Top 10 Products I Can't Live Without

If these companies ever stop production on any of these items, I know all hell will break lose! Why would they discontinue such amazing product anyway? Here are my current top ten products that I'm just currently in love with (in alphabetical order).

1. Eyeko 3 in 1 Cream: The best highlighter in the world. I would choose this over NARS Coppacabana any time of the day for my highlighting needs. It's inexpensive. It's not insanely shimmery. And, most of all, it's easy to apply and blend on your cheeks. And it doesn't hurt that the packaging is so cute! It's definitely a face saver when you want to fake an awake look (Buy it here and Enter Code E122 for a free gift).

2. MAC Blacktrack Fluidline: My favorite eyeliner for my upper lashline whether it be a thin line or a cat eye. With or without a base underneath, fluidline doesn't crease on my oily eyelids like most eyeliners do. It's better than liquid eyeliner in my opinion.

3. MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot: The base of my choice. It keeps it from creasing and my eye makeup pretty. Nothing is worse than an eye makeup being salvaged by oily lids.

4. Mandom Cleansing Express Cleansing Lotion: Like I have mentioned before, I could've sworn these are unicorn tears in a bottle. This makeup remover will wipe your makeup clean off your face with two pumps. It's amazing what this product can do. I especially love this stuff on my "lazy" nights where just getting to the sink to was your face is an impossible mission. It will get you in bed as soon as possible (Buy it here).

5. NARS Lip Gloss, Rose Gitane:
My favorite lipgloss shade! Can give you a that stain effect look, or just lick, lick juicy lips. It looks dark on the tube but it's perfect on my lips.


6. Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque: This literally saves my face from breakouts. Breakouts don't stand a chance with this mask. It's the cheapest yet most effective mask that I ever bought in my life. It really does what it promises to do, and this is one of the products that has definitely brought my face back to clearer state.

7. shu uemura Brightening Cleansing Oil 15.2 oz: Great cleanser for oily skin. Picks up any dirt or makeup debris and give you a clean and squeaky feeling without the tight and dry feeling.




8. shu uemura Eyelash Curler ($19): It's practically the holy grail eyelash curler of everyone in the beauty community. The only eyelas curler that didn't seem such a torture device. Self-explanatory why this made the list.




9. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, Zero: My kohl eyeliner of choice for my lower lashline or waterline. It doesn't smudge or budge. It stays put the whole day until you have to take it off. The pencil is super soft that it glides during application, and won't tug your eyes


10. Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream 2.75 oz Jar ($24): Despite of the camphor smell (aka Vick's Vapor Rub smell), this works wonders on dry and chapped skin. It moisturizes your had without the greasy feeling, and only leaves it nice and smooth. It doubles as a lip balm as well and it really moisturizes your lips.

What makes up your list?

Eyeko Eye Beauty Eyeshadows (Review and Swatches)

Eyeko currently features two 5-in-1 eyeshadow cake pans in Sexy Eyes and Pretty Eyes in their makeup collection. What's good about Eyeko is most of their products usually serves more than one purpose.

These eyeshadows are so cute and travel friendly as it houses five different colors in each tin. Each tin contain each eyeshadows that compliment each other. The eyeshadows are great for people on the go. My only gripe is probably the lid itself since it can easily pop off the can.

Sexy eyes is more for the subtle and natural look. I usually reach out for this more often since it is much more suited for work. The first top two eyeshadows are a little bit on the sheer side, but can easily be fixed with a good base or primer. It can also make an excellent highlight color for the browbone or on the inner corner of your lid.




Pretty Eyes Eyeshadow tin features a pinks and purples in pastel shades. It's a great palette for Spring for a soft yet playful look. I've read some reviews from other bloggers that this eyeshadow tin was a bit sheer, but I actually thought it had a pretty decent pigmentation. I got a good color pay off with one swipe for the swatches, and it'll probably even better with a base underneath.




You can buy these eyeshadow cake pans for only £5.00 (approx $7-8) with free shipping at Eyeko.com. Don't forget to enter code E122 to receive a free gift with every order.

Kawaii Overload: New Eyeko Nail Polish

As if Eyeko doesn't have enough cute things available in their online store!

Eyeko has recently released a set of six shades of nail polish to add to their growing collection of cosmetics items. I can't get over how cute these nail polish bottles are!! They remind me of milk bottles for some reason.

Product blurb from the Eyeko website:

Nail the latest trends with Eyeko Polishes in six fashion forward shades. At just £3 for each 9ml bottle they're the perfect finishing touch for fashionistas with a price tag that won't nag your conscience.

Eyeko Punk Polish: Neon brights are hot this season so make fluorescent pink Eyeko Punk Polish your must-have accessory and get ahead of the fashion craze.

Eyeko Red Polish: This hot, hot, hot red gives a glamorous finish to your mani-pedi. Think old-skool Hollywood style like Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera.

Eyeko Pretty Polish: Go au naturel with just one coat of sheer pink for luxe-looking, super groomed nails.

Eyeko Vamp Polish: Keep nails short and blunt to nail this deep, dark midnight blue for a cool, vampy look like Gossip Girls Leighton Meester and Blake Lively.

