BLOGMAS Day 17: Quick Review - Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Treatment Concealer

Maybelline has been on point with their recent beauty launches. My favourite of the year has got to be the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Treatment Concealer. I don't think this concealer is available in Singapore. I heard so, so, SO many youtubers going on and on about how amazing this tube of goodness is. Like that of course must get my hands on it, correct or not?? So when Eve went to USA for holiday, I asked her to help me get one. Thank you Eve for getting me this concealer because it is MEGA AMAZING. I love how fast my dark circles were covered and how bright those areas become. 

I also love how this product is a Treatment concealer. The idea of a concealer concealing and also treating dark circles is pure genius. But whether or not it really treats, that's for someone else to investigate. I am just happy with how well this product worked in concealing my dark circles.

The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Treatment Concealer also blends super easily. You don't need to tug and pull your under eye areas - slight dabbing motions would do the trick.

Yes, here's a demonstration of how awesome the product is. I'm currently reserving this concealer for out-of-office days. So that's like days when I meet clients or during the weekends. I don't want to use it daily because I don't to use it all up :(

This concealer has been a life-saver and I definitely will stock up when I get the chance. Maybelline Singapore, bring this product in leh....

BLOGMAS Day 16: Quick Review - Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner in 01 Black

This week has been mad! I started work way too early from Monday-Thursday and I only 15-20 minutes for lunch this week. We're really busy now that we have a huge client onboard and one of my researcher colleague was on vacation, hence it was a crazy factory lah. Churning out so many fixes and new features, handling so many projects (both Asian and European) and answering panicky phone calls. Fortunately, the week has come to an end and I can't wait for the weekend to start!

That also means I can continue on my BLOGMAS posts. I have been stuck on Day 15 and that's no bueno. So I'm determined to write 4 posts tonight! I'm going to adjust the posting date to suit the BLOGMAS day though, so that it seems like I posted once every day. :P

This post is all about my other favourite eyeliner - the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner in 01 Black. My all time favourite eyeliner is the Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner. It's my go-to eyeliner for those days when I pressed the snooze button too many times because of how easily it applies. The Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner is reserved for those days when I have more time doing my makeup (hence more brain cells allocated for concentration).

You can get the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner at Watsons easily or if you want to get them online, Luxola sells them for S$22.90.

Ingredients list

The brush that came bundled with the eyeliner is actually quite decent. I use it to apply the eyeliner and it's a well-designed brush, great for picking up the product and then applying it smoothly and consistently. The brush is also designed to allow drawing of a thicker line or a thinner line - whichever you fancy. Just turn the brush to the correct side - thinner line require the thinner side of the brush, thicker line means using the wider side of the brush. Nice!

The Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner is packaged in a way that it's 60% packaging and 40% product. Look at how thick thick the glass part of the packaging is?!

But it's fine though - many high end brands also design their gel lines this way and they cost way, way more. Also, if you use gel liner often, you will realise that the more product you have does not mean you get more use out of it. Gel liners dry up very quickly, especially if you use it daily. You keep opening and closing the cover and you expose the product to the air more often, hence it dries up much quicker. Therefore, if you have more product, you have the tendency to waste more.

So yes, this is one of the few scenarios in which getting less product can have a positive outcome.

The Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner applies beautifully and one brush stroke can give you an uninterrupted line on your eyelids. Very impressive!

Every time I apply this gel liner, I don't have the problem of it drying too quickly and then flaking when I use apply a second line on top. Very irritating you know when that happens - you get strange black flakes on the upper cheeks and some may get inside your eyes. This one is awesome and none of that happened.

This gel liner lasts a long long long time without smudging or moving around from the oily lids. The longest I had this eyeliner on was perhaps for more than 20 hours?! I was staying over at a friend's house and we didn't sleep at all. I was shocked when this eyeliner stayed put the next morning. 

See how precise you can be with the brush in the photo below? I love this eyeliner a lot. The only downside will be that I need more time whenever I use the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner. Need to focus man, if not confirm look like a mess. 

Such a good eyeliner from a drug store brand. I have tried the Bobby Brown gel liner before and I can confirm that this one is as good! Great job, Maybelline!!

Watsons Members Sale Haul (27 March 2013)

When I found out that there was going to be another Members Sale at Watsons on 27 March 2013, I had to plan on what I needed straight away. For one, I had to stock up on some necessities. However, the bigger motivator was the fact that that day was also the day when all the YR4s submitted their Final Year Projects. I felt like I had to reward myself! :D 

So yes, I went with Huiling, my fellow Watsons sale maniac, and we got ourselves some pretty good deals! 

