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Hey all,

Stop N' Makeup is doing a shift! Yup, that's right! We're packing up our makeup brushes, palettes, face masks, closets to a new website. Not to worry, all posts from here can also be found there too! Thanks for the great support and encouragement <3 p="">

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See you over there!

Review: Catrice Longlasting Eye Pencil Waterproof

More on the eyes guys! Time to put another eyeliner to the test. I'm forever on the hunt for the most awesome gel eye pencil that has ever been produced on the face of the earth and believe me when I say till this date, I have tried ALOT of them, with a handful leaving up to my expectations (the *Essence ones being some of them). These Catrice ones that I have for you today are also constantly put under the test.

Catrice Longlasting Eye Pencil Waterproof

Packaging on these pencils are nice, with their caps and back-ends colour-coded according to what the shades are, making them easy to identify (especially nifty if you have an extensive eyeliner collection like I do). I like how Catrice packages its products, giving them just enough effort to making them look great and worth more than the price you actually pay for them. Plus, as you'll see later, Catrice comes up with really cute names for their products (I always get such a kick reading product names).

Catrice Longlasting Eye Pencil Waterproof

These pencils come with a sharpener at the back-end of the pencil, allowing you to keep a nice sharp tip for more precision with your eyeliner. For the price, this is such a great plus. The Catrice Longlasting Eye Pencil Waterproof comes in so many great shades, from the basic black and brown to the funky turquoise and golds. Really nice range of shades. Now for the shade breakdown!

Shade Breakdown:
020: The World's Greytest (Shimmery dark gunmetal grey) (#1 in swatch photos)
030: Gold Shatterhand (Metallic Yellow Gold) (#2)
070: Blue Berrymore (Metallic Blue-Purple) (#3)
080: These Blues Are Made For Walking (Metallic Marine Blue)(#4)
090: Petrol And The Wolf  (Metallic Turqoise) (#5)
100: Pearly Bird (Metallic Champagne Rose-Gold) (#6)
110: Rendez-Blue (Metallic Navy Blue) (#7)
060: Moss Undercover (Shimmery Moss Green) (#8)
010: New Kids On The Black (Matte Rich Black) (#9)
040: Karate With Bronze Lee (Metallic Bronze) (#10) *My absolute favourite*
050: Brown Town Girl (Matte Dark Brown) (#11)

Catrice Longlasting Eye Pencil Waterproof

What better way to test eyeliner claims of waterproof than subjecting them to what they claim to be? Which is what I tend to do to test such claims, running the swatches under water and then attempting to smudge them.

This is what I gathered:

Catrice Longlasting Eye Pencil Waterproof (ran under running water)

Catrice Longlasting Eye Pencil Waterproof (Smudge test after running under water)

Catrice Longlasting Eye Pencil Waterproof (removed with oil-based makeup remover)

These pencils are pretty waterproof I must say, and pretty smudge-proof even after running my finger through them after running them under water. However, they did smudge just a tiny smidgen, nothing that is horribly noticeable. In comparison with their Essence counterparts, the Essence ones do seem to hold up a little more, but both are definitely comparable. I personally love the metallic bronze shade which I often use as my eyeliner as it is super wearable despite being a metallic bronze (even more natural and softer looking than a brown eyeliner) but overall these eyeliners are just superb and are long wearing like they claim to be (On me, they can last between 6-8 hours without smudging) . For the price of SGD $3.90, these are an absolute steal and are highly recommended.

Overall Grade:
 Do I like this?: Love
Would I repurchase this?: Already did actually ;)
Grade: A-

Any other amazing eyeliner recommendations? Checked these babies out yet? ;)
Happy Holidays and a happy oncoming 2015!

Review: Nyx Eye Natural Palette

Ho ho ho! Let's get real: my eye makeup is mostly the same, simple and neutral but that's the way I like my eye make-up mostly anyway. So I am always on the hunt for another neutral palette that I can add to in my makeup collection.

Nyx Natural Palette

Nyx Natural Palette

I've actually been eyeing this palette for quite some time now but everytime, just as I'm about to reach for and make a mad dash to the cashier, I would try to restrain myself and place it back onto the shelf. But alas, eventually, yup you guessed it, I caved. #Icouldnthelpit

Nyx Natural Palette

This palette has six shades and comes with the typical double-tip applicators (which I forgot to place back here, apologies), a good mixture of matte and neutrals. Overall the palette has a slight warm lean but nothing to warm that it may appear orangey on some skin tones.

