Mini Review: Maybelline Master Precise All Day Liner

Easy to use but smudges. I'm sorry they discontinued the previous version as I heard good things about it.

PSA: THREE Flash Performance Eyeliners being discontinued 8/9 (JST)

Via So Lonely in Gorgeous, THREE Cosmetics is discontinuing their lovely Flash Performance Eyeliners. Guess I will be buying a few more colors (#1, #2, #4, #5, #7).  They last a long time, so I will refrain from buying backups. Annoyingly, the Japanese department stores seem to have already taken the pencils off their online stores, and the THREE site is sold out of #1 and #4 as of the time of writing this post. I can't find #4 for a reasonable price on Rakuten either.

At least INTEGRATE still makes their Kira Wink Gel Liner, although they seem to be moving away from it (I hate their Snipe Gel Liner - hard and unpigmented formula).  Interestingly, these automatic liners are made in Germany.

Integrate Snipe Gel Liner Mini Review

Shiseido INTEGRATE Snipe Gel Liner
I'm a fan of the Kira Wink Liner also from INTEGRATE, but this Snipe Liner is not as smooth and easy to blend - maybe because it's waterproof.  The color is pretty but I find it hard to use - I hate the little bits of liner that don't stick to my skin and are really hard to clean up.

Mini Review: Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen Black Noir

While I like the other pixi pencils, this one never fails to smudge on my monolids.  Ugh, cannot use.

Pencil and automatic eyeliners

All pencil and automatic eyeliners that I've tried crease on me.  I need a good eyelid primer.  The E.L.F. Primer doesn't work for me so I thought I'd try the NYX one next.

MUFE eyeliners smudge on me.  The liquid liners might work better, maybe I'll try them sometime.

wishlist

My current wishlist:

• Laura Mercier Mini Caviar Stick Eye Colour Quartet $38.00
• CLINIQUE Airbrush Concealer Illuminates, Perfects $20.00

I've read good things about both products.  However, considering the amount of makeup I currently have, and the things I've already bought this year, I will wait till next year, when I might be able to justify the purchases a bit better (hopefully).

In some mini-reviews:

• Gud Softening Conditioner in Red Ruby Groovy by Burt's Bees: meh.  I don't find it particularly conditioning, and the scent gets old pretty quickly.
• Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Eucalyptus Mint Body Scrub: meh.  It is emollient, but that renders the scrubby bits rather ineffective - especially on wet skin.  It smells nice, but I basically use it as an emollient body wash.

Won't repurchase either product.

ADDICTION eyeliner pencil

ADDICTION eyeliner pencil comes in a lot of lovely colors but after wearing Brown Bunny for a while, I'm not really impressed by the wear time on my oily lids.
Pixi and Shiseido INTEGRATE's liners give me much better cost performance!  THREE also wears better on my lids.

Meh: THREE eyeliner and K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24h

I'm forced to conclude that on my eyes, pencil eyeliners just don't cut it.  I thought that the THREE flash performance eyeliner held up pretty well, but at the end of the day it does crease on me.  The same goes for INTEGRATE Kira Wink Gel liners, and Pixi endless silky eye pens.  I just got an ADDICTION pencil eyeliner so I'll give that one last try, then I give up on pencils.  MUFE aqua eyes don't last on me either.

It's a pity.  All those unobtainable pretty colors!

This probably means I should be using a primer, but I haven't figured out how to use those, and the KATE Super sharp liner still works for me, so I am fine with that.

K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Real Lasting Eyeliner 24h (wp) is pretty easy to use, but after a few hours it smudges on my oily lids, so I won't be repurchasing.  Interestingly, they didn't shy away from the word "tattoo," but Maybelline chose to rename their "Color Tattoo" eyeshadows for the Japanese market as "Color Ink."

Cosmetics: what's working for me October 2013

Lipgloss: After years of evaluation, I've come to the conclusion that Dior Addict Lip Polish #2 is an excellent, high-quality product.

