Tag: face

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Beauty

INGLOT Sleeks cream 89 – Review and Dupe

I’ve had this post in my head for so long, I keep thinking I’ve actually drafted the copy – but no.

INGLOT Sleeks cream in 89 might just be one of my favourite lip products ever. It’s a non-sticky gloss that’s not too sheer, not too opaque, smells amazing (though there’s at least one person who disagrees with me :D), and – I am convinced – looks good on everyone. It’s a universal light peach shade that is effortless to wear year round.

It’s also moisturising.

And has amazing test-tube packaging.

And costs about three times the amount I am willing to extract from my wallet for a lip gloss.

inglot-sleeks-89-della-color

Meet Delia Glamour Liquid Color in shade 22.

Delia is a Polish brand (much like INGLOT) that I’ve only recently discovered. Their products keep popping up at random shops here and there, and I think they have a full stand in Organic Shop here in Kishinev.

Colour-wise, these two are pretty damn similar.

Observe.

inglot-della-swatches

The very top swatch on my hand are these two products applied right next to each other, with no separation – and I bet you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.

With my camera being the sneaky thing that it is, it did pick up some difference in colour when I swatched them next to each other.

inglot-vs-della

As you can see, INGLOT Sleeks Cream in 89 (left) is brighter and has more blue in it. Delia Glamour Liquid Color in 22 is more subdued, with just a touch more yellow. However, these differences are unnoticeable in real life.

The formula of the Delia lip gloss is non-sticky, but just a bit tackier than the INGLOT one. It’s not drying at all, but I would not give it hydrating properties. The longevity is that of a typical lip gloss – do not expect staying power here. It does not separate, and it does not set into fine lines. The scent is I would say more pleasant than that of the INGLOT Sleeks Cream in 89 – it’s not as heavy and not as sweet vanilla.

And, of course, the price difference is immense. For the cost of one INGLOT Sleeks Cream you can buy nigh four Delia Glamour Liquid Colors.

Undeniably, INGLOT Sleeks Cream is a quality product that can work both as a gloss and as a lipstick (albeit one with a very weak staying power, and not in all shades of the product). You cannot quite build the colour up with Delia gloss like you potentially could with the INGLOT product. INGLOT Sleeks Creams are also moisturising – at least in this particular shade – something that I cannot say about Delia Glamour Liquid Color. It’s non-drying, but that’s about it.

The plus point of the Delia Glamour Liquid Color is that since it’s less pigmented, as the product ages, it does not appear to be separating on the lips as much. After a certain amount of use, INGLOT Sleeks Cream would start setting in smallish lines on your lips. It is, however, barely observable in dynamic, and only happens if you really go all out with the product (ergo, try to build the colour up).

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Beauty

BellaOggi Trendsetter Eye Shadow Palette in Naked Feeling

How I wanted this quad.

I’ve been circling around BellaOggi Trendsetter in Naked Feeling for good three months before finally giving in and taking it home.

How beautiful is it?

trendsetter-naked-feeling

Very beautiful.

Now let’s get to everything else.

Packaging

Something about these round black pans with a transparent cover speaks to me. I really love it on eye shadows, blushers, and powders. The size is good, it’s very nice to hold in your hand.

bellaoggi-trendsetter-in-naked-feeling

You get 4 g of product overall, so roughly 1 g of each shadow.

Formula

All shadows, including the matte one, are buttery soft to the touch, almost cushioned. Fallout is present, but nothing too severe, perhaps aided by the fact that three of the shades are so light. This is also perhaps what aids blending.

bellaoggi-naked-feeling

Pigmentation

The most pigmented out of the 4 is the bottom one. The light peachy pink right next to it gets the second place – it doesn’t show up on the swatch (really, it doesn’t – see below), but you can build it up. The very first one would work great as a really light highlighter for pasty people (read: me). It shows up against the skin, but it’s not overbearing, to put it mildly. Unfortunately, the light brown shadow (the only matte with a very light sheen) barely shows up. I’m not even sure you can see it in the swatch below. In fact, I’m not sure you can see any of them in the photo below, aside from the very first one I mentioned.

trendsetter-swatch

The palette is ridiculously poorly pigmented. It’s so poorly pigmented, it grinds my little stony heart to dust.

naked-feeling-trendsetter-swatch

In conclusion

Another quad in the BellaOggi Trendsetter collection I’ve been eyeing is Burlesque. I went for Naked Feeling first, because a) you can never have too many neutrals; b) if it turned out to be poor quality, it would be easier to at least attempt to work with. In the end, I passed it on to a more patient person. I just couldn’t work with it. All my tries to use the matte as a base/ transition shade and to work with the lighter shades as inner corner and brow bone highlights ultimately did not work out. I would get frustrated by the poor pigmentation every time I would use it, so it went to a new home.

Needless to say I will not be buying Burlesque, although the colours are very, very lovely.

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Beauty

Giordani Gold Jewel Lipstick in Pink Secret – Review and Dupe

giordani gold pink secret

Giordani Gold is the luxury brand of the Oriflame family. Giordani Gold is the most expensive line the company makes. The colours in the collection are usually classic, as well as the packaging.

giordani gold packaging

The packaging is made in glossy black and gold tones, with minimal design. The Jewel Lipstick line comes in gold tubes, which I do believe are made from metal. They feel heavy and cold to the touch. Gold is not my favourite metal, but I have to admit that this lipstick looks expensive – if just a little too gaudy for my black, black, all black everything everywhere black taste.

