Missha's Semi Annual Sale:

The Damage [to my own bank account since I purchased everything] 


Missha is a Korean skincare/makeup brand that I've tried in the past but wasn't blown away by anything I bought.  To date, I haven't found anything mind-blowing from the line but I had been itching to buy SK-II for a while.  Before I managed to spend a ton of money on that legendary product of legend (hehe), I found out about the Missha sale and coincidentally found out that Missha makes a dupe of the SK-II essence that is so highly regarded.  I couldn't resist trying out other things since Missha sales are always great deals but I also tried to restrain myself due to my past lukewarm experiences with the brand.

The order with freebies

What I actually paid for: First Treatment Essence Professional Cheek Brush and Perfect Eyebrow Styler in Grey Brown

I got excited reading the reviews for this essence/toner and when I saw the ingredient list I felt like I really needed to try it.  My main qualms with Korean skincare (and I have qualms about every country's skincare so it's all even footing) is that they tend to be fragranced and contain ingredients that I don't feel are beneficial to my skin.  This is actually scent, mineral oil, alcohol and paraben free which I think is hard to find across the board of all skincare offerings.  I can review this after I test it out for a few weeks. Here's the description and ingredients:

 I had wanted an angle cheek brush for a while and seeing that Missha's was reasonably priced and got good reviews on Youtube (fashionismycrush has a great review on a lot of Missha brushes) I decided to give this a go.  My inital impression is that the brush is not very dense and the bristles are kind of splayed out strangely.  It also doesn't seem like a smooth even cut at the top of the bristles.  Hopefully this comes across in my photos.  I have yet to use this on my face but the pros are that it's a very soft brush with a secure ferrule.

Lastly, I wanted an angle cut eyebrow pencil and I know Asian brands have been doing them for a long time now, before Hourglass and other brands jumped on the bandwagon.  After researching some shades I chose Grey Brown hoping that it would be similar to my Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Ash that I recently gave to my mom.  I am using the other Anastasia pencil in Brunette and have not been as happy with the results (as predicted from my comparison post on these).  This Missha one has cool packaging but every time I pull the lid off the eyebrow side, the entire cartridge comes out.  The other end has a smudger sponge AND spoolie which is really pretty cool.  Will also let you know how this one goes.

With my order I also got five free sheet masks and a little vial of MISA Cho Bo Yang toner.  I think if they weren't already doing their semi-annual sale and the free masks I would have gotten more of the one-use samples as Korean brands are really good about giving out freebies (which I love!).  

The sale is going on for another week or so I believe.  Check it out for some pretty good deals and I hope to post more since I took a week hiatus (sorry!).  

Quick Lip Comparisons:  Things that Seemed Really Similar but are Actually Quite Different

Also, Thing I Couldn't Resist Buying


[All purchased by me]


This is sadly not a "dupe" post as denoted by that verbose title.  I started out with a couple lip products I liked (and which you've already seen many times in this blog) and thought that since these are some of my favorite products of the moment, I should go off and find some comparable products to blog about.  Well, it didn't end up working out so well but I did get a couple of new favorites to add to my collection. 

I thought that (in formula):

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquers (which go by the much cooler Apocalips in England) 

= 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream 


and (in shade)

Maybelline Color Whisper in Coral Ambition

=

Dior Addict Lipstick in Delice (I should just stop talking about this already)

Clockwise from Top Right: Rimmel Stellar, NYX Antwerp, Maybelline Coral Ambition and Dior Delice

As you can see from the swatch, the Rimmel Show Offs are extremely opaque much glossier than the NYX Lip Creams.  These Rimmel lip lacquers have the texture of a thin lipstick that is comfortable to wear and easy to apply.  However, these are surprisingly not food or waterproof and last on my lips about as long as a typical bright lipstick would.  The color is a bright almost neon pinky coral with zero shimmer.  I thought these would remind me of the Lip Creams in their pigmentation but it actually surpasses the NYX by quite a lot.  It's a true bold lip suitable for anyone who wants a traditional lipstick finish in a nicer formula and easier application.  The Lip Creams are decidedly matte and you need to build them up for full opacity.  I think the color selection in the Lip Creams is slightly more appealing but that is purely personal preference.

