Review/Swatch/FOTD: Hourglass Limited Edition Vol. 6 Face Palette Zodiac

I spotted this palette while browsing through Sephora site one day. And I decided to ask my US makeup buddy to buy it for me right after that. I admit that its packaging got me and I am not even a gadget person!

Hourglass Limited Edition Vol. 6 Face Palette Zodiac

Product Description:

What it is:
A palette with four silky eyeshadows and two lush lip colors.

What it does:
Hourglass Vol. 6 Face Palette contains eyeshadows that can be worn wet or dry. Wear each alone or layer to create a multitude of look possibilities. The lip colors will add shine and hydrate the lips.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- It is paraben and fragrance free. - Sephora


Colour/Texture:

Swatch and Close-up

I love the eye shadow colours!!! There are 4 useful and beautiful colours and all of them are finely milled, even the matte black with glitters! (Oh, the other 3 are of metallic finish.) And the glitters in that black are so fine that I can say that black is comparable to my beloved Make Up For Ever Dianmond Shadow 307 Diamond Black.


I have not tried using any of the eye shadows wet so far as the colour payoff is OK with just a base on. They can also be layered without a base but that requires a little extra effort. In my FOTD below I purposely left out any eye shadow base so you can get the idea of how they appear on plain eyelids.


The texture is silky smooth and very soft to the touch. However, I find it is a bit too powdery for my liking. You can see that the side of my nose looks a bit spotty and the undereye area is a mess in this following FOTD. Those were not black heads!!! Those were the powder fallen from the eye shadows! I cleaned my nose up afterwards, of course!


I guess it requires more skills than I have!

FOTD

This picture shows the details of the eye shadows. You can forget about the lips as the colour is quite off.

Gah, You can see that I could have used some undereye concealer too! I haven't been sleeping much lately and the lack of beauty sleep has gotten me! I need 48 hours a day!


Anyway, the lip colour is almost true to life in this picture despite of the harsh tungsten lights. I like this colour very much. It is quite elegant and has that glamorous feel when I put it on. Lovely smooth and creamy texture. But I need a few reapplications for a day's use.


The other transparent shade that's not been used in the FOTD is rather redundant. (Please refer it to the swatch pictures.) Unless you have at least medium pigmented lips, it serves no purposes! It's a plain clear lip gloss that you can buy in a drugstore! Blah!

Packaging/Price:


According to Sephora, " Vol. 6 Face Palette includes a double-ended eye and lip applicator and is housed in a 360 swivel compact with rotating mirror to adjust to application needs."


This palette has the most amazing packaging for a palette! And the description on Sephora is accurate.


Now you can see it's just plain and simple, small and compact. There is the Hourglass logo imprinted on the metallic cover. Nothing else. I like the simplicity. Elegant. :) But the metallic compact attracts fingerprints easily. Please do count that in if that bugs you!

And these are the velvet pouch and the box that came with the palette. I stored both away as I don't have use for them. That pouch is super tight-fitting so even if you are a person who like to store palettes in their original packaging, you might still find this troublesome.

And now you can see how you can manipulate the palette this way and that! I was so scared of damaging the shadows and glosses when I twisted the palette. There were a couple of near fatal accidents but I managed to keep all contents intact.

A word of caution: BE CAREFUL!

But what do I feel about the 360 Degree Swivel Compact that I was drawn to buying this palette? Well, I think it's a wonderful idea. However, it is not necessry nor useful. After I tried it for a couple of times, I found myself never once turn the mirror to the back of compact. (Who on earth does that anyway???!!!) I only flipped the palette till it's flat so it's easier to hold the palette while applying. But that's about as much as I manupulated the palette! Ha! So much for a cool gadget!


The mirror is of decent size and I like that a lot. I don't think it's a good idea to design a tiny brush with two functions - one end for eye shadows and the other for lip glosses. I can imagine the mess that creates. Therefore, I don't intend to use the wee bit brush that way. Actually, I don't think I'd ever use it as the handle is way too small even for my small hands! More so, upon inspection, I don't think there is any difference from one end to the other, the bristles are both identical to my naked eyes. Hmm, I guess the consolation prize is that at least both ends are ubber soft?


This is retailed for a whoopy $58USD. I think a big chunk of the money goes into the good-to-look-at-but-not-too-practical packaging!



My Verdict:

I think the eye shadow colours are very nice. They are good picks to be used together. Nothing extraordinarily gorgeous but good daily use shades that will not go wrong. Something you throw on when you don't have the leisure to create your own combos. The slightly powdery texture is less than desired as you may end up with black head like spots shown in my FOTD.


The Glosses are creamy and nice on lips. I like them being fragrance free! I think all lip products should be like these! The #2 colour is quite glamour but #1 is just colourless - a big nothing! I think there should have been at least a certain degree of tint in that! Come on, I paid good dollars and I didn't expect to see some transparent gloss in the palette!


The idea of it having no harmful ingredients is great. But I can't understand why we are often paying more for less things (ingredients)??? Isn't it supposed to be cheaper, if it's free of this and that?


Again, I bought something out of curiosity and ended up wasting $$$. Well, I wasted my $$$ so you don't have to! *_* Maybe no one is as silly as me since I have not read much about this brand and its ingenious palettes.


This is not even swap-worthy as it contains lip glosses. And you all know that I use all my makeup so I just have to bear with it till it hits pan (or if possible, used up?) Yeah, in my dream!



Ingredients:

Related Post:

Review: Make Up For Ever Diamond Shadow



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #125, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Review/Swatch/FOTD/Comparison: Lancome Color Design Beauty Icon Eye & Cheek Palette, Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Beauty Exclusives 2008

I am always fond of palettes, especially the compact kind filled with at least 2 or 3 types of products in one. This palette looked like something right up to my alley so I decided to swap for it. I didn't know it was a Nordstrom Anniversary Sale item from the previous year (July) at that time. It's something I got blindly simply because of the picture listed. Courageous me for once!


I believe it is safe for me to say this is my first US version Lancome powder makeup. When I was living in the US, Lancome was more a skincare brand than makeup for me. I think I only tried its lipsticks and Artliners.


I have become quite of a fan of Lancome eye shadows since I became a makeup addict. Unfortunately, I have left the US and the only Lancome makeup I have encountered since is the Euro version. Therefore, this palette was a pleasant surprise. I was eager to try its US stuff to see how different they are from what I have tried. :)

Lancome Color Design Beauty Icon Eye & Cheek Palette

(Gift With Purchase)

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Beauty Exclusives 2008

Colour/Texture:

I wasn't expecting much so when I opened the parcel, I was awestruck! It was more beautiful in real life!

Full View









Swatch

Color Design Eye Shadows:

There are 6 Colour Design eye shadows of various finishes:


Matte - Positive, Snowfall, Lezard

Shimmer - Summer Grove, Burnt Sand

Metallic - The New Black


There is no doubt that I am more drawn to the shimmery colours than the matte ones. But my biggest interest was on The New Black. It was a colour on many people's wish lists on Makeup Alley and I wanted to know if that colour is that unique.



Comparing with Euro Color Focus Exceptional Wear Smooth Eye Colour Quad 206

* I don't know the differences between Colour DESIGN and Colour FOCUS. I just compare them based on my experiences.

I'd say that Euro 206 Quad is cooler other than colour #4 which balanced the whole cool theme to neutral. And 206 Quad is more shimmers (with #2 being glittery) in comparison.


Colour pigmentation wise, I'd say Euro version is slightly better even though my swatches don't present so. I believe it's because I only swept the Euro quad one or twice but the Nordstrom palette a few times more! *_* However, this Nordstrom palette is not too sheer per say, it just needs a bit more layering and it's all good.


The staying power is about the same as Euro 206 - long lasting and no creasing even when I don't apply an eye shadow base. (I use Urban Decay Prime Potion.)


In terms of texture, I say both are about the same. I have tried all 3 finishes found in this quad in other Euro quads and I don't find them much different. The New Black is equally as glittery as the #2 glittery pale beige in Euro 206. And the glitters in both colours don't stay on eyelids well compared to, say, Make Up For Ever Diamond Shadows. (But not many glittery eye shadows have as finely milled glitter as what's in the Diamond Shadows anyway!)


Over all, the texture of eye shadows are nice and smooth. They aren't very powdery, nether are they hard. Very easy to work with.



Blush Subtil:


I have not owned any Blush Subtil even though I have played with them at counters many times. Therefore, I was quite excited to finally try out some. They are sheer but buildable. I think this is to do with their being firmly pressed into the pan. I find them not as smooth as Chanel Joues Contraste, nor as pigmented. Thus, if you are looking for blushes with good colour payoff, these are not. But if you are like me, preferring sheer and subtle blushes, these are worth considering.


Both colours are warm and slightly shimmered. Cappucine is more nude and lighter while Bronze Escapade has a bit of peach and darker. I think Bronze Escapade works better for my colouring.

