Miscellaneous Makeupdates

It's official. I think my hair colour, recently revitalised by Palty in Orange Biscuit, has started to lose its ravishing redness. Only a little, though. A very tiny bit. The red is more visible at this time of night in the bathroom light for some reason. I remember I managed to deliberately tone down the rampaging red after the first couple of vigorous washes.

I dyed my hair on the 31st of March. It'll have been exactly three weeks since then tomorrow. So the colour has lasted pretty well. I hope it doesn't go really dull or ugly before I have to colour it again. And I can see almost a centimetre of dark roots coming through.

I'm pretty much decided on getting Palty in Bitter Cappuccino (two boxes this time!) for the graduation season. Today I searched the Boots and Watsons at Siam Square and MBK but couldn't find a DIY hair colouring equipment kit (I don't fancy using the lame nozzle that L'Oreal Creme Gloss has -- I'm much more confident with Palty's comb applicator) so I think I'll have to abandon the L'Oreal Creme Gloss idea. I'm just really hooked on Palty, I'm not confident trying anything else. I really hope Bitter Cappuccino turns out dark enough for graduation so that I don't have to go over it with Beauteen in Natural Brown or Natural Black.

I think my L'Oreal Elseve royal jelly shampoo and Asience conditioner have worked together to make my hair softer than it was just after I last coloured it. I wash it once every two days usually. The shampoo is in a 250ml bottle so it might just last me until I have to go abroad. If not, I'll try Asience shampoo when the Elseve runs out. Today the sun and heat dried my hair out, I think, and I'm starting to scratch my scalp, so I'll wash my hair tonight.

I made a mistake today. I gave in to my curiosity and bought Maybelline Moisture Extreme lip colour in Iced Peach Tea. Due to a lack of any light nude colours that would suit me, I had to get this one, the orangest one in the selection (which is a bad one -- mostly pinks and dark colours). And it turned out too bright orange on me. Ick. I'll have to try and sneak my unwanted lipsticks and powders into Mum's makeup bag without alarming her with the vast amount of such items.

And it does not smell like watermelons as foreign reviewers say. In fact, I can't pick up any smell at all. Or maybe that's just cos I'm still a little sick.

I don't want to risk disappointment with another lipstick but I already spotted one: L'Oreal Star Secrets in Guava Crystals. It's a lovely pale shade of coral that I think should suit me well. I hope I'm right because 350 baht is a little expensive for me, and the lippie doesn't even come with special properties, as far as I know.

The other night I decided to crack open the Nivea Q10 Lip Effect instead of using the old Body Shop lip balm for a change, cos I felt my lips were in desperate need of it. The formula is thick and a pearly white colour and smells faintly, I think, of grapes. As it's so thick, it's not as easy to spread as regular lip balm, but not too hard either. My lips feel instantly pampered, moisturised. It might be my imagination, but after a couple of nights of use, the deepening lines in my lips seem to be less severe. That may have something to do with my sleeping pattern, which I've been trying to get back to normal (whatever that is -- I don't remember going to bed before eleven since ... in fact, I don't even remember when I started going to bed late and what time I used to go to bed before that!) and with my lack of vitamin C -- I haven't been drinking vitamin C -rich fruit juice for a while now and I've just started again.

About the Maybelline Water Shine 3D Collagen -- yes, number 244 is closer to my natural lip colour while number 204 is a bit brighter, a bit more garish. So I'd really like to get some nude lip colours next time. I've been reminded by these lip colours that any colour close to pink seems to accentuate the yellowness of teeth -- even though I always use whitening toothpaste!

Saw some new Axe today -- their limited edition summer scent. Very fruity and lovely, from the test whiff I took. I want it.

Day Two with Etude Precious Mineral BB Pact

Face (after cleansing [Ponds Perfect Matte; Ziiit Wash], toning [Nivea for oily/combination skin] and moisturising [Olay Complete lotion SPF 15])

- Etude Precious Mineral BB Pact

- Boots Natural Collection Illuminating Loose Powder (green) -- because the BB pact didn't do a good job of covering up, especially my redness

- Etude Dream On (but not on nose) -- to relieve the greenness!

- Mistine Diamond and In2it on top for neck

Cheeks

Gino McCray Pink Passion blusher in No. 4 Sugar Peach

Lips

Bloom lip gloss in Amour

Eyebrows

Fasio eyebrow mascara in Golden Brown

Eyes

- Oriental Princess eyeshadow in white for brow bone and a sort of peachy pink for lids

- Brown In2it eyeliner

- MM Lash Bone

- MM Lash Gorgeous Wing in Golden Brown (about three coats)

Top

A peachy pink top/short dress I recently got from UFO on sale

The results

Gorgeous!

My face even looks a more natural colour, not too white!

I just retouched my face with more mineral BB and it looks a bit brighter, which I can live with (it's not as obvious as the In2it) but also smoother. My skin isn't as oily as it usually is. One thing I forgot to mention the other night was that the powder collects in the sides of my nose, but that happens all the time with me. I can live with it.

I did a bit more research and decided I should get Maybelline Water Shine 3D Collagen in number 244 which is a more orange coral colour than my first one. I might still get Moisture Extreme in Peach Colada or Iced Peach Tea if I can stand to spend that much. I'm pretty sure, from my need to use the Boots green powder today, that I should get the green White Stay UV Base now.

New: Etude Precious Mineral BB Pact [Sheer Flawless Skin]

So I finally got it -- the new Etude mineral BB pact. At the Paragon cosmetics counter they had all three versions of the powder but at the Etude shop in Siam Centre they only had the brightest colour and the darkest colour. And it isn't even that dark -- the cake actually looks lighter than my number two Etude Dream On! But that may just be the pearl powder in the mineral BB pact.

After getting my pay, I saw the new Etude mineral line at the Paragon branch. The ladyboy BA told me that they were on sale -- 20% off -- and the pacts were about 800 baht each. Luckily the Siam Centre branch was just a bit cheaper -- about 795 baht. I did debate with myself whether to go to Rabbo instead, but my feet hurt from my purple heels, and the last time I went to Platinum, there was no Etude or Skinfood to be found. I didn't want to go there and be disappointed, so I bought the pact at the Siam Centre branch.

Also at the Paragon cosmetics counters a BA helped me try one of the new coloured Lip Plump lip collagens. I believe the colour is called Viva Va Voom. It's probably the lightest colour, a sort of orangey red. It looked a bit scary just out of the tube but it looked fine on my lips afterwards. I almost bought the original Limp Plump but realised it has no SPF! I'm a bit OCD about SPF, so I passed. I do still need something to erase the wrinkles out of my lips though. Boots have a line of cheap lip care. Their CoEnzyme Q10 one doesn't have SPF though; they have a stand-alone SPF lip balm stick. Maybe Lip Ice has an anti-aging plus SPF one? Or maybe Nivea, even?

So, the Etude mineral BB pact. It's SPF 30/PA+++ and comes in a dark, pearly, maroony purple case that resembles a clam shell. It's about the same size as the Dream On pact but the mirror inside is bigger, which is more convenient than Dream On. Like the Dream On, there is no built-in tray to put the puff, but it comes with a removable plastic tray that I must be very careful not to lose! The powder itself has a strange smell, I think -- reminds me of dish washing detergent or bathroom cleaner -- is this because it's mineral, or because of the mineral water, or is this the way Etude's BB usually smells? I remember their normal BB pact smells different to the Dream On, but it doesn't smell like this. And I've never smelt their BBs.

