Review: The Body Shop Cranberry Joy Home Fragrance Oil

This fragrance oil was part of the Christmas Collection I believe, from last year, and I also believe that it's something that they kind of release every Christmas? Well, I hope so anyway.

Yes, my fingers are dry as hell.

I bought mine while I was on holiday in KK last year, it retailed at RM18.90. I don't remember how much it was in Brunei. I recently bought another bottle because I loved it very much, while in KL...but I never realized how much they marked it up until I actually saw the price on my old bottle!

It was priced at RM25!

Sure, it's limited edition but they had so many in stock!

Maybe it's because it's in West Malaysia?

Maybe the price has always been like that but wow, the difference is surprising!

If I'm not mistaken, even Brunei is still selling them at a more affordable price (I might be wrong though, I should check next time I go out), sadly they don't have Cranberry Joy in-stock anymore, sadly.

But if I'm not mistaken they still have the vanilla and the ginger one.

I should buy the ginger one as I actually liked the scent too.

Anyway, on to the review~

This fragrance oil contains 10ml of product, it's in their signature bottles with the safety cap, except much more posh, I must say. I liked how the cap has a golden-ish glittery look to it, with the wordings in gold against the dominant red. It's posh, I say.

Here's a nicer photo from the official TBS site.

It is made with the Community Fair Trade Soya Oil, in the UK.

I looked around on the sites and I don't think they're selling it anymore, so if you do come across it, lucky you!

From their site, they just say: Fresh Berry Aroma

Fresh berries?

So, uh, is it just Cranberry or is it mixed with other berries?

Either way, if your room somehow smells (they just fixed my a/c, so it smells like gas) or you just need a relaxing and yummy smell, I really recommend this.

All you need is a few drops on your oil burner and your room will be engulfed with a sweet berry scent!

It lasts a long time too!

I bought a backup because I'm a hoarder like that but believe me, the bottle I'm holding in the pic is the one from last year, and you can see that I barely made a dent in it!


Oh wait, I take that back, you can't really see.

LOL.

This is one scent I keep going back to when I need a pick-me-up, it can get too strong if you accidentally put too much but you can dilute it with water, just make sure you don't do it while the burner is hot, like what I did >_>;

It cracked.
I cried.


So yeah, if you ever come across it, or if TBS will release it again, I do recommend this product!


I hope they release it on the permanent line, if ever.


I haven't bought their other fragrance oils but I do have my eye on some of them already :)


With TBS Home Fragrance Oil, you don't need a lot of product, so it'll last you a long time.


PROS:

- Smells divine.
- 10ml of product lasts you a long time.
- It doesn't stain your fragrance burner.
- One or two drops is enough to give your room the sweet scent.
- Posh & sturdy packaging.

CONS:

- Not available all year round.
- Expensive unless you buy it in the UK or during a sale.
- A rare item to hunt down should you run out of it.
- It can be overpowering if not used carefully.


Rating: 4.5/5 (it would have gotten a full 5 but since it's not a permanent line, I had to take that into account!)

'til then, take care!

-Nisah-

P.S: I just put up a For Sale page, do check it if you're interested in buying hairchalks! 

Etude House Sweet Recipe Will Be In Brunei? YES!

Well, they said so on my post anyway!

At first I was like NO. Then OMG YESSSSSS.

Well, what does that mean?

HEAVEN.

I don't think I'll buy ALL the collection, I think I should collect all my monies for this day to come.

Provided that it's not overpriced :x

Like, seriously.

I'm eyeing the Ice Cream Nails, like HELLOOOO, that's why I wanted it in the first place.

Wanna see the pics?

Go Google it.

HAHAHA, no, no.

I'm just kidding.

I'm eyeing the Mint one the most. BUT I WANT EVERYTHING.

I just hope it's not marked up three times the price. Twice is fine.

But three times, no.

Nope.

Okay, Etude?

Great.

Take care, it's such a hot day!

-Nisah-

Can I Be A Boy?

Slightly random blogpost, honestly.

But really now, can I pass off as a boy?
A guy?

Hm.

So here was the progress~

I went out to Times Square for a lunch out~

I was wearing clothes from H&M btw.

I hate how proper I look before I actually go out ( =A= )

Then all hell breaks lose when I'm on the way home!

Disheveled hair. Bwahahaha.

Oh yeah, notice something about my eyelids?

