Air France Premium Economy - a bit of flight review

PS: Hope you don't mind today's post being a bit different than my usual beauty related post xD


As much as I love airports and the adrenaline I get every time I get to fly, I really hate to sit in a long haul flight in economy class. Sadly as a student, my budget has never allowed me to book a seat in any business class, so every time I flew home from my current residence now at Berlin Germany to Jakarta Indonesia, I had to sit in economy class with 2 strangers beside me , packed in a narrow and uncomfortable seats.

But everything has changed once I found out that Air France offers Premium Economy class with more affordable price compare to the business one but with almost as good benefits. Why I decided to write a review about it is because when I was browsing about the PE class, there were not enough reviews available on the internet. Most reviews I could find were either very outdated or for short haul flight. So I guess this review might help some people who are still in doubt whether it is worth the extra money to upgrade to premium economy.

Let's start with the benefits you get :

• 2 x 23kg baggage which is a big selling point for me , compare to regular 1 x 23kg baggage for economy class.
• Priority check in, boarding and baggage together with the Sky priority and business class passengers , means that you don' have to stand in long queue most of the time.
• More comfort seats and more leg room ( I'll talk more about it later ).
• You get different meals , something in between economy and business. 

The check in process went smoothly and fast as I was able to use the business / sky priority check in desk. That was already a good start , followed by fast boarding ( I was also able to sit in the priority seats while waiting for boarding )  means I was able to enter the plane when it was still relatively empty which also made a big different ( the overhead compartment was still empty so I was able to put my cabin luggage with no fuss ).  The PE class is located between business and economy ( the cabin crew closed the curtains during the flight , so the PE part was separated with business and ecnomy ) and it was quiet a small section with 2-4-2 seat arrangement and total 36 or 38 seats in one class that makes the cabin less packed and more calm.

The seat itself looks more like business class ( even better than some business class in short haul flights ). It is of course not as comfortable as fully reclined and comfy business seats but it is in my opinion way better than the economy seats. 

One thing I've read that people complain the most about, is the fact that the seats do not reclined and instead, they slide. But as I am only 1,58m short, I don't really mind as it is still more comfortable than the economy class. The fixed shell seats are a plus point if you have ever encountered ignorant neighbor in front of you who recline their economy seat to maximum and do not even think that people who sit behind them might need to eat or watch the in flight entertainment. With my 1,58m height, I also got more than enough leg room. The seat is not that comfortable that I was able to sleep much during the flight, but once again it was still way better than the economy. The arm rest was also pretty roomy so I didn't have to experience any awkward elbow touch with my next to neighbor.  The seat also comes with noise cancelling head phone which is amazing! 

Speaking about the food, they were quiet tasty and once we had braised scallop which was one of the best cooked scallop I've ever eaten. After the meal, we were given a plastic coronette filled with sweets ( chocolate, caramel fudge, and candies ) . They also gave us a amenities pouch filled with socks, ohrpax, tootbrush and toothpaste. The pouch is quite nice though.

One example of the meal I had during my flight from Berlin to Paris

Overall, I was very pleased with my experience with Air France Premium Economy, and as I have flown with Air France sister company KLM before, my miles added up and I'll be able to upgrade from PE to business class on my next trip home yuhuuu. 

If you have problem flying alone in a long haul flight or have bad sick motion like I do, PE is a very good and cheaper alternative to the business class as you get way more comfort and trust me, in a 17 hour flight, a little more comfort is what we all need.

You can find another reviews here and here.

Oh btw I was flying this route : Berlin-Paris-Jakarta ( with one technical stop at Singapore ).

Love,

Pam

Make Up Forever HD Foundation

Make Up For Ever belongs to a brand I've always wanted to try but had never caved in. Mainly because the limited access I have to the brand as it is not presence in Berlin ( except online ) . But on my recent trip to Jakarta, I stumbled upon the brand at Sephora ( yes, we now have Sephora in Jakarta juhuuu ) and the opportunity to be able to directly swatch the products and feel the texture, consistency etc was just so fun that I ended up purchasing the famous MUFE HD Foundation.

First of all, I was very happy to see the extensive shades they offer. After some swatches the BA and I decided that N117 would be the perfect match for my complexion. N117 is yellow based hence it suits me nicely. 

