BB Cream

Shiseido Perfect Hydrating BB Cream Review

October 20, 2013

As we all know the BB cream and CC cream are taking the world by storm. The latest release of Perfect Hydrating BB Cream by Shiseido just hit the Australian shores recently, and I was extremely eager to try it out as I am going through the BB and CC cream phase at the moment, and have been reaching to them more frequently than the usual foundations.

I have been using BB cream on and off for years – when it was first introduced in Korea many years ago. Back then I thought BB cream in general was way too over hyped as most of them that I tried were quite ordinary. Fast forward to now, and there are much better BB creams in the market as the technology has evolved. I am very impressed with the new ones that I have purchased lately, and the Shiseido BB Cream is one of them.

Product Information:

– A multifuntional BB cream with a makeup effect and skincare benefits for bright, vibrant lookinng skin that is moistruized, and protected against UV damaage. It is oil free and has SPF30. For the ingredient list [;ease refer to the Sephora website.

My Thoughts:

Texture:

Unlike the traditional BB cream which is thick and heavy, the Shiseido has a silky fluid texture. The lightweight formula blends evenly and instantly assimilates with the skin, and leaves no traces of makeup on the skin. It is perfect for those of you who don’t like the feel of wearing makeup. It also keeps the skin quite hydrated and supple, so there is no need to prep the skin with loads of other products prior to using this one if you don’t have dry skin. However you might find this product not nourishing and rich enough if you have very dry skin.

Color:

The color match is also great for people with fair complexion. I bought it in Light Clare which is the lightest shade of the range. It matches me perfectly (I am NC15) without any grey cast and oxidation – as you can see in the comparison swatch below.

Coverage:

It offers a sheer coverage that helps to even out the complexion with a natural, translucent and slightly dewy finish. It helps to conceal the pores and redness moderately, and does not enhance any dry skin. I personally like to use this product first, then followed by using a concealer to cover up the problematic areas.

Bottom Line: If you have good skin to begin with, you would love this product as it offers the most natural and comfortable even-toned finish with a soft glow. It also serves a great foundation primer as it is extremely lightweight and comes with a decent level of SPF30.

The Shiseido Perfect Hydrating BB cream is available at Sephora and Nordstrom in the US, and House of Fraser and Harrods in the UK with international shipping available.

I bought mine at David Jones for AUD$52.

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Labels: BB Cream • FOUNDATION • SHISEIDO

Dior 5 Couleur Grand Bal Eyeshadow Palette 524 Fairy Golds Review, Swatches and FOTD

November 17, 2012

This is another eyeshadow review for the Dior 5 Couleur Grand Bal Eyeshadow Palette in 524 Fairy Golds (Limited Edition) from the Grand Bal Holiday 2012 Collection. My compulsive makeup hoarding is getting a little out of control lately as I am completely engulfed by the waves of new eye shadows being released at the moment. But what could be a better time to shop than this festive time of the year?!

Before I start my review, please allow me to ramble about the sub-par service at various Dior counters. The SAs were either busy chatting or showed no interest in doing their jobs at 3 different counters I visited! Whilst most of the other cosmetic counters thrive to deliver the best possible customer service in such a competitive economy, it was such a let down experience from a premium beauty house like Dior.

Nonetheless, this did not distract me from buying this uber gorgeous eyeshadow quint. It’s a neutral eye shadow palette with some of the most beautiful sparkly shimmery shades I have ever seen – and that is what drew me in the most! I love a sparkly shade when it is done right. It needs to have the perfect spongy creamy texture (not gritty) and adheres without any fallout, and most importantly it needs to be sparkly in a grown-up way. And the color is important too, as it needs to be subtle but you can still see the color with some translucency so it doesn’t overpower the base eye color when you apply the sparkly shade on top. This Dior quint ticked all the boxes.

COLORS

Top Left: Shimmery champagne pinky beige

Top Right: Rusty gold with a sparkly finish

Middle: Silvery white with a sparkly finish

Bottom Left: Shimmery mushroom taupe

Bottom Right: Shimmery chocolate brown

All shades are rich in pigmentation, feel buttery soft and blend so well. As mentioned above, the two sparkly shades are exceptionally superior and rivals the Tom Ford which I thought were the best!

SWATCHES:

FOTD:

Upper Lid: Applied the beige color all over the eyelid, then I blended the light taupe color from the upper lash into the eye socket. The dark brown shade was only added to the outer-v, and I used my finger to pat the gold sparkly shade on the inner corner, and the silvery white shade on top for an ultra sparkly festive look!

Lower Lid: The white sparkly on the inner third, and the brown on the outer third.

It is worth nothing that I have been obsessed with highlighting and contouring lately, so I have used more-than-the-usual amount of base product to create a luminous complexion that also looks more defined.

OTHER PRODUCTS:

Face: Laura Mercier Moisturizing Foundation (discontinued) mixed with Dr Jart+ Waterfuse Moist BB Cream.

Highlight & Contour: Prescriptives Contour Stick (discontinued) + Nars Copacabana Illuminator. YSL Touche Eclat for under eye concealing.

