Disappointing Products

It's not often that I hoard products that I don't like. The hoarder's complex is just not forgiving on products I don't like and more often than not, they are thrown out of my stash. To be fair though, not all these products are bad, but I did have higher expectations from them because of the hype that surrounded them.

I love the NYX blush range but this his NYX Blush in Taupe is simply terrible! I don't know whether it's because I'm too dark, but Taupe simply does.not.show.up! It is the strangest thing ever because NYX blushes are known for their pigmentation. When I rub my finger over Taupe, I can actually see product collecting on my finger, but when I swipe said finger onto my hand, the result is like a subtle highlight. It is baffling, just baffling. There is literally next to no pigmentation on this blush, and will only work for extremely fair tones. I'm hoping I just got a dud because I really love the NYX blushers.

The next terrible product is also from NYX. It's the NYX Felt Tip Liner in Dark Brown and I bought this because I had heard Jen from Fromheadtotoe mention it in her videos and raving about it. IT SUCKS. I only got one good use on it and I was very impressed the first time I drew my line. It was a very deep brown, very well pigmented and went on smoothly with just enough ink. Then it went downhill from there. The moment I sprayed my fixing spray, this eyeliner started to dissolve. Like streaked down my eyes dissolve. The next time I attempted to use the eyeliner, it was almost as if someone had sprayed a sealant layer on top of the nib - no ink came out of the tip!!! This nib can't draw over anything other than an extremely clean eyelid or not only will no ink come out of the nib, it drags all other product off the lid as well. Don't even talk about going over the line for a darker line, it just takes the first line right off. The strangest thing is that it's only the tip of the nib that dies out, the middle/base of the nib has plenty of ink. This is really a fail of a product.

The ELF highlighter in Gotta Glow, raved about as a dupe for Nars Albatross was also disappointing. Just about any impact on this highlighter causes it to crumble and break. It is just so darn chalky and rough to the touch. When put on the cheeks, the nightmare begins. It is definitely golden in colour, so kudos to the pigmentation I guess. I don't mind a golden sheen, but that sheen is definitely coming from not-so-finely-milled golden glitter. Which gets into pores and exposes them. Which migrates all over the face. Which is all that's left after the powder fades away. Nightmare in a product.

L.A. Girl Pro. Conceal is a product touted as a dupe for the MUFE Full Cover. I have the MUFE and this is in no way a dupe. For one, the finish is completely different. L.A. Girl is quite dewy, and MUFE is quite drying. This concealer actually swatches really nicely on my arm and looks just like skin but better. On my face, it exposes any dry patches and sits very awkwardly on the skin. I think it's because of the fine hairs on my face that causes this. I also don't find the coverage to be as great as raved, neither is the lasting power. Though I would still use this when I don't have too much to cover and when my face is threaded. Moral of the story: you need decent, smooth hairless skin to be able to like this concealer.

I am in a rant funk aren't I. The L'oreal Shine Caresse is actually a gloss that I really like. I like the finish, I like the way it feels on the lips and how long it lasts. My bone to pick with it is that the colour visible in the tube, is never the colour it is on the lips. When this gloss sets, it's always many shades darker than the shade in the tube! The shade I have is Venus, which is already one of the lighter colours in the collection. Venus dries down to quite a dark pink which is not a colour I'm too fond of. Also the scent. It's like grandmothers having a party spritzing their perfume in their mouth. You know when you accidentally get soap in your mouth and taste it? Having this gloss on is exactly like that, just worse because yknow, grandmothers perfume.

That's enough negativity for the day, I hope I've managed to save you guys some $! What products do you guys not like or have not lived up to their hype? Let me know!

L'oreal Lucent Magique Light-Infusing Foundation

On days when I want to skip putting on sunscreen, I tend to use foundations with SPF as a replacement. It's a rather bad habit because it's actually easier to use sunscreen, then concealer rather then work with a foundation. However, I'm really not one to say no to extra coverage and my recent foundation of choice has been the L'oreal Lucent Magique Light-Infusing Foundation with SPF24. I bought this as a replacement for the L'oreal True Match (which I misplaced or gave away, can't for the life of me remember) and also because I read that it was water-based. There are so many shades to choose from as with the True Match range and the shade G4 matches my NC30 skin pretty well. 