Eyeko Disco Polish: For instant embellishment one coat of Eyeko Disco Polish will dazzle you with total glitter coverage minus the gritty feel!

Eyeko Pastel Polish: Dip your toe into the pastel trend. Two coats of this gorgeous baby blue will create that opaque sugared almond look Lily Allen craves.

Purchase your bottle £3.00 (approx $4-5 USD) at Eyeko.com and get free shipping on any orders all over the world. Enter code E122 on every order to receive a free gift!

Eyeko BIG Eyes Mascara (Review)

Product Blurb: Long & luscious lashes in 1 easy squeeze.

Transforms lashes in the twinkle of an eye! Lash friendly formual combining natural oils and silicones with added Panthenol (Vitamin B). Designed to prevent dryness, premature breakage and to promote lash growth. The brush has widely dispersed bristles for evenly coated perfectly separated long lashes.

CELEBERITY FAVE As seen in STAR magazine issue 64: "For thick lashes like Lindsay Lohan's, Eyeko's Mascara in Black does just the trick. It comes in a silver tube and is guaranteed to leave lashes well nourished."

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Synthetic Wax, Glyceryl, Stearate Stearic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Hydrogenated Rosinate, Triehanolamine, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Quartenium-15, Parfum (Fragrance), BHT, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Limonene, Linalool, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cylcohexene Carboxaldehyde, Geraniol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionene Citral Citronellol, Coumarin, Benzyl Benzoate, Amyl Cinnamal. May contain: CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77742 (Manganese Violet), CI 77007 (Ultramarines), CI 75470 (Carmine), CI 775470 (Chromum Oxide Greens) CI 77289 (Chromum Hydroxide Green), CI 77510 (Ferric Ferrocyanide

Price: £5.00 (approx. $8USD)

Available at: Eyeko.com -- Enter code E122 for a free gift

Overall Rating: 3.8 out 5

More Product Images






Quick Rundown

PROS

dramatically lengthens lashes

less to none lash breakage

dries fast

doesn't smudge

tube packaging

CONS

has the tendancy to clump

doesn't really volumize

weighs curl down

tricky mascara wand

For Reference:










One thing for sure about the Eyeko Mascara is that it really gives you dramatic long lashes. For everytime I use this mascara, my bf asks me (when he was still here) if I am wearing fake lashes. Although I'm a little bit more blessed with having some lashes peeking out of my peepers, I still obviously want more to dramatize my eyes. There's nothing sexier than long, sexy lashes. This mascara really delivers if you want longer looking lashes. Even with one coat, you can really see the difference. And, unlike the other mascara I've used, I noticed that I have less to almost no lash breakage after using this product. There's nothing more annoying than having to end up with balding lashes.

It's unique and sleek packaging also helps get the most out of your mascara. You can simple squeeze the tube to get the rest of it out. Eyeko mascara can also double as an eyeliner by just simply using a bent eyeliner brush.

And no one likes a mascara that takes forever to dry. Eyeko mascara dries almost instantly and doesn't smudge or flake. So no more having to sit and wait for your mascara to dry before you can even blink. But since it dries so fast, I wouldn't recommend coating one eye with one coat and then work the other before putting on the next coat. You will get better results if you layer your lashes with the mascara in one eye first before working the next one. Because once the mascara dries and you put on another coat, it tends to clump and look "spidery" just like the picture above.

The mascara one; however, is a bit tricky to work with in the beginning and might take some practice to maximize the result of the mascara. When I first started using this, I do admit that I had the hardest time dealing with the clumps. If you simply slap this thing on your lashes, it will clump and it can end up looking like a mess. But, it can be easily solve by wiggling you mascara wand upward from the roots to the end to get a nice even coat on your lashes. Once you got the trick down, you'll have nice, elongated lashes.

Although it does give you nice long lashes, another problem area for this mascara is it doesn't hold the curl. After some layering, it does tend to weigh down your lashes.

Final Thoughts: Despite the mascara wand being a tricky one to begin with, I actually do like how this mascara lengthens my lashes. Depending on your layering, you can achieve natural to almost-like-false-eyelashes looking lashes. My biggest gripe about it though is that it tends to clump if you don't wiggle the mascara wand.

Eyeko 3 in 1 Cream (Review)

Product Blurb: Create a flawless base with Eyeko's 3-in-1 Cream MOISTURISER, HIGHLIGHTER & EYE CREAM in 1!

Infused with skin perfecting light reflectors and antioxidant Vitamins A& E plus a Vitamin C boost for a radiant, clear complexion.

Eyeko says: "To get that A-list glow skip foundation and use Eyeko Cream all over focusing on the eye and cheek area for lit from within skin."

CELEBRITY FAVE As Seen In OK Magazine Issue 365: The cute packaging of this glistening moisturiser is just one reason to fall in love with this great lotion. Kylie has great skin anyway, but a layer of this cream will add a bit of lustre."

