Of Different Sunscreens

Today I am going to show you some of the sunscreens that I have.

I am not going to do a full review, however, I will keep it a bit general and discuss the different type of products that contain sunscreen, and how to handle them.

Most of us know that sunscreen is a part of a whole bunch of cosmetic products these days. What we do not know is that not all sunscreen is created equally and you have to think about what kind of protection you need for that day so you can taylor your sunscreen to that need.

If I get the comment that I look 'as pale as a ghost' (without wearing self-tan), I know I have done a good job with my sunscreen. Let's just face the fact that the sun can feel really good on your skin, but is one of the main causes of ageing. Ageing is good, as long as it doesn't show that much, which explains that a large amount in my cupboard is reserved for sunscreen-based products.

What do we have?

1. Etude House Glow Base Sunscreen in SPF 36

This was a part of their summer release in 2009. Overal, it is a highlighter-esque product that gives out a glow over the entire face. It also whitens a bit.

Protection factor:
I think I used it once in a hot climate and got a bit of a sunburn. So I would not recommend to use this as a full-on sunscreen in climates that are close to the equator (or other countries during warmer summer weather). It works as a protector when you are not in full sunlight or during winter-weather, though. Moreover, it is a brilliant highlighter/glowifyer.

It is also still fresh after 2 years. I stored this one in a cool and dark area, which helps to keep your sunscreen fresh and valid for a bit longer.

2. Aveeno Ultra-Calming daycream with SPF10.

 Sunscreens in daycreams or foundations NEVER have the same amount of protection as they would in the products that are real sunscreens. However, it filters out some damaging rays when sitting behind a desk behind the window or when you are simply commuting in cooler weather in colder climates. I always use an extra ('real') sunscreen when I know my face will get to see the sun that day.

3. Institut Estederm Photo Reverse Anti-brown Patches fluid- No sun.

I came across reviews of Institut Estederm thanks to Lisa Eldridge and CaféMakeup. It is a french brand and the common complaint of it is that it doesn't list the amount of protection given (SPF's, PA+) etc. I've tried it and it is quite thick compared to my usual stash of Japanese sunscreens (see swatches below). Positive is that it really does protect your skin in warmer weather, so it does work only it is not as brilliantly thin as some of my favourite Japanese sunscreens (or La Roche Posay).

4. Kose Suncut UV Protect Cream SPF 50+ PA++
Good protection in warmer climates. Still, for a Japanese sunsceen it is rather creamy and thick (see below). Still, it is thinner than the Institut Estederm one.

5. Orbis UV CUT sunscreen on face light SPF 34 PA++

This was my absolute favourite during 2010! I carried around everywhere, which, as you might see in the picture below, made it expire a bit before its date (see the runny texture at nr. 5). It is always advised to throw away your sunscreen after one season, but I believe it depends on how you store it too. With the Orbis I went everywhere and it got some serious heating in my purse.
Why I like it so much?
The texture is really thin and the light-skintone of it makes foundation optional. It really protects against stronger sun-rays and is scentless. It is quite cheap (around $17) and it did not give me pimples (some sunscreens do). I also love the smaller bottle that make it perfect for carrying around.

6. Claring Gel-Creme Solaire/Smoothing Cream-Gel low protection UVB 10/UVA

This is a thick cream, even though the name suggest it would be a gel-type of cream. I do like this one as a daycream type when the weather is not sunny, etc.  It gives out quite some protection even though it says SPF 10. I once applied it and suddenly the weather was really sunny (unexpected) and I had no higher protection with me. My face was exposed to this kind of sun for 10 minutes, but I didn't tan, so it did its job.

7. Olaz Proffesional anti-ageing Daycream SPF 30

Again, this is one of the daycream hybrids around. I believe that Olaz is the more serious one, because they target for American markets and they are really serious about good sun-protection. Still, I would always advise to go for a product that targets for a 100% on sun-protection, and consider hybrid products as an extra or just for a lower protection.

The textures on my skin:

I hope this helps out a little or refresh the knowledge most of the beauty-afficionadas already know ;D.

Remember that this article is partly my own opinion and partly scrambled information from all the other sources (magazines, other beauty-bloggers, academic 'research') I accumulated.  :D

Hourglass Illume Sunset:

Summer seems a long time ago, but the beachy glow can still stay...

Well, we got our wonderful faking-tools these days.

I always fake my glow in summer, however, in winter I feel more at ease making my own, slightly light skin shine through.