Swatches of some Euro Blush Subtil for comparison









FOTD

Packaging/Price:

This palette is rather HEAVY!!!! I was shocked when I lifted up the palette from the package. It is a purse shape palette with metal frame and leather casing. With Lancome rose logo on the front and the details of the content on the back. There is a mini eye shadow brush that has very little use other than applying the crease colour I think. I still haven't bothered to touch it. I like the big mirror expanding from side to side. Big mirrors are always handy in my opinion.


You can see from the chart that the eye shadows (total 0.18 oz. / 5.1 g.) and blushes (total 0.14 oz. / 3.96 g.) are of decent size. Thanks to reader Rae, who pointed out that this palette is a gift with purchase. Therefore, I think it's great!

My Verdict:

I think this is a good palette for warm skin tone with light to medium complexion. The quality of the eye shadows and blushes are above average. I wish this was made permanent but it's even better when it's free! :)



Related Posts:

Review: Lancome Color Focus Exceptional Wear Smooth Eye Colour Quad Euro Version (105, 206, 308, 310, 311), Erika F!

Review: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Prime Potion - Original (Sheer Nude)

Review/FOTD/Comparison: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Prime Potion Sin vs. Original (Sheer Nude)

Review: Make Up For Ever Diamond Shadow

Review: Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush (Euro, US Version & Lumieres Magiques De Chanel)



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #125, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Review/Swatch/FOTD/Comparison: Laura Mercier Secrect Camouflage SC-2 vs. Make Up For Ever Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4 Flesh

I have been having a bit of trouble with my HG Make Up For Ever Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream (#4 Flesh). It doesn't seem to cover up as well as before. I don't know if it's because this tube's too old or my skin has changed as I age. Or perhaps the hyper-pigmentation I have on my cheeks are getting darker? (Oh NO!) I can't answer any of these questions myself. I just notice that there is something wrong as I see more spots after my face's been covered with all the makeup. That can't be cool...


So I have been looking out for a new concealer, hoping to find a better alternative. But since I have been sticking to Full Cover for many years, I basically have no knowledge of other concealers whatsoever. Yes, I have read about certain products here and there. But whatever I read was only hearsay. There was nothing concrete.


Anyway, as I am slowly getting into Laura Mercier, I decided to give its concealers a try as they are Laura Mercier's star products. And that's where Secrect Camouflage comes in. This is a product to conceal blemishes, not undereye circle as I was told. It sounds like an item for my needs...

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage SC - 2

Product Description:

- Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage completely camouflages dark circles, minor imperfections & discolorations.

- A unique two-shade system, one to match the skins depth of color & one to match the skins undertone

- Custom-blend your own perfect shade

- High level of pigment requires very little product to achieve complete coverage

- Always apply after foundation

- Use as an under-eye concealer only if you have darker than average shadows by mixing with Eyedration® Firming Eye Creme for a creamier, more emollient consistency - Laura Mercier



Can I just say that I am a bit confused about what's said above?


So basically the concealer has 2 parts, one is supposed to match with my skin tone and the other to match with the undertone? Now... I am not sure what's my under tone. seriously. It is sometimes yellow and sometimes pink depending on which foundation I use. How does one detect undertone anyway? Somebody please teach me!


More so, why can't I use this product before foundation? I mean, if I am to use a powder foundation, shouldn't I apply it before the foundation?


And I am totally clueless with the last statement... I am just skipping that part all together as I don't have the product mentioned to begin with.

This is how the compact looks like now. Major dips! The left side was split into half when sent to me. But that's not a problem since this is a cream product.









Swatch



To be honest, I find this skin tone/undertone business weird. I just blend the two colours till I find the right match. Actually I think the right side (pink) is more of my colour than the left (yellow) as the yellow is a tad too light.

Put to test:

First of all, I apologize for this soft focus collage. For some reason, I couldn't manage to get the pictures sharp enough even though I set the camera on macro setting.


As I was wearing a powder foundation (Make Up For Ever Duo Mat 202), I applied the concealer first then the foundation. I wanted to see if it worked when I applied this concealer before a powder foundation. And the answer was positive. It was just like any other concealers that should go onto the skin before a powder foundation.


The coverage was about the same as my Full Cover. However, it was a lot drier and I couldn't blend it well. I realized that finger application was a NO GO after a couple of attempts. I had to rely on a concealer brush with the product. It was only then the concealer would look appealing (smooth and even).


And because of it's being difficult to spread, I ended up using a lot more foundation! If I used the normal amount of foundation, there would be edges near the concealed parts. I think you can see the differences in thickness of the powder foundation applied on each cheeks. The side with Secret Camouflage SC-2 looked a lot more pasty.


And don't tell me that you didn't see that line under my eye!!! I don't normally notice fine lines around my eyes but with the help of this concealer, I could! No wonder people told me NOT to use this concealer on the eye areas! This was the living proof of all the reviews I had read about it wasn't made for undereye because of its dryness. A certain bitter lesson learnt.


And this was one of the few occasions that I actually saw the pores on my face! Oh My God!!! Not only it emphasized fine lines but it also enlarged pores??? (To be honest, I wasn't sure if it was because of this product so I started doing facial scrub, which I hadn't been doing for years. And I also started doing the Pure Vitamin E Oil Mask more often because I was worried the pore business would get worse... And you know what? If I didn't use this concealer, I didn't have much of the big pore problem!)

Trial 1

I also did a collage of applying this concealer after a liquid foundation (Make Up For Ever Liquid Lift (2 Ivory). And this time, I think the camera was behaving well and I caught all the details on my face. However, I had to take the pictures under tungsten lights with flashlight on so the colours may be off somewhat.


You can see that Make Up For Ever yields much better result than Laura Mercier on me. This picture below tells all!

Trial 2

I have done quite a few of FOTD with this concealer but because I covered it up too well that you can't spot the problems I mentioned above. This picture below is probably the best to show how this Secrect Camouflage emphasizes the pores. You really can see them dancing on my cheeks!

This was why I rushed to buy a facial scrub and did the Pure Vitamin E Oil mask...

If you want to see more pictures, you can click here.



Price/Packaging:

This is $28USD for 0.26 oz. /7.7g. I think it's not too expensive for a concealer, if you don't count what it does!


I was iffy about the compact palette design as the product exposes to the open air and it catches dirt easily. I already found some unwanted particles stuck to the surface of both colours. I think it is wrong to have a concealer in such open concept packaging. A squeezable tube would have been much more hygienic and at the same time, more economical.



My Verdict:

Colour Match: I can get the colours matched to my skin tone provided I mix both colours properly.


Coverage: I think it's about the same as Full Cover and perhaps a bit better at times as it can be blended to a desired darker/light hue.


Staying Power: It is just about the same as Full Cover so it's quite good.


Texture: It feels drier in the pen but not so bad once it's on the skin. I guess it's because the cream's pressed down into a compact? As it's drier, it is more difficult to blend. I must use a brush to apply because fingers tend to smudge off the cream (and it's not hygienic to dip fingers into the cream anyway.) I often notice my foundation doesn't goes on flawlessly and I end up using more foundation to cover up the edges so there is no gap. Nevertheless, no matter how much foundation I piled on, the concealer doesn't cake it up. So that's a plus I must say.


I don't like this concealer. I am too spoilt by Make Up For Ever Full Cover and it will not be an easy task to find something working better than that. Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage is a disappointment in comparison.


If you have a good concealer for covering brown spots, please let me know! Thanks a lot.



Ingredients:

Diethylene, Glycol, Diethylhexanoate/Diisononanoate, Paraffin, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Octyldodecanol, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Retinyl Palmitate, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Oleth-10, Methylparaben, Isopropylparaben,Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isopropyl Myristate, Mica, Titanium Dioxide (C1 77891). +/- [May Contain]: Iron Oxides (C1 77491, C1 77492, C1 77499).



Related Posts:

Review: Make Up For Ever Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream (#4 Flesh)

Review: Make Up For Ever Duo Mat Powder Foundation (#202 Beige translucide)

Review: Make Up For Ever Liquid Lift Foundation (2 ivory)

Review: Colonial Dames Pure Vitamin E Oil



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #125, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Question: Blue Eye Shadows, Favourite Blush & Powder Brush, Best Crease-proof Powder Eye Shadow

Question:

I rediscovered Clarins recently and your review of the palette "So sublime" was a happy finding as is almost same with one of my first palettes, I just love it.

My question is: do you have any idea how the soft shimmer eyeshadow cool blue #19 looks? (snipped)... I have dark eyes and medium toned skin and am in love with blue shades for the moment (snipped)...



I checked out a couple of local Clarins stores and I didn't see #19. Therefore, I checked online again and there was none. Finally, I called Clarins to see if it is sold in Malaysia and the girl told me the highest number (= latest colour) would be the #15 Blue Iris that I have reviewed. Perhaps that #19 was a mistake as it shouldn't exist?


