Monday, January 04, 2010

8:16 PM

Silk Naturals Haul / Lip Product Swatches

Product : Silk Naturals Lipgloss / Lipstick

Where to Buy : http://www.silknaturals.com/

Price : US$4.75 - $US5.95 (Varies with formulas)

Quantity/Size: These are tiny, the tubes are slightly thinner than the average chapstick tubes.

Fragrance : lightly scented , smells like vanilla to me. Nothing too noticable once the product is on the lips

My rating : 4.5 / 5

Repurchase? : Yes, Definitely

1 reason to get it/them: Because they are Silk Naturals' "Slimshines" with lipcare properties at only around US$5 each!

Texture: I think these are good dupes of MAC slimshines. If you like those, definitely try these.

All the formulas are smooth and easy to apply. None of these are completely matte. Some are more shimmery than others. There are also colors with no shimmer at all but with a very natural looking glossy finish.

Pigmentation / Color Payoff: Almost all the colors I chose are warm colors, more suitable for golden/warm/olive skin tones. I also prefer to leave my lips natural and avoid strong colors. SN still has a variety of plums and mauves that I would not be trying because those colors definitely will not suit me.

The normal formula ( white stickers) are the mostly very sheer.These This means that the same color will look different on different people.

You can tell from the swatch that there's not a lot of difference between some colors. Personally I cant tell an obvious difference between mimosa, foreplay and darling on my lips. Then again, my lips are rather pigmented. If your lips are more on the pale side, the result will definitely be different.

The Vegan, organic and black label lipglosses are a lot more opaque than the normal formula,still not totally opaque, but good enough.

Shades I like : For a shimmery natural , I love Foreplay, Mimosa, Precious, Negligee, Caramel and Maiden.

Precious is the most shimmery of all the lipstick I got, while caramel and maiden doesn't have any noticeable shimmer.

Rhapsody and Tender are lovely when I want a little bit of color as if I just bit my lips. A sheer coat of Rare berry also gives a similar effect in a cooler tone.

Polished Pink and Darling almost look the same on my lips because they are quite sheer. But they are too dark / reddish for my liking so I usually only wear one coat of these. As a result, there's almost no noticeable difference.

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I also got a foundation refill and some samples to formulate my own Silk Natural's foundation.
I did order from them about a year or more ago, but I was too big of a Everyday Minerals fan to really put my heart down and make a switch.
Finally I've decided I'm gonna do it now!

It's stated that each refill pack should contain 1 table spoon per package, enough to fill a 30g jar. But it filled about 2/3 of my 20g jar. I dont have an issue with that personally, but I did buy a 30g jar elsewhere because I wanted to put my SN foundation in. That's ok I guess, i'll just use my 20g jar. I guess if you have medium or deep medium skin tone 1pack fo Ivory with the colored base will probably fill a 25g jar. Silk Naturals is know for the high quality ingredients they use in their foundation though. The price is still much cheaper as compared to most counter brand foundations.

Here are the pics with the full size refill pack next to a 30g jar of my chacott powder that I have. The smaller package is their sample pack.

Labels: Lip Products, review, Silk Naturals, swatch

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

3:11 PM

NYX Pearl Mania Review w/ Swatches

Product: NYX Pearl Mania Loose Pearl Eyeshadow
Price : USD1.25-USD3.50 ( varies at difference stores and websites)
Ingredients: Mica (and) Iron Oxides (and) Titanium Dioxide

Price : 5 / 5
The quality of these babies is really really good. These are usually on sale for about USD1.50 each before shipping. You get about a 12gm jar full of product, so dont let the packaging fool you. These are really value for money. They are nicely pigmented and shimmery. The shimmers/glitters are also very finely milled. When I got these, there were only like, twenty colors, I chose 15 of those that will look good on me. However, NYX just came out wiht soem new colors. So the total color selection should be 30 (or so)now.

