FOTD: EYELINER! :)

A week or so ago, I posted about my excitement on getting back in touch with the gel eyeliner. Sadly, my hand had forgotten how to use eyeliner, but I THINK I've finally got it down.. you tell me!

What I'm Wearing..

Face:

- Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Foundation in 03

- Bobbi Brown Correcter in Peach

- MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC35

- Bourjois Compact Powder in Miel Dore 83

- Benefit Bella Bamba

Eyes:

- Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows in Deep Brown 03

- MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre

- Clinique Gel Liner in True Black 02

- Rimmel Day2Night Mascara in Black

Lips:

- Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Nude Delight 700

Some of you may have noticed the newbies in my collection, and yes I've been very guilty of shopping recently! A lot of it has to do with the weather changing, but also a busier lifestyle calls for more flexible/on-the-go/easy looks and products. You will undoubtedly be hearing more about the lovely things I've picked up and have been loving - but at the moment, eyeliner and eyeshadows have been my favourite things to apply! :)

What's been the focus of your looks recently? :)

<3yu

Back to the Liner: Clinique

Until recently, I don't think I wore any form of black eyeliner for atleast the past half a year - literally! Maybe on the odd night out but it was me, my eyeshadows, mascara and a skintone eyeliner. For a girl that started make-up with black eyeliner, that's a pretty sac-relig thing to do, ey?! :P

But hey ho, the old friend is back along with the cold, and I have to say - I'm quite enjoying its company! The defined and glam look (I was going to say sultry but I feel odd saying that about what you're attempting to do..) is definitely a great way to adjust to the season in my opinion :)

However, somewhere between the boyfriend's house and mine, my K-Palette 24hr Real Lasting Eyeliner went astray, and I was "forced" (i.e. I've always wanted to but never had an excuse) to get another eyeliner since my Maybelline one dried out and after an attempt to revive it by mixing it with olive oil, I got disgusted at the idea of olive oil on my face.. Yeah, so anyway..

I bought a new one :D

I picked this up at Selfridges when I was on a little shopping trip with Vivianna last week (who by the way is actually even more hilarious and lovely than she comes across in her videos/posts), with little contemplation to say the least as I'd already been convinced by Tanya Burr that this was the gel eyeliner to go for, as it doesn't dry up as easily as the likes of MAC Fluidline or Bobbi Brown's Gel Eyeliner.

Now I realise that the brush looks a bit crap - it's not that bad actually, but I do want to give the MAC 209 or 266 a shot but it's something that is not so urgent and my wallet and conscience wont allow at the moment. So I'm rather glad it came with this little guy if I'm honest! For £13.50 it's cheaper than the other 2 brands I mentioned before.

It applies a dream, and it's a solid black. My only 'meh' about it is that it's not so black on the waterline and it does slide down when applied there during the day. I also find that it's not 100% smudge proof during the day (which my K-Palette eyeliner was). It's not to say it doesn't last a long time - it was just a step down in standards for me personally.

I'm doing a bit of a round of Clinique recently but I find their range very well priced and the basic products like my Superfine Liner for Brows and this gel eyeliner very good quality as far as I can tell. One thing I'd stay away from? The Anti-Blemish Concealer - dear god that thing was CRAP.

Anyway, my favourite eyeliner work I've seen recently? LLYMLRS. I would like her eyelashes, her hair, her tan and her legs. Ta.

Have you found an increase in the amount of eyeliner you use? :)

Have you tried any Clinique make-up?

You can get this product at Selfridges for £13.50 :)

<3yu

August Favourites :)

I can't believe I have less than a month left to be in Japan! :( I was going to whinge about how it's kind of difficult to live with parents for so long when you've had all the independence, but I'm currently so bored without my mom as she's gone to a middle school reunion, and my dad's been away for work in Papua New Guinea..  total FAIL on my behalf! I've still enjoyed myself though, and have a month yet to appreciate my time here so all is well :)

Anyway, here is my monthly favourites video :) 

Apologies again for the caffeine high (and the caffeine relief bit LOL! I couldn't edit it out I was lol-ing at myself) - it's probably why there's lots of editing in this one! :P Coffee really is my drug of choice :P

And some of my new found favourite blogs this month are..

Ebrushka's Make Up Bag

I spent a few hours going over all her posts! Reminded me about how relaxed blogging should be and that it's not just about trying product after product, or about cult products or about high end products - it's about showing people what you love! :) Unfortunately this has added lots of new products onto my wishlist though and made me doubt my decision on some products I used to shrug off.. (Helloooo, Bella Bamba!).

