April 2017 - Page 3 of 5 - Reviews and Other Stuff

Month: April 2017

Too Cool For School, Dinoplatz Dear Brachiosaurus Blotting Paper Review

April 16, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Anybody with an oily-prone skin knows that it’s crucial to have a blotting paper in your purse no matter where you go. It’s one of those necessities if you want to look fresh and not like you drowned in Crisco cooking oil. Hahaha. Trust me, it’s so hard to look shiny and greasy all the time. I’m not talking about the highlighted or strobed kind of look, but more like when the sun shines literally from your T-zone, blinding everyone around you. Oh my…

All blotting papers are created for the same purpose of blotting away oils from your face, but not all of them are created equal. Though they’re all made of paper, there are actually different kinds of paper out there and some are uniquely designed with additional bells and whistles. Gone were the days when blotting papers just came in tiny cardboard packs or having your fingers getting oily from rubbing the sheets to your face. Now, I’d like to introduce you to Dinoplatz Dear Brachiosaurus Blotting Papers, by Too Cool For School.

As to why the name is quirky and unique? No, it’s not because it’s meant for oily Dinosaurs like us, LOL, it’s just how the brand came up with the name when they collaborated with a Japanese artist for this specific product line. Yep, they’re really Too Cool For School and too cool to come up with such eccentric and catchy name for their blotting papers. Speaking of these blotting papers, there are 3 kinds; the Mulberry blotting paper, Green Tea and the Mattifying Charcoal. Each came in a cute and convenient carrycase complete with a mirror and a sponge/puff with adhesive to grip each blotting paper in order to blot them easily on the face while not disturbing the makeup, great idea isn’t it? Additionally, there are 50 pieces of blotting papers in each case and they’re all naturally made.

Mulberry – Made of Korean Mulberry paper, each sheet absorbs oil instantly without the need for rubbing it on your skin. Just use the sticky sponge and tap-tap to see the difference. You could see that the paper is clearly saturated with oil.

Mattifying Charcoal – Made of Chinese Yam Paper and infused with charcoal to detoxify the pores and mattify the skin. This feels a bit cool on the face and also absorbs oil fairly easily, though due to the color of the paper, it’s slightly difficult to see whether the oils have already transferred on the paper or not.

Green Tea – Also made with Chinese Yam Paper, this one is infused with antioxidants to soothe the skin and is ideal for problematic skin type. This type of blotting paper also absorbs oil from the face and doesn’t cause any irritation.

If you ask me which type I prefer among the three, I can definitely tell you that it doesn’t really matter, they all kinda work the same and I couldn’t really tell the difference among them. But if you really really ask me on which one I might prefer, I think I sort of like the one made with Korean Mulberry Paper because it seems to absorb the oil faster than the others. But it could be just me, you know. Compared to most blotting papers, The Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Dear Brachiosaurus Blotting Papers are definitely my favorite blotting papers so far. It eliminates the need to rub and swipe the blotting paper on your face using your fingers, thus there’s no tugging on your precious makeup. I always keep one in my purse because it’s very practical to have. I love the handy, lightweight and multipurpose carrying case. The design is cute and I love having the mirror and the sticky puff which you can reuse for other purposes. The sponge may lose the adherences of its adhesive tape with time, but you can peel it off to reveal more layers of adhesives. Additionally, there’s also available refills that you can purchase for when you run out of these blotting sheets. Awesome!

Whether you choose the Dinoplatz Charcoal, Green Tea or Mulberry, you know you’re keeping your oils at bay while having your makeup uninterrupted. These Dinoplatz Dear Brachiosaurus Blotting Papers by Too Cool For School are truly an oily girl’s best friend.

You can find these blotting papers at Sephora

Happy Easter!

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Dior Vernis Review

April 13, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

This is my first time trying out the Dior Nail Polish and I honestly can say that I love their nail colors so much already. I’ve always been using Chanel for most of my high-end nail lacquers (reviewed HERE), supplemented by a bunch of OPI, Essie, and China Glaze. This time I’m venturing into other nail polishes to see if the grass is really always greener on the other side. Well, I’m happy to say that yeah, perhaps, it almost always is, except for a few caveats.

