July to September 2018 Makeup and Beauty Faves

A quick run-down of some of my most-loved products products in the past 2-3 months and why I'm obsessing over them! This goes from skincare to foundations to perfumes and even a hair product.

If you don’t see some items I’ve mentioned before or recently, it’s either because they are long-term faves or a little too new (and have not been proven to stand the test of time yet). I narrowed it down to the things that I find myself repeatedly going back to in spite of the stream of new product launches.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Skin Inc Pure Trinity Serum-Infused Cleansing Oil

Sunday Riley CEO Rapid Flash Brightening serum

Chantecaille Gold Recovery Mask

L'Oreal Colorista Washout in Dirty Pink

Juliette Has A Gun Sunny Side Up eau de parfum

LUSH Twilight Body Spray

YSL All Hours Foundation Stick B20

NYX Can't Stop Won't Stop Foundation 07

Clinique Cheek Pop 19 Blush Pop

Marc Jacobs Highliner in Fine(Wine)

Anastasia Beverly Hills single shadows in Buon Fresco and Pink Champagne

Kat von D Everlasting Lip Liner in Bow and Arrow

Etude House Soft Touch Auto liner  01 Soft Rose

NYX Powder Puff Lippie in Squad Goals

MAC Oval 6 Brush

April Skin SPF50 Sunblock Stick

NYX News - relaunch under L'oreal in Singapore and new product range

The original cheap 'n' chic beauty brand NYX has relaunched this January 2016 under the L'oreal umbrella, and the great news is they have brought it a much bigger and also a more updated range. New products launch at the same time as they do in the US, so we're not stuck watching people talk about new things for 6 months before we can try them.

The bad news is it won't be all that easy to grab some of the more popular things right now - they don't seem to have put a ton of products on the shelf at this time, and the renewed interest from shoppers has caused a lot of things to be sold out very quickly. I say give it a bit of time for stock levels to even out.

Still, if you can't wait, I do suggest going down to see what's still available because the updated range at Sephora is really great. NYX has stepped up their game in the recent year or so, and a lot of the products are pretty much on point in terms of quality and composition. There are the Intense Butter Glosses, the Avant Pop palettes, and my personal fave - the Go To Palettes (SG$30). I have Wanderlust, which is an eye and cheek palette with 6 shadows, a highlighter, blush, and contour shade.

My reason for actually highlighting this palette is because in the past I've never been very impressed by eye and face kits from lower-end brands. A lot of times the concept is on point but you may get great shadows, an okay blush, and crap highlight and contour. But this palette is pretty impressive. I would say 95% of the products are things that I would consider buying if they were sold on their own for a good price.

I won't say it's a 100% hit but all the shades are definitely good. The shadows are GORGEOUS. You get 2 mattes, 1 satin and 3 metallics. The metallics are the most beautiful in terms of feel and texture, but the mattes and satin are still good. You also get the option of doing light soft looks, dramatic metallic looks, or smoky smoldering looks.

The blush is my one complaint; it is a tad sheer and dusty feeling (it will dust right off if you apply it on dry skin so I don't expect it to be long-wearing unless you use a setting spray or a cream blush as a base first) but in general everything else is very silky and blendable. The thing that sealed the deal for me was the highlight and contour actually. I usually expect the ones in a face-kit to be there just for the sake of it, and never that great quality.

YSL “Kiss & Blush” Lips and Cheeks Soft Matte Colour (Swatches and Review)

Yves Saint Laurent Kiss & Blush Lip and Cheek Colours

There’s been much hype and anticipation among the beauty community over YSL’s soon-to-be-launched series of 12 lip and cheek creams in May 2014 (launch dates might vary among regions), not too dissimilar to Lancome’s Absolu Velours or NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. 

These come in pretty glass bottles that look like nail varnishes, but are filled with fluffy velvety creams that can be used as a lip paint or cream blush.

YSL Kiss & Blush applicator

I was provided with 7 out of the 12 shades for reviewing purposes, and it’s kinda unprecedented that I’d like almost every single shade, but I do. They’re gorgeous, flattering, easy-to-wear colors, perhaps with the exception of shade No9, which might look chalky and grey on people with tan to dark skins.

YSL Kiss & Blush swatches

Colors: 

• No1: rich blue-based fuchsia pink 
• No2: soft pretty medium-blossom pink
• No4: soft orange
• No5: luminous pink/red-based coral
• No7: creamsicle-orange nude
• No8: blush-pink nude
• No9: dusty pale lavender mauve

Texture and Coverage:

YSL Kiss & Blush No 1 Fuchsia Désinvolte lip swatch

Despite there being a “matte” in the name these are not matte when they just go on. Like the Lancome Absolu Velours, they have a beautiful creamy sheen that’s between Glossy Stains and they only become matte creams after a few hours. The texture is very light and mousse-like; comfortable to wear though I do feel a slight tingle on my lips when they just go on.

