DejaVu Fiberwig Lash Up Mascara

Is it me or are blogs not as popular anymore? I think most people have gone to YT for reviews on makeup now. I'm not a camera person so I don't think I will make videos, I tried and I just didn't like it.
I think it's nice to still have a blog though, because if you're looking for something specific, you can easily Google the product to read the review rather than having to browse through videos, listen to the intros, skip the parts that you don't want to hear.. etc.. But that's just me

Onto the review! I think I have a mascara obsession...  seems like I get more mascaras than anything else.
I've seen this DejaVu Lashup mascaras on a few Asian blogs already so I was super curious to try it. I've been a loyal fan of the Dejavu mascaras for quite some time now (except the volumizing one, it smudges).
This one is new to the line and promises to give a better curl to the lashes with its quick drying formula.

The brush has long and short bristles alternating along the curve. I don't find the short bristles do much, it's mostly full of mascara and it doesn't comb onto the lashes very well. The long bristles are great though, and because of the way the brush is curved and the position of the bristles, my inner and outer lashes can get a coating of mascara very easily.

Although it's supposed to be a fiber mascara, I don't actually notice the fibers. So for anyone that's not a fan of the super fuzzy fiber mascaras, you might like this.
Just like the other Dejavu mascaras, this one also washes out with warm water and stays put through sweat, oil and tears.

Before picture of my curled lashes...

After! It doesn't give a lot of volume, but layering it on 3-4 times helps. I think this is probably the best mascara that actually keeps my lashes curled throughout the day. The formula is slightly wet but dries very quickly which helps the curl stay put. Amazing! 

I haven't seem Adambeauty carry it yet, so I got mine from Sasa.com for about $17CAD. 

Fairy Drops Platinum Mascara (Film Type)

I've always been a loyal user of the DejaVu Fiberwig mascara. I think I started using it about 7-8 years ago? I can't remember. But it was always my go-to because it would never smudge and it came off easily with warm water. The only thing was, it never really gave a lot of volume, which is why I'm always on the look out for a new mascara.
While shopping around on Adambeauty, I noticed the Fairy Drops mascara in the film type, which means it stays on like the Fiberwig mascara and comes off with warm water. I never had any luck with the first Fairy Drops that was released years ago because it smudged on me. However, the Platinum Film type promises to stay put while giving length and curl.

I think there's fibers in it. If there is, it's barley noticeable. The wand is curved with 3 ball-like shapes to help catch onto all the lashes.
The formula isn't too wet, which is great for me because wetter formulas tend to weigh my lashes down.

 Here's the before and after picture. My lashes are barely noticeable and this is before I curled them.

..and after. I used about 2 coats of mascara, if I added more it started to weigh my lashes down.

This is a decent mascara. It stays put all day and doesn't smudge or flake. On my left eye, it's pretty good at holding the curl, but my right eye lashes doesn't really stay. It lengths pretty well but at the same time, if I apply more for length, my lashes start to droop, so I wouldn't repurchase a new one once I run out, I'd rather try another film type mascara...the hunt continues for the perfect mascara!

Bobbi Brown Obsession

Recently, I've been collecting quite a few Bobbi Brown items. I don't know how it started.. for some reason, BB's base makeup appealed to me.
I'm not a huge fan of the color makeup, like the lipstick, powder shadows and gel liners. The lipstick feels sticky, the eyeshadow (from the shimmering nudes palette) oxidize and change color, even with a primer, and the gel liner doesn't stay put. Maybe I just haven't found the right color products yet.
I've also tried the hydrating eye cream with avocado, did wow me too much. Now that I think of it, I've tried so many BB products without even realizing it.

I recently purchased the Skin Foundation Mineral Makeup in Light to Medium and the Sheer Finish Loose Powder in Soft Sand.
I got kind of annoyed at how the Sheer Finish Pressed Powder kept crumbling whenever the hole in the middle grew too big. It happened to both of the BB pressed powders I've used, so I just gave up and purchased the loose one to use at home and I keep a Lancome Translucence pressed powder in my purse instead...hopefully that won't crumble so easily.

