Mario Badescu Skincare, Life Changing Overnight!

Okay, before we start I want to explain something about my skin. I have oily skin with a few acne scarring. I've always used Korean skincare line for everything. Face wash, toner, moisturiser, everything. My skin don't really agree with 'western' skin care line, those skin care line they have on Sephora basically. I've tried the oh-so-popular-and-adored Philosophy Purity cleanser, even that don't work on my skin. Hate it! I've tried, again, Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar, it was just okay. It was good but not life changing, and considering the price, uhm, no! I've tried Fresh Soya face cleanser, hate it too. Not that I hate 'western' makeup brand, 95% of my makeup are 'western' brand, but for skincare, nope. I have Asian skin. 

However, I was looking through Luxola Black Friday discount. Their biggest sale of the year 40% off. Ever since Sephora got its hand on Luxola, Beauty Blender and The Balm is no longer on discount, which is suck. Usually I would get like three Beauty Blender on their 40% off and be done with it, but not anymore I guess. So I explored other brands and I came across Mario Badescu as one of their discounted brand. Before I buy, of course I googled for reviews. Amazeballs! 90% of the reviews were 5 stars. Before that I've also heard some beauty gurus on Youtube talked about it but not really that interested. But now with 40% off, no doubt I immediately clicked add to cart. 

I selected three products. Their rose water spray, silver powder, and (the famous!) drying lotion.

Where should I star with this? This rose water smells and feels AMAZING on the skin. It says on the bottle, "Once you've tried our rejuvenating facial spray, you won't want to be without it." I couldn't agree more. Next sale, I'm getting three of this. This is a multi-purpose product, you can spray this as a refreshing spray, primer spray before your makeup, or setting spray after your makeup. It doesn't feel sticky or anything and it does improve your skin. I always sit in front of the computer for hours and not move an inch. Then my skin would get reddish and nasty and super oily. But, yesterday, yes, I only got these stuffs yesterday, I sprayed my face with this mist every once in a while while in front of computer like usual and my skin didn't get nasty at all! There was no redness at all. It also helped with the excessive oil. I think this stuff would be BOMB in the airplane. Never tried this as a makeup setting spray but I think this would be as good. Because what if I told you that MAC Fix+ is not a setting spray? It is a refreshing mist. And I dig Fix+ as setting spray, so I think I would feel the same about this. 

PS: This spray has 2 years shelf life. How about that?

My friend, I've tried Glam Glow. I thought it was good, until I discovered this. With 1/3 of the price. I think Glam Glow is a piece of.... wreck. Glam Glow is good, but this is AMAZEBALL! Okay, this powder is a mask. The applying technique is a little bit tricky. In the packaging the instruction is to grab a cotton pad, wet it with water, dip the cotton on to the powder, and apply it to your skin. The powder should get like a paste with the water from the cotton pad. That's how I see other people use it too. It works, with a high quality cotton pad. I only have this cheap square cotton pad from the drug store and as I tried this method, my cotton pad got sticky into the paste and it started ripping off. Horrible description. Anyway, it didn't work. The cotton sticked to my face. So I improvise. I put the powder on to the lid, and give it a few drops of water. I mixed it with my finger and it turned into paste, put it on my face and done. Easier in my opinion and I didn't waste any product. 

You only need to leave it for 10 minutes. It would harden and you suppose to wipe it off with toner. I rinse my face after toner because I felt like the toner didn't remove all the residues. Anyway, result, amazing. I've never seen any mask that have this immediate after effect. My pores shrank so much! I feel my complexion brightened so much, and my pores. My pores. Amazing. I don't have that much problem with black heads, but what I read this stuff help a lot for black heads. This is my first use. Imagine your skin after a month! Use this mask 1-2 times a week. Get this. Now.

Now this is one of the product that Mario Badescu is famous for. The drying lotion. So you're not suppose to shake this product. You dip your cotton swab to get the pink powder, that's the magic, and put it on your troubled area. I have one active acne on my face right now and a few acne scarring on my cheeks. I applied this on clean face, before bed, dabbed it on to my acne and acne scarring. Over night, my acne has improved greatly. It doesn't make my skin dry or anything. It dried out my acne so fast! And what makes me amazed even more, dare I say, after the silver powder and the drying lotion, the acne scarring on my cheeks almost GONE over night!! Almost gone. It has improved super duper well!!!!!! This stuff is no joke. I always have problem with my acne scarring, no product ever helped me like this. Seriously if you have acne problem, go run and get this. You. Need. This. In. Your. Life. Thank me later. 

Ax

Kathleen Lights Colourpop - Where the Light is Quad Review

Can I get an amen for this? I am so happy that I finally get to try Colourpop shadows and not to mention they are from Kathleen Lights! If you guys didn't know, I am highly influenced by Youtube beauty gurus. They are my mentors, my guides in (makeup) life! I watched them day and night and Kathleen Lights is definitely one of my favorite and most influential Youtuber! Check her out here! Anyway, I am also very excited to try Colourpop because I have heard nothing but good things about them and their shadows come in special jar like so, because their formula is never before seen. They are called the Super Shock shadows and the formula is made to last inside the jar, that's why they will never have palettes. I bought this from an online store in Indonesia (Instagram @houseofmakeup) for $40. Some Singapore online shop sell this quad but more expensive (around $50).

The pigmentation of these eyeshadows are insane! The name, super shock shadow, really live up to reality. These eyeshadows are blendable but when they set, no matter what you do, you cannot move it. It. doesn’t. move. Amazing. The texture as you may have heard, like nothing you’ve felt before, it is like cream to powder and kind of squishy in the pan. This eyeshadow is best applied with finger. The metallic ones are great and very smooth, I’m not really feeling the matte ones. They are harder to pick. These shadows in general don’t really apply well with brush. Better if you use your fingers and blend with brush. I’m really digging the metallic ones tho. It is very creamy and nice on the lid. And can we say Kathleen did a great job with the colors? They can be easily mix matched and I think they look great on every skin color.

Stila Eyes are the Window - Soul Palette

This palette is my first ever high-end eyeshadow palette and I am so proud I bought it. It is the Stila Eyes are the Window palette in Soul. They have four different version, Mind, Body, Spirit, and Soul. I almost bought Mind because it has all matte colour, you know I like mattes. But the color of Soul is so captivating. It retails for $69 at Sephora. I told myself that I wasn't buying a palette, I was buying 12 eyeshadows for less than $6 each. This is like drugstore (lies makeup addict tell herself).  

The colors are beautiful and I am so happy that it actually has Kitten, the oh-so-famous eyeshadow from Stila. As you can see the shadows are all pigmented except the first shadow which is a shame because it is very light :( By the way I did not build up the color of the swatch, only one stroke of swatch. My favorite color is Individual, which is a peanut butter like color, it is a very warm color. I love warm shadows. Kitten is gorgeous for the inner corner. And this palette has a black shadow, Essence. Black shadow, everyone needs in their life, in their palette. And they all blend so easily and stay all day on my lids. I did not use primer I only used Mac prolongwear concealer on my eyelids and set it with powder as I go along with my under eyes. I truly love this palette, I've never been an eyeshadow person until I met this palette.

Ax

Nails Inc X Victoria Beckham in Singapore + Review

I still can't believe it I met Victoria Beckham! It was surreal! I remember I was at work when I saw the email from Sephora and I immediately typed an RSVP email to them. I was as fast as lightning. I didn't set my hopes high because I didn't think I can go because I have work. I think the invitation email only sent to black card members and the RSVP was on first come first serve basis and I was very lucky to get a reply from them! Guess I was fast enough! From the RSVP I got to bring one friend along with me. The event was held at Sephora ION at 11am, 19 May. I had to take a leave from work to see her. Doesn't matter. Saw VB.

Long story short, it was very crowded. I didn't get to see her from up close but I was able to take some pictures. I am such a bad blogger, I only used my phone camera. So you can see her pictures are all very blurry because I zoomed in too much :(. She was so charismatic! Her aura filled the room. And those cheekbones, can we talk about it? Are as sharp as blades. Her style is to die for and she is a mother of four? Hello. Doesn't make any sense. 

I had to buy her nail polish to get her sign. I've been eyeing Judo Red, the red one from the Nails Inc collection since a long time actually. I tried it before and I loved it. So I grabbed and purchased that one. It retails for $39. But when you can get her signature, the price is nothing. I was in front of the line I think I was the third person to get her sign. I went to her and damn, she was so cool, it was intimidating. I had to collect all my courage to say, can you write my name? She did not reply and there was a long pause as she sign my box, and then she said, spell that. And I was like YES MA'AM! Never I felt so nervous spelling my name. She's amazing tho. She has an empire. Who doesn't want to be in her shoes?