Yeah, it lost a fold.

I have natural double eyelids but sometimes they become uneven like this.

It is SO annoying when that happens.

I think I need to cry to balance it out again.
Like, make it puffy.

Anyway, moving on~

I took my painter's hat and had fun once I removed my makeup that night.

It's like BAM.

"Do I look like a boy?"

There's a reason why I made the photo like this...

Because only half of my hair was boyish. LOL.

Yesterday, weirdly, my face became more like...chiseled?

Eh.

What am I saying.

Buahahha.

Anyway, when I saw this, I decided to order a short wig.

For a guy cosplay thing.

I doubt I'll be able to look like a guy.

You wanna know why?

Because my features are too female.

See? I told ya.

My nose is also too rounded.

I haven't tried being a guy with the proper makeup though.

Maybe I should wait for the wig to arrive first.

I think I'm loving my new style (although you can't see much) but yeah...

I should be sleeping actually.

I'm in a bad mood ):

I wish I had something to play with.

I did practice on the guitar a bit.

Anyone wanna teach me?

I'm very lazy.

Or rather, I'm too shy to learn from someone.

Can't wait for the wig.

If I have the wig, then my parents can stop complaining about my red hair.

Maybe later I shall blog about my experience with number76style salon!

Take care then!

-Nisah-

MUA's 3rd Birthday Sale~

Just gonna inform you guys that MUA (Makeup Academy) is having a sale right now, in conjunction with their 3rd birthday. As tempted as I am to buy, I hauled too much makeup recently ( u__u ) and then my order from their 50% Sale never reached me (they have refunded though, although it's still saddening) so I don't wanna risk it.

Unless I send it to my sister's address in the UK but then again...it's not necessary!

It's until the 2nd of April~

Only some items are on sale but I think they're worth getting if you wanna try them out.

Some of the items on sale~

I just wanna cry~

Because most of the items on here, I actually ordered during the 50% Sale....

Anyway, if you guys wanna try them out, here's your chance!

Oh yeah, here's the site LOL

MUA Store

Happy shopping~

*cries*

-Nisah-

As An Aspiring Singer-Songwriter...

My fingers hurt from trying to learn the guitar ( ~_~ )
So I'm typing a bit slower than usual. Fun.

Anyway...

I recently got a new acoustic guitar as a birthday present from my dad.
And it's pink, of course.

It goes so well with my room :3
Although that doesn't matter much!

You see, I already have Charlotte, which is my electric guitar.
However, I can't bring myself to use her because she's so heavy.

The reason why I didn't get an acoustic in the first place is because I have a very weak left hand. With an electric, I need less pressure on the strings. In the end though, I can't bring myself to practice on Charlotte.

So yeah, I've been wanting an acoustic for a while, especially since I'm writing more acoustic sounding songs. Plus my composer doesn't wanna compose the lazy sounding songs I make lol.

I usually make jazzy, slow, acoustic-y vocal tunes.
Most of the time I do make J-Pop or J-Rock sounding tunes too. That one, my composer has no problems working with.

My first single has been delayed quite a while, considering it's been made/planned since last year's September. Right now, listening to it, it has me thinking if it's even single material. I mean, would people actually listen to it on the radio, let alone on its own, on Youtube, Soundcloud or something.

I mean, does it stand on its own?

Last year, I thought so, but this year, I'm having doubts.

Not in the quality of the song. No.

It's just that...will Brunei even play it on the radio if I sent it in?
Would they support me as a local independent singer who sings in Japanese or English?


I sound horrible in Malay okay?
I don't loathe Malay, no.

Personally, when you sing or write in Japanese, you can explore more things than simple love songs, or songs to praise God, or friendship songs, etc.

I can write about the colour of my panties, or whatnot, and it can still be artistic.

OF COURSE,  I won't write about that hahaha :P

There's just so much you can do with the language, with the syllables, with everything.

This is the reason why I sing in Japanese.

My Japanese isn't perfect, no, I'm not saying it is.
But there's just so much more I can give in Japanese.

Heck, I've been writing more songs in English of late.
Even my producer/composer/friend says when I write in Japanese I sound more mature.


There's just a sophistication in the language that somehow, I can't really write in either English or Malay.


But writing in English is fun, especially when you set no boundaries.

I've longed to sing on the stage again, but I've had to decline or back out from the stage this year, because I just don't have that confidence anymore. Or that my throat just dies on me.

