Going "Minimal" and "Pop" for Fall 2012 with Maybelline offerings! // 以Maybelline產品創造秋季''Pop" & "Mineral" look!

The Maybelline trend of F/W 2012 makeup emphasizes on "Minimal" with beige nude lips and "Pop" look with daring red lips. And good news to your wallet, you only need two different lipsticks and two different eyeshadow palettes to create the 2 looks which could bring you anywhere from lazy days-out to the red carpet. 

Maybelline 的F / W 2012重點在創造 "Minimal" 及 "Pop"的妝容 。你只需要兩種不同顏色的唇膏和兩款不同的眼影色便足夠應付懶洋洋的日子和紅地毯場合了。

 

Step 1: Create a smooth canvas with Pure Mineral BB Base.

This lightweight BB base conceals, preps, provides SPF 26/ PA+++, evens out your skin tone in no time. Coverage is medium-sheer and texture is light. The minerals in it helps to control oil throughout the day to ensure a long lasting wear.

Step 1: 用純礦物BB 底霜打造順滑肌膚。

這支超輕量的BB底霜遮瑕，為肌膚打底，防曬, 在任何時候均勻你的膚色。 遮瑕度中等偏輕。它的礦物質有助整天控制面油，確保持久。

Step 2: Line your eyes with Hyper Sharp Liquid Liner. The liner once set, does not smudge or budge. It can be removed with soap & water, application is easy and dries fast.

Step 2: 在你的眼睛畫上眼線。Hyper Sharp 眼線液不塗抹或暈染。可以用肥皂和水清除，畫上後乾的速度很快。

Step 3: Curl and Coat your lashes with False Lash Volume Express Waterproof Mascara. Create a look which looks like you have put falsies on (yet minus the hassle).

Step 3: 捲曲睫毛和塗上與假睫毛般卷曲濃密效果的 Volume Express防水睫毛膏。

 

Step 4: For "Minimal" Look, pick Hyper Diamonds Eyeshadow Palette in BR-1. The palette consisted of earth-toned and office-friendly colors (see swatches above). Use the lightest color (golden champagne) on inner 1/3 of your lids and blend the third color on your lid. Smudge the darkest color onto your crease and outer 1/3 of your eye. Dab the fourth color all over your lid for some diamond sparkle.

Step 4: 要達致 "Minimal" look，用鑽石眼影BR-1, 包括大地色調和適合辦公室的啡色調（見上面試色圖）。使用最淺的顏色（香檳金）塗於內1/3眼蓋上, blend 中間的顏色於整個眼蓋。把最深的顏色塗抹到眼摺位和眼睛外1/3的位置。然後在整個眼窩搽第四色, 令眼神更閃耀.

Step 4: Alternatively, for "Pop" Look, pick Hyper Diamonds Eyeshadow Palette in WN-1, which consisted of royal-looking violet hues and lilacs (see swatches below). Apply second lightest color on the inner 1/3 of your eye and the medium color all over your lid. Smudge the darkest color on crease and outer 1/3 of your eye. Apply the lightest color all over your lid for extra sparkle and on the browbone for highlighting.

要達致 "Pop" look，用鑽石眼影WN-1, 色調包括貴族氣質的深紫和淺粉紅（見下圖試色）。使用第二淺的顏色塗於內1/3眼蓋上, blend 中間紫色於整個眼蓋。把深紫色塗抹到眼摺位和眼睛外1/3的位置。然後在整個眼窩搽第四色. 用最淺的顏色在眉骨上作 highlight.

Step 5: For "Minimal" look, use ColorSensational Lipstick in #721 Iced Brown, a warm brown beige color to warm up your lips for the My Lips But Better pout. For "Pop" look, use lipstick in #475 Coral Diamonds for a daring red pout. And voila! Two easy looks are done!

Step 5: "Minimal" look 可使用ColorSensational唇膏＃721，一隻溫暖的棕色，令整個妝容warm up。"Pop" look 可使用＃475 - 大膽的鮮紅色與紫色眼影的配合令人一見難忘。2個截然不同的 look 便大功告成了!

