Beauty Binge: Hello Revlon shadow quads!

I don't know how many times I have passed by the Revlon counters at Guardian and Watson's, and didn't bat an eye at the products. The brand is so unexciting and boring as bat sh!t. The colours were dull, and very 'auntie' looking. I remember the one time I got excited over Revlon was when they just launched this brand new lipstick called "ColorStay" - the lippies were so bright and wonderful, stayed on your lips for hours without fading and feathering. Wow! I think I must've bought at least 5 colours!! That was waaaay back in the mid-90's. When I got back to Malaysia, those ColorStay lippies were launched here, and I soon found out that they were drying as hell. My excitement died as quickly as it started. And I never looked at Revlon again.

They tried to re-vamp their brand and signed up Halle Berry as their spokesperson. My Gawd that woman is gorgeous!! But I was still not interested. When they roped in the young-ish Jessica Alba to 'young-fied' the brand image, I scoffed a little.

What really drew me to Revlon was YouTube. I have to give credit to one of my favourite YT Beauty Gurus, Valeree a.k.a Makeupvideosandmore . Her channel helped me make sense of what eyeshadow application is all about, because her techniques were so simple. In her earlier tutorials, she would use drugstore palettes and more often than not were Revlon's 12-hour shadow quads. That made me take a look at the brand again, especially those eyeshadow quads. My Gawd, they look so blah in the pan, but when you put them on, whoa. How can something so dull look this good??

*image from ulta.com*

I've enjoyed using these quads ever since. From one quad, now I have amassed 11!! Tee hee! No, I didn't get all the colours, but some shades are not sold locally, which I bought whilst in transit at Bangkok International!! I was like one mad tourist, carrying a bunch of Revlon quads to the counter!! (And they're cheaper too in Bangkok!!)

Anyhoo.

I like that these quads have beautiful coordinating colours, they apply smoothly and are very easy to blend. They are not chalky, there's a mix of matte and pearly shades, they are pigmented and they really do last a long time (don't know about the 12-hour claim, but they last). All I need to do my eyes are in one palette, and I *love* that! They come in a variety of shades so it's hard for me to pick a favourite. They're easy to use if you decide to go with whatever colour you want to go with that day. They are my go-to palettes on days when I am in a hurry or not in the mood to be creative using different shades from different sources.

*image from revlon.com*

I am so glad I gave these bad boys a second chance!!


Have an awesome week!!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Make Up 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 Make-Up of the Week.

I couldn't resist, I just have to add another entry. Initially, I had decided to skip Make-up of the Week this week, because I wanted to feature my weekend make-up stuff, but today, I have managed to make an intimidating colour work, and I have to share it with you!

I can't say enough times how much I heart colours. So naturally, I am always attracted to colourful palettes, even more so unconventional ones. I have been back-and-forth about the NYX Trio in Beanie-Red Bronze-Red Bean. The Red Bronze is such a fierce colour, I wasn't sure how to make it work. Reds, pinks and purples are some of the toughest colours to work with. Do it wrongly, you can end up looking like you've been crying. Red especially, is such an unconventional colour! Imagine red eye lids!

I finally decided to get my paws on this trio, and take up the challenge of making that red shade work on me. Blending Red Bronze with the other two colours made it turn out almost purplish! The red was so toned down that the end result was quite stunning! I was super-impressed! I did it! I made it work!! Boo-ya!!

NYX Trio: Beanie. Red Bronze. Red Bean

I also tried on Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel as a face primer. I've heard many good things about this as a primer, as it has the same ingredients as your regular face primer. It took a while to get me convinced, but when I finally got it, I wanted to kick myself for not getting it earlier! This stuff rocks!! I reckon anything over this stuff looks good!! My foundation glides on my skin, with almost no oxidation! Almost. My skin has a mind of its own - it did oxidise a tiny bit, but nothing too obvious! Plus, great oil-control! ! Yaay! No mid-day shine!!

And no, this gel is not to treat yeast infection... So you don't have to worry about putting something for down-there, up-here, you know what I mean?!

Here's a rundown of the stuff I had on for today's make-up:

Face

Primer: Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel.
Concealer: ELF All-over Cover Stick in Light.
Foundation: ELF All-over Cover Stick in Fair, Light & Medium.
Powder: N.Y.C Smooth Skin Loose Powder in Translucent.

