FOTD : Sunday walk + small review

For this FOTD, my base is  Max Factor's Face Finity Foundation. This is one good drugstore foundation, it is really full coverage without being cakey. All I need is very little amount to even out my skintone and cover most of my blemishes.
It is not oily or dry at all on my combination skin. I have to try out this foundation more often to give a more in depth review.

My mascara this time around is L'oreal Volumissime Extra Black. I want to love this mascara. It gives my lashes the most beautiful volume and length but it is such a pity, this mascara smudges. By the end of the day I would have some raccoon eye action because of this mascara. Same goes to L'oreal Gelmatic Pen, I want to love this eyeliner pen too, for a drugstore eyeliner it has a great pigmentation, it is jet black, black as night and it is so smooth and soft, doesn't tug the lid at all but it also smudges on me. What a waste.
I find it quite a task to find eyeliners that do not smudge on me. All these while I have been living with eyeliners that smudges.

On the other note, I have bought two, you could call it high-end eyeliners. I am going to get on reviewing them soon. It might be a new HG.

ZA Rich Glam Liquid Rouge is beautiful on the lips but I wouldn't call it a liquid rouge. It is more like a pigmented lipgloss. It has a high shine but the pigmentation somehow lacks if you want to call it a liquid rouge. Pigmentation wise it is comparable to the NYX Round Lipglosses. When you call it a liquid rouge , I would expect a pigmentation like Rimmel's Apocalypse or L'oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick.
Still it is a lovely lip colour to own, it is not sticky and it is quite moisturizing on the lips.
In the photo, I put on one swipe of the liquid rouge.
If you don't like a in your face lip colour, this is one product to look out. There are lovely shades to choose from .
The shade I am using is RS481. It is a blue tone medium pink. 

Review : T.N. Dickinson's All Natural Witch Hazel Toner

It took me ages to go through this bottle, I bought it all the way from my Australia trip last Summer and finally about a week ago, I used it all up.

The toner comes in a 240ml bottle.
This toner promises to clean, sooth and tone naturally. Extract of the Witch Hazel plant help smooth pores, promoting clear fresh skin while assisting moisturizer and make-up performance.

The first time I use this toner, I notice the smell. The smell isn't exactly the most pleasant smell ever but it does go away after applying the toner. It doesn't linger on the skin.

The primary ingredient in this toner is witch hazel extract and the secondary ingredient is alcohol. Eventhough this product contains alcohol, I didn't see it dry my skin, infact after applying this toner my skin feels fresh and it doesn't leave a tightening effect.
My skin has been in a pretty good condition, this toner helped my skin to maintain its condition. It didn't cause any breakout or redness to my skin.

I wouldn't repurchase this toner not because it is not good or anything infact, it is a really good toner, it is just that it is very hard to get it from where I am living. It is not sold anywhere here. To those who has easy access to this toner. For a person who uses sparingly, the toner lasted me for almost a year! I use it daily.
I got it for about AUD7 (?) in Big W.

First impression : Lush angels on bare skin

LUSH Angels on bare skin.

I accompanied my friend to Lush because she was in need of a new toner and cleanser. She said that she did some research on Lush's cleansers and she heard a lot of great review on Angels on Bare Skin.
Since I got curious, I just jumped the bandwagon and got it.
Lush products are always on the pricier side here in Moscow. This cleanser is 336 rubles per 100 gram.

I have been using this cleanser for 5 days. I could say it is a pretty decent cleanser.
The cleanser has a soothing lavender scent. The texture is slightly coarse as there is ground almonds and lavender seeds(?).
The first time using this cleanser, I felt a little weird because this cleanser doesn't foam up. I am just so used to foam cleansers and this cleanser is a bit tricky to use. Sometimes you just don't know the right amount that you should use.
After much trial and error, I figure out a chick pea size is just right for my whole face.

The almond milk and oils in this cleanser keeps the skin very soft. The kaolin cleans the skin and removes impurities whereas the ground almonds gently exfoliate the skin.

Becareful! Do not get any ground almonds into the eyes. It hurts.

Up till now, this cleanser has been treating my skin really well, there hasn't been break outs or allergies with it but I don't know if I will repurchase this cleanser because I like a foamy feeling when I wash my face, it feels cleaner. It keeps my face soft after wash. It doesn't leave the face feeling too tight nor oily.
This cleanser doesn't thoroughly cleanse makeup though, a pre-cleansing with makeup remover is definitely needed.

I will see how it works on my skin after using it for a month. 

