HAPPY NEW YEAR from VONVON'S INTERESTS

Here's to a wonderful New Year to all of you.

Happy New Year 2011
from Vonvon and Princess!

Photos: More Jelly Pong Pong Haul - Shadow Taffy & Some Venuses

Hello my dear readers, it's the eve of New Year's Eve today. Just some light reading for you, and I'll leave the reviews and longer, more serious posts (ehem!) for the New Year, OK? That said, I gotta admit that I have 2 interviews which I have yet to edit and I have planned to publish them before the year ends....well, well, I have a little less than 48 hours to do so..... ;) failing which they will 'greet' you for the New Year. Such a procrastinator I am! *shakes head

So, one of my New Year resolutions......is to stop procrastinating! I think I said that last year for 2010. And did I manage to do it? May be a little, procrastinating less, yet still procrastinating quite a bit. :P Also, I did say that I want to haul less for 2010, and although I have been hauling throughout the year, it has definitely been much less than the previous year. And utilizing my haul, then review them and do EOTDs, yes, I managed to do quite a lot, though not as much as I'd wanted it to be. What about losing weight? A big YES!! Though I have been overweight since Princess was born, with yo-yo style gain-loss, the last quarter of the year saw me losing a whopping 6kg!!! Yay!! Reason to pop an extra bottle of champagne for the New Year! :D

OK, enough of ramblings.....

Yet another haul post...... Well, the reason I have been hauling Jelly Pong Pong stuffs is their current promotion of buy any selected 2 items for only RM100 offer which sadly, is ending today at Isetan The Gardens. (You can still purchase their products online after this, but of course, without the super-generous offer.) I have always wanted to try their products, love their pretty, cute and girly packaging, but it wasn't available in Malaysia previously. Anyways, with the special offer, I am able to get quite a number of their stuffs with so much savings!. Speaking of shopping smart! :D

Shadow Taffy

Venuses

Photos of Venuses can be seen here


Reviews on these and EOTDs will be after New Year.......

Guest Reviews: L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Serum Inside Liquid Foundation vs. L'Oreal Paris True Match Super Blendable Foundation

The Beauty Apprentice compares 2 L'Oreal Paris foundations in this review.

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Being one who is categorised as having oily skin, I was recently requested to review two foundations from L'Oreal Paris, to determine whether they are suitable for use by those with oily skins. The first one is the L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Serum Inside Liquid Foundation SPF20/PA++ with Elastin and Pro Retinol A. This is an anti-ageing foundation from L'Oreal Paris that supposedly gives one's skin an immediate lifting effect and a visibly younger complexion whilst reducing the appearances of wrinkles and fine lines. It contains elastin which helps keep the skin smooth and firm and also Pro Retinol A, an active anti-wrinkle ingredient, which reduces the appearance of fine lines.

After using this foundation for two days, I would say that this serum foundation is definitely not suitable for those with oily skins. On application, I did notice that it did make my face more radiant and I also noticed that there was a slight sculpting and lifting effect. In fact it also did minimise some fine lines on my face. Nevertheless, all this was quickly obliterated when the foundation turned very oily all over my face, and this was after about only three hours of wear. I had to blot with tissue paper in order to keep the oiliness under control. The good thing about the foundation was that it did not oxidise or darken or change colour drastically on my face, unlike some other foundations. I also noticed that this foundation only provided light to moderate coverage. Therefore, this foundation is only suitable for those with dry skin, or those with more matured skin types who are looking for a foundation which will provide them with a sculpting and lifting effect. It is definitely not for those who have oily skin and those who are in need of more coverage. The other thing to note is that this range of foundations comes in four shades that are suitable for Asian skins. For a serum foundation, it is also very reasonably priced at RM59.90 for a 30ml bottle.

The other foundation I was asked to review is the L'Oreal Paris True Match Super Blendable Foundation SPF17/PA++ with Hyaluronic Acid. This is an improved version of the earlier foundation and it now contains Hyaluronic Acid. The new version comes with the words "+ Hyaluronic Acid" on the bottle. I notice that presently at my local Watsons there are some of the older versions of this foundation (without words "+ Hyaluronic Acid" on the bottle) on sale at a reduced price, presumably to clear the old stock.

