Empties Galore Part 2: Makeup I've Used Up!

Alright, you've seen my skincare empties in the previous post, and now, we're moving on to the makeup items that I've used up in the past 6 months or so! (There's also a skincare item that I forgot about for the previous post - oops - but otherwise, all the other items are makeup!) I'm pretty excited to talk about some of the items here, because some of these items are really my makeup staples, and although I don't often talk about them on my blog, they are some of the day-to-day backbone-of-my-routine type products.

Makeup and skincare empties that I can finally say I've used up in 2015!

On reflection, it's pretty appropriate that this post is going live on the last day of the year, because it really has that "out with the old, in with the new" vibe. And while I'm excited for the new products that I will be buying this upcoming year, it's also weirdly satisfying to see that I managed to use up some of my older products, too.

All the skincare and makeup empties I've accumulated over the past half a year or so

So, without further ado, let's get started!

Empties Galore Part 1: Skincare I've Used Up!

It's been awhile since my last empties post, and since this is the end of the year, it seemed appropriate to have an "in with the new, out with the old" empties post! And since my last post, I have accumulated a good number of empties, if I do say so myself! I think I've even accumulated more empties this time round, as compared to the last post, so I consider this to be a "massive empties" acheivement unlocked!

All the skincare and makeup empties I've accumulated over the past half a year or so

While empties posts might seem puzzling to most people, as a beauty junkie with a fairly considerable stash accumulated over time, actually using up products can be a tad of a struggle sometimes. So when I do use up things, I always feel pretty happy - it's like I've successfully cleared space in my stash for more beauty products! And empties posts are always a great opportunity for me to reflect on which are the products I've liked, and kept using, and why.


Acheivement unlocked: lots of skincare and makeup empties from a variety of brands
And I do have quite a lot of empties this time round, from makeup to skincare and more, so I'm pretty excited to share my thoughts with you! At first, I tried to cram all my thoughts into one single post, but then I realized that it would be a pretty long post. So, I've decided to split this post into 2 parts! We'll take a look at the skincare I've used up first, since it's the foundation of any beauty routine, and then in the next post we'll look at makeup!

Etude House Snowy Dessert Swatches and Quick Reviews: Pudding Tint, Ginger Cookie Blusher, Contour, Play 101 Pencils, Scented Tablets

Etude House's Snowy Dessert Holiday 2015 Collection certainly seems to be a hit this year. Between the food-themed items, the absolutely adorable packaging, the attractive products, and the affordable prices, I think Etude House has basically ticked all the boxes for a winning Christmas collection! I've taken some swatches of the colour makeup, namely the Pudding Tint, the Ginger Cookie Blusher and Contour, and the new Play 101 Pencils, so without further ado, let's check out the swatches!

Etude House Snowy Dessert Collection

First up, though, I have to apologize for the swatches. I had some items from the collection but not all, so I tried to get the full range of swatches by going into the store to swatch the shades I didn't have, but I think the lighting in the store was less than optimal. Still though, I think the swatches are good enough to give you ad indication of the colour!

The Face Shop Around The World Character Sheet Mask and Hand Cream

The Face Shop's Holiday 2015 Collection is called Around The World, and I've already reviewed the Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask Rice set, and I'll be reviewing the rest of their Holiday products today! While I wasn't a fan of the Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask Rice set, I have to say, the rest of their Christmas collection has been pretty great so far!

The Face Shop's Around The World Christmas 2015 Collection consists of various gift sets

In addition to the Rice Water Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask set, there are also super-cute Character Masks with special Christmas designs, as well the Protect Me! Hand Cream set, with 3 little cute adorable tubs of hand cream. So clearly the focus of these sets is on skin and bodycare.


Part of the Around The World collection includes seasonal Character Masks and the Protect Me! Hand Cream set
Without further ado, let's get around to reviewing all these sets! Of course, it's a given that they make cute gifts (for yourself too, not just for others), but what's in those products? We'll take a look!

