Velvet Plum

Okay, I am actually on a lipstick ban. But, as my self control is barely there, of course I broke the ban! lol.

I was accompanying my friend on a shopping day and she wanted to pick up her Tom Ford perfume at Tom Ford counter. And what did a good friend do? Of course I browsed around too xD. I ended up swatching the matte lipsticks frantically. I was so close to get the shade ; Pussycat but decided it was 'too' ordinary so I opted for Velvet Plum instead. 

Tom Ford matte lipstick comes in the same square-ish bullet like the regular lipstick range. The packaging is luxurious, I think most of us agree that the packaging alone is almost worth to get. 

The shade Velvet Plum is a bold magenta shade. It's bordering fuchsia though, but the purple hint is potent enough for me to like it. The shade has a brightening effect that lights up my whole complexion every time I have it on. 

Speaking about the formula, Tom Ford Velvet Plum is full coverage matte lipstick. It glides on smoothly on the lips and feels very comfortable on the lips. It doesn't dry out despite of the matte finish and doesn't enhance my lip lines. Tom Ford describes it to be velvet matte, which is a spot on description. It's not full on matte like those mattes from MAC , so it's a really good alternative if you have dry lips. The texture is richly pigmented and creamy, and I don't experience any tugging or dragging during application. However, I do feel like the bolder shades tend to bleed or feather, so a lip liner is a must ( I tried the lighter shades at the counter and didn't experience the issue ). I didn't get any fancy lip liner though, just use a similar color lip liner that I have from Kiko and it works well. 

The lipstick is long wearing too. I got to ca. 6 hour mark with no problem. It does stain the lips , so I need to use oil based make up remover to thoroughly remove it by the end of the day. It's vanilla scented but I don't notice any potent scent. It's barely recognisable though.

Overall, I think this one is a justified splurge. The whole package is just lovely. I have my eyes on the Plum Lush and the Pussycat even though I thought Pussycat is rather 'ordinary' but it will make a nice every day shade. Oh but I'm on a lipstick ban, ain't I? xD

Love,

Pam 

H&M Beauty Eye Shadow Pencils

H&M just launched a new beauty line which has been receiving a lot of positive reviews among the beauty community. So I gave the store  a visit and got myself some products from the line to try out. The entire concept is clean cut, sleek and pretty. After doing some swatches etc, I went home with the eye shadow pencils, velvet lip creams, and 1 powder blush. I'm going to talk about the products that stood out the most, the eye shadow pencils.

H&M Eye Shadow Stick in Oxidise

They surprisingly have a wide selection of colors ranging from matte too shimmery / metallic. I ended up with 3 shades ( 2 mattes and 1 shimmery / satin ). Predictably, all the shades I picked are brown and copper xD.

Cordoba ; My favorite shade from the lot, it's a matte milk chocolate brown. It has a slight red hint once applied, very nice autumn shade and without being too much red / orange.

Oxidize ; a burgundy / copper shade with very fine gold shimmer. It's very similar to Rimmel Scandalous chubby eye shadow pencil in Bad Girl Bronze. 

Brownstone ; a matte dark brown. 

The eye shadow pencils come in a similar form to NYX Jumbo Eye Shadow Stick, they're not retractable so you always need to sharpen them. And you need a special jumbo stick sharpener as they won't fit into regular pencil sharpener. 

Texture wise, they're so creamy dreamy but not slippery. They don't set directly upon application so you will still have time to blend them. Once they're set, they don't budge and don't smudge even on my oily lids with no eye shadow primer. They dried up to a nice finish that can be a good base for powder eye shadow too if you'd like to wear them as base. I personally like to wear them solo on the lids. Despite of the matte finish ( Cordoba and Brownstone ), they don't appear dull on the lids.

I didn't expect much when I bought these eye shadow sticks. They seemed promising when I swatched them at the store, but still for €4,95 each,  I didn't set my expectation high. Fortunately, they exceeded my expectations. They are absolutely excellent! They need more love!! xD

Overall, I will definitely get more shades and will urge anyone of you who have access to H&M beauty line, to give these eye shadow sticks a try. They're uh-mah-zing!!

Love,
Pam

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream

After my 5 month stay in Jakarta, I came back to Berlin facing an extreme weather change. From scorching hot humid Jakarta to dry breezy autumn in Berlin. My skin started to annoy the hell out of me plus the 20 hour flight I had behind was not helping either. No matter what foundation I applied, it turned out accentuating all dry patches and bums I seemed to develop within the 1st week in Berlin. I slaughtered moisturiser beforehand but none really worked. So I decided to give Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Cream a try. I remember having a small sample of it and found it too 'rich' for my liking. But 'rich' was what I needed at the moment, so there it went into my shopping cart.

I was wearing Covergirl Outlast 3in1 Foundation + Magic Cream in this pict

Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Cream comes in a heavy duty glass jar. The jar is well made and sturdy but is definitely not travel friendly due to its weight. But you can always depot it to a small container though. 

The cream itself has rich but lightweight texture. It sinks into the skin quickly and doesn't leave oily residue. I must say that this cream does have a slight old fashioned Vaseline feel to it, only creamier and airier. Once applied, my skin instantly looked better and brighter. For the picture above, I applied Covergirl 3in1 Stay Outlast Foundation over the cream and together they looked great. The glow is visible on the picture, right? That might not be anything groundbreaking if my skin was not acting up like cray cray. But at that time, achieving that finish was a struggle so I was very very happy with the performance of this Magic Cream. During that period of time, this Magic Cream didn't make my combination skin looking oily at all. I did need to blot a wee bit more often but that's okay as I always touch up regularly anyway. But now that my skin is back to its 'normal' state, I do need to be careful with this cream as it is a slight too rich for my combination skin. 

