Even more taupe madness: : L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow in Bronze Taupe (US)

Syen and I don't see eye to eye on many beauty points. She loves vanilla, hates citrus (reverse it for me), she prefers warm shades, I prefer cool. I like gel cleansers, she goes for cream, I'm addicted to mascaras and my eyelash curler, she isn't. The list goes on and on. 

But a madness we absolutely share is one for taupe. 

I point to this post though as proof that I probably started it (hint, read "Nudge Nudge"). 

Or we discovered it on our own... alsoa  possibility. 

Anyway back on topic. I so loved the formula for L'Oreal Infallible in Endless Chocolate that when Syen told me of a taupe shade in the US, I lost my mind and ebayed it. Well, not immediately, only after I'd checked out the stores here... for months.. and found that neither it, nor its Asian counterpart, Sahara Treasure was available in Hong Kong. Sahara Treasure is available in Singapore though, if you can find it. 

So I picked this up on ebay for about USD8 including shipping. 

Daily go-to: Maybelline Color 24HR Tattoo cream shadow in #35 On and On Bronze

I'm usually reluctant to review cream shadows until I've test-driven them awhile. I hate raving about a shadow only to find that a month later it's dried, cracked and unusable. Which is why I've waited THREE months to review this baby - so I can tell you it's still going strong.

Syen put me on to this one when she asked me to pick up up online for her as it's not available in Hong Kong or Malaysia yet (boo!). But if you get a chance to buy this from Australia or online from FeelUnique (like I did - free shipping to HK), grab it! It's only GBP4.99 on Feel Unique by the way.

I have this shadow in On-and-On-Bronze as well as Permanent Taupe and I definitely prefer "bronze". Don't let the names fool you though. Bronze is more Taupe (as you'll see in the swatch below) and Taupe is more dark grey. Annoying huh?

Also, Taupe is a matte shade and definitely resembles the hard to spread Mac Paint Pot in Painterly. It does make an awesome base though. But so does Bronze. More on that!

Taupe Madness: INGLOT Pearl #435

Hey lovelies,

Among the three of us here at So Loverly, I think I've developed quite a reputation of being taupe mad. (I've also developed a reputation for being mad about many other things *cough blush cough*, but you already knew that.)

Every time I look at eyeshadows, my eyes are inexplicably drawn to taupe and brownish shades. Can't be helped.

So today I'd like to introduce you to a shade I met while shopping with Kahani at INGLOT earlier this year - the Pearl #435.

Day to Night: NARS Rajasthan Duo

Hey lovelies,

Starting the day out on a work day, but partying after? NARS Rajasthan duo might be something worth your time.


Here I share how I bring the duo from a simple day look to a smokey night eye. And it was pretty much done using mostly only Rajasthan.

Sephora Crayon Jumbo Liners: A review + swatches!

Colour me happy.

Since I started out on ONE of these Sephora Crayon Jumbo Liners, I've gone back for more. Because they're so good, one really wasn't enough.

Taupe Madness: Loving the Stray Dog

Hello lovelies,

Just to give you all a heads-up, I think it's safe to say that there will be many more Taupe Madness posts peppered along the way - now and in the foreseeable future. This is due to the fact that I'm on a mad taupe hunt, having bought (and still buying) more taupes than I will ever need in two three lifetimes.

And good things must be shared, no?

Right. Where were we? Ah yes... Today we'll be looking at the Stray Dog. By Urban Decay.

Gorgeousness in a pan.

Classic glamour look: Dragonfly

Why "Dragonfly"? I've mentioned in the past that I am badly swayed by the names of products, so lines like Silk Naturals, Benefit and Philosphy all hit my weak spot dead-on. Words that trigger me off include raspberry, pink grapefruit, lavender... and dragonfly. This look was inspired by the Stila Duo Eyeshadow in Dragonfly (sitting in a compact by Beautilicious), and Maybelline Watershine Lipstick in Dragonfly Red. (Everybody say, "Ahhh....!")

