I consider makeup is an daily essential routine for me.
What I meant is not a complete makeup but a simple touch up on the necessary areas like eyebrow, eyeline, basic foundation or just a simple lips gloss.
I'm not a heavy makeup person but I consider touch up on the facial area is a sense of politeness toward myself as I realized being in public area you would not know who would you meet and stumble upon with.
On the other hand, the reason being makeup can also really brighten up a person facial appearance and heightened a person self-confident.
The reason I'm pointing out this is because of my personal encountered with my ex one day at a shopping mall without any makeup on.
It was not my intention to shop for long but a quick in and out from the mall.
Guess what?! I bumped into my ex and he was with his new girl.
Totally caught on surprise that I failed to present myself in a proper manner and I was like "shit"!
He must be thinking "thanks god, I'm with another girl".
From that day onward, I promise myself that I will never leave the house without putting on makeup, because I will never know who I am going to meet today.







I know some people might think makeup is a chore to put on and you might also think it takes a lot of time.
But indeed, once you've got it down and make it part of your routine, makeup really doesn't take very long.
Well, my daily makeup only takes me about 10 minutes; starting from face foundation, to eye makeup shadow, then eyebrow and lipstick.
So today, I'm going to show you through each step of my makeup routine with the Althea Black Sparking Box that I recently use.
Are you ready? Here we go....





Step #1: April Skin Magic Snow Cushion 2.0
After wearing sunscreen, I apply BB cushions at most of the times.
I'm a big fan of BB cushion, because it's easy to apply and also I think it is the best for beginners.
I have been eyeing this April Skin Magic Snow Cushion 2.0 ever since it launched in the market.
This product has gotten itself an upgrade, which also received many good reviews from the users.
I'm so excited that I finally got my own to try it! :)



April Skin Magic Snow Cushion 2.0 is one of the Korea's biggest BB cushion products.
It promises moisture for your skin without compromising on good coverage.
It's made with a 45% water-based formula, which works to not only hide your imperfections but to improve them with it's hydrating and nourishing properties.
This product blends like a cream and comes in a sturdy compact with a puff and a mirror, making it easy to take in your bag with you to use on-the-go.
 

Before I applied it on my face, I first tested the product on my hand.
The first impression about the texture is it is light, not very creamy but slightly watery, and it's very easy to blend and get into the skin within seconds.



April Skin Magic Snow Cushion 2.0 is suitable for all skin types.
It comes in 3 shades; #21 light beige, #22 pink beige, #23 natural beige, and I got mine in the shade #23 because I prefer a more natural colour which is not too whitey for my face.
The usage is very simple; open the cushion and pick up product with the puff provided, then blend onto the skin for desired coverage.




For me, foundation is to make the skin looks more even-toned,fine-grained and smooth.
I really think this April Skin Magic Snow Cushion 2.0 has achieved my exceptions of a BB cushion.
I have some photos of the before and after pictures only on half of my face, you can see the cushion has really brightened my whole complexion, and covered all imperfections such as dark spots, pores and uneven skin tone on my left face.
I didn't use any concealer at here, just a sunscreen beforehand for a protection.





Step #2: Son & Park All That Smoky Kit
Son & Park All That Smoky Kit is created by the duo makeup artists of Son and Park, who are both famous makeup artists for celebrities and fashion editors in Korea and also worldwide.
The palette comes in a classic black plastic box-style with Son & Park logo on the front and a magnetic closure.
When the package open, it has a full case size mirror and a double-ended applicator for easy blending and application.
The eye shadow palette is small which is about the dimension of a cell phone, so it won't take up a lot of space in your makeup bag or handbag.





Son & Park All That Smoky Kit consists of 6 shades:
#1 Clear Stone: perfect for shading or as an eye shadow base
#2 Toubu: a warm shade that best match with our skin tone
#3 Brass: a translucent peach colour with some white and gold glitters
#4 Brownie: medium warm brown that can use for contouring
#5 Iron Lilac: light grey colour with silver and gold shimmer
#6 Charcoal: looks like black colour which perfectly to darken the entire eye look. You can also use it as eyeliner too.





