Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal Eyestudio

I've actually finished up the post and was trying to load the pictures and make minor amendments when, all of a sudden, the whole entry is gone.  (almost want to pull my hair out!) Arghhh....Anyway, I'll try to remember what I've wrote and recapture the essence of it for this post.

I saw these Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal Eyestudio Cream eyeshadows when I was at the Chemist Warehouse and I couldn't resist it.  It was truly a bargain, AUD12 for 2!  I know they are not here in Malaysia, well, not this range and they truly look lovely.

I bought 4 of them.  A google search revealed that there was one which is Golden Rush, but I didn't it at the warehouse, so I didn't get it.  Although, well, I don't think it's a color I can carry nor will I use often.  

Packaging
I don't see a difference in its packaging from the range that we have here in Malaysia.  It's the standard glass tub with a black plastic cover.  Simple and nice.  I like the fact that I can see the color when I flip them over and that is how I store them in my drawer.  This allows me to easily grab the one that I want to use (especially during the morning rush).  It comes in 4g and I have to say that this is a huge tub of eyeshadow cream.  Definitely can last me quite a while.  I've been using them regularly (especially Barely Branded) and you can only see a slight dip.

Texture
These darlings are easy to work with.  It's creamy in texture and is soft enough to allow you to work the eye shadows onto your lid without needing to rub it in.  However, just be careful not to press too hard as a clump of it can come out (as per pic below) and it may cause the application to be clumpy as well.

Being termed metal, these darlings scores high on shimmer.  Only Electric Blue is slightly less shimmery as compared to others.  I'd seriously would term them as serious shimmer!  So, if you can't take shimmer/ glitters, please, give this a pass.  As for me, it works out well to give me a bit of a depth to my eyes as I would use them with a darker colour to balance it out.

I'm not sure how long it will last before it dries out (hopefully never!) but we'll see.

Just to share, I tend to use the Electric Blue as eyeliner, given that it's kinda Cobalt Blue as isn't as shimmery as the rest.  It really does make my eyes stand out and I love it.

I really love these darlings.  I've been googling Maybelline Color Tattoo and I realised that it has such a wide range of colors.  I do hope that they will bring in more to Malaysia and not leave it as just the current range.

Essence 15 Behind the Scenes Kajal Pencil Eyeliner

Okay, I truly am a sucker for grey these days.  When I saw this eyeliner, like the brush, I couldn't resist because I was looking for a grey eyeliner.  This truly stood out for me along with the brush... man, I have it bad, ain't I?  I am not one that is suited for pencil eyeliner because I have oily lids and they tend to smudge on me within the hour I wore them.  Hence, it is rarely that I do reach out for pencil eyeliner.  I've even given some away because they smudge within minutes of me applying it *shudder*

However, for this darling grey, I couldn't resist.  Plus, I think the price helps to seal the deal for me as it was selling for only RM4.90.  Such a bargain item and it’s cheaper than some of our drugstore items.

I'd say this is dark grey.  I tend to avoid black eyeliner these days because not only I look like a panda when they smudge, black eyeliner tends to dull my skin and makes me look sickish.  Dark grey seems to suit me just fine, even if I were to do smokey eyes, it suits me well.  I tend to line my eyes thickly, instead of a tightlining or lining my eyes as near to my lashes as possible.  This does help to make my eyes pop and I love it for doing so.  But like I said, I don’t have high expectation on it.  It does smudge, but it’s not too bad as long as I remember to layer my eyelids with a bit of powder to keep the oiliness at bay.  As I am in the office most of the time, it does last me at least 4 hours before smudging slightly.  That is wayyy good de for me.  Also, it tends to fade off slightly but  tends to stay on till the evening. 

For the price, it’s good.  Nonetheless, I'm on the lookout for something that can last me longer.

Picture: from ebay as I can't seem to snap a nice pic of this eyeliner.

Beautilicious Magic Spell Auto Eyeliner

About a year ago, when I started to really explore on eyeliner, I grabbed this at Parkson.  I think they were clearing stocks as this was going for 50% off.  I tried the color and found that it was nice, just the way I like it to be and grabbed it.  

I'd have to say, this a cream eyeliner pencil.  If you don't have oily lids, I think this would be quite a wonderful item for you.   In terms of application, one draw and you have a dark brown eyeliner sitting nicely on your eyelids.    Like what's written there, it comes with a smudger (a rubber type.. still figuring it out) as well as a mini integrated sharpener.  Great if you want to get that waterline drawn.  

Sadly though, I do have oily lids and this is something that was thrown aside for a fair while.  

Nonetheless, I came back to using it much, much later.. like a year or so and I found that it works well for me!  I guess the cream has dried up a fair bit and now it sits well on my eyelids even without needing any primer.  

It glides on easily on my lids (creamy but not very) and it stays smooth.  No pulling necessary.  Love the brown, love the texture and love the ease of application.