I was secretly in love with both products just from seeing the colours (red! purple! taupe! perfect!) on ParisB and Beetrice's sites. I snapped up the duo for RM20 during the clearance sales, and the lipstick recently for RM17.80 - usually it's RM23.90. While the lippy is readily available everywhere, sadly the duo is gone, along with the brand, from Malaysia. But any pale shimmery lavender and medium-dark, brown-taupe will do.

Surprisingly both lavender and taupe go together really well. I used the taupe in my crease, and smudged it just above the crease on the outer corners. I then blended the lavender shadow over as a highlight, concentrating on the inner corners and just under the brow-bone.

Pardon the rather "bleh" shot. I was having a bad photo-day, I took 15 shots, all were worse than this. And then I ran out of time. *sighs* So I wasn't actually sad or pissed off (whichever the photo most resembles) but I was tired as the week was a tough one. On the plus-side, this whimsically themed look perked me up for the day! Its' fun being a girl

Anyways, the red can be layered on to be pretty intense, or applied sheerly - as ParisB prefers it. I love its versitility. To me it's a true-red with slightly-warm undertones. It's very flattering and never turns orange or fuschia. I find it's one of the lippies that suit me even when I'm not wearing foundation or blush. It just perks me right up. LOVE it, this baby has earned itself a permanent place in my makeup bag.

And ah yes I used Benetint on my cheeks. =)

Sephora's Crayon 12-HR Wear Jumbo Liner Rocks. Really.

Sometimes you come across things in life that you truly wonder how you ever did without before. Perhaps this borders on a slight exaggeration, but I feel pretty much that way about the Sephora Crayon 12-HR Wear Jumbo Liner in Taupe #04 .

It is awesome.

So the hubs went out of town...

And I went all kinds of crazy. The buying kind.

Since the hubs left the country a couple of weeks ago, I've this sudden urge to satisfy all my crazyeyeshadowsespeciallybrownsandtaupe lemmings. And the gorgeous Dior Golden Savannah palette was only the beginning.

Review: MAC Style Snob

Hello Friday!

Lately (on days when I actually wake up early enough to slap on more than just blush and lipbalm), I've been wearing eyeshadow.

And among the many, many eyeshadows I have amassed over the years, I find that I've been reaching for this one fairly frequently - MAC Style Snob.


And so I thought it would be good for me to share my thoughts on it. Here goes!

Review: Shu Uemura Eyeshadow in ME Brown 850

As requested, here's my review of the legendary Shu Uemura shadow shade, ME Brown 850 (RM65). First let me start with the shade. Calling it a brown is slightly deceptive as it is shot through with metallic silver particles turning it into a lovely taupe shade.

Taupe as an eyeshadow colour is something I've only recently discovered and I adore it. It is neither a blah brown nor a trampy or overly-dramatic silver. It can be amped up for a sizzling smokey eye, or used for a polished and professional day look.

For a cool-toned girl, it is an ideal shade. I also find it wakens up my eye area and does more to make my tiny Asian eyes look larger than any other shade! So how does this shade measure up?

As it turns out, very well. Nice and versatile, it can be applied lightly for a shimmering wash. Use a compact liner or definer brush and it can be intensified into a mid-tone crease shade. It's shimmer gives it dimension and when applied this way it looks like you're using two perfectly coordinated shades of shadow instead of one.

If I had once wish it would be that it could be intensified even further like my beloved SN Nudge Nudge, but so far I haven't had the guts to take a wet brush to this delectable shadow yet. But although I can always reach for Nudge Nudge and apply it wet for extra drama, I have to admit it's rather nice working only with a compact shadow when I'm in a rush and not having to deal with loose minerals.

Application
This is where I really have to hand it to Shu Uemura. This shadow applies like nothing I've ever encountered. It's so finely milled and so soft it applies as smoothly as a cream but with the control of a powder. It lasts and lasts without creasing, even when I forgo using my Mac Paint as base.

It is also highly pigmented, so a little goes along way. But the gorgeous metallic finish somehow makes it easier to control and blend than matte shadows, so even if you're in a rush it's pretty foolproof.

So all in all, I'm delighted with my purchase. Thanks to the lovely Syen and Cavewoman for recommending this shade!

INGLOT: The 4-pan is a travel wonder!

