Daily School Makeup

Preface: The picture makes everything look more yellow than irl.

Face: bare, except concealer (Collection Lasting Perfection Longwear Concealer 01) on my chin pimple. Short review for the concealer: the lightest shade is a little too pinkish for my skin, but so far I really enjoy using it! It's creamy on application, but dries to a matte and impenetrable finish. I've been reaching out for it the most recently!

Eyebrows: I'm been loving MAC Eyeshadow in Concrete ever since I got it in Vancouver along with the MAC 208 brush. I'm a total convert to powder products for my brows now; they look more realistic and natural than pencil/liquid brow products?

Eyes: Clio Kill Black Brush Liner (oops, was trying to draw my eyeline downwards, but it ended up being a little crooked), MAC Wedge and Grain on my lids.

Cheeks: I am a total fan of the NYX Cream Blush in Rose Petal!!! SUCH a gorgeously natural-looking shade, and it gives my cheeks a glow due to its texture! I mentioned in a previous post that my skin seems sensitive to the formula, but I've had no problems whatsoever with it recently! Alternatively, I've been using the Clinique Cheek Pop in Peach Pop a whole lot as well.

Lips: My baby, the YSL Glossy Stain Rebel Nudes in Pink Taboo 103. It's a pretty watermelon-pink, and is quite similar in colour to the NYX Butter Gloss in Peach Cobbler. This contains subtle micro-glitter that endows the lips with a beautiful shimmery glow. I love it! One thing to note though: the YSL Glossy Stains leaves a film of product on the lips rather than really being absorbed by the lips it seems... I haven't really been impressed with its staying power compared to, say, the L'oreal Colour Extraordinaire Glosses.

My daily MAC quad

Wow this photo is as colour accurate as it gets. Taken with my new camera, Canon S120! Clockwise L-R: Concrete, Wedge, Blanc Type, Grain.

Just wanted to do a quick post about what I've noticed myself consistently using. I actually transferred these 4 colours in particular to my MAC quad that I was reserving to be used on trips as my travel eyeshadow palette.

They are: Concrete (used for my eyebrows and to line my lower lashline), Wedge (to bring warmth to my crease area and to create a slight shadow), Grain (swept over the front half of my lids, and used to highlight the inner corner so as to brighten up my eyes!), Blanc Type (my favourite brow bone highlight that simultaneously cleans up my look if I bring Wedge too high up).

Together, they create a very everyday, casual eye-look that's appropriate for school and whenever I'm lazy to think of what eyeshadows to use. Basically my default combination!

I really love all 4 of these eyeshadows, and definitely highly recommend them for beginners :) Swatches available in my previous posts!

LUSH face masks! - Oatifix and Catastrophe Cosmetic

First things first: these are like $8 in canada and $20+ in Singapore lolol omg I feel such a sense of accomplishment!!! 

The masks are okay, they certainly don't do miracles. Oatifix targets dryness, while Catastrophe Cosmetic is supposed to be a mild remedy to combat acne/breakouts. Both worked for me, but I wasn't wowed by the results. For instance, Catastrophe Cosmetic DID help reduce the redness of new and old zits, but I felt that it didn't do anything substantial to alleviate the situation - the zits remained. Oatifix is a real treat for my face; it always leaves my skin feeling utterly nourished and supple!

In any case, these masks are really enjoyable, especially since they HAVE to be kept in the fridge which leads to them being soothingly-icy on the face when you apply them. I also like the fact that given their shelf life of about 3 weeks, you are forced to not be lazy and just use them every other day. Oh oh, and I love their policy of giving a free face mask for every 5 tubs returned?? Damn I should have spent more time in Canada :P

However, given the stark price difference, I'd certainly not buy them when I'm in Singapore :/

LUSH Popcorn Lip Scrub

I've been using this product for more than a year now? This is actually my 2nd jar, since the 1st jar expired in May I bought another one while I was in Canada. This seems to last and last, I don't think anyone can actually finish it up before its expiry date. 

You only need to pick up the teeniest amount with the nub of your little finger, then exfoliate your lips with it. If you're into lip scrubs, you can actually lick up the excess. It has a salty sweetness to it. However, I've not been keen to do that at all, just grosses me out :P

I like using this scrub once a week. Lip scrubs are important to me because my lips are dry, yet I like bold lip colours. This combination can lead to disastrously attention-seeking flaky lips, so I'm grateful to LUSH for such a inexpensive and effective product that helps prevent that. After doing the lip scrub, I condition my lips with my favourite Kiehl's lip balm if I'm applying lipstick. At the moment, I'm a total lip gloss convert though, so I'd apply NYX butter glosses right after the lip scrub since they're so moisturising anyway.

The lip scrub cost me CAD $7 or $9 I think, which converts to sgd $10. This product is available in Singapore for $20+. Hehehehe score!!! 

