I'm heading off to Paris (and Rome, for a bit) for a wedding in about two weeks, so I thought I'd share what Ii'm bringing with me for makeup and skincare.
It can be difficult to figure out what to bring on a trip, because there's always this nagging feeling that you're going to want to use something, but it's on the other side of the world (this is probably also why I end up bringing too many pairs of shoes and only ever wearing two pairs).
I'm bringing the essentials with a few different options, including a large palette. I'm going to be in Paris, for goodness' sake! You can't expect me to go confidently with limitations in my cosmetics (and fashion)!
Actually, at first I was worried about how much I was actually bringing based on just a packing list, alone.
I still managed to nicely pack all of that into my makeup bag, which isn't very big at all (sans TSA bag, which I'm bringing onto the plane), and it still zips!
To start, my little TSA pouch has:
hand sanitizer (from Bath and Body Works)
hand cream (The Face Shop)
moisturizer de-potted into a little canister (The Face Shop "E'thym")
a sample package of a sleeping mask that's supposed to help tighten pores while I sleep (The Face Shop "Raspberry Roots Sleeping Mask)
a little vial of toner (Clean and Clear),
and a bit of cleanser, also de-potted from the original packaging (The Face Shop)
Some cotton pads for putting on the toner
Some hair elastics
I don't really plan on bringing or wearing make up while on the plane. In a place like an airplane, where the air is usually dry and germy (recycled air, lots of people fitted into a relatively small space....), it's best to leave the face bare, or with some form of soothing or clarifying product.
We arrive just before noon, so I expect to be heading for a restaurant before going to my aunt's house...which means my face will be seen by other people. I might bring some concealer and eyeliner, the bare essentials (for me, personally) for looking presentable after getting off the plane.
Some of you might prefer to bring more, others might not bring any makeup onto the plane. Just remember that if you're freshening up, you'll probably be doing it in a public washroom at the airport, with wet counters, and full of other people also freshening up.
In regards to makeup for the trip, I've got the following for my face:
Liquid foundation (Clinique "Superbalanced"), which provides light-medium coverage, and is optimized for combination skin. It's supposed to moisturize where you might be dry, and mattify where you might be oily.
Pressed powder pact for on-the-go touch-ups (The Face Shop "Lovely ME:EX Angel Skin Powder Pact": see the review here)
Concealer stick (Shiseido)
Concealer pencil for light touch-ups/details (Hard Candy)
Primer (Hard Candy "Sheer Envy Ultra Light Primer")
(See what I mean about it seeming like a lot when I list it?)
For my eyes, I went with a couple different eyeliners, other essentials:
Eyelid primer, of course! (Urban Decay Primer Potion)
Eyelash curler (Tarte)
Mascara (Benefit "They're Real!"), I also plan on bringing a waterproof one (Rimmel "Sexy Curves"), if I can find it...
False lashes and glue (The Face Shop)
Four eyeliners (Holika Holika in 01-Black; The Face Shop in champagne, which I use to highlight the inner corner and lower lid of my eyes; Rimmel London in Nude; Urban Decay "24Hr Glide On" in Whiskey)
I also decided to bring my 88-colour palette, which is similar to the Coastal Scents one (though I think it might not be as brilliantly pigmented, but it's still decent), because as I said, I'll a) be in Paris and b) be attending a wedding (and probably doing my mom's makeup, too), which justifies the selection!
For my lips, I don't actually own that much lip product, so including my Burt's Bees lip balm, I'll be bringing some of the only lip products I actually own/use:
M.A.C in "Sunny Seoul"
Tony Moly "Crystal...something" in 04
The Face Shop "My Lips Eat Cherry" in Cherry/Red
Lip Tar in "Queen"
As for skin care/toiletries, aside from the obvious (toothbrush, tooth paste, cleanser, deodorant, etc), I'm also bringing a leave-in hair treatment from The Face Shop (Jewel Therapy Deep Moist...which sounds like a gross euphemism):
...and a volcanic clay mask for blackheads, also from The Face Shop:
That's pretty much it for this aspect of my packing. I guess for hair styling, I'm just bringing a brush, straightener (with which I can curl my hair, too) and heat protectant--again, down to the essentials only!
