KATE Tokyo: The Eyeliner Brand I've Been Using For 7 Years

My very first liquid eyeliner was actually KATE's Super Sharp Liner.

In fact, I did a quick search on my blog and found the first make-up blog post I ever did, in the year 2009. THAT IS ALMOST SEVEN YEARS AGO? My goodness!!!

The above photos are from that very first make-up post, in which I also shared about KATE's Super Sharp Liner.

I'm really glad my makeup skills have improved quite a fair bit from seven years ago. Those eyebrows (or lack thereof) are atrocious.

One thing that's unchanged after six years though, is that I'm still a great fan of KATE's eyeliner products! What I find really commendable about KATE TOKYO is that the brand is constantly innovating and coming up with improved products all the time, which is probably why KATE Tokyo has remained the No.1 Makeup Brand in Japan for so many years!

The latest KATE TOKYO BLACK SHOCK COLLECTION is no exception!

Unfailing precision is coupled with long lasting definition in the new KATE DIGITAL MEMORY LINER and KATE VIRTUAL LONG LASH. These new eye makeup releases from KATE TOKYO boast intense, stay-true black coloration creating strong, dramatic eye looks for the modern trendsetter.

KATE DIGITAL MEMORY LINER, $20.50 (Available in BK-1 Digital Black)

I may have just found my new Holy Grail liquid eyeliner: KATE Digital Memory Liner! To me, a liquid eyeliner needs to be exceptional in three areas: Easy application, good staying power, and intense coloration. 

KATE Digital Memory Liner is all of the above three, and even more!

With its flat tapered brush, application is such a breeze when you use KATE Digital Memory Liner. It's very similar to the KATE Super Sharp Liner, and allows me to draw very precise, very thin lines, which is my preferred style of eyeliner.

I compared it to another liquid eyeliner I own, and you can see how much more intense and dark KATE Digital Memory Eyeliner is, in comparison! 

 The super fine tip of the firm brush allows for effortless and steady application of the formula. This brush has been artfully designed for amateurs and experts alike to effortlessly create fine or thick lines!

This is pretty cool: Depending on your preference that day, you can rotate the eyeliner to achieve a thinner defined line, or go for a dramatic thick eyeliner look!

KATE Digital Memory Eyeliner makes it so easy to define my peepers dramatically. Look at that intense black definition! I was also very happy to find out that the staying power of KATE Digital Memory Eyeliner is fantastic as well, it is resistant to water, sweat and sebum! Even after wearing KATE Digital Memory Eyeliner out for an entire day, it stayed as intense and dark as it was upon first application, and barely smudged at all. Very impressive!

Despite its great staying power, it is easily removed with just warm water (around 40 degrees celsius) alone. Yet more brownie points for KATE Digital Memory Eyeliner!

In the same KATE TOKYO BLACK SHOCK COLLECTION, KATE has also released a new mascara: KATE VIRTUAL LONG LASH!

KATE VIRTUAL LONG LASH, $25.50 (Available in BK-1 Hard Black)

The new formula is generously packed with KATE TOKYO’s new ‘Hard Black Pigments’ for intense, long-lasting black colouration with every swipe!

The applicator wand is perfectly poised to  pack on the formula – all bristles are precisely positioned to spread lashes apart even as they are generously coated. The compact brush ensures that all lashes, fine or short are caught and layered with the lightweight formula for maximum impact.

Both straight and curled fibres feature in the new KATE Virtual Long Lash to simultaneously curl and lengthen your lashes at the swipe of the wand. It's really jet black and gives my lashes sleek definition!

KATE Virtual Long Lash will give you jet-black, lush voluminous lashes and complete that dramatic, edgy look!

The KATE TOKYO BLACK SHOCK COLLECTION will be available from February 2016 at selected FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, OG, John Little, Sasa Cosmetics and Watsons stores!

Lash Extensions Touch-Up at GRACEOUS + TANGS Beauty Treasures Around The World!

It's been quite some time since I first did Japanese eyelash extensions at Graceous! I am now a true convert of their services, and I think you'd understand why too when you read on! :)

During my last visit, I did something slightly different from the regular lash extensions.. I had colored lash extensions done instead of just regular black extensions!

I wasn't too sure about doing colored extensions at first because I felt they might look garish or cheap. But Nao-san showed me some photos as examples and I thought they looked so pretty and delicate! So I decided on doing pink and purple lashes to go with my colorful hair. I mean, since my hair already has got like five colors in it or something. Why not? :D

As with my first visit, Nao-san was so exceedingly gentle that I felt asleep during the session! It was really that comfortable, and a far cry from how I used to have to endure the stench of strong stinging glue during my previous experiences with eyelash extensions. 

