November 2014

TATCHA Ritual Discovery Kit for Dry Skin Review

November 15, 2014

TATCHA is one skincare brand that I have been dying to try, as I have heard nothing but great reviews about their products from the bloggers and instagrammers. When they reached out to me and asked if I was interested in trying the TATCHA Ritual Discovery Kit, I could not have been happier! After I told them my skin condition, they have recommended me the kit for Dry Skin.

My first impression when I received the kit was how beautifully crafted the paper box is, and you can definitely re-use it for storage purposes. The box contains 4 steps of skincare products.

Step 1 is the Camellia Cleansing Oil (25ml) for purification. It is possibly the best cleansing oil I have ever used. A small pump of this product completely removes every makeup trace (even waterproof makeup), and leaves my skin feeling so clean and fresh. Unlike many other cleansing oils I have used, this one is based on Camellia and Rice Bran oil (not mineral oil) that has a delicate natural smell, and it emulsifies completely so it doesn’t leave a film on the skin, yet retains the skin’s natural moisture.

Step 2 is the Rice Enzyme Powder for polishing. There are about 10 sachets included in the kit and each sachet lasts about 3 washes. It helps to exfoliate, clarify and purify the skin effectively yet in a gentle way that can be used daily. It’s a great physical exfoliator with very fine and silky rice powder that gives your skin an instant smooth feeling for all skin types including fragile/sensitive skin. My complexion appears instantly more radiant and it doesn’t leave my skin feeling taut after use.

Step 3 is the Deep Brightening Serum (10ml) for radiance. It is a very lovely brightening serum that also provides hydration to the skin. If you have pigmentation problems and your skin is too sensitive for hydroquinone, then I highly recommend you to give this gentle serum a try. I love the milky texture, and as with all TATCHA products, it feels so soothing and luxurious on the skin which just instantly lifts up my mood. It does not cause any irritation and break-out to my skin, and I wake up with noticeably more luminous skin.

Step 4 is the Ageless Enriching Renewal Cream (10ml) for suppleness. This cream smells and feels uber luxurious and nourishing. The lightweight texture gets absorbed into the skin immediately without leaving a greasy film/touch to it. As a heavy duty moisturizer it does a great job leaving my dry skin moisturized and supple for the whole day (also great under the makeup). Using this in conjunction with the brightening serum, my skin appears noticeably more smooth, radiant and plumped.

Overall the Ritual Discovery Kit allows you to get a feel for multiple TATCHA products at an affordable price (only retails for $59 at TATCHA online!). I am very pleased with my experience with the kit, as there is not a single product that I did not like. Particularly TATCHA’s signature products such as the Camellia Cleansing Oil and the Rice Enzyme Powder – you would not understand why everyone raves about them until you have tried them! I will definitely re-purchase them in full sizes. The whole kit lasts about 3-4 weeks which is also the perfect size for traveling.

You can find TATCHA at Barneys and TATCHA.com which offers worldwide shipping.

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Labels: SKINCARE • TATCHA

OOTD – Laid Back

November 12, 2014

Where I stay now is a beautiful and relaxed area that is surrounded by blue water and palm trees, so I have also changed my style to more laid back and resort-ish. My current biggest fashion obsessions include anything with stripes, crossbody bags and loafers, that seem to be perfectly in sync with the warm weather here, and they will also be coming with me on my next vacation which is not far away!

Dress – Splendid (on sale here! also available here)

Bag – Celine (similar here and here for under $150)

Shoes – Stella McCartney (bought here)

Shades – Stella McCartney

Necklace – Tiffany (available here)

Cuff – Amber Sceats (bought here)

Lipstick – Charlotte Tilbury Lost Cherry (bought here, and reviewed here)

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Labels: ACCESSORY • BAG • CELINE • Fashion • OOTD • SHOES • Stella McCartney • TIFFANY

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Blush Palette Review and Swatch

November 8, 2014

There has been countless coverage on the Hourglass makeups in the blogsphere world since the brand launched several years ago, and I just wasn’t that interested until the release of the Ambient Light Powder and Blush series this year, which have quickly become their top sellers. They are beautiful and unique enough for me to decide to branch out into this new brand for me, and having spotted the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (which is always in the status of out-of-stock) on Net-A-Porter accidentally one day, I knew that this one ought to be mine! I have also picked up their Ambient Lighting Palette which will be covered in another review.

