Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope you all are having awesome holidays!!! Wish you and your loved ones a new year filled with joys and good health!

I'm blogging on my phone via our hotel's complementary wi-fi:d. It's not the most efficient way to blog I know. My family and I are heading to the East Coast. I just want to stop by and say hi to you all.

Talk soon xx

Friday, December 21, 2012

Beauty Blogazons Weekly Roundup 12/21/2012

Beatuy Blogazons sisters share quite a few holiday looks this week. Have a great weekend everyone and stay healthy! xx

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Review: Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Intensity 2


Given that Shade and Illuminate was the main target of my first trip to Tom Ford counter, I could have reviewed it first. Why didn't I? Um uh well, as typing this line, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Part of me loves it for its blendability, natural result and quick setting. The other part feels disappointed with the short wearing, and lack of intensity of the highlighter. Oddly enough, I don't hate the price. Let's break it down then, shall we. A look I wore the highlighter is here.

Tom For Shade and Illuminate ($75 for 0.49 oz) comes into two shades Intensity 1 and Intensity 2. They share the same highlighter, only the contouring shades are different. Based on my swatch, Intensity 1 is really yellow and lighter, even on my yellow skin tone. Intensity 2 has deeper brown/grey undertone and matches my skin better. The girls at Tom Ford told me that Intensity 2 matches most people while Intensity 1 looks yellow on most people. Puzzled :)

The close-up. White and brown!
At the first glance, I thought the highlighter would be stalky white and the contouring shade would look muddy. Not at all! The highlighter is a sheer shimmery white while the contouring shade is a matte deep neutral brown. The shimmer of the highlighter is beyond delicate. You guys probably remember I always rave about Edward Bess All Over Seduction for its finely milled shimmer. This is even more sophisticated. The texture is, as you would expect from Tom Ford, heavenly smooth. It blends seamlessly and effortlessly into the skin. You won't detect the transition from your skin to the area with product.

It surprises me that both the highlighter and contouring shade are sheer. I have to apply about 4 layers of the contouring shade to create believable high cheekbones. It does take me sometime to feel comfortable with the application. Once you get it, faking those hollows is really enjoyable. 

I want a quite visible glow so 4-5 layers of the highlighters are needed. Even so, the highlighter looks very natural under direct sunlight. No stalky white strips, guaranteed! Your skincolor peaks through a veil of sheer shimmery glistening soft white. Your cheeks will glow at certain angles when you turn your face. Now, if you like extremely natural glow, you'll enjoy this. I prefer more visible effect at all angles, so this falls short for my expectation. The highlighter reminds me of Giorgio Armani Sheer Fluid in cream formula only more opaque and of higher consistency. 

The highlighter stays put for about 6 hours on my combination skin, in the drier months. After hour 6, it becomes a layer of sheer sheen. I'm not sure how it'll behave in more humid weather. I would want it to last 8 hours, especially for the price. The contouring shade stays fresh for at least 8 hours. 

 Heavily swatched under direct sunlight. Both the contour shade and highlighter are sheer

Compared to some of my highlighters, Shade and Illuminate is the most natural and also the sheerest. But the consistency and texture is the best. Becca Skin Perfector in Pearl is more white and more frosty. Edward Bess Sunlight has beigy champagne undertone and about as shimmery as Shade and Illuminate. MAC cream color base in Cream is ivory cream and just a little bit less shimmery than Shade and Illuminate. I don't have another cream bronzer or contouring blush to compare. Just want to show you how it stands against the shimmer highlighters. 
 Compared with some other highlighters

Tom Ford is the sheerest of the bunch

Different angle to show the level of luminosity

What about the price? You pay $75 for 0.49 oz of product assuming $37 for 0.245 oz of highlighter or contouring shade. That's A LOT if you think about Edward Bess All Over Seduction - $38 for 0.08 oz of highlighter (same formula). Of course, it's way more expensive than Becca Pearl. But you have a large mirror and sleek compact for traveling. I do think the case can be more sturdy with metal material instead of plastic.

Now, I use the Shade and Illuminate brush to create a crispy line with the contouring shade then blend upward. I prefer my fingers for the highlighter as they curve with my cheek bones. The brush is a wonderful product that demands a separate post. Spoiler -alert: if you are skilled at contouring, you can skip it. I bought it for the ease of application. Also, I have quite a few cream face products that require a good brush.

