Sep Face Lifting Mask

Another week, another face mask.  If I had it my way, I'd do at least 2 face masks a week, but between chasing around a toddler, running a household, working full-time, and being 33 weeks pregnant, I find it hard to remember!

I don't know about anyone else, but I find using a sheet face mask really indulgent - am I on my own there?

Important Info: 

Name:   Sep Face Lifting Mask
Size:      30g 
Price:    $14.00USD (per Memebox Lucky Box #1 informational card)

What is it?

As per the informational card: - 
This sheet mask is a 6 in 1 facial hydrogel mask made with a special fabric normally used for body shaping underwear.  It provides intensive nutrition, fights against the appearance of wrinkles, brightens skin tone, firms fine lines, and hydrates the skin.

Packaging

The mask was enclosed in a large white foil packet with a beautiful silver lace design on it.  The packet had a tearing mark, which made it really easy to open.

All directions on the packaging were in Korean.  The informational card I received advised to apply the mask after cleansing, leave it on for 10 minutes, and then remove.  The excess product left on the face should be allowed to absorb.

First Impressions

Before I get into the product itself, can I first just say this must be the prettiest beauty product I have ever used.  It it were black, the eye part of the mask could be a masquerade mask.  I don't usually get suckered into that kind of stuff but wow!

Okay, back to the important stuff.

The mask comes in two sections.  The eye section covers the forehead, nose and to the bottom of the cheekbones.  The mouth part covers the jaw, upper lip and chin.

Both sections had a solid white plastic backing on one side, and a transparent thinner plastic on the other side.  Each section was folded in half.

I don't know if I was just being a little clumsy handed, but I found the mask quite difficult to remove from the back and front backing.  It may be because of the slipperiness of the product, or the fineness of a lace mask, but it took me a little while to get it off the backing.

I found the mask a little too small for my face.  It didn't reach up to the top of my forehead, or all the way to my ears or completely cover my jaw.  I don't think I have a particularly large head......... (Insert joke here lol)

Was It Any Good?

I enjoyed this face mask, but I didn't love it unfortunately.  

The mask felt cooling on my face which was lovely, but just sitting down watching television, I could feel the mask slipping down my face.  I had to keep re-adjusting the eye holes on the top section.   The mouth section kept heading south too.

When I removed the mask after 10 minutes, the mask was still reasonably damp, but it just didn't have enough product on it to adhere to my face properly.

It left a thin layer of product on my face to soak in, and probably after about 10 minutes or so, it was completely absorbed.

It left my skin feeling hydrated, but I didn't notice any brightening or firming of fine lines.  My sister tried this mask too, and she reported that her skin felt tighter - I didn't notice that - bummer.

Rating

3/5  It was nice, but I want more from a sheet mask as expensive as this.

Etude House Baby Choux Base #2 Berry Choux

Hiya Everyone

Last week I received a package of some items I purchased from beautynetkorea.com, and amongst them was the very cutely packaged Etude House Baby Choux Paste.

I have other colour correcting bases, but this is my first pink one, and I was keen to give it a go.

Important Info 

Name:   Etude House Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base SPF25 PA++
Shade:   #02 Berry Choux
Size:      35g/1.23oz
Price:    $10.99USD from Beautynetkorea.com 

What is it?

Description from the product packaging:

The light and fluffy choux cream-like makeup base creates baby choux skin with its moist inside and soft smoothness on the outside.

Baby Choux paste comes in 3 different colours - I chose berry choux for a pale skin tone (I would consider myself light/medium).  The other colours are mint to correct a red skin tone, and peach to correct a dark skin tone with yellow colour.

This product does contain Dimethicone for those sensitive to it.

Packaging

The cardboard packaging is really cute pink pin stripe with little profiteroles over it - its very bakery style.

The product itself is in a light pink squeeze flat tube with a gold lid.

The cream is dispensed from an opening roughly the size of a "hundreds and thousand".

First Impressions

The product is a lovely baby pink colour with a sweet scent (though not obnoxious at all). 

The cream has a lovely texture.  It doesn't feel silicon-y - it just feels like a very light cream.  It blended onto my face nicely, and filled in fine lines (you can see the file lines on my hand filled in below) and pores - not a porcelain like finish, but definitely an improvement.

