Essence Eye Pencils Review

As you guys probably already know, I am quite a fan of Essence and Catrice Cosmetics and I have been getting some of their stuff to try! Previously I have tried Essence's Glossy Lipbalm which turned out to be both affordable and good! Thus, I was eager to try more of their items!

Recently I have been trying to move from liquid/gel eyeliner to pencil eyeliner because the latter tends to look more natural and also easier to apply. Thus when I spotted these eye pencil from Essence, I decided to try them immediately!

Essence Eye Pencils

Essence's Kajal pencil is considered really cheap at only $2.50, and there is also a wide range of beautiful colors available.

Essence Kajal Pencil 08 Teddy

What I like most about this eye pencil is its lovely shimmery brown color, but it is problematic because it smudges extremely easily. Right after I applied it, it has already smudged to stain my lower eye-line, not in a neat fashion but those panda eyes manner.

In a way, it is not long lasting at all because any light touches will smudge the liner, which means that the liner will easily disappear through the day whenever we touch our eyes. Not recommended for you, unless you can find a way to wear this without it smudging.

However, I realize that because it smudges so easily, it is possible to use this as a eye shadow instead, just smudge a lot of this eyeliner onto the back of your hand, and apply using the tip of your finger! :)

As for Essence's longlasting eye pencil, the color is similarly lovely. The only difference between this and the teddy brown one is that the teddy one has a shimmer, whilst this one does not.

Thankfully, this one smudges a little less, and is generally sweat proof. No wonder Essence longlasting eye pencil is priced at $5.50. I like how the pen twists: no sharpening necessary here!

Essence long lasting eye pencil

One problem with this may be the fact that it is quite hard to remove, even after I used plenty of cleansing solution and cotton pads, the brown color still comes off in my eyes. Definitely not the idea pencil for those who are impatient, but if you are looking for something affordable, easy to use and with good color payoff, this is the pencil for you!

We have come to the end of our short review! Have you tried any essence products? Share with us your experiences in the comment boxes below: we would love to hear from you!

Hwa Chong Notes Sale: Biology, Chemistry, Maths,

Hello all! A-levels are finally ending in a couple of days and I need to clear out all my JC materials!

This is the time where you guys can come in and buy Hwa Chong Junior College Notes at really good prices! Please note that all the prices stated below are for your consideration, and further negotiations are possible! And, the more you buy, the cheaper I will sell! ^_^

Pictures of the items will be made available to interested buyers, please feel free to email thekiraknight@gmail.com!

Chemistry
1. BINDED Hwa Chong Chemistry Lecture Notes
- Foundation Chemistry (J1: Stochiometry, Atomic Structure, Chemical Bonding)
- Physical Chemistry 1 (J1: Chemical Equilibrium, Reaction Kinetics, Chemical Energetics)
- Physical Chemistry 2 (J2: Ionic Equilibrium, Electrochemistry)
- Organic Chemistry 1 (J1: Intro, Alkane, Alkene, Alkyl Halide, Arenes)
- Organic Chemistry 2 (J2: Alcohol/Phenol, Nitrogen, Carb Acids, Carb Compounds)
- Inorganic Chemistry (J2: Transition metals, periodicity, group II and VII)
- Qualitative analysis booklet + tutorial attached (unbinded, booklet form)
- Solubility Product Booklet + tutorial (booklet form only)
* Bulk Purchase of all J1 booklets OR Bulk purchase of all J2 booklets is available
*Bulk Purchase of everything (all J1+ J2) is also available
2. Tutorial Booklets for all mentioned topics above

3. Planning booklets + Solutions
- Planning Guidebook
- Planning Workbook 1, 2 and 3
- Planning Summary of all Skills and apparatus  (very good and important list)
*Planning summary and apparatus can be bought separately

Ten Year Series
4. Chemistry TYS 2003-2012, 10% done
5. Chemistry TYS 2004- 2013 70% done + answers by publisher
6. Binded Hwa Chong based TYS answers 2003-2012

Prelim Papers
7a. Hwa Chong Prelim Papers + Block Tests, answers all included, 2010-2013
7b. Binded 2014 Other School Prelim Papers (6 sets) 20% done, answers included
8. 2013 other school prelim papers, both print and digital available,
9. Brand New 2013 Topical Revision Package, answers in digital format, free of charge!
10. 2014 Pre-prelim revision package (synoptic revision), almost new, answers in digital format, free of charge