I haven't actually used the loose powder yet, but it's the same color I've been using in the pressed form, so I can't imagine it being that much different. I've done a post of the Skin Foundation and the Tinted Moisturizer in my previous posts if you'd like to read about it.

I've read online that the mineral makeup is very sheer but I wanted to try it anyway, and yes it is sheer. When I first applied it, I barely even noticed anything on my skin, but after a few minutes, it seemed to look better and showed some form of coverage. I think it would work well as a finishing powder for those who prefer fuller coverage on top of their foundation. Otherwise it's a great light makeup to use because it stays very natural. It doesn't oxidize on my skin like the Laura Mercier mineral powder, but oil control isn't superior. It's not that my skin looks super oily, but after a couple hours, there's shine on my nose faster than if I used the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24 foundation.
But overall, I love the feeling of the mineral powder. It's soooo silky and soft and doesn't crease, whereas the Laura Mercier mineral powder, if my forehead gets really oily, I see a bit of it creasing.

I'm going to be heading to Port Canaveral in a couple weeks for a 4 day Bahamas cruise, hopefully I'll find some good deals for Bobbi Brown at the outlet mall and duty free store. Totally interested in trying the shimmer bricks. 

Lippies

I don't usually get a lot of lip products because it takes me a long time to finish, but for work, I decided to get a couple new ones to use. The Benefit Ultra Plush gloss is something I got from a seminar, it can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart for about $18CAD.
I like my natural lip colors, so it's no surprise that I would purchase something subtle.
The products are Benefit Coralista lipgloss, Lancome L'absolu Nu 201 and L'oreal Colour Riche Balm in Caring Coral.

The Benefit Coralista Ultra Plush lipgloss came out a couple weeks ago at Shoppers Drug Mart. I think there's about 6 shades? All designed to match their boxed blushes. Coralista smells like very sweet lychee and has a very slick watery feel. It's not sticky at all which means it's not long lasting. At least my hair doesn't stick to my lips anymore.

You can probably guess from the name that L'absolu Nu is a sheer lipstick. They were designed to enhance your natural lip color and this came the closest to my lips. This lipstick has a slight perfume scent to it and goes on quite sheer with a hint of color and shine. This doesn't last long at all, especially if I talk a lot. I normally use this at work when I don't feel like having too much color on my lips.

As for the L'oreal Colour Riche Balm, I was convinced by Raeview's video from YT to get it in Caring Coral. I honestly didn't need anymore lipbalms so it's a bit of a spontaneous purchase. I kept this in my makeup pouch for the times I needed some lip color but forgot my other lipsticks at home. Not too fond of this product though because my lips started peeling and didn't feel moisturized at all. However, I do like how this applies very smoothly.

I think I have too many lip products, but I bet there's plenty of you out there that have more than me. How does one finish them all?? 

I know I should be throwing most of these out due to the length of time I've had them, but I just can't get myself to throw them out...it's like they're my babies! 

Summer Base Makeup

Summer's practically here in Toronto and it feels like 35C today when you factor in the humidity @__@ Lucky for me, my condo is shielded by another one right in front so it doesn't get too hot inside.
When it comes to summer base makeup, like most people, I like to know it won't melt off my face or feel heavy and icky, especially on hot humid days.

I picked up the Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free with SPF 15 as a spontaneous purchase while I was in Buffalo. This is in shade Light to Medium. I'm glad it's oil free because the last thing I need is more shine in the summer.
I also picked up the new Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24 in shade Bisque 250 W $50CAD.
I initially purchased Bisque 320 W which turned my skin orange after 5 minutes!!! I've never had this happen with any of the foundations I've tried with the exception of the Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation. I took it back to the store for a shade lighter which in the end, blended into my skin tone after oxidizing.

The Lancome foudation is very creamy, not like a runny consistency. I find it applies best with a stippling brush and gently pressing it with a sponge to make sure it's properly blended.
If you're looking at buying this foundation, I highly recommend you try it on your skin in-store and let it sit for about 5 minutes before purchasing it.
The wear on this is very good, hence the 24hr, but I wouldn't say it's super long lasting if your skin is oily. When I blot my t-zone, some of the foundation would transfer onto the sheet. Everywhere else though, still looks relatively fresh.My skin doesn't feel like it's melting off and I'm surprised at how it sticks. When I was changing out of my black top, there were no smudges on the collar.

