Blush -Becca - Turkish Rose creme blush
querand 8/10/2009 8:00:00 AM
I really love this blush. I have three blushes by Becca (frangipani and wild orchid too) but this is by far my favourite. Depending on my other makeup and clothes, I switch between various shades of pink blush to match. After a few months of ambivalence about this blush, I have found this to be my most natural, reliable and sophisticated looking shade. Looked far too brown in the pan at first (i'm used to really pink blushes), but on my cheeks it is just so easy to blend and layer to give a natural, healthy flush. Looks wonderful in pictures too. I think of Cate Blanchett and her subtle nude makeup look whenever I put this on :)
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Lipstick -Becca - Sheer Tint Lip Colour
querand 8/1/2009 11:03:00 AM
This is my favourite lip product of all time. I bought it today and I couldn't wait to post a review about it. I enjoy lipstick and lipgloss - reds, pinks, nudes, I've experimented with many different brands and colours but often have to blend different shades and textures to end up with the right shade and finish that would match both my complexion and clothes. This lipstick in Vendela is my very first 'love at first sight' lipstick. I suspect I will never find another again. Colour wise, it brightens up my lips so naturally, from the very moment I put in on in the store. Texture wise, it is moisturising, soft, just comfortable-feeling. Taste wise - no unpleasant chemical tastes I could discern. Fragrance wise - very sweet, edible kinda flavour. And I absolutely love the heavy shiny-metal packaging. Someone mentioned this is feels like a Mont Blanc pen. Hell yea. I know what you're talking about. All my other waxy, sticky, chemical-tasting lippies are gonna be sitting on the side for a while now while I enjoy this new baby.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Retin A
querand 1/11/2009 9:27:00 AM
Concentration: 0.025% Type: Cream Brand: Tretinoin (Galderma) This is my one and only holy grail for skincare. With this, I can do without facials, expensive makeup, expensive skincare. After a month of Retin-A, I can solemnly and very sadly admit that all that I have spent on luxury skincare and makeup has never matched up to this, and probably never will. I discovered this by accident online a month ago, and decided to plunge into it after reading rave reviews about it from both customers and dermatologists about it's proven anti-aging potency. I am currently 26, and have noticed fine lines around my eye area that i really want to fix. But what plagues me most since my teenage years was whiteheads and clogged pores. I hate how my pores look up close, and I hate feeling bumps on my face from time to time, especially when i use unsuitable facial products. After just a week of Retin-A my skin has almost completely cleared up - I still have about 10 whiteheads on my face at any one time, but this is already a 90% reduction. My skin is smooth like never before! When I met my facialists they noted such a marked change that they have to prescribe new treatments, and colleagues have been asking me how I got my face to be so smooth. Now I can enjoy moisturisers, lotions, rich eye creams, and even makeup like never before, without having to worry about clogging my pores so much anymore. Blush and powder look ssooo much better on smooth skin too! So now for the side effects. For me, i'm lucky to just have experienced some sensitivity and dryness (flakies around my lip area, lower cheeks, eyes) in the past weeks, but this is wearing off. I stop applying it once i feel some rawness in my skin, so i'm quite careful with this. On average, this comes up to applying it about 2-3 times a week. Another thing, I can no longer use peeling masks or scrubs as liberally as i did in the past, which is a good thing i guess, since i never really knew when to hold back when i get new whiteheads like every other day. I didn't experience any purging period, which was lucky. Using this, I continue to be extremely careful with sunscreen - i always use SPF 50 when i go out to work or play, sometimes SPF 32 when i'm just lingering at home doing nothing. Price-wise, it is dirt-cheap where I am (about 12 USD?). I also get a doctor friend to prescribe it for me. Even if it is slightly pricier in other places, I absolutely recommend giving this a shot because it can easily cost tonnes less than loads of expensive anti-aging or anti-acne skincare. I would recommend starting with a low concentration first to play it safe. I will update you guys on how I continue to fare with this after a couple more months.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Shu Uemura - Face Architect Smoothing Fluid Foundation
querand 1/5/2009 3:29:00 AM
I like my makeup natural, and this foundation is the most natural of all the liquid foundations i've tried so far. It's not sticky, and when smoothing it onto the skin it absorbs very easily with little residue. I can't help feeling that it must be pretty gentle on my skin, and have no qualms wearing it all day everyday. No mask-like quality, thus not easy to overdo. I am a fair Chinese girl, i use 774, which blends into my skin tone very easily, but at the end of the day i suspect it starts to turn a bit too sallow. Might try 574 next if I run out of foundation. The SA diligently tried quite a number of shades on me though, and decided on this quite firmly, so perhaps this is the one best shade for me. Very nice frosted bottle. I dont' like the tacky clear glass ones. Hygienic pump, nice white lettering. Visuals are very important to me for enjoying my cosmetics :) Overall, a reliable, happy purchase that will get me through a whole year of au naturel makeup.
