THE GREAT ASIAN BEAUTY HAUL PART 1 (CLIO, AVANCÉ, MEDIA)

In recent years, I’ve noticed myself slowly shifting my attention away from Western beauty care to its Eastern counterpart. I’ve decided, now more than ever, to explore the Asian makeup arena as I’ve encountered some really good contenders from brands like Heroine and Clio. Lucky for me, I get to travel back and forth from Taiwan which has become my gateway to the Asian beauty industry. 

The Taiwanese, much like Japanese and Koreans, are conscious about their appearance which is why you'll be able to find several cosmetic stores all over the place. Most popular are Sasa, Cosmed, and Watsons for their affordable beauty supply. Other luxury brands can also be found occupying the first level of malls around the country. The moment you walk in is an invitation to purchase. 

Like a moth drawn to a flame, I couldn't help but splurge on the massive abundance. Carefully selecting a handful from brands I've never tried before and some which have become recent favourites. And without further ado, here's the first part of my great asian beauty haul! 

#1 Clio

Clio carries one of the best eyeliners I’ve tried so far. Their Gelpresso line is just amazing quality with a wide colour selection. It’s the only eyeliner I’ve tried that has the best staying power as it doesn’t budge once it sets on the skin. A tita of mine had given me a bunch of Gelpresso eyeliners from South Korea and I just couldn’t get enough. So, when I saw the brand in Cosmed I decided to grab a couple more that I haven’t tried before. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen a matte Gelpresso eyeliner from their darker colour selection. They do, however, carry these amazing pastel liners that are matte and equally beautiful. I got two, Mintade and Keep Calm, which I thought would work well to make my eyes look bigger and brighter when lined on the waterline. 

Gelpresso Keep Calm 

Gelpresso Mintade

True to the Gelpresso quality, both eyeliners have amazing colour payoff, it doesn't budge once set, and it's also waterproof. I tested it on my hand and it does not rub off unless you use makeup remover. Definitely a good purchase.  

Now, because I was so impressed with Clio's Gelpresso eyeliners, I decided to try their waterproof pen liners which come in matte black (Kill Black) and brown (Kill Brown). Being pen liners, the Kill Black and Kill Brown are wet when applied. I must point out that the ink is wetter than I expected so I had to wait a little longer for it to set. Once it sets, the liner stays on all day and again, it will not budge. The colour is also build-able but I suggest waiting for the first layer to dry before applying a second layer to create the best opacity. 

Kill Black

Kill Brown

Note: Clio is available at SM Aura!!! 

#2 AVANCÉ (Japanese Brand)  

Avancé is one of the brands I haven't tried before. I picked it out from a wall filled with eyebrow products. I was originally going to get myself another K-palette brow pen but decided I could get it in Manila anyway. Out of the lot, Avancé's Jolie et Jolie et dual brow pen looked closest to what I was looking for. First in colour and second in function. Just like K-palette's dual brow pen, it has a pencil on one end and a powder on the other. The powder was what helped me make the switch from K-Palette as it doesn't contain glitter particles. 

I bought two colours which I felt would be most used for my clients, Light Brown and Natural Brown. I tried Natural Brown on myself and I love how it has more colour payoff than K-Palette's brow pens. Although, I am still an avid fan of K-Palette because the colour is closer to my natural hair. 

Natural Brown

#3 MEDIA (Kanebo, Japanese Brand) 

Last but not least, we have Media which is a brand under Japanese cosmetics producer, Kanebo. Media is another first for me and I found it while I was looking for a nude lipstick for my tita. I saw their wide colour selection on display so I decided to try each one on my hand and boy was I impressed! It was just the most beautiful selection and I wanted to buy it all but of course, self control. I bought two nudes, one pink (PK-01) and one beige (BE-02), just for everyday wear.

PK-01

One notable attribute about these lipsticks is how comfortable it feels on the lips. The gloss is watery, light, and buttery. At the same time it leaves the most natural looking colour. I'll definitely be looking for this brand again when I get back.  

