FOTD

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Matte Persuasive 333 Review and Swatch + Giveaway

January 21, 2018

I’ve been obsessed with lipsticks lately, particularly in the color range of brick brown red/maple leaf sort of colors which is the color of the year. I was over the moon when I finally tracked down Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Matte Persuasive 333 which is almost sold-out worldwide! If you can find one, get it right now! It is a stunning autumn color but I am totally loving it for the hot weather. All pictures in the post are taken with an iphone with my new illuminated selfie phone case that gives better lighting.

The Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Matte formula is amongst the best that glides on silky smooth and feels non-drying and lightweight even for the dry lips (on par with the Tom Ford Matte and Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution which are my top favorites). It is highly saturated so a little goes a long way. I suggest that for the application you just need to dab the color gently on the center of the lips and smudge with your fingers for a softer and blended-in look.

Closer look

The color Persuasive 333 is absolutely stunning and worth the hype. I describe the color as a dusty terracotta warm red with a hint of pumpkin undertone. As the warm-toned eyeshadow trend is taking over the world, this lipstick makes the perfect compliment. It goes well with most skin tones, and the bright base color instantly brightens up your complexion, whereas the muted tone still makes the color look natural and wearable everyday without looking too glamorous.

Swatch – taken with iphone with LuMee Duo phone case! No color filter applied

Here is a picture of me wearing Persuasive taken outdoor

Bottom Line: If you could have one lipstick this year, make it this one! The Pure Color Envy Matte range is available at Nordstrom and Estee Lauder US online. I bought it here in Australia, and you can also find it on David Jones online. Selfridges is another place where you can try your luck. It seems the shade Persuasive is out of stock everywhere, but there are some other beautiful similar shades such as Raw Edge, Decisive Poppy; Irrepressible and Desirous from the same range that I am also drooling over!

I was recently sent the LuMee illuminated DUO phone case and absolutely adore it! It has adjustable front and back LED light so you can take pictures and selfies in any lighting condition. I prefer using the dimmed light during the day, and at night the full light setting is guaranteed to give you good quality pictures without the use of flash. Here is a giveaway for one lucky winner. The prize is a LuMee iPhone case of your choice with the value up to USD$100 that you can find from the LuMee website!

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below and I will pick the winner at random. The giveway is available to US residents only.

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Labels: ESTEE LAUDER • FOTD • light up selfie cases for the iphone • LIPSTICK

Lancome Matte Shakers Beige Vintage and Magic Orange Review and Swatch

November 20, 2017

I’ve been raving about the Lancome Matte Shaker on my Instagram a lot, so it’s time for a proper review (bought mine here in Australia). The most popular shade is the Beige Vintage which is often sold-out worldwide, and it has earned many raves amongst all the beauty enthusiasts. It was out of stock in Australia for a long time until it was re-stocked recently. Along with the beige vintage, I’ve also picked up the shade Magic Orange which I am also really loving.

The Matte Shaker is similar to a liquid lipstick – in a lightweight, watery and highly pigmented formula (aka lip cushion) that is done in the same fashion as a cushion foundation versus the traditional liquid formula. It glides on weightless and feels very hydrating to the lips even for a matte formula. The special sponge applicator gives a stamped-in affect, and the color is completely blended in with the lips, that gives a stain-like finish that looks very natural – there is no cakey, dry and chalky feeling on the lips. It takes about 1-2 minutes to dry down to a full-matte finish and stays put for at least 5-6 hours. The best way to apply the product is to use the fingers to pat it in for an ombre look, and it is important to shake the bottle before use.

Left Beige Vintage Right Magic Orange

I have to apologize for the swatching in this post. I did take some high res pictures but I did not like the lighting, so I did it again with my phone and once you cropped the pictures the res quality is very low!

Beige Vintage – as the name suggests it is a universally flattered muted beige rose shade that would suit everyone.

Magic Orange – is a super pretty bright coral orange with a hint of baby pink.

Here is a selfie wearing Beige Vintage!