Bottom line. After the above analysis, I conclude that Shade and Illuminate is a great product for everyday use. And I need it. If you want more intense highlighter, you probably want to look somewhere else. The contour shade, however, would cover all your needs from day to night. I don't want to highly recommend a $75 palette for everyday use. It's your personal preferences to determine whether you need it. 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The last Tom Ford Haul of 2012

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I'm still breathing, rapidly actually. Holiday parties freak me out. We'll host only one (phew!) and attend a few. Like many of you, I work and cook and clean and decorate and so on so forth. You know how it goes.

And yet, I managed to grab some Tom Ford goodies that lied on the top of my Christmas wish list :D. I made about 4 trips to Neiman Marcus in the past 2 months (here and here). This time I decided to fulfill my wish with Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in 02 Rose Crush and Lipcolors in 18 Black Orchid and 04 Indian Rose.
At this point, I think I have everything I love from the brand. I'm testing out his primer and foundation stick too. They don't wow me as much as the other items I've tried. I must admit, though, that the foundation stick (No 5 Natural, yes I changed the shade) has become a rival of my all time favorite foundations, Clarins Ever Matte and Burberry Sheer Luminous. It still doesn't deserve the 78-dollar price tab in my opinion. I do plan to test it again once I finish adjusting my skincare routine and finding a good face primer. I will keep you guys posted.

Until then, hope you're not bored to death by my recent (and chronic) Tom Ford craze :D.

Joanne xx

Guest blog on Beauty By Arielle

Back in November, the lovely Arielle at Beauty By Arielle invited me to guest blog this month. Of course I say yes. Because I love her blog and her positive energy. She features a series of Beauty for the Soul posts that I really enjoy. Curious about what I did as her guest, please click here.

A sneak peak

Friday, December 7, 2012

Beauty Blogazons Weekly Roundup 11/30/2012

I know I know there is certain level of tardiness on my blog lately. My new projects have demanded quite a lot of my energy and time. Last week, the ladies of Beauty Blogazons have some wonderful posts. Enjoy everyone! 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Review: L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Eternal Sunshine

This review was meant to be up shortly after I discovered my two favorite infallible eyeshadows (Liquid Diamond and Bronzed Taupe). But then I thought golden eyeshadows always felt festive to me. So I save Eternal Sunshine ($5.35 for 0.12 oz) for December :D. 
Like most shade of the infallible range, Eternal Sunshine is highly pigmented and fused with fine shimmer. It goes on my eye lids smoothly, blending seamlessly and easily into the skin. The texture is buttery smooth and soft without any fall-outs. An eye primer is needed for the eyeshadow to stay fresh for at least 8 hours.

What I love most is the color. Having brown eyes, I have really tough time to find subtle gold eyeshadows that don't bring out too much yellow in my eyes (and my skin too). Eternal Sunshine is a soft yellow gold that has warm undertone. It's just so chic and elegant. You can wear this color alone. My favorite combo is Burberry Taupe Brown and L'Oreal Eternal Sunshine. I think together they have the balance of warmth and coolness as well as shimmer and matte finishes.
Eternal Sunshine is highly frosted but in a subdued fashion, or in other words, in a high-end fashion. Drugstore brands have evolved remarkably in the past few years. While I love luxury cosmetics brands, L'Oreal (and Boots No 7) creates many wonderful products (their mascaras are my fav too) at competitive quality and price.

I would recommend you guys check it out at Kroger. They have 25% off several brands for a few months now. The price become lower than coupons from Ulta, CVS, Walgreens, Target or Walmart.

Bottom line. Superb! Highly recommended for all skintones. 

Review: Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup

I've been searching a winter foundation for a while now. Burberry Sheer Luminous comes really closed to an ideal foundation for my skin. A plethora of new foundations have recently entered the market and the hypes behind them intrigue me to test them all before settling with Burberry. 

So here is one of them. Urban Decay Naked ($38 for 1 oz) has that lightweight texture that glides on my skin effortlessly and smoothly. It dries in a natural finish that I love. It wears well for at least 4 hours then becomes quite dry on my skin. However, I feel like my skincare routine also contributes to how foundations behave. So I don't want to jump to conclusion that this foundation dries out my skin. It does feel dryer after hour 4 than when first being applied. 

UD Naked comes in 18 shades of two bases. The shades ending in 0.5 has pink undertone while those ending in natural number are yellow-based. Shade 4 is a good match for me if it doesn't turn peachy (surprised much!). So yes, oxidation is still the biggest challenge.
Bottom line. A decent foundation for a decent price. None but the texture impresses me.

