DiorSnow Fresh Cheeks Glowing Colour Powder Blush, 5 Couleurs in #874 Tenderness Swatches (Asia-Exclusive)

Hey Beauties, I'm THRILLED to show you 2 items from the Asia-Exclusive DIOR SNOW collection today. Take a deep deep breath before you proceed to read.

Monthly Favourites (May, 2011)// 每月至愛產品

I'm so happy to write the Monthly Favourites post for May, since summer has officially started in this corner of the world and it's time for sunshine and bronze!

今個五月要feature甚麼產品我早已有心水, 哈. 原因是夏天已降臨地球的這個角落, 五顏六色的妝物是時候出動了!

ABAD Day 12: Dior Skin Shimmer in 004 Pop Diamond //"每日一胭脂"系列 第12天: Dior Skin Shimmer in 004 Pop Diamond 胭脂

Today's featured blush is a Limited Edition, please don't hate me, lol. It's supposed to be more of an highlighting powder than a blush but since the shades in it are quite pigmented and deeper than its counterparts (Rose Diamond and Amber Diamond), I prefer using this as a blush! Don't be scared by how frosty this may look in the pan, if you have experience with Dior's skin shimmer powders, you'll learn that their shimmer is extra-fine and subtle as well.

今天介紹的是限量品, 請不要嬲我, 哈哈. 其實是highlighter多過是胭脂但因它的顏色比highlighter深少少, 顯色度較高, 所以我比較喜歡用它做胭脂. 不要被它的微閃的表面嚇掉, 如果你用過Dior Skin Shimmer powders的話 (Rose Diamond和Amber Diamond), 你應該會知它們的閃粉很微細, 並且很滑.

10 grams of product.

內容量10克.

See how subtle and nice it looks when swatched on the arm:

看看出來的試色光澤起來不會太 '閃':

Applied on cheeks, so glowy yet there's a slight wash of color, right?

很柔和的光澤, 亦有些粉紅的氣色, perfect.

Intensity: As a highlighter, it's very pigmented, less pigmented when used as a blush, but shows up real nicely.

Finish: Subtle shimmer, not frosty at all

Price: Forgotten, it was ages ago

Lasting power: 6-7 hours

Repurchase: Yes, wish they would come out with new colors

Overall thoughts: This would be a nice double-duty blush and highlighter. I'm sure there are dupes readily available out in the market like Hard Candy Living Doll, but the shimmer and glow of Pop Diamond is less frosty, more subtle than its counterparts.

上色度: 作為highlighter來說, 顯色度高. 如果以胭脂來說, 則不是那麼深色, 但出來的效果很 refined (柔滑)

效果: 低調的閃亮, 閃粉幼細不大粒

價錢: 很久, 已經忘記了

持久度: 6-7小時吧

回購: 會的,有多些顏色會更好

總評: Pop Diamond 是2用的胭脂+highlighter. 市面上一定會有類似的顏色, 例如 Hard Candy Living Doll, 但 Pop Diamond 的閃亮 + 光澤一定比較柔滑和低調.

What is A-Blush-A-Day (ABAD) Project?
Project ABAD was started by Elaine, Jolyn and I. On each day, each of us will present a different blush (old or new) we used each day (so that's 3 x 30 = 90 blushes), with swatches done either on face or on hand, and a short review. For my list of 30 blushes to be used in this project, click here. Don't forget to head to Elaine's and Jolyn's blogs for daily blush surprises!

什麼是"每日一胭脂"系列?
我們三個(Elaine, Jolyn 和我)每天會介紹當日使用的胭脂, 3人 x 30 = 會介紹總共 90 個胭脂 (新與舊), 配以試色圖(於手上或面上), 再加短短的用評. 本人於未來30天會使用這些胭脂. 去Elaine, Jolyn的blogs看看她們在用那個胭脂吧!!

