Review and FOTD: Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush in Blossom

Hauling... there are just some days that you feel like nothing but to haul.

Okie, here's my most recent cosmetic hauling, a very small but quality haul. : )

I present Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush in No. 5 Blossom.

                                Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush in Blossom, 7g or 0.24oz.

                                                         Light Glow in No. 5 Blossom.

                                                  The iconic design, velvet-like pouch.

                                The details that the people at Burberry pays attention to.... : )

                                                                       Just Gorgeous.

                                                                 A Close look at the blush.

      The brush that comes with the blusher is not too bad, good if you are touching up outside.

                                                 One gentle swipe with my MAC129.

               After a whole day's work (8 to 9 hours later), i used 1 swipe on each side of the cheek.

Note:I usually go for the neutral and "try to have good complexion" kind of look as my company would not take certain look too well.

                                           The troop of makeup that i use in the morning.

The bases (L-R): RMK Pressed Powder in 04, RMK Smoothing Polished Base, RMK Liquid Foundation in 104 and Creamy Makeup base in 02.

Stila Eyeshadow Palette (forgot the name, it's a neutral palette), Clinique Lash Power Mascara in Black Onyx, The Bodyshop Brow & Liner Kit in 02 and Maquillage.

                        Highlighter: Chanel Empreinte de Chanel (used on top of the cheeks sparingly).

L-R: MAC 219, MAC 217, The Bodyshop Liner Brush, Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush and MAC 129.

Well... well... well, i have heard so much rave about the quality of Burberry's makeup line and so now here's my humble take on the Blusher (the one item that interest me most, and the liquid foundation would come a close second).

Packaging is something that Burberry did very well in this aspect, the cloth cover and the metallic casing with the house's signature design simply ooze high-end, especially the lid is held closed with magnetic strip.

In terms of texture, the blusher is extremely soft and well...... buttery. It makes the picking up of powder a breeze, a very gentle swipe of my brush and what i get is well enough for 1 application. Impressive.What's more, the plaid design does not disappear that easily, i have been using it almost everyday (except my off-work days), it is still very much intact.

Colour payoff is something i would be quite concern about, considering that i am rather tan and most blushers would not show up that nicely on me. I realised my worries were actually unfound. The pigmentation of this blush is WOW. The very first swipe impart a healthy pinkish coral on my cheeks, it has a certain transparency that looks as if it is in my cheeks, not sitting on top of it. Intensity can be built up very easily, yet one does not have to be overly cautious as i do need to be with NARS blushers (yes, i am talking about my beloved Taj Mahal). Again, impressed.

Now, lasting power..... i have oily combination skin. In our tropical hot and humid weather, i would not expect the blush to wear as well on me as our foreign counterparts. I get about 5 to 6 hours of decent wear and by the time i reached home to take a snapshot of my face which is about 9 hours later (apologies of the half face photoshot, i swiped a cotton pad full of makeup cleanser before realising i have not taken a photohot yet). A hint of the colour remains, not too bad. I guess it will stay on better and longer on other skin types.

Overall, i really like how easy it is to wear the blush and the quality of it wow me. At this stage i am very much eager to try another blusher of theirs and probably their liquid foundation too.

So, yah i like it.

Priced at S$61.00 for 7g or 0.24oz, made in Italy. Available at Tangs Orchard.

Note: The Singapore pricing is quite comparable with the US pricing, so it is not necessary to ask friends to haul this for you overseas. Though i do find overseas GWP more generously than Singapore.

Haul and Review: Spoilts from Guerlain and Paul and Joe

This can be considered my first makeup haul of the year and i am proud of myself for being able to resist the temptations for that long, plus i am very happy with my purchases as well.

My most recent haul- Mainly Paul and Joe items and 1 Guerlain.

Paul and Joe makeup items- 3 eyeshadows and 1 blusher. 

 Paul and Joe- Toner and Cleansing Milk.

