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Category Archives: Makeup
Thoughts: Urban Decay Naked and Naked2 Palette
Now that i have two of the legendary eyeshadow palettes from Urban Decay, i thought that i should share my thoughts on them. If you’re considering to get an eyeshadow palette, hopefully this post will help you out.
p/s: I won’t be doing any swatches. I’m just going to share my thoughts and opinions in this post.
Well i initially got the Urban Decay Naked2 palette online a year ago when it was still fairly new. At the same time, Sephora came to KL not too long ago and all the Naked and Naked2 Palettes were sold out, leaving me no choice but to get it online instead.
I didn’t get to see the swatches of the palettes in real life, so i had to resort to doing research online. All the reviews and swatches i found on Google were very helpful and i found myself torn between the Naked and Naked2 Palette. Which one should i get?
I ultimately decided to get the Naked2 Palette mainly for two reasons:
- The packaging
- It was new
I didn’t give much thought as to whether will i like the shades in the palette. I just thought, “It’s a Naked palette, it has all the basic shades everyone would ever need.”
However when i finally got the Naked2 Palette and started using it, i realized that the shades are not to my liking at all. Sure, it mostly consisted of neutral colours, but i somehow found difficulty achieving the look that i want with those colours.
I mean, i like the Naked2 Palette, but i just couldn’t find a way to fully utilize all the shades in it. I found myself using only a few colours from the palette. Out of 12 colours, i probably used only 5 or 6. Some were not even touched! But like i said, i don’t mean the shades in Naked2 Palette are not nice. I’m just saying that it wasn’t suited for me.
Some of the most used shades in the Naked2 Palette for me are: Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect (had a phase for this once), Verve and Busted.
Eventually, i found myself thinking about the Naked Palette again.
Since Sephora has opened more branches in Malaysia and the craze for Naked palettes has died down, it was easier for me to gain access to one.
And so i bought the Naked Palette.
When i looked at the product and swatches at Sephora, i knew i was going to like this palette better than the Naked2. It had warmer shades of browns and i just thought that all the shades suited my liking. Just as simple as that!
So based on my personal experience, i’m just going to list out the pros and cons of both palettes.
Naked Palette
Pros:
- Has gorgeous neutral shades anyone will need
- Great for beginners
- Light packaging
Cons:
- Cheap packaging – made from cardboard
- Gets dirty easily – the exterior is suede, which attracts dusts and all sorts
- Small mirror
Naked2 Palette
Pros:
- Metal packaging – easier to maintain
- Large and wide mirror
Cons:
- Has cooler shades – might not be suitable for everyone (but there are some really nice ones)
- Heavier compared to the Naked Palette
As far the the extras that come with the palettes, the Naked Palette comes with a mini Urban Decay Primer Potion (perfect to use if you want to start experimenting with eyeshadows) while the Naked2 Palette comes with a mini lip gloss.
Both palettes come with a synthetic brush. The Naked Palette comes with a flat shader brush, where else the Naked2 comes with a dual-ended shader and blending brush. I never used the brushes, but judging from brushing it on my hand, the brushes feel soft, smooth and dense.
So this concludes my thoughts on the palettes, i hope you guys found this useful! It’s clear which one i prefer more, but it’s ultimately up to you when it comes to your choice :)
Of Highlights and Contours
My limited edition MAC Sculpt & Shape Powder…
It broke when i was traveling a couple months back. I haven’t thrown it out yet because this powder has sentimental value. It was the first highlighting and contouring powder i had and the best thing about it is that it’s 2-in-1. I owe it to this powder for making my nose look fabulous. Well i guess i have to find a replacement now..
Review: Rachel K CC Cream + Mineral CC Pressed Powder
On early February, i was sent a couple of products from Rachel K Cosmetics to do a review on them.
Rachel K Cosmetics is founded by Rachel Kum, who won the title of Miss Singapore Universe in 2009. Besides that, all products from Rachel K Cosmetics are manufactured with the help of her team of expert cosmetic chemists and production facilities from USA, Japan and Korea.
I was really looking forward to trying the products because they were two of Rachel K’s bestsellers, the Colour Control Cream (CC Cream) and Mineral CC Pressed Powder. I’ve switched over from liquid foundations to BB creams for the longest time now, so i was curious on how the CC cream, which seemed more superior than the BB cream, work for me.