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask Rice Review and Ingredients Analysis

The Face Shop's Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Mask Rice are some fairly popular products from the brand, and this year, they are banded together as a set for The Face Shop's Christmas 2015 Around The World collection! I have a few items from the Around The World collection, but I thought that I'd split my review of the collection into 2 parts, so that the post wouldn't be too long. In particular, I've noticed that the Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam seems to be quite widely used, so I thought that this set deserved a little more attention on its own!

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask Rice

Although both products are rice-themed, and thus actually quite compatibly packaged together, they don't actually come from the same skincare range. The Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam is one of several Rice Water-themed skincare items, including a cleansing oil and a cleansing milk. The Real Nature Face Mask Rice, meanwhile, comes from a range of Real Nature Face Masks - in addition to Rice, you have Real Nature Mask Aloe, Real Nature Mask Green Tea, Real Nature Mask Kelp, and quite a bunch more. In the Around The World gift set, you get one cleanser together with two of the sheet masks.


The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask Rice: Comes in a set as part of the Around The World Holiday 2015 Collection
Anyway, without further ado, let's start our look at both the Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask! Of course these are super cute and very gift-able as a set, but let's look at the ingredients in the product, and see how they work!

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Review and Ingredients Analysis: Bath Fizzers, Body Butter, Shimmer Mist, Lip Balm

After my previous post looking at some of The Body Shop's Frosted Plum products, I'm back with the rest of the products! The Frosted Plum range is limited edition for Christmas, and in addition to the usual products - Body Butter, Body Lotion and so on - they also come in some very attractive looking gift sets.


The Body Shop Frosted Plum Collection: Limited Edition for Christmas
Anyway, the Frosted Plum range seems to be pretty popular this year, and some of the shops I've seen could barely keep them in stock. I've intended to review the range for awhile, but better late than never, right?


The Body Shop Frosted Plum CollectionL The range includes an extensive line of bath and body products
Anyway, today's post looks at the Bath Fizzers, Body Butter, Shimmer Mist, and Lip Balm. The rest of the products I have (Sugar Scrub, Body Lotion, Shower Gel) were looked at in yesterday's post. So without further ado, let's take a look at the rest of the range!

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Review and Ingredients Analysis: Sugar Scrub, Body Lotion, Shower Gel

The Body Shop's Frosted Plum range is new for Christmas 2015, and this is a limited edition range. As with previous scents, you can get this in the full range of products - body butter, body lotion, shower gel, fragrance, bath fizzers, lipbalm, and the list goes on. The Frosted Plum range seems to be really, really popular here - I've walked by local The Body Shop stores where barely any of the range is in stock, so I hope this review isn't a little too late!

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Collection: A sophisticated scent that is limited edition

Frosted Plum, as the name implies, is a sweet, fruity scent. Although The Body Shop's website states that it is meant to be a "truly sophisticated indulgence", this is really, to my nose anyway, more girly-fruity than grown-up musk. Nevertheless, the scent is appealing, and you can smell some of the plum. In that sense, it's in the same family of other The Body Shop scents, where they are mostly sweet, fruit-based concoctions. If you've tried and liked the other The Body Shop scents, then you'll probably like this too. The smell of the range is gorgeous, and really nice to luxuriate in. And there are many ways to bask in the scent, since the product range is so vast.


The Body Shop Frosted Plum Collection: A sweet, fruity scent complemented by its purple packaging
I have quite a few products from this range - the Sugar Scrub, Body Butter, Body Lotion, Shower Gel, Shimmer Mist, Bath Fizzers, and Lip Balm. Since reviewing all of them in one post would result in a super long post (especially given my style or review - what with that ingredients geekery and other nerdiness, so I've decided to just do this in two parts. For part 1, we'll be looking at the Sugar Scrub, Body Lotion, and Shower Gel, while Part 2 will look at the rest of the products. So I hope you're settled in, and let's get started!

