vendredi 14 août 2015

Holiday 2015 Collections Preview Part 2

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lundi 3 août 2015

Holiday 2015 Collections Preview

Instagram is awash with sneak previews of the Holiday 2015 collections so here's a quick round-up of what's been unveiled to date:

Paul & Joe cat masquerade set

By Terry Contour powder duo and lip palette with 10 shades (another pic here). Also a mystery trio of golden pots (possibly skincare?).

Kevyn Aucoin palette

Hourglass bronzer and highlighter palette

Tarte for QVC, Light Of The Party palette, blockbuster set (and here)

Dolce & Gabbana and Laura Mercier

Urban Decay palette (looks like Vice #4)

Charlotte Tilbury lipstick set

Too Faced palettes, here and Melted set

Stila liquid lipstick set

Bite, Fresh, MUFE and Bobbi Brown lip sets

Marc Jacobs The "Free" Spirit Style Eye-Con No. 20 Plush Eyeshadow Palette

Sephora Give Me More Lip set

Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt set

Buxom lipgloss set

Benefit blush set and here

Maquillage Snow Beauty

Cosme Decorte Marcel Wanders The Secret Nymph collection

Steam Cream

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dimanche 6 avril 2014

Operation Use It Up

Cleared out another batch of product empties in February and March. We are moving again at the end of this year so I'm trying my darnedest to stick to a no-buy where skincare and bodycare are concerned and really whittle my stash down to a reasonable size.

1. Avene Cleansing Water: I use this non-rinse cleanser on my baby, mainly for cleansing his bottom. Love how gentle and effective it is.

2. REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser: This cleanses very gently and never leaves my skin feeling stripped or dry. However, I did not notice any significant effect on preventing clogged pores.

3. Biore Hydra-Clear Makeup Remover: This removes foundation effectively and thoroughly but it stings my eyes.

4. Lancome Bi-Facil: This removes eye makeup in a jiffy although it does struggle sometimes against waterproof Japanese mascaras. It's way too expensive to purchase regularly, so I usually buy L'Oreal's bi-phase Gentle Eye Makeup Remover instead.

5. Pixi Glow Tonic: This was my second bottle of four that I hauled in London last year before giving birth. I use it once daily at night to help keep my skin blemish-free. It doesn't sting or leave my skin sticky for ages like Paula's Choice CLEAR Extra Strength Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution does.

6. Suqqu HA White Mask: I didn't see much improvement in my skin to justify this mask's ridiculously expensive price tag. Suqqu had to recall three of their whitening products but this mask wasn't one of them. For Suqqu, I would just stick to the makeup line.

7. By Terry Creme de Rose Nutri-Lift Comfort Cream: This hydrated my skin nicely without any greasy feeling. Like most of By Terry's products, it bears a rose scent but I don't mind it.

8. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil: This emulsifies and rinses off easily, removing all base makeup in a jiffy. However, I still prefer the lighter texture of Shu Uemura's Fresh cleansing oil (pink).

9. L'Oreal Play Ball Beach Fizz: This was a freebie with a magazine purchase at Kinokuniya Singapore a long time ago. It helps give a bit of structure and volume but wasn't really that special to warrant a re-purchase.

10. Percy & Reed Finishing Polish: This is my second tube and I already have a back-up ready. It tames flyaways and frizz without making my hair stiff or crunchy.

11. Lush Tea Tree Water: This is supposed to help detoxify oily, blemish-prone skin but I didn't notice any significant improvement in my skin. I'll stick with Pixi Glow Tonic instead although that is harder to get hold of.

12. Ma Cherie Moisture Conditioner: Love the sweet floral scent and feminine packaging but I think Tsubaki conditioner (which is also made by Shiseido) boasts more hydrating power than this.

13. Laline Mickey & Minnie Shower Gel: A gift from a friend, this had a nice scent and lathered up well but not particularly memorable enough to re-purchase.

14. Lush The Jilted Elf shower jelly: This lathers up nicely with a bath lily. A pot usually provides me with around 10 uses. I took so long to get around to using this that I think the scent had gone off a little.