Hmm, I don't know.... Maybe it was an older shade that's long been discontinued! OK, so I couldn't manage to find that colour, I decided to repost this swatch of the only cool blue I found in Clarins. And I am also doing a comparison picture of all the dark blues I have as this reader also mentioned about comparing other blue eye shadows in various palettes and etc.

Clarins Single Eye Colour Long-Lasting #12 Icy Turquoise

If this is the colour asked, I'd say it's a nice shimmer cool blue. However, it won't be an essential colour for me as I don't wear light cool turquoise well unless I it is coupled with another darker blue or black. I always find that I have to anchor down a light blue one way or the other. Personally, I prefer dark blues.

Dark Blue Eye Shadow Swatches

I am not sure if I missed out any... I know I picked the wrong Star Powder. It was supposed to be 904, a much darker blue. Oh well, that colour is long discontinued anyway! Couple of them look rather similar in the picture. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten so many blues myself! However, the subtle differences in real life made me buy them all... *_* And I wanted to try all these different brands as they have different textures! OK, that's another story!

Questions:

I really like the way your cheeks glow. Could you please tell me what are your favourite blush brush and powder brush?



I don't stick to the same brush as I like varieties. :P However, This is my ultimate favourite blush brush as it's super soft and never sheds! One thing though, if my memory's correct, this brush might have been discontinued... If that's the case, you may want to try eBay. But please just don't ask if I'd swap mine as I know I won't!

Anna Sui Cheek Brush 1

I much prefer the shape of Anna Sui Cheek Brush 1 instead of the straight flat cut ones, i. e. Make Up For Ever Blush Brush 20S. (I owned it for a very short period. I believed I used it twice only and swapped it away immediately! It gave me the ultimate clown cheeks!) My guess that flat cut blush brush would probably be useful for girls with large round cheeks. It just couldn't deal with my prominent angular cheeks!


And this is my favourite powder brush.

Make Up For Ever Powder Fan Brush

I did this collage so you can see the before and after used pictures. I have had this for years and it does shed at times. I caught this little light hair coming off so you can see what's the occasional shedding like. It's only one or two strands and I promise you that's really not often or else my brush would have been bald after these years!


This Powder Fan brush is different from those normal small fan brushes such Make Up For Ever's own Fan Brush. The small ones are thin and used for dusting off excess powder. Personally, I find those redundant! However, the large Powder Fan Brush has thick bristles and it's great for applying powders and even blushes!!! I use a lot of highlighting type of blushes and this brush is just a God send. It makes my life a lot easier.


And thanks to The Brush Guard, I can finally travel with this brush! I used to carry my other Make Up For Ever N12 MR Retractable Powder Brush when I am on the go. But this Power Fan Brush can finally join me when I travel.

Question:

What's the best crease-proof powder eye shadow you have tried? Does it have to be worn with an eye shadow primer? (Snipped)...



I think I have to give this award to Christian Dior Iridescent Quints. All the palettes from that line have been working like super glue on my lids. I am still very impressed by its wet character working so well. It's like wearing pigments wet with a sealant. (What I hate the most is powdery eye shadows that transfer to my puffy lids immediately after they are put on.) Oh and best of all, I don't have to wear an eye shadow primer underneath. The colours stay on well and no creasing. :)














Related Posts:

Update: Clarins Single Eye Colour Long-Lasting 15 Iris Blue & Coastal Scents Ultra Shimmer 88 Eye Shadow Palette

Review: Clarins Colour Quartet For Eyes 80 So Sublime

Review/FOTD: Clarins Single Eye Colour Long-Lasting 15 Iris Blue, Limited Edition, Spring 2009

My Makeup Tools

Review: The Brush Guard - Variety Pack

Review: Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow 809 Petal Shine



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #125, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Review/Swatch/Comparison: T. LeClerc Loose Powder - Orchidee vs. Pressed Powder - Orchidee Or (Limited Edition)

So I was disappointed in T. LeClerc Pressed Powder Orchidee Or (Limited Edition) because of its coarse texture...


Then I was in a conversation with my mother-in-law. And somehow we got into the subject of makeup and I mentioned this press powder for some reason. She then told me that she is using T. LeClerc Loose Powder Orchidee! She ran to fish it out for me to try and compare with my pressed powder ! (She said this is an old tub and if I accepted this, she would have an excuse to open her new jar! LOL.) Of course I gladly accepted!


As my mother-in-law is quite dark, she would be the right person to testify whether or not this shade is a must-have for medium to dark skin complexion as claimed on T. LeClerc site. She said the cool pink looks so bright and weird for her dark and warm skin tone and she had doubts at first too. She thought the sales assistant was just pushing her to buy the powder. But she was convinced after she tried it on. She said her face just lip up and the tiresome look disappeared instantly. She's been using this powder since that day on. It was at least 2 years ago...


That's some powerful statement indeed. My argument was that I don't have such dark complexion to try this pink powder. But my dear mother-in-law said that even if the colour was wrong, I should have at least tried out its fine texture since I disliked the coarse glitters (shimmers) in that pressed Orchidee Or. Without further delay, I am showing you this famous T. LeClerc star product - Loose Power in the shade of Orchidee.

T. LeClerc Loose Powder - Orchidee

Product Descprtion:

Pink veil. Magically erases signs of fatigue; a real life-saver for evening makeup. It immediately freshens up medium to dark complexion with yellow undertones. The number one choice for Indian skins. - T. LeClerc UK



Color/Texture:

Its claim on texture:

Amazingly fine and light loose powder based on pure rice starch provides matte finish and visibly smoothes the skin. Poudre T. LeClerc incomparably masters light and hides flaws while magnifying the complexion. This powder is well-tolerated by the most sensitive skin, and also serves as protection against pollution and solar radiation. - T. LeClerc


If you are telling me this rice based powder is the finest texture there is in the world of loose powder, then I think it's a joke. I don't think it's super fine as I could still feel the sandy feel before it's spread out. Once spread out, I can say it's smooth but still not very finely milled. I think this is to do with the rice powder. If this was a cornstarch based powder, then I probably wouldn't have felt that sand like texture.


And it is soooooooooo matte!!! I now know why some old Chinese ladies use rice water on their faces as it absorbs oil (or even water?) super well! This powder, has the same effect of what those old ladies use on their faces. I have dry skin and I find it a tad too matte. If you have oily skin, I high recommend this loose powder!


Now let's look at the colour. This is an even lighter, (whiter) pink than my pressed Orchidee Or because it doesn't have the golden specks. The golden specks make the pressed version looking warmer (with a hint of peach) in the pan even though it is still considered a cool pink once applied. The loose Orchidee, however, appears almost white on me. And I can see why it lightens up dull yellow skin because it really does that for me. I look a lot more fresh with it on and best of all, the cool whitish pink doesn't show on my skin after it's settled in. It does indeed correct (improve) my complexion. I like it!

Orchidee vs. Orchidee Or

I swatched the colours three times each so the loose version would show better. It initially looked white and washed out but eventually set into my skin and brightened up the complexion. I guess this is the effect that many Asian ladies want, looking fairer and younger!


I find it very strange that this didn't occur when I used the pressed version which should be the same other than the extra golden shimmers. But no, the pressed version is a lot more coloured (pigmented) and it can't be a correcting powder but rather a coloured products for cheeks in my case.


Oh, and this loose powder has a light, refreshing scent that I don't find in the pressed version.

Packaging/Price:

This powder comes in a vintage style tin. I don't like the container design much. My biggest complain is that there is no screw on the jar and it closes rather tightly. I have to pull the two parts (lid and container) apart rather hard or else the tin won't open. I find this quite dangerous as there have been countless occasions that I nearly spilt the powder.


The sifter hasn't done a thing for me, either. It doesn't control the amount dispensed but rather, acts as barrier/stopper so the powder doesn't fall out (as much) when opening the tin. There is a little tag on the side of the sifter so it can be removed from the container. I guess it's handy if you want to decant the powder.


As this is loose powder so naturally there is more product in it (by weight) - 35 g. / 1.2 oz. (compared to the pressed powder - 10g. / 0.34 oz.) Being a high end French brand, it comes with a high price tag of 159MYR/£31.00/$50USD. I still think it's a bit too expensive.



My Verdict:

This is a nice colour correcting powder that mattifies the skin at the same time. I won't say it's the softest nor the finest powder as I have tried better ones. However, I do like to see that my complexion looks brighter (not whiter). That effect is a bonus and something I haven't expected from a loose powder.


I'd say it's worth a try if you can score it at a lower price. Otherwise, get a different pink loose powder!


PS: As I was given this jar without its box, I am not able to show you the ingredients. I couldn't find them listed on line either.



Related Post:

Review/FOTD/Swatch: T. LeClerc Pressed Powder Orchidee Or, Limited Edition



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #118, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Review/FOTD/Swatch: T. LeClerc Pressed Powder Orchidee Or, Limited Edition

T. LeClerc Pressed Powder Orchidee Or

Limited Edition

First thing first, I read somewhere that this palette is a limited edition before but I can't find it anymore. Therefore, I added (?) on the title. (I have remived the question mark, thanks to fellow blogger birkinbagbeauty. She confirmed this is indeed a limited edition. Thanks a lot, girl!)


