Beauty Binge : Travel essentials!

As I was packing, thought I'd show you some of my travel essentials - stuff I always bring with me whenever I travel.

I try to get travel size products as they don't take up much space in my toiletry bag. I almost never bring my makeup unless if it's a trip back to Sydney or any other party-central cities in the world for work or play. I try to keep it as simple as possible because trying to fit a big fat toiletry bag in an equally big fat luggage is not fun!

essentials

1. Sunblock of at least SPF 25. I normally use SPF 30 for beach bound holidays and never stinge on slathering on before leaving the hotel room, even on a gloomy day. I don't mind turning darker, but I don't want any excuse to get skin cancer! My family has cancer history so I am always very aware. Preventing is better that cure. Though that tube of sunblock has seen better days. eew. I'll buy a new one tomorrow at the airport...

2. Baby oil. I normally use it at night. I have super dry skin and if I don't have any kind of lotion or oil at night, I'll wake up with "war wounds" from scratching...

3. Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. If baby oil doesn't work, this almost always does. Just can't stand it's uber greasiness.

4. Baby shampoo. I'm @nal about shampoos! Hotel shampoos turn my hair into straws so I prefer using a gentle shampoo on holiday. Baby shampoo does the trick. Makes my hair feel and look normal!

5. Lip balm.

6. Facial sunblock. I never ever use regular sunblock on my face. No, no no! Or else, pimples galore!! I like this facial sunblock from MaryKay. It has an SPF 25 and is non-greasy. Good facial sunblocks are hard to find, so this one's a keeper.

7. Eye cream. Been using this Eucerin Q-10 anti-wrinke eye cream. It's OK, not so thick but moisturises my under eye areas quite nicely. As for wrinkles... they're not goin' anywhere. Oh well!! But must have eye cream.

8. Eyelash curler. Yes, I haven't been updating much. Yes, I was unwell. But I'm still vain!!

new essentials everyday

Now that my body is stretching in different directions, I had to add these babies to minimise stretch marks. I do not want to have the world map on my ass!!

1. Clarins Body Treatment Oil - Firming and Toning, for pregnant ladies or those battling with stretch marks. At RM172 a pop, this was strongly recommended by my facial lady. I love the smell, not too strong, mild enough not to linger on and clash with your perfume. The oil is not too runny, and absorbs really fast. I use this in the morning after shower.

2. Chicco Mama Donna anti-stretch mark cream. I bought this first, because in the earlier days of my pregnancy, I could smell everything and that would make me sick! This has no smell, it's non-greasy and the cream absorbs easily into the skin. I use this at night after shower.

3. Organic Aid Vitamin E Cream. I use this as an all-over body cream as it has no smell. It's thick, takes a little bit more time to absorb but is not greasy. I had to give away The Body Shop's Body Butter as I was super sensitive to smell. Plus, it was getting too greasy for my liking. My low tolerance to smell has improved but I still stick to no/light fragrant products, just in case if my pregnancy hormones decide to act up again...

Liquid products are nicely tucked in a ziplock bag. Nothing worse than a spill!

All in my toiletry bag, and off I go!

See you in a week!!

xoxo,
PUSS
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Travels: Surprise me, Phuket!

OK, so I'm all packed and off for a well-deserved holiday. I'm just not too stoked about the destination - Phuket. Bleh. Been there one too many times, the last was last year with my brother in-law, Michael. I swear, the island didn't look like it was touched by the 2004 tsunami at all. If anything, that disaster has made the place anything but friendly. Prices have quadrupled and I personally feel the tsunami has wiped out the warmth of the islanders. Oh, they're nice to the farangs, but the minute they found out I was not Thai, but from neighbouring Malaysia, watch that attitude change!! Pfft!

One of the few places I like in Phuket - Kata Beach. Gorgeous!!

Of course then watching some of the local girls openly making googly eyes at my farang husband, OR, farangs making eyes at me thinking I must be for "hire". Or dirty looks as if my farang husband hired me. It's so freakin' annoying, though Husband J finds it amusing. Maybe this time seeing my bulging belly, they'll lay off.

