Innisfree Eco Gel Eyebrow

K-Palette Real Lasting 2Way Eyebrow Liner has been a daily staple of my makeup routine for more than 5 years but recently, I started to search for an alternative that was more natural looking as K-Palette's liner does create tiny brush strokes that are visible if not properly blended out. It is also rather expensive at over S$20 for a liner that lasts only about a month with daily usage. Thanks to the Makeup Blogette's recommendation on Instagram of Innisfree Eco Gel Eyebrow, I think I may have just found an excellent replacement that is not just more natural looking but also more wallet friendly at just S$12. I read somewhere that this retails for 7000 won (S$8.50) in South Korea.



This is basically a gel liner that comes in a tiny pot that you dip the fine tapered brush into. It's extremely easy to use and lasts well through the day. Although it does take a bit more time to apply, the gel is not crazily pigmented so you are unlikely to end up with harsh Bao Gong/Justice Bao (a legendary ancient Chinese judge) brows even if you are prone to a heavy hand.  That's how my mother described my brows when I was still a makeup noob and thought I had to use a black eyeshadow to match my hair.



I purchased both #2 (light brown) and #3 (grey brown) at the Innisfree store in Plaza Singapura. #1 was a pale yellow brown that looked too artificial. Currently, I am using #3 which is a perfect match. While it's unclear how long a pot (1.6g) can last, it's affordable enough that even if it has to be replaced monthly, at least one will not feel the same pinch as with the K-Palette liner. The only drawback is that I can't stockpile this for our move to the US as the gel will probably dry out. Innisfree has a global e-commerce store that supposedly ships to over 250 countries but this little gem does not seem to be available on the site.  The only flaw is that the sticker labels (which have to be peeled off to open the tube) leave a messy residue. This can be cleaned off with nail polish remover but that also rubs off the printed words on the tube.

Shiseido Eye Color Bar with L'Oreal Infaillible 24H Foundation

Sometime before last Christmas, the Shiseido Eye Color Bar finally landed at the Shiseido counter here in Geneva. I wasn't planning on purchasing it as the online swatches didn't seem that special. However, it looked more appealing in person, plus there was an attractive gift with purchase on offer to facilitate this piece of holiday retail therapy. It ended up sitting on my desk for the next two months as I didn't wear makeup regularly until I went back to work. Having a four month old son brings endless joys but it usually means very little time for myself, hence the erratic blog posts and even rarer product reviews. I've lost count of the number of times I had to stop to attend to him tonight while trying to write this but hey, I'm not complaining because I'd rather carry him for the umpteenth time around the house than, well, pretty much anything else!

Based on my previous experience with Shiseido's Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trios, I was expecting the shades to be of the sheer and luminous variety. I was pleasantly surprised by the good color payoff of Parfait Amour (purple) and Liquorice (black), which required very little layering to achieve the shades as seen in the pan. They have a soft satiny sheen and glide onto the skin with no loud frostiness or messy glitter.

For this look, I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance as the base and applied Parfait Amour from the lashline to the crease, Liquorice in the outer corner, Menthe (pale green) along the lower lashline and shaded into the crease, and Champagne (pearly golden white) over the browbone area and inner corners. I used Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Tulip along the upper lashline and Oyster Glow along the lower lashline.


Under brighter indoor lighting, the lovely glowy sparkles of Champagne and the full attraction of this Color Bar become more visible. Champagne and its pink-tinged cousin, Soda, are useful shades for layering over other eyeshadows to add some tonal complexity.

Having used only four out of the nine shades in the Color Eye Bar, this cannot be a definitive review but I'm delighted with the Eye Color Bar so far. After 8 hours of wear, there was no creasing or fading at all, which was impressive. It retailed for US$50 in the US, versus S$80 in Singapore, which is a reasonable price for the quality and the generous amount of product (9g, 0.31oz). The cardboard packaging (with magnetic closure) lacks the sleek chicness of the Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trios, but it's much more compact than Urban Decay's Naked palettes or Too Faced's palettes.

