Nars All day luminous weightless foundation Review

Hello everyone,

Today I would like to review Nars all day luminous weightless foundation. It has been a while since I review a foundation. I am in the shade,Medium 2- Santa Fe in this foundation. I have been using this foundation on and off since last year. So, it is quite safe to review it now.

The website claims benefits of this foundation as below.

Benefits

• Lightweight, full-coverage and long-lasting.
• Suitable for all skin types.
• Even Tone Technology neutralizes redness.
• Weightless Long-wear Technology uses flexible polymers and treated pigments that move with the skin.
• Oil-free and paraben-free.

I can use this foundation either with blending brush or beauty blender. I have been liking this ELF blending brush for applying foundations. 

As you can see, the foundation is water based and runny. They said one pump is enough to cover the whole face. Normally, I use one and half pump to get more coverage. 

Ready to see my bare face? Here you go below!! 

I applied moisture and primer ( Too faced hangover ) before foundation. I always use hydration primer under this foundation as it sometimes clings to my dry patches around the mouth area. As it is water-based foundation, I find that silicon primers do not work so well under it.

This is after applied one and half pump of the foundation. You can see it has pretty decent coverage to cover my dark spots and it evens out my skin tone. One thing to take note is it set pretty quickly so you need to apply half face first and blend quickly. As it claims, the foundation feels very weightless on my face and it sets to luminous finish throughout the day although it dries to matte finish in the beginning . I think you don't even need to set with powder for dry skin types. For combination skin like me, it controls oil  on T-zone more than other foundations and lasts all day.

After I had done full face, the foundation looks even better. I think it looks great in photos too.

To conclude my review,

Pros
Weightless
flawless finish
Controls oil
Long lasting
Wide shade range
Great for photos

Cons
Can sometimes cling to dry spots
Can give cake face if you apply too much ( for this foundation, less is more )
Expensive ( around SGD 75 )


Overall, I really like this foundation and it works as they claim. It is one of my top foundations after too faced born this way.  I recommend this if you need higher end foundation that provides great coverage and long lasting effect for all day usage. This works well for Singapore humid weather in my opinion.

<3
Violet

Makeup revolution palettes review and swatches! ( Iconic 2 and Salted caramel palette )

Hello everyone,

Today, I would like to write a review for makeup revolution iconic 2 and salted caramel palettes. Makeup revolution is a UK brand which is really affordable and they sell a lot of dupe eye shadow products for Urban decay naked palettes and too faced eye shadow palettes. I picked up iconic 2 palette which is a dupe for UD naked 2 palette and salted caramel palette which is a dupe for too faced semi sweet chocolate palette. I don't have the original UD naked 2 and too faced semi sweet palettes to compare but I can see from online swatches, they are all pretty similar colours. You can check out youtube or online swatches to decide too.  

Lets get to the review. 

Iconic  2 palette and Salted caramel palette 

Iconic 2 palette contains 12 shades ( 9 shimmers and 3 mattes) 

Below is the swatches of Iconic 2 palette. I am sorry that the photos are a bit dark because it is a rainy day outside and my room is too dark to capture good photos without shadows.
But, as you can see from the swatches, they are really pigmented. Iconic 2 is really pretty taupe silver colours. I am really impressed with the quality of the shadows except  2 matte shades that are a bit chalky. However, the rest of the shades are pigmented even with one swipe and is better quality than maybelline and loreal shadows.

Iconic 2 swatches

Lets see salted caramel palette!

Salted caramel palette contains 16 shades ( 7 mattes and 9 shimmers )

 Once you open the palette, you will notice that it smells pretty good and yummy. I really like blue and caramel colour in the middle row.

First row swatches! 

 All of the first row colours are matte ( the glitters in the photos on my hands are from my previous swatches ) I find that the matte colours in this palette are more pigmented than iconic 2 palette.

second row swatches!

I really like the second row colours and quality except the second one from the left is no pigment. Blue, caramel and bronze shades are so pigmented and I am in love.

