what I'm using to cleanse...

lots of questions from different girlfriends about what I've been using to take off makeup and cleanse my face... so here's a post... actually been planning to do it for quite a while, just been procrastinating non-stop. LOLz!

so lets start with...



Meet Shiseido's Aqualabel Moist foam cleanser... its the red tube in the middle. Pic is courtesy of Mag... I've actually used up this tube. Kept it in my shower and used it when in the mornings to get my skin cleaned for the day ahead.

My impressions of this... didn't really like it. Its not that it didn't clean... it did and left the skin feeling a little taut. Which is kinda strange for something that's supposed to come from the Moisturizing range. Why I didn't like it... I think its because I've gotten used to the effect a AHA cleanser has on my skin and this just didn't feel as clean. So this isn't on my rebuy list!

Here's... the current day cleanser and my current m/u daily remover...



lets talk about the cleanser first. Its Hado Labo's AHA/BHA Exfoliating Face wash. For those of you in Asia who really like MMBB"s AHA cream cleanser, this is a really good alternative. So much so that I'm on my second tube.

its what I use in the mornings. I love how easily it foams up. Don't really have to use much to wash the entire face. I double cleanse so I do take my time washing during the first round (usually I'm rinsing off the shampoo from my hair). Kinda giving the AHA/BHA part of the cleanser time to work on my skin while giving the face a bit of a massage. The second round is just a quick clean.

what i'm left with is lovely clean skin thats ready for whatever I put on it next. Really really like it... enough to have started on my second tube!

So now on to my nite routine...

for my makeup cleanser... it really started out as a kinda experiment. I ran out of my usual and visited the Value Dollar near my place. While there, I saw this small bottle of Pond's White Balance Cleansing Milk. Its got AHA too... which always gets my attention. *grin* Anyways, I tried it. Figured since its mineral oil based, it should be oily enough to get makeup off.

So how has it worked... the answer is yes as you can see from the level of the cleanser left. I only use about the size of a 20 cent coin. I head for my eyes first to give it a little more time to work on my Majorlica Majorca liquid liner (which is usually the most stubborn m/u item). A gentle massage all over the face makes the bb cream, fondation and everything else glide off my skin. I use a piece of facial cotton to wipe off the cleanser before I finish with washing my face.

I'm currently trying a new soap from SilkMineral... its called the Detox Facial Soap. This bar of soap has two sides to it. One side has dead sea mud which helps to pull out dirt and grime from the pores. The other side is mainly a lavender/silk soap which gives the skin a more gentle cleanse.

I use the dead sea side first, rubbing it over wet skin. This does *not* foam but you definitely can feel there's soap on your skin. I concentrate especially on my nose area which is always a hot spot in terms of blackheads. After rinsing it off, I use the lavender side as a quick follow up.

What I end up with after all this is a face that feels clean and fresh and not at all tight. In fact once patted dry, its really soft and feels a little more supple. I've only been using this soap for two weeks now and don't feel confident enough to say much more. I will report back after I hit the one month mark. So far, I'm happy.

I have a bar of the Healing Facial Soap which I'm using as a bath soap... again, have just started using it so really can't give much feedback but like the Detox soap, it is making me happy.

My new favourite washing up toy…

Credit to http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=5282621

When L’oreal launched their new “Go 360deg Clean” in Jan this year, I was intrigued.

 credit to Nouveaucheap

The scrublet that came with it was just so interesting. I wanted to try it but refused to ante up the funds to buy the cleanser. I rarely change brands once I’ve found one that works for me.

So on a recent foray into Daiso – that gloriously horribly wonderful SGD2 store – I saw this. Yeah, I know I’m probably super late in getting one but here’s my review anyways. :P

This pic is from Mag @ MakeupStash. She reviewed it way back in Sept ‘09. *whispers… see how late I am??*

There was a newer version available close to the cashier but I chose this one cos I liked the tip on it that would enable me to get into the nooks and crannies of the nose area.

The way I use it is to apply my cleanser all over (after using a m/u remover to take off my eye m/u). I use my fingers to lightly massage it in then pick up my scrublet. With gently pressure, I go over all over my face. Including my eyes. The scrublet is soft enough to handle that area without pulling or tugging the delicate skin. Usually I pay extra attention to my crisis zones – nose and area around – and put a little more pressure there. I’ve never had irritated skin as a result of this.

For me, its proven to be a lovely light massaging tool that effectively clears my pores. Better than if I just used the cleanser solo. I can really see a difference in terms of how much junk is not in the pores. Even my ‘permanent resident’ blackheads have grown smaller and are much easier to squeeze out. My skin always feels cleaner… not squeaky clean but firm and clean. You really gotta try it to understand what I’m babbling about.

