Review: Benefit Big Easy Liquid-to-Powder BB Cream

Ok, I cheated. The actual name is Benefit Big Easy Liquid-to-Powder multi-balancing complexion perfector. That is one huge, not easy bite of words. So I just had to buy it cause I'm a sucker for Benefit packaging. What's new?

So this BB cream is said to be lightweight and able to balance moisture and oil. It also has a liquid to powder finish so you don't need to set it with a powder. It also comes in 6 shades but it also has self-adjusting abilities. I guess if you picked up a shade that is slightly off, it will adjust to suit you? I like that it is oil-free and non-comodegenic. And it comes with a SPF of 35+!

(I also appreciate that Benefit didn't try to list a whole range of benefits that the BB cream will do to you. )

So I like that it is a squeeze tube and the amount to be squeezed out can be controlled very well. Thumbs up!

I'm not sure what this picture is suppose to show you hahaha but looking up close, it really finishes very well. Not too matte, not too glowy. More to a satiny finish. It also feels very smooth and doesn't have any strong scent. 

This BB cream accentuate dry areas significantly. But it works fine for me in humid Singapore because in about 4 hours, the dry patches are hardly noticeable and my skin still looks matte and dey. In fact, I liked that it is dry because it means it will keep the oil at bay. 

I am using no. 1 in Fair and I really like the color! It has a pink undertone and brightens my skin considerably. No. 2 in Light is also a nice color for fair-skinned if you are a yellow undertone. I use it on my cheeks, around my nose area and around my mouth. But keep in mind if your mouth area is dry, skip it. and if your undereye is dry, don't try. (hey, it rhymed)

I do recommend this for people with oiler skin and it does come in a whole range of shades so that's always good. 

Have you tried this? What do you think about it?

Love,

Pea

Update// 6.50PM

I just checked my face and I am loving this BB cream! My natural oil has sipped through and my face is just slighty glowy. I applied this at around 745AM this morning and it is 11 hours alr! Normally my skin is an oily mess by now and I changed nth about my routine. I used my sunblock and Smashbox primer underneath and dust my Guerlain Meteorites Perles over the BB cream. I am so loving this oil control!

Review and Swatches: Catrice Longlasting Eyepencil (Waterproof)

Hi y'all! Hope Saturday is going great. Anyw, I'm just here for smth really quick. I picked these up on Wednesday due to some need for stress-relief. Flo loves them and I decided to pick up some colored ones for spring! They can be found at selected Guardian stores and retail for only $3.90 ! 

I think I picked up 4 of the 6 colors and the two I didn't get were a brown and a gold. 

1. 010 New Kids On The Black 

2. 060 Moss Undercover 

3. 080 These Blues are Made for Walking 

4. 070 Blue Berrymore 

I kinda picked up these colors because I was so inspired by this picture below! (Picture from @Beautifulskin on twitter)

Don't the whole combination reminds you of a peacock!! Anyw, for the price, the quality is honestly top-notch. It's comparable to alot of high-end brands. It's smooth and doesn't need tugging. It can be used as a liner or a base before putting on eyeshadow to intensify the colors. I heard Flo raved about these often enough. It's honestly smudge proof after leaving to fully dry for about 5minutes and even using a wet wipe takes a few tugs before everything comes off. I'm duely impressed. 

Maybe I should check out the other colors as well haha! 

Have a great weekend! 

Love,

Pea

Review: Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Haroooooo~~

I've been wanting to try out this mascara since maybe... December last year but I didn't really dare to buy cuz I haven't heard any good reviews about it! Recently I've stumbled upon at least 3 youtube beauty vloggers (here, here and here) talking about it and how much they love it, so I decided to buy it.

First up, the packaging of this mascara has some heavy duty thing going on. It looks super luxe with the whole metallic pink and embossed letterings, which I really enjoy, but it is really heavy! Like I think it weighs maybe 0.2kg? Hahaha. It contains 8.0 ml/0.27 Fl. Oz worth of products and is priced at $32 in Sephora Singapore.

They've been emphasising the hourglass-shaped brush, and honestly, I haven't tried any mascara with an hourglass-shaped brush yet! The brush is quite big but amazingly, it fits nicely on my asian eyes and it's able pull out any of my smaller lashes and coat them with the product. So, I really really enjoy the brush :)

It claims to create 1,944% more volume than our actual lashes. I have to say it really looks pretty damn amazing on the youtube gurus' eyes but since they're caucasian, of course they have longer and fuller lashes. So, I tried it on my eyes and upon the first application, I fell in love!!! My lashes were immediately lengthened and super volumized, I love the deep carbon black colour of the mascara too.

