Banila.Co Clean It Zero

I am a huge fan of cleansing balm and use it every single day for my PM skincare routine as a first step cleanser ( I do double cleanse because #doublecleanseforlife , lol ). I've tried several cleansing balms and was really curious to try the one from Banila.Co due to its positive reviews online. I put an order and the cleansing balm came in the mail ca.2 weeks ago. I have been trying every single day and now ready to give you my opinion on it.

Banilla.co Clean It Zero cleansing balm comes in a nice jar packaging. The jar is made out of plastic, but has a good weight to it and very well made. I personally like the packaging even though it's rather bulky and might not be the best option for traveling due to its size.

The cleansing balm is milky in color. It has a lightweight and a bit slippery balm texture ( similar to TBS Camellia cleansing balm rather to Emma Hardie cleansing balm ), upon contact with skin, the balm melts into oil form and removes make up thoroughly. It doesn't require vigorous rubbing at all, my make up just melts and can be easily wiped away. A little goes a long way too. I usually scoop around 2 peas size amount of product for my whole face, wipe it in circular motion then wipe it with muslin cloth soaked in lukewarm water. After that, I proceed to my second cleanser ( I usually opt for cream cleanser afterwards ). Clean It Zero doesn't leave my skin feeling dry or stripped off after cleansing. It cleanses well, but it is gentle enough for daily use.

Clean It Zero has a very subtle powdery scent which I really really like. I know some people who are sensitive to perfume in cosmetics might not like it, but I have enough with unscented cleanser which smells soooo bad ( Eve Lom, I am thinking of you ) and since cleanser is meant to be cleansed or rinsed off anyway, I don't have any problem with it being scented. It is very subtle anyway.

For those of you who live outside Asia, this might not be easy to get. But there are a lot of trusted sellers on eBay which sell this particular product and offer free worldwide shipping. I personally ordered mine from cosmetic-love.com and my order took around 2 weeks to arrive from South Korea to Germany.

Overall, I can only recommend you to give it a try. It is reasonably priced too. 

Do you use cleansing balm to remove make up? What is your current cleansing routine?

Love,

Pam

Burberry Highlighter

I've been a a fan of Burberry make up range and constantly checking their website to see what's new xD. When I saw the new highlighters from the spring/summer runway 2016 collection I just couldn't say no. The details are so beautiful, and since I have always had good experiences with Burberry make up line, I decided to put an order online despite of lack of swatches I could find at that time.

I decided to get shade 1 which is a frosty white shade. The other shade available is warm gold, and since I didn't have any white highlighters, I opted for the white one.

Burberry spring / summer runway highlighter in shade 01 white is a frosted white highlighter with cool undertone. Comparing it with other highlighters on my stash, it is the closest to Tom Ford Moonlight ( Daylight ) highlighter, but while Daylight has a slight golden sheen and warmer undertone , Burberry White is a full on white with frosted sheen.  The texture is a tad dry but smooth and a little bit bouncy. Texture wise, it reminds me a bit of MAC Soft & Gentle. It is not as creamy as BECCA pressed Opal but not as dry as Soft & Gentle. It applies well and blends seamlessly. It doesn't apply patchy and looks natural on the cheeks. I also like the fact that it doesn't emphasise pores.

Housed in a beautiful Burberry gun metal magnetic case, it also comes with a mini brush and velvety pouch. The case has a built in mirror

It lasted a good 7-8 hour on my cheeks. It is overall a very decent and well executed highlighter, everything from design, packaging, texture, and performance are on point and ticked all the boxes. You might not need it if you already have similar shades on your collection. For me, it's more a collectible item xD.

Burberry Spring Summer 2016 Runway Highlighter retails for €53 and available in 2 shades.

Love,
Pam

Laura Mercier Candleglow Foundation

I get excited every time I see a new foundation release. I just love foundation and find it the most interesting make up item to try.
Just recently, I accompanied a friend of mine looking for the perfect foundation for her dry skin, so we visited some beauty counters and spent a lot of time at Laura Mercier. Predictably, I didn't go home empty handed xD.