11. BRAND NEW Chemistry Challenging Drill Questions (price:$15, UP: $27)
12. BRAND NEW Chemistry Challenging Drill Answers (price: $25, UP: $48)

13. Inorganic Chemistry made easy by George Chong 99% new
14. Chemistry A-level Study Guide (yellow colour)

15. H2 Chemistry Summary Notes: all Chapter
16. H2 Chemistry Organic Summary of all reactions + acidity/ basicity explanations

17. Chemistry in Context by Graham Hill and John Holman, 6th edition

18. All worksheets (completed, filed)


Maths
1. All J1 Maths Lecture Notes + Tutorials
2. All J2 Maths Lecture Notes + Tutorials
3. All Revision Booklets
4. Other school Prelim Papers 2014 (binded booklet)
5. Maths A-level Challenging Drill Questions
6. Maths A-level Challenging Drill Questions - Solutions Book
7. H2 Maths Topical Practice
8. A Comprehensive Guide H2 Maths, Volume 1
9. A Comprehensive Guide to H2 Maths, Volume 2
10. A-level TYS (2004-2013)


Biology
1. All J1 Lecture Notes + Tutorials + Practicals + Tests SOLD OUT
2. All J2 Lecture Notes + Tutorials + Practicals + Tests SOLD OUT
3. Biology TYS by Chapter 2013 version
4. Biology TYS by Year 2014 version
5. Biology Other school papers (binded booklets, more information can be retrieved via emailing me)
6. Campbell Biology 9th edition

In Mourning

On the 23rd March, at 3.18 am, my country's (Singapore) founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away.

I wish I had words powerful enough to express to you the turmoils of my emotion at Mr Lee's passing on, but I am suddenly rendered incapable of describing the sense of loss I had felt, and am still feeling each time I see his familiar face on the media.

For now, to all my readers from Singapore and beyond, if you are reading this, please join me in a minute of mourning for a great and truly wonderful man who has inspired many lives. A man without whom Singapore will not be this beautiful and safe today. A man who is a symbol of strength, courage and intellect. A man whom our nation, Singapore, loves and respects.

This blog will be in mourning (no updates) till 29th of March, Saturday, in accordance with our nation's 7-day period of mourning for Mr Lee.

Thank you so much for all that you have done for our country Mr Lee.

Hada Labo Air BB Review

Hello beauties! After a long break from blogging due to my other commitments, I am back today with a fantastic product!

Hada Labo Air BB in Natural Beige

Many of you may already be familiar with this brand because it is endorsed none other than the gorgeous Jung Ji Hyun from the Korean Drama "My love from Another Star". She is also currently my favorite actress...so that might be part of the reason why I bought this!

Jung Ji Hyun: global ambassador of Hada Labo

Now, like most skin-care products on the market today, Air BB by Hada Labo claims to have TEN-IN-ONE functions because having just one function is simply not enough in the competitive beauty market today. Everyone wants to have a miracle product where it solves all of your skin woes, and you guys need to be aware that even though some products claims to have 10 or 20 functions, they don't actually deliver.

Thus, better to have one effective function than 10 empty claims, right?

Hada Labo Air BB Review

Here are the 10 things that Hada Labo Air BB promises to do for you. Feel free to zoom in on the label of the box to read the ant-size prints!

10-in-1 function of Hada Labo Air BB

After several uses since I bought the product (no, I am not sponsored for this, so you can trust my opinions fully), here is what you may want to know about the 10 functions.

1. Brightens Complexion
Promise delivered.

Like most foundation and BB cream, this will help you to lighten your skin tone to become fairer and thus more radiant, which means that you will have less dullness in the skin.

Personally, I like how there is a choice of "Ivory Beige" and "Natural Beige" for you to choose from, even though I don't understand why ivory beige seems to be slightly darker (to me). Choosing the shade closer to your natural skin tone will allow your skin to look naturally more dewy without having the face-neck color disparity.

