Review: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss

Product Description:
The Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss comes in a chic black, gold and clear plastic tube. Inside it, it comes with a doe foot applicator. The glossy formula by Revlon combines sheer color and intense moisture with light-reflecting spheres to create amazing shine. It also contains SPF 15. Each tube contains 0.2fl oz (5.9ml) of product.

From left to right: Coral Reef, Peach Petal, Nude Lustre, Pink Pursuit

Formula/Texture:
I actually really like the texture of these lip glosses a lot. They go on smoothly and are not sticky at all. There is a slight sweet vanilla scent.

From left to right: Coral Reef, Peach Petal, Nude Lustre, Pink Pursuit

Colours:
They have a good variety of colours to choose from. I find the colours to be pigmented, especially those from the Summer 2010 collection (Coral Reef, Peach Petal).

Here's what I own:
Coral Reef: A really bright, neonish-looking coral. I love how bright this is. It's a lovely shade if you like bright bold colours.
Peach Petal: A milky pale nude peach. This shade is really pale so it can make you look dead. But you can layer over other lip sticks or mix with other lip glosses to lighten the initial colour.
Nude Lustre: A neutral beige peach or maybe pink. It's kind of hard to describe such a neutral colour. But it's my MLBB colour. I think this would suit most people.
Pink Pursuit: A slightly sheer medium pink with subtle silver shimmers and glitters. The colour doesn't really appear on my pigmented lips. I'm not fond of Pink Pursuit because this particular formula stings my lips whenever I apply it. I think it's probably due to the glitters. :(

Price:
These retail for SGD$19.90 in Singapore. You can get them for US$6.99 from online stores like Drugstore.com.

Overall Thoughts:
I actually think Revlon makes the best drugstore lip glosses. I really like these Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses a lot. They are my current favourites and I would highly recommend them if you like non-sticky lip glosses. I just wish they'll release more colours in Singapore.

Review: Daiso Blushes - Ellefar Multi Cheek in Beige and Orange

A while back, I was wondering whether there is any cheap (inexpensive) makeup selling in Singapore. I did a little bit of research and of course Daiso was one of the brands mentioned.

For $2, you can get these Daiso blushes Ellefar Multi Cheeks. They are packaged really nicely and in fact, look similar to Canmake Cheek Gradation blushes.

I picked up Ellefar Multi Cheeks in Orange and Beige. I was really drawn to Beige in the box as it's a super pretty peachy pink shade.

From left to right: Ellefar Multi Cheeks in Orange and Beige

Orange is a burnt orange shade which is a little too dark for me but I think it will look nice on slightly medium tanned skin. Beige is this peachy pink shade, which should be flattering on most skintones. When swatched, there's a little bit of shimmer but it's not noticeable on the face. I do not find the blush shades to be extra unique after trying them out but still, these are very decent blushes for the price you are paying. As you can see from the swatches, these blushes are super pigmented. You might want to apply with a light hand when using these.

These blushes come with blush applicators. I usually like to keep the applicators inside the casing (and use them if the bristles are soft) but I would recommend throwing these out because they have a strong chemical smell. Just use your own blush brush.

For $2, I would say these Daiso blushes are definitely worth a try. They are budget friendly for those unwilling to spend too much money on makeup and those who don't really apply makeup often.

There is a total of 4 shades. There's one in Pink, which is just a very sweet pink shade and another in Brown, a dark brown shade which is more suitable for contouring.

Review: E.L.F Mineral Lipsticks

I've been wanting to do swatches for the E.L.F Mineral Lipsticks for a while so finally got down to doing it while cleaning out my stash.

I actually did a "partial" review on some of these lipsticks quite some time ago.

My opinion is pretty much still the same. While I do have some favourites from the range, the E.L.F mineral lipsticks are probably just average. The constitency of the lipsticks is not the same for all. They may be creamy but some glide so smoothly while others can look unflattering on dry lips.

From left to right: Rosy Raisin, Barely Bitten, Runway Pink, Rosy Tan,

Bare Brown, Cool Coral, Party Pink, Natural Nymph

In case you are wondering, the colours look nothing like the colourful stickers on it.

From left to right: Rosy Raisin, Rosy Tan, Natural Nymph, Barely Bitten

From left to right: Cool Coral, Runway Pink, Party Pink, Bare Brown

My favourite from the range is probably Natural Nymph. It's a very pale beige pink shade. It's almost like a lip concealer if I apply it on and can make me look dead. But that's precisely why I like it because I use it in that manner in order to cover my pigmented lips and then go over with a pigmented nude lip gloss to achieve nude lips. The consistency for Natural Nymph can be rather drying so it's best to exfoliate your lips before you use.

My other favourite is Barely Bitten, which is a sheer red lipstick which is buildable. It glides on super smoothly and the reason I like it is because it's just like its name. It gives a lip tint effect. It's a wearable red  lip colour to try if you want to experiment with red lips but do not want a full on red lips effect.

Rosy Raisin and Rosy Tan are neutral shades that I don't mind wearing. Cool Coral is a more orangey reddish shade, not truly  reflected in swatches. It also has gold shimmers in it. It's actually weird to be named Cool Coral when there's nothing coral about it. Runway Pink is more a bude baby pink while Party Pink is a brighter pink compared to it. (The pinks look the same to me. I had Nicely Nude too but had to throw out as it grew mouldy. :() Bare Brown is just a straight up brown. I wouldn't recommend it if you are fair to light skintone for I don't know what you can use it for. -.-

These retail for US$5. I would probably recommend getting them only during the E.L.F sales.

Review: Stila Collectible Travel Palette No. 1: Road to Radiance - Across the USA

Did some swatching so here's a quick review.

What it is: Follow this Stila Girl around the world and get five complete looks!What it does: Road to Radiance is the first in a five-part series of collectible palettes. It includes Stila's award-winning eyehadows in four trend-setting shades: Snow Bunny (shimmery champagne), Southern Belle (mauve), Valley Girl (pink), and City Chick (alloy). The palette also includes Convertible Color in "Hibiscus", a limited-edition shade, and a built-in mirror for easy application and touch-ups on the go.

