Foundation Swatches

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be showing you some swatches of my foundation collection! My collection has downsized significantly and I only really have foundations that I can wear and that don't make me look like I have an entirely different coloured face.
For reference, I have quite pale, warm toned skin. I suit quite yellow looking foundations and a lot of foundations can make me appear too pink or flushed if they're the wrong shade. I also did some swatches of my BB Cream Collection back in February!

BB Cream Swatches

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about my collection of BB and CC Creams! I didn't include my foundations in this comparison because I don't actually have any new foundations, but I can always re photograph and swatch them if you Princesses would like! Each photo set is set up the same way, the first two photos are the freshly applied and the shades are numbered, and the bottom two photos are what they look like after being blended into the skin and oxidised. This is going to be super long, I suggest CTR+F and searching for the brand name to find specific swatches. Enjoy! ^ ^

1: Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in No.13

2: Missha Signature Complete BB Cream in No.13

3: Missha Signature Complete BB Cream in No.21

4: Skin79 Green BB Cream

5: Skin79 Orange BB Cream

6: It's Skin Babyface BB Cream in Silky

7: It's Skin Babyface BB Cream in Moisture

8: Etude House Dear Girls Be Clear BB Cream

These BB Creams don't oxidise that bad, though #8 Etude House Dear Girls Be Clear BB Cream does get a couple of shades darker.

Review: Beyond; Save Us! Lipstick

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be reviewing the ultra-cute Beyond, Save Us! Lipstick. I bought these from Sasa a little while ago, although they are no longer available to purchase from there. I paid $13.90(USD) for each lipstick, making them one of the most expensive Korean lipsticks I've ever purchased (which is nothing compared to the $40 MAC lipstick in reality!)

I was obviously really drawn to the lipstick bullets themselves, which are shaped like little animals! The bullets aren't evenly seated inside the lipstick tube, which makes my photos look lopsided, and resulted in the Beige Otter having his face shaved off every time I wind the lipstick up and down -.- I'm sorry little otter!!

"Beyond SPF8 Save Us! Lipstick with vivid color, refreshing scent and cute little seal design. Solid type of moisturizing ingredients melt as soon as touching the lips, creating vivid and smooth color. Enriched vitamin C creates vivid and smooth lips. Long lasting color and moisturizing.(1)

I was initially very surprised about the opacity of the swatched lipstick, with the exception of the pale pink which I didn't expect to be pigmented anyway. They aren't particularly matte, but also not overly glossy.

I've done a few lip swatches for you Princesses! Please remember that I have naturally very dry lips, therefore, if you have beautiful plump lips these lipsticks might look a lot nicer on you!

No.01 - Pale Pink

I was initially very frightened of this lipstick since pale pink shades tend to make me look like a clown/Nikki Minaj, but this sheer pink actually looked quite beautiful! It has the most glossy finish of the lipsticks I purchased, and doesn't make my lips look disgustingly dry when I apply it fully. It looks equally as good mattified/blotted. It does tend to migrate to the edges of my lips if I apply too much or rub my lips together. This lipstick lasts just under one hour before losing all colour.

 I have quite pigmented lips, so if you have pale lips, or blank your lips out with a concealer the pink colour will show through a little more.

No.02 - Pink

This was my favorite lipstick out of the four I purchased. It's a natural, neutral looking pink that is very moisturizing and flattering on dryer lips. It looks perfect with a lighter hand as well as a heavy hand. If you want to purchase one lipstick from the collection, I would recommend this one!

This lipstick lasts just under 2 hours, without eating or drinking. The whole set of lipsticks are not particularly long lasting to be honest, which is a little disappointing.

 No.03 - Beige

I'm still on the fence about this shade. I suppose it's because I don't often rock a nude lip, but this colour is not exactly kind to dry lips and shows flakes quite clearly. However, if you have lovely plump lips, this is a wonderful nude colour that doesn't look like you have invisible concealer lips.

 I forgot to close my drawer -.- How embarrassing.

