Review: bareMinerals Face Fashion, The Look of Now - Earthy Chic5-piece Collection

This collection is probably the first set I bought from the "bareMinerals The Look of Now" range when it was first introduced in Selfridges 3 years ago! I know a lot of you people must questioned why I haven't disposed it in the bin yet after so long! I must admit I deliberately used it very sparingly to extend the use as it is no longer available in store =(. A little silly I know because it is very unhygienic to use make ups from so long ago (so please ensure you clear out old stocks periodically!). However from today onwards I will try to finish it all for the sake of my future health!

I have in total 4 of these sort of collections and this, and the "Pure Happiness" kit is the most I loved! This has more natural and earthy look (hence the name "Earthy Chic!"), whilst the Pure Happiness is more spring time probably heading towards summertime look. The other two sets are: Natural Muse and Fab Fresh. Natural Muse I felt was too dark for me and I really hate the lipgloss as I looks quite ageing and ashy for my complexion, as for Fab Fresh, I still haven't opened it yet (oops!).

The reason I chose to do a review on this collection set after so long was because I felt it's a very beautiful set, but somehow not a lot of people has known or done reviews on it, which I felt was a shame.

As you can see from the photos below it contains 2 x eye colours (neutral and a dark sparky khaki colour), 1 x eyeliner in the form of powder (dark brown), 1 x blush (pink) and 1 lipgloss (nude-pink), including instruction guide on the side. I would recommend this kit to fair, maybe medium skin as the colour is very subtle. Darker skin might have a bit of a problem getting the colour to show. I love the lipgloss a lot, the texture is not too sticky and it has a minty feel, the colour I felt complemented my complexion.

Inside

Back cover

Swatch on arm (left to right) Chic Nude eye shadow, Smoky Sage eyeshadow, Spiced Fig eyeliner, Desert Rose Blush, Lip Polish

This set cost me about £25.00 which I felt was reasonable priced. Some may argue for the size of the make ups (they are mini size) it doesn't seems to be a bargain, but trust me, a little goes a long way, it does last quite a bit. A good example will be I took it with me to H.K 3 years ago for 2 weeks and used it almost every single day, and so far there is still plenty left in the pot, looking as if I hardly used it. It is very small and compact so very ideal for travelling or carrying i
n hand bag for touch up later on during the day.

I used this collection on my face today, minus the eyeliner in the kit as I didn't bring my eyeliner brush with me. It looks very subtle in the photo, maybe I should have layered it on more but since I will be working soon afterwards, I didn't want to frightened my customers! Here's what I put on my face. I've also I included the swatch and photos with (last photo) and without the flash (second last).

Without Flash

With Flash

Face:
• Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Warm Sand (2.5)
• Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Powder Foundation 02
• Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage in SC-3
• No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in 05 Translucent

Eyes:
• bareMinerals Chic Nude Eyecolor
• bareMinerals Sage Eyecolor
• Makemania Data Pencil Gel Eyeliner in Jet Black

Cheek:
• bareMinerals Desert Rose Blush

Lip:
• Mini Sandy Buxom Lip Polish

Has anyone tried the bareMinerals / Bare Escentuals kit before, if so let me know of your opinions on it. =)

On the other side, there is some cons in this set, it can get very messy with the powder spilling out of you're not careful if applying it. Also the lid where I tap off the excess before applying it can be on the small side, so I suppose you have to weigh the pros and cons before deciding whether it's for you or not.

Mary xx

Japanese Cheesecake - 2nd attempt!

The previous cheesecake I made, I found out that it tasted more like the ones I got at the patisserie after leaving it in the fridge overnight, so the conclusion I got was that it was supposed to be chilled! (What a dim-wit I am!). Anyway, taste-wise it was acceptable, so presentation-wise it could do with some improvement, so today I tried it a second time to see if the cracks were due to the oven too hot!

As you can see the from the photos below, there are still cracks is still cracks forming, if not there were more rise into it! Funny enough after I cooled it for 5 mins in the oven, the next thing I know it shrunken? Which didn't happen previously. Anyone know why?

Whilst baking.

Cooling down

Looking deflated

My next mission will be to try a slightly different recipe, one that don't use cake flour (or plain/all purpose if you can't find the cake flour, like me!) and see if it taste or look different.

I now share with you my failed attempt Número. 2 =p

Mary xx

P.S. haven't tasted it yet, still need to wait another 2 hours before it sets. Fingers cross it still taste okay...

Japanese-Style Cheesecake

Today I want to share my experience on Japanese-style Cheesecake. I first tried this cheesecake in Oriental City (Yaohan Plaza) in Colindale, it taste like a combination of cheesecake and normal sweet cakes, quite light and airy. I always buy it whenever I visit the bakery, even if it cost quite a bit (between £4-5 which to me can be quite dear!), but ever since the whole plaza closed down around 4 years ago I haven't got a chance to taste it again unless I go to Chinatown.

Two days ago I was looking for a recipe to make Apple Crumble that I suddenly decided to also try looking for a Japanese-style cheesecake one as well, and voila! I found loads, seems like I'm not the only person craving for it! ^_^

Today I finally being able to attempt my first trial on it. I bought all the ingredients and equipments from my local supermarket, and started baking the cheesecake. It took me slightly less than 2 hours from preparation to cooking and the outcome was acceptable, although it taste slightly moist, not sure if it is because the cheesecake was slightly undercooked, so I put it back into the oven and baked it a further 15 mins, but it's still moist so I assume the problem might be from not thoroughly mixing two ingredients together prior to cooking.

