24 March 2013 / , , , , , ,

SKINFOOD Fresh Apple Pore Range || REVIEW

For me, Asian skincare products have never failed to impress me. I somehow think that they just work so well on my skin and leaves really good results. The brands that i love to buy every time i go back to Hong Kong are Shu uemura, Laneige, skinfood and Shiseido which are sometimes hard to get hold of when i am back in the UK. Although Shu Uemura is available here, their prices are escalated quite a bit so i tend to prefer to buy when i am on holiday.

Firstly, Asia takes their skincare quite seriously and a lot of the skincare sales assistants would be really good at assessing your skin and give good recommendations (and force you to buy their products). Unlike the conventional 3 step Cleanse, Tone and moisturize, i was amazed by how many 'extra' steps there are in a full cleansing routine! I personally haven't tried any products from SkinFood before so i was interested in trying out some products from them this time round on my holiday which was last year by the way but i have only got round to using these products now.

I went to an actual Skinfood store in my local shopping centre and the lady removed all my make-up and actually tried out the full skincare range on me. I was so suprised by how it made my skin feel in the end. It felt alot smoother, soft to touch and it was suprising how dry and fresh my skin was despite putting so many layers of products on.

I can say that this range is very refreshing and i enjoy using it everyday as my skincare routine. The products smell very mildly of apples and i really adore the fresh fruity fragrance. I personally didn't purchase the cleanser as i think that i already have alot of cleansers to use up and i thought that the main skincare routine after the cleansing was the essential parts that made the difference. These products absorbs so quickly and it is very easy to apply onto the skin too without the feel of greasiness which i hate as i have oily skin. I find also that these products work great under make-up since i have mentioned that it leaves a nice dry finish to the skin even after moisturizing, therefore it allows me to apply a primer too before my foundation.

The only downside that i have to say about this range is the fact that they are all in glass bottles which was such a hassle for me to pack in my luggage for my flight and it nearly caused me to go over the limit! It is also a real nuisance for me because it is impossible to take these for travelling and some of the lids are not even un-screwable for me to dispense the product in a more travel friendly container. All in all, i am currently really enjoying and impressed by these and i have seen sound improvements in the size and appearance of my pores with the regular usage. Big thumbs up to SkinFood and i am planning to search on eBay for other products by this brand to try out! <3

Fresh apple sparking pore (Toner) (Emulsion) (Serum) (Cream)
Have you tried any Asian skincare products?
~ Twitter || Instagram || Tumblr || BlogLovin' ~

X x X x

read article
6

18 March 2013 / , ,

E.L.F Brush-Care Products || REVIEW



E.L.F Daily brush cleanser
My brushes has been regularly washed by my MAC brush cleanser for the past year or so and i have been through a few bottles of the MAC brush cleanser already. However, i thought that it was time for me to try and find a cheaper alternative and i thought that E.L.F was the answer when i saw this product on their website. To be honest, i kind of didnt expect the product to be so small, because on the website i imagined the product to be slightly bigger, but i only have myself to blame for not checking the product description before hitting the buy button.
So first impressions wasn't great then, and on first spray, the smell was awful and very artificial. It smelt really strongly of alcohol, so strong that i felt that it would not be that gentle for the bristles of my brushes at all. The product also leaked alot around the nozzle and i found my hand to be covered with the poor smelling product. However, the spray is very powerful at dispensing product out. I adopted the same standard procedure of washing my brushes but it was not suprising that the product performed very poorly in cleaning my brushes. I used a brown eyeshadow on my brush for the day and usually with the MAC brush cleanser, the brush gets cleaned almost instantly and the colour residue disappears effortlessly, but it really isn't the case for this E.L.F one. I am so glad i got this when E.L.F did their 40% offer because otherwise it wouldn't have been worth it at all. The product gets used up way too quickly because of it's ineffectiveness and the smell is just awful like i said before. Thumbs down to E.L.F cosmetics for this rubbish product.


E.L.F Brush Shampoo
Once again, this product smells really artificial and the smell is quite strong. However, i would say that it is quite effective at cleaning the brushes and it lathers up very nicely to remove the make-up product residues on the brushes. A little amount is needed to clean each brush so the bottle actually last quite a long time. I usually use johnsons baby shampoo to wash my brushes because they are much more gentle and i know wouldn't be too harsh on the bristles of my brush. I would like to stress that the strong artificial smell does remain on the brush itself and it does annoy me a little bit. I really do not think that this is worth it at all and i regret purchasing this as the baby shampoo which is alot cheaper does the same job and more gentle on my brushes.


How do you wash your brushes?

I'm sure that you guys know now that there will no longer be GFC which is such a shame as i use this to read and follow my favourite blogs. However, i guess the answer to this problem is Bloglovin' which i have slowly tried to get used to it now and so far it's not too bad. I would appreciate it if you can follow me via BlogLovin' so you can keep up to date with all my upcoming posts <3

x x x x
read article
6

10 March 2013 / , ,

Origins Out of Trouble mask || REVIEW

Starting out on my placement and working long hour shifts has all taken a toll on my skin with so many breakouts and blemishes. Stress and using the wrong products too (such as the boots botanics toner) has upset my skin and lead to pimples across my forehead and cheek which doesn't usually happen that often.

