Hitting Pan

Having a pretty small skincare and makeup collection, "hitting pan" is a common event for me. Here I'll show you a few things that I'm slowly running out, and my thoughts about them.

So here we have: Annemarie Borlind hand balm, Make Up For Ever HD powder, Shu Uemura White Recovery EX emulsion, NARS Masai lipstick, M.A.C. Blanc Type eyeshadow, and R.O.C. chapstick.

Let's talk about the skincare items first.

Annemarie Borlind: best hand product I've ever tried! The light scent and emollient texture make this a pleasure to apply at the office and on the go. A must in my handbag, it keeps my hands moisturised and soft.

Shu Uemura: this was purchased in Tokyo, but it was a waste of money because I feel that my DIY masks do a better job of brightening my skin.

R.O.C. : there's just a 1cm left of it, lol. A decent chapstick with no paraffin. It's rich enough to last a few hours. But I will not re-purchase, because Jess and Anna sent me other chapsticks to try! :-)

On to the make up items.

Make Up For Ever: I've been using the HD powder for 15 months, and it looks like I'm finally running out.

Basically I apply a layer of this after my (greasy) sunscreen, then apply powder or liquid foundation. To me, this is an invisible powder that just provides a smooth canvas to work on, and is great against humidity. But will I re-purchase? I'm not sure... I am more eager to try out mineral finishing powder.

NARS: this sheer lipstick is now tragically categorised as a "vintage" item because NARS will not make any more of this.

Described as a "rose quartz" on their website, I will simply say this is a very cool-toned berry shade, great for anyone who doesn't like red but desire a bit of drama. It has the sheerness of a gloss, and the elegance of a lipstick. One swipe gives you a hint of colour, two will enhance absolutely any look.

M.A.C.: though I've hit pan on this Blanc Type eyeshadow, I'm a long way from finishing this product. This is a pinkish beige, perfect for fair skin types. I usually apply this all over my lids and go over it with Nylon (a golden beige). A great "colour" for someone who never has time to apply eye makeup.

Weekend Reviews

I have almost 50 followers. Thanks to everyone who's reading this! If you like this blog, chances are that you prefer natural cosmetic products, or perhaps you simply like the fact that I don't go on and on, and just get to the point :-)

Today I'm reviewing three all-natural products: Annemarie Borlind hand balm, Jane Iredale's concealer "Disappear" and its oil-control primer "Absence".

Annemarie Borlind hand balm

I'm concerned about my hands showing signs of aging so a good hand lotion is something important to have. This fits the bill! The tube is rather small (50ml), but a bean-sized amount is enough for both hands. The texture of the cream is very fine and the light scent is pleasant. I work the lotion in my palms to warm it up and rub it all over my hands, without forgetting the fingertips.

The beauty of the product is that you don't have to keep applying. I like applying it before I go out in the morning, once during the day in the office, and that's it. The Annemarie Borlind hand balm is now a must-have in my handbag.

Jane Iredale Absence oil-control primer

This product is a solid white paste contained in a flat jar. It comes with a sponge. Jane Iredale is perhaps the most expensive mineral makeup brand out there, but it's worth every cent. After sunscreen, I use a liquid foundation brush to pick up some product and apply on my t-zone. The white paste disappears as it is spread on the skin. There's a very light, nice scent.

This has made a huge difference in my makeup application. This really reduces the size of my pores. In fact, they seem to look smaller and smaller as the day goes on :-) My skin is not very oily so I haven't noticed a huge difference in oil control, but it's enough so that I blot only once by the end of the day.

Jane Iredale Disappear concealer with green tea extract

As my Giorgio Armani concealer expired, I picked up this all-natural concealer (actually mom sent it over).

The 0.5 oz (15g) tube has a doe-foot applicator. The concealer is not meant to be applied with your fingertips because the product is designed to literally stick to your skin. It smells a bit wheaty (lol), like the brand's liquid foundation. A little goes a long way. I squeeze out a bit of concealer onto a clean spatula, and again use a synthetic brush to pick up and apply the product.

Coverage is good, but the texture is difficult to control. Without chemicals like propylene glycol or butylene glycol, this concealer doesn't glide and takes a little effort to blend in using your fingers. But an extra minute in front of the mirror is worth it, knowing I'm not using harmful stuff on my face.

Are You Nuddy?

It's getting hotter during the day so here I am on a Sunday afternoon sitting under the ceiling fan in the comfort of my home. I hate the heat. (Which is exactly why I live in Italy.)

This past week I received two lovely pacakges: from Anna and Jess. Anna has started her own beauty blog recently so check it out!

