Koh Gen Do Face Powder

Koh Gen Do is one brand I've always had interest to try. As a foundation junkie, I have been wanting to get my hands on the Koh Gen Do foundation, but I couldn't decide between Aqua and Maifanshi  Moisture foundation so I ended up ordering the face powder ( I know that was a poor excuse :p ). They have 2 different types of face powder, the natural lighting powder and the regular face powder, so I went with the one with no shimmer.

What does Koh Gen Do say about the powder ?

"Made with a unique silk powder formula, Maifanishi Face Powder sets the foundation like a sheer silky veil. It also protects your skin's natural luminescence with gentle, ultra-fine elements that quickly blend with your skin. It contains natural moisture-retaining hyaluronic acid, making it an ideal powder for dry skin."

I am currently using the Giorgio Armani luminous silk powder to set up my foundation, I got the powder as a gift and I think it is one decent product but nothing really groundbreaking. So instead of repurchase the powder, I prefer to try something new. Having a combination skin, with dry cheeks and oily T-zone, I mostly need to set my foundation because otherwise my T-zone will get shiny within few hours. My requirements for a good setting powder is that it needs to be lightweight, not too mattifying, natural and translucent and reading from the description and review at sephora.com, this loose powder from Koh Gen Do sounded like a good candidate. 

The powder comes in a huge loose powder jar. It has typical loose powder packaging, nothing extra ordinary. It is of course not the best candidate for traveling but as I intended to use it as setting powder , the packaging doesn't bother me at all. 

The powder is very smooth and silky it feels almost creamy. Even though it is translucent, I need to be light handed on application because otherwise it will appear white and ghostly on my skin. The texture is very fine so it doesn't look too powdery. The finish is natural and silky smooth, definitely not invisible on the skin but I think it compliments the foundation very well. What I really like is also that it is not cakey and doesn't accentuate my dry patches. I also like that it tightens my pores so they look more refined especially on picture. 

The powder works well to set my foundation but the oil control is rather average.  I always carry powder for touch up in my make up bag so that is not a big let down for me. 

Koh Gen Do stated that this powder is formulated without Parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, phthalates , GMOs and Triclosans ( please don't ask me what they are, I have zero idea ) so despite of my lack of know-how in terms of chemical ingredients, I guess it is a good thing that this powder is not formulated with those chemicals mentioned above. 

All in all, I am happy with the purchase and it fulfilled my expectation, a nice first encounter with the brand.  I do think this powder is worth the $42 because we do get a lot of product 

What is your current favorite setting powder?

Love,

Pam

Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelée

As a huge fan of Josie Maran Argan Oil , I am always excited to try more from the brands. And as sephora US now ships to Germany, I have better access to Josie Maran products so I ordered this mini version of its famous coconut watercolor cheek gelée.. 

Upon receiving my order, I was very surprised to see how mini it is. It is literally so small and the pot has just enough place for my pinky finger to pick up the product ( well since I have ginormous fingers, maybe you will have enough place for your pointy or ring finger :P ) . 

This cheek gelée has gel consistency as its name advised. The texture is unique and something I haven't seen before. Unfortunately , I must say I am not really a fan of the texture.. It is a tad too wet and slippery for my liking. I find stippling brush works the best to apply this watercolor cheek gel, because it gets blotchy and uneven when applied with fingers.

The pigmentation is rather sheer but it is very build able. Despite of the wet texture, it sets up pretty quick which means we don't have a lot of time to blend. So make sure to blend it directly upon application unless you want to end up with pink patch on the cheeks. When it is applied and blended correctly, it gives a nice glow. It doesn't set up matte, rather dewy which I really like. It gives the illusion of plumper cheeks and makes you appear a bit younger xD.

I have tried to apply it on the lips but it didn't work. It is simply too wet and slippery, but it gives the lips a nice stain.

The staying power is good but not impressive.. Judging from the texture and how fast it sets, I actually expected it to be long lasting but it fades pretty quick I must say. I got around 3-4 hours wear out of it.

Overall, a nice product to try but I don't think I will reach for it often.