2. Perfects Skin Tone
Dubious.
I am saying such a claim is rather dubious because how exactly will one define what is "perfect skin tone"? To what extent can the skin tone actually be perfected? I am not too sure about this aspect, I just know that BB creams in general make you look like you have better skin.

3. Conceals Dark Spot
Promise delivered...kind of.
On the topic of coverage of the Air BB, I feel that it is generally not that bad since the product consistency is thicker (but not heavy), and the color is pretty pigmented so yes it will help you conceal smaller spots by having this layer of "skin color" pigment over it. Nonetheless, I don't think it is very useful against larger spots or spots that are really dark. You can choose to apply the BB cream over it again, but my suggestion is that you mix the BB cream with concealer in 1:1 ratio and cover the spot! :)

4. UV Protection
No idea.
Not saying that this function is a lie, but there is no sure way for me to find out since I am definitely not going to just slather on the BB cream and sit under the sun to test, "Oh yes I am not yet burnt".
But, if the promise of SPF 50 is true, then I feel that you are good to go!

5. Hydrate Skin
Not much. Maybe just a little.
I have higher standards for products when it comes to the hydration of skin, because making your skin oily is VERY different from hydrating it. By hydration, your skin is supposed to feel more moisturized and thus fresher, but hardly any BB cream gives you such a feeling, especially those with good coverage. If you want a product that hydrates the skin, I would recommend Klarity CC Lotion. It is unbeatable (so far) in terms of hydrating and moisturizing.

6. Anti-aging + 9. Anti-oxidant
No idea.
Here are 2 more claims that we can't really prove till ten years down the road...if you are still using the air BB that is. Not only so, many things may cause/slow down aging, like your diet and other habits. Thus I feel that it would be wise to not place too much emphasis (as consumers) on these 2 claims, even though I really like the fact that I am using a product that helps me with anti-aging, my suggestion is to not purchase it because of this claim.

7. Oil Control + 8. Minimize Pores
Average.
I don't think effective oil control is possible for most products, especially not when you are living in Singapore because the weather is really really hot and humid. So by the time you reach the destination, most of the BB cream on your face might have disappeared along with your sweat when you were wiping your brows. Even after applying the BB cream, my face got oily really fast anyway.

Minimizing of pores...not so much as minimizing as just filling in the pores, I think? Overall the skin looks smoother (definitely!) because you have a layer of little particles to even out the skin and bumps on the skin!

10. Whitening
Yes and "not really".
When we speak of whitening, there are really two types: instant whitening of the skin upon application and long-term whitening of the skin (usually for skin care products). For this BB cream and most other BB creams/CC cream/ foundation you use, the whitening effect is really just the instantaneous kind...that disappears after a while or when you remove it.
Thus for whitening upon application, I do feel that Air BB has done a great job, whilst for long term whitening, I won't really know, and I definitely don't expect it to. Perhaps, it may help you maintain a fairer skin tone because of the SPH50 offering UV protection, but probably not to the extent of whitening a skin shade! ^^

Overall Comments
Indeed, a lot of you have pointed out to me that I always seem more strict and picky with the items I bought myself, whilst I tend to appreciate sponsored products more. Yes, I agree with you that it may seem that way because:

• If I am the one spending the money, of course I would expect more and try to reflect on what went right/wrong with my expenditure! If I always find everything I buy that good without really thinking about the shortcomings, I would probably aggregate a lot of useless things at home.
• For things given to me to try, since they are free, I am already in a fantastic mood and trust me, most of the products I have been given so far are actually really good. That's because I don't write for things that I have no faith in. Yep. xD

So for Hada Labo Air BB, I will give it a 4/5 even though I said many of the promises won't be delivered, I really like it as a day to day foundation replacement. Smell wise, there is not much to fuss over, and the price is still affordable (about $20 from Watsons/Guardian). Rather than using cheaper and thus more dubious products on your face, I feel that this is a good investment! 

Catrice Prime and Fine Anti-red Base

There will always be a point in your life where you feel betrayed, not by a person BUT by a product.

In what way?

Imagine discovering a brand that you fell in love with immediately, and you secretly vowed to buy every single one of the items they have because you just like it that much. And imagine yourself promoting that brand to your friends (even though you are not even paid to do that) because you felt it was that awesome.

Then BAM! You try one of their products for the first time (excluding the eyelashes, since well that isn't really a skin product), and it is truly disappointing.