So I usually apply a very little amount of the cream and avoid the Tzone area. Then I combine it with matte - satin finish foundation to tone down the glowiness. It works great in autumn / winter as my skin is more problematic during the season. But I can't imagine using it in summer as it is going to make my skin looking oily very fast.

Whether it's worth the €90 price tag, I don't think so. I was lucky I had a voucher I could spend so it didn't hurt my wallet too bad. The cream is very expensive but you do get a lot of product as you only need a tiny bit of product for every use. I sometimes use it as overnight mask and it works well too. I will wake up with a moist and suppled skin the next morning. This is not a bad product and I can understand why it gets hyped and loved by a lot of people but I can't see myself repurchasing it for the price. 

Love,

Pam

Zoeva Naturally Yours

Zoeva was having 20% off storewide during the Glamour Shopping Week and I took the chance to try one of their eye shadow palettes. I've been seeing swatches online and was tempted to give at least one of them a try because the swatches look really nice. And because I am boring and predictable makeup junkie, I chose the most neutral one ; Naturally Yours. xD

I have enough nude eye shadows in my collection for my entire life I guess, lol but still I opted for another nude palette and I don't know why I did that. The palette is housed in a thin cardboard case with magnetic closure. There is not built in mirror attached which is one letdown IMO.

Zoeva Naturally Yours palette includes 10 neutral - earth toned eye shadows ranging from matte-satin and shimmery finish.

Pure is a matte nude beige shade. It is rather sheer but works great as a transition or blending shade. It is not unique but necessary and useful.

Soft and Sexy is a medium milk brown with slightly satin finish. It's not completely matte. It Cosmetics Mocha is lighter and cooler, Urban Decay Teased is warmer and redder. Pigmentation is nice, and it applies smoothly. I like it solo on the lids on low key days.

Smooth and Harmony is a pinkish taupe with gold shimmer. Pigmentation is great and applies smoothly.

Forever Yours is a warm burgundies brown with silver shimmer. One of my favourite shade in this palette. The shimmer is intricate and iridescent, very nice on the lids.

Slow Dance is cool toned ashy brown with slightly semi matte / satin finish. The shade is a bit tricky and patchy.

First Love is a matte ivory shade which is nice to 'clean' the edges or under the brow bone.

Casual Elegance is a shimmery yellowish gold shade. I like wearing it as tear duct highlighter shade or lower lash line highlight.

Sweet Sound is a warm medium brown with gold shimmers. Another favourite shade in this palette. It applies smoothly and pigmentation is great.

Lovely Monday is a muddy brown with silver shimmers. It is also another great shade in the palette.

Timeless Chic is a semi matte blue toned black , similar to Slow Dance, this one also applies a bit tricky and a patchy.

Overall, Zoeva Naturally Yours palette offers a nice range of neutral shades. I like how they put some matte and shimmery shades that compliment each other. The shades are not all unique and rather dupable, but it is nice to have them in one palette. The quality is excellent for the price point at €17,89. The dark matte shades are trickier to apply, but the shimmery shades are great. They blend easily and have good staying power. I've been reaching for it daily since the day I purchased it.

What is your current eye shadow palette favourite?
Love,
Pam

DIOR Rosy Glow

I follow a lot of fellow beauty enthusiasts on instagram and let me tell you, it's dangerous! I lost count on how many purchases I made being enabled by the girls ( and boys )' posts on their IG accounts xD. This DIOR Rosy Glow blush in pink petal is the most recent example of the 'Instagram made me do it' purchase thanks to @adanink @kaepratiwi @sidekickjess for being such good enablers :D

PS : Sorry for not so pristine pict. I did swatch my brush before this photo was taken. I couldn't resist

DIOR Rosy Glow blush in Pink Petal comes in a elegant case. The case has transparent bottom and silver lid. There is a big built in mirror inside with a small brush which actually works well. The blush itself is embossed with Dior monogram and it is so pretty.

If it wasn't because of the girls' recommendations on Instagram, I wouldn't even consider getting the blush. The color on the pan is so bright and vibrant it is almost neon. Blue toned or white toned pink don't look good on my complexion because they tend to wash me out and make my skin looking ashy and dull. But Rosy Glow is supposed to adjust to your skin's pH, so it is not going to be like the color on the pan once applied on the cheeks.

The texture of the blush is smooth, soft and finely milled. The pigmentation is good but not overboard which I like. I don't really like overly pigmented blushes as they're more difficult to apply. I prefer sheer blushes that are easily build able and this one checks the boxes. The color once applied on my cheeks turns into soft powdery pink. The color diffuses very well and creates a nice natural flushed cheeks. It is a refreshing shade that compliments all look, from subtle low key every day look into heavy smokey eyes look. It applies smoothly on the cheeks and blends effortlessly. The staying power is great too. It stays put for a good 6-7 hour and fades gradually after that.

Overall, it's a nice addition to my collection. I don't have anything similar in my collection because I usually go for warmer shades of pink or coral. I'm glad I decided to give this one a go.

Did you do any 'influenced' purchase lately?

Love,
Pam