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FASHION & BEAUTY

Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick Review + Swatches

Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick swatch

 

Hello All. Needing a new matte lipstick this Fall? Here’s a lipstick I couldn’t wait to review. The Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick (25 USD) is a deeply pigmented matte lipstick with a magnetic square packaging and a diamond-shaped tip. It has a slight coconut scent and it comes in different shade collections: The Icon collection, The Rose Collection, and the Throwback Collection. Most of the shades are mostly named after a woman’s or anybody’s important period/stages in life, which are very interesting and totally relatable.

 

Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick

 

At first glance, this lipstick slightly reminded me of the Giorgio Armani Rouge D’Armani Matte (reviewed and swatched HERE) especially texture-wise, but I will tell you later whether this really is on par with the amazing Rouge D’armani Matte. What I can tell you is that this particular lipstick glides on the lips easily and it feels light. Once applied, it almost has no shine and it’s completely matte. It is probably one of the most insanely pigmented matte lipsticks I’ve ever tried, and the range of colors available “seem” to be quite diverse. Let’s take a look.

 

Here are 6 shades taken from all three collections.

 

Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick

 

First Kiss – deep rose mauve, very similar to Wedding Day, but has a more rosy tone.

 

Graduation Day – very deep brown-mauve, appears dark brown in most lighting. On my skin tone, this looks too ashy and ghastly.

 

Interview – medium rose nude, looks like this could work in almost all skin tone. On my skin, this looks like an everyday nude.

 

Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick in first kiss, interview, graduation day

 

Pay Day – very deep mauve, think purple+magenta mix.

 

Rendezvous – muted pink rose with a coral tone. On my skin, this looks too coral/neon-ish.

 

Wedding Day – also a deep rose mauve, very similar to First Kiss, but has a more mauve tone.

 

Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick swatches

This lipstick is giving me mixed feelings. I had high hopes about it at first, but then there are a few things about this that I didn’t quite like. First of all, the colors are quite difficult to photograph because some of them look very similar to each other, and they do change tones depending on your natural lip color. What I noticed is that this also changes shade once it warms up on the skin. Second thing, if you twist the lipstick all the way up, you’ll notice that there’s not really much product in its matte tube. It looks like you’re only getting half a lipstick when compared to most full-sized ones. It’s just housed in a large square packaging. Third, the swatches online are quite different when compared to the shades in real life. In reality, the colors appear darker, extremely pigmented, and most of them are on the deep brown and purple spectrum. I had a hard time finding the right shades for my light-medium skin tone, and if you have a fair to light complexion, there may not be enough shades that could match you. But, if you’re medium to deep, then you will most probably love this lipstick line. I also would like to think that this lipstick and its shades are probably meant for Fall, so that might be it.

In comparison to the Rouge D’Armani Matte, I find this lipstick to be quite drying as opposed to the lightweight moisturizing feel of the D’Armani Matte. If you ask me what are some of my favorite matte lipsticks out there, I can tell you that apart from the Armani ones, you can look into the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet (seen HERE) or the Velvet Extreme (reviewed HERE). I also love the Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstickย for its very lightweight feel and outstanding pigment (HERE).

So, overall, though this lipstick doesn’t feel heavy, this does feel quite drying on the lips. However, I don’t have a problem with its lasting power or its quality at all. It lasts about 4-6 hours plus on me, and though it transfers, the color still stays on the lips. My beef with this is the color scheme, which is kind of a bummer because I had really high hopes of this lipstick. I do hope that there will be lighter/brighter color options in the future for this particular lip product, and also, I hope that this will even be comfier on the lips.

 

Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick review and swatches

 

The Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick is currently available at Sephora andย Selfridges

 

Have you already tried this lipstick? What’s your take on it?

 

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*notepad is from Brittany Fuson Paper

 

 

FabFitFun Fall 2019 Box

FabFitFun Fall 2019 Box Review

 

It’s officially Fall, and Happy Fall everyone! even though it’s still really quite warm and sunny here. ๐Ÿ™‚ Let’s start this season with the unboxing of my Fall FabFitFun Box. At first sight, I thought my Autumn box looked smaller than usual, however, the design of it looks very nice and I love the color combo of the box. Upon opening and inspecting the products inside, I felt like there weren’t many products in it. It may just be me because the products that I was able to pick and choose were kind of large in sizes.