Have you tried UD Naked? Does it oxidize on you? What brush do you use with it?


*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****
I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup.  

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me
  1. doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
  2. dries in natural finish
  3. evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
  4. covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots

Sunday, December 2, 2012

My guilty pleasure - Tom Ford Blushes

Chanel, Dior, Edward Bess, Guerlain, Tarte, and Nars all create great blushes that I love and wear frequently. None, though. None of those brand offers something like Tom Ford's Narcissist that convinces me to possess, not just for testing purposes, the rest of the blush range. None of them can drive me to the mall with a single thought in mind: Get all the permanent blushes as long as they look good on me. I cam home with four (reviews are coming).

New addition (clockwise): Savage, Flush, Ravish, Love Lust
Tom Ford's blushes have  the velvet finish that blends effortlessly seamlessly into the skin. This result is usually achieved far more easily with a cream blush, or well professional hands. They stay fresh for 10 hours on my combination skin until removed. The shimmer are as delicate as the powder itself and in no way cheesy. The quality and the shades of the blushes are so well-thought through that I'm willing to invest $55 per blush. By the way, this is in the range of Dior, Chanel and Guerlain eyeshadow palettes.

Now, I did skip Wicked and Frantic Pink. For different reasons.

Wicked is a cool pink with warm pink shimmer. When used lightly it looks rather similar to Narcissist only less "real" because it doesn't have such red-violet base that Narcissist does. If I didn't have Narcissist, Wicked would be a decent substitute. Since Narcissist is the blush I now use everyday, I just don't see a place for Wicked in my collection.

Frantic Pink is a soft light pink with golden shimmer. It looks beautiful on fair skin. It works more like a highlighter on my medium skin (MAC NC 25-30). Still gorgeous, yet Frantic Pink feels more suitable for young lovely girls, in my opinion. Not that I'm an old married woman but I want a more sophisticated shade. 

My current Tom Ford blush collection (clockwise): Savage, Narcissist, Flush, Ravish, Love Lust

I can't wait for new blushes from Tom Ford. Beside his fragrances, these are my favorite from the brand. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Have you ever gone crazy for a product range from any brand? Love to hear about your guilty pleasure too. 

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Beauty Blogazons Weekly Roundup 11/25/2012

The ladies from Beauty Blogazons are back or actually I made it to the roundup this week:D. I love reading about what other bloggers are enjoying or pondering upon. Have a great the rest of the weekend everyone!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Review: Tom Ford Beauty Fall 2012 - Narcissist Cheek Color

Tom Ford Narcissist tops all of my favorite blushes, powder, cream or gel! I ADORE it. I'm literally blown away.
Tom Ford Cheek Color Narcissist ($55 for 0.28 oz) belongs to his fall collection 2012. Let's start with the color and pigmentation. It's a bright red pink that also has blue undertone. The color is bold, strong and saturated. There's no way around it. When you are confident you rock Narcissist. But it's absolutely wearable.

I pick up the color with a standard blush brush, tab the brush on the pan, tab off the excess and lightly dust the powder on my cheeks. I then blend it out well. That's it. It stays there, fresh and looking the same for solid 12 hours till I take it off. Blown away, indeed! A little goes an extremely long way. You can see Narcissist in action here.

Now, don't be scared of the striking red pink. If you use Narcissist lightly, it mimics the natural healthy flush on your cheeks after a nice walk under the sun. If you have light skin tone, use less. Layer more if you are on the tanner side. Because Narcissist can be layered beautifully, it suits all skin tones and tastes for intensity.
Below are the comparison swatches of some pink blushes I own. Tom Ford Narcissist is the brightest and reddest. Smashbox Radiant Blush has more fuchsia undertone. The bright pink stripe in Guerlain Rouge G Blush Serie Noir has golden shimmer and warm pink undertone. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Dollface is a baby pink and has more white base. Edward Beass Compact Rouge in Love Affair has more raspberry base than Narcissist. 

 Swatched under direct sunlight

 Different angle to show the undertones of all the blushes
Tom Ford's permanent blushes gear toward frosty and shimmery finish yet Narcissist has matte finish. The powder is silkily smooth, so finely milled and weightless that I thought I touched velvet. The texture helps the pigment blends seamlessly into the skin, effortlessly. And this velvet texture applies to all of his powder products.

