Reviews and Other Stuff

FASHION & BEAUTY

Samples of The Week: Clinique, Boscia, Bite Beauty, Kate Somerville, Lancome, Miu Miu & Tarte

Happy Friday guys! It’s about time to wrap up some samples and share my first impressions about them. This week, I picked a mini lipstick, a sample of some clay foundations, a hybrid makeup remover, a few basic moisturizers, and a very interesting scent.

 

bite beauty amuse bouche lipstick beetroot, kate somerville goat milk moisturizer, clinique moisture surge supercharged, miu miu eau de parfum

 

Shall we begin?

 

Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate

Lancome BI-FACIL Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover (1.7 oz: $15, 4.2 oz: $30, 6.7 oz: $39) – One of the best eye makeup removers I’ve ever tried. It erases my liner like a breeze and there’s not a single sting. I even use it on my face and it saves me a lot of time and effort. It’s also not sticky and it comes in different sizes.

Boscia Charcoal MakeUp Melter Cleansing Oil-Balm (3 oz: $32) – This is a blend of charcoal and oil/balm cleanser that you have to apply on your makeup face and massage it all over to get rid of makeup. It has a strong lavender scent, much like the Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser. This product becomes foamy and it really removes all your makeup but you’re going to need a spatula (provided if purchasing the full size) in order to scoop the balm. It’s pretty thick and a bit sticky, my fingers had a hard time grabbing the product. Other than that, this is a good alternative to traditional facial cleansers and makeup removers since this product combines the two.

 

Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate (0.5 oz: $13.50, 1.6 oz: $39) – This a lightweight gel serum or moisturizer with spheres of antioxidants. It has no distinct scent but it hydrates very well. It’s a great hydrator for the summer and my skin absorbs this quickly. Just like most Clinique serums and moisturizers, you can never go wrong with this.

 

Miu Miu Eau de Parfum (Travel size/0.33 oz: $28, 1 oz: $68, 1.7 oz: $90,ย 3.4 oz: $118) – A fresh floral scent that will surely catch your attention. I thought this was gonna be more of a sweet scent, but this is actually fresh and delightful, like a blend of something earthy and green with a bit of jasmine. It’s also very long lasting and not boring.

 

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation Spf 15 review swatches

 

 

Bite Beauty Multistick (0.17 oz: $24) – Reviewed the papaya shade thoroughly before, found HERE. This is one of the best multi-taskers I’ve ever tried. Almost all the shades from this collection are all good and wearable. It has a velvety texture upon application, and it glides well on the lids, on the cheeks as a blush, and as a lip color. They’re pretty easy to blend and they’re also well-pigmented. The effect is a matte monochromatic trend. I love this.

bite beauty multistick swatches papaya cashew biscotti

 

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation Spf 15 (1.7 oz: $39) – A natural to mattifying finish full-coverage foundation that’s vegan and oil-free. This foundation really covered my redness and blemishes and it’s pretty long-wearing. It feels whipped but lightweight, and it blends into the skin well. I noticed a bit of pilling but they’re blendable and I love that it comes with an added Spf. My face looks flawless with this.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation Spf 15 swatches

 

Lancome Energie de Vie Smoothing & Plumping Water-Infused Cream

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream (1 oz: $50, 1.7 oz: $65) – This feels like a gentle moisturizer that’s great for sensitive skin or even in any skin type. It has almost no scent but it hydrates the skin well and it’s also very lightweight. There’s a soothing feel to this and it hydrates some dry patches on the face.ย 

 

Lancome Energie de Vie Smoothing & Plumping Water-Infused Cream (1.7 oz: $55) – Another water-infused cream that smells fresh and slightly like citronella. My skin absorbed this lightweight moisturizer immediately and it does have a plumping effect. Overall, this non-greasy cream hydrates the skin excellently and my skin felt soft after using this. The whole Energie de Vie line seems like a very interesting line to try.

