MY PALE SKIN: SMALL FOUNDATION/BB CREAM COLLECTION - REVIEW & SWATCHES

Hey!

I'm back with another post for you.

Since I'm always in search for perfect foundation/BB cream (who isn't?!) for my pale, combination and dehydrated skin I thought I'll do a small review of all products I have in my collection (which is pretty small hence to my minimalist approach) . 

Recently I purchased couple of more things and now I can do a comparison of swatches and give you my honest opinion about each product.

The all time problem for fair/pale skin girls is the foundation/BB cream color. It's a real nightmare to find light enough product which isn't pink! All lightest drugstore foundations have pink undertones in them and minority of them are yellow or neutral (or they are too dark). I don't understand why drugstore brands think that all pale girls have pink undertones, are we piglets?! ;)

So, most of my foundations are drugstore, the rest is also affordable for drugstore clientelle, but they are available online. 

Like I mentioned before my skin is combination, it's little oily on the T-zone and normal on the side of my face, but since I stopped taking contraceptive pills my skin had changed and became dehydrated (due to hormonal imbalances). It also started to develop red pimples, whiteheads (closed comedones) and blackheads on the side of my face, and hormonal acne once a month around my jawline.

This background should help you identify if any of those foundations may suit your skin type or not. 

Let's start!

From left to right: Missha Perfect Cover BB.; Dr. Jart Regenerating BB Silver; MaxFactor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3in1; Bourjois Healthy Mix; Rimmel Wake Me Up; It's Skin Babyface Moisture BB; Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation SPF15

MISSHA PERFECT COVER BB CREAM IN NO. 21

DESCRIPTION : MISSHA Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 transforms the complexion wonderfully whilst intensely nourishing and caring for the skin.

Lightweight and luxurious, Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 offers full coverage whilst uniquely hydrating and treating the skin. With soothing and rejuvenating properties, this revolutionary skin care essential prevents the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, whilst simultaneously reducing the impact of dark circles.

pros:

- medium coverage, buildable to full (will require some concealer work on bigger scars or under eye darkness)

- SPF 42 (great factor protecting skin from UV rays)

- creamy consistency, easy to blend

- soft, delicate baby powder like smell, not too strong

- nourishing and moisturizing properties

- lightweight packaging with a pump; easy to control the amount of product that comes out, hygienic, good when travelling

- looks good (does not cake) on the skin for many hours (set with powder)

- does not accentuate dry patches or dehydrated skin

cons:

- color no. 21 has greyish undertone and is too dark for very pale skin, it blends with skin well, but can give a bit 'unhealthy' effect, it can be neutralized by powder or blush

color no. 13 (the lightest) is very difficult to find, color looks nice and not grey at all however

- rich nourishing formula may be too heavy for people with oily to combination skin, as it's shiny after application and remains shiny when not powdered. It feels heavy on my skin, and it doesn't dry and set properly, which makes it a bit annoying product

- seems to block my pores and give me pimples/blackheads

- helps to sooth my dehydrated skin, however T-zone remains oily and quite heavy looking

- the clear pump cover does not stay and I easily lost it during travelling

final word:

I was looking for a color no.13 for a long time, but I finally gave up and got no. 21. It kind of adjust to my skintone, but I don't feel it helps my dehydrated skin to look radiant and more healthy. 

I was tempted to try no. 13 when I finally found it online, but I didn't as this BB cream seems too heavy for my combination skin, even though it also gives relief to dehydration (joy of having this skin concern...).

I like that it has very good SPF protection, but this probably make it so sticky too. 

In other words, I won't repurchase this BB cream once it's finished, I'll leave it for girls with normal to dry skin types.

DJ. JART REGENERATING BB (SILVER LABEL)

DESCRIPTION: This professional formula containing cutting-edge active ingredients covers and conceals imperfections whilst helping skin regenerate.

Featured benefits include skin regeneration, sun protection and nourishing properties whilst helping to eliminate age spots and blemishes.

