Make-Up Collection {Part 2 ~ Eye Products}

Following from Part 1 of my make-up collection, this post will show you the biggest part of my make-up collection... eye products.  I have accumulated quite a good number of products over the past years especially eyeshadows but I still enjoy buying any particular colours that I don't have, in fact I just ordered some new products from e.l.f. cosmetics :)

Eye products happen to be my favourite part of my entire make-up collection so much so that I have a palette that I have never used simply because the colours in it are so bright and beautiful that it makes me happy just by looking at it; and it looks too perfect to be used!

Let me start by showing you eye pencils, cream/cliquid eyeliners and mascaras first and then move on to the eyeshadows!  I love how you can play with different eyeliners to emphasize your eyes and create different looks accordingly so it's no wonder that I have quite a bunch :) I will also be sharing with you the different pairs of falsies I own as well as my preferred lash glue :)  I store my eye products in the second row of my cabinet (lashes and liners in the small drawer, eyeshadows in the wicker basket; I keep my most reached for on the cabinet itself).

I'll leave you to the photos now and I will also provide links to products that I have already reviewed and if you want me to review any of the non-reviewed ones, just let me know in the comments section :) Enjoy!

Pretty Wild High Impact Mascara

Rimmel Extra Super Lash Lash Building Mascara

e.l.f. Lengthening & Defining Mascara (x2 Black; x1 Black Brown)

e.l.f. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara

e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner in Stardust & Black

e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Black & Coffee

eye-define duo eye pencil in Purple & Green

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk

e.l.f. Brightening Eye Liner Pencil in Black

Rimmel SpecialEyes eye pencil in Forest Green

essence eyebrow designer in 02 Brown

Estee Lauder Eye Defining Pencil

Pimkie eye pencil trio

Technic black eyeliner pencil

Max Factor Kohl Pencil in 020 Black

Artdeco eye pencil

Maybelline Expert Eyes Kohl pencil

Black Onyx Eye Pencil in Purple

e.l.f. Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils in Twinkle Teal, Iconic Ivory & Boldly Bronzed

Barry M Pink eye pencil

e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliners in Metallic Olive, Teal Tease & Midnight

ES brand 10 pairs different eyelashes

Revlon Beyond Natural eyelashes in Natural Defining & Dramatic 3x Volume

Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive

eyelash applicator

So, with the liners and lashes out of the way, here are the single eyeshadows and the smaller palettes first:

Miners Supashine Shadow in Moonlight & Ethereal

Ultra Glow Professional Shimmer Pot in Icicle

Barry M Shimmering Body Creme in Golden Highlights

e.l.f. Eyelid Primer in Sheer

Face Candy Couture Mineral Eyeshadow samples

Rimmel mono eyeshadows in Moonlight & Smokey Quartz

Covergirl Eye Enhancer trio in Cafe au' Lait (Double Espresso)

No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow in Tender

Wet 'n' Wild coloricon eyeshadow in Brulee

e.l.f. Duo Eyeshadow Creams in Black Licorice, Berry Mix, Blueberry & Eggplant

e.l.f. Studio Single Eyeshadow in Raspberry Truffle

e.l.f All Over Color Stick in Persimmon

e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadows in Outdoorsy, Socialite & Caffeinated

Amarena Make-up Palette

Collistar mono eyeshadows

e.l.f. Studio Eye Transformer Palette

e.l.f. eyeshadow trios (limited edition from the 2010 Christmas Collection)

Finally, here are the larger, more colourful palettes:

Valentina D Make-up Pallette

Deborah Stories Large Make-Up Pallette

e.l.f. Everyday Brights 32 Piece Eyeshadow Palette

Technic eyeshadow palette

e.l.f. Party Pallette (limited edition from the 2010 Christmas Collection)

