Singapore Toys, Games & Comics Convention (STGCC) Day 1

Backdated post but whatever... I attended the Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Conventions last week so here's a quick recap on Day1.

I cosplayed Awashima Seri from the hit series, K. Been wanting to do her for awhile now, so I finally jumped on it when Esther asked me to join her team.

Unflattering photo but whatever, it's the only full one I have of me thus far as the photographers are still processing their batch of photos from the event.

 

The day was bittersweet as a lot of things happened. First, I actually had a meltdown in the first half of the event as I had built up quite a lot of stress from work and my wig was giving me a lot of issues, it just refused to cooperate with me and I as getting more and more frustrated, so eventually the two resulted in me literally crying and venting out all my pent up feelings. Was really grateful that the bf was there that day, he comforted me through the whole ordeal.

 

After recovering from the meltdown, I reapplied my makeup and decided to just carry on, despite being half tempted to just pack my bags and go. However, I didn't wanna leave Esther behind as she was my partner that day. Luckily, I didn't leave as I wound up meeting a lot of my old cosplay friends that day, but I didn't camwhore with them, so all the camwhore pics are their own.

 

With the amazing Jo, looking fabulous as always

 

Met Thai cosplayer Narutan again! Love love love her Nightwing cosplay!!

I also met this pretty convincing Tiger cosplayer from Japan called Zaki, her partner, Minami was cosplaying from Jojo's Bizarre Adventrue but I Forgot to take a pic :(

Took this picture of the amazing Cvy!! Always in awe at her excellent cosplays and she's so cute and friendly! Check out the horse head, the details are just amazing!

 

Of course, when one meets Selicia, one must always do something funny to her.

She cosplayed the main character from the series, Devil Survivor. I tied her bunny "ears" to a ribbon on her hoodie.



She didn't realise till much later what I had done LOL, this was after I told her 



She was wearing a bowler hat towards the end of the day, so Esther and I took the opportunity to tie her "ears and forced her to wear the hood over her hat hahaha

 

I didn't wander around as much as I wanted to, partly because I was wearing freaking 13.5cm high platform heels and also because I wasn't quite in the mood to do so and the bf's knee was hurting abit so I didn't want him to fight with the growing crowd. But he did go to the event rather early to help me get some Vampybitme merchandise and this:

 

Her autographed poster to me!

 

I got the polaroid later when I found her at her booth and after I took a polaroid with her, I gave her one and asked for another. She was super sweet about it and the best part was, after I signed asked her to autograph the polaroid, she kindly asked me to sign the one I gave her too! She's really such a down-to-earth person and incredibly friendly.

 

By the end of the day, I managed to recover my mood so I felt better for day 2, which I'll write about soon!

Skincare Review: My Melody Oil Free Moisturizing 3D Fitting Mask

*Sponsored Post

Secretive Pte Ltd was kind enough to sponsor some facial masks for me once again and I'm pretty glad too! their masks are always lovely and fit so well on my face.

The mask that they chose to send this time made me squeal in excitement because of how cute it was. I mean just look at it:

Ultra cute My Melody packaging!

The mask this time is an Oil Free 3D Fitting mask, its main objective is to deeply hydrate your skin while reducing the amount of oil produced. Perfect for me and my ever so oily skin!

The key ingredients in the mask are France Bretagne's Gulf Stream sea water, Antarticine, Marine Collagen, Bulgarian Rose Nectar and Hyaluronic Acid. All the ingredients also help to whiten one's skin though I'm actually already happy with my skin tone haha.

 Blogger being a bitch again and refusing to turn my picture. But that's not the point, the main thing is notice the My Melody character showing you how to apply the face mask. I mean how much cuter can it get? 

After ripping open the pack, I gently pulled out the mask but whilst fumbling around with it, I accidentally tore the fragile mask. It wasn't a deep tear so it didn't affect the integrity of the mask, but it did show just how soft the material of the mask was. 

The mask on my face. Super unglam shot of me but who cares?

The part that surprised me the most were the eye flaps, it's the first I've ever seen on any mask I've ever used before. Useful, since most maks do not work on the eye area and it's bit troublesome to apply an eye cream/serum after you're so relaxed from enjoying the mask. It also had a chin flap that fitted nicely around my chin area. It's nice to know that such areas of the face have also been factored into the design of the mask.

