All posts filed under: Reviews

Skin Care Savior: Antipodes

Published by

A few months ago, I received the best surprise from Liz—a paper bag full of Antipodes! Antipodes is a premium natural skin care brand pioneering “scientific organic beauty.” Created in Aotearoa New Zealand, Antipodes sources its raw ingredients sustainably from the area’s unique native flora. Antipodes is one of the brands I’ve always been keen on trying (the Aura Manuka Honey Mask has been on my to-try list for a long time), but just never got around to since it’s a brand that had to be ordered online. Antipodes is locally available at Wellness Connect New Zealand, which has a store located at SM North EDSA Annex, Ground Floor. I was able to try out four products, and I’m going to write a brief review for each and tell you which ones I ended up liking. Antipodes Ananda Anti-Oxidant Rich Gentle Toner* (Php 1425, 100ml) — I’m suspicious about rose anything in my skin care; I don’t think my skin reacts all that well to it. This was a refreshing addition to my routine, though …

Tony Moly Egg Pore Tightening Cooling Pack*

Published by

Hiya! I just washed off a strip of this stuff off my nose + a bit of my cheek area. It’s the Tony Moly Egg Pore Tightening Cooling Pack*, which is a most welcome source of relief from the heat and sweaty summer. Product Description The enhanced ice corset pore pack tightens open and loose pores seamlessly with a cooling effect that covers the pore. I’ve always been skeptical of pore packs (pores don’t “open” or “close”) but there are certain masks and products that reduce the appearance of enlarged pores, and this is one such product. It’s water-based and has kaolin clay as the second ingredient. Kaolin clay, even by itself, is widely used as a face mask since it absorbs oil. White Kaolin also has an astringent effect, removing impurities from the skin.

4th for 2015: Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Powder in Medium

Published by

My fourth makeup item for 2015 is the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Medium. I’d been wanting this for a while and listing down the stuff I have my eye on makes reasonable shopping easier. Having this limit’s not so bad, either. I’m going to see how well I’ll do once my LMdB sub service finishes (my last month is July), but I’m not so bothered by it. I haven’t been wearing makeup lately, even when I go out of the house. There’s something strangely liberating about that, if I’m honest. Anyway, the Sculpting Powder is essentially a contour powder, and KA’s Medium is a cool-toned, shadow imitator—something decidedly different from your standard bronzer. I was surprised at how brown it was when I got it, to be honest. I thought it would be much closer to NYX’s Taupe, which I had been using when I contoured. The longevity of that was a bit meh to me, but the color is great. Because it left me wanting, I decided to give this one a go. …

Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP May 2015: Sexy Eye Palette + Why I Won’t Be Signing Up Again

Published by

Hello all! I come bearing a really beautiful thing today. This is the thing that came in the May box (sooo articulate…) for the Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP subscription. May was also conveniently the month that sign-ups for current subscribers opened back up for the next round. You can sign up here, if this interests you, but I’ve decided not to re-sub. More on that later, but believe me, this month’s offering nearly made me sign up again. For this month, I received an 18-pan palette called Sexy Eye Palette. If it looks familiar, I have a similar palette called Melange de Colour Fashion Eye Palette, which retailed for $95, like the LMdB Kaleidoscopes. They’re pretty different, but someone on MakeupTalk.com found a Neiman Marcus GWP that looks a whole lot like the Sexy Eye Palette, but it was named Galore.

Le Métier de Beauté Blushing Bronzed Duet in Romeo and Juliet

Published by

Hey everyone! Do you like my DVD prop? No? Haha, I thought so. Today, I’ve got Le Métier de Beauté Blushing Bronzed Duet in Romeo & Juliet, which I got a couple of months ago via the LMdB Beauty Vault VIP subscription, the unboxing post is this-a-way. The awesome folks at LMdB actually sent me a replacement after my first compact arrived broken. Product Description Sublime blush meets the perfect bronze. The Blushing Bronzed Duet embraces the incomparable pairing of Le Métier de Beauté’s signature Radiance Powder Rouges and sheer, lightly pigmented bronzers, which have been individually heralded for their universally flattering and natural-looking tones. These beautiful and balanced combinations create the quintessential glow with ease and grace. These duets (duos?) retail for $65 each (!!!) for 0.49oz or 12.89g of product. I think the more popular, warmer shade is Traviata, but I am completely smitten with Romeo and Juliet, adding it to my list of favorites last month. Swatched, L-R: Romeo and Juliet blush, Romeo and Juliet bronzer, Romeo and Juliet blush and bronzer …

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Train Bleu

Published by

The NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils aren’t really new to me, but now I’ve got this shade, Train Bleu to add to my meager collection of three. Prior to Train Bleu, I already had Bahama, Dolce Vita, and Damned, and I absolutely loved the formula of these. They are, as the name suggests, quite matte and it can feel a little drying on the lips. These will emphasize dry areas on your lips, so just a caveat.