Isabel Lee | Malaysian Beauty & Lifestyle Blogger: September 2010

October Resolutions

I've never made New Year's Resolutions before (or never stuck to them) so I'm making October Resolutions now.

After scratching someone's car the other day, I've decided.. I have to be more patient and careful when I'm driving. This means waiting for the cars to pass and not driving like I'm in a hurry. Those cars behind me can honk all they want!
Shopping ban (oh noooooooooo!!~~~~) for the whole month of October. Of course, this doesn't include essential stuff like shampoo, toothpaste etc. It's mostly for skincare and makeup products. I hope I can stick to this! So I guess the blusher I bought from Daiso yesterday will be the last item =(
Project 5 pan. I don't have any specific products but I've decided I'm going to finish/hit pan on at least 5 items in October! May it be small, nearly finishing or sample sized.
Wear different stuff to fully 'utilize' my wardrobe. I'm so used to wearing shorts that it's become the only thing I wear! I need to wear more of the other clothes before they turn yellow.
Wear lip balm daily. I need to save my lips! They're becoming drier and drier everyday.
Put on hair serum every time I wash my hair. I've gotten lazy with this and I fear my hair will suffer from it.
Wear sunblock! I posted about a sunblock some time ago and I did wear it for a while but I don't anymore, because I feel it makes my face oily.
Don't buy any sweets in October. I have a real bad sweet tooth =/

And that's it! Wonder if I can continue doing all that for the whole month lol I'm usually all into it for a week or so then after that I start getting lazy and all =x I have poor self control! T_T

OOTD : Striped Long Top & Skinny Pants

I have never worn skinny pants before. In fact, you would barely ever see me wear long pants or anything near my knees and below lol Almost everytime I wear long pants, I get a lil itchy, it's so hot, the ends drag on the ground, I have to keep pulling it up (heavy so it drops) and somehow I feel very restricted from movement. And that's only if I find my size. I have biiigg problems finding perfect fitting bottoms. I have a big hip, butt and thighs so it's really hard to get affordable bottoms. I think the main problem is usually my thighs. Sometimes it fits but when I squat down to test it, it's really tight on my thighs. Or when it fits, it's really loose at the waist cos it's 3 sizes bigger. So I don't know if getting this skinny jeans in my possession was good or bad.

Long story short-er : I used to run a blogshop. Someone on LowYat.net was selling clothes at wholesale price, clearing her stock as she used to open a stall @ Curve. I asked for photos, agreed with the price and COD. She sent a 'delivery boy' who drove a really noisy car. He claimed the receipt was at the bottom of the bag and went off. After inspecting the clothes I found holes, stains and broken threads in the clothes. Plus, there was no receipt. I immediately contacted her and she was giving excuses for everything. I knew I got conned =( This skinny pants was one of them. At first I couldn't fit in it but I lost 3 kg (4 cm from thighs!) some time later and I can wear it now, although a little tight.

Anyway, before I blabber too much on skinny pants and end up renaming this post to 'Skinny Pants', I'll show you my OOTD.

- Striped long top from Tanks for 5

- Black skinny pants

Sorta boring but I like it. My friends in college were shocked at the sight of me in long pants. lol

I didn't have the mood for any makeup on my face so I just drew on a brown eyeliner. I was using the L.A. Colours auto eyeliner. It kinda smudges on me so it creates a mild smokey effect, as opposed to liquid or gel liners.

Amethyst looks amazing in the pan. Now, if only I could say the same when it was swatched. I don't know why, but they all turned brown! I thought my brush was dirty so I reswatched it. Then I changed to another brush and tried with my finger too. Only the foiled one turned up purplish.

It's purple on the brush and my finger but when I transfer it, it will definitely turn brown.

So I decided to use different bases. I'm using the Elf Duo Cream Shadows in Blueberry & Berry Mix. Blueberry made it darker, like a dark brown. The light shade in Berry Mix made it shimmery while the darker shade made it a deep purplish red. However, none of them really looked like the original colour in the pan.

On eyes over NYX Eyeshadow Base. It's more purple on my eyes but still not as purple as I wanted it to be.

Lined eye with Silkygirl Funky Eyelights Pencil in Sky Blue

Full faced, one eye has Coffee Bean while the other eye has Amethyst.

