Meet Miss Del Rey

On my trip to Roermond, I bought myself a new bag. I had very packed and stressed months since before christmas so I thought I should give myself a little reward.

To be honest, it never came to my mind that I'd own a Mulberry Del Rey. As I was never a fan of the bag since it was first launched in 2012. 

But when I tried it on at the outlet, I surprisingly liked it. It was a very good price so I walked out  happily with Del Rey.

The Mulberry Del Rey bag is inspired by the Hollywood nostalgic style of the singer ; Lana Del Rey. So, yes the bag might look old fashioned but I really like the simplicity and the classic touch. 

The Del Rey I got is in grainy print leather and in color ; deer brown. The grainy print leather is buttery soft but not very prone to scratches because of the 'grainy print' texture. The inside of the bag is fabric lining printed with Mulberry trees all over it. It has one internal zip and slip pocket. The bag has a front compartment with the Mulberry trademark postman lock closure and it also got four metal feet on base to help it 'sit' better.  I got the 'old version' of Del Rey with shorter handles as the new ones come with longer handles ( I personally prefer the shorter handles ). 

Del Rey is a roomy bag which is a plus point for me. It can carry a lot of stuffs without 'shagging', even though the grainy print leather has soft buttery texture and not very structured / stiff. 

Quality wise, I think Mulberry is famous for its leather craftsmanship . The bag is also made in Englad, in its Sommerset factory so it is truly a product of british craftsmanship. 

For a leather bag, Mulberry Del Rey is actually quite lightweight which is good since it doesn't have longer straps. 

How do you like my new bag?

What is the bag you're currently lusting over?

Love,

Pam

Afternon Tea

I've been watching Tanya Burr's youtube videos for a long time and I always enjoy her tutorials. Her bubbly personality also makes her very likable. But I wasn't very sold the first time I heard about her launching her lip gloss and nail polish collection. But a friend of mine was traveling to London and she kindly brought me this Tanya Burr lip gloss in one of its best seller shade ; Afternoon Tea. 

The lip gloss comes in a sleek lip gloss tube with a unique doe foot applicator. The packaging is sleek simple and doesn't look cheap which is a good thing for its drugstore price point.

Afternoon Tea is a pinky nude shade with creamy finish. It looks gorgeous on my hand swatch but sadly it doesn't really look good once applied.  The color is clearly too pale for me as it washes out my complexion. 

The lip gloss itself has a very interesting formula. It is like a mix between lip gloss and lip cream. It is definitely on the sticky side but the sticky feeling doesn't really bother me as it makes the staying power longer. 

The pigmentation is very opaque for a lip gloss which is good but could be a bit confusing as I'd rather put it in lip cream category. I don't know whether it is the color or the formula but I find it difficult to apply. It is streaky and sets into lip lines like crazy, so make sure your lips are well moisturized. The lip gloss is sweetly scented which I like and it has pretty decent staying power for a lip gloss. 

I am a bit disappointed as it doesn't really work for me. But I'd still love to try darker shades as they all look amazing on Tanya.

You can order Tanya Burr lip gloss and nail polish collection from Feelunique.com as they ship worldwide.

Do you watch Tanya Burr videos?

Love,

Pam

Sea of Clouds

Highlighter is actually not really my thing as I always find it hard to apply without looking like disco ball. But I recently spotted this highlighter from a local blog sale for a very good price and since I've been wanting to try Rouge Bunny Rouge products for the longest time, I decided to give this highlighter a go as the reviews online are mostly positive. 

The highlighter comes in a luxurious frosted glass bottle in a cylinder case. I really really love the packaging and the Rouge Bunny Rouge typical printing which is very whimsical and 'fairy tale' like. The highlighter also comes with a pump which is good but it always dispenses wayyyy too much product as we only need very little amount.

I've read reviews online that people mix it with foundation to achieve a brightening - glowy finish. I am always skeptical when people mix highlighter with foundation. I am sure it will work for dry-normal skin but def not on my combination skin. But I tried it anyway. I mixed a very small amount of the highlighter with foundation ( Estee Lauder Double Wear Light ) and applied it all over my face. To my surprise my face didn't turn into disco ball. The finish was actually quite good and not as bad as I thought it would be. It did make the foundation appears more dewy and glowy but not overly greasy. It also gave my face a brightening effect and very subtle glow.

