Part 4: Makeup (The Year End Purge)

POWDERS

Dermacol Wet & Dry Powder Foundation, Shiseido Pressed Medicated Baby Powder, Naturactor Summer Cake Foundation

 

I would’ve loved Dermacol Wet & Dry Powder Foundation if I had just chosen the right color for me. It was silky when used dry and creamy when wet. Swatched a few shades on the back of my hand when I should’ve really tried it on my face. Also, I now know that if a powder can be used wet, I should swatch it wet as well. The color changed a lot when I used it wet; the undertone turned reddish. It may have oxidized on me.  Tried repurposing it as blush but there was too much brown to it as well. Gave it away.

Shiseido Pressed Medicated Baby Powder. I don’t know why I got this in the first place. It’s white. I may have just been intrigued by the medicated aspect of it. Happy to say though that my kids use this as body powder and they love it. Since it is pressed, it makes it very convenient to use when we’re on the go.

Naturactor Summer Cake Foundation. As the name suggests, it is perfect for warmer weather. Likewise, one can deduce that this is meant for oily skin. I have oily skin and I live in a tropical country. So easily, this could have been an HG product for me but I found myself reaching for this a few times only. The reason is it’s so hard to apply--wet OR dry. Tried different sponges with not difference. Had to scrape the surface with a metal spatula just to get the sponge (wet or dry) to pick product up. The color and coverage were spot on but this sopped up too much of my oil that it got my face taut and dry at the end of the hour. Used Mac Fix Plus just to get it looking less powdery without remarkable results. I guess my skin just didn’t take to it.

PALETTES

Mei’s Eyeshadow and Blush Palettes, Elf Bronze and Blush Duo, Elf Concealer Palette, Legally Vain Concealer Palette

I got two Mei’s palettes from the grocery. They were cheap. PhP69(roughly USD1.5). The color pay-off was good, the blendability great and the tones perfect for my warm skin. The drawback? It made my eyes itch! The blush gave me zits!!!! Trashed this one.

I have read rave reviews on the Elf Bronze and Blush Duo and also read that it is a knock-off for the Nars Laguna and Orgasm Duo and so I was curious. I do not like it. I think this is a bad knock off. The texture is chalky; there is little color pay-off and it does not last long.

 

I strongly dislike the Elf Concealer Palette. There was just soooo much white in all the colors that it drew more attention to whatever I wanted to conceal. I didn’t like using it as a highlighter as well because it gave my skin a sickly greyish cast. Worse, when used under the eye, it settled on my fine lines, exaggerating them. A fail.

This Concealer Palette was very inexpensive for the host of colors it gives you and for the amount of product you get  [PhP 700 (USD 16)]. I was just testing this out because this was an unnamed brand, which I had purchased from a train case supplier, Legally Vain. I was pleasantly surprised that it was very creamy making full coverage application so easy. Setting it with powder did not make it look cakey at all. I used this as foundation at times and this did not break me out. I loved this one. It made playing with colors so much fun! However, I will not include this in my professional kit for the simple reason that it has no brand. Ended up purging this because this has been with me for a little over 3 years and although there was no funky smell when I had disposed of it, I did not want to be tempted to use it.

LIP COLOR

Graftobian Spice, Stila Longwear Lip Color Crème in Adorable

I threw this Graftobian Spice Lipstick because it was rancid already. Hahaha. I didn’t use this much and in fact I don’t know why I let it stay in my lipstick drawer for so long. This was ho-hum in all aspects-- color, texture and longevity. Don't be fooled by the picture. It looks well-loved in the picture because half of the product I transferred to my lip palette for my professional kit. Brand new lipsticks are always halved immediately—to my lipstick palette and the other half on the tube for my personal use. This way, I do not have to buy duplicates and I get to bring a multitude of lipstick colors on the job without the bulk.

