Cathy Cat Wonder Moist Shine CC Cream SPF28 PA++

Posted on April 29, 2013 by tinnipoo

Just when the world has now understood BB Cream – there is a new kid on the block: CC Cream. CC Cream stands for Colour Correction Cream, and was first launched into the market just under a year ago, the most famous one being the Chanel CC Cream (CC for the double C – clever heh?).

The main difference between CC Cream and BB Cream is that the latter offers more coverage (as it’s designed to cover up the redness after laser treatments). Now if you’re thinking “hmm a base product that offers sheer coverage and has sun protection? Sounds like a tinted moisturiser to me”, I have to say I completely agree. For that reason, I told myself I was not to purchase one, and even resisted when I had to buy 6 of them for my MBBE girls.

But all good reasons went out the window when I visited Korea about a month ago, and I picked up the Cathy Cat Wonder Moist Shine CC Cream as one of the mere 4 beauty items that I limited myself to (due to Mr Ronan’s plea).

I’ll review this CC Cream on the same criteria that I reviewed BB Creams:

Packaging
Coverage
Dry to touch finish
Natural skin feel
Fragrance
Longevity

Packaging: 4/5

Cathy Cat Wonder Moist Shine CC Cream is housed in a flat squeeze tube with metallic finish. Like majority of the BB Creams on the market it has a small nozzle, which dispenses well and is hygienic. The product is also a very generous 50ml which would last a good while even with daily use.

Coverage: 4/5

The Cathy Cat Wonder Moist Shine CC Cream actually has pretty good coverage, which is why I picked it up. I wanted something that I could wear on the weekends that is not as paste-like as BB Cream; one that covers up the blemishes a bit but doesn’t “white-out” my entire face.

The formula is that of a self-adjusting formula: the slightly pink fluid turns to a beige colour upon application.

The finish is dewy, however it sank into the pores and the lines on my face (for some reason I didn’t notice this when I swatched it on my hand in-store).

Dry-to-touch finish: 0/5

This doesn’t really apply to CC Creams as much as BB Creams, but is important for me for any base product. However, I rate this product a big fat ZERO as no matter how I tried, the Cathy Cat Wonder Moist Shine CC Cream just does not set on my face AT ALL.

With every swipe over my face as I apply this product onto my face, I leave finger marks everywhere I touched. No matter which way I tried, this product just doesn’t blend into my skin, and stays wet, making subsequent powder application impossible.

Natural skin feel: 1/5

Mostly due to the fact that I can’t get the Cathy Cat Wonder Moist Shine CC Cream to blend properly, I end up applying more product onto my face than I should. And for some reason, the “self-adjusting” formula adjust to an orangey beige, and I look like an Oompa-Loompa >.<

Fragrance: 3.5/5

The fragrance of Cathy Cat Wonder Moist Shine CC Cream is floral, with only a tinge of underlying sunscreen smell. Both the floral and sunscreen smell linger, with the sunscreen smell coming through a bit more as time goes on, but is tolerable to me.

Longevity: 3/5

I can’t really comment on the longevity for certain; as due to the wet and uneven finish, I’ve had to pack on a LOT of powder when I wear this product. But considering how dewy it is, it doesn’t do too badly – at the end of a work day I still have some product on my face.

TOTAL SCORE: 11.5/30

Perhaps due to the fact that the condition of my skin is not ideal right now, and that I got a bad tan from stupidly forgetting to bring my sunscreen to Korea with me; but the Cathy Cat Wonder Moist Shine CC Cream just doesn’t work for me at all. It looked fine when I swatched it on the back of my hand in store, but when I tried to apply it onto my face, it’s uneven, sinks into lines, and makes me look orange.

Cathy Cat Wonder Moist Shine CC Cream retails for about 24,000 Korean Won and is available from Olive Young Korea-wide. It’s also available in Moist-Cover (more coverage) and Moist-Tone Up (a slight greeny based) variants.

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Etude House Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base #02 Berry

Posted on April 22, 2013 by tinnipoo

Etude House is a Korean brand of cosmetics and skincare that never fails to catch my eye, with new launches that are so adorable in concept, packaging and advertising. Their latest launch, Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base is no exception – I knew I had to get my hands on one of these babies as soon as I saw the ad.

Seriously, how cute is this? Baby Choux Base is a makeup base that Etude House claims to “creates baby choux skin with its moist inside and soft smoothness on the outside.”

