Reviews and Other Stuff

Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colour Review

October 5, 2016 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

I have too many matte liquid lipsticks! – said No One. 🙂 Well, that is so true, indeed. Matte liquid lipsticks are everywhere! Seems like every brands are making their very own version of matte liquid lipsticks. Hmm, what do you know, Chanel didn’t wanna get left behind, so, enter my current matte liquid lipstick favorite, the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colour. I’m so excited to review this because I’m so curious to find out whether a high end matte liquid lipstick would outshine the current and popular mid-brands of matte liquid lipsticks, or not.

Much to my surprise, when I was picking up the shades, I was having a bit of a hard time because most of the shades don’t seem to match well with my skin tone. I have an NC3-35 skin tone and a Beige 30 in most Chanel foundations for the record. Most of the shades in this Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colours are on the bright reds, which I’m not really a fan of because my skin tends to complement with the vampy or dark muted hues.

Eventually, I settled with these two colors, the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Matte in 150 Luxuriant and 154 Experimente. These are almost the darkest shades of all the Rouge Allure Ink Matte Lip Colour. With respect to their formulations, they’re definitely matte in texture and they dry fast like most matte liquid lipsticks. They almost don’t have any discerning scent and they are extremely pigmented. I get about a good 5 to 6 hours of wear on these, and they also leave a slight stain on my outer lips thereafter. The brush applicator feels strong and robust, though the overall packaging is quite small compared to most matte liquid lipsticks. I like that it’s made of thick hard glass, but not heavy. Overall, the packaging is nice, simple yet luxurious.

150 Luxuriant: A slightly bright and deep fuchsia with bluish undertone. It’s extremely pigmented and super creamy. The formula takes about a full minute to dry and is very staining, but can be easily cleaned.

154 Experimente: The darkest of all the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Matte shades, and my most favorite as well. It’s a dark vampy red which dries immediately upon application and is also crazily pigmented and has a creamy texture. It tends to get clumpy if you apply too much, so go easy on this. It’s a beautiful shade for medium to dark skin tones.

As you can see in the photo above, the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colour’s packaging is quite tiny. For its price, I wish it came with a bigger tube which means more product. However, these lippies would fit very well in your purse, and they look really luxurious. Compared to most matte liquid lipsticks that are so popular out there, I think these ones are a good contender. They are true to what they are supposed to be, a matte liquid lipstick, but they’re not drying like most matte liquid lipsticks, and at the same time, they’re well pigmented and long lasting.

If you’re interested with these lippies, you can buy it HERE.

Thanks for your time guys, until next time…

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Sephora Collection Masks Review

October 4, 2016 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hi loves! today let’s talk about skin care. As you see, the key to make your makeup standout is to have a clear and healthy skin, but sometimes our face or skin can be exposed to harsh elements that tend to make our skin dull and stressed out. A good solution for this would be to relax and unwind, go to a nice spa because after all, life’s a beach. But nowadays, life can be so hectic that we barely have the time to chill. Thank goodness for some good face masks that you can do at the comfort of your home nowadays. I specially like the Sephora Collection face, eyes, foot, hands and sleeping masks. I usually grab some of them whenever I have the chance to visit that store. They’re so relaxing and so refreshing.

These masks (except for the sleeping mask) are made of natural fibers with different ingredients to target specific skin care benefits or needs. While the sleeping mask is more of a gel moisturizer that you can apply on your face overnight. They are dermatologist tested and I’ve never had any break out ever since I started using these.

Sephora Eye Mask. Favorites: lotus, green tea, pearl and rose. Such a refreshing mask for my tired and puffy under eyes with some dark circles. The green tea ones are so good for easing tension and stress around the eyes.
Sephora Face Mask. Favorites: green tea, pearl, orchid and rose. Never knew that the secret to a clean and refreshed face is a nothing but a serial killer face mask, LOL. Well, the mask itself is not scary, but once I applied it on my face, I got so scared at my own reflection. I thought I transformed into someone like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees! While this face mask is not for the faint of heart, joke!, the feeling of having this one on your face is like being in a spa somewhere in the Pacific, haha! also, this could double as your halloween costume. Just saying…:-)

Sephora Hand Mask: Favorites: argan and avocado. This is basically a pair of coated gloves with extra moisturizing and nourishing effect to condition dry and tired hands. You just have to keep wearing the gloves for 15 minutes and voila! For me, these hand masks helped a lot because I tend to have dry hands, so I use this in conjunction with my favorite hand lotion.
Sephora Foot Mask: Favorites: lavender and almond. A pair of plastic disposable sock masks that resembles a shoe wrap infused with some hydrating and repairing extracts that alleviates dry and sore feet. Wear it for 20 minutes and notice your feet feeling extremely moisturized and soft. It’s so good for someone who suffers from cracked heels.
Sephora Sleeping Mask. Favorites: pearl, lotus, pomegranate. The only non-fiber or non-cloth mask that resembles like your usual gel-textured moisturizers. You’re supposed to apply it on your face before going to sleep and leave it overnight. For me, it’s not that different from my usual bedtime moisturizer, so I don’t use this often. Sometimes I’d put it in the refrigerator for that extra cooling effect during application. But overall, I only noticed a touch of softness on my skin the following day. So I suggest using this only from time to time.

