Tag: makeup

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Beauty

Lip Product Empties

Let me quickly walk you through some lip products I have either finished or discarded recently.

veryme-gloss-tester-sosusan-lip-dome-ofra-lipstick

Oriflame VeryMe Mirror Lip Gloss is a perfect cool-toned pink lip colour for me. I loved using this in combination with OFRA Cosmetics Laguna Beach, but also on its own. The scent of the product was lovely, and the application was relatively OK (it’s a squeeze tube). The formula was a bit sticky. It was fun while it lasted, but I had to let it go because it started separating and smelling funny.

A sample size of one of the Oriflame Pure Colour lipsticks. I’ve written a post about them here, if you fancy a read. This one had to go because I dropped it on the office floor. A grimy dirty dusty icky yucky office floor. *shudder shudder*

So Susan Lip Dome was a lovely crayon. Not fully opaque, but it gave my lips the nicest bordeaux tint. It also felt nice and wore very comfortably. Unfortunately, it went bad before I could use it more. I received it via a Lip Monthly subscription, and I figure it was old.

OFRA Cosmetics Liquid Lip Colour in New Orleans also had to go – it was patchy and dry as all hell. And although I adored this colour, it made my lips look ridiculous, so I had to let it go.

You can read my post on OFRA Cosmetics lipsticks here.

oriflame-lip-balm-devine-lip-balm

Oriflame Beauty Lip Balm, although intended transparent, did give a bit of a pearlescent pale pink hue to the lips, so at times it made me look rather dead. It also didn’t moisturise my lips enough – matter of fact, sometimes the product felt drying. This is an old formula, and Oriflame updated it. I haven’t tried the new one.

Look DeVine Pinot Noir balm I loved. I received this one through Lip Monthly as well. It had a great scent and made my lips really moisturised, soft, and plump. I had to be careful with accidentally building up the colour with it, as a couple more strokes than necessary, and it would make me look a bit on the undead side.

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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

Local Brand: Cosmeplant Makeup Remover Lotion

New month, new series? Let’s see how far I can stretch this one. Unfortunately, Moldova is not known for the extensive production of beauty and lifestyle items. But I’m going to give it a fair shot. I’ve always believed in supporting local businesses. And quite often they deliver – overdeliver, even, if you take the price tag into consideration.

Below is one such gem.

viorica-cosmetics-cosmeplant-makeup-remover-lotion

The first thing I noticed about this product was its scent. I believe it is supposed to be chamomile, but to me it smells like custard. For that reason alone, I love using it.

The packaging of Viorica Cosmeplant Makeup Remover Lotion is a simple two-coloured plastic bottle with stickers on the front and back. The back sticker also serves as a bit of a decoration for the insides, which I find very cute. The consistency is that of a toner – it’s a liquid, not a lotion. Since it’s runny, there’s no problem getting every last drop out. The quality of stickers and their attachment varies from bottle to bottle. As you can probably see, the left one started peeling off at the bottom, while the right one remained completely intact. I haven’t had any problems with the lids breaking off and leaving the product exposed.

So how does it fare in makeup removal?

I’ve been through a couple of bottles of this stuff, and it delivered every time. It removes the most dastardly hard to remove products – not from the first swipe, but with minimal rubbing. It even works to remove Dior mascaras and Oriflame eyeliners – two things that I always have trouble with when it comes to parting for the day.

However, I must note that if you have sensitive eyes, then you should be careful when using this lotion around the eye area. Sometimes it would sting.

While this is not a revolutionary product by all means, it does exactly what it claims to do on the tin: hydrates, softens, and cleanses the skin. It never gave me any irritation (aside from that occasional eye sting – but seriously, that could be just me and using too much product around the eyes that had contacts in them for like 18 hours), dryness, redness, or breakouts. It is a pleasure to use and is dirt cheap. A bottle would set you back for ~$1.5, if that.

Will I be buying again? Hell yeah.

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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

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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