A while ago, RMK launched a limited edition make up collection to celebrate their 15th anniversary. In which, the RMK 15th Anniversary Cheek Palette caught my attention when I was at the RMK counter in Malaysia when I visited. Unfortunately, then the cheek palette was sold out as a result I have to purchase via online.
There are two shades available for the 15th Anniversary Cheek Palette (£32 / ¥5250 / RM150) – #01 Pink Coral (I bought this) & #02 Brown Beige.
#01 Pink Coral has a beautifully embossed fairy in 6 different shades of colours that will complement the cheeks. Texture wise, this blush is really fine and goes on pretty sheer. I usually use a brush and swirl over all the shades together and buff onto cheeks.
One word of advice, once you draw a brush over this cheek palette, you’ll immediately lose all the pigment on the fairy’s hair, features, necklace and all the black lining. I did read a few reviews about this happening but was still very shock to see how quickly the pigment disappear before my eyes.
Regardless, I am very glad I have chosen to use this palette instead of storing it away for collectors’ item because this cheek palette shade is really smooth and the colour combination is perfect for me. The sheer-ness of this blush is buildable so instead of appearing way too pigmented you can build to your own’s heart content. There is also a light layer of shimmer within this blush, while this was not picked up in the photos above, the shimmer helps to make skin appear radiant and luminous.
In additional, the white shade can double as highlighter but since I am lazy when it comes to make up, I usually just pick up all the shades and use them all at once and use this as a blush. For those who don’t like scent to their make up products, you’ll love this one because there’s no scent in this cheek palette.
I recommend to get this if you’re into collecting blushes, love blushes in general because this cheek palette has a sleek packaging, effortless to use and it complimented my skin tone giving me a sheer hint of colour and shimmer to the cheeks. Great as your daily go-to cheek palette!
Tender Love & Carry has long been bringing us affordable yet quality bags, specifically for make up pouches, travelling bags and everyday make up clutches. This is their latest Tropicana cosmetic clutch that comes in a sturdy
I know this sounds weird but I don’t really carry a make up bag per say, it is actually more of an utility bag for me where I put things where I find might be useful to me on a daily basis. They all fit right in the clutch and it even comes with a handy mirror so I don’t have to carry an additional mirror with me.
I think they are pretty self explanatory, blotting paper, nurofen, nail filer, lanolips (a must for chapped lips), chewy, lipsticks, contacts, duro-tuss (currently combating a cough), soft wiping cloth and an emergency tampon. So what do you keep in your make up bag?
RRP AUD$18.95
Call 1800 05 66 33 for stockist
For the longest time, I was a liquid foundation type of girl. I only had my eyes locked on liquid foundation because that was all I knew back in the days and some MAC sales assistances shoved it down my throat many moons ago. As I am exposed to more options throughout the years, I have learnt to love cream, gel, powder and mineral types of foundations.
Clarins has done quite a few amazing foundations in the past especially the Skin Illusion liquid foundation, this time around they have released a loose powder version of this foundation and it comes in 6 shades to choose from. For those who wants a matte finish, this mineral loose powder is infused with mineral and plant based ingredients that helps to illuminate skin despite it being a powder foundation.
Packaging - Comes with a retractable in built flat round brush that surprisingly buffs the powder foundation really well. The foundation comes with two compartments a plastic cover to prevent the loose powder to get messy when closed and a plastic sieve to get a proper amount of powder at a time.
So far with these two plastic trays in place, I find them helps to keep everything in place and not messy at all. Packaging wise, this is unique and definitely a well thought out product.
Coverage – Depending on how you apply this, I find the coverage can be sheer to medium and can be full if need be when you buff more in. I use the brush that comes with this powder foundation for application and be sure to prime my skin with a silicone based primer like Dermalogica’s AgeSmart Skinperfect Primer.
This is where the foundation won my heart over, it covers my pigmentation, uneven skin tone and acne scarring perfectly well. It also reduces the look of my pores and controls oil well.
Texture – Quite fine & silky texture that doesn’t feel heavy on skin.
Finish – I love the smooth, matte finish with a hint of radiance. The foundation feels really natural and lightweight on my skin and the shade #109 Wheat matches my skin tone perfectly without making me appearing too pale. Best of all it doesn’t oxidise on my skin or smudge throughout the day. It’s just the way the foundation settles onto my skin that really stood out for me.
Needless to say I am calling this my HG powder foundation!
