mash-up review

even though it's been half a year already, but i still need more time to recover.

i'm not sure if my message over there at youtube was clear enough,
but i'll just write a little about my condition over here..

in fact, my eczema has gotten alot worse since february,
i can no longer put make up on my face because even the skin there is affected.
*mega sad*
that explains the lack of updates..
the only video i did for this year was filmed when i was on oral steroids (not the best thing to be consuming for a long period of time), so i still looked normal back then..
but once i'm off the medicine, things have gotten worse..

later on i found out that my worsening eczema is in fact a sign of me being addicted to topical steroids.
that seems to have explained the reason why my skin have been getting worse despite the constant efforts (non-steroidal) to improve it.

my skin is still in a shamble right now,
it'll take a long time for it to recover from steroid addiction!
so i can't really promise when will i be fit to start wearing make up (and making new tutorials) again!
i hope it's soon, because i really miss putting on make up.

ok, enough of my story that explains my disappearance..
i have some long over due reviews to do, and i decided to just do them all in this entry.

Maybelline Eye Studio Creamy Gel Liner (02 Brown)



i was using Kate's gel liner previously (it was my first gel liner!),
i really loved it but it has dried up over the years.
i think i've used that pot of gel liner for close to.. 2 or 3 years!
so when it's dried beyond recognition, i had no choice but to buy a new pot of gel liner.

my take on maybelline's gel liner:
1. it's really really creamy, but a little too soft for me.
2. this shade of brown is actually metallic brown, which i don't really like. i prefer the matte brown that kate gives me.
3. this gel liner sets pretty quickly, but it might still smudge throughout the day (especially when i use it on my lower lids, they'll be missing by the end of the day). it's not so bad on my upper lid since i layer eye shadow powder over them.. so it sort of sets it even better.

i like to use the brush that came along with it (it's quite a decent brush by the way!) to scoop out a little dollop of gel liner, screw the lid back on, and then place the dollop on to of the lid.
because the gel liner is so soft, i need a hard surface in order to work the gel liner into the brush before applying onto my eyes.

over all, this is a pretty decent gel liner for its price,
but i won't purchase it again.
i'm not sure if maybelline revamped their gel liner,
because the packaging of the current gel liner is different from the one i bought!
perhaps they did!

+ it's really creamy as it claims, and it's easy to work with for beginners
+ affordable (SGD16.50)
+ comes with eye liner brush which is pretty decent (quite similar to the one that comes with kate in my opinion)
- smudges if you use it alone without other products (primer, eye shadow)
- sometimes little bits dries up and falls into my eyes (maybe i went a little too heavy with the liner!)
- i didn't like the metallic sheen of the gel liner

Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner



i was using maybelline's felt tip liner previously,
it has served me well, but it's time for a new liner!
what i like about this liner is it's super fine tip.. it helps me create the perfect wing at the end of my eyes.
the tip is like a paint brush, and it's very soft.
on one hand it makes drawing a line very easy (because you can apply force and bend the tip so that it touches your eyes), on the other, such precise control needs some practice!

color wise, it's a deep black but because the line is so fine,
i need to draw it again to get a solid black line most of the time.

it claims to be sweat/sebum proof,
i think that claim is quite true!
but it doesn't hold against tears!
when i try to line the inner corners of my eyes,
it actually gets washed away by my tears.

will i buy again?
maybe not, i want to try other liquid liners out there before i decide which is my holy grail liquid eye liner!

+ it's really sweat/sebum proof
+ fine tip allows you to draw precise fine lines
+ easy to remove
+ pretty affordable (HKD65)
- it's not tear proof
- needs some practice to harness the goodness of the fine tip

ZA Pure Shine Lips (RD-1 and BE-1)



i seldom wear lip color, but when i saw them on offer at watsons i thought that there's no harm in trying!
can't find photos of swatches, or any specific photos that showcases my lips when i wear them..
perhaps when i finally recover, i'll make up for the lack of photos. : )

anyway, both lip colors glides on smoothly, and leaves a sheen.
the color applies sheer, giving my lips just a tinge of its color.
both of the lipsticks are unscented, but i can smell a tiny (almost undetectable) whiff of the typical lipstick scent.

