Crushing on Cushions

So Bubbles found herself at the Laneige Beauty Road event on Saturday when she was "just popping over to Kino". Eeks, dangerous detour, that one. Especially when there's a hot pink universal travel adaptor gift-with-$150-spend. 

Now Bubbles just came back from an overseas trip without once reaching for Father Alpaca's plain grey adaptor with snazzy buttons to slide out different electrical prongs. But Bubbles needed a hot pink adaptor in her life. 

My precioussss......

The lengths Bubbles goes to, to get the hot pink adaptor...

Loot laid out. Bubbles grabbed the new releases too! Amazing what the words "limited edition summer collection" can do...

Notably, the Laneige Body Cushion (slightly over $50 per cushion, it's $53 if memory serves), the Anti Pollution Masks (5 pieces) and the Anti Pollution Defensor (essentially a sunblock) are THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK. The Anti Pollution masks and sunblock came as a set with free Clear-C and white plus renew original essence samples, retailing at $78.

The 7 collagen drinks were the inducement to spend at least $230, and the Lip Sleeping Mask and mini lipstick palette are rewards for spending at least $300. A $150 spend gets you the cluster of 5 small bottles, but hey, a trial Anti Pollution Defensor was thrown in (and the hot pink adaptor).

So Bubbles decided to give the Laneige Body Cushion a go...it's really called the "Laneige Sparkling Body Cushion" but that's a bit much to say over and over again.

Enlisting the services of a smaller alpaca to model the case

The usual rubbery puff, just bigger

And the cushion. It has a light fruity scent, reminding Bubbles of cocktails by the beach. Very different from the face-BB-cushion scent.

Best Cap'n America impression. This stuff is sparkly!

See the difference between NO and GLOW? The pearly sheen is obvious when you catch the light at certain angles. So alpacas, remember to blend (i.e. take the sponge and pat outwards without dipping into the cushion again) and you won't have patches of pearl on your arms. 

Once blended out (experiment repeated while typing this post), this alpaca is coated in a very fine shimmer. Oh Bubbles Cullen, why do you sparkle so?  Viewed at arm's length (literally), the effect on Bubble's hand is subtle, but when brought closer to the face, the sparkles are noticeable (it's like what's left after swatching a glittery eyeshadow on your hand and rubbing it off with a finger). Not something Bubbles would wear to work, but definitely for a date or high tea. 

Bubbles also tried the Anti Pollution mask (while watching TV). It's a fabric mask, not a gel one. Overall very hydrating and calming. Thumbs up for a repurchase. 

Loading up on Laneige

Allo, Alpacas!

It has been some time since Bubbles' last post (Bubbles has been busy), but this alluring alpaca is back!

Now the 2015 Laneige holiday collection has been released and it's called the "Laneige Lucky Holiday Collection". Bubbles wasn't actually planning to get anything but she had $80 to spend after signing up for a Laneige K-Beauty workshop in October ($80 workshop fee but fully redeemable for products). Bubbles signed up only because the workshop was to be held on the 69th floor of Swissotel (the view, the view!). It certainly was an effective marketing strategy on Laneige's part because after playing with a huge array of Laneige skincare and makeup products from 10am to 1pm, Bubbles did THREE Laneige hauls over three days (yikes!). But who can blame this alpaca? Bubbles was sorely tempted by the gift-with-purchase items! Just look at this gift-with-$180-spend bracelet!

Laneige "sparkling" bracelet. Sparking a spending frenzy in this alpaca.

The Laneige workshop goodie bag. Must resist putting multiple exclamation marks. 

Behold! A puff for the BB cushion, a set of 6 mini Laneige brushes in a faux leather brush holder (these brush sets are not for sale and are only available as event gifts), mini water bank mist (30ml), mini lip sleeping mask (3g), mini water sleeping mask (15ml), 1 piece Clear C advanced effector mask, a notebook and a silver cross body bag. 

