May 2014 Favourites

May has been a really difficult month for me in terms of skin, and that has continued into June but with some luck, it's starting to look better. Since my skin was being unusually sensitive and reacting to anything and everything, I went back to a brand that I trusted and knew my skin liked and tolerated - Hada Labo. Only their face washes don't work for me and leaves my skin feeling overly cleansed and dry but that shall be a story for another time. 

The Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion has been a staple of mine for years. It is a hyaluronic acid rich liquid that sinks right into the skin. My skin sslluurrppps it up the way a kid drinks coke (or at least the way I drank coke as a kid, massive addiction right there) and there's no sticky feeling after. I think no matter what your skin type is, the boost of hyaluronic acid hydration can't be beat. I also much prefer the Arbutin version over the normal version because it really does brighten up the complexion after extended use. This is probably like my 4th or 5th bottle, not inclusive of the bottles of normal formula Hada Labo Lotion I've used. 

I've used one of the older versions of the Hada Labo Moisturizers a long way back and it wasn't a favourite because it did leave a tacky feeling to my face. Fast forward to the very impressive sounding Hada Labo Ultra Hydrating 3-in-1 Perfect Gel which is supposed to be an essence, cream and mask all in one little tub. While I do still find the formula tacky, this performs really nicely globbed on as an overnight mask and I wake up with soothed and softer skin the next morning. It also works well in very thin layers for day time use.

The Air Aqua UV Day Emulsion SPF50 PA+++ (fresh) is such a gem of a sunscreen. It comes out as a white super liquidy formula that is almost like a serum and basically weightless once on the skin. It contains vitamin C to brighten, sebonotmine that keep the face matte and hyaluronic acid that still keeps the face hydrated (and also some anti-ageing ingredients). In my opinion it almost performs as a primer! This didn't aggravate my skin and the texture is just so beautiful. I currently have dry skin and at the end of the day I can see that my makeup has turned powdery (but still there!), so I do believe this would work well on oily skinned ladies!

I've finally pulled out my Sleek Blush by 3 Palette in Lace, a palette that looks so beautiful but was previously so hard to use because it was so incredibly pigmented. I've finally gotten my hands on a much looser blush brush and that has made an incredible difference in the way these blushes look on the cheek. A looser brush helps to diffuse the pigment and leaves such a sheer wash of colour on the cheeks which is incredibly beautiful. I use the matte colours all over the cheek and pop the centre shimmery nars orgasm-esque shade just on the apples.

Finally, my last favourite is the Tony Moly Gel Eyeliner in 02 Brown. I've been favouring an all or nothing look, so I either go with purely mascara, or a very thick cat eye. With the very intense cat eye look, a black eyeliner look is quite fierce so the brown eyeliner does a great job at softening the look. This gel eyeliner is very creamy and pigmented with all day lasting superpowers and can do no wrong. The bonus is that the built in brush is in the unretarded category and actually usable for touch ups so you can bring this little baby around!

What were your favourites this month? Here's to a better month with skin issues folks! 

Does Your Face Have Expensive Taste?

Halo good sunday everyone! Buying makeup is slightly addictive isn't it? Until you check your bank balance at the end of the month and realize you're dead broke. I've seen the 'how much does your face cost' tag going around, and decided to find out how much my 'face' actually costs. I'm rather apprehensive because the items I like tend to veer to the more expensive range! Damn you face, why do you need so many products!

This is my everyday look, actually it's slightly more than what I wear to school but if I were to head to work or have a presentation this is what I would wear. There's no budget here for a more extravagant evening look!

Products used!

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer (SGD$62) to cover dark acne marks, can also double up as a tinted moisturizer when mixed in with moisturizer though I tend not to like doing that.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach (SGD$43) for my tedious dark circles.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (SGD$42) to add coverage for my tedious dark circles and for blemishes on brighter areas of my face. Also used to brighten up my cheeks and nose.

Everyday Minerals Concealer in Pearl Pick Me Up (~SGD$16) as a highlighting powder for under my eyes and cheeks. Seems to have been discontinued, but this seems like the replacement.

Collection2000 ShimmerShades in Blushalicious (~SGD$8) as... blush.

MAC Paintpot in Nubile (SGD$10) to brighten up my lids and undereyes. I pretty much slap it on all round my eyes. SGD$10 because I got it in a sale! If not... I probably would use something else or not use anything at all. I'm cheap like that.

Jealousness Waterproof Eyeliner (SGD$15) most days to line the ends of my eyes, interchangeable with mascara or liquid liner. I'm not particular with what type of eyeliner I use as long as it stays on. Imma pro with all! I kid. Also, when I line my eyes, I'm too lazy to use mascara because it can't be seen anyway.

The Faceshop Faceit Designing Cake Eyebrow (SGD$12) is the only powder I've ever used for my brows and is not running out any time soon. Though with bangs, I feel like I can get away without doing them.

Revlon Lip Butter (SGD13) is a brilliant formula and I heart-eyes it. The usual price is SGD$15.90 which is a rip off and the drugstores have 20% or more sales pretty much all the time so only get it on sale.

Total Cost: SGD$221

Well, that's cheaper than I thought my face would be. Granted, I did not include a foundation, or setting powder, or setting spray (cheating) which would make the total cost nearer $300. If my $300 worth of make up lasted a year, each face would cost me $0.85! I could get a damn good kopi (coffee) from my uni's canteen for that price. Really makes you think doesn't it?

I think that what's more important though is whether my 85c face looks like it's worth 85c (haha, it better look worth more than that!). How much does your face cost and does it have expensive taste? Let me know!

P.S. All links provided in this post are for your clicking convenience only. I am not linked or affiliated to any of the stores.

Retrolicious Sticker Sheet Halloween Costume

Being ridiculously stressed out over school really pushes my creativity in other ways. After months of brainstorming with my girls over what to wear for halloween, nobody could really think of anything cool or fun, so we decided to abandon ship and have a dinner instead of party. Well, in our defense, we are kinda old. I was quite inspired watching videos on youtube, namely this video (sidetrack: I cannot help but think her boobs look incredible. I want boobs like that!) and decided to come up with my own ensemble. Since I'm not celebrating, I thought I'd just share it cos I really like the getup!