ABAD Project Day 3: HG blush - Dior Bronze Harmonie blush 002 Coral Riviera//"每日一胭脂"系列 第三天: Dior Coral Riviera胭脂

It's Day 3 in the A-Blush-A-Day Project, 1/10 already! Since I haven't been feeling happy lately, I thought I'd add some sunshine onto cheeks and feel better when looking at the mirror (and fake myself into believing I'm happy, haha). The bronzer + blush in one to be introduced today is from Dior's summer collection a while ago (er...please don't ask when). There was a golden sheen overspray when it's brand new, but they were gone after a few swipes, the middle of the bronzing part used to have an imprint "Dior" on it but I guess I could say I use this rather frequently so the imprint was gone, LOL.

"每日一胭脂"系列的第三天介紹Dior Coral Riviera, 是bronzer +胭脂合二為一的產品. 這個胭脂在亞洲是限量但在美國英國等就不是限量啦. 近幾日心情不太好所以想添些陽光氣息在面上, 於是就選了它. 這個胭脂不是新的啦, 都待在櫃子裡很久了 (不要追問有多久XD), 起初未用時這個胭脂上有一層金色的粉沫, 很漂亮, 掃了幾次之後就是現在的樣子, 還好, 那些金閃粉都不會適合在面上出現的. 胭脂的正中原本印了"Dior", 又被我掃走了, 哈哈!! 證明我都用了很多次吧~

Now if I said I've used this blush over and over for lots of times, you won't probably believe it since there's no major dips there and the other checkered imprint is still there. But yeah, I used it pretty much often esp during summer. The moment I tried this on my face, it's instantly become my HG blush (it's been on my HG list for a while if you noticed).

不過, 如果我說用了這個胭脂很多很多次, 你也未必會相信吧, 怎看都未有 '凹' 出現嘛! 胭脂上的壓紋還在. 但事實是. 的確用了無數次了, 尤其在夏天. 我第一次掃上這個就暗自驚嘆, 很有陽光氣息! 令整個人看下去沒有那麼無神. 所以我毫不猶疑吧它放左HG list上, 意即無論何時都會很喜歡, 很合用的清單.

The compact itself is quite bulky, comes with a small brush (not pictured). The blush smells nice too, not an overly fragranced rose that kind of smell but a sweet floral smell.

盒子很有份量, 頗佔位, 附有掃子 (不在圖片裡的). 胭脂帶有香味, 但不是很濃烈玫瑰花香那種, 是甜甜的花味.
The back of the compact is showing some wear and tear, so that sort of proved my point of it being a staple in my stash, LOL.

下圖你會看都盒身充滿了傷痕, 證明它在我的collection裡有一段的時間 XD.

Swatch on arm. This might *look* like a bronzer but in real life it's a pretty coral orange without the pink undertones. It also leans towards a matte finish, pigmentation is definitely on a higher side.

在手臂內側試色, 看下去很似啡色的bronzer吧? 但真實又不是那麼啡的, 其實是很漂亮的橙色, 沒有帶粉紅色的啊, 所以是絕對的珊瑚橙. 上色度是屬於高的一批.

See? This blush is a true coral orange without any pink undertones, it makes me feel like summer has hit and I've gone sunbathing for a bit then my cheeks became flushed and tanned in a nice way. This blush bronzer makes me look instantly awake and in the game. (That's my unruly hair in the second pic)

看到了嗎? 是橙色來的, 沒有絲毫粉紅的啊. 掃上它令我即時感到夏天曬點太陽之後面上會出現的顏色, 令人精神了很多.
Intensity: High on pigmentation

Finish: Matte. Golden overspray will be gone after a few swatches.

Value: $44 USD, definitely on the pricey side. 6.5 g of product.

Lasting power: Pretty decent, the orange is still wearing when I head home after 6-7 hours.

Repurchase: Yes, please (but not that I need to anyway.)