The box and the jar are as adorable as the name, and comes with a spatula which is fantastic – hygiene is important for both skincare and makeup products!

The product itself is a light and fluffy soufflé, I picked up #02 Berry Choux as it’s suitable for pale skin.

Berry Choux has a fruity strawberry scent, which is cute but a bit too strong and too sweet for my liking. It’s apricot in colour that looks a bit white to start with, but blends quite nicely with the skin tone.

On the face, it does a pretty good job of minimising the appearance of pores, and offers some coverage. It leaves a velvet finish with a hint of glow.

However, this is where my praise for the Etude House Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base ends. Although the texture is light and fluffy in appearance, when I rubbed it in there is a very distinct granule feel – so much so it feels a little scratchy on the skin.

I also found this product to be unsuitable as a base for powder foundations – my go-to Lunasol powder foundation looks patchy, cakey, and exacerbates the bumpiness of the acne (how I wish my face will clear up soon >.<). And as my powder foundation has a yellow undertone, it blends with the apricot colour of the base and gives a very unbecoming orange tinge to my face.

Summary:

I’m not sure if I got a faulty jar but I really don’t like the Etude House Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base. The tiny powder granules feel scratchy on the skin, and doesn’t make a smooth base for powder foundations. With some coverage, SPF 25 PA++ and a satin finish, I think it would be much better worn on its own, with a light dusting of translucent powder. I would certainly do so when my face clears up, but for now, it’s into the storage drawer it goes.

Etude House Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base retails for 11,000 Korean Won and is available in Etude House stores Asia-wide. For non Asia residents please try reputable Ebay sellers.

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Solone Magic Tip Liquid Gel Eyeliner

Posted on April 15, 2013 by tinnipoo

Solone is a Taiwanese cosmetic brand that is the most well-known for their gel eyeliner pencil, which I reviewed here. Based on the same concept of “fuss-free gel eyeliners”, Solone’s latest release is “gel eyeliner in liquid eyeliner format”.

What They Say:

Oil-proof, budge-proof, easy to use
Removable with warm water
Exclusive Japanese cotton tip
Fine crystal powder

My Experience:

Solone Magic Tip Liquid Gel Eyeliner is in actual fact just a pen shaped liquid eyeliner, which dries to a matte finish.

The tip is quite sharp and a little too hard in the beginning, but softens with a couple of uses. It’s pretty easy to use, and you can draw precise, thin lines with it, however personally I still prefer a brush tip.

To use, make sure to quickly shake the pen 7 times, to mix the crystal powders with the pigments.

The thing I like the most about this liquid eyeliner, is that it’s oil-proof so stays on all day long on my oily lids, yet removes in an instant with warm water.

This is just an awesome feature for a lazy person like me, as I no longer have to take extra time in removing my eye makeup at the end of the day. All I need to do is go over my face with cleansing oil or cleansing water, then wash my face with a foaming face wash mixed with warm water – and voilà! All makeup gone!

It’s also really convenient for travelling – as I don’t have to carry an extra bottle of makeup remover, cotton squares and cotton tips. LOVE it!

Summary:

I really like Solone Magic Tip Liquid Gel Eyeliner and will definitely be re-purchasing it once finished! It’s easy to use, quite pigmented and dries to a matte finish. Most importantly it manages to stay put all day long on my oily lids in high humidity, yet removes without hassle.

It’s become one of my daily essential makeup items, and I loved it even more when I took it to my short trip to Korea a couple of weeks ago.

Solone Magic Tip Liquid Gel Eyeliner is available in 8 colours and retails for NT$199 (so cheap!). Available on Solone Yahoo Store or Sasa Taiwan-wide. For non-Taiwanese residents please try reputable Ebay sellers.

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Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation and the right way of covering blemishes

Posted on March 2, 2013 by tinnipoo

Powder foundation seems to be a makeup item favoured by the Asians a lot more than Western women. I could be totally wrong in that opinion; just that whilst in Australia, I didn’t see many powder foundations available in the market, other than mineral foundations.

Since arriving in Taiwan, I’ve tried a few powder foundations. Most I don’t like at all (read about my disappointment with the Za Cosmetics one here), until I came across the Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation.

Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation is an upgrade of the Skin Fusing Powder Foundation, the latter of which I trialled before and loved.

