Beauty

Clarisonic Aria Faicial Sonic Cleansing Review and Brush Heads Comparison

August 2, 2014

The Clarisonic Aria Facial Sonic Cleansing Tool is one of my best beauty purchases this year! I am not a strong advocate for using anything “harsh” to clean the face everyday, but a recent trip to see a dermatologist (whom I visit for my pigmentation problem developed during pregnancy) has changed my mind and recommended me this product. My question for her was ‘how do I get a poreless complexion ‘ and her answer to me was the Clarisonic and wearing sunscreen everyday. So I rushed to my nearest store and got myself the Aria which is a relatively new model.

Just a brief review on the machine itself – it has 3 speed settings (low, normal and high) and comes with a drying stand which is pretty handy. Compared this to MIA2 which is another very popular model, the Aria is slightly longer and looks more sleek. In terms of functionality, MIA2 has only 2 speed setting (low and normal) and does not have a drying stand. Speed low and normal are suffice to give the face a deep cleanse, and the high speed is generally used for body. I have had my Aria for about 6 months now and I have only used it to clean the body once! So if you are still contemplating as to which model to get, I would say Aria is great for having the extra drying stand, however MIA2 is just as good and more wallet friendly.

Result

I have been using it for the past 6 months with different brush heads, and it has made a huge difference in how clear my skin looks. My biggest problem has always been skin congestion around the nose and chin areas, so the pores are quite visible. The texture on my cheeks was ok but I also got occasional pimples and blackheads. Prior to having the Clarisonic Aria, I had to have an extraction on the nose/chin at least every 3-4 weeks, and the congestion would slowly built up again over the next 3 weeks until my next extraction. Since I had the Clarisonic I only needed twice so far! My complexion appears visibly more clear and the skin on my nose/chin is noticeably smoother because of less congested pores. As a result the texture and pore size are looking much more refined.

For Dry Skin

My skin is dry and thin, so I only use it on the days when I wear makeup and I don’t use this in the morning. Although there are a lot of videos and tests suggesting that device is ultra gentle by demonstrating running this device over a piece of tofu or stocking and the objects stay still during the use, I still wouldn’t use this device twice a day. Too much friction with the skin is never a great idea in my opinion. If I am starting to feel the nose area is starting to feeling rough, then I would increase the frequency of usage only on the required area.

How I use it

The default setting for the Aria is 20 seconds for the forehead, 20 seconds for the nose and chin, and 10 seconds for each cheek. The timer setting is configurable based on different skin conditions, and I have re-adjusted to 10 seconds forehead, 30 seconds nose/chin, and 10 seconds for each cheek. Since I only use the Clarisonic once a day at max, I find 30 seconds on the nose and chin delivers the best result.

Brush Heads Reviews and Comparison

1. The Delicate Brush Head is my favorite. It feels very gentle on the skin during use yet provides a through cleanse, and is ideal for daily use.

2. The Sensitive Brush Head is the most standard one that comes with the brush. If you have normal to oily skin this brush would be ideal, for dry and sensitive skin types I would say the delicate brush is a better option.

3. The Deep Pore Brush Head feels coarse on my skin and I won’t repurchase it. It is specifically designed for unclogging pores, however I didn’t notice it made my skin more clear than with other brush heads.

4. The Satin Precision Contour Brush Head is my second favorite and I would repurchase it again . It allows for more precise cleansing for the nose, lips or even for the eye lids as the bristles are very soft and flexible.

5. The Cashmere Brush Head (not in the picture). I don’t have this brush head with me now. It is a great brush for very dry, fragile and mature skin. I like its cashmere-like softness but I feel the Delicate Brush Head provides a more thorough cleanse, so I did not repurchase this one.

Bottom Line: I highly recommend Clarisonic sonic cleansing to anyone who has congestion problem. I have tried tons of skin care products for unclogging pores and none of them have delivered such a visible result anywhere close to this. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (only 2 days left!) is currently offering lots of different special packages for the Clarisonics.