Contains:

• Suncream to help protect the skin.
• Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil to lubricate the surface of the skin.
• Snail Secretion Filtrate to hydrate and moisturise
• Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil for calming and smoothing out the skin.

pros:

- SPF 30

- natural ingredients and oils for nourising and moisturising properties

- full coverage

- visibly reduces appearance of pores and cover blemishes, scars and redness

- stays flawless all day when set with powder, gives healthy look to the skin and looks natural

- 2 in 1 - very easy and convenient to use, no need of heavy moisturizers and serums, it does all the job - protects skin and make it look flawless

- did not break me out at all

- keeps my T-zone in control and dehydrated skin isn't tensed up

- light plastic packaging, good when travelling, squeeze out nozzle

- great when you travel a lot and don't want to carry all cosmetics with you!
- a little tiny amount covers whole face, so this product lasts AGES

cons:

- color! when I first bought it it matched me pretty well, my skin must have been a little darker than now, as it is definitely too dark on me and it looks unnatural 

I wish Dr. Jart created more colors of this BB cream, it would be the perfect product

- quite pricey, regular price is 21 pounds, but right now you can get it 1/2 price in Boots so grab a bargain if it's your color! it is worth the price though and lasts forever

final word:

I absolutely love this BB cream, in fact it's my first ever Korean BB cream, and it started my Korean make up love affair. It has amazing coverage, staying power, nourish the skin, blurs pores, has high SPF factor, it would be perfect cosmetic... if it suit my skin tone :( It's my second tube, because I love this cream so much, but I don't use it very often anymore, however I consider buying a white foundation and mix it with this BB cream...maybe I will be able to use this gem again!

MAX FACTOR FACE FINITY ALL DAY FLAWLESS 3IN1 IN LIGHT IVORY 40

DESCRIPTION : The foundation primes the skin with a flexi-hold technology that creates a strong yet lightweight film which sits comfortably on the skin. Next, micro-correctors within the formula operate like little mechanics to defend against external influencers like sweat and sebum, correcting and maintaining the look over time whilst preventing shine.

And lastly, the foundation formula with SPF20 delivers an all-day high coverage, matte finish thanks to the oil absorbency of particles which helps to minimize the level of non-volatiles on the skin surface.

pros:

- SPF 20

- color! the lightest shade is actually perfect match for me, the lightest foundation I've managed to find so far (in drugstores) and it has also (hallelujah!!!) a neutral to yellow undertones, which is VERY rare for drugstore foundations like I said before

- pump dispenser
- it stays in place, doesn't melt or transfer, once it's set with powder it stays matte for long time (few hours before touch up)

cons: 

- heavy glass bottle isn't best for travelling

- coverage is not full like manufacturer promises - it's light to medium, won't cover major scars, pimples or redness, skin looks patchy and concealer and corrector are needed if you have problematic skin (like me), it's hard to build up more coverage with it without looking unnatural

- it contains talc which provides the matte look, which is probably great for oily and combination skin, but not for dehydrated complexion which feels a bit tight after few hours, foundation sits on dry patches and accentuate them during the day, with powder on top it makes me look older (I use minimum amount of powder)

- the primer supposed to create a lightweight film and smoothen surface of the skin for flawless application...but to be honest I didn't notice any effect like this

final word:

I bought this foundation because of it's color, which was neutral warm comparing to my previous very pale foundation (Rimmel Match Perfection in Porcelain), I loved Match Perfection, but it was too pink for me. I found Max Factor in one of those perfume shops, which sells cosmetics a lot cheaper than drugstores, and because it was only 6.99 (GBP) I gave it a go. In terms of color it match me perfectly and I absolutely love it! However when it comes to product it didn't impress me from the first moment, I gave it a lot of chances and I still use it, and no matter what I do it looks the same - doesn't cover very well, looks patchy, accentuate dry patches and wrinkles (mimic)... I didn't notice any incredible effect of 3 in 1 formula, primer seems nonexistent, micro-correctors don't do anything and mattifying oil absorbent particles (talc) only make my skin feel tight during the day. 

I won't repurchase this foundation, as with my combination yet dehydrated skin I think I need something without talc and drying properties (girls with oily skin may like it more).

BOURJOIS HEALTHY MIX IN 51 VANILLA CLAIR

DESCRIPTION : Give your skin a radiance boost and leave it looking flawless for up to 16 hours! Bourjois’ new Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix foundation is enriched with a fruit therapy formula to enhance your complexion. Apricot for radiance Melon for hydration Apple to protect your youth

It is also enriched with crystalline pigments to even out the complexion while letting in the natural light for that healthy looking glow.

Its soft, fresh texture easily blends onto the skin for a comfortable flawless finish leaving you with beautiful, radiant and hydrated skin for 8 hours

pros:

- pump dispenser
- natural fruit extracts for improved hydration, radiance and protection
- long lasting, looks great and flawless on my skin
- gives a healthy glow and radiance to the skin, may look a little shiny without powder, but set with powder gives very nice finish
- is not heavy or sticky comparing to Missha (two nourishing and radiant products)
- smell is not too strong yet it makes application more pleasant, fruity and fresh
- pores seems visibly blurred

cons:

- full coverage for non problematic skin (like mine few years ago) and light to medium coverage for problematic skin (like mine now) - it takes some work to cover up everything with a risk of mask effect
- color! the lightest shade used to work perfect for me, but since my skin changed and became more red and sallow the Vanille Clair is too dark and too orange for me, I wish Bourjois extend the color range like Rimmel did with Wake Me Up foundation...
- heavy glass bottle; it used to be plastic which was maybe not so eye-catching, but lighter when travelling and to carry around in a handbag
- no SPF protection!

final word:

This foundation is with me for nearly 6 years now and for long time it was my ultimate favourite product. However it changed when my skin became more sallow and problematic, the color doesn't match me anymore, building up coverage makes me look orange, it does not cover most of my imperfections anymore :( I don't use it so often, however I still love the radiant and flawless effect it gives and I wish there was one more lighter shade.
If Bourjois ever make one more super pale shade in this range I'll definitely buy it! 

 RIMMEL WAKE ME UP ANTI-FATIGUE IN LIGHT PORCELAIN 010

DESCRIPTION : Finally. Your new beauty partner that keeps up with your fast-paced lifestyle.
Introducing new Wake Me Up Foundation from Rimmel London. Rimmel’s first liquid foundation that instantly reawakens skin with a healthy, radiant glow.
It’s time to wake up – the light, smooth texture glides on easily to give a 100% pore-less and flawless complexion. Spoil yourself with SPF 15 sun protection and illuminating radiance pearls for a natural glow. A peptide formulation helps increase your skin’s elasticity and a vitamin moisturizing complex also leaves you looking healthy and fresh. Your skin will bounce back to life – even if your body is thinking otherwise.
No longer do you have to face fatigue in the mirror. Immediately eliminates visible signs of tiredness so skin looks rejuvenated. Also minimizing signs of premature ageing. Wake Me Up works just as hard as you – staying put for up to 10 hours and giving you a natural, medium to full coverage. So even if you’ve had a few hours sleep, you can look radiant and younger.

pros:

- color ; Rimmel extended their color range for this foundation, which is great as color Ivory was too dark for me, however this color is slightly too pink and I wish it was more neutral, but it's nothing that can't be corrected with powder in this case!
- pump dispenser and packaging design (even though it's glass bottle)
- radiant looking skin straight after application
- visible make me up effect, which lasts even after setting with powder
- easy application, blendable
- skin does feel moist and not dry at all even after few hours of wearing it

cons:

- glass bottle is quite heavy when travelling
- only 15 SPF factor - not great, as it's not enough to protect skin
- it never dries! it sits on skin and even after powder smudges very badly, it disappears completely after contact with water
- transfers and doesn't cover anything - redness, scars or spots, this foundation does nothing to cover it and looks patchy on drier parts of the skin
- seems like it gave me allergic reaction, but I only used it few times, so I need to test it again to make sure that nothing else caused the problem
- gave me few more pimples
- smell is a bit too strong as for my liking
- after few hours of wearing it the glittery particles REALLY show up!

final word:

I bought this foundation about a week ago, so I only used it few times, but I can say it's not my favorite unfortunately, because it gave me some pimples and yesterday when I came back home my whole forehead was covered in itchy spots! I will test it again to see if this product was the reason for allergic reaction, but I didn't use it today and my forehead already clears up...
I like the healthy and radiant effect it gives to my skin after application, but unfortunately after few hours the whole coverage wears off and millions of tiny brocade particles still remains on my skin and believe me they are VISIBLE.
So would I repurchase? Nope. I don't want to look like if I used highlighter on my whole face, I want to look healthy and fresh, that's it.
Coverage isn't also the best, it basically doesn't cover much, looks patchy (I used beauty blender as well as brushes to apply it) no matter what.
The only thing I like about this foundation is that my dehydrate skin doesn't feel tight.
And one more thing...there is talc and glycerine in the beginning of ingredients list...drying talc which suppose to mattify and glycerine which holds up the moisture and hydrate...isn't it a little bit of contrary?
 Anyway, I won't recommend it to anybody with oily or even combination skin. No no.

