Jumat, 05 Desember 2014

L'Oreal Lucent Magique Foundation

L'Oreal Lucent Magique Foundation
L'Oreal Lucent Magique Foundation N2 Pure Porcelain Swatch and Review

after eyeing for quite a while, i finally snapped it up when it went on 30% off in watson's. i thought i got a really good deal and was happy for a few weeks, until the next deal happened - buy 1 get 1 free. that's 50% off! WHATEVER!

i don't regret buying this anyway, because i LOVE it.

the entire lucent magique series aims for a lit-from-within look with its light infusing technology. from its official website, they say this is achieved with a silver transparent liquid that amps up the reflection.

L'Oreal Lucent Magique Foundation
it's quite a standard size for most foundation, fits in my hand nicely, and it has a pump. the gold part is just plastic paint though. i wish it's metal. i love the feeling of cold metal in my hand.


so gold. one of the things that loreal do to differentiate itself from their sister brand maybelline - loreal is more classy.


"first light creating foundation", oh really? :/ that's kind of misleading. the formula is oil free, while it's hydrating, don't expect it to lock in moisture for you.

it also comes with SPF 20, PA+++. however i didn't experience too much of the dreaded white cast that most foundation with SPF have.  

L'Oreal Lucent Magique Foundation Swatch N2
N2 pure porcelain is a light yellowish beige. N2 is the lightest shade they offer here in singapore.

after blending, it appears slightly fairer than my original skin tone. GOOD :) since i use this on the center of my face for brightening only. you can compare the way it looks under different lighting - in natural light it appears to have a white cast, but under flash it actually looks a lot more natural as light is reflected un-uniformly, which gives my hand dimension.

L'Oreal Lucent Magique Foundation Swatch N2
comparing between my hands, i almost couldn't tell which one has the foundation. this foundation performs very well in flash photography because it doesn't give that uniform white cast that most foundation product. instead, it reflects light according to your natural contours to highlight those areas. my hand on the left looks a little brighter than my hand on the right, also, it looks more dewy and hydrated, however, the "lit from within" effects is really subtle.

L'Oreal Lucent Magique Foundation N2 Pure Porcelain Swatch
i only applied the foundation on half of my face, can you tell which side? it's on the right hand side of the photo. this is one thin layer of foundation. coverage is pretty damn low (i used a flat foundation brush).

IMHO

the foundation has a very light coverage, you can build it up but it'll take quite a few layers. it can't cover up my blemishes on my forehead, but it brightens very naturally. this doesn't produce a white cast unless you've layered on too much.

the foundation is very runny and thin, which explains for the coverage of the product. it blends easily, and unlike the revlon colorstay, this won't set that quickly so you can have all the time in the world to blend. once it sets after some time, it is slightly sweat resistant. don't expect it to rival the colorstay in this aspect.

as for the lit from within look and all that light infusing and light creating claims.. i can't say that it's entirely bullshit since this foundation did manage to reflect light in a way that no other foundation that i currently own can, but i'm pretty sure if i were to mix my nature republic blending highlighter into my foundation, i can get much or less the same result.

what i love the most is how natural the brightening effect is, perhaps it's because this colour matches the undertone of my skin. i usually use a slightly pinkish product for brightening, which make look a little odd when i didn't blend it into the side of my face well enough.

the watery consistency also helps to achieve that light coverage.

as with all foundation, this will accentuate any dry skin. moisturizing before hand can reduce the appearance of dry skin.

while the brightening effect is really awesome, i can't agree to what it claimed - a dewy, k-pop look. it's not as dewy as i expected. i guess you'll need to get the primer (which you can use as a highlighter as well) to achieve that look. i have the liquid highlighter with me so it's fine.

i bought this from watson's for SGD$16.90.