Behold everyone, the Catrice Prime and Fine Anti-Red Base. It is a pure waste of $8.90, which, if I had save it up, I can probably buy something from Etude House in the long run, which may be expensive, but at least the quality is guaranteed.

Catrice Prime and Fine Anti-Red Base

First of all, let's look at the claims on the product:

• Anti-red base: neutralizes redness
• Longlasting
• Hydrating

Normally, I would rate products 3/5 so long as they fulfill two of the three claims that they have made on the packaging, and 2/5 if they fulfill one of the three claims. For this product, I will sadly grant it a 0/5, and if possible, I would have gladly given it a -10, but let's not go to the far extremes of complaints and heartache over a wasted $8.90.

To begin with, it DOES NOT neutralize redness. By science and by logic, yes the green is supposed to neutralize redness, which is the reason why I bought it anyway because I tend to have some pinkish redness around my nose area and cheek (depending), but applying this, I honestly can't see much of a difference. If it did do any justice to its claim, then it must have been a really small difference because I really cannot see any visible neutralization to the redness in my skin, and mind you, I am not even that red. 

And it is not just me who found the product less than useful, check out these comments from makeupalley.com:

Click to enlarge the comments

So just in case Catrice wants to sue me for defaming their brand or something, you know that I am not making things out of nothing and it is in truth a terrible product.

As you have noticed, some of the users commented about the LARGE SHIMMERY FLAKES, which I was slow enough to not notice until after my first use. Check out how the product looks on your skin below:

Catrice prime and fine anti-red base on skin

For the first arrow on top, it is the area where I have already rubbed the product hard into my skin and blended it for a while. As you can see, the green is still prominent and there is this shimmery, sparkly texture that is unnecessary in a PRIMER. The green color doesn't seem to fully disappear after much effort in blending, it just turns into this light green sheen that enable you to resemble a sickly Avatar.

Sparkly finish. Hello Edward Cullen in Sun.

The photo of my hand above is taken when I have spent a minute or two to fully rub the product into my skin, and I strongly advise against rubbing your face so hard because it is bound to give you wrinkles. As you can see, there is this layer of sparkles that remain on my skin, and even though the green tint is not the most obvious, it can still be seen under the sun. My phone camera has limitations in capturing both the sparkles and the tint, so if you see this in real life, it is possibly worse.

Thus, I source around on the net for another photo to show you how sparkly the product is:

Photo credit to Imke, please check out her review too!

LOOK AT THAT AMOUNT OF SHIMMER GLITTER. Thank you Imke for capturing the large glitter flakes that I can't seem to capture!

Oh here is another site that talks about the amount of sparkles this product has.

I am not even going to mince my words, since shimmer is usually used for a light shine, and glitter is reserved for large sparkly flakes. Like this one.

Anyway, before you shake your head completely, I have to sadly inform you that unlike its claim, it is not hydrating.

I think nowadays we always take the hydration factor for granted when it comes to make-up products or skin care products because that is the least we expect from a product right? Whitening, firming, time-reversal...all those are difficult to achieve, but to me, as long as a product makes my skin feel hydrated and thus comfortable, I will still like it!

For this primer, it is not hydrating. It is oily. There is a difference because hydrating means that my skin feel more moisturized after applying it, whilst oily means that I feel a layer of oil on my skin. (Duhh).

I remember the day when I wore it out underneath my BB cream, I went to the washroom in a mall and saw green flecks of the primer on my face. 2-3 flecks in fact. I am not even sure what the flakes are, because I was so sure I blended it into my skin well. It could be the fact that it didn't go well with the BB cream, causing small clumps to roll off into this little flakes. Yuck.

In all, you have come to the end of a very disgruntled review by me who is sobbing over the money wasted. Just in case you are wondering, I really did use to be a huge fan of Catrice, especially after I bought their lashes. I mean, their prices are reasonable and they have a huge range of products for one to choose from, which is why I even wrote to Catrice to ask if they were interested in sponsoring me for a review. But, on the hindsight, I am glad that they did not, because imagine if they gave me this base and I can't speak as freely as I can right now!

