Recent Purchases 3
Hey cutie,
School has been bombarding me with work so I haven't found time to get around to writing this post but I am today! I just wanted to haul my "recent" purchases. I bought these about a month ago and have had a fair amount of time to test each product out.
L'oreal Infallible Pro-Last Lipcolor in Neverending Nutmeg
I was anticipating getting this specific colour because many people claim it as a "dupe" for Limecrime's Cashmere. If you look at swatches, they're not exactly dupes, but it's close enough that it made me excited. The colour itself looks great on my lips; the cool-toned taupeness of it is right up my ally, however I really do not enjoy this formula. It's one of those "2-step" lip lacquer lipcolours where you apply the colour first, wait for it to dry, and then apply a gloss on top to get rid of the tackiness. It's similar to the Rimmel Provocalips however I find the L'oreal one flakes super easily and settles into fine lines. After drinking with it on, the colour on the inner portion of my lips started to peel off in chunks and it's not cute. So much for long lasting.
Sephora Collection Colorful Face Powder in Tranquil
I'm always on a hunt for a good cool toned contour powder and I think I've hit the jackpot. Sephora came out for a whole blush collection that includes highlight and contour shades. Tranquil is a straight up grey-taupe cool toned contour shade that's perfect for pale-light skin. It's not too crazy pigmented that it'll make you look like you over-did your contour, but it's also not too sheer where it's not buildable. I especially love it for a natural nose contour.
Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine
I've been avoiding this bandwagon for quite some time but when I found myself in search for a drugstore cream blush, I kicked myself in the butt and bought this. The 'bouncy' concept to me is still a little useless/I don't really get it, but the product actually works really well. Since it's such a dark colour, it's super pigmented and I only need a tiny amount to give myself a nice flush on my cheeks. I love that you can use this with both your fingers and a brush, making it ideal for traveling if you don't want to carry too many brushes around.
Real Techniques Stippling Brush
What can I say? Real Techniques just has great brushes. I was lucky enough to snag this stippling brush (they are always sold out!). I use it to apply my foundations; it's great to have multiple brushes just so you don't have to keep washing the same one every single day.
MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick
I finally found my MLBB! This colour matches my lips so well and it's matte. I tell you enough how much I love this lipstick. It's my every day to-go lip colour.
MAC Nylon and Omega Eyeshadow
I was looking to get Nylon for an inner corner highlight for a while now and got suckered into getting Omega as well. Omega is a good cool toned transition shade for your crease and I find myself using it every time I do my eyeshadow.
Labels: blush, brushes, contour, eyeshadow, haul, lipstick, loreal, mac, maybelline, real techniques, sephora
How I Contour My Face
Contouring is one of my favourite steps to do when applying makeup. Sometimes when you apply foundation on your face, it may look really flat, but contouring solves that problem! I contour my face 90% of the time when I apply my makeup, except for those super lazy days when I hardly apply any makeup at all. It makes the biggest difference to your face and you can even slim down your face shape a tiny bit!
Products used:
- NYX blush in Taupe (Contour)
- Rimmel blush in Pink Sorbet (Blush)
- Etude House Golden Ratio Contour Maker (Highlight)
- Real Techniques Contour Brush
- Tokidoki Blush Brush
- Small fluffy face brush (no brand, sorry!)
Here's my face without any contouring. It's pretty flat and my face looks super wide and round ;-; I've applied BB cream, concealer and powdered to set everything in place. Now I'm ready to start contouring.
First I start with my bronzer, or in this case, I use NYX's blush in Taupe. I like using this as a contour colour because it is not orange like most bronzers are and it's deep enough to mimic shadows on my face, which is what we're going for. Contour with a colour that suits your skin tone. Don't go for something too orange or warm if you're only looking to slim down your face, as a bronzer is only good for, well, bronzing your face. Also, make sure it's matte with no shimmers what so ever. Shadows aren't supposed to shimmer and the matte texture will look most natural when you take flash photography. Shimmers reflect light, and with contour, you want to create shadows.
When contouring the side of your face, go with the E 3 method, where you'd sculpt our these figures onto your face. I like to focus most of the product on the hallows of my cheeks, just under my cheek bones, and right along my jaw line to slim down my jaw. Then, with whatever is left, I buff some into my temples to slim down my the sides of my forehead.
Don't forget your nose. I find this to be the most important part to contour for my face because my nose isn't as slim as I'd like it to be. I apply some just on the sides of my nose to create a slimmer appearance.
