Review: Kiko Soft Touch Blush in 112 Light Plum

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a review on the Kiko products that I hauled in Italy during Summer holiday last year, and it’s definitely not because I haven’t been using them or don’t love them. I’ve been using the Kiko Soft Touch Blush in Light Plum so often that it’s nearly a permanent item in my everyday makeup bag, and at €7.50 for 5g of product, this was a bargain!

The blush is packaged in a small round rubbery casing; the material reminds me a lot of NARS, which also means it’s a dirt magnet. I don’t have a problem with it turning sticky so far though. It’s extremely compact with a tiny mirror and does not come with brushes, which makes it so travel friendly and convenient to bring it everywhere as it literally takes up no space.

Like its name, the blush is a plummy shade with a matte finish, but perhaps a little more than “light”. The blush itself is very pigmented, with a texture that’s soft but not powdery. Being as pale as I am, one of my biggest worries is that it will look exactly like what it does in the pan! But this was easy to blend, and with a soft brush, this works out nicely to a soft plummy color on my cheeks. That said, it also builds up well and I believe it can look like the pan colour if you ever decide that you need such strong cheek colour!

I think the lasting power is great; I had this on before work and by noon, more than 6 hours later, I could still see some colour on my cheeks! Really love this and highly recommend it! Now my only regret is not grabbing more when I had the chance as it’s very hard to get from Singapore.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Hot Pink Rage

I’ve been obsessed with a bright lip over the past month – might have been the depressing situation at work, having done overtime nearly everyday last week and having to cover work outside of my own scope. So I needed a little pick me up in the day and have been using this milani lipstick quite often.

The Milani Color Statement Lipstick claims to have true instant color, with full coverage application in one stroke. There are a variety of finishes for the line, in Vinyl, Metallic, Cream, Shimmer, Pearl & Matte, and the formula contains Vitamins A, C & E to moisturize and nourish lips.

My review today is on the color Hot Pink Rage, which is described as a “bright pink rose” with a matte formula. I think the color runs pretty true to description, and I think it’s aptly named because it’s truly a hot color!

In terms of packaging, this lipstick is in the usual bullet format, with a shiny mirrored square gold tube made of very light plastic. It looks tacky and feels cheap, but functionally it works and closes well. The matching color and names are on the bottom of the tubes so it’s easy to find what you want.

Now to the most important bit; in terms of texture this lipstick is really creamy and glided on easily. It’s not too slippery which I think is what helps the colour to cling on. It’s not drying, but neither is it moisturising. The color pigmentation is really fantastic! It truly is full coverage in one stroke. There is a slight watermelon scent, but it’s not too obvious; it’s not noticeable when worn, only if you sniffed it.

The staying power is also pretty amazing; it lasted through 5-6 hours, and really only disappeared after a meal. My lip swatch above is about 2-3 hrs later; I did not apply it full on initially but still looked so incredibly bright!

At US$5.49 for 0.14oz, I think it’s great value for a great product. I got mine through the Cherry Culture website, as it’s not sold in Singapore, but there’s often a sale which makes it still affordable even after hefty shipping costs.

Rating: 4/5

Final Swatch #2: MAC Fluidline Brow Gelcreme

Next up on the products that I’m giving up is the MAC Fluidline Brow Gelcreme – a product that I keep around because it has had tons of rave reviews so I couldn’t bear to let it go, despite the fact that I have more brows than I care for. For some reason, my brows grow really quickly, and they are very thick and black. If I don’t trim them regularly, I end up with unibrows. So I have no idea why I would ever need a brow gelcreme! There is a little hole at the front end of my brows, which I do pencil in with a light brow pencil, but filling in my already intensely bushy brows with a brow gelcreme made me look a lot like the Japanese manga character Crayon Shin-Chan.

It did glide on easily and stayed put all day, but I had too much trouble blending it out or making it look natural, if it was ever possible. Rather than hoarding something that I will not likely be able to use in the next few years, unless my brows suddenly decided to fall out all of a sudden, I am saying goodbye to this and hopefully the new owner – a less brow-endowed friend of mine – will love it a lot more than I did.

Random Thoughts #7: Setting Your Heart Mast

“Ships at sea all face the same winds and waves.
But one ship goes east, the other west.
Why is that?”

“Because the direction isn’t set by the winds or waves, it’s by the sails.
Life’s trials and tribulations are the same.
Fate can be cruel, but along the way, never forget to set your sail.
Never forget that your heart is the main mast.”
Lord Ko, Horse Doctor

I was watching the Korean drama Horse Doctor when I chance upon this quote which really made me stop and think, and it deserved a post.

Drink a little tea, and give a little thought to this.
When you’re ready, set your sail.

Review: Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Ever since I received a little sample of the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, I’ve been in love with it and have been wanting to purchase a full size. Recently, I managed to convince my bf into getting a full bottle for himself (I said it’s good for him, but honestly I wanted to use it myself).

Claims on Website:
Purely Potent Over-Night Repair; Regenerates, repairs, and replenishes skin for a smoother, healthier skin. Works with the skin’s natural nocturnal activity when skin is most receptive to repairing itself from daily aggressors to dramatically restore skin. 99.8% naturally-derived and paraben-free.

The product is made of essential oils, such as Evening Primrose Oil and Lavender, and botanical lipids like Squalene. The oil is packaged in a dark glass bottle with a little pipette to dispense the product. It’s not the most travel friendly item as it seems quite fragile but I love how it looks. The pipette is also great to dispense the ideal amount of product.

In terms of texture, it is an oil after all but it’s very lightweight and feels more fluid than an oil. It’s also clear in color and dries down really quickly without leaving an oily residue which is amazing. A quick note on my skin type – I have very dry skin and I don’t often find products too greasy for me, but this really wins hands down in how fast it absorbed. My bf has very oily skin, and he didn’t feel that this is too oily and loved it!