I mentioned it in a previous post that I recently made some T. LeClerc damage when it was having a major in-house sale. Well, this was one of the products I scored. (It was 2 compacts for 100MYR. However, since I am not a T. LeClerc regular customer, I wasn't sure if I wanted 2 of the same compact. Luckily, another shopper also wanted one so we decided to team up for the lower price.)


I decided to give this pressed powder a try because I have read much rave about T. LeClerc's famous powders, its most famous products. However, there was no a colour matching my skin tone at the sale so I grabbed this compact instead as it looked pretty enough to be a pink blush or highlighter...


As T. LeClerc isn't a very popular brand and there isn't much information on line, I got most information from T. LeClerc UK site as it's the only official site written in English. You can also find T. LeClerc products on eLuxury but only a very selective few. Not sure why it's so elusive everywhere I looked, but I have easy access to it. I walk past its counter and play with the products all the time! I had yet to purchase any before the sale simply because I wasn't familiar with the brand and didn't want to splurge on its expensive products.


Anyway, here is my take on this pressed powder.



Colour/Texture:

Now, the pressed powder Orchidée (NOT Orchidee Or) on T. LeClerc UK is described as:


Pink veil. Magically erases signs of fatigue; a real life-saver for evening makeup. It immediately freshens up medium to dark complexion with yellow undertones. The number one choice for Indian skins.


So I guess the compact I have probably has the same colour but with added golden shimmers? I also don't know how this light pink colour corrects Indian medium to dark skin tones. But I know it is definitely not a pressed powder for my skin tone. I can possibly use it as a highlighter and a blush though. And I bought this powder simply because I thought it was a lovely shade as a blush!!! (Maybe I was wrong to do that...)


Anyway, let's look at this picture below...

Swatch

As you can see from the swatch, this is a very pale cool pink powder with golden specks laced all over. The golden shimmers are separated from the matte pale pink powder. I can feel the distinct individual shimmery grains when swiping the powder off the compact. Therefore, the powder doesn't feel smooth on my skin even though the powder itself looks very finely milled. This reminds me of the glittery Urban Decay eye shadows that I have tried - matte coloured powder + large shimmery particles that don't stick to the skin.


This is totally NOT cool! I reckon a shimmery pressed powder, highlighter, eye shadow or blush should have finely milled shimmers that are part of the powder, not separated large particles that one can feel the difference. I am sure you can see the not-so-even surface from the collage above.


Here is a picture of me wearing it on my cheeks underneath another blush. This is not a very good example as the camera didn't catch much of the pale pink (but most of the brown spots on cheek instead! Lousy concealer job if you ask me as it shows too much blemish details.) Anyway, I guess you just have to use your imagination a little bit... *_* (I thought I had more pictures stored but apparently not. Therefore, I'd replace this with a better photo if I happen to take more in the future...)

Packaging/Price:


The packaging is lovely. It comes in a metallic pink compact with T. LeClerc trademark design on the cover. Please have a look. (There is also an ultra thin sponge pad which I find utterly useless so I have stored it away along with the box and the black velvet pouch.)

This is retailed for 159MYR/ €31/ 50USD. Even though it's quite big, I reckon it's way too expensive for what it offers, judging from the coarse texture. But I could be wrong as I don't have the right skin tone for it to correct signs of fatigue... Maybe it is as true as it claims and super useful for those ladies!




My Verdict:

I am so wrong to buy this on a whim. It's just because it's a big discount and all looking pretty in its pink palette that made me got it. I don't think it's flattering for my skin tone and I don't like the texture. As a blush, it's a cooler and sharper pink compared to my Chanel Joues Countraste Narcisse which I do love (and one thousand times finer!) I think the T. LeClerc version is only so-so on me... But I have to remind myself that this was not a blush in the first place!


I welcome those who own this powder or similar products to step forward to share your experience.s I find it most difficult to write this review as it is a purchase for all the wrong reasons. I am very undecided and frustrated with this pressed powder. I need to find a good use for it soon or else I'd go crazy!


The sale sign got me and my good 50MYR went down the drain. Sales doesn't mean a bargain after all! I guess I am the kind who has the most clear mind when goods are expensive and I have to shop with extra cautious... *_*



Ingredients:

Related Post:

Review: Urban Decay Urban Decay Eyeshadow Midnight Cowboy, Goddess (from Urban Essentials Set)

Review/Swatch/Comparision: T. LeClerc Loose Powder - Orchidee vs. Pressed Powder - Orchidee Or (Limited Edition)



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #118, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Review/FOTD/Swatch: BeneFit CORALista

I had been eyeing on this powder ever since I spotted its ad online. Then I saw its swatches on a couple of sites and I knew I had to check it out in person as it's the kind of colour I like. And I do quite like BeneFit-Box-O-Powder. Up till today, BeneFit 10 is still a HG blush shade for me. It's most natural.


So, I finally made a trip to Mega Mall, the nearest BeneFit counter for me, and there it was, sitting all pretty right in the center of the counter. The super friendly sales assistant helped me trying it on my arm and compared it with other BeneFit powders for me. Seriously, I fell in love with CORALista right there and then! But I told myself that BeneFit is an over-priced brand in Malaysia and it just raised its prices again recently. I would either ask my US makeup buddy to get it for me or try my luck with swapping...


And I got it!

BeneFit CORALista

Product Description:

Take a tropical pleasure trip with CORALista. Sweep this coral pink powder onto cheeks anytime, anywhere. Move your brush to the beat & turn up the heat... bikini optional!

Tips and tricks: Swirl brush in the box & blow off excess. Smile & brush lightly across the apples of your cheeks, starting from the hairline and working in. - Jean & Jane Ford (taken from BeneFit)



Colour/Texture:


The colour was what attracted me in the first place. Please have a look at its swatch on my arm.

Comparing with Dandelion and Georgia

I think I don't need to say anything now. You can see that CORALista is most definitely the best colour for my skin tone just looking at all 3 colours lined up.


Dandelion and Georgia are both highlighting powders (lightly swept on) and blushes (layered) for me. However, CORALista is strictly a blush because it's much more pigmented in comparison. I have to rely on a skunk brush or a large powder brush for a natural finish. The only other two BeneFit-Box-O-Powder with such strong colour payoff are Dallas and Hoola, which both, ironically, didn't work for me.


So it's a well-pigmented, very lightly shimmered coral pink blush for me. And it has the trademark BeneFit-Box-O-Powder fragrance that I can't pinpoint up to this day. (I still can't decide it's peach or apricot... Or it's neither???) Whatever it is, the light soft sweet scent diminishes soon after the powder goes onto my cheeks. Therefore, it hasn't bothered me.


The texture is very soft but kind of creamy in a way. It feels like a cross breed of oil pastel and colour pencils. Not sure if I describe it properly...


Here are a couple of FOTD I did with COLRALista.

The window (light source) was quite far away and high up on the wall from where I stood.



FOTD 1
(sunny daylight without flash)







FOTD 2
(overcast daylight with flash)









FOTD 3
(tungsten lights with flash)


This is a bad example of eye shadow colours. I was trying out Artdeco stuff on my eyes. Not a flattering eye colour apparently. I will bitch about it in another review later!

Packaging/Price:

BeneFit is known for its tacky cardboard packaging. This was my biggest concern when I started trying out its product. But it's no longer an issue after going through so many boxes!!1 They are super durable. I have not seen any damage done in any of the them. And the equally boxy fan brush is actually working well with its deep square box.


Having said that, I have to admit that this particular brush is still inside the plastic wrap unopened as I am more used to my own makeup brushes. I'd save it for traveling instead.


It has a substantial amount of product (12 g. / 0.42 oz.) at retailed for $28USD. I reckon that's very reasonable. **However, BeneFit is more expensive in Asian countries as I have observed. I'd recommend getting it from the US if possible. And besides, BeneFit often offers free shipping and handling world wide for purchase above $100USD. That will be the time to shop (with friends if you don't plan to buy that much!)

My Verdict:

Needless to say that I am in love with this powder. It's a beautiful blush for light neutral to warm skin tone. It's by far the best colouring for me from all BeneFit-Box-O-Power and I have tried them all. I am that obsessed!!!


Now I am thinking to rid of Dandelion and Georgia for the new love, should I? *_*



Ingredients:

Related Posts:

Review: Benefit 10

Review: BeneFit Dandelion

Review: BeneFit Georgia



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #125, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Review/FOTD: Josie Maran Cosmetics Lipstick Curvaceous

I simply can't rave enough about Josie Maran Cosmetics My Favourite Powders Palette I got a while back. It's the palette that gives me the most polished look (even though my FOTD in that post didn't really portrait so well ...) Whatever... I tote that palette around when I travel now as I love how it makes me look professional. :P


Due to my fond experience of my very first Josie Maran product, I decided to give its other products a try. I got this lipstick because I thought the colour would go with the products in My Favourite Powders.