• Thin, non-goopy formula; I can feel it on the lips but it's not sticky at all
• Glossy!
• After several years, the product hasn't gone bad yet

It's not pigmented, but it adds a pretty flush, and looks flattering worn alone or layered over other products.

I am also a fan of the following eyeliner products:

• Integrate Kira Wink Gel Liner, which I own in the limited edition GY800, a lovely, complex grey with flecks of purple
• Pixi's Endless Silky Eye Pen, which I picked up the kit for.  I am enjoying Sage Green and Oyster Glow quite a lot.

Neither product smudges after setting, and have smooth formulas that are easy for me to use.  The one annoying thing is that Integrate makes their interesting colors limited edition, but there's always Pixi if I run out.

I also use Make Up For Ever's Aqua Eyes pencil liners, but they do smudge slightly on me, so I'm not really sold on them.

In terms of what's not working for me:
Kiss Me heroine make volume&curl mascara decidedly smudges on me.  Probably time to throw this one out!

In other news, I've been trying to weed out my makeup; strictly culling out the products that are difficult to use or don't look good by themselves on me.  This is a task that requires true discipline, as I cling to:

• Canmake Cream Highlighter: too glittery for me, but I can't just toss it, can I?
• Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Color SV810: a gorgeous color that is just a bit too cool for me
• Clarins Colour Quench Lip Balm #14 (probably discontinued): a lovely bright orange that is just a bit bright for me, but sheered out is wearable.
• Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine SS WH 003: sparkles and glitter in a transparent base - a bit too loud for me to use often
• banila co. banila Kiss in 04 Raspberry Jam (probably discontinued): a lovely bright white-based pink - again, just a bit bright to wear as-is, but sheered out is lovely, and the formula is very comfortable
• Shiseido The Makeup Perfecting Lipstick P12 (discontinued): a unique true brown-purple that looks gorgeous sheered out or as a stain, but just isn't a color I can wear every day.  Still, this is something I'm definitely going to hold on to!
• Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited WH 001: a white lipstick to lighten those lip colors that are too dark; however it just adds too much white, rendering anything rather pasty and unwearable.  Perhaps I haven't learned to use it properly.

Maquillage fall collection - Moisture Rouge

I tried on the tester for Maquillage's Fall collection with Alexander Wang today. I love trying out brand new testers. I wiped it off afterwards in a futile attempt to not completely contaminate it for other customers. Isn't it funny that the fall collection goes on sale July 21st? I'm definitely not in the mood for fall right in the middle of summer!

The limited edition red RD536 Moisture Rouge is very pretty. It's a sheer red (being Sheer Type), but pigmented enough that it's quite distinctly a red lipstick (faintly on the berry side), but not too strong to prevent it from being easy to wear. However, the color does sink into dry spots on my lips. So far it's been an hour and a half and the color is staying on pretty decently. I'm rather tempted to buy it, as it is quite a wearable red. I must admit that it is a bit cooler than I would like, as I'm looking for a more neutral red. Still, it's quite wearable and I think it suits me.

I'm also tempted to buy the dual mascara/liquid eyeliner in green released by Maquillage this summer. They're not limited edition though, so I'll wait 'till I use up (somehow!) my Kanebo Lunasol Geminate liquid eyeliner, as the fun colors are really only appropriate for after work.

Another trip to Addiction

I visited the Shibuya store, where the salesladies are friendly but so far they haven't given me any samples.

I tried Sandbar, which swatches beautifully! On my eyes, it melds into my skin tone but is slightly more peachy. I'm undecided about whether I need it. I may try Rigolletto, although that is a significantly more metallic color.

Midnight Oasis is very lovely! A punchy, vivid blue, but not so bright as to be difficult to wear - as a liner it's lovely because you can tell it's blue, but it doesn't scream. Still, even with the eye primer, the blue pigment immediately shifted down to my lower lashes as a faint shadow. I also got Night Dive, the dark blue eyeliner on - it's quite similar to Midnight Oasis but has a bit more green in it. The combination looks quite sharp. The SA put Brilliant Princess, the new blush shade (a highlighter, really) on my cheeks - very lovely! It's noticeable shimmer + shade. I succumbed to Last Scene lipstick - a very wearable orange red. I can see wearing it full on or just slightly as a stain. Either way it looks great. Ugh, must not make any more purchases! The next visits will just be for fun.

