Review and Swatches: TOPSHOP Lip Products

Hi everyone! 

I'm back with another review and swatches :)

For those who don't like to read chunks of words.. I've made a video:

This is my first experience with Topshop lip products... Got a total of 6 products:

A mixture of lipsticks and lip bullets.

L-R: Crave / Back In The Game / Wine Gum / Motel / Pillow Talk / Brighton Rock

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LIP BULLETS

 

Got two colours from the Lip Bullet range called Crave (orangey nude) and Back In The Game (blue based hot pink). Was very impressed with how they swatch on my hand, but upon application, it felt sandy and it didn't stick well to my lips. The pigmentation however, is awesome and the colours are very vibrant and nice. I'm just kinda confused as to why it doesn't adhere well to my lips :/ It's like an obvious layer of colour sitting on top of my lips.

While looking for swatches online (some colours didn't have proper testers), I stumbled upon the swatch of the colour Motel. Tried looking for the colour but to no avail. Saw this box on the way to make payment and I got it another day. This set is made up of two colours: Wine Gum (deep purple), and Motel (brown based pink). They are the smaller version, you can see the comparison on the main picture or in the video. Motel looked like a good Kylie Jenner Lip dupe and I was very interested in trying it out. Same thing, the lip bullets didn't adhere well to my lips. The worst experience I had was with Wine Gum because it came out patchy and way toooo darkkkk.

Out of the 4 colours, my favourite is Motel. I just feel like it's not as patchy as the rest, although it still feels sandy upon sticking my lips together.

Some swatches:

 

Crave / Back In The Game 

 

Motel / Wine Gum

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LIPSTICKS

Picked up two colours from the Lipstick range and I got Pillow Talk (velvet finish baby pink) and Brighton Rock (matte finish coral hot pink). I love the lipsticks! Maybe that's why they are pretty much out of colours when I was there. Glad I managed to pick up these two :) Both lipsticks are super comfortable to wear, very easy to apply, smooth and sticks well to my lips! I love how not drying the matte finish one is and it gives a lot of colour. 

I love both but if I were to pick I really love Brighton Rock. I've always loved a good hot pink statement lips cause I feel that it can brighten up my whole face. I usually tend to forget to wear lip products so when I remember to use I'd usually go loud with Reds and Hot Pinks.

Some swatches:

 

Pillow Talk / Brighton Rock

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Overall, I find these lip products worth trying out because the pigmentation is really good, especially impressed and happy with the lipsticks. The lip bullets are kind of a hit and miss. I love the colour range, love the formula and pigmentation on my hand but not on my lips :( However, I'll still continue using them because that's how much I love the pigmentation!

Furthermore, Topshop is currently having a Buy-1-Get-1 promotion for their make up range so it's definitely worth a visit and a try.

Do let us know how you feel about these products if you've ever tried them!

Topshop Make Up is available at most Topshop outlets in Singapore. Lipsticks (3.5g) and Lip Bullets (3g) are priced at S$19.90 each while the Lip Bullet set (1g each) is S$23.90.

xx,

Flo

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 and Swatches: Maybelline ColorShow Lipsticks

Hi everyone! It's been so long since I did a post here because I've been very occupied with trying to finish my last semester in school, and now that I'm done... I was enjoying myself a little bit too much, heh! I'm more free now, so expect lots of posts coming up :)

I recently went back to Jakarta, and of course, I have to drop by drugstore make up counters because the prices there are slightly cheaper! Also, they have a wider range of colours for some.. Like the Revlon Colorstay Foundation and L'oreal True Match! Will leave that for another post next time~

First up, the ColorShow Lipsticks! I think, the ColorShow range is an even more affordable range from Maybelline. Then again, Maybelline are not super cheap in Sg, thus these lippies priced at $10 each are considered super affordable.

Packaging

The packaging is very very simplistic, and very light to carry around. Otherwise, nothing exciting about the packaging. It is made of plastic, doesn't feel luxe and not durable. What to expect though? Lower cost = lower selling price! Hahaha. 

Product

I love Maybelline lipsticks, especially the Color Sensational and So Nude range. I mostly got this because it was very cheap. I got them in four colours: 403 Plum Perfection, 107 Pink Paradise, 305 Nude Mocha, 301 True Toffee.