Anyway, being excited to try it out, I put it on over the In2it I was wearing. I think it made my face look a bit brighter (I think the In2it darkened or was wiped off as the day wore on) and if you look closer you can see the sparkly pearl powder.

And this is the kicker.

I fell asleep for about an hour. And when I woke up -- my face was only slightly shiny -- more moist or dewy or shimmery than oily! I couldn't believe it. Was it just the mineral BB or was it the help of the In2it?

I wiped off the excess shine and did a test: mineral BB on one half of my face and Dream On on the other. I think the colour came up pretty much the same but Dream On might have been slightly more natural-looking and seemed to give more coverage in some places. BUT Dream On cakes horribly on my nose while the mineral BB doesn't. That first day, anyway.

I might try the mineral BB as a base with Dream On for redo's next -- but with mineral BB on the nose and some cheaper powder, maybe Mistine Diamond, on my neck.

I still want that Maybelline White Stay UV base. The 30 baht off promotion at Watsons is until the end of this month so I still have time. Not sure whether to get the green or the purple. I guess I have redness that needs erasing but I'm curious about the purple.

I saw some pictures of some Castledew case and realised it resembles the Mistine Diamond case. Hah.

My Navy In2it eyeliner is getting even harder to apply, I think. Must be because I lost the cap so it dries out much more quickly :-(  Might try their liquid liner instead though -- they have a sparkly navy one.

The last mascara I wore when I went out was Lash Enamel Glamour Neo. One application. It was quite dry and natural-looking :-s  Must need the help of Lash Bone or a couple more applications to give it more oomph. But it has served me so well, oh yes ...

I'm still in search of something to moisturise my lips and help erase the lines that are becoming more noticeable. I just tried the Maybelline Water Shine 3D Collagen again, this time applying thinly, and it looks fine except that it's too pink for my liking -- maybe I should get a more orange one -- but it does collect a bit in the cracks still. Should I get a more orange one and give it another try?

Okay I've just been convinced by web and two YouTube reviews that I should try the Maybelline Moisture Extreme lip colour. Like the name says, it's supposed to moisturise and it also has SPF 15. For some reason it seems collagen and sun protection never go hand-in-hand in lip products. So maybe I'll get this for the sun protection and the cheap Boots lip balm for the collagen. Hell, maybe I'll even get another Water Shine Collagen one too, a more orange one this time.

The Maybelline site is helpful in that it has a "Color Advisor" -- you pick your skin colour (it only has "Light", "Medium" and "Dark" -- no mention of pink or yellow undertones though) and your eye colour and the site will highlight the colours that will suit you best. One of the Moisture Extreme colours that it recommended (the American, UK and Australian site don't have Water Shine 3D Collagen and the Asian sites are not in English) is called Peach Colada. The Thai reviews have mentioned Iced Peach Tea, and I suspect they are the same colour or similar. Must check them out.

I think I'm sold. Orange lip colours, here I come ...

P.S. Maybe I'll get the Maybelline White Stay base in purple, as I have green powder ...

P.P.S. Changed my mind -- I'll get the green base as the purple is supposed to make your face brighter. I have foundation and powders for that.

And the Canadian Maybelline site reckons Moisture Extreme now has collagen ... hmm ... that would make it THE lipstick, then :p

Blogging away the time ...

So last night I washed my hair with the last of the Sunsilk and started using the Elseve with royal jelly extract. I conditioned with Asience as usual and went to bed with a towel on my pillow. My hair is noticeably softer, but that may be the effect of sleeping on a towel, and maybe because I didn't use Mum's leave-on crap (which seemed to actually make my hair feel drier and fluffier :s).

Funny thing is, my hair seems to be a little less shockingly bright red. On camera-phone with flash it looks the same, though. Maybe it's just the gloomy rainy-day light. But if the colour is indeed less vibrant, it must be my unusually frequent washing.

I've been reading some pointers from Kirari @ Jeban. She did this kind of famous review of sixteen hair colours she's had in the past couple of years and people keep asking her stuff as if she's a hair colour guru, which I think she sort of is. She says she heard from some hairdresser that it's good to change your shampoo every three months or so, which is a good thing because I'm always changing shampoos :-) I think next I'll try Asience shampoo or the Elseve colour care one. More leaning towards the Asience as it's got Camellia/Tsubaki extract, which is good for damaged hair. I'm more interested in making my hair soft and nourished than keeping the colour vibrant.

More tips from Kirari: Palty is indeed better than Beauteen. Its cream is thicker and its colour is more consistent. So I hope to get Palty in Bitter Cappuccino for graduation. Hopefully Rabbo @ Platinum has enough boxes of that, or I'll have to get them more expensive (+10 baht) at MBK. If worst comes to worst, I'll have to get Beauteen in Natural Brown instead. I'm afraid to try Natural Black because I hate the artificial-looking blackness of black dye. I just hope Palty in Bitter Cappuccino is dark enough for graduation -- but not so dark that I look totally ordinary and boring.

Still no sign of the new Etude collection on the Rabbo website. And when will Mistine Debutant hit Boots??? Grrr ...

P.S. Yesterday at Watsons I saw this cheap (about 70 baht) pack of 30 cleansing wipes. Very interested.

MakeUpdate: Maybelline Water Shine 3D Collagen

It feels like such a chore to write now, for some reason. Maybe I'm just in need of refreshment(s).

Let's see ... So today I actually got up at like 8.30 in the morning after half-accidentally drifting off to sleep last night while reading Tuesdays with Morrie. I would have liked to read on but I was so inexplicably tired -- I still kind of am today -- must be the bad sleeping and eating patterns I've adopted. I'm sure my physical condition is tied to my emotional condition, and vice versa.

Anyway so I did the washing and showered, washing my hair with as much Sunsilk as possible, hoping to finish the remaining supply, and conditioned with Asience. After doing my makeup, I put on the green leave-on conditioner Mum brought. I also put on the Sweet Princess SPF50 sunblock with its Strawberry Scent and its tiny glitter. It is easy to put on and not sticky. At the end of the day I feel my skin is still hydrated and soft.

So this morning I had time to cleanse, tone and moisturise my face properly. After doing all that, I used the Boots 17 Balancing Foundation and set it with the Natural Collection Illuminating Loose Powder (even tinier glitter than the sunblock and not over-the-top at all). I wore the orange Sheene blush, Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss (whose lid cracked -- noez!!! T^T), brown In2it eyeliner, Lash Bone, and golden brown Lash Gorgeous Wing.

I realised there's a trick to applying Lash Gorgeous Wing without getting a load of fibres in your eye. All you have to do is look down while you apply it. I find this really helps. Although I still get some fibres flaking off onto my face during application and fewer fibres during the day, I only get one or two fibres in my eyes at most. Oh and I had to brush on two coats of Lash Gorgeous Wing on each eye today. I must say the effect is not as spectacular as Lash Enamel Glamour Neo or Lash Expander Frame Plus. Maybe it's just the light colour. Lash Expander would, of course, beat it in terms of lash length.

Today I raided Watsons and finally bought Maybelline lip colour -- the Water Shine 3D collagen one. I thought I could use this instead of the Bloom lip collagen. This is pretty much the first lipstick I buy myself, and I think it will be the last. I chose the lightest colour I could find, number 201, which is a kind of young, sweet pink. It is too bright. And the lipstick cream collects in the cracks/creases in my lips! Even if I'd chosen a better colour, this tendency to collect in the creases just will not do -- accentuating my creases is exactly the opposite of what I want!

So hopefully when I get paid for my translation job I'll go get myself a good tube of Bloom lip collagen.