As for the BB TM, it's what you would probably expect out of a tinted moisturizer. I find the coverage is a little more than sheer and it provides a nice even color to my skin. I blend it on with my fingers and use a sponge to tap around to make sure it's blended. The texture is quite creamy but I wish it had a little bit more slip to it. Although oil free, my t-zone and the cheek area next to my nose would look shiny after a few hours.

The BB TM is slightly more yellow toned than the Lancome foundation, but both works well for my skin.

Happy New Year~!

Hi Hi!
I haven't disappeared completely, so busy with work and school! So bad for not posting in a while... =___='!!

I was on AdamBeauty recently to restock on my favourite mascara (Fiberwig) and decided to peruse some of the other items that were available. Along came the Dolly Wink mascara and liner combo! It was about $15USD for the mascara/liner combo which is a pretty good deal. Only the volumizing formula was available.
I'm always a bit iffy on using new mascaras or liners because I don't always have good experiences with them; they just keep smudging!! But seeing how it was a good deal, it went in my shopping cart.
I'm sure there are a billion reviews on these products already, but I still wanted to share my 2 cents on it =D

I'm used to using the Majolica Majorca automatic liners (which has a turning base to get the product out), so I didn't expect to see the Dolly Wink liner to not have the turning base.
I was quite surprised to see that the pen tip was so thin, slightly thinner than the MJ one I use.

Compared to the MJ BK920 liner, the Dolly Wink is much darker and doesn't have the shimmery finish like MJ. It was also a lot easier to apply and get the color on my lashline in one swipe. Whereas I usually use MUFA Aqua Liner 0L as a base for the MJ liner.

Throughout the day, I was just thinking to myself that it's gonna smudge, but it stayed put pretty well. It didn't smudge to my lower lashline, but it did fade a bit, mostly on the inner corners. It's nothing too noticeable unless you look closely at the lashline.
The mascara I was definitely very iffy on using, since the Fiberwig is the only mascara that didn't smudge. Even the MJ mascaras somehow smudged on me.
Cool thing about it is that there's a small pointed sort of end to help reach the tiny corners and lashes.

So I gave it a try in hopes that it could be just as amazing as my precious Fiberwig...but it didn't stay. Not that it smudged like crazy, but throughout the day I noticed a bit of darkness around the edges or my eyes..not impressed. Even if I layered the Fiberwig on top, it didn't do much.
Another thing I wasn't impressed about was the layering. When applying 1 layer of Dolly Wink, it was fine, then when I tried to add a second layer, it clumped easily.
Oh well, I tried, back to Fiberwig it is.


Ever since taking a course in fragrances (as part of my cosmetic curriculum), I didn't give fragrances much thought. I owned a few already, but threw most of them out after moving because I haven't used them for such a long time (I'm sure the top note has fleeted already).
So, after taking my fragrance class, I really wanted a new fragrance that was lighter than the current one I had (Anna Sui Dolly Girl Bonjour L'Amour) and something I would use more often... along came Jo Malone.

If you go to Holt Renfrew at Yorkdale Mall, there is an SA that works at the counter name Joe. He was super nice and offered me plenty of samples until I found a fragrance I liked.
I was initially attracted to Jo Malone because my manager wore the Wild Bluebell. It smelled so light and fresh so I figured I could find something light from Jo Malone.
I was going to purchase this myself as a Christmas present, but Tim beat me to it. Probably because I mentioned the fragrance so many times to him.
He got me English Pear and Freesia.
It has top notes of melon and pear, with middle notes of freesia and rose, finished off with musk, patchouli, amber and rhubarb.
I find the scent to be a bit like spicy pears. It's also light, sweet and delicate.