The product is surprisingly very very pigmented, smooth consistency and sit well on my lips. I said surprised because really, I bought this because it was cheap and they didn't have any proper testers at the counter on the first day that I went. Most of the testers are almost finished so I barely had any chance to test them on.

The lipsticks are creamy and buildable. It has a slightly glossy finish, so your lips will not look super dry or cracked. Some of the lipsticks contain very fine glitter (e.g. Pink Paradise) - I'm a big fan of glitters but NOT on my lips! However, it doesn't show up too strikingly, actually, it doesn't even show up at all unless you stare at your lips closely after applying.

My fav of the lot has got to be 305 Nude Mocha. When I opened it, the lipstick was off the tube and it was stuck on the cover, OH THE HORROR. But I kept calm and tried to pull it out, it was a success. Hahaha. Nude Mocha turned out to be a red colour with brown base on me, it is super duper creamy and it was just love at first sight!

Swatches

In the same order: 403 Plum Perfection, 107 Pink Paradise, 305 Nude Mocha, 301 True Toffee.

I was planning to get a nude, a pink, a red, and a plum. Without a tester, I got True Toffee and Plum Perfection! My 3G died on me and I couldn't even googled for swatches >:( The next day I went to another counter and got Nude Mocha and Pink Paradise.

Application

Swatches on my lips! These wore great on me throughout the day with lip liner below :)

Verdict

For the price, I definitely think the product works great. I would definitely buy more if I had a chance to... Even though I only have a pair of lips... HAHAHA. This will work great as a stocking stuffer for Christmas presents, or when you wanna try out new colours but don't dare to splurge just yet :)

Quick Summary

The great:

• Affordable
• Huge colour range
• Easily available

The not-so-great:

• Melts too easily
• Packaging not durable

The Maybelline ColorShow Lipsticks are available at any supermarkets and drugstores with Maybelline counters. They are priced at $9.90 each.

Do let us know if you've tried any of these ColorShow lipsticks and how you feel about them! I was pleasantly surprised because honestly, I didn't expect them to work so well on my lips :)

♡♡,

Flo

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: Too Faced A La Mode Palette

Hello! :)

Finally got my hands on this palette recently ^^ I've been looking for a palette to get and most of the shadows I saw and are attracted to are neutrals and more neutrals (e.g. the Chocolate Bar Palette), and I have A LOT of neutrals, so I decided to get this when I saw it in store :)

It's the Too Faced A La Mode Palette!

Packaging

I love the packaging! It comes in a super colourful metal casing. Looks very heavy duty and that it will protect my shadows. But I'm quite anal about it because I'm scared I will scratch it, or dent it if I throw it around. Not that I will, but if I did, I'm quite scared it will be dented HAHA.

Product

I'm pretty familiar with Too Faced shadows because I have a few palettes from them and I'm always very satisfied with the colour payoff of the shadows, so this is not an exception! I love how they have summery coral and orange based colours (Cannes, Jardin) which I'm really into right now, I also love how they have the extra colours (Monaco, De La Mer) for a pop of colour if you're bored of the normal neutrals. However, De La Mer comes off a little patchy and difficult to blend on me!

Swatches

DAY:

St. Tropez - Beige based with gold flecks/glitter

Cannes - Orange with silver micro glitter

Soleil - Burgundy brown

CLASSIC:

Riviera - Champagne metallic 

Jardin - A mixture of coral and pink 

Cote D Azur - Deep chocolate brown

FASHION:

La Croisette - Metallic Silver

Monaco - Hot pink with micro blue glitter

De La Mer - Navy blue with micro blue glitter

My favourites are: Riviera, St. Tropez, Jardin, Soleil.

Application

All looks are primed with Urban Decay Primer Potion and finished with Dollywink Liquid Liner in Black and Heroine Make Volume & Curl Mascara :)

  

My favourite combination!

Using Riviera all over the eyelids, Soleil on the outer lids and Jardin on the center of the lids. Lined the outer half of my lower lids and smudged it our with Cote D Azur.

  

Using La Croisette all over the eyelids, smudging De La Mer from the outer lids towards the end of the first 1/3 of the lids, added Cote D Azur to deepen the outer lids further. Mixed Monaco and De La Mer to create a bright purple colour and smudged it on my lower lids.

