Haul Post

Finally! I purchased the Candydoll Mineral Powder which I’ve been eyeing. I always wanted to get a mineral loose powder with slight coverage, so that I can use on daily basis. I have endless supply of loose powder – but only a discontinued one from Beaute De Kose has some coverage. And that products is amazing, thus I fear the day I run out of it. My Paul & Joe, Beaute de Kose Ultimation, two of Lavsshuca Face Powder, Chacott Loose Power and Lunasol Loose Power are all translucent! I also have other pressed powders like MAC Mineral Skin Finish (slight cover), many of Laneige Sliding Pact and some which I have totally forgotten about.

I aimed to get this product not knowing much about it but I just learnt that this is their star product and is very popular in japan, so I just had to grab it today especially when it’s going at 20% off.

I also bought 2 blushes – Peach Pink and Strawberry Pink. Hopefully this can give me the effect of Posie Tint. I really like the color of Posie Tint but applying it can be a bitch and it stains my fingers. I wanted to get Pink Flamingo too, but I have endless supply of blushes too, so I skipped it.

These hair products were going at 50% off at Guardian so I bought them! Healthy hair is important.

Estee Lauder Makeover

I had the privilege to be invited to the Estee Lauder Every Woman Can be Beautiful Private event on 23^rd July, thanks to Estee Lauder’s facebook.

The turnout was quite good and the place was kind of chaotic with so many people hanging around.

So I had my makeup done and hair styled! All products for makeup used were from estee lauder.

As a trained makeup artist myself, I felt that I could do a better job, but nevertheless the final outcome was quite nice! I would have preferred a more baby pink blush rather than this coral one, but thankfully it turned out quite dolly in pictures too.

She first cleansed my face with Perfectly Clean Fresh Balancing Lotion, applied Advanced Night Repair serum, Hydrationist Multi-Level Moisture Crème, and Advanced Night Repair eye serum (which I have a love).

For the makeup, she applied Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10/PA++ (intensity 2.0), loose power, Ideal Light Brush-on Illuminator (1.0 Light) around my eyes (this made A LOT of difference), 5 colour eyeshadow (I think mine was Enchanted Berries), Double Wear Pencil Eyeliner on lower lash line, Double Wear liquid eyeliner on upper lid, eyebrow pencil (don’t know which), some ombre coral colour blush (which actually I didn’t like. I wanted baby pink blush), and some coral lipgloss (again, I would prefer fuchsia).

I really like the eye concealer, I might just buy it!! maybe I should sign up for the makeup workshop for $120, which is redeemable for products, if I intend to buy products. Actually looking at it now, the Double Wear light looks quite natural on my face too! And their brushes are the softest that ever touched my face.

For my hair, I requested a braided fringe, so this is what they did for me! French braid fringe and locks.

Due to the strong lighting my makeup turned out lighter than it actually was, in the photoshoot. It looks very natural here rather than dolly, which is alright too. I find this to be a very interesting photograph as I couldn’t possibly take this myself! I hardly have this pout lips expression in photos too.

Of course I had to take more pictures before I wash it off.

Face of the day

Face of the day:

Naruko BB Sunscreen

Amazing Concealer Fair (under eyes)

Heroine Make Smooth Cover Powder (no coverage)

Benefit Hervana Blush

Jadilla J liquid eyeliner

Kate Mascara Base

Beaute de Kose mascara

Paul & Joe eyebrow powder

Dior Serum de Rogue 840

 

I picked up the dior lippie during the previous Dior sales. The colour is nice and it is very hydrating, good for dry lips, but the downside is that it doesn’t adhere well and will wipe off easily, or stain anything which comes into contact with my lips. Nevertheless, the colour is lovely!

 

Benefit

It’s not intentional for this to be a brand I want to buy, but some items are just THAT hard to resist. I usually buy items because I feel luxurious using it or something (other than the prerequisite that it is of good quality). Benefit has some items which don’t exactly make me feel luxurious using it because it is a cult brand rather than a luxury/ professional brand.

1. That Gal Primer

This primer is really good! It brightens up my face! Asians tend to have yellowish tones so this gives me a more glowy radiance. I love the berry smell of it and the finish of it. it isn’t too greasy which I hate because greasy primers just sits on my skin and doesn’t adhere. This is great under foundation or loose powder! I use it with Maquillage Stick foundation BO10 and it’s kind of a perfect match to my skintone! The BO10 shade would be too yellow if used alone. I bought BO10 because it was the only color left during the shiseido sales. I would have gotten OC00 if I could.