Hmm.. I quite like how these turned out. With a good eyeshadow base, they're not bad for the price.

Product says : The beautiful soft texture melts into the skin for a vibrant color that lasts. Convenient and easy to apply, just layer the color to achieve the desired intensity. Apply wet or dry for a fabulous look that never creases or fades. Blend color onto eyelid with an eyeshadow brush, layer on color for desired intensity. Apply dry for a more subtle look or wet for a dramatic look and for longer wear.

Ingredients : Talc, Mica, Nylon-12, Silica, Iso-Octyl Palmitate, Magnesium Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Dimethicone, Triacontanyl PVP, Sodium Dehydroacetate. May Contain: Iron Oxides (CI77491, CI77492, CI77499), Manganese Violet (CI77742), Mica (CI77019), Tutabuyn Duixude (CI 77891), Yellow No.5 Lake (CI 19140), Red No.40 Lake (CI 16035), Ultramarine Violet (CI 77077), Blue No.1 Lake (CI 42090).

Size : 2.75 g / 0.097 oz.

Price : RM 10.45 / $3

Bought from : Elf Cosmetics

Made in China

Pros : Cheap, has mirror, nice casing, intensity can be adjusted

Cons : Appears brownish instead of purple, not very pigmented, a bit chalkier than Coffee Bean

My conclusion : I prefer Coffee Bean over Amethyst but I would still wear it. Just wished it was more like the colour in the pan! Just like Coffee Bean, it's beautiful just by itself and doesn't need to be matched with other colours.

Giveaway : Pinkbox Makeup

So here's another giveaway post. I like reading posts from Agnes' blog because there are quite a number of Elf and NYX items. And they happen to be my favourite brands (cos they're cheap mah! xD)

Link : http://pinkboxmakeup.blogspot.com/2010/09/double-fun-giveaway.html

Ending : October 31st

Elf Studio Single Eyeshadow (Coffee Bean)

In my Elf haul that day, I mentioned I got 2 of the Elf Studio Single Eyeshadows. I'll split this into 2 posts due to the number of photos >_<

They actually look like a mini version of the Elf Studio Blushers. Same casing, mirror and plastic protector. It's about half the size of the blusher.

The moment I saw Coffee Bean, I knew I'll like it ^^

Swatches. Coffee Bean is a gorgeous brown with very fine shimmer in it.

Swatch on arm over Elf Primer. Swatch done with finger was the lightest. Brush was better but I wasn't quite satisfied. So I decided to foil it by spraying water on the brush after I've picked up the eyeshadow. This really intensified the pigmentation and the shimmer is more noticeable.

I also opened the Silkygirl Funky Eyelights Pencil in Olive Green as I'm planning to match it with the eyeshadow. You gotta be careful when you open this! I didn't bother peeling off the tape or something at the cap and went straight to pull off the strip. The entire cap with the plastic and tape still on it flew off, decapitating my eyeliner and the eyeliner bit that broke off hit me in my eye. Luckily, I closed my eye and it just left a green mark on my eyelid O_O The eyeliner is such a pretty colour! It's a dark olive-y green that is quite wearable by itself. However, I realised that it is much MUCH softer than the ones I have, making it hard to draw as it clumps easily. I hope it's just the top that's like that.

Coffee Bean on my eyes over NYX Eyeshadow Base (I think this works better than the Elf primer). I used this all over my lid, blended it out then applied another layer nearer to my lashes. I'm amazed at how good this colour is. And you can even wear it by itself! The shimmer didn't show up on my eye though.

Lined my eyes with the Silkygirl Funky Eyeliner in Olive Green

Size : 2.75 g / 0.097 oz.

Price : RM 10.45 / $3

Bought from : Elf Cosmetics

Made in China

Pros : Cheap, has mirror, beautiful colour, nice casing, intensity can be adjusted

Cons : Not very pigmented, a bit chalky

My conclusion : I really like this colour. I may not purchase the other shades though. Based on online swatches, the other colours aren't that impressive. I hope Elf makes more colours!

* Check out tomorrow's post for pictures of Amethyst
** BubblezShoppe is having a 'sampling period' where Alice will send you free samples in exchange for testimonials. Click HERE to find out more.