*OMG, I started off by whinging!*

Phuket Island, Thailand

At least the beaches in Phuket are still beautiful. I love the water too. So clear and clean.

This time, we're holidaying with husband-and-wife friends from Ireland. They were looking forward to do the beautiful islands on the east coast of Malaysia, but this is not the time as it is close for the monsoon season. So Phuket it is, since they've never been there. Which is why I didn't protest when J said we're going there. It was an easy decision as well.

So I've packed my sunblock, sunnies and bikinis. Yes, I plan to don on my bikini, bulging tummy or not. Though one of 'em is a tad small now that when I bend to sit, you can see me crack!! LOL!! Give it another month, I doubt I can fit into it anymore!! I'm still taking that small-ish bikini, because in some weird way, I am still in denial!

So hopefully I won't be a totally lazy bum bum this time and take lots of pictures though I'm hardly excited about Phuket anymore. But at least I get to go away, so I must not sound too ungrateful.

Maybe this time, Phuket will surprise me, eh. Heck! I should just be glad to get out of the country for a bit!

Thanks for dropping by!

xoxo
PUSS

Beauty Binge : The "last" haul

I was not as enthusiastic about this lot as I was with all my other purchases. I bought these at different times, somewhere between July and August. I've not bought one single cosmetic product since! Overtime, things change, priorities change and makeup seemed unimportant anymore. Before the hormones took over, whenever I received a package, I'd rip it open. With these, I threw them on the table and left them unopened for weeks! When I finally did, I had almost forgotten what I had bought!!

I remember wanting that Ecotools foundation brush so badly (because I was bitten by the Ecotools-bug) but when I got it, I was like, "mehhh..." I didn't take it out from its packaging for weeks and it was left on my vanity table collecting dust. Same went for the ELF Studio products. As you can see, they're still intact in their packaging.

I've only tried the Everyday Minerals sample stuff I bought. I got "Buttered Tan" foundation in semi matte, matte, and intensive since that shade fits like a glove. I liked the blush in Game Show a pretty red-mauvey shade, and "Pearl Pick me up" is great as a highlighter. I went on a limp and ordered a sample of "in the garden" a mineral taupe-brownish eyeshadow shade. Very pretty and very unique but as it is, eyeshadows with me have fallen off my radar! So I have yet to try it. This is also my first mineral eyeshadow and I am somewhat curious how it applies.

As you can see, I have a lot of stuff to play with and review. Make sure you check back in for those, k.

Enjoy your weekend!

xoxo,
PUSS
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Baby Buzz: Stork Story

It seemed like a gazillion years since I wrote anything, but looking back, it hasn't been that long has it?? OK, yes it has. To say that I've been wrapped up with things and issues is an understatement.

Truth is, the Stork came a-knockin'...

Seeing that I am 16 weeks today (4 months for those of us too lazy to do the Math), I am well into my 2nd trimester, and am having a stable and healthy pregnancy, God willing. Yes, Puss got knocked up at the ripe ol' age of 38!! This is my first, and my Husband J and I were initially surprised, but immensely thrilled!

I've been quite fortunate - my early pregnancy symptoms were very mild. A little bit of aches and pains (although at the time they hit me it didn't feel so 'mild'!), a lot of napping and a little nausea to seal the deal. Now at 4 months, the out-of-control hormones have pretty much settled down, and I am finally beginning to enjoy my pregnancy.

