MAC In The Groove HAUL & SWATCHES *PICTURE HEAVY*

MAC In The Groove...

 is something that I have been looking forward to ever since it was released in the States . I was waiting anxiously for it to be released in the Land Down Under, which is about a month later - talk about lagging. =.="

Being the late bloomer (in the make up department that is) I am, I was never really hyped up whenever MAC releases a new Limited Edition collection. At least not until this year. In fact, I do not own any MAC products  (besides one of their eyeliners which a friend got me for Christmas yonks ago) until this year. 

A) I am not really a brand snob and drugstore products work just as well for me (I guess I am blessed with skin that doesn't break out from trying out new products).

B) I wasn't really that financially independent then (although I still don't think I am 100% independent now) Splurging a few hundred bucks on high end cosmetics using my parents money just doesn't feel like the right thing to do.

Back to In The Groove collection - I created a wishlist on the stuff that I wanted and allowed myself to splurge a little more than usual as I was working a little more back then and also the tax return I got (which sadly, most of them went to my CFA enrollment. Oh well, that's gonna benefit me in a long run and allows me to buy MORE make up in the future LOL).

These are my first lot - MAC Lipstick in Jazzed, MAC MSF in Stereo Rose and MAC Mineralized Blush in Hang Loose,which I blogged briefly about here.

I REALLY wanted I Like It Like That but I find that its pretty similar to Viva Glam Gaga and reminds of the creamier version of BubbleGum. I can't justify spending another A$35 on something similar to what I already own despite trying it on like twice - and passed on that. :'(

MAC MSF in Stereo Rose (A$46)

Stereo Rose is a coral shade with golden-bronze sheen, not too shimmery, perfect for giving that natural flush on your cheeks. I can definitely see myself reaching out for this as we're approaching summer!!!! =)

Look at how gorgeous Stereo Rose is!

Ok, a little confession here. This wasn't part of my wishlist when I first saw the swatches on Temptalia. For a (somewhat) consumer whore like me, who jumps onto the bandwagon easily when it comes to "hyped up" products, Stereo Rose managed to get a place on my wishlist just like that *snaps finger* after reading all the "Stereo Rose has ran out in xxx store" on tweets and around the blogosphere. 

But guess what? It did not disappoint me AT ALL and I AM ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH IT! 

MAC Mineralized Blush in Hang Loose (A$50)

Hang Loose is a mix of slightly cool-toned baby pink with a satin sheen and a frosted pale lilac with a white sheen. When combined together, it gives a pretty subtle pink with shimmer bits. 

On the contrary to Stereo Rose, I knew I had to get Hang Loose from the very start, I mean its pink AND lilac (both of my favourite colours).

However, I realised I don't reach out for Hang Loose as much as I do for Stereo Rose. It is a really pretty pink and I have read a few reviews saying that it is very similar to Well Dressed - something that I have been lemming for quite a while but didn't get. It might be due to the fact that I went overdosed with baby pink plush in July,and I am more into coral blush this month. I don't know about you guys but I do have different "colour phases" for lips and blush products - at the moment, I am into coral blush and fushia/mauve lips. Who knows? I might fall in love with Hang Loose next month and ditch Stereo Rose. Lol

MAC Lipstick in Jazzed (A$35) - coral-peach colour, not exactly opaque but the colour is definitely buildable. LOVE IT!

Just like Hang Loose, it was love at first sight for Jazzed. =)

- Without flash-

- With flash-

This is the second lot I purchased from the In The Groove collection, a week later after reading a couple more of reviews and haul posts. ( By a couple, I really mean EeVon's post LOL)

MAC MSF in Candlelight (A$46) - Champagne colour with pink undertone

You can't really see the colour here as it is rather sheer but it gives a really gorgeous natural glow when applied on your cheekbones as highlight OR it can be used as highlight on your browbone. I have been using this alot lately, along with Stereo Rose. :)

MAC Lipstick in Go For It (A$35) - semi sheer purple toned lipstick with shimmer bits. It takes a few swatches for the purple to show.

This purchase was more of I-have-to-get-this-because-it-is-unique-and-it's-limited-edition rather than because I really love the colour. Like mentioned before, I was seriously contemplating on getting I Like It Like That as I really like how it looked on me  but the MUA was telling me I look "hotter" LOL in this colour and this is definitely more unique too. 

- Without flash-

- With flash-

It looks pretty cool in the photo but when I wear it by itself, I look like nothing but a goth. And I might be gangsta sometimes, but I am definitely not into the whole goth look. 

