New Product Launch: Makeup Brush Rolls

My Etsy shop is finally stocking a new product, the adorable makeup brush rolls!

Each individual item is handmade - designed, cut, stitched - by myself.

The rolls feature a cute bulldog print in 3 colours. Each roll comes with 10 brush slots and can fit 2 large brushes and 8 standard brushes. The inner lining is also waterproof, simply wipe with a damp cloth and it's clean!

Be it at home or on-the-go, these brush rolls tie up neatly and compactly to fit anywhere.

Head on to Etsy and look for my shop MrMagg or click on this link to find out more!

xoxo,
PockMarkFats

My New Etsy Shop Mr.Magg

Hi everyone,

I've recently started my own little shop on Etsy.com where I sell my handmade items. This short post is a little shameless promotion to create awareness of my new products and also to form the new creative corner of this blog.

The shop name Mr.Magg is inspired by the behaviour of magpies which, like most girls, like shiny nice things. From bags to clutches to accessories, I strive to create quirky and fashionable products out of beautiful and inspired fabrics, leathers and any other material that catches my fancy.

My first product is the Elephant Bag Charm in Leather, available in several colours:

To purchase or view more images, please visit my shop on Etsy.com by clicking on this link.

As this little project of mine is still new, I will be adding new items in the shop gradually as I make them so excuse the limited number of products for now.

I ship worldwide from Sydney, so please support Mr.Magg!

♥ PockMarkFats

Review: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Hi guys,

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year break! I know I sure did, even though my wisdom tooth was acting up and I missed out on some delicious food because of it... ...

Today I am reviewing a product that has been in my makeup drawer for years. It's one of those products that I use every. single. day. A cult favourite with makeup junkies around the world, this baby has 5,949 reviews on Makeupalley with an impressive 4.3/5 rating. Yup, it is none other than the Urban Decay Primer Potion!

I have the primer in Original, which is a thick beige-coloured cream. The product applies matte and has a teensy bit of coverage which evens out minor discolorations on my eyelids. The colour matches my NC35 skin very closely. I'm not sure if this would be too light for darker skins but based on the reviews from Makeupalley, this does not seem to be a problem.

For those interested, here are the ingredients:

There are several things I love about this primer:

- It keeps my eyelids matte and completely oil-free

- Does not crease 

- Eyeshadow colours are vibrant and true to their colour when applied

- Eyeshadow stays put. Seriously, it is not going anywhere, even after a sweaty night out.

- All effects mentioned above last the entire day, from when I put it on until I remove it.

- The 11ml tube lasts a looooong time. I think I had my first one for several years.

Some cons:

- I just replenished this primer, and the new tube forms tiny clumps when applied to my lids. Even though they do disappear as you rub it in, it's annoying. My previous tube didn't have this problem, I wonder if I got a bad batch?

- It doesn't exactly feel weightless as described on the box. I don't feel it much on my skin, but there is some stiffness where it's applied.

- Sometimes the product seems to have separated when I squeeze it out from the tube

Despite minor problems, the Urban Decay Primer Potion does exactly what I want it to. I have extremely oily lids and with this product, I don't have to worry about my eye makeup at all throughout the day.

The Primer Potion set me back by $39. I got it from an asian cosmetics shop on Bourke Street in Melbourne, but I believe it can be purchased online.

What do you think? How was your experience with this product?

xoxo,

Pockmarkfats

Review: Skin Inc Ceramide Serum

The drier climate in Sydney has been wreaking havoc on my skin over the past week. Due to the over-use of acids/retinols previously, my skin is now sensitive and reacts very quickly to external aggressors. The weather was drying it out, causing greater oil production and resulting in pesky pimples and tiny oil bumps (don’t you just hate those??).

One brand that prides itself on hydrating the skin is Singapore’s Skin Inc. I decided to give their ceramide serum a try to soothe, protect and hydrate my poor skin.

The product is packaged in a transparent glass dropper bottle and you can see the little blue beads containing the active ingredients suspended in a clear serum. Even though the bottle is made of glass, it is actually quite sturdy as I’ve already dropped in once and it didn’t break J I like the packaging and think it is rather classy. This 20ml bottle retails at S$136.