What else you need to know: Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kylie is at a career crossroads. She's an educated, intelligent, and passionately creative twenty-something with the entire world at her fingertips. She's also a free spirit and wary of being held back by a 9-to-5 job. So on a whim, Kylie jumped in her car and decided to live out her life-long dream of crisscrossing the USA, discovering her native country, and finding herself along the way. Join Kylie on the journey of a lifetime, as she travels across the country and uncovers twelve of America's most interesting cities. She mingles with the residents, immerses herself in local culture, and-of course-shares her travel itinerary with you!

From left to right: Snow Bunny, Southern Belle, Valley Girl, City Chick, Convertible Color in Hibiscus

After swatching, I realised I haven't really tried out this palette yet. The eyeshadow pigmentation for this palette was a little disappointing. Basically each swatch takes two swipes to get colour out of it.Snow Bunny is more of a sheer silverish white highlighter, Southern Belle is a sheer greyish mauve , Valley Girl is a very sweet pink. They all have some form of shimmer in it. City Chick is a matte burgundy brown.

But I was really impressed by the Convertible Color in Hibiscus. It's a sweet rosey pink. It's actually super pretty. Kind of surprised I didn't notice it earlier. The Convertible Color doubles as blush and a lip tint. It blends really well so I'm really liking this.


Stila Collectible Travel Palettes retail for USD$10 but I don't think these are still available on their website or in stores anymore. Try Ebay or Amazon if you are interested in picking one to try out.

Review: VOV Castledew Extreme Pearl Up Eyes

I bought the VOV Castledew Extreme Pearl Up Eyes online a while back. Been wanting to try out some of the eyeshadows from the range because I've read some raves about it, especially their palettes.

I picked up VOV Castledew Extreme Pearl Up Eyes in VL331 Midnight Deep Violet and VOV Castledew Pearl Up Eyes in 9933 Glam Gold.

From left to right: Extreme Pearl-Up Eyes in VL331, Pearl-Up Eyes in 9933

If you are wondering how the eyeshadow packaging looks like, it looks like this. Couldn't snap a proper photo without the shiny surface reflecting off all the light. The packaging does have a cheap plastic feel but looks really pretty like a gem.

From left to right: Extreme Pearl-Up Eyes in VL331, Pearl-Up Eyes in 9933

VL331 Midnight Deep Violet is a medium purple shade with visible microglitters. But when applied, the glitters don't show up as much. It's a really pretty pearly purple shade. Love it.

9933 Glam Gold is no doubt pretty but a little disappointing for me. I was expecting more of a pearly champagne gold but it's more of a pearly beigey gold. It goes on looking like my eyelid colour. Would work well as an all over eyelid shade or highlighter.

From left to right: Extreme Pearl-Up Eyes in VL331, Pearl-Up Eyes in 9933

I actually really enjoy these eyeshadows and was super happy when I got these since they are so pretty. Both colours have decent pigmentation. If you like eyeshadows with pearl finishes, definitely check out the range.

I got these off Gmarket. John Little Singapore carries the VOV brand but I've yet to check whether these VOV Castledew eyeshadows. Will definitely get more if I see them.

Review: E.L.F Studio Cream Eyeliner

Here's my quick review on E.L.F Studio Range Cream Eyeliner. I swept up 3 colours - Coffee, Midnight and Ivory in one of their sales.

E.L.F Cream Eyeliners in Coffee, Midnight and Ivory

These cream eyeliners come in little plastic square jars. Super adorable. I love the packaging to the max until I realised they were a pain to close tightly (which is a must when dealing with cream or gel liners). Sometimes the screw caps just wouldn't align properly with the jars leaving a gap, which makes you frustrated that air might get it and dry up the liners. Not pleasant when you're in a rush.

The texture of the cream eyeliners differs a little when I first tried it out. The darker shades were creamy but seem to be of a drier consistency as compared the Ivory cream liner. Ivory was nice and fluffy like a mixture of a cream mousse formula.

Swatches: Coffee, Midnight and Ivory (provided by E.L.F website)

The colours are rather accurate on the E.L.F site (they had revamped the site with better pictures. I'm impressed).

Cream Eyeliner in Coffee is a true matte medium chocolate brown. It's just very natural looking. Cream Eyeliner in Midnight is a very dark shade of midnight blue. The swatch for Midnight isn't as accurate for this as it is a lot darker and you can't really see the blueness in it. It's almost as dark as a black. When swatched, the colour goes on pigmented but not very intense. To darken it, you just have to build on a few layers to make it dark. It dries up really fast so you'll have to work really fast. Once it dries up, it wouldn't budge at all and if u keep rubbing it, it flakes. This is kind of terrible to work with if you are intending to use it as an eyeshadow base. When applied with a finger on the eyelids, it dries up almost instantenously making the base look patchy. These 2 cream eyeliners do smudge after a day of long wearing so do remember to use some eye primer before using the cream eyeliners.

Cream Eyeliner in Ivory is a shimmery white paste. I couldn't really figure out whether it should be considered shimmery or sparkly but there's so many multicoloured tiny glitter bits that's so shimmery and it's just so pretty. The texture is super smooth and can be applied sheer and I love it as an eyeshadow base. It doesn't really intensify eyeshadow colours that much but if you layered an eyeshadow that has a pearl sheen, the pearl sheen really intensifies making the colour on the eyelid look more 3-dimensional. If you applied a matte eyeshadow over, the sparkles in it changes the eyeshadow into a more interesting colour. It's just so fun for me to play with this. Alternatively, if you don't want to use it that way, just pop it on at the inner corner of the eye to bring attention to your eyes. It's such a sparkly colour but not so overwhelming and eye catching as compared to when you use a true white eyeliner.

