FOTD + other mumbo jumbo

I originally wanted to post a review on one of the Victoria's Secret palette and I even uploaded the pictures to go along with the post but in the end I decided against it. Let's talk about some other things tonight, shall we?

But first of all, a couple of FOTD pics to share.

 

 I wanted to try out something that is very blended but still neutral enough for me to wear comfortably and that's what I got. Pulled out my MUA palette in Heaven and Earth for this look.

Sharon and baby Jazelle

I believe I haven't told you guys about this before but the above picture is of my sister Sharon and her baby Jazelle. She's almost 6 months old now and is the cutest little baby ever! If you know me you'll know I am not the baby kinda person. Honestly, I am terrified of kids! I wouldn't know the first thing to do if a 3 year old approach me. Even when they held out toys asking me to play I'd just stare at them. Or I'd stand up, and walk away lol I know I'm not exactly the best person to trust your kids with but hey, that's just who I am. Anyways, I have Jazelle to practice on now so hopefully I can improve my 'kid-handling skills' :P

Prolly my fav picture of her! 

Apart from my baby-sitting lessons *ehem* with Jazelle, I've recently went back to staying at the hostel but only for a few days at a time. Most of the week I'll be at home in Lumut. However I did take a walk around the hostel blocks the other day just because I'm in my third year staying there now but I realize I've never went to the other blocks except mine and the one across from my block. 

The view from my bedroom window. What I wake up to every morning there.

 

The corridor outside my room

One of my neighbours have these REALLY SQUEAKY flip flops that she use all the time and every time she walks past my room the sound "SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK" just echoed down the hall and it's super annoying! It woke me up from my sleep countless of times and did nothing except piss me off in the early morning. Imagining myself grabbing the flip flops and shoving them down her throat did make me feel a little better though... I mean seriously, it's not that hard to buy a new pair of flip flops now is it?

Enough talking for now. Catch you guys next time!

 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams: Milan & San Paulo

As you probably know Shop at Sarah has recently stocked up on more NYX products! I was so excited for this because they finally brought in some of the other NYX stuff that I have been waiting for like the Rouge Cream blushers and of course, the Soft Matte Lip Creams! I wanted to get all the shades but that would be suicidal for my wallet so I bought two instead. I like to think that I have a strong mindset and that I am in control of my spendings lol

NYX Matte Lip Creams. L-R: Milan, San Paulo

 

Top: Milan, Bottom: San Paulo

Milan is a beautiful pink shade with a slightly blue undertone whereas San Paulo is a darker pink, somewhat berry shade which is perfect for a night time look! I love these!! It's like cream lipstick but only better because once you give it a minute or two, these lip creams will set and it will not budge for the rest of the day! I find that they last about 6-8 hours on me, which is pretty amazing considering that I ate, drank from a straw and did a lot of talking within that 6-8hours. 

The NYX matte lip creams, true to their words have a matte finish once they set on the lips. From the swatches alone you can already tell how crazily pigmented they are! And I really like the packaging too with the compact tube and matte black cap! Although the product itself differ slightly in color in comparison to the tube's packaging, it gives a pretty good idea as to what the colors look like in real life.

 I guess the only problem I have with these are that they have a pretty distinct scent. I can't quite put my finger on what the lip creams smell like but if I had to describe them in words I'd say they smell like candies... that don't taste so good. lol My dad said they smell like berries? haha

Wearing NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan

 

Wearing NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in San Paulo

 I've also spotted Beautycrush from youtube wearing San Paulo in her recent videos and it looked gorgeous on her! Overall I really like these even though I'm not a big fan of the scent. I'll definitely go back and try some more of their other shades. Been eyeing the bright red for a while now, maybe it's time to get it? I'm also looking forward to trying the Xtreme lip creams! The NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams retail for B$16.90 at Shop at Sarah's.


Wearing San Paulo in this shot.

Books: Entwined + Pretties

Been doing a lot of beauty posts lately so I figured I could share with you guys my thoughts on a couple of books that I've recently bought and read! I go through phases where I'll be really into books and I'll drop whatever I'm doing and just read and read the whole day. Then I'll go back to my usual routine for a few months just to jump right back into it again. It's always either books or youtube. lol

 Entwined by Heather Dixon

I bought this a few weeks back along with Pretties by Scott Westerfeld from a visit to Best Eastern. I almost squealed when I saw this! Been wanting to read it ever since Elle from Allthatglitters21 on youtube mentioned it briefly in one of her book hauls. I bought quite a few of the books she recommended mainly because most of them are good!