Cheeks

Bronzer: Loreal Glam Bronze in Caribbean Sun (lightly all over); Wet n' Wild Bronzzer in Bali Bronze (highlight); Wet n' Wild MegaGlow Illuminating Powder in Starlight Bronze (lightly all over as a finish).
Blush: ELF Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder (the brown shade in the duo) to contour; ELF Natural Radiance Blusher in Glow on apples.

Eyes

Eye shadow primer: ELF Studio Eye Primer & Line Sealer (used the primer side)
Eye shadows: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yogurt as base; NYX Trio: Beanie (lids), Red Bronze (define crease and outer 'V' smoking it outwards blending with Red Bean), Red Bean( as a wash in crease blending outward. The combo toned down the redness and made it more purplish!); NYX single shadow in Cream Cheese (highlight).
Eye liner: Femme Couture Liquid Liner in Black (upper lids); SilkyGirl Long-wearing liner in brown (lower lids).
Mascara: Loreal HiP Drama Mascara in Ultimate Blue-Black.

Lips

Lips: Revlon Matte Lipstick in Nude Attitude; NYX round gloss in Peach.


I also tried on Femme Couture Liquid Eye Liner in Black for the first time. Dang! This stuff is awesome! It glides on my lids effortlessly, from inner eye to outer eye without having to dip for more product, and it is so freakin' black! I don't think I have ever seen a liquid liner this black!!

Femme Couture Liquid Eye Liner in Black is available at Sally Beauty Supply stores or sallybeauty.com for less than 6 bucks!

Make-up wise, today turned out to be a real winner! What a way to wrap up the week.

*smile*

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Weekend Warriors

I don't know about you, but I can't bear to leave the house bare-faced! And I blame it on the 12 years in the entertainment industry (I've got to blame someone)! I know a lot of women prefer to keep it natural on weekends to "give the face/skin a break", but for me, even after a week of make-up, I still need to have something on my face on weekends. Make-up is just not an addiction or a passion, it's a way of life for me! The truth is, I have massive "Prada & Gucci" black bags under my eyes, and when you've had a night out in town the night before, sleeping in the day after, showcasing "the bags" to the world is just not an option!

Plus, I have deep-set eyes, "the bags" are part of the "package"..

*sigh*

Of course I have left the house without a stitch of make-up on, but that doesn't happen very often. More often than not, I have at least concealer, a light dusting of powder, mascara and lipbalm. I normally don't do my eyes very much, and leave the colours at home.

My husband J and I have a routine on the weekends: Saturday's when the cleaners are at the house, so we'd leave the house around 10-ish for brunch, and will only be back 2 hours later. Sometimes I go out to have coffee with friends, but most times, I'd be at home with J.

Sunday's the day when J would normally wake up past noon and we'd hurry off to have late lunch nearby.

So I don't mind fuss-free make-up on weekends and especially on hot days, who wants to pack it on, right?

The weekend is where my mineral make-up collection gets used. For some odd reason, I have no luck with mineral make-up. Yes, it's gentle on my skin. Yes, it gives me whatever coverage I want. Yes, it doesn't feel heavy. But regardless what I do, with or without primer, with or without powders, I get so oily in less than an hour after I have it on! It's exasperating! I love my mineral foundation! Apart it being a bit messy to use, it gives me a nice, natural finish. The oil factor is why I only keep mineral application for weekends, since I am not outdoors for long.

In my search to find the right mineral make-up, I have managed to collect quite a few brands: Everyday Minerals (EDM) - I like these the most! So gentle and they have a huge colour collection; Signature Minerals - like these too, very gentle to the skin, not much oil control though; Bare Minerals (BM) - it's OK, don't quite like the 'shimmer/glow' factor they have in their products; and The Body Shop minerals - my least favourite. Oxidises on me and makes me very oily very quickly!


On uber-lazy days, I just lightly dust BM'sMineral Veil but I never leave out the concealer! I've been using EDM's concealers for a while now, and I quite like them. They don't conceal very much but using them does help a bit. At least I don't look so tired when I'm not! My favourites are EDM Sunlight concealer, and lately am loving Abbot's Perk Me Up concealer. I use Coastal Scents (CS) big pink fluffy blending brush with the concealers. I sometimes put on blusher but a staple is BM's Clear Radiance - love the way this light pink powder makes the whole face brighter and more awake!

