November 2015

My previous post on my reader’s requests about how I clean my brushes was very well received, so I though I’d include a post that addresses some of the other most frequently asked questions. Today’s round-up is my picks for the base products for normal, combination to oily skin that have a great staying power in hot and humid weather and still look natural.

This is the list of my favorite products that are great for controlling the oil throughout the day, and most importantly they tick the criteria for not looking too matte, powdery and cakey on the face.

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1. MAC Prep and Prime -I bought the full size bottle of this after using a sample as I loved it so much. I am not a big fan of MAC base products but thumbs up for this one. It smoothes out the skin, covers and fills up the pores and creases, and slightly mattifies the skin without feeling silicony and heavy. The foundation sets beautifully on top of this primer, and gives an airbrushed finish of a more even and refined skin texture. It also helps to keep the shine and oil away for a longer time.

2. Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer – Similar concept to the MAC, but more mattifying and covers the pores better. It has a heavier silicone texture than the MAC, and takes away excess oil and shine completely. Highly recommend it to anyone who has oily skin with large pores.

3. Chanel Mat Lumiere Foundation – My go-to foundation for the hot weather. It has a milky fluidy texture, feels lightweight, and offers a great coverage. It sets slightly more matte and powdery than the other fluid foundations, but it still gives the signature Chanel radiant glow from their Lumiere range. It also photographs beautifully – natural with a soft glow but not shiny.

4. Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation (reviewed here) – I wasn’t very impressed with this foundation at first as I was in a ‘dewy foundation’ phase back then, and fell in love with it during the summer time, as it has an amazing stay power and keeps my face looking fresh and clean for the whole day. It gives a velvety finish that is a tad more matte than the Mat Lumiere upon application, and it becomes more natural and luminous over time. Would only recommend this to normal to oily skin types.

5. Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder – A very mattifying powder, and a little goes a long way. I only dust a very sheer amount on to my t-zone on a normal day, and it keeps the shine away for the whole day. I brought this along with the Mat Lumiere foundation to my last tropical vacation, and they worked wonders keeping my makeup on without melting for the whole day in very humid weather. It can look slightly powdery if applied too much, and it is not the most finely milled powder (can slightly enhance the pores around the cheeks) compared to the other high end powders I have in my collection.

6. Cle De Peau Translucent Loose Powder – My absolute holy grail for so many years. The most luxurious, silkiest and finely milled loose powder you can find in the stores. It looks natural, non powdery, and gives a brightening and more refined finish as it helps to cover the pores and lift the dullness. It slightly mattifies the skin and guarantees to keep your makeup stay put all day.

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To all the Aussie beauty lovers who have been shopping up a storm at Sephora every time you go overseas, you probably would know Sephora has already opened the first Australian store in Sydney, and just recently they have launched their Sephora AU online shopping website. Tomorrow we will be finally having our first Australian Sephora Black Friday Sale with 20% site-wide (use code BFAU310093 for the members) and 10% off for the general public!! The brands available in Australia are different to the US site, and the online site also has more brands than in the Sydney store such as Sigma and the highly popular Korean brand 3CE! I put together a list of products that I love, and are exclusive to Sephora that are worthy to check out.

sephora-black-friday-beauty-wishlist

1. Marc Jacobs Beauty – You will get hooked on this brand once you have tried their uber adorable Kiss Pop Lipsticks.

2. NUDESTIX – I have been eyeing this brand for a long time, and love their concept of  delivering a wide range of beauty products in the form of pencils (think about lip balm in a pencil). All of their pencils have a creamy consistency and apply beautifully from what I have heard.  I will be hauling a lot of them tomorrow! If you are in the US, you can find this range on SPACE NK which is offering gift card of $25 if spend $125 until 1st Dec.

3. Becca – Becca’s shimmering skin perfector pressed powder is one of the best powder highlighters I have used. The must-have shades include the highly popular Becca X Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop (back in stock!), and Moonstone for fair to fair/medium complexions.

4. Make Up For Ever – Raved about their Ultra HD foundation (reviewed here), and another fantastic product that I highly recommend from the line is the Smoky Waterproof Mascara (one of my HGs!)

5 Sigma brushes – Good brushes good price.

6. Sephora Collection – I love storing my makeup in train cases, and I absolutely love this clear train case. Must have for me!

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Shopbop Sales Pick!

November 25, 2015

Shopbop has started its major sales event with up to 25% off across the entire store including the sales items with code GOBIG15! I’d thought I’d share some of my favorite pieces from my closet that I previously purchased from them. This season every girl should own a button front skirt, and I managed to find a very affordable piece from the brand WAYF for less than $100. It’s made of faux suede and looks just as good as the more expensive ones. I love it pair it up with a timeless fitted v neck tee to give an effortless sexy vibe. And you can never go wrong with a floppy brim hat and a pair of booties with hardware details this fall.

