Anatomy of a Retractable Brush

Bugger. My Ecotools retractable kabuki brush, fell apart after just a few months’ use. Expected it to last at least half a year though. How disappointing

Original Form

Oh well, just in case you want to see a breakdown of the retractable brush (or any sort of retractable brushes for that matter), here you go.

And it fell apart

In hindsight, the brush was more compact when it was in its original retractable state. When the casing fell apart, I found out that 5mm of the brush from the ferrule was covered by the metal bits, hence tightening its shape. After I threw the useless bits away, the brush actually felt fluffier and nicer to use.

Here’s something I want to show you, and it is how the brush hairs are glued together.

There is a reason makeup experts tell you that you should, as much as possible, keep water away from the ferrule when you’re cleaning your makeup brushes. This is to prevent the water from causing the glue to dislodge from the bristles. When I washed the brush with shampoo, I noticed that everytime I squeezed water out of the bristles, the lather seeps through the back. I could see tiny soapy bubbles forming around the glue.

So the next time you clean your makeup brushes, do keep water as far away from the ferrule as possible to ensure your brushes last as long as possible.

Bangkok Baby!

It’s been three years since I last went to Bangkok with Bea, and I really missed it. We had such a fabulous time with each other, and I couldn’t wait for our next trip. So when the idea of going to Bangkok once more came up last year, I jumped at the chance.

Guess who we bumped into at the airport heading to Bangkok with the family? Paris B and Pinkelle (not pictured)!

Bangkok was gorgeous during the Christmas season. There were gigantic, brightly-lit Christmas trees in every corner, and the festive air was overwhelming. We stayed at Hotel Novotel at Siam Square. Not exactly a cheap hotel to stay in, but given that there were only two of us ladies, we figured it would be wise to pay a premium to stay at a better part of town. We did not even have to go far for our shopping and spa sessions; there were plenty just around the hotel.

Beauty Buffet – a beauty store popular with students

Since I’ve never tried out a fish spa before, I figured it would be good for us to give it a go, since there was one right next to the hotel. And what an experience that was. It took me a good 5 minutes after Bea put her feet into the water because I just couldn’t bring myself to do so. And when I finally did, man, it was so incredibly ticklish that I ended up screaming and squealing in the salon for the next 15 minutes. Bea has the photographic evidence (and remain only with her, they will!!).

Bea and I have this rule when we holiday at Bangkok – strictly no sightseeing, SHOPPING ONLY. Of course, if we happened to stumble upon any interesting sights along the way, we’d stop to snap photos. Other than that, we hit the shops, and we hit them hard. It’s no wonder the damage is equally bad too.

Not as neat as Bea’s picture, obviously. I had to stand on the bed, lean against the wall as much as I could in order to snap the photo. I’ll do a breakdown of the stuff I bought and received for Christmas in my next post. It’s crazy, the amount I bought. Thai baht felt like Monopoly money!

So we ate, shopped, spa-ed, shopped, and shopped some more. It was an amazing holiday, and I really can’t wait to do it again

2009 – The Year That Was

Oh what a year 2009 has been. Let’s wrap mine up, shall we?

The Year of Beauty
- I’ve never in my life used so much sunscreen, but in summer 2009, I went through two full-sized tubes in two months. Sunscreen for the body is now a staple in my skincare routine.

- Lost interest in makeup for a while, got it back, slipped through my fingers once more. Sigh.

- Bought a lot less drugstore makeup and splurged on higher end ones like Chanel and Dior. Would you believe me if I said that those minimal pieces gave me a longer and more satisfying “high”?

- The dark circles under my eyes have reduced significantly, and are almost gone. A minimal amount of concealer (even YSL’s Touche Eclat) can finally cover them up completely, when they couldn’t before. After moving here, I’m finally getting more sleep and a lot less stress.

- Had my hair straightened for a whopping AU$250. I have never spent that much on one go on my skin before, let alone my hair. It was completely worth it though, as the salon people did a fantastic job on my hair. SUI Hair Salon in the city – highly recommended.