Laura Mercier Candleglow Foundation is a new foundation by Laura Mercier. I personally have never owned any foundation from the brand ( I've only tried their tinted moisturiser. Liked it but not head over heels ). The Candleglow foundation is marketed to be a medium coverage foundation with lightweight and hydrating formula. First of all, I must say that those claims are not 100% true IMO. 

Coverage wise, Laura Mercier Candleglow foundation is rather sheer than medium. One layer of this foundation barely covers anything. I applied 2 and half layers of it on the picture above, and still you can see that it doesn't really cover the redness on my cheeks ( I had concealer too on the picture ). So, if you have a lot of blemishes or skin problems, you might find this one lacking in coverage department. I won't pinpoint the sheer coverage if Laura Mercier doesn't advertise it to be medium coverage though. There is nothing wrong with a sheer foundation as it can look very good and natural on people with less problematic skin, but don't claim it to be medium because it's misleading. 

The foundation barely covers any imperfections, but it does even out the complexion and provides a very natural finish. Think about tinted moisturiser with sheer coverage, it's what you can achieve with one layer of this foundation. Due to its dewy finish, I have to always set it with setting powder and periodically blot my Tzone area because it gets oily very quick.

Texture wise, the foundation has a lightweight liquid texture. It applies nicely and easy to blend. I find it best to apply it using damp-but not too wet beauty blender as foundation brushes can make it appear streaky. 

Overall, I don't think this foundation is a bad one. It is just not suitable for my preference and skin type. I can imagine it works beautifully for people with dry to normal skin and less problematic skin. The foundation is housed in a beautiful frosted glass bottle with a pump dispenser which is great. It retails for €48,99 / 30ml and yet it's not a bad foundation, I do think you can achieve similar - if not better effect with cheaper alternatives out there.

Have you tried any Laura Mercier base products?

Love,

Pam

H&M Beauty Cream Eyeshadow

I hope you're not bored yet reading another H&M beauty line post from me xD. I went to the shop and bought 2 cream eye shadows from the range. They don't have as many color selection as the powder eye shadows, but you get almost all the basic shades covered. After some heavy swatching, I went home with 2 shades ; Gentlewoman and Dauphine Truffle.

H&M Beauty Cream Eyeshadow comes in a glass pot packaging, the packaging is simple yet well made and has a good weight to it. There is nothing spectacular about the jar / pot, but it's functional.

Dauphine Truffle is a medium chocolate shade with very fine golden shimmers and Gentlewoman is a  deep purplish plum with fine golden shimmers. The shimmers in Dauphine Truffle are not really visible once applied unlike the shimmers in Gentlewoman. Both shades are great to perform solo on the lids without looking dull or flat. Dauphine Truffle will work really well as base too due to its lack of shimmers while Gentlewoman won't be best option for a base.

H&M Beauty Cream Eyeshadow has a very nice creamy texture. They're smooth and easy to apply. Pigmentation is great and it blends seamlessly. I usually like to apply the eye shadow with my fingers and blend the edges using blending brush. They set pretty quick though, so it's better to blend it directly after application and do one eye at a time.

For €5,99, the H&M Beauty Cream Eyeshadows are great finds. They stay on really well , don't crease nor smudge even without eye primer. I hope H&M will expand the color selection and add more shades in the near future.

Have you tried anything from H&M beauty range? and what is your all time fave cream eye shadows?

Love,
Pam

Essence Matt XXL Longlasting Lip Gloss

I did a little Essence haul recently. It's been awhile since the last time I really paid attention to their display at our local drugstore. Surprisingly they came up with a lot of interesting new products, these matte lip glosses are not new though. I remember I used to like their formula in the past. So I decided to give them another try, and bought 4 shades , most of them are nudes because I wanted to give the nude matte lipstick/lipcreams a try without breaking the budget.

PS : I accidentally deleted my picture wearing Velvet Rose, it is very similar to Coral Mousse though.

