Hey there loves! It's been awhile since you have heard from me. I had an awesome week in Japan and I can't wait to share more about it with you guys! In the meantime, here's a quick review on my ultimate brush cleaning hack I have discovered awhile back. 

I have always been cleaning my brushes by swishing them on the palms of my hand. Being a professional makeup artist, I have like 10000 brushes and by the end of it, my palms will always be red and sore from all the washing. Also, it is pretty difficult to have your brushes squeaky clean especially when there are build-up of products on them (I'm talking to you gel liners & liquid foundation!) Recently, I snagged up this cleaning brush mat from Sigma Beauty and it completely changed my brush cleaning game.

First off, this mat is HUGE!! I was shocked by how big it was but well, no complaints cuz' the bigger the better right? ;) The mat comes with suction cups on the back which will help secure its placement. Since my sink is rounded, it doesn't really fit but rest assure it does not affect the process of cleaning your brushes. The brush mat is Latex-free, BPA-free, Lead-free. It is also made up of a non-toxic material which is awesome. You definitely do not want anything harmful to have direct contact with your skin. 

The mat is mainly split into two sections with the right for the face and the left for the eyes. I really love how each section is labelled clearly (Wash/Refine/Rinse).

The first step to washing your brushes with the mat is to squeeze some soap on the area labelled "WASH FACE". Next, gently swirl your brushes along the area with the soap and you can watch how fast the gunk dissolves. After soaping your brushes, move on to the "Refine" area to get rid of all the tough stains. Lastly, wash your brushes at the "Rinse" area to get rid of all the remaining soap residue. Easy right? It literally saves me half the time and effort when it comes to washing my brushes nowadays. 

The eye side works exactly the same as well except that the textures of the different areas are catered towards eye brushes. For the "Refine Eyes" area, it has a circular type texture which is perfect for your fluffy blending brush as it gets deep into all those brush hairs and get rids of the make up within. 

After a deep cleansing bath for the brushes, I dry them on this device I got online which works perfectly. The brushes are positioned vertically instead of flat laying them thus the water will drip downwards instead of seeping through the ferule and softening the glue.

Overall, I really do enjoy this brush mat and I highly recommend this to anyone that has problems with washing their brushes. Sigma Beauty has a whole range of different brush mats so you can definitely find one that suit your needs. I got the extra huge one because I have way too many brushes! My brush mat costs USD32 which is a little pricey but I got it off their 30% sale. Trust me, this is totally worth your money and you can thank me later on. :P 

Thank you for reading and have a lovely day! 

xx
Winter

Annyeonghaseyo!!! How is everyone doing? I have been extremely busy lately (as usual), I wish I can forgo sleep! Hope everyone is doing well~ If you are wondering why I greeted you in korean, that is because today is a very special day for Althea. IT IS THEIR BIRTHDAY! *WOOOHOOOO* 

I am so excited to celebrate Althea's first birthday! It is such a milestone for them. In case you do not know who Althea is (you should!!), Althea is the ultimate K-beauty shopping land where you can get all your favourite beauty products shipped directly from Korea to your doorstep! Yes, DIRECTLY from Korea! All proven, my package had the original address from Korea which is super cool. Shipping takes within 10-15 days and their prices are extremely competitive as well. You can save on your air tickets and spend them on more K-beauty magic! Everything on their website is 100% authentic and there is even a 30 days unconditional return, talk about credibility! 

Anyway, Althea has generously sent me some products in lieu of their birthday celebration. If you are interested to see what I got, watch my YouTube video below! ;) Althea also has an awesome giveaway with the total worth of KRW 10,000,000 installed for you so read on further to see how you can win yourself some cool prizes and k-beauty goodies!

How do you guys like my video? It is a new editing technique that I am trying and I had so much fun editing! Don't forget to subscribe so that you can receive future video updates from me! :*

In case you missed out on the video, pictured above is my massive k-beauty haul! Some products I have tried before and others I am excited to put to good use as well. The 24k gold wrapping mask is the most intriguing! Do let me know if you wish for me to review any products and I would gladly do so. 

From 20th-31st July, Althea will celebrate their 1st birthday and all orders will be packed in the super adorable limited edition pink birthday box + DIY party kit! I have the darker pink box and I will probably place another order to get the baby pink one because it is simply to pretty to be missed! While stocks last so fastest fingers first! ;) 

Now the fun part begins! It is giveaway time!

