2015 Spring Eyeshadows Releases

before you unearth your stash of pastel eye shadows (if you have any) to accompany spring lip colours, have a look at the spring releases! this is the time of the year when most may experiment with pastel shades.

there're simply TOO MANY makeup and beauty brands out there, i'll try to put together both eastern and western brands in this entry! here are 6 eye shadows that interested me in some way or another.

INTEGRATE rainbow gradient eyes | REVLON photoready eye art | VISEE nudy rich eyes

1. INTEGRATE | rainbow gradient eyes (shantan dress) |1600 yen

a 2015 spring limited release, the pink in the upper left will brighten up any dull eyes, while the three tones in the heart will create a soft gradient effect. use the blue with pearly finish on the center of the lids for more bright and lovely eyes. 

the colours look so soft and almost cotton-candy like! i think this will look great on darker skin as the pastel shades will stand out more!

2. REVLON | photoready eye art lid+line+lash | USD 7-9

the satin cream eye shadows are easily applied by the doe foot applicator, the colour blends easily, adhering closely with your eyes to create a high shine look. on the other end is a glitter which you can apply to line your eyes, or all over your lids with the help of the brush applicator.

i've seen swatches online and the finish of the cream eye shadow is frosty - in some photos they look like liquid gold. seems like the champagne and pink shades will make a good eye shadow base! the glitter looks really versatile too, i can foresee myself using it to line my lids and my lower lid area for the teary eye look! 

3. VISEE | nudy rich eyes (BE-7) | 1400 yen

the new ash beige eye shadow quint can help you create the mixed-blood look that well loved by japanese. the shades will carve out sharper dimensions on your eyes. the base colour (at the top) will brighten your entire eye area to prepare for the 4 gradient colours later. infused with moisturizing ingredients, it'll protect you from dry skin.

from the official website, this palette looks a little like mauve to me - greyish brown with a hint of purple. i don't own any palette like this and it's really enticing me.

MAJOLICA MAJORCA majolook illuminator | YVES SAINT LAURENT palette yeux collector | JILL STUART ribbon couture eyes

4. MAJOLICA MAJORCA | majolook illuminator | 1400 yen

limited release for spring 2015, nude brown palette BE700 and pink pastel jewel PK700 will illuminate your eyes with the luminous eye base (the longest rectangle), while the other 3 powder eye shadow brighten your eyes.

majolica majorca eye shadows are well known for their buttery powders. i don't own any eye shadows from them because their colour tend to be on the light and sheer side. too frosty for my liking.

5. YVES SAINT LAURENT | palette yeux collector (ombres du jour) | USD 60

housed in the luxurious casing decorated with black belt and pink sparkles are 5 powder eye shadows: matte black with pink shimmer in the center, champagne, sheer pink, glossy copper, and nude beige. a versatile palette that can be use for both daily looks and glamorous party looks.

the mixture of nude and statement colours make this palette special in its own way. the nude and copper shade can be use for daily looks, and transition into a night look by adding a dash of black. if you're feeling flirty, use the pink and champagne for highlight!

6. JILL STUART | ribbon couture eyes (hydrangea chiffon) | 5000 yen

a new release this year, ribbon couture eyes comes in 4 permanent shades and 1 limited shade (shown above) for spring 2015. the quint consist of 4 gradation colours, and an additional "ribbon colour" for decorating your eyes. formulated with emollients, the powder has a buttery texture and high blendability.

the colour combination resemble that of majolica majorca quite a bit huh? this cost 3 times as much! but the packaging is always pleasing to look at. 

QUESTION
will you try out any of the spring colours for your eyes?

i'll probably pair them up with my normal palettes so i still get some darker shades on my eyes or i risk looking really puffy eyed. if you have darker skin, pastels will contrast your skin to give you a really bright eye look!



image credit: @cosme official website, jill stuart official website

KATE 2015 "New" Makeup For Spring 201

by the time i'm writing this entry, these cosmetics are no longer new. in fact, they've been released for about 2 months in japan already (officially released on 2nd january).

MONOCHROME SHINE | 1600 yen

the black in this quad will enlarge your eyes while the white make them stand out even more, the key is to apply the black above and below your iris. the first release comes with 5 different shades. 

as you can see, 3 of the four colours look extremely light, the only dark colour being the "black" shade. the white shade looks really refreshing though. i suppose it'll suit those who just started makeup? visit the official site to see the colour swatches and a simple tutorial on how to use this eyeshadow!

personally i'm giving this palette a miss because this is in fact just like any other eyeshadow quads that i have, just that i don't use the darkest shade for this specific purpose.

