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FASHION & BEAUTY

Samples of The Week: Lancome, Tata Harper, Algenist, Dior, Jo Malone, Fresh & Hourglass

June 9, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Aloha folks! It’s about time for some first impressions and fresh takes on some samples that I’ve been testing this week. I’ve chosen a few skincare minis, some scents, and a few makeup samples. A lot of you may have tried them already but it would be really interesting to know what you think about the following products that I’m about to review.

Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne (1 oz $65, 3.4 oz $130) – I’d like to think that this is a unisex cologne with a beachy earthy tone. This scent has a salty aquatic vibe to it but only when you don’t spray a lot. It’s refreshing to the senses but it really doesn’t last long. Perhaps it’s only good for about an hour. Spraying more would bring out the strong herb-like scent of sage which can be overpowering.

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask (1 oz $58) – A mask that promises to deliver instant glow, minimizes the appearance of pores, evens the skin’s texture and with all-natural ingredients. It sounds really promising, however, I can’t seem to love this mask. I’ve tried it several times already but it just didn’t seem to make a difference on my skin. I like the scent though. It smells like beet, clay, lemon, and something herb-like.

Fresh Rose Hydrating Eye Gel Cream (0.5 oz $41) – There’s something really interesting about this eye cream. I didn’t expect it to be so creamy and luxuriously smooth to the touch. Because of that, it really hydrates my eye area and it doesn’t irritate it. While it didn’t really illuminate my dark circles since the desired effect remains to be seen with time, I love how it felt cool and soothing which calmed down some of my puffiness. I’m not crazy about its strong cucumber-rose scent though.

Dior J’adore Eau Lumiere, Eau de Toilette (1.7 oz $94, 3.4 oz $124, 5 oz $155) – The captivating scent of Dior J’adore continues with its Eau Lumiere edition. This lighter version is still sexy, alluring, romantic, and fresh. This is one of the most beautiful floral scents I’ve ever tried. I love the perfect blend of Blood Orange, Neroli, and Damask Rose. It smells a bit like a bunch of gardenias with something soapy and musky at the same time. Definitely very dramatically fresh.

Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm (0.5 oz $68) – Ask me what my favorite eye cream is and I will tell you that this is one of them. In fact, there aren’t that many eye creams out there that I like, but this Eye Renewal Balm from Algenist is something I’d like to recommend. I have already started using the regular jar and I’m really in love with it. It has alguronic acid, vitamin C, caffeine, aloe, green tea, etc., and the scent has a very light vanilla hint, similar to most Algenist skincare products but a bit more subtle. I love how this moisturizes my dry and sort of puffy undereyes and its hydrating effect lasts for the rest of the day.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation In Shades; 310 Bisque C, 320 Bisque W, 360 Bisque N (1 oz $47) – Hmmm, I think I found another beautiful foundation. It’s very lightweight and very natural, which reminded me of Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (reviewed HERE), Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (reviewed HERE), Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (HERE) and Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (also reviewed HERE). The nice thing is that this particular foundation is oil-free, has SPF 15, and with buildable coverage that is long lasting. The regular bottle’s size is not heavy on the pocket too. I also love that there are tons of shades to choose from with this foundation and I adore the satin-matte effect that it gives on the face.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (0.31 oz $19, 1 oz $54, 2 oz $75) – Another great primer to have because of its added SPF 15 and it’s oil-free. But somehow, it felt slightly greasy and silky at the same time. Although some have complained that their makeup was sliding off their faces whenever they use this, that hasn’t really occurred to me. I like that this primer makes the skin very smooth with no trace of pilling nor redness. With that, it makes the foundation look even more natural and flawless, and it also makes it last longer. A similar product would be the Nars Pore & Shine Control Primer, but this one has no discerning scent and doesn’t feel as cushiony as the Nars one.

When it comes to choosing which ones are my faves, I’d say, I really like the Algenist Eye Renewal Balm a lot, followed by the scent of Dior J’adore Eau Lumiere, Then I’d like to have a full size of the Lancome Teint Idole Foundation and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer.

Have you tried any of these before? Which ones do you prefer?

Happy Friyay guys! take care,

X0X0

Follow on Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff

Burberry Liquid Lip Velvet Review

June 7, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Good Day Peeps! Right when these lippies came out, they weren’t really well-received, yet they were sold out somehow. I never really understood the mixed results and I wanted to try them myself, so I visited my local Burberry counter at Nordstrom and swatched these Liquid Lip Velvets on my arm. However, I wasn’t really smitten like most reviews at that time because the formulation is somewhat not like most matte or velvet liquid lipsticks in the market nowadays, or at least I expected it to be one. I felt like the textures were somewhat inconsistent like some were sort of watery, while some were creamy and didn’t seem to settle on the skin. So, off I went home without them.

Fast forward, a couple of months later, I noticed that the reviews of the Burberry Liquid Lip Velvets were somewhat getting better and better, and obviously, I wanted to give it another try. Oh well, tough luck, I couldn’t find the shades I wanted anymore. The Liquid Lip Velvets have been sold out for some time already, so I had to wait and hope. It took a while to acquire the two shades I’ve been eyeing, and once I received them, I felt like I was really wrong with my first impression towards them, and now I am currently loving them a lot.

