makeup, beauty, and anything really!
Recent Responses
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I don't have a favourite brand of makeup right now, because I kind of switch around a lot, and am quite fickle that way! But I like MUFE, Illamasqua, and Shu Uemura - I feel those brands have consistently good quality across a range of products, and good colour selection.
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Hi Sweetchic86, I imagine most sunscreens are inorganic (as opposed to organic sunscreens - I don't think there are any organic sunscreens available right now, since by nature all sunscreen filters are inorganic materials). This would include both the chemical and physical based sunscreens. When choosing a sunscreen, in addition to the sun protection offered, you'll also want to look for a sunscreen that is cosmetically elegant enough for your needs. Generally, an SPF30 sunscreen is about right for everyday activity. If you play sports or spend long hours outdoors in the sun, you'll want to look for something more.
The one I personally use everyday is Avene Very High Protection Spray SPF 50+. I like that it offers good sun protection, but it's not the most cosmetically elegant sunscreen around...it's kinda sticky and shiny (I powder on top to get rid of the shine, and it works for me that way). I generally look for brands that are a little more skincare-focused, e.g. Avene, La Roche Posay, Eucerin etc, as I tend to have sensitive skin. If you have sensitive skin like me, then it may be a good idea to start by looking at these brands, as they tend to rely more on physical filters. The downside is, they can leave a white-ish cast and be sticky.
If you're not Other sunscreens which have had good reviews include the Shiseido SPF55 sunscreen, as well as the Japanese brands sunscreens, such as Sunplay, Biore, etc. The benefit about some of these brands, especially the Japanese ones, is that they are very cosmetically elegant - they don't feel sticky or shiny or anything. On the downside, because these tend to rely heavily on chemical sunscreens, they can be more irritating to sensitive skin although they are more cosmetically elegant. I've actually reviewed two Sunplay sunscreens here, so you can take a look at my reviews and see if these are suitable for you: http://musicalhouses.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Sunplay
Hope this helps! Ultimately it's about balancing your sun protection needs, cosmetic elegance, and how irritating the sunscreen can be. I've actually written a post about sunscreens (and things to look out for when choosing them) here: www.musicalhouses.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/sunscreen-5-things-you-need-to-know.html
Good luck! -
Hi there, congrats on starting Med school!
For waterproof eyeshadows, you have a few options. MUFE Aqua Creams are pretty good, and the Benefit Creaseless Creams and L'Oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paints have worked really well for me. Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Eyeshadows, and MAC Paints (not the MAC Paint Pots, I mean the one in the tubes), and Maybelline Color Tattoos are also popular. Those would be my top choices for cream eyeshadows. If you are looking at eyeshadow, L'Oreal Infalliable has gotten good reviews so far in terms of being relatively budge-proof.
Other than eyeshadows, perhaps a primer will help too - Urban Decay Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and Artdeco's Eyeshadow Primer (in a pot) are all popular choices. If you wish to layer a primer under your powder eyeshadows, it will help them last a lot longer.
Lastly, a makeup setting spray may also be an additional option to consider. This isn't an eyeshadow-specific step, but more as a final step for your entire face as a whole. MUFE has their Mist and Fix, and MAC has its Fix+, and Urban Decay, Model in a Bottle, and even e.l.f. have their own sprays. This may help as well.
So there you have it - my eyeshadow recommendations, as well as a couple of other tips. Good luck, and enjoy Med school! -
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My day is going well, thank you :) Hope yours is good too!
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Hi Sweetchic86, thanks for your question! I actually feel sad - LashBlast is one of my favourite mascaras and I'm always recommending it, but I see it won't work for you if you're allergic to it! That's the thing about mascaras - they're quite personal, and what works for someone may not work for another person. But for mascara, a few of my drugstore favourites are: NYX Doll Eyes, Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara, and Eyeko Big Brush Mascara. While I personally didn't like these, the Rimmel Lash Accelerator and Sleek Mascara also got good reviews. I hope one of these work for you!
In general though, mascara preference is really determined by 3 things: 1. the brush type (big? brush-like bristles? small? plastic? etc), 2. the formula (is it watery? creamy? dry?) and 3. the bottle neck (this controls how much product is dispersed on the brush, ideally the neck should work with the brush to deposit the right amount of product). Most people choose mascaras depending on their preference for brush and formula. If you find mascaras that work for you, it may be good to see what they have in common, brush-wise and formula-wise, so that it's easier to narrow down what mascaras are likely to work for you, and what aren't. For me, I've found by trial and error that generally, brushes that work best for me are the big and bushy ones (not the small, plastic brushes), and mascaras with formulas that are not too dry work better on me. Of course, your experience and preferences may vary - it could be that for you a different brush type or formula type works better. I guess it depends on your lashes - my theory is that it's sort of like how different brands of nail polish react differently on different people's nails. I suppose it's all in the chemistry. So if you can figure out what your preferences are, when you choose mascaras you'll also have something to guide you for future purchases to ensure you purchase less duds! Good luck!