Anti-clockwise:

TopATM Anthony Thomas (love his basic cotton tees)

SkirtWAYF

BootsTOGA PULLA (currently on sale, and also just purchased this pair!)

Phone CoverChiara Ferragni

SunglassesKaren Walker

Bracelets/BanglesVita Fede

Bar NecklaceJennifer Zeuner Jewelry

HatRag & Bone

ShopBop Sales is valid until 30 November 2015 with some brands exclusion apply

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A quick review on the Charlotte Tilbury Life Changing Lashes Curler this weekend. I managed to get it from Selfridges as it is a very popular product from the brand. Obviously I have a thing for gold packaging, so I’ve also bought the limited edition Shu Uemura X15 Curler in gold from the 2015 Maison Kitsune Holiday Collection which will be used as a comparison in this post.

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Generally speaking, the packaging of Charlotte Tilbury products look better than how they feel. This eyelash curler looks stunning in the rose gold color, but it feels light and a little on the flimsy side. The spring does not feel as tight as the other high end lash curlers, and it doesn’t feel very sturdy when clamping compared to my holy grail Shu Uemura’s curler.

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Apart from the flimsy aspect, this eye lash curler does work very well. The performance is pretty much on par with the Shu Uemura’s. I have quite flat eyes (not as curved), and my eye lids are slightly hooded, and my lashes are medium length (Asian standard!) and straight. This curler fits my eyes very well – it doesn’t pinch the skin and it catches all the lashes in one go which is important for me so I don’t need to curl the lashes at different angles multiple times.  It is easy to curl the lashes from the roots with this tool, and it lifts the lashes up within a few seconds (2-3 clamps only).

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Overall I recommend this eye lash curler if you like Shu’s or the Shiseido Curler. It is quite lightweight, perhaps that’s what makes this curler work! I have used some well made and highly raved curlers from Suqqu (reviewed here) and Le Metier De Beaute, but they didn’t work for me. As a general guide, you should replace the rubber band every 4-5 months, and replace the curler every 1-2 years as the spring tends to lose its pressure depending how much you use it.

I bought the Charlotte Tilbury lash curler here that ship internationally, and it comes with an extra rubber band. It is also available here and here but they are all on back-order for now.

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It seems every beauty enthusiast is deeply infatuated with the Guerlain Winter Fairy Tale Holiday 2015 Collection, hence the sellout of many products from the collection within days of launching worldwide. The hit products are the whimsical Meteorites Perles des Neiges (limited edition) and the Rouge G Collector Lip Color. I have always been a fan of the original meteorites, so I made sure I got hold of the beautiful edition when it was released in Australia last week (yes I called up several stores!).

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I don’t normally follow Guerlain makeup collections, and I had to admit that at first I bought it simply because of all the hype around it. As I have been using it till now, it is a really phenomenal product that’s worth the purchase that doesn’t just have the pretty design. If you like the original meteorites, you will love this even more. And if you don’t own any, this is possibly the best illuminating/setting powder to use for a soft glow.

The Meteorites Perles des Neiges contains 3 different colored balls of golden peach, pale pink beige and ivory beige in a soft shimmer finish. It also contains silvery white stars in sparkly finish. When applied together it gives a translucent finish with a brightening and soft illuminating effect but not sparkly on the face. It can be used for highlighting purposes for a subtle effect, but I prefer using this as loose powder all over the face. Particularly if you find that the traditional loose powder makes your complexion look too powdery and flat, then the meteorites is perfect for setting the makeup, taking away the unwanted shine but adding a touch of soft radiant glow to the face. Compared to the original Meteorites in Light, this edition is slightly more brighter and the undertone leans more ivory. On my NC15-20 complexion, it matches me well and it goes on clear like transparent loose powder.

Meteorites-Perles-des-Neiges-guerlain-winter-fairy-holiday-2015-collection-review-2Bottom Line: Get it if you can still find it!

 

 

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Over the years I have used tons of foundations, and the MAKE UP FOR EVER HD was one of the few foundations that I used up completely and was in love with it at all time. So when I saw the latest release – the MUFE ULTRA HD Invisible Cover Foundation (also available at the Sephora AU), I had to have it!

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Overall I am very pleased with my purchase, as this foundation impressed me considering the mass amount of foundations I own. It is a great foundation in all aspects, and it stands out in its signature ‘HD invisible finish’ that applies simply undetected on the skin with decent coverage.