You can play around the eye shadow palette by mixing 2 or more shades on your eyelids to create a different looks for any occasions.
At here, I used the #2 toubu shade as a base colour so that it helps even out my eyelids before I apply the rest of the eye shadow shades.
Then, I put on the #5 iron lilac shade as the second layer to highlight my eyes, and follow by the #6 charcoal to darken my entire eye look so that I have a pair of bigger eyes. :)



I do believe the powerful of the eye shadow especially using darken colour can make your eyes look bigger and brighter.
I noticed my right eye looks smaller than the other because my left eye has double eyelid, so by putting eye shadow it somehow make my eyes appear larger and sharper (check out my complete look at the end of this post. :)





Step #3 Rire Luxe Gel Eyeliner (No.1 Kill Black)
Rire Luxe Gel Eyeliner is a new concept of eyeliner which provides:
#1 soft and long-lasting without smudge
#2 dries very quickly
#3 vivid colour and and good colour development
#4 water-proof, strong against swear and water
#5 in a sealed container to keep the product from drying for long



The eyeliner is an automatic type which used by rolling, and there is a sharpener that allows an easy shave.
There are many colours available such as brown, blue, burgundy, pink, white and khaki; but I got mine with all black because I always prefer black or dark brown to dramatically enhance and reshape my eyes to create a smokey eyes feel. :)



Since the product claimed that it is water-proof and long-lasting, I tested out the eyeliner on my hand.
After I let the eyeliner dry on my hand, I tried to rub the liner off with just tap water, however the colour didn't come off at all.
Then I tried to rub it off with my makeup remover, the colour didn't smudge on my first and second wiped, and only came off after my third wiped.



For myself, I like to use liquid eyeliner compare to pencil eyeliner because I think putting a liquid eyeliner is a lot easier for me.
But the advantage of getting a pencil eyeliner is you can use it as an eye shadow as well.
Simply draw a thick line on your eyelid and then blend the line naturally as soon as it gets.
As for eyeliner, you just draw a thin line from inside on the upper lid of the eye.



Eyeliner is a great way to take your makeup to the next level.
It can help make your eyes stand our, look bigger, or even change the shape.
So, an eyeliner is a must in your makeup steps.





Step #4: Missha The Style 4D Mascara
My first mascara is from Missha.
I bought it in Hong Kong through a friend's recommendation.
Missha is famous with it's mascara product and it's still the best selling product to date.
And this Missha The Style 4D Mascara not only provides length and volumes, it also helps to separate the lashes to give you a gorgeous look.





This simple yet impressive mascara is made with natural plant extracts so it doesn't irritate the gentle eye area.
The brush is slim, just as slim as the tube.
I like thin brush because it makes easy to coat every lashes including the inner and outer ones, also the bottom eye lashes too.



I'm a big fan of mascara, not because it gives me good volume and longer lengths of my eye lashes, I also noticed that with the mascara application, it helps to hold the powder from the eye shadow better to avoid the excess powder to fall over the face. #thisisverytrue!
Try it if you have an oily skin like me, and you will see the differences.



Lastly, don't forget to wear your lipstick or lip gloss!
Then, it's all completed now!
Do you like it?! :)



If you are interested with the products that I shared today, you can now shop online at www.althea.kr.
I will share with you the direct links of each products that I have used at below:
#1 April Skin Magic Snow Cushion 2.0 @ RM82.00
#2 Son & Park All That Smoky Kit (not available at this moment)
#3 Rire Luxe Gel Eyeliner (No.1 Kill Black) @ RM14
#4 Missha The Style 4D Mascara @ RM16
Althea's products go out very quickly, so do catch them before they run out of stocks ya!