Banned!

Good Day Everyone,

As we’ve come to the end of March, I'm now half way through my six month makeup purchasing ban and so I thought I’d let you know how I’ve got on thus far. I had several reasons for imposing this ban on myself. Firstly, I’ve probably bought more makeup in this last year than in the last decade. The main reason for this is now that I am no longer working I have a lot more time on my hands to explore and play around with products. As I had a few special occasions last year that I decided to do my own makeup for, I went on a bit of spending splurge to update (or rather create) my makeup collection. This ignited some kind of suppressed passion for makeup, especially eye shadows and products that make my skin glow. When I had my career I didn’t work a nine to five job. I worked pretty long hours with a fair bit of overseas travel and whilst airport duty free might seem like an ideal place to indulge, I was usually sat in some coffee shop tapping away on my laptop trying to finish a presentation and never had the time to indulge.

Birthday makeup

Secondly, makeup isn’t (always) cheap and as we have a few big expenses this year I wanted to try and save our pennies by spending less. It’s a little ironic that when we had a higher disposable income I was too busy with my career to have time to enjoy makeup and now that I have the time we obviously don’t have the same kind of disposable income with me not working. 

Thirdly, the thing with makeup is that I rarely finish it. My collection only ever grows because most makeup products are rarely completely used up, and the more I have the less likely I am to finish something. Therefore I wanted to try and use up what I have.

Fourthly, I was getting to a stage where I would sometimes forget about a makeup product that I really loved until I accidentally came across it again. I think that’s more likely to happen when I have more and so I really wanted to take time out from buying new products and simply appreciate the ones that I have.

Also, a girlie chat with my best friend back in December scared me a little... in that I had a realisation. I was talking to her about the Revlon Lip Butters (reviewed here and here) that I’d bought at Singapore airport and how I loved the three colours I’d picked up, but now being in England I’d seen a couple more shades in Boots that I really wanted, but had to stop myself as I already have five Lip Butters. My friend looked a little aghast and asked how many different colours of lip products could I actually want / wear as she just has two – a pink and a red. When I sat there with her and easily recalled twenty different colours just of the top of my head and explained that I had a makeup bag full of just lip products she asked whether I have some sort of makeup addiction. I explained I don’t, just a passion for pretty colours. My friend laughed and said that I could try and justify it however I wanted but seriously what I had could easily last me for several years. Of course I knew she was right and so the seeds of a makeup ban were sown into my subconscious… thanks Lucy!

So those were the main reasons for my self-imposed makeup purchasing ban. Within a few weeks of the ban I noticed that Sephora in Singapore started to stock Tarte products and there was a blush that had my name on it... literally...glisten, which clearly is meant for me but I have stuck to my ban and resisted. I also recently discovered theBalm cosmetics in Singapore for the first time and they had 20% off but again I stuck to my guns. I think one of the reasons I’ve managed to stick to the ban is because my husband is convinced that I will cave in at some point. Now I see that as a challenge and I like to rise to a challenge... or he might just be being clever and using reverse psychology to get me to not buy anymore makeup ;o).

In all seriousness though, I have really enjoyed just using the makeup that I have. I recently reorganised the way I stored my makeup and in the process had a bit of a clear out and got rid of things that I’d had for way too long. Just that process of having a tidy up gave me a better handle on what I actually have in my collection. I now have things organised in a much better way and have pulled out some products that are close to finishing that I am focusing on using up. 

I had noticed that I was falling into a bit of makeup rut where I would use the same products again and again and so with my recent tidy up I now also have a bit of a rotation system going with some of my products just so that I get to appreciate a little bit of everything that I have in my collection. 

Finally I guess another factor that has made this little makeup ban more bearable is that fact that I’ve had my birthday since the new year and obviously got makeup as presents, including my first ever Dior lip product (review) as well as the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. So I guess I’ve not really gone cold turkey as such, although with no special occasions coming up in the next three months, plus the fact that I’m going to be transiting through several duty free airports, now is when my will power really will get put to the test. Let’s see if I continue to rise to the challenge!

Have you ever imposed a makeup or other kind of purchasing ban on yourself? How did you get on?

Love Sheen xxx

Instagram Images #1

Good Day Everyone,

To say technology is not my forte would be putting it mildly but since I started this blog I have learnt so much. Back in February I finally got myself on Instagram. Considering my love and passion colour it seemed almost for criminal that I hadn't got GlisteningSheen onto Instagram sooner.

Since then this amazing app has become a firm favourite of mine and one that I use almost daily. I know that not everyone who reads my blog (by the way thank you sooo much if you are one of them ;o)) follows me on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook page and so I thought I'd share a selection of the Instagram images I've taken to date.

