#cheokletquoted #3 Beauty is not a person. Beauty is a spirit.

 

Beauty is not a person; beauty is a spirit. 

True beauty is in your spirit. Your thoughts. Your heart. Your intentions.

Appearance matters; but it doesn't last.
It is a beautiful spirit that does.

I ain't saying that appearance doesn't matter because it does.
It's a fact.
 (You are judged based on ur appearance within the first say, 30 seconds of meeting someone?)

But appearance doesn't last.
It changes.
It is unreliable.

And when it does;
It's your thoughts, your heart and your intentions that will lift you up.
 
They will build strength in your spirit to and make you shine in any and every situation.

So, start guarding your thoughts, your heart and your intentions;
Because your appearance will soon follow suit.
 

 

Anna Sui Cheek Colors Collection & 2014 Spring I Launch

I am loving Anna Sui's range of makeup!

And so, this will be a write up showcasing the awesome range of cheek colors from Anna Sui that is too attractive to resist! Coupled with another showcase of what was recently launched for the Spring Collection. (Of course, I don't own all of it, I just loaned them for a self-organised photo-shoot)

Each of cheek color comes with 4 different shades of pigments that can be picked up with a single swipe. When applied to the skin, the colors comes out brilliantly - what you see is what you get!

From left, Cheek Color #100, 300, 301, 400, 500 & 600

The cheek colors comes in Anna Sui's signature vintage looking casing that's light-weight and flat. The only disadvantage being that it doesn't come with a self-contained cheek brush. -_-

In the following close-up shots, you will see Rose patterns carved unto the cheek colors - yet another signature symbol of Anna Sui products as the Rose is her favorite! And if you do put your nose close to the palette, you will experience a soft scent of roses - and that's because rose extract has been incorporated as part of the product to give off this soft fragrance.

While these are existing cheek colors which are ever-available at all Anna Sui counters, Anna Sui has also launched a Springtime Limited Edition in a slightly more pastel pink & coral palette, with the same vintage packaging.

From the left, in #302 -an iridescent dewy pink and #601 -an iridescent rose coral.  

This springtime concept revolves around a "glow from within" which is prominent in Anna Sui's SS Runway Fashion. Models coupled with dewy & "barely-there" translucent base and a touch of blush that's so subtle, one would think it was a natural blush. 

From  the left, swatched with just 1 finger-stroke:

#100, 300, 301, 400, 500, 600, 302 & 601

Like mentioned, the pigments are brilliant therefore, what you see from the palette is exactly what you'd get. 

Right below is the blended out version of each color.

#100 is dual functional, as a highlighter for the T-zone as well as a base color for the cheeks where it changes the overlaying cheek color to make it brighter & more brilliant. This works well with over-laying blushers from any brand, not just Anna Sui colors. 

Point to note may be the fact that it has alot of silver, purples and blues in there, so while it works well to counter any form of yellow overcast skin tones, application should be done with care. You don't want to end up looking too ashy while over-doing it!

#300 is a rose pink that's ultra-feminine, though slightly skewed to being a little on the cooler end.

#301 is a coral pink that contains some orange pigments to give off a unique blend of warmth while still looking sweet pink!

#400 is a signature Anna-red hue that is rich, classic and edgy - so it really brings out character and confidence!

#500 is a mix of deep burgundy with beige & brown, somewhat a bronzer, that can be used with all other cheek colors to add depth and intensity.

#600 is this illuminating sun-kissed coral, with more corals than pink - emitting the radiance of a juicy radiance, fresh from the beach! 

#302 is a limited edition dewy rose pink that contains a sparkling touch of iridescence that's ultra-light, soft yet slightly cool. I personally find it multi-functional - as a blush on its own, as a cheek highlight or as a base for brightening up regular cheek colors to sculpt the cheeks giving it a hi-cheek-bone appearance.

#601, also a limited edition rose coral that has a luminous finishing, like a warm reflection of sunshine that can be used like in multiple ways, like mentioned for #302.    

Moving right along, from the bottom-up, these limited edition lip crayons are great for pairing with the cheek colors. #302, 303 & 702.

The lip crayons are in a semi-matt finishing which are great as a lip color on its own, lip base to enhance lip color adherence, used as a lip liner, or used to alter the colors of of lipsticks providing gradients and ombre effects.

#302 is nude pink that contains silver pearls.
#303 a rose pink, also containing silver pearls- but a close-to-natural lip color.
#702 a beige tone with a tinge of coral, completely matt.

That pretty much sums up my Anna Sui madness for now. :)

Cheers!

Stay sane, keep calm and rock on!

#cheokletquoted #2 No choice is also a choice.

