Sweet Recipie Baby Choux

Hey all,

Not sure if you remembered. But this was the Make up base from Etude house that i was referring to in my Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint Review.

The one that broke me out in little red rashes and made me swear to never use etude house again.

i have to say, the packaging was really beautiful and cute. It came in a glass jar container, which not only made it heavy, it was also not very hygienic as you will have to keep re-dipping your fingers in the product. There is also a slight baby powder scent, very pleasing actually

I bought it in 2 colors. Pink peach (Brightening effect) and green (neutralising effect)

as you can tell, the product itself is quite thick in consistency.

the photo above was how it looks like after the green one was blended out. As you can see, the green tinge is quite obvious, and the worst part was that when i applied it to my hands and tried to wash it off after, it actually stained my skin a little yellow . it faded after a few washes though.

the photo above was how my skin looked like withe the peachy pink colorer one. As you can see, my skin does look a tone or 2 brighter and fairer.

i would say the blendability is alright, but it feels very powdery and as you can see it settles into all your lines.

This was the first make up base product i tried, and i hate to say that it broke me out terribly. I really would not recommend this to anyone as i believe that there are products out there that are just as cheap but much better.

Till then

D

Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint

Hey all,

I cannot recall if i ever mentioned how much i feared Etude house. Yes, feared. Let me tell you the story why. I have ridiculously sensitive skin, and when i was in Korea, i was so pressured and impressed that how girls take care of themselves, that i started to dabble in make up and skin care too. Prior to staying in Korea, i hardly ever even use sunscreen or moisturiser. (Imagine the damage of my poor poor skin) ANYWAYS, one of the first few products i tried from them (due to great reviews and super hyped up in Korea then) was the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner. I LOVED IT. Still in love with it. Lost count of how many bottles i went through. With that, it gave me an impression that i could trust Etude house, so i went on a crazy massive spree haul. I bought make up bases, foundation, bb cream and the whole shebam. Big mistake.

I have a habit of trying on the products on a lazy day in, before wearing it out. As i like to test the texture, the finish, the color and all those stuff, just so that i can plan my make up look better. Eg, if i am having dry skin, i like to choose a more moisturising finish/texture. So as usual, once i got home, i tried on the Etude House Choux base first. I bought it in 2 colors. Green and Peach. At first it was okay, nothing too fantastic but nothing too bad either. However, as the minutes passed by, my skin started getting itchy, after a few more minutes there was a slight burning sensation, as i rushed to a mirror to see whats wrong, i noticed little bumps developing all over. I quickly took a cleaner and removed everything. Too Late. The little red bumps were all over, almost like rashes. So traumatised. I gave EVERYTHING i bought away. Did i mention those rashes like bumps lasted on my face for almost 2 months. (This was before i knew about Paula’s Choice, IF i had known then, i might not have needed to walk around looking like that for 2 months) And i was so afraid of further irritating my skin, i used nothing but toner, moisturiser and sunscreen for those 2 months. It was just horrible.

Anyways, since then, i have stayed cleared from ANY Etude house products. I was just so traumatised that in my mind, i have outcasted them. Gave them the ultimate death note.

HOWEVER, a few weeks ago, i was bringing out my niece to play and she wanted to ride some train (they have trains for kids in Indonesian malls) . Though i have never bought another make up product from Etude house since that incident, i still buy their accessories, ESPECIALLY their cushion make up air puffs. ( Retailing at 18.000 RP, it is the most affordable one around)

Anyways, after dropping my niece off on the train, i ran to Etude house wanting to get their EyeBrow stencils. But instead i found myself standing at the eyeshadows and lip-tints section instead. The Make Up God must have directed me there cause, OH AM GEE. The Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint in RD#301 Cherry Red is ridiculously amazing. (The eye shadow sticks i got were god sent too, but i will leave that for another time)

Swatch time

To compare, i have also included some of the other lip stains that i own. The sequence from top to bottom.

1) Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint.

2) Loreal Paris Caresse Wet Shine Stain.

3) Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

4)Revlon Color Burst Balm Stain

This was how it looked like when i first applied.

After a few minutes, this was the finish it dried to. As you can see, the colors on all 4 got deeper and darker.  

Next, i tried to wipe it off with both a dry piece of tissue followed by a wet wipe. As you can see the Etude house Fresh Cherry tint held up the best.  Loreal Paris Caresse Wet Shine Stain, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain and Revlon Color Burst Balm Stain faired nearly the same.

