All posts filed under: Tried and tested

Natasha Denona Sunset Palette and Blush Duo #13

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Though pricey – at US$125 for a 15-shade palette – Natasha Denona’s eyeshadow palettes have had beauty junkies raving about it on social media. For good reason. The pigments are fine, smooth, rich, and so easy to blend for a beautiful melding of shades for the perfect soft smokey eye. A few dabs with the brush will get you alot of colour on the lids. There is also almost no fallout, so there is no mess on the under eye and cheeks during application. The Sunset Palette has been consistently sold out since its launch a few months back. Its appeal? A perfect and on-point medley of shades that bring to mind a tropical sunset: burnt orange, terracotta red, gold shimmer, metallic peach, sunny yellow; all accented with a variety of transition brown and neutral matte shades. This is one palette that you can truly create entire eye makeup looks from start to finish, with. Complement the Sunset Palette with the Blush Duo compact, which offers a bright blush (so a little bit goes a …

Color Me Pro Edition Applicator and Underglow Hydrator

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Blending foundation/ base/ sunscreen – often slowly, and with skill – is the first step to flawless-looking makeup. But getting that perfect finish can be tricky, especially on busy mornings. Make-up extraordinaire and beauty brand expert Eric Jimenez (of Urban Decay, Benefit, and La Mer fame) is set to change all that with his cosmetics label Color Me, where the star product is a vibrating, tapping makeup applicator for easy blending of liquids, powders, and creams. Jimenez founded the brand in 2014, launching it with his battery-operated, made-in-Korea sonic-pulsating beauty device. Operating at 15,000 pulses per minute, the gadget comes with an ergonomic thumb-sized tear-shaped flocked sponge that gives skin flawless coverage for up to eight hours, for results that are quick and superior to manual blending. The device works best on clean, moisturised skin. With care, each refillable sponge lasts up to 30 days of use. To complement the Color Me Applicator, Jimenez has also recently rolled out a range of Underglow Hydrator makeup bases. Available in four shades, they keep skin supple, glowing, …

Fancl BC Night Intensive Cream and BC Facial Washing Cream; and products for saving your skin

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If you want to turn your skin around quickly, beauty formulas that contain no preservatives would probably be a start. Since 1980, Japanese skincare label Fancl has stuck to its preservative-free maxim by churning out smaller bottles of product hermetically sealed for optimum freshness during use. Each box also comes with a clear indication of the production date to prove it. So if you are a health nut and prefer fresh and preservative-free foods, why wouldn’t you consider preservative-free beauty products for the skin as well? The brand’s star products include the range of watery lotions and lightweight emulsions (S$36 for 30ml each) for different skin types. The ingredients include collagen, hyaluronic acid, an essence encapsulated in a nano-formula to boost effectiveness, as well as mallow flower and blue sweet pea extract to help repair skin. The popular anti-aging cocktail BC Essence (S$125 for 18ml) which promises to rev up the skin’s collagen production (silybum marianum fruit extract), glow (pear juice ferment, and hops flower extract) and regeneration capability (blue sweet pea extract); is best …

Ren Perfect Canvas Silicone Free Skin Finishing Serum

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Every skincare brand aims to have a do-it-all serum; and Ren Clean Skincare’s is the Perfect Canvas Silicone Free Skin Finishing Serum. The clear and slightly viscous serum is lightweight and blended with probiotics, as well as agave extract to smoothen, plump, and protect skin. The finish is semi-matte, and left my skin supple and bouncy. This serum may not help makeup to stay on for longer, but it is a good moisturising base for foundation to go on more smoothly, without settling too much into fine lines. Or wear it on its own under sunscreen. Ren Clean Skincare is ideal for those with easily-irritated skin; as the formulas are made without silicones, parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, petrolatum, synthetic fragrances, and colouring. Available at Escentials.

Fenty Beauty Stunna Review: Lip Paint Uncensored

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Fenty Beauty clearly knows how to build up demand. Following its official launch in September, and the Holiday collection release barely a month later; it has followed-up with a single product: a bright red liquid lipstick for all skin tones. To tease fans, Rihanna did a quick minute-long “makeup tutorial” on how to wear the Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Uncensored, on her Instagram account. The celebrity has previously launched a make-up collection with MAC, and her limited edition lipstick Riri Woo, was hugely popular. Stunna is a super true bright red that looks very similar to Riri Woo, except in liquid form. 💋Watch Clip to see how pigmented it is: pictured in video is one dip, one coat. 💋 Super true bright red that looks exactly like it does in the hefty glass bottle 💋 Flattering on all skin tones 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏾‍♀️🙋🏿‍♀️ 💋 Texture is completely matte 💋 Not completely smudgeproof, but that’s how the sexiest red lipsticks are; it ends up somewhere 💋 That said, it is difficult to totally remove without a …

