Monistat – base
NYX JEP in french fries (brown) – all over lid, smudged up to crease
TSS december maybe (LE Capricon) – all over lid
TSS consult the heavens (LE Capricon) – crease
TSS too much thought (LE Capricon) – highlight
Silkgirl liner in purple
ok… so I blogged here about the SilkyGirl Funky Eyelights Pencil I bought. As per my usual pattern, the first color I bought was… pure purple… and it really was a lovely purple. I’ve used it rather often both with e/s and alone on my non-m/u days. It has a slight sparkle in it that helps to brighten up the eyes more.
Usage is easy. As mentioned before the pencil is rather soft and creamy. It goes on smoothly although at times it does need two applications for the color to really pop. I’ve read someone comparing this to the Urban Decay 24/7 liners.
Immediately after application, there is a small window where the color can be smudged so getting a smoked eye look is actually easier than I thought was possible.
Then once the liner sets, it doesn’t budge and lasts and lasts and lasts. Even if I teared (which I do on a regular basis), nothing moved. The longest I had it on was from about 730am to midnite and the line on my upper lid still looked good when I took it off.
Still having said that, taking it off was rather easy… my usual creamy cleanser worked fine on it… which is pretty good considering… word of warning… don’t try to use plain soap on this… it won’t move. I tried washing it off my hand (when I swatched) and soaped and rubbed three times… with no fading… grrrr… finally popped on MMBB’s AHA cleanser and it came off in a flash (I would NOT use the cleanser on my eyes!!!)
Now, on to the colors…. lots of lovely ones…
pics were taken indoors w/o flash,indoors with flash, under the mid day sun and in the shade
06 metallic bronze, 10 cool blue, 03 sky blue, 02 ocean blue, 09 lime green, 01 olive green, 08 frosty silver, 07 solid gold, 05 candy pink and 04 pure purple
They’re currently on sale at Watsons til March 25th… so run and get them now! I know I couldn’t resist and got a one in Ocean Blue… which is blue with a purple undertone… pretty pretty :)
usual price S$7.90/sale price S$6.30
after I posted the Cindy swatches way back in Feb, a girlfriend messaged me asking me to try Be the Fairytale and Dragon Breathe… well, its taken me this long to give them a try… :P
this was done at 11am
and at midnite…
impressions :
MM’s cream shadow didn’t last my 12 hour day.. LOL! I may use monistat under the cream shadow the next round and see if that would work better.
However, I do have to point out that all the creasing happened at the inner corners. The outer lid area was still lovely and fresh. So maybe my inner corners were oilier? I don’t really know.
Its been years since I last saw a rainbow… and then yesterday, I saw a huge one… it was practically a half circle. Lovely and oh so crystal clear. The camera really didn’t capture the glorious colors and shading. So spectacular and a great reminder of God’s love and promises.
In my previous experiment, I used the SN Primer with my usual combination of NYX jumbo eye pencils and TSS eye shadows… the results were dismal to say the least…
So I decided the next step would be to try the primer with SN eyeshadows. After all, it comes from the same company and so should work well together… right?
I used Thistle, Naughty and Bewitched on top of the SN primer.
Somehow, I lost the morning pics I took but here are the ‘after’ pics – about 12 hours later.
11.21PM
Conclusion, SN Primer + SN eyeshadow equals long lasting e/s wear with no creasing :)
Next experiment is SN primer with TSS e/s. This is rather fun :P
there are some days when washing my face at the end of a long day is just another chore to be done…
then there are others, where it is a relaxing theraputic experience – one to be enjoyed to the fullest.
Today was a lovely long day spent with hubby (more on that in another post) and washing my face just 5 mins ago was the icing on the cake…
feeling the warm washcloth on my face… just made me relax and unwind. I could feel my muscles loosening and my mind slowing down… so lovely.
I guess I’m very much a sensualist… very sensory type person… and I do love washing my face sometimes… just so luxurious and lovely…
does anyone else feel the same way?
Many thanks to Agnes who gave me permission to try out her brand new SN Primer.
So as promised, here’s a review using my usual combo of NYX JEP and TSS e/s… still wanna experiment one more time with it using SN shadows instead. May I, Agnes? (makes sense that SN e/s would work better with a SN primer yes? we’ll see)
the pot itself is rather large as you can tell from this photo. (sorry didn’t think to take a comparision shot) and you only need a little to cover the entire eye area.
my inital impressions of the primer is that its not as slippery as the monistat that I’m used to… but having said that, it went on smoothly and easily. Unlike monistat, it left a light coat of a whitish skin base which really helped to even out my skin tone in the eye area resulting in prettier application of colors I think.