Third row swatches!

Third row colours are 4 shimmers and 1 matte. As usual, all the shimmer colours from makeup revolution are pigmented and pretty. You can use the first colour from the right as face highlight too. 

To conclude the review for these two palettes, makeup revolution palettes are high quality shadows although you cannot match the quality of UD or too faced shadows. Makeup revolution shimmer colours are pigmented and great although matte colours are a bit chalky - you can still build up the colours for matte and it is usable. I really recommend makeup revolution palettes if you don't want to spend a lot of money on UD naked palettes and too faced palettes or even if you have them, you can still try the colours. Since it is really affordable, it is worth to check out. :)

Hope you enjoy my review.
<3
Violet

What I am feeling! Quarter life crisis??

Hello everyone,

This blog post is inspired by my favorite vlogger, Estee lalonde. You can find her youtube channel with her name. I was watching her video "My quarter life crisis" and I feel related to her video with my life right now so much that I have to write this post.
First of all, I am 26 years old holding undergraduate degree in management and working my 3rd full time job for nearly 2 years now. I started working full time at the age of 20 and working for 6 years now. Now that I am 26, I honestly feel like I am in the quarter life crisis. I managed to get a degree, have a stable job and income although it is not related to my passion and stable relationship for almost 5 years but I feel like my life is pretty much stuck. I am not sure a lot of my friends around the same age 25-26-27 years old will feel the same way but I think they do too. At this age,you pretty much know what you are interested in or what your dreams are but you have no idea how to start. Sometimes, you feel inspired and want to take risks then you think again that you are too old to risk. You can differentiate who are your real friends but you feel lonely at time. Instead of going out with people you don't really like, you prefer to be alone now. You see a lot of young and successful people outside and you feel depressed . A lot of your friends are married or have kids  now and you feel like you have different world from them. You find out that you are not at the age when you can rely your parents every time or tell them your problems. People have a lot of expectations from you and you feel so much pressured. Sometimes, I talk to myself what is the point of doing all this and I just want to stop for a while.

Anyway, I am sure you can relate to some of the feelings and I think it is pretty normal to feel weird, depressed or unmotivated sometimes. I have positive thinking most of the times and I am sure everything will be sort out eventually in life. Anything is possible in your life and nobody can see the future and it is best not to worry too much , right? As long as you believe in yourself, I think nobody can doubt you. My favourite quote right now is " Do more of what makes you happy!" <3

All are just my feelings and 2 cents thoughts! :)

Cheers!
<3
Violet

Colourpop Cosmetics : Hot or Not and My Favorites!!

Hey guys,

I am so excited to write a post about my favorite brand, Colourpop cosmetics. Today, I will be reviewing some of the colourpop products and mentioning  my favorite products. Colourpop cosmetics is USA online brand that only sell on website and ship to a few countries for now. So for the rest of us who wants to get from Colourpop, we either have to use shipping service or find resellers. I bought all of my Colourpop products from their website and I use Vpost shipping service to send to US address and send back to Singapore. Actually, using shipping service is even more cheaper than buying from some retailers in local since they mark up costs more. Most of the Colourpop products are US$5 - US$8 only. Yes, they are so affordable. Their products are awesome too. No wonder, everyone is going crazy over Colourpop now and their company has grown a lot since last year. Lets get into the review. :)

My Colourpop collection <3 I am addicted to them :)

Some of the ultra matte liquid lipsticks and lippies have no more logo since I had them quite long ago

From their products, ultra matte liquid lipsticks are quite popular since liquid lipsticks are on trend right now. Recently, they come out with new ultra satin liquid lipsticks which I prefer more. Ultra matte liquid lipsticks have more liquidy formula and when they dry, they are very matte and dry which make long lasting all day. After you wear for a few hours, your lips start to feel a bit dry. Although I don't mind dry formula, for those who don't like dry feeling, they might not be for you. Most of the colours are opaque and have great colour pay off and some darker colours tend to be patchy ( e.g Zipper ). I have about 6 of them and I find that the formula tend to vary depends on colour ( some very dry and some are more comfortable ). 

