Liquid -Stila - Perfect & Correct Foundation
kohan836 10/29/2011 7:53:00 AM
I absolutely love this foundation. I have very, very oily skin. This foundation is surprisingly long-wearing but still feels fresh on the skin (it's not dull and heavy as many longwearing or mattifying foundations tend to be). It has a light, mousse-like texture which goes on smoothly and a very natural medium coverage finish. This foundation darkens in colour a lot once it's dried down, so I would advise when testing colours that you let it settle for a few minutes before checking the colour. I use the shade Tone, which looks very light for me in the tube, but once applied and dry is a perfect match for me (medium, NC30). Shades seem to run a bit darker than the One Step foundation. I love the packaging - the pump format is very handy, and I love that it's plastic (not glass) as it's a lot easier to travel with. I have tried A LOT of high end foundations (I must have at least a dozen in my drawer at this moment!) and this is definitely my favourite.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -NARS - Delphes Trio
kohan836 8/9/2011 5:49:00 PM
This trio is part of NARS Fall 2011 collection. This trio consists of three shades, a sheer sparkling peach, a matte dove grey and a shimmery moss green. This is a lovely trio for fall. Usually I stick to brown, grey or purple for eyeshadow, I don't often wear green but the green in this trio is quite wearable. All the colours are muted - if you are looking to create a smokey eye or like brights this is not for you. I've been wearing this to work as you can easily create a soft daytime eye look with this. My favourite shade is the dove grey which is a midtone matte blue-grey. The light sage colour is soft and pigmented. However I'm not much of a fan of the peach - it has a lot of microglitter and despite trying various methods (eg patting it on gently) it's impossible to avoid fallout. So I mainly use the grey and sage, and layer them over a beige powder or creme shadow. Overall, I think it's a lovely trio to have for the season but probably not one I'd buy again as the peach just has too much glitter and fallout.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Becca - Beach Tint in Guava
kohan836 7/4/2011 3:47:00 PM
I really wanted to love this product but I was so disappointed. The colour is a lovely peachy pink (more pink than peach). Unfortunately the consistency let it down. It's just too sheer and greasy. On my medium pigmented lips, the colour did not show up at all. I have medium toned skin, and on my cheeks I really had to build up the colour a lot before it showed. The consistency felt oily (it feels more like a liquid blush than a stain), a no-no on my oily skin. I had hoped the consistency would be more like the Stila cheek and lip stains, which are a gel and dry down to a budgeproof finish, but alas no.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Laura Mercier - Violet Glace
kohan836 5/21/2011 12:03:00 PM
This is not a colour I typically would choose for myself, but I had a makeover at the LM counter in Selfridges and the artist used this colour on me, and ever since it's been a staple of mine. It's not violet at all, more of a medium dusky mauve pink. Although I have dozens of glosses this is the one I reach for on most workdays. I'm MAC NC30, half Asian half European, and on me this is a MLBB colour - it adds just enough shine without being over the top for the office, and just enough colour to brighten my face without being too obvious. For my makeover the artist paired this with a bright turquoise blue shadow (mineral shadow in Lagoon) but I find it works equally well with more low key looks as well. I'm impressed with the formula, I hate sticky glosses but this is just perfect.
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Powder -Bobbi Brown - Illuminating Finish Powder Compact Foundation SPF 12
kohan836 3/12/2011 8:47:00 AM
I have oily skin so have tried many powder foundations, but always end up going back to liquid - most powder foundations either dry my skin out, aren't the right shade, or are too matte and powdery looking. This one is just right - not too matte, great shade selection, not drying, and controls oil well. I'm MAC NC30 and use the shade Natural, which is a perfect match for me. I use it dry with a sponge which gives just enough coverage. If you're looking for medium to full coverage this is not the right product for you - I would suggest Chanel Mat Lumiere instead.
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Liquid -Chanel - Mat Lumiere Long Lasting Luminous Matte Fluid Makeup SPF 15
kohan836 3/12/2011 8:44:00 AM
This is a fantastic foundation for oily skin. It has medium coverage and isn't too matte. Colour selection was surprisingly good, I often have trouble matching to my Eurasian skintone but had no trouble at all finding the right shade. I use this together with MAC Prep and Prime finishing powder and it works very well to control my very oily skin.
