Cleansers -Biore - Kao Make-Up Remover Perfect Oil
bubblysteph 12/24/2012 12:22:00 PM
This is an average cleansing oil to me, but when price is taken into account, this is actually more than decent. It removes waterproof makeup rather easily and smells refreshing. The consistency is right too, which isn't too thick in texture and it doesn't take long to wash off completely. Another good thing about this is the availability - it's basically in any drugstore you can name here. The small plastic bottle with an actual cap is travel-friendly as well. The major problem I experienced with this product is the fact that my skin got dried out after using this cleansing oil. My skin can still handle this in the more humid months, but not the drier months. The second thing is when the oil got into my eyes, which happens easily if you're trying to remove waterproof mascara, they just waters like crazy. For most cleansing oils, my vision will be blurred only without any other discomfort. Therefore, I will NOT recommend this to anyone with dry skin and / or sensitive eyes.
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Moisturizers -Chanel - Le Blanc Whitening Moisturizing Cream
bubblysteph 9/11/2012 11:48:00 AM
Have been using a deluxe sample of this for at least 2 months every night and I haven't seen any improvement on my freckles or other skin pigmentation. In fact I sort of give up on my freckles, but I'm quite disappointed for not seeing any improvement on my acne scar which normally will lighten when I use whitening products on it - probably this cream is just not potent enough or probably it's just me. My skin refuses to react to most whitening products these days. As a moisturizer, I'd say it's quite nice but most likely not enough for someone like me with dry skin when it comes to the drier months. It still provide adequate moisture during the summer when I sleep in an air-conditioned room every night. Glad to find out that this is an improved formula from the old line, which doesn't give a face of shiny oil when I wake up like the older version (White Essentiel if I'm not mistaken). For the texture, I don't quite understand why they call it a cream. When compared to my Hydramax+ Active Cream, this is more like a gel cream. When blended on the face, it actually becomes more gel-like and obviously, it's relatively much easier to spread out evenly on my face. This is also scented, quite heavily I'd say as I can smell it after putting on the cream on my face. Nothing too bothering for me as I prefer scented night cream for a relaxed feeling. I don't know how to describe the floral scent but probably lotus. This is the same scent as the other products in the Le Blanc range. Although I don't own the retail size product, I'm not a big fan for the tub packaging for hygiene reasons. It will be better if it comes in a tube like the samples they give out. Price is really expensive considering it doesn't moisturize my skin as well as my old Hydramax+ Active Cream and not seeing any whitening effect on me. This is also why I rated this 3 lippies only. I won't be purchasing the full size product and will move on to the new Hydra Beauty line when I'm done with my old Hydramax+ Active cream.
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Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Hada Labo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Foaming Wash
bubblysteph 9/10/2012 11:52:00 AM
**This comes in a pump bottle, which is different from the one in a tube.** To begin with, I have normal to dry skin and in fact my skin is rather dry when it comes to winter. I basically cannot use any cleanser that foams a lot. Well, I noticed that I can use those that foams automatically in a pump bottle, but not those require manual foaming in a tube. While I use the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Mousse Cleanser during the summer, this is not quite suitable for my skin during the dry months. For all these years, I have been sticking to my more expensive Sofina Beaute Essence Cleanser during the winter. Anyway, back to this cleanser! This is a cleanser that foams automatically by pumping it out from the bottle apparently, which saves me a lot of hassle to try to make my cleanser foam. In fact, I can rarely foam my cleanser with just water successfully. Also, the foam is thick and dense, which you can hold the it upside down at your palm without dripping or dropping. It's very soft and gentle to my skin and apparently, no irritation at all. I use 1.5 pumps normally but since I like and enjoy the luxurious touch on my skin, I simply use 2 pumps, lol. After cleansing, my