Tom Ford blushes come with a velvet pouch and large mirror. I love the case design but will prefer a more sturdy/luxe material. And usually with a price like this, I expect a nice quality brush like Burberry's. It doesn't mean that I'll use it. It's more for the convenience on the go.

Finally, I want to discuss the price point. You pay $55 for 0.28 oz of product or about $196/oz. This is double the amount of a standard blush. How does it compare to other high-end blushes?

In terms of price per quantity:

Burrberry: $42 for 0.24 oz ($175/oz).
Chanel: $43 for 0.21 oz ($205/oz).
Guerlain Duo: $50 for 0.21 oz ($238/oz).
Dior: $42 for 0.26 oz ($161/oz).
Le Mertier de Beaute: $30 for 0.13 oz ($230/oz).

Tom Ford blushes are priced in the higher range among the designer brands yet not the most expensive.  Now some may argue that Tom Ford Beauty enters the market recently while the others have been there for decades. It might not be reasonable to price the products at that range. I've tried all of the above except for Le Mertier de Beaute and the quality of Tom Ford blushes, Narcissist included, is extremely competitive to the other brands.

You sure have your rationing system to justify your beauty purchases. I'm not defending a 55-dollar blush as reasonable. It depends on your rationale. I think Narcissist is no ordinary investment. You have an exceptional high quality blush that is versatile for natural or bold cheeks. It will last a long time even when you use it daily.

Bottom line. PHENOMENAL. ADORE. OBSESSED. Get it before it's gone! 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Look: Casual Red Lips

I sported casual red lips through out the summer and forgot to do a post about it:D. Laura Mercier Cherrywood has subtle satin finish that dries almost matte. People immediately picked up this color and complimented every time I wore it. I'm overwhelmed and puzzled! It isn't my very favorite. I want a deeper red but this brown-based red is really easy to work with. 

Anyway, I much prefer red lips paired with casual outfit for an outing to special occasions. Hope you like it. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Joanne xx

Face
YSL Touche Eclat #8

Eyes
Burberry Taupe Brown Eyeshadow for brows and outter Vs
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Bobbi Brown Gel liner Espresso
Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kil Stretch mascara

Lips
Laura Mercier Satin Lipstick in Cherrywood

Monday, November 19, 2012

Review: Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Liquid SPF 15

Happy Monday everyone! I can't remember since when Mondays have become exciting in my daily life. As long as Mondays don't seem so terribly long, I'm good. 

**A brief update: Sorry for the low posting frequency lately. I've embarked on a new project that I feel deeply connected with and hopefully many people will find it helpful. Nothing's related to my beauty addiction but it's involved heavy consultation and sharing. Right up my alley. Woot woot! 

Back to Mr Tom the man Ford's Traceless Foundation that is retailed for $78 (1 oz). Ouch! What a price. The largest pro of this foundation, in my opinion, is the buildability. You can layer it to create a sheer to full coverage. However, when 3 layers packed on my skin, it looks rather heavy and less natural. And then it stays on for solid 10 hours, no touch up and minimum shine. The texture is quite smooth and feels luxirious, although not as finely milled as my favorite Clarins Ever Matte or Burberry Sheer Luminous

The foundation comes in 12 shades. Mine is No 4 Bisque although No 5 Natural matches my skin quite well too. The girls at Tom Ford counter said that each shade has mixed undertones of different proportions. There's no designation for which shades are yellow-based and which are pink-based. That kind of makes senses since both No 4 and No 5 have yellow undertone only No 4 is a touch lighter and yellower. I've find No 4 a spot-on color match for my skin tone for about 3 hours. After that it turns muddy. 

The major con of Traceless, you guess it, is that it oxidizes like crazy on my skin, turning into 2 shades deeper than my true skin color. A big no no! Another issue I have with Traceless lies in its strong chemical scent. It reminds me how Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich foundation smells and the scent lingers throughout the whole 10-hour wear. Not exactly unpleasant, but not inviting either. 

What I like
  1. Long-wearing, solid 10 hours
  2. Good color match
  3. Light weight but not weightless
  4. Natural finish
  5. Buildable from sheer to full coverage
What I don't like
  1. Oxidize into muddy color after 3 hours
  2. Has strong scent throughout 10-hour wear. It reminds me the scent of Bobbi Brown moisturize rich foundation. It bothers me.
  3. Doesn't smooth out my skin as much as I expected (hello, traceless embedded in the name)
  4. While I can build it up to full coverage, it looks heavy with 3 layers
Bottom line. Good but not excellent. 

