The ULTIMATE eyeshadow for oily eyelids

Eye shadow always creases on my eyelids due to oily eyelids, or even melts and runs down / transfers to my lower eye area, resulting 'panda eyes'. Not only happens during the summer, but in the winter as well...

When I was packing to Thailand, I was not planning on bringing any eye makeup at all since I was pretty much convinced that I was going to be so hot and sweaty during my holiday, and any eye makeup would just make me look worse. However, when my lovely boyfriend realised I was not planning on doing eye makeup during the holiday, he started teasing at me, "Oh no! You are not going to do any eye makeup? I was going planning to take lots of photos though! That means everyone's going to notice you have such small eyes?"OK... I'd better dig in my collection and see what I could do...

I brought this eyeshadow with me to the holiday and had been using it as a base for my Maybelline eyeshadow quad. 

I'm not going in-depth of what I think about this Maybelline product here since this post the Benefit product.

The benefit eyeshadow worked great as a base, my powder eyeshadows and eyeliner did not crease / melt at all during the whole trip. My eyeshadow stayed put all day and I am talking about putting up my make up 10a.m. (or earlier) until mid-night, that's more than 12 hours. Why I am so sure it was because of this eyeshadow? Well, the only time my Maybelline eyeshadow quad does not crease on me was during winter in the UK.

For the eyeliner, it normally starts to transfer to my upper eyelid on my right eye few hours after application. All eyeliners I own do that due to my 'hidden double eyelid'. However, I did not transfer at all during the trip, that's why I am guessing it's the benefit eyeshadow stopping any sweats and / or oils from getting in contact with the eyeliner and melting down other products I used, working as a barrier :D

Even though I did not use any other eyeshadow base, this benefit eyeshadow is quite true to colour. It is advertised as an eyeshadow as well as a liner, I guess you could use it as a gel liner with an angled brush if you wish to, well, with another shade of course! 

This is a very shimmery warm-toned brown with a hint of rosy colour I would say, a very universal colour. 

Product mentioned:
Benefit Creaseless Eyeshadow / Liner in flatter me

Maybeline New York EyeStudio Natural Impact in 05 Glamour Browns

BCL B&C Laboratories Browlash EX Slim Gel Pencil Liner in Dense Black

Big Fail B.B.

This is one BIG fail... I have never hated a face product (in terms of makeup) that much...

Arezia BB Cream

I have tried Arezia products before but nothing disappointed me like this product.

There were two shades available, this pink one claims to control oil. Since I am oily at the T-zone I decided to give the pink one a go...

First of all, it has very sheer coverage. It does not make your skin looks smoother, does not make your pores less visible, does not even out your skin tone, does not cover your dark circles nor acne scars.

If you use this in the summer you would found this product melts within minutes after application even if you stay indoor with air-conditioning. If you use this product in the winter you would find this dries out your skin so much that starts turning patchy. For the worst, it goes patchy at the time of application that you cannot even it out again no matter what tools you use, but to take off your makeup and start it all over again.

Staying power is so poor that you have hardly anything left when you take off your makeup at the end of the day. Applying powder over this product does not really help.

Using this alone, as a foundation or as a base would be a total fail.

I guess the only good thing about this product would be you do not have to worry about colour matching...

I will go back to Missha...

Perfection eyeshadow? No wayyyyyyyy....

 

Perfection
Eyeshadow Quad
Shade: Jewel (WJ)

Perfection
Eyeshadow Quad
Shade: Sapphire (X9)

Guess where I got these two quads from~



Marks & Spencer!

Correct! They do cosmetics as well but not every shop does. They also do different ranges of skincare products as well as perfumes for different age range (and price)...

I loved their liquid concealer from the basic line which looks like this:

This liquid concealer was one of my favourites, it covers so well and is so light-weight, more importantly, it is very affordable. However, they have stopped this and left with the more expensive range of stuff... SHAME!!!

I couldn't find one single liquid concealer from the more expensive ranges but I decided to try the eyeshadow quads and blush. 

I got two eyeshadow quads. They are both in the pastel shades and both the packaging and sponges are very sturdy. Feels so smooth when I did the swatches with my fingers and there is a pearly shine too all of them (not shimmer or glitter!) which I thought would be nice for a fresh spring look. I in particular like the ruby shade from the Jewel quad and the darkest shade from the Sapphire quad. However! It is another story when you try to apply on your eyelids... No matter if I used a brush, a sponge, or even my fingers, nothing showed up... Pigmentation is sooooooooo poor that I could see nothing after application... I threw them both away before I could make a dent on any of those shades...