Both of us managed to be the first 100 to spend over S$30 in a single receipt too, so we both received early bird gift packs! 

I  only bought four items, the rest were included in the gift pack! YAY! 

First up, I needed to stock up on my ZA two-way foundation. This has been my go-to foundation since my secondary school days and it is still my holy-grail foundation. The set was going for 2 for S$50, so now I have 4 refills! :)

This set of KATE gel eyeshadows retailed for S$9.90. I'm a sucker for brown/neutral eye shadow colours so I just grabbed this. A review on these will be up soon!

Also had to pick up a couple of the Bio-essence BIO Spring Water. They are amazing for setting your make-up, especially when you don't want to look too cakey and made up! They were S$1.45 each (!!!) because there was an additional discount for cardholders!

My final purchase was the Maybelline Magnum Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara. Wanted this previously but it was too pricey. During the sale, the mascara retailed for S$14.90! SCORE! :)

I will review this soon too!

I generally get really excited whenever Watsons holds a Members-exclusive sale. However, I think I will stick to going to the branch at Bukit Panjang Plaza in the future! Less crowded and less messy!

THANK YOU WATSONS! :)

Want: Maybelline The Magnum Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara

I recently saw the TV advertisement for the Maybelline The Magnum Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara and I was HOOKED. I need it in my life and I need no justifications. I have too many mascara but having one more doesn't hurt! Having one more great one is terrific! The problem is why is it S$20.90? It's not that I can't afford it, but I can't bear to spend that amount of money on a drugstore product! If I topped up a few more dollars, I can buy a high-end mascara already! 

I really don't get drugstore pricing in Singapore. I hope they have this in Malaysia/Indonesia soon so I can purchase mine there! 

Maybelline The Magnum Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara, I need you in my life!!!!

I'm quite a collector when it comes to Maybelline's Volum' Express line of mascaras. I have 3 currently, The Colossal Volum' Express, The Magnum Volum' Express Waterproof and The One by One Volum' Express. I LOVE ALL OF THEM! Can't wait to get my hands on this new and exciting one. CAT EYES! :D 

Here's the TV ad that caught my attention. In the ad, they are promoting another mascara that's similar (The Colossal Volum' Express Cat Eyes). 

What do you guys think? Should I get this mascara ASAP? :D

Travel essentials - Skincare edition

I have been getting lots of queries on the products that I bring with me during traveling, so I decided to separate the products for double "travel essentials" posts! :) This one will be for the skincare products that I bring with me! 

Traveling is quite troublesome because if you take a plane, you have to keep track of what you put in your hand-carry luggage. Any containers above 100ml will be forfeited and thrown away at the airport! Hence, it will be better to keep all the huge containers at home! Travel bottles are available everywhere for almost any brands and also you can get travel containers at Daiso! 

I bought my travel skincare bag from Qoo10 and it's really quite useful! S$5.90 only!! Here's the link for the travel mate bag: http://list.qoo10.sg/gmkt.inc/Goods/Goods.aspx?goodscode=407421277 

The Travel Mate bag is amazing and I can pack everything into one bag, and then bring the entire thing to the washroom/shower! The only negative thing is that the bag is not waterproof, so you have to hang it away from the shower head. 

There seems to be too little space for products, but don't be fooled! The second tier also has a zipped pocket!

First up are my must-have health-related products. Medicated oil, eye drops and plasters! Medicated oil is my addiction. I love the smell and sometimes I apply it for no reason. Haha. Eye drops is also a must because I tend to get irritated eyes, especially in countries with bad air quality. Plasters are...well, essentials!

My travel body care products:

• Rexona deodorant - I don't have a preference for this. Anything that can make my armpits nice-smelling and not sweaty will be great!
• Hand cream - MUST HAVE because I have really dry hands now. D: 
• Body spray - I don't have a habit of applying perfume so I rely on body sprays instead. It's lighter and haha not so expensive #woesofanundergradwithnojob
• Sun Screen - I usually apply this on my neck and my arms. 
• Roll-on perfume - This Silky Girl one is REALLY cheap (like S$5 cheap), but it works and it smells like baby powder. LOVE. 

Make-up removing essentials:

• Make up remover - To remove makeup, I use cotton pads soaked with whatever makeup remover I brought with me. I focus more on removing eye makeup at this stage. 
• Two cleansing creams, one gentle and one for acne-clearing purposes - I always use two cleansers at night after removing makeup. This is to make sure I have removed EVERYTHING. Do remember that you need to remove your sun screen/sun block too! 