Anyway, remember these stickers? They were a great part of my childhood - for some reason I was given a huge box of stickers and these sheets of mixed neon coloured circles were in them and I stuck them everywhere. Fast forward 20 years of my life, these stickers were an integral part of my first year of education - we used them to stick underneath our rulers to minimize surface contact so our drawings would not smudge when we moved our rulers over the drawings. Of course, these stickers are way chic now, coming in colours such as silver and pastel colours. 

So here's my...photoshopped attempt at a sticker sheet costume complete with jelly everything! These would be ridiculously easy to make, just grab some adhesive neon sheets from Popular (bookstore) and cut them circles out. Even easier, get one of the circular postit pads that I'm pretty sure come in neon shades and use craft glue to glue them onto a white shirt/tank. Be sure to slide a cardboard inside the shirt if you're using craft glue! 

Pair with jelly wedges to be a more feminine sticker sheet or get some glitter jelly jujus for some retro lovin'! Pretty sure Rubi has something similar for cheap. I love me some silicon sling bags - the silicon is just heaven to touch! And of course, in ode to the spring coil straps (no idea what they were called but check them out here) we had as kids to clip our wallets to ourselves, some spring coil hair ties as accessories. 

For some over the top played-with-yo-momma's-makeup makeup look without breaking the bank, search your stash for anything remotely bright. This was quite tough for a neutral girl like me, so I ended up with mostly lipsticks to play with.

Eyes: I primed my eyes, then used NYX Matte Lipstick in Indie Flick to dab on and create a cat eye with the bright red colour. Slowly dab on to add to the intensity, powdering the eye with translucent powder in between layers. Try to go as bright as possible because this look is all about being bright. Then I used Essence Liquid Eyeliner Waterproof to draw on an obvious cat eye. If your lid space allows for it, the thicker, the more retro but be careful not to cover the red. Then line your lower waterline with a white eyeliner or nude eyeliner to make the eyes look larger.

Cheeks: I used the brightest pink shade in the Coastal Scents 10 Blush Palette. Build the neon pink shade up in a circle on your cheeks. I wasn't very precise so mine wasn't as circular as I wanted it, but a circle shaped blush ups the cute-sy factor.

Lips: I tried to find a matte neon orange for the lips, but Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti was the best I got. So I concealed my lips to lighten their natural colour and put Tutti Frutti on building the intensity up in the center of the lip. Try not to cover the entire lips for a rounder, cuter pout.

Here is my circular face complete with circular makeup. Hot mess indeed! This is rather over the top, even for me, but what better time to be over the top than Halloween? Yay or nay? Let me know!

Weekly Favourites #9

Hello it's friday the 13th! It has been a crazy week for me, with my dissertation finally getting done (HOORAY) and one of my sisters flying off to London for her studies. I haven't really gotten much sunlight (I'm like a plant, I need a daily dose of sunlight to function), let alone slapping on any make up, but these have been life savers at perking up my deathly tired complexion this week.

The Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude has saved my poor eyes from looking like they've barely gotten any sleep. Not only does it make my eyes look more awake, it can actually double up as a dark eye ring concealer for me! I swear this stuff does not budge. It's got a slight sticky texture that I think really helps it stay glued to the waterline and undereyes. In fact, I have the swatch on my arm now and I've rubbed the swatches away vigourously.. and I do mean vigourously and the liner still has not budged. Ace product need more!

Lipstains have been my go to this week because they add colour to the lips (and face) without looking like I've actually put anything on. In my opinion, this is the ultimate product to use to con poor boys. They'll be looking at you and have absolutely no idea what you did to your lips because all that's different with your lips are their colour and absolutely nothing else! The NYC 16H Smoochproof Lip Stain in Persistent Pink(that's just the cutest name) and the GOSH Long Lasting Lip Marker in Berry leave the most gorgeous blushed lips - that's if lips could blush. It's like you've been eating cherries and stained your lips or been gnawing on your lips and they flooded with colour, just so perfect. The GOSH Lip Marker also has the most amazing cherry taste and scent. Your lips will be sweet with this on. I always take sneaky licks of my lips when I have it on. Ah-maze-zing. 

Is the Shiseido Lip Amulet in Pure Red just  the cutest lip product in existence or what? Each colour has a different person design. If I'm not wrong, this may be a limited edition (comes out every christmas or occasion or something but this was a december 2012 release) item but they're sold really cheaply at convenience stores in HK/Taiwan, just not Singapore ): The bullet within is a really bright red, but the formula is extremely sheer and more like a barely tinted lip balm. It is extremely hydrating and glossy and I tend to reach for this when my lips are dry from insufficient hydration through the night (I feel like the computer monitor sucks water away from me..strange I know). This is for glossy MLBB pouts.

My 2nd sister got me convinced to start on this moisturizer again. I've been having rather bad luck with moisturizers lately, and she told me that the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion was a really good one because it absorbs so fast. My skin hasn't been faring too well with the late nights and intensive computer staring (like I said, I am convinced staring at the screen dehydrates me) and this moisturizer has been quite the lifesaver. It feels really odd upon application, almost oily in fact. But give it 10 seconds and it disappears. Don't know why I never gave it the 10 seconds it needed. The best part is that it works really well through the day, just don't overdose or you will have oily skin (tried and tested. got greedy).

L-R. NYC 16H Smooch Proof Lip Stain in Persistent Pink, GOSH Long Lasting Lip Marker in Berry, Shiseido Lip Amulet in Pure Red, Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in Nude

I'm so absolutely in love with all the products featured this week I'm typing at top speed! Do you guys own any of these products too? Let me know and have a great friday night! <3

10 under 10

Good Monday girls! If you don't know, I'm now a student again and school has officially started. Not too sure if that's a good thing, but what I know for sure is that going from a sizeable pay cheque each month to an allowance again is not fun. I definitely had to cut back my spending, and that includes makeup too.