Overall thoughts: I seriously LOVED this blush, I almost thought of buying a backup when I first used it for a month! (especially when it was LE in my place) But then I have 32681 blushes so I guess I won't be finishing this anytime, let alone the need for a backup. I've tried the same bronzer blush in another shade 001 Rose Brazilia but didn't like that one as it didn't show up on my skin. This blush is a must-have if want to look like you've been under the sun for a bit (without the risk of SPF)! Looks best on NC/NW20-30 skintone I reckon.

上色度: 高

效果: 啞光(無閃粉), 表面的金色閃粉掃2-3下便會被掃走

價錢: $44 USD, 頗貴的, 6.5 克

持久度: 不錯, 6-7 小時之後都在

回購: 會 (雖然這個都不會徹底被用完/掉啦)

總評: 很愛這個胭脂, 那時差不多想添個後備啊 (尤其是知到是限量). 但已經有32681個胭脂等我用, 這個又不會用得完, 都不用後備了嘛. 同款的還有001 Rose Brazilia, 但在我的膚色上完全不顯眼. 這種顏色最適合NC/NW20-30號色的朋友.

What is A-Blush-A-Day (ABAD) Project?

Project ABAD was started by Elaine, Jolyn and I. On each day, each of us will present a different blush (old or new) we used each day (so that's 3 x 30 = 90 blushes), with swatches done either on face or on hand, and a short review. For my list of 30 blushes to be used in this project, click here. Don't forget to head to Elaine's and Jolyn's blogs for daily blush surprises!

什麼是"每日一胭脂"系列?

我們三個(Elaine, Jolyn 和我)每天會介紹當日使用的胭脂, 3人 x 30 = 會介紹總共 90 個胭脂 (新與舊), 配以試色圖(於手上或面上), 再加短短的用評. 本人於未來30天會使用這些胭脂. 去Elaine, Jolyn的blogs看看她們在用那個胭脂吧!!

Project 30-days results + giveaway WINNER!

About a month ago, I started this project 30-days (post here). Now it's time for the results!

I realized the pics are taken at different times and it's hard to adjust the lighting and the angle, size LOL......sorry about that!

First we have....

a small but noticeable tip in the Canmake Cream Highlighter. I used it for highlighting the brow bone and nose bridge.

Next we have my everyday powder foundation: Benefit Hello Flawless in Honey. Wow the pan's diameter enlarged XD!
Length of Urban Decay Bourbon eyeliner has gone a bit shorter when compared to the unsharpened/untouched Zero:
Ettusais loose powder. I can't really judge how far this has been consumed within one month...the results aren't significant eh? I applied with a powder puff, maybe that's why? (since a puff takes up less product than a brush through the sift?)

One of my HG blush: Cargo Blu-Ray HD blush/highlighter in pink shimmer (i believe...). Blush surface has been disturbed even more in the middle, in real life a tiny tiny dip is beginning to form...it didn't show up much on pictures though :/ The latter pic is more similar to the original thing in terms of color.
Marc Jacobs EDP:
Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand cream. Whee it's getting less product inside. I use this only at night before sleep.
Dior Lip Glow Color Reviver balm - completely finished yay! (previous review here)
Jill Stuart Day Care Essence - a month ago there are about 10 uses left, same as the Dior lip glow I chose these two to include in the project because 1) they're the easiest to finish up; 2) can't wait for them to be gone/binned. XD I have used this Day Care Essence as a primer (with SPF) for about half a year, although not regularly. This should be long gone by 4-5 months of uses.
My thoughts on project 30-days:

It's easy to stick with the same foundation, primer, eyeliner, hand cream, highlighter, perfume; yet it's not the case with blushes, lip products and loose powder. If you have a huge stash, it's even more difficult! I found that I can stick to a blush for at most 3 days (unless you have determination and self-discipline of a saint, haha) but after that my hands tend to *drift* towards the others (oh well but I didn't!). It's freaking hard to stick to the same blush :/ especially when you have too many to choose from XD With lip products it's the same case, it's hard to stick to one item when you don't like it in the first place!

