Beauty Product Reviews

I don't know the difference between apricots and peaches because Western fruits are evil...

Didn't think it worked the first time—probably because I had overwhelming amount of dead skin cells (I think I was seriously so stressed out about life I stopped caring about everything for like weeks... Only used this after I've owned it for a month maybe? LOL). Then the second time around, it worked! It's lovely, smells nice, and has anyone bothered comparing how much this costs compared to Clinique Turnaround Instant Facial?! Hum, yeah... Plus, it doesn't leave weird glitter and makes my head look like a disco ball like the Clinique one. It does leave my face a bit pinkish after, tho. Then after a warm shower the pinkness is hone again. But maybe I shouldn't be rubbing too hard next time. Hm.

it doesn't cure ailments, but it sure makes me happy!

got mine at an Anna Sui event (i have the one in #008) and it's mainly two different colours of glitter: silver (the majority of it) and about 10% blue-ish. IDK which one is the one that changes colour under light, but i see a sort of pink-ish lavender, baby indigo, a VEEERRRYYYY very very light cerulean/cobalt sometimes.

so, i initially got this because i thought it would look nice as a nail glitter (i do store it in my nail polish treasure trove). but then i found that it's better to use when you're sad and whatnot: and you just put some on your limbs and watch them sparkle and you feel like a fairy and magical and a little better about yourself. and maybe even "special" (if you're into feeling that kind of thing). and if you don't mind getting it all over your sheets when you roll around in bed. hm.

i think you need a powder puff for this, tho. because if you just use your hands, it sticks (especially if it's humid and your hands are damp for some reason)—i'll try putting it on my nails when/if i feel like it (and find a way to apply it without wasting it).

OMG. It survived the World Cup test!

Very pleased with this eye cream! I've finished an entire tube (the 15mL lasted exactly between April 29, 2014 to September 3, 2013—which is roughly around 4+ months). It expires at the typical-for-eye-creams 6 months , but I think mine started oxidizing around 1.5 month ago? I just changes colour slightly, but it didn't smell funny or change in texture (used to take that kind of thing for granted before I tried Juara Skincare Sweet Black Tea Eye Creme).

This is awesome. My eyes tend to look really fresh (and hopefully it will prevent fine lines/crows feet in the long run). But my main issue is really dark under-eyes and this sort of killed my inner-panda (no offense intended to pandas and raccoons! It's just that this kind of thing us unnatural to Homo sapiens, you see). It's very important because as much as I love YSL Touche Éclat is just a highlighter (and under minimum light, the reflective particles are useless). Now under-eyes only darken when I'm cold (like when I'm on the shower and such). The eye-cream is amusing when you apply it, it feels slightly warm (that's probably the Vitamin C at work). Interesting.

Of course the ultimate test of an eye-cream is the FIFA World Cup (which took place in Brazil time this year, I was watching from Southeast Asia). I'd take a one hour "World Cup nap" at ~23:00 be awake at ~02:00 and would sometimes only be in bed at 05:30+ (depending on whether penalty shootouts are necessary) and I was bright-eyed until the World Cup final. Hm.

I am a teensy worried, tho, because my skincare teacher says that human skin tends to become "immune" to products after a while, so you have to switch/swap products until your skin sort of "forgets the ingredients" (for instance: juggling between salicylic acid with benzoyl peroxide or tea tree). And I don't know of any other eye-cream that's better than this (it's in the same price-range as Orlane Anagenèse 25+ First Time Fighting Care Eye Contour, but my skin got immune to that so much faster). Any recommendations? Products that you'd consider an equal to this? TIA.

PS: There seems to be an error with this product's Beautylish profile, because I could not locate the "WRITE A REVIEW" button. So I had to manually type in "/review" into the URL for the form to load for me (editing is also seemingly 'disabled' on some products, FYI). Glitch?

Interesting.

Bonus for buying SK-II's FTE 215mL Swarovski Winter 2013 box. First I worried that maybe it would be too big for my face (since it's one big piece and the one-piece Korean facial masks that I've tried have been too large/long (unless they came in two pieces: upper-face and lower-face parts). To my surprise it's a perfect fit (it is apparently elongated sideways, like Stewie Griffin's head).

