Selamat Hari Merdeka!

Happy Independence Day, ladies!

So Loverly will celebrating the holiday by taking a break today. Have a lovely Monday off and stay loverly!

Love,
Kahani

Video: Dermatologist on Youtube

Now here's a handy thing, Dr Neal Schultz has set up DermTV where he dispenses bite-sized advice via Youtube on caring for your skin. Gotta love the quirky opening music and his fatherly approach to advice. Here are two handy vids to get you going, on making your hands look younger and dealing with dark undereye circles.

Looks: Sweatproof look to run the Rat Race

Here's my attempt at creating a fresh and natural sweatproof look for the KL Rat Race. I know my lips look rather bright here but as you'll see it's partially the lighting and partially accounting for fading because it looks more natural later on. Here's what I used...

Face
After prepping with a high-spf product. Revlon colorstay as foundation and concealer. Lightly set with MUFE super mat loose powder.

Cheeks & Lips
Benetint of course for everything-proof natural tint. Two coats on the lips with lip balm over. Gently patted into cheeks with a foundation brush. Not too much - exercise will make me red enough!

Eyes
Here's the tricky bit. After prepping with MAC Paintpot as a liner, I patted a mid-tone matte brown from the NYX Copacabana Trio Eyeshadow into the crease and to slightly contour. Then blended in with thr matte pink shade to subtly brighten. Using a slanted eyeliner brush, I used the darkest brown in the trio as a liner. Finally I curled my lashes and used a waterproof, smudgeproof subtle mascara that isn't too lenghtening or volumnising but will help define and hold a curl. In this case I used Stage Divine Lash mascara.

Power up
Then maske sure you eat high energy food. The meal of the champions like...


Never could resist sugar donuts. :P

Conclusion
I think the overall look held up rather well. No embarrassing melting or running. Fading is a given. Also I didn't break out badly afterwards either. For some after (and during) pics check out this post on my fashion blog, Frocking Around.

Review: Natio Eye Contour Treatment Gel

I know that today is supposed to be the 3rd installment of my hair-raising tales but I don't have the brains for explaining hair drying techniques and the like. So, I'll combine Week 2 and 3's posts into a single post next week and review one of my favourite products instead.

Its assignment time for my uni so I have been pulling all-nighters and surviving on 4 to 5 hours sleep a day for the past week. When I wake up, I usually look like the Ghost of the Christmas Future (Dickens must be rolling in his grave right now) with beeeeeg beeeeg puffy swollen eyes. In fact, they are sometimes so swollen, I can't open my eyes in the... Well, I was going to say morning but its more like late afternoon, actually.

That's when I stumble blindly into my bathroom to look for this little baby on the left.

I actually got this on a whim last year. I was traveling and forgot my eye cream so I ran into a pharmacy and grabbed this for AUD 15.41. It contains 35g worth of product (about over 20ml?), heck of a lot of generous than the 15ml tubes sold by other brands.

The packaging claims that this is supposed to work for getting rid of dark circles but I doubt it. It does work a treat for puffy eyelids though. Less than a minute of applying this, puffiness gones away and my eyes feel fresh and blinky awake. And I don't have to keep this in the fridge for added coolness.

What are the other things I like about this? Because it's so light, it sinks in quickly without any funny residue. I don't have to worry about over applying it so I can just dab a bit on throughout the day whenever my eyes feel overheated from staring at the computer. Oh, and best of all, it isn't scented. I hate scented eye products. I can feel the fumes attacking my eyeballs whenever I use something heavily scented.

So spill. What is your secret weapon to bright-eyes in the morning?

Review: Silkygirl Precision Liquid Eyeliner (Waterproof)

I confess to harbouring a foolish hope that this budget eyeliner would prove the equal of Revlon Colourstay Liquid Eyeliner at half the price. Well, sorry ladies but no dice. The formula while very black is not remotely waterproof, doesn't smudge out smoothly and won't last the day without giving you panda eyes. However this eyeliner is not without plus points.

