Illamasqua Satin Primer Review

Illamasqua's Satin Primer is described as a primer that lifts and highlights the face while also creating a stunning dewy effect.

Cost: $30 for 1 oz.

Illamasqua Satin Primer on hand.

Blending.

Slightly dewy finish on back of hand.

Pros: + Milky texture so a little goes a long way. Easy to apply and blend on face.
+ White in color but doesn't leave a white cast on face (hurrah!).
+ Leaves my face looking very dewy but I wonder if it could be confused for shine.
+ Definitely recommended for those with dry skin since it absorbs into skin well.
+ Lightweight. Doesn't feel heavy on my skin.
+ Has SPF 20.
+ Smells like vanilla candy.
+ Did not bother my sensitive skin.

Cons: - Probably not suitable for those with oily skin since it made my dry-normal skin so shiny/dewy.
- No noticeable lifting in my skin. Not sure about the highlighting unless you count the all over dewyness as highlighter.
- Pricey. $30 for 1 oz? Hmm....
Here is bare skin, before Illamasqua Satin Primer application:

Hmm you can see tiny bumps on my cheek and redness. Anyone know what this is? I've had these tiny bumps on my cheeks since I was in grade school. They're not pimples. :) I always wondered if it was minor rosacea.
Here is after Illamasqua Satin Primer application:

With flash after application:

Verdict?
I've been into primers lately since a friend recently informed me that primers are actually good to use cause they create a barrier between your skin and the makeup you wear so as to not allow your skin to absorb too much makeup. Definitely good to know since nobody wants clogged pores! Still, with the amount of Illamasqua Satin Primer you get for $30, I probably wouldn't purchase this for myself since it's only 1 oz. Thankfully I was able to test out this primer thanks to my friend T. I'd recommend this primer though for those who have dry skin and or as a primer for the winter time. :)

Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara Review

This'll be a fairly quick and straight forward review of a new favorite mascara of mine: Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara.

Pros:
+ Lengthens and separates lashes really well! Best I’ve seen yet.
+ Waterproof so holds a curl fabulously.
+ Contains little polymer fibers (smaller than I’ve seen in other Japanese mascaras) so lengthens lashes really well (I know, said that already)! Little fibers have yet to fall into my eyes and irritate them (which happened quite frequently with my Fasio mascaras).
+ No need to use any mascara base since it adheres to lashes so well (sorry I've used 'well' so many times but it does!)!
+ No flaking or smudging after hours of wear.
+ Unscented.
Con:
- More difficult to remove than with normal mascaras. If that’s the case for you, here are my two eye makeup remover recommendations:Mandom Cleansing Express Eye Makeup RemoverSonia Kashuk Remove
Tip: IMO, it’s best to use a mascara guard with this mascara. Whenever I don’t use one, I usually end up accidentally getting a bit of mascara on my eyeshadow.
Cost:Anywhere between $12-20 depending on where purchased.
Bare lashes:

Lashes with Kiss Me mascara applied:

From the side:

Where To Buy:A Pop of Kawaii (support a fellow beauty blogger! :))SaSaAdam Beauty Mihoko Shop
Ichibanko

Sony CP B&C Makemania Curvy Lip Silicone Lip Gloss Review

I purchased Makemania's Curvy Lip Silicone lip gloss a while back at Mitsuwa for a jacked up price of around $16 (oh, those impulse purchases...). I've been looking around for a nude lip color for a while and thought I'd give this one a try since it looked like such a nice pinkish-nude. Turns out, it's supposedly a bestseller in Japan because of it's inexpensive price and great "plumping effects!" I honestly had no idea from the packaging (due to limited knowledge of the Japanese language) that it was supposed to plump your lips or else I'd have not purchased it since I don't really care to plump my lips any further. I just purchased it simply for the nude color.

The packaging for Makemania's Curvy Lip Silicone lip gloss was revamped and re-released in 2010. This new packaging is fairly attractive to me but I still think that the actual lip gloss tube could do with some revamping itself, imo.