The packaging is quite sophisticated, the foundation being housed in a glass bottle with rose gold accents and a pump. Not good for travelling but nice for looking pretty on the table. There's 30ml of product, and the pump! Oh the pump, it has a nice little dent that fits the finger ever so perfectly, and it's so easy to control the amount that comes out. The nozzle area is also flat so that when you wipe it off on your hand, all the product comes off and does not collect! This is the best pump design that I've come across yet. I apologize for the rave, I'm a design student at heart. 

L-R: MAC Studio Fix NC30, L'oreal Lucent Magique in G4

The product itself is quite thin and really blendable. The shades come in 3 groups - Golden, Neutral and Rose (I think) and the golden range has really strong yellow undertones which are slightly too strong for me. My colour match might actually lie within the neutral group. 

The coverage of the L'oreal Lucent Maqiue can be considered medium-full, however I find that the best way to use this foundation is to buff a thin layer all over the face just to even out the skin tone. Using it in a thin layer makes this foundation almost undetectable. If you have smooth skin, then the foundation layers well with no cakiness. If you have fine lines, then layering is a no no as this foundation does migrate into those lines (for me it's under eye crease and laugh lines) which is also why I strongly recommend a single thin layer. That being said, I find that this foundation doesn't feel like anything on the skin! Skin also still looks like skin with this on. That's mostly why I like it quite a bit.

The finish is very glowy as the name suggest - light infusing. Unlike it's True Match counterpart where I found (to my horror) GLITTER, this light-infusing foundation does not rely on glitter for the finish. Thank God. Powder with this foundation is a necessity, because boy does this foundation transfer like a mother-. This is not particularly long wearing, I'd give it around 5-6 hours without a primer, setting spray or powder. I have oily skin and I do like this, but oil control is zilch - hence the powder. Dry skin types will really like this foundation as it doesn't dry the skin out and doesn't cling to dry patches either.

 My favourite way of using this is to pop concealer on before buffing a very thin layer of this on and sealing that with powder and a setting spray for some serious glowy goodness!


Summary:

Pros:

• Medium - full coverage
• Extremely lightweight on the skin
• Dewy finish without glitter
• Can be layered without caking
• Does not dry skin out
• Brightens up the face
• Doesn't cling to dry patches

Cons:

• Transfers Transfers Transfers!
• Doesn't last very long
• Tends to gather in fine lines 
• Layering this foundation tends to exacerbate the above problems

Conclusion: This foundation has great coverage even when used in a very thin layer, which is the ideal way to use it. If you have oily skin and need a ton of coverage, then this is not the foundation for you! L'oreal Lucent Magique gets a B+ from me - only when used the way it should be used. 

Acne Scarring Helpers

When my face freaked out and left me with a disgusting amount of scarring 3 months ago, I hauled my ass to the derm and was prescribed maximum strength products, both topical and oral. My scars faded some and the acne cleared up on most of my face except for my forehead. I'm freaking 24 and i should not have acne! Damn you, hormones! The oral medication was obviously not working (and to rub salt in the wound, made me gain weight) so I sought out a more holistic cure in liver supplements. I chose liver supplements over more typical acne supplements because all the signs of my health as well as where the acne appeared pointed to my liver not functioning too well. I am happy to say that 2 weeks into those supplements, I can see my forehead acne receding!!! Now I can get to work proper on the scarring.

First things first, I believe strongly that skin needs to be healthy in order for it to heal. That means that dehydrated skin or dry skin heals much slower and my skin was definitely dehydrated due to the derm's products. Though I followed her instructions on using the blemish cream less often, I still had dehydrated skin and she would not give me more advice. So again, I had to take matters into my own hands and added these products into my skincare regime.