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Labels: FOTD • LANCOME • LIPSTICK

Smashbox Cover Shot Eye Palette Ablaze Review and Swatch

November 16, 2017

Just a quick review sharing the highly raved Smashbox Cover Shot Eye Palette in Ablaze which I have been loving lately. I am obsessed with warm neutral colors with a twist at the moment – anything in the color palette of autumn shades such as terracotta, red brick brown and rosy brown just instantly grabs my attention. It seems everybody is raving about this palette, and all the colors are right up my alley so I had to have it!

The size of the palette is quite small compared to the other regular sized palettes – it’s a portable purse size that you can easily fit in your makeup bag. My favorite part of the design has to be the two bigger size of eye shadows in the colors of ivory beige, and peachy gold as they will always be the most used base colors. The texture of all eyeshadows is silky smooth and easy to apply and blend. The matte shades are velvety, and shimmer shades are finely milled so they don’t feel gritty and there is no fall out when applying. All shades are intensely pigmented so a little goes a long way, and using a soft fluffy brush for the application is recommended.

Top Row (left to right)

Relaxed: Matte Ivory Beige

Moccasin: Shimmer Peachy Gold

Bottom Row (left to right)

Siesta: Pink Rose Bronze Shimmer

Nirvana: Berry Pink

Delirious: Medium Bronze Shimmer

Torch: Golden Pumpkin Shimmer

Throwback: Matte Terracotta- my favorite shade of the palette!

Dark Horse: Matte Cool Brown

Swatch

Here is a FOTD that I took with my phone wearing the Ablaze Palette. Other makeup include the Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Super Cindy Lipstick (reviewed here), and the Chanel Joues Contraste Blush Rose Petillant (reviewed here).

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Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • SMASHBOX

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

ZOEVA Nude Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette Review, Swatch and FOTD

September 19, 2016

Zoeva is one emerging brand that has got me really interested. Despite their most popular and affordable brushes, their palettes are also phenomenal. The ZOEVA Nude Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette (available here in Australia) is literally all you need for makeup, being a neutral eye shadow lover, I gasped at how beautiful and flattering these neutral and hues are, and they will get me through day and night on a daily basis. For such a big palette, I am surprised that there is not a single shade that I don’t like.

The palette retails for AUD$75, which is equivalent to $5 per eye shadow! The palette is housed in a slim black paper notebook-like case with a frosted feel. It is very modern and sleek, and feels very well made. There is a range of matte, satin, and intense satin (almost bordering metallic) eye shadows in the palette. All of the shades are buttery and silky smooth to apply, and they are so easy to blend (even for the matte shades) without fallout. All shades have good color payoff, with some shades having exceptional intense pigment.

The top and bottom rows each have 2 mattes and 3 shimmers, and the middle row has 1 matte, and 4 shimmers.

The top row has more earthy and subtle sandy shades in different variations.

The middle row has mainly champagne, taupe and bronze.

The bottom row has colors leaning more gold and copper.

I won’t describe each shade in words as there are too many. As usual I make sure my swatch looks like what I see in real life, so hopefully they will give you a better idea. All pictures were taken under neutral day light (not directly in the sun).

Swatch for the top row

Swatch for the second row

Swatch for the third row

Here are some FOTDs I created with this Nude Spectrum Palette. I have been gushing about how much I love brown lips, so I’d thought I’d do a proper FOTD wearing one of my favorites lately – MAC Whirl.

Eye makeup: I used the matte taupe color (3rd color in the first row) in the crease, then layered with peachy champagne color (second color in the second row), and applied the golden shimmer (second color in the third row) along the lash line. The matte ivory (1st eye shadow in the first row) was used on the brow bone.

