Lip stain swatches #1

There are different kind of lip staining products out there so I thought I'd swatch what I can at my local Superdrug. This post is solely for the purpose of comparing the brands and the consistency for each one plus the colours.

Rimmel Lip Stain collection (4):

For this product you would use the stain first before using the balm to seal the colour and moisture in. The colours are very dense and they don't rub away that easily so you can imagine how they maintain the "stained lips" effect :)

This is probably one of the brands that can get away with "loud" colours but that's my opinion. For me personally I'm not keen on the balm at the end of the stick as it reminds me of glue stick or glue gun sticks. The packaging does match with the tints as intended so that's a positive thing, however...it took me three days to have the denser colours completely off my hand (bath, soap you name it). For £5.99 it's not a budget brand for a student like myself.


Miss Sporty Dr Balms (5):

Left - right swatches: 02 Glam Kiss, 03 Gossip Kiss, 04 Heartbreaker Kiss, 05 Honey Moon Kiss and 01 Sweet Kiss

The swatches for the Miss Sporty range is clearly different from Rimmel but the consistency is almost clear. I bought Glam Kiss (02) and it is moisterising for my lips but doesn't show much of the colour however for £1.99 you can't go wrong. Also they smell nice, fruity and sweet! The product itself looks like a normal lip balm you would buy for rescuing your dry lips.


NYC Smooch Proof 16H Lip Stains (3):

Very soft to the skin but sadly as they were 'TESTER's the consistency was difficult to show for 498 Berry Long Time (middle)

The colours are lighter and softer than the packaging so it wouldn't be too harsh of a tone against your skin. I bought 490 Persistent Pink as my lips are quite pigmented as it is so I opted for the lighter shade. These were sold at £3.99 as the felt tip applicator would be perfect for precision. The colour of the packaging remind me of raspberry jelly but different tones but NYC are known for their vibrant colours throughout their makeup range.

Collection 2000 Colour Pout Lipstain (6):

Left - right swatches: Heartbreaker, Kiss, Flirt, Tease, Pout and Pucker. A range of colours shown here and each match accordingly to the swatches on my hand (except for the 4th and 5th).

The applicator is again a felt tip but at the same time the consistency is very runny so the swatches, particularly the red and pink, bled a lot on my hand. £4.99 each, six different colours but with pigmented lips I may have to use nude lipstick/gloss beforehand but the runny consistency doesn't entice me sadly. It's interesting how only the cap and the bottom tip are showing the colours reminding me of felt tip pens I use to have when I was a child in school, probably not the best design I could pick out of my makeup bag.


GOSH Long Lasting Lip Marker (4):

Vibrant colours!!! Swatches from top left - bottom left: 003 Berry, 001 Red, 005 Soft Rose and 002 Pink. There was a 004 Chocolate but that was dried out to the point where nothing can be swatch from that.

Unlike the Collection 2000 range the consistency is similar to Miss Sporty range but much better and at the price of £6.99 I think this would be worth it. The packaging is similar to a felt pen with the chunkiness but distinctive to the GOSH range with the black, sophisticated look.


MUA Kiss Proof Lip Stains (3):

Very light against my skin complexion as you can see with the swatches. Left - right: Fruitillicious, Kissalicious and Fabulicious.

   
MUA is renowned for their affordable range at Superdrug starting at £1 but recently expanding to MUA Professional. These products would be perfect for that soft stain effect and that's £3 for this lip stain. The packaging itself looks lightweight with the shiny text reflecting back at you but at the same difficult to see without the store lights waving over your shoulders.

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Now comparing these six brands I have to say that all achieve similar results but some lack in consistency others lack in packaging. However I personally feel some of them are very drying on my hand, making them impossible to rub off until a few days later. 

Questions: why are there so many of these lip stains to choose from I don't even understand the importance of this product for starters. Isn't a lipstick enough to give your lips a flush of colour or is it the fact that lipsticks wear off so easily it's a hassle to be retouching throughout the day? When did these lip stains become popular? Why are there so many complaints of the product drying out the lips and people wasting money, trial and errors are happening in the world of beauty, etc.

Why I numbered this as '#1' is because there are other brands out there that I haven't been able to swatch or they lack samples so I will pop into my local Boots for this opportunity.