skin is really soft and velvety smooth. I can sense a touch of bounciness as well. I believe this is fragrance free but it reminds me of some egg white smell? Nothing too terrible, but I wouldn't say it smells nice. However, I have to mention that I prefer lightly floral or green tea scented cleansers. The packaging, needless to say, is awesome for an idiot like me who cannot foam a cleanser properly. This is convenient to use as well. I hate fiddling with the cap when I'm in shower for those in a tube. The only problem is that this is not travel friendly. Price? Not many cleansers can beat this price - HK$89 for 160ml and it goes even lower when on sale. Needless to say, I will be purchasing again and recommend to others. :)
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Treatments (Eye) -Lancome - Génifique Eye
bubblysteph 6/24/2012 11:58:00 AM
I use this in the morning as well as the evening for more than 2 months now. I actually prefer using it in the morning than for the evening as it doesn't hydrate enough for me. I have normal to dry skin and my eye area is even drier. I'm not sure about the exact ingredients but I dare say it contains silicone. It basically has the same texture like the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, but this has a less oily touch. I have some small fine lines on my eye bag and apparently, they look less obvious with this eye cream on, which I suppose the lines are filled up by the silicones for the illusion. It doesn't work for my dark circles though I doubt if anything can diminish mine. Also, for a gel cream with this texture, I think a pump or a tube will be nicer than a tub. A really average eye cream to me, except that it can serve as a primer for me concealer in the morning. Most likely won't be re-purchasing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -FairyDrops - Platinum Mascara Waterproof
bubblysteph 4/6/2012 6:31:00 AM
Please click continued for more pictures. :) This is not to be mistaken from the Platinum Mascara, which is NOT waterproof and I believe the photo in the review of that mascara is the incorrect one (that photo is actually this mascara). This mascara applicator looks more or less the same as the Volume Burst Mascara Waterproof I used before, which has a funky purple tube, except that this has a slightly more curvy brush. The VB WP has a straight one. This mascara gives me buildable length and volume. However, this does not thicken my lashes like VB WP. My lashes are well separated without any clumps after 3 coats. This holds curl well as well - I use lash curler if it matters. Basically this is what you will get: natural-looking curled and soft lashes. In fact not until now, I just took photos for the package and mascara, I notice that it said "Long & Curl" at the bottom right hand corner. If I saw this in store, I will definitely repurchase VB WP for denser lashes. This is a mascara with fibers, which I didn't experience any irritation for my sensitive eyes. I'm a contact lens wearer as well. No smudging and no flaking issues as well. Still strongly recommended though this isn't my perfect mascara.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -My Beauty Diary - Vanilla Souffle Face Scrub
bubblysteph 12/28/2011 10:56:00 AM
Fyi, I have normal to dry skin in general. When I tried this product, I was (am still!) suffering from minor skin allergy that causes my skin to dry out, flake and itch (like crazy). It seems that every company is trying to create foam-y cleansing products these days and now we have a foaming face scrub. Interesting. After I remove my makeup with cleansing oil, I used this on my clean, dry skin directly. With a light ooze, the size of a table-tennis ball of foam is dispensed easily and that is more than enough for my face. I'd say the foam is on the "dense" side. Honestly I have no idea why it is named as vanilla souffle... I really cannot imagine a real souffle smelling like this - the scent is very artificial and I can smell alcohol here too. I dare say a good amount as the alcohol smell is really strong to me. Anyway, back to the massage. I lightly massage it on my face and I didn't feel that there is any grain of any sort. After a few more moves, there are some yucky white residues will appear... I failed to wash my face immediately - I waited for a minute or two and apparently, the scrub dried off on my face. Gross. I think it did a good job in exfoliating my skin, but I experienced slight pulling sensation over my skin, along with extra itchiness. Thank goodness there is no burning sensation. I will not recommend this to anyone with dry or sensitive skin.