2. Hervana Box-o-powder

This has got to be the perfect blush for me. I’ve tried many others and they were alright but lacking somewhere; too little pigmentation, too much pigmentation, wrong colour, wrong finish – but this was perfect! I’ve tried the much acclaimed Dandelion powder before but it didn’t so much for me. It was too light.

 

I have also tried their cream liners, mascara, posie tint, dallas and some others.

Would be interest to try benetint, hoola, high beam, girl meets pearl.

Chanel Mat Lumiere – Foundation

Chanel Mat Lumiére SPF 15 05 Faience

$60 well spent. ($70, without voucher).

The colour match was really good too! I was about to buy shade 20 but the sales person told me to get 05.

I realise I’ve been getting the wrong shades for foundation. The next time I buy MAC, I’ll look at NW15/ NC15 instead.

Eye of the day

· Urban Decay Primer Potion

· Lunasol Sheer Contrast Eyes Lavender Coral

· Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner on waterline

· Kate Mascara Base

· Covergirl Lash Blast

· Testimo Eyebrow Pencil GY-17

Face of the day

· Beaute De Kose Ultimation Makeup Base

· Chanel Mat Lumiere 05 Faience

· Ipsa Concealer 01 under eyes

· M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Light Medium

· Lavshuca Loose Powder Glow

· Guerlain Meteorites Poudre De Perles 10 Nacre Des Mers (highlight)

· M.A.C Lipstick Viva Glam Cyndi

Base Makeup

Base makeup includes Primer, Concealer, Foundation, Loose Powder, 2 Way Cake and Highlighters.

Paul & Joe Protective Primer, Paul & Joe Primer

I currently only have 3 primers. The other one is from Beauté de Kosé.

So far I’ve not found the perfect face primer.

Inuovi cream concealer, Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer, The Bodyshop Tea Tree Concealer 01, Murad Acne Treatment Concealer 01, DHC Acne Care Concealer 01, M.A.C Studio Sculpt Concealer NC20, Lunasol Under Eye Concealer 00, Coffret D’Or Stick Concealer Light Beige, Za Concealer Perfection 01, Coffret D’Or Magicflat Concealer, IPSA concealer 1.

Technically, I should split this into 2 categories – eye and face concealer. Concealer meant for the eye area is not meant for face and vice versa. Eye concealers need to be hydrating to protect the delicate eye area, while face concealers to conceal blemishes need to be oil free and not clog pores, best with healing properties like salicylic acid or tea tree oil and such products can be drying and should not be applied on the eye area. Of course there are concealears meant for the general area and not a target spot, and those can be used anywhere. There are also concealers meant for pores, more like pore smoothners.

For most concealers, I use the lightest shade. So far, I cannot use cream or stick concealers as they cake up on me, everywhere. I can only use liquid type concealers. The Rimmel, Bodyshop, MAC Studio Sculpt and Coffret D’Or ones cake on me. The murad one, however, didn’t cake that much. So far, the best concealer for face amongst these are the DHC and Za ones. The DHC one has better coverage and lasts longer, but the anti acne properties do not show up. The Za one has less coverage. I’m not particular about having 100% full coverage and for me, as long as the overall look doesn’t look raw I’m fine. But of course, if I can achieve a perfect canvas, that’s be great.

For the eye area, my favourite is IPSA which I have repurchased. It doesn’t cake and the coverage is enough for me. My eye rings are not that serious so it depends on how your condition is like. The Lunasol one is alright too, but the colour is too light. I have it in 01 as well but that one’s too dark. Za can be put under eyes too but the coverage is very sheer. I’ve also gotten the Paul & Joe under eye concealer in the lightest shade before but it was too dark for me so I gave it away.

Maquillage Moisture Cream Foundation OC10, Vichy Normateint 03 Ivory, MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC20, Paul & Joe Protective Fluid Foundation 01

The maquillage cream foundation was a free gift. It isn’t perfect for me as my skin doesn’t accept the cream readily and it seems like a thick layer sitting on top of my skin throughout and could be scraped off even. However, it isn’t that bad. The Paul & Joe foundation has the same problem, but worse I feel. The Vichy one could be too drying at times. The MAC SFF is the most lasting one but the only gripe is the colour being too yellow.