1. L'oreal Youth Code Pre-Essence
After cleansing and toning, this should be the first product to be applied. Read my review here. This was a repurchase - I really love the way this feels on the skin, and how quickly it absorbs. The pre-essence really does boost the effects of the products used after and I will use this for as long as my skin reacts well to this.

2. Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion
I then put on this lotion for added hydration. I'm a long time user of the Hada Labo lotions (whether normal or whitening) and when I cut it out of my routine to use the derm's products, my skin really missed it. I'm using the arbutin lotion now for a scar-fading and hydration boost.

3. Morningstar Minerals Derma Boost Rejuvenating Spray Mist
After the lotion, which contains hyaluronic acid that absorbs water, I like to spray anything that has water content on my face. I mean, that is the point of the lotion right? I like the Renew Rosehip Toner, but I've since finished that and using the Derma Boost. It's very refreshing and I'm hoping to see better skin using this product.

4. Kitoko Kalani Super Aqua Gel
You're probably getting very sick of all the hydrating products, but I promise you, all these are extremely light on the skin. The Aqua Gel melts into a water on the skin, some patting and all of the product is just absorbed straight into the skin and you should be looking at extremely plumped up skin right now. I consider this the 'primed' skin for absorption of all other 'aiding' products and this is where I start to apply the brightening products given to me by my derm.

5. Hiruscar Post Acne
I have run out of the products (from my derm) that specifically targets the scars. They were also getting rather expensive for me to repurchase (~$100 a month!!!) so... I'm rather glad to say that Hiruscar is working for me, albeit quite slowly. The great thing is that Hiruscar absorbs into the skin and leaves no residue, even under makeup. It's also quite moisturizing! With this, I see the scars slowly evening out - while I say slowly, I find that the difference is evident each morning. Or maybe my eyes are just trying to trick me into being happier.

6. Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
To seal it all off, I finish with the Clinique Moisture Surge to seal all the products in. I usually only use this at night, and only on dehydrated areas which for me are my forehead and cheeks. This is extremely hydrating, but also has a rather silicony finish which I'm not that big a fan of. It works though, which is what matters! This step is really not necessary unless you have really dehydrated skin or sleep in an extremely dry room.

So there you have it! My insanely long routine to keep my skin hydrated and in turn help my scars fade faster. If you're like me and much prefer water-based products over oil-based products, then layering is really the way to go! You have my word that all these products will feel like practically nothing on your skin. The only thing your skin will feel is super refreshed!

Empties 2012

Hello lovelies! Hope everyone had a good new year's celebration! Mine was nice and peaceful! I've been MIA for quite some time, but I'm here now! 

This is a post I want to do first because I've been accumulating all these things and I'm quick running out of space and I need to do a spring clean pretty soon. So here are my empties of 2012 or actually, since I decided that I wanted to do an empties post, so it's actually only a few months of 2012

First off, perfumes. I... have varied tastes in perfume. From L-R: Charme by La Perla, Chance by Chanel and Paris Hilton by Paris Hilton. Please don't judge me for using Paris Hilton.

Charme: This was love at first smell. I had to get it. Didn't help that it wasn't too expensive as well. Can't seem to find it anywhere now though! Will repurchase if I chance upon it again.

Chance: I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS. I've been hinting to everyone in my family to get it for me at the airport (this perfume was first passed to me by Mom) and everyone has been steadfastly ignoring me. Too pricey for me to afford at this moment in time T_T But I will definitely get it when I can finally afford it.

Paris Hilton: Was somewhere in the US of A in a perfume shop and asked if they had anything similar to DKNY apple. This was recommended and cheap to boot so I got it. Grew on me after a while and it's really quite fresh and not too sweet smelling (I'm no smell connoisseur). Not sure if I will repurchase. If the price is right I guess.

The trend here seems to be that I'm a cheapo....

 

Makeup items that I've finished. I find it extremely extremely hard to finish anything. So here's the item that I use the most, that is, eyeliners! I have also finished a Shu Uemura foundation but I happily threw that bottle away. That foundation holds the record for the first make up anything that I've finished. Anyway, L-R: H&M Liquid Eyeliner, L'oreal Super Liner, K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24hr and Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eyeliner.

