Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color

So I got a bunch of free samples from Mary Kay a while back, and only now have I gotten around to using them. I really, really like the products, but I haven't gone back to repurchase... mainly coz I'm waiting for them to "hardsell" to me. But they are the opposite of hard-selling! They have not contacted me again after the first round of letting me try the stuff and giving me all these freebies. Isn't that so weird? Anyway, I like the products enough to consider actually walking in to the office and just asking whether they want my business or not. :S

I remember getting the mineral eye color samples because I told the Mary Kay consultant that I love mineral make-up. I like that it's supposedly kinder on the skin, and all mineral foundation that I have used so far *is* kinder on the skin. It's light wear, light coverage and never caused my pores to get clogged even with my full face make-up on. The only problem with mineral eye COLOR though is that they are usually less pigmented and there's way more fall out. However, because of the fact it's less pigmented, the fallout doesn't look as obvious, and if you prefer more color payoff, you can always apply primer! Personally, I like a more muted kinda look on my eyes (unless I'm on the stage and I want something dramatic...), so mineral eye color is really  suited for me.

I took the products with me when I went for my anniversary celebration with my husband back in the hotel where we held the wedding. The mineral eye color samples that were given to me were Crystalline, Lemongrass and Midnight Star, which was pretty good for both a night look for our anniversary dinner and for a morning look (church the next day).

For the night look, I used Midnight Star, and you might have seen this face before when I did the lip color (also awesome!) review :

Though it looks very BRIGHT and unwearable on the sample sheet, after layering it on, it still doesn't look as bright as it does. Yup, this is without primer, and I don't think I would like it to be an exact match to the sheet as it might be a bit too "disco".  Instead, I got a pretty decent, sparkly, look. I think it looks quite nice!

Here's a close up... you can see that there's so much GLITTER... I love! I really layered on the eyeshadow, so it looks darker. I suppose a light sweep would look suitable for daytime as well. :)

And even more close up: 

Can see the fallout, but generally I'm loving the shade and how sparkly it is! :) I would definitely consider this for a repurchase!

Meanwhile, Citronella and Crystalline were blended together the next day for a more "spring" look in church the next day. However, despite using all of my eyeshadow samples, I still look quite washed out. It's almost like I'm not having any eye shadow on at all. I know, even in the picture below, it looks like both are just white in color. =p

Ok, a better picture would be this one (the first two in top row) :

This is how it looks like without any primer. This was taken in natural sunlight :

Close-up ... hopeless without any primer! :( Maybe the Crystalline overpowered the Citronella a bit too much, cos I remember when the Mary Kay consultant applied it for me (only one color, with primer), it was a pretty intense green! :( Because it's so light, you can't really see the glitters either - it just doesn't stand out. Pity, coz they are both really glittery on the sample sheet!

Not sure how much this will cost cos I can't find any information about pricing on the Mary Kay website. Will update this page when I actually do purchase the Midnight Star. ;)

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Balmbini Face Palette

This is one of my favorite purchases during my Singapore hauls last year! The Balmbini Face Palette. I've been using it since last year, and have not been fair to it as I've kept putting off doing a review because I'm quite lazy to snap pictures. *ashamed* *fail beauty blogger* However, I've been packing it for so many on-the-go moments that every other face picture that I have would be one with the products from my Balmbini face palette. I have more than enough pictures required now. :P

As mentioned, this face palette is pretty comprehensive - it has eyeshadows, lipstick & lipgloss, blushers and all in a compact set that makes it travel-handy. It also has a mirror inside, which is SUPER useful, considering that I don't pack one. *ashamed* *failed female* Since I don't wear foundation, this is pretty much all I need to make myself up. Oh, and my eyeliner of course. ;)

The packaging is SO cute, isn't it? To be honest, I've heard of The Balm a long, long time ago, but I've never bought anything from them because :
a. not sure if it's *really* that good
b. it's freaking expensive!

However, I like this Face Palette because I can try out most of their star products --- and all for RM80+. Yes, that's how much this face palette costs, and I feel it's pretty worth it. Considering that my Too Faced Eye Shadow Palette already costs RM130. The quality of The Balm products are good - long-lasting and vibrant colors.

