YSL

November Favorites

November 30, 2014

Just in time to post my favorite products for the month of November!

Clockwise:

– Diptyque Mimosa Candle – I love the smell of Mimosa, and when this fresh and enchanting scent is packed into a candle by the magic hands of Diptyque it’s a must have for me! I have used this one for the home all year round.

– YSL Le Tient Touche Eclat Illuminating Powder Foundation (Asia exclusive, also available in Australia) – Currently obsessed with this one. I can’t stop looking at my complexion when I dust this one on top of the foundation – it makes skin look incredibly radiant and air-brushed but so natural with a decent coverage.

– YSL Touche Eclat Foundation – I thought the performance of this foundation was on the average side for me (reviewed here), however when it’s used in conjunction with the Touche Eclat Powder I am more than amazed! It is currently 20% off at YSLBeauty Online.

– Gucci Cat Eye Sunglasses (Take up to 25% off use code GOBIG)– Love the subtle cat eye shape and it is extremely lightweight so I can wear this for the whole day without leaving marks along my nose bridge!

– TATCHA Deep Hydrating Lifting Mask – A luxurious paper mask that guarantees to make your skin appear more plumped and glowy.

– Becca Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle – Reviewed here.

– BEATS Mixr White – I cannot workout without music. So I rely on my BEATS Headphone to help me get through the sessions as I am hitting the gym more often now to get myself in shape before the holiday starts!

– Ipsa Premier Line Cleansing Creamy Paste – A gentle creamy and refreshing cleanser that I use in the morning. The texture reminds me of Neutrogena’s Deep Clean Cream Cleanser, but 100 times more luxurious overall.

– Bobbi Brown Smokey Nudes Eye Shadow Palette – My workhorse lately (reviewed here).

– Nars Audacious Lipsticks – I reviewed Natalie here, and went back and bought the shade Grace as I just love this new formulation. They are currently 20% off at NarsCosmeticsOnline.

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Labels: BECCA • BOBBI BROWN • DIPTYQUE • IPSA • My Favorites • NARS • SKINCARE • TATCHA • YSL

YSL Youth Liberator Serum and Youth Liberator Foundation Review and Swatch

November 5, 2014

I tend to buy multiple products from the same range if I like one particular product, therefore I have both the YSL Youth Liberator Serum and the YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation. I don’t have access to 98% of my makeup at the moment as I am currently staying at my parents place, so the delay in reviewing them. On a side note, my mere 2% of beauty products is growing at a rapid pace due to the amount of packages being delivered to this new address lol!

The YSL Youth Liberator Serum retails for US$155 in the US, and AUD$129 in Australia here. When it comes serum, I like to splurge – it’s the product that plays the utmost important role in terms of delivering the optimum result. So to me this is a mid priced range serum that is targeting at a younger age group (20-30) who doesn’t have that many aging concerns, and just starting to incorporate mild anti aging products into their skincare regime.

This serum promises to stimulate regeneration, improves skin texture and luminosity as well as reducing the appearance of wrinkles. It has a runny oil-free lightweight elixir texture that is easily absorbed. I am almost half way through this product (I use it every morning and night), and my experience so far has been great. It hydrates, keeps your skin supple and improves absorption for other products. I have noticed it has improved the radiance and luminosity of my skin over time, as I rarely wake up with dull skin with the help of this product. It also helps the makeup to glide on effortlessly. The regeneration function of this serum is on the lower side which is what I expected to be at this price range. Unlike the regenerating serum that cost me an arm and a leg (such as this one and this one) that just transforms my skin over few days, I need to be patient with this serum to see a noticeable result for smoother texture and repairing of acne marks. Overall this is quite a good product for early anti-aging for all skin types.

There is huge buzz on skincare foundation at the moment. Every high end brand has released a new foundation that contains their prestige skincare ingredients, such as the Shiseido Future Solution Radiance Foundation , or Estee Lauder Perfectionist Foundation, and the list goes on! I for one who absolutely adore this idea – after all I have foundation on my face for at least 8 hours a day, and it’s always a bonus if it also doubles as a skincare product that protects and repairs my skin continuously.

The YSL Youth Liberator Foundation has very lightweight texture which almost feels like a gel lotion. It applies ultra smooth and silky, and melds into the skin upon application. It makes my skin appear more plumped, softer and provides a luminous satin finish that looks like your own radiance but better. The formula provides buildable sheer to medium coverage . The lasting power is about 5 to 6 hours on me, so it’s not the greatest but I don’t mind as I actually get to use my compact foundation during the day! The formula is ideal for normal to dry skin types, but if you have combo to oily skin it tends to slip and won’t last too long.

Comparing the Liberator Foundation with the YSL Touche Eclat Foundation (reviewed here), I much prefer this as it works better on dry skin, provides easier application, and looks more luminous in a natural way on the skin. It photographs particularly well as it gives a soft focus finish to the complexion. As a foundation that is packed with skincare ingredients, it has certainly made my complexion appear better in general (less dull, still moisturized) after having the makeup removed compared to just having a regular foundation on.

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Labels: foundation • SKINCARE • YSL

LUXE BOHO

September 17, 2014

This fall I am really into fedora hats and basically any accessories that have fringe or tassel embellishments such as my shoes, so I put together this boho outfit mixing some of my favorite accessories this season with an Anna Sui crochet lace dress. I actually bought this dress as a formal wear last year for my son’s baptism, but that’s what makes me really enjoy fashion in that styling the same piece of clothing with different accessories such as bags and shoes can completely transform the look. Since it was such a sentimental dress for me, I got my boy (who is 13 months now!) to make a cameo in this post lol.

