Something Worth Trying Out (II)

There are many products that we can easily find at the stores or online, and they have amazing qualities. However, for some reasons they haven't received a lot of attentions. It could be just me or they truly don't work on others, I don't know. If you are seeking nice makeup products to add to your collections, give these items a try.

Part I

• Boots No. 7 Exceptional Definition Mascara
• Inglot Eyebrow Pencil
• Inglot Lipstick Pencil
• Inglot AMC Liquid Blush
• Inglot Brow Powder/Wax Palette
• Dior Addict Lip Balm

Part II

• Clinique High Lengths Mascara
• Bare Escentuals Pencil Eyeliner
• Crown Brush Brushes
• Kett Cosmetics Liquid Blushes-Hydro Blush
• Kett Cosmetics Sett Powder-Translucent Setting Powder

Part III

• Stila Forever Your Curl Curl Your Memory Mascara
• Stila Eyeshadows in free pan form
• Stila Stay All Day Waterproof liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black
• Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation SPF 15/PA++
• Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil

Clinique High Lengths Mascara

I first got this mascara as a sample, and I was very skeptical with the brush. How can this brush work well, I have never seen this kind of brushes before... Surprisingly, this works so amazing on my lashes. If you have not read my previous posts about my eyelashes, I have Asian straight down lashes, they are normal length but not thick at all. Normally a volumizing mascara will be to heavy on my lashes to hold the curl, a lengthening or a curling mascara will not give me enough volume I need. With this Clinique High Lengths Mascara, it gives everything I need for my lashes: volume, curl, and length. What else do you need anyway? ^o^
The price for this mascara is not expensive at all. I think Clinique products in general is a very affordable high-end brand. This mascara comes in two colors, black and brown, and the black one sold out more quickly than the brown one in stores (when I was looking for it).

One problem with this mascara is when you take the brush out of the tube, you might get too much product on the brush that you don't need. You can either wipe off some of the product with a tissue (do not use those boxed super soft tissue, there could be some tiny white particles left on the brush); or you just scrape off the excess at the inner side of the tube opening so you don't have to waste the product. Too much product will result in eyelashes clump together. You have to make sure the small bristles are clearly revealed, not covered by the product, and then you can brush you eyelashes upward from the root to the end. The thinner your eyelashes are, the less product you want to apply each time to have the best result with this.
I don't know how this formula lengthens your lashes, it just does...I hate mascaras with small fibers in them that intend to lengthen your lashes, they leave some of the fibers at the tip of your eyelashes and look very unflattering. The fibers sometimes get onto my contacts which irritate my eyes so badly. I always stay away from mascaras like that. However, this Clinique mascara gives you a false eyelashes look without all the hassles.
This is not a mascara for you if you are going for a natural look. It's more on the intense or dramatic side. I did not have any problem wear this every day, and I still consider this as work-friendly mascara.
It will make your eyelashes a little bit more stiff after it dries to hold the curl. If you have very thin eyelashes then don't apply too much of this mascara, it might be too heavy for your lashes to hold the curl (two coats are fine).
I would not suggest to use this on your bottom eyelashes because of the shape of the bristles. Even though the bristles are small enough to brush through your bottom lashes, it is too long and the slightly curved shape might not suit everyone's eye-shape.
The lasting power is great and I don't have any complaint about it at all.
 I just love this mascara. After I ran out of the sample size one, I immediately went to Sephora and bought a new one. I strongly suggest you to try this one out.

Clinique High Lengths Mascara
$16.00 each (2 colors)
You can purchase at Sephora stores, Department Counters,
or Sephora website bit.ly/1eptK2jhttp://
Clinique website http://bit.ly/17PJKqw

Bare Escentuals (Bare Minerals) Pencil Eyeliner
I noticed the reviews on this product is not so good, about 3 out of 5 in general. I guess it must be one of those that works on some but not on others. In this case, it works on me pretty well but doesn't work on a lot of you. I am a contacts wearer, it's hard for me to find an eyeliner that is pigment enough and last me the whole day on my waterline. This one last me a long time without smearing or getting onto my contacts.

