Sunday, September 21, 2008

Makeup Reviews Part 1/2- Eyes- Eyelash Curler And Mascara

I'm so sorry for the delay of this entry. When I was writing this entry I realised that I forgot the prices... so until I got the (estimated) prices I delayed posting this up. So yeah... enjoy, I guess XD

Part 2 of my makeup reviews will go to the eye section and Part 1/2 will be reviewing my eyelash curler and mascaras. I've decided to seperate the eye section a little. Part 2/2 will most likely cover the rest of my stuff- eyeliners and eye makeup remover.

As mentioned, I'm not exactly a great makeup user, and I still don't know how to use eyeshadow! So yeah... there won't be any great eyeshadow reviews here. At least not for now. I'll try to learn :P



I curl my lashes first with this baby. It's the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, and it retails for RM 60. Quite pricey, although stil cheaper compared to Shiseido The Makeup's curler- If I am not mistaken, since the Shiseido counter I asked at 1 Utama's Jusco pointed out two different types to me. One was cheaper and darker in colour (e.g. bronze-ish) while the other more expensive one mentioned was silver like this one. It was quite difficult trying to take a decent photo of the curler though XD I can't compare it to the Shiseido curlers though, but I have used cheap, drugstore curlers before and I do have difficulty curling the lashes in my inner corner of my eye with them and experience pinching and not-so-thorough curling.



I have quite long lashes, but they're usually droopy and make me look sleepy, so curlers do help me make me look more awake. However, Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler fits perfectly around my eye socket and comfortably curls every single one of my lashes without fear of pinching and the like. It's also very ergonomic to hold and use and you don't have to hold the curler for long- just press gently, release a little and press gently again for about five times (For me) and voila! Curled lashes that looks au naturel. I said five times, but I have repeated it up to 10 (When I first used it) and the results are still the same. The curl on the lashes lasts the whole day too. I find they go back to normal only after I sleep at night and wake up :P



My mascaras are Deja Vu Fibrewig Paint On False Lashes in Pure Black and L'Oreal Telescopic Clean in Black. Both are my favourite mascaras and sometimes there are days when I can't decide which mascara to use, as both are, in my opinion, good. Although admittedly, both have their own pros and cons and all which I will elaborate further.



This is how the brush for the L'Oreal Telescopic Clean mascara looks like. Instead of those bushy bushy brushes you get a nice, clean (In a sense that you don't see leftover/dried up mascara gunk), albeit short-bristled plastic applicator wand. However, true to its looks and name, it gives a very clean and not to mention simple application to the lashes. It can even reach and coat the lashes on the corners of your eyes due to its rather small wand size, and dries quickly.

My lashes stay relatively curled for hours afterwards with no clumps, and removing them is the best part. Either you wash them off with warm water, literally, or you can use a cotton pad with eye makeup remover and gently rub them off. They come off like little bits of plastic film, for lack of better words to describe them, whether on cotton pad or washed off with warm water. They do kind of leave streaks under your eyes when you wash it with warm water but they're easily removed with more water/eye makeup remover too :) So yeah, I really love how easy it is to remove this mascara.

L'Oreal Telescopic Clean is available at most pharmacies, e.g. Guardian or Watson's for RM 33.90, although you can get it cheaper if they have discounts which I believe is quite often.



And this is the brush for the Deja Vu Fibrewig Paint On False Lashes mascara. You can see the small little fibres on the brush that will coat your lashes and elongate them, but not to blow my own trumpet, I have relatively long lashes so they don't really make too much of a difference to me. I have problems coating my inner lashes with this brush though, but I guess that's what the Deja Vu Tiny Sniper mascara is for (Or so I heard!). Another thing is that this mascara is different in a sense that you apply mascara BEFORE curling. I usually curl my lashes first then apply mascara, but then it kind of "weighed" my lashes down. So I tried applying it first, waiting for it to dry (Which is really quick) before curling, and lashes stay curled instead. I believe this is also mentioned in My Women Stuff if I'm not mistaken :x

It's just as easy to remove as the L'Oreal Telescopic Clean mascara. However, I would say that L'Oreal Telescopic Clean is my favourite mascara, since it can curl even my baby lashes and I like the wand better since it's easier to control and won't leave marks on my eyelids :P

Deja Vu Fibrewig Paint On False Lashes mascara is available at Sasa or Guardian pharmacies. I've not seen them in Watson's, so correct me if I'm wrong here. Retails for about RM 50+.

