MAC In Mode Workshop @ Penang with Yokoe Chan

I hope this isn't too late! :) What you see below is what I got to get during MAC In Mode workshop held at G Hotel, Penang recently.



Paid for RM250, get to redeem RM200 worth of products and RM50 goes to the workshop where I get to have a pencil, a note pad, an A4 Size envolope with a bottle of mineral water and some cupcakes/desserts (from G Hotel).

I didn't get to captured the whole room but this is what we get to use when we were at the workshop.


(psst.. did you spot makeupholics? :P )

A mirror, tissues, cotton pads and some SE brushes is the basic tools that we have on each of our table.


If MAC is trying to get us to buy their brushes, they shouldn't let us try those LE ones. Those are scratchy to me. -_-"

During the workshop, Yokoe Chan (the MAC Senior MUA) teaches us the basic routine of skincare up through the basic of make up. What's cool about it is that we get to really try their products. But they are quite stingy on their products though, each of us were given a very very small sample of product to try on.

You can see from the pic below... The foundation was scrapped from the MSFN and they gave us some Prep and Prime base for eye to try...


Don't you think the make up tray does look abit like a food tray or something? :P


On and all, the only item that catches my attention throughout the 2.5 hour workshop is the strobe cream. It glides on smoothly and doesn't feel oily. When I first gotta know about the product, the name just turn me off.. coz it says "cream". LOL! But good to know though.

I can also say throughout the whole workshop, I didn't quite learn anything but I did write something on my notepad (if not my RM50 is going down the drain.. LOL). Yokoe Chan sure did try very hard to please us as I think many of us (especially me :P ) didn't quite pay much attention to her. The room lighting is orange which had turn me off immediately when I started to take pictures around. I can't even really tell if the foundation / blusher did shows up on me.. Sigh.

But I did quite snap a few photos around though. :P

Here's Yokoe Chan. I like her hair style. So cute. :D


The lovely Joanne and me. Hm.. I really "play" alot in the workshop with her. hahaha. Until the trainer keep asking us if we are paying any attention or not... LOL.


(Joanne, I want those brushes! :P )

Last but not least, see who's there too!

Elyn (Makeupholics) and Ashley.

Our take no. 1

See.. I'm so short! Duh.

Our take no.2

Definitely love this pose. At least I am tall in this pic. LOL! :P

Here's the "after" workshop me... I just love the eyebrows drawn and corrected by Joanne. :P



But I hate the eye kohl. Duh. Some more Yokoe Chan ask us to draw our water line. -_-" It smudges on me immediately I close my eye. Argh. I dab the powder like crazy below my eye but it still smudges. Bummer. -_-"


Anyway, nice meeting up with the two pretty Elyn and Ashley. :D

But as for the workshop, I do hope MAC can just treat us much better in the future. I found out from a blogger that she got two samples free (strobe cream and cleanse off oil) from the workshop (which is the earlier session 11-2pm). Argh!! Why we don't have. :( Sigh...

Sigma Brushes: SS188

I received a few emails on Sigma brushes. First off, I do not sell nor own Sigma brushes. I'm just like any other consumers who just bought them for the sake of their price which is a fraction of MAC's.

Secondly, some asked if I got SS188 brush. And I have it, until just recently...


The SS109 (the top one) is for one of my spree members and I only owned one SS188 (and not all four, mind you -_-).

Here's a little brief summary on both SS187 and SS188.


The length of both brushes are slightly different.


The brush shape is obviously different as well.


And the density of these brushes.


A more clearer pic...


SS188 retails for $14.

I saw some comments on people says that these Sigma brushes do frayed a lot. But for mine, they are still okay. Just like the way I got them in the first place.

