Can you tell I didn’t feel like writing much? LOL! I bought this when I was in Singapore, so I’m not sure how much it costs in Malaysia. I know that you can bring the pencil in their shop to get it sharpened to a flat tip, but I’m happy with using my regular sharpener. There isn’t any Shu Uemura store where I live, so it’s really not worth the hassle.

If you have any questions, shout in the comments below!

xoxo Lily

I want to start April by leaving some old stuff behind. I used up quite a few things since the last Empties post, and I want to share with you. There are a few makeup items I devoured – pretty happy there! So, let’s start with makeup

Out of the 5 items shown here, all are eye products except one. I actually used up a lip product. Such a feat I tell you! I have been talking a lot about the Lunasol Full Glamour Liquid Lips, and I have finally used the last drop. Next please! You can see 2 brow products here, one is a brow pencil by Empro and another is a liquid brow pen by Suqqu. I have been enjoying my Empro brow pencils for a few years, and this is my 5th one, if I’m not mistaken. That was BEFORE I discovered Shu Uemura. While this brow pencil is good, I find it softer compared to Shu Uemura. This one feels more waxy while the Shu Uemura hard pencil fills in my brows in a more natural way.

The Suqqu liquid brow pen is a dream to work with. It is easy, soft and subtle, making it quite hard to go wrong, really. However, it dries up rather quickly, making it a hefty investment. I might have bought it for GBP20, which is equivalent to RM100. While the effect is pretty good, I don’t think it’s worth the price. There are others out there which do just as well, with a lower price tag. The mini mascara from Dior is a gift and it’s a Diorshow mascara. It volumises amazingly, and after 3 months of use, it’s time to say bye bye. I don’t grow attached to any mascaras and while this has been great to my lashes, I am now enjoying others which are good too. Last but not least, my eye liner duo by Urban Decay. It came with the Naked palette that I got nearly 2 years ago. It has served me well. Both shades Zero and Whiskey are very versatile.

I have talked about all these skincare products before.

Kiehl’s UV Defense (This is actually my second tube. However, now I find it a little too moisturizing compared to Shiseido UV Perfect which is so comfortable on my skin)

Dior Capture Totale Eyes Essential (I use this under my eye cream. I’m still using this. My HG!)

Kanebo Lip Fresh (Don’t know about repurchasing. Probably won’t)

Clarins White Plus Intensive Whitening Smoothing Serum (It was a duo and I’m half way through the second bottle!)

Are there any items you used up recently?

xoxo Lily

For me, the most important would be my base makeup. I have been loving this combo and I’ve been using it religiously. I apply the Bobbi Brown BB Cream on my entire face and dab on some RMS ‘un’ cover up where needed. With my ring finger, I dab some Raspberry on my cheeks, and set everything with this Dior face powder. It is not cakey, it doesn’t make me look oily. Some pigmentation spots still show, but that’s how I’ve always preferred it. Erm, excuse the dirty sponge. I sometimes put a powder brush in the bag because I prefer to dust some powder on.

When the base is done, I’d curl my lashes with Lunasol lash curler, tightline my eyes and apply 2 coats of mascara. When I have more time, I would dab on some eye shadow. At the moment, the one in my bag is Dior Twinset Grey Sigh because I’m testing the wear. Otherwise, I’d leave it like that. Brows must be filled in and I’ve been using this Empro brow pencil for the last few months because I really want to use it up. I’d finish the look by dabbing some Raspberry on my lips. Minimal makeup, yes. At least I don’t look like the undead -_-

In my handbag, I always have a lipstick for touch ups. At the moment, it’s Dior Addict Extreme Black Tie. I change this quite frequently. What about you? Do you keep any makeup in your office? What makeup goodies do you have in your handbag?

xoxo Lily

The Bobbi Brown brow kit consists of 2 powder shadows, one mini tweezer and a mini brow brush. The kit is small and compact, and there are even 2 mirrors, one regular, another magnified. The brow brush is coarse and hard, but it seems to get its job done. It combs the brow hairs into place and deposits colour without being overwhelming. The end result is natural looking brows, gaps filled in but not too defined.

The mini tweezer is a workout to use. A finger workout. It’s so small and stiff that I really need to pinch it HARD to use. Weak fingers? Forget about using the tweezer! My fingers are trained since they were 4 years old, so maybe banging on the piano has helped a little. Even that, this mini tweezer is tough. Once you get it to work, it does work quite well. I still prefer my Tweezermans though.

The 2 eye shadows, Cement and Birch are sold individually. Here, they are put together, and if ombre brows is something you desire, you can definitely achieve it with this palette. On my arms, the colours look light, but the grey ashy tones are great to define brows. Remember, we are going for natural. The eye shadows are also great for contouring the eyes and nose. It’s those type of colour, you know?

For RM180, this brow kit is on the expensive side. I do think Bobbi Brown has gone a little nuts with the price hike and truthfully, you don’t need this kit in your life. Everything here can be duped and I certainly don’t want to think more of why I bought this in the first place. Either way, this kit will last me a long time so I won’t and shouldn’t be bothered.