Refa Active Review: Massage Roller for Face and Body

Face and body roller massagers seem to be the trend nowadays, but one of the most popular ones is the Refa Active. This is a handheld massager, with two rollers and an easy-to-grip handle. Refa has a few models of massagers, but the Refa Active is also made specifically for athletes, and has some unique features of its own. Of course, non-athletic people like me can also use all the features too, because it's claimed to have aesthetic effects, beyond the health benefits. In fact, I'm told that some people may also see a slimming effect with consistent use of the massager!

Refa Active: A fully-featured massager for face and body

I've blogged about massage rollers before (and have looked at the science behind facial massage too), so these don't need an introduction, but out of the ones I've tried, the Refa ones are the best. My mum consistently steals my Refas from under me (my Refa Carat, which I've Instagrammed here previously, is now permanently located on her dresser table), and out of all the massagers she's tried, this is still one of her favourites.


Refa Active: Made with athletes in mind, but anyone can use it too
I know roller massagers like this one can look a bit confusing, so let's take a look at the features of the Refa Active, what makes it different from other massagers, and some of my favourite things to do with the Refa Active!

Urban Decay Vice 4 Palette Swatches and Review

Urban Decay's Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette is probably one of the Holiday 2015 makeup items. Urban Decay's Vice Palettes have always been popular, starting with the original Vice Palette launched in 2012, the following iterations on the Vice themed (named Vice 2 and Vice 3) were also really popular, and tend to sell out pretty fast. If you're an eyeshadow lover, you probably already have Vice 4 on your radar - if you haven't already gotten it!

Urban Decay Vice 4 Palette: New for the Holiday 2015 season

The Vice 4 Palette has a whopping 20 eyeshadows, like the 3 other Vice Palettes before it. And according to Sephora, the palette "is formulated with Urban Decay’s own Pigment Infusion System™, a proprietary blend of ingredients that deliver rich, velvety, blendable color that lasts and sparkle that stays in place". Urban Decay's eyeshadows are famous for their pigmentation and good texture, so I'm happy to hear that!


Urban Decay Vice 4 Palette: A great complement to the existing Vice Palettes
Anyway, without further ado, let's move on to the swatches!

Too Faced Christmas in Paris Swatches and First Impressions

Too Faced's Christmas in Paris Collection is quite hotly anticipated, and after previously bringing you swatches of the Le Grand Palais set, I've decided to (finally!) post the rest of the swatches! Better late than never, right?

Too Faced Christmas in Paris: A holiday collection that looks super festive!

The Holiday 2015 items I have here are the Melted Kisses and Sweet Cheeks set, the Le Petit Tresor set, and the French Kisses melted set. Most of these sets consist of existing shades from Too Faced's permanent collection, so I guess if you're already familiar with the shade range these swatches may not excite you as much, although the Le Petit Tresor set does contain one exclusive shade.


Too Faced Christmas in Paris: Sets featuring some of their most popular products
As with the Le Grand Palais swatches, I also took these photos indoors at a restaurant, and was multi-tasking (eating while swatching makeup is fun, but not easy), so pardon any less-than-perfect swatching! I hope these swatches help, however!

Too Faced Le Grand Palais Swatches and First Impressions

Too Faced's Le Grande Palais is one of the key items in the brand's Holiday 2015 collection. It's basically a set, with a palette of 18 eyeshadows, two blushes, a bronzer, and a highlighter. It also has minis of the Melted Lipstick in Peony, the Better Than Sex Mascara, and the Shadow Insurance Eye Primer. I've gotten a lot of interest ever since I posted about this on my Instagram (and one person even bought it when it came out on account of the Instagram pic), so I figure I'd better get around to swatching this!

Too Faced Le Grand Palais: One of the stars of the Holiday 2015 collection

Le Grand Palais is a Sephora exclusive, so if you want it, you know where to get it! Also, this is limited time only since it's a Christmas item. So I wouldn't wait too long to get it if you're interested! Swatches of the other Too Faced Holiday 2015 makeup items will be up soon too - I've just been busy, and there are a ton of Christmas collections out now!