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Labels: SKINCARE

Beauty Wishlist

July 27, 2014

My current beauty wishlist include some neutral eye shadow palettes, a foundation and some fragrances which are the 3 main things I am obsessed with lately. The most exciting product has to be the new Tom Ford’s Traceless Perfecting Foundation that has just been released – I haven’t bought any Tom Ford’s foundations yet because I was eagerly awaiting for this one! My second must purchase item is the Bottega Veneta Essence Aromatica as my all time favorite fragrance is the Bottega Veneta Eau De Parfume, and this lighter and fresher version of it sounds alluring!
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Labels: BOBBI BROWN • ESTEE LAUDER • EYESHADOW • FRAGRANCE • NAIL POLISH • SHOP • Tom Ford • YSL

Tom Ford Lip Color Sheer 06 Firecracker and 07 Paradiso Review, Swatches and FOTDs

July 26, 2014

I was very excited to be able to get my hands on these stunning new Tom Ford Lip Color Sheer in 06 FIRECRACKER and 07 PARADISO. This whole new range of lipsticks have just been released in Australia – I bought them on day 1 of the release and they will for sure sell out within days for the popular colors! It retails for $68 in Australia which is a huge splurge for a lipstick, but Tom Ford is the creme de la creme of luxury and they are worth every penny in my opinion.

These lipsticks are absolutely gorgeous in every aspect. I missed out on the first edition of Tom Ford’s lipsticks in the white tubes years ago, so I am very glad that he brought back the design again with even better textures and shades. According to the Tom Ford’s SAs the finish of these are a cross between the original Lip Color and the Lip Color Shine. They are less rich than the Lip Color, but more opaque than the Shine’s which I totally agree. They feel very weightless on the lips, and they don’t enhance any lip lines or dryness. They apply smoothly and don’t slip so the color won’t bleed. I like to apply it from the tube directly (gently because they are very saturated) then using my fingers to pat the color in, so it almost sets like a lip stain with a semi sheen. Alternatively (as suggested by the SA), you can wear it in full intensity and it will sheer out and wear into a lip stain over time. The lasting power is phenomenal as I can still see a sheer wash of color on my lips after 6 to 7 hours!

06 FIRECRACKER is a stunning warm red – the color is like the more subtle version of the Tom Ford’s Lip Color in Wild Ginger. I have been very into bold lips lately and I find that warm red is easier to wear during the day for my complexion.

07 PARADISO is a gorgeous warm pink that would look great on anyone. This was the one that caught my attention first out of the entire range, and it totally lived up to my expectations – Simply perfection!

In my FOTDs today I also wore some of the makeup products that I have just recently reviewed including the YSL CC Cream (reviewed here) and the YSL 5 Colors Couture Palette 04 Saharienne (reviewed here) which I can’t rave enough about .

FOTD with 06 FIRECRACKER

FOTD with 07 PARADISO

Full List of products used:

– YSL CC Cream in Lavender (reviewed here)

– YSL Touche Eclat Foundation (review coming soon)

– YSL 5 Colors Couture Palette 04 Saharienne

– Chanel Cream Blush Intonation

– Shu Uemura Eye Brow Pencil 02 Seal Brown

I bought mine at DJ and they are still available online (link here)! Harrods also still have some limited colors left for UK purchases.

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Labels: LIPSTICK • Tom Ford • YSL

Nordstrom 2014 Anniversary Sale Picks

July 19, 2014

I am very excited about the long awaited Nordstrom 2014 Anniversary Sale which has officially open to the general public. Sales are normally for past season stock, and what sets this event different to others is that it is designed to encourage consumers to buy the new stock from the fall collections, and everything will go back to their original prices once the sale ends. This event is also known for their exclusive beauty sets and Gifts with Purchases for most beauty brands. I would totally buy up a storm if I was in the US! Here is my compilation of some great fashion and beauty finds (my absolute favorite has to be this Vince drape leather jacket)!

1. Vince Drape leather jacket

2. Theory fisherman sweater

3. Classic Entier Crepe and Leather dress

4. Rag and Bone Newbury Boots

5. Gents baseball cap

6. Nixon watch

7. Tory Burch Sunglasses

8. Bobbi Brown Nude on Nude color set

9. Nars Cheek Palette

10. Cara spike hinge cuff

11. Rebecca Minkoff Leather Bracelet

12. V-Bar Open Cuff

13. Halogen Ombre Cashmere Wrap

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Labels: Fashion • SHOP

YSL 5 Color Couture Palette 02 Fauves and 04 Saharienne Review and Swatches

July 16, 2014

There are some great new collections of eye shadows being released this year – including the highly anticipated YSL 5 color Couture Palette. I bought them in 02 FAUVES and 04 SAHARIENNE recently and they look even more beautiful in real life than all the preview pictures I have seen online!

