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!

Highlighter Rundown

Good Sunday folks! I was rummaging through my stash the other day in an attempt to re-organize and I realized that I have managed to accumulate quite a few highlighters... and I just recently bought a set of 4. Shhhh. I'm still resisting opening that set. Anyway, I've really been about the subtle highlights for quite a while so I thought I'd break down the deets on what I have. Sharing is caring, yeah?

L-R: MeMeMe Beat the Blues in Sunbeam, Innisfree Rose Marbling Blusher and Brightener, Sleek Face Form in Light, NYX Mosaic Powder in Highlighter, Collection2000 Shimmershades in Blushalicious, ELF All Over Color Stick in Glow  

 As you can see, my highlighters can all be considered drugstore, I'm a budget kinda gal. All the highlighters with the exception of MeMeMe Sunbeam and Elf Glow are powders, which is my favoured type of highlighter to work with due to ease of application. I do however feel like liquid highlighters work the best as the glitter stays put. For my NC30 colouring, the highlighter shades don't seem to have much of a colour difference but if you're fairer they might matter more.

L-R: MeMeMe Beat the Blues in Sunbeam, Innisfree Rose Marbling Blusher and Brightener, Sleek Face Form in Light, NYX Mosaic Powder in Highlighter, Collection2000 Shimmershades in Blushalicious, ELF All Over Color Stick in Glow

MeMeMe Sunbeam is obviously a golden highlighter, use for darker skin tones or if you want a more bronzey look. 

Innisfree Marbling Blusher and Brightener is almost a pure white but goes on the skin translucent. 

Sleek Face Form in Light's highlighter shade is a champagne colour which would work beautifully on all skin tones. 

NYX Mosaic Highlighter is a strange one depending on how you mix the colour. On paper it comes out almost a grey-beige, but it appears mostly pearl white on the skin. 

Collection2000 Shimmershades lightest pink is not very pigmented - took me about 5 swatches to get the colour to show so even though the base colour is pink, it goes on the skin pretty much translucent. 

The ELF Color Stick in Glow also comes out rather dirty looking on paper, but I assure you it's more white-beige than dirty on the skin. 

MeMeMe Beat the Blues in Sunbeam is my favourite highlighter at the moment especially when mixed in with a tinted moisturizer/foundation/BB cream for a very subtle look. It's pearly golden formula also means that there's no obvious glitters on the face. It also works well on top of liquid/cream foundations for an even more glowy finish. Works best blended in with fingers and on slightly tanned complexions. 

Innisfree Rose Marbling Blusher and Brightener has the most obvious glitters out of my collection. This reminds me of the MAC MSF's from my limited knowledge of them but with less obvious glitter. When brushed on the cheeks, this leaves a brightening effect and it is extremely glowy. The powder goes on pretty much translucent and I've had comments of having super glowy skin when I've had this on. Win!

Sleek's Face Form in Light's highlighter has a champagne tinge to it and extremely tiny glitters that catch the light. This would be the most versatile highlighter for all skin tones as well as in terms of being able to use it on all parts of the face. I tend to double it up as an inner eye highlight and eyeshadow as well. Lovely pigmented, soft and buttery texture - best kit for travelling too! 

Pardon the used appearance of my NYX Mosaic Powder in Highlighter. I have after all, used this compact quite a bit. This was a favourite highlighter of mine for the longest time because it has no obvious glitter particles in it. It goes on the face more like a white powder and blends away perfectly for a barely there highlight. I also like that it has different coloured powders to counteract different imperfections (well not so much a targeted approach but more of a overall brightening). I like to use the purple or pink toned powder for inner eye highlight, yellow toned as an eyeshadow, and all brushed together to highlight my cheeks. This really is a beautiful compact for the most subtle highlights of all.

The Collection2000 Shimmershades should not need introducing. I have afterall, mentioned it quite a fair bit in my previous posts. The lightest shade in this compact is not in the least bit pigmented, at least it doesn't show up obviously on my NC30 skin tone. It does however impart the tiniest bit of glitter and glow when used. The pink tinge is barely there. My favourite way of using it is on the cheek area under the eyes to fake a healthy pink tinged complexion ala english rose types or the super fair asian skin tones. Grass is always greener (or in this case pinker) on the other side!

