Front Row Beauty

June Favorites

July 2, 2011

June is a happy month. I never realised until my colleague pointed out to me the other day – June is the only month we receive 3 pay days because there are 5 Wednesdays in June! How cool is that?! So of course the money has to be well utilized..:-P I did quite a few huge hauls lately and hopefully they will be reviewed in this blog soon. Before I open a set of new makeup and skin care products, these are the products I have been actively reaching for throughout June.

MAKEUP ORGANIZER:

I really like this makeup holder, it is big enough to hold all the makeup I use for a month. It also looks nice on my dresser as it is made of crystal like acrylic.

FACE MAKEUP:

Guerlian L’OR Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold Makeup Base: You all have heard me complaining my skin has been dehydrated lately and I came to appreciate how hydrating this primer is compared to the others. It really makes a difference to the way my foundation sits on my skin.

Les Tissages De Chanel in Tweed Pink: My On-the-Go blush as mentioned in my previous review.

By Terry Highlighting Powder: One of my favorite highlighting powders as it gives an airbrushed glow.

Clinique Blush Powder in 108 Cupid: Just a nice and easy to wear fall shade.

Becca Loose Powder: Very finely filled and looks natural on the skin.

BRUSHES:

Nars Yachiyo Brush: If I could only use 1 brush for the face it would be this one! It has multi functional design that is perfect for blending, applying blush as well as highlighting.

Calvin Klein Face Brush: What can I say..this brush is softer than my Mac, Chanel and Nars brushes and it’s only $15!

EYE MAKEUP:

Been layering these shadows to create different neutral looks

Nars Dogon Eyeshadow Duo

Nars All about Eve Eyeshadow Duo

Giorgio Armani Intense Eyes To Kill Eyeshadow in 08 Nola

LIPS:

MAC Cremesheen in JAZZED

Giorgio Armani Rouge d’Armani Lipstick in 105: perfect nude for me.

Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Volage

LIP TREAMENTS:

Lush Lip Scrub: Love the pink sugar and the bubblegum scent!

Chanel Hydramax Active Nutrition Lip Care: I like to use a lip treatment rather than lip balm before I go to bed. Chanel Hydramax Lip care gives me baby soft lips the next day.

Sportsgirl Lip Balm: My new discovery. It has a pleasant rockmelon scent and the texture reminded me of the By Terry Baume de Rose. It also leaves a hint of baby pink color on the lips.

HAIRCARE:

Frederic Fekkai Technician Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner: Frederic Fekkai and KERASTASE are my two favorite hair care lines. Their products always meet my expectations. This color technician range preserve the hair color while moisturizing and having a pleasant peachy scent.

Aveda Brilliant Damage Control: It is a heat protective spray – I like to use it on my 2nd day hair for heat protection; detangling and refreshing my hair. It has a unique soothing herbal scent that lingers on my hair for the whole day.

SKINCARE:

Jurlique Balancing Cleansing Lotion: I always prefer to use a gentle cleanser with a natural aroma scent in the morning to start my day off. This one leaves my skin soft and supple.

Jurlique Moisture Replenishing Mask: It used to be called Deep Penetrating Cream Mask. I think the former name is a much better description of the product. It is more of a refining mask that tightens up the pores, brightens up the complexion and clearing up the breakout pigmentation. It is not just for moisturizing.

Shiseido Benefiance Firming Massage Mask: I went through tons of this mask. One of the best nourishing, moisturizing and firming masks I have used!

{ 7 comments }

Labels: AVEDA • BRUSHES • CLEANSER • Frederic Fakkai • JURLIQUE • LIPBALM • MASK • My Favorites • SHISEIDO

Philosophy Microdelivery Peel At Home Kit Review

June 29, 2011

After days of being sick my skin is dull and parched. I am in desperate need of some extra help other than a moisturizer to revive my skin . The first thing that came to my mind was the Philosophy Microdelivery Peel. This is my first at home peel kit. Prior to that I used to get a professional peel at the beauty salon (not the invasive one though..anyway that’s another story) and I loved the way my skin looked and felt after the treatment – a result that can hardly be achieved at home. Good things don’t come cheap, the peel cost me $250 per treatment so I decided to try out an At-home peel kit. There are so many brands to choose from – I opted for this one because I have had good results using Philosophy’s other home kits.