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Mascara -Kiss Me - HEROINE MAKE Impact Frame and Curl Mascara (black)
bubblysteph 12/17/2011 11:23:00 PM
Sadly, I'm totally not in love with this mascara. It takes a lot of hassle to apply it properly. If you can spare the time in the early morning when you're rushing to work, definitely give this a shot. The brush is exactly like it shown on the packaging - just check the pic uploaded by the other reviewer. I noticed that I can apply the mascara using the short bristle side lightly only, ie. I cannot apply with that side to all my lashes as this means way too much mascara and it will become super clumpy. For a easier use, I actually use the longer bristle side only. The difference here is the latter method will not give you thick lashes. Btw, I have also added a photo showing the instructions of use at the back of the packaging. This mascara gives volume and length - decent but not the best. You can try building up the mascara if you don't mind the fuss in combing the clumped lashes. They are rather difficult to separate despite the use of metal lash comb. Honestly, I'm very used to combing my lashes, so you can imagine how much hassle it takes for me in order to type this comment. Curl holding is decent, but definitely not as good as the Length & Curl/ Volume & Curl mascaras. Overall, a nice mascara if you don't mind the hassle in clumping and combing. Otherwise it's just an average mascara that I will finish and will not repurchase.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Cle de Peau - Teint Naturel Satine Silky Cream Foundation
bubblysteph 12/17/2011 1:00:00 PM
This is NOT to be mistaken with the previous formulation in a tub. This version comes in a tube that is released during fall 2011 here in Asia. Fyi, I'm using this in I10, which is neutral imho. This is also the palest shade the foundation comes in. B10 is pink based and O10 is darker than I10 for sure. Also, I find O10 peachy. I have normal to dry skin. According to the SA, this one is better for drier skin, while "Cream Foundation" is better for oilier skin, which gives a more matte finish. That foundation also comes in the same tube as this one - just one word missing. You may want to be more careful when you're buying them too. This is my very first cream foundation in fact as I always picture cream ones will sit on face looking pasty for me, or very difficult to blend in well... However, this cream foundation is on the emollient side and blends in super easily with my bare fingers. I don't even need to do buffing over 95% of the time. It isn't heavy or masky at all. Not only it blends well, it gives me the exact finish I want. I like the bare skin finish, which is somewhere between satin and dewy. This is not quite bare skin finish like as Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua - this is probably a tiny bit more dewy. It claims for "lustrous, dewy finish" on their website, as well as "a natural radiance that seems to come from within", which I believe the later statement is more accurate. This doesn't not any visible shimmer at all, unlike the Refining Fluid Foundation from the same brand. If you want a real dewy finish, you should go for Refining Fluid Foundation though the coverage is not as buildable as this one. It is still buildable, but I think at most up to medium only. Anyway, coverage for this cream foundation is very buildable, as it can go from sheer to almost full for me. I think it is the best to apply this sheer first and then dot a bit more on areas that need more coverage. Try this esp. if you cannot get the perfect shade match with Cle de Peau. I don't think this can go full for me as I have some really stubborn freckles and sun spots - I haven't tried anyway as I sort of give up on them. Plus, I'd rather deal with them with my concealer, lol. As for longevity, I'd say almost perfect for me. It won't disintegrate on my skin even after 8 hours. After 12 hours, my face still won't look patchy though a touch-up is definitely needed at this time. My face becomes more dewy looking, instead of shiny, after 8 hours - not sure if this is because my skin is on the dry side and the humidity is low now. I find this foundation moisturizing too as my face won't be uncomfortable at all with those odd pulling sensation with this foundation on after a while day, even powdered. This foundation transfers a tiny bit - really minimal when powdered. I have not tried to wear this without powder as I'm always worried that this will shift on my face, lol. Anyway, if you don't rub your face intentionally, it will be fine. At most I can see some tint of foundation on my tissue paper when I sneeze. Nothing fancy about the packaging, but I do like the foundation coming in a tube that you can easily squeeze out the amount you want. Plus, this is travel friendly too. Definitely get a sample before purchasing if you live in somewhere that cannot return anything opened like me. This costed me HK$980, for 25ml. I foresee it will last me a long time as a pea size is what I need most of the time, unless I really want to achieve a fuller coverage. Plus, I am not sure if I will use this during the hot and humid summer.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Chanel - Sublimage Eye