The finish is very similar like those glowy complexion we usually see from those K-pop stars. I was very surprised and didn't expect the shimmer to be very subtle and refined. 

After 3-4 hours, my skin did get a bit 'oilier' than usual but blotting paper / powder would prevent you from being a disco ball. 

on direct sunlight

artificial lighting 

after 3 hours without blotting - artificial lighting 

applied as highlighter on cheekbones

As 'normal highlighter' it performs very well. I applied it on the highest point of my cheek bones, and on the cupid bows. It gives my skin a very refined and beautiful glow without being too shimmery like The Balm MaryLouminizer or Benefit High Beam. I love the fact that it is so subtle and refined makes it easier to work with. It also doesn't emphasize pores. I applied a bit more in this picture so you're able to see the finish.

The formula is easy to work with and it blends beautifully . Despite of the subtle finish, a little goes a long way. You only need a small amount of product to highlight both cheek bones. This bottle is going to last me a very long time.

Finally a highlighter that works for my combination skin. Love!

Sea of Clouds retail for €45 / 30 ml but I managed to get it half price from a blog sale! ( and it was new and sealed !! )

Have you tried anything from Rouge Bunny Rouge?

What is your fave highlighter?

Love,

Pam

Dream Bouncy

This blush from Maybelline was very hyped through youtube and the beauty community. I've been wanting to try it for a long time, but it is not available in Germany. So I asked my mom to get it for me from Indonesia and send it together with my usual care package she sends me once in 6 months. 

The shade my mom picked up for me was pink satin. Pink Satin is a light pink-coral shade with satin finish. So the name is true to the color.

Texture wise, the blush is bouncy and spongy. It is definitely not powder but not cream as well. It feels like a pressed mousse texture. It is fun to touch but after awhile it gets ugly and cracked. Unfortunately, the pigmentation is so poor it is almost impossible to get some color on the cheeks. I've tried to apply this blush using brush and fingers and I found it works better when applied with fingers. But still it doesn't show up on the cheeks, even layering doesn't help. 

my attempt to capture the color, I put more than 5 layers to get it visible on picture.

I honestly don't get it how this blush managed to be so hyped in the US. It doesn't perform properly as blush. The spongy / bouncy texture is fun to play with, but still a blush gotta do what a blush gotta do. Agree?

Have you tried this blush?

Love,

Pam

Magic Night

I work part time in a luxury dept. store and it is a fun job but dangerous at the same time. Dangerous for my financial balance as sometimes the amount of money I spend is more than the amount of money I earn in a day. Mainly because I browse around during my break time or before / after work. And I mostly know the Sales Assistants working there so sometimes a small talk can lead to free samples ( which is good ) or purchase ( which is not really good.. :p ).

This mono eye shadow from Chanel was a small talk that led to purchase.. 

I haven't bought any eye shadow from Chanel before.. I only have swatched some of their quads on counter but they never really convince me. 

But when I swatched their monos, I was convinced with the texture. They're more on the dry - spongy side but the pigmentation is great and they apply smoothly. I picked up the shade ; Magic Night, a blackened purple with a bit of reddish tinge. I thought I had similar shades already on my stash but it turned out that I don't. Most other shades that I have are more red or burgundy, not as 'dark and smokey' as Magic Night. 

I like to apply it alone to tone it down, or use it as a contour shade on the outer V for darker smokey eye look. 

Magic Night is a wearable smokey-purple shade. It looks darker on hand swatch but applies lighter on the lids. The shimmers are fine and not gritty. I experienced minimal fall out with it. 

Overall, I enjoy having Magic Night on my stash as it performs very well and the shade is practical to have. It is not the best eye shadow formula I've ever tried but it is def not the worst. 

It retails for €25 / 2gr of product which is expensive but let's admit, who doesn't want to fork out that amount of money in the name of Chanel? 

Have you tried any eyeshadow from Chanel?

Love,

Pam

Les Mini Prismes

Airport is one of my favorite place on earth. I don't know why but I always love airport. That's why I always try to go to airport very early every time I have to fly so I have enough time to spend while waiting for the flight. 

While I was waiting for my flight from Düsseldorf to Berlin last week, I spent an intense 45 minutes at the duty free and after some swatches, I walked out with this set from Givenchy. 