Shade Breakdown:
#1: Matte cream
#2: Glittery white gold
#3: Matte Slight Warm Tan
#4: Shimmer-Satin Yellow-Gold Champagne
#5: Shimmer-Satin Warm Taupe
#6: Matte Black-Brown

Out of all the shades, I would say #4 is the most unique. I had abit of a problem trying to describe this colour. It has a shimmer-satin finish, nothing too glitzy but comes with a beautiful sheen. It has a slight warm lean and I almost want to say its a bronze/tan-champagne because it doesn't really look like a typical gold champagne in the pan. Nevertheless, it's a really pretty shade to wear all over the lids or inner corners to brighten things up and give a little pop with that soft sheen.

Nyx Natural Palette

Okay. So this is where the problem may lie for some. The pigmentation and colour pay-off. As from the hand swatches, they don't appear be very promising. #1 is pretty pigmented and does show up on the skin (I personally like to use this as an all over base shade from lid to brow). #2 to me almost feels like a top coat rathat than as a lid colour by itself. It gives a lil oomph on top of another colour such as #4 or #5. Okay, I know #3 seems virtually non-existent on my arm and this might be a turn-off for some right there and then. However, somehow it shows up better on the lids/ crease. I can see the subtle definition that it provides when I aply it on my lids. It is somewhat buildable but if u r looking for a high colour impact, this shade ain't it. #5 and #6 are probably apart from #1 the most pigmented but no surprise there, seeing as how they are both the darkest shades in the palette. The overall look I can get out of this palette is fine for my liking in terms of everyday wear or fotd, with just a neutral and natural eye and the darkest shade as my eyeliner. The shadow are relatively smooth and perform decently on the lid. However, it of course isn't the most pigmented palette I have ever come across (such as the likes of brands like Urban Decay, NARS, etc). Then again, a good eyeshadow may not necessarily be defined only by how pigmented it is. These shadows although not the most pigmented and the richest, are pretty smooth and blendable which to me, still leaves me rather contented with my purchase of it.

Overall, it's a decent find. For a seasoned makeup junkie with tons of eyeshadows, you probably can skip on this. (But if you're like me who just wants to try anything and everything that screams neutral eyeshadows, go for it hehe). If you're someone who is just starting out and want something that offers some flexibility in terms of blending and soft colour placement without risking a ton of money on it, this could be one to consider getting.

Overall Grade:
 Do I like this?: mm yea it's alright
Would I repurchase this?: Given my extensive eyeshadow collection, probably not
Grade: B

Happy holidays everyone! Eat, drink and be merry (don't forget to rock those holiday looks too!) ~ ;)

Review: Essence Gel Eyepencil Waterproof

Yay~ Another post in two weeks. I officially feel quite proud of myself hahaha. After all the lippie talk in the previous posts, I think it's high-time to change the subject. So, ahhhh *zen mode*, the eyes are the window to the soul~ And eyeliner is the window frame of those beautiful windows~haha believe me, I don't spend my spare moments thinking of analogies like these but hey, a little wordplay occasionally is always fun.

With that, you guessed it! Today, it's all about the eyeliner. The stars of today is from Essence. I actually got these when I was traveling in Germany this past July and practically in European makeup heaven. Essence has always been one of my favourite makeup brandsand when they busted out these babies, I practically flipped and fainted. I've been trying these out for months and made sure to test and run them down. Believe me, you are looking at one of the pickiest and most-annoyed-when-eyeliner-smudges eyeliner wearer around. Alot of eyeliners, specifically gel and pencil (and unfortunately sometimes even felt liners), smudge on me. The weather in Singapore being mainly humid and warm throughout the year isn't very much of a help either. So when I find an amazing eyeliner find, I am so jumping all over it. And this, is one of those amazing finds.

From when I last checked, the gel eye pencil comes in six gorgeous shades ranging from the normal black and brown to the beautiful blues and emeralds.