The nail polishes are gorgeous! The other color is Bamboo White, a bone color (that I might get soon because I can't stop thinking about it now!). The one that I have, Judo Red, is a red-orange sunset color. Very bright and fun. The pigmentation of the nail polish is amazing. One swipe and you're done. I'm not a big nail polish fan so I don't know how to talk about it. They stay on pretty well. Well, they should be! It dries fast and looks amazing on me. I don't know what else to say except, go get it now! 

Ax

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick Review

Happy May everyone! I am such a bad beauty blogger. I never realized Stila has liquid lipsticks until only one month ago. I wanted to buy them at Sephora but they had no stock at all at that time. Like literally they didn't have a single stock. That made me want the lipsticks even more. Until two weeks ago I went to my Sephora and I found some nice colors on stock. I immediately grabbed them. You know I love my nudes. I got the color Dolce (only one left!) and Bellisima. Dolce is a brownish nude color while Bellisima is baby pink color. Each of them retails for $32 and they have 10 variations of colors.

These lipsticks dry to matte finish. The first thing I noticed was this lipstick is super creamy and the pigmentation is insane. One swipe you literally get the color in the bottle. It is too creamy even. Sometimes you can get a big lump of product. With one swipe I will have a very very thick layer of product and it is just too much. However, I feel like the formula for each color is different. Bellisima is thicker and creamier, I always get a super thick layer with one swipe, but not too much with Dolce surprisingly. But this lipstick doesn't make my lips flaky even though it dries to matte. And Stila was serious when they called this product Stay All Day because this lipstick stay all fucking day. It doesn't move a bit. It dries fairly quickly, I tried kissing my palm several times, no product transfer at all. I drink from a cup, no product transfer. This is by far the most long lasting lipstick I've ever tried. No joke. It is though smudges a little bit when I eat greasy food. Can't help it because oil dissolves makeup. Science, bitch. Anyway, 32$ I would say they worth the money considering the price is not so different to MAC lipsticks and because liquid lipstick is the it item of 2015, and since I cannot get my hands on ABH's.


Ax

Marc Jacobs #InstaMarc Light Filtering Contour Powder Review

I've been wanting this contour kit ever since I first saw it on Instagram. Let's talk about it okay. I'm the kind of person who cannot resist any contour kit, ever! And Marc Jacobs released one! It was like dream come true. The packaging is just irresistible, sleek, thin, black Marc Jacobs packaging with a giant ass mirror. I didn't care how much it was, I saw it, I grabbed it. I am a person with simple mind.

It is called #InstaMarc Light Filtering Contour Powder. It suppose to make your face Instagram ready without any filter(?). I don't see how that works and I don't think it is necessary to link everything to Instagram to sell products. Anyway, I'm not against the Instagram thing, I just don't care. I think it's unnecessary because this product itself is great! Retails for 60$. This kit contains a lot of products (18gr, 9gr for each powder) so it is worth the money.

The contour shade is perfect because it has the right amount of grey. It'll give a natural shadow for your cheekbones, and it blends so well. The highlight shade is also great! It feels so smooth on the skin and it gives light coverage. I used to set my undereyes with Ben Nye banana powder and Makeup For Ever HD setting powder, but I've never touched them again ever since I have this Marc Jacobs. It is very easy to use compared to those loose setting powder. It is compact but the result is as good as those loose powders. This contour kit sold out fast, so you better be quick.

Ax

Bronzer Battle: Benefit Hoola Bronzer VS Too Faced Chocolate Soleil

This post will be my first comparing post. So exciteeed! I'm gonna be talking about the two most talked about bronzers in the industry, the Benefit Hoola bronzer and Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer. If you're a hard-core youtube watcher like me, you would have heard about these two bronzers. I will review each bronzer and compare the two, and then you can decide which one worth the money.

Now, the first thing you noticed about this bronzer must be the packaging. Too Faced is always killing it. The packaging is beautiful I cannot stop touching it. And yes guys, the smell! It does smell like chocolate. You may not be able to smell it in store but when you first open it, damn the smell was so strong and it was so good. Now I'm afraid I will lose the smell if I open it too often (unreasonable worry). The Chocolate Soleil is made for medium to deep skin tone, so if you have a light skin or you don't like strong bronzer or contour, I strongly suggest you go with Milk Chocolate Soleil, which come from the same line. I have light skin but I can handle strong bronzing and contouring. This bronzer blends so well on the skin, like I'm not even joking. It is a matte bronzer but I feel like my skin is glowing with this bronzer. Blends out beautifully. Have I said that? 

