Puss In Heels!

Beauty Binge : Travel essentials!

2009-11-06T21:14:00.009+08:00

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!

2009-11-06T16:01:00.007+08:00

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

2009-10-31T16:40:00.010+08:00

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

2009-10-30T15:07:00.009+08:00

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'.

2009-10-08T00:02:00.004+08:00

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

2009-09-16T20:30:00.008+08:00

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!

2009-09-11T21:50:00.004+08:00

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.

2009-09-07T09:10:00.012+08:00

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!

2009-09-03T20:45:00.005+08:00

Big Fat Positive!!

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

:)

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Paw-stamped and approved! August faves

2009-09-02T10:32:00.008+08:00

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.

2009-08-31T22:35:00.008+08:00

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

2009-08-28T11:57:00.008+08:00

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.

2009-08-26T08:45:00.008+08:00

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

Beauty Binge: CS Smacks didn't rock my lips.

2009-08-25T09:22:00.009+08:00

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*

I decided to go safe - pick a shade closest to my natural lip colour. Mega Mauve looked like it could be it so I ordered one.

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

Beauty Binge: Makeup of the Week

2009-08-21T15:17:00.007+08:00

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

Beauty Binge: Wild Expressions.

2009-08-19T16:16:00.011+08:00

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.

The 2 light colours on your left are a little sheer, but they make great highlight colours. Not too stark or too white that'll make you look odd. I like using the bottom left in lilac (?) on my lids. Ver-ry pretty! The other 2 on the right have more shimmers than all the other colours. My favourite colour is the burgundy colour (2nd from the top). The 4 middle colours are crazy pigmented and so silky!

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

Beauty Binge: ELF Mineral Eye Primer.

2009-08-17T08:51:00.011+08:00

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

Beauty Binge: Makeup of the Week

2009-08-14T12:50:00.007+08:00

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

Beauty Binge: Perfection hype in a pan.

2009-08-12T13:14:00.012+08:00

I am all for loose powder to set my makeup. But carrying a tub of powder when you're traveling is one messy affair, and I end up carrying a powder foundation compact, which I feel doesn't quite give me that flawless coverage I like.

When a chance to spree from the ELF website opened up, I naturally jumped on. I like ELF, be it the $1, the $3 or the $5 product. Sure, they're cheap, but so what? I'd like to think I don't discriminate, you can find surprisingly good products if you give it a chance (and do your homework).

The Complexion Perfection is a new product in ELF's Studio line and has been getting very positive reviews, but I was dismayed to always find it out of stock on the ELF website. Patience is a virtue, and I finally managed to get one! Yay!

ELF's Studio Complexion Perfection is an all-over face powder to set makeup, for touch-ups and such, as a colour corrector, and a face brightener. It comes in a large square pan with 4 pastel colour blocks which you can use individually or together. It can help neutralise the redness around your nose and cheek areas and give the face an instant, but subtle glow.

When swatched, the colours come off as white. If you over-load, it can leave a powdery white-ish cast on your face, much like MAC Blot Powder. So you need to be reasonable with the amount you use. I have used a mixture of the pink and yellow together to set my under eye concealer. Honestly, I think Everyday Minerals' Abbot's Perk Me Up concealer does a better job.

Maybe the colours are too pale to use on my skin tone, who knows. The green does tone down the redness of my blemishes when I dust it on, and as an overall powder, it does give me a nice glow and finish to my face. I use the ELF Studio Complexion Brush to swirl the colours together, and they are a perfect combination. It doesn't come with a sponge like most powders do, but using this with one will make you look chalky! So best use a big fluffy brush!

The oil-control is also OK - not great, but I did notice my face oxidized a little more at the end of the day. It mattifies OK, but it certainly doesn't last.

I like the packaging, very sleek, very classy; much like Nars. I love the big mirror, except when I opened this the first time, the mirror fell off, as it was held together by one strip of double-sided tape! Cheapo! Now you know huh!! I had to glue the mirror back in!

I think as a colour-corrector product, it's quite mediocre. I like the idea of having this in my arsenal as an all-over face powder, but I wouldn't re-purchase this.

I really wanted to love this. It was not meant to be :(

Thank Gawd it's only for $3!

You can purchase ELF from eyeslipsface.com.

Have a good one!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Brow story.

2009-08-10T18:37:00.012+08:00

Some 15 years ago, the makeup artist who was "doing my face" at the time told me, "if you don't dress up your brows, you might as well don't put on any makeup!", whilst attending to the "bushes" that were my brows.

'Till today, my brows always seemed to get neglected, although they are a little more in shape now. I almost always forget to dress them up. I don't have sparse brows, but they do tend to thin out at the ends, making me look like I have short brows. As much as some of us (me!) don't think they're all that important in my makeup routine, eye brows shape your eyes and face. Groomed brows make your look complete. So it's important to keep them neat, tidy and groomed, and at the right shape for your eyes and face. I do the upkeep on my own now, have never gone for threading and the like, but I do have a fabulous facialist who would help me shape and trim my brows when she's cleaning out my pores! :D

I started using the powder brow kit from The Body Shop because I've heard so many good things about it. I didn't get the regular one, and it was soon discontinued, but later found it was re-launched with fancier packaging and a "limited edition" price tag. It IS a great kit, but later found out pulling out a brow brush to apply brow powder was waaaaaaay too tedious for everyday work! I had to also be very lighthanded with the darker powder because it was very very pigmented.

I then started using the Brow Stylist from Loreal, with the build-in spoolie at the end. This cuts the routine into half and I was quite happy using this, except the colour (light brown) was kinda too light for me, and the staying power was kinda bad. The pencil was a little hard as well, it sucked, but I tolerated. I would alternate this with The Body Shop's brow kit.

Loreal Brow Stylist in Light Brown.

I was buying (more!) Wet n' Wild products when I saw this brow pencil and thought, why not, after all it's less than a buck. I looked around blogs and such, and found that Taupe was a popular choice so I quickly picked this up.

Wet n' Wild Kohl Brow - Eyeliner in Taupe.

Let me tell ya, I have yet to get a dud from Wet n' Wild. They may be super cheap with gawd-awful packaging, but Lawd, they knock my socks off!! This is a fa-bu-lous, no-fuss brow pencil! It applies so smoothly, so creamy and the waxy consistency keeps my brows in place. No tugging and pulling. The colour is purrr-fect, as I have dark brows, this makes them look natural. The pencil is longer than your usual pencils so this can last quite a while.

Wet n' Wild Brow pencil with Ecotools Lash & Brow Groomer.

If I were to be a bit picky, I wished this came with a spoolie like the Loreal Brow Stylist, then it would be perfect. But then again, this would give me a reason to use my Lash & Brow Groomer from Ecotools instead of it sitting in my brush pot collecting dust. So it all works out. I am so happy my perfect brow pencil is less than a buck but then again, pencils are something I try not to splurge on. This stuff is great!! Now I don't have a reason to neglect my brows anymore, haha! :)

Have an awesome day!!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Makeup of the Week

2009-08-07T11:58:00.007+08:00

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.

My favourite look this week was from one of my all-time favourite palettes - MAC Novel Twist Warm Eyes. I used to have this in my makeup bag at all times. This palette has 5 wearable colours, and I had such a fun time coming up with different looks with this! Plus, it's a MAC, so I don't need to tell you how wonderful these shadows are. This week, I used all 5 colours, and I have worn this look countless of times to shows and events. On lazy days, I'd probably just use 2 or 3 colours, and I'd still look polished. This is one versatile palette, and it's still one of my go-to palettes.

MAC NovelTwist Warm Eyes:
Vanilla. Unwind. Folie. Adlib. Club.

I heart MAC. It's such a dependable brand!

This week I also played with some new items from my drugstore.com haul, and my new Everyday Minerals haul. L.O.V.E !!

Face

Primer/Powder: Bare Minerals Mineral Veil before and after.
Concealer: ELF Tone Correcting Concealer in Light; EDM Abbot's Perk Me Up concealer to set.
Foundation: MAC Fix+(not in picture) sprayed on brush; EDM Pressed Foundation in Buttered Tan.

Cheeks

Bronzer: jane Oil-free Bronzer in Sunkissed lightly on temples, cheeks, nose, chin.
Blush: EDM Pressed Blush in Waffle Cone to contour; EDM Blush in Snuggle (ver-ry pretty!).

Eyes

Primer: POP Eye Magnet Primer (sample).
Eyes: MAC NovelTwist Warm Eyes - Vanilla (1st from left) highlight; Unwind (2nd from left) inner half lid, Adlib (2nd from right) outer half lid, Folie (middle) middle of crease, Club ( 1st from right) outer-v. Blend! Blend! Blend! MAC Kohl in Phone Number to line outer 3rd of lower lash line and tightline; Revlon ColorStay liquid eyeliner in Blackest Black to line upper lash line.
Mascara: Maybelline Great Lash in Blackest Black (sucks-dot-com!).
Brows: Wet n' Wild Kohl Brow-Eyeliner in Taupe (awesome stuff!).

Lips

Lips: Rimmel Rich Moisture Lipstick in 279 Smooch; Palladio Plump n' Shine lipgloss in Creamy Pink.

My skin's still acting up as I am in the midst of changing moisturisers. *sigh* I look like a freakin' teenager! I hope my skin will calm down soon. Having pimples at this age is soooooooo not on!!

Thanks for dropping by, and have a great weekend!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Lip service.

2009-08-05T14:20:00.010+08:00

I prefer tinted lip balms on most days. They're a bit more comfortable and low maintenance. Sometimes, I'd wear an intense smokey eye, and will slather on only Vaseline Petroleum Jelly on my lips!! (Still worked in my opinion!)

I got that Kieh's lip balm when they first opened their flagship store at Pavillion. I've read many good things about their lip balms, so naturally I was *thrilled* when I saw this included in my goody bag. Long story short, it's sitting on my table collecting dust. It's far from the stellar lip balm written in the reviews. The texture is way too runny for my liking, it doesn't last long enough, and it's not as moisturising for me, not that I have dry lips. Thank Gawd I got this for free!! I wouldn't waste my moolah on this.

Here are my two favourite tinted lip balms:

NYX Tinted LipSpa in Hush. MAC Tendertones in Honey Bare.

I don't quite fancy the packaging on the MAC one. In fact, I just don't like pots; I dislike sticking my fingers in a product! I think they're way too unhygienic! The MAC lip balm is a handbag essential, and I reach for it very often. These shades are barely-there shades on my pigmented lips, but they feel oh-so-good and light. I might get another LipSpa from NYX. Maybe a more pigmented one.

Can't live without these:

Carmex Clickstick. Crazy Rumors lip balm.

Seriously, I can't sleep if I haven't slathered either one on! Carmex is an ol' fave. I was using the classic (in a yellow pot) when I was a student in the US. Saved my lips from being horribly chapped! I was delighted to find this brand in a form of a clickstick. Crazy Rumors lip balm was not love at first sight, but now I'm so loving this lip balm! I bought it because everyone raved about their balms. It's darn creamy and does a fantabulous job at keeping my lips moisturise. Mine is in Irish Cream and I *love* the taste!!

Then there are these two duds from jane...

jane Be Pure Mineral Lip balms.

They taste waxy, have no sheen whatsoever to the texture but the colour payoff is quite good. I still use 'em, when I need a little more colour but don't want to reach for a lipstick.

Thanks for reading this blog!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: It's a match!! Woot! Woot!

2009-08-03T13:19:00.008+08:00

I was stoked beyond words when I finally received my sizable drugstore.com package.