Skincare products:

• Eye cream - I'm paranoid about wrinkles so I'm starting young. 
• Tea tree lotion - I apply this on areas that are more prone to breakouts. I don't bring an acne cream with me during short getaways because my skin is under control now and this tea-tree lotion is quite powerful in protecting my skin against future breakouts. 
• A good moisturiser - no matter what skin type you have, you NEED to moisturise. 
• Trusted concealer - this is more for the mornings when I need to cover up red areas but still do not want to look like I have full makeup! 

I tend to not bring a toner along with me when traveling, hence I make sure that the cleansers that I bring are pH balanced (QV or Cetaphil cleansers fit perfectly into this category!).

The products that I bring with me always change for every trip simply because I always buy new products. However, I make sure I bring all the products listed above because you really need to take care of your skin since young! Some people ignore their skincare routine when traveling and that's really a taboo in my book. You have to be responsible for your own skin!

Traveling is almost always done to wind down and get away from stressful environment, so don't let your lack of skincare protection ruin your experience! :)

Everyday Make-up Routine + Jazzing it up a lil!

I have been asked quite a lot on the everyday makeup products that I use. So here's a post to answer all the queries that I have on that topic! 

I used to buy makeup products just for the sake of buying, but nowadays I keep repurchasing things that I like, and I hesitate a little more when it comes to experimenting with new brands. The reason is simple - I don't want to risk my skin from breaking out. As I get older, my skin gets more and more sensitive to the chemicals used in such products and so usually I take the easy way out and just stick with the products that I know will work fine on my skin. 

The first section is just for face alone. Not everything is used on my face at one go; I rotate between products or just simply apply what I feel like applying. 

ZA Two-way Foundation - has been a favourite of mine since secondary school days. I strayed in the past, but always come back to this powder because it's fantastic! 

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Foundation - Not kidding about the "Stay Matte" claim. This liquid foundation also has no SPF in it, so it's good for days when you know there's a lot of flash photography involved. 

Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Liquid Foundation - My current favourite liquid foundation. Amazing product! 

Heroine Beauty Perfect Sunscreen - My default primer. Makes my skin so smooth and high SPF content too! 

L.A. Girl Pro.conceal - I used to hate this product but ever since my skin became the shipwreck that it was, I realised this was the only concealer that covers well but will not break me out. So I have officially jumped ship.

MISSHA Under Eye Brightener - I only use this for my dark under-eye areas. Works like magic.

everydayminerals blush in Viki's Radiant Creation - I use this blush when I feel like I need a more orange or coral cheek look. The fine sparkles are pretty too!

M.A.C Beauty Powder in Pretty Baby - On days in which I like pink cheeks, I will turn to this beauty powder. Extremely buildable and the colour is not too ra-ra!

elf Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in SunKissed - I always turn to this product whenever I need to look more alive. I don't use this for contouring though because it's quite sparkly. Usually what I do is I apply after my blush to make my cheeks more radiant!

Go-to eye products! I always use them!

NYX Eyeshadow Base - This product deserves more love from the beauty community. I tried both the UD Primer and the Too Faced Primer. This one works as brilliantly. So why pay more? :)

Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow Trio in 12 Lotus Flower - I mainly use this for the nude colour. I will apply it all over my eyelid area and that will be all my eyeshadow work.

I like to layer my mascaras so here are my current two favourites - Tony Moly Cats Wink Mascara and M.A.C Zoom Fast Black Lash.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion - The blackest of black eyeliner with an amazing amazing AMAZING formula and staying power. I'm just sad I'm using it so much. I need to get a new one soon!

Heroine Make Liquid Felt-tip Eyeliner - I always use this to do my cat-eye or winged eyeliner. Of course years of practice help when in comes to the perfect winged eyeliner but this is a good product to start with!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Midnight Cowboy - I like to apply this on my inner undereye area because it creates the illusion of larger and more awake eyes!

When I see the need to jazz it up a little, or when I have a little bit more time, I turn to these products the most! More time equals to more products and more colours!

• Urban Decay Naked Palette
• Sleek Pout Polish in Electro Peach
• Too Faced bronzer
• Fresh lipbalm 
• elf Blush in Candid Coral

Yay! Hope this answers the queries! Have a good week ahead! :) I'm going to Bangkok in another 12 hours' time! Shopping galore!!! :D

(Holy Grail Product) Review: Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Healthy Eraser Foundation

Ever since the beginning of the year, I needed a new liquid foundation. However, I hesitated when new ones were introduced to the market because I didn't want to spend my money on something that would probably break me out. So I relied on my Missha BB Cream and waited for the right one to be launched. 

