Mini Makeup Haul & Reviews from BeautyBliss.co.nz

You know it's a good day when your mail comes in a form of makeup! Well, that's me at 9am this morning. :D I've just ordered some makeup off www.beautybliss.co.nz, after realizing that it's been ages since I shopped for makeup. My payment got processed on Wednesday night and it was delivered the next day. I like their service.

I got right to unboxing! The only thing that I didn't quite like was that there was no box - they were just in a parcel and because of that, the Rimmel powder had a massive crack on the cover. Must be the dumb mailman or something - who knows. It got to me like that. The good thing though, is that after emailing a picture of the powder to Beauty Bliss, they've agreed to send me a new one ASAP! *thumbs up*

This is the first time I'm purchasing makeup off the internet. It is a gamble - much like clothes, not knowing the exact shade of product, consistency, etc. But I'm much pleased to say that this mini haul did not disappoint!

In my parcel I got :

* Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent

*Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara

*NYX Matte Lipstick

colour: Indie Flick

*Lime Crime Velvetines – Wicked 

Reviewing these new lippies are so exciting, since I am not a lipstick person to begin with. Or a lipgloss person. It's just that I've decided to play up my lips every once in awhile to avoid looking the same all the time. Here goes.

First, I tried on the NYX Matte Lipstick in Indie Flick ($13). 

Pros : 

- Orangey-red shade, not too red that it's perfect for casual wear. I think I've found an everyday lisptick that won't make me look overdressed. 

- The lipstick is really creamy and easy to apply.

- The colour is highly pigmented and has a slight sheen (except that my lips are chapped so they didn't look so great).

Cons :

- The lipstick feels too fragile, rattles a little bit in its holder as I apply.

Verdict :

Love the colour. Compliments Asian skin or skin with yellow undertones.

This one grew on me pretty quickly. It's Lime Crime's Velvetines in Wicked ($30).

This one is a dark shade of burgundy, perfect for winter! It's one of the best lip stains I've ever used. I love stuff that doesn't get smudged or makes my lips feel weird after applying.

Pros :

- Touch proof (drank water and no mark on my cup, pressed my lips on the back of my hand and still no stain). 

- Probably lasts forever too since the heavy pigment really gets into your lips and stains it quite nicely, with a nice soft feel. 

- Looks so good. 

- Smells good.

- Even colour, nice finish (without chapped lips)

Cons :

- You need to be neat at applying without blurred smudgy lines.

- Slightly messy during removal with makeup remover. The colour really stays!

Verdict : 

I LOVE IT.

Next is the Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara ($9.99).

Bought this and relied solely on reviews. Here's how it turned out.

Before 

After.

This is only after 1 coat of mascara. 

 I've been used to using drugstore products like Maybelline and Rimmel London, but I've not heard/tried this brand before. It definitely feels way better than those ones I've used before though!!

Pros :

- Looks super amazing!

- Doesn't clump

- Brush combs out lashes nicely

- Simple, inexpensive, definitely worth the money.

Cons :
- Not quite waterproof (though not a big deal for me)

Verdict :

Found a new brand that I can trust. So buying from Jordana next time.

That's the end of my mini makeup haul. I couldn't do the Rimmel powder because I intended to have it exchanged. I'll be looking out for it in mail over the next few days!

Makes me want to buy more makeup though. Haha! This site is worth checking out. I got free shipping over $52 - beautybliss.co.nz. Another site to shop for the finer cosmetics and not drugstore stuff is http://www.makeup.co.nz/. I haven't tried makeup.co.nz yet, though I definitely would if I were to shop again. They give free shipping if you spend over $50.

Happy shopping, makeup lovers.

ps. Posted more photos on my Instagram : http://instagram.com/ashleyev3

xxx,

Ashley M.

Product Review : Schwarzkopf Brilliance Luminance Hair Dye (Ultra Violet)

Photo above credit to Andrew Gibson.

Winter is here, time for dark hair!