The six shades are:
01 Black Blaze (creamy rich black)
02 Around Midnight (Navy Blue) *My absolute favourite*
03 Urban Jungle (Emerald Green)
04 Blue Lagoon (Rich Semi-dark Turquoise)
05 Gunmetal ( Deep Grey)
06 Cocoa Bean (Rich Chocolate Brown)

Packaging on these eye pencils are simple, nice and sturdy with an easy and quick twist-up mechanism for the product. Big plus here, especially for the sharpener-haters out there. Unfortunately, they do not come with a sharpener like some other pencils do at the end of them so you might just have to use one from another pencil product with a similar twist-up mechanism to get a sharp end if you should desire. Other than that, I can't complain.

Essence Gel Eyepencil Waterproof

Essence Gel Eyepencil Waterproof (L-R): 02 Around Midnight, 05 Gunmetal, 03 Urban Jungle, 06 Cocoa Bean, 01 Black Blaze, 04 Blue Lagoon

Let''s talk about the formula of these eye pencils. So gorgeous. They go on smoothly and are very creamy without tugging the eye. The colour pay-off of these are just brilliant. They do dry relatively fast but not so fast to the point where you can't blend them out should you want to. Once they dry and set up, they won't budge. On me, they stay for as long as I want them on my eyes and here comes the best part...*drum roll* They don't give me panda eyes and leave me smudge-free *squeal* On with the tests!

Essence Gel Eyepencil Waterproof Swatches

Essence Gel Eyepencil Waterproof (placed under running water)

Essence Gel Eyepencil Waterproof (After using finger to attempt to smudge)

Essence Gel Eyepencil Waterproof (removal with oil-based makeup remover)

Just fabulous, really. Nothing much more I can really say to be honest. The pictures say it all. Waterproof, smudge-proof and easy to remove without excessive tugging with an oil-based makeup remover. It also comes off easily with a makeup wipe (which is what I use mostly in my makeup removal routine). Another plus point here (you ready?) is the price on these babies. At a drugstore price, these gems couldn't get any better. Overall, they have a ten thumbs-up from me. 200%.

Overall Grade:
 Do I like this?: Love love love. 200%
Would I repurchase this?: OF COURSE
Grade: A

*Essence Gel Eyepencil Waterproof is sold in selected Watsons stores at SGD$4.50 in Singapore*

Any more jaw-dropping eyeliner recommendations? ;)
Happy Holidays!

Review: Nyx Butter Lipstick in Juju

Hey everyone! hope the weekend is going all good for you, getting all the fun X'mas shopping done! Back today with another review on the NYX butter lipstick (beginning to feel like Paula Dean of the Make-up world here haha)! This shade for me is a total must-review because it is one of my favourite favourite favourite (wait, how many 'favourites' am I allowed to type here? okay, I'll stop at three) shades in my lipstick arsenal so I gotta share it with you guys. On with the show!

Nyx Butter Lipstick in Juju

Nyx Butter Lipstick in Juju

 Of course we all know what the packaging looks like, cute and colour coordinated according to the shade in the tube. Somehow it's cute with the butter lipstick line so I like it, not too tacky or cheap. The smell of the lipstick reminds me of a well, buttery baked good although I can't exactly pinpoint which yummy treat it is but it is something that I personally really like.

Nyx Butter Lipstick in Juju

Nyx Butter Lipstick in Juju

Juju is a beautiful candy apple red and is one of those shades that can really perk up your complexion, especially for you really fair complected beauties out there. Nevertheless, I see this shade being nice on alot of people too. The formulation of the lipstick, like the name is smooth and glides on like butter. Really great colour payoff which is buildable and that for me is a good point, so you don't get a cakey mess on your lips on first swipe like some full-coverage lipsticks can tend to be. The formula of this lipstick to me is somehow more forgiving and allows you to wear it differently on intensity scale. For a more everyday red, I personally like to go in with one layer so it still allows some of my natural lip texture to show through. For a more high impact look, I'll just swipe on one or two more layers till I'm happy with the colour. I also love how the butter lipsticks can be built without becoming chunky or patchy on your lips.

Of course, if you are looking for a stay-all-day lipstick, this isn't the one. But it still lasts a decent amount of time and doesn't just slip right off your lips. However, nothing a quick touch-up wouldn't fix here. This lippie is just one of my top favs at the moment and belongs to the 'yup, totally will repurchase' category for me. It's just such a beautiful candy apple red that is nice and not drying on me and is a go-to red. Love it, just love it.