Packaging : 2/5
The original packaging is impossible to work with. The opening of the little container it too small to let a brush in. It's only big enough to dip in one of those sponge tip applicators. I ended up depotting mine into some stackable 10gm jars. But i still got some powders left, enough to fill a 1inch pan. Thats a lot of product for just USD1.50.

That's about it I guess, its a really short review. I often realise that when I like a product, I have very little to say , other than " It's great!"
The swatches below are applied on the TKB Trading Eye fix (Eyeshadow Primer)

Labels: eyeshadow, Lip Products, NYX, review, swatch

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

3:18 AM

NYX MegaShine Lipgloss : Review/Swatches I

Product: NYX Megashine Lipgloss (aka Goddess of the night Gloss)
Price : USD3.75 - USD8
Ingredients: Mineral Oil, Octyldodecanol, Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit, Bees Wax, Paraffin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Grape (vitis vinifera)Seed Oil, Butyl Parahydroxy Benzoate, Propyl Parahydroxy Benzoate, Microcrystalline Wax, Ceresin, Polybutene, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Ricinus Communis (castor) Seed Oil, Tocopherol (vitamin E acetate), Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, D&C Red No.7 Calcium Lake, Fragrance.

I left out "Smokey Look" in the photos because it was in one of my bags and i totally forgot about it til now.

SweetHeart: a shimmery, very light pink.

Lollipop: a shimmery, coral pink that is a bit more sheer.

Frosted Beige: a shimmery, very light nude

Chestnut: a shimmery, light medium nude shade

Natural: a cream finish, medium neutral pink

Oro: a shimmery, medium copper gold

Candy Shop: a slightly shimmery, sheer and buildable coral pink

Smokey Look: a cream finish with barely noticeable shimmers. A Neutral pink lighter and more pink than natural.

These glosses are more expensive than the NYX round lip glosses. These are of a thicker and more sticky consistency than those too. However , I wouldn't say I like these better than the round lip gloss or are of higher quality. I think the two are just different kind of glosses. One is a lightweight thin gloss, the other is a thicker, more sticky and slightly longer lasting gloss.

The megashine glosses are sticker than the round lipgloss , but not as sticky as those glosses that feels like glue on the lips. However, when the wind blows, do expect some hair to get stuck on the lips (something I cant stand). That, somehow didn't stop me from using and liking these.

For this reason alone, I prefer the round lipsticks to these. After about a couple of hours of wear, after some gloss wear off, it's not so sticky anymore and it's bearable for me. That's why I still wear these even though i don't like sticky glosses.

I think there are 3 kinds of finish for the Megashine Glosses (from the reviews I saw on youtube as well as the colors that i have) .

There are the shimmery , slightly shimmery (almost non-noticable shimmers), and cream finishes.

My favourite shades are Lollipop, CandyShop and FrenchKiss. Lollipop and Candy Shop are more sheer in a sense that you wont be able to get the exact shade you see in the tube on your lips. ( You can with Natural , Oro, etc) . But I like them because of these, as it look more natural and does not accentuate my lip lines as much as some other colors.

I especially like Candy Shop because it makes my lips look almost glass like. My lines look less obvious, which is a surprise because megashine lipgloss do tend to accentuate lip lines. I love the coral pink tint it gives my lips. I just really like how soft it makes my lips look.

French Kiss is sort of a nice neutral pink that I can wear. I guess I am not such a fan of the very shimmery kind of gloss.

I guess this review is kind of short because i just keep repeating the same things over and over :S. The price is good, but I only get them when they are on sale because i do like the round lip gloss better

Labels: Lip Products, NYX, review, swatch

2:15 AM

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencils : Review/Swatches I

Product : NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil
Price : USD2.50-USD3.50
Ingredients: Ceresin Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Polyethylene Wax, Beeswax, Squalane, Hydrogenated Resin, Hydrogenated Styrene, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Mineral Oils, Isopropyl Myristate, Polyisobutene, Butlated Hydroxy Anisole, Propyl Paraben, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, C.I.77491/2/9, C.I.15850, Pearl Powder.

