skip to main |
skip to sidebar
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.
Eyes
Shu Uemura single eye shadows.
Shu depotted single shadows.
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.
YSL Touche Eclat highliter pen.
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
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.
I finally found a couple of products from Maybelline that I really really like. This brand has been a hit and miss for me, more misses than hits to be honest! I took a chance getting these two concealers: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Dark and Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer in Beige Medium 2-4. Thank Gawd they worked!
Concealers are so ingrain in my makeup routine that when I leave them out, I feel naked almost! I have deep set eyes so bags and circles are part of the package. My battle with dark circles go way back, but lately, I've been fortunate not to have such severe circles anymore! But they're still there! My collection of eye concealers are as obscene as my lip glosses because they are an essential part of my routine, even if it's just a mascara-and-lip balm-day.
Prior to this, I've been super happy with Loreal True Match Super Blendable Concealer. It's opaque enough to cover and light enough not to settle into my fine lines. That's another concern of mine - fine lines. Creamy concealers like NYX Concealer in a Jar and MAC Studio Finish concealers tend to dry out my under eye area, and highlight my under eye problems instead of concealing them, especially the fine lines. So my best option these days is to stick to liquid concealers, which may be thinner but are more forgiving.Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Dark is my favourite between the two. I lucked out with the shade as I wasn't sure if this would suit me. But it does! It looked dark in the tube at first but when I applied it, it covered my circles like a blanket!
The shade is more peach in colour, which counteracts with my bluish dark circles effectively! The texture is thin and runny which makes it easy to blend and seemed gentler on my parched under eye area. This doesn't settle into my fine lines but it doesn't last as long as I had hoped for. Still, I think this is a pretty darn good concealer! 
This is the old packaging which is easier to handle than the new one which comes in a mascara-like tube. It has a nozzle to dispense the product which is hygienic, and gives good control over the amount you squirt out. Also, I got this for a steal - less than 5 bucks!
Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer in Beige Medium 2-4 is another drugstore concealer you should try if your in the market for one. This shade fits my NC40-42 skin tone almost like a glove! The texture is not as thin as the Age Rewind concealer, but this doesn't cover dark circles as good. You need a couple of applications for that. This concealer is not drying, but it doesn't last. I've tried this on my blemishes and it doesn't irritate them. 
The packaging has a doe-foot applicator which makes for easy application and this spreads and blends easily. This concealer also doesn't settle into fine lines. Since it's gentle enough, I normally prefer using this on my blemishes.
Mind you, these are not heavy-duty concealers so if you have a severe case of dark circles, you might want to skip these and give the creamy ones a try.
I found these two concealers with cheaper price tags at brigettesboutique.com.
Thanks for dropping by my blog. Have a good one! xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
I don't do FOTDs or EOTDs, but I thought I'd pick one look from the week that I liked and list down the products I used in Makeup of the Week.
This week has been one long, boring week, as far as makeup goes. I wasn't as adventurous as I normally am, and stuck to the bare basics (or minimum).
I really like the ELF Studio Eyeliner & Shadow Stick. The first one I bought was in green/moss. I was quite impressed by it, I put in for 2 more orders: brown/basic and black/smoke.
ELF Studio Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Brown/Basic.
I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance prior to the shadow as I know it'll crease almost immediately. Then I set the shadow with translucent loose powder. The shadow and liner lasted a good 4 hours on my lids that way, before I found minor creasing in my inner eyelids. This is such a simple and fuss-free way to dress up the eyes without having to deal with so many eyeshadow colours!
Face
Foundation: Wet n' Wild Ultimate Sheer Tinted Moisturiser in Sun Kissed.
Powder: Everyday Minerals Kaolin Finishing Powder in Soft Bronze to set foundation.
Concealer: Maybelliner Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer in Beige Medium 2-4 for undereye circles.
Cheeks
Bronzer: ELF Studio Cool Bronzer to contour.
Blush: Milani Mineral Blush in Mai Tai.
Eyes
Primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance (not in picture).
Eyes: ELF Studio Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Brown/Basic - Shadow stick all over lids, Eyeliner in crease, blend, Eyeliner to line; NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder in Translucent to set eyeshadow.
Mascara: Maybelline Define A Lash in Very Black.
Brows: Wet n' Wild Brow Kohl Liner in Taupe.Lips
Lips: NYX Tinted Lip Spa in Hush.
This seemed boring but it worked! Great for days when you do want to look a little more than just mascara and lipstick/gloss/lip balm!
Have a great weekend!
xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
I don't do FOTDs or EOTDs, but I thought I'd pick one look from the week that I liked and list down the products I used in Makeup of the Week.
I received Cover Girl Eye shadow quad in Drama Eyes a few weeks ago, with a quarter of the white shadow chipped off. There was white powder everywhere and although I could clean up the damage, there was still traces of the broken shadow bits all over the palette. Yet again, a testament of how crappy the packing skills of drugstore.com (where I bought the quad from).
Bad packing aside, I have grown to really love Cover Girl. I haven't tried many stuff from them, but I enjoy using their shadows (singles and palettes) and absolutely adore their Cheekers Blush.
I bought Drama Eyes for that Burgundy colour. 