In what felt like no time at all, with me pleasantly drifting in and out of slumber, Nao-san had completed her painstaking work on my lashes!

I went slightly longer with the length of the extensions this time, with 10-12mm instead of the 9-11mm I did previously. This added on to the dolly and fluttery effect!

Taken right after the session! If you can tell, the purple and pink lashes are actually at the outer corner of my eyes, and I loved how Nao-san blended the colored extensions in with the black ones! It looked so natural while still adding a pop of pretty colors to my eyes at the same time. I love the way the colored lashes help to accent and frame my peepers!

I took the below photos about 1-2 weeks after the session, and the lashes extensions still look very lush and full! Taken with just base makeup and a very tiny bit of eyeliner on!

Don't the lashes look absolutely natural and gorgeous? I have had tons of people asking if these lashes were real, and some even insisted that they were my real lashes!

I'm really thankful to have found Graceous! The comfort level of every session as well as the prodigious skill of Nao-San are really unparalleled. Not to mention the stunning end results! It's really hard for me to imagine getting eyelash extensions done anywhere else but Graceous now. That is how life-changing my experience at Graceous has been!

It's been more than a month since my last eyelash extensions touch-up at Graceous Salon, and happily enough, my eyelash extensions still look so good and are getting compliments all the time!

In fact, I've been going out bare-faced ever so often ever since my first session at Graceous, all thanks to the magic of the lash extensions which somehow makes even my bare face look somewhat presentable. This has given me so much newfound confidence! Falsies and mascara are now a thing of the past for me, and I can't emphasize on how much convenience and time that has saved me. I can't even be bothered with eyeliner nowadays, teehee.

Strangely enough, even though I do notice strands of lash extensions (and of course my own lashes) falling out from time to time, my lashes still look long and fluttery now, despite being not as lush as full as they were when freshly done. Rather amazing, don't you think? 

Thank you so much, Tomoki-san and Nao-san at Graceous, for this wonderful service!

❤❤❤

GRACEOUS 

9 Mohamed Sultan Road 

#03-02 (Attic level) 

Singapore 238959 

Website: http://www.graceous.com/english-top/ 

Book your appointment with them at +65 6235 6935 or SMS them at +65 8699 6045! 

GRACEOUS is offering a 20% off your first session with them, you just need to quote my name "Yina" in order to enjoy this 20% off!

❤❤❤

Some pictures that I took after a make-over at Shu Uemura's counter at TANGS Beauty! Makeup artist Zita did a "Harajuku" eye makeover for me, and I was utterly blown away with the artistry and proficiency with the bold colors and blending!

PS. See how gorgeous and alluring my eyelashes look, even after one month!

I'm so inspired to experiment with bold colors myself at home! I would never have thought to use yellow, green and blue all together at the same time, but the effect is so stunning! Thank you, Shu Uemura, and Zita!

Interested to get a 15 minute eye makeover at Shu Uemuera too? :)

Here's something exciting to share! If you're a beauty junkie like I am, head down to TANGS Beauty at Tangs Orchard Level 1 for some fun from the 14-31 October, to visit some of my very most favourite brands: Lancome, Biotherm, YSL Beaute, Clarisonic, Shu Uemura, Kiehl's and Armani Prive!

Get a personalised consultation complete with samples at Kiehl's, or the iconic Lancome Aura Service (with their highly famed skincare products and Teint Visionnaire), or even a soothing hand massage at Biotherm!

You'd be set on a marvelous beauty journey of exploration with these brands, with free makeovers, special deals and treats, all at TANGS Beauty!

Visit TANGS Beauty Treasures Around The World website for more information, but I promise you'll have a ball of a time! Do visit all the different brands for a unique experience to get your Beauty Passport stamped for even more fabulous goodies! :D

xoxo

Guide to Natural Make-Up Look!

As the saying goes:

"世界上没有丑女人，只有懒女人" 

(There are no ugly women, only lazy ones)

It is indeed possible to look beautiful with thick make-up on, and as much as I love dolling myself up with the huge array of make-up readily available to women in today's world, I've started to feel tired of putting on sooooo much make-up, and it's definitely not something I can do on a daily basis :(

Don't misunderstand me, thick makeup is awesome when the occasion calls for it, but the best kind of makeup, in my opinion, is the kind that looks like it isn't there. (But you know it is. HAHAHA) You can't exactly put on a full face of makeup just to head to the nearest coffee shop for lunch, can you?