Rose Brown: a satin finish, medium brown
Iced Coffee: a satin finish, neutral pink with brown undertones
Narcisse: a satin finish, dark red with very obvious blue undertones
Chestnut: a slightly metallic finish, light medium copperish coral pink
Almond: a satin finish, light nude color. great for nude lips for fair - light skin

I love the texture of the Jumbo lip pencils. They are harder than lipsticks, but still pigmented and creamy enough to go smoothly over the lips. Some colors are more creamy than others. Although they are called lip pencils, they work as lipsticks. Their staying power is also better than the round lipsticks. However, the color selection is very little compared to the round lipsticks.
These don't have a scent. However when you are applying it, you can smell the scent of the bamboo or wood that makes up the stick that is around the actual product.
Personally I think there are a lot of dark shades and not nearly enough of those nude and MLBB colors to choose from. There's nothing that I don't like about these; the price is also really cheap. Even after shipping and postage fees I paid less than SGD10 for each.
These are definitely better than some of the other drugstore brand makeup. NYX is probably the icing of the cake when it comes to pigmentation as compared to other drugstore brands.

I am planning to get more colors in the future because i think they make touch up a breeze.
.
The one that I am most excited about in this batch is Narcisse. I got it for days when i want to go into a darker look, or more dramatic inspired makeup looks. Too excited that I put it on the moment i opened my package and took a FOTD :)
This was supposed to look solemn and, well fierce. But it didn't really turn out that way :S
I love the shade of red , reminds me of that blood-stained lips of some old vampire show i watched way back. ;)

Labels: Lip Products, NYX, review, swatch

Monday, March 23, 2009

12:23 AM

Avon Haul 2 - Retinol and Glazewear Lipsticks

My Avon Haul came! . It's considerably a small haul. I got it from the friendly spree organiser who always packs items in PostPacs again!. I wanted to get some More lipsticks because Avon's everlasting lipsticks are on sale. However I was too late for the spree! It was closed by the time i checked. :( Now i just hope she (the spree organiser) will open another spree soon.

I got 6 Lipsticks in total. 3 Glazewear and 3 retinol pumping Lipsticks. Most of the colors i Chose are either nudes or peaches.

Sorry No swatches yet!

Glazewear Lipsticks

(Champagne Glow, Coral Gables and Brown suger (i think).)

I got them at a sales price of USDaround USD3.99 Each

These are so GOOD they are so GREAT. Previously when i got AVOn stuffs these weren't available on the website. It's weird because some times the website doesn't display some items. I assume its because they are OOS or something. I got lucky this time and were able to get a few. Now i am totally regretting not getting a few more colors because the texture and finish of these are just wonderful. I like these better than the Maybelline collagen Lipsticks.

These go on VERY creamy. Feels great on the lips. They smell similar to the Pro-To-Go lipsticks. I really love these. They have a shimmery finish but looks very natural and doesn't make me look like i just dip my mouth into glitter.

Champagne Glow is a Perfect MLBB colour for me. It's a shade lighter than my lips. I guess u can say its nude to a certain extent.

Coral Gables is a Pink coral. I don't see any orange/peach in it at all. Thus i was a bit disappointed because i was expecting a nice peach colour with the name . Nonetheless, it will go great with purple and pink eye looks.

Brown Sugar- I have to apologise because i cant remember if the name was brown sugar. It was too dark for me the moment I opened it. So i gave it to my bestie, Vicky. (u can find the link to her blog at the side bar) . I think it'll work as a good MLBB / nude brown lipstick for her.

Beyond Color Retinol Lip Pimpign LipStick

(Peach Daiquiri, Beige Shimmer and Sugar Creme.)

