Perhaps one of the reasons why I never really ventured into alot of eye makeup is that it doesn't show up on my monolid eyes. I have unequal (there are days when my right eye crease is bigger than my left, and conversely), monolids that can be a pain to work with when putting on some eye colors (maybe because I'm so much a newb in it?)

I hauled some eye tapes and glue way back April 09 hoping to get a pretty pop with my peepers. And the eye tapes were actually impressive in giving me natural-looking double eyelids!

My monolid eyes

I got them from my Hongkong trip and have seen Sasa.com putting them up on sale these holidays.

I'm using the short eye tapes for my small eyes. I find them best for beginners.

Double eyelids are possible with eye tapes! My eye to your right has a tape.

Double eyelids can give an effortless ooomph to your peepers!

What I love about 'em:

• they're transparent and a breeze to put on (after several practices, yes)
• they make you really pretty. not that i hate my monolids, but they just make you appear doll-like!
• they give you double eyelids even after you take em off (say you've been wearing them for 3hours or so... the double lids last a good 8 or more hours). I'm so amazed!
• not icky sticky
• comes off easy
• no need to tug the eyes so you don't have to brood over getting wrinkles and all that!
• you can still put eye primers/shadows on your lids even if you have em on

Uh-ohs:

• you'll have to practice creating your natural double lids... so this phase will waste a handful of the tapes. BUT You may want to check some posts or vids on how to put it right!
• not locally available, BUT you may want to create your own eyelid tapes! or buy from Sasa.com
• it'll stick out of your crease when placed wrongly
• there are tutorials that involve poking the eyes (like how you would do it with eyelid glues), but I've learned how to put my tapes in a harsh-free manner

STICK EM RIGHT :

1. Make sure you're working on clean, sweat-free lids! blot lids if necessary
2. You may use tweezers, but clean fingertips can work well, too
3. Stick the tape below your desired crease
4. Start sticking the tape on the outer 2/3rds of the lids; never on the inner corners
5. Don't be afraid to adjust! The tapes aren't that easy to lose their stick-on abilities.
6. Harsh-free application means you have to practice, practice, practice!

What do you think? Are you ready to give your eyes a boost with eyelid tapes? Try cutting out your own tapes today for practice!

So I changed my template again.  This is the third time I'm dressing The Beauty Bin up since July this year.

I never fail to sleep at 5 or 6AM because dressing up blogs isn't as easy as pulling out clothes from one's wardrobe to mix and match.  Well maybe because I'm no techie.

Thank God for blogger resources I've googled up, else, I would've slept at a later later later time!  I found Blogger Sentral, Deluxe Templates and Tips for New Bloggers waaaaay helpful than I expected.

Original Blogger Template turned into....

...my new page!

I wanted a neat layout, a bigger space for the posts, and a design that loaded pretty quick (just think of the ads as helpful and revenue-generating clutters you can click on to help me).  All throughout the wee hours, I thought of how I can turn this site a home for my readers, too!

So here it is, I hope it didn't take forever to load up from your end.  If it did, hit me up and I can revamp The Beauty Bin the fourth time!

It's a couple of days more before another year starts and I'd LOVE to celebrate it by sharing the love!

My beauty blogging colleague, Babyjap of the V-Spot, allowed me to check out Missha Watery BB Cream--- which I am now putting up for adoption.

If I get more than one adoption request for it, I will be raffling it off a few days after New Year

How to Adopt this Baby (open to ALL residents of the Philippines):

1. Briefly tell us why you want this baby in your kikay kit through a blogpost or any social media.

2. Link Babyjap's page and this page to that post.

3. Leave the link to that blogpost/social media share by commenting below.

4. Submission of adoption candidacies will close on January 10, 2010.

The future adoptive mom (or dad? well, guys can join...) of this Missha Watery BB Cream will be chosen on January 11, 2010. Shipping's on me.

The Face Shop's Easy Liner (felt tip eyeliner) comes in handy to newbies like me who'd love to break free from the usual pencil eyeliners. I've loved the dramatic look that liquid liners (from Fanny Serrano) gave my eyes, but they can be a painstaking task to work with considering my substandard eye makeup skills.

Thank pen liners for making it easier to achieve dramatic eyes! I've tried the Face Shop's Easy Liner eyeliner in Black and it was a relief that you don't have to be a makeup pro to achieve outstanding eyes!

The Face Shop Easy Liner Eyeliner in Black, ~300php

What I loved about it:

• eye lining became easier with this tool! (it makes the scary concept of eye lining a lil bit easier by letting you literally draw on your lashlines)
• you can easily remove 'wobbly hand errors' with a Q-tip!
• easy to create thin lines!
• length and diameter of the pen makes it easy to use and hold
• the felt tip feature makes it easy to wing the eyes
• cheap, locally available

Uh-Oh's:

• faint color on first stroke; you have to layer it a couple of times to achieve the liquid liner eyes
• this liner is scented (think marker/pentel pens, but it isn't that strong!)
• you still have to do quick tapping motions (like letting the ink sink into the tip) before every use
• takes a minute to dry up; if you're too excited to open your eyes, it'll lead to...

...the greatest uh-oh:

It smudges on me BIG TIME. This was 30minutes post-application. It can look ickier if you don't wait for it to dry up. How bad is that?

Other stuff:

The faint black on first stroke. I think I fared well in lining here (look how thin the line is!). And I can't wing my eyes in this natural fashion if I'm not using the pen liner.

Lined vs. non-lined lashlines. Layering to achieve my dramatic black. See how I've managed to keep the wing in tip top shape (despite having to go through it several times).

It really could've been love if it weren't for the smudging! Or, in another perspective, it could've been love if it weren't for my oily lids. ***sigh*** Now I'm still on the hunt for a good pen eyeliner...