Haul!!

Thanks to an awesome awesome person (thank you so much!!!!) who spread the joy, Gerry (hi Gerry!) and I got to go for the Estée Lauder staff sale! I sadly forgot to take a picture of the ticket (can't for the life of me document things properly) but I'm sure Gerry did!

Since I don't have that, I took a picture of the haul to remember it by. It really made my day! And also reminded me how scary females can be (guilty face).

Most if the stuff have been taken by my sisters and reserved by my mom, but no worries reviews in due time :D

Happy happy!

Shiseido Aqualabel White Liquid Foundation

I bought the Shiseido Aqualabel White Liquid Foundation spf23/pa++ on a whim. I could not find many reviews online at that time, but was desperately in need of a cheap foundation that hopefully would not affect my skin. So since Aqualabel is not only under the label of Shiseido, but also a skincare directed line more than cosmetic, I decided to just go for it. Also, it was on sale (haha), so I not only got the liquid version, I got the powder version as well. But today, I will be reviewing the liquid foundation. 

The first thing that will hit you upon seeing this tube is how very very small it looks. It is tiny!! For S$25.90 (if I'm not wrong), you get 25g of product. Shu Uemura has 27g, and the standard Mac is about 28g. So do not be deceived by its size, you are actually getting a really decent amount of product in minimal packaging. + points for being small so I can fit it into small bags without worrying how much space it's taking up.

As you can see it's a squeeze tube. And not one of those fake squeeze tubes that are actually hard. I really like it as it's easy to control how much product I dispense, and sanitary to boot. The product is more creamy than liquid, so it doesn't leak into the cover.

credits: http://karlasugar.net/2009/07/mac-studio-sculpt-foundation/

The labeling system for this foundation is as such:
BO - beige
PO - pink based
OC - ochre/yellow based
00,10,20,30 etc - the higher the number the darker the shade

I use OC20 though I think OC30 might be more suitable. The above swatch is with Mac Studio Fix Fluid NC30 on the left, and Aqualabel OC20 on the right. On my arm, the Aqualabel looks drastically lighter than the studio fix. But once blended out on the skin, it actually suits my skin tone. Though truth be told, I'm quite a bit fairer than I used to be, especially on my face (My arms are a lot darker than my face T_T). I'm in between NC25-NC30 now. So for people who are true NC25s, OC20 would be an excellent match.

The OC range looks very neutral beside the Mac, so I'm guessing it would suit pretty much most Asian skin tones whether they lean pink or yellow. I've read reviews that said that the PO range is very pink, so probably only Caucasians should get that.

The consistency of the foundation is more similar to those of the thicker korean BB creams, which I like. It blends easily and doesn't emphasize dry patches. This tends to dry quite fast, making it harder to blend, so work with one part of the face at a time.

As can be seen in the picture above, coverage is well above average. I only used the foundation in the pictures, no concealer, so you can see the strength of the coverage (Picture on right has additional mascara). It is not as good as the Shu Uemura Foundation I blogged about here, but pretty decent. I would say it's medium and buildable, too many layers might get cakey though. My favourite way to apply this is with my fingers or with a damp flat top brush.

It has decent spf of 23 which means that if you don't go out much during office hours you probably don't need a separate sunscreen. Dries to a nice matte finish, but it's not super matte. In fact it's quite natural looking, and once the oils of the face settle in, it really looks nice and slightly dewy. Don't see the need to powder. It doesn't feel like I'm wearing make up either.

Doesn't oxidize and lasts about 10 hours on me. Oil control is also quite good, given that I don't have to blot my face. Also hasn't broken me out which is a plus!

I can't say whether it has the same whitening properties as its skincare line, but I don't see new pigmentation spots forming, and I can't attribute any fading to this too as I use other products at night. However, why not have the extra protection all through the day right? Won't hurt.

