Pea's June Favourites 2014

Hi loves! Sorry I wasn't around for May favourites cause I was overseas and wasn't able to do it properly. But Flo's favourites were up and you can read them here

Anyway, I am back for the month of June faves so read on! I don't have a lot this past month. I have just been grabbing the same few things recently.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primers

I have own these primers since Dec'13 and a little of these do go a long way. I bought the green one because I have very thin skin and my capillaries show and I flush really easily so my face is red all the time. The other one is the colour correcting primer and I love these two.

Recently, I was very inspired by the swirly Stila primer that mixes all the colour of the primers together so I thought I'd tried mine that way too. Normally I would just apply the green on my cheeks and the other one on my t-zone. But this was has been amazingy time saving and I feel it still works the same way. Its silicon-based so it feels amazing after applying it on your skin, kinda like the Benefit Porefessional but a little less thin.

Topshop Blush [Good Girl]

So I had been on the lookout for a baby pink blue undertone blush forever and I knew I had to have this. I made Flo buy it too hahaha This gives a very baby-doll flush and looks very cute and natural. I use a small stippling brush to get a very light-hand since I am always red anyway.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer [15 Fair Clair]

I actually bought this on a whim because I was at the drugstore and wanted to buy something but I didnt know what exactly. I saw that there were only a couple of this concealer in my shade so I grabbed it. And I love it. I chucked aside my NYX HD concealer for this because I feel that this is more suitable for my shade and at the same time, the pink undertones brightened up my area. Its very thin but the coverage is awesomesauce. It does not crease or settles into my fine lines so I luvvv it. 

This was also one of my impulse buy and I don't think its available in Singapore yet but I love it. I use it DAILY because it gives me the most beautiful lashes and holds my curls the whole day. I have a review on it so you can read it here !

Bene Balm // NYX Butter Gloss [Cherry Pie]

So I have been layering these two colours for the prettiest pinkish red.

I AM AWARE IT SAYS BENETINT. SORRY its suppose to be Bene Balm!!

anyw, the Bene Balm gives my lips a slight tint of colour and moisturise it while I pop the NYX butter gloss in the middle of my lips. It creates the all-time craze now - Korean gradient lips. Both gives off a light sheen but they do not last. These are not long-lasting lipsticks so do expect the need to reapply after eating! However, they are really natural and I love the look. 

Ok, I am signing off here! See you guys soon!

Love,

Pea

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!

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

Review: Benefit Love Potions

[Products are not sponsored and all reviews are honest opinions!]

Around two weeks ago, I bought the Benefit Love Potions from Sephora! It was so worth it, 10 sample sized products retailing for S$58! The packaging was extra cute and I couldn't resist~ 

The set contains:

- 0.25 oz "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer
- 0.25 oz The POREfessional
- 0.1 oz It's Potent Eye Cream
- 0.08 oz High Beam in Luminescent
- 0.08 oz Watt's Up
- 0.08 oz Posietint in Poppy Pink
- 0.08 oz Stay Don't Stray in Light/Medium
- 0.14 oz BADgal Lash Mascara
- 0.1 oz Hoola Bronzing Powder
- 0.22 oz Ultra Plush 
- Hoola Lip Gloss 

(Taken from Sephora website)

What attracted me most were: High Beam in Luminescent, Posietint in Poppy Pink, BADgal Lash Mascara and Hoola Bronzing Powder. 

I've really been trying to control myself by not getting the full size of these products cause: 1) they are pretty expensive, 2) I wasn't 100% sure if I would enjoy them or 3) able to finish using the whole bottle. There are way too many unused products sitting in my make-up cabinet that I feel super bad about cause I could've bought something else with the same amount of money! #brokegirlproblems

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So let's start off with my little review! :)

PRIMERS:

1. "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer (2/5)

(Credits: Benefit)

This is a new product for me. I've never seen/heard reviews about this product before! So I gave it a try for a few days~ I just use it all over my cheeks and brow bone area, since it's really quite brightening as the name suggests. Hahaha. And I don't want to have a pink hue all over my face. 

