BEST OF 2013

I can't believe that 2013 is reaching its end. 2013 is definitely the fastest year ever. Do you think so ?  How was your 2013? 2013 was for me like a year of traveling. I visited a lot of places I had never been before and I did a lot of things I had never done before. I learned to step out of my comfort zone and also learned to be more patient and not being too hard on myself. I'm excited to see what will 2014 bring. But I'll stay optimist and positive :-D

Beauty wise, I tried significantly a lot of products this year so I have a lot of new favorite from this entire year.

SKIN CARE

Laneige Waterbank Essence - I got this in February from Sharlynn , but it took me few months before I started to use it and I've been loving it so far. You can see from the picture how I almost use it up. I like the fact that it is lightweight but still very hydrating. It smells nice and it doesn't break me out. I usually apply it in the morning alone, and at night together with the Josie Maran Argan Oil and Estee Lauder ANR2.

Estee Lauder Advance Night Repair 2 - I received 3 deluxe sample of this serum ( each 7ml sample!) and it took me more than 3 months to use up 2 of the samples. To be honest, I don't think this serum is a magic but it does improve my skin after awhile. Do not expect a direct effect from this serum because I thought this serum was very ordinary until I started to realize my skin was improving little by little and getting less cranky after the first 5-6 weeks. Now this serum is part of my night routine and I still have 1 deluxe sample waiting to be opened so I won't need to purchase the full size soon. 

Josie Maran 100% Argan Oil - This argan oil is the highlight of the year in terms of skincare. It is so simple yet so good. I noticed the effect directly the morning after. My skin feels more suple and soft and my redness around the cheeks are not so bad now. It irks  me so bad that this one is only sold in the US.

Ren Eye Gel - I am not really a fan of eye creams in general, I just think face cream is enough. But in order to avoid botox in 10 years ;P, I try my best to apply eye cream every night. This eye cream from REN is my favorite so far. It is cooling and soothing, lightweight and it brightens up my under eye area a little bit I notice. 

MAKE UP

Laura Mercier eu gormande Perfumes - I have almost every scent from the collection because I simply love them so much. They smell yummy but not sickly sweet, and they all last a long time. 

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Tipsy - I love everything about it. The packaging, the color, the quality and even the price is very reasonable for what it is. It is so far the best blush formulation I have tried for the price segment. I really wish the brand was easily accessible outside the US.

Clinique Chubby Sticks - No need to write a lot about them. I love them very much, already used up 2 full size this year. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix serum foundation - It is not easy to pick up the best foundation for 2013, but I think this one from Bourjois deserves the title because everything about it is just excellent. The fact that it is reasonable and easily accessible makes it even better. 

Bourjois healthy mix concealer - My favorite concealer ever. It brightens up my under eye area , it doesn't crease, stays on all day, not greasy and it is affordable.  What else do you want?

Benefit Porefessional - I haven't tried a lot of face primer before but this one from Benefit is so good I don't want to try anything else. It really minimizes the appearance of pores, and it provides a flawless canvas before I apply make up. The price is a bit thumbs down, but 1 tube can last me up to 3 months so €32 is not that bad.

IT cosmetics bye bye redness - This is one innovative product. I have redness around my cheeks and sometimes they still peek through foundation so this product comes to the rescue. It cancels out my redness very well and it is now part of my every day make up routine.

MAC Blotting powder - The best finishing powder I have tried so far. period.

So, that's my best of 2013 list. Have you done yours? and what is your highlight from 2013??

Love,

Pam

Sweater Weather TAG

I know this TAG is actually meant to be done in autumn, but it is now a mild winter in Germany. We've been having a moderate 5-10'C winter so I think it's okay to do this TAG :-)

• What is your favorite candle scent?
• I can't pick between the Rosewater from Crabtree&Evelyne and Oranger from Diptyque. Rosewater smells exactly like rosewater, it is mild and very relaxing. A kind of scent that lingers on the background. Oranger in other hand is stronger. It smells very winter-y, warm and a bit spicy. It smells like fresh oranges mixed with spices. Love it.

• Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate?
• Definitely Tea! I love coffee too but I try my best to reduce my caffeine intake because I got anxious and it was difficult for me to sleep well, so my doctor told me to drink more tea instead of coffee. I am not a fan of hot chocolate since I don't really like the sweet after taste. 

• Do you switch your make up routine for the season?
• Well make up wise, I don't really switch the routine but I tend to wear darker lipsticks, and heavier eye make up compare to summer months. And I do switch my skin care routine for the colder months.

• What is your best fall-winter memories? 
• Since I grew up in Indonesia, the first time I moved to Germany was the first time I experienced fall and winter. So my first time seeing the falling leaves, and the snow was my best memories of fall and winter :)

• Which make up trend do you prefer? Winged eye liner or dark lips?
• This question is difficult because I wear winged eye liner literally every day, so it is not even a 'trend' for me. So I think I'd go with dark lips.