And that concludes part one of my great asian beauty haul! Stay tuned for part deux next week! <3

Review: NYX Eyebrow Gels (Blonde and Brunette)

Another product I got from Instagram shopping! <3

I’ve been using these on a lot of my shoots recently. They come in 5 shades all in all and I got two which I thought I'd get more use out of, Blonde and Brunette. Blonde being the lighter brown shade and Brunette for darker brows. 

I’ve never actually used a brow gel before. I usually stick with powders and pencils but I’ve heard a lot of good reviews about these so I thought I’d give it a try. They’re very affordable at P420.00 (@stuffinstyle).

What I love about the NYX Eyebrow Gel is that it doesn’t budge when you apply the product.  It lasts all day, it’s water-proof and it doesn’t smudge at all. The only downside to that is that once it’s out of the tube, it dries up easily so you need to apply it quickly. 

Also, because it hardens pretty fast, you need to make sure that the brush strokes are parallel with the hairs of the brows so that it looks as natural as possible. If your brush strokes are scattered, the product can dry up while the hairs are out of place or clumped together making it look strange. A definite no-no. 

How to use:

I simply squeeze a small amount of the product on my mixing plate before applying it with a brow brush. However, I did notice that it takes more effort to clean off so I would suggest placing it on something disposable to save you the trouble. I sometimes place it on tissue instead of my mixing plate. 

For optimal brow perfection, brush your eyebrows with a spooly before applying the gel. This will help give a manicured look. 

Another thing I noticed is that if it gets on your skin, it can stain it unless you wipe it off with makeup remover so as much as possible, use tools when dealing with this product. 

Packaging:

The NYX Eyebrow gels come in functional 0.34 fl. oz. / 10ml tubes. 

It's very hygienic to use and lightweight. 

I have had no problems with the product running as the lids are very secure. 

Overall, I think it’s a great brow product. Very pigmented, stable, and affordable. 

Here’s a look I made using Blonde 

and Brunette  

Review: Lorac Pro Palette

I finally got my hands on this pro palette by celebrity makeup artist, Carol Shaw, a few weeks ago through @stuffinstyle on Instagram. They sell theirs for less expensive than Makeup Pro (@mupro) by P300.00. 

On plain observation, the palette is compact and lightweight. It measures 3”x7.8” and is about 1cm in height. Inside, there are a total of 16 eyeshadows, each measuring 1.8x1.8cm. 

The top row holds eight neutral matte eyeshadows while the bottom holds eight shimmery ones.

Personally, I find the colour selection of this palette to be a mixture of stunning, complementary shades. The texture of each shadow feels fine, smooth, and buttery when applied. It glides across the skin and blends seamlessly. I do find some shades more superior in quality as compared to the others but before I discuss which, let’s take a look at each eyeshadow per quadrant. 

On the first quadrant on the left-most side, we have the highlighting shades White, Cream, Nude, and Champagne. 

The following quadrant includes Taupe, Lt. Pink, Gold, and Lt. Bronze. 

My favourite colours are included in the third quadrant which holds Mauve, Sable, Pewter, and Garnet. I use Mauve the most because it looks beautiful on fair skin. Pewter and Garnet are equally stunning and elegant shimmer colours, although the photos here don't do them justice. 

The last quadrant holds the darkest smokiest eyeshadows in the palette; Espresso, Black, Deep Purple and Slate. Deep Purple is one of the classiest looking colours of the bunch but I find that when applied it looks a little more black than the gorgeous purple I was expecting. It also blends a little less smooth as compared to the other eyeshadows. 

Similar to Deep Purple, Champagne is also a disappointment. It looks good on the palette but doesn't translate when applied. There seems to be chunkier glitter bits combined with subtle shimmer on this particular eyeshadow, a wide contrast to the subtle glimmer found in the others. You can refer to the test patch on my arm as shown in the photo above. If you look closely, you can see scattered glitter bits on the Champagne swatch. 

