prettymom

arbonne blush in blossom

2013-06-18T20:12:00Z

move over, nars orgasm blush. i have a new favorite - arbonne blush in blossom.

product description:

Arbonne’s mineral-infused and highly pigmented blush provides perfect natural colour to help highlight and complement the complexion.

Infused with Vitamins A, C and E and Cucumber Extract, the lightweight powder accentuates and sculpts cheeks.

like arbonne eyeshadows, i love the push button design on the compact. just push the button and the lid is opened. i have bad habbit of opening lids wtih my nails and it's bad for my brittle nails.

the color is peachy pink with golden flecks yet not overly shimmery.

it's hard to capture the color of the blush. it can look pinkier or peachier under different angles.

be warned, the color is very pigmented. if you're not a fan of heavy blush application like me, you'll be shocked how pigmented it is if you pick up the color normally as you would with most blushes. while the color is quite light, it's still shocking!

i've learned to just lightly touch the product with the brush.

the texture is very finely milled, smooth and blends easily into the skin. colorwise this is perfect color to achieve a natural healthy glow.

it's an instant love and i've been using it almost exclusively since receiving the product.

retail at aud$41, arbonne blush is available in 8 shades and is suitable for all skin types, and can be purchased from independent consultants or from the website.

nars orgasm blush vs arbonne blush in blossom

since this has become my new favorite, i think i should do a comparison with my old favorite.

when i received blossom, i thought it's a close dupe of nars orgasm. but on side by side comparision, the colors aren't identical. both has that golden flecks but orgasm is pinkier and blossom is peachier.

there's visually difference in the swatch as they were more heavily applied than i would on my cheeks. but when applied on my cheeks, the colors are very close.

so, why has blossom become my new favorite? because it's more pigmented. a quick dust is sufficient to give me a healthy color. nars orgasm blush is quite sheer and i usually need to apply a few layers to get the color. in addition, i've used nars orgasm blush quite a lot (pretty much 90% of the time) in the past few years it's time for a new toy.

i have had new blushes since acquiring nars orgasm but nothing gets as much attention.

product was provided for consideration.

embryolisse lait-crème concentré - 24 hour miracle cream

2013-06-17T12:50:00Z

i've been wanting to try embryolisse lait-creme concentre seeing sam from pixiwoo using this quite often. she has dry skin and i have dry skin. if someone with dry skin raves about it, it must be good, isn't it?

embryolisse is available in australia. however it's not widely accessible.

i bought mine from ebay where price ranges from usd$25 to $40. the seller i purchased from is hk-based and also has an online site, which is also the only site i could find that ships internationally. i purchased via ebay because it was discounted on ebay at the time. the regular price at the site is usd$29 for 75ml. it was well packaged and product was boxed.

first, let's take a look at the product.

it is package in tubes, which looks like medicated cream.

the product was sealed and you can open it with the pointy tip at the end of the cap. the cap is also flat top so the product could stand up right.

since it was packaged in a tube, i expect the cream to be heavy and thick. the consistency is thinner than expected. it's thinner than cream and thicker than lotion.

what is it?

taken from the website:

Full story »

stormy night smokey eyes

2013-06-14T16:20:00Z

this is an attempt to do lmff runway look 4 (scroll to the end of the post for face chart). it's a strong graphite liner look. obviously i failed at doing it. since i didn't have time to do it again, the eges were smudged and turned it into smokey eyes.

i tried to use most products listed in the face chart.

products used:

too faced shadow insurance
arbonne eyeliner in toffee * - on the brows
l'oreal color riche le smokey eye pencil in stormy sea * - draw a thick eyeliner along the top lashline
l'oreal infallible eyeshadow in all night blue * - over the eyeliner from lashline to slightly above the crease
rimmel scandaleyes waterproof kohl in green - lower lashline
l'oreal color riche eyeshadow quad in emeral concquest *- use the bright aqua blue in inner corners and over the lower lashline
revlon colorstay liquid eye pen - fill up the lashline
l'oreal false lash telescopic mascara *

Full story »

l'oreal nude magique bb powder review

2013-06-06T07:31:00Z

is the name 'bb' overused? l'oreal paris has quite a number of bb products in the range - bb cream, bb blush and bb powder.

we've heard about bb creams since it's been widely used in asia for many years before it's finally introducted into australian market. i have the bb blush which will be reviewed later. in this post, let's look at the bb powder.

what is it?

The 1st BB Powder contains self-adjusting intuitive transparent powder pigments that blend with skin to fit any skin tone; creating a velvet-like finish to your skin.

an initial look, it's just a pressed powder. the texture is very fine and velvety soft.

this comes in 2 colors, light and medium. i have medium and don't have light for reference. while the color looks somewhat dark, it's translucent when applied.

i'm not including product swatch because it's undetectable, ie sinks perfectly into my skin.

the product is travel friendly. it comes with 2 compartments. lift the powder compartment...

there's mirror and sponge.

however, i don't like the sponge. whenever i used the sponge to apply or touch up, i ended up looking cakey.

i prefer to apply with big powder brush. i have dry skin and i usually just powder the t-zone area to set makeup. with l'oreal bb powder, i have no problem dusting all over my face. it sets foundation perfectly and doesn't feel drying.

you probably have noticed that i've been using this almost exclusively in my recent looks. i'm loving it! it works well with whatever used as base (liquid foundations or bb creams) and makes them last longer. a light dust gives a matte finish yet doesn't make my face feel dry.

the product also says it gives 'matte finish and airbrushed look' when used alone. i have no problem dusting a light layer over my bare face, which gives no coverage but a nice matte finish. however if i try to build more coverage with more product, my skin looks cakey and drying. this could be due to my dry skin.

l'oreal nude magique bb powder retails at aud$26.95 and is available at major department stores and selected pharmacies and supermarkets.

product was sent for consideration.

arbonne eyeshadows in chocolate and sand

2013-06-03T16:15:00Z

recently i have the opportunity to try some products from arbonne. having never heard of nor tried this brand before, i'm quite impressed with some of the products, especially the eyshadows. very silky and pigmented!

i had a look i wanted to do when i chose the products. however things didn't go according to plan. because these colors are earthy tones they're very versatile and i have done a few looks with these eyeshadows.

first, a bit about the eyeshadows,

Arbonne’s mineral-infused range of catwalk-inspired Eye Shadows leads the way in rich natural and botanical tones, working to highlight and define the eyes with colour whilst providing health benefits for the skin. Each powder shadow is infused with Vitamins A, C and E as well as Polypeptides which help to maintain the skins moisture and support the skin’s natural structure.

arbonne eyeshadows are individually packaged.

let me bring your attention to the compact design. just push the button and the lid is opened. this is an impressive feature considering i often open lids with my nails and break them (and cry not being able to swatch nail polishes).

i chose the colors via arbonne's website. it's mostly guess work since the images were small and color descriptions weren't available. the colors received weren't what i had in mind. one was darker than expected and one was too light. nevertheless they are nice colors. the website has since updated with bigger images to give a better idea of colors.

Full story »