As fellow Singaporeans know, the price of makeup in Singapore is definitely not on the cheap side - a drugstore foundation like l'oreal or maybelline can easily set us back S$30 or more. I have compiled a list of products (that I've used and quite like/don't hate) which fall under the S$10 category which hopefully might help some people start out. All the products here can pretty much achieve a simple everyday makeup look.

Psst I did cheat - there're 11 products!

Elf Studio Line Powder Brush ($6, found at smoochiezz's warehouse/sales or at watson's tradeshows for slightly more expensive)
I use the this every single time I do my make up. It is the only item in my makeup collection I can truly refer to as a holy grail item and I have 3 of these brushes (1 I've thrown away). This brush can do everything! It buffs in liquid and creams like a dream, when stippled gives beautifully blended high coverage. Can be used with mineral foundations, even powder blushes and loose powder when used with a loose hand. If you could only buy one brush, buy this brush. My only complaint is that water tends to loosen the handle so be careful when washing.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector 10ml ($2, found at selected watsons)
Okay, I cheated again, this is a travel sized item. I suspect these were leftover stock from beauty boxes. Well, for $2, no harm trying. I don't love this nor hate this item, but it has SPF26 (better than nothing), and is a good yellow-tone for majority of the chinese in Singapore. Also does a decent job at evening out skin tone, though in my case it is just a tad too fair.

Essence Match 2 Cover Cream Concealer ($4.50, found at selected watsons)
I've raved about this insanely here. I don't think I need to rave more. If you're worried about undereye circles, use this and be happy.

NYX Concealer in a Jar ($7, smoochiezz's warehouse/sales or watsons's tradeshows for more expensive)
This concealer is supposed to be a dupe for MAC's Studio Fix Concealer. I don't think it's as high coverage, but I do like that it's has high enough coverage and enough tackiness to cover blemishes and not shift during the day. I used to use it quite a bit, if I wasn't the concealer whore I am I think I would still be using it today. If I'm not wrong the formula has been updated to be slightly creamier but I do have the updated formula in another colour and it works fine.

Elf HD Powder ($10, smoochiezz's warehouse/sales or watsons' tradeshows for more expensive)
I hope this doesn't constitute cheating because it is technically $10 if you know where to find it. Decent setting powder, really does seem to blur out imperfections and really mattifies the skin. Said to be a dupe for the MUFE HD Powder (which I don't have). Don't use it if indulging in flash photography though (google - silica powder flash photography). You have been warned.

Alobon Blush ($5-7, Mustafa)
I usually chicken out from buying facial products from places that sell makeup that's slightly dubious in origin and content, but I did fair amount of research and it seemed alright. I really like this blush, I do. It reminds me so much of the MAC MSFs and is just so pretty and marbled I would buy it just to look at it. And it's just so cheap. It is also incredibly pigmented, some are incredibly sparkly (can be avoided by using a stippling blush) and can double up as highlighter. It has also never broken me out.

Mizon Blooming Tint ($6, Venus at Clementi)
If you're not one to put dubious makeup on your face, then try this Mizon Blooming Tint. The concept is similar to Benefit's Benetint in that it can be used both on the cheeks and lips. I found this to be a thick liquidy texture that is not highly pigmented. For my skintone, it is barely visible on the cheeks, but for fairer people it will be a really nice natural flush of colour though it does take a while to build up. I like it more on the lips as the result is really a rosier, pinker version of my lip colour. It also fills up the fine lines and has a subtle glossiness. Very much love it for its subtlety.

L.A Girl Lipstick ($10, selected guardians)
Extremely pigmented and creamy lipstick in a very large array of colours. Packaging looks cheap, but all the lipsticks from the drugstore brands (aside from Essence) are at almost double the price or more. This works.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Liner ($8.75, found here)
I don't know if this can be found in Singapore yet, but regardless, it's cheaper online. I seem to have misplaced my black version, but this eyeliner is nicely pigmented, creamy and really does last a decent while. I picked a pencil liner over a liquid liner because they're just more versatile in the sense that I can use a pencil liner to tightline, do a cateye, or smudge it out for a smokey eye. Have your pick.

Silky Girl Big Eye Collagen Waterproof Mascara ($14.90, usually on sale at watsons/guardian)
Okay, I really am a big cheat, but this mascara is always on sale when I visit the drugstore. I think I got mine for $8. The only cheaper mascaras would be those in daiso (no way I'm letting a $2 product go near my eyes) and the Essence mascaras (the range is INSANE I don't dare to start testing). It may be astonishing, but this is the only mascara I have found that does not smudge on me. I have tried mascaras from l'oreal, maybelline, majolica majorca, estee lauder, dior, mac and they've all transferred to my under eye without fail. Lord knows why of all brands, Silky Girl would work out. Anyway, this is really quite good, slightly wet formula that coats lashes evenly without clumping. It lengthens the lashes considerable, and volumizes them strand by strand rather than as a clump. No thin spidery lashes for this mascara. I do quite love it.

Maybelline Eyebrow Pencil by Eyestudio ($6.90, selected watsons)
No face can do without brows, you need a brow pencil. This has one of the most neutral brown grays I've seen and would match black hair, brown hair, heck even blond if you like intense brows. Easy to use, doesn't go on too dark, I even use it to line my eyes sometimes. It does tug a little bit if I do my eyes, but it works for a lightly defined eye. Simple and good.

Hopefully that wasn't too long ore tedious a read. What are your top 10 under 10 - Singapore version? I would love to know!



Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated to any of the brands featured, nor were any of the products sponsored. All products featured were paid for by myself.

Essence Match-2-Cover Concealer and Liquid Ink Waterproof Eyeliner

Happy National Day Singapore! A day late, worth mentioning still :D

It's been a really long time since I felt the want to do reviews. I usually only like to do reviews if the items excite me, not depress me. Here are 2 that I've mentioned in my weekly favourites #4 that I like so much I thought they deserve their own individual review. 

