Review: Dior Nude Air Serum

Product

The highly-raved Dior Nude Air Serum.
According to the Sephora's website, this product is claimed to be weightless and filled with skin-happy stuff. I was nearly on the verge of getting the Armani Maestro, which is also a liquid pigment foundation but the price of it was just too much. And then this came by. 
This has SPF 25 and it has 1oz of product. However, I must say the fragrance is very overpowering as is the smell of alcohol.

Packaging

The bottle comes with a dropper which I think is highly useful, considering how liquid-y this product is. It is VERY runny. Its in glass bottle so thats really classy and nice, as is most of Dior's products.

Swatches

My shade is in Light Beige 020 and its the second fairest shade. Sephora carries a total of 8 shades which I think is a good range. Light Beige has a slightly pinker undertone compared to the next fairest shade (Ivory). 

Application
I use my fingers to dot the product over my face and buffed it out with Real Techniques buffing brush. I tried using my fingers, but it felt as though the products were just being smeared around. The buffing gave me this really flawless look and I swear I saw my skin transform infront of me. It sets to a very satin finish which results in this really nice glow.

Verdict

A little goes a long way. A very very long way. The liquid pigments ensured that there is coverage and at the same time, completely weightless. Can I add that this product does not contain talc? I love.
But I must say it emphasizes dry areas alot. For some odd reason my nose is peeling, and this just emphasizes the dry flaky areas. However, all in all, this is my HG for now.

This was my make up freshly applied. I don't have a picture closeup but when I checked, I'd like the setting after half an hour. I think it made everything even more natural.

And this is around 7 hours later. I can still see my blush, highlight and contour quite well! It stayed amazing. I really really enjoyed this foundation. It kept me generally oil free as well and strong fragrance didn't bother me, just fyi. All in all, I'm highly impressed with this foundation. 

Quick Summary

The Awesome:

• SPF 25
• Filled with Oxygen Activ™ technology
• Weightless (just like it claims)
• A little goes a long way
• Long-lasting power

The Average

• Strong/overpowering fragrance 
• Cling onto dry spots
• High-end price ($USD53 / $SGD88)

Review: L'oreal Infallible Pro-matte foundation

Hi guys! Sorry for the long hiatus!
I am back for a review of the L'oreal Infallible Pro-matte foundation and powder. When this product hit the youtube world, I had such a hard time looking for it. I was literally walking from Walgreens to CVS-es in the freezing cold [blizzard in Boston right now] to find it.

[P/S: im really into shooting flat lays these days. heh]

Product
So I present to you this highly-raved foundation and powder. I really like L'oreal foundations so I was expecting quite abit especially after hearing so many good reviews!

Packaging
How awesome is this packaging. I love that the foundation comes in a tube which means you can get all the product out and also, control how much product you want. Plus points for staying hygenic!

The powder opens up two ways - top and bottom. The top is simply the compact powder while the bottom keeps a sponge and a mirror. I really like this because 1. I dont use the sponge and 2. It's cleaner even if you use the sponge. I hate it when there isnt any separator for the sponge and the product!

Plus both products allow you to see the color you're getting so that's awesome.

Swatches

102 Shell Beige. The product comes out clean and nice without being too runny or liquidy. It blends easily as well and the shade has a pink undertone. [Apparently this shade and 101 is quite popular cause I managed to grab the very last one!]

200 Natural Beige. Ok side story, I was quite hesitant to grab this shade at first cause it looked scarily orange in the case. Shade 100 was OOS and I didn't dare go for 300. So I really just took a risk and bought it. And it works fine! I swatched it twice on the same spot and my wrist area is really fair and pink like my face so it seemed to go pretty well with my color! [you wouldnt have spotted it if I didnt circle the spot right] I think shade 100 is pink undertone while 200 [which looks mighty scary orangey in the case] is more of a yellow undertone. Since the foundation I got was pink UT, I thought the powder with a yellow UT was great since it will cancel out redness in my face

Application
I applied half of my face with a brush and half with my fingers. It blends really well but really quick. I actually prefer the side I blend with my fingers. Maybe the heat from my finger tips allow it to blend easier.

