Reviews and Other Stuff

FASHION & BEAUTY

Nars Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balm Review + Swatches

nars soft matte tinted lip balm review

 

Halo darlings. Iโ€™ve got a quick review to share, and itโ€™s all about the lip product I mentioned during my previous posts. I was so excited when I got my hands on the Nars Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balm. It looks like the perfect matte lip balm for any occasion, especially for Zooming :D. Well, guess what? Iโ€™m happy to report that it is indeed an amazing product that checks all the boxes. Hydrating? Yes. Comfortable? Oh yes. Pigmented? Yes, yes. Long-wearing? Totally, yes.

 

nars soft matte tinted lip balm brief encounter

 

The Nars Soft Matte Lip Balm is a limited-edition lip product from Nars. It comes with the signature Nars-style packaging, but it has a gray metallic tone. At a glance, the shades tend to be on the nude spectrum, or should I say, in varying intensities of the nude tone (excusez moi, this is the academic side of me talking ๐Ÿ˜€ lol). I do find the shades to be somewhat sheer, especially the ones that I got. But also, a few of the shades tend to be more opaque as they get deeper/darker.

 

nars soft matte tinted lip balm unrestricted swatch

 

Unrestricted โ€“ Pink nude. This is a beautiful mix of sheer pink and sheer nude. I like this a lot, and the pigment stays on for more than four hours.

 

Brief Encounter โ€“ Neutral Nude. This just gives me enough color on the lips. Perhaps a little too nude for me. But the effect just gives that enough warmth that slightly contrasts my skintone.

 

Whip Lash โ€“ Rusty Nude. I didnโ€™t expect how dramatic this shade could get. Itโ€™s like a brownish brick red. Itโ€™s a beautiful shade for medium skintone and perfect for Fall.

 

nars soft matte tinted lip balm lip swatches

 

The Nars Soft Matte Lip Balm is like Glossierโ€™s Generation G lipstick (swatched HERE) but with more moisture. It is indeed comfortable, matte, lightweight, long-wearing and will give you that diffused and blurred lip texture effect. It seems like it is the perfect formula for the next generation of comfortable lip products. I hope this product will be made permanent by Nars soon.

What dโ€™ya think of this newness from Nars?

 

nars soft matte tinted lip balm whip lash

 

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The Inkey List Review

the inkey list salicylic acid cleanser review

 

Hey-lo! Iโ€™ve always wanted to do this review because Iโ€™m sure youโ€™re wondering what I think about The Inkey List brand. Youโ€™re probably curious if Iโ€™m a big fan of single-ingredient skincare products, or do I prefer the multitasking ones? My answer is โ€œit dependsโ€. When thereโ€™s a specific skincare concern that I want to address, I like to use a single-ingredient product. But when Iโ€™m crazy busy, I like to use some skincare multitaskers.

 

The Inkey List is a brand Iโ€™ve been using to supplement my skincare needs for more than a year. They have several exciting products that mostly contain a single ingredient targeted to a specific skincare concern or to simply enhance the skin. I havenโ€™t tried all of them yet, but I certainly have tried a couple of them already. Here are my thoughts.

 

the inkey list kaolin clay mask review

 

Brighten-i Eye Cream โ€“ I like this eye cream for the price, but after going through the whole tube, I didnโ€™t really find any dramatic effect on my undereyes. I also did not notice any depuffing effect from this. However, this product did not exacerbate my sleepless undereye circles. So, this is still a good deal.

 

Bakuchiol โ€“ Truly a great alternative to Retinol, but may not be as effective. This product does a good job of refining my skin’s texture without the irritation that Retinol gives. However, this does not provide the same glowy effect that Retinol does. I do like that this does not have any strong scent and is way safer to use than Retinol. I also recommend the one from Alpyn Beauty Melt Moisturizer, which also contains Bakuchiol and a good alternative to Retinol.

 

the inkey list bakuchiol review

 

Alpha Arbutin โ€“ I donโ€™t use this much, but many folks swear by this product. Alpha Arbutin can reduce the appearance of dark spots and hyper-pigmentation. While I havenโ€™t had any of these issues lately since I mostly stay indoor, what I do notice is that my skin feels so smooth after using this. I should investigate this further and see how this compares to Bakuchiol. Also, this product does not have any strong scent, which is excellent.

 

Salicylic Acid Cleanser โ€“ Iโ€™m not sure if you noticed, but itโ€™s quite a challenge to look for an excellent salicylic acid cleanser nowadays. The drugstore ones do not really work for me, and my face ends up being oily after a few hours. This Inkey List salicylic acid cleanser is one of the few that I found that really mattifies my face.

 

the inkey list collagen booster review

 

Kaolin Clay โ€“ Wondering whatโ€™s a good clay face mask for oily skin? Kaolin clay, yes. This mask is on the milder side, which means that the texture is way smoother than most clay face masks out there. I like this product because this does not irritate my skin, and this does not feel too stripping. However, I wouldnโ€™t recommend this as a weekly or biweekly exfoliating mask because this feels more like an everyday face mask.

