REVIEW: Anna Sui Dolly Girl Lipstick in 001, 002 & 003

Hey everyone!

For a change, today’s review isn’t going to be about any MAC lipsticks, nor some new products in the market. The items I’m about to feature were launched in 2011 but even so, they weren’t widely reviewed online. They are the limited edition Anna Sui Dolly Girl lipsticks which I bought last month from Carousell because I was attracted by the cute packaging (as usual. I’m sucha packaging whore). They may already be outdated but I feel that they deserve a mention! After all it’s Anna Sui I’m talking about.. and who doesn’t love Anna Sui right?

So here’s a short lipstick review before I move on to eyeshadow (comin’ up in the next post!).

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001 (red), 002 (blue), 003 (yellow)

These Russian-dolls inspired lipsticks were actually given names! Everyone, meet Vlada (001), Sasha (002) and Natasha (003).

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Rounded lipstick bullet!

I actually bought these thinking that they were matte. You can’t really tell from the bullets, can you? But the colours are so, so gorgeous! And look at the engraving on the rounded bullets! Gosh, so cute. However the roundedness of the bullet means that it’d be difficult to line your lips with it. But it’s okay because you won’t be able to tell if it “bleeds”.

I know I’ve said this many times but I really love Anna Sui for their pretty packaging. The fact that all of their products are scented also makes them really irresistible. Apart from their cosmetics line, I’m also a fan of their perfumes. 🙂

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An overview

You can really tell from the swatches above that they are really sheer and they won’t make much difference to your lip colour. But they make great choice on days you don’t feel like wearing thick makeup. This range of lipstick gives you glossy and pinker lips – a great alternative for those who dislike lipgloss (don’t like the sticky texture) like me.

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001 Vlada, a sheer baby pink

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It looks as if I didn’t wear any lipstick at all but without the glossiness my  lips would look really dehydrated. Plus, it kinda lightens my lips a little.

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002 Sasha, a sheer light fuchsia

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This shade is quite similar to 001 but it’s slightly darker (you can’t really tell if you look at them separately). It gives a subtle hint that you’re wearing something on your lips.

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003 Natasha, a sheer light beige

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My favourite from this collection because it’s such a pretty nude colour! And I think this appears more prominently among the three lipsticks.. perhaps because my natural lip colour is more on the pink side.

A quick search online for Anna Sui Dolly Girl collection also revealed that it includes three other mascaras, each for different purposes – lengthening, volumising and curling.

As these lipsticks were bought off Carousell, I only paid less than $7 for each ($20 for all)! If I’m not wrong, each retailed for about US$27. Hehe, what a great deal! 😀

What do you think ladies?

Thanks for reading! ❤

LAUNCH & REVIEW: MAC Rocky Horror Picture Show Lipsticks – Strange Journey, Oblivion & Frank-N-Furter

HEY EVERYONE! How did you spend your Halloween? 😀

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Mine was nothing short of extraordinary because for the first time in my life (I think), I actually headed out on the actual day of Halloween! Mind you, I’m living in a country where Halloween isn’t largely celebrated. The only places where you’d find people dressed up for the occasion are clubs which I hardly frequent so yes, Halloween is usually stay-home day for me (as the city area would be crowded with people who want to soak up the atmosphere and gosh, I’m totally not a crowd person).

But this year was an exception because MAC Singapore decided to launch something I wanted SO MUCH on 31 October! Yes, you’ve seen the title (that’s why you’re here, right?). It was the launch of the Rocky Horror Picture Show collection which was snapped up online in minutes! I was this close to buying the lipsticks off eBay. Have you seen the prices?!? They are MADNESS.

Thank goodness I didn’t have to fork out so much money in the end since the collection was gonna be launched here! In fact I didn’t know it was coming to Singapore so I was really surprised at the news! Yet excited at the same time!

Excited partly because it was launched at Sephora ION (the only MAC store in Singapore under the umbrella of Sephora) which meant that I could use my Black card AND my 10% discount coupon which I hadn’t redeemed! Yay to cheaper prices!

