$1 Body Shop Eyeshadows!

So The Body Shop been having a sale and some of their makeup items were on clearance. I was browsing with some friends and saw some eyeshadows on sale. I checked their price tag and both were $1 each (normal price is $12)! I was a little surprised because both were wearable colors and on the warm, neutral side. I snatched both up. They had ever-so-descriptive labels of 02 and 09. Some research told me that 02 is probably Golden Khaki and 09 is Fawn Parfait (but don't quote me on the names). On the official website, 02 and 09 have been removed from the list.

02 (Left) and 09 (Right)

02 is a olive/mossy green with gold shimmer and 09 is a light brown with some pink in it. Both have a bit of a sheen and okay pigmentation. It's a little chalky, though only when you really layer the shadow on. The shadows are really soft and blendable. Great shadows made even better by the price!

I'm pretty tan right now so the skin swatches don't show much. 02 reminds me a little of Urban Decay's Stash 24/7 eyeliner. 09 is a bit nude on my lids but the pink does show up well. I think it would look nice with a dark brown in the crease.

I've only used 02 for an eye look. I blended a little of Wet N' Wild's Idol Eyes Creme Eyeshadow in Graphite (black with a bit of silver shimmer) into the outer corners and into the crease. I blended 02 over top to get a simple smokey look.

Depotting the shadows was super easy (thought a bit foolish on my part since I don't have a palette. Now they're just rattling around in their pans). Just remove the labels (there's quite a bit) in the back until you get to the plastic. There's a hole on the bottom. Just poke through it to push the shadow pan out of the plastic. You'll need a little force since the glue is pretty sticky.

I believe The Body Shop is still having a big sale in their stores and some of the makeup is on clearance. See if there are any more $1 eyeshadows up for grabs.

Don't Believe the Hype!

This tag went around and is still pretty popular on YouTube. I really like the idea so I thought I would do my own (written) version of it.

1) Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero

I have a travel size of it and was so very excited to try it. In the makeup world, so many people have mentioned this is a great, stay-put, creamy, and ultra black liner. My friend actually had the full size version and warned me that it runs. I was convinced it was awesome and bought the Velvet Rope set.

It definitely runs. And it doesn't run in a way that people can tell your black liner is running. On me, it fades as it runs so it turns grey on my undereyes, making it look like I have dark bags. On my lash line, it never really sets so after awhile, I get a grey line on my crease from the eyeliner transferring.

I love the other 24/7 liners I have: Stash, Bourbon, and Yeyo. All stay put, even on my waterline and even after a nap of tossing and turning, and have great color payoff. Zero, the most basic liner, is just a dud.

2) Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy eyeshadow

It's lauded as the cult classic/best seller and it's "snuck" into almost every palette UD comes out with. It's a pretty pink champagne, nudish color with silver glitter.

It's chunky, craft glitter. You can count individual flecks of glitter and the fallout is so bad. The fallout is especially irritating since I wear contacts. It's such a pretty color but it's basically like makeup little girls play with since the glitter is gigantic.

I still use it but I swirl it on my brush and then tap/shake the brush to get the heavy glitter to fall out (which is a bit wasteful).

3) Benefit Benetint

It's so watery and dries so quickly, that even though it's a nice rosy color, you end up with blotchy patches and it's a mother to try to blend it out. It was THE cheek/lip stain but it's so difficult to work with. On the cheeks, it accentuates fine lines and pores. Not pretty.

4) MAC's Lollipop Loving lipstick

Don't get me wrong, I love love love this lipstick. Who would've thought green shimmer was so pretty on the lips? But, in terms of wearability, I'm a little disappointed. The green shimmer is very fine on the lips and since it's a glaze, it's not the most stay put formula. What happens if I eat, drink, touch my lips? Green shimmer every where! When I first had the lipstick, I didn't realize how easy it was to transfer the shimmer so I gave my boyfriend a few pecks on the cheeks and lips. Lucky for him that day I went a little light on the application but in the sun, I saw green shimmer like everywhere.

