HIGHLIGHTER

Loving Right Now – HOURGLASS Cosmetics

February 24, 2015

I fell in love with HOURGLASS Cosmetics after acquiring the highly raved Ambient Lighting powder and the blushes palettes – particularly the lighting powders as they just give the perfect balance of glow that really illuminates your face softly without enhancing the pores. Since then I have been slowly adding more to my collection, and here are the other Hourglass products that I am loving at the moment, and many of them are available at NAP which is currently offering free shipping on any order.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette – A must have from this beauty line!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light – I like the lighting powders from the palette so much so I added this color to my stash. It’s lighter than the colors in the palette, and works really well for my complexion as a highlighter. Next one to add will be the Mood Light!

Hourglass Ambient Powder Brush – I love buying the matching brush designed for a particular product, and this brush is fantastic for applying the ambient lighting powder.

Hourglass Double Ended Complexion Brush – Been looking for a good quality portable and retractable brush for a while, and finally found one! This brush feels so lush and adore the double ended brushes for both the powder and cream products application.

Hourglass Large Concealer Brush – Taklon bristles are the best for blending concealers, and this brush is soft but firm and the large size is perfect for applying concealer to the under eye areas.

Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer – Reminds me of the Cle De Peau Beaute Concealer but at a fraction of the price. It’s creamy and very pigmented so it offers great coverage that still looks natural. My shade is fair.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (reviewed here) – Unfortunately this palette is not available anywhere as it was limited edition, but more color options are available in the single ones.

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Labels: BRUSHES • CONCEALER • HIGHLIGHTER • HOURGLASS

Becca Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle Review and Swatch – Watermelon/Moonstone and Lychee/Opal

November 18, 2014

Becca has recently released a range of Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle that has absolutely blown me away. Though their counters are no longer available at David Jones, I bought them online after doing some research, and went ahead with the colors Watermelon/Moonstone and Lychee/Opal.

Please excuse that the pictures were taken after the products were “accidentally used”, so they looked nowhere as beautiful as they were originally are

The Becca Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle is a very lightweight gel blush in a whipped souffle texture that is mixed with two of their best sellers (hence the marbled effect) – the Beach Tint and the Shimmering Skin Perfector. Both products are my all time favorite products from Becca, so I was extremely happy to see this genius idea being born! The blush offers natural flush of colors with an illuminating glow, and the lasting power is excellent as it applies like a silky stain that just melts into the skin. Becca’s Beach Tint is known for its superb texture that applies completely streak free without enhancing the pores. And this Tint Souffle is the same, the formula is light and hydrating so it takes no effort to apply and it blends in to the skin seamlessly without settling into the pores.It gives a satiny cream finish upon application and fades into a stain like finish.

The Watermelon/Moonstone (mixed with the Beach Tint in Watermelon and the Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone) is a warm red that has a hint of coral infused with pale gold. When it is applied it translates to a warm red with a pale gold sheen. It’s extremely wearable for a red blush and the gold shimmer adds a soft touch of highlighting effect to the finish.

The Lychee/Opal (mixed with Beach Tint in Lychee and Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal) is a stunner. If you love pink blushes, then you have to give this one a go! It’s a bubblegum pink infused with rose gold! Words cannot describe how pretty this color is, and whether your skin tone is warm or cool, this pink blush would work really well.

I feel bad that I cannot present how the products look like when they are brand new (because they looked much nicer!), and hopefully my swatch will do them the justice!

Left Watermelon/Moonstone Right Lychee/Opal

close upboth colors look warmer and more shimmery at a different angle

Bottom Line: Love them! Very well priced for the quality, and its beautiful finish! I bought the Becca Beach Tint Souffle here in Australia, and they are also available at Sephora in the US and SpaceNK in the UK.

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Labels: BECCA • BLUSH • HIGHLIGHTER

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

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.

