Glamour Queen

HI everyone!

OK, I haven’t been around for such a long time because of many different things, probably the least of which my not having a camera anymore (I sold it to my sister :p) Anyway, I am planning to move soon. I’m thinking of incorporating my makeup stuff with my personal blog at Multiply, but that’d mean people who aren’t on Multiply won’t be able to comment. I dunno. I’ll think about it!

Meanwhile, you guys hie over to Mutiply first.

http://janenuqui.multiply.com

So, I’ll take a bit of a breather with the She Space reviews, as I have to admit, I don’t know which pigment came from which collection after the Drama Queens, and with the sheer number of pigments I bought from the Color Fest collection, it’s hard sorting through and forming opinions on those stuff. Meanwhile, let’s go through some of the other great mineral makeup purchases I’ve made lately and have become my some of my favorite things:

Joppa Minerals Simple Radiance Foundation

In spite of my profound love for the Alima foundation, I have trouble reconciling my ghost face look in photos with the gorgeous finish it gives me, which is why my search for the One Foundation To Rule Them All continues.

Joppa’s Simple Radiance foundation is one of my favorite purchases of late. I wouldn’t say that it’s The One, but more simply that it gives me a lot of the great stuff that Alima does: creamy application, soft satin matte finish that’s not too bright and dewy but definitely not flat, great lasting power when coupled with a good primer. It also provides a fuller coverage than Alima, something that my acne-riddled skin could definitely use.

On the down side, Joppa Minerals has a woefully limited color collection for foundation shades in this line. In addition, where Alima would simply wipe off from the grease when it finally gives up on my face (but that’s after a good 8 hours!), Joppa does some rather gross separation and caking, especially that spot where my eyebrows meet (but again, after a good 8 hours!) Because of this, I tend to wear Joppa more on “going out” days where I probably won’t be out of the house (away from my makeup kit!) for too long.

There are definitely other brands and foundations better than this, but because of the creamy application and the gorgeous satin matte finish, Joppa’s Simple Radiance foundation has earned a place of love in my favorite makeup.

(Can’t say the same for the other foundations that Joppa has though. The matte full cover one is too matte and colors are off on the website pictures, while Morning Dew foundation is unbearably shiny. Yikes!)

Blusche Velvet Matte Foundation

In terms of all the things I’ve loved about the Alima foundation, I think Blusche beats everything hands down!I got my Blusche Velvet Matte foundation in the 4-piece Custom Kit on the site, and what an amazing deal it was! I saved so much money on this jar of amazing foundation.

Like Alima, Blusche Velvet Matte gives a medium coverage that can be built to full, though I don’t really recommend this with either foundations as it makes your makeup look heavy. The finish is light and airy but it gives great cover for many imperfections. It also blurs large pores and acne scars very well to give that soft airbrushed look. SInce Titanium dioxide isn’t its first and primary ingredient, Blusche doesn’t give that ghostly pallor that Alima does (though of course if your camera flash is really bright, you’d still get that.)

Another thing that I really love about this brand is how amazingly accurate the Warm colors are for Asian women. The colors aren’t gold or banana yellow, but really warm and perfectly suited for my Filipino complexion. And I think that’s no surprise since Monica, the formulator/owner of Blusche is Filipino. The color collection that it has isn’t as extensive as Meow or even Alima though, but for our warm-toned Asian girls (FIlipinos, Thai, Malaysians, and most other Southeast Asians except for the ethnic Chinese) this is a brand to choose when you are close to giving up on finding that foundation shade that gives just the right tone.

Meow Premier Puss Foundation Primer

(Sorry, I totally forgot to take pictures of this! Duh!)

I own about as many foundation primers as I do foundations (and I have over 20 different brands of multiple shades of this) and among all the primers that I own, none matches the awesome oil-combating powers of Meow’s Premier Puss.

Formulated with Kaolin Clay as the primary ingredient of the oil control primer (there are two of types of primers btw, the other one is for normal/combination skin), Premier Puss easily beats the competition in terms of how long it can help make your foundation last. It prevents the oilies so well that I don’t even have to blot within an 8 hour period. Of course, as with all makeup containing Kaolin Clay, you have to be sure to wash all traces of the stuff from your brushes to prevent build up that can cause your brush bristles to clump and your skin to break out.

