Review: Sephora Pro Lesson Palette: Smoky Eyes

Hi guys :D
I'm here with a review for a palette (FINALLY) and it's the:
Sephora Pro Lesson Palette: Smoky Eyes!

Sephora Pro Lesson Palette in Smoky Eyes

If you've read my latest blogposts, I mentioned receiving palettes from my sister. Well, hers.

This was one of them but I returned it.

Reason being that it was a gift from her husband and I don't think it's good that I should keep it!

I did get to try it out and test it though.

Anyway, moving on~

Simple and Sleek.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

What it is: A makeup palette and illustrated lesson to help you create two looks: a brown smoky eye and a black smoky eye.

What it does: Pro Lesson Palettes are the easiest way to learn new makeup effects. You'll get illustrated instructions for two looks. Easy to follow without flipping between pages or looking for cards, the instructions are printed directly on the palette. Once you learn a new technique, the six included eye shadows create endless options. 

What else you need to know: Each eye shadow is made with a high-payoff and blendable formula. The eye pencil is highly pigmented and designed to avoid tugging. Colour products are stored in a high-quality compact that features a magnetic closure. Size: 5 x 5"

This palette contains 6 eyeshadows that are 1.67g each and also a 0.62g eyeliner. There are no brushes nor sponge-tip applicators. It has a big mirror and 2 step-by-step instructions on how to achieve a brown smoky eye and also a basic black one. Three other palettes from the Pro Lesson Palette collection also exist (Green Eyes, Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes) and it's from the Fall 2011 collection (yikes!). The product is made in China.

I'm not sure about the price, sorry.

The back of the palette (click on the photo to zoom in)

Anyway, I think my brother-in-law got this this year or late last year from Sephora Singapore or Malaysia. The palette's still good though!

It says to use up in 6 months ( '-' ) I thought eyeshadows can last up to two years? Hm.


The palette itself has a weight to it, nothing TOO heavy, but it's not travel-friendly either. It could work as a travelling palette but there's just so much wasted space due to the concept, bulking it up more than it should.

Inside of the palette (with an invisible black eyeliner lol)

The instructions are printed directly onto the palette. Sure, maybe it's better than a separate booklet that you can lose, but with that concept, look at how much space is wasted. This palette could have been far more compact than it is, don't you think?

As for the pigmentation, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't really expect highly of it (oopsies) but I really loved how it goes on the eyes. 

The swatches are swatched once on bare skin, no primer.

From the Top:

- Midnight Black Eyeliner
- Ivory
- Catherine
- Must Have
- Californian Blonde
- Marie
- Dark Brown

It's pigmented on its own, coupled with a base, it'd be even better. I was really impressed by the two mattes in this palette (Dark Brown and Must Have), it's so pigmented (although my swatch of Dark Brown is a bit clumsy) but they are quite prone to fallout. The same goes for Californian Blonde, with its shimmers.

These are wonderful eyeshadows! They are quite buttery and blends easily. Coupled with a good primer, these are awesome!

As for the eyeliner, it's quite a smudgy one (due to it being a Smoky Palette), so you can use it as a base to intensify the colours a bit more. Once it sets, it'll stay on quite well, but it's not waterproof.

There's just one complaint: The instructions don't really work.

My sister tried doing the smokey eye look on me using it and I just looked like someone had punched me! I don't normally follow instructions myself, because only you know your eyes and everyone has different eye shapes!

You cannot get the intense black as shown in the instructions. 

They didn't even include the black liner in them!

Kinda disappointing.

But if you just use it as you would everyday, it is a good palette.

My favourite shade in this is Marie. It's just a gorgeous taupe brown colour.


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PROS:

- Eyeshadows are pigmented and buttery.
- There are instructions for beginners.
- It has a big mirror.
- Has a good black eyeliner with the palette.
- Has wearable shades for everyday.
- Shades easily transition from day to night.