• Best perfume for fall-winter?
• Thierry Mugler Alien and Jo Malone Vanilla and Anise.

• Hats or Scarves?
• Definitely scarves! I hate wearing hats because I have big head and no hats can really sit properly on my head. lol

• Most worn sweater?
• My oxblood sheep sweater from NewLook and my rose printed sweater from MANGO. They are so warm, fluffy and cute :)

• Favorite Nail Polish?
• I've been loving dark nail polish for colder months, and this combination from Essence home sweet home and deborah lippmann good girl gone bad have been on my nails quite often.

• What is autumn and winter weather where you live?
• I live in Berlin - Germany and autumn here is beautiful! The whole city is covered in autumn color and the weather is usually nice and rainy. Winter is freezing here and we usually get a lot lot lot of snow. But now it is the end of December and the snow is not yet coming to town T-T

Here are some pictures from last year winter and this year fall :

Is it also fall / winter where you live? If yes, then feel free to do this TAG as well :-)

I hope you had lovely christmas!

Love,

Pam

Holiday FOTD and Merry Christmas !!

Hi guys! I can't believe it is already christmas eve!!

I had christmas dinner with friends 2 days ago and here was my FOTD, I went a bit heavy on make up because we have tradition to dress up and go fancy on christmas dinner. I'm going to the church tonight and spend my christmas eve with my boyfriend . Tomorrow we'll cook a big christmas brunch  for both of us because we're studying abroad so we can't celebrate christmas with family :( But anyway we should make the best out of what we have :-)

Products used :

FACE :

• Dolce & Gabbana Luminous Foundation
• Benefit Porefessional
• Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer
• MAC Blot Powder

EYES :

• Essence I Love Stage Eye shadow primer
• Dolce & Gabbana Eye shadow quad - vulcano
• L'oreal Infallible Eyeshadow - amber rush
• Benefit they're real mascara
• rimmel scandalous eye liner
• Essence brow pencil #01
• Alverde brow gel #02

CHEEK :

• P2 matte bronzer
• Tarte Blush - Tipsy

LIPS :

• Rimmel london kate moss #07
• NARS satin lip pencil - hyde park

What are you doing for christmas?? I wish you all a merry merry christmas!

Love,

Pam

Whole Lotta Candy

My love to lip crayons is a public secret I believe, so it's no wonder when I first saw this set online, I put an order right away.

This set includes 3 mini chubby sticks @1,2gr ( full size is 3gr ) in Pudgy Peony, Two Ton Tomato and Voluptous Violet. All 3 mini chubby sticks come in special swirling prints on the 'crayon'. 

Pudgy Peony

Pudgy Peony is a peony pink shade which will not suit me if it is opaque. But since it is sheer, it is actually pretty and I like how it looks against my complexion. 

 Two Ton Tomato

Two ton tomato is my favorite out of the 3. It is a sheer orangey- tomato red which is very wearable and looks flattering against my complexion. It is also the most pigmented among the 3.

Voluptous Violet

Voluptous Violet is the most sheer out of the 3. It needs to be layered to get the color show up. I like how pastel and soft it looks on me but it is a bit too pale for my liking. The fact that it is sheer, does help making it wearable for me because this is the kind of shade that will not look good against my complexion if it is opaque.

Clinique chubby sticks are famous for being very hydrating , and I confirm it. They are also very moist and emollient but not slippery. I recently used up my full size chubby stick in Super Strawberry and I rarely, very rarely use up any make up item, so it is a big deal for me. I love how they are so easy to wear. You don't need mirror to apply and they give color without being too overdone, great for low key days. They aren't scented so it might be a plus point for those of you who are sensitive towards scents.
If you are looking for opaque / pigmented lippies then chubby sticks are not for you. But if you're looking for moisturizing,sheer and low maintenance lip balms then you may give them a try.

Have you tried Clinique Chubby Sticks?
Love,
Pam

MUA Pearl Eye Shadow Monos

I have some MUA eye shadow palettes and I've been enjoying them so far. They are affordable and good quality. But sometimes there are some shades in a palette that I barely touch because you can't just love every single shade in the palette, right? That's when mono eye shadows come to the rescue.

MUA mono eye shadows are amazing, they are only £1 each!!!  Like how can they be so cheap yet so good??  All the mono eye shadows come in a plastic case and they come with 2gr of products which is a lot ( for comparison MAC eye shadows are 1,5gr and they cost around €12-€17 each ). The packaging is nothing special, it is plastic but not flimsy. I don't know whether you could depot them like MAC ones.

