Drug Store Lipstick Reviews and Swatches: Colour Riche Balm, Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait, Covergirl Lip Perfection in Darling and Sweetheart

Hey everyone! Long time no blog haha. I've been putting this post off for a long time and finally had the time to finish it today. There's recently been a lot of reviews on new products that drugstore brands have released such as the Revlon Lip Butters, Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Eyeshadow, and L'Oreal's Infallible Eyeshadows. I am planning on posting a review on drugstore eye shadows but this one is going to focus on drugstore lip products that I've bought in the last couple months.

First up is the Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipsticks. I bought two shades: Darling and Sweetheart.

The packaging is really sleek and sophisticated, but it does scratch easily. If you plan on throwing this lipstick in your purse, I recommend that you try to put it in an isolated area away from your keys.

I find that the colors at the bottom don't exactly match the actual color you will get when you apply it to the lips. The color aren't totally off, but I can tell you that when I put Sweetheart on my lips for the first time, I was shocked at the frostiness of the color.

On top is a swatch of Sweetheart and the bottom is Darling. Sweetheart is a nice light frosty pink, but I find that it's a little too frosty for my taste and it's definitely not a lipstick I can pull off for an everyday look. Darling, on the other hand, is a nice rosy pink shade that I absolutely adore. It's a really gorgeous color on and I think it would suit a lot of skin tones as well. The formula has a creamy texture and it's not drying on my lips. For those of you that have drier lips or lips that crack easily, I recommend using a moisturizing lip balm before applying your lipstick. I personally like to use L'Oreal's Colour Riche Balm in #218 Rose Elixir, but I'll go over this one in a little bit.

Jen at Frmheadtotoe recommended this particular Revlon Lip Butter shade in Peach Parfait to me via Twitter and I went out to buy it at Ulta. I saw her review of these lip butters on her blog and videos and I really loved this color. This lipstick is very moisturizing and the color payoff is really nice. It's really easy to apply just a sheer coat of this on your lips or build up the color. I'd highly recommend this lip product to people who are just beginning to get into lipsticks or to those of you that are looking for a moisturizing lip product.

I tried my best to take a picture of my Colour Riche Balm in Rose Elixir but my camera just wouldn't focus so I decided not to post pictures of it. Anyways, here are swatches of Peach Parfait (top) and Rose Elixir (bottom).

Apologies for the bad lighting as well. The sun was setting and this was the best picture out of the different light settings I tried. Peach Parfait is a really nice peachy pink color, but I find that it has a ton of glitter in it that came feel a little gritty on the lips. I kissed my boyfriend one time when I had this lipstick on and his lips had glitter particles on them afterwards (oops). Rose Elixir is VERY sheer and I find that it has absolutely no color payoff on my lips. It is, however, very moisturizing so I use it on days whenever my lips are feeling dry and right before I put on a lipstick. It has a slightly greasy feeling, probably from the Argan oil, but it really doesn't bother me. The L'Oreal Balm was pretty expensive in comparison to other drugstore lip products and the fact that it really didn't have any color payoff made me kind of regret buying it. It's not a bad product, but I don't think I'd buy it or recommend it to anyone.

Hope this review was helpful to some of you and leave any questions/comments below.

Review: Make Up Forever Mat Velvet Plus Foundation and Lioele Triple Solution BB Cream

Happy New Years everyone! I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and ended 2011 on a good note.

To kick off the start of the New Year, I wanted to do a review on the Make Up Forever (MUFE) Mat Velvet Plus foundation that I got during the Sephora Friends and Family Sale. I have a total of three foundations that I own: Bare Minerals, Lioele Triple Solution BB Cream, and the MUFE Mat Velvet Plus. I haven't touched my Bare Minerals foundation for a looooong time because it doesn't give me the coverage that I want and I find that it accentuates some of the flaky patches I have on my face. For the past month, I've been alternating between my BB Cream and the Mat Velvet to see which one I like better, but there are things that I like and dislike about each product.

Oil Control: The MUFE Mat Velvet Plus wins on the oil control. This didn't surprise me, and if it didn't perform better than the BB cream, I would've returned it because the most attractive selling point (for me, at least) about this product was that it was a matte foundation. I have combination oily skin and I really wanted a foundation that would help to prevent/control the shine that I get as the day goes on. This product definitely has a matte finish, but it doesn't make my face look cakey/powdery or overdone. It's a very natural matte finish and I don't have to blot at all whenever I wear this foundation. If you're really worried that this foundation won't stand up to the oils on your face, I'd recommend buying MAC's blot powder and using that to set your foundation. I use it all the time and it works wonders. I've found that if I don't set my BB Cream with the blot powder, I get oily around my T-zone after about 5 hours of wear. With the Mat Velvet Plus (MVP) I can go up to 8 hours of wear without using the blot powder and not look overly shiny.