 

Amika 1.25' Strand Perfect Ceramic Styler

 

The first item that I was able to customize is the Amika 1.25′ Strand Perfect Ceramic Styler (Limited Edition (80 USD). It is the highlight of my box this Fall, not only because it’s large, but also because it’s the priciest. I chose this because I wanted to have a backup of my favorite-but-almost-discontinued GHD Eclipse Styler (still available HERE, but mostly replaced by the GHD Platinum model). Upon inspection and testing, I noticed that this flat iron has adjustable heat settings. Its recommended temperatures by hair type are: fine/thin: below 360ยฐF, medium/wavy: 360ยฐFโ€“380ยฐF, thick/textured: 380ยฐFโ€“450ยฐF. This styler doesn’t have the floating plates as my GHD flat iron, so it’s quite an adjustment to use this on my long hair. It does heat up well and it works to straighten my strands, also, the plates are wide enough to cover a lot of hair. I also love its eye-catching orange shade.

 

Harper + Ari Exfoliating Sugar Cubes in Juice Cleanse

 

Kate Spade Lunch Tote (30 USD) – I don’t own a lot of lunch bags, so I chose this cute KS lunch tote and it has an insulated interior which I love because it keeps my food fresh. I love the cute polka dot design of this and this is pretty much easy to carry. It can definitely hold several items inside, and I even use this lunch tote to put my extra makeup and skincare in it, which makes people think I was carrying a lot of food. LOL.

 

Harper + Ari Exfoliating Sugar Cubes in Juice Cleanse

 

Harper + Ari Exfoliating Sugar Cubes in Juice Cleanse (16-24USD) – At first, I thought these were some sugar-coated gummy bears, LOL. I was really so close to eating these stuff, but thank goodness I read the label. These are actually exfoliating bath/shower sugar cubes with very delightful guava scent. I really like the concept of this product because it’s unique and totally different. I love how you can use just one cube and it’ll last throughout your whole shower. It does tend to be quite a bit too scratchy at first, but then it exfoliates very well. I would buy these cubes again and again because they’re just so exciting to use and they’re not as messy to apply, unlike the traditional body scrubs.

 

Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair (31 USD) – This hair cream has quinoa protein, macadamia oil, etc. that protects the hair from heat styling. I love the earthy scent of this and it’s very lightweight on the hair. I just apply a small amount of this all over my strands while it’s still damp and it does protect my hair from my stylers. Also, this makes my hair look really vibrant, bouncy, and shiny.

 

human+kind body souffle

 

Human + Kind Body Soufflรฉ (19.96 USD) – I love the scent of this apricot oil+shea butter mix body cream. It smells really nice and it lasts the whole day. I could even smell the scent of this on my shirt. I find this to be moisturizing enough, just like most body lotions out there.

 

Skinvolve Body Boost Gel (45 USD) – I didn’t quite expect the effect of this body gel. It’s meant to be applied prior to any workout and upon initial test, this smells like Icy Hot or Salonpas, lol. When I applied this on, it really felt like those pain-relieving gels/ointments which made me feel so cold that I was shivering like I was having the flu, and, on top of that, the effect lingered for some time. So, I’m not really a fan of this and this is my least fave FFF item this season. Most likely, I will probably give this to my father as one of his arthritis gel, ha! I’m pretty sure he will love this thing.

 

Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Gold Eye Mask 6 Pack (25 USD) – This gold foil mask contains hyaluronic acid, aloe leaf, and lavender oil which smells really pleasant and super moisturizing on the eye area. I like to leave this on my undereye overnight for maximum hydration. However, this didn’t do well on my eyebags, unfortunately. I actually kind of prefer the previous eye mask that I got from FabFitFun, it’s called Blaq, seen HERE, because that one really brightened my undereye area, and it also reduced the appearance of my eye bags overnight.

 

Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Gold Eye Mask 6 Pack Review

 

Baublebar Farah Ear Crawlers (34) – These beautifully-designed ear crawlers look subtle yet eye-catching at the same time. The back metal hook seems a little too malleable though, which I think will probably break sooner or later with a couple more usage. I hope not, because this is really pretty, but anyhow, this is a very beautiful pair of earrings nonetheless.

