Kate Colorcious Diamond BR-1 : MakeUpDiary #11A SWEET YOUNG THING

MakeUpDiary #11A Sweet Young Thing Featuring Kate Colorcious Diamond BR-1

i am so in love with this palette, i decided to create three looks with it. this is the first look, which is the lightest of them all, and very suitable for girls of any age, especially if you wanna look young and energetic.

the essence of this look is the straight and thick brows which instantly took like 3 years off my age. pair that up with super bright eyes, take another 2 years off. that glowing cheeks that looks like my own probably took another 2 years off my age too. not forgetting the lightly tinted lips. everything here is kept to a minimal for that natural look.

of course, the canvas is very important in helping to achieve the -7 years effect. i didn't mention about my base makeup in the video because the steps are basically the same as my usual foundation routine, which is showcased in part 1 of the beginners make up guide. you can read up more over there. the key is to go light handed with the foundation, and do spot concealing (especially for the undereye circles) to correct any signs of tiredness and aging.

watch the video here!



PRODUCTS USED____________________________________________________________


from left to right, clockwise:
1. canmake cream cheeks 05
2. kate designing eyebrow N (EX-4)
3. revlon just bitten balm stain 040 rendezvous
4. heroine make volume and curl mascara
5. maybelline eye studio gel liner (black)
6. kate colorcious diamond (BR-1)

COLOUR LEGEND___________________________________________________________


A: high light colour
B: shiny medium colour
C: medium colour
(for swatches, you can see them here)

COLOUR MAP______________________________________________________________


1. apply A over entire lid.
2. apply C to the outer half of the lid and blend inwards.
3. dab B onto center of lid for added dimension.


1. apply A on the inner corner of the eyes and the inner half of the lower eyelid.
2. apply B on the outer half of the lower lash line.

PICTORIAL_________________________________________________________________ 

for those of you who don't have the time to watch the video!


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i also made an instagram version :D


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FINISHED LOOK____________________________________________________________


both ends of the eyeliner are pointing downwards for the smiley eye look. the cheeks look as though the colours are seeping out from within my skin, and the shiny candy like lips puts everything together in the right place.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter 080 Strawberry Shortcake (Swatches & Review)

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter 080 Strawberry Shortcake

a highly pigmented lip butter, that's what the revlon colorburst lip butter is. you get the best of both worlds - highly moisturized lips, and a splash of colour. an additional bonus for me is its lovely packaging. i love the quilted design, and that the cover matches the shade of the lipstick. it makes it a little darling to admire.






1 swipe on the left, 2-3 swipes on the right.



080 strawberry shortcake is a milky baby pink (a little cool/blue toned). the colour is intense, not one would associate with a lip balm or lip butter that's meant to moisturize and hydrate the lips.

even though it's called a lip butter, i can't associate it with the lightweight feel of a butter. this thing applies like goo. the bullet clearly has a lower melting point than other lipsticks, it deposit quite a lot of product on my lips. it has a slight sheen after application, and is lightly scented with a sweet scent (that may or may not be vanilla).

IMHO:
if i were to redescribe this lipstick, it's a highly nourishing lipstick. i wouldn't call it moisturizing or hydrating, as i would associate the latter with a more lightweight formula. the lip butter is THICK, like guacamole kinda thick. perhaps it's the ambient temperature in singapore that made this lipstick softer than it should be, i find it difficult to control how much product i want to have on my lips at any given time. this gives rise to uneven application, but i can fix it with some good lip smacking. i really love the fact that the colour is so intense, it's good for people who don't have the time to apply lip balm prior to lipstick application. but the heavy formula isn't entirely my favourite. there's always gotta be a trade off some where.

nonetheless, i wearing this lipstick as a lip balm. however, i don't think this colour suits me the best as it is too light for me (i bought this so i can use it to create the japanese gyaru looks), so i usually pair this with a darker colour to create gradient lips.

i bought this in HK sasa for HKD$78.

