Long time no see!

I thought I'd start the year right by getting right back into blogging and what better way to do that than by showing you new some new acquisitions.

Some time in October, I went to Tokyo and I picked up a bunch of stuff. Most of them I'd given away as presents, but I kept these two for myself. I've been using the Rimmel Cream Cheek in 004 Sunkissed Cherry a lot and I really like how the formula toes the line between a liquid tint and a cream. It is quite sheer, but buildable, and the color is something like maraschino cherry syrup.

I also picked up the Canmake Gokubuto Mascara. I was in need of something new as my Fairydrops one had dried out and I picked this up because it had a sticker on it that says it won awards from Cosme. I've used it a couple of times and while I'm not a fan of a waterproof formula (too difficult to remove), I like how defined and nicely separated my lashes looked.

These Crabtree & Evelyn Nail Polishes in 801761 Apple/Rouge Sublime and 801721 Pomegranate/Prune and this Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed Hand Cream was gifted by an aunt of mine and it came in the cutest tin too! I haven't tried any of them yet though so I'll have to see before saying anything.

Not too long ago, Kiko Cosmetics opened their first store here in Hong Kong (quite possibly their first store in Asia).The prices were reasonable and I've only ever heard good things about Kiko, so I decided to give their stuff a go. I bought their Universal Fit Hydrating Foundation in Warm Beige 15 and two of their Creamy Color Comfort Lip Liners in 303 and 305. I'm waiting for the weather to get warmer before I give you my thoughts on the foundation. However, I have tried the red lip liner and it is very pigmented and long lasting.

They had the entire Rebel Romantic collection on display at the Kiko store and I just had to have this lipstick. You might remember the Intensely Lavish Lipstick in 01  Lusty Peony from my wishlist. It is absolutely gorgeous. I keep taking and out and staring at it and playing with the *gasp* magnetic lid. More on this as I get some use out of it.

I bought a few other pieces for some of my friends while I was at Kiko and my bill was something just over HK$330. The lady at the cashier told me I could pick out any item from the store with a star on it as a gift with purchase. I chose the Lucious Cream - Creamy Lipstick in 512 Plum which retailed for HK$79 and I got it for free. Great deal and a nice way to get people interested in their brand.

Over Christmas, I was in California with my family and I was given this cute set of mini eyeshadows from Bare Minerals in the shades Cultured Pearl (an incandescent pink), Blissful Pearl (a shimmery sand color), and Magnificent Pearl (a pearly taupe). I've never tried mineral makeup or loose eyeshadows so they should be very interesting.

I finally picked up my first real eye brow product! This is the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Chocolate. I've used it twice now and I've been liking it so far. It's hard to go overboard with this because the nib is so small. I particularly like the spoolie at the end that has very short bristles. Brilliant for blending in brow products.

 

These were a few small things I thought would be useful somewhere down the road. The Fresh Roll-on Perfume in Brown Sugar smells sweet, as you would expect, but not cloyingly so. It smells of something like cotton candy with an undertone of something fruity. I bought a Real Techniques Setting Brush for my friend and ended up getting one for myself. It's a great size and shape for under the eyes and for applying highlighter.

Hands down, the most extravagant thing I bought is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit. This limited edition goes for US$80 + tax, but how pretty is this palette? I know I do not need three powders and I do not even use bronzer. I had every intention of ignoring it an chalking up my interest to all the hype and attention this baby got from all the bloggers and vloggers, but it was too beautiful. I went to Sephora thrice on my trip and each time, this baby called out to me with its siren song of marbled blushes, illuminating powders, and sleek chic packaging. It didn't help at all that the powders were so finely milled and the blushes were that pigmented. I fully intend to get my money's worth out of this and so help me I will hit pan!

Here's to hoping I blog more regularly this year (and I get lots of use out of all of this stuff haha). I also hope your year will turn out beautifully and that only good things come your way.

Hello!

Very excited to show you the first ever collaboration on this blog~ Pauline of Catpacking and I are big fans of period pieces and vintage styles. One of our favorite eras is the 1940's. We're particularly fond of films set in that period (of which there are many!) Pauline's look was based on Rachel McAdams in The Notebook, which you can check out here.



The look I went for was a slightly more modern take on the classic forties makeup. I looked for a something that was wearable and translated well to how makeup is worn today. So I came across a backstage picture from Miu Miu RTW Fall 2011, which was a collection centered around the 1940's aesthetic.

One of the things to focus on is the pale clear skin. It was powdered, but not matte enough to hide a glowing complexion. For this I used my Bourjois 10-Hour Sleep Effect Foundation in #72, Pauline's Maybelline Master Conceal in 30 Light Medium, both applied with fingers, and my Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder, applied with my Real Techniques Powder Brush. On my cheeks I used Happy Skin Angled Blush Brush for a light dusting if YSL Blush Variation in 3 Camel right on the apple of the cheek over my Bourjois Cream Blush in #04 Sweet Cherry (reviewed here).

The semi-matte red lip was of course quite prominent as well and very drawn on. I decided against that and went for a more like a slightly shimmery color with my Chanel Rouge Hydrabase in #78 Shanghai Red. I applied it to look more stained than painted on so it looked more lived-in. If you read up on forties makeup, you'll learn that even during the war when everything was rationed, they made red lipstick available because they believed it was empowering and raised morale (makeup history tidbit yay!)