CC Cream is a much more refined and improved BB cream which combines various benefits all in one – color control, oil control, whitening, brightening, moisturizing and UV protection with SPF 35 PA ++. It enhances our complexion by improving its texture, balancing skin tone and brings forth the quality of real skin – dewy, fresh, elastic and with a glow. The end effect is a flawless, non oily (matte) and radiant complexion.
So basically, CC creams are like BB creams, but better. Rachel K CC Cream comes in two shades – Neutral (yellow undertone) and Original (pink undertone).
Rachel K CC Cream features:
- EGF-Epidermal growth factor
- SPF 35 PA++
- Moisturizing
- Whitening
- Nourishing
- Anti-wrinkle
- Collagen enriched
- Non-comedogenic
- Smudge-proof
- Water-proof
Rachel K Mineral Color Control blemish balm pressed powder is a 4 in 1 makeup foundation, a natural mineral makeup concealer, powder and SPF protection all in one. The pigment rich powder protects skin with antioxidants and bound with Organic Shea Butter and Vitamin . It is designed to glide on smoothly to blend with and allow the natural skin tone to show through and provides excellent coverage for flawless finish that lasts all day.
Rachel K Mineral CC Pressed Powder comes in three shades – fair, medium and deep.
Nothing beats actual pictures of the products in action, so let’s see how they did on my face.
Disclaimer: I wasn’t kidding when i said my skin is so much worst now compared to last time. That’s why i love makeup to death and owe it to photo editing apps that make my face look so much better than it actually is. I’m a bluff, i know.
Left to right, top to bottom
- Bare face
- After Rachel K CC Cream
- After concealer
- After Rachel K Mineral CC Pressed Powder
Verdict:
The CC cream has light to medium coverage and it doesn’t have a greyish tone to it. As you can see from the pictures, i still needed some concealer to properly cover up my imperfections. On the other hand, the CC cream made my skin smoother and fixed my uneven skin tone around my eye, nose and mouth area.
The CC cream gives a rather matte finish, but when it’s topped with the pressed powder, the look seems more matte and complete. However, the pressed powder might have a tendency of caking around fine lines if it’s applied with the sponge applicator. I think it will be better if it’s applied with a powder brush. The oil control of the CC cream is relatively better than the previous BB cream i was using.
Packaging wise, there’s nothing special to say about it. I like the size of the CC cream because it’s quite small and it’s convenient to pack into my makeup bag. The packaging for pressed powder however attracts a lot of finger prints.
Tip:
CC/BB creams appear fairer than your skin tone at first, however it will oxidize after a while to match your skin tone. If you’re still worried about looking like a geisha, apply some on your neck as well.
Rachel K Cosmetics is now available at selected Guardian stores in Malaysia nationwide. The price for Rachel K CC Cream is RM 45.90, while Rachel K Mineral CC Pressed Powder is RM48.90
What’s In My Makeup Bag // February13
Ever since end of last year, i’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling here and there. And since i stay over at the Batcave quite often, i never really bothered to unpack my makeup bag. Even until now.
I like having my daily essentials in a little makeup bag so that i can always grab it and go if i ever need to. Anyway, i’ve decided to share what’s currently in my makeup bag just for fun.
Please note that these are just the items i bring with me when i’m traveling and/or staying some place else. This does not include my entire makeup stash that i have at home.
Click here for larger image
- Rachel K CC Cream (Neutral)
- Yves Saint Laurent TOUCHE ÉCLAT Radiant Touch
- MAC Select Moisturecover (NC20)
- Shu Uemura Face Powder
- Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
- MAC Fafi Eyes 1 eyeshadow palette
- Majolica Majorca Majolook Illuminator eyeshadow palette (BR799)
- Heavy Rotation Gel Eyeliner
- Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner (Bourbon)
- Majolica Majorca Jeweling Pencil (71)
- Heavy Rotation Perfect Liquid Eyeliner
- Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara
- Chanel Powder Blush (72 Rose Initiale)
- Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté (Faubourg Peach)
- Topshop Lipstick (Pillow Talk)
- Peripera Tint Water (Pink Juice)
- Eye Talk Double Eyelid Glue
- Dolly Wink Eyelash Glue
So these are pretty much my makeup essentials. My favourite eyeshadow palettes and lip products changes from time to time but as for now, i use the Majolica Majorca Majolook Illuminator for daytime and MAC Fafi Eyes 1 for night.