Passion flower

Reminds me of Skips (UK crisps)

From our condo's garden

My first Dior lip product

A Sunday treat

Rocking pink & pearls

Carb free lunch

Love the reflection

Roast veg tray supper

Sunset in Lombok

Light art festival

Jeeva Klui resort in Lombok

The day this post goes up will be the day that my hubby and I will be flying to Japan to go see the cherry blossoms... a dream that I've had for many many years - I still can't believe that it's actually about to come true - I feel sooo incredibly blessed! To say that I'm just a bit over excited would be the most gigantic understatement ever!!! If you'd like to go on this journey with us and see all the amazing things that we do, then definitely check out my Instagram as I will be posting daily photos :o).

What's your favourite photo sharing / editing app? Is there anything better than Instagram out there?
Love Sheen xxx

Travel Makeup

Good Day Everyone,

With our Japan trip just days away I thought I'd share the makeup I plan to take with me. We will be going for 11 days and the climate in Japan is going to be much cooler than we are used to in Singapore. This means I can wear makeup to my heart's content without the fear of it melting of my face :o). When traveling, I often take makeup that I want to either use up or to try out, and definitely makeup which has travel friendly packaging and is light weight. I don't tend to take very many makeup brushes with me at all as I'm quite happy using my fingers. I will leave hyperlinks to any of the products that I've done blog posts on in the past for you :o) So without further a do let's get stuck in, shall we?

Starting with my base, I never take any of my foundations that are in glass bottles like my Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation because I'm always scared of the bottle smashing in my luggage. I will always decant the foundation into a sample jar. On this trip though I'll be taking my Stila Perfect & Correct foundation because the packaging is very lightweight, arthritic fingers friendly so easy to open and the mousse consistency means I can apply it with my fingers. I'm also taking the Stila One Step Correct and the One Step Illuminate as I'm wanting to use these up given that there's less than half left in each bottle. Most of my face makeup tends to be liquid / cream / mousse textures as I have dry skin and like the dewiness of such products. I love the Stila One Step Illuminate in particular as it just gives my skin a beautiful sheen without any obvious shimmer or sparkle. I have a rather bulky powder compact from The Body Shop which has a mirror and I use this primarily to set my concealer and sometimes over my T-zone when I've initially applied my makeup. I never take this out in my handbag because of its size, and also, I rarely need to powder my skin throughout the day because I don't get oily easily, especially in cooler climates.

For cheeks, I've covered all bases with a soft pink in the form of Stila's Color Convertible in the shade Gerbera. This is one of my all time favourite cheek colours as it's just a very natural pink that suits my skin tone perfectly. I love the Color Convertibles as they are lightweight, compact, snap shut and very easy to travel with. I'll also be taking the colour Gladiola from the same range and this is not as orangey as it looks. Finally for cheeks, I have a more rosy deep pink with an ever so subtle brown undertone to it that is by the Boots brand No7 and is a Blush Tint in the shade 10 Clove. This isn't as dark or intense as it looks in the photo. I apply all of these with my Real Techniques Stippling brush which is the best way for a seamless and diffused application of cream products, in my experience.

For eyes, I'll be taking my Urban Decay Naked palette simply because I've not used this in quite a while and out of my three UD Naked palettes I feel this original one is the one with the most colours that sort of go together to create a complete eye look. I'll be taking the double ended brush that came with the Naked 2 palette along with an Ecotools angle brush that I tend to use when I want to create a more defined outer 'v' or if I want to use eye shadow as a liner. I tend to save a lot of my sample size products for traveling and so I have the UD Primer Potion that came with this palette. For the rest of my eyes, I'll have my MAC Prep+Prime eye base, my Dior waterproof crayon eyeliner in Trinidad Black, my Shu Uemura eyelash curlers, a Boots No7 black mascara and my MAC Select Moisturecover concealer which I feel is a shade to dark for now but I want to finish it up before buying another one. Some days I will sheer this out on to my cheeks and wear the Stila One Step Illuminate and skip foundation altogether.

For lips, I'll be taking my favourite Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in Candy Apple Red, as well as Macaroon (a raspberry pink), a Sephora lip crayon come chubby stick in a sheer coral colour that's quite glossy (it's not as orange as it looks), a Sephora Nano lip liner in the colour 02 Cute Caramel which is a very good nude on me, and the Urban Decay Lip Junkie gloss that came with the Naked 2 palette. I'll also have my Dior Addict Lip Glow which will go in my handbag because I imagine the  the plane air and colder weather will be quite drying on my lips.

Finally, in this particular toiletries case I will also be taking the Garnier Roll-on as I'm expecting to suffer from puffy under eyes given that we will most probably be having early starts and late nights, trying to fit in all of the sights, plus I love the cooling effect this has on my eyes. Last but not least, is the smallest sized perfume I have which was a birthday present from a dear friend who's coming to visit us in May all the way from France- yipeee! This is by a company called Fragonard and the scent is Belle Cherie which is a floral fruity fragrance that isn't too heavy and therefore daytime appropriate. I will also have my Sephora atomizer in my handbag which has my signature evening scent, Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel.