I can't believe I have not told you girls about this lip gloss yet. I find it so pretty, I don't have the heart to use it x.x Or maybe I'm just more into lipsticks lol

This is my only NYX Megashine Lip Gloss as I am not willing to part with my money =/ I know I know.. I'm such a cheapo. It's a peachy brown with shimmer in it. Oh, how I love shimmery stuff! I think this is the new packaging. The new packaging is so much simpler than the old one which had "Goddess of the Night" or something written on it.

It has a cute lil ribbon at the top of the cover and a doe foot applicator.

I forgot to swatch it again so I'll just jump straight to my lips. Bare lip with lip balm

With the lip gloss on. The name is true to it's function. It is very suitable to pair with smokey eyes but I think it's alright to wear it when you're not wearing a smokey or heavy eyeshadow too.

Oh yeah, this lip gloss is cherry scented (like candy canes!) and it smells sooo good.. It feels like I'm putting candy on my lips! It's also not very sticky.

Product says : The IT lip gloss from NYX available in a wide range of colors that can create a sheer but shiny finish. Designed to be worn on its own, over lip pencil or lipstick. Of course you can mix and match the colors to create your own. Long lasting formula perfect for your busy schedule.
Ingredients : Mineral Oil, Octyldodecanol, Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit, Bees Wax, Paraffin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Grape (vitis vinifera)Seed Oil, Butyl Parahydroxy Benzoate, Propyl Parahydroxy Benzoate, Microcrystalline Wax, Ceresin, Polybutene, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Ricinus Communis (castor) Seed Oil, Tocopherol (vitamin E acetate), Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, D&C Red No.7 Calcium Lake, Fragrance

Size : 15 ml / 0.53 fl. oz.

Price : RM 15.15 / $3.75

Bought from : Cherry Culture (via hubby_enny)

Made in South Korea

Pros : Shimmery, lovely colour, not too sticky, shiny, nice smell

Cons : Need to order online

My conclusion : I need to wear this more. No use keeping pretty lip glosses in the dark cupboard where no one can see it! I may buy more in the future but I don't really wear lip glosses.

*Unrelated : I had a nightmare last night. I dreamt that my fav eyeshadow palette (I haven't seen it before in real life) finished and I couldn't find a refill or a new one >_<

Do you read beauty magazines?

I just started in August, when I bought a copy of female and Cleo. They were talking about environmental friendly stuff and there was a promotion to get the new Hada Labo stuff if you signed up. I sent in a total of 14 envelopes just to join the contests. (I love contests!) So much for saving the environment. If you didn't want to use envelopes, you can sms your entry at RM1 per entry. That would be RM14 for everything! Way more than what I'm willing to pay. Shouldn't it be cheaper to encourage readers to send in their entries through sms instead of in envelopes?

Then all the recommended products are so expensive and it's usually the ones that have advertised in the magazine. There would be the occasional cheap product but it's only about 5%. A lot of the pages are either advertisements or telling you to buy certain products to achieve the look shown. I don't know why people like reading these magazines. I would understand if you're filthy rich and have tonnes of money to spend but for poor students like me? I certainly didn't buy magazines just to look at items I can't afford..

If only I could read Chinese. My sister-in-law lent us some Chinese magazines and they're so fun to look at! They have make up tutorials, guides on how to wear the same piece of clothing in a dozen ways, hairdo guides etc. They even have pages showing how different falsies will look like on your eyes. Now, how come English magazines don't have that? I kinda feel that they don't care about the content anymore. They just want the money from advertisers. Why not just change your name and become a product catalogue, not a magazine? Kinda disappointed.

Well anyway, I was telling my mum I sent in 14 entries and it would be such bad luck if I didn't win anything. My mum laughed her head off and said "There are thousands of people joining. What makes you think you can win? It's very hard lah.."

And yesterday.. I received a letter from Blu Inc.

*hops about in joy* I won! LOL Well, it's not exactly the one I was really aiming for (come to think of it, I don't really remember what it was) but hey, it's nice to know I'm getting something back from buying these magazines. The Bf just shook his head that day when I bought September's issue of female =_=

Well, for now, I'll continue buying them until I get bored of it =/ There are still some articles I read and I can day dream about buying all those super expensive stuff they advertise lol

Btw, unrelated but I'm thinking of getting My Beauty Diary masks. Any thoughts?