So Bubbles dropped some moolah after the workshop on these items:

1. The holiday BB cushion set ($59);

2. A blush (Blossom Coral; tested and loved during the workshop) ($38);

3. Lumi Block primer (also tested and loved during the workshop - excellent oil control properties and a very smooth canvas for Bubbles to start painting on her face - your drawn-on eyebrows will never leave your face at the end of a long day) ($42);

4. Laneige x Playnomore lip gel ($36);

5. Laneige Multiberry Yoghurt Peeling Gel (it's like eating a delicious berry dessert without the calories) ($42).

Looking spiffy, this BB cushion packaging. Comes with 4 mini colour pencils and 7 Laneige skincare samples! 

And then they load you with free gifts! The gift with purchase for spending above $180 (but below $240) comprises:

1. Laneige travel kit: an inflatable neck pillow, slippers and an eye mask;

2. Laneige sparkling bracelet;

3. Selfie camera clip if you are a Robinsons member (has a fish-eye lens effect);

4. Pack of very generously sized skincare samples (samples on steroids, if you will). The refiner and emulsion here are TWICE the size of the same refiner and emulsion samples Bubbles received during the non-holiday promo for minimum $150 spend - (a) Power Essential Skin Refiner Light (50ml), (b) Balancing Emulsion Light (50ml), (c) Water Bank Essence (10ml), (d) Lip Sleeping Mask (3g) and (e) Water Sleeping Mask (15ml).

Everything unpacked. Holiday promotions are super worth it. The sample sachets are for playing a memory game at the pop up store. Bubbles, having no strategy apart from randomly jabbing at the screen to match the picture pairs, scored the consolation prize.

All laid out! Haul + gifts with purchase + workshop goodies = one happy alpaca!

So adios, alpacas! Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow! 

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum EX review (Part 1)

Oh happy day; Bubbles was invited to the VIP opening of the Sulwhasoo boutique at Capitol Piazza. However, being a busy alpaca (someone has to fund the Sulwhasoo sprees), that post will have to wait till Saturday.

In the meantime, Bubbles has a mini review of the new Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum EX! The old Sulwhasoo first care serum is going to be discontinued, but you won't miss it for long because the new serum promises to be a supercharged version of the old, further increasing the absorption of skincare products.

So how does the new first care serum EX differ from the old first care serum? Bubbles puts it to a quick test:

On the left: old first care serum; on the right: new first care serum EX

Looks: both serums are brown and runny. You wouldn't be able to tell them apart just by looking. 

Texture: two equal-sized blobs of serum on Bubbles' paw ran down at the same rate. It's a tie! 

Scent: the old serum smells citrus-powdery and the new one smells citrus-herby (whatever that means). It is clear that Bubbles has no nose for scents....

Effect on face: no allergic reactions to the new serum thus far, and it feels the same as the old serum, where it sinks into the skin quickly. Nevertheless, to be a good scientist, one has to run consistent trials over a period of time. Bubbles confesses that she has been slack with her skincare regime on Sunday and Monday, and the event was on Saturday. Heh heh. It's too early for a detailed review of the new serum EX, so check back in about a month's time. 

Concluding remarks: Bubbles bids farewell to the old first care serum but she won't miss it because the new serum looks, smells and feels the same. While it's too early to tell whether it's more effective compared to the old serum, Bubbles is happy that she's not allergic to the new formulation. This alpaca wants to be spotted, not spotted. Just my little joke. 

Ending off with Bubbles' haul at the Sulwhasoo boutique opening

The trial set (4 items), pouch and small 30ml bottle of the first care serum EX were door gifts. The rest were impulse buys because they were pretty. Just look at that floral foundation case! Bubbles is not a fan of cushion foundations but the case was too pretty to pass up. Yours, with 2 foundation refills, for $74. Also, a 120ml limited edition bottle of the first care serum EX is retailing for $195, a 30% discount.