This was when i was clearing out my drawers and realized that i had this trusty mask waiting for me to use after being tucked away and hiding. I didn't expect miracles to happen but i just wanted something desperately to calm my skin down and clear it gradually. After the first use, my skin felt cleaner and fresher with pimples much less prominent although still visible. I continued to use this 2-3 times a week and it has made such a big difference. Pimples and spots gone and my skin returned back to normal state which i was so happy about.

To apply, i use an old foundation brush and make sure that there is a thick layer spread evenly across my entire face. It has a minty tingly sensation which i love because it feels as if it is doing it's job correctly. It smells lovely too and i will wait around 20 minutes before washing it off with the aid of a warm flannel because t is quite difficult to remove as the product hardens and dries a bit. After, i finish off with splashing cold water on my face to close the pores and followed by my holy grail Lancome toner and Clinique moisture surge :) I have used over half of this tube now so i will definitely repurchase when i finish!
Have you Tried any origins products?
~ Twitter || Instagram || Tumblr || BlogLovin' ~ 
read article
8

5 March 2013 / , , , , , , ,

- February 2013 Favourites -

February has passed by way too quickly in my opinion and now it's March and we are all trying to get into the mood for spring especially with a few sunny but cold days in England recently! The past month i have been working as a student nurse in the hospital therefore my make-up has been kind of minimalistic but these are a few things i have been using quite alot throughout the month of February which i will give a little detail of each one below:

 001: Estee Lauder Daywear advanced multi-protection anti-oxidant lotion
The cold weather has dried my skin out quite a bit and i found that i was starting to get dry patches around my face. Having combination-oily skin, i opted for the 'lotion' formulation of this cream and i think i made the right decision because it is very lightweight and absorbs into my skin nicely. It also has a light cucumber scent which is really refreshing to use in my morning skincare routine.

 002: ELF high definition powder
Out of all of the ELF products, this is the product which i have repurchased recently because i completely finished my first pot of this because i loved it so much. This is a finely milled translucent powder which i find does a great job at setting my foundation. I apply this with a large powder brush and it just gives my skin a nice flawless finish whilst making my foundation last longer which is a must for my skin-type because i tend to get oily during the day. Inexpensive but effective and you get alot of product, i recommend this product for all you girlies out there to try it if you haven't yet.

003: Laura Mercier foundation primer
I bought this during christmas and i can honestly say that i have been using it for every make-up application since. I only need a small pea sized amount for my whole face and i like how it is not a product packed with silicones, but rather a nice fresh lotion based product that can sink and absorb into the skin. It smells very pleasant too and i adore the simplistic and practical packaging. I do admit that this is quite expensive, but for the amount and the quality of the product, it is worth every penny in my opinion.

004: Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser - oil free (shade || Nude)
Another Laura Mercier product here. As i said before, my skin has been so dry and my make-up has to be kept minimal for my work therefore this tinted moisturiser has got to be my foundation of choice. This foundation gave me a nice light coverage which is perfect as i used my E.L.F HD powder to dust on top to give it a nice flawless finish and keep my oils a little bit more at bay. This tinted moisturiser applies like a dream and leaves a nice dewy healthy glow which actually doesn't make my skin too greasy which is very suitable for my combination oily skin. I recommend people with oily skin but too scared to try tinted moisturisers to try this.

 005: Real Techniques buffing brush from the core collection
I fell in love with this the moment i used it for the first time. Having been a fan of the ELF buffing brush for a couple of years now, i find that this slightly rounded shape makes the application of liquid foundation alot more precise and it tends to shed less compared with the ELF one. Real technique brushes in general are really great quality for the price you pay and i am looking into purchasing more very soon~!

006: Chanel Nail polish 08 Pirate
I've never been a fan of Red nail polishes because having tried a very vibrant red before and it made me look like my fingernails were bleeding kind of put me off. However, my boyfriend recently picked out this colour while we were shopping so i gave it a go seeing that it swatched beautifully in the shop and brightened my skin-tone! I love Chanel nail polish formulation, it dries quickly and applies so smoothly. More Chanel nail polishes are on the cards since i have my eyes on alot of their shades.

007: Thierry Mugler eau de parfum - Angel (small sample size)
I recieved this miniature fragrance from a cute mini set i got during the Christmas period and i have been in love with this sweet and sophisticated scent! I usually like the more fresh and citrus scents but i think for the month of February, i delved into the more stronger and feminine scents and i am slowly gravitating towards more sweeter scents now. I quite like the perfumes from Thierry Mugler eventhough i did initially only buy it because of it's nice packaging

Well that's it for my favourites in February and i hope that i will discover more favourites in the month of March and start using up products from my stash of make-up that i seem to have neglected.

What are you favourites in the past month?
~ Twitter || Instagram || Tumblr || BlogLovin' ~ 

xx
read article
11

2 March 2013

FOTD || Pretty pinks and purples


-f[Products used]-

FACE || Chanel Perfection Lumiere 20 beige , Maybelline pure cover mineral concealer 03 sand.
CHEEKS || NARS laguna bronzer, MAC harmony, NARS albatross.
EYES || Rimmel eyebrow pencil 002 hazel , Urban decay eyeshadow (Fishnet, random) from book of shadows. MAC fluidline gel eyeliner in black track, Lancome hypnose waterproof mascara, MAC carbon eyeshadow, MAC vanilla eyeshadow
LIPS || MAC lipstick in plink!

Xxx
Hope you guys have a nice day!
read article
9
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
© + YingcBeauty +. Design by Fearne.