Using, Used, Gonna Use...

Happy Friday!

 

About a year ago I had a regular column for each wednesday called 'Midweek Quirkologies': it was a way to counteract the midweek blah's, and I hope nobody had them this week. If you did, this friday will probably feel more anticipated which is a good thing. So I hope you will have the Friday Jitters and the anticipation of a good weekend, which might be rewarded with a good weekend in reality.

Using:

Easy one: NARS Riding up the Moon has been my favourite for eyes this week! I love Argentina for highlighting and Isolde for the peachy lid colour. I shade my crease with Fez but I use some of the bottle-green Night Porter for the edges of my eyecrease too. 

Used:

I finished my Personalised MyCodage serum  some weeks ago but I forgot to mention it until now. I think it has been wonderful in targeting some priorities I have listed: * Improving skin comfort and * combatting signs of ageing. One sidenote is that it is quite fraganced. I have switched to another serum again: I prefer to alternate my serums so my skin doesn't get too used and lazy to its ingredients.

Another staple during summer is my Jurlique Purely Bright Night cream. My 1st time using it was in 2011 during holidays and I noticed that it did a good job at brightening the odd pigment spot at my right temple. I try to avoid new pigment spots, but summer & high sunscreens does not always guarantee a no-sun exposion. Hence, a good brightener can step in to avoid new pigment spots to reappear.

Gonna Use:

I haven't gone for Asian BB creams for a while and the few Western BB's I tried were either organic (see here) or samples that I didn't like that much. Sharlynn from BlackMentosBeauty recommended her readers the The Face Shop Power Perfection BB Cream. I think she has one of the glowiest complexions out there, even without makeup, so I gladly took this recommendation.
(ps: I 'm trying it today and *gosh*...it has high coverage! As I said: I haven't used Asian bb's for a while so this one even covers more than my Armani foundations/etc)

Ok, again a happy weekend!

The Quite original BB:

I FINALLY GOT THE ORIGINAL 

Ok, I'll stop the capital textual yelling but I finally had the opportunity to use one of the original BB creams: the German Blemish Balm from Dr. med. Christine Schrammek: that is quite something now these days the original has been broken down to a zillion of versions that all claim to be BB...

I was introduced to this BB as the follow-up treatment to the same peel under Dr. Schrammek's name: the Green Peel (more info here)

I would like to elaborate of my experience of  this peel, but that would make the post too long. It made my skin a lot smoother in the end. However, the process wasn't easy. Basically, I started their lightest version and it felt like a total blast on my face. Nothing harmful, but my face was rather unrepresentative for a couple of days. That resulted in me going to the Ikea to get drawers and go for DIY activities instead of doing stuff in the open at the weekend.

I still wasn't that ashamed that I skipped the Ikea. People might have thought I had dramatic cosmetic surgery instead of a rather normal peel, but there are mostly housewives in my local Ikea that are looking for inspiration. The weekend have the more trendy and studenty people. Mornings have the old people going for the 1 euro breakfast.

But normally there wouldn't be really eligible bachelors walking in the Ikea that I have to have my face representative (aka on the pretty spectrum) for.

(sorry, still a long story about things beautybloggers couldn't care less about, but we need organising our dramatic bulk of pretty makeup, right?) 

That meant any cover up would come in handy: [Original] BB cream?

The Blemish Balm was almost like the 1st Korean versions (can you remember?). Herbally, greyish and a thick paste:

  

That makes sense that it would be similar to the 1st Korean types: the Korean BB's were inspired by  the German versions. 

When you spread it out, it is still a thick, greyish paste: nothing similar that the L'oreal-esque versions on the market these days:

So this one really needs blend blend blending, blend blend blend blending...check mirror, ok going to blend some more.

Result distance:

A calm and equal surface with a hint of grey (to tone down the after-peel redness).

Closer up:

Smooth, tones the redness of my arm, and smoothes down larger pores.