This was my first day applying it and I loved it! I only had 2 coats on. However, as the day goes by, I noticed some smudges on my lower eyelids but I wasn't sure if it was caused by the mascara or my shadows/eyeliner. Also, by the end of the day, my lashes weren't curled anymore!!!!!! Sobbb. But I gave it the benefit of the doubt that my bangs were weighing my lashes down..

So I gave it another try today! This is just a breakdown of how many coats of mascara I can put for it to look nice and not overly clumpy/spider legs-y. The most I'd go is three coats cause with three coats it was getting pretty thick and yet still separated. I didn't want to ruin it by adding a fourth coat since I was very happy with it already :)

I put my mascara on at 10.30a.m. and by 9.30p.m. they are still curled nicely and no smudges on my lower eyelids at all!!! I put my fringe up today so I guess it was most probably my bangs weighing my lashes down previously. Another test I did was with my glasses on, my lashes weren't hitting the glass - it is a good sign that my lashes are still curled. If they're droopy, they will definitely be hitting on my lenses every time I blink! One last thing is that, this mascara is so easy to remove!!!!!! I'm using the L'oreal gentle eye & lip make up remover.

I'm so glad to say that this mascara is worth the splurge, and it didn't disappoint me at all. I love it so much I think it's a definite repurchase for me. I'm a mascara junkie, if I could only pick one make up item to use, I'd pick the mascara! So trust me when I say I have high expectations on my mascaras and all that I love are definitely some pretty good stuff that are worth a try ^.^

Anyone of you tried it yet? What are your thoughts? Do you love it or hate it? Share it with us :)

xx,

Flo♡

Review: IDS Clinic

29th April 2014
We have updated our review.
Read it here

Hi!! :)

So recently, upon hearing the news that it has officially opened, we decided to check out IDS (Innovative Dermotological Solutions) Clinic! It's founded by Dr SK Tan. And from what we learnt, he is also the renowned founder of DRx. Anyway, on our quest for beautiful skin as always, we decided to go down and just have a consultation. No harm right? Hahaha.

Previously, both of us were using DRx products and they've worked pretty well with our skin. Both our skin types are combination/oily. We both have obvious pores and pimples here and there. Pea's main concerns are her cheeks, while Flo's will be her forehead area.

Since we're running out of our DRx products, we thought, why not visit IDS?

This is Pea's stash:

PORE 

This is the equivalent or comparable to CF from DRx. It minimizes oil production and reduces Black/Whiteheads. it is said to be highly effective in treating blemishes and therefore, reduce breakouts. It comes is a slightly less runny liquid-gel formula and one pump covers my t-zone and cheeks - hey that makes me whole face wtheck

C-PLUS 

This is the one that is comparable to Max-C from DRx but oddly this is more liquidy. It has the same fishy smell though. This is the magical one where it targets wrinkles, firmness, patchiness, dark spots and acne. It also consists of Vitamin C and E. Again, a pump works just nice for me 

A-PLUS 

Dr Tan was kind enough to offer me a sample size of this to try out! I hate the pores around my nose and I was also worried about aging tbh. Aging means sagging of skin so our pores will appear larger as our pores go from circular shape to oval shape. So this little bottle consists of 2 antioxidants that can boosts cellular turnover = firmer skin. I'm pretty excited for this haha smaller pores and firmer skin? Ok sure! (If I'm not wrong, this is a form or a derivative of vitamin A) 

FACIAL SCRUB

This is the raved product and I'm so excited to try as well. I have sensitive, thin cheeks so I tend to scrub only twice a week. But I was told that I can do this daily !!! I love scrubbing and exfoliating. It makes me feel clean and that my products will get absorbed better. This contains ultra-fine crystals and it leaves my cheeks so soft. I cannot explain the softness. I really cannot. 

This is Flo's stash:

FACIAL SCRUB

The facial scrub was highly recommended by Dr Tan and the specialists there! Apparently it is soft enough to be used on a daily, twice a day basis and I was so excited cause I am usually extra careful with exfoliating since it might hurt my skin if I over exfoliate. After using this for two days, my skin is so super smooth. Literally like baby skin. I keep touching my cheeks after I wipe them dry with my towel, hahaha.

PORE

This is the product that is equivalent to the CF from DRx! Likewise, it helps to reduce and soften blackheads and whiteheads and it can reduce breakouts. After using CF, I knew I couldn't live without it. Texture wise, it's slightly thicker and more gel based than CF, which I'm so glad for cuz CF is soooo watery and it's super difficult to gauge the amount to pump out!! This one is much more manageable :) I just spread a thin layer over my forehead and down my nose and inner cheeks.