Overall Grade:
 Do I like this?: LOVE
Would I repurchase this?: Oh yeah, you bet
Grade: A-

Don't you guys just love it when you discover a go-to shade to add to your collection? ;)
 Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Review: NYX Bombshell Butter Lipstick Trio Lip Set

Hey there lovelies, how has it been for you all? Hope all is good and busy with the beautiful festivities that are rolling around the corner [gleeee with all the pretty xmas lights and whimsical music~] Among the fun festivities~~~ come the....AWESOME MAKE-UP SETS *confetti*!!! Haha okay too much drama in this scene, but there is a makeup gem here for the lippie-lovers out there!

Sometime back, NYX decided to roll out these amazing babies. The NYX butter lipsticks. Somehow the baking world and the beauty world collided to produce these great lipsticks with their beautiful creamy texture and impressive colour payoff. So, to round up the year, what does NYX do? Well, they put 'em all together and ta-da! All spice and everything nice.

Yup. Think Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer when you read BOMBSHELL. Hello va-va-voom and ooh-la-la. Hair flick, hair toss, the works. Hah! As if I could ever pull that stunt off. But I digress. NYX has ever so kindly pushed out the NYX Bombshell Butter Lipstick Trio Lip Set with three luscious shades. These shades are not new to the line of course but for them to come in a value set, that's always greatly appreciated. When I saw this in Sephora, I knew I had to snag them. The lippies starring in this set are Pops, Big Cherry and Licorice.

First of all, LOVE LOVE LOVE the colour variation in this set. It's almost like a value meal from McDonald's. A great everyday MLBB, a pretty pop of classic red and a helloooo-vampy shade. For a lip junkie, this is such a big plus. The formulation for these butter lipsticks, like most of the line, are smooth, creamy and glide on like a dream. However, the formulation seems to be better suited for the richer and perhaps darker colours in my opinion. Apart from these, I own one other shade from the line (Taffy) and personally wasn't all that impressed with the colour pay-off and how the colour just filled in my lip lines. However, the formulation works beautifullly with the colours in this set. Let's get on with the individual colour breakdown.

NYX Butter Lipstick: Pops

NYX Butter Lipstick: Pops

NYX Butter Lipstick: Pops

First one up is the shade Pops. Let me just say the names on these Butter lipsticks are just so cute and delicious. NYX really knows how to make us lip junkies/ sweet tooths squeal with delight. Pops is a MLBB type shade, with a gorgeous blush-rose undertone. It has just a hair bit of brown to it which some might throw it under the Kylie Jenner lip shade category. As you can see from the swatches, this one is a keeper. Creamy, smooth and great colour pay-off. Definitely one that is great for everyday wear. When I swatched this, a familiar wave hit me as though I had seen it somewhere before. It actually took me a few days and an accidental wearing of the 'other' shade to realise where I had seen a similar shade before. If you have Boujour's Rouge Velvet Liquid Lipstick in Nude-ist and love it, you would also enjoy this one. I was really glad to have found this variation and it's definitely one that I can see myself picking this one up quite often.

NYX Butter Lipstick: Big Cherry

NYX Butter Lipstick: Big Cherry

NYX Butter Lipstick: Big Cherry

Next one up: Big Cherry. Somehow this amazing classic red reminds me of Big Band and Marilyn Monroe. Big Cherry is those scarlet iconic reds that every girl should have in her make-up arsenal. Such a beautiful one to own. I personally am just a die-hard red lips fan as reds just add such an elegant and classic pop of colour to one's face. Big Cherry goes on really smoothly and can be worn lightly [as in the lip swatch above] or built to a darker more luscious red. Totally feel like such a movie star with this shade one. Love~~~

NYX Butter Lipstick: Licorice

NYX Butter Lipstick: Licorice

NYX Butter Lipstick: Licorice

Wanna go even more va-va-voom? Thing's can't get any vampier than a dark lippie. Licorice is a rich dark berry shade which is ohhhh soooo sinful. Somehow it reminds me of a warm berry tart with a side serving of rum (sinful no doubt). This currant shade is sooo perfect for fall and can be a light berry tint if you choose to stamp it lightly on the lips or turn full-on darkside when you build it up. What can I say? Sheer perfection. *faints*


Aren't they GORGEOUS. I'm totally running out of positive adjectives for these babies already. The formulation on the Butter lipsticks I cannot get over, very smooth and creamy but not greasy feeling like some other lipsticks. But again, just as I have said, this formulation seems to work better for the richer darker shades [as opposed to the nude/ lighter shades in the line]. They also are not drying which is such a great plus, as it saves me from having to worry about crackling lips at the end of the day. Having said that, staying power, naturally, wouldn't be the best on these. They wouldn't necessarily slide right off but they wouldn't still be insanely perfect after eating/ drinking. But hey, nothing a lil touch-up wouldn't fix. Also, this set is a great value for three good quality lipsticks. Overall, they get a good holiday thumbs up from me and lip lovers out there, snag them up if you haven't!