For $2, this is an invaluable tool that I’m not planning to do without. Already have plans to head down and get another one for my other toilet so I don’t have to go hunt it down whenever I change rooms.

Even got my hubby to try it and for once he’s willing to say “I use it every now and then”. Trust me, this is a guy who uses the same soap for his entire body and face! So I’m guessing he sees or feels some difference.

Let me know if you’ve tried this and what your experiences are with it… would love to hear about them!

a little bit of this, a little bit of that

The problem with having a little girl in the house is that she loves to get into my makeup zone. And what does she do there… well, make a mess of things. What did you expect?

Its fine *if* she’s under supervision… if she’s not… all sorts of things happen.

credit to WeHeartIt.com

Just as a quick example that happened last night, I went to wash up for bed and found… wet powder residue all over my sink area! my swirly bowl was wet and right side up near the sink (not where I usually leave it upside down) and the pot of powder… well, it was empty and had little drops of water running around inside. It looked kinda like this…

credit to WeHeartIt.com

The nice thing to note is that I finally have proof first hand that mineral makeup is waterproof! everything was running on top of everything else. Rather fun to watch actually.

So this morning, I sat down and mixed up a new batch of powder to put in my freshly washed powder pot… here’s my recipe for now…

1.5 tsps of SilkNatural’s Date Bait powder
1 tsp of SilkNatural’s Perfecting Powder
.5 tsp of SilkNatural’s Zinc finishing powder
.5 tsp of Coastal Scents’ silica powder

Mix it all up and here’s what you get…

Let me give you the rationale behind this blend. I, personally, find the perfecting powder by itself a little too plain. I wanted a little hint of color to even out some skin tones hence the addition of Date Bait.

Date Bait, by itself, on my skin is way too dark (I’m a NC20 I think) but blended into together with the other powders, I get a subtle almost pinky cream shade.

The Zinc finishing powder is for sun protection plus I find it really makes the powder feel quite a bit smoother. Seems to go on better somehow. Hard to quantify but hey even if it doesn’t really do anything in terms of texture, I rest easier knowing I’ve got an additional amount of sun protection. :P

Silica… hmm, at one stage there was sooo much talk about silica. Basically, I’m using it for the oil control and simply to use up the huge bottle I bought from Coastal Scents a long time ago. Once I run out, this ‘ingredient’ will likely get dropped from my list unless I decide to buy some from SilkMineral, which would cut down my shipping cost and time.

To use, I just shake some out into my swirly bowl, add a little SilkNaturals glow if I think I need the extra boost, swirl my EDM long handled Kabuki through it and apply on my face.

I love using SilkNatural’s powders… they give me a nice even finish and seems to ‘blurrify’ my pores a little. I like being able to mix things up til I get the ‘perfect’ combination for me. Its a little bit of effort but oh so worth it. And I love the price tag on them too. :)

Am contemplating purchasing a bb powder pact to use while I’m on the go. Again, the sun protection is a major factor for me… but then again, who am I kidding, I *never* touch up once I’m out the door… excuses, excuses…

What face powders do you use? and why do you like them? let me know ok?

My everyday eotd look

I really don’t do fantastical eotds every single day. I don’t even wear makeup everyday. LOL! particularly so when I’m in a lazy mood or my kids’ work overwhelm my schedule.

So here’s what I normally do if I wanna just brighten up my eyes a little.

Both these two eotds were done using SilkMinerals eyeshadows. I tend to reach for those because they are gentler colors and easy to blend out. Plus I like the prices too so I’m not afraid to use them all up.

So my technique… or whatever you wanna call it is…

• grab my monistat and blend that all over. I really do believe in using a base to protect my skin from the color I’m gonna put on top.
• grab an eyeliner and color in half my lid. Or another way of describing that would be to draw a super thick line above my upper lashes.
• using my finger I usually smudge that a little
• grab my bigger Essence of Beauty crease brush and dip it into the e/shadow
• pat the e/shadow onto the lid then blend it outwards and upwards to the brow bone. This is where Silkminerals e/shadow really works well. I can get a graduated shade that goes from opaque to sheer.
• grab my eyeliner again and put a thin line on my upper lashes and on my upper waterline
• mascara if I feel like it

SM’s spring green w L’oreal’s HIP liner in green

SM’s soft violet (LE shade) w Silkygirl’s funky eyeliner in Purple

this pic was taken after about 7 hours after application. Still looks pretty good in my opinion. :)

What’s your everyday look? Leave a comment and let me know. :D

Brushes... my current collection

*originally posted on Dec 16, 2008 on VOX*

am I becoming a brush whore.... I wonder... anyways, ever since the arrival of my CoastalScents brush order, my collection has more than doubled. :)

so here they are... not as many as some of you but definitely a lot according to me.

