Illamasqua Naked Rose

I recently bought this powder blush from Illamasqua counter at Central Department Store-Jakarta. They were having a promo going on for 3 items  ( Hydra or Matte Veil Primer + 1 blush of your choice + 1 lipstick of your choice ) for only IDR 790.000 ( ca. USD 60 ) instead of IDR 1.1350.000 ( ca. USD 86 ).  The promo sounded too good to be missed so I decided it was a good chance to try few items from the brand.

I was debating whether to get their powder or cream blush, but I did't really like their cream blush formula so I went for the powder one. I picked up the shade Naked Rose, as the BA told me it is their best seller shade. Naked Rose is a pale rosewood shade. On the pan, it looks very pale and I was worried it wouldn't show up on my skin, but once I swatched it I was surprised at how pigmented it is. Naked Rose is similar to Burberry Sheer Glow Blush in Cameo, only slightly cooler and less warm.

Illamasqua Powder Blusher Naked Rose has a very soft and smooth but powdery texture, the lightest swipe of brush will make it go powdery. So I usually only slightly tap the brush on the surface to avoid the powder mess. The blush itself applies smoothly and evenly on the cheeks. It is easy to blend and doesn't apply patchy. The finish is matte so it's great for daily use as it won't look too much. I love the versatility of the shade because it matches all looks. It is the kind of color you can pair with heavy smokey eyes or -simple eye liner only- look. 

The staying power is great. I got 7-8 hour wear before it started to fade gradually. Packaging wise, I wish they'd do more effort especially for the price category. The simple black plastic case looks and feels kinda flimsy and cheap. 

Overall, I am happy with this purchase and will have a look at the other shades available as long as the promo still going on, but I wouldn't say it is a must have.

Have you tried anything from Illamasqua?

Love,

Pam

Blue Curacao

I only brought 2 nail polishes with me for my 5 month stay in Indonesia, mainly because I thought I was going to have a lot of manicure/ pedicure ( which is very cheap here compare to Germany ), and I also believed I was going to buy some new ones, which I just did :P. 

Mavala Blue Curacao is a bright turquoise shade. The bottle is tiny , contains only 5ml of product but I don't mind as it is easier to be used up. Mavala nail polishes in Germany are not easily accessible so I had never tried any nail polish from the brand before. The local drugstore in Jakarta ; Guardian was having 20% off all Mavala products so this nail polish has cost me only IDR 40.000 ( ca. €2,5 ) which is such a good deal.

I didn't expect much from this nail polish but it exceeded my expectation. It applied very smoothly and opaque. The consistency is just the right amount, not too thin or too thick. I hate gloopy nail polish and fortunately this is not the case. The staying power is good, I got 4-5 hour wear before it started to chip.
Overall I am very happy with the purchase and will certainly look for other shades. Blue Curacao is a stunner, I got a lot of compliments from my friends,family and even strangers xD.

PS1 : One downside though the nail polish stained my nails lightly after removed. Maybe it is due to the bright blue color, and won't happen with lighter shades? I will report later once I try another shades. 

PS2 : How are you guys? Another little life update from me. As I have mentioned before, I extended my stay in Jakarta until mid September since I still have lots of things to finish here. I also recently started my small business and it has been going pretty well, and I hope it will continue to run well and better in the future. Things have been running well for me lately and I am so grateful for it.  
The weather in Jakarta has been very hot and humid lately I barely can take the heat , so I try to stay indoor whenever I can and avoid to be outside without aircon , lol. 
On a gloomy note, my boyfriend's father just passed away suddenly so my boyfriend had to rush from Germany to Jakarta to attend the funeral. He is okay though and was very calm during the unlucky circumstances. I hadn't seen him for awhile so it was nice to see him even for couple of days only as he needed to rush back to Germany again.  

So how are things going on in your life? I hope all of you are doing well ^^
Love,
Pam

Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer

I am such a sucker for base products such as primer , foundation, concealer, and powder. So I don't need to explain anything about why I recently bought this Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer, right? Okay glad you are all so understanding with me *grinning*.

The Illamasqua hydra veil is an in between product of primer and moisturizer. I have combination skin, and often the area under my eyes and cheeks are a bit dry so a hydrating primer sounds perfect. I still use my daily moisturizer beforehand though since I don't think Hydra veil is offering any skin care benefit so I just treat it as make up primer with a bit of hydration kick. 

Illamasqua Hydra Veil comes in a solid black jar packaging. I really appreciate the spatula given so it's more hygienic to use. The product has a unique jelly like texture which is very difficult to be scooped out using fingers, so hence the given spatula. I was amazed when I first saw the texture because it has the ability to reform itself into pristine condition after you scoop out the product ( yes  I am a dork like that. lol ). 

Despite of the jelly texture, the primer applies effortlessly into the skin and sinks in fast. It doesn't have silicone-y feel like Benefit Porefessional. My skin feels smoother to touch after applying this primer. I notice a bit of pore blurring effect going on. The primer doesn't interrupt the application of foundation or other base products on top of it, means my foundation-concealer and co apply just like they used to, with or without primer as some primers tend to change the blend ability of some foundations.

After trying this primer for few weeks I'd say I like it, but I don't love it. Most downside for me is that it doesn't prolong the wear of make up and instead, it kind of eliminates the oil control. I notice my foundation gets oilier faster and the finish gets a tad too dewy after awhile. But it is a great primer for matte foundation as it gives a nice subtle glow or if you don't have long day awaits, let's say just a 2 or 3 hour dine out, this is great to give you a nice radiant face. But, longer than 3-4 hours, it will be too dewy especially if you have combination to oily skin. If you have dry to normal skin though, this will be perfect.

What is your current favorite face primer?
Love,
Pam

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3in1 Foundation

I've read a lot of positive reviews on Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3in1 Foundation, but since Covergirl is not easily accessible in Germany, I didn't bother to go the extra miles to order the foundation. But as I am currently in Indonesia, I was surprised to see how popular this particular foundation among Indonesian beauty enthusiasts, so it is widely available through local beauty shops. Of course I took advantage of the situation and ordered one :P.

I picked up the shade #801 classic ivory after doing some research on the internet. Fortunately it is the right shade to pick. Classic Ivory has neutral-slightly yellow undertone so it is a very good match for my complexion and helps to counter the redness on my cheeks.

Covergirl Outlast 3in1 Foundation has thick creamy and smooth consistency. It spreads and blends easily. I prefer to apply it using beauty blender as foundation brush might get streaky. The coverage is medium to full without being cakey or too much. The formula feels comfortable on the skin even though I wouldn't say it is lightweight. I don't mind thick foundation as long as it blends seamlessly into the skin and feels comfortable. 

Covergirl Outlast 3in1 Foundation claims to be 3in1 as the name advised, so it functions as primer-foundation and concealer. I must say it lives up to the claims because it is indeed sufficient as primer-foundation and concealer. It evens up my complexion and covers imperfections well. On most days when I don't have any special occasions to attend, I appreciate this kind of foundation so I'll save time getting ready in the morning. But when I do have a long day awaiting, I don't dare to skip primer and concealer as I perspire a lot so my foundation tends to migrate by the mid day.

The foundation provides a matte finish that is not dull or flat. Despite of the full coverage, I still feel very comfortable to wear this foundation on daily basis as the finish is still natural. It is also not drying on the skin and don't accentuate fine lines or dry patches. The oil control is great and the staying power is excellent.

After 6 hour wear-no blotting-no touch up

For a foundation that retails for ca.13€, this is a great buy. It does the job just as good ( and even better  ) as some high end foundations that are twice or three times more expensive. This is a strong candidate for the best drugstore foundation I've ever encountered.

What is your current favorite drugstore foundation?

Love,

Pam

Colourpop

Colourpop has been literally everywhere lately. And since 99% of the reviews I've read and heard are all positive and since the products are sold for very affordable price, of course as a make up junkie with barely there self control, I had to give them a try, right?? :P

Luckily there are a lot of online store in Indonesia which sell Colourpop and the price mark up is still reasonable, for example, I paid only approx USD 7,5 for each eye shadow and lippie stix instead of its regular price at USD 5.

I picked up 4 eyeshadows and 3 lippie stix. It was difficult to choose which shades to get , but then after a lot of thinking and thinking and thinking, here are the shades that I picked :

Bill ( matte finish ) , Bill is a matte mauve grey shade with a slightly pink hint with matte. 

Desert ( satin finish ) , Desert is a warm medium champagne bronze shade with satin sheen finish.

Bandit ( matte finish ), Bandit is a warm reddish brown with matte finish. But Bandit is not completely matte, I can still see the sheen.

Sequin ( glitter finish ), Sequin is a sparkling peachy pink shade. The glitters are fine but still sparkly and look so pretty on the lids. 

Yasmin ( matte ), Yasmin is a bright orangey red. It is so bright it looks almost neon under certain lights. The finish is true matte.

Lumiere ( matte ),  Lumiere is a mauve pink. On a lot of people it looks a bit grayish but it doesn't look grey on me, more purple.

Brink ( matte ), Brink or the Kylie Jenner's lip look is a peachy brown nude. It surprisingly doesn't look very nude on me which is a good thing. 

After playing with the eye shadows , I must say they live up to the expectations. All shades are buttery smooth. They're definitely not powder, they're more like a hybrid between powder and cream.. There are zero fallouts due to the texture and the pigmentation is excellent. They don't crease on my oily lids and apply smoothly. Not forget to mention they're easy to blend and long wearing too. They don't need eye shadow primer to stay put.

About the lippie stix, they are good but they're not as excellent as the shadows are. First of all, the texture is a bit dry and not very creamy. They remind me of MAC matte lipsticks. The color pay off is great though, but due to the texture, they don't apply very smoothly. I need to apply a thin layer of lip balm underneath so they don't tug. The staying power is okay. They are not bad at any means, but I don't feel the urge to order other shades from the matte range, maybe I'll give other finishes a try :P

Speaking of the packaging, I personally like it. The tin case is nicely made and for the $5 price point, I just can't complain. The lippie stix on the other hand is packaged a bit cheaply. The plastic pen case is not as nicely made , but they're functional.

Colourpop supershock eyeshadow has a net weight of 2,1gr ( MAC single eyeshadow has 1,85gr ) so it is a great value of money. While the lippie stix has only 1gr nett weight compare to most lipsticks at 3,5 - 4,5gr. That makes the lippie stix actually at almost the same price like the MAC lipsticks if you compare the price per gramm.

Overall, I'd recommend you to try the Colourpop eyeshadows as they are excellent and good value for money. But the lippie stix, maybe give it a try if you find a shade you love. But don't expect too much.

Love,

Pam