Author: yukino

Beauty

Lip Monthly March ’15.

Post author By yukino
Post date 09/30/2015

I seem to be issuing these posts at the speed of light.

Minute of sarcasm aside, there were three lip products and one nail polish in this box. Bag design was a standard one.

Hikari Lipstick in crush

This is the second Hikari lipstick I own, first one being cabernet, also received via Lip Monthly. I love this product. The colour in this case is a little bit not ‘me’, but it’s wearable. Matte, relatively long-lasting. Doesn’t feel drying.

Jordana Easyshine Glossy Lip Color in Raspberry

This feels like a balm. Sheer pink, nicely smelling. I have a full queue of balms that I need to use up before I get to this one, but I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy using it.

J. Cat the Big Lip Pencil in Caramel Mocha

I love lip crayons, and I really wanted to keep this one. The texture is creamy, the longevity is okay. The only downside is that you have to sharpen it, and it’s a huge product waste with these big pencils. Unfortunately I was not feeling the colour at all, so after a quick swatch I gave it to my friend, who enjoys it very much.

Hikari, Jordana, J.Cat swatched. The photograph is a bit washed out, the Hikari lipstick is much brighter in person.

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Nail Polish in Mighty Mango

A bright, almost neon, pink-orange colour. Would look great with a tan, which I never really have. Applied smoothly, but I cannot report on chipping etc., as I haven’t worn it yet.

Tags face, hikari, j.cat, jordana, lip balm, lip crayon, lip monthly, lips, lipstick, nail polish, nails, sally hansen, subscription bag, subscription box, swatches

Beauty

Lip Monthly February ’15.

Let’s skip the part where I lament how late I am with these (there’s a reason for it this time around) and get to the products.

be a … bombshell Lipgloss in hooked

The coverage is amazing. It’s more of a liquid lipstick than a gloss, really, except that it’s glossy and doesn’t last very long. Loved the colour. I can’t think of a single occasion where this one would be out of place, at least with my colouring. I find myself quite … hooked. *ba-dam tss*

Cargo Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Green Bay

A lovely, lovely metallic eye shadow. The camera picked up more gold tones, but it’s more of a warmer light green with gold undertones, if that makes sense. For some reason I haven’t really worn it since swatching and trying it out once, so I can’t properly comment on longevity. The pigmentation is good, and the application felt smooth enough. I also love the packaging.

So Susan Lip Dome Plumping Lip Tint in black currant

Mmm, lip crayons. I’m obsessed with these and want to own them in abominable quantities. This is a wine-coloured balm-like crayon. It feels good on the lips, and the stay power is pretty decent. Not drying. A touch on the sheer side, but gives enough colour as it is and can be layered a bit. Retractable. Cruelty-free.

So Susan jelly pong pong Supermodel Stain lip & cheek pomade

Let me just say how cute the thing is. I love these tiny palettes. The brush is safe to discard as it’s low-quality. The colours are sheer and are more of a tint. I haven’t tried them on the cheeks, because cream products and my face don’t get along. I’m in love with every single colour, but my product has dried a little bit. It still works, though, and it’s a great everyday palette. Small enough to carry around with you. It’s not drying, but it’s not moisturising either, so it’s best to use a tiny bit of a sheer balm under. Cruelty-fee.

Eye shadow, lip dome, and lip gloss swatched. See how the lip gloss (above) is less sheer than the lip crayon? Amazeballz. The shadow is a touch layered in the intersection, which immediately improves the colour payoff, but since it’s so light and bright, I see no problem with one layer either. Looks great with my brown eyes.

This has been one of the best Lip Monthly boxes for me. Every colour worked, and every product was quality. I wish this trend stuck, but alackaday and fuck my luck.

I’ll be writing about the March one next.

(This post contains an affiliate link.)

Tags be a bombshell, cargo cosmetics, eye shadow, eyes, lip crayon, lip gloss, lip monthly, lip palette, lip stain, lips, lipstick, makeup, so susan, subscription box

Beauty

#100empties: Garnier and Oriflame Face Creams.

Post author By yukino
Post date 07/29/2015

If I attempt to be precise, then I have probably used up about 40 products by now. However I could no longer look at a pile of garbage on my windowsill (and what are empties if not trash?) and threw everything out without taking photos and posting. For the sake of documenting, we’ll count these ones as numbers one and two.

Garnier Essentials Hydrating Day Care for combination skin

I can say nothing good or bad about this product. It’s a decent cream, but I’m in no rush to repurchase it. Didn’t provide enough hydration for me, and although it felt like it evened out the texture, I think it was more of how the cream felt when applied, rather than its evening out properties, if any. The scent was gentle. Absorbed quickly, left a bit of a matte finish that didn’t last long.

