Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

One of my favorite drugstore brand is Rimmel, and my drugstore holy grail foundation is also from Rimmel, the 25Hour foundation. When I heard that Rimmel launched new foundation called 'Wake Me Up' that claims to give radiant glow and anti fatigue effect,I was really interested to try. But the foundation is not yet available in Germany.

So, as I visited London , I didn't miss a chance to get my hands on this foundation.

The foundation comes in a glass bottle with curvy shape , since it's made of glass, I don't think this foundation is travel friendly ( the bottle is quite heavy too ). But despite the 'not so travel friendly' bottle, it's sturdy and well made.

The foundation looks shimmery in the bottle which has been discussed a lot by bloggers , but once applied, the shimmer is barely visible. You can see on my hand swatches that the shimmer isn't an issue at all. The foundation has SPF 15, which based on my experience , caused a bit of whitecast under camera flash/blitz. So beware when you're taking photo!

The coverage is sheer but it does even out my skin. If you need more coverage, it's buildable. But you have to be careful because it can get cakey if you apply too much. 

Since I have oily skin, I am not really a fan of its 'glowing' finish. It does look natural for good 1-2 hours but then it starts to look like disco ball if you don't blot it with powder constantly.

I also have to tell that this foundation has pretty strong scent. I don't really mind the scent, but a lot of people might find it annoying.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE - AFTER

Overall, this foundation is not groundbreaking enough in my opinion. I would say this will work better on dry-normal skin rather than combination-oily skin like mine. This is not a bad foundation but I don't recommend it for people with oily skin unless you don't mind blotting it every 2 hours. 

Have you tried this foundation?

Love,

Pam

Paul & Joe Pressed Powder Duo Compact Highlighter

As I posted HERE, I bought 2 Paul&Joe products at Harrods-London , and now I'm going to write my in depth review on the 2nd product which is a powder duo compact highlighter.

The pressed powder comes in a really beautiful beige-pink case embossed with flower pattern on the top. The case has a round mirror inside and a powder puff. I don't use the puff, because I apply the product using my powder brush.

The case is made of plastic but feels sturdy and well made. The packaging is groundbreaking. I purchased the product mainly because of the beautiful case, even though in the end I end up liking the product even more than the case.

The powder has 2 sides, one side is a pure white color and matte and the other one has shimmer. The shimmering part is smaller but it's completely fine because you only need a little amount of product. The powder is finely milled, it's perfectly pressed so you get just the right amount of product and pigmentation. I especially adore the texture of it, because it feels so soft and silky.

I apply the powder ( I mix both parts ) on the highest part of my cheek bones. It looks really subtle but you can see the difference it makes. I also apply the matte part on my T-zone to mattify the oily part. This is the kind of highlighter you definitely can use on daily basis because they're not going to make you look like disco ball ( like Benefit High Beam or The Balm Marylouminizer sometimes does ).

*I'm sorry that the picture doesn't really show the result, but the highlighter is really subtle T.T*

I can only recommend this powder. You can even use the matte part as a mattifying powder when you apply only a tiny amount of it. It gives a really nice matte but not cakey or dry finish. I love.

Love,

Pam

August Loves!

I know a lot of people say this but ; I can't believe it's already September!! I'm sorry I'm a bit late on this post, but I've been really busy with work lately and my summer holiday slowly comes to the end ( please don't remind me of this ). 

August was amazing for me. I would say it is the best month of 2012, so far ( because I believe the upcoming months will def be better! yes I am really optimist ;p ) . I started my new job which I love and also had a short holiday to London and Manchester so I really did enjoy August.

Okay, now let's see what I've been loving this month :

1. Stella Mccartney Summer Rose EDP  - I bought this perfume at Duty Free Gatwick Airport in London. Honestly I fell in love with the bottle first, because it is so pretty with roses all over it. The scent itself is a bit heavy I would say,so perfect for fall/winter. I tend to like heavier scent more than light summer scent, that's why I've been wearing this perfume really often even though it's still summer now. ;) [ Top notes : Green Apple, Citrone - Middle notes : Peoni, Rose - Base note : Amber ].
2. YSL Sheer Powdercreme Foundation - This is actually one of my all time favorite high end foundation. But I've been neglecting it these past few months, and have just recently rediscovered it.
3. Real Techniques Contour Brush - I use this brush to apply bronzer and contour my face. I extremely love it!! 
4. Real Techniques Buffing Brush - I use this brush to apply my foundation. I still prefer my Eco Tools Buffing brush, but this is great too. 
5. Korres Lip Butter in Pomegranate - I think I rave enough about this product. But I must once again say, that I really really really loooooooove this lip butter. It smells so delish and fells extremely comfortable on my lips. I religiously apply this on my lips before going to bed and I wake up the next morning having smooth and plump lips.
6. MUA Undressed Me Eye Shadow Palette - I bought this at Superdrug,London. It's almost an exact dupe of Urban Decay Naked Palette and really good for everday use. I am still workin on the in depth review about this product, should be on my blog soon. 
7. Catrice Blush Defining Blush in Rosewood Forest - A really fresh and natural rosy blush. It gives my cheeks a radiant rosy glow. Love!
8. Burberry Lipstick in Hibiscus - My perfect version of red wine lipstick. I fall in love with the formula, still working on the in depth review, please be patient ;)
9. KIKO Precision Lip Liner in Dark Red - Perfect match for Burberry Lipstick. It's not the best lip liner I've ever used but it's fine for the price.