Ingredients:

it gets some yellow lights on cosdna.com

Verdict:

• needs expertise blending
• finish: takes redness out and smoothes pores
• really strong herbal scent
• I was really glad I could stop using it after the mandatory after-peel days: itchiness!
• the amount of shaders/bronzer/blush that I had to use to look like a human instead of a corpse was tremendous 
• totally happy when was finally allowed to be using my own arsenal of soothers [here] and [here]

Conclusion:
Ugh, doing a peel is one thing but the must-use follow-up regimes are another thing. I have to give it credits for its smoothing, pore-refining and mattifying qualities but it's not for the sensitive [skin]types.

Irosie BB cream, or the French (Eco brand) going BB

BB creams of Blemish Balms have a rather long history: BBs went from a healing and covering cream after skin-related surgeries and were developed in Germany. Korean cosmetic brands took notice of this and it became Koreans best Cosmetic export product, which Japanese and other countries took notice of and made their variety. Recently it has been discovered  by the Western big cosmetic firms, and now it has gone to Ecologically certified too:

Like some of my Asian or Asian-heritage readers who were in the forefront of trying and liking BB creams, I know them for about 5 years now. I often compare of what I tried in the beginning and what has been dilluted into the more Western versions (eg Christian Dior).

I really like some improvements of the newer generations of BBs, example the greyish casts of the original versions have been tweaked in a more suitable skintone version for the Western (Caucasian) public. And some heavy balmed textures have been thinned down.

However, perhaps these were the things that made a BB cream different from an ordinary tinted moisturizer.

So, when I saw ecologically goodie brand Irosie launching their BB cream, I was happy to snag up a free sample to try out.

So 3 new things standing out:

• 98,98% of natural ingredients
• French Brand (Erborian has some French roots too, but still partly Korian too)
• ohh, a factory on Rue saint Honoré (sorry, reading the tiny letters on the package)
• Some goodie natural ingredients. like Aloe vera, Tomato seed oil, Lavendel, etc.

(ok so more than 3 things stand out)
Hence, BB cream is going mainstream in France, and after that going slightly alternative by being taken up by Organic or Ecologically certified brands such as Irosie.

Irosie, bottem shelf, 3rd from the left & does that model really need BB?

Irosie is featured in the French Elle. I also found some information from the site I got the sample from, Naturisimo.com (UK based):
The anti-inflammatory properties sounds really familiar to what the original BB creams were supposed to do: heal post-operation skin!

1st, the colour and swatches:

Applied & unblended

It is quite a heavier texture than the latest releases of (Western) BB creams, and it really reminds me of the earlier Korean versions.

Blended: 

Most of us (and the afficionadas who have been familiar with BB cream longer) like BB cream for that particular glow it gives. This one has the similar capacity to show it's glow, only it's more visible under stronger light.

I really like this glow for perking up my skin: it gives that MFBB  (My Face but Better) crediblity  that sometimes is lacking from a normal tinted moisturizer.

I estimate this BB cream to be a match for NW 20 skin (MAC conversions). 

Although the BB looks like a good match for my skintone on my arm, sometimes my face likes to fake a bit of a tan. I have found my own trick to mixing any shade of foundation of BB into something darker, and adding some bonus protection too:

* Hissyfit Saving Face SPF 50+ in Mocha

I think similar techniques of mixing foundations are being used by other beautybloggers & makeupwearers in general, although I do not read that much about it.

With an obviously darker colour such as mocha (see above) I really have to blend the mixture to have an equal colour. Also, a tiny dot will be enough for a larger mixture: Often I use a 8 to 1 ratio to go a tint darker.