Disappointing...

What a WASTE 

Oh my cheeks look radiant~

beautyuk Stripey Blusher Pink

beautyuk Striped Bronzer

If you are on a budget, these products are difinitely first choice for you. They were GBP2.99 each I got these, I believe that the price has gone up since. They do all kinds such as eyeshadows, nail polish, lipsticks, lipglosses, foundation...etc... But I am only into their Stripey Blusher and Striped Bronzer. Not the one-colour blushers and bronzers, I am not interested in those at all.

They are slightly shimmery if you look at them from a very short distance. However, they do not leave you looking like a glitter ball. Instead, make your skin looks glowy and radiant.

Pigmentation is good, one or two swipes can give you enough pigmentation. These are not as pigmented as those from the Body Shop or Barry M, you really do need a light hand for those products. Moreover, even though these products do not cost a lot, they are not powdery/chalky at all.

Staying power is amazing especially for the price. They stay for the whole day even if I wore it on a hot, humid summer day. These colours are great for all four seasons and very unicersal for all skin tones. The Stripey Blusher also comes in two other colour scheme: Purple and Orange.

The War of Mascaras *O*

Rimmel London
100% Waterproof Mascara
shade: 001 Black Black

Totally NOT FOR ME, quite a wet mascara, claims that it's 100% waterproof

Bristle wand, normal size. 

• Does not hold curl
• Does not give volume
• Does not lengthen
• Clumps up like crazy
• Makes my lashes stick together -> spider lashes (Looks like you have only got a few really thick - diameter wise - lashes) - no separation
• Takes ages to dry after application
• Dries up in the tube fast
• Smudges like crazy (even if it's only the minute after application) -> panda eyes
• NOT 100% waterproof at all, smears around my eyes so badly
• Also get dried bits of mascara falling off all the time
• Solution form: need to rub a bit to get it off 
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: remove without any effort

What did I do at the end?

BINNED it. 

Rimmel London
Glam'eyes Waterproof Mascara
shade: Black

I know a lot of people like this mascara but it's just... NOT for me either... A very wet formula. Claims to give you ultra volume and high definition (!?!?!?)

Rubber wand, thin, curled. 

• Does not hold curl
• Does not give volume
• Does not lengthen
• Does not clump
• Makes my lashes stick together -> spider lashes (Looks like you have only got a few really thick - diameter wise - lashes) - no separation
• Takes ages to dry after application
• Seems that it never dries up in the tube
• Smudges like crazy -> panda eyes, but not as bad as the above
• Makes my lashes turn into a rubbery texture
• NOT waterproof, smears around my eyes so badly
• Solution form: easy to remove
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: easy to remove

Where is it now?

Sitting in the tray collecting dust.

Avon
ColorTrend Plump Out Mascara
shade: Black

I don't even know whether this mascara claims to do anything? The packaging does not say a lot... It says 'plump out', I guess it's a volumising mascara? It's a mascara with a drier formula. 

Bristle wand, normal size. 

• Holds the curl
• Very black
• Gives volume
• Clumps like crazy
• Does not lengthen
• Not waterproof (it does not say it is anyway)
• Dried bits of mascara falling off all the time
• Smudges and smears around the eye badly
• Not that stand out in terms of separation
• Dries quite quickly after application
• Does dry up in the tube fast
• Solution form: easy to remove
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: easy to remove

Where is it now?

I don't even know...

L'Oreal Paris
Double Extension Waterproof Mascara
shade: Black

Claims to give you so much length and waterproof. Not my favourite but quite nice to combine to use with a good voulmising mascara such as the Maybelline Full 'N Soft waterproof. It is one of the mascaras that is formulated with the tubing technique that when you take the mascara of it comes off in tubes rather than a smear, so that all mascara can come off without leaving any residue.  

Bristle wand, normal size. 

• Lengenths like crazy
• Not that great at separation, can end up with spider lashes if put on a second or third coat (or, when you have applied more primer than you needed to cover all your lashes)
• Would clump if you applied more than two coats
• Very waterproof
• No smudging or smearing
• Holds the curl
• No volume - it is a lengthening mascara (that's why it's best to use in conjunction with a volumising mascara)
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry up in the tube fast, well, still not dried up six months after opening, which is normally when you should bin your mascara and get a new one. 
• No dried bits come off during the day
• Solution form: such a pain to remove / takes ages
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: can be removed easily 

Do I like it? 