The biggest reason was a bottle of Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation in a shade that is not available in Malaysia - Natural Tan. Before this, I have been using the shade in Warm Golden. It worked, but the strong peach undertones was making me look a little washed out. I always had to top off with a darker loose powder, like Milani loose mineral powder in Medium, to balance it off. The next shade after Warm Golden available here is in Early Tan, which is a tad bit too dark for me.

Natural Tan. Warm Golden

After researching for months, I found that Natural Tan best suits NC40-42 skin tone. The price online is not cheap either, but to have a favourite foundation that matches, I had to make a few sacrifices! So I grit my teeth, crossed my fingers and toes, and ordered.

Hellalujah! It's a match!!

I *love* this foundation. It's by far the best liquid foundation in my eyes. This has been compared to MAC Studio Fix Fluid for a fraction of the price. Revlon CS Foundation is arguably one of the best, if not the best drugstore foundation. It stays till the end of the day, despite the heat and humidity; it doesn't slide or disappear, it's not cakey but still gives you awesome coverage, doesn't leave annoying brown/yellow stains on your collar ... I could go on and on gushing about this gem!! I'm not even gonna b!tch about the packaging. As far as I'm concerned, this product is purrrr-fect as is!!

*Can I get a WOOT! WOOT!*

Enjoy your day!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Paw-stamped and approved! July faves.

2009-07-31T20:16:00.008+08:00

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!

My skin was a little too temperamental this month, so at times like these, I turn to my mineral makeup. I *love* mineral makeup, although it doesn't quite work on me. Whatever the coverage or formula, it makes me oily. So this month, I used my minerals a little bit more than usual (my minerals are usually for the weekends). I am also happy that July is over and done with. There were too many deaths of people I know this month, so I am happy to leave July behind.

Here you go, my July faves, in no particular order:

1. Essence of Beauty (fine) crease brush.
This is part of a duo, exclusively sold in CVS Pharmacy. Out of the two, I've thoroughly enjoyed using this one more. It's a pencil brush much like the MAC219, though I dare say this is little smaller. It has become an indispensable tool for my eye makeup. I use it to define my outer-v and gently smoking it out. It's just an awesome tool to work with darker colours to define the crease. Some people also love using this to smudge eyeliner for an instant smokey eye, or to line the lower lashlines. It's soft, doesn't shed, and so far has stayed in shape even after so many washes. This is one of my HG (holy grail) tools. And it's cheap!! Available at CVS.com.

2. Jordana Pretty Shine Luxury Gloss in Lovely.
I got this from Shins (also available from Sasa) for RM17.90. My favourite Youtube Beauty Guru raved about this gloss, and I was delighted to find this at a local beauty supply store. I bought 2 colours: Sweet - a pale metallic pink, too metallic that washed me out completely! And this shade, Lovely - beautiful rose colour, also metallic. I don't normally wear metallics well, but the shimmer in Lovely is not as stark as in Sweet. I have quite pigmented lips, and this colour compliments me almost instantly! It's not too dark, nor is it too red, or neutral. You know I'm wearing a coloured gloss but the colour is not in your face, if you know what I mean. This was such a great buy!!

3. ELF Studio Contouring & Bronzing Powder .
I've had this for a while, but when you have so many other stuff, that one great product is forgotten. I am so glad I dug this back up again! This is such a great duo for traveling. You get one shade for bronzing (though it may be too dark for pale skin) and a beautiful peachy pink blush. Even for me with a NC40-42 skin tone, I use a light hand with the bronzer, but the blush side gives me a nice iridescent glow. It doesn't show much colour on me, but it's still a nice blush to wear. And it's only for $3!! Talk about a steal!! You can purchase this from eyeslipsface.com.

4. Everyday Minerals Concealer in Abbott's Perk Me Up.
This is kinda a salmony/peachy concealer that works great with bluish under eye circles. My bags and circles are a permanent fixture on my face. Have always had them, despite the amount of money I spent on so many eye creams to get rid of them. I have deep-set eyes, so the bags and circles are part of the package. Doesn't help that I spent years sleeping at odd hours and having to wake up at 4.30am for work. The abuse my eyes have gone through!! I have given up spending my energy and money to get rid of them, so my best bet is a concealer. Typically, powdered concealer dries my under eye area and highlights my fine lines, but I use this concealer over a liquid concealer to set. It doesn't completely eliminate the darkness, but it definitely minimises them. At least now, friends don't say I look tired anymore even after I've had 8-hours sleep! I have this in sample size and it's more than enough. You can find this at everydayminerals.com. They don't ship to Malaysia anymore, but there are a few people on Lowyat.net carrying sprees who can bring the stuff in via Singapore.

5. Bare Minerals Mineral Veil.
This is a translucent finishing powder that also can be used prior to your mineral foundation application. Does a fab job at controlling oil and setting your makeup. I love using this after I've done everything to my face: bronzer, blush, lipstick, eye shadow, mascara etc., and I'll dust this over to finish. It's so light yet comfortable, and your makeup stays in place. Some people are allergic to Bare Minerals but have no issues with their Mineral Veil. I also sometimes use this on its own. Bare Minerals can be found at Shins for ridiculous money, alternatively you can purchase this at ulta.com.

Here's celebrating the end of July, and hel-lo August!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Haulin' Everyday Minerals.

2009-07-30T11:44:00.008+08:00

I'm stubborn. I have blogged on how mineral makeup makes me oily, and yet I still keep on trying 'em! I love Everyday Minerals. It's probably my favourite mineral line. And today, I just received my EDM haul. Ahhhhhh......this is love...

The packaging has changed since my last haul a year ago. For starters, the EDM logo has changed. Most notable, the sifter which I think a lot of people had issues with. The new sifter has a half cover that slides around to close, which minimizes spill out. Clever.

New sifter!

I bought:

Brushes:
Flat top and the long handled kabuki. When the whole wide world has already swooned over the softness of these brushes, I'm just about to try. Yeah, I'm a little slooooow. So now it's my turn to ooh and aah over these babies. Yes, they are awesome!

Top: Flat Top. Bottom: Long handled Kabuki.

Blush:
Everyday Bronzer. I'm actually not a great fan of their blushes. Don't get me wrong, they have some of the prettiest colours, but I have never mastered applying the right amount on my cheeks. I almost always put too much on my brush, and end up having to buff and buff and buff to diffuse the colour! Their blushes are crazy pigmented and a little goes a long way. I wanted a bronzer, because I am addicted to bronzers, and this I learned is quite matte. This bronzer looks quite dark in the jar, so I must remind myself to go easy!

Base:
Pressed Foundation in Buttered Tan. OMG! I may have just found my shade! It's so perfect, almost! It's got enough yellow and gold to meld with my skin tone. Yay! The idea of a pressed mineral foundation (instead of a powdered one) drew me to get this. It comes in a neat compact with an attached see-through cover over the powder. I don't use the puff, but as with all mineral foundations, I use this with a brush and MAC Fix+. The feel is lighter on the skin without compromising the coverage. This way also cuts out the powdered look. However, I don't know if you can throw this in your bag for touch-ups and such. I think it's still too fragile to be rolling around in your handbag.

EDM Presses Foundation in Buttered Tan.

Start to Finishing Kaolin Powder:
Kaolin Powder in Soft Bronze. I have this in a sample jar, in Rice finishing formula. The rice formula doesn't really control oil as well as the kaolin does (which I have a sample in Sunlight), and so I decided to get a large jar in the Kaolin formula. This formula controls oil better, and I use this at the end to set my makeup. I like that it's tinted slightly, although it can also pass as sheer. I might get a large jar of the Sunlight Kaolin, since I like to use that shade as a primer.

EDM Kaolin Finishing Powder in Soft Bronze.

Samples:
Bases: Olive Medium, Matte. This works, but the green undertones bother me!
Light Tan, Intensive. Too peachy.
Winged Butter, Intensive. Even in Intensive this is a little light and too yellow!
Concealer: Intensive Tan. Plan to use this to darken the lighter shades.
Blush: Snuggle. Peach colour. Sheer. Pretty!

Sample kit.

Ready Stock: Pressed Blush in Waffle Cone.
I bought this off someone as I thought a pressed anything is less messier that the powdered formula! But when I opened this, there was powder everywhere! It's loosely milled so I don't think I can expect this to behave like a typical pressed product. I've heard good things about this colour though, and I may use this as a contour shade. Unfortunately, EDM no longer sells pressed blushers.

Pressed Blush in Waffle Cone.

I also got a mixing jar as I have too many samples lying around. Now I have a decent place to mix my mineral foundies!

OK dokes. I'm going to play with my minerals! Btw, receiving this package made me forget I still have fever! LOL!

Have a good day, y'all!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

This cat's out of order!

2009-07-29T12:07:00.002+08:00

I even had to cancel gym today!

GROAN

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Stickybeak into Puss' makeup bag.

2009-07-27T13:02:00.012+08:00

I don't know about you, but I love "peaking" into other people's makeup bags; just to see what they carry day-to-day. I am not a touch-up girl, I can go through the day without "powdering my nose" and looking like I just washed my face in oil (OK, I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean). It's not a habit of mine to reach for my powder, but I do carry some essentials for that "just in case" moments.

Not too long ago, I'd carry a slew of makeup items - from my MAC SE brushes to MAC Fluidline to MAC NovelTwist shadow palette - and I'd stuff them all in a *huge* makeup pouch tucked nicely in my equally huge carry-on/handbag. There was always something going on last minute back then - meeting with clients, press, fans - I could never go out looking like death although half the time I felt like one!!

These days, I do my makeup at home, do the run-around, get incredibly oily (hard not to in this humidity!), and come home to take it all off. So I hardly touch my makeup bag. But at least the stuff are there, if I do need them.

In my clear MAC makeup bag:
- MAC StudioFix Powder NC40, hit pan with this! (I use Bobbi Brown Travel size Face Brush to apply. Not a big fan of this powder - it's so drying and breaks me out but it's so convenient).

- MAC Lightful Powder Foundation NC42 (Gawd knows why I need two powders in my bag but I do! I use this for face too when I need to break away from StudioFix, but I normally use this with Ecotools' concealer brush to pat powder under my eyes to stop eyeliner from sliding and smudging).

- Loreal Touche Magique concealer.
- jane BePure Mineral Gliding eyeliner.
- MajolicaMajorca Lash Gorgeous Wing mascara (sorry MJ fans, but I so dislike their mascaras!)
-The BodyShop lipbalms.
- Travel mirror.
- MAC Tendertone Lipbalm in Honey Bare (I use this a lot!)
- Shiseido eyelash curler (I like this better than Shu. I use this often too, most times in the car when I'm stuck in traffic! LOL!)

When I'm running to an event, I add on:

-Loreal Blush Delice (any one of the three colours, depending on my mood).

- Revlon Mineral Lipglaze in Forever Fig or MAC Lipglass in Viva Glam V (both last long with bronzy neutral colours).

Can I stickybeak into your makeup bag too?

Enjoy your day!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Makeup of the Week

2009-07-24T13:46:00.006+08:00

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 was called out to meet up with a couple of TV executives over tea this week, so I thought it would be best to have on semi-subtle makeup. I have always loved plums and so I pulled out my trusted Revlon ColorStay 12-hour shadow quad in Blushed Wines. This palette is subtle but definately not boring. That wine colour at the bottom needs to be very well-blended if not you'll look like you've been punched!

I also decided to go a little lighter with the base. I used a tinted moisturiser this time, not a favourite, but I was not in the mood to cake it on! TV executives are one of my least favourite people on this planet (and yet I married one!!) *smacks forehead*

Revlon ColorStay 12-hour shadow quad in Blushed Wines

I don't need to to tell you again how much I *love* these Revlon quads. I always turn to them when I need to quickly put a look together. They've yet to fail me!

