Front Row Beauty

Chanel Le Blanc 2012 Collection – Light Mastering Whitening Concealer Review

June 18, 2012

Chanel always excels in base makeup, and I personally enjoyed every base product I have used from them. When the new Light Mastering Whitening Concealer was released from the Chanel Le Blanc 2012 Collection, I immediately knew I wanted to have it. Thanks to the lovely Jen who helped me purchase it from Hong Kong as the collection is not available in Australia.

If you happened to have read this post, you will know I have quite an unnecessary amount of concealers, and I would say the Chanel Light Mastering Whitening Concealer definitely tops my favorites list. The texture is the winner for me. It has an airy and creamy moussy texture that goes on smoothly and feels very lightweight and natural on the skin. Two teeniest dabs of it is enough to conceal my mild dark circles completely and softly brightens my skin by about half a shade. I normally like to use the Becca extra small polishing brush (reviewed here) for application and it gives a natural yet flawless and luminous result. Once the concealer is settled, it dries down to a semi-matte finish with a hint of dewiness that is just needed for concealing and illuminating purposes. It doesn’t settle into any fine lines nor does it require any setting powder, and it doesn’t slip throughout the day.

It also has SPF30+ and PA+++ which is an added bonus for those of you who are very cautious with sun protection. I bought the shade in 10 Beige Clair which has a neutral undertone, and it works excellent with my skin.

Bottom Line: If you are after a concealer and a highlighter all-in-one product, and you have mild to moderate discoloration/pigmentation, I highly recommend this product!

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Labels: CHANEL • HIGHLIGHTER

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

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?

{ 38 comments }

Labels: CHANEL • MASCARA • MAYBELLINE • YSL

Studded Collar

June 10, 2012

I was in a debating mode for about two weeks whether I should get this shirt from Zara. I didn’t think I would love it because I don’t like to wear polyester. Then I realized that I just couldn’t stop thinking of the studded collar, which is a clear sign that “if I don’t get this shirt I would regret it for the rest of the year…” They do have another version which has studs all over the collar, but I thought this style is just right and I can wear it to the office without feeling “too inappropriate”.

Zara Shirt, Prada Sunnies, Sportsgirl leather skirt, Alexander Wang Andi Woven Booties

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Labels: ALEXANDER WANG • Fashion • OOTD

Le Metier De Beaute True Color Eye Shadow SPICY and MILAN Review, Swatches and FOTD

June 9, 2012

Thanks Zuneta! Now, if you live outside of the US and have been itching to get your hands on Le Metier De Beaute, Zuneta is probably one of the few sources available internationally. After my success with Jojo, Corinthian and Bordeaux which I think are the must have shades, I immediately ordered some more eye shadows to try. And today’s review is for Le Metier De Beaute’s True Color Eye Shadows in Spicy and Milan.

Spicy is another lust-worthy shade that’s been quite hyped up by the beauty community. It is a warm bronze shade with a rusty gold undertone in its signature shimmer finish. The shade might not be the most unique but what makes Spicy distinctive is its superior texture – it feels creamy smooth and the ultra fine and silky texture makes the eye shadow feels weightless and layers beautifully without looking heavy on the eyes. The overall quality of Spicy is in line with the others which I have already given an in-depth review, so I won’t go into detail here.

Milan is my first LMDB eye shadow in Satin finish. You can see the silver micro shimmer from the pan but they are hard to see once applied on the skin. It is a very safe neutral brown shade, which is great for contouring the eyes or a base color over the crease. Compared to the shimmer finish which I can’t rave enough about, the texture of Milan is under-par in my opinion. It is smooth and soft but my cheaper eye shadows such as Mac or Bobbi Brown are just as good. I don’t regret buying it as I like to collect beautiful makeup, but for those of you who have a tighter budget but still wanting to try LMDB, then the shimmer finish would be a better choice for its unique quality.

Swatches

Compared to Jojo and Corinthian

EOTD: Wearing Jojo as a base, then layered with Milan followed by Spicy.

Overall Look:

Face: Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup (review coming soon)

Eyes: Jojo, Milan and Spicy

Cheeks: Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Blush in Plush Petal 14

Lips: Lancome Rouge in Love Lipstick in 340B Rose Boudoir mixed with Nars Lip Gloss in Turkish Delight.

Bottom Line: Must buy Spicy and skip Milan.

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Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • Le Metier De Beaute

NEW IN: Alexander Wang Andi Woven Booties

June 7, 2012

My new Alexander Wang Booties have my pulse racing!

