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Random Lipstick Favorites

March 23, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Whaddup guys! As you may know in my Insta lately, I recently went to NOLA and I had a fabulous time. A review of my trip there will be out very soon. When I decided to go there, I packed some lipsticks with me for the trip. They’re not necessarily new-releases, but just a bunch of what I discovered lately, and I’ve been testing them before, during, and after my trip. Excited to see which random lipstick favorites traveled with me to The Big Easy?

Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss in #119 Bourgeoisie (0.19 oz: $30) – I’ve been so stoked by the Chanel Glosses since my last lipstick review that I decided to add another one to my stash. I picked this shade because I like that it has some shimmers and it’s on the dusty rose side, which is more like the type of color I tend to gravitate towards. Since my lips have some pigments, this color looked more like a nude gloss on me. So, I’ve been using this as my wear-alone gloss, especially when I don’t feel like wearing any lip color and just wants to moisturize and add shimmer to my lips throughout the day. It’s also an ideal topcoat for any lip color which I did pair with the Laura Mercier Velour Extreme Matte Lipstick that I also brought with me to NOLA. That particular LM lipstick is reviewed below.

Sisley Paris Phyto-Lip Twist Tinted Lip Balm in #2 Baby ($50) – I’ve been so curious about this balm+lipstick hybrid from Sisley Paris. It’s supposed to make the lips supple, moisturized, smoothed, and plumped with every use. It’s also an easy to apply kind of lipstick since it is housed in an XXL pencil with a twist-release type. I definitely love the ease of using this lip product, it is practical and easy to apply. The formula is certainly hydrating, just like a balm, and the pigment is pretty good. On my lips, this #2 Baby shade just gives me that right baby pink color which is perfect for everyday wear. I love everything about this lipstick+lip balm-in-one product because it is moisturizing and pigmented and was perfect during my flight to NOLA. However, this definitely requires some reapplication especially after wining and dining. Also, due to its price, it’ll be kinda hard to collect some colors.

Astrology by Bite Limited Edition Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Pisces (0.15 oz: $26) – When I heard that Bite was releasing their limited-edition Astrology Amuse Bouche lipsticks, I was thrilled. I love the texture of their Amuse Bouche lippies a lot and when my own zodiac was out, Pisces, I immediately purchased one for myself. Now, this shade is pretty difficult to pull off. It’s like a mix of muted orange and pumpkin, and I just don’t see the “sea or ocean” vibe in this, but it’s Pisces, so the shade should closely resemble to the fish, but by being a fish shade, does that mean looking like a crawfish+amphibian love child? LOL, because that’s kind of the deal I’m getting with this lipstick. I still took this shade to NOLA, but I didn’t wear this though. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around this color. I feel like I can’t wear this without looking like a character for The Shape Of Water Sequel. LOLz, anyhow, I really like the texture of this lipstick so much, and it smells amazing. I realized that I could still pull this off by dabbing a bit of it on my lips and then try not to overdo it. Anyway, this color is no longer available, and Bite Beauty had already released their Aries shade, which seems to also closely resemble this Pisces lipstick. On top of that, it’s also already sold out. I wonder what will be the color of Taurus? I hope it’s gonna be a pretty one.

Laura Mercier Velour Extreme Matte Lipstick in Vibe (0.035 oz: $28) – Medium beige nude. I’ve tried another shade of this Laura Mercier lipstick line before and it’s called Fresh (reviewed HERE). While I like that shade quite a lot, I wanted something that is a little bit fit for an everyday wear, so I bought the Vibe shade and I surprisingly liked it a lot. I kinda hesitated for a while before buying this though, because I thought it would be too light for my skin tone and it might make me look washed-out. Fortunately, I really like the way this color looks on my lips. It gives a nice subtle flush of pale pinkish mid-beige nude and it looks really great if you have a dramatic eye makeup. It still feels kinda drying still, but I usually dab a balm on my lips before putting this on, or I apply a lip gloss immediately after putting this. Overall, this shade is very long lasting and was very reliable during my trip to The Big Easy.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dolce Vita (0.086 oz: $27) – Dusty Rose. I find this shade to be so pretty and I think this would work for any skin tone. It’s not only a dusty rose color, but there’s also a subtle red hue to it. Probably, of all the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils I have, this is my most favorite shade and it is long-wearing too. It makes the face look a bit bright and spring-ready, just like the weather in New Orleans, and it’s not an over-the-top kind of brightness since the matte texture makes the shade muted and very wearable. However, the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil is not so practical to have unless you’re always carrying a sharpener. This Lip Pencil does not come with a built-in sharpener and it isn’t a twist-release type. So Nars, please improve the packaging.

