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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
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 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
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 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 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
So, I thought I'd amuse myself and get one these lip glosses from Coastal Scents.com.
To be honest, I wasn't really wowed by the product but yeah, I was curious. Coastal Scents' Smacks lip glosses come in a variety of shades and it was almost impossible to choose one as the pictures didn't really show the true colours.
*image from coastalscents.com*
Let's start with the positives first. I liked the brush applicator any day. It applies the gloss better and more evenly onto my lips. No clumps, no mess, pretty easy, pretty smooth.
I liked the colour! Mega Mauve was almost an exact match to my natural lip colour. It even made my lips looked better, even though it is not a pigmented gloss!
Buuuuut! Overall, I am not impressed at all with this lip gloss.
The size is tiny! Granted I probably won't use up the stuff anytime soon, but this looked like a sample than the real thing.
I didn't quite like the formula of the gloss either. Too runny, a little too sheer, not sticky enough enough for me so the gloss lasted for about half an hour on my lips before just leaving a dull sheen. I like my glosses a little stickier, like MAC's Lipsglass or Lancome Juicy Tubes, as the shine is better and they last longer. This, I hate to say, is your typical cheapo gloss. Heck, I've even tried cheaper glosses perform better than this!! 
I think this would be good to throw in your handbag, as it it is small in size, and can be used for touch-up and such, but if you prefer glosses that go the extra mile without having to re-apply every 10 minutes, you may be disappointed with this.
Me, I'm just glad I didn't go nuts and buy a whole lot of shades. Thank Gawd I was sensible enough to just get one for a try-out.
Coastal Scents Smacks lip glosses retail for $2.95 on Coastalscents.com. xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
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.
I received Cover Girl Eye shadow quad in Drama Eyes a few weeks ago, with a quarter of the white shadow chipped off. There was white powder everywhere and although I could clean up the damage, there was still traces of the broken shadow bits all over the palette. Yet again, a testament of how crappy the packing skills of drugstore.com (where I bought the quad from).
Bad packing aside, I have grown to really love Cover Girl. I haven't tried many stuff from them, but I enjoy using their shadows (singles and palettes) and absolutely adore their Cheekers Blush.
I bought Drama Eyes for that Burgundy colour. 
I wanted a typical smokey eye palette but use it for daytime wear - not so smokey, not intense, and not boring. That burgundy shade made it possible! This palette has great colour pay-off! Cover Girl, over the years, has up their game and improved the formulation of their products. Their eye shadows at least, are a joy to use!
I also found great use for the too-dark ELF Hydro-tint foundation (Tone 3). I mixed it with my lighter foundations and it changed the colour, but not the coverage, which is perfect!
Face
Foundation: ELF Hydro-Tint SPF 15 in Tone 3 (too dark)
+ Mary Kay Medium Coverage Foundation in Beige 304 (too light!)
= PERFECT SHADE!Concealer: Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer (old packaging)
in Dark.Powder: NYC Loose Face Powder in Translucent to set; Milani Glimmer Stripes in Berry Glimmer lightly all over face to finish.Cheeks
Blush: Milani Powder Bronzer in Light to contour; Revlon Cream Blush in First Blush on apples (love!!).
Eyes
Eye primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
Eyes: Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Coastal Blues as base; CG quad in Drama Eyes - light silver (2nd from right)
all over lids, black outer-v, Burgundy wash in crease, white as added highlight; CG Single in Golden Sunrise as highlight; Femme Couture liquid liner in Black to line.Mascara: CG Lash Blast in Very Black.
Brows: Wet n' Wild Brow pencil in Taupe.Lips
Lips: Wet n Wild Lip liner in 666 Brandy Wine; ELF Plumping Lip Glaze in Oasis.
Thanks for dropping by, and Ramadhan Mubarrak to those who observe!
xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
Don't knock the cheap stuff because chances are they're the ones that will knock your socks off. I learned that a long time ago, when I used to scoff at folks buying up Wet n' Wild and/or other cheap brands. I remember Wet n'Wild from way back in college where I would buy up their 99 cents eyeliner pencils in multiple colours. They were hard and of poor quality, but hell, they were cheap. Plus I was a college student in a far-away land, I had to save up for a jar of Creme de LaMer from Saks 5th Avenue, which didn't leave me with much! Those were the days ...
