YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick Archives

Hello Everybody, in my previous reviews, I’ve talked about the Becca Apres Ski Glow Face Palette (HERE), which I am still very madly in love with. But, there’s another face palette that I just couldn’t resist. It’s been on my radar for quite a while now, but I just can’t seem to make my mind on it unless I’d see it in real life. Given its price, I almost skipped on it, but when the Sephora Beauty Insider Event Sale came and I caught a glimpse of it immediately, I knew it’s going be another one of those love at first sight palettes. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3 ($80) is such a beaut and it’s probably one of the most beautiful palettes I’ve ever seen. As I placed one in my shopping basket, guess what I saw? another OMFG, those Hourglass Confession Lipsticks! Jesus, my uncle, I had to stop myself, but I heard Amy Winehouse singing in the background saying “They told me I should go to rehab, I said, no…no…no…” so yeah, the damage was done, I got the Ambient Lighting Edit V3 Palette plus two Hourglass Confession Lipsticks. Mery me.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3 ($80): Currently sold out at Sephora, but I’m pretty sure this will be restocked soon. This rose gold palette is shiny and luxurious looking. A real eye-catcher containing three of Hourglass’ bestselling shades, plus three new exclusives with a total of six different shades; two are setting powders (upper left and right shades) that color-corrects and blurs imperfections, while the upper middle shade is a universally-flattering highlighter. The lower left shade is a bronzer, while the remaining middle and right shades are blushes with different intensities.

To me, this face palette has it all. I love that I can use the finishing powders after applying my foundation, then I proceed into using the bronzer shade for contouring, while I use the sole highlighter to focus on the high points of my face where the light could hit. I then choose which blush I’d feel like using for that day, depending on the occasion and my mood, or I could just blend the two. For me, this palette is not only gorgeous, but I love its very soft texture, its natural effect on the face which is sheer but buildable, and it also gives that “lit from within” effect. I’ve tested the shades several times already, and while it’s no surprise how well pigmented they are, I’m really impressed with their lasting power. I applied the colors in the morning and I came home in the evening still with the same intensity of pigments on my face. There are two Holiday face Palettes that I think are worth having; one of them is the Becca Apres Ski Glow Face Palette (reviewed HERE) and the other one is this Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3. I might be a bit more biased towards this Hourglass one because it has more colors to choose from, and I love the fact that there are 2 finishing powders included in it. It has everything you’ll ever need in a face palette, and on top of that, it’s very compact, handy, and perfect for traveling. This is a must-have.

Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick ($34): These uniquely-packaged lipsticks will make you happy and sad at the same time. Oh well, first, let’s talk about the good news first. These lipsticks are housed in luxurious slim golden tubes with one pointy end. A bit like golden pointy cigarettes. These lipsticks scream luxe. What I love about these are their bold pigments. You can’t be heavy-handed while applying these. I find that I only have to apply this to some portions of my lips (sometimes dab), then I can just spread the shade all over without a problem. The formula is creamy and it settles into a satin-like finish. The lasting power is pretty good, probably around 4 to 5 hours on me, with some staining left on my lips. I love the fact that they’re refillable and the refill’s price is a bit cheaper. They’re pretty much easy to refill and it’s a no-brainer, although I tried to practice it at Sephora and I almost dropped the lipstick. But it’s just me, you know, because I’m clumsy. Anyways, these lipsticks are tiny and really slim. They’ll fit anywhere without a problem and I love their catchy “confess and fill in the blanks” kind of name. They’re almost pretty much easy and precise to apply on the lips. But here goes my beef on these. What a price for such tiny and slim lipsticks! It’s hard to justify collecting the shades, even though the range of shades is one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. I feel like having one or three of these are probably enough. So you really need to carefully pick which color suits you.

Here are my two faves:

I’m Addicted: Terracotta Rose. My favorite everyday medium muted rose shade. Reminds me a lot of my other favorite everyday shade, the one that’s always in my purse, the YSL #66 Bois de Rose.

I’ve Been: Deep Rose Brown. A pretty perfect for Fall rosy brown shade. Very alluring.

Overall, I think these are such gorgeous makeup must-haves not only for the holidays but for the whole year. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit V3 Palette is a must for me, but I think any of Becca’s Face Palettes especially the Apres Ski would be a good alternative. If you can stomach the price on the Confession Lipsticks, given its size, then it’s good to have at least one.

Have you tried any of these?

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3 is currently available at Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, & Net-A-Porter

The Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Hight Intensity Refillable Lipstick can be purchased at Sephora, Nordstrom, Barneys NY, Space NK, Bergdorf Goodman, & Net-A-Porter

Buh Bye

Follow me on Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff

Hey Bag Lovers! I’m back with another review of my favorite bag of the moment. I’ve had this bag for a couple of years now, and it has been used quite a lot. It’s a very functional bag due to its practical size that can hold a substantial amount of stuff, and is an ideal bag for transitioning from one season to another. It’s also versatile because it goes with anything, whether you’re rocking a biker chic look or an office attire. It can also be casual for running errands or just a walk around town kind of look. Truly a bag of all seasons, of shifting weathers, and a go to for anyone who wants to look polished yet edgy and trendy. We all know this bag, the Balenciaga Classic Metallic Edge City. A modern and even more edgy twist to the usual Balenciaga Classic City that we know. The bag is made of a strong yet supple grained goatskin, hand stitched handles and a removable shoulder strap.