Face

Face primer: Monistat Chafing relief Powder-gel.
Concealer: Loreal Touche Magique (discontinued in Malaysia).
Foundation: NuSkin Nu Colour Tinted Moisturiser in Honey.
Powder: Milani Loose Powder in Medium to set; Wet n' Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder in Starlight Bronze as a light dusting all over face to finish.

Cheeks

Bronzer: Wet n' Wild Bronzzer in Bali Bronze to highlight.
Blush: CoverGirl Cheekers in Golden Pink to contour; CG Cheekers in Plumberry Glow on apples.

Eyes

Primer: ELF Studio Eye Primer.
Eyes: ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal as base; Revlon ColorStay 12-hour shadow quad in Blushed Wines - pink (2nd from top) on lids; peach (3rd from top) wash above crease, plum (bottom) in crease and outer-v, beige (top) to highlight; ELF Liquid eyeliner in Plum on upper lashlines; Revlon ColorStay liner in Blackberry on lower lashlines.
Mascara: Rimmel GlamEyes in Black.
Brows: Loreal Brow Stylist in Light Brown.

Lips

Lips: Neutrogena MoistureShine Gloss in Tickled.

Totally disliked the ELF liquid liner! The tip was so stiff and the liner stung a little. After a while, it flaked off, I could actually peel the liner off my lids!!

Anyhoo.

Hope you're enjoying your Friday, and have a great weekend!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Brushes galore!

2009-07-22T13:26:00.008+08:00

I love my brushes. I have too many of them, sometimes I even forget I had them! Some people binge on lipsticks, I binge on brushes. Well, brushes and eye shadows. And mascaras. And mineral makeup. OK, you get the idea!

Majority of the brushes I use actively for makeup are from Crownbrush.com or Coastalscents.com. Personally, I prefer Crownbrush as they have more choices to choose from. Come to think of it, CS gets most of their brushes from Crown anyway, so you can almost guess the quality when you buy from either vendors.

As for my daily brushes, I put them in big ceramic pots stuffed with plastic beads so they stand up and its just easier for me to find them this way. This was inspired by YouTube's Enkore (love him!) video on the Sephora brush holder. As my brush collection grew, those big pots are becoming smaller and crowded. I can't afford to get another ceramic pot, as I am also running out of space to put them!

I bought those pots for RM5 each at Hinode RM5 shop. I couldn't find smaller beads to fill up the pots ( there were some at the craft store but too expensive!), so I settled for those plastic bead fillers you can also get for RM5 a pack at Hinode. These fillers are a little chunky and awkwardly shaped but they do the job. They're also almost weightless so they don't add the weight to the pots as I put them on top of my plastic drawers (which hold my makeup).

The "fillers"

I also throw a lightweight towel over the brushes to avoid dust settling into them, and make sure I deep-clean them every Sunday. Since I have an obscene amount of brushes, this way keeps my makeup area clean and tidy as well.

As you can see, my pots are getting mighty crowded! I had to stick my skunk brushes in another holder just because there is no more space!!

Husband J said those skunk brushes together looked like dead animals on my table!! LOL.

I store my expensive MAC and Bobbi Brown brushes in their respective pouches, tucked far, far away in my drawer. Someday I'll use them. Someday...

One face. And a "thousand" brushes. *sigh* I need to shift my attention into spending on something else (not that I have much $$ to spend on) ... I'm running outta space yo!

Thanks for reading this blog!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Synthetic newbies at CS

2009-07-20T14:33:00.008+08:00

I am trying to move away from using natural-bristled brushes to synthetic ones. Just doing what I can to be cruelty-free in my daily life.

I was curious with the few new brushes on Coastalscents.com. Lately CS has been churning out a whole bunch of new stuff, and I was intrigued at the new Large Synthetic Buffer Brush. It looked like Everyday Minerals' Flat top brush, and I needed a suitable brush to buff on my minerals so that gave me enough reason to purchase this. Initially, this was tagged at about $5 with some change, but when I bought it, it was a whopping $13.95. For CS' standards, that's just exorbitant!! It certainly is one of the most expensive brushes on CS, but I grit my teeth and purchased it anyway.

Large Synthetic Buffer brush

It's a pretty big brush, a little heavy, so soft and very very dense. I used this to buff in my liquid foundation, and found a bunch of stray fibers on my face. So I thought it's just too dense to handle sticky liquids, so I tried this with my mineral foundation. Still, choc-full of fibers on my face! The amount of shedding was ridiculous!! I didn't notice that much shedding when I washed it, but I was pretty disgusted (and disappointed) with the quality. I can still pull out a bunch of strays from the brush, it's like the hairs were not bind well at all!! I do realise that shedding is expected with very dense brushes but this was a little excessive! The bristles are also too long to use for stippling and buffing. The brush lacked control and it just seemed to be bouncing off my face. This brush did not work well for me, and I was surprised at the many positive reviews this gets on the CS site. I think I am using this strictly for loose powder application. I was royally p!ssed to have spent this much on a poor-quality brush!!

The next synthetic purchase is the Synthetic Deluxe Crease brush for $2.95.

CS Synthetic Deluxe Crease

Soft brush, but the first thing I noticed was the length of the bristles. I thought it was too long to use in the crease.While I like the size of the brush - it fits nicely into my crease - I found it hard to blend colours with this brush. It's not stiff enough to carry the colours into the crease, and the length of the bristles made it a little hard to control when blending. I even found it hard smoke the colour out, as I personally feel this brush did not pick up much colour. It's too narrow to use as a blending brush, but perhaps it can be used for precised application, not so much for blending colours in the crease. Yet, another disappointment.

I've placed another order for their Synthetic Shadow brush. Let's see how that will work. *cross fingers and toes*

Thanks for droppin' by!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Makeup of the Week

2009-07-17T12:29:00.011+08:00

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've been meaning to use this oh-so-colourful palette for so long, but kept getting side-tracked with other things. Finally, this week, I've managed to put together a colourful look which I loved!

This, my dah-lings, is the kind of palette that makes Puss purrs in excitement... Look at the colours! So vivid and gorgeous!! In real life, they are quite metallic, but to my surprise, the glitters are not as chunky as I thought they would be. You still get shimmer, but not to a point where you look over-done. I used all the colours in this palette except for the blue, and to define my crease, I had to use a black shadow from Loreal HiP Duo Metallic in Platinum (my least favourite from the metallic line, but the black is awesome!).

Oh, in case your wondering, this is another cheapo palette ( 'coz I'm a cheapo cat!!) - LA Colours in Tease. The colours do tend to flake so pat instead of swiping the colours on the lids.

My Gawd, how I *love* these 'traffic light' colours!! LOL!

LA Colors 5 Color Metallic Eyeshadow in Tease

I got this from Nonpareilboutique.com for about $3. If you live in the US, you can also find this at the Dollar Store if your lucky. They come in an array of colours, and they're so fun to use!

Face

Primer: Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-gel (this stuff rocks!).
Concealer: ELF All-over Cover Stick in Light for undereyes.
Foundation: Rimmel Lasting Finish Mineral-enriched in 202 Nude.
Powder: N.Y.C Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder in Translucent to set; Wet n' Wild Mega Glo Illuminating Powder in Starlight Bronze as a light dusting all over face to finish.

Cheeks

Bronzer: Wet n' Wild Bronzzer in Bali Bronze to highlight.
Contour & Blush: ELF Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Duo.

Eyes

Eye primer: ELF Studio eye primer.
Eyes: ELF cream shadow duo in Olive as base (dark green); Loreal HiP Metallic Shadow Duo in Platinum - black colour to define crease smoking it out a bit; LA Colors in Tease - spring green (far right) on lids and to line inner lower lashlines, bright pink (middle) as a wash above crease blending a little with the black, orange copper (2nd from left) to highlight, yellow gold (far left) under the peak of brows as added highlight; Revlon ColourStay liquid liner in Blackest Black to line upper lashlines; Rimmel Exaggerate eyeliner in Black to tightline; SilkyGirl Long-wearing eyeliner in Black Brown to line outer part of lower lashlines.
Mascara: Loreal HiP High Drama mascara in Ultimate Blue Black.
Brows: Loreal Brow Stylist in Light Brown.

Lips

Lips: MAC Plushglass in Fullfilled (very sheer with a *hint* of pink).

I liked how this look turned out! The green is such a beautiful spring green, and the bright pink turned plum when I blend it out with the black on top of the crease. It instantly warmed up the whole look!

I'm having drinks with friends tonight. Maybe I'll wear this look ...

:D

Have a good one!!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: SOS!

2009-07-16T11:39:00.005+08:00

I was a huge MaryKay Cosmetics user many many years ago, when one bottle of moisturiser would cost just RM40!! Yeah, t'was a long time ago. I loved this brand, and used the skincare and cosmetics faithfully for several years. Until my regular beauty consultant got very ill, she couldn't service me anymore. Unfortunately she didn't introduce me to another consultant , so naturally, I moved on to more accessible brands. This is one thing I don't like about MLM products, it's not as easy as going to the mall and dropping by the counter to purchase what you want.

I am running out of moisturiser and such. I still love my SK-II cleanser, Essence and my Jurlique toner, so I'm still sticking to those, but I want to go back to using MK's moisturisers.

Right now, I am looking at getting just one or two things first, before I venture into more products, so I don't need to be hassled into getting a set or anything like that, as I am on a tight budget. But I do need someone I can count on their service, who can be contacted easily when I do need to replenish my products in the future.

If you are an MK consultant or know of one who is in the Klang Valley area, give me a shout, will ya. I can be reached at puss.inheels@yahoo.com. Or you can leave a comment if you like.

Thanks very much!

xoxo,

Beauty Binge: Bobby Brown Makeup Manual

2009-07-15T12:48:00.013+08:00

I must confess that I am not a fan of Bobbi Brown. I find her stuff overpriced, boring and underwhelmed. I did a photo shoot once using nothing but her products, and I was far from impressed. I don't see the point of spending so much time in front of the mirror to do makeup that makes you look like your not wearing any. I guess I love colours too much to embrace the whole natural-no-makeup look. If I want to go natural, I'll go bare faced, thank you very much! OK, maybe with a bit of concealer, mascara and tinted lipbalm, but I certainly wouldn't go the whole nine-yards just to look natural!

Which is why I was never taken by Bobbi Brown's products. I just don't get her whole beauty philosophy!

But, I have immense respect for her as a makeup artist. This woman knows her stuff. To come up with a line that melds into your skintone is no ordinary feat. We all, one time or another, have struggled with foundations that are either too light or too dark. I may not love her products, but if I ever need to look flawlessly natural, I know who to turn to.

I was excited when Bobbi Brown came out with her ultimate makeup manual. This book has been sold out the first few months after it was launched here in Malaysia, and it was almost impossible to get hold of one. I had half the mind to order it online, but I waited until the excitement died down before I trotted over to Bobbi Brown Midvalley to get a copy. She's had a few books out before this, but this one I feel covers from A-Z. Whether your a budding makeup artist, a makeup junkie (like me!), or someone who wears even minimal makeup daily, this book has got you covered.

Although I am not a fan, I wholeheartedly agree with Bobbi Brown: concealers are an essential product in your routine. It can brightened up your face and make your look 'complete'. In fact, she's known for her concealers and correctors. This part of the manual got me seriously thinking of getting a corrector. My undereye circles, courtesy of my deep set eyes, are a constant battle!

My favourite part of the Manual. I *love* bronzers! Even though I am naturally tan, I never leave out bronzers from my makeup routine. It's amazing what the right bronzer can do to your face. This part of the Manual is priceless to me!

