Reviews and Other Stuff

Top Picks in Facial Cotton Pads

May 5, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Are you currently using a facial cotton pad? I’ve been using a few brands and have tested some in the past. I find that the ones that work very well are the ones that are made for sensitive skin. The soft and gentle type that doesn’t scratch the face and are perfect for toners or liquid makeup removers.

I’m not a big fan of the regular cotton rounds or cotton squares. The ones that have raised textures or are too small to use all over the face. Those types are scratchy and those require some rubbing on the skin upon application which isn’t so good, and those also absorb and waste way too much products. I like the ones that are plush, highly-absorbent, and easy to find like the ones below.

Shiseido Facial Cotton (40 – 165 sheets: 5 – 12 USD) – This is a well-loved facial cotton that is made in Japan and this is soft, compact, and totally gentle on the face. This is perfect for any toner application and even for any oil or liquid makeup remover. I like this a lot and this doesn’t break or disintegrate easily as you use this all over the face and neck.

CVS Beauty 360 Extra Thick Premium Cotton Squares (150 sheets: 3.79 USD) – This super soft and affordable cotton pad is so fluffy and this absorbs enough products especially toners, which means I don’t get to waste a lot of it. Even though this doesn’t feel as compact as the other cotton pads mentioned in this review, I find this pad to be still on par with the high-end ones and this is so affordable. There was another version of this that comes in somewhat green packaging, but I’m not sure if CVS still carries that one. I like that one a lot because that’s even softer than this extra thick version and though that pad tends to disintegrate easily, it’s way more fluffy so it absorbs just enough toner to cover the whole face. Then there’s also the current larger version of this facial cotton, but it’s definitely not soft on the face, in my opinion. I find it to be ideal for removing nail polish because it has more texture and is quite exfoliating.

Muji Soft Cut Cotton Unbleached (180 sheets: 6.19 USD) – This pad retains the natural specks of seed pods and husks that you’d normally see in most unbleached cotton products, which could potentially feel scratchy. However, I’ve only felt a slight scratchiness once or twice all throughout my usage of this particular facial cotton. Even though this doesn’t look white at all, don’t let the color and the texture fool you. This very natural cotton is so soft and so fluffy, which absorbs enough toner to apply all over your face. On top of that, this doesn’t disintegrate easily.

Chanel Le Coton (100 pads: 20 USD) – A very luxurious cotton pad embossed with the Chanel logo that is delicately packed inside a beautiful Chanel box. The size of this is about 0.5 inches and 0.3 inches (lxh) larger than most facial cotton pads and is ideal not only for the face but also for the neck. Cutting this into two would make this cotton pad quite too small for the face, but it’s very doable and definitely economical. The texture and the overall quality of this are pretty much like Shiseido’s, which is soft, compact, highly-absorbent, and lint-free. Also, this is made in Japan.

If I have to rank the facial cotton pads I reviewed above, well, my top pick will definitely be the CVS cotton pad because it’s the cheapest and it works just as great as the designer ones. In fact, it pretty much looks like Shiseido’s and it seems even softer. If my local CVS is out of stock of their cotton pads, which happens a lot all the time, then I’d definitely opt for Muji because it’s so fluffy and so soft. Third would be Shiseido, and lastly, it will be Chanel.

I have yet to investigate the Koh Gen Do Pure Cotton and the Clé de Peau Beauté Cottons, have you tried them before? What did you think about them? Any facial cotton pad recs?

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Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Collection Review + Swatches

May 1, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

If you’re a big fan of Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk lip shades, then you will most likely fall in love with her newest Pillow Talk Collection which now includes a blush, a highlighter, lip liners, and lipsticks (among other things) that are deeper in tones than the original Pillow Talk color.

I feel like this collection is an answer and a dream come true to those who had mixed feelings or couldn’t make up their mind about the original Pillow Talk shade. I, for one, could not work the Matte Revolution lipstick in Pillow Talk at first because it kind of made me look washed out, and the Matte Revolution’s formula wasn’t very long-wearing on me. But, ever since the lockdown, my skin had lightened a bit and for some reason, the original Pillow Talk shade seems to now complement my skintone. Also, I don’t know if it’s just me, but the latest Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks especially the matte ones seem to be quite long-lasting on my lips now. Hmmm, so, did I just received a bad batch in the past? Well, anyway, in this review, I will be showing you some swatches of my top picks in this newest Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk collection which are mostly lip products, by the way. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the Instant Pillow Talk Eyeshadow Palette because I think the shades weren’t so good for me. I find them to have lots of pinks and reds, however, it’s one big gorgeous palette.