These often go on sale, I think i go them as USD2.99 each

Peach Daiquiri came broke. It's not ONLY broke. It got stuck on the cover and i had trouble getting it out without squashing the product. When i saw the lipstick after opening the cap, (see picture) I was seriously shocked. I've never seen lipstick in this view before. LoL

Sugar Cane turned our , like a shimmery metallic. On my lips it looks like a metallic/robotic look gone wrong. It would have been a great real nude lipstick if it wasn't so metallic. It looks like metal on my lips!

Beige Shimmer turns out to be a good nude color for me. It's really creamy and feels good on the lips. I didn't feel any pumping action with any of the three i got. beige shimmer is a brown nude color with a shimmery satin kind of finish. Not pure satin, but not as shimmery as most shimmery L/S

Peach Daiquiri reminds me of NYX's Diamond Sparkle Lipstick in Apricot. However this looks much better and the shimmers are not over the top like with nyx. This one is quite sheer. It is a light peachy apricot color. This is my favourite natural "peachy apricot" lipstick so far.

Labels: avon, haul, Lip Products, review

Monday, March 16, 2009

11:57 PM

NYX Haul + Lipgloss Swatches

YAY! , my nyx haul came. These were from cherryculture.com. I actually joined a spree this time also because I was too lazy to organise one myself.

I got only 2 of the NYX round LIpgloss previously, in Cafe latte and Apricot. I really Love them! They are more pigmented than i thought adn goes on smoothly. I saw some youtube that says the stopper of the tube comes out when you pull out the lipgloss wand, lucky for me i didn have any of that problem!. The two I got previously and these 4 here are all in perfect condition so far :) .

Nyx Single Eyeshadow 1st column : EggPlant, Luster
NYX Single Eyeshadow 2nd column : Vanilla Sky, Blondie, Latte Foam
NYX Round Lipglosses : Whipped , Kiss(more shimmery), Real Nude, Peach
Followed by : NYX Mega shine Lipgloss in "Frosted Beige" , NYX Jumbo LipPencil in Almond.

I really like the NYX jumbo LipPencil. I defiantely will be adding more colors to my shopping list. The one i got goes on smoothly but not creamy. It is also very pigmented and lasts longer than the NYX round lipSticks! . Almond is a golden beige color. I tried it and wearign it alone makes me look too dead and its a bit metallic (jsut a bit) But it works wonderful when i apply Megashine "lollipop" and " Frosted Beige" as well as Round Lipglosses in " cafe latte " and "whipped" . I'm sure other nude or natural lipglosses will work beautifully with it too. It gives me the really nice glossy nude lip look.

I will also be checking out the NYX Mosaic Blushes in my next purchase :)

Here are some swatches of the NYX lipglosses I own. They are not alot, but i probably got most of the colors i will wear for the Round lipglosses already. I'll look at the Megashine Lipgloss color charts when I am free to see if there's anymore I can add on to my collection. I think I will be getting "CadyShop" but i'm still finding if there's other colors that will look good on me.
Finally, A picture of my NYX collection so far. It's really very small. I like their eyeshadows so far! However i think the pigmentation varies. Out of all that i got, "Kiwi" was not as pigmented as the others. I needed to apply twice as much eyeshadow for that as comapred to others. Overall they are great; they go on smoothly, are pigmented and are relatively creamy. All the colors i got so far are of a satin finish. I'll venture into Mattes next time :)

Meanwhile I have the new lipglosses to play with :)

Labels: haul, Lip Products, NYX, review, swatch

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

12:07 AM

Maybelline Watershine 3D Collagen Lipstick Review

These are the MOST AMAZING LIPSTICK EVER! . I'm still very excited about these. I got them in China when i went there on Holiday. They had a LOT more color selection compared to Singapore. But very little non-shimmery Light shades. So i only settled with 3. NOW, i am just regretting more by the day because these are so great. I know i would have loved the slightly shimmery ones too. Argh... *

Maybelline Counters
Product: Maybeling Watershine 3D Collagen Lipstick (such a long Name .Grrr* )
Price: ~ RMB79? ( ~SGD16 / USD 10)
Packaging : 4/5
Quality: 4.5 /5
Color Selection: Varies 2/ 5 - 3.5 / 5
Repurchase: YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
Texture: Wonderfully Smooth
Coverage: light BUT Very buildable / layerable

Comment:
THIS IS MY FAVOURITE LIPSTICK! . It applies very smoothly. It feels light and nice on the lips. The texture is lighter than even some lipgloss.
The finish is a watery Shine that sort of looks like a lipgloss, but not quite so shiny. PERFECT.