Also, I'm very pleased that this turned out to be more of a gel/gooey consistency (much like collage glue) as I thought it would just be thick cotton drenched in regular FTE. So, no dripping like the masks available at the grocery store. Basically exceeded my expectations. There tends to be excess gel in the tin foil and there's enough to put on your neck so it doesn't sag when you grow up, and HANDS! And dry elbows. My hands are SO dry (the only thing that helps is Steamcream) and literally appear to age at a different rate as the rest of my body, it's mighty creepy. It's like my hands live in a different dimension/time (like sticking your hands out of a defective time machine that makes you age once you step into the future). It does leave dried glue-like residue that gets caught on your arm fur, though (if you worry about getting your bed sheets dirty).

I'm really glad that I found someone's post on Vogue Australia's forum about putting it in the fridge before putting it on your face. It's so much more fun when it's cold!

Hopefully I can get away with skipping this step until I turn 35-40 or something... For now I'll stick to using just FTE twice/daily (besides, I heard Japanese brides only use it days before their wedding day). Because it is ridiculously-priced (so, NO, one CANNOT do like Fan Bingbing and go through ~730 facial masks per annum).

In fact, it's so expensive that I feel like I shouldn't even be throwing used masks in the trash bin after I'm done with them: It feels like I should be turning used masks into installation art to sell to MoMA or something (and only then can I justify getting some moar masks with the museum/gallery paycheck).

basically: only buy if you're self-employed, and MUA, or the employer, but do NOT use for seeking employment

Own a 1g pot of this, which I received in the mail as a sample (full disclosure: NOT to review).

First I should mention this product is silicon-based, so if you're skin is acne prone, this is bad news. I had it on for about 6–7 hours one day to shoot a Vimeo/YouTube video and it looked AWESOME (to be fair I also used The Body Shop's Tea Tree Pore Minimiser as a primer AND candle light for lighting and my iPad camera, so that also probably contributed to the look). It doesn't look funny, no white-cast mask-y look that I initially worried about (although Mother still complained that I look like I "have too much makeup on") and my skin did NOT break-out after shooting the video.

So, I assumed that this was fine for acne-prone skin. WRONG! The only reason why I didn't break-out was because the room was air-conditioned the first time. When I took this out and I had to wait in equatorial-humidity for ~3 hours, I broke-out the following day (seriously, do a proper test-drive).

It DOES look really good, to the point that it can be slightly misleading and borderline deceptive. So, I would NOT recommend wearing this to on-camera auditions, just because if they hire you because your skin looked great at the audition and their MUA doesn't use this product and can't recreate the look, they're going to wonder what went wrong, they won't want to hire you again in the future, and you're basically screwed (think about it: There's a good reason why some casting directors don't let Asian girls wear too much eyeliner at auditions).

However, if you make vlogs/your own web series that you're in control of yourself or you're an MUA, you TOTALLY SHOULD use this. Because I did literally look like a live-human version of an air-brushed photograph in the mirror.

FTR: I applied with a blush/Kabuki brush (have no idea what it looks like applied with a powder puff).

Anyway, I don't know if commenting on customer service is allowed for product reviews on Beautylish, BUT I will comment on it just because it does have an impact on my decision to purchase a full-sized version of this product: I find sales assistants at professional brands (MAC, MUFE) really snooty/unfriendly compared to the much kinder/friendlier SAs at consumer brands (YSL, Clinique, Dior, Khiel's). It seems if I don't show-up at their counter in full clown makeup, they treat me like I'm sub-human, like I'm below them, and that ALONE makes me reluctant to get a full-sized version of this. And then what if I've developed a habit and have to deal with their SAs every time I need a fix? NO.

IDK, I just can't justify buying this. I don't understand the rationale behind spending that much on something that's obviously bad for your skin (silicon-based makeup) when you could be investing in something that's GOOD for your skin in the long run (like good skincare). Especially if the former could jeopardize your work prospects. It's just better, long-term.

Bad investment. BAD.

me likey.