Comparison Swatch

Left Poudres Signee De Chanel Illuminating Powder Middle Camelia De Plumes Right Chanel Pearl Glow Powder

close up

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Labels: CHANEL • EYELINER • HIGHLIGHTER • Holiday 2014 Collection

October Favorites

October 28, 2014

Whilst I am still in the process of putting together some more reviews for the other products I picked up from the Chanel Holiday 2014 collection, I thought I’ll quickly share some of my favorite products for the month of October before it ends. The monthly favorite posts are my all time favorite posts/videos to watch from other bloggers, and I don’t know why have I never done one?! So I am definitely going to incorporate this new series into my blogging schedule going forward.

1. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette – So glad I was able to get hold of this one from Net-A-Porter. I’ve been holding out on buying the individual blushes in the hope that they would release a palette one day, and my wish has been granted! It’s also available here in the US. Detailed review for this one as well as the highlighting palette is coming soon.

2. Chanel Camelia De Plumes Highlighting Powder – Every year Chanel releases an art piece of highlighter which is worthy of collection. This piece is stunning on its own, and also works great as a highlighter without looking frosty on me. Detailed review coming soon.

3. Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick Lost Cherry – Definitely one of my favorite purchases from Charlotte Tilbury (reviewed here). It’s longing lasting and can be worn for a polished look or sheer it out as a lip stain (the latter is my preferred method of wear).

4. Tiffany Key Necklace – Starting to wear and mix and match my jeweleries more now that my boy is bit older so he doesn’t pull them off me anymore 🙂

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Labels: ACCESSORY • CHANEL • Charlotte Tilbury • HIGHLIGHTER • HOURGLASS • LIPSTICK • MONTHLY FAVORITES • My Favorites • NECKLACE

Tom Ford Nude Dip Eye Color Quad and Contouring Cheek Color Duo Stroked Review, Swatch and FOTD

October 1, 2014

Today’s review is for the most beautiful eyeshadow palette that Tom Ford has ever released – The Nude Dip Eye Color Quad from the Fall 2014 collection, and the Contouring Cheek Color Duo Stroked. I don’t really go out of my way to buy things, as my motto has always been “if it’s meant to be mine it will be”. But I hunted frantically for this quad (see this post) as it’s simply too irresistible!

As the name suggests, the colors of this quad are very neutral and nude in a very elegant and sophisticated way. The texture is buttery and extremely finely milled, so I prefer to use a dense eyeshadow brush to apply these shadows to get the maximum impact. All the shades are highly shimmery and that’s the beauty of this quad. Had this quad been in a normal matte to satin finish, then it would have certainly lost its glamourous appeal and made it too common. Since the colors are so soft and neutral, the high shimmer gives a glistening effect that just makes your eye makeup stand out more. Of course you can always tune it down by using a less dense brush.

Color Description

Top Left – beige champagne

Top Right – peachy-pink champagne

Bottom Left – cool taupe

Bottom Right – cool chocolate brown in satin finish

Except for the dark brown shade, the rest of them are classic colors for a wash of color on the lid. I like to layer them to get a soft gradient look for more depth and dimension. When these colors are layered together, the combination pulls quite cool on me.

On my cheeks is the Tom Ford Contouring Cheek Color Duo which is another must have from his Fall 2014 Collection. This palette is actually quite good value for money as you get both the highlighter and the blush for a much cheaper price than if you buy them individually from Tom Ford. The blush appears to be a saturated coral from the pan, and I was a little worried that it might pull too dark and brown on me. It actually transforms to a very fresh, bright yet soft coral when I applied it gently. The highlighter also deserves a thumbs up – it gives a translucent veil of glow on the cheekbones that works well with my skin tone, and it is just as good as the highlighter in the Filmstar palette by Charlotte Tilbury (reviewed here)!

Close up

Total look

Other products used:

Tom Ford Traceless Foundation

Tom Ford Translucent Finishing Powder (reviewed here)

Elegance Perfect Brow Powder (reviewed here)

Tom Ford Lip Color Twist of Fate (reviewed here)

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Labels: BRUSHES • EYESHADOW • FOTD • HIGHLIGHTER • Tom Ford

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow Review, Swatch and FOTD

September 8, 2014

The Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow Face Sculpt and Highlighter is the most highly raved product of her line and I am so glad that I bought it while it was still in stock as it completely lived up to my expectations. It is a very beautiful and harmonious highlighter and bronzer that would look great on various skin tones.

