Whats in My Travel Makeup Bag (Ireland/England Edition)

As I write this, I am currently fighting jet lag and waiting for dinner in Ireland. As it is the summer for most of the northern hemisphere, I thought it would be helpful for you all to see what I brought to Ireland with me on this month-long trip. It's the longest I've been away from home and I knew that makeup-wise, I had to bring products that I knew I could rely on and were multi-purpose.

I'm pretty good at packing the essentials (clothes-wise) so I had a bit more room for beauty products such as skin care, hair care, and make-up. I separated the items as follows: face, eyes, and lips. I've written my lists over and over again until I finally cut it down to a more or less acceptable number for each category. It may seem either too few or too excessive, but I find that I'm neither restricted nor overwhelmed with what I brought.

Face

Gasp! One primer, one foundation, and one powder? I was strictest with these items because I was going to buy tons while I was here. I also tend to bring too much whenever I travel, so I wanted something I was sure would work no matter what climate. 

The Etude House Good Bye Pore Ever Primer Essence has been a long time favourite of mine and is something I always come back to. It also pairs beautifully with the Jouer Matte Moisture Tint as it provides a layer of hydration and makes the tinted moisturizer look even more seamless and skin-like. The Maybelline Master Conceal while lacking in high coverage, makes up for it by blending beautifully and easily into the skin. Finally, the NARS Translucent Crystal Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder won't run out! I do prefer it as its finely milled but doesn't take the dimension away from the face when applied. It's also much easier to travel with a compact powder versus a loose powder, so definitely no spills with this! Lastly, I wanted to test how well the Skindinavia Makeup Setting Spray (Oil Control) fared in cooler climates. It'll also be useful when I'm going around for the whole day as I need to worry less about my makeup melting.

I only took one blush and my contour powder, since I was planning to buy a cream blush anyway (more on that later). The NYX Powder Blush in Pinched is perfect for the summer because of its coral and pink tones, which also works well with nearly all of the lipsticks that I bought. I decided to bring the Too Cool for School Createur du Contour as my face tends to bloat a lot whenever I travel. It's something I've noticed in all the pictures of me from past trips, and I'm determined not to look like a ball this time around!

Eyes

I was a little more lenient with eyes because most items are very small and compact. Of course I brought the Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette because I want to test its versatility in creating multiple looks. I also brought a single Makeup Geek Eyeshadow in Cosmopolitan because I am obsessed with the colour and I knew it would pair well with the other eyeshadows in the Cocoa Blend palette. I also brought along the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Creamy Beige in case I won't have time to do anything fancy. The Urban Decay Primer Potion is of course a must, because I do want my eyeshadows to last all day and not crease (something that still happens even when I'm in cold countries). 

I find that eyeliner makes such a big difference whenever I wear it, so I brought both the K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner Micro and the Clio Kill Brown Brush Liner for variety and ease of use. The Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara (Waterproof) still hasn't gone bad on me, though if it does, I'm definitely going to pick up a new mascara while I'm here.

Lips

I remember asking Alex from The Red Eyeliner on the acceptable amount of lip products to bring while traveling, and she answered four including lip balm. Not going to lie, surprising answer considering how much she likes her lipsticks! I managed 5 lip products including lip balm (not featured due to embarrassingly beat-up packaging), though I did pick up the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment during my layover in Singapore (oops). 

I brought along the Golden Rose 2000 Lipstick for a nice red in case needed, along with the Etude House Play 101 Pencil in 21 as they pair well together. The MAC Lustre Lipstick in See Sheer goes everywhere with me now because it goes beautifully with warm eyeshadows, and isn't too stark like most corals. Finally, the Chanel Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle is my go-to lipstick on lazy days, or for when I want to look a little more presentable. 

And that's it for me! I hope you all enjoyed this monster of a post. What about you guys - what do you usually bring on trips? Is there anything I should have brought that you recommend?

