FOTD featuring Cuicu Eyeshadows

Hi everyone! As I said on my Twitter earlier today, I didn't think that I would have time to blog this weekend but hey, here I am :)

I want to start by saying thanks to those who have shown interest in my giveaway! And a warm welcome to my new followers ^^

I've read through the entries and have taken note of your answers to my questjen: 'what would you like to see more of on my blog?' - I really appreciate the feedback and suggestions.

As a way of showing my gratitude, I have a new makeup look to share. I dedicate this FOTD to the ones who suggested that I do one :D

 It's been way too long since I last did one of these

It's almost spring for us living in the southern hemisphere!! I think this look is very suitable for spring~ weeeeee

A nameless FOTD because I am uncreative and not witty. Forever sighing over the qualities that I wish I had. Where art thou artistic skills, cleverness and musical talents?!?

Just in case you were wondering what products I used for my FOTD, here is the description:

I've included a polaroid selca just because. I'm vain

• MeMeMe Flawless Cream Foundation - Honey Lush
• Cargo Blush - Catalina
• Cuicu Symphony Stereo 3-color Eyeshadow
• K-Palette Real Lasting Liquid Black Eyeliner
• Daiso lashes No. 210 (from Jen)
• Maybelline The Falsies Mascara
• Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter - Cupcake

If this post was just going to be a FOTD one then it would probably end right here. I think this is why I may have... kind of 'stopped' doing FOTD posts because in my opinion they would be too short and for me they would seem... unfinished. Perhaps blog readers prefer short and snappy posts however as a blogger I much prefer to have detailed posts to keep the reader informed but not bored. Also as a blog reader, I do prefer to read lengthy posts :D

So in additional to a FOTD look I am going to briefly review the eyeshadow trio I used!

Thank you KKCenterHK for sending over this 'Cuicu Symphony Stereo 3 Color Shadow' - a brand and product that I hadn't heard of before. I wonder if any of my readers have...

Looks like a Korean brand?

'프로페셔널메이크업' just translates to 'Professional Makeup'

Hm interesting, I have never seen an expiry date on eyeshadows before. Have you?

I guess that is somewhat helpful

I am a bit confused looking at the back of the packaging. www.cuicumakeup.com doesn't seem to exist? Or maybe it used to exist but moved/closed. That is rather odd...

CUICU Symphony Stereo 3 Color Shadow

RRP $5.95

The box with a hole for the colours to be seen. I like the texture of the box

I see Korean, English and Chinese. Where is the 'Made in _____' ? I seriously wonder where this product came from haha....

The product arrived in roughly one week and it was packaged with about 3 wrap-arounds of bubble protection. To my surprise, I noticed that the pink eyeshadow had cracked:( I wasn't happy with having to clean up the mess it made in the packaging.

Untouched mess. 

I wouldn't blame this entirely on KKCenterHK.... after all they did package it neatly but it was probably not handled with care during shipment

The poor design of the box could be the main cause of this problem. There is a rectangular 'hole' for the eyeshadow colours to be seen which I just mentioned above. I think it would make a difference if this 'hole' was filled with a clear plastic sheet. Oh well... the eyeshadow is not completely ruined thankfully.

I cleaned it up and it looks much better now

Also, I have been inspired to use Jap magazine pages as the 'background' for my product images :) 

It makes the picture a whole lot prettier I reckon

Now to share some swatches:

One swipe with each finger, with the corresponding eyeshadows directly behind

They look rather sheer and if you look closely, you may be able to see some loose powdery bits on my finger. Reminds me of loose eyeshadow pigments... except these are pressed eyeshadows and are not pigmented.... *shrugs*

They definitely look better swiped on the back of my hand

I think it's safe to assume that the eyeshadows have not been finely milled as preferred. Sadly the swatch for the turquoise eyeshadow in the middle looks more like a metallic green. Turquoise would have been more awesome in my opinion.

 In flash lighting

How did I apply my eyeshadow? Well, I used a fluffy shader brush to apply the white eyeshadow to the inner corners of my eyes and also as a highlight colour for my brown bone aka the area right under my eyebrows. I then added the pink eyeshadow to the centre of my eyelids with the same brush, followed by a pop of the greenish-turquoise shade to the outer corners of my eyelids, my crease and on my bottom lash line with a pencil brush (Sigma). I used a blending brush to eliminate any harsh lines and to bring the colours altogether without over blending.