The last highlighter I own is a dud. The ELF All Over Color Stick in Glow is a cream type highlighter in a stick form for I guess ease of application. Do not ever stick this straight on your face, it will wipe off all your hard work to form that perfect base in an instant. This cream highlighter does actually go on quite nicely, but it doesn't ever fully set so if you're into that then you're in for a treat. I only ever use it on my nose because that's what it best accentuates, and even then it just fades into my oily nose a few hours later. It's probably best used under a powder highlighter, but in all honesty, who needs that much highlighter on the face on a normal basis?

To sum it all up, I think my perfect highlighter would be a mix between a cream and liquid type, maybe almost a thick mousse that has no glitters, just a balm type pearly glow. Do you know of any products like that? What are your favourite highlighters? I would love to know! Have a great glowing sunday ☼☼☼

Weekly Favourites #12

Does anyone else have the problem of blogger auto contrasting and sharpening their uploaded photos? Blogger seems to be doing that to me and I don't know how to stop it! -Tears hair out- I swear, my photos are much softer than seen on this blog ):

Anyway, TGIF friends! It's been a rather stressful week, and the Nip + Fab Pistachio Sundae Dry Skin Fix Body Butter (that's a mouthful) has been my sleep scent this week. This is such a wonderful, homely and comforting scent and really helps me to sleep happy. Some might find the scent extremely strong and artificial because no kidding, this is one heck of a strong overwhelming scent, but I find the scent to dry down to a yummy scent, and I take whiffs of it whenever I can. The consistency is not too heavy like the Bodyshop body butters and my dry legs thank this.

On my face, I've found myself rationing the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in shade 07 for just undereyes and have been reaching for the MUFE Full Cover Concealer for my spots and acne scarring instead. It's as the name says, full cover indeed. It's also quite tacky and dry, so it doesn't shift or fade too much through the day. If you know me, then you  know I'm always looking for ways to shorten the time I spend getting ready and this concealer covers fast.

I've also taken to using the Everyday Minerals Multi-Tasking Concealer to set my undereye concealer, to use as a eyeshadow to brighten up my eyelids, and as a highlighter for the bridge of my nose. Talk about multi-tasking, anyone? Really finely milled and subtly brightens.

Speaking of brightening, my go to blush (for when I'm not reaching for the bronzer trio) has been the NYX Blush in Angel and I use this right under my eyes for a flush of colour. This is light enough to almost not look like blush, and has a pearly sheen to it that adds to the brightening effect that I'm after. Slightly chalky to the touch in the pan, but brilliant on the cheeks!

And to round it all off, tweezing has never been so fun with those uber cute geisha tweezers that my mom picked up for me. I have no idea where she got them, but a quick Amazon search has found them here.

Do we share the same favourites? Let me know!

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!

Weekly Favourites #7

Ah monday blues how I do not like you. As I've been mentioning, I'm trying to curb the spending habit so I've dug through my stash for some oldies but goodies.

Turns out my medication helped most of my face but nicely avoided my forehead. My forehead is a cyclical disaster area for comedones. When I realised that the medication wasn't working, I went to the root of the problem - blackheads. I've been using the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque quite excessively (every other day) to try to minimize the blackheads. This really works at deep cleansing the skin and ridding all the excess sebum. The Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion stops the comedones from getting inflamed. I used to think the lotion was for under the skin pimples/cysts, but it seems to be working on comedones too. The pair have been working quite well together, enough for me to see steady improvement. My only worry is that I'm drying out the skin but we'll see how that goes.

My love for pinks have fizzled and I've gone orange. My outdoor cheeks have been adorned with the Barry M Blusher in Orange. Honestly, the neon orange scared me at first, but all I need is a little on my cheeks for some life. Since this blush is matte, the NYX Mosaic Blush in Highlighter pops on the subtlest of glows. On the cheeks, nose bridge, cupid's bow, eyebrows, inner tear duct... I probably overuse it. No glitter or sparkles, only a pearly sheen.

