Afterthoughts

BTW. Mistine Number One Platinum smells like something that used to be put on me by gay makeup artists when I used to be a sign-bearer girl in junior high school. Like another Thai brand, PIAS, maybe. Or just cheap cosmetics. And the Maybelline mineral powder foundation's kabuki brush presents a problem in covering my under-eye marks. Puffs have no trouble reaching in there.

I just tried putting the Mistine over the Maybelline and the difference in colour is so obvious. I guess what I'll do with all my powders is try to use the loose powders when I have time to put on makeup before going out, and try to use the too-light powders on my neck instead of my face.

There is also the question of the Mistine BB cream and the Maybelline Clear Smooth gel foundation that I haven't been using. I'll try to use up the Mistine first, which shouldn't take long as it's only about 15ml, then try to use up the Maybelline. Then use the loose powders on top of them. And use the Etude Dream On for re-dos when I'm out.

Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Healthy Natural Foundation

Okay so today I tried on the new Maybelline mineral foundation powder without putting anything else on my face first (and without even going out! I think my makeup addiction is getting serious!). It gives a very natural look and I think the colour is just right for my skin. The coverage gets better the more you put on but I don't wanna put too much on for fear of caking. It doesn't feel thick or heavy either.

The included kabuki brush is adorable. The bristles are a bit stiff for my face though, but then so are the bristles of my big blush brush. Strange how the tiny blush brushes which come with blushers are so soft though, but because they're so tiny, they are useless.

So my verdict on the Maybelline mineral powder foundation? I like it so far. If I put the Etude Dream On on top of it during the day when I re-do, I think the colour would be just right -- a tiny bit brighter but not too much so. Yay :D Or maybe I could even put the too-bright Mistine Number One Platinum on top of it. I guess I'm so used to powders that are too light for me that I feel like this Maybelline is a tad too dark. It looks perfectly natural on camera though.

P.S. I'm starting to worry about finding anti-aging creams.

Mistine Number One Platinum & Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Healthy Natural Powder Foundation

So I gave in and bought Mistine Number One Platinum in S1 the other day. The first time I used it, I didn't like it. The packaging is fine but the puff is really lacklustre. At least the puff for Mistine's BB loose powder looks good. However, yesterday I tried it again on bare and unprepared skin and was quite satisfied. It offered good coverage without feeling thick or heavy. At the end of the day, however, I felt like it was just a bit too light for my skin tone. I'm not sure if buying S2 next time is a good idea though. Buying foundation powder darker than your skin, I think, is worse than buying lighter.

Today I went to Watsons to buy some Asience conditioner but they didn't have any. Instead I was surprised to see Maybelline's new mineral foundation on sale. I gave in (again) and bought some in Natural Ochre (W02). Haven't tried it yet. Might tomorrow.

What am I gonna do with all this powder? lol.

Oh, today I'm wearing just the Etude Dream On after moisturising. Nice and light coverage, good match with my skin tone. It just offers no shine control.

The return of Lash Enamel Glamour Neo

BTW, In2it eyeliner does not smudge and is totally waterproof.

The brown mascara and green eyeshadow looked great.

Today I finally went back to Lash Enamel Glamour Neo, using the Lash Bone base first. My lashes are spectacular! Seriously black and noticeable -- like falsies! And the longest of them almost touch my eyebrows!

I'm really starting to like the idea of getting Lash Gorgeous Wing in black. Maybe that'll look a little more natural than Lash Enamel Glamour Neo. Maybe I'll try Fasio mascara in dark brown.

I wore the Mistine BB loose powder over the same cream today (forgetting to use the green loose powder from Boots). I found that it was good at controlling shine. My face looked moist at the end of the day but not oily. Yay :D However, the powder is a bit too pale. With the addition of the glitter, I'm afraid it'll look too Twilight vampire-esque -*-

Makeup Mayhem :p

Okay so today I wore my OP pink eyeshadow with the brown mascara and no eyeliner. My lashes do stand out more, but I never seem to have got the hang of doing pink makeup. Anyway at the end of the day I bought the Maybelline Eye Studio eyeshadow quad in GD-2 "Gold Nuggets" and another In2it eyeliner -- this time in brown, which turned out to go well with my brown mascara :D

When I got home and put some Mistine BB loose powder on, I realised that there are tiny sparkles in it! Tinier than in the Boots Natural Collection one (which I put on today on top of the Mistine BB cream ... it looked very slightly green on me so I put the Mistine BB loose powder on top of it again).

