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A place for me to share all my make-up ramblings...enjoy!

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themakeupblogette@hotmail.com

My name is Sophia!

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FAQ & DISCLAIMER

About Me

My name is Sophia, and I am in my early 30s. I am from Singapore and I am the sole writer of this blog.

About this Blog

I started this blog in 2006, I like to use a wide range of brands though I seem to have a growing preference for higher-end brands in recent years. I also like to share interesting things I have come across about makeup and beauty.

Currently The Makeup Blogette receives 39,000 unique views monthly or 2,238,932 views and counting.

My Makeup Style

I like classic looks (neutral tones on eyes, anything goes for lips & cheeks), though occasionally I try out dramatic/ statement looks.  I believe that a flawless base is the key to achieving great makeup looks.  I also believe that if you don't have great skin to start with, fake it with a good foundation routine, and even greater skincare.  I am currently loving Clarins & Lancome skincare products, and Vichy NormaDerm for tackling with breakouts.

What Cameras do I use?

Most of the pictures you see in post 2010 entries are taken with my Canon G-11.  Previously I was using Canon Ixus 80.  I do post some pictures which are taken with my iphone4 which I will state in that particular entry.  I have stopped watermarking my pictures as of 2011, because I think watermarks are ugly in general, and does not prevent people from stealing my pictures if they wish to.  I just take it as a compliment that my pictures are even worth stealing in the first place. I might look into getting a Canon EOS next year, not just for blogging purposes, but I also like photography in general.

My Favourite Makeup Brand(s)

It is hard to name just one, but I like NARS, Chanel, Illamasqua and the ocasional Guerlain, Dior & Urban Decay item.  I own quite a stash of MAC items, but recently I have stopped catching up with their collections, and I much prefer to splurge on a few really outstanding items.

Where to find me

Twitter (link button above!)  Email (stated above!)  Instagram (makeup_blogette)

I have no official Facebook fan page, and currently have no intention to start one at all.  The Makeup Blogette remains my personal hobby and property, so as such, I don't believe in having a Facebook fanpage for it.

Final Disclaimer

I bought/ paid for all of the products mentioned in this blog. I am not affliated to any company. If certain products are sent to me for review purposes, I will say so and express my honest opinions about them. In any case, I will only review and showcase the products which I have personally tried and tested, and enjoy using. I do not get paid to review anything.

No ads, no paid links etc please.  I am in charge of all content and pictures here.

I am not a makeup artist, nor do I have any professional training in makeup.

 

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    February 02, 2012

    US Swap Goodies [Maybelline & Revlon]

    A couple of weeks back, a very lovely reader, Kay, offered to do a swap with me, and this is what happened.  I just want to thank her again, very very much, super fast and efficient.  Her package is currently on its way to her right now.  It's an unusual sort of swap, because we both asked for very specifc items.  I was trying to be very very good...  and so....obviously not everything is mine, I got 2 more girls to take part in this swap with me, so we can help one another get everything that was needed.

    She also very very kindly included two brand new Rock & Republic eyeshadows in the package, I have never tried R&R before, so I am really quite excited to check these out!

    Many Revlon goodies, some of the Lip Butter - we just happened to choose shades which are not available here in Sg.  New Revlon eyeshadow quads.  And also the LATEST Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadows!


    Will do a swatch/ comparison entry by product name in the next few entries.

     

    Special thanks again to Kay! :)

     

    Thanks for looking!

     

     

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    June 14, 2010

    Haul! Illamasqua, Sephora by OPI & US Drugstore

    Hi hi,

    This entry is devoted to some US makeup items which Iris (of Rouge Deluxe) helped me got while she was in the US last week.  I also met Kas today to do a little exchange of some more MU items etc etc this afternoon... so all in all, lotsa of math, and oooohing and aahhhing at the colors and stuff we got.  I must thank both girls, in particular, Iris for helping to get these stuff!!