I guess I'm just not made to wear lipstick. I hate their obliqueness. Only glosses and balms for me. I love their transparency.

Oh and I retouched my face with Etude Dream On today. I don't know if it's because the puff isn't clean, but this powder keeps caking up my face, especially my nose! Or maybe it's the combination of moisturiser and foundation that makes it happen. Or is it the loose powder? Not sure. But I think I'll be glad when I've gone through the whole powder pact.

While at Watsons, I checked out the Beauteen Turn Colour in Natural Black and Natural Brown. I think the brown looks nicer. I don't want to go too black. The Caramel Choco also achieves similar results. But I think Palty is supposed to be better. Luckily I saw a box of Palty in Bitter Cappuccino today. I think it looks a tiny bit lighter than the Beauteens, but you never know. And I trust Palty. I don't know, but their packaging with pictures of human models instead of Beauteen's manga models just seems more assuring to me. I know, I know, I'm superficial!

Bases that I'm interested in at the moment:

- Maybelline White Stay UV Base (in green)

- Biore SPF50 (the white, oil-controlling one)

- Kiss Mat Chiffon Base

- Etude Precious Mineral BB Base (the oil-controlling one)

Gosh ... I still have Mistine BB, the Boots 17 Balancing Foundation, and Maybelline Clear Smooth left ...

I also heard, according to Musings of a Muse and Lotus Place, that the Etude Precious Mineral BB Pact is also good and oil-controlling. I'm interested in getting it once Rabbo carries it. No sign yet.

Gahhh so much makeup to get through and get to T^T

P.S. Last night I put on the 17 Teal mascara just for fun. I used about three coats. Pretty good. Long and lush and thick. Slightly dry and clumpy once you start layering though. I fell asleep and woke up and it was still on -- no smudges, but some flaking off (the clumps fell off). In the shower, the water dampened the mascara but it wouldn't go liquid and trickle off. Rubbing wouldn't remove it completely. Cleansing did. But I wouldn't go out in the summer heat and rain with it though.

Trial & Error: Body Shop lip glosses, Natural Collection Illuminating Loose Powder, Sheene blushes, MM Lash Bone with Lash Enamel Glamour Neo &

Tonight I decided to do a little test that I've been thinking of for a little while now. But before I got to the test, I did some side experiments.

Today I didn't go out (I got up about 6pm) so I had no makeup on my face at all. I splashed some water on to remove excess oil, towelling dry. Then I put on the Natural Collection Illuminating Loose Powder. Mine is the green one. It has some tiny sparkles which don't turn out too obvious on your face. I dabbed the powder on with the cute fluffy puff that comes with it. It toned down my redness but didn't completely hide it. Other than that, there is no coverage to speak of, but then, I don't think that can be expected without any use of foundation or makeup base. I tried using my old blush brush with it and I think that helped a bit. Then I put my old orangey-brown Sheene blush on my left cheek and its red, slightly sparkly twin on my right. There is only a slight difference between the two colours.

Then I dug up my old yellow Body Shop lip gloss which I can only remember using once. It's called Liplife Gloss and I think the colour is called Apple. It comes in a tube that reminds me of a test tube (I remember when I first bought it I was afraid it would break like glass -- then I realised I could squeeze the tube) and there's 7 ml of it. I thought maybe I could use it in place of beige-toned lip gloss to tone down the brightness of my real lip colour. So I put some on and, well, it's incredibly sticky, probably stickier than it was last time I used it -- I can't brush it onto the rest of my lip the way I can with the Body Shop lip balm that I'm still using and which has almost run out, or even the coral orange gloss in a tub that I also recently rediscovered. I just tried applying it with the use of a brush that came with my old Oriental Princess eyeshadow/blush palette cases (I think it might be some sort of liner brush but I use it for applying lip gloss) and that helped make things easier. It gives a pale yellowish shimmery look to my lips, toning down the orangey-pink natural colour. So, yes, it does the job, but it's so sticky and I doubt it's safe to be swallowed with food and drink. Maybe it'd be easier to apply with lip balm. I'm keeping it for now.

As for its buddy, Lip Prism, which is about half its size (3.4 ml) and is a pearly combination of yellow and bright pink in its tube, when I brushed it on my top lip tonight (I used the Liplife on my bottom lip), it turned out looking a horrible gaudy shade of fuchsia. I don't remember it being quite this garish. I might be throwing it out as I can't see myself wearing such a colour. Again, I'm not sure it would be safe to swallow it with food or drink.

Now for our main event, the mascara test.

First, I brushed Lash bone on my lashes, top and bottom, on both my eyes. Then I used Fasio Shock Free Curl Volume mascara on my left eye and MM Lash Enamel Glamour Neo on my right.

Turns out that Fasio can be used on top of MM Lash Bone. I think it does make application easier, or maybe it looks that way because I can see the Fasio covering the whitish Lash Bone bit by bit. However, Fasio is still pretty dry and clumpy.

MM Lash Enamel Glamour Neo has always applied smoothly so far and it experienced no difficulty gliding on top of Lash Bone, as I knew would happen from previous use.

The result?

On the MM side, my lashes are well defined, fanned out, long and pitch black. No clumps.

On the Fasio side, my lashes are fanned out and long, not quite as black, and riddled with tiny dry clumps.

The clear winner is MM.

I don't know what I'll do with the Fasio. I'm sentimental so I don't think I have the heart to chuck it out until it's completely dried up, but I can't see myself using it when I go out again.

More mascara-related goss: I did some searches on Canmake Eyelash Essence and found that it's a very good eyelash care mascara. Lots have people have experienced great results -- longer and stronger lashes. It can even be used as a mascara base and it's completely clear. I might get it and use it as a base instead of Lash Bone when that runs out.

Meanwhile, the Fasio Easy Mascara Remover looks just a little bit complicated. After brushing it on, you have to wait two minutes before wiping the residue away with cotton pads. Then you have to wipe the wand clean before putting it back in the tube. And it can only be used with waterproof mascara, not with mascara that can be washed off with warm water.

Maybe it's easier to just stick with the L'Oreal makeup remover.

I still want to get the Mistine Debutant powder and lip gloss (or lipstick). I wonder when they'll stock it at Boots. Maybe in April?

Oh and when I looked at the new Fasio mascaras the other day, I noticed that they'd increased the amount of product per tube to 7 ml. On ya, Fasio.

InsoManiac MakeUpdate

Gah I'm so tired ... Stupid Facebook quizzes got me up all night, addictively doing one after another ...

Just wanted to jot down some makeup searching I did today.

The Beauty Buffet store yielded some good finds that I have either overlooked before, or that are just new. There is the Gino McCray Pink Passion blusher -- about 10 grams worth -- and the colour's nice too. Good value for money. There is another weighty Gino McCray blush but I think it's a cream-based one. I'm not too good with blushers that are not powder. (Speaking of which, the Maybelline mousse blushers are good value too ... but they're mousse, not powder.)

Gino McCray also have this Illuminating powder compact. It's about 13 grams and comes in a bulky black case. But it looks pretty good. Might try it out some day.

I wore Mistine Diamond today and did my re-do with Etude Dream On. The Dream On definitely softened my overall look (the Mistine did look rather bulky, but then I guess foundation powders are bound to do that) but it accentuated the paleness of the Mistine Diamond.

Oh, Fasio have brought in their latest line of mascaras, gradient blushers, eyeshadows (very nice colours and packaging), and -- the mascara remover! The mascaras aren't very exciting, just updates of their old mascara (except the lengthening mascara now has a comb applicator), but the mascara remover, which retails at 300 baht and is designed to be applied just like a normal mascara, is a bit intriguing. But my L'Oreal makeup remover does a good enough job on its own, I think.