Cheek to Chic Blush in Pillow Talk Intense (0.28 oz: 40 USD) – Described as deep rosy pink, this newest Charlotte Tilbury blush may look deep but this is actually easy to work on the cheeks because the texture is so fine and so easy to build and blend. This gives a beautiful rosy brownish mauvy glow that really defines the cheekbones. I like to swirl the outer shade along with the middle shade to have a more subdued effect when using this blush. I also feel like I could double this as a bronzer or as a contour because this shade is very versatile and also very pigmented, and speaking of versatile, this blush could be used for any season, for sure.

Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Pillow Talk (0.04 oz: 22 USD) – I always love this original pink nude Pillow Talk lip liner because this glides very well on the lips and this stays on for hours. This has a nice creamy texture that doesn’t feel dry. Also, this shade works very well with almost all of my lipsticks, so I always repurchase this, but I should have and will definitely try the Pillow Talk Medium soon. I do recommend this, and I think that if you’re looking for a good versatile lip liner shade, then you may like this one a lot.

Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk & Pillow Talk Medium (0.12 oz: 34 USD) – My favorite Charlotte Tilbury lipstick finish is definitely the Matte Revolution and with the addition of this newest Pillow Talk Medium which has a warm berry pink tone, well, I think I definitely like this more than the original Pillow Talk which is a pinkish nude shade, even though that one is starting to grow on me. This shade is what I’ve been waiting for from Charlotte Tilbury and this works really well for my light-medium skintone.

K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Pillow Talk Intense (0.12 oz: 34 USD) – If matte’s not your thing, then you most likely have preferred this satin finish lipstick which has a nice moisturizing effect on the lips, and this isn’t very shiny or overly sticky, which I love. In fact, I love a lot of shades from this line, but this newest Pillow Talk Intense shade which is a deep berry rose is a beautiful step up and a great addition not only to this line but to the whole Pillow Talk collection as well. This shade may be too intense for Spring and Summer, but this will be very perfect for Fall and Winter.

Have you tried any of this latest Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Collection yet?

Stay tuned for the review of my favorite Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blushes.

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Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan. Book & Audiobook Review

April 29, 2020 / OTHER STUFF / 0 comments

Here’s a book that I started reading two years ago but I didn’t think of finishing it until recently. In fact, I didn’t even know if I was ever going to finish it because of several reasons. For example, even though the cover is really intriguing and nice, the first half of the book was quite difficult for me to follow because the writing seems a little too convoluted and the story’s pacing is a little too detached. Also, some choice of words by the author seems quite complicated for what the book really is. So, I naturally have lost interest in reading it. However, recently, I spotted the book again in my bookshelf and I decided to give it another go. This time, I listened to the Audible version of it and I was glad I did because my impression of the book has now completely changed.

As you can see judging by the pictures of the book, both front and back covers, you can deduce that the book is a thriller. In fact, a psychological thriller, to be specific. The story is about Margot Lewis, an English teacher in Cambridge who runs her advice column called “Dear Amy“. One day, she receives a letter from a missing girl named Bethan Avery, asking for help because she’s been kidnapped, doesn’t know where she is, and at the danger of being killed soon. Problem is, Bethan’s been missing for twenty years and is already presumed dead. How can a missing girl be writing letters now and had a chance to send it by mail? Is it a hoax? Could it be true? Hmmm.. intriguing, right? Bethan is not the only girl who has been missing. Ever since her disappearance, there were already a couple of young girls who’d been missing around the area. Margot had a student named Katie who had also disappeared recently. Something is seriously wrong and she’s determined to find out, no matter what.

I love the interesting psychological concepts that the book was alluding to, like Dissociative Fugue, possibly MPD, and even hypnosis. As the plot unfolds and the story progresses towards the middle and ’till the end, you will find that the book is a heart-pounding experience with its own twists and turns. It completely changed my point of view especially upon listening to it via Audible because the narrator did a really good job of portraying the characters with her different accents and voice tones. Reading this book will probably still be a snoozefest, at least for me, but listening to the audiobook is a whole different story. So, I definitely recommend that you use Audible for this one.

I would love to tell you more about the story, but I would rather give you a clue: The first rule of fight club is – you do not talk about fight club. Got it?

Check out some of the psychologically thrilling books I’ve read or listened to below