And recently i’ve been experimenting with ombre lips by combining my Topshop Lipstick in Pillow Talk with my fairly new Peripera Tint Water in Pink Juice. Peripera is a Korean brand and it’s available at Watsons. I bought some of their lip products and i’m looking to do a review on it, but i’m not sure when because i have a lot of things piled up. However if you want to try their products out for yourself, you know where to find them! :)
Loot: Skin Food
Whoa. I’ve been spending way too much lately and it’s all in the name of Chinese New Year. Come to think of it, how come we Chinese spend so much on just clothes for Chinese New Year? Why not buy other new stuff like cosmetics and skin care and stuff?
Yeah, that’s what i thought.
Since i’m already in the shopping mood, might as well buy some beauty products to complete the cycle.
Today’s purchases
My Shu Uemura cleansing oil just ran out so i had to get another one. I’ve been using it for years now and i don’t see myself switching to another brand anytime soon. I also bought a portable lip brush cause i lost my previous one :<
Finally bought these products from Skin Food after weeks of consideration and research. I bought their two best-selling facial masks and a peeling gel for skin regeneration.
I’ve decided to give Skin Food a try because it’s a Korean brand and we all know Koreans are obsessed with their skin. We’ll see what good these products will do for me.
My skin complexion has really turned to shits recently and i’m doing whatever it takes to make it better. I’ve been getting way too many pimples one after another until the point where i don’t even care anymore. I have blemish spots all over my face and they’re not going away anytime soon because my skin recovery rate is very slow.
I’m also planning to change my entire skincare, so these masks are just for starters.
Skin Food was very kind to provide me with all these samples as well. I’m not sure if they usually give these many samples to customers though.
On another note, i received a couple of products from Rachel K Cosmetics today and i’m really looking forward to reviewing them. I’m also really thankful because just when i was thinking of trying another BB cream, Rachel K Cosmetics came into the picture!
Thanks for the products, Rachel K! :D
Review: Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara
I think we all know that it’s been ages since i last did a beauty review. Well, i’m finally back into reviewing products in courtesy of Kiss Me Malaysia :)
I had the pleasure of trying out Kiss Me’s Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara recently and i’m starting to grow a liking for it. It was about time for me to buy a new mascara and this one came along just the right time and it’s nice to try something new for a change.
Since my last beauty-related post was about curling lashes, i think this post will make a very nice follow-up on that.
Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara features:
- 120% lengthening effect due to the polymer coating that allows fibers to be mixed well with the mascara liquid
- Lashes stay curled upwards for many hours without smudging due to oil-repellent curl-maintaining polymer
- Resistant to tears, sweat, water and sebum
Curved brush
Before / After tightlining and curling eyelashes / After applying mascara
Complete look
Verdict:
I like the mascara. The shape of the brush makes it easier to apply the mascara on each eyelash all the way to the edge of the eye. However, if you ever get some mascara on your eyelids or skin by accident, it’s best to remove it right away with a cotton bud as it will be very hard to remove once it has dried since the mascara has very strong lasting power.
Tips:
- Always curl your eyelashes properly. I’ve discussed about the methods and importance of curling eyelashes before in this post.
- Tightlining will create extra volume for your eyelashes and makes your eyes look more “complete”.
- To make your eyelashes stand out more, keep your eyeliner to the minimum. Avoid drawing your eyeliner too thick and stick to tightlining instead.
- If you must, use brown eyeliner instead of black and limit it to the outer part of your eye by drawing the eyeliner thinner on the inside and expanding thicker towards the other part of the eye.
I’ll be giving away one set of Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara to one blog reader in courtesy of Kiss Me Malaysia. The set also comes with a Heroine Make Mascara Remover.
Heroine Make Mascara Remover features:
- Removes super strong mascara efficiently without rubbing
- Easily applied to every part of the eyelash due to the coil-shaped comb
- Gentle to the eyes with chamomile extract (moisturizing ingredient) and rosehip oil (emollient ingredient) and easily washed away
The terms are simple:
- Like Kiss Me Malaysia on Facebook
- Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @jamiechin
- Leave me a comment
The lucky person will be selected by random, however only those who have completed the terms above will be eligible. The giveaway ends on 29th January 2013, 11.59pm. Good luck to all of you and i hope you enjoyed reading this post! :)