Would this foundation be better for me than the Revitalift Serum Foundation? Well, after using it for two days, in terms of oil control, this foundation was slightly better at it, but only slightly. My face was still oily but only moderately oily all over at the end of the day when compared with the Revitalift Serum Foundation which made my face very oily all over after about only three hours. The downside to this foundation was that I noticed that it oxidised and darkened very slightly on my skin whereas the Revitalift Serum Foundation did not. When compared with the Revitalift Serum Foundation, this one is definitely more longer wearing. In terms of coverage, it was similar, it also provided light to moderate coverage. The advantage of this foundation is that you will definitely be able to find your "true match" as it comes in even more shades than the Revitalift Serum Foundation. It retails for RM52.90 for a 30ml bottle which also makes it slightly cheaper than the Revitalift Serum Foundation.

The Beauty Apprentice

EOTD/FOTD: Jelly Pong Pong Cherry Pie Eyeshadow Palette

Here's the look I did with Jelly Pong Pong Cherry Pie-scented Eyeshadow Palette.



Besides the palette itself, other products used for the look are as follow:

1 - DODO Cosmetics 2-way cake in #03
2 - My old faithful Guerlain Meteorites in Mythic
3 - Stila Kajal Eye Liner in Tigers Eye
4 - MAC Zoom Lash Zoomblack Mascara
5 - Sleek Makeup Shimmer Blush in Pomegranate
6 - Shiseido Maquillage Lipstick in PK375
7 - DODO Cosmetics lip gloss in #08






Step-by-step

1 - Define the brow with Crust Bronze (dark brown shade); apply the eyeshadow base onto the lid with finger;
2 - Apply with a brush Light Cherry Pink shade on the area below the brow as highlight and also on the inner corner of the eye;
3 - Apply Deep Berry (it's more of a bright pink actually) on the lid as shown in the photo above;
4 - Apply Cinnamon on the outer lid;


5 - Apply Crust Bronze on the crease as shown;
6 - Blend all the shades;


7 - Line the upper lash line and part of the lower lash line with Stila Kajal Eye Liner in Tigers Eye;
8 - Apply using an eyeliner brush Crust Bronze on top of the brown eyeliner to prevent it from smudging and to soften the line. Blend.

9 - Finish off with MAC Zoom Lash Zoomblack mascara to the upper and lower lash lines.



Eye Of The Day








Face Of The Day



Face: Dodo Cosmetics 2-way Cake in 03
Guerlain Meteorites as an all-over face powder

Cheeks: Sleek MakeUp Shimmer Blush in Pomegranate

Lips: Shiseido Maquillage lipstick PK375
Dodo Cosmetics lip gloss #08 on top of the lipstick












So, what do you think of this look?
I think it's great for an everyday look, perhaps even for work. For a night look, I would suggest to use Crust Bronze on the outer lid to create a smoky effect. Shall try that next. :)

Do you prefer my EOTD post to be presented in such way, with a photo of every step I did?



Have a good evening!

Review & More Photos On Jelly Pong Pong Cherry Pie-Scented Eyeshadow Palette

Well, sorry for the late update today and also this late review on Jelly Pong Pong Cherry Pie eyeshadow palette. But if you like this palette after reading my review, you could still go get it at the Jelly Pong Pong promo counter in Isetan The Gardens which is until tomorrow. :D I got mine on the very first day the counter opened. ;)
Normal price for this palette is RM80, but you can get this together with another selected item for RM100 only!

Anyways, I got myself a flu jab yesterday and have been feeling the post-vaccination effects of myalgia and sleepiness. In fact, just woke up from a nap. Hmmm....there are reasons why I am so anti-vaccine.

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OK, so let's get to the review now. Next, I will show you the step-by-step guide to the EOTD I did with the palette few days ago.


The palette comes in a a pale blue colored box with prints of cherries (yummy! One of Vonvon's favorite fruits) and slices of cherry pies on it. Inside the box, the palette which is of a light turquoise color with pink prints of the words and pictures, is enclosed in a cardboard holder to prevent the palette from moving around. Obviously, a lot of thoughts have been put into designing the packaging. ;) But this is the less bulky one compared to some other Jelly Pong Pong cosmetics.