Doing hair in NZ is so much different than in KL. In KL, I can do whatever I want to my hair and it is affordable. I could experiment and have the Skrillex-do like I did in 2012, but I can't imagine going back to the hairsalon to get the undercut shaved every two weeks. Doing hair here is very expensive, and since my roots are showing pretty badly from my last hair dye in February, I must have them gone. Without hurting my wallet, of course. 

I've gone to a couple of hair salons in Wellington inquiring about prices for hair colouring and they have been not less than $100 for my hair - short hair. It's definitely too expensive, so I decided to do my own research on home hair dyes and look for the ones specially for dark hair.

After doing some research, I learned that regular or most hair dyes at drugstores have grey hair coverage written on them, and those are the ones that don't work on dark hair. That is why the colour hardly ever shows after attempting to dye hair at home, etc. The hair dye doesn't "lift" the natural hair colour = colour doesn't come out like the lady on the box = unsatisfied customer.

I tried very hard to avoid that from happening to me, so I kept on searching, until I randomly found this Schwarzkopf Brilliance Luminance home hairdye whilst shopping at New World last weekend. The thing that caught my eye was the small part of the box that read Especially for Dark Hair. Impressive.. and rare too! I got 1 box for $15.90, quite reasonable. I also read a couple of good reviews of this product. So I gave it a go, fingers crossed!

I haven't dyed my hair at home since the very first time I dyed it, which was the night SPM was over and I begged my mom to dye my hair red, some Revlon brand, which was terrible, and I swore off dyeing hair at home. I lived with patchy reddish brown hair for 1 month, thinking it was cool. Man. Those were the days.

So yeah, paranoid as heck, but I'm taking a risk here. It's not as scary when you have 2 girl friends to help you in the process! Especially when one of them is experienced with hair colouring. So thankful for having them around! <3

Enough rant, let's dye!

The contents of the box. 

1 tube of colour cream, bottle of developer, gloves and a tube of conditioner.

One of the reviews that I read complained about gloves being too large, my friend cleverly secured two hair ties around her wrist to avoid the gloves from sliding around. 

Girl time!

Spent so much time talking and gossiping in Yuan's bathroom while Ker Xing was doing my hair. She's so good at hair colouring, even with super thick hair like mine. She started with the roots, section by section, and combing the colour through, until all the roots are done, she slowly moved to the tips. It took a very long time, because I had such thick hair, so my roots had more "colour time". I think it took 1 hour to dye my whole head.

Wasn't as messy as expected, which was a plus!:)

Me rockin' the plastic bag look!

As you can see, the colour is slowly showing on the top of my head. Doesn't smell bad too, I think I actually liked the smell of the dye. Lol, I'm weird that way.

After she was done with my entire head, she secured it with a clip and I waited for 30 minutes before washing it off. 

So this is the Before photo :

*Drum roll*

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After!!

Took this under flourescent light. Damn it's so red!

But slightly darker under regular light, I quite like it, although the box said Violet, my girlfriend told me it's because my previous hair colour was brown, so this was the consequence. Haha. How unexpected. 

I was so surprised, but in a pleasant way! I initially wanted to buy the red shade of this hair dye, but tried to be adventurous and go for the violet. But hey, red it is! 

It's a rustic brownish/red under regular lights, bringing some colour back to my face, I reckon. My previous colour makes my complexion look sickly and pale on some days especially without makeup, but I think I can get away with this one. ;)

The dye looks quite evenly applied, thanks so much Ker Xing and Yuan! You both are lifesavers. I have to say, this is by far the best hair dyeing experience I've ever had! Time just flew while we were sitting around and chatting. It was so much fun.

I really love this colour and it's been almost a week since I dyed my hair, hoping the colour will last. Here are some pictures after the first wash. My hair looks pretty dry, that always happens after washing, so the dye didn't really damage my hair or anything.. it's just always been that way.

Taken indoors.

 Under some lighting, I can see a touch of violet in it, maybe it comes with time. Shrug.

Under the sun. Look how red it is! Dang. I love it.

My verdict : 8/10

I love this product. Finally, a product dark-haired people can use without bleaching the life out of our hair! And all in one step too! I love the colour, but I think I would just go for the red shade the next time I dye my hair. The only downside to this is the applicator - the bottle isn't that easy to use, and there were some residue that we were unable to scoop from the bottle.