But you know, I live in a quintessential western country with those 'wonderful' beauty standards of tan-is-beautiful', so sometimes I fake my glow to face my family, who otherwise would tell me "aww, why don't you go to a tanning bed?" (oh, and tanning beds are evil in my opinion, but somehow I cannot manage to convince them of that idea so I just nod my head and leave it like that, not going to tanning beds...of course...dah).

I got myself a new faker....ehm, beauty enhancer ;D

After reading lots of glowing reviews, and the mandatory celebrity-X-uses-this stories, I decided to venture on a new brand, for me at least, Hourglass.

I think Hourglass is an American brand. I use American brands every now and then. They have lots of $$$ to put into research so I am bound to receive a product that has been put through millions of tests and is marketed for a large audience. I really like some Tarte products, by the way, and L'oreal can have some good items.

Hourglass has finally been made available for the curious Europeans (who had to go through great lenghts to get anything Hourglass before) on Zuneta.com. I had to wait for a while for the Illume in Sunset to get into stock again, but when it finally was....

 The box of Hourglass is in a sleek, black colour with platina-esque letters.

The back of the box has the instruction list and the ingredients:

 Wonderful, they have listed the ingredients for both the brown, bronzer colour as for the Sunset (peachy) colour:

 Instuctions: They listed them in French as well. That could mean that they target for an Canadian audience...

Out of the box: it is a sleek, dark silver-esque colour in a metallic case. The logo and packaging reminds me of a more conventional sister of Illamasqua.

After struggling to open it for the first couple of times, I found out that you have to slide it to the sides.

 Inside are two equal amounts of a bronze and peach-like colour

 Two gorgeous shades that are bordering on the warm side of neutral:

 Swatches:
In this picture you can see that they have a lustry, glowy quality upon them. The left side is the two colours blended:

Tarte Illume Sunset swatches: Left: Sunset&bronze blended; middle: sunset; right: bronze

 Another swatch picture in different light.

Tarte Illume Sunset swatches: Left: Sunset&bronze blended; middle: sunset; right: bronze

I have to say that I am incredibly amazed by the level of pigmentation. The pigmentation is really strong when you apply it on. Those swatch pictures were only one swipe! I almost reminds me of a professional makeup-artist product like Joe Blasco or Graftobian. 

However, it is still normal-consumer friendly as it blends quite easily into the skin. Also, if the first application looks a bit done, wait for a couple of minutes and the fierceness of the colour have blended into the skin as a natural glow.

I believe it is suitable for colours that are darker, going on to NW/C 40. I know that Karen from makeupbeautyblog reviewed and swatched this and it looks really vivid on her NW 40 (?) skin. Actually, the Sunset colour looks really pink on her skin, while it looks like a peachy orange on mine. See, how different people wear their products differently?

After all these raves, I do believe that the colours in the blush palette have a warmer quality, especially the bronzer colour has some red hints in it. 

So, although it is such a lovely and convienient compact for both blush, bronzer or both, I do believe that people with cool skintones will find the bronzer shade a bit too warm. I myself am a neutral bordering on cool, and you can already see the difference with someone like Karen from Makeupbeautyblog of how the colours would show up.

However, I love the two colours in the mix and the quality of this product is just fantastic. Another plus for me: no glitters and shimmers are in the two colours! That makes it a more convincing faker for me.

I bought my palette at British site zuneta.com. It was my second order and they were as fast as ever (just a couple of days).

Retro bold: besame Enchanting lipstick Carmine 204

Sometimes  makeup is not meant for the sake of prettiness!

Did I write that? (blasphemy!!!)

Well yes. After a time that my aim of wearing makeup was to look like a better and prettier version like me, I have been experimenting days that I absolutely do not want to go for girly prettiness anymore. Those days, pretty does not suit me.

I want some warpaint...something not pretty, but bold and fierce. Something that says...'don't mess with me', or 'here I am', or perhaps...'if you want to peck me on the cheeks, I will put a big mark on you that marks you with my present'.

So a retro coloured lipstick is the thing to go for:

Bésame, by Gabriela Hernandes...

Retro it is...from the box to the bullet-shaped lipstick...

If I semi-complained in my last post about persons who cannot see that you are wearing lipsticks, well, this is a lipstick for the unsubtile watcher. They will absolutely know you are wearing lipstick.

Unfortunately, this lippy contains parabens.

On the good side, it contains Ethyl Vanillin, which is the synthetic form of vanilla. This is plain vanilla to most of us, as the real mcCoy is hardly being used in cosmetic and foods anymore (the true madagascar kind). Often people shy away when they hear the word 'synthetic' combined with perfume or scent, but most synthetic forms are absolutely brilliant in duplicating the real thing. And more, they have the ability to last longer as well.

