Recent Beauty Haul

Well, I haven't been doing a lot of makeup shopping lately... *Doh! So not true!* I was just too lazy to post them all here.

Here's some of my new babies, recently purchased from local department stores and eBay. From left to right:

1. Etude House Dr. Oil Solution BB Lotion SPF 20/PA++
Somehow, I am always attracted to Korean makeup/skincare brands, especially Etude House and Skinfood. Even more than the Japanese ones. Or, perhaps my drooling years over Japanese brands have passed. I guess.
Etude House products have never completely failed me. Though some of them don't live up to my high expectations, they still perform quite okay. So, I decided to buy this primer a few weeks ago when I was browsing for a new primer. Monistat just feels a bit too silicone-y for me lately.

(pictures will be posted tomorrow)
This product has pink-greyish color, which I thought would be a total disaster on me. But no, topped with foundation, the color of this product is perfectly concealed. Thank God! The texture is similar to most bb creams, easy to blend, but turns matte pretty quickly. Oil control is also good. My nose needs a little touch up after 10AM, which is okay for me. Additional SPF 20 is not so bad either, though I'd still apply another sunblock prior to this.

2. Kanebo Lunasol Water Cream Foundation in YO03
I posted my review on this foundation a few months back. I begged my friend, Amalia, to give hers to me because she said it was too light for her (OC03), and fell in love with this thing. It was actually too light for me as well, but I just loved it so much! I finally bought my own jar, in YO03, because I thought this would be a better match for my yellow skin tone. Turns out this is also too light for me, like the OC03. Better in tone, but still too light. I had to mix it with my NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Tahoe to make this shade works better. Anyway, I don't regret buying this. Love, love! :)
(pictures will be posted tomorrow)

3. Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in #153
Hmm... As much as I don't regret buying the Lunasol one, I still craved for a new foundation which matched perfectly to my skin tone. *Excuses, excuses... :p*
So, after lemming and reading more reviews, I went to buy this. I have been considering to buy this foundation since last year, so I am happy to finally did it! The shade is P-E-R-F-E-C-T for my NC40-42-ish skin. Blends verrry easily on top of Etude House Dr. Oil Solution primer, creating a smooth satin finish.

(pictures will be posted tomorrow)
I have read reviews saying this foundation screams "makeup" on them, whereas the brand claims this product gives the most natural look, even in a flashed photography. I think those people just chose the wrong shades. Because if you are lucky to find the perfect match, this is invisible. I'd say this gives me the "my skin but better" effect. I had to look closely to a mirror to check whether this foundation is still on, or has gone completely. Well, it's still on! I did touch up after 1PM with my Silky Girl Pure Fresh Oil-Control Pressed Powder, but I can still see the foundation on me.
I use my skunk brush to apply this and it gives me sheer result. I will try using another brush (blending brush or flat top) next time! I think I'm gonna wear this pretty often to the office. :)

4. Hada Labo BB Cream SPF 32/PA+++ in Natural Ochre
If you read my first post on this blog, you'll know how much I love this brand! So when I read good reviews on the bb cream, I just had to buy it! Some ladies in femaledaily forum have been raving this bb cream, especially the one in Natural Ochre shade. As most of you out there probably know, bb creams tend to have light and pinkish color. So, us, medium to dark Asian girls, have a hard time finding a bb cream that won't make us look like wearing a mask. Though every bb cream out there promises the color will blend and gradually adapt to our skin tone, most of them don't.
I haven't tried this on my face but I think the color IS a bit darker and yellowish than the bb creams I previously owned. Will post pictures of the product tomorrow!

Hada Labo, Whaddaya Wanna Know?

Well, I’ve been getting lots of questions regarding Hada Labo Products since my skincare arsenal was posted in Fashionesedaily. Come to think of it, maybe even before that article was posted. :p

I did try to answer the questions the best way I can, but I am far from claiming that I was 100% accurate. Just for personal record, I am writing here some of the questions I’ve been getting and my best way in answering those questions.

WHAT IS HADA LABO?
Hada Labo is a Japanese drugstore brand created by The Mentholatum Co. and Rohto Pharmaceuticals Co., to make a good quality skincare product, backed up by excellent technology.
Hada Labo was launched in 2004 in Japan and was exceptionally well received in a short span of time. Beauty lovers very quickly embraced the brand, and Hada Labo has proven to be a success with its Super Hyaluronic Moisturizing Lotion becoming the No. 1 Face Lotion in Japan.
Hada Labo stands for the lifestyle philosophy of “PERFECT x SIMPLE”, a skincare range that brings back to the basics – perfect, simple and confident. Hada Labo emphasizes simplicity in its skincare process, removing all the unnecessary additives, colorant, fragrance and mineral oil that will burden the skin.
(information taken from www.hadalabo.com.sg)

