Everyday Makeup Look + FOTD

Hellos! Just wanted to share my everyday makeup look. 

I worked in an IT company so as much as possible the lesser makeup the better =)

Products Used

Eyebrows

Canmake Shading Powder 01 (Danish Brown)

(excuse my untrimmed eyebrows)

                                                                        Eyes

Used Elf Natural Radiance Blush in Bronzed as eyeshadow

Etude House Proof 10 Auto Pencil (gray) for eyelining

Apply Benefit Eye Bright on tear line

Curl and apply Benefit They’re Real Mascara on Lashes

Face

Apply Shu Uemura Face Architect Smooth Fit Fluid Foundation on entire face

For scars and other blemishes cover it with Shu Uemura Pro Gel Cealer (7YR Light Warm Undertone)

Apply Elite Mineral Foundation in Natural (loose powder)

Contour using Elite Mineral Bronzer (Bronzer)

Apply Elite Mineral Blushes in Candy Girl on both cheeks

Dab small amount of Benefit High Beam on forehead, nose and chin (for glowy effect)

Lips:

Conceal lips with The Face Shop Phytogenic InfiniteConcealer Duo (NB21)

Apply Estee Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick (Pink Parfait) on middle part of lips

Let me know how do you think?

PS: I’ll be reviewing Elite Mineral’s products and Estee Lauder Lipstick palette soon!

Random Hauls + Reviews: Tony Moly, Kyoto Soap, Canmake, Etude House, Shu Uemura

Some products I’ve hauled over some time and now ready to provide reviews on each one of them.

(For more info on the products, just click on the product name)

1)      Tony Moly: Clear Water Lip and Eye Remover

My Reviews:

·         Able to remove make-up thoroughly

·         Skin felt super refreshing after used

·         Nice packaging, I love the way the bottle is designed .Simply place the cotton pad on top and push, voila the cotton is soaked with remover already (I’m so going to keep the container =)

Recommend & Buy Again?

·         Double Yes! Finally a water-based makeup remover that was able to remove all makeup thoroughly and skin felt super hydrated and clean. Suitable for all skintypes.

2)      Kyoto Premium Whitening Soap

I finished the entire bar before giving out my reviews:

·         Did NOT notice any whitening effect

·         Skin felt soft and smooth after every wash

·         Effectively remove all traces of makeup

·         Was able to remove excess oil and dirt and makes skin feel super clean

    Recommend & Buy Again?

·         I really do NOT recommend this as most drugstore soap can also provide similar results with a fraction of price. Would NOT buy again

3)      Etude House: Nymph Aura Volumer

·         Supposed to add radiance and dewy glow on skin

My Reviews:

·         Super sticky feeling; same feeling when you applied a Vaseline

·         Provide nice dewy glow on skin (but is sticky)

    Recommend & Buy Again?

·         Sorry, but double NO! The consistency is too sticky! It is really not ideal to apply this on face, even by mixing this with foundation, it is still too sticky!!! >_<

4)      Canmake: Shading Powder in 01 (Danish brown)

·         Aka Contouring Powder

My Reviews:

·         The shade is perfect for contouring; outcome is pretty natural

·         Coverage is matte

Recommend & Buy Again?

· Double Yes! Recommend to those who want to look thinner without the need to diet or exercise. Beginners might start using this as it’s really easy to contour using this shade.

5)      Shu Uemura: High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula

·  One step cleanser that removes all makeup thoroughly while moisturizing and calming the skin

My Reviews:

·  I really don’t think it can remove gel liners and mascara that thoroughly. I followed the steps mentioned in the box, but sadly there are still some liners and mascara fibers left on my eyes

·  This might not be suitable for oily skinned  because skin will feel a bit of a silky side after using

·  This cleanser makes my skin super soft and smooth after every wash

·  I noticed that my skin becomes more radiant and clear after every wash

Recommend & Buy Again?

·  No, because the price is just sky rocket high for just a makeup remover and it doesn’t even remove makeup that thoroughly. It really is not that practical to purchase such an expensive makeup remover that doesn’t even function well.