Color Matching: Again, the Mat Velvet takes the cake for this category. The BB Cream was a little too light for my skin tone because of my tan from the summer so I have to use a small amount (half a pump) for my entire face. I believe my skin color right now is NC 30 but moving more towards NC 25 since it's winter time. I got the MVP foundation in shade #40 and I picked this color because Frmheadtotoe has about the same skin color as me. This shade matches me perfectly. The BB Cream I have only comes in one shade, so MUFE foundations obviously have a wider range of color selections.

Application: The BB cream wins this one. I like using my stippling brush to apply the BB cream to my face because it gives a nice even finish. For the MVP, I've heard that you can apply it using a stippling brush or your fingers. I've only used my fingers to apply this foundation because it dries extremely fast and I hate wasting product. I don't mind using my fingers to apply the foundation but I prefer using a brush to fingers.

Coverage: BB Cream wins this category. I find that it has slightly better coverage than the MVP for my acne scarring and it also minimizes my pores. The MVP doesn't accentuate my pores, it just doesn't do much or as much as the BB cream.

Price: The MVP is $34 while the BB cream (depending on where/who you buy it from) is about $30. You get more product in from the BB cream (50 ml) than the MVP (1.01 oz) so from the standpoint of getting more bang for your buck, BB cream takes this category as well.

I find myself grabbing for the BB cream more than the MVP lately, but it's probably because my skin is drier now that it's winter time. I'll probably be using the MVP around spring and summer time to help control my oily face. Some other things to consider between these two foundations are the features such as SPF, whitening and waterproof properties. The BB cream has 30SPF, whitening, and wrinkle care properties. The MVP is waterproof.

So, which one do I like better? As of right now, I prefer using my Lioele BB cream, but that's not to say that I don't love the MVP foundation because I do. I'm really glad that I took the plunge to buy it during the Sephora Friends and Family Sale. It honestly all boils down to what I need at the moment, and since it's winter time, I prefer the BB cream because it feels more moisturizing than the MVP, which has a drier feel to it.

I hope this comparison was helpful to some of you. If you have any questions about these foundations, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer them.

Review: Real Techniques Stippling Brush and Powder Brush

I'm a huge fan of the pixiwoo sisters and when I heard that Sam was launching a brush line, I knew I had to check them out. Before they were released, the only brushes I owned were the Bare Minerals Kabuki Brush, Concealer Brush, and Flawless Face Brush. They work fine for mineral foundation (obviously) but they weren't the softest brushes in the world and I really wanted to experiment with a stippling brush to apply my Lioele Triple Solution BB Cream.

Pricing: When I saw the Real Techniques Stippling Brush and glanced at the price on Ulta's website, I was a little shocked that it was only $10. Ulta usually has coupons that you can use on non-Prestige Cosmetics items and I was extremely excited to find out that you could use their coupons on Real Techniques Brushes. So really, you're only paying about $8 for each individual brush instead of $30+++ for others. Many people like to assume that a more expensive a product is going to perform better than a cheaper one, but that's not necessarily true. Granted, I've never tried out any of the expensive brushes so I can't really compare Real Techniques to any other brand aside from Bare Minerals, but I can say that I'm not tempted to shell out $30 for a brush. It's just too much! You could buy three of these brushes for $30.

Performance: Anyways, aside from the awesome price point, the brush itself is REALLY soft and made from synthetic fibers. I've washed my brush several times and I haven't experienced any shedding whatsoever. The stippling brush works wonders for me whenever I apply BB cream to my face. Before, I used my fingers but now I always use this brush to apply it to my face. It blends the foundation into my skin and gives it a flawless finish. I also use the stippling brush to apply powder blush and it works beautifully. I absolutely adore this brush. After falling in love with my stippling brush, I also decided to buy a powder brush to apply my MAC blotting powder and other translucent powders. This is a pretty large brush compared to the stippling brush, and it does the job. It is too big to use to apply blush, so if you're looking for a multitasking brush, like the stippling brush, the powder brush is probably not the one to get.

Both of these brushes have a rounded wide end to the brush that allows it to stand up on a flat surface. Lots of people think it's a neat feature while others think it's unnecessary. I personally like the fact that it can stand up on its own but I also recognize that the wider end makes it harder to carry it around if you're travelling. The ends probably won't fit into the slots of some makeup brush roles which could be a turn off for some. I personally just use a cosmetic bag to store my brushes at home and while I'm travelling.

