Beauty Experiment: On Pressing Mineral Eyeshadows with Aloe Vera and Throwing them into the Mail

About half a year ago, I tried pressing my Silk Naturals eyeshadows with a mixture of rubbing alcohol and FOTE Aloe Vera. It took a while to get the mixture right -- I figured out that shimmery eyeshadows need a little more aloe vera gel for better hold -- but the end result was this.

One week and a few hokey pokeys later (I tried shaking the pans, dropping them on the floor, tossing them into the air... everything short of throwing them at the wall), the pigments were still holding together. I even popped a palette of them into my bag to carry around campus and the pigments emerged intact.

Last month, I decided to put them to the ultimate test and popped 3 palettes into a box I was sending back home.

If regular post isn't a test for eyeshadows, I don't know what is it.

The result? Two palettes survived but one did not. The pigment in the top right hand corner pan shattered and spat out a poof of pink sparkles when I popped the lid open.

Thank goodness it's a colour I don't use often.

After careful inspection, I realised that the Silk Naturals matte, satin and dark shimmer eyeshadows press and hold together better than the lighter hue shimmer eyeshadows. The lighter shimmer eyeshadows showed some flaking while the rest were holding up well after their bumpy journey. Perhaps the shimmer particles don't hold together well or the aloe vera + rubbing alcohol isn't the right mixing medium for these eyeshadows.

If you want to give this mixing medium a go, the ratio is 1/3 of aloe vera gel to 2/3 rubbing alcohol for matte eyeshadows. You need a little more aloe vera gel for pressing the other eyeshadows so 3/7 aloe vera to 4/7 rubbing alcohol (i.e. the aloe vera should be a little less than half of rubbing alcohol) should do.

Another tip: Cover your finger or coin in plastic instead of tissue or a paper napkin before gently pressing the loose eyeshadows into place. There is good reason for this as (1) Tissue gets stuck to the wet eyeshadow, and (2), any red pigments will get soaked up by the paper napkin, making your eyeshadow incredibly hard (it's like working with a brick once it has dried). Plus, the colour is never the same again.

On a random note, all of my loose mineral eyeshadows which I carried in my luggage home ended up exploding all over the place. I have no idea how 10+ lids managed to loosen themselves during an 8 hour flight and make such a mess, especially after I screwed all the lids tight before packaging them. Thank goodness I put them in tupperware. This is goes beyond reason, I swear.

Riding the Wave: Keeping Curls in Place

Quick pop quiz: What is the similarity between these 3 products?

A) Sunsilk Curl Booster
B) FOTE Aloe Vera Gel
C) KY Jelly

Hint: The answer is not "They all come in squeeze tubes".

They are all used to define curls!

Yes, I know. KY JELLY. I had a wtf face when I first saw it on a list of CG-friendly styling products. But remember how I kept yammering ON about using water-based and silicone-free products? KY jelly is water-based and silicone-free so it washes right out of your hair, making it perfect for the job. Though I have no idea who was the person who read the ingredients list and thought, "Hmm... this would be good for styling my hair." Probably a descendant of the person who thought of milking cows.

I still wrapping my head around the idea of using KY jelly so the only products I have used for defining my curls are the Sunsilk Balm and the FOTE Aloe Vera gel. Both work pretty well but the results aren't consistent. Boo.

The Sunsilk Balm has a mind of its own. Some days, it makes me look lovely and defined. Other days, it leaves my hair feeling crunchy and encourages my frizz to misbehave. And, I really have to be careful of how much I use. Too much and my curls feel crunchy.

FOTE Aloe Vera Gel is better as it leaves me with soft, touchable curls. BUT I can only use it with sopping wet hair and when the air isn't too dry. Aloe vera is a humecant so it works by drawing in moisture and keeping it in your hair. When the air is dry and it can't absorb any moisture, it takes it out of your hair and takes you looking poodle like. *sigh*

I am thinking of trying a combo of Sunsilk and FOTE next week but I not sure how to layer the products on top of each other. Maybe I should get KY jelly next week...