I think this is a very versatile foundation even for people with problematic skin. People with good skin looking for a natural finish would like this too. I would've raved about this foundation when I first got it, but the excitement has worn off now, so thumbs up it is.


Summary:

Pros:

• Asian line, formulated for Asian skin tones, hence availability of yellow based foundations
• Creamy and easy to blend
• Medium coverage
• Doesn't oxidise
• Has spf
• Matte finish but still natural looking
• Lasts all day
• Good oil control
• Doesn't break me out
• Good and compact packaging

Cons:

• Dries quite fast
• Coverage not full for problem skin
• Only 4 shades (i think)

Mac Sheertone Blush - Breezy and Fleur Power

Before I start of today's post, I would first like to apologise for the 2 week break that I took. I have been insanely busy with my end of semester submission and paper. The good thing is that I'm done with all that now, and have plenty to say!

Today, we have 2 MAC sheertone blushes. The one on the left is Fleur Power, the right is Breezy. These are currently the only MAC blushes I own as I'm not really a huge fan of them. I used to own Springsheen but that fell and cracked the hell out of itself. Moving on....

Casing. Well, pretty typical. Snaps shut securely. Not flimsy. Just do not EVER ever drop these blushes. They crack on first drop which is heartrending, given how clumsy I am. Apart from that, I have no qualms. 

Fleur Power is a gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous matte pale peachy pink (pale at least on my nc30 colouring). The moment I saw it in the pan and swatched it I knew I had to have it. Breezy is quite a unique colour. It looks super duper plummy in the pan. When swatched it's a really nice purply-red(?)(I know this description sounds gross) with a nice sheen. 

Fleur Power swatches chalky. It is also a very sheer and light colour, and hence I don't feel it's very pigmented since I'm tan. This would show up nicely on fairer girls though.  Used with a brush, I also find it hard to buff evenly onto my cheeks. It always ends up patchy. However if I just press the brush into the pan and then pat the colour along my cheeks, then it ends us with a nice sheer wash of colour over the cheeks and is not chalky at all. It is my go-to daily blush for now because of its colour. 

Breezy on the other hand is a very pigmented colour suitable for tanner girls since it shows up easily. No matter, use this with a really light hand. I find that this colour seems more mature, and can be used as a contour colour when used along the hollows of the cheeks. I tend to like to use this on the outer parts of the face and light blended in, then topped up with a brighter colour just on the cheeks to look more youthful. 

Both colours only last about 4-5 hours on the face, hence they aren't my favourite blushes of all time. Breezy lasts slightly longer due to its stronger pigmentation.

Here's me with Breezy on the left (my right cheek) and Fleur Power on the right (my left cheek). I know I look quite ridiculous with 2 differently coloured cheeks but this is for a better comparison of the colours when worn. I also realised that my blush posts always look like I'm wearing the exact same blush in all of them. All in all, MAC sheertone blushes don't impress me very much, even though their colours are to die for. 

L'oreal Touche Magique

As my friends know, I don't get much sleep. As a result of long term sleep deprivation, I have some pretty bad eye bags and dark circles. These are some concealers that have helped me. They are the L'oreal Touche Magique Concealers. Though highly raved and compared to the YSL's Touche Eclat I wouldn't say they are life saving, but they do work decently. Wish I owned the Touche Eclat so that I could compare, but I'm a poor student and thus making do with these. At just over SGD$20 (I think), I wouldn't say they are very cheap either, but when there's a 20% off, they might just be worth getting. 

So far I've only seen 2 shades stocked in the local stores, which I've shown above. There is no shade printed on the tube, only on a sticker that needs to be torn off in order to open the concealer (stupid design). I have long torn mine off, but if my memory serves me well, I think the shades are N 3-4-5 and W 3-4-5. I have no idea why they differ from the shades in the states, nor why we have such a limited range.