I thought that I would find a dupe for Delice in the new Color Whisper line and this seemed to be the closest pick.  However, it has a much whiter base than the Dior and reads more nude on my lips.  In terms of formula, I think that the Color Whispers are closer to matching the texture of Dior than the Revlon Lip Butters because they are thinner and more glossy.  However, the Dior has more of a balm texture whereas the Color Whispers feel lighter and more "gel-like" as their formula claims. I have yet to try L'oreal's take on this lip trend but will report back if I do on which one comes closest to the Dior formula people like so much.


Lastly, my random impulse purchase of the month (so far) is this Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Candy Coral.  Did I buy it just to try out the cool texture of this product?  Maybe.  Have I seen this in pictures of some pro makeup artists recently?  Yes.  Could I resist?  No.

Beware as this really is not super-pigmented.  It's endless entertainment molding this around the pan but when it comes to getting this color on your cheeks, multiple swipes are needed.  I think using a brush may help but have yet to try that out!

Q&A - Volume I



Although I am not a makeup artist, I am an avid consumer and during my many years of buying/applying/thinking about makeup I seem to have collected some bits of advice.  My friends seem to go to me for beauty-related questions and I think it's helpful to put some of my responses in blog form.  Since I am not a professional, please take my advice with a grain of salt but also see if you can find anything of value to you in these posts. Hopefully you find it as interesting as my closest girl friends at least!

1. What's the point of the grey cast caused by many popular Korean BB creams?

This really is a question that applies to BB creams from Asia and specifically Korea.  It seems most BB creams that can be purchased in American drugstores or the majority of high-end BB creams as well act more as tinted with a stable tint that doesn't adjust as it comes in contact with the skin.  Korean BB creams act differently and many have a definite "grey cast" when they are first applied on the skin.  I can't be certain what the ingredient is that causes this strange color (titanium dioxide is my best guess) but what I do know is that I prefer these types of BB creams so much more than the tinted moisturizer that just have "BB" splashed on their label for marketing reasons.  That in itself could constitute an entire separate blog post but to get to the point of the question, I believe that Korean BB creams do adjust somewhat to skin tone and the greyness has an immediate brightening effect.  The grey kind of makes your face a little scary and stark at first, but then the other brightening effects of BB creams kick in.  As soon as the grey cast goes away (and it will) as the BB cream dries down, the finish becomes dewy and the color adjusts itself to be much more skin-toned.

Bottom line: the grey cast goes away and has an initial brightening effect but will eventually adjust to a color that is skin-like and natural.

2. What kind of neutral eye look should I pair with a bright lip?

I just bought a Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Stellar and the color is super bright. It's almost a neon coral red color that is so fun for Summer.  I could do a comparison between this and the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream since they have similar formulas.   In any case, the bright color definitely pairs nicely with a neutral eye.  My choice for wearing this lipstick is actually another new purchase:  the Bareminerals The Epiphany duo from my last post.  I think my preference is to keep the eye look classic, not smoky for daytime.  This means winged liner, not smudged out liner.  For night, you can get away with a lot on your eyes if you're comfortable with that kind of look.  I think the tone of lip color is something to keep in mind as well.

Red: I think gold is an amazing color to make the color red easy to wear.  With a warm red, there's no way a true gold can go wrong.  If you wanted something less "holiday season" than that, try a light champagne-y gold.  It comes off as really classic and old Hollywood.  

Pink:  There's a lot of range with this shade, ranging from a purple-pink to a light bubblegum pink.  I like cool tones with pink shades, a nice taupey brown or a grey eye always seems to suit a pink lip.

Coral:  Strangely, I think coral lips really benefit from a similarly orange-toned eye look.  I think this is one lip where you can get away with a monochromatic look.  A reddish copper or true orange looks fun and fresh, especially for warmer weather.

3. Is there a nude lip liner out there that will suit every lip color?

A bit of a challenging question since I don't really wear lip liner.  Lisa Eldridge's color for the Boots line in Nude is very flattering and works well at perfecting your lips.  However, personally, I think lip liner is only really necessary for darker lip colors.  The whole concept is just too much work to match up every lip color you own.  I think red lips always benefit from having a liner but outside of that I wear lighter colors alone and darker colors usually as a stain.  In my opinion, I haven't found a "universal" lip liner.  