This set comes in a 'mini drawer' packaging made of real leather. The leather packaging is definitely high end but to be honest, it is unnecessary. The set consists of eye shadow, face powder, blush and 2 applicators. Each contains 3gr of product, not a lot but since I very rarely hit the pan on anything, I think 3 gr is enough amount for quite a long time. 

The eye shadow, powder and blush all come in Givenchy 4 cubes signature. The eye shadow have 4 different shades and are all my cup of tea. The texture is a bit crumbly but it is buttery smooth. Pigmentation is great and they blend effortlessly on the lids. 

The powder also comes in 4 different shades but I just mix them all and use it as finishing powder. And it is beautiful! It doesn't really mattify but it sets make up very well and it blurs out imperfections which results in a flawless finish. I love how it doesn't mattify so it doesn't disturb the real finish of foundation ( let's say you're having foundation with dewy finish... ) .

The blush is my highlight ! it is a very nice berry pink shade and gives such a beautiful flush on the cheeks. It has matte finish and the pigmentation is just perfect. 

I am surprisingly very happy with this set as I actually bought it without high expectation. Each product performs beautifully works together in harmony. This would be my first step into the house of Givenchy :-)

Have you tried anything from Givenchy?

Love,

Pam

Berry Smoothie

Well I don't really believe in second chance theory.  But , some of you might have known that I am not a fan of Revlon lip butters. I have tried 5 shades from the range and I liked none of them.

But my mom recently sent me a package from Indonesia and she sent me some make up as well. Berry Smoothie is actually a shade I have wanted to try.  Jen from Fromheadtotoe wears this particular shade a lot on her videos and the color looks so lovely on her. So , I decided to give Revlon lip butter a second chance. 

Berry Smoothie is a light berry pink shade. A very wearable , foolproof kind of shade that will match any occasion and eye make up. It is surprisingly not glittery nor flakey at all, unlike its other sisters that I have tried.

It glides on smoothly and most excitingly not flakey and doesn't leave my lips feeling bread crumbly. Put aside my dislike to its sisters, I actually like Berry Smoothie. It is such an easy color, a kind of shade I'd love to always have inside my bag. 

After trying Berry Smoothie, I now feel like I should give Revlon Lip Butters another chance. Maybe for another shades I haven't tried . I just have to make sure it doesn't contain any glitters. Juicy Papaya is on the top of the list.

Do you like Revlon Lip Butter? Which shade is your favorite?

Love,

Pam

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

I have been wanting to try the foundation from Giorgio Armani after reading a lot of good reviews about them. But I was not sure which one to get between the luminous silk or the lasting silk. After trying it at GA counter, I decided to go with the Luminous one. 

Yes I have to clean my window, I know

with-without

The foundation comes in a beautiful high end frosted glass bottle. It also comes with a pump that dispenses the right amount of product. I really like the design of the bottle as it looks very luxurious and high end.

My shade is #4 which matches my complexion very well. #4 has a lot of beige-neutral undertone and very similar to Bourjois healthy mix foundation in #51 - vanilla claire. This foundation has thin and slippery liquid texture that is very easy to blend.

My first impression with this foundation was a bit confusing. I really like how it feels on my skin. It feels very lightweight , like you don't wear anything. But the coverage is very light as well which is not really my cup of tea since I prefer to have medium coverage. After few days trying out this foundation using various methods like foundation brush, fingers and beauty blender ( please don't use it as it only absorbs the product ), I found out the best way to apply it is to dab some product using my fingers and blend it out with buffing brush. I need to layer this foundation to achieve the coverage I desire. Good thing is, this foundation doesn't look cakey even after 3 layers and instead, looking very natural and fabulous! It evens out my skin tone and counters the rednesses around my cheeks. It doesn't accentuate dry patches as well. 

I notice that this foundation blurs our the imperfections very well despite of its light coverage. It provides a healthy-not oily-luminous finish that is so beautiful that I don't even dare to apply powder to my Tzone which I always do usually. But I have to blot after 4 hours as my Tzone area starts to look oily. I wouldn't recommend this foundation for people with very oily skin as it might be too dewy. 

But despite of the average oil control, I find this foundation lasts all day long. I tested this out while I was in Holland last week and it did stay the whole day!  I was mostly outdoor at that time and didn't even have time to blot / powder. It did look a bit shiny mostly on Tzone area but still looked presentable. 

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation retails for €48,99 / 30ml.

What is your latest foundation purchase?

Love,

Pam