August 31, 2010

Swatch Fest 03 - Eyes

Hmmm...  Do you think I like eyeshadows?  LOL!

bareMinerals


Left:  bareMinerals glimmer in "devotion"
Right: bareMinerals glimmer in "take me"

  no flash

  with flash

Milani Runway Eyes Fashion Shadows


In # 07 Ready to Wear.

  no flash

  with flash

This palette has 2 matte shades and 4 shimmery shades.  Can you guess which ones?

Neutrogena Mineral Sheers for Eyes


In # 20 Stone.

  with flash (2 middle swatches)

  no flash (2 middle swatches)

Majolica Majorca Majolook


In BR788?  Can't read JP.

  no flash

  with flash

Kate


Left:  Kate Diamond Cut Eyes in GD-1
Right: Kate Contrasting Eyes in EX-5

 no flash (Diamond Cut Eyes)

  with flash (Diamond Cut Eyes)

  no flash (Contrasting Eyes)

  with flash (Contrasting Eyes)

Coffret D'Or (newest from Sue Lynn)


Left: # 05
Right: # 03
...wish I could read JP so I could have names for these...

Close ups:

  05

  03

  no flash (05)

  with flash (05)

  no flash (03)

  with flash (03)

What would I do without Sue Lynn???????  Thank you again!!!!

August 30, 2010

Swatch Fest 02 - Face

So much for the notion that I don't like liquid base makeup because I actually have quite a lot more than I expected.  Here are the swatches of the items I'd consider "liquid foundations."


For clarity's sake, from left to right:
1.  Skin Food Peach Sake Pore BB Cream SPF 20 PA+ 
2.  Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA+++ No. 23 
3.  Lioele Water Drop BB [Lioele Aqua Makeup] SPF 27 PA++
4.  Rimmel London Stay Matte + Skinpure Complex #103 True Ivory
5.  MAC Select SPF 15 Foundation NC30

*Items 1-3 are from SueLynn76

  no flash

  with flash

From left to right is the same as the first picture.  Below the dotted swatches of the foundations/bb creams, I have tried to blend them out to get a true feel for how they'd look on my skin.  I've been watching some Korean dramas (Dandelion Family) and noticed that many actresses' face colors do not match their neck colors even though the skin on their face looks beautifully natural.  So, is that what bb cream will do as a foundation?  Provide a beautifully natural look but also running the risk of not having matching skin color?  O_o

The following is not a review of MAC.  These are just my thoughts:

I have noticed that on my skin and some YT gurus' skin, MAC, when applied, has decent coverage but also makes skin look a little bit yellow.  For this reason, I'm not a huge MAC fan.  However, the coloring and numbering system that in synonymous with MAC is pure genius.  It is so universal that when I mentioned to Sue Lynn that I'm NC30, she was able to help pick out a couple of products she thought would match my skin tone.  As a business major, I give my respects to MAC.  

I think the colors that best matches the skin tone on my inner forearm are the Lioele Water Drop BB cream and Rimmel Stay Matte foundation.  Because my face is a little tanner and yellower than my inner forearm I believe these 2 colors would do well in both artificial and natural light.  

The Skin Food Peach Sake Pore looks like it's a little too pink for my skin but I think if I mix a little with Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream, I can have an almost perfect shade.  I don't have my makeup terminology right when I say Missha looks a little flat.  I think it's too brown/gray/taupe for my skin, so if I were to pair it with Skin Food which looks a little too pink, I think I could pull it off.  I can't wait to try it!

I think I could pair MAC and Skin Food together too, but I hope I don't end up looking orange because MAC is so yellow on my skin.  LOL.  

But anyways, I will try out the liquid foundations when the weather turns cooler.  This interminable Texas heat is just causing my skin to be greasy and uncomfortable.  

Swatch Fest 01 - Lips

I have been meaning to do a swatch of all my lip products for a while.  I used to think I had too little lip products, but I realized, other than the perfunctory clear gloss I use as a moisturizer, very much like Vaseline, I do have quite a bit of lip sticks!  My collection grew by 1 today!  