As for the SS188, I love it! Soft and silky feeling on the skin. No crazy bleeding like the SS150 and does not shed too! Definitely recommend this one as an alternative from MAC's 188. :) BTW, I went to test and "feel" Etude's skunk brush since a lot of bloggers have raved about them. And I think they are not really comparable with Sigma's 188 or even SS187. The feeling of the brush is just different. Wait til I get my hands on that Etude's skunk brush and I'll do a photo comparison. :)

BTW, MAC's Color Craft collection has their 131 brush as well, I'm still thinking whether if it is worth the splurge on them. What do you think? :P

PS: Here's the 12 Brushes, the complete set without the brush roll from Sigma. :)

DARIYA 无痕浏海便利魔法发贴 Hair Fastener

Ha! It is so rare to see me blogging again. I always find blogging as a way of releasing stress (well, at least for me) to take my mind off work. :)

I'm going to talk about hair stuff today. My first time on hair accessories.



I bet some of you may already have them but this is my first time getting them as a gift from a friend. (Thanks much babe! :D)

This was actually pretty cool!


I did a random search on Google and found some sellers sells them at the price of RM5. Which I think it is affordable. If I'm not mistaken, the lowest price that I've seen for this is RM1.50.


Up close of the hair "fastener" ...


Some Japanese words I think...

I only know how to read the instructions .... from the illustration. :P

In each packaging, there's two pieces of this hair fastener..

Very thin and almost-zero weight....


The first impression that I got is that "this really look familiar.. looks like my fastener for my books during my school days..."

*pic from Germes-online*

But if it is RM5 for 2 pieces of these that can last for some time, I think it is quite worth it. These hair fasteners sure is less harmful than my usual bobby pins and hair bands.


And it is super easy to use too!

I also saw these pics online on how to wear them.


Quite straightforward actually. All you need to do is grab your fringe and secure them with the hair fasteners, just like what you normally do with hair clips/pins.

Here's my "not so glamorous" version of wearing this. LOL!


It sticks on pretty well and even if you shake your head (not those violent shakes lah!), it won't fall off (maybe because it is still new) :D

Also available in 3 colors!


Cool right? :D Really save my money on hair clips! The downside of it is that I do not have the guts to wear them out though! :P

Ampoule-fied Your Skin!

Do you use Ampoule?

What the heck is Ampoule?!!

Let's see...

Quoted from Wikipedia:

An ampoule (also ampule or ampulla) is a small sealed vial which is used to contain and preserve a sample, usually a solid or liquid.

Quoted from the search engine in Google:

Ampoules are airtight glass containers that are filled with a concentration of highly active ingredients. Ampoules usually contain botanical extracts, vitamins and enzymes in various combinations and do not have any preservatives or chemicals due to the airtight packaging. These ampoules are designed to address every skin conditions and deficiency. Ampoules can have remarkable effects on various skin conditions, irritations, hyper – pigmentation, as well as, aging. Visible results are achieved within a short time after application.

Ampoules are commonly used in beauty salons during facials/before make up application. You can use it for special occasions or incorporate it into your skincare regime. Makeup lasts longer as it is helpful in controlling sebum and makes our face looks less oily. Skin feels very soft and hydrated after application.

I've been using ampoule since last year and only two brands that I've tried which is from Pro-Q and Sensual.

This is Pro-Q.


And here's how it looks like.


In each box, there's 10 of these small little "baby-milk-like" bottles.


There's many variations from Pro-Q actually. From face ampoules to even bust ampoules. :D



And I just love these ampoules. Especially the hydrating ones (named Trace Elements).


If I'm not mistaken, many MUA uses them to set the face make up. So it will look flawless. Let me show you one random "after-effect" photo of mine when I uses these ampoules.

See how it sets them? (Please excuse the nerdy glasses okay.. :P )

FYI, my pores are really huge and gets oily every time. And when I uses these ampoules, it actually "hydrates" the skin and make the makeup sits onto the skin almost flawlessly (see no pores right? :P )

Now, let me show you the Sensual ampoules that I got.


Comes with 10 huge bottles in it.


And the quantity (serum) is more than Pro-Q's ampoule.


There are many variations in Sensual's ampoule.