What do you use to fill in your brows? How do you keep your brows tidy?

xoxo Lily

For those of you who are more adventurous who want to give it a try yourself, here are 3 simple steps to determine your brow shape (OK, 3 simple steps just put a tune in my head – it’s from Playhouse Disney Special Agent Oso. If you have toddlers, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Sheesh! It’s driving me nuts!)

Start -> Arch -> End

First, determine the arch points by following the above diagrams. Use a pencil or your brush or a ruler. Place it where your nostril is.

Left: Point straight up, measuring against the inner corner of your eyes. This is where your brow should start

Middle: Imagine a straight line from your nostril to the centre of your eyeball to your brow. This is where your arch is supposed to be – the high point

Right: Another straight line from nostril to outer corner of your eyes. This is where you brows should end. It can be a little shorter, but not longer or it’ll make your brows look droopy.

The thickest part of our brows should be the starting point, tapering in to about 3/4 in size where the arch is, and then tapering to a fine point where the brows end. If you have a slim long face, flatter eyebrows without too much arch will suit you. A more angled arch will complement a round face. At the same time, thicker brows give a more youthful appearance.

Shiseido Maquillage Double Brow Creator BR611

Use a tool you’re comfortable with. Here I’m using Shiseido Maquillage Double Brow Creator. I find it easy rather easy to use, and I like the convenience of refills. The pencil tip allows precise drawing for the tail of the brows, and the sponge tip is good to fill in the the gaps without any harsh lines, hence looking natural.

Double Brow Creator Pencil : RM30
Double Brow Creator Powder : RM30
Double Brow Creator Holder : RM40


First, you use the tip of the pencil to draw lightly from the arch to the outer corner of the eyebrows for a clean sharp outline. Next, you apply the fiber-containing powder from the inner corner to the arch. All you have to do is fill in the shape using the points you determined just now. I sometimes use an ashy brown matte eye shadow and fill in my brows using an angled brush. I also like Empro Eyebrow Pencils which are easy to use. I heard good things about Shu Uemura’s hard eyebrow pencils but there are no Shu Uemura stores where I live. It’s impractical for me because according to the store assistant, it’s best to take the pencil back to Shu Uemura for complimentary sharpening.

See the difference in having the eyebrows filled? The difference shouldn’t shout Whoa! Eyebrows!! It should still look natural. Well, I like it natural anyway. So when filling it in, I use short light strokes that mimick my brow hair. I personally don’t want marker pen brows, unibrows or chola brows!

I have uneven eyebrows. One arch is higher than the other, and one is more sparse than the other. I also made a mistake of having my brows embroidered many years ago. I didn’t laser it away, and until today, it hasn’t faded 100% yet. I have to make it work by adjusting my left and right brows to match. Every time I fill in my brows, I always cross check.

When it’s done correctly, you’ll have a very nicely framed face. If you’re born with thick eyebrows, then filling it in shouldn’t be too much of your worry. You just have to make sure the brows are in place (nothing an eyebrow wax can’t do) and in shape (follow the diagram above or seek professional assistance). Unruly brows, ahem, look a little messy. I can’t say I experienced it myself. I on the other hand, do not have enough hair on my eyebrows. Hahahah!

When you have on a more natural makeup, brows should be a little lighter. If you have a more dramatic makeup with dark smoky eyes, then, you’ll want to darken the brows to match the intensity. Brow colours should also match your hair. If you have light hair, take the brows 2 shades darker. If you have dark hair, take it 2 shades lighter. If you dye your hair like me, just go with the flow and make sure you don’t have black hair and red brows. LOL! Personally, I think ashy colours look best and I like to have different shades of eyebrow pencils – for variety.

How to you keep your brows in shape? Tweeze? Wax? Shave? Do you fill it in?

xoxo
Lily

I have sparse brows and I must fill them in. I also noticed that my brow hair can kinda go a little crazy on me. So I went on a hunt for an inexpensive brow gel at Sasa. The store hardly disappoints.

Many people might tell you that brow gels are only for those with thick bushy brows that need taming. I totally disagree. My brows are by no means bushy or thick. And because of that, I don’t trim them very often. I just pluck the stray hairs to keep the shape intact. Brow gels help your brows look clean and well kept.

This brow gel is made of olive tree leaf extract and it promises to condition your brows. Other than that, it also has a non sticky formula that does not flake. That’s good for me. Priced at RM29.90, I thought it would be worth a try.

Looking a little like a mascara wand, the brush picks up just the right amount of gel that is not too watery. In fact, when I combed my brows with the brush, my brows very obediently stayed put where I want them the whole day. I would fill in my brows as usual, either with brush and powder or with brow pencil, and comb this brow gel over last.

This brow gel also comes in 2 other shades, one lighter brown and the other darker brown. If you haven’t tried using a brow gel before, why don’t you pop into your local Sasa store to ask for a trial? I can guarantee you this little tweak in your daily routine will make a lot of difference.

Just remember this tip. Clean, well groomed brows make your face look polished and defined. If your brows aren’t thick, or maybe it has sparse areas like mine, learn to fill in your brows. Out of shape, unruly brows with stray hairs will somehow make you look a little meh…

Do you think I should write a post on how to fill in and shape your brows?

xoxo
Lily