YSL

Multiples

by Reika on May 22, 2013

You know you can’t live without these products when you have multiple backups of them.

From left to right:

1. Shu Uemura Precision Volume Mascara Waterproof – suggested by my readers and they are absolutely amazing!! It does everything I want for my lashes (review to come soon).

2. Ysl Touché Eclat – an oldie but a goodie. I mix both shade 1 and 2 for everyday use. It doesn’t provide much coverage but it brightens up the skin without making it look cakey. The formulation is great for most skin types unless you have very dry under eye areas, then you need a good moisturizing eye cream underneath and it helps the product to set beautifully.

3. Suqqu Cheek Blush Brush- crème de la crème of brushes, reviewed here.

4. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray – reviewed here

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YSL Spring 2013 – Creme de Blush 09 Review and Swatches

by Reika on April 22, 2013

The YSL Creme de Blush 9 from its 2013 Spring Collection is a stunner for anyone who is on the quest for a perfect shade of baby pink blush. I spotted this blush by accident when I was actually shopping for the Rouge Volupte Shine lipsticks, and as soon as I swatched this blush on my skin I knew I had to have this one! It is a match made in heaven for anyone with a neutral to cool skin tone. YSL excels in coming up with nude and pale pink shades with blue undertone that helps to counteract the redness. These shades might not be for everyone, but once you find a good match for your skin tone, you will probably stick to it forever.

I adore the packaging of Creme de Blush which looks like a little gem-box. The texture is much better than what I expected for a cream blush. It is a silicone based creamy blush and although I don’t normally like makeup products overloaded with silicone, this blush is just right. It feels moderately creamy without the grease, and it has enough slip in it so it glides on to the skin smoothly and evenly. The blush is very finely milled and the silicone indeed helps with concealing the pores and dry patches. It sets into a powdery and semi-matte finish.

Swatch

I pulled out some of my cool pink (varies from baby pink to bubblegum pink) cream blushes. Although YSL 09 leans cool, its still has some warmth compared to the other shades which makes it very versatile and wearable on most skin tones.

From Left to Right: YSL Cream Blush 09, Etude House Lip & Cheek 02; Canmake Cream Cheek 03; RMK Light Pink ; Addiction Cheek Stick Amazing (review coming soon!)

Bottom Line: Gotta have it! I bought mine at David Jones for AUD$65. It is available here in the US , or here with international shipping with VAT deduction upon checkout.

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Dior 5 Couleur Grand Bal Eyeshadow Palette 524 Fairy Golds Review, Swatches and FOTD

by Reika on November 17, 2012

This is another eyeshadow review for the Dior 5 Couleur Grand Bal Eyeshadow Palette in 524 Fairy Golds (Limited Edition) from the Grand Bal Holiday 2012 Collection. My compulsive makeup hoarding is getting a little out of control lately as I am completely engulfed by the waves of new eye shadows being released at the moment. But what could be a better time to shop than this festive time of the year?!

Before I start my review, please allow me to ramble about the sub-par service at various Dior counters. The SAs were either busy chatting or showed no interest in doing their jobs at 3 different counters I visited! Whilst most of the other cosmetic counters thrive to deliver the best possible customer service in such a competitive economy, it was such a let down experience from a premium beauty house like Dior.

Nonetheless, this did not distract me from buying this uber gorgeous eyeshadow quint. It’s a neutral eye shadow palette with some of the most beautiful sparkly shimmery shades I have ever seen – and that is what drew me in the most! I love a sparkly shade when it is done right. It needs to have the perfect spongy creamy texture (not gritty) and adheres without any fallout, and most importantly it needs to be sparkly in a grown-up way. And the color is important too, as it needs to be subtle but you can still see the color with some translucency so it doesn’t overpower the base eye color when you apply the sparkly shade on top. This Dior quint ticked all the boxes.

COLORS

Top Left: Shimmery champagne pinky beige

Top Right: Rusty gold with a sparkly finish

Middle: Silvery white with a sparkly finish

Bottom Left: Shimmery mushroom taupe

Bottom Right: Shimmery chocolate brown

All shades are rich in pigmentation, feel buttery soft and blend so well. As mentioned above, the two sparkly shades are exceptionally superior and rivals the Tom Ford which I thought were the best!

SWATCHES:

FOTD:

Upper Lid: Applied the beige color all over the eyelid, then I blended the light taupe color from the upper lash into the eye socket. The dark brown shade was only added to the outer-v, and I used my finger to pat the gold sparkly shade on the inner corner, and the silvery white shade on top for an ultra sparkly festive look!