My new purchase of the Maybelline Mineral Concealer in 02 Medium was an old favourite 5 years ago and I've rediscovered why. I feel like this has a new formula that's slightly more slippery, but just dabbed on, stippled out with a powder brush and medium to high coverage, easy peasy. My face has never gone on faster. This has been a godsend for my forehead.

The boy has always said eyeliner ages me so I've been ditching the eyeliner in favour of the Maybelline Magnum Volum' Express Ultracomb for school days (Y'know, to try to blend in with the 19 year olds, who am I kidding). This varies from the version with the normal brush as the effect is much more natural. Wouldn't say it gives my lashes that much more volume but I tend to favour lashes that actually look like lashes. 2 coats, definitely waterproofed it's way through a sweaty gym session hour.

Anyone shares the same favourites as me? What are yours? Have a good start to the week!

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.

NYX Bronzer & Blush Combo and MAC Wonder Woman Mineralize Skin Finish

Bronzer/Blush combos! I only have 2 so I thought I would just put them in the same post to see how they stack up against each other. They're probably not really in the same category but they are nifty lil (okay not so lil) things so read on! I have the MAC Wonder Woman Mineralize Skinfinish in Golden Lariat and the NYX Bronzer & Blush Combo in 01 Sunrise in Bali. 

As you can see, the Wonder Woman MSF is HUGE. WONDER SIZED. 

The NYX Bronzer Blush Combo (BBC) is actually a very nice lil thing. It has quite a solid white casing that snaps shut, a decent sized mirror and 0.35oz/10g of product to boot. Considering I have yet to finish any blush, it is almost a relief to have 2 products for the price of one. I got this for SGD$20 at Smoochiezz.

It is also my very first bronzer, so I'm not very skilled in the bronzer area. 

Some people may like this semi-indian(?) princessy design on the cover though I kind of see it as a space filler and feel that it doesn't do much to make the packaging seem more expensive. It really is quite plasticky and I do wish I can see the colour of the product through the packaging. 

I will try my best to describe the brown. I think that bronzers should lean towards greyer tones if that makes any sense because shadows are typically grey. At least those are for true bronzers. We can also understand bronzers as a powder to warm up the complexion, hence the term sun-kissed bronze. This is definitely one of those sun-kissed bronze shades. It leans quite yellow in my opinion and that quite suits a skintone like mine (mac nc30) without being too overpowering, as long as I do not apply with a heavy hand. This however does have glitter even though I find that the brush does not pick up too much of it. Even so, glitter phobes stay away.

The pink in this BBC, is absolutely gorgeous! It is a dupe for Nars Orgasm, so I've heard. As I don't own it, I compared it to the Too Faced Papa Don't Peach (also a dupe) and they are almost identical in colour. Both are a nice pigmented peachy pink, with a gorgeous fine gold glitter in it. I think this pink might be an even closer dupe as it's got more gold glitter than Papa Don't Peach which imparts such a nice glow to the skin. (I will take a proper picture of both colours swatched together and update this post!)

The blush in the NYX BBC is a tad crumbly, so pat the brush in it, not swirl. This blush is also awfully pigmented so do be careful when applying. It shows very obviously even though I'm considered quite a tanned girl.

Wear time is decent for the BBC, lasts about 5-6 hours on my oily skin. It does disappear when I blot my face.

Onto this absolutely irresistible brilliant packaging wonder. I got this at the Estee Lauder sale for 20 bucks. What a steal! When I saw it, I knew I HAD TO HAVE IT even though I probably didn't need it. This Wonder Woman MSF in Golden Lariat is MASSIVE. M.A.S.S.I.V.E. It is bigger than my palm and I definitely have larger palms than most girls. It's got 0.70oz/20g of product which is just an insane amount of product. I can probably keep this for my entire lifetime and not even make a dent in it.