COLOUR WRAPPING ROUGE | 1400 yen

contains moisturizing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and jojoba oil, this lipstick will hug your lips nicely with the addition of some sort of polymer which i can't translate. this is a new series and it's packaging reminds me a lot of the revlon super lustrous lipsticks. comes in an amazing 10 shades. OR-2 looks quite beautiful to me :P

LASTING DESIGN EYEBROW W (FL)/(SL) | 1400 yen
the flat type is a revival of a discontinued product. back by popular demand? the flat pencil allows you to draw both thick and thin lines, while the slim pencil is perfect for sketching out the skinny part of your brows. both types come with a powder chip which can fill in your brow naturally. only comes in two shades.

kate's official site has tutorials on how to achieve the stronger and bolder eyebrow that is trending lately.

SNOW SKIN CC BASE | 1200 yen

claims to lift your yellowish skin tone naturally without giving you a white cast - the result is a pink and healthy glow. formulated with collagen for its moisturizing properties, as well as "nuance change pearl" (mica, titanium dioxide, tin oxide, iron oxide) to produce the transparent yet glowy finish. comes with SPF35 and PA++, it may just be the perfect CC cream for you if you have pretty awesome skin!

this series look quite meh to me to be honest. kate is known to recycle their eyeshadow palettes as they constantly retire the older releases. i hope they bring back the gradical eyes though! i've never tried their lipsticks before, perhaps i can check them out this time round since "colour wrapping" sounds like what the loreal color riche lipstick feels like.

on the other hand, the snow skin CC base look quite interesting to me because it claims to NOT produce a white cast, not that i need another CC base because i'm still using the nature republic CC cream.

QUESTION
would you like to see swatches of the lipsticks or eyeshadows? i can swatch them the next time i pass by kate's counter :D

image credit: all images taken from KATE official website

GEO Princess Mimi (bambi) Sesame Grey Photos and Review

sponsored review brought to you by yourbeautymagic. all opinions are my own.

yourbeautymagic is a new web store selling circle and coloured lenses. they're based in malaysia if you're curious! currently, they only sell GEO lenses. they've hit me up with a chance to try out two pairs of lenses, so i picked the ever so popular princess mimi series in sesame gray/grey (whichever spelling appeals to you! i can't make up my mind as you can see :P).

these lenses are sold in japan under the brand ANGEL COLOR, and it's named the BAMBI SERIES, and this series is produced by tsubaki masuwaka. the lens are in fact manufactured by GEO.

i've been wearing GEO lenses ever since i started experimenting with circle lenses. part of the reason is due to the fact that they're the more affordable ones, also, they just so happen to have the designs that i want as opposed to other brands like EOS, DUEBA, or G&G.


the lenses are wrapped up with foam padding, no chance of breakage baby!


the lenses come in standard glass vials.


product code is printed on the removable plastic caps.


the front and back of the lenses look a little different. from the front, the black limbal ring is darker, while it appears as a greyish colour from the back. this is due to the layering of colours on the lenses.

number of tones: three (black, grey and yellow)
diameter: 15mm
B.C.: 8.70mm
material: polymacon
water content: 40 +/- 2%

power range: 0 to -6.00 (0.25 step), -6.00 to -8.00 (0.50 step)

(information obtained from official GEO website)

price on yourbeautymagic: USD20 (other webstore are priced around USD24)

close up of the geo princess mimi sesame grey circle lens on my eyes.



ENLARGEMENT
the enlarging effect is really obvious, this is what 15mm lens does to my eyes - it makes me look like an alien!

when i saw the thumbnail of the above image in my folder, i look as though my entire eyeball is black!

COLOUR PIGMENTATION
the grey in the lens is more obvious when under flash. in natural light, it didn't fair too badly either (as compared to angel grey) as it really stood out while the yellows softened the lens and blended the colour into my original eye colour pretty decently.

the grey is quite opaque in my opinion, unlike the tri colour grey (on the right) which is sheerer.

without the black limbal ring, this would have looked a lot like the nudy grey. i was this close to looking like i have cataracts, but the limbal ring brought a beautiful contrast to the grey, making my eyes look hypnotic instead.