Friday, July 01, 2016

Whats in My Travel Makeup Bag (Ireland/England Edition)

By Pauline Read More

FOTD: Gold Eyes and Dark Red Lips

Before I go into this week's post, I'd like to apologize for the phone-quality photos for this and the next few posts. My SD card for my camera broke just as I finished shooting several posts, resulting to me using my phone instead. Ah, all that wasted time. :(

But yes you read that right - this is a 'Face of the Day' post! My friends from uni had a sleepover and photoshoot a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share with you the look I wore for that shoot! It was really fun as it was Harry Potter-themed, and being a huge fan of Harry Potter, it was easy to say I enjoyed not only planning, but participating as well. 

I was sorted into Slytherin - yes, we did go into that much detail for a sleepover + photoshoot - so I knew that I wanted to wear a dark red lip. It was meant to be an evening look so I didn't hesitate in having heavier eye makeup and (gasp!) contour. These were the products I used (save for the powder, as I borrowed Alex's Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder, which I need to get for myself) at the time.

Yes, no primer and yes, false lashes! I really want to get into wearing false lashes because they add such drama to eye make-up. Sometimes, I find that the Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation applies better on bare skin as it fades evenly and breaks apart less after a few hours. I applied a bit of face mist prior to foundation and it gave a very skin-like, glowy finish. I applied a bit of Maybelline Master Conceal (review here) and set my base with powder.

After priming my eyes with Too Faced Shadow Insurance, I applied my Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in My Two Cents which is a coppery-bronze cream shadow. I put a bit of Strapless and Chocolate Cookie from the Too Faced Natural Matte Palette (review here) on my crease and blended. I added a bit of Sexpresso from the same palette to the outer portion of my eye to create a bit more depth. I then lined my eyes with Clio Kill Brown Waterproof Brush Liner (post about it here) and applied my favourite Fairydrops Platinum/Scandal Queen Waterproof Mascara (review here). I wasn't after neatness for this eye look, but more for the warm gold & browns. I didn't do it in this recreation, but I added 3 lashes per eye at the corners to give a more fluttery lash look. I then added a bit of the K-Palette Real Lasting Two Way Eyebrow Pencil to fill in any gaps to my brows (review here). 

I just added a bit of the Too Cool for School Createur du Contour as the last of my face make-up, and finished everything off with two layers of the NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Mandore, blotting in between layers to give a darker colour. I absolutely love this lip pencil now and I'll definitely be using it more in the coming months!

Here's the finished look! I tried doing the eyebrow raise, but its hard to look mean in a floral shirt haha! I hope you guys liked this look, and let me know if you want to see more FOTDs in the future!

Friday, August 21, 2015

FOTD: Gold Eyes and Dark Red Lips

By Pauline Read More

COMPARISON: Lioele Auto Eyebrow Pencil vs K-Palette Real Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow Pencil

Since I've been making more of an effort in doing my brows, I figured it would be a good opportunity to talk about the two brow products I have so far. Having black hair really limits my choices in obtaining a natural brow look, so finding a pencil in the perfect shade is quite a challenge. These two are really great finds for me and I thought I'd put them side by side to see how they fare.

Functionality

Both of these are dual-ended, though what is on the ends differs from one another. The Lioele pencil has a triangle-shaped pencil on one end, and a spoolie on the other. The K-Palette pencil has a thinner pencil on one end and a sponge tip with powder on the other. Like I said in my review for K-Palette, this pencil would have been perfect had they incorporated a spoolie much like the packaging for the Tarte Brow Architect. Because of this I find that I reach for the Lioele more just because of the spoolie, but depending on your needs, you can like either pencil.

Pigmentation

The Lioele pencil is definitely the one with lesser pigment of the two, thought I would not necessarily label this to be a bad thing. I find this allows beginners more control in adding small amounts of product to the brows without immediately depositing a large amount of colour. At the same time, because of the shape, you can fill your eyebrows in faster, so this would be good if you were in a hurry and wanted a slightly more natural look.