 

FabFitFun Fall 2019 Unboxing Review

 

Overall, I like this season’s box and though I felt like I didn’t get that many items this time, and that I’m getting the same type of product more often (ex. constant body creams), I’m still very happy with the products that I was able to customize and choose, like the Amika Styler and the Kate Spade Lunch box. Also, a few of the items were quite new and unique to me, like those Sugar Cubes which I really enjoyed. So, overall, I still enjoyed this box a lot.

 

 

Have you received your Autumn box yet? What are the things you love in it?

 

 

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Olehenriksen 3 Little Wonders Set Review

ole henriksen bestsellers

 

During my last review, I talked about my favorite haircare minis from Bumble And Bumble. This time, I’d like to mention these other favorite minis of mine when it comes to skincare. I’ve been obsessed about these Olehenriksen 3 Little Wonders (mini size: 25 USD, regular size: 72 USD) for quite some time. If the Bumble And Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil are my go-tos for haircare during traveling, well, these Olehenriksen 3 Little Wonders are also my absolute go-tos for skincare whenever I travel or even when I’m not traveling. These minis serve me well in keeping my skin looking radiant and they’re also a good alternative (cheaper) if not comparable to some of Drunk Elephant’s very popular products which we all know and love.

 

These Olehenriksen 3 Little Wonders are composed of Olehenriksen’s bestsellers – a Vitamin C Serum, an AHA night gel, and a lightweight moisturizer. All are formulated without Parabens, Sulfates, and Phthalates.

 

olehenriksen the truth serum

 

Truth Serum (0.05 oz – 1.7 oz: 22 – 73 USD) – This is a Vitamin C serum that most of us love for a very long time. This is also one of Olehenriksen’s most popular products. The texture of this is quite gel-like and silky. It has a bit of a sticky feel but it’s not as sticky as the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Serum. This is also cheaper than the DE C-Firma, and it has a nice citrusy-orangey scent. This serum glides easily on the skin and though we don’t know for sure how much percentage of Vitamin C is in this serum (C-Firma has 15% L-Ascorbic Acid), this serum is still a very good alternative/option to the very popular DE Vitamin C product. I like this a lot because it does help to brighten my dark spots from post-acne marks and it makes my skin look glowy and radiant from within. Also, my skin tone looks more balanced with this.

 

Ole henriksen Invigorating Night Transformation Gel

 

Invigorating Night Transformation Gel (1.7 oz: 49 USD) – This gel-like serum is meant to be applied nightly and it really works wonders. It is loaded with AHA complex that completely retexturizes the skin for a smooth and healthy glow. Personally, I noticed a huge difference in my skin when I used this gel once overnight. It made my skin look glowy and luminous right after application, and the next day it pilled (which went away after thorough washing), then my skin completely felt smooth and looked more even. I love the way my skin looks with this because it gives a nice glow from within. Though this is safe to use every night, for my part, I prefer to use this one or twice a week. Also, this helps my skin a lot during traveling as it keeps it looking radiant, and it helps to unclog my pores which gets clogged and oily quite often from travel stresses and fatigue.

 

ole henriksen the truth serum review

 

Sheer Transformation Perfecting Moisturizer (0.5 -1.7 oz: 12 – 40 USD) – This is an oil-free moisturizer that is certified clean at Sephora. I love how weightless and soft this feels on the skin. Its texture kind of reminds me of Tatcha’s The Water Cream. The type that feels so light that it almost feels like water on the skin, yet it’s also super moisturizing. I believe this is a very good all-around moisturizer for any skin type, especially for the ones with oily or sensitive skin, and it’s also perfect as a complementary hydrator to any Olehenriksen products.

 

In summary, these Olehenriksen Wonders/Bestsellers are some of the best skincare products that truly work as they’re meant to be. They will always be my constant faves in my shelfie and also for my travels.

 

Olehenriksen Invigorating Night Transformation Gel

 

Are you a fan of these little wonders too? What are your favorite skincare items for traveling?

 

This Olehenriksen 3 Little Wonders Set is currently available at Sephora

 

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