1. Hydrating
Function: Anti-aging, enhance skin complex, moisturizing.

2. Lightening Ampoules
Function: Whitening, clarifies dark spot, lighten pigment.

3. Beauty lifting
Function: Strengthens skin elasticity and firmness of double cheek.

4. Pure Vitamin C
Function: Detoxfies the skin

5. Soothing
Function: Diffuse redness, softening effects

6. Anti wrinkle
Function: Improve skin texture, minimize fine liners

7. Eye care
Function: Increase the hydration, reduce the wrinkles and fine line

8. Regenerating
Function: Result in glowing complexion, smoother & softer

9. Purifying
Function: Regulates excessive sebaceous section, antiseptic effect on acne and pimple skin.

10. Beauty shine care
Function: Improve skin texture and leave skin clear matt

11. Scar
Function: Strengthen the epithelial structure

12. Collagen
Function: Anti wrinkle complex, rehydrate, anti ageing, collagen and elastin strengthener.

13. Bust Care
Function: For bust lifting action, restore elasticity

14. Tightening
Function: Reducing the pores dilation

15. Oxygenerating
Function: Rejuvenate and repair the skin aggressions

I can't show you what's the inside of Pro-Q ampoule (coz my cam battery died off) so I'll show you the inside of Sensual's ampoule instead.

Here's how it looks like after you remove the silver aluminum cap.


Here comes the serum...


How I used it? Two ways. One is before make up. And another by "masking" it. I'll show you my "masking" way for this.

The "Masking" way.
I slap the serum onto my face first and pat it gently until is 70% absorbed.

Then I mix my soft mask (which is a powder-kind of mask where you'll need to mix it with water) and put it onto my face (after the serum step).


And here's how it looks like (pardon the messy stuff :P )

This is done very quickly (and lazily), hence the soft mask looks so unevenly spread. :P

I do this masking way is because I personally believe our face "drinks" the product quickly. This mask will actually help to "force" and "covers" the serum up to make sure our skin "drinks" / "sucks" the serum into the face (okay, I can't find the exact word for "serap" -_-" ).

So, what's the different between Pro-Q and Sensual?

1. The packaging and the quantity of the product.




Sensual has 3.8ml of product, while Pro-Q has 3ml of Product.

2. The price factor.
Sensual is retailed for about RM38 (I believe there's other sellers who sells them at RM30), and Pro-Q retailed for about RM30. But wait, look at the product quantity, Sensual's has more ampoule in it's bottle!! :)

3. The serum is different. (From my personal experience).
Sensual's product consistency is a little thick than Pro-Q. And with the thick consistency, it takes a longer time to absorb into the skin. Sensual's serum smells a little like (very very faint smell) rubber while Pro-Q's serum has a little fragrance in it (very very faint smell of fragrance).

4. Product packaging.
Sensual's product is easier to open and to store them (where it has a little cap). Pro-Q is harder to open and store them. I need to actually break the glass (the tip of Pro-Q) very very carefully because I did cut my finger with the glass previously. -_-" Not user-friendly packaging at all for Pro-Q.

Overall, other than it's packaging factor, I personally like Pro-Q's ampoule a lot as it is easier to absorb into the skin and it does really help my makeup to stay pretty even under the hot sun!

Other side comments that I have is that:-
1. If you do intend to keep this ampoule for more than 1 day (obviously it is just too much to finish it in one day unless you use it all over your body :P) , keep them in the refridgerator.
2. Do not use it on the eye area unless it is an eye ampoule. This is because sometimes the ingredient is too rich for the eye area.
3. Open the ampoule with a folded tissue or cloth to avoid hurting/cutting your fingers.
4. Pour them onto the palm and slap the product with your fingers instead of your cotton wipes (as cotton wipes absorb more product than your skin :P).
5. Do not have ampoule as a daily skincare routine. It is advisable to use it for a period of time (ie. 3-4 days intensive treatment) but not for a long period as it may be too rich for the skin to handle. ;)

Do you have any other comments on ampoules? Let me know and I'll add them to the list! :D