Powder foundations are in compact form. The biggest advantage in this is convenience, not only in the first application but also for touch-ups throughout the day. Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation is housed in Lunasol’s signature metallic case (foundation refill and case sold separately), which is slick and reasonably resistant to finger prints.

Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation comes with a sponge that has 2 different sides. The top white side has a denser texture which can give more coverage, and the bottom beige side for regular application.

The texture of the powder is what makes the Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation different to other powder foundations. It’s creamy yet light, so it’s able to give great coverage, yet does not sink into pores or leave a dry and powdery finish.

Before/After

I thought I’d combine the before and after pics with how I cover up blemishes, which I’m battling with currently due to my insane working hours.

First and foremost, I want to stress that the most important thing when suffering breakouts, is to nurse it back to health with good skincare. For me, it’s a combination of mild cleansers, AHA products, and a variety of masks (read my skincare routine part 1 and part 2).

However, I understand that cover up is required when braving the public with blemishes. But the key message is: do not cover blemishes under a thick layer of makeup! This exacerbates the bumpiness and the discolouration of the blemishes, and there’s nothing more unattractive than a thick layer of war paint on what’s supposed to be human skin.

My simple steps of covering blemishes are:

Prep and prime the skin with your choice of moisturiser and primer. I keep mine to a light hydrating moisturiser to allow my skin to breathe.
Using the beige side of the sponge, apply a thin layer of Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation all over the face. You can see how it nicely smooths over the pores, reducing redness and about 70% of the blemishes.
Take a soft, yellow based stick concealer (I love Face of Australia concealer in warm), gently dot over the blemishes.
Using the white side of the sponge, set only the parts with concealer with another thin layer of Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation (not the whole face).
Use a good highlighting powder (I love Za Cosmetics Cheeks Groovy in 05 June Bride) under the eyes, nose bridge, chin and above the cupid’s bow.
Dust the tiniest bit of pink blush on the apples – I use Face of Australia blush in Hello Dolly.
You may find it necessary to repeat steps 3 and 4 for the blemishes on the apples of the cheeks, to lighten the blush that have gathered on the blemishes.

Voila! A natural and luminous complexion, seemingly untouched by the dreaded scarlet A (Acne ).

Summary

I just adore the Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation – it’s perfect for a lazy, oily-skin girl like me, as it’s so easy to apply, and gives me a natural-looking, shine-free finish that lasts for ages. For the ladies with drier skin, use plenty of hydrating serum, a richer moisturiser and primer underneath.

For the ladies suffering blemished skin, the Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation offers great coverage with the thinnest layer. With the addition of a good concealer, highlighter and blush, you can effortlessly cheat your way to flawless, healthy-looking skin.

Lunasol Skin Modeling Powder Foundation retails for NT$1500 for refills; NT$550 for compact (include sponge) and is available from Lunasol counters nation-wide. For non-Asia residents please try reputable Ebay sellers.

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L’Oreal Shine Caresse 603 Milady and 605 Eve

Posted on February 25, 2013 by tinnipoo

It was only a couple of weeks when I declared my love for YSL Glossy Stain, with the promise of going back for more. However, overjoyed with finally having some spare time on my hands during my one week of Chinese New Year holiday, I hit the shops hard. And as much as the YSL Glossy Stain is quite reasonably priced, one of those babies can still make a dent in my pocket.

So it was perfect timing that I spotted the brand new L’Oreal Shine Caresse lip colours at Watsons, and just had to try them out.

What They Say:

The 1st lip colour to fuse with your lips: rich defined colour yet a barely-there lip sensation. Lips feel cocooned in a fresh, dewy sensation.

My Experience:

I thought it’s quite bold and somewhat odd for L’Oreal to make the claim that Shine Caresse is the 1st of its kind, when it’s obvious that it’s a dupe for YSL Glossy Stain. But I suppose it has no significance to anyone; since YSL Beauty is a part of the L’Oreal Group.

Anyhow, I picked up 2 shades: 605 Eve (left) and 603 Milady (right).

The packaging is quite smart and more purse friendly than the YSL Glossy Stain. It also has a bigger area where you can see the actual lip colour, which I like.

603 Milady is a light mauve-pink; and 605 Eve is a bolder reddy-rose colour.

The applicator is not as solid as that of the YSL Glossy Stain, however still easy to manoeuvre on the lips.