The back of the cover shows exactly what is in the box, as well as a suggestion on how you can use ALL the products in one look. Lol! I find using everything at once a bit too much for myself (too lazy to shade my cheeks and I won't bother with gloss on top of something that already feels like gloss!) , but even when you do put everything on at once , it looks quite glam - nothing too over-the-top and ridiculous.

Inside the Balmbini Face Palette, you get :
Down Boy Blusher - a bright pink, fun and flirty shade. Gives you a healthy glow, very youthful and playful.
Hot Mama Blusher - a shimmery orange for that sun-kissed look. Also can be used for shading.

Mary-Lou Manizer - pale golden, shimmery, luminiser for the eyes. To highlight your eyes, brighten them up and add a bit of sparkle! ;)

Shady Lady Eye Shadow - there's two shades in here : Insane Jane and Jealous Jordana. Insane Jane is some coppery-greenish shade (sorry, I can't really describe colors, but you can see from the pic above!) and Jealous Jordana looks like a really "jungley" shade of dark green that I wouldn't normally purchase. However, it does look good on the eyes when mixed with Insane Jane!

Read My Lips Lipstick - a dark red shade called "Wanted". It smells like cherries and is a bit sticky, so I thought it was gloss too!

Special Edition Tinted Gloss - looks orange-y, but comes on clear. Smells orange-y.

Some pictures of myself with "my face on". :P

See? Not too shabby right? The gloss + lipstick gives an insane amount of shine. I also find the shade quite nice. Though the color descriptions I gave for Insane Jane & Jealous Jordana sounds bad, it looks office-appropriate with a light touch. If I'm more heavy-handed, I could get a mean smokey eye look. :) You can also see how bright & vibrant the Down Boy blusher is! I quite like it! If you are into kawaii looks, this would be right up your alley.

And this is me with less stuff on - no Hot Mama shading and no gloss, just lippy.


Anyway, I'm super satisfied with this purchase. I reckon that wherever I go, I'll be packing this with me. So convenient!! I wonder if The Balm has any other face palettes?

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Too Faced Romantic Eye Palette

One of my first purchases from Sephora, and my first purchase from Too Faced. I love cute packaging, and though some may think it's a bit too OTT looking (most prefer simple, sleek designs), I like it! To be honest, I liked the Too Faced palettes so much that I was thinking of getting both the Romantic Eye and the Naked Eye palette. But then I decided to hold out for the Urban Decay Naked palette instad.


Aside from Romantic Eye and Naked Eye, they also have Smokey Eye and Natural Eye. To be honest, I think Naked Eye and Natural Eye sounds similar right? Why the differentiation?

If I remember correctly, I think this set me back about RM128. But I have no regrets buying this palette because of the following reasons :
a. very little fallout when applying the eyeshadow - this is important to me because my eyes are VERY sensitive to fallouts. It will itch and "weep" like crazy.
b. nice colors, suitable for all occassions, not just "romantic" occassions
c. nice size, suitable for travel. Do not need to think about what to bring- just pack your Romantic Eye palette!
d. I love the "how to" guides that come with the palette. Check it out :
This is how the palette looks like on the inside :
Close up of the colors :
The largest amounts of eyeshadow are for the all-over eyelid wash + for highlighting. The middle ones are the main color and the ones on your right-most are for the contour-ing / deepening of colors. For me :
Day look : soulmates + i do + un-veil is suitable for any normal look. Suitable for the office & with more un-veil, you can even get a smokey eye look out of this!
Classic look : kiss the bride + cut the cake + first dance is the most "romantic" look out of all 3. It is very sweet and girly, oozes feminity. Suitable for the weekend and dates with the bf!
Fashion look : bouquet toss + honey moon + ever after is really a glam night look. It has the most glitter and shimmer out of all 3 "looks" and gives a very metallic finish. Love it for nights out!