Stila Longwear Lip Color Crème in Adorable was a horrible product. It was with great satisfaction when I threw it away! Application was soooo patchy even if my lips were plump, hydrated and smooth. I would continually try this out every time my lips were in the best condition to see if it would perform any better. Year in, year out, I would obsessively go back to this to check if there was something wrong with the formulation, with my lips or my usage. I mean painting lips isn’t rocket science but I just wanted to be sure. Now I am. This is one product that should be discontinued!

MASCARA

Maybelline Hypercurl Volume Express Waterproof in Brown and in Black

I love the formulation of Maybelline Mascaras. I have not come across one that I disliked. Got both Maybelline Hypercurl Volume Express Waterproof in Brown and in Black. As always, I loved the formulation--lengthening, volumizing and keeping the curl were top-notch! They were both easy to remove with eye makeup remover. This year though, I found out that the wand plays an equally important role as the formulation itself. My magical discovery of the obvious! I loved the wand of the brown (see picture). It was perfect for lash application, separation and lengthening. No frills, no-nonsense. My favorite wand.  On the other side of the spectrum, I disliked the comb applicator of the black. The product would just settle in between the teeth and scraping the excess product off on its side just got more product stuck in between the teeth. This in turn made application clumpy. Since I liked the formulation, I would use a disposable spooly. As regards the brown, since the color didn’t do much for my lashes, repurposed it to color and thicken my brows using a smaller and sleeker spooly.

BROW and EYE LINERS

  

Professional Makeup Eyeliner Eyebrow in Gold, Milani Liquid Eye in Brown and Black, MUA Eyebrow and Highlighter, Ben Nye Eyeliner Pencil in Espresso, Palgantong Designing Eye Pencil, Starlet Kajal Dry Eye Liner, Maybelline Eyebrow Gel

 

Professional Makeup Eyeliner Eyebrow in Gold. I’ve had this for 2 years and yet I’ve only sharpened this thrice. This was a really useless pencil. It would tug at your eyelids. The color was not gold but a dull muddy yellow. This would smear on your lids, too. Useless.

Milani Liquid Eye in Brown and Black. I have all colors of Milani Liquid Eye and I love them all. The Brown and Black I need to replenish every year because they dry up faster than the other colors (probably because they’re the ones I use most often and is exposed to the air more?).  At each end of the year, there is always too much product left to throw out (see picture). It is supposed to keep for 24 months but somehow, I can’t make it seem to last that long. The core shrivels up and even draws away from the wood. It dries up so fast. But I love it too much not to put up with it.  This lines so easily and creamily. It's a dream to line your eyes with!  This blends easily but once it sets, that is IT! This will not budge! No need to set with powder. You just need to work quickly with it, though, because in less than a minute, it sets. I do need two passes of eye makeup remover to take it off completely but it is so much worth the trouble.

MUA Eyebrow and Highlighter. Will not repurchase this. Since this isn’t readily available in Manila, I had to pay more than what is usual. I wouldn’t have minded the added cost if only both products worked well. The retractable eyebrow pencil was fine. You know, the usual eyebrow color that needs to be set with gel. It gets erased after a few hours and I find myself having to reapply it. But that’s fine. It was the highlighter that I found useless. It wasn’t pigmented enough so I had to put a lot of layers, ending up in patchy work. Also, it does not set on its own, requiring setting with eyeshadow. Added steps are such a turn-off when, nowadays, it’s all about convenience and quick application.

Ben Nye Eyeliner Pencil in Espresso. This eyeliner smudges soooo much that I have shamefully cussed at it several times. This happens even when set with eyeshadow. I think, with the progress of science and technology in the field of beauty science, it is unforgivable to have eyeliners that smudge! Arrgh! Used this for awhile as eyebrow pencil but why use it for that when there are so much better eyebrow products to use. Decided to give this to a friend of mine who is so much more patient than I.

Palgantong Designing Eye Pencil.  I had to give this away because I made the wrong color choice—don’t know what I was thinking when I chose light brown! I loved the angular pencil though and there was much staying power of this one. The spooly on the other end of the retractable brow pencil makes it so convenient to use for home and travel. Will purchase the right color next time. I liked this one.