There are 7 colors total. Sephora has 6 of them (except the green one "11am-Smoky Moss"). You can find all 7 on Bare Escentuals website. I have the blackout and the deepest navy pencils, they both are very creamy when applying and have very good color payoffs.
Most of the long-lasting pencils I have used, from drugstore to high-end, they either get onto my contacts, give me panda eyes after a while, or just worn off after couple hours. I first got this Bare Escentuals pencil in blackout from a gift set. It was shorter than the original one. I left it in my drawer for a month or so without using it because I did not like pencil liners as much for the lasting power. One day when I was doing my make-up, and I really want to have a eye-look with smudged out eyeliner. That is not something I can do with liquid liners. So I grabbed this one in my drawer, with no high expectation in mind, and started to use it. Surprisingly, the liner applied on very smoothly and effortlessly; the black is black enough to give me the intensity I wanted. Since it's a very creamy pencil, I did not have any problem smudging out with a dark brown eyeshadow. After about a minute it will set. The first impression looked pretty nice, so I used it on my waterline as well. Like other times I used any pencil liner, I applied a dark brown eyeshadow (same as the one I used earlier) right on my lash line with a small liner brush to prevent the liner from bleeding or smearing.
During the day, I almost checked my eyeliners every one or two hours because I was worried about the eyeliners would not stay on well. After 8 hours, the color on my waterline faded just a little bit which is very normal, but the top liner looked fine. it didn't smear down, didn't flake off, or stick to my contacts. I was very shocked to see such results (partially due to the fact that I did not give high hope to it at the beginning...), and restored some of my confidence on trying out pencil liners.
Blah...Blah...Blah... Long story short, I purchased the navy color the next week, and it worked just as well as the black one. The navy color is a very good color for the days you don't want to wear black liners, and you want something different and less intense.
One con that comes with may pencil liners is You Need To Sharpen Them. The creaminess of the pencil just make it even harder to hold the sharp pointed tip. I feel like every time I sharpen a pencil liner, I am wasting some of the products. Overtime. I bet 1/5 of the product could be wasted if not more.
I got my pencils in March or April this year, it didn't dry up till I used it up. I hope Bare Escentuals did not change the formula of these pencils so I can try other colors after I use up some of my other liners in my collection.
The price for the liner is acceptable for the quality, for $15.00 not so bad. I can't say that this would work on everyone, but if you are still looking for a new black liner to try, put this on your list. You might be surprised too, you never know...

Bare Escentuals (Bare Minerals) Round the Clock Waterproof Eyeliner
$15.00 each
Can be purchased at any Sephora stores, Department counters,
or Sephora website http://bit.ly/1bab57B (6 colors);

Bare Escentuals website bit.ly/1eptK2j (7 colors)

Crown Brush Brushes
Crown Brush brushes are very affordable first of all, especially if you are not ready to invest in higher-end brushes just yet. You might think cheap brushes like that are not good quality brushes. I was thinking the same thing when I ordered Crown Brush brushes, and I didn't have very high expectations for them. However, after using the brushes for a while, I was so surprised that how durable the brushes are for the price I paid. Till this day, since I first purchased from Crown two years ago, the brushes still hold their shapes and work perfectly for me. 

Something worth trying out (I)

There are many products that we can easily find at the stores or online, and they have amazing qualities. However, for some reasons they haven't received a lot of attentions. It could be just me or they truly don't work on others, I don't know. If you are seeking nice makeup products to add to your collections, give these items a try.

