And here goes a Chanel review to close the year 2009 Because admittedly, my addiction to anything Chanel goes even worse than ever!

Chanel Poudre Cristalline

Call me crazy. I was slightly undecided about this one, due to my perceived ‘too much shine’ finish; but a colleague apparently also have this and she said that it’s not shimmery, so I shouldn’t be afraid. She lent me hers, and unless my eyes played tricks on me, I found that hers is doesn’t have that tiny flecks my powder has @_@;;

And I tried to use hers on my face, this time because I’m not afraid of the microshimmers anymore, I use more powder than I usually do with my own tub. Yep, I love it instantly. No excessive glow at all.

So curiosity saves me. Now I’m back with my own tub, use more amount, and hell yeah! I think I was using too little previously, so the sunscreen shines badly. It the excessive glow was probably not caused by the microshimmers in this powder at all! Previously I thought the Chanel powder alone was too shimmery and I have to put an extra layer of matte powder (which I do, at noon, to touch up my makeup) to tone it down. I was soo wrong. Gahh I’m so ashamed that I almost locked a wonderful powder in the back of my drawer!

I guess because this product is silica-based, a little goes a real long mile, so very little amount can cover my whole face. Unfortunately, that little amount is not enough to tone down a shiny sunscreen. Moreover, at the previous review I was using the Banana Boat Sun Wear Faces SPF30, which is totally non-greasy but now I suspect that it’s shinier than my current sunscreen: Neutrogena Waterlight SPF50/PA+++. Never thought it’s possible since both finishes of nicely with the matte NARS Snow Loose Powder, but as the microshimmers of Chanel Poudre Cristalline brightens my face, slight additional shine underneath may contribute to the not so desirable finish.

Now with the right combination of base skincare/makeup and application, after I apply this to set my makeup, I immediately see the effect that I previously only in the afternoon after I touched up. Brightened skin, extra glow with visible shimmer chunks, soft focus effect, and heck, it even seems to diffuses my red acne marks! I love the effect more than my HG: NARS Snow Loose Powder.

Unfortunately I still have to give this stuff an imperfect rating of 4 out of 5. Blendability is admittedly worse than NARS, and at the price I’m paying I demand perfection from Chanel. But if I use a totally non-greasy sunscreen underneath, Chanel Poudre Cristalline goes on very well on my skin. And as far as the finish goes, it’s very true to its claim. Transparent, semi-matte, perfected look that epitomizes modern makeup

Skinfood Red Ginseng Firming Base

From The Box:
This makeup base contains Red Ginseng to moisture skin texture. This is very light and fluid with tightening effect that smoothes out wrinkles and tones down signs of tiredness. It has a very natural finish.

My Skin Type:
Actually very oily, but surpressed with BHA exfoliator. Results in generally ranging from very dry to normal/dry skin. Generally dehydrated, very sensitive, and acne prone.

My Skin Tone:
Some said I have very fair, Casper-ish complexion. Frankly speaking, that’s what you see in my FOTDs, but I personally think I look (much) darker in person than in those photos. Still, yes, I’m quite fair.

Bottomline: my skintone range is lighter than MAC NC/NW15 to NC/NW20.

I have neutral cool undertone.

Packaging:
Weird plastic bottle with pump. Weird because the pump doesn’t have a pipe! So I stored mine upside down.

Color Selection:
Only 1 color is available, and it’s very, very pale with pink undertone.

Texture:
It’s creamy out of the pump but once it comes in contact with skin it becomes rather fluid.

Coverage:
Totally adjustable. From sheer to medium; you can build it as you like.

Blendability:
No problem. It spreads well, but it dries down quite quickly so beware.

Finish:
Semi-matte. The pink undertone brightens my skin well. It’s has glow, but not overly so at all.

Oil Control/Lasting Power:
It seems to be pretty good on my t-zone. It doesn’t feel oily or heavy. Instead, it seems to bring down a bit of the oilies. A surprising feature, since I was thinking that this product is something marketed toward more mature skin (with its ‘firming’ claims etc).