These past couple of weeks, I've had to put up with toothache (and you know how miserable those can be!), which I found out was due to lack of calcium, despite taking calcium pills. My bub was sucking out calcium from me and I immediately had to go out to buy a tin of milk for pregnant mums. I h.a.t.e milk. I love cheese but they make me bloat like a mutha, so I had to suck it up, and drink milk. Thank Goodness the one I bought had a bit of flavour so it wasn't a chore chugging a glass down. The toothache issue has improved and I am waiting with abated breath the next big annoying thing to hit me!
At 4 months, I have just started to feel the weight of my belly. I'm also starting to show which I find so amusing! Not too long ago, I would freak if I see a little bump! I'd adjust my diet and work out like mad at the gym! These days, my bump is what makes me smile. My friends tell me I don't look like I'm showing much which I'm glad. I just hope I don't get so big later on. My wardrobe has also changed. No more skinny jeans. Seems trivial but I miss putting on my skinnies and heels!! I am soooo hating my wardrobe right now! *sulk*

Speaking of working out, that has been put on hold ever since I found out 2 months ago. My life without exercise has been one. big. laze-about! I feel sooooo sloooow and I can't wait to get back to the gym. My trainer Ela has equipped himself with information on pregnancy exercise programmes so when I go back I can enjoy a safe and effective workout. I can't wait!! That will happen only after my Phuket trip next weekend! (Yay for holidays!)

Makeup-wise, I am starting slowly to have makeup on again. You wouldn't believe it, but during the 1st trimester when body wasn't feeling so great, I looked like a train-wreck wherever I went, and I didn't care!! No makeup, no lip balm, nothing. You hear stories on how some pregnant women would have strange sickness. Well, mine was makeup! I would feel sick looking at my cosmetic stash, even looking at anything beauty related! So for a few weeks, I had no beauty mags, no beauty blogs, no YouTube beauty videos and definitely no makeup of my own! Thank Gawd that passed!! These days, I stick with my minerals and nothing elaborate: mineral foundie, concealer, tightline, mascara, blush and lipblam. No eyeshadows yet. Gotta start slow. The colours are not calling out my name yet, but it'll come. My skin has improved as well (Darn those pregnancy hormones!) so I look and feel better. Friends say now I have that "glow" many people talk about with pregnant women (though I don't notice it!).

So this is my story. Not that I have sworn off makeup (touch wooooood!), but the universe had other plans for me. I am grateful for this blessing, despite constantly grumbling about my fugly wardrobe (!!!). I just pray this will continue to be a normal and healthy pregnancy.

Thank you for still wanting to read this. Makeup reviews will resume (albeit infrequently - blame those unpredictable pregnancy hormones!!).

xoxo,
PUSS
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

I've lost that lovin' feelin'.

It seems like forever since I last updated this blog, but guess what? I still have nothing for you!

No. I lie.

I do. I received 3 small packages of makeup goodies some weeks ago but here's the thing: I haven't tried or even opened some of 'em from their packaging! These days, whenever I look at my makeup, I feel like throwing up.

I haven't been using much makeup either. I think I've lost that lovin' feelin'...


owwwhhhh...

Hopefully it's temporary.

Lemme look for that makeup-obssessed chic, she's in there somewhere!

Thanks for bearing with me!


xoxo,
PUSS

Baby Buzz: 1st Ultrasound

This has probably been the longest 2-week wait in my entire life! I am normally quite patient but the 2-week wait for my first ultrasound with Dr. Hamid taught me when your pregnant, everyday is a different day. I had off and on nausea, headaches, hot flushes (can you believe that!), had a tough time sleeping but was constantly tired, and overall, was just too uncomfortable to sit, stand, walk or lie down. The changes were too overwhelmingly unpleasant that it was impossible for me to celebrate my finally being pregnant!

Today, the wait was over and surprisingly, my body was behaving itself. But Husband J and I were in for a shocker. Whilst we were playing the guessing game on how far along I would be now based on my irregular cycles, the good Doctor gave us our first ultrasound to reveal we are at 9 weeks and 5 days! And we went in thinking we were at the most, 7 weeks!!

9.5 weeks!! That's 2 1/2 months!! 2 more weeks, we'll be 3 months!! Whoa...

Then we saw the image of our little bub. Dr. Hamid pointed out the flickering little dot in the middle of the fetus. "That's the heartbeat," he said, as J and I were a ball of emotions. That's a life inside me, and for the longest time, I have wondered what it was like to see the life you created for the first time.