Top: Paul & Joe Loose Powder 01, Lavshuca Loose Powder Beige, Lavshuca Loose Powder Pink, Chacott Finishing Powder 751

Bottom: Anna Sui Pressed Powder 01, Ettusais Day Protect Powder Light Beige

The best loose powder here is the Ettusais DPP which has some sort of coverage. The powder is finely milled and does not cake up over time. However, it’s been discontinued and the current loose powder Ettusais have is inferior.

The Anna Sui Pressed powder is alright too, actually.

The Chacott Finishing Powder has the best value at $29 for 170g from Taiwan. It’s not bad, and reviews say oil control is the best. I shared half of it by weight with my friend 2 years ago and still have not finished using it!

The Paul & Joe and Lavshuca ones has no coverage. It’s a translucent powder meant for finishing. The Paul & Joe has simmers to create a glow. However, if I have my foundation all done and all I need is a velvety finish, Lavshuca does the best job. This packaging has been discontinued already as I got these 2 or 3 years ago.

Top: M.A.C Mineralized Skinfinish Natural Light Medium, Za Two Way Cake 21, Maquillage Beauty Lasting UV OC10 (in Alexander Wang limited edition casing), Maybelline Angelfit Foundation (currently refilled with L’Oreal True Match), Laneige Sliding Pact

Bottom: Paul & Joe Powder Foundation, Paul & Joe Protective Powder Foundation, Chanel Mat Lumiere & Mat Lumiere Extreme, Majolica Majorca OC10, IPSA Pure Protect Foundation O10 in Majolica Majorca Limited Edition Casing

The MAC and Laneige is more like a pressed powder, but it has more coverage and can be used on its own. The MAC MSFN gives a very nice finish and I use it to save my makeup if my foundation looks disastrous. The Laneige I have was a discontinued version. I don’t exactly like it that much.

The Za was the foundation I first used when I was 16. It’s already, but just a bit too cakey. I got the Maybelline and loreal ones from the expo sale. It’s ok as a foundation but there are better ones. The Majolica Majorca one was too dark for me and that’s the lightest they have. I bought it online, because I got it way before it was launched in Singapore.

The Paul & Joe Powder foundation and Protective 2 way cake were the best I ever had! The perfect colour, perfect finish, perfect coverage and perfect lasting. However, it’s being replaced by newer versions as Japanese makeup brands loves to update their range, and the new ones were bad. When I was unable to get it again, I bought Chanel Mat Lumiere. However, I didn’t quite like it as much but had to do with it. It got used up VERY quickly and I got a refill, the Mat Lumiere Extreme. It’s not good, so I stopped using it.

My next staple foundation was the IPSA one. It’s really good! Almost as good as the old Paul & Joe ones. I started using Maquillage when my IPSA ran out. It’s not bad too, but IPSA is better. Maquillage doesn’t cover pores well and can cake.

Paul & Joe Face Colour 01, M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish Perfect Topping, Guerlain Meteroites, Guerlain Meteorites

The pressed meteorites was a limited edition product. I like it. It makes foundation look better. The traditional meteorites are the BEST highlighters you can find. Do not ever buy dupes, get the real thing. The Paul & Joe face colour is not much of a overall skin highlighter but good for small areas like the eyes and nose. The M.A.C MSF is good too.

Maquillage Stick Foundation BO10, Beauté de Kosé Ultimation True Satin Liquid Makeup BO-20, Beauté de Kosé Ultimation Makeup Base, Beauté de Kosé Loose Powder Makeup, Beauté de Kosé Ultimation Loose Powder

These are recent purchases. The stick foundation is not in my usual colour but I decided to give it a try anyway. It’s from a sale and it’s very cheap. The Beauté de Kosé liquid foundation is lightweight in texture and my skin can still accept it if I don’t use too much. I bought 2 loose powders, the Beauté de Kosé one has slight coverage and is very velvety and soft in finish, while the ultimation one is translucent and shimmery, somewhat like the Paul & Joe loose powder.