Applicator
Inferior formula or no, I find myself liking this applicator far more than Revlon's! Both are felt tips and make for very precise lining but as several have observed, Revlon's is so hard it hurts. It also lays down a very harsh line.

Silkygirl's applicator is much softer and lays down a lovely clean but not-as-hard line that you can control by exerting more or less pressure. More pressure with Revlon's applicator would be very painful!

As the container's shape looks identical, I believe that in future I may buy Revlon Colorstay and switch applicators. Best of both worlds!

Conclusion
At RM15.90 I'm not out by very much - and like I said it's not a total loss. I'll try to use up the liner for lighter days and keep and eagle eye out for smudges.

Monday's Beauty Bit

I seem to find myself bereft of tips this week so instead I thought I'd share a little gem I've found recently.

Cotton buds are among the most handy beauty tools out there. Now there's not very much you can do to improve cotton buds, right? Think again. For starters you could make the cotton buds real cotton instead of synthetic. Then...

Instead of a plastic baggie or a box with a lid you never replace and eventually lose, you could give the dispenser a lid you can twist to open and close. How hygenic! How convenient! Finally...

You could give give each bud two different tips. One rounded and one pointed for precise removal of errant eyeliner.

They cost about RM4 for 200 cotton buds and can be found at Guardian pharmacies.

What do you girls think?

Video: Five mins and you're out the dooor!

Wake up late often? While I don't really wake up late I have a bad habit of lounging in bed denying that I have to get up. Which means by the time I've dragged myself out from under my comfy quilt - I'm late. I'll give this 5-minute look a whirl the next time this happens. Maybe it will let me lie in bed basking in denial a little longer.

Addicted to Stage Wondergloss: Narcissus & Persephone

So you're all familiar by now with my love for Stage Wondergloss, so this review is more about shades than formula. During the stage buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOF) promo I took the chance to splash out on two more shades and gosh they're GORGEOUS. Ladies meet Persephone (left) and Narcissus (right).

Narcissus
Much as I love Venus, I often wished it had a bit more pep to it as if I wasn't using it with a smokey look it could wash me out a touch. Narcissus is like a pinker perkier version of Venus. LOVE.

In the tube it looks pink but when applied the sparkly gold pigments warm it up to a neutral but luscious shade. It's a no-fuss shade that goes with just about anything and has enough pink to make me look fresh.

Persephone
This shade must have been named for the pomegranet seeds Persephone ate in the greek myth that trapped her in Hades for 6 months. In the tube it's a scary bright warm red shade with cool shimmer. On the lips though it's astonishingly wearable and great for glamming up a day look or for a toned-down red lip look.

While not as versatile as Narcissus this shade is beautiful and can amp a neutral office look making you pub-ready in no time.

Strage Wonderglosses are RM55 each. Watch out for more Stage deals if you want to snap up more than one shade. Syen.... bought FOUR during the BOGOF offer. She adores this gloss!

What shade's your fave?

Riding the Wave: Week 1 of The Curly Girl (CG) Routine

Excuse the slightly goofy look on my face. This was taken last year on a wavy day when I was fooling around with my webcam. I never thought that it would end up on So Loverly or I would have changed the look on my face. But as it is, this is roughly how my hair looked like on a good day before the frizzies started.

At the crux of the CG routine is the idea that you should stop using sulphates and silicones in your hair products. Sulphates are really harsh cleaning agents and as curly hair is a lot more porous than straight hair, they penetrate the hair shaft to have frat-style wild parties each time you wash your hair.

The result? Really dry hair with a tendency to frizz. And what do we do with frizz? Turn to hair serums and the like, of course! My John Frieda Anti-Frizz Serum is a god-send for bad hair days. But most of these styling products (along with our many conditioners and treatments) contain silicones, which coats the hair shaft leaving it soft, silky and manageable.

Cool, so silicones give me nice hair. What's so bad about that?