When seen in the jar, the primer looks grainy and heavy, a bit similar to how Cory foundations look in the jar, but once brushed on, it spreads like silk on the skin thanks to the boron nitride ingredient that gives added slip. I’m happy that this is one of the few silica-free primers in the market so ladies who don’t like silica can be content with this brand.

The only thing that I can think of to improve this primer is that it should come in a number of different shades to match the foundation color. I think primers that match your foundation color closely really contributes to a seamless makeup application. I don’t think Meow will be coming up with colors for this soon though, but then given their foundation color selection, I don’t think it’s even necessary.

Dreamworld Minerals Isis Blush

O-M-G is how I reacted when I opened my package and saw this blush shade. It’s the perfect shade of pink with the perfect amount of delicate shimmer enough to bring out your cheek bones but still muted and subdued enough that you don’t look like a disco ball.

Generally, I prefer using matte blushes due to the over the top shimmer of most satin or shimmer blushes but Isis blush really looked lovely with the nice soft shine it provides while not being overly glittery. The color is lovely too: it gives that delicate flushed pink look, a bit more pronounced than using a nude pink matte blush from Alima or Cory, but still light and natural.

I love this shade and my only hope is that Dreamworld will also release some blushes in 20g containers as it’s much easier to to swirl color into my blush brush with those kinds of larger packaging. This blush is totally becoming one of my HGs!

Continuing the She Space February limited edition review, here’s the goods on her next release (also my very favorite!):

She Is A Drama Queen!

Undoubtedly, this set is the most popular with the ladies who love bright, twinkling colors. The Drama Queens are vibrant and colorful: they go on highly pigmented such that even small amounts yield bright results. The Twinkles and the Velvets seem to shrink back in my eyelids when paired with a Drama Queen. That’s how good the color payoff is, and this pigment is so crazily reminiscent of most MAC frost and pearl finish pigments, that after buying my first round of Drama Queen colors, I stopped buying MAC pigments and eyeshadow altogether.

Now, because it is inherently vibrant, the color is very opaque, making the blending of this with other pigment finishes almost a pain, as it tends to overpower the other pigments. Sometimes, I find that when I use a Drama Queen with the regular pigments or the other sets, I have a huge chunk of color that can’t seem to blend gracefully and the more I try to “buff” the colors together, the more the Drama Queen colors start to basically cover up the other colors. Used by itself though, there doesn’t seem to be any issue with blending.

In terms of the finish, the Drama Queens are slightly less twinkly than the regular pigments on TSS. However all of the colors still come with a distinctive metallic sheen. I like that it isn’t overly shimmery unlike the Twinkles, and the brightness and opaque colors tend to help hide the small scars and fine lines I have around my eyes.

The Drama Queens aren’t for the conservative fashionista, or the faint of heart! It’s best to keep the brighter colors from this collection to your days off work or your nights out, if your work or school environment is very conservative. Personally, I am still able to wear Magical Mania (bright blue), Poetic Mania (bright blue green) and Tricked Out (metallic purple) to work, but that’s probably because I work in IT where no one gives a shit about how everyone else looks like.

Hi everyone, I’m starting off the reviews now with my personal favorite among all the mineral make-up purchases I have ever made: Heather’s Color Fest limited edition pigments! I bought about 90 shades of the collection, which is not in its entirety yet, as I’m pretty sure that there are in total 108 shades from the whole February collection. I passed a lot on the Sprinkling of Twinkling set, much of the Smoking Denim set (blue just doesn’t suit me very well), and a few colors from the Velvet Ladies (um yeah, I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a Robin’s Egg blue eyeshadow even if the texture was gorgeous).

Most of my purchases have been for nude shades, which I love the most as I like understated eyeshadow and then piling on with the eyeliner. I also bought a crazy amount of purple and pink shades: I just realized that the pink smoky eye is one of the sexiest looks ever and so wearable to work! Now, on to the review!