Verdict
This is how flawless my face looks with ONE layer only. I love how it cancels out, well, almost everything. I dust a super thin layer of powder over. BUT it does cling and emphasize dry spots so I would advise on exfoliating and moisturising. I misted my face after and it did helped a little.

I did my make up at 2pm and went out and came home at around 8pm. Its really cold and dry here so I wasn't anywhere humid or hot. It lasted really well and when I got home, my blush and contour was still intact. I love the look of it and how it set.

Quick Summary

The Awesome:

• Both price for USD$13.99 at my local CVS 
• Foundation lasted really well and looked really good. 

The Average

• Cling onto dry spots

ok, Im gonna end here! 

Love,

Pea

Review and Swatches: NARS Sheer Glow VS Sheer Matte Foundation

Hi everyone!

I finally caved in and bought the NARS foundations that have been super raved by almost everyone in youtube. I actually wanted to get NARS Sheer Glow (SG) because I've heard more reviews about that as opposed to the NARS Sheer Matte (SM) even though ironically I should be getting the matte version since I have pretty oily skin.

Here's a Get Ready With Me using the NARS Sheer Glow foundation:

Anyway a long back story...

Since a few month ago I've been reading up and trying on the foundation every time I chance upon any NARS counters, the SA actually suggested and matched me to either Light 4 Deauville or Light 3 Gobi. I leaned more on to Deauville because I thought Gobi looks light and I don't want to have a white face! So I thought Deauville would be a good match. I also went online and read up on people with MAC NC20 colour because... I thought I am NC20 hahaha (I recently found out I am actually generally MAC NC15-NC20 and C1 for Face and Body). Anyway I decided upon Deauville and I bought it.

Went home and tried it on the next day. It was pretty disastrous because..... IT WAS TOTALLY OFF. I felt dull, grey-ish, orange-ish, basically anything but my skin colour -_- I was pretty depressed for a few days because NARS products are. not. cheap!!!!!!!! They are actually pretty expensive and Idk what to do if I have to purchase another colour at $72 and then leave my Deauville in the cupboard. I really wanted Deauville to work for me, and I tried it on again the very next day. I wanted to die because I still felt dull and that's not how foundations are supposed to work, at least in my opinion :(

Long story short, I managed to sell off the Deauville and in the meantime I purchased the SM in Gobi and shortly after that the SG in Gobi. I think it was kinda fate because my sister found some vouchers and Robinsons had their last bottle of Gobi cause Sephora was totally out of stock. Hahaha. Happy me!

Presenting to you....

NARS Sheer Glow and NARS Sheer Matte, both in Light 3 Gobi

Product

I'm not an avid NARS fan, not familiar with their products and I've only tried the lip glosses which I love. So I wasn't quite sure what my expectations should be but because of the price tag and all the raves surrounding it, I expected it to be good.

Sheer Glow

The SG is very runny and not sheer at all. I would say it is of a medium-full coverage depending on how much you put and how you apply it. Very easy to blend into skin, although it will emphasize dry patches, after a while it's no longer obvious. Finish is super natural and not flat, which I love, doesn't feel thick at all no matter how much you put.

Sheer Matte

Surprisingly, SM is very very light. It is more of a gel-water texture, very difficult to come out of the bottle and I had a super hard time trying to get it out!! It is more of a light-medium coverage, when you put more it gets a little cakey, eeks. However, it feels light on the skin. The finish is also surprisingly not matte at all! I don't really like extra matte foundations because I have some dry patches and matte finish tend to make my skin look worse than it is.

Packaging

I love how NARS packaging looks -  very sleek, simple and professional. But I HATE how it functions. The cap is super super super dust and dirt attracting, super difficult to clean as well. It's also kinda ridiculous how we have to buy a separate pump at S$10 each, when the product is already pretty pricey!