SN Primer – as base
NYX JEP in Oyster – lid
TSS stuffed in a stocking (LE Ice) – highlight
TSS take a you day (LE Story) – lid
TSS lured by life (LE Story) – crease
brows – Dayna’s just browsing black
tried to use the silkygirl purple liner but… *note to self – NEVER EVER do a dark purple e/s when you want to try out a dark purple liner!*
so used L’oreal HIP liner in navy on top of the silkygirl
I applied this at 10.30am.
and at 10.30pm… here’s the results…
rather disappointing on the whole… almost like I didn’t put any primer on at all… :((
will try again… using SN colors and no NYX JEP… am hoping it will trun out better. :P
Here are the swatches from the freebies Lisa sent together with my order.
Hot Chocolate & Bronze lippies
impressions :
hot chocolate was a mlbb shade for me. Could hardly tell it was on. Gave an added gleam and shine to my lips.
bronze is totally a wrong shade for me. looked way too orange I think. not used to it at all. will probably pass this one on.
in terms of texture and usage… I guess I’m not used to using a lip brush (another skill I haven’t learnt) so I think I ended up putting on too much. Resulting in gloppy lips which I didn’t really like (don’t like feeling lipstick on my lips). Will retry the Hot Chocolate again and see if I can’t do better the 2nd time.
*from left to right – using monistat as base*
bella blue, sunkissed jade, golden rosalie, princess fiona
loved these shades Lisa chose for me. All of them are pretty and totally usable.
here’s an eotd
monistat – base
NYX JEP in pacific – lid
MMBB Bella Blue – lid blended upwards
MMBB Golden Rosalie – highlight
L’oreal HIP liner in navy
and on my trip to Watson’s, I picked up SilkyGirl’s Funky Eyeliner Pencil in pure purple (what other color would I have chosen?). Again, this is a recommendation from Mag. It cost me SGD6.30/USD4 after a 20% discount and comes in a pretty wide range of colors.
I like the pigmentation of this… one swipe and you see color on bare skin. its smudgeable immediately after you apply but sets to become really hard to take off with just soap and water. (had to wash my hand three times and rub hard!)
haven’t tried it on my eyes yet… can’t wait to see what results I’ll get.
what was the most annoying part of this purchase was that the plastic wrapping was almost impossible to take off. Even using a pair of scissors… finally gave up trying to get it off the cap.
but while I was trying… I managed to knock the pencil off the table, resulting in the broken nib you see in the swatch photos. *cry* the lead is seriously soft!
after all that cleansing, the skin needs some lovely input.
Mineral Makeup Hydrating/Setting (Immortelle) Mist
the middle bottle
Organic Aloe Leaf Juice, vegan Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, DMAE Bitartrate, MSM, hydralonic acid, Salix nigra (Black Willowbark) Extract, Polysorbate, immortelle flower,Tea Tree Essential Oil, Tetrasodium Edta, Citric Acid.
geee…. such a long name… I just call it my immortelle hydrosol… which is totally wrong I know cos it really isn’t a hydrosol… but… *rolls eyes*
I love this… before I switched to using MMBB’s products, I was moisturizing my face quite a bit. It just felt dry and tight and ‘old’. I couldn’t believe when Lisa told me she only used this mist as a toner cum moisturizer. Well, I do now. :) cos its all I really use in the day time.
On my non-dry days, just a couple of spritzes of this lovely spray is enough to perk up my skin. Its good for setting my m/u too. I also use it during the day whenever my skin feels like it needs a little something or I just need a 'pick me up’.
On my drier days, I add in this…
Ultimate Facial Serum
the bottle on the right
Rosa Damascena (Rose) Distillate, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Propylene Glycol, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), Emulsifying Wax NF, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Organic Bilberry) Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Organic Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharinum (Organic Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Auranium Dulcis (Organic Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Organic Lemon) Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Organic Cranberry) Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C Ester), Phenoxyethanol, Idebenone, Beta Carotene (Pro Vitamin A), Retinol Palmitate (Vitamin A), Alpha Lipoic Acid DL- Thioctic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate (Panthenol Vitamin B5), Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Daucus Carota (Carrot) Oil, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum (Polysaccharide gum), Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid
this one I was actually rather hesistant about at first as I was happy with my Beauticontrol serum. But then my supplier went awol so I had to look for an alternative and Lisa was kind enough to send me some to try. It really was love at first try. Again, just a little goes a long way. Especially around the eyes. It seems to have eased the puffiness. Plus over time, my skin really seems softer and the pores look more refined especially on my cheek area.
I use this usually at night but occasionally for the daytime too.
Here’s the daytime amount I use… its about half a pump
then I add three sprays of Immortelle mist, rub my hands together and apply to my face.