Weekend staple: Bare Minerals Clear Radiance

For eyes, I keep in simple: black eyeliner to tightline (line under the upper lids for a more natural, wide-awake look, and this technique also gives volume to your lashes!), and mascara, usually Wet n' Wild MegaVolume, an ordinary mascara, doesn't smudge and dries quickly, it's a no-fuss mascara, basically. I didn't notice any volumising and thickening like it claims, but it's a nice enough mascara for the weekends. I don't like to line my lower lids because it accentuates my dark circles, so I leave my lower lash line bare.

Wet n' Wild MegaVolume Mascara

Lips, just lipbalm, preferably tinted. I like MAC's Tendertone lipbalm in Honey Bare and NYX's Tinted Lip Spa in Hush.

Puss' weekend warriors

Enjoy your weekend!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Loreal De-crease

I was out with some girlfriends not too long ago, and couldn't stop staring at one of their...EYELIDS!!! I know, I'm weird like that, but if you understand the importance of an eye shadow primer, you'd be staring at her lids too!! Her shadows were creasing, big time!! EEW! I know!! In fact, she hardly had any colour left on her lids, they were all in one straight line folded in her crease!! I couldn't take my eyes off her eyes, and at the same time trying not to throw up!! I felt like reaching out for my baby wipes and wiping clean all of her eye make up!

It's crazy how some women are still clueless about eye primers, especially in this hot, humid weather where everything tends to oxidise, melt and crease. But then again, I admit, not everyone is a beauty junkie/addict/whore like me, and there really aren't any eye primer products out in the local market....or is there?? OK, there's MAC Prep + Prime eye which I kinda like but everyone else thinks it's useless; then there's...hmmm...I'm not too knowledgeable with other high-end products, but there isn't any in Malaysian drugstores, as far as I know!

The ones I own are from the US, and that MAC eye primer. So if you need to get a good primer I suppose you need to hop on the many online sprees - I go to Lowyat.net (LYN) for that.

I was extremely excited when Loreal De-crease came out a couple of years ago but was sorely disappointed when I found out it was only available in the US. So, one of the first things I grabbed when I learned the art of online spree-ing, is Loreal De-crease.


The packaging - nothing fancy, Thank Gawd! It's just a normal plain-looking little bottle which you don't need to struggle to get the goo out. (UDPP, lose that impractical, fancy bottle, will ya?!) It has a sponge-tip applicator and the texture of the goo is a tad bit runnier than the so-called great Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP). But it blends in very well and dries to a matte finish. I've also found out, during the course of trying out different eye primers (including UDPP-yuck!), that I have dry lids. Loreal De-crease seemed to be gentler and doesn't dry out my poor lids.

So I think if you have super-duper oily lids, this may not work well for you since the texture is runnier than your average cream products, so your shadows may crease overtime. I think that makes perfect sense, but at the end of the day, you need to try it yourself. Don't just take my word for it..

On me, Loreal De-crease makes my eyeshadow stay on from morning to night. No creasing. No fading. The colours are more vivid, and it stays brighter until I take it off. Even under scotching heat and the humidity, my eyeshadow stays put and stays fresh all day. Very impressive!!

Plus, it's a drugstore item!! You know how much I love my drugstore stuff!! It retails for less than $8, and sometimes you can get it on BOGO, so you can stock up!! This is also great as an introduction to eye shadow primers before you graduate on to the more expensive brands. There's 6.2ml of product, but a little goes a long way with Loreal De-crease, so one bottle can last you a while (unless of course you put on make up twice or three times a day for whatever reason!).

Another winner from the humble drugstores to de-crease your eye make up!!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge: Budget Brushes

I am a *big* believer that quality doesn't mean having to shell out a bunch of moolah. When most people are brand snobs - turning their noses up on cheaper, affordable products, I am completely the opposite. I *love* drugstore stuff! These days, my drugstore products have far out-numbered my high-end brands. In this time when the world is heading for what is said to be worst than the 'Great Depression' of the 1940's, I am constantly on the look out for cheaper alternatives to feed my make up addiction. One valuable lesson I've learned is that cheaper doesn't mean bad. Yes, sometimes you get what you pay for, but I've had many disappointments with brands I've paid an arm and a leg for. It's also about making smart choices.