I hope you guys found this interesting or helpful in determining what you should pack for your own trips!
I know it might be stressful to think about packing... You wouldn't want to bring your entire makeup collection and/or closet with you, but you don't want to regret leaving something behind, either. A good tip is, if it's cheap and you don't mind spending a small amount of extra money, you can certainly buy some things at your destination--small amounts or travel sizes that you can use for the trip and dispose after, so it doesn't add to the rest of your luggage!
Also remember that it's important to pack for the length and location of your trip, paying special attention to the weather!
I'll try to update with some travel blog posts, outfits of the day, etc--though I can't be guaranteed internet access during the trip. And stay turned for a haul, because I know with utmost certainty there will be one!
I bought this set about a month ago when ELF was having a promotion for it. Apparently the regular price of the brush set is $60, and it was on sale for $30, and if I bought $30 or more then the brush set became only $3. It was a pretty crazy good deal and since I didn't actually have a brush set (basically, I had like two brushes), I dove right in for it.
The set came with 11 different brushes plus a flat, rectangular zipped case. The brushes
are all synthetic, and are incredibly soft, and the website boasts that the case is water resistant. I didn't exactly have a chance to test just how water resistant the case is, but the materials are all pretty sturdy.
The interior of the case has slots for the brushes; 10 in total, which means that two of the smaller brushes, when in the packaging, are sitting in the same slot. Not a big issue, though, to be honest. Each of the brushes have a nice, black painted handle that have the e.l.f. logo as well as the name of the brush.
The included brushes are:
Eyeshadow "C" Brush
Complexion Brush
Small Angled Brush
Small Smudge Brush
Fan Brush
Powder Brush
Angled Foundation Brush
Concealer Brush
Small Precision Brush
Blush Brush
Contouring Brush
I'm going to be going through the overall quality of the brushes and then some details about some of the brushes, so prepare for a lengthy review!
As previously stated, all of the brushes are very soft, and since they're synthetic, they're pretty good for those who may have allergies to natural brushes (I have allergic reactions to some natural brushes). The handles are of different widths depending on the brush, but they're all contoured. I don't know if it's more ergonomic, but it sort of looks nicer and makes them look of higher quality (not that anyone would believe the entire brush set was for $3, or even $30).
I have read a few reviews stating that one or two of the brushes may be defective; the brush might not be properly glued to the handle and have been said to fall off. This doesn't seem to be common, and despite regular use of many of the brushes, they're all still intact for me. They're relatively easy to clean--probably about as easy as any other brushes, I'd think.
My favourite brush of the set would have to be the flat-top "Powder Brush":
The e.l.f. studio Powder Brush is a flat-top buffing brush that can be used for more than just powder.
It has dense bristles that really help blend any powders or liquid foundation. The top is relatively even and flat (not domed), and the "hairs" are really packed in, so it doesn't really feel...pokey when you use it.
This one is a bit more difficult to clean just because it is pretty dense, so you'd have to pay extra attention to getting rid of any residues.
Another brush that I use relatively often is the "Eyeshadow C Brush":
I used it often because it's basically the only eyeshadow brush I have...that I can find. It does it's job alright; if you have a good, pigmented eyeshadow it'll really concentrate the colour if you pat (smush) it onto your eyelids. It's somewhat dense, and again, really nice and soft.
I'm not entirely sure if it's the brush's fault or my eyeshadow's, but I found that you really have to add a lot of powder onto the brush for it to have that concentrated effect I've just mentioned. It picks up the powder just fine but it doesn't really want to let go, which is a bit of an issue. I find that adding a bit more pressure helps, but that takes away some of the control. The contouring brush has a similar issue; the bristles pick up powder fine but you really sort of have to smush it to get a concentrated colour.