Here’s the stinger. Most silicones are not water-based so in order to wash them out; you need to use sulphate-based shampoos. If you don’t get rid of the silicone, it gradually weighs down your hair so it stops being bouncy and pretty.

Sulphates -> silicone -> sulphates -> silicone -> sulphates

You get the picture. It’s a vicious cycle which results in unhealthy hair.

So what now?

The solution to this is the CG/ no-poo routine which is also known as co-washing or conditioner-only cleansing (COC). Thankfully, Kahani has already written about this method here, saving me 15 minutes of head-scratching.

As some of you will be too lazy to click on the link, the co-washing means not using shampoo for your hair. Just use a light conditioner without any silicones (or anything ending with –xane, I forgot what that is) in place of your shampoo. Use it liberally over your head and hair. Massage your scalp thoroughly with your fingers and then rinse out. Use a more moisturising conditioner or a leave in conditioner (without any ‘cones or –xanes, please) to follow.

If no-pooing sounds icky to you or you find your scalp can’t handle it, you can opt for the modified CG routine/ low-poo method instead. Wet your hair, lightly coat your hair with conditioner from mid-shaft to the ends (this will protect it from the shampoo) before applying shampoo to your scalp and roots. Rinse out, work in some conditioner and then rinse out (just for a few seconds) again. Try to use a shampoo without sulphates, of course.

Btw, you are not supposed to brush or comb your hair as curly hair is prone to breakage and it separates the curls. You can only comb and detangle it when your hair is wet and preferably with some conditioner on it. Hairdryers are a no-no unless you are using a hair diffuser. Even so, its best to leave wet and air-dry.

For more reading on the CG routine, click this.

CG Week 1

Day 1: I decide to go CG and go out to buy the following (as recommended on the Aussie CG forum): Pears conditioner for co-washing, Clairol's Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner (I will read the ingredient list 2 weeks later to find that it DOES contain dimethicone) and SunSilk Curl Booster Balm. Also pick up a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap for low-poo washing. The only CG-friendly product I already have is the L'Oreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Hi Shine mask.

So I wash my hair, plop (to be explained next week) and then scrunch in some of the Sunsilk Curl Booster. As my hair dries, I resist the urge to take a brush to my hair and apply some anti-frizz serum. I end up hiding everything right on top of my wardrobe so I don't reach for it.

To my dismay, my hair dries into poofy S-type waves. I crawl into bed worrying about second day hair.

The pictures are of Day 1. I thought it would be good to put up pictures every week for all of you to compare.

Day 2: I walk around campus looking and feeling like a disgruntled lion. Spritzing water and some SunSilk balm has helped a little but I still look poofy.

Day 3: So, sleeping on my hair has helped flatten things out a little. I absent-mindedly run a hand through my hair and immediately hit a snag. OW.

I am heading down to boyfriend's place for a week and debate fiercely in my head if I should continue with the CG routine or not. CG wins and I find myself doing my first co-wash in the boy's place after 3 hours of bus travel.

Co-wash come out better than expected so I scrunch in some balm and plop. Boy tries not to laugh at my weird head. I end up plopping for too long and end up with flat head. *swears*

Day 4: Lumber into the loo with the bleak realisation that sleeping with a wet head equals disaster. I try to remedy matters but stepping out into the cold hair to pick up my sister kills my hair. I spend the next 2 days with my hair in a bun.

Day 6: I do my second co-wash, using more conditioner and really taking my time. Hair feels better and more moisturised this time but still dries poofy. Maybe its the cold dry air. Hmm...

Sister gives my hair a dubious look and asks if I need a comb. She has a "Have you gone mad?" look on her face as I explain the CG routine to her. Then, she exhales a long "Okaaaaaaaaaaaay."

Day 7: Walk in the cold air to meet a friend for lunch. Damnit. Cold air IS murder. I have to find a way to keep moisture in my locks.

Next week: The method known as plopping and Week 2 of the curly diaries.