Anna sent me an Annemarie Borlind hand balm, a Yes to Carrots lip balm (an organic brand), a tube of L'Occitane olive daily face cream, and many more natural product samples. All this came with a (delicious) set of flower-scented hard candies (yum yum), Yogi tea bags (organic, of course) and a pretty postcard. Thank you Anna! Hope to meet you soon!

A little later in the week, I got my swap package from Jess. I simply got her a Make Up For Ever pencil, and here's what she showered me with.

Two Annemarie Borlind hand balm (which means now I have a lifetime supply), a lip balm from the same brand (hey I go thru a lot of lip balms, ok?) and a galore of samples of every brand from KenzoKi and Dior to Chanel and Clarins. A big thank you to Jess!

These two packages really brightened up this past week, which seemed like the longest week in my life, lol.

A few months ago when Birkie and I did a swap, she included a brand new tube of Elishacoy "Always Nuddy 24" BB cream. Being skeptical of BB creams (and their names) at that time, I just kept that in my vanity.

But yesterday I took out the 15-ml tube and thought I'd give it a try after having looked at the brand's website. This was my first time trying any type of BB cream, but having read so many reviews, I wasn't surprised when the product came out as a dull, beige cream that was very emollient.

Knowing how thick this stuff is, I just spot-applied where necessary (under eyes, wings of nose, around the laugh line, etc) and blended. The coverage was light-to-medium, quite natural.

With T.LeClerc powder all over, the finish was very, very nice. I skipped my usual concealer.

So I might just jump on the BB cream bandwagon! Thanks Birkie!

Giorgio Armani high-precision concealer is absolutely wonderful, but it has reached its expiration date (six months after opening) and I won't buy a second tube. This BB cream's coverage is a little lighter, but it works fine for me.

Cleansing

These past months I've used different cleansers and would like to share my experience here.

La Mer's cleanser (Fluide de la Mer?)
Texture: runny gel

Steps: 1. dampen your face, 2. foam up a dime-sized amount between your palms, 3. massage all over face, 4. rinse off

Pros: fast and easy, removes face makeup completely

Cons: it left my skin totally dehydrated. Strong, cheap scent which I hate. Also, this doesn't remove eye makeup since it's a foaming cleanser.

sjal (pictured on left above)

Texture: thick gel

Steps: 1. dampen face, 2. dispense 1 pump of product, 3. smooth all over face, 4. rinse off

Pros: the gel texture doesn't dry out my skin yet cleanses face makeup completely. Lightest citrus scent. This cleanser can be used on the body also.

Cons: eye makeup has to be removed separately as this cleanser cannot be used on the eyes.

Rodial (picture on right above)

Texture: thick balm

Steps: 1. apply 1 pump of product on dry face, 2. massage, 3. leave on for a few minutes, 4. wipe off excess and rinse off, or wipe off with damp warm cloth

Pros: this is an all-natural treatment cleanser which you can leave on the face to let the pomegranate extract to treat hyperpigmentation. Removes face makeup completely.

Cons: strong pomegranate scent for those who don't like this fruit.

Taer Icelandic Complete Cleanse (sorry, not pictured)

Texture: milky emulsion

Steps: 1. massage a quarter-sized amount onto dry face, 2. leave on for a few minues, 3. wipe off and rinse off

Pros: this is also an all-natural, treatment cleanser that contains yarrow extract from Iceland. Removes face and eye makeup completely. Ceramic bottle can be recycled or re-used.

Cons: need to wipe off excess before rinsing off. Strong scent due to powerful herbal extracts. No pump dispenser, can get messy.

Saved by the...

I've been using my new La Roche-Posay Anthelios W (gel) for over a week, and am ready to review it for you.

I bought this at a cosmetics pharmacy. La Roche-Posay is not expensive in Europe. (There was even a 10% discount just because the product will expire in January 2010). I thought I'd give it a try.

It took me an hour to find this product, because I was studying every option on the shelves (I am a bit like this with everything, a bit like Sally in When Harry Meets Sally).

It says "gel" but it's not. It comes out like a cream, and goes on a tiny bit oily over the skin. But hang in there. 15 to 20 mins after application, you will be ready to apply makeup.

Preservatives-free, fragrance-free. It's worth the wait.

You can see here the product is creamy white. The 100ml tube is convenient whether in your beach bag or on your vanity table :-)

After more than a week of use, I can say that I'm very happy with this product. Since I usually just use concealer and powder, I use this as a makeup base and it works wonderfully.