CLEAR

Dr Tan kindly gave me a sample of this. The brochure said it is an S.O.S treatment that can reduce redness and inflamed blemishes!! I was so excited to try this cause I had a huge cluster of pimples that was caused due to me trying to squeeze my clogged pores/bumps... Sigh, don't ever do that to your skin ok? I learnt my lesson :( I just apply a thin layer of this overnight (cause it is quite dark in colour), leave it to dry before applying a spot treatment on top of the pimples.

SPOT

I was excited to try this too! It is the pimple cream of IDS and the brochure claims that it can shrink pimples overnight??? GIVE ME ANYTHING THAT WILL FLATTEN PIMPLES OVERNIGHT! I had around 5 huge pimples on Monday, and now on Saturday, I only have one stubborn one left :) Plus it has BB-cream like base that makes me feel so much better when I look into the mirror at home cause my pimples will not look so red and obvious :)

----------------------------------------------------------------

So far, we've only had the products for close to a week. No significant difference yet but Flo's stubborn clogged pores/bumps on the left side of forehead are pretty much gone. So we are gonna give it a try for a few more weeks :) 

We'll be back for another consultation with Dr Tan at the end of the month and we hope we'll be able to update some good news here then! Will definitely keep this space updated with any progress.

xx,

Flo & Pea ♡♡

Swatch: Benefit Lollitint

Popping in for a quickie! 

I have waited and waited for forever and Lollitint finally launched in Ion Sephora yesterday! I ran down to grab it and I swatched it so you guys can see the color!

It's a pretty orchid color and as known, it's a stain. It stains like nobody's business. 

I use a stippling brush to blend but on my lazy days, my fingers does the job fine. 

It's a hugeass bottle which means I'm not gonna finish it but I fell heads over heels with the packaging! 

Idk how to repurchase if I don't finish it haha but I really love the lilac color! It's absolutely buildable and if the formula is the same as the other Benefit tints, it will last for hours on your cheeks! 

Love,

Pea

Pea's February Favourites '14

  HI GUYSZX! its the end of the month again. How ridiculously fast did this month went by? Anyway, here is my favourites for this month!

TA-DAAAAH. (yes, i do note that my babylips was in my jan favourites but i dont think i can live without it.)

So first off, Lioele Dollish Veil Vita BB

I talked about this a couple of posts back and I have since chucked all my other foundations/BB/CC aside. I have been raving about this to anyone who will hear me speak haha. This provides just right coverage, evens out my skin tone and stays on well. What more can a girl ask for?

Next up is the Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow

Contouring and Highlighting is one of my absolutely favourite when I am doing my makeup. But because I am fair and cool-toned, I often end up looking weird with brown-orange bronzers. They end up being too brown and too dark and just too much. So when I found out about Illamasqua cream pigment in this ashy brown shade, I know I needed it. I have been using it for almost 3 weeks and there's barely a dent. It blends seamlessly and creates just the right amount of shadow. Another plus would be that I hate using brushes for contouring. I just can't grasp the right way and I love how this cream allows me to use my (clean) fingers to smudge and blend out. 

Another face product that I luvvv is the Maybelline Master Glaze Blushstick

I have this in three shades (Just-pinched Pink, Pink Fever and Make a Mauve). I bought these back from the States and have been loving them on my lazy days (which are pretty much everyday). They are so soft and smooth and blends like a peach. It's surface area is neither too wide nor too small and I dot it along my cheeks in a diagonal line and blend it out. All three are buildable and highly-pigmented so a little goes a looooong way. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer (Fair Clair)
That is one long mouthful. Again, this product haven't made its way to Singapore and I am constantly sad that our drugstores are so limited. But going back, this concealer is one of the best undereye concealer I have ever used. It beats my Benefit Erase Paste and Bobbi Brown creamy concealer HANDSDOWN. It is not too thick that it will end up sticky and neither is it too dry that it will settle into fine lines. It stays and brightens and I am going back to pick up a few more of these and the brightener as well.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine (No. 54 Boy & No. 56 Chance)
Sheer and shiny. I have no other words to describe my love for these two. They are moisturizing and give you this hint of color. 54 Boy is a nude-brick shade that is totally a MLBB and 56 Chance is a baby pink that makes me look younger like a baby. HAHA But the formula is great and it allows me to glide it on smoothly and build it up if I want to. However, it does seemed to show on chappy lips so make sure you exfoliate first!

ok oh wow, this is so long once again. Hope February was awesome for everyone!