It is a 2 step peel system that claims to replenish your skin to make it more smooth and hydrating. It includes:

– a jar of vitamin C peptide resurfacing crystals as the physical exfoliation. It contains micro crystals which help to resurface, rejuvenate and revitalize the skin.

– a bottle of lactic and salicylic acid activating gel as the chemical exfoliation. It helps to infuse the skin with vitamin c and peptides, as well as minimizing the appearance of pores, lines and wrinkles.

The whole process only takes about 5 minutes. I just gently massage the crystals in for 1 minute, then apply the gel on top of the crystals to activate. It will start to foam up. Rinse it off after 3 minutes.

Tested on half of my hand

MY THOUGHTS:

What I like about it:

It is an easy and very gentle peel that can be used at home. There wasn’t any sting sensation. I have even left it on for 10 minutes (just to see what will happen haha..:-P) and it didn’t cause any bad reaction to the skin.

It made my skin incredibly soft and smooth.

It improves the overall clarity of the skin, my complexion is brightened up with a nice glow.

My t-zone is less decongested and it certainly reduces the appearance of my pores. I think if I use it regularly there will certainly be an improvement in the reduction of black heads in the long run.

I didn’t notice that my skin was more hydrated after use but I felt the skincare products I used later on absorbed into my skin better.

What I don’t like about it:

It didn’t get rid off the flakes around the edge of my nose.

The overall result doesn’t really wow me. Having said that I do have a VERY high standard because as I said earlier I am used to the professional result of a salon peel.

The result is hard to capture by the camera. I hope you can see the area where I applied it that has a more even skintone and brightness. In reality the result is more noticeable.

{ 8 comments }

Labels: Philosophy • SKINCARE

Giorgio Armani Sheer Lipstick in 36 Sunset Pink Swatch

June 29, 2011

I certainly have an addition to lipsticks, or more specifically, sheer lipsticks. I just love the fact that they are fuss free – I can apply it without even looking into the mirror, and because they feel emollient and moisturising on the lips I can use them as a replacement for lip balm. If you are into the sheers like me, then Giorgio Armani’s Sheer lipstick range is worth checking out. I have recently got myself the Sheer Lipstick Rouge Transparent in 36 Sunset Pink from its 2011 Summer Heat Collection.

As usual, the packaging of Giorgio Armani is always understatedly chic. Although the tube is made of plastic, it has a frosted finish with some nice weight to it.

Since it’s a sheer lipstick, the bright red from the tube translates into a sheer coat of pink coral color with a translucent finish on my lips. The intensity is easily buildable. I swatched it with 3 swipes to achieve my desired finish. I like it as much as the Chanel Coco Rouge Shine – they both have a balmy and smooth texture without any shimmer in it while providing a veil of luminosity to the lips with the right amount of color.

Overall thought: What a nice range! It deserves more hype. I will certainly be looking into it further..:-P Actually I have already regretted that I didn’t buy the Sand Dune Beige #37 which was the shade on Megan Fox’s lips for the Summer Heat Campaign.

{ 5 comments }

Labels: Giorgio Armani • LIPSTICK

Orly Rage Swatch

June 27, 2011

My obsession with rose gold shades continues to grow. This week I am wearing Orly in the shade of Rage which is a beautiful rose gold with a high shine and foil finish. Unlike other metallic shades, Rage looks exceptionally flattering on my skintone due to the rosey undertone.