The brush collection features both eye and face brushes, and of course among the face brushes is a foundation brush. The one included is an angled brush, which in theory helps with precision for areas like under your eyes.
I really wish I liked this brush...but I really don't. It left major streaks when applying liquid foundation. I blame the design of the bristles, which aren't that dense and don't have that layering typical of most liquid foundation brushes, so it doesn't apply the foundation that evenly. I guess you can use it to dot some foundation onto your face if you didn't want to use your hands, an then use the Powder Brush to buff it out, but it was sort of disappointing.
The concealer brush, however, is decent. It's got the typical shape of a concealer brush, with the layered bristles that help with even application of concealer. The bristles feel a little more stiff, but it's not enough to really agitate you, I think. I feel like I might be able to use it for eyeshadow as well, since despite the stiff bristles, the hairs are still soft that it might work well. I'll have to test that out.
The collection also has two wonderfully fluffy brushes, a "Complexion Brush" which is more like your typical powder brush, and a blush brush. I don't use bronzer or blush, so I haven't actually used the blush brush yet, but the complexion brush is really quite nice.
It's really, really soft and fluffy, and is good for setting your face with powder. It feels nice on the skin and does quite well in spreading the powder evenly.
The blush brush is similar, but has a tapered end so that it may be more precise. It's just as soft, and I'll assume that, due to its similarity to the Complexion Brush, it performs similarly as well.
The set has a number of small brushes: the "Small Smudger", "Small Precision" and "Small Angled" brushes are all very thin, very small.
The smudger and precision brushes are very, very similar. The smudger brush is a bit shorter and seems to have more bristles, while the precision brush is a bit longer and flatter. I normally use brushes like the precision brush for gel eyeliner, as that is what is usually included in some liners. I found however, that the bristles of the precision brush are flimsy. Not that the hairs fall out, but they don't stay together, and instead of having a nice, precise line that the brush's name implies, the lines appear more smudgy.
The small smudger is a bit too pointy-feeling to be comfortable, to be honest. It does do its job and smudge eyeliner for a softer appearance, but it is of course too small for most eyeshadow applications (unless you are using it to line with eyeshadow). They're alright, but I've had better.
The angled brush is, like the precision brush, flimsy. It's sort of thick and so it's not ideal for gel eyeliner. It does, however, work decently for eyebrow powder, and eyeshadow detail work. It is quite soft and doesn't irritate like the small smudger brush.
The fan brush does its job, although the hairs appear wavy and thus the brush appears thicker. Usually, fan brushes are used to remove eyeshadow fallout or apply sheer blush or highlight. I've personally used it to remove eyeshadow fallout, which it does flawlessly, without smudging colour onto your face. It's very gentle and soft, and does what it's supposed to.
Overall, the brushes are actually quite good quality, although I have read that there may be issues with the attachment of the brush to the handle. The bristles are mostly quite soft and comfortable, and honestly, even if it hadn't been for the promotion price, $30 for 11 brushes plus a case is an amazing deal. I really recommend it for beginners looking for a decent-quality brush set. It's really got a good variety and covers the basics. My only disappointment is in the foundation and eyeshadow brushes.
Each of the brushes can be bought separately for $3 USD. I'm sure Americans have them in their drug stores, but you can also order them online. The website often has free shipping for orders over $25, but if you're in Canada, there's an extra $8--regular shipping to Canada (or at least, Toronto/GTA) comes to about $15 USD and $8 USD if there was "free" shipping.
I know I am; to be harsh, a lot of the “Western BB Creams” are a cheap imitation of the original BB Creams (started in Germany, popular in Asia…very popular) at best, and at worst, a complete bastardization–especially with the rise of the so-called “CC Creams” which have “extra benefits” that are already present in the original BB Creams of Asia!
