May 2011

Best Japanese Mascaras

May 10, 2011

Japanese drugstore mascaras are simply amazing, they outperform most of the high end mascaras I have used (and trust me I have had my fair share of all the expensive mascaras) at a fraction of the price. The highlight of my recent trip to Asia was that I was able to get all the Japanese drugstore mascaras on my wish list. Some of them were really hard to find but devotion conquers all 🙂

A snap shot of all the mascaras I bought *blushing* – some are my staples and some are new to me.

I have previously mentioned that the Heroine Make Kiss Me Volume and Curl is my absolute holy grail mascara. They have recently introduced a new version of it called Heroine Make Impact Frame and Curl Mascara and is supposed to be even better. Is it possible?

Majolica mascaras have become my staples since I started wearing them, people always ask me ‘are my lashes real?’.

Kate Mascara Base lifts my dead straight lashes up to the air! I am already up to my 3rd tube.

Brow Lash Ex Mascara by Sony CP – I was determined to get this mascara at all cost since my favorite youtube guru and blogger beautyQQ raves about it. It took me days to find it and I know I paid too much for it.

Sasatinnie Super Dolly Powerful Mascara – I wasn’t planning to buy this, but I gave in after I was told by the shop girl this is best selling mascara in Sasa and I was blown away by the dramatic effect after I tried the tester.

Fairy Drops Volumising Mascara – All the good reviews amongst the Asian beauty bloggers have me really wanting to try this out! I just started using it recently, review is coming up this week.

FYI I paid less than AUD $10 for the above mascara,s except for the brow lash Ex.

{ 16 comments }

Labels: Heroine Make • Japanese Makeup • MAJOLICA • MASCARA

NARS Makeup Your Mind Express Yourself Eye Kit

May 9, 2011

NARS has recently released a new book “Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself”. Before the arrival of this book I have already got my hands on this exciting new makeup kit by NARS – “Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself Eye Kit” that goes with this book. All items are designed for you to re-create the looks featured in the book. It contains:

– A new eyeshadow Palette!!

– Larger Than Life Volumising Mascara in Full Size

– Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Medium Size

– Eye makeup remover in Medium Size

This is what the box looks like:

It also contains a little booklet that shows you how to use the enclosed eyeshadow palette.

Nars eyeshadow palettes to me are irresistible – they are just divine, compact and easy to use. Having this new addition to my existing Nars collection is a joy – even though I have already owned most of these shades in other packages.

A closer look at the eyeshadow:

As usual all eyeshadows in the palette have the same texture and amazing pigmentation as the individual or duo Nars eyeshadows. This palette contains some of my all time favorite Nars neutral shades – Abyssinia (a matte beige) ; Galapagos (an intense brown with gold flecks) and Brumes II (a shimmery blue grey). Strada and Fuji are outside of my comfort zone, but they look gorgeous pairing with the neutral shades . Silk Road has always been a let down for me, I was hoping this one would have a better texture than the original one. Unfortunately it is still chalky and contains chunky golden flecks…love the color though.

On me: I felt a little more daring today so I wore

– Abyssinia as a base and brow highlight,

– Strada all over my eye lids

– Brumes II on the outer v corner

– Galapagos along my lower lash line

I will report back the Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base soon. I have heard so many good things about it!

{ 6 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • NARS

Best Foundation Brushes

May 5, 2011

This is just going to be a brief overview of all my best foundation brushes and other tools I have collected so far. As an old Chinese proverb saying “To do a good job, one must sharpen his tools at first”. Since I have so many different textures of foundations, I am always on the lookout to try out different types of foundation brushes to see which combination works.

Prescriptives Foundation Brush:

This was my first ever foundation brush. At the time I bought it there weren’t that many available. I find this brush gives a streaky finish so I quickly went out looking for a better one. At the moment I am only using it to apply cream based blushes.

MAC 187 Duo fiber brush and MAC 188 small Duo fiber brush:

Stippling brush caused a stir when MAC first released them. I bought MAC 187 followed by MAC 188. For foundation application, I much prefer the MAC 188 small as it allows a more precise application. They both give a very natural and airbrushed finish. I like them but I find them too time consuming to use every morning – it takes a lot of time to swirl, buff and polish.

MAC Small Buffing Brush (discontinued)

First of all, big thumbs up for MAC brushes. I have this brush for more than 10 years now and it is still in its pristine condition. When I first bought this brush I had no idea what it can be used for…the MAC girl recommended it as a blush brush..but it’s way too dense! Until I found out that this brush was Kim Kardashian’s ‘s favorite brush to apply foundation (if you haven’t seen it, go to youtube and look for Kim Kardashian’s makeup tutorial). It truly does a wonderful job – it gives a very flawless airbrushed look, just like Kim Kardashian’s complexion. I like it – actually I love it but I am after a brush that gives a more natural finish.

The hairs are soft and super densely packed, leaves foundation streaks free.

Chanel Foundation Brush

One of my most recent purchases and the most expensive brush – cost me $95! I tried it out at the counter and loved it so much I had to bring it home 😛 I will be giving a detailed review for this brush soon but to sum it up – it is big and the bristles feel soft ,velvety and luxurious on the skin giving a flawless yet natural finish. When it was brand new, the bristles even had a rose scent!