Estee Lauder neutrals palette

Revlon Warm & Toasty Creme Eyeshadow Palette

Mid-Week Beauty Masterclass: How to clean and care for your False Eyelashes

Hello my lovelies :) I scheduled this post as I will be at a wedding while you're reading it :) This week, I will show you how I clean my false eyelashes and preserve them for another few uses rather than using them just once and dispose of them.  This is also a great tip for saving some money with the more expensive falsies.  I honestly do not wear falsies much but when I wear them, I tend to clean them the day after as after a night out I would be too tired to clean my falsies :p 

What you will need:

~ Paper Towel

~ Brow/lash Comb

~ Small fan brush

~ Tweezers

~ Eye Make-Up Remover

~ Small plastic container

~ dirty false lashes

Method:

1. Pour a little eye make-up remover into the plastic container and put in a pair of the dirty lashes.

2. Leave the lashes to soak in the make-up remover for a couple of minutes.

3. Carefully, take one lash out at a time by means of tweezers and place on the paper towel.

4. Dip the small fan brush in the make-up remover and remove mascara from the lashes. Put the lash back in the container and repeat until no more mascara comes off.  Do the same with the other lash.  Remember to clean the underside of the lashes as well.

5. Take off any left-over lash glue with your fingers.

6. Brush the lashes through with the lash comb to separate them.

7. Store the lashes back in their original case and voila'! Lashes are clean again and ready for another use!

Steps 1 - 4

Steps 5 & 6

Step 7

I hope you found this post informative :) If you have a different method as to how you clean your falsies, do let me and other followers know :)

Review: kkcenterhk ES A500 10 Different Pairs False Eye Lashes

Hello my lovelies :) Today I will be reviewing some false eyelashes I was sent by kkcenterhk to review.  They let me choose which lashes I wanted to try and I opted for these ES brand ones which are basically 10 different pairs of falsies! How cool is that? You get different styles to complement different make-up looks and occasions in one box!  Apart from false eyelashes, this company sells wigs, make-up as well as some accessories.

Delivery was somewhat fast so I pleased with that.  The only thing that bothered me was that they were supplied in an envelope which is closed by some string and therefore anyone could have easily opened it.  Having said that, they all arrived intact and in perfect condition.

The packaging consists of a little black box with the ES logo on the front and instructions on the back of the box.  The instructions though seem to have been badly translated by some translation tool so if you want more clear instructions, please check out this post.  When you open the box, the lashes are all neatly put on a separate tray with curves for the eyelashes to retain their shape.  Here are a few pictures:

All the lashes have a thick black band which I think it is a plus as it is less tricky to blend with eyeliner.  Also, it is quite flexible and therefore easy to fit your eye shape.  Here are a couple of close-up pictures to show you the different styles of eyelashes:

Till now I have used the fourth pair from the top in the second picture.  I really liked the results as they made my lashes look longer and more defined and I didn't need to use any mascara to blend my lashes with them.  They feel really comfortable on the eyes and the size was just right for me.  Here's a picture of when I wore these lashes:

If you care for these lashes, like all others basically, they can last you a pretty long time and can therefore be re-used.  

These lashes are quite affordable as they retail for $7.96 for 10 pairs and can be found on sale from the kkcenterhk website.

Do you own these lashes or any others from this company? What are your thoughts about them?

Mid-Week Beauty Master class: Mascara & False Eyelashes

Good morning ladies! Time for another beauty master class! Today, we will be talking about mascara and false eyelashes. Personally, mascara is my favourite make-up item as I love how it can alter your look to a whole new dimension.  This is even more so for false eyelashes and I can see why there has been all this hype around them lately.  I prefer natural looking ones though as I think fuller versions don't suit me.  Let's start with mascara and then go on to the false lashes. 

Mascara 

There exist a hoard of mascara formulations out there which translates to a big variety to choose from as well as confusion to beginners.  

Basically, you just have to first decide if you want a waterproof version (highly recommended in summer) or just a regular non-waterproof mascara.  Once you have decided on this, you need to know if you want thicker, longer or more defined lashes, then everything falls into place and you can try out different mascaras that fit your criteria!  Don't let all the different wands confuse you :)... thick and big wands are usually for big, thick lashes whilst smaller wands with more spaced-out bristles are usually for separating and defining lashes.


