My Top Beauty Picks of 2011!

Here are some practices I started in 2010 and am continuing through 2011 and beyond. These are items which have become entrenched in my beauty routine now and I cannot do without them.

Meet my not so new friends – NYX Eye Shadow Base and Smashbox PhotoFinish Primer. These are the two additions to my beauty steps prior to applying makeup.

I love NYX Eye Shadow Base for the lasting power it gives my eye shadows and now I do not have to worry about that ugly oily crease that I get in my eye socket by midday. I used to be so self conscious about it and sometimes when I am busy at work and forget to check, I wonder how others would have felt when they had to look at the ugly light brown line on my eye where the oil had its way! Not any more…..i wonder why I did not discover this earlier, because it certainly has been a wonderful product. Initially I was skeptical as to whether this product would deliver as even though I had heard about Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, I had not come around to purchasing it due to the numerous complaints about its seemingly flawed design. There were hundreds of YouTube posts on how to depot what was in the cute bottle and that scared me a little, I must admit.

Well, the NYX ES Base indeed was a little surprise in a pot for me as the payoff was good, bright colors and most important of all, super staying power. Even when I walk out in the sunny heat for lunch, my eye does not get that oily crease-y gunk that looks terrible. I cannot say enough about how much I love this product.

When I finally got round to purchasing Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, I did not use it as much as I do my NYX. I have also (albeit, a little unfairly) not given it a spin and put it to the 12 hours and above test like my NYX. I guess I will have to get round to doing that soon and when I do, I will let you know how that went. In fact one day I am going to use UDPP on one eye and NYX ESB on the other and put it to the test that way!!

My other makeup staple now is the Photofinish Primer by Smashbox….which they have thankfully also repackaged! The old packaging was terrible and until this day I have not figured out how to get the last bit of Primer out of that damn package! I love how my face looks and remains fresh throughout the day with the Primer on and it really controls the oily shine that is so unsightly. I still need to pat my oily face with a tissue or Blotting papers after lunch everyday but even if I forget, the oil does not shine like a beacon on my face!

Another good substitute for this Primer, if you are a beauty on a budget is Monistat Chafing Gel. It is just as good as the Smashbox version only cheaper. I do use both interchangeably without preference for any one. I think Smashbox is slightly better at controlling my oiliness but just marginally so. I do not think Monistat can be purchased here in Malaysia (at least I have not seen it in the shops) but there are some online spreer’s that will be more than happy to purchase it for you.

Apart from these, I am also more aware of the need to exfoliate regularly and I use Clinique’s Exfoliating Scrub every two or three days. The grains in this gentle scrub are not abrasive and can be used often. It is 100% fragrance free and its top ingredient is water. I never realized how my pores can get clogged and thus resistant to absorbing all the good and expensive products I have bought for my skin until a recent experiment done by my favorite SA at Clinique (Pavilion). She cleansed my cheeks – one side with cleanser and the other she used the Exfoliating Scrub. She then applied my moisturizer on both cheeks and asked me to feel which side had absorbed the moisturizer best. Lo and behold it was the cheek that had been exfoliated that had completely absorbed the moisturizer! That side of my cheek felt smooth and satiny. The other side was still a little damp with my moisturizer just ‘sitting’ on my skin and after some vigorous rubbing, I then felt that the moisturizer had been absorbed. That too not as fully as the other cheek that was exfoliated.

We may sometimes think we know so much about makeup but there are still some tips and tricks we can learn that will benefit our skin greatly. It is one thing to talk about the benefits of doing something or using some product but until we experiment and see the results for ourselves, we will never know. So do try this little experiment for yourself with whatever Exfoliating Scrub you currently use and then see how well your moisturizer is absorbed. For my face, I have to exfoliate every three to four days in order for my moisturizer to properly be absorbed. The environment we work in also plays a big part in clogging our pores. A cleanser alone cannot wash away what is deeply embedded in our pores and the dust (heat and dust are our greatest enemies when it comes to clogged pores and being in the tropics, we cannot run away from these two things). So, surprise, surprise, our cleansers do clean what lies on the surface but a thorough exfoliation or even a deep clay mask will do the trick of cleansing from deep within.

What are your must haves for 2011 dear readers? Have you discovered a tip that was interesting? Do share!