Too Faced Le Grand Palais: 18 eyesahdows and 4 face colours are the highlight of the set
Without further ado, let's move on to the swatches! Before we start the swatches proper, though, let me apologize for any lack in quality of the swatches. These were made over lunch indoors in a restaurant, so I had the ultimate first-world-beauty-blogger-cum-foodie problem of eating and swatching makeup at the same time! Obviously it was a good problem to have, so I'm not complaining! I've tried my best with these swatches, so I hope they help somebody!

Givenchy Teint Couture Balm Review, Swatches Ingredients Analysis and FOTD

Givenchy Teint Couture Balm (aka Givenchy Teint Couture Blurring Foundation Balm) SPF15 is the latest base product for skin to come from Givenchy. Givenchy has some really gorgeous face makeup - their Prisme Libre loose powders, as well as their little squares of pressed finishing/brightening powders are some of my favourites (and I recently hauled yet more of their stuff, as this IG photo shows), and make up some of the brands best known products. So I had high expectations for the Teint Couture Balm.

Givenchy Teint Couture Balm SPF15: The latest lightweight foundation/BB cream-type product from Givenchy

The Teint Couture Balm is advertised as being a "an invisible, ultralightweight, skin-fusion foundation for a flawless, bare-skin effect, and it's a lighter foundation/base product addition to Givenchy's range. I'm pretty late to the party - these were launched a couple of months ago, but I'm only reviewing them now, but on the bright side, a thorough review is always good, right? And I'm glad to say, the Teint Couture Balm performs very nicely!


Givenchy Teint Couture Balm SPF15: Also known as Teint Couture Blurring Foundation Balm in some countries
And by thorough, I do mean thorough - I've got swatches, ingredients analysis, and a photo of the Teint Couture Balm on my face! Of course, we'll start with my favourite part - the ingredients analysis of the product.

Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate is Kiehl's latest face oil, and is the day counterpart to their iconic product, the Midnight Recovery Concentrate (which I've made mentioned of on my blog before). The idea behind the Daily Reviving Concentrate is that you use it during the day to protect your skin, and you use the Midnight Recovery Concentrate during the night to help your skin repair itself. For facial oil lovers, this is pretty great!

Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate: A companion to the iconic Midnight Recovery Concentrate

The Kiehl's website calls this a face oil that "strengthens skin’s defenses against daily aggressors to keep skin youthful and radiant-looking all day", and "provides antioxidant protection with a powerful blend of naturally-derived oils, including Ginger Root, Sunflower and Tamanu". It also claims to be "Paraben free, 100% natural origin, Mineral oil free, Non-comedogenic, Non-acnegenic". I guess that's going to appeal to a lot of people!


Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate: The latest facial oil product from the brand
Of course, I'm sure there will be questions - for one, what is in the Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate that's so special? And can a facial oil really be non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic? We shall see!

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette Review and Swatches

Urban Decay's Naked Smoky Palette is the latest eyeshadow palette addition to Urban Decay's Naked range of palettes, and the fourth in the range (after the original Naked, Naked 2, and Naked 3). Urban Decay traditionally has been known for its bright and bold eyeshadow shades, but the addition of the Naked Palettes has helped to really establish the brand as not just for neon lovers, and brought the brand to a whole new audience.

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette: The fourth palette in the Naked Palette series.

I'm a pretty big fan of Urban Decay's eyeshadows, I have some in the really old packaging with the old logo and in the tin packaging, and the quality of the eyeshadows now is just as good as it was then. Of course, the brand image has gotten a bit more glamorous and a bit less grungy over the years, but the quality is still pretty great.


Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette: The shade range consists of both smokey and everyday shades.
Anyway, without further ado, let's move on to the review and swatches!