I usually use this before bed, and because technically I don’t own it, I only use this half a week when I’m over at the bfs. Whenever I use this, I wake up the next morning to really lovely, plump and well moisturized skin. My skin glowed, an amazing feat for dry skin, but not in a “I have too much oil” way. It’s meant to be an overnight repair product, so I don’t use it in the day. It has a lovely lavender scent that’s not too overpowering.

Kiehl’s recommend to use 2-3 drops each time and to pat it in before massaging it all over. That’s what I do, and between my bf and I, after using it for a month, it’s still nearly full so it think it’s totally worth the S$80 it cost for the 30ml bottle! Obviously, I love this oil and would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good face oil.

Rating: 4/5

Midweek Peek #8: Current Top 3 Favorite Blushes in My Collection

I own tons of blushes – I don’t just have them in large quantity, but I also have a huge variety. I have pinks, corals, outright oranges, berries, even true red; I tend to switch around my blushes quite a lot, depending on my mood and eye makeup, so my favorites change quite often. Nonetheless, here are my current top 3 favourite blushes in my collection!

Not in sequence of preference; first up is the Chanel Blush Horizon de Chanel – a limited edition blush that appears as stripes of rose, coral and peach, but when blended together comes as a soft pink shade on me that looks so natural. Estee Lauder Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease gives such a lovely glow without looking too glittery or metallic; looks lovely on top of other blushes but just as pretty on its own as well. MAC Mineralize Blush in Gentle is a raspberry shade that I go to when I need a bit more colour on my face and it comes with a lovely sheen too.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this little peek at what’s my current favourite blushes; what are your favourite blushes now?

Review: Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Cranberry Crush

A quick review today on something that I’ve been enjoying – the Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain. Please pardon my not very sexy pout – I seem to be over enthusiastic when I was putting it on! I have this in Cranberry Crush, which is a berry shade. This can be bought from the US at US$2.99, with a total of 8 shades.

Claims from website:
• Moisturizing Balm Infused with a Light-Weight Stain
• Applies with a Glossy Finish; Transforms into Perfect Flush of Color
• Long-Lasting, Retractable, Paraben-Free

In terms of packaging, this is similar to other jumbo sticks on the market – like a crayon that can be twisted up to reveal more product. I love all jumbo sticks’ packaging, as I find them very easy to use and convenient. There is a slight sweet scent, but I don’t find it very significant.

Formula wise, I do find them moisturizing, though not as much as a regular lip balm, and feels very comfortable on without being oily or slimy. I would not say that they are very lightweight, as I do feel that I wearing something – I think it’s because of the waxy formula.

In the picture I have on a very light application for a soft berry look, but it can be layered on for more intensity. I love how the colour looks on me, and when freshly applied, it has a nice shine on it. The shine wears off rather quickly, but a softer stain is left behind, at least for the Cranberry Crush shade, which lasts for a few hours – I had these on before work and could still see some color on my usually vampire-pale lips by lunch time.

In all, I really enjoyed this and at US$2.99, they are a bargain! If it was easier to get my hands on some, without having to pay hefty shipping fees, I definitely would get more! Have you tried them yet?

Rating: 4/5

Random Thoughts #6: Size & Packaging Does Matter

A really random post – I was just blown away by how nicely packed this sample was that I had to show it. Note that this is an entirely free product – no hidden shipping fee, no purchase with purchase; it was a free product with no shipping cost that I got through Sample Store.

The product was really nice as well – I got the Brands Innershine Marine Collagen Essence Strip. The taste is somewhat fruity and does not have the fishy scent like most collagen products. Plus, it came with its own nice packaging too with a reasonable amount of samples!

I find that samples that are too tiny actually does the opposite effect for the companies or the products that they’re promoting – if I tried them and the samples are enough for me to see some results, then I will most likely buy them. But if I’ve tried them but not enough for the product to take effect, I most likely won’t bother to buy the entire bottle. If there were no samples, then I might actually buy the entire bottle to try. So you see, it’s actually a negative if they gave out samples but in too small a size!

So there goes my random thoughts for the moment, hope all of you have a nice weekend filled with love and makeup!

Store Swatch #2: Maybelline Pink Alert by Color Sensational

Another store swatch post; I’ve getting a kick out of swatching everything out in store! I noticed a small section of lipsticks from Maybelline that looks new from the regular Color Sensational Range called Pink Alert; there are only 4 new (or at least I think they are new) lipsticks to the range. I’ve been enjoying bright pink lips lately so gave them all a swatch!

From top to bottom on the swatch: POW4, POW3, POW2, POW1

Seems like there are a lot of new very intense lipsticks out on the market lately! I own quite a few Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks; from experience they are comfortable to wear, great pigmentation and affordable at S$14.30 (on sale now). I’m not sure if I’ll pick any up because they’re very similar to some other lipsticks I already own but if you’re looking for a really bright pink lip, you might want to go check them out!

Haul: Little Sephora Treat

Not sure if one item qualifies as a haul but I really wanted to put this post up because of just how adorable this little makeup palette is! Plus, I thought it was really great of Sephora to be giving this to their members – I received this as a birthday gift (they allowed us to claim it within 2 months so I got mine rather late) without having to make a purchase.

I was actually quite surprised at how good the quality of the eyeshadows are – except for the beige shade; they are really nice, soft and blendable. The blush is also very finely milled, soft and goes on smoothly; the lip glosses were not too sticky but I find them not very useful as they were really sheer. But I really adore how it closes up to resemble a little handbag! So cute!