CONS:

- Not available locally.
- The instructions don't correspond with the pictures.
- Waste of packaging when it could have been a compact palette.
- No applicators (some may like this because not everyone likes them)
- Fallouts, especially with the matte shades.


Rating: 4/5 (Love the eyeshadows!)

Will I buy this again?

After trying this out, I'm open to buying Sephora eyeshadow in the future :D not particularly this palette.

Do I recommend this?

If you can still find this I guess! Although the colours aren't that unique.


Where can you find this?

It's still available on Amazon :)
But it's sold out on Sephora's website (discontinued I guess).
Maybe you can still find it at locally available Sephoras.


---

This definitely showed me the quality of Sephora eyeshadows, definitely.
It's not particularly helpful now, I believe, but look at that pigmentation!

The matte colours are gorgeous.

I hope you found it interesting!

'til then, take care!

-Nisah-

Review: CLIO Gelpresso Pencil Gel Liner Mini

Hi guys, this has been in my backlog for a while lol. Since September! This was originally a swatch post but I guess now I have enough time for my thoughts on it.

I seriously still find it demotivating to have such poor quality pics on my blog :x I'm not gonna lie.
But anyway, I tried my best to show these swatches as true to colour as possible.
These pics were taken under artificial room lighting, so it's a bit dim.

CLIO Gelpresso Pencil Gel Liner Mini

PRODUCT INFORMATION

It is filled with sliding gel texture in the retractable mini auto pencil. It glides on smoothly and gives high-defined eye line. Creamy and melting formula stays put all day long without smudge.

These five eyeliners are housed in a sturdy tin case, and contains 3x45mm (what.) of product each. Try as I might, I couldn't find the grammes. These eyeliners are about 10cm long so it's not that big. These are basically the mini versions of the hyped up Gelpresso liners. The products are made in Korea and costs about BND31 (I think so) at Guardian. They're also found at Paloma.

Back of tin.

I bought mine a while back in KL at SaSa. They're normally priced at RM79.90.

While I was there, I remember trying to swatch the Gelpressos but the testers were horrible!!

So I bought this impulsively.

Inside the tin.

I thought the packaging was kinda cute and cool. It's simply one of those twist-up liners that are quite nice to use when you want precision, because they're a lot thinner and you don't need to sharpen them. Another thing I love is that it actually twists back down FULLY, so that means you won't end up breaking it!

Comparing them to the full-sized, I guess I didn't really notice much of a difference other than it not being long-lasting compared to my HG gel pencil liners from TheFaceShop. I was quite disappointed when it rubbed off of my arm when I swatched the full-sized liners in stores.

Weirdly, these didn't smudge on my hand.

They're not that budge-free but on the eyes, I thought it worked out okay.

I haven't cried with these though so I can't really say much when it comes to that!

Amount of product you'd get.

There are two other new varieties of these mini tin liners I believe.

Same tin size, slightly different different colours.

It was very hard to really capture the eyeliner swatches but I tried my best. Colours might differ depending on your screen. I'm using my Macbook Pro and my crappy camera from my Galaxy S2.

Swatches (without flash)

1. Beige Shine

2. Golden Khaki

3. Star Purple

4. Dark Choco

5. Golden Black

I don't really use these as much other than Beige Shine because I have a lot of other black and brown eyeliners and I rarely use purple. I think the Golden Khaki is also a good alternate to use, so maybe I'll try and use it more often.

They're not the smoothest eyeliners but hey, my HG liners aren't smooth. That's why they're quite budge-proof. The colours I think, aren't that intense as I hoped it'd be, Urban Decays are more intense than these. Urban Decay smudges faster than these though.

I believe the full-sized liners retail at BND19.90, so it's quite pricy. The good thing about Clio is that they have more variety than TheFaceShop, but they're a lot pricier and the longevity is not as good.

Sorry for the rambling x.x

---

PROS:

-Locally available.

-Smudge-proof (at least the mini ones are)
-Waterproof

-Travel-friendly.