COMFORT AND FUNCTIONALITY
the pupil size of the lens is adequate and doesn't cause any obstruction to my vision at all. i need a while to get used to the tri colour lenses because that sort of restricted my view a little.

as for comfort, it felt weird to put in such a big piece of lens into my eye at first. but my eyes didn't register any discomfort (like the feeling of something foreign in my eyes).

i haven't worn this out for an extended period of time yet, based on my past experience with GEO lenses, fresh lenses wear comfortably for up to 8 hours. aged lens (>3 months old) may make my eyes feel dry easily, i do carry eye drops around with me just in case.

these lenses are yearly lenses according to the official site, but i think it's best to change them out whenever they start to show signs of drying your eyes.

IN A NUTSHELL
this is not the most natural pair of lenses as you can definitely see the black "tentacles" up close and personal. you can either shove people at least an arm's length away from you, or just embrace it!

i got this pair to try because it was one of the most popular lenses! i know that 15mm is too ridiculous for my eyes, but curiosity got the better of me. i believe this will look much better with some makeup on! it should look really good with dolly eye makeup.

watch out for this pair of contact lens making it's appearance on my instagram and youtube videos in the future!

for more information, you can send contact them. they're friendly and replied to the bunch of questions i threw at them :P i accepted their invitation to try these lenses because their pricing is more competitive than the other online contact lens retailers.

also, shipping took about 2 weeks for me. i guess the customs held up the package for a while because malaysia is REALLY NEAR to singapore.

if you have any questions, leave me a comment below :)

Some Lip Colour For You To Try This Spring!

even though there isn't any hard rules that say we can only wear certain colours during the different seasons, sometimes it's nice to get a little inspiration when we're bored of what we've been wearing for a while and start to dig through our pile of lipsticks to see if we can rekindle our love for a long forgotten lipstick. assuming you have a lipstick addiction like me, and many other vain friends i've made over instagram :P

i always wondered why people always wear pastel shades during spring. even though there aren't much flowers in places i've grown up, the word "spring" brings an image of blossoms to my mind - petals of flowers in shades of pink, apricot and corals form the main colour palette of nature.

after the months of autumn and winter, it's time to embrace juicy and translucent lips again. you'll notice a lot of makeup looks featuring glossy and plump looking lips.

the original MAQUIA website featured the following 6 colours for spring. i've done some translation of the editor's comment and added some of my own as well!

SOFT NUDE | JUICY BLOOD ORANGE | SYRUPY PEACH

1. TOM FORD BEAUTY | LIP COLOR 17A FLYNN
a flattering warm pink that can add a sense of feminity and colour to freshen up your look. from the limited edition miniatures "tom ford lips and boys".

2. THREE | SHIMMERING LIP JAM 08 RED SHOE TWIST
a mixture of red and orange in a translucent finish, this will allow you to wear the reds without having that heavy winter feel.

3. JILL STUART | LIP JEWEL 24 RUBY BIJOU
with just a tinge of colour, the transparency colour will plump up your lips to give you a youthful look. isn't that what spring is all about? part of the 2015 spring colour collection.

SHINY RASPBERRY PINK | CREAMY STRAWBERRY RED | SEMI MATTE MILKY ROSE

4. VISEE | COLOUR POLISH LIPSTICK PK820
a blue based pink will add a pop of colour to chase away the winter blues, while the shine formula make it look less intimidating. this lipstick is said to be really pigmented. you'll hear from me when i finally lay hands on this.

5. LUNASOL | STAIN COLOUR LIPS 03 ENERGY PINK
transitioning from the winter matte lips, a creamy strawberry red lips will add cuteness to all ladies. as it's able to stain your lips, you can get away with long lasting colours even after the lipstick wears away!

6. CHANEL | LE CRAYON LEVRES 91 ROSE DELICAT
for the working professionals who need a toned down look, a semi matte milk rose lip liner will be most appropriate as it look less girly than pink. the semi matte finish may just con others into thinking it's your own lips.

now that my skin is getting better, i hope to be able to carry off pastel shades because they'll look odd against pink or reddish skin :( i'm dying to try nude pink, peach, and raspberry pink. as for finish, i'll go for creamy or shiny for light shades, and juicy translucent finish for darker shades!

what colours and finish will you be sporting this spring?

images taken from the MAQUIA website.

Get ready for un unconventional spring look

the theme is classical glam this spring! that's rather bold for visee to try something different (because most brands are totally pushing the pastel and soft shades, see jill stuart). i embrace differences, because it adds to the variety. as always, there're no hard rules in makeup! it's fresh to see something other than the usual pastels to be honest. also, who actually wears pastel eyeshadows!?

let's take a look at the new items that's released this spring.