The ceramide serum is light, scentless and absorbs very quickly into the skin. There is no remaining stickiness after.

As you can see, Skin Inc ceramide serum is supposed to resolve roughness, sensitivity and dryness.

My results:

I must say, after only 2 times of using this twice a day, my skin has already stopped breaking out and no new zits have appeared since! :D The skin-healing ceramides in the serum must have indeed calmed my complexion.

What I really love about this product is that it is completely oil and paraben free, making it suitable for oily-skinned gals like myself as it will not clog pores.  

In terms of hydrating properties, I do not think this will make much of a difference to really dry skin. It should provide some level of hydration as my skin does seem to be producing less oil, however it is not sufficient to replace your moisturizer unless you have really oily skin that hates almost all moisturizers out there (that’s me!).

Skin Inc ceramide serum has definitely worked its way into becoming one of my staple products!

Love,

PockMarkFats

Product Review: DrGL Skin Repair

So I have recently relocated to Sydney, Australia from sunny Singapore. Yep, I've left my job, uprooted my life and came here for a fresh start (mainly for a special someone). Now temporarily unemployed, I finally have time to sit down and write my next review. Apologies for the long break guys!

Because of the move I had to stock up on staple skin care items to remain pimple-free in the new country. One treasured item of mine that I now cannot do without is the product I am reviewing today.

Introducing... ... the DrGL Skin Repair!

The brand name stands for Dr. Georgia Lee, a renowned aesthetic doctor in Singapore. I've been to her clinic for treatments before, but that's for another post. ;) DrGL is a skin care line Dr. Lee created and consists of products for acne, aging and sensitive skin issues.

DrGL counters at Robinsons Orchard and CK Tangs. Images taken from DrGL's Facebook page.

DrGL Skin Repair is a watery serum that is meant to speed up repair of the skin (duh!). It has a rather funky smell, probably due to the active plant stem cell extracts. The product description states that these extracts stimulate human stem cell growth to protect and repair aging cells and also replace damaged cells with new ones. It is supposed to reverse the aging process, heal and hydrate the skin.

This serum comes in a sturdy dropper bottle. I just love the green packaging, such a soothing colour!

This serum is very effective; its healing abilities are superb. Results are visible within a day! I use it for:

- speeding up the healing of pimples (if you use this on a pimple, it doesn't leave a mark!)
- healing insect bites, rash, etc.
- after a facial peel or scrub to soothe the skin and aid recovery
- on red areas after squeezing blackheads (I know I know, I shouldn't!)

As for its moisturizing abilities, I find it too rich to be used as a moisturizer daily (which is probably a good thing looking at the price). To prolong the serum I use it only on areas that need attention and once in awhile, as a treat on my entire face.

DrGL Skin Repair has definitely become one of my staple products. One big downside though is its price of $98 for only 10ml of serum! It is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. I've since resorted to stocking up during sales on www.luxola.com. Also, the serum should be kept in the fridge once opened which can be a hassle unless you live in a cosy place like mine :)

Good news for those outside Singapore, both the DrGL website and Luxola ship overseas so it isn't too hard to get your hands on this.

I hope this is helpful for those wanting to give this product a try, as I do not think DrGL has samples for this :(

Signing off,
PockMarkFats

Review: Lush Aqua Marina Fresh Cleanser

Today I will be reviewing a product that has been sitting on my vanity top for a really long time, the Lush Aqua Marina Fresh Cleanser.

When I was searching for more natural skin care alternatives, I decided to give Lush a try. However I realised that the brand doesn't actually promote itself as a natural skin care line, rather they see themselves as a company that is against animal testing. If you look closely at the ingredients of some of their products, you will see chemicals in there. What I like about the brand though is that all their product ingredients are listed clearly on the website.

On to the product itself...

This cleanser comes in a pale pink paste-like texture with a thin green film (it looks like seaweed???) around it. It smells quite strongly of calamine which I actually find quite soothing.