I would continue sticking to the same powder foundation, concealer and hand cream, but that's all LOL.

p.s. I just remembered I forgot to take a pic of the Canmake concealer! The tube itself is opaque so it's hard to judge how much it has in the beginning/after 30 days. I'm going to stick to that concealer until it's completely used up/dried up. I am even thinking of dismantling it like people do to their UDPP, but not sure how to cut through the tube -.-.

On another note, the giveaway winner is.....*throws confetti*

fleur!

Congrats hun! Please email me your info and details within 48 hours :)

Thanks to you all who participated!! ^_^

Products I'm digging into this month + giveaway note

While I was reading this post on MWS, I figured it'd be interesting to see how makeup products will turn after intensive use within a month XD This is because I never finish anything, with the exception of mascaras being tossed because they passed their date of 4-5 months. The closest I've come to finishing a product is with sunscreen-primers (I only use primers with SPF and also use as sunscreen alone). You're supposed to wear sunscreen everyday so this doesn't really count I guess? The second closest occasion is hitting pan on 2 foundation compacts, and one concealer - that's the *only* items I've hit pan on. I have way too much blushes, eyeshadows and the like so none of them gets regular love. *shame*

And I picked the following items:

- CARGO Blu-Ray High Definition Blush/Highlighter in Pink (HG!)

- Canmake Cover & Stretch Concealer UV #02 (HG!) (previous review here)

- Canmake Cream Highlighter

- Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Bourbon (HG!)

- Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Therapy

- Marc Jacobs Eau de Parfum

- YSL False Lash Effect Sample in Black

- Dior Lip Glow (previous review here)

- Jill Stuart Day Care Essence (transferred into a small jar due to small amount remaining)

- Ettusais Medicated Acne-control loose powder

- Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation in Honey (HG!)

Phew, picking which items for this month is not an easy task! I recently 'shopped' my stash and took out Benefit Hello Flawless and it was my HG powder foundation up to now, and since I've hit a medium-sized pan on it, I want to see a larger pan XD. Choosing eyeliner is the easiest - black liners look too harsh on me, browns are perfect for everyday use if I can't switch. Canmake concealer is my HG and I've been using it for almost a year (easier to finish up?) so that's definitely on the list. Canmake cream highlighter is included because application is fast, and it contains so little product so easier to hit pan on LOL! Jill Stuart primer - needless to say, only 6-7 uses left, the tube was already dismantled by me, HAH! Ettusais loose powder because it's been used for more than a year (O_o just realized up to this point) and seems never be able to finish it. YSL mascara sample because it flakes and smudges in my undereye area - throwing it away is kind of wasteful...(let's see how long I can tolerate this mascara). Dior Lip Glow is chosen since only 1cm of the product is left in the tube and I disliked this product so much and wanted to use it up. Marc Jacobs EDP is a signature perfume of mine and the scent is perfect for fall and winter. Since winter is approaching and I often reach for hand creams, so it's included. Eyeshadows are left out because I don't wear eyeshadows often.

The hardest part was choosing which blush to use...finally CARGO Blu-Ray blush was chosen because I love the formula - it applies dreamily like melting butter (short for words...). And the blush changes color according to your skin or lighting I think...so much fun to see it show up in different hues of pink everytime! :D

Before heading to bed - please meet this fellow:

They're the new glasses I got. These are the first pair of thick-framed glasses I have. And why am I digging it this month? 'Cause November is the season for assignments, revisions and exams!

Have you had similar experiences of choosing particular makeup products and tell yourself to use it intensively? How did it go? How do you choose which products to include?

p.s. In case you haven't, check out my giveaway here :)

Review: DiorShow Iconic Mascara

received this mascara sample from Sheila during the beauty blogger meetup swap in London. It's a sample sized mascara and contains 4ml of product.

Here's what the bristles look like, a big thumbs up for the dense bristles!

The bristles might not be well-captured in the photo, but they are not aligned in a parallel manner. Towards the tip of the comb, the bristles kind of make a turn and swirl their way to the top (if that makes sense at all, lol).

