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Saturday, September 28

Etude House's Precious Mineral BB Cream Review



Over the last two years I have tried six BB creams , and this is the best one I've tried so far. The texture of the cream itself is very smooth. It spreads like butter over the skin and is really easy to blend out. Event though I feel it has quite a light coverage it's the most buildable BB cream I've tried. I apply around two to three layers and it doesn't look cakey at all and gives the skin a really lovely dewy glow. The finish definitely reminds me of Bourjois' Healthy Mix foundation. I've found it's also really great for covering acne scars and blemishes, because it doesn't accentuate any dry patches or flakey skin. And because it's so buildable my acne scars and blemishes become barely noticeable.

Precious Mineral BB Cream in no.02
It's very moisturising , even though it doesn't make me feel disgustingly oily, I find I need to powder up on a long day. It was great during the cooler seasons, and I highly recommend this for those with dry skin, but I would steer clear  if you have oily skin. Now that its starting to heat up here my skin is reverting back to being oily, and I've found this BB cream just doesn't look or feel the same anymore. ;__; (super sad face). It also contains SPF 30 PA++ which is very nice, but if you're not very sun crazy like me, you'll probably still apply some form of sunscreen before hand. Finally, the scent. Just from the cute packaging alone I expected something light and florally  but instead was greeted with some off smelling sunscreen or something. It's kind of hard to describe, but thankfully it doesn't linger.

Aside from the scent and my oily skin this is a great BB cream and I'm already considering it as my favourite so far. It's also very affordable, usually pricing at around $15-20 depending on where you shop. I bought mine online from Yes Style on sale for $14 (woo!). It's a shame I have to wait six months to be able to use it again but I guess this gives me time to try out and finish off my other BB creams (there's so many…). Lioele's Beyond the Solution is next in line!

Monday, September 16

Koji Dolly Wink Pencil Eyeliner Review


Oh my gosh, I only just realised how long it's been since I did a makeup review. Has it really been three months? Anyway, here is a quick review on Koji's Dolly Wink eyeliner pencil, both the old and new versions. For those who don't know, Koji is a Japanese brand that offers a lot of cute looking, affordable products that really put some of our drugstore make up here in the west to shame; on cost and quality Here are the swatches:

From the left: Old formula, New formula
As you can see, they did end up reformulating the new version a little. The pigmentation is a lot stronger on first swipe.  There seems to be one other difference between the two that I've noticed (other than the packaging design, duh) and that is the staying power. On a regular day I only put black eyeliner on my upper water line, both liners are water and sweat proof, but I've found the newer version does tend to wander into the inner corners of my eyes a little. The old version, once applied, wouldn't budge, even on a 35 degree day. Aside from a little smudging, the new formula still lasts just as long. It's also a lot easier to apply, I don't have to work it into the lash line as much to get that intensity anymore, it glides on seamlessly.

These, for me are, the best pencil eyeliners I have ever tried. If you're after a great eyeliner that won't stray too much in hot weather, I can't recommend these enough.

Thursday, September 12

A Whole Lot of Empties 01


This post has been a long, long time coming. This is an accumulation of at least eight months of hoarding, and enough is enough. I need to throw these out now. So here's my first empties post!

Skincare

Avene Thermal Water
It's really just water in a can, and I didn't find it did much for my skin, but it was a great refresher on a hot day out.

Trilogy Rosehip Oil
This was the first oil I ever tried, great for the acne prone! However, I've decided to go for Sukin rose-hip oil now. It's significantly cheaper and works just as well. But Trilogy will always have a soft spot in my heart.

Botani Boost Balancing Moisturiser
One of my favourite moisturizers, and another great for acne prone skin. I am still a little iffy on the texture though, it feels light but can feel quite sticky after a while, so I really only use this during the cooler months. Until next winter, I guess.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment
This was an amazing lip balm, but I don't think I'll be forking out $30 on another one anytime soon...or ever. I could buy a new pair of shoes with that money...

Loooove this stuff! I'm already onto my second bottle.

Sigh. I really did love this exfoliator, but it's just so damn hard to get my hands on! See review here.

Forumla 10.0.6 One Smooth Operator Scrub
When my Liz Earle exfoliator ran out I turned to the back up. Eh. There's not much I can say about this product. It did the job fairly well, but it was quite harsh, and the artificial, grape-y scent was horrible.

This was a good moisturiser, but for the price it's a bit too average for me to justify repurchasing again. Sorry Origins.

This product however, I will gladly repurchase. It really helps kill those big nasty pimples quickly.

Laneige Perfect Renew Essence
This was a lovely essence. Unfortunately, because it is more for wrinkle correction, I didn't see any obvious affects on my skin, but it did make it feel really smooth. It also smelled really nice. :D


Haircare


Batiste Dry Shampoo
I cannot live without this product anymore, its really sad. I have very fine hair that's gets greasy very easily, and there's no way for me to get away with not washing my hair everyday. Until this guy came along!


Toni&Guy Leave In Conditioner
This is another product I probably won't purchase again. It didn't really do much for my dry ends, in fact, I think it made them worse. It also made my hair feel very weighed down and didn't improve smoothness and frizz at all.


Cosmetics


Natio Natural Cover Conealer
This was a really nice concealer. The shade was a little light for my skin, but it worked really well as a highlight under my eyes and around my nose. Great staying power as well.

Collection 2000 Concealer
Ah, the infamous collection 2000 concealer... I'm not going to lie, it's pretty amazing. Great staying power and hides nasty red blemishes really well. Already purchased my second bottle of ebay.

Bourjois Flower Perfection Foundation
I wear this stuff religiously in the summer for work. It's a very affordable, high coverage, matte foundation. I do a lot of running around at work and on a long 10 hour day this stuff just won't budge. Already onto my second bottle.

Benefit They're Real Mascara
I was so upset when this ran out. I would go out and buy another one but I still have a few more mascara's to get through at the moment. I must be patient...

YSL Touche Eclat Highlighter
I used this highlighter almost everyday. It was just so easy to use, just click and swipe. But now there are just as many cheaper options available, so I don't think I'll be coming back to this one anytime soon.

Phew. Thank god that's over...now into the recycling bin!

Saturday, September 7

Fashion Edit | Asos & Modcloth Wishlist


Despite my best efforts to curb my spending I still can't shake off this online shopping addiction. First skincare. Now fashion. Asos, I blame you and your amazing free, seven day shipping. Luckily, the Warehouse lace blouse to the left is already sold out, but the sweater and blouse are just sitting there in my basket, begging to be bought. I should really wait until they go on sale again, but I live in constant fear that my size will sell out. Must...resist!
Over at Modcloth, I have my eye on these cute blouses. Summer is coming, and I want to be prepared. When payday arrives (three more days!) I will definitely be buying those two. The stripe dress, however much I love it, will have to be left behind. I have to stick to my budget. Okay, I say that now but when the time comes I'll probably get it. Gah!