How does it compare to the 1st generations of BB creams:

• Colour: it reminds me of the older (Korean) types  It gives out a cool cast on my neutral to cool skin, making it a pink-toned BB cream. It's also on the light side, perhaps best matched to a NW 20 or even a NW15.
• Scent:  Yes, this one really brings be back to the 1st Korean BB creams: it really has this medical scent, or the lavendel, that quite some Korean brands have too.
• Texture:  as mentioned earlier, a heavier type than the latest (Western/General Department store brand) releases that remind me of the earlier Korean BB types. It does blend into something thinner. I really like this for my dryer skintype, but recon it would also be good for oilier types because the antiseptic and healing lavendel is included.
• Long term effect: I have only tried this sample for 2 times, but I like the fact when I remove the makeup/BB that my skin looks healthy and radiant and almost healthier than in the morning. Not every type of foundation has this effect, often the opposite.

Conclusion:
 I really like this BB cream for its cover and glow, especially knowing I put on mostly organic and healthy ingredients on my face. It goes back to the original idea of a BB being healing and beautifying, without compromising on cover. My only problem is that the colour is not complety matched. However, I found something for this.

Availablity:
You can get a free sample with any purchase at naturisimo.com (here) or buy a full size (here). When you order anything from them before 10 February you can get 10% off with valentine's code KISSME, and on this page are some good GWP deals as well. (not affiliated, just cosmetically addicted enthousiastic)

Kanebo Freshel MoistLift BB cream Medium Beige vs Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB in Light

Today I will do a 'battle of the BB creams' in a kind of West-or-East idea.

Or, not really like that ;),

I only like to compare my personal prefered Asian BB cream against the 1st BB cream I have seen in Holland for a Caucasian market.

 Knowing BB-creams for a couple of years I have been delighted to see it launching for a Western public as well.

But I have been reading some information about the newer generation of BB creams formulated for a non-Asian public (or the Caucasians among us, I haven't seen that much BB creams for Afro-heritage people yet). Most of them claim that the lack of grey colour (often seen in the Asian varieties) work better for the Caucasians among us. That might be true, but I would like to see the Garnier BB in light will be a better match for me than my latest favourite: the Kanebo Freshel MoistLift BB in Medium Beige.

The packaging:

The first verdict: Kanebo Freshel wins on style points: I really like their bronze brown, graduated packaging with golden letters. It looks more expensive than it actually is.

Garnier has to stick to their recognizable formula, the oatmeal colour with thier silvery letters. Still, for a cheaper cosmetic brand I find their packaging quite lovely.

Kanebo Freshel has a twist-off tube. Garnier has a click-open bottle. You have to decide which one you prefer, but as messy as I am I would prefer a twist-open tube, because Garnier click-open could spill in your bag when travelling.

To the colours:

Kanebo Freshel Moistlift BB is my favourite Asian BB cream for a while, after trying a whole lot of Korean ones, and later some Japanese ones (Kanebo is Japanese as well). What works for me is their colour: it is not too light and does NOT have that grey tone I hear some people complain about (to cancel out redness and yellowness?).

You have to consider why they made BB creams in the first place: to cover up those post-(plastic)surgery or laser-people with red or peeling skin that both covered and healed their fragile skin. So that bit of grey was a good thing for the aim it was made.

Back to the swatches:

Kanebo Freshel Moistlift looks like a light neutral colour (NW 20/25) whereas Garnier Miracle lift has some pink tones in it (NC 20/25). They look similar in colour dept, only:

Verdict: Kanebo Freshel is more yellow toned and Garnier Miracle is more pink toned.

On the skin:

Texture:
They both spread out in a similar matter: they start out in a creamy way which makes them suitable for normal to dryer/dehydrated skins.
Scent:
Kanebo Freshel is as good as without scent. That is a positive for me. Garnier Miracle BB has that typical (over)scented trademark scent that will dissapear after a while (or after spraying some moisture spray on top of it).
Skinmatch:
Actually, the Garnier matches my skin a bit better. However, because of some redness (also visible on the arm) I prefer the Kanebo Freshel for toning down a bit of redness, especially in the winter times.