Photo taken by Cindy, as I left my camera at home. =.="

Just when I thought I made the wrong choice and regretting the purchase, I decided to try it on with my Barry M Lip Gloss in 5 and guess what? PERFECT combination! The bubblegum pink from the lipgloss toned down the purple from Go For It and it appears slightly fushia and more wearable. 

That pretty much sum up my MAC In The Groove haul, which took me around 2 hours to write up.*fail in reviewing* IF ONLY the MAC products in Australia aren't that throat-slitingly expensive, I would of probably gotten much more stuff. :'( Ahh well, at least I managed to grab the awesome ones. :) I know this review/swatches is kinda late, most if not all of the products are probably gone by now. Hope you enjoy it nonetheless =P

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FROM THIS COLLECTION?

Next up, FOTD ft Hang Loose :)

xoxo,

A

ASOS Haul + Purple Paradise FOTD V2

Hey lovelies :)

How was your weekend? This is my ASOS haul I promised a couple of post back. Being the poor, budgeted *cough* consumer I am, the stuff I purchased this time were all from the "SALE" section. Be patient, and you will be surprised at how much goodies you able to find. I was THIS close to blowing another 100ish pounds on my second order (after spending a good one hour going through ALL the sale pages and picking up the good & cheap treasure) but my conscience managed to stop me just before I clicked check out. 

This was my first time purchasing stuff from ASOS and I gotta say I love it! For my case, shipping was HEAPS efficient - I ordered on a Thursday night and it got delivered on Tuesday ( And all I paid for was normal shipping!) For those who don't know, ASOS is a UK based online company and I am in Sydney. 3 working days is beyond efficient =) I made some purchases on Book Depository on the same Thursday too, but only 2 books arrived so far and it has almost been 3 weeks. :'( I have been waiting impatiently for the sequel to The Bronze Horseman, which btw, is a friggin' awesome book!!!!

Accessories (All $5 or under)
Clockwise from left: ASOS Enamelled Cupcake Earrings (which I bought for my sis as a gift and I was SO TEMPTED to keep it to myself cos it's just SO CUTE! But being the awesome sister I am, I did not. =P); ASOS Engraved Metal Bow Short Pendant - Gold (for sis too); ASOS Leaf Connector Ring; ASOS Vintage Style Pearl Effect Ring With Engraved Metal Surround; ASOS Enamelled Butterfly Ring

I have been looking for a more feminine connector ring for quite a while and am glad to have finally found one! *Excuse to chubby fingers*

ASOS Croc Twist Lock Day Bag - Stone for only 16 pounds! 

ASOS FREDDY Leather Knot Front Sandal - Gold  (UK 6) for 8 pounds!!

Being the noob I am (my FIRST time purchasing apparels/shoes online), I nearly ordered UK 9 because I am a size 39/40 without knowing the size difference. THANK GOD I checked the size chart before checking out or else I am gonna be left with a crazy ass huge pair of gladiators. Looking forward to wearing them when summer arrives =)

ASOS Ruched Triangle Bikini Top & Brief in the style of Nicole Richie - Orange (4 pounds each)

ASOS Bow Front Mini Linen Pencil Skirt - Navy (10 pounds)

ASOS Shoulder Pad Open Back Dress - Navy/Black (12 pounds)

This is how the back looks like =) 

I am really happy with my purchases as they are pretty good deal I reckon. However, I missed out on a few items because I forgotten to re-add them into my shopping cart after my laptop crashed =.=" I am REALLY tempted to stock up on summer wear since they are having some massive summer clearance now at the moment. For those who are looking to snatch a good deal for summer clothings (and if you're not tight in the finance department at the moment), you should check out their clearance sales. ONLY the sales items though, you don't wanna blow your hard earn cash in a matter of click, do you? =P

Here is a quick FOTD - Purple Paradise before I go:

I have done similar look here *click* to find out the eye products I used - but I think this one is slightly more intense and much better than the previous one. :)

I think I had Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Carnation here. :)

Have you bought anything from ASOS before? What was your best buy?

xoxo,

A

FOTD - Epic Eyeliner V.3

Hey lovelies! 

Its 4.50am in the morning now and I should really be sleeping soundly on my bed instead of blogging. But I just got home about an hour ago and I am waiting for my hair to dry completely before heading to bed, probably when the sun rises. So, I am gonna share some bloggin' love before hitting the sack. =P

It has been a pretty random yet awesome night and I could barely feel my feet anymore ( the price girls pay to look good! If only I am more gifted in the length department). It was kinda unbelievable how couldn't be bothered I was in the evening and all I wanted to do was stay at home and watch Asian Drama by myself (that's what all the cool kids, I mean losers do these days =.=") From that to watching my friend learning salsa dancing in a pub filled with sleazy men, to a friend's house party,to crashing random party, to KFC WICKED WINGS (which was my dinner btw, at 1am in the morning), to more drinks and crazy dares @ Sanctuary, to a good workout session, ie dancing @ Sharkies (badass much?) before calling it a night. Totally not looking forward to the soreness I am going to experience when I wake up tomorrow arvo.

