Palty DIY Part One etc.

Another point I forgot to add about In2it Oil Control & Oil Free 2-way foundation powder. When I touch my face with it on, a bit of sheer powder comes off on my fingers. This does not happen with Fasio, which feels completely matte -- almost like I have on a rubber mask, if that doesn't sound too weird. In2it also comes off a lot when I remove excess oil, as I think Mistine Diamond does. I think the Diamond is a lighter colour when it comes off though. In2it, like some other foundation powders I've tried (I don't remember which ones), tends to look thick and old after you apply it a second time on top of the first and your face has become oily. So from now on, after applying foundation powders, it's powders only for retouching!

Today I dyed my hair with Palty all by myself! A first for me! I ended up using a bit too much of the cream on the top and front part of my hair because I thought I'd have enough -- the cashier told me so (though in retrospect she probably thought I was only going to use it for my roots). So I didn't leave enough cream for the rest of my hair although I tried to put a lot of cream on the more obscure parts. The roots at the top, then, were completely covered in cream and turned out a light shade of brown that blends in with the rest of the hair -- which has turned a more vibrant shade of the colour I already had. The more obscure bits turned slightly lighter maybe but the underside of the roots on the back of my head are especially noticeably dark.

All in all, not bad for a first-time DIYer. Now I know that I should get two boxes next time for hair of this length (just past shoulders). That way I'll be sure to have enough cream to completely saturate all of my hair, which I think is the trick to get an even colour throughout with Palty.

I know from experience, and confirmation by other people's webboard and blog posts, that the roots of your hair will change colour faster than the rest of your hair -- that's why instructions on DIY hair colours say you have to leave the roots alone first, which is exactly what hairdressers do (yet my roots always turn out lighter anyway -- maybe because they have to leave the cream in my hair for longer than they expected, as my hair is very thick -- every hairdresser remarks upon this, every one). With Palty this time, however, I knew that my priority was my roots, so I simply covered the roots at the same time as the rest of my hair. That turned out well in the case of the top/front part of my hair, and I think it would have turned out fine for the rest too if I'd had enough cream for it.

After reading the forums, I now know why the tips of my hair never turn out quite as light as the middle or near the roots of my hair. It's because my hair used to be dyed a darker colour. Perhaps with more cream I would have fixed this, but maybe we'll know next time. (I did try and put my tips into the bottle to get at the last residue of cream in there, however.)

Next time I might try mixing the colours in a bowl instead of in a bottle so that the cream is easier to reach. A brush would also be easier to use than a squeeze tube and comb applicator.

I'm impressed with the results of my first ever completely DIY hair colour (I've had mostly salon dyed hair and before that I got Mum or someone else to do my hair) but apart from the fact that it covered up most of my noticeable roots and intensified my existing colour -- and I was right about my choice of colour while the cashier was wrong -- I find myself kind of wishing I'd got a different colour. I mean, the red is awesome and brings out the playfulness in me, but I think it's almost time for a change.

Damn. I just found some English instructions online and it says you have to use conditioner too before rinsing and then using the included leave-on treatment.

Anyway for graduation I'll have to dye it a dark colour. I'm kind of interested in trying more Palty in Bitter Cappuccino, but I'm not sure what kind of results I'll get with my red hair. I'll have to check the swatches next time I'm near a shop that sells Palty.

The swatches on the Beauteen website don't appeal to me, and besides, Palty's supposed to be more accurate with their swatches and the actual colour you get. (Beauteen's instructions also says you should shampoo twice, but I thought shampooing just once produced enough foam -- or maybe that's just because of the colour cream?)

When I first washed Palty from my hair, my hair felt dry, just like it felt last night when I washed my hair with the remains of my Sunsilk damage care shampoo without conditioning. (When I woke up, however, my hair felt soft as if I'd conditioned with Asience. Weird.) But as soon as I put shampoo in it, it immediately felt super soft!

So maybe now I haven't washed all the chemicals out of my hair because I only shampooed once.

The colour will change once I shampoo more, inevitably. Some have said that the colour gets even brighter, golder. Interesting.

I think my hair now feels a tiny bit stiffer than it did before dying with Palty, but that could just be because of the chemical residue.

I might wash it soon, when I do the washing. Doing my washing is always a good time to condition my hair. It's also an excuse to use up the Sunsilk as I'm eager to try out the new L'Oreal Elseve with Royal Jelly. It's supposed to be a new deep conditioning formula. I really had a hard time finally buying this as the other formulas were tempting as well. A veteran hair coloring lady on Jeban recommended using shampoo for dyed hair, like the red Elseve. If Royal Jelly doesn't do it for me I might switch to the red. But I'm pretty happy with the Asience conditioner. So indecisive ...

I'm really looking forward to a nice deep dark chocolate hair colour so I hope the Palty does it for me!

Anyway, about makeup ...

Today I wore Lash Enamel Glamour Neo. Still slightly clumpy. I'm pretty sure it's partly its brush (forgive the pun) with Fasio and partly its shelf life. The second brushing helped things. Still, I think the whole problem could be avoided with the help of Lash Bone.

Speaking of which, my renewed red hair colour gives me an excuse to use the golden brown Lash Gorgeous Wing more! *cringes at the thought of fibres in my eye*

Oh -- about the Revlon lip gloss I mentioned earlier -- I read some reviews and found that it doesn't have that see-through look of normal lip glosses. So I felt a bit discouraged. I want a gloss that is see-through but not too shiny or too glittery.

Today I tried a Maybelline lipstick tester -- one of their Water Shine lipsticks, I think. The cream texture collected in the lines of my lips. I'm really craving that Bloom lip collagen!

Today I also tried putting the coral orange Body Shop gloss on with the Liplife gloss on top. This time, the Liplife glided on much more easily! And the two colours blended gave a lovely pale peach colour, almost nude, very nice on me with my current curiosity about peach tones!

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.

Eureka! In2it foundation powder & Gino Pink Passion blusher (and brush)

Yep, that's right, I got those two items I wanted! I got the Gino blush brush too because the BA said I needed to buy 300 baht's worth of their stuff to become a member ... which I did.

I got the Gino Pink Passion blusher in Sugar Peach (No. 4). It does come with a rather nice brush -- very soft -- but I don't set much store by tiny included brushes. I just hope the 94-baht blush brush I bought is worth it. If it is, I can use it instead of the old blusher brush, which I can use for my powders.

While browsing Watsons, I also rediscovered Ziiit toner. It's cheaper than any of the other toners I looked at. Ziiit has all the good natural ingredients, that's why I love it. And I will definitely be buying Ziiit toner once my current Nivea one runs out (half a bottle left now).

Now, I tried the In2it powder over the Mistine Diamond I'm wearing today (which, by the way, has such a strong perfume that I can smell it while I'm wearing it, even if the smell is less strong when I sniff the powder in the case!). It really did seem to make my skin incredibly smooth, but that may just be the fact that it's powder foundation on top of another powder foundation.

The In2it refill is just a tiny bit too small for the Majo case. It's about the size of True Match, actually.

Speaking of which, I think I'll have to give it up. And the ZA too. I checked out True Match testers again today and found that it is actually Vanilla (or something like it) that truly matches me, not the colour I've got. I also tested Maybelline mineral foundation powder as well, finding the same result. Even though their lightest shade looks way too white when I dip my fingertip into it, when I blend it into my skin, it actually doesn't look much too bright for my complexion.

As for oil control? (Back to In2it now.) Not sure. I don't think anything can ever master my super-oily T-zone. At the end of the day, the powder was melting away from my nose and collecting in my pores.

I will try Maybelline White Stay base one day though. When all my liquid foundations run out. I heard it helps a little in the oil control department.

My Lash Enamel Glamour Neo is still clumpy! Is it really Fasio's fault or is LEGN just getting old? I wore it today and the clumps were still there. Plus the formula seems to be a tad drier. I haven't tried it over Lash Bone yet though. Maybe tomorrow. I mean, today. I will also try In2it on its own as well -- and the new Gino blusher :D

BTW the In2it is in Warm Beige, or OCF 02. That's the second-lightest of their yellow tones. I think it's actually a pretty good match for me.

P.S. Just tried the blusher. The included brush is too small to be useful. The 94-baht brush, however, is wonderful! Its width actually fits that of the blusher. A couple of sweeps are enough to put some colour in my cheeks! Oh plus the blusher has a very mild fragrance too. Kind of like cookies, I think.

Maybe I can use these puny included brushes to sweep on eyeshadow instead ...

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.

A really quick makeupdate just to get my writing glands going...

Okay, so first things first -- the MM Lash Expander Frame Plus mascara. Lengthens pretty well on its own. My lashes are a good length already but this adds a little oomph to them length-wise. The fibres are soft unlike the Lash Gorgeous Wing ones. During the day I do get slight fibre flakage but it's nothing to get upset about. However, the more you apply the mascara and the more fibres get on your lashes, they start to get a little ... cobwebby. A good trick is to brush the other side of the tips of my lashes -- I find that gives my lashes a bit more definition. But be careful not to get mascara on your eyelids.

As my lashes are a bit long already, I prefer mascara that gives me big volume. This one, obviously, is a lengthening mascara. So I use it with my Lash Bone and I get just the right amount of volume and length -- and compliments, of course :D My lashes are almost as thick as with the Lash Bone + Lash Enamel Glamour Neo combo, but they're longer.

What else is new?

Oh -- I bought the MM Pressed Pore Cover at Watsons the other day. I tried it on top of the Mistine BB the other day and today I used Mistine BB plus Boots 17 Skin Perfecting Balancing Foundation with the MM Pressed Pore Cover on top of it all. The puff is very soft and velvety. The powder appears almost white and kind of shimmery. On the puff, it looks a pale skin or cream colour. It goes on slightly lighter than whatever I'm wearing as foundation. But I think it does a good job as a finishing powder. The whiteness isn't too obvious (unlike Mistine Platinum) and it blends in after a while. Today I was also kind of impressed with its oil control capabilities too -- but that may be due to the 17 foundation and/or the Mistine BB. It was really hot and humid today and I was sweating in the faculty library but when I got to the bathroom, my face wasn't as shiny as it normally would be, just moist and modestly shiny. And I think it does cover up the pores -- but that, again, may be the work of the Mistine BB and/or the 17 foundation. And it doesn't cake! That's the best part! However, it offers no sun protection so it must be used with lotion, base or foundation that does.

As Watson is having a Revlon sale with a buy-one-get-one-plus-one-baht promotion, and I'm kind of looking for a round powder refill for my Etude Dream On case (not that it's running out anytime soon -- it's like 12 grams and I don't even use it normally), and Mum was here this weekend, I kind of helped the BA sell us the New Complexion Oil-Free Wet & Dry Compact Make Up. First we got refills for the both of us -- hers in Tender Peach and mine in Ivory Beige (the lightest one in this range) at the suggestion of the BA. That night I tried to put my refill into the Mistine Platinum case but it was a bit too big. Tonight Mum instructed me to get some more of the Revlon stuff (is it powder or is it foundation powder?) because she said it was really good. I suggested we get the case plus refill this time as the refills aren't going to fit into our Mistine Platinum cases. So I got them. And I hate the Revlon case. Not only is it an old-lady olive green and gold, but it is so flimsy. I am considering getting an Anna Sui case or two -- at a cheap price, of course -- instead. Whenever the Etude Dream On runs out, I can put one refill there and the other one in the cheap Anna Sui case (if I can get my hands on one or two).

I plan to discard my Sheene Oil Free sample, my Garnier Light powder in Natural, and my ZA refill (22) by giving them to my mum. The first two powders are too dark for me and I suspect the ZA might be too. More importantly, when I tried to put the ZA refill into my new MM Pressed Pore Cover case, it wouldn't fit. It's just a bit too big. And it put hairline cracks into my gorgeous black MM case T^T

What to put in my MM cases once my Pressed Pore Cover and Fasio are gone? Well, I might just get some more Pressed Pore Cover. Or I could get the L'Oreal True Match or Ideal Balance. Or some In2it. Maybe I'll even get the MM Skin Remaker or some other Shiseido-owned powder from my locale at Platinum Fashion Mall.

P.S. I'm kind of tempted to get Lash Gorgeous Wing in black too. I haven't quite learned my lesson on that range yet. The short fibres sometimes get in your eyes during application and they do flake onto your face during the day but the latter is tolerable and the former can be endured.

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.

Makeup merit-making

Whoopee! I managed to get rid of my brown Fasio eyebrow mascara, the 17 mineral foundation, and the Maybelline one too! I gave them all to my mum. She'll probably keep the eyebrow mascara but the two powders are too dark for her so she'll probably give them to someone else.

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.

No 7 Maximum Volume mascara staying power

I just put on the No 7 mascara on top of the Fasio I wore today and had a nap of about 2 hours. No smudging, no running!

More Fasio / No 7 observations ... and more

Today I wore the Fasio again. I forgot to mention that it looks very natural. And the No 7 starts to look clumpy on your lashes if you do more layers.

I wore the Mistine Platinum again today and one of my friends said it actually doesn't look too pale. Later I re-did my face with the Etude Dream On and I think it makes me glow a little more. It doesn't look cakey like re-doing with powder foundation. However it offers no shine control at all!

Fasio Failure?

Today, because I was doing my makeup in a hurry, I used the Fasio mascara for the first time in days. I thought the formula was a little dry or maybe I'm just used to the more liquid No 7 formula. Anyway, I didn't achieve spectacularly fanned-out lashes with the Fasio. It enhanced my natural length and made each lash look a bit more visible, but it wasn't the false lash effect of MM's Lash Enamel Glamour Neo.

Poor Fasio. I think I'm giving it a miss next time.

And when I got home, I put on a second coat and it didn't seem to help much. Fasio makes my lashes very stiff too. Then I put the No 7 on over the lot so I look a bit more fluttery now :)

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.

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 17 Pure Finish Mineral Foundation

All right, so I gave in again. I bought Boots 17 Pure Finish Mineral Foundation, a pressed mineral foundation powder. It comes in a rectangular case in 17's trademark slightly shimmery dark blue-grey colour. The case looks a bit boring, actually -- that's the bad thing about 17 -- their packaging.

The foundation itself is a rectangular shape with rounded corners but is slightly less wide than the Majolica Majorca, Fasio or ZA. It weighs 9 grams and, according to Boots's website, is SPF15 (which it doesn't say on the packaging).

I really like the sponge and the mirror. The sponge is a rectangular white one, very soft. The mirror is very widescreen -- bigger than my MM case's.

Now, as I mentioned in my previous post, the Boots stores in Thailand (that I've visited in my part of Bangkok, anyway) only carry the powder in three colours: Natural, Biscuit, and Honey. Natural is the lightest so I got that -- but even when I applied it on top of my very white Mistine Number One Platinum, I could tell that my face looked darker than usual. On the Boots website, however (their global site, Boots.com), it says the powder comes in six colours, including the ones I mentioned above. The other three are Ivory, Caramel and Fair.

Some people on web reviews that I've skimmed say that mineral foundation is the best thing for oily skin. I hope they're right.

Tomorrow I'll try the Boots mineral foundation on its own. If it turns out to be too dark, maybe I can use it with the Mistine BB cream and/or the Mistine BB loose powder. Or maybe even the green Boots Natural Collection loose powder.

I just got this because it's a pressed mineral foundation at an extremely affordable price -- only 159 baht in Boots's current promotional period.

I also want to get some Boots No 7 mascara in blue, but the only one I could find was the Maximum Volume in Navy Blue. There wouldn't be a problem except that Boots makes a lot of non-waterproof mascara: any mascara that doesn't have "Waterproof" on it is not waterproof. I find this highly impractical.

But it seems Boots doesn't make waterproof mascara in blue so I think I'll have to buy the damn thing to satisfy my blue mascara curiosity. (All No 7 mascaras are currently selling at 199 baht.)

BTW, the 30-pack cleansing wipes are actually 89 baht. A bit too much for me to spend in my current poverty lol. I'm getting the blue mascara and that's it.

P.S. I put on the Fasio mascara again today. My lashes looked thin with just one coat, but then maybe that was partly because of the Gino McCray liquid eyeliner (which stays on well, BTW). After a second coat long after the first was dry, my lashes seemed to have a bit more oomph. Hmm, this will hopefully make it run out sooner lol :p

Also, next time I need to buy more blush, I'll get Gino McCray's. Only 99 baht for 5 grams! (Hmm I sound like I'm talking about drugs -*-)

In addition, I noticed they were selling Natural Collection pressed powders (now discontinued) at 49 baht. I was very, very tempted but I had to be firm and buy just the mineral powder. (Who knows, maybe I'll buy it when I get that blue mascara -*-)

AND my eyelash curler is sort of broken! :s

Goodbye Fasio?

Okay I just put on some Fasio mascara just to satisfy my fetish. I think my lashes actually look not that thick but are well curled and defined. I mean, they look thick in a natural kind of way -- not uber-thick. Not show-stopping thick.

I forgot to add that yesterday, it seemed that I was getting slightly panda-eyed but I couldn't pinpoint the source. I wasn't sure whether it was the In2it eyeliner or the Fasio mascara. Maybe one or the other -- or both -- is getting melted in the heat that's slowly coming back to Bangkok. From the colour of the panda-eye-ness, though, I think it's the eyeliner, though the lines on my upper lids don't look any less dark or defined :s

Ah, makeup talk is calming.

P.S. It's official. Fasio mascara cannot withstand the oily conditions of my face. Giving it a miss next time.

Makeup Musings

I wore my red Sheene blush, In2it dark brown eyeliner, and Fasio mascara with Mistine Number One Platinum today. Oh, and the Natural Collection lip gloss. Looked great. Natural and beautiful. But I think -- unless I put it on too hurriedly -- the Fasio mascara isn't as thick as MM! At least not as thick as MM with the Lash Bone, anyway!

Oh, the above is about Monday. I realise that it is now, technically, Tuesday.

Today, if I have enough time in the morning, I'll try the Lash Bone and Lash Enamel Glamour Neo and see how it looks :D

Hunters & Collectors and the Return of Lash Gorgeous Wing and Lash Bone

Today I went on the hunt around my area of Bangkok, looking at the Watsons stores and asking if they have the fuchsia ZA case. None of them do T^T So I'm gonna have to ask my Mum to look around my home town for it. Hopefully she finds it! *fingers crossed*

Today I went back to wearing Lash Bone with Lash Gorgeous Wing on top -- this time without using the eyelash curler at all. It's a success! Lash Bone makes my lashes curl, fan out beautifully, and even seems to lengthen them too! Lash Gorgeous Wing visibly makes my lashes even longer (my lower lashes are especially noticeable) and I can even see the short fibres sticking onto my lashes the way the advertisement says they would!

However, some of the short fibres come off onto my eyelids or my cheeks. A couple of them get in my eyes and that's really unpleasant if you have to endure it all day. Maybe next time MM will make a stickier mascara formula or something, to make sure the short fibres don't come off.

Despite other people's negative reviews of Lash Gorgeous Wing, I think I will buy it again, but in black, when this brown one runs out. It can be my "natural look" mascara whereas the Lash Enamel Glamour Neo (or the Fasio, even) can be my "dramatic look" ones.

As for school tomorrow ... hmm ... I don't know, maybe I'll go with the Fasio, because I just bought some red heels and I want to wear them tomorrow.

Oh -- and I think this is the last time I'm getting brown mascara. As opposed to blue mascara, I think it makes my eyes look even more red and tired -*-

As for whether I'll get that blue Fasio mascara ... I'll wait until the occasion arises to buy it, i.e. going to the Chinese New Year buffet, where I plan to wear my aqua-green Chinese-looking top. And if we don't go ... I'll wait until I get my ZA case first ... or until Fasio have another sale ... or until the Fasio Lash Style Perfector plus glitter mascara pack is almost sold out -*-

P.S. Just tried the eyelash curler on my lashes after a whole afternoon and evening of wearing the MM mascaras out in the city. It works! A couple of fibres come off onto the curler, but the lashes don't clump. Again, a good idea to wait until the mascara is completely dry before trying to curl your lashes with a curler.