Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance: My secret to radiant glowy skin!

When I'm in need of a foundation that can offer me long-lasting coverage and yet still look natural and glowy, Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance is my latest to-go!

I first experienced Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance during a Her World shoot some time last month with my friends Jess and Juli, and I was amazed! My shoot began early in the morning (around 10.30am) and after the makeover that I was given by the makeup artist, I kept my makeup on the entire day, to have it still looking fresh and radiant when I was ready to remove my makeup at the end of the day.

Behind the scenes. Here's some photos I sneaked off the computer screen!



A couple of selfies I took after my shoot! Love the glowing, dewy look that was achieved with Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++! Even after removing my makeup at the end of the day, my skin still felt supple and hydrated, instead of feeling dehydrated or dry as it sometimes does, after a long day out.

Before you get confused, let me introduce to you: Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance! This foundation actually comes in TWO forms, one is a liquid foundation while the other is a cream compact.

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance is more than makeup. It's hydrating, illuminating skincare. Designed specifically for Asian skin, this deceptively light formula, liquid or compact, is a potent way to deliver intense moisture that leaves skin feeling hydrated for hours.

 From the moment it makes contact, this innovative foundation creates a flawless finish that helps minimize the appearance of pores, even skin tone and leave skin looking dewy, plumped and more radiant.

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++

Liquid foundations are my best friend due to my current skin condition: skin that's sometimes dehydrated and on the dry side due to my bout of medication (I took Roaccutane for acne trouble a year ago).

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++

What I love best about Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++ is how it manages to give me skin that looks fresh, dewy and radiant, even throughout the day! It's really more than just makeup, and helps my skin feel hydrated while giving me that natural, flawless finish.

With Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance, it's so easy to achieve that Korean dewy and flawless makeup look that I lust after! ;D

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++

This advanced formula contains the ingenious Revival Plant Extract, which helps to deliver persistent moisture to the skin as well as Sustainable Moisture Complex composed of hyaluronic acid and ceramide spheres, as well as linoleic acid, that locks moisture into the skin even after the makeup is removed.

That's why my skin feels so comfortable and hydrated after makeup removal, and not like it's been stripped dry of moisture!

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++

The texture of Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++ is incredibly smooth and light, and it glides on the skin for medium to full, buildable coverage.

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++

Take a look at how it blends into my skin so effortlessly! Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++ is also available in 9 wearable shades with SPF15.  I'm wearing 3W0 (Warm Creme)

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++

Apply to clean skin with the fingertips, or blend with a makeup sponge or synthetic brush. My personal preference is for brushes because it keeps my fingers clean, and also helps for a more even application!

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++

The half-face comparison really shows the difference before and after using Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++. My skin looks almost like it's been illuminated from the inside, on the left (after application)! Compare this to my lacklustre and dull skin on the right and you can see what a difference Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++ makes.

At the same time, it also looks completely natural, as if I'm not wearing anything on my face at all.

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++

 Imperfections are diffused, fine lines and pores disappear, and the finish, plumped with sophisticated moisturizers, stays flawless and natural all day. I really love how naturally smooth and flawless my skin now looks, after application!

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++

Here's a close-up of what my skin looks like after application. It looks like I have really good skin, but trust me when I say that this is all the work of Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA++! You can hardly see any pores or fine lines, let alone cakiness.

Although liquid foundations are my first choice, I was suitably impressed with the compact version of the Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance as well! With liquid foundations, you can't really bring them out for touch-ups conveniently, but the compact version is so handy and convenient you can pop it into your handbag for touch-ups throughout the day, any time.

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Compact Makeup SPF 20/PA++

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Compact Makeup SPF 20/PA++ combines the radiance of a fluid with the ease and versatility of a powder compact foundation, and none of the potential for dryness, to deliver hours of intense hydration. Buildable coverage, from medium to full and a sophisticated blend of creamy waxes hydrate, illuminate and perfect the skin.

It's a foundation, a treatment, and a powdery soft compact in one, with innovative oil-and-shine controlling components that don't compromise on moisture.