Here's a great part of the Manual to help you understand basic makeup applications if your new to it. Although Bobbi stressed that the guide has to be followed step-by-step, I always believe everyone has a unique way or technique that works for them.
The Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual retails for RM120 at all Bobbi Brown outlets and selected bookstores.

Happy reading!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: All hail Milani!

2009-07-13T14:06:00.011+08:00

Hi everyone! I am trying to play catch-up with the tones of email I had forgotten about, and I think I am quite up-to-speed, having spent most of the weekend in front of my laptop answering your mail. I have left some out though, because some were the same questions, so I am going to answer them in one go, and some were interesting enough to feature as a topic. Here I am staring at my *huge* makeup collection, and thinking "what am I going to write about today??" Have you ever gone through that? With the amount of makeup I have, you'd think I'd never run out of things to write on. But nooo........ *sigh*

"Dear pussinheels,

Your post on the Milani eyeshadow singles was so interesting it got me lemming for them! I've googled and found out that they are indeed a big favourite. I am not as adventurous as you to try other lesser-known brands, but you've got me very curious about this brand. I am not much of an eyeshadow person (don't know how to wear them!) but I love face products. Can you share some of your experiences using Milani face products if you have any? Thanks, VidhyaL"

Milani Cosmetics - one of my favourite drugstore brands, but yet, plenty of people have complained they are almost impossible to find. Which, in my opinion makes it even more desirable! Milani Cosmetics are known for their vivid colours and awesome quality for a fraction of the price. This is what I like - products that are wallet-friendly but rock like a million bucks. Their eyeshadows can put most of the high end brands to shame!

I don't have very many Milani products - if I could, I'd but them all! That's how awesome they are! I generally concentrate more on my eye makeup so I'd leave the rest of my face pretty bare. But I do have some Milani face products, not many, as they are hard to come by.

Their blushers are very popular as they have beautiful, pigmented colours. One of them is the famed Luminous Blush, said to be a close dupe of Nars Orgasm. I don't own Nars Orgasm so I personally can't compare. Luminous hardly showed up on my tanned NC42 skin. All I got was the iridescent glow. Nice, but I personally prefer colour to just plain ol' shimmer. Plus, I find myself hard to pull off "glow" in this humidity. I turn into a greaseball in a matter of minutes, which is why I prefer matte-ish products. I still use this blusher but it's not a staple.

I was told that Milani Blush in MaiTai is a lovely peach blush and I was (still am!) in the market for one. So I bought one. Where's the peach?? On my skin, it came out matte pink more than anything else. I was gravely disappointed! The colour pay-off is very smooth and silky, not chalky, not powdery. I like this blush but I'd love it even more if it was straight up peach! Gawd knows I have enough pink blushers!

Milani Blush in MaiTai. Milani Sunset Duos in Sunset Beach. Milani Blush in Luminous.

Milani Sunset Duo comes in a large pan with a bronzer and a blush. The bronzer is matte and the blush is shimmery. I have it in Sunset Beach, with the blush side being more of a plum colour. The bronzer is nice for contouring and just as a light dusting all over face. I love using bronzers, eventhough I am naturally tanned. This duo is great for travelling as you have two in one, but is it necessary to have? No. The blush side is so small I can hardly fit my brush to pick up the colour. The colour pay-off for both bronzer and blush is superb, as with most Milani products, but I think if you are pale-skinned, that bronzer may look dirty on you. Word has it, that this is being discontinued.

Out of all the face products I have, I enjoy using the Glimmer Stripes in Berry Glimmer. This is like the drugstore cousin of Bobbi Brown's shimmerbricks, only the Milani version is more fun to play with! Milani's Berry Glimmer is so gorgeous, and is a multi-purpose product. I've used this as an eyeshadow palette and it worked great! It's very shimmery though so you have to be very careful when applying. I lightly used this as a blush/highlighter and it gives a gorgeous glow to the cheeks, with some colour. This comes in some other colours as well, but if you love glowy cheeks products, I strongly recommend you get this one.

Milani Glimmer Stripes in Berry Glimmer

My favorite Milani product is of course their eyeshadows. I am so smitten with them that I keep buying the shadows in different colours a little at a time. Their colours are so pretty!! Me love!!

Flare. Sun Goddess.

Java Bean. Shock.

You can now find Milani Cosmetics on Nonpareilboutique.com and Cherryculture.com.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Makeup of the Week

2009-07-10T09:52:00.006+08:00

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 was down with allergies this week.

Every now and then, I'd suddenly be allergic to my cats (!!!) and my eyes would itch so badly that I'll scratch 'till they swell like pillows. So for a few days, my eyes were so watery and puffy. I also ran out of antihistemanines, I didn't bother stocking up, and I keep forgetting to tell Husband J to get some for me, much to his dismay. He kept saying, "How can you go through the day looking like that?? People are going to think I made you cry!!" My eyes subsided but the terrible itch would hit me every once in a while. This is the main reason why my lids and eye area are wrinkly - it's from the tugging and pulling all these years!

However, earlier in the week, I took out my Ulta single shadows as they have been sitting in my makeup drawers for months, untouched. This is why I avoid buying single shadows, I hardly ever use them. But Ulta shadows are so lovely - they are soft, silky and have gorgeous colour pay-off. The pans are huge, so you have plenty of colour to play with! They generally run for $7 each. Sometimes you can buy them on BOGO, or for sale at $3 each at Ulta.com. I've read that some of them are a bit gritty and hard, but the ones I have are such a joy to use. They're worth a try!! If you do a bit of research, you can even find MAC dupes in them too!

Chestnut. Aztec gold. Silk.

My favourite look this week was dark eyes, dark-ish lips. Not as intense as it sounds though, but definitely not neutral!! The rest of the week, I was hiding behind my sunnies! Pfft!

Face

Foundation: MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation NC35 with MAC Fix+.
Concealer: ELF Tone Correcting Concealer in Light.
Powder: Wet n' Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder in Starlight Bronze all over face to finish.

Cheeks

Bronzer: Loreal Glam Bronze in Caribbean Sun as light dusting on parts of face where the sun naturally hits; Wet n' Wild Bronzzer in Bali Bronze to highlight.
Blush: The Body Shop Blush in Spice (discontinued) to contour; MAC Blush in Cubic on apples.

Eyes

Eye Primer: Loreal Decrease.
Eyes: MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre as base; Ulta single shadows: Silk (far right) as highlight and tearduct area, Aztec Gold (middle) on lids and on lower lashlines, Chestnut (far left) to define crease; Femme Couture liquid liner in Brown to line upper lashlines; MaryKay eyeliner pencil in Black to tightline.
Mascara: CG Lash Blast in Very Black.
Brows: Loreal Brow Stylist in Light Brown.

Lips

Lips: ELF Mineral Lipstick in Prime Plum; Jordana Pretty Shine Luxury Gloss in Lovely.

I was hoping this lipstick-gloss combo would be darker, as ELF's Prime Plum looks dark in the tube, but the combination came out quite natural-but-better on me! I have pigmented lips - more of a plum colour, so this didn't come out looking goth-like.

I like this particular Jordana lipgloss, it's metallic but the shimmer is not so bold as to wash me out. The texture's not so sticky, but pretty long-wearing, much to my surprise. This shade is perfect for my pigmented lips too! You can find Jordana Pretty Shine glosses for RM17.90 at Sasa or Shin's.

My eyes are not so puffed up today which is great news, as I am going out to paint the town red, green and yellow with the gurls tonight! Yaay!

Hope you'll have a fun weekend!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Maybe it's a dud...

2009-07-08T14:16:00.005+08:00

Maybe it's Maybelline!!
I have never been so frustrated with one brand like I am with Maybelline. I have absolutely no luck with this brand! Granted, I have not tried everything, but whatever I have purchased and tried, have been tossed in the bin, or given to someone else. Every time I hear Maybelline, I cringe. It's by far, my least favourite brand, drugstore or high end.

I never believe everything in a brand is good. But I also never believe that one bad product represents the entire brand. Like with Maybelline, it's been around since like forever. Gawd knows how many stuff I have bought over the years, and I don't remember many things from Maybelline that have impressed me. I'm not biased against the brand, because even though I was constantly disappointed, I kept on giving it a chance.

Dream Matte Mousse Foundation: I didn't really care for the Asian-released Whitestay UV Mousse foundation, but was excited to see this original version in one of the stores. While I prefer matte foundations, this applied like cardboard on my face, making my pores looked larger than life. All of a sudden, my skin looked so parched dry, and so dull! I found this product to be dry and impossible to blend.

Great Lash Mascara: Still boggles my mind how this stuff can be a fave among many beauty editors! It was once sold here in Malaysia; I bought a tube, curious of its cult-like status, wore it only to find black shadows under my eyes by the end of the day, no thanks to this mascara. Many years later, I bought this again in Sydney, with the same results. It's too wet, it flakes, it smudges - all the things a mascara shouldn't do!

Maybelline Define-a-lash mascara: Like I said earlier, I always seemed to give this brand a chance, so I purchased this. I didn't like the flexible rubber brush - annoying to use, and this mascara did nothing for my lashes. And yes, it flakes. *sigh*

Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Foundation: In the US it's Maybelline Mineral Power with different packaging. Why they needed to change the name and packaging is beyond me. This foundation is too runny, too sheer with zero oil-control.

Maybelline Expert Eyes Quad in Chai Latte: Whatever possessed me to buy this!! The colours are so unattractive, so sheer, so blah. This looked like mud on me!! I was sooo not impressed!!

However, I do have 2 products from Maybelline worth keeping. (See, I'm not biased!)

I like the Expert Finishing Powder. It's tinted, it's light and does a decent job at controlling the shine. Not fantastic, but decent.

The Dream Mousse Blush is lovely to use - so light and blendable, and I love the colour!! It's not too long-lasting though, but you can't expect long-wearing from a mousse blusher. Too bad they stop selling this here in Malaysia.

I don't like to diss a brand but I am pretty desperate to find one thing that I truly can love. I even tried the legendary Turbo Boost Mascara in regular and waterproof, and it sucked on me. Too wet, flaked on me, did nothing to my lashes. Not that I have hard to curl lashes!!

I have been looking at the powder minerals, especially the blushers, but my years of disappointing experience with Maybelline has kept me from buying them.

I realised that this may be different for everyone. So I'm wondering, is there still hope for me and this brand? Surely they all can't be duds!

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo,

Beauty Binge: Puss answers.

2009-07-06T13:49:00.020+08:00

YIKES!! I have completely forgotten to check my yahoo m@il account! (And there I was, consistently typing in my yahoo email address before my paw signature). Sheeesh! I am such a duffus!!

I did check my inbox quite often in the beginning, but all I ever received was mail from some African "prince" or "millionaire" promising me a lot of money; or from some couple so ill they need my help (money); or from some organization delivering me the "good" news that I have "won 300,000 Pounds!" Really now ... I can't believe there are still people in the world who still fall for these scams!!

So, my sincerest apologies for those of you who have written in and not get anything back, 'till now. I will answer ALL your mail as soon as I can, please bear with me. I could not believe the amount of mail I received! I only started turning this blog into a beauty blog 3 months ago and I really didn't expect to receive such a huge amount of mail. Thank you!

For today's entry, I'll feature *some* of the mail I received, along with my answers. Enjoy!

1. Ernie Linda - "Which brand should i buy if i want to do a simple smokey eye? i also like palettes. can you recommend one? i am a student so i don't have a lot to spend."