Other than that, it's pretty damn great. 

Will definitely use it again! What a great start to the winter break.

Yuan and myself the next day after our recital together. 

Man are we relieved that exams and everything are over now.

Come at me, winter.

xxx,

Ashley M

Maxim Swimwear Model of the Year Grand Finals & Pastry Brunching at Pandoro Patisserie

First of all, I'd like to take a second, exhale, and say I'm really glad that this month is going to be over. March was a pretty tough month. Not just for myself, but especially for the family members of the people in flight MH370. While conspiracy theories seem to be growing like mushrooms on the net, I just pray that the family members will find peace and strength, as it could have happened to anyone.

I hope things will be better in April, and hopefully I'm less accident prone. Seriously, my first month back and pop goes my kneecap. What are the chances? Anyway, it's healing up slowly together with my rotator cuff injury on my right shoulder with the help of an amazing acupuncturist. I love acupuncture. It does wonders!

Having a hectic schedule these few weeks have been driving me bonkers. Also, I've just survived my first uni orchestra performance with a healing arm. Thank God I didn't have any recurring pain after the 2 hour long program, plus a 2.5 hour rehearsal before that! :) 

My current favourite coat! It's so comfy and warm. Though not quite helpful when it's raining. Lol

Went out last weekend to town for brunch with Doug & Shu Run to check out Pandoro Patisserie on Allen St. I absolutely loved the place! It was like... heaven. It was a perfect day to be there because I had cravings for sweet stuff and baked goods. Besides, I've been good the whole week and cycling my carbs. ;)

Chocolate Danish. 

Very yummy, but too sweet for my liking. (wth is wrong with me)

Now this, I liked. 

Blue Cheese and Bacon Scroll.

Not an avid fan of cheese, but this level of cheesiness in this one is just right. The mushrooms inside are an added bonus!

Shu Run's mega impressive Chicken Sandwich.

It was Crumbed Chicken Schnitzel on Turkish bread. The bread from Pandoro itself. The helping was so huge she needed help to finish this. Haha

Another winner - Doug's Mediterranean Lamb Burger.

The meat is heavily spiced and it's beautifully accompanied by coulis, cheese and beetroot. Also a very big portion. 

Needless to say that we were full for the entire day.

One highlight of the week for me this week is the Maxim Swimwear Model of the Year Grand Finals. 

(Kinda funny how I'm blogging about food and about to write about bikini models.. lol)

It was still kinda blurry to me that I made it to the finals in a bikini contest in another country. 

Was it scary? Yes, but it was exciting. It was quite an experience to be the only tiny Asian girl competing with the tall Angmoh beauties in their bikinis. Haha! It definitely drove me to be more disciplined with my diet and workouts though.

The pictures are quite crappy because they were taken by my phone in a really dark venue with irregular lighting. Bah.

It was quite nice to meet the other girls! They were really friendly.

Thanks Doug for this picture! <3

 It was really hard to take a good usable picture.

 So, I was introduced as a model featured in FHM Malaysia. (2012 Jan issue, hehe) 

While I was going backstage to change, some dude hollered at me "Eh Malaysia, kick ass ah!" in a very Malaysian sounding accent I was pretty stunned. Lol. That's a first.

All the finalists for the New Zealand round in bikinis. 

The winner gets to go to Gold Coast and represent NZ in the Australasia round. Can you guess who won? Hehe.

Tadaah!

Congratulations ladies. You all deserved it :)

Make us proud in Aussie, Sarah babe!

Group photos.

 Looks shitty but thats about as much as my phone and editing skills can do. T_T At times like these, a good camera is handy. Unlike my stupid Samsung PL120 -____-

Although I didn't get a sash, I'm really glad to be a part of this competition despite it being just my 1st month back in Wellington. Also, it's another tiny title to put under my belt. :) It was a nice experience! My 2nd swimsuit competition, aside from the Roxy one in 2012. 

One of the best parts of this competition was to be escorted to the entrance of the stage by bouncers and bodyguards!! This is so that we don't get harrassed by drunks or just hamsup people in general. :P 

I felt so special and safe. 