The solution? A clean, natural look that looks well-groomed and flawless, something that looks so natural it's almost as if you're not wearing any make-up! This is the kind of make-up you can wear any time, without looking like you're on your way for prom night. (Yikes!)

As I've gotten quite a number of requests asking for a daily make-up tutorial, I put together this simple walk-through for my natural make-up look, at the same time reviewing two of my current favourite products that work really well for this look: Ettusais Liquid Eyeliner WP in Brown (Brown Eyeliner) and eyebrow powder palette: Kiss Me Heavy Rotation Eyebrow and Nose Shadow Powder in 01 Light Brown (Brow powder palette)!

Without further ado, here's my Guide to a Natural Make-Up Look!

The very first step to achieving a natural make-look has got to be a clean, fresh face, and the products that I've been using almost daily are the following:

Ettusais BB Mineral White SPF45 PA++ (review here)
Beauty Tech Ice Cream Concealer
Ettusais Quick Fix Powder

With my base make-up done! The Ettusais BB Mineral White has got rather decent coverage and with a few dabs of concealer over my terrible dark eye rings/blemishes and a coat of pressed powder, I'm pretty much set!

Moving on to the eyes, which are definitely the most important features in our face. To keep the look natural, I'm sticking to a brown color palette. By using two shades (a shimmery beige and a darker brown), depth and dimension can be created, while still looking natural and neutral. It doesn't require much skill too, all you need to do is to dab the lighter color all over your lids, then work in the dark brown from the outer corner of your eyelid and gently blend it in with your little finger.

I used:
Peripera Eyeshadow (Sheer Beige)
Springheart Eyeshadow (#01 Mocha)

The pink area represents where the dark brown shadow should go!

After applying eyeshadow, define your lash line by using a brown eyeliner such as Ettusais Liquid Eyeliner WP to draw a thin line as near to your lash line as possible! Using brown instead of black eyeliner makes the look more natural, as black eyeliner can look potentially harsh and artificial, while brown eyeliner provides a soft definition.

The Ettusais Liquid Eyeliner WP (Brown) comes with a fine tip that's very easy to use and control.

Remember to go as close to your lash line as possible!


Next up: defining the eyebrows! This is my favourite step hahaha. I've already previously had a simple guide on how to DIY your own brow shape, so do ensure that your brows are already tweezed/shaped properly, so all you need to do is to fill them in a little and add in some definition with the Heavy Rotation Eyebrow & Nose Shadow Powder in 01 Light Brown!

Definitely my current favorite brow product for the natural look.

I love that it comes with a double-sided brush, the angled brush is great for drawing in the brows while the blending brush is perfect for contouring! The three shades can be mixed-and-matched to customize a shade that's most suitable for you!

Found this illustration online, which is exactly how I use the palette as well!


As illustrated above: draw in the brows with the stiff angled brush from the front of the brow to the middle, then from the arch down to the end of the brows.

Done with the brows! If you want to go for a more "Ulzzang" look, try drawing your brows a little straighter and thicker!

I posted this on Instagram a few days ago when I was experimenting with the Heavy Rotation palette, while attempting the "ulzzang" look.


This handy trick of contouring can really help to subtly alter the proportions of your entire face, giving you a slimmer and taller looking nose that's more elegant and defined!

How the brows look like after I'm done with them.

And here's a close-up of the eyes and brows. Natural, yes?

On most (lazy) days, I'd usually stop at this stage cos it's good to go for the average day that I'm out and about! However, if you have a little more time and can afford another 5-7 minutes, then you can polish up the look just a little bit, with the last step of falsies or mascara :)

LOOK COMPLETE!!! Easy enough, isn't it?

***

As you can tell, my natural make-up look is totally simple: I only focused on a few things: a flawless compexion, well-groomed eyebrows, and naturally defined eyes! I did not use any blush/cheek products, lip products, or anything else, because I think this is quite sufficient for my needs.

However, if you know you tend to look pale without lip color or cheek color, do feel free to experiment around with cheek/lip products for your very own best "natural make-up" look! I would recommend keeping the look as au natural as possible by sticking to tinted lip balms (my current favourite is Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment) and cream blush (such as Heavy Rotation's Creamy Cheeks).

Last but not least, most of the products used in this look (Heavy Rotation, Springheart, Peripera, DUP) are all available at Watsons! The Ettusais products are available at all Ettusais counters, and the only product you won't be able to find is the Beauty Tech Ice Cream Concealer which is no longer being sold in Singapore.

Have fun trying out this simple natural make-up look, and I hope this post was of help! ^.^ Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions!

xoxo