IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Eyeshadow Palette

For the past few months, I have been addicted to Kleiderkreisel.de. It is basically a local based blog sale, like ebay in less complicated way. People can sell new or second hand clothing items, shoes, bags, make up, perfumes, etc and you can really find great bargains there. And not only that, you can also sell your stuffs that you no longer wear. I have so many clothes, shoes, or make ups that I barely wear and ended up piling up my already packed apartment, so Kleiderkreisel helped me a lot to get rid off the unwanted stuffs and earn extra money I could always use to get myself new stuffs ( devil circle, I know :P )

This eye shadow palette from IT cosmetics for instance, is one example of a great find / bargain. The brand is not available to get in Germany either online or in store, but It has been receiving a lot of positive reviews from the beauty community. Its Bye Bye Redness camouflage is also staple in my make up bag. So when I spotted this palette on the website for only €20 in very mint condition ( only 3 shades have been swatched ), I couldn't resist.

The palette comes in a pale dusty pink packaging. I love dusty pink so the packaging itself had been calling my name. lol. The palette has a unique velvety case that is unlike anything I have seen before. However, the outer case tends to get dirty easily and the pale color doesn't help either. So even though the packaging is new and unique, it is not really practical.

But lets forget about the packaging and take a moment to appreciate the brilliant pallete!

Okay , first of all, I am not a huge fan of matte eye shadows as they tend to look dull on my lids. But after wearing a lot of shimmery eye shadows, I got tired and wanted something new. And matte eyeshadows will always come in handy as blending shades or to soften the edges of any smokey eye look. 

The palette comes with 14 all  matte shades and 1 ( brilliant idea! ) pearl transforming shade. So that means you get 2 different finish from all the 14 shades ( whoever came up with this idea, man you are one make up genie! ). I was already impressed enough to see the color selection and the transforming shade idea until I touched the shadows.. Unlike typical matte shades who are mostly dry, chalky and poor pigmented, these shades are so smooth ( almost bordering creamy ) and bloody pigmented in one swipe! They tend to get a bit messy and loose on the pan though, but don't worry because they don't get powdery on the lids. These are the first matte shades that show boldly on my lids without any help from primer.  According to itcosmetics, the eyeshadows are formulated with anti aging ingredients, which only makes it get better.

The color selection is another joy I got from this palette. It has a good mix varied from light to dark earth tone shades. Any matte shades you could think of to create day to night look, you can find from this palette.

If I have to pick one con for this palette, aside of the packaging, I would say that the transforming pearl shade doesn't really do its job very well. It tends to wash out the color of the matte shades instead of making it pearlescent . The pearl shade is a bit too pigmented as a 'top coat' but I am already very happy with all matte shades and actually don't really want to make them shimmery.

My overall thought?? LOVE!

This is a strong candidate to become one of the best eye shadow palette I have ever encountered. The quality is top notch I can never recommend it enough.. If you are on the hunt for a new eye shadow palette, do give it a go, even when you are not a fan of matte shades, just try this one first because I am quite sure it will change your opinion.

Love,

Pam

Luminous Flush

After my not so pleasant encounters with other 2 Hourglass products here and here, this time it is another story. I think I have found a blush that I love just as much as I love my Burberry blushes. Just look at that marble optic - oooh so beautiful!

I ordered this blush together with the Ambient Lighting Powder and the Mineral Veil Primer from Sephora US. Based on swatches online, I decided for Luminous Flush because the shade looked like something I would often reach for. Fortunately I didn't pick the wrong shade because Luminous Flush is just my cup of tea.

I would describe Luminous Flush as medium warm coral shade. It looks like it's got shimmers on the pan but I can't really see it once applied on the cheeks. I'd say the finish is rather satin or semi matte. I love the fact that Luminous Flush is so flattering and compliments any make up looks.

The pigmentation is very forgiving, sheer to medium which I like. I dislike highly pigmented blushes because they are tricky to apply, but Luminous Flush is just the right amount of pigmentation.

The blush comes in a similar case like the Ambient Lighting Powder, only smaller and in different color. I am not really a fan of the case as I find it rather bulky and cheap looking even though it is sturdy and made from a good material. I just don't really like how it looks and the fact that it catches fingerprints like craycray - my personal opinion.

The texture is on the powdery side, not silky smooth like the Burberry's . But it applies beautifully and blends in with almost no effort. I don't mind the powdery mess a bit since this is the kind of blush I don't carry around inside my hand bag because the packaging doesn't have mini brush for touch up. So for home application, the powderness doesn't bother me.