RRP AUD$60
On Clarins counters today
For the longest time I wanted to trial RMK make up brand because their base make up is notorious for being top notch and has been used by quite a few celebrities and nominated and awarded by magazines overseas. One of my main concern with purchasing base make up products online is that I can never tell if the shade will match my skin tone especially when there isn’t any counter locally.
Couple of months back when I was in Malaysia for a trip, I made it to a point to visit the RMK counter to pick up some products. I picked up the RMK Liquid Foundation (in shade #202) and ordered the RMK cult item Make up Base online later because it was sold out in Malaysia.
Let’s start with the RMK Make up Base, this make up base has a lightweight liquid emulsion texture that you smooth and massage onto skin prior to foundation step. This comes in a heavy glassy packaging; it makes me thinking twice before packing this with me while I travel. In addition, it can also be quite messy if you pour directly out of the bottle opening.
So the trick to get products out of this packaging is to put a finger over the opening of the packaging and tip the jar upside down and there will be small amounts of product on your finger, now smear this on your face. Repeat until you get your desired amount and blend all over face with fingers. Be sure to shake the product prior to using.
The way I see it this make up base is suitable for those with normal, combination and especially dry and dehydrated skin who needs moisture minus the shine. So far this makeup base works really well with the RMK Liquid Foundation that I am trialling with, shows no signs of smudging or make up coming off after a long day of wear. Essentially if you want a primer that moisturises your skin and holds foundation well, this has to be it.
As for the RMK Liquid Foundation, this comes in 11 shades and SPF in the foundation. This foundation feels quite lightweight from a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being super lightweight, I’ll call this a 2. Again, I am not liking the product packaging and it would be a far better product if it comes with a pump. This glides onto my skin very easily and I buff this in after the primer with my trusty Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush. Coverage wise, this is sheer to medium with buildable coverage. Especially great at covering veins, scars but not so much with redness.
Overall, I like both products but not their packaging. The Make Up Base score high points for its moisture and dewy finish without grease and ability to control oil flow throughout the day. The Liquid Foundation is great for a natural and breathable finish without appearing cakey.
Both products are 30ml
RMK Liquid Foundation RM155 / AUD$51.66
RMK Make up Base £28.00 / AUD$43.55
Illamasqua Empowered Palette RRP AUD$78
These eye shadows are highly pigmented; naturally you will require abit of a blending to avoid having a huge slab of shadow on your lids. The shades in this palette are Synth (iridescent pale pink glitter), Fervent (reddish brown with multi-tonal shimmer) and Blink (soft beige nude) and Liquid Metal in Slick (charcoal grey metallic). I must say this is a very interesting choice of eye colours combination.
Alternatively, it is also good enough for individual wears for your day to day eye makeup especially Fervent and Blink shades. If you want for a more intense or night time look just pile on the rest of the shadows for a perfect finish.
Texture wise, these eye shadow is smooth (not silky) and goes on pretty well with minimal fall out when applied with eye shadow brushes.
Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in #Boost RRP AUD$33
If you like colour in your gloss, I’ve always pointed people the direction to Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss. It is intense, high shine, pigment rich and comes in a wild collection of bold shades. I have previously blogged about these intense glosses and I am sure you would know by now how I feel about them.
Easy to apply and the colour is rich, exactly what I love to see on my lips. I hate nothing more than purchasing a gloss and the product colour does not look the same on my lips as it is in the tube. Almost like a liquid lipstick.
#Boost is a violet pink shade that would look good with all skin colours.
Made in Germany
Illamasqua Gleam in #Aurora RRP AUD$28
This product was available in the previous collection and is back by popular demand with a new and improved formula. While I have not tried the previous product, so this review is based on my experience with the latest formula.
This is an iridescent cream based highlighter helps to illuminate face (nose bridge, cheekbones, under brows) and face (collarbones, middle of leg). Even though this is a cream product, it is surprisingly lightweight in texture.
The finish is sheer and even though the champagne iridescent looks intense in the pan but it delivers glow where needed without OTT and looking unnatural.
It is recommended to apply this with fingers or brush and my personal preference is to use this with my fingers over foundation as a finishing touch after my full face make up. By far one of my favourite highlighter product and it is a shame Illamasqua hasn’t updated their packaging as it is so hard to open and always chips my nails.
Made in Italy
Illamasqua Nail Varnish in #Creator RRP AUD$34
I have two words for this nail varnish, black & glitter. It is exactly what I would expect once I laid my eyes on this. The colour and pigment you see in the bottle is exactly what you see on the nail.
As always, it is a joy to apply, application was easy and the colour is long lasting.