Makemania's Curvy Lip Silicone has a plastic spatula applicator instead of your normal brush applicator. It's an interesting concept. I'm not sure exactly why they chose this type of applicator but one thing I do like about it is that you are able to easily wipe it clean. Say you already have color on your lips and then you apply this lip gloss: the [plastic applicator can be easily wiped off and it won't contaminate/stain the rest of your lip gloss! Nice!

Ingredients include: collagen, hyaluronic acid, grape seed oil, soybean seed oil, and chamomilla.

The lip gloss itself is thick but surprisingly not sticky, which I absolutely adore. Too many times have I found myself with a lip gloss that was so sticky that it made my lips strangely stick together (Stila Lip Glaze, anyone?). After a while, I started feeling a slight tingling sensation on my lower lips, nothing that was too bothersome. I would attribute the "plumping properties" of this lip gloss to the hi-shine and hi-gloss rather than any stinging effect, which is a nice change from your traditional plumping methods. I tried this one Sally Hansen plumping gloss once and I'm not kidding when I say it felt like it was literally burning my lips. What the heck.

The smell strangely reminds me a lot of Kokuryudo's Privacy UV Face Mist. Not that I can really put that into words unless you know what it smells like yourself. Apologies for that. It is nice though! :) As for the color, there was no real color payoff for me. The gloss is sheer with very minimal tint, if any. Keep in mind, my lips are quite tinted so it's difficult for anything to really show up unless it's darker than my natural lip color.

Sorry for the yellow lighting! I'll try to retake this picture another time and repost.

All in all, I quite like this lip gloss for what it is. It's extremely hydrating and moisturizing. Unlike other glosses that just sit on top of your lips, this one feels like it actually penetrated my lips and moisturized them. There is no sparkle, shimmer, or glitter which I also like since I'm not into blinged out lips. I'd recommend it if you like a very hi-shine and very moisturizing lip gloss but not if you're looking for some kind of color payoff too.

Question: What do you use on your lips to get other colors to show up as they really are? My lips are pigmented and I have a difficult time getting colors to show up. Time to invest in a nude lipstick? Suggestions? :)

Smashbox: The Gold List Review

Sephora recently had a 20% off promotion going on so I decided to take this chance and purchase a few things I've been wanting to try. One of them was Smashbox's The Gold List. It's a five-piece, travel-ready set that's supposed to add "instant glamour to your everyday look."



It includes:
- 0.27 oz Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starburst
- 0.5 oz Photo Finish Luminzing Foundation Primer
- 0.34 oz O-Gloss Gold
- 0.24 oz Photo Op Under Eye Brightener
- Gold metallic cosmetic case



O-Gloss Gold The gold eventually turns into a nice sheer peach on your lips. The effects are neat but are they really necessary? Still, I like it haha. The fine gold particles are a nice touch. Nothing overly glittery that would make me look like an adolescent attempting makeup gone wrong. The lip gloss is not scented.

O-Gloss Gold

O-Gloss Gold

O-Gloss Gold

Left: On lips with flash. Right: On lips in natural light.

Photo Op Under Eye Brightener There was no change in the darkness of my under eye circles so I probably won't be using this. It did nothing for me.

Photo Op Under Eye Brightener

Photo Op Under Eye Brightener

Photo Op Under Eye Brightener

Photo Finish Luminizing Primer Smooth as silk!!! This primer applies very easily and is so smooth; goodness, I love it. I liked that it didn't change the color of my skin on my face and left a nice luminous glow on my light-medium skin. Ah~ I'd be all over the full sized version if I could. I should probably mention though that lot of the product did end up on my fingertips which I had used for application so make sure to wipe your hands after using this product.

Photo Finish Luminizing Primer

Photo Finish Luminizing Primer (Sorry about the blurry photo!)

Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starburst I was most excited for this product but was surprisingly let down because of the mass amounts of shimmer in the product. I'm sure shimmer preference differs from person to person but this makes me look like... the female version of Edward Cullen in the sunlight. Shimmery shimmer shimmer. Definitely not what I'm striving for. I used it quite sparingly too.

Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starburst

Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starburst

Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starburst

Verdict? The kit is alright. Since I'm not a fan of all the products, I can't justify the purchasing of this set. I'd purchase the Photo Finish Luminizing Primer if I could (I don't imagine this trial size is going to last me long) cause I love how soft, silky, and subtly luminizing it makes my skin. I'd also purchase the O-Gloss Gold for fun times but besides that, I wasn't won over with the Photo Op Under Eye Brightener or the Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starburst.

Etude House Dream On Pact Slim & Cover SPF25/PA++ in #2 Natural Beige Review & EOTD

How cute is the packaging of Etude House?? :)

I was able to get this CP'd recently from Singapore. Kind of a bad decision. It wasn't until after I solidified the CP did I find out that Etude House prices in Singapore are super jacked up. :( Anyway, I really wanted to try Etude House and this one was one of the items I decided to purchase. I opted for Shade #2 Natural Beige because I didn't think Shade #3 True Beige would be easy to find. The things you settle for when you're in a rush..



Description from Etudehouseusa.com: The secret to dreamy bright complexion. Compact powder makeup maintains sheer, oil absorbing texture for radiant coverage with UV protection. Contains hyaluronic acid and encapsulated oil control powder to smooth, moisturize, and nourish complexion.



Directions: Use puff to gather and apply pressed powder to cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin. Gently pat to finish.

The design of the compact is so cute. Makes me smile. :)

Here is the little puff that's included. There is a plastic plate holding it so that it doesn't sit directly on top of the powder.




The day that I did the review was almost a record hot day where I live. I was also doing the review upstairs where all the heat was concentrated so you can somewhat imagine how shiny I was while trying to take pictures for this review. Given these conditions, this may not be the best all-around review but at least it'll give you an idea of Etude House Dream On Pact in "extreme" conditions.

Here is one of three before and afters. Left image shows you the right side of my face before application and right image is after application.

Another comparison picture. This heat is nasty.

The comparison is reversed in this picture. Left side shows the Dream on Pact applied and the right side shows my bare skin.

Again, I should restate that the day I wrote the post was a really, really warm day. Four hours after application, I noticed that the side where I applied the Dream On Pact was a little shiny again. Not as shiny as my left side (Applied no foundation to this side) but it was still a little shiny. I'll do an edit once I test this foundation on a better day.

My impressions on the Etude House Dream On Pact:
+ Nice floral scent, not too strong.
+ Contains SPF 25
+ Flawless finish, no cakeyness (but that could also have been because it was a warm day)
- Oil control doesn't last all day. Lasted for about 4 hours before I had to touch up again. It is, though, a compact powder meaning you can carry it around with you and touch up whenever you like. Perhaps it isn't meant to last all day.
- As cute as the compact case is, it's made out of plastic. For my jacked up price of $23+, I wish it was made of something a little sturdier.

About the color match: Shade #2 Natural Beige isn't the best fit right now since it's summer time and I've tanned a bit. Hopefully, it'll be a better match in the winter time, if I lighten up by then. For reference, I was N30 the last time I was MAC color tested. That was a while back though...

Where to buy Etude House Dream On Pact:
- EtudeHouseUSA.com
- EBay: 031tansango, codinara, zinopark
- GMarket (I can't supply you with sellers yet though since I've never shopped here)

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Thank you to my girls who went far & wide to get me Urban Decay's highly coveted Naked Palette for my birthday! I've put off using it for a few days because it's so pristine and pretty but I finally gave in.

I'm still really new to eyeshadow application but this was kind of a fail. Hah. The excuse I gave myself in the end was that I was going climbing later and didn't want to look overdone.

Colors from the Urban Decay Naked Palette used:
- Sin
- Buck
- Darkhorse
- 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Whiskey (is this the creamiest eye liner or what?? seriously!)


Top lashes: Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain & Majolica Majorca Enamel Glamour Volume On
Bottom lashes: Hourglass Superficial Lash