Swatches with 2 coats of Rage (If you are not into an intense finish, 1 coat is enough for an opaque finish)

Overall thought: I don’t like the bottle design..can Orly please get rid of the ugly rubber cap ..On the other hand, the texture of Orly lacquers is one of the best I’ve ever tried. It is smooth and even to apply – best of all, it dries completely within 10 minutes.

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Labels: NAIL POLISH • Orly

Chanel Joues Contraste in Rouge and OR Swatches

June 26, 2011

After lying on the bed and surviving on instant korean ramen for the past 2 days, I am finally feeling better today and have the energy to do a blog post for the Chanel Joues Contraste Blushes in ROUGE and OR from their Byzance Collection. I had to admit..I initially only wanted to buy the gold blush (OR), as the red blush just looks too shockingly red for my fair skin which I would never wear. Obviously I had a change of mind after the SA told me if I layer the red with the gold, it gives a beautiful rose gold effect. Yes..the word Rose Gold totally sold me..

Everything from the Byzance Collection is much more pigmented than the regular Chanel’s.

Heavy Swatches (by fingers):

Swatched by brush:

Chanel Joues Contraste in OR is a true gold blush (although from some certain angles I can see a little bit of bronze sheen) with tons of gold flecks. The texture feels quite grainy and powdery hence there are a lot of fallout in the pan once you start using it.

It is definitely more of a highlighter rather than a blush to me. When I use it as a highlighter on my skin it transforms into a very subtle golden sheen. The gold surprisingly blends into my naturally yellow skintone really well – it brightens as well as warms up my complexion without looking too yellow.

Applied OR on the top of my cheekbone.

Chanel Joues Contraste in Rouge appears as a true bright red with pink shimmers in the pan, but on the skin the shimmer is less noticeable. Unlike OR, the texture of Rouge feels smooth and soft. It is also insanely pigmented – a tiny amount of it is enough to do the whole cheek.

I had a really hard time applying just a sheer wash of color with Rouge. It was my 6th attempt to get a sheer finish shown in the picture below. It is so pigmented, applying with the softest and fluffiest blush brush with the lightest hand doesn’t help much.. I still ended up look like a clown. To get the result I had to dip the brush into the pan at the sofest pressure I could, then swipe the brush on my hands to remove most of the product first before applying it on my cheeks. Once I got it right, it gives a natural flush of color – reminiscent of a “just went for a jog” look.

Applied Rouge on the apple of my cheek

Layer OR on top of Rouge:

I am glad I got both blushes in the end. They look the best when they are layered on top of each other. They red balances out the warmth of the gold, and the gold sheen softens the brightness of the red, making it more glowy and dewy.

Stay tuned, I might update this post or do a new post showing you some possible dupes of these blushes.

BTW Chanel Joues Contraste retails for $74 in Australia.

{ 29 comments }

Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL

Regard Signe De Chanel in Topkapi – Collection Byzance

June 23, 2011

In the word of Rachel Zoe I went ‘BANANAS’ today’!! Because the Collection Byzance De Chanel just arrived in Australia. I actually planned to take a rest at home for the whole day today as I was feeling quite sick, as soon as I got a call from my beloved Chanel SA, I rushed down to my closest Chanel counter and got myself a few goodies. First thing I wanted to show you is the Regard Signe De Chanel Quadra Eye shadow Palette in Topkapi. It may look like another boring neutral eyeshadow palette from the promo picture to some people, but you HAVE to see it in real life if you have any faith in Chanel. It is simply breathtaking!