Bitch Stare

By now, most of us would have probably done it or gotten it at least once. A bitch stare is when another girl stares at you insultingly (I think). It could be because they think you're competition or too ugly to be in their presence. Bitch stares can make a girl really uncomfortable especially when it's paired with finger pointing and whispering. Now, why do girls do it? I don't really know why but I have come up with some reasons.

1. If you're considered competition, they will stare at you and try to find flaws on you so you are less perfect, while trying to make themselves feel as though they are so much better. The truth is, they are intimidated by you and can't accept it.

2. They look down on others who are not as 'on par' with their appearance to make themselves feel better. They compare themselves with these girls as it obviously make them the better girl. However, they never compare themselves to better looking girls and even if they do, they'll be doing number 1.

3. Ok this isn't bitch staring but just normal staring. I do this all the time. I stare at pretty girls because I want to know what makes them pretty and maybe I can do it too. Example, if I like they way she did her makeup, hair, paired her clothes with accessories or just simply the way she looks, I would 'observe' her. These girls are better than celebrities or models in magazines because they're real and there's no Photoshop involved.

4. Reason number 4 is because you're staring at her lol Many times, you stare at a girl and she stares back, thinking you're bitch staring at her. Then the stare war begins.

Now, have you ever stared at another girl, and why?

Oh yeah, here's another giveaway~~

http://starryxuan.blogspot.com/2010/09/giveaway-birthday-giveaway.html
Ends 28th September

One of the items I bought during my haul from 1 Utama that day was a box of the Watson's Energising Eye Mask. It was one of the winning products featured in this month's Cleo magazine. As you can see in my photos, I have very bad undereye circles and fine lines =(

Product says :

The directions says to remove contact lenses before using but I was going out right after so I already had my lenses on. My eyes were feeling a lil tired so I felt it was the right time to try it out. This is my 'before' face. Look at my eyeeesssss!! Okay, it doesn't look that bad here but believe me, it's worse.

The 'essence' is really thick and sticky.. I have never seen a sheet mask like this before. They're usually watery and can 'flow'. This mask's essence was sticking onto the mask and plastic. It smells a little floral but surprisingly very pleasant.

I had no problem with the mask dropping out halfway as it was sticky but it can get a little bit messy when you're touching your phone, camera and hair. I had to wipe away the gooey essence first before I touched anything else. The shape is perfect! Not too big, not too small. Matches the curves of my eye exactly. When I put on the mask, it felt cooling and sorta minty. It's a very nice relaxing feeling =)

Set my 'egg timer' for 20 minutes..

After 20 minutes, the mask doesn't look dried up yet. In fact, it's still pretty moist.

I peeled it off and patted the excess essence into my skin.

Although the instructions says 'no need to rinse', I felt that it was certainly needed to rinse off the essence as it was sticky. It did not completely absorb into my skin and left a sticky feeling beneath my eyes.

After the mask, my eyes don't feel that tired anymore. But it may have been because of the 20 minutes of lying down and resting my eyes. None of the essence entered my eye and I think it's actually safe to use while wearing contact lenses as long as the essence doesn't get into your eye. Just to be safe, do not place it so near to your eye like me >_<

What do you think? Does my eye look more 'energised' and refreshed? lol I have alot of fine lines despite not even being 20 yet. I communicate with a lot of facial expressions and I always rub my eyes >_<

Oh btw, because the essence was so thick, there was more than enough for one application so after the 20 minutes, I put the eye mask back into the packet and reused it the next day =x Not very hygienic but saves money! lol

Ingredients : Aqua, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Trehalose, Phenoxyethanol, Arginine, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Allantoin, Octyldodeceth-20, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caffeine, Niacinamide, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Beta-Glucan, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Extensin, Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Extract, Parfum, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Hydrolyzed Yeast, Bletilla Striata Root Extract, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben

Size : 5 ml

Price : RM 15.90 for 6 pairs

Bought from : Watson's

Made in Korea

Pros : Cheap, perfect shape, pleasant smell, relaxing, cooling effect

Cons : Sticky

My conclusion : I have not bought masks for over a year but I may actually repurchase these when I finish them. I enjoy using them as they feel good on my eyes.