YSL Kiss & Blush No 2 Rose Frivole lip swatch

 The formula is semi-sheer, in part because of the applicator shape. The velvety doe-foot applicator comes with a v-shaped well to hold product and a protrusion in the center that makes it quite hard to get an opaque covering quickly. (The protrusion in the center will scrape off excess product easily.) But it’s still possible to build it up to 2 coats or so, for stronger color.
On the cheek, it’s not matte either. It blends out easily but sets with a dewy sheen, so if you have very oily skin or blemished cheeks this might emphasize them and not be suitable for you.

Lasting power: 

Some of the stronger shades (the fuchsia especially) will leave a slight stain on the skin but most don’t. I haven’t had time to test their staying power yet, but I’m doing that today and reporting on dayre.me/makeupbox if you’re interested!
My GUESS right now is that they will perform like Glossy Stains. They don’t set, and they will transfer when you’re eating or drinking, but there will be a fair amount of product left on your lips after that.

YSL Kiss & Blush No 4 Orange Fougueux lip swatch

I can’t pick a favorite. It’s too hard. 

No2 and No5: Easiest to wear and probably flattering on many skintones
No1 and No4: On-trend colors and gorgeous for Summer
No7 and No8: Gorgeous nude-lip alternatives; No7 is especially interesting and reminds me of an easier-to-wear version of Lime Crime’s Cosmopop

YSL Kiss & Blush No 5 Rouge Effrontée

YSL Kiss & Blush No 7 Corail Affranchi lip swatch

I have NC25/NW20 (N2) skintone, and pretty much all the shades looked pretty good on. I’ve yet to check out the other 5 shades since these aren’t out in stores yet, but I’m looking forward to that if they are as pretty as these 7.

Which shades are you particularly interested in and do you enjoy lip/cheek dual-use products?

YSL Kiss & Blush No 8 Pink Hédoniste lip swatch

YSL Kiss & Blush No 9 Rose Epicurien lip swatch

Spring Pinks: Some of the best Light Pinks for every skin tone!

[Click to enlarge]Swatches L-to-R: NYX Strawberry Milk, NYX Jupiter, Maybelline Watershine Pure B24, MAC Pink Pearl Pop, MAC Pink Plaid, NYX Tea Rose, Revlon Pink In The Afternoon, Revlon Pink Pursuit, MAC Right Image, Revlon Crystal Lilac.

We find outselves drawn to that soft, candy-like pink lip on other people, but it can often go terribly wrong when we apply it on ourselves. Here are 10 options and the women they’d look good on.

Here are some recommendations for different skintones!

NYX Strawberry Milk.
This perennial favorite is filled with white pigments and is PERFECT for uber-pale girls on whom most pastel pinks look too strong and bright. Girls with medium-light skin who also have pale lips can wear it as well, but if you are any darker than an NC25 or NW20 and have pigmented lips, this will look very chalky on you.

NYX Jupiter.
A pale pink that’s a bit more forgiving simply because it’s translucent and frosty. Works on pale to tan skins, but if you are very dark, this might look too silvery. It still works if you like that sort of dramatic sheen, but go easy on it or you could look very 80’s sci-fi.

Glossy Burgundy Lids with Neon Magenta Lips (NYX Matte Lipstick in Shocking Pink)

One more look I posted on Instagram (makeup_box) a couple of days ago. This is a very simple look to recreate. The only thing about it that is different from a regular look is just the gloss on the lids and a neon pink lip.

I used

• a plum colored metallic pencil from Bourjois (Khol & Contour 07 Praline Inventif - any one you can find would do.)
• a deep cool brown shadow (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Southern Wood)
• a soft medium-light taupe (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Goldmine - MAC Patina would be a prettier alternative)
• Any clear gloss and a bit of pale purple micro-glitter (optional)
• soft pink blush (any of your choice; I used my Bourjois Little Round Pot shadow #15)
• Bright magenta-pink lipstick that is deeper than a neon fuchsia (NYX Matte Lipstick in Shocking Pink)

Step 1: Begin by shading in your lids, then lining both the upper and lower lash line.  Then use your finger to gently blend out the edges so there are no hard lines, and then touch up the pencil

Step 2: With the deep smoky brown, lightly run along the lid near the lash line and gently extend your brush past the outer corners into a slight wing. This sets the color around the lash line. If you want to, you can skip this step, but I like a bit more dimension and depth I get by layering the shadows.