It is packaged with a inbuilt brush, the bottom of the tube is twisted to get product onto the brush. The cover doesn't snap on to the back of the tube (this is a pet peeve of mine). There doesn't seem to be much product, the twisting to dispense product seems to be a little time delayed, i.e, some twists don't get much product, then you hit one twist which gives way too much. 

Inbuilt brushes might be deemed by some unhygienic, but I'm okay with that. I usually dab onto my hand and apply with a brush or fingers. The brush is quite decent though, soft enough to be used on the face/eye area. One problem though is that if you're not careful with capping and the bristles get caught, they bend out of shape really easily. 

Taken without flash. Leftmost is MAC Select Coverup in NC30. The 2 on the right are L'oreal Touche Magique. 

credits for mac studiosculpt swatches: http://karlasugar.net/2009/07/mac-studio-sculpt-foundation/

Taken with flash in sunlight. The dark and light shades seem to be extremely dark and light don't they? They also have quite a beige/pink undertone. The formula is supposed to be light reflecting, but the effect is quite subtle and there are no visible glitters. Also, strangely enough, though there seems to be a great disparity in the shades, on the face when blended out, it's not very noticeable if the concealer's too dark or light for me.

The beige/pink undertone also seems to work well with dark rings better than a yellow based concealer.

Here are my eye rings. Photographed, they are washed out by the sun, but irl they're quite bad. The concealer ( I use a mixture of both dark and light. First dark, then light) seems to do a pretty good job at concealing, but the coverage is not full.

I find that because it works by reflecting the light and tricking the eye, the undereye looks brighter, which is quite nice. However the dark circles are still there upon closer observation and under certain lighting conditions. One way to get around this is to layer this on top of another concealer with better coverage, hopefully that will not cake too bad.

This concealer also settles into some of my fine lines, but not all. I also find that the wearing time is not that great if not set with powder. Maybe about 5 hours. It works okay when reapplied though, does not get cakey. It also does not dry out the eye area, nor has broken me out.

This concealer in the lighter shade works as a subtle highlighter as well. I can't use it as a concealer for spots because the shades are quite off. In conclusion, I like this concealer best only when layered or for days I do not feel like concealing everything. Someone with less severe eye conditions would love this though!


Summary:

Pros:

• Nice consistency
• Reflects light rather than full concealing, hence brightens the face really nicely
• Can be used as highlighter
• Not drying
• Doesn't settle too badly into fine lines

Cons:

• Packaging is horrible and not very sanitary
• Expensive for the amount of product (for me at least)
• Limited shades available in Singapore
• Not full coverage

longer larger eyes?

I've always had big eyes... and yes I know I shouldn't be one to complain, but I've always been quite annoyed when I could not draw them as how I wanted. There was always something "wrong" about them that I could not quite place my finger on. I realised it the other day! My eyes are very round!!!

So to remedy this, I went to my eyeliner and after experimenting, I realised it made a huge difference not only in the length of my eyes but the size as well. In the pictures, the effect may seem quite subtle but in real life it's very obvious.

Clockwise from top left:
- no lining
- how I usually line my eyes
- how I line my eyes now. I think it is quite a bit subtler, looking more like a shadow than a full blown ring of liner around the eyes
- how I usually line my eyes if I want them to look larger, ie lining all round my eyes. This is what makes my eyes look rounder if you can see. The lining is also very harsh and obvious, which is not very desirable

Here's how to do it:

1. Line top lid as per normal, this look works better if the line extends out from the eye. I don't like to flick my liner upwards, hence i just follow my eye line and extend the line almost parallel to the ground.

2. Take a dark brown eyeshadow (in my case I just used...my eyebrow pencil. it works!) and an angled brush and gently fill in the area that I've selected in the picture above. The effect should be very soft. If you would like to create a larger "flick" that wraps your eyeliner, go ahead. It would just make the look more dramatic. 

A better comparison with the new look on the left and old on the right. My eye doesn't look as round anymore but still big right? I sure hope so! Have a good weekend!