Better picture of the difference in yellowness/pinkness

Almost blended (click on the picture for a bigger view):

When blended, the yellowness of Kanebo Freshel is not too obvious and it becomes a good match. Similar to Garnier Miracle BB.

Texture on skin:
I think that Kanebo Freshel makes my skin look more airbrushed and diffused. So it looks a bit better.

 Cover:
Both are BB creams which have a similar degree of cover to tinted moisturizer. Actually, that phrase and conclusion is a bit of a dud as well, because every brand has a different level of coverage when releasing their tinted-moisturizer, similar as the BB's.

They have similar coverage, quite light. Only the Kanebo Freshel looks more polished on the skin. They both feel really light and almost weightless on the skin. Something not every BB cream in the past has felt like (some felt like a suffocating blanket).

Price:
The Garnier is approximately 16 euro, but I bought it with a discount for 11 euro. I bought Kanebo Freshel on adambeauty for $15 (add $2 for shipping). Concluding that the Kanebo Freshel would be the cheaper version if I didn't have the Garnier discount.

Availablity:
Garnier wins this one. Easy to get in lots of drugstores these days. Although Adambeauty often delivers within two weeks.

Long term effect:
I cannot say anything about the long term effect, especially when comparing the two. I could do that wearing both for at least 3 months on each side of the face, but I wouldn't have the patience to do that.

Final Verdict:

Kanebo Freshel Moistlift wins! But I still find the Garnier version to be quite good for one of their first versions. I mean, before finding my close to HG Kanebo Freshel I have gone through at least 20 brands from 20 different companies (more or less). In that field I believe that Garnier is still quite do-able and I would reach for that one if I were on holiday and wanted a BB cream for temporary and light cover.

Etude House Rice BB cream

 One of the few things I have not blogged oftenly about, and is still really popular in Asian cosmetics and the beauty blogs, is that infamous product called BB cream. Probably everyone reading this blog will know that BB cream is a combination product of skincare and makeup-coverage in one.  The first thing popping to an newbie to BB cream comes to mind that it is a tinted foundation, it actually differs from a tinted foundation that it is often thicker and infused with ingredients that benefit the skin (whitening, anti-aging, pore-reducing, etc), something that depends on the BB cream itself.

BB creams have been highly popular for a while and a bit overhyped, in my opinion. They claimed to be the best thing since sliced bread and BB creams can have really good benefits among a large group of fans. I will be clear about the fact that I dislike most BB creams. I find them too heavy on my skin, like a sort of mask. My skin simply does not respond good on wearing most BB creams.

Another rant I have is that the colour selection is extremely limited. Even though I am lucky to be in the undertone BB creams often come in (and often in the darker variety, no 23), I cannot get over the grey undertone. I am aware that BB creams function more as a primer and not as a foundation, which makes it even worse --->over that first suffocating layer of BB cream comes a layer of foundation too? Oh noo.

Shortly, this review comes from a person who dislikes the bulk of BB creams on the market. Ha? you must say, why did you buy another BB cream? Ehm, because it came as a set, with a promising compact powder.

More promising...etudehouse (etudegmark) on gmarket promised its buyers lots and lots of extra goodies for the complete price of W 18.000 or $ 16.25 at the current rate. That would be a compact powder in colour 21 or 23 ( I will do a review on it soon, as it is already quite good!), a cream cheek colour in a dewy pink colour, a liptint/gloss combination product in one of the four colours they offered I saw on the promo picture (set 3, see below) and a box of brown stuff (that is instant coffee, I found out).

I would say that there would be no harm to buying this BB cream...it is just cheapskate and freebie heaven!

Surprisingly, the BB cream was better than I expected!

Which makes me disclaimer again that this opinion is completely personal, and comes from a very picky nicky person with a skin that would be a dermatologist nightmare.

