lundi 28 février 2011

Beautypedia is now free!

Good news for skin care fanatics (and make-up fanatics too): Paula Begoun's reference website Beautypedia is now free for everyone, all the time. Those who have subscriptions will be eligible for partial refunds (pro-rated depending on how many months are left in the subscription) back to the method of original payment, or you can opt for a Paula's Choice e-gift certificate.

I highly recommend Beautypedia for reference purposes, it has been extremely useful to me in making my product choices. I don't agree with Paula 100% of the time (some things just work differently for some people), but she is knowledgeable and her reviews are comprehensive and to the point. Making this database available for everyone was a great move..

女人我最大 Live Make-over



StarHub TV’s E City and TVBS Asia will be jointly organising a Lady First LIVE Make-over (女人我最大之都会达人大改造), featuring celebrity host Pauline Lan (蓝心眉) and stylists Xiao Kai (小凱) and Xiao Man (小曼), who are well known for providing viewers with make-up and hair styling tips in Lady First/女人我最大 - the longest running lifestyle and fashion programme to be shown on TVBS Asia (StarHub TV Channel 828) / 无线卫星电视台 (星和视界第828频道) from Mondays to Fridays at 8pm.

The event will be held at the Atrium of 313@somerset on this Saturday, 5 March 2011 at 2pm. At the event, four lucky pre-selected StarHub TV subscribers will be given a ‘live’ make-over by Xiao Kai and Xiao Man, based on the theme ‘The Singapore Woman’. During the session, Xiao Kai and Xiao Man will share styling tips to help the contestants create a new look that is suited for the role that they portray and which is easy to maintain in our climate.

Although tickets are required for the seating area which is cordoned off, I understand from the organisers that members of the public will be able to watch the show by standing around the area. The date of telecast has not been determined yet.

Libellés :

WORST products of my stash!

today i want to introduce to you the two worssssttt products i know of at the moment.

the first one is the Sigma ss224 brush (i don't know the new number, i got mine about 1 1/2 years ago), the "dupe" to MAC's 224 fluffy eye blending brush. i didn't like it from the beginning, it was just too big for my eyes and the shape is rather flat at the top, so i never found any benefits from this. still, the hairs are (were) dense and soft.
so it was standing in my eye-brushes-jar a long time unused. but lately i found a use for it: as a mini blush brush to make blended out blush swatches. and when i started using it, i noticed how crappy it is.


here it is compared to the MAC one:



see what makes it so BAD:
it sheds!!! and that badly! how can you make a eye brush that low quality that it sheds so much?
epic fail.


next product: the Gel Liner by Alverde.


i tried several versions of this. all failed. the first one: in a LE, it dried out really fast, within a month or so. second version: new in permanent range - still same problem. third version: better packaging, nice colours, POOOOR formula.
the brush that they make is very nice, though. it's a bent thin synthetic brush.

also the idea is very innovative for a natural cosmetics brand. 


the colour of #03 Violett is gorgeous, but the texture is really bad, it's thin and transparent, you can't even layer it to an opaque finish. also it dries weird, if you pack it on too much it just gets crackly and will completely come off your lids as little crumbles.

one layer
this is how it looks if i try to put a second layer over it


what are your anti-recommendations?


Libellés : , ,

Un censeur censé sachant censurer...


Non, non, ne me remerciez pas pour ce petit exercice de diction en guise de titre, cela me fait plaisir ! Lundi oblige, c'est la course aujourd'hui et du coup, impossible de mettre la touche finale au billet que j'avais initialement prévu pour ce début de semaine. Qu'à cela ne tienne, je profite de ce day off pour passer un petit message à celles et ceux qui prennent mon blog pour un grand panneau publicitaire. Je voulais leur rappeler que sur ma Planète, tous les commentaires sont validés par mes soins et édités seulement après approbation, comme vous l'avez peut-être déjà remarqué. Rassurez-vous, ce n'est pas du tout par goût de la censure, bien au contraire, je ne supprime aucun commentaire et milite pour la liberté d'expression la plus totale. Non, c'est simplement que cette modération présente deux avantages pour moi. Le premier, c'est simplement d'être certain de bien voir chacun de vos commentaires, même ceux qui peuvent être postés sur des très vieux billets et qui nécessiteraient que j'y réponde. Bien pratique ! Le second en revanche est malheureusement beaucoup plus pénible puisqu'il s'agit du filtrage indispensable de ce que j'appellerai les "'faux commentaires qui sont en fait une vraie tentative publicitaire". Vous voyez de ce dont je veux parler ?

