Lilypie First Birthday tickers

Friday, September 26, 2008

EG Minerals Review


This is way overdue.

I'll start with the foundations first since that's what I've been reviewing this week.
The shades I chose weren't initially in the present category so it got me confused. They rearranged the categories with the shade names so the formula wasn't the one I wanted to try out. At least I got a few matches though.

Again, my photos with each foundation on.

Cover Me foundation:

Very good heavy coverage for me and for those with oily skin. It applies matte on the face and I just used 1 layer dry, enough to cover everything - no concealer needed. It felt light on the face but really looked good on. I think I need to apply a bit less coz on closer inspection (in person) I could see that I had makeup on but it still looked natural. Oh, this is hard to explain but I hope you get what I'm trying to say (?).

I didn't use primer nor finishing powder and after 4 hours my face isn't oily. No itchies even when I was sweating (ran over next door to check on a patient).

Oh, and there's no white cast in photos unlike other mmu with heavy coverage.

I think my match is DeAnna. I initially thought this was light for me but when I tested it again it wasn't. After consultation with Michelle of EG Minerals, she said that the Cover Me formula applies differently initially than what it looks like in the baggie. After it melded to my skin it was a perfect match.


DeAnna no flash


DeAnna w flash

Jeanne and Joy are too dark and too brown for me:


jeanne


Joy

Youthful Glow foundation:

This one has light to medium coverage. It also feels light but it wasn't enough coverage for me. For those with perfect skin to begin with and wanting a slight glow to their foundation, this would do. I found good matches here too coz these were what were mostly sent to me. I didn't try 3-4 other shades as they looked dark and too brown in the baggies. My good matches were Jin and Mia.


Mia (Y)


JIN (W)

Jocelyn was too dark (and brown) for me:


Jocelyn

I don't have samples of the Light & Natural formula which is rice powder based and good for oily skin and the Liquid foundation. I plan to test them out soon.

Blushes:

I only got a few samples of blushes. When the site wasn't up yet, they had no matte blushes available for sampling so all the blushes I got were shimmery.

I love South Pacific Dawn the most among all these. The blushes are pigmented and only very little is needed. The blushes on the right-most are cool toned and I don't think they would suit me. The way i see it, the website swatches look a bit darker than they are IRL.

Finishing Powders:

I haven't tried everything yet but the ones I did were good. The Hi Definition Pro Powder to me is like Aromaleigh's - they have a cloud of powder when you put some in your swirly bowl. They look the same when applied since both are translucent and they mattify the face.

The Primers and Soft Focus finishing powders do help matte out the oilies. They're comparable to Dreamworld's or Lauress' Finishing Powders. I haven't tried the Rice Powder primer and the Silk Finishing Powder yet. Letting my skin take a break for awhile.


Jin + Hi Def Pro Powder


Jin + Hi Def. PP + Soft Focus FP + blush

All EG Minerals used except lipgloss:

Skin Primer Yellow
Youthful Glow foundation in JIN
Gold/Yellow Soft Focus finishing powder
Hi Definition Pro Powder
South Pacific Dawn Blush
Aromaleigh No Reservations Rocks! lipgloss
No eyeshadow

I haven't tried any of the eyeshadows yet. Next post probably or next week since this is a busy weekend of parties.

*************
I have tried the Vancouver Springs lipglaze they sent me but I couldn't use it.


lippie

The shade is pretty in a peachy coral tint but the smell was so strong. It was a fruity scent I just don't know what kind.

When I applied it on my lips I thought the scent would go away in a few minutes but it didn't. I felt so nauseous that I had to remove the lippie right away. Even when I did the scent stuck to my hands and I had a headache the whole afternoon.

