Beauty

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

PLUMES PRECIEUSES De Chanel Holiday 2014 Collection – Joues Contraste Blush CARESSE and Illusion D’Ombre Eyeshadow Envol Reivew and Swatch

October 27, 2014

It is no secret that Chanel makes my heart flutter. I wasn’t planning to get that many items from the PLUMES PRECIEUSES De CHANEL Holiday 2014 Collection, but I succumbed when I saw them in real life. They are simply stunning and all look very flattering on my skin tone with the items I picked. Today’s review is for the Chanel Joues Contraste Blush CARESSE 180 and the Illusion D’Ombre Eyeshadow Envol 847.

I won’t go into the details of the texture of Joues Contraste Blush as they have been reviewed many times on my blog. In short they are ‘baked’ to perfection – very smooth, finely milled and easy to apply. CARESSE looked like a plain pale peach with micro silver shimmer from the pan, but once I tried it on my face I just couldn’t let it go. It shows up as a soft wash of coral peach with a hint of rose-gold undertone with the signature Chanel soft glow that gives a youthful, glowy and plumped effect. This color made me appear a lot more revived as soon as I had it on my face after a long day of work, and I knew I had to bring it home and it will be the workhorse blush as part my everyday makeup items. It has medium opacity and it can be applied sheer or layered for more color.

The Illusion D’Ombre Eyeshadow in Envol is another must buy item from this collection for the neutral makeup lovers. The color is very similar to the CARESSE blush, but more translucent and shimmery with a stronger undertone of rose gold. It provides a soft and shimmery wash of color which serves as a good wash for the eyelid, as well as for highlighting purpose. The color, wearability and its versatility makes this a worthy purchase. I have mentioned that I adore the formulation of the Illusion D’Ombre cream eyeshadow – the cushiony soft texture makes it easy to apply and blend, and the shimmery finish is neither metallic nor frosty. The longevity is also outstanding. I have had cream eye shadows from other brands which were purchased around the same time as my first few Chanel Illusion D’ombre, and they have all dried up since then, except for the Chanel ones which are still performing as good as they were new.

Swatch

Left: Caresse Sheer Swatch, Middle Caresse Heavy Swatch, Right Envol

Closer look

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Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL • EYESHADOW • Holiday 2014 Collection

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks Review and Swatch – Amazing Grace and Lost Cherry

October 21, 2014

In addition to the KISSING Lipsticks (reviewed here) I also bought two new Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipsticks (Amazing Grace and Lost Cherry) from Net -A-Porter which I absolutely adore (also available at Selfridges). I bought these online without having read much reviews about them, so I really didn’t have a high expectation on them as matte lipsticks normally don’t work that well with my naturally dry lips. But these ones are phenomenal in terms of formulation, and the velvet finish is very modern and fashion-forward.

The Matte Revolution Lipstick is ultra velvety smooth to apply without settling into the lines of the lips, and feels lightweight and non-drying on the lips. It’s very pigmented (more richer than the KISSING lipstick), and gives a very opaque and even finish with only one coat required. What appeals to me the most is that it is not a completely matte lipstick , and it provides more of a velvet finish with a semi-satin sheen that makes your lips appear more youthful than a typical matte lipstick does. Lasting power is about 4-5 hours on me. The only drawback to note is that it’s not a grab-and-go lipstick as you have to apply this in front of a mirror with some level of care for a clean look. Overall I am very impressed with the formulation of this lipstick. I can finally rock the matte lips look which is trending everywhere without the sacrifice of making my lips dry!

Amazing Grace looks like a dusty nude pink online, but in real life it is a dusty rosey pink that is a tad darker than I expected. Nevertheless the color is still beautiful and demure which would be flattering for all age groups.

Lost Cherry has completely wowed me. It is a fresh and bright cherry pink red that makes me wanting a backup! There is something about this color in the velvet finish makes it arresting.

Comparison Swatches

Left Amazing Grace Right Lost Cherry

Compared to the KISSING lipsticks

From my instagram

Bottom Line: The Matte Revolution lipsticks are definitely one of my top picks (along with the Filmstar bronze and glow – reviewed here) for anyone who is new to the Charlotte Tilbury beauty line. They are now available at Net-A-Porter worldwide!