Overall, I find the darker eyeliner shades all right only. They are a pretty good deal for the price you pay and they do work but I'm just not super impressed. I'm not sure if I got a bad batch for the Cream Liner in Midnight just seem very dry to me. Cream Liner in Coffee was nice, just something I'll use for a natural makeup look. I like Coffee a little more than Maybelline's Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Brown. I would definitely repurchase the Cream Eyeliner in Ivory though.

Review: NYX Eyeshadow Base

Ok, I've finally finished testing NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skintone which I bought not too long ago. The colour looks nothing like that as the photo taken by NYX website (above).


The NYX Eyeshadow Base comes in a plastic jar with a white cap. The colour is a orangy beige colour that looks darker than NYX Concealer in A Jar in Beige. It is lighter when applied. It is a really creamy base which I had no problem blending but it dries fast when applied so you have to work fast.

On NC25 skin, it has an obvious orange tinge in swatches. As the base can be blended, you can just apply a thinner layer to make it less obvious. When applied on my eyes, the orange tinge wasn't that obvious for me. As I have dark shadows on my eyelids (due to thinner skin ), this eyeshadow base really helps in concealing and correcting all the darkness on the eyelids that I want to be gone. It glides on really smoothly and smoothes the creases on the eyes for me. I find it easy to blend out. The base goes on, giving a sheer coverage.

As a eyeshadow base, I really do not find that it intensifies eyeshadows as stated. You do get colour payoff compared to not using any base or primer but I find it to be average. You might get better payoff working with a good eyeshadow primer instead. There was something I did not like about how the eyeshadows turned out after applying over this base. I couldn't put a finger to it and so I did several swatch tests of this with E.L.F Mineral Primer, L'Oreal De-Crease Primer, Urban Decay Primer Potion, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (yes, I have that many. Too bad I have no pictures for this because my camera has broken down). So in short, although colour payoff for eyeshadow applied over this NYX eyeshadow base was decent, there were some colours that didn't turn out the way they should. I had problems with colours that were reddish copper or burgundy purple that turned up darker or more brownish. I believed it's due to the orange tinge in the base affecting it. Somehow the base darkens some of the colours instead of intensifying it.

Overall, I'm not really liking this product as an eyeshadow base to apply eyeshadows over. It is kind of dark. It works fine for me but probably wouldn't work for someone who's fairer than NC25. If you have perfectly fine eyelids (no dark shadows), using it will leave your eyelids looking orange which is pointless. However, I really like how it corrects all the darkness on my eyelids. I would probably use it on days when I don't feel like wearing eyeshadow, just to make the area around my eyelids look less dark. Another use I've found for it is probably as an undereye concealer. Even though coverage for this is sheer, it does help to conceal a little bit of dark eye circles. I suppose it works well as a "orange" corrector and since its consistency is really smooth, it doesn't make the undereye area look dry.

As most cream bases crease on me, usually i would use eyeshadow primer (to prevent creasing) before applying any cream base over to make eyeshadows stick. As this product doesn't work magic for my eyeshadows, it's really pointless for me to do it this way. You can give it a go with this method if it creases for you or the eyeshadow base in another colour (White and Pearl) works for you.

Item retails for USD $6.00 on Cherryculture.com

Comparision between NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk and NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skintone

If you can't decide between the two, maybe this would help. The NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk has a slightly creamy and sticky consistency. It is opaque white. You can apply on a thick layer to get a white canvas on the lids or blend it out sheer for a sheer wash of base to let eyeshadows stick on. Colours go on vibrantly and it's really good to have as a cream base to work with. The NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil definitely creases if applied on its own. Due to its sticky consistency, it can be hard to blend. Once you pat your eyeshadows on, they wouldn't budge as freely as it normally would (when done without any base).

The NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skintone has a creamy and slightly greasy feel and dries to a clean finish without any stickness. I find it to be easier to blend on top of it as compared to using the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil as a cream base. In terms of colour payoff, it was a little disappointing since it did not intensify colours as much compared to the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil.

Review: Revlon Matte Eyeshadows

I purchased a couple of Revlon matte eyeshadows from Ulta.com during their Buy-One-Get-One-Free (BOGO) sale. These are from the Matte collection.

From top left to top right: Vintage Lace, Peach Sorbet, Luscious Lime, Riveria Blue, Aubergine, Rich Sable

For the longest time, I've been wanting these. It took me a while to get hold of them and I'm glad I got these.

The packaging is really simple and neat, which I really like. It's not shiny so you wouldn't get your fingerprints all over.

The eyeshadows are all matte. Colours are duller than presented in my photos. The powder is velvety smooth to the touch and pigmented when you swipe your fingers through it. However, they don't give you the pigmentation you want out of it when you swatched them. For light colours, you get a sheer, somewhat chalky colour out of it. For the dark colours, you get a not too sheer, but not highly opaque dark colour you wished for. You get a dark smoked out shadow colour, but just not the full intensity of the colour you see.

From top left to top right: Vintage Lace, Peach Sorbet

Vintage Lace is a light cream colour. It is my favourite out of the lot and I would definitely recommend this. It works awesome as a highlighter. The cream doesn't really show and it appears as a white with a satin finish (slight subtle shine) when you used it under the browbone as highlight. I really love it loads since it makes whatever eye makeup you had on, look more polished.

Peach Sorbet is a soft peachy pink shade. It looks really yummy in the pan but comes off as chalky peach shade for me. I was planning to use it as an all over lid colour. It works and matches the darker eyeshadows from this collection well but I just don't really fancy it. Works well as a highlighter too if you don't like white/cream highlighters.

From top left to top right: Luscious Lime, Riveria Blue

Luscious Lime is a gorgeous bright lime green in the pan but was the most disappointing out of the lot. The colour payoff was really bad and it was just a very sheer, chalky and somewhat green shade which is not very noticeable. I wouldn't recommend this at all. It is a joy to look at this but it doesn't really work well despite trying all kinds of eye bases with it. Luscious Lime with Rich Sable is a lovely combo though if you don't mind a light and sometimes barely noticeable shade of green on the lid.