Lighting and camera quality has an impact on how the eyeshadows look on my eyelids

I can't make much comment about the double-ended sponge applicator provided in the palette since I didn't use it to apply my eyeshadow. I actually always use eye brushes instead of sponge applicators.... it's just my preference and I find brushes to be more versatile (applying and blending). I appreciate how there is a sponge applicator provided as it makes it more travel/makeup bag friendly for any needed touch-ups.

My overall thoughts:

It's not a bad eyeshadow trio and the colours are quite nice. It's just that in comparison to other eyeshadows that are similar in price... I feel that this trio is lacking in quality and isn't on the same standards as others. My pink eyeshadow is still cracking even after I have cleaned it up and removed the loose bits. I assume that this is due to the eyeshadows not being finely milled and hence being more prone to separating and whatnot. The pigmentation of eyeshadows is not a high priority for me because it's buildable during application so I'm really not fussed about that. In the palette the eyeshadows feel chalky but once swiped they feel quite smooth and if there is any fallout, they can easily be blown away or brushed off using a fan brush.

The case definitely feels sturdy but unfortunately that wasn't enough to protect the non-finely milled pink eyeshadow from experiencing breakage during shipment.

Recommend?

If I had to recommend it to someone, I would only recommend this to anyone of any age wants to do their first eyeshadow experiment. When I first played around with eyeshadow, I remember that the palette I used was pretty bad quality but I still found it fun to play with :/ I was under 10 years old haha.

But if you are looking for a cheap, good quality eyeshadow.... I wouldn't recommend this. For $5.95 it isn't worth it and you are better off saving your money or investing in a better-quality one where the brand is familiar and the country of make. Also you want to be sure that they have a website that is actually legit.... *sceptical*

You can give them a try if you're interested~ I have a 10% off code for KKCenterHK orders on any item: BLGB345JL10

My face is like: 'I can find better eyeshadows elsewhere'

LOL I'm kidding but it definitely looks like I'm thinking that.

I have come to the end of my review post! Thank you for reading/skimming/whatever you do when you see a post from me xD I really enjoyed doing a FOTD look after such a long time - so glad to have made a comeback ^_^

Questjen of the week:

Eyeshadows - How important is the quality to you?

My answer: Important but not of utmost importance

Even though I found this trio to not be of high quality, this won't mean that I will never use these eyeshadows again or chuck them out. For some they may be completely useless but to me... they are still usable. I can make them work like how I did for my FOTD. I may prefer higher quality eyeshadows but as I said before, pigmentation is not my top priority - just as long as it is buildable and the eyeshadow smoothes onto my eyelids.

I want to quickly add that next saturday is the Adelaide Beauty Conference!! I am so excited for it. I attended last year's one and it was so amazing. I heard that this year's one will be even bigger... oh I can't wait hehe. I will surely blog about it *_*

♥ Jen xx

[CLOSED] Giveaway Time! Thank you 700+ Followers

A very warm hello to all of my readers! This post is dedicated to you guys to let you know that you're awesome ^﹏^ Thank you for following, reading and thank you especially for leaving sweet comments on my posts! That is the most rewarding part about blogging - receiving support through comments and making friends with people who share the same interests. Thank you for making my blogging experience a whole lot more worthwhile and enjoyable. It's a hobby that I hope to keep with me for life.


I promise that each time I reach a milestone of followers, I'll have something to give as my way of saying thanks. Words are simply not enough. So I have arranged a small giveaway with 2 prize packages for 2 lucky winners :)

I'll have this on my sidebar as a reminder for you guys~

• Open worldwide!
• 2 prizes up for grabs
• New followers are welcome
• Just fill in the form below to enter
• Winners will be chosen at random on September 22

I've made the optional entries fairly simple (no need to reblog my post). Hopefully the form is really quick for you to fill out hehe. Google docs just makes sorting out a whole lot a easier.