Gerard Cosmetics Star Powder Audrey Review and Swatches

Gerard Cosmetics is an indie brand that has gotten really popular lately, especially on Instagram, where I see so many posts on the brand on there. So I couldn't resist, and started buying some Gerard Cosmetics myself, and ended up with a tiny collection of their lipsticks, lipglosses, and their Star Powder in Audrey. So, I thought I'd start by reviewing the Star Powder in Audrey first!

Gerard Cosmetics Star Powder Audrey: A gold shimmer powder

Anyway, Gerard Cosmetics is available to purchase from their website, and while the prices seem a bit expensive at first glance, there are always codes floating around for various deals, e.g. a 3 for $25 lipstick or lipgloss deal. Anyway, the Star Powders have been getting quite a lot of love on Instagram, so I thought I'd get one for myself! Most of the shades were a little too dark for me (unless I was looking for a bronzer or blush), so I got Audrey, which is a beige champagne shade.


Gerard Cosmetics Star Powder Audrey: One of several shades of Star Powder
As is my style, let's start with a quick look at the ingredients list, and then we'll go on to the swatches and reviews! I also did a comparison with one of the more similar shades of highlighters in my stash, too!

Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar Review and Ingredients Analysis!

Philosophy's Renewed Hope In A Jar moisturizer, as the name suggests, is a "renewed", new and improved version of Philosophy's iconic Hope In A Jar moisturizer. I happen to be running a giveaway for a jar of Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar and Purity Cleanser right now (which you can enter if you are a Singapore resident), so I figure that there's no better time to do a review of the new Renewed Hope In A Jar!

Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar: The new and improved version of Hope In A Jar

According to the Philosophy website, the "the revolutionary lightweight, whipped formula of hope in a jar is renewed and infused with a new innovation: clinically proven skin renewal technology", in particular "a triple blend of alpha hydroxy acids, 3 forms of hyaluronate plus an asian fruit extract". The old version was already pretty popular, so I imagine the new one is going to turn some heads!

I'm a big fan of acids, and both AHAs and BHAs have both worked well for me in the past, so I was definitely keen to try this out! And if you're like me, chances are you're probably pretty excited about the AHAs too, and you're probably wondering - what are the AHAs that are in the product, and is the product formulated to allow the AHAs to function optimally? And also, are there any other benefits beyond AHAs in this product?


Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar: The latest moisturizer from Philosophy
Don't worry though - we're going to look at all of these questions in my review. It's going to be a bit long, because we'll be looking both at the overall formulation of the product, as well as aspects of the product that are specific to AHAs (e.g. the AHAs inside it, and the pH of the product), but I hope it will be worth it! This also means we're going to get comfortable spending some time getting to know our ingredients list, so let's get started!

Singapore Giveaway: Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar and Purity Cleanser!

It's giveaway time! 5 lucky blog followers are each going to win a Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar and a Purity Cleanser! Philosophy's Renewed Hope In A Jar is the new and improved version of their iconic Hope In A Jar, and the Renewed version also happens to be pretty good, by the way (review on that to come soon). Philosophy's Purity Cleanser is also another of the brand's cult product, so these are some pretty great prizes! Just fill out your entries in the entry form below, and voila! Entered!

5 winners will win a Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar and Purity Cleanser!

Also, because I had a good reception to my previous Instagram giveaway, I'm also concurrently running an Instagram giveaway this time too over here on my Instagram account (basically, you can follow + regram/tag your friends if you're on Instagram for another chance to win). So the 5 sets of prizes will be given to followers who are either participating in this blog giveaway, or in the Instagram giveaway! (Of course, nothing's stopping you from doing both if you're so inclined to - you have better chances that way!)