Lastly, i used a make up remover and soap to try and wash it off. And by this time, only Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint remains.

As you can see, the lasting powder on this is crazy! And once it dries, it sets wonderfully. There is no stickiness, but still a beautiful sheen is left behind. The best part that i love about this product is that, no ugly lip stains left behind when you drink or eat. I just love that. I have always found leaving my lip stick mark every where kind of… nasty. So this is just lovely. Compared to Revlon Color Burst Balm Stain and Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, i also found this slightly less drying. I would not go so far as to call it moisturising, but i would say that it is at the very least, not drying.

My mum thinks hates the product though, she believes that if the tint stains your skin and lips so badly, it cannot possibly be made from natural or good ingredients. She firmly told me that i should not use it often as she believes that it is filled with harsh chemicals. Of course i asked the kind sales lady about this too, and she kindly informed me that the staining powder derives from cherry extracts, which both explains the name and the smell, but my mum is not convinced. To be honest, seeing how my skin broke out like that with their make up base, i personally do think that they do use alot of harsh ingredients (unlike innisfree), but so far, it has not done any damage to my lips, so i do not see too big of a problem. After all, Etude house is under such a HUGE holding company, and Etude house itself is a globally well known brand, i believe that they have strict testing procedures and that their products are safe for use. It is just a matter of suitability. Just because i have a reaction to their face products does not mean others will. Which is why i LOVE testing all the different brands and different product.

I really am loving this Fresh Cherry Tint. Sometimes i even use it as a blush. But i use it under a layer of foundation, as the red is REALLY red, and i just find it so much more natural when i use it under a layer of bb cream or foundation.

I bought this in Indonesia , but if you can, try and get it from an online shop or in Korea. It is just so expensive here, i do not remember the exact price i bought it for, but it was around 140.000 – 150.000RP ($14 -15 USD). That my dear is almost 3 times the price it is selling for in Korea 6.000KW ($6USD)

Whatever, it was a good buy. The question is, should i get greedy and buy all the colors or just stick to this. Muahahah.

Till then

D

Monave Mineral Make Up

Hey all,

As you all know, Bare Minerals are probably the biggest and most popular brand of mineral make up out there. In fact, we can say that Bare Minerals was the brand that made Mineral Make up a trend. But did you know, over the years many other brands started producing Mineral Make up too. Today i would like to talk about the brand Monave. For those of you who never heard of their brand, here is their link:

http://www.monave.com/page-about

They claim that their products are made from good quality and hand made. And since i was looking for different mineral make up brands to try out, i thought why not. I bought 2 of their mineral powder sampler sets. One in Light-Medium Pink and One in Light-Medium Yellow. I would say for a sampler set, they really lacked a variety of colors. Although that being said, i felt that they were extremely generous with the amounts. Each set contains 4 colors, each color contains 1g of product. That means you get 4g of product for just $10USD. And have i mentioned how adorable the cases are?

They come in mini stackable. Which is both super convenient to bring around and reusable. HOWEVER, it is crappy for application of powder products. So i moved them to bigger old everyday minerals containers.

So how did they fare.

1) Color match wise:

As i mentioned above, i bought 2 sampler sets. AND, none of them matched me. NONE. Which is strange. But they do have an amazing range of colors that you can choose from. Different undertones. Different color. It is just hard to get the right match as i do not think they have a physical store, so you are basically doing a guessing game. Which i obviously really suck at.

2) Coverage:

This is where i was rather impressed. They have 2 choices. ‘Normal’ Mineral Foundation or Concealer-Foundation Mineral Foundation. *WIDE EYES* As i mentioned in my previous post, i think that Bare Minerals has excellent coverage. Out of the word coverage for a mineral powder. And the Concealer-Foundation Mineral Foundation from Monave makes a great dupe. The coverage is excellent. The ‘Normal’ one is decent too, it is so finely milled that when i transferred it to my Bare Minerals and Everyday Minerals casing, the powder always manages to escape the sealed lids. I feel as though the ‘Normal’ Mineral Foundation makes it that tiny bit harder to build up coverage, but it does give you a much more natural finish.

3) Lasting Powder

This is where i was most disappointed. First, let me explain. I have been suffering from dry skin lately, and this foundation CLINGS unto your dry patches. So i would say, dry skinned girls, you were warned. But for Bare Minerals and Everyday Foundation, i always use this small trick when i see visible dry patches. I would simply use a mist all over, and pat my face gently. Tried it with Monave too, and NONE of the pigment stayed. I find this so strange as it makes no sense at all why this is happening. If you have normal skin or oily skin though, this is a decent powder. You will not need to touch up much, and oil control power seems decent enough.