Entwined is inspired by the classical story '12 dancing princesses' and the majority of the storyline follows the fairytale less some of the other parts. I read this book not knowing what to expect and it surprises me that the author would include magical objects in the storyline like the magical sugar tongs which hops around and also the big clock.

Azalea, the eldest of the 12 sisters found a secret entrance to a place where she and her sisters can dance every night without the King knowing. So this place is guarded by this enchanting vampire-like person called the Keeper. It's understandable that Azalea would be attracted to the Keeper. I mean, this story is set in what, the 17th century?? In that era, Azalea's bound to fall in love with anyone who came in contact with her! lol I don't wanna give away any spoilers but long story short, there's something really wrong with the Keeper and soon enough Azalea started to find out stuff about him...

Give this a read if you're interested in stories like this. I'd give this a 7/10. It's kinda fun creating faces for the characters in your head! lol 

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

This is the second installment of the Uglies series. Pretties picked up where the first book left off, where Tally agreed to be turned pretty so that the people from the Smokes can use her to test out the medicine which cures pretties. Apparently when you've been turned pretty, doctors mess with your brain too making you dumb and kinda stupid. To keep the peace.

Anyway I'm kinda disappointed the author didn't do much to describe the new pretty Tally. All I know is that after the surgery, Tally was given silver colored eyes and that's it. She's taller too but that doesn't really help with the visualization of this new and improved Tally. haha maybe I'm too fussy but given that Tally is the main character in this book, I really think they should've describe her more than they did. I'm also surprised to learn that the majority of this book is focused in New Pretty Town. I thought David, her first lover would save her from that place. 

I'm looking forward to reading the third installment, Specials. Because Tally is gonna go under the knife again! But this time she's gonna look animalistic. Like a cat, or a leopard. Specials have more built to them and are stronger and faster than any of the other types of people so I'm kinda excited to see what this new (again) Tally can do! As for Shay, she can GTH. lol I don't really care for her character to be honest.

I like this better than the first book, Uglies! A solid 7.5/10!

MUA Eyeshadow palette: Heaven and Earth

I used to be very adventurous with my eyeshadows. I remembered when I was working before entering uni I used to change up my eyeshadow colors everyday. One day it'll be blue and green, the next purple and pink. It's one hell of a roller-coaster ride with the eyeshadows haha but I've finally settled with mostly neutrals and browns with the occasional pop of color. It's only practical (for me at least lol) to wear neutrals because I use makeup quite a lot and browns are easy and quick to put on and people won't be as easily distracted when they're talking to me as they would if I wear crazy colors on my eyes. Am I right or am I right? lol

MUA eyeshadow palette in Heaven and Earth

 MUA eyeshadow palette in Heaven and Earth

This is one of MUA's palette with neutral colors. They have another which is basically dupes for the Naked palette and that one's called the Undressed palette. Believe it or not these only costs GBP4! That's less than B$10 and you get 12 shades of eyeshadows. It's probably the best deal for an eyeshadow palette apart from the coastal scents ones.

 

 MUA eyeshadow palette in Heaven and Earth

The only issue I have with these is that there aren't any matte shades in this palette. Most of the eyeshadows are either shimmery or has fine specks of silver glitter in them, which is fine if you don't mind them but I personally love my mattes. Considering they're only GBP4, I really couldn't complain because even without any matte shades, they still work very well!

Swatches - Top row

 

Swatches - Bottom row

I'm surprised they didn't put any black eyeshadow in this palette but that's fine with me because I hardly ever use black. The darkest shade here is a deep red-brown and it complements the other colors very well! I also noticed that the lighter eyeshadows along with the golds tend to be the creamiest. 

Also, did you notice how some eyeshadows tend to crumble when you dip your brush in the shade? The excess eyeshadow will just fly everywhere all over the palette and it's always a hassle to clean up. Well you won't have any of that problem with this palette. They hold up really well and rest assured, has a minimal amount of crumbling. Again, considering what you paid for! 

