0 MAC Heroine lip pencil

It is so hard to find a purple / magenta lip pencil over here in my country. Either they are all too PLUM or too pink. So when MAC released this lip pencil, I had to have this becoz it is just the perfect shade of magenta purple for my MAC lipsticks like Violetta, Daddy's Little Girl and Outrageously fun (All magenta purple / pink).

I had initially bought 2 as I think I am goin to run through this pretty fast. But my mum saw it and loved the color too and hence had to surrender one to her. Looks like I gotta conserve using this color :X :X I do hope one day though, MAC will come out with a PURE Royal purple lip pencil coz although Heroine is beautiful, it still has some pink undertones to it. 

Nevertheless, I love this lip pencil and hope MAC will make this permanent. This is LE from MAC'S Tropical taboo collection. Some people say this is quite close to MAC's magenta lip pencil but our counters don't carry that here and I don't own it so i can't compare this to magenta lip pencil.  But if u are a purple / magenta lippie fan, u ought to own this color

0 YSL nail polish in #103 bleu Cosmique

Ever since I started buying YSL nail polishes, I fell in love with their nail polish (buttery smooth cream texture, dries relatively quite fast, doesnt chip easily and the brush head makes makes it for easy application) and told myself that I would buy more of their polishes despite of the heft price tag that comes with it.

#103 Bleu Cosmique is a teal-blue nail polish with a pearl finish. One coat gives a semi opaque finish and 2 coats give a totally opaque finish. Being a Teal lover, I had to buy this color which is a limited edition color from their 2013 Summer Collection. It is slightly more green in person, but my mobile phone cam cant really capture the green in this polish.  But it is a beautiful color and I would highly recommend any one who love teal nail polishes to get this color.

 

0 MAC Archie girls haul part II - lipsticks

Sorry for this very very very late post. I was supposed to post this way earlier but due to some circumstances I was unable to post swatches and the pics of the lippies I bought till now. Anyway, better late than never. Here are the four lipsticks I bought from this collection:

From left to right: Girl Next Door, Daddy's little girl, Betty Bright, Ronnie Red

Swatches and lip swatches taken on my hp camera, Many apologies for the low resolution.

Betty Bright (Satin): A gorgeous opaque color of coral pink. Looks nice with minimal or strong eye make up. Definitely good for every day wear.

Daddy's Little Girl (Satin): The perfect magenta pink with some purple undertones lipstick for me. Being a satin finish, I need to apply a layer of balm below otherwise it will be a bit drying on me. But overall, this lipstick applies smoothly and evenly on me and I only need a layer of it for this to show out. It's a beautiful color, a beautiful magenta pink lipstick and I would repurchase this again and again. This would work well for ladies of all skintone.

Ronnie Red (Matte): A tad more pinky and darker than Russian red. It's also blue-toned red But i very much prefer this to Russian Red. Somehow what and somehow, Russian red seems a bit more dryer on me than Ronnie Red. In fact, I feel that Ronnie Red feels more satiny rather than matte. Applies very smooth and evenly. I would say Ronnie Red is a Cross between MAC red (which is more cherry red) and Russian red.

Sorry I didn't post pic of Girl next door on my lips, coz it went on so uneven and patchy that I find it too gross to upload it >.< despite me applying lipbalm and keep reapplying to no avail :X

Girl Next Door (Lustre): Looks very nice in the tube.... BUT .... when i applied, I found that this went on VERY uneven and no matter how many times i tryed to layer it, it just did not went on evenly and smoothly on my lips EVEN though this is  a lustre finish and usually I have NO problems with MAC's lustre finish lipsticks. I guess that this is one of the misses then. I tried using a concealer below it, but it did not work for me as well as it totally changed the color of this lipstick - made it look more white and pale than how it actually was.  I might have to try MAC's prep plus prime lip to see if it works for me or not. But for now, I'm sorry to say, but this lip color just doesn't work for me. I would go for Saint germain anytime over this. 

0 Make up inventory list

For those make up / beauty junkies out there, do u girls keep an inventory list of the products that u have and how much have u spent??? I keep track of mine using a spreadsheet, by Brand, Product, Texture/Type , Color, Price. If anyone has a better suggestion feel free to let me know, But as of now, this is how I am keeping track of the stuff that I have and hopefully to deter me from buying more - But looks like its not working haha! If u have a better idea on how to better organize my cosmetics inventory list, pls feel free to drop me a comment and share with me on how u keep track of ur cosmetics 

These are screenshots of 2 of the sheet in my inventory (one MAC blushers and the other MAC eyeshadows). This is the best i can do for now. Am not a very tech savvy person. But at least it helps me to keep track of the stuff that I have.