  

Using St. Tropez all over the eyelids, and then lightly smudging Cote D Azur on the outer corners of the upper lids, ending with Soleil on the outer half of the lower eyelids.

Verdict

I've really been enjoying this palette! It's easy and convenient to bring around. It has enough neutral colours for everyday look, yet the orange and coral based shadows really bring out something different as compared to my usual neutrals :) The shadows are of superb quality for the exception of one (De La Mer), it is buttery to me. However, it is pretty difficult to blend out because of the nature of it's navy blue colour :(

Quick Summary

The great:

• Superb quality
• A mixture of finishes
• Wide colour selection

The not-so-great:

• De La Mer might be a tad difficult to work with

The Too Faced A La Mode Palette is available in Sephora at $49 each.

Anyone of you have tried this as well? What do you think about it? Let us know!

♡♡,
Flo.

Flo's June Favourites 2014!

We're officially down to the next half of the year! Time passes way too quick. Here are some of my favourites for the month of June..

1. Z Palette

I have been eyeing for a Z Palette for the longest time. I have 4 Sleek palettes that are barely and rarely used because they're kept deep down in my drawer and I often forget I have them, plus the original packaging is kinda flimsy, so I was planning to depot all 4 palettes out so that it's easier for me to use them. Finally got the Z Palettes when Luxola was having sale and I've no regrets! Super easy for me to mix and match my sleek shadows now and I use it way more often. It is also very organised and I love how it looks :) Bought a smaller one so that I can bring it when I travel.

2. MAC Studio Finish Concealer

I'm not a big fan of MAC stuff mainly cause I don't like their plain and boring packaging, so I've never been interested to buy anything from them. But I got this concealer a few months back and I got it in NC15, it runs a tad too light for me when I cover my blemishes so I went back and bought another pot in NC20 so that I can mix them together. I usually just dot a layer on whatever I want to cover and then I blend the edges out. It's fairly easy to use cuz it's so highly pigmented, so it gives good coverage. Be careful with this tho, using too much can make skin look super cakey!

3. The Balm Fratboy

The Balm blushes are one of my favourites blushes! I've loved the Downboy one for the longest time, the pink is just right for my skin tone and I think it's probably my most used blush this year! The other day I walked past SASA and saw them having sale for this, so I quickly grabbed the Fratboy and Cabanaboy. I love the Fratboy cuz it's of a peachy orange base, very different from my usual hot pinks. I like how this gives a healthy look as compared to a dolly look like my pink blushes. My favourite way of using this is to layer it on top of a bronzer. So instead of applying my blush at the apple of my cheeks, I layer them on top of my cheekbones :)

4. Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in Classic Ivory

Went back to one of my loves last month. This is my holy grail foundation. It was a little too drying on my skin a few months back when I was breaking out and all, but since my skin is pretty stable now, it fits right back into my routine. I love how it covers my blemishes and evens out my skin tone, it also has super oil control properties which is great for such an oily person like me! Sometimes when I don't want to use foundation on my whole face, I will put a layer of Laneige BB Cushion and then layering the Covergirl only on my T-zone area.

5. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink

So happy Watsons brought this in!!! It was literally sold out everywhere and when I found one in good condition I grabbed it (it was the last pot!!). I love pink, duh, and of course I have to own this. Haha. I usually use the color tattoos when I am lazy to blend my shadows. So I will put this on and maybe add a little crease colour. If not, the colour alone is also pretty enough for an everyday, simple look! This is also a great base for my NAKED 3 palette cause they're all pink based :)

6. Laneige Water Sleeping Pack

A skincare product that I recently added into my routine! I use this twice a week and my skin is totally different on the days that I use this and the days that I don't. I love how it is of a gel based texture so it's not sticky on the face. It dries and gets absorbed super quickly as well, so it won't mess up my pillows and sheets. Haha. I used to think that my oily skin didn't need any hydrating masks, but I was so wrong. This is a great product for literally all skin types cuz hydration is extremely important for any skin. Really recommend this mask to everyone :)

That's all I have for the month of June! Hope you are enjoying your weekend. As usual, let us know if you have tried any of the products above and how do you like them! 

♡♡,

Flo.