I also realised that I can try my light green eyeshadow with the brown mascara! So I'll try that next :D And the Maybelline palette after that! Yayz! Lots of opportunity to use my brown mascara teehee :p

And when it runs out, I'll try the Lash Gorgeous Wing in black because I'm actually diggin' the fluttery lashes look.

Oh and I think I'll get the L'Oreal Ideal Balance 2-way foundation powder next time, as it's just a bit cheaper than ZA :D

MakeUpdates

Today I put on the Mistine BB cream after moisturising and put on the matching loose powder after that. Now that I've got the hang of it, loose powder isn't so bad. It's still not good for carrying around, though. Oh, and the smell isn't as 'morbid' as it seemed at first, or maybe I'm just used to it. (Etude might be slightly on the sickeningly sweet side.) The two Mistine products gave me an even and soft-looking finish. I wouldn't say it's oil-controlling, however I think it does a better job of that than Etude. But perhaps I'm judging Etude unfairly. I haven't tried Etude with the Maybelline foundation yet, and I can't remember if I've already tried Etude on top of the Mistine BB cream. Oh, and today I put the BB cream on a bit thick because a lot came out with I squeezed the tube, and it gave a better coverage, but not too much, which I like.

I wore the two brown Oriental Princess eyeshadows I have today: a pearly brown first with the golden brown on the top. This is not my best combination, as I found out later. However, without using any eyeliner at all (I tried to put some on at first but decided against it), my brown mascara does stand out more. Yay!

I'm a bit tempted to buy one of Maybelline's new colour palettes, in brown, to replace the pearly OP brown that doesn't look good on me.

BTW, the L'Oreal De-Maq isn't as expensive as I thought. It's not twice the price of Ziit Milk at all. Well, one of the varieties is just over 200 baht, but the other two are around 150 baht. Hooray :D

Today I'll try pink eyeshadow with brown mascara :D

Mascara Junkie

So last night I tried the new brown Lash Gorgeous Wing on top of the Lash Enamel Glamour Neo I was already wearing. I couldn't really tell how much of an impact the new brown mascara had so I tried wearing just the brown one today with the In2it dark brown eyeliner I bought along with it and some shimmery golden brown Oriental Princess eyeshadow I still have.

Well, the mascara turned out brown, all right. Not too light for my current hair colour, but the dark brown eyeliner kind of made the lashes less noticeable. The brown mascara, since it is a fibre mascara, seems to be very dry. I don't know how many coats I put on this morning because I just kept laying it on, but it doesn't look or feel like I'm wearing too much. I admit that a tiny bit of the short fibres (Lash Gorgeous Wing has a combination of short and long fibres) came off onto my eyelids or my face during the day but these are easily got rid of. One good thing about brown mascara that I realised is that if you happen to make a mistake and the brush touches your skin, it's much less noticeable than black mascara.

The curl that Lash Gorgeous Wing gives my lashes is just as good as the Lash Enamel Glamour Neo despite the fact that the former has a brush applicator as opposed to the signature comb applicator that Majolica Majorca mascaras usually have. The length is okay -- my lashes are an all right length already. However, like any review of Lash Gorgeous Wing that I've read, the product does not make my lashes appear fatter at all. So despite MM's claim, Lash Gorgeous Wing fails in the volume department. This was no surprise to me but I don't mind since I've got the Lash Enamel Glamour Neo to give me volume when I want it. I don't know whether the fibres help fill in the gaps between my lashes or not (that is another one of their claims) but I admit the overall finish really is fluttery and feathery. It's especially noticeable if I look at my lashes from a side view. Of course, my real lashes are pretty abundant already so I'm not sure how much the mascara helps in that department, but the curl is great. Maybe next time I'll wear no eyeliner at all and wear the brown mascara with pink and/or gold/brown eyeshadow or no eyeshadow to see the effect.

Oh yes, I do slightly feel the fibre in my lashes, but I'm not too irritated by it.

Will I buy Lash Gorgeous Wing again when it runs out? Well, I certainly won't buy the brown one lol both because it's a tad too light (I was going for the natural look but this brown mascara won't work if I don't dye my hair lighter) and because there will be none available by the time mine runs out.

But I might try the black one. Again going for the natural look. Lash Enamel Glamour Neo is great for making my lashes noticeable and thick, but it's not a natural look.

After school today, to quench my thirst (curiosity) again, I went to Platinum Fashion Mall to buy MM's mascara base, Lash Bone. Partly because I hope it will help Lash Gorgeous Wing, partly because I hope it will help Lash Enamel Glamour Neo too.