My trick is dust a layer of Make Up For Ever HD powder all over after applying the sunscreen. This provides a smooth surface for my loose powder to sit on. My powder and blush stay put all day. Not oily whatsoever.

(If my skin happens to be dry on a random day, I'd mist some Avène spring water to set the makeup.)

A dime-sized amount is enough for my face and neck. I've found my HG sunscreen and makeup base!

Second Skin

(Update on swap: the Acqua di Parma body cream is gone, but I still have a few goodies left. Please refer to the link on the right column.)

I've been looking into a new foundation. I don't need a lot of coverage and want something that is friendly to my skin. I figured: either mineral, or liquid.

Mineral
My order of some Alima Pure samples arrived at home back in the U.S. so mommy is sending them over :-)

Liquid
In the meantime, I looked into Sisley Paris. Both the Transmat foundation and the tinted moisturiser have beautiful texture, but I didn't like some of their ingredients. Next.

Since I like my Giorgio Armani high precision re-touch concealer so much, I decided to take a look at their foundations.

Along the lines of wanting something natural and easy to apply, I checked out the Face Fabric Second Skin Nude Makeup with SPF 12.

I like the tube packaging which means no mess. The texture is buttery. As I smoothed it over the back of my hand, the product just blended beautifully.

I've been wearing this foundation for over a week, and am very happy with it.

It goes on matte, and as the day goes on, it becomes more luminous, not oily. I've had it on literally from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The colour remained fresh and true all day long.

I primed with Shu Uemura UV base first. Then, I warmed up a pea-sized amount of product on my finger tips and spread it all over my face. The texture is so beautiful that no application skill is required!

Then, I applied two layers of Make Up For Ever HD powder over the foundation to make it last.

Here I used a matte pink blush. On my lips is Bobbi Brown Lipshine in Toffee.

A closer look at the Giorgio Armani foundation right after application. It's a perfect matte and a perfect shade (#1). What more do I want?!

My only concern is whether this foundation can take the humid heat during summer. Has anyone used this product before?

La what?

I hope those of you in the U.S. had a great Thanksgiving holiday. It's very cold in Milan! Snow, rain, sun - we've had a bit of everything this past weekend!

There are quite a few pharmacy brands in Europe that are worth looking into, if you are interested in slightly lower prices and consumer-safe products. Most of these brands use the least number of ingredents, which means the products will be more tolerable to the skin.

La Roche-Posay is perhaps best known for its Anthélios sunscreen, one of the best out there. In Europe, the brand's makeup collection is also available.

• La Roche-Posay has a few types of fluid foundation. I have the Unifiance Optic Smoothing one. The texture is emollient, application foolproof, and the colour stays put all day. However, since it has a matte finish, it's too dry for me during winter.

• The Respectissime collection for the eyes is good. I have this eyeshadow in matte chocolate brown. Pearl white, pastel blue and a couple of other fun colours are available. The formula for all eye makeup is non-irritating, non-flaking. The same goes for their mascara: lightweight, very comfortable.

• I hardly ever finish a product completely, but I've almost used up this Nutritic chapstick. With coriander fruit oil, apricot kernel oil, biolipids and no petroleum, this is an excellent base for lipsticks.
  

However, I've tried La Roche-Posay skincare products and don't particularly recommend them. I used up a tube of Mela-D with SPF, which is supposed to even out my skin tone. The product worked fine as a makeup base, but I didn't notice anything different with my skin after 6, 7 months of continuous use!

Art of Concealment (cont'd)

I said I would try and do a review on the Giorgio Armani high precision retouch concealer so here we go.

Here is the size compared with the La Prairie undereye treatment concealer. The tube is tiny and handy.

The applicator is a mini tip. I don't want to contaminate the product so I swap the stuff onto a little spatula and use it that way.
I swiped a bit onto a shiny surface. As you can see, it has full coverage. The texture is incredibly, incredibly soft and easy to manage. It goes on like butter.
Here is a photo of using the concealer around the highest part of my cheekbone, where my freckles are. I also used it along the bridge of my nose. The concealer is very luminous. It's also foolproof because you can just blend with your fingertips and it will look perfect, without using a brush.

Sheer Joy

I realised that a couple of my blushes are very sheer. I'm not crazy about them, but still use them once a week just to mix things up a bit.

The above is Shu Uemura P Orange 53. The colour looks vibrant, but it goes on sheer and the finish is very pearlised. Sometimes I layer this colour on top of a pink one just to give it more depth.

This one is Majolica Majorca RD255. It's a beautiful, warm dusty pink. Easily buildable, it goes on sheer, and the effect is very natural as if you're glowing from within. This was a random purchase on sasa.com so it was an unexpected surprise.