C'est très simple, il s'agit de gens qui viennent commenter, parfois même sur plusieurs sujets, mais en laissant toujours le même texte. J'ai un exemple très concret pour vous expliquer cela, avec ce message qu'on a déposé des dizaines de fois sur mon blog "Merci pour cet article très plaisant, je le twitt de suite pour le partager avec mes amies". Derrière ces quelques lignes à priori plutôt sympathiques se cache en fait une personne assez maligne car ce commentaire a été déposé avec le pseudo "Stickers Ongles" qui, lorsque l'on clique dessus, redirige automatiquement vers, je vous le donne en mille, la e-boutique www.stickersongles.com ! Et oui, le but de cette personne en déposant ce commentaire n'était nullement de participer à une conversation sur un sujet donné, mais simplement de croiser les doigts pour que vous cliquiez sur son nom pour être redirigé vers sa boutique, avec évidemment l'espoir que vous y achetiez quelque chose. Et je peux vous dire qu'il ne se passe pas une journée sans que j'ai des messages de ce type. Pénibles, mais ce n'est pas le plus grave.


Car samedi, on est passé un cran au-dessus. Que des e-boutiques fassent ce genre de choses, je trouve ça chi### mais cela n'engage à rien de bien grave. Mais par contre, lorsque des médecins tentent d'en faire de même, ça m'embête davantage. Quelle n'a pas été ma surprise du coup lorsque j'ai découvert ce commentaire samedi, sur le billet consacré au nouvel item des vrais secrets des journalistes beauté.

" Sans oublier les techniques de médecine Esthétique et anti-âge....".

Clairement, c'est typiquement le genre de commentaires qui tombe comme un cheveu sur la soupe, d'autant qu'il n'était nullement question dans cet article de médecine esthétique. En plus, la journaliste en question n'a même pas 30 ans et ne faisait du coup aucune mention à des produits anti-âge dans son interview, je ne voyais donc pas bien la pertinence du propos. J'ai tout de suite compris ce dont il s'agissait lorsque j'ai vu le pseudo avec lequel cela a été posté : Dr DENJAN. Et devinez vers quoi on est redirigé en cliquant sur cet alias ? Le site du dermatologue esthétique Dominique Denjan bien sûr. Alors autant je ne m'inquiète pas trop à l'idée qu'une fille achète à cause de ce genre de méthode des stickers pour ses ongles, autant je refuse catégoriquement que des professionnels de la médecine cherchent à les attirer de cette manière là, en espérant qu'elles se disent "Tiens, maintenant que je suis tombé par inadvertance sur ce site, pourquoi je ne m'offrirai pas un peu de toxine botulique ou bien quelques séances de laser ? ".


Tout ça pour dire quoi au final ? Pas grand chose en fait, simplement que ce n'est pas la peine pour toutes ces marques et/ou professionnels de venir spammer mes commentaires en espérant attraper mes lectrices dans leurs filets avec cette méthode, car je supprimerai systématiquement ce genre de messages qui me fatiguent plutôt qu'autre chose. Et j'en profite pour rappeler au Dr Denjan qu'il me semble que la publicité pour des médecins est interdite en France et que ce qu'il fait s'en rapproche un peu trop quand même. A bon entendeur, salut !

I'm digging powders! part VIII: NARS Loose Powders




uhhh we're getting to the end slowly.....!  today we have made it to the N like NARS!

i have two loose powders by NARS; first the normal Loose Powder:


35g - 37€/26.50£/35$

you get a huuuuge amount for your money!
but if it wasn't a good deal in a blog sale, i wouldn't have bought it. but it's a good powder, no doubt.
i have it in the shade Eden, which should fit a medium skin with yellow undertones. the sifter holes are quite big, as you can see, and it can easily get very messy, especially because it doesn't have an airtight screw top.

this is what the official website says about it:

"This powder is triple milled and provides sheer, ultra-natural coverage to set makeup, soften color and smooth the texture of the skin for an overall radiant complexion. The silky-smooth texture blends undetectably into the skin, absorbs excess oils and maintains fresh looking skin with an imperceptible finish. Packaged complete with its own powder puff and both plastic and mesh sifters to provide the finest, most natural application possible.
  • Triple-milled powder corrects and softens color
  • Enriched with Vitamin E
  • Packaged with its own powder puff and both plastic and mesh sifters to provide the finest application possible"
the powder itself really is finely milled, but i find it a hint chalkier than other powders i own, not very silky-smooth. also the finish isn't that radiant and as promised, it's rather matte. so i like to use it to take away the shine of overly dewy foundations. it works well with my oily skin, within 1-2 hours it melts with my foundation + skin sebum to a silky glowy finish. i think dry skins could have problems with this powder being too drying and matte.
it has some colour to it and gives a very light coverage. the light neutral colour would fit a nc15 to about nc25 in MAC.




the other powder is a Sparkling Loose Powder.