Other products used in the FOTD

Face: Bobbi Brown Face Base / YSL Serum Foundation (reviewed) / YSL Touch Eclat Compact (reviewed)

Cheeks: Marc Jacobs Beauty Contour Powder 20 (reviewed) / Giorgio Armani Blush 306 (reviewed)

Brows: Tom Ford Brow Kit (also used for nose contouring, reviewed) / BBROWBAR Brow Pen

Lips: MAC Whirl

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Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • Giorgio Armani • MAC • YSL • ZOEVA

Tom Ford Soleil Color Collection – Soleil Contouring Compact, Bicoastal Sheer Cheek Duo, Ultra Rich Lip Color Review, Swatch and FOTD

June 12, 2016

Believe it or not, Tom Ford Soleil Color is the only 2016 summer collection that I picked up this year! (yep I skipped the Chanel..and many others) Normally summer collection involves lots of bright colors and bronzers which are not of my best interest, so for me it’s the easiest season that I can save my money from lol! With the exception of the always breathtaking release from Tom Ford. I managed to pick up some highly popular items including two beautiful face palettes – the Contouring Compact (limited edition) and Bicoastal Sheer Cheek Duo, and one lip color in Les Mepris on the first day of release. The entire collection is available on David Jones Online in Australia.

The Soleil Contouring Compact in The Afternooner is beyond gorgeous. If you own the Illuminating Powder Duo (reviewed here), you will love this palette too, as it includes a highlighter and a bronzer that are just as gorgeous as the duos, with an additional blush that makes this palette very versatile and practical to use. I won’t go into the details of the quality in this post, as they are always consistent with Tom Ford’s items from the past and permanent collections which I have reviewed many times. Overall Tom Ford is known for their cream-like powder based makeup with an ultra buttery and smooth texture for an effortless application.

Color description:

Highlighter: A soft nude shimmer highlighter with a pale gold undertone. On the swatch it leans slightly warm. However on my cool toned NC15 complexion, I am glad that it doesn’t pull too warm on me as some other golden highlighters do. I normally apply a sheer layer on top of the cheekbone, and it goes on translucent and gives a beautiful natural looking glow.

Blush: A semi-matte coral pink blush that gives a pretty flush of color and looks flattering on any skin tones.

Bronzer: A semi-matte sable brown color that compliments my skin-tone. It particularly goes well with the blush and highlighter – when all three colors are applied, they give a harmonious and sophisticated finish. The bronzer looks great for contouring the cheekbone, or dust a little all over the face for a bit of sun-kissed look. The color is too warm for my complexion as a real contouring product for the jaws and nose.

Swatch

The Tom Ford Bicoastal Sheer Cheek Duo is another palette not to be missed from the collection! It’s my kind of blush color that I can wear all year around. It has the two prettiest shades of pink in different finishes housed in the signature TF white and gold compact. On the top is a baby peachy pink shimmer highlighter. The blush at the bottom is a semi-matte rosy pink. I like to mix the two colors together for a natural and pretty glowy effect . Both colors go on sheer, so I prefer to use a dense powder blush for application, and they can be easily build up to a more vibrant finish.

Group Swatch

Tom Ford released two sets of lip color collections in this release. I passed on the entire Moisturecore Lip Colors as I just did not like the finish on me. With the white tube Ultra Rich Lip Color, I have an eternal affinity with them. They are beautifully packaged, feel luxurious with a creamy and silky formula. I only picked up the color Les Mepris so far, but in the back of my mind I kept on thinking about Purple Noon and Revolve Around Me which are more edgy colors. Les Mepris is a go-to pretty pink coral color that is universally flattering for all complexions. It goes well with any makeup look, and it instantly brightens up my complexion for a youthful appeal.

Sharing some of my FOTDs wearing the Soleil Compact with all three colors applied and Lip Color Les Mepris.

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Labels: BLUSH • FOTD • HIGHLIGHTER • LIPSTICK • Tom Ford

Tom Ford Lips and Boys Lip Colors Patrick, Michael and Rafael Review and Swatch

December 14, 2015

It has been a busy week for me with lots of social gatherings and functions so the delay in posting a review for the Tom Ford Lips and Boys Lip Color collection. Tom Ford has released the collection again for this holiday, and this is delightful news for anyone who missed out on the first release last year. Unfortunately the same goes for the second round, as most of the popular shades were snatched up within hours in Australia. I managed to get hold of some of the colors I had on my wishlist from Selfridges. This review I will be covering Patrick, Michael and Rafael as they are in the pink and red range. For the next review I will show the nude colors.