MAKEUP LOOK

White Formula Intense Brightening Laser Toner with Arbutin [FIRST IMPRESSION]

White Formula Intense Brightening Laser Toner with Arbutin First Impression

anything with "whitening" will catch my attention because i'm constantly trying to brighten my skin tone. this is something new in the market, in fact, at the time of purchase it was still unavailable in singapore. i had to ask my gf to get it for me from hong kong.

white formula is a brand from taiwan, and their lotion/toner has gotten really good reviews on the urcosme.net ranking, hence i wanted to give it a try. at a price point of HKD$88 for 290ml, i have nothing to lose. if this doesn't work as a whitening toner, it'll still be good enough for just hydrating.



on the back the product description.
let me do some translation!

"a highly efficient triple action whitening formula, it contains arbutin for penetrative whitening, mandelic acid for exfoliation type brightening, and stabilized vitamin c inductor AA2G, an effective whitening ingredient, activating an all round whitening mechanism - exfoliation first before penetration into the skin to reverse the darkening process, getting rid of melanin formation completely. There is an addition of patented compound RADIANSKIN^TM to correct spots and to brighten the skintone. Does not contain alcohol, fragrances, it is gentle to the skin. Consistent usage will result in bright and clear skin all year round.

- gentle penetrative whitening ingredient arbutin, it is absorbed into the skin easily to inhibity tyrosinase to prevent melanin production.

- exfoliative whitening ingredient mandelic acid genltly removes surface epidermis to improve melanin accumulation problem.

- effective and stabilized vitamine c inductor AA2G will release high concentration vitamin c continually to reverse melanin that has already formed."



i took a look at its ingredients, the top ingredients are water, butylene glycol, and propyl glycol, all are humectants that will help retain moisture on the skin. butylene glycol is probably what makes the formula so slippery.

malic acid is quite high up in the ingredient list, an alpha hydroxy acid, it helps in removing dead skin cells, serving a similar function as mandelic acid. and then there is the usual sodium hyaluronate the water magnet. i believe sodium chondroitin sulfate is also there to attract water to the skin.

the skin whitening agents are arbutin, ascorbyl glucoside (AA2G), and alpha-arbutin.

comes with a slew of preservatives (all 4 parabens plus phenoxyethanol).




the bottle has a small open that dispenses enough product by flipping the bottle over quickly over your palm.



it may look watery on my palm, but it's actually slightly, just a tiny bit viscous. the lotion is extremely slippery, making it feel like it's very moisturizing.



even though it's very slippery, it is easily absorbed into the skin with a few pats. there is a slight stickiness to it, when i apply it on my face and pat it with my palms, it will resist me from pulling it away from my face.

IN A NUTSHELL

texture: slightly viscous, very slippery, spreads easily and absorbed quickly.
after-feel: a slight adhesive feeling, skin feels soft and hydrated.
fragrance: no fragrance.

IMHO

so far i've only used it for less than a week, and i really like how it feels on my skin. my previous lotion is the hadanomy collagen lotion, which is quite meh when it comes to hydrating. but the white formula lotion, even though it's touted as a whitening lotion, it is HIGHLY HYDRATING. it's too early to tell the whitening effects at this point in time, and i can only report the immediate effects that i feel, and it's moisturizing capabilities surprised me. my face feels so soft and supple after using it! i will top this up with a cream (either simple moisturizer or hadanomy gel cream).

i also like that it's not entirely watery, it's slight viscosity means it doesn't drip all over my palm when i spread it open. also, when i pat it onto my face, i feel that the texture helps it spread over my skin more evenly, whereas if it was watery like water, it tends to congregate into droplets.

full review will be up in at least 2 months time for me to observe any differences.