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Blush -Christian Dior - Pro Cheeks Ultra Radiant
querand 12/24/2008 9:19:00 PM
My first blush was cream, then i moved onto powders just coz they feature so much more prominently on makeup counters and magazines. Now that i'm approaching 30, my skin's starting to dry out and powder starts to look too obvious even in the humid tropical climate i'm in. And when i travel to colder places in fall/winter, powder just makes me look old. I decided to give this a try based on the rave reviews here, and got a pot of the Girly Pink. Perfect blush. I can blend and blend with my fingers if i don't get it right from the start. No more messy goof-ups like could happen so easily with with my powders. The colour is sheer enough to pile on, and i noticed it does stay on for hours, even fading slightly into the skin to look even more natural, without sinking into my pores. There is a sheer luminosity to this blush, that makes my skin look healthy. I'm never going back to the matte finish powder blushes. Haven't tried the other colours, coz i'm a rather fair Asian with slight yellow undertones, so cool pinks tend to make me look brighter rather than peaches/apricots. Catwalk pink looks interesting though, probably my next blush purchase :) What i like about girly pink is how bright - any-brighter-it-would-be-neon kinda bright - it looks in the pan. I am a sucker for vibrant colours both in clothes and makeup, it's just great that this one here piles on so naturally as well to give me the fresh flawless well-slept face that is always my favourite one to wear out. Now what am i gonna do with my powder blushes?
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Sunscreen -Christian Dior - DiorSnow Pure UV Perfect Brightening Protective Base SPF 50
querand 12/18/2008 9:20:00 PM
I've been a great fan of sunscreen since i was eighteen, and it's taken me some time to figure out what was best for my skin. Recently I've grown to rely mostly on my Shiseido as staples (though they don't look the best, I find), but my one and true HG is this DiorSnow SPF 50 sunscreen. The name on my tube is slightly different from what I see on here, but from the reviews it seems we're talking about the same thing. Anyhow i believe it is the only makeup base with SPF50 that Dior has on its counters right now. I would never have ventured into Dior on my own, but I bought this after a strong recommendation from a makeup artist who has worked for CD, M.A.C and T. Le Clerc. She testified that even after one day in strong tropical sun, her skin hardly darkened with just a light application of this sunscreen. I haven't personally tested this in strong outdoor light for extended periods of time, but since using this half a year ago, i have gotten comments that my skin is significantly fairer. I believe it is a combination of the sunscreen working more effectively than the previous ones i used (clinique spf 25, shu uemura UV underbase spf 17) and also its awesome ability to hold a casual dusting of loose powder and light pink blush so perfectly that my skin remains clean, fresh and radiant from 7 in the morning to 9 at night. Yes, i have gotten compliments from my dance teacher at night on how fresh my makeup makes me look after a whole tiring day of work, even if it really just took 2 minutes max to put on. Looks great in pics too! Pick this sunscreen for the ultimate radiant dewy look.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Toners -Shiseido - The Skincare Hydro-Nourishing Softener
querand 12/6/2008 10:30:00 AM
Another wonderful product by Shiseido! Love Love!!! My skin is really prone to whiteheads and clogged pores, and I'm perpetually on the lookout for products that can minimise my pores, prevent whiteheads and keep it looking moisturised and glowy at the same time. It really surprised me that somehow introducing this softener into my skincare regime took care of all these problems! I use it every night, and occasionally in the morning, and my skin took on this sorta creamy, soft texture in recent days. My conclusion is that it somehow leaves my skin perfectly moisturised and balanced, so i don't end up with dehydrated skin and excessive sebum secretions clogging my pores. I've used a few toners in the past, and none have the texture of this... strange liquid gel-like texture that just sinks so well into the skin. Was occasionally on the lookout for toners in the past, but I don't quite get the watery textures of most - doesn't seem to do anything for my skin. As for packaging - a shimmery white plastic bottle that feels so solid, i really wanna wash it out and recycle it as a travel shampoo container when i'm done with this one.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Shu Uemura - Lash Repair