But...rant-age...
According to the Holt SA, Jo Malone is a unisex fragrance that can be layered, but seeing the price point of it, I doubt I'll get another one to layer, this 100mL bottle will take a long time for me to finish.
I'm a bit peeved at the SA though. I mentioned that the fragrances were labelled as a cologne, so he told me that it only says that so men wouldn't be turned off from seeing it labelled as eau de toilette. He told me that it sounded too feminine and men wouldn't buy it. So instead, Jo Malone labelled them as cologne when it's supposedly an eau de toilette.
Lies!! =_______=
Seeing how I took the fragrance class and knew the differences between parfum, toilette and cologne, I should have known better. I knew colognes didn't have the longest lasting power, but I was still sucked into wanting the fragrance. Oh well...it was a gift from Tim and I wasn't going to complain, I just got an atomizer to spritz more on when it faded.

Happy New Year once again and hope you all have a great weekend! Until next time!

Rinoa Cosplay with Dolly Wink

I'm so excited about this post, thanks for all the comments on the Dolly Wink lashes. As much as I love them, I think I'd only use them when I go out to have fun, otherwise they're too crazy for day to day.
As you can see, the post is about my cosplay at FanExpo Toronto, but first I'd like to show to you the makeup I used.

I was going to purchase the Dolly Wink 01 eyeshadow at Pacific Mall to use with my lashes, but I didn't have time nor was I prepared to over spend on something I know would be over priced. But, my dear friend from Hong Kong surprised me with it in the mail! I remember asking her if these were available at Sasa and she told me no, so I was quite surprised to get the package and looked ridiculous with my smile when I opened it on the subway.

I didn't have time to do a step by step picture tutorial and using the Dolly Wink e/s is pretty hard to get wrong anyway.

Products used in order:
Coffret D'or Fluffy Shine Eyes

Dolly Wink 01

MUFE Aqua Eyes 0L

MUFE Aqua Eyes 2L

Majolica Majorca Perfect Automatic Liner BK920

Fiberwig Mascara Extra Long

How To:
First apply Coffret D'or all over lids as a base, then:
1. All over lid
2. From lash line up halfway the lid
3. Lined upper lash line
4. Lined outer half of bottom lashes with MUFE 2L then smudged on top.
I also used to MJ liner to fill the spaces of my upper lash line, then finish with Dolly Wink 02 Lashes. I snipped off a very tiny bit of the inner part and they fit perfectly.
The lashes were a bit heavy though, whenever I blinked, I knew they were there, but it wasn't uncomfortable or anything.

I didn't do swatches of the eyeshadow since there are many bloggers that have done so, I'm just a bit late on the Dolly Wink bandwagon. However, I do have to say that I love the pigmentation of the eyeshadows and the lasting power! They're so easy to apply with my fingers.

Being a little vain before I got to the FanExpo, I kept looking at my eyes since I was so amazed at how the lashes transformed them. I totally forgot to use lipstick/gloss that day.

On to some FanExpo pictures! My nerdyness comes out.
I was a bit shy to ask people if they would take a picture with me, it seems kinda weird. I had a few that asked for my picture, or when I was posing for a picture with other cosplayers, I saw people snapping away with their cameras.

I think I looked pretty darn close to Rinoa from Final Fantasy 8. This isn't the first time I cosplayed her though, the other times I had black pants on and no boots. For FanExpo I went all out and got the boots including the grey detail on them, did the shorts and went anime eyes with the lashes. I think I also get a bonus point because I'm Asian already with my long hair and side swept bangs like Rinoa.

For those who don't know who this is, it's Tom Felton a.k.a. Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies.

Some Storm Troopers snooping around my bag.

Kairi from Kingdom Hearts 2, I love that game!

Another Storm Trooper, the guy was towering over me. He even had the mic to make the Storm Trooper voice. I do like Star Wars btw.

And just a couple pictures outside the Metro Convention Center thanks to Tim for them. I think I would definitely go again next year, or if there's any other conventions that come to Toronto that calls for the cosplayer in me haha, but I would totally think of another costume.

Base Makeup Updated~

I feel a bit disloyal to the Asian cosmetics that I normally like to buy, but sometimes it's hard to look for a new powder or foundation without trying it on. Eyeshadows, blushes etc.. haven't really caught my eyes the past year, maybe a few things but I think it's because I have too many products to finish first.