I think after these blushes reach their expiration dates, I will not purchase sheer cheek colours anymore. I prefer a velvet, intense finish. Do let me know if you have blushes that you're particularly happy with!

In the Mood for Blush

Sofia Coppola is my favourite director. She portrays young women's coming of age wonderfully in films like The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, and Marie Antoinette. I thought the makeup in this last film of hers on Kirsten Dunst was beautiful. I loved the powdered face and matte, stained lips.

I realise that sometimes eye makeup is not necessary what makes a look striking, but the blush. It seems to really set the mood.

I'm playing around with a professional camera, and am trying to take better portraits of myself. Here I used a couple of products that I haven't talked about:

• La Mer Skincolor loose powder in Neutral
  
• Clarins #25 lipstick

Different from all the other powder I have, this one from La Mer has a luminous quality to it. It's amazingly smooth and lightweight without being messy. Thanks to Fuzkittie for mentioning it!

The heavy glass jar makes handling a bit clumsy, but it really prevents dropping the container. (You won't want to know what happened one time when a full pot of French powder slipped out of my hands. It was like the Hiroshima mushroom cloud.)


After concealer, I just use this powder like a foundation. It's pigmented enough to give light coverage. Normally I like my powder extremely matte, but the luminosity of this La Mer product is a fun change.

About the Clarins lipstick, may I just say that I hate it? The colour is a beautiful nude, but the cream texture simply doesn't glide on well. In fact, if I just swipe the lipstick onto my lips, it leaves a horrible layer of stuff. I think I might need a brush to apply it, but the texture just isn't what I'm looking for.

Thus Far

Jet-lagging has its advantages: I get up early and enjoy a longer day with my family here.

I went shopping with my mum a few days ago, and we will go again today. May I just say that customer service is a beautiful thing?? We were at a department store last Friday, and the lady at the NARS counter was extremely helpful. She invited me to sit down (generally I don't like anyone touching my face, but I thought I'd make an exception), and tried a few things on me:

• powder foundation in Deauville
  
• lip laquer in Babydoll
  
• powder blush in Angelika
  

Having a bit of makeup on already, I couldn't see what the powder foundation was like, but the Angelika blush was absolutely lovely! It's an intense cotton candy pink - a shade that I always pull off very well. The lip laquer was also lovely, but I have something similar from Clarins already so in the end I got just the blush. My first encounter with NARS went very well, and I might go see that lady again before I fly back to Milan.

Our next stop was the La Mer counter. Again, amazing service: informative, polite and easy-going. My mum uses La Mer skincare, and I wanted to try its skincolor loose powder that Fuzkittie raves about. Elegantly pigmented, weightless, easy to apply, perfect for someone who doesn't like to feel a lot of stuff on her face! Sold.

The La Mer specialist gave me a couple of samples to try out: Gel de La Mer, and a gel cleanser. I've been using the gel moisturiser since Friday and it's wonderful. The texture is something between a gel and cream. A pea-sized amount is more than enough for my face and neck. The scent is very light. It goes on smoothly and is immediately absorbed. So nice! Not used to the dry weather since my arrival, my skin has been an oil swamp, and I hate it. But the Gel got my skin regulated and re-balanced!

There's still lots to tell you and photos to upload, but that will have to be next time.

Made in...

Talking about all things beautiful, what's more beautiful than a creamy cup of ice-cold gelato on a hot summer's day! I've no appetite these days from the heat so I just got a cup of mint & milk blossom gelato on my way home today. Yummy!

I've been wanting to tell you about another cosmetics brand from Italy. I got this blush from Diego Dalla Palma a few months ago, and have practically given up using all other blushes. The packaging is just a clean, milk-white compact that comes with a small brush.

The pink goes on rather sheer and can be layered easily for more intensity. It has the slightest, slightest shimmer to it. The colour is easy to apply so it's pretty much foolproof.

Clear Difference

I use whitening products all year round, but not all of them are the same. Shiseido offers White Lucency in Europe so I ordered White Lucent from sasa.com, just to be sure that I'm getting something made for the Asian market.
The bottle is very handy and the volume is generous, but I don't find it particularly effective except being moisturising and refreshing for summer.

Once in a while, my brother goes to Japan for work. Last time he went, I asked him to get this Shu Uemura WR EX whitening lotion for me. I wonder if Shu Uemura products sold in Japan have a different formula from those sold in other countries?
I like this product a lot more because it makes my skin very soft and very fresh. Upon application, it's absorbed immediately. So I don't have to wait long before following up with an SPF product and powder.