Skin-perfecting duo: Infinity Kose Tight Lift Base, One by Kose Moisture Rice Power Moisturizing Serum

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A serum rarely gives the immediate buzzy feeling of soothed and quenched skin. So I was pleasantly surprised by the slightly viscous and milky One by Kose Moisture Rice Serum (S$74 for 60ml). The star ingredient is a rice and rice bran extract fermented for over 90 days, with yeast and lactic acid to produce amino acids, peptides and saccharides. The formula is said to boost the skin’s ability to retain moisture. After one use, it left my skin moisturised and supple for longer. This will be incorporated into my beauty routine in the morning. Easily absorbed, it is best used on just-cleansed skin before a moisturiser; or if you have normal to oily skin, on its own. The Infinity Kose Tight Lift Base (S$55) is a perfect complement. The words “Tight Lift” caught my attention; imagine a lifting veil on the skin to keep it firm and tight the entire day. I felt the slightest tightening sensation after slathering this tinted make-up base. It spreads like a relatively thick sunscreen (it contains SPF30 PA++), …

Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Matte Long Wear Lipstick in Gingerbread Man

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A good liquid and matte lipstick is hard to find. And the Too Faced Melted Matte Long Wear Lipstick is one of them. It goes on opaque in one dip one coat, super long-lasting (through meals and drinks, especially when you stay away from oily food), with a completely matte finish. Does not feel too drying on lips either, and applicator is easy to use for precise strokes. If you are thinking of giving this lippie a shot, no better time to buy the limited edition Gingerbread Man shade. The toasty terracotta shade is very flattering and suits most skin tones; packaging is cute, and smells like fresh-from-the-oven-cinnamon-sprinkled Gingerbread 😋 Available at Sephora.

Drunk Elephant TLC Sukari Babyfacial

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When you flip open the box of the Drunk Elephant Sukari Babyfacial, you see the words: I wanted something that didn’t exist…so I made it myself. – Tiffany Masterson, founder Indeed, we haven’t seen formulas quite like Drunk Elephant’s. The Babyfacial exfoliating mask is a potent one with 25% AHA and 2% BHA blend of glycolic, tartaric, lactic, citric and salicylic acids to smoothen the surface of the skin. The acids are balanced with a mix of chickpea flour, pumpkin ferment, matcha, milk thistle and apple. Once a week, apply a thin layer of the mask on clean skin, leave on for 20 minutes, and wash off with water. It gave my face a slight tingling sensation but it was bearable. Especially when the results are worth it. Immediately after, my skin looked smoother and clearer; the mask got rid of all the patchy dead skin. The acids do leave the skin drier, so make sure your replenish it with a hydrating serum and heavier cream immediately after. Also, if your skin is intolerant, it …

Laneige Time Freeze Essence EX and Intensive Cream EX

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When you’ve had a late night and have to wake early (and look alive), all you need is skincare that would plump up and smoothen the skin immediately before makeup application. Laneige’s Time Freeze Essence Ex (S$90) and Intensive Cream EX (S$95) seem to do just that. The Essence is a viscous serum which feels like a lightweight day moisturiser. Containing hyaluronic acid, it quickly adds a layer of satin smoothness and suppleness to the skin. Thus creating a perfect smooth base for foundation application. The Intensive Cream is best used on drier skin. The rich water-and-oil formula boosts the absorption rate, keeps skin moisturised for longer while smoothening the appearance of fine lines immediately. Good as a night cream as well. Add these to your bag of quick skincare-fixes for the Morning After.

Decorte AQ: Revamped and Reformulated

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Luxury skincare transports you to another realm of calm, quiet, and comfort after a long day. The Japanese label Kose’s new Decorte AQ (Absolute Quality) range does just that. Launched in 1990, AQ was created as a premium range in the Kose Cosme Decorte stable. The textures and scents are formulated to relax the mind, and boost the effectiveness of the skincare ingredients. The latest products all contain white mucuna known to boost energy and reduce stress levels; white birch sap for its healing properties; as well as the night-blooming cereus for its exceptional white floral scent that takes anyone to a blissful state. Indulgent, soothing, and easily absorbed by the skin, the 10 products in this line are perfect for a home facial session before bed. Dim the lights, put on a scented candle, and get that night beauty ritual going. TBG‘s picks: AQ Lotion (S$148) with white birch water and glycerin. Lightweight and keeps the skin supple and soft; good as the first step in the beauty ritual. Or just add a splash …