Sparkled Beauty

A very successful FOTD I wanted to show you today, because the products I used were all winners. Also, I figured out a new way to conceal the dark spots, yay!

On the eyes were Make Up For Ever Artist eyeshadows in M646 Latte and ME614 Graphite Brown. They are perfect to pair with each other. Add in a lighter shade for the inner corners, you get yourself a great everyday eye look.

Since the eyes were neutral, I went all out on the lip with Buy in Coins Waterproof Velvet Matte lipstick #8, without a lip liner.

Since I don't have any Lime Crime Velvetines, I think these Velvet Matte lipsticks have the most matte finish among the hybrids in my stash. KvD Everlasting Love, Sephora Luster matte or Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet all have a soft matte finish by definition.

Some face products I used:
- Lotus Aroma Radiance anti-wrinkle day serum (review coming soon)
- Maybelline Baby Skin Instant pore eraser
- Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Tone Correcting moisturizer SPF15 in Light to Medium
- It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eyes full coverage concealer in Neutral Medium.

Instead of layering 2 different concealers as normal, I set Bye Bye Under Eyes with Maybelline Mineral Power foundation in Pure Beige.

For the longest time, I set my concealers with a translucent powder, as most MUAs/ YT'ers suggested. Also have been loyal to liquid foundations for so long that I forgot all about powder foundations. Well, I love the coverage of layering it now and will continue doing so until a new "discovery" comes along.

Others products:
- Make Up For Ever HD Second Skin cream blush in #510 Raspberry
- Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe as base
- Annabelle Custom Quad mono eyeshadow in Helium under the brow bone an in the inner corners
- Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara
Wanted to keep the MUFE theme through this FOTD but I still could not get used to the size of the brush in this mascara. Ignore the smudge on my lid.
- Wet n Wild Color Icon brow & eye liners in Taupe and Dark Brown.

It is a short week this week, but it didn't feel like it so far. I only want to get home and craw in under the blanket to sleep the day away. Hope your day is going better :)

Buy in Coins is a fun site for brushes and inexpensive random items for me. My latest haul from them: M.n Me Now Generation II Long Lasting lip glosses!

Labelled as Waterproof Velvet Matte lipsticks on the site, these hybrid lipsticks/ lip glosses ($1.23, 0.155oz/ 4.4g) are supposedly the newly-found dirt cheap cousin of Lime Crime Velvetines ($20, 0.11oz/ 3g).

Wide colour range (36 in total) but lots of pinks (some shades do look very similar) and not enough nudes and darker shades, and not all shades are in stock (19 at the moment).

The 6 shades I ordered: #2 modelling its long wand, then from top - bottom: #7, #8, #13, #25 and #36.

The glosses do have a faint fresh scent but it disappears very quickly.

The thin long tube (reminds me of a test tube) has a black round cap that holds the wand, which requires a bit of precision control.

Gladly, I found the glosses easy to apply and do not need a lip liner underneath. They do dry matte but are not drying when worn on top of a lip balm.

The swatches on my hand, once dry, only came off completely with a micellar solution, not with a makeup wipe, or even soap and water. On the lips, they transferred a bit onto my mug and faded gradually with meals during the day, starting from the middle of the lower lip. Touchup was needed about 6-7 hours in, depending on what I had to eat and drink. They did not leave behind a stain.

Swatches of the first 3 shades - #2, #7 and #8, one swipe each right after application. A few minutes later, they would look matte as matte can be.

Now #13, #25 and #36, also one swipe, almost looked matte already.

All in all, these Velvet Matte lipsticks can't beat Velvetines for wear but for pigmentation, price and colour selection. Note that shipping might take a few weeks, so plan your purchase accordingly :) And check out the FOTD where I wore #8.

Interestingly, the name sticker at the top of the cap mentions a MFD (either March, May or August 2014 on my tubes) and a EXP of 5 years, a lot longer than the recommended 2 years. I'll toss them if colour, texture or scent starts to feel off :)

Buy In Coins has been where I spent lots of time browsing. With dirt cheap prices and free shipping everywhere, plus you can find lots of bits and bobs from dresses to makeup brushes, lashes, hand bags, iphone cases, etc.

I found out about the site on youtube and have ordered quite a few times, thought I should share some hauls. Don't worry, I am not affiliated with them nor earn anything with your clicks.

First row, from L-R:
- 18-pc Magic Leverag Hair Styling rollers $4.79. These only include the short ones only, and I broke the hook trying to pull too much hair at once. Will have to order another set lol
- Velcro hair pads (to hold your bangs to the side while you do face makeup) $.98 for 4's
- Mini Spin pins $1.68 for 10's.

Second row:
- Magic Bun Hair Twist tool $.98 for 4's. I think your hair goes in the space in the middle, then you bring the 2 ends together to create a bun
- Hair donut $1.08. I know I can make it out of a sock, but I was lazy :)

And more:
- 150ml Pump Dispenser bottle $1.98. This is for my nail polish remover. The pump at the top is similar to the Zoya Remove + bottle, good control over the amount of liquid to come out on to the cotton balls

- Beauty Blender-like sponges $2.95 each. These would probably fall apart after a few uses, but I was curious. Time will tell. By the way, they come in plastic bags, I took them out just for pics

- Brush guard $.98 for 1 meter. It comes in a roll, you can cut out the length you need, supposedly one size fits most.

Here I am trying to be fashionable with:
- Leopard scarf $2.95 (the background). It is thin, more like a spring scarf, for style, not for warmth. It was sold out often, so I grabbed it as soon as I saw it back in stock

- Black & Gold Uneven Charm necklace $3.78. The black pieces are probably smaller than those in the real House of Harlow, but it was cheap. It is not cheap looking though, I already wore it to work and quite liked it

- Owl pendant necklace $1.28. Too cute, looks like something Claire's would make, not bad quality either. It comes in brass and silver.

And the most "expensive" item from the bunch: a Velvet 3-tier Bracelet holder, $21.09 (the price has gone down since I bought it). I have been wanting to get something like this for a while but didn't want to pay Amazon shipping.

Now, a few things about Buy In Coins. The site is based in Hong Kong, so shop at your own risk and don't expect amazing quality or fast shipping (it normally takes a month for the stuff to get to me). They are prompt in shipping confirmation, back order notice, etc. though, so you are updated along the way.

Searching for items on the site is also a little hard, I found, as the names they use aren't very traditional. Like the Velcro hair pads are called Ornament Magic Tape Fringe Hair Bang Patch Stick :) Also, some items are not properly categorized, so browsing page by page yield better result.