To use, mix a small amount with a little bit of water and massage the product on a dry face. When you're done, rinse off everything with more water.

What did I think of it?

I personally find the product a hassle to use and it does not seem very hygienic to have to keep dipping my fingers in the tub each time. I could have overlooked this if it worked wonders, but unfortunately I really dislike this cleanser. It does not seem to rinse off completely with water and leaves a film on my skin. After a couple of uses, it definitely contributed to clogged pores. My poor oily skin was not properly cleansed with this. Perhaps it would be more suitable for dry-skinned folks.

I hate wasting product, but I will probably throw this one away. Sorry Lush!

Oh yes, the ingredients for your viewing pleasure:

Till next time,
PockMarkFats

Update On My Skin... And The Skin Supplement That Works Wonders!

Happy Saturday everybody!!!

I just wanted to do an update on how my skin is doing. Since using the acne skin care line from mySKINBAR (read about my experience and regime here!), my skin has never been better. I don't have to put on foundation anymore and friends and family have noticed the improvement in my skin.

I can't rave enough about the products! When I see a stranger on the street with bad skin, I'm always tempted to share about the brand but I hold back because 1. They will think I'm crazy ("Why is this random stranger talking to me??? About skin care?????") 2. No one likes to be told their skin is bad 3. They probably feel self-conscious enough without me pointing it out and 4. They may not listen anyway.

OK so here is a picture of me WITHOUT foundation. All I have on is some sunblock, blush and eyeliner:

Yes, this is meeee! Please ignore the messy room.

This is my skin!!! Sometimes even I can't believe it. Compared to how my skin was previously (you can see the 'before' shots in the link above), I find it pretty damn amazing. Yup, even the acne pigmentation has mostly cleared up.

(I've cut down on products used since my skin is better now. I no longer use the DRX toner, mySKINBAR lotion or Dalacin T because my skin is clear.)

Because my acne was also partly due to hormones and would get worse during that time of the month, I also had to deal with the problem internally. One day whilst browsing at Guardian in Takashimaya, I started speaking to the Avene sales lady. She said she was usually stationed at one of the hospital pharmacies but had to fill in for someone that day. I asked her about my skin and she showed me a supplement that she found helped some patients at the clinic. I don't know your name, but lady, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Skin Pearls can be purchased at Guardian or Watsons and costs around $80 for 2 bottles. Each bottle lasts 1 month.

Skin Pearls has starflower and evening primrose oils which are really good for the skin! I've heard that the latter is also good at regulating menstrual cycles. I used to take evening primrose by another brand but it didn't do much for my skin. This one works for me though!

I have gone through around 4 - 6 bottles of this supplement which works out to be 4 - 6 months of taking it. I used to get those pesky large, painful zits before my period but they gradually stopped appearing after a couple of months on these pills. After that I only got small bumps but as I continued with the supplement, it has now reached the stage where I hardly have any sort of breakout at all.

So happyyyyyyy!!!!

Anyway, I strongly recommend giving these products a go if you're still suffering from acne! NOW YOU CAN BEAT IT!

Love,
PockMarkFats


Update 13 Dec 2014: 
        So I've had some trouble getting the Skin Pearl supplements from Guardian/Watsons recently. I found out the distributor may be discontinuing it. Watsons at Bedok Mall has packaged 1 bottle of Skin Pearls with Banana Republic whitening serum. This works out to be more expensive as the price is now $89.90 and I only get 1 month's supply of supplement. For those of you still interested, I have seen the original 2-bottle pack at Guardian City Link. 
        On a brighter note, the Holland & Barrett Evening Primrose Oil & Starflower Oil has replaced my Skin Pearls supplement. This was the closest and most convenient substitute I've found. Good news is, Holland & Barrett should be accessible for most of you no matter which country. This seems to control my breakouts just as well, and a plus point I've discovered is that it does not give me headaches and dull my brain like the Skin Pearls did. I did not realise these side effects till I stopped the Skin Pearls and started feeling much better. Unfortunately I can't recall the price paid for these supplements but Holland & Barrett frequently has 2-for-1 deals :)