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