Makeup Review: Jewerich No.1 Lashes

I had been saving up my longer lashes for my cosplay events. More because of how dramatic the length and volume of the lashes are and that cosplay does require a certain form of theatricality. So with my upcming event looming just round the corner, I thought I might as well bring out my saved lashes and give them a test run.

So today's review is for Jewerich's No.1 Lashes:

Very cute packaging...

Upper Lash: Jewerich No.1
Lower Lash: Dollywink No.5
Eyeshadow: Dior 5-shadow palette in Night Dust & Majolica Majorca GD 822
Eyeliner: Heroine Make Liquid Liner (pen) & Kate gel liner
Lash Adhesive: Dollywink
Contact lenses: Candy/Jewel series in brown

Angle from below

Angle from the side

When eye is closed

The lash pakcaging was relatively easy to open because it was held shut by 2 rows of tape that ended at the sides, so it was easy to simply pick off the edges of the tape and when you get it open, I was really surprised that both apirs of lashes were actually individually packaged, so it's pretty handy for carrying around a single pair instead of carting the whole box. Lash glue wasn't included in the packaging but it's alright as I seem to have a never-ending amount of Dollywink tubes of lash adhesive.

For the lashes, first thing that struck me was how thick the spine was. Its like literally twice as thick as Dollywink's and I was pretty scared at how I would be able to handle it since I was so used to the soft flimsy spines of Dollywink. I did manage to get it one with some trial and error however, throughout the day, I kept getting the feeling of the lash spine poking my eye if I had placed it too clsoe to the edge of my eyelid and it was pretty painful. Not to mention, I'm not sure if it was the weight or the form of my eyelid or the way I applied the lashes, but somehow, the one on the right eye "stood" up better then the other side, so I had to constantly adjust it.

Anyay, sadly, within 2 days, I destroyed both pairs of lashes! The reason was that I was trying to peel off the dried adhesive on my first pair when I ended up pulling off a whole tuft of hair off and that was how I also figured out how the lashes were made. It seems that unlike Dollywink that has "hoops" for the lashes to sit on the spine, and thus allowing you to move the hair about with a pair of tweezers and gentle manouvering, Jewerich lashes are made by presseing the hairs together between 2 plastic spines. Hence, the reason for the super thick spine and why I couldn't seem to adjust the tufts of hair earlier.

After destroying my first pair, I used my second pair and looking back, I have no idea what I was thinking when I tried to pull off the dried adhesive again and thus, a whole tuft (in fact an even larger tuft) of hair came flying right off. So now I have officially ruined both pairs within the span of 2 days and noteably, it was the right sides that were destroyed. So moral of the story? Clean the lashes by wiping or soaking them with makeup remover and don't be a genius like me who ripped them apart.

Summary:

Length: 9.5/10 (very obviously long, so there's no hiding that they are falsies)

Volume: 9/10 (Lots of volume in clearly defined tufts of hair)

Application: Medium (If you're used to wearing lashes with thick spines, these would be a breeze of not, some practice is necessary)

Instructions in application: Clearly shown in the back of the packaging and can be found on their official website. Popteen model, Okaerie, has also done a makeup tutorial using these lashes

Photo of Model: In the packaging you can clearly see it's a model who's wearing the lashes (its Kana Hoshino I think)

Publicity: They seem to be directing to every gal group possible, for its appeared in adverts and on models from Popteen, Ageha, Blenda, Ranzuki, Mama Ageha, S Cawaii, Egg, Popsister and even Zipper. The main spokespersons, Kana Hoshino and Inoue Masahiro also constantly promote the products.

Price: 980(JPY)/ bout 15.60 (SGD)

Despite the pain and irritation and the fact that I have to slowly clean the lashes after every use, I'm willing to get myself another box next time. The effect that the lashes produce are simply amazing and very eye-opening (literally!), but now that I know that these require special and more gentle care, I have to remember it the next time and not be so quick in attempting to rip them apart. Plus, they're really awesome for cosplay!

Christian Louboutin For Barbie

Since I was alittle girl, I've played with tons of Barbie dolls, I had like a dozen different versions, even a camping version with a bright pink tent! But unlike what most child "experts" say about Barbie having a negative effect on girls, by influencing them to look like her or something along those lines, it never once crossed my mind. That is unitl today....

Check out the Christian Louboutin Barbie Shoe Collection!

The collection features a whole range of shoes, of which includes 9 original designs. All housed in an elegant suite of course! And check out their signature red soles...