Do you use whitening products? Which ones?

Some Like It Blu

During summer, a nice shower is desparately needed when you get home from the heat. Acqua di Parma's Blu Mediterraneo line is amazing for that. The collection includes a fragrance, bath & shower gel, moisturiser, deodorant, etc. Panarea Myrtle (pictured), Capri Orange, Tuscan Cypress, Sicilian Almond and Amalfi Fig make you feel like vacationing on the Mediterranean coast. I particularly like the bath & shower gel because it cleanses well without leaving my skin dry.

www.acquadiparma.com

No Mess

In my review of the MUFE khol pencils, I forgot to mention that I did go over my eyelids with a brushing of the HD powder after finishing the look. I generally don't use any primer on my eyes to avoid irritation.

The MUFE kabuki brush is designed for the HD powder, but it's not absolutely necessary. Just tap a bit right onto a big round brush and then apply.

Khol Me Again

Today was so muggy in Milan that by the time I got to the gym, I was already sweaty without any workout. On days like this, no T.LeClerc or Make Up For Ever HD powder can save my face from beading with perspiration. What I have do is gently pat my face with a tissue and re-apply powder in a couple of thin layers.

So, how did my Make Up For Ever khol pencils hold up? Very well on the waterline, and so-so on the upper lid, which I tight-lined. Even though some of the colour on the upper lid is gone by the end of the day, on the waterline the colour stays put perfectly. There is no smearing, and minimal smudging after a whole day.

By the way, this is the very first time I apply any eye product on the waterline and try tight-lining. I've always been very wary, but the khol pencils provide extreme comfort and cause no irritation whatsoever.

The black colour is beautifully sooty and glides on easily even if you don't apply with a steady hand. The cyan colour is very vibrant. (Please refer to photo here.) I got quite a few compliments since using them almost a week ago.

To remove the product, I dipped a cotton swab in some olive oil and carefully worked around my eyes. Cleansing is easy enough. Overall, I'm very happy with these khol pencils.

Armed for the Milanese Summer

It's been hellishly hot in Milan. After months of rain storm, the weather turned 180° and the temperature just sky-rocketed. I'd rather have the rain! It's also easier to take care of my hair and skin when it's cool or cold out.
In this humid heat though, my T. Leclerc loose powder is working better than ever, because I thought it was awfully dry when I used it during winter and practically set it aside.
These days, what I do is use a very good sunscreen (La Roche-Posay or Shiseido) and puff a couple of layers of powder on. Make Up For Ever's HD powder has proven to be an amazing finishing touch. It really sets my entirely powder-based makeup all day long.
Not all powders are made the same. Talc-based ones are drier, but soaks up oil better. Those with some botanical oil in it sets onto the skin beautifully, but is more suitable in drier weather.

In any case, powder's just such a quick, easy routine that gets me out the door in the morning in a jiffy!

Forever and Ever

I'd just like to review Makeup Forever's high definition powder after a few consecutive days' of use. Here're some of my comments:

• Extremely fine


• Good adherence to the skin


• Lightest coverage


• Controls shine all day


• Only white colour available (for now, I assume)


• Can only be used sparingly (or risk looking like a white-faced ghost)
  
• Can be applied with a fluffy puff, powder brush, or kabuki brush
  
• Works better over foundation than used alone

Happy Powdering!

Photo by Justyna Furmanczyk

An Eye for an Eye

OR ?

Shu Uemura Drawing pencil

Ease of application: *****

Durability: ***

Colouring: *****

Comfort: *****

OR

Clarins Eye Pencil

Ease of application: ***

Durability: **

Colouring: ***

Comfort: ***

I love eye pencils, a girl's best friend when you're in a hurry to get out, but wanting to look decent. Here, we're comparing a made-in-Germany Shu pencil and a Clarins one, which is made in Italy. Apparently the latter was no match.

I highly recommend the Shu Uemura pencil for its foolproofness, and reasonble durability as long as you apply a base on your eyelids first.

First Base

OR ?

Shu Uemura UV Under Base
SPF 17 PA++
Comfort: *****
Oilyness: *
Ease of application: ****
Effectiveness: ****
Texture: foam

Application: brush, sponge

OR

Shiseido White Lucent Moisturizer
SPA 16 PA++
Comfort: *****
Oilyness: **
Ease of application: ****
Effectiveness: ****
Texture: cream
Application: fingers

These two colourless SPF makeup bases are very similar, the main difference being one is foam, one is cream. Both last all day, and the oilyness is really a minimum. Highly recommended!