So, those are the products I've been loving in August, I'm sorry that some products haven't been reviewed on my blog yet, but they are coming soon! Don't worry ;-D

I wish you a fabulous September!!

Love,

Pam

Soap & Glory Cheekmate

I believe almost all of you have -at least- ever heard about the famous Benetint, right? I have already Cha Cha Tint at home and I'm not sure if I really want to spend another 32€ on similar product ( read : Benetint ) , so I kinda put aside the thought of buying Benetint.

Until I found this at Boots in London. I am familiar with the brand Soap & Glory because the skin care products are available in Germany. Soap & Glory, packaging wise, IMHO looks kinda similar to Benefit's. But they are - fortunately -  on the cheaper side.

Soap & Glory Cheekmate Cheek and Lip Stain comes in a transparant pink tube which is total different than Benetint, since Benetint comes in a small - nail polish look alike -  bottle. The tube comes in a retro looking box which reminds me a lot of Benefit's. I like it though, because I love cute packagings ;)

S&G Cheekmate has gel-y consistency unlike the watery Benetint. I personally prefer the gel-y consistency because it makes the application way easier. It's less slippery, and easier to blend. The pigmentation is amazing so you really have to blend it well. 

S&G Cheekmate , when applied on cheeks, gives a natural rosy tint that looks effortless . When applied on lips, it is surprisingly quite vibrant and looks neon under camera's flash.

The staying power is amazing, because it stays really the whole day, especially on the cheeks. It doesn't stay really long on lips, but still longer than normal lipsticks.

*Under flash camera, the color looks so vibrant, but it's actually not that neon in real life*

On cheeks and lips

On cheeks and lips

Overall, I would give this an A because it's an excellent product for the 6,99GBP pricetag. If you have Soap & Glory products available in your country and haven't owned a Benetint, than I recommend you to take a look on this Cheekmate .

Love,

Pam

Catrice Cucuba Loose Eye Shadow + Mono Eye Shadow

I am usually not a fan of loose eye shadow because they're messy and mostly on bright colors which I don't really wear. But I know I am such a 'curiously' stupid person, so I often buy things I know I will not wear / use only based on curiousity ( and a little hope that they might work for me or look good on me, which unfortunately failed. ) 

Catrice recently launched new limited edition called 'Cucuba' with bright sparkling loose eye shadows , which I knew exactly I wouldn't wear but still bought anyway ( stupid, ain't I ? ). But , Thank God I still have some logic in my head so I also bought 1 mono eye shadow that I've been wearing a lot since the day I bought it ( read : not a waste like the other 2 bright and sparkling loose eye shadows ).

Some of you might have known good things about Catrice's mono eye shadows ( Lovely Kate from Drivelaboutfrivol blogged about them HERE ). They come in a nice trasparant and sturdy and expensive looking packaging . The pigmentation I must say is really good and the quality is top. The texture is soft and buttery, it isn't dusty and doesn't crease once applied on the lids. With a good eye primer, the eye shadow will last the whole day.

And here are my impulsive loose eye shadows!! Despite my own stupidity, these loose eye shadows are good in quality. They have great pigmentation, and actually aren't as messy as I at first imagined. Even though they're shimmery but they don't feel like glitters. Before, I always thought loose eye shadows are the same in texture like pigments. lol.

The color I bought are "Take it Mint" which is a true mint color and "Havana Dream" which is a coppery-orange shade. Considering the price ( 2,99€ ), they're not  bad product at all.

Judged on the quality, all of these eye shadows ( esp, the mono one ) are really good. I know Catrice products are available in some European countries, but not yet in the US , Asia or Australia ( unlike its sister, Essence. Yes, they both belong to the same company called Cosnova ). If you're able to get your hands on them, Catrice's eye shadows are worth trying.

Love,

Pam