the new bys makeups at kmart.

i've only seen this brand at kmart and it was usually poorly stock and the shelf was usually a mess. they disappeared for a while and returned with a fully stocked shelf. somehow i can predict that the shelf will be messed up soon.

i did some lookup on internet. some commented that they're like nyx. some even suggested that they're made from the same supplier.

most makeup stands in kmart have testers. this brand doesn't. i always see people open up the product to test and put them back. makes me think twice about buying them, unless the product is sealed. not all of them are sealed. eg nail polish. you can see people tested colors on the price tags in the above photo!

the products are under $10. that's quite cheap. maybelline and covergirl now average above $15.

i've been thinking if i should try the foundation and concealers. because there are no testers, it's hard to work out which color is for me - i'm having trouble finding my match even with testers! i'd like to try the eye pencils too, but once again there are no tester to test the texture. from past experiences, most cheap eye pencils are hard to apply. i think i'll just pass.

i got the 8-color pallet diamond shadow in conga last week. it's aud$7. and of course it's sealed.

i've been wanting to try really vibrant colors but i don't want to get something costing an arm and a leg to find out they don't work for me. the made-in-china print has caused some hesitations, but what the heck. it's cheap and if it doesn't work, i won't cry so much. lol!

the color swatch with the same color order as in the palette. they're very shimmery and quite pigmented, except the green. i used equal pressures to swipe the color. i swiped the green 3x and it doesn't show up like the others.

i've played with the color once, but didn't try long enough to test out the staying power. i will try to do some looks from the palette in the coming week.

i read about some good reviews about ecotools bamboo brushes. i never realized they're sold here. i mean i've seen these brushes at stores, and somehow i just didn't notice the name of the brand.

i've never seen the complete range. only some here and there. i bought these separately at different locations at different times when they were slightly marked down.

i quite like these brushes.

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since i decided not to re-tatoo my brows for a while and it's taking too much time in the morning to draw and fill in my brows, i should give brow stencils a go.

brow experts would say, don't use these. everyone's brows are different and it's not a one-size-fits-all thing. the shape of your brow depends on it's natural shape, the hair and your brow bone. you should get your brows shaped by a professional.

i'm too stingy to pay for professionals. i'm willing to give the stencils a try.

i remember seeing a lot of these stencils at beauty stores in hk. but it's a rare species here. this is the only brand found so far. it's a bit pricy at $8, 2x the price in the states! but there are no other choices here. and it's cheaper than going to a brow bar.

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while cleaning up my makeup drawers, i found some hidden gems behind the drawers.

the purpose of getting stationary organizer to store my makeup is because of those shallow drawers. makeups can be organized neatly with everything at-a-glance. because i have too many products, there are things pushed to the back. they're not even visible with drawers almost fully pulled out.

one of which are streewear cream eyeshadows. i thought i threw them out when i spring-cleaned this organizer a few years back. when i re-discovered about cream eyeshadows i was lamenting about them. i was surprised to see them hiding all the way at the back all these time!

streetwear makeup is a younger line by revlon and was discontinued many years ago. obviously i wasn't the targeted age group. but the price tag was really attractive. they were under aud$10. i bought a lot from this line. i mean, a lot!

see when things are cheap i ended up spend more? it's so stupid that products are riduclously overpriced nowadays that i just won't buy unless it's on sale.

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a few weeks ago i reccieved a newsletter about diorshow mascara promotion.

i've read some good reviews about this mascara, but i won't buy it. as you see from the link above to sephora's website, it's usd$24. it retails at aud$52! the exchange rate is approximately usd$0.9 to aud$1 at the moment. see how expensive things are here in australia?

i thought a $16 maybelline great lash mascara is expensive. paying $52 for something that will only last me 3 months (or less) is too steep!

mascara promotions always show models with full and lenghty lashes. are these the result of using diorshow mascara or falsies?

sometimes i think they should get me to model mascara. i think it will really sell if there exists a mascara that will make my short and barely visible lashes end up looking like this.

note: the images are sliced from the image in the newsletter.