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Matte Lip Colour in #62 Libre (0.12 oz: $37) – I have no idea what took me so long to buy this lipstick in this specific color. This is one of the most perfect lipsticks I’ve ever tried. First, I really love this shade, it’s the perfect warm rosy nude for me. It flatters my skin tone very well, and it’s about 2 shades darker than my natural lip color. The closest dupe I could think of is the MAC Liptensity in Smoked Almond (swatched HERE), and perhaps the YSL #66 Bois De Rose (seen HERE), both of which are my holy grail. Lasting power for this lipstick is awesome, I get about 6 to 8 hours of wear with some eating, snacking, and drinking while I was in NOLA. The second thing I love about this lipstick is the texture. It’s velvety matte but it’s soft and light on the lips, and it’s definitely non-drying. You can swipe it lightly on the lips for a nice flush of color, or it can be very buildable. Lastly, I quite like the packaging of this particular lipstick line, easy to pop open and easy to close. Love it!

Have you tried any of these lipsticks already?

Latest Moisturizers, Cleanser & Eye Creams

March 20, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

The weather is slowly warming up and there’s a bunch of new summer-ready moisturizers, eye creams, and cleansers in town. I’ve been testing a few them via some samples and some that I’ve actually purchased in regular size as I feel like they’re so good that they’re worth keeping as part of my skincare routine.

If you’re into gel or water-like moisturizers like Tatcha’s The Water Cream (reviewed HERE) or Belif’s The True Cream Aqua Bomb, then you’re gonna find this review very helpful since you will find several options to choose from apart from these two creams mentioned. Also, if your skin is in the normal to oily, sensitive, or slightly dry range, these lightweight creams and gels are the ideal choice if you’re gonna be out and about in this coming warm and humid season.

Moisturizers & Cleanser:

Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Mineral-Rich Moisturizer (1.7 oz: $58) – This is a lightweight cream that goes into the skin easily, and it has a slightly earthy scent to it. It isn’t sticky and it makes the skin feel supple right upon application. It’s a great cream if you have a normal to oily skin, it’s also the perfect cream if your face tends to get slightly dry during the day, but this isn’t the most moisturizing if you’re super dry. I’ve used this for several weeks now and I have not noticed any skin irritations, which is great.

Murad Nutrient-Charged Water Gel (1.7 oz: $60) – A must-have for oily skin type, the texture of this is very similar to Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb. It’s is a lightweight, cushiony, water-gel that hydrates the skin very well and it’s also non-sticky. There is a mild floral scent to it, and it’s a great all day moisturizer and to layer under makeup. I like this a lot and it feels like nothing on my face once applied. This isn’t for the ones with really dry skin, but if you have dry patches or if you have normal to sensitive skin, then this is a great moisturizer to try.

Glamglow Waterburst Hydrated Glow Moisturizer (1.7 oz: $49) – OMG! I LOVE This Cream SO much. It smells like Oreo cream filling and it feels like Tatcha The Water Cream. It’s a very light cream-gel that turns into water, and it hydrates the skin for the whole day. It’s so good and it works for any skin type, just not for the super dry ones though, but this is definitely worth taking a shot. For me, this is one of the best scented lightweight moisturizers that actually works to moisturize the skin and keeps it hydrated for a long time without feeling heavy or greasy. A must-have and a holy grail. Oh, and I love that it comes in a decent-sized packaging and the price is not over-the-top.

Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser (3.38 oz: $34) – A blueberry-scented mild cleanser with actual blueberry bits and skin suspended in it. This cleanser not only cleanses the face, it also removes makeup. I’d say that this is a great everyday mild cleanser for normal, sensitive, or dry skin. If you’re the oily type, you may need something stronger or something that foams better than this, because this doesn’t seem to foam that much, and if you have too much makeup on, it’s gonna take some rubbing to completely take it all off.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask (1 oz: $22, 2.7 oz: $45) – This cooling moisturizer/mask has a true fresh watermelon scent that is extremely refreshing to the senses. This is a very light gel texture-wise, and you can use it as a wash-off mask or as an overnight one. Since this gel is very light, it goes into the skin easily and it keeps it moisturized. However, I feel like this is great as a 10-minute wash-off mask only, as for its overnight moisturizing ability, well, I find this to be quite weak, especially if you tend to have dry skin or has some dry patches. I wouldn’t suggest this as an overnight mask even during the dry winter season either. A regular thick moisturizer would probably do a much better job.

