Imju De Ja Vu Fiberwig Mascara - Paint On False Lashes

I bought this mascara from SASA in Singapore for $25 SGD. The mascara protector and comb was $4 SGD. (If you're not masterful with mascara wands, it works a treat!)

This is the Fiberwig limited edition tube. How adorable is the packaging? Even the silver end is holographic so it beats the plain red packaging any day.

Fiberwig is a top selling mascara in Japan and it's not hard to see why. Firstly it forms "tubes" over your lashes and it washes off easily with warm water. It's the gentlest and most convenient method of removal. Simply wipe them off with your hands in the shower and it's off!

Secondly, it gives noticeable length and holds a curl. I stop at three coats because my lashes get spidery after that. It does'nt give much volume though so I reserve this mascara for a natural look. I use it on the days when I could'nt be bothered with makeup removal.

Thirdly, there is no smudging. Not even on a humid day or if you have oily lids. The formula is moisture resistant. The mascara lasts all day until you wash it off. Perfect!

Jocasi Handbag & Good News

Hello everyone! I'm pleased to report that I finally GOT A JOB in London!!!

*happy dances*

So today is my last day of unemployment and believe it or not, I did'nt sleep in. I surfed the net and had breakfast early. I ordered three bottles of American Apparel nail polish, (thanks to raves from You Got Nail) and a jersey dress. This brand is overpriced in the UK but I thought, "Screw it-I have a job now!"

I went for a walk to one of my favorite charity shops. It's the British Heart Foundation and I have a good strike rate there. The quality of the stock is well selected, the shop is clean and in order. They even play nice music and offer exchanges for anything you buy. And look what I picked up!

I remember when I first saw Jocasi bags in Selfridges. I was drawn to their colourful worn-in leather but thank goodness I did'nt buy at the time. Their stuff is nice but rather exxy for bags made in Indonesia.

So here is my Jocasi bag which only cost £5. I've always wanted a soft leather cross body bag. It's big enough to fit the essentials, including a little umbrella. The brass hardware is excessively chunky but I think it makes a statement, don't you?

Tara Jarmon Skirt and J Crew Hat

Have you ever felt fabric so light and soft, you'd swear it was silk? That's what this skirt feels like but it's actually made of 100% cotton.

The skirt's contrasting print reminds me of Marc Jacobs. I could not believe my eyes when I saw this at the thrift shop. It was brand new with the tag attached for £10.

I researched Tara Jarmon's clothing and her clothes are beautiful. Very elegant and feminine.

The J Crew hat was only £3 and that was brand new too. Great for keeping my head warm and keeping the sun out of my eyes. I like how its not a beanie and you can fold it up without worrying about it losing it's shape.

ASOS Nail Paint By Ciate - Agyness

Bought this from ASOS for £1.50. I'm a sucker for the cute bottle with ribbon bow. This colour is almost identical to Ulta3 Allure.

Aygness is a beautiful dark purple satin. It applies a bit streaky at first but dries super quick. I've applied three coats in this pic.

Looks royal peacock purple in the bottle but when applied its blackish. In the evening it looks like black from a far . Very glam!

EDIT: Just to add, I found this nail polish difficult to remove. It comes off black and if you have dry fingertips like I do, it stains them unless you super-scrub it out!

Boots Natural Collection Rosebud Fig Leaf Caramel Shortcake

At Boots, the Natural Collection cosmetics range is 3 for £5. I've been looking for some nude lipsticks and was happy to find the perfect colours.

Natural Collection is a home brand of Boots. All products are less than £2 each. They have a wide product and colour range but I suspect the quality is not great. Did'nt test their eyeshadows because none of the colours appealed to me. Packaging is simple and cheap. The coverage consistency of their liquid foundations were terrible. But the lipsticks are good!

If you can overlook the plain packaging, the lipsticks are lovely pick-me-ups. They are called Moisture Shine Lipstick and are fragrance free. Texture is creamy and pigmentation is decent. Lasting power is good.

Rosebud is a soft nude pink. It's the perfect Your Lips But Better nude.

Fig Leaf is a pale brown nude. It's a little sheerer than Rosebud.

I also bought a Juicy Lips lipgloss in Caramel Shortcake. The applicator is a bit annoying because it never picks up enough product so I need to dip a few times. The colour is pinkish brown. It smells delightfully fruity but I can tell that overtime, it will smell mediciney.

Swatches: Rosebud, Fig Tree and Caramel Shortcake. Top right: Caramel Shortcake. Bottom left: Fig Tree. Bottom right: Rose Bud.

Overall the lipsticks are the only products which I recommend but only buy these on sale. NYX is still better value by far!

Smokey Eye and Contouring with Sleek Palette Storm

I'm yet another fan of the Sleek eyeshadow palette Storm. It has a versatile range of shadows with satin and matt finishes. The quality of the palette is impressive for £5!

One flaw with Sleek compared to Beautyuk's pallete is that the satin shadows are coarser. There is a thin dusting of fall out in my Sleek palette. But the pigmentation is incredible!

This is my smoky eye look. It's not OTT as you can see that the black eyeshadow doesn't go beyond the socket.

Here's how I achieved the look with the Sleek palette:

1) Highlight the brow bone with the palest shimmery shadow. (Second from the top row.)

2) Apply a base with the matt nude shadow (third from the top row) over the entire lid.

3) I used MAC's Knight Divine on the lower eyelid. But you can use the shimmery charcoal (second from the bottom row) instead.

4) Contour the socket with the matt black shadow. (Last on the bottom row.)

5) Blend, blend, blend so there are no harsh lines.

6) Using a socket brush, line close to the bottom lash line with the matt black shadow. Stop 3/4 of the way from the outside corner.

I lined my eyes with NYX black pencil liner and used white in the inner corners.

If you don't have a contouring kit, you can improvise with the two matt shadows marked below. Experiment to get the right shade and apply with a light hand. You don't want to look you have a five o'clock shadow!

You can use the palest shimmery shadow to highlight. Sweep this under your eyes, down the bridge of your nose and chin with a blush brush.

I learnt this trick from makeup school. We did'nt have contouring kits because eyeshadows and pressed powder foundations are EXACTLY the same products. If you have a wide collection of eyeshadows, chances are you already have the right colours. Remember, use matt for shading and shimmery for highlights.

I Got A Fringe + Crown Brushes Arrives

I've started noticing my prominent forehead and it's making me really self conscious. I'm worried that my hairline is thinning too. Gah!

A friend suggested getting a fringe. She said it will relax my hairline because I'm not tying it up. So today, after alot of fake fringe-play, I decided to get the chop.

I opted for a blunt fringe cut purely to hide my forehead. I don't have much volume in the front for a heavy fringe so I'm hoping it will sit properly. Five minutes after arriving at the local cheapo hairdresser, I got a new fringe.

I'm not going to post a photo yet. After the cut, I put my glasses back on, looked in the mirror and saw Ralph Wiggum. My fringe looks like his. It was'nt heavy enough to pull off the blunt fringe look. And it was too short. I forgot to add an extra cm for the desired length. Cheap hairdressers will generally cut it shorter than what you ask for.

So I'm laying low until I can train my fringe to fall over my forehead. It still peskily drifts and separates along my middle part. The hairdresser assures me that it will look better after I wash it. I certainly hope so!!!

On the plus side of today, the bestest bargain from Ebay arrived. It's a set of 14 makeup brushes from Crown Brush. I've been keen to try them since my friend used her C138 contour brush on me. They're so soft and appear to be well made. I got this set for £7.35 including shipping. Whoopee!

Chunky Diamante Pendant Charm

Just a quick post to show you this chunky diamante charm from the thrift shop. I got it for £5. When I'm not wearing it as a necklace pendant, its hanging on a cream ribbon on my mirror.

The charm might be vintage and the previous owner attached the spring ring. Anyway, I love it because it's got character and it's so sparkly!

Hello Kitty H&M Garden Pink

My nail polish collection is multiplying rapidly. How cute is this Hello Kitty nail polish?

I saw the Hello Kitty pale pastel green colour in H&M but after a spurt of neon and colourful pastels, I erred on the side of conservatism. Well not really, but pink was a more appropriate choice.

Garden Pink is a frosty Barbie pink. Yes, Barbie pink! The consistency of the product is surprisingly good for £2. Cheaper than the basic H&M nail polish. Very pigmented as two coats is more than enough. It dries fast and is not streaky at all.

Primark and H&M Hello Kitty Mini Haul

Shopping at Bond St is insane on the weekends. For me it's therapy looking for cute and shiny things. I'm a sucker for cheap thrills!

