Beauty

RevitaLash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner Review

April 4, 2017

I mentioned in my other posts that I am always open to trying out eyelash growth serums of different brands, but my holy grail is still the RevitaLash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner that I always go back to. It is still the best product I have used for giving me noticeably fuller and longer lashes over a short period.

How to use it

It has a clear liquid consistency, and you just need to apply it along the upper lash line before bedtime. The solution will also get to the bottom lashes from blinking, so it conditions and helps the growth of both sides. You can use it during the day, but I am not a big fan as it tends to make lashes a little sticky and wet, so it does not go well with mascaras.

Is it safe to use

This cosmetic product is in the market for more than ten years, and many brands have reformulated it over and over for a gentler and effective formula – particularly with RevitaLash which is one of the original brands that pioneers in this field. So I think the risk of having the side effect is on the low side if you use it intermittently. I have had eye irritations with their old formula, but with this Advanced formula, I did not experience any discomfort in my eyes nor any skin darkening.

Result

Astonishing! As for a person like me who has naturally sparse and short lashes, this is a life changer! Within a few days, I notice my lashes become fuller and longer. After 30 days of use, there is a drastic improvement in the appearance of the lashes – the volume of my lashes nearly double, and the length is increased my 30%. I also notice that I have fewer lashes falling off during the treatment. I normally use it every night for the first month and reduce down to 3 to 4 applications per week to maintain the result. One tube lasts about 5-6 months.

Bottom Line

Ditch your falsies, and give this product a try if you don’t have the most sensitive eyes! The RevitaLash is available here in the US, and I bought mine here with worldwide free shipping.

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Labels: REVITALASH

Monthly Favorites

March 27, 2017

I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of March as I haven’t updated my blog as I planned. I have been having rounds of flu lately so not in the perfect condition for swatching new products, but I thought I’d share some of my favorite and most-used products of the month.

MAKEUP

1. I’ve been using the Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette Seductive Beauty almost every day ever since I got my hands on it. Thumbs up for its practicality and easy to wear, and they just look flattering without looking like you have too much makeup on. Detailed review for both palettes here.

2. My skin has been looking ok lately, so I am opting for a very natural foundation. The Tom Ford Traceless Foundation gives the dewiest and most natural finish that is completely traceless as the name suggests. The low-down is that the coverage is very sheer and the ultra dewiness will not work for oily skin. The highlight is that it is very hydrating for dry and aging skin, and you can easily fake the most glowing editorial-like complexion with this foundation! FYI my shade is Albaster that is similar to NC15-20.

3. The exclusive Chanel Le Blanc Compact Foundation is one of the best the powder foundations I have used for its buttery texture, good coverage, and feels quite moisturizing for a powder-based foundation. Detailed review here.

4. Switching to bright coral lips lately after being on brown lips for months! My favorites are the MAC Retro Matte Rich & Restless (swatched here) and Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick Berlin (swatched here).

SKINCARE & HAIRCARE

5. I prefer washing powder more than paste these days, and the Kose Sekkisei White Powder Washing Powder forms into the most creamy lather that deeply cleans and gently exfoliates your skin. It also helps to clarify and brighten your skin after each wash that you can see the difference.

6. I have been resisting Oribe haircare line for a while as it’s a very expensive line and I knew I would be loving it. Finally bought the Oribe Signature Conditioner travel-sized to give it a try when I was on holiday and I was blown away! It’s not easy to transform my overly processed dry hair to the best hair condition, and this conditioner did it after only 1 wash! Will definitely be getting the full-size set soon.

LIFESTYLE

7. I am a big fan of home fragrance, and as a result, I am obsessed with Diptyque. I have pretty much used most of their home fragrances, and my all time favorite will always be the Baies. I have it in Candle, Room Spray as well as the Scented Oval (reviewed here)!

8. Received a lot of questions about this beautiful crystal and gold coaster when I posted it on my instagram lately. They are from the brand RABLABS (I bought it here and also available here worldwide). They are beyond beautiful in real life when it gleams under different angles, and make your vanity/coffee table instantly more expensive and glamourous!

9. Here is another accessory that I have been wearing a lot. The Celine Shadows Flattop sunglasses that is seen on every fashionista! Currently on sale at 40% off here!

