Monday, May 12, 2008

Updates + Natural FOTD

I know, I haven't been very good at keeping up with some requests/comments, sorry about that ! :S I'm going to try and get more of them done.

First, some updates to some products I recently reviewed:

- Coastal Scents Duo Fibre brush

Some of you recommended I try it with liquid foundation. Unfortunately it failed to work for me with liquid foundation either. Part of it wasn't its fault, its just that my skin was dry at that time and would not let the foundation spread evenly. However, I found the brush to be useless to distribute the foundation. The bristles made the foundation streaky, and the bristles were shedding (which didn't happen with mineral makeup). I guess the brush hairs shed more easily because I had to use a heavier buffing action for the liquid compared with powder foundation. Still, picking off the hairs is annoying as hell. I guess I won't be using this brush except in an emergency, and only for powder products. Maybe I'll use it as a body brush to highlight collarbones etc?

- Kiss Me Heroine liner

I still like this a lot, but I've noticed the black colour isn't quite as black as MAC's Blacktrack. Somehow it seems less potent, so I have to go over the same area a few times if I want the line to be really black.

- Coffret d'or 3D Lightning Eyes

Jie-jie asked if there was fallout with this product on one of my earlier posts. I find there is some of fallout, especially if you are using a regular eyeshadow brush. However if I stick to the sponge applicator the fallout is reduced, probably because I can apply the product with a 'patting' motion instead of sweeping it across. So basically, yes it does have a bit of fallout, but much less fallout than the Lunasol Sheer Contrast palette and the T'estimo ones. Hope that helps! :)

- MAC Lip Erase

I haven't done a review of this one yet, but to answer a question I received earlier (sorry I can't remember who it was), it does work similarly to MAC Satin lipsticks like Myth. There are some differences, but if Myth already works for you then you can skip this. But I like the texture of Lip Erase more. Will do a review of this soon :)

***

Buff'd foundation review: (Emilee requested a review of this foundation a few posts back)

Coverage:

Buff'd foundation provides heavier coverage than the other brands I've tried, which are Everyday Minerals Intensive and Silk Naturals. Coverage is even better when paired with Everyday Minerals concealers (another combo recommended by Christiana). All 3 shades I ordered work on me, but I think the closest match for me is Sand, a pale shade with heavier yellow undertones.

The finish is quite matte which I like. However I find a finishing powder is definitely necessary as the foundation will get a bit oily after a few hours without powder to set. I used my sample of Silk Naturals Perfecting powder, and after a few hours it does get more dewy but not oily at all. Note that I have dry to combination skin, so am not sure how this will look on oilier skin types.

I do like how this doesn't oxidize / change colour on you. I used to find that Silk Naturals would oxidize on me and get darker after a few hours, but not with Buff'd.

The coverage of the foundation is quite good when wet. However I still have to test that part out more, as the one time I tried spraying some toner over the foundation, I sprayed too much moisture and it made me look super dewy haha. I'm not sure if it was the toner (because the toner was the hydrating type with aloe in it) or just too much moisture, so I have to try that again with less moisture, and maybe just a water spray.

Other general observations:

I noticed the foundation is less free-flowing than other foundations I've tried. It almost lumps up into tiny balls when I am swirling the brush in it. As a result I do have to be a bit more patient to apply it.

Also it was harder to pick up the powder with my duo fibre brushes. My Sephora brush didn't like it at all, it just refused to pick up enough of the powder lol. Fortunately my MAC 187SE was more cooperative. Not sure why...but I think its related to the more clumpy nature of it. So I've been using the MAC 187 SE for Buff'd and using my Sephora brush to apply my finishing powder.

Ordering/shipping information:

You can order samples off the website at $1.50 per sample. All samples have free shipping. It might seem daunting to choose a colour, but the descriptions on the website are quite accurate. Also you can always email them and ask for some recommendations :)

I was a bit put off by the general shipping costs on the website because it said something like $10 for shipping within Canada, but Christiana alerted me to the fact that they have refill kits, which come with free shipping (under the Kits section). Sweet! :)


FOTD with Buff'd and Lancome SOS Pink lipstick:

Buff'd foundation in Sand
Silk Naturals perfecting powder

Everyday Minerals B&B blush
MAC Emote blush to contour

MAC Lip Erase
Lancome 302 SOS Pink lipstick

Photobucket


Minimal eye makeup: Kate Square Cut liner in Natural Brown, Maybelline Cool liner in Chill the Champagne, Blinc Kiss Me mascara

Photobucket


Photobucket


Note that SOS Pink looks a brighter pink in real life...

19 comments:

ilurvemakeup said...

I love the SOS lippie <333 I tried the SN foundation kit, it didn't work to my liking :/ Poo. I'm gonna stick to EM :) Why fix what's not broken haha Buff'd foundie sure looks tempting, your skin is absolutely flawless!