A beauty addict can never have too many products. I have too many brushes, and still looking out for more!! I love what good brushes can do to your make up. Let's be real, those sponge applicators that come with the shadows are really a tad bit useless, no? And those silly little blush brushes...they're the worst applicators you can find, and they leave a streak!! Eek! Having good brushes is a must these days even for the simplest of make up applications. I've picked up a thing or two on different techniques using different brushes. I love experimenting, and like most stuff, learning to use brushes is, often times, trial and error.

Who has not heard of the wonderful things MAC brushes can do?? I think those babies are in everyone's wishlist, no? They sure are in mine!! But a make up artist friend once told me, unless you're a pro and do make up for a living, why would anyone want to spend over RM100 on one miserable brush? Regardless if it's a MAC or not?? If you're a novice at make up, and don't wear it often, hunt for a cheaper alternative that still does the job. Trust me, they're out there. Just need to do a bit of homework, and you can then save a lot of money. (Saving money is good, no??)

I chanced upon Loew Cornell paint brushes as a make up tool. A lot of people were surprised to know that I use paint/art brushes to do my make up. I wish people were not so.... ummm....'straight'. Paint/art brushes doesn't mean they're just for art work. If you don't experiment, you won't know. And so I hunted for these art brushes and found a craft store carrying the Loew Cornell (LC) brand, to my delight.

Loew Cornell Art Brushes

The Maxine's mop 3/8in is said to be comparable to the great MAC 239 shading brush. The cut is almost the same, and both use white goat hair. The LC is a little stiffer than the MAC 239, but it still performs! The LC 3/8in is by far my most favourite eye shadow brush, next to my cheap ELF shadow brush. It's a flat shader brush that picks up a tonne of colour and packs it on your lids like a pro make up brush. And it costs a mere RM14 and some change!!

LC Round. LC Liner. LC MM 1/4. LC MM 3/8.

I also picked up a couple of liner brushes (with the yellow handles): LC No.0 Round Brush, and LC No.2 Liner Brush. I like to use both brushes with my gel liners as they provide excellent control, even when I want to line my lower lash line. These cost less than RM15!

LC MM 3/8". LC MM 1/4". Filbert #8.

There are other sizes as well, I have another Maxine's Mop in 1/4in, which is great for smaller eye area and smaller detailed work. LC has tonnes of other brushes you can look at for your make up needs. They also come in a packet of 10 synthetic brushes which may come in handy with cream or pigments. You can find LC brushes at Craft Haven, top floor new wing of One Utama, PJ.

MAC comparables in art brushes

Another art brush worth mentioning: a filbert-cut taklon brush which is great for cream products, loose pigments and for foiling. I bought the Ashley Filbert no. 8 at about RM12! I had intended to use this for my CS gel liners (as a base), but ended up using my fingers instead. You can find this at Art Friend store, The Gardens, KL.

Here are some info I collected from the different forums and blogs if you're looking for a good MAC alternative:

MAC 239 = LC Maxine's Mop 3/8in purple handle
MAC 150 = LC XXL
MAC 129 = LC LRound
MAC 136/134 = LC Maxines Mop 1in
MAC 208 angled = LC angled 1/8in
MAC 266 angled = LC angled 1/4in
MAC 269 angled = LC angled 3/8in
MAC 194 = LC filbert #8
MAC 228 = LC Maxines Mop 1/4in
MAC 190 = LC filbert 1in

You may be able to find these at Craft Haven as the LC collection there is quite small. I wish they have more choices as you can find dupes of MAC 219 and 217, 224. But I strongly recommend you to have a look at these if you need inexpensive but good tools to learn the art of make up or simply to save a bit of money. They're awesome comparables!!

Another great place to hunt for cheaper alternatives is the forums. Malaysia's own Lowyat.net is a 'playground' for all sorts of bargains. I found some pretty good Taiwan-made brushes from this forum which have served me well.

LYN finds!

The skunk brush which I paid for RM40 is quite average. It sheds like crazy but does an OK job in stippling on your liquid foundation. These days however, I have shifted my love to the ELF Powder Brush for liquids, so this skunk remains for powders and blushes.