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Labels: CELINE • CHANEL • Charlotte Tilbury • DIPTYQUE • KOSE • LIFESTYLE • Oribe • RABLABS • SUNGLASSES • Tom Ford

Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss Moisturizing Glossimer Review and Swatch – 172 Tendresse, 738 Amuse-Bouche and 756 Chilli

March 21, 2017

The matte lips trend has been going strong for a while, and as much as I still embrace the look, it is exciting and refreshing to see that a lot of my favorite beauty brands are releasing new lip formulas in glossy finish! The Chanel has recently released the new Rouge Coco Gloss Moisturising Glossimer (bought here in Australia), that is one of my all time favorite lip gloss which I have been collecting over the years for all the pretty and juicy colors! The new release comes in 25 new shades from soft nudes to vibrant colors in a more lightweight and moisturizing formula. After staring at the official online swatches for hours, I picked my top 3 colors – 172 Tendresse, 738 Amuse-Bouche and 756 Chilli.

The new formula feels more lightweight, non-sticky with much better-lasting power with the darker colors almost feeling like lip stains. It is packed with lots of moisturizing ingredients such as peptides and vitamin E so it also hydrates, smoothes out the lip lines, and instantly plump up the lips for a more youthful appearance. The intensely high-shine finish reminds me of how much I used to adore the pretty glossy look. I love this vibrant color in a lacquered jelly-like finish as it adds a more youthful and fresh spin to the makeup look.

Another thing worthy of mention is the newly designed applicator that comes in a cocoon tip. It makes the application super even and smooth, and the curved tip follows the natural contour of the lips for a more precise and better control.

Closer look

172 Tendresse is a soft peachy pink color with beautiful pink shimmer in a translucent gloss finish. Looks great to layer on top of lipstick, or wear it alone for a hint of color as swatched.

738 Amuse-Bouche is an intense bright red with pink undertone in a translucent gloss finish.

756 Chilli is a true bright red in a translucent gloss finish.

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Labels: CHANEL • LIP GLOSS

By Terry Eye Base Prime to Fix Review – Not just an eyeshadow primer!

March 16, 2017

I have been loving the By Terry Eye Base Prime To Fix (also called Eyelid Base Perfector) a lot lately. Basically, it’s an eye-shadow primer, and it has the most luxurious hydrating formulas I have ever used. I have had the highly popular primers include Nars, Too Faced and Urban Decay, and By Terry stepped up the game by offering a makeup product that can be doubled as an all-in-one eye product for color correction, plumping and smudge proof. I love how lightweight yet hydrating the formula is for my sensitive eyes while it delivers a great job of holding eye makeup for the whole day.

If you find that your eye primer feels too heavy, drying and can look a little cakey, then this product is worth a try. It has a fluid milky consistency that applies like a luxurious eye lotion and provides instant moisturization so you can even skip your eye lotion. It has an ivory tint from the tube but applies translucent, and it makes the skin appear more even-looking and fills up the fine lines for a more youthful look. The formula is closer to skincare, as it applies silky smooth and dries to a semi-matte finish after a few seconds, rather than coating the eyelid with a layer of silicone. It helps the eye shadow to glide on easily, maximizes the intensity of powder and cream shadows, and prevents them from creasing for the whole day for me. Since the formula is much more hydrating than the conventional ones, this product is most suitable for normal to dry, sensitive or aging skin around the eyes.

I bought the By Terry here with free worldwide shipping, and it is also available at NAP and Saks.

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Labels: BY TERRY • PRIMER

CHARLOTTE TILBURY INSTANT LOOK IN A PALETTE Review and Swatches – SEDUCTIVE BEAUTY & NATURAL BEAUTY Comparison

March 14, 2017

Following on from the sell-out success of the Instant Look in Palette -Natural Beauty from last year which I absolutely adore, Charlotte Tilbury has recently released another Instant Look in a Palette – Seductive Beauty (Limited Edition). The concepts are the same – an easy and quick to use all-in-one palette for the whole face for women of all age groups. The Seductive Beauty offers more dramatic coloring than Natural Beauty, with slightly darker colors for the eye shadows and the blushes, so it can transform your look from day to night.

The new palette is of the same high quality as the previous release. It contains 3 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 1 bronzer and a face highlighter – in harmonious complementary colors. The palette is made in Italy, and all products are of decent sizes, so you won’t have the problem of accidently running into other colors with a brush. The powders are luxurious – they are finely milled and apply silky smooth and blend seamlessly without any fallout.

Left Natural Beauty Right Seductive Beauty

Closer look between the two palettes.

Color descriptions for Seductive Beauty

Eyeshadow 1 (Highlight): A shimmery ivory champagne color for highlight.