Now, I bought Lash Gorgeous Wing at Watson's yesterday because I couldn't find any at Platinum last time I went. But today? There were plenty. Both the black and the brown variety. So I was a little pissed off that I spent more money than I had to on brown mascara, but what's done is done. I bought Lash Bone for 420 baht -- 70 baht less than at Watson's. Note to self: buy MM makeup at Platinum next time!

I couldn't wait till tomorrow to try Lash Bone so when I got home, I put it on right on top of the brown Lash Gorgeous Wing I'm already wearing. Instantly I could feel the magic of the MM comb applicator working its wonders, separating my lashes and promoting curl and length. Lash Bone is a clear mascara base that starts to look white if you keep laying it on. It's supposed to help volume and length as well and has conditioning oils that keep your lashes healthy. I couldn't see any fibres in it but the product looks like a milky white fuzz on the comb applicator.

When I put some more Lash Gorgeous Wing on after the Lash Bone, I saw a bit of a difference. My lashes appeared more defined and maybe slightly longer than before. Booyah! I wonder what Lash Bone would do when combined with Lash Enamel Glamour Neo? I guess I'll have to wait to find out -- tomorrow I'll start with Lash Bone then Lash Gorgeous Wing with no eyeliner.

So now I have three MM mascaras! Not only am I a Majo Whore, now I'm a mascara junkie as well!

Next time I run out of mascara, maybe I'll get Lash Gorgeous Wing in black. And maybe the Lash Expander too, just to see how long it can make my lashes, especially on top of the Lash Bone!

On a related topic, today I wore the Fasio powder foundation without putting the Mistine BB cream on first. It seems that the powder is not as cakey on me as it usually is. I don't know if that's because the weather is cooler, making my face less oily.

However, it also doesn't seem to give me as much coverage today. Or maybe my skin is just bad today. Dunno.

And my poor Etude Dream On is just sitting in my bag, dreaming on of a day when I will use it. I think using it on top of the Fasio just makes me cake up worse. One day I'll use the Etude on top of my Maybelline Clear Smooth foundation which gives me good yet light coverage. Poor Etude.

Hmm. My friend is going to Japan during the new year break. Maybe I should ask him to get me some MM powder foundation and/or Pressed Fantasia 24H powder. Or maybe not. I have enough powder to play with already. Speaking of which, today at the makeup shop at Platinum, I looked at the Kiss makeup bases too and didn't want them. At least not yet. Hehe :p

I love my MM powder case too much to stop using it. When the Fasio runs out, I'll replace it with ZA probably, cos at least I know ZA fits in the MM case. I could ask my friend to buy the two MM powders and two more mascaras, but that's too much money, even in Japan where MM is cheaper.

Gah! The powders and the mascaras are both really tempting! But I gotta stop spending on makeup. I won't buy any more mascaras or powder until the ones I have run out!

Dear God, I have sold my soul to Majolica Majorca.

It's official. I am now a self-confessed Majo Whore.

I bought their limited edition Lash Gorgeous Wing mascara in brown today.

Makeup mania

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.

It's been almost two months since my previous confession.

Since my Maybelline Clear Smooth pressed powder began to run out, I've been running around looking for a replacement powder. Reading online reviews, some of them conflicting with others, led me to buying many different products in order to quench my curiosity and decide for myself what works and what doesn't.

First I bought Boots Natural Collection loose powder because it was on sale for 69 baht. With it, I bought the pressed powder foundation as well as a lovely pink lip gloss called Berry Sorbet (smells like ice cream). The pressed powder didn't offer enough coverage for me but it did absorb a lot of oil, which I love, but unfortunately the colour is either too dark for me or it gets that way after a while. So I'm gonna hand this over to Mum when she gets here. Besides, Boots powders don't have refills! What a waste.

The Berry Sorbet gloss is lovely. It's a wonderful sweet pink. The product is not sticky, in fact it's quite liquid and seems to get absorbed just a little bit. It seems to moisturise my lips too, which is a plus because my lips have been flaking for a while even after applying my staple Body Shop cranberry lip balm. The Berry Sorbet gloss is not ultra-shiny, but I don't need the ultra shine anyway because my lips are quite full already.

As for the loose powder ... it's my first experience with loose powder and I'm glad it was only 69 baht because I don't think I'll be buying more of this. I chose the green powder because green makeup bases apparently hide redness in your skin. When I actually tried the product, I found that it has a bit of glitter in it, which I couldn't tell from looking at the packaging. Applied alone, it offers no coverage at all. Haven't tried it with anything else yet because ... well, there's more on the way.