It is a limited edition palette and as far as I know the quantity is very limited – there are only 100 of this available in Australia! Different to the regular Chanel eyeshadow quad, this palette comes with a black insert and has a Chanel Logo embossed on each shadow, which is a bonus for the die hard fans like me 🙂

How does this one compare to the regular quads? I declare with my hand on my heart – the quality and texture of these shadows are by far the best Chanel has ever done! They are so silky smooth and soft, not powdery and extremely pigmented. What you see in the pan is what you get on the skin. I hope this quality will be carried over to all the future releases from Chanel…

CLOCKWISE:

Cool toned silvery taupe

A shimmery yellow gold

A dark burgundy brown with fine red shimmers, on the skin it shows up as matte

Shimmery bronze

SWATCH

On my eyes:

The taupe shade all over my eyelid

The dark brown shade smudged all along my upper lash line

The bronze at the outer v and along the outer corner of my lower lash line

The gold at the inner corner of lower lash line

The gold and the taupe are the stand out for me. This gold shade looks good as a highlighter for the inner corner of the eyes, or can be worn all over the eyelid which is also stunning.

The taupe shade reminded me of the recently released stylo yeux eyeliner in Rose Platine but in the form of powder.

Overall Look

Thought would give it a go as I am not feeling well , glad the pictures didn’t show much sign of it..haha the art of makeup 😛

without flash

with flash

Last but not least, along with Regard Signe De Chanel Quad I have also picked up two limited edition blushes which are also absolutely stunning. Will review them in my next post 🙂 Hopefully I will get better soon as I have so many blogs to catch up on!

FYI Regard Signe De Chanel Quad retails for $100 in Australia.

{ 21 comments }

Labels: CHANEL • EYESHADOW • FOTD

Shu Uemura BB Beige UV Under Base Mousse

June 22, 2011

This week I am reporting back my thoughts on the latest Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse in BB Beige from its Sakura Collection. The UV Under Base has always been the best seller for Shu Uemura. To celebrate its success, Shu has launched a BB cream version of it in the form of a mousse and it comes in 3 shades – the one I bought is the BB Beige. This mousse contains all the benefits of the original version – has a spf of 30 and PA+++, and has a moussey texture that feels extremely lightweight on the skin. In addition, it also has the same coverage as a BB cream in a natural and luminous finish.

I love the airy and moussey texture, a marshmallow size is enough to do the whole face. Once it is blended out the foam turns into liquid and instantly aborbs into your skin, leaving your skin feeling hydrated.

Pros:

– An excellent multi-tasking product. It has a sun protection factor of 30 without the greasiness and heaviness. It can also be used as makeup base to brighten up or even out your skintone. I personally prefer to use it as a BB cream or foundation.

– The coverage is just as good as a foundation. You can see from the swatch below it totally covers up most of my skin imperfections without looking cakey.

– It makes my skin look poreless! It works better than any of the silicone based products I have tried so far.

– It gives a nice luminous glow and controls the oil for the whole day.

Cons:

– The shade in BB Beige is too light for my skin! Just when I thought I could not be any more paler…

– Just like some other BB creams, it leaves a hint of greyish cast on my skin but it disappears over time.

This picture shows the natural luminous effect.

Will I rebuy it?

Probably not simply because the shade doesn’t match up with my skintone.

{ 9 comments }

Labels: BB Cream • FOUNDATION • Shu Uemura

Butter LONDON Fash Pack Swatch

June 22, 2011

This week I have been wearing Fash Pack by butter LONDON which is a 3 FREE company – No Formaldehyde; No Toluene; No DBP. I am quite impressed with the formulation as I thought the texture might not be as good without all these chemicals. It has a runny watery texture that allows for a smooth and even application. Two to three coats is enough for an opaque finish.

Fash Pack is a nice brown muddy shade that works well with my yellow skintone.

From a different angle, you can see a lot of gold shimmers in the bottle but it doesn’t show up on the nails.

If you have missed out on the much raved Chanel Particuliere, I highly recommend Fash Pack – quite a close dupe of it.

Comparison swatches: 1 coat each

Butter LONDON is slightly more streaky than Chanel

Fash Pack lasted up to 5 days without any chipping on me! FYI, Butter London retails for $20 ( a bit expensive I know…), you can find them in a variety of health food stores in Australia.

{ 5 comments }

Labels: BUTTER LONDON • CHANEL • NAIL POLISH

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