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.

Day Two with Etude Precious Mineral BB Pact

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

- Etude Precious Mineral BB Pact

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

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

- Mistine Diamond and In2it on top for neck

Cheeks

Gino McCray Pink Passion blusher in No. 4 Sugar Peach

Lips

Bloom lip gloss in Amour

Eyebrows

Fasio eyebrow mascara in Golden Brown

Eyes

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

- Brown In2it eyeliner

- MM Lash Bone

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

Top

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

The results

Gorgeous!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And this is the kicker.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 ...

iWant: Boots Natural Collection blush

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Happy Chinese New Year / Happy Australia Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And it does not run on my oily face.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boots Beauty Blitz

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boots Beauty Buzz @ Chamchuri Square

I went to eat at BKK Grill at Chamchuri Square today after class. I ordered the pork chop steak with honey sauce and instead got just the pork chop steak -*- (Yesterday I ordered a small Gloria Jeans coffee and got a regular instead -*-)

Afterwards, for lack of a Watsons, I went to look at the Boots branch instead. They're having a Chinese New Year sale. Lots of their house brand cosmetics are retailling at reduced prices. I spent a few minutes checking out their makeup, especially.

Boots' 17 brand makeup now has a pressed mineral foundation powder compact. It's selling for about 159 baht at the moment. Interesting. I don't really like the colour of the compact, but the idea of a cheap pressed mineral foundation powder is tempting. I don't know what SPF it is though -- it says it's got sun protection but doesn't say how much. And I only saw three colours there: Natural, Biscuit, and Honey. Natural, the lightest one, looks too dark for me!

Boots' No7 brand makeup has a wide range of mascaras and they're selling at about 199 each at the moment. They have a "Brown/Black" colour that's sort of tempting -- it's not as clearly brown as the MM Lash Gorgeous Wing -- in fact, it's almost black. But then I remembered I'm not gonna buy brown mascara any more. They didn't have any testers for the blue mascara though (called Navy) so I don't know what that colour's like.

Also, the Boots cucumber skincare range (apart from having a 75-baht moisturising cream) has some makeup cleansing wipes -- 10 for like 49 baht and 30 for like 69 baht. Very interesting. Would be useful for nights when I'm too lazy to wash my face. (Which is miserably often.)

Oh -- today I wore the Lash Bone with Lash Enamel Glamour Neo. The difference in impact between the two MMs and the Fasio is colossal. My MM lashes are probably twice as noticeable as with the Fasio. And of course, no panda eyes. I can also curl the lashes after the mascara is completely dry, but they have more tendency to clump together than with the Fasio.

Don't know what I'm gonna wear tomorrow. I need to use up my Lash Gorgeous Wing. Too bad brown makes my eyes look tireder.

I saw some ads for Maxim fashion contact lenses at an optometrist's too. I'm a bit tempted because their blue contacts look quite clear and natural. But I know that using contacts means I also have to clean them and artificially hydrate (lubricate??) my eyes, incurring more costs. And I'm so poor right now. Too many good meals and expensive coffee. Ah I miss Starbucks! They always smell so inviting whenever I walk by!

Oh and I re-did my face with the Etude Dream On today. I think neither it or the Mistine Platinum look much too light for my complexion any more. Either I'm paler or something about the powder(s) changed.

Afterthoughts

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

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

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

Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Healthy Natural Foundation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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