Trip Report!

Girls~ Here are the stuff I tried on the trip: 

I like this Kielh's night oil, but it was a bit too rich for the Asian weather. However, I think it should be much better in US dry weather.

LOVE this mask. Its pull-up design by using the ear hoops to pull up from chin and neck is just AMAZING. Love it!

I have never really used Laneige products before. But a friend of mine introduced this BB cream to me. it's quite good. I like how light it is on my skin.

DDH - Foaming cleanser. Personally I like any foam based cleanser. It just somehow cleans better. I got this sample from a cosmetic show. It's a good facial cleanser. But it's not a deep cleanser. Good for usual daily cleaning.

Clarins - Instant Smooth. It's great to use under the foundation to get the photo (touched up) finished look with your make-up. However, the problem with this product is that if you don't clean your pores well, you might break out more easily using this. It's just like any other primer, except this product can actually "erase" pores.

Japanese whitening mask and eye drops. They are supposed to be quite popular in Japan. I think the mask is just ok. But i am not sure what i am supposed to get out of the eye drops. Still figuring it out.....

Fiberwig mascara - It supposes to extend the length of your lashes. It should also has this little plastic that can help you apply mascara without messing up your eye shadow. My experience using it is.... just ok.. i still like Makeup forever's aqua smoky eye mascara better!

Eyeliner pen. Dark, easy to draw and long lasting. (I can wear it the whole day and my eye liner is still very visible )

How to dramatically enlarged your eyes and get rid of your sleepy look?

The secret is.... eye liner! LOL It's probably not a well kept secret .. everyone knows!

but, how do you use eyeliner to achieve the look you want and not over or under do it? What are some of the good liner products out on the market? What type of liner is good for what look? QB will break it down by looks and products for you!

All in all, there are 4 types of liners: pencil, powder/ powder gel (I will explain what this is later), gel and liquid:

Some examples for each from top down on the picture above

Lancome Le Crayon khol
Makeup Forever kohl pencil
Urban Decay Shadow/Liner

Urban Decay eyeliner

Bobbi Brown liner gel

Clinique liquid eyeliner

Tricks on how to use each type of liner mentioned above:

1. For beginner, I recommend using eyeliner pencil.

• You can begin with the middle of eyelid and draw to either direction. 
• Make sure your pencil is sharp and you draw as close to the roots of the lashes as possible

Lancome Le Crayon khol (bottom left) is smooth and rich, so it's easy to apply. Good for beginner and any level trying to achieve an effortless look. Recommend using it with light make-up.

Makeup Forever Kohl is darker and richer in color, it's better for a more dramatic look. (bottom right)

2. When you are out or on a trip, you want to pack as less as possible, you can choose to use Shadow/Powder type liner. You can use it for smoky eyes look and as liner if you wish.

• You need a good brush for powder liner, like this below (This is a retractable one, you don't necessary need this, but this type of angled brush is best for applying powder type liner)

• Start from the outer most point of your eyelid, begin drawing inward at the root of the lashes toward the inner point of the eyelid. 
• Other than the Urban Decay product I showed above. You can try the Bare Mineral products below. Use the liner seal on the left side on top of the powder liner to ensure it last longer. 

3.  Eyeliner gel is a liner product that got very popular in the past few years.

The #1 product in eyeliner gel is Bobbie Brown. I recommend people with more experience in using liner to try the liner gel. It really define the eyes very well, but it does require a set of steady hands.
The picture below is the bobbie brown eyeliner gel set. Good purchase for experienced QBs. You can get it at Duty free for 20% less than retail price. I always pick up a set when I travel aboard.

• You need to make sure your liner brush is clean. Please do not use your liner brush without washing it. The gel from last time will get dried and completely change the texture of the brush. You have to wash it to get the brush back to where it was.
• Don't get too much gel on the brush as once, and make sure it is even on the brush.
• Start with inner point of the eyelid, and draw toward outer point of the eyelid. Do it in one shot (one stroke), otherwise, it will look too thick, too dark or uneven.

4. Last and the most famous one - liquid liner. It is slowly fading in the popularity contest as eyeliner gel becoming more popular. But in liquid liner's defense, it can create a type mysterious and sexy look that other type of liner can't.

• Like eyeliner gel, you need to start with inner point of the eyelid. 
• Feel free to draw it upward at the outer most point of your eyelid and extend your liner out a bit more to get a sexier look. 

I also looked up some tutorials on how to apply eyeliner on the video bar~
Enjoy~

Eyelashes

Sorry QBs, I was away in China and didn't realize I do not have access on gmail blogger because it is blocked in China...... yeah.... wtf.. i know. Anyways, I am back~~ Now let's continue :)

While I was away, I got messages inbox from a friend asking about how to create long and curly eyelashes. Looking at how the cartoon distinguish male and female are always by adding the long and curly lashes... So, I suppose, lashes symbolize femininity.

Therefore creating beautiful lashes becomes an important thing to learn in make-up application. And there are tricks on using products like eyelash curler and mascara to create natural and curly lashes. Following points and tricks are key to create full and beautiful lashes:

1. Pick a good curler - the first thing is to have a good tool. :) Go figure.... LOL ...

I recommend 2 brand: Shu Uemura and Shiseido. Why? It's because they are design to have good shape to fit the shape of eyelid. Plus the rubber(filler) last a long time. it can give your lashes a good squeeze into a pretty curly shape. I highly recommend them~~

2. Heat the lash curler up before using it - My secret weapon is blow dryer！ Yes! Blow dryer! You heard me right. What does it have to do with curling your lashes? Use blow dryer heat up the lash curler before curling the lashes can make the curl last longer. Also, blow dryer can heat up the curler quickly. It usually takes 4-5 second. Don't heat it up too much. You don't want to burn your eye lids either. :) Squeeze it a few times to make the curl last a whole day.

3. Pick the right Mascara for your lashes - There are way too many mascara out on the market. In general, there are a few different types of mascara: for length, volume or shape holding.

For QBs who have natural curly lashes but like more volume, use Dior Iconic Mascara or L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara

For QBs who have shorter lashes, use Almay pure blend volumizing mascara or Clinique high definition Lashes Brush then comb to extend the length of the lashes to get longer and sexier look.

For QBs with less curly lashes, use mascara that holds the shape of the curled lashes after using lash curler is important, try Majolica Majorca Masacara , Makeup Forever Waterproof Mascara. They can hold the curly shape, so the curls can last longer and lashes are more dramatic.

4. One more trick: After the mascara dry, use the lash curler to re-enforce the shape again. It will give you a even more dramatic and longer lasting look I promise. :)

Next time, I will show you how to wear false lashes and lash grower products. Stay tune my lovely QBs!!