Love, Pea

Flo's February 2014 Favourites

Hi!!!! How is it March already??? Was telling Pea that we need to post our Feb favourites and we both were like.. How come it's so fast? Didn't we just post our Jan favourites?

Anyway, didn't try many new stuff last month cause I've been hooked to a lot of old favourites. Here they are!

1. Skin 79 BB Cream in Orange + Hot Pink

So I went back to using my favourite BB cream cause... (I was lazy to put on sunblock) and since the orange one has SPF 50, PA+++, I could totally skip my sunblock! In the end, I fell in love with it again because it's so super moisturising, and the coverage is damn good. However, I kinda ran out of the Orange one and opened the Hot Pink one. 

The Hot Pink Skin 79 BB Cream was my favourite when I was in Poly, I managed to finish at least 2 bottles of it! But after I finished the last bottle, I bought the Orange one since it has higher SPF and it was new then. I've always thought they are exactly the same, but turns out the colours are totally different. The Hot Pink leans more towards grey (but it will adjust to your natural colour after a while), and the Orange one is well.. more yellow. The Orange is also not as dewy as the Hot Pink one!

Now if I were to repurchase, I'd definitely repurchase the Orange one! I feel like as a whole, it suits my complexion better. But I really enjoy using both this month cause they are really easy to use, I can skip my concealer and head straight to powder. Because BB cream is more moisturising, I get oily faster, but nothing an oil blotter sheet can't save :D

2. The Balm blush in Downboy

I've been very into super pink cheeks lately, and I can't find any better blush to work with than The Balm Downboy! I love the colour, it's not extra shimmery or glitter, it is pretty matte yet not flat. I apply a very, very generous amount of this on my cheeks and I won't even look crazy! I really love how flattering this colour on me :) Plus, the pigmentation is crazy good. The swatch on top ^ was only one swirl + swipe...... The price of the blush is extremely affordable too.

3. Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara

This is my Holy Grail mascara! I love love love UD Cannonball. I decided to pick it up again cause I was bored of using the same mascaras everyday (Heroine Make, Benefit They're Real!) The brush size is prefect, not notoriously big, so it can reach and coat the lashes at the corners of my eyes. The formula is perfect! Very lengthening, volumizing and it. is. so. waterproof. It stays the whole day and my lashes stay curled even at the end of the day! I'm a huge mascara junkie, I've tried almost every mascara possible? From high end to drugstore and I bought this a few years back, up till today it stays as my very top HG mascara :) Go splurge on this, it's definitely worth your every dollar!!!

4. Maybelline Long Extreme Stiletto Mascara

This is another favourite of mine. It might be my favourite mascara from Maybelline as of now. My very favourite is the Sky High Lashes that has been discontinued, I'm still mourning for it every time I talk about mascaras. Anyway, I was just checking out my drawer and found an unopened tube, so I tried it on and I'm still very impressed! The brush is a little bigger so it might be difficult to coat the lashes crimped at the corner of my eyes, but the formula is great! I think this leans more towards lengthening than volumizing, but it's still a really good mascara. It is waterproof as well and my curl stayed till the end of the day :) 

5. Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Lemonade

This has been my go-to lip colour for the last half of February! It stays in my bag and I just use it everyday. I love the nude baby pink colour!!! It doesn't wash me out and trust me, because I am quite fair, a lot of baby pink lipsticks make me look super pale and sickly which is yucks. But this one is the perfect baby pink colour on me. I love itttt. And of course, there isn't a need to talk about the formula of the Lip Butters right? Haha. It doesn't dry my lips out at all. Well, I own 10 Lip Butters, you know why... :D

6. NYX Butter Gloss

Another lip product... Sometimes Idk why I need to own multiples of every single lip product that I own.. -_- But this is definitely worth it! It is so affordable, and the product is literally mind-blowing. How can lipgloss be so pigmented??? Usually glosses are put on top of lipsticks but these babies don't even need anything below them! Check out the swatches ^ However, it can also be sheered out easily if you don't want it to look so pigmented. The smell of the Butter Gloss is also very addictive, sometimes I just open it up to smell it HAHAHA. It smells like Vanilla :) And really feels like butter on my lips. Of course, just like any other thick glosses, your hair will stick onto it, but it's no biggie for me cause I really love the formula of the Butter Gloss :) Try it if you haven't!!

Okay, that's all for my Feb Favs! Let me know if you've tried any of these products and if you enjoy or don't enjoy them as much as I did :p

xx,

Flo♡