Both the bronzer and the highlighter feel very high quality – the powder is very finely milled, and it feels velvety soft and they apply silky smooth and easy to blend seamlessly. The pigmentation is on the higher spectrum for me, so I have to use a very soft and fluffy brush to apply this product for a soft and subtle effect. The brush featured in the below picture is the CHIKUHODO GSN G2 that I highly recommend for a fool-proof contouring and highlighting application.

The bronzer is a neutral warm medium brown with micro shimmer that doesn’t look visible on the skin. I apply this product very light-handed under my cheekbones for a subtle contouring effect. As an Asian with fair skin tone (NC15-20) I don’t normally wear shimmery bronzers as a lot of them just look odd on my complexion (trust me I have tried a few and the feedback I received from friends were just hilarious!), whereas this one blends in with my natural skin tone very well, as it gives me a healthy glow look rather than “your tan went wrong” look.

The highlighter is just exceptionally beautiful. The shade is a pearly gold neutral champagne color (neither too warm nor too pink) with quite visible but refined shimmer on the skin (not frosty and glittery). A little bit of this goes a long way and this is by far the most long lasting highlighter I have ever come across. Applying this product light-handed gives me a “supermodel glow” that looks more intense than what I would normally achieve with my regular highlighters that were made for a subtle brightening effect. This is a perfect product for highlighting the cheekbones for a more lifted and modelesque effect.

On me

You can find the Filmstar Bronze and Glow online at Nordstrom or Net-A-Porter worldwide.

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Labels: Charlotte Tilbury • FOTD • HIGHLIGHTER

Charlotte Tilbury Makeup – Initial Thoughts

August 28, 2014

I was going to post my review for the Giorgio Armani Cheek Fabric Blushes which I have already sneak peeked on my Instagram, but I got sidetracked with the arrival of my Charlotte Tilbury Order from Net-A-Porter (as mentioned in my previous post they are currently offering free shipping to certain countries for all orders). Always enjoy the shipping service provided by NAP as it took only 2 days for the package to arrive! This is my first Charlotte Tilbury purchase and my feelings for the products are quite mixed as some are absolutely fantastic whereas some are let downs, so I thought I’ll quickly share my initial thoughts.

Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Palette The Dolce Vita – Absolutely Amazing! This is my favorite product out of this order, and I would say if you can only have one product from this line – this is the one! The picture doesn’t do this eye shadow palette justice, as it looks far more beautiful and complex in real life. Review for this product will be posted shortly.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow – Another must-have product from this line. I am not a fan of using shimmery bronzer on me, however this product surpassed my expectations. Both the bronzer and the highlighter are stunning and look flattering on my skin tone. If you apply the shimmery bronzer light handed, it gives a lovely warm glow to this face that works for my fair complexion. Review for this product will be posted shortly.

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick Coachella Coral and B*tch Perfect – My feelings for the lipsticks are mixed – love the colors and the quality of the lipstick, but I am quite peeved at the packaging. It is very lightweight and looks quite cheap for its price (nowhere near as luxurious as the YSL or Tom Ford lipsticks). Somehow I feel that the packaging is “inspired” by those free Estee Lauder lipsticks that are always included in their gift-with-purchases during the Christmas time lol..

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lacquer Hall of Fame – I am sorry to say that but I am very disappointed with this lip gloss. The swatch online shows a lovely milky pink color, but the actual color is pretty much transparent. I don’t mind a clear lip gloss if the quality is great, but this product looks and feels downright cheap, and it has a typical vanilla scent that reminds me of those cheap $2 lip glosses you find at the sales bin at the local drugstore.

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Labels: Charlotte Tilbury • EYESHADOW • HIGHLIGHTER • SHOP

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