Now, Tom Ford is a luxury brand so I would expect the price. But I also expect a lot more from the foundation itself. Based on my preferences and my skin, I'd say it's not worth the investment. I'd rather save for his eyeshadows, blushes, and lipsticks.

Have you tried Traceless foundation liquid or stick version? According to the SA, the stick doesn't oxidize as much as the liquid. It stays true to the color on the stick. I tested it out at the counter but wasn't sure about the result. So yeah, I'll have to go back there...

*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****
I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup.  

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me
  1. doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
  2. dries in natural finish
  3. evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
  4. covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots

Friday, November 16, 2012

Beauty Bloggazons Weekly Roundups 11/16/2012

What do you do when tons of cleaning and cooking need to be done? Blogging, of course. Another the week has past and suddenly I find myself in the mid-November. We have guests coming and gifts and postcards to buy. Excited and panic! Have a great weekend everyone xx

Monday, November 12, 2012

Tom Ford Beauty Haul - First Impression

From dislike to doubt to adore and total addiction! Heck yes, I find the entire Tom Ford Beauty including his fabulous fragrances more than tempting. Never in a million years would I have imagined that I would enjoy Tom Ford Beauty. I detest his provocative perfume ads in the past. And I still do. The price tag of the line, my goodness, really put me off. So I didn't follow any raves or rants about the brand around the world wide web.

Until I saw this documentary film. His way of life, the inner peace and the life he lives fully and completely have inspired me to make changes in my life (another looong story) and of course to own some of his products. Watching the film feels like sitting in a yoga workshop where people at higher spiritual state share their thoughts. That's how I feel. ;;)

Long for short, I made a couple of trips to Neiman Marcus at Houston Galleria, which by the way means huge deal. Parking and walking in that mall drives me insane. I usually feel like a victim of consumerism then loose interests quickly, and just go home. Fortunately, I had a good time at Tom Ford counter and did a huge damage to my wallet. As a result, I'm beauty sober until next year (no regrets :D)! I also tested the mascara, foundations (liquid and stick), and eyeliner pencil at the counter. Reviews of my orders are coming!

First thing first, the Shade and Illuminate Intensity 2 ($75 for 0.49 oz) is the target of my trip. I'm an highlighter sucker and especially love the cream formula (like Edward Bess All over seduction). Naturally I have to try this. The price is steep, no doubt, but for a huge amount of product. It does require some blending practice but is worth every penny. 

I also got the Shade and Illuminate brush ($70). Seriously overpriced I must say. Nonetheless, it applies the product incredibly easy! I can also use it for other cream blushes and highlighters. Plus, I wasn't able to find a substitute for this brush. So for my skills and conditions, the dollars were well invested. 

Now comes the wildly popular Narcissist blush ($55 for 0.28 oz), the new limited edition for Fall 2012. It scared me away from the picture and even in person at first. However, none of Tom Ford permanent blushes really scream at me. They all have frosty finish, though subtle. Narcisssit has subdued satin finish that looks matte without drying on my cheeks. And the color is OMG, lovely pink flush to bright bold fuchsia. LOVE! Another wisely-spent. 

Then I certainly need some eyeshadow quads ($75 for 0.35 oz), the star products of the line. I picked up Cognac Sable the first trip and had to come back for Golden Mink. Phenomenal! The color, the texture, the wearing, the finish and the style blow me away. They all suit me so unbelievably well. I swatched most of eye color quads at the counter and they were all excellent, no dryness or fall-out. The question is which color theme/finish responses to your style. The two I purchased are versatile, wearable and have my name written all over them :D. More on how they work for me will be coming soon.

And there is a compulsive procurement, the brow sculptor in Espresso ($42 for 0.01 oz). It's beautiful, natural, user-friendly and uh over priced. I don't own any mechanic brown pencil, only have tried some in store. So my opinion is probably biased. In any case, this is an excellent product. 

No, I didn't forget about his lipsticks. The formula really moved me so much so that I almost got Indian Rose. The shades aren't that special (even deeper shades like Cherry Lush) beside the fact that they're seriously overpriced. The girls told me Jasmine Rouge lipsticks are of deeper shades, promising more interesting colors. For now I decided to wait.

Finally, the generous samples of Tom Ford fragrances. Gotta love the customer service!