Some updates

Downgraded: Sephora Liner Metallic: it's not that smooth to apply, and doesn't last very long on my lower lashline. I can't wear it on my upper lashline as it creases after an hour or so. Setting with powder doesn't help at all. Can't wait till I use this up, but it'll be a while at this rate!

I've also given up on my MAC paintpot - it's too dry to apply smoothly and it's too frosty to use as anything other than a sheer base. Maybe I can use it on the lower lashline?

Dain at ArsAromatica recommends Suqqu and Addiction; I'm now really tempted to check them out, although I should cut my stash in half first.

I had the chance to test some Jo Malone fragrances at Mitsukoshi.
Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia - not bad, not bad at all. A soft gardenia - wears quite close to the skin; I don't get much sillage from this. 1 hour 1/2 so far.

Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia is apparently the most popular fragrance in Japan (or at least Ginza Mitsukoshi and I can see why; a very pretty fruity floral. Decent sillage. I like it.

I must say that I'm loving Shu Uemura red:juvenus enriched lotion (a softener). It smells fantastic and my skin absorbs it well. However, the price is hard to justify, so I don't know if I'll repurchase when my travel size runs out. I do enjoy using it though, so we'll see.

some small reviews

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes smudge on my upper lids, but they work pretty well on my lower lids. So it's still liquid liner only on the upper lids. Everything else usually smudges.

MUFE HD foundation in 115 is too light for me.

I like My Beauty Diary masks, but the plastic sheet included is a waste of packaging... Anyway, they're not available in Japan so I'm happy to try all the Japanese masks :)

patisserie Sadaharu AOKI paris Earl Grey macarons and La Maison du Chocolat dark chocolate macarons are delicious. The shops in Marunouchi are really nice; I had a pleasant stroll enjoying my macarons and looking at the pretty lighting on the main street. Sorry, no pics of the macarons; I ate them too quickly.

Favorites of 2011

My favorites of 2011

I've been enjoying the 2011 lists that various bloggers have posted, so I thought I'd contribute my own.

The products mentioned here are not necessarily products new to 2011, they are just the products that I loved the most this year.

* Shiseido Shimmering Eye Colors
http://www.shiseido.com/shimmering-cream-eye-color/9990000000076,default,pd.html
http://www.jp.shiseido.com/sc/product/view.asp?S=10786

I have BR709 Sable and SV810 Tin. I hope to get BK912 Caviar next, but OR313 Sunshower is looking lovely too!

This is my favorite new product of 2011. The texture is delightful - silky and light, and it's pretty easy to layer. Lovely pigment and a bit of sparkle but nothing over the top. I find Sable wonderfully subtle for work. It wears all day; I haven't had a problem with creasing but I think there'd be an issue if you pack too much on at once. I haven't had an issue with layering if I let each layer dry properly.
This product is a delight to use and there are so many unique colors in the line! It's a bit expensive - in Japan they charge 3150 yen per 6 g. But it's totally worth it - even better if you can buy it in Taiwan or the U.S. where the cost is a bit more reasonable. I don't know if I'll be able to use a pot up ever, but I hope to collect more of these colors.
The packaging is sleek and easy to use too.

* Kate Supersharp Liner in Brown has been the same reliable mainstay for me this year. I've been using this one liner for at least 2 years now, and it's still going strong! The silver paint has come off so it looks a little sad, but what a workhorse! I've already bought one in Black but haven't needed to use it. Kate is available for 30% off in some Japanese drugstores.

* I rediscovered Beaute de Kose Rouge Fantasist Aqua Vinyl Plump Shine Lip Color - BE366 is a great beige-rose color with tiny gold shimmer that looks polished and professional. The slightly thick formula is really comfortable especially during the dry winter.

* I'm quite impressed by Banila co banila Kiss lip jelly gloss - pigmented, with a light, comfortable texture.