Loving Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief

You know, it never occured to me before that I'm a Clinique girl. As a brand I never quite identified with it. But looking at the array of Clinique products I now love - because they WORK - I have to conclude that I'm now a Clinique fan. Through and through.

The love affair started with their Clarifying Lotion 2, was furthered by DDMG and now, cemented by moisture surge. This product landed on my lap at a most opportune time. I had run out of Face Oasis and circumstances had left me too broke to replace it. My skin was steadily deteriorating - getting oilier and looking lacklustre. Well as soon as I got home from the Clinique event, I whisked my makeup off and slapped this baby on. An hour later and I was back to hydrated, glowing, happy skin. It's that good.

But I didn't impetuously review it then as I was inclined to do. Nope I've used it daily since then for over a month and now with the jar 1/3 gone I feel ready.

This light creamy pink fragrance-free gel really is a drink of water for your skin. While it claims to have lots of goodies as well all I can promise you is it will hydrate. For ladies with oily skin, it's perfect on it's own - for ladies with dryer skin, layer this under your regular lotion and your skin will thank you.

Unlike Face Oasis, this appears to sink in immediately leaving your skin 'cashmere smooth'. However I do believe it sits around as long - its formula just allows for a dryer feeling surface unlike Oasis which leaves skin tacky till it sinks in. This does make clinique's offering better for daytime use as you won't have to hang around waiting for it to sink in.

That my skin adores gel moisturisers is now a given. And moisture surge is awesome for it. No breakouts just hydrated glowing skin. I am however slightly convinced that Face Oasis leaves my skin looking happier in the morning. But this is just my opinion. From chatting with them, it seems both ParisB and Beetrice prefer Moisture Surge. :)

At RM160 a jar it's about the same price as Face Oasis, but Clinique often has better GWP offers. I will start putting RM50 aside a month to restock when it runs out because I refuse to go without one or the other again!

More reasons to love Clinique

Isn't this adorable? I got a card in the mail inviting me in to retest my skin. This isn't a beauty blogger offer mind you - it's one anyone who gets their skin classified by clinique gets. Their testing proved that I was still classified as 'oily skintype 3' and they gave me this adorable travel set. Whee! Now I'll never be without my 3-step system.

What are your fave Clinique products?

Monday's Beauty Bits

I've started doing this and I think it helps. When you wake up, before doing ANYTHING else drink a large glass of water. By the time you've popped in those contacts, had a shower and come time for makeup your skin should look awake-r than if you'd skipped and gone straight for coffee. In any case I'm convinced it's good for me!

Posietint is absolutely awesome for days when you feel like death warmed over. I reach for it when I know I look a little grey and hey presto I spend the day basking in "you look fresh" and "you look chirpy" comments. It's just the perfect shade of fresh-faced pink. Don't have Posietint? Reach for a bright pink with slight warm undertones for your blush and a matching shade for lips. Go light on eyes but slap on mascara. Voila!

Dry shampoo like Batiste is hard to come by here, but I find I can achieve a similar look by dusting my roots with silica powder and brushing it vigorously out. Need scent? Spritz some on your hair!

Speaking of hair - I love how Eli is working with her hair instead of against it. I too decided to work with my straight fine black hair. It may seem a "duh" at the moment, but dyes are still in and there was a phase when perming was too. I've always been glad I didn't indulge and kept my iconic waist-length poker-straight hair. ;)

Video: Gym / Sports Makeup!

Yes, yes I know ideally the skin should be left bare. But there are CUTE GUYS at the gym ladies! (uhh I think so, I don't actually go to the gym so my info is suspect) So we all wanna primp a little. I was researching sweat-friendly makeup for The Edge KL Rat Race on Tuesday. Now I couldn't wear a dress and no makeup could I? I'll be writing about what I used and how it worked out next week. =)

This slightly goofy video is by far my favourite. Although... I won't actually be doing much of anything she recommends. But then she clearly has perfect skin and oil control isn't a big issue for her. *sighs*

Beauty Experiment: Riding the Wave (An Intro)

I took one horrified look at myself in the mirror and let out a shriek.