The packaging of the Couture Palette is picture-worthy – the sleek gold case is ultra luxurious and glamorous. My only gripe is that they tend to show finger marks easily.

The quality of these new eye shadows are divine and much better than their past collections. They are extremely finely milled and very firmly pressed so they feel quite solid and velvety to the touch. If you look closely there is an intricate woven print design on the eye shadows which I thought was very unique. The pigmentation of every single shade is highly rich, and you get the true color and intensity with only 1 gentle swipe needed. They are smooth and easy to blend. Contrary to the new Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quads (reviewed here and they are now available on Nordstrom!) which are best to be applied with brushes that tend to pick up more pigments (such as the Tom Ford or Hakohodo J series) , I like to apply the YSLs with very soft brushes such as the Suqqu eye brushes or the Chikuhodo z-series and GSN series (to be reviewed soon).

The YSL 5 Color Couture Palette in 02 Fauves is a saturated warm neutral quads that is perfect for creating smouldering soft smoky eyes.

Color description:

Top Right -shimmering vanilla with an icy pink undertone

Top Left – shimmering rosy copper color

Bottom Right -shimmering medium brown (leans warm)

Bottom Left -shimmering dark brown (leans warm)

Middle – charcoal

The YSL 5 Color Couture Palette in 04 Saharienne is a cool neutral quad. They colors are very versatile with mix of soft and intense colored shades which makes this palette more day time friendly, and the highlight for me is the stunning shimmery taupe shade.

Color description:

Top Right – shimmering pale golden champagne color

Top Left – shimmering pale pink beige (like a flesh color)

Bottom Right – shimmering true taupe color with an eggplant undertone

Bottom Left – shimmering medium neutral brown

Middle – shimmering intense dark brown (leans cool)

Overall the YSL Couture Palettes are one of the best new eye shadows to own. The fact that it has 5 colors in the pan gives you more choices and options to wear them in different combinations. I almost forgot how fun and delightful it is to play with rich and saturated eye shadows, and the YSLs brought it back. They are available online here or here.

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Labels: EYESHADOW • YSL

Chanel Le Vernis FRENZY Review and Swatch

July 14, 2014

Chanel is known for having the most classic and timeless nail colors. If you don’t have Chanel Le Vernis Frenzy 559, I urge you to get one please. It’s the most beautiful soft pale gray nude with a hint to taupe undertone that I have ever seen. The finish has just the right amount of sheer and translucency that makes this shade so soft and delicate with a sophisticated edge. Quality is excellent! And what I love about this shade is that it’s such a neutral shade that goes really well with either gold or silver jewelry. Bottom Line – whether you are into Chanel nail polishes or not, Frenzy is a must have!

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Labels: CHANEL • NAIL POLISH

YSL CC Cream in Rose and Lavender Review and Comparison

July 12, 2014

The YSL Forever Light Creator CC Cream is my latest obsession, as you an see I have them in both the ROSE and the LAVENDER. I had them for about a month now and I have been using them every single day which is rare for me!

Before my review for the YSL CC cream, I thought I’d share my thoughts on CC cream in general first. Basically CC cream stands for color control, and they have been marketed as the “latest beauty breakthrough innovation” after BB cream. To me they are nothing new, I have similar products for correcting complexion colors many years ago, such as the Makeup Forever HD Primer Color Control which I absolutely love. After trying out many latest CC creams, I have concluded that the only difference is that the newer products have better texture (more creamy and fluid) and more moisturizing to the skin because they all contain some skincare properties. So they are good products to own, particularly for those of you who wish to correct the appearance of dull skin without using a dozen of products.

Many of you may also be confusing BB Cream with CC Cream. I have also purchased several CC creams of Korean brands that look and feel exactly like BB cream, but upon application the CC cream generally makes the complexion a lot brighter than the BB cream. I am not a big fan of those particular CC creams.

I was sold to the YSL version after I read that my favorite Asian MUA swears by the combo of YSL CC cream and Youth Liberator Foundation (to be reviewed soon). Since I really like the foundation so I thought why not to give the CC cream a try! They come in 3 different colors – ROSE; LAVENDER and APRICOT, and all have SPF35 and PA+++. As a pink makeup lover I purchased the ROSE one first, and the lovely sales lady also gave me a generous sample of the Lavender one which I loved so much I went back and purchased it again!