PS I noticed you asked this twice, so I hope I didn't reply to your question too late - sorry for the delay! :) -
Hi there, unfortunately I've never tried either of those mascaras, so I can't help you there.
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Hi there! That's a tricky question you asked! My personal experience (living in a hot humid area and having oily skin) is that there are things you can do to help your makeup, but chances are, making your makeup 100% sweatproof will be hard.
First, you could get makeup that's more water-resistant or waterproof. That way, when you sweat, the makeup will be less likely to come off along with your sweat. MUFE's Aqua range has some pretty waterproof products, and the range covers pretty much everything from foundation to colour products (eyeshadow, blusher etc). Estee Lauder's Double Wear Foundation is also known for being really waterproof - I recall one of my makeup fanatic friends saying that she asked those girls that swim around with the dolphins in amusement parks what foundation they used, and the Estee Lauder Double Wear was their answer. If you're willing to try other brands, some of the theatre makeup brands (e.g. Ben Nye, Kryolan) are affordable and quite waterproof (have to hold up under stage lights), so it could be worth a shot.
Other than using waterproof products, you can also set your makeup with a setting spray. There are many to choose from - MUFE has their Mist and Fix, and MAC has its Fix+, and Urban Decay, Model in a Bottle, and even e.l.f. have their own sprays. This may help as well.
The last thing is to control oil, if you have oily skin. I personally use silica powder, and it helps me a lot, but there are a lot of other primersand powders that help to control oil out there, so feel free to take your pick.
I hope these tips help you out! You may not be able to make your makeup 100% sweatproof, but at least if you do sweat, makeup will be less likely to get smudged or shift around. Good luck! -
That's awesome! We have friends in common! And I'm sure whoever it is you're referring to is a great person too :)
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Hi there, your question got cut off by Formspring! But I get the gist of it. Unfortunately, although I'm east Asian too and I also wear glasses, I don't seem to have this problem - usually waterproof mascara and eyelash curler works for me. First, it could just be the brand of waterproof mascara. In my experience, Covergirl's Lashblast Waterproof and Bobbi Brown's No Smudge Mascara in particular are really waterproof, and MUFE's waterproof mascara gets good reviews too. If you've tried a number of brands and they all don't work for you, then maybe a "fixer" produt, i.e. a waterproofing coat you apply on top of your mascara, may help. There are lots out there - Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Genius, Laura Gellar Mascara Seal, Clarins Double Fix Mascara Waterproofing Seal, or Benefit She Laque (now discontinued). Hopefully, one of these will help. Good luck!
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Hi there, first off, I totally sympathize, as you're in the exact situation as me! Often we Singaporeans spend our days in air-conditioned offices, but still have to travel quite a bit in humid, sunny weather! It does make it trickier to find skincare and makeup products!
First off, I'll tackle the bit about humid sunny weather. Oil control is important over here, especially if you have oily skin. My favourite product for this is plain ol' silica powder spheres. It's just generic cosmetic grade silica powder, and it helps in oil control very well. The best thing about this is that it’s cheap and easily available – I got mine from Coastal Scents (you can probably get it from other cosmetics etailers and wholesalers as well), and a big bag cost me a few USD. If not, you can also get MUFE Microfinish HD Powder, since its just silica spheres as well, except that you'd be paying a lot more for a tinier amount (essentially you're paying retail price for a wholesale product). There are a few ways to wear this - some like to wear it as a finishing powder over makeup, and some (like me) mix it with a transparent powder for setting your makeup. I personally find it easier to use if I mix it with another powder, and buff in well. You'll have to play around a little to find out what works for you, application-wise, if you try this out.
