Beauty Binge: ELF Studio Cool & Warm bronzers.

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: Haulin' Everyday Minerals.

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

Their Majesties

His Majesty King Mok

Her Majesty Queen Raisa

Your loyal and humble servant,
PUSS

It's not easy being a cat!!

Mom made a comment a couple of days ago after she arrived here from PD. Mok's tail is smaller!!

Smaller??

I took a closer look. How could I have missed that?

Truth is, the tail hasn't gotten any smaller in size, it's just not as fury anymore. Mok has a heavy coat, and his tail looked like a feather duster. This time, it looked scrawny, and we feared our beloved feline has contracted some kind of skin disease.

Mok doing his 'rounds'

Mom took Mok to the vet, and came back tickled. The poor boy is stressed! Which is why he has been shedding a lot of fur! A random male cat has recently been seen hanging out at our garden a lot. Didn't seem to bother Mok, he'd just sit and look. That apparently, bothered him, because as we all know, cats are extremely territorial. The only difference is, Mok's a castrated male, so he doesn't mark his territory. But he is still very territorial, and the garden is his domain. So having some random male cat in his domain has caused him to shed some fur!

I guess life in general, for anybody is not easy huh! Here we were, thinking, Mok's life is pretty much cut out for him, and now we know he has stresses in his life too.

It's stressful being a cat!

That poor boy!

But we still love him dearly!

He's turning 13 this July, and Raisa is a gorgeous 18 year-old! That's like over 100 years old in human life. And tomorrow, I'm taking Raisa to the vet to get that gross growth on her foot checked out.

Sorry Mok, I guess it's not easy being a cat after all!! But we got your back always baby!

xoxo,

Sleeping Beauty

november 27, 08 thursday
7.08pm

What a beautiful sight!

That's Raisa. Russian Blue. 16 years old. Female. Smart. Graceful. Loyal. We adopted her when she was only 3 months old. She is the first cat in our family after a long time, and has since outlived almost all of the other cats we had. The fat male cat, Mok is her great great grandson, and yet they can't get along. Well, the truth is, Raisa is terrified of Mok, and Mok just wants to play. Being too old for childish games, Mok gets hissed at, or worse, slapped!! tsk tsk!!

During her younger days, Raisa has mysteriously disappeared for a week, twice, and up until now, we still have no idea where she went. But she's managed to find her way back home. Unbelievable! I think Raisa thinks she's a dog!!

She's fiercely loyal to my brother, Jen, and knows who loves her (a.k.a feeds her). I am always greeted at the door by this graceful lady. And she waits up for brother Jen to come back home.

At 16 years old (human years), she's still as graceful, polite and obsessively clean. She can spend hours grooming herself!

This lady sure ages gracefully.

So when I grow up (*ahem! old*), I want to be just like Raisa!!

This is how you do it..

october 31, 08 friday
If there's power struggle at home or at work, and you want to be the one on top, body language is very important!

Check out the crossed position of Mok's hands....

Now you know who wears the pants in my family...

The true meaning of unconditional love..

october 28, 08 tuesday

If only all men really understand what love is...

Use your own toilet, Mok!

july 9, 08 wednesday
Nothing ever happens when your at home, not working. All my friends are working, and my life these days revolves around tidying up the lawn, the malls (occasionally!), the gym, the husband and the cats.

Ahh...the cats. Raisa and Mok. The 'kids' in my life. These days, I find myself picking up after Raisa's poo and wiping her pee, and persuading Mok to get out of the bathroom so Raisa can eat, drink, poo and pee. Also trying to suss out Mok's peculiar behaviour lately and his love for the bathroom. Yeah, I know. My life these days is so exciting! Which explains the lack of updates lately. And also this story to follow.

I went off the gym as usual this afternoon, and received a phone call from my best friend Liza for coffee after gym. Since I am leaving for Sydney next week, I thought yeah, why not and catch up on gossips and such. After all, the girl is single, and her life seems much more interesting than mine these days. So we were at Starbucks, as usual, chatting away. Went home to find my beloved Mok sitting on the bed. Now, let me take you back a bit. Before I left for the gym, Mok was on the bed. Frolicking. Loving me. Both fans were on, and I left them on when I went to the gym. I was being thoughtful. I love the bit fat hairy Mok, so I thought I'd leave the fans on so he wouldn't feel hot and restless. I wanted him to be comfortable. Yes, I am a nice owner. Heck, I am a great owner!

So what did I get in return after all that? I got home with Mok in the dark, still on my bed. And he was being surprisingly loving. Too loving. I mean, naturally he is a loving cat, but tonight, he was a bit too loved up. I didn't suspect anything, indulged in him a bit before going about my business.