Funny enough, once the green shimmer separates from the color, it is ridic hard to get rid of.

5) Clinique Dramtically Different Moisturizing Lotion

I got it in a sample size and did not like it. It's fragrance free but I hated the plasticky smell. It wasn't particularly moisturizing or anything special. It left a weird feeling/film to my skin. It just wasn't for me.

Caffeine and Oil Control?

I'm a big fan of coffee, especially Starbucks (probably because of accessibility). If you were walking from one end of my campus to another, you'll find 5 Starbucks (four of them accept points from my university). All in all, you won't have a hard time finding a cup of coffee.

Besides from coffee, Starbucks also has something else great to offer. It's more beauty related and a lot more useful than an overload of caffeine. It's the napkins! I found out about the trick from Makeupalley.com and it really works. It has to be the special, brown, recycled napkins with Starbucks on it. Some of the campus branches don't have the "official" Starbucks napkins so their oil absorbing capabilities aren't all that great. I just blotted my face and the Starbucks napkins work/look like an actual oil blotting sheet. Best thing? They're absolutely free.

I get pretty oily during the day, especially if I have makeup on. Instead of shelling out money for a dinky little packet of Clean & Clear sheets, I just grab a wad of napkins whenever I'm at Starbucks and cut them to size to keep in my bag.

Fun little beauty tips like that make my day. Hope it makes you a little happy too! =)

Quick Browse Through My Mascara History

Despite my blog title, the one beauty item I truly ever need is mascara. Being Asian, my lashes, though long and good in number, are barely visible. Mascara is something that brightens up my face and open up my eyes. I've tried quite a few so I'll give a quick review of each.

Current and HG Mascara: Max Factor Lash Perfection Volume Couture Waterpoof

Official Description: Selected as the Official Mascara of Milan Fashion Week, this superb formula delivers high definition and volume without clumping. Our innovative iFX brush coats every lash, giving you beautiful results.

My Take:

• Pros:

1. Buildable without clumps
2. Formulation is gel-like and wet
3. Does deliver volume/length
4. Holds a curl super well

• Cons:

1. Separation isn't as much as I want. To get a feathery effect, a lot of wiggling and a lash comb is needed
2. Waterpoof means waterproof. It quite difficult to remove but I guess this is a pro and a con
3. One of the more expensive drugstore mascaras (all Max Factor mascaras run $8-$11)
4. It's getting discontinued!

This is the only mascara I've ever repurchased and would gladly continue to do so. What I really love is that it can be build up to be rather natural to dramatic dark, volumious (which is my everyday preference).

Another Max Factor Gem: 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper Waterproof

Official Description: Introducing our new pro tool for the most voluptuous lashes ever. It’s not a mascara, it’s a lash plumper! Our patented fat-wrap formula and extreme brush uniquely wrap and plump every single lash, from root to tip.

My Take:

• Pros:

1. Great volume, separation, curl, and length
2. Same great forumlation as Volume Couture

• Cons:

1. The priciest drugstore mascara I've purchased. It runs $11.
2. It flaked a little.

I think this mascara is interchangable with Volume Couture with me. So I guess both are HG-status. I might even say the Lash Plumper performs slightly better. The brush has finer and more bristles than Volume Couture so I get better results. However, with the higher price tag, an almost identical product to Cover Girl's Lash blast, and the clumsier wand, I would opt for Volume Couture instead. 

My Fallback when Max Factor Goes Bye-Bye: Cover Girl's Lash Blast Waterproof

Official Description: Get a blast of bold, volumized lashes - rain or shine! LashBlast's patented volume-boosting formula and patent-pending brush are designed to max-out each and every lash, leaving you with the ultimate big lash look. In original, non-waterproof, too!