bubblysteph 12/17/2011 12:33:00 PM
I received a deluxe sample of this and have been using this religiously am and pm for about 5 weeks now. Despite my friend's love for this eye cream, this doesn't do much for me. For sure, I'm going to try something else and will not repurchase, especially at this insane price. Regarding the eye cream, this is on the emollient side and it does make my eye area looking velvety and smooth for a while. I'm some tiny fine lines under one of my eyes and I can tell they look less apparent with this eye cream before the cream is fully absorbed. Therefore I don't think it helps to reduce fine lines... To be honest, I'm doubtful if there is an eye cream that can really reduce fine lines, instead of filling them with silicones or other ingredients for an illusion. As for dark circles, I cannot see any improvement and I somehow think that they look worse. I'm not sure if this is my health or this eye cream though for sure, it won't reduce mine. This is decently moisturizing enough for my Sahara eye area. I need a second eye cream though I can get away with this alone if the humidity isn't too low. If you don't have very very dry eye area, this alone may be enough for you. Another problem is that it doesn't help my concealer to sit under my eyes better, or probably worse. Fyi, I'm using Cle de Peau's concealer. Can you imagine my concealer looks better on unmoisturized skin than with this? Honestly, I'm disappointed with this eye cream, esp it comes from one of my favourite brands. It's not even an average eye cream for me, sadly.
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Lip Gloss -Revlon - Colorburst Lipgloss in Hot Pink 010
bubblysteph 10/17/2011 6:35:00 AM
Please click continued for the swatch pic ft. Chanel Glossimers in Pink Teaser and Ultrarose, along with this Revlon.
The texture is quite nice, not too sticky but not runny. Just on the thinner side - definitely not the gel-like you got from Chanel Glossimer. When I saw this lipgloss, I was thinking about the Venus glossimer I swapped away, which both are hot fuchsia pinks. Very wearable though. However, instead of muti-coloured shimmers in Venus glossimer, this has some silvery shimmers and glass flecks to make this more interesting. But then I don't really adore the end result as the glass flecks are girtty and it made my lips looking frosty. :\ They are hard to remove too. The colour is gone, while leaving the shimmer/ glass flecks behind on your lips. Just plain odd looking. That's said, this is not a smooth lip gloss.
I still give this a 3 as I really like the colour...I won't be purchasing this shade (received this as a sample from a kind mua'er) but I think I will try other shades!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Clarins - Moisture-Rich Body Lotion
bubblysteph 9/29/2011 7:35:00 AM
I received a deluxe sample of this and I am very sure that I will buy a full-sized tube when I finish my sample. I have normal to dry skin, fyi. The texture of this lotion is in fact on the thicker side - I'd rather call this a cream. But then I can massage this onto my legs' skin easily with slight greasy feeling initially. In less than 5 minutes, my skin is velvety smooth and supple-looking without the greasy feeling. I use this everynight on my legs for 2 weeks now and it definitely improves my legs' appearance. I think the little red bumps/ pimps from hair removal is less than before too. I'm so impressed! This lotion also kept my legs looking moisturized for almost a day, which is not bad imo. The lotions I tried before only give an instant relief - say my legs will be dried looking again overnight. Again, I'm suprised though I suspect that this may not be moisturizng enough for me when the drier winter comes. Over the winter, my skin is so dry that it has a tendency to crack and out of 99% of the time, I cannot resist but to scratch my legs, lol. The fragrance in this lotion is strong but nice smelling. Even though I like the scent, I cannot use this in the morning. I think it will be strong and will clash with my perfume. Overall, I think this is a rather expensive body lotion that in fact works, which is also why I'm feeling to spend my money on it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Chanel - Vitalumiere Aqua