So I decided to switch to using some American brands. It's also a lot cheaper too, unless you buy it in Canada. For this haul, I only purchased the Bobbi Brown foundation in Canada...$55CAD compared to $45USD, is that ridiculous? Plus our 13% tax on top.
And I got the Sephora round powder brush #41 for only $36, I think it's $45 here? My only complaint is the white bristles...when I load up the brush with the pressed powder, I don't know how much I actually pick up and sometimes I end up powdering too much.

If you've ever been to Holt Renfrew at Yorkdale mall, you might have noticed that Benefit has their Brow Bar there. However, I recently found out that Benefit was being pulled out of Holt and they weren't going to carry the brand anymore...so sad, and I was about to get my brows done.

Since they weren't going to be sold at Holt anymore, there was a mini sale going on with a bunch of the Benefit products, ranging from $15, $20 and $25. The boxed blushes were all $20, cream eyeshadows were $15 and skincare was from $20-25! There were also things like the concealer kits, lipgloss and lip sticks, liquid blushes, eyeshadows and a few other eye brow things.Cheap right? But I only picked up the High Brow.
BTW, if you're in Toronto, head to Holt at Yorkdale, the lady told me the sale ends this week, but I'm not sure if she meant Friday or Saturday.

The High Brow is a unique brow lifting pencil. You basically use it to highlight your brow bone and this helps give your eyes a nice lift. The shade is a pale pink color, I don't think it's very universal and there was only 1 color to choose from.
You draw a line under your brow on the outer half like so...

Then blend away with your finger or brush. I find that 1 swipe is enough, otherwise it gets a bit difficult to blend. The product feels a bit chalky and if I add too much, I can see a white-ish hue under my brows rather than a natural highlight.

Do you know about Murale? If you've never heard of it, it's a beauty boutique opened by Shopppers Drug Mart. They carry a wide variety of products like NARS, Smashbox, Benefit, Cargo and...*gasp* Bobbi Brown!!!! I finally found somewhere that I get purchase Bobbi Brown products...without having to deal with the snooty service at Holt Renfrew, plus you can earn those Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum points at Murale.
I spent about 45mins at Murale getting a mini makeover and trying out their base makeup. The girl was super nice, if you ever go, look for Shannon.
I purchased the Skin Foundation SPF15 in Warm Beige 3.5, which gives a light-medium coverage and leaves a slight dewy finish...which I love. I don't like fully matte makeup.

I also purchased the Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in soft sand when I visited Buffalo. Darn you Canada, why are things so expensive... I got the powder for $34USD and it sells for $45CAD here.

In case you ever need a comparison for online shopping, here I'm comparing the shade with Fit Me 210, they're very similar except Fit Me is a bit more yellow toned.

I LOOOOOVEE my new foundation. I normally use a sponge to blend, but I can get away with using my fingers to blend and the result is a smooth even finish. The Fit Me needed a sponge for better blending.
BB definitely has more coverage than the Fit Me foundation, but a lower SPF.
Lasting power is quite good, my skin was more dewy by the end of an 8-10 hour day but it looked so smooth. The foundation feels quite runny and it also feels very light weight which helps it give a light-medium coverage. 1 full pump is also enough to cover my face without any being wasted.
I used the pressed powder on top and it matted my skin very well, which I wasn't too fond of, but after an hour or so my skin looked more dewy when the oils started to produce on my skin.

Coffret D'or Fast Beauty Foundation UV BB Cream

Today is just a quick look at the Coffret D'or BB Cream. It has such a long name! Sorry no pictures of the product on my face, I'm just fitting in this post in between studying =D
I ordered this from AdamBeauty, about $34CAD (after shipping) for 30g. I was very hesitant on ordering this because I couldn't decide on the shade to purchase and whether it would clog my pores like Skinfood and Hanskin did.
I ended up getting the darkest shade, 03 Healthy Tone. At first I was worried it would be a bit too dark, but I compared the online swatches of the P&J foundations and Lunasol (that I've used before) and concluded on shade 03 because those foundations were all a touch too light for me in the summer time. Plus, my Kiehl's Tinted Moisturizer was in Medium and it's quite dark too, so the 03 shade should suit me.