Secondly, I still wear moisturizer. I know it sounds odd in Singapore, but just because your skin is sweating doesn't mean it's not dry, especially if you spend long hours indoors with air-con. So I still wear moisturizer everyday
My daily working routine consists of:
1. Pimple cream (cause you know, I still have spots although I'm working!)
2. Moisturizer (I use somethign light, The Body Shop’s Aloe Soothing Day Cream and Biotherm’s Aquasource Moisturizer for Oily Skin)
3. Sunscreen (I use Avene Very High Protection Spray with SPF 50+)
4. Concealer ONLY where I need it (not too picky if it's just under eye, I use Laura Mercier, MAC or Kevyn Aucoin, but if I have spots I usually use Prescriptives or a brand that won't aggravate my skin further)
5. My finishing powder (silica powder + random loose face powder that is transluscent).
That's my "base" - after that I go on to apply blusher, lipgloss, eyeshadow etc if I feel like it. I don't know if this routine will work for you, but for me it works, because although the moisturizer and sunscreen can feel like a lot, once I add my finishing/silica powder it mattifies the skin while still feeling natural. Maybe you'll need to play around with a few products to see what works for you. I wish you good luck! -
Yes I do wear makeup. Not all the time (there are times I go out without any makeup on), but I definitely use my makeup. That said, I do have more products than I know what to do with! Some of the extra makeup, I give away to family and friends, and on occasion I'll swap or sell some items, and some of my makeup just sits there idle (oops), and will probably be given away or swapped at some point in future.
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A combination of knowledge, experience, and trial-and-error! Knowledge is useful for things like a good grounding in colour theory or ingredients, experience gives you better makeup skills, esp for makeup application, and trial-and-error helps you figure out what types of products work for you, e.g. does cream or liquid concealer work better for my undereyes?
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Yes I did, all earlier questions have been answered.
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Your question is quite vague (just two words and a bunch of question marks), so I'm not sure exactly what type of blush you're looking for, whether you have any colour in mind or whether you prefer cream or powder or liquid, or whether you have sensitive skin. The truth is, your "best blush" would probably depend on your skin type, skin colour, and personal preferences, so it's a little hard for me to help with just a two-word question. So what I'm going to do is list a few blushes in both cream and powder form that I've personally tried and liked, and I hope one of them works for you!
I'll start with the powder blushes first. My favourites include MAC powder blushes, Lancome's Bludj Subtil range, Laura Mercier's Second Skin Cheek Colour, Illamasqua Powder Blusher, and NYX. NARS is also great if you don't have sensitive skin (NARS blushes tend to break me out). I also like the Wet n Wild powder blushes, they're cheap and good. Benefit also has good ones I like.
For cream, my favourites of all time are the Stila Convertible Colors, Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge, and Becca Creme Blush. I don't really use other cream blushes, they tend to break me out.
For liquids and others, I don't use too many of these, but Becca's Beach Tint is a favourite, as are the Tarte Cheek Stains.
I hope this has helped you, and do remember to be more detailed and specific in your questions in future if you want a less generic answer or colour suggestions. It does take me time to review and answer your question, so I hope you take time to phrase your question properly too (complete sentences, proper grammar, more details of what you want) in order for me to give you the information you're looking for. -
MAC's Oil Control Lotion is actually not that unique in terms of ingredients and formulation, so you'd probably be able to find something similar somewhere. The Oil Control Lotion is quite heavy on silicones (cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, etc), which helps in oil control for some people.
Since the MAC Oil Control Lotion is mostly silicones and a bunch of other stuff, your best bet would be to look at other products that are silicone-heavy, in paritcular for cyclopentasiloxane and dimethicone - the ones featuring heavily in the MAC Oil Control Lotion. This would include not just oil control products, but also other primers, as most primers are quite silicone-heavy. Or just other products - face powders, makeup bases, etc that have silicones in them. Off the top of my head, the cheapest alternative I can think of is the Monistat Anti Chafing Gel, which isn't made for face use, but it's been used by alot of beauty addicts as a cheaper version of facial primers, such as the Smashbox Photofinish Primer. Another cheap alternative I can think of is the L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primer, which also containts the two silicones in the MAC Oil Control Lotion.
I hope this answer helps! Sorry this was a little late in coming. -
Hello! Apologies for the long reply (for some reason I wasn't alerted to your question). Anyway, no I don't ever wear contacts - I'm scared to death that I'll poke my eye out! So it's Harry Potter glasses for me all the way! :)
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Hi, I noticed you posted this same question on my blog, my email, and my Formspring, so for convenience, I've replied on my blog. Hope this helps.
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Hi Swagmort, the second photo didn't work for me, so I'm going to go by your first photo as well as your Formspring profile pics. Based on those photos, you look warm to me, although you do pull off some cool colours too. Hope that helps!
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No I don't, sorry, however I do have a MakeupAlley account where I put up some unwanted items for sale/swap.
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Musical Houses’s Bio
Singapore
A girl obssessed with makeup, nail polish and all things beauty!