Now I know.

xoxo,
PUSS

Beauty Binge on a break!

I've been such a slacker this week in updating my blog, but unfortunately, the slacker-mode continues riiiiight 'till Eid (hopefully!).

I have been distracted by a *huge* event in my life that has taken over my addiction for makeup and all things beauty (gasp!). So instead of leaving this cold, I'm here to let you know that I will be Missing-in-Action for awhile, until I can pull my sh!t together. Hopefully by Eid. I still have a couple more packages expected in the mail, so by the time I come back, I will definitely have stuff to play with and review.

Meantime, enjoy the rest of Ramadhan, have a safe Eid and stay beautiful always.

~hugs~

xoxo,
PUSS
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: High end faves.

Dear Puss, Do you really hate all high end brands? I hardly ever see any on your blog. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you feature drugstore brands as I can't afford to splurge on expensive cosmetics, but I'm wondering if you've used high end brands other than Mac? Do you have favourites? Layla B.

Hey Layla!

Thanks for writing in. First and foremost, I dislike using the word "hate". It's too strong of a word. Plus, regardless of the brand, "hate" is such a dirty word to use for makeup, methinks!

No, I don't dislike all high end brands! I just can't stomach paying the extra 60% (?) on packaging and marketing!! I also think high end brands are of better quality is a myth! If you're a smart consumer, you'd know you don't have to pay so much for "quality". I've used high end makeup for most of my radio career. That was how I learned what I liked and didn't as I did tons of shoots. I'm not one to just make a sweeping statement on how I don't like this brand and that without even trying. When I say I don't like a product, more often than not, I've already used/tried it, not once, not twice, but usually more than that.

I still have favourites from the higher price range although I have to admit I've been more or less distracted by the funner side of drugstore makeup. That's another reason why I am not keen on high end brands - I find most of them boring.

Some of the high end products I still adore:

Lips

Lancome Juicy Tubes.

Lancome Juicy Tubes: Raisin. Mangue. Myrtille.

At one point, I practically had every colour possible. Some people despise the ultra stickiness of these babies, but I love them! They are long lasting, especially when I use them for shows under bright lights and long hours. The colours are adorable, not too pigmented but not too sheer either, they make your lips look ... well... juicy! I used most of the tubes til the last drop, and now I'm left with these and a couple more in sample sizes. However, I am not too crazy over the packaging as I much prefer the traditional bottle with sponge-tip applicator anyday.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Long Lasting Lipsticks.

EsteeLauder Lipsticks: Almond. Caramel Toffee. Vanilla Truffle. Gloss in White Chocolate.

"Long lasting" my foot! But these are so creamy they glide on my lips, don't dry them out and do not slide off. They are NOT long lasting!! I will be the first to admit, I don't like most Estee Lauder products, and I used to own tones for a job I did for them. They paid me half in cash, and half in products. Out of all, I just like their lip products. The three lippies were a staple in any shows I did. They're all super nude, concealer-like nude, but I normally layer these over a bright coloured lipstick and top it off with Estee Lauder Pure Color Crystal Gloss in White Chocolate. This gloss is less than stellar but the shade fits the bill. I'd wear this lips with super intense dark eyes, and I constantly had to remind myself not to eat or drink until the event is over, or else I'd have to re-apply. And re-applying backstage when it was normally chaotic, is not much fun.

Eyes
Shu Uemura single eye shadows.

Shu depotted single shadows.

Yes, we all love Mac. I don't need to tell you they make darn good shadows with excellent colour choices. But a photo shoot I did using Shu Uemura products made me take notice of their shadows. These babies rock my world!! I dare say I love them more than Mac shadows! They are so vibrant, smooth, silky, crazy pigmented, come in an array of colours, I just could resist getting some for my collection.
They are also easier to depot, and so I bought an empty quad and stuck all 4 Shu shadows I own into a quad. I had to stop at 4, because I couldn't justify paying RM80 a pop (back then). In my eyes, I think Shu makes some of the best shadows in the market.

Lancome quads.