 

One of the greatest thing about being human is we have freewill. We decide to love, laugh, cry, hurt or hate. Circumstances may be bleak but u can choose to make the most out of it.

The phrase "Oh well.. There's no choice.." is not something uncommon. 

I sometimes catch myself saying that and start feeling lousy about a situation.

The thing is, the more you think "there's just no choice" the more you feel compelled to believe that there is no hope in whatever crisis you are facing and have to suck it up and accept the thrash thrown at you whether you like it or not.

That itself leaves you feeling defeated, lousy, helpless - whatever negative cognition you may come up with.

Yet, there is a twist to this entire cycle. 

What if you stopped thinking "there's no choice" and instead think the opposite that "there's a choice"?

The situation may remain, but the action you take when you decide to see the opposite will change from an act of defeat to an act of victory.

So whenever you think "there's no choice", think again. You may actually have one.  Or more than one.

DIY Hair Dye for CNY! (Liese Hair Dye Review)

I like going to salons to get my hair dyed, where all you do is sit there and relax. But there are just some days where I feel like DIY. Save some money and spend it on makeup!

So today, my review will be DIY hair dye - also very timely for CNY.

You see, I was walking around in Watsons (once again!) and thought this liese hair dye thingy looks pretty easy to manage. You don't even need to comb your hair through with the dye (as regular dyes, I always felt that combing step causes me a lot of hair loss, and with my recent hair loss encounter, no thanks!), all you need was to massage the product into her hair as you would while shampooing. Sounds easy enough. So that was it! Decided!

I choose the raspberry brown color cos I wanted something that's not too copper nor too light.

Simple instructions.

My hair has been dyed before to a light-brown tone, so I reckon the results to be either the 2nd or 3rd row. So long as you hair has not been dyed black before, this sorta DIY does work pretty well to change the tone of your hair.

Now, this is what I call hair tone uneveness.

Each time I return to the salon to dye the crown of my head, the color just doesn't match up well to the rest of the dyed color and after sometime when new hair grows out, there will be 2-3 uneven tones worn on my hair!

While the product comes with alot of relevant stuff to ensure your hair dye DIY is successful (inc hair conditioner to help repair your hair) 2 other essentials will be:

1. A shower cap- to wear while you wait for the dye to fully penetrate your hair and

2. Vaseline- where you will most definitely want to avoid having ANY dye accidentally dye parts of your face or neck etc. So you want to apply a thin layer of vaseline near the hair line (on your face please, not the hair, cos then the hair cant get dyed!), around your ears, and the back of your neck.

Also, do wear an old t-shirt that you can throw away after the dye cos that will stop you from worrying with the dye touched your shirt (which will certainly be the case especially when you have long hair!)

Start mixing up

Gently tilt bottle upside down and repeat 

(NO vigorous shaking, please. You don't want a mini explosion at home!)

Since the solution comes out in foam form, the mess was really minimised.

Application started from the top of my head, where I coat the foam in a shampoo motion. Brushing the fingers through the hair, right above my forehead, then outwards, with the right hand moving to the right & left hand moving to the left until I reach behind the ears covering the top half of the head by now.

Then from the bottom, back of the head, brushing through from left to right. 1 key point to minimise mess is to keep on working the hair as if you are going to tie it in a pony tail or a bun.

Easy & neat!

Cover with shower cap and go do other things for 30 mins. Then, rinse out, shampoo and condition.

Even after brushing my fingers through the dry hair to coat them all, the hair fall out was minimal!

This is the comparison. 

(After photo was taken 1 day after the day I dyed)

The color was significantly even and hair was darker than my previous tone which was the result I wanted.

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT LIESE HAIR DYE

Thumbs up! for this product. It was fuss-free, gentle on the scalp (I didn't feel any sort of stinging sensation), easy to administer from preparation to application, the solution comes out in foam form with makes it easy to handle, easy to wash out, no entangling of the hair, minimal hair fall out rate and even-colored results.

Definitely a good choice for hair dye DIY!

That said. have a good time experimenting and happy CNY!

Cheers!

#cheokletquoted #1 Sometimes the only person stopping you, is you.

 

So go on, crawl, walk, run, jump, leap... you are one step closer to your dream the moment you start.

Sometimes we desire to do something and get trapped thinking what and how we should get started to do it. 

Can I do it? Should I do it? How should I do it?

The more we think, the more we just ... think... and all we do is think.

We stop ourselves from doing what we desire to do without even knowing it.

All we need is to just start by taking that first step. Whether we crawl or walk or run or jump - that first step will lead us to the next step which will lead us to the following step.

So get going and you will soon get there.