Eyeshadow 2 (Enhance): A true neutral taupe color in satin finish.

Eyeshadow 3 (Smoke): Dark brown with gold shimmer.

Cheek 5 (Swish): A soft salmon pink color with very fine shimmer. Looks so pretty as a base blush color that will never make you look like a clown.

Cheek 6 (Pop): – A neutral pink color that compliments the other cheek color. Add it to the center of the apples for a more dimensional look with a pop of color.

Face 4 (Bronze) – A warm medium brown in satin finish. Great for soft contouring or a sunkissed glow.

Face 7 (Highlighter) – A gorgeous shimmery pink champagne that adds a soft candlelit glow to the face without overdoing it.

Swatch for Seductive Beauty

Comparison Swatches to Natural Beauty

Bottom Line: I love this palette. Every color in the palette is what I would reach for every day as they are extremely flattering and easy to use. This palette fits the concept perfectly as it takes very little effort and time to create a beautiful natural-looking makeup. It contains Charlotte’s 7 iconic and most-loved shades. If you want to start experimenting with her brand, this is the product to go for as it is good value for money and you get to have the best colors from Charlotte Tilbury! Also, the highly popular Natural Beauty palette is back in stock for a limited time due to high demand!

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Labels: Charlotte Tilbury

SK-II Skincare Review – Facial Treatment Essence, RNA Power Radical New Age Essence and Genoptics Aura Essence

March 7, 2017

SK-II is the skincare brand that I religiously re-purchase from as their star ingredient ‘Pitera’ works really great for my skin, and most of the products I have used truly deliver as what they claim. Lately, I have been using the trio of Facial Treatment Essence, RNA Power Radical New Age Essence, and the Genoptics Aura Essence, and I am loving the results, so I thought I’d do a combined review for the three of them.

The Facial Treatment Essence is my holy grail essence water. Over the years I have used a fair number of high-end essence water and most of them were great, and somehow SKII is the only one that I continuously buy over and over. I have praised it in many of my previous skincare routine posts, so I won’t go into the details. Overall this is an all-purpose gentle lightweight water lotion that deeply hydrates your skin for all skin conditions, and since one bottle has over 90% Pitera, it helps to exfoliate, clarify and refine the skin for crystal-clear skin. The best way to use this is to saturate the cotton pad with the lotion and leave it on the skin for a few minutes and immediately you will see your skin appear more clear and refined.

After applying the Treatment Essence, I apply a few pumps of the SK-II RNA Power Radical New Age Essence which is their latest anti-aging breakthrough. It works to combat all signs of aging for a more firming, radiant and poreless complexion. In my opinion, this is a great beginner’s anti-aging serum for people who are in their 20s or early 30s. It has a lightweight non-sticky milky lotion serum consistency and absorbs into the skin immediately. It mildly hydrates the skin, and over a period of use, I have noticed my skin texture appears more refined with more clear pores. The serum alone did not blow me away, but I do like the overall result when it is combined with other SKII results, as I feel it also helps to boost the effect of other products. Price range and target customers are equivalent to the famous Advanced Night Repair by Estee Lauder (not for sensitive skin), or Lancome Genifique. I have used all three of them, and I would say the Estee Lauder improves the skin texture the best, Lancome Genifique is better for reducing pores and fine lines, whereas the SKII has a better repair power that heals and elevates the overall health of your skin.

The Genoptics Aura Essence is officially my Holy Grail brightening essence. I loved the result of their previous Genoptics, and recently SK-II released the Genoptics Aura Face Essence with an improved formula. The new version is more hydrating, and the texture feels so soothing and luxurious on the skin. It deeply hydrates the skin (almost like a hydrating serum), and it has a lovely milky essence lotion consistency that spreads and absorbs into the skin without any tackiness. Immediately I notice a more brightened complexion imparting a soft glow, and overnight I wake up with more plumped and radiant skin that is never dull even with a few hours of sleep. It also does a great job for whitening and keeping the pigmentation at bay. I was quite tanned after my recent Hawaii holiday, and I have now gone back to my normal shade after using this serum for a month, and my freckles have also faded. Overall I love this essence and I am already on my second bottle!

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Labels: SKII • SKINCARE

MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lip Color Review and Swatch – Burnt Spice, Lady be Good and Rich & Restless

March 4, 2017

My quest for the perfect matte Liquid Lipstick never ends, and today I am sharing my thoughts on the Mac Retro Matte Liquid Lip Color. The colors I picked include Burnt Spice (from the new collection), Lady be Good and Rich & Restless are from the original collection.