RD-1 is a very soft red, but upon application it simply made my lips look more glossy and just a little red.
i love BE-1, it helps me get that nude lips look, but as the color isn't intense, it just tones down my original lip color a little.
i tried wearing it with a concealer and it made me look very sickly.
so the usual wear without concealer works really well for me.

staying power wise.. i can't really tell.
when i'm outside, i eat and drink alot, so i guess i can't tell if they're not staying because of their lack of staying power or simply because i ate them all up!

will i buy again?
i wouldn't mind buying them again if they're on offer (i got them at SGD10) : P but for their original price (SGD17.50) i guess it's a nay.

+ really glossy and shiny, but doesn't leave you with that sticky feeling
+ color is light and subtle, looks natural on my lips
+ it's a good buy when it's on offer
- not too sure about staying power but i doubt it stays on my lips for too long even if i don't eat.
- glitter residue on my lips after a few hours

KATE Dual Blend Eyes (BK-2)





yea, every girl needs a simple palette like this to create that perfect smokey eyes.
you think the more (shades) the merrier?
what amazes me is that two shades is all i need to achieve a good gradation.
i think what matters the most to me when it comes to eye shadow is how well the colors payoff in terms of intensity, and i dare say this palette offers me just what i seek in a good eye shadow palette.

let me show you 2 looks i did with this palette.

for the first look, i applied the glittery black color onto the whole of my lids,
that's why you can see that my fold is complete black.
then i used the black color to shade the lower lids too, bringing it all the way to the inner corner of my eyes.
highlighted my inner corners just a little bit with the frost color.
its a very intense look.


a bit blurred but you can see that i've applied the dark color even on the whole of the lids.
usually i apply a lighter color on the inner half, and the darker color on the outer half.


a clearer photo that shows you the color.

for the second look, i went back to my usual rule, with the ligher color in the inner half of my lids and the darker color on the outer half.
for the lower lids, i only used the black color on the outer 2/3 of the lid, the inner 1/3 have been highlighted with the frost color.



i like both looks : )

so this palette is really blendable (as the name suggest), so you might want to be careful with potential smudging.
i think the key here is to blend out the colours so that they don't try to adhere onto any thing other than your eye lids.
the frost color is like a metallic silver color, while the black shade is filled with micro glitter (i love this color so much).

and if i ever touch pan on this palette,
i will definitely buy it again.
IT'S A MUST HAVE!

+ good color payoff
+ easy to work with
+ very blendable
+ it's affordable, and it's worth the penny (HKD82)
- MIGHT smudge because it's so blendable

so this is the end of my mash-up review on several items.
i hope i recover fast, because i can't wait to write again already!

KATE gradical eyes A (BR-1)

look at the new things i've gotten over the months!


the gorgeous gradical eyes palette.

i've actually gotten my hands on this palette for a while.. probably since july?
i can't really remember. but i didn't have the time to do a proper write up on this one back then because school started pretty soon after i got this palette.

in summary, I REALLY LOVE THIS PALETTE!

i got a little bit bored with my canmake eye nuance eye shadow, so i asked my friend to get this for me in HK!
i still remember i was looking so damn hard at the swatches on it's official page, trying to figure out if BR-1 or BR-2 is better. eventually i settled with BR-1 since it looks a little more beige than BR-2 (in my opinion BR-2 looks a little red to me).

i didn't do a swatch on my skin,
but i'll show you all the photo of the palette anyway.
i've adjusted the color to reflect the true color of the palette in real life.
however, your monitor might display different color from my laptop.



i'd say the BR-1 is a more yellowish-brown palette.
it consist of a cream base on the right,
and then a series of different shades of brown for you to create a wonderful gradient.

this series is not too pigmented, i would say.
the lighter shades applies sheer when i use a brush,
but the color can be built up using the sponge applicator to pack all the pigments onto your lids.

there isn't any visible glitter in this palette,
but there are some fine shimmer in the lighter shades.
the darkest shade has a metallic finish and doesn't shimmer at all.

ever since i got this palette,
i've been using it almost everytime i go out.
i really like brown eye shadows! it's so easy to wear,
it matches all style,
and it never goes out of style.

