31 January 2015 / clinique, Estee Lauder, eyebrows, LIPGLOSS, MAC, MAKE UP, mascara, modern muse, PRODUCT REVIEW, revolution
MINI JANUARY HAUL + FIRST IMPRESSIONS
ESTEE LAUDER - Modern muse Eau de parfum
I am about to start on my new job next month and I thought what better way to start it off by investing in a more grown up mature scent. This scent caught my attention around half a year ago when I smelt this within a shopping centre and I haven't forgotten about it since. I really like this sophisticated scent and it is very different from my usual fruity and flowery scents that is already in my collection.
Clinique Bottom lash mascara
I have been intrigued by this little mascara for ages and never understood the hype because I never gave in to the hype. Having tried the big eyes mascara by Maybelline with the smaller brush for the lower lashes, I found that a smaller brush does mean easier application and grabs onto the lashes. First time using this mascara was quite frustrating to be honest because it is such a small brush. Although it took a longer time to apply, the results definitley showed as my lower lashes appeared longer compared with when I use a normal mascara. Removal was a little bit messy though because it comes off in little tubes and bits which i'm not really used to and defintley unexpected.
Louise young LY34 brush
Blogger fueled purchase. This foundation brush is a dome shaped which is nothing like any of the other brushes that I own in my collection. I do love using my real techniques buffing brush but this one is a little bit larger and flexible in comparison. For the price, this is really soft and good quality. I find that applying liquid/cream foundations with this brush made the process much more quicker and it blends the foundation in much more seamlessly compared with the buffing brushes. The only downside to this brush is that it is a little bit bulky and long in length so it is a mission to fit into my makeup bag when I travel around.
MAC pro longwear lipglass
An orange shade is definitley not on any makeup looks at the moment as the weather is so cold and such a warm summer shade is not appropriate. However I adored how this colour complimented my skintone so well and instantly made me look very awake and full of energy. My skintone naturally suits orange toned lipsticks and I was captivated by the thickness of this gloss and how pigmented it was. First impressions of this lipglass is great and i'm looking forward to the springtime where I can get more use out of this shade.
REVOLUTION ultra aqua brow tint
I have been sitting on the fence for the past couple months deciding whether I wanted to invest on the infamous anastasia dipbrow promade because the price was a little bit steep for my liking and I was unsure whether it would be for me or not. When i realised that revolution did a similar brow gel and in a tube form, i instantly placed an order with them and at such a small price, it cannot go wrong. I have used this product a couple of times and I have been loving it so far and gives a more precise and neat finish to my brows compared with just using my eyebrow pencil. The formulation was easy to apply and the pigmentation level was just right.
♥ Love Ying x
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29 January 2015 / kate107, kiko, lipcream, lipstick, MAC, matte, PRODUCT REVIEW, purple, red, rimmel, rubywoo, sleek, swatches, topshop, velvet lips, wine
MY TOP 5 BOLD LIP PRODUCTS
MAC MATTE LIPSTICK - RUBYWOO
Perfect blue toned matte red lipstick I have found. This lipstick has a really good formulation which is comfortable on the lips and doesn't leave my lips cracked and dehydrated. I usually apply this with a lip brush to give a more defined and precise finish. It also makes my teeth look alot whiter. Full review and swatches can be found here.
TOPSHOP VELVET LIPS - VELVETEEN RIBBON
This is the newest addition to my stash of never ending lip products. Eversince I have found the Sleek lip cream, I have wanted a similar product but in a more deep red colour. This Topshop lip cream was a tad drying but I do like the colour of this and it's lasting power was very good. I was a bit shocked by the price of this as it does resemble the price of other higher end products and I was unaware until I reached the till. Although I was a bit unsure about the pricing of this, I was in love with the colour and overlooked the issue.
KIKO SMART LIP PENCIL - 710
This is a more daring and vampy shade that I tend to just wear on limited occasions. I love the deep plum colour of this but I am not brave enough yet to sport this during the day. The lip pencil itself was very inexpensive and it was a delight to use as the consistency of the product was very nice and made it such a breeze to define my lips. With this colour, it makes me look a bit more sophisticated and mature which is good on nights out.
SLEEK MATTE ME LIP CREAM - FANDANGO PURPLE
Long lasting lip product and compliments my skintone very well. I am always impressed by sleek products because they are high quality and the pricing is reasonable. This is a well pigmented lip cream which is very easy to apply and dries to a excellent matte finish. Full review and swatches can be found here
RIMMEL LASTING FINISH - KATE 107
Long standing favourite of mine within my big stash. Rimmel lipsticks always deserve a big thumbs up for me because they are just so nice to use and effortless to apply. I would say that this one is a bit less matte than the rest of the other lip products I have chosen, but it does have much more moisturising properties. This deep berry colour is so pretty on the lips and definitley goes well with most makeup looks and outfits. Great product for such a good price.