My Take:

I won't get too in depth because I think Lash Blast performs exactly the same as 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper. However, I think the mouth of the tube is not small enough to effectively swipe excess off the comb because I remember that the first few weeks I used it, I hated it. It clumped and didn't separate as well as I wanted it to. But, I resolved to finish the tube and after a few more tries, I got it to work for me. A great mascara though, like many have said, quite difficult to remove. *I also tried the Lash Blast Luxe with the plantinum reflects. You can't really see them. I'm quite gullible to such pretty sounding gimmicks.

Fool-Me-Once, Shame on You Maybelline: (Not So) Great Lash Mascara

Official Description: The mascara that conditions as it thickens. 
Lash-doubling formula glides on smooth to build great-looking lashes 
Lash building brush makes it easy to get a full lash look without clumps or globs

My Take:

I got this because of the numerous adverts proclaiming it as "America's #1 Mascara." It was one of my earliest ventures into cosmetics. This was the first mascara I ever had so details are a little fuzzy. All I remember is that it sucked. The mascaras mentioned above all have a wet formulation so the lashes are nice and soft. However, with Great Lash, the formulation was dry leading to hard, crinkly lashes. I cringe thinking back on how I use to walk around with spider lashes. I have to admit though it did give some volume and separation wasn't horrible. Reviews are mixed so some people have made this work for them but this was by far the worst mascara I've ever used.

Worth A Second Look: Maybelline Lash Discovery

Official Description: Exclusive lash-catching mini-brush allows you to get hard-to-reach lashes - from corner to corner, root to tip and the bottom, too. Lengthens and defines lashes. 
No clumps or globs.

My Take:

• Pros:

1. Tiny brush can get into corners of the eyes
2. Clean application to lower lash line
3. Very natural look with nice separation and decent length

• Cons

1. Little volume
2. Did not hold a curl well
3. Was a little dry

I don't really have complaints about this mascara. It just simply wasn't for me. I want volume when it comes to mascara and this was more for a clean, natural look. It reall got every little lash but since my lower lashes hardly exist, I couldn't really benefit from it. Still, I would recommend this despite it's lack fo results for me because I can see it working quite nicely for someone with fuller lower lash line or someone who doesn't want a dramatic everyday lash.

Fool-Me-Twice Shame on Me: Maybelline Define-a-Lash

Official Description: This zero clump mascara creates voluptuous volume with clean definition. Patented shaped-to-the-lash brush.

My Take:

• Pros

1. Decent volume
2. Nice packaging

• Cons

1. Uneven application
2. Barely any length
3. Clumping and poor separation

I think I'm done with Maybelline mascaras. I haven't been wowed at all. On the contrary, I've mostly negative results. I tried this because Define-A-Lash was taking the makeup world by storm. Their adverts were increasing and a friend who had the regular Define-a-Lash had good results. Since I am a volume-lash junkie, I picked up the Volume version. The formula like most Maybelline mascaras is slightly on the dry side but this was definitely a more managable texture. However, it clumped like crazy and my lashes kept sticking together (mostly because the brush applied unevenly). Length wasn't there so I thought my lashes looked rather stubby.

The Most Confusing Mascara: Clinique High Definition Lashes Brush Then Comb Mascara

Official Description: Allure Editor's Choice Award, 2006. Now brush, comb. Create. Brush-side coats with dramatic, long-wearing colour. Comb-side separates to perfection. Transforms each and every lash with extreme length and definition.

My Take:

I'll be very brief on this because I didn't get to use it enough to go very in-depth. I got a sample of this and used it a few times before it got lost in my makeup bag. It is a very unique brush head. The brush side works well and I liked the separation and length I got. It gave a bit of volume. The formula is decent. However, once I turned the wand and "combed" my lashes, the separation disappeared and I got a lot of clumps. Taking a look at it, the comb side is coated with product but it's just globs of mascara sitting in the crevices. After a few tries of wavering between like/disliking of the product, I resolved to use my Lash Blast instead. I'm not against trying it again but I think it'll take some getting use to a new way of application.

This post is dedicated to my friend Jenn who checks my blog and gets put off by the lack of posts. Apparently, I am a blog tease. Hope this was helpful!