Makeup MUST haves!

eye primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion

this is irreplaceable. i’ve tried others like Paul & Joe, NYX to name some and it’s just not the same.

eye liner: Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner

the other alternative is Kate Gel Liner but the difference is that Kate’s dries up TOO quickly. Long before the Kate gel was introduced in Singapore, I used to buy it online. I think it was 2006 then. I bought it from Hong Kong on Adam Beauty and as you know, flights are very drying and my eyeliner arrived DRIED UP. However, I could still dig some out and use it though it was dry, and even so, it was still way better than any I’ve tried. I have the stila smudge pot and Benefit creme liner too but it’s just CMI. i’ve tested the maybelline gel too and it’s just not quite up to it. The brush was bad too! It looks like the Kate brush but it’s different. Only Bobbi Brown is similar or better, and it doesn’t dry up so quickly!

mascara base: Kate Mascara Base

I started using this product since a LONG time ago a well. It was 2006 or before that. When i first used it, the packaging was a round tube but now it’s a rectangle tube. I’ve been through numerous changes in packing for this, but it’s still just as good. I’ve repurchased this several times! It makes sucky mascara better (unless those incorrigible sort). However I seldom use it nowadays because I’ve found my HG mascaras that is good alone without a base. But if I need an extra boost of length and volume, I turn to this. Trust me, other mascara bases may look similar but they are DIFFERENT!

volume mascara: Covergirl Lash Blast

lengthening mascara:  Majolica Majorca Lash Expander

overall mascara: Diorshow

I started using Mascara since 10 years ago and I’ve been through a lot so I dare claim I’m an expert when it comes to this.

Amongst the many I’ve tried includes the popular maybelline (tried a few types), Fasio, Dejavu Fibrewig, and also more expensive ones like Benefit, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Urban Decay, Anna Sui etc.

My lashes are above average in length but I still like lengthening mascaras.  My favourite is the Majolica Majorca Lash Expander and I’ve used it since 2007 probably. I’ve also been through so many changes in packing for it but it remains as good. It separates very well, lengthens very well, and when fresh, it dries quickly too. I loathe mascara that takes forever to dry. Some people claim that it’s though to remove but I bed to differ. A good eye makeup remover does everything.

The covergirl lash blast is touted as a volume mascara but I feel it has a good overall effect. The brush is very unique and very large so it’s not suitable for people who lack the skills of applying as it could get messy, especially people with barely there eyelashes because it may be hard to apply. However, it’s fine for me. I get it from Drugstore.com and it’s very cheap! I get waterproof because I need that.  I find that this mascara can reach out to every single strand, and it helps my lashes stay curled up and doesn’t weigh it down at all.

The Diorshow is great as well. I would call this a traditional mascara as the brush is the normal type. The other 2 has a comb and barrel type wand respectively instead. It separates, volumises and lengthens the lashes. It holds up lashes very well too and retains the shape. I find it very important for mascaras not to weigh down lashes as that’s what happens to most lousy ones.

Eyebrow Pencil: Coffret D’Or

yes there are differences between the types of eyebrow pencils. A good one should not show up when you try to draw on your hand but only shows up when you draw it on your brow. I think it’s because the pencil is harder and your brows, where hair follicles are plenty,  has a different texture from your hand, so somehow the pencil only shows up on such texture. but anyway, it also means that it will last longer and doesn’t smudge off even if you sweat or something! and even if your brows are full, it is important to shape them with pencil, for a more polished look.

I’ve been using this product since it was still branded as T’estimo. The other dupe for this would be Kate, which is their drugstore sister brand.

Eye concealer: Ipsa

Eye concealer and face concealer are DIFFERENT! do not use the same product, unless desperate or unless it’s meant to be. for me, my face generally does not accept concealers well. It will always cake up, be it face or eye concealer. Especially so if I use creamy concealers. Some may say creamy gives best coverage and creamy should mean it spreads well, but for me, yes it gives coverage and spreads well but it cakes. Like the MAC studio sculpt which is highly raved, I can’t use it for my eyes. It cakes. I can only use liquid type concealers, texture somewhat like a high coverage liquid foundation, but then, such concealers often have poor coverage. Ipsa’s one is just enough for me, and it doesn’t cake on me, so I love it!

Eyeshadow palette: Lunasol

I’m so in love with Lunasol quads and I have 7 of them. It’s not cheap but I still need to get them. The colours are shimmery but not like a disco ball. The texture is so smooth and colour payoff is good.

Highlighter: Guerlain Meteories

I’ve tried other dupes like etude house but it doesn’t match up. The finish is very soft and subtle, it perfects the foundation! Another close competitor is the MAC Mineralise Skinfinish. I have that in Perfect Topping, but it can get too shiny sometimes.