Reviews + Swatches: NYX Lipglosses

Where did these come from?
I seriously need to stop with the lipglosses... but you know that's not gonna happen, don't you?

NYX produces some of the best valued products out there with quality that contends with pricier cosmetics. With a HUGE color selection, you'll be spoiled for choice and a lipgloss is as affordable as a McDonald's McValue Meal.

This post features the NYX Round Lipglosses and NYX Megashine Lipglosses
Read on for the reviews and swatches

One of their cheaper range of lipglosses, NYX Girls Round Lip Gloss comes in 36 shades with varying textures. I'm rather apprehensive about the sweet orange scent but it does fade within 10 minutes. These glosses are generally non-sticky and really smooth, although that also means that they don't last very long on the lips.

Available at NonPareilBoutique for USD$2 each

Peach: Peachy pink with sparse silver shimmer. Runny texture. My least favorite because I don't like runny lipglosses and I don't like pink

Apricot: Sheer shimmerless apricot. Glossy shine. May look bright on pale lips like mine, if not should be pretty

Cafe Latte: Nude coffee cream with fine dense shimmer. Thick and opaque. Great nude gloss

Whipped: Warm nude pink with light shimmer. Thick but less opaque. Easy-to-wear color

Real Nude: Cool shimmerless mauve. Thick and opaque. May make teeth look more yellow

With twice the price of the Round Lip Gloss, NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss has twice the quality too. The gooier texture (but not sticky!) makes these glosses resemble higher end ones and provide better lasting power. While some may be put off my the cough-syrup-like cherry scent, I prefer it over sweet orange. Having 61 shades is amazing, however, they make choosing a color a tad more difficult than pinning the tail on a donkey. I'll probably get Chestnut and Vanilla next.

Natural: Warm shimmerless mauve and THE PERFECT lipgloss that works like magic. Read more in-depth review of this color [here]

Smokey Look: Nude peach with light shimmer and a lot of shine. Great for pairing with more dramatic eyes. Love this color too

Available at NonPareilBoutique for USD$4 each

Malaysian residents: You can get these glosses via sprees by sgdrugstore

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Win a No Foundation Foundation by NV Perricone

Dr. NV Perricone was inspired to create the No Foundation Foundation when a celebrity make-up artist asked if there was a foundation that would allow skin's natural radiance to shine through.

It reduces the appearance of imperfections and correct skin undertones. It feels light and comfortable without ever looking cakey. It boosts skin moisture, provide antioxidant benefits while protecting against sun damage. It comes in one universal shade for all skin types so nobody's left out. It makes skin look like skin -- only better.

Here's your chance to win a full-sized bottle of Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation worth $50. This contest is opened to US Residents only -- sorry!

Here's what you have to do by December 12th, 2009:

1. Be a Skindeco.net subscriber/follower
2. Read and comply to the contest rules
3. Fill in your details into the Contest Machine
4. Tell me in the comment box, "Why do you want the No Foundation Foundation?"



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Update: House-sitting + Paintball + Pet Fair + New Stuff @ Watsons!

Here's a shocker; I do have other interests besides makeup! Ok, you can stop gasping now. Seriously, stop it...

This time of the term is the most hectic with mid-term tests and piled-up assignments. Sadly, it gets a lot more worse from here as due dates approach and ultimately, the finals. Funny part is, I'm still out and about on weekends instead of chaining myself to the study like I ought to be.

Read on!


The boy and I were asked to house-sit for a very close friend and with the house came 4 dogs, 4 cats, 7 sugar gliders, and bunch of rabbits, guinea pigs, koi fish and hermit crabs. O_O

All went well and nothing died so *phew!*

"The WCA (World Cup Asia) is like the PC Fair of paintball". Apparently men can be quite the shopper when it comes to shopping for "their" stuff. So, perhaps we shouldn't have to pity the men who have to wait for their women while they shop/grab/snatch.

There were some pretty sweet deals and the boy decided that I should have my own face mask (coming from a guy who complains about buying me makeup). My JT Spectra ProFlex Mask is customizable so I chose a turquoise goggle, olive mouthpiece, pink strap and I intend on changing the black earpieces to yellow :D I'm on a color-high. The pink strap, especially, was so 'me'. The topless chick and "Pussy Galore" on the side caused quite the giggle too.

Last Sunday I was at the Cutie Pet Fair in One U's park. Had a whirlwind of fun chasing after all the adorable doggies... My friend, Hun, was doing a talk on sugar gliders so I brought Lexi to mingle with some people. She was very well behaved, which surprised me :-/

Can you guess which dog's my favorite out of the lot? Which one's your favorite? As you can see, no shih tzus, silky terriers or toy poodles in the collage because I'm simply not a fan...