One downside, the monos don't have names, they only come in numbers, so here are 3 monos I ordered :

-#28 is a rusty pink shade with rosegold shimmers. It is such a pretty shade and it makes a good 'topper'. I love to apply it as a topper for a plumy-burgundy base. It is also pretty on itself, but the pigmentation is a bit sheer, I need to layer a bit to the color pop.

-#12 is a muddy bronze shade with gold shimmers. It might look ordinary on swatch but it is not just your 'bronze next door' because it has a tiny bit hint of red which you know - my favorite kind of eye shadow!

-#24 is my favorite out of the 3. It is a rusty amber-copper tone. It looks so beautiful on the eyes. love love it!

All of the monos I ordered have pearl finish. So they're all shimmery but not glittery which I like. The pigmentation is great. They have great texture, smooth and soft and almost no fall out! I have some MUA palettes and some eyeshadows on the palette can be quite dusty but the monos are different. I am so impressed!

For only £1 each, it is almost unbelievable how they could be so good. 

Have you tried the MUA monos?

Love,

Pam

My dream came in red

If you read my christmas wish list post here, you might have known I'd been lusting over the 3.1 Phillip Lim Medium Pashli bag. Handbags are my weakness. I am not a shoe girl, but I am a handbag girl inside out. So after a period of saving money, reading reviews on the internet and countless nights where I couldn't really sleep in peace ( exaggerating me, I know.. :p ) I finally dug inside my pocket and bought this medium pashli, in red. 

 

I actually wanted to get this in dark navy but it was sold out, and since I already have too many bags in black, I opted for the red. The bag comes in a sturdy wrinkled leather, or Phillip Lim called it shark  embossed. I love how the leather is actually wrinkled and pebbled so it is less sensitive, more structured and scratch proof. I am not very careful with my stuffs so I need to have durable and sturdy bags. 

The bag has one push lock at the front which is honestly quite annoying. It is not very easy to close, I'd prefer magnetic closure.. There are also 2 zipper applications at the front which can be zipped close or open for wider look flaps ( read : celine trapeze inspired ). It also comes with adjustable and removable strap which is long enough for cross body but too long for the shoulder (unless you're taller than me) so I added more holes on the strap. 

The bag is actually very roomy, it fits my 11" macbook air perfectly ( not in the picture ) and it doesn't go shaggy when I carry a lot of things. It has one zip pocket inside with no extra compartments outside which bothers me a bit.

Here are some pictures how the bag looks on me. I like the fact that it can be worn on the shoulder, cross body, or on hand. The bag has a mix of feminine look and yet a bit of edgy and effortless look. 

I am so far very happy with my bag. It is such a good bag for every day use because it gives you option to be hands free with the strap yet allows you to look 'elegant' and more 'lady like' when it's carried on hand. Price-wise it is also still on the 'reasonable' side at €780,- or $850,- in comparison to other it bags like celine trapeze-luggage-phantom, prada saffiano, mulberry alexa-bayswater or  balenciaga . 

Are you a bag person as well? what is your all time biggest splurge on handbags? or are there any bags you've been lusting over?

Love,

Pam

Crème Brûlée

If you read my post here about my Laura Mercier perfumes, I was surprised how good they actually are. They are really long lasting and smell exquisite and not sickly sweet even though they supposed to smell like dessert. Their most famous scent on the line is the creme brûlée which smells soooooo good. I've been wanting to get the creme brûlée perfume but it is always sold out at the counter. So when I saw it available at ludwigbeck.de I directly put an order , also for the hand creme.

Creme Brûlée the perfume doesn't smell directly like creme brûlée. The first time you spray it, it smells more like vanilla - sweet and warm and a bit musky. But after awhile, it starts to smell a bit like caramel and to my surprise ; coconut. If you don't like sweet smell, this is definitely not something for you. Creme Brûlée has some richness to it and it won't make you smell like food, more like sweet dessert ( well okay, dessert is food as well ... ) . I rarely get compliments about perfume that I wear but I have been receiving a lot of compliments from random strangers every time I wear the Laura Mercier eu Gourmande perfumes. But I must say that almost all of the perfumes on the range ( I have vanilla, fresh fig , almond coconut and creme brûlée ) kind of smell similar, warm and sweet, only the fresh fig is totally different to my nose. 

The hand creme in other hand, smells very foody. It really smells like creme brûlée, very strong but delicious. I love the smell very much it is almost therapeutic. It feels like entering a bakery in the morning when they just put the first trays of breads and cakes fresh from the oven. A lot of people may have problem with it because it might be too dominant for hand cream, but I love love it. 

Both products have great staying power and the hand cream is moisturizing but not sticky. The packaging is very simple and clean cut but well made.

I am very pleased with this combo but I am not sure whether I would spend €65 on the body soufflés. I just think they are a bit too overpriced. 

Have you tried Laura Mercier eu gourmande body care range?