Part I

• Boots No. 7 Exceptional Definition Mascara
• Inglot Eyebrow Pencil
• Inglot Lipstick Pencil
• Inglot AMC Liquid Blush
• Inglot Brow Powder/Wax Palette
• Dior Addict Lip Balm

Part II

• Clinique High Lengths Mascara
• Bare Escentuals Pencil Eyeliner
• Crown Brush Brushes
• Kett Cosmetics Translucent Setting Powder
• Kett Cosmetics Liquid Blushes

Part III

• Stila Forever Your Curl Curl Your Memory Mascara
• Stila Eyeshadows in free pan form
• Stila Stay All Day Waterproof liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black
• Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation SPF 15/PA++
• Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil

Boots No. 7 Exceptional Definition Mascara

Boots products can be purchased at your local Target or Target online. I have both colors, Black and Brown/Black. The reason I purchased the Mascara at first was that Lisa Elderidge on Youtube mentioned it couple times in her video. It made me very curious about the product. First of all, as I mentioned in my previous posts, I have typical Asian lashes which are hard to curl and are not very long and dense. I have always been looking for a non-waterproof mascara that can hold the curl of my lashes. We all know what a pain to try to remove any waterproof mascara completely. If you are too looking for a mascara that gives your lashes length and hold the curl of your lashes, but non-waterproof, you should check out this Boots Mascara.

On the packaging, it says:"a unique triple effect brush giving volume and definition, even for the most hard to reach lashes. With nourishing vitamins and proteins for smoother more flexible lashes. Hypo-allergenic."I would not call this mascara a volumizing mascara, but definition, yes. The curling property of this mascara was not discovered by the company, I got a bonus in this case.

Why Did Everyone Rave About It (Them) -- II. Nail Polishes/Makeup Tools/Skincares/Haircares

This part will have nail polishes, makeup tools, skincares, and haricares. Even though the products don't work on me, it does not mean that the brand in general is bad. It might because only the colors or the specific ones I owned were not as good. I am not 100% sure about that. Sometimes, because everything from a brand I purchased disappointed me, then I stopped buying from that brand.

Things like nail polishes, everyone picks up a nail polish for a different reason. I expect the nail polishes first, I like the colors; second, they last long or at least don't chip easily; third, apply smoothly and opaque (less than four coats application). I love nail polishes, but I hate the time it takes to paint my nails. So if the nail polishes are very good qualities and last very well, although the color selections aren't big, I still prefer those. Some of you may be attracted to the colors rather than the qualities in nail polishes, then you may disagree with what I have below. Just a personal preference. ^0^

• NAIL POLISHES

Essie and OPI Nail Polishes (earlier view)

I started to try out Essie nail polishes a year ago. It is almost everyone's favorite nail polish brand, so I really want to find out what makes it so popular. Well, the color selections of Essie nail polishes are fantastic, and the polishes are true to colors as well.  What I don' t like about them are
1)many of the colors I got are so streaky when apply;
2)even though the nail polishes are true to colors but many of them (especially the lighter colors or pastel colors) are too sheer to show the colors well on my nails with two or three coats. Because of that, I have to apply pretty thick and I hate that. It not only takes forever to dry but also looks very gooey and heavy. Some colors are fine with two coats, but I am not impressed with the finish anyway.
3)None of the Essie nail polishes I own last long, about three days the maximum on my nails. I would say they are on my top three fast chipping nail polishes list. For some people who like to change their nail polishes often, long lasting or not may not be a issue for them. I am not a patient person. For me,  it's hard for me to just spend that much time everyday to paint my nails. So a good nail polish should last long. I have used nail polishes from other brands, they last at least a week without chipping and damaging my nails (i.e. L'Oreal Color Rich Nail polishes, Zoya Nail Polishes, Pixel Nail Polishes, and some Sally Hansen Nail Polishes, etc).
4)The price is relatively high compare to other drugstore nail polishes. Essie nail polishes sell for $8.00 at most drugstores. In comparison to Sally Hansen Nail polishes ($2-$7), Revlon ($5-$8), or L'Oreal ($5-$7) etc., Essie nail polishes aren't the best among all those brands. You always want to get what you pay for, right?