Lower Lid: The white sparkly on the inner third, and the brown on the outer third.

It is worth nothing that I have been obsessed with highlighting and contouring lately, so I have used more-than-the-usual amount of base product to create a luminous complexion that also looks more defined.

OTHER PRODUCTS:

Face: Laura Mercier Moisturizing Foundation (discontinued) mixed with Dr Jart+ Waterfuse Moist BB Cream.

Highlight & Contour: Prescriptives Contour Stick (discontinued) + Nars Copacabana Illuminator. YSL Touche Eclat for under eye concealing.

Blush: Chanel JC in Rouge

Lipstick: Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine SS BG 957 (reviewed here) + MAC Dazzleglass Glamour

Bottom Line: A perfect eye shadow palette for a touch of sparkly glamour this festive season.

I bought mine at David Jones for AUD$99. The Dior Palette can be purchased here in the US. You can also get this new collection including the palette here with free international delivery, and use the code GIFT10 for 10% off!

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NEW IN: Tribute

by Reika on November 7, 2012

As summer is approaching, I bought my first pair of sandals for this year – the timeless YSL Tribute Patent Sandal (bought here!). Love the tannish nude color as it looks very versatile all year round. Although the heels are pretty high, the comfort has surpassed my expectations. I can walk in them for hours without grimacing. Despite the gorgeous look of them and the “Made-in Italy” stamp – which is rare as there are more prestige fashion houses moving their manufacturing to China lately (*cough* Burberry..Prada..), the practicality of these shoes are definitely worth the high price tag! And now I totally understand why people collect them in multiple colors – it’s an addiction with YSL Tribute!

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Chanel Inimitable, YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils and Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express Waterproof Mascaras Reviews

by Reika on June 13, 2012

Mascara is one makeup item that I am consistently impressed by with drugstore brands, and disappointed by high end makeup brands on many occasions. I have been using the Chanel Inimitable Mascara, YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils Mascara and the Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express Mascara Waterproof for the past two months. In summary, I am kicking myself that I spent a total of more than AUD$100 on Chanel and YSL mascaras, whereas the performance of Maybelline Falsies totally blows the former two out of water and only costs a faction.

Let’s begin with the one I am least impressed – Chanel Inimitable Mascara

For my medium length and volume, and deadly straight Asian lashes, this mascara did absolutely nothing to my lashes. It doesn’t add any volume and length to my lashes after several coats, and it instantly makes my lashes straight again after I curl them. On a good note, the formula is very thin so it defines the lashes beautifully without any clump. And it doesn’t budge on me for the whole day. Overall it is a very natural mascara, would be great for those of you who are blessed with thick and full lashes naturally. But it’s a waste for me.

Moving on to the YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils Mascara which I really wanted to love..but it didn’t fully agree with my lashes either

I had tried this mascara a long time ago, so I couldn’t remember how I felt about it and got persuaded into buying it again when the YSL SA swore by it. It makes the lashes instantly thicker, fuller and more black with one coat. You can achieve a more dramatic result with 2 – 3 coats without any clumps. Unfortunately it weights my lashes down instantly as the formula is quite thick and heavy. The walk-around is to apply a coat of mascara base (my HG is the Kate mascara base) to hold the curl, then apply this mascara on top of it, but it can make the lashes look too thick and clumpy. It also dries up very fast – I opened the three mascaras around the same time and the YSL mascara is already 90% dried whilst the other two are still going strong. I would love this mascara if a waterproof version of it was released.

Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express Mascara Waterproof is the cheapest and The BEST!!

It does everything I wanted from a mascara. It only takes one coat to volumize and lengthen the lashes, and holds the curl all day long. I have previously raved about the Japanese drugstore mascaras, but this one is just as good or even better. Unlike some waterproof versions which tend to make my lashes stiff, the Maybelline Falsies feels light and soft and make the lashes look like feather. It can also be easily removed with most two-phase eye makeup remover. Best of all – it’s dirt cheap. I will keep buying it as long as it’s available!

Do you like Maybelline mascaras? There are so many Maybelline mascaras in the market…are there others that you would recommend?

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YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain 12 Corail Fauve Review and Swatch

by Reika on April 2, 2012

Most brands are releasing a range of long lasting lip wear this season. If I could only pick one product to buy, it’s gotta be the YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain. The swatch pictures of them have been floating around the blogsphere for a while. At first I wasn’t really intrigued as all the colors looked very bright and saturated, which is a little out of my comfort zone to wear everyday. Little did I know that as soon as I tried one on I became totally obsessed with the formulation. I bought not only one, but 4 of these..and I still can’t get enough of them!

