Review: Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner

Let's answer the fundamental question:
"Why use a cream eyeshadow?"

Cream eyeshadows are not the easiest to work with compared to powder eyeshadows especially for a novice. Unless you have dexterous blending abilities, cream eyeshadows usually don't look good when used alone. So why use 'em?

If you want your eyeshadow to look sharp and vibrant the entire day, cream eyeshadows (besides an eyeshadow primer, of course) will help you with that. They make excellent color bases to enhance the eyeshadow colors that you layer on top and prevent fading. At least good ones do.

One of my favorite cream eyeshadows is the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner. Read on for the review and swatches...

A year ago, I was totally gushing over my very first Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Stiletto. Here's a happy update; it's still creamy even though the sides have separated from the jar's wall. Unlike my favorite MAC Rollickin' Paint Pot that's getting dry and chunky *sighs*. My Strut looks funky in the jar because it melted during shipping from the US and hardened back by the time it got to me. Still usable and d(c)reamy though :D

I got the name wrong in the pic...

Since then, I've gotten two more shades in Sippin' n Dippin' and Strut:

Sippin' n Dippin': Pale peach with golden sheen. This is a gorgeous color BUT it comes out sorta pastel which is not good for dry/flakey lids. Supposedly a limited edition shade but it's still on the Benefit website
Strut: Dark bluish grey with silver sheen. I use this as a base for black/grey smokey eyes or duochrome colors. It looks great as an eyeliner too. I don't see this color on the website anymore so I assume that it's discontinued. Quite ridiculous really, since that's like the only dark shade they had

I personally prefer these over MAC Paint Pots because they are creamier, much easier to blend and they stay put for hours without creasing [refer to this post!]. What's bugging me is the poor selection of shades. There are currently 13 (neutral) shades on the website and 10 of them look pretty much the same... If Benefit actually comes up with a color that's similar to Rollickin', I'll get it in a heartbeat. Heck, I wouldn't even hesitate if they make a green one. The only other colors that I may consider getting next are Skinny Jeans and Busy Signal.



The Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner is RM85 in Malaysia's Benefit counters but the last time I checked was a year ago. I think the price has increased so do correct me if you know the current price. I generally would not suggest people to purchase Benefit products locally when the International website carries these cream shadows for USD$19, ships to Malaysia and, occasionally has sale and free shipping promotions. They're worth the wait when a jar can go down to as low as RM54. Their international shipping rates aren't ridiculously high to begin with either.

Read the rest of this entry...

Part One: Shimmer Plum Holiday Makeup with The Body Shop

Ah, Christmas...
A season when you have an excuse for wearing shimmer, glitter and frost.
I may be up 'til my eyeballs with schoolwork but I'm certainly not lacking of the Christmas spirit. To kick-start a series of Holiday Makeup Tutorials, I've done a Shimmer Plum look (inspired by JennisseMakeup) using The Body Shop's new Sparkling Winter Trend 2009 Make-Up Collection.

In this post, you'll also find short reviews and swatches for The Body Shop products used.



Read on for all that good stuff :)

Items Used:

Face:
Monistat Chafing Gel (primer)
The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Foundation in 03
The Body Shop Eye & Cheek Palette in 02 (blush)

Lips:
The Body Shop Shimmer Gloss in 02 Iced Candy

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
The Body Shop Eye & Cheek Palette in 02
K-Palette Eyeliner
The Body Shop Define & Sparkle in 02 Black
I Nuovi Pencil Eyeliner in Light
Revlon Fantasy Lengths Lashes in Flirty
Daiso Auto Eyebrow Pencil

Eye & Cheek Palette in 02 (RM89)

This palette contains four complementary eyeshadows and a blush. They're packaged along with a double-sided sponge tip applicator in a lightweight black velvet-finish palette

L-R: Blush, Caramel Shimmer, Pink Shimmer, Plum Shimmer, Chocolate Shimmer

For those who are into warm colors you'll like this palette a lot, as do I. All of the eyeshadows are smooth and have decent pigmentation although Caramel Shimmer is a little chunky compared to the others. They can be used wet for more intense coloration. To my huge relief, the colors weren't unbearably Quasimodo-eyed shimmery despite the name thus, they're pretty much safe for daytime and work. The rounded side of the sponge tip applicator actually works for blending despite feeling a little abrasive.
While the velvet-finish looks really classy, I kinda wished that the inside wasn't velvet because when the powders get on the velvet, it can look messy.


Define & Sparkle (RM68) is a nifty duo with a shimmering liquid liner on one end and a glitter top-coat mascara on the other.

The black liquid liner contains sparse silver shimmers that are festive yet subtle. I'm not too sure about the texture as it seems a tad chunky so creating a neat line may pose a challenge. I'd suggest using a regular liquid/gel liner underneath. The flimsy applicator brush doesn't provide much control.