Hats – Rag and Bone (link here)

Shades – Karen Walker (link here)

Dress – Anna Sui (old, similar here by DVF, and here for under $130)

Bag – YSL (link here or here)

Shoes – Toga Pulla (link here)

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Labels: ACCESSORY • Fashion • OOTD • SHOP • YSL

Birthday Dress with a lovely treat

September 5, 2014

When it comes to special occasion wear, I find it impossible to find something I like if I purposely look for it. So I tend to buy any dress that captures my heart whenever I see it, and this whimsical Carven dress (love their signature abstract graffiti print) was purchased almost half a year ago and finally it got put to use on my birthday recently! I managed to take some quick snaps before I head out for dinner. Since it was such a sweet dress I decided to pair it with my Valentino Rockstud Booties to give it a punk edge. The YSL Crossbody bag was a ‘treat’ for myself and I had the perfect excuse!

Dress – Carven (this was from previous season and they have a similar one here from the current season)

Bag – YSL (I bought mine here because they don’t charge extra import duties, otherwise it is available here and here in the US)

Shades – Thierry Lasry

Boots – Valentino (posted here)

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Labels: Fashion • OOTD • VALENTINO • YSL

YSL Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation Review and Swatch

August 17, 2014

I have been really into YSL makeup lately, almost on par with Chanel. They have released some stellar products in recent years including the highly coveted YSL Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation. It was an instant success with this foundation as it was claimed to be the foundation version of their cult product concealer. I was not that into other foundations for a very long time as I was content with what I had, until I tried a sample of this several months ago. I fell in love with its signature soft glow finish and went ahead and purchased one along with many other “newer” foundations…

What I love about this product the most is that it is such a versatile foundation. It gives a natural and satin finish with a soft glow which is neither matte nor too dewy, and it would look lovely on any skin type. It gives the skin just the right amount of radiance for the day, and it photographs particularly well without looking too shiny. If I want to make my skin look extra dewy, I normally add some liquid highlighter. Over the T-zone I would dust some loose powder for a slightly more matte finish. It has a standard medium coverage that cover up the pores and blurs out uneven skin tones, and it can be sheered down or built-up. When this is applied with a beauty blender it tends to give a softer and more bare-faced look. Applying with a foundation brush (such as the Tom Ford Cream Foundation brush) gives a more polished and airbrushed look otherwise. I find that the Touche Eclat Concealer can look a little dry on the skin in cold weather, and if you have the same problem with the concealer, rest assured with this one it won’t happen! It has a lightweight milky texture that performs well on my dry skin in winter without enhancing the pores and dry patches.

If I have to pick one aspect that I don’t like, is that it doesn’t melt into the skin upon contact – which many of my other holy grail foundations do. This foundation is designed for all skin types so perhaps on my dry skin it takes some time to blend into the skin seamlessly. Lasting power is fine with me. I normally use this with a primer such as the YSL CC cream, and the combo lasts around 6 -8 hours in an air conditioned environment.

I bought the shade in Beige Rose 20 as I have a cool skin tone, and it matches me very well. Here are some foundation swatch comparisons.

Overall the coverage and its beautiful finish makes it an excellent everyday foundation for me. The price is also not too bad compared to the other high end foundations. I bought mine here in Australia, and it’s also available at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus in the US.

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Labels: foundation • YSL

5 minute makeup essentials

August 10, 2014

Life has been extremely busy for me lately. Returning back to work full time, and trying to spend as much time as possible with my baby, and blogging after he goes to bed along with several other projects going on is really a juggle for me. As a result I’ve learnt to cut down my makeup time drastically, which is something I swore I would never do because I absolutely enjoy putting makeup on with my endless stash of makeup! Anyway I figured that my top priority right now is to catch up on my beauty sleep so I have carefully edited a selection of my favorite makeup that give me the look I am after under 5 minutes.

When it comes to quick makeup – perfecting the complexion is always my number one priority. If I can get a nice clean and fresh complexion then it makes the rest of the makeup application a breeze. My current favorite combination is the Bobbi Brown Enriched Vitamin Face Base (reviewed here), then a sheer layer of the YSL CC Cream Lavender (reviewed here) which gives me a well-rested glow, followed by YSL Touche Eclat Foundation applied with Beauty Blender. All together takes about 2 minutes, and these three products are guaranteed to give me a natural and flawless complexion with a moist and dewy glow.

For the eyes and cheeks, I go for cream based products and I like to apply them just with my fingers. I use the Chanel Illusion D’Ombre 93 Impulsion for highlight around the eyes, and Mirage on the crease. The By Terry Hydra Blush 3 Bubble Glow gives an effortless coral-pink flush to the cheeks that instantly brightens up the complexion.

Eyeliner and mascara are essential items for me which I would never skip. I have been wearing a brown eyeliner instead of black lately as it makes my eyes appear softer. The Creer Beaute makes the best waterproof and easy to apply liquid eyeliner in my opinion, and their latest Sailor Moon Star Power Liquid Liner (brown) is a medium warm chocolate brown liquid eyeliner that goes well with my neutral eye shadows. It leans a little to warm and reddish for my liking so I am still on the hunt for a perfect dark cool brown eyeliner. The Le Volume de Chanel Mascara came as a surprise for me. I didn’t like any other Chanel mascaras that I tried before but this one is a gem and worth the hefty price tag!

Last but not least, having lipstick on defines me! I always have at least 5 lipsticks that are on high rotation every week, and the Chanel Rouge Coco 60 Triomphe (reviewed here) is my go-to lipstick of the week that goes well with my By Terry blush.

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Labels: BY TERRY • CHANEL • foundation • Makeup Base • My Favorites • YSL

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