And now for the standard rules: This giveaway is open to Singaporean residents. If you win, you have to collect your prize from Sephora Ion before 28 October, hence why this giveaway is only open to Singaporean residents (unless you have a nice friend who will do it for you). Lastly, this giveaway will end on 18 October midnight. It is going to run for a shorter period of time than my usual giveaway length, because you have until 28 October to collect the prize, and I want to ensure that people have enough time to do so! So don't wait to enter, and good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Product provided for giveaway. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion Review and Ingredients Analysis

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ is the latest BB cushion to come from the brand, and it seems to have been advertised just for this hot weather we've been having - two of the key features being marketed are that it is waterproof, and has oil-control properties. That's gotta be good for hot weather, right?

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion: Waterproof, and Long Lasting

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion comes in two shades, V201 Apricot Beige, which is the lighter shade, and V203 Natural Beige, the darker shade. I have V203 Natural Beige with me, and although it isn't the best match for my skintone because it was too dark and orange, but it was the "default" shade that was sent to me. Which is a pity, because the Water Cushion does have a lot to recommend it! So if you see me looking kind of Oompa Loompa orange in my FOTD or swatches, don't worry, it's the result of a less-than-optimal shade match!


The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion: Perfect for hot weather and summer days
So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's start the review - by taking a look at the formula and ingredients list!

Jane Iredale PlayOn Lip Crayons Swatches, Review and Ingredients Analysis

Jane Iredale's PlayOn Lip Crayons are new for Fall 2015, just in time to catch in on the jumbo lip crayon trend (these things are still trendy, right? I don't know about you, I'm still loving them!). And they come in 7 shades to boot, so there's something for everyone.

Jane Iredale PlayOn Lip Crayons: New for Fall 2015

These are advertised by Jane Iredale as having a "creamy formula [that] glides on and stays on", although these are not retractable so you'll need a jumbo pencil sharpener to sharpen the pencils. Jane Iredale has their own Jumbo Pencil Sharpener, but in my humble opinion any appropriately-sized one will work too.


Jane Iredale PlayOn Lip Crayons: 7 shades, from light nudes to berries
I'm pretty excited about these PlayOn Lip Crayons, so let's get started with the ingredient analysing and the swatching, and the reviewing! Without further ado, let's look at the ingredients list first!

MAC Waterweight Foundation and Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water: Dupes and Similar Products

MAC's Studio Waterweight Foundation SPF30 is the latest foundation from MAC, and it has been getting tons of raves online for its lightweight, water-like texture. However, the foundation really made its way onto my radar because I was asked by my colleague at work whether I was going to review it or not. After sheepishly admitting that I probably wasn't (not because I don't want to, but because I'm already backlogged on my reviews), she told me that she had heard that it was a dupe of a Smashbox foundation, the Smashbox's Camera Ready BB Water SPF30. So I just had to check it out!

MAC Studio Waterweight Foundation SPF30 vs Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water SPF30: Dupes or not?

Of course, the ingredients nerd in me was piqued by this. Certainly this wouldn't be the first time a product has had a dupe, and is hardly surprising to me. In my 5 years of blogging, I've encountered beauty dupes for everything from brush-washing tools to colour-changing lipbalm to face creams, so nothing fazes me. But it is interesting to see a product being duped so early into its release.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water: A new Smashbox product, rumoured to be a dupe for the MAC Waterweight Foundation (Source)

Turns out, as you might guess, the MAC Waterweight Foundation SPF30 and Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water SPF30 are indeed extremely close, if not identical. But I wanted to find out more - what if there were other similar products out there? So began my journey into ingredient nerdiness.

Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen SPF30 Review and Ingredients Analysis

Supergoop! is a US-based niche brand dedicated to sunscreens, and the humorous brand name belies its goal: to "formulate products that you and your family actually want to put on: they are lightweight, never greasy or sticky and easily absorb into skin". That's great, since sunscreen can feel kinda icky to wear and apply (and also to reapply), although in recent years there have been quite a few non-greasy options from both Asian brands as well as Western ones (as a quick look through some of my previous sunscreen reviews will show. Still, it's always good to have another sunscreen brand to choose from - as I've mentioned in my blog before, I'm a pretty big fann of sunscreen, and I think it's one of the skincare products everyone should use.

Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen SPF30: From a brand that specializes in only sunscreens

Supergoop! is also one of those brands that will appeal to those who like their skincare to be more natural (as far as sunscreen can be "natural" I guess) - they proudly brag on their packaging that they are free of "controversial ingredients" like parabens, synthetic fragrance, and oxybenzone. While I'm all for fragrance-free stuff, it always annoys me a little when brands pander to greenwashing, because not all controversial ingredients are unsafe, and some (if not most) of them actually have been shown to be safe time and time again. The hype and noise surrounding an ingredient often doesn't match up to the science, so just because an ingredient is currently making the "OMGZ WILL CAUSE CANCER AND MAKE YOU DIE" rounds, doesn't mean it is actually harmful. Specifically for parabens, I've written a blogpost about parabens and safety and whether they cause cancer or not that pretty much summarizes my view - but, in short, parabens are safe for use in cosmetics as they are currently used. I'm cool with natural brands advertising themselves as being natural (although it seems almost every brand is jumping on that bandwagon), but I would like it much better if they didn't have to resort to relying on spurious science and "chemicals are bad" bashing when they undertake their marketing efforts. (And as I've also mentioned in my parabens post, EWG is not actually a good source for science-based info!)


Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen SPF30: The sunscreen's claim to fame is its light, non-greasy texture
Anyway, marketing aside, I have the Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen With Cellular Response Technology Broad Spectrum SPF 30 for review. I got mine from Luxola, which seems to have sold out of this particular sunscreen but still have many others, but you can also get it from the Supergoop! website or Nordstrom. We're going to check out whether the Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen lives up to its claims - whether it really does feel lightweight and non-greasy, whether it does provide adequate sun protection, and while we're at it, we'll also take a look at what the deal is with this Cellular Response Technology. And to do that, we'll start at the ingredients list!

Etude House Wonder Pore Tightening Essence, Black Mask Sheet Review and Ingredients Analysis

Etude House's Wonder Pore skincare range is a pretty popular one, targeting the concerns of oily skin and enlarged pores which are common among young women. Now, Etude House's Wonder Pore range has expanded to include two new products - the Wonder Pore Tightening Essence, and the Wonder Pore Black Sheet Mask. I had previously reviewed the Wonder Pore Freshner, which is one of the key products of the Wonder Pore range, so I decided I had to follow up and review the new additions too!

Etude House Wonder Pore Tightening Essence and Black Mask Sheet

Etude House makes some interesting claims about its Wonder Pore Tightening Essence and Black Mask Sheet. It claims that the Tightening Essence "tightens pores for smooth and firm pores", while it claims that the Black Mask Sheet "controls sebum and cleans pores with its black sheet containing oak tree charcoal cooked in a kiln with temperature over 1,000 degrees". So just like the rest of the range,


Etude House Wonder Pore Tightening Essence and Black Mask Sheet: New additions to the Wonder Pore skincare range for oily skin
I decided to review both products, and while I don't quite have the young, oily skin these products are geared for (I do have some oiliness, but a lot of oil-control skincare is too harsh for me), I figured I could still break down the products and see how they worked, in addition to just sharing my experiences with the products. So, of course to do that, we start at the ingredients list!

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation Review, FOTD, and Ingredients Analysis

Too Faced's Born This Way Foundation is one of the newer base products from Too Faced, and judging by the reception on my Instagram feed and Twitter, it seems to be getting a lot of love. So naturally, I was super curious about it!

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation: The new foundation has been getting lots of love online

Too Faced claims on their website that the foundation is a "medium-to-full undetectable coverage", making you look like you were, of course, Born This Way. Now undetectable foundation is quite a tall order, because in my years of beauty blogging, I've found that nothing looks exactly like skin except skin, although of course a good foundation should be a good colour match and walk the fine tightrope between having great coverage and yet as realistic a finish as possible, and also hold up to whatever activities or weather you face. Still, achieving the perfect base is always worth a shot right?