My General Review:
I bought this just out of curiosity, because Skinfood has pretty packaging and their BB creams are not bad at all on my skin. And this product surpasses my so-so expectation!

At first I used this on its own. It comes out in a liquid-cream consistency, but melts into a liquid when it comes into contact with skin. I can build it up to cover my red post acne marks beautifully. The pink tone brightens my skin, gives me a satin glow too. Plus, it glides on smoothly on top of my pores, making it tighter. Perfect! The only thing is the color match. It’s sooo pale, it can look unnatural even on my fair skin! My younger brother gave me thumbs down on my makeup one day, because it’s unnaturally pale and pink.

So I tried to use it underneath a BB cream. I don’t know why but my mind said that this will pair beautifully with Skinfood Gingko Green BB cream. And yep, it does! It improves the BB cream in every way. It neutralizes the slight yellow tone on Gingko BB. The pore tightening effect also comes intact, making the Gingko BB looks better than ever. Ginseng base also imparts slight glow to the Gingko BB, giving the illusion of healthy skin. Yum. For all that effect, I only need a thin layer of Ginseng base.

Unfortunately, as a base, for me it doesn’t increase ease of BB cream/foundation blendability. On my hands when I tested it, I know that it smooths out my skin to some degree, but I prefer my base/primer to give extremely slippery silicone-y finish, and this one doesn’t.

Oh well, but I’ll accept that because my BB still glides on top of this (albeit not as nice as when I use super silicon-y primers). The end result is still great And I know for fact that some people doesn’t prefer slipper silicone-y finish

What Else You Need To Know:
I don’t know anything about the anti wrinkle and firming claim. I know for a fact though, that wrinkles can’t be cured totally with a topical product. Firming too, no topical ingredient can really firm your skin permanently.

So for me, personally, I’d dismiss those claims.

Application:
This seems to dry pretty fast on your face, so do it one section at a time, and you’ll be fine

Price:
Not too expensive, typical Skinfood product. I believe I got it at around IDR200,000 (~USD20)?

Availability:
It may still be available in local Skinfood stores, but last time I checked it already missing from the Singaporean web. Is it discontinued already?

Ingredients:
No full ingredient list, unfortunately Even if it’s there in the label, I wouldn’t have been able to read it since everything apart from the description is in Korean

I hope it doesn’t contain alcohol and such But I know for sure it contains fragrance though! It smells slightly like herbal.

Overall Rating:
4 out of 5. Brightens, gives pretty glow, and works very well on my huge pores. But color may be too pale for some people, and I prefer highly silicone-y primers.

BTW if you have uber pale, pink toned skin (like around NW5-10), I believe this will make a great foundation for you

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

While flipping through my album at MakeupAlley, I stumbled upon a couple of photos from my youth Goodness, they’re from when I was still in college! I thought I have lost the original copy….and these was the resized version, but as always complexion is the most important feature in any of my photos..so here they are. I thought they’ll help give you a glimpse to the finish of some of the reviewed product

DIY Tinted Moisturizer

Olay White Radiance Moisturizing Cream + MUFE Face & Body Liquid Foundation (mixed to create my personal TM).
T.LeClerc Loose Powder in Nacre.
TBS Cheek Colour #4 Golden Pink.

MAC Select Moistureblend + MUFE Super Matte LP

MAC Select Moistureblend in NC15.
MUFE Super Matte LP in Pink.
TBS Cheek Colour #1 Blush Pink.
Anna Sui Super Long Lash Mascara in Black.

Will review MAC Select Moistureblend and Tinted Moisturizer DIY How-To soon!

The Body Shop Aloe Soothing Moisture Lotion SPF15

From www.thebodyshop-usa.com:

Best if you want to: Protect and soothe your sensitive skin from the sun with a gentle, easily absorbed, non-greasy lotion that has SPF 15.