Love,

Pam

Roaring Red

It's been awhile since the last time I bought something from drugstore limited edition's collection. But the latest collection from "Catrice Feathers and Pearls" caught my attention. Despite of the fact how many red lippies I have already had on my stash, I still picked one. ( because cool toned red-warm toned red-matte red-glossy red-ruby woo red-russian red red, they're all different, aren't they? ;P )

The packaging is typical Catrice lipsticks, only this one has some prints on the bullet. I like the packaging of Catrice lipsticks because they look elegant, well made and sturdy for such a fraction of price, ca. €4.

 

Roaring red is actually more orange in real life. It is not completely matte, more a satin-velvet finish. I actually prefer that kind of finish because truly matte is too drying and accentuates the lip lines. The pigmentation is amazing, one swipe is enough to cover it all. The texture is nice as well, it feels creamy but not overly creamy. 

I tried my best to capture its true color but still it appears less orange on pictures. Roaring red is such a beautiful shade of red, and it will be flattering on a lot of skin complexions. It feels comfortable on the lips and not overly drying. Lip balm underneath is a must since it is not very hydrating but still way better than MAC matte lippies. This lipstick doesn't bleed so lip liner is not a must as long as you apply it carefully around the lip line. 

Are you red lippie freak like I am? what is your go-to red lipstick?

Love,

Pam

The Perfect Palette TAG

A lot of my favorite fellow beauty bloggers and some youtubers have been doing this TAG lately. I've been wanting to do it as well but since nobody tagged me, I'd just pretend that I shamelessly tagged myself :p. The lovely sleepandwater just did this TAG as well recently. 

• Best Packaging
• I have to go with Burberry Eyeshadow Palette in Plum Pink. Their heavy gunmetal case is very well made and looks high end. The eye shadow stripes are also well embossed with Burberry's checks print that still visible even after a lot of use. It is also the perfect size, not too big or too bulky and fits perfectly inside (almost) any handbags. 

• Best Colour Payoff
• This award goes to Wet n Wild eye shadow trios. They are amazing in pigmentation, which is wonderful for a drugstore brand with only a fraction of price.. Not only the darker shades but the lighter shades are also great in pigmentation.

• Most Versatile
• This category is difficult to choose, there were few candidates that I thought would 'win' on this catergory but I had to go with Kanebo Kate little Palette. It has one cream highlighter and 4 powder eye shadows. It has 1 shimmery peachy pink shade, 1 shimmery champagne shade ,1 satin plumy taupe and 1 satin charcoal brown so you can create very minimal look with the pink and champagne shade, or go smokey with the plum-taupe and charcoal brown. All shades perform good solo, as they have all either shimmery or satin-sheen finish. The cream highlighter is not very useful but it makes good highlighter base for the inner corners. 

• Best for Travel
• I can't decide between these two because I usually have these 2 for travelling. My INGLOT palette which consists of 3 matte shadows ( I use them for my eye brows ) and 2 duo-chrome shadows. The INGLOT very sturdy packaging is also safe for travelling. The Burberry Plum Pink has been my dearest friend since I purchased it. I can always rely on it because it has 4 gorgeous shades, great quality and also sturdy case that is travel friendly.

• Biggest Regret(s)
• No doubt my Shu Uemura Karl Lagerfeld palette and Sonia Rykiel Eye shadow duo ( okay it is not really a palette, but still.. ). I bought both of them mainly because of the packaging and the curiosity since they are both not really widely available here in Germany esp the Sonia Rykiel one. They're not bad in terms of quality but I expected them to be wayyyyy better. The Shu Uemura is too glittery imo and the pigmentation is not very good ( which is mostly the case with asian brands I guess.. ) and the Sonia Rykiel one is too dry in texture and also very glittery.. Unfortunately they're also not very cheap so the disappointment is bigger.

• Best Colour Names
• I had to go with Urban Decay NAKED 2 as it is really the only eye shadow palette I own that has different names for each shade. The other palettes that I have don't have separate names for each shades.

• Least Used
• It's not that I don't like this Dolce&Gabbana eye shadow quad, but I just don't use it often enough as I thought I would. Maybe the 'difficult' color selection is the main problem. All the shades are not very daily appropriate so I don't reach for it as often as I'd love to. The quad is beautiful and something different on my stash so I like it but I wish I reached for it more often..

• Most Used, Most Loved
• You can def see from the picture how well used the palette is. MUA Undressed Me Palette is just so easy to wear because it contains basically every shades you need to create a day or night look. The far right shade on the 1st line is almost used up and I hit pan already on the 3rd shade on the 2nd line. They are my most favorite eye shadows to wear alone on the lids, perfect for busy days. I also love the 2 matte shades in this palette because they are amazing for blending. 

Have you done this TAG? I'll tag everyone who wants to do this TAG :)

Love,

Pam