Hey there,

To all our Malaysian lovelies, Selamat Hari Merdeka (Happy Independence Day)!!!

It's Malaysia's 55th Independence Day, and I hope you guys are enjoying the day off. And since you're here, I'd like to share a review with you lovelies + a little question.

Meet my INGLOT 4-pan eyeshadow, which I had purchased some weeks back.

Look: Silk Naturals Colours for a Cause - Carpe Diem, Red Lippie

Syen's recent post on Rimmel red lippies made me eager to break out my Carpe Diem lipstick that I'd gotten from Silk Naturals. Now a quick disclaimer, that is NOT me trying to look sexy, that is me trying to open my eyes half way so my double lids don't hide ALL my black eyeliner! Read on for my review of the lipstick, and review of Live and Laugh eyeshadows that are also part of the colours of a cure set. Also, more details on my "red lipstick look".

The Look
As I had a rather high-powered day ahead of me, I opted for a classic black shift office dress accented with a deep red belt. As such, a red lippie seemed like a good way to accessorise. I kept my eyes neutral and slightly shimmery, with a strong black eyeliner (similar to what I did with the Fuschia Lip). Used a very light hand with the blush in a peachy shade that would wake up my face but not scream "BLUSH!".

I'll admit to being slightly afraid of looking entirely too dominatrix (especially with my uhh.. very chiseled eyebrows courtesy of Shu Uemura) but decided what the hey, I'll work it. At least I'm not wearing my corset belt, and spiky black boots *grins*. I've been getting compliments all day though, and no one has run from me gibbering in terror, so I must have done something right.

The wonderful Carpe Diem!
Oh man, Carpe Diem is SUCH a good name for this lipstick. It really is a great way to "seize the day" (pardon my cheesiness). I've read in beauty mags that the best way to tell if a lipstick suits you is to swipe it on, before applying any other colour to your face. The moment I applied Carpe Diem, my entire face lit up and I knew I was onto a winner!

Carpe Diem is a cool, berryish red shade with oodles of pure 23k edible gold shimmer. I'm usually somewhat iffy around shimmer-lippies as I hate the frosted look and have rather, well, wrinkly lips (it's like I have too much lip in too little area). But these super fine gold particles give a glowing, rich and decadent sheen to the lipstick that warms it up and makes it look... amazing. I can't imagine this not suiting anyone!

As a red lipstick too, this is a very forgiving shade. It manages to make you stand out, instead of just having your lips enter the room 10 minutes before you. It allows for quite a nice light smokey eye (I did that by mistake when I smudged my liner) without making you look overdone - great for evening events. Plus it's sheer (I'm wearing two layers), so can be toned down further, and worn without a liner.

Eyes: Live & Laugh mineral eyeshadows

Live is a very shimmery creamy off-white. I love its finish as the shimmer is so fine it resembles Bobbi Brown's metallic eyeshadow collection. No chunks of glitter. It can be layered on thickly or blended out into wash. All the Colours for a Cure shadows have this finish incidentally. Personally I adore Live as a highlighter, on the inner corners of the eyes and under the brow bone. But I'd love it even MORE if it was ever-so-slightly warmer to suit my skintone. As it is I have to be careful to use very little and blend it out well.

Love is an amazing medium taupe shade - lighter and slightly warmer than Shu's Brown M 850. I paired it with Nudge Nudge, a dark taupe, for this look. On fairer girls it would make a great wash shade, swipe it on with a blender brush for a wash, and with a more precise blush for a crease shade. On me though I need a little nudge (tee hee.. sorry, couldn't resist!).

Look breakdown
Eyes - Live (highlight), Laugh (mid-tone), Nudge Nudge (crease), Blackheart (foiled with eyedrops to use as a liner), and Shu Uemura's Ultimate Expressions Mascara.

Cheeks - SN blush in Climax

Lips - Carpe Diem (as if you didn't know)

French Pharmacy Mini-Haul

So I was recently sent on a work trip to cover the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and in between the crazy amounts of running, networking, taking down seminars and interviewing people I managed to snatch a bare 30 mins to dash into two French pharmacies and Sephora (not bad aye?) and grab a few items in a frenzy of high-powered shopping.