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream (1.69 oz: $68) – Meet my other holy grail moisturizer. This lightweight cream may seem plain and boring at first, but it’s not, and it’s the reason why I’m starting to believe in Drunk Elephant’s skin care products. Know why? this cream is very unassuming but it packs a punch. Its texture is not too thick and not too thin, which makes it ideal for almost all skin types. It doesn’t even have any captivating scent to it, and if it does, it’s just so plain, but the ingredients and its packaging are so worth it. It has peptides and amino acids which made a difference in my skin’s appearance and elasticity. I noticed a more radiant and renewed glow on my face like I’ve got baby smooth skin on. I never had any irritations with this cream so far, and it also works as an overnight moisturizer for me as well. On top of that, I really love the easy-to-dispense packaging since it’s so easy to release the right amount of product without having to dip your fingers in the tub, which makes it very hygienic.

Eye Creams:

OleHenriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème (0.5 oz: $38) – This eye cream can be tricky to find nowadays because it’s almost always sold out at least at my local Sephora and also online. There’s a reason for it, and it’s because this is probably one of the best eye creams you can buy. It smells great, it performs great, and the ingredients are also great. Though I’m not entirely sure if there’s banana into it, but this eye cream is inspired by the banana powder that some makeup artists used in order to brighten the under eyes. What I did notice is the nice sweet orange scent that is both captivating and invigorating the moment you apply this on the skin, and its scent stays on even after a couple of hours. Because of its orange scent, expect Vitamin C as one of its main ingredients, which is awesome as I’ve always wanted to incorporate this skin brightening ingredient to the dark areas of my face, like my undereye circles which have not seen the light of day for ages. The cream itself is creamy, kind of mid-weight type of creamy, it’s not so crazy thick that it’s sticky, but it’s not very thin either. I haven’t seen the brightening effect on my undereye yet, but this has a slight almost-invisible sheen on the skin once applied, however, the slight sheen goes away immediately but this cream keeps the area around the areas super hydrated even throughout the next day. This also goes well under concealers and foundations, and there’s ample product inside its bright orange packaging. This eye cream is definitely a must.

Chanel Blue Serum Eye Revitalizing Serum (0.5 oz: $70) – The latest eye serum released by Chanel and it’s worth giving a try. It’s a lightweight creamy serum with a barely noticeable clean scent. It goes into the skin easily and it makes it supple, smooth, and hydrated. It has green coffee and olives as some of its ingredients. Since I’ve started testing this, I feel like my eyes look well-rested, and a little depuffed. I definitely prefer this over the Le Lift Eye Cream.

Summer is fast-approaching so expect more lightweight creams and gel moisturizers to be released soon apart from the ones mentioned above. Bottom line, I still love and recommend Tatcha’s The Water Cream, Belif’s The True Cream Aqua Bomb and Tarte’s Drink of H20. However, I also suggest that you give some of those products above a try. You may wanna start with Glamglow Waterburst Moisturizer, Murad Nutrient-Charged Water Gel, or DE’s Protini Polypeptide Cream. For the eyes, the Banana Bright Eye Cream by OleHenriksen is worth a shot.

Best Lengthening & Volumizing Mascaras

March 6, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

What’s up, everybody! I’ve been looking for a very good mascara for quite some time now, and my search for the best and brightest ended up being an overwhelming one. With all these latest lengthening and volumizing mascaras being released in the market lately, I’d say there’s really a lot of contenders out there. I pretty much tested a bunch of mascaras to see which one is a stand out for me. Given the fact that I don’t have a lot of lashes, plus they’re short, stiff, and straight, finding the one that’ll work for me has been quite challenging. Nevertheless, I found some that are really really great, and the difference among them can be very subtle. Let’s see which mascaras made the cut.

Lancome Hypnose Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara (0.22 oz: $27.50) – This has a slightly curved brush, a bit like an S-shape. The brush itself can be a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because its shape can reach and coat the inner corners of the eye which has tiny lashes in it, so it’s quite accurate in that sense. However, its S-shaped brush can also be a challenge as it doesn’t curl the lashes well. Formula-wise, it’s more of a lengthening mascara as opposed to being volumizing.

L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara ($9.99) – This is probably the best affordable mascara you can find nowadays. It’s waterproof, smudge-proof, gives a decent volume and lengthening effect on the lashes, but it’s not that dramatic. It does a good job of evenly separating my lashes with decent volumization, but it doesn’t give me that big fat lashes that I want. However, this is worth looking into if you’re on a tight budget.

Benefit BADgal Bang! Volumizing Mascara (Mini/0.14 oz: $12, Standard size/0.30 oz: $24) – This latest release from Benefit has a nice edgy packaging that looks very unique. This is a good everyday mascara if you don’t care that much about extreme volumization and lengthening effect but prefers a more lightweight substance. I find the formula to be quite wet but not necessarily smudgy, it just takes a while to dry. It’s a 36-hour water-resistant mascara so it might be difficult to remove for some, but for me, it’s not that bad really. However, this particular mascara has quite a flimsy brush that a lot of us may not be used to, and can be a turn off for some.

