[] Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation Review []~~~

Hey all ~~

Another Foundation Review. ~~~ been testing it out for a while now. thought I do the review since I am not that busy these days.

So I purchased the foundation from feelunique.com It was cheaper when I bought it about $34.00 AUD but now the price has increased for some reason.  any ways.

So at the back of the box it says:
Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation SPF10

A light-reflecting hydrating foundation that perfectly combines mineral and plant ingredients to create a naturally radiant complexion. The unique blend of ingredients continuously hydrates and protects the skin resulting in an incredibly comfortable, beautifully radiant and perfectly even complexion. Satin Finish - Medium Coverage. All skin types. 

Non-Comedogenic. Dermatologist Tests. Oil Free. 

This is what the packaging looks like. Classic Glass Bottle, with a Golden lid. comes with a pump for the ease of use. ( bonus points for having a pump). The colour I got is in 108 SAND.

This is what it looks like straight out from the bottle.

A bit spread out.

Blended in with the skin.


Ok Lets see how it shows up on face.
Here's my bare skin again (picture below), after moisturizer. lots of problems are you can see T__T
Picture taken under natural day light (in doors, not under direct sunlight)

This is what it looks like after 1 layer of foundation with no powder.

Thoughts:

The Foundation leave a satin finish on the skin. If I go under direct sunlight, when you look very very closely, you can see really really fine shimmer particles. but you can't detect it unless you look really hard for it. it certainly gives a natural radiant finish. You can set it with a powder and It still gives that radiant finish but without the oily look. 

I would say this foundation can be light to medium coverage depending on how you apply it. It may be cover all the imperfections ( acne scar, sun spots, freckles) but it does cover large pores perfectly. I have large pores near my nose and cheek area close to the nose, it disappeared when I use this. So I would say it covers certain things but still allows your natural skin to shine through.

I have combination skin, in winter I'm combination dry. So I think this foundation is more suited towards Autumn or Winter for me. If you have dry skin think you will love it. I still need to set it with a powder or else I will get oily quicker. And I need to blot every 4-5 hours. 

It is not really a long staying foundation. I would say may be 6 hours? but when I get home and take my make up off. There's still some foundation left on my face but most of it would've disappeared. That being said. I think this foundation is actually good for my skin. at the end of the day, my face looks more plumped and healthy, rather than dull and wrinkled as if all the water has been sucked out of it.

I don't think this foundation does well with flash photography...... it has SPF + fine shimmer particles. I think under natural light, it photographs really nice. but may be not more evening photography. 

Also It has a fragrance smell. can't put my finger on what it is.   you can smell it when you are applying it but it kind of disappears once it is applied. It doesn't bother me, but it might bother some people to have fragrance in their foundation.

Likes:
- has a pump
- great colour selection
- really nice natural finish (never cakey looking)
- makes you look so radiant and fresh
- covers large pores
- actually good for your skin ( with beneficial ingredients)
- oil free
- easy to remove at end of the day.
- your skin feels smooth after applying 

Dislikes:
- not long wearing
- unnecessary fragrance
- glass bottle, hard to travel with
- not enough coverage for those days you need coverage


Over all I like this foundation, go to a counter and ask for a sample, may be you will like it too.

Have a great weekend ~~~~

[] Bare Mineral Foundation/ Before & After + thoughts[]~~

 Hey all~~
 Just wanted to do a further review of the Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Medium Beige, showing before and after pictures. So you can see how much coverage it does and what's the finish like.

 So the only two things you need is a kabuki brush of your choice. I use Everyday Minerals kabuki brush from may be 2-3 years ago and it is still good after many many washes. never sheds. and it's soft as baby's skin. I honestly don't like the Bare Minerals brushes. they are scratchy and doesn't apply foundation evenly. 

You could also use a flat top kabuki brush for a heavier coverage, but I find flat top a bit hard for an even distribution as it tend to pack alot product on the area when you first start to buff on your skin. So I personally like to use a dense kabuki brush.

 Okay... lets have look at my skin bare under natural sunlight with no photo shop. no flash no nothing. As you can see, lots of sun spots, freckles, uneven skin tone. large pores. acne scar. and even scars from the recent allergic reaction to God knows what~~~~

T___T cry............................................. but never the less......

So here is is completely with bare minerals foundation in Medium Beige.
It covers most of the unevenness of the skin tone. Covers may be about 50-60% of the acne scars. It does a great job with the pores too.  So for one layer of this product you can achieve about light to medium coverage depending on how much product you use and the pressure you use when you buff it in.

The finish is semi matte I would say, the mica in this does gives you a more dewy glow look. which is a good thing if you want to cover some of the imperfections. So for a natural finish, I quite like it. It is also VERY to apply, may be like less than 3 minutes I'm done with my foundation. the only thing is it is not a long lasting foundation. If I have a busy day running around with no time to touch up. then I might rethink which foundation I'm going to use. 

If I'm just going to some where for a short time, like Brunch with friends, Dinner with family or something I would prefer this. Plus it doesn't feel heavy, doesn't even feel like I'm wearing foundation. 

One other thing I didn't like about this is that I wear glasses, so some of the foundation slip and slide near the bridge of my nose. but beside that I like this. 

Try it out you might find you will like it too.

Take Cares ~~~

Bare Minerals Review/ Tasi Trip~~

 Hey all ~~

sorry that I have been Missing for 2 months. Been away at Tasmania for a trip and also busy organising a trip to Europe in June/July. 

Any ways. My last post was a haul on Bare Minerals's Original  Foundation in Medium Beige. My skin had an allergic reaction to something I'm not quite sure what. but most probably the chopping and changing of skincare products too often. So I decided to stick to two product only. my good old Nameraka foaming cleanser, and Shiseido's toner/moisturiser in one. Will do review for that soon. Saved my skin. 

So I was very hesitant to use foundation too, because I wasn't sure if it was foundation or what causing all these little bumps on my skin. So I looked into Mineral foundation. So I went and got myself the Bare Mineral Foundation. I also picked up the Bare Mineral's All-over face colour in Rose Radiance.

 Left: Rose Radiance/ Right: Original Foundation in Medium Beige

At the shop I tried on the Bare Mineral's Matte foundation, but it felt so dry, and I was scared for it to go cakey, and also the colour is bit different from the original both in medium beige, the matte one shows up darker and yellower for some reason.


 Foundation Review
 Likes:
 - Great coverage, you can build your coverage, I like mine to cover my acne scars and what not. So I prefer a medium to full coverage. I buff in two layers and good to go. never look cakey.
- Gives a dewy look, so my face doesn't look dead matte. though might be a bit sparkly under direct sunlight. need to blot or else will look oily and shiny.
- The packaging is great. you can carry it with you and touch up with a little kabuki brush.
- Easily washes off. just use my foaming cleanser, comes right off.
- Doesn't cause allergic reaction. no response to bismyth oxichloride. so all good. you might need to watch out for this ingredient if you are allergic.
- Also can be used as a setting powder over liquid.

Dislikes:
- Messy application, powder can fly everywhere. very fine particle. Scared to breath it in. so I always hold my breath when applying this.
- Need to blot like every 3-4 hours, or else I get oily.
- I think it's a bit tad expensive. but compared to a liquid foundation. it's still ok.


Now lets look at the Rose Radiance.
I realized I have something very similar, Maybelline mineral powder blush in Soft Mauve.
but the maybelline one is a blush, where as this is a all over face colour. to give you that extra boost of radiance if your skin looks dull and as if you didn't get any sleep.

 I think these two looks quite similar. except that Bare Mineral's Rose Radiance is obviously more shimmery, I tried applying it all over the face with a light hand.. it looks ok. nothing wowed. but as a blush it is really pretty. gives your cheeks a very nice rosy glow. I like it as a blush. quite a natural fresh look. not overly pigmented so fool proof.

 Here's a swatch.
Left to Right: Bare Minerals Original in Medium Beige, Rose Radiance, Soft Mauve




While I'm away from blogging, I was in Tasmania. Here's a couple pictures from the trip.

 hahaha feeding a pig with beer...~~~

Hope every one have a great week...........

take cares.

Beauty Haul for 2012~~~

 Hey all ~~.
Sorry for the lack of posting in January, my relatives came over to Sydney from Overseas, so I've been busy taking them around acting like a tourist. went to Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Sky Tower, Sydney CBD area, China town and etc.

Any ways. I bought a few items just wanted to share with you guys.

- Melvita Rose water
- QV face day cream SPF 30+
- Bare Escentuals Original Foundation in medium beige
- Clarins Skin Illusion Foundaiton in Sand
- Nature & Co, Cotton Veil Mineral Liquid Foundation SPF 25 PA+++ in 410


I saw Fleur De Force best of 2011 video she mentioned the brand Melvita and I did some research turns to be an organic range so I thought I give it a try.

Wanted to buy a more natural looking foundation, I think these days my skin is just looking dull and because of my sensitive skin it's gone wacky for some reason. matte foundations makes it look very unflattering. 

So I decided to get the Skin Illusion Foundation. I was Initially getting the colour in 110 Honey, but after trying 108 Sand, i prefer Sand. I find the colour is more brighter, I mean Honey is probably the perfect match, but makes it look a bit dull not as radiant looking as Sand.

 It comes in a glass bottle (30 ml) with pump and a golden cap. quite poshy looking.

 The product comes out very creamy not that light, I think it's in between a cream and liquid foundation texture.

 After spread out a little bit.

 Completely spread out. It gives a nice glow without looking oily. it covers about 70-80 % of imperfections, yet still let your natural skin to shine through. I quite like it. though with my combination skin have to blot may be 2 times a day. and the staying power's not bad.


Another foundation I bought is the Nature and Co's Cotton veil mineral liquid foundation. It has no fragrance, no parabens no nasty stuff great for sensitive skin. got it in the shade 410.

 This is what it looks like when squeezed out.

 spread out.

and blended in. it has a more of a peachy tone, and it is more moistursing. so I suppose use it when cold weather comes in.

product review comes soon.. ~~

have a great weekend.

[] New yr New Skincare items[]

 Hey all~~
This is a haul post. I bought some new skincare items for new the new years. Mostly gentle skincare items for sensitive skin. and they are mostly organic things.

 First of all I bought two items from Pai skincare, it is a British brand. certified organics every thing pure organic and natural no artificial colours, fragrance and parabens. That's why if you purchased the item you have to use it with in one year. No preservatives. try to keep them at a cool place away from the sun.

 The two items I bought are:
- Soothing & strengthening for very reactive skin moisturiser ( chamomile and rosehip ) for sensitive skin
- Rosehip bioregenate fruit and seed oil blend

 This is what it looks like out of the package. The oil is a bright orange colour gets absorbed surprisingly fast!! definitely top quality. I've only tried it a couple times so not exactly sure to do a review yet. 

I also bought other items:
- ASAP soothing gel (aloe vera, Sage and green tea ) ideal for oily skin
- A'kin pure emergency gel (for sun burnt skin) contains aloe vera
- Alpha-H soothing & calming mask
- Alpha-H balancing cleanser (contains aloe vera)

Here's what the item looks like.
the green gel is the ASAP-soothing gel
the blue tinted paste the is the Alpha-H soothing & calming mask
the bottom white blob is the Alpha-H balancing cleanser

I know I bought a quite few items that has rose hip, chamomile and aloe vera. These three ingredients are known to restore, heal and calm down sensitive skin. I don't want to put harsh chemicals and things like that to aggravate my sensitive skin. I know there are alot of expensive skincares out there big brands, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will be good for you. I tend to look for things that doesn't contain alcohol, parabens and any thing that might cause allergic reactions. 