It is likely sold out in most locations by now although there were still a few pieces remaining at my local counter last week. On the off chance that you come across it, it is worth a look as it is office-friendly and yet versatile enough to offer a variety of creative looks, thanks to the genius talent of Shiseido Artistic Director Dick Page. Shiseido also rarely releases a large eyeshadow palette which makes this quite a collectible for fans of the brand.


Other products used for this look include L'Oreal's new Infaillible 24H foundation #130 True Beige and Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Tint in Moody, a lovely deep plum red. The Infaillible foundation is supposed to be a high coverage longwear foundation that hides the appearance of fatigue and blemishes, formulated with a Hydrating Hyaluron Complex. I didn't wear it for 24 hours but it held up pretty well for the 8 hours that I wore it, requiring only occasional blotting of the T-zone. It's more medium coverage rather than full coverage and does not feel heavy on the skin. The lightest shade available in Switzerland is #130 True Beige, which is a good match for me, but in the UK, there is a wider range of 8 shades that does not include True Beige.

You can read more reviews with swatches of the Eye Color Bar on Drivel about Frivol, Wondegondigo and Beauty Reflections.

Heroine Make Mineral BB Cream, Quick Eyeliner N & Quick Eyebrow N

Heroine Make has released a new waterproof Quick Eyeliner N (630yen, 0.1g) and Quick Eyebrow N (630yen, 0.07g). Available in black and brown, Quick Eyeliner N has a slim width of 2mm for drawing fine lines, and a rounded applicator at the end for smudging. It is formulated with collagen, squalene, camellia oil, rosehip oil and chamomile extract.

The waterproof Quick Eyebrow N is available in 01 Dark Brown, 02 Natural Brown and 03 Light Brown and it features a slim 1.5mm brush. It has better color payoff than the previous version, and includes ingredients like chamomile extract and rosehip extract.

Heroine Make will also release a new Lasting Mineral BB Cream SPF34 PA++ in 01 Light and 02 Natural (1050yen, 30g). Formulated with sebum control powder and lasting mineral powder for a longlasting finish, the mineral-based formula is gentle on skin and contains eight types of amino acids, hyaluronic acid, collagen, rosehip and chamomile extracts.

Anna Sui Fall 2011

The Anna Sui Autumn 2011 makeup collection has just launched at all counters in Singapore, including Sephora Ion. This collection is all about the eyes, as you can see in the ad visual.



I received some of the products to play with, so here's a quick run-down.



The new star product is Perfect Mascara (S$41; 5g/0.17oz), a film-type mascara with ultra-fine short fibres and a high concentration of black pigments for a glossy jet black finish. It is resistant against water, sweat and sebum, and can be removed with warm water. It looks like Perfect Mascara has replaced all the previous Anna Sui mascaras as the Anna Sui Japan website no longer lists the Full Mascara, Long Lash Mascara and Volume Up.



I liked the elaborate rose and heart design on the cap, which is just so characteristic of Anna Sui. Perfect Mascara comes in just one shade, Rich Black.



The slim brush is tapered at both ends to help reach the lashes at both corners of the eyelids, while the thicker center portion of the brush deposits more product on the middle lashes for a more wide-eye effect.



List of ingredients.



If you want even fuller lashes or if you are in a more adventurous mood, there is also the Amplifying Mascara (S$41; 6ml/0.21oz). Available in black, brilliant blue and brilliant pink, this has a spatula comb applicator. You can see swatches on Shine, Shimmer & Sparkle and Makeup Blogette.





For further emphasizing and defining the eyes, there are five limited edition Eyeliner Pencil WP (S$28; 1g). These long-lasting liners are resistant against water, tears and sebum. Shown below is 01, a dusky blue. When I used this yesterday, it tugged at my eyelids slightly but it stayed on very well through more than 10 hours of wear. I liked the shade very much as the blue tint shows up well and doesn't look as harsh as black eyeliner.



List of ingredients for the eye pencil.



For creating the perfect frame to the eyes, Anna Sui has created this stunningly gorgeous Eyebrow Color Compact (S$41; 3g/0.1oz).



Inside, there is a "dark shade" and a striped "nuance" shade, plus a double-ended brush applicator. The angled brush helps to create a precise, sculpted line while the soft brush picks up the gradated color for shading and blending. The formula contains oil-coated "sliding powder" and silicon-based oils for a smooth, even application. Shown below is 01 Red Brown.