As much as we adore the matte finish at the moment, it is not an easy task to the find a good non-drying formula. It is always a little tricky to tell how they perform when you are trying them at the counter, as some formulas tend to feel more drying and even cracking on the lips over time. I didn’t have a high expectation for the MAC formula as I have heard some negative reviews about them, but surprisingly the retro matte wears comfortably on the lips for a day without drying my lips – for the colors I have picked. It also doesn’t enhance dry patches and flakes on the lips. For the same price range, I prefer the MAC more than Kat Von D (reviewed here) as the consistency is more creamy and less drying for delivering the same full matte opaque finish.

From top to bottom: Lady be Good; Rich & Restless; Burnt Spice

The Retro Matte is also insanely pigmented, as one teeny tiny dab of color is enough for the whole lips to show the true color (I think one tube can last a year of daily wear!). It applies creamy at first and gives you about a minute to blend and define the lips before it dries down to a full matte finish like ink on the lips. In the swatch, I applied it with a lip brush so it looks nice and clean in the picture. In real life, I prefer to apply and smudge it with my fingers to achieve a more subtle and effortless ‘just-kissed’ lips.

Color Swatch

Burnt Spice – a rosy terracotta

Lady Be Good – MLBB peachy beige color. It looks identical to Burnt Spice from the tube, but once applied it is lighter and has a stronger peachy tone than brown.

Rich & Restless – A pretty and bright warm coral color that makes a great statement without looking too bold.

Here is a FOTD selfie I took with my phone wearing Lady Be Good.

Makeup used in the FOTD

Base Makeup – Sisley Double Tenseur Moisturizing Gel (reviewed here)/ YSL CC Cream Lavender (reviewed here) / Tom Ford Traceless Foundation / Chanel Le Blanc Compact Foundation (reviewed here) / Dior Sculpting Stick (reviewed here) / Hourglass Sponge /

Color Makeup – Chanel Blush in Hyperfresh (reviewed here) / By Terry Eye Base Primer / Dior Eyeshadow Palette (reviewed here) / Chanel Le Volume Mascara Waterproof / Lancome Duo Kohl (reviewed here)

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Labels: FOTD • LIPSTICK • MAC

The New Chanel Le Blanc 2017 Whitening Compact Foundation Radiance Thermal Comfort Review and Swatch

February 21, 2017

I gushed about how much I was impressed with the new Chanel Le Blanc Whitening Compact Foundation Radiance Thermal Comfort from the Le Blanc 2017 collection when I first bought it, and I’ve been trialing the new foundation over a few weeks now (so the honeymoon period is over!), and I can honestly say that it is one of the best compact foundations I have ever used. It has the finest creamy texture, and is the most moisturizing powder that works great for dry skin or in the cold months.

The design is very minimalist – encased in a clean all-white case, and comes with a sponge applicator. The sponge has 1 side of velvety texture, and it feels ultra luxurious and plush against the skin. It is designed for application for a better coverage and a more air-brushed finish. The other side has a normal sponge finish that gives a more natural and traceless finish.

The powder is designed to work in all climate conditions as well as protecting your skin with SPF25 with PA+++. It is extremely finely milled that feels silky smooth and buttery upon touching. Best of all, the powder applies creamy and feels very moisturizing on the skin. It gives the skin a milky porcelain-like finish in a natural way that does not look overly powdery. It gives medium to high coverage without looking cakey. I personally prefer to apply it with my favorite Chanel Les Beiges Kabuki Brush, or with the sponge applicator for touch-ups.

It doesn’t enhance any dry lines and does a wonderful job to even out the imperfections with a hint of brightening effect and completely cover the pores. I have been using it solely as a foundation, with a sheer layer of primer underneath, and it stays put for the whole day (7-8 hours ) without creasing. Since it is a very moisturizing powder, it does not completely mattify the skin, and I notice some oil comes through on the t-zone after 5 to 6 hours of wear.

Color: I bought the color 20 Beige (FYI I am NC15-20, GA 3.5/4) and this shade matches me perfectly.

Swatch

Overall I highly recommend this compact foundation whether you need it for touch up or solely as a foundation. The texture is perfection for all skin types and particularly for the dry skin, and it feels ultra comfort and blends seamlessly!

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Labels: BRUSH • CHANEL • COMPACT FOUNDATION • foundation • POWDER FOUNDATION

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