    First up, more Illamasqua blushes.  I guess now you know why I didn't go all nuts with the NARS hauling in HK... that's cos at the back of my mind, I was thinking of these babies coming on the way.

    Illamasqua lipstick in Obey.  If I have to point a finger at this haul, it's got to be Dara (belle du jour nyc -- check out her May faves video) , and yup.... so yup, I am suckered as usual.

    Next, are some Sephora for OPI nail polish.  These retail for US$9 each.  I got 2 colors from their summer collection, which are Havana Dreams and Rumba Romance.   The other two colors I got most likely cos the names are irrestible to pass up. It's all about Me is a bright deep pink, while Shopping Frenzy is the same pink with a magenta sheen.

    Next, we have the L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base.  Again this is raved about in Dara's May Faves video.  The texture is rather creamy and nice, and smooth.  Want to try this out sometime soon.  :)

    And I got a back up of Covergirl Oil Control Pressed Powder.  My sisters like to use this too, and I am almost hitting pan on the first one I have... and so, yup, this is a very legit purchase.

    And lastly, a much talked about item in the beauty community, is Revlon's Nude Attitude (matte).  Love this color!!  Not concealer washed out nude... but really my lips but better color.

    And random, haha hhaha... after one week, my tatt is still intact..... either the tatt is very 'long-lasting' or I never wash myself properly in the shower!  LOL. Go figure.

    Hmmm... I know you all like haul entries... and these are the  best kind!  :)  Leave a comment if you have any questions on the items mentioned here.

    Thanks for looking!

     

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    July 22, 2009

    Overview: Liquid Foundations

    Hi Hi!


    Just a quick entry on liquid foundations.  I started using them when I wanted more coverage. Personally I find that I need to touch up my foundation when I used to be a 2-way cake user (BTW my fave is the DIOR Extreme Fit power foundation).  So... when I make the big switch to Liquid Foundations (prolly the same time I bought the MAc 187 brush), I bought MAC Studio Fix Fluid.

    Note that this is not in any way a full review of every single foundation.  I am just giving my opinions of each one in terms of their texture and durability.

    Here is a group picture:

    *note that in my last few posts, pics are taken with my lousy iphone camera--- it's just much easier to upload without compromising

    too much on quality to my amatuer eyes.

    From L to R:

    Silky Girl Skin Perfect spf30++ 01 Light: I like this, but something about the tone doesn't suit my face, so I mix this when I am using the Maybelline foundation. Super cheap, and great as a everyday foundation.

    DIOR Extreme Fit spf15++ 020: My fave foundation. Color is perfect for me.  This is an empty bottle, but I have a brand new bottle which I bought at the airport duty free ($56 duty free?)  I just LOVE Dior foundations.  But I have been rotating my foundations so I am not opening the new one yet.

    MUFE HD Foundation in 120: ARGH.  Everything about this foundation is perfect, except the color, as you all know. So usually my sis uses this foundation if she is doing her MU at home.  But I mix the studio sculpt and now it is OK.  Very lasting too.  Definitely will get one in my correct shade when this runs out. Seriously, you need the tiniest amount of this.

    MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC15 spf 15: Great basic foundation. Great color. Easy to blend, and buildable coverage.  :)

    Maybelline Pure Fluid Mineral 020 Beige Eclat spf18:  I also have a backup of this.  But there is so much left in this bottle.  LOVE how it blends.  Not the longest lasting though.

    Clinique Superfit 63 Fresh Beige: Super light, but unlike the MUFE HD foundation, which is also light in texture, this doesn't have much coverage. You need to use a lot to achieve medium to full coverage, from my own experience.  I feel like I have used so much already even though I just got this recently. Good product, but don't think I will repurchase.

    MUFE Mat Velvet+ Oil Free, Water Resistant: Newest addition.  I haven't used it.  But it is super thick... and the MUA said I can use it as a concealer too.  I have good vibe about this.

    Lying down in the centre, we have MAC studio sculpt foundation NC15 spf15: Due to launch in SG this Sept.  I like the scent of this... for some strange reason.  Ha ha.  And the texture is unlike anything I have tried before.  And of all the foundations, you use the least product for this.  Medium to full coverage. Smooth finish. And the only foundation I apply with my fingers.

    BEST Drugstore: Maybelline

    BEST High-end: Dior

    BEST starter/mid range: MAC

    I usually apply foundations with a MAC187, seldom the MAC109 cos it tends to shed like crazy for cream/liquid products.  I also use the Beauty Blender sponge.  I bought a Rimmel 16 hour foundation before in the lightest shade 001 Ivory or smth but it was still too dark for me, so I gave away to my friend.

    Yea.. that's all... and hope you find this helpful. And questions, please leave a comment.  I might do a overview of primers etc soon.  :)  Stay tuned!





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    July 16, 2009

    Collective haul (Drugstore, LUSH, Bodyshop, MAC goodies)

    Hi hi!!

    I have been putting off this entry for a long time, mainly because I am waiting for the arrival of my LUSH goodies, and this evening I finally got them. (Thanks to sister's friend who came back from HK). The rest of the items, mainly the drugstore items were purchased in the past 2 weeks, and I have been using them for some time.

    Let's start with the drugstore goodies!!  If you remember my MUFE No92 eyeshadow post, I was talking to a very nice MA, and she told me about this cream which I can use for my blemish spots.  It is called Fade Out and available at Guardian pharmacies (between $18-20).  There are several types, I can't remember exactly, but I bought the Night Cream which I can use as my night routine.  If I like this cream, I will eventually get the Day cream with spf, when I am out of my current day moisturiser.  But I am showing you in the picture before the Day version too, cos sister bought it for her bf who gets dark spots from water activities.

    Here is list of everything:

    FADE OUT DAY & NIGHT CREAM ($18-20 available at Guardian)  Helps Lighten Pigmentation Marks. Clinically Tested.   Have been using this for 2 weeks, no side effects, and it has a very lotion smell.  It claims results in 4 weeks.  Let's wait and see. But for the price, I would say it is pretty reasonable, and worth a try, esp if you want to even out any pigmentation, including from pimples, freckles etc etc.

    OUI OUI OUI lip balm. ($10.90, all Body Shops)  I am a sucker.  Saw Lollipop26's rave about this, and I bought it.

    Tea Tree Hand Sanitiser ($6.90 each, $9.90 for 2, all Body Shops)  I gave one to my mom.  Typical Tea Tree scent.  Picked this up while I was paying for the lip balm.  I swear this is what all shops do, place cute random stuff at the cashier counters to suck me in.

    Silk Girl BB Cream in 02 Radiant ($13.90 at all Silk Girl counters but sis bought this for me at John Little with staff discount)  I haven't used this yet after 2 weeks.  I will only use this after I am done with my Canmake base.  I swatched this a couple of times at Watsons, and like the texture and in general, I am intrigued by a drugstore BB cream. Sister uses the Korean one, which seems to work amazingly for her.

    MAC Colorcraft Collection (131 brush $76, Lipgloss $28)  I bought this at Robinson with a $50 off voucher... I was so busy stalking the blushers I neglected the lip products.  After seeing some YT CC hauls, I think this is a very pretty gloss, think it's called Mixed Up.  Orangey with fine shimmer.   The 131 brush is for picking up my crazy pigmented blushers and also to apply cream products.  I don't think this will work well for liquid foundations though, because you can't use this brush to buff in your foundation, right?  To see what else I got from this collection, click here.


    LUSH goodies bought in HK.  Realised all the LUSH stuff are made in Japan and sold in HK.  Thankfully this time round, the product labels are actually in English.  Haha.

    What's in the bag?

    YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY Shower cream wash  For Yummy Soft Skin  Lather all over your body, and your hair when you are in a hurry. 250g.   * I love this so much, I need to get another bottle!  I swear the whole house smells YUMMY when I take a shower with this product.

    ROCKSTAR Soap (2 pieces)  I guess this is in the gift packaging cos the soaps are cut heart shaped and come in the wrapper.

    Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter. Repairs your dry cuticles, but don't stop there! Flutter some butter over your heels, elbows and toes too.  50g.  * I need this! Had really dry cuticles lately, so I think this will be awesome.  And it smells yummy and really looks like butter.

    A little regrets.. on my HK shopping wish lists, I also had a couple of NARS items... but too bad, that didn't happen.. but anyway, I am super happy with these LUSH goodies! :)

    That's all, and thanks for reading!!!

     

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    May 13, 2009

    Updates & Rambling about drugstore supplies for hair and face

    Hi everyone...

    It's been a while since I bought any makeup products.  So.... in case you are wondering, Project 10 Pan is still going on.  Strange though, I have not used up ANY single product, and I try not to switch around too much.  The MAC Studio Fix Fluid is still going strong.  However, I think I might run out of my Canmake make up base in another week.  That makes..... ONE item down.  Gosh.  This is turning way harder than I thought - to finish 10 products I mean.  I did finish my MAC wipes, but not sure if that counts.  Whatever.

    And over the weekend I did browse the cosmetic counters, in particular, YSL, and Chanel, and I was looking at the lipsticks and foundations.. I swatched lotsa of stuff, but I just didn't feel the urge to buy anything at all.  Which is good, right?

    Speaking of wipes, I really like using wipes to remove my make up these days.  And when I am feeling lazy I don't even need to wash my face after since they are supposed to be rinse-free.  While I am on Project 10 Pan... it isn't a total shopping ban, I bought a few hair-related and cleansing wipes recently.

    I also started using Body Shop's Tea Tree series of products (I checked them out because I had a $25 voucher to use), and I bought the Tea Tree Cleansing Foam which was 30% off, and the Tea Tree Night Blemish Lotion.  So far, so good.  I like the gentle formula and the tea tree scent.

    Tea Tree Oil Blemish Fade Night Lotion

    Tea Tree Oil Foaming Face Wash

     

    In other beauty related news, I ran out of my Boots Straightening Cream (some heat protectant balm which I used before I dry my hair), and today I hit the drugstore looking for similar products to get.  I was looking for a balm/cream kind of thing, because a spray product is kind of messy for me.  And I found the Charles Worthington series of products, in particular this called Super Sleek Straightening Balm (heat activated for smooth finish)  - perfect for my purpose.  And it was going at a huge discount so I grabbed 3 at a go (3 for S$10 each).   I am feeling very good about this.

    * Update - I just tried a bit of the Straightening Balm and it smells like Calvin Klein's Eternity perfume.... which is a major plus!  I must do a detailed review over the weekend.

    And I also bought more wipes.  The first is by a Japanese brand Biore, cleansing cotton wipes. I have been using this for a week, and I like how clean it makes my face feel. It also comes in a cute pink box, and you can pull out the wipes from the opening on top... which I never use... cos I don't want the wipes to dry out.  And then you can just get the refills packs when you are done.

    I thought the MAC wipes... though very good... is kind of pricey (S$29).  And this Biore one is less than half the price of MAC wipes (about S$15).  And they work just fine too.  Then since I am on such a Tea Tree kick, I bought 2 packets of Superdrugs Tea Tree Cleansing wipes -- and they cost less than half of the Biore wipes (2 packets for $6.90)! I will leave one packet at work for when I hit the gym after office hours.

    That's all I have to ramble about for now... Work is hectic now as usual this time of the year, and a break is coming up really soon.  Woot!!  Follow me on twitter cos I do update that quite often cos it is so easy.  :)


    Thanks for reading!


     

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    March 15, 2009

    Looking of the Day using inexpensive products

    HI!!