About 30 seconds after the product was applied, my skin felt nice and smooth.  It dried down to a silky finish - a perfect base of face make up.

Although the product is clearly pink, my face was not left with a pink hue.

Was it Any Good?

Note: Prior to putting the choux cream on my skin, I had cleansed and applied toner, hydraluron, eye cream and face moisturiser - the usual routine

This product created a beautiful smooth base to apply my BB cream over (Liole Tripe the Solution - a very thick BB cream).  Once I had the products on, I could really feel them for a minute or so, and I didn't like the way my skin looked.  I did not apply powder, or any other facial products.

After that minute, I looked at myself again in the mirror (with morning daylight coming through the windows), and my skin looked really nice. My fine lines and pore were visibly reduced, but I didn't look plastic-like.

After four hours or so, my skin has the slightest hint of shine in the t-zone, but nothing that would have me running off to find my blotting sheets.  The BB cream did not start to break down in any area of my face.

Rating

4/5

4 or More Tag

Hiya everyone

I saw EmilyNoel83 do the 4 or More tag on Youtube, and I thought it was a perfect one for the blog.  

The idea of the tag is to get together all makeup items you have 4 or more of, from one particular line.  After taking all the photo's, I realised that I missed a few things, but given this post is probably long enough I decided to leave them out

Getting together and photographing all the makeup items I have for this tag reconfirmed that I have way too much makeup (is that even possible???), and a majority of it I have barely used!

The below is in no particular order - just as I picked them up!

1. Inglot Individual Eyeshadow

I suppose I technically could have broken this up into the matte rainbow shadows, and the regular shadows but I figured it didn't really matter.

Inglot eyeshadows go on smoothly and blend out beautifully.  The ones I have purchased have excellent pigmentation and don't fade throughout the day.  I should note that I always use an eyeshadow primer under eyeshadows.  I really wish there was still a physical Inglot store in the state I live - I don't like buying off the Inglot Australia website, because I find it a little confusing.

Inglot Eyeshadows Back L - R 115R, 120R, 117R, 102R, 113R

2nd Back L - R:  329, 452, 491, 153, 407

2nd front L - R:  353, 358, 399, 445, 446

Front L - R:  397, 357, 11, 423, 434

2. Nyx Matte Lipsticks

Love, love, love these!  They are matte without being overly drying, or showing every line I have on my lips.  Very comfortable on the lips, and great wear time.

 Nyx Matte Lipstick L-R; Citrine, Alabama, Bloody Mary, Street Cred

3. Revlon Lip Butters

Not too much I can say about these that hasn't already been said.  These are very comfortable on the lips.  The wear time of the lighter colours isn't fabulous, but that doesn't both me.  I prefer the stronger colours of the line (reds/berries) rather than the pinks.  I don't particular like the lip butters containing shimmer particulars - but that's a general rule rather than particular to these lipsticks.

 Revlon Lip Butter Back L- R:  Red Velvet, Cherry Pie, Wild Watermelon, Candy Apple, Sorbet

Front L - R:  Raspberry Pie, Berry Smoothie, Juicy Papaya, Creme Brûlée

4.  Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains

Revlon don't really do much wrong as far as lip products go.  The Just Bitten Kissable Balm stains feel really moisturising on my lips.  The darker to mid tone colours leave a stain on lips which isn't too dramatically different to the initial colour.  I don't find the lighter colours leave any sort of stain.  Really easy to apply and I generally always have one of these in my handbag.

 Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain L - R:  Adore, Romantic, Crush, Smitten, Sweetheart, Rendezvous, Precious, Honey, Darling

5.  Milani Colour Statement Lipsticks

These are a beautiful intensely pigmented lipstick, that is opaque in one swipe.  All the colours I have are a cream finish, with the exception of Sangria which is more matte.  Great wear time.  Will definitely buy more.

 Milani Colour Statement L - R:  Rose Hip, Red Label, Sangria, Uptown Mauve, Plum Rose, Nude Creme

6.  Mirenesse French Kiss Lipsticks

These have a texture unlike any other lipstick I own.  I believe this lipsticks contain less wax, making them feel more gel-like on the lips.  Wear time is fairly average for a lipstick, but the colours and feel are fabulous.