Have you guys tried this base? How do you all find it? If you too find it too sparkly, do you have any tips in making it more wearable? Share with us your thoughts in the comment box below and till next post, bye!

Sample Store Items March 2015

It has been a while since I check out free samples from the Sample Store, and for those of you who still haven't heard of it before, it is basically this online shop thingy that enables you to try out sample sized products before you actually spend more money buying the actual thing.

from The Sample Store

 Usually I just check out all the free samples from the store, meaning those that requires no payment at all. That's right, I am such a cheapo. D:

Darlie All Shiny Multicare White toothpaste

One of my favorite things to redeem from the Sample Store must be toothpaste. Yep, you heard that right. That's because majority of the toothpaste that claim to brighten the teeth doesn't actually work, worse still, they are sold at higher prices for these claims that they don't live up to. Hence, having such a sample is good for one to see whether the toothpaste is another scam before you actually invest real money in an attempt at whitening the teeth.

Bio-essence Deep Exfoliating Gel

 Bio-essence! I love how big brands like to give their samples in tiny little sachets that are barely a quarter filled. It's okay, it is the corporate world, we must be happy with just a small dollop since yunno, they are really out there to make big bucks, hehe!

Asience Inner Rich Shampoo and Conditioner

Till this day, my attitude towards Asience shampoo and conditioner is still pretty cold because I had tried its Nature Smooth shampoo targeted at oily scalp and dry/damaged ends and I found the results quite disappointing. It says to be better for Asian hair like ours because of the claim that Asian hair is supposedly different, but all it really did is to make my hair tangle after each wash and have multiple split ends. I won't rant about it here, but I will have a separate post of my tirade.

As for this one, I am not going to pass my judgement too quickly on Inner Rich since I haven't actually tried it. Hopefully this one would actually be much better for the hair and delivers what it promises!

I will do a separate review of each product real soon, stay tuned and keep reading! ^_^

Guardian 3-Step Nose Pore Pack Review

 Hey girlfriends! Today you are in for another review: the Guardian 3-Step Nose Pore Pack!

Guardian 3-Step Nose Pore Pack Review

Many of us have been troubled by black heads and white heads on our nose for as long as we can remember. The situation differs from person to person: at worst it becomes a source of embarrassment because it seems like we are being flippant in terms of personal hygiene, when that's actually not the case!

Personally, I have tried a variety of black-head removing methods such as exfoliating wash, nose-pore strips....none of them seem to be able to get rid of black heads permanently. My nose always become really clean post treatment, but a day later, the black heads are BACK. Again.

Thus, the sight of the 3 step pore pack excited me because y'unno, three steps sounds like a very thorough cleansing procedure!

In short, the three steps include:

• Softening blackheads
• Removing blackheads
• Refining Pores

Softening blackheads

This is how the mask for softening blackheads look like: it is like a facial mask, just a smaller one cut in the shape for nose.

I can't tell if it really softens my blackheads, I mean my whole nose feel damp, but logically water would do the same job right? In a way, my nose feels fresh, but I can't really tell if that is supposed to be the point.
This is followed by the nose pore strip, which is just like your usual Biore Nose Pore strip, except it is pink and fancy looking.

Nose Mask

This is followed by the nose pore strip, which is just like your usual Biore Nose Pore strip, except it is pink and fancy looking.

Step 2 Black head remover strip

Remember to wet your nose before applying it or it won't stick!

Nose Pore Strip

The pulling out of the nose pore strip is always a heart-wrenching process, quite literally. It feels as if the entire piece of skin on the nose is being torn from the roots, and my eyes were closing so tightly that I am sure more wrinkles have formed in that brief few minutes. 

Blackhead strip, post use.

In a way, the yucky bits in my nose are mostly unplugged from my pores, at the price of removing much of my skin as well! It was a painful procedure, much more than expected since I presumed that because I used the blackhead softener in step one, it should be less painful.

But nope. Very painful it was.

Refining pores

Perhaps this is the reason why they need a step three: to help you get over the throbbing pain of yanking out the nose epidermal layer, and to recover from the trauma of unintentional skin removal. 

Placing the cooling, moist gel on my traumatized nose was like heaven after that hellish treatment. In a way, I can see why they include such a step because I feel that it does aid in the recovering of my pores, even if they are not really refined, just soothed.

