost-black against the skin. For all the dramatic goth divas only! I've heard complaints that this one goes on patchy but somehow I don't seem to have that problem. Maybe it's just my habit of really whacking on a very thick layer. I didn't have any problems building it up to opacity, except maybe near the center of the lips.

These are relatively creamy and easy to apply, with the exception of a couple pf shades (like Tilt and Menace for me) which feel a bit more like traditional matte lipsticks. They generally don't drag on the lips and feel pretty smooth but - these are highly pigmented lipsticks after all. And in my experience they will all feel slightly dry and look more matte after the first hour or so when the oils have absorbed or dried up a bit.

What shades caught your eye so far?