The shades that I purchased are below;

Fawn No. 05 – Nude Rosy Brown. I call this the perfect warm neutral shade with hints of rosy brown. This shade is simply stunning and it’s one of the most beautiful mid-tone nude rose shade I’ve ever seen. It’s so wearable for any complexion and it’ll look best with anyone that has a medium skin tone. The hint of subtle brown warms the shade and making it naturally and subtly alluring.

Dark Rosewood No. 17 – Intense Rosewood. Slightly similar to Fawn No. 05 with a more mauve pink tone. This one is another head-turner and there’s a reason why it’s almost always sold out nowadays. It’s a great shade to have if you’re into nude shades but wanted a bit more color.

Even though these Liquid Lip Velvets don’t really transform or dry into matte effect liquid lipsticks, thus making them non-transfer proof, I realize that it really doesn’t seem to matter because I adore their colors. Theirs are the most well-blended shades of lipsticks I’ve ever tried and it complements on anyone’s skin tone perfectly well. The packaging is robust and sleek too, which is what you’d normally expect from most Burberry beauty products. The brush applicator could use some improvements but for those who are finicky with scented lippies, fret not because these Liquid Lip Velvets almost don’t have any scent.

You may or may not like the whipped creamy formulation and the sort of velvet effect that these have on the lips, but if you want lip colors that won’t settle into the lips’ fine lines and feels very comfortable, then you might want to try them. They feel really creamy, almost thickly whipped yet they’re lightweight. They also have a powdery or chalky consistency which makes a natural, smooth, and seamless effect on the lips. It’s almost like you didn’t just apply a lipstick, but it’s more like you’ve had it hours ago, or that the shade has always been your lips’ natural color. Ain’t that nice? They’re also well-pigmented, so each swipe could last from 4-6 hours on me, although you may want to reapply after eating.

Besides the lasting pigment, the nice thing is the fact that these Liquid Lip Velvets will never dry your lips. If you wanna know some similar dupes, I feel like Buxom Wildly Whipped Liquid Lipstick and Too Faced Melted Liquified Lipstick are slightly similar, but I think the newly-released Bare Minerals GEN NUDE Matte Liquid Lip Color is a very good contender. A review of it will be coming soon. So, stay tuned.

The Burberry Liquid Lip Velvet is available in Sephora, Nordstrom, Net-A-Porter, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Burberry.com

Follow me on Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation Review + Swatches

June 5, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Why hello there, today let’s feature another favorite foundation of mine and probably yours as well. The award-winning Luminous Silk Foundation by Giorgio Armani Beauty (1.0z: $64, 0.6: oz $42). This isn’t a matte finish foundation but it’s on the dewy luminous side as what its name suggests. It’s very fluid with a light to medium coverage that could be easily layered and blended. This feels lightweight and the effect is seamless, flawless and very natural.

There are tons of colors to choose from to suit your complexion. I settled on the shades #3.5 (light to medium with warm undertone) and #5 (light to medium with neutral undertone). Both are slightly similar shades but the #3.5 is slightly more towards the yellow side. Once blended, it gives a slight warmth on my skin tone, especially during the summer. The #5 shade is my perfect all-around everyday shade. Anything above #5 like #5.5 will make the kids in my neighborhood to start running away, lol.

I love how my skin looks perfectly smooth with this Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. It’s like my pores went incognito and I have filters on my face. Haha! It is definitely one of the best out there with similarities like Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (reviewed HERE), Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation (HERE), and Chanel Vitalumière Aqua (reviewed HERE). But the scent of the Luminous Silk Foundation is way better than the other three foundations mentioned above. It has a much pleasing light powdery/perfumey scent that is not typically what you’d smell in most facial foundations.

If I’m not mistaken there are about 24 shades in this particular foundation, ranging from fair to light, light-medium, medium tan, to deep and very deep complexions. Not to mention the different undertones that came with each skin tones. It can be overwhelming to choose the right shade for you since there’s a lot to choose from with this line of foundation, so I suggest testing it in your local Sephora or trying a sample at your favorite store that carries Giorgio Armani Beauty products.

This foundation can be pricey as well, but you can always purchase the smaller size at 0.6 oz for $42 and it’s even more ideal for traveling since it could fit in any small makeup bag. It also lasts a long time because you don’t really need to apply a lot. This foundation is also oil-free so this is good news to all my oily sisters out there. It even makes you look naturally young with facial features that look well-defined.

Apart from its price and overwhelming shades to choose from, I highly recommend this foundation a lot, especially if you’re a fan of dewy or luminous finish foundations with oily-prone skin. It gives a natural and lasting luminosity on the face that feels like you’re not wearing any foundation at all.

The Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation is available at Sephora, Barneys NY, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Selfridges, Violet Gray, Nordstrom and Giorgio Armani Beauty.

For more, follow on Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff, see you there!