On a side note, one of Hermes latest perfumes, Hermes Vanilla Galante is one of the few perfumes that actually uses real vanilla (read more over here on a blog that actually specialises on perfume). On an extra side note...I think I want to have a sample of Hermes Vanilla Galante...

It is probably the closest thing of ever owning something Hermes. You see, I have this lovely user name birkinbagbeauty, however, I do not own a Hermes Birkin, and I am absolutely no beauty...Thus, the name has nothing to do with reality...(still, nice to dream about)

Lipstick! Back to the subject! Ok, the vanilla is something I am happy about, as it lingers in the scent of the lipstick...a soft, delicate vanilla...

Carmine 204 is the colour I chose. As I said, I was not going for the pretty...It might be an elegant kind of beauty but not a girly pretty. Thus, the colour is a orangy red reminicent of the 50s (or the Mad Men type of women who wear lipsticks with preciseness).

This is a contrasting pictures on many levels:

Ofcourse, the obvious thing is that I am showing the size again. Ugh, I do not like sizing up products and comparing them. But it is a kind of review, thus have to show you how dainty the lipstick is.

Back to the topic of pretty versus elegant...I placed a Mac Hello Kitty next to it! Yep, it is the ultimate form of girliness and kawaii ...How different the golden and boldly pigmented bullet is of Bésame. Innocence and maturity...it sounds like a William Blake poem, ;p

Swatch! Swatch! Swatch!

The pigment is heavy but it is not a matte and flat lipstick. I like this about the Enchanting lipstick. The soft shine or glow you can see in the swatch is present on the lips as well. It optically makes the lips a bit softer, even though I still wear a full-on orangy red lipstick.

It is also possible to remove that shine from your lips, if you like, after blotting several times with a tissue. That makes it more matte and more pressed on.

Although the lipstick fades reasonably after a couple of hours, I would still suggest checking up on the fading process, as I personally find that a lipstick with this character has to be freshly lustrous. I believe that those perfect model-y types can wear their smudgy lipstick and still looks insanely sexy with it, but I am a real woman and faded or smudgy looks more sloppy than sexy...

Thus, it is more high maintainance than the average my lips-but-better type of my collection, but that is precisely what the type of woman who wears this lipstick would not care about.

Chanel Allure lipstick in 74: Comedia

This has been a busy week at the office. I have been typing so many documents that I would almost neglect the blog. My boss had a lot of orders that had to be dealt with this week, so I helped her with the extra work. I cannot bear to see the copymachine or the printer for the weekend right now...LOL

Working overtime can be helpful because you will earn a bit more. So I have been purchasing a lipstick this week. The glamourous Chanel Allure lipstick in Comedia.

Comedia is a more natural colour of the Allure line. Chanel Allure has some stronger colours that look absolutely stunning. I chose the Comedia colour for its pink colour with a cool tone in it.

Chanel absolutely knows how to make the lipstick look luxurious...the Chanel logo in the lipstick itself just wispers elegance.

The colour is a beautiful pink with a rose, cool undertone. It looks bright on my pale complexion, but it merges into a delicate and subtle hint of pink on the mouth.

My Chanel Comedia...such a beautiful new acquisition in my arsenal of lipsticks!

Less succesful products: Bison Finland Spa Relax bath & ELF daily brush cleanser

The title is a bit of a euphonism, but I want to keep it a bit more positive than to say that these products were utterly useless, because they might work for some people.

My first 'meh'-moment was a powdered bath product from Bison. This product has been based on the powdered Japanese bath products that are sold from various Japanese brands. Lotuspalace has been raving about Kracie Tabinoyado bath powders, and honestly, I have tried one sachet of those (thanks to a freebie from Lotuspalace) and those were excellent!

I am a bit of a cheapskate every now and then, so I wanted to purchase the budget version before splurging on Kracie Tabinoyado. Or, it is not really budget but it was available by one package.

The Bison Finland spa relax Lemon Grass & Herb was not really my thing. It smelled like Lysol (or any other superartificial lemon scent that you can get from old-school household cleansing products) for 30 seconds, and then it dissolved into a superlight scent.

The sauna effect was not present. As you can see on the package, the person is surrounded by steam. Ofcourse, it is mentioned to create a similar experience as a Finnish sauna.

Ingredients in Japanese for Japanese readers

Well, I have never been into a Finnish sauna so I have absolutely no personal experience. However, I am quite sure that the effect of the bath powder was nothing like a Finnish sauna (use of steam, heat, cleansing herbs, etc).