But for ultra satin liquid lipsticks, they have more creamy feel and they don't dry very matte. When you eat something, some of the colours  will come off but not all colour. Throughout the day, it is very comfortable compared to ultra matte. Strangely, they last long all day too. I am in love with this formula and buying more of these. <3

I show swatches below to compare ultra matte and ultra satin formula. As you see from swatches, left two swatches are ultra matte and they are very matte. Right most swatch is ultra satin formula and it has a bit of shine and not so matte like ultra matte. 

L-R- Drive in, Creeper ( ultra matte ) and Echo park ( ultra satin ) 

Next I want to review is their lippie stix. They have a few formula too such as matte, satin , creme and sheer. I have not tried sheer formula yet.  My favorite formula is matte because their matte lippie stix are creamy matte , not so dry and last longer. Satin finish is a bit patchy and need to layer more to get full colour payoff. Creme finish is creamy formula with shine. Obviously, matte formula has the most opaque colour pay off and last longest from three. Now they release new matteX formula lippie stixs which are more matte than their original matte. I am still waiting for my order to try out. 

Swatches of different formulas below. 

L-R, Flawless ( satin ), Lumier ( matte ), Aquarius ( creme )

Next is my most favorite product from Colourpop, their super shock shadows. They come in a pot and have cream formula. When you touch, it is wet formula and it is best to use your fingers to apply. You need to close the pot immediately to not dry out. They have different formulas too such as matte, satin, metallic, ultra metallic, pearlized and press pigment. Personally, I don't like their matte eyeshadow formula but love their metallic, pearlized ultra metallic formula most. I swatch my favorite colours below. They are so amazingggg!! <3

L-R- Coconut (pearlized), Telepathy (ultra metallic), Nillionaire (metallic), Midnight (metallic), Weenie (pearlized)

Next is their highlighters. Their highlighters have the same creamy formula as eye shadows. They give natural glow when you apply on the cheeks. I really like them too. I have 3 of them and they are all beautiful. 

Swatches as below although the camera cannot capture the glow very well. 

Top to bottom- Lunch money, Wisp, Butterfly beach

Overall, I really like Colourpop as a brand and their products. My favorites and recommendations are ultra satin liquid lipsticks, lippie stix ( matte ), super shock eyeshadows and highlighters. I want to try their bronzer, blush , eyeliners and brow products too next time.
Hope you enjoy my review.

<3
Violet

Kylie Lip Kit Review and Swatches! Worth the hype? (Dolce K and 22)

Hello guys!

Today I would like to review Kylie lip lit in the shade Dolce K and 22! As you all know, these lip kits are made by the famous Kylie Jenner and a lot of people are going crazy to get them. So, I follow the hype and ordered 2 shades Dolce K and 22 from her 8 shades. It was very exciting moment to order online since everyone was on site by the time it restock on website and sold out in a few minutes. I woke up at 7 am to order these and managed to get the shades that I wanted luckily. I received the kits in about 12 days ( I use Vpost to ship over from US address ). Each lip kit includes one liquid lipstick and matching lip liner. The price for a kit is US$29 and flat shipping fee to US is US$8.95 and US$14.95 internationally. US$29 for liquid lipstick and lip liner is not so bad considering you got a lip liner too but I must say shipping fee is quite expensive. So it is more cost effective if you order 2 or more together. 

Lets start the review! I wore the shades a few times to try out before the review, btw. 

 

This is what it looks like for the packaging. It comes with thank you card signed by Kylie jenner and I like it. I really like the box design with the lips dripping and the liquid lipstick packaging too. I will not throw away both boxes and will display on my vanity. Thumbs up for the packaging!  :D

Swatches of Dolce K lip liner, lipstick and 22! ( from bottom to top )

I must say the actual product looks darker on the swatches than in the tube.  The lip liners are pretty creamy and easy to draw. The colours match perfectly with the lipsticks too. For the liquid lipsticks, the formula is quite liquidy and it dries quite fast like 5 seconds. Once it dried, it feels nothing on my lips and quite comfortable. They wear quite long on the lips comfortably throughout the day. When you eat something oily, it will fade a bit but it fades beautifully and you can touch up without  crumbling on the lips! I must say I am pretty impressed with the formula. They smell so good too and smell like vanilla cakes! I really like the scent. 