Back in Japan, back in 2008, I enjoyed singing on the stage. I was singing Japanese, to a Japanese crowd.

And they liked me. Or maybe they just wanted to make sure I don't feel alienated...


I relied on the power of basic Japanese and memorisation.
I don't want to rely on that anymore.

Or rather, I can't.

Not with my condition.
I can barely remember my own lyrics.


I can't remember anything anymore.
I can't memorise anymore.



What's a singer who can't even remember lyrics?

That fear steals away my voice, and I give up.


I know I can do better.
I know I can do what I wanted to do.

I want to grab the listener's heart and squeeze all their emotions out.

That's what I want to do with my voice, with my songs, with my lyrics.


But can I even do that with my condition now?


When I can't even remember anything.


My brain has stopped keeping track of things.


What am I writing now?

Back in Brunei, I stopped trying.

I tried, but I realised that my voice is nothing compared to all the stronger voices in the music scene.

I have a weak voice, I don't rely on strong, punchy vocals.
My voice is soft, weak, fragile but I'd like to say it's versatile.

I don't take vocal lessons and I know I need to.

Brunei only wants Mariah Carey-like singers, or Celine Dion, or Adele...

...never the weak, fragile voice.



I dunno.
Maybe, maybe not.

We'll see when EXIST comes out.

How will they react to it?

It's such an important song.


I'm also going to write an English version of EXIST.
Just in case they don't wanna play Japanese songs.


My dream is big.
I wanna be a singer in Japan.

I know it's gonna be hard.


It will be hard.


But even as an indie, I still want to be able to sing.
I want to sing, I want to help people.


It doesn't have to be locally.

I want it to be globally.

Big dreams? Can't I have it?
I've had this dream ever since I was younger, ever since I learned that I could sing.


If global means Youtube or via sharing, I don't mind.

There are people who have said they will support me no matter what.
No, they're not Bruneians, they're from all over the world.

That's enough initiative for me to believe I can do it.


I CAN do it.


I know I can.

I need to believe that I can.

-Nisah-

Forget My Birthday Post, Here's My Makeup Haul!

Lol the title is just...lol. But honestly, I'd rather share photos than write a full blogpost. Oops.
I just got home yesterday night. It was tiring but I'm glad I came home and everything came home safe. It's like "THAT'S FRAGILE" all the way.

Anyway, I'm just excited to share the makeup/skincare I got.
And one re-buy that I regret not hoarding lol (it's not makeup XD)

I'll also list out the prices (Yay~) because I kept all the receipts. I think.

Most of the items aren't planned, only some are. Obviously. Some items I didn't manage to get too though, but I'm content!

Here's the haul!

On the first day, we went to Pavillion KL, I had to bite my lips as we walked past Sephora at Starhill Gallery. Now, that's what I call patience!

Not in this is my makeup remover wipes from SaSa btw.

I got a few things not in my list there:

TBS Cranberry Joy Fragrance Oil (RM25)
TBS Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner (RM39)

TBS Colour Crush Eyeshadow in Golden Girl (RM38)

They had this buy 3 and get 20% off promotion so yeah, three things.

I should have just bought three of the cranberry oil because I LOVE THAT.

And it's limited edition, so yeah :x

Golden Girl is a pretty colour, swatched buttery smooth. Just love.

Does it justify the price? Hm. Not so much LOL but the price point is similar to that of theBalm.

Next is this and a facial sauna (FINALLY)

elite Starlight Eyeshadow in Matt Choco (RM17)

This wasn't planned at all but I loved it when I swatched it...was actually planning to get PeriPera or Clio from Watsons but gdi, the testers were killing them for me >_>;

You see, I've always wanted a home facial sauna, and Watsons selling their house brand sauna for friggin RM39.90! Who wouldn't want that???

Moving on~

Stupid Pavillion got Etude House so I strayed there.

BAM.

Nymph Aura Volumer Baby Glow Balm in #03 Sand Beige (RM119.90)
Wonder Pore Freshener (RM79.90)

I've always eyed the Baby Glow but I didn't double check the price before I bought it. Rest assured, it's cheaper in Brunei >_>;

But I got this because it as Buy 1 Free 1 Promotion. Of course you pay for the more expensive item. I should've gotten both the Baby Glow balms just because it was pricy LOL.

