Majolica Majorca Honey Pump Gloss Neo in PK247

I have had this for the longest time, and at one time when I only owned 2 lip glosses, I used this. But it made me so sick of drying lipgloss that I bought others and stopped using this. I think it's high time I properly review this.

Majolica Majorca Honey Pump Gloss Neo in PK247

Available: Watsons, around $10.


Volume: 6.5 g


Star Properties: Make you lips fuller?

Packaging
The Honey Pump Gloss comes in a standard transparent tube, with the signature Majolica Majorca gold screw cap. This tube dispenses the product by a tiny hole on a slanted tip. It is not that kind that has a brush end.

Color
As you can see in the photos both above and below, PK247 is a basic coral pink with some glitter in it.

When it's applied very thickly, the color in the tube can be seen, but when you spread, it will sheer out into just a light pink as seen below.

Pigmentation
Apparently, this is not pigmented at all, and applied straight on bare dark lips like mine, it looks just like a general plain transparent lipgloss, as in photo below.

As my lips are really kind of dark, you don't see the glitter at all. But when the gloss wears off with time, it does leaves the glitter on my lips, which can be a good on bad things depending on your personal preference.

I am fine with it because it means I can simply use my Burt's Bees Pomegranated Tinted Lipbalm to roll over and touch up, just to give my lips the moist look. The glitter will show through the lip balm such that it actually looks like I put another layer of lipgloss.

But some people might thing it just looks weird having glitter on your lips when there is not color and glossy finish at all. So this really boils down to personal preference.

Color Stain?
This absolutely does not stains my lips at all. Again, whether this is a plus or minus point is personal preference. I personally do like lip products that stain as I can then just touch up faded lip color by rolling my Burt's Bees lip balm over.

Pop Factor
I am not amazed by how much this gloss does not makes my lips pop at all. To think it is called Honey PUMP Gloss, but it doesn't pumps up my lips.

Drying
Here comes the part that I can't get over. I strongly dislike the MM Honey Pump Gloss for how drying it is. =( I can never wear this for more than 2-3 hours before I get so irritated and want to wipe it off. I have definitely tried this over lip balms, over moisturizing lipsticks etc, and none of them seem to help alleviate the dry, lips-cracking feeling.

Cost
I also can't get over how expensive this is, considering the dryness, the low pigmentation, and the amount of product.

I am okay with this. 2.5/5.
I think you can buy this is you really just like the MM style/packaging/image. But I have a good number of lip glosses of similar or lower prices that perform way better in terms of how unique the color is, how much they make my lips pop, how pigmented they are, how moisturizing they are. So I would say that this is a product that I bought, used a while, and left at the back of my drawer for some 2 years already, just because it is not as good as all my other glosses, and I wouldn't repurchase this or buy it as a gift for anyone at all.

I guess I can still finish this up if I use it as a plain transparent gloss over highly pigmented matte lipstick, just to give a pop in the middle of my lips. It's not disgusting, nothing to hate about it. I just dislike it.

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FOTD: True Colors - Hourglass, Vidi Vici Cosmetics in Singapore

I am so excited about my brows! This FOTD was done by a SA at True Colors (Ngee Ann City, Singapore), when I bought Hourglass and Vidi Vici products from them.

If you look closely at the inner ends of the brows, she drew a straight line to end off the bottom line, and it does the trick to make my brows equal!!

I always have problems balancing my brows this way. She not only balanced it, she thickened both sides without making them look so super-duper filled in and unnatural. Every time I try to thicken my brows, I fill in way to much.

Okay, I shall attempt to learn her method! Such a fruitful trip.

She used the new Hourglass Primer (review from Beauty Reflections here) on my face, and it made an immediate difference. Foundation was also from Hourglass, applied with a super, super soft Hourglass foundation brush.

And she lined both my upper and lower lash line fully, including the waterline. The liner is from Vidi Vici, a Korean brand.