Riveria Blue is a gorgeous dark navy blue. The colour is really pretty but colour is not that intensive unless you really pack it on with the sponge tip applicator. Great when smoked out.

From top left to top right:Aubergine, Rich Sable

Aubergine is a very deep greyish plum. The colour is so dark and grey(duller than in photos) that you really can't tell it comes from the purple/plum family. I do not adore the colour on its own since it's so dull and dark and not purple but when I paired with other more vibrant purple eyeshadows, I changed my mind. It's pretty good as a darker crease colour.

Rich Sable is a rich dark true chocolate brown. I really love this colour too because it smokes out really well. You can use this as a brow powder for your eyebrows too since it's matte and colour is buildable.

Overall, I enjoyed these eyeshadows although they don't sound easy to work with. Keep in mind these are not the eyeshadows you want if you want to buy something really pigmented and show up on the eyelids. The darker shades are really good for smoking out and the sheer application of "not so opaque" colours makes it very buildable.

I had to ditch the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil as eye base for this because these eyeshadows are hard to blend with NYX as bases. I had to use Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow Quad as eye base to make them work.

I also had some problems getting my eyeshadow brushes to pick up enough eyeshadows or blend properly. Such a pain to work with. I highly recommend to just use the sponge tip applicator when working with the darker shades as it's just easier. Pack on more layers of colours where you need it to be darker and a smoked out look can be obtained easily. The smoked out effect/look is pretty to wear when you don't want to go for a smokey look where you paint your eyelids completely black/blue/purple etc. You get gradations of darkness which I find it rather alluring and sultry.

These are just some of my tips, I hope they work for you.

I still think they are pretty good for matte drugstore eyeshadows since cheap matte eyeshadows are hard to find. Will be picking up the remaining colours like Tempting Teal (dark green shade) and Venetian Blue (dupe for MAC's Electric Eel) when I have the chance to.

Reviews: E.L.F Studio Brushes Part 2

I can't sleep.

On to part 2 of the review for E.L.F Studio Brushes. (Oh my god, E.L.F studio has new stuff again. :( )

Kabuki Face Brush



The E.L.F studio kabuki is quite big and fat. The bristles are really soft to the touch. It's not dense but still well packed. Love the brush on the face because it's just so soft. Had been using it for quite a while and I really like it. Would prefer it for buffing finishing powder instead of powder foundation cos the coverage it gives is on the sheer side since it's not dense enough.

Blush Brush



I totally adore this brush now. Didn't try it for the longest while since I was hooked to the Powder Brush for blush application. Wished I did so earlier soI could order more. The E.L.F Studio blush brush is quite a tiny brush (for a blush brush). It's really small with a rounded head. It's a flat brush. This brush is really good for precise blush application, when you just want the blush to go on the apples on your cheeks etc. I tested it with mineral blushes and pigmented blushes and it picks up just the right amount without making the face overdone. Love it to bits. However I don't like to use the brush for blending. You might want to use any brush to blend out the brush as it gets it done faster. Have yet to use this brush for applying contour. I should be trying soon.

Contour Brush



This brush is really soft. I really like the touch of it and how cute the head looks. The head is dome-shaped. Ok, as a contour brush, I find it's only all right. The bristles are too short if you want to use it for defined crease application. The ferrel, on the other hand, is too wide and circular for the bristles so they protrude out a little more. When applying eyeshadow in the crease, the ferrel can be kind of scratchy, especially if you are planning to dig the brush in deep to the socket and blend.. It's not very pleasant. If you want to use it blending, it doesn't do as good a job as the E.L.F blending brush from their regular US$1 line. The feeling of it brushing to and fro feels spongy.

However, I think it works well as a pencil brush. It's good for applying eyeshadows precisely in corners, on the lid, or under the lash line. Light blending is all right, just not when you need to blend at the crease line to get a defined crease. They should change the name of it.


Read Part 1 here.

Review: NYX The Caribbean Collection - I Dream of Barbados

It's been a while. I'm back to blog.

Am reviewing NYX The Caribbean Collection 5 Color Eyeshadow Palette - I Dream of Barbados.



The palette is really gorgeous. Kindly refer to the original photo taken by NYX as colour shows up more true.

Anyway, I picked up this palette from mscuppycakes.com before they jacked up their shipping rates -pouts- (now I can't get small NYX hauls fast anymore). This palette is love. Totally adore it.

Like the other NYX eyeshadow palettes, it comes with a cardboard packaging. This palette is longer and slimmer than the 10 color eyeshadow palettes which I picked up earlier. Comes with a long mirror and it has 2 eyeshadow applicators instead of only one.

I'm really amazed by the quality of NYX's Caribbean collection "I Dream of Barbados" palette. The texture of the eyeshadow is really fine and creamy and blends beautifully. The 10 color eyeshadow palettes have a good amount of pigmentation but some of the colours just don't work. Some are too glittery and some can be too chalky. So maybe out of 10 colours, you'll only like half or more. Whereas for this palette, I seriously like all 5 colours.

Colours from left to right:
1. ████████ Light muted lavender shade with slight shimmer frost.
2. ████████ Charcoal black with shimmers.
3. ████████ Cool toned pastel pink.
4. ████████ Light silver grey with slight shimmers.
5. ████████ Medium purple with slight shimmer frost.

The purples in the palette are quite muted. Not very loud if you are worried they turn up really garish on the eyes. The colours look matte and the shimmers/frost are really subtle. The black is really easy to work with. It's super dark and blends wonderfully. The cool toned pink brings a pop of colour to the eye though I don't really use it.

Overall I really like this palette. Was able to create smokey look with this. Made my eyes look bigger. Totally adore the texture of the eyeshadows.

