It is somewhat fitting that a makeup artist (finally) blogs about makeup.
However, it is curious that I chose to blog about PONi Cosmetics as my first makeup post. PONi Cosmetics is completely out of my comfort zone. I don't use them. I barely know them. But the reason for my post is pretty straight forward - the postman just came by and dropped the parcel off. I was going to write about my Sephora haul but, I got all excited about unboxing all these cute little things.
PONi is certainly not a brand that I would consider buying under normal circumstances. I have heard some good things about their products, in particular their mascara. But I am serious in my work. PONi is too cute to be serious. And then, I came across this opportunity and it was too good to pass.
I scored everything shown in this picture for $11.99. The table and the pink mat are excluded, obviously.
There's a catch - the little goodie bag comes with a 3-month subscription of Cosmopolitan. After 3 months, I need to unsubscribe, or I would be billed another $11.99.
But even with another $11.99, I reckon I still scored a bargain.
PONi Cosmetics Brow Pop RRP $26 | in short, a two sided pencil with a pink beige on one end and a light cream beige on the other. It says "3 in 1 brow highlighter" on the pencil. But there are only two ends. I twisted the lids, twisted the pencil itself, shook it, couldn't unlock the third component. I read every single English character on the box - still didn't have a clue. So I had to google it. It turns out that the "3" uses are: highlighter, concealer, eye shadow base. Days have changed. I cannot even use makeup for its designed purpose without going online!
I also noticed that it is a fat pencil. And my sharpener only fits regular pencils. Speaking of which, it's not that I have never owned fat makeup pencils. I did, once, and they were called Lancome Juicy Crayons - I think they've been discontinued (wise move, they're crap). So I bought them, used them, and when they became blunt, instead of sharpening them, I gave them away. So that solved my problem of not having a sharpener with a fat hole. I knew that I couldn't run away forever. Here I am - facing the prospect of buying a $10 sharpener because of a $12 cosmetics haul!
PONi Cosmetics The White Night Mascara RRP $30 | It's called the "White Knight" because its job is "rescuing skinny and short lashes". The mascara has a dual designed lid. If I twist open using the top part I am supposed to get length. If I twist open the bottom part I am supposed to get volume (what if I want both?!) At first sight it looks innovative, and then it looks pretty gimmicky - the brush itself is the same for both settings, but the plastic stick of the wand is thicker if I choose the use the "volume" wand. I don't know how the same brush is going to give me different effects, but we shall see.
PONi also claimed "No Panda eyes ever - guaranteed". Well, they haven't met me, yet. My nickname is non-smudge mascara smudger.
PONi Cosmetics Pegasus Liquid Liner RRP $29 | Pegasus -> horse with wings -> wings -> winged eyeliner, get it? Now "Brow Pop" sounds rather boring - I wonder why they couldn't come up with a fancier name. The eyeliner came to me at a good time - I don't have a liquid eyeliner (gasp!). Well, I have one in my kit (for work), but I haven't had one for myself for years. I don't wear a lot of makeup - and I am sure my plumber has a leaky tap at home. I'll see if this eye liner can convince me otherwise.
I don't think I want to put these products in my makeup artist kit. For one, they look too cute to not use them myself. But more importantly, PONi's vision statement is "to help women achieve professional results at home." So if I use them for my jobs, I would be a professional helping women achieve professional results at their home using products that help women achieve professional results at their home. I'm not going to make myself redundant.
Reviews to follow.
Find PONi cosmetics here.