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!

LA Minerals (Ff-up review)

I tried out the foundation and blush the whole day yesterday. In the afternoon I did some manual labor (I cleaned the whole bathroom bec. some work was done on the sink and pipes and the bathroom was left dirty. I also tried out the new Mr. Clean Magic Eraser I bought so I scrubbed the shower tiles, LOL!)

Well, our tiles are now squeaky clean (the Magic Eraser really works!) AND the Hollywood Face Base foundation stayed on even after I sweat buckets. The blush stayed on too with a bit of fading but it was still there.

I didn't itch and didn't breakout :-) (You know how some people start itching with mmu when they sweat).

The foundation was on my face for around 8 hours before I had to remove it.

Would I repurchase?
Yes, but not right now since I still have a bunch of fullsize ones from other brands I'm waiting for. When a sale comes up I'd definitely get a fullsize of my shade.

LA Minerals Review

I am roadtesting my LA Minerals samples today. The shade match I got is Medium Warm although Medium Dark Warm doesn't look way off. To the untrained mmu eye it's still a match (but we know how OC we mmu users are LOL!).

In the photo: Medium Warm on your left (my right) and Medium Dark Warm on your right (my left).


LA Minerals



Medium Warm (L) vs. Med-Dark Warm (R)

The powder is finely milled and applied smoothly. I applied mine dry with a Lumiere flat-top brush in 2 layers, no primer, no finishing powder. Coverage is medium and not as matte as I want it to be but it's not glowy either. I have it on for an hour now and no itchies so far.

***
I picked up my DD and walked under the mid-morning sun, sweated a lot and the foundation is still intact. Actually the powder melded more on my skin creating a more flawless finish but I look a bit oily (coz I don't have primer or FP on). I'll try applying it wet next time. Even with sweating I didn't have any itchy reaction which is a plus.

I also tried out the LA Minerals Lush Blush in Pimped Mauve which is a matte blush. Swatching it on my arm it applied a bit powdery and light. Initially I thought it wouldn't show up on me. On my cheeks it applied very matte the way I want the foundation to have been. It is not as pigmented as other mmu blushes like Cory or Lumiere and I needed the same amount I would have used for both cheeks in these brands for just 1 cheek with LA Minerals. It looked a bit powdery on me but maybe the color I chose made it appear more natural.

Pimped Mauve blush:
without flash

with flash

After sweating it out, the blush is still present :-)

Here are a few swatches:
Top to bottom: Bronzed Babe in Lit Up, Pimped Mauve, On Stage Illuminizer


with flash



no flash

Lit Up is a bit shimmery for me to be used as an all-over bronzer. On Stage Illuminizer is also too shimmery. These both should be applied with a light hand and with a fiber optic brush. I prefer my bronzers matte or a bit creamy/dewey that it can be used all over as a contour and look natural and my illuminizers or highliters on the other hand, to be more of a sheen or with just a bit of glow.

I haven't tried the Oil control powder yet but I will soon.
Have any of you tried this brand?

Mail Day: Birthday Packages

Another mail day for me. These are actually my "birthday gifts" but they just arrived since I ordered them during the July 4th sales and the 3rd was my b-day.

Silk Naturals: This package I got a couple of days ago with a review in the previous post. I got a refill bag of the Heavy Formula (not in photo), a sample jar of Tempt Tryst bronzer (not in photo), 2 lippies and 2 solid perfume samples.



SN

Swatch of the lippies; Berry Crush on the left and Rare Berry on the right.

with flash

without flash

I thought Rare Berry would come out a bit strong but it's not. I actually like it. Too bad it's not a permanent line. I hope Karen finds the missing recipe for Rare Berry. And like the other lipglosses from SN, they are all very moisturising on the lips and not sticky.

I like the Fresh solid perfume since it's a citrus smell -- grapefruit. Tease was okay (vanilla and tea something scent) but it really didn't stand out for me. I haven't tried them out for a full day to say if the scent lasts long though. Will re-try it again.

Dreamworld: I got FS of Angel and Cafe Au Lait creme toppings both in clay/silica formula which work wonderfully for my oily skin. I also got a FS of Blushing Werewolf, an LE blush.


DW



DW

I had a sample before of Peanut Butter creme topping but it turned out to be a bit dark on me. It could be used as a contour powder though. Good thing it was the lighter version of Peanut Butter I got which is Cafe Au Lait. And all along I thought it was Butter that I ordered (memory gap, LOL!). I now have 3 fullsized jars of the Creme Toppings and I want to get some other shades. Too bad I ordered before they changed the jars to 30 gr. ones. The ones I have were in the 20 gr. jars.

Lauress: I got the Trio Kit of fullsizes in Pure Yellow Minimalist, Fantastic Finish in Medium and Chiffon Enhancer.



Lauress

This came as a freebie: Star Light e/s in Deja Vu.


Deja Vu

Lauress foundation in the Minimalist formula (with only 4 or 5 ingredients) is one of my HG foundations because it stays on well on my oily skin. It is also one of the most photogenic mineral makeup I've ever used. Definitely one of my best buys that this package is the 1st of 2 FS foundations I got while they were on sale. The other one is coming in a week or 2. (I hoarded while I can).

LA Minerals: these are all sample baggies for $1 each, free shipping anywhere in the world. I haven't tried any of them yet but I will in the next few days.



LA Minerals

In photo are the following samples; top row L-R: Bronzed Babe in Lit Up, Lush Blush in Pimped Mauve, On Stage Illuminizer; bottom row L-R: Oil Control Mattifying Powder in Medium, Hollywood Face Base Untinted, Hollywood Face Base in Medium Warm and Medium Dark Warm. Hoping these turn out good as well as the others :-)

LA Minerals

Has anybody tried this company?

I don't know if it's new but I read older posts (a few months back) on MMM. Anyway, I ordered a few samples today because they ship samples only FREE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

I got the following in baggies for $1 each with 1/2 tsp per baggie:
* Hollywood Foundation Samples:
-- Medium Warm
-- Medium/Dark Warm
-- Untinted Base (so if these are dark on me, they won't go to waste and I could just make them lighter)
* Lush Blush Sample in Pimped Mauve
* Bronzed Babe Sample in Lit Up (similar to NARS Orgasm blush shade)
* Oil Control Powder Sample in Medium
* On Stage Illuminizer Sample

My total was $7, free shipping :-)