Review: Etude House Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the super cute Etude House Sweet Recipe Baby Choux base in Mint Choux and Berry Choux! I picked up 10 samples of each of these colour almost a year ago now, because I loved my green Missha primer so much and wanted to try some different brands. Roseroseshop only had testers for Mint and Berry, but not Peach Choux which is disappointing as I would've loved to try the whole set!

This light and fluffy makeup base creates baby choux skin with it's moist inside and soft smoothness on the outside.

#1 Mint Choux : For redness problem 

#2 Berry Choux : For that pale face that needs more color (cool tone)

#3 Peach Choux : For face that have yellowish tone (warm tone)

1 - Mint Choux 

For redness problem

Green tones balance the redness in skin, and the Mint Choux base is no exception! These bases are all designed to whiten your skin to some degree, but I don't think this particularly whitens the appearance of my skin, but rather just covers the redness, thus making my skin appear whiter/balanced.

 2 - Berry Choux
For that pale face that needs more color (cool tone)

The Berry Choux is of course designed for cool toned skin (which I don't have) and would probably work very well for fair cool toned girls! I found that using the pink base made my face look even redder than usual because of the high pigmentation of the product, which is no good for me when my skin looks yellow. Even using a very yellow foundation over the pink base didn't help very much, so purely for that fact the pink base did not work for me.

The Baby Choux Bases are moderately thick in texture and quite pigmented. They feel super soft on the skin, and makes the skin look quite matte, however they don't change the finish of any product that you put on top of it. The Mint Choux smells like very sweet sunscreen, and the Berry Choux smells like sweet strawberries!

I found the baby choux bases easy to apply and quite moisturizing, but they did end up looking a little flakey around any irregularities on my skin. They lasted well, but they didn't help my makeup stay any longer or control the oil any more than usual. If you're wondering about the difference in colour and consistency between the Etude House Baby Choux base in Berry and the Etude House Magic Cushion in Pink, click this link to see a comparison of swatches!

What I love

Super cute packaging (tube and jar)

Range of correcting colors

Smells amazing

Easy to use

Very pigmented
Soft Matte Finish

What I don't love

Deep colors (not brightening enough for me)

Not great for dry or uneven textured skin

Final thoughts

I quite liked the Mint Choux Base, but I still prefer my Missha green base since it's a brighter mint. I really want to try the Peach Choux (since it is for yellow skin) and I may purchase a full size tube since there are no testers for Peach, and I quite liked the formula of the Mint and Berry Choux! I'm pretty jealous that I can't purchase the cute little jar packaging though, since it looks like it's discontinued though. :C Oh well!

Have you Princesses tried the Baby Choux Base before? Are there any other bases or primers that you love?

Manicure Monday: The Shortest Square Manicure

Hello Princesses!

Today I have the shortest square manicure. Not because they're the shortest length nails I've ever had, but by far the shortest length of time I've had a nail shape. It turns out there's a reason why I prefer almond or oval shaped nails!

For this manicure I used NARS No Limits from the Guy Bourdin holiday collection which is a really interesting semi matte jelly polish, topped off with a couple of layers of OPI's Pirouette My Whistle, which denies me hexagonal glitters with every dip of the brush. -.-

Literally one minute after I photographed this manicure I picked up my polish boxes and chipped the side off my nail. -.- Square shaped nails are just NOT for me obviously! I ended up filing off the side and having one wonky nail for a couple of days because I liked the manicure so much.

Do you Princesses have a preferred nail shape? Is it because like me, you chip all other shapes? Let me know in the comments down below! :3 

Blogging 101: Simple HTML Codes

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be showing you some super simple HTML codes! You will frequently use HTML coding within your blog post and when creating and customising your gadgets on your blog, so it's important to understand (vaguely at least) how the codes work. All of the codes that I'm writing out today are visible in this text post because in order for your code to work within your blog post, it must be entered through the HTML tab.

There are a couple of "rules" to HTML coding (I've never studied HTML coding, so this is what I've learnt from trial and error). Generally, there shouldn't be any spaces in your changeable code/code that you modify yourself. If you insert a hyperlink and have random spaces, the code will not work. All codes must be enclosed between < and >. If your code isn't working, check to make sure that each section of code is closed and there are no unexplained spaces.