My frizzy wiry curly hair – the bane of my teenage years – was back. After disappearing for 6 years and lulling me into a false security, my bad hair days are back to stay.

Meldee and my sister claim that my big mane is due to the strong Leo influence on my birthchart. An anthropologist friend happily tells me that wiry hair (and enjoying the sound of crickets apparently) is characteristic of my Austronesian ancestry. I am more inclined to put the blame on my Arab, Filipino and Mongolian forefathers.

“Straighten it,” my cousin advised me. She straightened her hair during high school and never looked back since.

I hesitated. As much as I desired a quick fix solution, cousin’s hair looked tired and damaged after years of straightening. I didn't have Afro-type kinks anyway. Then, something within me stirred.

“I will cultivate my curls!”

Googling "curly + hair" turned up the wonderful Naturally Curly website. A mine full of information but a pain to use until I got the hang of navigating their website. The articles range from caring for curls, support-group type affirmations on being a curly girl (CG) to CG products. Initially disappointed that most of the products featured seemed to be only available in the UK or the US, I was delighted to stumble upon an Aussie thread in their forums (yes, they have a Curly forum) focusing on CG-friendly products in Australia.

They also recommended picking up a copy of "Curly Girl" by Loraine Massey. I couldn't find a copy in my local Borders though (plus, I am pretty broke for the month) so I made do with the forum threads and blog posts linked on Naturally Curly. i am planning to get my paws on the book some day though.

The first thing I did was to look up what hair type I had. This was followed by a slap in the face discovery that I wasn't curly. I just had really wavy hair. 2B, to be exact. Just like Sandra Oh. Seeing how her character on Grey's Anatomy managed to snag the very delectable Dr. Owen Hunt, I am not complaining.

Mousying around the Naturally Curly forum led me to this pretty good post on hair basics about texture and porosity. Out of everything I have read, this gives the best idea of how to care for hair, curly or not. I think the writer is actually a hairstylist.

To summarise briefly, hair texture indicates what kind of products you should be using for your hair. Fine hair often seems dry even when over-moisturised because it lacks protein so you should avoid product with lots of emollients and humectants and go for proteins instead. Medium/ Normal hair can basically go for anything but those with coarse hair (like me) have to watch out for products with protein in it as their hair already has an overabundance of it. They should look for more moisturising products instead.

Hair porosity indicates how well your hair can absorb moisture and is determined by checking your hair cuticle (the article teaches you how to check your hair porosity so take a click). Hair with low porosity has a tendency to repel product as the hair cuticles are pretty compact. Again, hair with normal porosity does not pose much of a problem. Hair with high porosity absorbs products very quickly (YAY!) but has a problem holding on to it as the open hair cuticles simply can't retain the product. Boo.

No wonder my hair feels like bloody straw half the time.

I'll stop here for now before your brains boggle with too much info but basically, the key for pretty curls and no frizz is keeping a good balance between protein and moisture (and in my case, an extra 3 hours of research every week for hair products).

Coming up next week? Hair care for CGs and my daily diary on transitioning over to the CG routine.

I liked it... Nivea's Cherry Lipbalm

What are the chances that I have actual cherries on hand at the time of the photoshoot? No more cherries now, all gone, om nom nom. Btw why don't real cherries taste or smell ANYTHING like fake cherry flavouring? Even with strawberry flavouring I can sorta see the faint resemblence, but with cherry flavours - it's like someone decided to invent a scent and taste and call it "cherry". *shakes head in puzzlement*

So when you read my review of Nivea's Strawberry lipbalm you KNEW I wouldn't hold out long before getting the one in cherry. Well, guess what... you were right! And now I love them both so much I actually alternate them throughout the day (yes yes I know I'm dotty - but I don't want either to feel neglected...)

Nivea Star Fruits Cherry Lipbalm is every bit as luscious, juicy, and pigmented as its Strawberry sister. It's a rosier colour, cooler and more berry-like than warmer strawberry and I use this when I choose cooler blushes.