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Labels: Charlotte Tilbury • LIPSTICK

Charlotte Tilbury KISSING Lipstick Review and Swatch – Bitch Perfect and Coachella Coral

October 20, 2014

Net-A-Porter is currently offering free shipping again! So I took the opportunity and ordered some more Charlotte Tilbury makeup (also available at Nordstrom) which is really growing on me as a beauty brand in general. Today’s review is for the Charlotte Tilbury KISSING Lipsticks. I picked up the color Bitch Perfect and Coachella Coral which I believe are two of their best selling colors.

The lipstick has a smooth and non slippery texture with a satin finish. It applies evenly and feels quite soft and weightless (not waxy) on the lips. It doesn’t enhance any dry patches and lines on the lips, and neither does it dry out the lips. Lasting power is about 3-4 hours on me with the brighter color lasting relatively longer. Both shades have good color pay-off – they are neither sheer not too intense which makes the formulation ideal for most people.

Bitch perfect is a soft pink nude color on me, with a tiny tinge of nude brown undertone. It’s a flattering your-lips-but-better shade that still gives your lips a soft wash of color without washing you out, and is easy to pull off with any makeup look everyday. Perfect for those of you who love wearing nude lips , or anyone who is into natural looking lip colors.

Coachella Coral is my favorite out of the two. I have mentioned earlier that I am into the bright lip color phase, and this shade is right up my alley. It’s a lovely rosey pink coral color that just takes away any dullness from your complexion as soon as I have this color on the lips, and it brightens up my mood as well. The color is young yet sophisticated. I can wear it sheer for everyday use, or layer it up for a more bold and defined look.

Swatched under natural lighting

Left Bitch Perfect Right Coachella Coral

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Labels: Charlotte Tilbury • LIPSTICK

IPL Laser Treatment Review with Before and After Picture

October 13, 2014

I’ve been flat out with moving into my parent’s place for the next couple of months, so blogging can be a little challenging as I only brought the bare minimum things for myself and 5 car loads for my baby lol (as a typical mommy would do…) Anyhow today’s post is about my recent experience of IPL treatments. I have been asked by my readers about how I look after my skin so I thought I’d share my first laser treatment experience with you all which has done wonders to my skin.

To begin with, I’d like to set the record straight that this review is solely for sharing my experience with this popular laser treatment but it’s really not for encouragement. I have had freckles since I was a teen – partly genetics, partly due the harsh sun in Australia. I went through a long phase of “I wanted to be tanned so I wouldn’t look like a typical fair Asian girl‘ and I had spent most of my weekends on the beach sun tanning or at a solarium during my teenage years. It was one crazy phase that I really regretted as I suffered from really bad sun burns and ended up with pigmentation problems. The freckles never really bothered me (as I thought they looked quite cute) till I got pregnant and they became extremely dark, prominent and just looked terrible. Looking back some of the pictures that were taken during pregnancy, I was shocked and decided that I needed some proper treatments to get rid of these.

After a consultation with a dermatologist, I was recommended with 2-3 sessions of IPL treatments. The laser treatment itself was not as painful as I anticipated. It goes for about 15 minutes for the whole face and most of the time it felt like a rubber band snapping your face. There were some very uncomfortable moments, but they were very short lived and by the time you realized the pain it was already gone. After each treatment the face would appear quite red (like as if you had a sun burn) for hours, and it goes away by next day. It is absolutely normal to have the pigmentation appear even darker (like dark brown spots) during the first week of the treatment, and they will slowly fade away.

Results after each treatment

1st treatment: The outcome was amazing after the first treatment – it had removed about 60% of the pigmentation on my face, with the rest of the pigmentation looking more faded. After about a week, my face just looked much more clear and clean. I couldn’t be happier with the result. The downside was my skin felt extremely dry than usual during the first few weeks, and I was recommended to use biocellulose masks daily that are designed for hydrating and repairing post procedure skin. My recommendations are this one by Sarah Chapman, or this more affordable one by DHC.

2nd treatment: I went for the 2nd treatment after 8 weeks after the first one. It had removed another 20% of the pigmentation. The result wasn’t as impressive and noticeable as the first one, but it was expected as most clients benefit the most from the first treatment, and any subsequent treatments were more for maintenance purposes.