Sisley Paris Mascara So Intense Fortifying Volumizing ($67) – This is probably the most interesting and most unique mascara I’ve ever owned. As you can see in the photo below, the brush looks like no other mascara brush before. It is shaped like a comb with very very tiny bristles. I’ve always been skeptical for its volumizing ability, given its tricky brush shape of course, and also for its exorbitant price. True to my suspicion, and in all honesty, this isn’t the best volumizing mascara in my experience, that is unless of course, if you already have long natural lashes. However, this mascara’s formula and brush applicator really lengthen the lashes and is the best at it. Since the brush itself is very fine, it can really reach into corners and can coat lower lashes, so it’s very accurate. The formula is very long-wearing too and it can withstand extreme humidity without any issue. I took this on a trip to one of the most humid places on earth, and my lashes remained long and coated but not necessarily curled or volumized.

Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara (0.44 oz: $23) – I like this mascara a lot. It’s one of the best in volumizing and lengthening lashes without any fuss. It doesn’t smudge, it’s long-wearing, it delivers, it works, and I really don’t have any issues with it, except that it’s getting harder and harder to find. I don’t know if it’s because it’s always in demand or that it’s gonna be discontinued soon. But for me, this is one of the best mascaras in the market that won’t disappoint anyone. It’s similar to Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, and it’s great for anyone with sensitive eyes and for those contact lens wearers.

Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara (Mini/0.21 oz: $14, Standard size/0.32 oz: $26) – I’m actually quite surprised at how much I love this mascara. It’s very volumizing and the formula is also very reliable. In fact, this mascara is at the top of my list as being one of the best. It gives big dramatic long lashes that last for hours and hours without smudging. I can’t complain.

Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara (Mini/0.13 oz: $12, Standard size/0.33 oz: $25) – This is probably my most favorite Lancome mascara as of the moment, and it’s also one of the best mascaras I’ve ever tried. It’s really very volumizing and very lengthening, it’s indeed true to its name. The formula is creamy and it coasts the lashes well, making them big, dramatic, and long. The effect lasts for hours without smudging or clumping. No wonder it’s Allure’s Best of Beauty 2017. Oh, and I love the cute pink accent on its packaging too.

Chanel Le Volume Waterproof Mascara (0.21 oz: $32) – I’ve had a few samples of this mascara before, but I just kinda ignored them because the formula looks goopy and clumpy around the brush. At first, I thought I may have just gotten some bad batch of samples, but one day I decided to try one of them and I was actually impressed at home dramatic and volumized my lashes looked. The formula is not really clumpy and smudgy once you apply it on the lashes. In fact, it actually helps to coat each strand of my lashes in order to make it look thick and full. The result is one super volumized dramatic lashes that makes you look very awake.

YSL The Shock Volumizing Mascara (0.28 oz: $29) – This mascara truly gave me the shock. It’s the best-scented mascara I’ve ever tried, and it really smells good. Apart from that, it’s also very volumizing, lengthening and overall very good in terms of performance and wear time. I like that it curls the lashes very well and you only need one coat to get that very dramatic lash look. This is really awesome and I truly recommend it.

Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme Mascara (0.27 oz: $45) – This mascara is one of the reasons why I love Tom Ford’s makeup products. It’s a very reliable, all-around perfect mascara when it comes to volumizing and lengthening the lashes. It doesn’t smudge, it’s not runny, it’s easy to remove, it doesn’t flake, it withstands humidity, it’s basically perfect, but it’s expensive of course, so if you’re looking for a very good high-end mascara, you won’t be disappointed with this. For me, this is a holy grail. Hallelujah!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara (Mini/0.17 oz: $12, Standard size/0.27 oz: $23) – This is the mascara that started my love for mascaras. It’s the best in volumizing, lengthening, and complete lash drama. It’s also great for Asians, or for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of lashes because it really gives you that extra volume to make your eyes look wide awake and poppin’. This can be difficult to remove though, but the pink tube which is the non-waterproof version is a bit easier to take off and it is long-wearing as well. Anyhow, this mascara doesn’t smudge, it’s super reliable, and it’s my favorite mascara of all time.

Bottom line, I am in love with all the mascaras reviewed here and I’ve been alternately using them because it’s just so hard to choose just one product as being the best. What was once a quest to find the perfect mascara ended up of me collecting some great products with reliable formulas. If I have to recommend some, I’d say, if you’re looking for a very very affordable and reliable mascara, go with the L’Oreal Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara, but if you want a very good high-end one, get the Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme. Other than that, you won’t be disappointed with Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, YSL The Shock, Chanel Le Volume Waterproof, Lancome Monsieur Big, Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir, and Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara.