All posts tagged: beauty review

Estee Lauder Genuine Glow Collection

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Exclusively at Sephora Estee Lauder counters, the new Genuine Glow collection is inspired by the signature dewy-skin glow of the K-Beauty trend. The five products in the collection are all made for giving you that effortless, fresh-faced, au natural make-up look. Wear these to the gym, or just to look like you just hit the gym. These fuss-free products are easy to carry around and apply on-the-go; some are even multi-tasking. The Reviving Oil Lip Tint comes in a click-pen that dispenses the glossy gel-balm through a silicon applicator. The product is easily absorbed, and does not leave behind a greasy after feel. It made my lips feel soft and just ever so slightly poutier due to the minty formula. This product is also a lip tint, which left my lips with a natural-looking, just-bitten pink.   The Priming Moisture Balm leaves skin with a silky finish, so your foundation sits better on the skin, and lasts longer. While it is hydrating, wear this primer over lotion, serum and moisturiser for best results. It also …

Kat Von D VS Jeffree Star: Battle of the liquid lipsticks

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So. If you don’t already know, there is plenty of chatter online about the recent fiasco between the tattoo artist Kat Von D, and Internet sensation Jeffree Star. I don’t want to get into the details of the drama, because I honestly don’t care. As a consumer, I’m most concerned about what I get when I pay for their products. Now that Kat Von D Beauty is available in Sephora stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand – when it was previously impossible to buy it online in the region – everyone wants to know…so what’s the main difference between Kat Von D’s bestselling Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and Jeffree Star’s Velour Liquid Lipstick? Which formula is better? Especially when both KVD and JS products are supposedly made in the same factory (just like the rumours about Bourjois and Chanel make-up; and Kylie Cosmetics and Colour Pop Cosmetics)? I’ve been a fan of Jeffree’s Velour Liquid Lipstick since around the end of last year or so. I like Kat Von D’s stuff, but never had a chance …

The palettes to invest in, now

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Besides the awesome new BeautyKiller palette by Jeffree Star, here are the other face combo boxes you should consider investing in at the moment. Like Star’s, the other two palettes that caught my eye on social media (as they were trending like crazy), are created by self-styled Youtube gurus who hit the jackpot. There’s the Becca Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette. I don’t know Jaclyn Hill, but her gorgeous and literally gleaming face palette caught my eye online and in the store. Made for that ethereal, healthy glow, the compact features five shades inspired by delicious bubbly: Pamplemousse – A deep coral pink blush with subtle gold flecks Amaretto – A tan-terracotta blush Rose Spritz – A rosegold-bronzey confection with iridescent shimmer Champagne Pop – A crisp, gold-based highlighter with iridescent shimmer Prosecco Pop – A slightly frostier highlighter with iridescent shimmer Comes in a beautiful, hefty, gold-speckled casing. Quick tips for using this palette and highlighters in general: To avoid looking greasy and sweaty when wearing highlighters, avoid the T-zone and chin areas, where …

Nars Survival Kit 2

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All you need to look like you’ve got everything in control.  Like when you’re at the airport of a foreign country for a  work trip and discover that your luggage didn’t arrive with you. Or when you’ve just got yourself a fabulous but tiny purse, and need to fit your whole life in it.  Enter the Nars Survival Kit 2.  The palette features the light lavender Tokyo II (also colour-correcting) eyeshadow to brush all over the lids  to make eyes look brighter.  The rich, deep brown Galapagos eyeshadow with gold flecks is made for smudged, sexy smokey eyes. Some prefer to wet the brush and use the shadow as liner.  The Modesty and Day Dream Blush make for multi-dimensional cheek bones; use the light colour on top cheek bones and the coral pink on apples of cheeks to hairline.  The pigmented deep red-fuchsia Phantasia Lip Gloss adds polish and a pop of colour to the face.  Complete eye makeup with Black Moon Audacious Mascara. 

Original Mineral Project Sukuroi Gold Smoothing Balm

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I dye my hair pretty often.  And there is nothing I hate more than dry, brassy strands.  So besides trimming my locks often, I am always on the look out for good hair conditioners/ leave-in treatments/ masks. The kind that sink into the strands and really nourishing and healing them instead of staying on the surface of the hair and weighing them down with an annoying greasiness. Like most of the Original Mineral haircare products, this smoothing balm really works for me.  My coloured and bleached hair becomes super smoothe, manageable and bouncy-healthy looking whenever I use it. The colour of my hair also looks richer after use. Project Sukuroi was inspired by the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold lacquer. The hydrating and conditioning formula is made with antioxidant-rich oil from the Camelina plant, Australian macadamia oil that locks moisture in, as well as Keratin to strengthen, restore and smoothe hair.  Another plus: O&M products are free from sulfates, parabens, triclosan and phthalates.

