Haul / Skincare: Isetan - Fancl

Recently, I redeemed some Isetan vouchers using my credit card points and I decided to stock up on some Fancl products.

First up is the Calorie Limit Tea. 3 for SGD41.50 with 10% rebate for the next purchase. This tea is meant to be taken with your meal and supposedly helps to reduce the amount of calorie being absorbed by the body. I love the taste of this tea it's heavenly to pair it up with a packet of vegetarian bee hoon. Makes me feel guilt-free while indulging in my favorite breakfast.

Next one is the Fancl Skin Renewal Pack (SGD29.50 before 10% rebate). This is a wash-off mask and I like the fact that it leaves my skin soft and radiant without irritation.

on another island

image by J

Paradise is an island. So is hell. (p6)

I remember having a world map pinned on the wall of my bedroom when I was growing up. But that was before my father brought home a beach ball-sized model globe. It was a relief model, where if you ran your finger across the surface, you could "read" the mountain ridges.

In the preface of Judith Schalansky's Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty islands I have never set foot on and never will, she describes a similar experience of maps, atlases and globes.

While I confess it was the cover of this beautiful book (Schalansky trained as a graphic designer, and had designed the book and laid out the text) that first drew me, it was a brief read of the preface that convinced me to take it home from the bookstore. In the preface, Schalansky teases out man's fascination with the far frontier, our desire to conquer via knowledge and documentation, and the story threads behind these abandoned, conquered, disputed, cursed, marginal slivers and dots in the vast oceans.

An island offers a stage: everything that happens on it is practically forced to turn into a story, into a chamber piece in the middle of nowhere, into the stuff of literature.(p20)

For each of the 50 islands covered, Schalansky reproduces a drawing of the island on a scale of 1:125000, and offers a write-up crafted from facts and stories culled from histories, travellers' reports and other accounts - fictionalised fact, fact as fiction.

For me, the names of these islands alone are enough to fire the imagination.

Imagine: Possession Island, Deception Island or the first entry in the book Lonely Island. The names of places on these craggy, icy or just plain uninhabitable places tell equally of their painful realities. Try spending the night at Misery Fjellet or the Comfortless Cove! Even those islands with less unfortunate names promise some kind of an adventurer's tale (Raoul Island, Tristan da Cunha, or the fictionalised Robinson Crusoe Island) or folklore as exotic as the sounds of Banaba, Takuu or Tikopia.

Peaceful living is the exception rather than the rule on a small piece of land..."(p19)

I guess islands will always fascinate us, just as cities do. Both provide the circumscribed conditions of laboratories, prisons and retreats. The former bound by physical nature, the latter by human nature.

Schalansky's own story illustrates the boundaries of a city being drawn, redrawn and erased. Born in East Germany, when travel out of the country was not possible, Schalansky's early fascination with maps was somewhat ironic. Yet when the Berlin wall fell and she was free to travel out of t=her country, the country itself "disappeared from the map". It seems apt that she now resides in Berlin, in this renegotiated city.

Of course, it is also hard not to think about our own (in comparison) less remote and larger island when reading this book. Like many of these remote islands, our island can speak also of a colonial past, mythic and fictionalised creatures, (to many still) authoritarian powers and the utopian dream, or islandwide scientific/sociological experiments.

But unlike these islands, geography has undoubtedly given us a kinder fate.

Haul / Skincare: Metro 20% Sale - SK-II & Laneige

Haul photos again... I headed down to the Metro 20% sale today as I needed to restock my Laneige Perfect Renew Skin Refiner (120ml) @ SGD53.00 before discount. I'm almost done with the 3rd bottle and it's a staple in my skincare regime now.

Next up is the SK-II Skin Power Start Program set @ SGD134.00 before discount. I've been lusting after the SK-II Skin Signature ever since my sis passed me a sample of it to try. Totally no outbreaks, calmed and make my skin radiant. So after doing some math, I decided it was worth the money to purchase the set.

Set comes with the following:

1. Skin Signature with spatula - 50g
2. Facial Treatment Essence - 30ml
3. Skin Signature 3D Defining Mask - 1 pc
4. Cotton Pads - 30

Sale: Metro - 20% Storewide on 25th & 26 Feb 2011

Last year, Metro had a 20% sale for the NATAS weekend and my gut feel was right, there another similar one this year. Just got this in my email today.


