Marcelle Lux Gloss

Although named a gloss, the Marcelle Lux Gloss reminds me more of a liquid lipstick a la Chanel Rouge Allure Laque.


The product is dispensed with a doe foot applicator.




Check out below the creamy and pigmented formula!



The colour I received to try was Muse, a metallic (or frosty?) warm rose pink.


This is perfect for my lips as sheer colours don't usually show up well on them, but Lux Gloss definitely did.






The formula is non drying, and performs well for a drugstore liquid lipstick! If there was one thing I hope Marcelle does, is to add more colours to their range as most of the other colours were a bit too 'metallic' in finish for me. A dupe of Chanel Ming would be nice! ;)

Dolce Vita

Closer look of Nars Dolce Vita:



Dolce Vita appears as a brick red in the pan, slightly scary for someone fair skinned and prone to redness like me. In fact I've had it for a year without actually wearing it because I was afraid it would make me look like I have rosacea. However I'm glad I decided to give it a go, because when applied lightly (just don't pack in on) with a blush brush it gives a healthy glow to my cheeks.



Also, Revlon Peach looks different here compared with my previous post, probably due to the sunny lighting + different camera settings. I think the most accurate representation of the colour is actually in the first full face picture.


Eyeshadow closeup - used all colours from the Lavshuca Eye Select palette in PU-2






Here is the full breakdown of what I used:

Face
Mix of Lunasol Water Cream foundation + Guerlain Parure Extreme
Cargo blu-ray concealer
MAC Emote blush
Nars Dolce Vita blush

Lips
Revlon Colourburst in Peach

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Lavshuca Eye Colour Select in PU-2
Kate Super Sharp Liner BK-1
Mary Kay Ultimate mascara

Skincare Rx Giveaway winner!

The winner of the $75 gift card from Skincare Rx is moonRabbit!

My randomization process:


All entries randomized and assigned a number:




Drawing the numbers (goes from left to right). There were 119 entries in total, and the first number picked was #40 which is a number assigned to moonRabbit:



Congrats moonRabbit! Please email me as soon as possible with your full name, phone number, and mailing address :)

Peachy

This was my lipstick haul from a month ago when Rexall Pharmaplus (a Canadian drugstore) held a 50% off event with their lipsticks and glosses.



-Vasanti lipstick in Aruba & tinted lipbalm in Cancun
-Maybelline Superstay Lipcolor (can't remember the shade)
-Revlon Colourburst in Peach & Blush.


Today I'm featuring a closeup look at the Revlon Colorburst in Peach:


Lip swatch:


On me, Peach warms up my natural lipcolour a bit so it comes out as a warmer pink with faint peach tones. However if you have less pigmented lips than I do (probably 70% of you!) it would appear more peach and much less pink.


Compared it with other peach lipsticks in my collection that seemed similar:


L-R: Joe Fresh Coral, MAC Ever Hip, Revlon Colorburst Peach.





In terms of texture, all 3 lipsticks glided on though Revlon and MAC were the smoothest. Pigmentation wise, the Joe Fresh lipstick was the best, while Revlon and MAC were sheerer, requiring a few swipes to get the same pigmentation as the Joe Fresh.



Colour wise, the Revlon Peach was closer to Joe Fresh Coral, slightly pinker but not as pink as MAC Ever Hip. In fact, Revlon Peach could be the child of MAC Ever Hip + Joe Fresh coral :)

Koji Curving Eyelash Curler 38mm

I'm back from my work trip! Thanks to all those that visited and/or commented even though I haven't had much time to work on the blog recently. I didn't have internet access except for a brief moment in the middle of my trip, so all I did was moderate blog comments.

Anyway, for now here is a review of the Koji 38mm curler I've been meaning to do for a while!

This is the latest curler from Koji I believe. It boasts a 38mm curvature, which is supposedly more suitable for Asian eyes.




It comes with 2 replacement pads as well:



I got this from eBay either at or close to retail, which I think is about US$17? (Let me know if you know anywhere else to get this cheaper). It is definitely on the pricer side, similar to what a Shiseido curler would cost at Sephora.

However, I think its worth the price, especially if your curler either pinches your eyelids or tends to not curl your lashes properly. Here are my lashes curled with the Koji curler - I think its quite good at getting most of my lashes, especially the outermost corner.




The curvature is a little different from other curlers I've tried, so it does take a few tries to get the hang of it. The first few times, it crimped my lashes instead, since I was so used to my ELF curler which is mechanical so there is some resistance when clamped that helps pad my lashes. Most likely I was just pressing too hard.

The Koji curler just works best if clamped gently for just a few seconds, and repeated multiple times through lashes rather than just once.