Love,

Pam

Rouge Bunny Rouge Skin Sanctuary Time Defying Foundation

Rouge Bunny Rouge belongs to one of my favorite make up brands, and their foundations were long on my wish list. So when I saw them having 30% off their Skin Sanctuary Time Defying foundation , of course I had to take a chance, right?? Well actually, the other foundation from RbR ; The Milk Aquarelle foundation was on the top of my list. But since that one was not on sale, I thought I'd better go with the Time Defying Foundation first.

The foundation comes in a very beautiful frosty glass bottle with a pump spender. The bottle is so gorgeous and well made. It also comes in a cylinder box which adds more luxurious touch to the whole packaging. 

After doing some research on the internet, I decided to pick up the shade Linen Cream. Linen Cream is the lightest shade available, pale beige with yellow undertone and suitable for MAC NC 20-25 which imo wouldn't be pale enough for some people. It is however, a great match for my complexion.  

Talking about the texture TDF has a rich and creamy consistency, it is lightweight though, so you don't have to be worried about it being too thick or heavy. The coverage is medium to semi full I'd say. It is very build able and layers very well. The formula is so smooth and blends seamlessly. The finish is natural and radiant , a little bit dewy if you have combination skin like I do. I love the fact that it doesn't provide matte finish despite of its great coverage. I am not really a fan of matte finish because it usually looks aging, and since it is now autumn here and winter is coming, I prefer foundation with dewy and natural finish to give my skin a bit of glow.

The foundation doesn't oxidize on my skin so the color remains true. It also doesn't set into dry patches that I have around my cheeks. I always try to well moisturized my skin though, so I can't really talk for people with dry skin. 

The staying power is great, it is definitely a long lasting foundation. The oil control however is not really impressive. I need to blot my T zone quite often every time I am wearing this foundation. But it doesn't bother me much to be honest, because it doesn't promise to be a champion in terms of oil control. The luminous finish must come with a price, right?

The foundation is lightly scented, typical high end foundation scent, very subtle and light which I really like.

Final thought : a great foundation for every day wear, great coverage, natural radiant finish, and long wearing. It is expensive at €49,99 / 30ml, but it performs the high end way :-)

Have you tried anything from Rouge Bunny Rouge?

Love,

Pam

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade

I do believe that eye brow is very important, and for people like me who are not blessed with natural amazing eye brows,we always need to do brow routine everyday. For the last 2 years , I religiously used Etude House eye brow pencil and set it with eye brow gel from Maybelline. But just recently, my sister introduced me to Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow pomade and I fell in love.

I ordered mine from Sephora US and since my sister and I have similar hair color, I decided to order the shade Soft Brown just like hers ( though I am now debating myself whether I should order the shade taupe for more ashy look because I actually prefer my eyebrows to look ashy ).  Soft brown is a medium milky brown and is actually a good match for my eye brows. 

This pomade reminds me of gel eyeliner so much, I even wonder whether they are the same product? The texture and how it applies are just similar like gel eyeliner. I usually apply it using a thin eye brow brush and a little goes a looooong way. My tips is to start from the middle of your eye brows to avoid getting to much product on the inner corner. It applies evenly and sets pretty fast. I like to apply it a bit sheer for a more natural finish but it is build able so if you prefer bold finish, don't worry because this pomade can also achieve that look.

For the ease of application, I think we do need a bit practice at the beginning because within first 3 applications, I definitely applied too much product and ended up looking like Crayon Sinchan xD . But, once I found out the right way to apply it, it is just easy peasy.

The staying power is great but it is not extra long lasting like some people said. If I am going to have a long day, I usually top it with eye brow gel for extra staying power and I always keep the Etude house eye brow pencil on my make up bag for on the go touch up.

What is your eye brow routine?

Love,

Pam

REVLON Colorstay Moisture Stain

After reading this particular review from Lenallure, I was very convinced and weirdly enough while I was browsing through asos.de, I found out they carry Revlon product but only this moisture stain, nothing else. Weird, right? But anyway I hope they will add more items later as Revlon is not available in Germany and it would come in handy to be able to buy it at least Online.  

Asos doesn't have a lot of shades available, and after some swatches online, I decided to pick up Barcelona Night and Cannes Crush .

Barcelona Night is a bright fuchsia and Cannes Crush is a peachy orange. 