 Mirenesse French Kiss L - R:  Caprioska, Bellini, Daiquiri, Bijoux, Manhattan

7.  Mirenesse Forever Lipsticks

Another beautiful formula from Mirenesse.  These glide on smoothly and it only takes about 2 passes to get opaque colour.  They make the lips tingle for 15 minutes or so; not a painful tingle, but you know it's there.  I don't notice any sort of plumping effect from the tingling, but I have fairly full lips so maybe that's why I don't notice any plumping.

 Mirenesse Forever Lipstick Back L - R:  Rakiss, Alain, Markko, Jaque, Fabbio

Front L - R:  Ricardo, Jasson, Guntar, Pierre

8.  Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils

These eye pencils make an excellent eyeshadow base.  When applied, you need to make sure too much isn't applied and is well blended, other they will crease badly.  

I always top them with an eyeshadow regardless of thickness, as they do crease when applied alone.

 Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil B - F:  Slate, Purple Velvet, Iced Mocha, French Fries, Cottage Cheese, Milk

9.  Kryolan Satin Powder

The Kryolan Satin Powders were my first love affair with loose shadow pigments.  I apply them with a damp brush onto a sticky base to help them adhere.  I also like to mix them with an eyeliner activator to create beautiful foiled eyeliner looks.  

 Kryolan Satin Powder Back:  Starlight Green, Rose Gold, Golden Sand, Smokey Plum

Middle:  Majestic Green, White Gold, Pewter, Blue Ice

Front:  Violet Shimmer, Opal, Peacock

10.  Inglot AMC Pure Pigment

These pigments are incredible.  Strongly pigmented, rich colours and a lovely dense texture, which means for a pigment, they are not particularly messy to apply.  I apply these to a sticky base, but I will only apply them damp if I want I foiled look.  Another great product to mix with an eyeliner activator.

 Inglot AMC Pure Pigment Back L - R:  80, 18, 57

Middle L - R:  33, 68, 49

Front:  65

11.  Bella Rose Shimmer Powder

I photographed these with the lids on, as they are really messy.

Honestly, these shimmer powders are pretty meh to me.  They are too disco-ballish for my tastes.  I should probably just get rid of them, but the makeup hoarder in me keeps thinking I'll find a use for them.

If I don't like them, you might be wondering why I have 6 of them - I got suckered in at one of those pop-up booths they have at shopping centres.  I always bought I couple of other products from them, but I've already give them away.

 Bella Rose Shimmer Powder Back L - R:  Viola, Verde, Navy, Iridescent

Front L - R:  Baby Doll, Vercarfe

12.  Masquerade Shimmer Powder

These have a texture of somewhere between the density of the Inglot pigments,and the Bella Rose shimmer powders.  Once again I photographed them in the containers because they are really messy to open.

I bought these years also when they were still really cheap - then suddenly Masquerade got relatively expensive, so I stopped purchasing them (I'd rather buy Inglot for the price).  I apply these powders onto a sticky base with a damp brush.  I don't use them as eyeliners, as they contain a little too much sparkle.

 Masquerade Shimmer Powder.  No Names and old numbering

13.  Maybelline Gel Eyeliners

Excellent gel eyeliner that applies smoothly, and opaquely.  Sets nicely, and doesn't transfer on my hooded eyelids.  Wish there were more colours!

 Maybelline Gel Eyeliner L -R, B - F:  Blackest Black, Charcoal, Amethyst, Brown

14.  Mirenesse Pearl Crush Creaseless Eyeshadow

Beautiful, smooth, shimmer formulation.  I don't experience any issue with fall out.  The colours blend really nicely.  I think the 6 at the back are in the process of being discontinued, but the two are the front are still available.

 Mirenesse Pearl Crush Creaseless Eyeshadow Back L - R:  Conch Pearl, Tahitian Pearls, Bora Pearls

Middle L - R:  Keshi Pearls, Akoya Pearls, Baroque Peals

Front L - R:  Nephrititi, Nox

15.  Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow

These eyeshadows are just AWESOME!  They feel like a cross between a powder and a cream eyeshadow.  The product is pressed, and the packaging contains a stopper that you can use to re-press the pigment if it starts to loosen (or you get it home from the shops and when you open it, it has already shattered)

I apply these with a stiff flat brush - I find any other method (with the exception of fingers which I don't like to use) doesn't pick up or apply the product very well.

 Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow L - R:  Amber Rush, Endless Chocolate, Tender Caramel, Golden Mahogany

L - R Middle:  Emerald Lame, Permanent Khaki, Hourglass Beige, Pepsi Coral

L - R Front:  Blackened Plum, Burst Into Bloom, Purple Obsession, Metallic Lilac

Front Centre: - Forever Pink

15.  Wet n Wild Colour Icon 8 Pan

Beautifully pigmented and applies smoothly.  The only palette I'm not wild about (ha ha) is Going into the Wild - the pigmentation isn't as strong as the other three.

 Wet n Wild 8 Palette:  L - R B - F:  Going In the Wild, Comfort Zone, Sparkle Til Morning, I heart Matte

16.  Nyx Cream Blush

Gorgeous dewy finish blush which I apply prior to a light dusting of face powder.  I apply these blushes the the ELF small stipple blush which is firm enough to apply the product, but not so firm that I end up looking like Bozo the Clown.  On my skin, they have very little fading.

 Nyx Cream Blush L - R, F - B:  Glow, Boho Chic, Tickled, Rose Petal

17.  Nyx Powder Blush

Another cult product from Nyx.  These blushes are very pigmented, and apply smoothly.  Once again, I find very little fading throughout the day.  These blushes come in an enormous selection of colours and range of finishes varying from very shimmery to matte.

 Nyx Powder Blush L - R Back:  Pinched, Bourgeois Pig, Peach

L - R Front: Raisin, Taupe

18.  Sigma Eyeshadow Bases

Lovely sticky bases to apply eyeshadow on top of to give them a lot of extra pop!  I particularly love Spy, which is a striking green/brown duo chrome.

 Sigma Eyeshadow Base L - R Back: Dash, Pursue, Provoke

L - R Front:  Strike, Unveil, Spy

19.  Maybelline Colour Tattoos

These can be applied as an eyeshadow base, or worn alone.  Once set, these things do not move!  All of the colours apply really evenly, which the exceptions of Seashore Frosts, and Lavish Lavender which can be a little patchy.  But really the colours as so beautiful, I'm willing to work with a little patchiness!  

I wish they released more (any really.....) of the limited edition colours released in the U.S.A - we don't seem to get any of them.  I would like more mattes in this range - but once again these seem to only be limited releases that don't make it to Australia.

 Maybelline Colour Tattoo L - R Back:  Pomegranate Punk, Tough as Taupe, Tool Cool, Bad to the Bronze

L - R Middle:  Seashore Frosts, Mossy Green, Bold Gold, Lavish Lavender

L - R Front:  Audacious Asphalt, Painted Purple, Barely Branded, Inked in Pink

20.  Nyx Butter Glosses

Non-sticky, semi sheer glosses with a doe foot applicator that smell like cake batter (but not in an annoying way).  Wear time is fairly typical for a gloss.  Love 'em, and will buy more.

 Nyx Butter Glosses L - R:  Red Velvet, Cherry Pie, Vanilla Cream Pie, Apple Strudel

21.  Mirenesse Lip Bombs

Seriously pigmented liquid lipsticks.  The applicator is a peanut shape which has a hard edge making applying without a lip liner possible.  Wear time is awesome.

I do find a bit of bleeding with the red, so I would recommend either using colour lip liner, or clear barrier lip liner.

 Mirenesse Lip Bombs L - R:  2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 22, 21, 20

22.  Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss

I have received these in sets, and am fairly meh about them.  They are okay, but I'm not a massive lip gloss fan.  They disappear fairly quickly off the lips, and I don't find the pigmentation strong enough that they can stand on their own, without needing either a lip liner or lipstick underneath.

Standard doe foot applicator

 Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss L - R:  Lust Me, Geisha, Star Struck, Honey Bunny

23.  Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine

I also received these lip glosses in various sets - I had a lot more of them, but gave them away.  The formulation is nice, and the pigmentation is strong enough that they hold up on their own.  The wear time is pretty average.  I have found the reds  bleed, so you'll need either a lip liner, or a lip barrier if you don't want them travelling down your chin and up your nose.