Gripe! Smashbox Photo Finish Primer: Love this Product - HATE the Packaging!

I blogged about Smashbox Photo Finish Primer (which you can read here Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Review) and told you all about how much I love this primer. I still love it with a passion! Its the packaging I have a massive problem with! Am I the only one out there with a dud dispenser?

Just an update as to how difficult it is for me to use this product without first getting into a fight with the dispenser! If the powers that be at Smashbox ever come across this tiny corner of the blogosphere, please take note of my concern!

This product comes in a pump bottle and for the life of me, I can be pumping and pumping and the only thing that comes out is AIR! Where is my primer meanwhile? Well it sits pretty in the bottle and is in no rush whatsoever to come out and serve my face! Have you experienced this before? Well it's a daily battle for me!

I have tried everything....when I first bought the thing, I went back the very next day to replace my primer because it would not come out after repeated pumps but even then the new bottle had the same issues. I then tried storing the bottle on it's head but this only seemed to work temporarily. Mornings are such a rush that I don't have time to be pressing the dispenser 50 times to get a pinhead sized dollop of this primer so I tend to reach for my Monistat Chafing Gel which is easy as hell to dispense!

As you can see from the picture above, despite the issues I am having with it's packaging, I have used up a significant amount of the stuff and am on my last legs with it already. I cannot for the life of me get that last bit out and will need to unscrew the cap and pick it out with a cotton bud - I hate having to do that.....only because I have paid a lot for this primer and I would expect that for the amount I paid, at least I should get a device that works perfectly.

If any of you are facing the same problem as I, do share....at least I will know that I am not alone.

P/S:- Paris B of My Women Stuff pointed out in the comments section that this product has indeed been repackaged into a tube.....picture below! Thank God for small mercies! I can breathe easy now.....

Smashbox Photofinish Lid Primer - An Experiment

I had been mourning the fact that my eye colors just did not pop the way it does on some ladies. The colors looked lacklustre and lacked the 'oomph' that I was after. Which is why I purchased Smashbox Photofinish Lid Primer - many bloggers have reviewed different eye primers and the verdict seemed to suggest that eye colors would literally reach out and grab you if you put on a primer first.

This primer comes in one shade and melts into skin to provide a base for eye shadow. Below is a swatch of the color on the back of my hand:

I only recently discovered the power of primers and primers should be used over your moisturizer to keep your make up looking fresh, vibrant and long lasting - so  important to working women like me because I don't have time to check my make up every so often.

So I embarked on a little experiment to see if the use of a primer would brighten eyeshadow colors. The results, will shock you! Read on!

The Lid Primer comes with a doe foot applicator that dispenses just enough product for both eyelids. Just a

swipe of the applicator on each lid and then smooth the product all over the top lid. The product is very creamy and blends well.

 

I applied a color that was bright on its own and expected the color to really pop. This is NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Loose Pearl Shadow in True Purple Pearl. I applied primer on only one eyelid and the other was just a little loose powder.

Can you tell which lid has the primer on? You can't? Really?

Well, this is the lid WITHOUT the primer...... it's the lid on your left if you refer to the picture above

And this is the lid WITH primer........the lid on your right

My eyesight is not failing me right? I expected this experiment to really blow my socks off and it did........for the wrong reasons!

I expected one eyelid color to pop and the other to look lacklustre.....that did not happen. Both eye's look the same (one with a slightly thicker eye liner, my bad!) but otherwise, nothing to suggest that the primer did anything to enhance the eye color at all! Quite disappointing really.

On a more positive note, I wore the color for about 5 hours and after that, I did another assessment. The lid with primer did not crease and the color stayed the same whereas, on the primer-less lid, the color faded a little and creased too. So, for me the only concrete reason to use a primer would be to keep my eye colors looking fresh. It does not in any way make the color more vibrant as can be seen on the side without any primer.

Has anyone else experienced this? Should I go on using a specific primer for eye lids or just stick to covering the area with a little concealer and a light dusting of powder before I put on eyecolour?

Smashbox: Reign Fall Collection Blusher

Although this is quite an 'old' collection by cosmetic junkies' standards, I purchased the one thing that caught my eye from this collection several months ago - the blusher. I have moved on from mostly dusky pinks to peachy toned blushers recently and this was one that I knew I had to have for several reasons.....the regal looking box and the smart leather packaging!