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Compact Makeup SPF 20/PA++

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Compact Makeup SPF 20/PA++ contains naturally occurring waxes and skin-friendly oils that create a flexible, moist barrier that coats the skin like a breathable, conditioning veil. The waxes melt at body temperature, so they blend effortlessly into the skin. The veil secures the skin's existing moisture, preventing evaporation, and locks in the hydrating properties of the foundation.

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Compact Makeup SPF 20/PA++

The texture of Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Compact Makeup SPF 20/PA++ is remarkable! It is super emollient and literally melts into my skin, giving me a natural finish that looks just like my own skin, but turned flawless and radiant.

Similar to its liquid counterpart, Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Compact Makeup SPF 20/PA++ is also available in 9 wearable shades, but comes with SPF20. I'm wearing 3W0 (Warm Creme)

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Compact Makeup SPF 20/PA++

See how Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Compact Makeup SPF 20/PA++ evens out my complexion beautifully while maintaining a natural skin texture that's still dewy and fresh. I love it!

During another video shoot in which I used Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance to achieve a flawless and radiant Korean makeup look! :D

Nothing but raves for this marvellous product! Head over to Her World Plus to take a look at my special feature for Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance! :D

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance is now available at all Estee Lauder counters and ION Orchard store from October 2014.

NEW Futurist Aqua Brilliance Moisture Infused Liquid Makeup SPF 15/PA ++ Retail Price: SGD58

NEW Futurist Aqua Brilliance Compact Makeup SPF 20/PA++ Retail Price: SGD88

Here's your chance to experience Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance for your very own too!! Drop by the ION Orchard Estee Lauder boutique for a foundation fitting session and quote ‘Yina’ for a SPECIAL SURPRISE! If you purchase any of the Futurist Aqua Brilliance foundation, you will also receive a complimentary mini foundation brush!! :))) Go go go!

xoxo

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Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion + DIY Washi Fun!

A couple weeks ago, some of my pretty girlfriends, Peiling, Beatrice, Evonne, Candice, Tricia and myself attended a Laneige BB Cushion Partaaaay!

Of course, we brought home some fabulous Laneige products, most importantly, the best-selling Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF 50+ PA+++!

This time round though, this simple and clean looking white circular compact came with a "Beautify your BB" DIY Kit, released in collaboration with Sephora Singapore.

I had massive fun with the DIY kit, and added in a bit of my own touch with washi tape! (Been on a washi taping spree lately)

After about thirty or forty minutes of hard work, I completed DIY-ing my Laneige BB Cushion compact! Whoopeedoo!

Jangjanggg! Like it?

It was really easy actually, I just had to cut the washi tape to fit on the circular face of the compact, then glue on the line of pearls and little bow that came in the DIY Kit!

Makes me feel happy when I look at it! ^.^

More about the Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF 50+ PA+++ itself, it is being released in one new shade (which is the 5th shade available!) to the range due to popular demand.

The five shades available are:

13 True Beige 

21 Natural Beige

23 Sand Beige

31 Brown Beige

33 Coffee (New Shade)

Shade 21 Natural Beige suits me best, and has a slightly pink undertone which makes me look that extra bit fairer and more radiant!

If you've never seen a Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion before, you might be pretty amazed at how it works! It is neither a cream nor powder compact, but instead has a liquid-soaked sponge containing the BB formula, with a puff applicator.

Looks pretty cool, doesn't it?

What I really like about it is how convenient it is! With this tiny and portable compact, you get the following FIVE functions: Whitening + Sunscreen + Sweat-proof + Soothing + Makeup!

Application is easy with the puff, all you need to do is to gently pat it on the skin, and layer more for better coverage. The coverage is buildable and it doesn't look at all cakey nor thick! Also, it really does have a cooling sensation! Best of all, it sets to an extremely natural finish that's slightly dewy.

(As usual, please ignore my lips that are dry and peeling because of Roaccutane!)

As you can tell, the coverage is light, but helps to even out my complexion while slightly conceal my blemishes :) For lazy days when I just want to head out with my au natural face but need the sun protection and some coverage, the Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion will definitely be what I'd reach out for!

The Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion retails at SGD59 and comes with a refill sponge pack! :)

❤ ❤ ❤

Purchase of Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion at Sephora from 5th Sep to 2nd October (Oops.. Today is the last day!)  will entitle you to a free limited edition “Beautify Your BB” DIY kit, containing: 

2 wheels of rhinestones, gems, pearls, and metal decals 

1 sheet of glitter stickers 

1 pair of art tweezers 

1 orange stick 

1 tube of professional gel adhesive

You can then head on to Sephora's Facebook page where there's a Design BB Contest going on to submit your designs, and you may get to win a Laneige hamper worth $300! Do note that 70% of the design materials have to come from the kit (which means my compact would probably be disqualified hahaha)!

PS. If your design is picked, you will be asked to show proof of purchase (keep that receipt!) indicating that you obtained your Laneige Snow BB Cushion between 5 Sep - 2 Oct 2013.

xoxo

ION Orchard Mobile Beauty Campaign

Attention all beauty-loving guys and girls! It's BEAUTY SEASON at Ion Orchard!

Now, ION Orchard has got to be one of my favourite shopping malls ever. It houses SO many of all my favourite brands, be it makeup, apparel, skincare, food, or even luxury brands. Doesn't hurt that it's such an insanely convenient location, just a few steps out of Orchard MRT! It's the perfect mall whenever I need my retail therapy, especially when I'm looking for new beauty products.

ION Orchard has just launched its Fall Beauty Mobile Campaign: All you need to do is log onto http://beauty.ionorchard.com to discover your favourite beauty brands and redeem 7-day samples from 15 participating brands! 

Using this app, you can redeem free sample-sized products from 15 participating brands including Apivita, Beauty by Nature, Biotherm Homme, Dr Ci:Labo, Dr Hauschka, FANCL, Kiehl’s, L’Occitane, Lab Series, Laneige, Shu Uemera, Skin Inc, VMV Hypoallergenics, Watsons and YSL Beauté. Some of these brands are my favourite brands, and I'm really excited that you now get to try these brands too!

The kind folks at ION Orchard invited a few of us down for a brunch at Jones the Grocer, before we proceeded to some of the stores for short demo sessions.

I didn't know that there was a Jones the Grocer at ION Orchard, actually :X The brunch items were really good! I tried to eat healthy so I had the yogurt with fruits, lol. But I also tried a bit of the scrambled eggs (very good!) and eggs benny (pretty decent as well) and thought everything was yummy!

With lovely Roseanne! :)

We headed down to a few stores, starting with a makeup demo at YSL! YSL is one of my favourite luxury beauty brands, for sure. I love their lip products (Rouge Volupté Shine and Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres) and eyeshadow palettes (Pure Chromatics)! You need to try the amazing Touche Eclat highlighter too!

Next was a skincare demo at Api Vita, which is known for their natural ingredients. Great for sensitive skin! I'm new to Api Vita, so I can't wait to try those samples that I brought home! :) We were also introduced to Dr Hauschka and a couple of their best-selling products like the Cleansing Cream, and got to bag a few of their face, body and hair products too!

The fun part about the ION Orchard Beauty Mobile App is that you can also leave reviews of the products you've redeemed and tried via the app, and if you're lucky, you'd get to win even more samples or even full-sized products!

Some of my favourite brands which I think you ought to try are: Shu Uemura (the cleansing oil! I love it to bits and pieces!), Kiehls (Midnight Recovery Oil and Calendula Toner are my favourites), L'Occitane (they have the best smelling products), and of course YSL! ;)

Hop over to http://beauty.ionorchard.com before this campaign ends on the 29th of September! Have fun trying all the samples and products! :D

xoxo

Review: Benefit POREfessional PRO Balm!

One big concern of many girls out there, including myself, has got to be PORES! :( God knows how irksome huge visible pores can get, and the worst part is that skincare can only do so much to help minimize pores, unless you're talking about expensive laser treatments and the likes.