I pack my makeup in a toiletries case that I picked up in Chinatown last year. I pop my stippling brush and angle brush in the outside zip pocket and everything else goes into the main compartment. As you can see, the case isn't too stuffed and so it zips up nice and easily with a bit of room to spare ;o)

 Love Sheen xxx

Dior Addict Lip Glow

Good Day Everyone,

A lovely friend of mine gave me a belated birthday present last week, the Dior Addict Lip Glow (as a side note don’t you just love belated birthday presents? It’s like birthday excitement all over again ;o), and I have to say… I am in love! I absolutely love it! Like, I love it so much that every time I take it out of its cardboard packaging (that’s right I’ve kept the cardboard!) I can’t help but smile and swoon over the beautiful packaging. Not only is the packaging stunning but the whole product experience is so luxurious that it makes me go weak at the knees... and I'm not joking!

Dior Addict Lip Glow on my Instagram

Now before I talk about the amazing packaging let’s talk about the product. Dior describe this as a color reviver balm or a color awakening lip balm. This means that the product provides the hydration of a lip balm whilst reacting with each individuals own lip chemistry to enhance and bring out the natural pink undertones of the lips, resulting in a beautiful rosy pink flush of colour… a kind of your lips but better effect. This customisation means that the lip balm looks different on different skin tones and people as everybody’s lip chemistry is unique to them. This product is to be used on bare lips so that it can react with the lip’s natural chemistry.

 

The Lip Glow has a subtle minty sweet scent that is very pleasant and wears off pretty quickly after application. The lip balm has a soft pale pink colour that is quite sheer, as you can see from the swatch on my arm, but the colour that it creates on my lips is much more intense. I guess that’s where the lip chemistry comes into play. 

Very sheer wash of colour but don't let that fool you

This product turns my lips the most beautiful rosy pink colour ever (I couldn’t get my lip photo to do it justice as the colour is rosier and more even than it is in my photo, and I've said it before, my lips are not my best feature). The colour is not a red-y pink or an orange-y pink but simply a true rosy pink. The lip balm doesn’t have any shimmer or glitter in it but it does leave a beautiful sheen on my lips. Perfect for those natural no makeup makeup days. I can imagine a lot of male models using this product to bring out the natural pink undertones of their lips without looking like they’re wearing a lip product. That’s how subtle and natural the effect is. 

Above: bare lips, below: Dior Addict Lip Glow applied

 The texture of the lip balm is incredibly luxurious. It’s as creamy and smooth as butter (better than the Revlon Lip Butters) and glides on effortlessly. It leaves my lips feeling moisturised, plumped, incredibly soft and beautifully flushed. The lasting power of this effect is about 4-5hrs, depending on what I eat or drink. This means that I do have to reapply this two or three times throughout the day to maintain that moisturised feeling but that’s the same for most lip balms, in my experience.

 

The lip balm comes in a bullet form with the signature Dior packaging i.e. the silver CD knob at the bottom. The lid is a beautiful soft translucent pink with DIOR indented on one side in the same pink colour and the words Lip Glow Color Reviver, in silver on the opposite side. The lid as well as the overall packaging feels pretty sturdy and of a high quality. You get 3.5g (0.12oz) of net weight product and you can see just how much that is from the below photo.

 

Whilst I have numerous lip balms in my collection, I don’t actually have anything similar to this product that provides both the moisturisation and the colour enhancement to my lips. Texture wise, this is most similar to my The Body Shop Born Lippy Strawberry Lip Balm which is as buttery and smooth as this Dior Addict Lip Glow, but it doesn’t provide much of a colour at all. My Nivea Fruity Shine Strawberry lip balm does leave a beautiful red-y pink colour on my lips and is pretty moisturising but it isn’t as smooth and as buttery as the Dior Addict Lip Glow.

Clearly being Dior, the Lip Glow isn’t cheap by any means. Some people will feel that spending $40+ SGD (£20+) is an awful lot of money on what in effect is a lip balm, especially when The Body Shop Born Lippy costs £3, and they'd be right or at least that's what I would have said before I tried this product because this is so much more than a lip balm, to me. 

Whilst offering the hydration of a lip balm, having a colour that customises to my own lips, beautifying and enhancing them is wonderful. In addition, whenever I look at and use this product I get that Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s experience of ultimate luxury and that magical feeling of being a princess. No lip product has ever made me feel like that before and I have owned a MAC, Lancôme and Chanel lipstick. I would quite gladly trade in all of my different lip balms for this one product alone. That’s how much I love it! Thank you to my friend for a wonderful birthday present :o)

Have you tried the Dior Addict Lip Glow? What was your experience? Which lip balm is your favourite? What is your princess-y makeup product?

Love Sheen xxx