The eyeshadow and mascara is from Hourglass, and so are the cheek color and lip color. The SA says that the mascara is awesome, but I didn't get that.

The cheek color comes from the palette below:

She applied the brown as bronzer near my ears.

And the lipstick is called Grace, below:

Yes, it is sweating because it came out from a very cold place into my warm house. haha.

My first impression of Hourglass is really very good. The eyeshadows are a dream to touch. They feel better than Urban Decay and Bare Escentuals pressed quads/duos. The foundation and primer also have really good skin-loving ingredients. The creme blush stayed on the whole day, and looks so natural, like coming from within. And this lipstick has castor oil as the first ingredient, another skin-loving cosmetic. But then, I guess the good first impression also stems from the fact that Hourglass is not cheap, so I really won't expect anything less.

The only drawback, really is that this is not a line that caters to color-loving people. It is more the kind that serves you uber reliable colors and universal tones which you can invest in and last forever and ever.

So if you'd like to checkout something that is skin-loving, and offers great basics and staples, then head down to Ngee Ann City True Colors Makeup Cosmetics (it's right at the escalator up to Kinokuniya and ArtFriend on the Aveda Hair/Zara floor). LOL, I am definitely not advertising for them. I bought those products. But I am just really excited that Singapore actually has such lesser used brands like Hourglass, Vidi Vici, Lora, and Izu Skincare! I really can't believe it.

Have you heard of Hourglass cosmetics? What do you think of it?

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FOTD: $20 Makeup Challenge - Golds

Today's look may look like nothing, and very similar to another day's because I used the same cheek and lip color. But the trick lies in when I close my eyes, look down or blink, to reveal the golds on the lids. =)

I can't believe this $2 palette works so well!

And this watermelon pink cheek color is from my favorite $2 blusher. I am going to add that into dresser drawer, where all my much loved and all important makeup goes. =)

And these are all the items I used.

From left to right, AC Smooth Lip Color in 02 Raspberry Pink, 2-Way Palette, Flower Cheek Blush, AC eyeshadow palette (gold), Comb Mascara Long & Curl, Art Collection Concealer, Brow Ink, Liquid Foundation in Light Ocre, Eyelash Curler. They are all $2 each. Total: $18. =D

With this, I feel like I can finally conclude my $2 makeup journey. I actually have reach the stage where I think I've found all the gems amongst the normal stones in the field of $2 makeup. And I will start reviewing them in batches, so that you know which are really worth buying, and which are not worth it no matter how cheap.

For those who have been following my $2 Makeup Challenge series, I am pretty sure you can already spot some regular items I keep reaching for in each FOTD, and you would already have an idea which items I am going to rave about.

No matter how, do stay tuned for my series of reviews on the $2 makeup! =)

Do you like gold or gold tone eyeshadows on your eyes? Or would you rather silver or bronzy copper? 

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What Not To Buy: The Body Shop Divide And Multiply Mascara

One of the worst mascaras I've ever used.

The Body Shop Divide And Multiply Mascara

Available: The Body Shop. I got this at an atrium sale for $10++.


Volume: 10 ml


Star Properties: For separation and amplitude.

Packaging
Okay, not particularly attractive because I don't like browns/olives.

Wand and brush
The wand is straight, and the brush at the end is rather long, goes straight, then slants to a point, such that the end is supposed to catch your tiny corner lashes better. The bristles are synthetic, and really stiff.

I totally hate the brush/bristles, because it pokes my eyes so much that I keep blinking while using this. It's so itchy and I can never quite get my lashes done no matter how long I sit there and try.

Formula
The formula really stinks, and is very, very spicy on the eyes. =((((( Not to mention, that this is not waterproof (but it doesn't claims so).

Below is a photo of what happened when I teared during a Taiwanese idol drama.

I have tried this many, many times, in a bid to make it work, and I've always noticed that it falls off very easily. So that day, I decided to put it to the test while I was at home, and when I tear, and blink out the tears, I could feel all that product stinging my eyeballs. T_T T_T T_T

And after just a couple of minutes, I magically washed off the mascara with my tears, no rubbing. All I did was keeping blinking my tears out, because I was touched by the drama, and also because the product really stings my eyeballs badly.

Never going to wear this out. In fact, I think this is the first product I am going to just throw away. =( One simply can't use non-waterproof mascara in Singapore, with all the spicy food and touching dramas... ... I mean, I don't know about other people, but if you tear easily like me, please don't buy this, unless you want to look like a panda on your dinner date.

Divide and Multiply???
Divide means this will not clump right. Alright, I will pass this mascara for this point. But multiply means volumize correct? And I am going to have to fail this because it does not volumizes at all. It doesn't even lengthens to save its own life. Bye bye, TBS mascara.

Color
The only saving grace of this mascara is that the brown shows up quite okay. I have a Bourjois brown one too (which I haven't blogged about), and that shows up better. So while I can give credit to the Divide and Multiply for showing up, I wouldn't say it is good.

Throw away. 0.5/5.
This is unusable because I really didn't manage to wear this out of the house at all. I have very teary eyes, like I tear when I yawn, when my eye gets irritated by the teeniest of dust speck, when I eat spicy food, when I think of touching scenes or watch touching scenes. So sometimes, I just wear this, I yawn, and there goes my mascara.

I have a handful of $2 non-waterproof mascaras, and I swear they don't come off so easily. This is worst than my handful of $2 mascaras. Not only is the Divide and Multiply unwearable, the immediate effect of it is not obvious at all. Even my $2 mascaras can curl, volumize, and lengthen like a dream! (And I will show that in my $2 makeup reviews. Coming soon.)

The half mark is given to the brown color for showing up. But to me, what use is the color when it doesn't stays?

I don't mean to diss this product like that, but it really is trash. If you follow my blog, you will realize that I mostly only talk about pretty good products that are 4/5 and above. At worst, I tend to just give things a pass at 2.5 or 3. But I feel like sometimes, a blogger who puts in effort to try and re-try and re-try a product in a bid to make it pass, should also tell when products are really not worth spending your money on (even if in a sale). Sigh. I totally regret picking this up even though I got it at a sale.

You know, a lot of times, if a product fails, I just sweep it under the carpet, and post about something else instead. But this time round, I just can't.

Have you tried the Divide and Multiply Mascara from The Body Shop? Does it works for you? Have you tried any other mascaras from TBS? Is any of them worth trying?

Also, do you want to see more posts about products that I really dislike and actually failed them in secret? Or do you prefer Positively Nice the way it is, with a lot more things that are positive, nice, and good to use?

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FOTD: Chanel Summer 2012

I finally found one day to try the Chanel Summer 2012 items on my face. And I must say, I really love the bronzer!!

If you would like to see the Chanel Summer items, I have a blog post on it, click here.

I didn't use the Calypso lipgloss though, as I find that a bit too sticky.

I used the darker shade in the Contraste Duo for my eyebrows, and it's so beautiful!

And above, is how the bronzer turned out on my cheeks.

The lipgloss is from Chanel Spring 2012.

I really don't regret getting the bronzer, now that I see how nice it is on my face. =)

Do you like eyeshadow duos? I seldom just use two colors, but I feel like Chanel has done it right this summer.

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Essence Nail Polishes

I have been blogging quite a lot on Essence products in Singapore, and here's another one. This post is long in the making because I am covering three bottles of polishes, and I really love them, so I am really excited about this!

Essence Nail Polishes, Color & Go Range, and Nude Glam Range

Available: Watsons Ngee Ann City, $2.80.


Volume: 5 ml


Star Properties: Very wide range of colors, ultra cheap, yet true to color in bottle.

Colors
These are the colors that I got, out of the whole big range. You can literally see the color wheel when you look at the Essence range, and I kind of tried to pick one color from different parts of the color wheel.