-Has a variety of shades to try out.

-Wearable colours.

-Sturdy packaging (both tin and liners)

-Good amount of product.

CONS:

-Quite expensive.

-Eyeliners aren't that intense in colour.

- I have a feeling this might have caused bumps on my lower lash line.

Rating: 4/5 (They're good!)

Will I buy this again?

If the colours are something I don't have I guess. But for the price, I'll think twice.

Do I recommend this?

I think the mini ones are quite good compared to the full-sized versions. Get it on a sale or something because it's quite pricy. Better yet, maybe try out TheFaceShop ones?

Where can you find this?

You can find them locally at Guardian and Paloma.

International buyers can also easily get them online.

---

I hope you guys find this helpful.

The swatches and pictures aren't the best, I'm so sorry x.x

Tell me in the comments if you've tried Clio products, do you like them?

Do you think they're not worth the hype?

Share!

I'd love to know!

'til then, take care!

-Nisah-

( ;w; ) Accidental Paloma Haul + Random Pics

I woke up from a bad dream today.
With bad chest pains, so I asked if we could go to The Mall.
I wanted to buy something from Paloma.

I had in mind two items: the All Round Concealer from Catrice and also essence's Longlasting Eye Pencil in black or the peachy one. I got both items. I bought the black one because they didn't have the peachy one I think. I didn't really take my time for the first round because I needed to eat.

Catrice All Round Concealer (BND5.90)
essence Longlasting Eye Pencil in 01 Black Fever (BND2.90)

I tried the concealer out a bit, first impressions weren't that perfect.

It was creamier than essence's Forget it! 3 in 1 Concealer (which I need to review) but I find it hard to build up. I only tried it on my arm though, to cover a scar.

I had this for dinner btw. My favourite Teriyaki Chicken from Hot Point
(but with a different sauce than usual)
I asked for garlic sauce!

After I finished eating, I went to the top floor Paloma because my family was busy elsewhere.
( ;^; ) I saw cute things.

So I asked dad if he could lend me money *gets shot by readers*
He knew what I was buying though.

So, I was surprised he even allowed it LOL.
He knew it was makeup.

He must have been in a good mood.

So for these items, my dad paid for it (spoiled brat, right here)

essence Hugs & Kisses Eyeshadow Palette  in 01 Love at First Sight (BND4.90)

I swear I refrained from buying this before. I was quite vulnerable due to the nightmare I had. Pink was screaming out to me.

"BUY ME. BUY ME."

"NO."

"BUY US!!!"

...and so I did.

essence Hugs & Kisses Blush in 01 Dating Prince Charming (BND3.90)
essence Hugs & Kisses Lip Scrub in 01 Be My Valentine (BND2.90)
essence Hugs & Kisses Lip Tint in 01 Sugar Baby Love (BND2.90)

I guess other than the cuteness, I was drawn to the price range too.

Because I swear, still, I refrained from this range before.

( o.o ) Pink must have an effect on me today.

The lip tint is like a more subtle hot pink, but it's almost neon!!!!

I also got these shoes!

Mint shoes.

Whaddya call these man.

MINT (with bad lighting)

This was mom's treat.

The shoes are comfy as fuck.

I also nearly bought two skirts ;w; they would have cost me BND20.

ARGH.

MONEY COME FALL DOWN PLSTHX.

Shawl Model Wannabe

I used my Theodora palette for a neutral look, with the Dolly Wink liquid liner.

I have beef with my favourite base, the essence one.

It creases whenever I use Urban Decay!! LIKE WHAT.

Granted, it did take about 5 hours to crease, but still. HOW COME.

Odd.

I used my Kate Mineral Loose Foundation and I was amazed.

I rarely use it because the powder gets everywhere BUT it's so good at oil control. Ish.

I only got oily around the 5 hour mark.

Okay, it's not amazeballs but it beats foundation and BB Cream.