I’m pretty sure some of you may have tried these already. For me, I really like the eye masks, face masks, and foot masks the most. Which ones suit your fancy?

For more information and where to buy these masks, visit http://www.sephora.com

Thanks for reading guys!

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Favorite Compact Powder Foundations

September 29, 2016 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hey All! Today I’ll be reviewing about my top 3 Favorite Compact or Loose Powder Foundation which I’m currently using in conjunction with my favorite liquid foundations.

These compacts are so good at absorbing oil from your skin and giving you that mattifying or slightly silky finish. Some of them come with Spf while one can be used wet or dry. I’ve repurchased a few of them simply because they’re so good, while a few are the ones I’m currently testing and loving. I must admit that I don’t have a lot of powder foundations given that I have an oily skin. I really should have, but my issue is, once I fell in love with one specific powder foundation, I tend to hoard them while forgetting to venture and try some other ones out there. I’m kind of a product/brand loyal once I’ve found the right or compatible product for my skin, and that’s because in the past, I’ve had issues with powder foundations looking cakey on me, plus I’m also loving the liquid matte foundations that’s been popular lately.

Powder Foundations are really great for the summer when your skin is prone to sweating and humidity, but I still think that you should go to where you’re most comfortable with and what works well for you. I like using liquid foundations during the cold months because my skin tends to be drier and liquid foundations give that extra moisture on my skin.

Anyways, you ready for my top 3?

MAC Mineralize Spf 15 Foundation/Loose (Medium Plus) : Had this for some time and is currently being discontinued by MAC. The closest product I could find is this. What I like a lot about this foundation is its overall packaging and formulation. I love mineral makeups, but my skin tends to break out with them. Yet this foundation is mild and it works really well in making my skin looking oil-free. I also love its quick easy to apply buff/sponge.

Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Matte Powder Foundation (Warm 100) : L.O.V.E. I am totally crazy about this foundation. My absolute favorite and hands down one of the best powder foundations I’ve tried. I know a lot of people that swear by this and have repurchased this several times. What I like about it? There’s a lot to like about it for sure. Besides from creating a very natural look, it can be used wet or dry and it has such a fine and smooth formulation that mattifies my skin for several hours without any annoying scent and no breakouts later. My skin does not look completely flat like a flatbread, (LOL) but more silky or velvety. I also love its gorgeous packaging and it comes with a nice sponge. I’ve repurchased this several times now because I’m afraid of D&G discontinuing this, plus this particular product tends to run out easily. Another great thing about this product is that the shade Warm 100 is really spot on my skin color. Just a few drawbacks though, first, the price. It’s $61, so better use it down to its last grain. And lastly, there’s no Spf. Might as well make good use of moisturizers and primers with sunblocking capabilities. I recommend Murad Oil-Control Mattifier and Smashbox Photofinish Primers since they both have SPF.

Chanel Le Teint Ultra Tenue Ultrawear Flawless Compact Foundation Spf 15 (30 Beige) : A great all-in-one compact that answers to your oily skin issues. It produces a matte effect but it also has a natural and flawless finish. Extremely buildable and comes with a sponge applicator and with the typical yet subtle Chanel foundation scent, just like the Vitalumiere Aqua and the Perfection Lumiere Velvet. The shade 30 Beige is also a true match to my skin tone just like D&G Perfect Matte Foundation in Warm 100 reviewed above. Actually, these two powder foundations mentioned are almost neck and neck with each other. I can’t tell which one I preferred more. I just had this Chanel Le Teint Ultrawear Compact Foundation but I’m already liking its soft and well-refined formulation that is very very similar to D&G Perfect Matte Foundation as well. Plus it has an Spf 15 and it’s also $1 less.

As you can see in the swatches below, the shades from Chanel Le Teint Ultrawear Compact Foundation in 30 Beige and D&G Perfect Matte Foundations in Warm 100 are almost invisible on my NC30 skin. As with the most effective way of choosing your foundation, the shades should match and disappear on your skin tone quite well.

Any recommendations for a good mattifying powder foundation? What are the ones you swear by?

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