These doesn dry out my Lips. I have lips that chap so easily. But even when i dont use lipbalm under these, i dont get chapped/dry lips.! I love love this. This review is SO short. But i really ike the finish, texture, quality, color, application of these lipsticks. I will definately get more if i can find colors that suit me. The local counters ONLY have like 6 colors? pathetic . I couldn find these online ( ulta/drugstore.com ) So i am still trying to find other places that carry these.

THESE are WONDERFUL! i know this is a short review and all I'm saying is how muchi like it. Thats coz there's almost nothing bad about it. Again i wunt talk about lasting power coz all moisturising lipsticks dont last very long. But these are better than most lipglosses.

I've been wanting to try the maybelline moisture extreme lipsticks. But the local counters (again) have very limited shades. So i'm looking on the net again. Now i just cant wait to try the moisture extreme because i have a feeling that they will be as good as these collagen lipsticks. since they are both maybelline. Ha .. ..

totally excited!

Labels: Lip Products, maybelline, review

Monday, February 23, 2009

11:10 PM

Avon Pro-To-Go Lipstick Review

http://www.avon.com/ / ebay.com / independent representatives

Product: AVOn Pro-To-Go Lipstick

Price: USD8 ( usually on sale ~ USD5.99)

Packaging: 4.5/5

Quality: 3.5/ 5

Color Selection: 2/5

Repurchase: Yes

Texture: Smooth and Thin

Finish: Satin Sheen ( for the ones I got)

Comment:

Again, please pardon the low quality pictures until i get hold of a good camera that actually focuses and zooms in.

First of all, Lets start with the Good stuff. The packaging is SO GOOD! It's different, real funky and just really nice. Just push the small nob at the side and the L/S will go up; Push it down and it goes back in. I dont find the traditional L/S packaging with a separate cover troublesome, but this is just really fun. Just for this fact, I'll repurchase considering its so cheap as well.

The texture is really good, goes on smoothly ( but not the smoothest of all L/s). It feels really thin on the lips, so u dont feel like u got a whole lot of product on. I wunt talk about lasting power on my lips. Because i always eat off watever i have on anyway. So usually after some snacks, my lips will be like, bare.

I dont think I can find a perfect nude color among the selection. That's not because i am picky or anything. Comparing to other drug store brand L/S color selection, this is really little. I got these in Intimate nude and Natural Beauty. These are, reviewed as 2 of the Best MLBB color ( my lips but Better) . True enough , Natural Beauty was the MLBB color for me. It made my lips look a bit more natural pink than they really are. I have horrible lips, their color is just like dead people's lips with uneven coloring , and its a plumish color instead of being a nice pink. I'll definitely be using The Natural Beauty a Lot. It can go with probably any look, and is great when i am in a hurry.

However the Intimate Nude, is NOWHERE near nude for me. It looks more brown and dull in real life as compared to the picture. I am not terribly thin among the people here. I consider my complexion to be light, or a light medium. But Intimate nude just look like a medium brownish pink. Not flattering for me at all. It looks like some of my mom's old lipstick color on me.

Usually I prefer Matte lipsticks. I usually hate metallic sheen or overly shimmery lipsticks. But these have a, sort of, acceptable satin sheen. Nothing over the top. just a bit of sheen. really quite nice. I wunt be trying out darker / red shades because I cant really carry of those looks. But i know i will be looking at the other lighter colors available.

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Labels: avon, Lip Products, Pro-to-Go, review