My verdict is that, it doesn't give me anything extra that made me go wow? Maybe cause I'm not looking for any brightening factor for my face since my concerns are mostly surrounding my hyperpigmentation/blemishes/oiliness. But if you are looking for brightening primers more than mattifying, you can give this a try :)

2. The POREfessional: (4.5/5)

(Credits: Benefit)

This is not a new product for me cause I have another tube at home, but I can safely say this is my favourite primer! It works really well to cover up my pores for a smooth base before foundation. Whenever I need an extra guarantee for my makeup to look extra flawless, I'll reach for this.

I use it two ways: 
1) Place a few dots around my T-zone area, inner cheeks and chin. Smooth them out and let it set before putting foundation. 
2) I mix a 1:1 ratio of POREfessional:Foundation of choice, mix well and apply it all over my face. 

It also helps my make up to stay longer than they do alone! :)

3. It's Potent Eye Cream: (3/5)

I've been using this on and off for the past week. My area of troubles do not really include my eyes, I don't have a problem with eye bags or super dark eye circles (yay for small eyes!), so I am really lazy when it comes to eye creams. 

However, I like the consistency of this eye cream. It's moisturising yet not too thick/creamy, it is lightweight and I feel like it gives the moisture that my under eye needs :) The packaging though is super cute!! And this portable size is perfect for me to bring for travelling~

I like it but not enough for me to purchase a full sized product cause I feel like I can do without it in my skincare routine!

HIGHLIGHTERS:

4. High Beam in Luminescent: (5/5)

This has been on the top of my shopping list for months. When I saw Jen/frmheadtotoe (my favourite beauty blogger/guru, ever) raving about it, I really really really had the urge to run out to Sephora to get this! So imagine how glad I was to be able to try it out without committing to a full sized bottle :D

It definitely did not disappoint me! I love the slight glow it gives my face. Some people like their faces matte, but I really love a good dewy glow cause it makes me look more alive, like my cheeks are bouncy, and my face not flat~ Haha. I just dot a few dots on the high points of my cheeks and blend it out using my fingers. I will skip putting any powder over this as it dries completely without any tackiness/wetness. 

If you're scared of looking like a disco ball, don't worry, the glow is subtle, yet it delivers the highlight effect that I was looking for. Perfect!

I'm in love with this, will definitely get the full sized product!

5. Watt's Up: (5/5)

I really enjoyed this product! It came as a surprise cause I initially really didn't know the purpose of this stick.. Hahaha. But I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on. As opposed to High Beam's pinky glow, this was more of golden/healthy highlight colour, and I can see how awesome it will look on people with yellow undertone or a tanner skin colour. 

It looks great even on my skin :D I look very sun-kissed, and it is definitely something different in a good way. I am super enjoying this product! Even more than I imagined :)

TINTS/EYE PRIMER:

6. Stay Don't Stray in Light/Medium: (2/5)

As I've said before, I have my Holy Grail UD Original Primer Potion and I've been using that since I started using make up regularly 4 years back. I've never tried any other primers, even though I have the NYX Primer, the Too Faced Shadow Insurance and now, the Benefit Stay Don't Stray in Light/Medium.

This primer came out super thick!! It felt like a concealer consistency, and it evens out my eyelid colour. It acted as a good, clean base for my shadows to go on smoothly. However, because my eyelids are extremely oily, my shadows still creased by the end of the day :( 

7. Posietint in Poppy Pink: (4.5/5)

(Credits: Benefit)

This was another product that has been in my shopping list! I've heard about the original Benetint for years but somehow the red didn't really make me wanna buy it. But, the Posietint is definitely up my alley! I'm a sucker for anything (like I mean anything) pink, so I really wanted to try it out. 