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Bronzers -Bobbi Brown - Illuminating Bronzing Powder in MAUI
kohan836 2/26/2011 12:21:00 PM
As others have mentioned, this isn't really a bronzer - it's more of an illuminating blush that will make you look radiant and healthy. Maui is a pink-toned coral with gold shimmer (enough to add glow to the cheeks while still being office-friendly). This is pricey but you do get a decent amount of product and it really is a go-to colour whenever I need a pick-me-up. Maui is a slightly brighter colour than Antigua, and is a better option than Antigua if you have medium toned skin.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Chanel - Ombres Perlees de Chanel
kohan836 1/30/2011 2:14:00 PM
This is a gorgeous palette of pearly eyeshadows. As others have mentioned, these colours are supposed to be the same ones you would see in a pearl - subtle pink, violet, green, etc. There are five luminous, pearlescent shades with soft shimmer - pale pearly white, warm peachy pink, smokey grey-violet, smokey olive and a complex grey-black. The violet and the green are both quite greyish once applied, they don't scream pastel colour at all. The texture of these shadows is not like anything I've encountered before - although they are not cream shadows, they feel slightly "wet" to the touch. I have seen reviews elsewhere saying the pigmentation isn't good and that isn't so - because the powders are moist you MUST apply them with a stiff brush (eg Mac 239) and then blend. You could alternatively use your fingertips or even the sponge applicators (which I normally avoid, but for these shadows they work as you need to build up density). These are all soft shades that will create a beautiful daytime smokey eye, but if you're after a rock chick smokey eye then this isn't for you. Overall this is a lovely palette - pricey, but pure indulgence.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -Smashbox - Burlesque Holiday Kit
kohan836 1/8/2011 4:56:00 AM
Smashbox value kits are generally fantastic quality and value, and this one is no exception. The eyeshadow palette is lovely - the colours are candy pink, golden wheat, and jewel´toned purple. They're not too bright to be over the top for work, but have enough kick in them to be a change from neutrals. In the palette there's also a gunmetal grey cream liner with shimmer. It's perfect for daytime use or along the lower lashline, applies like a dream (though as it's a cream rather than a gel formulation, it needs a primer under it to help it last). The shimmer powder is the surprise star of the set, it's a complex neutral with shimmer. In the jar it looks pale pink, but applied it reflects golden, nude and melon colours. It's lovely in the corners of the eye but is a little to much to use on cheekbones in the daytime. The liner pen is superior to any liquid liner pen I've tried, including MAC, and adds drama to the look if you want to step it up for a night out. I love the texture of the glosses, they're not too sticky and have a sort of balmy feel. One end is a sheer cotton candy pink, the other a sheer berry red. Overall this is a great day-to-night kit, especially if you're bored with neutrals and want a bit of a change. All the products are good quality and full size. Thanks Smashbox!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Smashbox - Limitless Liquid Liner Pen
kohan836 1/4/2011 2:06:00 PM
I also got this as part of the Burlesque kit. I was a bit skeptical as I've previously owned similar felt-tip-style eyeliner products (MAC's Penultimate Liner & also the ELF version) and always had issues with getting the ink to come out of the tip. I was pleasantly surprised that the liner comes out smooth and even. I don't wear liquid liner very often, but I can definitely see myself taking this travelling instead of my usual MA gel liner, as it's light and convenient to use on the go. If you're looking for an easy to apply liquid liner, or something that can be used on the go, this is definitely the product to buy.
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Blush -Boots - No7 Mineral Perfection- Soft Damson
kohan836 10/31/2010 10:55:00 AM
This product is a real find. I normally use premium cosmetics only (Chanel, Dior, MAC, etc) and bought this on a whim based on reviews I'd read. As I had a 5 pound off voucher, this only cost me a couple of pounds. This is a soft mauve pink with a good level of pigmentation and a soft shimmer. It comes with a kabuki (which I threw away - my MAC kabuki is a lot better!). It's actually a very close match for MAC Pet Me mineralize blush, which was released with the Fabulous Felines collection. On my medium olive skin it's just the perfect neutral pink flush. This is definitely a steal for the price even if bought at full price, as there's more product in the jar than I could possibly ever use. Highly recommended.
