Category Archives: *Brands: Misc.

Addiction Cheek Sticks – Swatch of the Day

Purchased

Suspicious // Tea Rose

I love these. Tea Rose has a slightly better (more emollient) texture which is wearable on both lips and cheeks – Suspicious works beautifully on my cheeks, but I don’t like the texture on my lips. I purchased these on Ichibankao for ¥4050 (around $42) each, which includes shipping. In Japan, they retail for ¥2940 (around $30), but Ichibankao is the easiest way to get them if you live in the US. Next on my to-buy list: Rose Bar. You can see swatches of all the currently-available Cheek Sticks on the fantastic blog So Lonely in Gorgeous, here.

*As noted in this review, I purchased both of the featured products. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream Review & Swatches

Purchased – Affiliate Links

A few months ago, I decided that I wanted to try out another Korean BB Cream. I previously reviewed the Holika Holika Peach Girl BB Cream, which I still really like – I just wanted to try something new!

Missha makes several BB Creams, and they have the following comparison chart (click to enlarge). I settled on Missha’s Perfect Cover BB Cream, supposedly the best all-around choice.

click to enlarge

Perfect Cover BB Cream comes in five shades – 13, 21, 23, 27, 31 (light to dark). I couldn’t find good quality swatches of the different shades, but from the swatches I did find, I suspected that 21 might be too light and 23 too dark. I also found Nouveau Cheap’s face photos of shade 21 helpful – as she says, it’s just a touch light for her, and I think she’s just a touch lighter than I am.

It also comes in two sizes – 50ml / 1.6oz for $30, and 20ml / .67oz for $13 (Missha website prices, but note that they have great sales). So, I decided to purchase both 21 and 23 in the smaller size, with the idea that I would probably need to mix them. I purchased from Ebay, and paid around $7.50 per item. I recommend rubyruby76 for all of your Korean makeup needs; they’re reliable.

Shade 21 // Shade 23

Above are semi-blended swatches of 21 and 23. 21 looks yellow-toned, and 23 looks golden beige. 23 looks like a better match for my arm at this point – at this time of year, my face is a similar color to my arm.

Blended: Shade 21 // Shade 23

Blended out, Shade 21 is a much better match to my arm, but it’s not perfect – in person, it had a pinky-beige tone, which just would not show up in photos. Shade 23 of course appears far too dark. So, I did end up mixing shades for my face – more on that later.

Texture-wise, the Perfect Cover BB Cream is a thick cream. If I squeeze out a pea size amount on to the back of my hand and turn my hand upside down,the dollop of BB Creams stays intact. It is very easy to spread and feels quite moisturizing, and I noticed that my skin stayed moisturized throughout the day – significantly more so than with most foundations. I do use a separate moisturizer before, but I think if you had normal to slightly oily skin, that would be unnecessary. If you have very oily skin, my guess is that the Perfect Cover BB Cream isn’t going to control oil well enough on it’s own for you – but perhaps it would work with an additional primer.

When I use Korean BB Creams, I apply more product than I do when I apply foundation, because I often don’t apply a separate sunscreen.* I experimented some with this product, and settled on using a ratio of two parts 21 to one part 23, and a total of about two peas worth of product.

*I really should, because I don’t apply enough BB Cream for it to really work as sunscreen – you need a surprisingly large amount of sunscreen for it to be fully effective. Read more here if you are interested!

No makeup // Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream

When first applied, the Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream looks quite pale and oddly colored, but after blending in and waiting about 30 seconds, it seems to adjust to my skin color and look great. It has medium coverage and a natural finish – neither dewy nor matte.

As mentioned above, this BB Cream helps my skin stay hydrated while I wear it – and that’s probably my favorite thing about it. I also really like the amount of coverage, and I’m very happy with the color match, even though I need to mix shades to get it. I suspect that I will be able to get a good color match in the summer by flipping the proportions – one part 21 to two parts 23.

Most foundations wear well on me, and this is no exception – it lasts all day all on me when set with powder (either my trusty Guerlain pressed or a new one I have been testing).

Overall, I love this BB Cream – I’ve been wearing it frequently, and I would highly recommend checking it out!
*I purchased the product(s) featured in this post. This post contains one or more affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

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Rimmel Scandal Eyes Shadow Stick Review & Swatches

A few days ago, I reviewed the Rimmel Scandal Eyes eyeliners. I love them so much that I decided to try another product from the Scandal Eyes line – the shadow sticks. Like most shadow sticks, you’re supposed to be able to use these multiple ways – as eyeliner, as eyeshadow base, or eyeshadown (worn alone). There are nine shades available (or at least there are nine shades on the Ulta website – which may not have all of them) and I purchased two, Bulletproof Beige and Bad Girl Bronze.

Bulletproof Beige // Bad Girl Bronze

Above, I’ve swatched each shadow stick two ways. On the left, I have a heavy swatch, and on the right is a blended out swatch. If you use the shadow stick as eyeliner you’ll get something more like the heavy swatch – if you use it as an eyeshadow base or an eyeshadow, you’ll get something more like the blended swatch. Unfortunately, even if you use multiple layers, it doesn’t seem possible to build up the color to the opaque swatch level when you’re using it as an eyeshadow.

Edit: I like these enough that I went back and bought a third, Paranoid Purple. Here’s a quick swatch.

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Paranoid Purple

In terms of texture, these are very soft and creamy. I have some of the Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencils, and the Rimmel pencils are noticeably more creamy – the UD ones are much drier and more difficult to blend. I actually rarely use the UD ones because I have difficulty blending them – I much prefer the Rimmel texture!

