Beauty Binge:Paw-stamped and approved! August faves

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

August has been one ver-ry weird month.

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

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

Anyhoo.

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

1. Revlon Cream Blush in First Blush.

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

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

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

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

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

August faves.

Thanks for dropping in!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Makeup of the Week

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

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

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

ELF Studio Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Brown/Basic.

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

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

Face

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

Cheeks

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

Eyes

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

Lips

Lips: NYX Tinted Lip Spa in Hush.

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


Have a great weekend!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Makeup of the Week

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

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: Makeup of the Week

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

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: Makeup of the Week

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

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:Makeup of the Week

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

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:Makeup of the Week

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

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: All hail Milani!

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