You can refer to my San san mascara review and tell that I have short eye lashes and that I can definitely find a good use for lengthening mascaras. Bare Minerals' Flawless Definition Mascara not only lengthens my lashes in a natural way, it is able to separate and coat my lashes sans the notorious clumping! 

The photo above uses one layer of the mascara (black). Quite perfect for an everyday look, don't you think?

Continue reading »

How could I have missed Kate Winslet for Harper's Bazaar UK? The 35-year old actress looked glam (and so thin!) in each spread for the magazine's November ish. Images by Tom Munro. Thanks, Marie!

 

Time to pick up our jaws!

During the HBC Great at 88 Sale, I got myself San San's long-wearing Mascara in 01 (black). I have moderately thick but short lashes and this works well for me.

Price: 111php ($2.50), may go as low as 88php during sale

Availability: HBC stores; comes in 02, brown

Best for: naturally thick lashes with length problems

What I love about it:

• lengthens my short lashes without looking too made-up
• mascara consistency is neither watery nor too thick
• withstands our humid weather... truly long-wearing
• dries up in a few secs
• affordable
• smear-proof, no raccoon eyes

Uh-ohs:

• not ideal for evening affairs
• experienced difficulty in coating my very short inner and outer lashes
• below-average pigmentation (which may be the reason why it seems I'm not wearing mascara at all)

This is definitely a good everyday go-to mascara especially if one wishes to sport the au naturale look. With one swipe of the San San long-wearing mascara, I love how it gives people the impression that I naturally have long lashes.

San San Long-wearing Mascara 01 after 4 hours

The wand's advantage is its ability to separate my lashes beautifully so that it gives my eyes that soft, feminine look. However, due to its roundness and without the bristles tapering along the tip, I find it difficult to use when trying to coat my inner, shorter lashes. Girls with small eyes and short lashes might give this a thought before buying the San San's long-wearing mascara.

San San uses the old-fashioned wire-y wand (modern wands here)

I find that using 1-2 quick coats works best for me. Going beyond two coats gives me spider leg lashes. The formulation, which dries up fairly fast, never weighs my lashes down. I hate how this smells, though. 

Don't I look a little more girly after?

Recommendation. Skip this mascara if your focal points are your eyes in creating makeup looks. Also, this is a waste of money if you want glamorous, thick, stark black lashes. 

There isn't really anything beyond special about the San San long-wearing mascara except for its cheap tag and its ability to separate the lashes perfectly. I bet you already know that mascaras are the types of cosmetics that expire the fastest (3-6 months) and if you are on the hunt for a cost-effective one, then this is one product to consider.  If you have a tight budget and prefer a less made-up look, this may just be the one for you especially if it goes on sale!

Japanese brand In2it has a waterproof gel liner that comes in pen form. I instantly fell in love with the product's creamy consistency, strong pigmentation and budge-proof finish on the lids (I haven't tested it for waterlining. And I have no plans of doing so). 

Pros and Cons

Unlike most gel liners out there that comes in a tub, this pen type eyeliner saves you space in your kit and is definitely easier to tote around. Unlike most cheap pencil liners that can be a pain on the lids because they lack the creaminess (you can blow dry em before use though, but that's an added step), In2it's waterproof gel eyeliner glides smoothly on the skin pretty much like kajal liners.

In2it Dark Brown Gel Liner on my lids
(I use an eye tape to achieve a good, visible crease)

One may find pure glory in its creamy consistency but I found a handful of cons. I find it hard to create a thin line using this because the tip is never pointed without sharpening it. Hence, it seems that I'm using a lot of product already due to frequent sharpening. Third creaminess con is that this takes extra time to dry up on my lids versus my Maybelline Lasting Drama gel liner.

Con #3 is something I'd easily forgive since a little patience can result to a foolproof, pigmented eyeliner. I tested In2it's waterproof gel liner at the back of my hand, waited for more than a minute (for it to dry up) and smudged it with all my might. It smudged a bit, haha. Replacing "with all my might" with "hard enough to see my skin turn pinkish", the liner was amazingly intact. A-mazing!

Availability, Price, Etc

• Available at Watson's, PCX and Landmark, SM & Robinson's Dep't Stores 
• The gel liner is available in Black, Aztec Gold and Dark Brown. This will cost you ~380php ($7) for a 1.2g product plus a good sharpener (Aztec Gold is sold at 320 and does not come with a sharpener)
• 3 years shelf-life (check both manufacturing and expiry dates at the back)

Rounded tip, not pointed --- a challenge for my unskilled hands

Helpful Hints

1. Those with extreme oiliness may want to dust the lids with a bit of powder before using the liner.

2. Counter the cons of its creamy consistency by placing it in the fridge a few minutes before use.

3. This eyeliner is made in Germany so expect to be wowed.

After several hours of walking around the humid metro

I am definitely recommending it to anybody who wants clean eye makeup. If you plan on getting the In2it waterproof gel liner, be sure to get a good eye makeup remover along with your purchase as this can be tough to wash off.

