Maison Kayser

Anyone who has had meals with me knows, I like to eat.  In particular, I cannot resist the "bad" carbs, like bread and noodles.  Maison Kayser is a favourite of mine for more european?-style breads, ie. not your usual old-school asian bakery bread.  My absolute favourite from them is their white chocolate bun, delice blanc.  Sophie has something similar but Sophie's bread is more asian-style, none of that crusty-chewyt goodness.  Of course, Sophie is also more than half the price.  One delice blanc if I remember correctly costs me more than S$3 and the bun is only about the size of my fist.  It is small but it is oh-so-satisfying.  Must-try!

Clarins Exfoliating Body Scrub

I have had this body scrub for (possibly) more than 2 years and am about to finish it.  I have an innate inability to finish any skincare or makeup so that is not due to the product itself although I do have some comments to make. 

One of the reasons it took me soo long to use this is because I was told I could use the product on dry skin.  This is what Clarins.com.sg say on their website:
Massage onto dry or damp skin 1-2 times per week (including the bust area and concentrating on rough areas such as elbows, knees, feet and thighs). Rinse thoroughly. 

Since I wanted to get the full effect of the scrubbing action, I tried my best to use it on dry skin but it really hurt! Granted I have sensitive skin but I would not suggest anyone use this scrub on dry skin.  The powdery texture of the scrub does not help in spreading the gritty parts on the skin and it is very gritty.  Using this on dry skin causes way too much friction.

The product smells alright, slightly powdery and flowery.  Not overpowering though I believe the scent lingers after bath.

To use this up, I started using this on wet skin.  That really helps to spread the product on the skin but I dont think you exfoliate less.  In fact, with increase in spreadability, I would massage the product in circles on the skin before rinsing it off. I think my skin is sufficiently scrubbed when I do that. Also, using this on wet skin also means it is easier to remove.  When I used this on dry skin, I tend to find bits still remaining on the body when I am towelling off; its quite off-putting.

Repurchase? No.  The main reason for this is the price.  I do not think a body scrub that does not seem to do much else needs to cost so much.  I cannot recall how much I paid for this but I have since purchased The Body Shop body scrubs during one of their atrium sales and I will use those after I finish this. It is just not exceptional enough for me to want to repurchase. 

Watsons Beauty Buys (Aug 2014)

So, I went to Watsons end of August, for their members sale.  The Toa Payoh outlet was crowded but the queue at the cashier wasn't particularly long. 

Here's what I got, beauty-wise.    

Mascara
I have decided long ago that I wasn't going to buy department store mascaras. Aside from the prices, I have tried a few samples (Clinique, Dior), and did not like them.  Maybelline works best for me.  Usually I use the Volume Express (the yellow tube) but I noticed lately that the curl doesn't last the whole day for me so I decided to try another type, so, hello Lashionista. This was sort of an impulse buy -- I needed a new tube but I didn't know which is good so I just got what looked interesting.

Liquid Eyeliner
I also got the K Palette 1 Day Tattoo eyeliner.  I have not tried any department store liquid liners todate as I am still learning to use liquid liners.  I don't use eyeliners (much less liquid eyeliners) often, so I didn't want to buy something expensive which will dry up before I use them.  The only other liquid eyeliner I've tried was the Kiss Me Heroine Make Impact Liquid Eyeliner.  This was very black, very hard to remove but difficult to use for a novice.  It came with a brush that you have to dip into an "ink bottle" and the brush had a tendency to split into three parts, making it hard to draw one line.

Pencil Eyeliner
Other things I got - pencil eyeliners.  I have previously used more expensive brands (think Urban Decay, Lancome, Makeup Forever) but they smudged on me! I tried the tester at Watsons and these don't seem to smudge and considering the price point, I figured there's no harm in trying them out.  I got two, one black, one white.  I used to apply white eyeliner to my lower waterline, and want to go back to doing that.  I previously used an eyeliner from KATE for that purpose but Watsons don't seem to carry that anymore.

Shading/Eyebrow Palette
Also got the shader/eyebrow powder palette from Heavy Rotation.  I just started getting into filling in my brows.  I had my eyebrows shaped twice and I don't like the feeling, not only was my skin irritated and stayed red for awhile, both times I feel that my brows looked too thin for my wide face.  Instead, I'm going to try to just define them. 

MISC
I also got two My Beauty Diary masks and an Alcon Tears Naturale II.  MBD masks are a favourite of mine - cheap and convenient.  I love to use the Natto ones as my skin is dry but I don't mind switching it up once in a while.  As for the Alcon, it was recommended to me by my GP as my eyes feel dry very easily.  It keeps the eyes moist for longer than the usual eye drops.

I have not used any of the make up items yet as I still need to finish up what I have.  I will try to update after trying the products.