Josie Maran Cosmetic Lipstick Curvaceous

Product Description:

This decadent lipstick - housed in a chic, recyclable tube. - pulls double duty: beautiful color plus a rich lip conditioner in one! The paraben and fragrance- free formula feels remarkably light. Natural, organic ingredients like Jojoba Seed Oil and Coconut Cream envelop lips in comfort all day long.


Tips:

Professional makeup artists often recommend using a brush to apply lip color. This is because a brush deposits far less product onto lips, and less product translates to longer-lasting color. The unique formula of this lipstick makes it glide on in an ultra-thin layer. So you’ll get the look and feel of a professional application without the brush! - Josie Maran Cosmetics



Colour/Texture:

This colour is described as shimmery coral on Josie Maran Cosmetics but shimmering peachy rose on Sephora. However, it's quite bronzy when applied on my lips. Here is a picture of me wearing this lipstick.

The colour is a reddish bronze on. It's not shimmery on my lips. It has a metallic sheen instead. (I don't think shimmery and metallic are the same thing but I often find the two terms describing the same finish!) It's very pigmented so a little goes a long way. I used a brush to apply only a thin layer as suggested. And you can see the picture that it was probably enough. But since it's so thin, the pigments actually deposited into the lines on my lips!!! See the emphasis on the lines? I had to top it with my trusted QV Lip Balm afterwards. I needed to make the colour more diffused than how it was.


However, I don't think this thin application with a lip brush prolongs the life of lip colours on my lips. I had to reapply the colour just after a cup of coffee.


The texture is very unique. It's the ultimate smooth lipstick that I have tried. It glides on my lips like an ice skate running on ice! It feels most strange too as it's the kind of smoothness that's not found in other brands. I guess this is the best I could describe it. Funny though, I don't find myself liking the extra smoothness much. That's a very strange kind of smoothness. *_*

However, my biggest complaint is its SCENT!!!

It's the most revolting kind of lipstick scent that's found in age old lipsticks that have gone bad or in those el cheapo no name lipsticks thrown in the supermarket bins around holiday time.

I feel like puking just by thinking about it! Enough said!



Packaging/Price:


Josie Maran products adopt all recyclable materials and that's something noteworthy. I like what they are doing for the environment. And that was also part of the reasons why I got into the brand. I hope they keep doing what they are doing. :)


The lipstick is housed in a pink bronze tube. A very normal packaging without extra deco but its brand printed on.


Size: 4g/0.14oz

Price: $20USD

This is a standard size lipsticks with a high price tag. It's not worth it because of its average performance and the unbearable lipsticky smell.




My Verdict:

I have no qualms about the metallic bronzy red colour. It's a lovely shade that goes well with Josie Maran My Favourite Powders. The texture is unique, It's super, super, super buttery. A bit too buttery actually. :)


But my biggest disappointment is the scent. It's way, way, way off! It offended me so much that I had to write to Josie Maran to express my complaints! They wrote back in just two days and said they'd pass the message to the relevant department. (I wrote that I was so happy with My Favourite Powder Palette that I was planning on buying its sister product, My Favourite Lips Palette.

picture source

But after I tried this Curvaceous lipstick and read the review of My Favourite Lips Palette on The Shade of Us, I skipped that lip palette immediately. That review confirmed the funny scent that's been bugging me. All the while I thought I got an old lipstick! Now I believe this scent exists in all Josie Maran lip products. Yuck!


Just what were they thinking???!!!






Ingredients:

Josie Maran Cosmetics has a very systematic ingredients page. If you are interested, please click here.


Although this lipstick contains jojoba oil, I don't have any problem with it. I am still yet to confirm why I can use some products with jojoba oil but not others...


Lipstick Ingredients:

White Beeswax*, Ozokerite Wax, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil*, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Cream*, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil*, Simmondsia Chinenesis (Jojoba) Oil*, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopherol**, Ascorbic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol. May Contain: Mica**, Titanium Dioxide**, Iron Oxides**, Red 6 Lake, Red 7 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 27 Lake, Tin Oxide, Manganese Violet.




Related Posts:

Review/FOTD: Josie Maran Cosmetics My Favourite Powders

Review/Makeup Application/Swatch: Ego QV Lip Balm SFP 20



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #118, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Question: Etude House store locations; Arissa Studios Trendy Lip Palettes; Products for covering hyper-pigmentation

Happy Mother's Day to all! My husband took my son out to play so I can have some peace and quiet for myself this morning. They will come back to take me out for lunch in a short while. In the mean time, I just sit here surfing the net and drinking my coffee! Ah, life is great! :)))


I decided that I'd answer a couple of questions today as I don't have that much time left after doing all the lazy things I had planned for myself this morning. :P











Where can I purchase Etude House products in Malaysia?






The only Etude House store I have been to is at One Utama New Wing. And I know of a few other places from blogging which I have listed below. Please feel free to fill in more locations if you know them. Thank you!












Kuala Lumpur -
One Utama New Wing Lower Ground Flour (near Cold Storage Supermarket)
Berjaya Time Square
Kepong Jusco (This is just a little corner store so its selection is quite limited.)
Sunway Pyramid

Kedah -
Central Square


Johor Bahru -
City Square
Jusco mall at Aeon Bukit Indah

Ipoh -
Ipoh Parade

Penang -
Queensbay Mall




You have mostly high end products but you've raved about Arissa Studios Trendy Lip Palettes a lot. Do you really like them better than your high end lip products?



Yes, I do prefer high end makeup in general. But there are few drugstore products that have been working for me like no others. One item is Maybelline Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in black. I simply can't live without it.


And yes, I do prefer Arissa Studios Trendy Lip Palettes (as well as L.A. Girl Luscious Colour Lip Palettes since they are exactly the same things) compared to many other high end lip products. They come in great high shine colours and they are very moisturizing and smooth for my dry lips. They come in a travel-friendly compact and includes a good quality lip brush. Best of all, they are super cheap! And what's more is that they don't have that cheap lip product smell found in many other brands. I can't rave them enough.









I've seen your face without makeup so I know that you have hyper-pigmentation. However, I hardly see any spots on your cheeks in your FOTD. They are always glowy. Could you please share with me the products you use to achieve that effect as I have the same problem.



I have been asked this question over and again. Looks like many of you are having the same concern so here is my answer again. :)

Scary before and after makeup pictures!

The no makeup picture on the left was from last year and the made up face was from Satursday before going to our big family Mother's Day celebration dinner. I realized that I wasn't as dark as I thought I was after taking pictures under natural lighting. And I thought I was looking tanned and healthy after all my swimming and cycling. I was daydreaming then!

Click on the picture to view details.

Anyway, you can do a couple of things for hiding hyper-pigmentation if you don't want to go for laser surgery for whatever reasons. Mine was caused by the combination of:


* sun damage at young age - I obviously had no skin cancer awareness back then as I often sat under the sun with bikini on trying to get a tan when I was in college back in the US!

* drug allergy - mainly birth control pills, as suspected by the dermatologist I visited. I am not aware of the real cause as he couldn't come to a conclusion but only confirmed that's drug allergy related for sure.


Because of the above reasons, I was not a good candidate for laser surgery as the dermatologist said that wouldn't have cured the spots. Further more, my skin would be more sensitive the sun afterwards. Well, I have had enough of sun damage so I certianly didn't want to be bothered by that again. Therefore, I became very careful with sun protection ever since. Though I am still very actively involved in outdoor activities, I make sure that I am well prepared before heading out to the sun.


There are a couple of things I do to hide my brown spots:



- Concealer: I am currently testing out Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage SC-2 as my HG Make Up For Ever (MUFE) Full Cover Camouflage Cream #4 isn't very reliable these days. I have been relying on MUFE Full Cover for years so I can't tell you what's causing the problem now. I only know that it doesn't cover as well as before. Perhaps the tube I have has gone bad as it's been quite some time since I purchased it? Perhaps I have gone darker and need to get #6 instead? Perhaps my skin has changed? I don't know and I am still trying to figure that out myself.


But whatever it is, a BLEMISH concealer is a must-have when you have spots. Apply the concealer after liquid foundation and set it (and the foundation) with a powder. Or apply the concealer before powder foundation. This is the basic step for covering up spots.



- Powdered shimmery highlighter: I am not sure how well a matte highlighter covers the spots. I do know that many people avoid shimmery highlighters because they believe shimmery version accentuate pores more than the matte ones.


NOT in my case, apparently.


I have always found that with a shimmery highlighter, the shimmers reflect the light and disguise the brown spots and pores better than the matte version. I seriously do think that if you don't have a major problem with pores but only wish to cover spots (or blemishes), you have to give a powdered shimmery highlighter a try.