Next, I apply my blush from Rimmel called Pink Sorbet. The colour of blush is really up to you and you can choose one suitable for the makeup look you're going for that day. This is my go-to blush because the colour is a subtle pinky-coral. Smile and apply it on the apples of your cheeks. I also like to drag it up and out to the side of my face to add a little further contouring.
Highlighting is also one of my favourite parts because it goes hand in hand with contouring. When you add shadows, you'll want to add some light as well. Apply your highlighter on any high points of your face. I always put some down the bridge of my nose to make my nose seem taller. Then I add some of the tops of my cheek bones and whatever is left goes on the center of my forehead and chin to create a more 3D illusion to my flat Asian face. Here I'm using Etude House's Golden Ratio Contour Maker, only taking the highlighter portion. I like to use highlighters with a pinky-white tone to them, but a lot of people also like using more warm, champagne highlighters to create a radiant glow. Don't apply too much because you don't want to look like a disco ball!
And now we're done! It's very subtle, but you can see that my face no longer looks washed out and dead, and it's slightly more slim than before. There isn't a huge difference because remember, you want to keep this natural. The key is to blend, blend, blend. But you can definitely do some really heavy contouring with more intense shades for things like face transformations and costumes, etc.
Anyway, I hope you found this somewhat helpful. Happy contouring, and enjoy the magic of makeup!
Labels: blush, contour, cosmetics, highlighter, makeup, tips, tutorial
Oh no, is it really December tomorrow?
Hello, cuties~
The last time I did an update on my life was near the beginning of this month, and now it's the last day of November. Can you believe it? I'm a little glad because that means I have only one more week of class
(but really, I'm only going to class on Thursday and Friday, hehe ;), and then one exam on the 11th AND THEN I'M DONE!!! I'm so excited for the winter break to start already. I can finally catch up on sleeping and preparing lots of blog content like reviews and what not. It's gonna be awesome.
So, a couple of weeks ago, I went to Forever 21 with the intentions of picking up some tights since winter is already happening in Toronto, but I totally came out with more than just that. I also got knee-high socks, and some earrings. I got a lightning bolt chain earring set, a black cross set, and a set of bat earrings that were from the Japan Forever 21! It says on the packaging that it's from their Japan location, which I thought was pretty cool. It seems they're stuff are so much cuter over there, huh?
Then on the weekend, Charming came home and we spent a whole day together~ We went to the mall and I managed to finally get my hands on NYX's blush in Taupe. I've been searching high and low for this blush because I heard it's the perfect contour shade. I usually contour with a bronzer but I really don't like how warm/orange it was. This is a cooler taupe colour that is much better for contouring. And guess what? I LOVE IT! There aren't many places here that sell NYX, actually. We do carry them in Rexall, which is a
(less popular) drug store, but there aren't many around me so it's not as easy for me to access them. Even when I went to visit Charming in London, I popped by their Target and Rexall, and none of them carried this colour! In fact, the Target didn't even carry any of the NYX blushes, which was very disappointing. I managed to pick this one up at Phoenix, in Pacific Mall, for $11.29 with tax.
We went to Hollywood Cafe to eat that day, and I ordered the Curry rice. It's one of my favourite things to eat and it was super yummy. Charming had a pork chop rice, which was also really good.
It was the last day for the Starbucks buy one get another free, so we
took advantage of that and ordered two peppermint mochas. It's our
favourite winter drink. What's your favourite? I would like to try
their gingerbread latte, because that sounds really delicious too. I'm
very boring and just stick to my favourites all the time, but I think
the next time, I will try something new!
The following day, I went out to eat ramen with my family. I got the miso pork ramen. I love this place because their broth is just so tasty :) They also have Japanese curry, which I love as well, but I was feeling like a nice bowl of ramen that day.
Recently, I went to The Face Shop to pick up new skincare products because the ones I've been using is already expired now :( I've been using it for a good 2 years, and I've only got 1/4 left. You'd expect me to have used it all up by now, since it's been 2 years, but to be honest, I've been very lazy with my skincare lately. I use to do the full routine, but halfway through 2013, I've been just slapping on baby cream all over my face day and night and calling it good. I know it's not really a good excuse, but since it was the summer time, I didn't feel like my skin needed so many products. Also, I was really lazy and when school started, I was extremely busy.
However, since it's winter once again, I went out to get brand new skincare products to get me back into the system. And I must say, what a difference! I can't believe I ever stopped. I picked up their Mango Seed line, which I fell in love with since I tried their sample version.
