Reviews and Other Stuff

Month: November 2018

VII Code O2M Oxygen Eye Mask For Dark Circles Review

What’s Up everyone! I could probably count on my fingers the number of eye creams and other undereye treatments I’ve come to used and liked in the past. That’s because it’s one of those skincare products/regimens that I tend to forget, neglect, and frankly, it’s hard to find the right one that works, especially when my undereye issue is not just a combination of lack of sleep and overall lifestyle, but also it’s partly genetics. Apart from having dark undereye circles which I usually try to hide by using creamy concealers, I also have puffiness and very thin dry area on my undereyes that I tend to control by using some soothing eye masks and heavy eye creams. Some of them kinda work, but most of them don’t, and from time to time I would forget applying them anyway since they’re easy to overlook.

 

VII Code O2M Oxygen Eye Mask For Dark Circles Review

 

 

VII Code O2M Oxygen Eye Mask For Dark Circles Review

 

Enter VII Code’s Oxygen Eye Mask for Dark Circles (6 treatments: $58). I was thrilled when they sent me a box to try and I immediately used each treatment every night, carefully following the instruction on how to use it. To give you a bit of an overview, VII Code is an eye skincare brand with a rich history that dates back to the 18th century. They’re specialized in creating tailored eye skincare products targeting different undereye skin concerns. The O2M Oxygen Eye Mask for Dark Circles has plant oxygen extracts, grapeseed oil, seaweed, and white tea among its ingredients. The goal of this mask is to nourish and refresh the skin around the eyes, aiming not only to reduce dark circles but also to reduce undereye puffiness and minimizing any signs of aging by making the skin around the eyes firmer and looking well-hydrated.

 

 

vii code oxygen eye mask

 

VII Code O2M Oxygen Eye Mask For Dark Circles Review

 

Use each individually wrapped eye pads after cleansing and prepping your face, that is, after your favorite moisturizers or any other creams. Try to be careful not to put anything towards the eye area and don’t put any eye creams at all because the VII Code eye mask has a peel off sticky side that needs to adhere to the skin. Upon application, I noticed that this eye mask has a gel-like feel, kinda like one of those hydrocolloid bandages, and it’s really soothing. I let it stay on my skin overnight (8-hour use) and I was surprised that it indeed remained on my undereyes without moving. In fact, this eye mask adhered well all throughout my nightly usage of it. I even put some on the refrigerator and that made them even more relaxing to use. On day two, I woke up and noticed that my eye bags were looking less pronounced and I didn’t look so tired, also the skin around my undereyes seems more balanced. As the days progressed, I noticed that my undereyes didn’t look and feel so dry and that I didn’t need to apply that much concealer at all. Also, I didn’t have any problem with my foundations looking cakey on my undereyes since my skin feels and looks more hydrated.

 

VII Code O2M Oxygen Eye Mask For Dark Circles Review

 

The VII Code O2M Oxygen Eye Mask has been one of the most fun eye masks I’ve ever tried. They’re quick, practical, easy to use, and applying them is definitely not messy. Each eye mask sticks well to the skin, yet they’re also easy to remove without causing any skin irritation. They feel mild and soothing to the senses and they help to make you look and feel good about your undereyes.

 

VII Code O2M Oxygen Eye Mask For Dark Circles Review

 

 

You can find the VII Code O2M Oxygen Eye Mask For Dark Circles and some other VII Code eye products/treatments and eye creams by visiting their website at http://www.viicode.com or you can also purchase their products on Amazon.com.

 

(Disclosure: Product samples provided by VII Code. The reviews, photos, and opinions herein are solely mine)

 

Urban Decay Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette Review And Swatches

Urban Decay Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette review and swatches

 

What’s up All! The Urban Decay Naked saga continues with the latest launch of the Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette. There are 12 shades in this palette which costs $49 and they all range from different levels of matte nudes, metallic gold/bronze, intense mauves, and some rich browns. I was a bit surprised at the color scheme of this palette because I expected it to have more reds, plums, and even pinks, instead, the colors fall on the black cherry spectrum which gives that Fall/Winter vibe.

 

Urban Decay Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette

 

Upon initial testing, I find that each eyeshadow shade has a nice velvety smooth texture that is similar to most Urban Decay Naked palettes released in the past. The shades are easy to blend and there’s very minimal to almost no fallouts. Packaging-wise, it is just like most of the Naked palettes which have a full-size mirror and a double-sided brush, one for blending and one for a more precise application or shading. However, as much as I find the brush to be very pretty and convenient, I couldn’t seem to like the side with the blending end because it’s just too large for my eyes. Also, compared to most Naked palette brushes, especially when compared to the last Naked Heat eyeshadow (swatches HERE), the blending brush size of this Naked Cherry is just a bit too large, so it won’t work for people with small eyes.

 

Urban Decay Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette

 

This Naked Cherry Palette is long wearing even without any eyeshadow primer used and it also doesn’t smudge. I do have mixed feeling about the shades though, especially the first half with the lighter tones. On my skin, these shades are too light for me and not that pigmented. I think it would work better for those with very fair to very light skin tones. The second half of the palette that has the deeper hues of mauves and browns with some metallics work a lot better for my skin and I think they would suit really for those with medium to deep complexions as well. On the other hand, the shimmers of this palette are just gorgeous, and they range from metallic salmon to metallic gold, bronze, and even metallic dark browns, giving that overall metallic cherry colors. However, as much as I love the metallic shades of this palette, they don’t seem to be well-pigmented since they don’t show much on my lids. I would have to do a wet application of the shimmery/metallic shades in order for them to pop, which I admit is kind of a bummer. The deep shades though are truly pigmented and they’re a lot easier to work with.