One thing that I like about this blush, is its 'blurring' effect.  I notice that it kind of blurs out the imperfections on my cheeks and makes it appear 'smoother'. The staying power is also another plus point. I got around 7-8 hours wear on cooler days and around 5-6 hours on warmer days ( which is already good for my always sweating face in summer ).

Overall, I am in love with this blush and I can't wait to get another shades. If you are looking for a new blush, do give this range a try.

Have you tried this blush from Hourglas?

Love,

Pamela

Marc Jacobs Lip Gel

I was so excited to find a full display of Marc Jacobs beauty at Sephora Singapore on my trip in May. But the prices at Sephora Singapore didn't really excite me so I ended up only buying one lipstick, which sadly was a wrong shade for me :(

I picked the shade #218 which is a very very frosty peachy pink. It swatches pretty on hand but applied awfully on the lips. The formula was packed with glitters that felt very uncomfortable on the lips ( like a worse version of glittery Revlon Lip Butter ). It didn't apply very smoothly and had tendency to tug on the lips, so I usually applied lip balm underneath.

The pigmentation was rather sheer so I needed to apply more layers to get the color to show up. The color didn't actually look that bad from far away, but if you see it close up , uh-huh girl no wayyy.  It set into lip lines and accentuated every dry patches I had on my lips. It was not hydrating either and my lips felt very dry after wearing this lipstick for awhile. 

The lipstick wasn't strongly scented, just a light subtle scent.

One positive thing about this product is the packaging. The bullet is beautifully made and sturdy, love. 

After reading some reviews on the internet, I thought maybe I just picked up the wrong shade as this lipstick has actually received a lot of positive reviews. I am not sure whether I would give it another chance and get another 'safer' shade, but as now Sephora US does ship to Germany, the possibility is high xD

Have you tried anything from Marc Jacobs make up line?

Love,

Pam

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

I did my Sephora order recently since now Sephora US ships to Germany ( my long awaited prayer answered by the make up Goddess. lol! ) and 90% of my order consisted of Hourglass products. One of them is the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. 

This particular primer from Hourglass is so hyped and so loved by a lot of people, so I decided to give it a try. Good that Sephora has the smaller version of it, perfect to try out and also way cheaper than the original size at $52.

The primer comes in a small glass bottle with a pump. The packaging is very nice and the pump is a plus, but to be honest, I prefer to have primer in a squeeze tube so I can literally use it till the last drop. But since this primer has a very liquid consistency, I think maybe the pump is better suited.

The primer has a liquid texture, it does feel silicony like Porefessional or Too Faced Prime & Poreless. It glides on smoothly and my skin feels mattified and velvety afterwards, the same feeling you get with other silicon based primer.

One thing I noticed is that this primer will not work with any moisturizer or sun screen. Everytime I apply moisturizer or sunscreen beforehand ( even after I wait few minutes for it to completely sunk in ), it just won't apply smoothly. It crumbles ( yes literally!). It is difficult for me to explain, so let me insert a pict here.

 

I did try this primer without anything beforehand, and yes it applied smoothly. But it interrupted my foundation. It made the foundation appear cakey and when I set the foundation with powder, the powder would move around and cake up into tiny little gloopy particles, sooooo horrible! It was a nightmare! I tried several different foundation from liquid, powder to cream and this one just wouldn't cooperate. I don't get it why a lot of people are in love with this primer.











Okay, maybe I am the only case, or maybe I received a 'failed' product? I have no idea. But I just can't cooperate with this primer, unfortunately.. :(

Have you tried this primer from Hourglass? What is your HG primer?
Love,
Pam

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

My family is currently visiting me from Indonesia, so I didn't miss the chance to 'steal' some items from my sister's and mom's make up bag :p

This NARS Sheer Glow was my sister's, she lost the cap and replaced it with old pump from Bourjois Healthy mix, hence the red cap. NARS Sheer Glow was long on my list so I was excited to give this a try.

My sister's shade is 'Fiji' ( or Light 5 )  which luckily matched my complexion. Fiji has slightly yellow undertone so it counters my redness very well.

NARS Sheer glow is indeed similar to Bourjois healthy mix ( or should I say it the other way around  ? :p ) so from the first application, I fell in love with it.

The texture is light and creamy . It applies smoothly and provides a good decent coverage. I apply it using Real Technique Buffing brush and man they were made to work together, such a pleasant to apply.

I also love the slight glow finish without looking greasy on my combination skin because the glow is very subtle. My sister has dry skin and this foundation has rather satin finish on her skin. So if you have combination to light oily skin, don't despise this one yet because it is not as 'glowy' as the name suggests.

The coverage is pretty decent. Don't get fooled by the name 'sheer' as it gives medium coverage which can be built up to semi full coverage. It covers up imperfections and redness and provides an even and flawless complexion. The subtly glowing finish is beautiful and makes me want to wear this foundation over and over again.