45g - 39€/27£/35$

this contains even MORE than the normal loose powder!
the Sparkling Loose Powder in fact is the normal loose powder, but infused with fine gold glitter/shimmer bits (while the shade Machu Picchu i own is like Eden).
here is what NARS says about it:

"Infused with super fine gold shimmer, Sparkling Loose Powder is perfect for highlighting the skin. It illuminates the complexion and leaves a shimmering finish suitable for the face and body.
Formulated with an exclusive micro-bubble technology to fill-in lines and pores, silica for a silky smooth texture and imperceptible finish and cornstarch to absorb excess oil, this triple-milled powder blends effortlessly over skin for instant radiance.
  • Triple-milled powder corrects and softens color
  • Enriched with Vitamin E
  • For a shimmering finish
  • Packaged with its own powder puff and both plastic and mesh sifters to provide the finest application possible" 
i wouldn't use this powder for highlighting purposes, at least not for the face (i tried it and it looked ridiculous). the shimmering bits are quite apparent and not fine enough to give any radiance. the sparkles even are quite flat and not flattering at all. it would make a good effect powder for your body, e.g. the cleavage.
i don't recommend this, you can easily create such a powder yourself by mixing some sparkly/pearly loose eyeshadow into some normal loose powder of your choice.

i don't want this disco-ball effect on my cheeks ;)
when it's blended out, the shimmer bits are loosely distributed



Libellés : ,

dimanche 27 février 2011

Deborah Lippmann Luxurious Nail Color

Having beauty OCD means that when I fall for a brand, I tend to fall for it fast and hard. That is how I ended up with a new stash of Deborah Lippmann Luxurious Nail Colors. The go-to manicurist for many celebrities, Lippmann recently did Lady Gaga's nails in Waking Up In Vegas for the latter's Vanity Fair cover.

Made in the USA, Lippmann's nail polishes are free of formaldehyde, tuolene and dibutyl phthlate. Instead, they contain aucoumea, biotin and green tea. The glitter-infused shades usually retail for US$18 while the non-glitter shades are US$16.

Above: Lady Sings The Blues (left), Across the Universe
Below: Bad Romance (left), Razzle Dazzle. Evonnz has excellent swatches of Bad Romance.

Diamonds & Pearls and Glitter In The Air (new for spring 2011).

Wicked Game, Bad Romance and Razzle Dazzle

Lady Sings The Blues, Across the Universe and Glitter In The Air

Here are some quick swatches of Across The Universe without any top coat. Karlasugar has a guest review on it.

It takes 3 coats to achieve opacity. What I loved about Across The Universe was the dimensionality of it. The small glitter flecks and hexagonal glitters appear suspended at different depths. The hexagonal glitters reflect light blue and emerald against the midnight blue base.

Libellés : ,

Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush #10


i think you noticed by now that i am focusing on blushes these days. this little darling arrived some days ago. i had an eye on the Sheer Blush by Giorgio Armani quite some time, but never took the step to get them because they always seemed so expensive to me. since i got the two Guerlain blushes (the Blush G and the Blush 4 Éclats) the price tag of 41.95€ (it contains 6g) for the Armani blusher got put into perspective ;)
because i don't have a Giorgio Armani counter where i live, i had to choose the shade online from different swatches and reviews (The Beauty Look Book and makeupalley.com were especially helpful) and went for #10, because it seemed to be the easiest but most stand out and most popular colour in GA's range.

i ordered from douglas.de, the only online source to get Giorgio Armani cosmetics in germany. i used a 5€ coupon code (564DEDM) and two other codes to get some goodies, which were a 60ml shampoo for coloured hair by Fekkai (FTS266) and a 100ml perfumed body lotion from Dolce&Gabbana (DGL365). this is a nice option with douglas.de, i love to get goodies like these, they always are great additions to gifts for friends&family. of course you could choose two samples, i went for one more Belle d'Opium by YSL and Armani Code Femme perfume sample.


the blush comes in a very sleek satin black plastic compact with a mirror. no useless miniature blush brush.
the texture is very fine and rather dry, it feels very light on your skin. the pigmentation is good, but it creates a sheer veil of colour instead of a intense stripe.
#10 has a muted light pink as base colour with lots of pink, copper and gold microshimmer to it, so it looks different in different light conditions. in sunlight it's more of a peach and in artificial light the pink hue is stronger. but all in all it's a light and subtle shade that looks great with every eye make up  an lip colour. the very fine shimmer gives you a slight sheen so you wouldn't need an extra highlighter.
it applies evenly without getting blotchy and doesn't emphasize unevenness or enlarged pores.
i wished i could swatch all of them to choose a second colour ;)


 in the shadow:
in the shadow: Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush #10 swatched heavily + blended out
 in the sun:
Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush #10 swatched heavily + blended out

i also compared it to some light blushes i own, but you can already see in the pan that they aren't similar (also the light wasn't great when i took the photo, so i haven't swatched them).

Guerlain Blush 4 Éclats - Giorgio Armani #10 - MAC Well Dressed - NARS Deep Throat

 here i wear the #10 Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush:





Libellés : , , ,