- Did something I thought I swore I would never do – had my eyebrows embroidered. I have such thick brows that the idea wasn’t even worth contemplating in the beginning. What I thought would simply be a trip to the beautician to have my eyebrows groomed (the usual snip and tweeze) had me coming out of the salon with perfectly embroidered eyebrows. It lasted for a year and I haven’t used an eyebrow pencil on them since. What a breeze it was to maintain. I just had mine re-done, and even though I look rather terrifying now (they’re really dark and, er, pointy), it should settle down and fade nicely after a month. I hope.

- Went for my first facial in Melbourne. It was certainly different from what I’m used to (I used to frequent Kanebo’s International Salon in Penang, Malaysia for my facials). Perhaps it was just the beautician who slipped up that time, but I preferred the meticulousness and attention I was used to. 2010 will be the year I find the ONE.

- My hair grew the longest. As my hair is layered, one can’t tell that it’s that long, but from the back, it was only 3 inches from my waist. Instead of having it cut at my usual el-cheapo salon, I decided to splurge a little and went to an *ahem* upclass *ahem* salon at Queensbay Mall instead. Ahem

- After years of seeing my mother using SKII and wondering what that smelly water was all about, I decided to give the facial treatment essence a go. Cost me a whopping RM418 for a 215ml bottle, but the results were oh-so-worth-it.

The Year of Bags

I’ve always been known to have a lot of bags. Although they were mostly cheap, fashionable bags, I’ve never regretted buying any of them. In 2009, I’ve decided to cut my one-bag-a-month shopping routine, and saved up for good, classic leather bags. I only bought three all year (okay, that extra Rootote doesn’t count ), a Louenhide weave tote, an Oroton alpine hobo and a Rebecca Minkoff tote. And I LOVE them.

The Year of Geekery

This is something that not everyone knows – I love designing websites, and do it on the side. No, I’ve never had proper training for it, but I picked up the basics and moved on to more ever since I started blogging 4 years ago.

I designed blog templates for some friends, and added those to my design portfolio. If you’re interested in having your blog redesigned for free (limited time only though, till I build up my portfolio), just let me know.

The Year of Finally Doing It

After almost two years of contemplating, planning, letting it go, back on the job hunt, picking it up once more (basically a whole lot of serious thinking), I finally started up a small business in selling my custom and hand-made jewellery online. It was such a challenging move and I had to do everything on my own. It was a great learning experience indeed, and even though it has only been a couple of months, I’ve never looked back. I have such visions for it, upon its expansion to what it could be in a year or two. I can’t wait.

Holiday of the Year

Bangkok with Bee was absolutely fantastic. We ate, we spa-ed and we shopped. Oh my, did we SHOP. I haven’t had that much girly fun in yonks, and I’m so glad I did the trip with her. Tried out a fish spa for the first time too. What an incredibly tickling experience that was. Bee has all the photos. In the 30-minute session, I probably squealed and squirmed about 25 minutes of them. Photos of the trip and crazy-ass haul to come when I’m back in Melbourne (lots of photos to sort out)

And that concludes my 2009. It’s been one heck of a year, and it drew to an end splendidly. I hit the big 3-0 in 2010, and you know what? I say, BRING IT ON! I can’t be more excited as to what 2010 will bring.

Have a great new year, my lovelies. May 2010 bring you joy, hope and good things. And great hair and skin!

Birkensport, Anyone?

One of my many pairs of shoes from Bangkok. Check out my Birkenstock, er, I mean, BirkenSPORT

Merry Christmas from Beautyholics Anonymous

I’m so glad that I was able to spend the Christmas holidays with my loved ones. Even though I’ve been stuffed to the core with food and would need to hit the gym HARD and completely detox when I’m back in Melbourne, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

So here’s wishing you a very blessed Christmas and happy holidays to all. Stay safe, and have a wonderful time with yours too