Today, Wet n' Wild is still cheap, but have survived amongst a sea of other cheapo brands. They've stepped up their game, still sellin' them for dirt cheap through ugly-@s$ packaging, but the stuff inside will make you go "Hoooooooooooo m'Gaaaaaaaaawd!!"
I don't have a ton of Wet n' Wild stuff, but the ones I do have, have yet to disappoint me. I enjoy using them, and enjoy it more that I don't have to sell my left arm for a product that delivers. These babies are cheap, but they work expensive, ya know?! I was so reluctant to get their 8-colour palette Ultimate Expression Eyes. Not because they're not good, but there are 8 colours in one palette. Anything more than 5 colours in a palette will confuse the heck out of me, so how am I going to use 8 colours???
For $4.99 a piece, you get 8 highly pigmented colours. So let me get to the usual questions asked when it's cheap:
No they're not chalky at all.
No they're not hard, in fact they're darn silky.
No you don't get fall outs.
No they're not hard to blend.
No they do not smell.No they don't fade after an hour, but like any shadow, drugstore or high end, you can make them last even longer when you use a good eye primer underneath.
No they do not make your lids go dark because they're cheap. *excuse me while I roll my eyes*. Use a good remover to take off eye make up, then your lids won't darken overtime!
No you won't get cooties because they are cheap. *lemme roll my eyes again*
Yes they come in the ugliest packaging, but so what! They are freakin' awesome!!I started out getting this plum/purple-ish pallete called Paradise Cove.
Wet n' Wild Ultimate Expressions in Paradise Cove.
Third's time a charm with this palette!
Wet n' Wild Ultimate Expressions in Sand Castle.
Both times, my order shattered in the mail, and no thanks to drugstore.com's atrocious packing skills, I nearly gave up on the idea of owning this palette. I consoled myself saying it's a bronze/gold/natural palette, and I am not a fan of natural colours. This is called Sand Castle and it has a little more shimmery fillers than the other palettes. The colours can be quite frosty but super-pigmented. I didn't get "true" natural colours, thank Gawd! This palette is far from boring.But yes, this palette is just as gorgeous, and as silky, although I suspect, softer and more fragile as it shattered on me twice before! I finally lucked out with Nonpareilboutique.com which started carrying Wet n' Wild products and they are much better at packing their stuff! My Sand Castle finally came to me in one beautiful piece!
Cute feature with these palettes, the mirror slides out at the bottom!
I initially though this was one cheap gimmick, but the mirror proved to be quite useful when I am applying my eye shadow!
These come in 3 colours - I have 2 as you can see. The other one is a more of a green/blue palette, not so shimmery, but the colours are still very pretty.
They retail for $4.99, if your buying online, you can find these at drugstore.com (bad packing!) and nonpareilboutique.com. *Don't get these confuse with the cream shadow palette - they look similar, but I hear the cream palettes suck big time!*
Have a great day!xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
I was going to wait a little more before I review this because I didn't want to write about another ELF product, but ever since my last post where I featured the ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer in the last Makeup of the Week, I've been getting a number of questions regarding this new product. 
Here's another item that's always out of stock on the ELF website. The ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer is newly added under their Mineral line. I managed to get hold of one and couldn't wait to take it for a test drive.
Although I've been using other shadow primers lately, I have been super happy with Loreal De-crease. I also kinda like the ELF Studio Eye Primer which comes in a chubby stick-form, although it doesn't perform like my beloved Loreal De-crease. I was anxious to find out if this new ELF Mineral Primer delivers just as good or better.
The ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer comes in a lipgloss-type packaging, with a doe-foot applicator. 