Both ends of the K-Palette pencil are quite pigmented, and is a little more brown than the Lioele. This is great for those who have a little more experience in doing their brows, wherein they can physically draw on brow-like hairs in sparse areas. The powder is also great for lazy days or for days when you're in a hurry, because you can easily cover sparseness or fill in your brows without looking too drawn in.

Durability

I will warn you now - the K-Palette pencil will break when you drop it. This is obviously because the pencil itself is so thin, so I would exercise caution whenever leaving this on flat surfaces. The Lioele pencil is much thicker and hasn't broken on me yet despite dropping it (not deliberately!) a few times.

The packaging of the Lioele, due to the price, is much flimsier and cheaper. The lids don't shut tight and often fall off in my make-up bag. I don't mind this since I haven't lost it yet, but it makes me wonder why they couldn't make it a little more secure. -_-

The K-Palette pencil closes tightly. The pencil end always closes shut and never falls off. The powder end is much more secure as it is a twist cap, and I often forget this when I am using it. This is great as I know I will never lose the cap in my bag, which has happened to me a few times. ('-_-)

Lasting Power

The K-Palette pencil wins this by a long shot. I've read that this claims to be waterproof and I do find that to be quite true. It is sweat proof and won't rub off if ever you do accidentally touch your brows, so this works better on hotter days or when you will be wearing make-up for long periods of time.

For the Lioele pencil, the only way that this will stay on all day is with a brow gel. You can get maybe 4-5 hours of wear, but best to set with a brow gel so that the pencil and your brow hairs stay in place the entire day.

Price and Availability

I purchased the Lioele pencil in Singapore more than a year ago (see my Singapore haul) for 12.90 SGD (around 450 PHP or 10 USD) which is pretty cheap compared to other brow pencils. This is a lot harder to find though as they don't even have an offline store in Seoul!

The K-Palette pencil is a little pricier, but still affordable considering its classified under Japanese drugstore makeup. I got it at Beauty Bar for 795 PHP which is close to double the Lioele pencil, but I know I'm getting a little more value for money (except for the breakable pencil part). You can also get K-Palette at Rustans Shangrila, so its a little more widely available than the Lioele pencil.

Summary:

Lioele Auto Eyebrow Pencil (#3)
(+) Easy to work with, more control, more afforable, more durable
(+/-) Not as pigmented so its easier to work with
(-) Caps don't lock securely, packaging feels flimsy, not long lasting, hard to find

Recommended for: beginners at filling in brows

K-Palette Real Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow Pencil (#3 Gray Brown)
(+) More pigmented, allows more precision, secure caps, sweatproof, waterproof, widely available
(+/-) Somewhat reasonably priced
(-) Breakable pencil, no spoolie

Recommended for: brow enthusiasts / experienced brow artists

For me the K-Palette Real Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow Pencil wins, but only by a few points. I really hate how breakable the pencil is and the fact that there is no spoolie. Otherwise it would have been the perfect brow product!

I would still recommend the Lioele Auto Eyebrow Pencil though as it is really nice for beginners and is very affordable, if you can find it. There are a lot of similar pencils by other Korean brands like Etude House and The Face Shop among others, so you can definitely check those brands out, too!

What about you guys - what are your favourite brow products? Have you tried any of these pencils before? Leave me a few recommendations and comments below!

Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Pinterest

Friday, June 19, 2015

COMPARISON: Lioele Auto Eyebrow Pencil vs K-Palette Real Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow Pencil

By Pauline Read More

April & May Favourites

Finally my favourites post time! If you didn't know, I decided to have a bimonthly favourites instead and I have to say I think I like it better. Within the course of two months I got a few new things that I really like, and I can't wait to share them with all of you! 