There'll be more posts like this in the future.  I think some questions may deserve their own post, for example a run-down of controversial ingredients in cosmetics, a breakdown of mask types and high/low end recommendations.  

Impulse Purchase: Bareminerals Ready Eyeshadows

[All purchased by me]


Ulta is a total vacuum for the money in my wallet.  Their gifts with purchase, buy one get one and other promotions sucker me into spending more time and money in that store than is humanly necessary. I purchased an eyeshadow quad and two eyeshadow duos from the Bareminerals Ready line and have no buyers remorse.  Do I wish I spaced out my purchases?  Maybe.  But when you're recommending these eyeshadows to a friend IRL and not just through this blog, you also get tempted into treating yourself to a few.  

The Bareminerals Ready eyeshadow formula is something I'm already familiar with since I bought The Star Treatment 8-pan palette around the holidays.  As people who've reviewed or used this formula knows, the color payoff, blendability and lasting power is outstanding.  These are definitely some of the best eyeshadows in my collection and I think if you purchase the 8-pan limited edition palettes especially, the value for money is worth it for the medium-high range price.  My only complaint about the original palette I owned was the complete lack of matte shades.  I prefer shimmery shades but we all know sometimes a matte is just necessary for blending out an eye look.  There are still only a couple mattes in the new palettes I bought but it's enough to appease me for now.

L to R: The Happy Place, The Epiphany, The Phenomenom

I'd wanted The Happy Place palette since it was released and I was especially drawn to the grey-purple matte color in the bottom left and the bright metallic coral in the top right.  If you remember my last post, I LOVE pinky orange colors for the Summer. 

Top Left and Clockwise: Peace, Imagine, Euphoria and Exhale

Sorry about the shadow cast in these photos.  If I didn't use the lid to create a shadow over the palette the colors became very washed out.  This is a pretty good representation of their actual real-life shade.  

Next, The Epiphany is an absolutely knock-out neutral duo.  The metallic shade is reflective, smooth as butter and packs a punch.  I think this creates an amazing smokey eye when using the matte shade with a heavier hand and it also can be toned down by using less for daytime.

L to R: A-Ha and Foreshadow

Last but not least, the most impulsive of all of these was The Phenomenom.  I dragged my feet about buying more of these eyeshadow palettes for a while because the shades never jumped out at me besides the two palettes above.  The whole motivation for this purchase came from a buy two get one free deal above the display of these shadows.  This duo is colorful yet not gaudy at all.  I really think people who are scared of color should consider these types of shades because they're flattering and not showy.  I like using the light dusty purple all over the eye up to the crease and then blending out the gold shade above the crease.  Purple and yellow is one of my favorite bold shadow pairings but this duo makes it much more wearable and approachable.  Almost ethereal in a way which is a really nice way of describing any makeup look.  

L to R: Azure Iris and Golden Iris

I swatched all these colors together and you can see how the metallic shades really pop out.  The closest in formula to those shades would probably be the L'oreal Infallible eyeshadows that are essentially tightly packed pigments.  Bareminerals is known for their original pigment eyeshadows but none of the "wow" factor is lost in the pressed form.  Can you tell I'm a big fan?

Top Row: The Ephiphany (A-Ha, Foreshadow) The Happy Place (Imagine, Exhale, Peace, Euphoria)
Bottom Row: The Phenomenom (Azure Iris, Golden Iris)

The Summer Line-Up Part Two

[Everything purchased by me]


When the weather gets warmer, I also tend to think warmer tones in terms of eyeshadows as well. Some of my favorite tones are a reddish copper, golden pink and bright teal.  I have a few examples of single shades and a couple palette recommendations.

Clockwise: Maybelline Seashore Frosts (LE), NARS California, L'oreal Pink Sapphire (LE) and Jesse's Girl Sunset Blvd

Sorry half of these are limited edition.  I think companies come out with these kinds of shades around the Summer months.

This is how they look swatched in the same order.  I'd recommend all of these formulas and obviously all these shades as well.

