Here comes the long awaited post! *LOL* Word of warning: Very graphic heavy post ahead. I finally got my Windows XP Pro all set up and stuff, so I can install Photoshop.
Hmm… every year my birthday gifts are very few, mainly because my circle of friends don’t actually celebrate each other’s birthdays and stuff like that. We don’t even have parties. Sad, right? What to do? Economy’s very bad nowadays… throwing a party isn’t cheap anymore! :D
Here’s the leather bag hubby gave me…
It’s actually custom made by this wonderful seller called ValhallaBrooklyn on etsy.com. Black deer skin leather, brass accents with a pocket on one side. It’s so unbelievably soft! The first time I got it, I couldn’t stop smelling and touching it! :D I asked for adjustable straps, so now it acts like a messenger bag to me. I don’t know why, but I really love messenger bags… so much more practical.
Next, is my parents’ gift to me… a Nokia E71. This one is badass! It can kick Iphone’s arse anytime.
I really love this phone. Before this, I wanted to search for one with QWERTY keyboard and almost ended up with Samsung’s… but when I played with it in a shop, goodness… the keys are so hard and the “touchpad” isn’t that sensitive or easier to use. When this Nokia E71 launched, I waited patiently for it to arrive in Kuching… and hey, it costs only RM1600! Good deal, right? Hubby has one too. We swooped two at once and traded in old phones for these.
Now I can WiFi wherever I go. *LOL*
That’s it. My birthday haul. Next up… my makeup collection! And there’s a lot, I can tell you that.
Now, even though I have a lot of makeup, I tend to gravitate towards certain essentials that I cannot do without, or on days I get all lazy and decided to use these basics. Here they are:
Clinique Pore Minimizer T-Shine Control - This one isn’t the best. It works to a certain degree though. I found this in my mom’s stash and she gave it to me. It was already half used. Anyway, it kinda stinks… as in bad smell! I don’t mind that, as long as it works. It doesn’t completely keep me mattified, so I ended up with a slightly glowy look. It’s a dangerous territory and I had to check to make sure I don’t resemble an oily pan. To replace this, I ordered some Fyrinnae Rice Powder Primer and Mineral Finish: Oil Control which received rave reviews from users all over the world - but the catch is, they take ages. The reason is because they make them from scratch so you only get the freshest.
Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Powder Foundation in Pink Ocher 10 - I’ve been using this forever… it does tend to cake on me so I put as little on as possible. Good coverage, evens out skin tone… it’s really not bad.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Cream Foundation in Light (2) - I bought this from ebay after hearing such good reviews on it. And I must say, they’re right! The coverage is unbelievable, it smooths out any imperfections, evens out skin tone and has tiny shimmery particles in it to make skin look glowy. The downside is, because I have oily skin, it tends to look “fake” after a few hours. Now I limit its use as an undereye concealer, and it works pretty well. A dab of this under both eyes, topped up by Everyday Minerals Multitasking Concealer (see below) and wala! Fresh looking peepers!
Eyecurl II Heated Eyelash Curler - Not bad. It can be very tricky to use the first time… so let me share some tips. Wait for the red indicators at the back of the wand to turn milky white, then press and hold onto the base of your eyelashes (where you want to curl it), then curve slowly back and forth, up and down. It takes time though… usually I don’t bother with this unless I want it them to curl all the way up. It doesn’t get uncomfortably hot - just nice. I suggest you try out a Panasonic one. I heard it’s hotter (maybe then it’s better?) and that one takes AA batteries. Eyecurl takes AAA batteries.
Lancome Hypnose Onyx Mascara in Black - This is non-waterproof… wished I bought the waterproof one. What was I thinking? Anyway, for a non-waterproof mascara, I ABSOLUTELY FREAKIN’ LOVE THIS ONE!!! It’s pricey, yes… but so worth it in my opinion. My lashes become unbelievably thick and long. A definite must if you adore the Japanese doll eyes look. Since I have small asian eyes I have to make them look bigger somehow and these do the trick. I understand that some people like au naturel look - that’s great too, especially when they’re blessed with thick and long lashes already. If so, stay away from this one… or only use one coat. My holy grail mascara.
The Body Shop Eye Definer Shade: Black - I use this when I’m in a hurry. It’s pretty hard at the beginning, I suggest you warm it up first by breathing on it using your mouth. Let the heat warm up the pencil then start drawing. Pretty good and long lasting, provided I don’t disturb it. It’s definitely not smudge proof, so the upside is you can use your finger to gently smudge it so the line’s not too harsh.
Shiseido Maquillage Waterproof Eyeliner in Black - If I want a durable, long lasting, budge-proof, smudge-proof eyeliner, this is the one I reach for. The downside is, you have to be super precise when you apply, because there’s hell to pay if you mess up! Learn it from me - don’t sneeze when you have this dangerously close to your eyes. :P
The Body Shop Brow Definer in Shade: Brunette - I have been using this since forever too… works well, I need to comb through after I’m done to soften the harsh lines.
Ettusais Dual Ended Pencil in Olive/Champagne Gold - Please don’t go up to Ettusais counter and ask for this color combo, because I made it up! There’s no writing on the name anywhere, so I just came up with this to describe the colors. Um… I bought this just for the champagne gold end, to highlight underneath my eyes on the inner corner. It can be rather bright… nowadays I prefer to use the Shiseido eyeshadow in BR754 (see below).