The YSL CC Cream has a lovely milky and fluid texture. It is very refreshing and lightweight yet hydrating enough to the dry skin. It feels like a nourishing light skincare lotion, and it doesn’t enhance pores nor the dry patches. Both of them are very pigmented for a color corrector for the complexion, and I only need tiny a little bit (half of the pea size) for the face. They help to brighten, corrects and even out the complexion so it reduces the need for subsequent foundation. On days where I don’t feel like a full face makeup, I normally just wear this on my T-zone, under the eyes and along the cheekbone alone. It’s almost like an instant-highlighter-but-better that makes you look so fresh and well-rested.

ROSE brightens up the skin with a hint of pale rosy glow. It’s a pretty color that makes the complexion appears more youthful and radiant, and works great with other pink based makeup. However if you have some redness in the skin this product tends to enhance it.

LAVENDER helps diminish the look of sallow skin and yellow-looking skin. I love this because it makes my complexion appears so fresh and clean with a natural glow. I wore this on days where I had the worst flu, and I still got compliments on how great my skin looked, so this product must be doing something magical. I only apply this to the areas of the face where I would normally apply the highlighter, and the result is similar to “the moment you just take off your brightening mask”. Using this as a makeup base also helps other colored makeup show up better.

Swatch comparison with the Korean brands. On a quick note, Tony Moly Aura and Tony Moly BCdation makes me way too white and geisha-like. Hera CC Cream is more like a BB cream and isn’t worth its high price tag.

I bought these at David Jones for $89 each. You can get them here or here with international shipping available.

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Labels: foundation • HIGHLIGHTER • Makeup Base • YSL

RUSK MIRACURL Review

July 7, 2014

There is a great lineup of beauty tools I would like to talk about, and the RUSK MIRACURL is the first one that I’d like to share my thoughts on because I am just so excited about it! I have been very intrigued by this tool since it was released as it looked quite ‘magical’ to me, and it really made my day when it arrived in my hand!

What it is

It is a hair curling tool that automatically curls your hair to perfect waves. Perhaps many of you would have seen this one in Australia already, or the Babyliss Pro MIRACURL in other countries. They are very similar in terms of look, function and performance, and they actually belong to the same mother company CONAIR but just under different brands.

How it works

It comes with 3 heat settings (230, 210 and 190) with the highest one for thick hair and the lowest one for fine hair.

There are also 3 timer settings with

– 8 seconds for loose waves

– 10 seconds for soft curls

– 12 seconds for more defined curls.

It also comes with 3 curl direction settings for right, left and auto.

– For a more neat and uniform curl, you can choose the Left setting when styling the left side of the hair so the curl would always be in the same direction. And vice versa for the right side of the hair with the Right setting.

– For a more natural look, auto setting will alternate the direction after each curl.

As for me, I have medium to thick hair, and I normally use temperature setting of 210 with the timer set to 10 seconds in the alternating mode.

How to use:

Make sure your hair is dry and tangle free before use. For longer lasting curls, I normally prep my hair with a small amount of curling styling cream. Grab a section of hair (I find 3cm width is the best) and place the styler at where you would like the curl to start. Once you close the handle, the hair is automatically drawn into the curl chamber, and there will be beep sound indication based on your timer setting. Refer to this link for a more detailed video demo.

curling chamber

My thoughts:

Amazing! And it is really fun and easy to use. It’s very different to the conventional curling irons/tongs, but once you get the hang of using this styler to create your desired curls (takes 1 – 2 practices), you would completely get hooked on it. Despite the ease of use, this styler gets a big thumbs up from me for delivering perfect curls consistently. With a normal curling tool, my biggest problem is that the size of the curls can look inconsistent with some are too lose and some are too small , and I always had to go back and redo the curls. With the RUSK MIRACURL, it guarantees to gives you a professional result with absolutely no skill required.

I included some pictures of me styled with the RUSK MIRACURL. The size of the curl is equivalent to the standard barrel wand in 1 1/4 “. As mentioned earlier, I normally use heat setting 210 with a styling cream (using Sebastian Potion 9 at the moment), and the curl lasts lasts through to the next day. You can get very defined curls with this tool, or you can brush the curls out to achieve a more effortless and loose curls look like what I did.

Disclaimer: Big thanks to RY for sending the Rusk Miracurl for review.

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Labels: Beauty Tools • HAIRCARE

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