Hey Ernie! I like palettes too! They're so much easier to work with especially when your just starting out. You didn't say what colour smokey look you are going for, but I am going to assume you want the traditional smokey of black/charcoal gray. I have 3 palettes in mind. My favourite is from SilkyGirl duo called 'Smokey Spark'. I can't remember the exact price but you can get it well under RM20. This is a silver/charcoal combo and it works fabulously when I want a fuss-free smokey. Just swipe the silver on your lid and the charcoal in the crease, gently smoking it out. Simple. The other palette I like is Revlon's 12-hour palette called 'Sultry Smoke' retailing for RM46. These colours are incredibly intense and dark so you need to be really confident of your smokey-eye application skills. I love using the blue on the lid, charcoal (3rd colour) in my crease and the black as liner; the lightest colour as highlight. Of course you can switch the colours around to your liking. This palette stays on forever! The Elianto Baked shadow in B&W is also something to consider. It's domed shape and better used wet. You can wet your brush with tap water and apply, the colour comes off quite intense! The white is for lids, the charcoal for crease. But like any products used wet, make sure you leave the lid open to dry before storing or else you'll spoil the product.

Silkygirl Smokey Spark. Revlon Sultry Smoke. Elianto baked shadow duo in B&W.

2. Li Ching, Ng - "I started reading your blog from your Laos travel journals and very much enjoyed them. It's so refreshing to find a local who enjoys traveling the rough & tough way. Since you travel this way, do you lug your makeup with you? Just curious."

Li Ching, "do I lug my makeup with me"?? LOL! Not too long ago, I was invited to a wedding of my husband's friend in Bangkok. He married a Thai celeb, so yes, I did lug my makeup with me! The wedding was non-stop partying with tons of paparazzi around so I had to make sure I had my face on, although I was in none of the pictures! LOL! But to places like Laos?? Of course not! Laos is hardly party-central, and although you do find places with thumping loud music filled with partying backpackers, you can get away with just plain ol' lipbalm. I can't imagine lugging my makeup case with me in and out of buses and such! I normally just slap on my sunblock and lipbalm and I'm good to go! Btw, I only started traveling "the rough & tough" way when I started dating Husband J some 4 years ago. He taught me there's more to traveling than just shopping!!

Travel companions: Eucerine White Solution SPF40. Carmex clickstick.

3. Shadowpuppet - "Hi Puss! I think I know who you are!! I used to listen to you every morning on the radio. I was very upset when you left. I've seen you doing shows and it didn't strike me you are 38?? WOW! You are super slim and toned! You don't look more than 30! I'm younger than you but I swear I look older than you :( What's your secret?"

Shadowpuppet, SSSHHHHHHHH!!! Don't lah shout my age so loudly!! Kidding! I have no issues with being 38, 39, 40, 45, 50, 21, 22... heheheheh. Thank you for the compliment. *blush* What's my secret ah? Errrmmmm ... good genes? My mom's over 60 and she doesn't look a day over 50!! She takes care of her skin and health and I think that must've rubbed off on me. I also never leave my house without sunblock of more that SPF20 (anything lower is useless, I think!). But I am certain it also has a lot to do with my workout routine. Instead of wasting my hard-earned money on those useless diet drinks and pills, I invested in a trainer and a gym membership. I've been working out for 5 years now, 3 times a week, consistently. Best damn investment I've made so far. I believe working out is my fountain of youth, and that's what has kept me feel and look the way I do. Anyway, are you sure it was me you saw on stage? ;)

4. Leen - "I want to buy the skunk brush from Coastalscents.com. Maybe the pink or the silver, for liquid foundation. But I hear they are not as good as MAC 187. I don't want to to spend almost RM200 on a brush!! What do you think?"

Leen my dear, search all you want, nothing comes even a close second to MAC 187! So you can forget finding a close dupe! In my opinion, they all suck! I have the pink CS stippling brush, a couple of black ones from Crownbrush, and one I bought from Lowyat.net. They ALL shed like a mutha and you end up picking up fibers off your face! Keep your money, go to Etude House and get their skunk brush. It's soft, dense and strong enough to stipple liquid foundation without shedding. It's not as big, certainly not a MAC187, but still does a fab job. Retails for RM39.90, you can also use this as a blusher brush.

5. Carol Moretti - "Why don't you do EOTDs or FOTDs?"

Heya Carol! I don't do EOTDs or FOTDs because there are plenty of far more talented people than I am on the World Wide Web. I don't feel I need to add to the number. I'm just gonna stick to reviews - it's what I enjoy doing. Thanks for writing in! :)

6. ElinAA - "Why haven't you enabled your comments function? It's quicker than email."

Hi ElinAA, yeah, I should, huh. Look what happened with my yahoo mail inbox?? Over flowed with messages! sigh. I'm such a noob. I don't like to tinker with the settings because whenever I do, something else goes "poof!", and that will p!ss me off. But that's no excuse. Consider it done! Thanks for bringing this up!

7. Siew92 - "I love reading your blog, but what's your real name?"

Hi Siew92!

It's PUSS.IN.HEELS ;)

Once again, THANK YOU for all your messages. Feel free to drop me a line, I'd *love* to hear from you!

Have a fantabulous day!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Makeup of the Week

2009-07-03T13:45:00.008+08:00

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 am currently on a wild mineral makeup kick, so this week, I've put my "weekend warriors" to good use! Maybe it's also because my skin is a little temperamental this week, so as to not aggravate it, I use my minerals.

I've not had much luck with mineral makeup. I almost always get oily!! It doesn't matter whether I had on face primer, or dust mineral veil prior, even go with a very light moisturiser, I just get oily with minerals. And I oxidise like a mutha soon after!! It's exasperating, but I so *love* mineral makeup! I've just put in a pretty big order with Everyday Minerals because I just can't get enough of the blushes and bases!

My favourite look this week was with my beloved Loreal HiP duo shadows. I love these guys!! Both colours in this duo are very pigmented and insanely bright, so I had to use a lighthand.

Loreal HiP Duo in Forgiving

Even so, the colours came out quite intense. That teal blue colour is to die for!!

Face

Face Primer: EDM Start to Finish Sunlight Kaolin finishing powder.
Concealer: MAC Select MoistureCover in NC35; EDM Abbot's Perk Me Up to set.
Foundation: EDM Light Olive in intensive applied with MAC Fix+ Spray.
Powder: EDM Start to Finish Soft Bronze Rice finishing powder to set.

Cheeks

Blush: EDM Blush in Opening Day to contour; Bare Minerals Clear Radiance to highlight.

Eyes

Eye Primer: Loreal De-crease.
Eyes: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese as base; Loreal HiP Duo in Forgiving - Teal Blue on lids, Brown in outer-v; CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Single in Champagne in inner corner of eyes and to highlight; Prestige Liquid Liner in BlackBrown; SilkyGirl Long-wearing eyeliner in Black Black to tightline; SilkyGirl Long-wearing eyeliner in brown to line lower lashlines; Maybelline Great Lash in Blackest Black.
Brows: Loreal Brow Stylist in Light Brown.

Lips

Lips: Revlon Matte Lipstick in Nude Attitude; Jordana Pretty Shine Luxury Gloss in Lovely on top.

Have an awesome weekend!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Awesome budget eye makeup removers.

2009-07-01T18:01:00.010+08:00

Many moons ago, I would either grab Vaseline Petroleum Jelly or baby oil to clean off eye makeup and mascaras. I'd have a hard time after, trying to wash off the oil slick on my lids! Those were the days! These days, I turn to eye makeup removers that are specifically for that - removing eye makeup.

It is an additional step to taking off your eye makeup before you proceed with cleaning your whole face, but trust me, it's a step that you'll be glad you took, especially if you are fond of wearing waterproof mascaras. How many times have you found mascara residue flakes on your cheeks a couple of days later?? Or a smidgen of eyeliner still stuck to your lids?? I don't know about you, but I am an@l about having every inch of my makeup taken off before I go to bed. That includes clean, mascara-free eyelashes! Truth be told, regardless what your regular facial cleanser promised you, there is no way it can get rid of every trace of eye makeup on its own!! Which is why it's not a crime to add another important step to your makeup removal routine.

Plus, I always believe, if you take time putting on makeup, you should take time taking it off! The eyes are such a sensitive part of the face. Not completely removing your shadow may result in darken eyelids overtime, regardless if you use cheap or expensive shadows and liners. Not cleaning off your mascara properly can cause lashes to drop overtime.

I've tried a few eye makeup removers and so far, am totally smitten with, not one, but two removers!

Neutrogena Oil-free Eye Makeup Remover has been a staple for over 6 months, and I have just finished my third bottle! Although it is oil free, there are two layers of liquid in the bottle that must be shaken to be activated . When shaken, the mixture blends together and creates a formula that removes eye makeup with ease, even waterproof mascara. It does not burn or sting and contains aloe and cucumber extracts to soothe skin. OK, I admit, the two-layer-thing is a little gimmicky, but this stuff does a fabulous job at cleaning off mascaras, even waterproof ones including the impossible-to-clean-off Majolica Majorca mascaras. See the two layers? Shake well before use!

However, this does leave a slight oily residue which thankfully comes off easily when rinsing your face, so that is not an issue with me. I'm not too crazy about the screw-top feature. I've accidental poured too much product on my cotton pad/baby wipes, and have accidental knocked the bottle over into the sink!! Seeing this is not available in Malaysia, imagine my horror! It comes in two sizes; mine's the bigger one and retails for $7 + some change at (US) drugstores.

I've heard many good things about Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. This is pretty straight forward - no two layers of liquid. Just squirt and clean! It comes in one size and retails for almost the same price as the Neutrogena Remover. If your concern of the slight oily feeling on your lids left by Neutrogena, rest assure the Rimmel Removers doesn't. It is gentle like it says on the bottle - no stinging, no burning, doesn't feel harsh, and makes the lids feel clean and comfortable. However, it doesn't take off super-waterproof mascaras i.e. Majolica Mojorca, as easily, and you do need a bit more product to fully wipe it clean. Packaging-wise, I like the flip-open top. It's a lot safer than the Neutrogena screw-top feature. Your chance of spilling this all over your sink is quite minimal! Unfortunately, this is also not available in Malaysia.

Rimmel's flip-open top's a winner!

For almost the same price, Neutrogena has more product at 162ml for the bigger bottle, while Rimmel has only 125ml. If you'd like to get either online, they are both available at drugstore.com and ulta.com.

Rimmel 125ml. Neutrogena 162ml.

I was a bit bummed about the screw-top issue with Neutrogena, until I tried screwing Rimmel's flip-open top on. Taa-daa! Whaddya know!

Well done Puss!
*Pats on the back* Eheh!

I like Rimmel's remover, but my loyalty is with Neutrogena. Some people have complained of stinging but so far, I have not had any problems! So I think I am going to continue purchasing Neutrogena's remover and maybe switch it up with Rimmel's every now and then. But if you ask me to choose which is better, I can't. I recommend both if your in the market for an effective eye makeup remover that's wallet-friendly.

Thanks so much for droppin' by my blog!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Paw-stamped and approved! June faves

2009-06-29T14:08:00.008+08:00

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!

This month, I've re-discovered many "old" goodies that I've always loved but have been pushed aside in order for me to try out and review the newer stuff. Only one item is a new favourite this month. The other 4 have alawys been firm favourites.

Here are my gems for this month:

1. SK-II Facial Treatment Cleanser
A clean face is essential for healthy skin, and although I *love* makeup, I love a clean face more. I've always been very particular about my skin; I've never slept with makeup on, even during those crazy days of stumbling home at 7am from some wild party. I've used this awesome stuff for over 5 years now, and have never been so attached to my facial cleanser like I am to this one. It comes in a squeeze tube, comes out creamy, turns foamy when emulsified with water. It doesn't dry out my skin, even during days when my skin is parched dry and flaking, this cleanser didn't make my face feel tight like other foamy cleansers do. There's a slight fragrance, very pleasant and clean, and doesn't bother me one bit. In fact, I really love the soft scent! This is my HG cleanser, and after years of trying and searching, I may have found my perfect cleanser. It cleans thoroughly and this makes me sleep at night without the worry of dirt and clogged pores on my face. This retails for RM150, for 120g, and comes only in one size.