Background:

Before we start, let me just say that prior to buying any of Heather’s pigments, I had been using MAC pigments and eyeshadow. I have since sold most of these to make space in my traincase for my growing MMU collection. I will compare About Face pigments to the texture, quality, color intensity and lasting power of MAC pigments, as well as some more widely known MMU brands like Alima, Pure Luxe and Fyrinnae.

(Read more…)

That is the question!

I know updates have been incredibly sparse lately and this is really my fault: I have a hard time juggling blogging/reviewing… and ogling the tons and tons of MMU out there in the world waiting for my greedy little hands to grab them. And well you know, I have a job, but that’s secondary.

So, in light of these, I want to ask you, my readers, to help me prioritize the reviews that should be coming up in this blog. Recently, I have had tons of mineral make-up delivered to my doorstep, just ready for me to try them and I want my purchases to benefit (and enable!) you to buy what suits you best!

Here’s a list of all brands of my mineral foundations, blushes, glow powders and eyeshadow. Please leave me a comment on what you would like to see pictured or reviewed. I will review on the basis of: coverage, texture, lasting power, color selection, compatibility with other related products (e.g. finishing powder, eye primer, etc.), brush/application requirement, price and company customer service. I will also try to provide information on ingredients and any sensitivity I may develop to them.

Foundations & Primer/Finishing Powders

• Alima
• Meow Cosmetics - Pampered Puss, Flawless Feline & Concealer formulas
• Cory Cosmetics
• Everyday Minerals
• McDowell’s Dreamworld Minerals
• Lumiere Cosmetics - all formulas are available for review
• J. Lynne Cosmetics
• Barefaced Minerals
• Classy Minerals
• Silk Naturals
• Buff’d
• Blusche
• Ellana Minerals
• Mineral Boutique
• Joppa Minerals
• The Lush Collection

Blush & Eye Color

• Alima - all matte blushes and all shimmer/pearl eyeshadow are available for review
• Fyrinnae
• MAD Minerals
• Lumiere Cosmetics
• Everyday Minerals - all blushes are available for review
• Pure Luxe Cosmetics
• The She Space/About Face Cosmetics - all eyeshadow from the limited edition collections are available for review
• Silk Naturals
• J. Lynne Cosmetics

Brushes

• Pure Luxe synthetic brushes
• Alima synthetic brushes
• Everyday Minerals synthetic brushes
• aSquirrel white goat hair brushes
• MAC - all brushes
• NYX Cosmetics goat hair eye brushes

I find that I generally buy from all the same companies. But that’s because I think these companies are the best out there! I’ll post again if I ever have other brands available. Links to all of the mineral make-up companies can be found in Cleodelinda’s amazing compilation of MMU sites.

I have to admit, I didn’t really try out Alima when I first ordered that one batch of foundation samples. I did a look with a neutral foundation (bad choice as it made my face look ashen) and used no primer (another bad choice as MMU gets really patchy on just-moisturized skin). I couldn’t accept that all the pretty ladies of Specktra.Net are raving about Alima’s satin foundation, which at the time I initially tested, was nothing on my HG foundation, MUFE Mat Velvet.

I have since switched to mineral foundation, using Pure Luxe (warm Cream was an instant hit on my skin tone), and now that I’m finishing my second jar, I think it’s time to branch out again to look for Something Better™: something that gives a heavy coverage to cover up my scars (this is my primary beef with PL’s foundation), yet at the same time feel weightless on my skin, won’t settle into my pores and wrinkles, and give that gorgeous airbrushed look. And with that in mind, I set out to look for the Best Mineral Foundation in the World™. (I’m not randomly capitalizing; there must be such a thing and it deserves the caps!)

So, recently though I have decided to give Alima another go and have been pleasantly surprised. Here’s a detailed review of the foundation:

Alima Satin Matte Foundation

Shade tested: Warm 3
Primers used: Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, Pure Luxe Silica Powder
Finishing powders used: Lumiere Winter Silk Veil, Pure Luxe Eraser Powder

After my initial (bad) experience with my ashen face and the patchy coverage, I decided to try the leftover of the Warm 3 tester that I had. Used with the Alima #25, the powder brushed on like silk on my face. I buffed for a bit (maybe about 3-5 seconds per 2 sq in of my face) and it gave me one of the most amazing finishes I have ever tried: my scars look airbrushed and minimized, my pores are nonexistent and my skin looks velvet smooth. I tried the same foundation using a normal fluffy powder brush (The Body Shop synthetic powder brush) and got the boring patchy coverage.