Anonymous said...

I love this soft girly look, your cheekbones look amazing!

na said...

Thanks for the review! :) You're about a NC25-30 in MAC, right? I'm looking at their shade selection right now, but it's kind of daunting how many yellow shades they have. What other shades did you get besides Sand?

Have you tried applying mmu with a kabuki? I never would've thought to apply it with a duo-fibre brush because they seem rather flimsy, but I wonder if it'll give better coverage.

Christiana Divine @ Memoirs of A Shopping Addict said...

Great reviews. Sorry you got a crappy brush from Coastal Scents. :( The foundation looks good on you! :) I'm also happy that they offer free shipping for the foundie refills... so much more convenient. :P

♡ Nic Nic ♡ said...

awww this is such a pretty natural look! really like the lippie on you :)

i agree with the CS stippling brush, sheds like hell if im using it blend my blushes lol. the pink powder version, strangely dont shed that much at all! how weird...

♡ Nic Nic ♡ said...

awww this is such a pretty natural look! really like the lippie on you :)

i agree with the CS stippling brush, sheds like hell if im using it blend my blushes lol. the pink powder version, strangely dont shed that much at all! how weird...

jing said...

I think I'll stick to Myth.Lip erase is too much of a trouble to obtain when we don't have a pro store around. Thanks again for more information on Coffret D'or and Buff. I trying buffd for the first time today but I feel like I'm having a reaction *sigh*. I hope I'm just thinking too much. That's a pretty natural FOTD! The pink lipstick looks really nice on you.

IchigoBunnie said...

thats what happend to me too bout the SN. It oxidized on me and that got me sad :( my face looked more tanned than usual....so sad @_@

watercoloursky said...

lurve: I like the smooth feel of SN, but I prefer EM more too. If EM works for you then stick with it :)

petitebelle: hehe thanks! its only because of MAC Emote though. I don't know what I'd do once Emote runs out...

Emilee: I'm more on NC20-25 actually...I got Sand, Antique, and Wool. Hmm since you're on the higher side of NC25 I'd guess you could go with Antique, Chamois, or Ginger which are 'light' shades. Sand is described as a 'pale' shade on her website.

I actually prefer duo fibre brushes because my flat top tends to dispense too much and makes it cakey. Usually I'll use the flat top for blending, or for the finishing powder.

christiana: yeah I'm no longer a fan of CS :S I love that Buff'd does refills! I wouldn't want a huge foundation jar anyway, since I carry my makeup around a lot.

nicnic: thanks! i wouldn't have given Lancome's makeup a chance if it weren't for you :) thats interesting about the CS brush, I wonder if the pink one is made by a different manfacturer?

jiejie: awww that sucks :( i hope its from something else instead? keep me updated on how it goes...

ichigobunnie: yep...and for me i noticed after wearing it for a bit that my face was more pink/tan than my neck lol.

Vanessa said...

I use myth most of the time now than the lip erase just because I don't know where I put mine, LOL, but I think also I am a clean freak so dipping my fingers in a pot and applying it to my lips irks me out a bit....

The Faux Fashionista said...

Ooo I like this FOTD! Very subtle and pretty, something I would wear, but I'm too lazy :P

I'm a NC25 too but it tends to look too yellow on me (?) Its really weird but I think the skin on my face isn't as yellow as my neck. Have yet to find the PERFECT match with EDM, maybe I should try Buff'd when I'm done with my samples...

the Muse said...

been ages since I commented :(

Sorry 'bout!

Just wanted to say you look lovely!

Thee Chang said...

You are so pretty ^_^

cheryl said...

the lancome lippie's really tempting! beautiful natural look on u. is your hair naturally wavy?...

Bliss said...

Very Pretty Natural FOTD, i i really love the lippy colour on you so beautiful :).

Chiara said...

Arashi, you look amazing with neutral eyes and a pop of pink! I'm excited for your lip erase post! My lips are super pigmented >[

suzie wuzie said...

i've got the same problem with my coastal scent duo fibre brush shedding when applying liquid foundation. it's really annoying! i only use it to lightly apply illuminator and just a normal foundation brush for other liquid makeup. it's pretty good for applying powdered stuff tho

theChas said...

Your reviews are always so detailed and thorough that I feel ashamed to do reviews myself, lol.

Anonymous said...

Wow, thank you so much for the Buff'd review. I placed an order for some samples yesterday as I am in the market for a full coverage foundation. So far, I've placed sample orders from Blusche, Buff'd, and Pure Anada...hopefully one of those will be what I'm looking for. Hey, did anybody ever tell you you look like Song Hye Gyo? Especially in that recent fotd! Gorgeous!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin