903C Just Peachy: This is a light warm peachy nude that would work really well on anyone with fair to medium skin. I'm more prone to reach for these colours in the spring, but I could see it working year round. 

904B Rose Bud: If I had to pick favourites, then it would be this shade. As the name suggests, it's a beautiful light dusty rose shade. It's muted enough to be natural looking, but still adds some colour into the look. 

906D Wine Room: Now if I had to pick my favourite shade name, then the crown would go to Wine Room. Contrary to most shades that have 'wine' in the name, this shade isn't as dark and burgundy as the name would suggest. It's quite similar to Rose Bud in the sense that it's a rosey mauve shade, but just a couple shades darker. I'd categorise this as a 'high key neutral, low key dramatic' shade. It's one that I reach for when I want a little more colour but still want to keep the whole look quite toned down. 

908C Sugar Plum Fairy: Probably one of the most famous shades from the line, this is a colour dupe for MAC Rebel. A dark berry shade, this one is absolutely perfect for the colder months. The purple in the berry will also perk up the sallow winter 'yuck' skin. 

918D Cherry Bomb: I bought this shade when I first started dipping my toes in the darker, vampy hues last autumn. Often mentioned as the lovechild of MAC Diva - a deep, dark burgundy shade, I figured that I might as well try this shade out. Even if I hated it, it'd only mean one less trip to Starbucks. It's a good thing that I did that as while I quite like the shade, I just don't see myself wearing such dark colours enough to justify paying beyond what I did. That said, I especially love wearing this shade when I'm wearing all black and revisiting my younger emo days. 

I purchased the Wet n Wild Megalast Lipsticks off of Beauty Joint, which does international shipping at a low price. These lipsticks are amazing and probably the best 'true matte' formula in the drugstores. I have my eye on a couple more shades, so who knows, I might end up doing a 'I totally need more lipsticks' delusional midnight order some time. 

Have you tried the Wet n Wild Megalast Lipsticks? If so, what are your favourite shades? 

Korean beauty brands are probably most famous for their skincare, and not without reason. There's even the infamous 10-step skincare regime that's making its rounds on the internet. While I'm still a step or two short of the comprehensive routine, I've since developed a more advanced regime that includes half a dozen Korean products. Innisfree, without surprise, has secured its spot in my skincare lineup. 

The Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil was the product that convinced me to switch to oil-based cleansers. Not only is it true to the name and smells like juicy apples, this is like a makeup assassin, breaking down my makeup in seconds. It also leaves my skin feeling plump and almost hydrated after I wash it off. Plus, how cute is the fresh green packaging? 

I know it's a bit weird to include samples in the recommendations, but seriously, I have enough samples of the Orchid Enriched Cream to last me a couple of months. If you've ever been to a Korean makeup store, you'll know that they hand out samples like air. I normally don't fall in love with samples, but this purple-packaged moisturiser was an exception. The slightly gel-like texture hydrates the skin without feeling too heavy, and leaves behind a soft hydrated glow when the product is completely absorbed. Also, I love purple.

Last but not least, I've completely fallen head over heels for the Eco Safety Daily Sunblock. Armed with SPF35, this is one that I've really been enjoying when the sun isn't out to blaze the land. There isn't that weird sunscreen smell, nor does it have the annoying coconut scent that some brands do (I really don't like coconut, alright?). It's light on the skin, easily blendable, and doesn't leave a white cast behind. I've really been seeing a difference since I started wearing sunscreen on a daily basis. My skin is a lot smoother and my old acne scarring has since faded a lot quicker. In short, I've been converted to wearing sunscreen on a daily basis.


While Innisfree may not be the easiest brand to physically locate outside of Asia, their official website does international shipping at an affordable price. Plus, there's almost always some kind of offer going on. I really should venture out and try other Korean beauty brands, but quite frankly, I'm completely infatuated by Innisfree and can't see myself cheating on it. Have you tried anything from the brand before? If so, what are your favourites? 

Makeup is confusing. And it can get very expensive very fast. I'm not the best candidate when it comes to budgeting, but I can say that I'm usually pretty good at spending smartly. I've had my fair share of recklessly spending all my money on makeup when I first started as I had no clue where to save and where to invest. After a lot of trial and error, I've developed a general blueprint - that's not to say that there are things in the save category that I would sometimes splurge on and vice versa. But think of it as a rule of thumb that I tend to follow. 

I always considered purple lips to be too 'out there' and 'daring' for a plain Jane like me. But then I started dabbling in lipsticks that had purple undertones, and of course, armed with my 'all or nothing' extreme personality, I decided to go all in with plain up purple lip colours. 

Yes, I'll admit, it takes up a certain amount of psyching up before you wear a purple lipstick the first time. It's different, it's bold, and it'll draw attention. You'll feel self-conscious and doubt your choice. You'll wonder what the heck colour outfit you're supposed to pair with a purple lip. You will talk yourself out of wearing it outside your bedroom. I cannot tell you the amount of times I applied purple lipstick just to take it off and switch it for a red or a pink. Fast forward to the day I completely lost track of time and had to dash out with bright purple lips as I was already on borrowed time to make it to an appointment. 

People glanced and stared, kids seemed fixated on my choice of lip colour. But for some reason, kids always seemed to really like purple lips and I'd have people come up and compliment me on my lip colour. It was a confidence booster. I quickly became more comfortable with this colour choice and found that it was a surprisingly easy 'unconventional' shade to wear. Granted, you'll need to hurdle the barrier of 'normal', but once you do, you'll find yourself reaching for this eye-catching bright colour. 

Further proof that this lip colour, while seemingly daring and impossible, is actually quite user and crowd friendly? My parents are people that have a slight frown when I wear a bold red lip, thinking that it's slightly 'scandalous' and 'over the top'. They'll do a double take before asking me if I intended to blot the colour down, or in my dad's case, subtly ask my mother if I'm going anywhere after dinner and pretend that he never did that as my mum relays me the question. Fast forward to the time I was wearing a bright purple lip. My dad still did a double take but didn't question things while my mother nodded and was all 'yes, this sits better than the blood red you were wearing yesterday. Wear this when you want to wear red'.  

If purple lips can win my parents over, then you know that it's a crowd pleaser. Have you dabbled in the realm of purple lips before?