H&M Liquid Eyeliner: Decent liner for the price but there are better ones out there. I've also realised that the ink turns grey(?) when it's running out.

L'oreal Super Liner: This was a free gift with purchase. Pretty decent, does flake but minimally. I used this till the felt tip went soft and it felt icky to apply. I've recently purchased a similar product - L'oreal Superliner Black Laquer and the brush was soft so I'm not sure if the brush was supposed to be hard or soft in the first place :S

K-Palette: Read my rave review linked above. Tends to be hard to apply when the ink is running out though. Will repurchase but only after I've tried similar products.

Rimmel: This has been by go to pencil liner for quite a few years and I actually bought a backup. It was great all through the first pencil, very minimal smudging and transfer, I loved it. Now I'm on my 2nd pencil and it smudges everywhere so I really don't know what to think ): Will not repurchase anymore. 

Makeup removers L-R: Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Make-up Remover and Mandom Bright Up Cleansing Lotion. I have also finished the Bifesta Cleansing Express but lost the bottle. 

Hada Labo/Bifesta Cleansing Express: Water-based remover, though it was quite heavy, almost like an oil. Stung my eyes but removed make up well without drying out the skin. 

Bifesta Cleansing Lotion: I really do like this cleansing lotion range because I can remove my make up in my room. For the cleansers that require me to wash my face I tend to be lazy and remove my make up prior to showering. The only bad thing about this lotion is that I finish it so fast and I use up my cotton pads really fast too which I don't find sustainable. I will definitely keep a bottle of this concurrent with an oil/oil-feel-but-water-based type of cleanser for lazy days.

The only thing about these cleansers that annoy me is their price point. At nearly $15 or >$15 each, they are extremely expensive and more than twice the price of the Kracie one I'm trying out now. I do really like them though. Such a dilemma *twiddle thumbs*. 

Acne saving products from L-R: Mario Badescu Silver Powder, Benzac AC 10, Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner. Please don't judge me from the sad sad sad state of my products.

Mario Badescu Silver Powder: What I like about this powder is that it is entirely natural with only 3 ingredients so it doesn't irritate the face other than drying it out. It really does work wonders when used after a hot bath and before a pore pack (it really pulls all the shit to the surface of the face!). Used over time, my face did feel less clogged and smoother. The ONE big nuisance about this powder is that when it dries, it flies off my face and before I know it my entire table top/pjs is covered in fine white powder. Other than that, A+ for this product and I'm on my back up now. 

Benzac AC: This worked for me for quite a while, then my skin became quite sensitive so I only used it on huge pimples. It works best on large pimples and can get them flat overnight. I have switched to the 5% one now but my skin is still too sensitive so again, only large pimples but even then, my skin does get red in areas that I've applied it. The only exception to that is my forehead where I'm currently using it in a thin layer. Will not repurchase after I finish the tube.

Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner: Blogged about this before, it's ace. It refines pores, cleanses the face spotless, and even removes make up. I have repurchased this and will continue doing so.

Cute little tubs of skincare from L-R: Laneige Sleeping Pack, Hada Labo Moisturing Cream, My Beauty Diary Rose and White Peony Sleep Concentrate.

Laneige Sleeping Pack: I have 4 of these simply because they are sample packs and came in 4s to match the retail size. Bought from gmarket. I quite like these and my face feels nice and refreshed and plump when I use it. My face isn't too oily in the morning either. Does take a while to sink into the skin though. I also like it as a thin layer as morning moisturizer. I will repurchase this when I run out. 

Hado Labo Moisturizer: This product is quite blah. Though it is moisturizing, it's also sticky and I don't like that on my face. For people who don't mind night products that are sticky, it does work quite well, especially for a water based product, in keeping the face hydrated. I won't repurchase this because I really don't like sticky things that sit on my face.