So, verdict on texture and coverage: amazing if used in conjunction with a flat-top foundation brush.

I also experimented a bit on the longevity of my make-up using different primers (I find that finishing powders and veils very rarely affect the lasting power of mineral foundation–these only serve to give that soft focus look, not really help to seal the foundation on my face.)

My first experiment was with Smashbox Photo Finish primer, which is a commercially made primer boasting silicones to smooth the skin for foundation. Application was smooth and silky and the initial finish was that awesome full coverage with a gorgeous velveteen feel. Now, fast forward to five hours later and the foundation came off on my hand wherever my hand touched my face. Not attractive at all. It’s ok: I’ve always found that Smashbox Photo Finish makes me oily quite fast, so boo, that’s lame.

Next, I tried the foundation with my current usual primer: Pure Luxe’s Silica powder. As always, the finish was gorgeous. As with the staying power of my current Pure luxe foundation, Alima lasted a good 8 hours before I started seeing settling into pores and lines. My face didn’t get shiny until a good 10 hours. This was on a regular work day. So my verdict for the staying power is I’ve got to use it with a real mattifying primer that really prevents oil-breakthrough (none of that silicones crap) and I’ve got a real winner.

Lastly, I also tested how it showed in a camera. Generally, mineral make-up casts a pallor to my face when a picture is taken with a flash. This is because of the light-reflecting Titanium Dioxide in the make-up. The pallor doesn’t show up at all in reality, but I prefer not to look like a zombie in my pictures. Tested with a low-intensity flash, my face came out radiant, smooth and fresh. High intensity flash brings about the pallor I described, which is something that I encounter with my current PL foundation.

High Intensity Flash = pale face (boo!)

Low Intensity Flash = normal face (whew!)

And so my final verdict:

Alima’s foundation is a really nice, high quality foundation that gives excellent satin matte coverage for a decent amount of time. I’ve already placed my purchase for a full-sized jar because of the lovely finish it gives me. I also appreciate the beautiful packaging that Alima has: makes paying $18.95 for my foundation rather worth it when the packaging doesn’t look cheap. I also like the 3 samples Alima gives with every order. What a nice way to enable my crazy make-up habit!

Overall Score: 4 / 5

Well, not really. But these were taken using my handphone camera instead of my trusty Casio digicam. Also, my playing around with Samsung PC Studio corrupted the eye detail picture for my FOTD. Boo.

So, let’s just have some random camwhoring (I do promise to tell what make-up I still used :D)

So here I am waiting at the bus stop to get to work. Why am I not looking at my camera? I’m trying to pretend not to be a camwhore so passersby will ignore me. They didn’t. But whatever.

Here’s the make-up that I used:

• Face
  • Pure Luxe Silica Powder (primer)
  • Pure Luxe Foundation in Warm Cream
  • Pure Luxe Powder Eraser (finishing powder)
  • Pure Luxe Nymph Blush
  • Nars Laguna bronzer
• Eyes
  • Pure Luxe Eyeshadow Primer
  • About Face Cosmetics Pigments:
    • Storybook Love (wash)
    • Prism Quest (crease)
    • Demon Chatter (outer v)
    • Beyond Grace (lower lid, brow bone, tear duct)
  • MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Permaplum
  • Maybelline Volume Express Waterproof
• Lips
  • MAC Soft & Slow Lipglass

Recently, I love the pink smoky eye look, and it’s so easy to do with About Face Cosmetics from The She Space. I really love the mineral pigments on that site and Heather, the owner, is amazing when it comes to customer service. I have never ordered anything from her that I wasn’t 100% satisfied with, both with the product and with the customer service I received. I’m pretty sure she still has some of those gorgeous shades from her Color Fest Limited Edition collection, so I really suggest you hop over and have a look and order to your heart’s content! After all, samples are only $0.50 and full-sized pigments are $4.00. Damn, that seriously can’t be beat!

