HAUL x REVIEW | NYX Cosmetics Lip Liners

The perfect way to cap off a full morning of exploring Tallinn's Old Town was to venture into the nearest shopping center, Viru Keskus, located right across the gates of Old Town. I came back out with a backpack full of snacks and a handful of lip goodness from NYX Cosmetics.

Just like my Inglot haul, I took these pictures the second I got back to my hotel room so that I could finally try them on. I've always had a thing for NYX lip liners - they are very affordable yet high-quality - and the range of colors that NYX offers is huge. The Slim Lip Pencil range by itself has 50 shades, not to mention another 36 shades in their Suede Matte Lip Liner range, and dozens more in other styles and finishes. I firmly believe that lip liners are one of those products you don't need to splurge on (you still can if you want to) and I often just wear lip liner on its own instead of lipstick. After swatching every single shade the store had to offer - my arm was literally stained up to my elbow for the rest of the day - I narrowed it down to these final five (and yes, I do love my neutrals and mauves).

Slide On, Glide On, Stay On & Definitely A Turn On Waterproof, Extreme Color Lip Liners in Sugar Glass | "true nude with yellow undertone"
This is a pretty browny nude that really suits my complexion and complements any makeup look. It looks better when applied on dry lips as opposed to on top of lip balm, as the slip can take away the pigment. The closest match to anything in my collection is my No7 Precision Lip Liner in Nude, which is a tad peachier and deeper.

Slide On, Glide On, Stay On & Definitely A Turn On Waterproof, Extreme Color Lip Liners in Nude Suede Shoes | "nude with pink undertone"
This shade is the most similar to my natural lip color, and makes my lips looks more perfected and pouty. It's a close dupe to my Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk, which is just a bit darker. I'm also very pleased with this formula - this and Sugar Glass definitely have the longest staying power and the smoothest application.

Suede Matte Lip Liner in Soft-Spoken | "ash rose"
This also has a super soft and velvety consistency, but doesn't last as long on the lips as the Slide On formula. The shade is just up my street - a smidgen darker than one of my all time faves, MAC Lip Pencil in Whirl, and pretty much identical in shade to my Sephora Collection Color Lip Last in Brown Is Back.

Slim Lip Pencil in Mauve | "mauve"
This is a beautiful purple mauve that is perfect for when I want a vampy look that isn't too intense. The formula is a bit more drying but still comfortable to wear. The color is identical to my Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge Waterproof Liquid Lip Colour in 3 Light Rosewood.

Slim Lip Pencil in Ever | "warm mauve-brown"
This is the warmest, reddest shade of the bunch, and because it is so similar to my MAC Lip Pencil in Soar, I gave it away to my mom who looks gorgeous in it. This helps brighten your face and makes you look more put together.

Sugar Glass | Nude Suede Shoes | Soft-Spoken | Mauve | Ever

If you don't own any of the NYX lip liners, I suggest you go to their nearest store, have an epic swatch fest and haul a bunch for yourself - with so many shades and finishes, you are bound to find a few (or more) that you'll love!

HAUL x REVIEW | Inglot Cosmetics

We arrived in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, around sunset after a long day of driving and exploring, and decided to stretch our legs at Akropolis, a massive shopping centre right outside the city. I walked straight into Douglas, the European equivalent of Sephora, to look for new brands to try out, and that's when I spotted Inglot Cosmetics.

I recall hearing some chatter over Inglot's Freedom System palettes a few years back, where you could mix and match all your favourite makeup products - eyeshadow, blush, lipstick, concealer - into one sturdy, convenient palette, but the brand hasn't been on my radar since. As I've mentioned before, I'm usually not one to splurge on makeup that I haven't done my research on. But of course, my wifi decided to stop working on my phone, and my dad was impatiently sulking in the corner of the store, so I just settled on three products and quickly got outta there. I wanted to try these on as soon as possible, so I improvised and took these pictures on the window ledge of my hotel room the next morning before slapping everything on my face for a test run.

I picked up the Under Eye Concealer in shade 92 which looked like the closet match for me out of the four shades on display. It's a very lightweight, liquidy concealer that feels hydrating under the eyes and dries to a powdery finish. It blends out with ease but loses its coverage once smoothed out - sheer to light coverage at most, and doesn't cover my dark circles. This shade also oxidizes a smidge darker and turns a tiny bit grey, which is odd, and looks rather dull and not at all brightening for under the eyes. Looking back, the first shade in 91 would've been a much better option. It's a shame as I do enjoy the moisturising formula, but the coverage just isn't there and the shade isn't the best match. I'll still reach for this (cos I ain't about wasting money) but only for days when I'm lounging around the house.