Lancome GWP quads.

These were Gift-with-Purchase (GWP) and were given to me. One look I was like, "How freakin' boring!" The colours are nothing to shout about, but I love using these quads on days when I just need to look a little polished. The texture is silky, they last a good while, but no burst of colours. They are small enough to throw into my makeup bag, I love these for being so convenient.

YSL Touche Eclat in #2.

YSL Touche Eclat highliter pen.

My favourite pen-highlighter of all time! I use this on my laugh lines (which are getting deeper by the year darn it!) and on the bridge of my nose. Comes out great in pictures making me look line/wrinkle-free!! Woot!

Face
Mac Studio Tech.
This was my go-to foundation when I had events to attend and shows to host. It's such a great product! This water-base medium to heavy coverage foundation is cooling to the touch and glides over skin. This is the perfect foundation when you have flashbulbs going off in your face. There's no white mask effect, the foundation makes me look flawless in pictures without looking over made up. Even in real life, your skin will look smooth and beautiful with this. It comes with a sponge but I use this with a flat foundation brush for a clean, streak-free finish.

There you have it!

Have an awesome day, y'all!

xoxo,
PUSS
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Baby Buzz: BFP!

Big Fat Positive!!


Finally, I'm going to be a mommy ...

:)

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Paw-stamped and approved! August faves

Since I have such a *huge* makeup collection, I thought it would be great, at every end of the month, to list down 5 things I enjoyed using in that month. I get new products at least once a month, so some are new, some are old stuff tucked away which I have re-discovered. Enjoy!

August has been one ver-ry weird month.

For starters, I had forgotten that it's the end of the month as I always list down 5 makeup things that I liked. End of the month? Is it just me or the month just flew by??Man!

I've been doing quite a bit of run around, thank Gawd the heatwave is over, and although I don't quite like driving in the rain, it sure hell beats baking in the car! There just seemed to be so many things to do, and I'm barely catching up! Not looking forward to September either. Eid is in the 3rd week of this month, have not gotten much ready, plus I loathe the whole visit-family routine. Maybe I'll skip that this year. I've never been much of a family-person. Family get-togethers are so boring!

Anyhoo.

Here are my 5 favourite makeup stuff in August, in no particular order:

1. Revlon Cream Blush in First Blush.

I'm not big on cream blushes as I find them a lil' too messy to use. I have a couple of NYX Cream Blushes - they're OK, wee bit too pigmented for my liking that I find it hard to control. I seriously don't know why I got this, but I'm glad I did! Revlon Cream Blush is nothing like the NYX's cream blushes. This is not as gooey, a tad bit drier in texture compared to NYX's and not so crazy pigmented. It's so easy to blend and you can top up as you please without looking like a clown. The shade First Blush looks fierce in the pan but goes on very natural on the cheeks. This makes me look like I just came back from the gym (minus the sweat and disheveled hair!). The pop-out mirror is a little useless to me, but if you need to have some blush on the go, I guess it'll come in handy!

2. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in DARK (old packaging).
I took a deep breath when I bought this simply because it's Maybelline. But this proved to be a real winner! I bought this in DARK, and when I received it, I thought this looks too dark. The shade is more of a peach shade which works incredibly well in counter-acting my dark-blue under eye circles. The texture's not too thick, so it's so easy to blend and doesn't settle in my fine lines. Hellalujah!

3. jane Oil-free Bronzing Powder in Sunkissed Bronzed.
Well, whaddya know? I am so in love with this bronzer!! It is a matte bronzer, which I love because they're easier to work with and more versatile in my opinion. It's a lovely natural colour that can do just about everything - contour, naturally altering your natural shade to give you that subtle warm look, giving you that healthy dose of colour to the face, and this doesn't make you look orange! It's not dark at all, and you build it up as you like. I love using this as a contour (as I am blessed with big cheeks on a round face!), and as an all over bronzer. Great stuff!