Ok... now for the individual pieces... from my current collection (not including the new arrivals)

These are my current fav face brushes. The top brush is from Beauticontrol (it came in a set complete with a brush roll). I use it for putting on my finishing powders and foundations. The second "cow" brush is excellent for adding my contour color to my cheeks. Its just the right size too! The third brush is the Italian Badger Buffer brush from CoastalScents. I use this for my blushes... just one swipe onto my cheekbone and I get a lovely blended flush of color. I can't say enough about this brush. I love love love it. (one thing to note though... it does shed a little ^^)

These are the brushes I turn to when I'm doing my eotds. Starting from the bottom

The Color Applicators

the ultimate e/s brush from SilkNaturals. This was one of the first e/s brushes I owned. The angled brush head is really good for patting on pigments. Its got a kinda pointed part that gets into the inner eye rather well. To be honest, this brush doesn't get much use now as I prefer my other newer brushes.

the 'cow' e/s brush... lovely nice small brush. I can see bringing this if I travel. Picks up pigment with ease and applies it without much pressure. A really nice 'cheap' but 'good' brush.

the Loew-Cornell Maxine Mop #270... really really loving this brush at the moment. The head is smaller than the cow brush and really gets into my inner eye corner with no issue at all. Its an excellent size for my eyes and packs on the color so well. Sadly, I haven't found this brand here in Singapore but will keep looking.

The Blenders

the Forever Female pink crease brush... my first pencil type brush. It has revoluntionised the way I apply the crease color. (thanks Erika for the vid tute on this!) Truly, finding the right brush makes the application soooo much easier! I use this for crease work mainly.

Loew-Cornell blender mop #276... my favouritest brush at the moment. I love love love love this brush for the ease of color application when I just want a wash of color, I use the sides of this brush. Its just the right size to cover the area from my crease to my brow bone. Gives me the nicest shimmery sheer look that I just adore. Then if I use the top of the brush, it does an excellent job at blending colors together without being scratchy or ouchy. Its just so soft. *hugs*

Beauticontrol e/s brush... part of the set I first bought. This was my FIRST e/s brush. Couldn't figure out why my crease didn't turn out properly when using this... LOL! I've come a long way, baby! Still using this for highlight colors and color washes...

These are the two main brushes I use for lining my eyes. The top brush is from Beauticontrol. I think it might be a concealer brush but I'm not sure. I use this to pick up color from my NYX jumbo eye pencils and application on my lids. Then I use the other end of SN's ultimate e/s brush to pat pigments into the cream liner. This brush enables me to lay down color very close to my lash line. Its what is known as a push brush, I think, cos you basically push the pigment into your lashes... making for a thicker looking lash line if that's what you're after.

this are the last of my 'current' collection...

1st Pic
eyebrow/eyelash brush which I still haven't used all that often. The 'cow' liner brush I talked about in a previous post. Great when used wet for applying a thin line of pigment. SN's fibre optic blush brush (my first fibre optic brush!)... in my opinion, absolutely horrible for applying blush... its too small! but its good for applying Dayna's glows... just a nice small line of glow on my cheek bones...

2nd Pic
Beauticontrol blusher brush... umm... this was one of my first brushes too... used it for a while til I got my badger. Its ok... not great.. does the job.
ForeverFemale buffer brush, I think. It gives more coverage than the brush I normally use for foundation. I use it on days when I just need more color on my skin to even it out.
Flat top brush from I don't know where... don't really use this brush at all... the coverage is way too heavy for me... although is super super soft...hmm... anyone out there want it... going real cheap ^^ ... I'm serious!

Ok, after getting this far... I've decided to split this post into two... its getting way too long ^^
so part two will cover all my new brushes... :)

More Brushes

*originally posted on 16 Dec 2008 on VOX*

Now, in terms of brushes... I washed my 'old' collection... so had to use my new brushes...

