Behold, My Early Birthday Present

Guys, please welcome my very first Book of Shadow. Yes, I finally got my hands on this latest Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows.

So, I have a lot to celebrate in these first months of 2010. Well, with my graduation and my birthday is coming, I think those are enough reasons to give myself a nice present. And it's not just another birthday. It's my 25th! It's an important number, you know. That means, I'm old enough to get married! Haha..

Anyway, this book just arrived yesterday. I almost ran out of it. But I found one ready stock at Pinkymiki. I was so excited! I haven't even tried the eyeshadows. And my birthday is not until the end of the month, I thought I'm not gonna post this entry until then. But I'm just too excited, I can't wait to share the story on my blog!

For you whose already familiar with Urban Decay Book of Shadows, I'm sure you guys already know that this palette usually comes with sixteen eyeshadows, two 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils and Primer Potion in mini size.

As for Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows, the palette has pretty much the same material. But since this palette is made especially to celebrate the launching of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland movie, the eyeshadows in this palette have been renamed to match to movie theme. They said, "Our shadows are topsy-turvy in Underland... Find their real-world names here":

• Underland (Flash)
• Alice (Painkiller)
• Oraculum (Baked)
• Queen (Last Call)
• Chessur (Chopper)
• White Rabbit (Polyester Bride)
• Wonderland (Maui Wowie)
• Curioser (Grifter)
• Muchness (X)
• Midnight Tea Party (Midnight Cowboy Rides Again)
• Vorpal (S&M)
• Absolem (Homegrown)
• Drink Me, Eat Me (Sin)
• Mad Hatter (Twice Baked)
• Jabberwocky (Oil Slick)

I know Urban Decay and Book of Shadows are famous for their glittery eyeshadows. Judging from what I saw, seems like Chessur, White Rabbit, Wonderland, Curioser, Midnight Tea Party and Jabberwocky have the most glitters, compare to the others. We'll see how those colors will appear on lids. Oh, and the two 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils that included in this palette are 'Zero' and 'Flipside'.

If you watched Kandee Johnson's video about this palette and saw those cute 'Drink Me' chocolate sauce and 'Eat Me' mint pills, it kinda burst my bubbles a little bit knowing that these cute bonuses aren't included with the palette. But it doesn't matter. This palette is too cute, I forgot about those bonuses immediately. Haha..

I haven't got a chance to play with this palette, up until now. But I really can't wait.

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box

When everybody was chasing after Urban Decay Book of Shadow Vol. II, I was hooked with Deluxe Shadow Box instead. And I must say that I'm so glad that I have this palette in my hands. It has nine Urban Decay deluxe eyeshadows plus a travel size Urban Decay primer potion in simple round tube, so it's easier to reach all the product inside.

Firstly, talking about the packaging. It's Urban Decay, they're like the expert of funky packaging. Deluxe Shadow Box comes in a purple velvety box with shiny silver beads in the middle (well, not actually beads, but what would you call that?). And when the light hit, I feel like I'm looking at a disco ball. So funky! The size of the box is not so big, it's pretty much the size of your palm. Very handy, you can carry it everywhere.

Talking about the eyeshadows, there are nine eyeshadows in this palette and they are:

• Fishnet (iridescent purple)
• Honey (glistening gold)
• Ransom (vibrant iridescent purple)
• Graffiti (bright green)
• Zero (smoking black)
• Peace (shimmering turquoise)
• Shag (tan shimmer)
• Scratch (shimmering silver pink)
• Underground (taupe brown shimmer)

I love how vibrant all the colors are and how the colors compliment each other. They look so good together. You can create colorful eye make up using colors such as Graffiti, Peace or Fishnet. Or go for neutral look using Shag, Underground or Scratch. This palette has it all. The eyeshadows glide smoothly on the lids, and they last, like, forever. Pretty much everything you want from an eyeshadow.