The limited edition palette comes with two permanent blush colors that are from their individual blushes, and one color that is exclusive to this palette which also happens to be my favorite color out of the three. The texture of all three blushes are exquisite – they are extremely silky and buttery smooth to apply and blend. What attracts me in these blushes is that each blush color is blended with a different color of their signature ambient lighting powder, which warrants a multidimensional soft flush of color with an illuminating effect. This is pretty much a blush and highlighter two-in-one product, which makes this palette extremely practical and versatile to use.

Left: Luminous Flush (permanent) Middle: Incandescent Electra (exclusive to this palette only) Right: Mood Exposure (permanent)

One interesting thing to note is that these blushes tend to show up differently depending on your skin tone, and even on my NC15 I find it very interesting that the swatch varies greatly from sheer to opaque finish (as you can see from the swatch below)

Color Description from left to right

– Luminous Flush (blended with Luminous Light) has a rosey pink undertone with a candlelit glimmer. When it is applied sheer it tones down to a soft coral pink, and it builds up to almost a plummy rosey pink on my skin as a heavy swatch. I prefer to wear it sheer as a blush.

– Incandescent Electra (blended with Incandescent Light) is described as a cool peach on the website, but on my skin the pink tone is definitely more prominent. In the sheer swatch it shows up as nude peachy pink with a subtle gleam that is more suitable as a highlighter blush, and builds up to a warm pink with a hint of frosty sheen if applied heavily. Definitely my favorite as either way it is a very pretty color to use!

– Mood Exposure (blended with Mood Light) is described as soft plum on the website, but again on my skin the beige undertone is much more prominent than plum. Apply it sheer it is a beautiful illuminating soft peachy beige color, and it builds up to a bronzy beige color with a hint of plum undertone that almost looks like a bronzer to me.

Sheer Swatch

Left: Luminous Flush Middle: Incandescent Electra Right: Mood Exposure

Heavy Swatch – in the sun

Heavy Swatch – in the shade

Bottom Line: Love it! Striking, practical and travel friendly. It’s one of those palettes that will make you reach out for it on a very frequent basis! The Hourglass makeup line is available at Barneys in the US and Net-A-Porter worldwide.

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Labels: BLUSH • HIGHLIGHTER • HOURGLASS

YSL Youth Liberator Serum and Youth Liberator Foundation Review and Swatch

November 5, 2014

I tend to buy multiple products from the same range if I like one particular product, therefore I have both the YSL Youth Liberator Serum and the YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation. I don’t have access to 98% of my makeup at the moment as I am currently staying at my parents place, so the delay in reviewing them. On a side note, my mere 2% of beauty products is growing at a rapid pace due to the amount of packages being delivered to this new address lol!

The YSL Youth Liberator Serum retails for US$155 in the US, and AUD$129 in Australia here. When it comes serum, I like to splurge – it’s the product that plays the utmost important role in terms of delivering the optimum result. So to me this is a mid priced range serum that is targeting at a younger age group (20-30) who doesn’t have that many aging concerns, and just starting to incorporate mild anti aging products into their skincare regime.

This serum promises to stimulate regeneration, improves skin texture and luminosity as well as reducing the appearance of wrinkles. It has a runny oil-free lightweight elixir texture that is easily absorbed. I am almost half way through this product (I use it every morning and night), and my experience so far has been great. It hydrates, keeps your skin supple and improves absorption for other products. I have noticed it has improved the radiance and luminosity of my skin over time, as I rarely wake up with dull skin with the help of this product. It also helps the makeup to glide on effortlessly. The regeneration function of this serum is on the lower side which is what I expected to be at this price range. Unlike the regenerating serum that cost me an arm and a leg (such as this one and this one) that just transforms my skin over few days, I need to be patient with this serum to see a noticeable result for smoother texture and repairing of acne marks. Overall this is quite a good product for early anti-aging for all skin types.

