My daily make up routine

Hi make up lovers!
Today I wanted to share my everyday make up routine. Just for your information, in spite of my obsession for make up and beauty tools, I actually don't wear make up that often, or at least not tons of make up.

I have a preference for the natural look, but I have experimented with some more for evening outings.

I mostly wear make make up when I have to work, or when I go out with friends. During the weekends I'm going au naturel to let my skin breath :)

Anyways, enough chit chat, let's jump right into it!

I like to work from the top down:

1. eyebrows
   

   

   Lioele auto eyebrow pencil - gray black

   
   

• I used to neglect my eyebrows. Frankly, I didn't care!
  Until beauty gurus started to tell more about eyebrows, I started to pluck my eyebrows in the shape I prefer and started to fill them in where needed.
• The Lioele auto eyebrow pencil has a gray black pencil on one side and a spooley on the other side.
2. lashes
   

   

   Shu Uemura eye lash curler

   
   

• Shu Uemura eye lash curler. Do I need to say more if I tell you I have typical asian eye lashes? They're short and stick straight. I NEED my eye lash curler to give that umph to my lashes.
  

  

  Fairy Drops Platinum waterproof mascara
  Maybelline Illegal Length non-waterproof mascara

  
  

• Afterwards I go over with some black mascara. Some of you know my HG is the Fairy Drops Platinum waterproof mascara. But I do like to experiment with non-waterproof mascara's as well. I have to admit, there not a lot of non-waterproof mascara's I like, but I have found one that is ... ok. It doesn't smudge too easily (but still does, especially I've been wearing it the entire day), and keep my lashes curled after putting on a coat of mascara. I present to you the Maybelline Illegal Length Fibre Extensions mascara. 
• The tube looks quite feminine. A slightly curved, long mascara with pink writing on it. 
• The thing which sold me? The fibres. I noticed there are fibres in it, but it doesn't contain as much fibres as the Fairy Drops does. 
• I have noticed that this mascara is rather wet. And although I prefer drier mascara's, this one is ... ok :)
3. concealer
   

   

   Essence coverstick - 05 matt beige

• I'm like any other young woman who has their occasional rush of hormones, and yes, I have break outs as well. I used to have a lot of acne, but never to the point that I had to see a dermatologist. No, I just dealt with it, because I know there are people with severe acne problems. I was lucky enough to not have that problem.
• Back then I never heard of the existence of concealer or foundation. Although I still don't wear foundation, concealer has become my best friend :)
• I've used high end concealers and drugstore concealers. I do have my favorites in high end and drugstore, but in the end, I'm not rich and I don't have sponsors who are kind enough to send me products. No, I'm not affiliated with any company and I buy everything with my own money. 
• I'm currently using a drugstore concealer, namely a coverstick from a drugstore brand Essence in 05 matt beige.
• On the little box it says the formula contains allantoin. For those who don't know what allantoin is, it's moisturizing, causes keratin to soften the skin and it heals the skin more quickly.
• It covers up my redness and blemishes, it turns out matt (great for my oily skin!) and I paid around 2€...SCORE!
4. lip balm
   

   

   Kiehl's lip balm

   
   

• If you know me, you'd know I'm super duper, over the top, totally ob-sessed with lip balms. I have tons of lip balms lying around in every room of the house. I cannot live without them...
• I like to slap on some of my Kiehl's lip balm #1, which I got with my Deauty box. Is it really that good as people claim it to be? I guess it's ok. Would I repurchase it? No. Why? Because it doesn't do miracles to my lips. Yes, it leaves it moisturized for the first hour I've put it on, but in the end I'm reaching for my other lip balms during the day anyway. I'm just trying to use it up.
• The biggest downside to this lip balm is probably that this does contain parabens. No thank you :)

Here it was, my daily make up routine!
Leave a comment if you liked this post and tell me what your essentials of the day are.

Have a wonderful day beauties!

Eyelash curlers: to have or to have not?