I don't know about you, but I don't seem to see this brand anywhere now.  Any idea what happened to it?

I don't mind buying it again and keeping it aside before using it.  

Benefit Strut

Have I ever told you that I love Benefit products?  However, I find them too expensive here due to the mark up.   Hence after reading Paris B's blog about Strawberrynet.com, I decided to explore it and on my first few checking of it, I landed myself with two Benefit's Creaseless cream Eyeshadows/Liners: Strut and Flatter Me.

 I've mentioned before that I find pencil eyeliners and even sometimes gel liners run on me.  It's quite  pain because it really does look terrible to look like a panda!  Guess what, I use Strut as my eyeliner and it stays perfectly for the whole day.  I think I just found the best eyeliner that suits me.  Woo hoo! Of course, that is, besides the Empro Diamond Black Eyeliner.

I don't have to worry about it smudging throughout the day.  Granted, there it does fade a little after about 6-7 hours of wearing, but it's quite minimal, given that I do have oily lids and most eyeliners don't last me even 2 hours before turning me into a panda @.@

Strut is described as smokey denim at Benefit's website.  Some described it as Charcoal Black.  I'm not sure if it fits the bill totally, but when you open it up, it looks dark grey in the bottle and when applied, it is dark grey with blueish tint.  Since I work it as an eyeliner, it does seem a little light for night use.  I tend to use this for day time because it just sits nicely on my lids and makes my eyes pop still =D

There are days where I wish Benefit does have a black creaseless cream eyeshadow/ liner because they really do work wonders for me.  I am definitely eyeing Benefit's Skinny Jeans.  However, I find that it's overpriced here (at RM85) and am not exactly keen to pay so much for an eyeshadow/ liner that isn't black.

Maybe when I go a bit crazy I might do some ordering.  In the meanwhile, I am still on the lookout at Strawberrynet.com in hopes for good deals for Benefit Creaseless Eyeshadow/ Liner.

Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer

I've always been trying to get a good pencil eye liner that wouldn't run and make me look like a panda everytime I use it, however it is quite tough.  

Nonetheless, during one of my escapades, or my shopping trip, I was simply caught by this eyeliner by Rimmel.  The name is called Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer.

"Exaggerate" in capital letters!

Here's what I like about it:

It's creamy in texture.  Reminds me of crayon, although it's not as hard as crayons.  It does glide easily on my eye and it's really black!  I like that cause I don't have to keep lining my eyes just to make sure it's dark.  However, because it's creamy, if I do line my eyes a few times, it makes me feel like there's a chunk of things on my eye lid.  I try to minimise the number of lining by using a eye liner brush.  It works to ensure that the color is deposited nicely and evenly.  

The left side is only one layer whereas the right side is 2 layers.  If you look to build it up, this is quite a good black eyeliner.

However, much to my chagrine, it often makes me look like a panda. Sigh, once again, the smudges are much stronger than I wish it to be.  I don't doubt that it's the eyeliner's fault, as much as it is my own oily lids' issue here.  Because it is really black (I love the black!) it literally made my eyes look bad with all its smudging.  I look like a sick person most of the time.

I'm trying to use it all up by making sure I put layers of eye base/ powder, yada yada... but looking at it, it might take a smite longer than I intend to.

Oh well, no re-purchase for me on this, and not recommended to those who has oily eye lids like me too! 

Empro Diamond Black Eyeliner

I've been meaning to blog about this but I kept missing out on it.  Can't remember if I've mentioned it before, but I have oily lids and most pencil liners smudges on me rather quickly.  I was using Red Earth's Perfect Line liquid eyeliner previously, until it started to make my eyelids heavy and I had to chuck it away.  I started looking around and came across Empro's Diamond Black Eyeliner.  I know Empro first hot item is actually their eyebrow pencil, so when I saw this Diamond Black Eyeliner, I decided to give it a try.

From Empro's website:

BLACK DIAMOND LINER

Introducing Empro’s new Diamond Black Liner in a jet black shade.

This smudge-proof and waterproof liner is soft enough to glide on smoothly, but not so soft that it slips right off. The aerodynamic brush with firm bristles allows smooth and controlled application. Just shake and apply!

Gentle on eyes. No irritation. More importantly, it lasts the whole day giving depth and character to those beautiful peepers of yours. Empro’s Diamond Black Liner is easy to remove and does not require the use of harsh makeup removers.

The ergonomic shape makes the liner easy to hold, fitting conveniently into tiny purses or makeup pouches.

' Empro Diamond Black Liner - time to let those eyes shine!

Made in Japan

Result?  I think I've found my Holy Grail eyeliner.