So you might understand my apprehension in buying a “BB Creme” for hair. The name is just a gimmick to exploit the BB Cream trend, as if the company was hoping that slapping that name on would imply good quality even if the product itself might not be. It was $9.99 plus tax at Shopper’s Drug Mart, which is a bit more expensive then what I’m normally willing to spend on stuff…especially stuff I’m iffy about.
If you’ve read one of my older posts, you’ll know that my hair was been somewhat damaged by bleaching, and it’s been a struggle to keep it tangle-free and hydrated. My conditioner keeps my hair nice and manageable for the day, but I wanted to see if I could find something to supplement that, or could actually repair my hair. After briefly looking up some reviews, many of which were positive, I decided to give this “BB Creme” a try.
The packaging claims that this leave-in has 10 benefits for the hair:
• Repair for Rough Hair
• Strength Against Damage
• Silky Softness
• Brilliant Shine
• Smoothing
• Moisture
• Frizz Control
• Heat Protection
• Manageability
• Tamed Flyaways
The premise is that you can use just this one product for all of those things instead of layering on multiple products for each function. It’s very appealing, but it’s also starting to sound like it’s a little too good to be true.
It is, actually, but it’s not terribly disappointing, and though it’s pricier than some other drugstore leave-in conditioners, it doesn’t feel like the money had been wasted.
So, just to confirm: I’ve been using this leave-in without my HG Herbal Essences Hydralicious conditioner for the past week…because I forgot to bring it when I went home for the two weeks between my last exam and the start of spring courses. Whoops. I’ve been using a random conditioner that belongs to my aunt, in the meanwhile (which doesn’t feel as nice as my Herbal Essences one).
On to the actual review!
The “BB Creme” has a nice consistency; not too watery, but it doesn’t feel heavy either. Leave-in serums and creams usually weight the hair down, and it can look awful if you have thin hair. I don’t have particularly thin hair, so I can’t comment from that perspective, but it doesn’t make my hair look oily and it feels very natural. It doesn’t feel very sticky or slippery/oily, either, which is kind of nice.
The leave-in does a good job of de-tangling my hair when I apply it after I shower, and for the most part, my hair stays that way long after it’s dried. I usually concentrated the BB Creme on the tips of my bleached hair, which tend to be the most dry, and work my way up. Just for reassurance, I sometimes add another half a pump to the tips.
Although my bleached hair doesn’t have that “straw-like” texture that indicates very heavily damaged hair, there is a noticeable difference in its texture compared to the portion that hasn’t been bleached. You can still feel a difference even after long-term application of the product, but it doesn’t feel as rough or dry as it used to.
It doesn’t exactly tame flyaways if you’ve applied it while your hair is still wet, but it does kind of smooth your hair and flyaways if you add a little onto your hair after it’s been dried. It doesn’t exactly impart “brilliant shine”, either. My hair is relatively shiny–just sort of normal and healthy looking (even the bleached parts), so perhaps it didn’t make a huge difference for me. I just didn’t notice any extra shine in the hair after using the Creme.
As for frizz control and heat protection: I don’t usually use heat styling, and I guess you can’t really tell if a product is protecting your hair form the heat unless you constantly expose your hair to heat. I don’t have my frizz, either, since my hair is very straight and though layered, quite long.
Even so, it might be worth it to try this product if you have tangly or dry hair, because it doesn’t, even if only slightly, improve and repair your hair. Despite the tiresome gimmick of slapping on the name “BB Creme”, this one actually does happen to be of decent quality, and is worth the ten dollars you’d be spending on it.
A friend and I were heading out to a cute little cafe (Cafe Princess on Yonge Street, if anyone's familiar with Toronto) today, and I thought it was going to be warm, so I decided to throw together something that sort of reminded me of the Dothraki in Game of Thrones. It doesn't look quiet as "rag-tag" as the usual Dothraki women, and the braid was inspired by Daenarys Targaryan's braids, which made it more "Khaleesi-like".