Gel patch for refining pores

Overall?

I am ambivalent towards the overall usefulness of the product, since it does remove the blackheads/ whiteheads, albeit not in the long run. I will probably rate this a 3/5, as I like the gel patch at the end: it is like balm to your nose after you rip the nose pore strip off. In a way, this is better than one-step pore strips like Biore's and the likes.

However, I also feel that for a single use, this is pretty expensive at $3.50, and that was already on some kind of discount I think?

I will leave you guys to decide for yourself if you like it, and if you do try it, do leave us a comment down below to tell us if this worked well for you! :D

Short Update

Hello lovelies!

My sincerest apologies about not being able to update at all frequently because I am rushing some scholarship and university applications which is in short, zapping all the life out of me when I have to spend much time writing essays. In a way, whatever inspiration I have in writing for my blog is being used in those essays (〜￣▽￣)〜

Nonetheless, I will try to put up something that I have been planning and writing for a while by next week (yes, this week is particularly bad since scholarships like to close early, don't ask me why).

Thank you all for the patience, and meanwhile, do read the archives!

Lots of Love,
Kira

Dewytree Honey Protecting Mask Sheet Review

Hey there pretties! I have blogged for the last couple of days because I was both unwell and busy, coupled with some mood swings, but now I am better and I will try to update daily!

Recently I thought I would invest some money on affordable skin care products because I am frankly worried about having breakouts, peeling skin and the likes! Hence, Dewytree's Honey Protective Mask is one of the few that I picked up from Watsons/ Guardian to try out.

Dewytree honey protecting mask sheet

For those of you who may not be familiar with Dewytree, it is a Korean brand that contains both popular facial masks like Dewytree Honey Moist Black Mask which is literally black. I don't actually like black mask that much yet despite its unique factor, so I just got the normal one instead!

Here's how I find Dewytree honey protecting mask sheet to be like after a single use:

SMELL
It has a nice, subtle scent of honey which is barely detectable, not unless you are actually wearing the mask. Smell-wise, I fully approve of this mask, because the smell is not strong, and is actually pretty pleasant!

MATERIAL
The material is thicker than the silk masks like Lovemore's Water Beauty Series than I am used to, but to my surprise it still sticks to the skin well and is able to hold the essence within the mask well enough to transfer it to my face. Whilst thick, the mask doesn't seem to suffocate the pores on my skin, so thumbs up!

DURING APPLICATION
Okay, here is when I don't actually like the mask anymore. The reason is that unlike My Scheming's Mask that feels cooling, comfortable and almost like there is nothing on the skin, this mask is ITCHY. Yes, my friends. This mask is quite itchy, and I am not sure whether it is because my skin may be sensitive to the ingredients of the mask or the material of the mask, but I really seldom have such reactions to masks.

So you can imagine how uncomfortable it can be in that 15-20 minutes of application: scratch, prod and whimper.

POST-APPLICATION
Frankly, I don't really see much of a difference to my skin. Indeed, my skin looks fuller and more moisturized (like the hydrated look), but come on, isn't that like the very basic thing that masks are supposed to do? Even if I put bananas on my skin for 15 minutes coupled with honey, my skin looks tighter and more hydrated!

OVERALL VERDICT
Not too disappointing, I wasn't really expecting much from the mask anyway since it is just $2.00!

For this mask, I will rate it a 2/5. Sorry Dewytree.

It is a good choice of mask if you are looking for affordable remedies to improve your skin condition for short periods of time, or simply to hydrate dry skin! But do consider the itch factor, since most people won't enjoy such a sensation!

Instead of Dewytree, I would strongly recommend My Scheming or Lovemore's facial mask because my experiences with them so far have been nothing short of excellent! For those of you who are interested, feel free to check out the following posts!

My Scheming Deep Cleansing Pore Minimizing Mask

My Scheming 5 Piece Special Edition

Lovemore Snail Mucin

Lovemore FROM Taiwan

Lovemore Water Beauty

Will be blogging again soon, till next post!

Catrice Cosmetic Review Singapore

Recently, I purchased a box of false lashes by Catrice Cosmetics out of pure curiosity! For those of you who are looking for Catrice Cosmetics, you can find their stand at specific Guardian stores in Singapore, such as at Clementi, Jurong East and Jurong Point shopping mall!