It also has its signature gold metallic edges and golden studs. The Balenciaga Classic Metallic Edge City retains the same size, interiors, openings, zips and compartments as the Classic City, and comes with the removable leather framed mirror. The handle drop is around 4 inches, while the shoulder strap drop is around 8.5 inches. The bag itself is about 15 inches in length and 9 inches in height with a depth of 5 inches. It is quite heavy, around 1 pound or more, but it can hold a ton of stuff. The leather looks luxurious, robust, strong and quite resistant to scratches. Though the bag tends to get more supple with time, its beauty and resilience remains the same, if not better. I usually carry it during winter and down to spring. I even carry it during long haul flights without any issue. This is without a doubt, a multitasking bag for me.

Here’s what’s inside:

Iphone 6 Plus – The case is from Sonix, available HERE.
Wide-Tooth Comb – Believe it or not, this comb is 15 years old. It’s practically antique. Got this when I was still in high school. I don’t even remember anymore where I bought this from. But I’ve been keeping it because of the sentimental value. LOL. On top of that, it detangles my hair well, and prevents split ends. Still looks good as new too.
YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick in Shade 48 Smoking Plum. My most favorite YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Shade. Reviewed and swatched HERE.
Louis Vuitton Key Pouch – Contains my two favorite lip products as of the moment; the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick in 48 Smoking Plum, and YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in 66 Bois De Rose.
YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in 66 Bois De Rose. My favorite YSL Lipstick shade of all time. Reviewed HERE.
Louis Vuitton 6 Key Holder – Vernis Leather in Indian Rose shade. Love this for keys and keychain cards organization.
Burberry Classic Cashmere Scarf – Love the Ash Rose shade of this. Ideal for when the temperature gets chillier than usual.
Supermarket Pocket Facial Tissue – It’s always important to have this.
Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Dear Brachiosaurus Blotting Paper – I’m crazy about these blotting papers. It comes in 3 kinds; Mulberry, Green Tea and Mattifying Charcoal. Love that these don’t disturb your makeup, comes in compact case with mirror and a sticky puff.
Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Matte Foundation – Great for controlling oil on the skin. My shade is Warm 100. Reviewed further HERE.
The Woman In Cabin 10 Book – From the author Ruth Ware. Given by my cousin in Lahdahn. Haven’t finished reading this yet. Will soon make a review on the “Other Stuff” section of this blog.
Stella Mccartney Falabella Shaggy Dear Flap Wallet in Navy – even though it’s not made of real leather, I love the sleek look of this wallet, and it’s always good to be cruelty-free.
L’occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream – My favorite hand cream of all time. Reviewed HERE.
Lancome Color Design 5 Shadow & Liner Palette – Love that this is an all-in-one eye makeup product. Reviewed HERE.
Gucci Guilty Rollerball – A sexy and daring scent. With notes of mandarin, geranium and amber.
It Brushes for Ulta Airbrush Serum Foundation Brush #131 – Love the dense fibers of this particular brush, plus it’s great for contouring. More It Brushes reviewed HERE.
Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist – Ideal mist for traveling as it won’t leave your face dry. It also makes the skin luminous and glowy.
Kevyn Aucoin The Contour Duo On the Go – For all the contouring fanatics out there and the contouring ladies, this compact contour is made for us. Reviewed HERE.
Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray – Got this from one of my Sephora Play! subscription. Works to make your makeup last a long time.
Tarte Frxxxtion Stick Exfoliating Cleanser – Also got this from my Sephora Play! box, and it’s very convenient to use anywhere and everywhere.
Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara – My current fave mascara. It’s very volumizing with just one stroke.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Whiskey – Reviewed HERE.
Anastasia Brow Wiz in Soft Brown – My favorite eyebrow makeup product ever.
Bite Beauty Line & Define Lip Primer – Really love this menthol-flavored lip primer. Does an ok job of making my lipsticks stay longer.
Clinique Pouch – A free pouch that you usually get when you buy some products from the Clinique counter.

There you have it! The contents of my Balenciaga Classic Metallic Edge City. A one fine functional bag that can carry a lot of stuff. Sometimes, it can even act as shopping bag, because the bag expands and is very robust, despite its goat leather. I’ve taken it on several cross-country flights, and not a dent or scratch happened. The only caveat is the annoying shorter-than-usual shoulder strap. I don’t really see the use of the provided shoulder strap because it’s hard to wear the bag with that too short of a strap, and sometimes wearing the bag on the forearm with a lot of stuff inside can be really heavy. So I suggest and plan to purchase the longer shoulder strap that Balenciaga now provides for this particular style of bag. I think it’ll work much better and could improve the bag’s usability. Other than that, this bag is indeed a work of art and performance that gets better with time.

Ciao! Stay tune for my next in-depth bag review.

For the meantime, follow me on Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff

Reviews and Other Stuff

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3 & Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick Review + Swatches

What’s In My Bag? The Balenciaga Classic Metallic Edge City Review

reviewsandotherstuff