IT'S SKIN BABYFACE MOISTURE BB CREAM

DESCRIPTION : It’s Skin Babyface BB Cream helps to maintain clear skin and covers up blemishes and imperfection for a natural looking and flawless complexion that will last throughout the day.This BB Cream features SPF 36 PA++ to protect your skin from harmful UV rays and premature aging.

pros:

- coverage; it's very good, full coverage, instantly covers up nearly everything and does not look cakey at all; blendable and buildable
- color ; perfect match for me which never happens when I buy Korean BB creams and online! it has yellow undertones and is very fair
- packaging ; cute, small, squeeze out tube, light and great when you travel
- smell is flowery, not too strong, pleasant, disappears after application
- SPF 36 - provides good protection
- doesn't oxidize
- price ; it's regular price is 5.75 (GBP)
- gives beautiful healthy and radiant finish

cons: 

- staying power ; unfortunately on my dehydrated skin it doesn't stay for long time, after few hours my redness and spots start to show up again, cream sits on dry patches, the reason for it may be my combination skin which gets oily and melts the BB cream, but it's traces stays on dry areas...
- accentuate dry areas and don't give impression of moisturized skin at all
- difficult to find any information about this product online

final word:

Overall I have love - hate relation with this cream. I absolutely love it's coverage, how easily it blends and glides on skin, I like that it's buildable and blendable, it's SPF factor, color and small packaging easy to store, however I had bad experiences with it in terms of moisturizing, which is the key of this product - it didn't work for my skin so far, but I will give it a go again now when I use other moisturizer for winter, maybe the BB wasn't a problem but my overall skin condition.
It's cheap, so try it if you're intrigued, it's great for porcelain skin, dry or normal.

LILY LOLO MINERAL FOUNDATION IN CHINA DOLL

DESCRIPTION : Our finely milled Mineral Foundation SPF 15 buffs into the skin effortlessly & allows custom coverage when applied in buildable layers. Made from natural ingredients to ensure the skin is kept clean & healthy, minimising breakouts and blemishes.

pros:

- color ; great color range, from warm to cool undertones
- samples ; to choose perfect color for you there is an option to purchase a samples for a small price, I wish every brand did it!!!
-  natural and buildable coverage
- stays on place all day, no transferring or fading
- no need to powder
- natural ingredients, no talc, parabens, alcohol, additives
- great packaging with sieve that can be closed, which prevents products from coming out
- great alternative if you have oily prone to breakouts skin and liquid foundation clogg your pores
- lasts very long, a little goes a long way
- can replace a powder
- cruelty-free brand

cons:

- dehydrated skin will not like the powder form of foundation
- may be drying if you have dry skin
- SPF 15 is not enough to protect sensitive skin (foundation is intended for people with problematic skin)
- may look powdery and accentuate fine lines
- dries out my skin and makes it itchy and flakey (since my skin became weird!)


final word:

I used this foundation or a long time and I've never had issues wearing it until my skin became dehydrated. It stays all day and skin looks flawless, it covers most of imperfections and colors are great, it has a microscopic particles which give skin a healthy radiant finish, blurs pores.
I loved this product and this is my second container, but because now it dries me out when used alone I use it to set my foundation and concealer and it works well for it. It also works well used over BB cream, does not dry out skin that much or make it look fake and unnatural.
Overall as for mineral foundation I think this stuff is perfect, you don't need to look for anything else because it has everything the mineral powder foundation should have in my opinion!
Try it before you buy the full product by getting the samples from Lily Lolo's official website.

FINALLY SWATCHES!  

THANK YOU FOR READING!

I HOPE THIS REVIEW AND SWATCHES ARE HELPFUL.

LET ME NOW WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FOUNDATION/BB CREAM FOR PALE SKIN WITH YELLOW/NEUTRAL UNDERTONES, I'D LOVE TO KNOW!

<3

ps. I'm going for a holiday for 2 weeks, so excuse my absence here, I'll be back soon!

Review: L'oreal Volume Million Lashes FELINE

Hey!

I'm back with another post for you. 

Today I want to do a short review about the mascara from L'oreal, Volume Million Lashes FELINE.

The longer review and demo you can find HERE.

So to the point!

pros.

+ packaging, nice, elegant and good looking, combination of gold and green is very chic!

+ longevity. it doesn't smudge, or flakes during the day

that's really it :(

cons.

- smell. it's very strong sweet vanilla/coconut smell, which stays with you for the almost whole time of wearing it! I've never seen mascara which smelled like this, they usually have very chemical smell or no smell at all; I prefer mascaras with no smell, I'd rather smell my perfume then mascara ;) 

- the shape of the brush. it's slightly curved, but the end of it is cut straight, which makes t funny to apply mascara in the inner corners of eyes

- the effect. it doesn't really do anything spectacular apart of just darkening the lashes, no volume, lift, or length that would left you impressed

- removing. it's just a nightmare to remove this product. it's not waterproof and it does act like it a bit. it doesn't come off, micellar water which normally does the great job for me in removing mascaras and liners, can't dissolve this mascara and it flakes in million parts irritating eyes. brrrrr!!!

the final word:

I won't buy again, I won't recommend to anyone, I regret of buying it. Luckily it didn't cost me a fortune, I bough it on offer too. 