Swatched | Blended out

The Freedom System Camouflage Concealers in 124 and 125 also caught my eye, especially with the cooler undertones that I thought would be ah-mazing for contouring. 124 is a warmer milk chocolate brown, whereas 125 is a very cool-toned greyish brown. The consistency of these are stiffer and takes a bit more work to blend out for that seamless finish, but they are hella pigmented and will not budge once set and stays on all day. I use 124 for a more natural contour, and 125 for the rarer occasion when I want to carve out my face and create angles and bone structure I don't even have. Slay, gurl. But do be reminded that 125 can look a tad unnatural if you go overboard - the grey undertones have the potential of looking slightly ashy and muddy - so less is definitely more.

124 | 125

Top 124 | Bottom 125

All three products are decently priced - the Under Eye Concealer retails for 11.50€ and the Freedom System Camouflage Concealers are 5€ each. I wouldn't recommend the Under Eye Concealer if you prefer full coverage, but it could be worth a try for drier skin types and natural makeup days. And if you're contour-obsessed like me, these Camouflage Concealers could be a great (and inexpensive) addition to your arsenal!

TRAVEL | Part II | Lithuania x Latvia x Estonia

The long-awaited second part of my Eurotrip adventure is finally here!

In part one, I shared all the amazing scenery, sights and food from my visit in Finland, Sweden and Denmark. In addition to sailing from Helsinki to Stockholm, we took another overnight cruise sailing to Lithuania, and began our adventures in the Baltic region. Check out the most memorable, bucket-list moments from my time road tripping around Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia!

LITHUANIA |

All aboard! Sailing to Lithuania

Driving down the Curonian Spit, a 98km long, 4km wide UNESCO sand dune peninsula

Blurry but a goodie - my dad posing at the Lithuania-Russia border

Did a U-turn at the border and stopped by the quaint town of Nida

14th century Kaunas Castle, the oldest stone castle in the country

Sunset arrival in the beautiful capital city, Vilnius

Akropolis - a massive shopping center with ice skating, casino and cinema

Tranquil stroll through Bernardinai Garden

In the heart of Old Town

Art display

Traditional Lithuanian lunch in a cave at Forto Dvaras

Feast fit for a king

Cathedral of Saint Peter and Paul in Šiauliai

Beautiful interior of the cathedral

The legendary Hill of Crosses - a pilgrimage site symbolising faith, healing and devotion

Hundreds of thousands of crucifixes and crosses

Quick lunch stop in the city of Joniškis before crossing into Latvia

Lithuanian Cepelinai - tasty stuffed potato dumplings

Just frolicking in a Lithuanian field

LATVIA |

8:05pm dinner in the capital city, Riga

Pleasing to the eye and stomach 

Strolling through Old Town

Inside Riga Central Market, Europe's largest marketplace

Spices galore!

Flower market outside Central Market

Enjoying the beauty outside the Sigulda Medieval Castle ruins

Gutmanis Cave - the highest, widest cave in the Baltics with 17th century wall inscriptions and spring water said to have healing powers 

Another blurry but a goodie - Latvian sunset from the Vanšu Bridge

ESTONIA |

Old Town in the capital city, Tallinn

Town Hall Square

Master's Courtyard - home to local master craftsmen and the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted from Pierre Chocolaterie

A local painter in action along Pikk Jalg Street, the oldest street in Tallinn

Art displayed on the Walls of Tallinn

Medieval tombstones in St. Catherine's Passage

Dinner at Rataskaevu 16, #1 ranked restaurant in Tallinn (and rightfully so!)

A beautiful sunset to cap off our last night

And that's a wrap for my two week trip to Northern Europe! It was a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience and I will treasure the memories forever. Can't wait for my next adventure..

HAUL | & Other Stories

I was pretty excited to say the least when I found out that there was an & Other Stories store conveniently located just down the street from my hotel in Stockholm. So on the day of the Stockholm Marathon, I snuck away from cheering on the sidelines for a bit to see what goodies I could bring home with me.