I like this a lot. A LOT. I don't know if it's just because my last mascara (Mavala Eye-Lite Waterproof Mascara) was such a little trouble-maker and gave me panda eyes. But I can say that this is my favourite mascara for the moment. Never gave me panda eyes (it doesn't melt off on a hot day and after a loooong night-out it just chips and the dried up bits fall off a bit by dawn). I don't know whether it thickens your lashes because I don't really care for thickening my lashes (while I admire Miss Piggy's career/many talents and look-up to her as an entertainer, I do not aspire to look like her). What I do look for in a mascara is a kind of "hair gel" function that keeps my lashes 'propped-up', so that they 'open up' (if that makes any sense) and my eyes look bigger. Because otherwise, I just look like a sleepy cow. So I curl them, and then use this mascara to keep that curled shape, and for that purpose, this mascara is alright. If you care about mascara clumping, this does clump and I have to use this tiny comb I found at MUJI (I think it's actually meant for eyebrows, but I use it for my eyelashes and it helps). Also, I'm rating it ½ less for being pricey (mascaras are only good for 6 months after you start using them and they get dry, so there's never any sense in paying too much for them).

Woman-y (as opposed to 'girly')

This is the most woman-y (as opposed to 'girly') scent I own! I used to only wear Vera Wang Princess (for evenings) and DKNY's Limited Edition Cherry Blossom thing (as my 'day scent') but [IMHO] this is suitable as both a day/evening perfume, and it lasts all day (so it's good for a long days). It's also very seductress-y and gets you in the mood to seduce people (not that I seduce that many men in real life, I'm just saying it makes one want to go, "MEOOOW!" *Puuurs*). And makes me behave slightly more grown-up and old-fashioned and sassy-classy too. It's the second most grown-up perfume I own after Armani Code.

Doesn't break you out and looks very natural (like your own skin)

I tend to wear this on days where I can get away with not wearing foundation (as a kind of sunscreen, because it has a decent amount of SPF). Truth is, I've been using this for, maybe, over a year now (and my full-sized 40g—which I got after finishing up a 5ml sample—is running out). It doesn't break me out, which is why I stuck with it for so long.

But, thought I'd give it some love today! Because something nice happened: I went to ask about headshots and asked whether the price included Photoshop/touch-ups and the man at the photographers' place said, "yes. But you've got nice skin, so you don't need much editing" (yaaaay! The BB cream's working. Because DUDE CLEARLY HASN'T SEEN ME BARE-FACED). It's not as heavy as foundation but the coverage is still really nice and natural-looking and dewy. It does look like your real skin.

Love how it oxidizes into your own skin color after a while, so it doesn't require mix-and-matching like foundations. So don't be alarmed if you find the cream really "gray-ish", because if you give it a few minutes it does shift shades and matches a fresh version your own skin color. Mother also likes the Gold version of this cream (which is for dryer skin).

The only thing I dislike about it is the fact that it contains whitening (which is only expected from an Asian brand, but I still find that shadist/racist/colonial-hangover-ish). I'm worried that it'll eventually make my face lighter than my neck/body and I'd look like a freak of nature (that's not the case now, in fact the lower part of my face is darker than my forehead, which is darker than my chest... But I worry).

Necessary.

Love it, very moisturizing and rubbing your lips together to help the granules make your dead skin cells go away doesn't hurt much. And such a lovely color (just to look at, it doesn't show). It makes putting lip color on look nicer.

THE ZOMBIES LOVE IT!

It's probably effective about helping shed dead skin cells, because whenever I look gray and I wear this for a bit, I start looking like a proper living being again. The only problem I have with it is the glitters. I'm not even sure why this has shimmery (teeny-tiny) glitter, but it does. And IDK if that's even necessary, I wouldn't use this before an important (serious-y) event because I wouldn't want my face shimmering at the event, it's only fun when you get glitter all over your cell phone. LOL. I'd probably rate it higher, maybe 4½ if the glitters went away. I gave it a 4 for being more easily accessible compared to "Cure Natural Aqua Gel". But please, my head is not a disco ball.