Beauty Finds : L'oreal Paris Skin Perfection 2 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution

Good September everyone. Weather in Russia has been really grim and gloomy, it has been raining on of most of the days since I landed back here. 

It is making me moody as well.

So, following the hype of the infamous Bioderma Micellar water, L'oreal has launched its own Micellar Water.

I have always been wanting to try out the Micellar Water but I couldn't make myself fork out so much just for a makeup remover. I never spend so much on makeup removers. 

I bought mine from the hypermarket chainstore Auchan.

It cost about 130roubles which is the cheapest I can find around Moscow. 

I have been using this Micellar Water everyday since I've got it, It claims that it is suitable for sensitive skin.I didn't experience any skin irritation nor break outs, it definitely feels very gentle to the skin. It removes makeup as it claims, so far it has manage to melt away all of my makeup except for my Asian waterproof mascara which everyone claims it is a total pain to get it remove. For the rest, it can be removed easily including the eyeliners. 

The after effect of using this water, my skin doesn't feel tight or dry. My skin feels pretty moisturized after using it but not oily. I do enjoy the feeling of it on my skin.

It is definitely a great and fast way to remove makeup on those hectic days where there is no time for deep cleaning. So far I am liking this product and I would repurchase it. 

Review : Etude House CC Cream in Silky + FOTD & EOTD

From my previous post, I said I would review the Etude House CC cream so now here's the review!

The CC cream is a white-coloured cream with microcapsules.

It is said the cream would adjust to skintone once blended. 

The mechanism of the cream is like when pressure is exerted on the microcapsules, the microcapsules will burst and 'colour' the cream.

I don't know if the CC cream blends well or leaves a white cast on darker skintones but from my judgement of the cream after blending, the cream is pretty light. 

It's a perfect fit on a NC15-NC20 skintone. 

Before.

After.

The coverage of the CC cream is really sheer. You need to have pretty good skin (and maybe some photoshop) to begin with to look as flawless as the brand's muse ( F(x)'s Krystal) on the promo poster. 

A concealer is definitely needed to cover up redness, blemishes etc. It only brightens and slightly corrects the skintone.
A way to boost the coverage is to mix it with a BB cream in a 1:1 ratio. 

The finish is not a flat matte, it is a soft matte/ matte with some sheen.

The lasting power is average, it can last about 5-6 hours before noticeable fading
I do not have oily skin so I can't judge the oil-control power for this cream but it think it has a fair oil controlling power.

It is really light. It doesn't feel like there's anything on the face.

I would recommend a CC cream to people who have pretty good skin and doesn't need any coverage but wants to brighten or waken up their complexion.

People with minor skin problems can use it too with some concealer or boost the coverage up with mixing 1:1 ratio with a BB cream/foundation.

The product comes with 35g and it is priced at 14,000Won.

Full FOTD.

Lipgloss is Cotton Candy by Candydoll

EOTD

New buy + review : Pore brush

This is going to be a new buy and at the same time review post.

In Korea, there's a lot going on about skincare tools especially pore brushes.
There are lots of brands offering pore brushes, for example Tosowoong being the most popular, Missha, Innisfree, Secret Key etc.

I was thinking of getting one since I couldn't afford getting the Clarisonic set.

So one day, I was browsing through the internet, I came across this seller who was selling these pore brushes for a very affordable brush. I manage to snap it up for around USD8 only.

The delivery took about 2 weeks and the brush came in good condition

The pore brush is nicely packaged in a hard plastic packaging. Even the brush bristles are held together with a cover.

The wood is nicely lacquered so that it will remain water-resistant.

The brush is really really dense and soft.

Okay, cleansing time.
Squeeze a dollop of facial cleanser on the slightly wet brush and then brush through the face.

Before,

My super clogged and dirty pore after a long day.

After,

Dirty clogged pores no more.

I have been using this item for around 4 days already and I would say I really love using it. The brush feels soft on my skin and didn't irritate my skin at all.
So far, It has been keeping my skin really clean and smooth, definitely better than normal washing. I can feel my skin is deeply cleanse.
I have noticed that I have less clogged pores after using this brush.

I haven't been breaking out, so I think it is also controlling breakouts but It can be my skincare that is keeping my skin under control.

The brush is too dense to dry, so keep it in a well-ventilated room after using it so it won't turn moldy fast.

I am glad I invested in a pore brush. 

Luminous code.

This time I am back with a product that I have been loving for quite awhile it has worked for me and I did a repurchase.

