Here are some unexpectedly awesome items from my recent travels....
Metholatum Lip Ice Sheer Color (2g)
I already loved Metholatum lip products.
And I love the 'mood ring'/ color changing concept in cosmetics (see previous post on TonyMoly Berry Magic Lip Tint).
I bought this on impulse while transiting thru the HongKong airport. Bought 2 actually... just in case I really liked them coz they definitely aren't available at home. They were AUD$6 each and yeah, you don't get a lot of product - for example, Nivea lip balm sticks are approx 5g each. But what the heck, I love this anyway!
Went on clear & incredibly smooth and became an ever-so-slightly glossy, perfect pink. Very moisturizing. Love the feeling. Until I tried this, I had thought my Nyx Tinted Lip Spa in Sake did a good job of doing 'my lips but better' but this is sooooooo much better. No dryness at all. Very slightly glossy. F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C.
DreamGirl 4u2 Together Two-Toned Blush
These were on sale while I wandered thru a department store (Paragon) in Bangkok. They worked out to be approx AUD$4 each. The paper packaging they were in initially was very plain and uninspiring.
I'd never heard of the brand but thought it was worth trying them since they were affordable and I love the two-colors-in-one-package idea.
As you can see, there's a little brush + mirror included with each. I haven't tried the brushes BUT was soooo impressed with the quality of these. They have fantastic color pay-off, are smooth and non-chalky.
A little bit of internet research has told me this is actually an American brand which has been launched exclusively in Asia thus far. I haven't seen it here in Oz or in Singapore yet but rest assured, I regret not trying more from this line when I had the chance!
Daiso 'Neo-Color' brand blush
The Daiso company is, as I understand it, as massive "$2 store" chain which is huge in Asia. It's Japanese and has branches around the world... apparently there's one in Melbourne too. But of course, I'm on the @ss-end of Australia so it's not here.
Ever been to a $2 store here? It's generally an almost-unpleasant experience. Lots of crappy, crappy merchandise which probably isn't worth the $2. You gotta sift thru a lot of wretched stuff to find the occasional gem.
Ever tried the Daiso version? --- Holy cow!!!! There's an amazing range of great stuff - cosmetics, homewares, stationery, tech stuff. It's hard to imagine how most of this stuff costs $2 coz you've seen similar items at places like Target for at least 3 times the price... which makes it $6. And you would have _still_ bought it for the $6 too!!
The Daiso branches I've been to in Asia are always jam-packed with people. There are queues for the checkout, if you don't get what you wanted the first time you went down an aisle, it's an ordeal to go back. I've bought iPod/iPhone retractable charge cables, camera and phone screen protectors, plastic organizer racks from this place..... BUT was dubious at trying their cosmetics.
I mean, stuff from the $2 store on my face... I dunno.
So I settled on a blush. The rose combo was sold out. There was only a coral combo and tan combo left. I picked the tan thinking it would be a nice highlight + contour combo. There were no samples... and I was a little disappointed when I swatched it at home and found them very shimmery.
Too shimmery?? Actually NOT at all. There was a delightful difference in effect betw the swatch on my hand and the actual application.
For FACE: the shimmer as a contour-highlight is suddenly becomes very subtle. It's believable. The dark color actually is a gorgeous, light-shimmer bronzer. It actually works for contouring too.
The texture is phenomenal. I rubbed too hard initially thinking it was prob quite a dry/chalky product coz it was so cheap... and got WAAAY too much on my finger. Very creamy and smooth... I didn't know what to do with the monster swatch so I tried it as eyeshadow.
For the EYES: Phenomenal!!!! Lovely, neutral eyeshadow. The highlight blended perfectly here as well. (*I usually use the ELF 'Butternut' quad eyeshadow for the really neutral eye look in a pinch --- the texture of the Neo-Color version is infinitely better)
Wow, what a great travel, multi-purpose product. I was looking for the perfect light-shimmer bronzer... and here I found it. For $2. There's even a flip-up mirror & mini brush included.
Why didn't I buy the other colors? Or their eyeshadows?
As if I could love Daiso any more. Can you spend $80 at the 2-buck store. Baby, lemme show you how it's done ;)
