Trust me when I say, mascara is absolutely essential as part of your daily beauty routine. And an eyelash curler, of course.

Don't believe me? Check out all my makeup tutorials and see the before-and-after's for yourself. Curled and enhanced lashes look feminine, flattering, and really help to open up your eyes.

Now that I've convinced you (I hope) that mascara is an important part of your beauty routine, here's a review of a mascara to help you decide which one is best suited for your eyelashes.

Zahara Cosmetics is a Singaporean-based makeup line that's halal and cruelty free. They make some gorgeous halal liquid lipsticks, and have now branched out into mascaras with their Daredevil Lashes mascara, which launched on the 8th of September.

The Daredevil Lashes mascara is made using only halal ingredients, and is designed to lift and thicken your lashes. It comes with a massive brush wand meant to catch even the smallest of lashes.

Packaging

Simple and elegant, the white bottle with gorgeous rose gold accents is sturdy, and closes securely so you're not going to find splotches of black all over your makeup kit or handbag.

The wand is massive, and picks up a lot of product.

Product

The product itself is a beautiful jet black, with a lovely matte finish. Jet blacks (instead of charcoal blacks which look a little more grey) are great because they really bring out your lashes and make them look nice and thick and voluminous, and you always want to look for a nice matte finish, so your lashes look natural - no one wants to walk around with shiny, plasticky-looking lashes!

Performance

I love the way this mascara enhances the lashes! It never clumps, so you're not going to get that 'Twiggy'/spidery look to your lashes. Instead, they always look natural, and beautifully enhanced. By 'enhanced', I mean that my lashes look longer and thicker, and they're always very beautifully fanned out.

The product lasts well on the lashes - I find that some mascaras break down and start to come off in tiny little grains on my lower lids, but that never happened with this mascara. My lashes never feel crusty or dry, and are still soft to the touch. Even though the product is not waterproof (that I know of), I find that it stays on very well, with no smudging or melting at all.

One thing about this mascara that didn't do it for me was the fact that it couldn't hold the curl in my lashes. After curling my lashes, I applied this mascara and found that my lashes started to lose their curl slightly. Disclaimer: my lashes are stick straight and require a lot of help (as you can see in the picture below), and very few mascaras are actually able to maintain the curl in my lashes in particular, so unless you've got lashes like mine, you shouldn't take this part of the review into account when deciding if you should get this mascara.

The big brush was a plus and also, a minus for me. On the one hand, it separated my lashes and deposited product really well and anyone would absolutely love the finished result.

But on the other hand, I have small eyes, and the brush would, well, brush (haha) against my eyelids and cause a few smudges, and it was a little too big to reach the inner and outer corners of my eyes.

Overall, I would recommend this mascara for anyone who loves a natural finish, and also wants to be able to build their mascara to achieve a more dramatic finish without clumping problems. The only people I wouldn't recommend it for are those with small eyes and extremely stick-straight lashes that won't hold a curl - in that case, you're gonna need a little bit more help. Try a waterproof mascara instead!

The Zahara Cosmetics Daredevil Lashes Mascara retails for SGD$22 and launched on the 8th of September, 2017. For more information, head on over to the Zahara Cosmetics website.

If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram, you'll know that I was recently in Singapore for a quick trip for a friend's wedding. Because we know so many people in Singapore, I knew the trip was going to be jam packed, and I had to pack accordingly. I don't fuss so much with my outfits, but boy do I fuss when it comes to makeup and skincare! So much so, actually, that even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to fit my ramblings about what to pack into a simple blogpost.

So in this blog post, I'm simply going to share with you my essential skincare items - the products I knew I needed to pack or appreciated having with me on the trip. So let's get on with it, shall we?

1. June Jacobs Neroli Hydrating Mist *

Our travel to Singapore was by bus, and it took us about 5 hours to get there, and a whopping 7+ hours to get back. Obviously, the bus was air-conditioned, so despite not being subjected to dry cabin air, the air in our little bus was also pretty dry. I had this spritz on hand, and it was an absolute thirst-quencher for my skin! It smells really relaxing, and I love that the bottle is large enough so I don't have to worry about running out if I spritz too much on. Plus, it's paraben and preservative-free, and jam-packed full of antioxidants, so I'm gonna keep spritzing away.

2. Clarins V-Facial Intensive Wrap

Now this is not something that you throw into a travel bag without a second thought. This mask comes in a large jar, so it's not quite travel-friendly. But I had to bring it along, because of the difference it makes for my face!

Can you guys tell what the mask does yet? It's pretty awesome, isn't it? It removes any water retention from the face and slims it in a mere 10 minutes, so I obviously had to use it before the wedding luncheon! It is perfect to use before big events, parties and nights out, because it really does slim the face down enough to to make your photos look better. It's formulated especially for Asian women, too.