Despite those two colours, I love the palette. It’s excellent quality, excellent colour combinations, and it's pigmented. You can use this palette for any occasion, even everyday wear. It can be used dry or wet and it also comes with a mini Behind The Scenes Eye Primer. A wonderful investment for makeup artists and enthusiasts anywhere. 

Here's a simple smokey eye I made using some of the colours without primer. 

I used Mauve on the entire lid and Cream to highlight the brow bone.

On the outer corner I used Taupe, Espresso, and a little black blended together

On the middle and inner section I used Gold and Lt. Bronze

At the bottom lash line I used Gold again for the inner corner and Espresso at the outer corner. 

Eyeliner: KATE Spider Line .03mm Eyeliner

Eyebrows: NYX Blonde Eyebrow Gel, The Faceshop Design My Eyebrow in No. 05 Dark Gray, and MAC Brow Gel in Boy Girl.

Mascara: Kiss Me Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara

This is another look I created using the palette.

I applied Garnet all over my lid and on my outer lower lash line

and Espresso on the outer corner of my eyes. 

I didn't remove the Gold on the inner lower lash area from the previous look.

Total Net Weight: .32oz/ 8.8g

Ingredients:

LORAC PRO PALETTE

TALC, ZINC STEARATE, DIMETHICONE, MINERAL OIL, ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE, BORON NITRIDE, SILICA, METHICONE, KAOLIN, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, METHYLPARABEN, WATER(AQUA), LAUROYL LYSINE, PROPYLPARABEN, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, CUCUMIS SATIVUS (CUCUMBER) FRUIT EXTRACT, CARUM PETROSELINUM (PARSLEY) EXTRACT, ECHINACEA PURPUREA EXTRACT, CITRUS MEDICA LIMONUM (LEMON) PEEL EXTRACT, CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FLOWER EXTRACT, ALTHAEA OFFICINALIS ROOT EXTRACT MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR: MICA, IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), FERRIC FERROCYANIDE (CI 77510), CARMINE (CI 75470)

BEHIND THE SCENES EYE PRIMER/ BASE À OMBRES À PAUPIÈRES EN COULISSES: 

ISODODECANE, TALC, TRIHYDROXYSTEARIN, POLYETHYLENE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, VP/EICOSENE COPOLYMER, TRIETHYLHEXANOIN, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, ISOPROPYL LANOLATE, SORBITAN SESQUIOLEATE, PEG-40 STEARATE, PROPYLENE CARBONATE, BEESWAX (CERA ALBA), DIMETHICONE, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, PHENOXYETHANOL, MICA, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77499, 77491, 77492)

Price: P2500.00 (@stuffinstyle Instagram)

*images of the Lorac Pro palette (except the last photo of the palette) are taken from loraccosmetics.com.

Review: Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara

Hi guys, 

I know I’ve been M.I.A. for a while now but I’m back with some excellent products for review which I'll be blogging about for the next couple of weeks, starting with a wonderful mascara from Japanese drugstore brand, Heroine Make by Isehan. 

Heroine Make is a popular brand in East Asia and it’s now available at SM Aura’s Watsons. The signature blonde anime model graces the mascara packaging with her long thick lashes which is what you can also expect with yours. 

The mascara is said to give you...

DRAMATIC LENGTH

Advanced polymer coating contains Super Long Up Fibre (1.5 times longer*) that clings tightly to each and every lash from root to end, creating lengthening action of up to 120% without clumping. 

*compared to previous formula of Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara. 

LONG LASTING CURL

High power curl setting polymer keeps lashes at maximum curl all day.

WATER PROOF TYPE

Offers high resistance to tears, perspiration, water and sebum for comfortable and long lasting beautiful lashes!

REVIEW

I thought you should know that I don’t really like wearing mascara often for fear that my lashes will fall off (I blame this on Majolica Majorca mascaras which work so well but makes my lashes fall off). But, I can't seem to get enough of Heroine mascara. I find myself using it on a daily basis because I’m flat out impressed and it doesn't make my lashes weak and brittle. 

