Reviews and Other Stuff

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blushes Review + Swatches

May 20, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

The Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush (0.28 oz: 40 USD) is a very popular blush that a lot of people swear by, myself included. There is something about the quality of each compact and the shade range that seem to make the blush work very well on each and everyone’s cheekbones. On top of that, the aesthetic of the compact looks very elegant, even though its packaging design isn’t the most ergonomic. The whole look of it is just simply stunning and it’s the type of blush you would want to apply on your cheeks all the time.

The Cheek to Chic blush is very easy to use and each compact has two shades. One is a center shade that is meant to emphasize and color the cheeks, while the outer shade is meant to contour and sculpt the cheekbones. All you have to do to apply is to swish the outer shade across the cheeks and then apply the inner shade for a multidimensional look. Personally, whenever I apply this, I pretty much just swirl both the shades together especially when I’m in a hurry and I’d still get the same depth or effect more or less.

Most of the shades I’ve tried from this particular blush are really well-pigmented and at the same time very buildable and blendable. They really make your cheeks look beautiful and glowy, especially if you find the right tones that complement your skin. For quite some time, the Ecstasy and the Love Glow compacts have been my constant favorites even though a lot of the Cheek to Chic blush shades also look very nice on my skintone. Then the latest Pillow Talk Intense came and it’s also very very good.

Ecstasy – peach pink, adds a nice peachy coral glow for light to medium skintone. Reminds me a lot of the Nars Orgasm blush.

Love Glow – pink with surrounding glowy peach, for those who love a dolly pink blush with some hints of peach.

Pillow Talk Intense – deep rosy pink with very subtle glow, as what I’ve mentioned when I reviewed the new Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Collection (seen here), don’t be dissuaded by the deep tones of this blush. This gives a nice warm berry pink tone that seems to contour the cheeks especially when you’re lighthanded with your application. The original Pillow Talk blush is way too light for my skintone, but this intense version is a perfect blusher for Fall.

I would describe the Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic blush as very similar to Hourglass’, Bobbi Brown’s and Nars’. The type that is finely-milled, super soft, and most of the shades are very beautiful and very wearable. Definitely worth trying and collecting.

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Playa Hair Care Review

May 14, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello. Here’s a hair care brand that’s been popping out of my Insta feed regularly and it’s got a really cool name – Playa. This is the hair care brand I have mentioned in one of my previous hair care posts that seems to be really interesting especially for those who need a boost of moisture for their hair and could also work for those with oily strands.

In this post, I will be talking about Playa’s Instagram-favorite Every Day Shampoo and Supernatural Conditioner. But before that, I would like to mention that this brand has Sephora’s clean seal, so, the products are pretty much made of all-natural ingredients and also cruelty-free. I love their concept of promoting effortless beauty by simplifying the hair care products we use, which I’m all for.

Every Day Shampoo (8.45 oz: 28 USD) – This shampoo is made for all hair types and this has a pretty recognizable coconut scent. I also noticed some hints of honey plus some other natural oils. The overall scent composition gives a very tropical vibe. Not sweet, just sun, sand, and coconuts. The texture of this is like a thick gel and is slightly yellow-tinged. I find this to be foamy and this cleanses really well without the feeling of my strands drying. That’s because this shampoo is a very moisturizing one. The cleansing effect is very gentle and this keeps the hair moisturized without weighing it down. I believe this shampoo is meant for those with dry hair but will probably be a staple for me during the Winter months where my hair tends to experience some dryness. I also think that this is one of those shampoos that you can use every day.

Supernatural Conditioner (8.45 oz: 28 USD) – This conditioner has a very interesting texture. This probably has the smoothest texture I’ve ever felt in a conditioner and most conditioners have a very smooth texture already. Yet this one feels very buttery smooth, yellow-toned, and has an interesting scent of coconut and some other edible oils. This somewhat reminds me of the Kiehl’s Crème de Corps in terms of consistency. I do find that using only a little bit of this is enough to coat and moisturize the hair. As a very moisturizing conditioner, I still recommend this for those with dry hair especially for those with frizz issues. Because of the amazing consistency and how good this conditioner performs, I think this will definitely make you feel supernatural 🙂 and is definitely one of my top picks in hair conditioners out there.

Overall, with the neat packaging, clean ingredients, unique scent, and really good quality of this Playa Every Day Shampoo + Supernatural Conditioner, I think there is a lot to look forward to with this brand.

Have you tried any of these?

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(as well as the rest of my top moisturizing hair care finds)

Fresh Citron de Vigne Review

May 7, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

A few months ago, I reviewed the Fresh Beauty Lychee bodycare products, which you can read here. In this post, I will be reviewing another interesting Fresh scent for bath and body as well, and it’s the Citron de Vigne. This scent comes in candle form, perfume, lotion, and hand cream, among other things. While I have not tried the soap, candle, and fragrance versions, I do have a review of the shower gel, body lotion, and the hand cream below.

As an overview, the Fresh Citron de Vigne scent is what I call a good sweet citrus scent. It doesn’t have any acidic notes that you’d typically notice in most citrus-blended fragrances. I find it to be mild and definitely pleasing to the senses and has that overall Summer and vine vibe to it. When comparing it to the other citrusy scents from Fresh Beauty, like the well-loved Fresh Brown Sugar (which doesn’t smell like brown sugar at all) or the Fresh Sugar Lemon, well, the Fresh Brown Sugar has a really strong citrus scent which is very spa-like, and the Sugar Lemon isn’t my favorite because it has a really weird blend of lemon and probably too much sugar that it smells more like a popular toilet spray. But anyway, the Fresh Citron de Vigne is a very good light scent that is not heady and is not overpowering.

Body Lotion (10 oz: 26 USD) – This lotion is paraben-free, sulfate-free, and is mostly made of clean ingredients. Also, this has shea butter and Vitamins C & E that really moisturizes the skin while being lightweight and creamy in texture. Like most Fresh body lotions, this cream doesn’t sit on top of the skin, therefore, this gets absorbed easily. On top of that, this is not sticky and you can double this as a foot cream because this really delivers intense moisture on the skin and there is no need for reapplication. Once a day is enough.

Bath & Shower Gel (10 oz: 23 USD) – This has the same scent as the lotion and has the same texture as with most Fresh shower gels, which is thick yet very easy to lather. You only need to use a few pumps of the product and you’ll get a nice refreshing shower.

Hand cream (1 oz: 14 USD) – I would have totally fallen in love with this hand cream but I have a few reservations. While I don’t question the super-rich and moisturizing texture of this, as well as the wonderful scent, I don’t like the fact that this hand cream is really small. Not so much in terms of packaging, but more like in terms of content. It seems like the whole tube is only filled with half a product. Other than that, this cream really keeps your hand from drying.

Bottom line, the Fresh Citron de Vigne is a really nice mild scent that won’t give you a headache. Also, I recommend the body lotion and the shower gel if you haven’t tried them already, but I’m not quite sure about the hand cream.

What d’ya think? Have you tried these before?

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