Etude House Fairy Glitter Shadow

There is a special place in my heart for cream eye shadows, especially those with glitters and shimmer. While I was browsing ebay to repurchase my Etude House brow pencil, I stumbled upon this glitter shadow from Etude House. As a fan of Cinderella and glitter cream shadow, I just couldn't say no. 

I impulsively ordered this shade without any research before, but was very happy to receive it because it is so pweeety!!

The packaging is cute , with whimsical Cinderella carriage print on the lid and I was surprised to see how well made and solid the packaging is, considered the price point only at €8. First time I swatched it, I directly thought about Chanel Ebloui. On the swatch pict above, side by side, they do look different but pretty similar. Ebloui is more reddish while Evening Party is more brown tone. 

The texture is very similar to the Maybelline bouncy blush. It is very spongy and bouncy and at the same time creamy. While the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre eye shadows are more on the dryer side. It is greatly pigmented, which makes it a bit more difficult to work with imo. The chanel one applies sheer but it gives us the opportunity to layer and achieve the intensity we desire. The etude one is opaque in one layer, so it might be a problem if you prefer it to be sheer.  I personally don't have problem with it being pigmented. 

My only concern is that the glitters are kind of flaky and chunky. Chanel is a winner for me because it has very fine shimmer so it results in no fall out. The Etude one is very glittery ( which could be good if you want to achieve a glittery look! ), and there is few fall out. It is very interesting how a creamy eye shadow can have fall out xD

Overall, I think this is a great product for €9 and a good alternativ to the Chanel Illusion d'ombre or the similar product from Dior. I am not sure whether this is limited edition, but judging from the packaging, I don't think this eye shadow belongs to the standard sortiment. 

What is your favorite cream eye shadow at the moment?

Love,

Pam

Sephora Favorites Give Me More Lip

I made another Sephora US order few weeks ago. I just couldn't resist those holiday sets. This Give Me More Lip was part of my order. 

The set consists of 17 lip products in mini / deluxe size. I thought it would be great for me to try out some brands I have never tried before like Buxom, Bite Beauty, or OCC . The color selection is great as you get reds, pink, nudes and berries with different finish as well. After few weeks trying out the lippies, here are my short review on each product.

• Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Icon - This lip liquid is very very matte. I can't imagine wearing it more than 15 minutes as it is very sticky, very matte , very dry and very heavyweight. The pigmentation is the bomb , but it bleeds and feathers so bad. 
• Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Color in Red Amour - A nice creamy lipstick. The finish is creamy satin. It glides on smoothly, doesn't dry up the lips and doesn't set into lip lines. It stays on pretty well.
• Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Outlaw - A very pigmented lip liquid / cream. The finish is velvet , semi matte. It has a lightweight texture and pretty comfortable on the lips. It stays on the whole day and stains the lips.
• Sephora Collection Rouge Infusion in Red Essence - A nice terracota / brownish red lip stain. The lip stain has wet and sticky texture, similar to the YSL Glossy Stains. It is not drying and doesn't accentuate choppy lips. 
• OCC Black Dahlia Lip Tar - I didn't know how to apply this. I tried lip brush, fingers or straight from the nozzle tip, but nothing really worked. The lip tar is very pigmented but doesn't apply evenly and appeared patchy. It has similar finish of a lip stain. 
• Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint in Moody - It is typical chubby stick lip product. It feels balmy and hydrating for the lips. It has very nice texture , but nothing extra ordinary. 
• Buxom Mini Full Bodied Lipstick in Menace - My first time trying Buxom lipstick and this one didn't disappoint me. It is a very nice creamy lipstick. The pigmentation is good, the texture is smooth and the staying power is good. 
• Fresh Sugar Berry Tinted Lip Treatment - I really liked how it smells, definitely would buy if there was a perfume of it :D. The balm itself is very emollient and almost bordering slippery. It tends to migrate to the lip edges and because of the too slippery texture, it doesn't apply evenly and is not hydrating for the lips.
• Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Palomino - Amazing pigmentation, creamy smooth texture and glides on effortlessly . The finish is satin semi matte and it blurs out the lip lines. A very good formula but unfortunately not my color.
• Benefit Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm in Posie - I am glad I didn't buy it when it first launched. This lip balm is almost clear and barely has any pigmentation. It has slippery texture, similar to the Fresh one. Considering its full price, I don't think it is worth the money at all.
• Too Faced Melted Long Wear Lipstick in Fuchsia - First of all, I am not really a fan of the packaging. It definitely needs lip brush for application or otherwise it will get very messy. It has great pigmentation, smooth matte finish and feels a tad drying. But it is relatively comfortable. The color is so bright it is almost neon, I'm afraid I will glow in the dark wearing it xD
• Tarte LipSurgence Power Pigment in Flushed - On the contrary to the other Tarte product, this one feels a bit waxy. It has mint stingy sensation. The pigmentation is good and it stains the lips but I prefer the other one.
• Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss in Nude Vinyl - It is actually a very nice nude pinkish shade. Unfortunately, the formula is so patchy and thick it is almost impossible to apply it evenly. It has semi matte finish.
• Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush - Just an ordinary lip gloss. It feels a bit sticky , pretty hydrating and doesn't dry up my lips. The milky color appears a bit patchy and applies rather uneven.
• bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Speak Your Mind - I had no expectation on this one and it is surprisingly good! It has very nice texture, lightweight and creamy. The shade itself is pretty as well.
• Too Faced Lip Cream in Naked Dolly - It has nice balmy texture. Unfortunately, the shade is not my color at all. But judging from the formula, I can imagine myself buying another shades.
• MUFE Waterproof Lip Liner pencil - It is how a good lip pencil needs to be. Soft, smooth, and pigmented. The shade is nice and it performs well as a base for lip gloss or lipstick.

Overall, I think this set is great if you want to try a lot of products. But for long term use, I think it is less efficient because I just can't really get along with those mini lipsticks. They are so mini and difficult to use, like any wrong move can break them easily. This set is great like a bunch of samples, but not a must.

Have you tried any of the lip products in this set? 

Love,

Pam

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

If you have read my review on the ambient lighting blush here, you must have known my love for it. So when I saw this palette literally everywhere, I didn't hesitate a bit to order it from Sephora. The palette consists of 3 blush shades ; Luminous Flush, Mood exposure and Incandescent Electra. The first 2 shades belong to the permanent range and Incandescent Electra is limited for the palette. Despite the fact that I already own Luminous Flush, I still bought this palette because I looooooove the formula very much - maybe even better than my most loved Burberry Sheer Glow blushes. 

Luminous Flush, as described on the previous post is a medium coral shade. It is not too orange nor too pink, just the perfect amount of coral. Mood exposure is a soft plum with a wee bit of brown and red hint to it. Incandescent Electra is a bright pink with cool undertone and more shimmer ( don't worry, doesn't transform as glitters on the face ). Out of three shade, I must say that Mood Exposure is my favorite, it is also very appropriate for autumn. It is officially my new found love. Though I do think that all 3 shades applied a bit similar. I am NC 20 so I do notice the difference on my complexion, but I can imagine that the 3 shades won't look much different on people with deeper complexion.

Texture wise, it is consistent with the full size ones. They are like photoshop on the pan. They give an instant glow to the cheeks and blur out all imperfections. I really wish the powder did the same to my face, sadly the only thing the powders did was all the opposites. 

( edit : I recently read somewhere that the Ambient lighting blushes are all infused with the ambient lighting powder, hence the blurring effect and photo sop finish. This is very interesting to me, because I dislike the powder but love the blushes ).

I won't go much on to details of the blush as I already did here . But one thing for sure, I didn't regret the purchase and I am really really happy with it and can only recommend it to any other blush junkies out there ( well, even if you are not a blush junkie, trust me it won't hurt to have this palette sitting on our dressing table ).