The foundation is housed in a clear glass bottle and comes with a pump spender which I really appreciate ( hear that NARS Sheer Glow ! ) I personally like the design of the packaging, it captures the image of the brand very well , clean cut-simple and gives me the impression that the brand is marketed towards more professional make up artists ( the impression I also got from other brands like Kryolan, Ben Nye or the pro collection from MAC ) .

So speaking about the foundation itself, it has lightweight texture and quite runny consistency. It applies evenly and smoothly. The coverage is sheer medium to solid medium and build able but only to certain opacity. I find that more than 2 layers will make it looking heavy and cakey. It evens out the skin tone and manages to cover some redness but not enough to cover blemishes or dark under eye area. A lot of people claim it to work best for dry skin but for my combination skin it works just fine. The finish is semi matte upon application but it doesn't stay so for long. I need to blot esp my T-zone area after ca. 3 hours and touch up every 2-3 hours afterwards which I am not particularly fond of. People say that this foundation photographs well hence it is a favorite for photoshoots.  If you see the close up pict below, I won't say it photographs bad but I am not going to say that my skin looks flawless either. I have another foundation I'd wear for picture but this is not the one.

MUFE HD Foundation has a good staying power though. It stays on for 7-8 hours and starts to fade gradually on certain areas like the tip of my nose or my T zone. It doesn't have any strong scent, so it's good for people with sensitive nose.

If you zoom in the picture, I think it is clear to see that it doesn't provide a very natural finish. The foundation is quiet visible and in a way a tad 'mask-like'.
I am overall not very impressed, not because of the lack of quality, but more to my personal preference.

Have you tried the MUFE HD Foundation?
Love,
Pam

LORAC Pro Palette

If there is one eye shadow palette I'd been lusting over for so long , it was the Lorac Pro Palette. I once ordered it from Amazonglobal but my order got lost on the way, they refunded my money though, but I couldn't be bothered to re order it. Finally my sister managed to get it for me, ordering from a local online shop in Indonesia. 

Unfortunately, I must say, I am a bit underwhelmed by it :/

I think, the main reason why I feel a bit underwhelmed by it, is because I expected too much. So many people raved about this palette and based on online swatches, I must say the shades all look so pretty and wearable and indeed they are ( esp the coppery red shade ; Garnet. Major love ) . But once I got to play with it, I just find the formula a bit difficult to work with. The shadows are a tad too powdery and ( too pigmented? ) that I get the feeling I need to be extremely careful with them. I am not a fan of the packaging either. The matte black palette tends to get dirty easily because of the dust from the shadows. The shadow squares are also too small for my preference , so it is difficult to swipe my eye shadow brush on them without making the palette messy. The eye shadows are very intense and smooth - they are bordering creamy. They blend smoothly though, and I am not saying they are bad, I just think I expected too much. Oh, and they are so fragile. I have dropped my UD Naked palette and itcosmetics Naturally Pretty palette few times and they are fine, but I can imagine even the slightest shake will break this one.   

I've been playing around with this palette for the past 2 weeks and I use it almost every day. I kind of like it because the shades are all neutral and easy to wear but I don't know.. I am just not really impressed. I like it but I don't love it and I can't really pinpoint what's wrong with this palette. I don't get the wow effect I got from the itcosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette. 

Overall, despite of my indecisive opinion, I still use this palette on daily basis and I still think it is one palette you should consider getting if you haven't had any neutral toned eye shadow palette. But is it a must have? I don't think so..

Love,

Pam

Innisfree The Green Tea Seed Eye Cream

Eye cream is one part of my skin care regime that I most often neglect. But I suffered from dry patches on my under eye area recently, so I knew I needed extra care for it.

Upon visiting duty free at Changi Airport ( one of my fave duty free ever after Dubai ), I spotted a lot of korean skin care and make up with fairly affordable prices. Innisfree is a brand I've been wanting to try for quite a long time so I picked up this particular eye cream after quickly reading the description at the packaging.

