My apologies for being slack with posts for the past couple of weeks. I’ve been pretty busy working on something of my own, in which I hope to launch before October. It’s finally happening, this dream of mine, and I couldn’t be more excited. Sadly though, my poor baby (this blog, I mean) has had to suffer for it. Please bear with me during this period.

Posts should resume to normal this week. Nope, I haven’t been doing any shopping hauls at all (again, ’tis sad, really), but there are always other topics to talk about, are there not? 🙂

Stay beautiful,
Tine

I’ve never been a fan of makeup by Clinique. Sure they make good skincare products, but the makeup …. meh. I’ve tried the Fresh Bloom Allover Colour but as pretty as it was, I was disappointed at how sheer the powder was. It didn’t pack the punch I was hoping for. The mascaras do not interest me. Everything else just seem bland. So imagine my surprise, and delight, when I was arbitrarily trying out new makeup given by a dear friend, I discovered something good. It was an eye shadow duo in Strawberry Fudge.

Description:

Perfect pairings of in-demand shades, with more of the more-used highlight shade. Deliver creamy, intense colour in one stroke. Comfortably lightweight, long-wearing. Layerable, blendable. Ophthalmologist tested.

I was half-expecting the colours to be too sheer for my liking, as their previous eye shadow duos have been. How glad I was to be proved wrong, for the texture was creamy, and the colour payoff was very much better than I expected.

The pink had a hint of gold shimmer. Very pretty indeed. The brown was dark enough to line the eyes, but not too dark that it was harsh. With my eye shadow base on (I used Too Faced’s Shadow Insurance), the colour was enhanced, and remained crease-free for hours.

What I really like about this eye shadow colour combination is that it’s great for the day. The pink brightens the eyes, and it’s very suitable for the office. I love throwing this on when I head out.

I would love to have done an EOTD or FOTF shot with this on, but for some reason, my cameras couldn’t seem to capture EOTD/FOTD shots well. So for now, I’m afraid swatches will have to do.

The eye shadows are available in 13 other colours.

Now I cannot vouch for the rest of the eye shadow duos (I have tested some of the ones from the Nudes range though. Boring colours, and not pigmented enough), or for any of the other eye shadows by Clinique for that matter, but this one, I love.

Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duos are available at Clinique counters and participating pharmacies at AU$40 each.I got this as a gift-with-purchase, so the packaging and sponge applicator differ. The shades and quality are the same.

What I like about it: Creamy texture, beautiful colours (for the Strawberry Fudge, that is), suitable for the workplace.

What I do not like about it: Not all of the eye shadow duos have good colour payoff.

As disappointed as I was when the Priceline (a popular drugstore in Australia) down the road where I live changed its management and became Chemist Warehouse, I’m actually quite glad for the cheap goodies I always manage to score. Unlike Priceline with its fancy bright lights and abundant brands and products, Chemist Warehouse may not stock the latest range of drugstore makeup or skincare items, but you can always get the usual stuff cheaper.

I stumbled upon this rich body moisturiser when I was buying my allergy medication. And what a great find it was.

Description:

This intensive cream from Dove offers rich care and a pleasant feel on the skin during and after application. It combines nourishing ingredients and an extra dose of active moisturiser. Dove Intensive Cream – for soft and cared for skin. Especially suitable for very dry skin areas.

The texture is very rich, but unlike Nivea’s classic moisturiser, Nivea Creme‘s slightly whipped and a tad grainy texture (the ones that come in a tin. As far as I remember anyway), Dove’s cream is very smooth. It’s actually very similar to body butters from The Body Shop.

The scent is typical of Dove products. If you’ve used their shower creams or bars, this smells exactly like those. I’m not keen on heavy scents, fruity or floral, so this works out great for me.

This jar of thick cream is fantastic for winter. I apply this after my evening shower, and it keeps my skin properly hydrated throughout the night. It’s a tad too rich for the face, methinks, so I’d recommend slathering this only on the body, arms and legs.

And the best part of this jar of cream? It’s only AU$4 for 150ml at Chemist Warehouse (as far as I know, Priceline does not stock this). Four bucks! Cheaper than chips, I tell you. It works just as well as, if not better than, luxury body creams and butters, but only at a fraction of the cost.

Ka-ching!

What I like about it: Inexpensive, rich and smooth in texture, keeps dry skin moisturised.

What I do not like about it: It’s not available in all drugstores.