But I've always wanted to try out the Wonder Pore Freshener, so yeah...

I just saw it as paying for both products rather than a BOGO LOL.

My mom was at Coach for a long time >_>; until it rained before we managed to go to Sephora.

I didn't manage to stare in awe because I went in with a mission:

Get in, Get it and Go. 

The Three Gs you need to abide by if you don't wanna spend too much.

So yeah, I rushed in, paid no attention to anything else other than the Urban Decay, Benefit and TooFaced aisle.

Looked around the Benefit World Famous Neutrals and BAM, I got it.

Real reason why I wanted it is because of these babies:

Discontinued (old packaging at least) Creaseless Cream Shadows

Then I moved on to Urban Decay (although it was the first thing you see when you get in)

I asked for the Theodora Palette and BAM, got it.

And then had a moment to choose between Naked and Naked 2.

Naked 2 won. GOT IT.

I went to TooFaced to swatch but I wasn't majorly impressed (or rather, I didn't want to be impressed, to save money)

SEPHORA

UD Naked 2 Palette (RM179)
UD Theodora Palette (RM180)
benefit World Famous Neutrals in Most Glamorous Nudes Ever (RM115)

Theodora is more pricey because well, it's limited edition and well, new.

Glinda was there too, being all pretty and shit but I told myself NO, because I didn't like the colours as much.

It wouldn't look good on me.

Oh, and spot that ziplock bag?

That's the UD Basic Launch GWP Promo set.

Got it from buying UD I guess.

I'm guessing everyone got the same thing (also guessing it's not the selling like hotcakes ones)

The Insides.

-2 Full-sized UD Vintage Eyeshadows in Midinight Cowboy and Goddess.

-2 Sample-sized UD 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Electric and Covet.

-1 Full-sized Clean & Sober Oil-Free Makeup Remover

-2 Sample Sachets of Primer Potions in Sin and Original

-1 Sample-sized UD Skyscraper Multi Benefit Mascara

(as I'm typing this, Midnight Cowboy fell from it's home, and now I have glitter everywhere)

Not sure of the value but a lot, I guess.

I'm quite happy with the samples except that the two colours are meh.

One was broken (Midnight Cowboy) and one was not the smoothest (Goddess).

I fixed Midnight Cowboy as soon as I stepped back into my room though, it was Glitter Mania.

See that mess around? Yeah, that's from Midnight Cowboy LOL. (This was before I fixed it)

I loved the colour and payoff of MC but the glitter was just too much D: as I fixed it, it was everywhere. EVERYWHERE.

Goddess is pretty in the pan, not that pretty on its own but gorgeous over a black base.

I tried it. Not on my eyes yet though.

That same night, we went to Parkson and uh, oops:

In my wishlist, but not planned (RM19.90)

I wanted Tenacious Teal but no place had it!

I got this at Parksons, and I also saw it at Caring Pharmacy.

Didn't see it at Watsons, Guardian or SaSa D:

A nice salesgirl also uh, co-erced me into buying this one:

Max Factor Max Effect Dip-In Eyeshadow in Ultra Violet (RM36)

It's pretty, but I really had no plans to buy it ):

At least I know I don't have anything similar!

I really wanted this so I got it~

CLIO Professional Gelpresso Pencil Gel Liner Mini Set (RM51.90 N/P: RM79.90)

All the testers I tried everywhere sucked.

I nearly didn't get this BUT the place that had this, the ONLY SaSa I found that had this had good testers!!

And I liked it, so I bought it LOL.

...last but not least:

My first M.A.C item!

M.A.C Paint Pot in Soft Ochre (RM72)

How pretty o.o

I actually wanted to NOT get this.

I wanted to buy NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skin Tone instead but unfortunately Sephora ran out of stock.

This was actually bought in the airport, KLIA.

It's normally RM75 I believe, but it was less RM3 in the airport. Weird huh?

Or maybe it's just this colour.

Or I might be wrong.

Mom got this for me. She also got me the Naked 2 Palette.

I didn't buy much (to my standards), I'm actually proud that I stuck by to some of the things I wanted to buy and refused to buy other things when I set my eyes on something.

Except for a few unplanned things, I'm proud that I didn't go crazy at Sephora nor at SaSa.

I'm learning. Slowly.

Unfortunately most of the things I bought are expensive...
So yeah ):


That's the first part of my KL Haul btw lol.