I found one downside from this palette, though. No color is light enough in this palette that I can use to highlight my brow bone. Shag and Scratch are pretty for the inner corner but not light enough for highlight. So I have to grab another eyeshadow for that. But other than that, I have no complaint. So, go grab this palette. You won't regret it.

Here are the swatches:

L-R: Fishnet - Honey - Ransom

L-R: Graffiti - Zero - Peace

L-R: Shag - Scratch - Underground

Here's my EOTD using colors from this palette. Well, most of them. It's Valentine soon so I picked purple colors and make it a little smokey. Not that I celebrate it, but it's fun to have a theme to matches with.


Products used for the eyes:

• UDPP
• Urban Decay Deluxe eyeshadow in 'Ransom' (for all over the lid)
• Urban Decay Deluxe eyeshadow in 'Fishnet' (for the crease)
• Urban Decay Deluxe eyeshadow in 'Zero' (for lower part of the lid)
• Stila Kajal Liner in 'Onyx' (as base for Zero)
• Urban Decay Deluxe eyeshadow in 'Shag' (for the inner corner)
• Revlon Marble-ous Duo Eyeshadow in 'Set The Nude' (for browbone)
• MAC eyeshadow in 'Brule' (for browbone)
• MUFE Aqua Eyes in '23L' (for inner rim)
• Kate Liquid Eyeliner in 'BK-3'
• Maybelline Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara

Products used on face:

• Sana Pore Putty Original Make Up Base
• MUFE HD Foundation in 'Almond'
• Revlon Colorstay concealer in Medium
• PAC Shimmering Powder in 'Golden'
• MAC Powder Blush in 'Margin'

On lips:

• NYX Lipgloss Megashine in 'French Kiss'

Still Alive..

So I let the whole January passed with no updates at all. Well I try to keep up with at least one post for each month. But I really couldn't make it, especially last month. It was holiday so I have to go home to be with my family and celebrate holiday together, which was great! But going home means no time to take pictures, blogging and uploading. So yeah, no entries at all.

Not that it's important, but a little update about me, I finally graduate Medical School. So I have my bachelor's degree now. Yay for that! But I'm not a doctor yet. I have to continue as an intern in some hospitals for about two years, then I'll officially be a doctor.

Anyway, spending holiday without adding another products into my makeup collection doesn't really sound like me. I spent the last holiday traveling with my family. We went to Hong Kong, which I think should be awarded as Heaven for Make Up Junkies. Make up are way cheaper there, compare to where I live. I felt like was in heaven! I bought some MAC and some Japanese brand make up. So, here's some items I gathered from my holiday.

MAC e/s in "Carbon"
MAC e/s in "humid"
In customized palette:

• MAC e/s in "Mythology"
• MAC e/s in "Twinks"
• MAC e/s in "Star Violet"
• MAC e/s in "Brule"

MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque
Kate Liquid Eyeliner
Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus
Sana Pore Putty Make Up Base
MAC brush #219
Stila brush #21 Double duty cheek contour and blush brush

Oh, and my Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box finally arrived, before Christmas. Love it so much! Review and FOTD coming soon.


And some NYX lippies from department stores because I think I need more lip colors. I tried NYX round lipstick before and I fell for it. Love the texture so much, so I decided to buy more.

NYX Lips in "Snow White"
NYX Round Lipstick in "Thalia"
NYX Round Lipstick in "Cocoa"
NYX Round Lipstick in "B52"

So there.. First post in 2010. So glad to be blogging again. I hope it's not too late to wish everyone a happy new year. Oh, come on, it's only February. All the best for you guys. Cheers!

Stila Can Cam Palette

According to Stila website, Stila Can Cam Palette was a Japan only palette. But now it's available on Stila website so everyone outside Japan can have this palette too.

As for the name, Can Cam, I googled and found out that it's actually a name of a fashion magazine in Japan, targeting school age girls and young women. It was first published in November of 1981. And this Stila Can Cam palette is specially made to celebrate the magazine's 25th anniversary.

