Category Archives: Beauty Reviews

Beauty Reviews

The Hidden Thimble x Clearasil – Skin and the Sun (Giveaway)

Leave a comment

Advertorialclear

Self-conscious. Embarrassed. Gross.

Those harsh and unfortunate words haunt any adolescent’s thoughts and are all too familiar growing up with blemished skin.

I must admit, I didn’t really care for my skin much when I was a teenager, or ideas for “healthy” habits that could help improve skin appearance. My personal treatment of teenage skin was to tackle my facial problems using a facial wash, mainly a gel or a scrub and medical acne treatments. Things like toners, serums, and moisturizing (a very important step always left forgotten) were not in my routine vocabulary and my knowledge of “proper” skincare was still in infancy until I reached past my 20’s. All the effort made since then has dramatically improved the condition of my skin’s appearance by creating a more thoughtful and complex routine for the results I wanted to achieve – and it’s worth it!

As everybody’s body is idiosyncratic, this guide to perfecting a skincare regime is the foundation to exploring your own skin story. Whether you are fighting against hormonal or stressful once off breakouts, there are products out there to help you in balancing your skin’s changing stages from the inside out and fight those annoying little red dots!

A Guide to a Perfect Skin Care Routine

1

– Cleanse –

First off you want to remove any make-up, dead skin cells and pollutants that might clog your pores. I like to use a facial cleanser sponge to make sure I get into the corners as much as possible. There are a few forms of cleansers such as gel washes (Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Gel Wash), which are great for easy face rinsing to cream types (Clearasil DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Wash) which can also double as a mask to penetrate deeper.

2

– Scrub Off –

Exfoliators stimulate cell renewal and improve skin texture and appearance. As this product can be harsh to use every day on your skin, limit this to only once every other week or once a month. Choose a scrub that has natural ingredients like Clearasil’s DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Scrub which has Vitamin E and Antioxidants from Avocado and Pomegranate to help keep skin healthy and nourished. 

3

– Tone It –

After stripping away all that natural oil from your face, toners are your best friend to rehydrate and restore the pH level of your skin, avoiding excess oil production and also to shrink your pores. 

4

– Hit the Right Spot –

This is for those miracle working product treatments that come in concentrated forms such as essences, creams, serums, ampoules, boosters – the list goes on! This is where you target the areas of concern so if you have sore acne spots that you want to reduce and can’t pop just yet, use a specially formulated product like Clearasil Rapid Action Pimple Cream to spot treat problem pimples.

5– Sunscreen –

The sun is not the kindest to our skin so make sure you stay sun smart if you are doing your skin regime and going out for the day.

6

– Lock It In –

Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize! It’s the key for youthful skin when you are older so do it!

Want to know what products are best suited for you? Check out Clearasil’s Customised Skin Care Guide.

I want to highlight one of the most underrated steps in a person’s skincare regime: prevention from the sun.  Let’s face it, how many of you actually include sunscreen into your daily facial regime? I bet not many!  Now I could go on about the scientific facts concerning why it’s so important to slip, slop and slap, but all you really need is some hard cold evidence.

You know all that money you spend on formulas with anti-aging?  What if I told you that majority of the anti-aging formula secret is sunscreen.  Yep that’s right, the skins biggest enemy is sun damage!  Think of how much money you could save by just adding sunscreen to your regime! 

And for those of you who like the science: ultraviolet light (and in Australia this is even more pronounced due to a giant hole right above us in the ozone layer) breaks down the elastin and collagen in your skin.  This causes discolouration, roughness, skin thinning, dilated blood vessels and the most dreaded…wrinkles! 

You might be thinking, where in my regime do I add sunscreen?  Apply sunscreen after cleansing and exfoliating with a good exfoliate such as Clearasil’s Clear and Refine Daily scrub, BEFORE applying moisturiser. However if you’re anything like me and have oily skin that’s prone to break outs, you can streamline the process by using an oil free combination moisturiser with SPF 30+ or my personal choice – a CC or BB cream with SPF 30+.

For more information, check out Clearasil’s Summer Skin care tips for preventing Sun damage.

After feeding you with so much skin knowledge, guess what? We have a surprise!

We are giving away:

1x Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Gel Wash, 1x Clearasil DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Wash, 1x Clearasil DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Scrub and 1x Clearasil Rapid Action Pimple Cream, all c/o Clearasil.

Here are the details!

clearcomp

 Good Luck!