Of course, you can mix and match ~ get creative. But somehow I have fallen into the trap of following just what the product tells me to do. :)

Day Look

Classic Look

Fashion Look

I know this doesn't REALLY ultimately show off the colors so well, but trust me, I'm not a make-up artist / photographer, so up-close it ain't going to showcase the palette off to the max. All I can say is that I love this palette enough to consider buying more Too Faced palettes in the future...

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Yuberactive Review : Max Factor Earth Spirit Eyeshadow in Ultra Aqua

Thanks to Yuberactive, I managed to score the chance to review the Max Factor Earth Spirit eyeshadow in "Ultra Aqua". This product is part of their Earth Spirits range that features mainly light, soothing shades in a compact case. I have to apologise beforehand - I retrieved this product a little late from the post office and then I was off for a holiday in Hong Kong, so I didn't have time to experiment with looks that I could get from this shade as much as I want to. However, I DID toss it in my make-up bag to take to Hong Kong, and I didn't regret it one bit!



Love the small, compact case, which meant that it didn't take up a lot of space. It was also my "go to" color whenever I wanted something simple, sweet yet striking. Don't underestimate the light, shimmery blue-green - there are some gold flecks in it that really help make your eyes stand out. No need to worry so much about what to blend it with, it already looks good just by itself. :) I also like that it's striking enough that when I wear my glasses, my eyeshadow still stands out.


For me, I felt that the color was pretty long lasting - wore it on the plane until I could check-in to my hotel. That's about a good 12 hours there, though I have to admit that it was losing it's lustre by the end of the day. No primer needed, but then again I don't have oily skin. My main complaint about this eyeshadow would be it's screw-top covering. Really, is that necessary? It would be so much more of a breeze to use if I could just flip up the cover and swipe away.


Talking about swiping, there isn't an applicator with this eyeshadow either, but for us who still love using our fingers, it ain't a problem. :P Going for RM11.90 at your local drugstore, this seems like a steal, and I would love to check out the other shades they have on offer. ;)

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Basic Makeup Palettes for Work

I've got a LOT of eyeshadows, but there are only 6 palettes that I keep returning to for office looks. Occasionally I would take a walk on the "colorful" side by incorporating weekend colors in (only on Fridays!), but these are my staples :

Close-ups of the palettes :

Clarins Palette Quatuor in Les Oceanes. I got this free in some Clarins contest. :) It came in a nice red velvety bag too! Plus points for packaging. The whole palette looks very sleek and posh, with a metallic cover, and a mirror inside. The colors don't seem very "ocean like" imho, but very nice shades nonetheless - dark grey, lavender, light grey and a barely-there pink for highlighter.

Kate - Contrasting Eyes ... I can't find what shades these are. I just took it because I REALLY loved the dark, shimmery brown color, which really looks as good as it does on the palette. I rarely touch the weird turquoise, and the pale yellow makes for a nice base. This was one palette that I bought just because my friend said that Kate products are really good. I have no complaints on the product itself either, but then again this is the ONLY product I have from the range. ;)

My ultimate go-to eyeshadow for work (when I don't want to think too much) is my L'oreal HIP duo. This one is called Dynamic, and I think it's the only eyeshadow I ever have that managed to touch the pan! Hahaha... it's really awesome - strong pigments, and I love the shimmery light gold, which contrasts with the deep chocolate to create a slight smokey office eye look. :)

I think I won this as well, cos I don't remember buying it. Oh well, it's a Maybelline expert eyes in Plums. The dark plum shade is really not as dark or as glittery in the picture. You need to use a LOT of it in order for the colors to show. And the highlighter is slightly pinkish. I don't use this one as often because it has a lot of fallout, which irritates my eyes. However, since it's barely used, I feel like it's such a waste. Photographed it to remind myself to USE THIS. :P


Quite regret buying this... was at a stage where I wanted MORE neutrals / nude shades, so I got this ZA Eyes Vibrante in E2. All 3 shades are very light and shimmery, not much pigmentation. It would be great if the colors came out as how they look like on the palette.