Once you have received your DIY party kit, wish Althea Happy Birthday with #AltheaTurns1 and stand a chance to win awesome prizes such as Macbook Air, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6s, Galaxy S6 Edge, Canon EOS M10 Selfie Camera, Althea credits and beauty hampers from Althea themselves! The total worth of all the prizes is KRW 10,000,000!!! Holy!! I hope my entry counts too because I really want the selfie camera. LOL. The contest starts from 20th July - 15th August 2016. All details can be found on Althea's Facebook Page.

Simply key in the code "ALTHEATURNS1" and the first 1500 shoppers will receive a specially curated goodie bag filled with full sized beauty products! Yippee!! 

Add 3 of their Top Sellers for a 100% REBATE that will be credited to your account! Score!! I definitely want to try some of their top sellers like the It's Skin Power 10 & Missha Night Repair Ampoule.

What are you waiting for? Head over to Althea to get your K-beauty fix! I am already adding products to my shopping bag while doing up this blog post. Sorry for cheating but I just can't help myself. Hehe, desperately have an addiction to beauty products and I have no intentions for rehab. ;)

​Also, remember to wish them a Happy Birthday because this is probably the most generous birthday celebration both you & I have ever taken part in!

Thank you Althea Team! I had lots of fun doing up the video and this blog post! Hope you guys enjoyed reading! Have a lovely day! 

xx
​Winter

Good morning! It is a little too early to write a foundation review but ya know, your girl has to get you covered and help you bring your A game. Today, we are reviewing the Rimmel Match Perfection. I got this foundation when I was travelling in Australia and have been testing it out for a couple of weeks. Before we start, here's a little overview of my skin and shade to help you understand this foundation better. 

My Skin Type: Oily
My MAC Shade: NC20-NC25
​Rimmel Match Perfection Shade: 100 Ivory

Packaged in a sleek glass bottle with a cap, it comes with 30ml of product and has SPF20 in it. The glass bottle gives it a little weight thus making the product feel more "expensive" in a sense. I travelled with this foundation and there has been no breakage/leakage for me. This foundation claims to have a 24HR moisture complex that leaves skin feeling hydrated. I would say that it does hydrate my skin as my skin feels less oilier than before but it definitely does not pack on moisture to the skin if that is what you are looking for. 

It comes with a plastic pump dispenser which I love as it is much more sanitary. There are 12 shades in total but majority have pink undertones which might be a bummer for some people. The darker shade range is quite minimal as well. It would be great if the shade range could be expanded to cater to more people. 

The consistency of the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation is on the thick liquid side but fret not, it applies velvety smooth and blends really well into the skin. It does not feel heavy or cake-y for its coverage and the wear-time is about 8-10 hours. One pump was enough to cover my entire face.

The finish feels like a satin finish which is in between dewy & matte. It makes the skin feel healthy and the finish lasts the entire wear-time for me. Being extremely oily especially living in a humid country, this foundation held up pretty well and only shown signs of breaking down near the crease of my nose after about 8 hours of wear. 

Overall, I really do enjoy this foundation and would probably repurchase this foundation again as it is one of the few foundations that held up really long on my face. I also love how it does not feel heavy on the skin unlike other medium to full coverage foundations. If you have dry skin, I would recommend diluting the product with a drop of facial oil to create a nicer glowy & moisturised finish for your skin.

​Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation Rating: 8/10

Where to buy: 
Boots
​Rimmel
​Local Drugstore that retails Rimmel

Price: Around 18AUD/ 8 Pounds

Hope this review helped! Do let me know if you have any questions regarding this foundation. Have a lovely week! 

xx
​Winter

Hey loves! Hope you guys are doing well! ​

Recently, CLASSIC by Taiwah kindly extended an invitation out for me to test out their hair services. If you guys know me irl, you would know that I am a bleach & hair dye addict. I dye my hair almost every 2 months and I love playing with colours. I would probably go up on the hit TV series "My Strange Addiction" because bleaching my hair gives me so much joy. LOL I promise I am not a weirdo.

Looking back, I have gone through a fair share of hair processing and probably tried every colour in the spectrum of a rainbow... yes and that includes yellow. I know, what was I thinking right?!

CLASSIC (@classicbytaiwah) offers the ultimate one-stop beauty experience catering from hair, face to body. Being strategically located in the heart of our CBD, you can now escape and de-stress from your daily routine and be refreshed after a pampering session. 

When you first enter the salon, you will be greeted by a welcoming reception with the retail/beauty area on the left and the hair salon on the right. The chic interior furnishings really gives the salon an edge! I absolutely adore the play of black trims against the the contrasting wood panels. 