First is the Essence Match-2-Cover Cream Concealer. It is a 2 concealer pact that comes with 2 different tones of concealer, 1 to colour correct and 1 to match the skin tone. There are however, no different colour ranges of this concealer. It is also one of the cheapest concealers that can be found in Singapore at SGD$4.50 (for 2 colours to boot). I say SCOREEEEE!

(Just a note: I apologize if the photographs of used make-up disgust you (they make me cringe haha), but reality is, makeup will look like that at some point. Also, sometimes after working into the product, the colour can differ from when it is new, so I feel that it is a better representation.)

The compact itself is not very large, each colour is about the size of the old 50c coin. The cover states that it comes with 0.08oz/2.3g of product and is made in Taiwan. It also really looks like the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer + Powder Compact. I always imagine that products that look similar (Silkygirl gel eyeliner, revlon gel eyeliner, tonymoly gel eyeliner I'm lookin' at you) emerge from the same supplier and have similar results, which makes me quite the sucker.

It's a simple plastic case that clasps shut. It requires a little bit of nail digging to release the clasp but is relatively easy to open and close. The packaging is very light-weight and might feel a bit cheap, but the hinges are not loose so that's a plus. I feel like it might crack if I happen to drop it at an angle though.

The product itself is a dream to work with. It is super creamy and applies best with fingers in my opinion. The cream does accentuate flaky skin, as with most cream concealers, so try to use this on well hydrated skin. I would compare this to the Bobbi Brown Correctors in terms of texture, though the BB corrector actually feels slightly softer and creamier. The slightly drier texture might be preferred by some people as the concealer doesn't move around so much. Both the BB correcter and the Essence cream concealer crease on me, so I do recommend setting with powder. The concealer fades minimally through the day. 

As you can see above, the compact is for rather fair individuals, the colours are photographing almost white on my skin. That's why I would mostly recommend it for undereyes for people of similar skin tone to me (nc 30, might be fairer now). If you're nc 20/25 and lighter this might work on most of your face. One of the shades has a salmon undertone, though when comparing it to my peach corrector, I think it's more similar to the bisque correctors rather than the peach. The other colour is a neutral beige. Essence says the 2 shades are to be mixed and match to find your perfect shade - doesn't work that way for me because of my yellow undertones. 

This is what blew me away. The coverage of the concealer! Yes my undereyes look kinda dry - guilty of not putting eye cream! Usually, I use my BB correcter without any skin tone concealer on top of it as I find that it brightens my eyes. With this bisque-like correcter, it does brighten up my dark rings but it looks a little unnaturally white, so I have to use the skin tone concealer, which blends on top of the correcter like magic! You know how sometimes layering concealers can get cakey? Well this doesn't! On top of that, the skin tone works to subtly brighten up my complexion. My dark rings are much darker irl than in the photo, so I can vouch for the high coverage that this product has. It's really an ace product and I can't recommend it more. 

Moving on to the Essence Liquid Ink Eyeliner (Waterproof). First things first, packaging! This is the tiniest tube I've ever seen, measuring 8.5cm length by 1.2cm diameter. You get 0.1 fl.oz/3ml of product for SGD$3.90 if I remember the prices correctly. Eyeliner made in Luxembourg

Some liners like the L'oreal Super Liner come with a small pot for ink, and have a longer handle on the brush for easier handling. This liner has a short handle for the brush but I actually feel that the shortness of the brush makes it easier to handle when drawing a line. The brush is also gripped very tightly by the bottle so please be careful when pulling it out, less you get a face full of black ink splatters like I did! The brush also isn't the thinnest brush on the market, though the quality of your line does depend on your skill level. I don't require such a fine line so that doesn't bug me. As you can see, I can draw a decently thin line :D

The formula is a very wet formula which some may not like. It applies glossy, then dries to a deep and intense matte black. I don't think I've ever seen a black so black in my eyeliners. I found that I needed to clear the brush of excess ink before drawing on my lids because if the formula is too wet then i get a glob of liquid on my lids that is thicker than the rest of the line I'm drawing. Also, I found that drawing over the line when the formula is still wet does pull product off, so the best way to draw a smooth line is to draw the line twice, or if you're good, to only draw a perfect line once. Since this product does take a while to dry, it might not be that great if you're really in a rush.

What annoys me is that this does not stand up to water. The waterproof claim is total bullcrap. Little bit of water and rubbing and it comes straight off. I however, do not have watery eyelids (is that even possible?) nor cry alot on a daily basis so that is no problem. I do have very oily eyelids, which is a problem for most eyeliners that I own - gel, pencil or liquid. My lids are no match for this liner and it has made me such a happy girl! I'm pretty sure it can last the entire day, as long as you're not an eye-rubber. The eyeliner also lasts even when I cleanse my face with an oil-based cleanser, so I really have to get in there and rub with the oil to get the eye-liner off. One thing to note is that this comes off in flakes, not evenly so that might be a problem if the liner starts to wear off on your lids.

This is really high up on my list due to the quality vs price. Probably not the liner I would grab if I don't have time to spare, but it beats my quickie eyeliners on pretty much everything else!!!

To conclude, this is probably my luckiest make-up buy of all time, coming it at under 10buckeroos. I am so happy with these products, and for under 10 bucks, there really is no harm trying them says the obsessive compulsive spender me. Good luck!

Weekly Favourites #4

Hallo everybutty! I've been a rather good girl when it comes to purchasing makeup and skincare because 1) I'm lonelygirl89@hotmail.com ie. haven't been heading out and wearing makeup and 2) I'm still on the doc's skincare regime. But I did crack the other day and purchase some make-up and I've been wearing them (when I can) since because they've been just SO GREAT. 

