Mascara Comparison: HR VS Revlon

This is the first time I do any product comparison, and I think it's quite clear from the image which is the winning product. Helena Rubenstein won by far, then why did I buy Revlon? Because one day I found that my beloved HR was lost, and I was in a rush, so I just went into a shop to buy Revlon Lash Fantasy Mascara. After using it for the first time, I immediately realized how much I miss my HR Lash Queen Mascara (Waterproof). Why?

First, there are 2 sides on the Revlon mascara, the white one as base, and then the other side to put on top, the base is supposed to enhance the volume of the lashes. But it didn't work on my lashes, maybe I didn't put enough? (My lashes are not short ones) I did make sure I cover all lashes before applying the mascara though, anyway, after applying the black mascara, apart from being clump free, I can only see small effect and not-so-volumous eyelashes. Whereas the HR mascara, although it doesn't have a base coat, the lashes are instantly thicken and lengthen. Undoubtedly there are a bit of clumps compare to Revlon, but if eyes look bigger and sharper, I guess a bit of clumps don't matter, right?

Sometimes, you really have to spend more to have good results.

Brand new make-up "bag"

Ok, I love it when designers put creativity in product designs. And I can’t stop myself from writing about this innovative new product. So, now, everyone, take a wild guess, what’s this thing in the picture? Kitchen tool? Key ring? Speakers? No! No! And NO! Alright, for those who didn’t cheat and scroll down to look for the answer, this is a make-up bag, um, ok, I know, it’s not a bag. It’s a white chunk of layers, but it indeed performs the function of a make-up bag. So how does it work? Look at this picture:

Is this clearer now? Oh…still not quite, right? Ok, how about this one?

Yes, it’s a stackable make-up palettes! How genius! Launched by former Lanôme artistic director Fred Farrugia. This neat new product range aims to de-clutter consumers make-up bag, making it easy to find what you need, including eyeshadows, lips colours, blush, and foundation.

The individual palettes are designed by Ora-Ïto, they can be clipped and stacked together to make a compact and complete make-up set in one.

Moreover, applying them are like finger-painting, you don’t even need a mirror. You can choose from 104 stackable palettes of colors. For those who aren’t accustomed to finger-painting, the range also includes a make-up tools set to suit your needs:

Make-up Products: Autumn 2009

Candy colours

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Pinks and purples are usually spring colours, but this season they also appear to be the main colours, showing a sense of romance.

• Lancome Color Fever Shine - Color: 306 - USD20.00 (save 20%)
• Jill Stuart Fruit Lip Balm Tint Color - Color: 102 Peach Tint - USD22.00 (save 9%)
• Bobbi Brown Blush - Color: Desert Road 15 - USD26.00 (save 9%)
• M.A.C. Eye Shadow 6 (Limited Edition) - Color: Fresh Cut - USD71.00 (save 9%)

Earthy colours

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Earthy colours for autumn are the ever-lasting, classic shades. The main products are eye shadows, the tones include golden bronze, chocolate brown and olive green.

These are best for the less adventurous consumer, because they are easy-to-wear and natural, you can’t possible go wrong with them.

- Benefit Brow Zings – Color: Light – USD34.00 (save 10%)
- Bobbi Brown Nude Lip & Eye Palette (Limited Edition) – USD55.00 (save 32%)
- Christian Dior Iridescent Eyeshadow –color: 559 Parisian Lights - USD55.00 (save 12%)
- Lavera Lipstick – Color: No.25 Brown – USD12.00 (save 52%)
- YSL Multi Usage Make-Up Palette – USD41.00 (save 28%)

Blue shades

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This season’s top colour is precious blue, most obvious are the eye colours. NARS Liquid Eyeliner’s turquoise blue is a lighter alternative for this colour trend. There are many brands offering a blue palette, so I believe this will be a big colour trend for autumn.

- Jill Stuart Illuminance Eyes – Color: 08 Dazzling Moon – USD53.00 (save 9%)
- Chanel Noire Et Marine Professional Eyeliner – USD45.00 (save 10%)
- NARS Liquid Eyeliner – Color: Neverland 8105 – USD28.00 (save 5%)
- Chanel Irreelle Duo Silky Eyeshadow – Color: 73 River-Light – USD41.00 (save 12%)
- Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow – Color: 92 Bleu Celestes – USD58.00 (save 8%)

End of Summer Deals and Steals - Up to 70%!

CLICK HERE for End of Summer Deals and Steals!

Make-up colours: Autumn 2009

In addition to the usual plum and earthy colour, this autumn adds vibrant turquoise, pink and purple as a contrast.

Be a doll

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• Smoky browns, plum tones and red lips
• Softer, more romantic and youthful look
• Browns, greys and taupes to purples, pinks and blues
• Perfectly flawless base

Exaggerated

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• More suited for the evening or a party occasion
• Bold mouths and smoky eyes
• Bright two-tone shadows
• Purple, turquoise and yellow
• For lips: use lipstick not gloss

Sexy appearance

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• Sultry, alluring make-up look
• smoky shading on the eyes
• sculptured cheekbones
• bronze, browns and gold tones
• grey and green shadows
• Lips: browns, natural or nude shades

What products are suitable for creating these looks? Don't forget to come back and check out my autumn cosmetics products guide!

The Devil wears Prada

I especially like the comment Anna Wintour made on Letterman at the beginning "You have interesting socks", haha!! A truely fashion-focused person. This interview is interesting, I love it.

For those of you who aren't familiar with who Anna Wintour is, she's the "devil" in the movie of The Devil wears Prada, the Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue, as you would have known from the movie if you have seen it, she's decisive and seems like a very cold person, but very charismatic. Watch out for the "September Issue" documentary, it's intriguing. For now, take a glimpse of it with the trailer:

Za eyeliner

I am always adventurous when it comes to cosmetics products, and I have just finished the eyeliner I bought in Thailand in March, so about 4 months. (hehe, I forgot the whole cosmetics bag in HK that time, quite disastrous...) So I was looking for a new one, and here it is, Za Ever Liner for eyes. It's been like a week I have been using it, this time I bought black, not brown, and was thinking whether this colour would make my eyes look bigger. Um. I guess it makes my eyes look brighter than the brown colour.

It doesn't have a cap, so it's good because I don't have to worry of losing it while putting my eyeliner on (on the bus/train). Yes, I mostly do my makeup on public transport :P. Anyway, you just need to turn the head (the transparent part of the photo) of the pen then the eyeliner will come out, convenient! And I also like the colour of the eyeliner itself, white, simple and clean.

As for the texture, it's very easy to apply, it doesn't require a back and forth drawing for the colour to stand out, just basically one stroke is enough. I am lovin' it. I still remember the first eyeliner I had, I need to re-draw and re-draw to have a nice solid colour, so much effort. And this one is so much easier.

How about you? Any eyeliner you recommend to everyone?