No 7 blushers -- 5 grams -- are going for 199 too. But the Gino McCray ones are more value for money.

After looking at all this makeup all day, I thought, did I really need it? When I re-did my powder and put some more blush on -- first the orangey-brown Sheene, then the red Sheene because I could hardly see any change of colour in my face at all -- I thought, do I really need a new baby pink blush and an orange blush? And the powder -- do I really need more powder? I know I have more than enough already, but the new Dream On case looks lacklustre and the powder itself seems to me -- maybe I'm wrong -- even whiter than its predecessor. And the Mistine BB pact is still too light. I don't really want the Lotree that much, and the Skinfood White Grape pact has no sun protection.

I admit I'm interested in the In2it powder foundation though. They're including an extra refill for like 345 a set. I just wonder if the refill will fit my Majo case when the time comes to change refills (it is true that only my Fasio powder foundation seems to be anywhere near running out). I've heard good reviews of In2it.

Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind when I get more money from Mum. I think I really wanna get that In2it powder though. Plus I might need to get a True Match or Ideal Balance case for my True Match refill -- unless I give it away.

Oh, and no sign of the ZA Wide Eyes Mascara, though it isn't waterproof anyway and has fibres (risky). No sign of Mistine Debutant either. There was one Mistine Puffy blusher tester at one of the Boots stores at MBK but the product itself couldn't be found.

Okay, so next on my iWant list: In2it powder foundation and Gino McCray Pink Passion blusher. Oh and the Palty hair colours and a root re-touch when I can afford it.

All dressed up, nowhere to go ...

... or no money to do anything when I go out, more like.

Yesterday I went and saw Milk with a friend. While waiting for her to show up, I raided Boots and Watsons. At Boots, I found that there was a new Mistine powder on sale -- Mistine Number 1 Diamond Bio Skin Complex Super Powder SPF 18 PA+++ (wow, what a long name ... let's just call it the Mistine Diamond). I of course bought it despite the fact that I have many powders already. Mostly the packaging attracted me. The wrapping has a rather nice image of a popular Thai actress and the powder case is made to look like a huge diamond -- rather hi-so, I must say.

I chose number S2 because my previous experience of Mistine powder -- Mistine Number 1 Platinum -- taught me that S1 is way too light. Plus, it was the only number available at that particular Boots store.

This powder is imported from Korea where it was made by Kolmar, the same company that produces Mistine BB cream. This powder claims to have the secret to Korean women's flawless-looking skin. It claims to, basically, have similar ingredients to real skin, thus blending in perfectly smoothly.

Aside from this, my eye was also caught by some new Maybelline mascara -- the Volum' Express Hypercurl Cat Eyes mascara. It caught my eye because of its packaging -- it looks kind of like the usual Volum' Express tube except it is slimmer, and the lid or applicator handle is shiny magenta or hot pink with black tiger stripes! It excited me a bit because it has a comb type applicator -- the first I've seen in Maybelline in this country! The comb has two sets of teeth, I'm guessing to help build lash volume. And yes, it's waterproof! I was tempted, sorely tempted, but I had to remind myself that I have at least two perfect MM mascaras that need my loving. I told myself that Maybelline is lo-so mascara to me now, and moved on.

I was wearing Fasio powder foundation yesterday but I couldn't wait to try the new Mistine powder when I got home, so I put it on top of the Fasio after removing excess oil. It turned out that the S2 looked no different to the Platinum in S1!! Despite the fact that the powder itself looks darker, it ended up making my skin look vampire-like!

I thought maybe it was just the fact that I put it on over another foundation powder, but no! Today I woke up and simply washed my face with water before trying the Mistine Diamond on and it still looks vampire-like! Oh well ... I guess I gotta blame it on the fact that it's Korean-made powder ... Korean powder is whiter than anything ...

Anyway, a little more comment on the packaging ... I love the "glass bottom" look of this thing, I really do ... so much less tacky than the white bottom of Mistine Platinum ...

And the puff is also nicer than the Mistine Platinum one. Gotta hand it to them for the design. It actually looks good and not like a copy of something else ... although I slightly suspect them of taking inspiration from Shiseido's Maquillage case, which is also kind of diamond-like, but pink. And when I think harder, I realise the "D" logo on the front kind of reminds me of Christian Dior. But no matter. This is one Mistine case I really won't be embarrassed to use.

Anyway I really wanted to go out and buy the Skinfood White Grape pact from Rabbo today, as yesterday my friend told me that Skinfood is better than Etude. And I've read enough rave reviews of the White Grape pact to convince me to try it. And even if I don't have enough for it, I thought, I could just get that Palty hair colour that I've been wanting, or maybe even MM blush, as none of the pink blushes I looked at in Watsons or Boots yesterday cut it for me.

A little mascara musing here. Yesterday I wore just the Lash Enamel Glamour Neo. Wonderful, but where did those solid clumps come from?? I'm blaming the Fasio for the clumps. I'm sure Lash Enamel Glamour Neo on its own would never clump until it was nearly out of date.

And today I'm wearing Lash Expander Frame Plus on its own. Two coats, actually. One coat makes my lashes long, two make them longer and thicker too! Yay! But I don't think it's such a good idea to brush the other side of my lashes on the second coat.

So I might stop getting Lash Bone after my current tube runs out. I don't need it that much except to oomph up Lash Gorgeous Wing.

So what am I gonna do with this too-white Mistine Diamond? Use it on my neck, I guess. I would give it to Mum but the case is too adorable!

Oh I also put my new True Match in G5 on top of the Mistine Diamond, hoping to tone down the brightness. It's much yellower, the True Match. In fact, after comparing Mistine Diamond to my other powders, I found it's a bit more pink than the other ones, which are yellower. Not satisfied, I put the ZA on top of that again. Now I think the True Match and the ZA are slightly darker than my real skin, which is actually a kind of pale olive/yellow. Should I be surprised that when, at the end of the night, I tried to wipe my makeup off with my Boots cleansing wipes, it didn't manage to clean up all of the foundation powder? I made sure I was completely clean with the L'Oreal after that.

Oh, when I did my usual OCD-like searches for reviews on the makeup I just bought, I came across this other Korean imitation Mistine powder -- Debutant. It's also got its own line of lip glosses too. Very interesting. The powder case is average but it's got nice Korean Gothic (as I've just now coined it) graphic designs on the front and a Korean-style plastic tray for the puff. Maybe I'll get a Debutant lip gloss instead of Etude.

P.S. It is all too easy to get finger marks all over the shiny Mistine Diamond case. But meh. It's still too pretty to give up.

P.P.S. I just tried re-doing with Mistine Diamond to see if a fellow Thai reviewer is right about its not caking after re-do. And she's right. But then, I haven't been out today so I haven't really faced extreme weather conditions, therefore not much excess oil. This powder is actually so pale -- or good at covering up -- that I have to re-do my Gino McCray blush too! I might have to get a more orange blush and lip gloss to go with it though: since it's a bit on the pink side it won't do with my pink blush and gloss.

I forgot to add that Mistine Diamond does have a fragrance. A very perfumey one. I can only hope it fades soon.

I might start using Mistine Diamond for whenever I go out, both for before going out and for re-doing.

Oh and there are tiny sparkles in it. You have to look closely though.

P.P.P.S. Okay, upon the third re-do, the Mistine Diamond is starting to look cakey. It does make my face feel soft and smooth though.