Also it leaked all over my lippie drawer. I think the seal of the tube was loose coz it fell out when I opened it and removed the wand. Maybe that's why it leaked even though I put it back.
If only the scent weren't that strong I would've used it.
This is my initial take on EG Minerals. Still have to try out the other products I have.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Skincare Haul

Still have a few posts to make about my EG Minerals review but I have a ton of photos to crop and fix. It's raining hard now and a bit cold which I love...ended up shopping on the net again :-(

Skincare haul from StrawberryNet.com:

H2O+ Aqualibrium Mattifying Moisture Plus (had 100% marks in MUA)


H2O +


Bliss Sunban Face SPF 30+ (to use with above for makeup days instead of my Olay SPF 30)


Bliss


Bourjois Blush in No. 72 Tomette (had to get this to reach the 3 item mark for discount)


Bourjois


Got all these with 29% off of entire order coz they have a 10% off celebration thing going on, my reward for 2nd order (1% off), 5% off for ordering 3 items plus a 13% discount.

PLUS I get the following stuff for free:

Stila Lipglaze Stick in Blackberry


Stila


Cameleon Makeup Kit (12 x Eyeshadows, 2 x Blushes, 3 x Lipgloss, 3 x Applicators)


Cameleon

Happy, happy :-)

I also got this the other day but sent it to my cousin in California (coz I had to get my DD's Christmas gift: V.Smile Smartridges in Aladdin and Noddy Detective for a Day since both went on sale and I didn't want to miss it).

RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle



RoC


Yeah, I've noticed lines or furrows on my forehead in between my eyebrows. Made me worried! Must have been due to my frowning (what else!) when I get mad at my DD LOL! Hope I get better skin again soon once I get all these.


No mmu haul for me until the next month coz I'm way over my monthly budget. The RoC has good reviews on MUA. Actually, all the stuff I got had good reviews on MUA (I do my research). Hopefully they all live up to the expectations (mine). I'll also just give the freebies as Christmas gifts to relatives ha-ha. We'll see. If I don't like them that is but knowing what a hoarder I am I might keep them to myself (but I mustn't). Okay, I'm rambling. See ya in my next post.

**Photos taken from Strawberrynet.com and Amazon.com

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Jesse's Girl Quads

Tried out the Jesse's Girl Cosmetics Quads I acquired recently and I really like them. They are pigmented and easy to blend. It doesn't look too powdery on the eye with just enough shimmer to make the colors pop. Best of all it's a PRESSED QUAD! Easy to bring along when travelling with color-coordinated shades in it.

I know it's not mineral makeup but I don't get allergies in the eye area with traditional eye shadows (and blushes) so I use them occasionally.

Artdeco Eyeshadow base applied on both eyes as primer.

QUAD 2:



quad 2

1 - applied under brows as highlight
2 - applied from lash line to crease
3 - applied on outer V
4 - applied to crease



using Quad 2


QUAD 4:



Quad 4

1 - applied under brows as highlight
2 - applied from lash line to crease
3 - applied on crease
4 - applied on outer V


using quad 4

The individual eye shots don't show the colors clearly. Instead it showed up as just 1 shade of pink or olive :-(


Here's a better one:



Quad 4 (L), Quad 2 (R)

As usual, I applied the shadows sheerly but since these are pigmented they showed up even with a very light touch. I like Quad 2 the best since I'm a neutrals gal. Now I'm sorry I didn't get the other 2 Quad palettes for a better discounted price.



** I am not a professional makeup artist. Reviews here are my own opinion.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Nikki's Mix

This is supposed to be "Jane's Mix" but I tweaked it a bit.
FYI, Jane's Mix is a finishing powder mixed up by Jane from the Aromaleigh forum. You can tweak the recipe whatever way you want (like all minerals) whether for cooler or warmer skintones. It's basically made up of Aromaleigh products using sample sizes for easier measurement.

Here's what I did:

When I started putting in the different powders:


Coquille powders

There's Lilas, Nectarine, Vert, Rose, Juane in the photo.