I'm going down to stock up on some of my essential items. My Laneige toner is getting to a dangerously low level.

 In addition, I might pick up some other items along the way...

Louie Leclaire and Christina Wagner at Birdies 2/17/11

Click to see the full set.
more info:
Louie Leclaire
Christina Wagner

Tim Barry, Greenland is Melting, Beau Crum, and Rebels and Rogues at Jack Rabbits 2/27

Click for more info.

Haul-Review / Makeup: MAC - Charged Water Skin Hydrating Mist

Item Name: MAC - Charged Water Skin Hydrating Mist
Size: 100 ml
Price: SGD37.00
Available At: Tangs Vivocity
Picture Source: klutzbeauty.blogspot.com

Product Description from Manufacturer:

Charged water, fused with vital ions from a diamond and instilled with a spirit-lifting therapeutic aroma, then delivered to the skin in the soothing aura of a revitalizing hydrating mist. Like its source – a diamond – on application it makes the skin feel clear, sparkling, pure and energized. Its aroma, a blend of green tea and citrus.

Why I bought it:

This was really an impulse buy. My original intent was to purchase the MAC Fix+ to see if it works better than my Avene atomiser. However, according to the MAC consultant, it was out of stock islandwide for months already.

So, she recommended me this product instead. It's more expensive but it was supposedly to be better than Fix+. And so, I decided to purchase this instead, for the adventurous spirit in me.

Packaging:
Plastic spritz bottle with lock for travelling.

Texture:
Normal toner water with a subtle flowery scent.

Price:
SGD37.00 is steep compared to my drugstore Avene Atomiser.

Road Test:
I used this product as a finish for my makeup to avoid looking too powdery.

It does give a nice finish to my makeup but the mist wasn't as fine as compared to Avene, and I had some problems with the plastic spritzer. I had to press extra hard to get the product out.

Verdict:
I like this product,but given the price, I don't think I would repurchase after this bottle runs out. My Avene performs the same at half the price.

Haul / Makeup: Dior - Diorshow 360

I've wanting to try out the Dior Mascara after seeing how good it performed after getting the sampler set. And so, when I got some Metro Shopper Cheques, I decided to go for the Diorshow Waterproof Mascara.

But the SA recommended me their latest product in their Mascara arsenal instead, the Diorshow 360. It comes with a mechanical brush that rotates at the flick of the switch. Intrigued by the rotating brush and seeing that the price difference is not that great, I decided to go for this product instead.

Retails at SGD62.00 but I had SGD40.00 worth of shopper cheque. So in the end, I paid SGD22.00 for it only.

Will try and review this out when I can find time to do some serious eye makeup. These days, I just apply a thin layer of cream eyeshadow and I'm out of the house.

The insides. The brush and product is packed separately.

JaxScene Pummelvision

At the site http://pummelvision.com you can generate a video that uses your photos from a source you choose and sets it to music by "Friendly Ghost".
I had done this once before, but I cleaned it up a bit by hiding the more uninteresting photo sets on our Flickr. Check it out. I lawled at he opening image.


PS. JaxScene turned 3 this month.

Help put us on this map

Surfing the web I found this site http://www.streetartview.com. It contains user submitted street art from around the world from the perspective of Google Street View. I submitted some but was upset to find the ones I loved were not visible at the time google street view photographed Jax. Please take some time out and help submit ones that you know of.

Related to street art in Jacksonville: "What is Street Art? Why is It Around? Jax Street Art" - metrojacksonville.com

Haul-Review / Makeup: Giorgio Armani - Luminous Silk Foundation in #4

Yes yes yes, another conquest for this foundation fiend... After an extensive online research and going through swatches after swatches, I finally took the plunge and got a friend to pick this up when he dropped by Hong Kong for a business trip.

Such a sweet man, I was expecting him to tell me that he wasn't able to find it, or bought the wrong item, since makeup isn't really his forte. But he actually took the effort to visit the boutique and duty-free to help me find it, despite his busy schedule.. *gushes*.. It's just too bad that he doesn't have the hots for me..

Anyway, it's the famed Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in #4 (HKD430 for 30ml)!!! It comes up to approximately SGD70.00, which is actually cheaper than buying from US direct, RRP is USD59. And nope, they don't sell it here in Singapore.