Made in Australia
All products are available on Illamasqua counter now
Check out more information about the Illamasqua Generation Q collection here
YSL Rouge Pur #49 – Tropical Pink
When Celina came back from her trip, she came home with this as a gift! I have always been a sucker for hot pink lipsticks, so naturally this was on a wish list. I have previously raved about how much I love YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks and their shades offering. Naturally I am excited to check out their Rouge Pur (Pure Lipstick). This one comes with SPF 8 (not as much as I would love it to be) and it is made in France.
Shade #49 – Tropical Pink is a full coverage shade that is slightly moisturising just enough for the lipstick to glide over the lips and isn’t drying. The colour is so pigmented it stays on the lips for hours with an almost matte finish. This lipstick also comes with ingredients like Vitamin A, E, Carrot Root Extract and sunscreen in it effectively the lipstick contain antioxidant protection, smooth, supple and soft lips.
Overall, I love the lipstick for its intensity and the formula. However, if you have really dry lips and your lips are prone to flaking/peeling then this lipstick is not for you as it will accentuate the fine lines and dryness of the lips. It is recommended to prep your lips with some balm, blot it and apply this lipstick to ensure the lipstick stays.
RRP AUD$49
Available on YSL counters now
Remember my interview with Michelle Phan aka ricebunny some time back?
At the same event, I was given this full size Color Design all in one 5 shades eyeshadow palette to celebrate Michelle Phan’s visit to Australia. Lancome released a limited edition 3 piece make up collection available exclusively to Myer, this set holds all of Michelle’s favourite products. In the kit, you will get an eyeshadow palette, full size Artliner (liquid liner) and a mini Hypnose Doll eyes mascara. You have also probably seen the imagery of Michelle with her violet eyes plastered all over the posters and the cover of the box sets.
Inspired by Trésor Midnight Rose and the majestic hue of purple, Midnight Roses–Lancôme’s Fall 2012 Color Collection–evokes mischievous femininity and glamour. Lancôme’s versatile, all-in-one palette conveniently creates a full eye look for day or night.
So here it is, the #308 Violet Magnetique that comes with 5 steps to contour, sculpt and brighten eyes. You can use this all over lids, crease, as a highlighter and even a liner to customise what you need. Personally I love a soft wash of colour during the day and a more intense look at night; this palette easily delivers that to mix and match.
Texture wise, these are quite smooth (wouldn’t call it silky smooth though) and sheer to medium pigment. Most of the shades has shimmer in it (see swatch above) except for the base and I love how easy these colours compliment each another. In the past, I’ve heard some unsavory reviews about Lancome eyeshadows and I am truly surprise this palette is quite good. Be sure to dab and pat in the eyeshadows instead of blending to minimise product fall out.
PS: In line with Lancome makeup prodz, I’ve recently came across the Lancome Le Crayon Sourcils (RRP AUD$42) aka the eye brow pencil. I love how it comes in 4 different shades (most brands carry 2 shades) from the lightest blonde to dark noir to match all types of different brow colour. I personally went through quite a drastic hair colour change and suddenly found 90% of my brow products were too dark for my brows. When you’re near a Lancome counter next, do check it out. It’s my current go-to brow product.
RRP AUD$89 (in a kit)
Available in MYER Lancome counters now and via online here
Why I love it:
- From their Age Smart collection, this primer is infused with skin loving ingredients, helps to prime skin and even out fine lines and bumps
- This silicone based primer has broad spectrum SPF protection so it helps to prevent sunburn especially the forehead sunburn that people get during Summer
- Texture wise, this primer reminds me of chocolate mousse, its velvety smooth and absorbs into skin instantly for a baby smooth finish
- Contains soy protein, pearl powder (for a slight glow), natural earth mineral (boost luminosity), white tea polyphenols (inhibits collagen damage) and peptides.
- This primer is free from artificial fragrances and colours making it suitable for all skin types
- I find this primer perfect for my oily/combination/acne prone skin as it doesn’t clog my pores and is able to control oil regulation all over my face.Best of all it makes my skin really smooth and even toned.
- Dermalogica Age Smart SkinPerfect Primer works great with a range of foundation types from liquid, cream to powder (silicone based primer works especially great under powder foundation) and helps to boosts longevity for my foundations.
BEAUTY TIP: Be sure to use cleansing oil to thoroughly remove make up by end of the day. If you often use silicone based primer, all the more a tough working cleansing oil is required to rid all make up residue on face.
RRP AUD$79
Available on Dermalogica counters now