THE COMPLETE RANGES
Hada Labo has quite many ranges for different skin needs. They are:
1. Hydrating Care (Gokujyun): Super Hyaluronic Range, also available in light type (lotion only, for oily skin).
2. Whitening Care (Shirojyun): Arbutin Range
3. Sensitive Skin Care: es Range
4. Anti Aging Care (Gokujyun Alpha): Alpha Retinol Range
5. Exfoliating Care (Tamagohada): AHA/BHA Tamagohada Range (only available in cleansing oil and face wash/foam forms)
6. UV Care (2 types available, milk SPF 50+/PA+++ and cream SPF 30+/PA+++)
7. BB Series (2 types available, milk and cream, both with UV protection and there are two color choices, beige and ochre)
Click HERE to see the complete products from Hada Labo, but they are of course in Japanese. :)

The hydrating care, whitening care, sensitive skin care and anti-aging care have full range from face wash or foam wash, lotion, milk, essence, cream, and mask. While other ranges have only what was mentioned above.

WHAT IS LOTION, MILK, EMULSION, CREAM AND ESSENCE?
Japanese skincare brands have different terms in naming their products.

Lotion is a pre-moisturizing step in Hada Labo ranges. Some people compare this term with toner, which I think is not entirely accurate. Western term “toner” usually comes with function of clarifying or purifying. It is actually the final step of cleansing, to remove the remains of cleansing milk or makeup.
Japanese lotions add moisture level to the skin, and in the Hada Labo ranges, lotion adds water level in your skin with its Super Hyaluronic Acid content. That’s why you are not advised to dab it with cotton pad, but directly from your palms instead. It is to get all the lotion absorbed within the skin and makes it moist.

Milk or emulsion is a term used in Japanese skincare for moisturizer. Milk functions as a lock to the lotion, making sure the water level in the skin is kept stable for a good 6-12 hours.

Cream is the double moisturizing step in Japanese skincare, to be used mostly at night. Some brands recommend the cream to be used in the morning as well.

Essence is comparable to the term serum. It contains higher concentration of ingredients to achieve faster result.

WHAT I HAVE USED SO FAR

Hydrating Care: Super Hyaluronic Acid Face Wash
This face wash is heaven for me! It’s simply the best and most comforting face wash I have ever used in my whole entire life. It is ultra soft, feeling extremely clean afterwards and leaving the skin moist and fresh.

Exfoliating Care: AHA/BHA Face Wash
At first, I was on the fence whether I like the SHA Face Wash better or this one better. This face wash feels squeaky clean and lathers much thicker than the SHA one. But due to the super comforting effect, I’d say the SHA Face Wash is my HG face wash.

Hydrating Care: Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion
This lotion is clear and colorless, has a bit of acidy smell and runny in texture. 3-4 drops of this is enough to cover my face and neck area. Hada Labo has a unique way for applying lotion. That is with slapping the face method. This method is to get the lotion fully absorbed into the skin, otherwise it will just sit on your skin and will take ages to absorb/dry.
This lotion will make my skin really moist and comfortable, but not oily.

Whitening Care: Arbutin Lotion
This lotion is a bit whitish, compare to the colorless SHA lotion. It has stronger acidy smell, but nothing to an annoying extend. It absorbs faster than the SHA one, but somehow leaves the skin feeling more sticky. I alternate the use of this lotion with the SHA one, but due to the stickiness I prefer more to use this at nights.

Hydrating Care: Super Hyaluronic Acid Milk
This milk is very moisturizing! It is light in texture, and you only need a pea size to moist your face and neck.

Whitening Care: Arbutin Milk
Again, this milk feels stickier than the SHA one, but texture wise it is still light. I opt to use this at nights since I found using it during the day makes my skin turn very oily, and my skin IS already oily. So, I prefer to use the SHA one better for day times.

Whitening Care: Arbutin Essence
This essence has thicker texture than the milk, comes with a pump bottle and one pump is all I need every night. I have been using this religiously for about a month now, but I haven’t been getting comments from my friends to proof my skin is whiter. So, I guess I’m gonna need to finish the whole bottle and see it from there.

OVERALL VERDICT
I love Hada Labo products! So much, that I’d keep using them for at least a full year. (Hey, that’s good enough, remembering that I normally switch my skincare every 3-6 months :p) And I’ve stocked up 2 bottles of SHA lotion, so I guess I’m covered for the next two years, actually. :p
For drugstore brand, I’d say Hada Labo is great. I see satisfying result within a week, especially from the lotion and milk. My skin is moist (still oily, but not dehydrated anymore), really soft to the touch and supple. Really remarkable improvements for me.
As for the whitening effect, I haven’t noticed anything yet. My age/sun spots are still there, my acne spots are fading but I exfoliate my skin regularly so I wouldn’t give the credit solely to Hada Labo. But again, I only use the whitening range at nights, due to their stickiness on my oily skin. So, I will keep using the arbutin lotion, milk and essence for at least a full bottle each and give my final verdict then.