So yeah!

Take care!

-Nisah-

P.S: I post most of my hauls and stuff on my Instagram usually, but since I mixed it with personal vaining and stuff, following me is a choice lol. You either click the tab up there or just click here :D

I Have a Flat and Short Nose

Well, not like Voldemort's at least.

But yeah, I have a flat nose!
It's not THAT flat but I never realized it was flat until my brother took photos of me when I was cutting my birthday cake.

My not-so-exciting birthday story will come after I come back from KL.
If I come back in one piece.


But yeah, my nose.

Hm? There's something weird about my nose.

See? It's there again.

Holy Mother of Everything!! It's so short too!

I have a big nose :O

My face is also quite flat D:

Almost like a pancake.

I'm actually supposed to be sleeping right now, because I have a flight to catch later but hell.

I just noticed this about my nose D:

I never noticed it much because I'm always wearing my glasses.

Although to be fair, the new glasses my dad got me....it emphasises my nose so badly D:

( u.u ) ...it's okay I guess. The nose.

I mean.

Yeah.

I should marry Voldemort.
When he's still Tom Riddle of course.

BUAHAHAHAHA.



Yes, I love Tom Riddle.

SO SUE ME!!!


I'll talk to you guys when I'm back from my trip~


Take care everyone!


-Nisah-

Ramblings On Turning 22

Happy 22nd Birthday to me lol.

I honestly, honestly didn't remember it until someone greeted me.
I was busy packing for the trip.

My sis was in my room the whole time, watching My Kitchen Rules Season 4 (I'm a diehard fan btw, still looking for the complete Season 1 lol) and I was busy packing. She greeted me after I absently blurted "Oh, I'm 22".

I haven't been in an airplane for 4 years, I haven't been to KL in...9 years.
I won't count 12 hour transit at KLIA as being in KL lol back in 2008.

Back then, I wasn't a girly girl. I didn't need all this makeup and stuff to bring.
Nor did I care much about skincare.

I kinda wished that I was still that girl.

Now I have a lot to worry about.

Prepared. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping.

What I packed:

- Skin79 Vital Orange BB Cream (packed this due to the high spf)

- NYX Luscious Lip Gloss Palette in 'Red Rediscovered'

- essence 'In The Nude' Lipstick

- MUA 'Heaven and Earth' Palette

- theBalm Sexy Mama Translucent Powder

- theBalm Creaseless Cream Shadow in 'Home Plate Kate'

- essence 'Forget It' Concealer

- Holika Holika Stick Concealer (I don't remember the name lol)

- Cyber Colors 24H Eyebrow Pencil

- TheFaceShop Make Me Star Waterproof Gel Liner in THE AWESOME BLUE ONE (not real name obviously LOL)

- Urban Decay Sample Size Primer Potion

I haven't even packed my shoes D:
I might just bring my flats and slippers.


I packed most of the stuff I guess.
Tomorrow I'd need to do last minute shopping for the cats.

Then we'll have a birthday dinner.
I wanted it to be at Swensens but my dad wanted somewhere else.


I would normally be sad but I don't seem to care anymore.


I kinda wanna cry actually.

For whatever reason.



You know that feeling of ageing but don't feel like you've accomplished anything?
Yeah, that.

That's what I'm feeling right now.



I'm not hoping for a perfect day.


I'm hoping for a tolerable day.

And tolerable days while visiting the country I was born in. Or rather, the city I was born in.



So yeah, 22 years, I'm finally going back.



I'm trying so hard not to cry.
Haha.


Do I have any wishes?
Not really.



I guess no birthdays so far can surpass the one back in 2011.
The birthday present he gave me turned 2 years old too...


Ah screw it.
I'm crying.

But it's fine. It's fine :)


Ah, here, I'll share with you this video I made the other day.
It's not the animation obviously, but it's a speed painting I guess.

So, what do I feel like now that I'm 22?

Nothing special :)

That's that.

Take care, everyone!

-Nisah-

I'm Back :O + Animating~

What a coincidence!

I was just telling someone my net was down and ba-boom! It's back!
Although I really don't wanna jinx it :x

Shhhhh.


I don't wanna make the net angry at us again.
Actually it was our phone line. We didn't bother to check it lol. So sad.


What have I been doing these last few days...?
Nothing much. I think.