My Beauty Diary: This product claims to deeply hydrate and brighten. I really really like the texture of this sleeping pack. It soaks into the skin so fast, no matter how thick a layer I put. My skin loved it. It also smells heavenly. For people who don't like fragrance, too bad! I did find that my skin did look brighter when I used this mask, but moisture-wise, this wasn't that great. It also can't be used in the morning under make-up because it flakes off/rolls off in tiny pieces. I found that this mask is great to rejuvenate the skin in the day, then wiped off with toner. I would repurchase it if it wasn't like $20... just because I go through it so fast. Buy it in Hong Kong (I assume) or Taiwan where it's really cheap, like under $10 cheap.

Miscellaneous skincare clockwise L-R: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream, Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, Aqualabel Brightening White EX, Hada Labo Retinol Essence

Estee Lauder Eye Cream: I love this, it is all I could ask for in an eye cream (apart from helping with dark circles mine can't be saved) I would buy it if I can afford it but I can only afford it during extreme sales. 'Nuff said. 

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair: I like the texture of this but could not really tell from such a small bottle. Very moisturizing so it was good for dry/oily combo skin like mine. It's something that I would buy when I'm tired of layering skincare and want to whittle my routine down to like, 2 or 3 products. Not yet though...not yet. 

Aqualable Brightening White EX: I finished 2 bottles of this. It's so refreshing on the face it's addictive. Need to use for an extended period of time before brightening results/fading of scars can be seen though. I've decided it's not effective enough to buy a 3rd bottle. 

Hada Labo Retinol Essence: Bought this because I feared wrinkles and I have an *ahem* matured face and was hoping to slow that down so I can look young for longer. I don't have wrinkles so I cannot tell whether this product worked -.- . Texture is nice but sticky. Will not repurchase... yet. I hope I don't get wrinkles for at least 3 decades more (cross fingers). 

So that rounds off the empties reviews I hope it helps some people in striking off some items in their WANT list and hopefully not add too many to that list. Feel free to ask me to elaborate as I've tried to keep each "review" short (though I tend to ramble, I know), or let me know what you think of the products too, maybe? 

Have a good start of year everybutty! <3

L'oreal Touche Magique

As my friends know, I don't get much sleep. As a result of long term sleep deprivation, I have some pretty bad eye bags and dark circles. These are some concealers that have helped me. They are the L'oreal Touche Magique Concealers. Though highly raved and compared to the YSL's Touche Eclat I wouldn't say they are life saving, but they do work decently. Wish I owned the Touche Eclat so that I could compare, but I'm a poor student and thus making do with these. At just over SGD$20 (I think), I wouldn't say they are very cheap either, but when there's a 20% off, they might just be worth getting. 

So far I've only seen 2 shades stocked in the local stores, which I've shown above. There is no shade printed on the tube, only on a sticker that needs to be torn off in order to open the concealer (stupid design). I have long torn mine off, but if my memory serves me well, I think the shades are N 3-4-5 and W 3-4-5. I have no idea why they differ from the shades in the states, nor why we have such a limited range.

It is packaged with a inbuilt brush, the bottom of the tube is twisted to get product onto the brush. The cover doesn't snap on to the back of the tube (this is a pet peeve of mine). There doesn't seem to be much product, the twisting to dispense product seems to be a little time delayed, i.e, some twists don't get much product, then you hit one twist which gives way too much. 

Inbuilt brushes might be deemed by some unhygienic, but I'm okay with that. I usually dab onto my hand and apply with a brush or fingers. The brush is quite decent though, soft enough to be used on the face/eye area. One problem though is that if you're not careful with capping and the bristles get caught, they bend out of shape really easily. 

Taken without flash. Leftmost is MAC Select Coverup in NC30. The 2 on the right are L'oreal Touche Magique. 

credits for mac studiosculpt swatches: http://karlasugar.net/2009/07/mac-studio-sculpt-foundation/

Taken with flash in sunlight. The dark and light shades seem to be extremely dark and light don't they? They also have quite a beige/pink undertone. The formula is supposed to be light reflecting, but the effect is quite subtle and there are no visible glitters. Also, strangely enough, though there seems to be a great disparity in the shades, on the face when blended out, it's not very noticeable if the concealer's too dark or light for me.