Essence of Beauty duo crease brush.... Erika... I love these brushes! they are clearly gonna be new favourites (*waves bye bye to foreverfemale crease brush*) They are soft... and so easy to use. The larger one is great for working my crease. What I did was to use my 'cow' e/s brush to apply the color on the lid... then loaded up my bigger crease brush, put it into the corner of my eye and swept across my crease, first only in one direction to place the color then in a windshield wiper motion to blend it out.... end result... lovely lovely placement of color... YAY!

the smaller crease brush was sooooo nice on my lower lash line... placed the color just so... I am soooo please... I can't tell you... *hugs Erika madly*

EDM eye buki was used with Candy Sparks... its HUGE!!!!! one swipe covers the entire area from my crease to my brow... I'm honestly not sure how much I'm gonna like this brush... I just have so little control over where the pigment goes cos of the brush head size... sigh... on the plus side, its really really nice and soft.... I may end up using this elsewhere on my face. ^^

MMBB’s Purifying Moisture range – a review

ok, so as promised, here’s a review of MMBB’s Purifiying Antioxident cleanser and serum.

Verdict : I’m so loving both of them!

Purifying Moisture Cleanser (PC)

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

Like Lisa initially described, this is a greyish-purplish cleanser. It doesn’t have the strong smell that some people have noticed in the Miracle in a Bottle (MIB) cleanser so that may please some. PC also doesn’t strip the skin until it feels taut and squeaky clean – an effect I get with MIB. It leaves the skin feeling clean and supple.

I’m finding myself using PC more and more often. On days when I feel I need more oil to be cleaned off, I reach for my MIB… on every other day, I’m reaching for my PC!

This cleanser would be especially good for gals with combo to dry skin, in my opinion. As it cleans without stripping off all the much needed moisture in the skin’s surface.

Purfying Moisture Serum (PS)

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

This serum is my answer for daytime moisture!

my much loved ultimate serum gave way too much moisture resulting in oil slicks pretty quickly… as a result, I used half the normal amount during the day or usually chose not to use it at all at the expense of a little dryness.

with PS, it goes on feeling oily. In fact, during my initial tryouts, I felt like I put too much cos my face felt soooo oily. However, I was pleasantly surprised when 5 mins later, it seemed like my skin just sucked up all the goodness and what I was left with was a smooth soft skin surface. Lovely!

The serum itself is a white creamy liquid (unlike the yellowish/brown almost syrupy texture of the Ultimate serum) that is easy to blend on to the face. I put a 10cent size dollop in my palm, rub my palms together and smear it all over my face. If you find it too thick, try adding some mist to your palm before rubbing your hands together. (personally, I find this mist trick an easy way to dilute anything that I find too thick for me) Easy :)

My nose isn’t too sensitive and I don’t smell anything from this. :P

This serum, I feel, would suit the more oily skin types for night time use. For dryer skins, it doesn’t quite give the treatment I’d like for night time BUT it does answer my daytime needs with great finesse.

Verdict repeated : am so loving both these products and have stocked up on both.

do refer here and here for my normal face cleansing/moisturizing routines. And let me know if you’d like to try some samples too.

skin routine – Moisturizing – how to and reviews

 

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. :)

Microfibre cloths

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…

My foundation routine… `

ok… so I’ve got three eotds, swatches and two new products to post.. but have been busy with life and totally lazy as well.

While I ramble on… please do enjoy this…

Originally, the way I put on my face is like this…

• wash face – whole ‘nother post
• moisturize and put sun block
• e/s – while the sun block is getting settled
• SN perfecting powder – my blend of the original shade and Date Bait
• SN foundie – my blend – 11 ivory, 1 ebony and 1 warm or buttery gold
• bronzer – when i feel like it
• blusher/glow
• a light layer of either my perfecting powder and/or some silica (which is again a whole ‘nother post)

Lately, I’ve just been lazy… and tired… even ran out of sunblock and didn’t bother to get a new bottle until yesterday (and I bought too high a SPF factor… *sobs*). So my abbreviated routine is now…

• wash face
• moisturize
• e/s
• put the following together in a swirly bowl, mix together with my LHK (thanks for intro’g this Ann, I’m a convert!) and apply
• two dashes of perfecting powder blend
• two dashes of foundation
• one dash of silica
• one dash of glow… if I need that pick me up effect
• blush

the thing I like about this mixing up of powders is that I get to decide what I want to do for the day. So if I only want perfecting powder, I drop the foundie. If I want slightly more coverage, I’ll use less perfecting powder and more foundie. And I’m finally using my glows on a regular basis.

Shared this with a friend and she tried it out. She calls it the ROJAK method. Her report back was that it works… like it wouldn’t? LOL! (kidding dear.. jus’kiddin’!)

I’m still gonna keep all my blends separately and not really mix them together so I leave room for my own mixes on a daily basis. I doubt I’ll ever go back to layering… at least not until I become less lazy. :P