PS: You might notice clumps in your foundation, but it does not affect anything. When you use your brush to swirl and tap, the clumps dissipate without much effort. In fact i like it like this, as it give it a more ‘hand made’ slightly imperfect kind of touch to it.

All in all, decent product, will definitely finish using it, but do not think i will repurchase again.

Till then,

D

Sleek Make Up I Divine EyeShadow Palette Ultra Mattes V1 & V2

Hey all

As you know, i’ve been a fan of most Sleek Make Up powder products.

But today i would like to talk about an eye-shadow from them that has disappointed me

These palettes belong to my mum, i’ve never been a fan of mattes and the Neons in the I Divine Eyeshadow Palette Ultra Matte V1 Palette did not seem like something i would wear often, but i was not able to convince my mum otherwise, so we bought it when it was on sale.

My mum has a habit of buying stuff and not using it until…. it was past expiry date. So i am not surprised that even though we have bought there palettes over 3 months ago, she only opened it recently.

I REALLY love Sleek Make Up Eyeshadows and rave about it to everyone one who is looking for a new affordable eyeshadow palette. Which was why i was shocked when my mum complained to me about how bad her eyeshadow palettes were!

Lets take a look shall we?

 

The colors are so pretty in my opinion. And they came in the usual small and sleek cases, with a huge mirror and a sponge tip brush (which i have never tried. Love using my fingers for shadows) . So far, so good, nothing out of the ordinary. So i proceeded to swatch them.

 

This is where the problem started. Even when swatching, you can feel that it is different in texture. These palettes were alot more powdery and chalky.

As you can see in the swatches, these are also alot less pigmented. In fact, some colors simply would not show, even after layering. Take the Purple in V1 (Neon Palette) (3rd color from the left), i have tried to layer it, and even applied it wet. It simply would not show. However, there were colors that remained in quality. Like the White (Most right) and the dark pink (second from the left) from the V1 palette. When used with a brush, lot of the shadows also broke apart easily. Thus causing lots of wastage and a huge mess.

All in all, it was a disappointment for me, as i expected that much more from you Sleek. Even though i also know that most Matte shadows often fail in terms of performance in comparison to their shimmery counterparts. But still. I trusted you. I still LOVE their blushes, contour palette and the eyeshadow palettes that i own, but i think, i might start exploring other better cheaper options now.

And just in case you were wondering or confused. The Neon bright colorful palette is the V1, and the darker more natural looking palette is the V2.

Till then

D

Bare Minerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15

Hey all,

Some information on myself. I love the ‘no make up’ make up look. Or at least on a daily basis, i love my make up to lean toward the natural side.

Which is why i’ve been a fan of mineral make up for…. well, lets just say i started my make up journey with Mineral Make up, and i do not see myself going any other route.

For daily make up, i either go for a bb cream or mineral make up, depends on my mood and my skin condition that day really.

Today i would like to talk about Bare Minerals Original Foundation. It was my first Mineral Foundation, in fact, it was the first foundation that i bought and owned for myself.

To be honest, i do not really like it, in fact looking back, amongst ALL the different mineral foundations that i have tried, I would rank this as the one that i liked the least

Why?

First lets go to it’s packaging.

When i bought it a few years ago, this is what the packaging looked like. To be honest, i am not a fan, because the cap is too small. It not only makes it hard to put my kabuki brush in the cap, it makes it impossibly messy when i start swirling.

And also, i HATE how there is a white piece of paper stuck there, see how the white paper gets dirty? I always like washing the caps, so that it will not only look cleaner it will also be more hygienic. In fact, i tried washing the cap once, and the water entered the paper, and the paper got loose, but i cant remove it either, cause (i tried removing it) there is glue left over, making it sticky, thus rendering the cap useless, cause you no longer can put any powder product on the cap, much less swirl it.