I will continue to use it because I hate wasting products (and it didn't irritate my eyes or cause allergy), but if you're looking or a mascara right now I'd rather get one from Bourjois (Volume Seconde are brilliant!), Maybelline or MaxFactor (Masterpiece Max or Clump Defy are my fav!).

Hope it helped and I will speak to you again soon!

Ciao Ciao!

SWATCH IT! My Lipstick Collection. NYX, Bourjois, Avon, Elf, Etude House, Model Co.

Hello!

Since we have winter knocking to our door I usually get more focused on lip products - from lip butters, masks, scrubs and balms to those more make-me-pretty products like lipsticks, stains, liners. 

I recently purchased few new products and I thought I'd do some swatches for those who are interested to buy some new lip products too! 

 Lipsticks I present here are my most favorite products, most used or carried with me just in case :)

NUDES

From top to bottom:

1. ELF Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose

As you can see it's very matte lip crayon/pencil, beautiful cool tone color, very vintage and perfect for winter, may be a little drying on lips, so you may want to use a lip balm on top of it

2. Avon Moisture Seduction in Silky Peach

The best moisturizing lipstick I've ever used, you can reapply many times and it doesn't look tacky or heavy on lips, more to the peachy warm tone

3. Model Co. Party Proof Matte Lipstick in Kitty

Very nice, moisturizing lippie in pretty nude, more to a cool pinkish tone, very light and perfect for a daytime

4. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm

Newest nude in my collection, pretty color, dries out to a total matte, a little bit drying on lips and unfortunately cracks on lips which makes it a bit uncomfortable to wear and not so nice looking, easy to reapply

5. Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Don't Pink of It

I'm a bit disappointed with this color, it dries out to a total matte, but also it sticks to a inner parts of lips and looks not very aesthetically, so you need to check few times a day to make sure it looks even. It doesn't dry out lips at all, which is great, and color is beautiful - cool tone muted pink.

6. Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Peach Club

My first lighter color from Velvet Edition and it's very vibrant lipstick, in contrast to my fair skin it seems to be more into red than orange/peach, but I guess it depends on your skin tone. As all lipsticks from this series it's great, stays on lips forever (not literally!) and does not dry it out.

Staying power: 

Here (above) you can see swatches again (left) and their staying power (right) after one wash with a hand soap and water. 

You can tell that ELF and both Bourjois lipsticks are pretty awesome as for nudes, stains your lips and stays on place until you remove them with a makeup remover/micellar water.

NYX, Model Co. and Avon lipsticks disappeared almost instantly after I rubbed them with soap and water.

REDS/PINKS

From top to bottom:

1. Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Ole Flamingo

My all time favorite lipstick! The color is incredible, unique and beautiful. I always get compliments when I wear it, it makes your smile whiter and your whole make up pop. It's vibrant pink color with a little bit of red undertones. 

2. Avon Moisture Seduction Lipstick in Plum Gorgeous

The best plum lipstick color I have, it's beautiful, deep and cool tone, very moisturizing like all lipsticks from his series. This particular color makes you feel glamorous and seductive, very feminine. Like Silky Peach (nude) it's easy to reapply. 

3. NYX Soft Matte Cream in Monte Carlo

Newest red in my collection, very pigmented, very matte as you can see in swatch, beautiful cool tone red. It's better then nude Stockholm in terms of drying on your lips, it doesn't crack or feel tacky, you basically forget that you have it on lips! Light texture but nice pigmentation. 

4. Bourjois Color Boost Glossy Finish Lipstick in Plum Russian

This lipstick claims to be waterproof, but as you'll see below it definitely isn't. It's comfortable on lips, very light and moisturizing, gives only a tint of color, not opaque look - which makes it good for a daytime. Unfortunately it doesn't dry and it smudges easily, so be aware of it, because it may transfer to whatever touches your lips.

5. Etude House Princess Etoinette Crystal Shine Lips in PPK005 (Pink)

I bought this lipstick because I loved the packaging... Yuup, I know. It's actually very nice pink raspberry color with purple sheen to it, but you can't see any glitter or tacky particles in it.  

It's nice, wearable lipstick, good for both day and night time. 

Staying power:

As you can see above staying power of most of those lipsticks is not very impressive. Picture on right shows my swatches after one wash with a hand soap and water. 

Only Bourjois Edition Velvet stayed in place and didn't loose much of its pigmentation, next is Etude House, but Avon, Bourjois (waterproof!) Color Boost and NYX unfortunately didn't last long. 