Texture

It has a fluid milky texture and feels very lightweight on the skin. Compared to the original formula, this newer version is much more moisturizing and works better on dryer skin.  It melds into your skin effortlessly without the need of any primer (even for very dry skin and the under-eye areas), and it doesn’t enhance any lines nor dry patches.

Coverage

Coverage is about sheer to medium that is on par with most of the liquid foundations on the market. It covers redness, mild imperfections and evens up the skin tones, but you will need a concealer for covering dark circles, breakouts, and dark acne marks/pigmentation. Does an average job for covering the visible pores, so if you want to achieve a complete poreless complexion I would recommend using a pore smoothing primer over the troubled areas.

Finish

This foundation is absolutely amazing for its invisible finish. I always prefer using natural looking foundations, but this is the first foundation I have used that applies without blending required! I have tried many tools, and  the best tool for application would be a flat top kabuki synthetic brush. My favorites are the Dior Brush or the Marc Jacobs Beauty brush (review). With this type of brush, it feels like applying an eraser to the complexion as you are done with foundation application with only one stroke –  it leaves with absolutely no streaks and looks traceless in a semi matte finish with a hint of satiny glow. It is also buildable to a higher coverage whilst still looking invisible on the skin.

Lasting power

Without setting this foundation with loose powder, it lasts about 6-7 hours indoor and the skin becomes more dewy as the natural oil starts to come through. And you will notice the foundation creases a little around the t-zone and mouth areas.  I normally dust a sheer layer of loose powder which helps this foundation to last a whole day without creasing nor oxidation.

Shade

My shade is between NC15-20, and I bought the shade Y205 Albaster (comparable to Nc15) which is the lightest shade of the selection.

Swatch comparison

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Holiday Wishlist – Beauty

November 11, 2015

I always get really excited during the months leading to the Holidays, as there are so many beautiful makeup releases and gift packs during this time of the year. I have been devouring online as well as hauling here and there at the stores over the past weeks, and here is the wishlist I came up that will put a big smile on every girl’s face!

1. Suqqu LE Christmas Kits –  This holiday season Suqqu has released two limited edition kits – each kit includes an eye shadow palette, a gel eyeliner pencil and a 50ml makeup remover in a lovely tweed pouch. As usual they are selling out extremely fast, and I have purchased both sets (this and this) as I love the design this year. Along with the Christmas Kits, Suqqu also released the Murasaki Dahlia set (sold out within minutes), and a glamorous Kimono set.

2. Giorgio Armani has just released a set of new premium makeup brushes that are hand-crafted in Japan – now available in the US and UK. It is interesting to see how these brushes are made by the Japanese artisan in this video.  I absolutely can’t wait to try them out once they become available in Australia! Another palette that I am highly anticipating is the Giorgio Armani Luxe is More Palette.

3. Guerlian Winter Fairy Tale Holiday 2015 Collection – needless for me to say how crazy this collection is. The must-have products are the LE Meteorites Pearls and the Rouge G Collector Lip Color which have probably been all sold out worldwide. If you are interested in Australia, the Meteorites Pearls are on back order for a limited number at the David Jones Sydney store.

4. The iconic Burberry Military Red lip color now comes in a limited edition gold packaging. Also loving the new Eye Color Cream in festive gold.

5. The highly coveted Charlotte Tilbury Life Changing Lash Curler can now be purchased individually! On Nordstrom in the US.

6. Head over heels with this new Bobbi Brown Luxe Lip Color range (available here in Australia) – love the colors and the highly intense and moisturizing formula of this new range

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I am not extremely fond of fancy nail design, but the Chanel Le Top Coat Lame Rouge Noir (limited edition) captured my heart this season. The golden flecks set in a black-red tinted clear base is absolutely gorgeous from the Chanel bottle.  On the nails, it is a perfect match with the Chanel Rouge Noir, and it would also complement any other dark nail colors. The golden glitters are flat so the top coat dries into a smooth surface. For application you must give give the bottle a vigorous shake to achieve a coat with dense glitters.

Not only does it add a sparkly touch to the nail, but as a top coat it works better than my HG Seche Vite (now available at Sephora Australia) ! It dries fairly quickly (within 90 seconds), adds a glossy shine to the nails, and it also helps to prevent chipping. Normally my nail polish with the Seche Vite top coat starts to chip from day 3-4, and I have had this top coat on me for about 6 days and there is not a single chip yet!

chanel-le-vernis-top-coat-lame-rouge-noir-gold-sparkle-swatch-review

chanel-le-vernis-top-coat-lame-rouge-noir-gold-sparkle-swatch-review-2chanel-le-vernis-top-coat-lame-rouge-noir-gold-sparkle-swatch-review-3I bought mine here in Australia.

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