However today, or rather, yesterday, I decided to start animating my first single.

As much as I wanted it to be released on my birthday (this coming Wednesday), my producer still wants the Japanese lyrics checked. Pssh. Yeah, yeah. Afraid we'll offend the Japanese.


( =A= ) it's just a sad love song.


So yeah, getting back to the whole animating thing.
You see, I used to draw a lot. I used to dream of making something out of it.

Today, out of nowhere, out of sheer determination, I managed to draw a few frames (simple ones) and made it move~


Having said that, you might think: "Oh, aren't you an art student? Didn't you learn that?"

Well, no, not really.
I'm still learning (kinda, partially, well, maybe) Painting 1. A basic module.


So, yeah....

I'm doing the animation manually.


I asked my friend who did the animation for  Muchuu...and she told me that she used AfterEffects.

Oh man.

I haven't learned that!


But yeah, I gotta say, when I first made it move (I know, I know, you can make gifs to make it move too but I don't know how to make gifs!), I gotta say, some tears came out.

This is because well, I have been "dead" for a while and I finally made something worthwhile again.


Animating my own PV? Why not.

I'm just an independent artist.
I have no budget for a proper video and I'm a lousy actress (even posing is hard during photoshoots) and people I work with also don't have the time.


So yeah, animation was in my head.

I'd like to show you a snippet but I'm scared my producer might kill me
( =A= ; ) I know you're reading so shhhh.


When it comes out, I'll share :D


I've only done 13-14 frames and am only happy with 7 of them. So I'll have to re-do the rest >_>;

Having sucked at Physics and Maths, animation was the last thing for me to do.


I also haven't been drawing on my tablet for a long time so I was surprised :D

I guess when you have determination, everything can work out.


Here's the first frame of it:

Is that me? Uh, let's say it "represents" me. LOL

I guess this will slightly be a roller-coaster ride. Emotionally.

It's so personal, so raw, so....lazy.

iMovie's a bitch to use, you know.

So yeah, hopefully I'll learn AfterEffects one day. Since the song itself is 4 minutes something...and 23 seconds of stuff already took 14 frames....and I have to scrap half of that...

*head hurts too much to do the math*

But yeah, hopefully I won't lose motivation for this!

Wish me luck!

Take care!

-Nisah-

P.S: Btw, I'm one of the bloggers featured on wengie.com !! It's on this post ! :D wheee. Through that post I also found some blogs I know I'd be interested in reading from!

I personally love blogs with great reviews (on Asian products) and great photos and swatches. Even though my blog's not as good on those areas, I'm inspired by reading them XD

I wished I was more crafty~

I really wanna learn website and graphic design stuff!

We Have a Second Winner :D

So my 'Counting Down to 22 Giveaway~' is over :D

And...we have a second winner!!
This is for the '22222' screenshot!

The winner is~

GFC/Bloglovin': win lyn

And this is her screenshot~




Congratulations to her and thank you again for participating!
I'll contact you about your prize :)


A few more days until my birthday :)


Let's hope it's a good one.
I might not have a cake because I'll be going to KL the next day...don't wanna waste a good cake, you see.

Still dunno where to eat too, but I'm hoping to release my single (long delayed >_>) ON my birthday.
It would mean a lot if I'm able to :)


It's an important song to me.

We Got a Winner!

We got one out of the two possible winners for my Counting Down to 22 Giveaway !!

And the winner is~

GFC: Tea

This is her winning screenshot :D

Thanks Tea for the screenshot!

I'll be mailing her prizes when I've got them ready!

She's already given her address to me :D

But don't worry!

You still have another chance for the '22222' shot!

Remember, first come, first serve!

When you got the screenshot, immediately email it!

You can read the rules on the giveaway post !

Be a GFC follower or a Bloglovin' follower (or both if you want to), that's the most important part!

184 views until '22222' btw :D

Will this be before my birthday?

We'll see!

Take care, good luck and congratulations again to Tea!

-Nisah-

Review: MUA Heaven and Earth Palette

I ordered this palette for myself during the 35% Off + Free Shipping Offer on MUA Makeup Academy last year. So I've had enough time to evaluate this palette.