querand 12/5/2008 12:13:00 PM
I always used to fear mascara, coz my lashes, while long, fall out really easily. Another big problem is that in the past, i would always end up with panda eyes within 2-3 hours. I never thought i would ever comfortably wear mascara everyday, but this product has been a miracle for me in preventing both such crises. I put it on every morning about 1-3 mins (depending on my patience) before putting on the Shu Precise Vol Waterproof Mascara. I find that i prefer it to be slightly wet before putting on mascara, that helps to prevent clumping somehow. Expensive product, but for the health of my lashes and for the sake of opening up my almond-shaped Asian eyes on sleepy workdays (that i experience way too often), it will continue to be my HG lash product.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Shu Uemura - Glow On Blush
querand 12/5/2008 12:07:00 PM
A great blush! Makes me happy to glance upon it everytime :) I understand what you guys mean when you talk about the packaging being flimsy and clumsy and all. I was lucky that I got the hang of it after a few days. Plus, i really fell for the elegant transparent packaging that really just showcases the blush and its brilliant colour. I have 2 colours - M pink 33 and P wine 25. Both are pretty and sweet, but sorta require a light hand or the powdery dusty texture really starts to be obvious. I like it that the colours are real vivid, but i do wish that it were slightly less opaque for daywear. Nonetheless, a happy happy purchase that will look quite natural when applied properly. I suspect I need to try out other brushes to make this work even better, but for now I am satisfied.
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Brows -Shu Uemura - Brow Pencil
querand 12/5/2008 11:59:00 AM
Of all the items in my makeup bag, this is the only one that i completely trust to work every time. The hard texture of this pencil is crucial to how naturally it reworks your brows. Like many have mentioned, it doesn't seem to give much colour when u scratch it against your hand, but on the eyebrows it somehow works very comfortably and gives u a lot of room for revision - on days when i'm too groggy and overdo things, i simply take a tissue and rub off the errors. This is actually my very first brow product - highly recommended to me by a makeup artist who emphasised to me that the brows can make or break a face. For being so inexperienced with filling in brows, i feel that this is a very forgiving pencil with which a beginner can easily practise with. Finally, it is real value for money, and I can safely say it will be another 2 years before I even think about getting a new one!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Shiseido - Anessa - town use sunscreen SPF30
querand 12/5/2008 7:00:00 AM
Yes, this sunscreen definitely seems underrated. I've always been on the lookout for good sunscreens. I started with the Clinique Super City Block for a few years, then tried some Clarins one, then Neutrogena Dry Touch. None left me very satisfied. A few months back, based on a recommendation by a makeup artist I started using the Christian Dior ultimate whitening base with SPF50. That was a great, flawless-looking, long-lasting base for makeup, but it led to a minor breakout and my face ended up with little bumps all over. I decided to take a break with that and get back to it some other time. I swiftly went to the Shiseido counter to pick an alternative, since I've heard that shiseido sunscreens are famous in japan. I settled on this particular one as the salesperson recommended it for an oil-free texture, and minimal clogging of pores. I use it almost everyday now, and have no worries about it clogging up my face, though its texture is a tad too powdery and dry upon drying, so the light dusting of loose powder (Shu uemura) i pat on to minimise shine doesn't sit on it naturally enough for my taste. Nonetheless it is an invaluable, super-reliable staple for me in the sunny, humid tropical weather i live in. No regrets getting it, and for once I'm going to use every last drop in the tube.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No