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A place for me to share all my make-up ramblings...enjoy!

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My name is Sophia!

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FAQ & DISCLAIMER

About Me

My name is Sophia, and I am in my early 30s. I am from Singapore and I am the sole writer of this blog.

About this Blog

I started this blog in 2006, I like to use a wide range of brands though I seem to have a growing preference for higher-end brands in recent years. I also like to share interesting things I have come across about makeup and beauty.

Currently The Makeup Blogette receives 39,000 unique views monthly or 2,238,932 views and counting.

My Makeup Style

I like classic looks (neutral tones on eyes, anything goes for lips & cheeks), though occasionally I try out dramatic/ statement looks.  I believe that a flawless base is the key to achieving great makeup looks.  I also believe that if you don't have great skin to start with, fake it with a good foundation routine, and even greater skincare.  I am currently loving Clarins & Lancome skincare products, and Vichy NormaDerm for tackling with breakouts.

What Cameras do I use?

Most of the pictures you see in post 2010 entries are taken with my Canon G-11.  Previously I was using Canon Ixus 80.  I do post some pictures which are taken with my iphone4 which I will state in that particular entry.  I have stopped watermarking my pictures as of 2011, because I think watermarks are ugly in general, and does not prevent people from stealing my pictures if they wish to.  I just take it as a compliment that my pictures are even worth stealing in the first place. I might look into getting a Canon EOS next year, not just for blogging purposes, but I also like photography in general.

My Favourite Makeup Brand(s)

It is hard to name just one, but I like NARS, Chanel, Illamasqua and the ocasional Guerlain, Dior & Urban Decay item.  I own quite a stash of MAC items, but recently I have stopped catching up with their collections, and I much prefer to splurge on a few really outstanding items.

Where to find me

Twitter (link button above!)  Email (stated above!)  Instagram (makeup_blogette)

I have no official Facebook fan page, and currently have no intention to start one at all.  The Makeup Blogette remains my personal hobby and property, so as such, I don't believe in having a Facebook fanpage for it.

Final Disclaimer

I bought/ paid for all of the products mentioned in this blog. I am not affliated to any company. If certain products are sent to me for review purposes, I will say so and express my honest opinions about them. In any case, I will only review and showcase the products which I have personally tried and tested, and enjoy using. I do not get paid to review anything.

No ads, no paid links etc please.  I am in charge of all content and pictures here.

I am not a makeup artist, nor do I have any professional training in makeup.

 

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    November 13, 2011

    Nails Story: My First Gelish Plus Manicure Flea on 19 Nov!

    Hi everyone!!  This is a rather exciting entry... all about nails, nails and nails!

    Before I go on about the party, just would like to share with everyone that Kim and myself will be doing manicures at the Scape flea this coming Saturday 19 Nov from 2pm onwards...both Kim and I will be doing basic manicures, while Kim would also be doing Gelish manicures.  Jerlaine and Jennifer would also have a stall next to us, selling clothes from $5 onwards.

    Click HERE for Kim's entry about the event.

    Here is a quick poster I have done to share the details:

    Yesterday we had a Gelish Manicure party at Kim's house, and all of us (Jennifer, Amy, Kas, Jerlaine and myself) all got treated to some Gelish manicures done by Kim and it was also a little surprise birthday party for Amy whose birthday was on the 11/11/11. We spent almost the whole day at Kim's house, got our nails all done, and had one of the most fun afternoon, choosing colors, designs, and just lots of makeup, nail, and random all kinds of topic chat.

    Just want to share some pictures of what happened during our Gelish Manicure party yesterday:

    (all pictures taken with my iphone4 because I didn't have my camera with me)

    Kim has her place all set up for doing home manicures (you can visit her blog and FB page to book your appointments if you wish)

    and we took turns to have our Gelish base colors painted and treated...and just lounged around.  Kim was really hard at work!

    Note: Gelish manicure refers to the brand name of the gel nail polish--- you apply it like a regular nail polish, except that it had to be cured using the UV lamp...and it is chip-proof for about 2 weeks.  It is not as damaging as doing gel extensions and there is minimal filing away of your own nails when you need to soak off the gel polish.  Kind of like the CND Shellac nails.

