Review: Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 powder foundation

Shown in Natural Beige

Physician's Formula face powders often have "Translucent [insert color here]" or just "[insert color here]." So double check when you want heavier coverage. For a non-translucent powder foundation, I am not impressed by the coverage, although powder foundations tend to give less coverage anyway. I prefer my Pur Minerals foundation over this (review linked here)

Pros

- Good oil control

- Feels light on the skin

- Not powdery when you dip a brush in

Cons

- Slightly tacky packaging

- Light coverage (pro for some)
- Limited color selection

Value

$10-15 for 0.34 oz / 9.6 g

Overall:

I noticed that this is great for oil control. On an 85+ degree day in which I did a lot of walking (and sweating), at the end of the day my skin did not look as oily as it usually does if I'm just sitting at home with no makeup on. I am impressed by the oil-control, but the coverage leaves something to be desired.

Some people might think the orange and hot pink combo is cute, but to me it is tacky - I would feel childish taking it out of my purse to touch up (although, for the record, I've never touched up on my face or eye makeup o.o I've only blotted my face or remove smudges). At least the mirror is finally at a practical place.

After seeing nouveaucheap (blogger) rave about this powder foundation, I have to say I'm mildly disappointed. Then again, she has no real spots to cover. I did purchase this on a 40% off sale and the packaging included a free bronzer in the same line, so I won't complain too much.

FYI, I didn't put the SPF 50 in pros or cons because, as I've written several times before, you only get the full SPF if you put a generous amount on, as you would a sunblock. Since most people want to avoid cakey-ness with makeup, it doesn't really give you the full sun protection.

I nearly forgot to mention this, but as usual Physician's Formula has only 4 shades, two translucent and two regular. However, this foundation runs very light, I almost bought the creamy natural, which is what I usually use, but it looked way too pale.

Repurchase?

Maybe.

Revlon stuff

Revlon PhotoReady concealer in 02 Light

Emilynoel83 seemed to like this concealer quite a bit, and I've never tried a stick concealer so I figured why not. Tried it once already, it has light to medium coverage that looks less natural than liquid concealer -_-

Revlon ColorStay liquid foundation for Normal/Dry skin in 150 Buff

The very famous ColorStay foundation. I actually haven't tried this because I've always heard it's cakey.

I realized when I got home that I got the one for normal/dry skin instead of oily/combination skin... People on makeupalley say that this is actually more natural looking since it has less coverage though, so we'll see how I like it

Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Primrose

This is kind of popular a few months ago, I never picked it up because it looked too purple-toned for me. It still looks a little too purple for me... But at 40% off I figured it's okay.

Review & Swatches: Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soother SPF 20 in Glisten

Pros

- SPF 20

- Cooling sensation on the lips

- Juicy-looking

Cons

- Very sheer

- Shine fades after a while

Value

$5-8 for 0.35 oz / 10 g

Verdict

Overall: B

Notice I didn't put moisturizing in the pros. For a gloss labeled "Moisture Shine," it wasn't particularly moisturizing... Nor was it drying, but still.

As you can tell, the color is incredibly sheer, but I do think it makes the lips look juicy, which is always attractive to some people. The shine fades after a while, which is characteristic of glosses with a thinner consistency

Due to my large collection of sheer glosses and my always forgetting to use a gloss at all, I would not repurchase this.

Repurchase?

No.

Jewelmint Hayden Necklace

How it looks when it came in

Below: Picture from Jewelmint website

In person, this is much cheaper-looking than I would've thought.

The pendant is also kind of heavy, which wouldn't bother me if the pendant actually looked nice.

A rare picture of my whole face, as you can tell I have sooo many bumps and acne and whatever. *le sigh*

Product Wishlist 2011

Hi everyone,

Sorry to disappoint those who were expecting a review, but I felt like posting a wishlist post today.

Photo from sephora.com

At the top of my list:

1. Make Up Forever Face & Body foundation ($38)

I've been eyeing the MAC Face & Body foundation for quite some time, but I realized, after reading numerous blogposts and seeing reviews, that it gives minimum to no coverage... Which is not ideal for my acne scars. I've heard that the MUFE one gives more coverage and actually looks better, so maybe at the Sephora Annual Friends & Family sale...