i'll show you one of the looks i do with this palette.
i like to go light on my make up,
just enough to wake my eyes up!


because of the way my eye lids fold,
i like to apply the lighter shades in the inner half of the eye.
the darker shades will be used on my outer half, close to the lash line.
you can see the metallic finish!


in this photo it looks like i've got nothing on my eyes at all.
girls, always remember this : boys don't like to see us in heavy make up!
it's best if they think we don't have any on at all. : D


this is how it looks like on my eye!

as i've mentioned,
i really really really like this palette alot,
but i think i'll love it even more if the darkest shade was a little less red/bronze.
it tend to appear as bronze on me if i apply a little too much.

i wonder when will i finish this palette..
hehehe i've already set my eyes on other brown palettes out there.
lavshuca's melty eyes,
visee's glam nude eyes (the name sounds awesome).
i might get the the next time i go back to HK,
but i doubt my KATE palette will touch pan that soon..

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW!

geo angel brown

my first pair of coloured contact lens - CM834

this pair of lens is 14.0mm, with the black ring around it, it makes my eyes look alot bigger!



i like this pair of lens alot. it enlarges my eyes a great deal (because i have little eye whites in the first place), the colour is sweet and somewhat natural (because it's brown). it makes my eyes look very very dolly, so it suits a very girly look.

the colour shows up pretty well. although it's not very obvious in a dimly lit room, it's pretty obvious under daylight.


this was taken with me facing the windows.


a little shady because i was wearing a cap, but the colour still shows.


under flash, the brown part of the lens will appear to be lighter than normal.


in this case it appears almost like hazel brown.

the angel brown is a little thicker than the rest of the lens i've tried. that makes my eyes more prone to dryness, so i try to refrain from wearing this pair of lenses for too long (i keep it to around 6 hours?). perhaps it's because it's been 2 months since i'm wearing this pair of lens, wear and tear has taken place which probably explains why it drys my eyes faster now than it did in the past.. just a hypothesis!

in a nutshell, it enlarges my eyes effectively and has a sweet colour which i really like. it enhances the eyes but does not make me too alien in it. it lightens up my iris a little and give me a dolly look.

angel brown will suit you if you want to
- make your eyes look bigger
- have a pair of dolly eyes
- have a pair of sweet brown eyes

i'm loving it! if you want to share my love, pre-order with me!

my love for the sky

recalling the times when i visited marina bay sands.

Dr Jart Black Label Detox Healing BB cream

got my hands on the Dr Jart BB cream finally!

so i read lots of raves about it, and my cousin who use it also recommends this one to me,
and the colour tone is a perfect match for my cousin (so i assumed it'll be the same for me),
so i asked my friend to get this for me.


before i go into the swatch and the before&after photos,
let me take some time to go a lil' bit into the product information (stuffs i failed to do for my video).
i'm taking this whole chunk directly off the box of the bb cream.

Dr. Jart
Detox healing Blemish Base

SPF 25/PA++
whitening & anti-wrinkle

this unique triple action formula containing innovative active ingredients aims at naturally covering skin blemishes, protecting skin from UV ray and activating skin rejuvenation. it also smoothes wrinkles and fine lines while providing nourishment to the skin.

so the main feature of this bb cream is to achieve the above 3 points.
and if you all know, dr jart actually has another bb cream in the same line (the silver label),
i believe the only difference is that.. the black label is more suitable for people with dry/combination skin, whereas the silver label is more suitable for people with oily skin.
i definitely belong to the dry/combi group,
and i take lots of efforts to keep my skin supple.

and for those of you who can understand what the ingredients means, this is for y'all.



sadly for me, i don't know what these ingredients mean to me. but nevertheless, there's something called google.

adapted from Dr. Jart's official website:

Arbutin:

It is a whitening agent which disrupts the process of forming black pigment, an improvement from Hydroquinone, It can prevent the activation of tyrosinase, cutting the activity of enzyme, which suppress the production of black pigment and leads to whitening effect. Arbutin is also more stable than tyrosinase.

Adenosine:
The batteries of the cells, providing energy.

Caviar extract:
Strengthens skin elasticity, smoothens wrinkles. Protects skin from damages of free radicals, also improve natural defences.