Pauline did a bit of subtle brow definition on me with her Liole Auto Eyebrow Pencil in #3 (because I cannot do brows at all.) For very subtle lash definition, I dotted a Nichido Precise Eye Pencil in Black Ebony along my upper lash line. On my lids I used Naked 2 from the first Urban Decay Naked Basics palette all over for the base. Then, I blended Faint, also from the Naked Basics palette, with a milk chocolate brown shade from a brand called Pinkies Collection, all across the socket right up to the point near my nose bridge. I finished with curled lashes and my Eyeko Eyedo mascara, which I should have gone chunkier with . I also could have used a few individual falsies, if I had them at the time.

I was really intrigued by just how modern a vintage look could be and really pleased with how it looked on me. Strobing and contouring aside, lots of the key points in forties makeup particularly the emphasis on clear looking skin, are very current and are still very wearable. I also had a lot of fun doing this with Pauline :)) It's great having someone to bounce makeup ideas with as you're figuring out how to do it (whilst also lip-singing to old songs haha.)

 

P.S.  Pauline and I trying to find the light haha

Hello everybody! The makeup bag I got to dig through this month belongs to the ever so lovely, Pauline of Catpacking! I thought it was high time I did a feature of her since I never fail to include her in my posts. I mean seriously, there are very very few posts on this blog where I do not make even the slightest mention of Makeup Queen Poreen. Our taste in makeup in terms of colors and consistencies is very similar and I find it very difficult not to want the things she raves about (and I am told the same is true of her haha!) Really excited to get started so here we go!

A quick look at her blog and you'll see immediately that more than anything else, Pauline is all about skin. She talks a lot about having the right products for cleansing and nourishing her skin and all her primers and the bases she's tried. It then comes as no surprise just how many of these products she has in her makeup bag as you will see later on.

"I've had (the NARS Translucent Crystal Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder) forever. I've already hit pan, but it's still usable and there doesn't seem to be an end to it." It's a great powder if you don't want to alter the color of your base and great for setting makeup as well. It isn't so great if you're looking for oil control though. "It's better for drier skin. So it's nice, but not something I'd repurchase."

The NYX Powder Blush in Pinched has been lauded as one of the top Nars Orgasm dupes in the drugstore. Pauline says though that it is "not as shimmery as orgasm; there's more color than shimmer." This color is also a very big deal since she normally isn't one for coral tones. "I like this though the color is uplifting." I feel that a review of this coming soon on her blog so watch out for that! 

Pauline absolutely love, love, loves the Koh Gen Doh Aqua Foundation. I see her talk about it all the time. "I have a lot of bumps and textured skin so I need a smoothening thing." She spends quite a bit of time on her base makeup (often up to 25 minutes!) She used to use a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to buff this in or her Too Cool For School sponge, but recently she's been using this method to apply it.

The Fairydrops Platinum Mascara is something she and I both love. She posted a review of the Waterproof one recently and I did one for the Film Type one sometime last year. We both agree that, "it’s an all-in one: lift, volume, length, curl, and without any flaking." However, it is getting harder and harder to find these anywhere. "It's magic. What am I going to do without it?" What indeed :(

"I first saw this on Jen of frmheadtotoe. Everything she uses is so good." The Lioele Automatic Eyebrow Pencil is what Pauline has been using since she recently got into brows and says that, "it's nice for beginners." The shade she uses is quite dark, a grey-brown as a lot of the lighter ones tend to be too reddy-browns which just make brows look orange. 

This lipstick is a fairly new addition to her collection and is in fact her first MAC product. She initially stayed away from MAC lipsticks because "they dry your lips and turn it into a desert." This isn't the story with MAC's See Sheer as it is a Lustre so the finish is more moisturizing than the others. "The official color description is a grapefruit pink, but I think it's a muted warm coral." 

Fai"

The Maybelline FaceStudio Master Conceal is also very new to her collection as she had bought it the day before we met up. Her first impressions of it were along the lines of how light it was and how it was "liquid enough for undereye concealing, but not too slippy for spot concealing." She also says that it's quite pigmented and a little of this goes a long way. 

"It smells nice!" Pauline is really cute sometimes :)) She says EOS Lipbalm in Strawberry Sorbet is better than her Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 in Mango during the day, but she combines the two at night for when she's going to bed. She also says that the EOS is great under lipstick, but not so good for touch ups because it will stain the the lip balm.

Pauline didn't used to be a fan of the Benefit Porefessional, but this has since changed when she discovered that the trick was to apply the smallest amount so it wouldn't look patchy under makeup. "I don't know if it's a security blanket or if I really need it, but I cannot go out without it. It just feels wrong. My makeup lasts longer with it so why stop a good thing."

"I don't do powder highlighters. It's either a lot of shimmer or a lot of glitter." So she uses the Benefit Watt's Up. It's a cream formula that is better for blending into the skin. Plus it comes in a stick which is always good. Other highlighters also tend to be more white or gold colored and when they do get warmer the shade takes on a more pink tone. "It’s a golden champagne highlighter it look more natural on my warm skin than a pink highlighter."

Pauline has quite a few skin concerns so really addressing those with her makeup and skincare is very important to her. "I am a person with acne prone skin who wants to pretend I don’t have acne prone skin and does not want to aggravate it." She also feels like something is off when she puts on makeup and doesn't do the primer + concealer + base + powder formula. So when I asked her what she would call her makeup bag (I jokingly suggested "All Your Base Are Belong To Us") we came up with Cover All Your Bases. Because with five out of ten items in her makeup bag devoted to skin, Pauline's makeup priorities are very clear indeed.

P.S. Poreen and I snapchat each other a lot 

Just