The palette comes in a simple square box and it opens like a book with magnets on the side to keep the palette shut. It's so sleek, you can just slip it inside your bag or make up pouch without taking too much space.


There are four colors inside. Three eye shadows and one blush, all shimmery. On the back, there's an information on where you should put the colors (yeah, like you need one). For base is a lightest color, more like a champagne color. For crease is the purplish pink with subtle gold shimmer. And the dark brown color with gold shimmer for liner. But of course this is just suggestion and the application is totally up to you. The cheek color looks like a light coral color on the pan, kinda like the much lighter version of NARS Torrid, but it turns light pink on my cheek. The blush is so sheer, almost unnoticeable on my cheeks.


I tried the palette immediately once the palette arrived. Since I wasn't going anywhere, I applied the eye shadow colors without primer. Texture wise, as pressed eye shadows, the pigments are kinda loose. So you might wanna be careful applying it and don't let the pigment fall on your face (It's annoying when that happened). As for the color pay off, well, kinda disappointing. I have dark lids and those colors don't cover that. Although the base color looks pretty as highlight. The crease color and the liner color are just as bad. I have to re-apply all these colors just to make colors show up but it doesn't make any difference. Those colors are just too sheer. I use the liner color for my outer V and as the darkest color in the palette, the pigmentation is the.. poorest (is that a word?). And the texture is kinda muddy too, it's hard to blend. Meh..

I thought, it's probably because of the loose texture. So I try to apply the colors wet on my other eye. The result? Not working either. I mean, yes, the colors show up better when applied wet but the texture makes the colors even harder to blend. Oh gosh...

So for the second time I try these eye shadows, I use primer. And apparently, primer is what the eye shadows need. The colors show up better and blend well.

Anyway, these eye shadows are not my first Stila eye shadow. I have Stila Kitten shadow, and never have I had any problems like this. I thought that goes for every Stila shadows. Apparently not. When most eye shadows need primer to help the colors last, eye shadows in Can Cam palette need primer to make the color show up. It's kinda disappointing, though. But then again, I never apply eye shadows without primer, anyway. So I'm just gonna keep this.

So my conclusion about this palette, had I known this is how the colors would turn up, I'll never even consider buying the palette. But know that I have it, (and I paid good money for this. This palette cost $18 with extra international and domestic shipping for me) I have to make it work.


Here's my FOTD using Stila Can Cam Palette with a step-by-step following the information from the back of the palette. Well, not so much, but pretty close.

1. After primer (I'm using UDPP) apply the base color all over the lid, all the way to the browbone area.
2. Apply crease color on the crease.
3. Apply liner color on the outer lid, as outer V.
4. Once again, apply base color. This time apply the color wet, concentrating on the lid. The texture is kinda sticky, so never forget to blend.
   
5. Line lower lash line with liner color.
6. Add eye liner and mascara. Fake lashes for more dramatic effect.
   

And... Voila! Anyway, can't you tell that this is my first time wearing fake lashes myself? I'm such a rookie, the inner part of the lashes don't stick very well to my lash line. Haha..

And here's the rest of the face. This is how the cheeks color from the palette appears on my cheeks. Can you see?
Face

• MAC Face and Body Foundation in C4
• Revlon Colorstay Concealer in Medium
• Nars Loose Powder in Beach

Eyes

• UDPP
• Stila Can Cam Palette Eye shadows
• Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero
• Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus
• The Face Shop Lashes in XLH

Cheeks

• Stila Can Cam Palette blush

Lips

• NYX Round Lipstick in Pandora
• Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited in WH 001
• Lancome Color Fever Gloss #206

Mineral Makeup Haul

So my mineral package from Creamymilk finally arrived today. Tadaa... Well, not much, actually.