As a lip tint, it's a little on the drying side. So it's not really my favourite product to put on the lips, cause I'm anal about my lips drying with every breath that I take hahaha. However, it is perfect to be used to create a gradient lip effect before sealing it with a lip balm!

As a cheek tint, I LOVE LOVE THIS COLOUR! It gives the perfect rosy hue on my cheeks and same as the High Beam, it dries completely without any tackiness/wetness. It's like as if I was blushing naturally :) The same way I use the High Beam, I dot it around my cheeks before blending out with my fingers. Fuss-free and no brushes needed (yay). However, it dries really fast so you gotta be quick with the blending.

Another plus point is that.. The posietint stays like no other. It has a super good staying power! I was under the hot sun for almost 4 hours today and it didn't budge.. AT ALL. So I guess you gotta make sure you're applying your blush at the right places or it'll be quite a tough one to remove. 

!!! Amazing right? I was really shocked at how good the staying power was! I had two pink stripes on my hand with me throughout the day and they disappeared slowly.. Haha.

8. BADgal Lash Mascara: (3.5/5)

(Credits: Benefit)

I love mascaras! And I was attracted to this one cause of the brush. My lashes are not short, but they are pretty sparse, so I need volume more than length. Thus I tend to look for thick brushes as opposed to plastic ones like the one in They're Real Mascara (which I've learnt to LOVE, more on that another post ^^) 

(In case you're wondering, yes, my bottom lashes defied gravity and grew upwards)

This one didn't disappoint me though, it really volumise my lashes, however the brush is really a bummer cause it is so difficult to work with, especially for my inner and outer lashes :( So if I really had to choose, I'd skip this and stick to my Japanese mascaras.. Since I guess the brushes are made smaller and friendlier for asian eyes like mine hahaha.

9. Ultra Plush Hoola Lip Gloss: (3.5/5)

I really like this lip gloss. The texture is just nice, not too sticky yet it gives enough shine for that glossy look :) I was quite intimidated when I saw the colour at first, however when blended out it looks really nice, definitely a go-to nude lip gloss. The smell is super good too! I love sweet smelling glosses~ 

10. Hoola Bronzing Powder: (4.5/5)

I am a huge fan of Benefit's Boxed Powders. And I've been looking for a perfect matte bronzer for my skin tone to contour my nose and jawline! I've heard good reviews about the Hoola Bronzer and boy it did not disappoint. 

I've tried many kinds of bronzers, they are either: too dark, too red, too orange, too shimmery, or whatever it was but it just won't match my skin tone! And they look horrible no matter how much time I spend blending them down my jawlines :( It will still look a super stark brown as compared to my skin, and it really looks bad especially when I tie my hair up and my sister went: "Why is your jawline black :O"

But with Hoola, I can really blend it down to the colour that I want~~

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Overall, this is definitely a super good buy! Each product will work out to be about $5.80, and when actual prices ranges from around $45 onwards, I'd say $5.80 is a pretty good price to pay to try out the products :) Furthermore, the packaging are to-die-for and they are also great for Christmas presents!!!!

So, are you planning to get the Love Potions? Let us know! 

xx,
Flo♡

Flo's All Time Favourites

[Products are not sponsored and all reviews are honest opinions!]

Hi everyone! This is just a brief list of my all time favourites :)

I don't really use ALL products everyday, but if I needed to, these will definitely be my go-to products. All of these products can be easily found in Singapore - Watsons, Guardian, Sephora, Smoochieez and other retailers.

My skin type: Oily/Combination, prone to blemishes and acne.
My skin concerns: Hyper pigmentation scars, clogged pores.

BASE:

Primer - Biore UV Perfect Face Milk SPF 50+/PA+++

This is my everyday staple! I need my sunscreen or I'll feel uneasy the whole day. My face gets really oily throughout the day and in Singapore, the weather doesn't help to control oil and sweat AT ALL. So this comes in handy as a base :) It is super light, doesn't feel tacky at all, doesn't leave a white cast in pictures and is super affordable!

