Favourite Products of 2018 (Eye Category)

Yes it's kinda late for this post, but I thought I should do it anyway. There will be three categories, eyes, face, and skincare. I'm not really a lip junkie so there is no point having a lip category. Today's post will focus on eye makeup.

Favourite Brow Product

Ok so I once bought the Anastasia Brow Wiz a long time ago, and I loved the fine tipped pencil. It was, however, too ridiculously expensive for my cheap taste, and I used it way too fast for me to be repurchasing it every couple of months. These thin brow pencils don't last at all, but they are so convenient and look so natural that I started looking for dupes. I tried a few Nyx Microbrow pencils but the shade range was just too warm for my brows. I prefer a grey tone to match my black hair, and it was so difficult to find one that was light enough that wasn't brown.

I also tried the LA Girls Slim Shady but it also didn't have any grey shades. 

Finally, I chanced upon this obscure Korean brand J.Muh on Roseroseshop.com, and I ordered the Slim Eyebrow Pencil in Grey Brown. It was only about 2 USD then, the price has now risen. And it's the best brow pencil I've used. It's greyish brown, not too pigmented, fine tip, easy to twist up, and has a great price. I stocked up and bought about 10 to bring to Germany, and I use up one every two to three months. Here's the link in case anyone is interested. 

J.Muh Slim Eyebrow Pencil in Grey Brown

Favourite Eye Primer

I have to be honest and say that I don’t really notice a difference in my eye primers, maybe because they are all touted as holy grails by other people in the makeup world. I have the Wet and Wild Photo Focus, Milani Eyeshadow Primer, Nyx Glitter Glue, Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ochre, and Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer. The one with a slight advantage is Etude House as I feel it’s not as drying as the others and eyeshadow don’t turn out as patchy. It comes with a doe-foot applicator which is pretty convenient. The worst is probably the Wet and Wild one, but it’s still very good at making my eyeshadow look more pigmented and prevent it from fading off. So yeah, another Korean product in my Favourites, I swear it’s the last.

Left to Right: Wet and Wild Photo Focus, Nyx Glitter Glue, Milani Eye Primer in Nude, Etude House Proof 10, and Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ochre at the bottom.

Favourite Eyeshadow (Single)

I need a whole category for this because it’s so awesome. The Australis Metalix eyeshadow is a glittery cream that brings the bling. It is SOOOO sparkly, and it also stays on the lid for a good time without transferring or creasing. I got them in Singapore for about $4 each, which is insanely cheap for such a product. I bought almost all the shades that they had, and my favourite shade is Guns and Rose Petals. It elevates any boring eyeshadow look to the next level, and I used it on all the people I applied makeup for in 2018.

Top to Bottom: Australis Metallix in Lana Del Grey, Plum Diddy, Gold Gaga, Pearl Jammin', Guns and Rose Petals

Favourite Eyeshadow Palette

Ok this was a really difficult category because I have so many palettes and they serve different purposes. I didn’t want to include the newer palettes, so I have to say the MVP (Most Valuable Palette) of the year is Elf Mad for Mattes in Summer Breeze. This is the second Mad for Matte palette, and it’s full of warm rose tones. I used this on all my clients this year because it blends so easily, and gives a nice and soft wash of colour on the whole lid. It is also compact and easy to bring out in my kit. When working on others, I value blendability over pigmentation. It can be so hard to blend a pigmented colour on someone else’s eyes, and people who are new to makeup don’t really like overly pigmented eyeshadows. This palette is simple and pretty, I used it on EVERYONE with no difficulty.

Elf Mad for Matte Summer Breeze: The swatches are soft but smoooooth

Favourite Eyeliner

I really downsized my eyeliner collection when I moved to Germany, so I have a total of less than 5 right now. My favourite is the Maybelline Master Liner which I bought on sale at a Malaysian pharmacy. It is not very black, but it sure stays on forever. I have oily lids and watery eyes, so it’s a real challenge for any eyeliner to stay on my eyes. Before I found this, my favourite was Miss Hana, a Taiwanese Brand, and Essence Gel Liner pen which was discontinued. The only complaint I have for the Master Liner is that it is not black enough for me.  I added a generic Morphe Eyeliner as a comparison for the lack of blackness of the Master Liner. That Morphe Eyeliner is completely crap, it rubs right off my hand immediately even if I set it with black eyeshadow. Looking at the swatch, I am starting to doubt if the Master Liner was supposed to be black at all, or did I grab a brown and assumed it was black? Edited: Lol ok I got the dark brown one... Apparently the black one has BK-1 at the bottom while mine has BR-1. Hmm, ok I guess I have to forgive the pigmentation then, it's my own fault. This is supposed to be the Asian version of the Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner Pencil. I definitely need a better eyeliner pencil.

Left swatch: Maybelline Master Liner

Right swatch: Morphe Eyeliner in Dark Room

Favourite Eye Brush

Everyone is so into that Mac 217 brush shape and size, but it’s just too small for my crease. It is so popular that you would be hard pressed to find another type. This year, I discovered the Morphe 504, which is a blending brush that is bigger than an average blending brush. I love that I can use it for my crease to diffuse the colour evenly, and it fits my crease so well. It’s not like I have big eyes, but I have a big face in general and in proportion, my eyes are larger than the average person. Morphe animal hair brushes are not the softest, in fact some are downright prickly, but this one is soft enough for me and I love the bigger size. In the photo, I placed it next to the Morphe 433 and 441, which is the dupe for Mac 217 and 224 respectively. 

Left to Right: Morphe 433, 441 and 504

So that is it for the eye category. I will follow up with the face and skincare posts soon, before I head back to Singapore next week. I did not include any any mascaras because I am not happy with all my mascaras right now. My favourite is the Essence I Love Extreme Crazy Volume in the pink tube,  but it's not waterproof and I left it in Singapore. I'm in the market for waterproof mascaras that would give me the same volume, and I haven't tried out any yet as I want to finish up my current ones first.