Both colours are so sheer and pretty though that they'd suit anyone. And at RM6.71 a pop right now - why not get both?

New formula
Meldee brought her old-formula cherry lip balm for me to see and sure enough the scent was more cough-mixtury, the texture dry, and the finish downright matte. Thank goodness they fixed it!

While still fake, the new formula smells more like cherry candy as Shortcake reported (thanks babe!). As you can see, the finish is glossy and juicy and the balm itself very moisturising. ME LOVES.

I don't think I can rave enough about this. I now want to get my hands on the Nivea Star Fruits Lip Balm in Pink Grapefruit. Oh why isn't it available herreeee??? *waaails*

Look: Syen's bridal & Kahani's evening look

Hey Ladies, I know you're all dying to see pics of Syen at the wedding and her evening look, but I'm sure she'd like to post it herself, and would rather I clear with her first before putting the images up. So for now be content with this sweet candid shot I took of our blushing bride:And here is.. I'm afraid.. a rather odd pic of the look I did for the wedding dinner (don't be too shocked):

*cough* I blame the dolly look on iNuovi's pro-lash 03. I don't think I'll be sporting these babies again honestly. They're too OTT for me. What do you girls think?

Also for future reference the amount of lash I had to chop off to get it to fit my eyes makes buying full-size lashes a total waste for me. I'm sticking to half and 3/4 lashes from now onwards! But even in full-size they were easy peasy to put on, bless!

On my eyes I used the L'Oreal Quad, with black eyeshadow from NYX Trio in Ceramic for oomph. Cheeks were kept subdued with Stila's Cheek Colour in Tint and glossy lips were achieved by Stage Wondergloss in Narcissus (review pending) over Benetint.

Foundation was my beloved Revlon Colorstay in Sand Beige touched up throughout the night with Mac Blot and ZA 2-Way in shade 21.

Monday's Beauty Bits

Monday's Beauty Bits will be short and sweet this week as I'm exhausted from getting Syen married off! She looked absolutely radiant by the way and the wedding was lovely. When she gets back from her honeymoon she'll tell you more herself. =)

Love Lucas' Paw Paw Ointment but find it impossible to find in Malaysia? While I've spotted it in a Caring Pharmacy or two, there's no guarantee you'll find it. Why not try Simmons Paw Paw Salve for RM18 stocked by Tiny Tapir?

Concealer too thick? ParisB shows you how to warm it up and thin it out for a more even, less caked application.

Professional PR exec and beauty blogger Beetrice offers some words of advice for companies wishing to approach bloggers. As a professional journalist as well as a blogger I can testify that the treatment can sometimes be quite different. And othertimes not so. I've been asked what my paper is about quite a few times by PR "professionals" quite a few times. When both are easily available not knowing is not an excuse. After all, you're approaching me, not me you.

Video: Screen siren Sophia Loren

Another iconic film star of the 60's was Sophia Loren. What I love about her is that unlike the other stars of her time she was of Italian descent and didn't look Caucasian. For ladies with darker complexions and more exotic features her look is one to draw inspiration from. Granted - I'd tone it down a bit considering her makeup was for a time when film didn't capture colour as vividly as it does now.

Great for everyday: Garnier Bodylight Whitening Hydrating UV Lotion

To me, the real secret behind whitening lotions, is not how powerful they are (actually one that bleached skin would be baaaad) but how likely I am to use it everyday. First off I must emphasise that I didn't buy this lotion hoping to get fairer - but to just even out my skintone a bit and benefit from the additional sun protection. I've tried lotions like this (Nivea mostly) in the past and have never been addicted enough to use it daily - till now.

Formula
This is a very light formula that sinks in instantly. I don't have dry skin, so ladies who do may not find this moisturising enough. I actually use this mostly as a hand cream - I decanted some into a small squeezy tube I carry around in my bag and have also squeezed some into a jar I keep on my desk. The remaining half bottle sits at my beauty station.