The hairdressing area is super spacious with an 8 seater capacity and a barbering corner too. Try to spot half of me in the photo above, the giant mirrors are bomb!!! 

Was promptly seated upon arrival and had a cup of water & some magazines to pass the time. The stylist who helped me out with my hair is William (@imwilliamchoong) and he is a legit master of hair colouring. If you are into fun crazy colours like me, he's the one you should look for! He suggested ash blonde for me and I went with it.

As you can see above, my hair before is really dull and brassy with too much yellow undertones. Travelling really took a toll on my tresses. I am super thankful to be in good hands and get my hair retouched by the Classic team. 

Started off with a quick hair wash on the comfortable arm chair. Had a super soft blankie over me as well but since the weather in SG is so terribly hot, by the second wash I just left it aside. Who else can't deal with the weather lately? 

I had about an inch of black roots so they had to bleach my roots first before proceeding to the body of the hair. Let me just say that this is honestly the most comfortable bleaching process I have ever went through. If you are familiar with bleach, you will know the itch and in some worst cases, pain involved when it comes to bleaching your roots. I once had a super piercing headache after bleaching my hair 6 times in a row. That's why a good salon is extremely important when it comes to colour processing. 

William was extremely careful and patient while he was applying the bleach. The bleach did not touch my scalp at all therefore I felt zero itch or pain at all. The whole bleaching process felt like nothing and it was definitely a first for me. 

Washed off the bleach after 20 minutes and bam, I have YELLOW hair. Literally looked like Goku from Dragon Ball and I can't believe I actually walked on the streets with this hair colour before. Well, we all make funny decisions when we were younger. #NORAGRATS

After drying my hair, William and another stylist applied the ash coloured dye to my hair. The two of them were so funny, it really made time pass faster. The entire process to get my hair from brassy yellow to gorgeous ash blonde took only 3.5 hours which is super short considering all the bleach work, washing and blow drying that has to be done. 

The immediate end result? Gorgeous shiny ash blonde locks that I am absolutely in love with! William used the Olaplex hair treatment which is probably one of the best treatments out in the market. I have always been an avid fan of the Mucota hair treatment (still am) but I think I am loving Olaplex a little more! My hair instantly feels nourished, hydrated and shiny after the Olaplex treatment. The best thing about the Olaplex treatment is that its effect lasts even after many washes. Say goodbye to tangles while washing your hair! ​

The hair colour was slightly darker than expected at first but after a couple of washes, it faded out into the perfect ash blonde. I received tons of compliments for this hair colour & I couldn't be happier with it! 

​So that concludes my ash blonde hair colour journey & I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. I had a lot of fun chatting with the CLASSIC team and I felt really welcomed throughout the entire experience. They have a beauty/facial department as well and the ladies there were extremely nice and friendly. Thank you CLASSIC by Taiwah, William & Elgena for having me over and giving my hair such a fab makeover! 

Lastly, here's some goodies for you darlings for making it to the end of the post! Quote my name <winterchee> for 30% off all chemical hair services. If you are a beauty gal, you can opt for their Hydrating Relax Facial Treatment at $38 (worth $150). 

Thank you for reading and have a great weekend! 

xx
​Winter

Hey there, welcome back! Today is my 1 week mark from testing out Klarity's two newest products and I am so excited to share my thoughts with you guys. 

A little backstory, skincare is something that I am very particular about. Being a chronic acne sufferer, I have always been extremely cautious on what I put on my face. I literally spend thousands just to get my skin to how it is right now. I know, I post many selfies and my skin looks amazing but that's all because of make up & computerised skin blurring. I had severe acne for almost 10 years and I have finally come to a stage whereby my skin is at its best, with about 3-4 zits during the special time of the month. Trust me, I have resorted to tons of means just to rid myself of acne and that includes eating Accutane. However, that is a separate story which I might blog about once I have overcome my own mental fear. Acne really scarred me both physically and mentally so it is really difficult for me to talk about it. I hope you guys understand where I am coming from and lets get in depth with the review! ;) 

I first spotted Klarity stocked at our local Sasa and Sephora.sg but I did not have the chance to try out their products. I was pleasantly surprised when I came back from my US trip to their care package and of course, I couldn't help but play with them immediately. A little fun-fact, Klarity is actually the first halal-certified skincare brand in Singapore! Cool isn't it? Also, you know you are in safe hands because Klarity is formulated locally (Singapore) and produced in the beauty candy-land Korea with top-notch technology from France. The lovely Klarity team sent me their newest product range, the OxyMud Cacao Mask & Diamond Glow Firming Masque and I think my skin is in love! The best thing about it? Both products are paraben-free! That means lesser harmful products on your precious skin~ Yay! 