If there's one beauty item I can't live without, it would be eyelash curler!
It's an item that can totally change the way you look!

For all those beauty newbies out there, buy yourself an eye lash curler! Trust me! It opens you look in an instant and if you look around in drugstores, you CAN get yourself a cheaper but a good one!

I have pretty stubborn eye lashes, they're the typical Asian eyelashes which are short, stick straight and pointing down. In other words, they're one of the suckiest lashes out there :D

An eyelash curler was my first beauty buy when I just started getting interested in beauty related thingies. I used a ridiculous cheap curler and my eye lashes punished me by falling and breaking off... I guess I learned to appreciate those short eye lashes over having no lashes at all, hahaha!

I started to do some research and found out the Shu Uemura was a holy grail for a lot of Asian people out there. I decided to invest in a Shu curler, and man oh man, did I fall in love with it!

Shu Uemura

It has a comfortable handle, it curls well (which makes my lashes !!long!!) and it can be used for several years. This curler is an HG!

After using it for a few years, I decided to keep an eye open for cheaper versions but have the same curve and I came across with this...

Cyber Colors

I must say I'm pretty impressed by this.
This is the Cyber Colors eye lash curler that I got at Sasa, an Asian drugstore (as in Target, Ulta, Walmart, ... in the States).  I even dare to say that it can be compared to the Shu Uemura one, except ... this is WAY cheaper!

Here's a picture of both eyelash curlers next to each other.

Shu Uemura - Cyber Colors

As you can see, the Shu Uemura has a more curving wand and I was kind of hesitant to use this, because I've used cheaper ones before and they eventually pulled my eyelashes out (not a pretty sight if you already don't have a lot of them!). But, it has the same curling effect, the handle is comfortable to use. The only (maybe) downside is that the CC's cushion doesn't last as long as the one from Shu, but hey...you're paying almost no money for this curler!

For the moment, I'm loving both and can alternate between them both. Since I didn't pay much for the CC, I'm more comfortable carrying this one around in my beauty case without being scared of dropping, losing (though I hope I don't!), breaking it. As to the Shu, I prefer leaving that one at home where my beauty case stays put and doesn't need to be carried out and about :)

My Essence...

Hi hi everyone!

Here's a new post on my last purchased concealer:

Essence: concealer in 05 Matt Beige

I've paid about 2€ for it and honestly, it's probably one of the better concealers I've used.
My favorite is still my Shu Uemura Pro Concealer which has been discontinues (boo!) but this one... damn!

It's a matte beige color and it's slightly lighter than my skin tone.
You have to twist up this cover stick. I know I should be using a a concealer brush to apply it, but I just put it directly on my blemish and blend it out with my finger...works like a charm!

I do have to admit that I have to apply it twice, opposed to my Shu Uemura which I only had to apply once. But hey, I can't complain for a little stick which is worth 2 euros :)

To repurchase? Hell yeah!

Review eye shadow: Catrice vs Shu Uemura

A while back I bought a taupe color from Shu Uemura. Color? Great! Pigmentation? Good color pay off! Cheap? Not really...

Now I'm always on the hunt for drugstore products that are quite similar to the high end products. And recently I walked by the Catrice eye shadow section, and a certain packaging caught my eye.

Catrice taupe - Shu Uemura taupe

First thing first: I do realize these aren't similar colors. But let's review these anyway, shall we? :)

Packaging:
They both have similar packaging, a plastic square with the eye shadow in it and with the name mentioned below. I know you can depot the eye shadows from Shu, but I haven't given Catrice's a try, simply cause I don't want to ruin it :D

Price:
Catrice is way cheaper than the Shu one. I'm pretty sure you can buy 5 to 6 Catrices or buy 1 Shu.