If you haven't tried this, go and get one as soon as possible. For the same price, you can pick up either the NYX 10 colors eyeshadow palette or this Caribbean collection 5 colors eyeshadow palette. If you really want a lot of colours to work with, you can pick up the 10 colors eyeshadow palette for variety. However, if you already have a preference of colours you want, for instance you just want a grey smokey or a taupe/brown smokey palette, maybe you can pick up the Caribbean palette instead. I think it offers better quality for lesser amount of eyeshadows (though I only bought one). The 10 colors palette may have 10 colours but I don't see the need to get 3 different kinds of blacks and maybe 5 different greys in one palette. (I need to change my "Lemmings" list. )

It's so good for makeup from day to night. You can use the 3 colours for day and the other 2 colours to darken the eye makeup for night. Really love how compact it is. And yes, I'm planning to get more the next time I buy from NYX again.

Review: E.L.F Studio Single Eyeshadows

Sorry ladies. I've been lazy. I haven't been buying makeup lately because I'm on a makeup ban. But I got myself hooked on buying clothes instead. Left me quite broke. :P

An E.L.F haul/review that I've been forgetting to post.

Oh my god, I sneaked a peek at E.L.F website and they have new items again. :( I want the lip stains. >.< Here's the Single Eyeshadows I bought from the E.L.F Studio line. These come in small packagings. I bought them all except maybe 3 colours.

From bottom left (in clockwise direction):

Coffee Bean, Wild Wheat, Butter Cream, Pebble, Amethyst, Mystic Moss, Charcoal

The colours in the picture above are not true. Refer to the website. It's almost true for all colours except Mystic Moss (which just looks like charcoal grey in the pan).

These eyeshadows are relatively pigmented. Not the best pigmentation but good enough to be used. I tested everything with an eyeshadow primer (L'oreal De-Crease).

Butter Cream: A rather unique shade. It's almost a gold but seems like a creamy yellow shade. Shimmery.
Wild Wheat: A soft brown. Almost like Milo (a chocolate drink). Doesn't really appear on me but great as a all over lid colour.
Coffee Bean: A dark brown with shimmers in it. My favourite. Gorgeous brown as a crease colour.
Pebble: A dark taupe shade with maybe some plums in it. A queer shade. It's too dark of a taupe and too weird for me. :(
Amethyst: Not really a purple. Maybe a plum. Definitely not what it looks like in pictures. It made my eyes look bruised (it might work better if I use a better eyeshadow primer since L'oreal De-crease doesn't really bring out the colours in Amethyst).
Mystic Moss: Supposedly a mossy green but it looks like grey in the pan. Very close to Charcoal except it has some hints of green. I supposed I like it since it's more unique compared to Charcoal.
Charcoal: A dark charcoal grey. Sheer and needs piling. Wouldn't give you that super intense dark grey you would want it to be.

All the eyeshadows have at least a little bit of shimmers in it except for Pebble, which seems matte. I think they are fairly decent eyeshadows. Not fabulous but for the price I paid, I wouldn't mind buying.

Overall, I think they are worth trying out if you like earth toned, more muted eyeshadows. Don't expect vibrant eyeshadows because they really are not. They are really on the dull/muted side but at least they have shimmers. Suitable for work. I would recommend just picking up a few shades to try if you are keen.

I love Coffee Bean a lot. It's my favourite brown. :)

Review: L'Oreal De-Crease Eye Shadow Base

I have been using L'Oreal De-Crease Eye Shadow Base for quite a long while. It's my first eyeshadow primer.

L'Oreal De-Crease Eye Shadow Base comes with a doe-foot wand applicator. It comes in only one shade which is said to be suitable for all skin tones. It retails for about US$8.48 (price taken from drugstore.com).

This primer looks similiar to L'oreal True Match Concealer, which I also own (in picture below).



L'oreal True Match Concealer has a liquid consistency while L'oreal De-crease has a slightly thicker consistency. The colour of L'oreal De-crease primer is a light beige shade. When applied, it blends out into a light beige colour over your eyelids making your eyes appear more awake since all the darkness on the lids is concealed. I like to just use this alone on the eyelids when I'm running out of time. I don't think it would work as well for darker skintones as the light beige appears really obvious on the lids so wouldn't really advise darker skintone ladies to just use this primer alone.

I'm really not a fan of this primer. It works really well for me initially and I totally adore how it makes me look so awake when used alone. However, gradually I realised the consistency of it just isn't perfect. There are times when it goes on smoothly and blends to a smooth finish. On unlucky days, it blends out to a blotchy finish, the kind of finish you get when you keep rubbing your concealer and it starts to flake. The primer dries fast and just doesn't blend to an even finish so you get patches of super obvious light beige here and there on the lids.

I hated it. But then of course, being me, I would give it another try again and again. So this review is written after I tried it for maybe 100+ times and still, it's the same. -gives face-

In terms of function, this works all right. It's just.....average. It works in making your eyeshadows appear on your eyelids. However, the colour doesn't intensify. You don't get your shadows as bright as they look in the pans. It lasted a couple of hours for me but I wouldn't recommend it for long wearing or heavy eye makeup.

(I think I'm losing touch with blogging. Just can't seem to find the right words or passion to blog. Or maybe I just hate this product. -lol-)

I'm still using it though. It actually works well for me with brands like Silky Girl (also known as Wet N Wild) eyeshadows, which have pretty and vibrant colours but for some reason, they don't appear all that pigmented for me. Else I'll just use it in the following way:

Primer -> Cream base (thin layer) -> Eyeshadow

You have to use the cream base after a primer else it will just crease like crazy. This works the best for all eyeshadows. At least for me so how the primer works doesn't really matter to me anymore.

I would advise you to save your money and invest in a better eye primer like Urban Decay Primer Potion or Two Faced Shadow Insurance (both retailing for about US$22) if your requirements in a primer is to make the eyeshadows pop, minimize creasing and make it last all day. L'oreal De-crease is really average to me and would be only a good alternative for short durations.

An even cheaper alternative worth considering is E.L.F Mineral Eye Primer (US$3). :)

New Hauls: Fyrinnae Eyeshadows, Glow Blushes and Lip Lustres

Here's my Fyrinnae haul I got a few weeks back.
** note: Fyrinnae is not exactly a mineral makeup line. They are a vegan makeup company. :P

Anyway, I bought 6 sample eyeshadows, 2 sample blushes (or glows) and 2 full-sized Lip Lustres. They gave me a free eyeshadow. :) I was so excited about my haul when I got these because everything is just so vibrant in real life. The pictures definitely don't do justice.