So that is a pastel green, a nude, and a pastel purple.

The photos below just shows how true to color the polish appears when compared to the cover and the color you see through the glass bottle.

I like how cute the covers are when they bother to make it the exact same color as the nail polish! It helps so much when I keep my polishes in the drawer. haha.

And you will never get cheated when you buy polishes that paint true to bottle on your nails.

Application
The Essence brush is quite flat, not round, which really, really helps painting.

Formula
The formula is on the thicker side, and you need to roll the bottle between your palms to get the paint more consistent and thinner.

It will paint opaque on second coat.

I heard that the formula for the glossy colors are much better. So you may want to pick up glossy color instead, because I will admit that while I am in love with Essence polishes, the formula for these pastel colors are not very near my dream formula.

I still think OPI, Rimmel Lycra Pro, and Dior are better.

So in the picture below, you can see a bit of grainy-ness in the formula for the purple one.

Quick-dry
I am so glad that such a cheap nail polish is actually very quick dry. It's not my most quick dry polish, but it's good enough such that I don't mess up my application.

So if you don't mess up the application, the paint will dry so pretty, like in the picture below.

I deliberately bought a nude polish to test if Essence polishes are good. I feel like if a brand can do good nudes and good greens, it must be a good brand, because nudes and greens are so hard to make. Everybody can make red polishes... ... That's my philosophy. =D

And so it turns out that Essence performs well for all three colors! I don't have the photo for the green one because I used that on my toe nails, and I didn't photograph it.

Excellent! 5/5!
I give this rating based on how opaque and true to color in bottle that all three Essence polish I have are. The brush is flat, the formula does not streaks, and dries fast enough for me. The Essence range is easily the largest drugstore range, bigger than Revlon's. All that for $2.80, I find that I really can't fault Essence at all!

However, I need to caution that if you have no tolerance for nail polishes that are not as good as OPI's, please don't buy Essence. Much as it's a 5/5 for the price, it is not the best of the best of all nail polishes that exists in this world. BUT, I do find it better than butter London, and comparable to a-England in terms of my nail polish-painting experience (not in terms of being multi-dimensional).

Definitely buy it if you love colors, colors, colors, always change your nail color, and really just want more colors, just because Essence is so affordable, only 5 ml, so you don't have to worry that much about letting 12 ml of paint go dry and wasting the whole bottle.

I will definitely repurchase, as in buy other colors! I am already thinking of this dark, dark bluish purple I saw the other day!

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FOTD: $20 Makeup Challenge: Glasses On!

Another look done with affordable makeup. This time, I decided to focus on the cheeks and lips, as I knew I would be wearing my glasses.

So here's the look. I love the lip color!

And these were what I used. They all costs $2, and total $22.

From left to right, Art Collection double-ended concealer, Liquid Foundation in Light Ocre, AC Kira Kira Eyeshadow in 05, Ellefar Twin Eyecolor Pencil, Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Grey, Comb Mascara Long & Curl, Daiso Eyelash Curler, Flower Cheek in 02, Ever bi Lena Lucent Powder, and AC Smooth Lip Color in 01. There is a sponge in the blue compact that you don't see, so that makes 11 items.

And the following are just kind of step by step how I build up the look. It's also meant to show how pretty the eyeliner is, because I really do super like that $2 eyeliner!!

 Eye look after doing the eyeshadow. That's a pretty good palette.

Eyeshadow. I think the the colors in this palette is so well gradated! Look how they blend seamlessly. And I only used the sponge tip. No brushes at all.

And there is the eyeliner!

Eye look after tight lining in my upper and lower lash lines. 

Can't believe that pencil is so good for tight lining.

And this is the lip color.

This is my favorite $2 lipstick.

Now for the final look again, but without glasses.

 Featuring my favorite $2 blush in watermelon pink.

And the overall look!