  No. 04 - Orange

This is unfortunately my least favorite lipstick out of the four, which is a pity because the little bear face and chubby body looks soo cute! I'm not sure what it is about this colour that makes it so gross to look at on my lips, but even when it's applied super sheer it clings to the dry patches of my lips and in any nooks and cranny's it can find. Not flattering. The colour is quite beautiful though!

 Why can't it look like it does in this picture all the time!? :C

Here is a comparison of all of the colours so you can see how they look against each other!

What I Love

- Good colour range

- Relatively inexpensive

- Citrusy Scent

- Animal shaped bullets!

- Moisturizing

- Build able colour

What I Don't Love

- Not very long wearing

- Some colours highlight dry lips

Final Thoughts

I really really wanted to love these lipsticks with all my heart, but I just can't. The two pink colours are my favorites of the four, but they just don't last long enough and don't fade well, which is a massive pity, because, I mean, animal shaped lipstick!! I think I will hold onto the two pink colours, but the Orange and Beige will probably be sold onto someone with lovely lips.

What do you Princesses think of these super cute lipsticks? Will you be purchasing some?

First Impression: Stila One Step Correct

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about a widely loved product - Stila's One Step Correct. I always wonder how everyone pronounces Stila, like Still-A or Steel-A? Anyway, I was wandering around Mecca Cosmetica in Auckland looking for a primer that would be suitable with my NARS Sheer Glow and Bobbi Brown Long Wear Even Finish Cream Compact Foundations which I just cannot make work with my skin, despite being the perfect colour, and the lovely sales assisstant helping me recommended this primer, and gave me a little sample pot to try out which is super kind!  ^.^

What Does It Do?

"Swirl your way to perfect skin in one step! This innovative, triple-swirled helix serum instantly color-corrects, brightens and covers skin imperfections for a flawless face with no fuss.

This primer, color-corrector, brightener and anti-aging skincare serum does it all with the help of Stila's Youth Revival Bio-Available Mineral Complex™:

• Magician- Instantly makes imperfections disappear
• Multitasker - Reduces fine lines, wrinkles, pores and pigmentation
• Miracle Worker- Hydrates, controls oil and improves skin texture

The revolutionary new product contains 3 color-correcting brighteners:

• Green tone instantly neutralizes redness and conceals blemishes
• Lavender tone counteracts sallow undertones for a vibrant, energized look
• Peach tone brightens, illuminates and helps diminish the appearance of sun spots

The weightless, creamy formula blends imperceptibly into skin and won't clog pores or settle into fine lines... so all anyone will notice is your perfectly flawless skin!

Ingredients: 

water/aqua, cyclopentasiloxane, propylene glycol, octyldodecyl neopentanoate, butylene glycol, glycerin, peg/ppg-18/18 dimethicone, dimethicone, carbomer, sodium hydroxide, phytantriol, caprylyl glycol, phenoxyethanol, disodium edta, camellia oleifera leaf extract, aluminum hydroxide, stearic acid, boron nitride, palmitic acid, dextrin palmitate, sodium dehydroacetate, glyceryl acrylate/acrylic acid copolymer, hexylene glycol, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, retinyl palmitate, tocophery acetate, tocopherol, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, triethoxycaprylylsilane,sodium hyaluronate, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, zinc chloride, lysine, panax ginseng root extract, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, anthemis nobilis flower extract, camelia oleifera leaf extract, montmorillonite, illite, kaolin,methylparaben, propylparaben, may contain (+/_) titanium dioxide (ci 77891), zinc oxide (ci 77947), iron oxides (ci 77491, ci 77492, ci 77499), chromium oxide greens (ci 77288), ultramarines (ci 77007) <iln c101005>." (1)

I decided to try this primer with three different foundation/BB creams to effectively test it's claims. I chose one difficult foundation (NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia), one long lasting foundation (Estēe Lauder Doublewear Light in 0.5) and my favorite BB Cream (Missha Signature Complete in No.13). 

First up is my difficult foundation - NARS Sheer Glow. I've had this foundation since December and CANNOT make it work for my skin. It's highly annoying because it was an expensive product, and it's a very good colour for me!