I've been meaning to have a giveaway for quite a while but didn't find time to make the post! Well here it is finally and I guess that all I can really say now is... good luck :D


Sadly as each week passes by I am becoming more and more busy with uni work which I know will get in the way of my blogging routine. I can't guarantee that I will have a new post each week but I will definitely be trying to publish posts as often as I can. Please bear with me, thank you!

♥ Jen xx

Real Techniques brushes from Priceline [Detailed Review]

Helloooo! A few weeks ago I was lucky to be one of of twenty winners to receive the Real Techniques Core Collection brushes. Priceline was having a Twitter competition and I happened to be a chosen one ^_^

So I'm sure by now most beauty enthusiasts would know of these Real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman. I found out about these brushes from tweets by fellow beauty bloggers and I didn't understand why there was so much hype about them. After my tweet where I was asking my followers, 'who is Samantha Chapman?' and then I felt a little dumb when many people replied with 'she's one of the Pixiwoo sisters'. I'm sure it's not expected that everyone would know who the Pixiwoo sisters are but I guess as a beauty blogger, for me to not know them may seem a little surprising. I had heard of them before these Real Techniques brushes! It's just that I didn't know their names, what they looked like and anything about their YouTube videos. Thus I had no idea that they had their own line of brushes until they were made available in Oz.

These are the brushes to create a perfect canvas and are the 'core collection of coverage essentials'

I must start off this review by saying that the hairs of the brushes are incredibly soft (they're synthetic taklon bristles by the way). They feel sturdy and look very professional. I had no doubts about the quality when I first laid eyes on them, both online and in real life.

I'll be reviewing each brush individually in the same order as the back of the box.

Detailer brush

Precision cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas or use with lipstick for long-lasting shape and definition

I don't think it can be seen in the picture above but the shape of the hairs are not like a typical concealer brush as it has a point to it - the hairs go inwards towards the middle. Okay that probably doesn't make sense so I will rephrase it by saying that the hairs are shorter on the edges are are longer towards the middle to create a point. Does that make sense? Ahaha I swear it sounds a lot better in my head... I'm really not that good with words yet I still continue to be a beauty blogger.

Now onto a bit about the hairs itself. I measured the hairs being exactly 1cm from the pointy tip to the top of the ferrule (the metal that holds the hairs). The bottom half is black and the top half is white - I think it's safe to assume that there were two different synthetic fibres used to create this brush. This brush is perfect for me because the hairs on top are more fluffy yet are still dense enough for using concealer to cover any problematic areas. 

I haven't tried using this brush on my lips ('cause I'd like this one to remain as my concealer brush... I'm not into the idea of using the same brush to do different things) but I am sure that it would be great for that too because Samantha said so, hehe.

My only complaint about this brush is that the brush hairs' width is half a centimetre. I would prefer it to be 1cm wide. But since this brush can double up as a concealer and lip brush, I can understand that the width is what it is. I can't imagine anyone wanting to use a 1cm by 1cm lip brush lol...

Pointed Foundation Brush

 Use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage

When I first saw this brush I thought to myself, 'wow it's such a small foundation brush... wait is it even a foundation brush?' /confused/ And then I read the back of the box where it said that it was indeed, a foundation brush.

It struck me that these brushes in the Core Collection set are in fact, not your typical face brushes. They have been specially designed and made - this is what makes these brushes more marketable, and unique. I like that... but it's not too easy for me to get used to. Let me explain...

This is the foundation/paddle brush that I normally use when applying foundation:

This brush is weighty, has denser bristles and has a wider head

Now compare that with the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation brush... it's the complete opposite. Before anyone makes assumptions, I just want to quickly say that I am not complaining - I'm simply comparing. The foundation brush that I normally use is significantly different to the Pointed Foundation brush and purely because of this I had troubles adapting while using the Real Techniques one. It just felt different as it's lighter, much less dense (again, two synthetic fibres) and is about a third narrower in width. Different is okay though, right?

Right! I can conclude that the Pointed Foundation brush was still effective when applying liquid foundation. I don't really have a preference when it comes to hair density for foundation brushes... just as long as it doesn't leave too many streak marks and doesn't make my foundation look cakey. The width is 1.5cm - never had I come across a foundation brush that narrow! I found that while using this brush, it did require a little more time and effort when applying foundation as it didn't pick up as much product as a wider brush would. Get what I mean? They say that time and effort pays off in the end... that's true with this foundation brush if you want to achieve the flawless look! It precisely builds custom coverage. A+.