Here’s another random camwhoring picture, this time using the MAC Fafi products with my Shu Uemura Face Architect foundation. I love how beautiful it makes my complexion, but after discovering the wonderful matte-ness that mineral foundation gives, I hardly ever use this. Still, it was a very good base to otherwise mediocre make-up from MAC

I took this picture at East Coast Park, where my bf and I went biking. Why I would wear make-up while biking is anyone’s guess. Personally, I think I’m just a make-up whore more than anything else. :-p

Hey all, I’m on a quick update on this so here’s my MAC Fafi review! Need to go but you guys need to check this out and let me know your thoughts on the new make-up!

Part 1

Part 2

Hey all, sorry for not updating for almost two weeks (!!) I’d been caught in a rut trying to lose some weight (rather unsuccessfully. Why can I not stop eating chocolate?) and that really takes up a lot of time. I did try to write some stuff on my mineral make-up picks but I’m still waiting for a few packages to arrive so I can test run more products (and write about them!). Meanwhile, here are my current hair products picks:

Sebastian Laminates Rich Shampoo & Conditioner

Laminates is apparently the hair care series that provides high shine for thick, coarse or chemically treated hair. Since getting my hair permed then colored and never combed, I’ve had really matted, tangled hair. When I went to get it cut over the weekend, the hairdresser at Toni & Guy recommended this line to me to rejuvenate my locks.

What I like about it:
- The shampoo’s consistency is very silky.
- More product than my cheesy TIGI Catwalk shampoo/conditioner set.
- Smells gorgeous but I can’t really place what it smells like.
- Silicone-rich formula of the shampoo makes for really easy combing even of my curls.

What I don’t like about it:
- The conditioner is just plain blah: not enough shine, not enough silkiness, not particularly special.
- It was also hella expensive! Damn, $28? Cheesy.

Final Rating: 3 / 5. There’s really nothing special about it. I think my Pantene shampoo and conditioner set can give me shinier locks at almost half the price.

TIGI Bed Head Small Talk

According to the TIGI website, Small Talk is a hair thickifier, energizer and stylizer in one. It’s a thick creamy formula that I apply on my wet, detangled lock, twirl and blow dry with a diffuser. I have nice, softly textured waves once my hair dries. Out of all the hair creams I bought to style my curls, Small Talk has given me the best results with the nicest curls all around.

What I like about it:
- It gives nice textured waves with just the right combination of stiffness and shine.
- Yummy cotton candy smell
- Melts into wet hair so it’s easy to spread while styling.
- Doesn’t leave a sticky residue on my back if I let my hair air-dry.
- Bonus points for not being a rip-off like the L’OrealTEC hairmix Spiral Splendour.

What I don’t like about it:
- While it’s easy to spread on hair, it’s not really easy to wash off because it’s so thick.
- Being fast-drying should be a good thing, but that leaves a lot of gunk on my hands after application.
- The bottle isn’t travel-friendly.

Final Rating: 4.5 / 5 This is easily my favorite hair texturizer out of all that I own. I love the smell too! Makes me wanna eat my hair. LOL

Hey all, it’s me again! And as I promised last night, I come with the A’Squirrel Brushes review!

If you guys recall, I’d been salivating over the White Goat Hair/Kolinsky Sable Brush Set from A’Squirrel. It’s a 9-piece set and it’s said to be among the softest, plushest brushes out there! You guys know I can’t resist gorgeous brushes, and since A’Squirrel was giving it on offer at $79.90, I jumped on the opportunity. I mean, with that money I could probably only buy at the most 2 MAC powder brushes!

Anyway, my purchase was for 2 items: the Kabuki Brush, and the Brush Set. I’ve split the tutorial video I have here to show them separately. I hope this video helps everyone who wants to buy this set as well. It’s an amazing set and I seriously think you will never regret buying it!

Side note: Just ignore the fact that I look totally retarded coz I can’t look straight at the camera. LOL

Part 1: White Goat Hair Kabuki Brush

Part 2: White Goat Hair/Kolinsky Sable Brush Set

I sound stupid. I hate it. LOL.