Illamasqua Moves Across the Pond

Thanks to All Lacquered Up I found out some exciting news! Illamasqua will be launching in the US through Sephora. First place will be Sephora's Time Square store - right in my city! Yeah. =) I am very excited. I follow a lot of overseas beauty bloggers (lollipop26 and toomuchblush) and was always incredibly jealous of their Illamasqua hauls. Now that it's launching in the US, I get the chance to try out the line.

I am most excited to try their blushes, pigments, and nail varnishes. Hopefully, the US launch will include items from their Siren collection which looks amazing. 

I Have a Lifetime of Eyeshadow

No, not really. But with 120 eyeshadows it's kinda hard to run out.

Product: Pro 120 Palette
Where to Buy: Ebay sellers, Beauties Factory
Price: Depends. Mine was $13USD before shipping. $30USD after shipping (seller on Ebay was from Malaysia). On the website, it's $30USD.
Notes: The brand on the palette isn't always Beauties Factory. It's also seen with a Manly label (I thought this was rather hilarious).
Recommend?: Yes, especially if you're first starting off with makeup.
Pros:
1) Great variety of colors
2) Matte and shimmer finishes
3) Soft/Blendable
Cons:
1) Some shimmer shades have fallout
2) Lighter colors don't have good color payoff and not very buildable
3) Not enough neutrals
4) Comes with an immense sense of guilt if you want to buy other eyeshadows because you have 120 colors waiting to be used =(

A few months ago, I purchased the famous 120 Pro Palette. The palette has, obviously, 120 eyeshadows in matte and shimmer finishes. Pans are dime sized and in two separate plates of shadow that are stacked in the case. Basically, you have every color under the rainbow, though it seems heavy on the blue. I bought this instead of the Coastal Scents one because I wanted matte and shimmer and didn't want to have to get 2 different palettes. And, the CS palettes are the same colors except in different finishes and I wanted a greater variety to experiment with.

The colors are decently pigmented. I use the brown row the most and the major flaw in the palette is that there aren't enough neutrals. I love the purples too. I think they are very true to pan color. The two purple shadows in the middle of the row are absolutely gorgeous. I tried using the pinks a bit but had some problems getting the color to build up. I think the stars of the palette are the marbled colors (right-most column in first picture). I swatched them a few times. Payoff is great and if you don't blend the colors completely, you get a lovely sheen that has a gradient of color.

Texture is standard. Soft and blendable but some colors can crumble and cause fall out during application. I don't really have many complaints about the texture.

*Some palettes are more expensive becaue they come with brushes (most sellers on Ebay and the website also includes a free travel brush set). DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT pay more just for the brush set. They are horrible. The wood is light and cheap. The bristles feel like a broom. Dye hemorraged during wash. I had a furrel slip off during the 2nd! washing. Some Ebay sellers have palette+brushset at the same price as just the palette so that would be a good time to get it because the brush roll it comes with is very pretty and handy. Otherwise, just stick with the palette.

Hope you enjoyed the review despite my very long paragraphs. I tend to ramble and write a lot. I had a small drugstore haul two days ago so I'll post it up with reviews soon.

A Hello

I've been lurking on YouTube and numerous people's beauty blogs so I've finally got up the nerve to get one for myself. This will mainly be a way for me to talk at length about my obsession with beauty products and the like. My friends aren't that interested in makeup and get annoyed at my excitement over things like that. =P

I guess I'll start off my blog with a list of what I'm using now:

Mascara - Max Factor Volume Couture
Blush/Highlight - MAC Refined MSF (I recently dropped my first one and lost everything except for the powder on the pan. =( Had to spend $30 to replace it. Couldn't let it go)
Lips - MAC Lollipop Loving
Face - Covergirl Tinted Moisturizer + MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus
Concealer - Revlon Beyond Natural Concealer/Highlight Duo
Perfume - Incanto Shine
Shampoo/Conditioner - Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Sheer