The same applies to the OPI nail polishes. The quality of the nail polishes are not very consistent. Some are fine, some are not. Again, the color selections for OPI are fantastic, but for the price I don't find the polishes last very long at all.

Of course, it might because the colors I bought were not the best colors to represent the two brands. However, I would not say the brand in general disappointed me unless most (if not all) of its products I purchased were far below my expectations.
I do like nail polishes, but I would not buy them just for the colors when I know the qualities are not good. Exceptions happen when I cannot find better alternatives where so ever, which rarely happen to me.

Here are what I have:

1.carry on 2.master plan 3.figi 4.limoscene 5.ladylike 6.lilacism 7.jamaica me crazy 8.mezmerized 9.turquoise & caicos

1.simply smashing 2.black shatter 3.chapel of love 4.ogre-the-top blue 5.fiercely fiona 6.just a little dangerous 7.how cute is that? 8.blasted silver
a-h are from the sephora by opi mini sets, I could not find the names since they are no longer available...sorry

(Continue...) Updated View on Essies

The reason I have an updated view for the nail polishes is that I found a way to make the Essies last much longer.

Why Did Everyone Rave About It (Them) -- I. Makeups

One of the reasons we like reading beauty blogs and watching Youtube videos is that we want to find ideas about purchasing some products, or using some products so we will not waste our money on useless things. I truly want to follow the hype of all the stuff out there, and I wish they all work like wonders on me as well. Unfortunately, something are swore by everyone else, to me they are waste of money.

I rarely return beauty products unless they just won't work on my skin, no matter how many different ways I have tried to use them. Believe me I tried so hard to love what many others loved, but I could not figure out how. What I have learned so far is that always try before you buy. If you cannot get a sample, get a travel sized one especially for high-end products. 

(A SNEAK PEAK OF Part I & II)
A product doesn't work on me DOES NOT mean it is a bad product. I haven't seen any one beauty item that worked on all people whoever bought it, and all of them loved it to death. If you did, please let me know, it must be a hell amazing thing on planet. You can read thousands of wonderful reviews about something, but none of them is a guarantee to you that you can get the same good results.

Here are some popular products I had high expectations but was disappointed after using:

• MAKEUPS

MAC Face and Body Foundation

When I bought this foundation, I was really expecting it to be my next favorite foundation all time. (especially Pixiwoo-one of my fa youtubers loves this) Unfortunately, I really could not find one thing about it I enjoyed, well, besides the fact that it is a product from MAC... -_-! Anyway, MAC claims that the Face and Body Foundation is  

A water-based, water-resistant foundation that provides long-lasting, natural coverage for face and/or body. Ideal for all skin types. Face and Body Foundation provides sheer, natural looking coverage in an easy to blend, water-resistant formula. The long-lasting formula is available in a wide range of colours and contains several emollients to help moisturize and condition the skin. It delivers professional looking results that meet the exacting standards of beauty photography and is ideal for perfecting the face and body.

When you read MAC's description of this foundation, don't you think it is such a nice product that is not oil-based, is water-resistant, long-lasting, and gives a natural but perfect finished look? I have combination skin with oily t-zones and chin area. I have been wanting to try a water-based foundation because they will not add extra oil to my face. That being said, after the first time using it, I broke out so badly around my chins and my forehead, worse than all my other foundations with only one use. Very unexpected. Also, the finish is too dewy to look natural. My face just looked like "wet" all over, even after I tried to powder it down.
I didn't expect this to be a full coverage foundation when I bought it. However, there was nearly NONE coverage after the first layer. I tried to build up, the coverage was still so sheer that even a tinted moisturizer might have better coverage. At the same time, the more layers I applied, the more dewy my face looked. Odd enough, this water-based foundation made me feel that my face could not breath through it.
I managed to keep it on for a full day when I first used it. Although I did not feel comfortable with it on my face for that long, I want to see the lasting power and oil control capability. First, it does not control much oil through out the day. The dewiness already gave me a oily feeling at the beginning anyway. Then, the lasting power I would say just like my other foundations, nothing better. Since I could barely see its coverage, It was kind of hard to tell whether it faded or how much it faded.
I gave a second chance to this foundation the next day, the results were the same for both days. I tried to apply with my fingers, a brush, and a beautyblender, did not notice any difference. I did not bother to try the third time because I just simply hate the way it feels and looks on my face.
Sadly, I returned to the store at the end.