    After a few hours....we are lmost done!

    And meanwhile, we had the surprise birthday for Amy....

    All our pretty nails!

    I have my fave combination of colors and designs... dots...nude, and skulls, with a french tip.

     

     

    Hope to see you at the flea on the 19 Nov from 2pm onwards!

     

     


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    August 27, 2011

    Le Metier de Beaute Rock 'n' Romance Nail Lacquer Set

    I bought this set of Le Metier de Beaute Rock n Romance Nail Lacquer Set during the Nordstroms' recent anniversary sale.  It contains 4 bottles of full sized LMDB nail polishes [4ml, USD$10 each, but this special set costs USD25].

    Cafe Makeup has an entry dedicated to this set of nail polish, if you want to see more swatches.

    Overall, I love the shimmer and metallic shine of the colors.  All contain multi-color shimmers even the pale beige shade 'True Romance'.

    Chrome Passion is like OPI My Private Jet on crack and Heat of the Night is 95% opaque in one coat.

    Lots of pictues below - I also bought a couple of other things duirng the Nords anniversary sale.. shall share them when I have time to!

     

    Lots of pictures and swatches below:


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    March 26, 2011

    Nails Story: OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Collection [Swatches]

    No, I did not buy the whole collection!  This is the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean collection.

    I wanted one, just for the NAME alone, but I ended up with FOUR bottles... well, simply because the 3 colours look good together, it's like they belong in a set, and I can't buy one and leave the rest behind, all sad.  I must admit that I wasn't paying attention to this collection, perhaps I have vaguely heard it being mentioned, and I looked up the colors, and was quite pleasantly surprised to see that this collection consists of such pale creamy colours.  Who would have known a collection in collaboration with Pirates would yield these sweet shades, I would think Pirates = dark stormy type colors, like deep green, black, etc...

    And these are what I got:

    And the other colors:

    No prizes for why I got this simply because of the name:

    And swatches:

    and why they look good together??

     

    And all the colors with Silver Shatter

    I think Silver Shatter is much better than Black Shatter.  It is more 'wearable' because I won't get sick of looking at it for more than 5 minutes.  But Silver Shatter looks better on a dark base for maximum impact.

    And so we have Silver Shatter with Chanel's Blue Satin:

    [Edited]  WHERE TO BUY

    Far East Plaza, Palz #04-124  call for prices and reservation tel: 90999651

    blogshop http://timtam00.blogspot.com/  *cheaper

     

    That's all, and I hope this entry has been helpful!

    thanks for looking!

     

     

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    November 28, 2010

    Nails Story: All Rescue Beauty Lounge Swatches

     

    Hi hi, just an entry of all the RBL nail polishes that I have, which is all seven of them, 4 I got from Priscilla's spree during the 50% sale, and another 3 when Joey made her order.   These nail polishes retail for USD18 each, and you can buy them online here at the RBL website.

    As I was arranging the nail polish, I realise all these colors aren't what the conventional pretty colors (think reds, pinks, purples) but rather a range of rather 'unique' shades.  And I find that I tend to reach for these funky colors more often.  You would be surprised at how versatile they are in terms of going together with your outfits.

    As for the texture and consistency, all these nail colors are very 'pigmented' a thick coat, or two even coats would give you true payoff.   In all the following swatch pictures, you see 2 coats of nail polish, semi wet, without any topcoat.

    If you would like to see more RBL swatches, click here, for Scrangie's RBL coverage.

    GRUNGE

    creamy, nude color.

    STORMY

    Dark grey, they have a lighter grey called Concrete (which is probably similar to Illamasqua's DWS)

    I like that this is a cool-toned grey, and yes, I have way too many greys in my stash.

    360

    Grey-blue.   It is amazing how a touch of grey to any color instantly adds to its chic factor.

