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: Shiseido Sale June 2011

I got to know about the sale at the very last minute on the 2nd day, in fact i wasn't even planning to go but the "go see see no harm" mentality resulted in the damage done below......

The haul that fateful morning.

GR634 Green Black with gold liquid eyeliner and mascara.

Alexander Wang Limited Edition Maquillage Compact case.

Maquillage Lasting Powder with UV protection.

Shiseido Hydro Liquid Compact Foundation.

Maquillage nail colour.

A closer look.

I got myself some necessities and a couple of pressies for friends.

During the 2nd day of the sale, there isn't much things left (all the goodies are already gone on the 1st day,especially in the morning).

All in all, i am quite glad that i didn't splurge too much during this sale.

Review: Cle de Peau Beaute Holiday Palette Vintage Face Powder and Extra Silky Lipsticks

Cle de Peau Beaute belongs to the higher end strata of the many cosmetic and skincare brands that Shideido owns.

Thanks to the bi-annual Shiseido sale, otherwise I would never have willingly parted a chunk of my beauty budget to acquire items from this high-end range.

If you are only planning to go for only 1 cosmetic and skincare sale a year or you are tight in budget, then i would say that the Shiseido sale is THE one to go to.

Why?

1. Comprehensive range of products from various price range, ZA, Majolica Majorca, Ettusais, Shiseido, Cle de Peau Beaute and Shiseido Professional (which i gather is for haircare). You might even chance upon Limited Edition items from previous collections, if you are lucky.

2. The products are fresh, in the sense that you have 2 to 3 more years to go before you have to toss them into the rubbish bin.

3. The kind hearted people are willing to give you advice (eg. the colour tone for foundation, procedures in usage of skincare range and etc) all and all, if you ask properly.

Okie, i shan't be long winded and here's part of my loot from the recent sale:

The Limited Edition Holiday Palette Vintage 2009 and 2 Touche de Rouge extra silky lipsticks.

A group shot of my Cle De Peau Beaute Haul.

The Holiday Vintage Palette from 2009.


Made in Italy (they excel in this stuff).



Behold the Jewel.


From innermost to the outer layer: a pinkish beige, light brown, light peachy beige, lastly a very light brown beige.

Swatch of the powder.

A Closer look.

From what i know, Cle de Peau Beaute will release a Holiday Palette Vintage this year too and as it is the same as Holiday Palette Vintage 2009, the palettes are inspired by the charm of vintage jewellery and thus the jewel-like compact.

The colours for the 2009 Palette are rather interesting as it comprised of 4 colours (all in the range of neutral and warm tones), each colour is built around another and there is a layer of fine gold shimmer powder strategically place at certain places so that the palette resembles a piece of jewel.

When i was swatching the palette, my nose caught a whiff of fragrance from the powder (a scent that i find familiar but can't place my finger to it), its subtle so i am not disturbed by it. Upon swatching, although i find that the texture is soft (almost silky) but it is a little flaky which would mean that i need to blend the powder into the skin with a little effort.

It gives off a subtle but sophiscated light glow upon application (from what i have read, it can be used with and without makeup). It's not frostly, not metallic, not too pigmented, just a soft warm glow which i do like very much.

However, to warrant such a hefty price tag for a face powder highlighter, no matter how coveted the item is or how pretty it looks on your vanity table...... It MUST do much more.

My personal view on it?

Not a must-buy.

Unless you buy it during a sale (like me), even at a sale its price is almost the equivalent of a Chanel or Christian Dior Highlighter powder.

Or you have no beauty budget constraint and an avid collector at that.

Otherwise, much as it is very pretty, i would let it go if there is no sale.

Next, the Touche de Rouge Extra Silky Lipsticks.....

The 2 Extra Silky Lipsticks.

L-R: 122 and 120.

Luxurious packaging. Love.

Swatches of the lipsticks from T-B: 122 and 120.

A closer look at the 2 colours.

These 2 lipsticks are what i have risked an arm and a leg for (from all the battling with the strong ladies at the Cle de Peau Beaute table during the sale).

I have heard nothing but raves about the lipsticks and so here i go, i snagged 2.

120 is a neutral brown nude that is quite sheer upon application, it reminded me of Guerlain Kiss Kiss Baby in 240 Honey Nude. http://zealousbeautyfanatic.blogspot.com/2010/07/guerlain-lipsticks-haul.html.

I would say its a breeze to apply it on my lips, glides like a dream- buttery soft. This is a colour that i would wear everyday.

122 on the otherhand is bright and peachy orange with a hint of gold shimmer in it, which brightens up my face when i applied it. It is a unique colour and since i do not own anything like that in my collection, i figure it is a good time to pick it up.

Scentwise, the 2 lipsticks do possess a subtle hint of fragrance which i do not mind at all.

My only gripe is that you have to be careful to dispense only the amount you need for 1 application each time as it is unretractable and as the texture of the lipstick is buttery soft, it would mean that storing them near warm places or high temperature locations would be a bad idea.

I like the lipsticks, the texture, colours and everything except its princely price, especially since lipsticks are easily used up. Imagine having to replace them once every 4 months or so... Ouch! $$$

Palette Vintage Face Powder (Highlighter) 2009: Priced at S$180.00 for 12.5g or 0.44oz, available at Cle De Peau Beaute counter at Isetan Scotts and Takashimaya. (I got mine at a steal of S$80.00)

Touche de Rouge Extra Silky Lipsticks: Priced at S$105.00 for 2g or 0.07oz, available at Cle De Peau Beaute counter at Isetan Scotts and Takashimaya. (Mine was snagged at S$35.00 each).