I would not say the claim MAC stated about the Face and Body Foundation was false. For those who have perfect skin, and skin type is from dry to normal, this foundation could have worked perfect for them. If the "natural" looking in the claim means that you can only see the real natural skin after apply it, then I guess my face looked natural too because I had a hard time to cover any blemish. How could that not be natural? One thing I can guarantee you is that you will never have to worry about looking cakey or too matte with this foundation.

This foundation retails for $33.00 for 120ml/4oz. The size is pretty good size for the price. You only have 13 different shades to choose from, 7 cool toned and 6 neutral toned. If you have yellow undertones, then go with the cool toned colors (C1-C7). Otherwise, go with the neutral-toned ones (N1-N3, N5, N7 & N9). Because the sheer coverage, the colors don't show up too much. I think that's why there is not a big selection of colors compare to other MAC foundations.

Disappointment Level: 5/5

Revlon Lip Butters ($6-$8 various in drugstores)

Almost everyone I came across was talking about the Revlon Lip Butters since Christmas. How could that make me not curious about them? The first mistake I made was that I bought too many before even tried any. I am not saying the Revlon lip Butters are bad products at all. I actually like them, but I don't see how extraordinary they are in comparison with many other similar products which I think are just as good as the Lip Butters, or even better.

Revlon Lip Butters are supposed to be tinted lip balms, that means they not only moisturize the lips but also give colors to the lips. On the moisturizing side, the Lip Butters are okay, not anything special. The moisture does not last very long, couple hours the most. Talking about the "tint" of Lip Butters, Revlon did a pretty nice job on that. As you can see from the swatches, the color pigmentations can be seen as sheer lipsticks with a glossy finish. The texture is very creamy and soft, easy to glide on lips.

Here is why I was disappointed: if you consider the Lip Butters "lip balms", I did not get long-lasting moisturization when I used them. They actually made my lips a bit drier than earlier after they were worn off (The Lip Butters are no way comparable to my other favorite lip balms, i.e. Burt's Bees Lip Balm, Rosebud Lip Balm, Dior Addict Lip Treatment, Korres Lip Butters, etc.). If you consider the Lip Butters as "moisturizing lipsticks", the color payoffs are not considered the best in the market, some BabyLips from Maybelline even have more intense color payoffs.

I think the packaging is cute, and I also like that I can actually see the color of each Lip Butter from the top of the lid without taking it off. There is one problem about the packaging. Because the texture of the product is very soft and creamy, when I used it I noticedthe top surface of the actual lip stick could be easily press down more than I wanted (some excess product was smashed at the tip a bit). So when I twisted back up, the product would touch the side of the tube, make it a little bit messy. This is minor  problem, just be careful not pressing too hard when you put on your lips directly from the tube. I have to say that we all have those days when we don't want to wear bold colors lipsticks, the Revlon Lip Butters are good choices for that.

I did not return what I bought because I do not think they are bad products at all. I am just not overwhelmed like many others by their qualities.

It's not hard to find a really good tinted lip balm, or moisturizing lip sticks whichever you prefer, from other brands. It really depends on what you are looking for more in a lipstick, better pigmentation, better moisturization, longer lasting, or more creamy texture.

I personally do not mind have the lip balms and lipsticks separately, as long as they do their own job nicely. It is still great to have something like the Revlon Lip Butters combine the two tasks into one. If you want to try them, don't buy too many the first time. Since they will be in the market for a while, no need to rush out and get one.