This is Docle K on my lips! I think the colours vary differently on the lips depending on your skin tone and original lip tone. Most of the colours appear darker on my lips than other people. On me, Dolce K is brown and lean to taupe more but I like it anyway. What do you think?

This is me wearing 22! On me, 22 appears brighter and more orange. On deeper skin tones, it appears as burnt orange. 

I  try to find similar colours for Dolce k from my collection but all look quite different. 

Swatches showing

Kylie Dolce K, Colourpop Kapow, Colourpop Lumier 2, Colourpop Echo park ( from bottom to top )

Kylie 22, Ofra miami fever, LA girl instinct ( from left to right )

To conclude the review, below is what I think!

Pros

• Not drying on the lips
• Comfortable to wear
• Longwearing and easy to touch up
• Yummy smell

Cons

• Expensive shipping
• Difficult to order

I must say it is worth the hype If you are willing to pay for shipping ! I want to get Posie K next and her glosses too! :) 

P.S I might review liquid lipsticks by brand next since I tried quite a few different brands! ;)

Thank you for reading and hope it helps you. Feel free to subscribe. :)

<3

Violet

My Mac Lipstick collection (1)

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Hello lovelies,

Long time no see. I am back with a new post of my Mac lipstick collection. My collection is not huge like others and I am slowly collecting them one by one. This is not a bragging post either and most of them are purchased by my own and some are gifted. I have 7 Mac lipsticks right now and Mac is one of my favorite lipstick brands. They have different formula such as matte, cremesheen, frost, amplified, lustre, retro matte ,satin and hundreds of colors to choose from. I will be doing hand swatches below and brief mention of colors and my review. Let's get started. :)

( left to right in shade: Please me, Kinda sexy, Lady danger, Relentlessly red, Lickable,  viva glam Miley cyrus 1, plumful ).

Kinda sexy ( matte )

Kinda sexy is my first ever Mac lipstick and I wanted a nude lipstick back then. Mac website says it is neutral pinky-rose color. On my lips, it shows peachy nude color with red undertone. I did not like how it shows on my lips at first but pairing with smokey intense eyes or gloss on top is better. 

Please me ( matte )

Next is the shade, please me. Website says it is muted rosy-tinted pink. I feel like it is warm and mid tone pink and is every day  perfect lipstick for work. I love this shade. It is matte finish like kinda sexy and Mac matte finishes are the most opaque coverage and long wearing. Can be drying for some dry lips. On me, it  lasts 6-7 hours. 

Plumful ( lustre)

Plumful is rose plum color and in lustre finish. Different from matte finish, lustre finish has a sheer coverage and glossy as you can see but it can be built up to get full coverage. Pros is not drying and cons is it does not last long and you need to re-apply. I really like this color and I think it suits with all skin tones. 

Lickable ( cremesheen )

Next is lickable. Lickable is cremesheen formula and my most favorite formula from Mac. The color is bright blue tone pink. I really like this color and it brightens my face instantly. Cremesheen formula is creamy and has full coverage and slight glossiness. It lasts  4 hours or more on me. 

Viva glam Miley Cyrus I ( amplified )

Next is my limited edition viva glam Miley cyrus lipstick. The color is bright pink and it is really pretty on the lips. It is amplified formula and is very similar formula as cremesheen. It is creamy, pigmented and slightly glossy. Wear time is 4-5 hours on me.