2. Loew-Cornell Maxine's Mop Art Brushes
Art brushes on your face?? Why not! They work like a charm! Lowe-Cornell art brushes are all the rave with beauty gurus and bloggers from around the globe who are constantly finding the perfect dupe for MAC brushes. Whilst MAC is the undisputed King, these LC Maxine's Mop Art Brushes come a very close second, in my eyes. I have a few variety, but these two have been getting the most use from me. The LC Maxine's Mop 3/8 is almost identical to the legendary MAC 239 shader brush. Both have the same cut, same density and both are made from goat hair. They could almost be twins except that the LC brush is slightly longer. It's a flat shader brush that packs on the colours on your lids effortlessly. It's a little stiff though so I wouldn't recommend this for blending. The smaller one is the Maxine's Mop 1/4, great for use in the inner corners of the eye. I also love using this to draw a thin line of shadow on my lower lashlines. Both are less than RM15 each (sorry, can't remember exact price) and can be found at Craft Haven, 1U new wing, Bandar Utama.

3. Synthetic Angled Blush Brush
This claimed to be from the same manufacturers of those awesome Everyday Minerals (EDM) brushes. It sure looks the same, and the brush is oh-so-soft, just like EDM brushes. I really enjoy using this brush especially for contouring, but I also use this to apply blush on my apples. The handle is made from bamboo, and this is an all-round environmentally-friendly product which always wins in my book. I got this for RM30 (excluding postage) and you can find this from Malaysia's Lowyat.net.

4. Revlon Colorstay Foundation with Softlex
What more can I say about this drugstore gem that hasn't already been said?? I've been using this foundation for so long. I have strayed and tried other brands but keep coming back to this one. I love the texture, the finish look, the coverage ... I have yet to come across any foundation that has won my heart like this baby. And it does stay on from morning to evening without fading, oxidation (not much!), with pretty good oil-control. My only gripe is the colour choices in Malaysia are rather poor. I wear in Warm Golden as this was my closest shade, but I know they have better matches for me. So in my next online spree, this is in my list. It retails for RM55 (I think!) and widely available at Watson's and Guardian pharmacies, and anywhere you can find Revlon products.

5. CoverGirl Cheekers Blush in Pretty Peach
I simply love CoverGirl Cheekers Blushers. They are all so pigmented and so smooth. This blush wasn't love at first sight. I thought it was too pale and not peachy enough. Then I wore it. Whoa mama! This baby gives me a nice flush of peach with pink undertones, making me look so darn radiant! It's not shimmery, which I like, and a little goes a long way. CG Cheekers hardly ever disappoint me, and I've been reaching for this blush more lately.

June faves!

Thanks for reading my blog! Have a good one!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Make Up of the Week

2009-06-26T12:52:00.011+08:00

*MJ, RIP 1958-2009. Thank you for the music.*

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 Make-Up of the Week.

This week, I pulled out my long-abandoned loose pigments. I was learning how to apply them and was getting the hang of it, when my love for colourful palettes got me side-tracked, and the pigments were left pretty much untouched.

Yes, they are a tad bit messy to deal with, but regular eyeshadow can't rival the colour pay-off of loose pigments, especially when applied wet (foiling). I played with MAC loose pigments and enjoyed them but I find them (even for me!) too "loud" for day-to-day make-up. The NYX Pearl Mania pigments are just as colourful, but I found out that they are quite work-appropriate when applied dry.

NYX Pearl Mania (L-R): Pearl. Lime. Turquoise.

I loved the combination of green and blue, they just instantly open up my eyes! NYX's Lime and Turquoise pigments are so beautiful together! They look bright in the jar but applied dry, they are quite sheer. But not too sheer to irritate me though! The pigmentation is just right, and having these colours on in broad daylight, didn't scare anyone when I was out doing my thing.

Whilst some folks swear by loose pigments, I personally still prefer the fuss-free of an eyeshadow palette. Especially in the morning, when your in a rush, trying to pat pigments on the lids is a massive pain in the bum bum! Plus, imagine accidentally knocking them over .... Owwhh!!

But if you are curious about loose pigments, I still encourage you to try them. They are quite fun to play with!!

Face

Face primer: Monistat Chafing Relief Powder gel.
Foundation: Revlon Colorstay Active Light Makeup in Natural Beige.
Powder: Everyday Minerals in Medium Beige Neutral Original Glo, to set.

Cheeks

Bronzer: Wet n' Wild Bronzzer in Bali Bronze to highlight.
Blush: CoverGirl Cheekers Blush in Golden Pink to contour; Pretty Peach on apples; Wet n' Wild Mega Glo Illuminating Powder in Spotlight Peach as light dusting all over to finish.

Eyes

Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Yuck! I should really toss this out!).
Eyes: NYX Concealer in a Jar in Beige for undereyes; NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Lemon as base; NYX Pearl Mania in Lime on lids, Turquoise in crease, Pearl as highlight; Prestige Liquid Liner in Black Brown on upper lashlines; Silkygirl long-lasting eyeliner pencil in Brown on lower lashlines; MAC Eye Kohl in Ebony to tightline.
Mascara: Rimmel Glam Eyes in Black.
Brows: Loreal Brow Stylist in Light Brown.

Lips

Lips: Wet n' Wild #666 Brandy Wine; Lancome Juicy Tubes in Violette.

Did I mention how much I dislike UDPP? The bottle is just sitting there in my drawer taking up space which was why I used it for this make-up. I'm a bit bummed that I paid quite a bit for this. It clumped on me, and dried my lids out! Not cool! I still have some left in that impractical fancy bottle, but it is getting more and more difficult to dig the gunk out. I'm not sure if I should decant it, or just toss it out.

I really liked this look, but I'm afraid it'll be a while before I touch my loose pigments again!!

Anyhoo, hope you had a good week, and enjoy your weekend!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Move over 88, here comes the 80-color palette!

2009-06-24T14:35:00.010+08:00

After being less-than-impressed with the 88-color palette, I told myself that I should stick to what I've always believed - any palette with more than 5 shadow colours will just confuse the heck outta me, and the multi-coloured palette will end in cold storage. I played with the 88-colour palette for a bit, but later found that I couldn't be arsed to figure out what colour coordinates with which shade. I normally like using colours from one palette instead of grabbing colours from different sources, but having 88 colours is just too mind boggling for poor lil' ol' me. Plus, some of the colours are too sheer, which p!ssed me off royally! So in reality, you get less than 88 good colours. Grrrr...

But my love for colours got the better of me. I was offered the Manly 80-colour palette at such a bargain, I could not say 'no'! So here we are. Another colourful palette with a ton of colours added to my already growing, bulging stash.

I just couldn't wrap my head around the brand name: "Manly". Manly. Manly? LOL. Apparently I learned that "Manly" is pronounced as "Mun-lee". If you read Chinese, you'll notice that the characters will spell out "mun lee" instead of the hilarious "Manly". Well, at least that was what I was told. I don't read Chinese, so if you told me it reads as "God", I'll still believe you!!

"Mun-Lee" Professional 80-color shadow palette

The palette was already bubble-wrapped in its white packaging and I thought that was a nice precautionary touch. I imagine this palette is quite fragile as well, but none of the shadows in my palette broke, cracked or shattered!

There are 8 matte colours in this palette, the rest are satin/pearl, shimmer and down-right metallic. The shimmers are quite chunky and frosty, but the colour pay-off is made of pure awesomeness!! The frosty ones tend to have a little fall-out every now and then so your best bet is to pat the shadow instead of swiping it on. As you can see, the shadows are in square pans and are bigger than the 88-color palette. It opens up to 2 stacked trays which you can pull one out to slot it in on the cover.

I wished I knew about this palette earlier, so that I can just be happy with this without purchasing the not-so-legendary 88-color palette. Too bad I didn't discover this during my ground events and stage show days. This would've been perfect, with the intensity and all, when I had to do my own make-up for shows.

Yeah, this palette (and the 88-colour palette for that matter) is great for stage work. Maybe a wee bit too bright for day to day wear, even the browns "shout" at you. They're great for night time, if you wear a lot of makeup for clubbing and such.

Nevertheless, I really like this palette, even if it is 8 colours short from the "mighty" 88-color palette, this one's more fun to play with! None of the colours are sheer, chalky or hard to blend, so I don't feel cheated. Now I need to go cook-up some looks with this baby...

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Silkygirl Blockbuster Color Palette & Bonne Bell LipGear

2009-06-23T17:12:00.014+08:00

I haven't been buying anything from the local drugstores lately, cosmetic-wise. But I have been curious about the Silkygirl Blockbuster Color Palettes. They are so colourful and they stand out from the same ol' same ol' brown poop colours the other drugstore brands seemed so fond of dishing out.

So I've decided, once and for all, to get me grubby paws on the Silkygirl palette. I have their shadow duo in Smokey Sparks and was quite impressed, so I thought this palette wouldn't be a let down either.

Silkygirl Blockbuster Color Palette in Smokey Charms

Well, it's not. Whilst I'm not standing on the 'rave podium' with this one, I think this is a pretty nice palette to have. I bought mine in Smokey Charm, a quad of dark-ish colours tailor-made for smokey eyes. But really, if your creative enough, you can also use the colours for daytime and make it look subtle and work-appropriate. The rose-pink colour in the palette was what sold me. Colours like that can instantly soften and warm up your entire look, if you feel the colours came together too dark or too intense.

Pigment-wise, they are not bad. I mean, they're not MAC-quality nor are they like NYX, but they are not chalky at all, easy to blend, and very silky when apply! I didn't notice any fall-out so they are well-milled and well pressed. The texture is satin-ish, with no obvious shimmer, while it's not entirely matte, it comes off pearly-smooth. Over an eye-primer, I say the colors can last for 3 - 4 hours. So, no, not exactly long-wearing.

I like this palette, but it's not a must-have. If your not desperate for a shadow palette, you can give this a miss, don't need to run out and buy it today. Really. It retails for RM18.90 for now, and there are 5 other shades available. The other palettes have pastel-like colours, and wee bit too teeny-bopper for me!! I like colours other than the regular shades, wearing pastels may make me look like I'm desperately clinging on to my teenage years!! So no, I think this Smokey Charm palette is fine for me, thank you very much!

Bonne Bell Lip Gear in Manic Mellon (Matte)

Just as I was about to pay for the palette, I saw a row of Bonne Bell lipsticks by the cash register, selling for RM5! I couldn't resist!!

I have not seen Bonne Bell in Malaysia before this, so this find was quite a lark! Naturally, Yours Truly grabbed one! The colour I bought is called Manic Melon, which is supposedly a matte red-coral lipstick but the texture is quite creamy, so I'm not sure why it's called a 'matte lipstick'!

Anyway, it's a RM5 lipstick, so don't expect miracles. The texture slides a little on my lips and if you have super dry lips, you might find it settles in the cracks of your lips, and make it look even drier. The formula isn't drying but it certainly isn't moisturising as well. And no, it doesn't last at all. This lippie kinda reminds me of those awful "moisture-something" from Maybelline some years back.

I bought this for sh!ts and giggles; I liked the colour, but that's about it. I'd go back and buy more for the colours, but the blah texture keeps me from doing so. Maybe you can buy this for your tween daughter/niece/sister.