I think there will be more and more high quality tinted lip balms or moisturizing lipsticks coming out from all different brands. Liquid lipsticks and Lipstick pencils are trends too, such as MAC kissable liquid lipsticks, Chanel liquid lipsticks, YSL liquid lipsticks, Inglot lipstick pencils, Tarte lip surgeon, Lip Fusion Lip Pencils, NYX Jumbo Lip Pencils, and Buxom Big and Healthy Lips pencils, they are all lovely products to try out.

Disappointment Level: 3/5

NARS Blushes

NARS is a high-end brand that has a lot of amazing stuff. Her powder blushes are one of the them almost everyone has been raving about. I included them not because I didn't like them, it's because for the money I would not want to choose them over some other blushes I love.

Starting from the packaging, it is not the type I like since it gets dirty so easily. The material can prevent the product from sliding out of you hands, but at the same time it tends to grab powders and make the case look like a mess. Also, you cannot see the product inside from the packaging, this can be annoying sometimes. ELF blushes have very similar packaging to the NARS ones, except ELF used smoother materials for the case and you can see the actual color from the small clear window at the front. Yes, NARS packaging does look more luxurious and more expensive than the ELF ones, but less convenient though.

The formula is nice, not the best. It is very pigmented no doubt and the products apply easily and last very long. However, I think they are too powdery, which is okay for me if the powder can be more silky and finer. I would not say this if I have not discovered the Illamasqua blushes, and the Make Up For Ever blushes. The other two are just so smooth and almost feel like a cream texture. The pigmentation is amazingly pigmented. In my opinion, they are better than the NARS blushes.

NARS blushes retail for $28.00 and you have more than 20 different colors to choose from. If I have the money I would buy the Illasmasqua blushes ($24) or the Make Up For Ever ($19) blushes, It could be just the personal preference that I am not a fan of the NARS ones. If you want to have the NARS blushes in your collections, I will still say go for it. I will highly recommend you to try the Illamasqua and MUFE too, then you may understand why I love them so much better. :D

Disappointment Level: 2/5

NARS Multiples

First of all, I don't know if you remember I put this in my favorite face product of 2011 post before. I don't want to confuse you that whether I am talking about the same product. Yes, I am talking about the same one that was listed in my favorites. Why? When I first got this product, it was last summer, I very enjoyed using it through the summer and fall. During that time, my combination skin was more oily than dry, so I didn't find it hard to use this. Then in the winter, I did not use highlighters much, if I did, I was trying out some other stuff. Thus, in my mind, I was very pleased with the NARS multiples. That was why I had it in my favorites list.

Do You Know...?

L'Oreal owns

Garnier, L'Oreal Paris, Maybelline New York, Softsheen-Carson, L'Oreal Professional, Kerastase, Matrix, Mizani, Redken, Lancome, Shu Uemura Art of Hair (not the whole beauty category), Biotherm, Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, Kiehl's Since 1851, La Roche-Posay, Inneov, Skinceuticals, Vichy, Sanoflore

L'Oreal is the world's Largest cosmetics producer by revenue.

Estee Lauder owns more than 20 skin care and makeup brans as well as a variety of fragrance brands.

Its core cosmetics brands include:

Estee Lauder, Clinique, Prescriptives, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Darphin, La Mer, and Tom Ford.

Estee Lauder also owns global licenses to market fragrances under brand names such as:

Tommy Hillfiger, Donna Karan Cosmetics, Sean John Cosmetics, and Aramis.

Some of you might have already known these, some might not. I was really surprised to know that L'Oreal owns so many big and well-known brands. Also, Estee Lauder owns MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique... Who would ever thought about they were from the same company!!

Anyway, I thought I could share this info with you. Very random, but beauty related though. ^0^

In my head, I was thinking:"so were the L'Oreal lipsticks manufactured in the same factory as YSL...? They don't look or feel the same at all. The PRICEs even have bigger differences!!!! I wish I could use the price of L'Oreal products to buy YSL, Shu Uemura, etc. Sigh..."