If you’d rather use the serum neat, just put a couple of drops all over your face (forehead, cheeks, nose & chin) and blend.
here’s the amount I use at night… one full pump.
Purifying Moisturizing Serum
the littlest bottle
Organic Aloe Juice, DMAE, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Rooibos Tea Extract, Emusifying Wax NF, Organic Green Tea Extract, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Organic White Tea Extract, Vitamin E, HA, Vitamin B3, MSM, Organic Black Willowbark Extract,Xanthan Gum
just got a sample of this… and have used it twice. So far, really liking it. Used it with the purifying antioxident cleanser the first night they came. My immediate reaction was… wow… my face is finally clean and oh so baby soft.
Will continue to use it and report back on my findings. :)
I love these… Lisa introduced me first to these lovelies
you can find them at the car section in most stores… they use them for washing the car but they’re fabulous for washing your face too. The lighter purple one was from Lisa (all the way from USA). The darker purple is from Toyogo. I got this for less than S$5 if I remember correctly and it was more than double the size of Lisa’s.
the cloth helps enhance the exfoliation process by lifting the dirt and dead cells off your face. I find using it on my nose area also helps clear some of the lumps and bumps I get around there.
my second type of microfibre cloth is from 3M and I use them for cleaning my brushes in between applications. Was introduced to them by Mag through one of her blog posts. They do a great job at grabbing all the pigments from the brushes, leaving me with a new ‘clean’ brush for the next color.
here’s 3M’s description :
The Scotch-Brite High Performance Cloth is specifically designed with a unique combination of bi-component microfibers and knit construction.This combonation provides excellent dust, oil and water pickup with minimal linting. The bi-component aspect of the microfibers allows for both oil and water absorption while the microfiber's ribbon-like shape provides the maximum surface area for the collection of dust, oil and water. The unique knit pattern of tufts and valleys allows both small and large particulates to be trapped within the Scotch-Brite High Performance Cloth. The combination of microfiber and knit construction provides a versatile non-scratching tool allowing the Scotch-Brite Cloth to be used on a wide variety of substrates including delicate surfaces.
the texture is different… more man-made. Not saying it isn’t soft cos it really is! hard to describe and I’m hoping the pictures help…
Been meaning to post this for quite sometime… but since I have now enabled four friends to try Lisa’s wonderful stuff for the first time… here’s the “trial” set I sent to them…
*from left to right: aha exfoliating cleanser, pumpkin masque, Miracle in a Bottle, Immortelle Mist*
I basically got samples of the masque and mist from Lisa and ‘potted’ my own samples of the cleansers. The two pots, spatula and one spray bottle was a set that I got for SGD1.05… nice huh?
Well, having got them interested, I figure I should give them some ‘sign posts’ as they start using the products.
My night face routine starts with…
*in order of my usage, from left to right*
MMBB’s AHA cleanser (with or without jojoba beads). I actually alternate the two types or switch around depending on what I feel my skin needs.
Organic Aloe Juice, Organic Palm Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Emulsifying Wax NF, Stearic Acid, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Vitamin E, Organic Green Tea Extract, Organic Bilberry Extract, Organic Sugar Cane Extract, Organic Sugar Maple Extract,Organic Orange Extract, Organic Lemon Extract, Organic Cranberry Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium Edta, Glycolic Acid, Tartaric Acid, Malic Acid, Mango Butter, Organic Shea Butter, Xanthan Gum , Black Willowbark Extract,Neem Oil,Rosemary Oleoresin, Citric Acid
The AHA exfoliating cleanser really makes me feel like I’m giving my skin a good clean. The beads are gentle and really smooth so they don’t feel horrid at all (unlike some other scrubs I’ve tried that make me feel like I’m sandpapering off my epidermis).
The ‘normal’ AHA cleanser does an excellent job of taking off my makeup and getting my skin clean too. I like not having to use an additional cleanser to clean off the makeup before cleaning my face. I do moisten my face before applying.
1. shake bottle
2. I pump twice. Once for the forehead and one cheek. The second for the other cheek, nose and chin. I do add if I need to.
3. spread it around and massage it in avoiding the eye area
4. leave it on for a while (usually abt 3-5 mins : I usually brush my teeth or clean off my eye makeup or just put a nice warm cloth over my face and relax!)
5. massage face again
6. use a microfibre cloth and warm water to wash everything off
Eye Makeup Removers
The cream in the blue pump bottle is Mark & Spencer’s Calming cleanser. Its great for taking of my eye makeup and cheap too! less than sgd10 if I remember correctly. Its a little too rich for my whole face so I don’t use it that way.
If I’m using waterproof items like the MM mascara, I head for my Aubrey Nicole Balancing Cleansing Oil… I love love love the smell of this. Seriously…
Masques
I alternate between the Honey & Oat and Pumpkin masque.