The formula of the product is creamy and on the sheer side. It’s difficult to build up colour with this one, but if you try hard enough, then maybe you would reach medium coverage. The colour I have it in – Pink Secret – is very easy to work with. Given its sheerness, it’s as effortless as a balm.

giordani gold pink secret swatch

The colour doesn’t feather but might just get a little outside of the lip line, mostly in the corners. Doesn’t tug on the lips when you apply it.

Although creamy, the lipstick is a little bit drying.

I remember the good old days when Giordani Gold lipsticks were scentless. Oh, how I loved them then. The formula of some old ones was also much more opaque. I remember my mum finding them drying, but I adored them. I’ve kept one of the tubes way past its expiration date. It was this dark cranberry/ wine shade.

OK, enough with the nostalgia lane.

The longevity of these is very moderate. It applies like a balm, and it wears off like one. The good side to that is that it wears off nicely and gradually, leaving the slightest amount of sheen in its wake.

giordani gold pink secret dupe

Top: Giordani Gold Pink Secret. Bottom: Oriflame Pure Colour Soft Coral.

If you’ve been thinking of giving Pink Secret a go, but aren’t sure if the colour would suit you (as effortless as it is, I find that it looks just a touch off with my complexion), then you can easily dupe it… within the Oriflame brand, ironically enough. Their Pure Colour Lipstick line, the least expensive one they offer, has a lipstick in Soft Coral. As you can see from the swatch above, they’re almost identical, with the Pure Colour perhaps being a bit more sheer and a slightest touch cooler.

You can read more about Oriflame Pure Colour Lipstick range here.

(I’m an Oriflame consultant. I received this lipstick as an incentive for good sales. Go me.)

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Beauty

HIKARI Cosmetics Lipsticks

hikari cosmetics lipsticks in crush and cranberry

Like OFRA Cosmetics lipsticks I wrote about last week, my acquaintance with HIKARI Cosmetics began via my Lip Monthly subscription.

The first one I received was Cabernet.

True to its name, this HIKARI lipstick is dark red wine colour. The finish is matte. I have no problem applying it evenly from the tube. It doesn’t streak, but it does tug a little. The formula is not drying, and if you’re not planning a feast, it would stay on your lips for 3-4 hours without any need to touch up. It doesn’t feather and is very easy to wear without a lip pencil.

Once you eat, it will wear off, usually from the centre, leaving your lips lined with a red wine colour.

hikari lipsticks

Crush I received a little later. It’s a hot pink (many of the lip products I received from Lip Monthly were of a hot pink/ purple/ fuchsia variety). The formula is akin to HIKARI Cosmetics Cabernet lipstick above, but the coverage is just a bit less opaque. No streaking, matte with a slightest sheen finish, not drying, applies evenly from the tube. Doesn’t feather, stays put unless you eat something heavy.

hikari lipsticks packaging

The packaging of both of these is a square glossy black bullet with the company’s logo imprinted on one side of the tube. I love such minimalist packaging.

hikari cosmetics lipstick swatches

Swatched, left to right: Hikari Cosmetics lipstick in Crush, Hikari Cosmetics lipstick in Cabernet.

Overall, HIKARI Cosmetics lipsticks stay true to what is said about them on the company’s website: Long lasting vivid colour. If you’re tired of the liquid lipsticks and want a matte finish that doesn’t look papery on the lips, then these are your friend.

If you haven’t yet given HIKARI lipsticks a go, consider doing it. I’m happy with both of these shades, and if I weren’t already buried under the avalanche of lipsticks in my personal collection, I’d buy a few more like, today. Melon and Scarlet look very, very tempting. They’re available from HIKARI Cosmetics website for $13 each.

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Beauty

Love/ Hate: ARTDECO Pure Minerals Pore Refining Primer

artdeco pore refining face primer

Let’s premise this by saying that it’s quite possible that my tube is just hella old. When I used it for the first time, the liquid coming out of it was clear, and during the second use it started showing some colour, which means that the product is separating. When left untouched for a couple of days, it does the same thing.

Unfortunately, one can never be too sure of the age and the quality – and in some cases origins as well – of products bought through local retailers.

The texture and the feel of the skin with this primer are bloody amazing. It doesn’t alter the skin’s appearance on its own, but I can’t remember the last time my skin felt as smooth as it feels after applying this primer.

I’d also go as far as to say that Pure Minerals improves skin quality with continuous use. It really is hydrating.

It applies evenly and doesn’t require a lot of product for one application. Both the downside and the plus are, it’s transparent. So I can never be too sure if I covered all parts of the face with it.

The packaging is a squeeze tube with a thin nozzle. It’s more or less convenient when there’s a lot of product left to go through, but it will be a bit of a pain further down the road. I’ve already started to store it vertically.

While not scentless, ARTDECO Pure Minerals Pore Refining Primer has a very light scent that reminds me a bit of L’Eau par Kenzo.

Seeing as it smooths out the skin, the foundation application with it is a breeze, including my nose, where I really struggle to apply foundation evenly due to pores.

So with all the good points of this primer, why doth thou hateth it, Alex?

Well.

It doesn’t prolong the life of my make-up one single bit. My foundation starts to wear off about three hours after I apply it – much like it would without a primer.

I have oily skin, but if yours is on the dry side, I think you will love this product.