My poor hand ~ sacrificing my skin for the sake of these swatches. If you personally have a favourite lip staining product please feel free to mention below in the comments or you want to give your opinion as to why these products are so popular, I need to know why as a fellow beauty lover. :)



Mucho love,


Tofu x 

OOTD 071212

Today's outfit for uni: I kept it simple with a sleeveless shirt from River Island sale over the summer and a pale UNIQLO top teamed up with a pair of skinnies and wedge high tops also from River Island.

my makeup was just a simple liner effect elongating my eyes for the natural look with lip and cheek stain

skinnies from Dorothy Perkins (for a few years now) and black wedge high tops from River Island (£40)

I know this post is 2 days late but hopefully I'll be able to do more 'outfit of the day' in future. I would go more indepth but I don't have much to point out aside the obvious with what I'm wearing but in future it'll include jewel and what kind of makeup I have on with the details, etc.

I plan to do some editing regarding the borders of the images as I feel it's too neat in my opinion, etc. 

(•‿•)

Mucho love,


Tofu x

Tickets have arrived!! Big Bang here we come!

Really excited about December for sure! Big Bang, one of South Korea's top kpop (korean pop) group all over the world...are performing here in the UK in London on the 14th AND 15th of December! Like most people I waited for the time to reach 9am the day the tickets were released but I had signed up to Livenation's website to grab tickets before general released. Cheeky of me indeed but I've been waiting for this to happen since the rumours had started this year!

:D

So yeah hopefully I will get there on time with minimal makeup (all the screaming and crying with joy would ruin my makeup and make me look like a panda for sure) and glasses...need to see my good looking T.O.P on stage!! ♥‿♥ hubba hubba!

Mucho love


Tofu x

MUA Gel Liner review and swatch

-gasp- I've been going crazy over Superdrug's MUA recently and here's a swatch of their gel eyeliner adding it to my collection of eye makeup.

£3 for this in shade On Move. You can see slight glitter effect inside the pot which is nice

swatches of the gel liner is buildable but the consistency is a bit wet so waiting for the first layer to dry is essential

Left: 9am applied the gel liner; Right: 7-8 hours later both my left and right eyes.

My left eye's crease had destroyed the gel liner but my right eye stayed perfect. Over all I quite like this and for £3 it is worth it. I might get different colours and swatch them all.

♥‿♥

Mucho love


Tofu x

(✿♥‿♥) 150812 late H&M mini haul (♥‿♥✿)

I've had a look through the things I still need to get regarding my cousins' weddings and remembered about big flower clips or hairbands. The last time I actually owned one was back when I was 13 and some bully pulled off two of the petals leaving me in tears. (╥﹏╥) Not that I was put off buying them oh no I just didn't know how to style my hair back then with me being unfashionable and all hehe.

Truth be told I'm not much of a H&M person but my sister is with their dresses (which I have worn during sunny days this month) but I love their accessories. I remember how crazy I was over the Hello Kitty nail polishes, lip glosses and balms now it's just not there for me. (╥﹏╥) 

I've not been in town this early before (11am yes that is early for me) but it was refreshing plus not so crowded... ◕‿◕

Origami bird necklace, pink flower hair clip/pin and nail polish in Blue Bliss

I wore the necklace and hair clip but nail polish I did ombre effect but sadly the layers were too much and eventually peeled off.

Gradually showing more as I layer the polish

Sorry this was a very late post having seen this in the drafts
●﹏●...

Mucho love,


Tofu x

October Haul 2012

Seems like my dedication to my blog has quickly dissolved...my bad! 

Been buying so much stuff this month I probably don't have time to edit them one by one so would probably chuck them 4x4. It's my favourite method for my post but with such a horrible timetable I have with uni I spend more time editing images/pages for projects than blogging...tis a shame. o(╥﹏╥)o

I've noticed how Superdrug's MUA range is BOOMING with new products almost every week! I admit I've now tempted myself to buy something from them every week whether it'd be a lipgloss, pencil or blusher. Literally affordable and worth the price for a student like me!

Superdrug's MUA Professional Pro-Brow kit & MUA's Nail Constellation in Leo

Superdrug's 2True Cheek 'n' Lip Tint in Blush Pink, NYC Big Bold Mascara in Extra Black and Mini Boo from Amazon

Free sample with InStyle Nov2012 magazine - Benefit's Cha Cha Tint.