The SG and SM looks exactly the same of course except for the fact that the SM has a matte finish glass bottle and SG just regular glass bottle. I strongly suggest pump for the SM because I'm having a hard time trying to shake it out of the bottle. The SG is easy to pour out onto the back of my palms, but I'm really considering getting pumps for these two because I have no time to waste products or get bacteria in it. Hahaha.

Swatches

You can see that the SM is of a thicker texture and the SG is thinner. I had an easier time blending SG than SM. My hand was a little bit red cuz I was cold but the colour is pretty damn awesome for my face. I'm so glad after such a big turn I managed to get Deauville off and find not 1 but 2 Gobis! Yay.

Application

In my opinion, both SG and SM feel and look the best applied with my fingers.

Sheer Glow

The first time I applied SG on my face, I used the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and it left my face looking streaky and patchy. Tried to salvage the situation with my Beauty Blender but to no avail. I was so pissed off cuz 1. Colour was already off and then 2. SO STREAKY??? Second time I applied, I used the Beauty Blender and it still didn't give me the finish and coverage that I wanted and expected out of this foundation. Was quite depressed. Third time I used my fingers and it was okay but ... Still dull -_-

But with Gobi, and using my fingers to blend out the SG, it looked super good. The coverage was good enough for me and I pat a second layer on my pimples... Haha. Good enough concealing for me! Dry patches were still there because I am on my period so pimples and then the aftermath which is dry skin was on my nerves. However after the foundation sets, my dry patches were no longer visible and the finish looks awesome.

Sheer Matte

As I've mentioned, the SM is slightly of a thicker consistency but when blended out it becomes lighter coverage than SG. Weird, I know. I've been using my fingers the moment I got this and never tried it with anything else because with fingers, the coverage is already so minimal, I can't imagine what it'll be with Beauty Blender or a brush. Anyway, SM, to me, is not matte. It doesn't cling onto my dry patches as obviously as SG does, weird again I know. Haha.

I wasn't impressed with this at all cause I like to have at least medium coverage, if not I don't see a point in putting on foundation. I have half a face of SG and half a face of SM. Both are oily after a few hours and I didn't powder both. Although I have to say that the side with SM is significantly less oily that the side with SG. So I would say it's pretty oil-controlling considering the fact that my skin is really oily hahaha.

Verdict

Overall, I prefer SG to SM. Although I feel that there isn't a significant difference except for the different feeling during application (which SG won me over cuz it has higher coverage than SM) and also the fact that SM is more oil-controlling than SG (I can always blot right.. HAHA). After a while both looks great on my face and my skin looks flawless even though my skin is not even near good. As you can see my unevenness, red patches, pimples, pores, dry patches.. I can go on forever lol.

And this time round it really proves that colour match is soooo important. When I had the SG in Deauville I was complaining and cursing everyday as to what a waste of money this is and the raves are all fake. But after getting my actual matching colour, I can see why SG is such a holy grail in many people's books. I love it, I love the finish of it and I love how good it looks in photos. However, do note that after a prolonged few hours of wear it somehow doesn't look as good anymore? I'd definitely suggest this as a special events kinda foundation. Definitely not a long-wearing everyday foundation, especially in Singapore, where we are either under the hot sun with super high humidity or in an air-conditioned confined space.

If you are choosing between SG and SM, I'd highly recommend SG because it is something different as compared to other foundations that I've tried and the immediate finish is beautimoussss~!

Quick Summary

Sheer Glow

The Great:

• Very natural finish
• Great medium-high coverage
• Easy to blend
• Feels light on skin
• Many shades to choose from

The Not-So-Great:

• Not very long-wearing, at most 6 hours on me
• Expensive
• Pump is an additional purchase
• No SPF

Sheer Matte

The Great:

• Pretty good oil control
• Easy to blend
• Natural finish and not too matte
• Many shades to choose from

The Not-So-Great:

• Light coverage
• Expensive
• Pump is an additional purchase
• No SPF

NARS Sheer Glow and Sheer Matte Foundations can be found in Robinsons at The Heeren, Orchard Tangs and Sephora ION. It contains 1 FL Oz/30 ml worth of products and is priced at S$72 each, pump comes separately at S$10 each. 