Too Faced Natural at Night and Summer Eye palettes

Fave Shades:  Top is from Natural at Night in Moonstone, Night Cap and Cocoa Star
Bottom is from Summer Eye in Coral Crush, Toasted Coconut and Cocoa Beach

I don't know why these both happen to be from Too Faced but these have the best shade selection of the palettes I own for the Summertime.  I believe the Natural at Night palette is available year-round and the Summer Eye palette is actually being re-launched this year in new packaging.  It comes in a tin now and I believe a couple shades may be different.  Overall, these palettes contain a great variety of true neutral shades and fun brights or more interested neutrals in the case of the Natural at Night palette.  I think the larger shadows on the left are actually kind of a miss in both of these palettes but otherwise, I think you can see from the swatches that these shadows are super smooth and pigmented.  

The Summer Line-Up Part One 

[All purchased by me or given by friends-yes I have generous friends who know I love makeup!]

Seems like just weeks ago since I did my "Spring Edit" post.  Oh wait it was only a few weeks ago?  Cue the typical "I can't believe Spring passed by so quickly" spiel. 


Starting things off with the boring stuff first, SPF is something I'm a big stickler about.   No skincare routine is complete without adequate sun protection and this is especially important when the weather gets hotter and the rays seem stronger.

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer in Aloe
This scent in the original lotion form always reminds me of Summer and the added convenience of a spray form just makes it even more appealing.  This disperses in the same way that an aerosol hairspray would.  It has a continuous mist and is a really ingenious way to get lazy people like me to moisturize during the Summer.  I really recommend this for a refreshing twist on lotion.  Disclaimer:  contains parabens and non-spectacular ingredients.  Still like the concept-will continue using.

Paula's Choice Resist Ultimate Anti Aging Hand Cream with SPF 30
Sorry the glare is cutting off the degree of sun protection this has.  I got this since the regular offering of hand creams that contain SPF is abysmal.  I think since hands show age so easily, this is something more companies should address since last time I checked women drive cars and enjoy outdoor activities.  This is very non-greasy and absorbs easily for something with such a high SPF.  Reviewers have also used this as a facial moisturizer, something I cannot attest to.  Apply at your own risk to anything besides hands!

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist SPF 30
My go-to every year for easy application, light feel and general convenience.  I always buy a backup when I run out.  Probably not the best if there's even a slight breeze in the air but as I've stated before, I'm all about the convenience factor.

MAC Semi Precious Mineralize Skinfinish in Rose Quartz
This was a limited edition product from last year's MAC Summer launch but they do launch a mineral collection every year.  I tend to like shimmery blushes in the Summer even though my face gets oilier.  Maybe it's so my cheeks don't look overly matte if I use a non-shimmery blush?  Who knows, I just know this is so pretty.

Lancome Teint Idole Fresh Wear in Bisque 0W
For the warmest of months, the lightest and most long-lasting of bases is required.  My ultimate oil-controlling foundation and darkest shade owned is combined into one with this product.  It's a watery texture that's very oil-controlling.  It makes sense since this contains a lot of alcohol.  So does Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk (another fave-go figure) and many other high-end foundations that have long-wear claims.  I stand by this even knowing that and even with my paranoia that this shade is every so slightly too tan/peachy for me.

NYX Haute Melon, Essence Candy Bar, MAC Lychee Luxe and Dior Delice

Can you tell I like corals?

NYX Round Lipstick in Haute Melon
Pardon the grubby packaging.  The lipstick bullet broke off pretty much as soon as I opened it (ordered from Cherry Culture) and I tried re-attaching with the freezer trick but it never worked.  This is a nice orange with a lot of pink undertones.  For me, this is perfect kind of coral.  The formula is also light and easy to wear but not the most moisturizing.

Essence Stay With Me in Candy Bar
From my "Top 5 Lip Products to Use Up" post, this is the lipgloss counterpart to the Haute Melon lipstick.  Great formula, highly recommend.

MAC Lipglass in Lychee Luxe
Totally picked this up on a whim.  I'd heard about this shade for years from die-hard MAC fans but was wary of trying their gloss because of how sticky the formula is.  Well, I don't regret this purchase because this shade is gorgeous and pigmented.  It's an orangey reddish color with gold shimmer running through it.  Yes it does have a heavier formula but I actually don't feel it's a dealbreaker for me. It's nowhere near as smooth as the Essence gloss but as you can see from the swatch, it has better color payoff.

Dior Addict Lipstick in Delice
I already talked about this in my last purchases post.  Easy, sheer orangey pink that is foolproof.  A glorified and overpriced tinted lip balm.  But I couldn't help myself.

