Thursday, December 22, 2016

✮ Battle of the Concealers: The Saem Cover Perfection Tip Concealer VS TonyMoly Facetone Creamy Tip Concealer ✮

High coverage, long lasting power and a good colour match without being drying or cakey - this is what I look for in a concealer. These two concealers are so affordable guys, sitting at less than $5 a tube - so I didn't think it would hurt to try both and I'm glad that I did. To cut it short, which one do I prefer? The Tonymoly one, why? It doesn't oxidise and it's less drying and its a bonus that it's the cheaper of the two! You don't really hear much about the Tonymoly concealer but The Saem's "Cover Perfection Tip Concealer" is quite known and very popular but if you can get something that's almost identical and better but for even cheaper then why not? I'm not slandering The Saem at all though, if I ran out of my TonlyMoly concealer then I would happily use the The Saem without any hesitation. 

(Left to Right: TonyMoly in W01 Vanilla Beige and The Saem 01 Clear beige)

(Top to Bottom: The Saem and TonyMoly) Pics are with and w/o flash

So lets run through the similarities and differences between the two.

Similarities:
  • Both have extremely high medium-full coverage (TonyMoly has a slight bit more coverage)
  • Creamy and easy to blend 
  • Affordable Concealers 
  • The lightest colours in both range are quite comparable (01 Clear Beige for The Saem and N01 Neutral Milk for TonyMoly, I'm around an NC15) But I got the wrong colour for myself as shown in the pictures (The photo shows the shade W01 Vanilla Beige - which is honestly not a "vanilla" colour at all) so the TonyMoly one looks a lot darker but the darker and more orange tone makes it a great corrector for my red spots.
  • Lasts all day 
Differences:
  • The Saem is more drying and hence emphasises textures more 
  • TonyMoly is a lot more hydrating so it would be more suited to those with drier skins and it would look more flattering under the eyes.
  • The Saem oxides into an orange colour 
  • Tony Moly doesn't oxidise, the shade that I currently have, W01 Vanilla Biege, has an orange tone which is great to use as a corrector but the concealer range does offer a separate corrector colour

How I like to use these concealers:
I like to use concealers to spot conceal before applying a thin layer of foundation or bb cream on top using a sponge or a cushion puff. Using a sponge/cushion puff helps to make sure the concealer will not be moved and it makes your base makeup look less heavy without compromising on the coverage. It also ensures that there are no patches of varying colours from the foundation and concealer if you apply a thin veil of foundation on top to blend everything in.

Where to Purchase:

Thursday, December 8, 2016

❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥ My Top 6 Beauty Discoveries For 2016

Hello guys! To finish off this year I want to tell you all about my top 6 beauty finds of 2016 - so these are not my holy grail or products I've used for years but the items I purchased/was gifted this year. But enough of that, lets get into the things I've been loving!!

★ QV Face Moisturising Day Cream SPF 30 
  • This year was the first year I began to actually use sunscreen daily because I've finally discovered one that doesn't break me out so yay for that right??! This sunscreen is definitely moisturising and leaves a sheen on your face, the more you apply - the heavier the sheen but that doesn't bother me too much as I always put base makeup + powder on top of it so it takes down the shine but be warn it will still show through after an hour or so of powdering. But I don't mind this as it's such a convenient product for me to chuck onto my face in the morning - it eliminates the two step of moisturising and sunscreen as it is a 2 in 1 product! Also, it is quite affordable and my 75g bottle lasts me a good 6-8 months!


★ Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundations shade Light Vanilla/Clair 
  • I was on a lookout for a good medium coverage foundation for uni, and since my skin was acne-prone it had to be a product that won't break me out and oh my gooooodness. This is such a good product! I've been using this product daily since March and I still have 1/3 of the bottle left - I usually use one to one and a half pumps of this foundation for a solid high medium coverage. This foundation has a natural finish, not matte or dewy. I'm around an NC15 and the lightest colour is a bit dark for me in the winter but perfect for me in the summer. I feel like this oxides a bit but I always use a lighter powder anyways so that balances the colour out. This foundation lasts a whole uni day for me which is usually a 10-12hr day (I know, it's intense), with a few blots and sometimes a few(like 2-3) touchups with powders. The coverage is maintained if you use a powder and the foundation doesn't emphasise my pores but can cling to dry patches. I will definitely be repurchasing this foundation again and I will be trying out the serum version too!

★ Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge 
  • I have been converted to an advert sponge user guys. It's official. I've always loved brushes and refused to use sponges because I just didn't like the idea of them but one day I was like- you know what?? I have to try it before I diss it and I did. I'm never looking back. This sponge makes my base makeup look so smooth, even and pretty. It really prevents my makeup from clinging to dry patches but I love to use this sponge the most when I've used concealer to spot conceal then I'll go in with this sponge to put a light layer of foundation/bb cream on top and it makes everything look a lot more fresh and natural without compromising on the coverage. Love it! Will definitely repurchase!! (Oh and definitely use it damp, most sponges work best damp)

★ Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone 
  • This is such a beautifulllll highlighter guys. Like seriously, the texture is so creamy but it's a powder? This highlight looks so smooth on the cheeks and on me it doesn't emphasise textures or pores, I can use a bit for a subtle glow or go ham on it and intensify it to the point that even the highlight Gods are like damn gurl. But the downside is that the highlighter only lasts for about 5-6hrs on me before fading away completely. Also, I really love the colour of this highlighter, I love gold highlighters but I haven't found one that isn't too dark on me - this one is a light gold-champagne colour and it highlights me beautifully and looks especially good on my brow bone. This highlighter is not glittery on my face - its just a beautiful sheen so I love wearing it out on date nights! The highlighter swatches are here.

★ N.Y.C Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in Mocha Glow ★ 
  • I actually bought this product to use as a bronzer but when I got home and swatched it, it was too orange so I decided to start using it as a blush and oh my goooodnesssss - this adds so much warmth into my skin. The colour of this powder is an orange/brown so it's really effective at warming the complexion and adding life to it. I love using this on days where I want a more bronzed or neutral look - this powder adds the right amount of colour and sheen to my cheeks. But this product can go from 100 to 0 real quick if you apply too much, it can be quite pigmented and sometimes I forget that and go crazy with my brush but thankfully that could easily be rectified by using my face powder to buff and blend it out. I have not found another blush/bronzer like this one yet which scares me a little - I don't want to ever be without this product!

★ Tarte Tartelette in Bloom Eyeshadow Palette 
  • This palette is absolutely beautiful! The flower petal packaging and the colour choice of this palette just screams out my name! The eyeshadows are soooo pigmented, I made the mistake of digging my brush into the colours too much upon my first use and it was not a good sight but thankfully it was easily blended out with lighter colours. The eyeshadows are beautiful and smooth and last all day with an eyeshadow primer - the one I use is here. This palette is great for beginners or anyone who loves neutrals as you get an array of colours ranging from cool to warm with a variety of finishes from mattes to shimmers and all the colours are easy to work with and all blend like a dream! This is just an easy palette for me to reach for when I don't know what looks I want to do. I personally prefer this over the original Tartelette palette as you get more with this but each to their own! I highly recommend this palette to everyone! 



Let me know what your favourite discoveries of 2016 are!

Sunday, December 4, 2016

♡ Review: Etude House's Proof 10 Eye Primer

We've all been there when we spend 1hr on a bomb ass eyelook just for it to crease and fade in a few hours, it gets annoying but hey - it happens to all of us and that is why using an eyeshadow primer is so important. Etude House has long had a very popular eyeshadow primer and knowing me with my oily eyelids that have a tendency to eat up my shadows - I knew I had to give it a go.

So some stats that Etude House gives on this eyeshadow primer includes:
  • Increases the duration of the shadow 
  • Increases the adhesion of shadows but creating a smooth canvas 
  • Has a soft feeling; not dry or sticky 


Pros: 
  • Thin, creamy consistency
  • Easy to blend 
  • A tad sticky but if you set it with a powder then you should be fine 
  • Eyeshadows last for more than 12+ hours (on me at least, and I have extremely oily eyelids) - there is no creasing, smudging or fading 
  • It's so affordable! You can usually get it for under $10
  • The product should last you for quite a while since you only need a small amount for each eye 
Cons:
  • I can see the packaging being potentially annoying as you continue to use the product, the teardrop shaped packaging make it hard to scrape out product but you can always use a tooth pick and depot it into a little pot if you want.
Where to purchase and price: You can purchase the product here for $5.66USD.