 

NUDY RICH EYES BE-7 is an ash beige eyeshadow. the nudy rich series help you create natural dimensions with its 5 shades.

 

SUPER SLIM GEL LINER is a 1.5mm slim gel eyeliner pencil, probably really awesome for drawing that flick at the end of the eye.

comes in three colours, BK001 (DISTINCT BLACK), BR320 (NATURAL BROWN), GR720 (STYLISH KHAKI)

EYEBROW PENCIL comes in 4 spanking new shades:
GY001 olive grey (warm toned)
BR303 pinkish brown (warm pink brown)
BR304 ash brown (cool ash brown)
BR305 dark brown (mature-ish dark brown)

COLOUR POLISH LIPSTICK is a new lipstick line. it pigmented and shiny, giving your pouts a voluminous look. comes in 10 shades.
RD421 - described as a pure red, it is featured in the classical glam look.
BE320 - a cool toned pink beige, featured in the casual glam look.

PK820 looks like a electric hot pink from my monitor :P i'm eyeing it very intently.

CLASSICAL GLAM makeup points:
skin tone nude eyes
sharp defining black eyeliner
red lips
click here for a simple tutorial and list of items used for this look!


CASUAL GLAM makeup points:
natural beige brown eyes
modern khaki eyeliner

the most eye catching things in this line up are perhaps the COLOUR POLISH LIPSTICK and the SUPER SLIM GEL LINER. the addition of a screw brush to the back of the EYEBROW PENCIL is a nice touch too :) i might just pick up their eyebrow pencil instead of kate's because of the brush!

QUESTION
fingers crossed that the lipsticks are available in hong kong by the time i'm back. are there any colour you'd like me to swatch? LEAVE ME A COMMENT TO LET ME KNOW!

image credits: official visee website

my skin is finally doing fine enough for me to take some contact lens photos. previously my eyes were swollen because.. my entire face was a little swollen. i'm not confident of my skin being able to withstand chemicals (makeup and makeup remover) yet so i took these photos without eye makeup, but that shouldn't affect the lenses right?

for the past 6 months i've been rotating between two pairs of lenses, the tri colour grey, and the angel brown, both are from the korean company GEO.

number of tones: three (dark grey, light grey, yellow)
diameter: 14.2mm
B.C.: 8.60mm
material: polymacon
water content: 40 +/- 2%

power range: 0 to -6.00 (0.25 step), -6.00 to -8.00 (0.50 step)

(information obtained from official GEO website of another lens because the tri colour series is off their official web! but lenses have similar properties since they're made from the same materials)

i purchased this for SGD16 from an online pre-order years ago, that person is not in business anymore.

the three tones in the lens is more visible in this close up. the colour pigments are rather dispersed, you can see the mesh placement of the ink instead of dying the polymer completely grey. this allows the colour to blend into my eyes much better, giving it a natural look!


up close and personal, you do see some pixels. other than that, the tonal difference in colour creates depth and dimension, something i really adore from this pair of lens. you may notice some blue tinge in the lens, it only appears in such close up photos.



ENLARGEMENT
only a subtle enlargement as it barely cover up my iris. 14.2mm lens suit me better as i prefer the natural look (as compared to circle lenses which enlarge the eyes).

COLOUR PIGMENTATION

the greys are obvious but diffused, allowing it to stand out even in natural lighting without making me look like i have cataracts. the pixelated mesh print allows the colour to blend into my eyes much more naturally than the angel browns.

COMFORT AND FUNCTIONALITY
the lens may restrict vision a little initially, like how i felt when i wore mascara for the first time (suddenly my lashes are visible!). once your eyes get used to it it'll be fine though. one thing worth noting is how the lens will "slip away" from my iris. when i look straight, the lens will slip down sometimes. :/ perhaps the base curve isn't suited for one of my eyes, it's kind of odd because it only happens to one of my eyes.

fresh lenses wear comfortably for up to 8 hours. aged lens (more than 3 months old) may make my eyes feel dry easily, i do carry eye drops around with me just in case. i've worn this pair for a year and i can definitely feel the dryness creeping up on me. it's time to throw it out, but i didn't because i haven't taken proper close up and comparison photos previously! now i can!

these lenses are yearly lenses according to the official site, but i think it's best to change them out whenever they start to show signs of drying your eyes.