    Cases in point:

    grey+beige (so trendy a new word - griege - is coined),

    grey+purple ala OPI's Parlez Vous OPI? ,

    grey+brown+purple ala SOPI Metro Chic

    There is slight shimmer in the bottle, but not that obvious when applied on your nails.  This type of formula reminds me of Chanel's nail polishes, whereby there is a subtle shimmer in the bottle which is not very visible on the nails.

    No more War.

    As I have mentioned in my haul entry, this is camou+army+olive/ khaki.

    It is not one of those colors that immediately appeal to you, but it grows on you.  Definitely a conversation starter, but not something so weird or striking.

    Under the Stars

    Dark navy blue, with blue glittery shimmer, this looks amazing in the bottle!

    But when applied on the nail, it looks almost black, and the shimmer bits look a little gritty.  I have applied this once, with a topcoat, which smoothens out the grittiness.  The shimmer is also less obvious and amazing when applied onto the nails.

    Sorry, I guess the sunlight is not beaming bright enough to show off the shimmer!

    Lastly, the two glitter colors.

    Frugalista & Locavore

    Impressive, because the glitter bits are very dense.   In the new few pictures, you can see varying degrees of blur- ness and how it glitters and sparkles.

    Well, I hope this has been helpful... in case you are interested in purchasing some RBL polishes for yourself!

    (USD$200 gives you free international shipping, that's about 12 bottles)

    Thanks for looking!

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    September 25, 2010

    Nails Story: Mini Haul & Comparisons! (Orly's Space Cadet, Essie's Sew Psyched, Color Club's Soft as Cashmere)

    This is usually the aftermath of a mini photo-shoot... I like to take pictures by the window, when there is natural daylight coming in.. wanted to take pics of Space Cadet outside the house, but there was a random guy sitting out there, so I decided against it...darn!  Hahaha... I just find that I don't have to worry so much about colors showing up true if I just take them in bright sunlight...oh well, we just make do for now!  :)

    Most these (except for Space Cadet) are from Gwen's latest TD spree.. and this time, I didn't make any epic lists (kinda over that for now) because I guess I have really realised that I tend to go for certain types of colors, and after a certain point (oh well, who am I kidding, like sprees and sprees later) I can always find similar shades or almost exact dupes in my current stash.  There are colors which I bought, but I know I would never use, there are colors which I never go for (usually those blah blah halfway between reds/ pinks/ mauves, worse if they are frosty ones).

    The most repeated type of colors in my stash are the minty/ pale teal/ tiffany & co shades, the taupe/ grey/ greige shades, nude shades, greys, greens, and all sorts of blacks, and another bunch of milky pinks and lilacs.  And with my drawers all bursting, enough is enough... for now, for now, ok!  I am not about to go on a 100% ban, cos that would be silly, you will just want to buy MORE ... kinda like going on diet, you can't go all starving.... just got to cut down and be more choosy, that's all.

    I bought nail supplies, the essentials necessary for quick changing of colors, and I always run out of my topcoats and base coats, and it is really a lot cheaper to get these during the spree.  So here we have the re-fill sizes of the Seche Vite topcoats and thinners.  A tip, if you find your Seche Vite too sticky and gunky, and you are more than halfway through the bottle, and using the thinner doesn't help much, it might be better to pour the re-fill into an empty nail polish bottle...  that way you are starting out brand new, instead of mixing the new topcoat with the gunky funky mess in the old bottle. I got the thinner more for thinning out old colors than for the topcoat.

    Next, we have Orly's Space Cadet, it was OOS on TD, and I was like, oh well, whatever, never mind.. til Kas was telling me how Nail Vibe has stock of it, and ok, yup, so I got it.  It is a much hyped about color, or colors, because as you can see in the bottle, there is a myriad of crazy colors and chunky metallic sheen glittery bits going on inside.

    It is sooooo sheer, I have to layer and layer the color in order for the colors to show up true to the bottle.  One tip, wait for each layer to dry, then apply the next, this way you achieve the opaqcity faster, and also avoid all the streakiness and the glitters moving about.