However, I chose to not use the eye flaps since I was watching an episode of Psycho Pass (HOMG!! Everyone should watch this anime! It's too awesome for words), so perhaps that's why my eyes felt abit tight and dry throughout the next day. My skin felt alittle tight too, it wasn't uncomfortable but it was noticeable though it got better once I applied my day moisturizer.

The ultimate test if the mask worked was at the end of the day after a day out in full makeup. I noticed that my makeup hadn't slid off as much as usual which probably meant that the amount of oil produced was definitely reduced. I did get abit shiny but that's pretty normal.

Overall, the mask is great and definitely my favourite product sent thus far. I'll definitely purchase it on my own next time.

Sponsored Review: Nail Decor

Been super busy with work as its been a real learning curve from knowing the products to how the office is run and stuff. It's a good thing that being a small company, there isn't much politics or a strong heirachy system since everyone's work differs from each other slightly so at least that's one less worry.

Today's review, kindly sponsored by KKCenterhk is about nail products that change your simple nail polish to something fancy and totally different from simply having plain, blah nails.  

No idea why blogger is being a bitch and refusing to let me turn the picture, but these were the items I chose for the review. Lovely nail stickers and ribbon decorations

I used a Dollywink nail polish (review coming soon!) for the bluish-green base and then carefully applied the nail stickers over it before sealing with a top coat. The ribbon was stuck on with nail glue

 Here's how my right hand design looked like, just some minor changes but the overall look is the same

The completed result! LOL only whilst taking this picture did I realise that the ribbons on my nails coincidentally line up when my hands are stacked this way

Picture of the completed result! From a different point of view 

My initial inspiration for the design of the nails was the manga/anime Paradise Kiss, and more specifically the dress the protagonist wore during the showcase of the team's final work.

You can clearly see why I chose the stickers with the butterfly and cloud motifs as well as the beaded butterfly decoration

What surprised me was how the eventual result actually looked pretty Oriental in design, kind of like a chinese porcelain vase motif or something. Oh crap I'm digressing again anyway here's the review:

Ease of use: 9/10 (just peel the sticker off the board and stick, I use a nail clipper to cut away the excess and I was done)

Effect: 9.5/10 (I loved the look of the stickers though it was pretty obvious that it wasn't painted on when viewed up close but there's only so many people who would scrutinise your nails from a super close range right?)

Lasting Power: 8/10 (being a rather rough person, I'm surprised it lasted a total of 4 days before I noticed the edges starting to peel off. A little tip is to seal the nail's edge with your top coat to try and make it last a day or 2 longer. The ribbons dropped off after 2 days but it wasn't surprising since the ribbon is fairly large and got in the way some times.)

Overall: 7/10 (really recommended for a special look like for an event or something but not regular use since it does take alittle more work on top of painting your nail polish.)

If you wanna purchase these lovely nail stickers or beaded ribbons or even other things (KkcenterHK has a wide variety of wigs, eyelashes & eyeshadows too!) do take a look at their online shop. Just remember this unique coupon code: somethingborrowedornew in order to get 10% off!

I'll be really really busy next week as I've got 3 different activities lined up. This of course means plenty of new material for you guys to read so till next time!

Sponsored Review: SexyLook Rejuvenating Duo Lifting Facial Mask

I've been down with a bad stomach flu for the past week or so and today is the only day where my illness seems to be getting better. I've lost about 2-3kg in water weight alone from all the vomiting and stuff as well as the lack of appetite, so I'm feeling pretty weak and lousy.

However, life goes on and I finally got round to reviewing this super late review of this fabulous mask I received. 

Introducing the SexyLook Rejuvenating Duo Lifting Facial Mask

Back of the packet. Ingredients include Bird's Nest and Gold Caviar to delay the aging process of your skin and repair damaged skin cells.

Inside the packet is an ultra thin facial sheet soaked in facial essence 

First apply the mask onto your face. Here's a very unglam pic of it slapped onto mine.

Make sure to use the innovative 3D ear hook design to securely hook the mask onto your face!

There's also a chin/neck patch underneath that you also need to secure with the ear hook!

First thing about this mask that I noticed was how tightly stretched it was!! The moment I hooked the masks onto my ears, I could feel it literally stretching my facial muscles back. It wasn't painful just alittle uncomfortable but still bearable throughout the 20 minutes that I left it onto my face.

The moment I removed the mask, I could feel my face was tighter and areas like my jawline was definitely sharper and more contoured. I figured it was simply a mixture of the tightness of the mask and the serum in it and the effects would be gone the moment the serum had all been absorbed. 