I don't know whether to envy her, remain cold and emotionless, or to wring her pretty little neck! I know it's pretty weird that I'm getting all upset at a doll, a plastic lifeless thing. But if you have been lusting after a pair of Louboutins to call your own since forever, and here this little wretch gets a whole collection of them (of which most are original designs specially for her), tell me, wouldn't you get abit upset too?

Okay... maybe I really am over-reacting.... but still.... *glares*

Pictures from http://8tokyo.com/

Makeup Review: Canmake Cover & Stretch Concealer UV

Nothing much has been happening in my life recently. Most of it has been about school and simply waiting for a few specific dates in the following weeks such as my friend's birthday party, my hairdye appointment, cosplay group outing and of course, the cosplay event itself!

So for now, I'll have to post a review post again! Hahaha... but I promise the subsequent posts would be better.

So today's product is:

Canmake's Cover & Stretch Concealer UV! I bought mine in shade #01 7 according to the description:

Covers skin while protecting it from UV rays and dryness. A UV concealer that won't run or look powdery

Has SPF 25 with a doe-tip for easy application

Contains sebum-absorbing powder, moistsurizing and skin-firming agents

Is pigment-free, Unperfumed, Alcohol-free & non-chemical UV filters (great for sensitive skin!)

Waterproof formulation make it resistant to water, sweat and sebum, controlling stickiness, shine amd dullness.

Same old ugly pimple-infested skin. I assure you my skin has gotten much better since my hormones are back to normal again..

After applying the Majolica Majorca base (see previous post for review)

And finally after applying the concealer, pretty good coverage as you can see!

After giving the product a go, I can safely say, its a heck of a awesome product! It covers blemishes really well and stays put all day, with little need to touch up during the day. The formula is pretty thick so just apply a little amount at a time, the doe-foot applicator is useful in helping you do this and the product turns from a cream to powder after blending, making it appear less thick.

However, do work fast whilst using the product as it dries fairly quickly, so I suggest you dab alittle then blend and repeat where necessary, not apply it all over then blend, for you'll end up having a hard time getting it to blend well once it starts to dry. However, that is a small flaw that I can live with.

So in summary:

Coverage: 9/10 (pretty good coverage and covers most if not all blemishes well)

Sebum control: 7/10 (can't actually tell much as its only applied on small sections of sreas, however, the product doesn't smudge through the day, so i guess it is controlling the oil)

Texture: 6/10 (quite thick, but it could be why it's so good at covering blemishes, however, its not too bad once it dries totally as it becomes a powder. Just remember to blend fast!)

Price: 10/10!!! (got it for less then $20 at a local drugstore, might be even less then $15 if memory serves me right, so its an awesome product for an awesome price!)

Smudge-proof: 8/10 (my blemishes stayed concealed throughout the day so it's really long-lasting)

Just a side note, I actually bought the lightest shade available but I don't know if it's the base being too light or me just being anal, but I feel that it's still a shade too dark for my skintone. I aksed Francine about it(she's a makeup artist), and she did concur that it's a half shade darker then my skintone, however she told me I was just being anal and that most people wouldn't realise it. But I still didn't feel too comfortble knowing it could possibly be enhancing and not concealing my falws, so I cracked and bought another concealer, despite me having some serious cash flow problems for this month and the next. I'll be doing the reveiw of the other concealer next time.

However, despite me not continuing using the product, I still highly reccomend it! I would have kept using it, if it weren't for the skintone problem and its a really awesome product for an amazingly low price. one of the best drugstore products ever!

*edit* I just remembered one important point, don't use this concealer four your undereye area, it sank into my fine line and emphasised it more then before! i think it's because the powder form is pretty heavy so it doesn't actually help much with lines

Makeup Review: Majolica Majorca's Skin Lingerie Pore Cover

One of my favourite sections of my blog, is giving reviews of products that I've tried, especially when I am rarely satisfied with something and often have an itch to change around products on a regular basis.

So today's product is:

Majolica Majorca's Skin Lingerie Pore Cover (it's actually a makeup base, but since everything's written in Japanese, I can't really read it. I do know that it's supposed to be good in controlling sebum for a matte finish and has SPF 20)

As always, the obligatory photo of my awful bare skin. Lots of pimples because I'm going thru PMS again. For some strange reason, I'm always trying out products when I'm breaking out during PMS, but then again, it's the best time to check out how good the coverage of a product is...