The dress is from Forever XXI, and it was $21.80 CAD plus tax. It's got a black, sheer high-low skirt that's got an opaque underskirt that only reaches the knees. The back of the skirt reaches mid-calf. It came with a little black braided belt, and I think the top part is also available in white with black patterns.
It's actually strapless but I could not for the life of me find where my mum had hid my strapless bra...
I also had black gladiator-style sandals on, but us Canadians don't usually wear our shoes inside the house, so I didn't manage to snap a picture with the shoes on.
In addition to the dress were my "Khaleesi" braids, inspired by a number of tutorials found on YouTube, and a bit of my own design. The top is basically just two normal braids, braided toward the centre of the back of my head, and then combined into a single braid downwards. Moving that out of the way, I made a dutch braid on each side, going towards the centre as well.
The ponytail and details of the braid. Looks complicated, but it really isn't!
The dutch braid became a lace dutch braid once I'd reached past my ears. Everything was tied into one ponytail (because I didn't have much hair left, anyway) and I made a smaller braid and attempted to wrap that around the ponytail. It sort of worked. If that quick explanation was too confusing, there are actually lots of tutorials on YouTube that might be better with explaining (just search "Daenarys braids" or something similar). I'm not going to make a formal tutorial because there are already so many out there!
I decided to go for a more natural-looking, subtle make-up look. In addition to the usual concealer and foundation routine, I used a taupe for my eyelids (from an unbranded pallet) and a dark brown eyeliner for my lower lashline (Urban Decay in Whiskey). I decided not to use mascara or lip colour because I wanted something light.
I also added a subtle wing using a slightly darker wine-brown, with an angled brow/eyeliner brush, just to give a bit more dimension and definition to my eyes.
A slightly scary close-up of my eye. I'm wearing green lenses from a Korean contact lens company called Geolica. I'm not sure if they're the same as "Geo Lenses". I get them from a glasses dealer in Pacific Mall (they're legitimate and not sketchy).
Make Up Review: The Face Shop's "Lovely ME:EX Angel Skin Powder Pact"
Please note that I bought this item for my own use and decided to review it for curious readers and consumers. I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies whose products or services I review!
I bought this compact some time ago, just when I discovered that The Face Shop had opened up in Pacific Mall. I was previously using a drug store brand, but it didn't work as well I'd like and the colour was just a bit too light to blend naturally for me. I'll try to make this a structured review with a number of categories...
PRICE:
It was $11.50 CAD plus tax when I bought it--comes to just under $13. This is a bit more expensive than drugstore brands; the Cover Girl compact that I owned before this had been about $8 plus tax (so around $10).
PACKAGING:
The compact is a soft, pearlescent pink thing that's sort of egg-shaped. It's all round with no harsh edges and the top has a little dip or indent--not sure what that's for. The sub-brand name and product name is seen on the top as well as on the strap of the powder puff that is included. The strap was originally a similar lilac-pink, but it sort of got dyed with the powder colour when I washed it...
The packaging of the powder pact; see, egg shaped!
It's a pretty portable compact that has a mirror inside. As I mentioned, I did clean the powder puff using a brush shampoo in addition to normal soap and warm water. While it did not make the puff look brand new (as mentioned, the strap did get stained and there were some areas that refused to wash completely),the puff remained just as soft and useable.
The pact as its opened; mirror and puff make this a good on-the-go compact.
FRAGRANCE:
There is a subtle fragrance that isn't really noticeable unless you put your nose up to it. It's a typical perfumey-lotiony sort of scent that's not unpleasant, but that might bother some people who prefer their makeup unscented, or are sensitive to the ingredients.
MATTIFYING POWER:
This was the main reason I bought the pact; my T-Zone tends to get pretty oily and I usually have a gross, slick and shiny nose by the middle of the day. I've really only ever tried three powders; a Rimmel pressed powder, a Cover Girl one and this one. Out of the three, the Lovely ME:EX powder did the best, most natural-looking job of keeping my face matte. It takes away most of the shine; almost all of it--and it does this in a relatively natural-looking way. You won't look quite so heavily made-up but it does its job.
