Rock The Boat

On my last trip to drugstore, I picked up a new nail polish from Essie's latest collection. I had 10€ voucher for my local drugstore after I redeemed the points I got on my reward card, so I used the voucher to buy the Essie nail polish, as they retail for 7,99€ which is a bit on the higher price of drugstore.

 

I got the shade Rock The Blue, a periwinkle - baby blue shade with shimmer particles. The shimmers are very visible on the bottle but not really on the nails. They are very subtle and only visible under bright light.

Rock The Boat is sheer and it took me 3 coats to get the opacity like on the pictures above. The application was a bit gloopy, so make sure to let each layer dry completely before adding another layer.

I like Essie nail polishes but they are not very consistent with the quality. Some polishes are so difficult to apply and very gloopy while others are dream to apply. 

But however, Rock The Boat is beautiful, and unique shade that is not that easily dupable. 

I love the color but not really the formula.

Love,

Pam

Ice Bomb

I've been loving cream blush lately so when I saw this cream blush from the latest Essence limited edition , I picked it up blindly since there was not any tester on the display.

The cream blush comes in a very simple packaging. It is quite small as well which I like because it is travel friendly. I put it inside my everyday make up bag because it is small and easy to apply with fingers so no need to bring extra brush.

This blush has a very interesting texture. It is bouncy and a bit spongy. I believe it is the same concept with the famous Maybelline Bouncy blush in the US. 

'Ice Bomb' is a bright orange-y peachy shade. It has a bit of shimmer but it is not visible once applied. It has satin finish on the cheeks. The pigmentation is amazing so I don't recommend to apply it with brush as it usually tends to get too much. It is written in the packaging to apply it with finger and I agree that it is the best way of application.

The blush has a very unique formulation. It is creamy but at the same time powdery and it feels lightweight though when you swatch it, it does feel a bit sticky. Fortunately it doesn't feel sticky at all once applied.

I am overall happy that I decided to pick it up since it is now a staple on my make up bag that I carry everywhere I go. It gives a nice color , natural flushed and has good staying power. 

Love,

Pam

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

When it comes to concealer, I don't really have a lot of wishes. I am lucky not having to deal with heavy under eye areas so a lightweight concealer will do just fine for me. But sometimes there are some parts on my face that need more coverage such as acne scars, and rednesses on my cheeks so concealer is still part of my make up routine.

Maybelline FIT ME concealer and Benefit Fake Up have been my everyday staples recently but I read a lot of good reviews on this concealer from Bourjois and as I am a fan of face products from the brand, so I decided to try it out.

The concealer comes in a small squeeze tube packaging. It is a nice little tube but it is difficult to dispense the right amount because it always comes out too much, so I prefer doe foot applicator better than this one. But it is still a nice , practical packaging.

The texture of the concealer is a bit thick and creamy. It has yellow undertone but I heard that yellow undertone is good for highlighting the under eye area ( ever heard of the famous banana powder? ) so I don't mind the yellow undertone at all. It doesn't look yellow on the skin either. The pigmentation is amazing, a little goes a looooong way.

This concealer is perfect to cover imperfectness as it is well pigmented and it blends very well. I usually apply this foundation after primer and sunscreen, but before my foundation. It blends with the foundation easily without looking cakey or blotchy. It doesn't cling on dry patches as well.

It is now summer in Berlin so the weather is unbearably warm and I sweat a lot like a suckling pig, but this concealer stays on pretty well. I notice it does fade after 6 or 7 hours.

I am overall very pleased with this purchase. I think I am slowly becoming a Bourjois fan.

What is your favorite concealer?

Love,

Pam

OOTD - One Bright Summer

Hey guys!

It has been very warm the last 3 weeks here in Berlin which I hate with all my heart. I don't like summer even though a lot of people LOVE it. I prefer to freeze in winter rather than sweating in summer. 

But fortunately it gets cooler now and the weather forecast shows that it will not get as warm as the last weeks. 

I've been wearing a lot of dresses and skirts during the super hot temperature as they are flowy and cooler than pants. Here is one OOTD I  wore on a shopping day with my friends when it was 32'C :

 

Black satin shirt : Forever21+

Paisley printed skirt : H&M

Flats : Primark

Bag : Rebecca Minkoff

Necklace : Primark

How is the weather where you live? 

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Love,

Pam

Benefit Stay Flawless 15 Hour Primer

I am a fan of Benefit Porefessional. It is by far the only primer that works for my skin. After 6 months of constant use, my Porefessional is now coming to an end. I was going to repurchase it, but the SA showed me their new stick primer.

I have seen this newly launched stick primer a lot on youtube as many youtubers are raving about it. So out of curiosity I picked up this stick primer instead of repurchasing The Porefessional . ( The SA advised me to apply The Porefessional on the top of this primer for perfect base which I refused because of the price. Like, 65€ for primer? No no no )

Yes, it is my strategic marketing handout that I used as base to take picture. :p

Benefit never fails me with their cute, vintage, retro packaging. This swivel stick form is also less hassle to apply.

The SA told me that the primer can be applied directly to the skin or with brush to get more coverage. But I don't like applying it with brush because the consistency of the primer is more like a balm. It is not silicon party like Porefessional which feels matte and powdery. This one is more like applying balm all over your face. It feels kind of sticky at the beginning but it absorbs fast and after that my skin feels tighter and smoother.

Please mind my banana finger and yes it's Tanya Burr in the background. :D

For application, I apply my sunscreen first, then glide the stick all over my face and even it out with my fingertips. Then I apply my foundation. 

I did a test for this review which I applied the foundation on half of my face over the primer and the other half without . I didn't notice any difference on the application in terms of finish or foundation coverage like its claims but after few hours, it did show some difference. 

 After 5 Hours of application

After 5 hours , I noticed that the part without primer was slightly more oily and the foundation started to fade on some spots. The part with primer was less oily and held the foundation better. But overall, there was no huge difference .

After 8 Hours 

After 8 hours, the difference was more noticeable. The part without primer was more greasy and oily esp on the cheek area. The part with the primer was also more oily than after 5 hours but still less oily than the without part. My foundation started to fade on both side but there was more left on the primer side. 

I would say, the 15 hour claim is exaggerating but this primer does work to help make up stay longer. It also helps to control the excess oil on the face.

I don't think this primer is something groundbreaking and I still prefer The Porefessional to be honest. But the swivel stick form is really good and convenient. If Porefessional comes in swivel stick form as well I'll definitely be very happy. It is also more expensive as The Porefessional. This one retails for 34€/15.5gr and Porefessional retails for 32€/22ml.

Have you ever tried primer from Benefit?

PS : I just updated my BLOGSALE , and I can ship international, Please take a look :D

Love,

Pam