Their samples are really generous.

From Left: Digital Faerie, Anemone, We're All Mad Here

Digital Faerie was really vibrant and pretty blue which seems a little teal.
Anemone was a little sheer compared to the rest and is a light green blue.
We're All Mad Here is somewhat of a kiwi colour - yellow green.

From Left: Nijiro, Koala, Polar Bear (Freebie)

Nijiro is just a cream colour with different coloured sparkles in it.
Koala is supposed to be a rosy taupe but it seems very plumish to me in the jar. :\
Polar Bear (the freebie) is a gorgeous light gold shade.

From Left: Hypnotize(Glow Blush), Rapunzel Had Extensions, Enchant (Glow Blush)

Rapunzel Had Extensions is a beautiful peach shade. When applied on the eyes, it goes on a little sheer and the gold shimmers get really obvious.
Hypnotize looks mauve in the jar but I think it gives a very natural peach glow on the cheeks.
Enchant is this super bright (almost neon) bright coral blush (looks almost orange). It's super pigmented and gives the face a really nice glow. I use a little bit only but still make the face look overdone so you really have to be super light handed when using this.

Overall, I really like the eyeshadows. They are vibrant, beautiful and just.. hard to explain. When I play with Fyrinnae eyeshadows, I get totally blown away. You will understand what the owners of Fyrinnae meant about their shadows being " complex and "layered"". I get so fascinated how the shadows look whenever I play with these colours.

I actually owned a few more sample eyeshadows that I ordered before this haul and those were the reason I decided to order from them again. Breath-taking colours. You just really have to try them.

As for the glow blushes, I think they really do leave a nice "glow". But it can be quite a hassle to work with super pigmented blushes like these. I look drunk when I overapplied Enchant. :P

And here's the 2 Lip Lusters I got.

From top: Flavor of the Day, Meloncholy

Flavor of The Day is this semi-sheer peachy shade with gold shimmers.
Meloncholy is a lot brighter that in the picture. It's really...coral orange.

The lip lustres are supposed to work more like lip tints than lip glosses. They come with wand-like applicators and are scented in different flavours but I only remember a butter smell.

They are a little too runny for my liking. They are almost liquid and when rubbed on the lips, there's this slippery feeling that I didn't like. Flavor of the day was not very distinctly visible on the lips but it gives a metallic finish on the lips that I like. I don't see a huge difference between the 2 except Meloncholy was brighter and more orange.

I doubt I will buy the Lip Lustres in full sizes again. They have really nice colours and packaging but don't seem to last on me. Maybe applying lip glosses will work better.

If you are interested, definitely check out their site. You get free shipping for USD$20 of orders. Shipping time may take very long as they are famous for taking their time. I did get my haul faster than I expected so maybe they are better now. Be prepared to wait though. Usually they will update how fast their processing is on the website.

One more thing! Sometimes you just can't log in their website. It's most annoying so have a little patience. I had lots of hiccups getting in my orders that I almost gave up but I'm so so glad I did order these in the end.

Review: E.L.F Studio Complexion Perfection and Bronzers

Here's some goodies I got from the E.L.F 50% sale. Couldn't resist getting more from the E.L.F Studio range. :P





The ELF Complexion Perfection compact contains 4 corrector colours:

• Yellow (for correcting purple eye circles)
• Blue (for highlighting or correcting orange bruises)
• Green (for correcting any redness and neutralising red acne scars)
• Pink (for correcting green veins or eye circles and providing complexion with a radiant glow)

You can actually get more colours by mixing. For instance, you can get purple by mixing blue with pink. Purple can be used as a highlighter and dusted all over to make the face look less sallow.

The powder is very fine and sheer. They don't give much colour when swatched. The yellow shade is too sheer for correcting my dark eye circles. Would probably use it to dust over the area after using another concealer/corrector. I couldn't really find a use for the blue shade so didn't try that. (Think I'll try the purple trick next time.) The pink shade gave a mild radiant glow which was all right. I was however, surprised by the green shade. The green is very sheer so it needs a bit of piling before it works on the redness from my acne that I was trying to get rid of. I packed it on with an eyeshadow brush and it blends beautifully. It did not give me full coverage but the redness was neutralised by at least half without leaving an ugly green patch, which most green correctors usually do. I actually really like it and think I would use it the most.

If you blend all the 4 colours together, you get an almost white powder that can be used all over the face. It helps to neutralise colours that shouldn't be there and make your face look more radiant. I tested it on the face without any makeup on. It goes on sheer without much coverage. The finish was nice, somewhat satin-ish. I did notice my face look a little bit brighter and healthier.

Overall, I'm think I might repurchase this product. It's not superbly good but it's still fun to have. The green shade did come in handy for me but I'm not sure it's going to work for those who have plenty of redness in their skin since it's sheer. If you feel you have a lot of correcting (of redness or for correcting dark eye circles) to be done, you might be better off looking for another alternative compact/concealer that provides better coverage. However, if you just want to try out what a corrector compact (or complexion perfection compact as named by E.L.F) is like or you would like your correctors and loose powder to be in one compact for convenience, this could be what you are looking for.


From Left: Warm Bronzer, Golden Bronzer

The ELF Studio Bronzers are so pretty. I really like these (a lot) but I actually don't have that much to say about these. They are very shimmery and pigmented. I've swatched them side by side for comparison's sake but I don't see a huge difference in colours between them except the Warm Bronzer is a little darker than the Golden Bronzer. ( The Golden Bronzer doesn't look as dull in real life as in the photo I posted. My camera washes it out. It's still pretty with shades of gold and browns.)