Quoting Temptalia, this palette is worth $77 for 3 deluxe size blushes ( 0,11 oz compare to 0,15 oz for the full size ) and retails for $58 only. That means you save $19 and get 3 beautiful blush shades.

It has been a long time since the last time I am this excited about one particular make up item. For me, this palette is a strong candidate for my best buy of the year.

Have you tried the Ambient lighting blush from Hourglass? or the powder maybe?

Love,

Pam

Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation

As a foundation junkie, I am always itchy to try new foundations in the market. This particular foundation from Tom Ford has been receving a lot of good reviews since it is launched. But the hefty price tag ( €74,99 / 30ml ) scared me away until I made a big mistake allowing the Tom Ford BA applying the foundation on my face. Let me tell you, it was love at the first application. The BA colormatched me to the shade ; Linen which according to her is the most suitable shade for asian complexion. And she was right because the shade is the perfect match for my complexion. 

Linen has a slight yellow undertone which is great to counter some redness that I have. The yellow undertone is also very subtle so it doesn't end up orange on my skin.

The foundation felt very very nice when she applied it on my face and I just fell in love with the finish that I gave up and purchased it right away.

Fresh applied

After 9 Hours

The foundation comes in a frosted plastic bottle with a pump that twists up . I am not sure about how I feel towards the plastic bottle, I mean plastic bottle for €74 ??? But it is not a cheap kind of plastic. It has a good weight to it and you can really tell that it is well made. The twist up mechanism is also a nice design. Still, for the price tag, I think they should at least give us a glass bottle. 

The foundation has thick creamy gel texture which feels very lightweight. I don't know how TF managed to create such an interesting texture. It is thick, not liquidy at all , but you just know by touching it that it is very lightweight and airy. Upon contact with the skin, it blends seamlessly. No matter how you apply it - with brush, beauty blender, beauty sponge or fingers - it blends just effortlessly. My favorite method though, is using my most loved Real Technique buffing brush. The foundation provides a build able medium coverage, it blurs out imperfections, doesn't set into dry patches and covers up my blemishes and redness around the cheeks. All those advantages come with a very radiant natural skin like finish. I wouldn't say that the finish is dewy, because it is more like a semi matte but with natural radiant and glow. The name "Traceless Perfecting Foundation" is on point as it does what the name advised.

One other plus point is the staying power. It is a good long wearing foundation. I did need to touch up after ca. 6 hours but by the end of the day, the foundation was still intact. My T-zone got oilier, but other than that, it was still good. I also like that it doesn't transfer, which is impressive because I blow my nose a lot and this foundation doesn't even transfer to the tissue. 

The SPF 15 is rather unnecessary in my opinion, but I don't experience any white cash with this foundation. 

The foundation is lightly scented, nothing overwhelming.

Is it worth the splurge? Well, this foundation is no doubt a very good one. Even maybe the best I have ever tried and the most suitable for my needs at the moment. So yes, I don't regret the purchase at all. I might even repurchase it once I use it up. But , if you have different skin needs and preferences, I am sure there are other high end brands that will do the job just as good for cheaper price. I might just haven't found one yet. I'd recommend you to go to TF counter and try it on the spot. Ask for a sample if it's possible, and give it a good few days trial. 

If you are finished reading my rave review on it, I think I will not surprise you by saying that this is now my favorite foundation I have ever encountered xD. 

Love,

Pam

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot

I have heard a lot of positive reviews on the MAC pro longwear paint pots and having oily lids, I am always on the search for a good eye shadow base. I have tried the famous Urban Decay primer potion, Too Faced shadow insurance and the Lorac eye shadow base. I am not a fan of the UDPP and TFSI but I like the Lorac one. On those days where I need to be hurry , cream eye shadows are my staples. Most cream eye shadows that I own are shimmery though and sometimes when I only go to Uni, I prefer matte eye shadows for more muted look. My favorite so far is the one from Givenchy , but it could be too pink sometimes so I decided to get the famous Painterly from MAC for a flesh coloured cream eye shadow, I ended up with Quite Natural as well. 