And the reason why you have to get power instead of liquid is that liquid highlighter will smear off your concealer underneath! Enough said, isn't it? :)


By the way, my HG powdered shimmery highlighter is Make Up For Ever Compact Shine On #5 Amber. Though this product is no longer available in Sephora, it's still sold at our local Make Up For Ever stores (I think.) I guess I should start searching for an alternative too as my current compact has a big hole in the center. And just in case it's also removed from the stores here...



- Highlighter type blushes: I have recommended these to a couple of readers. Two good product come to mind are Christian Dior Diorskin Shimmer Powder or the latest limited edition Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess SunBlush Illuminator. There are also products like Becca Pressed Shimmer Powder, Bobbi brown Shimmer Brick Compact, or MAC Mineralize SkinFish, BeneFit Face Powder, and Pupa Luminys Velvety Baked Blush, just to name a few! :)


Make sure you use a large powder brush or a skunk brush with the highlighter and blush as they yield more natural finish.


So these are the secrets for covering up those unsightly brown spots on my cheekbones. Trust me, you'd look flawless too! :P



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #125, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Review: Laura Mercier Mini Brush Set

I was informed about this big in-house sale at Kens Apothecary at One Utama New Wing a while back. However, by the time I learnt about the sale, it only had 3 days left. I quickly made a trip there the next morning the moment the mall opened as I wanted to see if those things that I had been eyeing on were on sale. And I also worried those might have been sold out by then. I never had much luck with sales in the past...


So there I was, looking at the big sale sign right outside the little boutique. I was so excited as this was my second makeup sale experience! The first one was when Becca withdrew from Malaysia few years back.

Anyway, the sales assistant was busy rearranging the products as they had been misplaced from the previous day. I asked why there was a big sale on T. LeClerc items (up to 70% for most products) but only 20% (for most) and 50% for very selective items on Laura Mercier products.


She told me that T. LeClerc has changed its distributors so they are reorganizing the goods and since Kens Apothecary carried both brands, they decided to include Laura Mercier in the sale so that's why only very few items from Laura Mercier were 50% off. I quickly surveyed the table and picked out this brush set as it's 50% off! I couldn't believe my luck!!! It's the latest mini brush set I had been seeing online. Oh My God!!!


(I grabbed 2 sets so I could keep a set as a gift later...)


I went home and checked out this set on Laura Mercier site again. And sure enough it was there. A whoopy $80USD worth of brush set. I couldn't stop giggling. Now I knew how others feel when getting a chance to buy makeup at cheap prices.


PS: I later learnt that like Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier also often creates different brush sets and many of them are named Mini Brush Set but the contents are all different! The particular set of 6 I got were just taken off Laura Mercier & Sephora sites and had been replaced by a new mini brush set... If you like what you see here, you might still be able to score a set from eBay or at certain Laura Mercier counters or Sephora stores... I am not sure. *_*

Laura Mercier Mini Brush Set



This Set includes 6 mini brushes:

Prices listed are for individual, FULL size brushes (except for Flat Eye Liner Brush - TRAVEL size) on Laura Mercier site.

Finishing Brush ($42)
All Over Eye Colour Brush ($30)
Flat Eye Liner Brush ($25)
Double Ended Brow Groomer ($10) and Smudge Brush ($24)
Creme Eye Detail Brush ($26)
Pony Tail Brush ($29)

As you can see, it's a set of 6 various brushes for a complete makeup look. Well, almost an entire face, if only there was also a lip brush. :) But most people don't use lip brushes anyway! I like how diverse this set is. It's very practical for those who travel a lot. What you need are all there in a roomy pouch.


Let me show you all of them one by one!


PS: Brush descriptions (in green letters) were adopted from Laura Mercier.

Finishing Brush

- Laura Mercier Finishing Brush is comprised of both natural & synthetic hairs to pick up & buff colour onto the skin for buildable, even colour application

This is my favourite brush among all! The white bristles are a lot longer than the black ones and the whole brush is loosely tapered so it picks up less pigments (colour) for a more natural look. This brush is exceptionally good at toning down a very pigmented blush. Suddenly, I can wear many more blush shades!


It is also useful for loose powder and powder foundation application. As it picks up a lot less powder, my face doesn't look as pasty as I sometimes do. I tend to apply foundation and powder all over my entire face (even though I was told it's not necessary). Therefore, this brush comes handy for me - wanting a whole face coverage without the mannequin face effect.


Here is a picture of it comparing with Etude House Duo Fiber Cheek Brush. You can see how sparse the bristles are compared to the denser Etude version. I am not implying that Etude version is of less quality. They have total different uses for me. I love the two brushes all the same!

Laura Mercier Finishing Brush vs. Etude House Duo Fiber Cheek Brush









All Over Eye Colour Brush

- a large flat head brush with a beveled edge for a smooth, perfect application of base shades.

This is a unique shaped brush. It reminds me of another Etude House brush. It's the Oblique Shadow Brush in this picture below. While I use the Etude House version on crease area (almost) exclusively, the Laura Mericer All Over Eye Colour Brush offers much more because of its longer and softer bristles. It's seriously an all-rounder. Be it a highlighter, shadow colour or even crease shade, I find it working very well.

Etude House Oblique Shadow Brush (bottom/left) for comparison








Flat Eye Liner Brush

- contains synthetic, firm bristles narrowing to a thin, flat line to ensure the most exact placement of Eye Liner.

This is probably the least useful brush among the set. It's made of soft synthetic bristles and it's rather wide and flat. I am not used to use such straight cut flat eye liner brush so I don't use it as much as other flat eye liner brushes. If you have a suggestion about this brush, I'd like to hear from you. Thank you!

Double-Ended Brow Groomer and Smudge Brush

- Brow Grooming Brush is a high quality synthetic fiber brush with stiff bristles in a "mascara spool" that maintains well-groomed brows throughout the day.

- Smudge Brush is a natural brush created for adding depth close to the lash line & in the corner of the eye.

I normally avoid double-ended brushes because they can't stand upright in a brush holder. As this brush came with the set, I had no option but to try it out. And it's a pleasant surprise that I actually like this brush! The Smudge Brush is great for blending colours on the lids as well as lower lash liners. And the Brow Groomer is good for taming my naturally thick and messy brows as it has short and firm bristles! (The only brush in the whole set that has firm bristles and I believe it's necessary!) The original size of the Brow Groomer and Smudge Brush are sold separately. I think that is most ideal. :)

Creme Eye Detail Brush

- a high quality synthetic brush designed for precise application of crème eye colour products.

I can't comment on cream shadow application as I have never used use this brush as suggested. Otherwise, I like its pointy bristles for crease colour application. It is great on my small and tugged-in crease.

Pony Tail Brush

- a natural brush with soft, medium-length bristles formed at a slight point ideally used in the eye crease.

This is a super soft brush. If you have a problem with very soft bristles for precise application, this is not for you. I had to get used to its soft bristles before I could utilize the brush. Once that's taken cared of, I was all set. It turned out that it is good for blending colours from mid-section of the lids to the crease.



Packaging/Price:

This was retailed for $80USD. For 6 brushes of various purposes, it's most definitely an excellent bargain even though these are mini brushes because they are not that mini! You can see from this picture below that the handles of these brushes aren't that short. I personally prefer brushes with short handles as I have Small hands. :)

Packaging Details

There is plenty of room in ths bag. Should you want to carry more brushes than 6, it's not an issue at all!

My Verdict:

I had been eyeing on couple of Laura Mercier brushes as their super soft bristles were something I was looking for to replace a couple of brushes that had become harsh for my skin.


They were not disappointing after all. And I have been putting them to good use just about every day. Laura Mercier brushes aren't cheap to begin with. Its individual full sized brushes would have cost a bomb if I were to purchase all 6 that way. I was glad that I had a chance to score these brushes at 50% off, thanks to a very kind blogger who informed me about the sale.


If you have a chance to get this brush at $80USD, it is still a steal. Honestly, this is the best mini brush set I have tried.



Related Post:

Review: Etude House Brushes



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #118, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Review/Swatch/FOTD: Sephora Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette - Gypsy, Limited Edition, Summer 2009

UPDATE 31/August/2009: The cream eye shadow in this palette has become very hard and difficult to get the colour off the pan. It's a shame as all other colours are very good. This also happened to the cream eye shadow in Metal Orchestra, the other limited edition palette from Kat Von D. I think all the cream eye shadows need to be reformulated or removed.




After I got my very first Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette - Beethoven, I knew it was just the beginning of the iceberg. I love that palette so much that I told myself that I would try to get as many other True Romance Eyeshadow Palettes as I could!


No joke, I really did! I now am the proud owner of Beethoven, Ludwig (yet to review), and Gypsy. Guess what else? Orchestra is on also its way to my doorstep soon! HAHAHAHAHA. Talk about being a true makeup addict! *_*


Let's just go to look at this beauty now!

Sephora Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette - Gypsy
Limited Edition, Summer 2009



*I think Sephora's really gotta to improve its stock photos!