Lil Lady's Life

I love this blog and have caught myself on it numerous occasions recently (as I don't do rounds of certain blogs, I just read what I think looks interesting on my Dashboard) which is always proof that I'm loving a blog! She talks about products that not a lot of people have heard about, and also has great reviews and not to mention photographs! I'm hoping to do a full round of her blog tonight, as I've been viciously reading through them day by day! :D

Superficial Girl

I'm usually not a fashion blog kind of girl, but I LOVE Carlinn's style as it's not too OTT or too complicated and she wears lots of solids which I love (as I struggle to find pattered tops I like.. the only one I have is what I'm wearing in the video! :P), all whilst still being extremely inspiring and stylish! For the first time I find myself wanting day-wear heels?! I also love her make-up tastes, and always love seeing bits and bobs of Malta - I absolutely adored it there! :)

And some snaps from this month.. :)

1. Books to planning my mom and my trip to Kyoto/Nara/Osaka in September :)

2. Visiting my baby second cousin Arata <3

3. Flowers for my grandpa's grave <3

4. Steamed bread :D (extent of my baking abilities..)

5. Reading for my next degree!

Hope you guys had a brilliant August :)

<3yu

My Skincare Hunt & First Impressions of Clinique 3 Step System

I realise that while I've written about some skincare products, I haven't really been clear about where I stand in my "skincare hunt" for a perfect routine :) I've sorted it all out in my head, so I thought I'd put it down on paper (screen) - it's a bit rambly but I hope you enjoy!

To start off, I have combination/normal skin - I get oily in the t-zone in the warmer months, and normal on my cheeks. Since I've gotten rid of my teenage acne last year, it's been a bit difficult assessing whether something is good, because I'm now after the luxury of perfect skin as opposed to just getting rid of things that shouldn't be there - if that makes sense?

I have a few bits and bobs of my skincare that I can say, "Yes, I love these products and I will rebuy them" but I'm still on the lookout for that perfect combination of products for a perfect routine. Anyway, here's the present standings:

* Face Wash

- Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser

- The Body Shop Seaweed Face Wash

* Toner

- MUJI Light Toning Water (works well with Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser)

- The Body Shop Seaweed Toner (only works well with the face wash)

* Moisturizer

- Day: Liz Earle Skin Repair for Combo/Oily Skin

- Night: Boots Botanics Night Shift Cream

As you can see, a bit complicated, and a lot of ties! So the other day while I was roaming around the cosmetics section, I stumbled by Clinique which I heard lots about from Steph, and the kind lady at the counter explained a lot about how the system works, and gave me a 3-day sample kit to try.. (needless to say it's lasted me about 4 days already)..

Left: Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 (toner)

Centre: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

Right: Clinique Facial Soap for Oily Skin

Used together, this set has ticked all of the boxes. Firstly, the soap leaves my face squeaky clean, and my face always appears brighter or maybe even whiter than it started off with. I'm guessing this is what the lady meant when she said it lifts the dead skin cells, to prepare for the next step.

The clarifying lotion, which is like a toner, then exfoliates and removes the dead skin cells. I genuinely feel this works, but god the smell is horrendous! I feel like I'm putting nail polish remover on my face, it's unbearable to smell and the lady told me strictly that I can't use it near my eyes or mouth - I wouldn't want to! That being said, at the end I feel refreshed and I feel it does its job.

The moisturizer feels like somewhere between a typical gel and a silica skin primer - it has that smoothing-over effect, but it's also quite wet. I think it does a decent job of sinking into my skin, but I also feel like I've felt others do a better job. That being said, the thing I like about this is that when I wake up, I'm not half as oily as I am when I use other moisturizers, and I have no qualms about using this for both day and night - which in the long run may save some dosh!

All in all, the bits of bumpiness and redness on my face has been seriously reducing - sounds perfect, right? But I'm still not 100% sure what I should be looking for, as I don't have any blatant problems anymore! Should I be aiming to have 'normal' skin as opposed to combination? Should I aim to have baby skin? Idk! (any help appreciated :P)

So my plan is on the 26th of August, to head over to the counter again and take full advantage of a campaign where for a few extra hundred yen (lol) added to the cost of a full-sized Clarifying Lotion, you get loads of 1 month sized products, like the face wash, the moisturizer and other things. AMAZING. I'm not sure if this offer is only in Japan though..

After that I hope to figure out if the full Clinique's 3 Step System would really work for me, or if I need to cut and paste from the previous list mentioned above. I personally don't really want to give up the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish nor her moisturizer, nor the MUJI Toner (it's paraben, alcohol, fragrance free!) - but I've got to admit, they're all running for their money with these 3 Clinique bad boys in town :)

Does anyone have 2 skincare routines, is that even possible? :P

Have you found your perfect skincare routine?

What do you look for when deciding whether a product stays in your routine? :)

<3yu