3. This Works In Transit Camera Close-Up *


This stuff is bomb. It's that oomph-factor product that just makes your skin look better. It brightens the complexion, moisturises the skin, smooths the surface of the skin, and keeps makeup on for much, much longer. I noticed that my skin wasn't getting as oily (the Singapore trip was my first time using this product!) and my makeup wasn't melting off as easily as it did before I tried this, which is quite amazing, because my makeup melts a little around my forehead, nose, and chin area every single day without fail. If you're going on vacation, this is the perfect product to take with you, trust me on this. This is another one of those all-natural products, so you know you're not harming your skin in any way when you're using it.

4. Edible Beauty Skincare *

To be honest, the only reason I brought this skincare set with me on my trip was because it was easy and convenient. It was right there in small, tiny bottles, all labeled and in a nice little set. But I actually really enjoyed using these. They are also all-natural - they literally are edible - so they won't cause any harm to your body or your skin. They smell amazing and they do an amazing job moisturising the skin.

4. This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray *


I've had this forever now, and I cannot stop using it! I've got a few friends who have it as well, and all of them tell me they love it. This is another all-natural product that you can spray onto your pillow to help induce a deeper, calmer sleep because if the relaxing lavender scent. I spritzed it onto my seat on the bus, as well as my clothes and shawl, and it was heavenly! So much love for this product, and this is so great if you're an anxious traveller. I highly recommend this!

I hope you guys have enjoyed this list, and if you've got some suggestions as to which other products I should be taking with me when travelling, please let me know!

* All products marked with an asterisk are from Sephora. Sephora is currently running a 'Natural Allure' campaign that promotes their all-natural products for safe and environmentally friendly use.

Since I moved back to Malaysia, I've gotten a lot of questions from Malaysians and Singaporeans particularly about how to keep skin oil-free in this humid tropical weather. I myself have an interest in this issue, since I have oily-combination skin, and my makeup literally melts off my face by noon.

I won't try to solve the entirety of this question in one blogpost, but I have trialled a few powder-based products that purport to help with oily skin, and want to share with you my thoughts so you can make an informed purchase to help you combat the noontime oiliness. I've also trialled a few skincare and liquid base products, which I will post about at a later date.

For now, here are my reviews of these powder-based mattifying makeup products for oily skin and humid weather:

1. Urban Decay De-slick Mattifying Powder

This is a colourless powder, quite similar in texture and appearance to the Make Up For Ever HD Pressed powder. It comes in a pretty, sturdy purple compact, and does a pretty damned good job at keeping the oils at bay. I apply this with a fluffy powder brush most days, but when I need more heavy-duty oil absorbing, I use a slightly denser brush so I can pack on more powder, and it does work better to a certain extent. It's not 100% effective, but I would say that it does what it claims to do much better than some other products I've tried, and I'm liking the ease of use that comes with a compact powder. Note that there is no coverage with this powder, simply oil-absorbing goodness.

2. Maybelline White Superfresh Powder Foundation

This is a foundation powder, which means you can apply this straight onto your skin after skincare and sunscreen (I would never recommend going without a layer of sunscreen, even if your foundation or moisturiser contains sun protection - in this case, this powder has an SPF of 34 PA+++). It's got a medium coverage and does a great job of evening out the skin tone and hiding minor blemishes and scars. The fantastic thing about this product is that it's being marketed as a one-stop, no-touchups-needed solution, and I think it really does what it says. I apply this using my kabuki foundation brush each day, and the foundation powder stays on throughout the day without greasing up at all. An easy-to-use, lightweight compact also means that you can pop this into your makeup bag and use the packaged applicator sponge just in case you wanted to take your look well into the night (it's not a miracle worker, so you're gonna need to touch up if you're going from a full day's work to play at night).

3. Alima Pure Satin Matte Foundation

Alima Pure is a brand that sits pretty high up on the list of safe, environmentally-friendly products, which is why I love it so much. Free of practically everything on the EWG's hazardous ingredients list, this product is definitely skin-friendly. What's more, it actually works. Again, I like to apply powder foundations like this one with a kabuki brush, and use a smaller brush to pick up the same foundation and apply it as a concealer. Using this both as a foundation and concealer, most of my scars and blemishes are covered, save for particularly angry-looking ones. I feel comfortable wearing this on my skin, and it keeps it a nice, glowing sort of matte, for well over half a day. After that, a touch up is needed, which can be a little annoying with loose-powder if you're on the go. Other than that, I really enjoy using this foundation.

4. Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder

This doesn't actually claim to be mattifying, but I find that applying about 2 light layers of this loose powder does keep the shine at bay for about half a day or so. I like using this at night, because it looks really natural and doesn't dull the colours and textures of the products that I'm using underneath it. Out of all the products on this list, it is also the lightest and doesn't clog my skin at all.

And that about sums up my favourite powders at the moment for oily skin and humid weather! Did I miss out any of your favourites? Let me know, I'd love to try out more of these products!