This was definitely more red-toned than my usual K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow 01 or Za Ever Brows BR21, but not glaringly so. While the soft brush end does a decent job of picking up the brow powder and shading it in, the angled brush was much less efficient.







And finally, there are three limited edition foundation cases in "rock", "cute" and "elegant" styles. The strawberry design (02) is naturally the cute one.



Inside, the lavender sponge is kept separate from the powder.







Here's the quick look that I did yesterday using the Eyebrow Color Compact 01, Perfect Mascara, Eyeliner Pencil WP 01, plus Anna Sui's Eye Color Duo 06, Eye Color 203, Protective Fluid Foundation L B02, Loose Compact Powder UV 200 and Lipgloss C 306.

K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow

As mentioned earlier, I picked up the K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow 24h in 01 Natural Brown at the promotional price of only S$13.20 (usual price is S$18.90) at Watsons earlier this month.

For many years, my staple brow defining product was MAC Cork eyeshadow applied with a Maybelline flat slanted eyeliner brush. Even after eight years of near daily use, I have used up only about two-thirds of it. But I was getting tired of Cork so I've been trying out other brow liners recently such as the Paul & Joe Eyebrow Pencil Duo 01 and Tarte emphasEYEs High Definition Brow Pencil in Taupe.

While both the Tarte and Paul & Joe brow pencils worked alright and were easy to use and control, I think the K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow may just become my new staple. Its most attractive feature is that thanks to the slim brush tip, you can create elegant brows that taper to a much finer tip compared to brow pencils. The slightly translucent liner liquid flows naturally into the brush tip. There is no button to push and you also do not have to shake the liner up and down like you have to with the Dolly Wink and Heroine Make liquid liners.

The Lasting Eyebrow feels cooling upon application. The liquid is semi-translucent so you can layer it to your desired intensity. It does take some practice to get the hang of, but once you get used to it, application takes just a minute. Once it dries, it lasts for the whole day without fading or smudging. As I have sparse eyebrows, I really need a brow definer to complete the look.

The Real Lasting Eyebrow comes in just two shades, 01 Natural Brown and 02 Grayish Brown. According to the K-Palette (Singapore) Facebook page, the Real Lasting Eyebrow is on sale at 15% discount with 20 bonus points for Watsons members until 30 June. You can read more reviews of it on Siz World of Makeup, Makeupstash and Icyabstract.

Below is the list of ingredients.

Benefit Brow Bar @ Sephora Ion

Need a quick brow makeover? The Benefit Brow Bar at Sephora Ion is offering a number of special deals starting next Friday. Details in the pic below :-)

Watsons Haul

Picked up a few items at Watsons (Ngee Ann City) earlier this evening. Aside from the Gatsby Oil Clear Sheets, the rest are all products that I haven't tried before like the Hada Labo AHA/BHA Exfoliating Face Wash Foam (S$15.90). I read on another blog that the Hada Labo skincare available in Malaysia is made in China. However, the bottle that I got is marked "Made in Japan", which is naturally much more reassuring.

I've been on the search for a better eyebrow liner so my interest was piqued by this K-Palette value set containing the Real Lasting Eyebrow 24h in 01 Natural Brown and a brow scissors. This is also available in 02 Greyish Brown but the Greyish Brown is not available in the limited edition set with the brow scissors. Both shades are currently available at the promotional price of S$13.20, compared to the usual price of S$18.50.

At the Dolly Wink stand, I picked up the last remaining Liquid Eyeliner in Deep Black. This is a bit pricey at S$24.90.

I didn't get any of the false lashes, which are also S$24.90 for two pairs. Style #1 has already sold out but there are plenty of the other designs of the false lashes. My eyes get uncomfortably dry from wearing daily disposable contacts, so I've pretty much given up on contacts which rules out false lashes for me.

Love Clover Ultra Slim Eyebrow Pencil

Love Clover has updated its website with the new Ultra Slim Eyebrow Pencil (1260yen). Available in two shades, the pencil has a diameter of only 9mm and is formulated with silk and rose extract. It is also supposed to be resistant against sweat and water.