The shader brush is a great little brush for less than RM40 (can't remember the exact price). It uses white goat hair, it's soft, though not as dense as the LC MM 3/8in, it does pack on the colour and has remained a favourite back-up when my LC and ELF shadow brushes are dirty. The fluffy brush on the far right is a blending brush that looks exactly as the MAC224. It's a black goat hair brush, very soft and makes an awesome dupe for the 224 any day.

I was pleased to see this little kabuki at Sg Wang, KL. It was tucked away in a little accessories shop on the 1st floor (I think!) and it reminded me of a similar kabuki I had bought from The Body Shop. Except this little one was for RM35 with 50% off! What a deal!! The bristles are synthetic, and oh-so-soft; I use this for my minerals. Great find!

Recession-friendly and oh-so-soft!

If you are fortunate enough to have a CVS near you, or even catch the elusive CVS.com spree, I strongly recommend you getting these two - the Essence of Beauty crease duo brushes.

*image from cvs.com*

They are not just all hype, these babies are da bomb!! I got them for less than $6, and they have found their way into my 'must have' brushes almost immediately after I test-drove them!! The finer crease brush is really great for finer detailed work, for lining/smudging; I often use it to define my outer 'V' and gently smoking the colour out. The larger of the duo is a soft rounded crease brush, great for a wash of colour in the crease, or to blend out the harsh lines.

Essence of Beauty crease duo

But wait!! For the bigger of the two, I found a brush locally, that has the exact same head!

Essence of Beauty round crease. Life & Companion round crease

I saw this brush at Carrefour MidValley and Jusco's pharmacy in Sunway Pyramid for less than RM8!! It has a black ferrule and a white plastic handle, with "Life & Companion" written on it. So if you're in the market for a round crease soft brush, give this one a try. Of course there is always online shopping with crownbrush.com and coastalscents.com, but these mentioned here are by far my favourite affordable brushes.

Great finds for half the price tag.

Happy brush-hunting!! ;)

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Make Up 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 Make Up of the Week.

I love smokey eyes as much as the next person, but wearing that look during the day is a little too dark and too intense. I also love colours; I think more women should wear colours beyond browns, and wear smokey beyond blacks. I enjoy coloured smokeys so this week, I took out my cheap Sally Girl single eye shadows and used them to get a plum smokey look to wear during the day.

Sally Girl single shadows retail for $0.99 at Sally Beauty Supply stores. They have pretty good colour payoff, though not as bright and intense as NYX shadows or HiP shadows, they work great if you need something lighter for school, work or for day wear in general. I like that they are not too shimmery, not totally matte, and not chalky. I have wrinkly lids with obvious fine lines from years of tugging, pulling and scratching from allergies, so my favourite kind of shadow are those with a pearly sheen, and these are exactly that! I also incorporated my Loreal HiP duo in Cheeky, which has a pink-rose shimmer shade on one side and a plum shimmer on the other half. The Sally Girl singles have grooves on the side so you can connect to another Sally single and create your own duo/trio/quad etc. I also got use out of my Coastal Scents (CS) gel liner as this particular one sucked as a liner, plus it looked like it has already dried up a little. So I used my little pinky to get some product out to use as a coloured eye shadow base, since the Sally Girl singles are quite sheer.

This week's look was inspired by one of my favourite YouTube Beauty Gurus, it's not too intense but still gave an interesting twist to the traditional smokey look, and great for day wear I think. Plus, it has all the colours I love: plums, purples and mauves!

Here's what I used:

Face

Face primer: Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer
Concealer: Loreal True Match Concealer in W-1-2-3
Foundation: MAC StudioFix Powder Foundation in NC40

Eyes

Eye primer: Loreal Decrease
Eyes: CS gel liner in Grapevine as eye shadow base; Sally Girl singles in Coral (highlight) , Lilac (lids); Eggplant (wash in crease); Loreal HiP Duo in Cheeky (plum side on outer 'V' - smoke out, pink-rose side as a wash over the plum colours in crease to 'soften' the whole look. You get a nice gradient of colours from plums fading into the rose colour).
Mascara: Maybelline Define-a-lash in Very Black
Eyeliners: Revlon ColorStay pencil in Blackberry to line upper lids; SilkyGirl Long Wearing auto pencil in Brown to line lower lids.
Brows: Loreal Brow Stylist in Light Brown.