To date, the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel liner I reviewed some couple of months ago has been the only gel liner I often reach out for that worked well with my oily, monolids. You might remember my Faceshop felt tip liner horror story... that wasn't much of a good buy for my type of lids.

Immediately after Maybelline gel liner application

I have monolids (can you recall how much I basked in the sea of eyelid tapes and glues) and liner transfer and smearing, whether cream, liquid or gel, are common problems. With the Maybelline gel liner, my only worry is that it mildly smears on the upper part of the lids.

Here are 2 photos taken 4 hours after liner application:

mild smearing 4 hours after application

smearing barely noticeable when I fully open my eyes

My other gripe is that it can be tough to remove. But other than the mild smearing and the stubborn gel during cleansing, I am highly recommending this gel liner to those who have a similar eye type like mine! Maybelline's product topped my previous HG, the Fanny Serrano gel liner, since the former still has a creamy consistency during the entire time I've been using it (7 months).

I still remember how much I cursed having monolids+small eyes.  And I do recall how I went loco about looking ulzzang because those Korean girls are just so damn cute!

And so instead of moping around hating how freaking small my eyes were, I got obsessed with making eyelid tapes, using eyelid glues and experimenting with all other monolid solutions I could possibly learn about.

monolids+small eyes: there came a point in time that i cursed myself for having them

It included circle lenses or doll-eye lenses.  One popular circle lens is the GEO CK 105.

Bought online, 500php ($10), lens case included

GEO circle lenses in CK 105

EOTD's on wearing GEO circle lenses CK 105:

GEO circle lens on both eyes, me turning away from light source

GEO circle lens CK 105, letting the light through my eyes

GEO circle lens CK 105: before and after photos

VERDICT: My eyes unarguably grew bigger and wider.  They do look good in photos but be ready to frown in real life.  In person, my eyes looked lifeless and weird-looking.  I look fake.

I think I should've tried the circle lens look with foundation on my face, concealer on those lovely eyebags, eyeliners (black/brown to tightline and white/topaz on the inner 1/3 of the waterline), and a dash of mascara on the lashes.  That may have been prettier.

This is actually the last circle lens I will be giving in to.  I've also reviewed the Vivigo Hyper Nudy Lens in the past but my boyfriend didn't like it on me.  I'm just sticking with freshlook contact lenses during days that I need to wear them.

I think I'm slowly learning to love my monolids+small eyes.  Or perhaps I grew tired of cutting eyelid tapes and lining my eyes.

GEO circle lens CK 105 is best for those who are just playing around with looking ulzzang or during shoots.  I certainly wouldn't want to be seen wearing it during events or anywhere else.

I'm always on the lookout for stuff that can widen my small eyes+monolids.  Say, circle lenses, eyeliners, and eyelid tapes.

Vivigo's Hyper Nudy Brown Circle Lenses didn't fail me. 

These were so easy to put on vs Freshlook Dailies.  But there was a minute's discomfort when I wore it.

Vivigo Hyper Nudy brown circle lens on my eye to your left.  Eye to your right has none.  

BIG difference, eh? 

My own DIY eyelid tapes+Vivigo Circle Lenses

Yay, big, dolly eyes for me c/o circle lenses; boo for the obvious syringoma though

My eyes got really big.  If you've read my past EOTD posts, you'll notice how unpleasant my monolids are.  That's the reason why I'm always pushing myself to use eyelid tapes.

It is a whopping 15.5mm diameter so I know it'll emphasize my peepers a lot.  I'm used to freshlook dailies' 13.8mm diameter, and so I thought that I looked too unnatural with hypersized circle lenses.  I don't know, maybe I'm not used to it.

And oh, you'll surely love their cute pink packaging.  Most girls are suckers for cute pink stuff.

Sad ending:

Boyfie was a bit taken aback (in a bad way) when he saw me (and I knew he was lying about liking it).  Maybe I looked too unnatural with it.  Sigh.  It's a shame, coz I haven't touched these circle lenses since that day.

My usual small eyes got a little bigger with the help of my vivigo contacts, DIY eyelid tapes, and Styli Style's Line and Seal 24 eyeliner pencil!

Styli Style Line and Seal 24 Eyeliner Pencil

bought from ebay.ph at 70php (~ a few cents over a dollar)

methinks it's cheaper because this is the old packaging (check out the up-to-date version)

Swatching the liner's color; drew thin and thick lines, too!