Here are the swatches of my lip products.

Revlon MoistureStay Lipcolor



From left to right:
1.  Perfect Pink (#4 it's okay)
2.  Rose Berry (#2 favorite)
3.  Grape Crush (#1 favorite)
4.  Malt (#5 don't like)
5.  Sangria (#3 favorite [a color perfect for winter])

*ratings pertain to what is shown in the picture*

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks



 with flash
  no flash
From left to right:
1.  Softsilver Rose
2.  Blushed

I'm ambivalent about these colors.

Revlon, L'Oreal, and Dior


  no flash
  with flash
From left to right:
1.  Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss (#1 favorite & love, love, love!)
2.  L'Oreal Colour Riche (#2 favorite)
3.  Dior Addict High Shine #154 Designer Coral (new from Sue Lynn!!!)

*ratings pertain to items featured in this picture*

Package from malaysia


These just arrived today via postal service.  Suelynn76 is the absolute greatest in sending these to me all carefully packaged and including some items gratis : )  Her taste is impeccable!  I mentioned in my other blog abt going on an august NO buy {that blog has been deleted}, to which I have kept true.  These items were my reward for running 100 miles.  Perhaps this is the incentive to get done w the next 91 miles of round 2!

Swatches and reviews to come later.
Kusanagi

August 28, 2010

Montagne Jeunesse Chocolate Masque

Cell phone updates from my phone mean that the pictures are never in order.  Oh well, at least this is easy to do!  Hahaha!

My oldest and dearest friend got me a couple of masques for my birthday.  They are Montagne Jeunnesse masques.  This one I used tonight is Chocolate and smells like it!  It's for normal, dry and t-zone skin, but I still used it over my entire face.  My skin felt so soft after I washed it off!
I have a few days until I see Mr. P so it is time for me to start pampering myself again! 

^_^  Kusanagi

August 23, 2010

Late birthday present from my brother

Isn't my brother the best?  He surprised me w a shiseido eye cream!  It's late, but it's the thought that counts!  I love my brother!  :-D
Kusanagi

August 14, 2010

Product Review: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends

Sheer highlighting blush in "Healthy 26"


For more product information, please see product info.

This sheer highlighting blush claims to provide the following benefits:

1.  Sheer, illuminating, healthy color with subtle highlights
2.  Shades blend together to work on multiple skin tones
3.  Multi-vitamins and botanical conditioners soften and smooth skin

The product also includes a travel-friendly blush brush.

Let's go over this claim by claim.

Sheer factor:  
The first few times I applied this blush I couldn't really tell that I was wearing any.  And when I did, I was sad to realize that I went a little heavy handed on one cheek and light handed on the other cheek.  Yes, this is a sheer blush, but the color and intensity can be built up.  I don't really see the purpose in a sheer blush since blushes are meant to be seen, which makes me believe that I am actually using more product to get a color that I like.  I'm not a person who likes obviously blushes cheeks, so I don't think I'm going overboard with color.

Illuminating factor:
Only one of the 4 colors in this palette has some shimmer to it, but it can be overlooked by the other shades that are somewhat less shimmery and more matte.  In terms of overall effect, I don't see any noticeable shimmer.  I like to my makeup to be multifunctional so this product also works as my eyeshadow.  The lightest color also does not work as a highlighter or illuminator of any sort.  

Healthy color with subtle highlights factor:
Healthy color?  YES!!  I bought this particular palette because it looked the peachiest of the set.  And I am very pleased with the healthy peachy color that I'm getting from this.  I love the fact that when I look at myself throughout the day, this blush also has bronzy undertones to it.  So yes, throughout the day one can look incredibly healthy and full of vigor!  When I use this on my eyes, I can mix and match any two colors so that my eyelids don't look exactly the same as my cheeks and I have subtle color all over the parts of my face that need color.  With regards to the subtle highlights, SUBTLE is the operative word.  I cannot see highlights in this product at all.

