I'm trying to do more non-tutorial videos on my channel, and I thought this one would be something that you guys would like to watch!

I hope you enjoy the video :)

Products mentioned:

Shu Uemura The Lightbulb UV Compact Foundation - a great compact foundation that doesn't look too cakey on the skin. Read full review here.

Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Foundation Powder - another great compact foundation. Both these compact foundations are actually quite similar, and I highly recommend both.

Kiss Me Long & Curl Mascara and Kiss Me Volume & Curl Mascara - my favourite mascara combination at the moment, and I'm discovering that a lot of Malaysian girls also use this mascara. They both hold a curl really well, and they do wonders for the lashes. Read my full review here.

Dior Hydra Life BB Eye Cream - I bought this eye cream on Lisa Eldridge's recommendation in one of her makeup videos, however I'm not liking it very much, because this one really creases and falls into the fine lines of the eyes. It also isn't quite bright enough to do any real work concealing dark circles. I'm quite disappointed because her recommendations are usually spot on, but oh well!

Dermalogica Precleanse Wipes - a fantastic makeup remover that removes every trace of makeup, and quite easily. It does leave behind a tiny trace of oiliness on the skin, so I follow it with...

Bioderma Crealine H20 - this is a micellar cleansing water, and it is one of the most effective cleansing solutions for removing makeup, false eyelashes, etc. 

Simplicité Great Outdoors Sunscreen - a lightweight, moisturising sunscreen that Simplicité says will not clog the skin. It feels really light on the skin, and so far I haven't broken out from it yet, which is good for my skin.

Kyrolan High Gloss in Toffee - even after buying and trialling so many other nude lipsticks, I still come back to this one time and time again. It is warm enough to be extremely flattering on the skin, plumps the lips, and looks amazing. I love the way it looks and feels!

Chanel Ombres Contrastes Duo in Sable-Emouvant - this is a basic combination of a brown and champagne eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever HD Compact Blush in 215 - this is MUFE's replacement for their HD pump blushes, and they did a fabulous job! These are much easier to blend (with fingers) and spread easily onto my cheeks without resistance or dragging, so my base makeup stays in place. I wouldn't recommend applying this product with a blush because it is so much easier and more user-friendly to apply with fingers.

The Lip Slip: One Luxe Gloss by Sara Happ - this is the gloss counterpart to Sara Happ's famous One Luxe Balm. It does hydrate the lips really well and helps to soften any cracks or flakes that you have on your lips. I purchased mine via Luxola.com.

rmk Super Basic Concealer Pact - this concealer isn't particularly pigmented (my favourite pigmented concealer is the one from Cathy Cat Korea - read my review and see it in action here - which has unfortunately been discontinued), but what it lacks in pigment, it makes up for in pure staying power. This concealer has a really thick consistency that helps it really stick to your skin and conceal imperfections once applied. The downside? If you don't blend properly, it can look quite patchy, especially once you try to set it with powder.

Shiseido Eyelash Curler - an eyelash curler that curls the lashes beautifully. If you have more of a flat eye, then this is the eyelash curler for you.

Melvita Rose Flower Water - if you're a fan of a more hydrated, plumped skin, then you should try finishing your makeup with a spritz instead of powder, or on top of powder. I like to use moisturising sprays for this, because I feel like they have a little bit more of a kick to them and hold the makeup in place better. This beautiful rose water from Melvita is kind to your skin and won't stress it out, so it's great to use for people with sensitive skin. It comes in a few other scents, and I really want to try the lavender scented one (I adore all things lavender!).

Tony Moly Backstage Gel Eyeliner - my current favourite gel eyeliner for its smooth, easy-to-apply texture and its great super black pigment. See it in action here.

Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder - one of the best HD powders out there. Read my review on it (and a few other HD powders) here.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Highlighting Liquid in Seas of Illumination - this fantastic multi-tasker has become a favourite of mine. It has very finely milled microparticles of shimmer suspended in the thinnest liquid, so it is really easy to blend onto the skin, or into your moisturiser or foundation. The texture also makes it great for thinning out thicker cream foundations, whilst adding a lovely glow to the skin.

Daiso Eyelashes - these are so affordable and great for Asian eyes. They are cut just at the right length and width, and fit my eyes perfectly without my having to cut them. I also love that they're so affordable but still last a good 3-4 uses.

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette - one of my favourite neutral palettes at the moment. The variety of colour and the fact that the colours are quite neutral (meaning they don't lean too cool or warm and suit a great range of skin tones) gives this palette a great versatility. One little gripe I have is that the eyeshadows aren't as smooth as I expected them to be, and the shimmer eyeshadows are quite poorly pigmented.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - despite not using this a whole lot, I still think it's a great palette to own. The eyeshadows are buttery, smooth and pigmented, the colour range is great, and I love the textures of both the matte and shimmer colours. I'm not sold on the Naked 3 palette (too pink), but the first two are great.