If there is a country best known for its skin care, may it be South Korea. Look at those Kpop beautiful dewy skin!
So let's talk about the packaging first. The cream comes inside a solid plastic pot. I don't mind the plastic material instead of typical glass pot because the plastic is a solid one and not filmsy at all. The pot is quite deep though which surprises me because usually eye creams come in 10-15 ml tiny tube. The overall packaging design represents the brand Innisfree very well. I got the impression that Innisfree is a 'green' and nature brand.
The eye cream has rich creamy consistency and applies very nicely. It sinks directly into the skin and leaves the skin hydrated and moisturized. It stings a little little bit upon application but it doesn't bother me at all. I also notice that the area under my eyes feel 'tighter' afterwards. I've been using this eye cream this past 3 weeks and I must say I am very happy with it so far.
It preps my under eye area and makes concealer applies smoothly and prevents it from creasing.

According to the description on the packaging, the cream is supposed to deliver moisture and nourishment to your eye area so I must say it does the job very well.

What is your current fave eye cream?
Love,
Pam

Kate Kanebo Liquid Rouge

I have to admit that I bought these lippies just because there was a buy 1 get 1 promo at the local drugstore during my trip to Asia. My encounters with Kate Kanebo have been great so far, that's why I didn't hesitate to buy these two even though there weren't any testers available. Unfortunately this time it is a different story..

OR-1

RD-1

So let me start with how sheer they are. They barely have any pigmentation despite of the okay look on the hand swatch, they barely give any color once applied on the lips. Since all the description on the packaging is written in Japanese, I can't really find out whether these lip glosses ( or liquid rouge as its name advised ) are meant to be sheer. A little research on the internet led me to Kate Kanebo website which describes the liquid rouge to be good in coloration and fade resistance. It is supposed to create full and contoured lips. Do I agree? Sadly not.

I picked up the shade OR-1 and RD-1. OR-1 is a actually pretty peachy orange and RD-1 is a watermelon red with very very subtle gold shimmers. They both swatch pretty on my hands but barely give any color to my lips. Maybe it is because of my lips natural pigment? But I have to say that my bare lips are not extra ordinarily pigmented , they are just normal , so they shouldn't be an issue why these lip glosses don't work. They also don't apply smoothly and rather patchy so I have problem making them looking even on the lips. 

The formula though is quite pleasant. It is a bit sticky but feels lightweight , definitely feels and seems like a lip gloss, nothing screams liquid rouge to me. 

On the other note, the packaging is quite nice. It sticks to the brand image of Kate Kanebo and matches other design from the brand's other products. Only the rubber silicon-y applicator is not functioning well and maybe it is one factor why it is difficult to apply.

Have you tried anything from Kate Kanebo? Or any recent let down you've tried or purchased?

Love,

Pam

Illamasqua Powder Blusher Duo

I bought this brand new blusher / bronzer duo from Illamasqua from a blog sale for amazing €5 woohoo!

The duo contains 1 matte blush and 1 bronzer. The packaging is sturdy but rather bulky. The compact is really big and thick which is unnecessary imo. My first impression with the duo was : wow it is darn pigmented!! The swatches above were both only 1 swipe, no layer. So you get the picture on how pigmented they are. 

The powder itself is finely milled, smooth and velvety to touch. They are not powdery despite of the high pigmentation. It takes a bit effort to blend both shades as they are very bold. I prefer to use powder brush with sparse bristles to sheer it down.

The duo contains 2 shades, 1 matte medium rose shade and 1 coppery bronzy shade. I personally can't imagine wearing the bronzy shade as bronzer as it will definitely turn me into Oompa Loompa but it works as nice reddish toned eye shadow though if you fancy wearing reddish eye shadow. 

Overall, I think this duo will be great for people with deeper complexion or as stage make up due to its very bold pigmentation. The staying power is impressive but I don't reach for it often because the risk of overblush is too high xDD

Have you tried anything from Illamasqua?

Love,

Pam

Rouge D'Enfer

Intro : Hi guys, I'm back from holiday! Sorry for the lack of posts during my time at home, but I've piled up some posts so I will post regularly from now on ^^

I received this lipstick from a friend of mine as Christmas gift, I love getting make up as presents even though my friends always say to me they're afraid to give me make up as gift since they don't know what I already have in my collection xD. 