Shu Uemura: Face Architect Smoothing Fluid Foundation Review

I’ve been searching for a nice foundation that will suit my sensitive acne prone skin. I prefer it light weight but still has the coverage that could conceal acne/scars effectively. I’ve tried lots of BB creams but they just doesn’t do justice on my skin and the most thing I hate is it leaves white cast on my face which is really a No-no >_<

Finally, the search is finally over!! Cuz, I’ve found my Holy Grail Foundation:

 Shu Uemura: Face Architect Smoothing Fluid Foundation

What it claims?

·         Provides Smooth and Finish look

·         Buildable coverage

·         Allows foundation to sit naturally on the skin

My Reviews:

·         Able to even out skin tone perfectly

·         Definitely buildable, but will not look like you have piled a juke despite several coverage

·         Not able to conceal cystic acnes (concealers is still needed)

·         Provides a natural matte finish

·         Does NOT experience any allergies or discomfort, breakouts etc( I have sensitive acne prone and been using this foundie for straight 3 weeks)

·         No white cast or pale looking skin; just healthy natural skin finish

·         Does not clog pores

·         Might be a bit expensive but  I think this bottle could last me a long time

(Click for larger view)

Recommend & Buy Again?

·         Doubles Yes! I recommend to people who are sick of heavy foundation (your skin needs to breathe!) as this is really a light foundation but has the ability to even out skintone and doesn’t clog pores.

Review on Zamian Cacao Mask, Cleanser, Handmade soaps and EGF Cream

Today, I’ve come to review a Korean skincare brand called “Zamian” wherein it targets more on ACNE-PRONE skin.

1)      Zamian Premium Gold Cacao Pack (Magic Black Cacao Chocolate pack)

       What it claims: Kills Pimples and refine pores

        My Reviews:

·   Skin feel super soft and smooth after used

·   Smells like Hershey’s chocolate (indulge without the guilt lolz~!)

·   Didn’t encounter any discomfort/allergies (I have sensitive skin)

2)      Zamian Cacao Handmade Soap

What it claims: Remove excess oil and provide nourishing effect

 My Reviews:

·   Able to remove stubborn dirt but still locks in moisture

·   Smells like Cacao, super yummy!

·   Skin felt soft and smooth after wash

·   Didn’t encounter any discomfort/allergies (I have sensitive skin)

·   Melts really fast(be sure to store this in a DRY place)

3)      Zamian Camellia Handmade Soap

What it claims: Provide hydration and prevent aging of skin

         My Reviews:

·     Skin felt super duper smooth and soft after wash

·     Might not be able to remove dirt that thoroughly

·     Melts even faster than the Cacao soap! (be sure to store this in a DRY place)

4)      Zamian Clear Foam Cleansing

What it claims: Remove impurities and provide enough hydration to skin

         My Reviews:

·     Able to cleanse skin thoroughly (even makeups!)

·     Skin felt supple and hydrated

5)      Zamian Crystal Whitening Escargot EGF Cream

What it claims: Reduce acne scar, whitening and anti-wrinkle

My Reviews:

·         Might feel thick/sticky at first but once you continue massaging/blending, it totally absorbs into skin and feels nothing!

·         Keeps skin super hydrated and moisturize

·         Oily skinned can also use this as it is not oily or greasy.

·         Haven’t notice any lightening of scars or even whitening. Was not able to improve my existing wrinkles 

How I use these products?

If you have dry skin, you could just use the Gold Cacao Pack once or twice a week.

For normal/combination, recommended to use it thrice a week.

I have sensitive acne prone skin so I decided to use it every other day.

