Reviews and Other Stuff

Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint Broad Spectrum Spf 30 Review

May 10, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Summer’s getting really close so it’s time to gear up and grab your best mattifying beauty products ASAP. Even if you don’t have an oily-prone skin, it’s still better to have something that keeps the shine away, unless you’re vying for that super dewy look, which isn’t bad at all. But with all the heat and humidity that summer brings, it’s good to be always prepared.

Almost all of us are probably familiar with the fan-favorite Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint, which is the velvety-textured sister of the Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (reviewed HERE). This product wasn’t a love at first sight for me because I thought I was already contented and really in love with the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. I also didn’t like the somewhat thick consistency of the formula when I swatched it on my arm during my usual ramblings at Sephora. When I finally decided to give it a try, because you’ll never know until you take the plunge, right? Boy I was wrong. This Velvet Matte Skin Tint from Nars is now my ultimate upcoming summer vibe.

The ingredients are pretty much like the Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and even the scent is somewhat similar (perhaps has a bit more spf-ish), but the texture is velvety-matte. It may feel kinda feel thick at the beginning, but it goes and blends smoothly. You don’t even need to put a lot, just emphasize on the areas that are prone to shine. I really like that this has Spf since it protects the skin while nourishing it with Vitamins C and E. Apart from the difference in texture, this Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint has a slimmer and more elongated packaging than the Tinted Moisturizer, so it’s easy to identify which is which among the two. Once applied, it feels very lightweight and could last for 6-8 hours on me. Of course, I may still have to blot the shine once, but most of the time, my face doesn’t look extremely oily.

Here’s two of my preferred shades:

Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint in Groenland – Light-Medium with Neutral Pink/Peach Undertone. This is my ideal shade since it fits really close to my skin tone. I love how it looks like I’m not wearing anything heavy on my face. The effect is very natural despite its mattifying effect.

Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint in St. Moritz – Medium with Neutral Yellow Undertone. My preferred shade when I want to look a tad bit tanned, though it has quite a bit of yellow undertone for me, but it’s not so obvious. I like to wear this a lot during the summer.

Apart from its mattifying effect, I noticed that this particular moisturizer also has good concealing ability. You can layer a bit of product on your blemishes or acne marks and it does an excellent job of hiding it. Ain’t it cool? I swear, if you don’t have this product right now, you should go ahead and try it.

The Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint Broad Spectrum Spf 30 is available in the following stores: Sephora, Barneys NY, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Net-A-Porter, Ulta and Nars.com

What’s your favorite mattifier this year?

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Rouge Dior Matte Lipsticks Review

May 9, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Since my last “Samples of The Week” Review, I’ve been testing a few Rouge Dior Matte Finish Lipsticks. But, in order to do that, I needed to try and swatch them in real life and see the colors exactly with my own eyes. I’ve seen these lippies before and I’ve even swatched them several times before, but I just couldn’t bring myself to purchase one because I find the shades to be mostly in the reddish side. I wasn’t bothered by the texture nor the scent, but I wanted more warm neutrals, muted plums, rosewoods and brick tones in it, so I guess I waited a bit more to see if there were more shades being released.

Fortunately, it seems like Dior’s been listening and they’ve released a couple of limited edition shades every season. These shades are somewhat more inclined to my fancy and with my recent Samples of The Week Post (found HERE), I fell in love with the Rouge Dior 772 Classic Matte Shade. This whole lineup of Rouge Dior Matte Finish Lipsticks have more variety of shades now than when it was reformulated and released I think about a year ago. In fact, the whole range of Rouge Dior Lipsticks have been reformulated and enhanced with more shades to choose from. Apart from the popular matte finish, these lipsticks also come in satin finishes and shimmers as well.

Packaging is really sleek. These lipsticks come in black/silver tube with a black cap on the outside and red lining inside. I don’t dislike the scent, but some may find it to be too much. At first, I thought they smell a bit like baby powder and cotton candy, but the more I use them, I sensed the hint of musky jasmine in it. The texture can be a bit drying as I’ve said before, but it’s lightweight and pretty much long-lasting. They’re well pigmented too. Mine lasts 4-6 hours of wear with some traces of colors still visible on my lips. The price is perhaps one of the main caveat of these lipsticks. Each costs $35 so you really need to choose wisely. Other than that, I really enjoyed these lippies and I recommend them to each and every one of you.

772 Classic Matte – A neutral muted pinkish shade that I first fell in love with upon trying it from a sample. It’s the perfect everyday lip color and it doesn’t look over the top. Definitely a classic shade that works for any skin tone.
745 Terrific Matte – A muted rosewood shade that is probably my most favorite color of all the Rouge Dior Matte Finish lipstick line. This shade might be kinda hard to find because I think this is a limited edition for Spring 2017, so I’d better stock up on this color asap.
951 Absolute Matte – I love red lipsticks, but bright reds don’t love me, lol. Red bricks do. So I went and took this shade with me home. I love muted reds and this shade is the best red I could pull off.

Overall, I love these Rouge Dior Matte Lipsticks much. If you can stomach the price, I think they’re reliable and so worth it, just don’t sell your kidney for it, lol! Anyhow, I recommend you try at least one or two perhaps and see it for yourself. Alrighty?

These Rouge Dior Matte Finish lipsticks are available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Dillard’s, Lord & Taylor & Macy’s.

Don’t go anywhere, stay tuned because a review of the newly released Dior Lip Tattoo/Lip Tint will be coming soon.

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Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment Spf 30

May 8, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

If you’re a fan of color correcting beauty products, then chances are, you probably already know this product that I’m about to review or maybe you’re already planning to try this pretty soon. This magical K beauty favorite known as the Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment is a breakthrough product that works like a charm. This one of a kind color-correcting cream works as an all-in-one product, be it as a foundation, a color-correcting cream, a bb or cc cream, a tinted primer, or simply as a lightweight moisturizer with added SPF.

It’s hard to describe what this cream really is because this works like “the cream to end all creams.” This is marketed as a color-correcting product that is green to beige and this is supposed to correct redness, even the skin tone, and hide blemishes. While this does a lot of stuff, this cream, though it looks very light green, actually transforms into a beige color upon contact with the skin, thus making it smooth looking and bright. No worries, this actually doesn’t leave a green cast on the face, instead, this simply neutralizes redness and makes the face look more awake.

The scent of this Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment reminds me a bit of Glamglow’s Supermud Mask, but way lighter. This cream is ideal for dry, oily, sensitive or normal skin types, and is inspired by the legend of Asian Tigers who roll on Tiger Grass to heal their wounds during their battles. That is because Tiger Grass is believed to promote wound healing on the skin.

This Cicapair color-correcting treatment from Dr. Jart+ is a must-have for the days when you don’t have time to do a full makeup routine. Sometimes putting a primer and foundation, then setting it, plus contouring and baking it, then adding some strobing in it can be a real pain in the neck. So when you need to evacuate out of your house fast, you’re going to need this cream. This will save you time and will hide the trace of life’s stresses away from your face. On top of that, this will work to heal your face and prevent it from going rogue over time.

What do you think about this K beauty bestseller? I think this is very holy grail potential. In fact, this is already on my list.

The Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment Spf 30 is available only in Sephora.

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