    Just wanted to do a bright summery look using only drugstore and other inexpensive products - however, I did have to use my MAC brushes to apply the products.  I also use a whole lot of other brands besides MAC, both high-end and cheaper brands out there. I suppose at the end of the day, we all just want to look pretty without spending loads of money, right?

    These are the stuff I used -- sorry I don't have prices of these products.

    Face:

    Canmake UV White Clear Essence Base

    Maybelline Pure Fluid Mineral Foundation

    6 pc contour and highlight palette (I used a lighter shade to set the foundation)

    Canmake Color Stick (07) to correct undereyes

    Maybelline Highlight and Conceal Duo

    Cheeks:

    Maybelline Expert Wear Blusher in 50 Dusty Mauve

    Lips:

    NYX Round Lipsticks in 504 Harmonica

    Eyes:

    -Base

    All over the lids Majolica Majoroca GD821 Gold Cream Shadow

    Maybelline Impact Express Smoot Pencil Shadow in the blue one

    -Eyeshadows from the Coastal Scents 78 palette, I also used this to fill in my brows.

    -Liner

    Silky Girl Long Wearing Eyeliner in 04 Navy Blue

    -Lashes

    My usual falsies, and also Maybelline's Stiletto Mascara for lower lashes.  It really does lengthen!

    Pictures time!!

    Cute Yellow Bracelet from the same Japanese $2 store I mentioned in my stickers post.

    I am off work for a week , and I am sooooooo tempted to fly off to hong kong for shopping this weekend!!  :P

    That's all, and thanks for reading!

     

     

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    December 22, 2008

    Review of new stuff (Part 2)

    This entry will be on the Maybelline Pure Mineral Liquid Foundation.

    The long story of my foundation history...

    I confess that I am a foundation snob.  I have always believed in 'what you pay is what you get' when it comes to bases.  I am a sucker for the advanced formulae of high-end foundations that promise a radiant, pore-free and smooth coverage.  For a long long time even when I was a poor student, I started out with Body Shop foundation, then I moved on to Chanel (earned some spare cash waitressing), but Dior has always been my all time favourite when it comes to foundations.  I gave up on Chanel when I noticed the product oxidised throughout the day, and then I got Dior which used to have a very pretty octogon shaped compact.  I also tried YSL, but it seems to run out quickly. Other misadventures in my search and trials for a good base include Shu Uemura and the recent MUFE HD foundations. 

    After I started liquid foundation a year back, I started on MAC studio fix fluid, which replaced my Dior 2-way foundation for a while.  Then I bought my first Dior liquid foundation at the airport duty free, and I returned to the house of Dior for foundations.  Its high-tech fine formula works like a dream on my skin, and it also matches my skin tone perfectly (more so than the MAC SFF which I though made me look washed out in flash pictures).

    But I found this little gem by Maybelline, from their mineral make up collection.  And I thought there is no harm is giving it a try, because if it doesn't work out that well, I can always still use it as a everyday base for work, or share it with my sister so nothing goes to waste.  And I am loving it!!  Have been using this foundation for the past 2 weeks, and one pump is all I need to cover my whole face.  Its lasting power is decent, but expect some wear off after an 8 hour day,  maybe even less in Singapore's hot and humid weather.

    The texture of this product is light, and it is easy to blend with my MAC187 brush.  It also 'sticks' to my skin nicely, it is not heavy at all and gives medium to heavy coverage, depending on how much you want to use.

    This is definitely great and useful as an everyday foundation.  I will still use my Dior foundation on going out days or when I need my base to last a particularly long day.

    The finished look after setting with MAC MSF in Light Medium.

    So definitely grab this great mineral liquid foundation if it's available near you!

    P/S:  I really dislike taking pictures in my poorly lit room at night with the camera flash, it is very tough to get the correc colours to show up, and everything just shines and glows in the worst possible way.  :(