I'm not too sure why, but ever since I started taking Roaccutane, I've noticed that the pores on my nose have somehow become more obvious! I've always had pitted pores at the sides of my nose, but suddenly, my entire nose seems to be all orange peel-esque and I hate it! Told my derm about it and she said it could be because of the reduction in oil production, which causes my skin to be drier and thus making the pores look more obvious ;( Has anyone encountered similar issues while on Roaccutane as well?

When it comes to "concealing" those troublesome pores though, thankfully, there is Benefit's POREfessional PRO Balm to save the day!

I first tried this product during a Benefit event last year, and I was so sold! Went to a Benefit counter the same week and purchased the POREfessional PRO Balm for my very own!

Couldn't be happier to oblige when Benefit Cosmetics Singapore asked Evonne and myself to take part in a special POREfessional workshop/event, because this is one of those products that I truly believe in! :)

The event was sometime last month, and you might have seen the super cute pop-up booth right outside Tangs Orchard!

There was even a flashmob with spy girls spotting sexy black boots dancing and the most adorable Vespas which rode through Orchard Road! You shoulda seen the crowd! XD

On to the workshop, 8 lucky girls got chosen from Benefit Cosmetics Singapore's Facebook contest, to be given a makeover by 8 of us bloggers! :D

The EDM that went out for the event!

The 8 of us got to dress up as Spy Girls in the signature mint green trench coat and I thought we looked really cute!! :P That's one of the things I love about Benefit, makeup is always fun and interesting with Benefit!

We worked in pairs (I was with Evonne of course!) to do makeovers for two of the girls! Using only Benefit's skincare and makeup products, the girls were given makeovers from scratch ;D

Here's Evonne concentrating really hard on her job as a makeup artist!

I thought I did a good job too, on transforming my lovely model, Carrissa, with a radiant and glowing look!

Jang jang!!! Quite proud of my makeup skills I must say! :D

Team Evonne and Yina! ^.^

Made new friends at the event! :)

Here's the spy girls and the prettily made-up Benefit fans all together for a group shot!

With Mei Ting and Amber from Benefit Cosmetics Singapore after the event ended, thanks for having us!!

As for the product itself: The POREfessional PRO Balm has been a staple on my dressing table for the longest time now, and it's something I always reach out for when I want that extra bit of perfection to my makeup!

“Quickly minimize the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother-than-smooth skin! Apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skintones and helps makeup stay put. Contains a Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals.”

The new VS old packaging. New one's so much cuter! Other than that, nothing else has changed about this wonderful formula.

The nozzle is sealed for hygiene purposes, so just peel it off and you're all ready to use the POREfessional PRO Balm :D

This is what the POREfessional PRO Balm looks like, it's skin coloured and has got a firm consistency to it that melts into the skin upon application, leaving behind a smooth surface that feels almost powdery to the touch!

Personally, I like to use a tiny amount of POREfessional on my nose and around it (where my pores are the most obvious) before I apply my foundation on, and I feel that it helps to minimise the appearance of those huge pores, while creating a smoother canvas for me to work on! I don't like to use it for touch-ups because I feel that the POREfessional balm does not adhere as well to my skin when I already have other makeup on, and tends to slide off and cause weird smudges on my skin, especially if I'm getting sweaty and oily in our hot weather.

I was unable to really capture the effect of POREfessional PRO Balm on camera, but I think Evonne did a pretty good job! Read Evonne's review of POREfessional PRO Balm here! :D

Because you only need a very small amount of the product for each usage, the 22ml tube can seriously last you for ages! I've used mine for months, and I feel like it can last me for another year or something. It's a tad pricey but worth the price tag! :)

The Porefessional costs $48 for 22ml of product and is available at all Benefit Counters and Sephora.

If I had a POREfessional this size... It would take me ten lifetimes to finish using it. Hahahaha. Just kidding. Go try the POREfessional at a Benefit counter near you and you'd know why it's so amazing, really! ^.^

Get on Benefit Cosmetics Singapore's Facebook for more fun with Benefit! :D

xoxo