The Stila Primer feels super silky and smooth to apply (almost like a silicone primer), and smells a little like sunscreen. It reduced some of my redness, evened out my skin tone, illuminated my skin and also made the foundation glide one super smoothly!

I found that the primer had no effect on making the NARS Sheer Glow foundation last longer or stay shine free, because you can see that this foundation actually looks awful after 6 hours. It's not as bad if I blot and re-powder every three hours, but it's SUCH a pain. (First world problems, right?)

Next up is my favorite BB Cream, Missha Signature Complete BB Cream in No.13. Honestly, I felt like the Stila Primer didn't make too much of a difference with this BB Cream, which is already very hydrating and shines up after 6 hours of wear. I don't feel like BB Creams necessarily need a primer anyway, since they're part skincare.

Lastly, we have Estēe Lauder Doublewear Light in 0.5. This is a long lasting matte finish foundation that can be quite drying if the skin isn't properly primed. I found that the Stila Primer worked best with this foundation, because it gave me a hydrated, but not oily base to work with, and helped the foundation glide smoothly on and last perfectly throughout the day!

Would I Purchase This Product?

I really liked this Primer, but I'm not 100% sure that I would purchase it for $76NZD, which is quite pricey! However, if it was discounted, (or I was buying from a USA site) I would definitely consider it because it's only $36USD, (almost half price) which would be worth the money in my opinion!

What are your favorite primers? Have you got any suggestions for a primer that works well with NARS Sheer Glow Foundation?

Sunday Swatches: Super Pale Products

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be finishing up my Sunday Swatches series with a set of super pale product swatches! This has been highly requested along with a comparison of the Missha BB Cream's, Skin79 Green BB Cream and NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia!

The first set of swatches are my everyday wearable products. There are a couple of products that I'm trialling that would probably make it into this category, but I don't have enough product left to swatch, so they don't make the cut!

 

1; Phoenix - White Foundation 
2; NARS Sheer Glow - Siberia
3; MAC Studio Fix - NW10
4; NYX Stay Matte but not flat - Ivory
5; Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream - No.13
6; Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream - No.13
7; Missha Art Designing Foundation - No.13
8; Skin79 Green BB Cream
9; Bobbi Brown Cream Compact - 00 Alabaster
10; Maybelline Fit Me Foundation - 110 Ivory
11; Rimmel Match Perfection - 010 Light Porcelain
12; Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free - 110 Ivory
13; It's Skin BB Cream - Silky
14; Etude House Mineral Any Cushion - No.02
15; Hanskin Silky Treatment BB Cream
16; Heroine Make BB Cream - Light
17; Revlon Colourstay - Buff
18; Revlon Photoready - Vanilla
19; Skin79 Orange BB Cream

This next set of swatches are the products that are on the very pale side. These shades work well with my skin and even make it possible for me to bronze and contour without looking like an orange! ^.^

1; Phoenix - White Foundation 
2; NYX Stay Matte but not flat - Ivory
3; NARS Sheer Glow - Siberia
4; Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream - No.13
5; Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream - No.13
6; Skin79 Green BB Cream
7; Bobbi Brown Cream Compact - 00 Alabaster
8; MAC Studio Fix - NW10

The last swatches are close ups of the two Missha BB Cream's, Skin79 Green BB Cream and NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia. Nars Sheer Glow is the palest and warmest toned foundation I own, Missha Perfect Cover is lighter than Missha Signature Complete, but pinker than Nars Sibera, and Skin79 Green is slightly darker than Missha Signature Complete. They all oxidize very closely to my skin tone making it hard to tell the difference between the colours, but the Skin79 Green BB still remains the darkest.

I hope this Sunday Swatches session was helpful for you princesses! ^.^ Feel free to share these swatch pictures - but please put a link to this post if you do share! If you have any requests for swatch posts, just leave a comment down below and I'll do my best to help you out. I've been thinking about doing blush or lipstick swatches, does anyone want to see those? ^.^