I wanted a typical smokey eye palette but use it for daytime wear - not so smokey, not intense, and not boring. That burgundy shade made it possible! This palette has great colour pay-off! Cover Girl, over the years, has up their game and improved the formulation of their products. Their eye shadows at least, are a joy to use!
I also found great use for the too-dark ELF Hydro-tint foundation (Tone 3). I mixed it with my lighter foundations and it changed the colour, but not the coverage, which is perfect!
Face
Foundation: ELF Hydro-Tint SPF 15 in Tone 3 (too dark)
+ Mary Kay Medium Coverage Foundation in Beige 304 (too light!)
= PERFECT SHADE!Concealer: Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer (old packaging)
in Dark.Powder: NYC Loose Face Powder in Translucent to set; Milani Glimmer Stripes in Berry Glimmer lightly all over face to finish.Cheeks
Blush: Milani Powder Bronzer in Light to contour; Revlon Cream Blush in First Blush on apples (love!!).
Eyes
Eye primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
Eyes: Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Coastal Blues as base; CG quad in Drama Eyes - light silver (2nd from right)
all over lids, black outer-v, Burgundy wash in crease, white as added highlight; CG Single in Golden Sunrise as highlight; Femme Couture liquid liner in Black to line.Mascara: CG Lash Blast in Very Black.
Brows: Wet n' Wild Brow pencil in Taupe.Lips
Lips: Wet n Wild Lip liner in 666 Brandy Wine; ELF Plumping Lip Glaze in Oasis.
Thanks for dropping by, and Ramadhan Mubarrak to those who observe!
xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
Don't knock the cheap stuff because chances are they're the ones that will knock your socks off. I learned that a long time ago, when I used to scoff at folks buying up Wet n' Wild and/or other cheap brands. I remember Wet n'Wild from way back in college where I would buy up their 99 cents eyeliner pencils in multiple colours. They were hard and of poor quality, but hell, they were cheap. Plus I was a college student in a far-away land, I had to save up for a jar of Creme de LaMer from Saks 5th Avenue, which didn't leave me with much! Those were the days ...
Today, Wet n' Wild is still cheap, but have survived amongst a sea of other cheapo brands. They've stepped up their game, still sellin' them for dirt cheap through ugly-@s$ packaging, but the stuff inside will make you go "Hoooooooooooo m'Gaaaaaaaaawd!!"
I don't have a ton of Wet n' Wild stuff, but the ones I do have, have yet to disappoint me. I enjoy using them, and enjoy it more that I don't have to sell my left arm for a product that delivers. These babies are cheap, but they work expensive, ya know?! I was so reluctant to get their 8-colour palette Ultimate Expression Eyes. Not because they're not good, but there are 8 colours in one palette. Anything more than 5 colours in a palette will confuse the heck out of me, so how am I going to use 8 colours???
For $4.99 a piece, you get 8 highly pigmented colours. So let me get to the usual questions asked when it's cheap:
No they're not chalky at all.
No they're not hard, in fact they're darn silky.
No you don't get fall outs.
No they're not hard to blend.
No they do not smell.No they don't fade after an hour, but like any shadow, drugstore or high end, you can make them last even longer when you use a good eye primer underneath.
No they do not make your lids go dark because they're cheap. *excuse me while I roll my eyes*. Use a good remover to take off eye make up, then your lids won't darken overtime!
No you won't get cooties because they are cheap. *lemme roll my eyes again*
Yes they come in the ugliest packaging, but so what! They are freakin' awesome!!I started out getting this plum/purple-ish pallete called Paradise Cove.
Wet n' Wild Ultimate Expressions in Paradise Cove.
Third's time a charm with this palette!
Wet n' Wild Ultimate Expressions in Sand Castle.
Both times, my order shattered in the mail, and no thanks to drugstore.com's atrocious packing skills, I nearly gave up on the idea of owning this palette. I consoled myself saying it's a bronze/gold/natural palette, and I am not a fan of natural colours. This is called Sand Castle and it has a little more shimmery fillers than the other palettes. The colours can be quite frosty but super-pigmented. I didn't get "true" natural colours, thank Gawd! This palette is far from boring.But yes, this palette is just as gorgeous, and as silky, although I suspect, softer and more fragile as it shattered on me twice before! I finally lucked out with Nonpareilboutique.com which started carrying Wet n' Wild products and they are much better at packing their stuff! My Sand Castle finally came to me in one beautiful piece!
Cute feature with these palettes, the mirror slides out at the bottom!
I initially though this was one cheap gimmick, but the mirror proved to be quite useful when I am applying my eye shadow!
These come in 3 colours - I have 2 as you can see. The other one is a more of a green/blue palette, not so shimmery, but the colours are still very pretty.
They retail for $4.99, if your buying online, you can find these at drugstore.com (bad packing!) and nonpareilboutique.com. *Don't get these confuse with the cream shadow palette - they look similar, but I hear the cream palettes suck big time!*
Have a great day!xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
I was going to wait a little more before I review this because I didn't want to write about another ELF product, but ever since my last post where I featured the ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer in the last Makeup of the Week, I've been getting a number of questions regarding this new product. 