An interesting note is that the makeup artist that did me for my recent Money Talk filming project (Shegar also used to do makeup for VJs for MTV Asia) used this mascara on me!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Foundation Review + Others

It's my 22nd birthday today! :D I feel old.



Reiterating from my previous post about The Body Shop's new mineral makeup collection, I have been using the mineral foundation since then, and now I think it should be the ripe time to review it. Turns out that I bought it right on the day it launched! @.@



The foundation shade I am using is 01. It's not very very light as I would have expected a shade 01 foundation to be, nor was it dark. It suited my skin tone just nicely without changing the tone. I also found that the texture of the powder was really very fine, as also mentioned in the previous post. Coverage wise it's good- sheer but buildable to a heavier coverage shall you need/want it to. I find that around 2-3 full dustings around my face does the job nicely. It's also not "shimmery" compared to the other mineral foundations I've tried (e.l.f. and Laura Mercier, which seems to "shimmer" and thus draws attention to my pores instead!) and gives quite a matte yet radiant, glowy effect and finish without the pore-attention-drawing. My skin does look healthier and I've had comments saying that my skin looks better!



A close up of the interior of the foundation. Here you can see the mesh-like net instead of normal holes as the sifter. It's really very unique and handy in a sense that it minimises wastage and spillage when trying to get the foundation powder, as it dispenses just about the right amount of powder onto the top. Or at least I don't experience powder pouring/spilling out when you tip the jar, shake it a bit and then open it. You also don't "poke" the foundation back into the sifter holes when using a brush... not like it's a problem, but just an observation XD



In my previous post I've mentioned that the brush is incredibly soft with very dense bristles, but upon using it I found that it sheds quite a lot of hair during application. I've washed it (And it's drying at the moment- should take some time since it's so dense), but no hairs seem to have shed during the wash. It's pretty annoying to pull the stray, falling-off and shed hairs from the brush, from my face and/or from the foundation jar, but otherwise it does feel soft on the skin and doesn't irritate it. Ease of usage is good- it allows me to buff the foundation around my face nicely and evenly.



This is my current and favourite kabuki brush, which is from Everyday Minerals. Granted, the brushes are not as dense as The Body Shop, but it's incredibly soft and very user-friendly in a sense that it's really very nice to use. It's survived several washes and the usage of different powders, and it hasn't shed a single strand of hair @.@ I've used it with The Body Shop's mineral foundation as well, and it also does the job nicely. I bought this for RM 45 from a seller in LowYat.NET and it's very worth the price! I've been wanting another one for about 4 months now :x



After using The Body Shop's mineral foundation I dust a light layer of Make Up For Ever's Super Matte Loose Powder. It really helps keep my skin matte and healthy-looking when combined with the mineral foundation, but I shall a more detailed review of the product sometime soon ;) I use a duo fibre face brush from Etude House to apply it, but I'm not very satisfied with it and am currently eyeing the 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush from M.A.C. The reason I am using such a brush is because application is lightweight and more natural as compared to when using a kabuki brush, which makes quite a thick, powdery-looking layer due to the buffing and all.



I then finish my whole makeup routine with a light spritz of Eau Thermale Avene, as recommended by the pamphlet at the very start of the post (Although it mentions mineral water) :P It really does help "fix" the makeup and keeps the shinies at bay for much longer, whilst adding a healthy, natural-looking radiance and glow to the skin. Perhaps it's the minerals in the water that "adheres" to the minerals in the foundation and reacts in such a way. I don't know, I'm just being scientific here because of my educational background XD It's also definitely cheaper to use than M.A.C's Fix+ at RM 18.90 at all major pharmacies such as Guardian and Watson's.

Removal of all these is quite a cinch. I don't really need to use a makeup remover, I just cleanse my face with my Dermalogica's Ultracalming Cleanser (I've stopped using the Essential Cleansing Solution as it was too rich for me and made my skin oily) and it cleans off very well compared to when I was using my previous foundations. Goes to show that mineral makeup truly is fuss free!