    You can also apply a color underneath before apply 2 or 3 coats of Space Cadet for the  maximum pow wow complexity to show through.

    Next, we have a Color Club color... soft as cashmere. There are good Color Clubs and bad ones.  This falls into the bad Color Club... so sheer, you need 3 or 4 coats for true color payoff.  Others in my stash includes Edie, Age of Aquarius, Oh Naturale etc... Good Color Clubs are the holographic sheen ones, like Revolution.  It is also a very warm grey shade (almost olive/ khaki), as you can see in the comparison swatches below.

    Ok, I have enough greys!!

    Next, is Essie's Sew Psyched... While soft as cashmere is a bad color club, Sew Psyched is a good essie!  There are bad essies too, like the colors from the 2010 Resort collection, you know those that are thin, and streaky and required 4 or 5 coats to get it right.  But Sew Psyched is creamy, opaque, and true to color in 2 even coats or even 1 thick coat.  I first saw it in Lorraine's daily video, and decided I must have this color!!!

    I put Sew Psyched next to Chanel's Khaki Vert, ok, maybe they are a little similar, but not dupes.  Sew Psyched had more grey, while Khaki Vert has more green and olive tinge.  Are they soooo different that you need both, of course not, but I like colors like these, so I don't mind.

    That's all, and if you have any questions or more suggestions for comparisons, do leave comments below!

    Thanks for looking!

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    September 03, 2010

    Nails Story: Color Combinations to Make the Most Out of Your Stash

    Hey hey!!

    Decided to do an entry about nail color combinations in the midst of all the hauling and review type entries.

    I have a tiny confession to make, my 4 MUJI drawers are bursting with way too many nail polish (and I am an avid collector and a heavy user, so I am happy to hoard 'em all), and each time I think of my next nail color, I always lean towards recent acquisitions, and/or something which I have forgotten lately in my stash. There are colors which I have purchased from a few sprees back which I haven't even used.

    We have all done the 'Lorraine' aka doing a lone glitter nail among the usual color, but recently I have decided "why stop at one lone nail", and painted 2 colors at the same time, whenever I switch nail colors (every 2 or 3 days I change color -- I wish I can make a video about this though, cos it never fails to amaze people how fast I change colors, they either think I am very free have nothing to do but change my nails colors everyday --- but seriously, I take barely 5 min to change colors and paint topcoat, then go to zzzz and next morning everything is all dried and shiny!)

    But I digress.  I decided to do a double color manicure, by picking colors which I think would nicely compliment or contrast with one another.  I am showing some examples of recent combinations, and I hope maybe you find this helpful.  :)

     

     

     

    Nothing says OTT like neon pink and holographic silver, but this is one of my faves combo.  Two nails choked full of the holographic mess, and the rest of the nails are clean creamy neon color.  If there is anyway to rock neons and glitters, this would be it.

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    August 31, 2010

    Nails Story: Mini Haul from Rescue Beauty Lounge

    Hi hi,

    I finally got to try nail polish from Rescue Beauty Lounge.  This is one brand which I have heard about ever since I started checking out nail polish blogs, and it is often, usually raved about as having one of the best formula.  And color range too, if I may add---not extensive but enough of interesting colors which suck me in.  Their 'trademark' color is Grunge, which is also one of the very very first 'perfect shade of nude' nail polish which I have 'heard' people (aka other nail polish junkies) rave about.

    Rescue Beauty Lounge (or RBL) nail polishes certainly aren't cheap.  They cost US$18 a pop, and if you place orders of abouve US$200, you enjoy free international shipping.  So when Joey tweeted about it, I quickly hop on the little spree, and chose 3 colors which I always will try when it comes to new brands.

    Here they are:

    Lacavore is hardcore glitter!! Amazing cos I didn't need to apply a base color for the glitter to be pow-wow intense.  I showed one coat, and  then three even coats.

    Next, 360 --- a muted blue grey.

    This is Grunge.. which is RBL's popular  trademark color.  At least that's what I think.  Hehehe..