I found both the Silkygirl palette and Bonne Bell lipstick at the small Guardian in Kelana Jaya.

Cheers!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Rock-star blushers

2009-06-22T13:21:00.011+08:00

I swear, these blushers should be inducted into the Hall Of Fame! Any Hall of Fame!

Actually they already are, as many beauty editors and experts have hailed CoverGirl Cheekers Blush worthy of winning many Best of Beauty Awards for numerous beauty magazines, so it's no wonder - these blushers rock!!

CoverGirl Cheekers Blush. Pure love!

Cover Girl was once sold in Malaysia and when they pulled out over a decade ago, I wanted to scream bloody murder!! Their liquid foundation was my holy grail (HG) foundation at the time (can't remember which one - triangle-ish bottle) but I moved on eventually to bigger and better (and more expensive!!) things.

I got re-acquainted with CoverGirl (CG) last year on my trip back to visit the in-laws in Sydney, and came home with a few CG products, one being their rock-star mascara Volume Exact (why are cosmetic stuff -or anything for that matter - so ridiculously expensive in Oz?? Sheeesh!).

CG has some gems in their collection if you care to give it a chance. They are very affordable and very pigmented. I started out with one blush and now I have 3!! Ugly, cheapo packaging though, but I've never been attracted to a product from its packaging. It's what inside that counts. Also, CG products have this unattractive scent to their stuff. Almost factory-chemical like, very CoverGirl! Some people are sensitive to scents, but this doesn't bother me at all. Once I have it on my cheeks, the smell goes away. The blushers have a kind of sheen to them; not quite matte, but not shimmery either. I prefer this kind of texture as shimmery products make me look greasy!

This was my first CG Cheekers Blush in Golden Pink. It's really a toned-down bronzer. This shade blends in really well with my tanned NC40-42 skin. I use this to contour my face and it works really, really well! No streaks, no blotches. By far my favourite contouring shade! A real winner!!

I got this one because I wanted a plum-ish blusher. I was on a plum kick and this blush is called Plumberry Glow, so I thought I've found the purrr-fect plum shade! Well, this shade turned out to be more of a dark pink shade than plum. It's very pigmented, very beautiful, this gives me a healthy look almost instantly.

My newest CG Cheekers Blush - Pretty Peach. I am still on a look-out for a peach blush with no shimmer (not entirely matte though). When I first got this, it looked a bit paler than what I expected. This is more of a peachy pink shade, and honestly I was a little disappointed. But then I took it on a test-drive and was amazed at how the colour came off against my skin! Granted it's still not true peach, but nevertheless it came off beautiful. It has a subtle pink undertone and I now find myself reaching for this blush more!!

In my eyes, these blushers can do no wrong! I'm not big on blushers, but these babies rock my world!

Rock-star status!! Plumberry Glow. Pretty Peach. Golden Pink.

Have a rockin' day everyone!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

38!

2009-06-21T00:14:00.003+08:00

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Make Up of the Week

2009-06-19T12:19:00.012+08:00

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 Make-Up of the Week.

There's nothing I like more than multi-tasking products. I've thoroughly enjoyed using Wet n' Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder as a face highlighter, blusher, bronzer and as an eyeshadow palette. It's a staple in my makeup routine!

Looking suspiciously similar to Bobby Brown's shimmer bricks (minus the oh-so-boring shades) are among others, Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips and Milani Glimmer Stripes. The difference? Nothing much, except that Milani is a little hard to find!! And don't we all love hard-to-find-products!! It's like winning the lottery when you finally have it in your hands!! Besides that, the Milani Glimmer Stripes I own is in a bright pink/berry colour, which sets it apart from its high end cousins, and other shimmer brick wannabes.

Milani Glimmer Stripes in Berry Glimmer

I've managed to find this beautiful product from Nonpareilboutique.com. It comes in other colours too, bronze, gold, peach, brown - the regular shades, Berry Glimmer stood out and (naturally!) caught my eye. I used this versatile piece of make-up as a blusher/highlighter, and as eyeshadow. This is a little more shimmery than Wet n' Wild MegaGlo, so I had to be lighthanded. The shades are easy to blend, smooth and quite pigmented. I liked the outcome! The shimmers aren't chunky, but using too much can make me look like I'm trying too hard, y'know?

Face

Face Primer: Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer.
Foundation: Revlon ColorStay with SoftFlex in 310 Warm Golden. *love*
Powder: NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder in Translucent to set.

Cheeks

Bronzer: Milani Sunset Duo in Sunset Beach (bronzer side) to contour.
Blush: Milani Glimmer Stripes in Berry Glimmer to highlight.

Eyes

Undereye concealer: Loreal True Match Super-blendable concealer in W6-7-8.
Eye Primer: ELF Studio Eye Primer and Line Sealer.
Eyes: ELF Shimmering Whip Facial in Pink Lemonade as base; Milani Glimmer Stripes in Berry Glimmer - white shade (top) inner corner of eyes, brow peak, light pink (2nd from top) as highlight, bright pink (middle) all over eyelids, brick red (2nd from bottom) to define crease, outer-v and to line lower lash line, fuchsia pink (bottom) as wash on top on crease. *You get a nice gradient of pinks and reds from lids to brow bone*; Loreal HiP Color Truth Creme Liner in Black; jane Be Pure Mineral Gliding Eyeliner in Black to tightline, CoverGirl LashBlast mascara in Very Black.
Brows: Loreal Brow Stylist in Light Brown.

Lips

Lips: Revlon ColorStay Mineral Lipglaze in Eternal Blossom.

I quite like Revlon's Mineral Lipgalzes. They're not too sticky, but yet very pigmented and long lasting. I just don't like the "sweet" scent attached to it. Too sickly sweet. And don't get me started on the colour choices available in Malaysia... *sigh*

I wish Revlon would bring in ALL colours, instead of just a select few.

*whinge* whinge* whinge*

OK, I stop whinging now. ;)

Enjoy your weekend!!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Milani singles

2009-06-17T09:36:00.012+08:00

I *love* products, be it drugstore or high end, that are catered towards women of colour. They are usually very vibrant with amazing pigmentation and normally carry bright, unconventional colours.

One such brand (drugstore!) is Milani. I have a small collection from this brand, as they are quite hard to find. If your lucky enough to find Milani in your neighbourhood drugstore, I suggest you get some!

My favourite Milani product is their single eyeshadows. They have time and again been said to be close dupes of MAC single eyeshadows. So if you can't afford MAC, take a look at Milani. The quality of Milani shadows are also ah-mazing! They are incredibly pigmented, very easy to blend and just simply beautiful. I actually love these more than MAC, if only Milani singles are available in Malaysia (they're not!). They are also easier to depot, and fit in any palettes that fit MAC shadows. However, they do crumble easily, as I have discovered with a couple of the shadows when trying to depot them. One actually cracked on its way here in the mail, but I've managed to salvage what's left. I get quite nervous when I order online as they are very soft and need to be bubble-wrapped heavily. Unfortunately, I read somewhere that these singles are discontinued, which explains them being hard to find. They are replaced with the Runway Eyes Wet Dry single shadows which, I was told, are nowhere near the original in terms of pigmentation and overall quality.

The latest baby in my collection: Milani Spice. Very pretty bronzy brown colour, close dupe to Stilla's Twig. I an *not* a fan of Stilla products, especially their eyeshadows, but loved Twig, so I got this instead. Good call!

Milani Spice

I bought this because of the colour - the purple is so vibrant and beautiful! I haven't used this yet, not sure how since it's so bright!! This was the hardest to depot - the glue was too strong and I dug my knife into the shadow a few times to pull the pan out! Ouch! This is Milani Shock.

Milani Shock

Milani Peachy Peach is a dupe of MAC Jest. I was looking for a peach shadow, so I got this. Big mistake! This is my highlight colour as it is too sheer to use for anything else.

Milani Peachy Peach

Milani Java Bean, which is a dupe of MAC Mulch. Very very pigmented! A little goes a looooong way!

Milani Java Bean

Milani Flare. A beautiful copper colour, close dupe of MAC Coppering. The colour payoff is A++!I love using this as a wash in my crease when I'm going for the bronzy look!

Milani Flare

The first Milani single that convinced me they are worth getting: Milani Sun Goddess is a dupe of MAC Amber Lights. This is sucha pretty gold bronze shade. I love using this as a lid colour, and as highlight! This shade instantly warms up your whole look! It chipped off a little in the mail, and I managed to press some of the pieces back in.

I depot them into the ELF Custom Palette, and they fit perfectly. This way I save space, and my make-up drawers don't look too cluttered. This is also an easier way to find them, as the singles are small.

If your a fan of bright shadows, I strongly recommend getting at least one Milani single. Heck, I think everyone should have at least one! But there are some which are quite sheer so do your homework before purchasing. These can be found on Nonpareilboutique.com for under 5 bucks (can't remember the exact price!) They've updated their Milani stock and you can now get hard-to-find and discontinued colours.

Have a great day!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Daily skincare spiel

2009-06-15T16:20:00.012+08:00

Sure, I like my make-up cheap, but not my skincare. Hell no!

My becoming a skincare brand snob started after an army of angry zits popped up when I was working on TV lightyears ago. Blame it on those thick, unforgiving TV make-up, I quickly learned the art of double-cleansing using high-end brand skincare products which helped calmed the onslaught almost immediately!

These days, not all my skincare stuff is high end. Some of the more 'important' ones are, but my skin has since tolerated my using drugstore stuff, so there's a mix of expensive and affordable on my bathroom shelf.

I've been using SK-II for 5 years now. The parent company P&G invited me to try this Japanese brand and provided full-sized stuff worth over RM1,000! How could I say "no"?? I had to check in with them every 2 weeks to report on the progress, and by the 4th week, everyone was commenting how 'radiant' and smooth my skin looked. Five years on, I'm still using some of the products. Everytime I run out, I'll let out a massive sigh because I'd have to shell out a hefty amount to buy just one product!!

But lemme tell ya, my skin lovessssssssss this brand! So it's worth every sen!

My cleansing stuff. (Left) SK-II Facial Treatment Cleanser is a luxurious creamy cleanser that lathers up. It's non-drying (on my skin), and smells heavenly! I love love love make-up, but hun-ney! I love a clean face better!! My HG cleanser! If they ever discontinue this item, I'll pack my bags and move to Mars!!

To remove make-up, I've found pure love in Mandom Express Cleansing (Moist). The watery consistency of this product is so refreshing than using the traditional oil cleansers to remove make-up. I was happy as a lark when this was finally sold in Malaysia. I'm just not too stoked about the scent, and does a poor job at removing waterproof mascaras, which leads us to the next product.

(Right) Neutrogena Oil-free Eye Makeup remover is a drugstore item that works really well at removing every inch of eye make-up, including those pesky waterproof mascaras. In less than a year, I'm almost finishing my third bottle, so yeah, you can guess how much I heart this stuff. It's not oily, doesn't sting my eyes, and is so reliable!

Fresheners: (Left) SK-II Facial Treatment Essence is the star product of the brand and is an essential product in my skincare routine. Seriously, I cannot live without this stuff! It's more of a serum with lighter consistency, makes my skin smoother, well-hydrated, smooths out fine lines and calms my skin. It also carries a hefty price-tag, so when I'm almost out, I have to do major budgeting so that I can afford to re-purchase!

(Right) Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist is my HG toner. This Aussie-brand toner is so gentle, hydrating and smells of roses!! My long-time facialist uses Jurlique products and I've been hooked on this spray ever since I entrusted her with my face! I love spritzing this anytime when I feel my skin needs refreshing. For a toner, this is also not so wallet-friendly, but I'd buy bottles of this when Husband J and I go back to Syndey! It's so much cheaper at the Sydney International Airport!

