KENS Apothecary x Christmas Haul

I briefly mentioned a recent purchase on my previous post (you can read it here). It was the Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara, and it was certainly the most stubborn waterproof mascara. I couldn't get it out of my lashes - I've tried using warm water and a cleanser, which usually does the trick. I had to resort to using an eye cream on a q-tip and rubbed the mascara out - dreadful. It's both unhealthy for my lashes and for my wallet - one tube of Chanel eye cream for make-up removal? No thank you. 

Solely because of this stubborn mascara, it was time to add a heavy-duty makeup remover into my skincare routine. Enter the micellar water - essentially a liquid with tiny, tiny particles which picks up all the grime and dirt from the skin, gently (too good to be true!!). It was first formulated due to the scarcity of clean, safe water that hit France way back in the days. Eau Micellaire remained a French pharmacie's best-kept secret, came the massive makeup revival these days, where skincare lines are paying close attention towards the micellar water. Now, you can find them absolutely everywhere and upon reading more and more about it, I was keen to try.

I dropped by KENS Apothecary (you can visit their page here), and picked up a few products to try (including said, micellar water). KENS had always been a sort of happy place for me - a minimalist decor, well-curated brand names, and an overall luxurious, satisfying retail experience - this place can do no wrong. If you haven't been there, you should. It's my go-to boutique for a By Terry fix once in a blue moon (as By Terry is outrageously expensive, dear God). I do find that I always know what I want at KENS in comparison to other department stores, mainly because KENS  do carry brands that I have used which has been consistently good. I wish they would bring in more brands to hit their shelves, and I've heard rumours that Lipstick Queen would be next! 



I've stocked up on some Caudalie products, taking advantage of the Christmas sale at KENS (amazing). I picked up the Beauty Elixir which I've been using for about 4 to 5 years, or even longer, maybe? I frequently use this when I'm at the studio or for when I'm travelling because it definitely freshens up the face when the weather is getting too warm, or when I'm feeling tired in the mornings. It has a very distinct therapeutic fragrance which is absolutely calming - it's a spa in a bottle. The sales assistant at KENS recommended to use this either as a toner or a makeup setting spray. I prefer the latter because the essential oils lends to a dewy finish. If you've over-powdered, this is a good face mist to use to correct that. I don't feel like you'd need this but its a nice touch to add in your routine. I have a love/hate relationship with the Beauty Elixir because it contains alcohol but it doesn't seem to dry out my skin . The ingredients in this product may be too harsh on the skin - fragrance, alcohol, peppermint oil - just to name a few. It does mention that the alcohol is a plant-based substance but if you're concerned about the ingredients, give this a pass and opt for a rosewater mist instead.

As for the mascara situation, which was my main reason for dropping by KENS (who am I kidding hahahaha), I've opted for the Caudalie Make-up Remover Cleansing Water to try out. Initially, I wanted to test out the Bioderma micellar water but the nearby drugstore ran out of these suckers. Anyway, first impressions - I wasn't truly impressed with the formula for the Caudalie micellar because it did take a few go's to clear up the mascara. It has a strong fruity fragrance which I don't mind, and I find that this doesn't sting my eye which is usually the case for most of the eye make-up remover that I've previously owned. The Caudalie micellar left my skin feeling very refreshed and clean so it's handy for when I need a quick fix. It is a tad sticky so it won't be able to replace my water-based cleanser. But to be honest, I will still do a proper cleanse because I'm a little neurotic about my skin. Overall, the Caudalie Cleansing Water is really gentle on the skin, and the eyes, which is most important. I love how this feels refreshing on the skin - for both the Beauty Elixir and the Cleansing Water.

The last product from the Caudalie line was the Huile Divine- a concoction of the signature Caudalie grape seed oil, extra virgin argan oil and sesame oil and grape seed polyphenols - all of which has great benefits for the skin. The Huile Divine is a dry oil so it has a very light consistency - very suitable for Malaysian weather, as well as for a normal-oily skin. I reach for the Huile Divine everyday since the purchase as it does add a lot of moisture to my skin. Other than that, I'll mix this in with the micellar water and it perfectly removes my mascara. The problem with this oil, yet again, is that it contains fragrance - which is so irritating of Caudalie to put fragrance in every other product that they have - I've loved the Caudalie Vinosource Intense Moisture Rescue Cream and was hesitant to make a repurchase due to the fragrance in the moisturiser. If you've been on the fence about Caudalie, I think picking up their Christmas sets will be a great way to try out the products without committing to paying full-price. I do love Caudalie and I have tried a lot of French luxury cosmetics - Chanel, Dior to name a few - and most of their products contain fragrances as well, so having said that, I don't find that fragrance is an ultimate deal-breaker refraining me from buying from high-end lines (yes, shoot me).



Let's touch a little bit on another brand that I've decided to test out- the REN Clean Skincare line. The brand boasts to be 100% clean - no parabens, no fragrance, no sulphates, no nothing but clean ingredients, as the name suggests. REN caters for a lot of different skin types - particularly sensitive skin - so that was the winning point for me. I did not have room for more cleansers and moisturisers, so I have purchased the REN Glow and Go instead (Beauty in a Flash in Australia/European regions). Before I start yapping, you can find REN Skincare at KENS (surprise, surprise) and  B.I.G Publika, which is awesome, because Aiman loves buying his toiletries there and I'll wind up browsing the REN shelves and be over where the Real Technique brushes are. 