It is the L'oreal Youth Code Illuminator serum and because the serum worked on my face, I went ahead and got the moisturizer along. 

The serum and moisturizer set.

The moisturizer comes in a bulky silver coasted glass packaging with a plastic white lid.

This is gonna be hefty to carry around for travels, it's too bulky and heavy.

The cream has pearlescents shimmers in it.

The cream is really light and easily absorbed into the skin, it doesn't leave any residue.
I haven't use it long enough to see any new changes to my skin. I will do an update review when I use it long enough.

The texture of the cream. As you can see it is light.

Now to the serum.
I have been using the serum for about 4 months and I am definitely seeing improvement on my skin. My skin is now much glowier and brighter. Making my skin look healthier.
On lightening darkspots, I won't say it does much on that area.

A nice look of every scar and pigmentation and spots on my skin.
That is the glow I am getting after the application of the serum.

This serum is really light and spreads easily. It doesn't leave any residue on the face. It didn't break me out in the course of using it.
It has a scent, I can't seem to get what it smells like but it is not an unpleasant scent. It shouldn't bother people who hates fragrance since it isn't very strong and it goes away really fast.
I recommend this product for those looking for a skin glow and even skintone. 

Collective base review #1

This is gonna be a collective base makeup review.
I think it is high time I review some BB cream/foundation I own.

1.Maybelline Clear Smooth BB Cream

This is the Asian version of the Maybelline BB Cream. I don't know the difference between the Asian and Western version since I do not own the western version.

The texture of this BB Cream is liquidy of a foundation. Compared to Korean BB creams, this leans more to a tinted moisturizer with SPF.
The packaging is a tube with screw top. Since the BB cream is so liquidy, it actually leaks from the nozzle, creating a mess. This is what I hate about the packaging.
Does it promise the 8 things it does?
Brightens - Definitely
Evens - Yeap!
Smoothes - Smoothen? My face definitely feels slightly smoother.
Refines - I don't see anything refined
Clears -  Oh Maybelline BB, you are no pimple busting product. i don't even see Tea Tree extract or Witch Hazel extract or Salicylic Acid in the ingredient list.
Conceals - It evens, it does not conceal hyper pigmentation, dark eyecircles or pimples. You need a concealer for it.
Moisturizes - It is not very moisturizing. Don't skip moisturizer step and use this BB cream!
Protect Skin - Ofcourse! There's SPF and an extra layer on the skin.

It like that it sinks into the skin creating a "no makeup"-like base look. Maybe because it is very light.

Coverage of this BB cream is light to some-what medium. It is buildable but I do not recommend building it because it might make the face look pale.
It comes in 2 shades which caters for skintone NC20 to NC35.
Price wise, it is very affordable, it is good to grab one as a tinted moisturizer.
Oil control is above average, foundation last about 9 hours on me. I am not a very oily girl.

So far, I pretty like this BB cream.
I would give it a 3.5/5.

2.Ninelle Matt Effect Foundation

This is one foundation not available in Asia. I don't know which European countries this brand is available at but I got mine in Russia.
The texture of this foundation is slightly liquidity. It is very light.
Since it is light, the coverage is as light too. It is not buildable but the foundation stays on the skin. It is not very streaky, best applied with a brush, like most foundation.

It evens my skintone, conceals some redness but skin problems like hyper pigmentation, pimples or dark eyecircles, a concealer is definitely needed.
Price wise, it is affordable. I forgot what's the price but definitely comes under the affordable line.
It says it is a Matt Effect foundation but I don't find anything mattifying about this foundation, the finish is satin. Which I like it more than matt since matt can be too flat on the face.
This foundation is quite moisturizing. Oil control wise, it is not very good, stays about 3 hours on my face then magically fades off. My skin isn't oily to begin with.

I give foundation a 3/5!

3.Vivieene Sabo Lifting Care Foundation

I am not sure where Vivienne Sabo is available at. I got mine from Russia.
Texture wise, it is mediumly liquidy. The coverage is medium to full. Definitely buildable but I don't recommend building because this foundation is streaky!
I takes quite a long time to buff in with a brush to achieve a less streaky look. Imagine if using fingers, it is gonna take awhile before the streaks are less visible. Still patches of foundation can be seen on my skin. So dry skin people, just don't go near this foundation.
The magical thing is it looks good on camera (my camera atleast), what sorcery is this.
It conceals most redness and skin uneveness. Dark circles too if they aren't too heavy. For pimples and hyperpigmention some light concealing is still needed.

Price wise, it falls under the affordable range.
Oil control is okay, not too great but not too bad. About 5-6 hours on my face.

A 2.5/5 for this foundation! It still works for me.

4. Vivienne Sabo Ton De Plasir Foundation

Vivienne Sabo is a cheaper range of drugstore makeup find in Russia. This foundation is the most expensive foundation under Vivienne Sabo yet it is still very affordable.
Texture wise is a medium liquid. The coverage is medium to full and buildable.
I got to say this is my favourite Vivienne Sabo foundation because it is not streaky, it has good coverage thus conceals a lot of imperfections but major acne and hyper pigmentation still needs some concealing.
The only complain has got to be the undertone. It has very yellow undertone. I am Asian but my undertone isn't very yellow so it didn't match too well.
Since this foundation is marketed in European countries, I don't know how Caucasian deals with the undertone. If it is marketed for Asians, I would understand because the yellow undertone will suit lots of Asians.
Oil control is above average, this foundation can last the whole day for me with dusting of powder.
Price wise, it is under the affordable range.

I give this foundation a 4/5. 

Legit food spam + review.

Now it's time for the floor below to undergo renovation. The drilling sound is killing me. I can even feel my floor vibrating.

Here comes a legit food post.

During the holidays I went to Chili's to celebrate my friend's birthday.

My vanilla milkshake. Vanilla is my favourite flavour

The rest is major food spam!

Now to the review of my current rave foundation.
Vivienne Sabo Ton de Plaisir foundation

This is a fruit essence foundation, sort of like a cheaper alternative to Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation which is already affordable.
The coverage ranges from medium to heavy thus making your face look flawless but without caking up.
Lasting power wise, it last pretty well with powder on top. My face isn't very oily or too dry thus I can't really judge how it works on a person with oily skin.
I don't know why but this foundation looks really great on camera it makes your skin looks almost perfect.
The bad part it only comes in 2 shades just enough to suit Russian skintones.
It comes in 30ml. It cost about 200+Rubles.

Th swatch on my skin

Colours in white.

Since the hypermarket stocked up with more cheap nailpolishes. It screams haul time.

There's a lot of colours. Say goodbye to pitiful nailpolish collection I have here. I can experiment with more colours. 

I stopped by Body Shop and got myself a tub of body butter since my old one is finishing.

For Body Shop's body butters a little goes a long way and they are the best dry skin savers, for me. Just applying them religiously daily, I can get baby soft skin even during the harshest of winter.

Coconut scent is heavenly. I love coconut scented stuffs reminds me of my tropical homecountry.

A try out of yesterday's Fennel mascaras I bought.

Volume Rich.
It does make my lashes more voluminous than before applied but not as much as desired. Doesn't clump . Doesn't hold curl at all. Very easily removed with oil-based eyemakeup remover and water. Smudges when you rub your eyes or in contact with water.
Overall good mascara for its price

Natural Fiber.

This one is more clumpy and doesn't hold curl at all. It does lengthen my lashes a little but I do not see any fiber in the mascara. Smudges when you rub your eyes or in contact with water.

Very easily removed with oil-based eyemakeup remover. 

Also a good mascara for its price. 

Review : ELF healthy glow bronzing powder in Matte Bronze

Want a cheap contour shade that doesn't break the wallet?
Looks like ELF can solve it for you.

The Matte Bronze bronzer is pigmented and lean more to the brown tone instead of red or orange.
There's a little shimmers in it which is hardly visible eventhough it is called matte bronze but when applied, there's no shimmers at all.
Since it is so pigmented, apply with a light hand using a blush brush/angled blush brush/stippling brush.
Little goes a long way, I got this bronzer since a year ago, i still hardly made a dent in it but then, I hardly contour when I am in a hurry.
It last the whole day if you don't touch/rub your face throughout the day. Also, use a setting powder to set it.

The packaging is well, really cheap but that doesn't bother me because well what do I expect for USD1. The powder is pretty fragile. Don't ever drop it if not it is gonna turn into loose powder.

Overall, it is a very good product for USD1. I recommend it and would repurchase it.

Swatches on a NC20 skin. 

Missha BB Cream

My parcel came. I got the highly raved by Kumicky, Missha Oriental Herbs(Cho bo yang) BB cream which I ordered a few days ago.

It comes in a traditional oriental style design paper box with Korean wording printed on it.

I can't read Hangul so can't translate it.