3rd treatment: Unfortunately there was no change after this compared to the 2nd one, so the money was wasted this time around… I was advised that this is the best result I would get from the IPL treatments, and I should stop from here. Some clients would still get some improvement from the laser depending on the skin condition, as for me I am still left with some pigmentation that was caused genetically so there is nothing the IPL can do.

Overall I am very pleased with the total outcome as it has cleared about 70% of the pigmentation, with the rest looking faded. Though my face is still not flawless as I would hope for, but the removal has made such a huge difference in how clear my complexion looks. I am happy with this drastic improvement with as little as 3 sessions (2 would do actually). In my opinion they are totally worth the money, time and effort spent. Here is a comparison picture of my FOTDs – one was taken during pregnancy, one was taken recently. Note that I wore the same coverage of foundation in both pictures.

More facts

– I did not see any changes in pore sizes, fine lines/creases, skin firmness.

– The result of the treatment doesn’t last a lifetime. The removed pigmentation will eventually come back over the next 1 to 2 years, but they will still look better than how they originally were, provided if you take very good care with sun protection. To maintain the optimum result, I was also advised to come back for at least one treatment a year.

– I was also advised to always include a brightening skincare products in my skincare regime going forward. I should look for product that contains Hydroquinone 2% such as this one or this one, or the equivalent but more gentle such as this one by Clarins, and continuous use should further improve the appearance of the pigmentation.

– Each treatment costs about $310 in Sydney. This is quite a premium price for what I paid, and I believe you can find cheaper deals if you shop around.

Have you had any type of laser done? I would love to hear your experience!

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Labels: SKINCARE

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss Colour and Shine Lipgloss in One Click 13 Affriolant and 16 EXTASE Review, Swatches and Photos

October 6, 2014

The new Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss Colour and Shine Lipgloss in One Click have been released in Australia recently. I picked up the color 13 Affriolant and 16 Extase. They are the latest lip gloss line from Chanel that wear like a lipstick with intense pigmentation and lacquered shine. I absolutely love Chanel lip glosses in general and the Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss are my holy grail lip glosses (reviewed in this post), so I was eager to see how this new line performed.

Let’s kick off the review with its ultra modern and unique packaging. Chanel packaging never ceases to impress me, and I greatly appreciate their packaging evolving throughout time for a modern take whilst maintaining a classic Chanel look. These new lipglosses are housed in a sleek black lacquered tubes, and to use the gloss you just click the base to push out the product itself which comes with a gold base. I think the design has a very interesting innovation to it and makes it convenient to use with just one click.

The new Chanel Rouge Allure Colour and Shine Lip Gloss delivers the color of a lipstick and the lacquered shine of a lip gloss. The texture is smooth, rich and creamy as it adheres to the lips rather than being runny. The beveled double-sided, flocked applicator allows for ultra-precise definition. It has a lacquered cream shine that makes your lips fuller and more plumped. They are not sticky, but it doesn’t feel weightless on the lips which is my only gripe. Compared to my HG Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss, this new line obviously has much better color payoff for a more intense and sophisticated glossy finish, and you never need to wear a lipstick underneath this gloss. Whereas the Extrait de Gloss is more sheer and luminous with a jelly-like gloss finish, they are more young and great for people who don’t like to wear too much color on the lips.

left – 13 Affriolant Right – 16 Extase

13 Affriolant is a coral pink. When it comes to picking lip colors I tend to stay in my comfort zone and Affriolant is just the right color that I would reach for everyday so I get the most value out it!16 Extase is a bright rosey pink that is neither too cool nor too warm. Again this is a fool proof color that would complement any makeup look and makes my complexion more brightened and alive.

Comparison swatch

Left to Right: Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss 54 Liberte, 55 Confidence, 56 Imaginaire, Rouge Allure Gloss Colour and Shine 13 Affriolant, 16 Extase

The new Chanel Rouge Allure Colour and Shine Lipgloss in One Click is now available at Nordstrom and Harrods (international shipping available).

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Labels: CHANEL • LIPGLOSS

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)!