Oriflame Love Nature Face Lotion for Oily Skin with Tea Tree Oil

Love Nature is one of the simple skin care series available from Oriflame. This cream is nothing special, but I’d probably buy it again because of its scent. It’s slightly medicinal and probably wouldn’t excite most people, but for me it’s just so fresh and calming. I’m currently using another one in the series, Aloe Vera for combo/ normal skin. The cream’s properties are about the same (slightly hydrating, absorbs a bit slower than the one above), but I’d still rank the Tea Tree one higher. I don’t like using it for day wear, even though I can’t say that it leaves much of a sheen or anything. I just prefer it for night. It’s light-weight, absorbs easily, leaves a nice feeling to the skin, and is just overall so fresh. I wish it had better skincare properties, because if it did, I wouldn’t stray to any other product. However it’s a generic cream that doesn’t solve any problems in my case — but it doesn’t create any either.

2 down; 98 to go.

Tags 100 empties, face, face cream, garnier, one hundred empties, oriflame, skincare

Beauty

Scents I Let Go.

Perfume is a very individual thing. Even if you tried the scent more than once, ergo purchased a sample or spritzed it in the shop countless times, you still risk disliking it later on. Perhaps you switched body lotions, or cut meat from your diet, or changed climates. All these can alter how perfume opens up on your skin, and how you perceive scents overall.

My main problem with perfumes lies in falling for top notes. These evaporate quickly, and what remains doesn’t always open up on the skin as I’d expected it to. That’s basically what happened with these four.

MORE by Demi

(Awkward reflection is awks.)

This is one of the more expensive Oriflame perfumes, and I coveted it for the longest time. I loved the sample, and I loved the MORE product line – particularly the hair spray. It was heavily scented, but I really enjoyed this fragrance in my hair. Finally I broke down and bought the bottle… only to find out that it no longer opens up on my skin to my liking. It felt too ‘grown up’, stifling, and dusty. Off to a new home it went.

Dancing Lady Hypnotic Night

I sampled this and totally fell in love. Then I received a full-sized bottle as a gift with purchase, but ended up giving it to my aunt. Every time I’d visit her, though, I’d scent it and feel a bit envious, so eventually I bought another bottle with full intention to wear it and keep it and love it. Sad to report that I’d since then worn it three times max, and every time it annoyed me. This bottle found a new home as well.

London

I feel like the goal of this perfume was to produce something that was both fresh and traditional. The end result, though, was a rather generic soapy scent that did not impress me at all. I bought this with a large discount together with other products. This was a blind purchase, and although it was deeply discounted, I still regret it. Passed it on.

P.S.: My father quite enjoyed the shower gel from this line. 😛

Sparkle in Paris

I only tried this in a dry tester on an Oriflame catalogue page. The scent was pleasant, and it was discounted, so I thought it would be a good every day scent for me. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I tried using it once or twice, but it would cause a headache in me, or at the very least annoy me to no end. It stood on my vanity for the longest time, and eventually I passed it on to my flatmate. It opens up very well on her, and doesn’t cause headaches in me at all. Perfume is the oddest thing, isn’t it?

(Credit for Sparkle in Paris product photo.)

(Everything bought with my own money. This is not a sponsored post.)

Tags fragrance, oriflame, perfume

Beauty

Recent Bourjois Purchases.

Post author By yukino
Post date 05/21/2015

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet lipsticks have been on my radar for a long, long time, and at long last I went and bought one. My first impulse was to buy a red, but then I settled on a rather less dramatic, but still bold and bright, pink shade, titled 11 So Hap’pink. I don’t follow new releases as intently as I probably should (bad, bad beauty blogger), but the saleslady told me it’s from the line of several new colours.

I’ve been wanting to try this for so long that the actual product left me just a tad underwhelmed. The product is very good, though. It’s matte, but not at all drying. It’s reasonably long lasting, although eating and drinking do fade the colour. I don’t have to worry about it staying in place in most other situations, though. It doesn’t feather. The application is easy. It smells sort of like a mascara would, which is also a huge plus for me, as I don’t always agree with artificial ‘pleasant’ fragrances companies use in their products.

Overall I’m very satisfied with this. Although they’re not as long lasting as some reviews would make you believe, Rouge Edition Velvet lipsticks are totally worth buying. I plan on purchasing at least one more.

Bourjois Levres Contour Lip Pencil I bought together with the lipstick, as I didn’t know whether the lipstick would feather. It’s always a good idea to line your lips anyway. Bourjois Levres Contour Framboise Exquise 18 turned out to be a perfect match for the Hap’pink shade. It also works good on its own with a bit of a gloss or balm over, but of course it’s better to just leave it for lining and a bit of filling.

These two products are a staple now. I use them in my make-up routine at least twice a week.

Tags bourjois, lip liner, lip pencil, lips, lipstick, makeup