I seem to tolerate the feeling of the Rice BB cream, as it is a lighter BB cream. This lightness, however, will result in a thinner coverage, thus more natural and less made-up... (check the swatches below)

The colour match is quite good, I believe (I have approximately MAC NW20 skin). The grey colour often present in BB creams is not present in this one:

When blending out, you can still see that the BB cream becomes slightly lighter. This reminds me of infamous L'Egere White BB cream, which starts even darker than this one. The left side of the next picture is the unbleded side which transgresses into a more blended version to the right.

However, it does not become too white that is is far away from my natural skintone. You can see that on the last picture below, when I completely blended it into the skin.

The fact that the colour is not too light might be a positive thing or a negative thing, which depends on the effect you are after.

Optically, it diminishes the size of my pores (and that is necessary!) on the one hand, and slightly blurs away the 'wonderful' sides of getting older, aka wrinkles.

So, the colour is quite matchy and the BB cream does not give me a suffocating, mask-like effect.

Which brings me to the scent....Some BB scents have these herbal-like mixes that linger the whole day. Something I am not too fond about. Etude House Rice BB cream is scented with a medical-like scent. It is hard to put my finger on it, but it has a slight medical-type scent that dissapears after a couple of minutes.

Which brings me to my dislike for BB creams. Have I become a BB-cream believer after this specific BB cream? Not entirely. Even though I tolerate this BB cream and it feels confortable on my skin every now and then, it has not reached everyday HG status. I am still convinced that standard foundations are better suited for the effect that I am after. Nevertheless, I absolutely am quite content about this BB cream: it feels light, has a believable colour, and is quite cheap.

I bought this one Gmarket from seller etudegmark  under itemcode 179033066 (click). And yes, I received all of the goodies promised in the listing, including a cute post-it set! Yey!

Pink Giveaway!

Happy 2010!!!

To start the year of bright and cheerful, I will give a 2010's starters Pink Giveaway!

Pink is both a soft and energetic colour...it is red's baby sister, and you cannot get more girly with pink.

Moreover, even though I say it myself...I have some fabulous products to give away. Lioelle, DHC, Themefragance and a vividly pink colour by Orly.

Let's take a glance at the pink prices:

1. Lioelle Beyond the Solution BB cream. Totally unopened and brand new. (I have a zillion of travel sized Lioelle BB's, so the big one is for the winner to have).
   
2. Lioelle Blooming Shimmer Pearl Base. (used once, however, it is in a hygienic pump). A gorgeous highlighter base with delicate pearly pink shimmer.
3. DHC Q10 Base Makeup Moisture Care Liquid Foundation SPF 25 PA++ in colour beige ochre 02. (used once, also in a hygienic pump). This foundation has been reviewed by Eki, Beauty Snap, Lotuspalace and Makeupalley.
4. Orly nailpolish in Sea the Change. Brand new and unopened, with a lovely pink ring.
5. Themefragances perfume in Bikini. A fresh, fruity floral that will mentally prepare you for sunnier days.
   

The guidelines are simple as ever:

1. Make a comment or say something small. I should be able to contact you, or you should read closely to see if you are the winner after the drawing, so you can contact me. I do not want followers just for the giveaway, so you can join even if you do not follow my blog. I just want to contact the right winner when the winner has been drawn.

2. Contest ends on Tuesday, 5 January 2010, 1 PM European standard time, GMT +1)

3. You are only able to make one comment, so no cheaters who would like to double (or triple) their chances.

4. Winner will be announced in a new post after random selection by random.org

5. Please contact me with 2 days to claim your prize or another winner will be selected! Prizes will be shipped by airmail WORLDWIDE within 3 business days after winner contacts me!

Do join the giveaway because 2010 might start off with wonderful pink prices for you!

some sasa stuff...

Last week I received my sasa haul. I loved their introduction of the Kevin Beautymaker brand, and I am always needy (;p) for Japanese hair conditioners...I will show you some of my new items, and give some mini-reviews of the things I tried...

My first interest was towards more of Kevin Beautymaker's things. Sasa already seem to have sold out on a large heap of the Beautymaker items. I regretted not being able to buy the Lip concealer.