Yes, I do like it, but best to use with other mascaras as I said. I do have back-ups of this mascara because I luv how long my lashes look after applying this mascara. Also because most mascaras smudge/smear on me but this on never :)

L'Oreal Paris
Lash Architech Waterproof Mascara
shade: Black Brown

Claims to give a false lash effect, gives a magnified volume, redefined curl and infinite length. This is the waterproof version in brown black. Smells funny. 

Bristle wand, thin. 

• Holds the curl 
• Gives a good volume but I would not say it is dramatic
• Lengthening but not as lengthening as above
• Does not smear/smudge, great for summer as well
• Very waterproof
• Can clump after two coats
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry out quickly in the tube
• Good at separating lashes but not the greatest I have tried. But can make a few lashes stick together when more than two coats are applied. 
• I don't like the strong funny smell
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Solution form: a pain to remove it with
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: easy to be removed

How often do you use this?

This is one of my everyday mascaras even though I don't like the smell. 

L'Oreal Paris
Extra-Volume Collagene Mascara (waterproof)
shade: Black

Claims to give you hydra-collagen instant volume and waterproof. I don't notice any change in terms of the health of my lashes... Well, my lashes do not suddenly break off anyway in the first place, and whatever needs to come off will come off (your lashes do come off when they've reached a certain length/life-time, it's normal,). Maybe people who usually suffer with lashes breaking would see a difference... I don't. Does do quite a good job but I just want to use it as less often as possible. Carry on reading if you want to know why...

Bristle wand, Fat brush with bristles going in all directions. 

• Bristles used are very SPIKY and SCRATCHY
• Very Black
• Great volume, one of the best for volume
• Holds the curl
• Does not lengthen
• Separation is okay but can end up with spider lashes if more than two coats are applied
• Clumps
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry up in the tube easily
• No smudging or smearing around the eye
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Very waterproof
• Solution form: a pain to remove, have to use a lot of product AND takes forever but STILL cannot remove all residue... Basically impossible...
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: takes longer to dissolve the mascara comparing to other waterproof mascaras that I own or owned

What do I think?

It is with all my other everyday mascaras on my desk but I try to use this as little as possible because it's such a pain to remove with any type of makeup removers. It is also because the wand is so spiky that I have to take extra caution applying this mascara. 

Maybelline New York
Great Lash Mascara - waterproof
shade: Very Black

Claims that it can perfectly separate your lashes, no clumps, gives you volume and with a conditioning formula. Also in the waterproof version. I don't know if it is conditioning or not though... As I said, the condition of lashes are not that bad in the first place...

It is one of my everyday choices. 

Bristle wand. Spiral. Small compared to normal size. 

• Separates so well
• Does not clump
• Not lengthening
• Gives little volume but can be built up (wet build-up formula), I just never want to because when I use this mascara I want my eyes look simple, clean and fresh
• Holds the curl
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry up in the tube easily
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Does not smear at all throughout the day
• Never get spider lashes no matter how many coats you applied
• Solution form: can take a bit of time for the makeup remover to dissolve the product
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: can be removed without any effort

What do I think of this in general?

Gives you a nice clean, fresh, simple look by separating your lashes so well and not smearing. Can be built up to give you more volume but why bother when you want to look natural? Oh yea, when men says they prefer 'natural' looking face, they do not mean they want a girl with absolutely no makeup on, research has shown that 80% of men voted for the face with makeup on when they were shown with a photo of a women with makeup on and a photo without makeup on. 

Maybelline New York
Volum'epress Turbo Boost Waterproof Mascara
shade: Turbo Black

Claims to give you five times more volume and is waterproof. I don't know whether the 'five times' claim is true because I did not measure, either do I know HOW to measure.... 

It is one of my choices for volume. 

Bristle wand, normal size. 

• VERY black
• Separation is great
• Does lengthen a bit, which is strange, because it does not claim to do that
• No clumps
• Can give you a LOT of volume without giving you spider lashes
• It is waterproof but cannot stand EXTREMELY humid weather
• Generally does not smudge or smear but can smear a little when it is EXTREMELY humid / when your eye areas go EXTREMELY oily due to various reason
• Holds the curl
• Does take a bit of time to dry after application
• Does not dry out in the tube easily
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Solution form: no rubbing required but can take a bit of time dissolving the product
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: can be removed without any effort at all

When do I use this?