     

Second reason why i was not a fan of Bare Minerals. See the Bare Mineral Blush on the left. The shimmer it has? Well, Bare Minerals Original Foundation had that same shimmer/glitter when you see it in the box/case too. Though it may look horribly shimmery in photos and in the case, when you buff it into the skin, it is hardly noticeable. But that shiny/glittery ingredient is called, Bismuth Oxychloride. Which is also the ingredient that makes your skin looks as though it is glowing. However, it has been reported that Bismuth Oxychloride can also cause bad breakouts and cystic acne. Which thankfully never happened to me. What i found though, was that when ever i apply Bare Minerals Original Foundation, my face would get REALLY itchy when ever i start to sweat. After some googling, i found that Bismuth Oxychloride was the cause of it. And it seems like i was not the only one that had that problem. As i work in sales, and i stay in Indonesia, i can safely say that perspiration is a big part of my life. And to have a foundation that will make my face unbearable itchy when i sweat, is such a downside in my book.

Also, i also found that whenever i use Bare Minerals, it looks natural and glow-y when you first apply it, but after a few hours, my face will look like an oil spill. i am not sure why, i get so oily when using this foundation. Which i could not understand as it is a powder. But i went to my best friend (google) and found that i was not the only one who was experiencing this. Again, they blamed Bismuth Oxychloride. ( Poor Bismuth Oxychloride, getting blamed for everything that is going wrong). Even when i use my Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder on top of the foundation, it seems to do little or no help at all.

That aside, Bare Minerals Original Foundation has probably one of the highest coverage compared to other brands. Even their blush is so highly pigmented. The foundation (and blush) is very easy to build up while still looking natural, and even with just one layer, you get enough coverage to even out your skin and most redness.

All in all, The Bare Minerals Original Foundation has a special place in my heart as it was my first ever foundation, and it was THE foundation that introduced me to mineral foundation. And when i was in the states, i honestly LOVED this product, but now that i am living in a hot, humid, tropical country, i really cant say my love has remained the same.

That being said, for those of you who stays in a nice cool country, or simply stay in the office the whole day and do not get exposed to much heat, i would say this is an amazing product. The finish is beautiful, it will give you a glow and it looks amazingly natural. But for those of you with extreme sensitive skin, or tends to perspire alot like me, i would suggest that you look into other brands.

Till then

D

Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation

Hey all,

I’ve been using tons of foundation these days, as i’ve been attending dinner parties more often than usual. Plus with the whole Chinese new year celebrations and my niece’s birthday party, and my mum’s birthday party. I’ve been wearing foundation alot more often than i would like.

Anyways, I know how Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation has like a cult following. But i really don’t see what is so fantastic about it. I first got to know of it when i was in the states, right before my brother’s wedding. I had to admit though, the staying power of this foundation is great. And in pictures or videos, you simply look flawless.

But. As a day to day foundation, or as a ‘normal’ night time foundation, i just do not love it.

Lets go into the details.

As you can see, the texture is amazingly liquid-y. I compared to my Benefit Hello Flawless foundation and i was surprised that it was much much more liquid-y. Why do i find the texture so important? Because i find, the thicker the consistency, the harder it is to blend, and worst of all, when it the consistency is thicker, it also tends to clog your pores more often (in my opinion).

The fascinating thing though, MOST foundations that are runny like that, almost never have a full coverage. BUT the Make up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation covers ALL my hyper-pigmentations and black heads with one layer. That is mind blowing. And the best part was that, even though it was high coverage, it felt so amazing on the skin. Not at all heavy, in fact, it felt like nothing. It also lasted the whole day on me, i put the foundation around 6am, and till the next day 12pm, the foundation was still on. Why 30 hours you ask? Cause stupid old me was waaay too tired to wash it off, and i fell asleep with my make up on. BUT you know what was the icing to the cake?! NO BREAKOUTS AT ALL. This was simply amazing on so many levels.

But it is not my cup of tea. WHY? Because when you wear this, it does look flawless in film and in Camera. But in real life, people will be able to tell that you have make up on. And that is not something i like in my day to day make up routine. In fact, when you use your fingers or even a brush, i feel as though the Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation accentuates my dry spots. It also looks… cake-y.

I find the best way, to apply this foundation is by using a damp sponge. It gives the most natural finish, lessens the possibility of the foundation clinging unto your dry spots and gives the lightest most even layer.

However, as i HATE using sponges (too much trouble to clean and maintain it’s hygiene) i really can’t appreciate this foundation.

I do have to say though, if you have a big event coming up, and do not mind spending $43USD on a foundation. This would be a beautiful foundation. But if you are looking for a more ‘day to day’ friendly foundation, i really do not think this is going to be the foundation for you. Unless of course, you are into the full coverage look. Then i would say, ‘GO FOR IT’

Cause for me personally, i like foundations that simply even out my skin. I like it when a few spots peek though. And also because i am as lazy as a human can be, so any foundation that needs a sponge or even brushes to apply would get some points subtracted from me. That is simply my preference though.