Final Product:


Nikki's Mix

I filled up a 30 gram jar when I was done. I mixed the following AL products:

In sample sizes (Jane's Mix but not the exact recipe)-

Coquilles:
1 Nectarine
1 Juane
1 Rose
1 Lilas
1/2 Vert (it was too green)

1/2 Medium Bronze
2 x Illuminator
1 Perle Splendor
1/2 Perle Illusion

I added in:

1/4 tsp. Silica
1/2 tsp. Kaolin Clay

I think I'm going to add in more Silica and Kaolin clay for more oil control. Maybe a little Allantoin and Boron Nitride too? So far, my mix has a little bit of glow with a little bit of oil control and it also makes the skin look a bit airbrushed. I think I'm going to add in my URFP sample too to make it look more airbrushed on. I may need a bigger jar than this to mix in.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Mail Day & Korean Kitty


Another mail day today and I am overwhelmed. Just look at the pics which speak for themselves. It would take me a few weeks to go thru all these and post reviews.
From Aromaleigh, my sample order:



rocks lippie samples

Tried out blank generation lippie:


no flash


with flash

From Jesse's Girl Cosmetics:


From EG Minerals, samples they sent me as their tester :



EG Minerals



<--- Full size!
lippie




Blushes




Fruit of the Vine Trio e/s




Smokey Eye Kit - Charcoal Trio e/s




other e/s




foundations




FP's & Hi-Def. Powder




Primer Powders

Whew!!! That's a lot to sample. I wished the EG Minerals site is working coz I don't remember the types of foundations I chose or the ingredients.

********************

My brother-in-law came from Seoul, Korea last week and gave my DD a few Hello Kitty items that are just too cute:



mechanical pencil and stickers



necklace and ring set




hair accessories




for me: bag and bracelet

That's all for now. I haven't even removed the plastic seals the cosmetics came in. Will post more once I have time to swatch and try them on. So many eyeshadows when I don't even use them that much LOL!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

FOTD fun & Picnik

Been having fun with Picnik the past few days (thank to JenW.).

I'll be posting photos I've experimented with here for my FOTD and other stuff. It's only the free version I've been using so I can just imagine what you could do if you upgrade to the Premium version.

Went to the mall yesterday for a "sort of exclusive" sale but I wasn't able to go around much because I wasn't feeling well. I think I overate Kettle Chips in Spicy Thai (yum, my fave!) earlier so I felt bloated and had indigestion, ugh. Ended up going home earlier than intended :-(

FOTD:


FOTD

(Photo taken at night before removing mmu and going to bed so excuse the messy hair)
Just wanted to show how long the Avon Glazewear lippie lasted (5 hours after application). It was still on my lips after eating a little bit and drinking iced tea and a mug of milk tea. I had to scrub my lips with my toothbrush to remove it.

Face:
Sweetscents Hide-A-Pore in Medium-Dark
LA Minerals Hollywood Base in Medium Warm
Dreamworld Creme Topping in Cafe Au Lait
Aromaleigh Divine Radiance in Magnolia Blossom

Blush:
Lumiere Silk Blush in Mimosa

Lippie:
AVON Glazewear in Teddy Bear

No Eyeshadow (as usual)

After 2-3 years of sniffing this in the store and lemming for it for so long, I was able to get a bottle of Philosophy's 3-in-1 in Candy Cane. I really love the scent but wasn't able to buy one previously because it was a bit expensive for a shower cream. I saw it at the sale yesterday at around 50% off so I did not hesitate to get one. I wanted to get the matching scrub but I still had some other scrubs (and it wasn't my intention to buy a scrub anyway).

Sooo here it is:


Philosophy's Candy Cane

I love 3-in-1's and I got hooked to it when I first bought a bottle years ago of Philosophy's Cafe Au Lait. Since it was a splurge I shifted to Bath & Body Works Temptations 3-in-1 line and hoarded a few bottles when my friends go to the US. I think it's been discontinued??? Hopefully not coz I really love them and are a cheaper alternative to Philosophy's. I prefer shower creams (not shower gels) coz they're moisturizing and are more hygienic to use than soaps (that's just me okay?).


I wanted to get other Philosophy stuff on sale like Baby Grace shower creams or perfumes and Smashbox items but my uncooperative tummy got the best of me :-(
Anyway, my DD got a really cute toy on sale from Debenhams that I had fun taking pictures of:


Fifi toy


toy with Picnik effects

Hope I'll be able to go back to the sale.

Have a great weekend!