I should try using a primer next time.

Anyway, random pic dump!

I tried gyaru makeup the other day :D
The lashes and the circle lenses really make the look. Plus the wig.

I also tried a Geisha/Maiko inspired look.
I really wanted to try and follow the real one but I didn't study the makeup too much.
So I'll redo this lol. I only did half of my face too.

Last week, we had three birthday cakes to eat!

First nephew's birthday cake.
Iron Man!

Happy Pill nephew's birthday cake.
Pocoyo!

 Lastly, mom's cake.

Yummy cake.

On another note, I gained back the weight I lost.

*shoots self*

So it's back to square one.

I lost motivation after a month. I was doing so good too.

A MONTH.

I'll start again. It won't be too hard.

Unfortunately my audition pics would have to be me with my fatness intact. DAMN.

I'll work out a bit before I sleep.

I need Shopaholic Rehab.

I'm feeling a bit sick again! Every time I need to record songs, I get sick. It's like a curse!

GRR.

'til then, take care.

Keep your wallets safe, because mine is crying.

-Nisah-

Another Miri Haul (theBalm, Dolly Wink, Garnier, Books, etc.)

Should I just do a pic dump?
I'm kinda tired lol.

Anyway, I overspent a little bit than normal because some of the stuff I bought was pricier than I normally go for...in fact, I nearly indulged in a high-end foundation (Estee Lauder Doubler Wear) but I didn't!! That'd be in my wishlist.

Well, two items from theBalm already used up most of my money lol. I am so far happy with the things I got, the ones I've used already. Like, I think it's worth it.

Moving on~

From SaSa

It's hard to resist this place, really. Especially when it's the only place that sells theBalm.

I've become more wary of the things I buy from them, of course, I always ask for the SA to show me the products now lol before I buy. I do notice that no matter what, it seems like it's SO HARD for theBalm powder products to look flawless somehow.

Of course you can't tell if it's been swatched or not but sometimes, there are marks still, and it makes you go "What." but eh. The foundation is sealed inside, which is good. I still wish the powder products are sealed as well. like, after they inspect if it's broken or what, they should tape it.

Here's what I got:

1. theBalm timeBalm Foundation

2. theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer

3. Lennox Calorie Limit Tea (found out that I might be allergic to one ingredient >_>)

4. Combos Skin Pore Refining Set

5. Dolly Wink Liquid and Pencil Eyeliner

6. Prestige Primed & Ready Eye Primer

The foundation is the priciest item I got in this haul...it would have been beaten by the ELDW if I did buy it though LOL.

I got only one item from Watsons.

This thing right here.

I actually love the feeling of this scrub. On the body and on the face, it works wonders XD

Yes, it is abrasive for the face BUT I have pretty thick skin >_>

From Guardian

1. Nexcare Acne Patch x2

2. O'slee Lemon Soda Serum

3. Darlie Expert White Toothpaste

4. Garnier BB Cream

No.2-4 is mainly bought because I saw ads on it.

Yes, I fall for ads.

Damn me.

Haven't used any of them yet (except for the acne patch)

From Super Save and Cindy

Random stuff haul lol.

I needed some stuff for my bathroom.

I got some hair ties, some cheap e.l.f brush dupes...they work well btw.

Tweezers for falsies, eyelid tape (yep, for days my eyes are uneven) and a hairbrush.

The envelopes are for sending giveaway presents.

I started to force myself to draw again...so I bought some sketchbooks.

I dunno why, I have a lot at home but I did it anyway.

Sorry, trees ;-;

BOOKS.

As always, I find myself buying ViVi even though I'm not THAT into fashion :x

I got the Little Black Dress book so I can learn about making dress patterns.

A book about cats? I needed one.

That's all for my haul!

I'm pretty content with the things I got I guess lol.

'til then, take care!

-Nisah-

Perks of March + New Live Cover!

Yes, yes, I know.