Shades blend together to work on multiple skintones factor:
Well, the shades to blend well together, and they also work well as duos and single shades.  Seeing as how I'm devoid of female friends and my skin is the only skin I see, I can't say anything about it working on multiple skintones.  (It's so sad but it's true that I haven't seen a girlfriend face to face in a year now...)  However, considering that this is a very buildable blush, I could definitely imagine that this would be able to work on multiple skintones.

Softening and smoothing skin factor:
I do notice that my skin does feel smooth to the touch, but I'm not sure if the multivitamins or botanical conditioners are at work.  Take this claim with a grain of salt unless there has been a clinical study.  I do know that makeup nowadays is more advanced, so this could easily be true.  However, I am working on my skincare regimen, so I don't know if advanced makeup is making my skin soft, or if my skincare regimen is doing it, or what.  

Brush factor:
This brush is convenient and can be used when you have nothing else.  But please be aware that this brush is not very good quality.  The brush actually feels like nylon threads.  Their stiffness really gouges out the product and makes it super powdery. 

Other comments:
I'm in a phase of makeup when I want to be minimalist again.  So I'm trying to find the best uses for my makeup.  Now, regarding this product, I love that it is mosaic style, so I get multiple colors to use to my pleasure.  The only bad thing is that if I continue to get a mosaic blush that I can use for my eyes, my eyes will forever be peachy or pinky (?).  Not a bad thing, just one downside to my preference for multifunctional stuff.

I'm also finding that I'm terrible at applying blush with a brush because my application is so uneven.  I can't get the size of the blushed area right, meaning that one cheek has more blushed area than the other. Nor can I get the amount of product right, meaning that one cheek is more pigmented than the other.  Egads!  Same thing with eyeshadows.  So I have learned that my hands and fingers are the best tools possible.  I apply this blush to my cheeks, eyes and lips with my fingers (must wash and clean between applications to avoid germs).  It works great for me.

I have used this product in conjunction with vaseline for my lips.  The combination is great.  My face looks pretty healthy color-wise and (lol) color coordinated.  A note about this blush as a lip color.  Because it is powder, it goes on matte over whatever lip conditioner I'm using.  It is also sheer.  The problem with applying the conditioner first and then the powder over it is that the powder is drying and your lips will start to look dried as well.  However, if you apply the powder to your slightly conditioned lips and then go over with more lip conditioner, you can get a nice color enhancement to your natural lip color.  

My Rating:
I give this a 4/5.  But it is important to know what you are rating it for based on your own priorities.  For me, my priority is color.  Since this product gives me just the right color that I want, I love it!!  I just wish that the highlighting shade had a little bit a shimmer to it.  I don't want the entire palette to be shimmery.

That's all folks!

(Oh, yeah, the color doesn't look as dirty as it does in my picture.  It's the glare and reflection from my window to the plastic cover of the product's package.)

August 11, 2010

Skin and eye problems update, August

My birthday is drawing near... one year without Mr. P.  *sighs!*  Another story, another time.

Well, the update on my skin problems...  I haven't been breaking out a lot since the last time I mentioned it, so I'm happy about that.  I am breaking out in preparation for my monthly cycle, which this and last month is late.  I haven't had it yet for the month of July.  It's getting into August and I'm only barely starting to feel a cramp (one cramp).  Maybe it'll arrive in another week or two?

My eczema-like rash is all but gone.  I stopped using the Neutrogena sunblock since August 1 and my skin is back to normal now.  Normal and oily, which is what I prefer to dry, itchy, and rough!  I'm going to give it to my friend back in California to see if her skin can stand up to the sunblock.  I really like it, I'm just so sorry that I'm allergic to something in it.

My right eye is giving me problems.  It's been watery for about a week and a half.  Not only watery, there is a lot of discharge.  I cannot get through the day or night without having some handy tissues by my side.  I at first thought I was having an allergic reaction to my mascara, but seeing as how I have gone 4 days without mascara and still no sign of improvement, I am thinking maybe its a reaction to eyeshadow.  I have not worn any corrective or colorful makeup since the first of August.  I feel so dowdy...  But still I have this eye irritation thing.