How it works:

• Community Trade aloe vera hydrates and calms sensitive skin.
• A medium level of broad spectrum UVA and UVB sun protectors guard skin against the damaging rays of the sun.
• Community Trade sesame seed oil and natural oat extract moisturize, minimize the signs of sensitive skin and provide antioxidant protection, leaving skin soft, supple and protected.

My Skin Type:
Actually very oily, but surpressed with BHA exfoliator. Results in generally ranging from very dry to normal/combo skin. Generally dehydrated, very sensitive, and acne prone.

Packaging:
Small, opaque plastic tube with flip-top cap. Very convenient. And here’s the big plus: once I emptied the tube, I can return it to TBS for them to recycle. Neato!

Texture:
Standard lotion. Not too thin, not too thick.

Sun Protection Level:
This product uses Avobenzone as its UVA filter, so protection is broad. With other filters combined, this product covers all harmful UVA and UVB.

TBS Aloe Soothing Moisture Lotion SPF15 Protection Spectrum

For those of you concerned with Avobenzone stability: well, this product contains Octocrylene. We don’t know about the exact percentage, but it preceeds Avobenzone so I assume it’s there in higher concentration compared to Avobenzone. Better to stabilize it, don’t you think?

But exactly because of the unknown percentage, I don’t know how high the UVA protection is. I’ll play safe and assume that it’s UVA protection is rather low.

My General Review:
I waited until I finished my tube before I review it…because I didn’t really love it. I bought this because I read the ingredient list online and was instantly attracted. This all-chemical filter SPF moisturizer seems neat; it doesn’t contain fragrance and preservatives. Instead it incorporate Aloe and some humectant like Glycerin and Sorbitol. It’s not water resistant, so I reckon it’ll be suitable for weekend use at home; when I have nothing to do aside from browsing the Internet behind my walls, thick curtains, and UV-filtering window film.

I assumed due to the SPF15, the protection of both UVA and UVB will only be low. Therefore, I went on to guess that the texture would be relatively light. Imagine how surprised I am to find that it managed to sucks the moisture of my skin, yet feels rather sticky. Paula’s Choice Essential Non-Greasy SPF15 is certainly more elegant compared to this. The TBS Aloe SPF15 actually make me feel suffocated!

Now, of course I wore my sunscreen liberally, but the feeling if too much for SPF15. Even LRP Hydraphase SPF15 PPD12 is much lighter in feeling.

Despite the tackiness of TBS Aloe SPF15, when I wash my face in the evening, my skin would always looked and felt dehydrated. It looked rough, dry, and overall not happy. Go figure!

In the end I decided to use this product on my neck. And hands, sometimes.

What Else You Need To Know:
The Body Shop® difference: Our aloe comes from our Community Trade partners, the Gustatoya Farmers in Guatemala. Part of the income from this fair trade provides children in 200 schools with high-quality visual materials. Ruben Antonio Valdez, an aloe farmer and member of the Friends of the Schools committee, believes Community Trade is not only improving his family life, but a whole generation of children: “The biggest difference is that I am able to receive income and put my children through school. I am also proud of the fact that profits are being reinvested in our children.”

Application:
I always wear my antioxidant serum day and night, which is even more important considering the fact that this product doesn’t contain any. Since it’s not hydrating enough on its own, I usually apply my usual day moisturizer before I proceed with this stuff.

Availability:
TBS is pretty widespread here in Indonesia, I think every major mall have it. You can buy it from their stores.

Price:
IDR159,000 for 50ml. Pretty expensive, and Paula’s Choice do offer chemical-based SPF15 which is (although its stability can be disputed by some).

It’s retailed for $18 in US.

Ingredients:
Aloe barbadensis, Glycerin, Octyl Methoxycinnamate, Octocrylene, Butylene Glycol, Cyclomethicone, Sorbitol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Myristyl Myristate, Sesamum indicum, Butyrospermum parkii, Panthenol, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Bisabolol, Disodium EDTA, Pentylene Glycol, Avena sativa, Sodium Hydroxide, Aqua.

Overall Rating:
3 out of 5. Supposed to be stable, yet rather expensive and not elegant. I’ll need to contemplate on whether I’ll repurchase or not.