(I just did a review on it, but I will have a more in-depth review again after using it for a little longer!) At first, I got the lotion and facial butter because they were having a buy one get the second 50% on skincare products only, and I also wasn't sure if I needed the toner since I've always felt like toners weren't really for me. But soon, I realize that the toner made a huge difference, so I went back to get it. This time, they had the same sale but on any item in the store, so I also picked up their gel eyeliner pencil since my eyeliner was running low. And of course, they gave me some free samples to try it, so watch out for all these reviews coming in the future!
And here are some pictures that have accumulated throughout the past couple of weeks.
(Asian KFC looool)
Just a reminder that comments are now enabled and working, although it is a pop-up window. So feel free to leave me a comment there! I'll still keep my tagboard up. Also, I do have a bunch of reviews lined up already written and ready to be published so I'll be putting those up periodically, just so my blog doesn't become so dead when I get super busy.
Have an amazing week, everybody! I hope all you Americans had a wonderful Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it, and that everyone got lots of cool items on Black Friday :)
Labels: blush, boyfriend, charming, cosmetics, f21, fashion, food, haul, korean, makeup, mask, personal, sample, skincare, starbucks, thefaceshop
Etude House Golden Ratio Contour Maker Review
I'm finally tackling the last couple of items off my Korea Haul list. I've only got a couple more items and then I can move on to the rest of the reviews I should be doing hehe. I'm gonna start writing them as drafts and just publish them each one by one as time goes by. Since school is so busy, I hardly have time to blog anymore so hopefully this will bring some consistency to my updates.
Today I'll be reviewing
Etude House's Golden Radio Contour Maker! I don't know why it took me so long to pump this one out because this was one of the items that I was most excited for! I love contouring my face, so when I saw this, I knew I had to get it.
It's about the size on my palm, so it's good for traveling because you get a blush, highlighter, and bronzer all in one. On the back, there's a diagram showing you what shade goes where.
Can we just talk about the name for a second? As an art student, hearing "golden ratio" is just so fulfilling to me. If you're unfamiliar with the golden ratio, it's basically a mathematical ratio that is used to produce "aesthetically pleasing" proportions. You can see examples of this ratio in buildings and paintings, but also in nature such as your finger (the three joints in your finger and the length between each point is roughly the golden ratio), on seashells, and even in flowers. Now you've learned something new :)
The name is so fitting for this contour pack because why do people contour? To bring out their features and slim down their faces to create a more pleasing structure. Or at least, that's why I do it!
Like I said, inside comes with a bronzer, highlighter, and blush. There's also a soft mini brush that comes with it which actually comes in handy. I usually don't use applicators/brushes that come with products because they tend to be crappy but this brush's bristles are very soft and small enough to get right between your nose to help contour. It's really handy for when you're traveling or on the go and can't bring a full-sized brush with you.
This is how they look when swatched. From left to right, bronzer, blush, highlighter. I really like the bronzer because it's not as orange-y as a lot of bronzers I've come across. It's medium pigmented so you can make subtle contours on your nose and cheeks, but you can also build on the colour if you need a more intense contour.
The blush is a satiny light peachy pink with a sheen to it. I don't really use this blush much because I have one in a similar colour, sans sheen, which I enjoy better. When applied on the face, I noticed it isn't as pigmented as I'd hoped, so I hardly ever use it.
The highlighter is my favourite part. There's such a large portion of it, compared to the blush and the bronzer which makes me very happy. It's a pinky-white shimmery highlighter and really makes your features pop when you apply it to your face. My favourite way to use this is down the bridge of my nose. It instantly makes my nose look taller and slimmer. I absolutely love this highlighter. I'd say this is a powder version of Benefit's High Beam, except High Beam leans more towards the pinker side, while this is more of a white with a pink undertone.
(High Beam is my favourite western brand highlighters but it's just so expensive!)
Let's talk about the packaging. I love this packaging, just like every other Etude House products. They seem to always have the best and cutest packaging out there. It's a plastic compact with a mirror on the inside, but if I had to critique it a little bit, I'd say it's a little too bulky. It could be slimmed down just a tiny bit as it's about an inch thick. Also in the the front where it snaps shut, there's no indent for your finger to help pry it open, so you kind of just have to grip it tight and pull it open. I don't have too much trouble opening this product, but for user-friendliness, it would help. Again, it's not too big of a deal though.
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5
I love 2/3 of the product in here, and the one blush is just whatever; I don't really care for it but it's nice to have around if I ever needed a blush. I've recently bought a new contour colour so instead, I've been using that. But prior to buying that, I've been using this bronzer as my contour a lot and I've made quite an indent in it. As for the highlighter, well, I've been using the crap out of it and I love it a lot. It's my go-to highlighter for sure. If I ever run out, I'd be super sad. Does Etude House make just the highlighter on it's own? If so, I'm definitely going to try and get one as a backup, because the highlighter is the most important part of this product for me, hehe.