Standard doe foot applicator.

 Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine L - R: Platinum, 23, 27, 8, 41

24.  Nyx Slim Line Lip Pencil

My everyday go-to lip liner.  Not much to say about them really...... they have lovely pigmentation and go on smoothly.  I'll continue to buy them.

 Nyx Slim Lip Pencil B - F:  Deep Red, Hot Red, Citrine, Nude Pink, Coral, Pinky

25.  Mirenesse Inside Out 27hr Eye Kohl

Love em, love em, love em!  These are a gel type formula and apply so richly pigmented that they are my favourite eyeliner full stop!  You need to make sure the caps are snugly applied otherwise the formula does start to dry out - but nothing a quick sharpen won't fix.  

Once applied and set, these do not budge.  However, I don't find they stay in my water line - but I wear contact lenses so my eyes tend to be a little more watery to keep the lenses wet - no eyeliner I've tried has stayed on my waterline.

The only draw back for some I think is that I believe all of the shades contain shimmer.

 Mirenesse Inside Out 27Hr Eye Kohl B - F:  Cleo, Uto, Isis, Atum, Meret, Ra, Amun, Osiris, Hathar

26.  OCC Lip Tars

Pure lip pigment that you only need the tiniest about of (grain of aborio rice) to have full, rich pigment on your lips.  You need to be careful not to apply too much, or they will bleed.

Lip Tars dry semi matte, and can feel a little drying on the lips if you haven't prepped your lips properly (exfoliate/moisturise).

Lip tars are designed to be mixed to create your own custom colours, and they are a lot of fun.

Get the mini's if you can - a full size lip tars contain more product than the regular person can possible use up before the product goes bad. 

 OCC Lip Tar L - R Back:  Kava Kava, Hoochie, Lydia, Melange, Pretty Boy

L - R Middle:  Strumpet, Grandma, Ophelia, Pearly White, Vintage

L - R Front:  Stalker, Anime, Black Dahlia, NSFW, Memento

27.  Sleek Pout Paints

The exact same product as OCC Lip Tars - only cheaper!  I don't notice any difference between Pout Paints and Lip Tars (texture, wear), except for the colour range (OCC's is massive).  

The orange, blue and white are specifically designed for colour changing.  I mix the Pout Paints and Lip Tars all the time to create my own colours.

If Sleek have the colour you're after, I'd go with Sleek and save some money.

Sleek Pout Paint L - R Back:  Pin Up, Lava, Peek-a-Bloo, Cloud 9

L - R Front:  Port, Mauve Over, Minx, Peachy Keen

Well, that's pretty much all of them - probably too much lol.

If it were possible to have too much makeup, I'd say I have too much makeup.  But that isn't possible, so I won't say it :)

Milani Holiday Romance Shadow Eyez 12 Hour Wear Eyeshadow

I love chubby sticks - all chubby sticks; eyeliners, eyeshadows, lipsticks, lip balms - if it comes in chubby stick packaging, I'm all over it.

I've been eyeing these Milani Shadow Eyez chubby sticks for quite a few months, but because Milani isn't available in store in Australia, there's no opportunity to swatch them to see if they are worth it.  When Cherry Culture recently had their 40% off March sale, it was time to jump in.

 

Important Info 

Name:   Milani Holiday Romance Shadow Eyez 12 Hour Wear Eyeshadow
Shade:   Romantic Violet
Size:      2.8g/0.10oz
Price:    $7.00USD from Cherry Culture 

 

What is it?

Description from the Cherry Culture website

 

Create a romantic holiday look with these big and blendable 2-in-1 color rich pencils that can be used as shadow or liner. Creamy smooth, long-lasting, water-resistant, crease-proof and Paraben-free formula. The next generation of shadows that you sharpen.
 

Packaging

This eyeshadow is packaged as a chubby stick.  The purple shade of the outer packaging matches the purple of the product perfectly.  This pencil is not retractable and must be sharpened.  It is roughly the same width as a Nyx Jumbo Pencil, and fits in my large sharpener without any issues.  The black barrel that surrounds the product is made of a plastic-type of material

 

It has a clear plastic cap which fits snuggly onto the product.  Unlike the Nyx Jumbo pencils I have, the plastic of the cap is pretty solid, and hasn't started to crack when repeatedly pulled on and off the pencil. 