I’m sure these will be compared to the Milani Shadow Eyez as well, but I haven’t tried those. From looking at reviews, it appears that the Milani shadow sticks may be more opaque. I’m not sure how the texture compares. I may need to buy one to compare myself! If you’ve tried the Milani ones, how would you describe the texture?

I’m sure everyone’s main question is how the Shadow Sticks last and whether they crease, and I’m happy to report that they last all day on me (10+ hours) with no creasing at all. Do note that I have slightly dry skin, so I can’t test how these would fare on someone with oilier skin.

Overall, I really like these – they’re creamy, blendable, and last all day. They’re good for a sheer wash of color and shimmer or as a base. The major downside is that you can’t build them up be opaque.

Eyebrow Product Comparison

This is a quick post to compare how the three main eyebrow products I use look applied:

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Brunette, reviewed/swatched here
Browlash Water Strong W Eyebrow Pen, reviewed/swatched here
Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow, reviewed/swatched here

And the comparisons:

No eyebrow product

I have relatively full brows, but prefer a more defined look than I have naturally.

Anastasia powder

The powder is quickest and easiest to apply. It gives the softest look.

Browlash pen (pen side only)

I love everything about the Browlast pen – the color is perfect (a very cool grey-brown), and I love the defined, but natural, look it gives. It’s also the longest-lasting of the products.

MUFE Aqua Brow

Aqua Brow is a really nice product, but since I chose a dark shade it’s a bit tricky to apply (a lighter shade would have been more user-friendly). I’m getting more comfortable with it, though!

What type of product do you use on your brows – pen, pencil, powder, cream, or another type?

Fyrinnae Aztec Gold Pressed Eyeshadow Review & Swatches

A little while ago – when I purchased all of these loose Fyrinnae shades – I also purchased Fyrinnae Aztec Gold, which is only available in pressed form.

For a comparison of Fyrinnae’s loose and pressed eyeshadows and a review of the pressed formula, please see this post, which compares swatches of same shade in loose and pressed form over different primers.

Today’s post is photographs & swatches of Aztec Gold:

no primer / over primer

As regular readers know, I usually swatch without primer, but this shade performs so much better with primer that I swatched it both with & without. I used my everyday primer, NYX HD.

I don’t have any similar shades – Inglot 433 (swatched) looks similar in the pan, but completely different when swatched. Nothing else comes close!

If this is a shade that appeals to you (I love it myself) I would definitely recommend it – the quality is great, and the color is unique. I just wish you could buy the pan only instead of the whole eyeshadow pot!

Fyrinnae pressed eyeshadow, as well as other Fyrinnae products, can only be purchased online.

Fyrinnae Loose Eyeshadow: Part Two — Swatches

Fyrinnae Mystical Hedgehog, Immortality, Witchy Woodland Creatures

This is the second part of my two-part Fyrinnae photos & swatchfest – the swatches! Part One, the photos of the eyeshadows in the jar, is here.

I normally swatch eyeshadow without any primer or base, but I find that loose eyeshadows don’t show up very well on bare skin. So, I’ve swatched these two different ways; the first set of swatches (on the left in each photo) is over NYX HD primer, and the second set (on the right in each photo) is over Fyrinnae’s own Pixie Epoxie. I found that the color shows up nicely over just primer, but the glitter needs a sticky base, like Pixie Epoxie, to adhere.

I’ve left these photos larger than usual to better show the complexity of the shades – please do click to enlarge, these eyeshadows are really lovely up close!

Fyrinnae Mystical Hedgehog, Cuddlefish, Immortality

With flash: Mystical Hedgehog, Cuddlefish, Immortality

Full sun: Mystical Hedgehog, Cuddlefish, Immortality

I’m terrible at describing this type of complex color, so I’ve borrowed Fyrinnae’s own descriptions.

Mystical Hedgehog: Appears as a vibrant, shimmering purple with a turquoise-green highlight at a distance, but changes to a warmer purple to pink at an angle or close to light.

Cuddlefish: A vibrant violet, loaded with varying hues of purple and blue-violet sparkle.

Immortality: A rainbow of sparkle in soft black

Fyrinnae Witchy Woodland Creatures, Shenanigans, Book of the Dead

With flash: Witchy Woodland Creatures, Shenanigans, Book of the Dead

Full sun: Witchy Woodland Creatures, Shenanigans, Book of the Dead

Witchy Woodland Creatures: Glimmering, multi-faceted cocoa taupe. Shades of copper and silver, with hints of pink, gold, and green shimmer on a neutral taupe-brown base make this shadow suitable for a wide range of skintones.

Shenanigans: A rainbow of sparkle fills rich, metallic gold over a dark base

Book of the Dead: A slightly aged gleaming, sparkling beige-gold, fit for Osiris himself (we could hope!), graced with flashes of sparkle in varying hues. Neutral tone, not yellow.

Fyrinnae Koala, Kurisumasu!, Moon Child, Nijiro

With flash: Koala, Kurisumasu!, Moon Child, Nijiro

Full sun: Koala, Kurisumasu!, Moon Child, Nijiro

Koala: A medium rosy taupe, this shade has a satin finish.

Kurisumasu!: Versatile satiny rosy beige shade with subtle flashes of sparkle. Great for a highlight or all-over basic shade that can suit many skintones.

Moon Child: Soft glimmering ivory shade with just the right amount of shimmer and sparkle and a touch of coppery highlight.

Nijiro: Ivory with rainbow sparkles.

Fyrinnae products can only be purchased online. Fyrinnae usually has quite a long turn around time stated on their website, but I’ve ordered from them three times now, and my order has always shipped within a week or so.

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