Me wearing shades from the Heaven and Earth palette

The Heaven and Earth palette is perfect for everyday use and I really recommend it if you're looking for something that you can use all week or even a whole month with only that one palette. There's enough variety of colors for day time makeup as well as darker colors for transitioning it into a night time look. The compact casing is also good for travel!

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle

Apart from lipsticks, I am a sucker for cheek products. I love trying out new blushers, highlighters and more recently, bronzers. The only sad thing is that it's really hard to find different brands of cheek products here so I'm always rotating between the few that I think is worth trying. This time around I'll be sharing with you guys my thoughts on MAC MSF in Soft and Gentle!

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle

This is probably hands down my favourite powder highlighter! The packaging itself is very compact and straight to the point, as it is with most of MAC's products (Which I love!). I always wanted to try out the other limited edition MSFs that are released by MAC from time to time but its almost impossible to get my hands on them. Luckily this one, along with the other MSF, Gold Deposit is part of their permanent line so you can get this anytime you walk in a MAC store!

  MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle

Soft and Gentle is a light pink highlighter with specks of gold glitter and is quite shimmery, but nothing too crazy. When applied to the tops of the cheeks it gives this really glowy and dewy finish to the skin. I usually apply this whenever I'm using a matte foundation because sometimes using the foundation alone can make my skin look a little flat and blargh. So I just pop this on and it immediately makes my skin look a lot healthier! It photographs very beautifully as well!

Swatch of MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle

 I know that The Body Shop also sells mineralized highlighters and Bronzers but I'm not sure if they have similar shades to this particular one. I do have one of their liquid highlighters and it is super gorgeous as well! Wanted to do a review on it but the one I had was discontinued which is really sad. The MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle retails for GBP21.50 which is a tad expensive but I've had it for over a year now and had barely made a dent on it! I'm sure it will last me another good few years at the very least! The closest place I know where you can purchase this is in One Borneo, KK.

Essence Kajal Pencil: Black & White

I'm always on the lookout for an all-round good eyeliner. There are so many options out there to choose from but I tend to go for blacks simply because I use black eyeliner almost every single time I do my makeup! It's a good staple item in my makeup collection and it's probably one of the things that I buy the most; apart from lip products lol

Essence Kajal pencil in Black and White

I picked these up a while back at Paloma for only a few dollars each. Essence is probably the cheapest makeup brand I could find here locally and I actually prefer this brand to Silkygirl. If you're a student on a budget, Essence will be perfect for you. Their products are pretty decent for the price you're paying and I think it's totally worth repurchasing some of their items!

Essence Kajal pencil in Black and White

I wouldn't say that these Kajal pencils have the longest staying power. They smudge after a few hours of wearing them so if you want maximum wear out of these I suggest setting them with a black/white eyeshadow. I haven't tried the other colors but both of these that I have are surprisingly creamy! But unfortunately, not creamy enough to glide on the waterline as smooth as I wish it had. Especially the white one ugh. I've been wanting to own a white eyeliner pencil for my waterline for a while now but I haven't found a good one yet! The ones that I currently own are not creamy enough and I don't wanna drag the liner on my eyes if you know what I mean.

Swatches

If you are thinking of trying out new eyeliners, check these out at Paloma, The Mall. I believe these Kajal eyeliners apply smoother than their regular eyeliners. They are easy to blend out if you prefer the smudged look and if you're a guy who wanna try using an eyeliner but don't wanna spend too much on one, you might wanna pick this up. I'm so glad I invested in these, they are worth every dollar.

The Balm: Cabana Boy blush

I hate to admit it but I'm a sucker for cute makeup packaging. Even if the product is way out of my budget I'll wanna buy it if it's cute. Luckily for me The Balm products are not too pricey in any way plus they are super cute. Right up my alley haha! I especially like the retro drawings they put on their products much like Benefit's.