And after applying the base, only open pores and minor blemishes are covered, but it does make my skin bit more glowy

So far it's not too bad though what I really don't like about it is that after applying it, my skin still looks bare, like I haven't applied a single thing, so its good when I'm piling on the foundation and powder and such as my makeup won't look as thick. However, I can't just apply it and dust on some loose powder and run off as I usually do on my off days as it'll look like I didn't apply a single bit of makeup on my face.

Not to mention, my skin appears one shade lighter if I apply this product alone, it's a good thing if you want the fair look, but it's bad if you don't apply enough makeup over it for you'll end up looking really anaemic.

So in summary:

Coverage: 6/10 (would have been preferable if there was more coverage, but then again it has been labelled as a "pore cover", so I guess it has done its job)

Sebum Control: 8/10 (Better then the Heroine Make BB cream as it really minimizes the amount of sebum produced, thus less oxidation of my foundation too! Yay!)

Texture: 8/10 (lovely creamy texture when squeezed out from the tube, but it does feel bit dry when I apply it on my face, so gotta work fast)

Price: 9/10 (cost about $20++ if I remember correctly)

Amount needed: Bout the size of a coin as it spreads pretty easily

Smudge-proof: 7/10 (so far, minimal creasing but I've been in air-conditioned places most of the time, so it may not crease as much)

Overall: If you have nice clear skin, need oil-control and always apply a full base with foundation and concealer and such, then this product is worth getting. But for people like me who wanna use the base as a lighter form of makeup, then sad to say, this product fails in that aspect

I'll try to use up this tube of base as fast as possible, and might move onto Kate's BB cream makeup base next. I'll only come back to this product if other bases fail to control oil and sebum as well as it does.

Personal Outfit 39 (School + Date)

Went to school and met the Bf afer class last week, it was Sunday I think, really can't remember. Hahahah...

Anyway, here's what I wore that day:

Outfit consisted of:
Black tank top (hidden under the cardie): Walmart
Leopard Cardigan: Lip Service
Tulle skirt: Forever 21
Blakc stockings: This Fashion
Criss cross strapped pumps: Charles & Keith
Cher Canvas Bag: Cher mook

Sorry for the awkward pose and I know I look bit pudgy but its more of the cardigan poofing up because of the pockets. But I liked how comfy and fun this outfit was, and I had a real urge to wear my tulle skirt that day, don't know why, and don't ask me.

And yes, that's the Bf behind, waiting for his narcisstic girlfriend to finish taking self-portraits hahahaha.

Usually I don't bother dressing up for school, since I'm not there for a fashion parade and I wanna concentrate on my studies, plus the fact that no one really bothers dressing up (or if they do, it's typical Singaporean boring and predictable style). Hell, I don't even put on false lashes on regular schooldays, juz lots of mascara, becasue I am too lazy to get my ass out of bed to bother putting on full make for a class where I'm just sitting there and half listening and half stoning. So doing my full make and hair during schooldays is only because I have plans after class, and most of the time, my classmates tend to get pretty shocked and surprised at the sudden transformation. Hahaha, I'll just take it as a compliment...

Makeup Review: Heroine Make Liquid Liner

Hey y'all, been pretty busy lately with schoolwork and stuff so I'm really glad that I'll be having a 2 week breather after this module. However, everything's happening on those 2 weekends so I'm super stressed out about how I'm gonna organise my time. Plus, I'll be getting my hair dyed during one of the 2 weekends so stick around to see which style I have chosen!

Since today's a review post, I'll be reviewing Heroine Make's Liquid eyeliner. They have 2 different kinds of liquid liner, one in the form of a brush with a little pot holding the eyeliner and the other in a pen form. I'll be reviewing the pen version today:

Tadah! The product in question! Gotta love the retro anime girl on the packaging. It always cracks me up...

According to the packaging, the liner is supposed to have these properties:

Long Lasting Film Type: Advanced polymer formula clings tightly to skin to form a smudge-free resistant film immune to tears, pespiration, water & sebum

Stainless, Easy Removal: Our dye-free formula leaves no pigmentation around the eyes and can be easily removed with lukewarm water despite long-lasting finish

Easy to Draw Ultra Thin Brush: Specially selected 0.1mm tip draws precise lines and cat's eyes!

After giving the liner a go for awhile now, all I can say is that I'm super happy that I had decided to get it when I was browsing arund and looking for a liquid eyeliner. I was actually planning to replace my long lasting one-day tattoo eyeliner, but since this was situated right next to the other liner on the shelf, I gave the tester a go. It turns out that Heroine Make's version was alot darker in colour and dried faster as compared to the other, so i took a leap of faith and bought it at a whim.