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

MUFE Face&Body Liquid

From Sephora:
The secret is all in this top-selling formula. This waterproof, ultra-light, water-based gel contains no emulsifiers and provides a totally natural, satin finish. Ideal for normal skin-types as well as for fine lines and large pores. Gives skin a uniform tone without accentuating imperfections. A makeup artist’s favorite.

My Skin Type:
Actually very oily, but surpressed with BHA exfoliator. Results in generally ranging from very dry to normal/combo skin. Generally dehydrated, very sensitive, and acne prone.

My Skin Tone:
Some said I have very fair, Casper-ish complexion. Frankly speaking, that’s what you see in my FOTDs, but I personally think I look (much) darker in person than in those photos. Still, yes, I’m quite fair.

Bottomline: my skintone range is lighter than MAC NC/NW15 to NC/NW20.

I have neutral cool undertone.

Packaging:
See through glass bottle with black plastic cap. The opening of the bottle is wide, so some may have trouble dispensing right amount. The glass bottle may not be suitable for travel.

Color Selection:
Like most MUFE products, color selection is huge. When I bought this years ago, #20 is the lightest color, but now they’ve introduced even paler selections: #36 and #38.

When I finish my #20 bottle, I think I’ll upgrade to #36 or #38 if necessary.

Texture:
Fun gel-liquid type.

Coverage:
Sheer, but seriously, you can build it up to Medium coverage.

Blendability:
Good! The gel-liquid texture is very easily blended.

Application:
Application tool is very important with this foundation. I don’t know why but different tool can bring huge difference in the end result.

My favorite tool for this foundation is my Lancome Foundation Brush. It works fine with fingers and sponge, but with a traditional foundation brush, I can really built the coverage and refine my pores.

Finish:
Semi-matte.

Oil Control:
I’d say so-so. When I have oilier t-zone, I have to wear lighter moisturizer underneath.

My General Review:
My first ever high end foundation. I bought this wayy back, in my college years And up until now, amidst all other foundations I’m trying, I still come back to it! So that says something

I bought this since I was tired of drugstores and mid-level foundations not giving me the finish I wanted. I told you that I used to have terrible acne in my young days, so I’m kinda obsessed with flawless skin; even until now At first this stuff is not at all amazing. I tried applying it with fingers and sponge. The result was good, but nothing too good. But wait! I sometimes get compliments like “you look rested”. Or “your skin looks even better today!”. Now that says something for my dull face.

Then I experiment with Lancome Foundation Brush, for a family dinner. Oh. My. Goodness. The result is impeccable. The more I blend, the higher the coverage is. And because the color is neutral, the I didn’t look jaundiced even with the medium+ coverage. Plus, my pores literally erased. My face looked airbrushed. No joke, I think the skin is magazine worthy, without all the Photoshop retouch. The finish is so good I dare not to powder it. It’s best on its own. It’s the first time I go out without setting my face with a dusting of powder.

Subsequent experiments found that I can’t achieve same result everytime. But if my skin is well-rested, not stressed out, well moisturized, and the foundation is applied with a Foundation Brush, I can re-create the flawless look once again. And by flawless, I mean flawless. Not just covering, it’s also refining. It gives the illusion of perfect, healthy skin. The best a foundation has ever give me. I don’t know why night only though. Maybe my skin is more relaxed, maybe the temperature has gone down so my skin doesn’t have to battle with UV rays? Probably. Strange but true!

On mornings, when I apply my makeup in a rush, plus the sunscreens I use may interfere with makeup, I can’t get the best result with this stuff. But still, I can adjust the coverage from sheer to light, it doesn’t oxidize, and it refines the texture of my skin. Everytime I use it to work, I never feel it’s very good, but again….sometimes compliments come when I use this foundation. Guess it works after all!

Regarding the skin type, I think this stuff is true to its claim. It’s most appropriate to Normal skin. By experience, Combinational skin; slightly oily, slightly dry skin, can tolerate this product also. There are also some success stories from oilier skin, yet dehydrated in the surface. Not for super oily skin, or excessively dry skin though. I can look like prunes when I have very dry skin and force my skin to take it.

