Flo's July Favourites 2014

Hello!! Here are some of my favourite products for the month of July :)

1. Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

This is seriously, hands down, one of the best foundations I've tried! I love how it has a thin formula yet it covers super well. It doesn't get cakey and you can layer at specific areas for extra coverage without it looking too thick. I also love to pair it with my damp beauty blender as I feel that it gives the best coverage BUT you need to exfoliate properly before using this as it tends to settle in dry patches! This is definitely my top pick foundation for any event cause it also photographs beautifully :) 

You can read my full review here.

2. Beauty Blender

I'm not even exaggerating when I say that my life will never be the same without the beauty blender!!! I don't know what else can blend ANY of my foundations out like a dream and in such a short amount of time. I don't need to go back and forth blending and swirling my brush in circular motions. All I need is to literally dab dab dab and it blends anything out super evenly. I haven't touched or used any of my face brushes ever since I have this. I do have my days where I wanna use my brushes but I immediately regret and hope that I've used my beauty blender instead. 

You can read my full review here.

3. Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD BB

The other day I went for a Stila liner workshop with Lex at Sephora and the make-up artist was telling us about the Stila BB that Beckham likes to use. So obviously we checked it out and the texture was super smooth! We both got it cause it was on sale haha. Truthfully, I felt like this was just an impulse buy and I didn't expect it to work so well on me. I use this like a primer, and I've used a lot of primers before but never felt that any of them did anything to my foundation. This, though, helps it stay matte and it fills up my pores nicely. The only downside is really that the colour is a tad dark for me :(

4. NUXE Lip Moisutrising Stick

A new lip balm that I've been enjoying to death. I got this at an event that we were kindly invited by our friend Eileen! I love how it's moisturising yet not tacky or sticky. I am a huge fan of using vaseline on my lips before I sleep but I hate how sticky it is and it will smear all over my pillows -_- BUT this one does not leave any of that sort of nonsense and yet still moisturising enough. I love the honey smell to it! 

5. Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner

This was gifted to us after our liner workshop with Stila. I have the oiliest skin ever and of course my lids are also oily. That is why I always stay away from using anything on my lower lids cause I don't want to end up looking like a panda at the end of the day! But this has been working well for me under my lids and I'm very impressed by it. It is super smooth and easy to use as well! A little tip from the make-up artist was that this should be used on bare lids without any primer as it is meant to work the best on bare skin :)

6. Too Faced A Few Of My Favourite Things Palette

YESS!! I found it!!! I'm no stranger to Too Faced products and I've always loved them for their super nice packaging but yet very pigmented shadows and overall good quality products. This set comes with a Lip Injection Balm and a sample size of the Better Than Sex mascara which I love and I've reviewed here. The shadows in this palette are extremely pretty and super easy to work with. The bronzer and blushes are also big big love for me :) I initially wanted to do a full review, but since this is a limited edition set, it's pretty difficult to get it anywhere! So I'll just share the swatches here with you:

AREN'T THEY GORGEOUS!!! 

My favourites are: Moon On Their Wings, Buche De Noel, Tinsel, Bluff and Party Time.

That's all of my favourites in July. I've been trying out a few bunch of new products lately and I hope I can have more goodies to share with ya'll next month! Till then.

xx,

Flo ♡

Review: Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Hi everyone! I’ll be doing a little review about the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. 

If you are into make-up, I’m sure you’ve heard about this foundation. With the crazy weather in Singapore and my ultra oily skin, I’m always on the search for a long-lasting foundation that can last me the whole day (at least 12 hours). I’ve been waiting for the right moment to get this foundation after hearing so much about it on youtube and I finally got it :D

Got myself swatched and the lady swatched me the colour 1W1 Bone. 

Packaging

It comes in a matte bottle which I really appreciate. I love the combination of gold in it, but it doesn’t come with any pumps. I know it’s kinda unhygienic and intolerable to some, but to me, it’s okay as long as the product works. I usually just pour out a small amount on the back of my hands before applying it on my face. If you really want a pump, I heard some MAC pumps are suitable for this.

Swatches

The lighting in the Estee Lauder cosmetics boutique is like bright white fluorescent colour I could see all my pores and blemishes, so it should be a good colour for me. True enough, I love the colour match! Initially I was quite hesitant cause I find that it’s really quite difficult to swatch me since my colour is neither here nor there. Like, I might look like the lightest but sometimes I’m not? Yet sometimes even the lightest colour is too dark for me… -_-'' And Sephora’s lighting is totally nonsensical. 

Application

Fingers: I always use my fingers the first time for any product cause I feel that it’s the best way I can work with the foundation as the warmth of my fingers will help maximize the coverage and the wear. It looks very nice on the skin, coverage is medium-full, but I quickly noticed that it accentuates my dry patches. Once it was set, it literally didn’t budge. It dries very quickly too so it’s best to work one area at a time. Throughout the day it was pretty much okay, and lasted well till night.

Brush: I’ve been using a brush ever since then to sheer out the coverage as I felt that with fingers the coverage was a little too full for everyday wear. I use a really small amount of foundation, maybe around a 10cent coin and I dot it around the area before blending it in with the brush. Remember to work with the foundation quickly as it dries fast.

Beauty Blender: I recently purchased this and it has been a dream to work with! I make sure it is damp with water cause apparently that's the best state it will work in. I just dab a little of the product and work area by area with bouncing movement to make sure that it's well blended. I really think the dampness of the beauty blender actually helps a lot with the blending cause on its own, the foundation dries super quickly!!

However I feel that since it dries so quickly and is non-transferable, it accentuates dry patches and it might not be suitable for people with dry skin. I thought of using a heavy moisturiser before applying the foundation but it turned out even.. more cakey with the moisturiser underneath. I felt so gross the whole day. I’ve heard other people saying a heavy moisturiser works for them but it definitely did not work for my skin!

Comparison

I went out the whole day.. with a visit to the zoo (imagine the buckets of sweat), a shower (not touching my face haha), and a short afternoon nap. It was still pretty okay at the end of the day, even though I could tell that some came off with all the blotting, my face was still pretty evenly covered.

Verdict

Overall, I really like this foundation! I’d definitely be repurchasing this cause any foundation that can last in Singapore weather for a full 10 hours is really a worthy HG foundation. I also feel that the price is very justifiable and not too expensive. I’ve tried more expensive foundations that did not even do half of what this foundation did for me.

Quick Summary

The great:

• Works very well with oily-combination skin
• Doesn't oxidise throughout the day
• Doesn't give off white cast with flash photography
• Covers flawlessly with medium-full build-able coverage
• A pretty wide range of colours available
• Transfer resistant and lasts for at least 10 hours of wear

The not-so-great:

• Accentuates dry patches and dry spots
• Sets and dries way too quickly - within the first minute of applying
• Not suitable for dry skin

The Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation retails at S$56 at Sephora and Estee Lauder counters for 1 Fl.Oz worth of product.

Have you tried this foundation? Let us know how you feel!

xx,
Flo