Hey there pretty useless gold rim and pretty useless lack of mirror. Hey there absolutely visually stunning shimmery overspray and marbling. This compact has everything you need to contour your face with. Blush, bronzer and highlighter. I would say that this is probably meant for the tanner girls out there as fairer girls might find this too dark. However, if you are a huge fan of sun-kissed then go for it!

I do like that because this compact is M.A.S.S.I.V.E it is so easy to use each colour individually. Also because it's baked there's literally no mess/fall out.

The blush in Golden Lariat runs almost a brownish peach with a nice subtle satin finish. I would say just use this colour to achieve the sun-kissed look with almost no effort at all. I really do love this colour. Compared to the NYX, NYX seems awfully pink and the MAC seems awfully brown. 

The bronzer in Golden Lariat is quite matte on the skin, unlike the NYX one which has some tiny glitter. The sheen seen in the compact is just a overspray. It's a brown that runs more red, and though I find suits me when I use it as subtle shading, looks absolutely off if I accidentally put too much. 

The highlighter is INSANE. Even without flash, the amount of light it's reflecting is crazy. It's chock full of multi coloured glitter, and it definitely applies gold if too much is used. I find that the powder for this feels very powdery. Seen from a distance, the glow that this powder gives is so so so nice since it's multi coloured glitter and not a single colour, but upclose, I feel like the individual glitter particles can be seen. Definitely need to know how to work with this highlighter, and definitely mostly for the glitter drama mama. 

I find the blush and highlighter last longer than the bronzer. Still, overall quite decent at 5 hours for bronzer. Blush seems to last all day for me while the highlighter seems to spread as the gold fades and glitter remains and moves (cos I blot). 

One very unfortunate point about this compact is that I THINK IT BREAKS ME OUT. It seems that every time I wear this, my temples where I apply bronzer start to break out. I also find that I get tiny bumps on my cheeks. I don't know if I'm sensitive just to the bronzer, or the entire compact, but I do try to refrain from using this compact too much unless I really feel like I want that colour on my face. It is a pity but honestly, vanity and clarity of skin before colour. 

Summary:

NYX BBC Pros:

• Highly pigmented
• Nars Orgasm dupe!
• 2 colours for the price of one
• Decent lasting power

NYX BBC Cons:

• not for people who don't like glitter, especially in bronzers
• blush is crumbly

MAC MSF Pros:

• MASSIVE in size
• very handy with 3 colours in one compact
• large enough to use each colour seperately
• highly pigmented
• decent lasting power
• awesome sun-kissed look combo of colours
• bronzer is matte

MAC MSF Cons:

• Can be too big/heavy to carry around
• Wasteful packaging + no mirror integrated
• BREAKS ME OUT
• highlighter is too glittery and powdery
• glitter in highlighter tends to migrate

- end of post -

update: I've just found the most awesome eyeliner in my history of using eyeliner. It does not budge under any circumstances. And it is PENCIL eyeliner. Will blog about it this weekend I'm so excited I bought 3. Stay tuned!!!

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!

NYX Rouge Cream Blush (Natural) Review

 It's strange that I love this blush yet I don't wear it often. I have a love hate relationships with cream blushes. I think I love them, especially for the finish that I get, but then I hate attempting to wear them because powder is so much easier to use. Owell.  This is the NYX Rouge Cream Blush in CB02 Natural.

This is the only NYX cream blush that I own, so I cannot give a comparison to the other colours.

Its packaging is very simple, but feels like super cheap, light plastic. I guess, at SGD$7 (when I bought, think it's $9 now) I can't expect too much. Snaps open and close, nothing special nor hard to use. As can be seen from my....usage (pardon the disgustingly used picture), I used to try to blend it out with my fingers. This method is quite easy, especially for people with already good skin. 

As for me, I have an unfortunate has-been-cyst that has scarred and is now a raised bump on my cheek (sigh, don't know when it'll ever be gone), hence blending with my fingers for any form of cheek product in cream/liquid form just wipes away my concealer/foundation. I haven't quite found a way around the movement of my base and am quite annoyed. Nonetheless, with this blush, stippling works wonders in blending it out with minimal movement of base. 