After reading rave reviews of Mistine BB Wonder Cream and seeing it and the BB loose powder at Watson's, I gave in to temptation and bought the set. And the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss which I've been eyeing for ages just because of its naughty name and its delicious chocolate smell.

I've been using the BB cream to cover up my redness, acne scars and large pores ever since I got it, but once it's finished, I don't think I'll get more. I think my Maybelline Clear Smooth gel foundation provides much better coverage and feels wonderfully light. But the BB cream is only 15ml so it shouldn't last long. Yay :p

The BB loose powder has a strong, I call it 'morbid' flowery fragrance. It reminds me of mum's or my grandmother's old-lady cosmetics. I think the product is a bit more finely milled than the Natural Collection powder. The puff is lovely, full and soft, and it's actually practical, compared to the Natural Collection puff which is cute and fluffy-looking but I don't feel it works so well. I think I prefer the Mistine BB loose powder. There's more of it too, like 15 grams or something, so I won't be able to get rid of it in such a hurry. I think I'll keep both loose powders for when I do my makeup at home as I don't want them to spill in my bag when I'm out. Oh, and the packaging of the Mistine BB loose powder is a bit ... well, cheap. The plastic seems to be quite thin. And the lid is very thin and shallow so it's not as good for putting the powder in as the Natural Collection loose powder lid is -- that one's lid is a bit curved so it's like a nice little bowl to put the powder in before applying it with the puff.

The Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss is supposed to make thin lips look fat, but I don't know how much it affects me cos my lips are quite full already. Like I said, I just liked the name and the smell. There are two kinds of SMP lip gloss -- clear and nude. I bought the nude one because I don't have any nude lip colour and I wanted to give it a try. Like the Natural Collection gloss, I think SMP moisturises my lips because I don't experience any chapping compared to the Body Shop cranberry lip balm (which never used to make me flake before!). The shine that SMP provides is unbelievable. My lips stay sticky and shiny all day. Oh, and this lip gloss makes your lips tingle a bit when you apply it, but that doesn't last more than about half an hour. So I don't know if it makes my lips look bigger, but it's very high shine and as a bonus, it keeps my lips moisturised.

So overall I think I'm gonna give up on the loose powders. I'll find a way to use up or give away the ones I bought and I won't buy any more. I only got them because I thought maybe loose powders are better at absorbing oil than pressed powders. Who knows, they may, but I can't deal with the unease of use when compared with pressed powders.

And that brings me to my big splurge -- my first Etude compact powder. I got the number 2 Dream On pact because I thought the number 1 would be too fair for my skin. I got it from the Siam Square Etude House where they give you a 5% discount for an individual purchase and 15% if you buy more than one item. (I only got the one thing because that's expensive enough.)

The packaging is gorgeous. That's the main reason why I got it -*- The powder is just pressed powder, not powder foundation. It smells really sweet -- not 'morbid' like the Mistine, but enchantingly sweet. Some people might be allergic to perfume though, but I'm not. I think I chose the right colour for my skin. I think it's an almost exact match. But it does not control oil like it claims to at all. I won't be getting it again. I might get the shine-free refill that I saw in the Siam Center store. If not, I might get a Mistine Platinum refill -- because I've heard great reviews about that, as well as from my mum. (Again, some reviews contradict others. I'll never know what works for me if I never try.)

I couldn't stop there. I finally got the absolutely fabulous Majolica Majorca case -- which I don't regret at all, it's just too gorgeous not to have! And I got a Fasio powder foundation refill to put in it. The Fasio is not a perfect fit but I can live with it till it runs out. And then I might try the Majolica Majorca 24H Pressed Fantasia -- their pressed powder -- because that at least would fit perfectly. Apparently that one might be a little too white and it's not a great oil control product but at least I know it's good for the skin as it can be worn while you sleep too. Or I might get a ZA powder foundation refill as I've heard it's good for oil control.