What you surely don't want is a clumpy or flakey mascara so do look up reviews on beauty blogs or YouTube before going out to buy a new mascara and also take your time to find out what works and what doesn't for your individual needs. One tip: Do not spend a fortune on mascara as you will have to chuck it out after 3 - 6 months.  


In fact, if your mascara smells funny, chuck it out immediately... no one wants eye infections!  To prolong the life of your mascara, try twisting the wand when taking it out instead of pulling it out straight away to prevent bacteria from entering the tube.  Mascaras work by coating the tips of your eyelashes in colour and thus make them look longer.  Nowadays, mascaras come in all sorts of colours as well apart from the usual black and brown so you are definitely spoilt for choice.


Mascara also comes in clear format and this is perfect for use on brow hairs to keep them in check and it also complements a natural, polished look to perfection!

For more fun facts about mascara, click here :)

False Lashes

Nowadays, falsies have gained quite some momentum in the beauty world as they are also becoming everyday staples in make-up routines... they are no longer reserved for parties and nights out only!  They are absolutely a blessing for people with short lashes and they range from the very subtle and natural versions to the more eccentric and colourful.  I really amaze myself at the way they change your whole look!

You will need a very good glue to make sure they do not come off.  I personally prefer Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive.  Duo Adhesive is also a very good alternative.  For a step-by-step guide on how to apply false lashes please click here.

I hope you found this post useful in some way :P

Happy lashing!!

xoxo

Review: Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive

As promised in my review about Revlon's Natural Defining false lashes, here's my review of the Precision Lash Adhesive.

So, let's start with what the packaging looks like:

As you can see, it is your basic clear plastic packaging with a black and pink cardboard insert with instructions (similar to eyelashes pack) containing a 5ml sized bottle of lash glue or adhesive. 5ml is a good size in my opinion but since I don't know the retail price I cannot say if it reasonable or expensive. Also, considering a 12 month expiry period, for me 5ml are enough. And just as for the lashes, the packaging here is also marked as 'Eco-Friendly'... good to know companies are going greener :).

Now let's see how the adhesive matches to the claims printed on the pack.

1. Ultra Thin Brush... the image below says it all

2. Mess-Free Application... with such a thin brush you cannot go wrong and therefore it really does apply without any mess

3. Dries Clear... like other lash glues mentioned in video tutorials I've seen, the glue appears that translucent whitish-blue colour (much like PVA glue or the nail foil adhesives) but it really does dry clear. In fact, whilst waiting for it to go tacky (approximately 20 seconds), it will start turning clear.

4. Waterproof & Latex-Free... let's start with waterproof. A definite yes that it is waterproof, then again I took it off with just a few dabs of regular water-based make up remover. However, the lashes did last me all night and I was uber happy with that! Now for latex free. I think this is great for latex allergy sufferers and with an area as sensitive as the eyes, extra care is needed and thereby this adhesive fits the bill.

Apart from the above points, what I appreciate this glue for is that it does not impart that pungent glue smell and it is therefore pleasant to work with. Nevertheless, a well ventilated area is always recommended when working with glues and the likes.

So that's basically what I have to say about this lash adhesive and should I buy anymore pairs of lashes, this will be my go-to adhesive for sure!

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Review: Revlon Beyond Natural Eyelashes in Natural Defining

A couple of months ago, Revlon sent me some items for reviewing and amongst them, were two pairs of eyelashes. I have only got round to try out the first pair last weekend and today, I am going share my views about it with you :)

Since it was my first time wearing falsies (which the bf didn't approve of as he hates anything fake), I decided to go with the natural pair, which the company names as Natural Defining. Here's what the package looks like:

The packaging is quite flimsy since is made of that glossy plastic but on the back it says 'Eco-Friendly Packaging' so thumbs up for that! Another thumbs up for the black and pink colour of the little box. I am really drawn to black packaging when it comes to cosmetics as I think it gives a professional feel; as for the pink... I'll leave that to your imagination (clue: it won't be hard to figure out why hehe :P).