Covo Cosmetics Timeless Eyeshadow Palette in Vibrant - I love that there's a Malaysian brand that I can recommend to overseas beauty buyers now. This eyeshadow palette is a mix of fantastic colours that make it incredibly versatile and a basic palette for creating so many different looks (what's great though, is that this palette comes in a nude eyeshadow version too :)) depending on what look you're going for. I love carrying this around with me because it gives me so many options to choose from, and the chance to try out brighter, more daring looks. The eyeshadow textures are lovely, and the shadows are pigmented. So far, this is shaping up to be a great palette!

I hope you guys enjoyed this video, and if you have any questions or comments about the products just leave them in the comments below! x

By now, everyone knows of the existence of HD powders, but not a lot know why they're called HD powders, and how they're different from other finishing powders out there. I'm here to shed a tiny bit of light on this, as well as to share and compare the performance of some of the HD powders I've tried before.

What is HD powder?

High Definition powders are one of the most recent releases in makeup land, and was formulated as the solution to HD television technology, hence its name. It is mostly made of silica powder. The powder is very, very finely milled, so a little bit goes a long way when it comes to HD powder. Generally, most HD powders are colourless, but some companies have produced coloured versions of these powders, which you will see later on in this post.

What does HD powder do?

The new, high definition TVs bring stark attention to flaws in the skin, so makeup had to provide a solution to counter that effect. Enter HD makeup.

In general, finishing powders set your makeup. They keep your makeup in place, and absorb some of the excess oil in the skin. HD powders, along with all HD formulated makeup, contain light diffusing particles, which soften the focus of the cameras on the skin and create a 'soft light' effect, hiding to some extent the flaws in the skin, and giving the skin a more glowy effect. If you'd like to see HD makeup in action, here's a YouTube video where I show you how to use HD makeup.
A word of warning: a tiny bit of powder really does go a long way, and this powder is completely invisible to the naked eye. You won't know if you've used too much, unless you take a photo of yourself with flash. Make sure you apply with either a fan brush or a kabuki brush, because these products disperse the powders loosely enough so that they won't flash back on camera.

Why do I need HD powder?
If you're going to be photographed, you'll want to use HD powder to give your skin a glowy effect, as if it was lit by soft light (like candlelight). If you don't like the way makeup sits on your skin, HD makeup is very pigmented and is applied in a very thin layer on the skin, so it won't feel like you're wearing makeup. And if you like to take selfies, HD makeup is definitely for you :)

Which HD powder should I use?
Check out my reviews of the following HD powders to figure out what best fits your budget and needs :)

Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder
This is one of the most popular HD powders out there, and the pioneer brand for HD makeup. The powder comes in two forms (as of March 2014) - a loose powder version that comes in a jar with a sifter, and a compact powder version. The Make Up For Ever HD powder is 100% silica powder, and is extremely fine. Only the tiniest bit of powder is needed to set your makeup and create that 'soft focus' effect. It gives your skin the most beautiful glow in photograph and is definitely a powder that lives up to its name and fame.
One thing I don't like about the powder though, is how little you need to use in order not to get that white-powder-flashback effect. In warm climates, makeup tends to move around, and I need more powder to set certain areas in my skin, particularly my undereye area. Unfortunately, using too little doesn't set my undereye concealer, and using too much creates that flashback effect.

Covo Cosmetics HD Picturesque Loose Powder SPF10
Covo is a Malaysian brand that is gaining quite a large and loyal following, and I love that I can recommend a brand for tourists to buy when they come visiting :)
Their HD powder is one of those powders that contain colour pigment, and is less finely milled than the MUFE HD powder. It comes in a compact that contains a grinder, and grinds out loose powder as you turn the grinder. If you're someone who thinks that they need a little more coverage after foundation and concealer, then this is the powder for you. It has a medium coverage, and comes with a convenient little brush (that is actually quite usable!) that you can use on the go. This one is not 100% silica, so it's not as difficult to use as the other HD powders and you're in no danger of over-applying.

NYX HD Studio Finishing Powder
NYX is an affordable but effective brand, and I have loved almost every product that I've tried from this brand. Their HD powder is no exception. It is 100% silica and finely milled (though admittedly, it doesn't have the smooth, silky feel of the MUFE powder). This is slightly more difficult to use than the MUFE HD powder because if you over-apply, the effect is much more obvious - probably because the powder is slightly less fine compared to the MUFE powder. It still does give your skin that lovely glow if applied properly, plus it is so affordable (I got mine on eBay for $13).

elf High Definition Powder
This is another one of those affordable powders (I got mine from iherb.com), and is lovely to use. It is more or less identical to the NYX powder, except for the sifter that dispenses the powder. I absolutely love the one in the elf packaging because the holes are smaller, so that the powder doesn't all spill out at one shake. The elf powders also come in a few formulations - one shimmer, one translucent, and one yellow colour-correcting, so they're a little different from the Covo powder.

Are you a fan of HD powder? Which one do you use? :)