I've been lusting after the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer and/or the Nars Tinted Moisturizer for a longlonglonglonglong time but due to cost issues I've been holding out (that means looking for better deals online haha). Then, one fine day when I was browsing Topshop makeup I saw the Topshop BB cream and I tried to google for a review on the spot - there were none T_T. So I swatched it and was like HMMMMM this actually feels rather luxurious and I was also looking for a darker foundation/BB cream because I realized many of mine were a tad bit too light. I succumbed and bought it in the darkest shade (3.0) because I thought it matched and came home to realize that it's rather too dark for my nc30 skin. It works extremely well when mixed in with my foundations and BB creams (MUFE HD, aqualabel foundation, hada labo BB cream, Estee Lauder BB cream - I use a 50/50 mix, sometimes 60 Topshop/40 other foundation mix) and leaves the most flawless finish on the face that I could not achieve with my foundations alone. It does not seem to compromise the coverage of the foundations too, so I believe that the coverage of this BB cream is really decent. One shade lighter did seem too light for me though, but it also seems to oxidize slightly so it might work. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

I cracked at the Essence stand in Watsons the other day. I cannot help it, Essence is just too darn cheap. Even if it doesn't work it's like... oh that's just the price of a bag of chips. I can do without a bag of chips. I have the Essence 3-in-1 concealer and didn't really like that, but this Essence Match-2-Cover was so reminiscent of the Bobbi Brown concealers (THAT I WANT) so I caved. This is a tub...2 tubs of creamy concealer goodness. The formula is slightly dryer than the Bobbi Brown Corrector's, but has the same amount of slip and boy does it cover. For SGD$4.50 (vs the over $50 you pay for the BB concealer + not so useful powder), this is so worth it. For my nc30 skin, the shades in this compact are too light for blemishes. However on my undereyes, it does helluva good job in correcting and concealing the darkness. Again, people, this is only $4.50. Please run out and get it now.

The next Essence item I got suckered into was the Essence Liquid Ink Waterproof Eyeliner. It's really tiny, like 8cm tiny and the brush is stuck so tightly in the container that when I pulled it out with too much force, the liner splattered onto my lips and face ): That aside, I saw there was only ONE of this eyeliners left in the display. Obviously I had to get it since it was under SGD$4.00. I am as Singaporean as it gets. If there's only one left, it has to be good. I was right! This is black as ... squid ink. It is a very watery formula that is slightly tricky to work with, and goes on glossy but dries a deep matte black. You can see it in the photo above. The brush is not that fine, but I'm not really a fine eyeliner girl so it works for me. One weird thing about this eyeliner is that IT IS NOT WATERPROOF. Sucks right? So don't believe those claims. While it is not waterproof, it is definitely OILY EYELID PROOF. See the world's better again. I have problems getting this off even with my oil-based makeup remover. It comes off in flakes with the oil. So girls, just don't cry in public. Or just bring the tube out since it's so tiny. I love this even more than I love my K-palette eyeliner cos that's not as black as this.

Lastly, my companion for being lonelygirl89@hotmail.com. My first ever piece of "proper" jewelry from the boy, a present for our 3rd year and also just before he left for the US of A for 4 years of study (It's crazy, because we've already studied for 4 years). I love snowflakes - thumbs up for him!

Apologies for the long post for just 4 items, hope it was enjoyed! If anyone has the same favourites, or likes it after trying, let me know. Have a good, restful Sunday.

The Faceshop Make Me Star Waterproof Gel Liner

Good Sunday folks! I'm back with the eyeliner I raved about... 2 weeks ago. I know, I'm extremely late. Sorry to keep you waiting! Seems to be a bad habit of mine ):

Anyway, I have bought more of the liners to test out their consistency so here we go. I first stumbled upon the Faceshop Make Me Star Waterproof Gel Liner when I wandered into their store during a sale. It was a 20% sale then so I got the turquoise liner for just under SGD$10? This liner stayed in storage for quite a while because I couldn't bring myself to wear coloured eyeliner to work (scared of shocking my boss haha) but one day I got bored and finally did and I was so impressed!!!

Since I pass by a Faceshop outlet on the way home, I popped back in to swatch more colours and ended up getting the bronze and a lovely peach pink. These are definitely more expensive(almost double the price) in the Singapore Faceshop outlets than say buying them online from qoo10.com.sg so I would recommend testing them out in the outlet then purchasing them online if you can afford to wait. There's this lovely lovely olive colour but I felt the pinch...

Here's how they look like uncapped. As you can see, my poor turquoise is still hardly getting any love as it's not even sharpened. Though that is no indication of how well it performs since it's just what colours I wear on a daily basis.



All the colours also come with this smudger on the back end of the liner. It's for smudging out the liner before it sets for that "smokey eye look". I guess it does work though I prefer not to use it as the line is soft enough when drawn.

The reason why this collection is called Make Me Star is because all the liners come with sparkles/glitter. I guess if you read past the terrible english, these liners are supposed to sparkle like stars. They have a black liner in the collection which I did not like at all because of the glitter particles. I think blacks should be nice and deep and matte.

The brown on the other hand is this lovely intense rich brown with more of a metallic sheen than glitter particles. I fell in love with it the moment I swatched it. It is so much more than a normal matte brown because of it's intensity. It's the kind of brown that upon first glance looks matte but then you realise that there's more to it. Goes on so creamy and does not tug at eyelids at all. For those who love gel eyeliners for their consistency, this is even creamier than gel liners, and draws on soft without harsh lines. Only people who like liquid liners for their clean lines will not like this.

The turquoise is also of a metallic variety. It also does have very minute turquoise glitter particles in it as well but it's not that obvious. This also goes on extremely creamy and intense. The colour just pops. I imagine this would be for the more adventurous or party looks. Or could be a great summer look for just a pop of colour to the eyes.

Finally the peach. This liner is meant for the inner corner of the eyes to brighten them up. When I swatched this colour in the store I really really did like it and as I didn't have any liners that were of this variety I bought it immediately.  But when I came home and started to use it, I realised that this peach had irridescent glitter particles in it that are visible. For young skin, I imagine it to be fine but I have fine lines around my eyes and the glitter just gets caught in them. Another problem is that the peach pigment does not draw as intensely as the other 2 colours and does come off in patches. So in order to get a nice even colour I have to go over it quite a few times which is not too ideal as too much glitter gets on the skin.

This is a picture after I let the liner set (takes about 10-15seconds or so) and rubbed a finger very hard across all the liners. The brown and turquoise are true to their name of waterproof gel liner. These liners are hardcore man. I have gone to the gym, rubbed my eyes and they don't budge. No smudging, no transferring to under my eyes, stays on my waterline, these are godlike. Even using my favourite Bifesta Cleansing Express remover, the liner is hard to remove. Only people with extremely extremely oily lids will find that these do not stay on. I have oily lids for reference. 

