Reviews and Other Stuff

Clarins Water Lip Stain Review + Swatches

January 27, 2021 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

In today’s mask-wearing world, it is pretty much common sense not to wear any lip gloss. Anything that is shiny and sticky on the lips is a no-no, because it will not only attract hair strands but will also stick and stain any face mask. In fact, even some sticky and heavy lip balms can cause such disaster.

Currently, I am using some lightweight, non-sticky, and staining lip balms like the ones from Dior and Nars. I l also like the ones from Laneige and Glossier for very sheer lip colors, and they are reviewed HERE and HERE. Also, I am investigating some matte tinted lip balms and will report to you soon.

In my quest for that perfect pandemic lip balm :-), I discovered these fantastic lip stains from Clarins, and though these are not new releases, I find that these are perfect lip products to use for constant virtual meetings. Yes, I have been living my life in Zoom after Zoom like a lot of us, and I prefer the look of sheer lip products instead of full-shade lipsticks just because the sheer ones give an au-naturel look.

These Clarins Water Lip Stain are probably some of the best lip stains I have ever tried, and I have tried my luck on several staining lip products before, but I always end up getting disappointed. These lip stains do feel like water and have fruity scents. On the outside, these may look like Merthiolate (lol, if you know what that is, then you know some serious vintage medicine ), but once applied, you will find that these products really do stain the lips very well. In fact, these are so staining that it is a challenge to get rid of the stain, especially the darker shades.

01 – Rose Water – medium rosy pink

02 – Orange Water – true orange stain

03 – Red Water – bright red

04 – Violet Water – deep berry

One thing to note is that these products tend to stain the innermost part of the lips, which also has the thinnest skin. So, these will give you that ombré lip effect, or that K-pop lips. I think that these are perfect for layering, and you will not feel any stickiness from these products. The colors are also beautiful, vibrant, and very long-wearing. Even the whole tube will most likely last a long time because a little bit of the product can stain the entire lips.

I highly recommend these, especially when you are out and social distancing. These won’t interfere with your face mask and will not dry your lips. These are also perfect for Zooming.

Have you tried these before? What are your favorite lip stains?

SHOP THIS POST

Natasha Denona Love Glow Cheek + Mini Zendo Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

January 18, 2021 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Valentines is just a few weeks away. I have a feeling that I’ll decorate my shelves with a ton of pink :-). When it comes to pink stuff, I love looking at my Natasha Denona Blush palettes. I’ve been loving a few of them this year, even though it’s been quite a long time since I’ve worn full-face makeup. I’ve been focusing mostly on eye makeup with a bit of blush, and of course – some lip balms. You can see my latest lip balm picks here.

The Natasha Denona cheek palettes are some of the best I’ve tried so far. They are well-pigmented, and they give that glassy luminous cheek look.

Love Glow Cheek Palette – This pretty in pink palette spells Valentine’s day at first sight. The packaging has a glittery snow globe front cover. Upon opening, the entire compact will remind you of the Natasha Denona Bloom Cheek palette that everyone loves, except for the fact that this has different shades. Like the Bloom palette, the two shades at the top are still the creamiest ones, but all four shades – including the glittery ones – feel very creamy compared to other blush palettes. I like this palette a lot, which feels more like an updated and toned-down version of the Bloom palette. However, nothing compares to the original. The shades in this palette tend to pull as medium-cool pink on my skin tone. So, I think this will be great for daily use.

This palette has a mini version containing the bottom two shades.

Bloom Cheek Palette – This palette is still, hands down, my favorite compared to the Love Glow palette. I really like the apricot-ish, glowy, peachy, and dolly-cheek look the shades give. There’s nothing quite like this palette in the market nowadays. The shades may look too red or too pigmented at a glance but fear not because the shades can be used at different intensities. I believe this still gets the upper hand when compared to the Love Palette.

This palette has a mini version, and it contains the upper left shade only.

Mini Zendo Eyeshadow Palette – This small palette can give you two, three, or even more eye makeup look because the shades are so versatile. You can create an earthy, metallic, or a nice eclectic eye makeup look with this and still look otherworldly gorgeous . I like this palette a lot, and it’s the type that you can easily carry anywhere, especially when the situation calls you to be glam in a minute.

If you’re looking to pamper yourself this coming Valentine’s day, you will most probably love any of these palettes. I highly recommend them, and if you haven’t tried any Natasha Denona products ever, oh well, you really should :-).

P.S. If you’re wondering about the Tom Ford candle and would like to know if the scent is really that fabulous, the short answer is yes; it does smell so fabulous to me :-).

*Bag is from Polene Paris in Number Seven – gray textured leather. I like it a lot and will do a sole review of it soon.

SHOP THIS POST

Byredo Rinse-Free Hand Wash Review

January 14, 2021 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hey all! Curious what the Byredo Rinse-Free Hand wash is like? I’ve got two of them to review in this post. I, for sure, have been wondering what this uber-luxurious hand product is like. How does it feel? Does it smell nice? Is it moisturizing?

The Byredo Rinse-Free Hand Wash is marketed as alcohol-based, moisturizing, and is different from the other Byredo Hand Wash that comes in large dispensers. This product is more of a luxurious hand sanitizer to me, even though it can’t really be qualified as such because its alcohol content is only 30%. Therefore, it cannot kill any viruses or bacteria. You can probably say that this could also be a hybrid between a hand wash and a hand sanitizer. Whatever its purpose is, I can see that this is definitely marketed as a luxury product for the hand.

I usually use this for when my hands may need to be sanitized but making sure that I did not completely touch any soiled objects. Since this product contains less alcohol, your hands won’t dry at all. It actually somewhat feels moisturizing and, yeah, total luxe. However, this will never be a good substitute for a typical hand sanitizer unless Byredo will reformulate this product.

Suede – This doesn’t really smell like suede, but more of a fancy fresh soapy scent. I like the scent a lot, and it never seems to be boring. I kind of like this scent better than the rose one.

Rose – This has a very distinctive scent that smells rosy and musky at first application. The muskiness seems to stay for a while and can get a little too much for my nose. There are times that I can tolerate the scent, and there are times that I can’t. Because of that, I seem to like the Suede scent more.

Bottom line, I’m definitely curious what the other Byredo hand wash smells like. But for now, I think I’m settling with my industrial-grade hand sanitizer while the vid is still around.

Are you a fan of these? What are your current favorite hand sanitizers?

SHOP THIS POST