bubblysteph 9/4/2011 11:04:00 AM
I have mine in B10, the same shade as my Vitalumiere Eclat. Oddly, the Aqua is actually slightly more yellowish on my skin than Eclat. Just thought to mention this in case you have the Eclat and want to buy the Aqua shade unseen. This foundation has a texture like whipped gel-cream and is really light on skin. I feel like there is nothing my skin and I can actually get away without powdering. I always powder my face after the liquid foundation because I always feel that something is sticking on my face. Well, even I can get away without using loose powder over my face for this foundation, I still powder for better wear and mainly for my peace of mind, lol. The wear is decent, if the hot and humid summer here, and my face still looks normal without foundation oxidizing or sliding off for around 8 hours, when touch up is really needed. But then the foundation does seem to disintegrate on my skin and that I'm quite bothered in fact. I can tell the foundation isn't looking even on my skin (my not really oily cheeks!) after a few hours or so, unfortunately. It's odd that the oilier T-zone does look normal.... I'm not sure if it has sth to do with the amount I used. I use a bit mroe foundation on my cheeks for the coverage I want than my T-zone. Anyway, I'd say the Cle de Peau Refining Fluid Foundation (my HG!) and NARS Sheer Glow both stay longer and much better than Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua on me. Neither of these shows signs of disintegration on my skin even after 8 hours. Also, after 5 hours of wear or so, my T-zone gets more oily, and turning my face looking more dewy. Just blot away the oil and I have the bare face look again. This provides sheer to light coverage for me and buildable to medium. I don't think I can build it up to full though. The finish is a bit more than satin but not dewy for sure. I can see my skin glowing without shimmer, unlike my CdP liquid fdt, which has shimmers to do the trick for dewy skin. In fact, my skin is more radiant than when I'm using NARS SG or Chanel Vitalumiere Eclat. I guess this is the only thing I like about this foundation, other than the nice texture. I think this is the foundation that I will use if I want my skin to look like bare but better. Very rarely a cosmetics product does 100% what it says on the bottle and this is one of those - definitely "ultra light" and "natural radiance". I have normal to dry skin in general, but with more oilies at my T-zone during the summer. I don't think this is a moisturizing foundation and I'm quite sure I need something more if I want to use this in winter. Oil control isn't too bad as I won't need to blot after half a day. I can choose not to blot until I need a touch up after around 8 hours, jsut the skin is dewy looking, instead of natural satin-dewy. Most of the foundation will cling to dry patches and I wonder how will this perform. Will report back when it's winter - the time I get dry patches on face. The other thing that worth mention is the scent. Better sniff this product before you buy a bottle. It reminds me of the Le Blanc whitening skincare range from Chanel in fact. The scent lingers rather long, when compared to most of the scented foundations. I can definitely detect it even after 20 mins. Luckily I like this scent, or else I will be totally put off by this foundation. Not a big fan for the bottle as it is completely opaque. Holding it under bright light won't give you a clue how much is left. Snoozle opening is nice, much nicer than NARS SG if you don't get the pump. Another nice thing is that such pacakging will be travel-safe - no bottle exploding in luggage like glass bottles. Overall, still a nice and better than average foundation. However I prefer the CdP and probably NARS as well because of the wear and coverage issues even though I like the finish of this most.
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Mascara -FairyDrops - Volume Burst Mascara Waterproof
bubblysteph 8/18/2011 10:08:00 AM
Please click continued for pictures of the packaging and ingredients details. For some odd reason I cannot add pictures here, but to this individual review only.
This is not to be mistaken with the Scandal Queen Mascara also made by Fairydrops. The brush head is significantly different. Also, this is a review for the waterproof version in a fancy purple tube, but not the regular version in a pink tube.