Here's how my lashes looked like after application. I lined my eyes with Stila x Barbie eyeliner pot in Cobalt Clutch, which is an electric blue. I didn't expect this mascara to do a lengthening job, but it did lengthen it a bit.

I woke up with a sleepy left eye (does this happen to everyone? or some people?), I do find it weird, sometimes my eyes are of equal shape but sometimes they're not. I curled my lashes with a Shu Uemura lash curler.

Immediate thought:

The consistency of this mascara is pretty thin, i.e. no sticky paste or fibre-like threads hang on to the comb when I pull it out from the tube, which is good news, it means less messier application! (unlike Majolica Majorca lash expander's comb...but more on that in a separate post, maybe). However, the consistency is so thin that I didn't feel like my lashes are well coated. It didn't volumize either. Yet, the bright side is, its so thin that it doens't clump your lashes, I don't need a lash comber (those mini ones) to comb the clumped lashes.

What it says on Sephora's product description:

"A mascara with an innovative oblique brush that curls and defines lashes. "

Well, there you are. This statement is very well said, this product did what it claimed to. It doesn't claim to volumize, doesn't claim to lengthen. I like the design of the brush that prevents your lashes getting clumped.

HOWEVER, look at how it turned out after 6 hours:

The mascara had fallouts and these deposited in the undereye area, which made me look like a racoon. I found this happening to my Majolica Majorca Lash Expander too. But hey, it's Dior, so you're not expecting it to have fallouts, eh?

Verdict:

Won't purchase it in full size because of the fallout issue. But the brush design is worth checking out when hunting for HG mascaras in future!

Review: Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm SPF 10

Today I am reviewing a recently recruited item in my makeup stash, here it is: Dior Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm,

It comes with a rectangular cap (which is kind of bulky to me). I like the pinkish tube but I don't like the shape of it. You can pull the tube in and out from the cap with a click. The tube itself is very slender, the end of it has a "CD" imprint on it. When you twist and reveal the lip glow comes out. It's a very milky pink kind of color, but it is not pigmented at all. You will see why in the pics below which I swatched it on my arm. The color is similar to the kind of pink you see on the cap! It reminds me of those lip balms for kids. And it SMELLS EXACTLY the same as those junior lip balms. It carries a vanilla taste, with tiny tiny tiny touch of mint, if your nose is sensitive enough to detect it. The smell is very faint, though.

Now on to the swatch. Sorry about the quality of the pictures, it's really hard to focus on that tiny swatch, plus, this balm doesn't really show any color although it is called a Color Reviver Balm. To give you an idea of what it is, on the Sephora site it is called ''A color-awakening lip balm with SPF 10." Its function: "Dior Addict Lip Glow responds to the color chemistry of your lips to create a shade that is uniquely yours. Smooth it on to moisturize, add sun protection, and enhance your natural lip color. "

So, you see why there's not much of color showing up when you swatch, because it will react with your body chemistry to create a color.

I tried swatching on a napkin (Tip: I suggest the same when you swatch blushes at counters, because they show up really pigmented in napkin papers than on arm/skin, it makes comparison between blushes easier.) and it came out like a florescent, fuschia kind of pink (I swear the color is like that when swatched on a paper).

Before application of the Lip Glow:

After application:

This picture makes it look like there's shimmer/glitter in the balm but there's none, it's only the sunshine makes it looks shiny.

Another shot from below:

Although the color of my lips imparted by this lip glow is fairly light, but in real life it turned my lips into fuschia pink! I don't hate fuschia pink, but it certainly doesn't match my skin shade. My friend commented on it as 'a little bit dark to go along with the rest of my face'. For your reference I am a NC25. While it looks nice in pictures, I swear I don't like the color shown up after reacting with my body chemistry. I tried using this lip glow in different hours during the day to see if the color changes, but they turned out to be the same.