IN A NUTSHELL
1. brightening and light weight
2. light to medium coverage
3. not long wear
4. diffuse light very naturally and beautifully (especially so in flash photography)

MAKEUP LOOKS







Senin, 01 Desember 2014

LUST LIST: SONIA KASHUK


LUST LIST #1: SONIA KASHUK

since it's the holiday season now, i thought it'd be appropriate to talk about some of the many things that retailers have implanted into my little heart of desire. well, it's really just me sharing some items that i'm interested in of late, since i have more time on hand to do more research and "monitor shopping" (i mean window shopping online) now that i'm resting for my skin's sake.

sonia kashuk may be a foreign brand to most who live outside of america, in fact, i never heard of this brand until one fine day, i watched lisa eldridge's video and saw her using the hidden agenda concealer palette. i thought it suited my needs (it's hard to find a salmon coloured concealer here), plus, it's so handy to have three shades! it was hard to get hold of, i had to buy it online at a rather inflated price. it retails for USD9.90, but i paid SGD28 for it. :(

whatever, i thought it's worth the while! ever since then, i've grown an interest for their brand. i wasn't too crazy about them until lately. i noticed they changed all their packaging to black. if you know me, you'd know i'm drawn to the "cooler" end of product design, as in.. black, edgy and stylish. i'm the kind of girl who likes shimmery black. what the hell, right? black, and shimmery? i like to rejoice in what i call "understated glamour", being glam without being loud so that i'm probably the only know who knows how girly i am.. :P i'm a living irony.

product quality is important, and so is product packaging. i think sonia kashuk got the latter nailed. i can't attest to their product quality since i only tried their concealer so far, but reviews about their product seem to be on the positive side. back to the packaging, the simplistic and sleek packaging definitely resonate with me. i also like that their products are all very angled and flat. just one of the small details that gets to me.

here are a few items i am lusting over right now.

EYES


SONIA KASHUK eye couture eye on neutralSONIA KASHUK eye couture eye on shimmer

consists of 12 neutral shades each palette. they come in two variations, matte and shimmer. i'm lusting after BOTH to be honest..

i would love to use the matte palette to try out the american style makeup, as well as to use it to contour my nose and define my brows since they contain a good selection of soft beige colours. i also foresee myself mixing the grey with brown to get a cooler toned brown so i can fill in my eyebrows. even though i really like my kate designing eyebrows (eyebrow powder palette), i find the darkest brown a little too red sometimes. i'd like it to be more neutral. as for shimmer, those pinkish shades look so gorgeous.

FACE

SONIA KASHUK chic luminosity glow powder

this is meant to be a very subtle highlighting product that gives the "lit-from-within" look. seriously, what's lit from within? i still don't get it. i heard that this can be used as a finish powder, i'd totally love having this because you know i don't like having an overly matte face as it looks too flat and lifeless to me. it does contain silica, so i expect it to be pretty friendly for people with oily skin!


BRUSHES

SONIA KASHUK all that jazz 10 piece brush set

it was love at first sight. ever since i saw these over at musingsofamuse, i can't stop thinking about owning them.. the pairing of black and gold is just so.. luxurious yet not over the top. all of the brushes are made of goat hair, except for the angled duo fiber brush (goat and nylon), angled duo fiber crease brush (pony and synthetic mix), domed pencil brush (synthetic mix), both synthetic pointed eyeliner brusha nd the lash/brow groomer are made of nylon.

the 10 pieces includes (left to right):
domed powder brush, flat top multipurpose brush, angled duo fiber multipurpose brush, foundation brush, eye shadow brush, blending brush, angled duo fiber crease brush, domed pencil brush, synthetic pointed eye liner brush, and a lash/brow groomer.

SONIA KASHUK golden age four piece brush set

i swear it's the packaging that got me..  look at those shiny black handles with gold accents. they also seem to be smaller in size, so it makes them perfect for travelling! i don't know about the clutch though. the tassel is nice, but why two zips?

the 4 pieces includes:
powder brush, duo fiber shader brush, angled eye brush, and a smudge brush.