A yellowish powder for the bath

I did see a colour change in the water, as it turned into a yellowish colour. However, I did not experience anything like the Kracie Tabinoyado sachet, which made the water really coloured and fun with a strong but pleasant scent.

Ofcourse, my opinion is only personal, as Lotuspalace has been enthousiastic about Bison Finland Relax Spa's. The rates on sasa.com are really positive as well, so I might be a bit spoiled ;p

I bought the sachet on sasa.com.

From a Japanese bathing product back to the American cosmetics...more specifically E.L.F studio range.

It would not be a surprise to know that I wear makeup every now and then (why would I blog about it so fanatically, right?). And if you wear makeup, you will use brushes too. Although a large amount of makeup products are really easy to apply by hands as well, I still like to use my brushes for precision and for hygienic reasons.

And if I like the brushes because they are hygienic, then they should stay hygienic as well. I wash my brushes often because why would I contaminate my own skin with old, accumulated bacteria (eww). My cosmetic tools should be as clean as possible.

So when I saw the E.L.F. Daily Brush Cleanser on the E.L.F. site (uk), I thought I would hit the jackpot. Fantastic, a product that cleanses and has anti-bacterial effects!!!

Althought the product is quite effective in cleansing brushes, it was actually more time-consuming to clean with the spray than with the normal shampoo-and-rinse-method.

So the method of cleansing with this spray is too labourous:

• You first have to spray it on and distribute it over the entire brush, reaching all the hairs.


• You have to get a paper or normal towel to remove the spray and the remains of the makeup


• Not all makeup is removed after this process


• The brush is still quite moist and wet after this process!!! Actually, the brush has to dry for at least a day to get dry!!!


• which is just as much time as drying my brushes when washing them the standard way


• The scent is absolutely too poignant...it lingers for a couple of hours in the room when using it.


• The same scent will be there when you will use the brush (when finally dry)...

Conclusion: if it would had an instant-dry effect, I would find it to be very useful. However, when I have to wait as long for it compared to the ordinary method, I would certainly prefer the normal method, which is better on hygienic fronts as well

So it is not really an alternative to the normal cleansing method.

I am not the only one who is 'meh' about it. The reviews on makeupalley are not really raving as well.

Remember, these are just opinions. I try to be as honest as possible on my blog, so when I am positive about something, I actually like it and it works for me (at that moment).

lipgloss on the beach...

Hey my dears....

The soft, salty breeze of the sea is still lingering in my hear....yes, I have been on a small but uberfantastic break for a couple of days.

I was somewhere were temperatures do not go lower than 23 degrees celcius, which meant that I was able to wear my summer-clothes again, the poor fellows did not see much day of light during the Northen European summer...They needed a break as well!

I wore ridiculously little makeup, which is often the whole thing about a vacation, a total break from everything. Actually, it did not scare the men, women or children that much either (I must not be a total hag, alright, LOL).

One thing that was a loyal partner in beach-crime was my Sephora lipgloss in 16.

Here she is lying on the beach...not for too long, otherwise the lovely sparkles will turn...

My regular readers know that I love everything lippy with a natural look...so why was this babe so precious to me? Well, it moisturized the mouth after a dive in the sea. It has such a wonderful, non-sticky texture. It reminds me sooo much of the Chanel Aqualumiere High shine sheer concentrated lipgloss---->and it stays on longer as well!!!

I am still too much chilled to give you guys a whole review. Anyway, I adore the colour, that looks good when really pale or with a slight tan. The green microshimmer is intensely flattering for my mouth and the sheer coral glow is just right.

Love it, period!

Ohhh, and I missed out on something as well for such a long time. I have been reading a lot about Bubble tea lately (on the blogs of my fellow beauty mavens) and I was finally able to buy some!

Gosh, that stuff is intensely good. Why can't I find something like that in Holland?

my chilled bubble tea in Passionfruit green tea.

Ha ha, delicious and new food is always one of the better things of exploring a new area...(also beauty thingies, and I bought some as well).

Aww, the weather is so poopy at home, I seriously need to plan the next vacation...he he.

Also, I feel like starting up a bubble tea company as well...I will probably be consuming most of it myself, but who cares?

another week in hauls

Hello again, another week has gone by. How has your week been? I had a fabulous start! My last grade of a course I took in the last term came back, and I was really delighted with the outcome. I considered my essay to be moderately good, and my dear teach ever gave me a more positive grade than I expected...WOOT!


My weekly mail-hauls were pretty good as well. I already posted about most of them, and I want to show you the rest.


