Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation

Shu Uemura Lightbulb foundation was long on my wish list. I have heard a lot of good things about this foundation but was not able to get my hands on it because Shu Uemura is not available in Germany. On my recent trip back home to Jakarta and Singapore, I managed to finally pick up this foundation at Changi Airport Duty Free for a very reasonable price ( SGD$ 59 ) !

There were not a lot of shades available at Shu Uemura display at Changi, but luckily after some swatches I found my shade ; Medium Light Amber. It has slightly pink and beige undertone but is a good match for my skin.
The foundation comes in a set together with the sponge. The sponge is sold separately if you want to buy it without the foundation. Shu Uemura claims the sponge to be 'not just another beauty sponge'. It has high quality dense material and it is supposed to provide a flawless application. I personally like the sponge but I don't see anything extra ordinary. It is just a sponge with a unique shape. It performs well but the Real Technique sponge also performs just as good. And the white color is really a bad idea for my inner OCD. It is almost an impossible task to make it appear completely white after use  ( only the brush cleanser from Daiso can clean it completely but I have to soak it in water and the soap for a night ) .  Interesting is, that I find the sponge doesn't work in harmony with the lightbulb foundation. I find the foundation applies cakey and patchy when it is applied with the sponge. I don't have any problem when using the sponge for other foundation though. Weird, isn't it?
Anyway, when it is applied with brush, the foundation performs very well.  It has decent coverage and gives a very distinct glow so it lives up to the claim. The glow however could be a little bit too much for my combination skin especially in summer. So I usually top it with setting powder but the powder doesn't overcome the glow, it just 'calms' it a little bit so I don't end up looking like a greasy ball.
The foundation has creamy liquid texture. It applies smoothly and evenly. It definitely brightens up my complexion so I have to apply quite a lot of product to my neck otherwise I'll end up having 2 tone neck and face,  lol. Despite of the decent medium-full coverage, this foundation is lightweight and will not feel too much on the skin.
The longevity is great. I need to blot and retouch with powder every 3-4 hours which is fine for me and since this foundation doesn't promise anything in terms of oil control, I think I should not look at it as minus point.
This foundation is strongly scented, if you have sensitive nose then make sure you give it a smell before.

Overall I think this is a great foundation for dry to combination skin but maybe not a good idea for oily skin.. I will not reach for it a lot in summer, but I am sure it will work excellent in winter when my skin is getting a bit dryer.
Have you tried any foundation from Shu Uemura?

Love,
Pam

Silk Blossom

I am a fan of Jo Malone.. I love their simple and unique scents, their packaging, their concept and their impeccable service.

I first saw Silk Blossom, their newly launched limited edition, during my trip to Singapore. But it was extremely marked up there so I didn't even sniff it. When I'm back in Berlin and on my 1st day back to work after holiday, I saw a big display of Silk Blossom at Jo Malone counter in a dept. store where I work . The pink display and the white-pink tassels.. I knew I wouldn't be able to say no... 

Jo Malone has a very poetic description of Silk Blossom on its website :

Nature’s blooms at their most tempting. The nectarous, pink-fringed pompoms of Silk Blossom. Irresistible to hummingbirds and butterflies. Apricot-fresh with a touch of spice. Airy with clouds of powder-soft heliotrope, nestling on a bed of moss. Fruity and enticing.

Silk Blossom has moss and heliotrope as its base notes, rose petals, jasmine and silk tree blossom as middle notes and apricot , bergamot and white pepper as top notes. 

Silk Blossom smells mainly floral , fruity and powdery to me.. I can't really notice its spicy notes which is a pity because I would love it to be more spicy. It smells very powdery and floral upon spraying but then transforms into something zesty and fruity after awhile ( I guess the apricot.. )  which I am not a fan of.. I would prefer it to stay floral and powdery because the zesty scent makes it rather generic, reminds me of cheap spray colognes I had when I was a little girl. 

In general, Silk Blossom reminds me a little bit of Peony and Blush Suede.. But Peony and Blush Suede doesn't transform into zesty scent which makes it way better version in the floral-powdery category. 

Besides the rather generic scent, the longevity is also disappointing. I have some Jo Malone colognes and I must say they stay on very well.. But this one stays on for literally 1-2 hour then completely disappear which can't be tolerate for the price. 

Have you tried any Jo Malone cologne? Which one is your favorite?

Love,

Pam

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy SHINE

If you have read my post here about the very talked about Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lipstick, it was clear that I was not a fan of the newly launched lipsticks. But I stumbled upon this review from BunBun  and was lucky to spot the range when I was in Singapore. I assumed the shine version would be lighter and less heavy, so I picked up one shade ( which I later regret why I didn't pick up more T.T ). 

please excuse my facial hair O_o

The packaging is almost identical to the non shine version, only the shine version is slimmer and smaller. The color I picked up was Pink Dragon, a mauve light pink which is thankfully warm enough for my complexion. I consciously picked up lighter - more wearable shade because I wanted a lipstick that I could wear on daily basis ( though I was on the fence to get the reddish shades. :$ ) and Pink Dragon was a perfect choice. It appears natural yet flattering on the lips and gives a nice blushing shade to my whole complexion. I love that it doesn't appear too pale. 