Lady danger ( matte )

Next is in the shade called lady danger and is vivid bright coral red. It is one of the most popular Mac lipstick colors and in matte finish. On my lips, it shows more orange than red but I really like this color. I see different colors on different skin tones for this shade. :)

Relentlessly red ( retro matte )

My last lipstick is relentless red and it is bright pinkish coral. It is bright pink on the hands but it shows pinkish coral on the lips.  This color is very similar to Mac " all fired up"  on the tube except all fired up is more pink than relentlessly red. The formula is retro matte and it is the most long wearing formula of all the Mac lipsticks. It is more drying than matte formula and has good coverage. But you need to moisturise your lips first before you apply this. If you want very long wearing lipstick, get this formula and they have other shades too. 

Full swatches

Bottom to top- (Kinda sexy, Please me, Plumful, Lickable, Viva glam Miley cyrus, Lady danger, Relentlessly red )

Overall, I think Mac lipsticks are really good  and more affordable than other high end brands. The fact that you can choose the formula you like and availability of so many color choices is really cool too. I hope to try other formulas that I have not tried like satin and frost in future. :)

Hope you enjoy the post and have a great day.

<3

Violet

April Favorites!!

Hello,

May is here and that means time for April favorites post. April passed by so fast for me because I took 10 days holidays and went back to Myanmar. It felt so nice to be home again. So, most of my April favorites are products that I bring to Myanmar and enjoy using. Let's get started. 

Last month, I bought new Origin skin care set to try. This VitaZing spf 15 moisturizer is within the set.  I really like this moisturizer , it has a nice sheer color and makes the face look brighter. It also has spf 15 so plus point. I really love to use it under my bb cushion during my stay in Yangon summer. I will write a separate review post about origin skin care products that I tried. :)

Next is Iope Air cushion XP. Iope is not sold in Singapore. I bought it from Q0010 I think I have tried Etude house and the face shop bb cushions before but this Iope brand is really good. Mine is in Natural N21. They have shimmer, natural and cover types and shades in N21 (yellow tone ) and N23 (pink tone ) . What I like about this cushion is that it gives light/medium coverage and makes the face glow. You can build up for more coverage. It gives you healthy glowing skin effect without cakey. You can just use translucent powder on top to last all day.  It is very convenient if you don't want heavy make up on your face everyday. I love to use it especially while on travel. The only downside is that like other korean bb creams, they don't have a lot of shades to match darker skin tones.. But if you are NC25 and below, this is a nice BB cream to carry with you. 

Next is L.A girl pro conceal concealer. I find this little guy accidentally while I was browsing at Sasa store. I heard some youtubers rave about this concealer before and it is really cheap compared to others. ( less than $10 ) So, I bought it to try. Mine is in shade nude. The coverage is good and is even similar to Mac pro long wear concealer. It is yellow based concealer so it is good to cover dark circles under the eyes but not for brightening purpose. It does not crease on me also. So far, this concealer became my favorite under drugstore category besides collection 2000 concealer.

Next is Benefit Lolli tint. I wanted benefit tints for so long. So, when I was at the airport, I took opportunity to grab Lolli tint and lolli lip balm with duty free price. Lolli tint is purple/ mauve orchid color and beautiful on my skin tone. They have four colors in their tints and I am glad I chose lolli tint. It gives the most natural flushed cheek when you apply with your finger. It lasts longer compared to powder blushes also. I am obsessed with this tint once I got it. You can blend easily with fingers but need to do one cheek at a time and a bit faster. If not, it drys quite fast and will leave stain on the cheeks. I prefer looli tint for cheeks compare to on the lips. It is not pigmented enough to use as lip color alone on my lips. I only use as a base color. Anyway, I love this tint and will grab other colors next time.

Here is the swatch after blend. But the camera does not really show the color though. 

My last item for April is Stila kitten single eye shadow (please see the product above in the first pic ). It is in the limited edition Kitten set ( includes eye shadow, cheek highlighter and lip glaze in shade kitten ) that I get from Sephora last month. I love this eye shadow the most in the set because it is creamy, blend able and pigmented. The color is champagne color which is good to highlight on the eye lids and inner corners of the eyes. :) 

Bye! 

<3

Violet