1.  It doesn't smudge.  I have oily lids, so any pencil liners will smear rather quickly and I hate it cause I will end up looking like a panda.  I can use this and it lasts the whole day for me.  I don't actually have to worry about it smudging at all.  I wear this to work everyday and typically, we spend at least 10 to 12 hours away from home and this safely lasts me that long.

2. Easy to use.  I can hold it like a pencil and start drawing.  I can draw it thinly or I can draw it thicker.  Easy peasy.

3. Pigmented.  It is very pigmented.  One draw and the colour stands out.  I don't have to keep over-lining my eye lids to ensure that the colour could be seen.

It's not the cheapest in the market, but I think the price is decent.  It ranges from RM40 to RM44 depending on offers.  Easily available at any Watsons, Guardian as well as Empro outlets.

Nonetheless, I've been reading about K-Palette that's supposedly works well for oily lids, and that's the other that I want to get my hands on.  However, only when I'm done with this =D

p/s: a bit lazy to take the actual item's picture, but it just looks the same as in the pic!

Using EyeShadow on the Eye Brow

I  don't know if you ever been in a situation like me before, but I suck at using eye brow pencil.  I carry the "Look here, I used an eye brow pencil to draw!" kind of look, which translates to me either looking animated or  fierce and ultimately, weird.  I guess it has to do with the fact that I have a rather thick eyebrow.  I dislike it looking unnatural and it always does when I use an eyebrow pencil.

So, one fine day, I turned to my eye shadow and started using an angle brush with it on my eyebrow.  I was instantly surprised at how natural it looks, and how a little of the eyeshadow transforms the look of my eye brows!  I love it.  Here's some of the eye shadows I used for my eye brows:

Artistry palette - brown shade

Maybelline Eyestudio Black Forest Cake - dark brown shade

Jay Jay Envy palette - grey shade

Mind you, some of the colors don't actually look nice when I applied it on my eye lids, so now I have a good use for them! hehe

As you can see, I don't use black at all because my hair colour hasn't been black for a while lolz.  I tend not to use black though, partially because I prefer a more natural colour and black tends to look odd.  Maybe cause I am quite fair.

Do you use eyeshadow for your eye brows?

Well Defined Eye Brows

Was reading on TotalBeauty when I came across this article about the importance of well definited eye brows.  I used to have very busy eye brows, until my friend decided to help me do the deed.  Haha, she's wayyy too skilled for her age back then (like 18) and decided that mine looks awful.  Once she did her stuff with me, I was pretty amazed by it and really fell in love it eye brow tweezing.  Sadly though, I am not able to pick up her skills, thus my frequent visits to beauty saloons to do a clean up for me.  Now that I am giving the eye brow threading a try, I'm finding myself enjoying it too.  Pretty much the same price at beauty saloons and the look's much neater.

Talking about that, I'm due for one already! Time to scout for a good eye brow threading bar.  Any recommendation???

Eye Brow Threading

I am always fascinated by it.  In my previous company,  I've had Indian colleagues who always go for face threading and it piques my interest.  But back then, I was still young and am quite scared to give it a try so I gave it a pass.  In the past, there are a lot of people who go for facial threading, because the make up is not as advanced as now and tend not to stick to our skin (figuratively speaking) due to the little hair around our face.  My mom says that usually, people would go for full facial threading when it's their wedding and they need to put on make up.

Oh well, upon chatting with a friend recently, I was really up for it! And so I went scouting to see where I could go to do threading, without me driving like miles and miles off to do so. I ended up at A Listers at Centrepoint.  Mind you, I was doing a bit of research online when I came across them.  I've been wanting to try them out for waxing purposes, at their unit in Sunway Giza, but it's quite tough since traffic could be quite mad heading there after work.  So off I go to Centrepoint.

I'll be honest, I was quite taken aback by the size of the place.  It is small, like just two 2 small beauty rooms.  I was getting a little bit doubtful after a while.  A lady (sorry, bad with names) got me into the room and started doing her stuff.  I was there for eye and lip threading.  I told her it was my first time and she smiled, telling me not to worry.  That really helps because she is nice and friendly, albeit not very good in English.  But she knows her stuff and I kinda felt better.

So how did it go?  It's slightly painful, much like plucking with your tweezer, but slightly more painful.  Well, considering the fact that it's pulling a bunch of it in a go, and not one by one.. haha... I shouldn't be surprised.  And the results?  I'd have to say, it's a lot neater as compared to tweezing.  I have to say, my eye area looks "clean".  I have a lot of small hairs between my brow and my eye lines.  Usual tweezing can be quite painful and most of the sessions I went to have it "clean" up doesnt really do the work.  But I'd have to say this threading totally clean it out and my eyes looks so much fresher too.

So will I go and have it done again?  I'd have to say yes.  I'm already researching to see which one I should go.  Although A Listers does a fairly good job, I'm still new to this and I can't stop the inner experimenter in me to stay at one place!

Have you done it before? Do share, share...