SONIA KASHUK fluffy eyeshadow brush no 112

i'm attracted to fluffy brushes because they seem to blend eyeshadows out better. i started wearing make up using this really cheap eyeshadow brush i bought from a small shop that sold these travel sized brushes. all the other brushes sucked, but the eyeshadow brush was just what i needed - something soft and slightly long bristles so that they can soften out any shadows. too bad i lost that brush :( the other 4 eyeshadow brushes that i currently own doesn't seem to be able to give me that effect. i'll talk about them later maybe?


they kind of remind me of the jill stuart ones that came with their blusher. do i need one of these? actually.. no. hahaha but this is a lust list. plus i really like the black packaging. SO CHIC.

i don't own any blush brush (in my opinion, the only difference between a blush brush and a face brush is the size). i usually carry a very small brush (the one from the media blusher) along with my powder foundation when i go out in case i decide to touch up a little bit of my make up. they tend to crease under my eyes, it's good to have a powder to dry that up. this brush seems small, so it should fit that area just fine for me! and i do foresee myself being on the go very often, so having a portable brush seems like a necessity. who am i bluffing, it's a imposed necessity :P

IN A NUTSHELL

you can totally tell i'm more into the brushes more than the other products that sonia kashuk offers. they actually have an extensive range of cosmetics and body care products. i blame the beautiful packaging of those brushes that spurred my sudden desire in owning 10 brushes. i really don't need it..

that's why this list is called a LUST LIST. :)

surprisingly, i couldn't find too much reviews of their products, i guess it's because sonia kashuk's price point is relatively higher than most drugstore brands, people tend to favour the wallet friendlier brands. the price is ok to me because most products in singapore are that expensive anyway (since they're all imported).

do you like me sharing items i'm interested in from specific brands? let me know!

Kamis, 27 November 2014

Kate Jewelry Mode Eyes GN-1

Kate Jewelry Mode Eyes GN-1 Swatch Review
Kate Jewelry Mode Eyes GN-1

even though i'm a big fan of kate's eyeshadows, i never really thought of getting this one, until i saw it going for 50% one day. for about SGD10, it's worth the plunge. the colours left were limited, i swatched as much as i could on the back of my hand and this palette seems to give me that sparkly brownish champagne colour that i was looking for.

or so i thought. as it turns out, the lighting in the store was slightly different.

the naming of this palette seems somewhat misleading, perhaps we've all been to condition to link GN to green, but in this case, i THINK it stands for grey neutral. but that's just a guess, because this is clearly not a green palette.

i remember seeing the marketing material for this series before, they claim to have formulated it with special pearl and shimmer, but i don't know if it's actually that useful when it comes to describing the finish of the eyeshadow at all.

one thing you need to know, this palette can make your eyes sparkle like diamonds in the night sky (under the right lighting).


as usual, it comes with a simple instruction on how to use this palette, and as always, i didn't follow their instructions. hahaha! but still, it's a good addition for people who have no clue how to use eyeshadows, at least they have somewhere to start now!


the palette consist of three shades, two high shimmer and low pigmentation colours, and a darker liner shade which is glittery but much more pigmented than the rest. a dual sided sponge tip application (one chubby and one skinny) is included in the package. how thoughtful.

the shades were actually "named" on the palette casing, from left to right, they are the medium color, brilliant color, and dark color.

Kate Jewelry Mode Eyes GN-1 Swatch Review
swatched on bare skin, L to R:

medium color is a shimmery gun metal gray with a metallic finish under normal lighting (it looks crazy sparkly under focused light). i know it looks more taupe-ish on the pan, but once it's on my skin it just looks gray.

brilliant color is a shimmery greyish champagne with a metallic finish. it may look more yellow in the pan, but once it goes onto my skin it appears as a faint grey. this also look super sparkly under focused light, like a night sky.

dark color is a satin dark grey, it's not matte, but not overly metallic or pearly too. it contains some silver sparkles but not as overwhelming as the other 2 shades.