Blush: Chanel JC in Rouge

Lipstick: Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine SS BG 957 (reviewed here) + MAC Dazzleglass Glamour

Bottom Line: A perfect eye shadow palette for a touch of sparkly glamour this festive season.

I bought mine at David Jones for AUD$99. The Dior Palette can be purchased here in the US. You can also get this new collection including the palette here with free international delivery, and use the code GIFT10 for 10% off!

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Labels: BB Cream • DIOR • EYESHADOW • FOTD • FOUNDATION • HIGHLIGHTER • Laura Mercier • MAC • Makeup Base • NARS • Shu Uemura • YSL

My Picks for the Best Base Makeup 2011

January 5, 2012

This post is inspired by some of my favorite bloggers who have done an extensive summary of the beauty products they loved the most in year 2011. I thought it was such a good idea to show you some of the amazing products that I came across last year (or years before..). As a beauty junkie I have way too many products to showcase so I will be breaking them into several posts, and today’s post is all about the best base makeup products that I have absolutely been in love with, and I am pretty sure my appreciation for them will be carried over to year 2012.

Unfortunately I haven’t had the time to review many products in this post yet, but I am sure they will appear sometime in the near future!

Best Makeup Primer: the award goes to By Terry Teint De Rose. The most luxurious primer I have ever used – the hydrating texture, the scent and the pink rosy color just blows me away every time I use it.

Best Illuminating Makeup Base: the award goes to Dior Radiant Base. It gives a “your glow but better” effect.

Best Tinted Moisturizer: the award goes to Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer. One of their signature products. I was at Barneys shopping for Sunday Riley skincare, and I noticed there were so many (gorgeous) girls dropping by just to purchase this primer over a short time! So I had to have it and it is my holy grail makeup base now on a good skin day.

Best BB Cream: the award goes to Dr Jart Blemish Base BB Cream, love the hydrating yet lightweight liquid texture.

Best Liquid Foundation: the award goes to Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Firming Foundation (reviewed here). I don’t know one single person who doesn’t love this foundation?!

Runner up: Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation. This was my first high end foundation that I got it when I was in High School, and I was hooked on to it ever since. There is always a backup in my vanity drawer.

Best Compact Foundation/Powder: the award goes to Tom Ford Translucent Finishing Powder. My new discovery and this is THE most finely milled powder I have ever used!

Runner Up: La Prairie Cellular Treatment Powder Foundation (old packaging). A little goes a long way and it gives a flawless coverage.

Best Contouring Powder: the award goes to Suqqu Balancing Cheek in OSHAGECHA (the shade on the right). Provides a perfect subtle contouring that just blends in with my natural skin color.

Best Concealer: the award goes to Cle De Peau Concealer (have discussed in this post)

Best Under Eye Brightening Concealer: the award goes to YSL Touche Eclat (have discussed in this post)

Best Loose Powder: the award goes to La Mer Loose Powder. The most finely milled loose powder inthe market and gives a soft focus finish. This is my second tub and my first one lasted me a few years!

Runner Up: Cle de Peau Loose Powder. It has a slight pink tinge to it rather than totally translucent. Provides a brightening effect and a flawless finish.

If you haven’t read the 2011 picks by these beautiful bloggers yet, please do check them out.

Atelier Beauty’s 2011 Picks.

Delicate Hummingbird’s best picks for the foundations/powder/concealers 2011

Rouge Deluxe 2011 Loves and Thoughts

Miss Elaine-Nio Year 2011 Favorites, I am VERY sad to hear that she will no longer be blogging…

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Labels: BB Cream • BY TERRY • CHANTECAILLE • CLE DE PEAU • DIOR • FOUNDATION • Giorgio Armani • LA MER • Makeup Base • My Favorites • POWDER • Sunday Riley • SUQQU • Tom Ford • YSL

Shu Uemura BB Beige UV Under Base Mousse

June 22, 2011

This week I am reporting back my thoughts on the latest Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse in BB Beige from its Sakura Collection. The UV Under Base has always been the best seller for Shu Uemura. To celebrate its success, Shu has launched a BB cream version of it in the form of a mousse and it comes in 3 shades – the one I bought is the BB Beige. This mousse contains all the benefits of the original version – has a spf of 30 and PA+++, and has a moussey texture that feels extremely lightweight on the skin. In addition, it also has the same coverage as a BB cream in a natural and luminous finish.

I love the airy and moussey texture, a marshmallow size is enough to do the whole face. Once it is blended out the foam turns into liquid and instantly aborbs into your skin, leaving your skin feeling hydrated.

Pros:

– An excellent multi-tasking product. It has a sun protection factor of 30 without the greasiness and heaviness. It can also be used as makeup base to brighten up or even out your skintone. I personally prefer to use it as a BB cream or foundation.

– The coverage is just as good as a foundation. You can see from the swatch below it totally covers up most of my skin imperfections without looking cakey.

– It makes my skin look poreless! It works better than any of the silicone based products I have tried so far.

– It gives a nice luminous glow and controls the oil for the whole day.

Cons:

– The shade in BB Beige is too light for my skin! Just when I thought I could not be any more paler…

– Just like some other BB creams, it leaves a hint of greyish cast on my skin but it disappears over time.