For the codes that involve images, you will need to use an image hosting site, (I use Photobucket). You will need to find the hyperlink/direct link to the photo through the image hosting site to insert into your image  code.

If you're inserting images or text code onto your blog layout, then you will need to create a gadget in your Layout Tab. Chose the HTML/Java Script gadget to insert any type of HTML code.

Space

<br /> 

This creates the spaces between paragraphs or images in a gadget. Each set (<br />) equals one enter click.

Center

<div style="text-align: center;">

This centers text or images. Just insert it before the text or image code. This code is especially handy for doing bulk images on your blog that are different sizes.

Text Link

<a href="Yourlinkhere">Yourtexthere</a> 

This one is quite a simple code, the blue text indicates what the link should say, and the red text is where the hyperlink will go to the site that your link is taking you to.

<a href="Your link here">Your text here</a>

 

Static Picture

<div style="text-align: center;">

<img src="yourhostlinkhere"width="250px"/></div>

This code creates un-clickable pictures (like my profile picture on the left). Find the hyperlink to the photo you want to be shown (through your image hosting site) and insert it where the red text is. These images are also sized, so if you want to change the size, change the blue numbers.

<div style="text-align: center;">

<img src="your host link here"width="250px"/></div>

Click-Through Pictures

<a href="Linktodestination">

<img src="Yourimagehostlink"width="300px"/></a>

This is really easy to get confused by, but really simple once you know what's happening! The first line is where the clickable picture is taking you to (affiliate links, shop links etc) so all you need to do is pop the hyperlink in the red text section. The next line is the image line, so you need to host your image on your image hosting site, copy the hyperlink, and paste it into the blue text section. Make sure there are no spaces where there shouldn't be spaces, and change the green numbers to change the size.

<a href="Link to destination">

<img src="Your image host link"width="300px"/></a>

Search Bar

<form action="/search" id="searchthis" method="get" style="display: inline;">
<input id="search-box" name="q" size="30" type="text" /> <input id="search-btn" type="submit" value="Search" /></form></div>

This code creates a little button that allows you to search your entire blog! I actually don't really understand how it works, but insert it into a HTML/Java Script Gadget and it should work just fine!


I hope these codes are helpful for you princesses trying to do any coding on your blogs! If you have any questions about coding, leave a comment down below and I'll try my best to help you out! ^.^

Next week I'll be showing you how to make your own social media buttons!

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?

Review: Etude House Drawing Eye Brow Pencil

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Etude House Drawing Eye Brown Pencil in 02 Gray Brown. ^.^ I gave my first impression on this eyebrow pencil almost one year ago in this post, and I've finally gotten right down to the very end of the pencil, which is pretty impressive considering how many eye brow products I own.

I purchased my pencil off Cosmetic Love who have free worldwide shipping! :3 I chose the colour 02 - Gray Brown, because at the time that I purchased this pencil I hadn't lightened my hair, which is naturally very very dark brown, (almost black, but not black, it's brown), and having filled in brown brows looked slightly off. Now that I've lightened my hair the gray brown brows look slightly funny! ><

The pencil had a squarish/triangular shaped tip, which I personally prefer over a pointed tip, and a spoolie on the other end. The pencil is fairly creamy, but still very long wearing. The downsides is that it can smudge if applied only to skin (shaping or overdrawing), and after one year of use my spoolie looks absolutely disgusting, (the creamy product traps the hair) and becomes un-useable after a couple of months.

I think this pencil gives my brows a full look, without looking too painted on or fake. My eyebrow hair is quite thick and dark brown/black, which helps them look a lot fuller naturally, but even though the hair is thick and long, I don't have too many of them which is why it's important for me to fill them in!

What I Love

- Great range of colour

- Easy to Apply

- Well Priced

- Sturdy packaging

What I Don't Love

- Possibly too creamy for people with sparse brows or who like to overdraw their brows as it does smudge

- Spoolie gets absolutely filthy and un-useable (also un-washable)

Final Thoughts

I really love this product! I think it works really well, and for the price point, I would definitely repurchase this in a variety of shades!

What are your favorite eyebrow products, and what eyebrow product should I try next?