The contents of the pack are one pair of false lashes and an instruction leaflet, but on the back of the pack, there are the instructions in pictures which I think are more explanatory for a first-time user like me. For more tips and tricks on how to apply falsies, please check out this other post :).

As you correctly understood, the glue isn't provided but a sticker on the front suggests to use Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive (I will review the glue in my next post as it was also sent to me as part of the review package). I am not aware of other companies who don't include the glue with the falsies (like I said, I am a bit green in the subject) so if you know of any, please don't hesitate to include their names with your comments below.

Let's see if the lashes pass the test...

When removing them from the pack, I found it really easy to peel off and I managed not to ruin them! Application was also a lot easier than I thought. I found that sitting at my desk with a magnifying mirror made the application easier than standing in front of my bigger mirror. I think looking down rather than straight ahead helps you control more where the lashes go.

I do agree with the 'Ultra Lightweight' written on the pack as when I wore these I didn't experience that 'giant butterfly just landed on my lashes' feeling. I think I owe that to the thinness of the lashes. I did feel like I was wearing something I am not used to though; then again this only lasted a couple of minutes. I used a lash comb to blend them in with my natural lashes and they didn't feel harsh against the comb and also the falsies didn't even fall off whilst I was combing them.

With regards wear longevity of the lashes, they lasted all night and I was really happy with that, but like I said earlier on, I will talk about that in more detail in my lash adhesive review. However, they easily come off when I applied just a few dabs of eye make up remover. Here's a pic of me wearing the falsies (sry but it was the only good one I have):

Have you ever tried these or another brand's falsies? Do you think they will be big this season?

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Tips & Tricks: False Eye Lashes

Recently I was sent 2 pairs of false eyelashes by Revlon for reviewing. To be honest, I have never worn false eyelashes and consequently I am very green in the area. There are so many questions I have regarding their application!! My prayers were answered yesterday by Shu Uemura on their facebook page!! Here's what they say:

~ Start by making sure your hands are clean. Your fingers are going near your eyes after all. - Pick out the set you like and carefully peel them off the packaging. Use tweezers as to not damage the shape.

~ Measure the lashes so you know they’re the right length for your eye shape. If they’re too long, trim them little by little from the inner corner.

~ Hold the lashes by both ends, carefully, and soften the band to give them a curve.

~ Next step is the adhesive. For first timers, dab a small glob of glue on a cotton swab and slide the edge of the false lashes along the glue. Not too much, just a thin strand of adhesive will be enough. The adhesive is usually white but don’t worry, it dries clear.

~ Wait at least 15 seconds so the glue gets a bit ‘tacky’ for a better hold.

~ Application time! Start from the outside corner of the eyelash line and work your way in. Once you’ve put them on a good spot on the outside of the eye you’ll have an easy time placing them the rest of the way. On top of the eyelashes of course, not on the lashes you already have!

~ Next is a little eyeliner to erase the starting edge of the lashes and you’re set.

Here are also some tips for beginners like me:

If it feels like a giant butterfly landed on your eyelashes, don’t panic, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll adjust and forget they’re even there. Plus, you’ll love how you look. If you loved them, and we’re sure you did, and you want to maximize the life of your false lashes for future use, follow these quick easy steps:

~ Don’t apply mascara on them. Sometimes it’s necessary, but if you’re trying out fantasy lashes or this season’s new partial floral feather lashes (link to eyelashes) then absolutely not!

~ Carefully remove the lashes from your eye starting from the outside working your way in.

~ Remove any excess adhesive with a set of tweezers and place them back in the packaging. This way they’re ready for next time!

Finally, here's a picture of the eyelashes I was sent by Revlon:

From left: Natural Defining, Dramatic 3x Volume, Precision Lash Adhesive.

I will communicate my thoughts and findings to you as soon as I get the opportunity to try these out :)

Have you ever worn falsies ladies? Any more suggestions on their application?

Lara xoxo