Essence Matt XXL Longlasting lip gloss comes in a simple lip gloss tube packaging with a doe foot applicator. For €2,25 each, I can't complain much about the packaging. It's simple and functional. However, the doe foot applicator is a bit woobly. 

I picked up 4 colors ; Soft Nude, Velvet Rose, Coral Mousse and Silky Red. I didn't expect to like the 3 nude shades because I kinda knew they would be too pale for my complexion, but I ended up liking Soft Nude better than expected. 

Soft Nude is a peachy nude shade which surprisingly doesn't look too pale on my complexion. It doesn't make my teeth appear yellow and doesn't make my complexion looking ashy. It resembles one of my favourite nude lipstick ; Rouge Bunny Rouge in Whim of Mine a lot. Velvet Rose and Coral Mousse on the other hand, are exactly what I imagined them to be. They're both too pale , too yellow or too blue toned, and make my teeth appear yellow. Silky Red, is a safe bet though. It's a bright chilli red and also a winner out of the bunch. 

Texture wise, Essence Matt XXL lip gloss has a powdery texture. It's creamy and powdery at the same time. Soft Nude and Silky Red apply smoothly and evenly while Velvet Rose and Coral Mousse are on the patchier side. The quality is rather inconsistent and depends on the shades. Velvet Rose and Coral Mousse are patchy and set into lip lines while Silky Red and Soft Nude are smooth and don't accentuate the lip lines. All shades are kind of slippery though, and they don't completely set. So, I usually blot with tissue paper then reapply then blot again, otherwise they will move around due to their slippery texture. The finish is powdery matte, not super super dry matte like most liquid lipsticks on the market though. They all feel comfortable on the lips and don't dry up my lips badly. However, Silky Red tends to bleed and feather without lip liner and since I am not an avid fan of lip liners, it is kind of bothersome. I don't experience it with the lighter shades though.

Due to their creamy texture, they don't stay really long on the lips. I can get 3-4 hour wear with the lighter shades and ca.4-5 hour wear with the red one. 

What is your favourite matte liquid lipstick?

Love,

Pam

L'oreal Perfect Match Foundation

It's been awhile since the last time I tried drugstore foundation, but our local drugstore was having 30% off all base make up products so I ventured the makeup displays and came home with the newly formulated L'oreal Perfect Match Foundation.

If I'm not mistaken, the L'oreal Perfect Match foundation is a reformulated version of the famous Le Teint Perfect Match ( in Europe ) or True Match ( in US ). I had not tried any of the previous version but have read a lot of good things about them.

L'oreal True Match foundation comes in a nice glass packaging with a pump spender. For a drugstore foundation, the packaging is not bad. It doesn't have any luxurious touch to it, but still a functional packaging and I appreciate the pump spender very much. The shade vanilla is a nice match for my complexion. It has beige-neutral undertone, not too yellow but not too peachy. It was not easy to find a good match for my skin because most of the lighter shades are too pink. Gladly, Vanilla is a good match.

Speaking of the texture, it has a liquid runny texture. It is lightweight and thin, but creamy at the same time. It applies nicely and the kind of foundation that will work well with fingers, sponge or brushes. This foundation is easy to work with and blends easily. I personally like to apply it using damp beauty blender as it gives the most natural finish. Coverage wise, L'oreal True Match offers a solid medium to full coverage without being heavy. It evens out my complexion and covers redness or blemishes well. I can go with no concealer because the coverage is decent enough. It provides a demi matte finish, depends on the application tool, you can achieve a matte finish using brush, or demi matte-satin finish using damp make up sponge. I usually don't set this foundation with powder due to its demi matte finish, and  The finish is natural looking and not dull. It makes my skin looking flawless but not mask like. I am surprised by how much I like this foundation. It's been awhile since the last time I fell in love with drugstore foundation.

Another good point is the staying power. This foundation is long wearing , even without primer. I can easily go to 8 hour mark with it.

Overall, a really good foundation from the drugstore and I can't recommend it enough.

What's your current favourite drugstore foundation?
Love,
Pam