BeautyandtheCat's Beauty Blog

July 13, 2014September 13, 2014

The Queen and I – Queen Helene Avocado & Grapefruit Facial Masque

Queen Helene probably wasn’t even a real Queen, but I won’t hold that against her (who is probably not even a real person.) Well, I guess she (the non-person) is the queen of facial masks considering the cult favorite Queen Helene Mint Julep mask. But this is not about that mask. It’s about the other one in the range of masks, and I just put it on tonight to shrink wrap my tired saggy skin and oil-oozing pores in this 99-degree LA weather.

This avocado grapefruit mask has the same primary ingredients as the mint julep mask. I just wanted to try something new. It smells a bit better than the mint julep mask, which leaves an after-smell which is a combination of dirt and sulfur (i.e: not entirely unlike fart.) Let’s be clear: the avocado grapefruit mask has the same sulfur smell, just much more faint. Continue reading “The Queen and I – Queen Helene Avocado & Grapefruit Facial Masque”

July 7, 2014April 25, 2015

You Go, Curl! Best Lash-Curling Mascaras for Hooded/Asian Eyes

After extensive (and expensive) trial and error, I’ve narrowed down the universe of mascaras that hold a curl the best. Hint: They’re not Chanel, Dior, Lancôme, Fiberwig, Josie Maran, Revlon, . . . I could go on. Even mascaras that specifically claim to hold a curl cannot always pass my stringent test.

01 Non Lash Curling Mascaras — All no go! Actually, the Fairydrops and Fiberwig might have been OK at curling but not consistently enough to warrant a recommendation

Maybe I’m asking for too much. I rely on my mascara to lift my hooded eyelids, which sliiiightly enlarges my eyes (relatively speaking; no one’s going to mistake me for a tarsier).

01a Best Lash Curling Mascara — A great mascara can hold up hooded eyelids, creating a (small) faux crease. My real crease is tucked underneath my eyelids.

Well anyway, if these work for me, they will surely work for ordinary lash-glamming needs. Continue reading “You Go, Curl! Best Lash-Curling Mascaras for Hooded/Asian Eyes”

July 7, 2014April 13, 2018

The Color Purple – Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Violet/Lavender violet

Fuchsia lips? Sooooo last summer. Well I still love fuchsia but obsessed with its cousin: vibrant violet!

Behold the Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Violet:

I was at Bite Beauty Lab in soho last week and swung by to see what’s crackin. For the unfamiliar, this is a place where you can mix your own colors and the Bite Beauticians will bake it into your own custom Bite lipstick. Art and personalization and makeup in one! And if you are one of those ladies that are constantly looking for the “perfect” shade of red or nude or whatever: this is YOUR dream come true.

Continue reading “The Color Purple – Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Violet/Lavender violet”

July 6, 2014March 24, 2015

Worth It? Hourglass No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil Review

Hourglass No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil is the most expensive lip product I own. At $42 for 0.25 oz., it’s almost as expensive per ounce as La Mer’s lip balm (Hourglass: $168/oz. versus La Mer: $172/oz.). Containing 28 different oils and applied via a cold 24kt gold-plated tip, the oil feels plush and thick, not runny. It has a slightly herbal fragrance, but I don’t really notice it anymore.

Continue reading “Worth It? Hourglass No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil Review”

July 6, 2014September 13, 2014

Clear as Mud – Kiehl’s Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque

I love the luxurious feeling of a mask, any mask. Though empirical evidence on what masks can do vary greatly, there’s a therapeutic effect from this self-pampering ritual which is undeniable. I have at least 9-10 masks in my overfilled medicine cabinet and fridge (I leave a tofu face mask in the fridge for hot summer days like these)

The mask de l’heure is the Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque from Kiehl’s. The Kiehl’s store is insanely addictive because of its cute, homey, artisanal packaging and lovely combinations of natural ingredients (calendula toner please!) The price point of mostly $20-50 is also right there in my sweet spot.

This mud mask promises to shrink your pore and clarify your skin. And yep, it does tighten your skin and soak up oil like a napkin on greasy pizza. Look at the opaqueness:

Continue reading “Clear as Mud – Kiehl’s Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque”

July 5, 2014April 13, 2018

Blue Steel: Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Curacao Review

To go with the red and white dress I wore on the Fourth of July, I popped on a bright blue liquid eyeliner.

01 Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner Curacao Review — Rejected title: The Fourth of Blue-ly.

Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Curacao is a bold, cobalt, shimmery blue. I’ve owned this eyeliner in several other colors (bronze, purple, sparkly black), and they’re all great. Continue reading “Blue Steel: Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Curacao Review”

July 4, 2014April 25, 2015

Contour de Force

The new rage nowadays is contouring. Once reserved for “insiders” such as makeup artists, beauty queens, and celebs, now you can look up contouring on Instagram and see a bazillion feeds about it.

Yeah it is definitely magical because it can take chubby cheeks and pounds off your face without bucal fat removal and dieting.

I learned this trick during my beauty pageant days from observing my makeup artists do it (contouring is so powerful that you can almost make yourself look like an entire different person). This is because it alters the eye’s perception of facial angles. Dark colors on your face make things recede. Great for carving angles where there are none, or for narrowing features like nostrils and jawlines.

Here is my semi-sloppy makeup application with only about four steps. Bottom lower left corner has the “contour” lines which seem complex in charts but easily executed in real life. For the purpose of this post, I didn’t do any extreme contouring, just enough to define the cheek bones and narrow the nose. So the dark lines you see are super simplified. But that’s all you need. I also didn’t use highlights; I only used dark colors to “carve”.

I didn’t do much detail in the pic but you can definitely see the narrowing of the jaw and cheeks. Such is the magic of darker color on the outside of the face. Try it and see!!!

From left top corner:
Continue reading “Contour de Force”

July 4, 2014November 15, 2014

They See Me Haulin’ Part 2: Haul Revealed

01 Psy Sheet Masks — Sheet masks that transform you into Psy. Heh, psyyy-ch!

Part 1 is here.

Ah, I bought too much in LA. Some are gifts. But let’s be real, most of it is for me.

02 Full Haul — Haul-la! The full haul+free samples

First, I bought some cotton pads to remove eye makeup. After Costco stopped offering my favorite Denon cotton pads (cheap and didn’t disintegrate or shed lint), I’ve been trying out different drugstore offerings and some Asian ones that I had lying around. They’ve all been meh. Here’s hoping these are better. Continue reading “They See Me Haulin’ Part 2: Haul Revealed”

July 3, 2014February 11, 2015

They See Me Haulin’ Part 1: Shopping in LA

In LA, I shopped my way across the city for Asian beauty products. All for you! I’m sorry, I meant me. All for me. By no means is this list meant to be extensive. I only listed places that I already knew of or came across. I hope, however, that this is useful to someone interested in shopping for Asian makeup and skincare. My faves: Image, Beauty Tips, and Takashima–all in the San Gabriel Valley. Read on for info about stores there and in Koreatown and West LA. Some things to note:

Testers for makeup and skincare were common.
~~Prices across stores were basically the same (e.g., $18 for Clio Gelspresso eyeliner), so comparison shopping wasn’t as important as I thought it would be.~~ Now whether those prices beat online prices, I don’t know. Update: I’ve noticed some wildly disparate prices on some skincare items. As in some items being 2x higher at one store versus another. So comparison shopping is important.
Pretty much every store that sold Korean makeup sold Clio Gelspresso eyeliners and the full range of Peripera lip products and It’s Skin Babyface makeup.

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY–ATLANTIC SQUARE

1. Beauty Tips/Tips Beauty (Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese) 500 N. Atlantic Blvd., Suite 177, Monterey Park, CA 91754 The entrance is on Atlantic. Although small, it is crammed with products from Taiwanese, Korean, and Japanese brands, including brands that I didn’t see anywhere else. Also carries a healthy selection of American/Western brands, some of which are not commonly found in stores (such as Avene, La Roche Posay, Klorane, Eve Lom). Great for: Continue reading “They See Me Haulin’ Part 1: Shopping in LA”

July 3, 2014October 19, 2015

Worth It? Rodin Olio Lusso Review

Worth It? reviews crazy expensive items that you might have wondered about but couldn’t bring yourself to buy. Look forward to more Worth It? reviews in the future. I also just can’t keep thinking up pun-ny titles like Renee can.

At $150 for 1 fl. oz., Rodin Olio Lusso is a “luxury face oil” described as a “perfect potion” that promises hydrated and luminous skin. After seeing it repeatedly featured in models’ and actresses’ routines on Into the Gloss, I splurged (with a coupon code naturally) on a bottle of this promising elixir. Directions say to apply a few drops to a clean, moist face morning and night.

Continue reading “Worth It? Rodin Olio Lusso Review”