The tube is also really elegant with the Hangul "Missha" printed in gold on it.

It comes 50ml of product and it has SPF30PA++.

The ingredient list:

Water, Titanium Dioxide, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Dimethicone, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Arbutin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Zinc Oxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Calcium Stearate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Magnesium Sulfate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Diisostearyl Malate, Talc, Beeswax, Iron Oxides, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylparaben, Cordyceps Sinensis Extract, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Fruit Extract, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Fragrance, Houttuynia Cordata Extract , Hydroxyethylcellulose, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer, Propylene Carbonate, Adenosine, Asparagus Lucidus Root Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Flower Extract, Bacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Bletilla Striata Root Extract, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Perilla Ocymoides Leaf Extract, Cynanchum Wifordi Root Extract, Lycium Chinense Root Extract, Polygonum Multiflorum Root Extract, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Allium Sativum (Garlic) Bulb Extract, Asparagus Cochinchinensis Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Coptis Chinensis Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Nut Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Schizandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Silica, Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract, Gold

What an impressive list. So many herb extracts and Gold. Pure Gold!?

I've already rave about this BB cream. I like almost everything about it.

The texture is nice and smooth. Very easy to spread.

Coverage is too my liking, it's medium.

It doesn't leave any feeling on the face makes the skin looks so smooth.

Smells well like chinese herbs. Some may hate the scent. I am fine with it.

It's also very long lasting.

The seller included some freebies for me.

A face mask from a Korean brand called Dermal I suppose.

and a free sample of Missha's BB Boomer. It's a BB Cream primer =/

Fynale lens reviews.

Fynale Y17 lens.

This design I bought in 2 colours because it's really pretty, the design.

This one is the Grey series. It's tri-tone, a thing black ring at the outer lens, grey in the center and brown near the pupil.

Brown series, black ring at the outer, pink in the center and brown near the pupil.

Colour : 7/10

Definitely more vibrant than the Y11 series. The grey one stands out quite a lot.

Comfort : 5/10

ehhh.. like the Y11 series, the lens is quite thick, thus the eyes gets dry fast.

Dont like the dry feeling, it hurts the eye.

Enlargement : 1/10

It's 14mm, no enlargement at all for me.

more for colour changing..

Fynale Aurora series

Colour : 9/10

really light, stands out a lot, since it is so light, there's for sure a halo effect to it.

The design is like blue dots over the lens and a lightly tinted thin black ring on the outside

Comfort : 10/10

super soft, super comfortable, so soft that I am afraid I might accidentally tear it. Also it flattens easily since it is so soft, sometimes I am afraid I will mess up which side is which.

Enlargement : 6/10

15mm. There's an enlargement to it but not as obvious as those with a dark ring on the outer side.

Review : Y11 lens

Fynale Y11 lens in Brown

This is how it looks like on the model.It is 14.5mm.

This is how it looks on my eye.

Colour is not as vibrant as on the model.
It changes the eye colour though.

Enlargement wise : 2/10
There's no visible enlargement at all, it is more for changing the eye colour.

Comfort : 5/10
It gets really dry fast!! After 5 hours or so, my eyes really tired and painful. I have to keep applying wet drops.
Maybe because of the thickness, it felt thicker than my Super Barbie lenses.

Colour : 4/10
Not so visible under indoor lighting but on natural lighting, the difference and be seen.
I like the design a lot,the tri-tone, it's really pretty.

With makeup on, so sorry my fringe is half blocking it.
Gotta trim my fringe soon.

barbie gal.

I picked up circle lens again. This one is just a repurchase.
It's the Super Barbie Princess Pink lenses. This one is my favourite out of the bunch of circle lenses I have tried. Another favourite of mine is the Sweet Pink/Candy Pink ones.

I have been using them for a bout a year now. So it's time to replace them.Looks like they revamped the packaging, now it comes with a nice pink box, even my envelope is pink (couldn't take a pic since I have already dumped it away)

Princess Pink blends with my colour very well.
It natural light it can look either light purple or brown but then if looked closely, it has pink hints.
Pink is like the special colour for lens.

Enlargement wise this lens are very enlarging but not too big, they are 15mm.
For tiny eyes like mine, I could not wear it out alone, some makeup work has to be done to make it work.
7/10

Comfort wise, for me they are comfortable unless you are wearing them for 8-9 hours. If it gets too dry, it can be fixed with eye moisture drips.
9/10

Colour wise, they stand out a lot in natural light and also indoor light. I have really dark eyes I think they show a lot.
10/10