BECCA Foundation Brush

Last but not least, my latest foundation brush. I have had this one for about a week now and I hate to admit it is even better than my Chanel Foundation Brush….This brush is not cheap either – cost $78 in Australia. Again I will be giving a detailed review for this brush soon.

I didn’t add any special effect to the picture, the bristles are made of rainbow colored hair!! How awesome is that. I love the shape of the brush, love the feel of bristles and love the finish. Everything about this brush is perfect for me.

Beauty Blender and Three Sisters Sponge

These are my other foundation tools. I bought Beauty Blender because everyone raves about it..unfortunately I don’t love it that much..yet. It is good but it absorbs way too much foundation. Three sisters sponge is a very well known brand in Asia – every asian makeup artist has it in their makeup kit. It is the softest dense sponge I have ever come across and doesn’t absorb that much foundation. For 30 cents a piece, I think the result is just as good as the beauty blender! You can find three sisters sponge on Sasa.

{ 8 comments }

Labels: BECCA • BRUSHES • CHANEL • foundation • MAC

Canmake Cream Cheek

May 4, 2011

If you are a makeup lover and you haven’t tried Japanese drugstore makeups..then you are missing out!! One of my favorite Japanese drugstore makeup brands is Canmake, it is a very pretty, girly and affordable makeup line that is insanely popular amongst the young girls in Asia. A lot of us (including me) look up to Lena Fuji’s style (a popular Japanese model) who is the ambassador of Canmake and she swears by Canmake’s blushes.

Some pictures of lovely Lena wearing Canmake Cream cheeks

Canmake cream cheek in 3 Strawberry Whip is a cool pink (almost like a barbie pink) with tiny particles of silvery shimmers.

To my pleasant surprise, the pigment is very rich so a little goes a long way. The texture is smooth and can be easily blended and dries down to a powdery finish. I prefer to use my fingers to gently dab it on to my cheeks rather than using a buffing brush. Like many cream blushes, it does settle into my pores but it can be easily fixed if I prep my skin with a silicone based primer first. The lasting power is pretty average in my opinion – I am only left with some fallouts all over my cheeks after a few hours of wear.

Overall: A nice range of colors (particular the girly pink ones) to choose from, mostly contain shimmers. A cute pink blush to have for less than $10 (that is how much I paid when I was in Asia). If you are buying it online for more than $15..I don’t think it is worth it…

{ 3 comments }

Labels: BLUSH • CANMAKE

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick

May 4, 2011

I have a love and hate relationship with nude lipsticks. I don’t have the complexion or attitude to pull the color off – some are too beige; some are too cool toned; some make me look 10 years older and some make me look like I have lip liners around it. Does it stop me from buying them – Nope! I am still actively looking for The One and I believe YSL ROUGE PUR COUTURE in number 6 has ticked all my requirements.

My requirements are:

– moisturizing! doesn’t dry out my lips and accentuating my lip lines

– it is a few shades lighter than my natural lip color but doesn’t wash me out

– not too opaque, not too sheer

– not streaky, goes on evenly and no blending is required when applying

Rouge Pur Couture is a new line of lipsticks by YSL, the number 6 shade ‘Rose Bergamasque’ is part of their Spring 2011 Collection.

I personally love the gold packaging by YSL, it is sturdy and looks elegant, the only downside is it leaves finger print marks.

Some little details like the YSL embossing justifies the high price tag.

Swatches of YSL Rouge Pur Couture in 6 in daylight. It is a very wearable nude pink color on my naturally pigmented lips. If I want the color to look more beige I just need to conceal my lips with foundation. It goes on buttery smooth and even – no lip balm underneath is required. I can just apply and go. It feels soft and lightweight on my lips, and has a subtle sheen to its finish, making my lips look more plumped.

Have you tired YSL Rouge Pur Couture yet? What is your favorite nude lipstick? I am very interested to hear your recommendations.

{ 8 comments }

Labels: LIPSTICK • YSL

Les Tendres De Chanel in Les Roses

May 2, 2011

Today I have something really exciting to show you – it is the Les Tendres De Chanel in Les Roses. As far as I know, it is limited edition and is only exclusive to Hong Kong for now. It really has got my pulse racing when I first saw it at the counter – a highlighter and a beautiful pink blush combined into one product by Chanel is just a dream product for me!

The box

A close-up shot, it has the same 4 band design as the Soleil Tan de Chanel 4 Facettes Bronzers (from Chanel Spring 2011 collection). The only difference is the brush is made of soft white goat hair instead of black.

Swatched from top to bottom,

– the top 2 shades being the face highlighters

– the bottom 2 shades being the blushes

– all colors mixed together is swatched on the far right

This is how it looks on me – I applied with all the colors mixed together on my cheeks, and then applied the white shade across my cheekbones as highlighter. The texture is soft and pigmented enough to show up as a visible highlighter or blush with one swipe with the brush.

When applied swirled together, it delivers a beautiful soft pink glow to my face with luminosity and dimension. I was a little wary of the white shade to be mixed in or used as a highlighter at the start, as it looked quite frosty when swatched on my arm. I was wrong, the effect is soft and glowy against my skin tone when applied light handed, without making my face look shiny or frosty.

I have quite an extensive collection of blushes, this one definitely tops my favorite. I can’t remember how much exactly it was in Hong Kong Dollars, think it was roughly around AUD$55, almost half the price of how much it would be in Australia!

{ 15 comments }

Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL • HIGHLIGHTER