I'm a bit bored with my usual Maybelline mascara and too cheap to buy a Lancome, so I decided to grab this to tryas this has been around for a while already. I'm attracted to this mascara because of the funny brush head. It looks like it has 3 blobs sticking together. From the drawing at the back of the packaging, I thought it was some sort of cotton/ plastic blob, but in fact, each of the blobs has some short and spiky bristles.
When I brush the wand upwards from my lash root, I actually have a bouncy, airy feeling as if nothing is on my lashes. I'm not sure it's because of the fibre or the brush head. I used various mascaras with loads of fibres in but none of those gave me this feeling. Anyway, this is a mascara that contains quite a lot of fibre and in my experience, it is not a good idea to brush on another coat of mascara when the first coat is dried off. I just keep brushing up for 3+ coats for a more dramatic result. It does clump a little bit at this stage, but nothing too serious. Note that my lashes aren't very full to begin with, so I don't know if this will make any difference. Also, it didn't weigh down my lashes! This mascara gives me good volume and length, which both are comparable to my HG Lancome Hypnose WP. It doesn't thicken my lashes as good as the Lancome, but honestly, this also mean less messy application. My lashes are less clumpy than when I'm using my Lancome. If price factor is taken into account, this totally knocks off Lancome, lol.
My lashes are soft to touch and not stiff at all. As for wear, I find it great. No flaking, no smudging for a whole day. I even tried to rub my eyes, but still, no smudging or flaking. I'm not sure if this will change when the mascara starts to dry up. Curl holding is great too.
Beautiful and cute packaging with a usable but fancy brush head, which definitely deserves a 5 here. As for the price, I find it decent - the same price as a Maybelline mascara. I purchased my tube at SASA for HKD98. I don't know if this is available online, but if it does, definitely buy one to try. I will definitely repurchase.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Clinique - Glosswear for lips in Air Kiss
bubblysteph 8/4/2011 2:48:00 AM
Air Kiss is a super sheer petal pink with loads of silver microshimmers in tube, which seriously, it's like a super glossy clear gloss with shimmers on my lips. My lips aren't that pigmented. Ok, I really prefer to have more colour on my lips - or at least a little bit more pink that will have some resemblance to the colour in the tube? I'm disappointed - far more disappointed when I tried Clearly Pink from the same line. If you have short hair and want an almost invisble colour with a hint of shimmers but long lasting glossiness on your lips, this is the lip gloss you will want, oh and only if you don't mind the stickiness. This gloss is so sticky that my medium length hair ALWAYS get caught. I cannot imagine when my hair is longer and when the weather becomes windy. Also, this is truly unscented and thank goodness this doesn't have the weird chemical smell or taste like glosswear for lips cream shine I had before. Not too much to mention on the packaging. Nothing fancy. The doe foot applicator is nice for spreading out the gloss evenly though. I also have this in Clearly Pink and now it makes me wonder if it is the whole line being SO sheer? Will not be repurchasing for sure, won't even bother with other shades. Clinique makes some nice lip products, but this is definitely a no-no for me. Yes, it's long wearing but overly sticky. I'd rather want something way less sticky but not as long wearing like my Chanel glossimers if the price factor is not taken into account.
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Lip Gloss -Clinique - Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in Clearly Pink
bubblysteph 8/4/2011 2:34:00 AM
Very sheer hot pink without any shimmer and I really like the colour in the tube. However, it merely adds a hint of pink on my lips and a very, very glossy effect. Texture is thick and very sticky, which makes it really rather long wearing. Honestly, this is over sticky for my liking and always get caught with my hair - gross. Also, this is truly unscented and thank goodness this doesn't have the weird chemical smell or taste like glosswear for lips cream shine I had before. I won't be repuchasing this shade as that hint of pink is too unoticeable for this price. I don't think I will bother trying other shades either - this line is way too sticky than I prefer. This is even more sticky than MAC's lipglass, which I cannot stand already.
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