Nars blush in Orgasm - I use this rather often, but truth is, I switch my blushers around, depending on how intense my eye makeup is. The more elaborate they are, the more toned down the blushers.
My blusher collection… nothing much to say about them, and you see that I’m rather partial to pink! Honestly I prefer peach/pink shade. Haven’t found the perfect one yet.
My eyeshadows…
Wait! There’s more…
And more…
That’s my most recent haul. I like the Kate eyeshadows, really subtle and long lasting. And oh, the L’Oreal makeup remover is a whoooooole lot better than Simple’s! Get that one instead. It’s not really as greasy as I thought it would be.
*LOL* I just realized I have a lot of eyeshadows!
Anyway, onto the other stuffs… like mascaras!
Btw… all my mascaras are in black, except Lancome Cils Booster XL. That one’s a base, so it’s white.
Lancome Amplicils - Meh. Not worth getting.
NYX Doll Eye Mascara Volume - Looooove this! I usually layer this on after two coats of Lancome Hypnose Onyx, and on bottom lashes. Doesn’t smudge at all, even though I cried with it on… impressive!
Dejavu Fiberwig - Now this is a disappointment for me. It does nothing to bring out my lashes, make them prominent or whatever. Which is a shame, because hey, the reviews? They say this is the best selling mascara in Japan, I still see it in Japanese magazines although it’s being topped by Maybelline Volume Express. I want to give that one a try next…
And oh! Don’t use heated eyelash curler with “tube-based” mascara like Fiberwig. It’ll melt and be rather tough to remove and might even ruin your heated eyelash curler.
Maybelline Sky High Curves - I used to love this, not anymore. Now I cannot part with Lancome Hypnose Onyx.
Lancome Cils Booster XL - This one can give you “Oomph!” eyes if you’re hardworking enough to use it. Mine’s probably dry by now. I bought it along with Amplicils… honestly I would rather layer on mascaras rather than using bases.
And now… onto miscellaneous!
Shiseido Maquillage Waterproof Eyeliner in Black - I’ve already said my bit about this one. See above.
Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eyeliner in Black - *sigh* This one. It’s really easy to apply, and compared to the Shiseido one it’s a breeze to use. BUT. It sort of fades. See, this is why… my eyelids are asian, so this part of my eyelid that drooped down and folded within itself. Which makes eyeliners rather tricky for me to use… I have to draw a rather thick line for it to be visible. Like I said, this Revlon one fades no matter how many layers I put on and let dry in between. Never gonna repurchase again.
The Chanel glosses - I really love #16. It’s a peachy/pink color with slight shimmer on it that gives my lips just enough hint of color. Best of all, it’s not that sticky and gloopy like some glosses I’ve tried. Those are really frightful, it felt like you’ve just layered on some car grease on your lips. Like all glosses, the lasting power is negligible… though it stays on for a few hours at most and if I don’t eat anything.
And… next! Mineral makeup! In Malaysia, the hype hasn’t really caught on yet - just like BB Creams (invented by Koreans Germans (but made popular by Koreans) and stands for Blemish Balm Creams). I don’t even know if KL has any mineral makeup counters. Companies like Bare Escentuals, Bare Minerals, Everyday Minerals… etc etc. So, when I heard about how big this is in the U.S., I had to give it a try. Mineral makeup is supposedly better for your skin since they don’t use harmful ingredients, but I’ve heard Bare Escentuals foundations contain Bismuth Oxychloride, which makes some people allergic to it and break out.
Everyone is raving about how Everyday Minerals don’t contain that sort of thing so I went to their website, ordered a sample set which consists of 3 foundations, 1 concealer and one blusher… which costs nothing. Yes, you read that right. It’s free. All you have to pay for is shipping, which is… I don’t know… $3? Dirt cheap.
Their foundations come in four types of coverage - matte, semi-matte, intensive and original glo. Intensive’s coverage is the heaviest, and original glo’s the lightest. Meaning it won’t give you any sort of oil control, and aim to give you glowy complexion. So, I ordered all of mine in semi-matte. And… here they are:
I must say, I made a mistake. I didn’t know what kind of skin tone I have, and didn’t even read their FAQ. It turns out I’m supposed to use the Olive family. But it’s not a total loss. Even though none of the ones I’ve ordered matched my skin tone, they blended in well. None of it is wasted. :)
I really like the blusher… nice healthy glow. And the concealer is godsend! At first I really disliked it because it gave me a cakey look - then I found out that if I layer on my cream foundation first, then pat these on sparingly, my undereye circles disappeared! Like magic! Wheee! :D
Here’s how my skin looks like after mineral foundation. Really natural, right?
They don’t feel heavy too. Feels like nothing’s on! And you know what’s the best thing about them? I have oily skin, and these don’t cake on me. God, such a blessing! I’ve already ordered a large sized one along with their Finishing Powder to control oil… I’ll review them when they arrive.
And I also realized that I’m supposed to get Intensive. Semi-matte is just too light a coverage for me… and I’ve heard that Intensive’s shades vary a bit from other formulas. To use mineral makeup - the key is using a big fluffy Kabuki brush, tip the jar upside down, tap a few times to dispense the powder then dip your brush into it. Dot several places on your face, then blend blend blend! Blend in circular motion and just… buff it in. I had to hold my breath while buffing it in though - not sure how safe it is to inhale these stuffs. *LOL*
So yeah… that’s it.
Hey, go get the sample set! What do you have to lose? :)