The other day I was like 'Eff March!'
And now I'm like Perks of March???

But yeah, I think about how childish I was >_>; I can be childish I guess.
Well, it's hormones okay? I think I have imbalanced hormones D:

It's not my fault my March was ruined last year D:
I'm just afraid this March would suck too, okay??

So yeah, anyway~
I wanted to go to Yayasan last night, my main reason was to go to Holika-Holika and browse for some guitar accessories. Well, that WAS the plan.

But before that, while I was getting ready, Shyla, the cat that owns me decided to molest Macky again :/

Yesh, I was replying MUA.

What's with cats and technology??

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS"

Seriously, she erased my reply to MUA. LOL.

Thank God for Command + Z~ (or something)

Anyway~ I decided to try emulate Marina's makeup for the night~

Primadonna/HTBAH Inspired Look I guess

I decided to draw a beauty mark instead of the heart when I went out but when I decide to record, I painted the heart on my cheek XD

I wore a plaited dress, black tights and a grey....outer clothing of sorts.
Forgot to take a photo, sorry D:
I decided to wear my highest wedged shoes.

Bad choice.

We decided to eat out. I had Korean of course. Harhar.
And a weird looking cinnamon roll.
With Mint Milk Shake? Or something minty.

I dunno the name D: it has some Korean Rice Noodles, gyoza and chicken patties. I do not like the rice texture D: 

This was yummy but I guess too much ice?

For a dollar, not bad :O

The food was gooooood.

XD I didn't throw up for once!

After dinner, I decided to go to The Face Shop.

To get my birthday vouchers and a gift.

Well, unfortunately my name wasn't listed :/ That's why they didn't text me!

But that's okay lol.

I still got my birthday perk!

I bought 2 face masks and a hair serum. For the birthday pack gift, I got two face masks too LOL and a tiny sample of the Rice Cleanser Foam.

So, I migrated to Holika-Holika, greeted Sharon XD and browsed.

Too bad they didn't have the birthday gift ready!

HMPH.

But yeah, I got one gold eyeliner (it's soooo pretty and creamy), one jumbo eye pencil in this beautiful green and two face masks, again LOL. This time I got some samples :p

I gave one facemask to my sis XD

Since we were waiting for my brother and sister, I decided to browse around at Holika Holika while my parents talked with Sharon.

Sharon didn't recognize me D:

She turned to my mom asking where "the daughter who loves makeup was" and I was like, "I'm right here...."

"EHHH?? Really? You look different bah!"

"Dyed your hair kah? Last time your hair was black!"

"You're looking more Korean now."

Which I countered with, "I'm actually aiming for a Japanese look." LOL

But to be honest, my makeup last night wasn't Japanese nor Korean inspired, so yeah.

I'm guessing she referred to the clothes too.

SO YEAH.

When I got home, I fed the cats, and then I proceeded to add the Heart on my cheek...and....

This was the result!

( =A= ) The only part I like is the break XD
But it was fun, recording this.


I never tried recording with Snowball that far from me.
It actually worked out fine.

And yes, despite the extreme reverb >_>;
It IS live lol.

I friggin' forgot to remove the reverb.


But yeah. Now I'm tired.


So yeah, good morning.

Take care!

Swatches of some cream shadows I own will be up later :)

-Nisah-

Recent SaSa.com Hauls & American Makeup in Brunei

Recent? Well one of them at least.

I don't remember when the other one came lol.
Both were small hauls so I decided to mix both. So far, I'm happy with all the things I bought this time!

Usually there'd be something that I won't even use *ahemC+Mstuff*

The moisturizers mostly, for the face. I dunno, I don't wanna risk something so oily on my acne-prone skin.

Not yet, anyway.

At least until my scars fade, it's easier to deal with a few breakouts. But my scars, that's a different story. I mean, I don't break out much often anymore :O I dunno what I did but I'm glad I did it lol. I do feel some bumps in the skin recently again, but I hope it's just paranoia.

