Man, I haven’t done an EOTD post in ages! Given that this isn’t so much of a makeup tutorial blog (you want a good one, do check out Connie‘s. That girl’s brilliant.), and that my application and camera-taking skills aren’t as up to mark as the rest, I didn’t think too much of it. Yet I’m excited to show you how the Silk Naturals eyeshadows I obtained went. Because, really, the colours were simply gorgeous.

These were the items I used:

Silk Naturals Eye Shadow in Riddle and Grassroots Green
Silk Naturals Cream Eyeliner in Midnight
Clinique High Impact Mascara in 01 Black

The cream eyeliner was a bit of a disappointment. Upon first application, the colour payoff was rather abysmal. I had to apply it several times for it to show properly on my lids. I didn’t find it shimmery as described. The swatch above was actually done with 5 strokes, not 1.

The Riddle was a free gift from Silk Naturals, and I think it might have been a discontinued colour, as I couldn’t find it on the website. Nevertheless, it’s a sheer, shimmery light brown which, I think, is just nice for the workplace. The shimmer is not over-the-top, despite how it looks in the photo. But my favourite of the lot, would be the Grassroots Green. I love green eye shadows, and probably shouldn’t have bought another one as I have plenty already, but I just couldn’t help myself. This is slightly sheerer than I imagined to be when applied dry. However, when I applied it wet, the colour really popped.

As I wanted to show you in a hurry what the colours were like, I, um, forgot to, um, powder my nose. So please excuse the bare face, blemishes and all that. Eeek.

A tip in using a damp brush to apply loose eyeshadow – try not to sweep the brush over the lids, but rather, to simply dab the colour on. This way, you ensure maximum amount of eye shadow on the lids. When I tried sweeping the brush over the lid, the damp brush wiped away any existing shadows on the lids! The brush was only slightly moistened, it wasn’t dripping wet or anything. Sweeping the brush didn’t work. Only patting it on did. Was I the only one who experienced this?

So there ya go. There was plenty of the Grassroots Green to go around, so I scooped 1/3 of it out to share with Geekchic. There’s more than enough left for me, which would last ages. Highly recommended! 🙂

Went on a bit of a shopping spree on Chapel Street yesterday, something which I haven’t done in AGES. Stepped into the Bloom store, and I remembered how pretty it was (still is), and as usual, the shop assistant was lovely. Sucky bit though – they’ve removed the bargain section of the store! Apparently they only do sales at the beginning of the year now, and they’ve closed up that part of the store. Boo. Still, it didn’t stop me from coming out with a bag of goodies. Won’t be showing you what I bought from Bloom as they are gifts, and the recipients are readers of the blog 😉

Next stop – Mecca Cosmetica. My current supply of toner is depleting fast, and I’m game on trying something new. Came out of the store with some Darphin toner samples. This is what I love about Mecca; they’re generous with their samples, and I’m never pressured to buy anything.

A couple of nights ago, I tweeted about my dissatisfaction of facial mask sheets. The last few mask sheets I used were from The Face Shop, and I didn’t like them. Left a sticky film on my skin, which I had to rinse off in the end when I was supposed to pat the excess serum in. Val suggested I try SkinVitals masks instead. So I did. Picked up three different masks from Priceline. Fingers crossed that these would work.

Also dropped by Geekchic‘s place to pick up this absolutely gorgeous wee drawstring bag she knitted for me.

So pretty, right? It’s going to house my iPod Touch. Perhaps my makeup. Or maybe it’s just going to sit there on my desk looking (and staying) pretty since I’m reluctant to get it dirty. Anyway, that girl can knit, and knit good. I keep bugging her to set up a store on Etsy and sell her knitted baby booties and mittens (I’ve seen the ones she made; they were simply adorable, and she used good quality yarn). Your turn to bug her now 😛

And that, my friends, was probably the only shopping day I’ve had in a long time. Most of the stuff weren’t even for me. Still, it was good to get out of the house, to get some fresh air and soak in the sun.

After all, spring is in the air, you know.

I’ve been raving about Clinique’s Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer serum for ages now, to friends and on beauty blogs, only to realise that I’ve actually never done a proper review on it!

When I first bought this almost two years ago, it came in a travel-pack edition which was only available at airports’ duty free shops (it came with the Moisture Surge moisturiser and All About Eyes eye cream). Since I hadn’t any serums to use at that time, I thought I’d simply give this a go.

Description:

A high performance exfoliant that prompts a multilevel renewal process that is time-released. Helps speed fresh, vibrant looking cells to the surface. Continually unveils brighter, more radiant skin through exfoliation. Leaves skin with a velvety feel, perfected look.

Ingredients:
Water (Aqua Purifcata) Purified, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Polysilicone-11, Acetyl Glucosamine, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Salicylic Acid, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copoylmer, Castanea Sativa (Chestnut) Seed Extract, Cholesterol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Yeast Extract (Faex), Caffeine, Adeonsinie Phosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Salvia Scharea (Clary) Extract, Creatine, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Pantethine, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate, Cocomidopropyl Dimethylamine, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract, Ethylhexylgylcerin, Sodium Citrate, Hexylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Di-C12-18 Alkyl Dimonium Chloride, Polysorbate 80, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Isohexadecane, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Iron oxides

Before I go on with my review, please note that this serum serves as a chemical exfoliant. It contains Salicylic Acid, which is a BHA (beta hydroxy acid). It’s more gentle than AHA, and is able to exfoliate the surface of the skin. It also contains Acetyl Glucosamine, in which the parent company Estee Lauder believes to be an effective non-acid exfoliating agent (although there is still no substantiated research proving this ingredient’s effectiveness as an alternative to AHA and BHA exfoliants).

As with most skincare products I’ve tried, I did not get immediate results with this serum. It was a month later that I woke up one morning, felt my cheeks, and suddenly realised how incredibly smooth they were. Yeah, I know, it’s a weird thing to say, that I only realised that all of a sudden. But somehow, it’s true! Constant use of this serum has given my skin a fantastic exfoliation, and I couldn’t be happier with the condition of my skin. In fact, to be honest, I hadn’t had such great skin since I became a teenager!

Blemishes were reduced, and so were my blackheads and whiteheads. Skin became slightly fairer. This, in fact, has become somewhat of a miracle product for me. *cue epiphany music*

I use this once a day (less than a pea-sized amount), in the evenings, and use a gentle scrub to a maximum of twice a week. This may be too much for those with sensitive skin though. If so, I’d recommend using it on alternate days. Guess my skin’s tough as hide 😛

Having said that, please bear in mind that this does not work for everyone. I’ve read and heard reviews of this breaking skin out, causing a hell lot of havoc on the skin, etc. So how would I recommend this product? I’d say, give it a try if you have oily skin (the negative reviews were mostly on those with dry skin). As with new skincare products – do not purchase a full-sized bottle yet. Do get a sample of it from Clinique counters to try it out first.

According to Paula Begoun, this serum is very similar to Estee Lauder’s Idealist (and it’s cheaper too), down to its light texture and silky finish. Hmm … makes you wonder why Estee Lauder would sell two similar products at different prices eh?

Clinique’s Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer is available at all Clinique counters (Myer, David Jones and participating pharmacies) at AU$68 for a 30ml bottle, and AU$88 for a 50ml. Not all stores stock the 50ml ones though.

What I like about it: Great exfoliator serum, smoothened skin, reduced blemishes. After almost two years, I’m still in love with it!

What I do not like about it: Nothing.

PS: Kahani’s raved about this serum too. Do check out her review.