Skincare Routine

My skin's finally been clearing up! I've been having huge zits pop up continuously, one after another, for a few months? Actually a whole year I think. I used to have such good skin, tight pores, smooth normal skin with the very very occasional zit which pops out during exam season. Sigh.

According to my dermatologist, the change in my skin condition can be attributed to my skin having been subjected to sudden changes in climate (since I've been overseas quite a bit these few years). My diet has also changed - I went from only eating simple and light dishes to craving for spicy food all the time, especially after I returned from Korea.

My skin right now:

• dry-normal
• pores are starting to look bigger - I'M AGING AND MY SKIN IS LOOSENING UP :(
• dry lips that need to be taken care of to prevent my lip eczema from returning
• some mini and negligible bumps on my forehead and chin -- a huge improvement from before

I think the improvement can be credited to Hado Labo, cus that's all I've been using recently: Hydrating face wash, followed by the Hydrating lotion and finally the Arbutin Whitening milk. I like using whitening products because they help brighten my complexion. I also like to dose my skin with a good amount of moisture because of my skin type. My skin tends to get dry if left unattended to.

Swatches of My Blush Collection - Updated with Pictures!

When I showed this picture I took of all my blushes to my boyfriend, he was like "THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME" lolol. Mini reviews below! Some are new purchases while others have been lying around in my stash. I think my collection is definitely humble, but these will satisfy me for now.

Clinique Cheek Pop in 02 Peach Pop

Peach Pop is a shimmery peach blush that gives your cheeks a gorgeous sheen in a natural shade. I use this to match coral/orange/peach lip colours. As for eye looks, this blush matches everything. It must be noted that the formulation is insanely good; somehow, it looks creamy rather than powdery on the cheeks, despite it being a powder blush. The staying power is superb as well, lasting for as long as 14 hours!

Clinique Cheek Pop in 04 Plum Pop

Plum Pop is a shimmery doll pink blush that matches well with pink lip shades. In particular, I enjoy rounding up the look with purple eyeshadow (Sketch & Satin Taupe) /eyeliner (Clio Gelpresso in Bloody Devil). Also, Plum Pop has the same formulation and lasting power as Peach Pop.

NYX Cream Blush in Hot Pink

The swatch above may seem a little scary, but only because it has not been blended out yet. When spread over the cheeks, the blush is a more muted/subdued hot pink. Am I making sense? lol. On me, it makes me look like I just ran 10km. Unfortunately, the formulation of the blush seems to clog pores and cause pimples? On days that I use it, I always notice 1 or 2 bumps on my cheeks that go away soon enough. But still...

NYX Cream Blush in Rose Petal

My FAVOURITE out of the bunch for a natural no-makeup makeup look. It is a light reddish-pink shade that looks exactly like a natural flush. The texture is amazing as well: not too oily/greasy like the Josie Maran Cheek Gelee, nor too dry and powdery like the Revlon Cream Blushes. It is, pure and simple, a cream formulation that sits comfortably on my skin. However, it has the same problem as Cream Blush in Hot Pink mentioned above: it seems to cause a minor breakout whenever I use it.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12- hour Blush in Exposed

I've talked about Tipsy before in a separate post, so I shall not repeat myself. Exposed gives the same effect as the NYX Cream Blush in Rose Petal in that it looks uber natural. Both blushes have earned me praise from total strangers who thought that I wasn't wearing any makeup. They even told me that they thought I just had a healthy and natural flushed look! Exposed is slightly darker than Rose Petal; it is more of a dusty rose shade.

Purple Haze

Firstly, I filled my brows with MAC Concrete on a MAC 208 brush. The brush is 10x better than what I was using before - The Body Shop Eyeliner brush. It's made of natural hair, which has a stronger grip on powder thus leading to a faster and easier application. I also love that it has a shorter brush width, allowing for more precise strokes.

Using a MAC 217, I swept MAC Satin Taupe all over my mobile lid (the part directly covering the eyeballs) before layering MAC Sketch over it.

The shape formed using MAC Sketch should resemble a rhombus. I find that this complements Asian eyes more so than the technique of piling darker shades on the 'crease', which is not that obvious on us.

Then, I blended the two shadows with the same brush to eliminate harsh lines, and to meld them together more cohesively.

Next, I placed MAC Blanc Type under my brows for a subtle highlight, as well as to blend the outline of MAC Sketch and MAC Satin Taupe. I find that doing so really gives the look a more polished feel.

Lastly, I finished up with eyeliner and mascara. I am currently using Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket, and have been really impressed with its curling abilities and staying power. The waterproof version of the same mascara is not as volumising. The L'oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim Eyeliner is just okay; it is super black and easy to maneuver, but it smudges. That's a big no-no for me.