I’m Xiao Lim of Messy Wands, and This Is My Makeup Life

Name: Xiao Lim
Location: New York, NY
Day job/current gig: I work in the marketing division of a start-up company.

Hangouts online: messywands.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+
Current favorite product: RMS Luminizer (one-stop highlighter for all skin tones)
Beauty inspirations: Keira Knightley, Tao Okamoto, Michelle Williams in that recent Louis Vuitton ad, and Gong Li
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Experimental

What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?

My Shu Uemura retractable brow pencil in Seal Brown. It’s not available in the United States anymore, so I have to buy it in bulk when I visit home (Malaysia).

When did you start getting into makeup?

I was 18 years old when I *really* stepped into a MAC store for the first time…

What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?

Use fingers. You can blend out eyeshadow in the crease with your fingers if you want it badly enough!

What’s your favorite beauty tool?

Oh, dear. I suppose if my apartment were burning and I could only save one thing I’d say my brushes (it took years of shopping on different continents to amass my current lineup), but skincare is more essential to me.

What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?

My mom told me not to put on so much makeup. I still disagree with her when I want to have fun with my face, but I try to remember that behind her gentle admonishment is a reminder that I should take good care of my skin so it’ll last me through, oh, forever hopefully.


What’s your skincare routine?

In order: Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist, Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, Tatcha Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream, then it’s a choice between Rodin Olio Lusso Luxury Face Oil, Tatcha Ageless Enriched Renewal Cream, Tatcha Camellia Beauty Oil, or Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?

I racked my brain and couldn’t think of anything that’s truly out of this world. I’ve actually managed to enjoy facial extractions?

Do you have a trademark look (hair/styling/makeup)?

Arianne of The Glitter Geek fame coined my trademark blog photo pose as “deer in headlights,” which is pretty accurate. As for makeup, I go from no-makeup makeup to full on 1920s excess in the space of a single post.

Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”

My batwing eyebrow phase, though that’s less a “decision” than an unfortunate (and unfortunately well documented) period of my life when I just didn’t have good eyebrow drawing technique.

Where are your favorite places to shop?

I love Nordstrom.com and Sephora.com for their great testing (otherwise known as return) policies. I try not to return products unless I absolutely have to, but the ease of shopping through those two places is the reason why I’m increasingly relying on e-shopping. As for clothes and shoes, Shopbop.com and Zappos.com have similar policies!

Anything else you want to share?

Puppies are adorable, too!