One last thing, this stuff claims to be waterproof. It doesn’t slide if I perspire and all, but it’s easily removed with a good cleansing milk or cleansing oil It’s quite hassle free.

What Else You Need To Know:
Tip from Dany Sanz, the founder of MUFE: “This foundation is also formulated for the body. Apply a fine layer, let dry three minutes, then blot the excess with a tissue before getting dressed.”

BTW, on my day face, MUFE F&B gives very similar finish to the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF15. Both have broad color selection, but Bobbi gives you SPF. So it has slight edge for day activities, given that it reinforces my sunscreen underneath. And Bobbi is fragrance-free.

So from the comparison above, maybe it’s best for me if I save MUFE F&B for night, and use BB Skin Foundation for day? But yeah, MUFE F&B is much more cost effective.

Price:
I don’t remember the exact price. It’s around IDR300,000 though. Sephora retails this at USD32.

For 50ml of high end foundation, that’s not exactly absurdly expensive.

Availability:
Easily accessible in department stores that carry MUFE line, like SOGO or Debenhams. MUFE also has exclusive boutiques at Plaza Indonesia and Dharmawangsa.

Ingredients:
Water, Mineral Oil, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Magnesium Myristate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance.

May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides.

Overall Rating:
5 out of 5. This product is old, but it has the potential. I always have it in my arsenal.

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF55

This is an update to my previous review of Dry Touch SPF55. While I still stand firm on my comment that it sucks for my face, I finally found a place where it works so damn well.

Nope, not my neck, but my body. Hands…legs….any UV exposed body parts. Don’t be shy, you must rub it in. It may leave small white flakes, but on me it doesn’t ball up. Any streaks are easily smoothed with fingers. It’s thick, but it sinks quite quickly and immediately leaves velvety smooth texture. Unlike most high protection sunscreen!

And speaking about protection…this stuff is supposed to be both stable and broad spectrum.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF55 -- Protection Range

I also read in MakeupAlley that its estimated PPD is 19….if so than I think it’s great for daily use! Plus, it’s water resistant, so it should help up against little perspiration. Although I’ll still need to reapply, at least it makes me feel safer.

Anyway, I’m bumping it up to 4 out of 5. Pretty high, water resistant UV protection with velvety texture. I think this is almost everything I could ask in a body sunscreen. The only thing is it lacks any antioxidants, which are very important in a sunscreen. Guess I must wear an elegant body lotion underneath. Oh well.

Clinique Total Turnaround Visible Skin Renewer

From www.clinique.com:

This skin-renewing cream instantly reveals newer, brighter, livelier skin. Light exfoliating cream keeps skin at its best: softer, smoother, more even-toned, visibly less lined. Over time strengthens skin for its healthiest look.

• Skin Types: 1 – Very Dry to Dry, 2 – Dry Combination
• Concern: Dullness

My Skin Type:
Actually very oily, but surpressed with BHA exfoliator. Results in generally ranging from very dry to normal/dry skin. Generally dehydrated, very sensitive, and acne prone.

Packaging:
Pretty bluish jar. But it’s not hygienic, and it won’t help preserve the precious antioxidants inside.

Texture:
Light cream, kinda fluffy. Due to the silicone, it’s very easy to be blended. You’ll only need a little to cover your whole face. It sinks easily leaving velvety surface, so stickiness whatsoever.

My General Review:
My first ever HG product. Ever. How rare is it that a product really delivers 100% of its description and claims?

To get a grasp on how well this product works for me, we must get back to the past. When I was a high school teenager. I started to get a really bad acne when I was nearing 17. And I mean bad.

I always have a cloud of huge, angry acne on my face, esp. on forehead. I have a lot of red scarring all over. Not to mention, zits and blackheads and whiteheads. Super oily face, the type that needs a couple of blotting sheets every 2 hours.