Buffing brush

Ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation

 You know what this brush reminds me of? My Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki!

But really they're not similar in purposes

Good thing they're not similar or else I would be going into details with a comparison, haha. I don't have any mineral foundation which is a pity because I would have wanted to test it out with that. I do have powder though - powder foundation and translucent powder. The hairs are SOOO soft and very pleasant to use over my entire face. It didn't make my powder foundation cakey, in fact it blended it all extremely well. Same with the translucent powder... it left no white streak marks or spots.


I am certain that this brush would also be suitable for bronzing, contouring and highlighting due to its size, shape and how the hairs are packed nicely but not too tightly. I tried it as a blush brush but that didn't work out so well... it picked up way too much blush for my liking and it was too pigmented on my cheeks :( If you're one who loves to have vibrant(?) rosy cheeks then this may be the brush for you... I won't judge :D


This is currently my favourite brush to use for powder! It's also great to use after applying my foundation to smooth out any streaks and even out any foundation if needed.

Contour brush

Delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus finish

My first contour brush! It's like an oval fluff ball hehe, I love it ^^ Very soft and bendy bristles which are suitable for highlighting areas such as the forehead, under the eyes, on the cheek bones and the nose bridge. 

And since I've mentioned nose bridge, I might as well add in now that I also tested this brush while contouring my nose. It worked fantastically! So pleased and impressed. Usually nose contouring or any type of contouring can look a little unnatural (depends on technique too) but one who may have little technique can get away with natural-looking contouring thanks to this brush (an example would be myself lol!). I admit that I lack contouring skills, thus I am too afraid to go out with a contoured nose even though it would look better in photos. I think that I can now confidently leave the house with a contoured nose after using this brush to do it. It definitely creates a soft-focus finish.

I was curious to find Sam's tutorial video on using these brushes. If you haven't checked it out already and if you're curious too, I recommend that you check out the video too to see these brushes in action:

The brushes were great while cleaning as there wasn't any shedding or colour fading. The individual pictures of the brushes were taken post cleaning - have a look for the quality yourself :) They're still looking great!

*****

That's the end of the brush review, I applaud you if you read through all of that and made it down to here! My blog posts are forever lengthy because I always have so much to say xD

But I am not done yet! I also wanted to comment on its Panoramic Case:

 Dual carrier and stand keeps brushes organised on your counter or on the go

Actually I'm not going to waste my time typing out my thoughts on the case... I'll record a video instead :D Bahaha who am I kidding... I recorded the video before I even started this blog post! I like to plan ahead~

Here is a short video of me demonstrating the ways this case can be used and my thoughts on it. Sorry about the vertical shot - I recorded it on my phone and I thought that it would turn out being widescreen but obviously not ;( Noob me. Next time I'll shoot horizontally... if there is a next time.

Oh and the 'bend case and tighten toggle to create stand' part was actually supposed to be the result of the picture above, not what I did LOL whoops xD

Thank you so much again Priceline for holding such an amazing Twitter competition!!

And thank you, my readers for sticking around right to the end. As my way of saying thank you... I will have something for you all to look forward to next week. Actually I think I'll just say what it is now since you guys are so awesome. Mm, I'll be holding a giveaway!

Questjen of the week:

What type of brushes are more important to you - face or eye brushes?

My answer: Face!

Eye brushes are just as important however I haven't been wearing a lot of eye makeup lately - I use face brushes way more! Foundation brush, powder brush and blush brush are my must-haves. And now to have a set of new ones is amazing *_*

♥ Jen xx

Review: Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara Remover

Hello! So I have a review of an item which I purchased from Sa.Sa back in May. And If I remember correctly, Jen requested for me to do this review ^^ It's the Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara Remover. To me the brand name of this item makes no sense whatsoever... I just figured that it is a direct Japanese translation.

Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara Remover

RRP: $15.70 US (Sa.Sa: $11.70)

Country of origin: Japan

Size: 6 mL

... It helps if you can read Japanese (I don't understand a single word)

The illustrations were helpful enough

Cute packaging for the win - love the crown and the lilac tube

According to what is written on Sa.Sa:

Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara Remover is the perfect complement to the Heroine Make mascara, this innovative mascara remover features a special wand that brushes on mascara remover directly on lashes, melting away all traces of mascara, ready to be wiped off with cotton wool with minimal rubbing and tugging on the delicate eye zone. The perfect addition to any makeup and travel kit.

I hadn't known about this product before I decided to purchase it and I didn't bother searching for reviews of this. What I read on Sa.Sa convinced me enough to add this to my cart because well... it sounded promising. I hadn't tried any Kiss Me Heroine Make products before but I've heard a lot about their eyeliners and mascaras. Good things mostly.

It's like a mascara wand without bristles, just ridges

How to use:

Apply suitable amount from the root of eyelashes. Wait for 2-3 minutes. Use cotton to remove the liquid.

A 'swatch' of the liquid in the tube

I am going to show you a demo of this mascara remover doing its thing using non-waterproof mascara on one eye and waterproof mascara on the other.

Left: Paul & Joe Waterproof mascara

Right: Nutrimetics Lash Lighting Mascara (non-waterproof)

Starting with the non-waterproof one because haha, the result is really no surprise.

Excuse my dodgy cropping. It's making the whole gif look like it's jumping all over the place.

So obviously when there is liquid coming in contact with non-waterproof mascara, the mascara would transfer onto the bottom on my lash line regardless of whether it is meant to remove it or not.

I Waited for 2-3 minutes as instructed and then used a cotton pad to remove the mascara...

Verdict: Works perfectly on regular mascara. No residue and no vigorous rubbing required!

Now onto the test that matters more - the waterproof mascara test!

To really test this I thought I'd pack on the mascara to make it all spidery and clumpy... *cringes* Not a pretty sight but I wanted to see how well this mascara remover could... remove my mascara even when it is applied thickly. 

As soon as I saw that the waterproof mascara transferred onto the bottom of my eye... I knew that this mascara remover was doing its job well. However I was still sceptical as to whether or not my mascara could be fully removed without the help of an additional makeup remover.

And ta-da, more rubbing was required to remove this compared to the non-waterproof one but in the end I got the same result. I reckon that more rubbing was required only because I had applied my mascara very thickly with clumps. Normally I wouldn't do this, hence it's likely that it wouldn't require as much effort to remove. If that makes sense... but yeah. This mascara remover worked very well on waterproof mascara!

The description doesn't claim to do this but I am still willing to try this mascara remover on... eyelash glue while wearing false lashes! Even with eye makeup remover I still find myself pulling and tugging on my falsies that persistently remain stuck to my real lashes. Removing false eyelashes is a pain, literally.

Pros (+) and cons (-):

+ Does what it claims

+ Quick and easy to use

+ Suitable for all skin types

+ Travel friendly

+ Fragrance free

+ For all types of mascaras

+ Doubles as an eye makeup remover

+ Pretty packaging

+ Decent price

- Small volume of product, could be more

- Not readily available in stores/Australia

Repurchase/recommend?

I would definitely recommend this product but as for repurchasing... hmm possibly :) Believe it or not, I don't wear mascara that often and if I do wear it I am more likely to choose the non-waterproof one because it is less of a hassle to take off. And I hate rubbing too much around my eyes because I have sensitive skin and I have a delicate eye area. Having this mascara remover isn't a necessity as water with and without soap removes non-waterproof just as well. Though this does help with removing waterproof and fibre mascaras immensely :D

Thanks for reading my review and putting up with my makeup-less eyes. Since I've already shown no makeup eyes, I think it's suitable for me to show my most recent makeup-less self-shot with my cat~

Coco my cat, he loves laying on my bed. So I decided to join him and snap a pic

My eyes look super chinky

Questjen of the week:

Do you have a hard time removing your mascara?

Or do you currently use a really good eye makeup remover to remove the stubborn mascara?

Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara Remover is great but still I'm really curious to find out whether anyone has an alternative product/trick to remove waterproof mascara without tugging on lashes!

♥ Jen xx

Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with Sasa and this was not a paid/sponsored review. Product was purchased with my own money. Opinions are 100% honest.