Got this item? Tried it? Let me know what you think of it and if you like it just as much as me! Leave a comment on my tagboard~
Labels: blush, bronzer, cosmetics, etude house, highlighter, korean, makeup, review
Etude House Miss Tangerine Cream Choux Blusher Review
As promised, here's a quick review on Etude House's Miss Tangerine Cream Choux Blusher. Let me just say that when this line came out back in 2011, I was sooooooo super excited and I wanted absolutely everything! But, since I live in Canada, we don't have an Etude House location here so getting my hands on these products proved to be a challenge. My aunt managed to get me this cream blush and I'm so happy hehehe ^^
I have #2 Miss Peach
(but I actually really wanted Miss Tangerine! Oh well :) I want to start off by saying that this is my first ever cream blush and it really has given me a good first impressions on cream blush in general. I think I'll try to find more in the future!
The colour is more of an orange-peach, rather than a pink-peach. The texture feels almost like a thick mousse and blends really well with your fingers or a brush.
(I use the Real Techniques contour brush for this blush and it works wonders paired together). After blended, it has a matte texture on the face. You can either leave it be, or layer a powder blush on top to make it last longer. I find this blush lasts pretty long on my face. After being out for 3 hours, I came home and it's still on my face. This blush is perfect for a natural look because the colour is quite subtle and it would look very nice on pale skin. People with a more tan complexion might have trouble seeing this colour on their face though.
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5
This blush is really good and I would highly recommend it. Plus, the packaging is super cute, isn't it? The only thing I wish was that it was a little more pigmented because my skin isn't super pale like those Korean girls </3 However, I heard Miss Tangerine is super duper pigmented, so I'd suggest to try that out if you're daring! Now I wish I could get my hands on the rest of the line T^T
Labels: blush, cream, etude house, korean, makeup, miss tangerine, review
Recent Purchases 3
Hey cutie,
School has been bombarding me with work so I haven't found time to get around to writing this post but I am today! I just wanted to haul my "recent" purchases. I bought these about a month ago and have had a fair amount of time to test each product out.
L'oreal Infallible Pro-Last Lipcolor in Neverending Nutmeg
I was anticipating getting this specific colour because many people claim it as a "dupe" for Limecrime's Cashmere. If you look at swatches, they're not exactly dupes, but it's close enough that it made me excited. The colour itself looks great on my lips; the cool-toned taupeness of it is right up my ally, however I really do not enjoy this formula. It's one of those "2-step" lip lacquer lipcolours where you apply the colour first, wait for it to dry, and then apply a gloss on top to get rid of the tackiness. It's similar to the Rimmel Provocalips however I find the L'oreal one flakes super easily and settles into fine lines. After drinking with it on, the colour on the inner portion of my lips started to peel off in chunks and it's not cute. So much for long lasting.
Sephora Collection Colorful Face Powder in Tranquil
I'm always on a hunt for a good cool toned contour powder and I think I've hit the jackpot. Sephora came out for a whole blush collection that includes highlight and contour shades. Tranquil is a straight up grey-taupe cool toned contour shade that's perfect for pale-light skin. It's not too crazy pigmented that it'll make you look like you over-did your contour, but it's also not too sheer where it's not buildable. I especially love it for a natural nose contour.
Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine
I've been avoiding this bandwagon for quite some time but when I found myself in search for a drugstore cream blush, I kicked myself in the butt and bought this. The 'bouncy' concept to me is still a little useless/I don't really get it, but the product actually works really well. Since it's such a dark colour, it's super pigmented and I only need a tiny amount to give myself a nice flush on my cheeks. I love that you can use this with both your fingers and a brush, making it ideal for traveling if you don't want to carry too many brushes around.
Real Techniques Stippling Brush
What can I say? Real Techniques just has great brushes. I was lucky enough to snag this stippling brush (they are always sold out!). I use it to apply my foundations; it's great to have multiple brushes just so you don't have to keep washing the same one every single day.
MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick
I finally found my MLBB! This colour matches my lips so well and it's matte. I tell you enough how much I love this lipstick. It's my every day to-go lip colour.
MAC Nylon and Omega Eyeshadow
I was looking to get Nylon for an inner corner highlight for a while now and got suckered into getting Omega as well. Omega is a good cool toned transition shade for your crease and I find myself using it every time I do my eyeshadow.
