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.

Maybelline Water Shine 3D Collagen in 244 & 204

Okay, so I caved in and bought not one, but two more Maybelline Water Shine 3D Collagen lip colours. First I bought number 244 at the second-floor Watsons at MBK, then when I went to the Watsons on the sixth floor, I realised that number 204 looked more orange -- or darker, anyway -- so I bought that too, as well as Nivea Q10 lip care (which advertises "UV Filter" but doesn't actually say how much SPF).

Anyway after some tests (including photos) I've decided to take back the number 201 from Mum, keep number 244 and give Mum number 204. I don't think she'll notice.

201 is the lightest pink of the three and has mostly gold shimmer, 244 is more orange with mostly purple shimmer, and 204 is darker than both, on the reddish pink side, with gold shimmer.

Gosh, lipstick is so hard to buy! Maybe next time I should opt for nude/beige colours. I actually picked up the MM Honey Pump Gloss testers in the beige tones. 6.5g each @ 220 in Watsons and 200 at Rabbo. Not bad. Maybe next time. (I heard MM lip products are quite sticky though.)

Oh, what ever happened to Moisture Extreme? Well, I picked up Iced Peach Tea, tested it on my hand or forearm (can't remember which) and just didn't like the colour -- too dark red -- and the texture -- nowhere as moisturising a feel as the Water Shine 3D Collagen ones, and going on less easily. The colours available were a bit on the dark or pink side.

Out of all the lip colours I have at the moment, I think the best colour is my Bloom gloss in Amour. The website described it as a barely-there pink, and that's exactly what it is. Not too showy but just enough shine and colour -- and it feels smooth and moisturising.

Anyway back to the Water Shine 3D Collagen. It really is very shiny. And the colour intensifies the more you layer on. It certainly feels moist when on.

Maybe when Moisture Extreme releases its purported collagen range, I'll be brave enough to pick out a new colour. But for now, that's enough lipstick for me. I've already bought three of the four coral shades in the Water Shine 3D Collagen range - -"

Oh -- a little Etude mineral BB pact follow-up here. I put it on once while I was doing my makeup, wiped off excess oil and put some more on before I went downstairs and didn't retouch again for the rest of the night. When we came home from MBK I asked Mum if my face looks less shiny and oily than usual and she said I was right.

Retouching the first time did not cause visible problems but now, so late at night, I can see evidence of caking. But that's okay.

Could this be my HG powder foundation??

I'll have to try it with my other stuff first -- the Mistine BB, the Maybelline Clear Smooth Gel Foundation, the 17 balancing foundation. And later, the Maybelline White Stay Base, and maybe even Kiss base once I get around to trying it (after I've used up the rest ... is that even possible?).

How the hell am I going to get through all this makeup??

I keep hearing ZA is good but the colour I bought is too dark. Gah.

Mistine BB is selling at 99 baht at 7-Eleven. And Watsons nose pore packs are now selling at 69 baht instead of the usual 99. So tempting!

P.S. 10 April: Just tried the Water Shine 3D Collagen number 244 without putting on any makeup at all. It's quite close to my natural lip colour so I think it must be the best colour for me. Still not sure if I should keep number 201 or number 204. One is too light a pink and one is too red.

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

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.