0 YSL Top secrets Pro Remover

I got this as a sample and after trying this product out, I liked it so much that I went back and bought the full size (200ml). The deluxe sample version given to me was 75ml and even then, it lasted me for quite sometime.

This product is supposed to be a make up remover and u can use this alone to remove make up. But personally I use it more like a toner  - to remove any traces of make up (if any) that have not been totally removed by my cleansing oil and facial foam. I love  the gentle scent of this product - It relaxes and soothes my skin somehow. It is lightweight, non-sticky and non drying. Will repurchase this again and again.

0 Cinema Secrets Oil free foundation primer

Prior to using this, I was using MAC's prep plus prime skin base visage for many yrs and was contented with it till my friend who was a free lance make up artist recommended me this. 

As compared to MAC'S prep plus prime skin base visage, this has a thicker and more silica feel to it. But the smoothening effect of the skin is definitely way much better than MAC's prep plus prime skin base. Only a little is needed for this product and it will help the foundation to glide on and blend in more smoothly into the skin, thus reducing usage of foundation. 

Pros:

- Smooths out skin texture very well

- Minimizes the look of open pores

- Has pretty good oil control - I don't have to touch up my T-zone often

Cons:

- Has a pretty thick silica texture => Not advisable to use with other silica loaded foundations as it can get a bit too powdery when too much silica products are loaded on the face. I use this with my moisturising foundations such as MAC's face and body and MAC's bb cream. But when I'm using my Giorgo armani face fabric foundation, I will still use my MAC prep plus prime skin as the face fabric foundation has also somewhat of a silica feel and texture to it. 

- More pricey than MAC's prep plus prime skin base Visage

Would recommend this for people with combination to oily skin. Ladies with drier skin would do better with MAC's prep plus prime skin base. 

Would repurchase again as it helps my moisturising liquid foundations to last longer on me. And i loveee the smooth texture of it on my skin

 

0 MAC All about orange lipsticks - Flamingo, Sweet & Sour, Tart & Trendy

As promised, Part 2 of my All about Orange lipstick haul / swatches and reviews.

Flamingo lipstick (Lustre): This is a repromote from one of Mac's previous collection which I missed becoz it wasn't launched in my country. It's a pretty shade of pink with just the slightest hint of coral (Eh is this orange @ all in the first place? @.@ ) Needs to be build up for a few layers for the colors to be seen though, So for ladies with very pigmented lips this may not appear unless u use a lip concealer below. But it is a very nice wearable shade for daily wear.

Sweet and sour (Cremesheen): One of my least favourite from this collection. It's a nude coral beige and requires a slightly stronger than usual eye make up in order to carry this off or with a darker shade of lip liner. I personally feel MAC's cremesheen formulas are either a Hit or miss. This unfortunately happens to be one of the misses for me. It goes on uneven and patchy on me even after i apply lip balm and blot it off. I had to wipe off several times and reapply just to take this lip swatch .

Tart and Trendy (Lustre): Goes on very smoothly onto the lips and appear quite well with 2 layers of the lipsticks. Works well for all skintones from fair to dark. MAC's saigon summer (cremesheen) from the regular range looks similar to this, but Tart and Trendy is just a tad more red and darker than Saigon Summer which is like an in between of Tangerine Dreams and Tart and Trendy.

0 MAC All About Orange lipsticks - Sushi Kiss and Tangerine dream

I personally love the color orange. So I had to buy something from this collection and ended up with 5 lipsticks (Tangerine Dream, Sushi Kiss, Flamingo, Sweet and Sour and Tart and Trendy) and 2 blushers in Royal sunset and Honey jasmine.