CG Week 4 Update
Confession here: I fell off the CG boat because of university work and used dry shampoo a couple of times. Let's just say that my hair has returned to poodle like status and its going to take me another month to whip it back into shape. Oh dear.

Conclusion? Once you go CG, you have to stick to a routine. My hair loves it though so the effort is worth it. I don't think I'll be looking back.

Now, what should I do with that can of dry shampoo?

Riding the Wave: Plopping and Week 2's Update

Seriously, that cute fluffy puppy with the Princess Leia 'do is related to my post today.

The best way to get pretty waves is to step out of the shower with sopping wet hair and let it air dry. Wet hair clumps together as it dries to form natural waves. Combing or brushing separates the hairs, gets rid of the curls and results in frizz. Quite simply:

Hair type x (Water + Hair) = Straight/Waves/Curls

Curls + Comb = Frizz

Sometimes, the water weighs down the hair so much, you end up with limp curls or badly shaped waves. Plus, no one wants to go around looking like a wet cocker spaniel (believe me, I have a pretty, curly pet spaniel whom I adore but she looks terrible wet) while their hair dries.

So here's the problem to solve. How do we make sure that our hair is wet enough to encourage clumping but not so wet that we drip everywhere and encourage limpness? (I am so tempted to geekify the above equations to suit the question but I won't. *slaps inner maths geek*)

This is where plopping comes into the picture.

Because my brains are on strike right now (I haven't slept for the past 30 hours), I am just going to copy and paste the instructions for plopping from the Naturally Curly website:

"As described by a member, after one washes and conditions the hair, you apply product to wet hair and get ready to ‘plop.’ Put a t-shirt or Aquis towel down on a chair - some use the toilet with seat down. Leaning over the towel/t-shirt with your head hanging down bent over from your waist, position the wet hair onto towel so the curls are all concentrated on top of the head. Then pull the towel taut against the top and sides of the head, grabbing the 2 sides and twisting them into long sausage rolls near each ear. Take these rolled up towel extensions and pull them to the nape of the neck and secure them by tying them together.

Says one reader, “Then I put go about my morning routine — makeup, coffee, etc. The towel helps to absorb excess water while letting the curls ’set’ into clumps. When you take the towel off, gently shake down the curls and diffuse ’s’ shaped, individual curly locks, with some volume at the roots.”

If you want extra control, another member suggests spritzing on on some spray gel or scrunch in a bit more gel after you take the towel off."

The page also has cartoon illustrations of plopping so you can check it out here.

Some people swear by it and others don't. Me? I am kind of on the fence with plopping. Maybe I am not doing it correctly but for me, plopping is one of those things which works on some days and doesn't on the others.

I have a problem doing the sausage rolling bit, which is why I thought the Princess Leia hair towel thing would come in handy. I'll report back once I give it a go.

Oh, I haven't the faintest idea what an Aquis towel is but I gather you are supposed to use either old cotton shirts, microfibre towels or paper towels (yup, as in the one we use in the kitchen) for scrunching excess water out of your curls. Normal terrycloth towels tend to soak up too much water and ruins the curl.

CG Week 2 and 3



Check it out. The pics on the left were taken on a "good" hair day in Week 2 while the ones on the right were taken during Week 3. I don't know if you girls can really see the difference but my waves in the second set of picture are less frizzy and a lot more defined compared to the previous week even though I wasn't using any gels or balms to help with the curls.

My hair seems to really like this new routine! Week 2 was a nightmare I would prefer not to remember but my waves started falling into place and staying there towards the end of Week 3.

*heaves a happy sigh*

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.

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.

Beauty Experiment: Kaolin Clay as a Mattifier

My skin is so terribly oily that I will give anything (short of poison) that promises to mattify a try. So with Milk of Magnesia suddenly ceasing to work on me after a sterling performance, I was looking around desperately for something else to work. When I came across pure kaolin clay at Signature Minerals for only $6 a 20g jar, I jumped at the chance to try it.