* My Inoui ID eyebrow liner is still going strong! The perfect color, texture, and lasting power.

* Feather Flamingo eyebrow shaver - works great and easy to use. I haven't needed to buy new ones this year.

* I really like the Crest cross-action toothbrushes - soft and really get inbetween my teeth.


My least favorites of 2011

* In contrast, I'm debating whether to just toss my MAC paintpot - the texture is hard and the shade is frosty and I can't apply it smoothly for the life of me. Should I just throw it out?

* Also, my MAC penultimate Eye Liner is just not working - it smudges even when I set with eyeshadow, unless I apply it very very lightly. I will say that it's very pigmented and black, but who needs liquid eyeliner that smudges?

* The MAC concealer isn't working either - it's just not enough coverage for my undereye shadows. The packaging isn't very good either - the base of the applicator is always collecting lots of liquid - annoying.

So far the only MAC product that I would repurchase is the beauty powder - it doesn't show up at all in my swatch, but it's a perfect, subtle blush on me. So natural all the time!

* Missha BB creams make my skin feel a bit itchy

* Opera MyLash disappointed me by going dry, but I'm sure a new tube of mascara will fix this problem. First I'm going to try the other exciting mascaras out there to see how they fare.

Sephora Liner Electro - Glitter Eye Pencil

I find that I can use this on my lower eyelid, but it creases if I use it on my upper eyelid. A pity because it's a very pretty eyeliner that I can use at work too for subtle effect.

experimenting with my stash

I've noticed that trying to use up my makeup is a losing proposition - I just get bored and I want to buy new products.
This weekend I ended up buying Make Up For Ever's Rock For Ever Aqua Eyes limited edition kit (which you can find in Tokyo at the Est Nation store in Roppongi Hills, near the extensive selection of Comme des Garcons fragrances including Series 1 and Series 2 and the incense series).
It's 5000 yen which is a markup on their US prices, but given I don't use up any makeup, having 5 colors is much better than 2. Anyway, it's better than L'Occitane's criminal markup in Japan (averaging 75% as far as I can tell).

Anyway, I don't need more makeup pencils, although I don't have any of these colors. In this heat, they seem to fade, but at least they don't transfer to my lower eyelids. The fading is lessened if I put powder on top.

I've been experimenting with other parts of my stash, digging out a mini Stila smudgepot in black and using it as a base for the various green and blue eyeshadows in my collection. As a base, it doesn't seem to smudge too badly, so I finally have a use for it. I like the mini size as I despair of using even this size up!

I've also found that using my canmake lip concealer as a base for my pink lipsticks tones them down quite naturally; it's good for converting them into wearable work colors, even the sparkly formulations. The concealer doesn't work with stronger colors too well, but it melds quite naturally into the pinks. A touch of my super frosty MAC lipgloss adds a nice touch of shimmer but remains wearable. At this rate it'll be years before I use the lipgloss up, but at least I have a use for it.

The next step will be finding a use for my MAC paint pot in a shimmery pink color. It's quite shimmery and hasn't worked very well as a base so far, as eyeshadows go on rather blotchy on top of it, and it creases a bit even with eyeshadow on top. I'll have to experiment more.

Clearly I have a lot of makeup that is useable but not at all necessary. I can't wait till I used these products up and clear them out!

From now on I'm going to avoid shimmery colors. I have tons of sparkly and shimmery pale shadows that can be used to add shimmer/sparkle to any matte/pearl color, so these kinds of finishes are more versatile for me. Which means I need to avoid most Japanese palettes, as they love including a shimmery highlighter color.

I've been enjoying using my Canmake cream cheek blushes, but certainly the lasting power is only average on me. So I will use these up (they're inexpensive, easy to use, and quite fun) but the next cream cheek product I try will have a good reputation for lasting power.

Favorite products of 2010

It's been quite difficult to compile, but here is my list for 2010.

Aromatherapy Soothing Temple Balm by deserving Thyme - delightful, relaxing lavender and mint scent. Love this little balm.