On a more positive note, the Sparkle top-coat mascara side of this duo is quite interesting. You basically apply the glitter over whatever mascara you're wearing for some added glam. The effect isn't too outrageous though, if that's what you're expecting.

Pink is usually not my color but the Shimmer Gloss (RM49.90) in Iced Candy sure is pretty! This bubblegum-pink gloss contains fine gold shimmers that give you sparkly shiny lips without looking like a five-year-old.

The yummy apricot-scented gloss goes on smooth and doesn't feel sticky at all. I can't find anything wrong with this lipgloss except that it's missing that pretty flower logo!

The Sparkling Winter Collection is available now at all The Body Shop outlets. Look out for heavy discounts for this collection in Her World magazine (palette at only RM69!). If you'd like to WIN yourself products from this collection, there's a contest on The Body Shop Malaysia Facebook page.
US readers, this collection is available on The Body Shop USA Website. However, the collection is called Frosted Sparkle and I have no idea why the collection names are different.

If you're wondering about the artificial "glow", I'm trying to mask my imperfections. My skin has been giving heaps of trouble lately with the eczema. I've resorted to using steroid cream on my face and thankfully, it's getting better. Hopefully I won't have to use the "glow" effect in my next set of pictures.

Featured products in this post were provided by The Body Shop Malaysia for review and tutorial on Skindeco.Net Read the rest of this entry...

Totally Wearable Tutorials: Christmas Picnic with Tiramisu and Champagne

Like pink, silver is not my color. Having a warm complexion, gold and other warm colors tend to look better on me. Recently I came across Gio's "Naturally Silver" look and was pleasantly surprised too see silver matching well with brown. As it turns out, silver, being a bold color, when matched with a neutral color becomes wearable and best of all, it works for both cool and warm toned skin.

Here's a look that doesn't discriminate skin tones. Read on for the tutorial...


For foundation, I'm wearing Monave Concealer-Foundation in Canela. While the coverage surpasses most mineral foundations that I've tried, I wasn't too pleased with the finishing. I thought I looked really old with saggy-looking skin and my lines were terribly accentuated. This one's certainly not suitable for drier complexions but it shouldn't be a problem for oilier skin types. Regardless, it did a great job staying on for hours. Color-wise, Canela is warmer and more olive than Teporah.

One of the prettiest pink blush I've come across, Lumiere Cherry Blossom Blush is a "a sweet muted cherry with a slight brown undertone infused with gorgeous glimmers of pink & violet that looks undeniably awesome. The color shows up really well and yet isn't over the top. I really dig the subtle glow too. I'd highly suggest this perky color for days when you're just not feeling jubilant.

*If you find these paragraphs very familiar, you probably read them in this post

Foil: Shimmery silver with a hint of lilac. Works as lid or highlight shade
Neutral Plum: Pearlescent brownish plum. Works as crease or lid shade
Champagne: Pale earthy color with silver shimmers. Works as a highlight shade
Tiramisu: Deep reddish brown with maroon shimmer. One of those dark browns that would work wonderfully for smokey eyes and also as a liner
Deep Forest Green: Satin-finish deep forest green. The name quite accurately describes the color. Works as crease, outer-V and liner color.

Products stated above can be purchased from LovingMinerals.com

Start by applying eyeshadow primer all over the lid. Using an eyeshadow brush, pat Foil onto the lid stopping at the crease line. Next, apply Neutral Plum into the crease with a fluffy crease brush. Blend well. Using a dense eyeshadow brush, apply Champagne as a highlight under the brow bone. Define the outer corner by placing Tiramisu with a round crease brush.

Blend Tiramisu into the crease using a fluffy crease brush. Line the lower lash line and waterline with a dark green eye pencil. Apply Dark Forest Green over the pencil line and smudge out the edges as you go. After that, line the upper lash line with a dark metallic grey gel liner. Complete the eye makeup with several coats of mascara.

Items Used:

Eye:
L'Oreal De Crease (primer)
Lumiere Mineral Pigments in Foil, Neutral Plum, Tiramisu, Champagne, Dark Forest Green
Stage Eyeliner in 06 Oscar Olive
Benefit Creaseless Shadow/Liner in Strut
Maybelline Turbo Boost Mascara
Daiso Auto Eyebrow Pencil

Face:
Monistat Chafing Gel (primer)
Monave Concealer-Foundation in Canela
I Nuovi Undercover Concealer in 4Y
Lumiere Mineral Silk Blush in Cherry Blossom
Lumiere Shimmer Pigment in Gold Salmon (highlight)

Lips:
(1) NYX Round Lipstick in Honey, NYX Round Lipgloss in Cafe Latte
(2) MAC Slimshine Lipstick in Bare

Featured products in this post were provided by LovingMinerals.Com for review and tutorial on Skindeco.Net

Read the rest of this entry...

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

Read the rest of this entry...

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?"



Read the rest of this entry...