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Palettes -Bobbi Brown - Beauty Rules palette
kohan836 10/22/2010 4:08:00 PM
The Beauty Rules palette accompanies Bobbi Brown's latest book, "Beauty Rules", targeted at teenagers. Although the palette is aimed at teens, it's a great buy for anyone. The palette contains 4 eyeshadows, 2 pot rouges, 3 lip colours and an eye pencil. The eyeshadows are Ivory (off-white matte), Lightning Sparkle (glittery silvery taupe), Orchid Sparkle (glittery pale lilac) and Caviar (matte black). Ivory is unexciting, though makes a good base for the other shadows. Lightning and Orchid are very sheer and contain a lot of glitter - though not in a tacky way. Personally I think they add a touch of girliness, and are also basically foolproof colors as they're so sheer. Caviar is pigmented and is great turning a daytime eye into a smokey eye, or for using as a liner. The pot rouges are the stars of the palette - both are cool but wearable pinks that can be worn on cheeks or lips. Baby Pink is a bubblegum pink that adds a hint of pink to the cheeks. Homecoming Pink is a brighter, medium cool pink. They can be worn separately or blended together. For lipcolors, there is Air Kiss gloss, a nude, sheer gloss. Rum gloss looks deep in the pan, but applies as a sheer berry. Gold Glitter lip balm adds just a hint of warm gold to the lips. Although the colours are sheer they can be worn over the Pot Rouges for more pop. The Creamy Eye Pencil in black is good quality and glides on. The palette is packaged in a glossy hard cardboard. As cardboard palettes go, this one is good - not flimsy, and doesn't get smudgy. I'm guessing the packaging was downgraded from the usual hard black casing Bobbi usually uses for her palettes to bring down the price (this palette comes at a lower price than usual for her palettes). Overall I think this is a fantastic palette - it has just about everything you need for a full face (you just need mascara plus your usual base). It's truly versatile - you can easily go from day to night. It's also fairly fool-proof, as all the colours work well together no matter what you use. A lot of thought has gone into this kit and I'd highly recommend it to anyone, whether just beginning with makeup, or makeup junkies like me ;-)
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Mineralize Blush - Pet Me
kohan836 9/15/2010 4:27:00 PM
I have about 20 MAC blushes and so far this is my favourite. It's a soft, dusky pink. I had read reviews which compared this to Dainty, but personally I don't think they're all that similar. Dainty has more coral to it, is sheerer and more shimmery (I have to layer it on to get it to show up on my NC30 skin). Pet Me has a duskier tone to it, has no glitter to it (just a slight sheen), and is more pigmented. Although this is slightly cooler-toned than what I'd normally wear, I think it's very natural looking and would work well on anyone with a light or medium skin tone. If you like Mocha or Dame, you'll probably like this.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -MAC - Colour 3 quad
kohan836 3/6/2010 2:03:00 PM
Although I'm a longtime MAC fan (11 years now!) I almost never buy quads. This time I couldn't resist though, seeing as I can't resist purple eyeshadow. I think the 4 colours in this palette work very well together. If I could make one improvement, I would have swapped Mink Pink for a lighter, slightly shimmery shade - it's nice, but not really light enough to use as a brow highlight. This quad looks AMAZING over Fresco Rose Paintpot (which is a very similar colour to Bruised Plum). If you have this quad, run out and get Fresco Rose now!!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Love Lace
kohan836 1/1/2010 12:09:00 PM
This is THE blue eyeshadow I have been waiting for MAC to release. I have brown eyes and medium olive (Asian/European) skin. Cool or royal blues look odd on me, so I've been looking everywhere for a deep shimmery blue with a hint of teal. The closest MAC have to a deep teal blue in their permanent line is Plumage, a nice shade in the pan but on the lid it loses a lot of its blue-ness, showing up more blackish than anything else. Love Lace is just perfect, it applies on the lid as a deep blue with a hint of teal, and is very flattering with my skintone. It's a Veluxe Pearl, so it has a pigmented, soft shimmer texture that is easy to work with. Love Lace works well on its own with a nude shade like Naked Lunch on the lid, and Love Lace in the crease, for a simple smokey blue eye. If you want to tone it down for daytime, try using Satin Taupe in the crease and then a little Love Lace in the corners. Really beautiful!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No