Kaolin Clay is one of the ingredients used in primers, mineral foundations, and powders to mattify. Lily Lolo's Flawless Matte powder is only Kaolin Clay + Mica while its Shine Away powder is merely Kaolin Clay - both for considerably more (£12) than Signature Mineral's offering.

The clay sold by SM is very finely milled and applies translucently providing an airbrushed, matte finish that I love. It can be added to mineral foundations to lighten it slightly and to make it more mattifying, brushed on as a primer, and used as a finishing powder. It can even be combined with water to make an oil-absorbing mask.

I tried brushing it on as a primer before applying foundation but wasn't pleased with the result as the foundation didn't go on as evenly as I'd like and I didn't notice any significant oil control.

I have also tried mixing it with Aloe Vera gel to form a primer. I have to apply carefully to avoid streaks, but it sets quickly to form a smooth, dry surface great for applying foundation. I find that this works quite well to delay oil breakthrough - giving me a 4 hour grace period instead of my usual 2, but once oil does break through I'm forced to touch up every 2 hours, and even worse my foundation fails to adhere as well as I'd like.

Finally, I've tried using it as a finishing powder and for touch ups. This I like and will continue to do. The finish is lovely, natural and non-cakey. It takes away oil beautifully even when I don't have my blotters on hand. And it prevents oil breakthrough for longer than even the legendary Mac Blot. Now I just need to devise some way of toting a loose powder along for touch-ups on the go.

I haven't tried mixing it with foundations yet as I've been testing the performance of foundations. I'll probably give that a go next.

Product Review: Milk of Magnesia as a Mattifier

While I adore glamour and pretty packaging in beauty products, I care more about bang for your buck, and products that work. Milk of Magnesia (or Cream of magnesia) as a mattifiant is perhaps even more unglamourous than Monistat Chafing Gel as a primer, but it works!

Recommended by Paula Begoun and Tyra Banks, I've come across this product time and time again in beauty forums and on Makeup Alley, but until now I've never tried it. Mostly I've been afraid it would break me out like most mattifiers I've tried ( The Body Shop Tea-Tree Matte and Boots No 7 Shine-Free Makeup Base to name two), but also the idea of using a laxative on my face was just... ew.

But my oily skin is so frustrating to me that I at last caved in and bought a bottle of Boots Cream of Magnesia for £2.75. I've been trying it for the last week, and here's my review.

How to Use
Give the bottle a good shake. Then using your fingers, apply a light layer as evenly as possible on your skin, after toning and moisturising, before concealer and foundation. Allow it to dry, and you may notice white streaks here and there. Rub with fingers to smooth out. Dampening your fingers speeds this process along but it's not really necessary. Allow to dry completely before applying foundation over.

I have heard that MoM does not always work well with liquid foundations, but works wonderfully well with powder and mineral foundations. But you'll have to experiment to see what works for you.

A thicker layer of MoM works as an oil-absorbing mask. Spread it on, allow to dry and rinse off for tighter-feeling oil-free skin.

How it works
Milk of Magnesia, or Cream of Magnesia is essentially liquid magnesium hydroxide, a harmless, inert chemical that absorbs oil but won't irritate your skin. Some preparations contain mint or cherry flavouring. While this may be fun, I prefer the scentless flavourless generic type because it's cheaper and less additives = less irritating.

Verdict
Initially, I was pleased, but not very impressed. It did stave off the oilies for perhaps an hour or two longer than not using it. This on its own isn't bad, No7's Shine-Free Base didn't seem to do anything, cost about £9, AND it added the crowning indignity of breaking me out. So, if MoM could stave off the oilies for a bit I wasn't going to complain.

However, daily use of it seems to be decreasing the amount of oil my skin is producing. Online reviews warn that some women found their oily skin becoming parched and dry with prolonged usage, so I should keep an eye on my skin, and stop just before it dries out.

Also, absolutely no breakouts whatsoever has been caused by MoM. So, I'll keep using and post an update if anything drastic occurs. But for now, I have an effective, non-irritating mattifying primer that's cheap as chips. I may find a prettier bottle for it though. *winks*

The most famous brand of MoM is Philips Milk of Magnesia (pic) retailing at Boots for £3.25 but cheaper, generic brands can be obtained.