Honey & Oat Masque
Organic Honey, Organic Aloe Leaf Juice, Vitamin E, Organic Jojoba, Wild Oat Extract,Rosemary Extract, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Organic Black Willow Bark Extract, Neem Oil
I use this masque usually the day after the pumpkin masque… just to up the moisture levels in the skin. Again, there is a little tingle with this masque… but nothing too much to bother about.
This masque leaves my skin feeling very plumped up and feeling soft. Its really nice. Plus I love the smell of honey :)
Pumpkin masque
Pumpkin, Water, Glycolic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Bilberry Fruit extract,Sugar Cane Extract, Sugar Maple Extract, Orange Fruit Extract, lemon Extract, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Chamomile Essential Oil, Cinnamon Bark, Ginger Root Powder, Allspice Essential Oil, Nutmeg Powder,Allspice Powder, EDTA
I really really love this masque… the thing is not to leave it on for too long and to make sure you shake the pot before you use it. You see… when I first got it, I didn’t do both those steps and ended up with a mild chemical peel… lol
You only need a very little bit of this product… a thin layer is all you need. I usually end up using what is on the lid of my pot (after the shake). Its more than enough. There is a little tingle/smarting sensation when you apply it and MMBB’s instructions are to leave it on for 3-5 mins. Me… I’ve grown to like the slight stinging sensation as it tells me that its doing its job at getting rid of all my dead skin cells… so I leave it on till it stops then wash off with warm/skin temperature water.
This masque loosens blackheads and really cleans out the pores for me. Usually afterwards, the slghtest squeeze on my nose will result in lots of lovely oil and gunk coming out. Makes me soooo happy. oh.. and I’ve found tweezing my eye brows after this really easy too.
ok ok … I know some of you are gonna tell me… but you don’t squeeze or tweeze after a masque… sadly, no one has really explanined why not… so I’m still happily doing it. *grin*
Do remember to moisturize after the cleansing cos this masque can dry your skin a little.
Miracle in a Bottle (middle bottle – black cleanser)
Water, Organic Lavender Distillate, Organic Roman Chamomile Distillate, Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocopolyglucoside Tartrate, Sodium Cocopolyglucoside Citrate, Organic Rooibos Tea Extract, Organic Bilberry Extract, Organic Sugar Cane Extract, Organic Sugar Maple Extract, Organic Orange Extract, Organic Lemon Extract, Organic Cranberry Extract, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium Edta, Hydrolized Wheat Proteins, Activated Charcoal, Tea Tree Essential Oil, d-Calcium Pantothenate ,DMAE, Hydrogen Peroxide, EDTA, Citric Acid
This is the last step in my cleansing routine… and I totally love love love this. I use this in the morning solo (as AHA doesn’t react well to sun exposure). It takes off the last bits of dirt left on the skin and leaves it ready for whatever is applied next.
I use only one pump of this on a wet face. It doesn’t really lather but after all this time, I’ve gotten used to that.
oh and almost forgot… as with everything from MMBB… SHAKE the BOTTLE!
I’ve gone without this cleanser now for 2 weeks (*sobs*) and can already feel a difference in my skin and how clean it gets.
Although this is primarily recommended for oily skins, it really does work well on a combination skin type like mine. Its really not too drying… well, I do use a moisturizer afterwards so the slight tightness I experience doesn’t last long. :P
Purifying Antioxident Cleanser (bottle on the right – greyish/purple)
Organic Aloe Juice, Organic Rooibos Tea Extract, Organic Olive Oil, Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, Emulsifying Wax NF, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, MSM,Organic Jojoba Oil, Decyl Glucoside, DMAE, Organic Green Tea Extract, Vitamin E, HA, Activated Charcoal, Organic White Tea Extract, Organic Lichen Extract,Organic Black Willowbark Extract,Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin C Ester,Xanthan Gum
I just got this and haven’t really used it long term yet. But so far am really happy with it. Off hand, its leaving my skin softer and not taut feeling. I’m seeing this as a better option than MIB for gals with less oil issues (ie dryer skin).
I’m seeing myself alternating the use of this with my MIB. Especially so in the mornings when I wash up. I double cleanse *always*. I think Petrilude is right when he said that its important to. The first time takes off the surface dirt and makeup. The second time gets the pores clean.
Did just that this morning. Used MIB first followed by PAC (yes, I’m lazy). Will report back as I use it for a longer period.
So to sum it all up…
my night routine is
my morning routine is
and always remember to shake the bottle before using *big grin at Lisa*
wow… when I compare this loooong account with my previous description… I’ve either become more long winded or have learnt some stuff along the way. LOL!
next post… moisturizing!