The formula is sheerer than the YSL Glossy Stain, but is easily buildable to get good intensity of colours. My lips do feel very comfortable and hydrated, and the glossy colour remains through drinking and light eating.

The Verdict:

Seeing both brands are some the same parent company, it’s no surprise that L’Oreal Shine Caresse is a very good dupe for YSL Glossy Stain. L’Oreal Shine Caresse is sheerer and comes in softer shades, which could be intentional to differentiate the two offerings.

I took the liberty of swatching all 6 colours available to the Taiwanese market:

I would be quite happy to own all of the 6 shades, and probably will do so very soon

If like me, you’re looking to expand your collection of YSL Glossy Stains, I would suggest you look to L’Oreal Shine Caresse first, then move onto YSL Glossy Stains for the colours unavailable in the former. Both products are worth purchasing.

L’Oreal Shine Caresse retails for NT$325 each and is available at all L’Oreal Paris cosmetics stockists nation-wide.

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Za Cosmetics Perfect Fit Two-Way Foundation

Posted on February 17, 2013 by tinnipoo

Sometimes in life, great expectations bring great disappointments Za Cosmetics is a brand that has brought me great delights as well as great disappointments. Unfortunately, one of their latest launches – Perfect Fit Two-Way Foundation, is the case of the latter for me.

What they say:

Micro-fine Powder fits perfectly with skin, smoothens pores and brings you amazingly poreless yet natural finish. Skin looks tender and supple with skincare ingredients, collagen and hyaluronic acid.

My experience:

To be honest, I don’t like a lot of compact powder foundations. They mostly look too powdery, too cakey, and too drying even for my oily skin. I was hoping that where the Za Cosmetics Perfect Fit Two-Way Foundation don’t meet my needs as powder foundation, it would do so as a wet-to-dry compact foundation.

I purchased the compact when it first launched, and got the limited edition case with it. The compact is quite sturdy and quite cute, with a standard sized rectangular sponge that can be changed with disposable cosmetic sponges.

Unfortunately, I found the powder to be too “floaty” – it sits on top of my skin looking like an obvious layer of powder, but somehow still falls into all the crevices and pores, exacerbating the dryness (even though I thought I have no dry patches on my face) and lines I never even knew I had.

Using the compact wet somewhat alleviates the dryness and cakiness. However the problem with the lines and pores remain. Worse still, unlike a lot of powder foundations, the Za Cosmetics Perfect Fit Two-Way Foundation don’t have much coverage at all, and oxidises very quickly on my face

So for the perfect base, I’m sticking with the Za Cosmetics BB Cream (which I’ve already re-purchased), and giving this powder foundation the heave-ho.

Za Cosmetics Perfect Fit Two-Way Foundation retails for NT$450 and is available from Watsons nation-wide.

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YSL Glossy Stain No. 15 Rose Vinyl

Posted on February 10, 2013 by tinnipoo

It is with much shame to admit that I’m probably the last beauty blogger in the world to get onto YSL Glossy Stain.

I have no good reasons as to why I resisted for so long. I guess I just couldn’t believe that there is a lip gloss that is long-lasting, yet is non-sticky and non-drying. And the hugely inflated Australian price made me hesitant in taking the plunge.

Luckily the prices of YSL Glossy Stain in Taiwan is a lot more wallet friendly. And whilst doing the second big Taiwan haul for my MBBE ladies, in which Val requested FIVE of these black-and-gold nuggets (check out her collection here), I just couldn’t resist any longer.

I picked up No. 15 Rose Vinyl, and kicked myself silly for not getting into these sooner.

This is a beautifully wearable shade,suitable for day and night and I believe for all skin tones. Glossy, light-as-feather, non-sticky and super comfortable on the lips. The applicator is great as it bends to the natural curve of the lips, and the pointed end lines the lips with ease.

And the most unbelievable thing – the colour as well as the glossiness really last. Even after wiping the swatch above off my arm, it left a pinky stain on the skin for hours!

So here I declare my LOVE for YSL Glossy Stain – I will be back for more.

YSL Glossy Stain retail for NT$950 and is available from YSL counters nation-wide.

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Za Cosmetics Cheeks Groovy 05 June Bride

Posted on February 3, 2013 by tinnipoo

Another Za Cosmetic product! Since arriving in Taiwan I have tried a few of their products – some good, and some not so good. The weird thing about Za Cosmetics is that their good products are excellent, hence my willingness to keep trying their products.

I grabbed the Za Cosmetics Cheeks Groovy in 05 June Bride a couple of months ago, when I went searching for a drug store powder highlighter.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the packaging – good size, sturdy and the shape looks quite premium.

The brush included inside is a great size, and very soft too! It works very well with the highlighter, which has super fine and smooth powder pigments.

The colour of the highlighter is perfect: ivory with very subtle gold sheen so it matches natural skin colour. The pigments are very sheer (swatch above is done very heavy-handedly) so no fear of overloading. On the face, it gives a beautiful sprinkle of light, without looking like sparkly white stripes.

The Za Cosmetics Cheeks Groovy in 05 June Bride is an absolutely fantastic, value-for-money powder highlighter. I definitely get a lot of use out of it as it’s great for both day and night!

Za Cosmetics Cheeks Groovy retails for NT$300 and is available in 4 gorgeous blush colours and 1 highlighter. Available in Watsons Taiwan-wide.

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Beauty Insider: My Favourite Face of Australia products

Posted on November 23, 2012 by tinnipoo

Long time readers of my blog may know that, up until 6 months ago, I was the Brand Manager for Face of Australia cosmetics. For those of you who don’t know Face of Australia – it’s an Australian owned and developed cosmetic brand that is great value for money, yet is comparable to department store brands in quality (my principle in product development: benchmark with the best product in the market, regardless of price point).

During my time there I have used every single product, and here are my favourites from Face of Australia:

Face:

High Definition Stick Foundation

I adore the Stick Foundation. Apply with with a good foundation brush and it gives a flawless finish that can be adjusted in coverage. Plus it’s just blendable enough to be able to use a darker shade for natural-looking contouring. I did exactly that when I did my own makeup for my wedding, and it looked great in photos.

Mineral Therapy Foundation

My choice of foundation for everyday wear, as powder foundation is always the best choice for someone with extremely oily skin like mine. I ditch the included brush and use a good quality, full size kabuki brush to buff it on. It gives great coverage that looks natural, and I find the formula to be very soothing, especially on the occasions when I suffer breakouts.

Blush

Pigmented yet extremely blendable. I love the shade Nutmeg as it’s versatile to be used as both blush and contour. Keep your eye out for a couple of awesome new shades by yours truly – I LOVE them and use them on a daily basis.

Eyes:

Liquid Eyeliner and Impact-Curl Mascara

The Liquid Eyeliner is the best seller within the Face of Australia range and with good reason. It’s definitely my favourite liquid eyeliner as it’s easy to use, budge-proof (my eyelids are too oily for any pencil liner to last more than an hour) and is black as ink. Now that my eyelash extensions are almost all gone, it’s found its way back to my daily makeup routine.

Impact-Curl Mascara was a labour of love for me, which produced a mascara that holds the curl and resists smudging even for my dead straight lashes and oily lids. An unexpected surprise is that with prolonged use, it made my lashes stronger and longer. When my last 4 lash extensions fall off I’d be sure to get back into it!

Lips:

Lip Quench Lipstick

I was beyond flattered when so many Australian beauty bloggers praised the new shades I launched late last year. My favourite is Malibu Barbie, then Lychee Crush, Pink Champagne and Nude Satin. I also adore Silver Rose and Power Surge from the existing range. The SPF 30+, though causing a scent that is disliked by some, is a very important feature in my eyes.

Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons

I love Clinique’s Chubby Sticks so simply had to launch something similar in Face of Australia! I have all 3 shades in my handbag at all times as they’re great for work and going out. And to let you in on a secret: I was able to launch these at literally a fraction of the price of their benchmark, whilst still making very good margin

Others:

Purifying Cleansing Wipes

I’ve actually found a lot of cleansing wipes on the market to either irritate my skin, or just don’t cleanse properly. The Face of Australia Purifying Cleansing Wipes effectively remove all my makeup with 1 wipe, yet leaves my face feeling balance and refreshed. I’m totally bummed that I just used the last wipe 3 days ago

Gentle Makeup Remover

A miracle product – it’s duo-phased yet contains no oil. I use this mainly as eye makeup remover, but also as a pre-cleanse on occasions. Last night I tried it on my Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush, which I clean fairly regularly, or so I thought. I dripped 3-4 drops right into the middle of the brush at a time, and half an hour later I was still squeezing out remnants of foundation.