Boots 3 for 2 offer - Boots Essentials moisturising lotion, Boots tea tree & witch hazel Night Treatment Gel and ChapStick lip balm in strawberry

Tesco's Eyelene Lashstudio in Heartbreaker and Eylure Superfix lash glue

TKMaxx - Colour Institute Blush and Shimmer set

TKMaxx - Pat Says Now kitty mouse and Orly in shade Jealous Much?

Literally buying something every week...bad habit hehe. Unfortunately I can't label the price on everything on this post (too much time plus too many receipt to look through etc...or I'm too lazy).






Mucho love,


Tofu x

051012 Jon & Tracey's wedding

Friday 5th October 2012 (I know that was ages away)

Today was my cousin's wedding and aside the fact that it was freezing (no tights) but eventually body adapted to the temperature (°∀°)...eventually indeed.
 

Beautiful wedding cake (• ε •)

Tearful moment o(╥﹏╥)o

Cupcakes ~(• ε •~) green ones are green tea, pinks are rose and yellows are vanilla. A friend of Jon baked these.

How creative combining fortune cookie with white chocolate. It was delicious and the chocolate did not soften the cookie which was better.

My starter: fresh salmon roll with houmous inside, slice of baguette, sour cream and cress with drizzle of pesto sauce

My main: potato block, chopped lettuce, mushrooms and chunk of lamb (lamb lamb lamb) ~(• ε •~)

 

Ferrero Rocher tower attacked! Should have taken a shot beforehand ●︿● but I did have fun scoffing only two that day!

My cousin Pauline and I ٩◔‿◔۶

Makeup was inspired by Jen Frmheadtotoe [Link} successful!
Nails would be mentioned in another post very soon!

Taken loads of images on my camera but these are from my phone. Only selective images would be up on my post soon (that includes baby Zoe and Kai).


Mucho love, Tofu~

(°∀°)

(• ε •) New phone and case (• ε •)

As mentioned in my previous post I've recently upgraded my phone after two years of having my blackberry. Here's what it looks like (could say this is unboxing the product hehe):

Phone box and the phone itself (°⌣°)

I did say to everyone that I wasn't going to opt for any Hello Kitty covers but I'm still going to have phone charms of that particular mascot! Bwhahaha...-ahem-

My pig crown phone case! It reminds me of the pig from Monster Hunter so much...the nappy, crown...cuteness. ♥‿♥

The case also came with a screen protector which I'll be needing help with. Can't trust myself to ensure no dust would be under the sticky part before it sticks onto the screen... 

Here's the [Link] for the pig case I have here in PINK.    

(°∀°)

New phone (no not the iPhone)

Since getting back to blogging this summer I've been struggling with keeping everything in one place e.g. the photos taken on my mum's ipod touch camera etc there for I have to email them in batches of five to my own email, open them up, drag the ID onto the images then onto here...long process eh? Plus I rarely have the ipod touch with me these days unless I have a good enough reason...hauls!!! 

Now that my current phone contract is coming to an end (under 24 hours) I've purchased the Samsung Galaxy S2 and yes I have read mixed reviews about it and also the comparison with the iPhone but...I don't want the iPhone. Some people might say I'm crazy and stupid to even think of buying any other handset aside that but really...I don't want the iPhone. I've had my ipod touch for years now and I'm dead bored of the apps, no camera meaning I resort to using my mum's one and I just play with 3/4 apps out of the 70 I currently hold. I'll keep this device until it breaks.

Good thing bout this new phone 4.3" touchscreen, 8mp camera with flash, 16GB internal memory/card included, 8.6 hours talk time...yeh the camera quality is important compared to Blackberry's 2mp ●︿●. I struggled to be happy with the pictures I took using that phone! It had that horrible greyish filter and I can't be satisfied with the images in the long run. Without my SLR on me I didn't bother whipping out my phone knowing the quality would lack.

So on that note I will be posting up better quality images (still with the Pudding Camera app and many other kawaii camera apps I've researched) and I will try harder this year not only with final year of my degree but blogging when I can.

  

화이팅

٩(°∀°)۶

Optimistic...pretty much.

o(╥﹏╥)o Apologies to everyone o(╥﹏╥)o

Since last week we've lost our internet as it was the end of the contract and luckily I've just managed to finish my resubmission beforehand so that's a positive thing. However because we've switched from Talktalk to BT...things got a little out of hand: a technician was meant to come in to fix our "broadband-light-not-on" problem but it went from last Wednesday to Saturday as there was a problem with our line..."apparently".

