Bobbi Brown’s skincare products are just as divine as their makeup line. Though it is primarily a makeup brand, the skincare products I have used are just far more superior than some other major big brands. A case in point is the Bobbi Brown’s Vitamin Enriched Face Base that remains as their best seller for many years..
This is a double duty product – it can be used as a moisturizer or makeup primer. I bought it for the purpose of using it as a makeup base. The minute I took it out from the box, I was drawn to its simple and sleek glass jar design, and its signature luxurious citrus scent. The texture is creamy but silky and lightweight, and it glides on skin soft and smooth like cashmere. It gives the skin an instant boost of moisture with a radiant glow, so it gives the appearance of more plumped skin. This is a product for people with normal to dry skin, or anyone who wants to achieve a natural glowy complexion for a photo shoot. It makes the skin slightly emollient (but doesn’t feel like a film) with plenty of slip, so it allows the foundation and other base product to adhere to the skin much better as well as for ease of blending. The only drawback would be it makes my T-zone slightly oily after 5-6 hours of wear (which is fine with me as at this old age I appreciate any natural oil on my face!), so this will not be the right product for anyone with oily skin or living in humid/hot weather condition for daily use.
I personally do not like any primer that feels siliconey with a matte finish. My skin is dry, so I need a good moisturizer-like primer that is packed with nurturing ingredients that makes my complexion more smooth and dry patches free for subsequent makeup application. The Bobbi Brown is a savior for people with normal to dry skin as it turns any foundation into dream-like application for a radiant finish. It’s a just a classic product to have in your makeup kit.
I have used quite a few BB skincare products and I absolutely love them all – here are the backups of some of my favorite Bobbi Brown products!
Intensive Skin Supplement; Buffing Grains; Hydrating Gel Cream; Vitamin Enriched Face Base. I have also reviewed the luxurious Extra Rinse Balm here.
[show_ms_widget id=”155840″ image_id=”225412″ width=”712″ height=”376″]
Labels: BOBBI BROWN • Makeup Base • MOISTURIZER
I got a little carried away buying Korean makeups online of lately, and they can be hit and miss. So I’ll only talk about the products I’m thoroughly impressed with which include the 3 Concept Eyes (3CE) Glossing Waterful Foundation and the Waterful Concealer. 3CE is a highly popular Korean cosmetic brand that is like the Asian version of MAC but cheaper – they have a huge range of products in a rainbow of colors, and they all look so damn good on the beautiful models. The entire range is available on StyleNanda, or you can also buy selected products on COSME-DE (cheaper than its official website).
The 3 Concept Eyes Glossing Waterful Foundation is as per the name suggests – it has an ultra lightweight fluid consistency and leaves a soft dewy ‘wet-like’ finish. If you have ever seen how flawless and dewy Korean actress’s complexions are, you will know what I am talking about here! The foundation is housed in a sturdy frosted glass bottle and has a drop applicator like the Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation. The formula has very high water content so it melds into the skin with no blending required (I just rubbed it in with fluid movement then tap it), and leaves absolutely no trace of foundation marks on the face. It has no shimmer but gives a lit-within radiant glow, and the hydrating formula works well with dry skin as it doesn’t enhance any dry patches and pores. The coverage is quite sheer which it is meant to be – it only evens out the complexion and covers small imperfections. If you have relatively good skin to begin with and like the minimum bare-face dewy look, this foundation would be your match made in heaven. Otherwise it is recommended to use a BB cream underneath this foundation for a more polished look.
This foundation only comes in 4 shades, and here is a picture for shade reference. FYI I bought the foundation in shade ‘Natural Ivory’ and it matches me perfectly (as you can see in this FOTD).
Image credit from StyleNanda
Here is how it compares to some of my other foundations:
I was so impressed by the foundation, so I ordered its matching Waterful Concealer (in shade 01) straight away and it totally lived up to my expectations. It is very similar to the foundation and gives the same “glossing” effect. It has a thicker consistency to the foundation since it is more pigmented and is made for better coverage. I only use this to cover my dark circles, and what I love about this concealer is that it feels like applying a hydrating eye gel. It feels refreshing to apply and the ultra lightweight formula just sinks in to the applied area. There is no cakeiness; doesn’t get caught in fine lines, and doesn’t make your eyes appear more dry and aged. It softens the appearance of dark circles, brightens and illuminates the eye area. It is not a heavy duty concealer so I won’t use this to cover blemishes or discolorations. This is more of a cross between under-eye highlighter and concealer that is suffice for people who have mild under-eye imperfections.
Overall thumbs up for these two products. You don’t feel like you are wearing makeup at all with these two products, and they go really well if you just like to wear some light makeup during the day.
Labels: 3 CONCEPT EYES • CONCEALER
Hi everyone I’m finally back from my months long hiatus! My computer crashed (which was catastrophic!) and I lost all my pictures soon after my previous post, and that just completely killed my blogging mojo for longer than I thought…Big thanks to those of you who messaged me!