Let me get through the rest of August without makeup or contact lenses (I've been wearing glasses... I hate the way it feels on my nose.  I get paranoid that my glasses will leave groves along the sides of the bridge of my nose) or anything and see if that helps.

The only powder that I'm wearing is my Chanel face powder because that has SPF 25 PA +++ and offers more protection than the Olay moisturizer.  But I should really use up all my bareMinerals powder foundation because I like my Chanel face powder so much more (it is so much more luxurious than bareMinerals and I want to make it last!).  ^_^

August 05, 2010

Product Review: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss

You can find more product information about the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipglosses here.  

The Pink Afterglow lipgloss is amazing.  I have not owned many different lipglosses in my lifetime, but of the ones I have owned, this is perfect for moisturizing and keeping my lips soft.  It is very glossy, and it has a very sheer application.  It is not very pigmented.  I'm not sure what gurus mean when they say lip-glosses feel sticky or not, so I won't comment on this.  As far as the staying power goes, this has amazing staying power on my lips.  It can definitely last me from 7am through lunch.  Reapplication at lunch is purely optional, but at around 2pm reapplication is needed.

Oh, one note about moisturization, I use lip glosses as moisturization because I am allergic to lip balm.  I was apprehensive about lipstick at first, but apparently they are okay for me to use.

One of the things I like and don't like about this product is the glitter.  I don't think this is shimmer, we're talking about, it is full on glitter.  I like the glitter in certain situations, when I'm visiting customers and when I first see Mr. P.  I don't like the glitter when the gloss gets eaten away or is drying out on my lips, and I definitely don't like the glitter when I kiss Mr. P and his lips end up looking glittery as well.  

Lipstick goes on well under or over this gloss.  I'm on my second tube of Pink Afterglow and I would love to try more from this line.  I like it so much that I'm not really in a rush or feel the need to try others.  This does it for me - it has everything I need for moisturizer, conditioner, and pigmentation.  :-P

August 03, 2010

Product Review: bare Escentuals RareMinerals Blemish Therapy



For more product information, do a Google search on RareMinerals Blemish Therapy.  My internet connection seems a little slow so the website is not coming up, but you can browse through bare Escentuals website to find this product and read up on it.  

I threw away my box so I don't have the details on the claims this product makes.  But I bought mine last year before I moved from CA to TX at a bare Escentuals store.  The sales associate who sold me on this product told me that it could be buffed into my skin with a brush that looks like a mini foundation brush (it came with the kit).  This product could go on my skin in the morning before makeup and at night before bed.  The patented rare minerals in this product would work to reduce the swelling and dry up whatever pimple I was using this on.

My impressions on this product:

1.  I'm not sure if the rare minerals in this product actually work on reducing any pimples.  I put it on my skin, but it doesn't seem to adhere to my skin, so I am skeptical if the product would deliver on the pimple fighting elements if it doesn't adhere to the pimple.  

2.  There is no coverage from this powder.  I didn't expect there to be much coverage, but this exceeded my expectations in sheerness.  There is NO coverage at all, which makes me wonder if any of this product adhered to my skin.

3.  The packaging is cute and about the same size as a bare Escentuals mineral eyeshadow.  But for the quantity that you end up using as a spot treatment, this will probably last you a very long time.  For me, it has lasted 11 months and I haven't even made a dent in it.  So when you weigh it out versus BP gel you can buy at the store, this ends up being cheaper than Persa 10 or any other generic BP gel.  However, be forewarned that you will pay up front for this RareMinerals Blemish Treatment.  It is not cheap.

I actually don't have any strong feelings of like or dislike regarding this product.  Would I purchase this again?  No, I wouldn't.  I don't feel that it does anything for my skin that a nightly dose of 5% BP gel couldn't do.  The only thing that I have to say is that when I use this, I feel as if I'm using a luxurious product.  It's the marketing and the brand, LOL.  

I will see if I can use it all up though.  It would be a shame to just let it sit around and expire, if it hasn't already.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...