Howdy! In today's look I've decided to use something I haven't used for a long time: pigments. Every time I plan to use my NYX pigments, I always end up not using them because my pressed shadows always get in the way! Haha but no seriously, pressed shadows are waaaay easier to use so I end up placing the pigments back on their container untouched and unused. But not anymore (for now at least)! I've decided to play with one of them called Violet. This color is more of an indigo really or a really pale lavender. It reminds me of a shadow in the It's Judy Time palette which inspired me to recreate a look Judy did using the palette but with me using the shadows I have.

A little review on the NYX Violet pigment before I show you the products I used. Violet is a bright indigo shadow with micro glitters. Color's quite good but it was challenging to work with. When I sprayed my brush with Fix+ and picked up the pigment, it became blotchy and some clumped together. When applied on the lid, it tends to accumulate in one area, it was like I applied it unevenly on my lids. That was the main reason why I don't have a shot where I'm looking down. The pigment accumulated on my lid area and it didn't want to be brought up before my crease. Oh well.

Products Used:

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk (lid)

San San shadow in Warm Copper Fire (crease; lower lashline)

MAC Fix+

NYX Chrome Eyeshadow Pigment in Violet

Urban Decay shadow in Buck (outer lid/v)

Urban Decay shadow in Virgin (brow bone & inner corner highlight)

Graftobian Cake Liner in Jet Black

EB Concealer Pencil (waterline)

Maybelline Volum' Express Hypercurl Cat Eyes

Out of all the makeup brushes, I think the fan brush is the most underused and overlooked brush among the bunch. We tend to neglect the fan brush because we just see it as a sweeper brush. It's something you use to remove excess powder or fallen pigments of eyeshadow. That part is true although it makes you realize how useful it is. But see, it's also very versatile.

I admit I'm one of those people who reach out for the big, fluffy face brushes mainly because they do the job of powdering quickly and effectively. But just because a brush isn't big and fluffy doesn't mean it can't do the same thing. If you look at the fan brush, it's thinner, flatter, and more splayed out than most face brushes. It's also a tad stiffer. But that's why it's so helpful in powdering. Because it's thin, you get to reach those hard to powder areas like under the eyes and the sides of the nose. It isn't impossible to powder those areas with bigger brushes but it's quite a challenge. Also, the fan brush picks up an adequate amount of product which I really love because it helps avoid an overpowdered/cakey face. The fan brush can also be used for highlighting. You can easily highlight the nose bridge, top of the cheeks, and the brow bone, thanks to the size of the brush. Some fan brushes are thicker and softer, so those kinds can also be used for applying blush. Fan brushes also come in smaller ones and are mainly used to apply mascara. 

See, I told you fan brushes can be versatile! I may not use it most of the time but when I do, it always reminds me how amazing it is. Some may love it, some may say meh to it. Either way, you really can't say it's a useless brush, can you? Because if you do, you're totally lying. :P

A few months ago, I developed a sudden obsession with nude eye pencils. They have a subtle way of opening the eyes as well as making them look less tired, unlike white pencils that are harsh and obvious. Thing is, nude eye pencils aren't that big locally. I think there are only two, at most three, brands that carry them although technically they're concealer pencils, not eye pencils (they still work though!). I went on a search for nude pencils, searching every beauty stall in several drugstores. Nada. Oh well.

That was until I saw Nikkie of NikkieTutorials use this particular nude pencil: the Catrice Made To Stay Highlighter Pen. I was overjoyed because I had a glimmer of hope that I'll be able to get it in Singapore. And I did. Bless you, Singapore, for carrying Catrice!

Yesterday evening, I received a package out of nowhere. I sort of knew what it was and it made me pretty excited.

Last December, I registered to Beauty Book PH, a beauty site containing all sorts of beauty and hair topics. Some articles were also written by popular local beauty bloggers like Martha Sta. Barbara of The Beauty Junkee, Say Artillero of Makeup By Say Tioco Artillero, Sabs Hernandez of The Makeup Maven, as well as fashion bloggers like Laureen Uy of Break My Style, Vern Enciso of V ♥ V, and Shai Lagarde of Love Chic. I really love browsing through the site because I learn so much from the articles and it also gives me info about the latest beauty, hair, and fashion trends. I also like their clean and simple black and white layout. Y'all know everyone's obsessed with those kinds of layouts. :P

So anyway, when you register to Beauty Book, you're entitled to a free giftbag. I didn't know the products I'll be getting but I know the contents change after a batch of 1000 registrants, I think. One time the giftbag contained Tresemme products, one time it was Ponds. What I received was a mix of three brands: Watsons, Ponds, and Nichido and the products were housed in a sturdy black Beauty Book makeup pouch bag. The first product is a 10g pot of Watsons Mositurizing Lip Balm in Juicy Apple. This came at a perfect time because I've been planning on getting an untinted lip balm. Next is a 20g tube of the Ponds Translucent Pinkish White Glow Day Cream. If I'm not mistaken, this is the Ponds product endorsed by Julia Barretto. This went to my mom because she's an avid user of Ponds products, plus it might help even out her dark spots. Last product is the Nichido pack containing the Matted Palette and Eyeliner Pencil in Black. I always see this pack in department stores and I'm glad I don't have to buy it anymore. Beauty Book helped me save 100php! :))

Anyway, can't wait to try these out, or rather what's left for me to try aka the palette/pencil and the lip balm. For a free giftbag, this isn't so bad! Technically, you get four products if you include the makeup bag, which I really love because it's quite spacious and versatile. Well done, Beauty Book, well done.

So what are you waiting for? Head on to Beauty Book PH now! :)

Hi everyone! Today's EOTD is actually a recent obsession of mine: two-toned winged liner. It's such a fun way to amp up a simple winged liner and a subtle way of wearing color on your eyes. Color combos are really up to you, which is cool because you can experiment with whatever colors you have. Personally, I love a color/black combo because it looks cool (he he he) yet still in my comfort zone. As for products, you can use gel liners, colored pencils, and of course, eye shadows. Now unlike gel liners and pencils, shadows aren't exactly opaque on their own, especially when used as liners. I'm afraid primers won't help that much on their own so I recommend using a liquid "activator". You can either use clean water (best option I can think of is the Avene Thermal Spray) or one of the most famous MAC products, the Fix+. Oh and btw, an angled brush is your best friend for this. Let the fun begin!!

Products Used:

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

MAC Fix+

Kat Von D shadow in WTF

Graftobian Cake Liner in Jet Black

Catrice Made to Stay Highlighter Pen in 010: In The Mood For Nude (waterline)

Maybelline Volum' Express HyperCurl Cat Eyes

Oh hai there! So here's my nail color for the next few days. It's called Go Bold!, a glittery (yes, yes, I know) muted gold polish. I like how fine the glitters are in this polish. When layered properly, you wouldn't feel any glitter particle at all. As for the color, I'd describe it as a muted cool gold, a color I don't have in my growing pile of nail polishes. I really think the color is gorgeous, not just on me. :P I feel that the color just clashes with my warm skin tone making the polish look unflattering on me. Another thing I noticed was how sheer it was on first coat. It was really sheer and light yet it managed to pool on the edges, especially near the cuticle area. I had to smooth and thin the first coat on one nail before moving on to the other. It wasn't bothersome at first but it'll definitely get you tired. :))

Overall, the polish is a so-so for me. It's a nice color to wear every once in a while but I think I'd prefer to wear this as a French tip color or as an accent color. This will suit people with lighter skin tones as I think the color won't clash as much. Looking at this nail polish, I can't help but think that this is such an apt color to wear to a wedding! Haha!

What's your favorite gold polish?

Natural Beauty is such an apt name for this lipstick. It's such a beautiful natural pink! Although at first glance at the bullet, I thought it was 50% pink, 50% nude because of the noticeable brown tone. When I swatched it, however, I saw that it's really a pink lipstick because none of that brown tone showed at all. That was also why I had a hard time getting a photo of it. Either it's pink or nude which was crazy because it looks like a good balance of both in person. But since it's pink when swatched and worn, I decided to go with the photo where the pink is more prominent.

The feel of this lipstick is the same as On The Catwalk! Both feel like tinted lip balms, light and wet. The pigmentation is sheer to medium which makes it look more natural and light when worn. When I took the photo of me wearing it above, I applied concealer to my lips first because I thought it would help the lipstick look more vibrant. In hindsight, I shouldn't have done that because it made my lips look chalky and it kind of ruined the lip color. Guess I should have applied a pink lip liner instead, eh? :P

I definitely love wearing this lipstick. I can just apply it and go and it would still look good. Also like that the formula's a bit wet so at least it doesn't dry my lips (or rather it doesn't make it drier). It also doesn't fade easily because the color was still on my lips after I ate and drank. So do I consider this my MLBB lippie? No. For me it's more like MLBSMB. My Lips But SO MUCH Better!

What's your MLBB lippie? x

07 Natural Beauty bought at Watsons Plaza Singapura for S$4.95.

I've been rummaging through my makeup palettes these past few days and I've realized that I haven't touched, played, or used some of them for quite a while now. One of those palettes is the NYX Make-Up Artist Palette which I got back in 2011. I used to be so fond of it because of the shadows and the blushes and contour/highlight powders underneath. It was my go-to palette. But when I started getting new palettes that are smaller and more travel friendly, I ceased using the NYX palette because I was happy with the new ones. Since it's a new year, I plan to use it and the other palettes more and alongside my more used palettes. 

Speaking of which, here's the first look I created with the NYX palette. It's pretty simple; it's a one-shadow lid look, inspired by the "no makeup" makeup female celebs often wear in TV shows I watch. I think it's a wearable look for daytime, one I'd definitely wear if I had more time in prepping whenever I go out.

PRODUCTS USED:

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

NYX Milk Jumbo Pencil

NYX Brown shadow (all over the lid and lower lashline; wish NYX provided the names of the shadows in this palette because I really like this shade and finish, which is a cross between matte and satin.)

MAC Smolder (upper lid liner; smudged with Urban Decay shadow in Blackout)

Kryolan Contour Pencil 2 Colors (brown side, used to lightly line the roots of the lower lashes then smudged with the NYX brown shadow)

EB Advance Eyebrow & Concealer in Ash Blonde (concealer side, used to line the waterline)

Urban Decay shadow in Freestyle (inner corner and browbone highlight)