However, the very next day, the tightness was still evident in my face! I could see the difference all day long! My pores were also tightened and my face had a soft dewy glow all day, I was in love with everything this mask had done for my skin.

 My plan for this mask is to probabaly use it before my cosplay events or photoshoots, since most anime girls have defined chin and facial contours. However, it is good for anyone who just wants a more defined facial line anytime. This mask definitely has my stamp of approval!

To get this mask head to their website to order or you can check out their Facebook page too at Secretive FB, SexyLook FB & LoveMore FB

Sponsored Review: LOVEMORE Pearl Barley & Milk Smoothing Face Mask

*Sponsored Review

I haven't been using face masks for the longest time as some masks can be rather thick and cumbersome to use, some even threaten to fall off your face if you aren't lying completely flat! Personally, I like to watch an episode of anime on my laptop as the mask does its work, so I need a mask that feels like it isn't there and fits my face well.

So when Secretive.sg offered me a set of masks which claimed to "fit like a glove for your skin to drink up all the essence!" I wanted to put that claim to the test.

After some discussion, this box arrived at my door step a week later

Excitedly, I ripped the package open and what greeted me, was this cheerful pink box with snowflake prints dotting it.  

Secretive.sg had generously given me so many masks!!! I was spoilt for choice! Review of the Sexy Look Rejuvenating Duo Lifting Mask will be up soon! Amongst the many choices, I chose to review the mask that targetted my main concern, oily skin!

For my combination-oily skin, the Pearl Barley & Milk Smoothing Mask was the solution!

A look at the description and ingredients list, but for those who are lazy to click, here's the breakdown:

Main ingredients: Barley Extract, Milk, Silk protein and horse chestnut extract.

Barley is a great remedy for the skin and in chinese medicinal belief, it helps to "cool down" the body which is really important considering the scorching weather we've been having lately. Barley contains a great deal of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins B1 & B2 and amino acids.  

Ripped the pack open, the fine silk mask was sandwiched between 2 layers of plastic to retain its shape and prevent the delicate mask from tearing

 Instructions are, after pulling the delicate mask out, you peel off the hard white plastic and apply the mask, cloth side on to your face and arrange it carefully to ensure everything is in place

When you're sure everything is in place, carefully peel off the thinner blue plastic and you're left with the ultra thin and fine silk mask on your face. It fitted every nook and cranny of my face, ensuring the nutrient rich mask was letting my face absorb its goodness.

I left the mask on for the length of one anime episode (about 25 minutes long) and despite the package saying to only put the mask on for 15-20 minutes, my face still felt deeply moisturised and there was alot of the precious essence left on the mask and in the pack for me to pat onto my neck. I was also sitting straight up the entire time and not once did I have to adjust the mask to prevent it from slipping off, I actually forgot I had it on! The mask really fitted my face like a glove, it was comfortable and felt so soft!

The real test was checking out the results for the entire day. I didn't apply anything on my face for the entire day as I ran around doing errands, but I did notice that my pores seemed to have shrunk, my face still felt plump and hydrated even in the midday sun, my face also seemed to be less puffy then before as my jaw line seemed more defined that day. However, most importantly, the oil on my face was significantly cut down! I didn't get the horrible oily sheen that usually occurs by mid day and it continued well into the evening. My skin definitely felt great and the mask lived up to its promise of making my skin "glow in radiance and feels firmer and smoother" as well as giving me its promise of having "baby soft skin".

I will definitely reccomend this mask to anyone who has to deal with oily skin, it hydrates your skin while dealing with the oil issue incredibly well!

To get your hands on this fabulous mask, head to their website www.secretive.sg!

Do take a look at their facebook page too Secretive FB Sexylook FB LoveMore FB

Lens Review: Kimchi Bambi Green Lens

I had received my beautiful Kimchi Bambi Green lensesfrom Lens Village awhile back but had been far too busy to get down to reviewing it. I picked this lens for its vibrant green colour as I needed green lenses for cosplay but wanted something not too crazy obvious for regular wear as well. This pair of lenses fit the bill!