That's all for today. hope every one have a great week.

Take cares until next post~~~

[] Best of 2011 Skincare~~[]

Hey all ~~~
This post is about the best of 2011 skincare products.

there was a while where my skin was so sensitive and itchy and allergic to lots of different products. The reason is that you need to stick to your skincare regime because if you keep switching products, your skin isn't getting use to so it tends to get more sensitive. Also if products have fragrance and parabens it's more likely to make your skin reactive and sensitive. 

So I think i'm going to stick one skincare regime. if you find products that works great for you. stick to it. so your skin will get use to it and even if you want to try new products. may be bring in one at a time don't change the whole skincare range at once.

SANA Nameraka foaming wash
I've been using this facewash for a long time. I have combination/some times oily skin this face wash is great leaves a clean clean fresh feel.

Clarisonic Mia
honestly best buy of 2011. Helps to get rid of dead skin and which decreases the formation of black heads and less chance of blocked pores and pimples. I have a review on this. so check it out. Here


Olay moisturising lotion ( sensitive skin)
Really good for sensitive skin. gives good moisture not too oily, not too heavy. staple.


Naruko Raw Job's Tear whitening serum 
fast absorbed. i don't see any whitening, though i can see my acne scars lightning up.does make my face look radiant and brightened when i wake up in the morning.

Naruko Raw Job's Tear Night Gelly/ Niaouli & Tea Tree Night Gelly
I alternate between these two night gelly, if i feel like pimples or sth is coming up. I use the tea tree one. If not I usually use the Raw Job's Tears gelly. keeps all the moisture in while you sleep.

Shiseido Extra smooth sun protection cream for face SPF36PA+++
The best sunscreen for face. It gets absorbed, it doesn't leave white oily, yuky residue. it is water resistant so perfect for the beach. just make sure you wash it off properly at night.


That's all for this post.....................
enjoy your week...........

[] Best of 2011~~makeup.[]

 Hey all~~
HAPPY NEW YEARS... BEST of 2012.. ~~~~

I wanted to share the best of the makeup items for 2011.. ~~
There will be a skincare version coming up, but this is make up items only.

 Liquid Foundation:

 - Estee Lauder Double Wear
- Estee Lauder Double Wear Light
- Bourjois Healthy Mix (Review)

 Powder Foundation:

 - Maquilliage Lightning White Powdery UV Foundation (Review)
- Cezanne Ultra Cover II Foundation (Review)
- Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation SPF15 in real sand

Bronzer/Blushes:

 - Nars Laguna (Review)
- NYC Sunny (Review)
- NARS Luster (review)
- Mac Springsheen

Mascara/Eyelash Curler:

 - Maybelline Magnum volume express
- Kiss Me Heorine Curl & Volume
- Active Girl Full long Mscara
- Maquillage Eyeslash Curler

 Lips:

 - Mentholatum lip gel
- Burt's Bees tinted lip blam in hibiscus
- Rimmel in Airy Fairy
- Estee Lauder in Crystal Pink
- Bobbi Brown rich lip color in Crimson
- Bobbi Brown rich lip color in Soft Coral
- Revlon Color Burst in Mauve

 Here's the swatches:  in order of
- Burt's Bees tinted lip blam in hibiscus
- Rimmel in Airy Fairy
- Estee Lauder in Crystal Pink
- Bobbi Brown rich lip color in Crimson
- Bobbi Brown rich lip color in Soft Coral
- Revlon Color Burst in Mauve

Eye shadow/Primer:

- Urban Decay Naked Palette (swatches)
- Lunasol three dimension eyes in 03 (look)
- Visee Glam Nude Eyes in N2 (look)
- Wet & Wild walking on eggshell
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Too Faced Shadow Insurance