The Balm blusher in Cabana Boy

  The Balm blusher in Cabana Boy

I initially wanted to get the Hot Mama blush which is pretty popular among the other beauty bloggers because it is similar to Nars Orgasm blush and is way cheaper. I stood there for a good 5 mins just to decide which blush to get! haha the sales lady even walked off after a while because she got bored waiting! Not like it's a life or death matter but these things matter to me! haha So in the end I chose Cabana Boy because I know I will get more wear out of it. Hot Mama is too shimmery for an everyday blush for me. (Maybe next time lolol)

The Balm blusher in Cabana Boy

  The Balm blusher in Cabana Boy

Cabana Boy is a deep pink, almost berry color with specks of gold in it. The gold is hardly visible when you put the blush on. It's a really beautiful color and it gives a nice flush to your cheeks like you've been working out. lol The good thing about this blush is that it's deep enough to match skin tones ranging from both ends of the spectrum; from light to medium to dark. Plus it's not crazy shimmery like the Hot Mama blush so it's also better for you if you have dry skin because shimmery products tend to accentuate the dryness of the skin. 

Swatch of The Balm Cabana Boy blush

This was a pretty heavy swatch I did just to show you how the color looks like on the skin. This stuff is crazy pigmented! So remember, a little goes a long way! It is also buildable but I doubt that you'd wanna put on that much... unless you want to of course. No pressure lol All in all I'm really glad I picked this up! Definitely worth the money. The Cabana Boy blush retails for RM65 in Sasa.

FOTDs + Sock bun!

So I have these pictures of myself laying around in my picture folder (surprise,surprise) and I have no use for them so I'll just share these with you guys! Believe it or not I take pictures of myself almost every time I do my makeup just in case I need it for another FOTD post, much like this one lol Most of the time they are almost the same I feel like, but I can't help it hahah

FOTD #1

 

This is the type of makeup I wear the most. It's easy and quick and at most I put on 2 different eye shadows.  Sometimes 1. I like to put on a soft lip color to complete the look and make it seem 'effortless'. Also I love my new grey contacts!! Got them for only B$20 at Bright World Optics.

FOTD #2

 

I decided to play up my eye makeup with glitters in this second look and then pairing it with a mauve lipstick so that the main focus of the look is on the eyes. I sound like I knew what I'm saying but I really don't haha Anyway I quite like this! Glitters are purrdy things.

FOTD #3

 

  

Didn't do much here, just trying out Fashionista804's technique of accentuating the crease with a darker brown shadow. I have pretty puffy eyes so it might be useful for me to learn this! Also, my hair is up in a bun! The sock bun, to be precise!

This is an easy hairstyle to learn and I learnt this from youtube. I bet there are tons of tutorials there on how to create the sock bun for long/short hair. I used this tool for longer hair because well, I have long hair hah It worked out pretty well and stayed looking like that for the entire day! I'm always looking for new hairstyles to do because I get bored of my straight dull hair all the time so these hairstyles are a good way of spicing up not only your hair but your entire look every once in a while! This may be what you do with your hair everyday but I really don't put up my hair very often at all!

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Pink Brown

I was initially looking for a red lip pencil to match Revlon's 'Love that red' when I was at the NYX's stand but their jumbo lip pencils just screamed at me for attention! So in the end I picked out Pink Brown just to test them out. It was the closest thing to an orange lipstick that I could find from the range. (Believe it or not I am still looking for an orange colored lipstick! Why is it so hard to find one here?!!)

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Pink Brown

This particular one is mentioned in one of Rachhloves's favourites of the month! Tbh I haven't really use much of this until I saw it in her video and goes "Hey I have that! Now where did I put it again.." Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful color. It's just that when I got it there were no testers out so I didn't know what was the finish of this lip pencil. Turns out it has a frosty finish which if you know me, you'll know I'm not a big fan of.

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Pink Brown

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Pink Brown

 

Pink Brown is pink in color in one lighting but can be slightly peachy too in another. On my lips it is more peach than pink. Surprisingly it's not drying at all and goes on more like a lip balm than an actual lip pencil. These are basically lipstick in a pencil form.

I don't see myself wearing this as much as I'd like to and that's probably because I personally prefer a matte or a satin finish to my lipsticks. I pretty much never wear any frosty lip products at all. But I'll definitely try out the other Jumbo lip pencils, the red one looks so tempting! If a frosted finish is what your heart desire, I'd say go for this but if you'd rather prefer a matte finish to your lip, Pink Brown might not be for you. The NYX Jumbo Lip Pencils retail for B$12.90 at Shop at Sarah's.