Kate Jewelry Mode Eyes GN-1 Swatch Review
as seen in different angles.

the metallic sheen is only highly reflective when light hits it at certain angles. as you can see from the last image, the colours are most apparent when it's not busy reflecting light like a mirror, it's a gun metal grey trio that can be used to create deep looks very easily. the sparkly shimmer also took over the metallic reflection in the last photo, partly due to the ray of focused light beaming on it from the camera flash. in fact, they have a totally different finish when seen under spot light, be sure to watch the video taken under focused light at the bottom, they gave off the most beautiful sparkle i ever seen.

i honestly do not suggest using it like the suggested instructions, because the reflective nature of the brilliant colour may make your eyes look very puffy if you happen to have puffy lids.

IMHO

as usual, the powders are soft and easily picked up with either my finger and brush. although they aren't as buttery soft as the highlight and liner shade from the colorcious diamond palette (btw, these are the predecessor, hence the semblance).

picking these up with a fluffy eyeshadow brush may cause some fall outs. whenever possible, i use my finger. they feel really buttery when i do use the latter, it seems to be the japanese formulation that gave them this buttery-powder texture.

kate's eyeshadow tend to be on the sheer (except for the dark color) and shimmery side as it's more wearable on asian eyes, this is no exception. as you've already seen from the different angles above, these will look quite sheer on your eyes until light hits it at a certain angle and bounce right off to create the metallic look.

i think they've done a pretty good job making such wearable eyeshadow palettes. while swatching the other shades, i find them very similar to the colorcious diamond. if you already own the colorcious diamond, it's almost pointless to get one of these. as a kate fan, i've seen how they recycle colour schemes to release almost similar eyeshadows but in different packaging over the years. for example, the dual blend eyes in BK-2 i own is almost similar, except for the finish (the latter has a frosted light colour shade)

these are going to be phased out as they were released in 2012. each series seem to have an average lifespan of 2 years. i can't even see them on the official website anymore. don't feel too bad if you really like it, because it's really similar to colorcious diamond in BK-1, what's more, you get an additional 2 shades with that palette.

IN A NUTSHELL
1. combination of sheer, very shimmery, and dark shades
2. powder is soft and picks up easily
3. you can give this a miss if you already own a grey palette
4. very similar to the colorcious diamond eyeshadows

MAKEUP LOOKS

Kate Jewelry Mode Eyes GN-1
medium colour is worn as a base here, with a dap of brilliant colour on my inner corner, and the dark colour on the outer corner and outer third of lower lash line (just a wash of darker colours though).

Kate Jewelry Mode Eyes GN-1
brilliant color worn as a base, medium colour on the outer half, and dark colour on the outer corner to darken things and outer third of lower lash line..

video taken under focused light, and video taken under natural light. click on the links to watch them on my instagram!

i purchased this eyeshadow palette for malaysian ringgit 26 (which is about 10SGD).


Selasa, 25 November 2014

Heroine Smooth Liquid Liner VS Kate Super Sharp Liner


Heroine Smooth Liquid Liner VS Kate Super Sharp Liner

a while ago i purchased the kate super sharp liner in BK-1 while it was on sale, i've also done a separate swatch and review on it. i've been a long time user of the heroine make smooth liquid liner. i can't remember what made me want to buy it several years back, but i've since been in love with it as it has worked so well for me, i actually repurchased it because for that price point, this liquid liner is just perfect.



TIP SIZE:
kate: 0.03mm
HM: 0.1mm

honestly, it looks like the heroine make is finer in the photo. both eyeliner tips are made of thin fibres instead of felt tip. the heroine make tip is a little more flexible and soft than the kate's.


can you make a guess which heart is drawn by which pen?

the left is drawn by kate, the ink seems a little lighter in shade because it was brand new when i did this swatch and the ink isn't flowing as nicely yet, but the apparent difference in the thickness of the line is telling of the tip.




FINISH:
heroine make has a slight sheen to it after it's dried down. it actually feel like a thin layer of polymer on top of my skin.
kate dries down to a matte finish, and it sure dries quickly!
this swatch was taken after i used the kate eyeliner for a few more times, so the ink is definitely flowing a lot better, but you can tell it's still on the dryer side.