4. Essence of Beauty Deluxe Duo brushes.
These came in a pack of three, but I only like these 2. The top is a Foundation and Concealer duo. I don't normally use flat conventional foundation brushes for my liquid foundation, but I love using this with my MAC Studio Fix Powder or with my MAC Studio Tech, and blending in concealers. The bristles are dense and so so soft! It feels so nice against my skin. The bottom is Blush & Powder duo. The angled blush brush is densely packed and does an awesome job at contouring. It picks up enough contour shade and it fits nicely in the hollows my cheeks. The powder side is a little small for powder so I use it to dust mineral powder concealer under the eye area. You can get Essence of Beauty Deluxe Duo Set (comes with 3 duos) from cvs.com.

5. ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer.
One the newbies from eyeslipsface.com, this is a fantastic shadow primer for only $3. This primer is gentle, doesn't dry out my poor lids, and keeps shadows in place and fresh all day long. I have no trouble with creasing or fading, as this holds up pretty well. The only complain I have is the stink that comes with the product. This stuff makes me gag, but it does such a fabulous job at keeping my shadows vibrant and crease-free, I hold my breath whenever I decide to use this! Great (cheaper) alternative for the pricier UDPP and TFSI.

August faves.

Thanks for dropping in!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Maybelline winning concealers.

I finally found a couple of products from Maybelline that I really really like. This brand has been a hit and miss for me, more misses than hits to be honest! I took a chance getting these two concealers: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Dark and Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer in Beige Medium 2-4. Thank Gawd they worked!


Concealers are so ingrain in my makeup routine that when I leave them out, I feel naked almost! I have deep set eyes so bags and circles are part of the package. My battle with dark circles go way back, but lately, I've been fortunate not to have such severe circles anymore! But they're still there! My collection of eye concealers are as obscene as my lip glosses because they are an essential part of my routine, even if it's just a mascara-and-lip balm-day.

Prior to this, I've been super happy with Loreal True Match Super Blendable Concealer. It's opaque enough to cover and light enough not to settle into my fine lines. That's another concern of mine - fine lines. Creamy concealers like NYX Concealer in a Jar and MAC Studio Finish concealers tend to dry out my under eye area, and highlight my under eye problems instead of concealing them, especially the fine lines. So my best option these days is to stick to liquid concealers, which may be thinner but are more forgiving.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Dark is my favourite between the two. I lucked out with the shade as I wasn't sure if this would suit me. But it does! It looked dark in the tube at first but when I applied it, it covered my circles like a blanket!

The shade is more peach in colour, which counteracts with my bluish dark circles effectively! The texture is thin and runny which makes it easy to blend and seemed gentler on my parched under eye area. This doesn't settle into my fine lines but it doesn't last as long as I had hoped for. Still, I think this is a pretty darn good concealer!

This is the old packaging which is easier to handle than the new one which comes in a mascara-like tube. It has a nozzle to dispense the product which is hygienic, and gives good control over the amount you squirt out. Also, I got this for a steal - less than 5 bucks!

Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer in Beige Medium 2-4 is another drugstore concealer you should try if your in the market for one. This shade fits my NC40-42 skin tone almost like a glove! The texture is not as thin as the Age Rewind concealer, but this doesn't cover dark circles as good. You need a couple of applications for that. This concealer is not drying, but it doesn't last. I've tried this on my blemishes and it doesn't irritate them.

The packaging has a doe-foot applicator which makes for easy application and this spreads and blends easily. This concealer also doesn't settle into fine lines. Since it's gentle enough, I normally prefer using this on my blemishes.


Mind you, these are not heavy-duty concealers so if you have a severe case of dark circles, you might want to skip these and give the creamy ones a try.

I found these two concealers with cheaper price tags at brigettesboutique.com.

Thanks for dropping by my blog. Have a good one!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Makeup of the Week

I don't do FOTDs or EOTDs, but I thought I'd pick one look from the week that I liked and list down the products I used in Makeup of the Week.

This week has been one long, boring week, as far as makeup goes. I wasn't as adventurous as I normally am, and stuck to the bare basics (or minimum).