Too Faced Born This Way Foundation: Touted as a high-coverage foundation with a natural finish, like you were "born this way"
I had high expectations for the Born This Way Foundation - I mean, in addition to all the raves I had been hearing, the foundation's box also has the results of some consumer study survey conducted by the company, that basically said that the foundation was awesome at blurring imperfections, making skin look perfect, and giving natural coverage. So we're going to put these claims to the test. And, we're also going to look at the formula of the Born This Way Foundation, to see how the magic works!

The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Essence Lotion, Facial Oil, Gel Creme Review and Ingredients Analysis

The Body Shop's Oils of Life skincare and bodycare range launched in Singapore recently, and I have here 3 of the products from the collection: the Intensely Revitalising Essence Lotion, the Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil, and the Intensely Revitalising Gel Creme. There is also an accessory, the Twin-Ball Revitalising Facial Massager, which is meant to massage the products into your face. The Oils of Life launch date was 3rd September, so for once I'm not super late with my reviews, haha.

The Body Shop Oils of Life Skincare Collection: With "3 precious seed oils"

As you might guess, the selling point of these products is the oils in them. The Body Shop advertises them as containing "3 precious seed oils", which are black cumin oil from Egypt, rosehip oil from Chile, and camellia oil from China. And the packaging for this line is pretty gorgeous and luxe-looking too, with the rich, golden amber hues of oils and lotions. I'm not that much of an oil kinda person, but I really like the look of these! I mean, don't tell me that shade of gold doesn't look appealing. And the name "Oils of Life" - doesn't it sound so tempting?


The Body Shop Oils of Life Skincare Collection: The 3 oils are black cumin oil from Egypt, rosehip oil from Chile, and camellia oil from China
Anyway, since we have 3 (or 4, if you count the Facial Massager) products to review, this post is going to be on the long side! But if you're read, I'm ready, so let's cut to the chase and jump straight to the meat of the post! We're going to look at the ingredient in the products, and also, their textures and how oily/light they are.

Etude House Bling Me Prism Swatches: Color in Liquid Lips and Eyeshadow

Etude House's Bling Me Prism collection has just been released here in September, and these are very summery bright pops of colour! Two of the products that seem to be getting a lot of attention are the Bling Me Prism Eyes, which are cream eyeshadows, as well as the Bling Me Prism Color in Liquid Lips, which are a lipgloss-liptint hybrid.

Etude House Bling Me Prism Color in Liquid Lips: 5 new shades

As is always the case with Etude House, the packaging for this is uber-cute, and super girly and princess-y to boot. I'm not sure if the shades are added to the permanent collection, but the packaging is usually a limited edition thing. So if you're eyeing any of the items for the packaging, you probably might want to get them earlier, rather than later.


Etude House Bling Me Prism Eyes: A cream eyeshadow in 5 shades
Anyway, enough of my chatter - let's get to the swatches!

Laura Mercier High Coverage Concealer for Under Eye Review, Swatches, Ingredients Analysis

Laura Mercier is best known for its high coverage and long lasting foundations and concealers, and I've had the High Coverage Concealer for Under Eye for awhile since last year, so I figured it was about time for me to do a review! I love my concealers for both face and undereye, and I'm always trying out whatever is new in terms of base makeup, so I was naturally extremely excited about this!

Laura Mercier High Coverage Concealer for Under Eye

I have the High Coverage Concealer for Under Eye in Shade 2, which is described as "Light Intensity with Warm Undertones". Of course, while this is formulated with undereyes in mind, you're free to use it for other parts of the face too!


Laura Mercier High Coverage Concealer for Under Eye: I have Shade 2, a light shade with warm undertones
Well, without further ado, let's get on with the swatches, and a before-and-after on my own eye (which does not lack in the dark circles department, let me tell you that)! And because I'm an ingredients nerd, we'll also take a look at the ingredients in this concealer and see what makes it so special.