Starlet Kajal Dry Eye Liner.  I thought with authentic Kajal (as opposed to those that we get from international brands), I would be spared from itching. I itched. I always itch with Kajal! AND it stung a bit when I tight-lined. I do not know what Kajal has, that makes it the case. But I so loooved the way it looked. It was the blackest black I had ever rimmed my eyes with and yet it did not look harsh. It automatically (so it seemed to me) looked smoked out without my actually smudging or blending it. If only…Tsk. Tsk. Oh well.

Maybelline Brow Gel.  Liked the color and liked the formulation but check out the size and shape of the wand! What were they thinking?! Who has brows that wide that requires the size. And I don’t see the purpose of the ball shape. Why do they have to reinvent something that already works. The wand was such a b*tch to use. There was no way I could use it quickly and with much precision. This wand really offended me.

First Impressions: First Snow by Lush

 I WILL REPURCHASE:

I bought this twinkly, sparkly, fragrant dusting powder in a Lush store in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. I actually saw this first at the Venetian’s Lush store in Macau. I didn’t get to buy it then because I got distracted by the fresh batch of Christmas bath bombs and by their new body conditioner, African Paradise. I was very disappointed when I got back to Manila to find out our local Lush store didn’t have First Snow on their shelves yet. I’m hoping they get this in time for Christmas 2014—this would make perfect gifts!

PRICE and PACKAGING:

First Snow costs HKD 85  (roughly PHP 485 and is listed in the LUSH US Website at USD 8) for 30 grams of powder. It comes in a clear, squeezable plastic bottle with a flip top cap. Dispensing product is easy.

EXPERIENCE:

This is not like your average baby powder. For one, just like all of Lush’s powders, it is moisturizing and leaves a silken feel to your skin. And also, the scent lasts. I don’t know how Lush does it but the staying power of the scents of all their powders is pretty strong. When you take off your clothes at the end of day, the scent is still very much present. Who doesn’t love that?! The smell of First Snow (from Lush’s Christmas collection) I can best describe as light, sweet and citrusy fresh. I find it so refreshing that putting it on makes me feel as if I had just stepped out of the shower. Lush itself has listed the following as some of the ingredients: sweet orange oil, and lime oil.

First Snow sets itself apart from Vanilla Puff and Silky Underwear (both by Lush) because of the sparkle and noticeable twinkle it leaves on your skin. You do not need an enormous amount to spread all over your body to have it sparkling like a star. Really. So, if you are one who frowns upon a bit of glimmer on skin, this product won’t be for you because you’ll definitely see the glitter. I do have to say though that you will not feel the glitter on your skin at all, even when spreading the powder.

Where Lush's Lustre gives you a pearlescent golden sheen, First Snow gives a scattering of teeny tiny silvery twinkly sparkle. (Both are beautiful but let's save Lustre for another post.) The sparkle First Snow gives is most beautiful when sunlight hits your skin. If you’ve seen the movie Twilight, recall the scene where Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) steps into the light—this gives a similar effect. Not your average, daily look but beautiful just the same. Another great thing about this? The sparkle stays long enough until the end of a party.

DOWNSIDE:

The sparkle/glitter transfers to your clothing- but it easily washes off when laundered.  Also, your hands get the bulk of the sparkle that you’re going to have to wash it off if it bothers you or if you don’t want any on your face. Lastly, although it lasts long enough for me, the sparkle does not stay all day-- my solution is to just add some more.

 FAMILY CORNER:

This is my little girls’ new favorite. My girls were immediately taken by the silvery sparkle First Snow gives. They have used this quite a bit since I got this and none of them have developed allergies or rhinitis to it (unlike other baby powders that make my 4 year old’s nose run!). My eldest daughter (10) used this when she danced ballet on stage and the sparkle of the powder kept on catching the light. Soo beautiful!

My husband likes the scent but won’t use it because of the glitter. Understandably so! He is sticking to his favorites, as they are part of his daily ritual: Silky Underwear and T for Toes (both by Lush). 

INGREDIENTS: