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.

Makeupdate: Gino is In2it

So today (I mean Saturday) I wore just the new In2it powder foundation, the new Pink Passion Gino blusher applied with the separately-bought Gino brush, my navy In2it eyeliner and MM Lash Enamel Glamour Neo.

It wasn't just the effect of foundation powder upon foundation powder. In2it really is amazingly smooth. It is slightly whiter than my real complexion but I think if I'd bought a darker colour, it would have made me look darker. I'd rather look lighter than darker. (On a side note, I love that widescreen mirror.)

The peach-coloured Gino blush, applied on its own with the special Gino brush, requires a little more effort to bring about a noticeable hue to my cheeks. At the end of the day I tried the Gino brush with my previous Gino blush, the Mystique Potion line one in the palest pink I could find in that line (which isn't too pale, in fact -- looks almost the same colour as my red Sheene blush). With this more obvious colour, it was much easier to achieve noticeable colour -- one sweep on each cheek was quite enough.

The Navy In2it eyeliner does make my eyes look bright and noticeable. I took as much time as I dared applying the MM mascara. Maybe less clumps than yesterday. But at the end of the day, I found that my bottom lashes were half gone and on my eye bags! Plus I experienced slight flaking, as I did yesterday -- but less than the Lash Gorgeous Wing would have produced. Oh, and the Navy In2it eyeliner flakes upon application too, probably because I need to exert more force with it than with its brown and dark brown sisters.

Oh and last night I tried using my old Body Shop coral orange lip gloss again. It's very shimmery. Quite nice. And I might have been hallucinating or something but I think it left my lips feeling moisturised, which I never experienced with this particular lip gloss before! I am sure I was told by the BA that it's not a moisturising lip gloss.

So I think my hunt for the perfect foundation powder is over. I still have to find ways to use up and give away all the other ones though. I no longer feel the need to try Etude BB Magic Pact, Lotree, or Skinfood. In fact, I don't really feel the need to buy more makeup now at all. I am a bit tempted to buy some Bloom lip collagen, as today I realised how lined my lips are. But maybe they're just malnourished at the moment. The Bloom lip gloss in Amour has served me very well. I realise I need to use pale lip colours as when I apply foundation and powder, the colour of my lips ends up standing out and I have to tone it down so as to draw more attention to my elaborately-made-up eyes. My lips are quite full so I don't need lip plumping (the Sexy Mother Pucker notwithstanding -- the name is too naughty, I had to get it!) but I can't really bring myself to use lipstick as I think it looks to opaque. I like the clearness of gloss but I don't need loads of shine and glitter. I think I'll look for a beige and/or coral colour next. When my Body Shop one runs out, perhaps.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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