FYI, my mom has been using my SHA Milk (only the milk) for 2 months now and her skin has improved sooo much! Her skin looks brighter than I could ever remember, super soft and much younger. She never really taken good care of her skin after she hit 40, which is 20 years ago, but she did use another drugstore brand, Olay. Her skin never looked this good with Olay! So happy for her! :)

Pictures are taken from:
http://www.rohto.co.jp/hadalabo/products/index.html#

Review: Revlon PhotoReady Pressed Powder

I normally wear liquid foundation, and finish it with a loose powder.
And I use MAC's blot powder during the day for touch-ups.
But somehow, I never felt secure carrying only blot powder in my bag.
I have oily skin and my nose area always end up melted around lunch time
(yes, I use primer too, fyi). So, I always carry one of my loose powders or
my powder foundation along because the blot powder has no coverage whatsoever
to fix my makeup. Took me over four years to realize I need something with (better)
coverage to replace MAC blot powder.

I've read mixed reviews about Revlon PhotoReady Powder. Some say it's a HG item
and others say it's a complete waste of money.

I gave it a chance because it is easily accessible, not too expensive
and the medium/deep (030) shade matches my NC40 skin perfectly.
I tried it on my face for a good 2 hours before buying, to see the effect.
No itch, no oxidation, and the powder stayed put.

The packaging really sucked, it's huge and comes with a flimsy brush that looks
more suitable for blush application rather than powder. Honestly,
i even had a second thought about buying it simply because of the ugly packaging.
Don't even waste your energy trying out the brush, just put/throw it away.

 

The powder itself is quite finely-milled, though I've seen more finely-milled powders
out there (MUFE duo mat, Kanebo Lunasol powder foundation, NARS and
of course Cargo Blu-Ray). It has tiny particles of shimmer which can be quite noticeable
under direct sunlight. In the pan, I mean. Not on your face, thank God. :)

 

It provides light to medium coverage, depending on how you apply it. I prefer to use
my Everyday Mineral's kabuki brush or a sponge for this, which give medium coverage.
I did try using a skunk brush for lighter result, but the finish somehow accentuated
my huge pores. If you don't have pore issue then this application might just work for you.

The finish is satiny. Almost matte to my eyes, but not quite.
I guess the shimmer gives a bit of a dewy-look effect.

I use this powder to set my foundation, and my whole makeup would last
nicely for six to eight hours. I'd blot with a face paper before going out to lunch,
but only out of habit. My overall look is still quite oil-free.

But is it photo ready as the name claims? Don't think so. Or, at least not THAT photo ready.
You will notice the powder on the skin, but not in a bad or fake way. Just noticeable.
So, I'd say that this powder is a great choice for working days, but not for special occasions.

My verdict, I love this powder! I have been neglecting my loose powders ever since
I bought this, including NARS! It works as finishing powder as well as for touch-ups.
And my overall makeup lasts longer! In my lazy days, I'd even skip my foundation
routine and go straight with this powder after primer.

The only grudge I have is the super ugly packaging.
Also, some people might have a hard time finding a match since the color range
is so poor (only 3 shades available). I guess I'm just among the lucky ones. :D

Have you tried this powder? Did you like it?

Review: MAC Chatterbox

Here's me wearing MAC Chatterbox l/s. I have strong yellow undertone (NC40) with very pigmented lips (dark mauve to blackish) and i was never confident in wearing bright pinks. They never seem to look good on me. Some turn into mauvey-purple (yuck!), some don't even show up on my lips (especially the sheer formulas) and make me look washed out.

Lately, I've been on a hunt for pink l/s. It has become an obsession for me. From MAC, MUFE, Revlon, Maybelline, Bobbi Brown... etc, I tried them all. And bought most of them, of course. :p

Chatterbox is among the very few that looks quite decent. I love the Amplified formula because it is very opaque, therefore covering my real lip color, non-drying, and still have the sheen that makes my lips look healthy. Too bad the color selection is quite poor. I heard MAC was planning to replace this formula with Cremesheen, but haven't heard more news on it and fortunately Amplified is still available all around the world. I didn't add a gloss in the pic here but sometimes I add a gloss on top to give an extra shine to it.

One other pink that looks super cute on is YSL Rouge Volupte #9, but I am not too fond of the super creamy formula. It just feels too thick and heavy for daily basis. So for the time being, Chatterbox it is. :)