MAC Paint pots have creamy - waxy texture. They glide on smoothly and don't tug my lids. Painterly is a good base for any color of eye shadows as it is flesh toned. Quite Natural is a dirty muddy brown. I initially wanted to go with Constructive because I wanted warm milky brown shade, but the MAC MUA advised me to get Quite Natural instead which I later regret as it appears too grayish on my lids. I might go to MAC counter again and pick up Constructive later :P

I have read some people complaining about them being creased, I have to disagree because they don't crease on my lids. They set pretty quick though, so you really need to blend it right away. But I think , that way they also work well as base because they set quick and don't interrupt the powder applied over them. 

Painterly is good pigmented but since it is flesh toned, you can't really tell once it's applied, so I guess it is really meant to work as base. But Quite Natural is bold and really great pigmented. A little goes a long way , but I find it a bit harder to work with. It sometimes appear chalky when it is not properly blended. The problem is, when I am reaching for my cream eye shadow, I am usually in a hurry so it annoys me that Quite Natural is not the easiest to work with. 

Apart of my not so pleasant experience with Quite Natural, I am so far happy with Painterly and have nothing to complain about the texture and quality of the paint pots. I guess my problem with Quite Natural is more because I picked up the wrong shade. 

Have you ever tried MAC paint pots?

Love,

Pam

Louise Young Foundation Brush LY34

Unless you live under the see, you must at least ever heard of Anna from Viviannadoesmakeup, right? She is a beauty blogger and she makes the most enjoyable beauty videos on youtube as well. And to add it up, she is also a very dangerous enabler, like I literally always want to try everything she raved about. And this foundation brush from Louise Young was no exception.

Actually, I am very happy with my Real Techniques buffing brush for my foundation application. I have had it for more than 3 years and yet it is still working very well. But my curiosity is bigger so when I saw Anna repeatedly use this foundation brush on her videos, and after reading mostly positive reviews on the internet, I decided to order this brush. 

My first impression was : wow it is big! The brush is ca. 18,5cm long measured from the top of bristles to the end of the handle. The bristles are synthetic which I prefer for applying liquid foundation as real hair tends to soak too much product, imo. The bristles are tapered-dome shaped and so soft, plush and also dense. They don't scratch my skin and feel very nice. But, as someone who is used to use buffing brush, I was a bit skeptical about this dome shaped brush as I worried it would make the foundation appear streaky. Well, I was not completely wrong. 

The brush works very well in a sweeping motion. I find it applies foundation evenly and doesn't soak up a lot of product. But, when it's not correctly used, it could make foundation apply streaky. I also don't really agree that people say this brush can apply foundation in 1 minute. I mean, how? Because I find that buffing brush works faster than this one and I need more time to evenly apply my foundation using this brush if I want it to apply flawless and not streaky. 

Don't get me wrong, I do think this brush is a good quality one. I don't really know what is my problem with this brush in general as it does its job very well. I guess it might be the large size? or the dome shape? or maybe it is me who is very used to apply foundation with buffing brush with buffing method rather than sweeping method? Or maybe it is just me having different preference when it comes to brushes. 

On the other note, I find this brush is great if you want to sheer down your foundation. Let's say you're working with a full coverage foundation but you don't want to appear mask-like, this is the brush to go! And I have been using it more often to apply my setting powder. 

This brush retails for GBP24 which I think is very reasonable for what you get. The brush is no doubt well made and it performs well ( if you don't mind applying foundation in sweeping method rather than buffing method ) . It washes well too. 

What is your current favorite brush?