Site Description:

All our beautiful palettes come with 12 complimentary shades so you can pick and choose for a variety of looks. They're a soft, blendable texture that glides on with ease. At just £4, you basically need them all... Heaven and Earth is the ultimate neutrals palette containing everything you need to create your gorgeous natural look. Sweep a light colour under the eyebrows and on the top of the eyelid before simply brushing over any one of the beautiful bronze shades over the lid for the easiest, foolproof natural neutral eye! (Try saying that quickly!) This palette usually sells out in the blink of an eye so if you can see this page it's probably worth sticking one in your basket as soon as possible!

MUA 'Heaven and Earth'  Eyeshadow Palette

Click the photo to view the ingredients :)

The MUA 'Heaven and Earth' Eyeshadow Palette comes with twelve beautiful eyeshadows that are meant for natural looks, aimed at those who want a go-to palette for a working environment or maybe just school (at least in my opinion). It contains 9.6g of products overall and comes with a dual-ended sponge tip applicator.

The reason why I ordered this palette was simply because I am in love with coppery, bronze-y, earthy colours, and everything on this palette, it's wearable for me. I haven't really used at least two of them, but I've been using the others a lot and due to its good pigmentation, I have barely made a dent on it.

There are some colours that are really patchy, namely the pearly shade. and not pigmented, as you can see in the swatches I'll post. But under normal circumstances, considering the price of the palette, this is reasonably good.

Under normal room light.

With flash.

It's my favourite go-to palette right now because it's light and compact. It's very travel-friendly, I actually brought this with me to my KK trip last year and indeed it was the only palette I needed. I always wear these with my favourite blue eyeliner from TheFaceShop, or just on its own. There's not really a very dark colour you can use as a liner, except unless you use a very light shade and then line it with one of the darker colours.

I can use my fingers, the sponge-tip applicator or a brush and they all work well. If I'm on a hurry, I'll just dab them on my eyes.

Oh yeah, do they crease? Depends on how much you put.
If your eyelids are oily, a nice base would work well to intensify and elongate the wear.

Here are the swatches with one swipe of the finger, with no eyeshadow base.

Under normal room light.

With flash.

As you can see, all of them are shimmery and 80% of them are very pigmented, so you wouldn't need a lot to do both eyes. A little goes a long way, especially the darker shades to darken your outer-v. This palette is good for everyday neutrals and also for a smokey look.

Do I recommend it?
Yes. Of course, especially if you're on a budget.

This palette costs £4.00 normally, which is BND7.50.
0.8g of each eyeshadow costs approximately BND0.62!!

For comparison, 2g or less of eyeshadow from the Korean Cosmetic Stores (all of them), usually cost BND9.90, so yeah. Do the math.

Do check out their site, they usually have nice offers from time to time.
You can get this same exact palette here

If you live in the UK, or you're on holiday, you can easily go to Superdrug and pick one of their many available palettes.

This palette gets a 4.5/5 for me :)
Just disappointed with the lighter highlight colours.


Hope you found the review helpful.

Take care!

-Nisah-

My YouTube Channel Recommendations Pt. 1

You know what can easily make me happy when I'm super down?

Well, other than my anti-depressants (I stopped taking them btw, my own choice), looking up videos on YouTube helps! That, and also ranting on my blog.

Well I'm gonna recommend some Youtubers that actually can make my day!

Here's the list and I'll also give some reasons why and when I discovered them :)

---Gaming Channels---

1) BlueXephos

I found out about this channel randomly while I was browsing for videos on YouTube via my phone. It was around late 2011, because I remember just recently getting my Galaxy S2 then. I was depressed everyday, and nothing seemed to help. So one day, while I was browsing the 'Featured' or 'Popular' videos, this particular video popped up:

Back then I knew about Minecraft (I did play the game with my friend and actually recorded them) and I realized I've actually seen one of their videos, but this particular one stood out the most. Interestingly, I have never watched their most popular series 'Shadow of Israphel' when this popped up.

So I clicked it.

...and the rest is history.

Interesting fact was that I never subscribed to them at first. I only kept searching for new episodes. 

This was because back then, I only subscribed to music or beauty channels. But this was the first gaming channel I remember subscribing to.

Then I became addicted to them and laughter helped me a lot. 

I usually watch them before I went to sleep.

They were like bedtime stories to me (they technically are).

Here are some more recent videos that made my day(s) :D

and

Well, hope you enjoyed them!

I'm also subscribed to most Yogscast members too, so do check them out!

