Archives for September 2007

Review: Makeup: L’oreal True Match liquid foundation

September 20, 2007 Paris B 12 Comments

I picked up the L’oreal True Match Foundation one day due to an emergency which left me without any makeup. I’d heard a lot about it and seen the advertisements and thought I’d give it a shot, because its a reasonably priced liquid foundation. I’m not very good with liquid foundation so I thought it would be a good time to experiment with a reasonably priced foundation.

L’oreal True Match foundation proclaims to have a colour to match every skintone and has an ingredient that helps it adjust to match your skin colour, so you always have the perfect foundation. They have also classified the shades so its easy to match it to your skin, provided you know what tone your skin is.

There are a few categories:

Neutral – neutral tones
Warm – yellow tones
Rose – pink tones

You pick category first then shade which correspond to the numbers. The higher the number, the darker it gets. I thought it was all just hoo-ha to be honest.

I have a neutral skintone (not warm not cool) so I picked up N1 – Nude Ivory because from my experience, I usually just head for the lightest foundation shade and work my way up. This time, I was spot on. N1 is a perfect match for my skintone. It literally melts into my skin and blends perfectly so you can’t even tell I have foundation on. Perfect!

The foundation comes in a glass bottle with a pump. The texture is quite thick and creamy, almost like that of a moisturiser. You just need a little dab on your forehead, nose, chin and cheeks to have perfect smooth coverage. If you prefer heavier coverage, then just apply a little more. But be careful not to overdo it.

I found that unlike my previous experience with liquid foundation, this one did not leave a thick cakey texture on my face. It was easy to keep it light and it did a good job of evening my skintone and doing some slight coverage of imperfections. Once set with some loose powder or silk powder it lasted the whole day for me plus my skin looked damned near flawless! Bear in mind that I live in a hot and humid climate but work in an air-conditioned environment so that might be the reason it stays on. But by the end of the day, I usually still look more or less the same as when I left the house in the morning with minimal fading. That’s pretty awesome in my book!

A bottle retails for RM59.90 if I recall and there are 10 shades for you to choose from. N1 (Nude Ivory) which I went for looks very pale in the bottle but works great for those who are fair to medium. I tried R1 (Rose Ivory) but it left a pinkish white cast on my skin. W1 (Warm Vanilla) left my skin looking yellow. I half-expected to have a reaction to it but to my surprise, I did not. No skin problems after prolonged use. L’oreal goes on sale often usually 10% but sometimes 15% so wait for the discounts to try it.

Pros: Cheap, good coverage, good match for skintone, pump bottle has less wastage

Cons: Nothing major

[rating:4.5/5]

Dirty testers turn buyers off : Brands should take note!

September 19, 2007 Paris B 3 Comments

If there’s one thing I like about our local drugstore/pharmacy makeup is that we have testers. This helps us make up our mind about colour and texture before buying which is a good thing since we don’t have an exchange policy here.

But when you walk into a pharmacy and see a dirty tester for face powder like this one, what do you think?

When I saw the testers for Revlon’s compact makeup at a Watson’s store recently, I was so put off by the look that I made up my mind never to try it. One tester pan was completely finished so what was left was just pure pan. Another was broken up and smeared all over while the other 2 lighter shades were just dirty looking.

The tester is there to help the companies sell the product. The idea is so consumers can try it and see if the colour suits them, or if they like the texture of the product.

If no one bothers to wipe down the testers every now and then and makes sure that it looks neat and tidy, no one will dare touch it and therefore it does not translate into sales. If Revlon is wondering why their Compact Makeup isn’t selling very well in Watsons at Bangsar Shopping Centre, this is the reason why – mangy dirty looking testers!

Review: Makeup: NYX Cosmetics eyeshadows

September 19, 2007 Paris B 8 Comments

NYX eyeshadows have been compared to MAC eyeshadows in terms of quality. They are very pigmented and are of good quality. I am not much of a MAC cosmetics fan, so when faced with this comparison, I’d stick my head out and say that NYX eyeshadows are even better than MAC.

This review is for the pressed eyeshadows which I have – the Ultimate Pearl shadows (round pan) and the regular eyeshadows (square pan).

The Ultimate Pearl shadows come in a large round pan with a quilted pattern on the surface. They are highly shimmery and have a soft texture. This makes it easy to apply but also easy to shatter. The pigmentation is sheer so it isn’t for those who like strong pigment but it works well to have some colour on your lids at work. I found that the older ones were actually larger than the newer editions. You can see it in the picture. That said, they are really large, so its not likely you’ll ever finish one up anyway. I’ve since gained some colours and lost some others so this is just an idea. They cost about US$6 each retail but can usually be found in beauty shops or drugstores for a lot less.

The regular eyeshadows come in a square pan. I have the old versions which are flat on the top. The new ones have a quilted top. These ones have excellent pigmentation. The colours are intense and stay on for hours. The colour selection is large and in a word – amazing. I’d definitely say these are worth every single penny, especially so when they cost only about US$5 each and similarly can be found for a lot less at beauty stores and drugstores.

I’ve heard that this brand can now be found at certain Guardian pharmacies in Singapore. I have not seen them for myself so it would be nice if someone from there could confirm their availability and how much these cost there.

Pros: Cheap and excellent quality

Cons: Hard to find

[rating:4.5/5]

Do you have a Beauty first aid kit?

September 19, 2007 Paris B 1 Comment

Having been faced with a beauty emergency once before, I’m making it my resolution to keep a beauty first aid kit around. Just as you would keep a first aid kit for medical supplies, my beauty first aid kit will contain these basic items:

Some pressed powder 2 way foundation
A concealer stick
A lipstick
An eyeshadow duo or eyeshadow palette
A pencil eyeliner
A blush
A travel size eye lash curler

The thing is you never know when you might need this first aid kit which is why I’m keeping only items that won’t spoil quickly. Hence, mascara isn’t featuring in my kit because it goes off quickly. I’ll keep this kit in my travel bag so if I forget to pack my toiletries again, as I did before, I’d have something on hand at the very least. If I keep it in a slim pouch, it won’t take up too much space too. Do you have a kit for emergencies?