Cezanne Cheek Stick Review

Color: 02 (Coral)
Available in 2 shades (the other shade is 03 Rose) in Singapore.
  A third shade is available in other countries.
Contains 5 grams
Price: SGD15.90
Made in Japan

Cezanne is new to Singapore and i wanted to try it. I choose a blush stick because at the time, my only cream blush is from Canmake, which is amazing by the way. I wanted more variety in my cream blush department :)

PRO

• Easy and smooth application

• Long-lasting

• Shade is very pretty

• Packaging is pretty and sturdy

• Inexpensive for the quality

• Not scented

CON

• Very little product in a tube (5 gm), will not last very long if used daily
• Only 2 shades available in Singapore (A third shade is available in other countries)

APPLICATION |  I believe this is meant to be applied directly onto cheeks.  I swipe 2 strips across my cheeks, use fingers with tapping motions to blend. Then I add an additional short swipe to the part I want more pigmentation and blend with fingers.  Super easy.  I do not set with powder as cream blushes are mean to look skin-like and natural, like you are naturally flushing.  But you can also add powder blush over to further extend the longevity of the blush.

I also tried applying with a cushion sponge. (I use this method with my favorite cream blush from Canmake.)  I use a cushion sponge to pick up product from the tube, then apply on cheeks. This does not work as well with Cezanne because I don’t get enough pigmentation.  I need to repeat multiple times and ‘waste’ more product.  This is the reason I think it is formulated for applying directly to the skin.

LONG-LASTING |  Lasts 5 hours for me before fading. By the 9 hour mark, its almost disappeared. This is pretty good considering I do not set it.

SHADE |  The color I purchased is Coral (02).  It is a very pretty peach that looks natural and healthy.  It contains very fine shimmers, making skin look more natural and glowy without obvious glitters.  This will work for fair skin, maybe up to fair-medium skintone. Shade range is very limited. 

PACKAGING |  Packaging is very pretty and girly, very appealing.  It is also sturdy and closes tightly to keep product fresh.  Remember to close tightly after using, you hear a click when it is closed properly.

PRICE |  It costs SGD15.90 for 5 grams.  You can wait for 20% sale to buy it – SGD12.70 which isn’t too bad for the quality.

L’oreal Lightouring Dual Stick   SGD22.90, 8gm - SGD2.86

Cezanne Cheek Stick    SGD15.9, 5gm – SGD3.20/gm
Maybelline Master Flush Stick   SGD19.90, 6gm - SGD3.30

Nars The Multiple    SGD60/14gm - SGD4.30/gm

3CE blush stick cost    SGD34, 7gm – SGD4.90/gm

Fenty Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick    SGD37, 7.1gm – SGD5.20/gm

FRAGRANCE |  It doesn’t seem to be scented, which is a huge plus for me. I do not like heavily scented makeup or skincare.

My skin type  |  My cheeks are normal to dry

Weather  |  Humid & hot weather outdoors, cold and dry airconditioned indoors.

SUMMARY |  I recommend this product, however, i prefer Canmake's cream blush just a little more.

L'oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Gel, Sensitive Eye Make-up Remover - REVIEW

GBP3.99 from echemist
Size: 125ml
Made in Germany

I have sensitive skin, especially the eye area.  I've been using micellar water to remove makeup around my eyes, even though most days I don't wear eye makeup, just concealer.  Compared to regular micellar water, this has more slip, which lessens friction and in turn lessens pulling of the delicate skin.  It removes concealer and Mac pro longwear eyeliner amazingly well.  However, it stings my eyes when some got into my eyes.  That should not happen with eye makeup remover.

I pour some onto cotton pad, fold to get it to sink in, apply on eye area and gently rub makeup off.  As the texture is thicker than micellar water, I don't have to hold the cotton pad on my eyes to let it soak in.  It will stay on the skin when i move the cotton pad around my eye area.  Removing eyeliner and concealer is a breeze, concealer comes off almost immediately.  This is amazing!  I would highly recommend it if i didn't sting the eyes, which to me is unacceptable.  To counter this, I shut my eyes tightly and make sure I remove the excess gel before reopening my eyes.  (I'll add review on mascara soon, so come back again)

PRO

• Fragrance & alcohol free
• Non greasy
• Feels refreshing
• Inexpensive
• Gel texture reduces pulling of the delicate eye area
• Very effective and quick

CON

• stings the eyes

 

CONCLUSION:  Due to the fact that it stings the eyes, and how quickly it removes makeup, I highly recommend this as a face makeup remover.  Its amazing!!