I really wanted to try the Trans Pore Smoother after reading reviews and seeing results on Jamilla Camel's beautysite (here). I have pores on my nose that are in dire need for 'blurrification'. I picked up the Trans Pore Smoother in light.

I have tried this lovely product on several occasions, and I really like it so far. It does feel a bit silicony when applying, but it transfers in a light and lovely veil that magically dilutes my pores. It is a small jar, though. What it lacks is the power to keep my nose oil free during the day, however, that is not its primary task.

For oil-mopping I purchased some Palangton theatrical powder. Actually, I picked up a Palangton Gift set for curiosity reasons...

The set contains a small jar of Palangton powder, a concealer, and BB cream. I am not a fan of any BB cream I have tried so far, but this one is really light and does not sufficate my skin. I need to use it some more to see if my skin really tolerates or likes it.

The powder is really nice: it has a peachy beige colour and is so incredibly fine-milled. As for oil-reducing qualities...It is no magic tool for my stubborn oily nose, but it keeps my nose shine free for a couple of hours.

The next cleansing cloths were a big dissapointment. I have and love a couple of Kose Softymo cleansing products, but this was absolutely craptastic. First of all: the name. If you mention 'Oil Cleansing' on the box, I expect some kind of oil-dressed cloths. No, nada, the cloths were drizzled in a very alcohol-like lotion that stung my skin like mad...

Ascience had a Five star rating on Sasa.com. It is a hairmask/conditioner especially for....

All progressive Asian beauties...buy the conditioner ;P

But seriously, it is quite good. I have to use it a bit more to see how my hair reacts upon it with more usage, as some conditioners can become absolutely craptastic after a couple of uses, even though it seemed like THE HG in the beginning.




I also bought some Innisfree Trouble Care BB cream. I disliked it. It felt heavily, suffocating and the scent was somewere between a piece of old-fashioned soap and cat-litter...

That leaves me to the stuff I haven't tested yet:

Kanebo C-white tonic in M:

I am always on the lookout for a refreshing tonic that is gentle enough. The whitening and brightening proprieties would be quite helpful for my pigment spots as well.

Shiseido Ma Cherie End Cure Lotion:

Ofcourse, I was enabled by Lotuspalace review (here).

Alice in Wonderland, and other Gmarket items...

In my last post I showed the MYSTERY gift I received from gmarket, but I have been receiving some intentional items as well.

For the new semester I wanted to have some cute agendas. I remembered Kathi's post about Korean Stationary some time ago, so I tried to search for stationary on gmarket. There is an English category named stationary and also a diary/planner category, which makes searching quite easy ;D

I purchased a Alice Adventures in Wonderland planner and a miscellanous planner with a sketched street view on it, very nostalgic-looking.

Both planners have a linen cover, which is sturdy and protects the planner. Alice has lots of nostalgic pictures inside that are based on Lewis Caroll's novel. Alice in Wonderland was first published in 1865, so the drawings have a antique feel to it.

The complete diary package included: the diary itself, an Alice Ballpen and several cute stickers.

The other diary is also very cute indeed. I received a free Housekeeping book with that planner. Those little kittens are so sweet!

LOL, look what the kittens are saying:

Ofcourse I would love to get rich...but with my amount of shopping...mmm. I really need to keep a spending book. But actually, it is mostly written in Korean...

I also bought a sample size of the Hanskin Caviar Gold BB balm. I haven't had much luck with the larger sized BB balms, so I wanted to buy a small size. I received the Ginkgo Pure and Glossy Magic BB as freebies.

From Etude House I bought the Black X Black Mascara (the Moistful mask is a freebie) and the 'I can't stop smiling' trio of lipglosses!

I will try to post swatches when the weather is allowing me to make good pictures, and when I have some time off. My schedule is quite busy right now, so I cannot blog that intensely as I did before. Anyhow, I need my planners right now to keep me on track and organising myself :P.