So yeah, these are lipsticks I use most, I don't wear them everyday, that's why some of them are pretty old in my collection, but they are my favorites.

I have many ELF lipsticks which are very nice but I don't wear them, I wish I could give them to someone, because I don't like to throw things away, but who wants to wear second hand lip product?! haha

I'm in search for a very deep purple color that stays on lips, doesn't crack and smudge. Any suggestions?

That's all for today. 

Stay warm.

BYE!

RECENT MAKEUP BUYS: Makeup Revolution, It's Skin, I Heart Makeup, Nivea

Hey!

I wanted to show you some recent makeup buys. It's not massive haul or anything but things I recently use, test, discovered.

1. It's Skin Babyface BB cream, 35ml SPF 36 PA ++

Details:

cute small squeezy bottle, reminds me of a paint tubes

light texture

slightly floral scented

porcelain color

swatches:

 straight from tube

 slightly blended

fully blended (can you see this glow!?)

I talked about this product before HERE, so if you want to know my opinion you're welcome to read :)

2. I Heart Makeup, Blushing Hearts, Triple Baked Blusher - Iced Hearts

 Details:

10g

color: Iced Hearts

ingredients: mica, talc, dimethicone, nylon12, magnesium aluminum silicate, methylparaben, propylparaben 

price: £4.99

available: Superdrug

swatches:

Swatch on it's own

 With classic Mary Lou Manizer (left)

This product apart from its ingredients list is a very good value for the price. 

Color: I chose Iced Hearts because I already own Mary Lou highlighter which has champagne/gold tone, and this one is more cool tone with silver and pinkish tones to it. 

Pigmentation: I think it's great, but not too strong. Comparing to Mary Lou it's more intensive, but you can't see any glitter or tacky finish. It's very nice highlighter and you only need a little touch to give your skin glow and healthy look. 

Staying power: It stays on your face whole day, I even touch the tip of my nose quite often (habit) and highlight is still present on it during the day. I didn't have to touch up at all.

Ingredients: Not very impressed with that point, but again it's a cheap product so I don't expect organic and natural ingredients in such products. I hate talc in cosmetics and avoid it as much as I can, it gives me dry patches and breaks me out slightly. But since it's a product that you apply on cheekbones mostly (I don't tend to breakout there) I'm not going to be fussy. Parabens are not my favorite things, but I avoid them in all my skincare so a little won't kill me!

Packaging: I think you all see now that I like cute packaging, but if it contains a good product too then I can call it a great buy :)

Overall rating: 4/5

I gave it a 4 not 5 because of the ingredients. Overall I like it and I'm happy to have two different highlighters now - I'm rather minimalist and I only buy what I need usually, I don't like to store million of products of the same purpose. Two highlighters are enough, 2 colors and 2 levels of pigmentation ;) 

3. Make Up Revolution Ultra Brow Arch & Shape - Medium

 double sided: right side brow pencil - left side tip liner 

 very thin tip liner for filling gaps where you don't have hair

swatches:

 top: tip liner lets you to draw thin lines and adjust intensity of it, good for light blondes like me

bottom: pencil, unfortunately it's way too dark for blondes, I don't use it, and I don't need to

Details:

brow tip liner 0.15g

brow kohl pencil 0.9g

color: Medium

dupe for: Soap&Glory Archery

price: £3.50

This product is a great dupe for Archery from Soap&Glory which costs £8 for similar amount of product! So far I like it, it's a great value for money even if one side is not useful for me. I love how quick and hassle free it made my brow routine, I'll repurchase.

Color: There is only 2 colors, dark and medium. Medium is good for me (light blonde), but only on the tip side where I can control the color intensity. The kohl is too dark.

Pigmentation: It's very good on both sides, you only need a little pressure to get nice and intensive color to fill up your brow. 

Staying power: On the tip side it's amazing! It stays in your brow without smudging or fading at all! I'm impressed, because it stays here even when you touch or rub your brows and looks very natural too. It requires some more attention during cleansing, micellar water and some face gel to remove it, but it doesn't bother me at all. I wish I had full brows even without makeup on ;)

On the pencil side I didn't try on my eyebrow but when you swatch on your hand you can easily remove it with a dry tissue, so I guess it's not very good. 

Packaging: I like it, it looks very similar to S&G products, nice black and gold sleek pencil, with good tops too, which hold well.

Overall rating: 4/5

I didn't give it 5 because I wish they did Light color for blondes, the pencil side is not useful due to its color, and also it's a bit too soft and doesn't stay in place for long. Considering the price it's worth to buy instead of S&G Archery if the color suits you, but you must know that you get only tiny amount of product (comparing to brow sets, pencils or powders).