Cheeks

Bronzer: Loreal Glam Bronze in Caribbean Sun lightly all over face; Wet n Wild Bronzzer in Bali Bronze to highlight; Wet n Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder in Spotlight Peach all over face as a finish.
Blusher: The Body Shop Blush in Spice to contour; Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Soft Plum on apples of cheeks.

Lips

Lips: Estee Lauder lip liner in Spice; Rimmel Shock Gloss.

Now, who said smokey eyes is only for night time??


Thanks for dropping in! Have a great weekend!!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Paw-stamped & approved! April faves.

I am full of ideas lately!!

Since I have such a huge make up 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!

April faves!!
In no particular order:

1. ELF mechanical eye lash curler.
I put off getting this for the longest time, simply because I already have 2 curlers (and a pair of lashes!). I have one Shu Uemura and one Shiseido, so who needs another one, right? After all, they're only like the eye lash curlers to have! Well....when you're a beauty addict/junkie/whore, there's always a reason to get another one!! Don't get me wrong, those 2 coveted curlers are everything they are set out to be, but to pay $1 for a curler that doesn't pinch and curls effortlessly is so rewarding!! Once again it proves to me that it can be cheap but works like a million-bucks, and I *love* products that surprise me. I've been using this faithfully, putting my 2 expensive curlers to rest. And that whole spring-thingy which makes it "mechanical"... such a big hit with little 'ol moi!

2. Wet n' Wild MegaLiner liquid eyeliner in Turquoise

I love Wet n' Wild! So far, the stuff I have from them have not disappoint me. Here's one of 'em. I am into coloured liners. The brighter and more colourful, the better! Coloured liners are great to use with natural make up, when you want to kick it up a notch. I find natural make up/angelic look the Asian market loves so much, incredibly boring! But I have a lot of natural palettes in my collection, so I use coloured liners to spice things up. I've also discovered I like liquid liners better than gel liners (which I have in multiple colours too). The MegaLiner has been a favourite among many beauty addicts, which now includes me. I love this colour too. Bright turquoise which glides on your lids, and it is very easy to use. The brush gives you a thin line (I like thin lines very close to the lash line), doesn't take long to dry and is budge-proof.

3. Wet n' Wild MegaEyes Trio in Mojave Mauves

I've raved about this little gem in a previous post, but I'll do it again just because it's that awesome! The colours are so pigmented, they are shimmery enough to make your make up look interesting and the coordinating colours are so easy to use. This is great for traveling when you don't want to bring too many things. It has a mirror that slides out from the bottom which may come handy when you are on the road and need to check your make up. Very recession-friendly at $2.99 a pop! Comes in a variety of other colours worth getting!

4. Rimmel Lasting Finish Mineral Enriched Foundation
This claims to be transfer-resistant and long wearing, much like my beloved Revlon ColorStay foundation. I was so happy to see this finally sitting on the Rimmel shelves in local drugstores as I have been lemming for this for the longest time. This foundation is so great to use in this hot, humid weather. It doesn't melt and doesn't oxidise much on my skin (which is notorious for that!), very buildable, goes on smoothly, and very easy to blend as it doesn't dry too quickly unlike the Revlon ColorStay foundie. I like that it gives medium coverage and I can work it to full coverage quite easily. With drugstore foundations, the challenge is finding the correct shade due to the limited colours. I found the purr-fect shade for me - 202 Nude. Boo-yah.

5. ELF Studio PowderBrush

The thing about make up is you can be as creative as you can. I've used paint/art brushes as make up brushes and they work just as good, with half the price tag! This brush says "powder brush" but I think I've only used it with powder like, twice! When I got this, I was going to use it with my mineral foundation, but just for fun, thought I'd play with it and try with my liquid foundie. This is my staple foundation brush. It's a flat top, it's synthetic, it's dense, and it out-performs my MAC 187 stippling brush any day! I don't need to spend so much time stippling, I just buff and go! And this gives me a flawless finish! Such an awesome brush, all for $3!!

My April loves, paw-stamped and approved!

April faves!

Which make up have received your stamp-of-approval this month ?

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Ole faithfuls

I find the idea of using the same brands over and over again a tad bit strange. I know there are people who swear by the same brand, but I just can't imagine doing that when there are so many brands and products in the market to try! I am usually loyal to my skincare, and hardly ever change brands. When it works for you, it works for you, But even then, I've only use my skincare brand for about 5 years.