Waterproof?  We'll see...

After sprinkling the swatches with water, I tried to rub it off.  It faded a bit (vs the first swatch pic) but it DIDN'T SMUDGE OFF

What I love about it:
It's as cheap as our local liners but has a waaaay better staying power (which we really, really need in this humid country)
It's so soft; it doesn't tug on the lids
Waterproof; wear it this summer on the beach!
No raccoon eyes when I use this to line my lashline (different story with tightlining though)


Uh Oh's:
First stroke isn't the nicest hint of black (but layering twice makes it more dramatic)
It only lasts a good 3-4 hours when used on the waterline
Goes OOS fast at ebay.ph. boohooo.

Waking up with my monolids

No, my contacts aren't unequal in size.  It's just that my eye to your right has been tightlined (upper waterline only) with Styli Style Line and Seal liner.  Noticed the difference?  I could've made my eyes bigger with falsies, mascara and a curler!

Oh, and my smile emphasized my eyebags!

What I used:  

Dr Jart Silver BB Cream to even out skin tone

In2it eyebrow powder using the brow brush I 'created'

Undereye concealer 

DIY eyelid tapes (which I will discuss soon)

Styli Style Line and Seal 24 Pencil Eyeliner in Black

Vivigo lenses in hypersize brown

You might notice that I seem to be freaked out with my small eyes.  Well, yes, I am.  But I don't hate them.  I just know that they're capable of looking a lot better with a couple of monolid solutions like tapes, lid glues, falsies and contacts.

Thanks for reading!

The first beauty blog I've ever read was Nikki's, and ever since that read, I fancied about being a pro with eye makeup. Nikki does an awesome job with her eye tuts. Too awesome that it makes a makeup newbie dream that she can pamper her eyes with a splash of wonderful colors, too!

So I tried prettifying my own peepers using the 4U2 Gemtone Eyeshadow Quad in Moonstone.

I stated that S2 and S3 looked similar on the pan during my previous post, I proved my observation wrong with this EOTD...

And I mentioned, too, that S4 looked horrible, well yes, it did.

Bodyshop crayon concealer in 02 applied all over the lid as a base; also applied on the undereye area

S3 brushed all over the lids using ELF shadow brush

S2 patted on the outer third of the lids using same brush

S1 on the inner corner & inner 2/3 of the lower lashline

Maybelline Vivid & Smooth Eyeliner in Brown (unsharpened, hence it looked kinda awful)

Maybelline Unstoppable Shiny Black Mascara + lash curler

And as a newbie, I FORGOT to highlight!

I thought that it looked to strong for my small eyes. And so I painted my eyelids with less color.

A more 'serene' eye. Oh, and I remembered to highlight! Just had to buff and blend well.

Bodyshop crayon concealer in 02 applied all over the lid as a base; also applied on the undereye area

S1 brushed all over the lids using ELF shadow brush

Bodyshop Argyle Pink below the crease using Nichido sponge tip applicator

Bodyshop Imperial Purple on outer 3rd of the lower lashline using Fanny Serrano eyeliner brush

Bodyshop Dusted Silver on the brow bone down to the area between nose and eye using ELF shadow brush

Bodyshop Dusted Silver on the inner corner of eye and on inner 2/3 of the lower lashline using Fanny Serrano eyeliner brush

The Face Shop's pen eyeliner in Black

Maybelline Unstoppable Shiny Black Mascara + lash curler

Fashion21 brow kit

The tools. Gawd, I forgot how to count! 1-2-4-wth?

1. 4U2 Gemtone Quad (P424/$9)

2. Fashion 21 Brow Kit (P100+/$2)

4. old lash curler I need to replace

5. Bodyshop crayon concealer 02 (P600+/$13)

6. ELF eyeshadow brush (P129/$2... it's just a dollar in the U.S., i know)

7. Nichido's sponge tip applicator (set of, erm, 4? or 5? P36.50/75cents)

8. Fanny Serrano short eyeliner brush (P75/$1.50)

9. The Face Shop pen eyeliner in Black

10. Bodyshop's shimmer+sparkle cubes (P1000+/$20)

I only used ELF's eyeshadow brush for these looks (no blending brush or crease brush or whatever... i can't believe it). It is amateur, but methinks I pulled through just fine.

Once I get to buy the other important eye brushes (I'm thinking of MAC 217 and 239) and some fancy lashes, I think I can live up to creating an Askmewhats eye look I've always wanted.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Madeleine is giving away a $15 Aromaleigh GC. Ooooh, i love their URFP's! If you want in, jump in with me to join her contest!