 Featuring raspberry pink lips. =D

To be honest, I don't really makeup when I am wearing glasses, simply because when I am wearing glasses, it means I am only going not far away from home and so I don't need makeup. But today is a bit different because I wanted to test that $2 palette, as I got quite excited about it after swatching.

I do find that the people whom I see (on the MRT) with glasses on, do not wear makeup. And those who wear makeup do not wear glasses.

But do you wear makeup when you're wearing glasses? Or do you think that people with glasses do not need makeup? Last but not least, what do you think of my makeup with glasses on look?

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Make Up For Ever Aqua Smoky Lash

I wonder why I just haven't blogged about this, because the Make Up For Ever Aqua Smoky Lash is my all-time favorite, and I always repeat how much I love this in every post about mascara.

This has been with me for a good coming 3 years (from the time Sephora touched down in Singapore). And yes, it is starting to dry up. But no, it does not dries up as quickly as some people claim. At least, my tube didn't. This is pretty obvious as I still don't see the need to throw this out after this couple of years.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Smoky Lash

Available: Sephora.

Volume: 7 ml.

Star properties: Volumizes, Lenthens, and Curls all at the same time!

Packaging
It comes in a cardboard box like this.

And on the side is the ingredients list.

The more mascara you use, the more you'll realise that waterproof mascaras are waxy.

And on another side of the box are some descriptions.

Aqua Smoky Lash enhances lashes, for exceptional volume, infinite length, and ultimate curl. Extra black formula is rich in ultra-fine mineral pigments to create the perfect smoky look. Brush has ultra-wide, high-density elastomeric fibers that hold a maximum of mascara, instantly guaranteeing spectacular results. Ophtalmologically test. Suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Brush & Wand
It's one of those bigger brushes with traditional type of bristles, and tapered to a point at the end. As you can see, my wand is bent so that the huge brush can reach my tiny corner lashes on my small Asian eyes so much better. The SA bent it for me, and if you want your wand bent too, you may ask if the SA is able to do it for you, because nobody wants to break the wand. Of course, you'd have to buy it first, and the SA will just do it on that box you took.

Traditional type bristles like this really hook my lashes, and pull them upwards, while depositing product onto my lashes. This is precisely why MUFE Aqua Smoky Lash can volumize and curl at the same time.

I think the brush is pretty good in that the tapered end really can reach those little lashes near my tear ducts. And because my wand is bent, I can use it very well for lower lashes too.

I honestly have no idea if you will have as great a user experience as I am having if you don't bend your wand. So I apologize for that.

In all earnest, I still prefer this kind of traditional brush as opposed to those funny flat yet big ones (checkout M.A.C Plush Lash to get an idea of what I am talking about), or those weird balls (think Givenchy), or those funny centipede-like ones (think The Body Shop Divide and Multiply and L'oreal Telescopic Clean).

The only other wand-end that I like is the comb that Majolica Majorca has made very famous.

So yes, I like this because it really works for me.

Formula
haha, what can I say? I definitely think the formula is very lengthening and very waterproof! It also holds my curls all day long.

I find that the hardest mascara formula to make is the curling formula. And so far, only this MUFE Aqua Smoky Lash and Sasa Super Dolly can really, really hold curls for me. I just found a $2 mascara from Daiso that seem to hold my curls well though.

And below are pictures of my lashes with MUFE Aqua Smoky Lash on!

Eyes open.

This is my holy grail mascara simply because it makes my eyes look exactly like that, the whole day. It never fails. Never ever fails.

If I go to a dinner, an important date, etc, I always, always reach for this.

If you want me to compare my two holy grail mascaras, I will say that MUFE Aqua Smoky Lash is a teeny bit more volumizing, and Sasa Super Dolly that wee bit more lengthening. But both are so close in all three aspects of volumizing, lengthening and curling, that I keep both in my essentials pouch to use interchangeably.