I hate being poor. I want that Skinfood White Grape pact. And I wanna buy some orangey and pale pink blush. I want that Mistine Debutant powder and lip gloss and maybe even lipstick too. For the blush I might wanna try MM or even Etude, if I can get them cheap at Rabbo. Or maybe there's some nice Mistine blush I'm overlooking down at Boots. I can't get any of that until I have more money :(

iWant: Boots Natural Collection blush

In my idleness, I OCD-ly checked out Boots.com for Boots makeup. I was already interested in the 17 mineral blush, but I realised I'd forgotten about the Natural Collection blush. I am intrigued!

Tomorrow I'm going out. Hopefully I have time to raid Boots before I meet my friend. Depending on which is cheaper and how gullible I am, I'm gonna get either the Natural Collection blush or the 17 mineral blush.

Natural Collection also has or used to have a Shine Away foundation. I'm interested as their foundation powder (which I used to have but gave away because it was too dark) was good at oil absorption. However, there is no added sun protection.

Their mascara is pretty cheap too, but I have no business buying more mascara at this point. Besides, I don't put much faith in brands that have specifically lengthening, volumising, curling, and a waterproof-only mascara. But if I'm ever caught out with no mascara and little cash, I might just give the Natural Collection waterproof mascara a try.

Oh I'm also intrigued by Natural Collection's tinted lip balm! Their lip gloss looks nice too. But again, I have enough lip products to be getting on with already. Lately I've been using the Bloom in Amour pretty much every time I put on makeup so the Berry Sorbet Natural Collection lip gloss and the Sexy Mother Pucker haven't been getting much attention -- in fact, I can't remember the last time I used them.

So, my makeup pet hates seem to be: 1. non-moisturising (non-SPF is excusable as there are many cheap SPF lip balms available) lip colours (such as my old Body Shop lip glosses), 2. non-waterproof mascara, and 3. non-SPF powder and/or foundation.

P.S. Update: Just checked out Bootsthai.com and found out that the 17 blush powder is 6 grams and the Botanics blush is 5 grams. Plus Boots is having a sale. Must check it out! Oh and some reveiws said the Natural Collection mascara is lacklustre.

P.P.S. Just tried 17 Lash Illusion completely on its own. One coat blackens and lengthens my lashes (the impact on my lower lashes is especially obvious). Two coats give me lovely, almost doll-like, lush-looking lashes. Yay :D Three coats -- even darker, even lusher, even longer :D

Also just remembered I gotta check out the cheap makeup in Watsons too. That's the 4u2, In2it, and what have you.

Quick makeupdates

It's been a while. A lot has happened.

Been using the Etude Dream On over Mistine BB cream for a change. The Dream On gives a lovely soft-looking coverage. But once my face starts to get oily, the powder starts to cake, especially on the pores of my nose. Urgh. I hope the new version is better.

I gave in and bought another In2it eyeliner, in Navy this time. It seems to take more effort to apply than the other colours -- it seems to be a bit drier -- but eventually it delivers. It looks nice with my black mascara -- not too dark but not too light either. Makes my eyes look brighter than brown or dark brown eyeliner for sure.

I decided to take the Fasio mascara out of my makeup bag. I think it's the end of the line for this one. The last couple of times I used it, it was just too dry, so much so that it appeared clumpy. For most of the time I've used this mascara -- I think over half the time -- I've had to use MM Lash Enamel Glamour Neo on top of it to rescue it. So goodbye, Fasio mascara.

I tried using the Lash Expander Frame Plus without priming my lashes with the Lash Bone first. Not bad. But I do think Lash Bone gives it extra thickness.

A "must" trick for comb-type applicators: brush the other side of the tips of your lashes after the normal application (but be careful not to get mascara on your skin), then brush the normal side over again. Fantastic definition.

It seems ZA Wide Eyes Mascara has officially been released now. According to a website or two, it's 350 baht. I'm tempted, but the fact that it's not waterproof is off-putting. What good is non-waterproof mascara to me in this humid weather?

I ran out of Fasio Pure Blush and bought Gino McCray blush number 5 to replace it. At about 150 baht, I get 5 grams of blush, which is a good bargain. I tried to choose the lightest shade of pink possible, which was hard. The first time I tried it, I put on too much, being so used to the really pale pink of Fasio. Now I know that one light dab with the brush on the blush will suffice. But the colour is not what I want. I wanted a pink, but this looks almost like the red Sheene blush I've already got. So I'm tempted to buy some other brand -- maybe an orange, coral or pink MM blush -- or the Boots 17 mineral blush.

I've been using the Boots fragrance-free cleansing wipes regularly now. They're just so convenient. They leave my skin feeling a tiny bit dry, but after that I cleanse it and it's fine. However, it fails to remove mascara. Even the non-waterproof Boots ones, if I remember correctly. So I still need to use the L'Oreal oily makeup remover on my lashes afterwards. But I don't mind. I got the wipes for cheap, and there's at least another month and a half's worth left.

After reading reviews, I'm really tempted to try Skinfood's White Grape Pact. It's supposed to be good at oil control. However, it offers no sun protection. Same with Beauty Credit's Lovely Matt Pact. I also don't really like Beauty Credit's packaging. The silver doesn't work for me.

I might end up trying Lotree's powder pact as it offers good sun protection -- SPF40 -- but the price, even at Rabbo, is a bit high for me (750 baht). Okay, so I got the Dream On for 900+ baht, but that was from an Etude shop, before I knew about Rabbo.

Oh I gave in and bought True Match foundation powder as well because it was on sale. I got G5. I hope it's not too dark. I haven't tried it yet.

I'm also tempted to try Palgantong. It's hard to come across a review that says it doesn't offer good oil control. But their packaging is not to my liking. I saw a pressed version of their powder online. Hope I can find it -- and for cheap.

Heck, maybe I just won't buy any powder at all. I am supposed to be saving money after spending too much and being told off. But I do want pink blush.

I've been using MM mascaras lately. And I use Boots mascaras when I stay in and just want to add a bit of colour to my day. I must say the 17 Ultimate Length does help my lashes stand up high. And the No 7 Maximum Volume, even when put on top of the first, makes my lashes all lush-looking -- and non-clumpy.

I really don't like using Lash Gorgeous Wing. The fibres falling in my eyes really don't make this mascara worth it. Yesterday I layered many coats of it on top of the Lash Bone and I still don't think it covers the Lash Bone completely.

Yesterday I had a nap in the daytime with makeup on. Gotta give MM, In2it and Gino credit -- the mascara, eyeliner and blush stayed on perfectly although I woke up with my face oily. I had to wipe the excess oil off and apply more Dream On and a touch more Gino.

What to do today? *sigh* ... I can't really go and buy more powder, can I.

P.S. I use the Revlon New Complexion in ... umm ... I forgot the name of the colour but it's the lightest one ... anyway I use it on my neck.

Revlon VS. ZA

Out of boredom and curiosity (and, doubtless, procrastination), I just tried on my Revlon New Complexion Oil-Free Wet & Dry Compact Make Up in Ivory Beige on the left side of my face and my ZA two-way foundation powder refill (number 22) on the right side. The Revlon is a bit whiter than my real skin while the ZA comes up slightly darker, almost orange-tan. As for coverage, I think the ZA hides my redness better. Maybe they can be used in conjunction to get the right colour? Maybe I can use the MM Pressed Pore Cover or the Mistine BB loose powder or the Boots Natural Collection Illuminating Loose Powder on top of the ZA. Or maybe I'll give the ZA away. If not, how do I make it fit into my MM case(s)?