Let me get this off my chest, the OxyMud Cacao Duo Cleanse and Renewal Mask is super awesome! With 11-in-1 benefits, it is specially formulated to deep cleanse while providing nutrient hydration. As you can see, it comes in a pudding-like texture but when applied to the skin, it magically turns into oxygen foam!! It foams a little on my skin but I have seen photos of people with their face filled with foam! WHAT SORCERY IS THIS? I honestly have no idea how this is even possible. 

What I really like about this OxyMud Cacao Mask is how it manages to "push" out all the dirty blackheads from my nose. I am pretty sure tons of you guys use the pore strips whereby you rip out those pesky blackheads from your nose (which we all know doesn't really work). Well, the day after my first use, I noticed a giant blackhead on my nose that was ready to be squeezed out and bear in mind that happened in the afternoon while I was at work. So immediately after reaching home, I took off all my make up and did my own extraction process. It sounds crazy but this is probably my easiest blackhead removal in my entire life. All those blackheads, even the deep ones, popped out with just a tiny squeeze! I couldn't believe that this was done by the mask so I brushed it aside and pretended that my skin was just having a good day.

Fast forward a couple of days, I decided to try it again and this time, the even deeper blackheads & whiteheads on my cheeks & forehead softened and came out like a breeze. I was then convinced that this OxyMud Cacao Mask was the solution to my blackhead woes. If I could, I would have video-ed my extraction process but that is gross and I do not want to be the infamous girl that squeezed her blackheads out on camera. 

Above is a close up unedited version of my skin. Only applied concealer under my eyes and drew on my brows because I practically have zero eyebrows. You can see me with no eyebrows in my Peel-Off Make Up video. My skin is a little sensitive as I have just washed my face with a salicylic face wash and nose is slightly peeling because I have been using retinol acid at night. Aside from that, check out how clear my pores are!!!! My pores have never been so cleaned out & I've never had so much ease and satisfaction from my own extraction process. 

Of course, nothing is perfect in this world. My only issue with this mask is the scent. I seem to have a scent issue with many products, lol I promise this is unintentional. Since it is a chocolate mask, I was expecting a delicious warm yummy chocolate on my face. It does smell like cocoa but it is mixed with a very "hydrogel" like scent which I am not exactly a fan of. Imagine chocolate and water mixed into one. Nope, not a fan but I am willing to look pass that because this mask worked magic on my skin. I can't guarantee you guys that this mask will solve all your blackhead problems as it was not marketed as a blackhead removal mask but this is just my honest experience and I know I will be repurchasing this once I run out of it. I have used this about 5 times so far and it has been working wonders to my skin. Also, please do not do your own extraction unless you are skilled in it. Remember to always be sanitary and use a toner once you are done to close up your pores and prevent scars/inflammation. 

Next up, the Diamond Glow Overnight Masque! This scent I love!!!! It is slightly perfumed but in a pleasant way, something that I do not mind sleeping overnight with. The mask is slightly yellowish in colour as pictured above but it applies transparent once blended. 

After blending, it dries like a thin layer of film on the face. It does not clog up the pores but instead, lock in the great benefits of all the layered skincare beneath to provide hydration and speed up the renewal process of your skin. The best thing about it? You can feel the difference immediately after applying it! There will be a slight tightening sensation once you have applied it on your face and that is the mask working it's magic!

This mask does not sit sticky on the skin and I am absolutely in love. Being a side sleeper, it is a nightmare whenever overnight masks are sticky because your pillowcase will be dirtied and you will wake up with hair stuck all over your face. Nope, not cute! 

The Diamond Glow Overnight Masque has diamond powder as one of their main ingredients. Amazing right? I officially feel like a princess and I can tell people that I apply diamonds on my face every night. (Lol cheap thrills.) Jokes aside, the benefits of diamond powder is to smoothen and soothe the skin after every application. As a result, your skin will appear brighter and supple! See that glow on my cheeks? It's natural ok!! No make up at all! Haha, please let me revel in this because it has been ages since I have seen my skin so clear and glowy. I have a whole stash of skincare just to keep it this way. *inserts money flying emoji*

Also, I have noticed that the pitted scars on my forehead from my horrible acne when I was 16 are not as deep as before. It probably will not go back to how it was before my acne period but I do see a difference in the depth of the scars. My skin feels a lot tighter and firmer as well.