COLOUR INTENSITY:
both produce an intense black colour.


pardon me for the weird position of the eyeliners.

the first 2 lines and the last 2 lines are kate's, while the one in the middle belong to heroine make. why this odd placement? because after two swipes of kate, i went on to swatching the heroine make only to realize this isn't fair because kate's ink wasn't flowing as smoothly yet. so i swiped another two lines with kate to show that its ink is actually pretty dark too. #thingsthatcangowrongwhenswatching



OIL PROOF TEST:
both comes off pretty easily when rubbed in vaseline, but the kate eyeliners stained my skin.

WEAR TIME:
i'm recalling this from memory, but both eyeliners lasted me the entire day. they stay beautifully on my lids, they don't melt off after exposure to my sweat or oils.

however, they weren't as reliable on my inner corners. it's fine if i don't touch it there, but if i do, it's likely they'll get rubbed off by a tissue after soaking in tears for the entire day.

EASE OF REMOVAL:
heroine make is definitely easier when it comes to being removed by my eye makeup remover. it can be removed by warm water too, but i don't usually do that. it'll come off in a sheet if you do decide to use water.

PRICE:
heroine make: SGD18.90
kate: SGD17.90

i actually bought the heroine make eyeliner in HK, it's only HKD78 over there.

CONCLUSION:
being the kate fan girl i am, i'm actually not too impressed by this eyeliner. even though both of them fare similar in terms of colour intensity and wear time, i'm not too fond of the fact that it stains my eyelids. i'm also used to the more flexible and bendy tip that heroine make offers, i don't think i'll repurchase another kate eyeliner in the future.

Kamis, 20 November 2014

on envy



if you don't already know, i'm on a "beauty hiatus" due to my little skin problem.
well, it isn't that little since i had to put a pause on work, but then again, i've seen worse.
i guess it's time to add another aspect of beauty into my blog now - inner beauty - since i'm running low on beauty reviews and swatches :P

i remember there used to be a time when japanese fashion was the "in" thing,
scouring japanese magazine was my favourite past time (it still is actually!),
and i realize how many japanese girls are trying so hard to get wider double eye lids so as to achieve the gyaru look.

i look at my eyes and think to myself:
"hmmm, i have a nice pair of eyes!" as i pack on that eyeshadow.

lately, korean fashion has had a heavy influence on both the fashion and cosmetic scene,
a look at the latest korean pop groups and dramas will change the way i view "beauty" from a few years ago - about 99% of the korean actresses/singers/idols have a much narrower double lid, and they made natural makeup look famous!

now, my eyes aren't anything like theirs,
there were times when i thought to myself "i wish i had their eyes" because they are able to carry off light make up so well!
if i were to do that kind of light makeup, i'll look like i need more sleep.

and here is when i catch myself once more before i fall into the never ending spiral of envy.

firstly, the exposure to the societal's definition of beauty definitely shapes my definition as well.
secondly, when what i have do not align with that definition, there exist a gap where envy grows.


envy can be a bitch sometimes, because envy can feed discontentment,
and discontentment eventually leads to unhappiness.

that sort of defeats the whole purpose of dolling myself up to feel good!

how did i change the way i think?
i learnt that when i'm envious of someone else's features,
someone else is also envious of my features as well.
well, i just so happened to have loving girlfriends who never fails to let me know how much they appreciate me, they frame my perceived flaws in a such a way that they appear to be an object of desire to them.
surely, if someone likes some of my characteristics, then there is surely some value in them that i fail to see!
and my girlfriends help me realize those values and got me out of the envious cycle.

now, i make it a point to voice out my appreciation for other's,
it's necessary to let them know, because just like me, they may not discover their own value and worth,
and it's up to us to help them see!

we always appear to have more value in others eyes than our own.