A couple of weeks ago I had ordered some tea from a British teashop that was raved on one of the local forums. They can be great enablers as well. Teapigs.co.uk (what's in a name? glowchaser changed her name in Old cow; I have Moo cards and I drink from teapigs: I think I will name myself happyHorseHickups?) sell they tea in sample sets as well, which come in a tin that contains 3 teabags. It was a wonderful opportunity to try six of their flavours.



My picks were based on my lack of energy and the need for indulgence. The teapigs site has a small 'mood-o-matic teafinder' on the bottom left of the homepage, which makes choosing easy (and with a good dose of British humor). I kind of was tempted to click on all moods, especially 'old and wrinkly' or 'generally rubbish' (which was my mood a couple of weeks ago).







I ended up with:

Chocolate Flake tea;

Super Fruit;

Yerba Mate;

Tung Ting Oolong Tea;

Mao Feng Green Tea;

Lemongrass Tea

My absolute fave is the Lemongrass tea: it is extremely refreshing and taste like real lemongrass...yummmm


The tins are stackable. The labels are too cute: I love the tuk tuk on the Lemongrass, and the surfer on the Tung Ting tea

Non mail-retail therapy:

I had to go to the capital this week for a important lecture of a writer I really admire. Before that, I visited the Mac counter and picked up the Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15 in Gentle Coral.

As if I do not have enough lipbalms, -glosses, and sticks....



I love the corally orange colour, and the typical vanilla scent from Mac is always a favourite of mine. (picture is made in shadow, so the colour is probably not really representative)



I went to the poshest shopping street, and only bought a Chanel lipstick.


But it is from their summer 2009 collection! I loved a variety of their latest Aqualumiere colours, and ended up with the flattering Ishia. I love their Sun Protection, which was another motive for picking it up ;D

Chanel should update the Aqualumiere lipstick in the same form as the gorgeous Rouge Allure form. That is the one with the Click tube...I still like this design, but it is a bit Blah... (it is still Chanellll, dahling)

This picture came out darker again. The colour looks like a MLBB (my lips but better) colour, or the colour after I have been drinking wonderful Cava in Barcelona (ahhh, can I dream?)

I adore the multiglitter in the lipstick, which came out all right in this close up: I see blue, copper, gold...

I have already blogged about my Paul & Joe haul. (ici et ici)


The Kawaii-ness of the Yumeko/Bittenbefore brushroll!!! (here)

And the wonders of the Japanese Magazine world (here)

tadaaah....Those were my hauls....

I'm so random...

KAPWOOWW....I need a new starting line for my blog...so I picked KAPWOOWW!

Thursday again! and a lovely thursday it is: I received my Topshop order today, which I will not show in this post yet.

What I can show you is my bead-box! he he! I haven't been crafting and beading for five years now, so the beads are quite old (are they antique yet?). I picked up a bit of beading on the day after Eastern, which was a free holiday in mi leeetle country...I did not want to venture outside as everybody and their pets venture outside, so I went for an attempt of creativity...

Hey, once upon a time I organised my beads into different colour sections...what has happened to my orderness?

More beads: I kind of have to laugh about the neon-yellow cord, as 5 years ago neon was returning into the scene, and I was still hip enough to wear neon (ha ha, so I thought I was).

A cosmetic shop had 20% on their cosmetics...tahaa! Dior was calling me: I picked a colour I have been lusting over since 1998: Dior Ultra Gloss addict in 157. It is a gorgeous corally nude with green microshimmer. I love green microshimmer in lipsticks: somehow they plum up my skinny lips...

In natural daylight: It looks like a completely different gloss, but you can see some of the microshimmers...

I finally dared to swatched my precious Shiseido Integrate palette I received a while ago. Although the colours are so lovely and earthy, I espected them to be a bit more green instead of brownish.

The only colour that is a bit greenish is the darkest one on the right, oh, and the second one in the middle, but that one is too glittery. If you prefer a greener palette I would suggest looking at the Kanebo Kate Deep Trap eyes in GN 1 (here)

They are still lovely: the bronzy brown is luscious, and the darkish green is very useful for a alternative smoky eye.

Oh, and I am lusting over this product:

The bronzer on the left is the object of my affection (Goddess 001)! It is from Paul & Joe's Summer collection Gold. Beauty Anonymous has spotted it already on Beautyhabit, but I once mailed to beautyhabit for international shipping, and they were only able to ship by DHL, which would have costed me $54 for shipping alone...

So I have to wait patiently for gooddealer or ichibankao to release them....