In terms of consistency, I would give it a 'poor'. It lasted no more than 30 minutes on my lips. It doesn't really moisturize my lips, unlike the Lip Balm by Sara Happ I reviewed earlier on. This Dior Lip Glow doesn't stay, so it doesn't offer comprehensive sun protection (how does it protect when it doesn't last?).

The only good thing about this lip glow is: the SPF 10. While the degree of protection isn't high enough, it's better than most balms/glosses out there which do not offer any sun protection at all. At the value of almost 27 Euros (22 Euros if you purchase at Duty Free), it only carries 3.5 grams of product and roughly not more than 3cm long (when fully twisted upwards). I would say, make a pass on this one and get something which can last longer!

Summary:

Pros:

- carries SPF

- sounds high-tech since the balm will react with your lips' chemistry to create a unique color

Cons:

- bulky to put in a purse

- SPF not high enough for someone like me (I prefer SPF higher than 20 at least, for lips)

- expensive for the small amount of product you get

- the color generated might not match the rest of your look

- doesn't last me more than 30 minutes

- doesn't moisturize either

Buh-byes and WELCOME TO...

Hi ladies! In this post I will be saying goodbyes to the products which I finished using and will be going to the bin. They are:

Benefit That Gal Primer
Benefit BadGal Blue Mascara
Clinique All About Eyes Rich (deluxe sample size)
Clinique Clarifying Lotion/Toner (travel size)


The Benefit primer is nothing special, I just like the smell of it and the pinkish tone (which really brightens up my complexion), but nothing more. I finished 2-3 tubes of this primer (coz it's really really tiny) and somehow I feel this product is more for winter, as I have the sticky feeling when applied in humid/warm weather. Since this primer does not have SPF, I tried applying sunscreen before hand and it didn't work with this primer, there were tiny particles (like the kind of suds you get from rubbing an eraser on a paper, eww) falling off my face. Therefore I prefer primers with high SPF. Bye-bye, That Gal Primer!

(oh and did I mention that my bf likes to play with this empty tube just because it sounds and looks like those machines you get your minced beef/pork from? lol)

Concerning the blue mascara, I was in the blue-eyed phase and I got this mascara brand new from a swap. I heard that blue mascara will enhance the contrast between the black and the white parts of your eye, it performed okay for this purpose. But this mascara weighed down my curled lashes (-.-) so I can't see any difference in terms of lengthening and volumizing. I won't be purchasing it in the future.

For the Clinique All About Eyes Rich eye cream, I finished 3 full size of this cream before, and this is a deluxe sample size I bring along for short trips. While I do not notice that much of a difference after use, but until I find the ultimate HG eye cream, I am settling on this one. This cream moisturizes the under eye area, and if you find the "All About Eyes Rich" formula a bit thick, you can try the watery formula called "All About Eyes" I think. I still have another deluxe sample size with me and I aim to empty this jar before I return to Hong Kong. Yay for more luggage space!

This clarifying lotion ( I prefer to call these toners) from Clinique has an overwhelming alcohol smell which makes me dizzy, I had to hold my breath while applying it with cotton puffs. I remembered the SA telling me to use cotton balls and pat on the skin, but anyhow, my skin felt cleaned (like sanitized kind of clean) after using. It works at clearing the dead skins on my face I believe, but due to the smell I won't be buying this formula. I also tried the toner without alcohol by Clinique, but I forgot how it was (like 3 years ago). Since then I switched to the CLEAR line from Orbis, the toner from this line was raved by many Japanese girls, because it has a special ingredient in it to help fading acne marks.

In this post I also wish to say a huge welcome to... Dior Addict Lip Glow with SPF 10! This is my first lipstick like thingy in my life, I don't really use lipsticks (thankgod my obsession with lipsticks hasn't started). This Lip Glow is more like a lip balm for me, only better, with SPF 10. I also noticed they claimed this lip balm will adjust into a shade that is unique on your lips according to body chemistry? This sounds like Smashbox's O-glow to me.

Please share your thoughts on this lip glow :)