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!



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

Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur Review, Swatches and Ingredients Analysis

Etude House's Beauty Shot Face Blur is the latest base makeup product from Etude House, and while it's not quite new to Singapore, having been launched about a month or so ago, I figure better late than never! The Face Blur functions sort of like a cross between a primer and a sort of light foundation, and according to the Etude House English website it is a "lightweight cream" with "multi-blurring effects for instantly refined and smooth skin" for a "3-in-1 multi filter effect like adjusting light on skin". It even has SPF15/PA+ sun protection to boot! Sounds great, huh?

Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur: The latest makeup base product from Etude House

The Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur is supposed to give your skin a perfect finish and instantly make your skin "selfie ready" - I suppose given that "selfie" was named Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year in 2013, I guess there's no better way to market a product! Of course, in Asia, base makeup is always important - all sorts of base makeup like BB creams, BB cushions, and the like sell very well here. I'm totally expecting this to do well here!


Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur: Make your skin "selfie" ready!
Anyway, I know you're wondering - how does this differ from all the other primers out there? And does it really cover pores, perfect skin, and so on? Well you're in luck! We're just about to start on a little nerdy ingredients analysis of the product, before going on to swatches and a demonstration!

MUFE Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer Review, Swatches: Mattifying, Smoothing, and Radiant Primers

MUFE's Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primers are the latest range of makeup primers from MUFE, and as is typical of MUFE, they have launched not one or a few, but a whopping eleven primers under the Step 1 Skin Equalizer range. Each of these 11 shades is meant to serve a particular need, from hydrating to mattifying to smoothing, to nourishing, and a good 6 of the 11 are "Radiance Primer" shades, to subtly colour correct and give skin radiance, and these come in a variety of shades, from pink to blue to yellow to mauve and caramel, for different skin types (the yellow, mauve and caramel shades, for example, are for darker and tanned skins, while the pink, blue, and peach are for fair skin) . So no matter what your need, there's probably going to be a primer that works for you!

MUFE Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primers: Comes in 11 different shades and finishes for everyone

According to MUFE's comment on my Instagram photo, Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primers will also replace MUFE's previous primers, so the HD Primer, HD Elixir, and All Mat Primers will be replaced with the Step 1 Skin Equalizer range. For the review, I have three shades of the Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primers - Mattifying Primer #1, Smoothing Primer #2, and Radiance Primer - Blue #7. While mattifying and smoothing primers aren't anything particularly new, I thought a blue primer for radiance and colour correcting was definitely something I've not seen on the market yet. I'm told you can also layer these primers together - so if you want a combination of say, smoothing and colour correcting, you can certainly combine or layer the primers.


MUFE Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primers: Will replace the existing HD Primer, HD Elixir, and All Mat primers
The Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primers themselves are packaged in very sensible packaging - little tubes of 30ml each, with a squeeze nozzle at the end. I like tubes and pump packaging better than jars, because they are always more sanitary. And tubes with small nozzles also help to prevent evaporation of some of the move volatile ingredients, like some types of silicones, which would otherwise quickly evaporate from a jar.


MUFE Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primers: In handy-dandy tube packaging
Because my favourite thing to do is look at the ingredients in the products, I'm going to start this review by doing just that, and we'll take a peek into how exactly the MUFE Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primers work, and the ingredients behind their key functions!

Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector is the newest product from Kiehl's. It arrived with the most intriguing blurb ever - it's touted as both a skincare as well as a makeup product! As a makeup product, it's supposed to "diminish the appearance of pores" and "refines skin texture". As a skincare product, it' "provides long-lasting pore and texture correction". So I just had to review this!

Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector: Both a primer and a skincare product

Kiehl's claims on its website that its product has "light reflectors to give skin a more even and pristine appearance and help makeup last longer". This makes it sound like a primer. Kiehl's also claims on its website that "The effect is far from just being cosmetic. In just four weeks, you'll notice a significant reduction in the number and size of pores, more refined skin texture, as well as a reduction in fine lines." So it's also a skincare product for pores! I just had to investigate this, and where better to start than the ingredients list?

Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion Review and Swatches

Etude House's latest product, the Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion, is already out in Korea, and is coming to Singapore in May (so that's just a few days away!). If you saw my post on the Etude House Magic Any Cushion launch event, then you'll already know what these are, but if not, let me just do a brief recap for you. Unlike previous BB cushions, which are BB creams in cushion form, the Magic Any Cushion is really more of a colour-corrector, a primer, if you will, that can be worn alone, or under whatever other base makeup you want (e.g. foundation, BB cream, etc).

Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion

The Magic Any Cushion comes with great expectations - apparently 200,000 Magic Any Cushions were sold within the first few days of its launch in Korea, and I expect that it will do just as well in Singapore, too.