Left to Right: Patrick; Rafael; Michael

Tom Ford lipsticks are truly the cream de la cream of lipsticks, and the mini sized lip colors are just as good as the full size ones. I have done many detail reviews in the past, and in summary it is almost impossible for you not to like them!

Patrick is a bright milky peachy pink with no shimmer. It is a young and pretty shade, but slightly challenging for me to pull it off.

Lip Swatch for Patrick

FOTD

Michael is an extremely popular shade. It is a fool proof neutral pink shade in a semi-satin finish that would look lovely on most complexions. It has tiny shimmer in the tube, but they can’t be seen once applied. This is absolutely one of my favorite shades from the range which needs a backup!

Lip Swatch of Michael

FOTD – I was doing lots of lip swatches on the day, and the FOTD for Michael was taken last after other colors so the color is not as accurate as the above lip swatch as they were taken on different days!

Rafael is a fiery orange red shade in cream finish, and it looks more stunning on the lips than what it looks in the tube. On me it shows up more of a warm red that just instantly brightens up my complexion. Another favorite shade for me!

Lip Swatch of Rafael

FOTD

Other products used in the FOTD include

Base: Chanel Illuminating Makeup Base; MUFE Ultra HD foundation (reviewed here), 3CE Waterful Concealer (best drugstore concealer ever used – reviewed here)

Eyes: Suqqu Eye Shadow EX03 from the 2015 Christmas Kit A (reviewed here), Chanel Le Volume waterproof mascara; Inglot brow gel

Cheeks: Bobbi Brown blush in pale pink (swatched in this post) using Hakuhodo blush brush

You can find all the shades in the TOM FORD Lips&Boys on Nordstrom Online, as well as on NAP in the US. I bought mine from Selfridges which ship internationally, and all the colors were available at the time I was shopping. There are still some colors left on David Jones Online in Australia as of now.

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Labels: FOTD • LIPSTICK • Tom Ford

Suqqu Eye Colour Palette Bordeaux EX01 Review, Swatch and FOTD

October 26, 2015

I have been frequently reaching for my Suqqu Eye Colour Palette Bordeaux EX01 lately so I thought I’d write up a review and FOTD post for it. I love the color combination of this palette. They are different to the usual neutral earthy palettes that I normally gravitate towards. The colors are relatively more vibrant outside of my comfort zone, but somehow I find them to be very wearable yet fresh looking, with the signature Suqqu’s subdued elegance to it.

The Suqqu eye shadow is among the most superior eye shadows you can find. The quality of the newer 3 eye shadow palette feels quite similar to their regular quad. I have done many reviews for them in other posts, and overall the texture of Suqqu is slightly different to the western brands. The powder feels more creamy and moist to the touch, and they glide on weightless, silky smooth and evenly without looking powdery that would really work well on dry skin. The color payoff is also great for this palette – one to two swipes will show the true color as you see in the pan.

Shade Description

Top : Icy white color, slightly sparkly

Middle: Shimmery coppery golden peach.

Bottom: Wine color with a purple undertone in semi satin finish. It contains multi colored glitters but they don’t show up once applied unless you look at it very closely at a certain angle.

Swatch with one swipe

FOTD:

Other products used in the FOTD

Face:

Shiseido Pore Smoothing Corrector

Shu Uemura UV Underbase Mousse – totally obsessed!

Tom Ford Powder Compact Foundation (reviewed here)

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

Eyes & Brows

Tom Ford Brow Sculpting Kit (new, review coming soon)

MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set in Toasted Blonde

Dior Addict It Liner (reviewed here)

Lancome Mascara

Lips (my current favorite combo!)

– MAC Lip Pencil Rosy Rim (reviewed here)

– MAC LipStick Please Me

The Suqqu Eye Shadow Palette can be purchased here with international shipping available (TAX will be automatically deducted at the checkout), and more colors are also available at Selfridges.

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Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • HOURGLASS • MAC • SHISEIDO • Shu Uemura • SUQQU • Tom Ford

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