I'd definitely recommend this product to anyone who's looking for a good quality makeup brush without a hefty price tag. Thank you, Sam Chapman, for making such awesome and affordable brushes.

Review: Etude House Fantastic Rouge LuciDarling Lipstick/Lip gloss and Darkness Lashes

I must say that the Korean cosmetic stuff I've tried so far has really impressed me. Here's a pic of my small collection of Asian cosmetic products.

I'm definitely looking forward to trying new products from these brands soon!

On my way back to the States from Thailand, my flight stopped at Korea (I took Korean Air) and took advantage of the cheap cosmetics there. I bought a couple of lip products from Etude House and I absolutely LOVE them all. I bought two lip glosses, one in the shade No. 4 and the other in shade No. 2.

I got these for $8 USD each. They have a nice scent to them that's not too nauseating or strong and they taste really good! Below are some swatches.

No. 4 and No. 2

These glosses are pretty pigmented and they're by far the best lip gloss I've ever tried. I heard a lot about Etude House products on YouTube and many people said that this particular brand has some really awesome lip products. I was a little skeptical at first, but now I totally understand why people like them. This lip gloss glides on smoothly and doesn't leave a greasy feeling on your lips. It feels very moisturizing and looks good on its own or on top of a lipstick color.

These are two of the lipsticks I bought from the Korean airport as well. I think these were $6 USD each.

No. 9 and No. 3

I love No. 3 because it's a nudey pink and it's very similar to my MAC Shy Girl lipstick. My sister really likes No. 9. I find that No. 9 is a little too bright for my taste but I still love it. These lipsticks don't crack my lips or make them feel chapped/dry throughout the day. In one of the swatch pics above, you can see some glitter in both lipsticks but it doesn't have a frosty overly glittery finish to it at all, which I love. The packaging of these lipsticks is also super adorable. If you're looking for a new lipstick or lip gloss, I'd definitely recommend checking out any of Etude House's lip products. I only own the ones from the LuciDarling Fantastic Rouge collection but I've heard a lot of good things about the Miss Tangerine line as well.

Last, but not least, Darkness Lashes!! I spotted these inside H-mart and paid $4 for each of them. I like them, but I'm not really loving them all that much. I have to cut a little bit off because it's a little big for my eyes. When I wear them, I feel like they're really long and dramatic lashes, so if you're looking for some natural looking false eyelashes, these particular models are not the ones to get. I find that they're really great for a night out but not so much for everyday wear. I won't repurchase these again but I am willing to purchase other models from Darkness like the WOS one that Jen (frmheadtotoe) mentioned in her Nov. hits and misses video.

What are your favorite lip stick product/color and what are some good natural looking pair of false eyelashes that you've tried?

K-Palette 24Hr Eyeliner and Dolly Wink Eyeliner Review

Hey everyone! I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I've been meaning to get this review posted but I've been super busy with family stuff and law school applications. Before I get into it, I wanted to share some things I did over the summer.

I went to Thailand this summer for a vacation with my family and for a wedding. I can't even begin to describe how much fun I had on this trip. My aunts and uncles live in Bangkok and we usually never travel outside the capital, but this time I visited Trang, Phuket, Hua Hin, and Pattaya. Here are some photos from my trip:

View from my room at Aleenta Resort in Phuket. It's breathtaking.

The bed that my sister and I slept in.

This picture was taken during my trip to Trang. The water is sooooo pretty!!!

The beautiful sunset in Trang.

View from Aleenta Resort in Phuket.

This was taken in a temple located in a remote cave in Trang.

My trip to Thailand was amazing! I'm so grateful and blessed to be able to visit and experience so many things while I was there and I hope to go back soon. I encourage anyone who wants to travel to Thailand to take the leap and go! You won't regret it. Now, onto the review!!!

While I was in Thailand, I took the opportunity to check out some of the Asian cosmetic brands that many people have been raving about such as Lioele, Etude House, Dolly Wink, and K-Palette. I wasn't able to find any Lioele products while I was there, however, because I believe the company focuses on selling their products over the internet probably to save on costs. I also wasn't able to find the Dolly Wink Eyeliner myself but lucky for me, one of my cousins is a flight attendant and she offered to get the Dolly Wink and K-Palette 24Hr eyeliner for me while she was in Japan. Here are some pics and swatches:

The swatch on the left is Dolly Wink and the right is K-Palette.

To me, the Dolly Wink eyeliner seems to be more pigmented than the K-Palette. I prefer using the Dolly Wink over the K-Palette because the Dolly Wink eyeliner is blacker and the pen is slightly bigger. The K-palette eyeliner I have isn't waterproof, so I can't really comment on how it stands up to water but both eyeliners last forever without smudging. They also have a fine brush tip that's perfect for making very thin and precise lines. I do, however, line my eyes heavily because of my monolids but I still love both of these eyeliners. Whenever I'm done with both of them, I think I'm going to purchase the K-palette waterproof version from Sasa and see if its lasting power is all it's cracked up to be.