2. Naruko Tea Tree Oil line

For those of you who haven't heard of Naruko, it is brand of skincare developed by a famous Taiwanese skincare guru. I am not Taiwanese, but it reached my ears from Fuzkittie on Youtube, who has amazing skin. Although the Body Shop has a tea tree line, I feel like skincare developed by Asians are probably more suitable for Asians, like myself. These products are also supposed to be paraben free and cruelty free.

People who have relatives in Taiwan are in luck, because prices in the US (the picture is a screenshot from their US website) are up to $10 USD higher than what you pay for in Asia. These prices probably compete with Clinique a little bit, and after Naruko launched their US website, the prices on Asian beauty store sites and on Ebay shot up, go figure.

Photo from sephora.com

3. Shiseido Extra Smooth Sun Protection Lotion SPF 38 ($34)

You're probably thinking, sunblock... In the fall?

Truth be told, I've also been eyeing this since spring of this year, but I ended up getting the tube packaging for the face instead. While I love that one, this is a bit more liquidy, and I am planning to get these sunblocks as a staple and double as a face primer, since they do kind of control the oils on my face.

Photo from maccosmetics.com

4. MAC Studio Fix concealer ($21)

Didn't this used to be like $16? Maybe my memory fails me.

Anyway, I've heard about this a lot for covering acne, and I might actually purchase this now that I am back to working at Macy's. I don't care for the SPF 35 though, since I will only be using this on my pimples.

Photo from sephora.com

5. Bare Minerals Blemish Therapy ($18)

I've been hearing about this more and more, and although Bare Minerals is a bit pricey, I can actually see myself getting some use out of this.

Photo from sephora.com

6. Tarte Lip Surgence Collection ($29)

Like all the other products, I've been eyeing these lipstains for quite some time, but couldn't justify paying $24 for one. This may be my perfect chance to try some out, although I only see one or two colors as colors I would wear... We shall see.

Photo from maccosmetics.com

7. MAC Lightful Deep Ultra Moisture Creme ($46.50)

Priciest single item on the list, but I heard from MszJackieChu on Youtube that this is an excellent moisturizer and primer if you're going to wear foundation. I doubt I'll actually get this any time soon, but just putting it out there for those who can afford it.

I need to talk myself out of things these days, because out of all the things on this list, the one I really need would probably be the Naruko skincare.

However, I am in the process of saving up for a car, so I really need to cut these unnecessary purchases out... We'll see how that actually goes, as most of my older followers probably know my inability to not haul *cough cough*

What are products on your wishlist? I'd love to know.

Review: EOS lip balm stick in Vanilla Bean

Size comparison with a Nivea lip balm

(Yes, that is the entire EOS lip balm twisted out, I was surprised too)

Let's compare the ingredients with the EOS sphere lip balm in Honeysuckle Honeydew... They have some similar ingredients but not quite the same ones

Pros

- Very smooth

Cons

- Scent is barely there (which is what I bought this for)

- Not that moisturizing

Value

$3.49 for 0.14 oz / 4 g

I am a little skeptical whether this is actually 4 grams... It's very short in length and not that long in diameter

And the stick form is not readily available in stores.

Verdict

Overall: D+

To be honest, I have maybe 7 EOS lip balms and I think Tangerine is the only one that is moisturizing (but it is marketed as medicated, go figure). I collected the rest primarily for the scent, and when the scent disappoints me... I don't really use it. Vanilla scent lovers will be very disappointed with this.

I should probably stop wasting money on EOS lip balms and buy some real lip balms, but I kind of like the packaging... Hmm

Would I recommend this?

No.

Repurchase?

Absolutely not.

Review: E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Treat & Tame

Closer look at "fibers"

Pros

- Keeps eyebrow hairs in place

- Not stiff-feeling

Cons

- Tame part barely adds any color
Correction: Turns out this does add color if it makes contact with your skin, but it's not even close to the color in the tube, it's more of a light brown

Value

$3 for 0.35 oz / 10 g (for both sides)

0.17 oz / 5 g on each end

Verdict

Overall: B

I've seen this on the E.L.F. website before, but passed on it since I didn't care for brows back then. A while ago I saw hollyannaeree on YT talk about liking this, so I was instantly intrigued. Sadly, this doesn't really do much to fill in my brows, but as a brow gel it isn't too bad. I actually tried taking pictures of my eye brows for this review, but there really was no difference in the color or thickness in my eyebrows (although having black hair may be a factor).