Step 3: Apply a soft taupe brown to the upper portions of the lids, leaving just a small margin of skin above the lash line. If you want 

Step 4: Go back over your upper lash line with the plum pencil.

IMPORTANT: Curl your lashes now because you'll be applying clear gloss next. You can't curl your lashes once you coat your lids as you'll smear everything off.

Step 5: With a flat brush, mix a little violet glitter (this is optional; it's only visible when someone is quite close to you and looking directly at your eyes) into a dab of clear gloss, and then gently PAT that onto your lids. If you stroke your brush back and forth, you will end up smearing the shadow beneath.

Step 6: Finish by applying black mascara. IF you are using false lashes instead, then you will need to apply them BEFORE you apply the gloss. Otherwise, the latex will have problem sticking to your skin if there is any gloss there.

Pale/Baby Pink Lipsticks

MAC Saint Germain lipstick

Anonymous:
What are some good pale pink lipsticks?


More people love pale-pink than dare to wear it as a full-on lipstick. Sure it's a bit of a Snooki-esque disaster if you wear it wrong but the right shade can be sweet on the pale, oh-so-cute on the medium-toned, super-sexy on the tanned, and edgy on the darker-skinned.
I didn't get into pale/pastel pink lipsticks until quite recently (2010 to be exact). I never thought I'd ever pull off a pale pink without looking ridiculous, and I'm sure many of you feel that way too.
Well, arm yourself with a good lip primer or concealer, and give it a shot.

L-to-R: Lime Crime Great Pink Planet, MAC Saint Germain, NYX Jupiter, NYX Strawberry Milk, Barry M 100 Baby Pink

Shades I own:
Lime Crime Great Pink Planet: The lipstick that converted me to the world of opaque pastel pinks, and arguably my favorite of the lot. This is one of those lipsticks that is opaque enough to give you that "stick-on" lips effect when you really layer it on. If worn sheer, it will look deeper as it stains your lips pink.
Finish: Opaque Satin
Opacity: High
Price: mid-range
Shade: Bright pastel true-pink
Note: Often listed as a dupe of Saint Germain but it's actually not as blue-based.


MAC Saint Germain: This legendary Amplified pale-pink creme has driven many makeup collectors crazy as it was previously only available in Europe and via limited edition collections. It's STILL not available outside of the US/EU at the moment. (I got mine shipped to a friend's hotel on her recent trip to the States.)
Finish: Opaque creme
Opacity: High
Price: mid-range
Shade: Bright pastel blue-pink
Note: This can look quite shocking on deeper or yellower complexions because it is VERY blue-based. Not for the faint of heart. If you're not sure, Great Pink Planet is a better one to start off with as it's plenty-bright, but warmer and not so stark against the skin. If you want a really eye-catching pale pink though, this is it.

NYX Jupiter: This is what I call the "Beginner's Pale Pink", because you get a pale, pastel-pink frost rather than an opaque layer of pastel-pink. I don't like frost lipsticks but this actually looks nice, wears evenly, and will work with many skin tones.
Finish: Sheer frost
Opacity: Medium-low, buildable
Price: Low
Shade: Warm shell-pink with strong pale-pink frost
Note: Avoid pairing with frosted cheeks AND frosted lids if you don't want to look like an 80's throwback. Looks FANTASTIC on those with a tan.

NYX Strawberry Milk: Least-favored of the bunch. Seems everyone who owns it either loves it or hates it. I'm actually probably going to throw it out some day soon. It's a pale nude almost-pink that looks like it would look so fabulous, but the slippery texture killed it for me. I have a hard time applying it evenly, which drives me nuts because I'm so a**l about getting lip color even.
Finish: Almost-opaque creme
Opacity: Medium
Price: Low
Shade: Pale, pale pink with beige tones
Note: I actually have an extra NEW tube sitting in storage if anyone wants to give it a go. I'll send it to you free if you'll pay for the shipping. Just message me if you're interested and let me know your country. I'll check on the shipping rate and  you can decide if it's worth it first!
[Update] You guys are fast! I've got a few queries already and am taking this "off the market" before I disappoint too many people. I'll update again if the deal falls through and the lipstick is available again!]
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 Barry M 100 Baby Pink Lip Paint: UBER-pale pink that is almost white against the skin. I'm NC25 and even on my medium-light skin, it looks very dramatic. Not the easiest shade to wear, but works with the right makeup.

Finish: Satin-pearl (the pearl is almost invisible on the lips)
Opacity: Medium-high, buildable
Price: Low
Shade: Pale white-pink
Note: If nothing but the most deliciously-shocking pale pink will do, THIS is the lipstick for you. Just note that you will need to mute out your lips with a little concealer, especially around the edges, as the lipstick is paler than your skin and will bring out any ruddy tones around the mouth