Today I will only be reviewing the shade 12 Corail Fauve, which is a beautiful coral shade with a pinkish red undertone.

YSL Glossy Stain is a hybrid of lip gloss and stain. The texture almost feels watery-like upon application, and it takes about 30 seconds for the product to settle. Corail Fauve may look quite bright and bold in the swatch (as with most other shades of the line), but rest assured that the liquid formulation does give you a good control over the application. It dries down to a subtle natural pinkish red lip stain with a soft sheen as the first layer. Then as a second layer (in my pictures I dab a little more on the center of my bottom lips as a second layer), it intensifies the color and instantly adds this translucent watery shine to the lips, and it makes the lips appear so moist and kissable.

The lasting power of it is phenomenal. It can last up to 4 -5 hours on my lips without much fading if I don’t eat/drink anything, and it still leaves a remnant after I eat.

The YSl Glossy Stain retails for $50 in Australia. I bought mine at David Jones. They are also available here and here in US.

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The Romantic White Lace Dress

by Reika on February 2, 2012

I have learnt a very important lesson for shopping at shopbop or any popular online clothing sites, that is – as soon as I see something I absolutely LOVE, just forget about my monthly budget and get it straight away! Otherwise it will be sold out in a blink of an eye. The Diane von Furstenberg Zarita Lace Dress was the lesson for me, it was on Shopbop a month ago, and I was trying to practice “wait till the next day, and get it if I am still thinking about it” tactic. And guess what, it was all gone the next day! I believe any shopaholic could relate to how frustrating that was. I had to wait a long time until it was restocked…relieved!

Diane von Furstenberg Zarita Lace Dress in White (available here), there are also the blue, nude, and black versions of it.

Chanel Pump from Fall 2011 -more info in this post

Chanel Medium Classic Double Flap with Gold Hardware

YSL Arty Ring in Green – more info in this post

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My Picks for the Best Base Makeup 2011

by Reika on January 5, 2012

This post is inspired by some of my favorite bloggers who have done an extensive summary of the beauty products they loved the most in year 2011. I thought it was such a good idea to show you some of the amazing products that I came across last year (or years before..). As a beauty junkie I have way too many products to showcase so I will be breaking them into several posts, and today’s post is all about the best base makeup products that I have absolutely been in love with, and I am pretty sure my appreciation for them will be carried over to year 2012.

Unfortunately I haven’t had the time to review many products in this post yet, but I am sure they will appear sometime in the near future!

Best Makeup Primer: the award goes to By Terry Teint De Rose. The most luxurious primer I have ever used – the hydrating texture, the scent and the pink rosy color just blows me away every time I use it.

Best Illuminating Makeup Base: the award goes to Dior Radiant Base. It gives a “your glow but better” effect.

Best Tinted Moisturizer: the award goes to Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer. One of their signature products. I was at Barneys shopping for Sunday Riley skincare, and I noticed there were so many (gorgeous) girls dropping by just to purchase this primer over a short time! So I had to have it and it is my holy grail makeup base now on a good skin day.

Best BB Cream: the award goes to Dr Jart Blemish Base BB Cream, love the hydrating yet lightweight liquid texture.

Best Liquid Foundation: the award goes to Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Firming Foundation (reviewed here). I don’t know one single person who doesn’t love this foundation?!

Runner up: Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation. This was my first high end foundation that I got it when I was in High School, and I was hooked on to it ever since. There is always a backup in my vanity drawer.

Best Compact Foundation/Powder: the award goes to Tom Ford Translucent Finishing Powder. My new discovery and this is THE most finely milled powder I have ever used!

Runner Up: La Prairie Cellular Treatment Powder Foundation (old packaging). A little goes a long way and it gives a flawless coverage.

Best Contouring Powder: the award goes to Suqqu Balancing Cheek in OSHAGECHA (the shade on the right). Provides a perfect subtle contouring that just blends in with my natural skin color.

Best Concealer: the award goes to Cle De Peau Concealer (have discussed in this post)

Best Under Eye Brightening Concealer: the award goes to YSL Touche Eclat (have discussed in this post)

Best Loose Powder: the award goes to La Mer Loose Powder. The most finely milled loose powder inthe market and gives a soft focus finish. This is my second tub and my first one lasted me a few years!

Runner Up: Cle de Peau Loose Powder. It has a slight pink tinge to it rather than totally translucent. Provides a brightening effect and a flawless finish.