The peach colour though is a very different story. I did have to colour on quite a large amount in order to get the colour of the liner to show so maybe that's why the smudging is so intense in the picture. On my eyes, the peach pigments tend to fade through the day, but the glitter particles remain!!! That really pisses me off. Though I'm glad that the glitter particles adhere to my skin so well and do not transfer, it looks very weird when there's only glitter on my eyes and no colour at all!

Peach on inner corner of eyes. It does catch light extremely well, no doubt good for photography. 

My all time favourite liner for the past 2 months. I've even ditched the K-palette 24h  liquid liner.

For a perk me up. I find that the turquoise does bring out the brown in my eyes... Not that anyone can tell haha.

These are all the colours available and I highly recommend these liners even if you're a matte colour lover, especially in the deeper colours and ESPECIALLLY the bronze. Get the more metallic shades (bronze, turquoise, olive; maybe the navy). They are a cinch to use and last all day. The only colours I would not recommend getting are the silver and the peach because I suspect they probably have the same formulation.
Get them!!!!

K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24h

I feel like a cliche reviewing this, but I do love this. This is my current everyday go to eyeliner. It's pretty much foolproof and doesn't do funky things. The K-palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24h  or 1 Day Tattoo (No idea what the actual name actually is I'm just listing everything that's written on the pen) is probably the best liquid eyeliner one could use in my opinion. It's idiotproof and I love it. As Japanese brand eyeliners go in Singapore, it's not fantastically cheap again, retailing at S$19.90. This is like the Pilot G Tech (my favourite pen of all time, you know...the one that sells pens of 0.25, 0.4, 0.5 nibs?) of eyeliners.

Besides the fact that I have the limited anniversary edition that is bright pink which I know some girls will gush over and which I will also guiltily admit I bought because it was pink (shy face), I think the normal brown/black case is better because this gold print shows wear and tear like crazy. It just gets pretty scratched up and I don't like that. However because it's pink it's so easy to find when I reach for my eyeliner in the morning. 

Pen snaps shut securely and product doesn't dry out.

No way to cap the cover at the back of the pen!!!! BOO. Seriously, this is something all pen manufacturers need to learn. Despite the pen not being as sleek and single diameter all the way through the length of the pen, it is so much more user friendly to provide somewhere to fit the cap when open. PEEVE. 

I've been using this pen for a month now, almost everyday. The brush is still as perfect as it was when I bought it. Though the ink seems to not be running to the tip of the brush as well as when it was new and I can't tell if it's because there's something wrong or if the ink is running out. If the ink is running out after a month then it's really got the least ink in a pen that I've ever seen, especially since I don't spam thick lines. Pity because I love it so much.

As I mentioned at the start. This eyeliner is idiotproof. It has a calligraphy-type brush for a tip which is just the right stiffness to get good control of the line. I can't say whether I prefer the marker-type/felt tip-type tip for drawing or this flexible brush tip, because both work equally well for me. I do find that a flexible tip allows me to draw nicer and more natural looking flicks that a stiff felt tip. It's also slightly easier to taper the line into a thin edge with a flexible brush.

As you can see from the photo, I can draw thick and thin lines. I can even draw 2 thin lines branching from each other without having them bleed across the skin into each other (though unless you're an artist you'll probably only draw one line on your eye....). Just to be honest I just wanted my thin line to look straight, that's why I drew a branch.

Ink is an intense black that's not the shiny flaky kind of black. Great pigmentation, but please be sure to use a proper cleanser to get this out. My sister used a lousy cleanser with this and she said it left a green line on her eyelid. I don't have a problem when I cleanse.

How it looks like when drawn. You get what you draw because it simply does not bleed.

Lasts all day, very very waterproof through sweat and humid weather. I've worn this and gone full out cycling and it did not budge. I've also taken a long haul flight and then continued a day of touring with this. No fading, it's quite sick. The only thing that budged was the tip of the line where it is thinnest, and that just faded a little, not disappeared. I don't have incredibly oily eyelids, but I have a feeling oil will definitely cause this baby to fade. I haven't heard of any oil-proof liners though...unless it's permanently tattooed eyeliner. owch.

Don't rub eyes vigorously because that WILL rub it away. Apart from that, (for the third time), idiotproof!


summary:

pros:

• cute eye catching packaging (at least the one I have)
• quality brush that does not seem to deteriorate
• proper black pigmentation
• ink does not bleed 
• able to draw variety of lines from thin to thick
• flexible brush head allows good control
• lasts ridiculously long

cons (there's nothing wrong with this, really):

• nowhere to cap the cover when open
• quantity of ink seems to run towards the low side

Dejavu Lasting-Fine Eyeliner

Hi guys! I'm finally back and I have found my holy grail brown eyeliner!!!! I swear, this won't budge for anything. It is the Dejavu Lasting-Fine Eyeliner in Brown. I bought this on impulse (my impulses empty my wallet T_T) after swatching it at a random shop in Westmall of all places. For all the non-Singaporeans out there, Westmall is a very ulu (Singaporean lingo for secluded) mall in... the west side. We don't seem to have much imagination in naming places, they literally are what they are. In my defense, it had a really nice display blocking my path with extremely new testers and I had never bought a Japanese brand eyeliner before.

I swatched both the black and the brown, and to my surprise, the black is HORRIBLE so please don't buy this eyeliner in black. It has terrible pigmentation and is extremely hard to draw on the skin, so only buy the brown.

This is not the cheapest of eyeliners though, I think it was just under SGD$20. But almost all the Japanese brand eyeliners are around this price, so why not get the good quality one?

The Dejavu Lasting-Fine Eyeliner is a typical twist up pencil eyeliner. I love eyeliners like that because I don't have to sharpen them! +1 furry sticker. I'm not too fussed about having a sharp tip so it doesn't bother me that it does not come with a built in sharpener.