Just last week, I had the pleasure of being flown into Singapore to join the global Skin Inc press launch, an event celebrating (as is probably obvious from its name) the global launch of their revolutionary Skin Identity skin check. With this innovative skin check, you can discover your unique skin identity and be empowered to co-create your own one-size-fits-one custom skincare solution - all with the click of a button on their website!

Skin Inc is a brand specialising in the latest skincare technologies and the custom-blending of skincare to suit an individual's needs. I'd noticed the brand before in my shopping trips to Sephora as well as on Luxola, and was intrigued by the brand's promise of customised skincare (as well as its high price tag, but more on that later) and improved skin. Needless to say, I lapped up all the information at the event, and am more than happy to share what I learned with you. Of course, I know you guys only want bite-sized pieces of information, so here's a quick summary of what I discovered on my trip:

1. Skin Inc is 'Singaporean-born and bred', with its skincare researched and developed using the latest technologies available to laboratories in Japan.

2. Skin Inc's serums contain potent active ingredients that scientists have managed to shape into little encapsulated beads, suspended within a highly moisturising, yet lightweight formula. This helps the products penetrate quickly and easily into the skin, which means more efficient skincare.

3. To customise your own concoction, you can take a questionnaire on www.iloveskininc.com, and a special blend of 3 ingredients will be prescribed to you.

4. You can then get this combination mixed for you at dedicated Skin Inc beauty bars around Singapore (Skin Inc has yet to launch a dedicated counter in Malaysia, however you can head into Sephora and purchase your prescribed combination and mix it in yourself.)

5. Skin Inc provides bottles for you to mix your serums into, and you can choose any colour you like to mix your serums into. These bottles even come with a little label you can write on so you always remember what ingredients were used in your own concoction.

6. Your specialised combination of ingredients is called 'My Daily Dose', and it is recommended that you apply 3 drops, twice daily.

7. Skin Inc beauty bars also provide facials, and they're unlike any I've ever experienced - using blasts of oxygen to exfoliate the skin and Japanese thermal water to calm and moisturise. I highly recommend trying one if you're ever near a Skin Inc store in Singapore!

8. The Sofitel So Singapore (where we stayed throughout this press trip) is 7 kinds of fancy and then some, with the most friendly, helpful staff I have ever met! Here's a picture of my room (I LOVED it!):

9. You get to meet the most beautiful (both inside and out) and friendly people on trips like this. I had the distinct pleasure of travelling with Aida Sue and Carmen Soo, both of whom are the most gorgeous, friendly ladies, and I am so grateful to have met them. I also was able to meet some lovely Gushcloud girls from Singapore, and some fabulous Thai bloggers who have become fast friends :)

Now if you guys are interested in trying out this fabulous skincare brand for yourself, Skin Inc actually has a lovely starter kit that contains their award-winning 3-step regime and is perfect for someone making their first foray into their skincare range. It contains trial sizes of 3 of their famous serums, a Pure Revival Peel (this fabulous mild chemical peel that acts as an exfoliant), and their Pure Deepsea Hydrating overnight mask. You can blend all three serums together to apply to your skin; the serums in this pack are formulated to give a radiance and glow to your skin.


To use, simply blend all three serums together (you can mix them into a dropper bottle or simply apply a drop each onto your fingertips), pat into your skin, then run your fingers over your skin in a piano-playing motion to help the serums absorb into your skin. For even better results, you can use their Pure Revival Peel before applying the serums (apply to your skin and leave on for a minute or so, then rub your hands into your skin - you'll feel the your dead skin cells ball up and fall away!), then, follow with their moisturiser.
I tried this kit as soon as I got back from Singapore, and I am in love with these amazing products! I can't even choose a favourite because these products are all so great. The Pure Revival Peel is a gorgeous exfoliant that isn't too harsh on the skin, the Pure Deep Sea Hydrating Mask is fantastic because it is so convenient and extremely moisturising (click here to find out why I am all about overnight masks), and the serums - as I mentioned above - are potent and so on-point performance-wise. Within a couple of days of using these products, I was waking up to plump, moisturised, glowing skin; and within a week or so, my skin was vibrant and luminous - the glow was showing up even under my foundation!

I had such a fabulous time this trip, and would not have been able to do it without Gushcloud Malaysia and the beautiful people at Skin Inc. Thank you so much guys, and let's do this again sometime ;)

If you're interested in purchasing products from the brand, you're in luck! Skin Inc is stocked in Sephora Malaysia. Plus, from now till August 7th, if you spend above RM280 on Skin Inc products, you will receive a complimentary Coenzyme Q10 Serum (20mL) worth RM 356! And from 8th August onwards, spending RM280 and above will entitle you to a free Essentials Cleanser or Essentials UV Shield + a Ceramide serum (5mL) worth RM397! These deals are insane, so get in quick! :)

If you want to find out more about Skin Inc, visit them on their website, or on their Facebook page.