The beige/pink undertone also seems to work well with dark rings better than a yellow based concealer.

Here are my eye rings. Photographed, they are washed out by the sun, but irl they're quite bad. The concealer ( I use a mixture of both dark and light. First dark, then light) seems to do a pretty good job at concealing, but the coverage is not full.

I find that because it works by reflecting the light and tricking the eye, the undereye looks brighter, which is quite nice. However the dark circles are still there upon closer observation and under certain lighting conditions. One way to get around this is to layer this on top of another concealer with better coverage, hopefully that will not cake too bad.

This concealer also settles into some of my fine lines, but not all. I also find that the wearing time is not that great if not set with powder. Maybe about 5 hours. It works okay when reapplied though, does not get cakey. It also does not dry out the eye area, nor has broken me out.

This concealer in the lighter shade works as a subtle highlighter as well. I can't use it as a concealer for spots because the shades are quite off. In conclusion, I like this concealer best only when layered or for days I do not feel like concealing everything. Someone with less severe eye conditions would love this though!


Summary:

Pros:

• Nice consistency
• Reflects light rather than full concealing, hence brightens the face really nicely
• Can be used as highlighter
• Not drying
• Doesn't settle too badly into fine lines

Cons:

• Packaging is horrible and not very sanitary
• Expensive for the amount of product (for me at least)
• Limited shades available in Singapore
• Not full coverage

L'oreal Youth Code Pre Essence Review

I wanted to do this now because this is currently retailing for SGD$29.90 in Guardian. Usual price is SGD$39.90. It's the L'oreal Youth Code Pre Essence.

It's night time and this is a skin care product so I don't feel that the need for photos is that great. Packaging is a quite a sturdy glass bottle, with a metal cap. Within this metal cap, there is a glass dropper attached. Because this product is mostly glass, I tend to be rather paranoid with it as it might just drop and shatter. 

The glass dropper is a pain in the ass. It is hard to maneuver without my palm touching the dropper as the grip is quite awkward. See that tiny button on the top of that bottle? Yes, that is a button which you press to get product into the dropper. See what I mean by the grip being awkward? You gotta hold the cap and move one finger up to press the button (which is quite hard to press) at the same time. Also, the amount of product dispensed in one buttonpress is not enough for my entire face, I need 2 presses. Considering how large that dropper is, you would've thought it could suck up more product. 

That aside, this is a delicious liquid! It is apparently a dupe of the way more expensive Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate and claims to give more radiant, more refined and ultimately rejuvenated skin by helping the skin regenerate 5x as fast. 

It is supposed to work by helping the skincare used after this essence to penetrate the skin way more than usual. Something like how Hada Labo Lotion works I guess. However, this essence also has active ingredients that help in repairing photo-damaged skin (Salicyloyl Phytospingosine), promotes healing and rejuvenation (Palmitoyl Oligopeptide & Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7), and has hydrating properties (hyaluronic acid). 

Alcohol Denat. is the 4th major ingredient, so those who are sensitive should stay away from this product. For more information, go here . 

I have been using this for 2-3 weeks and I can barely contain my excitement. My skin tingles refreshingly when I put this on, and I can almost feel my pores shrinking. No kidding! I've used this with SKII and Aqualabel Bright White Essence at night, and my scars have faded quite visibly. My skin also feels smoother and in better condition. My skin is still quite dry, but that's possibly because I've been skipping the moisturizer at night to see how well the SKII can work (it's a miracle water what....wanted to see if it really worked). 

Rather than spending hundreds of $$$ on skincare, I would suggest to spend this $30 to improve how all your current skincare is working! I highly recommend!

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!

Maybelline Great Lash BIG and L'oreal Ultra-Volume Collagene Mascara Review

I found out a while ago that I have a friend that has kept her mascara for almost a decade and to my horror has actually used it recently. She claimed that it was just the white part, and it didn't smell funky or was in any way bad. Mascaras...scary things.