ANYWAYS,

A friend of mine sent me this photo about a week ago and asked if I could recreate similar look. For those of you who have been following my blog will probably realised I am more of an epic eyeshadow person rather than an epic eyeliner person (well,I was at one stage and that was before I knew how to use a blending brush. True story). I did, however try the "epic eyeliner Japanezu" look previously.

But there's no harm in trying to be "creative" and try out something new right? Instead of going out with my signature smokey winged eyes last week, I went out with this FOTD and apparently, the epic eyeliner look makes my Asian eyes even smaller. =.=" I guess I will just stick with smokey.

THIS is the final product of my "epic eyeliner" attempt 3.Much better than the first 2 I reckon =P

On my EYES

ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

MAC Coral Crepe Paint Pot as base

Orangey - Peach colour from my 88 warm colour palette all over my lid

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Eyeliner in Black on upper lash line

Rimmel (Matte) Mono Eyeshadow in Jet Black to smudge and intensify the upper line

"Outer Crease" Colour from Maybelline Stylish Smokes Quad in Natural Smokes on bottom lash line

Etude House Styling Eyeliner in White on the inner corner of lower lash line

False Eyelashes from Model21Eyelashes *click*

Cover Girl Lash Blast Waterproof Mascara in Black

ELF Eyebrow Kit in Black

On my FACE

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation in Natural Beige

NYX Concealer in a Jar in Light

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Ivory Light

MAC MSF in Stereo Rose (In The Groove Collection)

MAC MSF in Candlelight (In the Groove Collection) as highlight

On my LIPS

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Soft Nude

Photos taken using the flash from my SONY has too much of the whitening effect and it makes me look heaps white, or Geisha Face like how a friend of mine call it.

A sneak preview of my ASOS haul, which is coming up in the next post =)

NOTD (as pictured) is China Glaze Something Sweet!! An absolutely GORGEOUS baby pink =P

I am completely worn out now and I think I am gonna pass out soon. My apologies if this post doesn't make sense at all or its filled with grammatical errors. Before I crash, just a lil something I did share with you guys!! =P

I don't usually check newsletters from Coastal Scents as the shipping cost for their products are usually a bitch (as I have always wanted palettes from CS and they are friggin' heavy!) Anyways, back to the topic - Coastal Scents is currently having clearance on some of their brushes and those that were on sale are pretty good deal. Managed to grab myself 7 brushes for approximately USD30, including shipping. That's still a pretty sweet deal IMO.

Have any of you tried Coastal Scents brushes? Let me know if its yay or nay :D

CRASHING FOR REAL NOW! Let me know if you guys ended up purchasing something from them =P

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND =)

xoxo,

A

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Passion Fruit Shimmer Swatch & Mini LUSH Haul

As promised in my Freebie Alert's post, here are the swatches for the Estee Lauder Pure Colour Pasion Fruit Shimmer that came along with the Marie Claire purchase. Sorry it took me so long to have this swatches up as you already know, editing these photos has always been a bitch as my laptop will crash at least once whenever I use Picasa. =.="

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Pasion Fruit Shimmer

The colour is relatively sheer when I apply it on my lips but it smells REALLY good.I am a sucker when it comes to lip products which smell good, don't we all? =P

- Without flash-

- With flash- 

It's a pretty good deal IMO. I mean come on, it costs $9.20 (since I am not really a fan of Marie Claire so I will probably just browse through it) for a full size Estee Lauder Lip Gloss which looks and smells nice. 

If you're up for trying out new product, go grab a copy of Marie Claire before they run out.:)

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So, I have mentioned countless time on twitter that I am going on a shopping ban. So many times that my followers are probably sick of hearing it. Well, I do admit that I have a problem here,just like Rebecca Bloomwood, except the fact that I still have my Asian genes with me (meaning I wouldn't spend $1000 on a t-shirt just because its"designer") and I don't have a Credit Card (that means no debt as of yet). However, spending more than what I earn or spending all my wages is not exactly the smartest thing to do too. 

I am still working on it, and hopefully by the end of this month, I can go on without shopping for at least 2 weeks. WISH ME LUCK! 