Color pay off:
Catrice has a good color pay off, it's way better pigmented than I expected. Shu, though, is a good light color wash off. Here's a swatch:

left: Catrice - right: Shu Uemura

The lighting isn't very good, but if you look closely, it's clear that the Catrice shows up better. If I'll repurchase one of these goodies, I'm sure I'll go for the Catrice one. Goooooooo Catrice!! :)

Favorites of the month: April 2012

April 2012, 'till never!
I had a great month: first dance lesson in years, first Emeli Sandé's concert, started working again, birthday, got to see my great friends, ... overall, great month!

I don't have a lot to show for this month, because I've been using a lot of the same products from last month.

Let's start off with eyebrows. I've always used drugstore eyebrow pencil, but unfortunately they were always a bit too brown for me. I just never found one that was a bit grey/light black, until I found this eyebrow pencil from Lioele...yay! It's got a pencil on one side and a spooly on the other side. Lovely pencil!

Lioele Auto Eyebrow pencil

Then off to eyelashes! I've tried a lot of mascara's, and I now know for sure that European drugstore and high end mascara's (YSL, Maybelline, Bourjois, Yves Rocher, ...) don't do the job for me. Asian mascara's on the other hand actually do keep my keep my eyelashes curled, lengthens and gives volume to them. One of my HG mascara is definitely the Fairy Drops mascara.

Fairy Drops Scandal Queen

Next up is blush! I've been a huge blush freak lately and I own mostly drugstore blushes aside from my MAC blush. I've read a lot of good reviews on the Shu Uemura Glow On blushes, so I decided to spoil myself with one of these babies! I intended to get the Soft Coral one, but the sales guy recommended me this pink one. If you want some more information on this one, go ahead and check out my review :)

 

Shu Uemura blush pink 30

And I'll end this fav of the month with nail polish! I was always the girl who loved neutral colors and was afraid of using brighter colors...until 2012! I love wearing bright colors on my nail such as red, brighter pink, green, blue, purple, ... all the colors of the rainbow :D If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know where I got these 2 Sasatinnie nail polishes from...yup, from Hong Kong! They have this huge drugstore called Sasa, and you can honestly find EVERYTHING there! It's been one of my must go's whenever I go to the other side of the world, haha!

Sasatinnie nail polish: left: P573 Rose - right: Q23

I must admit that it looks paler on the picture than in real life. It's this beautiful toned down hot pink...aah, just love it! But seriously, if anyone ever goes to Sasa...get these nail polishes. They need 2 coats, but they're cheap as hell and have an amazing color range!

Sasatinnie Rose

Anyways... that was it for this month! Hope you all enjoyed it and stay tuned for more beautilicious goodies! :)

Shu Uemura MINI-haul

Hi beauties! It's been a while since I posted something. It doesn't mean I haven't purchased anything meanwhile, I just haven't found the time to write a decent post blog.

Anyways... I went shopping at Shu Uemura yesterday and may I just say: yay for the nice salesman! He was very friendly, I felt he was honest, gave good advise, answered all my questions and he gave me a free made up face to start the shopping day! :)




I only bought 2 items at Shu Uemura, because I got an eyelash curler and concealer when I was in HK before. I did get a sample of cleansing oil for me to try.







First thing I got was a blush. I've been looking for an everyday blush, and I instantly fell in love as soon as the sales guy put it on me! I've read pretty good reviews on the Glow On blushes, so I was eager to try it. The Pink 30 is a matte peachy pink blush. It's a subtle, everyday blush and has a good color pay off. I'm always quite hesitant to try a pink blush, but I must say that this blush complements my yellow undertones very well.

All good and well, but there is one downside to this product: it's quite pricey! You get 5g, but I'm someone who doesn't use blush every single day, so I can see it as a little investment. Normally I can use this goodie for about 2 years, if not longer!

Glow On blush: Pink 30

Then we have our second Shu goodie: our eyeshadow. It's a taupe eyeshadow which I can use all over my eyelids or put it in my eye socket. A simple eyeshadow, but again.. since I don't use make up on a daily basis, I'm sure I can use this eyeshadow for a VERY long time.