The ingredient list

Product description

And the lid opens to reveal a 4 eyeshadows and an eyeshadow base in the middle of the palette. It's quite a big palette with an equally large mirror. It has a small eyeshadow brush and a dual-ended sponge applicator. They are so tiny that even my tiny fingers have problem handling them. So I didn't use them. May be I'll just give them to Princess for her to play with. :)

From the description on the box, the names of the shades are Crust Bronze, Deep Berry, Light Cherry Pink and Cinnamon. So I presume, Crust Bronze would be the dark brown shade on the top of the palette, working clockwise, to Deep Berry (the bright pink shade), Light Cherry Pink (the sweet pink shade) and Cinnamon (the reddish brown shade).
And the one in the middle is the eyeshadow base, with a cream texture.

The texture of the eyeshadows is soft and smooth, but slightly powdery with a minimal fall-out when applied to the lids. Their pigmentation is good but appears somewhat a little on the sheer side in the swatches. On the lids, the colors are quite bright.

From the EOTD I did in which I utilized all the shades, including the base, the colors stay on my lids for the whole night I was wearing them, and there was no creasing.

And now, it says that it's cherry pie-scented eyeshadow palette.
Well, does it smell like cherry pie??
Hmmm, when I first opened the palette, all I smelled was some waxy scent which was quite strong initially. But after swatching and playing with the shadows, I could detect a sweet pastry scent with a slight tanginess, and also a very faint waxy smell.

Overall, this palette has warm-neutral shades which can be used for daily looks, and you can play up the Crust Bronze (dark brown shade) to get a smoky look for the night.

An EOTD Marathon with this palette is in plan.......

Photos: The Journey Along The Pacific Coast Highway - Part 2

In the previous post, I showed you photos of our journey and little adventure along the Pacific Coast Highway from Northern California heading southward to Los Angeles. But we stopped for the night at a place called Ragged Point Inn, a little before Cambria town. Our initial plan was to stop at San Luis Obispo but somehow we made too many stops after we left Monterey for photos, and to take in the view of the Pacific, that it was dark before we could reach, even Cambria.
(Please Google up these towns, it's hard for me to explain their locations ;) ).

Again, I'll let the photos 'speak'.......

Room at Ragged Point Inn

Princess enjoying the yummy and juicy big white peach.
She had to use both hands to hold the peach! Haha!

The views of the Pacific Ocean

Ragged Point Inn, against the hills, on the inland

The garden around Ragged Point Inn

Princess having a fun time

Me at Ragged Point Inn, with the Pacific Ocean behind me

Princess and Mommy enjoying a quiet moment..........


And we continued on our journey back to Los Angeles..... :)

Photos: The Journey Along The Pacific Coast Highway - Part 1

Last night, I was just browsing through photos from my US trip this summer, and found some photos I took when we were driving along the Pacific Coast Highway or Highway #1 from Northern California back to Los Angeles. The Highway is along the coast, and perched on the hilly terrains, and throughout the journey, we got the view of the Pacific Ocean, and we saw the sunset too.

I'll let the photos do the 'talking'............. :) (And you can see how overweight I was back then.) :P
*Picture-heavy!

Pacific Coast Highway near Gilroy, Northern California

Along the Highway at Gilroy, there were farms and fruit stalls.
Vonvon is seen here picking out corns - 6 ears of corn for USD1!!

Fruit stall with fresh, yummy and juicy fruits

Sweet juicy cherries

Apricots, white peaches, nectarines

These are called PLUOTS! A what??
Yes, it's a hybrid between a plum and an apricot!

The white peach as big as my palm

Huge strawberry!

Stopped at Monterey for lunch........

Princess having her lunch at a restaurant in Monterey

View of the Pacific Ocean along the Pacific Coast Highway

View of inland of the hilly/sandy terrain

The Sun begins to set at the Pacific Ocean

Enjoying the sunset at the Pacific Ocean
This is the second time that I watched sunset by the ocean. The first was at Oia, Santorini, during our honeymoon. And this time, we watched as a family with Princess. :)

Princess and me at sunset by the Pacific


As the Sun set, we decided to break our journey to Los Angeles and stopped for the night at a rest area, a little resort, in the middle of nowhere (literally) by the coast. Hubby decided that driving at night on the hilly, winding roads was too risky and dangerous.

More photos in the next post.....