I spent a few days thinking about what my ‘first post’ should be upon returning, and I decided on doing a FOTD with some of the new makeups I recently bought. It is my go-to makeup look now, with an emphasis on creating a translucent complexion and very light touch of neutral eye shadows with the MAC Golden Hours Mineralize Eyeshadow from the “Fantasy of Flowers’ collection.
Being a 24 hours on-call mum, I find that warm neutral shades are easier to work with and look more flattering on tired eyes than the cools. The colors from MAC Golden Hours do a fantastic job in opening up my eyes and add a lovely warm glow to them. Though the texture of this quad feels a little gritty and dry, they apply smoothly and are relatively easy to blend without any fallout with the use of an eyeshadow primer. The color payoff is semi-sheer when applied dry with a translucent soft shimmer finish. Overall this is a lovely and affordable warm neutral eye shadow to own, as it is priced the same as a single MAC Mineralize eye shadow but you get 4 different shades. The quality may not blow you away, but I love the flattering complementary shades that are fool proof to use.
Swatches
Application Method:
Upper Lid – Applied the golden brown shade all over the socket then layer it with the peachy shade. Then applied the bronze shade on the outer-v.
Lower Lid – Applied the vanilla shade on the tear duct and the bronze on the outer 1/3.
[show_ms_widget id=”139796″ image_id=”203216″ width=”712″ height=”617″]
Other products used:
Using my favorite base products of the moment which are from a Korean cosmetic brand called 3 Concept Eyes . The Glossing Waterful Foundation and its matching Concealer feel almost like water upon contact with the skin and gives the skin a soft ‘wet look’ radiance. I like to use the Nars Adelaide Illuminator as a blush base, and in my FOTD it was layered with the cult favorite Nars 0rgasm.
[show_ms_widget id=”139768″ image_id=”203180″ width=”700″ height=”415″]
Labels: 3 CONCEPT EYES • CHANEL • FOTD • MAC • NARS
On my nails today – two coats of Chanel Le Vernis Charivari (603) which is a beautiful smoky eggplant vampy color in cream finish. Quality is of standard Chanel and the color has a mix of dark mauve and taupe undertone under the light. Every girl needs to have at least few bottles of Chanel Le Vernis on their vanity, and Charivari is a great limited edition nail color to collect!
Labels: CHANEL • NAIL POLISH
I fell in love with Chanel Cream Blush since my first purchase when they were just released (see my review for Affinite and Revelation), and the Intonation 69 (LE) from Chanel Notes de Printemps Spring 2014 Makeup Collection is the third addition to my collection. The formulation of the blush is top notch for a cream blush in the market and works great for any skin type.
Intonation is a bright rosy pink with coral undertone. It looks quite bright and red in the pan, and when it is applied on the skin sheer, it shows up more coral pink. I did a comparison against Affinite as they look similar, and as you can see from the swatch below that Intonation is warmer and more coral, which makes it flattering on any skin tone. It is very pigmented so a small dab of the product is suffice to achieve a natural finish. As with all the Chanel cream blush, Intonation applies and sets into the skin beautifully – it adheres to the skin seamlessly without settling into the pores and stays put for a minimum of 5-6 hours.
Left: Intonation Right: Affinite
FOTD:
Eyes: Chanel Raffinement Eyeshadow Quad from Spring 2013
Cheeks: Chanel Cream Blush Intonation
Lips: Chanel Rouge Coco in Triomphe 60 (reviewed here)
Bottom Line: Spring makeup is all about wearing some pretty and natural flush of colors on the cheeks and lips, and this cream blush (available here or here) is a must have if you are shopping for a new blush this season.
Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL • FOTD
Chanel Rouge Allure 138 Fougueuse and Rouge Coco 60 Triomphe are my picks for the lipsticks from the Chanel Notes De Printemps Spring Collection. I always gravitate towards fresh and pretty lip colors that goes well with my everyday makeup so naturally I picked up these two stunners.
In general, Chanel Rouge Coco Hydrating Lip Color has a semi-opaque finish with a satin sheen. The texture is moderately hydrating, silky smooth and not as slippery as those super “buttery lipsticks”, so they are easier to apply if you are on the go (without a mirror) and it has decent staying power. It doesn’t feel moisturizing enough on the lips compared to the ones with an emollient texture. However, rest assured that it won’t enhance any dry lines and flakes on the lips.
Rouge Coco 60 Triomphe is a beautiful pink with coral undertone. As it is semi-opaque I applied several coats to show the true color in the swatch below.
In general, Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Color is more opaque than Rouge Coco, and the color is also more intense and brighter. It also has a very smooth and rich texture with a satin sheen. It has amazing lasting power with up to 5-6 hours of wear, and the trade-off is that it feels slightly dry on the lips after wearing it for a while (as with most long lasting lipsticks).
Rouge Allure 138 Fougueuse is a cool bright pink with blue undertone – a great color to complement any pink blushes in spring!
Comparison Swatches:
Labels: CHANEL • LIPSTICK