The lashes below are Lash Couture - Single Lashes by Catrice Cosmetics! They are retailing at $7.90 per box at Guardian stores in Singapore, a price which I find reasonable, as compared to Dolly Wink lashes which costs a bomb of $20 over dollars!

Catrice False Lashes - Lash Couture, Single Lashes

 Foremost, the design of the box is classy yet simple. The floral edge provides a good sense of diagonal symmetry and I feel that this is something that is actually suitable to carry in the handbag, you know, just in case you need to pop on a few extra lashes for that dramatic look! Compared to the paper and fragile plastics that other lashes tend to be packaged in, this box is definitely more durable and hardy!

Not only so, I personally find that the box has a touch of Anna Sui's elaborate patterns, just that this one is more toned down!

Lash Couture - Single Lashes inside

Would you look at that rogue lash on the right!

This is how the lashes look on the inside! How do you like them?

What I like about the Catrice Cosmetic's Single Lashes

Let's set the attractive packaging aside and talk about the quality of the lashes first. I have tried the lashes once so far and I am surprised and pleased by how soft these lashes are! They are nothing like the cheap packages that I grabbed from Shanghai's brand-less stores which felt stiff, too shiny and this unnatural. These lashes are really soft to touch and in a sense, the softness makes it feel more genuine, like our own lashes!

It is really comfortable. Normal lashes usually have a spine to hold all the little lash hairs together so that we can apply the lash in one stroke. The lash spine is usually uncomfortable, for me at least, since the skin on our eyelids are really delicate as they are much thinner than the skin on other parts of our body! In a way, by separating out the lashes into single "bunches" like the one above, it enables a more comfortable experience: there is nothing poking into the folds of your double eyelid.

It is versatile. By this, I mean that you can actually choose how dramatic you want your lashes to be. Want a more natural, "invisible make-up" look? Trim the lashes down to a length that is just slightly longer than your natural lashes and apply about 3 to the end of your eyes. If you are going for the dramatic look, leave the long fibers on and pop on 5 or more! It is easy to use and you can easily create many different looks by using different number of lashes!

Catrice lashes on the eye in the right of the picture!

Sorry, I am cross-eyed and with half my make-up gone when I was trying the lashes at the end of a shopping day. Look at those untrimmed brows, heh.

The lashes on the right eye (from photo) is very clearly longer and more obvious than the other side, since I applied 3 of the single lashes to try out. Honestly, I couldn't feel anything on my eye (even though I could see the increment in the length of my lashes). Comfort is comfortable: can you imagine wearing something that is stiff, uncomfortable and keeps jabbing into your eyes when you blink? I hope you have never had that experience, because I have! My eyes were watering and my lids were sorely irritated at the end of the wear, and because of the irritation, my lid was really itchy. So guys, comfort before beauty!

The lashes are really really affordable. Prices, price, pricing. The price tag is definitely a key consideration when we are purchasing make-up because believe or not, good make up or bad make up expire in roughly the same amount of time, though arguably good make up is better for the skin and all. But hey, lashes are not really rubbed into the skin, so cheap and GOOD ones won't hurt. At $7.90, you get a whole box of lashes that are REUSABLE. Yes, I checked Catrice's site and they stated they are actually reusable, thus explaining their really good container quality. Use it, wipe it, store it!

Catrice Cosmetics Lash Couture - Single Lashes 

The three rows of lashes have different lengths! I didn't notice it tilled I read up about it on Catrice's website, but they actually stated that on the back of the box as well. Woe betide those who don't read the product information...

If you look closely, the topmost lashes are actually indeed longer than the bottom most lashes.

Free Catrice lash glue

I love the fact that it comes with a lash glue in the box, it saves us the trouble of having to look for one!

What I don't really like
Probably one difficult thing about using these lashes, is the fact that these lashes are tiny and really hard to grab. Even harder is the gluing on process because they are so so so small. Hence, use tweezers!

with lashes on the right

Final photo with the lashes. It is dramatic here since I needed to shoot the photos, but I think for a normal daily look, we can totally tone it down!

That's all for today's review, sorry if it is rushed towards the end...catching up with a friend on Whatsapp now and see you all soon!