Product Description:

What it is:
A palette of eight eyeshadow colors from tattoo artist Kat Von D.

What it does:
Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette - Gypsy is the key to a sexy smoky eye with a hot summer twist. Designed by reality television star Kat Von D especially for Sephora, this artistic spectrum of shades brings an edgy-glam creativity to your makeup. The pigment-rich shadows deliver major impact to make the eyes pop! The sleek black palette is stenciled with silver roses and arrives packaged in a silk-screened black and silver box that is itself a work of art—and inspired by Kat's favorite tattoo. - Sephora.

Colour/Texture:

Now, This is the real palette!









Swatches
(Mostly one coat but some were swept twice; all swatched dry.)



The Gypsy palette contains the shades:

- Lucifer
- Stryker
- Frankie
- Hawkwind
- Brass Knuckles
- Birdcage
- Ego Sum
- Gunner

The colour chosen are beyond amazing!


- Lucifer is found in all Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette and I do think it is necessary to repeat that colour to anchor down the rest. And Lucifer is so versatile even though it's matte, my archenemy for eye shadow texture! I love Lucifer (& and its name) and I'd show you why in a tick. :P


- Strkyer is a powder form of Shiseido The Makeup Hydro-powder Eye Shadow H4 Spring Plum - plum with green shimmers. This is a hard-to-find duo chrome. I had been looking for the powder version for the longest time!

Swatch

Unfortunately, I don't think my camera managed to capture much of the green bits from H4. It's a gorgeous combination in real life.

- Frankie is a medium plum. Maybe a tad of gray under tone...


- Hawkwind is NOT white at all. It's got a vivid green undertone which reminds me of my Make Up For Ever Star Eye Shadow 155 - Pearly light green iridescent. Kat Von D Hawkwind is lighter and more shimmery in comparison. It is kind of like reflects. :)

- Brass Knuckles is a unique yellow golden cream eye shadow. It's very very very sparkling. I tried it as a base coat all over the lids but found it too overwhelming for a day look. Therefore, I tried it over a finished eye look and it's most amazing! It brought an ordinary eye look to life instantly! I just added bits on the parts that needed more attention and my eyes sparked!


I won't recommend using this near the brow bone area as highlighter unless you are very warm and don't mind the extra sparkles. It's a colour to accentuate, not to highlight nor a base in my opinion. I was wrong to think all light cream shadows could be a base shade.


Oh, and the texture is very soft, creamy and smooth. It spreads out like soft butter and no creasing!


- Birdcage is a muted yellow green (with a hint of khaki) in comparison with the rest. This is still a shimmery colour but just more subdue and toned down. It works as a bridge between highlight and dark liner. Very subtle and pretty.


- Ego Sum is a lightly shimmered straight medium grassy green. This is quite a common shade found in most brands. I use it on the crease mostly.


- Gunner is a dark matte smokey green loaded with green sparkles. It's most amazing as a liner. I love how the sparkles dance around on my eyes. It's one of my favourite shades among the lot.


Over all, I have no complaints about the colours whatsoever. They are pretty on their own and also work fabulously together as a team. You can mix and match them easily. I like how the highlighter Hawkwind being a green base instead of a pure white. It's a lot easier to work with especially this is a green theme palette. Beautiful!


Again, the powder eye shadows are a bit of the powdery side. The texture is smooth and easily to pick up the pigments. I don't know why the colours don't look appetising in the palette but once swatched, I was dazzled. And they all stay well on the lids. Not much faded even after a long day. I can tell you the fantastic unique colour combination and lovely texture were the main reason why I had to pick up more Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palettes. And this Gyspy has once lived up its name again.


Here are some EOTD and FOTD I did with this palette. One thing I have learnt from reading other bloggers' posts is to utilize the brushes/applicators provided in the palettes. (I have Fuzkittie to thank for!) It turned out the duo end brushes from all Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palettes are great for shaping eyebrows!!! You can see from the last picture that my brows look far better than just using the brushes from Make Up For Ever Brow Kit #3 (my now former HG? LOL!) That Lucifer has fast becoming my favourite colour for eyebrows too!!! You can see the difference, can't you?

Example 1















Example 2









Example 3

The brown in Stryker shows up when I turn my head to the correct angle. Or else it shows the green bits. Interesting shade indeed!














You can see the brow tips are more refined and the colour of my brows looks more intense from this picture below. I hope I don't look fierce as many people say black brows make us look angry!

That's about it! :)



Packaging/Price:

This limited edition palette has a slight different design from the permanent ones.








Comparing Gypsy (limited edition) with Ludwig (Permanent).

NOTE: Boxes and palettes look exactly the same so I only show the boxes.

And I mentioned that its duo end brushes are of good quality too. I love using them for my brows! Weird enough I guess. :)


This palette is $34USD on Sephora exclusively as this is a Sephora brand. I checked out Kat Von D's site but it links its makeup back to Sephora. *_*


I reckon it's an excellent palette for the price and amount. (8 x 0.05 oz. / 8 x 1.4 g.)



My Verdict:

Thumbs up of course!!! You only heard me raving so far but no ranting at all. If I really want to find faults from this palette, it is its availability!!! We don't have Sephora here and so we don't have Kat Von D... Sigh...


Get it while the stock lasts if you can wear warm greens! You don't want to know how much trouble I went through to get that already discontinued Limited Edition Orchestra... Well, that's another story!



Ingredients:

Click on the picture to view details.

Related Posts:

Review/FOTD: Sephora Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette - Beethoven

Review: Shiseido The Makeup Hydro-Powder Eye Shadow (spring/summer 06, spring/summer, 07spring/summer 08)

Review: Make Up For Ever Eye Shadow And Powder Blush



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #125, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Makeup Brand: Empro & Revew/Swatch/FOTD: Empro Triangular Eyebrow Pencils

I first noticed Empro, said to be "the only eye brows and lips specialist", locally Malaysian owned makeup brand when I was walking in Mega Mall one day end of last year. I also remembered seeing its eyebrow pencils in some SASA stores. But I didn't know that they actually had a stand-alone boutique. Actually, I thought Empro was a Korean brand!

Out of curiosity, I checked out the sizable stand-con-studio station to see what's selling. (Besides, anything to help my unruly brows would be a plus!)


The sales assistant gave me a couple of brochures to read about its services. These are what they do.


Ero Embroidery

Malaysia’s first of its kind trendy and most effective eyebrow embroidery methodology that gives you a natural yet vivid look.


Ebrow Embroidery

Embroidery of ebrow can add fullness, shape, symmetry & defined color tones to fair brows. Giving you more elegant, vivid and refined natural eyebrows.


Eliner Embroidery

Semi-permanent eyeliner can shape and define the eyes, either natural or dramatically.


Korean Eyelash Perming & Extension

Is a safe and effective way to keep your lashes curled and beautiful all the time.


Elips Embroidery

The second to none most effective painless silky smooth method of Tokyo lips that provides you a semi-permanent colourful natural lips with moisturizing effect. - Empro brochure

Apparently, there are more services than what's stated in the brochure.

Laser tattoo removal?

Me: (OK, what's all the gibberish about?) What's Ebrow?

SA: Oh it stands for eyebrow...

Me: What's Korean eyelash perming? Is it different from say, Japanese eyelash perming?

SA: Oh, it's a popular eyelash perming method in Korea so your lashes stay curled... I don't know about Japanese method. I am sure they have but this is very popular in Korea...

Me: (Grrr... Getting pushy and losing patience...) What's Elips? What's Tokyo Lips?

SA: E stands for Embroidery. Tokyo Lips is using embroidery to make your lips looking more coloured and smoother so you have less lines...

Me: (Licking my dry and chapped lips unconsciously...) I thought you said this was Malaysia owned? Do you have anything made locally?

SA: Er, no... But this is Malaysian owned. We just adopted these popular methods from overseas. But we do have a star patented eyebrow product called Triangular Eyebrow Pencils.

*The conversation was done between 1/2 English & 1/2 Cantonese which I have no clue whatsoever so it might be off somewhat!



So I checked its Triangular Eyebrow Pencils.... It read:



- Triangular tip with thick & thin lead.
- long lasting
- No re-sharpening.
- 100% natural ingredients.
- In 2 easy steps.
- 5 attractive shades for all styles.
- Each shades could draw up to 3 ton colours.
- Created by empro International Face Art specialist.
- Made in Korea (???)
- Available @ Watsons, SASA. empro



(OK, I think I'd pass it. I am not a person who will want all those services...) I thanked the SA and I left the store. Wow, perm my lashes? Over my dead body!!!






Then my kid sister-in-law showed me her lash extension few days later! (That girl is always trying out weird new stuff and experiments on herself! I've gotta talk to her soon!) I was speechless! What on earth???!!! She was so excited that she danced with her newly extended lashes in front of me . I had a close inspection and surprised to find them really natural. I asked all the normal questions - was it painful, how long would it last & etc. She said it's totally painless and it would last for 3 months or so depends on how you treat your lashes...