As vain as it may sound, my everyday routine involves checking out the new arrivals on Shopbop and Net-A-Porter and lusting over those amazing pieces. These Alexander Wang Andi Woven Platform Booties was on my wishlist ever since they were released, and I finally took the plunge and ordered the pair on Shopbop (I am picky with shoes so I have never bought shoes online.) They turned out to be exactly what I expected – classic with an edge, chic and goes with everything, and most importantly they are comfortable! The heel size is 10cm which is the highest I can go without falling over.

I bought these at full price, and damn you Shopbop! They are on sale now! For your reference I am an Australian shoe size 36.5, and I bought the pair in US 36.5 but they run a little large for me. So for the Aussie ladies I suggest you to go half a size down for Alexander Wang Shoes.

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Labels: ACCESSORY • ALEXANDER WANG • Fashion • SHOES • SHOP

Estee Lauder Pure Color Blush Plush Petal Review and Swatches

June 6, 2012

I call this ‘The Blush of the Year’ – Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Blush in Plush Petal 14 . Isn’t it just incredibly pretty? As soon as I spotted the new collection of Pure Color Blushes at David Jones which retails for AUD$65 each , I had to have the Plush Petal. But it was all sold out so I had to back order it, and it finally arrived not long ago!

I don’t usually buy makeup from Estee Lauder, as I still relate them with granny makeup 😛 But this beautiful blush created by the legendary makeup artist Tom Pecheux really blew me away. The texture feels silky smooth and buttery soft, and the powder is densely packed so the color payoff is intense and rich. What appeals to me the most is the gradient hue that fades from a strawberry pink to to a soft hibiscus pink, which gives you a good control over the application as you can ‘fine tune’ the shade of pink that you like. When swirling together, it blends into a soft coral pink. Plush Petal has very fine shimmer that is only visible under certain lighting, and gives a satiny finish with a soft glow when applied on the skin.

Swatch of Plush Petal

Being a beauty blogger I am sometimes guilty that I am not doing enough comparison swatches for my readers…It’s just that the thought of rumbling through my stash (I am a neat freak by the way) and realizing how much makeup I have really puts me off! But I am working on it, and for this post I have pulled out these pink blushes to compare that range from hot pink to cool lilac pink.

CLOCKWISE: Nars Desire, Estee Lauder Plush Petal, Shu Uemura M Pink 30 (my all time favorite pink blush), Dior Rosy Glow, Blush Horizon de Chanel, Chanel JC Narcisse

Bottom Line: I love it, and looking forward to more gradient shades!

{ 16 comments }

Labels: BLUSH • ESTEE LAUDER

CURE Natural Aqua Gel Review

June 2, 2012

Japanese women are famous for their love of cosmetics, so whenever I see a beauty product that has been voted number 1 in Japan, it is the best selling pitch for me. The CURE Natural Aqua Gel is one of them (one bottle is sold every 12 seconds), and I even had my readers emailing me about how much they adore this exfoliator, so when BeautyCarousel contacted me to ask if I was interested to give this product a try, of course I said yes!

It is housed in a plastic bottle, it retails for SGD$42 (Singapore dollar) for 250g of product which I consider is a very reasonable price. My skin is prone to congestion so exfoliating my skin is a core step in my skincare routine. I have tried all sorts of exfoliators before, including the conventional scrubs, micro-dermabrasions, AHA, peel etc, and I have paid exorbitant amount of price for some of them. But I have never repurchased any one them until I came across the CURE Aqua Gel which has officially ended my quest for the perfect exfoliator. The formulation is just perfect for my skin type – it is non-abrasive, doesn’t tingle my skin like glycolic acid does, effective but gentle, and it provides a sense of achievement when I can feel the dead skin coming off. Since it is so gentle I use it around my nose and chin everyday, and twice a week for my whole face and neck. The skin appears much more clear, translucent, smooth and soft without stripping its natural oil after each application.

The CURE Natural AQUA Gel has a whitish transparent gel texture, and it transforms into liquid during application. I normally use 2 pumps on my entire face and gently massage it over in circular motion. The liquid binds to the dead skin cells and after rubbing a short time both the gel and the dead skin solidify and “ball up” which feels completely satisfactory! CURE claims that 0.01mm of old skin can be removed by using this product. I can’t measure that, but it is keeping my skin noticeably smoother and refined when using it at least twice a week.