The cover of the pencil slips onto the back, +1 furry sticker. (Not being able to pop the cover on the back of the pen when I'm drawing my lines bugs me alot.) 

It also snaps shut securely which I guess tells us that the product won't dry out? Though if I were a sneaky designer I'll just design the pen such that it makes a sound when it shuts....

Check out the lines that I can draw!!! + 2 furry stickers because I can draw both fat and thin lines despite having a blunt edge. I swear I did not sharpen the eyeliner before drawing the lines. 

The pigmentation is a nice nice deep brown colour that draws creamy on my arm. However, when drawing on the eyes it tends to be a little less creamy. I'm a little baffled why, but that is easily solved by putting a little bit of foundation on the eyelids making them more emolient and easier to draw on. If not, just draw in short light strokes and the colour will come out just fine. My guess is that this is a trade-off in the crazy staying power of this eyeliner. 

Onto the crazy staying power of this eyeliner, IT DOES NOT BUDGE. I'm tempted not to even talk about the staying power on the upper lid because it's simply just crazy. Full day, sweat, tears (from watching way too much serials), rubbing my itchy eyes and it's still there! It is the only liner I can use on my lower waterline that actually remains there. Nothing has ever remained on my lower waterline before. Because nothing has remained there, I stopped drawing on my lower waterline. But NOW I CAN. 

It claims to be water-resistant, I say it is waterproof. I have tried rubbing this off with L'oreal's cleansing milk, it took me alot of rubbing (on my arm I would never rub my eye like that). In fact, I had swatches of both K-palette Real Lasting Liquid Eyeliner (just google this and you'll see how crazily raved this product is as well) and the Dejavu Eyeliner on my arm, and the K-palette swatch came off with the cleansing milk, but not the Dejavu. Do I need to do anymore convincing? 

On the blah side, this seems to only come off easily cleansing oils. From my experience, it comes off with the non oil-based removers from Hada Labo and Mandom. Olive oil works as well.

This is my all-time favourite eyeliner. Pencil eyeliners are the most versatile eyeliners in my opinion. The lines drawn aren't too harsh, unlike liquid eyeliners. The intensity of the product can be controlled, again, unlike liquid eyeliners, and they can be used on the waterlines, which liquid eyeliners should never be used on. I only wish the black eyeliner were as good, I would buy that in a heartbeat. 

Summary:

Pros:

• pencil eyeliner! (as mentioned above, so versatile)
• good pigmentation
• able to draw a variety of lines
• lasts through practically disaster
• doesn't need to be sharpened
• good product design

Cons:

• tugs at eyelids a little when drawn
• PRICE
• quality not uniform across shades offered
• gentle cleansers will not be able to remove this

longer larger eyes?

I've always had big eyes... and yes I know I shouldn't be one to complain, but I've always been quite annoyed when I could not draw them as how I wanted. There was always something "wrong" about them that I could not quite place my finger on. I realised it the other day! My eyes are very round!!!

So to remedy this, I went to my eyeliner and after experimenting, I realised it made a huge difference not only in the length of my eyes but the size as well. In the pictures, the effect may seem quite subtle but in real life it's very obvious.

Clockwise from top left:
- no lining
- how I usually line my eyes
- how I line my eyes now. I think it is quite a bit subtler, looking more like a shadow than a full blown ring of liner around the eyes
- how I usually line my eyes if I want them to look larger, ie lining all round my eyes. This is what makes my eyes look rounder if you can see. The lining is also very harsh and obvious, which is not very desirable

Here's how to do it:

1. Line top lid as per normal, this look works better if the line extends out from the eye. I don't like to flick my liner upwards, hence i just follow my eye line and extend the line almost parallel to the ground.

2. Take a dark brown eyeshadow (in my case I just used...my eyebrow pencil. it works!) and an angled brush and gently fill in the area that I've selected in the picture above. The effect should be very soft. If you would like to create a larger "flick" that wraps your eyeliner, go ahead. It would just make the look more dramatic. 

A better comparison with the new look on the left and old on the right. My eye doesn't look as round anymore but still big right? I sure hope so! Have a good weekend! 

Base Routine

FOTD? I was experimenting with a new way to achieve a lighter base routine but still achieve the maximum coverage. Today I stumbled upon this application which though quite time consuming, I like the way it looks and feels.

I will be posting up images from the web as I'm too lazy to take my own.

Prep:

Hada Labo Lotion

Works as a toner, also quite moisturizing and light. For me it's not moisturizing enough, that's why I top it off with another moisturizer.

Garnier Whiten & Even Moisturizing Cream spf 17/pa++

Gives an instant brightening effect, especially for paler girls. For me it makes my face quite white. However I think that this moisturizer does work quite well for scars and pigmentation, that's why I use it.

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Mousse Water Base spf 50+/pa+++ (need so many + a not...)

Sunblock. My mom always told me to use sunblock. I never listened. Now I have pigmentation and am very sad. Love this sunblock. Absolutely love the texture. Super light!

Olivia by CCS eco Eye Cream with Organic Olive Oil (bought in Sweden)

Bought this in Sweden because I had no eye cream and I was developing wrinkles under my eyes. This was the cheapest at their drug store because they have 25% (yeah you read that right) tax on all skincare. Quite a light and nice eye cream, doesn't do much for the wrinkles but decent for day time use. Use a light eye cream and not a heavy one because eye creams are what causes your concealer to move and mascara/eyeliner to smudge.

Base:

Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm

1. Use Skin79 BB Cream as a base/primer. I use this to cover up my pores to give a smoother surface to work on. It also provides decent coverage for areas that are red.

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer

2. This is a product that can be used as a foundation, however, I haven't had it long enough to find out how to work with it as it is AMAZINGLY pigmented. It is also slightly darker than my skin tone (matches my neck but my natural face is alot lighter than my neck so I cannot stand it being so dark), and since it's so pigmented it looks unnatural. In any case, this has no silicones or fillers so when on the skin it looks like skin. I use this to conceal any blemishes or pigmentation. If you do not own this, use a concealer that is slightly darker than your skin tone to conceal, then blend the edges out very well.

