Tuesday, December 15, 2015

BEST Concealers - Marc Jacob Re(Marc)able Concealer and Cinema Secrets Concealer Palette

Hey peeps!
Today I want to talk about my HG concealers! I have two... and that is because they are in different shades and are not substitutable! :)

Marc Jacob Re(Marc)able Concealer in shade 3 Young - $38 CAD
This is one of the highly-raved concealers on the market, and I can assure you that it totally lives up to the hype! I have pretty dry skin so I find a lot of concealers drying. This Marc Jacobs concealer is so creamy that it just glides on my skin, and it lasts all day. I got this in shade 3 - Young. It is a little darker than my skin tone and it has a peachy undertone to it, which fits perfectly for my need - to conceal my under eye dark circles. I do realize a lot of people are trying to buy a lighter concealer aiming to hide dark circles + to highlight under eye area. It won't work that well because your dark circle has a blue/purple undertone to it, if you use a concealer that is close to or even lighter than your skin tone, it will actually make your under eye area looks super grey and dirty. 






This is a colour wheel - if you want to hide purple/blue, you will need orange/peachy colour to counteract it to make it visually disappeared :)





This is what it looks like in the tube, and a swatch on my hand :) You can see how moisturizing it is on my wrist! It has high coverage too - totally covers up my dark spots and under eye dark circles :)



Okay here comes my second HG concealer...

Ultimate Corrector 5-in-1 Pro Palette in shade 01 - $48 CAD

'These pigment-rich correctors are the ultimate tool for correcting unwanted undertones, highlighting, shading, contouring, and adjusting foundation color. They cancel out purples with peachy corals and redness with neutralizing olive greens. The creamy silicone-wax based formula applies like a second skin yet provides full coverage to diminish the appearance of dark circles, blemishes, hyperpigmentation, burns, scars, rosacea, and even large tattoos. It is also long wearing, crease-proof, and water-resistant.' This is the description stated on Sephora website. Sounds tempting isn't it?! Cinema Secrets has been a well-established brand that are used by numerous makeup artists, and there seems to have very limited reviews on this palette online. I really want to introduce this palette to EVERYONE I know cause it is amazing! Lets first start off by talking about their packaging! Cinema Secrets have recently changed their packaging - which is great. The new packaging comes with a concealer brush, and there is a rectangle mirror attached to the palette. I also like the fact that all the shades are in magnetic pans so I can take individual shades out and snap one or two of them in my magnetic palette. So it is a lot more convenient and user-friendly!

Oh one IMPORTANT NOTE: This palette looks ALOT lighter than the picture shown on Sephora! If you search this concealer palette on Sephora website, you will see the picture on the left as shown below... No idea why they look so dark but they are all very usable shades indeed! I would say it is suitable for most of the skin colors, ranging from fair to medium-dark skintone! Don't be scared away by the picture shown on Sephora, I took a picture of my palette right next to it, so you have an idea of what the shades in this palette actually look like!



This concealer palette comes in five shades, and I have to say I am extremely impressed with all of them! They are all very creamy, not drying on my face, and last all day. They are also EXTREMELY water resistant! I put my swatched arm under running water and they did not smudge even for a bit! I picked up the no. 01 palette, which has 3 red and 2 blue neutralizers. Below are the swatches on my arm, and I have numbered them so I can explain each shade a little more in detail.

This concealer palette comes in five shades, and I have to say I am extremely impressed with all of them! They are all very creamy, not drying on my face, and last all day. They are also EXTREMELY water resistant! I put my swatched arm under running water and they did not smudge even for a bit! I picked up the no. 01 palette, which has 3 red and 2 blue neutralizers. Below are the swatches on my arm, and I have numbered them so I can explain each shade a little more in detail.


Shade 1 to 3 are the red neutralizers, they are more cool-toned shades that would be great to cover up redness on your face, scars, etc. Shade 4 and 5 are blue neutralizers, they have a peachy, yellow undertone. It is great for covering up bruises, dark spots (even moles!), and dark circles under your eyes. These concealers are all so pigmented and buildable, really they can be used in multiple ways! I love using shade 1 for highlighting as it is a ver pale, almost white color with beige undertone, I use it especially for nose contour; I use shade 2 to cover redness like newly healed scars. As a have fair-light skin, shade 3 is dark enough for me for contouring. It is a great shade to contour your face as it is not warm-toned it can mimic shadows on your face really well. Shade 4 is a beautiful salmon color, and I use it with my Marc Jacobs concealer to cover my dark spots and under eye area. Shade 5 is a orange concealer with red undertone, I use it for really dark pigmentation like moles or when i occasionally have really dark eye circles. I usually dab shade 5 on first, then I will cover up with other lighter shades so it won't look weird on my face.



















