All posts tagged: addiction

Makeup Inventory: Addiction Cheek Sticks

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Presenting… my latest iteration of my Addiction Cheek Stick inventory. These are possibly some of my favorite makeup bits ever, and I’m trying really hard not to buy everything from the range. If you aren’t familiar, Cheek Sticks are multi-purpose products by Japanese brand, Addiction by Ayako. Ayako was a makeup artist that worked closely with François Nars (of NARS, duh), which probably explains a lot of the brand’s aesthetic direction. Cheek Sticks can be used on the cheeks, lips, and even eyes (though they are not crease-free). In a span of a year, I have amassed five different shades, all of which I love. From lightest to darkest, I have African Sunset, Tea Rose, Rose Bar (my newest one!), Revenge (my first one!), and Suspicious. They are swatched in the same order below: The most versatile one, in my opinion, is Rose Bar, though I am able to use Revenge pretty much anywhere also. It’s just a less agreeable color than Rose Bar. Tea Rose was a fast favorite and was in rotation for …

Addiction by Ayako Eyeshadow in Safari Mode

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Ah, the last Addiction eyeshadow in my possession to be reviewed: Safari Mode. This is the most gorgeous muted khaki I have ever laid my eyes on. Unlike the greens in NARS’ Paramaribo, this comes off a lot less golden. Still, it has a beautiful sheen. It’s a shade that’s beautiful when worn alone, but also looks lovely fading into a neutral base. It’s a great alternative to common browns, beiges, champagnes if you want to venture out into the world of color but don’t think you can wear blues or pinks yet. It’s also a great companion to both cool and warm tones, I think, because it’s just so… agreeable. The texture, as is usual with Addiction, is phenomenal. Safari Mode is on the outer half of the mobile lid, as well as the inner third of the lower lash line. The darker green is NARS’ Night Clubbing, another beautiful deeper green. My Addiction singles count is currently at 5, and I currently have three quads. I would love to buy more (one way …

Quickie: Addiction by Ayako Eyeshadow in Sandbar

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This is one of the last dregs of my Addiction “haul” (eee, bad word) from last month. It’s a pretty neutral eyeshadow called Sandbar. The website says that it has a “pearl finish,” but like Belly mentioned in this post, Addiction’s pearl finish eyeshadows have the most inconsistent textures. It’s a beautiful pale pinky peach shade that translates more neutral on my skin tone. It’s rather pretty, though quite understated, but it’s the kind of shade that you can throw on your eyes, add a bit of liner or mascara and then leave the house. In other words, it’s perfect for a lazy bum like me. (!) It really does have a beautiful pearly sheen to it, unlike Deep Forest which is also described as a pearl but seems mostly gritty to me. I have one more single eyeshadow in my stash, which I’m reviewing later this week. I really want more because these are amazingly textured, though the steep price really shows the cost of quality. Still, if you’re on the look-out for a …

Bring the Sunlight to Your Face with Addiction Cheek Stick in African Sunset

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What? A highlighter again?! Fear not, dear reader. It is not. It is a blush that looks like there is a bit of highlighter thrown in there. HEH. This is the only cheek stick I have that has shimmer in it. It’s a pretty light golden orange, and it’s just marvelous. It was a bit hard to take a swatch of, so have three: Again, I thought this would be too light for my face, but au contraire, it actually adds depth to my round face. Here it is as a blush. Check it out—so beautiful and warm and summery! Perfect for the gloom and doom and humidity that is Manila weather currently. I say perfect, because boo clouds! (Just kidding, I prefer the gloom and doom, but I like brightening up my face, heh.) And here it is on my eyes: You can see a little bit of the prettiness of the blush right in there, too. 🙂 Anyway, while it looks pretty on the eyes, it settles into the fine lines and creases. …

Addiction x Jean Michel Basquiat Ready to Wear Palettes in Tuxedo Moon & Mudd Club

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Oh hello there, pretties. These are two of the six Ready To Wear Palettes that Addiction launched as their Jean-Michel Basquiat collection. I got two shades in the limited edition casing: Tuxedo Moon and Mudd Club, both of which are part of their permanent collection. I posted about another quad, Sugar Rusk yesterday here. In case you are new, I have a bit of a Basquiat obsession. On a trip to NYC in 2005, my life changed when we visited the Basquiat retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum. He remains my favorite artist to this day. You can imagine my reaction to this collection. “I burn, I pine, I perish!” as Cameron in 10 Things About You would dramatically say. Mudd Club is the more adventurous of the two. It features a white, a teal, a purple, and a black. They are all superb textures, with a sort of pearly sheen to them, but the pigmentation is quite subtle. Tuxedo Moon is a beautiful collection of neutrals that differs from Sugar Rusk in drama and texture. …

ADDICTION by Ayako Ready to Wear Eyeshadow Palette in Sugar Rusk

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You’ve read about my ADDICTION addiction. Let me talk about it some more. ADDICTION is a makeup brand by makeup artist Ayako, who worked with François Nars. I discovered and fell in love with their products on a Japan visit, during which I brought home 3 types of products: lipsticks, eyeshadows, and cheek sticks. Unfortunately, I didn’t want to sully the products and didn’t get to buy any more items before leaving for Manila. My friend, Den, kindly muled me some more Addiction goodies when she went on a trip to Osaka a few weeks ago. My Addiction eyeshadow stash grew dramatically, and one of the newest additions was this quad in Sugar Rusk. I was hoping to get this in a limited edition Basquiat case, like two other quads I got, but the pigmentation and colors gave me enough reason to hold on to it. Sugar Rusk has four colors: three shimmery neutrals, and a beautiful matte. The three shimmery neutrals are a white (with a green-gold duochrome), a cool, light brown that is …

Sample Stash Sunday: Addiction by Ayako Tinted Skin Protector

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For this week’s edition of Sample Stash Sunday, I have a little packet of Addiction’s Tinted Skin Protector in Tint No. 3. If you’ve just tuned in to this blog, Sample Stash Sunday is a sort of quick, first impressions type of review. It’s also a way for me to get through the numerous samples I’ve acquired, so win-win! The Tinted Skin Protector is basically a foundation that has a) great suns protection, and b) is a primer as well. It’s meant to protect the skin from drying and from UV rays, while also providing even coverage, even over pores. It’s also designed to be light, feel fresh, and wear long. It has: moisturizing ingredients “centifolia rose flower extract” combination. emollient ingredient “Rose hip oil” combination. no fragrance SPF 50/PA+++ So, this little packet right here contains 0.9ml worth of product. It doesn’t seem like a lot, and it didn’t feel like a lot. So, being a dumbass, I assumed it was tinted moisturizer (because I didn’t research before trying) good for one use and …