This is my second go-to palette every morning, and it's a gift from my sister! Ain't it great to have a sister that DOESN'T like wearing make-up? :) And I don't know why, she keeps getting free make-up, so I have a few items from her. :) This one is Clinique's Color Surge Eye Shadow in "Strawberry Fudge". I just love it! The shimmery pink eye shadow goes so well with the shimmery brown. Not toooooo glittery that it becomes inappropriate for work, and the colors are surprisingly pigmented. Suitable for a more feminine look, I occasionally wear this on the weekends as well cos it's so awesome. :)

I just realised that I have zero brand loyalty! Hahaha. Oh well, variety is the spice of life! :)

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My Potential NYX Haul

My friend Dull passed me an awesome website to get cheap NYX cosmetics. It's not as cheap as when you purchase from eBay, but it's pretty good for people who don't want to wind up with 100 lipsticks, I guess. ;) Plus, the eBay items usually ship within America or Canada.

Should I share out the website here? The problem is that it's Dull's find and not mine. ;) Maybe if you email me personally. ;)

I'm at a quandary whether to purchase any eyeshadows from Nyx because I plan to get Coastal Scent 88 palettes. Dull says 1 palette is enough because they have "every shade imaginable", but I plan to get "Combo #5" which has
- 88 original
- 88 shimmer
- 88 metal mania
- 88 warm shades

I know it's insanity - who would spend more than RM200 on eyeshadows? The thing is... original is only in matte shades, and I love shimmer eyeshadow as it's more subtle and suitable for daily wear than matte shadows are. As for metal mania, I just think the shades are crazy sexy. Decided to put my lust for these palettes on hold because my friend says that sometimes they will give discounts. She got her palette on 15% discount, so shipping was essentially free. The shipping kills me! RM100 for shipping, that's the cost of two palettes already. =(

Anyway, here's my marked-to-buy NYX haul for 2011 :

(1) Eyeshadows
Since I can't get the Coastal Scents, I'll get myself another 5 color palette and another one from the 10 Color Runway Collection.

I'm loving :

a. I Dream Of Aruba
Loving the earthy shades here, very suitable for work. In fact, I only have 3-4 palettes that I keep going back to for work (I'll blog about office make-up another day). I have been contemplating I Dream of Aruba and wondering if the colors are too similar to my H.I.P duo (Dynamic), but I think I do need more shades of brown. It's such a go-to color. Such a necessity. *convinces self*

Discounted price @ $6.75

b.10 Palette Runway Collection in Romance
I'm wondering if I should just get this one and forget about I Dream of Aruba as the shades seem pretty similar. I think I Dream of Aruba is more vibrant, golden desert sunsets while this one is more muted and earthy, less glamor and more on sweetness.

Discounted price @ $8.95

(2) Eyeliner
I've actually bought a really good eyeliner that I can't wait to share with you, but as I'm always on the lookout for good eyeliners, this one looks like it has really good potential! The NYX Skinny Eye Liner :
Discounted price @ $7.75

(3) Glitter Cream Palettes
This one was going cheap, and you never know when you might need to do a Ke$ha. ;) Decided to go glitter glam with Bronze Goddess and glitter whore with Pretty in Pink (actually, this is still pretty wearable. True Glitter Whore would be like... Paradise / Eden.. go check out the colors yourself!). How can you be "Glitterati" without glitter cream eyeshadow? ;P

Discounted price @$4.45 x 2 = $8.90

(4) NYX Nude on Nude Palette
20 nude eyeshadows (just what I need!) and 10 lip colors. Is this excessive, considering that I want everything else?
But I keep telling myself that what I have isn't duplicated here... Is it crazy to want to buy eyeshadows in colors that will "look like you're not wearing anything" anyway?

On another topic, I love all 10 lip colors shown here! They are all so wearable. I'm so glad that they didn't bung in something like black or purple lipstick. I really take my hat off at gals who can pull off looks like that.

Discounted price @ $17.90

(5) NYX Round Lipstick
The best selling lipstick in NYX, probably because it's so cheap, and in a huge variety of colors. Reading online reviews, they say that the lipstick is also very emollient, moisturising and the colors lasts. Therefore, I'm very tempted to try EVERYTHING that they have to offer. ^^

Though it is only $2.98 per lipstick, I have to limit myself, and told myself that I can only choose 5 out of these colors that I have greedily selected. Can you guess which ones I got in the end?