Labels: blush, brushes, contour, eyeshadow, haul, lipstick, loreal, mac, maybelline, real techniques, sephora
How I Contour My Face
Contouring is one of my favourite steps to do when applying makeup. Sometimes when you apply foundation on your face, it may look really flat, but contouring solves that problem! I contour my face 90% of the time when I apply my makeup, except for those super lazy days when I hardly apply any makeup at all. It makes the biggest difference to your face and you can even slim down your face shape a tiny bit!
Products used:
- NYX blush in Taupe (Contour)
- Rimmel blush in Pink Sorbet (Blush)
- Etude House Golden Ratio Contour Maker (Highlight)
- Real Techniques Contour Brush
- Tokidoki Blush Brush
- Small fluffy face brush (no brand, sorry!)
Here's my face without any contouring. It's pretty flat and my face looks super wide and round ;-; I've applied BB cream, concealer and powdered to set everything in place. Now I'm ready to start contouring.
First I start with my bronzer, or in this case, I use NYX's blush in Taupe. I like using this as a contour colour because it is not orange like most bronzers are and it's deep enough to mimic shadows on my face, which is what we're going for. Contour with a colour that suits your skin tone. Don't go for something too orange or warm if you're only looking to slim down your face, as a bronzer is only good for, well, bronzing your face. Also, make sure it's matte with no shimmers what so ever. Shadows aren't supposed to shimmer and the matte texture will look most natural when you take flash photography. Shimmers reflect light, and with contour, you want to create shadows.
When contouring the side of your face, go with the E 3 method, where you'd sculpt our these figures onto your face. I like to focus most of the product on the hallows of my cheeks, just under my cheek bones, and right along my jaw line to slim down my jaw. Then, with whatever is left, I buff some into my temples to slim down my the sides of my forehead.
Don't forget your nose. I find this to be the most important part to contour for my face because my nose isn't as slim as I'd like it to be. I apply some just on the sides of my nose to create a slimmer appearance.
Next, I apply my blush from Rimmel called Pink Sorbet. The colour of blush is really up to you and you can choose one suitable for the makeup look you're going for that day. This is my go-to blush because the colour is a subtle pinky-coral. Smile and apply it on the apples of your cheeks. I also like to drag it up and out to the side of my face to add a little further contouring.
Highlighting is also one of my favourite parts because it goes hand in hand with contouring. When you add shadows, you'll want to add some light as well. Apply your highlighter on any high points of your face. I always put some down the bridge of my nose to make my nose seem taller. Then I add some of the tops of my cheek bones and whatever is left goes on the center of my forehead and chin to create a more 3D illusion to my flat Asian face. Here I'm using Etude House's Golden Ratio Contour Maker, only taking the highlighter portion. I like to use highlighters with a pinky-white tone to them, but a lot of people also like using more warm, champagne highlighters to create a radiant glow. Don't apply too much because you don't want to look like a disco ball!
And now we're done! It's very subtle, but you can see that my face no longer looks washed out and dead, and it's slightly more slim than before. There isn't a huge difference because remember, you want to keep this natural. The key is to blend, blend, blend. But you can definitely do some really heavy contouring with more intense shades for things like face transformations and costumes, etc.
Anyway, I hope you found this somewhat helpful. Happy contouring, and enjoy the magic of makeup!
Labels: blush, contour, cosmetics, highlighter, makeup, tips, tutorial
Oh no, is it really December tomorrow?
Hello, cuties~
The last time I did an update on my life was near the beginning of this month, and now it's the last day of November. Can you believe it? I'm a little glad because that means I have only one more week of class
(but really, I'm only going to class on Thursday and Friday, hehe ;), and then one exam on the 11th AND THEN I'M DONE!!! I'm so excited for the winter break to start already. I can finally catch up on sleeping and preparing lots of blog content like reviews and what not. It's gonna be awesome.
So, a couple of weeks ago, I went to Forever 21 with the intentions of picking up some tights since winter is already happening in Toronto, but I totally came out with more than just that. I also got knee-high socks, and some earrings. I got a lightning bolt chain earring set, a black cross set, and a set of bat earrings that were from the Japan Forever 21! It says on the packaging that it's from their Japan location, which I thought was pretty cool. It seems they're stuff are so much cuter over there, huh?