Product Description from Manufacturer:

As seen in the press, capture the glow of perfect skin with this award-winning foundation. Luminous Silk foundation is an oil-free fluid with exclusive Micro-fil technology. So weightless, it redefines foundation. Its hydrating fluid glides on seamlessly with a silky texture and all-day, buildable coverage. For all skin types.

weightless and luminous oil-free fluid
natural finish
all-day sheer to moderate coverage


Why I bought it:
What can I say, this has been on the foundation IT-List for the longest. I've heard so much raves that I had to try it out.

Packaging:
Housed in a sleek frosted-glass bottle with a pump. Hygienic and fuss-free.

Texture:
Very runny and light consistency. But I feel that NARS Sheer Glow is more runny as compared to LSF though.

Price:
More expensive than my HG foundation. But I just got to try it.

Road Test:
The shade I chose was #4, which was deduced from online swatches and foundation matching matrix. So if you are a Diorskin Nude #20, LSF#4 should match you pretty well, more so if you're on the warm side than neutral.

I was really relieved that the shade did match my skintone. However, I do find that it's still a tad yellowish for my skin.

The foundation dries pretty fast, so be sure to apply with a quick hand, otherwise, it may end up being patchy.

I encountered some problems with trying to build up on the coverage, the top layer don't seemed to be able to blend in with the lower layer. I actually find that this foundation works better if it is stippled in, rather than spreaded. It gives an air-brushed look when stippled with my beauty blender.

Coverage wise I would say sheer to medium, which, is surprising given the runny texture of the product. But it did cover some of my redness.

It dries more to a luminous matt finish rather than the typical luminous dewy finish, which I am more used to. So I skipped finishing powder altogether since I didn't want to look like a mouldy pancake (Yes, I think too much..)

The foundation do last well. I wore it for more than 10hours and it was still intact by the end of the day. I didn't even bothered to blot it during the day.

Verdict:
Definitely a HG potential! However, given the price, I would say that if you 've already found a HG and don't suffer from an OCD like mine, you can skip this foundation altogether. It's good but it doesn't really WOW.

Below are some pictures:

I didn't bother to do a face application since weekends is my skin's off-days and my camera is currently with my sister, who is out of the country.

So, please do bear with my lousy camera phone that do not allow me to take high-def macro shots.

The beauty just out of it's box..

 The inside, with the pump.



The Swatch between 2 foundations

The Winner....

Ok, time to announce the winner for my Lunar New Year Giveaway...

Tabulating the entries:


1 Bec

2 Khaori Sato

3 evie

4 jennifer mathis

5 Schoolgirl

6 ilovemeepok

7 Foxy Frangipani

8 Riya~

9 Grace Wong

10 Ria

11 Carmen Canovas

12 Camelia Andrasescu

13 thian

14 ladyck

15 Jeweled Thumb

16 Tina Renee Barker

17 lisa

18 Locke

19 Connie

20 shala_darkstone

21 liz

22 kat

23 Valeria

24 lydia_low

25 Kathy

26 ✿giselle✿

27 Denise

28 catss99

29 Old Cow

30 quinieleong

31 berlinda chew

32 Alice Wong

33 ks sn

34 Kimberly Barber

35 quinieleong

36 thian

37 kat

38 Kathy

39 Liz

40 Liz

41 Lydia_low

42 Bec

43 Rileen Chua

44 Camelia Andrasescu

45 V-ng


 
 
And the winner is noneother than, No. 37, Kat!!! Cogratulations!!! I've already sent you an email on this. Please reply within 3 days, otherwise I would choose another winner.
 
 

Baby ♥

A simple dinner with B at ikea restaurant (he kept insisting that it's a highclass sweden restaurant?!?! HAHAHA)
Since we only got to meet in the evening, due to his night duty which lasted overnight, there's nothing much for us to do after dinner except to take a stroll around the queensway area. Qtime is love! hehe

Ohhh yar! I baked cookies for B and he got me a little bouquet teehee (: he's not really a romantic kind of guy, so I'll regard this as a great improvement! hahaha I wasn't allowed to keep it in a bag so i held it the whole night! my cute boy hahaha

The Urban Core: MURAL PROJECT : JAX BEACH MELLOW MUSHROOM : CALL TO ARTISTS

Click image for more info.