I wouldn't use this bronzer as a contour powder because it is quite warm, but if you don't feel like contouring but you still want to define those cheekbones naturally, this bronzer is beyond perfect.  

Packaging wise, it's a hit and miss. Some people like it some people don't. I know some people expect more considering the price, but hey, it comes with a brush. A lot of people like the brush because it is like a dupe for NARS oh-so-famous Ita brush. The shape is similar but I'm sorry, I don't like the brush :(. I think the bristles are rough, it doesn't blend the bronzer well, and I'm just not feeling it. Anyway, let's talk about the products. A lot of people use this bronzer for contouring because it has a grey undertone and this bronzer fits all skin colors. It is a matte bronzer and it also blends out beautifully. It is very powdery, so you can get a lot with just a swipe of brush (always tap your brush!). And I just recently hit pan on this one (yaaaaaz!). Beauty addicts are so proud when they hit pan, because it means they actually use the product. When actually it's a bad thing because then we have to buy another one.   

Packaging wise, Too Faced wins. It has a decent mirror and a compact, sturdy packaging with embossing compared to Benefit paper box. It has a mirror, but can barely see your face, and it's unnecessarily very bulky. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil is warmer (more orange) than Benefit Hoola, but I feel like Too Faced is more long lasting than Benefit. Too Faced comes with a box while the Benefit doesn't. The Too Faced one contains 10 gr of product while the Benefit one contains 8 gr of product. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil retails at $42, can be found only in Sephora. Benefit Hoola Bronzer retails for $46 can be found in Sephora, Benefit boutique, and Changi Airport (cheaper in Changi duty free store, $40.70). I love both of them, and I think you will not be disappointed buying either one of them.

Ax

Too Faced Soul Mates Blushing Bronzer Review

AAAAAA! I promised myself I would not scream. But, I cannot control myself. I find myself blushing every time I think that I actually, finally have this bronzer. Yes guys, this couple finally hit Singapore. This Too Faced Soul Mates bronzing duo finally available in Sephora. I've always wanted this bronzer ever since I saw it on Intagram like months ago. I thought this is a limited edition piece and the fact that our Sephora is so god damn slow on updated stuffs, I gave up my hope. I saw it on Beautylish and I almost bought it but I need to spend US $75 to get free shipping, and I was like, bye. 

But yesterday, like literally yesterday, I went to Sephora with mah gurl and we were like, SHOCKED. We went to Sephora ION and we saw the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette. Yes, they are finally here. After all beauty gurus raved about it and the madness has stopped. It came. Thank you, Sephora Singapore. But the most shocking thing was this one. The Soul Mates bronzer duo. They were sold out at Sephora ION and we were so heartbroken. I felt like the world has come to an end. We asked one of the staff and she said it is only available in Sephora ION and they will not restock it very soon. Well, you know what, she was f-ing wrong! We almost went home but we went to Sephora Taka just to browse around, and heeeeey, I literally ran when I saw they have this bronzer on display and gagged when I saw a stock. There were three Ross and Rachel and five Carrie and Big. I snatched one without even thinking without even looking at the price. It's $48 by the way.

But honestly, have you ever seen anything so beautiful? This is like the best packaging I've ever seen like EVER. I have no words how to describe it but I do have more amount of pictures than usual for this review. Please be patient and scroll down, you may see the same pictures because I couldn't decide which shots to put because they are all beutiful! I need help! 

Now, this bronzer came in two shades, Ross and Rachel and Carrie and Big. If you ask me, it's obvious which one I'll pick. First of all, I don't watch Friends. And Ross and Rachel is for medium to deep skin-tone while Carrie and Big is for light to medium skin-tone. So it is a perfect match for me. Every cents you spent from 48$ is worth it. Apart from the most beautiful packaging, it contains a lot of product, 18g!! (comparison: Benefit box blush 8g, Too Faced chocolate soleil bronzer 10g).

This bronzer is not too powdery, so you can never add too much on your brush. You can go heavy handedly on this one. I think that's a good thing. Another thing is the color, this bronzer is so warm, it is on the orange side. You cannot use this bronzer for contouring, this is for warming up your face, to give you a bronzed, sun-kissed look. It is on the orange side but it is not too orange for me. It is for light skin, so it just gives you that healthy glowing look. Love it. It is said on the packaging, you can use the colors separately, or you can mix the two colors together to give you a blushed bronzy look. I tried using only the bronzer shade and it is beautiful. Please guys, run to your nearest Sephora and grab this couple before they sold out completely!


Ax