Then on the weekend, Charming came home and we spent a whole day together~ We went to the mall and I managed to finally get my hands on NYX's blush in Taupe. I've been searching high and low for this blush because I heard it's the perfect contour shade. I usually contour with a bronzer but I really don't like how warm/orange it was. This is a cooler taupe colour that is much better for contouring. And guess what? I LOVE IT! There aren't many places here that sell NYX, actually. We do carry them in Rexall, which is a
(less popular) drug store, but there aren't many around me so it's not as easy for me to access them. Even when I went to visit Charming in London, I popped by their Target and Rexall, and none of them carried this colour! In fact, the Target didn't even carry any of the NYX blushes, which was very disappointing. I managed to pick this one up at Phoenix, in Pacific Mall, for $11.29 with tax.
We went to Hollywood Cafe to eat that day, and I ordered the Curry rice. It's one of my favourite things to eat and it was super yummy. Charming had a pork chop rice, which was also really good.
It was the last day for the Starbucks buy one get another free, so we
took advantage of that and ordered two peppermint mochas. It's our
favourite winter drink. What's your favourite? I would like to try
their gingerbread latte, because that sounds really delicious too. I'm
very boring and just stick to my favourites all the time, but I think
the next time, I will try something new!
The following day, I went out to eat ramen with my family. I got the miso pork ramen. I love this place because their broth is just so tasty :) They also have Japanese curry, which I love as well, but I was feeling like a nice bowl of ramen that day.
Recently, I went to The Face Shop to pick up new skincare products because the ones I've been using is already expired now :( I've been using it for a good 2 years, and I've only got 1/4 left. You'd expect me to have used it all up by now, since it's been 2 years, but to be honest, I've been very lazy with my skincare lately. I use to do the full routine, but halfway through 2013, I've been just slapping on baby cream all over my face day and night and calling it good. I know it's not really a good excuse, but since it was the summer time, I didn't feel like my skin needed so many products. Also, I was really lazy and when school started, I was extremely busy.
However, since it's winter once again, I went out to get brand new skincare products to get me back into the system. And I must say, what a difference! I can't believe I ever stopped. I picked up their Mango Seed line, which I fell in love with since I tried their sample version.
(I just did a review on it, but I will have a more in-depth review again after using it for a little longer!) At first, I got the lotion and facial butter because they were having a buy one get the second 50% on skincare products only, and I also wasn't sure if I needed the toner since I've always felt like toners weren't really for me. But soon, I realize that the toner made a huge difference, so I went back to get it. This time, they had the same sale but on any item in the store, so I also picked up their gel eyeliner pencil since my eyeliner was running low. And of course, they gave me some free samples to try it, so watch out for all these reviews coming in the future!
And here are some pictures that have accumulated throughout the past couple of weeks.
(Asian KFC looool)
Just a reminder that comments are now enabled and working, although it is a pop-up window. So feel free to leave me a comment there! I'll still keep my tagboard up. Also, I do have a bunch of reviews lined up already written and ready to be published so I'll be putting those up periodically, just so my blog doesn't become so dead when I get super busy.
Have an amazing week, everybody! I hope all you Americans had a wonderful Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it, and that everyone got lots of cool items on Black Friday :)
Labels: blush, boyfriend, charming, cosmetics, f21, fashion, food, haul, korean, makeup, mask, personal, sample, skincare, starbucks, thefaceshop
Etude House Golden Ratio Contour Maker Review
I'm finally tackling the last couple of items off my Korea Haul list. I've only got a couple more items and then I can move on to the rest of the reviews I should be doing hehe. I'm gonna start writing them as drafts and just publish them each one by one as time goes by. Since school is so busy, I hardly have time to blog anymore so hopefully this will bring some consistency to my updates.
Today I'll be reviewing
Etude House's Golden Radio Contour Maker! I don't know why it took me so long to pump this one out because this was one of the items that I was most excited for! I love contouring my face, so when I saw this, I knew I had to get it.
It's about the size on my palm, so it's good for traveling because you get a blush, highlighter, and bronzer all in one. On the back, there's a diagram showing you what shade goes where.
Can we just talk about the name for a second? As an art student, hearing "golden ratio" is just so fulfilling to me. If you're unfamiliar with the golden ratio, it's basically a mathematical ratio that is used to produce "aesthetically pleasing" proportions. You can see examples of this ratio in buildings and paintings, but also in nature such as your finger (the three joints in your finger and the length between each point is roughly the golden ratio), on seashells, and even in flowers. Now you've learned something new :)
The name is so fitting for this contour pack because why do people contour? To bring out their features and slim down their faces to create a more pleasing structure. Or at least, that's why I do it!