The lipstick has completely different texture in comparison to the non shine ones imo. The shine ones are lighter, and have balmy-moisturizing texture. It glides on easily and smooth and doesn't set into the lip lines. It feels very comfortable on the lips, and it doesn't dry up nor peel off my lips. Despite of the balmy texture, the pigmentation is great! I would say, the texture is like how I imagined the Revlon lip butters would be. The Estee Lauder one is like the Revlon lip butters without chunky glitters, with more consistent pigmentation and a little more lightweight in texture. I also love the fact that the formula is very foolproof and forgiving that I don't need mirror to do touch up. 

I get the feeling that this lipstick gives an illusion of fuller lips, maybe because of the shiny-balmy finish. I notice no scent so it might be a good news for a lot of sensitive-nose out there!

Overall, It is pure love between me and the lipstick!! My family is coming to visit me in a month and I will def ask my mom to get me more colors all the way from Asia xD

Love,

Pam

MAC Sable

It doesn't happen often that I buy mono eye shadow. But I got a Douglas ( like german version of sephora ) gift card on my birthday so I decided to splurge on some stuffs I would most unlikely get with my own money. lol

( Anna Sui liquid foundation #201, Too faced chocolate bronzer, Etude House drawing eyebrow pencil #03, MAC sable eyeshadow, kiss me heroine liquid eyeliner, too faced better than sex mascara + fake eyelashes, Tarte amazonian clay blush #Tipsy, Kate moss rimmel london lipstick #07 )

Sable is a warm bronze shade with a slight hint of golden shimmer and it has frosty-shimmery finish. It doesn't contain any glitter particles which is better as glitters are not really my thing. 

Sable is a very similar shade to Urban Decay Toasted which is my favorite shade from the Naked palette ( the only shade I hit pan on ). I wanted to get Toasted while I was in Sephora Singapore but it was out of stock, and to buy the entire Naked palette just because of one shade is rather stupid so I thought Sable would be a great substitute.  But once applied, I must say that Sable is less reddish which makes it not as good as Toasted because I love the slight reddish tone from Toasted very much.  

Aside of the shade, MAC Sable has excellent quality. The texture is smooth and buttery soft. The pigmentation is amazing and the staying power is great.. It blends beautifully and applies smoothly. 

I've been enjoying Sable a lot lately despite of the 'unsimilarity' to Toasted. I love to wear Sable alone as the sheen is complex enough to perform solo.

Overall, MAC Sable has excellent quality which I think is nothing new as MAC eyeshadows are famous for that. It costs €18 on the pot and €12 for the refill / 1,5 gr. I think it is worth the price.

Have you got any favorite MAC eye shadow?
Love,
Pam

Wild Ginger

I was very lucky to receive this lipstick from Tom Ford on my birthday in March. I was euphoric when I first opened the gift and saw little Tom Ford lipstick inside because I've been wanting to try Tom Ford lipstick for the longest time but still haven't caved in due to the unbelievably expensive price tag ( €48/ 3gr )!!

But huge thank you to a friend of mine who knows me so well and gifted me this baby on my birthday! <3

First of all, let us take a look at the packaging.. Tom Ford nailed it , in terms of luxury. The lipstick is housed in a  sleek black square edges case with gold lining. It is no question, a very sturdy and well made case. Only the black part catches fingerprints like crazy. The lipstick itself has beautiful TF embossed on the top which doesn't last very long as the TF disappears after few application. 

My friend picked up the shade Wild Ginger for me. She couldn't have done it any better since Wild Ginger is the shade I'd pick up for myself. Wild ginger is a reddish orange shade which I believe is going to suit a lot of skin tone. Wild ginger doesn't have any shimmer and has creamy-sheen finish.  Wild Ginger is an eye catching - flattering red. You might think I must have similar shades on my stash as I own 100000000000 red lipsticks. But no I don't! Wild Ginger is a unique shade of red. It is like as if tomato and orange get married.. 

Formula wise, Tom Ford lipstick has excellent formula. It is creamy and glides effortlessly on the lips. It doesn't set into lip lines and it is very pigmented. I was afraid it is going to be waxy and heavy like some MAC lipsticks or the newly launched Estee Lauder Pure color envy , but fortunately this one feels lightweight and comfortable on the lips. It is not drying as well so I don't need to apply lip balm beforehand. 

The staying power is impressive . I usually get 5-6 hours wear with only slightly rub off after eating or drinking. The color does transfer to glass but I think it's normal for bold color lipstick with non matte formula. 

The lipstick is lightly scented, nothing overwhelming.

Overall , I think Tom Ford lipstick is a all around winner. But does it worth the heavy price tag? Well to be honest, I think all of us - beauty junkie everywhere know, deep down inside that there is no lipstick really worth €46 for 3gr. It is all the name and the luxury feeling you buy which is not a bad thing, as it can boost up our mood and confidence sometimes. It is nice to splurge and spoil ourselves once in a while with a bit of luxury, isn't it?

Love,

Pam