Next, we have~

2) zXNoRegretzzXz

I found him via Minecraft. I was searching for an interesting series to watch, and I stumbled across this! Back then, I love videos that had parts to watch because it made it more fun, and you look forward to things. Trust me, when you're depressed, having something to look forward to helps. A lot.

This was my first video by Kevin:

This is a really fun series (for me, anyway) and I'm really drawn to his voice :D

This is quite engaging for me, so it helped a lot.
Unfortunately, he hasn't been making many series that catches my attention because another YouTuber is busy doing that (you'll find out soon)

But he does make many fun videos :D

Like this :D

and this

Coming up:

3) ChaoticMonki

This is Cry :) I don't know how he looks like. No one does. But his voice, everyone loves. It was my friend who introduced me to him, gushing about his voice. I was like "What, who, what, where?" and she linked me this:

Honestly my first reaction was "What?"

But as the video progressed, as the game progressed...I became hooked.

There was something about his narrative that was....dare I say? Hypnotic.

Here are some of my favourite videos/series by him :)

and also~

Oh, notice that I linked many RPGMaker-like games? Well, he does awesome commentary on them. Definitely check them out :D

Oh, and his The Walking Dead Game series too :D (Check out Yogscast Hannah's series of it too, it's good)

Last but not least....

4) PewDiePie

I remember coming across his videos...and not really liking them. I think it was because that particular video of him was like BAM! SCREAMING&STUFF I didn't like at all...I don't particularly remember what video I watched from him that made me subscribe, I think it was this:

Too bad he didn't continue this D:

It's sooo funny XD

And then I watched some parts of Heavy Rain...and some other series. Looked up his old ones and stuff.

AND THEN, THIS, THIS EXISTED:

It's a game with Cry OwO

MY FAVOURITE VIDEO EVER.
Never fails to make me laugh.

Then he started playing Fahrenheit. Watched that like an addiction.

Then, there was Bully, ZombiU...etc.

One of my favourite series~

Pewds makes a LOT of nice series. His commentaries are weirdly engaging and the running jokes (especially BARRELS) never fail to make me giggle.

So yes, Pewds has been the one nomming all my attention (but BlueXephos is and will always be my go-to "anti-depressants")

---

So yeah, that's part 1 of my YouTube Channel Recommendations :D

I only put these 4 because the discovery of their channels really helped me fight my depression, so yeah, they have a special place in my heart :)

I hope that they'll continue to make interesting series that would make my days worth living (I know, it's sad but it's true. We all cope different ways)

The next part would be Beauty Channels I guess. Not necessarily to fight depression but just good ones I think is good :D

So yeah, that's it!

Take care!

-Nisah-

Join The Glamorous Makeup Competition!!

On behalf of my friend, I want to share this exciting news to all the makeup artists and aspiring makeup artists out there in Brunei!

Organized by Sekolah Vokasional Nakhoda Ragam (SVNR), there will be a Makeup Competition on the 17th of March 2013, at 2PM with the theme: GLAMOROUS MAKEUP!

The prizes are sponsored by TONY MOLY Brunei and De' Most Salon!

If you've done a lot of makeup on people, you're just in luck to try out your skills!

With a registration fee of BND20, you can get a chance to be one out of THREE possible winners! You will also get a certificate even if you don't win (plus the experience you'll get out of it!)

If you want to test out your skills, do join! It will be fun, and you would be able meet a lot of local makeup artists and also be able to befriend some of your fellow beauty enthusiasts!

Here's the poster!

The rules are on the picture itself, but I'll highlight it here:

1) Bring your own makeup tools and cosmetics. The tools include brushes, sponges, makeup wipes, etc. Anything in your kit!

2) You'll be given 45 minutes to do the whole makeup look!

3) Remember, the theme is GLAMOROUS MAKEUP! Think Red Carpet, think Old Hollywood Glamour!

It will be held in Muslihun, SVNR, this Sunday, at 2PM.

Last registration is on the 15th of March (Friday) and the payment is due on 16th of March (Saturday) at 1PM.

*EDITED*

---

So, if anyone is wondering: Am I gonna join? We'll see.
I've never done makeup on anyone (except once but that was simple makeup)
So, if you wanna be my model do holler tomorrow, so I can practice on you ;D at least before the last registration date.

Want some inspiration? Here, take this gorgeous picture of Jessica Alba:

From the Revlon Ad

So yeah, do join!

Take care!

-Nisah-