COVERAGE:
I bought the powder pact in RB35, which was what the sales rep had helped me pick out from a total of three or four shades available (at that particular store--I'm not sure if they have a larger selection elsewhere). One of the things that pleasantly surprised me about The Face Shop is that they do have face makeup for East Asians with darker skin. Most other Korean cosmetic brands only have shades for fairly pale people, which I guess is understandable because most Koreans try to stay quite pale. It's frustrating for me, who doesn't really worry about that and looks tanned year-round compared to those who try to stay pale, when shopping for face makeup.
The color for non-Asian brands don't match my tone but match my shade; the color for Asian brands don't match my shade but match my tone. I was pretty happy to find that, while I'm not "dark" by any means, this powder pact did come in my shade!
Ta-Da! A not-paper-white colour from an Asian cosmetics brand!
I don't use foundation on a daily basis, as my skin is mostly even. I use this powder pact as a sort of mattifying/setting/foundation all-in-one, and for myself, it works relatively well. It does make my pores look more smooth and smaller. it doesn't emphasize any fine lines (I use it to touch up under-eye circles, as well), but it doesn't do much to hide them, either. The coverage is, as most pressed powders are, relatively sheer and meant to even out your skin tone rather than really cover anything.
HOW LONG DOES IT STAY?
I actually really hate answering this question for face makeup because I feel like I'll be biased in some way. No face makeup has lasted me a whole day or even most of the day, ever. I do have to reapply several times throughout the day, partly for touch-ups and partly to blot out oily spots. I have combination skin that's really, really quite oily in the T-Zone (but pretty darn dry everywhere else), so I'm going to assume that the oiliness of certain areas make it difficult for the makeup to stay. I've used this on top of liquid makeup (concealer, mostly), but I've yet to try it with a primer.
I find that with a pressed powder, the reapplication is not too bad as the compact is meant to be portable. The packaging is pretty cute and you don't really need anything but what's in the compact (powder, mirror, puff), so it isn't a hassle nor does it look so weird if you just whip it out and touch up.
VERDICT:
I will definitely be repurchasing this once I run out. The packaging is cute, the powder does its job and it's pretty affordable. I've also dropped the pact a lot of times but the powder remained in place, and I can't see any damage to the compact outside of normal wear--and even then, that's concentrated on the sticker label on the bottom. I definitely recommend this for someone looking for an affordable pressed powder with decent coverage and good mattifying abilities. I do believe that the powder is available in a lighter shade than what I have in addition to a slightly darker one.
The Transition: From Owning Zero Make-Up to I-Sort-Of-Know-What-I'm-Doing
Cosmetics, skin care, hair care: that's the sort of stuff you can only learn. With such a wide variety of products and techniques, skin and hair types, features and face shapes--it's pretty difficult to know what works best for you, right away. It certainly helps to have people alongside you, who have a general idea of what's going on--but that's not always the case.
I started using makeup when I was in eleventh grade--that was five years ago. It began as a minor obsession with mascara. As a monolidded Asian--one whose lids folded down a lot--my lashes were embarrassingly short and I did everything I could to make them look like they're...well, existent.
Slowly, this evolved to adding eyeliner to my collection. Eventually, I've gotten a decent collection of the bare essentials, though I don't use much on a daily basis other than eyeliner, mascara and concealer. Both in the past and and present, I bought things based on what I've seen on other people, such as in makeup tutorials. I guess I haven't quite gotten so far into it that I'm comfortable in experimenting and figuring things out for myself.
Spending so many years to figure out makeup meant I had a lot of time to understand what I liked and what I needed. I learned with work with the way my eyes were constructed, the way everything was shaped (and though it's only been five years, my face shape changed a whole lot; a lot of people from high school don't recognize me), and I feel that that is just as important as learning about what products are good .
There's still a lot more to learn, a lot more things to try, and I'll try to do a decent job of keeping a lot of it all!