 My lovely lenses snuggly packed in layers of bubble wrap inside this useful box from Lens Village

 I like it when the brand clearly displays itself on the lens packaging, some brands have other names printed on the label which makes me incredibly suspicious of its source

 Lens Village  also kindly gave a matching pair of green froggy lens cases to store my lenses. I remember my friends poking fun at my animal lens cases when I brought them to the chalet last Cosfest

 The lovely lenses, as you can see there's a yellow/gold inner rim followed by the green colour and finally a black outer rim with pointy designs

 The obligatory one lens in, one lens out picture. You can clearly see how much of an enlargement the 16mm lens produces

 Both lenses in with minimal sunlight and no flash, the green is rather dark in colour but still visible

 No sunlight and with strong camera flash, the green is very obvious and the gold/yellow inner rim fades out gently to the green colour and not in a weird blocky way

 I took this picture out in strong natural sunlight but in the shade. You can still see the green and gold of the lens quite clearly

On the bus in strong natural sunlight, the shade makes the green less visible but its still obvious enough.

I'm used to wearing fairly large lenses by now, so putting in these 16mm lenses weren't much of a challenge for me, though if this is your first circle lens, it maybe abit of a challenge putting it in considering their size and they're just a shade thicker then other lenses such as say, the Nudy series. 

I've worn these lenses out all day and so far, I've yet to find any discomfort with them, they're fabulously comfortable and the colours do not block my line of sight so I do forget that I am wearing them at times. The look it produces is quite doll-like so its perfect for dressing up though the enlargement and thick black outer rim does make rather obvious, so naturally I recommend wearing these lenses with fake lashes to balance the whole look.  

Overall:

Comfort: 4.9/5 (nothing's perfect but this comes close)

Design: 4.5/5 (No way is it natural looking but it produces the doll-like look, & it's a dead ringer for Tsubasa's Bambi lenses)

Enlargement: 4.9/5 (it's huge, but still comfortably so)

On the whole: 4.5/5 

I truly love these lenses as firstly, they look incredibly similar to Tsubasa's Bambi lenses, secondly they are actually larger then Tsubasa's lenses by 1mm hence the increased enlargement resulting in an even dollier look, thirdly the colours are also more obvious and vibrant then Tsubasa's Bambi lenses. This is basically Tsubasa's lenses on crack haha!

Personally, I love that the lenses are obvious enough for cosplay purposes but the design makes it quite good for regular wear as compared to some of the other cosplay lenses I have that make me look like a dead fish without the proper makeup. Just remember that they are anything but natural looking though their comfort and design totally make up for it! 

P.S. Lens Village also has a facebook page, so you can follow them for updates & stuff. Check them out here !

Advertorial: L'oreal Paris Youth Code Pre-Essence

I had a fabulous time at Cosfest last weekend, however, I'm still trying to sift out the pictures that were taken there as well as arranging new shoots and new cosplay plans with my friends. So in the meantime, I'll do this little review:

Today's review is the L'oreal Paris Youth Code Pre-Essence

Nuffnang was kind enough to send me some little samples of this amazing product

So I got these cute little 5ml tubes of the product. I was abit apprehensive at how long these little tubes would last but it really surprised me, I've used them every night for bout 2-3 weeks nows and I've yet to even finish one tube!

A single drop is all that is required for an entire face (okay bad picture, the pre-essence is so liquidy that it started to run once I applied it to the back of my hand)

The Pre-Essence claims this:

In 1 drop: More Radiant

In 1 week: More Refined

In 1 month: Rejuvenated Skin

It's also supposed to be the result of Pro-Gen Technology which helps to recover genes by working on a cellular level. But enough of all these bombastic sounding science-y stuff, what truly matters is whether it actually works right?

In my experience, this little tube of Pre-Essence has become a real holy grail item in my skincare regime. My old skincare regime consisting of solely my Sana moisturizer on my face was starting to lose its effectiveness and my old problem of having massive breakouts on my face during my PMS period had returned.

However, upon using this product, my skin instantly started to clear up! Even the clogged pores that had refused to surface slowly went away and now I have smooth, clear and radiant skin once again. It also passed my PMS breakout test this month so I can safely say it's pretty effective.

The product is a mostly clear liquid that isn't thick and it gets absorbed into the skin almost instantaneously. All I have to do is rub it between my palms and tap it onto my face and it'll be absorbed immediately. The smell is also a pleasant slightly floral scent but it is barely noticeable so I doubt people who are sensitive to smells will be affected by it.