Formula wise, I was expecting it to be similar to another lip hybrid product like Dior Fluid Stick as a lot of people have said. And I agree that they are indeed very similar. Revlon moisture stain is thicker and creamier in consistency, but still feels a bit watery and wet on the lips unlike the Dior fluid stick which is a lighter and thinner in consistency but feels sticky on the lips. They both have this balmy touch and feel very comfortable and hydrating on the lips.

Application wise, this moisture stain doesn't apply very even. The key is to apply in thin layer or my favorite way is to wear it blotted. The pigmentation is great, but I have to say it depends on the shade. Barcelona Night is way more pigmented than Cannes Crush which applies rather sheer. 

The moisture stain has glossy and shiny finish which doesn't fade quickly. Being named moisture stain, I must say that they do feel hydrating but they don't really stain the lips ( this is actually a good point for me as I tend to change my lipstick during the day and I prefer not having some stain on the lips ).  

The staying power is average. I got 2-3 hour wear time without eating. I don't really expect lip product to be super long wearing as I drink a lot and don't mind re applying my lipstick anyway. 

Barcelona Night

Cannes Crush

Overall, I am happy with these new lip additions and would probably order another shade ;p

Love,

Pam

Jezebel

I picked up this nail polish from Marc Jacobs at Sephora during my trip to Paris. I have heard a lot of positive reviews about it, and for €24 of course I expect a good quality. 

The packaging is really nice. It is something different and looks cute. It is also made from a nice, sturdy material, not something I'd complain about.

The shade I picked up was Jezebel. It is a deep wine red. Jezebel is not very brownish and appears burgundish on the nails. Jezebel is not one unique shade, it is in fact, a shade you can find very dupable. I initially wanted to get nude or taupe shade but the Sephora where I went to didn't really have a lot of stock so I went with Jezebel instead.

The formula however is not what I expected it to be. It is thick and gloopy, the application is also rather streaky.. I don't know whether it's possible that I got a failed product or just an old stock? Because the texture is just weird. It feels like an old nail polish you've stored in your drawer for 3 years and never use it. I hope mine was an exception because the reviews on the internet are mostly positive.

The staying power is okay, but I always layer it with good top coat anyway so I can't say how it performs on its own. 

Jezebel is a nice vampy shade for autumn, and I will wear it occasionally, but I don't think I will reach for it often as the formula is not the most pleasant to apply.

Have you tried any nail polish from Marc Jacobs?

Love,

Pam

Bare Minerals Original SPF 15 Foundation

This is one long overdue post! I bought it in May during my trip to Singapore and Indonesia but never got to write a full review on it, so now here we go..

This foundation from bareMinerals was on sale at Sephora Singapore for only SGD$38 for 18 gr of products which is more than double the size of the original size ( 8gr ). The 8gr packaging retails for €27,99 so this deluxe size I got from Sephora is actually worth ca. €56 which makes SGD$38 totally a steal!

before-after

The foundation comes in form of loose mineral powder which might not be the best for traveling but it will not be a problem for the dressing table. It comes in a very nice huge sturdy pot. Seriously , the pot is so big! Just like most loose powder, it also comes with a 'filter' to make it less messy. I love the fact that the shifter is not so many so the powder doesn't get everywhere.

I picked up the shade fairly light which is a neutral light shade. The foundation has 20 shades from very fair to very deep, great selection of color to cater a lot of ladies with different complexions. 

This is the 3rd mineral powder foundation I have tried after the Bellapierre and the Tarte one which both I really enjoy. But I almost never use the mineral foundation alone as base because I always have the feeling that the coverage is not enough. So I usually apply it over BB Cream, tinted moisturizer or a sheer foundation.
The powder is very smooth, fine and soft it is almost creamy to touch. I can imagine it works very well for dry skin because the powder feels very nice and not drying at all.
The bareMinerals original foundation has decent coverage and it is very build able. I applied only 1 layer of foundation on the 1st before-after pict above and applied 2 layers on the after picts. You can clearly see the sheer coverage on the before-after pict, and that I still needed concealer for my under eye area. But on the other 2 picts where I put 2 layers of foundation, the coverage was more and it covered up my under eye area way better than 1 layer. I really like the fact that it didn't accentuate my dry patches. It provided a slightly dewy finish which is great for powder foundation not being mattifying. It looked natural and healthy on the skin, and also my skin felt well hydrated.
I worn this a lot during summer and I must say, that the foundation caked up a little bit on the spot where I sweat the most for example on the forehead and my nose tip.
It also worked well as 'topcoat' for my liquid foundation and give more flawless finish.  But, when it is worn alone, the longevity is not very impressive.  The oil control is also rather average.

