What's in my bag?

Earlier last month while I was having a short break back in my home country, I did the unthinkable! In all my history of forgetting to pack my sock, random shirt, shoe or maybe toothbrush, this time I have really pick it up a notch or two and forgot my make up bag!! I totally left it back in Malaysia. 

Back in Australia, I tried to think of the most rational decision and actually tried to survive a month without my make up but it turns out the next few days someone in the office kept asking me whether I feel ok because I look pale and unwell. Damn it!! So I finally decided to ask my sister to send my make up bag all the way from Malaysia to me and my bro-in-law so graciously chose the most quickest and secure courier which cost quite a bomb. Lesson learnt: Never EVER forget my make up bag!! 

In order to compensate for my feeling of spending too much for my small stash of make up. (Small but weighted 1.5kg, I seriously do not know how. I swear I thought it all weights like 500g?? ) I decided to do a post on them just so that I Never EVER forget about them. 

First up is none other than my concealers!! Life has never been quite the same after they came into my life. Eye bag issue has been haunting me ever since God decided to pass this un-appreciated gene into my family.  I would sleep faithfully at 10pm and still crawl out of bed the next day looking like I partied all night long. So thank you concealer... Thank you for you!!

From left: Make up forever full cover concealer in No. 5; Bobbi Brown creamy concealer in warm beige and sheer finish pressed powder in pale yellow;  and Bobbi Brown corrector in medium to dark Bisque. 

I no longer use the creamy concealer because it sometimes cake around my eye but the sheer finish pressed powder is a nice finish to set the concealer. 

Second up, Eye make up! I don't always do fancy eye shadow on my eyes but when I do, due to the shape and contours of my eyes, NOBODY ever notice them especially in photo. A very good example is the very good work my make up artist did on my eyes on my wedding day. So my eye make up routine is pretty standard. 

From left: Shu Uemura eye lash curler, Lancome Virtuose Mascara Sample pot and Heroine ultra fine eye liner in black. 

When I didn't have my Shu Uemura eye lash curler (Because I left it back home), I tried to make do with my old eye lash curler but it pinched my eye lid so much I might as well go for the puffy eye look. 

The other absolute love is the Urban Decay's Naked Eye Palette. Neutral, earthy and so robust, you can double it up from eye shadow to brow shadow and face contouring. An absolute must-have for me!

But seriously, nothing too fancy, right? 

Last but not least, Laura Mercier Invisible loose setting powder and Bourjois blush in 16 Rose. 

When I got the Laura Mercier Invisible loose setting powder, I bragged to hubby that it is so awesomely invisible that no one knows I used powder on my face. Then he replied, then what is the purpose of putting powder on? (meaning I probably don't need it in the first place). .... .... I do not know how to answer .... ....

That is all for this week's random ink. Have an awesome week, I know I am so NOT looking forward to Monday! *groans*

Eye Talk

The one thing I could say I love and hate about myself would have to be my eyes. I have large eyes but I always joked that with big eyes comes big eye bags! It is not a joke unfortunately, more of a sad misfortune. On good days with good lighting, I could probably ride it off like the puffy pouch of korean stars. 

But on bad days plus bad lighting, my eye bags went out shopping and bought new bags to flaunt! 

All thanks to natural genetics and those late nights I had to suffer during my degree years, I was even mercilessly nicknamed 'gold fish'. 

They say that eyes are the natural windows to the soul. I am not too sure about that but I do know for sure that the eyes are usually the first thing that captivates attention. Well shaped and maintained eyes and eye areas are usually the symbol of beauty. It is also the first indication of tiredness or alertness. Which is why taking care of the eye area is so important. Actually the practical solution would be just to sleep on time at night, but then I think that would have to be like the hardest thing ever to do. So Thank God for beauty products that promise instant albeit temporary solution. So, I did obsessed about eye products and if you are too, I hope my review can assist you in this area. 

The first thing is mind would have to be...

Eye cream and mask

You can opt for the au natural overnight tea bags/potato slices or something meticulously prepared and fragrant that is convenient. I can almost confidently say 'been there, done that' but I chose to review those that I have purchased because home remedies tend to vary from one to the other. 

1. Kose Astalution eye zone mask

' An intensive treatment mask for the eye zone that delivers deep moisture to help reduce the appearance of fine lines. The skin feels smoother and more supple. Contains: Astaxanthin' 

Price: RM115 for 10 eye masks 
each packet contains 4.2ml of essence 

This one would have to be my current favorite sheet mask for the eye area. The great thing about this mask is that it contains asthaxanthin which is a strong anti-oxidant that rejuvenates and improve the appearance of tired eye area. But also because of the nature of asthaxanthin which has a natural reddish orange tint to it, you have to be careful not to color any white clothes you might have on yourself. The effect is quite lasting, currently I am using it once a week and it helps with moisturizing my eye area which improves wrinkles. 

2. Methode Swiss Thermal Oxygen Overnight eye mask

'Methode Swiss Thermal Oxygen Overnight Eye Mask, a soft and comfortable mask that can be left on the eye zone overnight, smoothes out the wrinkles of the eye contour and visibly reduces dark circles. It leaves your eyes re-plumped, brighter, tighter, more elastic and younger looking'

Price: $25 - $50 for 15ml

I am not sure if I reviewed this mask before because I have been using this mask for quite some time. This mask squirts out as clear liquid which is applied to the eye area. It comes with a short manual to teach you some basic massage technique in applying the eye mask but I prefer to sweep it outwards from the inner corner of my eyes. When it dries, it tightens the area around my under eye area which significantly reduces the appearance of puffiness. The moisturizing effect is pretty basic on me but it might be sufficient for others.

3. Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream 

'Packed with peptides, natural plant oils and humectants that target fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness and dryness, this rich, concentrated cream visibly revives eyes.'

Price: $120 for 15ml

The texture of the eye cream is not heavy. I'd say in terms of moisturizing effect, this eye cream is rich enough to provide hydration without triggering any unsightly oil cysts under the eye. It might be a bit oily during the day time for the make up to adhere to the skin so I'd learnt to use it at night which is very good for skin restoration. Especially for dry weather, the extra moisture is always welcome. 

Eye massage

I once saw on a long forgotten tv show on massages to combine with eye cream that will significantly improve absorption and reduce eye stress. I tried it before and can definitely notice the difference! I can't find the original link to this, so I will show this with my funny face. :) 

First step is using the ring finger and lightly pat the eye cream on to and around the eye area (as noted by the red dots). I think Niu Er (from Taiwan) recommends using the eye cream both on the top and bottom lid, but my lid is pretty oily so I usually ignore this step. Pat around each eye about 100-120 times. It is actually very relaxing after a while. :P 

Second step, use the index and middle finger and lightly apply pressure along the indicated red arrows. Slowly trace down to the neck and onto collar bone. Gently massage the top collar bone, it helps release collected fluid from the eye bag and reduce puffiness. Repeat this about 3-4 times. 

Step 3, using the ring finger again gently press down on the key pressure points around the eye. The first place is right where the eyebrow starts, then the inner corner of the eye, followed by the middle point of the bottom eye socket, and the ending of the eye. In circular motion, massage the pressure points side of the eye near your ear (also known as 太阳穴) and finally the middle point of the top eye socket. Each press or massage should take about 3-4 seconds and the whole routine should be repeated around 2-3 times. 

Lastly, heat up your palms by rubbing them against each other and place it on your eye area. The heat would help the final absorption of the eye cream. Since it is very hard for me to achieve this without irritating my already dry hands, I like to use those eye gel patch (which you can heat up or cool down by putting it in hot water or fridge) and apply it on my eye area. Aaahh.... just great, now I can go to sleep!! 

Well, in the event that you... like me need a quick save... well, there is always reliable color corrector and concealer to conceal the under eye area!! :D

Have fun!!