When it comes to make up and hair products, I'm a bit more adventurous. Just like make up, I collect multiple brands, and change often. It's the curiosity that drives me to use multiple products. But sometimes, over the course of time, you tend to go back to the older brands you've tried simply because they worked better. At least I've tried others before deciding what really works for me.

I *love* trying different shampoo brands, and they are usually high end. Unlike make up, high end shampoos have better ingredients, and less soap, so they don't lather up too much, which is great, because it doesn't dry up my hair. It's less scented and had better moisturising properties. I don't colour my hair, but I do re-bond my hair once a year at least. I believe when yopu do any kind of chemical treatment on your hair, be it colour or perm, than you have to go the extra extra mile to take care of it. Just wash and go won't cut it, which I see with a lot of my friends and other women do. I wash using good shampoo, and hardly use a conditioner. Instead I use a mineral based treatment mask as my conditioner. When it's mineral based, it's not too heavy for your hair. I also avoid using cream treatment mask, because those things are 'heavy'. Where treatment masks are concerned, I just grab a locally made one in a big tub.

The one shampoo I used many times was Kadus' Kaprothin shampoo. It's made of awesomeness, I tell you!! My hair had been subjected to many straightening treatments, and this shampoo calms and relaxes my hair, whilst moisturising it without weighing it down. I used to buy it in a litre bottle, but unfortunately, this has been discontinued.

Kadus replaced it with an equally good line called Kadus Imunal. I normally buy the Repair shampoo which is said to have the same calming and moisturising properties as the original Kaprothin. I used that for years before deciding to branch out and use other brands.

Lately, I went back to Kadus, but this time, I've decided to try their Hydro line which is for normal to dry hair. By hair is anything but normal, but since it shorter, I figured I don't need such a heavy duty shampoo anymore.

Kadus Imunal shampoo

Another product that is a staple in my bathroom is the drugstore brand St. Ives. I've loved the Apricot Scrub since my teen days and used it through my college days into my working days. When I had a little bit more money to splurge, I'd try different brands, but kept coming back to this one. The grains are a little rough for some people but I love the feel of them working on my skin. I feel it really does slough off dead skin!! I also use this as a body scrub and it has never failed me in giving me smooth skin!

My love for St. Ives extends to their clay firming mask. I've tried many brands too, and have discovered I dislike peel-off masks. I prefer clay masks better and my face feels less congested. St. Ives firming clay mask has given me blemish-free, oil-free smooth skin since I was a teen. This is also irreplaceable!

The blue goo that gives me smooth clear skin!

After all the years of testing and trying other brands, I doubt I'll find a permanent replacement for these babies.

These are my ole faithfuls!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Beauty Binge:Make Up 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 Make Up of the Week.

I am trying to break away from natural make up and incorporate more colours now that my blending skills are a *little* better!(But picking out a natural palette seemed so much easier!) This week, I tried playing with colours more and got a nice look from a colourful NYX trio called Hippie Chic.

NYX Trio Hippie Chic

The colours in this trio are very bright and pigmented. L-R: White (highlight colour), teal green, purple. Gorgeous!



What I used:

Face Primer: Gempure Silky Face (sample from eBay)
Foundation: PAC All Day foundation in 04
Powder to set: Milani Loose Powder in Medium
Concealer: ELF Correcting Concealer in Light; ELF Studio Under eye concealer & Highlighter in Fair

Face

Brows: Loreal Brow Stylist pencil in Light Brown
Eyes: TFSI, Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Vavava Bloom; NYX Trio in Hippie Chic (purple on lids, teal green in crease as a wash); ULTA Galaxy (sparkly Black) outer V. HiP Truth Creme Color in Black to line upper lid, CS eyeliner gel in Envious (teal green) to line lower lid, SilkyGirl Brown pencil to line over CS gel on lower lid.
Mascara: HiP Drama Mascara in Blue Black

Eyes

Blusher(s): CoverGirl Cheekers in Golden Pink to contour; Milani Mineral Blush in MaiTai on apples.
Bronzer(s): Milani Sunset Duos in Sunset Beach (bronzer side) lightly all over; Wet n Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder in Starlite Bronze to highlight.

Cheeks

Lips: MAC Slimshine lipstick in Mousse

Lips

Have a great make up week!

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com