M Beige 835

Since I only got these items yesterday, I haven't gotten the chance to properly use the cleansing oil. As soon as I've tried it a couple of times, I'll be posting a review on it here.

I don't own a lot from Shu Uemura: I own an eyelash curler, Pro concealers, blush and an eyeshadow. I have to admit I really like their products. Yes, they are on the pricey side, but the quality is definitely there. I'm not someone who buys these high end items every month. The Shu Uemura goodies are my only expensive products. Next to these I mostly own drugstore goodies.

Review: Maybelline Pure Mineral concealer and Shu Uemura Point Cealer

As you already know I went to HK and I had a hard time controlling myself from buying everything in the Asian drugstores :) As promised I'd review some of the things, first up: liquid concealers!

I got myself a drugstore and a high end one, namely a Maybelline and a Shu Uemura one.

The Maybelline concealer comes in 2 shades: light and medium. The little tube contains 5.5ml and comes with a built-in brush.

After seeing some of the Youtubers using this I thought I'd give it a try. I think this is one of the better drugstore concealers out there. I think it's convenient because of its size,the coverage is good, it's cheap and I like the yellow undertone of it. It can look a little bit cakey if you apply too much product, so always start off with the tiniest amount you can get.

Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer no1 light

Then we have our high end concealer: the Shu Uemura concealer which comes in 4 shades. It contains 2.8ml (half the Maybelline one!) and it's the kind you have to twist to let the product come out, so bye bye hygiene!

First of all I don't like the applicator, would have appreciated a brush type for the least. This twist kind of pen makes it difficult to control the amount you need, because it'll continue leaking out a little bit of product after you stopped twisting it. The remainder will dry on the applicator and get wasted, which is a bit of a shame if you pay that much for a concealer if you ask me.

On the other hand a little goes a long way, so I suggest you twist just a little bit at a time so you don't have to waste too much product. It reduces the discoloration on my face such as redness or dark circles, so it does the job a concealer has to do: exactly...conceal :) Oh, and have I mentioned that this product is TINY? Great for the travelers among us!

Shu Uemura Point Cealer 7YR-L light beige

Here's a swatch from both goodies:

left: Maybelline - right: Shu Uemura

Overall, I like them. I like the consistency and they're easy to blend. Don't use too much and you'll go a long way with both concealers. Best thing is to use a staying powder on the concealer, so it'll last much longer. I will definitely repurchase the Maybelline concealer again. Something I'm not sure I can say about the Shu Uemura one. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good concealer, I just really dislike the applicator. Change the applicator, and we have my HG concealer!

HK haul

It's a luxury for a beauty blogger to get your hands on products which aren't available on the other side of the planet. I went to HK a while back, so I decided to make a haul for you guys!

FTP: Everything was purchased by me with my own money at Mannings, Sasa (http://www.sasa.com) and Colourmix (http://www.colourmix-cosmetics.com). All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.

These are the beauty goodies I got from HK:

As you can see I went a little bit crazy in the HK drugstores :)

• Maybelline clear smooth BB silk shine free two way cake powder
• Maybelline baby lips lip balms
• Revlon lip butter
• Maybelline pure mineral concealer
• Shu Uemura concealer
• Aquamoist hyaluronic acid essence
• Aquamoist moisture washing foam
• Maybelline lasting shine gel eyeshadow
• Chanel long-lasting eyeliner
• Dolly wink liquid eyeliner
• Dolly wink eyepencil
• K-Palette real lasting liquid eyeliner
• Essential ultra honey & shea butter hair mask
• Sasatinnie pore cleansing brush
• Eos hand lotion
• Eos lip balms
• Shu Uemura eyelash curler
• Biotherm Aquasource gel
• Sasatinnie nail polishes
• Canmake blush
• Déjàvu Lash Knockout mascara
• Déjàvu Fiberwig mascara
• Fairy Drops Scandal Queen mascara
• Kiss Me Heroine mascara

Some of these products are new to me as well. I'll review them and keep you beauties posted!