Like I said, inside comes with a bronzer, highlighter, and blush. There's also a soft mini brush that comes with it which actually comes in handy. I usually don't use applicators/brushes that come with products because they tend to be crappy but this brush's bristles are very soft and small enough to get right between your nose to help contour. It's really handy for when you're traveling or on the go and can't bring a full-sized brush with you.
This is how they look when swatched. From left to right, bronzer, blush, highlighter. I really like the bronzer because it's not as orange-y as a lot of bronzers I've come across. It's medium pigmented so you can make subtle contours on your nose and cheeks, but you can also build on the colour if you need a more intense contour.
The blush is a satiny light peachy pink with a sheen to it. I don't really use this blush much because I have one in a similar colour, sans sheen, which I enjoy better. When applied on the face, I noticed it isn't as pigmented as I'd hoped, so I hardly ever use it.
The highlighter is my favourite part. There's such a large portion of it, compared to the blush and the bronzer which makes me very happy. It's a pinky-white shimmery highlighter and really makes your features pop when you apply it to your face. My favourite way to use this is down the bridge of my nose. It instantly makes my nose look taller and slimmer. I absolutely love this highlighter. I'd say this is a powder version of Benefit's High Beam, except High Beam leans more towards the pinker side, while this is more of a white with a pink undertone.
(High Beam is my favourite western brand highlighters but it's just so expensive!)
Let's talk about the packaging. I love this packaging, just like every other Etude House products. They seem to always have the best and cutest packaging out there. It's a plastic compact with a mirror on the inside, but if I had to critique it a little bit, I'd say it's a little too bulky. It could be slimmed down just a tiny bit as it's about an inch thick. Also in the the front where it snaps shut, there's no indent for your finger to help pry it open, so you kind of just have to grip it tight and pull it open. I don't have too much trouble opening this product, but for user-friendliness, it would help. Again, it's not too big of a deal though.
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5
I love 2/3 of the product in here, and the one blush is just whatever; I don't really care for it but it's nice to have around if I ever needed a blush. I've recently bought a new contour colour so instead, I've been using that. But prior to buying that, I've been using this bronzer as my contour a lot and I've made quite an indent in it. As for the highlighter, well, I've been using the crap out of it and I love it a lot. It's my go-to highlighter for sure. If I ever run out, I'd be super sad. Does Etude House make just the highlighter on it's own? If so, I'm definitely going to try and get one as a backup, because the highlighter is the most important part of this product for me, hehe.
Got this item? Tried it? Let me know what you think of it and if you like it just as much as me! Leave a comment on my tagboard~
Labels: blush, bronzer, cosmetics, etude house, highlighter, korean, makeup, review
Etude House Miss Tangerine Cream Choux Blusher Review
As promised, here's a quick review on Etude House's Miss Tangerine Cream Choux Blusher. Let me just say that when this line came out back in 2011, I was sooooooo super excited and I wanted absolutely everything! But, since I live in Canada, we don't have an Etude House location here so getting my hands on these products proved to be a challenge. My aunt managed to get me this cream blush and I'm so happy hehehe ^^
I have #2 Miss Peach
(but I actually really wanted Miss Tangerine! Oh well :) I want to start off by saying that this is my first ever cream blush and it really has given me a good first impressions on cream blush in general. I think I'll try to find more in the future!
The colour is more of an orange-peach, rather than a pink-peach. The texture feels almost like a thick mousse and blends really well with your fingers or a brush.
(I use the Real Techniques contour brush for this blush and it works wonders paired together). After blended, it has a matte texture on the face. You can either leave it be, or layer a powder blush on top to make it last longer. I find this blush lasts pretty long on my face. After being out for 3 hours, I came home and it's still on my face. This blush is perfect for a natural look because the colour is quite subtle and it would look very nice on pale skin. People with a more tan complexion might have trouble seeing this colour on their face though.
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5
This blush is really good and I would highly recommend it. Plus, the packaging is super cute, isn't it? The only thing I wish was that it was a little more pigmented because my skin isn't super pale like those Korean girls </3 However, I heard Miss Tangerine is super duper pigmented, so I'd suggest to try that out if you're daring! Now I wish I could get my hands on the rest of the line T^T
Labels: blush, cream, etude house, korean, makeup, miss tangerine, review
Profile
stupid princess
UserName: Hyokii
Age: 23
Birthday: January 22
Location: Toronto, Canada.
Sign: Aquarius Sun, Gemini Moon, Aries Rising
Who are you?
I'm just an average girl studying graphic design in my hometown Toronto. I'm nothing special but I like to blog and document my findings :) I'm really into astrology so come and tell me your sign!