How to apply makeup: Brows, cheeks, and lips

How to draw eyebrows, apply blusher, highlighter, and lip colour (for beginners)

finally getting down to the last part of whatever's remaining on the face: eyebrows, cheeks, and lips. it's been two weeks since the first installment of this series, hopefully no one actually walked around with a fully done base make up as well as eye makeup, but without the brows, cheeks and lips.

if you're blessed with extremely full and luscious brows, naturally rosy cheeks and healthy pink lips, good for you! i'm not that lucky, so it's essential to tie up the loose ends. you'd be surprised at how the lip colour can make such a big difference to the entire face! if the eyes are not the main point of the face, then it better be the lips. it's an either/or thing. the make up is not considered complete until i put on my lip colour to tie everything together to form a happy union.

watch the video if you haven't! it's quick and easy to follow :)




PRODUCTS USED____________________________________________________________


from left to right, anti clockwise:
1. kate designing eyebrow N (EX-4)
2. media cheek color A (PK-1)
3. loreal color riche lipstick P511 touch of amaranth
4. canmake candy wrap lips 10 mauve bon bon
5. canmake highlighter 05

PICTORIAL_________________________________________________________________ 

for those of you who don't have the time to watch the video!


click on image to enlarge!


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hope you all like this series, and the pictorials i made!
most importantly, i hope you found these useful :)

xoxo

karman

don't forget to check out the other entries from this series
Makeup For Beginners [part 1]: How to apply foundation
Makeup For Beginners [part 2]: How to apply eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine 79 Saga (Swatches & Review)

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine 79 Saga

let me take a moment to admire this cute little lipstick. it's the first high end lipstick that i ever owned, so there's definitely this novelty to it that has yet to wear off even though it's almost a year.

the rouge coco shine is a series of lipstick that aims to give you high pigmentation without that heavy feeling on your lips. its formula is surprisingly light, even though it applies sheer, the colour is definitely intense and vibrant. and that sheen? yes, it comes with the package. what you'll get is a lightweight, pigmented and shiny lips.






one swipe on the left, and 2-3 swipes on the right.



79 saga is a rose pink, leaning on the warm side, and under strong sunlight it may lean towards a blue based pink for some reason.

the level of pigmentation must be really high for the colour to show through so well when so little product is deposited on my lips! the application is amazingly light -  it glides on smoothly like a piece of butter that melts upon touching my lips due to my warmth, leaving behind a trail of colour and sheen. i think i would describe the lipstick to be "weightless", as though a layer of pigments is coated on the surface of my lips without the additional fillers to help them adhere. whatever they did, they did it right.

the sheen makes the lips look slightly shiny without the stickiness that is usually associated with shine, which is definitely a thumbs up for days when i do let my hair down. it's not sexy to get small strands of lipstick stain all over my face.

there's a rather pleasant scent, i said "rather" because it smells foreign to me, maybe i'm just not used to europian cosmetics. *flips through my makeup box and sniffed around* turns out.. that scent is a rose scent, a much milder version of the bourjois blush, and thus much more acceptable in my books. the bourjois blush was so heavily scented i took a while getting used to it.

IMHO:
as far as pigmentation, sheen, and it's sheer formula goes, it gets a thumbs up from me. after all, for the higher price tag, i would expect them to deliver their claim. i wouldn't say that it's fantabulous because i did expect this. as for hydration, just don't expect it to be as moisturizing as a lipbalm. for a lipstick, it's considered quite hydrating, it lasted me at least 2 hours without making my lips feel dry (while other creamy lipsticks do feel dry after the same amount of time). i guess chanel found a near perfect balance between colour payoff, moisturing capabilities, and the consistency of the lipstick (i really love that it melds onto my lips and leaves behind just enough products, not too much or little, unlike the revlon lip butter and colorburst lipstick).

i think this may be the main difference between high end cosmetics and drugstore cosmetics. the pigmentation is more concentrated, so you need lesser product to get the same colour payoff, resulting in a more lightweight application.

if you have money to burn, and if you're looking for a lightweight lipstick that is sheer yet gives you a pop of colour, this may be what you're looking for! if you don't have money to burn, you can treat yourself to this lipstick on special occasions like your birthday because.. this lipstick packaging looks too pretty. :P actually, i don't think anyone needs any reason to buy something like that. it's a want after all :X

i got this lipstick as a gift from my best friend.