The good news is I love all the fragrances. For years I fell for big brand names like Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Chanel, Guerlain, Bvlgari, etc... and never got intrigued enough to purchase a single full-sized bottle from them. Tom Ford perfumes stays put all day and lingers a unique scent that isn't overwhelming on my skin. And they express different selves of me. BIG LOVE!

The bad news is I love all the fragrances. Tough call to pick one.  They'll break my wallet too. I'm still looking for the one that has the power to withdraw $200 for 1.7 oz from my budget. Maybe there's none but the huge samples should last a while.

That's all guys. I was extremely exhausted after work and a sleepless night before visiting the counter. I made a mental note "to try not to buy" and was ready to bitch down any sale associate who tried too hard to sell. The girls at Tom Ford counter treated me well. They provided me with the information, chatted about the line and helped me to test and apply the products. I really appreciated they tried to make my trip fun and kept an open mind to the customers' knowledge. You know sometimes SAs talk you down to push/create needs for purchases. I hate that (Macy's Chanel counter at Mermorial City). If you live in Houston area, you must visit Tom Ford counter at Neiman Marcus. It's so much easier to decide which items to purchase, especially with Tom Ford's price. Plus the girls there are helpful and polite. 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Winner of Dior Smokey Design Palette is


Congratulations to Arielle at Beauty by Arielle!!! You've won a Dior 5-color All-in-One Artistry Smokey Design!! I will contact you shortly for shipping information.

A big thank you to all of you lovely ladies who participated in my first giveaway. Your support means a lot to me. We beauty bloggers know how much passion and dedication we pour into our blogs. And appreciation from readers is the most important reward (to me). 

I hope you enjoy your time on The Convenient Beauty and the fun (and wallet-breaking) beauty chit chats we have had! 

Love,

Joanne xx

Saturday, November 10, 2012

The Convenient Beauty Blog Sale

UPDATED. Due to popular requests, I will ship worldwide. 

As promised, The Convenient Beauty Blog Sale is live now! Please click here to shop with full list of sale items.

The items either rarely got used or belong to the back-up collection of my all time favorites. 
Hope you'll like them! Happy shopping! 

Joanne xx

Here is a sneak peek

Friday, November 9, 2012

Review: Yves Saint Lauren La Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation SPF 19

Source: Sephora (not an affiliated link)
YSL Touche Eclat Foundation ($55 for 1 oz) has recently joined the army of new generation of lightweight foundations that are designed to give us the second skin effect. Particularly since I'm a fan of the well-known Touche Eclat highlight pen, I feel the urge to give the foundation version a serious try. 

Touche Eclat foundation has quite large shade range, addressing pink, neutral and yellow skin undertone. The pink-based shades are all named Beige Rose with a number indicating the intensity. Similarly, the neutral shades are all Beige and the yellow-based shades are all Beige Dore. I tried both Beige 40 and Beige Dore 40 on my skin and didn't notice much difference between the two. Beige Dore dries just a touch lighter. The good thing is this foundation doesn't oxidize a lot. A plus I should say.

Touche Eclat foundation offers sheer to medium coverage and natural finish. It covers the minor blemishes and even out the discoloration. It's light weight and feels comfortable on my skin. However, it doesn't provide the second skin effect. I can see the texture of my skin showing up lightly underneath this foundation.

Also, the consistency, the texture, coverage and even the shade of this foundation is very similar to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum.  I swatch Beige Dore 40 and Beige 40 against Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 53 below.  
The foundation is supposed to give you some sun protection. I don't get that SPF 19 thingy. Why not SPF 20? Anyway, I don't see my face turn ghostly white in flash photography so it can be ok for it.

Here are what I like about YSL Touche Eclat foundation
  1. decent coverage for me 
  2. natural finish
  3. doesn't oxidize to orangy/muddy color
  4. decent wearing about 6 hours without powder or primer
  5. pretty good color match
And what I don't like most is that it doesn't smooth out my skin. Besides, it produces almost exactly same result as Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum ($18 for 1 oz on ASOS) does. Since I already have Bourjois', I skip Touche Eclat. 

Bottom line. YSL Touche Eclat is a likable foundation to me. Everything from coverage, texture, shading, wearing is decent but not impressive enough to call my love.

*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****
 I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup.  