Now I was really intrigued! I wish I could have lashes as long and curly as what she had on. They just look like wearing natural looking false lashes. And sure enough, her lashes did last for a few months without needing mascara! Now that's something I need to consider about as I find applying mascara the most tedious and taxing part of my makeup routine and my lashes sometimes don't look right.


But I am a chicken-shit so I passed that once again...


Then another sister-in-law of mine came to return the Make Up For Ever Eye Brow Kit that I bought for her few months back. (She has almost unseen brows so I got my HG brow product for her to try.) She said it's better for me to keep it as it's of no use for her. (We are a close family and honest is our policy, but for better or for worse?)


She then told me that she's found a much better product called Empro Triangular Eyebrow Pencils. (What the hell???!!!) And she proudly showed me her pencil. She said she got this at a SASA store nearby and it's so easy to use. She said she has 2 little kids and the 3rd is on the way so there is no time for her to do her brows with 2 tiny brushes and a tube of brow cream. (Well, that's quite true though so I forgave her in my mind... :P)


She said, this Empro pencil, however, didn't need to be sharpened and so easy to use because it's triangular shaped! But she also mentioned there are only 5 colours and may not have a colour dark enough for my black brows. She suggested me trying it out in a store. (I was speechless! I know how busy and how clueless she is with makeup. Therefore, if a product works so well for her, it should do a trick or two for me too! I've gotta try out this product, no matter how!)


One thing lead to another, this brow pencil just slipped my mind as I had been tied up with other issues. Then one day, while I was waiting for my son's violin lesson, I spotted the famous Empro pencils in a Watsons store! I quickly went in the store and tried out all the pencils.


I picked up e5- natural grey as it's the closest shade I could get for my very black eyebrows. (Besides, it said it could draw up to 5 colour tones.)

Empro Triangular Eyebrow Pencils







Opened








Swatches of all shades

The natural grey didn't look very promising for my very dark brows but I got it for the sake of trying. I knew that pencil makeup and I weren't best friends but since this one didn't need to be sharpened, I wouldn't kill it by sharpening right?


(And it was having a 15% off some 39MYR++... And my sister-in-law said it's about 49MYR or something in SASA...) The price itself was another factor that prompted me to try it... *_*


PS: This pencil contains 0.09 oz. / 0.25 g. of product.


So I tested and tested and tested. Many moon and FOTDs later, I can finally talk about this product.


First, the brush couldn't keep my messy brows intact (as all other brow brushes I've tried so I was not very disappointed.) Second, the colour e5 natural grey didn't match with my black brows. (This was more a problem for me!) Here is one example. You can see the end of my brow looking grey instead of black. In real life, it was even lighter.

However, I have to admit that this is the easiest brow pencil that I have tried in my life. The triangular shape helps drawing the brows from thick brow to the fine tip on the end in one or two strokes. When I make a mistake, I can use a cotton swab to erase it and redo the part in a tick. And the colour is lasting too, though I don't think it's waterproof as I can remove it with water (aided by some rubbing).


The only drawback with this product for me is the colour-matching. It fail to produce the 5 colour tones by layering. I guess it's because of its hard texture? I am not sure as I am not an expert on brow pencils. What I do know is that even though it's more troublesome to use my HG Make Up For Ever Brow #3 , at least that dark brown cream works on my black brows so long as I smudge it properly but this Empro Eyebrow Pencil can't. What a shame!


having said that, I have to give Empro credit on the good quality brow brush although it can't tame my super unruly brows for long. It's still one of the better brow brush I have tried.

Though this product isn't right for me, I have seen great results on the ladies around me who use this pencil. But please keep in mind that they all have very thin and almost unseen brows (either by natural or manmade...) I am the only human soul endowing au natural brows walking around I think!!! I repeat again, I am a chicken-shit so I have no guts to have my brows trimmed as thin and precise as what's on most ladies! All I do is to pluck the messy weeds off between the brows and eyes. And I also trim off the ones that's too long. So, no, I am most definitely not the right person to test brow products. (I have used a few clear mascara to tame my brows in the past but have yet to find one that kept my straight, downcast brow hair sideways for long!)



My Verdict:


This is a cheap drugstore product that does its wonders provided you don't have tough unruly brows like mine and can find a colour match. It's certainly a worthwhile product as it's super easy to use and great for travelling since it has a built-in brush and there is no sharpening needed. You just twirl the pencil as you use it. My personal poor experiences with brow products have come one step upwards from no-brow-pencils-at-all to I-can-use-it! Besides, I have seen with my own eyes how great it works on many people. Therefore, this is a promising product in my opinion.


Unfortunately, this product is yet to be listed on SASA site. I surely hope it gets on that site soon so all of you brow pencil fans could have a go!


Now I am going off to have my brows trimmed (by myself again) while contemplating whether or not to have my lashes extended... Should I? Anyone?



Ingredients:

Related Post:

Review: Make Up For Ever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector Brow Kit (#3)



Lastly, this is Connie, owner of Skin Deco's experience with Empro (Absolutely Loving My New Eyebrows). Please have a look at that post, if you are interested. She's got fabulous brows to show you unlike mine!



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #125, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.

Review/Makeup Application/Swatch: Ego QV Lip Balm SPF 20

This is a review long overdue. I had been talking about this wonderful product in my previous posts but failed to write a review on itself. I apologize for the delay.

Ego QV Lip Balm SPF 20

Product Description:





Soothing gel for dry lips

Helps to protect your lips from the damaging effects of the wind and sun with a moisturising and soothing balm that keeps your lips soft and supple. Formulated with a protective sunscreen, QV Lip Balm helps prevent sunburn and premature ageing while hydrating dry, chapped and sensitive lips.

Benefits

Repairs and protects even the most dry and sensitive lips
Uniquely shaped glide-on applicator is soft on lips and doesn’t drag across the surface like solid sticks can.
Broad spectrum SPF 20 protection.
Free from fragrance, colour, lanolin, PABA and propylene glycol. - Ego







How it works for me:


You can see from this picture below that this is a creamy lip balm in a squeezable tube. I like it being in a squeezable tube because it's more hygienic. And its being a creamy paste instead of a solid tube is less strenuous on my already dry and easily chapped lips. I don't like the feeling of a lipstick type lip balm dragged across my lips. It is like scrubbing my lips instead of moisturizing it.


Also, as it's creamy and pasty, it is easy to be mixed with Pigments to form colour lip balms. I have written about how that works in this post.

Though I do mix this lip balm with Pigments, it's not my normal routine. I don't have that much time sitting down mixing it with Pigments to a right colour for my everyday makeup. I reserve that for the fun days. This collage below shows how I utilize QV Lip Blam during normal days.

From the picture you can see that I have dry lips (upper left). I purposely left the dead skin on to show you how dry my lips are without anything on. I usually have to use a soft toothbrush to get rid of the dead skin at night then apply Pure Vitamin E Oil so my lips will look and fell smoother the next day before I wear any lip products. You can read about my lip care in this post.


Now, you can see that my lips looked less wrinkly when I applied QV Lip Balm on (upper right).


You can also see the obvious lip lines on my lips through Shiseido The Makeup Perfect Rouge RS 306 when the lips were not prepped with anything. How scary those lips were!!! Suddenly that Perfect Rouge wasn't so perfect!


Then I topped it up with QV Lip Balm and you can see the instant transformation. I applied the lip balm OVER the lipsticks as that's how I'd do it normally. I prefer using Pure Vitamin E Oil on my bare lips before lip colours but using Lips Balm like a lip gloss, on top of whatever colour I wear. I read it somewhere that this method will create healthier and shinier looking lips.


So I like how it feels and look on me. But is it good for me?


Well, I think it is. It has SPF 20 to protect my lips from the sun's harmful UV ray. It's also fragrance and many allergic-causing agents free. And the fact that it's Australian made leads me to believe it's not a hoax based on how strict Australia is with all its pharmaceutical products. Other than all the above, it really moisturizes my lips well without giving the oily feel (which I find in products like Aquaphor.)


This is about 19MYR a tube now. It is a cheap drugstore product and you can find it on this site for $5.15USD or you can try this site (which says offering worldwide free shipment) for $13.99USD a piece. (Apparently it includes the "free shipment" in the price tag!)


This is my HG Lip Balm. Enough said!



Ingredients:

Related Posts:

Review/Swatch: Make Up For Ever Star Powder Iridescent Fuschia 951, Iridescent Orange 952 & Makeup Application: Using Pigments On Lips

Review: Colonial Dames Pure Vitamin E Oil

Swatch: Chanel Lift Lumiere Firming And Smoothing Fluid Makeup; Question: Lip Care

Review: Shiseido The Makeup Perfect Rouge & Swatches - Every Shade But One!



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #125, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

If you are not reading this on mymakeupreviews.blogspot.com or in a feed reader, this site has stolen my content.