Friday, April 29, 2011

Smashbox In Bloom - Cream Cheek Duo and Endless Kiss Lipgloss

Today, I'm sharing with you one of my favourite Spring/Summer Collections, Smashbox In Bloom.


Prior to this, I've never actually tried Smashbox products before. The packaging of In Bloom is truly beautiful. The colour of blossoms and just evokes in my lovely spring and summery images. From this collection I bought the Cream Cheek Duo in Blushing/Peony, as well as the Limitless Lipgloss SPF15 in Endless Kiss.


The cheek duo may look familiar as I used it in my most previous FOTD, which was inspired by Cherry Blossoms.


It comes with two shades; a bright pink (left) and a light peachy pink shade (right). I personally like to use the bright pink shade stained onto my lips, and the light peachy pink shade as a blush.


The Limitless Long Wear Lipgloss SPF15 in Endless Kiss is great as it's a pretty pink shade. It also contains SPF15, which is rare for a lip gloss.


some close ups of the gloss:


and the doe foot applicator:



Here is a swatch of the bright pink shade of the Cream Cheek Duo used on the lips:


And topped with the Endless Kiss Lipgloss:


Here are a couple of pics of me from the previous FOTD using the peachy pink shade of the cream cheek duo as a blusher and the bright pink shade as a lip stain.



I really love how fresh and summery the colours look. I would go as far to say that the cream cheek duo is by far my favourite beauty purchase this Spring.

Monday, April 25, 2011

My Foray into Rouge Bunny Rouge

Rouge Bunny Rouge is an exquisite brand of products. The names, packaging and description of their products all sound they are from an enchanted forest of a fairy tale. Having read so many great posts and review on this brand, I was excited to give it a try.


I bought the following RBR products from Zuneta:

Gleaming Temptations Lip Gloss in Coy

Silk Aether Cream Eye Shadow in Atlas Swallowtail and Brocade Skipper



Description according to RBR:

This is the Enchanted Garden’s euphoric medley of temptations. Whether you’re feeling kittenish, tempestuous or mellow, sate your spirit in this divinely flirtatious cascade of colour packed in a voluptuous shine. Your lips will appear polished and fuller; their shape magnified and highlighted.


Coy is a strawberry shade with gold glimmer. It feels nice and sheer on the lips:


Product description of Silk Aether Long Lasting Cream Eyeshadow:

Our utmost Long-lasting Cream Eye Shadows caress your skin with the ease of a butterfly wing beat, so that your lids appear smooth and renewed while coated with a semi-matte, slightly luminous colour. It's an irresistible combination of exceptionally long-wear, non-crease and smudge proof textures. The extreme long-lasting effect is delivered through the synthetic filming polymers which ensure a perfect appearance all day.

Atlas swallowtail (left) is a 'stain wash of nude taupe with pewter reflections' and Brocade Skipper is a 'satin wash of blush champagne cream'.



I find both colours super pretty and subtle for everyday use. They really are long-lasting, and I love the creamy texture. The eyeshadow comes with a doe foot applicator (sorry, not shown!). I use the applicator to apply the shadow onto my eyelids, then use Urban Decay's 24/7 Blending Brush to smudge the shadow over my lids.


Overall, I'm impressed with this brand, and looking forward to trying out more of their products in the future.


Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Cherry Blossom FOTD Part II

A simple FOTD using 4 products with a summery OOTD thrown in.

Spring is my favourite season. The sun is shining, cute lambs are born, and trees are starting to blossom.


Today's FOTD is in tribute of the beautiful pink cherry blossoms. I did a Cherry Blossom FOTD last spring, and thought I'd make it a yearly tradition!



My springtime cherry blossom FOTD is centered around flower pink lips and peachy cheeks.

To achieve this I used my new Smashbox In Bloom Cream Cheek Duo, my favourite product this spring.


I skipped foundation or any kind of base today. This year I've been really lucky with my skin. My aim in January was to really work on improving my skin so that I won't have to use foundation anymore.


I used the peachy pink shade (on the right) of the Smashbox Cream Cheek Duo on my cheeks, and the bright pink shade dabbed on my lips.


I used my Illamasqua blusher brush (pictured here) to apply the colour onto my cheeks. It's a great brush which can be used on both cream and powder blush formulas.


I curled my hair for this FOTD using a curling wand, it did not turn out too well! Next time i'll just not aettmpt to style my hair-I'm rubbish at it!


I'm still in my minimalist phase and have used 4 products in this FOTD.


