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

Current Wish List

I know christmas is still 2 months away, but I've seen fellow bloggers posting their current wish lists, so I guess posting mine wouldn't hurt xD

• Estee Lauder Perfectionist Youth Infusing Foundation - As foundation junkie, I always want to try out new foundation especially when the reviews have been mostly positive. The foundation itself is available in Germany but only in 6 shades which all too dark for me. Ordering Estee Lauder products abroad is not possible due to restricted shipping .
• Laduree petal blush - Who doesn't want to have this über gorgeous blush ?? The hefty price tag still scares me and I can only order it online. For the price, I would love to see the product in person before forking out almost €100 for a blush O__O
• Olivia Burton watches - I get enough of all the Michael Kors watches, so these watches from Olivia Burton are fresh wind. They're available through asos and priced rather reasonably. I've been eyeing the one in rose gold with leather strap, so pretty!
• Benefit Cheeky sweet spot - This blush palette went on sale on Saturday 2 days ago and now completely sold out online. I am planning to hunt it down , maybe some counters still have the palette *fingercrossed*. Ordering online abroad is also not possible due to restricted shipping.
• Fendi Peek a Boo Medium size - My ultimate dream bag at the moment. The price tag is ridiculous, but I just can't get enough of it. It is simple, yet functional and elegant. It also has longer strap, very practical and the buttery calf leather... Oh i just can't... 
• Hourglass ambient lighting eye shadow palette - This palette is gorgeous, isn't it??? I've seen some swatches online and the shades are right up my alley. The palette is Barney's exclusive for now, so I hope it will come to Sephora sooner or later.

What have you been craving lately?? 

Love,

Pam