 

Collagen Booster โ€“ Think of this product as a framework that will keep the facial skin together, like some kind of scaffolding, lol. Collagen peptides are good for maintaining skin elasticity, but our skin tends to lose it as we age (quoting Healthline on this) or if we are under stress (oxidative stress). Therefore, itโ€™s very important that we replenish the collagen loss to avoid skin sagging. So, if ever you find yourself feeling like youโ€™re losing collagen from learning how to write grants ๐Ÿ˜€ (wink wink), you gotta use this.

 

the inkey list alpha arbutin review

 

Overall, I love this brand, especially the price. I donโ€™t think you can find several other brands like this that donโ€™t skip on ingredients’ potency while making the price affordable for everyone. I can only think of โ€œThe Ordinaryโ€, which is also a great skincare brand when it comes to quality and affordability. I will be reviewing that brand soon. So, stay tuned.

 

What do you think of The Inkey List? Yay or Nay?

 

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Polรจne Number Seven/Numero Sept Mini Bag Review

Polรจne Paris Number Seven Grey leather bag review

 

Hi all. As promised, I am going to review this wonderful purse that Iโ€™ve been using a lot lately. This is probably one of my most favorite purses of all time due to the functionality of the design and the sleekness of the style. The Polรจne Number Seven in mini or commonly known as Numero Sept mini, is the bag Iโ€™m talking about. This may not be very quite known to the general public, but this bag has its admiration in the blogosphere. I love that this bag is unassuming yet classic in cut and design. This can be carried anywhere on any occasion and in any location while maintaining that semi-formal or somewhat dressy vibe. In other words, this bag can elevate your look and style, no matter what you wear.

 

Polรจne Paris Number Seven Numero Sept Mini

 

This Polรจne Number Seven is hand-made in Spain (in fact, I got mine straight from Sevilla) and has a golden chain. Mine came in grey textured leather and with suede inner lining. The dimension is about 6.3 inches in height, 6.5 inches in width, and can be expandable up to 4 inches in depth. The shoulder drop is about 18 inches and is non-adjustable. This bag can be worn crossbody or as a top handle. The weight is not too heavy and not too light and can definitely fit several things. On top of that, the design is not inundated with logos, and the price is what I would call โ€œreasonableโ€.

 

Curious about what can fit inside this bag? See below

 

 

Polรจne Paris Number Seven Mini bag review

 

Louis Vuitton Key Pouch โ€“ This can go perfectly inside the Polรจne Numero Sept in mini. Mine contains my car keys and my home alarm remote.

 

Shiseido Modern Matte Lipstick in Semi-Nude โ€“ One of my favorite matte lipsticks of all time. I am still obsessed with the Semi-Nude shade and find out why in this link.

 

Clarins Water Lip Stain โ€“ Just reviewed this amazing and truly staining lip stain. This is a perfect lip product for this pandemic-induced virtual world. Swatched HERE.

 

iPhone X โ€“ My lifeline, lol.

 

Polรจne Number Seven/Numero Sept Mini

 

Rare Beauty Blotting Sheets โ€“ I like the size of these blotting sheets. These are tiny and can definitely fit inside all types of mini purses, especially the Polรจne Number Seven. Read my first impressions of some of Rare Beautyโ€™s products HERE.

 

YSL Card Cases โ€“ I must admit, I have a serious obsession with these YSL card cases. I donโ€™t think I can ever look at other card cases again after owning these. I find the quality of these card cases to be exceptional and totally durable. Also, the design is very cute and very elegant.

 

Parker Jotter Pens โ€“ My favorite pen since 12th grade. I love the Parker pens because they are reliable, and they make my handwriting not look like chicken scratches, hahaha.

 

Curried Myrrh Hildie Reusable Face Mask โ€“ I wanted a mask that will make me look like Karasu in Ghost Fighter (lol, those were the days, and yes, Iโ€™m a big fan of Ghost Fighter too), but I also wanted a reversible and reusable face mask. I stumbled on this eclectic face mask from Curried Myrrh, and I love the design. Itโ€™s like bohemian meets Victorian. The brand has several different styles and colors. You can check them out HERE. This mask is foldable, and the ear loops are adjustable, which can fit perfectly well in the Polรจne Numero Sept mini.

 

 

 

Polรจne Paris Numero Sept Mini

 

Cat โ€“ not available, and nope, he doesnโ€™t fit in this mini purse, but he wants to bite it, lol.

 

Bottom line, I love this Polรจne Number Seven/Numero Sept mini. The leather is robust, and the style is simple yet sleek. I carry this purse everywhere, and I also call this as my โ€œfield notesโ€ purse because of the functionality. Therefore, I highly recommend this to all of you. You can check this bag at polรจne-paris.com

 

 

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