So I guess that's a draw.

Yayz! iGotz! ^o^

Today after my final exam I went to the Watsons at Siam Square to look for those MM Spring Collection 2009 items but they weren't on display. I walked to Central World and found that the stuff that was on display just yesterday weren't there! Hmm looks like someone mucked up. So I walked some more, all the way to Platinum Fashion Mall to the makeup smugglers' stands lol and got the Lash Expander Frame Plus for 400 baht -- 90 baht cheaper than at Watsons :D They didn't have the powder though and the ladyboy that served me didn't recommend it anyway.

Lash Expander Frame Plus, like the Lash Gorgeous Wing before it, comes in a 6 gram tube. Looks like MM is up to some 'downsizing' as my Lash Bone, Lash Enamel Glamour Neo, and the previous version of Lash Expander Neo were all 7.5 grams.

I haven't opened this new one yet as I'm already wearing mascara today but I can't wait to try it out tomorrow :D

Speaking of which, today I am wearing my Fasio mascara with Lash Enamel Glamour Neo on top. I find that Fasio on its own is too dry and looks too natural so I put the MM on top and BOOM! Uber thick lashes :D

Today I discovered a new trick too. I learned a while ago that Fasio mascara is best applied on my lashes without the use of a lash curler first but today I decided to test that theory. It remained true. So, as has become usual, I used Lash Enamel Glamour Neo to try and rectify the situation. Alas, even my beloved MM HG mascara found it hard to reach the tips of my curled lashes! So I tried putting the MM on the top side of my lashes instead of the under side as usual -- and it worked! And what's more, the definition is spectacular!

What else have I found out that I haven't blogged about lately? Well, my black Gino McCray liquid eyeliner is stunning and gives enormous impact when used with any of my black mascaras. (Yes, plural. Don't make me count how many I've got now. Don't.) But for a more subtle look, my dark brown In2it eyeliner is just fine.

And I learnt something important the other day when I wore my golden brown Lash Gorgeous Wing with my Maybelline eyeshadow quad and no eyeliner: never go without eyeliner when wearing mascara. You can wear eyeliner and mascara with no eyeshadow, but you shouldn't wear eyeshadow and mascara with no eyeliner. At least not with the golden brown shades of my Maybelline eyeshadow quad and my MM mascara.

Another note to self: don't buy non-waterproof mascara. Ever again.

While my Boots No 7 and 17 brand non-waterproof mascaras are very nice, the fact that they're not waterproof is just not practical in this kind of humid weather.

Oh and I bought the new Garnier Skin Naturals Light Visible Whitening Face Powder. First I bought it in Natural which turned out to be a bit on the orange tan side for me then I bought it in Ivory. The case seems to be an exact replica of the Maybelline Clear Smooth powder. After all, they're both owned by L'Oreal, and they sell for the same low price of 189 baht. And they both offer SPF 18 sun protection. But the Garnier one is slightly different. It claims that its Vitamin C helps to lighten the skin. My verdict on the powder itself? One pat and it gives you an incredibly smooth matte look just like the Maybelline version. And like the Maybelline version, it doesn't give my skin much oil control, if at all. But for the price and the smooth matte effect, it's wonderful for touch-ups.

BTW the Garnier powder puff, like the Maybelline Clear Smooth puff, sucks. It's like a thin piece of cardboard covered with fabric of a towel-like texture with a piece of satiny fabric stuck on the top. The powder smells the same too. And it goes on well so I guess we can excuse the lacklustre puff.

Eye makeup and extremely sweaty situations

Today for the Arts Bye Nior and Concert, I wore Mistine BB cream as concealer with Mistine Platinum on top, later topped up with Etude Dream On. I wore my orange/brown Sheene blush, Berry Sorbet Natural Collection lip gloss, golden brown Fasio eyebrow mascara, black Gino McCray liquid eyeliner, Lash Bone and Lash Enamel Glamour Neo. I experienced similarly hot and sweaty conditions as Thursday's photo shoot, but not quite as harshly so, I think. However, I did a lot of dancing during the later Arts Concert, which get me all hot and sweaty. I didn't care how my powder held up as it was dark and it wasn't a situation where you cared how shiny your face was.

However, I did notice that my eyeliner had disintegrated at the outer corners of my eyes, staining my skin slightly. And the mascara on my bottom lashes was also gone. Although I did get a comment on the thickness of my lashes, it's not as impressive as the effect achieved with 17 Lash Illusion put on top.

Depending on how in a hurry I am tomorrow, I may wear either the golden brown Lash Gorgeous Wing or the 17 Ultimate Length in Teal, perhaps with the No 7 Maximum Volume in Navy on top to tone it down.

Majolica MAJORca FAIL!

Well, okay, the title is an exaggeration, but hey, I tried to be creative...

Today I quickly did my makeup before taking our Arts class photo. I used Maybelline Clear Smooth gel foundation (in Natural) with the Natural Collection pressed powder (in Warm). I'm not sure cos I didn't have a mirror (or a puff, for that matter) on me at the time but I think I achieved a light and natural-looking coverage and colour. I used the pink Baby Blossom Fasio Pure Blush, Sexy Mother Pucker nude lip gloss, dark brown In2it eyeliner, and two coats of MM Lash Enamel Glamour Neo.

Now I clearly see the difference between using just a mascara with no Lash Bone. Even with two coats, my lashes, though blacker and more defined, were still thin. Thinner than I like, anyway. Or maybe I'm just used to the thickness achieved with the help of Lash Bone or multiple coats of other mascara.

Not only that, in the evening, I found that there was even some slight smudging! It seemed all the mascara on my bottom lashes was gone and on my lower lids instead. The mascara also smudged my upper eyelids where the tips of my lashes would have brushed against my skin. And the eyeliner was also gone.

But then, we were out in the sun for ages waiting for the photographer to finish his job. It could be that and/or incompatibility with my foundation and/or powder.

P.S. The other day I found some Teal 17 mascara, but it was the Ultimate Curl variety. I didn't like the look of the brush.

Boots 17 Ultimate Length Teal mascara

Well, my lashes certainly looked long -- but certainly not thick. Which is what it's supposed to do. It took a bit of effort from me to make my lashes actually look blue -- yes, it's called Teal but really it's just blue -- two coats made my lashes thicker and more vividly blue. I wasn't brave enough to go around with bright blue lashes all day so I put the No 7 Navy mascara on top of it to tone it down.

I don't know what's happened to my Fasio. It seems so dry. Or maybe I'm just comparing it to the other stuff I've been using, all of which seem quite moist. Maybe that's the difference between waterproof mascara and non-waterproof.

This week is a week of Arts senior activities. I think I'll have to wear waterproof mascara all this week, at least definitely the day of the Bye Nior -- even though I did and ended up not shedding a tear at the Chorus Bye Nior.

Boots 17 Lash Illusion & Ultimate Length in Teal

Phew! Now that Mum's rescued me with a bit of money, I can afford to eat out and buy mascara again lol. Lucky the 17 ones are selling at only 99 atm so I got two for just 198 baht :D

I got the Lash Illusion in Midnight Black (there is only one colour) and the Ultimate Length in Teal (that's the only blue one I can find). Neither are waterproof. I don't understand why anyone bothers to make mascara that isn't waterproof. Anyway, they are 8ml each so that's pretty good value!

The Ultimate Length one, like most 17 mascaras and other makeup products, comes in a dark grey tube with slight sparkles. The Lash Illusion one is a bit more chic though: the tube is black with sort of green/blue sparkles, kind of like No 7 mascara.