Here's another item that's always out of stock on the ELF website. The ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer is newly added under their Mineral line. I managed to get hold of one and couldn't wait to take it for a test drive.
Although I've been using other shadow primers lately, I have been super happy with Loreal De-crease. I also kinda like the ELF Studio Eye Primer which comes in a chubby stick-form, although it doesn't perform like my beloved Loreal De-crease. I was anxious to find out if this new ELF Mineral Primer delivers just as good or better.
The ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer comes in a lipgloss-type packaging, with a doe-foot applicator. 
The colour is similar to Loreal De-crease - natural, but comes out sheer. The texture is a little more watery than De-crease and Too Face Shadow Insurance, but dries a little faster than De-crease. I was happy that this didn't dry my lids out like Urban Decay Primer Potion!
My eye shadow stayed on and on for the whole entire day ('till night time, woot!), with no creasing, no fading, and it kept the colours somewhat fresh. I didn't have to re-apply at all, which was great news! But then again, I don't have oily lids. My lids are quite dry, but they tend to get a little oily by mid-day. This is when my ELF Studio eye Primer fails miserably, which is why I only use that for days when I am out and about for just 2-3 hours. The ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer seems to hold up way better than that!!
On the packaging, it says: No Preservatives. No Parabens and no chemical dyes. Great! But here's the clincher: take a whiff of the stuff and it'll make you gag. See, I am not a stickler when it comes to packaging or scent, I know some people are. If you are particular with how your product smells, this might turn you off. This stuff smells like feet!
No, hang on... *sniff*
It smells like dead fish!
Wait! *sniff*
Smells like monsoon drain!In short, it SMELLS FUNKY!!
I don't know what it is, maybe I got me a lemon? It has not given me any kind of bad reaction and the smell does go away when you apply. Just don't make it a habit to sniff the wand when you want to use it - you might just change your mind!
I really think ELF has stepped up it game these days - it's been churning out quality products we all can get excited about. And they won't break your bank too! Yay!
If you're looking for something cheaper to replace your UDPP or TFSI, and you find Loreal De-crease doesn't hold up as well on your super-oily lids, this is a good buy. But don't expect it to perform like its more expensive cousins. There will be creasing at some point of the day or night if you have super oily lids. I've not been using my TFSI much as I tend to gravitate towards the more cheap stuff, but I think I might alternate ELF Mineral Primer more with my De-crease.
For the way it performs, you can't beat the price!! Happy to add this to my growing collection of eye primers!! Overall, I really really like this product (funky smell aside). It's another surprising winner from ELF!
The ELF Mineral Eye shadow Primer retails for $3 at eyeslipsface.com. xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
I don't do FOTDs or EOTDs, but I thought I'd pick one look from the week that I liked and list down the products I used in Makeup of the Week.
I received quite a number of new ELF stuff this week, so for the most part, I was testing and playing with my new toys. My favourite look this week was using just one colour. Out of the blue, I remembered my love for MAC Cocomotion pigment. It's such a beautiful brown-bronze colour that is unique on it's own. I don't quite enjoy using loose pigments, as I am a klutz and a half (though I love their intensity), but I just couldn't resist taking out my Cocomotion to give it the attention it deserved.
Looks like dirt but super gorgeous even on it's own: MAC Pigment in Cocomotion.
The look came out far from complicated - it was stunning yet simple, no-fuss and down-right gorgeous. You can go night or day with this. MAC Cocomotion ... Wow! This is one look I shall be wearing over and over.Face
Foundation: ELF Hydro-Tint SPF15 in Tone 3 (Arrk! Too dark!!).
Concealer: ELF Studio Under eye Concealer & Highlighter in Medium, ELF Studio Complexion Perfection mixing yellow and pink to set under eye concealer.
Powder: ELF Studio Complexion Perfection to set.
Cheeks
Bronzer: ELF Studio Warm Bronzer lightly all over face.
Blush: ELF Natural Radiance Blusher in Bronzed to contour, Flushed on apples (pretty!).
Eyes
Eye primer: ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer.
Eyes: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries as base; MAC Pigment in Cocomotion on lids; Milani single shadow in Classic Beige as highlight; Loreal SuperLiner in Black for upper lashlines; Avon Ultra Luxury Eyeliner in Black to line 1/3rd outer lower lashlines and to tightline.
Mascara: Avon Daring Curves mascara in Black.Lips
Lips: NYX Round Lipstick in B52.
I got a couple of NYX lipsticks as well in this package. I'm not a fan of lipsticks so I wasn't in a rush to test them, I think they were the last ones I tried on! I can see why NYX's B52 is always out of stock - it's a pretty creamy mauve-rose colour. But since I am not a huge fan of lippies, I wasn't totally taken in. Oh! Well!
Have an awesome weekend everyone!xoxo,puss.inheels@yahoo.com
Lancome Juicy Tubes: Raisin. Mangue. Myrtille.
EsteeLauder Lipsticks: Almond. Caramel Toffee. Vanilla Truffle. Gloss in White Chocolate. 
Shu depotted single shadows.
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 GWP quads.
YSL Touche Eclat highliter pen.
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.