IN A NUTSHELL
if you're looking for a natural pair of lens that will alter your eye colour so subtly, this is it. grey in the eyes normally risk looking like cataracts, but this pair blends in so nicely with my eyes that it never gave me such a problem.

i absolutely love the tri colour series because it adds so much character and soul into my eyes. it will definitely take a normal eye makeup to the next level. think of it as jewels for your eyes and you'll probably get what i mean.

this pair of lens have garnered a lot of attention from both youtube and instagram as viewers always ask me what lens is this. maybe i should endorse this pair of lens huh? :P






as seen in my burgundy makeup tutorial


as seen in my harajuku makeup tutorial

What's a CC cream, and how is it different from BB cream?

in my very honest opinion, both BB cream and CC cream are old products with new names. in my previous entry, i explained what a BB cream is and how it differs from a foundation. a CC cream is harder to define as its formulation highly depends on the brand itself.

i wanted to link to the products to other online retailers, but i found cheaper deals on amazon.. therefore, some links are amazon affliate links!

BANILA CO it radiant CC cream SPF 30 PA++ | NATURE REPUBLIC super origin complete control cream (brightening) SPF 25 PA++ (click here for my swatch and review!)

PRIMER? MAKEUP BASE? MOISTURIZER? SUNSCREEN? TINTED MOISTURIZER?
some brands produce CC creams that are meant to be a makeup base. as such, they perform multiple functions including moisturizing, sun protection, and may or may not be tinted at all. the untinted ones are usually just to brighten up your complexion, while there are also CC creams that have enough coverage for it to be considered a light coverage foundation (with the addition of skin loving properties).

WHAT DOES CC STAND FOR?
the acronym CC seem to have no standard definition too. some says it means "colour control", while others claim it's "colour correction".

COLOUR CONTROL THAT ADAPTS TO YOUR SKINTONE?
going along the "colour control" definition, i believe it started out as a "colour control" product because of its ability to change colours upon application. of course it's just gimmicks to make you think that it actually changes colour to match your own skin tone! all they had to do is to encapsulate colour pigments within small droplets suspended within a white base. once you rub it into your skin, the droplets break apart to release the pigments, resulting in that colour change from white to skin tone.

ETUDE HOUSE correct and care CC cream (silky) SPF 30 PA++ | INNISFREE real skin CC cream SPF 30 PA++ 

as for the "changing to suit your skin" part? you can water down any foundation or BB cream that you currently have, it will easily match many different skin tones simply due to its sheerness. (i'm sorry for being such a spoiler if you don't already know this..)

WHAT ABOUT COLOUR CORRECTION?
as far as "colour correction" goes, it really is another way of saying "brightening". at least, that's what i observed from korean CC creams, which tend to give me a very subtle brightening effect. it doesn't correct any unevenness of my skin tone. sorry to break it to you, but that brightening effect is most likely due to the physical sunscreen in the product (such as zinc and titanium oxide). technically speaking, you can get the same brightening effect from a regular sunscreen.

ETUDE HOUSE magic any cushion

well, to be fair, there are some CC creams that have been tinted to either green, lavender, or pink to actually correct discoloured skin tones. then you ask me, isn't that what a makeup primer does? that's precisely my point - CC creams act just like a makeup base/primer to moisturize and protect your skin from sun damage before you layer on your foundation, with or without the added benefit of colour correction (by colour correction, i mean using colours from the opposite side of the spectrum to counteract discolorations on the skin).

information obtained from official website here and here.

IN A NUTSHELL
with all that said, it seems like the BB cream and CC cream doesn't actually have too much differences. if a BB cream is a watered down foundation, then a CC cream is a watered down BB cream.

most CC creams tend to boast their skin care benefits because they are supposed to contain more skin care ingredients as compared to BB creams. perhaps you're skin will feel more hydrated and moisturized, but don't bank too much hope on other benefits you can get from standalone skin care products.

DO YOU NEED A CC CREAM?
should you invest in a CC cream? if you fall into one of the below categories, your answer is a yes.

1. you do not currently own a sunscreen
2. you need an all in one product that will moisturize and provide sun protection before you apply your foundation
3. you skin tone is even so you don't need any coverage

otherwise, i don't think there's a need for a CC cream. unless you want it, that is. :P as always, i also suggest deciding on a product based on your needs that has to be addressed (such as uneven skin tone, pore problem, dehydrated skin etc).

if you are still confused about the BB and CC cream saga, leave me a comment so i can improve on my entry next time!