I don't have any skin care favourites this time around because I've been using products from my dermatologist (gasp). I don't know if I ever mentioned, but I put off going to the dermatologist for a long time because I wanted to find a routine that would address my skin concerns on my own. It worked for a while, until my acne started getting out of control and nothing was working. I do have a hair product and (another gasp) a body product!

I do have to say that one favourite not included here is my old kit lens for my camera. I decided to try it out again after thinking it was broken and it gave much better quality images that my old lens! The only fallback is that I can only use manual focus, but I've read that its better than auto anyway.

Also - yay for the new background!

OGX Scalp Therapy Australian Tea Tree Conditioner

I mentioned the Kukui Oil variant in one of my impulse hauls last year, but I like this better because it does much more than the Kukui Oil one. It has reduced scalp itchiness (slightly tmi but its a very real concern XD) even when I don't use it every time I wash my hair while still leaving it smooth and easy to style (not that I do much styling). It also has a cooling effect, which is wonderful considering the 34~41 °C degree heat!

Too Faced Natural Matte Palette

Where do I even begin with this? Not only does this palette compliment my warm skin better than the mattes I had prior (aka the Naked 2), but the formula of these is the best that I've encountered! They're both pigmented and quite buttery, something I didn't think possible for matte eyeshadows. Expect a review of this soon!

MAC See Sheer talked about in depth here

April was the month that I really started getting and using lipsticks, and this is the one I reached for the most. Its a muted coral that is not too pink, too red, or too orange, and is really great for those who are adverse to strong corals like me, or those who want a hassle-free warmer lipstick!

NYX Powder Blush (Pinched) from this haul

I wore this with See Sheer and they made an amazing combination! Pinched doesn't only warm up the face but it also gives a lot of brightness. Again, I'm not the biggest fan of corals but I love this. This and See Sheer are some of the products that make me really excited to put on make-up!

Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub

If you're not a fan of sweet smelling scents, steer clear. If you are however, this smells like pancakes! I haven't bought a scrub in a loooong time, and I have never used anything as good as this. It leaves my skin really soft and moisturized, even if I don't follow it up with lotion. This is honestly so much fun to use and I have to limit myself to using this once a week in fear of running out!

K-Palette Lasting 2-Way Eyebrow Pencil review here

Second brow product that I really grew to appreciate and have turned to whenever I'm going to be out for a long day. The pencil has a very fine nib that's great for drawing on individual hairs, and the powder is for lazy days or for filling out large gaps. Read my review if you want more details!

Maybelline Master Conceal 

I love that this blends easily, sets to a natural, seamless finish, and is quite pigmented considering the price. I find myself reaching for this more than my Make Up Forever Full Cover because it can be used both under the eyes and on blemishes, which makes it great for travel and taking around. It is slightly too light for me, but because it is blendable, it works well for me!

Also there are two new things that I got which will be in my next haul post!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! If you have any questions or if you're tried any of these products before, feel free to leave a comment below!

Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest

Friday, May 29, 2015

April & May Favourites

By Pauline Read More

REVIEW: K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow Pencil

I'm not sure if you can tell, but unlike many other bloggers out there I ignore doing my eyebrows. It has been my insecurity and complex for the longest time! I've always wanted slightly thinner eyebrows rather than the hairy slugs I deem them to be. XD Fast forward to now, I'm growing to accept (or tolerate) my eyebrows, and I can see how they really make one look more polished. 

That aside, I thought I'd share with you a relatively new product - the K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo  Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow Pencil. Longest name ever! I don't understand what it is with new products and horrendously long names. K-Palette is a Japanese brand known for their eye products, and is a brand I frequently see when I enter Beauty Bar (think along the lines of a mini-Sephora). As someone new to the eyebrow world, I thought this product would be great as an addition to my 1 man army of pencils.

This product has three other colours, which are lighter, so check those out if your brows are lighter coloured than mine!

Friday, May 15, 2015

REVIEW: K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow Pencil

By Pauline Read More