Just to show you how different this curler is, here's some side by side pictures of it with my other curler, from ELF. In all pictures the Koji curler is on the left and ELF curler on the right.




The curler is definitely more curved, which helps pinch my eyelids less:




It is also flatter, which probably suits Asian eyes more as ours aren't as deep set.




The width is also wider, which is more forgiving on more eyeshapes.




Here is the pic of my lashes curled with Koji again for comparison with ELF:



Lashes curled with the ELF curler:



Granted these are not the same eye but it shows you how the Koji curls even the outermost corner of the lashes properly, unlike the ELF curler. For the record, I've tried the Shiseido curler before and it most definitely pinched my eyelids >.< Thats the reason why I had been sticking with ELF until now, even though it doesn't do the best job. Shu Uemura is another option, but considering it is more expensive and doesn't allow refills, the Koji curler works out to be cheaper in the long run.

Hope this review helps, since the Koji curler isn't widely available to try! I think its worth the price though if you have not been satisfied with most curlers sold in the Western market.

On The Scene

I did a In the Groove look last weekend, using MAC's On The Scene facechart as inspiration but using Stereo Rose instead of Petticoat MSF.



My take:






Eyes:






Lips with Jazzed lipstick: Note that my natural lip colour does make it look pinker than it is




I used:




Stereo Rose leaves a gorgeous glow, as long as you apply sparingly with a duo fibre brush.





I can see why it may be a bit orange on some but I think it is still wearable if you apply just a touch of it. I just used my MAC 131 flat duo fibre brush to swipe the MSF surface lightly and tapped it on my cheekbones. After that you can blend it out further with a clean brush if you find it too strong for your liking.

My makeup essentials for a business trip

I'll be away for a few days on a business trip, and thought I could share with you what I'm bringing with me. Its quite basic, since I can't see myself putting on multicoloured eyeshadow...it may scare away non makeup salespeople :D



Face
Biore UV Base SPF 50 PA+++
Smashbox Light Primer - sample size
Cle de Peau concealer
Guerlain Meteorites Mythic travel size
CK Infinity Matte foundation

Cheek
MAC Emote blush
Canmake Cream Cheek blush 07 (LE)
Silk Naturals blush in Sassy

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Cargo blu-ray undereye concealer
Lunasol Geminate liner in brown
Kate Frame Impact liner BK-1
Kate Super Sharp liner BK-1
Mary Kay Ultimate mascara
ELF quad (ELF Pink Ice, MAC Brun, MAC Electra, ELF Dusk)

Lip
Korres Mango Lipstick in 13 Natural Pink
T'estimo lipstick in RS-1
OCC Lip Tar in Pageant

There are some night events to attend, hence the smokey eye shades and strong lip colour options :D


All packed in my Shu Uemura GWP pouch, except the foundation + UV base




These are the brushes I'm bringing:



MAC 187 - for powder
Spa Resource angled face brush - for contouring
MAC 138 - for blush
Sephora crease brush - for blending
Posh blending/crease brush - for the outer corner of eye
ELF eyeshadow brush - general all over the lid application
Annabelle slant brush - great for gel liners. Actually I could take this out, since I decided to bring liquid liners instead of a gel liner.
Crown Brush liner & spoolie brush - for filling in brows
Koji 38mm lash curler


I don't usually pack my brushes in a brush roll when I'm travelling. Instead I have a plastic pencil case box for them - protects them from being bent out of shape.

What do you normally bring on a trip?

Quick Konad tutorial

This was requested a few weeks ago by a few. I'm no expert yet so this is just a basic, barebones tutorial.

Here's what you will need:

1. Nailpolish remover
2. Suitable polish for stamping*
3. Konad scraper
4. Konad stamper
5. Image plate




Step 1: Use a paper towel (not a tissue or anything that leaves annoying lint behind) to clean the plate, the stamp surface, and the scraper.




Step 2: Apply a thin coat of polish on the top of the desired pattern.






Step 3: Scrape the pattern in 1 motion, thus removing excess polish.




Step 4: Quickly roll over the pattern with your stamper - don't wait too long after scraping!



If you didn't scrape off too much or take too long, the pattern should transfer easily:



Don't worry if the excess polish transfers too. You'll see below that because the stamping surface is concave, it won't get stamped on accidentally.


Step 5: Orient the stamper to whatever position you want the pattern to be. Press down and roll it gently on your nail from one side to the other. The pattern should transfer onto your nail now:




*For best results, you either can use the Konad polish, or any polish with a thicker consistency. Metallic/chrome finishes tend to work best as well. I've tried some thinner polishes that just won't transfer well onto the stamp no matter what.