Love

Pam

Tarte Blush Palette

It is not even December yet but all the beauty brands have been bombarding us with the irresistible holiday sets.  So I made a cheeky Sephora order recently with some holiday sets I found the most irresistible ( the other less irresistible can wait till the holiday season is over and get discounted xD ), this Tarte blush palette was one of them.

I think this blush palette together with the one from Hourglass received the most attention from the beauty junkies out there. No wonder, since this blush palette from Tarte contains 5 different shades ranging from matte to shimmery to satin finish. The color selection is also really good IMO. We get Breathless - a matte muted apricot shade , Embrace - a very shimmery cool toned pink with silver glitters, Whimsy - a barbie pink with satin finish, Bashful - a bright coral with slightly satin finish and Irreplaceable - a matte medium rosy pink. 

Breathless is my favorite shade from the palette, first because I don't own similar shade on my stash and I just love how natural it looks. The matte finish also goes with anything and great for low key days. Bashful is then my second favorite, it is such a flattering color against my complexion, judging from how many coral blushes I own, I think coral is my absolute favorite shade for blushes :-).

On the other hand, Embrace is my least favorite. I think you must know why. I am just not a fan of shimmer and glitters on the cheeks, and the pigmentation is not the greatest as well. Embrace applies a bit patchy and doesn't blend really well. 

The other shades with the exception of Embrace has soft and smooth texture, though I must say that all of them are a bit dry which results in not so impressive in terms of blending. I find them all a bit difficult to blend, I need to be careful not to overdo ( esp for bolder shades like Whimsy or Irreplaceable ) and also need to spend more time to blend them. 

Packaging wise, I think Tarte really nailed it. I might not a big fan of the cheapy looking gold case, and I still don't get the purpose of the 2 hair clips there, but the case is weighty, well made and the big built in mirror is functional. And it will make a great gift, of course.

PS : I know they all look similar on the pictures, but I just always find it hard to capture the real color of blushes. 

Overall, I think this palette is a great alternative if you want to try some Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes. The blushes have good quality especially for those of you who prefer dryer texture. The color selection is nice, and the packaging is a winner :-)

Which shade out of 5 is your favorite?

Love,

Pam

The Retoucher

My encounters with Charlotte Tilbury make up have been pleasant and positive, and this concealer stick is not an exception. 

I initially wanted to try the YSL Touche Eclat but as it is more a highlighter / brightener as concealer, I was not sure about it. When I read about this similar product from CT, I thought maybe it would fulfill my needs better.

The retoucher comes in a almost identical packaging like the YSL Touche eclat, only the Retoucher is shorter and a bit bulkier. The stick comes with an integrated brush and all we need to do is to give it few clicks and the product will come out through the brush, exactly the same mechanism with the YSL. I personally like the design of the packaging, it is well made, sturdy and looks expensive. The integrated brush might not be the most hygiene thing, but it is convenient for on the go touch up. I always wipe the brush with make up wipes after I apply the product.

I picked up the shade number 2, which is actually matches my complexion very well, not lighter as I usually like my concealer to be. The reason why is because I didn't intend this to be used as under eye brightener. I would like to use it as real concealer and for on the go touch up kit, that's why I prefer to take the same shade, not lighter. I also like that the shade has a slightly beige-yellowy undertone so it counters redness around my nose and cheeks pretty well.

The retoucher has creamy and rich texture. It is a bit thick but it is very emollient and blends effortlessly. It doesn't look cakey despite of its great coverage. The retoucher feels very hydrating and moisturized, so it provides a very radiant-dewy finish which is I must say, very flattering especially for the under eye area. It instantly brightens up the whole face. The coverage is great and it covers up and brightens up my under eye area as well as other spots on my face I'd like to cover.

The packaging is very convenient for traveling so I always have this on my on the go make up pouch as it can also perform as touch up concealer.

The retoucher retails for €30 / 3,5ml.

What is your current favorite concealer / under eye brightener?
Love,
Pam