    That's all... I have a couple more stuff to show, but in another time, ok!  :p

    Thanks for looking! :)

     

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    August 14, 2010

    Nails Story: Haul from Transdesign Spree (CND, China Glaze, Color Club)

    Obviously, I don't need any more nail polish.  But I want more, which explains this rather huge haul... at last count, I have slightly over 200 bottles in my 4 drawers, and after I store these away, I really doubt I have space for any more.  But it's a transdesign spree (which we ordered with Gwen), and in a spree, you don't just order 2 or 3 bottles, ok?  Hehe.. but that just me, I guess.  Also, I want to try out other  brands, which explains for the CND colors you see in this entry. There is also a lone bottle of MAC, but that's another story for another time.

    And I swear some of us here have way  more nail polish and a greater variety of colors which I have seen at nail salons (usually they just have the safe colors like the OPI reds and nudes)!  Yay!  That prolly explains why I have not had a proper mani and pedi in ages... and I prolly should book appointments real soon.

    And shock horror news: these 17 bottles of nail polish, are cheaper than the 4 bottles of Illamasqua ones which I got hold of a couple of weeks back.

    And perhaps not so shocking, when Amy, Kas and I were playing around with these colors yesterday, we were able to just eyeball the colors and call out names of other colors which we already own as comparisons and dupes.  I quickly threw together a bunch of similar colors, but I am not going to 'dupe' them in detail in this massive picture heavy entry.  There are several more colors which I left out even as I am typing these words.

    Halfway through the spree, the China Glaze vintage vixen collection was released and available on the site.  I wasn't intending to get any, but after seeing the colors (and MORE SO the names) I caved and got a  bunch.  These are colors which  my sister would go ga-ga over... so she would find these very useful for her indeed.

    Let's start with the CND colours.  In the  midst of swatching these colors, I am really impressed by the brush, it is super smooth, and of a good size (which to me, is a rather big one, not skinny ones like the Sephora by OPI types).  The colors are also super glosssssssy!

    Desert Suede reminds me of OPI's Tickle my France-y which I also have.

    And Electric Purple doesn't quite look so electric, huh?

    Edit:  Eclectic Purple!!!!  Geesh,what's wrong with my eyes!   This color reminds me of OPI's Funkey Donkey.

    Scarlet Letter - Love the name!  And a very nice flattering true red on me.

    Tropic Coral reminds me of Chanel's Orange Fizz. The picture doesn't quite capture the salmony pink-orange shade.  It is also a very flattering color for me. And I think this color stuck in my mind eversince I saw it in Pixiwoo (Sam)'s tutorial from sometime back.

    Guava immediately reminds me of a few other colors, which I think you can guess too!  Argh.  But this is a lot prettier on my hands... and easier to apply too.

    Cases in point:

    Essie's Haute as Hello, and Van D'Go Not exactly dupes, but you don't need all if you have any one of these.

    Next, we have the China Glaze colors.  Something about black and gold will always have a place in my MU subconsciousness.  I am always drawn to black liners with gold bits, eyeshadows, etc etc you name it.  And when it comes to nail polish, I think Wagon Trail is the perfect example!  I am pretty sure Scrangie raved about this color.  This is from the fall 2008 collection (called Rodeo Diva collection).

    And the rest of the China Glaze colors are from the fall 2010 Vintage Vixen collection.  It is a  very 1920s inspired collection, with rich frosty metallic shades, and I like how they name the colors. Very Jazz Age --- think F. Scott Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby - love that novel!

    Emerald Fitzgerald

    And the inevitable comparison to OPI's Cuckoo for this Color.  I must say, they are almost perfect dupes.  But China Glaze wins hands down, because the texture and pigmentation is a lot better.

    Ingrid. Taupe with gold shimmer.  Sold!!

    And finally, we have the Color Club colors.  I got mainly the colors from the Andy Warhol collection (again, the names sucked me in).   In my last transdesign haul, I got mainly the holographic colors, and here, they are mainly some pop candy cream shades. Lotsa dupes and similar shades which I already own.  Also some of the shades apply very sheer! Something which I did not expect.

    image credit

    I have different colors on my nails here!  The first and second are four leaf clover, and the other two I have on Edie.