The Dior Vernis nail colors are all in a gel formula, just like the new Chanel Le Vernis. It goes on smoothly and feels very rich and creamy while fast-drying at the same time. The brush applicator is wide and very precise, which I’m really impressed at. Also, the scent of this particular nail polish is not as strong as the other nail polishes I’ve tried before, even slightly less than Chanel’s. The very best thing about the Dior Vernis Gel Shine is that the colors are extremely versatile, wearable, very classic and well-pigmented. I noticed that I seem to like most of their shades and would want to wear them all.

Incognito (257) – Definitely the best nail color if you want something subtle yet sophisticated. It’s a very corporate shade and also very casual. The best definition would be that this nail color is very versatile for everyday use. The perfect nude nail color, even more so for medium skin tones.

Cosmopolite (785) – I’d like to call this a vintage, retro-ish, washed-out red, or more of a brick rose-red. It’s classic but not boring and has an old-world feel. A muted red that is also very versatile. Great for when you’re bored of red nails or that red nails may be a bit too much for the occasion. This is definitely a unique red tone shade.

Mirage (338) – If you’re a fan of purples, magentas, plums, or violet-pinks like me, then you’ll love this shade. It’s quite similar to OPI Dim Sum Plum or Essie Big Spender, but with slightly more lasting power than the other two.

Massaï (853) – My most favorite shade of the entire Dior Vernis by far, and one of the most perfect red nail color I’ve ever seen. It’s definitely a rich deep red and slightly vampy like blood. There’s no black tone nor orange tone. It’s more of a blue-toned red and the formula goes on smoothly into the nails. This nail polish definitely complements all skin tones because of its perfect beauty.

Nuit 1947 (970) – I love vampy shades and this one is also perfect for me. It’s a deep vampy red like wine but looks almost black in low light. It’s similar to Chanel Le Vernis in Rouge Noir than Vamp. No shimmers, just plain reddish-black nail color.

Gel Coat – This is the topcoat of choice for the Dior Vernis Gel Shine. It is meant to make the gel nail colors dry fast and to make them long-wearing. Which I think is definitely true on the fast-drying ability of this topcoat, but I’m not sure about this top coat’s long-wear potential. My nail color starts chipping on the side during the 5^th day, which doesn’t happen with me whenever I use the Chanel Le Gel Coat with the Chanel Le Vernis. I don’t know if it’s this topcoat or the Dior Vernis in general, but I find this topcoat to be not as long-wearing as what it’s supposed to be. A lot of people prefer the Top Coat Abricot more than this Gel Coat, which I haven’t tried yet, but will definitely give it a go-to compare them side by side pretty soon.

Verdict: I love the Dior Vernis and will definitely recommend it to you all. The colors are great and the formula is also wonderful. I love that the scent is not too strong and it disappears quickly, and I also love the wide brush applicator for a more even application better than Chanel’s. Also, the nail colors dry very fast with the help of the designated Gel Top Coat, but it’s not as long-lasting as the Chanel Le Gel Coat (reviewed HERE). I probably get a good 7 days of wear with these Dior nail polishes, while I get almost 2 weeks from the Chanel Le Vernis. In addition to that, Chanel has a lot of colors to choose from, yet Dior Vernis’ well-pigmented pretty colors are to die for.

– The Dior Vernis retails for $27 in Sephora, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Saks, & Neiman Marcus.

– The Dior Gel Coat is also $27 in these following retailers: Sephora, Nordstrom, Macys & Saks

– While the Chanel Le Vernis nail polishes are also available at Nordstrom

Have a great day friends, stay tuned for more reviews…

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Atelier Cologne Perfume Review

April 12, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Oh Hey There! As I have mentioned before, finally, here’s my very own review of a couple of Atelier Cologne scents which are making a lot of noise in the scent department nowadays. I first discovered Atelier Colognes from one of the sample scents that was included in my Sephora Play! Box, and I fell in love with the brand right then and there.