Till then.

D

Sleek Lip Pout Polish

TGIF Everyone!!!!

Hello Weekend!!!

i am not sure if i ever mentioned how much i LOVE the brand ‘Sleek Make Up’. Their Eyeshadows are a dream come true, their blushes are pigmented and packaging is just so friendly.

HOWEVER, they REALLY should stick to just powder products.

Lets talk about Sleek MakeUp Lip Pout Polish today.

As usual, they have not failed in terms of packaging. As the brand name suggests, it looks very Sleek

I got it in peach perfection

Texture feels like any lip balm. Not too greasy, and very soft. When using your fingers to apply, the balm just melts and you can apply it easily.

What i do not like about it is

1) When applied to the lips, there is no color AT ALL. Which is ….. not what i was expecting. I mean, what is the point if there is no color at all? Of course when you swatch it, the color is visible. But i believe that it is because i am using such a concentrated amount. i do not use that amount on my lips. (trust me i tried to layer it on till i could see the color, and it is just impossible to put that much lip gloss on without looking ……. strange)

2) IT claims to be a TINTED LIP CONDITIONER. but yet, it was drying. REALLY REALLY drying. Which was my biggest no. Any lip product which is drying goes right into my bin

3) The smell. It has this smell, i can’t really describe it, it is not bad. My friend says it smells like vanilla. but it is not something i want on my lips. And honestly, i do not think it is the kind of smell anyone would think is delicious. The scent is really strong too. Even after i apply it on my lips, the smell will linger for quite some time.

This so far was the only disappointing product i’ve purchased from Sleek.

For you guys who have not heard of Sleek Make Up, go try it out! I find their eye shadows and blushes so amazing. Did i mention very affordable too?

Here is the link if anyone is interested:

http://www.sleekmakeup.com/

Till then

D

Nature Republic Original Power Argan Oil Ampoule

HAPPY MONDAY GUYS.

It is MONDAY! Hopefully you have successfully brainwashed yourself into how WONDERFUL Mondays are!

😀

Lets talk about Nature Republic’s Original Power Argan Oil Ampoule today. Remember how i mentioned in my last post that i have started my journey to find a good moisturiser? Well, i am still on that hunt, so you can expect more skin care reviews until i can find something to satisfy my expectations.

Looks expensive right? I love the way it looks. Plus it has a dropper, making it for easy application.

Thats probably all i like about this product.

I am unsure why, Oil like these seem to

1) not only break me out

2) Causes me a ridiculous amount of blackheads

and lastly

3) enlarge my pores to an uncomfortable extend

The same thing happened with the body shop vitamin e overnight serum-in-oil.

So i thought about it, and i realised that there were a few times when i hated a perfectly good product because i am retarded and used it the wrong way.

So off to seek help and advice from dear old google.

And as expected, i was using it WRONG.

Or as my sister likes to tell me. USER ERROR

I was not supposed to drop the oil directly unto my face, but instead,

1) drop 1 to 2 drops onto my hands first

2) rub hand together

3) slowly pat my face with the product to apply and help it absorb

Which makes plenty of sense, as putting it directly on my face makes it TOO rich. So even though my skin will be well hydrated and supple. It will clog the pores and stuff.

So i let my face rest a few days, and let it go back to its normal state. And i followed directions that google provided me with.

STILL NOPE. The same thing happened again the next day!

But it made me wonder. Was the body shop vitamin e overnight serum-in-oil user error, or was it like the Nature Republic Original Power Argan Oil Ampoule, simply not suitable for me.

At this point, my face was dry as can be, and i was just NOT willing to risk putting my face through anymore adventures. So i mixed both the Nature Republic Original Power Argan Oil Ampoule and body shop vitamin e overnight serum-in-oil. with my body moisturiser. The left side of my body, i mixed my moisturiser with body shop vitamin e overnight serum-in-oil, and on the right side of the body with the Nature Republic Original Power Argan Oil Ampoule. Lets just say, the next day, i was VERY HAPPY i did not put any of these products on my face.

Why?

On my left arm, rashes/pimple looking bumps started to appear on both my legs and arms. And on the right side of my body, there was no reaction, but my skin was totally flaky and dry.

So there it is. Another disappointing product. When will the saviour holy grail of moisturiser appear?

Oh well

Till then

D