The colour is similar to Loreal De-crease - natural, but comes out sheer. The texture is a little more watery than De-crease and Too Face Shadow Insurance, but dries a little faster than De-crease. I was happy that this didn't dry my lids out like Urban Decay Primer Potion!
My eye shadow stayed on and on for the whole entire day ('till night time, woot!), with no creasing, no fading, and it kept the colours somewhat fresh. I didn't have to re-apply at all, which was great news! But then again, I don't have oily lids. My lids are quite dry, but they tend to get a little oily by mid-day. This is when my ELF Studio eye Primer fails miserably, which is why I only use that for days when I am out and about for just 2-3 hours. The ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer seems to hold up way better than that!!
On the packaging, it says: No Preservatives. No Parabens and no chemical dyes. Great! But here's the clincher: take a whiff of the stuff and it'll make you gag. See, I am not a stickler when it comes to packaging or scent, I know some people are. If you are particular with how your product smells, this might turn you off. This stuff smells like feet!
No, hang on... *sniff*
It smells like dead fish!
Wait! *sniff*
Smells like monsoon drain!In short, it SMELLS FUNKY!!
I don't know what it is, maybe I got me a lemon? It has not given me any kind of bad reaction and the smell does go away when you apply. Just don't make it a habit to sniff the wand when you want to use it - you might just change your mind!
I really think ELF has stepped up it game these days - it's been churning out quality products we all can get excited about. And they won't break your bank too! Yay!
If you're looking for something cheaper to replace your UDPP or TFSI, and you find Loreal De-crease doesn't hold up as well on your super-oily lids, this is a good buy. But don't expect it to perform like its more expensive cousins. There will be creasing at some point of the day or night if you have super oily lids. I've not been using my TFSI much as I tend to gravitate towards the more cheap stuff, but I think I might alternate ELF Mineral Primer more with my De-crease.
For the way it performs, you can't beat the price!! Happy to add this to my growing collection of eye primers!! Overall, I really really like this product (funky smell aside). It's another surprising winner from ELF!
The ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer retails for $3 at eyeslipsface.com. xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
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.
I received quite a number of new ELF stuff this week, so for the most part, I was testing and playing with my new toys. My favourite look this week was using just one colour. Out of the blue, I remembered my love for MAC Cocomotion pigment. It's such a beautiful brown-bronze colour that is unique on it's own. I don't quite enjoy using loose pigments, as I am a klutz and a half (though I love their intensity), but I just couldn't resist taking out my Cocomotion to give it the attention it deserved.
Looks like dirt but super gorgeous even on it's own: MAC Pigment in Cocomotion.
The look came out far from complicated - it was stunning yet simple, no-fuss and down-right gorgeous. You can go night or day with this. MAC Cocomotion ... Wow! This is one look I shall be wearing over and over.Face
Foundation: ELF Hydro-Tint SPF15 in Tone 3 (Arrk! Too dark!!).
Concealer: ELF Studio Under eye Concealer & Highlighter in Medium, ELF Studio Complexion Perfection mixing yellow and pink to set under eye concealer.
Powder: ELF Studio Complexion Perfection to set.
Cheeks
Bronzer: ELF Studio Warm Bronzer lightly all over face.
Blush: ELF Natural Radiance Blusher in Bronzed to contour, Flushed on apples (pretty!).
Eyes
Eye primer: ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer.
Eyes: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries as base; MAC Pigment in Cocomotion on lids; Milani single shadow in Classic Beige as highlight; Loreal SuperLiner in Black for upper lashlines; Avon Ultra Luxury Eyeliner in Black to line 1/3rd outer lower lashlines and to tightline.
Mascara: Avon Daring Curves mascara in Black.Lips
Lips: NYX Round Lipstick in B52.
I got a couple of NYX lipsticks as well in this package. I'm not a fan of lipsticks so I wasn't in a rush to test them, I think they were the last ones I tried on! I can see why NYX's B52 is always out of stock - it's a pretty creamy mauve-rose colour. But since I am not a huge fan of lippies, I wasn't totally taken in. Oh! Well!
Have an awesome weekend everyone!xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
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!
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.