Among 3 mineral foundation I have tried, I still prefer the Tarte one. This Bare Minerals is a decent one but not extra ordinary. It is a nice addition to my make up table but I guess I am more a liquid foundation kind of girl.

Have you tried mineral foundation or anything from bareMinerals?

Love,
Pam

Chanel Les Beiges

I recently went to Paris ( the perk of living in Europe :p ), and visited the Chanel beauty boutique at Rue Cambon . The service I must say, was a little distant at the beginning, but later on the BA warmed up a little bit and became nicer to me ( maybe she thought I might be the stereotypical chinese tourist. lol ) . Anyway, I ended up buying a perfume and this Les Beiges powder in #30.

First of all, let's talk about the packaging. It is so gorgeous! The case is so weighty and feels very luxurious. The half moon brush that comes with it, is actually very soft and good for touch up. The shade I picked was #30 which is darker than my actual skin tone. I initially wanted it to be a bronzer, that's why I picked up a darker shade.

The powder is very soft, smooth and finely milled. It is not dusty / powdery at all . From what I understand from the SA, this Les Beiges range is supposed to be sheer bronzing powder, and it should be applied all over the face, not only as contour bronzer. So, she color matched me with #30 as lighter shades would be translucent on me. The problem came up later as #30 is a very warm and leans towards orange, so despite of the sheerness, I still can see the orange tinge on my face when it is used as all over bronzing powder. But, it is too sheer to be used as contour bronzer, I need to layer more to make it visible on the cheekbones. The product itself is good though, I can really feel the powder very soft and smooth and the pigmentation, although very sheer, is nothing unlike the mega failure Tricolor Les Beiges . 

I unfortunately don't reach for it often as I always struggle on how to use it. I find myself reaching more often for the Burberry Earthy blush as that one is more ashy and hence more suitable for contour bronzer, or if I want an all over bronzer, I would reach for my most loved bronzer from P2.

This powder / bronzer retails for €48,99 / 12gr which is ridiculously expensive ( well, not really if you see how much product you get ). It is Chanel though, so you also pay for the name. Would I recommend it? Not really , since there are a lot of better powder or bronzer out there for cheaper price, unless you are a huge Chanel fan and don't mind paying almost 50€ only for the packaging.


Love,
Pam

Lipstick Queen



I have read a lot of positive reviews about the brand Lipstick Queen. I find their concept of saint ( 10% pigment ) and sinner ( 90% pigment ) is brilliant. If you haven't read about it, let me explain it shortly.

So basically Lipstick Queen always has 2 different types of lipstick for each shade they have. Either you get Saint or Sinner. Saint lipsticks are sheer and glossy with 10% pigment while Sinner lipsticks are way more pigmented and long lasting with 90% pigment. As I mostly prefer to have moisturizing and balmy lip products, I opted for the saint one. 

The shade I picked up was : Rose. Rose is a medium rosey pink, a bit on the cooler toned side I'd say. The color is perfect for everyday use to school, uni, or work. Rose is a universal appropriate shade in my opinion, or some people might call it a 'my lips but better shade'.

The texture of the lipstick is very emollient and balmy. I love how smooth it applies on the lips and despite of the only 10% pigment, it is actually pigmented enough and the color shows up easily. I also love the fact that despite of the glossy finish, it doesn't have any shimmer.

The lipstick is housed in a matte yellow gold bullet. The matte case is great because it is finger print free. I like the packaging. It is sleek simple and elegant at the same time.

The longevity is okay for a balmy lipstick. I got ca. 2 hours wear with minor drinking. The lipstick doesn't dry up my lips and in fact is pretty hydrating.

It retails for €22 / 4 gr.

Have you tried anything from Lipstick Queen?

Love,

Pam