15. A Scent by Issey Miyake Body Lotion: I liked the clean scent and light, non-greasy texture.

16. Life NK Jump Start Body Lotion: This was included in a Glossybox (UK) which I used to subscribe to when my husband was based in London. Love the fresh uplifting scent of grapefruit, spearmint and peppermint.

17. Bliss Lemon+Sage Body Butter: Intensely hydrating, this takes some kneading to get it to absorb fully. It came in handy in the winter months when my legs get really dry.

18. K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02: A daily staple, I've used up too many of these to count.

19. Too Faced Shadow Insurance: Another daily staple, I prefer this to Urban Decay Primer Potion. It really helps to make my eyeshadows last all day with minimal creasing. A tube lasts close to a year even with daily usage. I already have a back-up tube somewhere.

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samedi 16 février 2013

Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush Candy Glow

From the Too Faced Boudoir Beauty collection for spring, the only product that caught my eye was this adorable Sweethearts Perfect Blush in Candy Glow (US$29).

The cardboard packaging reminds me of Valentine Day's candy. It's sturdy enough, and the lid isn't too loose. This is made in Italy, where all good baked mineral makeup seem to originate from.


The blush features a flattering trio of candy pink, peach pink and coral, all in a very soft shimmery finish. It's not frosty or glittery at all, just a gentle glowy glimmer that will flater most fair to medium skintones.

The blush feels smooth albeit a tad dry to touch, similar to MAC Mineral Skinfinish. It is paraben-free with a shelf life of 18 months. The amount of product is very generous at 5.5g/0.19oz.

Still, as you can see, the block of blush takes up only about one-third of the packaging, which could have been streamlined. The stripes a bit too thin for most blush brushes to pick up the shades individually, so I usually just swirl my brush across the entire surface, or concentrate it on two shades.

It is just slightly smaller than my palm, making it easy to grasp.

The swatches below are done without any primer and photographed under a bright light, so the shimmery finish is more obvious.


Pic below taken in natural light by the window.

On the cheeks, the shades combine to give a lovely sweet pink tint that is simply perfect for spring or a date. They build up nicely without being overly intense. I like the fact that it does not emphasise my pores and also it gives just the most subtle, natural glow without any harsh frostiness.


List of ingredients below. I purchased this from Beauty.com, shipped via MyUS.com to Switzerland. It is also available on BeautyBay.com for £24, with free international shipping.

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samedi 25 août 2012

Too Faced The Return of Sexy Palette Swatches

Too Faced The Return of Sexy palette (US$48/€44) just arrived at Sephora in France. Visually, it's much sleeker and more grown-up than Too Faced's usual cardboard palettes. Made in Canada, the layout and textures of the eyeshadows reminded me very much of Lancome's Color Design 5 Shadow & Liner Palettes, with generously sized individual pans (0.035oz each). The palette also includes a Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Perfect Black and a sample tube of Shadow Insurance primer.

I swatched the eyeshadows with my fingertip on bare skin without primer. Most of them are shimmery with pretty good color payoff and felt silky to touch. The three shade combinations of the Ingénue, Icon, and Bombshell are easy to work with and offer many creative possibilities. The eyeliner is an impressively intense matte jet black that did not drag across the skin. This could give Urban Decay's Perversion eyeliner pencil a run for its money.

Although the price is quite hefty, The Return of Sexy compares very well in terms of value for money vis-à-vis Too Faced's earlier palettes as the 15 eyeshadows have a combined weight of 0.525oz, versus 0.39oz for the Summer Eye Palette (US$36). The eyeliner normally retails for US$18 on its own. If I didn't already own a substantial stack of Too Faced and Lancome Color Design palettes, I would have been seriously tempted to pick this up.

The Return of Sexy is currently available on Beautybay.com for £38.50 with free international shipping. More reviews can be found on Sephora.


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samedi 19 mai 2012

Makeup Edition Photo Meme

Yumeko of Bittenbefore just did this makeup photo meme of the items that she used this week, so I thought I'd answer her call to join in the fun.

1. Lip products: This spring, I've been favouring coral shades for the lips like Clarins Crystal Balm 03 Crystal Coral (from the Enchanted Summer collection) and Joli Rouge Brillant #13 Cherry (a gift from Mag). Paul & Joe Lip Gloss G 003 Dream A Little Dream and 002 Fairie Kisses both apply quite sheer so I like to use them over Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Luster in Sweet, a soft your-lips-but-better pink.