I will break my reviews and pics up into 2 parts so that it will be easier for you guys to read through

Here are swatches of the lipsticks (Pics taken from my facebook which I had earlier uploaded a few days back):

Picture of me wearing Sushi kiss lipstick and royal sunset blush

Sushi Kiss: It's a satin finish lipstick and as with all satin finish lipsticks from MAC, I have to apply lip balm before hand otherwise it can get a bit drying. It's quite a nice color, but definitely it's not a color which u can wear bare face with no make up. some eye make up is required for this lip color

Tangerine Dream: This has to be one of my favourite color from this collection (other than Tart and Trendy). It's a very warm yellow orange and I can get away wearing this with minimal make up without making me look washed out. If ur lips are darker, I would recommend u to pair this with a darker shade of lipliner like MAC's chicory (an orangy red) or What a Blast! pro longwear lip pencil in order to define the lips without looking washed out. A close dupe for this color in MAC's regular range has to be Sheer mandarin sheen supreme lipstick. A very similar color but more creamier than Tangerine Dream. Being a lustre finish, this lipstick is towards the sheer side and layering is needed in order for the color to appear better

0 MAC Face brushes

I collect more of the actual make up products themselves rather than brushes, but nevertheless, I believe that in achieving the perfect look, good brushes are indispensable. Though I don't have as many brushes as some people out there, but I believe that the ones I currently own are more than enough for my own personal use. Do note that all MAC full sized brushes (the ones that are sold seperately on their own) are hand sculpted and not machine made as with the travel size ones and are manufactured in either Japan or France. Hence, the price difference btw the travel brush sets and the full sized brushes.

The current face brushes I own from MAC are:

109 brush

130 brush

131 brush

188 brush

187 brush

168 brush

129 brush x 3 (I use this very often so I have 3 of this)

116 brush

109 Brush

It  has a short, firm round brush head with a flat surface that's excellent for buffing on powder products on to the face. And because of it's firmness, it's also very good for applying contour/bronzing powder on specific areas on the face. I personally prefer this to the 168 for applying contour/bronzing powder as the bristles are more densely packed and provides for specific application. I find the 168 can be a bit too flufly for my likin at times.

Click for enlarged pic

Click for enlarged pic. Close up pic of the brush head of #109

130 Brush

I bought this brush when it was released with MAC's To the beach collection. Like its counterparts 187 and 188 brush, it's a strippling brush aka fibre optic brush that's made of both natural and synthetic hair (black part being the natural hair and white part being the synthetic hair). As compared to the 188 brush, #130 is much shorter and the bristles are more densely packed together. It's excellent for applying cream or liquid products on specific areas (either bronzing or highlighting products) with higher color payoff due to the firmer and denser  brush bristles of it

Click for enlarged pic

Click for enlarged pic. Close up pic of the brush head of 130

188 brush

It's the mini version of the famous 187 brush. I very much prefer this than the 187. I mean yes, the 187 is good, but the brush head is a tad too big for applying cream blushers or powder blusher for me. And definitely for smaller areas like under the eye and corners next to the nose, I would still have to use the 188 brush for applying foundations in these areas as the 187 well, is jus too big for my face. LOL. Basically, the 188 is very good for apply both cream and powder blushers (only use this for very pigmented  powder blushers though, because of the not so dense bristles, it will pick up very little color to give a natural look on the face. If u use this for non pigmented powder blushers, you will have to apply lots of layers before seeing any hint of color on the face). I also love using the 188 for applying liquid foundation all over the face. It's not too small for me. It's just the right size for me. 

Clicked for enlarged pic

Click for enlarged pic. Close up pic of the brush head of #188

188 Brush

Good for applying liquid products and also pigmented blushers. But I find this brush a tad too big for my face, So i find myself hardly using this as compared to it's counterpart #188 which I very much prefer. But then again it depends on personal preference, many other people love this brush though.

Click for enlarged pic

Click for enlarged pic. Close up of #187 brush head

131 brush

It's a flat head fibre optic strippling brush which is excellent for applying liquid foundation. Because of it's flat head, it's pretty easy to use this on smaller areas of the face like next to the nose and the under eyes.

Click for enlarged pic

129 Brush

Made from natural pony bristles, this brush is good for applying both powder foundation (or loose powder  for that matter) and blushers. Its  a pretty useful brush to have and that explains why I have 3 of this as compared to only 1 brush of each for the rest.

116 Brush

Has a much smaller brush head than the 129 brush, meant for specific blush application on the specific area of the cheeks. If u find the 129 brush too big for applying blush, try using the 116.

168 Brush

It's a slanted angle face brush good for applying both blushers and bronzing powders. But it's a tad too fluffy for my liking honestly.