Overall Grade:
 Do I like this?: va-va-yes
Would I repurchase this?: Absolutely~
Grade: A-/ B+

The NYX Bombshell Butter Lipstick Trio Lip Set can be found in Sephora (Singapore) at $22.
*note: althought initially it was $24; they seemed to have adjusted the price the last time I checked to $22*

So, ready to turn on the inner Bombshell in you yet? ;)
Happy Holidays Lovelies!

Review: Naked 2 Basics

Oh yes, you got it! Another review~~~~! As soon as I caught wind of this being in Sephora stores in Singapore, I knew I had to get my marathon-worthy shoes on and race out the door to land myself one of these babies and get the review to you guys as soon as possible. BEHOLD, my follow die-hard UD fans/ Neutral/ matte shadow fanatics, the NAKED 2 BASICS Palette. *Cool music ensues*

Hahahaha okay okay, enough with the over-dramatic entrance. Let's get down to business.

Naked 2 Basics Palette

Naked 2 Basics

 Such a beauty~~~ Does anyone get as excited as me whenever they unbox a new palette, especially one that you've been eyeing for months and months? Oh come on, I know there are some of you out there, don't try to hide it, hehe. Firstly again as I feel about the first Naked Basics Palette, the packaging on this one is sturdy, compact and sleek. 1UP there, UD, 1UP. The colour of this palette is of course slightly different than the first one, with a cooler, more greyish tone but again, still the same size.

Naked 2 Basics

Top: Naked 2 Basics, Bottom: Naked Basics

Left: Naked Basics, Right: Naked 2 Basics

As you can see, the two palettes in the Naked Basics line are different from each other, with Naked basics being slightly more brown-toned based and Naked 2 Basics being more taupe/grey-toned based. They do both however, share the same 1 non-matte & 5 matte shadows format, although in the Naked 2 Basics palette, Skimp being the non-matte in the palette is more peachy-toned and more of a satin finish (than Venus in the first palette having a more frosty/ satin-shimmer finish). The pigmentation of the shadows, like alot of other UD shadows is impeccable which comes as no surprise, seeing as how I personally feel that UD does  some of the best shadows in the market, especially the mattes.

Naked 2 Basics Swatches  in Natural Daylight L-R: Skimp, Stark, Frisk, Cover, Primal, Undone

Another thing that I have to commend Urban Decay on is that they listened to their audience's gripes of having too many highlight shades in the first Naked Basics Palette and offered more crease/ lid/ outer V shades this time round in the Naked 2 Basics. I love how the creases shades Stark and Frisk are different enough such that you don't feel like you have two of the same shades in the palette that you paid quite abit for. For those who are expecting a crazy dark black or brown that u could use as a punchy eyeliner in place of a pencil/ gel/ liquid liner, this palette I'm afraid doesn't have that like the first installment has. However, for those who like me prefer a semi-dark brown/ grey eyeshadows for eyeliner, this would be such a good one for you.

Overall, UD has done a great job with their second installment and even with their overall Fall collection this year. Kudos to them! Definitely check out their launches for this holiday season and I swear, you will not be disappointed! Another big question we all ask as all their NAKED line eyeshadow palettes come out is: Is the Naked 2 Basics different enough from the Naked Basics palette to render a purchase? My answer would be: YES! If you like the taupes/ greys on your eyes but don't want them too be overly cool, I think the Naked 2 Basics provides a good middle ground between warm and cool.

Grade Breakdown:
Do I like this?: Do you need to ask??!! (yes yes yes!)
Would I repurchase this?: Yes! seeing as how this one is going into my 'likely to hit pan and finish' list!
Grade: A

So my lovelies, what are some of your favourite Urban Decay Products for Fall? Bracing the onset of holidays to come yet? ;)

*( The Naked 2 Basics Palette is out now at Sephora Stores in Singapore for SGD $45)

Stay lovely and happy!~