I don't think the Treat part really works either, but I use it anyway in hopes of growing hair in some sparse areas. Will update if there are actually changes.

UPDATE (1/15/12)
After using this a couple times at night, I saw some more hair growing the arch and tail of my brows, where it's usually more sparse than the inner half. I no longer have to fill in the outer half of my brows, so I will definitely repurchase this :)

Repurchase?

Yes.

Things to Review: Drugstore haul

I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I haven't hauled in a LONG time, although it's kind of a good thing because I will probably never use up most of the stuff I have.

From drugstore.com

Prices are what I paid for them

Left to Right

Physician's Formula Happy Booster blush in Rose ($9.56 on sale)

I've been wanting this forever, but never did because it's kind of expensive considering I almost never wear blush. It's just super cute to look at :)

Carmex Ultra Moisturizing lip balm in Vanilla ($1.89)

Saw nouveaucheap review this a while back. While I don't care for Carmex, I like Vanilla very much, and it has SPF 15.

Maybelline Fit Me concealer in 10 Light ($4.99)

This is wayyy darker than I expected (as you may have seen if you follow me on Twitter), I haven't tried it on my face though. I also have a Maybelline concealer that's too light for my face, so maybe I'll be able to mix them

EOS lip balm stick in Vanilla Bean ($3.49)

Waste of money, will review soon.

E.L.F. Studio Cream eyeshadow in Dawn ($3)

Tried it on my eyes already, will do a review soon

E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Treat and tame in Dark ($3)

Also tried this, doesn't seem to do much sadly

From Target

Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30 ($7.10 on sale)

I am still debating whether I should even keep this, considering I have quite a few moisturizers to use up and it's not that sunny during the fall and winter.

Revlon Extra Curl eyelash curler ($4.99)

HelloHannahCho on YT talked about this in one of her videos. Since she is also Asian, I decided to try this out... It's better than the Revlon curlers I've tried before but definitely not as good as Shiseido.

Review & Swatches: Jordana Pretty Shine Lip Gloss in Adorable

The swatch looks more nude in different lighting

Although the tube looks larger, it has very little product.

Frosty nude color

Both the frost and shine builds up quickly

Pros

- Pigmented

- Artificial grape scent (con for some)
- Sponge tip applicator

Cons

- Adorable can be very frosty

- Very tacky (see below)

- Thick texture

Value

$1.99 for 0.1 oz / 3.0 g

Available at Walgreens

I've also seen this brand at FoodMaxx, hmm.

Verdict

For those of you who haven't heard of Jordana, it has actually been around Walgreens for a few years now, and I've seen xteeener and emilynoel83 on Youtube use and talk about their lip products.

This line of lip glosses is very pigmented, but the color Adorable is incredibly sticky. I say the color Adorable because I've heard many people saying they love the glosses in other colors, and when I did a review in video form there were people who said they went and bought Adorable and it was way stickier than the other colors. Also, because Adorable is so frosty, the color makes me look very washed out, and I hardly ever wear this color.

Repurchase?

Not this color

Review & Swatches: L'Oreal HiP Color Chrome eyeliner in Violet Volt

On my eyes, I don't like to wear it ant thicker than that

As you can tell, it has a blue duochrome, which doesn't really show up on the eyes

Pros

- Goes on very smoothly
- Pigmented

- Long wearing
- Decent color selection

Cons

- Very soft

Value

$8-10 for 0.03 oz / 1.1 g

Verdict

I actually like this color very much, because it is not so purple that it's too bright but purple enough that it's not just black. I usually wear eyeliner without a primer these days, and I was pleasantly surprised that this wears slightly better than the Revlon ColorStay pencil eyeliner (review here).

Because the liner itself is very soft, be careful when you're sharpening it because you might nick a little bit when you take the pencil out of the sharpener. The way the wooden part of the pencil is cut reminds me of the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencils, but I think this is one of the first eyeliner pencils in the drugstore that kind of have that gel/cream liner texture to it, and I recommend people to check it out when it's on sale.

Repurchase?

Yes, but preferably on sale.