Anyway, back to the launch event. I’m so proud to say that I went alone 😉

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COBWEBS!!

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So cute the pumpkin =^_^=

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Featuring the Viva Glam collection!

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Finger food served!

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Bloody beverage! Champagne was served too! The partehhh is on!

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Trick or treat?

I was approached by this nice lady and she asked me to choose between trick and treat. Since I’m sucha fun person, I went for trick! And this was her question:

Who won the skeleton beauty contest?

(Don’t cheat! Don’t Google for the answer! I will reveal the answer at the end of this post hehe)

It was a launch-cum-Halloween party at Sephora ION so some shoppers came with a scary getup. The event started at 6.30pm (also to cater to working adults since it was a weekday) but I was there a few minutes early to beat the crowd. When I was there, the products were not displayed yet so I browsed around Sephora and saw a tarot card reader stationed at one corner of MAC. She invited me to take a seat at the table and proceeded to read my 8 chosen cards. Ooh my first tarot card reading. How exciting!

I had to identify an aspect of my life to discuss about for the session. Among relationship, career and health, I picked the last one. I was told that I needed more vitamin D (more exposure to the Sun) and water in my body lol. I don’t deny the latter because I don’t have the habit of drinking a lot of water everyday. But I run a lot under the hot sun (that I got so tanned) so I wonder why I’m still deficient in vitamin D. Oh wells! But she did mention that I was healthy in general. Teehee!

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I wasn’t allowed to take my reading 😦

Came 6.30pm, and every product under the Rocky Horror Picture Show collection was revealed at the counter!

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Not the complete set (as you can see from the holes) as some shoppers took some of the display items away haha.

I was there at the launch for the lipsticks, but after swatching the lip pencil (Vino) on my hand, I kinda wanted it too 🙄

Like the online launch, Frank-N-Furter was held back at time of launch. It was only released after the Halloween-theme beauty demo by Senior Artist Beno Lim. Of course, if you were there early, you could request the reservation of the lipstick and then collect it from the sales representation whom you spoke to after the demo. While waiting for Frank-N-Furter to be made available, I already had Strange Journey and Oblivion in my hands. I didn’t get Sin because I already have it albeit in its regular packaging (which makes me wonder why people bought Sin from this collection instead? It’s like US$1.50/S$3 more :\ )

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SA Beno Lim doing his magic, shading the model’s eyes with the dark shades of Riff-Raff.

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Then applying glitter at the corner of her eyes. He also used the same product to highlight her face.

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Rocky Horror Glitter

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Frank-N-Furter x Vino. SO PREETZ

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Final look!

And now, the part you’ve been waiting for!

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Official lipstick swatch

The Rocky Horror Picture Show collection consists of an eyeshadow palette (in Riff-Raff), a pair of falsies (Rocky Horror 7 Lash), mascara (Zoom Fast Black Lash), eye liner (Superslick Liquid Eye Liner), Chromagraphic Pencil (in Basic Red & Basic Black), Greasepaint Stick (in B & Black), lip pencil (in Vino), lipstick (as shown above), set powder (in Invisible), Sculpt and Shape Powder (in Bone Beige/Emphasize), powder blush (in Crazed Imagination), glitter (in Gold & 3D Black), pigment (in It’s Not Easy Having a Good Time) and nail lacquer (in Bad Fairy & Formidable). A pretty huge collection as you can see!

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Adorbs packaging!

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Seeing red. I love the lipstic tube! It’s so nice to touch hahaha.

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*screams*

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So cool! Art inside the box! 🙂

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My swatch! I bought Sin a few months back. You could check out my short review of Sin here!

Time for individual reviews!

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Strange Journey is a yellowish brick red with Matte finish (US$17.50 / S$33)

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Ok since this is Halloween themed, let me put on my sinister look *huehuehue*

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Just kidding. I’m FRIENDLY!!

Note to self: natural lighting at 5.30pm is the best.

I really think MAC “improved” the formula for their Matte lipsticks because they feel much more moist now and hence my lips look less opaque. I don’t know what to feel about this change because I really liked the dryness of Matte finish even though my lips do feel more hydrated now haha. But it doesn’t seem to last as long already.