But anyway, I don't mind having doubles, you can never have enough back ups, am I right? xD

My encounters with Guerlain have been great so far, so I had high expectation for this lipstick. And let me tell you it didn't let me down.

The lipstick is housed in such a hi tech packaging ( well, at least for my not so tech savvy mind ). The bullet doesn't have cap and instead you get a slider - pull down - push out packaging ( Oh please mind my poor explanation xD ) which is a good news if you belong to a group of women who constantly lose the lipsticks' caps inside the hand bag and end up having lipstick marks all over your precious hand bag 's lining ( story of my life ). 

Okay, enough talking about the packaging, let's talk about the product. The lipstick has creamy - moist and smooth consistency which is my fave kind of consistency when it comes to lip product. The pigmentation is pretty bold for a lipstick with moist texture but maybe it is because of the red shade. I can imagine the lighter shades being more sheer. It is moisturizing yet long lasting which is a plus point. It is very comfortable on the lips, just the perfect texture. It also doesn't bleed or feather and I don't think a lip liner is a must. It applies smoothly and doesn't tug my lips. The formula reminds me of a little bit of the Tom Ford lipsticks, only this one from Guerlain feels more moist and emollient in texture. The staying power is above average esp for the formula, I got 5 hour wear with minor drinking. 

I was given the shade #121 Rouge D'Enfer which is a bright blue toned raspberry red. I know I have too many red lippies but this one is different I swear :P

The lipstick has subtle vanilla and floral scent , I really like the scent that I secretly wish Guerlain had the scent bottled as perfume.

Overall, good job Guerlain!

Have you tried any lippies from Guerlain?

Love,

Pam

Estee Lauder Perfectionist Youth Infusing Makeup

Remember I once mentioned that there are only 6 shades of the new Estee Lauder Perfectionist Youth Infusing Make Up available for the German market compare to 22 shades available in the UK and US?? The lightest shade available : 3c2 - Fresco was on a glimpse a tad too dark for my complexion. But as I was very eager to try this particular foundation after a series of positive reviews, so I went to Estee Lauder counter and asked the BA to apply the lightest shade on my face. Guess what? It turned out well. *yay*

Compare to other foundations I own, Fresco does look a bit darker, but trust me it turns out okay on my complexion. Fresco is very beige and natural toned, so it is lacking in yellowness which I usually prefer to counter my redness. So I usually set the foundation with yellow toned setting powder to balance the color. 

After - Before

Estee Lauder claims the foundation as breakthrough make up infused with anti aging serum technology ( Well YSL says hello! :p ) and it is supposed to brighten up the complexion, reduces the look of lines, creates radiant finish and suitable for all skin types.  Does it fulfill the claims? Let me break it down to you. 

The foundation has thin creamy consistency, a bit watery but not runny. The texture is smooth and applies beautifully. It has slightly powdery touch to it. It provides nice sheer medium to solid medium coverage without being cakey or too much. The finish is semi matte and a tad powdery. It also slightly blurs out the imperfections and minimizes the appearance of large pores ( you may zoom my cheek areas and see how small my huge pores look like :D ). But unfortunately after 3-4 hours, it tends to settle into my dry patches and mostly around my nose area and accentuates my facial hair which is a total let down for my combination skin because I can't put on too much moisturizer beforehand otherwise I'll look too greasy. It is such a shame because I really like the finish right upon application, and it photographs really well. Too bad that the flawless finish only stays for 3-4 hours before it starts to mess up. That being sad, I do think it will work better for people with no dry patches or facial hair ( read : people with flawless and problem less skin ).

In a nutshell, this foundation reminds me very much of the ByTerry Teint Delectation from the texture, coverage, shade and even the shea butter-nutty scent is very similar. Fortunately, this one from Estee Lauder doesn't turn my face into oily mess in few hours like the ByTerry does. But , on the other hand, the tendency to settle into dry patches and accentuate facial hair is not a good feature.

Overall, I still continue using this foundation only when my skin is behaving well and my dry patches are not very noticeable because it is just too pity not to be used. But, to be honest, I don't really get why this particular foundation gets so much love because in my opinion it is just plain ordinary.

What is your current favorite foundation ?
Love,
Pam