In a sorta clockwise fashion, starting with the pencil on the far left, I picked up (with mini reviews)...

1. Sephora's Flashy Liner Waterproof Pencil in #14 Flashy Taupe (amazingly smudge proof pencil and dark taupe is such a great eyeliner colour!) for €6.50
2. Topicrem Rounge a Levres Phantom (a really fun lipstick that goes on clear, turns pink) for €9.90
3. John Frieda Frizz Ease (because this summer my hair's gone from sleek to shriek) for €15.90
4. Vichy Derma Blend Ultra Corrective Foundation Cream-Stick (silicone free, here's hoping!) for €20.90
5. Sephora Triple Action Cleansing Water (for the plane, wipes break me out) for €3.90
6. Clarins Rouge Jolie Rouge Brilliant in #7 Raspberry (I blame Lisa Eldridge for this one, but pretty, sheer, shimmery and smells of berries, so far I like) for €20.90

I also picked up...

Quick FOTD: Purpley-taupe look for work

So last week you found out what happened when the hubs went out of town.

Today, I want to share a really simple work look I did with one of the eyeshadows I got - Inglot #420.

Read on!

Get it before it goes: Too Faced Lockdown Cream Eyeshadow

Right, so the full name is Too Faced Lockdown Ultimate Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow - which is insane and far far too long. But names aside, the short review is this stuff is awesome and you should get it while:

• Strawberrynet is still on sale at HKD121 (plus the usual loyalty discounts - think I ended up paying less than HKD100 for it)
• They're in stock because it's been discontinued!

The shade I got was Bedroom Eyes, a shimmery brown taupe (yes taupe again) with, I’m sorry to say, glitter. But not too much or too chunky glitter. It’s very much like Urban Decay’s Sidecar in many respects - only Bedroom Eyes is less glittery. Thank heavens.

Because I take miserable swatches, I encourage you go here. She took absolutely lovely ones.

Why am I so in love with it? It really really lasts. All day. On oily skin and without primer. It’s also a really awesome primer in itself.

EOTD: Going brown with the Naked palette

No. I do not yet own Naked 2. I wish.

But all this hype about Naked 2 has, of course, turned my attention to the original Naked palette which I do own. And this was the eye I decided to go with for yet another recent wedding.

This look was really simple, but I was really happy with it.

Monday's beauty bit: Spring '09 Trend - Colourful, artistic yet wearable

Monday's beauty bitS is on a temporary hiatus because, quite frankly I've run out of bits! So instead you're just going to get one big bit - an observation on the overwhelming trend I'm seeing for Spring '09 - colour. And lots of it too.

From Bobbi Brown to Stila, all the collections appear to be focusing on colourful eyeshadows, encouraging you to play with them, and bring out your inner 'makeup artist'. I have a suspicion that the inspiration for this trend may lie with the increasingly popular following makeup mavens like panacea81, doe deere, xsparkage, petrilude, and temptalia have been enjoying with their wildly brilliant (and beautiful) eye looks. Read on for collections, a discussion, and ideas on how to rock this trend.

The makeup gods understand that not all of us have the looks, pizzazz or even ability to pull off those looks. So this spring is all about bright, wearable, fresh and approachable colour. And so far, to me, none of the collections capture this idea so well as Smashbox.


Yep that's their model heading this post and isn't that look breathtakingly gorgeous? Go here to watch their video on creating a purple and blue look for the eyes. The amazing thing is how pretty, natural and well.. wearable these looks are!

Sadly, Smashbox isn't available here in Malaysia, but a close second to the Muse Palette, in my opinon, is Stila's Precious Pearl Palatte:

Reigning blush queen, Paris B, likes the look of this palette, and I must say I do too. The pinks look cool and wearable, the green and golds are spot on for this season's colours, and the dark blue liner shade would be great for adding depth and contrast to all the colours. Temptalia also has the low-down on this product.