What I got:
Joppa Full Coverage Foundation in Medium #3
Everyday Mineral Semi Matte Base in Medium Tan
Everyday Mineral Color Corrector in Sunlight
Everyday Mineral Concealer Intensive Tan in sample size
Everyday Mineral Blush Game Show in sample size
Everyday Mineral Flat Top Brush

Here are some swatches, hope this will help. I got my Everyday Mineral base in Medium Tone, which is golden undertone base. As for Joppa, Medium #3 has more olive undertone to it. Here's the picture of two of them, side by side. Since Medium Tan is the second darkest shade in golden area, it appears a little orange on my skin, kinda like brick color (?) and it slightly darker than my real shade *sigh* As for Joppa, I haven't tried it. Although, judging from the color, I think it'll match me better.

As for concealer and corrector area, I got Intensive Tan concealer that is a concealer for medium to dark complexion. And Sunlight corrector, mainly because everybody raved about how great it is on concealing dark under eye area. Well, for someone with super dark under eye like me, I should give it a try, no?

Here's the what Intensive Tan looks like. I took this picture with flash and it looks kinda close to the real color. I tried, but I couldn't capture Sunlight corrector's real color. But you can still see it from picture above.

Last one is Game Show blush. Game Show fall under matte category. It's dark mauve color and super pigmented.

My Online Shopping Experiences

Honestly, I can't remember when was my first online shopping transaction. I believe it was a few months ago. All I know is, once I got introduced into brands like Stila, NARS, Cargo and all that stuff that are unavailable in my own country, online shopping is my solution. And I've been doing it until now. Luckily, I've never had any bad experience. The only bad experience I've had is being called "Sis" all the time. I hate that. And who started it, by the way?

Anyway, here are some so-called reviews on some online stores I've made transactions with. Yeah, not so much reviews. Just sharing my experiences and hope this post will help you on deciding where are you going to shop.

***

FTL's Wardrobe
FTL's Wardrobe is my very first online shopping experience. I bought Stila single shadow 'Kitten' here. Febe and Lia are the two nice ladies who run the store. I love how they give such fast responses on my answers and everything. I was inexperienced and a little worried on things like, 'what if they cheated on me?' and all that. But I received my order safe and sound. Plus a lipgloss as a bonus.

Anyway, after some times finding more online stores out there, I realized that FTL's prices are kinda pricey compare to other stores. I believe they have their reasons. But this cheapskate girl chose to shop in other stores. I still regularly check out their site, though. They used to have a lot of ready stock makeup, but it's more about Pre-order now. And the products are mostly shoes and bags, hence the name Wardrobe.

Pinkymiki
I bumped in to this store few months ago. Not much customers back then and I think the store was just getting started. Lara is the owner of this store. I ordered my NARS powder blush Torrid here. She didn't have a lot testimonials back then, but still I ordered my NARS because she had some blushes ready stock (In case you're wondering, yes, I am that impulsive *grin*). Torrid wasn't ready in stock so Lara told me to leave her my number. And days later, she contacted me to tell me that my order has arrived.

I mentioned in my entry before that I got my Torrid with free shipping. She delivered the blush herself because my place is near hers. And that was my bonus. Although some testimonials did mention that she inserts some bonus. Lara also answers your questions early so you don't have to wait for days for your question to be answered. I once posted a question in her online store and she replied me via my cell phone.

So I think her store is worth checking out. Pinkymiki sells various brands like Stila, Urban Decay, Napoleon Perdis, Too Faced, NYX, and all. They're ready stock and updated from time to time. Great option for you if you hate waiting.

Le Seizieme
You can find some NYX and MAC here. I don't really check this website regularly. Mainly because everytime I come here, nothing's change and no updates from time to time.

I ordered Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner here. Fast response. Might get earlier response if you ask question or order stuff through text message instead of leaving comment on the web. And I received my order the day after I made the payment. So, great service, I think. But not many options on the web.

Love To Make Up
Well, I don't actually order from Multiply. The lady who owns this online store is a member of FashioneseDaily Forum and she opens a "store" in the forum too. She provides some ready stock make up and brushes. But it's mostly pre-order. I got my MAC Face and Body from this store and currently waiting for Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box from the previous Sephora Friend and Family Sale.