Crystal Coral has an inner core of lipstick pigment surrounded by a translucent balm. Visually, it looks interesting but it applies unevenly as the lipstick shade ends up on the inner half of the lips, so I usually have to use my fingertip to blend it out. It wears comfortably on the lips for about three hours before it fades. The Joli Rouge Brillant in Cherry is a lovely shimmery coral red without any grittiness.

2. Eyeshadow: Too Faced Summer Eye, Sleek Ultra Mattes V2 Dark and the new Armani Eyes To Kill.

The MeMeMe Rich Colour Eye Defining Cream in #7 Silent Storm was another recent purchase from Superdrug in London. Sadly, it turned out to be a complete dud. It applies very sheer and patchy. It creases pretty much immediately and is a poor base for powder eyeshadows. It was also impossible to build up the colour no matter how I tried to layer it.

3. Blush: This entire week, I've been sporting Paul & Joe Face Color G 001 Nymph, a soft girlish blue-based light pink. It gives the cheeks a light flush of colour and never looks clownish or over-done but the shade really isn't that unique.

4. Foundation: Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation contains three correcting pigments - yellow for anti-dark circles, mauve for anti-dullness and green for anti-redness. The liquid tranforms to a soft, powdery matte finish with medium coverage. It does a good job of covering up the redness in my skin but it has a slight tendency to peel, especially if my skin is not sufficiently moisturised. I also tried out Dr Ci:Labo BB Perfect Cream Natural, a gift from Joyce of Atelier Beauty. This did not work that well for me as by mid day, a lot of the redness in my skin was showing through.

5. Mascara: I've avoided Majolica Majorca mascaras for awhile because of the irritating fibers that tend to fall between my lashes but the midnight blue shimmers in the Lash Expander Frame Plus #12 (from the Glass Trick collection for holiday 2011) appealed to me.

The fibers in Lash Expander Frame Plus are much longer than average and can get a bit messy at times but overall, this worked out quite well for me and was not as tough to remove as expected. The blue shimmers aren't that visible unless one looks very closely in the mirror.


If you want to play, do leave a comment on Yumeko's post and here with a link to your blog post!

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samedi 12 mai 2012

Too Faced Summer Eye Summertime Sexy Eyeshadow Collection

Too Faced Summer Eye Summertime Sexy Eyeshadow Collection (US$36/€34/£26) arrived a couple of weeks at Sephora in France. It is the most colorful palette in this format released to date by Too Faced, featuring a medley of cheerful brights, warm smoky browns and pale shimmery pastels.

The seashell and flower design against the swirly water pattern makes one long for a beach vacation.

As usual, three cards are included with tips on how to create "day", "classic" and "fashion" looks, plus a sample of Too Faced's bestselling Shadow Insurance.


Summer Eye is a palette for shimmer lovers. The eyeshadows have varying textures. Some are velvety smooth with excellent color payoff like Chocolate Sun while others like Peach Fuzz and Sunbeam apply as a translucent wash of micro sparkles. Sunbeam, Chocolate Sun and Coral Crush have visible gold glitter bits, with those in Coral Crush being slightly larger.

The only shade that is repeated from previous palettes is Peach Fuzz, which was also in Sweet Dreams Makeup Collection that was released for Holiday 2011.




For the first look, I applied Chocolate Sun along the upper lashline, Plumeria in the inner half of the crease, Coral Crush in the outer half of the crease and Sunbeam over the browbone area. I smudged a bit of Mermaid and Sugar Sand into the lower lashline.



For the second look, I applied Mermaid along the upper lashline, Coral Crush in the middle of the lid and Peach Fuzz as a wash over the browbone area and inner corners. Chocolate Sun was smudged along the upper and lower lashlines.

Mermaid is a murky teal that is easy to wear if you usually shy away from bright turquoise or aquamarine tones.

Overall, it's a versatile palette that allows you to create a good variety of looks, and also a refreshing departure from Too Faced's recent slew of neutral-themed palettes. Some of the shades do result in a bit of fallout during the application process, but for the most part, they wear well and are easy to apply.



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