4. Nivea Lip Butter - Raspberry Rose

I purchased this product lacking my all time favorite cherry lip butter from Carmex. I was in Superdrug looking for it, but cherry scent was already sold so I decided to reach for this Nivea Raspberry Rose butter for change. I couldn't open it to smell it, so I took it anyway, since it was rather cheap.

I absolutely love it!

Details:

16.7g

price: £2.09

scent: Raspberry rose (smells divine, for Polish readers it's exactly like the Raspberry Mamba fruit chews, which was very popular in Poland when I was little - memories ;)

ingredients: Cera Microcristallina, Paraffinum Liquidum, Polyglyceryl- 3 Diisostearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Aqua, Glycerin, Glyceryl Glucoside, Bht, Aroma, CI 77891, CI 15850

Texture & Smell: You already know I love smell of it, I also love its texture - it's like a raspberry soft butter, glides on lips and sinks very well. 

Effects: It rescued my lips from being chapped and constantly dry! It only took it 3 night to transform my lips into a soft and comfortable cushions ;) I only wear it overnight as a lip mask due to the packaging type, it's on my bedside table and it will stay there for longer, for sure. 

Packaging: It's very nice and cute little metal jar and I only don't like that it opens a bit difficult so that's the reason why I only left it for night treatment. It's also not very hygienic to put your dirty fingers into the lip butter during the day, I prefer lip balm sticks for a daytime use.

Ingredients: Shea Butter, Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil and Glycerine - what else would you ask for for your lips? ;) No nasties.

Overall rating: 5/5

I love it for what it did to my always dry lips. I finally can wear matte lipsticks and not feeling like I'm going to loose my lips forever. Brrr! 

Gorgeous stuff!

Thank you for reading!

What's your recent buys? 

Anything special for winter you usually buy about this time of the year? 

BYE!

Korean skincare/make up mini haul - NEW SKINCARE ROUTINE!

Hey!

As I mentioned in my previous post I've been waiting for a parcel from Korea. It took it 3 weeks to arrive, a loooong 3 weeks for me because after research and mental/imaginary preparation I couldn't wait for my new preciosas, and effect of using them!

So why I decided to try Korean brands? 

I tried some before, my love for their products started at some point when I first bought a Korean BB cream from Dr Jart in Boots. It was amazing, covered everything very well, looked like a second skin and all that jazz, but like Korean BB creams usually are, it was too dark for my very fair skin. 

Then I started to search for other Korean brand and I found the whole amazing and cute world of Korean brands - skincare and makeup wise!

I tried some more popular brands like Etude House (not a fan), Missha (I still can't decide if I like it or not), but never tried Korean skincare before. Every Korean beauty website show beautiful models with a babylike faces: porcelain, clear and glowy. Who doesn't want to own face like that?!

I decided to give it a go and find some skincare products that would heal my blemishes and inflammation on my cheeks, fade scars and even out my skin tone, clear my blackheads and closed comedones. Something more? Yes, hydration, and more precisely dehydration that is definitely my skin concern which I want to battle. It sounds like a special mission and it really is, my skin has never been so bad :(

Having this mission impossible to complete I did a research about skincare ingredients, and I read a thousand of reviews and beauty articles. I decided to give an AHAs a go. Finally I found an inexpensive, non complicated (in terms of ingredients) and very well reviewed product, which is COSRX Whitehead Power Liquid.

• AHA, you think what a hell is this? In a massive shortcut it's a one out of two type of chemical exfoliants. Yes, chemical! And no, it's not bad for your skin, it actually heals and helps your skin to clear itself. The second type is called BHA and is more known for battling a blackheads. Both exfoliate skin with two naturally occurred ingredients - glycolic acid (AHA) and salicylic acid (BHA).
  If you want to know more about chemical exfoliants I will advise you to read this article from Paula's website. 

Going back to my story. 

COSRX Whitehead Power Liquid is a light gel-like which you apply directly to your skin after cleansing at night, follow with your normal skincare products and go to sleep. In the morning you wake up to slightly better skin, and after a couple of weeks you should see a visible results - less closed whiteheads (those nasty, stubborn bumps!) and blemish scars. Your skin should be also less dry in dry areas and less congested. You use it 2-3 times a week, and you must use a UV filter cream the next morning after using it - it makes skin photosensitive.  

I only used it twice so far and I have high expectations. I'm going to use it every second day to give my skin some break, and I started to document my skin's ups and downs since I use it (hope for more ups!). I'll keep you all updated with the results!