We should have this in KL!

Oh yeah, I've managed to do this to my hair that night.

 Updo with short hair. Nailed it. Also gave a crap to pin flowers into my hair.

April, I'm ready for you!

xxx,

Ashley Mah.

Hair Makeover by Shawn Cutler @ Bukit Damansara

[Sponsored Review]

BEST. HAIR. MAKEOVER. EVER.

Living in the windy capital in New Zealand for 9 months certainly did take a toll on my hair. The wind never fails to blow and toss my hair around wildly, resulting in a tangly mess. To the point that tears well up in my eyes trying to undo the painful mess. Not only that but the chilly wind also dried out my hair. 

It is also my fault that I refuse to go to a hairdresser for the whole time I was in Wellington just because I'm super picky with the person who cuts my hair. My hair grew so long till it reached my butt! (Mom was not impressed)

By the time I got off the plane, I started to regret my (overly) long hair just because it was burning hot. 

Also, my mom was pestering me to get it CUT. Okay, okay. 

Thanks to Malaysia's Hottest Bloggers, I got a sponsored makeover by Shawn Cutler at Bukit Damansara, just a week after I've arrived back in Kuala Lumpur.

Not the best of pictures (I wonder why -_-), but this was pretty much how it looks before the makeover. Long, frizzy, expired/faded red dip dye (so 2012, btw), and so much split ends. Hate my hair.

The face says it all.

I liked how stylish and modern it looks. The soft lights and decor gives off a relaxing vibe - definitely how you would want to feel if you came here to get your hair pampered!

I was told that this branch mainly acts as a residential salon, as there's residential areas surrounding Plaza Damansara, which is where the salon is located.

Only Kerastase Paris Professional Hair Care and Hair Styling Products are used at the Bukit Damansara branch of Shawn Cutler. 

I got a cut, dye and treatment that day.

The hairstylist who did my hair was Raymond Chew. He's a genius! 

The first thing he asked me was how short I wanted my hair to be cut. I thought it was rather considerate of him to ask, as I hardly get asked this by hairdressers. Raymond made sure I was comfortable with the length of hair that he was gonna cut. *thumbs up*

He proceeded to chop off my ugly ends and what was left of the faded red hue in my hair. Lotsa hair on the floor... I've faith!

Got a bit excited in my seat when I was handed this book. Time for a change! 

I left it to the professional, as I was quite indecisive about the colour I wanted. He narrowed my options down to 2 colours, which looked similar but there's a difference between them ; a greenish or ash undertone. 

I picked the green one. Thought it sounded cool.

Dye time. 

My favourite part! Some hair treatment to round off the makeover. 

I was given a Macadamia Nut Treatment and the smell was divine. Sure does eliminate the smell of ammonia from the hair dye. Got a little bit hungry at one point too. Yumm.

I was quite amused by this device. Felt a bit "ulu" as I haven't stepped into a hair salon since February. :P So much for being a city chick.

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After a good blow dry and some more trimming, I went from this 

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to THIS. :D

 I've to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the change! I've not had a nice subtle colour like this and never thought I'd look good with shorter hair! Didn't I say the guy was a genius? Haha

The back view of my hair. Some shine restored to my mane. Thank God.

Hairstylist Raymond & myself. So happy to have him do my hair that day! Still am impressed with it! 

I've received many nice compliments cause of it and my head doesn't feel so heavy anymore. Haha

I totally recommend coming here for a cut and colour. 

For once, I feel comfortable walking out of the hair salon right after a cut, and not having to let it settle for awhile or me getting used to the new do.

I'm really loving this fresh new look!

No more dip dyes, thank goodness, and also, my undercut grew out nicely to blend with the layers that Raymond gave me. :)

If you wanna get your hair done, the number to call is 03-20111729 to make an appointment or if you have any inquiries!

Shawn Cutler, 

39 G, Medan Setia 1, 

Plaza Damansara,

Bukit Damansara, 

50490, KL

For more information, head on over to their Facebook page too!!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shawn-Cutler-Bukit-Damansara-KL/173562186007347

Ps. It's good to be back!

xxx

Ashley Mah