I feel like my posts are usually too long.  Stay tuned for the eyes portion of this post!

Products Worth the Hype
[All purchased by me, or given as gifts from friends]

Inspiration strikes at the strangest times and I scrambled for my notebook and pen yesterday as I jotted down categories that I felt a comprehensive review series could be based off of.  None of these are original ideas, just categories that I can group parts of my makeup collection into that I think would be interesting to read.  Briefly I think the areas I can cover over the next couple of weeks include the one you are reading, it's counterpart "Products not Worth the Hype", "Products I'm on the Fence About", "Cult Products", and "Under-hyped Products".  Look forward to those and intermittent random posts as I feel inclined.

For the first category, I have two bases from different parts of the world raved about by girls spanning an even wider distance.  Included are a couple makeup brushes that have gotten nonstop attention recently.

Skin 79 Gold Label Super BB Cream 
This is one of those products that ignited the BB cream fever, for me at least.  It was the first true BB cream I've ever purchased and is an all-around fantastic base.  It looks natural, adapts to my skin tone, has light-medium coverage and blends out imperceptive-ly (just made that an adverb- GRAMMAR!)

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in 52
It's the closest thing I've found to the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in terms of finish, meaning it's barely detectable with a light-medium coverage.  It's hardly drugstore price in the U.S., but it's definitely worth checking out if you're not about to shell out for a very high end foundation but want similar results.

Real Techniques Buffing and Contour Brushes
Highly raved across the board by the blogging community, these synthetic hair brushes blend out products like a dream.  The Buffing Brush is my go-to for most foundations (except the very thin) and the Contour Brush has a myriad of uses.  Currently, I'm loving it for buffing powder around my T-zone area.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
As you saw a couple posts back, not all Color Tattoos are created equal.  However, this shade is cream eyeshadow perfection.  It's creamy, wears as well on me as a powder foundation and has enough pigmentation to be worn on it's own.  I very rarely find cream eyeshadows interesting enough to wear on their own but I'd make an exception for this one.

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Eyeshadow Palettes in Comfort Zone and Silent Treatment
These are soft, buttery pigmented shades that are easy to work with and come in a great selection of shades.  I think this is a strangely difficult combination to find in a drugstore eyeshadow but this formula is really top-notch.  For a fun variety of neutral and bright shades, check these out for $3-$5 each.

Real Techniques Base Shadow and Deluxe Crease Brushes
The eye counterparts to the last two face brushes I talked about, these brushes are an absolute must-have for me right now.  I use the Base Shadow Brush to apply and blend color effortlessly.  Something about the shape-how it's more tapered than the MAC 217 make me reach for this over my MAC brush every time.  I can say that I'd take a backup of this brush over the MAC 217 right now (crazy I know).  The Deluxe Crease Brush is an ideal brush for buffing into undereye concealer but I actually use it with a mineral foundation as a spot concealer and the combination is the best I have tried int terms of heavy-duty concealing.

Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me and Grape Vine
I had the original Baby Lips at one point after a successful Secret Santa gift exchange.  The two that stood out to me in the end were these two, especially Cherry Me.  I think the sheer red is a perfect shade for any skin tone.  It's my go-to easy lip in the colder months.  Grape Vine is just as the name implies, a grape-y shade that doesn't go too vampy.  Both of these can be built up to a decent opacity so beware when applying these without a mirror.  These are moisturizing and smooth just like others have said.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 01 Rose Shimmer
This was floating around the British blogosphere for a while and I was pretty impressed with the reviews.  I picked one up and determined that this would become my handbag staple.  A light, balmy gloss with only a hint of tint, this is very comfortable to wear and actually leaves my lips feeling more moisturized after it wears off.  

An encore and an appearance of two products I couldn't put into their own category because there was only one of each!

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Original
Choose a scent that you like, spray into roots, go do makeup, brush out and voila- second day hair that looks presentable.  This is a lifesaver for oily skin girls like me and this is one of the best I've tried so far.  Very worth the hype.

Clarisonic Mia
You've heard enough about this I'm sure.  Basically, my rationale for including this product is that it is the only thing that actually minimizes the appearance of pores for me.  Blackheads are much less noticeable and there's pretty much no cleanser/treatment that has a similar result.  I see this more as a treatment rather than a daily use product.  

Hope you found that useful and stay tuned for more!