So I've been without the internet for about a week, just managing with my phone but that's not good enough. For once this year I've continued my chick flick collection from my new room and that's nearly completed just need to do a few DIY projects (which would be up on both blogs) and before I know it the 17th arrives and BAM...presentation is my main priority when I enter my final year.

It's nerve wrecking and I even doubt I'll get a first...just a 2:1 will do me fine lolz but at the end it's what I want to do for my career (Interior Graphics is what I would love to be more involved in). The amount of research I need to do for my final year is crucial and I know my friends and I always say to push eachother to work harder but...it never happens truth be told until last minute...not ideal for us lolz.

Fingers cross I don't have a breakdown the first month in.

o(╥﹏╥)o

My DIY blog

Hey guys check out my other blog Easy Like DIY where I post up easy yet simple DIY tutorials with a possible budget I can work within. This was originally for one of my university projects during second year but I have decided to go ahead and maintain the blog as well as this one. It's the thought process that counts but it's always nice to go the extra mile on a gift for someone else. I've been doing this for quite some time but never knew how to post anything up back then however it would be nice to share ideas that I have been inspired by for you guys.

I'm not a professional when it comes to crafting but I enjoy it during my free time. If I see ideas on days out in the City or online it motivates me to jot down how I would go about making my own or just for fun.

If anyone wants to suggest or ask me for ideas feel free to message me on here and I will try my best to help if not please enjoy the rest of my two blogs for browsing.

ありがとう

٩(°⌣°)۶

Studding Project No.1 - Sleeveless denim jacket

I've watched and looked into the projects people have been putting up on their blogs with the studs they've purchased. This is something I have been dwelling for some time now but never got round to doing so. In one of my previous post I have mentioned receiving my pyramid studs through the post and have managed to make use of them before I forget about them (most likely it'll be before my summer holiday ends ●﹏●). Grabbed my New Look sleeveless hoodie for this first project bwhahaha, bought it during sales earlier this year.

On with the project:

Stage 1: pierce the studs careful not to accidentally prick into your finger(s) [which I have a few times so please be careful]. The parts that are used to pierce through the clothing would need to "close in" for safety and I used a pair of scissors giving me more control and less fidgety.

Stage 2: also think about the positions you'd want the studs to be and how close they would be situated next to one another and because mine are 1cm studs I didn't want to risk clumping the collars too much.

Stage 3: once you're satisfied with the first row of studs you will have a clear idea of positioning the other rows however you like.

Stage 4: noticing the collars width thinning and not wanting to burden the look so went for the "gradient" look with these studs.

Stage 5: et voila ~ c'est fini!

Somehow the left side of the collar is noticeably showing the -ahem- bad placements of the studs but it was my first time using these studs so it's not that bad for a beginner you could say. All in all I've got some many projects I want to use these studs for so...

Project No.1 successful? YES ☑

٩(^‿^)۶

(✿♥‿♥) Portsmouth Outlet BIG shopping haul (♥‿♥✿)

This was a very last minute decision made by my father by all means to spend a Tuesday together without me being at uni or him going into a meeting all day. Haven't been to Portmouth Gunwharf Quays for MONTHS! This outlet compared to the others we've been to...is reasonable brand-wise.

What a view and on the plus side...SUNNY! (✿◠‿◠)

As I do whenever I come here with my family I like to browse in the stores I'm interested in or out of boredom just wander into as many stores as I could for fun. The first store I approached wouldn't have been my usual but seeing as I was in a good mood to start with so Ted Baker it was. I have to admit I was blown away but the new collection AND I didn't realise I could use my NUS card to discount from the original price AND outlet price!! Baring in mind I did intend to buy my second dress for family weddings in October and I think I've found ze perfect one!! One of the staff, which I'm presuming her role is the store's stylist, was really helpful with this dress. Not only did I tell her what it I would team it with from my own experience, she wanted me to visually see for myself rather than in my mind. Teaming up with a blazer jacket and heels I could see this dress looked every bit sophisticated and classy. I loved it and bought this dress with a good discount.

Ted Baker dress was £159 reduced to £89 and I paid £75. I'm happy with this purchase to be fair and so completes my hunt for dresses for family weddings this October ٩(^‿^)۶.