As we all know, Paul and Joe has pulled out of Singapore since end March, it's a shame that beauty brands are moving out due to the lack of critical mass (demand) to support their presence (we saw IPSA moving out previously and now Paul and Joe, one can't help but ponder who's next?)

So, i took this chance to try out more of their skincare products that i am new to (reviews coming but not so soon), i will be quite sad if i were to like them enough to want to repurchase them afterwards.

 Paul and Joe Nail care oil.

 List of Ingredients.

 The bottle of Nail care oil- in signature Paul and Joe nail polish bottle.

The Nail care oil is packaged in the signature P&J nail polish bottle with the orange flower motiff, it has a pleasant scent and the texture of the oil is actually thicker than what i am used to using (OPI's Avoplex nail and cuticle replenishing oil), furthermore it felt a little sticky to me.

I will go back to it and see if it will grow on me as time passes by, though i doubt so.

 Paul and Joe Face Color- Blusher.

 List of ingredients.

 The pretty packaging that caught my eyes.

 2 tone blusher in 18.

 Left to right: More berry rose pink and light pink.

 Paul and Joe Face Color #18.

This would be my 2nd P&J face color, i would say the coloring of this blusher is actually a little out of my safe zone, it leans more in the favour of fair and cool toned beauties (see the swatches below) but i am giving it a shot as it seems to be quite usable if i use it with care (i am thinking of using it with MAC's 187 Duo fibre brush which seems to work when i am using more pigmented blushers). The texure of the blusher is soft and pigmentation is not a problem, it does not contain any shimmer. I like a variety and this is a nice addition to my collection if i may say so.

 Paul and Joe Eyeshadow singles.

I have walked pass P&J's counter countless times, yet i never felt drawn to their eye colors (i wonder why myself too.... perhaps its too sweet and cute, i felt out of place?). This could very well be one of the those last chances that i can lay my hands on them and i am so glad i did this time round. I was pleasantly surprised by their buttery soft formula and that it glides on the skin beautifully.

Pigmentation is very decent, not the most intense i have encountered but nice overall, though #03 gold is a little less pigmented compared to the other 2. I think this is the revamped range of eyeshadows, if i recall correctly the previous eyeshadows are larger in the pan.

I have picked "safe" colors (those that are tried and tested to work on me) and i am glad i did as i can am already reaching out for them everyday for almost a week).

Each eye color contains 1.1g/ 0.03 oz of product which is slightly lesser than MAC's (1.3g). In terms of pricing, P&J's is S$25.00 while MAC's is S$28.00 ( ? ). P&J's is a wee more expensive that MAC's probably by only a few cents.

In this instance, i am really sad to see P&J pulling out of Singapore.

 Light pink beige with subtle pearlescent shine.

 Paul and Joe Eyeshadow single in #11.

 Pearlescent gold without the glitter chunks.

 Paul and Joe Eyeshadow single in #03.

 Warm toned medium brown with a hint of shimmer.

 Paul and Joe Eyeshadow single in #17.

 Swatches L-R: Paul and Joe face color in #18, self select eye color in #03, #11 and #17.

 A closer look at the Eyeshadow singles or eye colors.

 Guerlain Ecrin 4 couleurs Eyeshadow palette.

Guerlain..... Guerlain...... I can't help but to be drawn to you everytime.

This time, i behaved myself and only gotten myself 1 eyeshadow palette from Guerlain, yes! Its from the Holiday Collection last year.

Sleek and luxurious packaging, gorgeous colors.... nothing less is to be expected from this high-end makeup brand.

It is no surprise that i am very much captivated by this palette, first of all the packaging...... it is a improved packaging if you asked me. The large pan surface meant that one can sweep her brush over each color more easily.

While the colors are not terribly unique (except perhaps the aqua turquoise above the navy blue), there are dupes available for the other colors elsewhere. But what sealed the deal for me is the PIGMENTATION!

They are INTENSE!!! Totally love the color payoff.