I still have't gotten the hang of getting the right amount out with my stippling brush. Whatever it is, DO NOT just bang your brush in. Lightly dip some bristles. With 3.5g of product, this pot will last a lifetime, considering that the barest of amounts is used each time. I don't see myself ever finishing this.

The formulation of the cream is extremely creamy and soft in pan, especially in this Singapore heat. I live with my aircondition on, and it still does not solidify. Anything dents it. Because of its creaminess, it's a dream to blend. Super easy.

It is a very very very pigmented peachy pink colour with no shimmer. Natural as a name is quite apt I feel. 

Left:  me taking way to much product with my fingers

Middle: me trying to blend the rest of the product out aka heavy+blended application

Right: whatever was left after aka light+blended application.

Formulation dries to a semi matte finish with a sheen which I love. Done right, it really brightens the face up without looking oily, and no highlighter is needed because of its nice finish. Can be used under a regular powder blush to intensify colour. Not that I find the need to. 

I know I make this blush sound incredibly hard to use, but really it's very easy with a stippling brush. 

Here's me, just managing to get the barest of amount on my cheeks. Front view, the sheen of the blush is not obvious, but from the side, the blush catches the light. But since I don't like my side profile... You just have to trust me.

Wearing time is about 4-6 hours, not the best. I don't touch up my blush though, I find that even if it fades it'll still last a normal work day, so it works by me!

Summary:

Pros:

• Super pigmented
• Nice, natural colour
• semi matte finish with a sheen
• very creamy and blends easily
• cheap

Cons:

• Too pigmented makes it hard to use
• does not last very long
• flimsy cheap packaging

blush collection

I apologize for the lack of updates, it's been a really busy week and continuing into the next one.

Just a sneak peak at my blush collection, and a list of my top few blushes. I forgot about the maybelline mineral blush, but since I've already blogged about that....

So here are most of my blushes, I took this pictures quite quickly so I didn't manage to dig out some of my blushes, but this is most of them. As you can see... I have a broken blush. That is not the only one, sadly. I tend to drop my blushes T_T. Owell, I will get around to fixing them (resolution haha).

So anyway, maybe if anyone wants a review on any blush in particular, just let me know! To list the brands present, they are:

• too faced
• nyx cream
• nyx mosaic
• nyx powder
• bourjois
• collection 2000 (bought in uk)
• the balm liquid tint/stain
• majolica majorca
• maybelline mineral blush
• barry m (bought in uk)
• mac
• mark & spencer (bought in uk)
• famous (bought in uk)

These are my top 5 in no particular order. As you can see I tend to favour peachy/coral colours more than true pinks.

• too faced in papa don't peach
• topshop cream blush in neon rose
• nyx cream blush in natural
• nyx powder blush in natural
• m&s lip and cheek tint in peach

M&S lip and cheek tint - peach

Coral cream blush. True cream, leaves a very dewy finish. I love it for days I pretend I don't wear blush. Needs to be layered quite a bit for a more obvious cheek. 

NYX powder blush - natural

True pink powder blush. Excellent pigmentation. Suitable for the very fair. Also for days when I don't want blush too be too obvious. Can be used with a heavy hand and still not be too obvious. 

NYX cream blush - natural

More peach in the cream blush than powder blush even though they're named the same colour. Lovely cream when used with a stippling brush or fingers. Dewy finish with high pigmentation. Use sparingly. Like the colour states, it's very natural on.

Too faced - papa don't peach

Peachy powder blush with shimmers, excellent excellent colour payoff. Gives gorgeous glowy cheeks! Only blush I brought with me and used for 5 months in Sweden. I LOVE THIS. THIS IS MY MOST USED BLUSH. MUCH BETTER THAN MAC IMO.

Topshop cream blush - neon rouge

Coral cream to powder blush. Looks scary in the pan but natural on the cheeks. Matte finish. 

Hope this tiny condensed review helps. Will do better reviews on each later on. Oh, I got my Too Faced blush from www.smoochiezz.com for $20 only! I think it's sold at SASA but it's definitely cheaper online.