Here's the end result... Half eaten already! =p

Enjoy!

Mary xxx

No heat curls

I've always had my hair straightened, or prefer to have it straight as I felt it can slim down my round face! But recently I want to try something different and have it curly so I trolled through the website and found this new gadget called Curlformers. What attracted me to this "thingy" is the fact it doesn't need heat to curl the hair. I saw some reviews and it sounded positive, unfortunately the downside is if you decided to sleep with the curlformers in, it can be very difficult and uncomfortable. Anyway, here's my result from using it.

Enjoy!

Mary xx

Real Techniques Core Collection

I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the Real Techniques Brushes designed by Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo.

I have been following them for around 2 years I think. It all started off with me browsing through random videos on the YouTube looking for tips and tutorials on how to apply make up, and it wasn't long before I got hooked onto it! Most of the earlier ones I saw was filmed by Sam, and it took me a while before I realised the channel was shared between her and her sister, Nic.

When Sam announced she was launching her own brand of make up brushes I was excited as I could tell from her videos she's not the sort of person who would hard sell her own line to the public, and also she will put a lot of thinking in the quality of the brushes. I must confessed I have bought quite a few brushes in the past, however a lot of them doesn't seem to do the job properly, i.e doesn't blend well enough, or the bristles will shed like mad! However although I was looking forward to the launch, I didn't go out and buy the brushes straight away because:
1) I've just bought a brush set from AOFM that was recommended by Nic in one of her videos, and don't see the need of wasting more money buying more (had I know Sam was launching her brushes back them I would have definitely waited!),
and also
2) I think it was only available in the US back then, and shipping it to the UK can be costly.

But anyway, when Sam announced that it was available to be bought in Boots this February, I thought "that's it! I have to get it!" as I have read loads of goods reviews about it, especially the Buffing and the Stippling brushes. I ordered mine online from www.love-makeup.co.uk as all their brushes was £1 cheaper than Boots, plus I get a free shading brush if I ordered over £40 so I got the Core Collection and the Starter set.

I really loved both of the set, but I prefer the Core Collection, especially the Buffing Brush. It really made my face flawless whether the foundation used were cream, liquid or mineral.

Unfortunately I do have one complaint, the bristles in my Buffing Brush was, and still shedding after using it for 3 weeks (See picture below). I wasn't too sure whether it was due to how I cleaned it (I used 90% alcohol, as recommended by gossmakeupartist) or I was just unlucky enough to have got a bad batch, but I was very upset seeing it falling apart, luckily not long afterward Boots did a 3for2 offers so I bought 3 more sets, kept 1 and sold the extra 2 sets on eBay (cheeky I know! But I don't see the point of having 4 sets since I'm not a make up artist and it's only for personal use!)

I'm having my eyes on the expert face brush and the eyeliner brushes, but to be honest I don't see the needs as all the brushes can be multi-tasked with other uses (I sometime the Buffing brush for foundation AND blusher AND powdering my face!). I also uses the Shading brush for shadows and concealer, which is good if you want limit the amount of stuff to pack for holidays. However, never say never. I got a feeling I will purchase them soon as I have nearly all the brushes apart from the Kabuki brush, the eyelash comb? and the Travel Set.

Bottom line, do I think it's worth the money? Definitely YES. It works out cheaper than other inferior quality brands. The second Buffing Brush I have is still in perfect condition after using it for over one month. Just finger cross it doesn't need replacing again for a short time! ^_~

Mary xx

Introduction to my love of plants and trying to grow lavender from seeds.

I have been into growing different plants lately, firstly because I like the fact that I can see it growing day-by-day, and secondly I find gardening very therapeutic. However, since my dad "owns" the garden so ultimately my gardening skills can only stretch as far as my bedroom, but nevertheless I still enjoy having some green living stuffs in my bedroom to keep me company.

I must confessed I have killed quite a few plants in the past either by giving it too many loves (i.e. overwatering them in most cases), not watering when it's needed to and also not giving it the ideal growing environment (my bedroom faces North, hence hardly any sunshine!), but looking on the bright side at least I felt I have learnt from my mistakes (I hope!).

My current "babies" in the bedroom is a Parlour Palm and Peace Lily that I bought from B&Q 2 years ago. The reason for choosing these 2 plants was because I've read that they can survive in partial sun, so will be perfect for my dark bedroom. Sadly enough my Peace Lily never bloomed again after the flowers died shortly after taking it home, however I blamed myself as I hardly ever mists it, which I know it loves! I have noticed that it really does not like the sun as the leaves turns into a paler green when it's placed near the windowsill whereas it has a more deeper green colour when I moved it to a darker space! Well, it's now back on the windowsill because my room is turning into a mess, but I'm hoping to find it a better space to settle soon!

Anyway fast forward to the present, I tried to grow lavender from seeds. I placed the seeds into the soil and left it on my windowsill hoping it will be okay, however the sprouts seems thin and weak, so my conclusion is there is not enough light! I have now moved it to where I work where the window is south-facing do hopefully the sprouts will turn stronger.

Here's a picture of it so far. Any suggestions welcome. You may also share your planting experiences along with some tips =)

Mary xx