I really like the ELF Studio Eyeliner & Shadow Stick. The first one I bought was in green/moss. I was quite impressed by it, I put in for 2 more orders: brown/basic and black/smoke.

ELF Studio Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Brown/Basic.

I found another way to use the ELF Studio Eyeliner & Shadow Stick. So this time, I whipped up the brown/basic eyeliner & shadow stick, colour my lids all over with the shadow stick and used the liner in the crease (since the liner is darker), and blend it out just using my fingers.

I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance prior to the shadow as I know it'll crease almost immediately. Then I set the shadow with translucent loose powder. The shadow and liner lasted a good 4 hours on my lids that way, before I found minor creasing in my inner eyelids. This is such a simple and fuss-free way to dress up the eyes without having to deal with so many eyeshadow colours!

Face

Foundation: Wet n' Wild Ultimate Sheer Tinted Moisturiser in Sun Kissed.
Powder: Everyday Minerals Kaolin Finishing Powder in Soft Bronze to set foundation.
Concealer: Maybelliner Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer in Beige Medium 2-4 for undereye circles.

Cheeks

Bronzer: ELF Studio Cool Bronzer to contour.
Blush: Milani Mineral Blush in Mai Tai.

Eyes

Primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance (not in picture).
Eyes: ELF Studio Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Brown/Basic - Shadow stick all over lids, Eyeliner in crease, blend, Eyeliner to line; NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder in Translucent to set eyeshadow.
Mascara: Maybelline Define A Lash in Very Black.
Brows: Wet n' Wild Brow Kohl Liner in Taupe.

Lips

Lips: NYX Tinted Lip Spa in Hush.

This seemed boring but it worked! Great for days when you do want to look a little more than just mascara and lipstick/gloss/lip balm!


Have a great weekend!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: ELF Studio Cool & Warm bronzers.

How sleek are these babies?!

These are 2 out of 3 new bronzers newly introduced in the ELF Studio lineup, and I quickly snatched these 2 before they went out of stock! The 3 new bronzers come in Golden, Warm and Cool, and with my warm, tan skin tone, it would have been a natural pick to get Golden and Warm. But I got Cool and Warm instead.

I initially wanted just the Cool bronzer as it was the only one which is matte. Golden is very shimmery and Warm does have a little shimmer in it. Since I don't carry shimmer well, naturally, the Cool bronzer was my choice.

Cool bronzer.

The new ELF Studio Bronzers come in a large square pan with 4 blocks of different bronzing shades. You can either use one or two, or you can swirl a big brush to get all 4 shades. The cool bronzer has darker colours, and when I dust it all over my face, I looked like a lobster!! I was RED!! Like I was burnt!! Not a great look, I tell you, even on my naturally tan skin! The red undertones in this bronzer are too strong to use as an all over face bronzer, so I am going to restrict using this as just a contouring shade (as if I need another one!). The colour payoff is pigmented enough to define my cheek area.

The warm bronzer has a different story. I think this is the biggest hit among the 3. The warm bronzer has more gold undertones but surprisingly has less shimmer than I thought. It definitely is not matte, but does carry a little shimmer, though not enough to make me look like a grease ball.

Warm bronzer.

The colour is very natural on me, alters my shade so subtly and gives me a nice hint of glow, which is great. Glow in this humidity can easily turn into shine in a matter of minutes, so I am always very weary of products which claim to have "shimmer" in them. This one, safe to say, is lovely! I can't really use this to contour as the colours don't show up enough to define on my skin tone, so I am happy to have this as an all over face bronzer!

The bronzers, as with the other products, come in sleek black plastic packaging with a huge mirror on the cover. There's a lot of product in the pan, and I was also delighted to find out that the powder is firmly pressed, unlike ELF's regular 1-dollar Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder, where you'd get powder everywhere the moment you dip your brush in! The Studio ones are better made.

For the price you pay, this is a pretty good quality product! The ELF Studio bronzers retail for $3 each at eyeslipsface.com.

Thanks for dropping in!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com