I took :
+ Chic Red (Electra is too red, and Pure Red is too "chilli red")
+ Gardenia (It looks like Rose LSS502A, but darker)
+ Narcissus (The nicest pink shade of the lot, I reckon)
+ Georgia (It reminds me of my Ginger Tea Rose shade from Maybelline last time!)
+ Peach Bellini (trying out a coral shade!)

Discounted price @ $2.98 x 5 = $14.90

I'm just wondering --- should I bother getting the eyeshadows if I get Coastal Scents? Do I really need 5 new lipsticks? Did I forget that I still have a shipment from Benefit that has yet to arrive? Sigh, decisions decisions...

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Everyday Minerals Haul

As I've mentioned before, I bought Everyday Minerals make-up when I saw RiceBunny talk about it back on her Xanga days. Oh RiceBunny... she's probably the best 18 year old sales person of her day. ;) Thanks to her, I bought
-- Boots No. 7 lipgloss in "Flirt"
-- a Lancome Designer eyeshadow in Metallic that I use for the smokey eye look (just like what she recommended...)
-- Everyday Minerals (a tonne of stuff, even stuff she didn't recommend)
-- aspirin... and became a devout user of the aspirin mask
-- L'oreal H.I.P duos in Dynamic, Flashy and Reckless (Will blog about them another day)

But after a while I stopped because most of the stuff could only be gotten in America, or were from websites that only shipped within the US. Also, because after I used Everyday Minerals and liked it a lot, she did a turnaround and then said it wasn't as good as _____ brand. I was like... huh? Suddenly EM is NOT good? But I wasn't rich enough to rush off and buy the new brand, and I was pleased with the results I got from EM, so I continued using it.

I started using Everyday Minerals before mineral make-up became a big thing in Malaysia and you could get mineral make-up from the bigger brands like Maybelline, Revlon, etc. (Now I can't seem to find it anymore as the "in" thing now is BB Cream.) However, had to order it online, and they only shipped within the US, so I've not been shopping there recently. It's a shame because I really like the stuff there. They've also severely revamped the website til I don't know what's going on. I also used to like the "sets" that they had. It made the things there affordable. Now you can't get sets anymore and you have to singularly buy the stuff there. Kinda meh for me. I also don't really like their packaging because it is prone to spillage. There was once when I opened my package and there was fine powder all over the package. Found out one of the powder blushes had leaked. Sigh...


Having said all the negative stuff, the make-up itself is really good though. Based on what I've tried there, here are my opinions :

(1) EM brushes are AWESOME. Especially the kabuki brushes. They are easy to clean, and they feel so soft on your face. Other brushes that I've used don't even come close. (I once had a Maybelline kabuki brush that felt more like coconut bristles... and the Boots one, though soft, is not as soft as EM's one).

This is the picture of the kabuki brush that I have, from the website. Forgot to take a picture of my brush, now lazy to upload. :p

(2) The foundation series with four different formulas, great for every occassion. I've only tried 3 out of the 4, but here's my take on what I did try :
a. Original Glo - very light coverage, great for those who have flawless skin to give light complexion coverage and highlights, and a dewy, glowy, look. However, I am not such a fan of it because in Malaysian weather, this tends to look oily rather than dewy after a few hours. When I was in US, it looked great though because I barely sweat there. It's a really good foundation to perk up dull skin.

b. Semi-Matte - alright coverage which doesn't clog pores. No "sparkliness" like Original Glo, but we are going for more coverage here, not dewiness. I like Semi-Matte and I think it's suitable for our country.

c. Matte - super "full" coverage which I use sparingly, or mixed with original glo because I feel like it might be too "heavy" for my skin.

d. Intensive - the website says that this formula is "oil absorbing, perfectly matte and used for heavier coverage in humid climates. It is for those with oily complexions who want the look of matte." This would sound like it's perfect for Malaysian weather, but since I felt that matte was already so "intensive" for me, I was glad that I didn't get it. However, in the spirit of trying all things out, I do plan to get this in the future. ;P

(3) The blushers and eyeshadows come in some pretty amazing shades and there's so much of it in each full-size pot that it's hard to finish. I love the shimmery, sleek finish of the ones that I got - Spin Cycle, Pressed Olive and Movie Night! All 3 colors are suitable for casual outings or for work.