The coating on the pencil barrel is nice and smooth, and has a nice quality feel to it.

 

First Impressions

Prior to applying the eyeshadow, foundation, powder and eyeshadow primer were applied to my eye area - I follow this same routine everyday, regardless of the eyeshadow product being used.

 

The shade is a beautiful pigmented metallic silver-based violet.The eyeshadow glides on beautifully when swatched on the back of my hand, and is equally as smooth on my hooded eye lids and crease.  I didn't have any issues with the product bunching up when applied, and it applied without any patchiness at all.

 

I applied the eyeshadow to one eye (eye lid and crease) at a time, and blended the edges out with a blending brush.  I then applied a matte cream powder eyeshadow under my brow bone and blended it into the edge of the Shadow Eyez colour.  I then smudged the product into my lower lash line.

 

This product claims 12 hour wear, but I only wore make up for 10 hours today, and there was only very minor fading and absolutely no creasing.  As I mentioned, I have hooded eyes so this is really impressive for a cream product that was not set with any powder.  Likewise, the product didn't move on my lower lash line

 

Was it Any Good?

This is the only Shadow Eyez eyeshadow pencil I have, so I can't speak for the range, but if Romantic Violet is anything to go buy, I'll definitely be purchasing more!  An eye product that doesn't need to be set, and doesn't move or transfer is everything I want in a cream eye product.  I'm definitely going to check out the mattes in this range too.

 

Rating

4.5/5

Where Can I Get It?

Unfortunately, Milani isn't sold in Australia so I purchase mine from Cherry Culture, where they are often on sale (I bought this one for 40% off).   Milani products can also be purchased from Milani Cosmetics, and appear to be fairly readily available in stores in the U.S.

Review of Flower Men Energy Factor Moist Boosting Sheet Mask - Hyaluronic Acid

Important Info: 

Name:   Flower Men Energy Factor Moist Boosting Sheet Mask - Hyaluronic Acid
Size:      25g 
Price:    $4.00 USD (per Memebox #8 informational card)

What is it?

This is a single use hyaluronic sheet mask applied to the face and left on for 15-20 minutes.

Packaging

The mask was enclosed in a large foil packet with Psy's face printed on it (apparently the packet is the actual size of Psy's head).  If you were really keen, you could delicately cut around the edge of the mask, pop out the perforated eye and ear holes and make yourself a Psy mask to run around the house in.

I hacked into it with scissors though, so there's no Psy mask for my 2 year old to run off with.

All directions on the back of the packet were written in Korean.  The Memebox informational card contained English instructions. However all sheet masks I've used in past are pretty much the same process - take it out of the packet, unfold, whack it on your face, and leave it on for 20 minutes or so.

First Impressions

The face mask was folded up to a quarter of its size (in half, and then in half again).  This is the first sheet mask I've used that didn't come with some sort of backing that needed to be peeled away.  This turned out to be pretty awkward.  The backings give a kind of stability, so when the sheet mask is being opened, it's reasonably resilient.  However without this backing, I had to be really careful when I unfolded it, because the delicate nature of these sorts of masks mean they tear pretty easily.

The mask was very saturated with the jelly-like product; not so much that it was all gloopy and made a mess, but enough that it stayed on the face without any problems.  I walked about the house doing a bit of housework when I first put it on, and it didn't slide at all.  The sheet mask was a good size, and covered my face to my ears, and underneath my chin and jaw.

Was It Any Good?

I've loved all the Korean sheet masks I've tried, and this was no exception.

When first applied, the mask had a lovely cooling effect which remained the entire time it was on my face.

At the 20 minute mark of the mask being on my face, it was starting to dry, but still had plenty of product on it.

When I removed the mask, there was a thin layer of hyaluronic acid on my face which my skin absorbed over the rest of the night.

When I got up this morning, my skin felt lovely, soft and plump and there was absolutely no dryness under my eyes, which I normally have in the mornings.

Rating

4/5