The non-greasy formula makes it convenient for use on my hands. However it doesn't last long, needed to be reapplied after hand-washing. This is where having small jars and tubes of it everywhere work.

Scent
I confess I chose it because of the scent. You see, the hand cream jar on my desk looks exactly like a lemon. I love it and when the original cream ran out I wanted to top it up with something lemon scented. I plumped for Garnier's Whitening lotion because to me, it smells of ice lemon tea! Not many others seem to think so though, still I love the lemony scent and this addicts me to it and encourages regular use.

Results
After a month's use, my hands and arms have been hydrated and I do believe the skintone is evening out. My watch-mark is certainly less distinct, and the slight freckles I had on the back of my hands have vanished.

Conclusion
Priced at around RM9 for this 250ml bottle it is fabulously affordable which also encourages frequent and lavish use. I will probably repurchase the large bottle with a pump once this smaller one has run out. It's lasting pretty well though, I've had it for a month and will probably have enough for yet another month before I need to replenish.

Beauty DIY: Pretty Brush Rolls (Part 2)

Another shot of my brush rolls all tied up. The mini one was empty at the time and I actually ran out of ribbon so I held it closed with a hair pin from Laos for this shot.

You can't see it clearly but there's a picture of Pegasus etched on the hair pin. I love fairy tales and flying horses.

Anyway, lets get back to making those brush rolls, shall we? Where did I leave you hanging?5. Sew the cover to the lining. Okay. Here comes the fun part so look at the pics carefully as my fuzzy explanation might throw you for a loop. Fold the edge of the cover into half so it meets the edge of the lining. Press or iron this down all along the edge. Once you are done with this, fold the cloth over again on top of the lining. Iron or pin this down.Secure the hem to the lining with either a whip stitch or a slip stitch. I have tried to show these 2 stitches are done in the pictures. They are both variations of the same thing, really. I personally prefer the slip stitch as it looks tidier.Now, because you are bound to hit a corner sooner or later, this is what you do: Use the corner to first fold a triangle down towards the edge of the lining before continuing to fold down like before. This creates a tidy little edge without any raw ends sticking out. Fine, maybe not so tidy in the picture but try it out and you'll see what i am trying to get at.

6. Many pricked fingers later, you should end up with something which looks like the above. Don’t worry; we are nearing the end soon.Now, flip the cloth the other way around and fold along the running stitch you made earlier in attaching the backing and the felt (I didn't take a pic of this step while I was sewing the pink roll so you will have to make do with the blue; sorry for the confusion).

What you have is an inside-out pocket for your brushes. Whip stitch the edges together (try to keep this set of stitches as close to the hem as possible), tie off and then turn the pocket inside out.Most of you will be smiling by now. =) The end is close in sight!

7: Creating individual pockets. With your tailor’s chalk, mark off at regular 1.5 inch intervals. Or, you can slip your brush into the case to estimate the pocket size.Then, pick up your needle and thread again and make running stitches down the lines you just marked. I used a modified overhand stitch which can be a bit fiddly for some people and has a higher chance of creating pricked fingers.

As you stitch, try not poke your needle all the way through the backing and through the other side. Your running stitches will be seen on the cover which doesn’t look very nice. Try to just pick up the lining over the backing with your needle. Don’t worry, the stitches will still stay secure.
8: Just sew the ribbon on one end of the case and you are set! If you are too lazy at this point of time, a pretty hair tie will do in keeping your brush roll together.

Now, show it off to your friends and let them ooh and aah over how crafty you are!

Leave any questions in the comments section. This half of the tutorial is a heck more confusing than yesterday's so I am expecting lots of puzzled faces. Does anyone think that this is Etsy-worthy?

*Looks around furtively to whisper behind Kahani and Syen's backs* Does anyone here want to pay me for one?