What do you blog about?
Mostly just about my life and occasional beauty hauls and product reviews.
What does 'babo gongju' mean?
It's Korean for 'stupid princess'.
Boyfriend?
Yes! He does Muay Thai and he's a Virgo.
Tell me about your skin type!
I have extremely dry dehydrated skin and really dry/flaky lips. Light; yellow with neutral leaning cool undertone. Currently wearing NARS Sheer Glow in Gobi.
Up Coming
A List of posts that are coming soon
Reviews:
Tonymoly Cats Wink Smooth Primer
Etude House Goodbye Pore Ever Primer
Skin Food Choco Smoky Eye Palette
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Shine Deep Treatment
Real Techniques Core Collection Brush Set
Etude House Golden Ratio Contour Maker
Skin Food Coffee Creamy Sheer Lipstick (PP701 Plum Wine)
Etude House Real Art Cleansing Oil (Moisture)
Skin Food Bath Salt (Peppermint)
Etude House Miss Tangerine Cream Choux Blusher
Skin Food Red Orange Makeup Finish (Matte Type)
Tonymoly Cat Chu Wink Tony Tint (Cherry Pink)
Etude House Etoinette Crystal Shine Lip Lipstick (PPK001 & PPK003)
Etude House Etoinette Brush Collection
The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Special Set
The Face Shop Cotton Pads
The Face Shop Face It 07 Quick Top Coat
The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Design My Eyebrow (01 Gray Brown)
The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Style My Eyebrow (01 Gray Brown)
The Face Shop Face It Designing Cake Eyebrow (01 Khaki Grey)
Etude House Dear My Blooming Eyes (OR203 Mesmerizing Orange)
Nicole by O.P.I. Nail Polish (Iceberg Lotus)
The Face Shop Real Nature Mask Aloe Vera
The Face Shop Face It Styling Auto Gel Liner (01 Edgy Black)
The Face Shop Floral Water Mist
The Face Shop Mild Papaya Peeling Gel
Kat Von D Spellbinding Eyeshadow Book
Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick By Kate Moss (111 Kiss Of Life)
Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick By Kate Moss (102)
Sally Hansen Big Matte Top Coat
Witchcraft Mini+Cures Set
Maybelline Volum’ Express The Colossal Smoky Eyes Mascara
Nicole by O.P.I. Quick Dry Top Coat
Essence Kalinka Beauty 01 Babushka Me Lip Brush
Maybelline Volum’Express The Rocket Waterproof Mascara
Maybelline Eye Studio Master Drama Eyeliner in Midnight Master
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light
Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Ivory
Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer (sample)
Etude House Mal;Gem All In One Emulsion (sample)
Etude House Mal;Gem Smoother Toner (sample)
Etude House Sun Prise Super Aqua SPF45/PA+++ (sample)
Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream SPF30/PA++ (sample)
Etude House Moistfull Collagen Firming Eye Cream (sample)
Skin Food Platinum Grape Cell Essential BB Cream SPF45/PA+++ (sample)
Skin Food Agave Cactus Emulsion (sample)
The Face Shop Chia Seed Moisture-Holding Seed Cream(sample)
The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Toner(sample)
The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Lotion(sample)
Updated The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Toner & Lotion (full size)
The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Facial Butter(sample fullsize)
The Face Shop Volcanic Clay Black Head Aloe Nose Strip(sample)
The Face Shop Herb Day 365 Cleansing Foam Acerola (sample)
The Face Shop White Secret Whitening Body Essence (sample)
Tutorials & Tips:
How I Contour My Face
Tips On How To Drink More Water
2013 Summer/Fall Wish List
My Current Everyday Makeup Tutorial
Friends
Love'em, Hate'em
Jin
Bucket List
before the end
. Put a lock on Seoul’s Namsan Tower's fence
.
Visit the beach; any beach (063011)
. Party hard
.
Starbucks date (072310)
. Learn to drive
.
Star gaze (062812)
.
Road trip (Summer`09)
.
Be loved
. Visit South Korea
.
Wedding; anyone's wedding (10.13.13)
.
Be happy
.
Bake cupcakes from scratch (04.06.10)
.
Ride a motorcycle (08.21.14)
. Get my first tattoo
.
Kiss in the rain
.
Pull an all nighter
.
Belly button piercing (02.19.14)
. Disney world/land
. Anime North
.
Cosplay Rin
. Cosplay X-23
.
Princess Cafe date (12.10.12)
.
VVIP album(02.20.11)
. Visit Hong Kong again
. Graduate university
. Paris
to be continued...