I hope this little review was helpful and if you have any questions just let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.

Skincare products for winter and random thoughts

It's starting to get pretty chilly now and my skin gets pretty dry and itchy around this time of the year. Moisturizing is a must for me and my go to facial moisturizer is Olay's Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid - Original.

I have dry flaky patches around my face because of my acne and I find that this moisturizer makes the flakiness disappear. It doesn't leave a greasy or oily feel to my face either.

My all time favorite moisturizer is the Rice Face Lotion from Bath and Body Works, but they discontinued this line. I just got done using my last back-up bottle of this lotion a few days ago and I was soooo sad =[. This lotion is for Normal to Combination skin types, so it suited my skin perfectly. I got the right amount of moisture and it felt so light on my face. After I put it on, I my face feels so smooth and this lotion doesn't make my skin more oily throughout the day. *sigh* Maybe I'll get lucky at a Bath and Body Works outlet store and find it again.

Another skincare product I've been loving is the Neutrogena Wave. A lot of people have been raving about the Clarisonic Mia and I've been itching to try it but I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on a tool that requires you to buy replacement heads (which aren't cheap) every three to four months. So for now, unless I hit the lottery jackpot or something, I'm pretty content with the Wave. I've used the regular cleansing pads and I'm currently using the exfoliating pads which are amazing! This stuff takes off my foundation so well and afterwards, my skin feels smooth, clean, and refreshed. If you're like me and can't afford to get the Clarisonic, try the Wave out and see if you like it. I'm not saying that they're the same thing, but I feel that it's a cheaper alternative that will help you to exfoliate your skin and remove makeup. I also noticed that after several weeks of use, this product helps make my skin look brighter and more refreshed.

Despite the beating that my skin is taking from the rapid change in weather, I really love the Fall and Winter season. Whenever I think about this time of year, I think of these things:

Lord of the Rings marathon

a bowl of hot, steaming Thai noodle soup (guay tiew)

Pho

Christmas

Turkey

presents

family

love

Black Friday

movie nights/drama marathons

hot tea

pumpkin pie

apple pie

books

shopping (lots of shopping)

scarfs and gloves

SNOW!!

I love this time of year =] What do you think about when fall/winter rolls around? I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us all.

Monolids and Double Eyelids

This past year, my cousin had surgery on her eyes to change her monolids to double eyelids in Thailand. I've thought about getting the surgery done on my eyelids as well, but I have a very low tolerance for pain so I always balked at the thought of actually getting them done. Another thing that concerns me about the surgery is the fear that I won't like the way my eyes look afterwards or that something could go seriously wrong. After all, you only have one pair of eyes and you can't exactly change it back to the way it was before. I've discussed the surgery with my mother and she told me that if I really wanted to get it done, she didn't have a problem with it. My mother had her eyelids changed when she was younger so she understands the inner conflict I have about my eyes.

This is a before and after pick of a person using double eyelid tape.

My recent trip to Thailand this past summer made me think about eyelid surgery even more. Big eyes are the trend in Asia so it's no surprise that almost everywhere I looked, I saw products advertising big doll-like eyes. Sure, there are things out there such as circle lenses and double eyelid tape/glue that help to create the illusion that you have double eyelids instead of single lids, but my experience with eyelid tape has been frustrating. It's hard to put on and I've also heard that it's not good for your eyelids in the long run.

Many people use circle lenses to help make their eyes seem bigger. The down side to these lenses are that they irritate the eyes because not enough oxygen is passing through the lens and into the eye.

I've never tried circle lenses because I need to be able to wear them all day. I currently wear clear prescription contact lenses and I knew that circle lenses are not meant for all-day wear, so I just didn't bother.

I know a lot of people wonder why people would want to change their eyelids. I personally think big eyes are more attractive than small eyes. Whenever I smile in pictures, you can barely see my eyes. It's also frustrating when I try to put on eye makeup. When I line my eyes, I have to use a lot of eyeliner so that the line would be visible whenever my eyes are open. I also find that because I need to thickly line my eyelid, most of my eye shadow color is barely visible. I'd be lying if I said that a part of me doesn't want double eyelids because I do want them. On the other hand, a part of me thinks that I should be happy with the way my eyes are now and just be grateful that I can see through them. I've gone back and forth on this issue many times in my head and for now, I'm just going to try to be happy with my monolids. I'd love to hear other peoples' thoughts on this as well so feel free to comment below.