 

Urban Decay Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette review

 

My favorite shades of this palette would have to be Bing which is a deep matte mauve pink, followed by Devilish which is a deep plum brown matte, then Young Love which is a metallic mauve. I also love the Drunk Dial (bronze brown), Ambitious (copper brown) and Turn On (golden shimmer) which are so versatile.

 

Urban Decay Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette swatch

 

Comparing this Naked Cherry eyeshadow palette to the Urban Decay Naked Heat palette, I feel like I kinda prefer the Naked Heat palette more since the shades of that palette seem to fit more with my skin tone. I feel like I could wear any shades of the Naked Heat palette at any time of the day and at any season, but this Naked Cherry will take a bit of work and some getting used to. It’s not because they would make me look bruised (my usual reaction to most reddish/pink/plum eyeshadows), actually, it’s all the contrary. This didn’t make me look like I have hematoma at all, but I just find the lighter shades to be not that pigmented, which I guess is the goal since they’re probably meant for daytime wear, however, the shades just don’t appeal to my skin tone, and the shimmers are totally not pigmented at all no matter how much I tried to layer and build them. On the other hand, the second half portion of this palette is great in terms of pigment, but I can’t go overboard or wear two or three of them together since the color combination can me look like a member of the Addam’s family, lol. The best way to wear this palette is to basically match and blend the dark shades with the lighter ones.

 

Urban Decay Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette

 

So yeah, I do have mixed feelings about this palette. I wish the ivories and nude shades have more pigments, and I wish the color scheme would have more reds and coppers, but I guess that’s where the Naked Heat palette comes in. So overall, I still think this palette is a keeper and it’s still a must-try for that sultry look this Fall/Winter.

 

Have you tried this palette already? What d’ya think?

 

The Urban Decay Naked Cherry eyeshadow palette is currently available at Sephora, Nordstrom, QVC, JCPenney, Macy’s, and Ulta

 

Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick Review And Swatches

Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick review

 

Hello Everybody and Hello to all lipstick lovers! I finally got the Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick (0.14 oz: $26) during the Sephora Holiday Bonus Sale, which is still ongoing and the next round will be coming up this weekend (more details and my wishlist HERE, will be adding another wishlist soon). It’s always great to take advantage of these sales so we can finally get that lipstick or be it any makeup our hearts desire. For me, I’ve been wanting to try this Shiseido matte lipstick because as what I’ve said before, someone recommended this to me and the reviews in Sephora have been great so far, even though there’s not a lot, and also, I haven’t really found several beauty bloggers talking or raving about this lipstick which is kinda strange because this particular Shiseido lipstick is actually an Allure Best of Beauty Winner this year.

 

Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick

 

To tell you a bit of story as to how I got so interested about this lipstick, let’s go back a couple of months ago to my trip to Minnesota, specifically Mall of America, lol. I was at Nordstrom’s Tom Ford beauty counter swatching some of their latest lipsticks when one of their SAs asked if I needed some help, which I gladly accepted and I asked her several questions regarding TF’s latest beauty launches. While I was talking to her, I couldn’t help but notice her beautiful lipstick color. She had this sort of semi-glossy brownish taupe lip color that simply looked glam and very Fall-ready. My first thought automatically was, it’s probably one of Tom Ford’s, but then I was like “no, it can’t be, I need to ask her” lol. So I did, and I was so shocked when she told me that she’s actually wearing two kinds of lip products and none of them are from Tom Ford, LOL! shockerz! I was like “Whaaaat?!”, I swear I felt my invisible wig falling, LOL. She did show me the two lip shades she used, one is a Chanel Jumbo Lip Crayon which she used as a topper, kinda like a gloss, then the base is the Shiseido Modern Matte Lipstick, and she loved it so much. I totally had no clue about this lipstick at all or how good it is, not to mention ever trying any Shiseido lipsticks before. So I then decided that my next mission will be to try and test this particular lipstick asap.

 

Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick

 

The Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick is a super lightweight comfortable lipstick with a true matte finish. It is creamy and it glides effortlessly on the lips without feathering. There is no noticeable scent or any flavor at all, and the packaging has a magnetic case that feels thick, slightly heavy, and overall robust. I find the shades to be well-pigmented, wearable, and just beautiful. The formula does transfer but only a little bit and it lasts pretty much the whole day on me. I may have to retouch a tiny bit after eating but still, the color stays on my lips. Also, this lipstick might slightly emphasize the lips’ fine lines, but this never made my lips dry at all.

 

Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick

 

Here are some of my favorite shades:

 

Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick in thigh high, disrobed, murmur, semi nude, velvet rope, nocturnal

 

Thigh High (504) – nude beige

 

Disrobed (506) – nude rose

 

Murmur (507) – rosewood

 

Semi Nude (508) – cinnamon, but more like a spiced cinnamon

 

Nocturnal (521) – brick red

 

Velvet Rope (522) – sangria

 

Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick

This lipstick’s shape and form reminded me a bit of the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipsticks (reviewed HERE) but I find this Shiseido Modern Matte Lipstick to be a lot better in terms of texture, comfort and wear time, plus, this lipstick is way cheaper. With that, I do believe this lipstick deserves a 5-star rating since it’s very well done overall, and this is definitely one of the best matte lipsticks I’ve ever tried. I highly recommend this to you all.

 

Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick review

 

The Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick is currently available at Sephora, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue

 

*Crown Catchall is from West Elm

*All In Good Taste Book (Kate Spade) is available HERE

*Peonies Book is from HERE

*Veranda Entertaining Book is also from HERE

*Diptyque “Figuier” candle is available at Nordstrom