Are you a fan of dark lipsticks?
♥ Love Ying x
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22 January 2015 / hot cloth cleanser, PRODUCT REVIEW, SKINCARE, Soap and Glory
S&G The ultimelt hot cloth cleanser | review
Cold winter months and heating leaves my skin feeling stripped of moisture and I have started seeing odd dry patches when I apply my favourite foundations. I turned to a more gentle and moisturising cleanser as opposed to my usual cleanser of choice. I purchased this because I really wanted to try out the whole 'hot cloth cleanser' trend which started out with the Liz Earle rave which I have been wanting to try out eversince then but never got round to puchasing it.
Firstly, This Soap & Glory version is in a very pretty packaging and it was just a fraction of the price of the Liz Earle one. I was actually really excited to use this because my skin really needed something a bit more moisturising to help with the dry patches. The product came out in a toothpaste like squeezy tube and I would use a recommended grape sized amount. The scent was lovely and calming which made it so lovely to use. The balm consistency of it was very comforting on my face and massaging it in felt really relaxing and gave my face a really good clean. After rinsing all the product off with the cloth provided, my skin felt so soft and plump. For my combination oily skin, I feel that this is perfect for the colder months but when it gets a bit warmer then I would feel it would be less appropriate. Great product for the price and I always think that Soap and Glory does good skincare products and I have been a big fan of them for a while now.
Have a lovely day ♥
♥ Love Ying x
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13 January 2015 / beauty, collection, concealer, ecotools, eyeliner, L'oreal, MAKE UP, mascara, Maybelline
My 5 new drugstore discoveries
001 || Maybelline dream lumitouch Highlighting concealer 02 NUDE
Being a avid fan of contouring and highlighting, I am always on the lookout for new products on the market. I currently love the MAC lightboost prep and prime pen but it is a bit steep on the pricing aspect so I am trying to find cheaper alternatives. This little concealer pen is so opaque and the colouring is just right for me in my opinion. I tend to use this under my eyes and on my cheekbones after using a corrector to cover my dark circles. I solely use this for highlighting purposes but I do believe that it would be appropriate to cover minor dark circles. It doesn't leave my face too greasy and it gives a nice subtle glow and radiance to the skin without enhancing any pores. There are different undertones of this available in this range - some are more pinky coloured which are better for the cooler skintone girlies.
002 || Maybelline rocket volum express waterproof
This mascara holds my stubborn straight lashes upright very well. It has to be the waterproof formulations though, or else it just droops straight away. The wand does appear to be quite large in size at first and I did expect it to be a bit of trouble with application due to my lashes being so tiny and short. However, application was fine and it grabs onto my lashes very well. I also adore the falsies also by Maybelline but this Rocket volum version is a newer discovery and I like a change sometimes. Didn't smudge on me which is great and for the price of this, this mascara deserves a big thumbs up from me.
003 || L'oreal super liner Gelmatic - Taupe grey / Ultra black
My love for the Rimmel scandaleyes is now gone and moves aside for this great discovery by L'oreal. I must have used up around 4 or 5 of the Rimmel eyeliners because I just use them on a daily basis as it is so long lasting and doesn't smudge on me with its waterproof formuations [Full review here]. However, these L'oreal gelmatic pencils seem to do the same job as the rimmel ones but not only does it look much more sophisticated with a handy twist up design, it is also much more thinner so it makes lining my eyes much more easier. I have been using these for the past week and my Rimmel ones have totally been neglected. I would say that the consistency of these are less creamy, but that is absolutley fine for me as I do find that the rimmel scandaleyes in black sometimes smudges on me when my eyes are a little bit more watery.
004 || Ecotools airbrush concealer brush
Picked this up at my local TkMaxx for a total bargain if I remembered correctly. I have never been a bit fan of the ecotools packaging so I was quite suprised that I picked it up myself. I was lured in by the brush design and I know that it would be amazing for blending out concealer as the name of the brush suggests. Sometimes when I use the real techniques setting brush for my undereyes concealer, I find that the bristles are too soft and quite difficult to actually blend the product into the sking. This ecotool's brush density does that job perfectly and for the pricing it was definitley a great discovery for me and I have been grabbing it on a daily basis eversince finding it.
005 || Collection Fast stroke Eyeliner
Being a beauty lover of all things waterproof I tend to go for the waterproof version. However, upon trying the waterproof version of this products, I found that it was a total fail [ Full review here ]. For the inexpensive price, I was determined to give this product another go because it looked so opaque and the applicator was a good shape and easy to hold and control. Although this is not a waterproof formulation, I found that it's lasting power was really good considering I have oily eyelids and many products just slip and slides. The colour of this is very black and it allows me to get a really precise eyeliner everytime. The packaging of this is very small and it is perfect for travelling with. Inexpensive product and a really good discovery.