The Ultimate Length has a thin brush which is convenient, unlike the brushes that come with many volumising mascaras. I tried putting it on over the MM Lash Bone & Lash Gorgeous Wing today so I can't really comment on the Ultimate Length's performance.

Lash Illusion, according to online reviews I've read, has a rather big and cumbersome brush. I don't find it to be too much of a problem -- or maybe I'm just used to getting mascara on my eyelids -*- The brush has bristles which kind of remind me of a toothbrush. The formula seems to be dull, thick and dry, but then this bottle was produced two years ago. The performance, when I brushed it on over all the other mascaras I'm wearing today, however, was very satisfying. Good lash separation. Makes my lashes look very thick and black indeed. I've yet to try the Lash Illusion or the Ultimate Length on their own, however. I don't think Lash Illusion is as good as MM Lash Enamel Glamour Neo though.

So I think my favourite waterproof volumising mascara is MM Lash Enamel Glamour Neo. For non-waterproof, I think Boots No 7 and 17 will probably take the cake.

Tomorrow I'm going to my Chorus Bye Nior so I have to wear waterproof mascara. It'll be the MM Lash Enamel Glamour Neo for sure, cos we're supposed to dress in a 'celebrity' theme. (With the extra oomph of Lash Bone to boot, of course :p)

P.S. The other night I cried while wearing No 7 Maximum Volume in Navy over Fasio. There was some slight flaking but no rivers of blue.

Happy Chinese New Year / Happy Australia Day

This post has nothing to do with Australia Day or Chinese New Year; I just needed a title :p

Today I wore the 17 mineral with Natural Collection pressed powder on top and I added the Mistine Platinum on top of that because the Natural Collection didn't brighten the mineral foundation as much as I wanted. I wore my pink Baby Blossom Fasio Pure Blush, Berry Sorbet Natural Collection lip gloss, no eyeliner, and the No 7 Maximum Volume mascara in Navy over crimped lashes.

One thing I noticed about the mascara today. The cool and wet feeling formula seemed to make my curled lashes droop a teeny tiny bit. But the brush (I think) made my lashes fan out so much that it didn't really matter! And the more coats I applied, the longer and curlier my lashes got! And once again, crimping after the mascara was dry was no problem at all.

Once again, the Mistine whiteness seemed to wear off at the end of the day. Re-applying the Mistine, however, made me look a bit cakey. So maybe I'll re-do with the Etude Dream On instead from now on. (I still have to take the Mistine with me to do my neck, though.)

Last night I experimented with the mascara, layering on layer after layer (that's a lot of layers!). Then when I went to cleanse for the night, I sprayed water on each eye with the shower head. It took a bit of time for the mascara to start flaking and bleeding off. And when the mascara was wet, the colour was brighter!

Today I checked out the 17 Teal mascara again and decided I might actually get it ... when I have more money. If I can get a waterproof one, even better. Most 17 mascaras are selling at 99 baht at the moment. No sign of that ZA Wide Eyes Mascara yet. I might actually get it in violet if I'm happy with my No 7 Navy and my future 17 Teal.

More Impressions: No 7 Maximum Volume mascara in Navy and 17 Pure Finish Mineral Foundation PLUS First Impression: Natural Collection pressed powder

Okay so today I put on the 17 Pure Finish Mineral Foundation and then the Mistine Platinum on top of that. The Mistine does a good job of lightening up, or covering up, the too-dark mineral foundation. I went out for the afternoon and when I got back in the evening, it seems the whiteness of the Mistine wore off and I could see the tanness of the mineral coming back.

Oh -- today I am wearing a bluish aqua green Chinese style top so I wore some blue-green Body Shop eyeshadow with my dark brown In2it eyeliner and the No 7 Maximum Volume mascara in Navy. The colour of the eyeshadow seemed to bring out the colour of the mascara a bit more. One coat of mascara was enough to define and fan out my lashes beautifully, although I wouldn't say they look uber-thick; I think the right word would be lush. A second coat when I got home made them look a bit thicker -- I could see it in the photos I took. Crimping on the dry first coat enhanced curl and length and produced no clumping :D

I love the lush look I get with this mascara! It also doesn't feel heavy on my lashes.

Last night when I cleansed all my makeup off, I didn't experiment with using just water first, but after I put my Ziiit Milk makeup cleanser all over my face excepting my eyes and splashed water on it, the four coats of mascara on my left eye instantly trailed down my face in a creepy navy streak (my right eye had the cleansing milk on it; maybe that's why that side didn't run). So that's what it's like to wash mascara off easily! I hate to think what'd happen if I cried or got caught in the rain with this mascara on though :s

I finally got my hands on the now discontinued Natural Collection pressed powder which is selling at the low price of 49 baht (at some Boots branches but not all; you have to be careful and make sure you're looking at the right price tag). I got the last one available, in Warm, at the Paragon second floor branch (there were two testers left -- a Warm and a Neutral -- and a farang lady that came in after me was looking at them; poor lady; I'd already grabbed the last one!). It truly is a "Natural" powder with only two main ingredients, one of them being talc, and offers no sun protection. But that's okay, all my foundations have some kind of SPF.

When I got home, I tried it on over my darkening face using the sponge that came with the 17 mineral foundation. Yes, that's one drawback of the Natural Collection pressed powder -- it has neither mirror nor applicator. So what did it look like on top of the evaporating Mistine that gave way to orange-tan 17 mineral? It hardly brightened me up at all. I put some Mistine BB loose powder on top of that. No perceivable difference. Finally I put the Mistine Platinum on top of it all. Now we're getting somewhere!

So I can't really give a full review of the Natural Collection pressed powder yet. What am I gonna do with it? Keep it as a reserve powder to use with liquid foundation. I'm just happy I got it so cheap :) Its usual price is 135 baht for 10 grams.

Then I took a couple of pictures with my camera and phone and the result is an ultra-smooth and ultra-white complexion! :O

Oh I took a look at the 17 teal mascara and, well, it's not the shade of blue I want. And I didn't see the new ZA mascara at the Watsons on the second floor of MBK. Just as well, or I'd be even poorer T^T

I did get the ZA Dewy Effect Emulsion though as a replacement night cream for my Nivea Visage White Extra Cell Repair 5 in 1 Night Cream which is almost out. ZA's Dewy Effect range of skin care is supposed to keep your skin's moisture level maintained at all times. This is supposed to be good for both dry skin and oily skin, as apparently my skin is oily because it is dry -- if that makes sense -*- The logic is, my skin is actually dry so it tries to produce more sebum to keep itself moist, but it ends up being just greasy on the surface while staying dry on the inside. I guess that explains why my nose and other parts of my face flake sometimes.

This ZA Dewy Effect Emulsion retails for 395 baht for 100ml, which I think is a good deal as there are many creams that sell at about that price for just 50ml. Can't wait to try it ^-^

P.S. It seems I have an affinity with Z-named products: Ziiit and ZA :p In fact, once my Ziiit facial wash runs out, I'm gonna try the ZA Dewy Effect gel cleanser.

P.P.S. At Watsons there happened to be a Sheene promotional thing on. Luckily I had my iPod on pause while I was paying for my ZA emulsion, cos the Sheene people just said that anyone who's got any green on them today would get a free sample of Sheene powder. Of course I'm wearing a green top so I went and got one. It's a really tiny sample (1.5 grams) of their oil control wonder. Good for emergencies. My past experience of Sheene has been good coverage but nowhere near as much oil control as they promised. But then my skin is worse than an oil slick.