Anyway, to talk about the Fasio. It claims to cover up pores and some people say it's good for oil control but there aren't as many people talking about it online as some other brands. I think I see why. I only bought it in the first place because it was the cheapest powder foundation refill I could find in the Watson's at Central World where I got the MM case. (I also bought Fasio's Pure Blush in Baby Blossom -- a light pink. I did want to buy MM's blush because of the gorgeous case but I couldn't handle paying 300+ baht just for blush.) Anyway, the Fasio powder foundation has a very make-up-y smell -- reminds me of my mum's foundations. I can live with that. It feels very thick on my face. I feel like my pores can't breathe. (I wear it on top of the Mistine BB Wonder Cream -- that might be part of the reason. And most times I don't moisturise before putting it on.) And I think it also looks very thick. Or maybe I apply too much. But I feel it makes me look older! If I re-do it, I feel like all my pores are more prominent! Plus it looks crusty halfway through the day -- probably due to sebum absorption. I admit it controls oil better than the Etude Dream On, but the crustiness just won't do!

As for the Fasio blush, I'd say it's satisfactory. I don't have a big problem with blush not staying on. I picked the lightest colour -- Fasio has only three blush colours, which is a shame -- and I need to brush it on twice with my big blush brush to make it noticeable. The puny brush that came with the blush is useless, as most brushes of this type are. The blush itself is fine. It looks like a healthy glow. I do find that later in the day, it seems to be darker, but that might be because of the powder.

So I think I'll give foundation powders a miss from now on. I only started buying foundation powders because normal pressed powders don't have refills. Hopefully ZA doesn't get crusty or look and feel really thick like Fasio, which, by the way, is even worse when applied with a wet sponge. (Or maybe I'm not doing it right -*-) If ZA and Mistine Platinum are good, great! If Pressed Fantasia is better, then even better! :D

That's all I've bought. But I still want more.

Before all these adventures in the realm of powder makeup, I bought my first expensive (for me) mascara -- the Majolica Majorca Lash Enamel Glamour Neo. This is their line of lash volume-enhancing mascara. My lashes are ... quite abundant and their length is fine, they just need a bit of curl and volume. At first I wanted to get their latest Lash Gorgeous Wing mascara, which has a brush type applicator instead of MM's signature comb type and has short and long fibres. But my boss during my internship tried it once and gave it to my supervisor instead because it offers no thickness despite its claims. And I've read bad and mediocre reviews of it online. So I gave it a miss and chose the volumising one instead. And I'm pretty happy with it. People always comment on my lashes whenever I wear it. The comb applicator is wonderful. It separates individual lashes and eliminates clumps, giving my lashes a fan-like look.

But I still wanna try the Lash Gorgeous Wing! MM have just come out with a little winter collection, including a golden-brown version of the Lash Gorgeous Wing ... which I won't be getting as I need black mascara. Still, the allure of the promise of feathery-full lashes is strong! I know it doesn't actually thicken your lashes, but I've got the Lash Enamel Glamour Neo for that. I just wonder if I could put Lash Gorgeous Wing on top of that to give my lashes that feathery look.

I went to Platinum Fashion Mall yesterday because I heard they sell MM mascaras there for around 400 baht -- 90 baht less than what I got mine for at Watson's. I saw the Lash Enamel Glamour Neo, the Lash Expander Neo and the Lash Bone -- but no Lash Gorgeous Wing T^T (I also saw the Kiss Chiffon Matte makeup base that's supposed to be really good for oil control... Maybe next time...) There were also other MM products like the Rouge Majex lip gloss and their Honey Lip Pump as well. And the pretty golden case. I didn't ask for the price because I don't want to regret buying mine at Watson's for 300 baht.

So maybe when I have more money I'll buy the Kiss makeup base and the Lash Gorgeous Wing (in black, of course). There's also the infamously hard-to-wash-off Fasio mascara which costs about half the price of MM ... but some reviews say it clumps and makes your lashes look like cockroach legs. Eew. I'm also thinking of buying L'Oreal's De-Maq Expert makeup cleanser because my Ziit Milk makeup cleanser is running out fast as I use loads of it to wash off my MM mascara -*- De-Maq is like twice the price of Ziit Milk though, and I've been using Ziit Wash and Ziit Milk for so long because of their all-encompassing ingredients (Ziit Milk even has olive oil in it!).

Oh yeah -- I'm also interested in the MM Lash Bone mascara base. Some people say it doesn't do anything, but it does have lash-lengthening fibres in it, and it's supposed to condition and thicken your lashes. Hmm. Lash Bone or Lash Gorgeous Wing? Or both? The Lash Bone at Platinum and the Lash Gorgeous Wing at Watson's? Or maybe later they'll have the Lash Gorgeous Wing at Platinum too?

So yeah, all this makeup buying and coveting has resulted in a serious loss of cash.

Sigh.

P.S. None of the powder/foundation powder products have irritated my skin. No break-outs, not even with Fasio's suffocating foundation powder!