What are your drugstore discoveries
♥ Love Ying x
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8 January 2015 / eyebrows, MAC, MAKE UP, Maybelline, sleek, Soap and Glory
MY BROWS 101
Routine & Maintenance
Every 2-3 weeks depending on how busy I am, I go out to town and get my eyebrows threaded and tidied up because I think that it is worth spending a little bit of money to save time plucking them individually. I tend to go for the cheaper alternative as opposed to the more expensive treatment which offers massages and soothing cream after because I have tried both and there is not anything substantially different apart from the pricing. I think if you are thinking of getting your brows shaped a particular way then go for the higher priced ones like 'blink' or 'malika' which I have personally tried before and they are wonderful. My brows are naturally quite sparse so pain is not really an issue for me when I go threading because not only is my pain threshold quite high, but also because there isn't much of a bushy brow to be removed. I like to take pride in my eyebrows and maintain them at top form as much as possible because due to the nature of my work and having to put on minimal make-up, a nice eyebrow is important.
Soap & glory brow archery- brow tint & precision shaping pencil : (brownie points)
This is the original one that I purchased. Double sided product with one side a waxy-based pencil and the other a fineliner style pen. I was a bit dissapointed that it didn't include a spoolie on the end which means I have to use a seperate one which is a bit of a hassle. The colour of the waxy pencil suits me alot and I find that it leaves my brows looking quite natural. Usually I am happy just using the pencil side. However, on nights out or when I want to do a more dramatic makeup look, I top it up with the fineliner side which allows me to shape my brows with much more accuracy and precision. I did love this product but I have found an even better product from this brand which I will talk about below.
Soap & glory brow archery 2 in 1 brow filling pencil and brush : (blondeshell)
When I first discovered this, I was over the moon because I was originally tempted to purchase the anastasia brow wiz which was a bit more expensive and I would have needed to order it online. Firstly, this product is almost identical as the more expensive counterpart as I have read many reviews on this by other bloggers and youtubers. The pencil is very fine and the other end is a spoolie which definitley wins my heart. The colour of this is also very natural and I find that this is my favourite brow product on a daily basis. The fine pencil allows me to draw on small brow hairs and make them look as natural as possible. I am currently on my pencil number 3 now and I am still using it everyday.
MAC omega eyeshadow & MAC 263 brush
This is what I used to use before I discovered my love for the conveniant brow pencils. I find that the colour 'omega' by MAC is more of a cool toned and suited for the eyebrows as well as using it as a normal eyeshadow. I was inspired by Tanya burr who used this on her eyebrows on many tutorials online. The MAC 263 brush is also wonderful to use and these 2 paired gives me a lovely natural looking brow. I tend to use this method when I have time on my hands as this does take a little more time but it does give a more clean and precise finish due the synthetic brush being so thin and slanted. A little bit on the expensive side of products and I am sure you can find many other drugstor alternative to this eyeshadow shade and this type of makeup brush.
Sleek eyebrow stick : (Medium 717)
This consists of a one sided very waxy based pencil. I recommend this product to those girlys out there with much more brow hairs than I have. It really does keep the hairs in place without using any brow gels as the waxy consistency of this just clings on the hairs. I find that this didn't really give me the natural look I desired as I found it to be a bit too heavy for my brows. The nib of the pencil is of a unique teardrow shape which makes drawing on the eyebrows a little bit more easier and quicker. Due to having combination oily skin, I did find that the colour of this did oxidse and my brows tended to look a little bit warmer in tone several hours after application. This has been pushed to the back of my makeup draws now; maybe saving it for the nights out where a bolder brow would look better.
MAC veluxe brow liner : (deep dark brunette)
Another spoolie/pencil type of products. The pencil is more of a dry and hard texture which is a little bit different to my favourite soap and glory brow pencils. This product is a little bit more on the warmer tone but it doesn't look too bad as it doesnt oxidise throughout the day. The spoolie I find is a little bit too big for my little brow hairs and it just isn't precise enough for me. This product does mean I have to contantly sharpen the pencil to draw on my brows as when it is blunt, it really doesn't work as I want it to. Again, this is a slightly darker and dramatic colour so I use this when I have heavy makeup. In addition, after a few uses the spoolie actually fell off of the pencil so I had to glue it back on.
Maybelline brow drama : (medium brown)
This is my choice of brow set. I don't really use this on a daily basis as my brows are quite short and sparse anyway so I don't really require this in my routine. This is basically a gel-like consistency with a tint of colour to set down any stray hairs you may have to give a much more polished finish to the brows. I do find that the applicator is a bit too big and I would prefer a much more slimmer version such as the one by benefit however, this Maybelline one is much more reasonable with regards to its pricing. There is nothing more frustrating than one brow hair not going in the right direction and its very noticable so this product comes in handy in those situations.
What is your favourite product for your eyebrows?
♥ Love Ying x
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