Ginkgo extract:
Help to resist the damages from free radicals, improve moisturizing of skins, and to relief sensitive skin, with anti-inflammation, anti-sepsis and calming effect.

Collagen:
Highly effective moisturizing ingredient, it helps vitalizing skin and skin regeneration. It is the main bonding material in connective tissue, has a high molecular weight, better moisturizing than polylol. Its main purpose is to support cells, especially suitable to apply onto skin after exfoliating, when skin is at a weaker stage which needs extra caring.

Camellia extract:
For moisturizing purpose.

Chamomilla extract:
Anti-inflammation, itching relieving, sterilization and to ease allergy conditions. Widely used in astringent, cream, mask and hair conditioner, also used as a perfume-free aromatic substance. It can prevent killo, black spots, and to reduce the damage from ineffective skin barrier.

Bisabolol:
An aromatic substance. Calms and relieve, helps wound healing. It has the effect of anti-sepsis, anti-inflammation and to improve allergic conditions.

Aloe Barbadensis Juice:
Effectively relief skin irritation, suppress growth of bacteria, prevent wound inflammation, speed up wound healing and skin repair, it is one of the anti-allergy ingredients.

Dimethicone:
Does not cause any pore blocking, it is a very mild moisturizing, softening, protecting agent. Has the ability to instantly vaporize and leaving a thin layer onto skin, which makes the skin has a much softer sensation, and helps makeup to create a better texture. It is also suitable for sensitive skin.

Zinc Oxide:
It is a sun-screening agent of physical powder, absorber of UV, using the method of reflection to resist UVA and UVB. It can block out almost all the wave lengths of UVA and UVB. It is a type of hexagonal crystal, non-dissolvable in water, but dissolvable in acid material. It absorbs oil, with the characteristic of astringency. It also has the effect of anti-inflammation, anti-sepsis, with medium covering ability.

so if i were to digest all these information, dr jart's bb cream seems like a skin care product that not only covers up your blemishes but also aids in improving your overall complexion/condition!

as far as i'm concerned, this product does not irritate my skin.
for all of you who doesn't know, i actually have eczema. (nasty!)
that means i have dry skin and pretty sensitive ones too.
akin to pimple outbreaks, whenever i'm under heavy stress/didn't sleep well/unhealthy, my skin suffer outbreaks.
luckily for me, i'm not sensitive to this product, so i can continue to slather this onto my face.

details aside, i'll let the pictures do the talking now.

i tried to swatch the bb cream so that you all can see the colour of it.


under day light.


under the camera flash.

when i first squeeze it out of the bottle, the colour seems to be a little darker than my skin.
however, once i spread it onto my face it thins out and blends perfectly with my natural skin tone,
and brightening it up a lil' in the process.
(super love it!)


this is how well it covers.
i have very bad dark circles under my eyes, and to top that all off, i have some eye bags as well.
i don't really mind my eye bags but i mind VERY MUCH about the dark circles because they make me look very tired.
if i remember, i applied one thin layer over the lil' red spot near my brow, and 2+ layers underneath my eyes.


tried to find a photo of me not squinting my eyes so it sort of "eliminates" the eye bags.
wanted to show you all the covering ability of this bb cream.

as you can see it does a pretty good job brightening up my face.
i don't apply the cream to my whole face in fact,
mostly to my t-zone (to high light it! HAHA who says i can't use this as an high lighter? and to also cover a few spots that results from my itchy hands trying to squeeze something out of nothing) and under my eyes and around my nose wing.
i also apply a little to my cheeks as a base because i'll be applying my blusher later.

i really like this bb cream alot just because of it's higher converage and it's said benefits.
as i do not have super bad skin to start with i don't really know if my skin benefited from continual usage of this bb cream,
therefore all i can say about this bb cream (for now) is that it lived it name for covering skin blemishes (despite the need for a concealer for my panda eyes T.T).

i got my bb cream off yahoo auction, if you're interested, you can take a look here!
it's the cheapest (only HKD$110!) i can find around all the other sellers, and they do sell authentic goods (do you trust me?).

so this marks the end of my first detailed product review.
i think i'll catch up with the contact lens reviews later on. : )

PEACE!
and may all the ladies out there continue to be vain.

promenade station

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