Daily Morning Routine:

Wash Face with Zamian Clear Foaming Wash

Wash Face with Zamian Camellia Handsoap

Apply appropriate amount of Zamian Escargot Super Aqua Cream

Daily Night Routine:

Wash Face with Zamian Cacao Handsoap

Apply Premium Cacao Gold Pack leave it dry for around 10-20minutes

Wash it off with Zamian Clear Foaming Wash

Wash Face with Zamian Camellia Handsoap

Apply liberal amount of Zamian Escargot Super Aqua Cream

Here are the Before&After Picture after using the Zamian products for around a month long:

Summarize Review on Zamian Products:

Does my skin improve?

àIt terms of clarity, I would say yes because I did notice that my skin has become more radiant and less “dull”

How about pimples/acne and scars, notice any reduction?

à It healed a few of my pimples but wasn’t able to clear them all.  In terms of existing scars, haven’t notice any lightening or reduction at all

How long does it take to entirely clear all blemishes and achieve a healthy skin?

àI used this regime for a month long and sad to say it doesn’t clear all my blemishes. 

Does it have any side effects? Or discomfort? during the usage?

àI don’t think there are any side effects as the ingredients are really simple such as coconut oil, cocoa etc. (click here for the list of ingredients) but please keep in mind that some people did experience allergies due to the ingredients.

àThe thing I don’t like is I did experience “purging” stage which is really annoying and stressful. The “purging” stage takes around 14days for me, ginormous cystic acnes kept popping out of nowhere(cheeks, uppers lips, chin).

Will you re-purchase? or Recommend?

àNah, I think I won’t buy again because the results are really not that amazing. Yes, it did make my skin feel soft/smooth but it was not able to completely heal all the acnes and my existing pimple scars are still there.

àI really won’t recommend this as it just didn’t help much at all >_<

My Conclusion:

You can’t really just relay on the mask/soaps and assume that those items would heal your acnes completely and achieve a 100% flawless complexion. In my opinion, I think a suitable spot on treatment (see below for a sample chart of spot on treatment), toner and preventive serum is still necessary so that the entire healing process would be more effective. I still follow the golden rule on treating skin problems which are: CLEANSE, TONE, TREAT, MOISTURIZE and PREVENT.

Ingredients	Brand	Personal Experience	Efficacy
Benzoyl peroxide	Panoxyl, Proactiv	Makes your skin dry, flake and reddish	Will notice improvement around 15-20days. Will peel off skin; NOT recommended for sensitive skin
Salicylic Acid	Clean&Clear Active Line, Garnier, Ponds, Murad, Dermalogica, VMV, Shiseido, Etude AC clinic, The Face Shop Acne Line	Makes skin itchy	Suitable for those with really mild acnes. Works great with teen acne
Tea Tree Oil	The Body Shop, Desert Essence	Sting badly and makes skin reddish	Nothing! I throw this away
Retinol	Philosophy	Did not experience any discomfort	Might take a longer period to see results. Works great on adult acne
Sulfur	Calmoseptine, Defensil, Mario Badescu	Smells bad! Super annoying smell. Might dries out skin	Works great with those suffering from mild to moderate acne
Beta/Alpha Hydroxy Acid aka Glycolic	Hada Labo, Neostrata, Murad Exfiolating Wash, Yoko, Celeteque	Migh experience slight sting	The best ingredient to fight against breakout and adult acne. Heals pimples as fast as 7days! My HG ingredient!
Hyaluronic Acid	Hada Labo, Eucerin, Zamian	Did not experience any discomfort	Not really that effective on healing pimples but able to lighten acne scars
Tretinoin	Maxi Peel	Sting badly, experience peeling, makes skin reddish, burn my skin	Might work for those with severe acne condition as this is quite extreme. Not suitable for sensitive and dry skin
Kojic Acid	Kojie San	Dries out skin	Not suitable for dry skin. Dries out pimples but not actually healing them

Tip: Always practice to check the ingredients and try googling up what the ingredients are, so that you’ll know how it would react into your skin

Disclaimer: Above chart is simply based on my personal experience. I am NOT an expert, I am only sharing my experience. Products with the same ingredients might works differently due to the amount/dosage (dilute or concentrate) they put in and other ingredients they have added/mixed on to the product.