The first product is the Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial. The mask contains Vitamin C, and you can smell the Vitamin C from when you open the box and that gives me an immediate assurance that this mask definitely packs on a punch. The Flash Rinse is packaged in an opaque tube, for both travel-sized and full-sized items, which really stabilises the Vitamin C content in the mask. The mask is said to brighten the skin, to improve its' elasticity and to even out the skin tone - among other things. I used this in the morning, with hopes that it delivers what it has promised to do. The mask has a fine grain so if you have sensitive skin, don't go too crazy with the scrubbing, even by gently massaging it into the skin, I literally could see flakes of dead skin coming off (disgusting, I know). You first apply the product onto dry skin, massage it in for exfoliation, then dampen the skin to activate the Vitamin C, then you can leave it on for a good 1 minute (I leave it on for 5). I love that it's a quick fix and it actually works! My skin felt smoother, looks brighter, and any swelling/puffiness on the face is drastically reduced. I absolutely love and recommend this if you need that extra something for a blah skin day. 

The second item would be the Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask which I have yet to try to report back on how the product works out. But so far so good with REN Skincare, as I'm really pleased with the Flash Rinse Facial, I'm expecting that the Renewal Mask will be just as good - if not better. These two products are cult favourite in the beauty world so its no wonder that it performs impeccably (or is expected to). I'm falling in love with this line and will definitely check out their serums and cleansers next. I think this can be compared a lot to Peter Thomas Roth (they make the best cleansers) and I'm really glad I've picked up the Christmas set to get an idea about the line. Since it's technically Christmas, I think this set will still be around KENS Apothecary if you're interested to make a purchase. OK, I've rambled enough about my little Christmas buy, and got a little carried away with the mini reviews on all the products. Well, I'll stop right here an I hope everyone is having a great Christmas holiday, Merry Christmas guys! 

x FARAH

Products Mentioned

Caudalie Beauty Elixir, 30ml, MYR60
Caudalie Huile Divine, 15ml, MYR40
Caudalie Eau Micellaire Demaquillante, MYR85
REN Glow and Go Limited Edition Kit, MYR100

Late-Night Swatches : Chanel Le Crayon Khôl 17 Rouge Noir

When the Chanel Rouge Noir Holiday 2015 Collection arrived, I was steadfast in the studio, finalising design concepts and preparing my boards for D-Day. I was lusting over the Illusion d'Ombre Rouge Noir on Safari while CAD-ding on another desktop, and immediately placed my order at my local Chanel counter before it gets sold out. After 10 days straight at the studio, with only 3-4 hours of sleep every night, I have successfully pitch my design on the Sungai Lembing VIC (A/W15 still pending, but you can view it here), and it was finally the day I could pick up my personal Chanel trinket as a reward for being a relentless CAD machine. 

I reached the counter..... My heart dropped. 

Chanel has placed my reservation on the wrong Illusion d'Ombre. 

I was still adamant to own something from the Rouge Noir line. Come on, Rouge Noir is the epitome of Chanel. It celebrated their iconic Le Vernis de Chanel Rouge Noir which was their best selling nail polish, a beautiful blackened red, up to this day. Rouge Noir wasn't just a "trendy winter colour", it was a celebration of history and the success of Chanel. Something about the way this colour was created, fascinated and inspired me. But then again, I was a zombie for a couple of weeks, and Rouge Noir (in a way) has motivated me during my finals, so there's that. Since I wanted to still be a part of the Rouge Noir comeback, I picked up Le Crayon Khôl 17 Rouge Noir (MYR75), and never looked back. 

It. was. So. Much. Better. 

I swatched the Illusion d'Ombre Rouge Noir in stores, many many times. I expected the iconic blackened red, but it swatches a deep chocolate instead, with red and gold sparkles added to the colour. It was still gorgeous as a wash of colour, but reminded me so much of a similar colour in the Illusion d'Ombre, Ebloui , which is a part of their permanent collection. I'm a little let down with the Illusion d'Ombre Rouge Noir because it did not really live up to its name, but Rouge Noir Le Crayon Khol was exactly the Rouge Noir that I wanted. 

Left Photo (without flash) : heavy swatch, blended out

Right Photo (with flash) : light swatch, heavy swatch, blended out

Chanel Le Crayon Khôl 17 Rouge Noir has a complexity and elegance to the colour. It swatches heavy as a blackened red, and blends out beautifully with tinge of plums and chocolates to it. When blended out, you will notice a faint wash of classic Chanel sparkles - a mixture of lilacs and silver sparkles. The liner glides on smoothly on the lid without any tugging, and is easily smudged out for a wash of colour. Sometimes I feel like I'm using a cream shadow because it is so soft texture-wise. It isn't a waterproof liner, so you may want to prime the lids well to avoid having panda eyes. I would suggest to set your eye makeup with the faintest amount of the Chanel Loose Translucent Powder, too, just to be sure. 

Left Photo : applied as a liner

Right Photo : blended out for a wash of colour

I find that you also need to line your waterline with a nude beige/white liner to counteract any redness from your eyes. Since I'm applying this at 1.00 a.m. in the morning, and I was super tired, the redness in my eyes was quite obvious on-camera (with flash). It isn't something to put me off this liner though because it is a solvable issue. I've paired the look with a wash of Mary Lou Manizer on the mobile lids to add more shimmer to the eyes, as well as the inner corners. I've used the Chanel Inimitable Mascara which I have purchased together with Le Crayon Khôl 17 Rouge Noir. 

Photo : Rouge Noir 

I absolutely love this liner and will be purchasing a back-up, just in case it won't be added on to Chanel's permanent collection. I heard that the Rouge Noir Collection might make it, so let's hope for the best *fingers crossed*. Definitely recommend this liner. If you particularly have hazel eyes like mine, please give it a go!! It is such a beautiful product with an affordable price tag, too. Seventy five ringgit. It's way cheaper than Aiman's vape flavours. Yes, that is how I justify most of my purchases. Hahahahaha. I hope you've enjoyed this session of Late-Night Swatches! Good night.

x FARAH