Jumpsuit from Yumi not sure about original price or outlet price but bought this piece for £5 not bad eh eh (• ε •).

Browsing stores and taking pictures not necessarily buying everything.

Interesting cards at Clintons! Would have bought the coffee cup for myself but the price whacks the back of my head real hard.

My first thought on this was 'Already own' but behind the poster...were the three on the right!! Went ahead and bought the nerd and big ball!! And this is a 22year old I'm talking about here.

1-2: Laptop skin for my macbook (finally a replacement) was £3.50 now £1.50; 3-4: Bunny Strawberry and Cream Lip Balm forgot the original price but I only paid 75p.

Moving on to the FOOD! Previously we've never had good service at Chiquitos but considering it's been years since our last visit to one...might as well see if Portsmouth branch is any better.

1: Dad's 'Lazy Boy' BBQ Pork Quesadilla; 2: Mum's Smoky BBQ Mexican Style chicken; 3: our shared Taco Tapas Meat Tray; 4: Sister's Chimichangas with Spicy Chicken filling and 5: my Smokin' Texan Chilli Hot Dog with fries...absolutely deliciously and yes the hot dog was long but I manage to savour the whole thing ;)

So at the end of the day I manage to get the thing I had in mind from the start (a dress to complete my to-do list) and manage to wiggle in a few stuff I only discovered today. Portsmouth outlet beats all the other outlets I've been to in the past probably because it's by the refreshing sea and it was sunny.

(ﾟヮﾟ)

Pyramid Studs have arrived!

DIY Projects commence!
Just thought I'd do a quick post for what I've been waiting for through the post...pyramid studs! Manage to order 200 of these little 10mm studs on ebay [Link} only because I've been wanting to do my own DIY detachable collars or stud my own clothing in this case...my denim jackets, shirt collars...whatever I can grab my hands on xD haha.

Look how decent these look! :3

Right just use one stud on the corner of my sleeveless denim jacket and it looks really good (sorry no pics til I'm done decorating alone the way :D). The size is reasonable good but when I'm low on these I'm definitely going back for me (making it sound like drugs...my bad xD).

٩(^‿^)۶

Quick swatches of Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms

Probably was a bad idea relying on my phone quality for taking pictures but I had no choice to be fair. Boots only had three testers out and I think I know which one I'm leaning more towards due to the red tone and understanding what colour compliments my skin tone (dark yellow I would believe is mine).

1: 04 Crystal Red, 2: 01 Crystal Pink and 3: Crystal Coral

Sadly the phone quality lacked the true potential of showing the colours but I'm quite keen on Crystal Red only because I feel the Pink and Coral might not show up on my lips. I've also noticed they have the pigmented balm within the centre of the whole thing which looked nice but until I buy one I'll be able to see how long it'll last on my lips! The lip balm itself was nice and smooth almost reminding me of Revlon's Lip Butter or some jelly consistency...mmm

٩(^‿^)۶

(✿♥‿♥) BIG SALE RIVER ISLAND 030712 (♥‿♥✿)

I just love it when River Island has a sale on although this time if you're able to get there before 8am to your nearest branch for this extra 50% off extra on top of the sale! Sadly being a lazy person I can't bring myself to wake up that early to go screaming halfway across town just for a massive bargain because that's just embarrassing! ⊙﹏⊙

Starting with the big stuff:

Pink ditsy print lace skater dress (was £35 now £20). I need to buy/come up with two different dresses to wear for my cousins' wedding. TWO...3 three apart. This dress would be perfect to wear early October or late...

White vest top with black bow (was £20 now £10) and blue vest top with lace tie (was £20 £10)

Stripey blue white vest, nice and slouchy and suitable to wear with bandeau (was £10 now £5). Plain white vest for relaxing at home (was £5.99 now £2).

I just love my vest tops ◕‿◕. Next up the smaller stuff (°⌣°):

House of Holland Mesh Super Suspender (was £12 now £4) and Pretty Polly Squiggly (was £10 now £4). Truth be told I wouldn't buy these from River Island due to the price of them originally but £4...who couldn't resist (•‿•).

Rubber rings, nice accessories soon to adorn my fat fingers for the summer (£2 now £1) not bad eh eh.

Been hunting all of my heels around the house and I feel that my summer wedges might just go well with the dress I bought. Although the weddings aren't til October so I guess I'm going for a late summer/autumn feel.

(°⌣°)