SUNBEARS! LIVE AT BIRDIES! Thursday, February 24 at 10pm

Taken from The Sunbears Event page

"SUNBEARS! will be playing a FREE show on the patio at BIRDIES in Historic Five Points in celebration of YOU! for helping us reach our KICKSTARTER goal to send us to New York City to record our next album! we're leaving on sunday the 27th! YEAH!

This show is FREE! Closing out the night, DJ TOM, DJ CLAYTO, and DJ PATCHES will be spinning all of the hits! ALSO, from 10PM - 2AM, there will be $2 well liquor drinks and $2 yuenglings! 21+"

ART 'Friends' Electric? Winter 2011 Edition Wed 2/16/11

Showcasing New Works by

Alex Palmer
Arcissa Jackson
Cheryl Borja
Christianna White
Christin Easterling
Chris Grasinger
Christina Kittle
Christine Cork
Darlene Muto
Faith Bennett
Grant Thornton
Iggy O'toole
Jay Peele
Jeff Flores
Jocelyn Michaud
Jordan Aldridge
Joshua Anthony
Josie Anthony
Leah Jean Jett
Matt Nelson
Matthew Birmingham
Michael Facini
Natalie Frazier
Red Met Yellow Collective
Robert Quaintance
Tracy Uselton
Wyatt Parlette
Z Toth

WHAT IS ARE 'FRIENDS' ELECTRIC?
It's an Indie-Electro Dance night that happens every Wednesday night in the heart of historic San Marco at Square One featuring resident DJs Wes Reed & Matt Caulder. Hands down the most fun you can have on a weeknight and perhaps any night in our fair city. The format runs the gamut including Indie Dance, Nu Disco, Electro, Dubstep, Funk, House, UK Funky, Bmore, remixes & much more.

More Info

Status Faux at Birdies 2/10/11

Click to see the set. Photos by Tom P.

Listen to Status Faux on Myspace
Status Faux Facebook

Frog Vs Toad!

I'd like to introduce a local web comic "Frog Vs Toad!", a newer comic created by Birdie who's also behind The Haiku Life comic. Follow the adventures of the seemingly unlikely friends Odin “The Thunder” Wilson, Kelly Mackaye, and Oscar “OG” Gonzales.
I only just started looking at the comic but so far I find it to be funny and enjoy seeing random Jacksonville references. Not to leave out, the characters are great and oddly familiar.

frogvstoad.com

Argentina Soccer Chic Isabella Yang Qi Han

Argentina Soccer Chic Chang Wan You

Italy Sexy Soccer

Haul / Swatch : Make Up Store - Blusher in Glam Rose

The next few entries would be overdue haul posts that I've accumulated over the past 2 months... Will find time to do reviews when my workload starts to reduce come Mar 2011.. (I hope)..

Alright, this purchase was really an impulse buy. I had originally wanted to get a MAC Blush in Loverush during the Tangs 12% Rebate sale on 10th Feb 2011.

But after a long day of back to back meetings and a major presentation, I wasn't really in the right form to battle the long cashier queues, not to mention I was feeling kind of drowsy from my allergy medication.

Since I figured I wasn't really in need of a blusher, just the need to do some retail therapy, I gave up on the purchase while waiting for the MAC consultant to attend to me.

So feeling a little unsatisfied, I popped by Make Up Store during lunch the next day and came out with one of their blushers, the Glam Rose @ SGD32.00.

Make Up Store hails from one of my favorite European countries, Sweden and have been in Singapore for some time now. It's just that I never quite found the opportunity to browse their products. So, this blusher is actually the first item that I own, under the Make Up Store brand.

The packaging, product offering and prices are very similar to MAC and some may mistake it for being a MAC wannabe. But on a personal note, I find that the quality is actually better compared to MAC's. It is very pigment and the powder is more finely milled, compared to MAC.

So next time when you are near a Make Up Store, be sure to check their products out!

The item straight out from the store.

Minimalist packaging.

It was wrapped in a black thin tissue.

Love the chic details on the cover!!

Glam Rose - 2.5g at SGD32.00. Noticed that it's made in Canada (land of MAC).

Gorgeous pink.

The swatch. A little goes a long way.

Comparison swatch between NARS Deep Throat.