One swipe and it lengthens and thickens my eyelashes to the point that it looks as though I’m wearing lash extensions.

I do, however, find that this mascara becomes clumpy if applied too much. It also seems to smudge in the heat but only a little bit. Despite all this, I'm happy with the product because it gives such a dramatic effect to my eyes.

*When I'm in air conditioned areas, the mascara doesn't smudge. 

I will suggest that if you buy this mascara, make sure you have an oil-based makeup remover because it can be very tasking to remove.

How to use:

Curl your lashes (root to tip) before applying the mascara. Place the brush on the base of your lashes and apply upwards for extra curl. To create density, apply more coats. One coat usually does the trick for me. 

TIP: If you find your lashes to be a little clumpy you can use a spooly to comb through your lashes for a natural finish. 

Packaging:

The product comes in a total of 6g. The packaging is adorable and particularly lightweight. I didn’t have any trouble removing the mascara from the hard plastic covering as well. 

Pros

• Makes lashes appear like you’re wearing lash extensions or falsies
• Lasts all day
• Lightweight and cute packaging

Cons

• Smudges in heat (tiny bit)
• Tends to clump if you add more coats (but can be fixed with a spooly)

Price: P595.00

Review: Pasjel Silverpink Mask

Thai brand, Pasjel, recently launched their premiere line with the Silverpink Mask. I came across it at snowprincess_mnl’s clearance sale and because of my fondness for skin care masks, I decided to try it.  

What separates this peel-off mask from others is its ability to tackle several skin problems at once. Its potent formulation is said to revive, moisturise, tighten, smoothen, and lessen the appearance of wrinkles. Some of the ingredients are as listed below:

1. Nicotinamide - blocks and neutralises inflammatory acne and hypersensitivity. 
2. Sodium Hyaluronate Molecules - acts as microscopic fillers that treats and prevents wrinkles and rough skin. 
3. Hydrolysed Collagen - tones and tightens skin
4. Urea - a powerful and naturally occurring hydrophilic skin moisturiser that keeps the skin hydrated, making it soft and supple.
5. Panthenol - a natural humectant that locks moisture for 24 hour skin hydration.

Other ingredients include Vitamin C, Kaolin, and Allantoin which all promote natural skin healing. 

Other info

• Results are seen 24 hours after using the mask.
• Tested and marked 100% safe.
• Not tested on animals.
• No steroids.
• No harmful compounds. 

*Contains perfume

REVIEW

I have a couple of general observations that I want to point out. First, opening the tube was very messy as the product clung to the twist-off cap. It didn’t do well for my slight obsessive compulsive ways. 

Second, the size was much smaller than I had anticipated. The net weight is at 20g and this product is meant to be placed all over the face. You’ll probably only get 3 or 4 uses out of this tube. 

Third, I find it quite pricey for its size. P850.00 (clearance sale price) for 20g. 

This is how it looked when I opened it the first time.

The recommended use of the Pasjel Silverpink Mask is twice a week. My experience during both trials have been different so I will be reviewing them separately.

First Trial:

Upon placing the product on my face, I felt a little sting in my eyes. I didn’t place the product anywhere near the eye area in case you were wondering.

Its scent was also piercing and unappealing. I think the formulation may have been too strong for me which is why my body reacted in such a way. 

I continued to use the product nonetheless just to see how it would fare. After a few minutes, I began to feel my skin tighten. 

I left it on for 30 minutes after which I peeled it off. The peeling process was difficult and painful as the product had clung tightly to my skin.

Results, however, were good. My skin felt smooth, tight, and soft to the touch. 

Second Trial:

To be honest, I was pretty hesitant to try it out the second time around but I felt like giving it the benefit of the doubt. 

The experience was actually much better. It didn’t sting my eyes anymore and the scent, although still unappealing, wasn’t piercing. I left it on for 30 minutes after which I peeled it off. The process was again, quite painful and difficult to remove. 