the above example is only one out of the dozen of things that i own which doesn't align with certain definitions that i have come to adopt.
of course, being conscious of the biases allowed me to made necessary adjustments so that the gap between ideals and reality will shrink, and hopefully they will overlap in time to come when i manage to shift my ideals towards reality. :)

start loving yourself more today!
always remember that while you're envious of others, others are also envious of you (even though you may not know it)
don't let the envy blind you from your own unique qualities.

xoxo,
karman

Selasa, 18 November 2014

Maybelline ColorShow Crayon Kohl (Swatch and review)

Maybelline ColorShow Crayon Kohl snow white light peacock green
Maybelline ColorShow Crayon Kohl 02 Light Peacock Green and 05 Snow White

august was the month i bought so many new eyeliners. i picked these up when watsons was having a one for one sale for these babies. it's a good chance for me to pick up a while eyeliner for future looks that i'll be doing!

i just realize i can't find any information from its official websites. i did some snooping around e-retailers online and found some of the "claims" these eyeliners have.

creamy, budge proof, long wear, ultra bright colours. we'll see.


the cap is indicative of the shade and finish of the product.

Maybelline ColorShow Crayon Kohl snow white light peacock green
02 light peacock green and 05 snow white.

Maybelline ColorShow Crayon Kohl snow white light peacock green
each pen contains 0.3g of product, it's about 3.2cm long.


it contains the following ingredient. this is for the peacock green in specific.
yup, it's made in china.

Maybelline ColorShow Crayon Kohl snow white light peacock green
swatch over powder foundation. one swipe for the white, multiple swipes for the green.

05 snow white is a matte white.
02 light peacock green changes colour at different angles. from the front it look like a metallic greenish-turquoise-ish colour. this shade tend to go on light, so a few swipes is required.

both are creamy and glides on the back of my hand easily.

light peacock green takes on a bluish hue when viewed at an angle. see below!

Maybelline ColorShow Crayon Kohl snow white light peacock green
when viewed at different angles, peacock green actually looks more bluish. BEAUTIFUL!

Maybelline ColorShow Crayon Kohl snow white light peacock green
vaseline test:

they were pretty budge proof on clean skin, and i'd say they performed pretty well in vaseline too, but they're not as resistant as the makeon and solone eyeliner for sure.

IMHO:

i can only attest for their creaminess for they are really pretty damn creamy. so creamy that if i went a few more layers on my eyes, it starts to deposit stuff unevenly. after it sets the uneven pieces turn hard. if it drops into your eyes unfortunately, it's gonna irritate a little.

i've tried both of them on my lids and on my water line. i actually bought the white for lining my lower water line specifically, but the staying power there isn't very optimal. however, it stayed pretty well on my eyelids.

to elaborate on how snow white felt on my lower lid, it wasn't pleasant. the lead is pretty soft, the products deposited isn't even. it will dry up into hard little bits that eventually goes into my eyes and irritate the hell out of me. :( needless to say, with all that extra tear being generated from that irritation, the waterline is washed clean within half an hour.

i was very impressed by how budge proof they were when i tried them out in watson's. the green is a really pretty shade, i don't see this colour often! it'll make a good "point colour" for some fun :D

sadly, even though the white is really pigmented, it doesn't stay that well on my waterline, once again. what's new? still haven't found that eyeliner that stays on well enough for more than a few hours. can't have it all!

i bought this for $7.90 (for 2) when watson's was having a one-for-one sale.

Kamis, 13 November 2014

Solone Vivid Fantasy Smoody Pencil 04 Grape Cakeroll (Swatch and Review)


Solone Vivid Fantasy Smoody Pencil 04 Grape Cakeroll (Swatch and Review)

this was on my radar for quite some time. solone is a taiwanese brand and they're most well known for their eyeliner pencils that sets in 30s. i believe i first saw it on the yahoo auction website many years ago. they've grown much bigger over the years, and this time round they collaborated with an illustrator to create this alice in wonderland series :)

Solone Vivid Fantasy Smoody Pencil 04 Grape Cakeroll
such a cute illustration!