Origins’ new masking essentials

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When there’s so much to do between the deadlines, online shopping at midnight and catching up on Orange Is The New Black episodes, it is little wonder that you don’t have time for a spa session.  So brands like Origins are stepping up on its masking range, so you can get your DIY facial done infront of the screen at home. I really like the new By All Greens deep cleansing mask. The creamy formula foams up like most oxygen masks when you spread it onto the skin. Made with green tea, spirulina and spinach, it perked up my skin like a vitamin shot. It felt plump and had a nice glow. My skin did not feel too tight and dry afterwards, while the pores looked finer too. Spritz on the Maskimizer Primer (which works like a regular skin softener) before applying the mask for best results. The new GinZing Peel-off Mask is a little tricky to apply.  The formula contains quite a bit of alcohol, it can sting and smart the eyes as you …

TBG Interview: Kate Forbes, head of R&D, Aesop

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In town for the launch of Aesop’s new Lucent Facial Concentrate (more details below), Dr Kate Forbes has been instrumental in the Australian brand’s  formulas for the last 15 years. She tells The Beauty Gazette why and how Aesop products can be blended together for a customised solution for the skin. “Our approach to the skincare routine is simple: everyone is different. It all depends on the environment they live and work in, their skin type, the skin-feel they like after the application of the products, their stress levels. All these factors affect how the skin looks. So we talk to our customers to offer a prescribed solution for their needs, mixing and matching the options in the different ranges. There is a palette of Aesop ingredients that we use quite frequently. Such as an aloe vera base for gel serums, and creams because it is so soothing; chamomile extract to calm; as well as the antioxidants like green tea extract and Vitamin C. So certain products work well when blended together.” Here are some “formulas” …

Jeffree Star

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If you don’t already know by now, I’m a huge fan of the indie make-up label by Jeffree Star.  A former make-up artist and one-time Internet pop sensation, Star turned back to his all-time passion – make-up!- about a year ago.  And he has proven himself to be a genius as a make-up formula magician. He creates textures and colours that no one else has (just like how all the other famous brand founders Francois Nars, Charlotte Tilbury, Wende Zomnir of Urban Decay, Bobbi Brown, all started out). Star takes things further with intense pigments, and shades that look like meh in a tube but wears beautifully on every skin tone. They are matte but not drying, liquid but so easy to apply, and lasts like no other. His Velour Liquid Lipsticks are always sold out – especially the more popular ones like Unicorn Blood, Androgyny, Gemini – within minutes after they are launched on his site. Star has since moved on to lip scrubs and some serious Skin Frost highlighters that will make you shine …

Gucci Bamboo Eau de Toilette

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Says Gucci: “The new scent pulsates with the original fragrance’s inspiration: bamboo, one of the House’s most celebrated and elegant design signatures, and its references in the Gucci woman. The rich woody floral finds new edge with a bright mandarin note. Lighter than the original essence, Gucci Bamboo Eau de Toilette offers alluring insight into the Gucci woman’s sensual, romantic side.” Says me:  A pretty fruity-floral; bright, fresh, a little sparkly, a hint of clean linen, peachy, slightly sweet. An everyday scent. 

Make-up for vampires?

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Who else remembers Twilight the book? I have to admit, I was never really a fan. I bought the book because everyone else was reading it. And I couldn’t get past the first page. I enjoyed the movie though! Kat Von D is finally launching in Singapore Sephora stores. And the gothic themed, coffin-shaped and shiny black packaging just got me thinking of vampires. Here are some of the brand’s classics. The Shade + Light Contour Palette is a perfect palette for sculpting the face. Unlike most contouring palettes that only come with two shades at most, this one has six. Three of the darker milk chocolate shades at the bottom are made for bronzing or sculpting. While the three lighter ones on top are for colour-correcting and highlighting. So you can blend and mix the shades to suit your skin tone. The textures are also completely matte, so they meld into the skin and make your visage look naturally sculpted. This palette, however, is only suitable for those with fair to tanned skin, not …