Click for enlarged pic

0 YSL nail polish in #36 Vert D O'rient

I am normally not a nail polish person, but ever since I bought my first YSL nail polish mths back, I fell in love with the texture of their nail polishes and have since bought 3 more including this teal one from their 2013 Summer collection. 

I basically am attracted to anything that is teal / blue / green / turqoise in color for make up and nail polishes. So I had to buy this. What u see in the bottle is what u will get on the nails with just one coat. 

Pros:

1. Brush head is not too long / thin , jus thick and wide enough to paint most of my nails in one application

2. Color goes on very evenly, non streaky

3. Only need one to maximum two coats of this polish

4. Does not chip easily

Con:

1. Pricey (But worth the price as the quality is excellent) 

Would buy it again IF i ever finish using, but I will definitely be buyin more nail polishes from YSL. Their nail polishes rock.

0 MAC Archie girls haul part I - Cheek products

Hey, I know I'm kinda late to the party but it's better late than never. To be honest, I didn't expect to end up HAULING 15 items from Archie girls. In fact, when I first learnt that MAC was to collaborate with Archie comics to come out with a collection, I was like eh? Isn't that gonna be cheesy, but I shot myself in the foot and ended up getting quite a number of items. So next time never say never :X 

I decided to split the reviews of my haul up into three parts, cheek, eyes and lips, otherwise this is gonna be a super long post. Being a blush/cheek products addict, I got myself the two blushers and two pearlmatte powders from this collection. I'm especially digging the hearts in the pearlmatte powders - but this also makes me think twice about using them. 

Here is the picture of the packaging:

Both pearlmatte powders come with Archie, betty and veronica and the two blushers each have Betty (Cream soda blush) and Veronica (Prom princess blush) printed on them

Prom princess is a pretty magenta pink blush that works on all skintone from fair to dark. But for ladies with fair skin, it is advisable to use it with a very light hand or a strippling brush like the 187 to give that nice healthy rosy red flush on the cheeks, becoz it is very easy to overdo this Prom princess blush.

Here's comparison swatches of Prom Princess blush (Satin finish) as compared to other similar MAC blushers in my existing stash:

As for cream soda, the first time I saw it, it reminded me a lot of MAC immortal flower blush (I didn't buy Immortal flower coz it was too light on me to be seen). And the weird thing about this blush is that it looks LIGHT in the pan and when swatched, but when applied on my NC20 cheeks, oh boy, it turns practically ORANGE, Nowhere like how it looks in the pan. Had to a pink blush to tone the orange down, or use it with a very light hand. 

Cream soda blush looks very similar to MAC Legendary blush (LE from MAC marilyn monroe) but it is totally different. The strange thing is that both of these blushers are SATIN, but Cream soda looks more powdery matte than satin. I can't even see the sheen in Cream Soda... BTW Cream soda and legendary, I prefer legendary as it has that wee bit of pink in it.

And last but not least, the pearlmatte powders. Pearlmatte powders are not exactly blushers, but depending on the level of pigmentation they can either be used as blushers or highlighers on the face. IMHO, both pearlmatte powders in Archie girls are pretty sheer to be worn as blushers alone especially Veronica's blush. Even when I tried to mixed it with the darker hearts, I could only see the pink sheen on my face. So I will be using Veronica's blush pearlmatte solely as a highlighting powder with my pink blushers. As for Flatter me pearlmatte, it is just slightly a bit more pigmented than Veronica's blush. I can still get away with using this as a light wash of cheek color on my cheeks but nothing too pigmented. 

0 Origins Youthopia Skin firming cream with Rhodiola

It is ages since I last updated my blog. I've always wanted to review this firming cum moisturising cream from Origins. I really really love it loads. Upon first usage, the scent might smell a bit strong, but after a while I really like this herbal scent of this firming cream. The consistency is quite creamy and slightly sticky, so I only use this in the night before going to sleep. The next day I wake up, my skin feels very supple and smooth. I've been using this with my YSL youth forever liberator serum and in combination of both products, I've noticed that the laugh lines around my mouth area are not as pronounced as before. I love the herbal smell of this cream (The herbal smell is quite strong though, so some pple may nt get used to it on the first usuage), it sort of helps me to relax before i sleep. 