Jumping right in the trend is the unexpectedly trendy Clarins (I usually think their makeup collections are of high quality but blah in terms of inspiration)

Teal is another colour that seems to be coming into play. So cooler toned girls, if you find the warmer shades of green don't become you give this shade a try. I love what Clarins has done with their model, the blending of colours together is truly lovely and reminds me of Monet's waterlilies. Check out the rest of the collection at Beaut.ie

Even Nars (the unobtainable and unaffordable) is getting in on the action with their pretty pastel-coloured collection:
And finally, there's the controversial Bobbi Brown Brights Palette:

While spot on trend, I'm disappointed not to see any looks created by her fro this palette. I really was expecting her to do something special with this, but sadly, nothing yet. So this odd-palette-out will have to hang around being compared to Coastal Scents 88 palettes and the like.

So, how to wear this trend? While all of us would love to dash out and buy one these lovely palettes, why not stop and go shopping in your own stash. I rootled around a bit and unearthed green, purple, and even teal shades I've never really worn.

For everyday wear, taking a cue from Smashbox, you can blend one statement colour with a more neutral shimmery brown, taupe, or grey to make the look more wearable. Also blend it out to a wash of colour that appears almost water-colour in nature. Another idea is to use one colour in the crease, and a matching or contrasting colour on the lower lash line. Again, muted, blended colours is the key to getting away with this look in broad daylight.

What do you girls think of this trend? Going to seize the chance to play with colour?

Monday's beauty bits: Top travel ideas

I love travel. I love planning for it, packing for it, I even love being on the plane - although I have as many plane-horror stories to share as anyone. But perhaps my most obsessive aspect is crafting the PERFECT away-from-home beauty kits.

Be prepared for a peek into my insanity.

Bath

It's not perfect, but for now it works. This is a net shower bag from Daiso, it has a plastic base and netting all around so it dries super quick. The idea is to hang it in the shower but this has its drawbacks - there's not always a convenient place to hang it, and the drawstrings make getting stuff out of it hard. Still, I haven't found anything as lightweight or handy to compete yet.

NYX Haul: Round One

Hehe. After reading and hearing so much about NYX, I think it's about time I finally got my grubby little paws on them.

Okay, actually I had no choice. Dear Bee shot us an email one fine day saying Cherry Culture was having discounts on all NYX products. What's a makeup addict to do but throw in her order, right?

And it was really hilarious how Kahani and I did it. We were both rushing for tight deadlines, but Bee's time-constrained offer was too tempting to pass up. And the addicts in us would NOT relent.

So we ended up juggling between writing our stories, browsing for products on Cherry Culture, then researching them on MUA, AND chatting on Gtalk to compare notes. It was a true test of multitasking skills, I tell you. Thank goodness we're women! Girl Power!!! =D

So read on for more haul piccies and the rundown of what I got!

(From left: NYX blush in Peach, Mosaic Powder in Cafe, blush in Natural.)

After being dubbed Blush Princess, how could I not order a few blushers for starters right? I had heard that the blushers were good, and after trying them out, I must say they do not disappoint. Love Cafe, especially. It works really great as a bronzer.

I also made an order of three eyeshadow trios.

(From left: 1. Copacabana, 2. Barely There/Champagne/RootBeer, and 3.Spring Leaf/Lime Green/Green Tea)

(Both Kahani and I ordered a RootBeer trio each after reading the raves on MUA. And it really is that good! Loves it! Especially the middle colour, Champagne.)

(I haven't played as much with Copacabana, so can't say as much.)

(The Spring Leaf trio is a nice basic palette for green eyes. I used this for a green and bronze look recently, and it worked out nicely.)

(The haul was supposed to have stopped with the trios, but at the very last minute, and no thanks to more raves from MUA, I ended with two eyeshadow singles too - Earthy and Mermaid Green. Earthy is a lovely lovely taupe, and Mermaid Green is a very pretty deep green.)

So there you go. My first NYX haul. I'm rather glad the photos stayed pretty true to the actual colours of the products. What do you girls think? Quite the hoarder, aren't I?

And oh, by the way, if you're wondering why I named this post Round One... it's because I like the stuff I got so much, that I've already made another NYX order from Cherry Culture! LOL.

And this time, I ordered even MORE stuff. So wait up for the next haul post when it arrives.

*Sigh*

What can I say? Makeup and books are my crack.