1) Fuchsia and gold glomesh necklace £1 (reduced from £3). Gives an eye-popping splash of colour to an outfit. Plus it's curiously slinky!

2) Hello Kitty Devil eyeshadow palette £1 (reduced from £3). There are seven jewel shades. Even if I don't use it, it's still pretty to look at.

3) Hello Kitty Garden Pink nail polish £2. At first I saw the green version which is pale and shimmery. But practicality got the best of me and I bought the pink one. Equally as lovely. I'll do a swatch on it soon.

4) Pineapple Body Butter £2. I don't normally buy this stuff because of my eczema but it smells like pineapple candy. I'll use it as a hand cream.

I was exhausted from the walking against the crowds. But what a productive day and I only spent £6!

Kiehl's Gardenia Essence Oil

Finally got this essence oil from Harrods!

While I was in Sydney, I tried the Kiehls essence oil range. Gardenia was the most striking. Glad I waited to buy it here because it's £20 compared to $55 in Oz.

Actually Keihls is cheapest in the States. I'll stock up on more scents when I go there!

Gardenia smells EXACTLY like stationary I used as a kid. Before the days of email, letter writing and stationary collecting was a hobby of mine. Forgotten memories come flooding back when I wear this.

It's concentrated so a tiny dab lasts for hours. The scent is powerful at first but then it develops into a lovely spring floral aroma.

The essence oils comes in a 7ml amber glass containers with roller ball applicator. It's spill proof and you can even blend the scents.

Each essence oil features the date of their first known introduction by Keihls.

Amber 1942

Chinese Flowers 1979

Coriander 1946

Gardenia 1961

Grapefruit 1976

Musk 1921

Pear 1977

Pour Homme 1987

Vanilla 1968

One thing to note is that these are not true perfume oils. They contain benzyl alcohol so beware if your skin reacts to alcohol!

MAC Pro Palette - Knight Devine, Sumptious Olive, Woodwinked, All That Glitters

I won this MAC eyeshadow palette from Ebay for a steal. I admit it's used but I wanted the palette to rotate my BYS eyeshadow pans. The MAC eyeshadows were a cheap bonus. Just so you know, the BYS pans fit perfectly!

This palette contains Woodwinked which I've been eyeing (pardon the pun!) for ages.

Firstly and most importantly, let's talk about make up hygiene.

1) Always use clean brushes. Wash them with anti-bacterial cleaner every week.

2) NEVER buy wet used makeup. This includes lipstick, lipgloss, anything which is creamy or liquid. Where there's moisture, bacteria will breed.

3) Dry powders will generally not go "off" or have an expiry date as long as you store it in a dry and dark place.

Used pressed powders are OK as long as you do what I was taught in my makeup course. This is how makeup artists clean their pressed powders.

Take a tissue and swipe over the pan. This is to remove the top layer so you expose a fresh surface. Then spray rubbing alcohol until it's wet to sterilise the surface. Allow to dry and you have a sanitised eyeshadow!

I've swatched the four MAC colours above. They are satiny and super pigmented. The colours on my hand are in the same order as the palette.

Knight Devine - Black steel, perfect for smoky eyes.

Sumptious Olive - Muted khaki green.

Woodwinked - Reflective, multi-toned vintage golden bronze.

All That Glitters - Soft peachy nude.

BeautyUK Eyeshadow Palette 1 - How To Do A Natural Look

On an impulse I bought this BeautyUK eyeshadow palette at Superdrug. For only £3.59, it's a freaking bargain. You can even buy these palettes online for £2 each!

BeautyUK palettes offers simple packaging, pretty colours and believe it or not, decent quality. Pigmentation and staying power is good. After six hours, the application still looks fresh.

The colours in the no 1 palette have satin finishes. They blend smoothly, even better than the much talked about Sleek palettes.

I've especially embraced the natural colours so I created a new tutorial video on Youtube. This is the quick version of how I achieved the natural look using this palette.

Here is the final look.

The products used are:

Base:

Eyeko 3 in 1 cream mixed with my moisturiser

Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation

YSL Touche Eclat No 2

Eyes:

BeautyUK eyeshadow palette No 1

NYX black and white eyeliner pencils

PUPA Diva's Lashes mascara

Cheeks:

Scott Barnes Chic blusher palette in Brandywine

Lips:

Modelco Wonderfull lip plumper