P.P.P.S. I'm curious about the 17 Lash Illusion mascara. I read one good (though I think partly commercial) review on the net. It only comes in Midnight Black though and is not waterproof.

P.P.P.P.S. I hate that Boots doesn't keep their website, neither the global nor the Thai one, up-to-date on their makeup range.

Makeup Roll Credit & First Impressions: Boots 17 Skin Perfecting Balancing Foundation & No 7 Maximum Volume mascara in Navy

First of all, last night I forgot to say that I bought a new eyelash curler from Watsons -- mostly because it cost only 15 baht. My old one still works although a couple of days ago I thought it was broken -*- Oh well. Now I have a really cheap spare one.

So last night, because I'm such a mascara addict now, I put the No 7 Maximum Volume navy mascara on top of the MM combo I was already wearing (Lash Bone + Lash Enamel Glamour Neo -- a friend actually asked if I was wearing falsies!). Couldn't see the difference, of course, because the MM is so deeply black. But I tried putting water on my eyes and the non-waterproof No 7 didn't budge. Then again, maybe that was because of the waterproof MM ones.

Today I am wearing the new 17 Skin Perfecting Balancing Foundation in Natural. It's supposed to moisturise dry areas while mattifying oily areas. And guess what? It offers absolutely no oil control at all. Oh I'm not wearing any powder over it. One good thing is the colour fits my skin perfectly. In the bottle it looks a little lighter than my skin, but when it goes on, it looks like I'm not wearing any foundation at all. That's right -- almost no coverage. It evens up my skin tone and makes my nose look smooth, but that's it. It also has a nice, moist and cool sensation when I put it on, just like the Maybelline Clear Smooth Aqua Gel Foundation.

I also tried the No 7 mascara on its own today. First I curled my lashes with the new 15-baht curler. Oh and I am wearing my In2it dark brown eyeliner.

The colour of the mascara, on the brush, looks a lovely shade of dark blue, very subtle. The brush, during application, feels soft and cool and nice. The colour on my lashes, however, is even more subtle than on the brush. It may as well be black. It's not the glossy black of MM and it's not even as black as the Fasio, of course, but even when you look closely, it does not resemble a blue shade at all. The overall effect of the colour is, it's almost black, but not quite. I really wanted to try a blue mascara that was not too bright but not so subtle that it looks no different, so I'm a bit disappointed in that department.

It's supposed to give you Maximum Volume, but, as other reviews I've read claim, it's not that spectacular. I have two coats on and now it looks a bit more impactful. I will say this, however: it separates lashes beautifully. You can't see every individual lash on its own, but the effect is pretty close to that. Beautifully fanned-out effect. It also accentuates my natural lash length. And when I used my old eyelash curler on top of it after it was dry, that just made the curl, the fanning out, and the length even better. No clumping.

So it certainly gives you 'lusher lashes' like it says on the tube. It's pretty close to 'perfect separation' too. I'm happy with that. I would have liked the blue to be a bit more noticeable though.

And it does not run on my oily face.

I must admit I'm kind of tempted to get the 17 mascara in Teal to see if that colour is better. On the testers at Boots, the colour looked a bit too bright for my faint heart. But 17 mascaras are supposed to be selling at 99 baht now, so I'm tempted. Maybe I can get one next time I raid Boots to get that Natural Collection pressed powder!

Yeah, I'm such a mascara junkie. And mascara is only supposed to last 3 months >_<

I now have one lash primer mascara (MM Lash Bone), two black mascaras (MM & Fasio), one brown (MM) and one blue (No 7). That's five mascaras -- not including my two eyebrow ones!

Well, at least I use the Lash Bone every time I use an MM mascara, so at least that one will be used frequently. I haven't tried using it with other brands yet.

If I get another (blue) mascara, that'll be 8 mascaras in total, including the eyebrow ones!

And maybe I'll donate the too-dark foundations (Maybelline mineral and 17 mineral) to Mum and she might give them to a couple of her students. That'll help get rid of too-dark powders.

That still leaves me with two loose powders (Natural Collection and Mistine BB) and three liquid foundations/BB creams (Mistine BB, Maybelline Clear Smooth, and 17 Skin Perfecting Balancing Foundation).

And if I really dig the blue mascara thing, I might get some dark blue or navy eyeliner... Oh Cod >_<

Oh BTW, last night when I cleansed all my makeup off, the navy mascara did show some colour -*-

At least my too-light Mistine Number One Platinum is running out quickly. That still leaves me one Fasio and one ZA powder foundation. Not counting the Etude Dream On powder. Four pressed powders in total (not counting the 17 mineral one). And I don't yet know if Mum's got the ZA fuschia foundation case -- that'll gain me two more ZA refills!

The Natural Collection lip gloss and the Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss are used regularly so they're running out well. I still have a Body Shop lip balm that's almost run out and three Body Shop lip glosses that I haven't used in a long time and aren't running out yet!

And a multitude of eyeshadows that I don't use because I only use eyeliner and mascara for everyday wear! No sign of running out!

And three blushes that I use alternately. The pink Fasio one seems to be running out quickly but the Sheene duo ones don't seem to be even though I use them quite as often.

P.S. Another thing that attracted me to the Boots mascara, apart from the price, is the packaging, which I can only describe as elegant. It's a black tube with greenish sparkles and gold lettering. Gorgeous. For waterproof formulas, Boots have a slightly sparkly dark blue tube instead.

And why do volumising mascaras (apart from MM) have to have fat tubes and really thick brushes?

My No 7 one is actually more voluptuous than fat actually. It really does have sexy packaging appeal.

I have now applied it for the third and fourth time. I might be imagining it, but I think the colour is starting to look a little more noticeable. And my lashes are super lush :D Fluttery sexiness :D

P.P.S. I forgot to count the Bloom lip gloss that my babe sent me for Christmas (cos I haven't got it yet; it's at home).

P.P.P.S. I have just put on the 17 mineral foundation on top of the 17 Skin Perfecting Balancing Foundation. They are both supposed to be in Natural, so how come the mineral foundation is loads darker?

I really think I prefer powder foundations to liquid foundation + powder.

Anyway so I tried experimenting with my other powders to see which would help lighten the 17 mineral foundation best. I tried the Mistine BB loose powder, then put the Natural Collection green Illuminating Loose Powder (using the Maybelline kabuki brush) on top of that. Finally I put the Mistine Number One Platinum on top of it all. I didn't think it helped all that much, but when I took pictures, it turned out that my face was very bright indeed and stood out from the rest of my skin.

So it's 17 mineral foundation followed by Mistine Platinum from now on :p A good way to make both of them run out muhahaha!

And once the Mistine has run out while the 17 has not yet run out, I'll try some other powder -- the Fasio, maybe. Hehe :p

Boots Beauty Blitz

Okay. I gave in AGAIN. I bought not only the No 7 Maximum Volume mascara in Navy -- I also gave into temptation and bought the 17 Skin Perfecting Balancing Foundation in Natural too. I thought the price tag said 99 baht. It turned out to be 217 baht at the counter -*- Oh well, at least they got the mascara right.

Oh today I wore the Gino McCray eyeliner with Lash Bone and Lash Gorgeous Wing. Uber thick, uber defined lashes! :D

I tried the 17 Pure Finish Mineral Foundation on its own too. Way too dark. I put the Mistine BB loose powder over the top. Still too dark. I touched up with Etude Dream On twice. Then it started to resemble my actual skin colour -*-

Can't wait to try the new 17 foundation and No 7 mascara when I get up!

P.S. Didn't manage to grab the Natural Collection pressed powder cos the Boots branches at MBK don't have it.