Entered dermatologist-prescribed topical medication. It controlled the acne to some extent, but not completely. Then it makes the acne and scars flake. So, in the end I have active acne in several parts of my face, red acne scarring and grayish flakes all over. Plus, some zits and bumps too. And excessive oiliness.

Got the picture? It resembled monster skin. My own elder brother told me that. Pretty.

I seemed to have tried anything available in the drugstore. From Nivea to L’Oreal… And of course the medical approach. My derm loved to give me some exfoliating concoction. And then I got a goodie bag from Clinique at my school event, and read about their exfoliation philosophy. Out of frustration, I grabbed my mom’s Clinique TTA sample jar.

Since then, magic happened.

From the very first usage, I woke up with brighter skin. Ever since I used TTA, I don’t get new breakouts except a couple of manageable ones at that time of the month. Volcanic acne are healing. The flakes gone. Red scars are slowly fading. Oilies cut down significantly. Blackheads gone. Even crazier: it plumped up my laugh lines. Not completely erasing it, but it’s much less visible since I used TTA. And it does so at a minimum irritation level. I see no flakes after I wash my face in the morning, so it’s easy to put on makeup. My skin is not red at all, it’s looks normal.

6 months later my skin are already pretty good. A year after usage, people started to compliment me. They said that I have real good skin I don’t take a lot of pictures of myself, but there are a couple of close-up FOTD here. Even though I don’t have perfect skin (and I doubt I’ll ever be), you can see that right now my skin doesn’t exactly resemble the awful acne-ridden teenager descriptions above.

So really…I can’t sing enough praises for this product. It saves my life. Literally.

The only problem is, over the long run, TTA seriously dry my skin out.

I started with 2 times a day, when I was a teenager. Then after quite some time it made my skin uber tight; with no moisturizer strong enough to cure it. So I cut it down to once a day (at night). The latest recipe for me is once in two days.

At the moment I no longer use Clinique TTA. I’ve switched to Paula’s Choice because they seem to have an exfoliating product with a proper base for my skin condition at the moment. But I never have a moment of doubt; Clinique TTA is a great product.

What Else You Need To Know:
I learned more about skincare, and I found out that Clinique TTA is actually a BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) exfoliator. And since then, I knew that my skin is very receptive to BHA, thank God. BHA really controls my acne and oil problem effectively; so much that my skin type at a moment actually depends on how much BHA I use at that time.

Furthermore, Clinique TTA is not just a BHA product. It’s a well formulated BHA. I don’t know the precise number but it should have a pH low enough to make the BHA works effectively, yet gentle enough to be used at home. It’s also loaded with antioxidants, cell-communicating ingredients, and a bit of moisturizer. Very elegantly formulated.

The only trouble is, the jar packaging. Won’t help retain the light-and-air sensitive ingredients in there

Application:
According to Clinique’s web, here’s the application how-to:

• Apply once a day after your 3-Step Skin Care System, avoiding eye area.
• Follow with a supplemental moisturizer if needed.
• For optimal results, use with Turnaround Instant Facial or Turnaround Radiance Peel Once-A-Week System.

But exfoliator is personal. Someone may need to use more often, some people will only need it twice a week. Me, for example, use it twice a day for starter. Then once a day (at night). Then 3 times a week.

The key is, experiment. Start with maybe once a day at night, then adjust if necessary. If your skin becomes too tight, decrease the usage. Unless, of course, your skin becomes dry but your acne still sprouting. If the condition persists, that may indicates that the exfoliator is not for you.

And don’t forget to apply sunscreen in the A.M.! Exfoliator gets rid of the dead cells, but the bad news is that it exposes your skin more to the UV. So if you skip sunscreen, more UV damage can happen to your new, beautiful skin.

Availability:
This product has long been discontinued in Asia. I know Australia and US still carry it though. I used to get this as an year end gift from by elder bro in US

Price:
US$36 for 50ml. Sounds rather expensive but it lasts real long time. Depending on my frequency of use, a jar may lasts for more than a year.

Heck, even the small sample jar lasted me a month with twice daily usage.