Spin Cycle - a very light shimmery lilac.

Pressed Olive - a light shimmery green color.

Movie Night - a barely-there nude shade. I don't think it's very "movie night" as that name spells glamor to me, but I think it's more like a "let's go and watch a flick in the cinema" type of casual date "movie night".


For blushers --- I don't think I'm ever going to be able to finish my three full-size pots - Apple, Sunday Brunch and B&B. Apple looks like a light pink color, but it comes on darker and is suitable for a sexy look, suitable for night events. This, despite the website saying that it is a "light and rosy" shade. Maybe I'm a little too heavy handed!


Meanwhile, Sunday Brunch looks darker, but when applied, looks earthier, giving a suntanned type of look. I actually use Sunday Brunch more often than Apple, because it's a more suitable daytime look. By the way, this is a discontinued shade, you can't find it anymore on Everyday Minerals.


As you can see from B&B, this is a super coral shade, with lots of shimmer! Better for bronzing and shading actually. When I wear this, it's super orangey, and I'm not used to it! But I'll try to make this work, must not let it go to waste!


Oh, I also got a black powder eyeliner shade from them, but have not used it as I'm not sure HOW to do so. Hahahhaa. *lame*


(4) The free gifts! I try to make my purchases when they have free giveaways (you can find out by clicking on "Try Me Free" and then "Promos". At the moment, they are giving away Kaolin Powder Sunlight, Natural, Pearl Beige and Pink Ribbon Blush for all purchases over $18). During my last purchase, I got 2 free eyeshadow shades from their Christmas collection specials. During festive seasons, they have new shades that can't normally be bought off-season. I got a glittery-gold-green shade called Tinsel Time and a dark green shade called Mistletoe.


When I first saw Mistletoe, I was pretty aghasted. When could I EVER wear such a glittery dark green shade? I'm pleased to say that this shade actually works quite well for a smokey eye look with a difference!


(5) The free samples! To lure you into buying full-size ones in the future? You get to choose a free "Try Me" kit with every purchase, and it's a mixture of foundation colors and blushers (I think, I can't really remember). I got a few foundation shades to try out, but in the end Olive Fair was the shade for me and there was no doubt about it. I also tried Sunkissed Fair (Olive Fair is a better match, though this was not too bad) and Sunlight (too light for me).

Thanks to the free samples, I also got All Smiles, which is a matte blusher in a very light, rosy pink. It's not too bad, but because it's in a tiny sample kit bottle, I have to transfer it to a bigger pot to use, and that can be annoying. Color-wise, I find it similar to my Dandelion powder from Benefit, except Benefit is more shimmery.

Oh, I didn't talk about this (cos I rarely use it - regret buying the full size), but I also got the multitasking concealer & finishing dust. It's alright when I want to go all "heavy duty" with my make-up...


I plan to replenish my base foundation, but Everyday Minerals *still* does not ship to Malaysia. This would be ok for me, as now they have stuff like VPOST to do the re-directing to your home country. The trouble is, my BILLING address also can't be Malaysian. This sucks! :( I really wanted to get the following stuff :

-- Olive Fair for original glo, semi-matte, matte & intensive
-- Chamomile eyeshadow - a light yellow shade with sparkles!

-- Oasis eyeshadow - a shimmery copper shade!

-- The Imagination Kit which consists of 4 eyeshadows (Floating Feathers, Lip Lock, Prettier in Pink and Samba Lessons), 1 lipstick (Enough Talk, Kiss Me) and 1 blusher (SoCo), comes in a drawstring bag.

P.S : if you're wondering how I managed to get my stuff LAST time, I used to know someone who was willing to lend me their credit card number. ;p

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