Foundation - Skin 79 Super BB Triple Functions SPF 50+/PA+++ 

This BB cream has very, very good coverage. I also love how the colour will settle in and adjusts itself to my skin tone, leaving a dewy finish. However it's a little on the steep side for "drugstore" make up, so I usually get it from Korea or Gmarket! It lasts pretty long though, considering that I use it everyday :)

//Recently, I bought the Sunkiller BB Perfect Strong SPF 50+/PA+++ and it has the perfect sheer-medium coverage for everyday use and can be layered on when I want extra coverage! More in-depth review here.

Concealer - Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer in 01

I love this concealer!!!! It is a little yellow/dark for me if I use it directly on bare skin, but it matches perfectly when I have foundation on! It is affordable and has a good coverage. Heavy enough for my hyper pigmentation scars, yet I don't feel like it's suffocating my spots when I have them! I tend to like liquid concealer better than cream ones, so this is perfect for me.

Powder - Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder

I used to set my face with the ZA two-way cake but I figured it was way too thick for my liking. So I switched to this one and found it pretty suitable cause it is translucent and it is very fine. I only use this to set my inner cheeks, nose and forehead to keep as much oil away as possible :D

Blusher - Benefit Hervana Face Powder

My go-to blusher that I always keep with me! I love the magical combination of pink+purple+peach, the subtle highlighter and the smell. THE SMELL OF BENEFIT'S BOXED POWDERS ARE HEAVENLY. I've already hit pan on this one :'( If I can't find a better one, I'll most probably repurchase this!

EYES:

Primer - Urban Decay Original Primer Potion

This is another product I cannot live without. My face is a huge oil producer and my lids are not an exception. Without this primer, I will go around with smudged eyeshadow and eyeliner (what's the point of smudged make up, really). I use this even when I line a thin line on my eyelid for school/errands - THIS IS HOW RELIANT I AM ON IT. Never tried other primers and most probably won't!

Eyeshadow - Naked Palette

This was my first eyeshadow palette, and it's still my favourite :) That says a lot right? Haha. All the colours, and yes I mean every single one, can be used on a daily basis and are super versatile! The pigmentation is awesome, just a little dab and I can get very saturated colour on my lids. My fav colours - Sin, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Toasted, and Gunmetal. I might as well name every colour in the palette hahaha.

Eyeliner - Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Black

Hands down my favourite. I love the brush, I love the consistency, I love how black it is, I love how it doesn't flake off, I love the packaging. This is my most repurchased item, I have 6 of them now. 4 empties, 1 currently using and 1 brand new \m/

Mascara - Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara + Heroine Make Volume & Curl Mascara

The combination of these 2 mascaras is the bomb. I will put a layer of the Long & Curl and then a layer of Volume & Curl afterwards. Super waterproof, holds my curl, gives extra length and volume. My favourite combination, ever!!!!!!!!!

Eyebrow - NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder

I prefer eyebrow powder over pencil on a day-to-day basis. They're less-harsh and way easier to use! This colour is perfect for my hair. I use the lighter on the first 1/3 and the darker colour to define the end of my brows :)

LIPS:

Lip balm - Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Velvet

I love all baby lips! But I have a weakness for Cherry flavour so I keep this around with me.

Lip stick - Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 001 Honey / Maybelline NeoNude Color Sensational Lipstick in NEO6 Sheer Rose

These two lip products are my two MLBB (my lips but better), the Revlon one runs a little towards the red side while the Maybelline one gives my lips a pinker hue. I love both and these happen to be the two I reach out most from my other lip products! They are very moisturising, tho needs to be reapplied quite often, but I'd rather that than lipsticks drying out my lips. And they are very subtle but gives the perfect everyday colour :)

Ok! Phew, we've finally reached the end of this post. Do let me know what are some of your all-time favourite products :) If you have any enquiries or need more info about any of the products above, don't hesitate to e-mail us at twovainpots@gmail.com!

xx,
Flo♡