I was surprised at how small it was, knowing that it was 30g. I'm thinking with regular use, I'll probably finish this in 2 months. Which isn't too bad for the price and what it does.
I'm not going to explain what BB creams are since there are a bajillion bloggers that did. This particular one comes with SPF 33PA++ and is unscented (yay!). I don't think there's a specific target for this BB Cream (like anti wrinkle or whitening).
When I first applied it to my skin, I was surprised at how yellow toned it was! But after a few minutes, it blends into my skin nicely without any sallowness.

The lasting power is quite good. I wore it on a day that I was up early to help my friend get ready for his wedding, running around, doing touch ups on people, through the rain and it still looked fresh. No creasing except a bit around my nose. Shine on my t-zone was bound to happen but it didn't look like an oily mess, just a bit of dewy-ness that I blotted.
For comparison, I used the Maybelline foundation. Although I mentioned that it appeared very yellow, it somehow changed to my skintone, I can't explain it.

Overall, I'm quite happy with this purchase. The BB cream has a light to medium finish, but a bit leaning towards medium depending on how much you apply. It has a nice creamy texture but spreads very easily without any streaks.
I think it's worth a try if you like foundations that are lightweight and convenient because it has the SPF in it. Also, you don't need to use a base prior to applying this, so even more convenient!

Kiehl's and Lavshuca

I really don't like editing my posts using Google Chrome. The pictures don't move around easily and it just makes it frustrating, but IE is always crashing on me.

Anyway, on to the post. Thank you for everyone's comments. I know I've been slacking in the commenting area but I still jump around blogs to keep myself updated.

A friend from school recently went to Hong Kong and helped me stock up on some MJ liners. I got the BR601 shade which is a deep shimmery brown. I've been using the shimmery black MJ liners for so long, I don't know why this is the first time I finally tried a different shade. Hmm...actually, I think I used to have a deep blue one, but who knows, it was so long ago.

She also got me a souvenir! It's a Lavshuca PK1 eyeshadow, I'm not too sure what it's supposed to be called, but I can imagine something like double, or duo something.

I've tried so many Japanese makeup from the past couple of years that I don't really remember if this is my first Lavshuca eyeshadow..I'm pretty sure it is. 

It comes with a pale pink that applies very smoothly and leaves and nice soft shimmer. The darker shade looks taupe with a hint of pink. It's not really pigmented enough to be used as a liner though, but great for adding definition.

I thought I'd post a quick picture tutorial with the eyeshadow. Nothing too difficult =D It's been a while since I did a picture tutorial.

First things first, I always start with a color base whenever possible, it really helps the eyeshadow last longer and gives a more vibrant finish.

The shadows actually last very long without having to touch up for at least 8 hours.

I also don't always put color on my lower lashline... I'm slowly getting more used to seeing myself with some color there, although it seems to fade really quickly, or my eyes get watery.

I love the MJ liquid liners...what would I do without them.

I curled my lashes and used a heated lash curler before applying mascara. Just using 1 coat with the heated lash curler is enough to make my lashes really stand out. I skipped the second coat since I was wearing glasses. And done!

A little update to the L'oreal Color Infailble. Just some good and some bad.. I wasn't too pleased with the product but wasn't disappointed either.
The good things about this shadow is the texture, it feels very silky, almost like cream but more powdery, but very light when applied to my lids. It has a more powdery finish. I'm not even sure if this can be considered a cream shadow.
It's also super pigmented and can be layered for a more intense finish..which I think is quite nice, considering some shadows don't appear any bolder no matter how many layers.

Besides those good things, I was slightly disappointed in the application. Although very silky in texture, I found it a little bit difficult to blend out the harsh edges, maybe because I was using my fingers? I also noticed the first signs of creasing after an hour of wear so I just took it off. I'll probably give it another chance another time. The color is very pretty but I don't see myself using it much because it's so much bolder than what I usually use.

I also changed my Maybelline Fit Me foundation. After using 125 for about a month, I started to feel it wasn't the right shade. It was a bit too pink, so on my visit to Buffalo, I picked up the 210 which was a better match. It has more of a yellow undertone while still looking more cool toned, which is what I apparently am now (according to my makeup teacher). So far, I still love this foundation because of the light-medium coverage. I don't like anything too heavy. I wish I could get my hands on the Paul & Joe Protective Fluid Foundation S, but it's so expensive online *sigh*