I've seen countless clothing and beauty hauls online from this brand, but never had the chance to visit a store in person. Since our hotel was located right by the running route of the marathon, and the course involved lapping the hotel twice, I timed my shopping trip perfectly - I waited for my dad to run past the hotel the first time (and took awesome pictures of him in action), then made my way down to the shop and gave myself a good two hours to browse and look around before heading back for his second lap. Right when I walked in, I zoomed straight past the clothing racks and made a beeline for the beauty section.

Since I am not the most patient person when it comes to trying out new products I've just hauled, I took these pictures in our apartment in Copenhagen just the day after so that I open these bad boys up and use and wear them for the rest of my trip. I didn't do too much damage in the store, as I kept reminding myself of my very limited luggage space.

I couldn't resist picking up two silver jewellery pieces to add to my collection - a pair of thin bar stud earrings and an dainty open ring. Delicate, minimalistic jewellery is my jam, and although the store had quite a large selection of both silver and gold jewellery, these two were an instant favourite as soon as we locked eyes. 

My go-to, holy grail nail polish for years has been the Revlon Nail Enamel in Vixen 570, a gorgeous deep wine red (that can be layered until it looks almost black), so naturally the Miniver Wine Nail Colour screamed out to me. It's a lighter burgundy shade with more red undertones, and would look pretty on the nails all year long. The most exciting part of this haul has to be the Sunray Pleat Pearl Crème Highlighter that is just one of the most stunning highlighters I've ever seen! Mind you, the packaging is pretty lackluster, however the product inside is truly mesmerising - it gives off an iridescent, silver-pink-lavender pearlescent sheen that looks almost holographic. I don't have anything like it in my makeup collection! There was only one left on the shelves, so I snatched it up in a second.

& Other Stories Sunray Pleat Pearl Crème Highlighter

Pictures don't do this highlighter justice but I shall try - just look at that holographic sheen! Absolute magic. I will say that this isn't your typical, natural, glowy highlighter, but if you want to up your highlighting game and make a statement, you have to give this a try.

My first haul from & Other Stories was a definite success! And might I mention that the prices are also quite reasonable - this haul came out to be a total of 370Kr, which is around 43USD. For two beauty products and two jewellery pieces, that's a pretty good deal in my books.

TRAVEL | Part I | Helsinki x Stockholm x Copenhagen

Another year, another adventure in Europe!

At the start of June, I took two weeks off of work to accompany my dad on yet another one of his marathon expeditions - last year, it was to the Netherlands for the Rotterdam Marathon and the states for the Boston Marathon, and this time around we were flying to Sweden for the Stockholm Marathon, and decided to use this opportunity to embark on an epic road trip across northern Europe and the Baltic sea.

We flew on Finnair from Hong Kong to Helsinki, and boarded the Viking Line cruise that same afternoon that took us straight to Stockholm. All in all, it was two weeks of jam-packed adventure exploring Finland, Sweden, Denmark, as well as the Baltic countries of Estonia, Lativa and Lithuania. In this first part, I'll be sharing the highlights from my time in Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen!

H E L S I N K I |

Market Square

Old Market Hall

Tasty seafood and beef soup from Soppakeittio inside Old Market Hall

Our accommodations on board the overnight Viking Line cruise from Helsinki to Stockholm

View of Helsinki from the cruise

Bundled up with my Manu Atelier Mini Pristine

Buffet and a sunset

S T O C K H O L M |

Heading to the Stockholm Marathon Expo

Checking out the finish line before the race

My dad and his friends having fun inside the Expo

Inside Östermalm Food Hall

Stockholm Cathedral

My first visit and haul at & Other Stories (stay tuned!)

At the 40km marathon checkpoint

Pops in action! I'm obviously taking my role as official photographer very seriously

The 39th ASICS Stockholm Marathon finisher medal

Celebratory seafood dinner at Sturehof

Fresh seafood and oysters

Driving down the 16km long Øresund bridge connecting Sweden to Denmark

C O P E N H A G E N |

Apartment views in Copenhagen

Cozy balcony

The famous Little Mermaid statue

Me and pops

Walking down Stroget, one of Europe's longest pedestrian streets

Did some damage at Céline (also stay tuned!)

Visited the amazing Tortus ceramics studio

Checking out the workshop upstairs

Breathtaking aesthetics inside the Tortus boutique

Stay tuned for my hauls from & Other Stories and Céline, as well as part two of my adventures in the Baltic sea!