This is a picture showing swatches for Marc Jacobs concealer alongside with the Cinema Secrets concealer palette. You can see none of them are of similar colors, and I like how I can utilize all six shades and none of them are repetitive! Both of these concealers do not crease after a full day wear, and they never break me out. Overall, these two are my HG concealers and I am glad that I purchased them! Hope this review helps :) XOXO



Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Hakuhodo + Sephora Pro Kanpeki Perfection Brush Set Full Review


    So November is the year-end vib sale month for Sephora.. that being said, a splurge month. I have purchased so many items from Sephora, both online and in store, because I cannot pass by all those value sets with this great sale! For those who do not know, Sephora has a 20% off year-end sale annually, and LITERALLY every single item in the store are eligible for the sale event! So it is definitely a good buy to purchase items from brands like Burberry, Guerlain, and Marc Jacobs, because they are never on sale. 

    Anyways, today is a review on the Hakuhodo + Sephora Pro Kanpeki Perfection Brush Set. This set is $185 CAD, which values $317 if purchase separately. Sephora has collabed with Hakuhodo to release five brushes recently, and they originally sell these brushes individually, ranging from $40-$80 CAD. And couple weeks ago, Sephora decided to release a value set that has all the five brushes PLUS an exclusive eye crease brush. Both the brush set and the individual brushes are limited edition, so if you want it, GET IT NOW! 

    So, before I begin, let me give you a little more factual information about the brand Hakuhodo! Hakuhodo is a renowned Japanese brand that is known as its handcrafted makeup brushes. Hakuhodo, Chikuhodo and Koyudo are the 'big three' famous makeup brushes brands in Japan, and even worldwide. As Japan is the origin of makeup brushes, these brands' makeup brushes quality are top notched. Almost all makeup brushes from these brands are made of animal hair, especially blue squirrel and saikoho goat hair. These two types of animal hair are known as the softest hair you can use for makeup brushes, and they are extremely pricy and require high maintenance. 

    Now, let's get back to this brush set! In this brush set, there are six brushes in total, and all brushes are made of synthetic hair. On sephora website this is how they describe the brushes: 'These beautiful brushes feature an innovative synthetic bristle material—the first to benefit from exclusive technology—that creates a softer, fluffier feel with actual bounce while retaining the benefits of synthetic bristles. As a result, these brushes are soft as cashmere, yet deposit more product onto the face due to less absorption and are more hygienic than natural hair.' Considering the fact that they are made of synthetic hair, they are extremely soft and are priced reasonably. I would say they would be the same softness level as saikoho goat hair. The synthetic hair bristles do not irritate my skin, even when I tried to directly pressed the bristles against my face - this is very important, because I have tried a lot of high end synthetic hair makeup brushes, even though they feel soft on my skin when applying makeup, their bristles still irritate me when I tried to press the bristles directly on my face. Moreover, these brushes do have the bouncy feeling and texture that animal hair brushes do not possess. 

    The website described it as 'A limited-edition, exclusive six-piece collector's brush set in a keepsake Japanese box.' It is basically a hard paper box with a glossy finish, with geisha - a traditional Japanese female performer printed on the surface of the box. This is how the packaging looks like:


    I personally am not a big fan of the box, because it is not that practical for me to keep my brushes in there for daily use.. but it does look nice and artistic. 


    This is what it looks like when I opened the box, you got a piece of sheet explaining the functions of each brush, and six brushes wrapped in individual plastic bags. I do want to mention that the handles of these brushes look very well-made, and in my opinion they have the perfect weight and length - not too heavy nor too long. The black and red handles paired with white bristles look very luxurious.


This is a more close-up picture for the description of each brush.


WEDGE SLOPING POWDER BRUSH (KASABI)- $68 CAD
'A large angled powder brush with a brand-new shape developed by the Sephora Pro team for the self-application of powder, bronzer, or for neck shading.'
I have a love-hate relationship with this brush. This brush has a really unique shape - it is slanted, but the sloping area is quite large. I love how it feels it feels on my skin, but this is the only brush from the set that shreds..:( It does not shred like crazy, but I have seen 5-6 hair fell off the brush so far, and it upsets me a little because I really like this brush. Also, in order to provide a better review, I actually have tried to use this brush on both powder and liquid. It worked perfectly fine with my liquid foundation (I use Guerlain Parure de Lumiere), no stroke marks or cakey feeling. But it does gives less control when applying liquid, because the bristles are relatively long and soft. And for powder - it applies like a dream. I use it with my Laura Mercier loose setting powder, and I really like that velvety finish on my face once applied with this brush. 