Anyway, before the times of the great invention made public - the false eyelashes, there was mascara. For the women who don't like going through the hassle of sticking falsies on, or just don't know how, here are 2 mascaras that I quite like. I haven't found one that I love so....

They are Maybelline's Great Lash BIG Mascara, in Blackest Black and L'oreal Ultra-Volume Collagene Mascara in what I also assume to be simply, just Black. 

Maybelline Great Lash has a couple of formula's like the original Great Lash, and the waterproof one. The one I have claims to give bigger lashes (duh), and I think just has a larger/different wand than the original Great Lash. This is not the waterproof formula. I apologise for the flaking condition the tube is in. This is why companies should print not stick. Apart from that, I do like the strawberry themed colouring of the tube. The neon green cap makes it extremely easy to spot in a mass/mess of tubes.

L'oreal Ultra-Volume Collagen Mascara, which I shall henceforth call LUVCM,  is enriched with Hydra-Collagene, supposedly known for its volumising  properties, and claims to plump lashes up to 12x. *coughbullshitcough*. No more elaboration on marketing. I bought this because I thought it was waterproof, but it's actually not, so it was a mistake buy. Nonetheless, it has gorgeous packaging, a glossy plastic that almost looks like glass. It has a black tube in a transparent outer casing. Very nice, but also attracts fingerprints. Reminds me of Lancome at any rate. 

Here's a look at the wands. Nothing out of the ordinary.

LUVCM applies a rich matte black. It both volumizes and lengthens quite drastically, and is overall still quite a natural looking mascara. When I first bought this mascara, it applied like a dream. It didn't clump, even when layering. It has since dried out and clumps a bit when I try to apply it. So ladies, remember to cap this baby tightly if you have it!

I would suggest layering this mascara while it's wet and to stop applying the moment it starts to dry up because it WILL clump. I would also not put more than 2 coats of this. I guess clumps could always be managed by an old mascara wand or a comb but we all know we're in search of the mascara that does not need that.

I don't usually curl my lashes, so the lengthening effect is not obvious, but look closely at the closed eyes and you'll see that my lashes have grown quite a bit by the 2nd coat.

This is not waterproof so don't expect it to hold up. It smudges a bit on my undereye after a few hours, but that could be because I didn't curl my lashes. At any rate, I find that I only need to clean my undereye once if I'm out the entire day.

My eyes are not symmetrical, neither are my eyelashes. This eye of mine seems to have sparser, less evenly spread, but longer eyelashes.

Maybelline Great Lash BIG (MGLB) is favourite mascara to date for a natural look. Reviews online have said make up artists rave about this product but in their opinion it does shit. I do not agree!

MGLB is not the blackest of mascaras in the market, even though the colour I have says blackest black. But our lashes are not incredibly black either anyway. It Does darken lashes, but not in a HEY LOOK AT ME! way.

It's lengthening properties are perhaps more visible than its volumizing, but I feel it does both very well. The brush catches every lash and coats them evenly. This mascara rarely clumps. Unless of course, you're an idiot who puts like 10 coats of mascara. 2 coats work well for me because I'm lazy. On lazy days, I only coat my bottom lashes because they lengthen my lower lashes but nobody can tell I have mascara on. It's awesome!

As again, I like to layer this when my mascara is still wet and stop when it's dry, but this mascara can be layered when dry. The photos above are layered when dry, as I had to pause to take the photo then add a layer.

MGLB is not a waterproof formula, so yes it will smudge. I had this with me when I was in the cold climate of Sweden and I found it didn't smudge when I was out of the heat and humidity of Singapore. Yay!


Summary:

Pros (LUVCM):

• Intense matte black
• drastically lengthens and voluminizes with just 1 or 2 layers

Cons (LUVCM):

• Smudges on the undereye
• clumps when layered too much
• seems to be drying out too fast

Pros (MGLB):

• Super natural looking
• Lengthens very well
• Can be layered quite a bit and still not clump and still look natural

Cons (MGLB):

• Smudges on the undereye
• Needs at least 2 layers to build up to desired length
• Does not voluminize that well