 

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Beetroot (0.15 oz: $26) – Love this deep berry shade. I’m sure we’re all familiar with this lipstick. This line up has one of the boldest well-pigmented lipsticks ever. It’s extremely creamy and buttery soft, and while it does transfer a lot, the pigment stays put on the lips for a long time. I love that it’s made of au-naturel ingredients and the citrusy flavor is a delight. As to how it compares to the newly-released Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick? stay tuned, because a review of that particular lineup will be coming soon.

amuse bouche beetroot shade

 

Verdict, I almost love all the samples I’ve tried, but if I have to narrow it down, I think I like the ease of using Lancome BI-FACIL Eye Makeup Remover, the scent of Miu Miu Eau de Parfum, the range of shades from Bite Beauty Multistick and Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation, the high-impact colors of Bite’s Amuse Bouche Lipstick and the hydrating effect of Lancome Energie de Vie Water-Infused Cream.

 

Have you had samples of these too? Which ones did you like?

 

T.G.I.F Everybody!

 

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Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Color Splash Lipstick Review + Swatches

Hey there! I’ve been really impressed with the Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Color Splash Lipstick (0.12 oz for $21) from the moment it was released, and I have a bunch of reasons why. This lipstick is almost perfection. From its packaging, down to its finish and shades.

 

Tarte Color Splash Lipstick

 

Ever since this lipstick came out, I had a feeling that I’m gonna love it. The swatches seem to be all wearable and there are different variations of warm nudes and mauves. Perfect for any skintone. Just my kind of lipstick.

 

Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Color Splash Lipstick review

 

If you’re the type that’s kind of bored with matte liquid lipsticks and you’d want something hydrating but not too glossy, then I truly recommend this. Just like most of Tarte’s Rainforest of The Sea products, this Color Splash Lipstick is probably one of the best lipsticks I’ve ever tried. The formulation and the finish are just about right. It is moisturizing and hydrating without feeling heavy on the lips. It’s not overly shiny nor shimmery. It has a semi-matte finish without drying the lips, a bit like Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Matte Finish but way creamier. It doesn’t have a distinctive flavor nor scent, but perhaps slightly buttery.

Tarte Color Splash Lipstick review

There are several shades from this line and they’re all pretty. I really had a hard time picking out the best that I like the most. It seems like every shade I swatched were all gorgeous. The lipstick is also well-pigmented and I love that there are different variations of nudes and mauves in this line. There are coral-ish nudes, rosy nudes, brown mauves, rosy mauves, etc. Apart from the beautiful array of shades, I find this lipstick to be a good value for the money. It’s long-wearing that even after 2 meals (without reapplying), I could still see the shade on my lips. Such is the staying power of this lipstick.

 

Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Color Splash Lipstick swatches

 

Island LifeRosy Mauve. A muted mauve rose that’s perfect whether you live on the island, in the city, or in the jungle. This is one of my fave shade in this line.

 

Set SailDark Nude. Gorgeous perfect nude shade for light to medium complexions.

 

SiestaBrown Nude. I’d say this is a true neutral nude shade that could work for any skin tone, especially to those who are in the range of fair to light.ย 

 

Surf’s UpMauve. This doesn’t look mauve at all, at least not on my lips. The shade itself is warm nude mixed with a muted orange/coral/terracotta hue. It’s very unique and very beautiful.

 

VacayDark Cool Rose. Gorgeous. Just the right blend of slightly dark rose and mauve. A warmer version of Island Life. This is a great pop of color on the lips be it day or night. Also, great for the upcoming Fall.

 

5 o’clockDark Mauve. Looks more like a mauve brown to me, but more on the mid-brown side. Very wearable like a darker version of Siesta.

 

Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Color Splash Lipstick swatch

 

The packaging of this lipstick has a whole Summer vibe that is totally unique and cute. I love the blue marble-style tubes with golden accents. The Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Color Splash lipstick is a comfortable, creamy, and hydrating lipstick with an incredible range of shades. Its lasting power and very good pigments are really good and something I highly recommend.