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me
  1. doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
  2. dries in natural finish
  3. evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
  4. covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Review: Givenchy Fluid Foundation Airy-Light Mat Radiant SPF 20

Source: Sephora (not an affiliated link)

Givenchy Mat Radiant ($55 for 1 oz) caught my attention as soon as I read this glowing review by my sleepy princess GummyVision. Shade 4 is pink, Shade 6 is too dark so I decided my shade would be No 5. Mat Honey. It has the right depth and is yellow-based. When first applied, Shade 5 seems to be the right match for me. It lies between my face shade and neck shade and seems to create a natural transition from face to neck. Well, it is fabulous for about 15 minutes on my bare skin then it turns pink and orangy on my skin. GummyVision suggests a primer to reduce the oxidization. It helps a bit in my case but I prefer not using primer for daily makeup. 

Givenchy Mat Radiant dries in matte natural finish, which reminds me of my favorite Clarins Ever Matte. I totally agree with GummyVision that it looks like your skin but it's not your skin peeking through the foundation. 
I don't see the radiant effect either under sunlight or artificial lights, and even different angles. So I'm still puzzled with mat radiant effect that it claims.

In short, here are what I like
  1. good coverage for vein, discoloration and minor blemishes
  2. very natural finish as if it's my skin 
  3. smooth out my skin texture, making it look very fine and tight!!
  4. comfortable and weightless, no greasy feeling, no drying out 
  5. long-wearing, 8 hours without a primer or setting powder
My only complain is the color match, partly due to the oxidation.

Bottom line. Givenchy Mat Radiant is an excellent foundation if you love natural and weighless foundation that lasts long, and you can find your shade. You don't need to have good skin to make a good use of it. 

*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****
I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup. 

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me
  1. doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
  2. dries in natural finish
  3. evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
  4. covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots

Review: Giorgio Armani Maestro Foundation

Source: Nordstrom (not an affiliated link)

Quite a buzz it was when Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation ($62 for 1 oz) came out a few weeks ago. The most frequent rave I've heard are its long-wearing and natural finish. The latter intrigues my curiosity and at the same time concerns me a bit about the coverage.

Let's first talk about the shade range. It ain't large compared to its widely popular sister Luminous Silk but it seems to capture the color depth well. From the company's website, we know

Fair Shades: #2, #3, #4
Medium Shades: #4.5, #5, #5.5, #6.5, #7, #8
Dark Shades: #10, #11.5, #12

Shade 4.5 and 6.5 are yellow based but the first is too pale while the latter is too tan on my skin. My local Giorgio Armani counter didn't have shade #5. In fact, the girl told me there wasn't #5! Disbelieved but too tired to argue, I grabbed the samples of shade 5.5 and 4.5. So far, I've been enjoying the wear but this foundation has some drawbacks that I can't overcome (yet?).

Comparison of shade 4.5 (yellow-based) and 5.5 (pink-based)

A different lighting

Put aside the hefty price tag, here are what I like
  1. Doesn't turn orange on my skin throughout the day
  2. Dries instantly in natural finish, no need for powder
  3. Although sheer, it stays put for 8 hours without a primer or setting powder
  4. Feel comfortable, weightless like naked skin
  5. Smooth out my skin, which is a nice surprise since it's sheer
  6. Easy to apply (fingers are the best)
And what I don't like?
  1. Doesn't offer enough coverage for minor blemishes and uneven skin tone, even with 3 layers. Your skin peeks through the foundation. It definitely covers better than Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid but doesn't come as close to Burberry Luminous Sheer. I do prefer Burberry's (for many other reasons too). 
  2. I don't find a shade match (yet). Shade 4.5 captures the yellow of my skin while neutralize the redness. It's too pale though. Shade 5.5 has the right depth but too pink on me. 
I've tried several weightless foundations of new generation and they give me better coverage than Maestro in 1 or 2 layers. Because isn't designed as a full coverage foundation, I don't complain about the how it doesn't do it. But my personal preference is more coverage.
Swatches in layers to show you how Maestro builds
The sale associate told me that the company might issue more shades depending on the popularity of the foundation. I'm keeping my finger crossed! If I find the right shade, I will consider to put more effort in concealing minor blemishes with concealers instead of foundations like my current routine.

Bottom line. For now, I'll wait for better shade range. Although it wears longer than Burberry Sheer Luminous foundation, it doesn't cover minor blemishes as well. If you have good skin, definitely check it out. 

*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****
 I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup. 

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me
  1. doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
  2. dries in natural finish
  3. evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
  4. covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots
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