This is great for dramatic looks and smoky eyes. For those looks when I normally would wear nude colours on my lips. 

Natural Collection
Mascara
shade: Clear

It says it conditions for natural looking lashes, is fragrance-free and dermatologically tested. To be honest, I want to know what 'tests' did they carried out, because it stings my eyes. It went cloudy as well after a few uses. 

Bristle wand, spiral. Normal size. 

• Gives no volume
• Gives no length
• Does not hold curl
• Does nothing about separation - lashes stay what they look like before applying the mascara
• The lashes stayed soft after application
• Took me ages to wait for the product to dry after application
• Does not dry out in the tube at all
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• No smudging or smearing throughout the day
• Solution form: I didn't even know if there was any product on my lashes when I took my makeup off at the end of the day
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: I didn't even know if there was any product on my lashes when I took my makeup off at the end of the day

So, what did I do instead of using it as a mascara?

Simply did not do ANYTHING, so I changed and tried to use it as a brow gel but failed... Did not hold my brow hair in place either. 

Casuelic
Mascara & Eyebrow Gel
shade: Clear

The first mascara I bought was a clear mascara. Reason I bought that was, at that time, I have only came across two mascaras, both by Rimmel, one was waterproof(the first mascara I talked about here), one wasn't and both smudges on me badly. I was on the look for something that can hold the curl but does not smudge. I thought to myself, a clear mascara should not smudge on me since it has no colour, even if it does, no one would be able to see. However, it turned cloudy eventually after I used it everyday for about two months so the following summer, I had to go get another one. I could not find the same one but bought this one instead, hoping it would do as good a job as my previous one but... And, this one turned cloudy after two uses!

Bristle wand, spiral, normal size.

• Gives no volume
• Gives no length
• Does not hold the curl (my first one DID hold the curl!)
• Separation is great (so was my first one!)
• Did not take too long to dry after application (so was my first one!)
• Does not dry out in the tube easily (so was my first one!)
• No dried bits fall off during the day(so was my first one!)
• No smudging or smearing throughout the day (so was my first one!)
• Solution form: can be removed easily (so was my first one!)
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: can be removed easily (so was my first one!)

What did I do after it turned cloudy?

I used it as a brow gel but did not see the point...

Maybelline New York
Full'N Soft Mascara Hydrofuge
shade: Soft Black

Claims to leave your lashes soft at the same time gives you volume. It is the waterproof version. I luv this mascara and it's my favourite of ALL TIME. I just hope that they sell this at where I live so that I don't have to get this off the internet in the future. Also claims that it can make your lashes stay healthy rather than damaging them, I am not sure since I don't have a problem with the health of my lashes. Because my lashes stays soft, I can use this even when I wear my glasses without having 'hard-lashes' poking the glasses and hurting my eyes, they bend since they are soft. 

Bristle wand, normal size. 

• Gives you volume
• Holds the curl
• Separation is good - no spider lashes
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry out in the tube easily
• Lashes stay soft (I luv it!)
• No clumps
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Completely smudge-proof and waterproof (I wore this for the whole summer, when the weather is EXTREMELY HOT AND HUMID, when my eye areas are the MOST OILY AND SWEATY in the year)
• Solution form: easy to be removed
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: can be removed easily

How much I luv this?

It is my favourite of all time and I have a few backups :D This is the mascara that got me into Maybelline New York's mascaras.

Maybelline New York
Sky High Curves Waterproof Mascara
shade: Soft Black

I think this is the lengthening version of Maybelline New York's Great Lash Mascara Waterproof, giving you clean looking lashes. I was on the look for a waterproof mascara that is affordable because I forgot to bring one with me when I went back to HK for holiday. I found this in Bonjour and only cost me HKD35.00 and it's by Maybelline New York!!!!!!!! I did not want a volumising mascara in particular since it was summer and I would rarely want to do any 'heavy eye-look'. This was the perfect choice. 

Bristle wand. Normal size. 

• Gives length (but not crazy like L'oreal Paris' Double Extension Waterproof)
• Holds the curl all day 
• Completely smudge-proof and waterproof (I wore this for the whole summer, when the weather is EXTREMELY HOT AND HUMID, when my eye areas are the MOST OILY AND SWEATY in the year)
• No clumps
• Great in terms of separation
• Does not give volume
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry up in the tube easily
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Solution: easy to remove
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: easy to remove

What's my thought on this?

Another GREAT choice for the summer.