Sunday, May 29, 2016

MUFE Ultra HD Concealer Review, Swatches, Ingredients Analysis

Make Up For Ever's Ultra HD Concealer is now here, and MUFE is marketing this as an undereye concealer, with a lightweight formula and the ability to smooth fine lines. I've always been a pretty big MUFE fan - I can't think of a single product from them I dislike, seriously - so I was quite excited to see how these were!


MUFE Ultra HD Concealer: Marketed as an undereye concealer

The Ultra HD Concealers come in a range of shades - peach-based shades that function more as correctors to neutralize brown tones rather than match the skin, and more skin-like shades that are "proper" concealers. You can just buy the closest shade to your actual skintone and use it alone, or, if you need more coverage, you can use a corresponding peach shade to colour correct first, and then apply the skintone shade to conceal.

MUFE Ultra HD Concealer Review Invisible Cover
MUFE Ultra HD Concealer: Comes in "corrector and "concealer" shades

I have a "corrector" type peach-based shade, R30 Beige (which could be the concealer shade for some people), and a "concealer" shade, Y23 Ivory. I'm not sure if you can see the colour difference straightaway in the tubes, but don't worry - the swatches I have later make it clear they are different shades! As is with my style, let's first take a look at the ingredients in the product, to see what makes it so special. And I also have some pretty cool before-and-after shots too! So without further ado, let's dive in!

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Vichy Ideal White Mela Whitening Sleeping Mask Review and Ingredients Analysis

Vichy's Ideal White Mela Whitening Sleeping Mask is the latest addition to Vichy's Ideal White range, which is a whitening range for Asian skin, and also one that's exclusive to Asia. Vichy's Ideal White range already has an Essence and an Emulsion, which I've reviewed before, as well as an eye cream, sunscreen, spot treatment products, among others, so I guess the Sleeping Mask was the next step.

Vichy Ideal White Mela Whitening Sleeping Mask: A product to help brighten skin while you sleep

I've actually reviewed the Ideal White Range Essence and Emulsion, and I did find that they had some pretty unique whitening ingredients, primarily a combination of Ellagic Acid, Resourcinol and Adenosine, which you don't often find in typical drugstore whitening lines. So I was excited to see what the new Ideal White Sleeping Mask had inside!

Vichy Ideal White Sleeping Mask Mela Whitening Review
Vichy Ideal White Mela Whitening Sleeping Mask: A new additon to the Ideal White skincare range

So, without further ado, let's take a look at what's inside the Ideal White Sleeping Mask!

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Dr Ci:Labo Review and Ingredients Analysis: Super 100 Collagen, Vitamin C, Placenta, Hyaluronic Acid, EGF Serums

Dr Ci:Labo's Super 100 range is part of the brand's "Special Care" range, and it consists of 5 different ampoule/serum type products, featuring different ingredients, including Hyaluronic Acid, Marine Collagen, Vitamin C, EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor), and Placenta. These serums can be added to your moisturizer, or else used on their own before moisturizer. When mixing it in your own moisturizer, I'm told that you just add a drop or two into the appropriate amount of moisturizer in your palm, and mix before application.


Dr Ci:Labo Super 100 Collagen, Vitamin C, Placenta, Hyaluronic Acid, EGF Serums

These all come in blue or brown glass bottles of 10ml or 30ml, with a little tip that dispenses the serums one at a time. The Super 100 serums are all unscented, and in my opinion can be used with any moisturizer, although Dr Ci:Labo recommends that you use them with the other Dr Ci:Labo serums. Specifically the Hyaluronic Acid, Marine Collagen, and Placenta Super 100 Serums are meant to be mixed with the Labo Labo Super Moist Gel 5H5C (which I've reviewed before here), and the EGF and Vitamin C Super 100 Serums are meant to be mixed with the Labo Labo Super Keana Gel.

Dr Ci Labo Super 100 Collagen Vitamin C Placenta Hyaluronic Acid EGF Ampoules Mosturizer
Dr Ci:Labo Super 100 Collagen, Vitamin C, Placenta, Hyaluronic Acid, EGF Serums, with the two Labo Labo moisturizers recommended for compatibility

Anyway, these might be pretty useful as nifty little boost to your skincare routine. And without further ado, let's take a look at the individual serum's ingredients and what's inside!

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Stuff I've Used Up! Super Mega Empties Post: Skincare and Makeup

This is a pretty major empties post, because the last time I blogged about my empties was half a year ago in December last year (it was also a pretty large post, that I split into two parts, part 1 and part 2). This time around, I have even more stuff!


The nice thing about empties is that, for me, using a product up comes with a sense of accomplishment (as in, hey, I actually stuck to something long enough to use it up!) and also a sense of permission (as in, hey, I've used up a lipstick, now I can buy another lipstick)! So for a beauty junkie like me, it's both gratifying and enabling!

Empties Skincare Makeup Cleanser Moisturizer Eyeshadow Lipgloss Lipstick

Obviously, there's a lot to go through, so without further ado, let's jump right in!

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Origins Mega Defense Barrier Boosting Essence Oil & SPF45 Review and Ingredients Analysis

Origins Mega Defense range has added the Mega Defense Barrier Boosting Essence Oil and Mega Defense SPF45 UV Defender Sunscreen to its existing range. Origins bills the two products as skin defenders, capable of defending skin against "environmental assualts", which include both pollution as well as UV rays. Both are also meant to be lightweight, easily-absorbed products, making them ideal for warm weather.


Origins Mega Defense Barrier Boosting Essence Oil and SPF45 UV Defender

If you're familiar with the Origins approach to skincare, the brand is pretty big on plant extracts, essential oils, and other plant-derived ingredients, so if you're looking for products with such ingredients, then chances are, you'll love everything from Origins. I personally have mixed feelings about plant extracts and essential oils - I have pretty sensitive skin, so while some plant extract have worked great for my skin and I would have no hesitation in incorporating them into my routine, I've also come across plant oils that have given me breakouts and pimples. At the end of the day, it really boils down to the individual's preference and skin type. For me, it can vary a lot depending on the individual product, the ingredients in the product, and the amounts they're included in - which of course we will look at in this review!

Origins Mega Defense SPF 45 Barrier Boosting Essence Oil Review
Origins Mega Defense Barrier Boosting Essence Oil and SPF45 UV Defender: New additions to the Mega Defense skincare range

Speaking of ingredients, this review took me a little while to get around to I didn't get the ingredients lists along with the products. So I specially went to an Origins stand to hunt them down for you guys, so I could properly review both the Essence Oil and Sunscreen in their full glory, and so yes, I was at an Origins stand at some point crouching in front of their display items with my camera, obsessively taking photos of the ingredients lists until I got one that was legible. The things I do for you guys! Anyway, without further ado, let's start the review.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion BB Review, Ingredients Analysis, and FOTD

Estee Lauder's cushion compact is finally here, in the form of its Double Wear Cushion BB SPF50 PA+++! Obviously BB cushions have been pretty popular this season, and more than one brand has come out with their own cushion foundation, but the Estee Lauder one seems to be pretty popular because of the Double Wear name.


Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion BB: The latest addition to the famous Double Wear range

If you've been a beauty addict for awhile, then you'll probably know that the Double Wear Foundation is one of Estee Lauder's iconic products, so that's why the product comes with high hopes. Even when I was a newbie beauty addict many years back, it was already being recommended as one of THE foundations to try for super high coverage. I remember someone on some of the makeup sites I hung out online even went to ask one of those ladies who swims underwater with dolphins what foundation she was using (theory being that if it works for them it should work for anyone), and it turns out she was using Double Wear Foundation. So yes it is a pretty famous foundation!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion BB Review Pan
Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion BB: I've gotten a lot of interest in this, so it's really time for a review!

when I posted photos of the Double Wear Cushion BB on Instagram, I had quite a bit of interest in it, so I figured I should get around to reviewing it! Unfortunately, I've never actually tried the Double Wear Foundation, so I can't compare the two directly, and this will be a standalone review for the Cushion BB. And, as always, we'll start at the ingredients list!