Latest drugstore gems //開架自有黃金屋

I have never been one who paid much attention to drugstore brands (don't get me wrong, I'm by no means a beauty snob), it's just you see those brands nearly every day and don't care much about them. Yet, if you look closer, you'd be able to find affordable beauty gems that deliver results comparable to high street brands! Today I'm sharing my latest finds:

我一向不太留意開架式品牌, (我當然不是 "非專櫃品牌不用" 那種人), 只是開架式品牌到處都是, 甚少會注意它們的新產品罷了. 不過, 細看之下, 其實有不少便宜又好用的美容新品啊! 近期和大家分享的新發現是:

1. Maybelline Pure BB Mousse Mineral Instant Skin Smoother SPF 30 PA+++

Review: Maybelline Angelfit Flawless Affinity Foundation

Hi all! It has been quite a while since my last review, today I am bringing you the review of a recent find: Maybelline Angelfit Flawless Affinity Foundation (oh what a name!). I bought it literally 2 days before I left to Denmark. It is retailed at $129 HKD, which is equivalent to $16.7 USD, yes it is on the pricey side, especially Maybelline is a drugstore brand! The Angelfit line is available only in Asia, the range of products include powder foundation, liquid foundation (i have yet to try, but tempted), blushes. If you're lucky, they will be doing promotion on this foundation, which will be reduced to $80~ HKD roughly.


The compact, is stylish for a drugstore foundation, but it's not as sleek as I expected, the click opening is not really as good as it is supposed to be. Nevertheless, it contains 7.9 gram of product, which is much compared to Benefit's Hello Flawless (7 gram with a huge price tag of $320 HKD).



Although my camera did not reveal clearly, there are tiny pink specks on the cover of the foundation, there aren't many, and they're not like glitter or shimmer. I believed they're the 'crushed pink pearls' added into the powder to achieve a special effect catered for Asian skin. Anyhow, I did not notice any pink specks on my face, lol! So, there is nothing to worry.

The compact comes with a sponge, it isn't the best sponge I would say, but I used it anyway. The shade I got is in OC2 (natural ochre), it is VERY DIFFICULT to find your shade, given that Maybelline has only one store with SA, and others are drugstore shelves (help yourselves). The reason why I got mine in OC2 is because, I went to the store before and purchased this foundation for Eve, and I also asked the SA which shade I should wear, she pointed me to OC2. There are a total of 4 shades available, OC1, OC2, OC3, and one more I forgot. My coloring is NC25, NARS Santa Fe, Benefit Hello Flawless in Honey, Shu Uemura #764.

The shades of the liquid foundation and the powder foundation are not the same. There are 5 shades available for the liquid bottle, but I cannot choose my own shade from that range without the help of an SA, at the end I did not buy the liquid bottle.

Although it doesn't say on the packaging, this foundation has an SPF of 22, which is pretty nice for me since I prefer higher SPF. Here's my FOTD with it, and my thoughts:

As soon as I put this foundation on my face, it seems a bit dark and orange for my skin. It may not be noticeable in the pic, and after a while though. But I would say that OC1 (one shade down) is kind of too white for me, and OC3 is too dark (said by the SA), so I am left with OC2 (the 4th shade is in pink tone, so it's definitely not for me). I found the powder sometimes is fairly easy to blend, sometimes it is harder, I have no idea why. Coverage is nice, although I did use concealer under eye before wearing this. Staying power is fairly high for a drugstore product, and my face is not oily after 6 hours. Compared to other foundations, I would say this scores the highest in terms of oil control and staying power.

So far, it hasn't break me out, and it is cheap, this powder is going to stay in my makeup bag!

Overall verdict: 7/10

Review: Maybelline Pure Mineral Blush in N01 Original Rose

This is an 'accidental' buy, I went in the stores to get a deodourant, but they're out of stock, so I turned to the Maybelline shelves...Recalling what I have seen in the other reviewer's blog...I didn't really think much before I ended up buying this. First I was a bit disappointed as I found it not pigmented, but I tried it again, with the original kabuki brush that came along with the box, using more of the blush powder, finally I see the results!!

My cheeks look healthy like when I applied my Dior Coral Riviera :)! My dad asked me when he got home: did you go sunbathing today? Me: No! (And today was rainy and didn't see the sun coming out, :D)

This shade looks healthy on me, a perked up kind of cheeks. What I like most is that this is not entirely pink, nor entirely peachy. It's coral kind of color IMO. I like corals!!!

Those of you who use Mineral blush/makeup, I have a question: do you have to use the kabuki brush to really make the product perform better? Or whether using other non-kabuki brushes doesn't matter (as long as it's not crappy)????