Key ingredients (taken from the packaging)

- Rhodiola helps skin to rebound from damaging stress and reduce the look of lines and wrinkles

- Sunflower & barley extract helps in rebuilding skin's moisture barrier

- Plant pepticides and vitamin C help enhance skin's natural collagen production

- Buckbean extract helps firm and lift the appearance of slack contours

To add on, it is formulated without parabens, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance and animal ingredients. So if any of u are allergic to parabens or mineral oil, U can use this XD

Would buy this again and again!

Stay tuned to my next update on MAC's archie girls haul and review....

0 Amazing Cosmetics concealer

After finishing my previous concealer from covermark (it was a cream foundation but the coverage was good enough to be a concealer for me), I decided to give the concealer from Amazing cosmetics a try as I've heard some good reviews about it from a freelance make up artist friend of mine. Here's what I have to say about the concealer:

Pros:

1. Excellent coverage for my horrible undereye circles (This would work well for concealing acne scars as well)

2. Long lasting, does not require touch ups

Cons:

1. Texture is quite sticky, need a bit of time getting used to it

2. Can only use a little bit otherwise it will cake on the undereye.

3. Price is on the high side, but I don't mind paying if it works for me (They have both the small and bigger tube. I bought the bigger one which is about 15ml

I bought mine in light golden. Even though it looks darker on my hand, but as my under eye circles is really dark, I have to use a shade slightly darker than my original skintone to correct the dark circles.

This concealer provides maximum coverage so less is more for this. And would advise using a loose powder over this concealer instead of a pressed or compact powder for a more natural look.

For those people with sensitive skin, here's the key ingredients of the concealer, so if u are sensitive to any of the ingredients listed here, u might want to avoid this concealer even though it works pretty well for me.

Key ingredients:

Mineral Oil, Lanolin oil, Cucumber Fruit extract, Vitamin E, Silica, Titanium dioxide

 

0 YSL Effet Faux cils (Mascara volume)

I used to swear off mascaras coz I've tried a whole lot of mascaras from drugstore to high end and they didn't work on my super stubborn lashes.And ended up wearing only false lashes. Now my ex colleagues also had very stubborn lashes and she said this one worked on her. I trusted her (BTW she is quite hard to please when it comes to make up products) and headed down to the YSL counter to get one.

And I am very pleased to say that I have now found my Holy Grail mascara. It's kinda exp (well it's a luxury brand), but I don't mind paying for it coz it works for me.

Pros:

1. It CURRLS my lashes without me using an eyelash curler

2. It helps my lashes to stay curled the WHOLE day (the previous mascaras jus weighed my lashes down after a while even though I didn't apply too thick).

3. Gives very good volumizing and lengthening effect that I have people thinking that I'm wearing false lashes.

Cons:

1. Can get a bit clumpy, need to apply in zig zag motion and use a seperate brush to seperate the lashes

2. It is so waterproof that I have to put in quite a bit of effort to get it off but it's all worth it.

Would buy this mascara again and again. Lovin this!

0 Kiehl's Midnight recovery concentrate

I can't describe how much I loveee this serum, it may be expensive (well at least to me about SGD$90) BUT it works for me.

Key ingredients of this product:

1. Evening primose oil

2. Lavendar essential oil

3. Squalene

4. Rich in omega 6 fatty acids

I used to be skeptical about putting OILS  on my face to sleep and worried that this would clog my pores and break me out, but this has proved me wrong. I put this on at night (only 2 to 3 drops is needed for the entire face, anything more would be too much) and wake up with very smooth and supple skin with no feeling of greasiness on the skin. I have combination - dry skin for information. So if u have oily skin, I would recommend to limit the amt used to max 2 drops. It may seem little BUT it's essential oil..so 2 drops is actually more than enough esp if u have oily skin

Another pro about this product is that even though it's a rich blend of essential oils, it gets absorbed into my skin quite fast. It is recommended to use this only at night when our skin is more receptive in repairing itself.

As this product is pretty rich, I skip my moisturiser (I am using this in combination with my YSL youth liberator face serum and Kiehls Clearly Corrective dark spot solution). And i loveee the smell of (Lavendar is one of it's key ingredients) this. The lavendar smell has a soothing and calming effect on me. 

I would buy this again and again if my wallet allows me too. I love this product so much. Very seldom do I swear by a skincare product. But I swear by this.