Large Teardrop Pointed Powder Brush (OTSUBU)- $61 CAD
'A large pointed powder brush to apply powder, contour, or bronzer. '
I like to use this brush to set my under-eye concealer, and the area between my eyebrow to the tip of my nose, because it is pointy, it fits better in those tricky areas. I also like to use this brush to apply my blush. This brush in particular, makes me see how this brush set is mimicking the texture of animal hair - the bristles are ultra soft, therefore it won't grab too much product when dipping the brush on the pan. This is actually a good thing, because it ensures that you won't go heavy handed and make yourself looks like a monkey's bum!


Small Teardrop Pointed Highlighter (KOTSUBU) - $48 CAD
'A revolutionary medium-point highlighter brush for precision contouring and highlighting. '
This is a smaller version of the previous brush. It is the perfect size to apply highlighter on your cheekbone. I have tried to use this brush on both powder(Hourglass ambient lighting blush) and cream highlighters (Becca poured), and it works amazingly on both!


Small Teardrop Pointed Highlighter (OUGI) - $50 CAD
' A universal blush brush to apply blush, contour, or for a natural, no-makeup look.  '
This is another uniquely shaped brush - it is like a little rectangle. The brush is relatively narrow, so I actually like using this brush to apply sculpting powder (KVD contour palette). It is also suggested to use this brush on blush or even highlighters, so it is a really multi-functional brush! It applies powder product really nicely and blends the color really well :)


Angled Concealer Brush (KUSURIYUBI)- $38 CAD
'A multitasking brush with angled shape for allover eye shadow, cream eye shadow, undereye concealer, and highlighting.'
This brush is great to blend the concealer under your eyes, on blemishes, and on some dark spots. It leaves no stroke marks when blending creamy concealers (I use Marc Jacobs remarcable concealer). Oh also it is worthy to note that this brush's bristles are a little more rigid than the others - maybe it is because it is more densely packed. You can also use this brush to blend eyeshadows on your lids. 


Crease brush - exclusive in the brush set
So this brush can only be found in the brush set, and you cannot buy it by its own. It reminds me of Wayne Goss's brush 05 in its original collection set. It is very narrow, with moderately long bristles. I actually really like this eye brush, and I mainly use it to apply transition color/crease color to define my eye crease, and to contour my nose. It is very soft so it does not irritate my eyes :) I like how it is not a fluffy dense eye crease brush, so it allows me to have a more precise application of eyeshadows and contouring powder!

Critiques from others: 
    I have seen a lot of criticisms from makeup brushes junkies saying they are too pricy for synthetic brushes, and the quality of these brushes are not comparable to other Hakuhodo brushes they have tried. I just want to do these brushes a justice: Yes, they are not as soft as the blue squirrel hair brushes you have tried from Hakuhodo, but those brushes can get to at least $100 per brush, or even more. They are NOT MEANT to be comparable, they are made from different materials at different price point! It is like some brands release different brush lines, both vegan and animal hair line. Even those brushes from different lines under one brand can vary in texture, price and appearance. For those who said it is too expensive for synthetic brushes, you may be right if buying them separately. But for the brush set itself, I would say they are at extremely good value. With the VIB sale, these brushes are around $27 per brush (with tax)! Even though you are buying the brush set at its original price, you are still paying $35CAD per brush on average. They are softer than normal sephora pro brushes, and are made of synthetic hair like all other sephora brushes do. Also, synthetic hair has its good advantages - they pick up products better than natural hair, and they require less effort to clean, and they are a lot cheaper! 

Verdict:
    Overall, I am very pleasant with my purchase, these brushes may not worth the price when buying separately, but it gives really good value when buying as a set. It has been out of stock ever since it was released online, so I would recommend you to search if they are in stock in your local store, by searching your postal code on Sephora website: http://www.sephora.com/hakuho-do-sephora-pro-kanpeki-perfection-brush-set-P401901?skuId=1734151



Saturday, March 21, 2015

Colourpop Eyeshadows Swatches


I have been dying to try out some products from Colourpop, and the parcel finally arrived yesterday (yay ima from Canada...but it takes three week to ship to my address..) Insanely slow processing time and shipping...but it's worth it! 