I never have a need to use both at once just because one really is enough to give that false eyelashes dolly look. With two, I will look way too dramatic.

I think choosing between MUFE and Sasa is a matter of personal preference whether you like traditional huge brush or slim comb. I will also caution anyone who wants to check Sasa out that the Super Dolly is a tad smelly compared to MUFE.

And there is the side view.

I like this so much. 5/5.
Holy grail mascara. Definitely will repurchase. If I run out of this, I feel like I will at a lost what to do.

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FOTD: $20 Makeup Challenge - Ice Queen

Beautiful $2 falsies.

Falsies and frosted pink lips.

I feel like I look like a snow queen. So white!

I think it's the frosted lips.

 The eyeshadow. This was taken before I put on those false eyelashes.

And these are the items.

Liquid foundation in light core, concealer, eyeshadow palette, double-ended eyeliner pencil, eyebrow pencil, mascara, eyelash curler, gradated blush, Rhomlon Creme Lipstick, and Pink Lucent Powder.

I don't like that palette (the large white Loujene one at the back). =(

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What's on my bathroom sink?

This is a post to break the monotony of my chain of FOTDs! Hooray! Yea, I know right, I really have been posting too many of the same thing.

I very personally am quite the curious cat who likes to know what type of products people have, just so I would get an idea what's new, what works for people, what doesn't, how people organize their homes, etc. So here is a video showing what's on my bathroom sink, and I hope you will enjoy it.

Have a great day!

Is there anything that I have, and you have also? What is it? What is the one product you keep in your bathroom that you would like to recommend to me or tell me not to buy?

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FOTD: Burberry Antique Rose, Tangerine, and Cameo Pink

I seldom use only one eyeshadow, but I totally felt like I could achieve a good look with the one Burberry eyeshadow that I bought to try.

So here it is!

Makeup used:
- Pupa Milano Luminys Touch Face Illuminator in 02
- Eyeliner from Daiso
- Burberry Eyeshadow Single in Antique Rose
- Shisedo Perfect Full Definition Mascara
- Dark gray brow pencil from Daiso
- Burberry blush in Tangerine
- Burberry lipstick in No. 03 Cameo Pink

I used the M.A.C 217 blending brush to place the eyeshadow all over the lids, then blended it out with the EcoTools blending brush.

Blush was put on with Le Metier de Beaute Blush Brush. It's an awesome brush, and I will get around to review it. =)

And there is the lipstick.

Really pretty baby pink that is actually lighter than my natural lip color (you can see my natural lip color peaking out at the bottom rim), but it really matches my whole face, and still looks like a my-lips-but-better color!

Here is the blush. It's very sheer, even though it's called Tangerine.

And my first impression of it is really, really good! In fact, I think I would recommend the blushes over the eyeshadows, just because the eyeshadow shades are way too neutral. Even though many of them are unique, I feel like they are close enough to shades that you can get anywhere else!

I mean seriously, do you really need another taupe brown?? I don't know. I guess it's a personal choice.

But I got one eyeshadow anyway. And I chose the one that I feel is really the most unique in their collection, called Antique Rose.

As the name suggests, it's a dull version of rose colored blush/eyeshadow/lipstick (rose color in makeup is actually kind of pink, not red). It's like a plummy rose, as you see on my eyelids.

This is a sample size lipstick that came free with my above two purchase. And my first impression of Burberry lipsticks is really good!

As you can see, this light pink actually covers my dark lips really well, showing that it is pigmented. It also feels very soft, absolutely non-greasy, absolute non-sticky. And it was after 6 hours that I felt my lips start to dry from this.

I definitely think this lipstick makes a better first impression than when I tried my very, very first Chanel Rouge Coco, and my very, very first Rouge Dior lipstick.

Anyhow, these are just my first impressions. I will try to use these more, and use in different ways, before officially reviewing! =)

Do you own any Burberry cosmetics? What do you think of them? If you have not, will you try them based on the current Burberry talk/hype?

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