Ingredients:
water\aqua, dimethicone, isododecane, butylene glycol, polysilicone-11, squalane, peg-8, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer, triticum vulgare (wheat) germ extract, phospholipids, hordeum vulgare (barley) extract\extrait d’orge, salvia officinalis (sage) leaf, palmitoyl oligopeptide, sodium hyaluronate, acetyl glucosamine, caffeine, tocopheryl acetate, cholesterol/potassium sulfate, linoleic acid, arginine, salicylic acid, cholesterol, peg-9 dimethicone, glyceryl polymethacrylate, nylon-12, isohexadecane, silica, acrylamide/sodium acryloyldimethyltaurate copolymer, polysorbate 20, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, mica, titanium dioxide

Overall Rating:
5 out of 5. Anyone battling acne or blackheads should try this!

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

MAC Cleanse Off Oil

Just a quick update of my previous review of MAC Cleanse Off Oil At that time my skin was too dry for this product, but now my skin has bounced back to normal/combination and this cleansing oil is great It’s efficient: cleanses well quickly without any greasy residue or overly tight skin. It deserves 5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended if you have normal/combination to oily skin!

Anna Sui Moisturizing Powder Foundation SPF12/PA++

Lately, there has been lots of traffic on my previous review of Anna Sui Moisturizing Powder Foundation SPF12/PA++, so I just want to let you know that I’ve tried it again with more satisfactory result. Finally!

I tried it on a casual family hangout one evening, so I didn’t need to wear a sunscreen. I used a moisturizer that sinks right in, leaving a drier surface. And yes, finally this stuff could be blended. The coverage is huge. Slightly too powdery, and it was almost masky; but I not so much that I’ll complain. Because I was hoping once my natural moisture blended in, it will look more like perfect skin.

The problem was, even though I used it when I was dry, the coverage wore off pretty quickly, leaving my complexion rather blotchy red, again. Still better compared to my naked skin, but it didn’t meet my expectation.

Nevertheless, bumping this up to 3 out of 5. If you have pale to medium toned dry skin and looking for practical powder foundation, try it if you have the chance. However, this product has been formulated for Fall 2009, and I heard the new one has higher SPF with lesser coverage.

I want to try the new one, but my skin is currently more to normal/combination. Not sure if the newer version (which is still quite moisturizing, I heard) can held up well in this hot and humid tropical country.

This is my FOTD when I joined the supporters for my division’s Volley team. This look is not exactly ‘..in Stila’, honestly But I like the sound….and hey! Even Laker Girls are wearing Stila!

Like always, my daily look is super quick and simple. Almost effortless. I only look to brighten my overall face so I wouldn’t look like a walking zombie Overall the look only took me around 10-15 minutes in the making.

Supportin' In Stila

Face:

Skinfood Mushroom BB Cream SPF20/PA+.
Applied with fingers in short strokes motion, and then buffed with a The Face Shop foundation sponge.

NARS Loose Powder in Snow.
Pressed down with a The Face Shop flocking puff.

MUFE HD Loose Powder.
As a finishing touch. Pressed down with The Face Shop flocking puff, then buffed with Everyday Minerals Long Handled Kabuki.

Skinfood Apple White Sun Pact SPF25/PA++.
Used to touch up the makeup and replenish SPF protection throughout the day. Applied with The Face Shop foundation sponge.

Eyes:

Stila x CanCam 10th Anniversary Palette.
Medium cool pink all over the lids. Chocolate in crease, blended upward. Pale champage under the browbone. All applied with ELF Eyeshadow Brush.

MUFE Aqua Eyes in 2L.
It’s a bronzey brown color. Lined the upper lash line with it, and dotted it on the outer half of the lower rim for very subtle definition.

Stila Eyebrow Sets in Medium.
Applied with MAC #208 Angled Brow Brush.

Cheek:

NARS Angelika.
Applied with Everyday Minerals Flat Top Kabuki.

Lips:

I think I ate all the Stila Lip Glaze Stick in Plum My lips are already bare in the pic.