The box looks pretty ordinary on the outside, but once you opened it you will find the internal side of the box so colourful! Packaging of the individual products are really cute too (so spring/summer like haha). 
I bought 8 eyeshadows and 3 lippies in total, shades are listed below:
Eyeshadows: Girly, Bill, Animal, Chipper, Sequin, Drift, Rex, Envy

Lippies: LBB, Grind, Leather (I have been looking for some cool dark purple shades because I have way too many pink/coral shades)





Texture: The texture of the eyeshadows are really unique - They are cream to powder shadows. It feels like gel eyeshadows when you first dap your finger in the shadow, but then once I swatched it on the back of my hand it just dries up into a powder form and stays there forever! (I washed my hand with warm water for a couple times and the colour are still there!)
Below
Price: Their eyeshadows and lippies both cost $5 each, and $8 for blushes. Shipping starts from around $9USD to ship to Canada...:( I purchased 11 items and the shipping is around $15 USD. Each shadow costs around $8CAD each including USD conversion, shipping and handling fees so it is not too bad. (Although everytime I am doing online shipping I will just scream inside my head 'I WANT TO LIVE IN THE US' because all the free shipping and low tax rate compare to Canada... sigh)

Alrighty so time to show you guys some swatches :)




Girly - 'Creamy vanilla with a flash of pink and gold duo chrome finish'
This shadow feels SO CREAMY, prolly the most creamy one compare to the rest of the shadows. It is a pearlized white shade with a very subtle amount of pink and gold flakes. It applies on my skin so smooth and so effortlessly, I can already see how great this colour can be as a highlighter/base on my lid!
Bill - 'A muted plum beige with a Matte Finish'
I like how they name this shade like a person lol. This shade is quite unique, it is more like a beige with a pink undertone in it, reminds me of MUG's unexpected. Would be a pretty cool transition/blending colour!

Animal - 'Electric bright neon coral with a subtle flash of gold'
The website says to be in satin finish but it is indeed packed with glitters, so I would say its more like a metallic finish. It is a very pretty coral shade, you can dap your finger lightly into the shade to create a subtle spring coral look, or build it into a bright neon coral for parties. I like the proportion of orange and pink they mixed in for this coral shade :>

Chipper - 'Mid-tone minty green eyeshadow with multi-coloured glitter'
Minty green has been one of my favourite colours since forever (minty laptop sleeve, minty backpack, minty shoes and tanktops...):p So when I first saw this colour on Colourpop's website I was like 'holy moly I HAVE TO GET THIS SHADE!' - so I got it :D It is a really pretty minty colour, not too bright nor too dark, not too blue nor too green, just the right kind of mintiness (yay i make that word up). This would be such a great shade for spring/summer/St Patties Day!



Left to right: Girly, Bill, Animal, Chipper
Rex - 'Black drenched with multiple shades of blue glitter' 
OMG the line of 'black saturated with ...colour' from Colourpop are all so amazing :O Rex is black saturated with various shades of blue and purple glitter, what makes it so cool is that when it hits the light in one direction, it looks dark ocean blue with some light blue glitters; when you tilt the shadow a little, it hits the light in a totally different shade - almost like dark purple with various shades of blue-toned glitters. I think my camera indeed captured the magic of the eyeshadow - it is just full of awesomeness!

Envy - 'Black saturated with violet glitter'
Another fantastic dark shadow. I like the name 'envy' so much it matches the colour so well - sassy, cool and fabulous. It is a dark shade packed with purple glitters. When it hits the light, it looks ABSOLUTELY phenomenal. If I were to describe Rex as a deep, quiet and calm lady, then Envy would be a gorgeous, wild and powerful woman! (I can totally name all the shadows and make up stories for them... that's how much I love them).

Sequin - 'A copper penny like shade with silver and gold glitter'
It is a very nice penny shade that is so so wearable on all skin complexions.I have compared so many swatches between this and Game Face - this seems to be lighter and less warm-toned, which makes it a lot more wearable on my light skin. This shade is just so soft and romantic and I love it.


Drift - 'True cranberry in a pearlized finish'
This cranberry red will be a great colour for adding depth to your creases :) The penalized finish makes the shadow so approachable, it will be great for festive makeup or a great nightout with girlfriends!


Left to right: Rex, Envy, Sequin, Drift
Swatches for all shades
I hope you guys enjoy my swatches and find them helpful :) If you have any questions, feel free to comment down below xxoo