The longevity is also impressive for a foundation that offers glow. I do need to blot and set it with powder after few hours but mainly on the Tzone area.

This foundation has no SPF which can be good or bad point depends on your preference. For me personally, it is a good point as I always use additional SPF before my moisturizer anyway. And this foundation will come in handy for photography.

Overall, I really like this foundation and I have been wearing it every single day for the past 10 days. I think I will have to ask my sister to leave this foundation in Berlin for me xD

Have you tried the NARS Sheer Glow foundation? or any foundation from NARS?

Love,

Pam 

Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer

You know what, I have few make up Godess whose reviews I blindly trust, one of them is Lisa Eldrigde. So when I saw Lisa using this primer a lot and mentioned it in one of her videos as alternative for a very light foundation, I was sold. Then later, this review from Karima just made me order it the minute after I finished reading the post ( true story ). 

To be honest, I was not particularly in a hunt for a face primer, but as a 'base product a.k.a foundation junkie' , I just couldn't miss this. A face primer is always a good idea, and a tinted primer with blurring effect?? Yes please!

The primer comes in a sturdy plastic bottle which is practical for traveling but not the best idea for such an expensive primer imo.. The primer costs €52 for 30 ml and this kind of plastic bottle won't let me get the last drop of the primer like a squeeze tube would do. The bottle comes with a pump which is good but not really necessary.

The primer itself has hybrid texture. It feels like something between liquid foundation and regular face primer ( read : Benefit Porefessional or Too Faced Poreless Primer ). However, I wouldn't agree with Lisa in terms of the coverage as it is very very sheer and barely visible. I doubt the coverage will be sufficient as 'lighter foundation' even if you are blessed with great skin.. ( except you have a flawless skin like those photoshoped celebrity pictures in magazines ).

I got this primer in shade #light. A lot of people mentioned it to be slightly too dark for people with lighter complexions but as the coverage is very sheer, I don't think it really matters.

Regarding its function as primer, it does its job quite well. The sheer pigmentation helps to reduce the 'task' of foundation as it already 'corrects' the uneven pigmentation or redness that I have. I wouldn't say the coverage is enough as foundation's substitute but it does help to provide a slightly more flawless base. In terms of longevity, I didn't notice that it prolonged the wear of my foundation, but I did notice that it made foundation applies smoother and that it helped to create a very subtle but visible natural yet flawless finish that foundation alone wouldn't be able to achieve. I noticed that the finish of my foundation was different with or without this one, and I prefer the finish with this primer.
However, the heavy price tag is a huge put off for me. This primer is one great product but it is- to be honest- not groundbreaking enough for the price . It is nice to have and such a pleasant to wear, but I don't think I would repurchase..


Have you ever tried anything from the brand? What is your current favourite face primer?

Love,
Pam 

EBLOUI

Chanel Illusion d'Ombre Ebloui was long on my wish list. I always swatched it every time I walk pass Chanel make up counter, but it always applied too sheer so I never came home with it even though the swatches I found in internet were all very pretty. Until my mom bought me this cream eye shadow from duty free on her way to visit me.

1 swipe - 3 swipes

The cream eye shadow comes in a glass tube with Chanel logo printed on the lid. The packaging is sturdy and luxurious looking and I love the fact the the tube is wide enough for my finger to comfortably dip in and pick up the product. Some cream eye shadow tubes are so narrow and small that they always get in my nails. I don't really use the small brush that came with it, and use my fingers to apply it.

The texture reminds me a lot of the L'Oreal Infaillible eye shadows. But the Chanel ones are far more complex. They are spongy, moussy, a tad powdery, a bit dry ( but not flakey ) but also creamy at the same time. Despite of the texture, Ebloui applies smoothly and glides on beautifully and it doesn't tug my lids as well. The pigmentation is very buildable. It applies very sheer for one coat but the pigmentation can be built up until very opaque and bold. It is also easy to blend which is good because other cream eyeshadows tend to set very fast and harder to blend.

The color Ebloui itself is a gorgeous reddish tone bronze. It is very shimmery but don't be afraid of the shimmer as it is very beautiful and looks stunning on the lids. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you must have known my obsession with the color palette. So , Ebloui is right up my alley.

The staying power is rather average on my oily lids though. I got ca.5 hours over Lorac eye shadow primer. But I got ca.7 hours if I top it with powder eye shadow.

The rather average staying powder doesn't really bother me because I am aware of my oily lids.

Overall, a good allrounder, perfect for traveling as it performs very well solo and suitable for day or night look. The quality is great, so it is worth the price tag.

Have you tried anything from the Illusion d'Ombre range?

Love,

Pam