Boy, am I glad I did so! The liner is awesome firstly because it has such a thin brush, making it easier to draw really thin lines on my eyelids. Then, it also dries like nearly instantly, saving me the hassle of messed up eyeliners and fanning my face to attempt to get the liner to dry, and its much longer-lasting then my old one.

However, it doesn't stand up to my industrial strength tears so whenever I line the inner corners of my eyes for the eye-widening effect, the liner would smudge after awhile, when all the protein and such starts to crust up at the corner of my eye. But, it doesn't smudge when I wipe it off, just comes off cleanly with minimal mess and that's like after half a day. So it's a real minor problem.

In summary:

Value: 5/5 (I can't remember the price, but I know it was like $20 or $21 max! And for it's value, it's totally worth it)

Ease of use: 4/5 (Just like all liquid liners, remember to have a steady hand, though the mess is relatively easy to clean up)

Packaging: 5/5 (Cute packaging that's easy to open so no problems here)

Application: 4/5 (I think this'll be good for makeup beginners to practise with, just rememebr to keep a steady hand and to wipe off immediately if there's a mistake, plus the thin brush makes it easy to build up a cat's eye)

Lasting Power: 4/5 (Smudges at the inner corners of my eye, but no eyeliner has been able to resist it. So far, this eyeliner has been the best one and lasted the longest. Other parts of the liner holds it's dark colour and doesn't smudge despite my oily lids)

Cleaning: 4/5 (Comes of relatively easily with my oil makeup remover, so haven't had any problems here so far)

Conclusion is that, unless you already have a personal favourite and refuse to try a different type of liner, I'd say to go give it a try! Just a note, I don't use it to line my inner eyelid, my friend tried and lamented that it was a total mess, so stick to your upper outer eyelid and use a gel or pencil liner for your inner eyelid, however the lower inner eyelid should have better results since I like a quarter of my lower eyelids just not the main waterline but it's been okay so far.

Main thing to get decently lined eyes using a liquid liner is practice, so just do it on a regular basis and it'll be pretty easy after awhile.

Choices, Choices... Hmm...?

I've been feeling the urge to dye my hair recently. Partly due to the fact that my roots are growing out (but it's less obvious then before as my hair's darker in colour currently) and partly because I just have the urge to do something different.

And by different, I really mean DIFFERENT. Since my school's started, I've realised my time of getting crazy hair colours is slowly ticking away. I highly doubt an office job would allow such hair colour unless I work for a fashion magazine or something and that is a really big IF.

So Since I haven't really done much crazy hair colours other then going lighter then most of my country's population I've turned to some pictures for inspiration and managed to narrow the choice down to 3:

Who: Staff-chan of Grimoire

Style: Two-tone hair dyeing with a light brown top and pinkish almost magenta-like tips, this was done by the dolly-kei group before it was picked up by gyaru

Pros: Most achievable as I could do some minor bleaching to get my hair to the light brown colour, plus if my hair tips dies from the pink tips, they can be easily cut away

Cons: Finding a shop that has pink hair dye

(I was also swayed to pink hair thanks to Steph's awesome pink hair! But I doubt I could do justice or have the courage she has to pull off a whole head of pink, so I'll settle for this.)

Who: Staff-chan of Grimoire (yes, I'm a major fan of Dolly-kei...)

Style: Bluish-purplish dyed hair with slight tinge of gray I think.

Pros: Probably won't need to do root touch-ups for awhile since black roots would somewhat blend in for awhile and it's a really unique colour

Cons: I think this colour looks better on shorter hair and it looks more gothic then gyaru. Plus I need to find a shop with blue/purple hairdye and a good hairdresser who can do a proper mix of the 2 colours.

(This hair colour really reminds me of Ceil Phantomhive's hair of Kuroshitsuji, so awesome!)

Who: Nonoka from Egg

Style: Two-tone hair dyeing with platinum blonde and purple ends

Pros: Really unique hair colour that combines the two other styles above

Cons: I highly suspect my hair would frizz up and die from the bleaching needed to get it this blonde. Not to mention, I'll have to do root touch-ups every month or so (black roots on blonde hair is sooo not sexy) and its more Goth then gyaru.

(least likely to happen option, but one can always dream right?)

I'm more partial to the first option but I'm really on the fence about it. Hmm..... I've been deliberating for about a week or so already but haven't come any closer to a decision so I'm turning it over to you guys.

Which colour should I do? I'm also open to ideas from you guys Thanks!