Do you like the SG or the SM? Let us know!

Love,

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

Review: Bobbi Brown NEW Skin Foundation Stick

Hi loves! I have been on a foundation spree lately. So recently I saw this recommendation by Gossmakeupartist on YouTube and knew I needed to try it. I trust his tips and recommendations implicitly.

So I went ahead and got the lady to match me. She wanted to pair me with No. 1 Warm Ivory but I don't think it will match my neck so I asked for the next shade down - No. 2 Sand. ( there's two more shades fairer than no. 1 - Alabaster and Porcelain but it's just really white-looking) 

Packaging 

[I apologize for the over-exposed picture. Too much sunlight going on] 

The reformulated foundation kept their original packaging and I am always hesitant about products that are packaged like this. I think it's not the most hygienic thing in the world but of course I make sure I only apply makeup on a clean face. But I guess swiping a clean brush across the stick to get the product will work just as well if you don't want to constantly use the product surface on your face repeatedly if you are using it for touch-ups. 

Application/Swatches

So what I do is to swipe the stick across my face on areas which I want coverage - so mainly my permanent red cheeks and my nose area. Basically a warrior paint style going on. I have not tried using my fingers to blend cause it feels sticky and I don't want to drag my skin. So I use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to buff it in and it blends smoothly and evenly. I can honestly say I LUVVV the finish it gave. It's named Skin Foundation for a reason. It gave me this skin-like finish and sets on very nicely. Its not fully matte and not fully dewy. Just this really nice 3D look to it. I love that it also does not feel heavy and coverage is buildable without caking. 

Comparison

If I were to compare this to the Laneige BB cream, the latter would be too dewy. If I were to compare this to the Benefit Big Easy BB, the latter would be more matte in terms of setting. I honestly cannot choose and I think it depends on the coverage your skin needs for the day or event. I think this is very decent for a work day so I am talking about 10-hour wear. Bobbi Brown's foundations tend to be yellow-based and this is no different. I have pink undertoned so the yellow neutralizes the pink relatively well and prevent me from looking like a red ball of tomato-ness. I would pick the Big Easy to last me on a really long work day but I would pick this for its beautiful finish if I'm going shopping and gonna be taking selfies haha

Verdict

I love it. I can see myself reaching for this on a daily basis. I have alot of foundations that I don't touch on a daily basis because they just feel very heavy for me. It photographs beautifully and I love it. I cannot say it enough.

UPDATE: 5:16PM

I put on the foundation at 8am today and it has been about 9 hours. The sun today is just bloody murder and I headed out of the office for lunch for about an hour. It did not dry out in the air-conditioned room and neither did it melt in the sun. However, I can feel myself getting oily just about now and I think it held up pretty well. I only set it with Tarte loose powder today and I think if I had set it more, or did touch-ups, it would last even longer. I just blotted once and I have about 5 more hours today before my day end. I have an impending pimple near my chin and it was covered when I left. However, the redness is starting to peek through as well. 

UPDATE: 9:51PM

I'm omw home now! The foundation lasted well. I mean, it was more than 12 hours of wear and I have combi-oily skin. It has definitely faded around my impending zit and my nose area. My face is definitely getting oily. 

Quick Summary

The Awesome:

• Good coverage
• Lightweight finish
• Slim and light [good for carrying around and touching ups.]
• Don't need much for coverage; therefore, that tube will last for quite awhile
• 24 shades to pick from

The Average:

• High-end pricing
• Not suitable for people with oily skin

Bobbi Brown NEW Skin Foundation Stick is available at Takashimaya Bobbi Brown Counters for $68/-.

Do you have the old skin foundation stick and have you tried the new formulated one? 

See you all soon!

Love,

Pea