This is because I've been using the C+M gel moisturizer from my latest haul. I hope it's not causing the bumps because it's really lightweight.

Anyway, onto the hauls.

This was the first haul:

This was relatively cheap. I'm sorry. lol.

This was the no-minimum free delivery.
Even though I was tempted. I didn't have a lot of cash in my cash card.

So yeah. This is the baby.

The eye gel is okay...I don't love it. I don't hate it either.

It's okay since it's my first eye product anyway.

The two body moisturizers from St.Ives is....LOVE.
Firstly, they smell amazing!! Similar scent though.

It's friendly to the body. To me anyway.
Would I buy the bigger size? Yes.

I think.

As for the lower lashes...It's kinda wonky on me. But for its price, it's okay.


The other box arrived recently and here are the things:

A decently sized soap. It's pink and it smells like roses.

A Vitamin E hair oil

A hand cream that smells like roses.

A lip balm that smells very...weird.

These things came in a classic packaging:

Classical ladies. Wonder why the brand is called 'Two Girls'.
It's just weird lol.

Why did I buy this set? Firstly it was affordable.
Secondly, it had all the things I like in it.

But in Rose scent which is...kinda meh for me.

I haven't used any of these yet :) Good Nisah.

The other things I got are a cream eyeliner and a gel moisturizer.

This made me go 'Wow' when I tried it.

 This was a cheap eyeliner and it even came with a brush so I was like "Why not."

Tried it.
It's so waterproof like no one's business.

It dries so fast, it's even better than my other cream eyeliner!!

The only downside is that the 'Brown' is dark and that it has glitter chunks that to me are unnecessary.
It didn't budge from my oily eyelids!!

Unless I rub my eyes very hard.

As for the gel moisturizer....

I LOVE IT.

It's lightweight, smells nice, and it's small.

Finally something that works for me from C+M!!

But then...recently I've noticed bumps in the skin again.

Dunno if this is the cause or it's my weird sleeping pattern that's causing it.

Either way, I'd definitely repurchase this once I run out.


So yeah, not much of a bust haul I have to say :)
I had to like think very much which things I wanted.

I really wanna try out ESSENTIAL's hair masks!! Next time maybe since I still have a lot :(

It's way cheaper on sasa.com than in Brunei anyway.


Oh yeah, there's this shop at Kiulap Mall called "Shop @ Lisa Sarah's "?
I might be wrong but I did go check it out after my cousin told me about it.

It's a shop that has NYX, Sigma, TooFaced, Benefit, bareMinerals and even Urban Decay!!! They have Sephora stuff too if I'm not mistaken.

I was in makeup heaven!!!

The price made my heart sink though.

But that was to be expected. However, to see these things in front of you after all this time admiring it on Youtube, it's a weird thing.

I swatched a TooFaced palette and I swooned. So soft. So buttery soft.

Too bad there were no UD testers :(


It's marked up quite a lot.

For example, the UD NAKED Palette, it was BND135 or so.
At Sephora Malaysia, it's RM175.

So that's like BND70+

So like, if you have anyone going to Malaysia, might as well buy it there right? But it's nice to look at :)  They do have the limited edition palettes too so if you're a collector, I guess it won't hurt to buy it here.

As for authenticity, I can't say.
I'll say they're real and not replicas. It looked high quality to me.

But if you're not sure, always go to a place recognized as selling the authentic products.


I'm tempted to get the NAKED Palette but I have many neutral shadows :(

Maybe I should just get the UDPP for my super oily lids.

Do you recommend UDPP?


I'm actually very depressed today, so this is a half-assed post. Sorry :(


Take care :)

-Nisah-




P.S: This will be my 97th post :) You know what that means!!

Giveaway soon!!

It'll be posted on the 100th post :D


P.S2: I forgot to add, this is the compensation gift from sasa when they were out of stock on something:

Thanks.

I can keep my coins in this.