Thanks for viewing!

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!

CHOSUNGAH 22 Bounce Up Pact Powder Foundation Review

CHOSUNGAH 22
Bounce Up Pact Powder Foundation 

SGD55 at SASA / USD36 from Sephora

For reference, i have combination skin and i'm NC 20-25 in Mac terms. I'm testing it in a hot and humid climate.

In Singapore and most asian countries, Korean makeup tends to only carry just 2 very fair shades, the darker which matches me or sometimes be slightly too fair.  I purchased shade 2, the darker shade and it matched me pretty well.  Sephora in USA carries 4 shades in total. Some other Korean makeup now make darker shades to cater to the western market.  It has a very light fragrance that quite nice.

The texture of the foundation is pretty unique, i fell in love the minute i swatched it in Sasa.  The reason i didn't purchase it immediately was because i'm not sure if it would work on dry skin. I have combination skin, oily T-zone and dry cheeks. It also contains very fine shimmers thats not noticeable on the face unless you look very closely and in some lighting it may be more noticeable.

The texture feels in between a solid cream foundation in compact and a powder. It doesn't 'bounce' as much as Maybelline's dream bouncy blush. When swatched, the finish is not dry like a powder foundation, but has a satin finish. Its beautiful on my hand. 

Its a light to medium coverage and I have been using it for the past two weeks. I switched between using the puff it came and Missha cushion puff. The original puff feels weird and plastic-y. It doesn't seem to absorb the foundation and feels alittle sticky and disgusting.

When swatched on the back of my hand, the finish is beautiful! Satin finish, doesn't look dry nor too dewy. I went home excited to try it. 

However, this did not work for my combination skin.  It clings to the dry areas of the skin and look a little patchy up close. When i try to get more coverage, even the oily areas looked patchy. Some days it went into my pores and no other foundation has done that! I used it for 2 weeks because i wanted to like it so badly. Some days the finish is more even, some days its patchy. I just can't make it work... I thought my SPF may be the issue and tried one day without sunscreen on one side of my face. Same thing happened... When i try applying a second layer for more coverage, it gets patchy and disgusting. Its also not long-lasting. When i've perspired alittle, it wipes off so easily i'm shocked!  This is the worst foundation i have ever used and its not cheap either!!!

Extract from Sephora website:

What it is: 

A long-lasting, unique powder foundation with a bouncy formula that leaves a velvety finish. 

What it does: 

Once it's applied, this foundation’s bouncy, high-coverage formula softly melts on skin and doesn’t smudge. Non-sticky and long-lasting, it smoothly delivers coverage and imparts a delicate, velvety radiance. Infused with moisturizing camellia oil, evening primrose oil, bladderwrack, African walnut oil, and sea buckthorn fruit extract, it hydrates and evens the skintone. Formulated with peptides and anemarrhena asphodeloides extract, this foundation hydrates and supports the skin's elasticity while creating a silky, flawless finish. Just apply a second layer to areas where you want fuller coverage.

SUMMARY|  THIS PRODUCT IS SO HYPED BUT FOR ME, ITS A DISASTER. I'M SURE IT WORKED FOR OTHER PEOPLE, THIS REVIEW IS ONLY HOW IT PERFORMED ON MY SKIN.  I WOULD RECOMMEND FOUNDATION FROM BOURJOIS, THEY ARE INEXPENSIVE AND AMAZING!

Beauty Blender vs Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge Review

Makeup sponges used to be inexpensive, basic makeup tools.  I used to buy a pack of wedges and use each one for a week and toss. I wash them after each use (...most of the time :) ).

They are very inexpensive and 'boring' tools that work very well.  Sponges are sanitary because I use a new one every week so they don't accumulate bacteria. 

The edges of wedge shaped sponges are fantastic for applying undereye concealer.  Sponges are great for applying foundation flawlessly. I love them!

Then comes the BEAUTY BLENDER.  It quickly became so hyped up, everyone is raving about it worldwide.  The thing is, it really is fantastic!!  Here are the comparison of two of the more popular egg shaped makeup sponges.  I've been comparing them, using they one on each side of my face for about 2 weeks.  The Beauty Blender I've been using for about a year, the Miracle Complexion sponge i recently purchased.  You can see the Beauty Blender is at the end of its life now, there are small tears and the 'pores' looked enlarged. Hope it helps!!