Nars Eyeshadow Duo in All About Eve

Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion Mascara

Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black

Smashbox In Bloom Cream Cheek Duo



The Duos really help to save space as well as lessen the load of products used!


It's a beautiful sunny day, so I wore this white dress I bought from a small boutique in Sarawak, Malaysia. The dress features white chiffon flowers on the neckline.


Here are a couple OOTD pics:


and a slight closer up:


Monday, April 18, 2011

New RMK Pressed Powder N SPF10 Review


Hi everyone! Here's my review on RMK's Pressed Powder N SPF 10, which featured in my Naturally Nude FOTD.


I'm a big fan of RMK's base makeup. I loved the dewiness of their Powder Foundation EX. It'a rare to find a powder that gave the skin a really nice radiant glow. At the moment however, I'm constantly on the lookout for the perfect loose/pressed powder that I can just wear on top of moisturized skin to give me a more flawless look, but with a great glow.

I loved the Dior Capture Total High Definition Loose Powder, but it was a bit on the chunky side to bring with me on my travels. When RMK's new Pressed Powder was released at the end of last month, I was very excited to try it out.


According to RMK:

With the unique blend of translucent, non-graying Snow Leaf Powder and sebum-controlling Micro Bead Powder, this new Pressed Powder works to set the foundation for an ultimate silky translucent touch that is guaranteed to stay throughout the day. Processed under the Moist Granulation where the powder formula is granulated by water for the gliding half moist texture, this powder will fit to your skin to uplift your complexion.


It comes in 5 variations.




The Pressed Powder N comes in 4 powders with different formulas:



A: To give the translucency to your skin. A lucent powder will add a translucent layer over your complexion.

B: To control and correct the tone Choose from tones that brighten or correct for an even, unified skin tone. This block will control the complexion’s colour.

C: To add a natural radiance The fine blend of pearlescent powder will add a touch of natural radiance to the complexion.

D: To cover uneven surfaces. Use on areas with open pore. Refined powder will deliver a soft veil over the uneven areas with open pores to bring out the glow of your skin.


My Thoughts:

The powder was housed in the usual RMK silver box.


The packaging is a slightly chunky (but small) matte silver box with two layers.


The first layer houses the pressed powder, and the second layer twists open to reveal a drawer containing a portable flat brush. I purchased the powder in shade 01 (pale white) from my favourite store, Selfridges. Pale pink (02) is for those who want a slight pinker complexion, and pale blue (03) is for those with slightly red complexions who want to tone down the redness.



Here are some close ups of the powder:


The narrow strip of powder in the middle has a pearlescent finish, which I really like. It's not too shimmery or glittery at all. I find it a lot more subtle in shimmer than the pearlescent strip of the RMK Powder Foundation EX.


With flash. You can see the lustre in the pearlescent strip better here:


Shade and Coverage:

This shade is suitable for those with fair skintones. As it's designed to be used over foundation, coverage is very, very sheer - less than Dior's Capture Totale High Definition Loose Powder (review can be found here). The oil control of this powder is minimal. I love the fact that it contains SPF, but I wish it was a little higher than SPF10. Makeup items don't usually contain high SPF anyway.


Finish:

The finish is amazing! It gives a lovely glow to the skin without looking too shimmery. I find most powders either too matte or too shimmery, but this one's perfect.



A couple of pics of my skin with the powder. Below of just the powder on its own:


And the powder on a recent FOTD; over moisturiser, under liquid blush.


Pros:

-contains SPF10

-did not irritate my skin

-light coverage

-gave skin a gorgeous dewy glow


Cons:

-oil control not as great as other pressed powder formulas

-RMK difficult to find outside Asia (in fact, I think the only place outside Asia to stock RMK is the UK)

-very pricey at ~£30


Saturday, April 16, 2011

Help Me Choose My Next Giveaway Prize ♥

Due to such an amazing response in my first ever giveaway, I'll be hosting another giveaway soon. Amongst other prizes, I'd like to include a Sleek Eyeshadow Palette and would like your help choosing which one.

Below are the choices and I would be very grateful if you could vote for your favourite in my voting poll on the sidebar of my blog.


Sleek i-Divine Storm:


This was included in my first giveaway.


i-Divine Paraguaya:


New for Spring, this palette contains warm browns, cool corals and powder pinks


i-Divine Sunset:


Blend of shimmering golds, reds and blues


i-Divine Bad Girl:



contain strong and deep, pearlescent and matte shades


i-Divine Chaos:

Matte finish shades for the daring


i-Divine Acid

Fusion of bright colours for the even more daring


i-Divine Palette

a palette of 12 eye primers, perfect to use with the Sleek palettes