There is huge buzz on skincare foundation at the moment. Every high end brand has released a new foundation that contains their prestige skincare ingredients, such as the Shiseido Future Solution Radiance Foundation , or Estee Lauder Perfectionist Foundation, and the list goes on! I for one who absolutely adore this idea – after all I have foundation on my face for at least 8 hours a day, and it’s always a bonus if it also doubles as a skincare product that protects and repairs my skin continuously.

The YSL Youth Liberator Foundation has very lightweight texture which almost feels like a gel lotion. It applies ultra smooth and silky, and melds into the skin upon application. It makes my skin appear more plumped, softer and provides a luminous satin finish that looks like your own radiance but better. The formula provides buildable sheer to medium coverage . The lasting power is about 5 to 6 hours on me, so it’s not the greatest but I don’t mind as I actually get to use my compact foundation during the day! The formula is ideal for normal to dry skin types, but if you have combo to oily skin it tends to slip and won’t last too long.

Comparing the Liberator Foundation with the YSL Touche Eclat Foundation (reviewed here), I much prefer this as it works better on dry skin, provides easier application, and looks more luminous in a natural way on the skin. It photographs particularly well as it gives a soft focus finish to the complexion. As a foundation that is packed with skincare ingredients, it has certainly made my complexion appear better in general (less dull, still moisturized) after having the makeup removed compared to just having a regular foundation on.

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Labels: foundation • SKINCARE • YSL

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette is in store now!

November 4, 2014

Just a quick post letting all of the Tom Ford Australian fans know that the Tom Ford Beauty Summer 2014 Collection is finally out here! The Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette has been sold out globally, and since Australia is the last country receiving the Tom Ford collection (welcome to the life of a beauty enthusiast who resides in Australia..), there are still limited numbers available here. I just got mine and words cannot express how gorgeous this palette is in real life. Love the glitter and the taupe eye shadows, and the blush is such a pretty color. Other products from the collection include a Skin Illuminator and two Lip Shimmers.

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Labels: BLUSH • BRONZER • EYESHADOW • SHOP • Tom Ford

Chanel Holiday 2014 Collection – Camelia De Plumes Highlighting Powder and Stylo Yeux Eyeliner Or Blanc Review and Swatches

November 3, 2014

I missed out on the beautiful Chanel Jardin de Camalias Illuminating Powder that was released earlier this year, so I made sure I was quick enough to snatch the Chanel CAMELIA DE PLUMES HIGHLIGHTING POWDER when the Holiday 2014 Collection was out in Australia. I thought I was quick but I was still told it was the last one at the Sydney counter at the time of purchase! Along with the highlighter, I also picked up the STYLO YUEX Eyeliner Or Blanc 987 which will also be covered in today’s review, with the other products reviewed here.

The design of Chanel highlighters has always been the biggest selling point of this product to me. As a big fan of Chanel, I am always attracted to anything with the iconic interlock C or the Camelias. And compared to the other Chanel fashion items, their makeup is much more affordable but offers the almost same level of satisfaction!

The texture of the CAMELIA Highlighting Powder is buttery smooth and extremely finely milled. I was a little skeptical whether the color would suit my skin-tone, as it looked quite frosty and silvery from the pan. Upon swatching and application on my face, I am glad that it works great with my skin-tone (NC15-20). Depending on the angle you are looking at it, the product actually has a champagne golden beige undertone with a hint of silver sheen. When it’s applied on my face it blends in to my skin with an illuminating sheen. The degree of shimmer is slightly more than the other Chanel Highlighters I have, and is on par with the the conventional European brands such as the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish, Nars Highlighting Blush Albatross, or the Charlotte Tilbury Bronze and Glow. If your skin color is more than NC30, it’s best for you to go and check this product out in person.

The Stylo Yeux Eyeliner in OR BLANC 987 matches with the highlighting powder perfectly. It is almost the same color – looks silvery but applies ivory golden beige with shimmer. This color makes a great highlighter for the inner tear duct, or along the inner rims for a more eye opening effect. I love the Chanel Stylos Yeux in general and always tend to collect them in different colors – they are silky smooth to apply (never tugs the skin) and stays put for a whole day without smudging on me. Best of all, they are the perfect size for carrying them around in a makeup pouch – not too long and chubby.