From Priceline: this Anti-Dark Circles Roll-On and my contacts solutions. =)

PS: PRICELINE IS CURRENTLY HAVING A BUY ONE GET ONE FREE OFFER FOR MAX FACTOR EYES PRODUCTS & MAYBELLINE IS HAVING A $3 OFF THEIR ENTIRE RANGE.

I was relatively proud of myself for walking out of Priceline without buying anything unnecessary AND walking out of SUPRE without buying that 10DORRAR tights (which I bought for AUD18 2 weeks ago wtf) and this pretty sweatshirt (because I already bought 2 from Cotton On and I don't really need that many sweatshirts, really) but I have a feeling I might go back and grab the tights just because tights is a STAPLE item in my wardrobe and its 10bucks! We shall see. 

However, that did not last for long as I walked into LUSH to "browse through" their products and came out with a bag of goodies. Should of expected it since I am a huge LUSH fan. =.="

Well, my justification? Soaps IS part of essentials =P 

I mean, girls should smell good all the time right?

1. Rockstar (Sample)

2. Sultana of Soap

3. Porridge Soap

4. The Godmother (Sample)

* I didn't want to open the wrappers as I don't intend to use all of them at the same time. So just click on the name if you wanna see the description and how it looks like :)*

Are you a LUSH fan? Have you tried any of these soaps?

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A sneak peak of what my next FOTD =P 

Hope you have a great week ahead!! :)

Weather was miserable today and will probably gonna be for the rest of the week. And, I have work tomorrow. BOO! :(

xoxo,

A

7 QUESTIONS TAG

I have been tagged by lovely Jenny from SkinnieGenes. You can read Jenny's answers here.

1. Which song will you never get sick of?

This is a pretty hard one as I usually go through a phase with this particular "favourite song" playing on repeat until I get totally sick of it - From Airplanes to Telephone to Halo (Glee Version) and now its DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (THIS IS SUCH A CATCHY SONG, GO DOWNLOAD IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!)

But if I really have to pick one, I guess it would have to be 我爱他 by 丁当, the OST for Autumn Concerto. This drama is EPIC if you haven't watched it already. I finished 20 episodes in 3 days and I had a massive withdrawal syndrome that I replay the OST on my iTunes for almost a month. =.=" I would of link you guys if my YouTube hasn't been such a bitch. So, just copy and paste it to the search bar.

ps: This song might not be as great as I make it sound if you haven't watched the drama or if you don't understand Mando.

2. What is your favourite lip gloss?

I have always been more of a lipstick person but my current favourite lip gloss is definitely Barry M LipGloss in 05 (swatches here) as it looks really good on its own and it goes extremely well with MAC Go For It Lipstick (which I kinda regretted buying until I paired it with this lipgloss) Oh, and it smells AMAZING too. :)

3. Do you prefer to connect with friends online, phone, or in person?

Definitely in person, over lunch or a cup of good coffee. 

4. Do you believe in fate?

If by fate, you mean "love in first sight" or something along that department, not really. But when it comes to life and death, I do. (Like when your time is "up", its up) If that make any sense to you.

5. Describe a perfect date :)

Have a good dinner (it doesn't have to be expensive fine dining, just food that we both enjoy eating) at a restaurant where we are able to have conversations without having to yell at each other and a stroll by the beach with my favourite ice cream. The perfect ending would be lying on the beach,holding each other's hand and watch the stars.

I am not that hard to please, really. =P

6. What is your must-have staple piece of clothing?

Boyfriend blazer - A super versatile piece and a must-have in any girl's wardrobe as it can be worn casually or dressed up for an event. You can pair it with your favourite pair of skinny jeans and a basic top for that chic or effortless look. Or you can wear it over that lovely floral dress of yours for a date. 

7. What skincare item do you swear by?

Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion - If you have been reading my blog, you would probably know by now how dry and sensitive my skin can be, especially in winter. It used to get so dry that it hurts when I wash my face. Lanolin cream works for me but it gets a tad too oily for my liking and I could not justify myself for spending $80-$100 bucks on something that will not last.  Although many might beg to differ and think one should spend more on skin care , which I do when it comes to eye cream.I, for one is pretty lucky in the sense that I don't break out easily,so I was able to try on different products and find what's best and economical for me. And I have gotta say, Cetaphil does the job really well - moisturizes my skin well, doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy and gross after, inexpensive and its scentless (unlike the Aesop ones).

I tag:

 ChaiGyaru
EeVon

KatieNgo

Susie 

NicNic

Nikki

Denysia

AND 

the rest of you! (Drop me a comment if you did! I would love to read your answers. :D)

Thanks love for tagging me. =)

xoxo,

A