I really like these but I think they are too shimmery to contour the face. They are however, very nice to use as highlighters/bronzers to dust on your cheekbones or all over to give it a sunkissed glow. They are shimmery when swatched but when on the face, it gives it a nice glow (with the shine but without the shimmer bits). I prefer Golden Bronzer as it's the lighter of the two and suits my skintone better. Warm Bronzer would probably suit you if you are slightly darker with more of a medium to dark skintone.

For more photos/swatches of these, you can check out this link. I know the blush in the Warm Bronzer looks really peachy in the swatches photos in the link but mine's not really the same. Mine's more shimmery than pigmented.

And oh, if they don't work as a bronzer for you, you can use them as eyeshadows too. I've tried. They don't go on as smooth as real eyeshadows but with a sticky base, it shouldn't be a problem. ^.^ (I love multi-functional products.)

Review: NYX Concealer in A Jar

Here's a review for NYX Concealer in a Jar. I have been using these for months so I think it's time for a review!

Got the picture from Google Images.

 Previous hotlinked images to NYX were removed several times.

It all started when I searched a frantic search for the perfect undereye concealer. I figured all my other liquid/stick drugstore concealers weren't really doing anything for me. So I decided to find a creamy concealer which would ensure better coverage for my dark eye circles. And so I found NYX!

NYX Concealer in A Jar has a total of 9 concealer shades (that's a huge variety). They also have 3 colour correctors shades, namely Yellow, Green and Lavender. These concealers/correctors come in a glass jar. It's almost a 5g sample jar size except the glass is extremely thick, making it look bigger.

Currently, I'm using Beige for my undereye circles. I also have 2 correctors: Yellow and Green.

Beige is a slightly darker match for my NC25-30 skin. I prefer using a slightly darker undereye concealer shade as I think it works better in terms of coverage. I hate it when I was pushed to buy lighter concealer shades by sales assistants and ended up making my dark eye circles look ashy instead. Would describe Beige as a medium beige concealer with lots of yellow in it. (The picture I posted was not taken by me but it certainly looks like Beige in that picture.) It was perfect for me to use for concealing. The consistency is very creamy (not dry creamy but smooth creamy) and very easy to blend. Of course it would still cake and show off your fine lines if you pile on a lot so you just got to use it moderately. I really like that it's buildable and gives good amount of coverage.

I must say I really love it!

I've tried it for concealing acne and such but I don't think it's as good as compared to using it to conceal. It doesn't last as long for me. Moreover, this concealer contains mineral oil. I wouldn't really advise it for using it to conceal pimples as it might just irritate it instead if your skin is very sensitive towards mineral oil.

The correctors, however, were a disappointment for me. They are not bad but not what I expected. I wished they were a little deeper in colour.

Yellow is meant for correcting dark eye rings. It's a bright pastel yellow shade. When applied, it sheers out but on my eye circles, it comes off as a whitish patch. It doesn't really does much for me nor neutralises the purples tones in my eye circles. It certainly goes the job of brightening the eye area but I wouldn't use it alone. I think it would be better for those with fairer skintones as the "whitish patch" wouldn't be as obvious.

Green was a recent purchase. It is meant for neutralising redness in the face. It's a minty green shade. I used this on my acne just to see if it helps in reducing redness. My verdict is you really need to use just a minimal amount or the greenness would be obvious on the face. I'm not a fan after using it as I find it too much of a hassle. And maybe I shouldn't be using something with mineral oil on my acne (I'm sensitive to it.). But I think this would be great for those with rosacea problems and really want to neutralise all the redness on their face.

That's about it. Overall, I still like these concealers. Mineral oil bugs me at times but for the price, it's really worth it. I can't remember the price but I believe it's 5 USD or even less during sales. If you are really in need of a concealer, this product is definitely worth a try.

For swatches of the NYX concealers, try looking through youtube. :)

Review: E.L.F Studio Brushes

I've gotten a couple of the E.L.F Studio brushes and I've tried my best to take pictures. As they are black, it's really extremely hard to capture any details. I'm skipping photos for these. I think they show up better on E.L.F site. :(

Overall, I really like these brushes. They are made of taklon and I think they're really neat and not poorly made. They're worth every penny paid. (Oh my god, I just realised they have new brushes again! -.-) So if you have a chance to pick them up, don't hesitate. At least pick up the first two brushes mentioned below. The Complexion brush and Powder brush are must-gets. They are so cheap and so useful.

Powder Brush
This is a flat-top brush that's slightly flared out. It's very soft and dense. It's very good for applying mineral foundation and very easy to buff it out on the face. Also good for anything that needs blending. I find it similiar to Everyday Minerals Flat Top brush just that EDM's brush is more dense and it isn't flared. Personally I prefer ELF's version as EDM's flat top brush has been irritating my skin. This has taken over as my favourite flat top brush after using it.

Complexion Brush
Oh. This is one of my favourites too. It's a dome shaped fluffy brush. It's not a rounded brush if you look at it from the top. It's just a flat brush (from the sides) like The Body Shop blush brush, but more fluffy at the top. It's super soft on the face and I love it. I find it good for when you need a light dusting of loose powder all over the face or when applying blush or bronzer. I like using this, especially for pigmented mineral blushes (mineral blush that comes in loose powder form which can be a pain to work with if I use the TBS blush brush, as the brush is slightly flatter and would cause all the blush powder to stick together). It'll go onevenly on the brush and go on light-handed on the face like a sheer blush. Perfect!

Concealer Brush

The ELF Studio Concealer Brush is just flat and dense. I find it really good for applying and blending creamy concealers.

Small Angled Brush
This brush head is really small. I think it's half the size or maybe two-third of the size of a normal small angled brush. It worked decently in applying gel-liners or for using it to apply eyebrow powder to the brows. It can also be used to line eyeshadow along the corners or along the lower lids. I really like it for applying gel-liners. What I hate about this is the handle is really long so it's a hassle to keep.


I still have a couple more brushes which I haven't tried. Will get to it and continue with part 2. ;)

Review: E.L.F Studio Blush & Bronzer Compact

Another E.L.F haul. Finally got it. So happy with it.