Kate Covering Concealer for Under Eyes

3. Use a peach concealer for under eye rings. Kate Covering Concealer is not bad, doesn't really crease for me. Squeeze some onto hand and slowly use a finger to dab it under the eyes. Work in thin layers so that it won't crease rather than putting on a lot at once and blending out. Can also be used to brighten up the area under eye/eyebags for a Kim Kardashian look.

Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream

4. Face should look slightly odd now, with patches of dark concealer and peach concealer. No fear, use Ginvera Green Tea BB Cream and dab over the dark spots, blending it into the rest of the face. Also put some on top of (if necessary) or around the peach areas and blend. 

Rest of face:

e.l.f All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight

I use this as a highlighter for my nose. Cream products generally work well with a cream base. Do not ever use this on powder base, will cause powder to ball up/shift.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Natural

Mentioned in review below.

L'oreal Super Liner 

Got this as a free gift and it works quite well. I use this to line my eyelid. Using another lighter pencil in black, lightly line the waterline. Not too intense. Then using an angled brush/flat brush, get a brown eyeshadow (or just use eyebrow pencil haha) to fill in the little corner space under the outer corner of the eye. This will really elongate the eye. Will do a proper tutorial soon.

Finish off with a lipbalm/lip colour if you like. I use the EOS lipbalm, very minty. I practically eat it. 

This base procedure does take quite long if you have many spots/scars like me because it's based on concealing mostly the spots and keeping the rest of the face relatively free of products. I really like it because I don't get the unnatural look that comes with using heavy coverage foundations. I also prefer this over powders because for some reason, I always picture powder particles army crawling their way into my big pores and refusing to get out. If you haven't already realized, the above routine is ALL cream/liquidy products. I hope this helps someone who needs as much coverage as I do and still wants to look normal, but if not, hope it helps anyway!

Oh, DO NOT take any pictures with this routine on. YOU WILL HAVE A WHITE FACE. There are 4 products in this routine that have spf. One of them being spf 50 with many + signs. Yes I am that paranoid. Okay no I'm not, it just so happens. 

If I am not clear enough, here are the tutorials that I have adapted my own routine from. I really like the 2nd girl!

Enjoy!

eyeliners and eyebrow pencils

Use lousy eyeliners as eyebrow pencils! Today, I'm going to be looking at 3 products that I frequently use as eyebrow pencils. The Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen, a Kanebo Kate Liquid Eyeliner, and the Maybelline Eyestudio Eyebrow Pencil. All pictures on screen are as close as possible to the original colour my eyes see.

Design:

Revlon Colorstay: Pen, cover does not pop onto the back end of pen, has a nice length.
Kanebo: Same as with the Revlon, both tend to attract fingerprints and get greasy
Maybelline Eyebrow Pencil: Pencil form, needs to be sharpened. Very short.

Nibs:

Revlon: Marker like tip. I can't really tell whether it's meant to be flexible. It does bend if pressed hard enough, but mostly it's stiff to draw like a marker. I've had this for about 2 years, but mostly because I could not figure out how to use it as an eyeliner. Tip gets frayed with use.

Kanebo: Brush like tip, feels nice and cool on the face. Brush offers very good and fine control, allows a very natural look because it's almost like drawing many hairs to fill in the brows.

Maybelline: Pencil tip, can be sharpened to desired sharpness. Draws nicely and doesn't tug on the skin, the pencil is very soft so take care when sharpening. Also because it is soft, the pencil seems to use up quite quickly.

Swatched from left to right:
Revlon drawn lightly, Revlon pressed hard, Kanebo, Maybelline.

Revlon: This is one of the most horrible eyeliners I have ever used. The colour doesn't come out dark in one drawing, and drawing another layer over causes the first layer to come off. It is TERRIBLE as an eyeliner.
One day I gave up and decided to try it on my brows. It was then I saw the magic of using a pen to draw my brows.

The colour blends in with my brows quite naturally, and it offers plenty of control in shaping the brows. It is great for filling the brows in because even if drawing over a 2nd time causes the ink to disappear, the brows look all the more natural! It's ingenious! My pen nib has actually dried out, so the colour that comes out is less intense unless pressed hard as in the swatch, but it still works very well for me in terms of eyebrows.

Colour lasts all day too, as it's a liquid and hard to rub off like a pencil would rub off.



Kanebo: Another eyeliner that I bought because I enjoyed the fine brush tip. Then I realised that the brown colour was so light it did nothing for my eyes. Since I don't throw products away because that just feels like throwing $$$ away, I used it for my brows. Brown eyebrows are less harsh on the face and tends to make a person look younger. It also works very well should you have brown hair.

The brown of this liner is lighter than the revlon eyeliner. So light that the swatch above required about 3 strokes to reach that desired intensity. One stroke barely shows. This is good for the inexperienced or if experimenting with different brow shapes.

This liner is very similar to the K-palette 1 Day Tattoo Real Lasting Eyebrow Liner 24h in terms of the colour and the brush. Gently paint multiple strokes on brows to get a very natural looking brow.

Colour lasts all day as well.



Maybelline: This eyebrow pencil leans more towards a greyish brown. The intensity of the colour depends on how heavily shaded the brow is, or how hard the pencil is pressed. Colour comes out alot easier than any of the pens above, with a much softer effect as compared to pens.

Pencils are much easier to work with than pens because they are correctable. They can be smudged or rubbed off. slowly colouring/shading in with a blunt pencil is also easier than trying to draw lines with a pen.

This brow pencil seems to last all day for me, but then again, I don't really touch my brows. I do get a feeling that the colour does fade slightly through the day, but not enough to be too noticeable. In worst cases, just bring the pencil out for a touch up! It's so tiny anyway.

This is how the pens/pencil look like when drawn. If I had to rank these 3, it would be
1. Revlon
2. Maybelline
3. Kanebo

Unfortunately this is as far as my eyebrow experience goes because my pens never ever seem to run out. Ah well, whatever stays on, right? Just don't throw away useless eyeliners before trying them out on eyebrows!