 

Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Color Splash Lipsticks

 

 

Have you tried these already?ย 

Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Color Splash Lipstick review swatches

 

The Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Color Splash Lipstick is available at Sephora

 

See ya later,

 

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Sephora Collection Oil Infusion Color & Care Review

Heya Guys! You up for another lip product review? come along! The following lippies that I’m about to review were inspired by the makeup of Bella Hadid during the Grammys 2016. The moment I saw her photo I was really fascinated by the way her makeup was done. Her skin looked luminous and so did her entire makeup. Yet it wasn’t extremely luminous that it looked unnatural, it was just the right blend of a healthy glow and a moderate yet strategic way of applying makeup.

 

If you google Bella’s makeup during the 2016 Grammys, you’d see that she had a nice light smoky eye, a light contour and a nice shade of lip color to match. Her entire makeup goal was all about the glow. It wasn’t trying hard, it was just about emphasizing all the right corners and angles. I love it! But more importantly, I was dying to find out what’s the color of her lipstick. It’s nude but it’s a beautiful luminous warm and slightly brown nude.

 

Sephora Collection Oil Infusion Color & Care

 

When I found out that her makeup artist used a lot of Sephora Collection products on her, including the lips, I was like I gotta try that stuff. One of the lip products that she had on was the Sephora Collection Oil Infusion Color & Care in Iced Coffee (0.18 oz for $7) which I think was used as a gloss on her. It’s like a blend of a lip balm and oil, which is very similar to YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-in-Stick (reviewed HERE), but this one comes at a much cheaper price.

 

Sephora Collection Oil Infusion Color & Care

This balm and oil blend is extremely moisturizing and shiny, just like a slick lip gloss, but it doesn’t weigh on the lips. It has no distinctive scent, and it’s pretty long wearing. It does seem to transfer everywhere as expected and the lighter shades don’t seem to have a good color payoff. They also tend to settle into the lips’ fine lines but it’s only obvious up close. It’s also very softening on the lips and the overall effect is sheer and subtle.

 

Sephora Collection Oil Infusion Color & Care 09 iced coffee swatch

 

09 Iced Coffee – This is Bella’s lip color/gloss, together with the Sephora Collection Rouge Gel Liner in 01 The Nudest. I thought this color would show on me, but it did not. I guess Bella must have a very light complexion, so this shade showed better on her like a warm brownish nude. With my pigmented lips, this looks very sheer and very nude. I’m a bit dismayed, but this is also great as a gloss, given its lightweight and slightly shimmery formula.

 

10 Fresh Berries – Bought this on a whim and this is the shade of my choice because not only that it showed a subtle shimmery berry hue on my lips, this has really good pigments and it’s long lasting. It still kinda settles into my lips’ fine lines, but I love the nice and juicy berry shade.

 

Sephora Collection Oil Infusion Color & Care swatches 09 iced coffee 10 fresh berries

Sephora Collection Oil Infusion Color & Care swatch

 

I think almost all the shades in this line are quite sheer and if you have some pigments on your lips, then the shades will be almost quite translucent on you, except probably the shade No. 10 in Fresh Berries. However, this Sephora Oil Infusion Color & Care are pretty much multi-purpose; as a lip balm/conditioner, as a lip tint, or as a lip gloss.

 

Sephora Collection Oil Infusion Color & Care review

 

Overall, these aren’t bad at all, and if you’re into the juicy/popsicle lips trend, then these are for you. Also, if you’re looking for a good alternative of the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-in-Stick at a much affordable price, then you’re looking at them.

 

The Sephora Collection Oil Infusion Color & Care is only available at Sephora in-store or Sephora.com

 

Happy Monday Guys!

 

Song of the week: Coachella, by Lana Del Rey.

 

Follow on Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff