Pony Effect Master Contour Palette - First Impressions

Shade : Fabulous (Comes in 2 shades, the other shade is Marvelous)
Price: S$51 but varies, can be ordered from mini.box at Qoo10
Recommended for skintone of up to NC25 only
Made in Korea 
 

The packaging is slim and feels very sturdy, with magnetic closure. Can be alittle difficult to open, but i love the big mirror that opens flat (180 degrees).  This is my pet peeve and being able to open all the way flat makes the palette so much more practical. 

I used this palette twice since i purchased it.  All the shades are less pigmented in general but I found that works for my routine.  Sometimes I like to skip setting foundation with powder because some areas of my face can be dry.  If I use a bronzer or blush with good pigmentation directly, I'll easily get patchy results.  This palette won't!!!  I do have to pack it onto my brush, i'm using Wayne Goss #11.  I go over twice for it to show up on my face.  For this reason, i recommend this palette - to those who have dry skin and would like to skip setting powder.  

I've also used this palette on powdered face, I'll go over maybe 3 times or more to get it to show up well on my skin.  This is partly because I'm quite dark (NC25), for fairer skintone, you might not need to.

All the shades are suitable for fair skin, up to NC25.  This is typical of Korean makeup but some Korean brands are making darker shades for western market.

SUPER MAGIC
This is a matte, cream color powder. 

DREAM CATCHER
This highlight shade is beautiful!  It contains very fine shimmers and I feel this has the right amount of pigmentation.  

ON MY OWN 
I love this beautiful shade of blush, its a light, candy, pinky coral, matte shade. This is a youthful kind of shade and is not very pigmented.

BEHIND STORY
I love this matte contour shade because it looks very natural on my skintone.  In fact, this is one of the best contour shade i own (I'm ethnically Chinese for reference), in terms of the tone of the shade - not too cool, nor too warm toned. It would not work for skintone darker than NC25.  Its also not very pigmented.


PRO

• Great highlight, blush and contour shade
• Blush & contour shades are not very pigmented, which is great if you want to skip setting powder as this will act as a "setting powder" because it is a powder with color
• Powders are finely milled and tightly packed, thus does not stir up powder when you dip your brush into the pan
• Good quality packaging and big mirror that opens flat (180 degrees)
• Unscented

CON

• Less pigmented blush and contour shade if you already set your foundation with powder.  You will need to apply this on your face at least 3 times to get it to show properly
• Only suitable for skintone up to NC25.  Will not show up if you are darker than that
  
  

Thanks for viewing!

BECCA Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette - First Impressions

S$80 from Sephora.sg 
US$52 from Sephora.com
Will be launched at Sephora ION, Singapore on 22 July 2016
Made in USA

This palette is one of the most beautiful I've seen and own!  The palette feels solid, looks beautiful and I love that its so shiny.

The product are all extremely pigmented, both highlighters are very beautiful with fine shimmers, you will definitely love them.  On the other hand, they feels alittle soft and do kick up some powder when I dip my brush into it.  By that I mean, the powder is not as tightly pressed as Nars or Mac's blushes for example.  It seems to me they might shatter easily.

The compact has a large mirror which I love, and it opens approximately 150 degrees (Check out picture below, for reference 180 degrees is where the compact opens completely flat. 90 degrees is a right angle), which is amazing.  You'll appreciate it after owing products like Burberry's blushes, which opens approximately 90 degrees.  However, the hinges isn't tight enough, if I want the mirror to stay at another angle, say 120 degrees, it will drop to its maximum with any movement. But that could just be a flaw with my compact and others may not have that problem.

Of the blushes, my favorite is Pamplemousse.  Its a beautiful strawberry red with tiny and sparse imperceptible shimmers.  Rose Spritz is extremely shimmery, will work over matte blush when you want a glow on your cheeks.  Amaretto doesn't work on my skintone (I'm ethnically Chinese for reference), I'd probably use it as an eyeshadow color.  

I recommend using brushes like Wayne Goss' No. 14 or The Air-Brush with this palette.  Because all the shades are so pigmented, these brushes will pick up the right amount and give a beautiful application.

This palette keeps running out of stock at Sephora.com, so do check it out when it comes into Sephora stores on 22 July 2016!

Swatches applied using a brush, in the order of the palette

Heavier swatch

Made in USA

 

Thanks for viewing!!

WAYNE GOSS The Air-brush vs Koyudo BP025 & Wayne Goss No. 2 brush - First Impressions

Wayne Goss, The Air-Brush
US$35 from Beautylish
Limited Edition (released on 30 June 2016)
Bristles: Blue squirrel, cruelty free
Length of bristles: 3.5cm (1 3/8 in)
Full length from tip to end: 17.5cm (6 7/8 in) 
For use with powder products only
Hand made in Japan


I just received The Air-Brush yesterday.  It is a limited edition brush just released last Thursday, 30th June 2016, on Beautylish webite.  I placed an order right away as many of my favorite brushes are from Wayne Goss!

The bristles are made with gray squirrel, which is the same type of bristles in Wayne Goss No. 2 brush and Koyudo BP025 highlighter brush. However it feels softer than WG No. 2 brush and very similar to BP025.  The Air-Brush is a larger version of BP025, both pinched at the ferrule whereas No. 2 brush has a rounded ferrule.

For those who don't already know, gray squirrel bristles are one of the softest and most premium bristles for makeup brushes, over goat and other animal hairs.  They feel ultra soft and luxurious.  However gray squirrel bristles does not pick up powder products as well as goat bristles and cannot be used on cream or liquid products.  It is great to use with pigmented highlighters or blushes where you don't want to pick up too much product. This can be used for light dusting of setting powder.  It feels extremely soft on your face and you can gently bluff without disturbing the makeup underneath.

FRONT VIEW: Wayne Goss The Air-Brush (washed), Koyudo BP025, Wayne Goss No. 2 brush

FRONT VIEW

SIDE VIEW: Wayne Goss The Air-Brush (washed), Koyudo BP025, Wayne Goss No. 2 brush

SIDE VIEW

TOP: Wayne Goss and brush number in dark grey is lasered on the handle, 
MIDDLE: The Air-Brush (Limited edition), is in white and lasered,
BOTTOM: The original Wayne Goss brush, from his original release in 2013, is hot stamped!

I was told by Beautylish that the words on all Wayne Goss brushes are lasered. I made further clarification on why the words on the Limited Edition The Air-Brush feels "raised" when I run my fingers over it, like its been printed.  Beautylish reiterates that all Wayne Goss' brushes are lasered without further information. I can feel gray words in the regular line slightly, but not quite as much as The Air-Brush.  Both looked very beautifully printed, sharp and luxurious and for the brushes that had lasered words I purchased a year or so ago, they are still as beautiful and have not faded.

Wayne Goss The Air-Brush is sold out after a few days of its release.  It will come back in stock so do sign up to be notified when it comes back in stock.

Thanks for viewing!