The thing about BB Creams is that they are great, but not so great for unfortunate users with blemishes and acne-prone skin because the coverage is not that fantastic. Hence, I was piling up the concealer whenever I used BB Creams, which of course made my blemishes even more prominent. 

Then this magical foundation from Maybelline was launched. I watched the advertisement on TV and I was immediately sold. The Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Healthy Eraser Foundation is not a cheap foundation, especially for a drugstore one. It retails at S$27.90 at Watsons nationwide (or anywhere with a Maybelline counter). I do admit it's a hefty price tag for a Maybelline product. 

Any Malaysian/Indonesian readers here who knows if this foundation can be found in Malaysia/Indonesia? If yes, I'll definitely purchase my back-ups there! 

The number one feature that caught my attention was the packaging and the applicator. The Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Healthy Eraser Foundation is no ordinary foundation! It's a tube of product with a sponge-tip applicator at the top. Extremely innovative. You may wonder if it's hygienic to use a sponge-tip applicator for a liquid foundation. Luckily, Maybelline attached a non-bacterial sponge for this foundation. So yay, users can use this with less worry! 

The foundation promises:

• buildable coverage (thin layers of product can be layered according to one's own fancy without masking the face!)
• velvety finish (not matte, so it's not so harsh and you don't look obviously made up)
• refreshing & light (nobody likes the cakey feeling, eh?)
• moisturizing feel 

Ingredients list

I don't know what's up with this usage of white text. I can't even get it to appear on photos! =_=

So here are the instructions:

1. For first time usage, turn the top for 10-20 times to dispense the foundation out. 
2. Apply the foundation directly onto your cheeks, forehead, nose and chin using the sponge applicator.
3. For subsequent usage, turn the top 1-2 times to dispense product. 

TIP:

To wash the sponge, gently pull the sponge tip out and wash under running water. When completely dry, put the sponge back. 

It comes with an additional sponge applicator too, so yay! 

Packaging: I love, love, LOVE the sponge applicator. This gives CONTROL a whole new definition. With usual foundations, you tend to pump out too much, and then you find yourselves in a dilemma of whether you want to use up all the foundation that you have pumped out, or waste it. Most of the time, I will choose the former, and I will end up looking like a walking theatrical mess. With this innovative applicator, I really can control the amount that I want to use on my face, and it's never too much! You dab the sponge on your face, you blend the foundation out, if you need more, you dab some more! You'll never ever ever use too much foundation with this product! AMAZING. 

Every time you turn the top, only a little bit of the product will be dispensed and it will be dispersed over the sponge. I really am digging this foundation, and I have been using it everyday and loving it every single day. 

3 dabs on the back of my hand. 

Foundation blended out

Coverage: This is a medium-heavy coverage foundation, perhaps verging on the heavy side. It's definitely more heavy-duty than your BB creams and I need much less concealer for my blemishes! 

Moisturizing: It's not greasy moisturizing, but just the correct amount of moisturizing. Especially good for oily skin actually because it gives you your needed amount of hydration without making you look like you just deep fried yourself a few hours later. 

Longevity: I used this foundation for a day out in Sentosa and then a Halloween night at Universal Studios Singapore. A total of 12 hours, and the foundation didn't budge, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?1 GREAT FOUNDATION! 

I didn't really take close-up photos of the foundation on my skin (sorry!), but here are some photos that perhaps will show you how amazing the Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Healthy Eraser Foundation is. :) 

This one's after about 10 hours. Still looking good! :)

Will I buy it again? I'm going to treat this foundation like an item that I will need during a war. STOCKING UP TIME. 

It's really a great liquid foundation for users with acne-prone skin and blemishes, go get them ALL (but leave some for me please).

Good job, Maybelline!

Watsons Haul (new Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Foundation) and Lab Series free samples!

It has been a good week, in terms of hauling and acquiring new beauty and skincare items to review. My wallet is sobbing real hard though. 

I was highly interested in purchasing the new Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Foundation because the advertisements were too good! Of course, I couldn't leave Watsons with only the foundation right?

So here's the rest of the stuff that I bought!

ZA's Perfect Fit Two-Way Foundation Refill in PO20. I realised they reformulated and renumbered their products!

The Bio-Essence Bio Spring Water. Only S$2 each and I love spraying mists on my face after I apply makeup to make my face look less cakey!

My Seche Vite top coat is currently a blobby and gooey mess, so I desperately needed a new top coat! Decided to try this essence Sealing Top Coat. Only S$4.30!

I redeemed the Lab Series free samples through their facebook page (See post here) and they finally came yesterday! I am quite shocked at how much they actually gave out! Gonna pass these babies to my boyfriend! :)

Now time to do my readings!!!