I bought a couple more brushes but I keep forgetting to take pictures of those. I'll try to do a post on E.L.F STUDIO brushes as soon as I can. :D

And I finally got the USD$1 Eyeshadow Blending brush. It is amazingly soft. I used to blend with those normal eyeshadow brush and would get irritated over it cos it seemed to scratch my eyelids so much. I was starting to worry about saggy eyelids. Worry no more. I can use this. It actually looked better than I saw in pictures. I wonder if they change the way it's made.

And I also bought E.L.F STUDIO Blush and Bronzer Compact, the Translucent Matt Powder and the Eyebrow Kit in Dark.



The packaging is really nice. These come in cardboard boxes and when you open it, you'll see a piece of black cardboard paper keeping the compacts in place. The compacts are very smooth and sleek. However, they are a pain to open. They are not made like those drugstore 2-way foundation compacts where a push in the button will unlock the clasp and the compact will open easily. For these compacts, you have to exert some force to "force" it open. :\

The mirror for the bigger compacts is a good size. However, I was a little disappointed with the size of the pans in the compacts. They look a lot bigger in the cardboard boxes above or other photos posted online. They are actually smaller than the size of the pans for drugstore 2-way foundation(think ZA, L'Oreal, Maybelline). The blush and bronzer duo is still all right for the size (I guess). But no wonder people feel cheated when they bought the translucent matt powder (since the size of it looks like it wouldn't last long).



The Contouring blush and bronzer powder in Blushed/Bronzed is gorgeous. It looks darker in real life. It looks like a peach blush but I don't think it really is. Have tested both and the blush is really really gorgeous. I think maybe it is a coral peach with gold shimmers that are not over the top. Very natural for everyday. It's pigmented and yet I didn't overdo it with my The Body Shop blush brush (I always overdo it if I use it on pigmented blushes). I don't have NARS blushes so I don't know how this compares to them. However I have a few NARS Orgasm's dupes like Majolica Majorca Blush in RD255 (which is my favourite blush!) and The Body Shop Cheek Blush in 04 Golden Pink (which I bought because of this review but it didn't turn up well on my cheeks). I did a swatch with the 3 of them but photos didn't turn up well. (sighs) Basically they look like they come from the family with the same amount of golden shimmers in the following order from lightest to darkest: TBS blush in 04, Majolica Majorca in RD255, ELF Studio Blush duo.

04 Golden Pink didn't turn up much with one swipe that's why it's the lightest. :P

A significant difference between Majolica Majorca Blush in RD255 and ELF Studio Blush duo is the former is more peachy while ELF Studio Blush is darker and obviously more reddish.

Majolica Majorca Blush in RD255 used to be my favourite blush ever since I got it because it's so wearable everyday. But what I don't like about it is that it does not give me enough of a glow. Now my favourite is ELF Studio Blush! Holy Grail!

If you are not interested in reddish blush, you might want to consider Milani Blush in Luminous, another NARS dupe which I heard is more pinkish. :) I have not bought it yet, not yet. ;P

As for the bronzer, it is really quite a dark shade. It's super pigmented. I think it's more suitable for those with skintone NC30 and above. I'm between NC25-NC30 and it's super obvious on my face. But I think I still might be able to use it if I'm super light-handed. I would recommend getting the E.L.F STUDIO Complexion Brush for bronzer as it's pretty good for applying pigmented blushes or bronzers and making them appear more sheer. I haven't tried it on the bronzer yet but it works pretty well for my pigmented blushes.

Overall I think this is a pretty good buy. Get it if you are interested! I think it should be a flattering shade for most ladies. It might not work as well for those who are too fair (since it's darker than in the photo I posted).

Reviews of the other 2 compacts will be done when I've tried it.

And I just realised E.L.F Studio released new products on their site again -bangs wall-

Review: Joppa Minerals Lip Twist in Melon Crush

Had a swop with a forumer for this tinted lip balm - Joppa Minerals Lip Twist in Melon Crush. (And she gave me a bunch of stuff too. :) Thank you. :P)





The ingredient list alone makes it sound yummylicious.

Ingredients: Caster Oil, Iron Oxide, Mica, Bees Wax, Candelia Wax, Avacado Oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Jojoba Oil, Titantium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Carnuba Wax, Cranberry Seed Oil, Olive Squaline Oil, Liquid Silk, Vitamin E, Essential Oil Blend, Grapefruit Seed Extract

As you can see from the packaging, it's very much a homemade lip balm. Like someone just poured heated lip balm in it and let it cool. I've checked the whole tube and found a dent in the balm, so don't expect it to be perfectly made as there's bound to be errors (or bubbles trapped) when they cool the balm in the tube.

Upon opening the cap, I cringed. This Lip Twist doesn't smell all that good to me. It has this "wood"-ish smell. Something like perhaps how musk fragrances smell. Or maybe not. It annoys me quite a bit because I've never dealt with lip balms smelling like that. I've checked the ingredient list several times but still couldn't figure out why it smells that way. Wish they could change the smell of it. I think the evem the Joppa Minerals Tinted Concealer Base smelt better. (That one smells like shea butter.)

This Lip Twist goes on really smoothly for me. The colour looks dark but on my lips, it's like a muted rosey shade. There's this blue-toned pink iridescence in this lip twist which initially I was annoyed about. But after wearing it for minutes, I fell in love with the colour. The iridescence was visible on the lips but it didn't make it look that bad. It gives my lips a really nice shine. It wasn't loud and is very natural like I've got healthy plumped lips. Plus the lip twist is very moisturising and goes on really well. It's almost like a lipstick and lip balm. :D

Overall, I loved it despite the "wood"-ish smell. I can bear with the smell since it doesn't linger too long. I would purchase it again if there are nicer colours. Melon Crush was like the neutral lip colour among the rest. If you want something more visible, opt for the darker shades. I find the price of it at USD $7 steep. Sit out and wait for Joppa sales before grabbing this. :)