So there you have it! My pick of Face of Australia cosmetics, a brand that I was proud to be a part of and one with many products that I have and will continue to use daily (at least for as long as I can get my hands on it). This is a post I have wanted to do for a long time, but avoided since I didn’t want to cause any conflict of interest between my professional and personal/blogging life. So I hope you’ve enjoyed this post,and if you haven’t tried Face of Australia cosmetics, I sincerely recommend you to.

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Lash Extensions on Asian Hooded Eyelids – My Thoughts

Posted on October 4, 2012 by tinnipoo

Ever since arriving in Taiwan, I’ve been enjoying a variety of beauty services on offer here. Like a lot of things, they’re relatively inexpensive here (but remember our average wage is 1/2 of Australian wages) and the ease of access make them even more enticing.

One of these services is eyelash extensions, which I didn’t venture into whilst living in Oz. Partly to do with cost, but partly to do with a few reasons I’ll go into later.

The process of lash extension is pretty universal – individual strands of hair is attached to your existing lashes with semi-permanent glue. The whole process takes around 2 hours, and refills are generally required every 3 weeks if you want to maintain the look.

If you have Asian hooded lids and are considering having eyelash extensions, here are my thoughts listed in Pros and Cons:

Pros:

Even though I’ve maintained my eyelash extensions, I can think of only one positive thing about getting them, but it’s one big positive:

It gives you long, lush eyelashes with no effort required on your part

Being Asian I have naturally short straight lashes, that required curling and coats of mascara to make them decent looking. That takes time to do, to remove at the end of the day, and even then doesn’t give me the length that most Caucasian people enjoy naturally

Since having eyelash extensions, I save a good 10 minutes from my everyday makeup routine, as I no longer have to worry about doing my eyelashes or eyeliner, and can simplify my eyeshadows to one or two washes of colours on my top lid and bottom lashline.

Cons

There are a number of cons, and these are the reasons why, especially in Oz, that I just didn’t want to even try eyelash extensions.

Upkeep:

The obvious con with eyelash extensions is the time and money required to upkeep. As mentioned before generally you need to refill every 2-3 weeks, and even with that you’ll need to get them re-done every 3 months (Note: there may also be extra costs for removal).

Cleansing:

In order to keep the eyelash extensions for as long as possible, you need to take extra care when cleansing around the eye area. Water is advisable as oil can dissolve the glue, but as you may gather, this is not as effective at removing eye makeup so at least twice the time is needed to ensure proper cleansing of the area.

Another rather annoying thing is that eye “goop” gets caught up in the lashes, and I wake up with half crusty eyes every morning *yuck*.

No Eyeliner or Heavy Eye Makeup:

This is the main reason for me not to get eyelash extensions in Oz. I love my eye makeup and with hooded lids, eyeliner and smokey eyeshadows are the key for dramatic looks, which I do for nights out on the town and FOTD posts. Since lash extensions doesn’t allow the use of oil-based eye makeup removers, it’s best to just avoid heavy eye makeup and eyeliner totally.

Here in Taiwan I have a much less active social life so no need for heavy eye makeup, and the humidity makes eyeliners impossible for everyday wear (it smudges after an hour). I do miss eyeliner though… :/

It doesn’t prop up hooded lids like fake lashes

This is a major disappointment for me. I love fake lashes not just cos they give me fluttery lashes, but also cos they prop up my hooded lids and give me wide, open double eyelids.

I was hoping that eye lash extensions would do the same, but without the spine that strip falsies have, it doesn’t have enough strength to push the eyelid upward unless I’m sleepy (as in above pic, but the double lids are not as deep or wide as when they’re propped up by strip fake lashes).

Some length gets “swallowed” by the hooded lids

Partly due to the fact it doesn’t prop up the eyelids, and partly because lash extensions are, well, extensions of the natural lashes, the first few millimetres of the lash extensions are not very visible. They follow the direction of the natural lashes (downwards), and is covered by my hooded lids just like my normal lashes are.

Summary:

All in all, I like eyelash extensions but I don’t love them. I like them enough to maintain them for the time being, as I can afford the fairly regular refills and they suit my sedate lifestyle. But for hooded lids, they don’t looks as good as fake eyelashes, and can be a hindrance if you like playing around with your eye makeup.

What do you think? Do you have eyelash extensions regularly? Do you love them or feel a bit “meh” about them like me?

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