Results were positive. Skin felt tighter, softer and smooth to the touch. I also observed its effects 24 hours after and my skin still felt soft and supple.

Overall, I feel that the product does work but there are other products that give the same results that aren’t as uncomfortable to use the first time around. 

How to use:

Apply all over face and wait 15-30 minutes. Peel off after.

Use twice a week.

Packaging:

The product comes in a 20g tube container. The general look is cute and simple while the material is high quality. Despite its superficial appearance, opening the tube can get a little messy. Upon opening the product for the first time, I found the product had clung to the crevices of the twist-off cap which was disappointing. 

Pros

• Effectively tightens the skin 
• Makes skin smooth and soft
• Effect is long lasting

Cons

• Formula is quite strong - stings my eyes when applied (initially)
• Smell is also slightly piercing (initially)
• Product came out messily in tube container
• Perfume scent is unappealing although lightly scented
• Pricey and very little product content

Price: P850.00

How To: Clean Your Makeup Brushes

There are two ways to clean makeup brushes: deep-cleaning and spot-cleaning. The first entails having to wash and dry your brushes while the latter is a much simpler method which requires a brush cleaner and tissue paper. 

Why clean your brushes?

It’s simple. If you’re a painter, it would make sense to clean your brushes after painting so you can reuse them again. Otherwise, the paint which remains on the brush will dry up making it difficult and even impossible to use. The same concept applies to makeup brushes except this time, think of the paint as the makeup product. If you let the product sit on the brush for long durations, bacteria and dirt will cluster on the bristles which can transfer to your makeup products and infect your skin. So, play it safe and devote five minutes of your time to spot-clean your brushes everyday and an hour to deep cleanse when you have more time to spare. 

How to spot-clean?

There are several brush cleaners available in the market which you can purchase. The more popular brands are the MAC Brush Cleaner and Parian Spirit. 

MAC Brush Cleaner is available at all MAC stores. This product comes in 235ml.

This one product will clean, disinfect and condition the brush fibers so that brushes will last longer. It is convenient to use and is specifically designed to extend the life of high quality brushes. Brush Cleanser leaves your brushes smelling fresh and clean, and helps shorten their drying time.

Parian Spirit, on the other hand, is available at Suesh stores (SM Megamall, Trinoma, Greenhills, Market!Market!) 

I use this one more because it comes in bigger sizes and is relatively cheaper compared to the MAC brush cleaner. 

Note: If you live near a makeup school you can also check if they sell brush cleaners as they usually do. I got my Beauty So Clean! Brush Cleaner from Makeup Design Academy. They also sell one which you can use to sanitise your makeup products. 

Instructions:

Place some of the cleaner on a tissue paper and rub the used brush bristle against it in a circular motion. You’ll see its effects immediately as the product from the brush transfers to the tissue. 

When there is no longer product transfer then your brush is ready to use again.   

It's a quick way to get your brushes clean in an instant. Professional makeup artists actually use this method when they need to clean their tools in-between clients.

How to deep-clean?

Deep cleaning your brushes is much more tedious but necessary. It gets the dirt and makeup that couldn’t be removed by spot-cleaning.

What I usually do is after spot-cleaning my brushes, I wash the brush with soap (which I specifically use for cleansing brushes only) in the same manner as I would spot-clean.

I rinse the brush first then rub it against the soap in a circular motion until soapy. 

I then rub the brush on my palm which helps clean the bristles

then squeeze the excess water and soap off. If makeup residue is still present, I simply redo the process until there is no longer any product that comes off when rubbing. 

When drying your brushes place them upside down so water can trickle downwards instead of staying inside the brush. This will promote longevity for your brushes. 

There are also other ways to deep clean your brushes that are available online. A popular one is by using olive oil and shampoo. The olive oil conditions the brush hairs while the shampoo helps clean it. I’ve tried this before and it also works but I find it easier to use soap instead. 

I hope you found this post helpful! 

BESOS,

Bambi xx