Then I sat on my side of the bed. Hello? What's this wet patch? What is this big wet patch??! MOK!!!!!!! You peed on my bed??? Why?? It's not that you can't jump down from the bed! And the blinking room door was open too!!

I peeled off the sheets and dumped them and the duvet in the washing machine. Grabbed the Dettol spray, Febreze and the hair dryer. Used them on the big wet patch. There was still slight pee odor and a big yellow stain on the mattress. Now I am just letting the area to dry. I'm pretty sure there will be no odor, but still....I have to sleep on Mok's pee, or the stain. Same difference.

So for the time being, until I can trust Mok again, he is forbidden to be in the room.

MOK!!!!

The odd couple

june 24, 08 tuesday
I just mopped the floor full of cat piss. Yes, you read it right. Cat piss. It was like a pool of vile smelling urine. I suspect it's Raisa's doing. Not because she's senile, but the big fat hairy one is hogging the bathroom.

That corner must have been Raisa's litter box for awhile, because there's no way that amount of piss can come out from a small feline. The worst part was there were plastic bags and boxes, and radio/VCR players that didn't work piled up at that corner. Which explains, the smell, but not being able to locate the source. I was appalled to find a gross pool of piss when I removed the stuff from that corner. I threw away the players, boxes and plastic bags, and had to mop with Clorox. Over and over again. Yech!

I don't understand Mok, the big fat hairy one. These past 2-3 weeks, he's been hiding in the corner wedged at the foot of the toilet bowl, in the bathroom where the cats eat and use the litter box. Raisa, who has been living with Mok since he was born 12 years ago, is terrified of him. She won't even be in the same room as Mok. So when Mok has decided to make that corner of the bathroom his crib, she refuses to go in anymore to eat, craps on the floor and pisses at some corner.

Mok has also been eating up a storm. Usually, he eats little but goes back to his bowl often. These days, his bowl is almost always empty, which is a surprise. He is a bit more vocal too and has somewhat lost his fondness for staying outdoors. He's still as lovable but his change in temper and more importantly, his place to sleep, is a bit alarming.

Should I take him to the vet?? He is after all, 12 years old. I'm thinking, he's coming to the end of his life?? Which is why he's behaving this way? Or is he just being moody? Some days it's good, some days, I just don't understand him. Maybe he's depressed. Maybe he's bored. But a good belly rub can solve all that, right? I hope he snaps out of it, and find another place to sleep!! It's the only way for Raisa to not crap and piss on the floor.

The odd couple: Raisa and Mok

Rudolph came by early

may 15, 08 thursday
Erggghhhhffffrrrrgggg!

My 12 year-old fat cat Mok just pawed me. Claws and all. He looked me straight in the eye, which I mistook for the look of love, and wham! In a quarter of a second, paw with (sharp!) claws hooked my right nostril.

OOOUUCHH! What the..! Effrgfghffghgehehrrgg! *%#$@?+!

My nose bled a bit. And now the tip looks red and slightly swollen.

*&%$#@?!

All I did was lay my head beside his, like I always do, and looked adoringly into his eyes. Obviously he didn't feel the same way. And the paw with claws came flying towards my nose.

The bleeding has stopped. But now it's throbbing slightly.

So I'm going to look like Rudolph this weekend (and it's a long weekend-Wesak!)

WAAIIIL!

I look like Rudolph!!

Greefhhgfergheg! %$&#@$!

I love you Mok, but really...!

Aarrgggh!

(Now where's my Gamat cream??)

Everybody wants to be a cat! Or at least I do..

may 3, 08 saturday
Man! To be a cat! A pampered cat. Well taken care of. Well fed. Well loved. Sleep 22 hours a day. Litter boxes cleaned at all times by owner. Like my 2 kitties - 16 year-old Raisa, and 12 year-old Mok.

They are the life of the family. They are the favourite subject at the dinner table. They are the family's stress therapists.

Oh! To be a well-loved cat!

These pictures were taken while husband J and I were at the family room with 'Sweeny Todd' the movie blasting through the home theater system. With all that noise, my 2 lovely cats were dead to the world. Both of 'em, at 10.30pm!

16 year-old Raisa - so nice to sleeeep zzzzzz!!

12 year-old Mok doing what he loves..zzzzzz

In my next life, I want to come back as either one of these pampered felines.

Meow??

REAL Pornography!

april 23, 08 wednesday
I live with a Porn Star!


*The life of the family, Mok (12 years old, 7.5kilos).

You need to shave, dude!