At only $29.90 a bottle, its getting a permanent spot in my skincare regime. It's an amazing product and with only a single drop needed during each application, I'm sure a full-sized bottle of the product will last a few months which is total value for money! I've also read a few reviews comparing this product to Lancome's Genefique Youth Activating Concentrate, so of course price-wise this L'oreal's Pre-Essence definitely wins hands down.

In summary:

Texture: Slightly viscous but mostly runny

Absorption: Near instantaneous absorption

Effectiveness: Highly effective in making my existing products work harder (I have less blemishes but use less moisturizer at the same time)

Price: 4.5/5 ($29.90 at Watsons and Guardian outlets, not bad for a product that only requires a single drop per application)

Use: apply the Pre-Essence after cleansing your face and applying toner but before your serum and moisturizer (I don't use toner, so I just apply it straight before my serum and moisturizer)

All in all, it's a major find and is now a holy grail item for me.

*Samples provided by Nuffnang, however, the review was 100% my personal opinion*

The Spa-Lon Spa Buffet *Advertorial*

* Advertorial* Brought to you by Cozycot & The Spa-Lon (Local readers only)

Moi was lucky enough to receive this blogger invite by Cozycot to attend a spa event on Saturday. So I excitedly dragged my fellow (beauty) blogger friend, Patricia (http://sweetestsins.blogspot.com/) along to the event to check it out. I was really intrigued with the name of the spa treatment (ATP 38) as most spa treatments tend to be named after some organic, floral thing to give you the impression that its relaxing and natural and all that, but when I noticed it was simply named ATP 38, that really caught my attentuon.

Here's the invite!

We were briefed on the amazing technology wonder that is the ATP 38. Its basically a machine that emits pulsing LED light rays to penetrate deep into the inner most layers of your skin to stimulate your cells. This would encourage healing, regeneration, pain relief, anti-inflammation and tons of other positive stuff. Best part is, it can actually be applied to any area of concern, not just the face but even body and hair too!

With an overwhelming number of people who turned up for the event, not everyone was able to try out the treatment. So after the first volunteer was randomly selected, I was quick to voice out my willingness to be the next volunteer to try out the treatment and was ushered to the changing room to change into the spa's fluffy robe, shorts and slippers. Loved the dressing room, it was large with multiple cubicles and a long makeup table and comfy chairs to sit on.

Unglam picture of me after changing into the spa's robes, with unstyled hair, minimal makeup and a dorky smile. I doubt photoshop would be able to salvage it, so I'm not even gonna try.

The first volunteer (I found out her name was Pris later on), trying out micro-dermabrasion and then doing the LED treatment on her face. I didn't manage to talk to her so I can't verify just how well the treatment went for her.

When it was close to my turn to try out the ATP 38 treatment, I asked the staff of Spa-Lon if instead of doing the same facial treatment for me, they would actually try out their LED treatment on my eczema wounds instead. I figured that if it worked pretty well for acne and stuff, it could potentially help me with my eczema problem. I know I probably threw a wrecking ball at their carefully-laid plans, but they amazingly accepted my random request!

Another unglam shot of me, with the LED lights focusing on my legs. I'm sure there's plenty of mug shots of me being posted around the internet as other bloggers were taking pictures of me doing the treatment.

Shining the LED lights on my legs to help with my eczema.

Treatment process

I honestly was so comfortable during the entire duration of the treatment that I was seriously tempted to just snooze right there and then. Of course the thought of me potentially snoring and drooling at how relaxed I was during the process and potentially embarassing myself in front of a multitude of bloggers kept me awake, but I seriously had to fight the urge to just doze off and sleep because I just felt so warm and comfy throughout the treatment.

Results of the treatment

To be honest, I didn't feel any different before or after the treatment, just terribly sleepy because I was so relaxed. But amazingly, that very evening I noticed that the skin on my legs had a healthy glow to it, something that I haven't seen since my eczema started appearing. My eczema patch has also started to scab over and its become less itchy and swollen. Which is amazing since it was just one session and trust me, I've tried everything possible to help my eczema and nothing has ever worked this fast or effectively before. So imagine if it works this well for my eczema problem, what could it possibly do for your skin?

I'll definitely consider approaching them for potential treatment for my eczema if my skin condition worsens and they have a branch conveniently located pretty near my home. If anyone is interested, this is the outlet I went to:

The Spa-Lon

302 Tiong Bahru Road

#05-08/09

Contact Number: 6276-6313

Do check out their website for more details at: http://www.thespa-lon.com/