To wash these, I use the Beauty Blender Solid, which is my favorite for sponges and brushes. I also use other soaps like Lush's Rock Star soap, it works too.

 

Here you see the differences in size, on the left they are dry, on the right they are damp.

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Beauty Blender
Price: US$20

What the guys at the beauty blender says  |  The world’s first edgeless, non-disposable, high-definition cosmetic sponge applicator. The unique shape and exclusive material available only with beautyblender® ensures impeccable, streak-free application with minimum product waste. Use it with primers, foundations, powders, cream blushes, and any other complexion product.

beautyblender® features an open cell structure that fills with small amounts of water when wet. This allows the sponge to be “full” so that the makeup product sits on top of the sponge rather than being absorbed, allowing you to use less product every time. When wet, beautyblender® doubles in size and becomes even softer, returning to its original size when it air dries.

At beautyblender® we choose to use safe, water-soluble dyes that do not harm the environment and will maintain the integrity of our proprietary foam. For this reason, you may notice some color run off the first time you wash beautyblender®. This is normal and will disappear after you have cleansed the product several times. Please note that the color will not transfer onto the face or clothing.

 
My thoughts |

PRO

1. The shape  •  it's perfect.  The pointed end is fantastic for undereye concealer. The rounded end and sides of the sponge is amazing for apply foundation to large areas.
2. The material  •  when its damp, its soft but with the right firmness. For cream foundation, this is especially important. Cream foundations are thicker and requires more to work it into the skin and blend seamlessly. The Beauty Blender has the right firmness to make it work.

CON

1. The price  •  need i say more
2. Stains  •  foundations just stains it, even though I wash it right after using it. I even tried washing it repeatedly with Beauty Blender Solid.  Just can't get the foundation stains off. This is my pet peeve and it annoys me so much
3. Wastes foundation  •  do not use foundations that are thinner in consistency, like Chanel Perfection Luniere Velvet, with the Beauty Blender. It absorbs too much foundation even they say that it doesn't if its damp. It does! One way to combat it is to apply the foundation with your fingers quickly, there will be some patchiness. Use the Beauty Blender as a last step to blend it to perfection.  That way it absorbs less product. If you simply dot runny foundations all over your face, then start bouncing the Beauty Blender all over, i found that I don't get the coverage i expect because the foundations gets absorbed into the sponge, not on your face
4. Color comes off during washing   •   this is not a negative to me but may be to other people. During the first few washes, the pink color comes off quite a bit. You can see the water becomes pink as you squeeze the water from the sponge. Doesn't happen with Real Techniques.
   

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Real Techniques miracle complexion sponge

Price: US$6

What the guys at real techniques says  |  This versatile beauty tool was designed with a revolutionary foam technology to evenly blend makeup for a smooth, enhanced finish. Use damp for a dewy glow or dry for a full coverage.

•  rounded sides blend large areas of the face with a dabbing motion
• precision tip covers blemishes and imperfections
• flat edge for contouring around the eyes and nose
• ideal for liquid foundation

My thoughts  |

PRO

1. Easy to clean  •  no foundation stains, it's completely clean even when i wash it the next day. That makes me so happy
2. Price  •  at almost a quarter of the price of the Beauty Blender, it's amazing!!!
3. Its soft and bouncy  •  i love squeezing it because its so squishy

CON

1. Its too soft  •  i love using the pointed end to apply undereye concealer, but because of how soft this is, it makes it harder to use
2. The shape  •  the flat end isn't good for undereye concealer either because of how soft it is. I just can't get enough pressure because its so soft. However i like it to apply foundation on large areas. The rounded  sides are also great for foundation on large areas.
3. Cream foundations  •  again because of how soft it is, its not good for thicker cream foundations.  For these foundation, alittle firmness is a must to spread it around and blend quickly. This can still be used, i would dot the foundation all over, use it to spread by wiping it sideways, then bounce it all over to blend.

Summary  |  I prefer the Beauty Blender, it works better, quicker and can be used for more products and applications.  The price is ridiculous but its worth it since it lasts a pretty long time.  That said, the Miracle Complexion Sponge is a great alternative for the budget conscious. At US$6, its still a fantastic product.