As a reward for reading all my ramblings, here's a bit of beauty-related news! So, it may be a little outdated but if you don't already know, Watsons now carries K-Palette products. You can read my review on their bestselling Real Lasting Eyeliner. The Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation is also on sale if you're thinking of buying it after reading my review. Now's a good time! And is that Majolica Majorca's Holiday 2009 Collection I see?

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Review: Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation

I first read good things about the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in Kahani’s post back when the product wasn’t even in Malaysia. Despite the fact that I’ve been recommending this foundation to my friends when it finally came in, I never did get a tube for myself and up until now, I’m still not sure why.

Months passed and oddly enough, this foundation eventually did make its way to my stash when Grace included a tube for me in a swap package.

16-hour fade-proof fresh finish sounds good, doesn’t it? Read on for the review

"Freshly applied look for 16 hours. Flawless, semi-matte coverage. Rub proof, fade proof, smudge proof. MINERAL BOOST Breathable formula enriched with minerals, for a healthy, smooth complexion. Skin looks fresh, never dull and cakey. Lightweight, oil free texture. Comfortable all day long. " -- Rimmel London

The shade that I have is Natural Beige 400 which is about 2 shades darker than my skin tone. Heck, it’s the darkest shade that they have! Usually, I’m not put off by dark foundations because I figured that I could easily lighten the color with a fairer foundation. So, I did that and the formula claims went to opposite directions. My skin looked oily, felt heavy and the foundation barely stayed on.

To give the foundation a fair fight, I tried it again on its own and sure enough, it was way too dark, though not completely unnatural. Finally, I understood why this foundation was so well-loved. The lightweight medium coverage it gave was exquisite and for a moment there it felt like I was using a luxurious high-end foundation. I loved the soft glow and of course, the lasting power is indisputable. Some of the foundation did transfer onto my tissue when I was wiping off sweat from playing paintball but it didn’t look as if any foundation had disappeared from my face.

Natural Beige 400 is certainly too dark for me to pull off on a regular basis thus, it’s not my foundation of choice, which is quite a shame. I might get another tube in the right shade or a fair shade to mix. The hesitation is due to the fact that I have way too many foundation for my own good :p

The squeeze-tube packaging is nothing glamorous but I suppose it’s practical. My only gripe for this would be the limited shades.

Retails for RM35.90 at Watsons and selected Jusco. USD$7.99 at Walgreens. Rimmel products often go on sale. Comes in 5 shades for Malaysia and 6 shades for the US.

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Tips + Tutorial: Quickie Makeup in 8 Minutes

One of the most heard-of excuses that women give for not putting on makeup is lack of time; "No time lar..." or "I don't wanna sacrifice my sleeping time"

Seriously though, don't you wanna look at least presentable for the day ahead especially when you're gonna be meeting people? So it's a Monday but you don't have to show the world that you'd rather be under the blanket than anywhere else.

This video shows that you don't have to slave in front of the mirror to put on a full face makeup. All you need is 10 minutes, assuming that you have that much to spare.

Read on for more quickie makeup tips



Quickie Makeup Tips:

1. Use a foundation that gives good coverage and doesn't require setting powder eg. powder foundation, cream-to-powder foundation, stick foundation
2. Well-groomed eyebrows makes a world of difference to your face. If you have time for only one feature, go for the brows
3. Wear looks that you're familiar with aka fail-proof. When you're in a rush, it's not a good idea to try out looks/colors that you've never worn before
   
4. If you're comfortable with light one-wash colors, go for that. Personally, I'm used to eyeliner and smokey eyes so I find that darker eyeshadows work better for my eyes. A dark color (especially for cream eyeshadow) allows me to control the intensity and blend out edges without washing the color out
5. Eyeliners (gel and liquid) need time to dry and they can be time-consuming to apply. If you really must wear a liner, use a waterproof pencil liner
6. Prominent lashes open up the eyes and take away attention from plain eyeshadow. Use a mascara that you're most comfortable using. Avoid mascaras that take a long time to dry or has clumsy wands
7. Go for sheer cheek colors that can be layered on to avoid over-applying
8. There will be no room for errors so minimize them!
9. Relax... one product at a time. The more you rush, the more panicked you'll become and the more errors you'll make
10. If you have 2 more minutes to spare, take a picture of your quickie makeup and send it to me [skindeco.net@gmail.com]. I'd love to see it :) Submissions will be featured in a future post
    

Items Used:

Monistat Chafing Gel (primer)
RMK Powder Foundation EX in 103L
Shu Uemura Glow on Blush in P Orange 55
elf Mineral Eyeshadow Primer
MAC Paint Pot in Constructivist
MAC Mineralize Duo Eyeshadow in Love Connection
Maybelline Turbo Boost Mascara
Daiso Auto Eyebrow Pencil
Clinique Full Potential Lips in Glamourfull



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