Solone Vivid Fantasy Smoody Pencil 04 Grape Cakeroll
i got it in shade 04, grape cakeroll, it's a purple colour.

Solone Vivid Fantasy Smoody Pencil 04 Grape Cakeroll Ingredient
ingredients list if you're interested.
it contains 0.5g of product.


a little translation for those who can't read chinese:

what's special about this product:
1. eyeliner + eyeshadow capabilities, can be used as an eyeliner and blended out into an eyeshadow.

2. twist up mechanism ridding you the need of a pencil sharpener.
3. a sharpener is embedded at the end of the pencil to allow for a more precise application.
4. mousse finish that blends easily. colours are vibrant, waterproof and oil resistant, and a long lasting budge proof experience.


it even comes with instructions on how to use the product.
this is for using it as an eyeshadow.

step 1: use a light colour eyeliner pencil on the eyelid and blend it out as a base colour.
step 2: applying a dark colour eyeliner pencil along the lash line and blend upwards to create a gentle gradient.

step 3: use a bright coloured eyeliner pencil to emphasize the inner corner and the lower lid area.


for use as an eyeliner:

step 1: lift up your eyelid with your finger gently, fill in the lash line for the outer half.
step 2: starting from the start of your eyelids, draw the eyeliner and connect to the second half of the line.

step 3: extend the eyeliner according to your eye shape by 1-3mm, lift it up slightly.
step 4: line the outer third of the lower lash line and connect to the upper eyeliner.

Solone Vivid Fantasy Smoody Pencil 04 Grape Cakeroll
the black little part is actually the eyeliner pencil lead sharpener. it only shaves off the product and not the surrounding plastic (unlike a traditional pencil sharpener).

Solone Vivid Fantasy Smoody Pencil 04 Grape Cakeroll
04 grape cakeroll.


it contains about 4cm of product, which is pretty generous in my opinion. the diameter of the lead is definitely much wider than most other brands out there.

Solone Vivid Fantasy Smoody Pencil 04 Grape Cakeroll Swatch
swatched on hand over powder foundation:

grape cakeroll is more of a violet-like-purple. i'd say it leans towards the bluish side of purple under normal lighting. it contains some shimmer as shown in the bottom photo.

it does glide over my skin very easily, the mousse formula does allow it to be blended out pretty easily, but some skill is definitely required if you want to get an even colour out of this darker shade.

Solone Vivid Fantasy Smoody Pencil 04 Grape Cakeroll Swatch
vaseline test:

it's definitely more resistant than my maybelline gel eyeliners. those melt into vaseline within a few seconds of rubbing, but these thing stayed on my hands until i wiped it with a tissue paper. i guess it takes some friction to get them off the skin.

in case you're thinking that it's really hard to remove, it is difficult only if you use the wrong thing. i tried it with an eye makeup remover (i used my bifesta eye makeup remover) and it came off really effortlessly after soaking the pad in for a few seconds.

IMHO:

do the eyeliner pencil live up to its claims?

vibrant colour - YES. as with most eyeliners.

budge proof - YES. the first time i tried these in sasa, i tried rubbing my hands to get rid of them. i only got myself some red skin after that. eyeliners still intact. :(

water and oil resistant - yet to test them out for the entire day yet, but the vaseline test speaks volume for its oil resistance.

easy to blend - quite easy i would say, but to get an even application is a little hard. it would required some skills definitely. perhaps loading up on the product instead of a sheer layer will allow more products to be blended out smoothly. i think it blends out a little easier than the makeon season 1 eyeliners (especially the darker shades). currently, i think the clio gelpresso eyeliners still top my list of super blendable eyeliners.

i think the addition of a lead sharpener is a really nice bonus to the twist up mechanism. a lazy bum like me really appreciate this invention.

i bought this for SGD$10 from sasa when it was going on sale. the usual price is $14.90. although it's a little more expensive over here in singapore, but i think it's really worth the buck considering the amount of product you get.

maybelline masterliner cost $9.90 for 0.3g. you do the math.