The leather packaging was to me something that I don't often see and it was way too cute to pass up.

The best part of this blusher is that it is divided into several 'bricks' of matte and shimmer. So a swirl of your blush brush will give you a little bit of both. And if you so prefer, you can just use either shimmer or matte on it's own. How cool is that!

I took a swatch of both the textures mixed together as you can see below.

It's a really sweet shade which works for my NC45 skintone...so if you are about my shade or even a little darker, why not give this a try? I got this for less than RM60 so it's a good buy for those of you who are considering going from your safe pink shades of blusher to a more peachy toned one.

Smashbox Photofinish Primer is Da Bomb!

Everyone needs a best friend. This primer has become mine.

I must admit that the many reviews online got me lemming this primer for a long time. I was not disappointed and I believe I have joined the thousands or probably millions of women out there who think this is a great product.

My first taste of a primer came in the form of Revlon's Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer. This did not work for me because it felt heavy and just sat on my face. It did not do what I expected it to do which is give me a smoother complexion. My skin was also unable to 'breathe' the whole time I had it on and it was just not right for me!

I purchased the oil-free Smashbox primer because of my oily t-zone and with combination skin like mine, an oil-free product is always welcomed into my make-up family with open arms!

Start by applying your moisturizer and give it a minute to absorb into your skin. Then take a small amount of the primer....a half pump to start with. Smooth all over the face and you are ready to go on to the next steps of your routine.

I am so happy with this primer. I have noticed a considerable difference in many ways:-

• my face looks smoother
• my make-up stays put and looks fresh even towards the end of the day
• the primer has done wonders for the area under my eyes with fine lines. Prior to using this primer, my concealer used to settle happily into my lines and create horrible looking creases that made me look old and haggard. With the primer sparingly applied under my eyes, my concealer does not settle with a vengeance into the creases. I still do get some concealer settling in the lines because I tend to sweat easily there but all I need to do is pat the area under my eyes with my finger to smooth out the concealer and it looks as fresh as when I applied it. 
• the product is odorless as opposed to Revlon's primer which has an unpleasant smell.
• this primer feels light.
• I experienced no breakouts!

I am so pleased with this purchase and I forsee that it will be eternally part of my make-up arsenal. I love it.

Smashbox O-Gloss

What caught my attention about this gloss is it's ability to turn from clear to a shade that is natural and complements your lips, all in a few seconds! I HAD to try this. 

As you can see below, the O-Glow promises to transform your lips to your own custom shade of pink. How cool is that?  

See my lips  a few minutes after application below......

It looks very natural and it looks like I have a sheer flush of color on. How sweet is that, dear readers?

Most of the time for the office I keep everything sheer and light except my lips which takes center stage with a pop of bright color. I am the sort who looks pale and washed out at the end of the day if I do not reapply lipstick after lunch so color is crucial to brightening up my look.

Best of all the first time I wore the O-Gloss, my man commented that he loved the look of my lips with sheer color on. That IS a plus in my books!

On to what makes the O-Gloss special.......it also contains Goji berry extracts which are full of beneficial properties. In Asia, goji berries are easily available in its dried form. They look like dried currants or raisins only goji berries are red. These berries are very high is antioxidants and is ful of essential minerals and amino acids. Personally, I have often snacked on goji berries because it is known to improve eyesight....so I guess it has been doing other good things for me as well! Mum also throws in a handful of these berries when she stir fries vegetables. It adds some oomph to boring green veggies and is also good for us.

Dear readers, the O-Glow costs 86 ringgits and may be rather steep for some beauties but so necessary in achieving that 'natural' look. Its a keeper! 

Smashbox Haul

Oh my goodness! I have been lemming what everyone's been going on and on about which is the Photofinish Primer and now I have it in my paws!! If you have read my hate relationship with my first ever primer - Revlon's Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer, you would understand why I am seeking refuge in the arms of another.....

I absolutely think it was money well spent as I am enjoying these products already.

My thoughts were on getting the primer only but I came away with 3 other products and a couple of samples. They are:- Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder in Medium, Reign Fusion Blush, O-Glow Intuitive Lip Gloss, Photofinish Foundation Primer and samples of Photofinish Foundation Primer in Light.

Reviews will follow soon!