For those who couldn’t get Strange Journey when it was launched, don’t worry. Lady Danger (permanent shade) is similar to this! I’ll show you some swatches in awhile.

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Oblivion is a vivid blushred with Amplified finish (US$17.50 / S$33)

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Applying Oblivion is like smacking strawberry jam onto your lips – just look at how creamy and PINK it is! It also gives a subtle shine for healthier and more hydrated-looking lips. Also not forgetting that it offers such great colour payoff. I LOVE IT. It’s such a kissable shade (but Bf wouldn’t let me kiss him with this obviously! Haha).

Likewise, quite a few dupes for this shade (also from MAC, but cheaper!) so no worries if you didn’t manage to cart this out!

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Frank-N-Furter is a deep raspberry wine with Matte finish (US$17.50 / S$33)

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Constiderpation face hawhawhaw

This lipstick… it was the last to be released but first to be gone! But I totally understand why this is the most anticipated lipstick shade for this collection because everyone likes Russian Red. And if you like Russian Red, you’re so gonna like this as well. However, I thought Russian Red was a little too red for me but this one works because it has slight blue undertone hence it’s a bit darker (dark lipsticks are my drugggg). Besides it being so gorgeous, it also creates an illusion of pouty lips à la Angelina Jolie! Plus it is MATTE! So what’s there not to love about this shade?!

Let’s now compare the above lipsticks with some permanent shades from MAC!

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I hope my forearm was longer so that I could do more swatches!

In summary, Strange Journey is pretty close to Lady Danger and Chili. If you already have Viva Glam Rihanna, you can do without Oblivion. Otherwise if you don’t have either of them, Brave Red is a good alternative too! And lastly, don’t bother paying so much for an overpriced Frank-N-Furter because you can get Russian Red at a much lower rate.

But I know.. we beautyholics have a common issue. We have poor self-control when it comes to buying makeup. HA!

Alright, that’s all for this post! Were you one of the lucky few to grab one of these lipsticks? Let me know your thoughts about your purchase in the comments below!

So who won the beauty contest? NO BODY. Get it? Nobody. Hehehe.

Thanks for reading! ❤

Sephora Black Card x Private Sale Haul (Oct 2014)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I haven’t posted anything about my shopping haul because there are way too many items bought over the past 5 months (last update was in May) and I haven’t been able to find time for it. But I’ll definitely get my Carousell haul post up soon, I promise! For now, let’s settle for a mini one from Sephora, shall we? 🙂

I remember filling out the application form to be a member of Sephora’s Loyalty Programme at the Orchard ION branch in 2011 but only started using the White card more often when I got hooked onto beauty products about a year later. However, I feel that other than getting a 10% discount upon accumulating enough points, there wasn’t much exclusivity to being a member because anyone can be a White card holder. Also as a huge spender, you’d naturally want to be set apart from the casual buyers. Thus when I learned about the launch of the Black Card, I was super ecstatic! Partly because my White card is becoming a breeding ground for algae (I have no idea how it got there) and I was already planning to get a replacement (not sure if it’s allowed though).

Black Card holders get to enjoy:

  • VIP access to private sales
  • 10% off on next visit with every 250 points earned in 3 countries (Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand)
  • Pretty birthday surprises
  • Receive exclusive invites to events and workshops

To be a Black Card member, you have to accumulate 250 points.

The privileges are not much difference from the White card I guess. But black is a nicer colour, so yeah.

Just so you know, Sephora USA has a similar loyalty programme called the Beauty Insider but it is waaay cooler because it has 3 ranks – Beauty Insider, VIB and VIB Rouge. Of course, the more you spend, the higher you climb the ladder. Why can’t Sephora Singapore implement the same system? 😦

Anyway, these are what I got from the private sale for Black Card members. It’s not a lot though because I already have most of the stuff I wanted. But I would’ve definitely spent more if Urban Decay Vice 3 was available.

Everything at Sephora was 20% off 😀

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2 of my purchases are rather new products which I hadn’t tried.