 #10, Les Ombres De Nuit (Limited Edition from Guerlain's 2011 Holiday Collection).

 The sleek packaging.

 Contains a total of 7.2g/0.25 oz of product.

 A closer look at the palette.

 Swatches L-R: A Shimmery Grayish Silver, a Light Aqua Turquoise, a Rich Blue (reminds me of OPI's You yoga-ta get this blue but less intense), a matte black (the only matte color in the palette).

All in all, a great haul for this year!



Review: RMK Sheer Powder Cheek Blush in EX-02

This has to be the most expensive blushing beauty i ever had in my stash to date..... and who am i refering to?

My splurge item from my latest haul - RMK's Sheer Powder Cheek blush in EX-02 from the Dusty Bright Colours Collection.

There are 3 limited edition blusher shades in the collection, namely EX-01 Beige Pink, EX-02 Orange and EX-03 Rose Brown, i am not really into Pink and Plum like blushers, EX-02 Orange caught my eyes instantly even from a distant.

Although it caught my eye instantly, the decision to purchase it was not an impulse, it was in fact after having tried it on and some careful swatching plus examining that i finally decided to snag one home.

Why?

For the reason that it seems to resemble NARS's Taj Mahal which i already owned and love to the bits.... and partly due to the shimmer that i see in the pan (i have visible pores and so shimmer on the pores is not such a good idea), and most importantly the price tag of the blusher... if it wasn't for the discount i would not have bought it to be honest.

It was a tough decision to make, a decision that i am glad i made the correct one- i brought it home with me.

 The highly reflective surface and huge fingerprints magnet.

EX-03 Orange-2.0g.

 A closer look.

The brush applicator that comes with it.

Rather soft and of better quality than the average ones you get.

Swatches L-R: heavy swatch and blended nicely.

 NARS Taj Mahal.

 Taj Mahal- 4.8g.

 Taj Mahal Blusher.

Swatches Top to Bottom: NARS's Taj Mahal and RMK's EX-02 Orange.

I do not like the packaging of the RMK's EX-02. Imagine after having applied your primer, foundation, eyeshadows and whatnots, my fingers would not be as clean as i hope they would be and these are the same fingers i use to pry open the casing to get to the product. Yes, of course you will see all my fingerprints on the cover, fingerprints so complete that CSIs would be overjoyed to collect them. Plus, its plastic .... i have nothing against plastic just that if i am paying at the price point of S$65.00 for a mere 2.0g of product, please give me something of better quality (sturdier and no fingerprints magnet please).

In terms of texture, i would say RMK's EX-02 is really very soft, to the extend that its too soft to be powder. The softest textured blusher i have in my stash currently. I am very happy with the pigmentation and the result of the application... my worries of having excessive shimmer showing in my big pores were unfound as true to the claim of the Beauty advisor, the shimmer is there to make the blusher stands out and will not be noticeable.

EX-02 looks good on my tan skin (i am a RMK 104, MAC 35 or 37 if i recall correctly), a little goes a long way, so just a few light sweep with my brush and i am good to go (i very much prefer to use my own brush than the one that comes with the compact unless i am left with no choice), the colouring looks natural and fresh.

That is a totally different feel whenever i am putting on Taj Mahal, i always felt that Taj Mahal deserves a more dramatic eye makeup to go with it or to be worn when i am able to do better eye makeup. Its more luxuriously and rich in terms of colour payoff and intensity.

Remember i said it reminded me of NARS Taj Mahal... well, i was wrong......

Taj Mahal is a golden burnt orange with golden sheen, whereas EX-02 is a bright fresh orange with shimmer. Both belongs to the same family and yet very different.

Like it?

Yes... yes... especially at a good price.

RMK: Priced at S$65.00 for 2.0g available at Isetan Scotts (Takashimaya is already out of stocks for it).

NARS: Priced at US$28.00 for 4.8g (Available at http://www.narscosmetics.com/)