Price: £5.00 (approx. $8 USD)

Available at: eyeko.com -- Enter Code: E122 for a free gift

Overall Rating: 4 out 5












Quick Rundown

PROS

• gives a nice, quick, easy glow
• it's a nice sheen and not glitter on your face
• softens the look of your face
• illuminates your face
• can double as a face primer
• makes blush last a little longer and apply easier

CONS

• cream is in a tub, can be unsanitary
• no SPF
• over application of the cream can leave a white cast

Thoughts?: I've always been curious with Eyeko cream. The pink tub with a cute anime character was enough to attract my attention, not to mention the good stuff I've heard about has piqued my interest.

Ever since I've purchased this cream, I can't leave my house without it! I'm always usually short in time in the morning when I'm getting ready for work. This cream just helps brighten my dull face in the morning. Just a dab of it on my cheeks and the bridge of my nose and I look more awake already as oppose to looking like a zombie. It gives that healthy looking glow.

The texture of the cream is mousse-like. It feels sorta like those marshmallow cream in a jar, so it's very light but a little goes a long way. It also absorbed pretty well on my combo skin, and so far it hasn't broken me out after some weeks use already. By just looking at the jar you can tell that it has some shimmering particles in it, but it doesn't make you look like a disco ball even if its used during the daytime (just as long as you don't smother the thing on your face). I also love how it softens the look on my face.
I don't really use primers on my face, and this is as close as what I use to a face primer. I did notice that my blush was easier to apply on my cheeks especially my MAC blushes. Sometimes my MAC blushes tend to go on blotchy on my cheeks, but with the Eyeko cream it went on evenly and was easier to blend.
A few things about it that I didn't like were the fact that it doesn't have SPF on it and it comes in a tub which is a bit unsanitary to use. I also noticed that if you put too much of this cream, it will leave a white cast on your face especially in pictures.

Final Verdict: I really like this cream. I can't leave my house without this. I really don't wear foundation at all, but this cream makes my skin a healthy glow when I'm out and about. Just a dab on cheeks, chin, and the bridge of my nose and I'm good to go.

Tidbit: I suggest to get any Eyeko products at eyeko.com. I know Cherry Culture carries them as well, but the prices for the Eyeko products are jacked up. Most of the products on Eyeko Beauty are £5.00 which approx. coverts to $8 USD (depending on the currency exchange rate) and they also offer free international shipping!! And to make the deal even sweeter if you enter the code E122, they'll include a free gift with your purchase!! YAY!

Depotting your NYX Eyeshadow Trio (How To)

As we all know that any NYX Eyeshadow Trio fits perfectly in the MAC palette. So here is my method of depotting my NYX Trio. It's pretty simple, and it's almost similar to how you depot your MAC eyeshadow but I thought to just put it out there anyway.

I like depotting my NYX eyeshadow and house them along with my MAC eyeshadows in the MAC palette since it saves more space in storage, and it save you the time of shuffling around for eyeshadows since they're all in one place.

Items you will need:
*Click on the image to enlarge

NYX Eyeshadow Trio

Paring Knife (make sure the metal part is thin but sturdy enough)

Round Adhesive Magnets (my magnets were pre-cut using a round scrapbooking hole puncher)

1 inch Round Labels (available at your nearest office supply stores)

Straightening Iron

Wax Paper (the gift wrap paper that clothing stores give you)

Procedure:

1. Take your paring knife and pop the plastic casing where the eyeshadow pans sit. You'll need a knife that'll fit in the skinny space on the outer edge of the plastic casing. Poping it should be pretty simple and requires minimal force. It should pop right off.




2. After popping the plastic off, place it on top of your straightening iron plate with a piece of wax paper underneath. This will prevent the plastic from melting right off your straightening iron. Let it sit for a about 3-5 minutes depending on your heat settings. You'll notice that the eyeshadow pan will rise up as the plastic heats.





3. When the plastic has melted, it should be really easy to get the eyeshadow pan out of the plastic casing. If you have to force the eyeshadow out, place it back into your straightening iron and let the plastic melt some more. Since the metal pans are softer than the MAC eyeshadow ones, applying force will distort the NYX pan's shape and can break the eyeshadow. THE EYESHADOW PANS AND THE PLASTIC WILL BE HOT! So be careful when you do take them out, and try not to touch it. The pans still has some glue in it, it'll just be painful having a hot pan stuck in your finger or hand.




4. Also, keep in mind to line up your eyeshadow in the order they were. I made this mistake in the beginning and I had to retrace back which eyeshadow matches the color at the bottom of the trio. It'll just be much simpler when you label your eyeshadows but in case you still forget, you can go to cherryculture.com and try matching and lining up the colors based on the images on the website.




5. Unlike the MAC eyeshadows, there's not much glue at the back of the NYX eyeshadow pan. This is why it's easier to get it out of the plastic casing. I didn't really need to clean the back with alcohol especially since a label will just go on top of it.




6. Place your adhesive round magnets facing the sticky side at the back of the pan.




7. Put your round label sticker on top of the magnet to label your eyeshadow. Or if you prefer, you can stick it on the inside cover of the palette like some people do for better visibility of the color names. However you want to label it is up to you.




8. Now your eyeshadow is ready to be placed in your MAC palette.