Beauty DIY: Pretty Brush Rolls (Part 1)

This was originally supposed to be a single post but there were so many pictures and steps, I decided it would be less mind-boggling if I divided it into 2 separate posts instead. Even I got confused after a while.

I had the picture tute for my brushroll lying in my HD for ages but completely forgot about it until Plue blogged about the brushroll her mother made for her here.

You don't need a sewing machine or superb sewing skills to make this. The only stitches you really need to know are the whip stitch and the running stitch. It only takes a day to make (about 15 minutes if you have a machine) and you can use any piece of cloth for this - from an old t-shirt to a bedsheet.

As you can see, I made 2. The pink one holds my big brushes while the little one carries my mini brushes, eyeliners, mascara and lippies for when I go a-travelin'. Tiny and compact - I just love it.

What you need: 2 pieces of cloth, a length of felt(I am wondering how did the felt go missing in the picture), ribbon, a pair of scissors, a ruler, some tailor's chalk, thread and a needle.

I used the black fabric for the lining and the pink for the outside. Felt was used as backing. You don't HAVE to back the brush roll but I feel that it gives more protection and makes the finished product less floppy. I know that felt is hard to find in Malaysia (think I stumbled across some in Daiso though) so you can use a stiff piece of material instead.

If you are doing this by hand or are a newbie to working with cloth, I highly recommend using cotton for this project. Silks may look lush but they are much more slippery to work with. Cotton is easy to cut, iron, pin and sew. You will get on much faster with cotton.

1. Cut the backing. Estimate how large you want your brush roll to be and cut it out. I winged the measurements by picking up my longest makeup brush and laying it out against the felt before drawing the outline with a ruler. For my baby brush roll, I used an A4 sized paper, snipped it to size and pinned it to the felt. My big one is about 11" by 20" while the little one is 7.5" by 10.5"

If you are wondering about the excess cloth on top, it's for folding over your brushes later so they don't slip out of their pockets.

2. Cut the lining. Lay out your backing against the lining then place your makeup brush against the backing again. You want the length of the lining to be longer than the backing as you need the excess for your brush pockets. Pin the backing and lining together then cut.

3. Sew the backing and lining together. The reason for doing this is so that the backing doesn't slip out of place when you are sewing later or get crumpled inside when you toss your brush roll into the washing machine. You don't want to unpick this thing apart after your first wash, trust me.

You can either do a simple running stitch along the sides of the cloth or whip stitch the edges together. For me, I whip stitched the three raw edges together and did a running stitch where the backing met the excess lining. (I don't have a pic showing what I am trying to explain so you will have to make do with this one where the cloth has been partially flipped. *groan*)

If you have a machine, just run close along the edges. Try to keep your stitches as close to the side as possible.

4. Cut the cover. First, pin the lining + backing to the cloth. You can even baste it (i.e. use BEEEG BEEEEG running stitches to hold the cloths together) like I did. Trace out an excess of 2 cm all around with your tailor's chalk and then cut the cloth.

Now, LEAVE EVERYTHING PINNED/ BASTED TOGETHER. I notice that immediately after cutting, people have a tendency to pull everything apart before asking "What's next?". So leave everything as it is for now.

The last bit is coming tomorrow. ;)

Monday's Beauty Bits

Just in case you think I'm pulling your leg about the wonders of Johnson's Head to Toe Body Wash, Beaut.ie too has posted regarding its superpowers. Check it out ;)

Ooh maybe I'm slow on the uptake, but I just found out Bobbi Brown has a collection of how-to videos on her site. I've always known she had a few but the archive factor was lacking till now. Plus check out her new Nude Collection, pretty!

Check out Tine's handy dandy beauty tip to help prevent your tubes of product from gushing after a flight. I can't tell you how often this has happened to me! =(

Love the Aspirin Mask, hate the fuss? Well I can't BELIEVE it's taken me this long to figure it out. But if you let the pills soak in a tiny amount of water/cetaphil/aloe-vera gel they get mushy enough for you to spread them into a fine paste. Bah to crushing dry pills, BAH I say!