    Very very similar, but Edie is softer and brighter, and just a tiny bit lighter.

    Neon Light Pink!

    This color is showing a lot pinker on camera.  In real life it is neon magenta.  Loves!

    And last but not least, Velvet Rope, and just like velvet, it has very subtle shimmer/ sheen.

    That's all, for this epic entry.

    It was cool meeting up the other girls yesterday too!!

    If you have any requests for comparisons and dupes, do leave them in the comments below.

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    July 26, 2010

    Haul! I am in love with Illamasqua Nail Polish! (Swatches & Dupes)

    Yes, the Illamasqua nail polish are pricey, but trust me, worth every penny!  I only got them in today, and just by swatching them, the formula of these nail polish is the bomb.  Seriously.  Really.  Amazing.

    I got them from my colleague (whose daughter was in London recently), and in the colours Jo'mina, DWS, milf, and Muse.

    Love the packaging and the whole look of the bottle.  The Illamasqua emblem on the top of the cap, kind of gothic, and so sleek at the same time.

    I have to apologise for the poor lighting in this pictures, in the evening light, and it was growing progressively darker as I swatch each color but I am trying to show the colors as true as they appear without using any flash.

    Muse

    Dark Turquoise colour.  No known dupes in my collection yet.

    DWS

    Light Grey.  Very neutral, no hints of blue, or yellow.  Yes, yellow.. I think..  later you shall see, in my dupe pictures.  It has been commonly compared to MAC's On the Prowl which I also own.  In fact, I think I tend to collect these grey colors.  :p

    Milf (What a cheeeeky name!  Never fail to remind me of American Pie)

    I want to say this is a creamy light green.  It has no hint of yellow, nor blue.  It is also not minty.

    Jo'mina

    This color, as you  know, is really hard to capture, like most purples. It is not a straight out purple, because of the tinge of fuschia/ magenta in the color, and looks a little neon in real life.   Again, no known dupes for this in my stash.

    And now, for the comparisons.  None of the the dupes I am going to show are exact matches.  But I must say, comparing across the brands here (we have MAC, China Glaze, YSL, Essie, OPI) , the Illamasqua formula and payoff beat the rest all hands down - pun intended!

    On the Prowl is a warmer tone light grey, and DWS is really a clean milky light grey, a lot more pigmented and no streaking at all.

    The other two greys are a lot darker than DWS.  Definitely not dupes.

    Next, we have the light mint, teal, jade sort of colors.  I like how milf is not minty, nor limey.  It is just a very simple light green color, that reminds me of MAC In the Buff -- not that they are the same in terms of color, but it is that type of very nondescript blah color that is outstanding -- yea, I know it sounds weird, but true!

    milf is the closest match to peppermint patti, but in terms of formula, again, I must rave about how lovely it applies.  peppermint patti is streaky and takes an experienced hand to apply nicely.

    All the illamasqua nail polish dry to a mega glossy finish even without any topcoat.  They are also true to the color in the bottle. Overall, I am super impressed with these nail polish, and I am glad I got her to buy all 4 colors on my list.

    That's all, and thanks for looking!

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    June 25, 2010

    Nails Story: Color Club Front Row Diva & High Society Swatches & Comparisons

    Front Row Diva is a nude-mauvey color with subtle shimmer. The formula is very nice and creamy, you only need 2 coats for opaque non streaky color.

    I am comparing it to other similar shades in my stash, but they are not dupes after I tried out the colors.  Front Row Diva is a lot lighter and more pigmented, creamier, almost.

    I thought that High Society would be one of the many greige colors which I already have (YDKJ, Metro Chic, etc etc) but it is lighter, and more along the lines of Essie's Chinchilly, except that High Society has more brown, Chinchilly is more grey.

    That's all, nothing much here, but hopefully it is useful for those who like these paley light colors that fall in between greys, browns, nudes and taupes.

    Thanks for looking!