Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal eyeliners

After reading raves about the Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliners, I decided to order them when drugstore.com was having 30% off their makeup department.

 Not me

Going through the Rimmel USA and UK websites, I quickly discovered that 006 Deep Blue was a USA- exclusive shade. So Deep Blue went into the shopping basket (am a sucker for *insert country of choice*-exclusive). I thought of trying something brighter and 007 Turquoise seemed like a good choice. 

Diagonal left to right:

Deep Blue (1 stroke), Deep Blue (2 strokes), Turquoise (1 stroke), Turquoise (2 strokes)

I felt that Deep Blue is in fact closer to purple, it is very dark and very close to a charcoal grey. Turquoise, to me, leans towards teal but I do like the shine without any glitter particles. I sometimes tightline and I prefer to use eyeliners without any particles in them. 

Rimmel has a "Try It On" feature on their website which is fabulous! You can select a model similar to your colouring/ethnicity (Rimmel USA has different models from Rimmel UK), select the style of eyeliner e.g. winged, cat's eye etc, pick the shade you're interested in and watch how the eyeliner will look on the model.

With eyeliner on the right eye only (Taken from Rimmel's website)

There's even a before/after section where you can choose to see the eyeliner only on 1 eye and see the other eye without eyeliner. Great job on the website, Rimmel!

So far, I've worn the Rimmel Scandaleyes Turquoise eyeliner on two occasions. First time, I used it to tightline for a dinner party (in all air-conditioned comfort) and used a black eyeliner on top of my lashes. Second time round, it was used as 'normal' eyeliner, on top of the lashes, for a morning at the beach (typical hot humid Singapore weather) and subsequently, an afternoon out. 

The eyeliner lasted beautifully during the dinner party but didn't do so well during the second time. There was fallout onto the lower eye area but as the shade was light, it didn't look too bad.  

I do like the texture and the price (RRP USD$4.49) and will continue using the eyeliner. I will attempt to replicate what I used on my eyes during the dinner party again and see if the fallout will continue during the day.  

Disclaimer: I did not receive any payment or payment in kind for writing this blog post. Any opinions mentioned are my own. 

Bifesta Bright Up Cleansing Lotion

The Bifesta cleansing lotions have received many good reviews from beauty bloggers. Several Asian bloggers like to compare the Bifesta Cleansing Lotions with the Bioderma Sensibio removers. I decided to get one in Taiwan if the price was right.

With only the Bifesta Moist Cleansing Lotion and the Bright Up Cleansing Lotion were available to choose from on the day of my flight leaving Taiwan, I decided to go with the Bright Up one. I was actually on the lookout for the Bifesta Eye Makeup Remover but couldn't find it in the Watsons store.

Before this, I had typically removed makeup via cleansing oils, cleansing milks and bi-phase removers (for eye & lip areas). I would then proceed to wash my face with a cleanser and this process is typically known as double cleansing. Apparently, the Bifesta makeup cleansers promises to keep your face clean without the need to double cleanse. Its various cleansing lotions also claim to have skincare properties; the Bright Up Cleansing Lotion promises to brighten up your skin after extensive use. 

Actually I have to admit that after years of using makeup removers which leave a 'layer' on the face and requiring a further wash-off with a gel cleanser, the Bifesta Cleansing Lotion is very different and takes getting used to. I sometimes pour makeup remover into my palm and start patting it on my face and subsequently rubbing the makeup off (when I forget to bring cotton pads into the washroom). This does not work with the Bifesta Cleansing Lotion as it is the consistency of water. You will need cotton pads or some textile material to absorb the lotion before using it. Perhaps "Cleansing Water" is a more apt description, "lotion" to me conjures up a runny texture.

On the other hand, this Cleansing Lotion is very good at its job. In fact, I used it to remove eyeliner on a few occasions when I couldn't find my eye makeup remover. It does not sting the eyes and is quite effective at removing eyeliner.    

Unlike some Japanese brands which do a different version of products for overseas markets and a version for the Japanese domestic market, the Bifesta cleansing lotions sold outside Japan appear to be the same as the ones sold in Japan. 

I purchased this at NT$350/S$14.70 RRP (I think I got a 15% discount on it but the receipt shows an overall discount off my total spend) and the Bright Up Cleansing Lotion sells for S$18.90 in various locations in Singapore. This is an extremely friendly price, considering the lotion is 300ml. 

Disclaimer: I did not receive any payment or payment in kind for writing this blog post. Any opinions mentioned are my own.

Tangs and Takashimaya

I'm no stranger to online shopping (hears scoffing in the background). In fact, I love online shopping, especially in the hours that I can't sleep. However, I've been conditional online shopping recently. Instead of buying makeup from the US and having them shipped over, I've been looking at buying them locally where possible. I still shop online for the brands or products which are not here yet.  

One reason is that I've realised that online shopping is not as cheap as it looks, even when I shop during sale times. The international shipping charged by consolidators can be high if you're only getting a few items. And there's the wait. 

Another is that more beauty brands have established themselves in Singapore, taking the distance out of overseas brands. We still don't get the full collection (for example no eyeshadow palette from MAC's All About Orange collection) nor all the shades (for example Revlon's ColorStay Foundation) but things have been improving.

I love to wander around the beauty halls of departmental stores but I spend much more time at these two compared to the rest.

MAC All About Orange collection launched in Singapore before US/UK

Tangs (I go to the Tangs Orchard store) stocks Aveda, Sulwhasoo, NARS, Giorgio Armani, Burberry Beauty just to name a few brands. Tangs holds members' closed door sales a few times every year where they give a whopping 12% rebate off your purchase. In their recent members' sale, they were also giving away a $25 beauty voucher with a minimum spend of $250.

NARS GWP offer at the Tangs members' closed door sale

Other than the usual departmental suspects (Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Dior, Lancome, etc), Takashimaya stocks several Japanese brands. Think Albion, Lunasol, Kanebo, Cosme Decorte AQMW and Kose. There's also the Watsons flagship store, Aveda/The Body Shop/Kiehl's/MAC stores within Ngee Ann City which is a 2 mins walk away from the Takashimaya departmental store.

Lunasol GWP offer at the Takashimaya sale

I wasn't able to make it down when Tangs did their members' closed door sale earlier this month but I made my way to Takashimaya on the first day of their sale (members enjoyed an additional 10% off all prices during the first 3 days of the sale). 

Cosme Decorte GWP offer at the Takashimaya sale

It was then that I realised that although the beauty brands had published their GWPs offerings for the sale, the brands were having discounts/rebate vouchers alongside which was not stated in the brochure. One brand was offering a $15 voucher with every purchase of $100 and another was doing 20% off with a minimum spend of $500. And Takashimaya cardmembers got to enjoy an additional 10% off on top of these vouchers/discounts. 

Considering that the 2 brands having the offers were brands not found at duty free stores in Singapore, it was an amazing deal! I was mighty tempted to stock up but stopped myself by insisting that I shop my stash before I get any pricey products.

It's easy to support the local retail economy when stores like these are getting really smart with their pricing and offerings!