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Benefit Boi-ing in 02 (S$27.20, UP S$34) & Clarisonic Brush Head for Sensitive Skin (S$28, UP S$35)

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Benefit They’re Real Push-up Liner (S$30.40, UP S$38), Fresh Soy Face Cleanser (S$18.40, UP S$23) & MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Etcetera (S$28, UP S$35)

The cleanser and brush head are items I’d get on a regular basis because I use them pretty often. I’m about to empty my current tube so this sale was actually very timely. 😀

I’ll take this chance to do a quick review of the wearable products if case some of you’re interested.

Let’s begin with my all-time favourite concealer. Are you ready to see my naked face?

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Woke up with a few new tiny zits. (pardon my messy hair)

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NO FILTER: With Boi-ing on top of POREfessional. Only concealed certain areas.

Finally a shade that is a perfect match to my skin tone! I was using 03 previously because I thought I had grown tanner but no, it was so dark on me. It’s strange because 02 used to be too light on me. Well, my skin could’ve returned to its original shade after jogging under shady trees lol.

The award-winning industrial strength concealer camouflages 98% of my flaws. It is by far the best concealer I’ve ever used because the creamy and thick cream doesn’t really get rubbed off even when I apply my foundation over it (yes, my routine is conceal first then apply foundation). It covers even the reddest pimple.

Moving on…

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From The Matte Lip collection: MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Etcetera (UP S$35)

Yes, another product from The Matte Lip! Love this collection a lot. Every lipstick, except for Damn Glamorous, was sold out at Sephora ION outlet. I believe it’s the same for most branches in Singapore.

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Etcetera is a creamy beige.

I got Etcetera after swatching almost every lip pencil (from this collection) on my hand. The other shade I was contemplating about was Staunchly Stylish I think. But of course, being a darker shade, it was outright rejected by Bf who was with me at Sephora. -_-

Something must have distracted me because I had forgotten to wipe off the pencil marks on my wrist. But guess what? They were still there in their original shape after almost 4 hours of constant rubbing against my bracelets and watch. Wow! Full marks for longevity. But removal can be a chore!

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Lip pencils tend to be more on the dry side hence they will not go well as lipsticks on flaky and chapped lips! You are going to have a hard and painful time applying and removing it. But it also does its job well as a lip liner 🙂

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Wore this out to Madame Tussauds last Sunday!

Knowing that it has a long lasting effect, I used this in place of lipstick on my lips. And true enough, it stayed on for the entire day. One of my biggest issues with lipsticks is that I leave behind stains everywhere my lips come into contact with – on straws, spoons, cups, etc. But with MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil? Rarely. It stays on until you attack it with a makeup removal wipe.

But of course, I still prefer my lipsticks because they are less time-consuming and dry, and are more vibrant? I’ll just use the lip pencil to line my lips.

Check out my review on lipsticks from MAC The Matte Lip collection!

And finally, for the eyes…

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Benefit They’re Real Push-up Liner. New ones come with an orange plug/stopper at the tip.

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Didn’t manage to capture the process, so here’s the result! (plz ignore those unsightly tiny bumps)

It works almost like any twist up eyeliners but this comes with an Accuflex Tip for easy application. Just twist the base around until a teeny weeny bit of the gel is delivered to the top. You don’t want to dispense too much of the gel because they’d break and clump together like a ball. Trust me, you wouldn’t want your face speckled with fallouts.

My verdict: I’m probably going to use this very often because it’s proven to be budge-proof and it’s relatively easy to apply. Plus I didn’t have to do much to cover the tiny space between my lash line and my lids. The eyeliner automatically fills in the gap for me (thus “lash-hugging”). It’s gonna save me a lot of time on days I oversleep.

However, removal would take a little more time. It shouldn’t be a problem if you’re using a good-quality removal wipe (for the record, I’m using Simple Spotless Skin Quick Fix Cleansing Wipes).

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FANTASTICO 🙂

That’s all for this haul post! Do share with me your thoughts about any of the mentioned products 🙂

Thanks for reading lovelies ❤