I love colognes, eau de toilettes and anything lightly-scented during spring and summer, and the Atelier Colognes have just the perfect scents for these seasons. Be it fruit, floral or slightly warm and woody, there’s definitely an Atelier Cologne perfume for that.

I love the fact that the brand has literally lots of different fragrances to choose from, and there’s even different sets of fragrances that complements your lifestyle, makeup and personal story. For this review, I’ve chosen the Atelier Cologne Perfume Palette, which is basically a set of samples of the brand’s colognes that complements different kinds of makeup look, or should I say highlights your best makeup features. On top of that, the scents in this set are full of the brand’s bestselling scent, and there’s 8 to choose from. Isn’t that cool?

Now let’s start.

The No-Makeup Makeup Scents: (For those who likes to go Au-Naturel).

Orange Sanguine – Smells like true sweet orange and orange peel. This scent is delish and I really love it even though it doesn’t last long enough for me. A pure orange scent for those who can’t get enough of oranges and more oranges.
Clementine California – Just like freshly-squeezed clementines and mandarins, this scent is fresh and juicy. It’s slightly different from Orange Sanguine, because this scent is more green and slightly citrusy, like a fresh burst of Clementine with a hint of sandalwood. Love that this is very long lasting and it’s ideal for this spring and summer.

The Red Lips Scents: (For Retro Lovers).

Vanille Insensée – Just like a warm toasted vanilla with a hint of coriander and a bit of jasmine, this particular scent is mind-blowing and mysterious. It’s not the delicious vanilla type of scent, but more of a mature sexy vanilla tone, and the dry-down is even more enthralling. It’s like you’ve known this scent before, but you don’t really know what it is.
Rose Anonyme – Definitely a rose petal scent with hints of something earthy like patchouli and ginger. It’s pretty long-wearing and dry-down becomes powdery-rose. To me, I think it’s quite similar to a couple of Chloe Perfumes, specially the L’eau de Chloe Eau de Toilette. Mysterious, fresh and unique.

For Smokey Eyes: (What Happened Last Night?).

Santal Carmin – With bergamot, sandalwood and vanilla, this scent is slightly masculine but can also be a unisex scent and quite fresh. It doesn’t last very long on me though, and the dry-down is kinda sweet. It’s also subtly musky but still great enough as an anytime or anywhere scent.
Oud Saphir – A deep, dark, musky and woody scent. Very very masculine but dries into a soft woody-floral note. I could sense the blend of jasmine, oud and suede in this cologne. Dark, smoldering, sexy and very long-wearing.

Sun-Kissed Glow Lovers (For those vacayholics and contouring/strobing fanatics).

Sud Magnolia – A little musky, a little fruity, a little flowery. Such is the blend of this amazing and complicated scent. It comes off as musky and earthy at first, then dries down to something very pleasant, very dreamy, very green and ocean-like. A perfect vacay scent with notes of orange, blackcurrant, magnolia and cedarwood. What a beautiful blend this is and the wear time is pretty good too. Also, this scent reminds me of Hermès Garden Collection fragrances, reviewed HERE. Like a cross between Un Jardin Sur Le Nil and Un Jardin Sur Le Toit.
Cèdre Atlas – The moment I sprayed this on my wrist, I felt like I was whisked away to another world, somewhere near the pacific or near white sands and beaches. No, I wasn’t hangover or anything, heheh, I just know that the scent is simply divine and irresistible. A great aquatic scent that has lemon, bergamot, cedarwood and amber. It smells very much like Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue.

Another great thing that I enjoy about Atelier Colognes are the intriguing and uncliché story behind each and every scent. I always read them because I find them to be captivating, romantic and cute.

Of all the scents tested here, my top favorites are: Orange Sanguine, Clementine California, Rose Anonyme, Sud Magnolia and Cèdre Atlas.

This limited edition Atelier Cologne Perfume Palette Set is available in Sephora for $18.

With all the great scents that Atelier Cologne has to offer, it’s easy to find one that will become your signature scent. Have you tried any Atelier Colognes before? If so, what’s your fave?

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