Duped: Smashbox Photofinish Primer

I swear I haven't gone insane. But this is one dupe I keep coming across again and again, in beauty site after beauty site, including Makeupalley. Word on the street is, Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel is an acceptable if unglamourous alternative to the famous Smashbox Photofinish Primer.

The key it seems is the base silicone ingredient present in both products - Dimethecone. Smashbox Primer contains dimethecone and a bunch of other skin-loving stuff, whereas Monistat is chiefly plain dimethecone. But for so much less we can forgive it a few antioxidants.

Now, unfortunately this is NOT a review comparing the two. Much as I wish it was, I - poor student that I am - could only afford to try the Monistat. As it wasn't available in the UK, I went on to eBay and bought a tube there. My only encounter with the coveted Smashbox primer, was when I played with a tester and smoothed it on the back of my hand. Not a very good test I think you'll agree.

The gel promises to be non-greasy, fragrance-free, non-irritating, and non-staining. When spreading it on, it does have the same odd feeling that the Smashbox primer has. Dry yet slick. My mineral foundation goes on very smoothly over it, and my skin looks poreless and airbrushed. So far, no breakouts, but on the other hand this does nothing to control oil, which is what I hoped it'd do. It doesn't make it worse, but it doesn't control it. So far I can't tell if the primer prolongs makeup life. Some reviews I come across on MUA swear that it does though. Still for the price, what do you have to lose?

*Disclaimer: The "Duped" column refers to cheaper alternatives to expensive products. It in no way implies that the cheaper product deliberately duplicated the pricier version. In some cases, the cheaper product may pre-date the more expensive product.

Aspirin Mask: The best exfoliating mask in the world!

*Edit (02/08/2009) DON'T crush the pills! Just let them soak in a tiny amount of cetaphil/water/aloe vera gel and VOILA. They moosh easily into a paste. So handy!

Here's something I discovered on the wonderful MakeUpAlley, that's well-known to American girls but remains undiscovered for most Malaysians (probably due to the popularity of the very unacidic Panadol).

The Aspirin Mask.

(warning: if you're allergic to aspirin, please be smart and don't try this)

Think about it, Apirin is synthesised from Salicylic acid, now go read the lables of most anti-blemish skincare, the ingrediants are usually either Benzoyl Peroxide, or Salicylic Acid. As a mask, aspirin exfoliates, and when you wash it off - scrubs.

I've found that used once a week, in combination with Differin (which also functions by exfoliation) my skin tends to stay happy and clear. If I get lazy (because this mask can be quite a pain to make), I pay for it in clogged skin and blemishes.

As a one-time beauty journalist with acne, I've tried just about every blemish-fighting scrub and mask on the market and I've never found anything to beat this. Best of all, it's so cheap it's virtually free!
Here's my favourite recipe:

• 3 Aspirin Tablets (Use uncoated if you can, all I can get here is Bayer's)
• Cetaphil cleanser (or any other gentle gel cleanser, for drier skin try Dove)
• Aloe Vera gel (I love Fruit Of The Earth, huge tube at dirt cheap prices)

1. Crush the aspirin tablets into a fine powder with the back of a spoon. Squirt in some Cetaphil and aloe vera gel and mix it up into a paste. Slap the paste onto your face and let it sit until I dries (you can tell because you'll start snowing).
2. (Warning: Avoid applying the mask under your nose or when it dries you won't stop sneezing!)
3. When the mask is dry, dampen it with some water and gently scrub your face paying close attention to your t-zone and other blemish-prone areas.
4. Rinse off and marvel at your buttah-smooth skin. It's a good idea to apply a gentle light, oil-free moisturiser after use. I prefer Eucerin's Skin-Regulating Cream-Gel for Acne Prone Skin.

Syen: For ingredients, I usually add about half to 3/4 of a teaspoon of honey to the recipe. Honey's great for your skin too!