BUY HERE.

The second thing to fight blemishes/scars and dryness of my face (I'm mostly suffer it on my forehead, cheeks and around my lips) that I purchased is COSRX Cantella Blemish Cream. I thought if I stick to one brand in my skincare I'd have better results or I'd avoid some ingredients to clash with others, if you know what I mean! 

So this cream is a special cream, you only apply it on places where you have some problems, like blemish, pimples, scars, dryness, uneven skin tone - funny but it's actually my whole face, so I use it at night for my whole face :) It's quite light cream, easy to apply, glides on the skin, but it takes some time to sinks in your skin and stays in your dry areas. That doesn't matter however, because it doesn't make any harm to those areas, I even feel that by staying there it heals it overnight!
I use it for few days now and I must say I'm pretty impressed - so far it helped my skin to combat very painful hormonal breakouts, it made my skin way less red on my cheeks, fought inflammation and reduced dryness of my cheeks a little. So far so good, I will continue to use it and see.

Like other COSRX products this one has very nice, short and friendly ingredients list - no nasties, only good stuff. It's based on Cantella Asiatica Leaf water. Read more and buy here.

After a long time of being a consumer of beauty products I finally decided to start using toner! Why? I think because I felt that my skin lacks of something straight after cleansing and shower. I thought I read and find the information what is toner actually for, and I found out that a good toner can moisture and balance your skin in addition to a face cream! Good toner means a skin friendly product, without parabens, alcohol, unnecessary stuff. I found one that seemed perfect in COSRX again. It's Cantella Water 100 Alcohol-free Toner. This very simple toner makes my skin quite...relaxed and calm. Yes, it feels luxurious and pampered just by spraying this water on my face. Strange, but true. It contains 150ml, and only one thing I don't like about this product is it's spray applicator - I think it's a waste of product, when I spray it on my eyes, hair and in the air. I will try to figure out better way of applying it. As well as Cantella Blemish Cream this toner is based on Cantella Asiatica (Gotu Kola) leaf water, which claims to have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Read more and buy here. 

Being mostly focused on getting my clear and healthy skin back for winter, I only purchased one make up product and one nail product this time. 

The make up that I needed was a new BB cream. I did research again and I also didn't want to spend too much on make up, so I decided to get something from It's Skin brand which looked quite professional and focused. Their Babyface range is just so cute that I couldn't resist to get something from it, especially that reviews were very positive and color seemed to be just perfect match for my porcelain skin. I risked, and spent this £5.75, thinking if it doesn't match my skin tone I won't cry. I bought Babyface BB cream in Moisture, the second type is Silky for more oily skin. I wanted to follow my skincare goal and help my skin to get more moisture for winter. 

Some details about product:

35ml

SPF 36 PA ++ UVA UVB protection

very light and soft cream texture

the lightest BB I've ever had from Korean brand - if Bourjois Healthy Mix 51 is too dark for you this BB cream will be good ;)

Moisture type, created to retain moisture in the skin and help with skin dryness

lightly scented - didn't irritate my sensitive skin
light texture yet very good coverage!

My first impression about this product is very mixed and I still try to find the way to get the most of its claimed moisturizing power. So far it only gave me nice and healthy look straight after application, and very bad effect after few hours of wearing it...

It's very strange, and I really want to love this product, but so far I have more negative attitude towards it. I don't want to reject it yet, I'll give it a go few times more using other powders (I used talc based powder, mineral powder, pressed and loose so far), other face creams and primers (Laura Mercier didn't work), and I also have to figure out if the state of my skin cause the problem or this BB cream is just not for me and my dehydrated complexion (but it supposed to moisture, isn't it?) :(
Will see how it goes, so far I'll continue to use it because believe me it covers very nice, looks great after application, makes your skin glow and it's just so cute.........
Buy here if you want to try yourself.

Finally the last product bought was Innisfree Eco Nail Color PRO from Samcheong-dong Street ;)
I purchased color Banana Pan Cake feeling the lack of nude colors in my nail varnish collection. It's nice, pretty, unique color. Brush is thin, but application is easy due to its light formula and nice color pigmentation - you need 2 coats but only for more intensive color.

I will definitely buy more colors from this range, Strong Espresso and From Samcheong-dong street are already on my list to buy next time :) BUY here.

Banana Pan Cake on my nails

That's it my lovelies! This is my recent Korean mini haul, if you're interested in any of those products and how they perform ask, comment, discuss, give me a shout :) here or on my Instagram (@cocoonheart).

I hope you enjoyed the post, let me know if you used any of the mentioned products and will speak to you soon!

Take care <3