Moisturiser:(Left) Eucerin White Solution with SPF40 is another drugstore product in my skincare regime. I don't normally buy into the whole whitening cr@p this part of the world loves so much. I am naturally tanned, and I embrace it! So I never entertain whitening products. I just started using this 6 months ago when my regular SK-II moisturiser got more expensive and too oily. Plus, it has no SPF, and I am always looking for moisturisers with built-in SPF. I bought this for the SPF factor not the whitening factor. I was quite nervous about trying this Eucerin moisturiser, but miraculously, my skin did not react when I switched. It's an OK product, not totally bowled over. I'm still looking for my HG moisturiser though.

SK-II Skin Refining Treatment is oh-so-freakin' costly that this will be the last time I'm using this! It's a night cream that has AHA and BHA which help dissolve blackheads and the like. The cream is quite thick, but my facialist said that my pores are now 'cleaner' ever since I started using this. Too bad this is so expensive. It could've been a staple. Looking for a good night moisturiser that is easy on the wallet.

Undereyes. Now, here's an area that is a continuous work-in-progress. I have massive eye bags, a feature that comes naturally with deep-set eyes, and obvious fine lines too. Nothing to do with age (OK, I'm in denial!), I used to pull, tug and scratch my eyes from allergies. The skin under my eyes have loosen, wrinkled and sagged because of that and I am on a constant search for a good eye cream. Let's see, I've wasted my money on LaMer Eye Balm - didn't do jack, gave me milia instead; SK-II Treatment Eye Film - too little product, no results AT ALL; Clarins Eye Balm - waste of money; and a host of other expensive eye creams and gels that didn't show any results. So for now, this Loreal Wrinkle De-crease cream will have to do. It's been discontinued in Malaysia, I was happy to find this tub in, of all places, Phnom Penh, Cambodia!

I honestly think skincare products are worth to splurge on. After all, you only have one skin. For the rest of your life!

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Make Up of the Week

2009-06-12T08:50:00.008+08:00

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 Make-Up of the Week.

I'm feeling under the weather at the mo, so I'm going to make this a quickie.

This week was interesting as far as make-up's concerned. I had a few bold and bright 'experiments' using the 88-colour palette , but the make-up I'm going to feature this week is from a drugstore palette that I've had for ages. I pulled out my Revlon Colorstay 12-hour shadow quad in Nude Elements. If you expect nude colours from this quad, you'll be gravely disappointed. These are very pigmented and quite shimmery. I don't use the white highlight colour as it looks way too stark for my liking.

Revlon ColorStay 12-hour shadow quad in Nude Elements

I simply love that bottom colour - charcoal with blue undertones. It's such a unique shade and it makes the whole look a little bit more intense. Of course you can skip using this colour if you really want to go neutral, but this time, instead of using it in my crease and outer-v, I used it as a liner. I absolutely loved the look!! I totally *adore* the Revlon quads, they are so reliable, beautiful and easy to use.

Face

Primer: Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-gel.
Foundation: Sasa HD Perfect Foundation; Maybelline Expert Finishing Loose Powder in Sand to set.

Cheeks

Blush: NYX Powder Blush in Taupe to contour; ELF Healthy Bronzing Powder in Sunkissed on apples.
Bronzer: Wet n' Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder in Starlight Bronze as a light dust all over face to finish.

Eyes

Primer: MAC Prep+Prime Eye in Medium Dark.
Eyes: MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque as base; Loreal TrueMatch Concealer in N4-5 for undereyes; Revlon Colorstay 12-hour eyeshadow quad: champagne shade(2nd from top) all over lids and highlight, brown taupe(3rd colour) in crease, chracoal shade(bottom) to set pencil liner; MAC Eye Kohl in Phone Number to line.
Brows: The Body Shop Brow&Liner Kit (LE).
Mascara: Loreal HiP Drama Mascara in Ultimate Blue Black.

Lips

Lips: MAC Lipglass in Viva Glam V.

The charcoal shade as a liner still gave some intensity to the whole look and I wore this for a night out with Husband J and some friends. I've always maintained I am not a fan of neutral looks, but this one I really really like. It's not quite so neutral so it's not too boring but yet not too dark and intense either. I've also been using my smudging rubber tip a lot this week. I gave my liquid liners a rest and used my long neglected MAC eye kohls, smudging them makes the whole look a little 'softer'.

I am still not wow-ed by the Sasa HD Perfect Foundation . Everytime I wear it, J will ask, "why you look so shiny?"

Blehh.

OK, I have a headache the size of Montana right now, so I'm going to go and rest. *This is so killing my Mojo.*

Enjoy your weekend.

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: The Road to Porn-Star Lashes!

2009-06-10T08:50:00.009+08:00

I've never really had to fuss much about my eye lashes because I am blessed with long curled ones. But I wish they were thicker, which is why I love voluming mascaras more than I do lengthening ones. If I could have big, fat tranny lashes, I'd be the happiest cat in the world!! My husband, J, on the other hand has long, thick lashes, and he'd bat his lashes at me everytime I put on falsies. My friends have jokingly said many times: how they wish they can tie him down and use lashings of mascara on him!! J has such gorgeous lashes!!

I learned to put falsies on when I did stage shows, hosted ground events and such. I started out not wearing any which made me look a little plain on stage. I'd have some put on me for photo and TV shoots but it was always by the make-up artists. I remember buying a pair and trying putting them on only to have them poking my eyes instead! I've done it all - had too much glue on until my fingers stuck to the lashes and eventually pulling them off, not waiting for the glue to get tacky so I had sticky mess on my lids, or not having enough glue so one side was hanging off ... my learning curve with falsies was a hilarious one! But having falsies on stage made me look a little polished, and I noticed all the celebrities I've bumped into or worked with, have falsies on even when they are not doing shows! No wonder they looked so stunning and wide-eyed in magazines!!

These days, I have falsies on for special occasions: birthday/anniversary dinners and events, which I occasionally go to.

Over the years, I've collected all sorts of styles only to find that I liked the short ones better as they make my lashes look thicker.
This glue has served me so well over the years. It's so reliable, my falsies stick on from day to night without any issues. It goes on white and dries clear, has a brush applicator which makes application to the bone of the lashes cleaner and so easy. I bought this at SaSa.

My ex co -host introduced me to the self-adhesive ones, when I moaned to her how difficult it was to wear falsies, and those were so much easier to wear for beginners before I graduated to putting the glue on the falsies. The self-adhesive falsies I find most reliable are the ones from SaSa under the Cosmos brand. These falsies are a little stiff but they stayed on even under harsh lights.

Having tried so many different styles of falsies, I like the short ones better as they make my own lashes look very thick. I love this one from Cosmos, and I was elated when I found SaSa has the large pack which carries 5 pairs. I normally re-use these up to 5 times before I toss it out. If I had mascara on the falsies, I'd throw them out after use. I just couldn't be arsed to clean the gunk out!! Which is why I generally don't use mascara with falsies on - I put mascara on first, before sticking the falsies on.

The make-up artist I was working with on one of the shoots taught me to snip off 2-3 strands from the outer end of the strip before putting it on, to not have them poking my eyes out! And not having glue all over the lids when putting falsies, took a looooooot of practise before I had the confidence to wear any on stage!

I found this pair for RM5 at Daiso, The Curve. I'm liking this half lashes, they're easier to put on, and look very natural. I wish they have more variety.

I recently acquired these Taiwan-made falsies. They are so much cheaper than the SaSa ones and so much softer, almost like natural hair. These apparently are hand-made, which means nothing to me really! The Taiwan-made ones have longer lashes, which made me look ... scary! So I'm not too fond of these. Too bad because they're really comfortable to wear.

Thanks for dropping by!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: 3D Face with SaSa HD Foundation

2009-06-08T08:29:00.007+08:00

When the 'High Definition' foundation craze hit town, I found myself getting sucked in by the hype. Before long, yours truly was lemming for the Make-Up Forever High Definition Foundation. I didn't really understand what it was, but who cares?? If the whole world loves it, then it's a must have!! As sad as that sounds, I know I am not alone. But it's exciting to see how cosmetic companies keep churning out gimmick after gimmick, and suckers like myself keep buying into them. So I hung out at the MUFE counter in 1 Utama, played with the HD foundation for the 100th time, only to put it back and walk away heavy hearted. I cannot foresee myself shelling out RM130 (?) or more for a bottle of foundation, regardless what it claims to do. Not too long ago, I wouldn't even think twice, but these days, I am always convinced there's a cheaper alternative lurking somewhere.

So one day, I popped by SaSa and voila!! My eyes caught the laminated signage: "SaSa HD Perfect Foundation". My heart jumped and I immediately started playing with the testers. The Sales Assistant who was hovering over me the minute I walked in (don't you just hate that?), started blabbing away on how a hit this is in Singapore and Hong Kong, and how this foundation "can make your face look 3-D". Huh?? 3-D? What? Like a pop-out book? The SA just blinked at me blankly. *tsk*tsk.

HD Foundations are supposedly great for picture taking, making you look glowy in pictures, and making your features stand out more without the aid of liquid or powder highlighters. Ahhhhh...but I love my powder highlighters! They're almost ingrain in my make-up routine, leaving them out makes me feel ... naked!! Eheh.

SaSa HD Foundation is on promotion at the mo, selling for RM39.90 till the end of this week, then it will go back to the original price of RM55.90. Yikes! That's a bit much for a house brand, so I grabbed the darkest shade, 04 Golden Beige which fits my tanned NC40-42 skin perfectly.

Comes in 4 shades, 04 Golden Beige is the darkest.

On the bottle it says: "This light weight formula offers perfect coverage with a natural soft, matte finish. Its hydrating fluid glides on seamlessly to give you a flawless luminous complexion."

Hygienic packaging!Me-likey!

My youngest brother, Jen, had his engagement ceremony yesterday, and since it was a hot day, I've decided to use this foundation with a wet sponge. The consistency is a bit thin and runnier for my liking but it spreads like a charm over my Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-gel which I used as face primer. I like my foundation medium-full coverage, and matte; this foundation gave me a smooth light coverage, even lighter when applied with a wet sponge. It did give me a soft finish, but matte? Nooooooooooooo! I know matte finishes and this was anything but matte! I was shining like a newly scrubbed disco-ball after a couple of hours!! I had to constantly touch up with my powder which I *hate* doing!

I was looking through the pictures after the whole do, and well, my face did look glowing and smooth. My features did show up a little in pictures, not quite "3-D" though. I just had a matte blush on with no highlighters. I think I like this foundation for picture taking with friends and family, not for events though, and the whole shine-thing is a total put-off. Or is that supposed to be the "luminous" part?? Looked like oily face to me!!

Overall, this foundation is great for hot days but I still love my Revlon ColorStay with Softlex foundation. It gives me the kind of coverage that I love and no shine! For serious picture taking, I also still prefer MAC StudioTech Foundation. It never failed me looking my best (and shine-free!) during those good ol' days when I had camera flashbulbs flashing in my face at events and such. The coverage is a little heavier but never cakey and fake.

But that's my preference - I like heavier matte coverage than the average Jane next door. If you like your foundation natural and light, give this one a go. Just remember to blot often if you have oily skin because it has no oil-control whatsoever. I think I'll alternate this with my mineral foundation on hot days. Not bad for a house brand.

SaSa HD Perfect Foundation comes in 4 shades. You can get hold of one at all SaSa outlets for RM39.90 until June 14th, 2009. Regular price is at RM55.90.

Mucho thanks for dropping by!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com