Since she opens some pre-orders at once, some might get kinda anxious of waiting. But for desperate people like me, I choose to order here even if I have to wait for weeks.

Creamymilk
What I love about this online store is, Sheylla, the owner, opens pre-order for mineral make up regularly. She's a mmu-hunter, that I believe. And since she has quite experiences with mineral make up, she could help you if you're kinda new to this kind of make up.

Sheylla responses to your questions in no time and answers your questions, not just about order and shipment, but also helps you find your shades or which formula suits your skin type and things like that.

Other than mineral make up pre-order and ready stock, you'll also find brands such as Cargo, Benefit, Drugstore brands, etc. And there are auctions open regularly here. That way, you can get products you want with lower prices.

***

So there you go, my online shopping experiences. Just remember, you need 'trust' for this kind of shopping. Make sure to be careful before doing any transactions. Read some testimonials about the store first, if any. And once you've decided to buy stuff, pay immediately. That way, not only you can trust the sellers, but the sellers will trust you too.

Good luck and happy shopping!

A Visit to My Dermatologist

So I paid my dermatologist a visit today. Honestly, I don't usually meet her. Everytime I come to her practice, it's only because I need to restock my skincare. But with my skin behaving really bad lately, I figured I have to see her for consultation.

I've been one of my dermatologist's patients for almost a year now. My skin type is combination with oily T-zone and is very sensitive too. So basically, the main goal of my treatment is to make my skin much less oily. Therefore, besides my skincare routine, my dermatologist also told me to stay away from products such as moisturizer, cream products (foundation, blush, etc) and pressed powder, anything that contains oil. Well, judging from my previous posts, you can tell that I do wear all those forbidden products. I stopped wearing them only on first few months of my treatment. In my defense, my Stila convertible color and MAC studio fix never cause any bad reactions on me, so I believe they're innocent.

I've never had any skin-related problem for almost a year, until now. I always stick to my skincare routine so I believe my current problem has nothing to do with my skincare. But still, I couldn't find the culprit. Until my dermatologist started to ask me,

My dermatologist: What happened? Have you been wearing moisturizer lately?

Me: Uhmm.. No, doc.

Okay, I lied. I got this Clinique moisturizer sample and I started to wear it as my first step of my morning routine, before I put on my sunblock and the rest of my make up. So.. I guess I found culprit #1.

My dermatologist: How bout pressed powder?

Me: Oh.. It's not allowed?

My dermatologist: Of course not. I wrote it on the note that I gave you. Pressed powder is loose powder pressed with oils. You can't wear that.

Yes, I was playing a fool. I know I'm not supposed to wear pressed powder. But my MAC Studio Fix used to be my one and only powder. Thanks God I got my NARS loose powder now. I sold my MAC Studio Fix few days ago. But I still believe studio fix has nothing to do with my break out.

So my conclusion, I think it's moisturizer and probably my sunblock that cause me break out. Since sunblock tends to be very oily. So I must stop wearing moisturizer and find another sunblock that is less oily.

In the end, my dermatologist gave me two products for me to wear. Each for day and night. I got Medi-klin for me to wear in the morning. It's an antibiotic solution for topical use. I suppose to dot it on my acne. And for night wear, I got Isotrex, that is gel that contains Isotretionin (a substance physically and pharmacologically similar to vitamin A) for topical use. The infamous pil, Roaccutane also contains Isotretionin. My dermatologist also recommend it to me.

I'm still allowed to wear loose powder daily. But I don't think I'll wear make up for now. At least until my skin shows some progress. Which means, no FOTD for now. And once my skin gets all better, I'm switching to mineral make up.

I can't really remember the last time I had a break out experience like this. I hate this. It looks ugly, plus, it hurts! So annoying. This skincare better works for me. Holiday is coming soon and I don't think an acne-covered face is an idea for holiday gift *crossing fingers*.