Nature Republic By Flower Triple Volume Tint 05 Peony (Swatches & Review)

Nature Republic By Flower Triple Volume Tint 05 Peony

the nature republic by flower triple volume tint is a water tint that gives you a pop of colour AND shine. this is a little different from the l'oreal shine caresse in terms of consistency, as this is definitely more watery. this is actually a lip stain with a glossy finish, after long hours of wear the shine wears off, but the colour stays.




05 peony



one swipe on the left, two swipes on the right.


the colour is more milky right off the tube, but it changes slightly after some time as it sets into a more vivid colour. these thing stain really well. i removed them with a tissue paper less than 2 minutes after application.





when applied lightly (one layer), the colour is a tint of hot pink. it was about 3 layers of the product on my lips in the photo above, what you get is a full bodied dark hot pink, and a very glossy finish (but not sticky!). i think the glossy is a very lightweight oil. there are no glitters or shimmers in this product, just pure colour.

the product is watery and spreads relatively easily. the doe foot application makes application easier as it's more precise and can get to the corners of my lips pretty well.

it is heavily scented, something that took me time to get used to. it's not unpleasant i would say, it's just too strong. i wish it's more subtle because it's actually a pretty nice fragrance.


it stains really well! this is after i wiped my lips with a piece of tissue. it's not the gentle blotting, ladies. the shine comes off but not the colour.

IMHO:
i really enjoyed its staining power and the glossy finish. the fact that it's not sticky is a very big plus point in my opinion. there's something really special about its watery formula, and that it needs time to set into the gorgeous colour. i don't know what's going on, but it feels like the gloss is changing from that milky state into a clear protective sheen. when i blot it right after application, there'll be a lot of color that comes off. but after it sets, it's just the glossy layer that comes off - i can't see any obvious lip colour on the tissue.

however, i do have a slight problem with the water formula, when i tried to use this to create a gradient lips, i realize it doesn't stain my lips evenly - i can't get a gradient with this product! it's something that my lip smacking can't correct. i think it's partly my lips too, because i seem to have more dead skin cells towards the inner part of my lips, and those are typically the cells that the stain works on. while this is a good lip stain to stain the entire lips, the formula makes it harder to control precisely where i want the colours to be more intense. therefore, i'd much prefer a more viscous formula if i wanna get a gradient lip effect.

and that scent, it takes some time to get used to.

i got this as a gift from my gf when she travelled to korea.

MAKEUP LOOK

kate dual blend eyes bk-2

Kate Dual Blend Eyes BK-2

this is hands down the most buttery eye shadow i've ever used. i am so addicted to kate's eye shadow, for a few years their eye shadows were all that i used. i simply love their formula, their price, their colour, their packaging.. hahaha see! i told you i am biased.

this palette contains only 2 shades, a light colour and a deep colour. you can create a third colour by mixing the two, hence the funky placement of the shades.

it comes with a sponge applicator to help pack on the colour. the transparent window has diamonds embossed onto it. i am not joking when i say their packaging is beautiful! it's these little details that win my heart, because it makes this palette such a pleasing thing to my eyes even if i'm not wearing it.






swatched over foundation powder.

both the shades are extremely soft and smooth. i have never felt anything softer than these!
they apply like a dream and blends as though friction does not exist on earth.

the deep color is a dark blue/grey with silver micro shimmers.
the light colour is a frosted grey shade, rather similar in texture and finish with the lightest shade in the kate diamond cut eyes palette. it has no glitter or shimmer, but a rather foil/metallic finish.

IMHO:
while these blend out amazingly, they do smudge due to that particular reason. it's safer to wear this over primer if you have oily lids. other than that, i don't think i have anything to complain about this palette.
personally i don't blend the two colours in the palette to get a third shade. i do the blending on my eyes itself.
i just love how crazy pigmented this palette is, by far the most pigmented kate palette!

i also wear this palette to the club :P