Fancl cleansing oil still seems to work well for me. I'm still searching for good, reasonably priced facial waters (softeners) and moisturizers. Nothing seems to leave much of an impression on me. At this rate, I might go back to DHC Acerola Lotion and Q10 cream, but I wish the formulas had nicer scents! Ah well, I'm picky like that.

Old standby Inoui ID eyebrow pencil has not been supplanted yet (not that I've been looking): I still have one refill left, so this will probably last me through 2011 with no problems.

Kate Supersharp Liner was again my favorite liquid liner of the year. Reliable; I've been using the black brown version for more than a year and it still hasn't dried up! I'm rather impatient to start using my backup at this point.

SilkyGirl Funky Eyelights Eyeliner pencil: colorful and inexpensive, and I can set it with eyeshadow.

Canmake cream blush: the packaging is functional, the product is easy to use, and it's cheap. I can't comment on the lasting power as I haven't noticed, but it's useful for me!

MAC beauty powder: it doesn't show up at all if I swatch it on my hand, but on my cheeks it's wonderfully subtle yet contours and adds a sheer wash of color to my cheeks. Wonderfully easy to use! And huge; I wonder if I'll ever use it up.

美禅 Be-zen x Chigira Keiko lip treatment: a sparkly glossy treatment scented with lavender, it's soothing to wear. Cosme.com reviews point out that it doesn't last that long, and it's not that moisturizing, which I would have to agree with.

Dior addict lip polish: a light comfortable gloss that's easy to wear.

I stuck to old favorite Opera MyLash mascara. I plan to do more experimentation next year, as there are a lot of reasonably priced mascaras getting good reviews from bloggers.

I've been using bb creams on an almost daily basis, but mostly as tinted moisturizers as I don't skip any of my skin care steps, and have not found them particularly bad or good. I just have a lot of them and I'm trying to use them up.

Vera Wang Anniversary was a surprisingly easy-to-wear perfume. Drawn in by the promise of gardenia, I find the bottle gorgeous, the perfume pleasant, but in the end, not terribly memorable. Still, I will happily use this up, as I don't get sick of it.

Honorable mention:
YSL Golden Gloss is such a pretty, pretty gloss and very wearable. I love the scent too, but texture-wise it's a bit too sticky for my taste. As such, I probably won't repurchase, if I ever happen to finish this gloss.

Max Factor mascara, SilkyGirl eyeliner

Happy New Year!
新年明けましておめでとうございます！

Am liking Max Factor's waterproof Volume Couture mascara in Black Brown so far. I love the rubber comb! It makes it easy to remove clumps, and the formula seems to be fine for adding a bit of curl. I'll have to test the formula after curling my lashes next time.

I've also found that SilkyGirl Funky Eyelights Pencil 01 Olive Green works pretty well if I set it with another eyeshadow. I've been using Majolica Majorca's Shadow Customize lately and the combination works well. I'll get #4 Pure Purple next time.

MAC's penultimate liner doesn't set no matter what eyeshadow I use on top though, so I've practically given up on it except when I don't care if it smudges (which is almost never).

I'm working on a Best of 2010 post, to come later.

eyeliner experiments

So, I found that Mac Penultimate liner doesn't smudge if I cover it with Lunasol's liquid eyeliner. As I'm trying to use up both, I guess I can live with this. The Lunasol geminate liner is nice for a daytime look with a bit of punch, but if I apply too much it's got a bit too much shine, heh.

update on MAC Rapidblack Penultimate Liner and Headliner Lipglass

I think Rapidblack Penultimate Liner is going to have to go in the trash. It smudges terribly! Defeating the point of a liquid liner. It's very black, but that's about the only thing it has going for it. If someone has any advice for how to make it work, I'm all ears. Primers don't seem to make a difference, it just smudges after a couple hours. Maybe I can wear it on my lower lids, but I usually keep the makeup there pretty light.

In contrast, I love the pigmentation in Headliner Lipglass. I'd love a less sticky dupe, but this gloss is great for lightening some of my darker lip colors. It is a bit sticky though, so I'll use up but not repurchase. Quite possibly a limited edition color anyway.