Xx

 [UPDATE]

We have a winner!

winner

Thank you to everyone who entered! We hope to do more giveaways soon ;)

 
Beauty Reviews, Makeup

REVIEW: 3 Concept Eyes Haul

1 Comment

Hijacking this post is a makeup haul I can only describe as a sugar coma coloured daydream with my 3 Concept Eyes haul from my visit to the StyleNanda Hongdae Flagship Store last year.

This obsession if not, a lifetime of desire I have developed for this brand and my infatuation with their ‘IT’ Girl Sora Park might end up in an impulsive buying complex of splurging on every range of brightly coloured cute makeup they have. I can’t say I fault any shade. I LOVE THEM ALL! Transitioning from Winter, behold the power of my pocket rocket purchases to keep you bold and fierce for them Spring time feelsies!

3 Concept Eyes Lip Colour

Price: $19.71 USD

Overall: ★★★★★

5/5

lipcolor3CE2
3CE LIP COLOUR in 602 V | 204 COME TO ME | 604 VAMP
3
2
4
A nice matte finish with great pigmentation, these lipsticks are just as perfect as any high range lipcolour you can purchase and are far more affordable so you can start building a collection. IMO purple and orange lipsticks are more interesting than the usual pink and red. Also, the berry lip looks great in both winter and spring looks as a statement.

 

3 Concept Eyes Lip Liqueur

Price: $20.81 USD

Overall: ★★★★★

5/5

3ce12
3CE Lip Liqueur in BackStage and XX Orange
3CElipgloss
Top: BackStage | Bottom: XX Orange
Now for another matte look but in a different form.
For days when my lips are more chapped than pump for my favourite matte look, these glosses are great as they are moisturizing yet matte when applied. The formula is not sticky (which I think is the worse kind of texture) but a nice velvet feel and is super light giving that ultimate pucker up look without showing the cracks and bumps.

 

3 Concept Eyes Creamy Water Proof Eye Liner

Price: $20.81 USD

3ce13
3CEeyeliner
I love mint as a colour! But as a liner, I was sceptical if I would be able to pull this look off. But I always wanted to try a neon eye makeup look without eyeshadow as I love the sharpness that gels and liners can create. The best thing about these eye liners from 3CE is that when you leave them to dry, they become smudge proof when rubbed with pressure and are waterproof! I tried a wet wipe and it just stayed on as vibrant as when I first applied it on! I’m going to try this out when I go to Hawaii next month to see how it holds up in the waves.
It also has a handy sharpener at the end to make sure your pencil is prepped for crisp lines which is a great feature so you don’t need to look for a one off purchase to find one that will fit such a thin pencil.

 

3 Concept Eyes Duo Colour Face Blush

Price: $24.22 USD

3ce9
And finally moving onto blush these cute duo blush palettes are so Mod I immediate had to have them!
The colour combinations are so handy for highlighting and contouring you can play around with different techniques to bring out the most or lighter effects of the colours.
I have never tried red or orange blush before so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how creative I can be.

Until next time!

Xx

Siree

This is not a sponsored post.

Beauty Reviews

Review: Meiji Amino Collagen Powder

4 Comments

The Verdict
  • Healing Effects
  • Anti-Aging Effects
  • Ease of Use
  • Value for Money
4.4

OVERALL SUMMARY

Fairy Godmother Blessed!

When your normal efforts to cure facial blemishes and scarring fail to show quick results, who do you call to do the job faster?

After suffering from a bad fall which left my face bruised and wounded I wanted a cure… fast! Let the power of collagen be your social lifesaver with Meiji Amino Collagen Powder! It’s the miracle collagen powder that works like real magic to improve your skin’s health and appearance for a blemish-free face. Sounds too good to be true? Read our review below and you’ll find out why this is no empty dream in a can.

where does collagen come from?

Collagen is a protein naturally produced in animals and collagen beauty supplements extract pure collagen peptides from fish, pig or cow.

The collagen used in Meiji Amino Collagen is derived from fish calcium using fish scales and skin to create their unique powder formula able to be absorbed 50% more efficiently into the body than pig based collagen.

I personally prefer fish-based collagen products as it is an innovative way to use a source which would otherwise end up being considered food waste and for their low odor aspect.  Meiji Amino also has developed a patented technique which masks the smell of their collagen peptide formula enabling you a more pleasant experience when consuming.

Photo Credit: www.meiji.co.jp/health/amicolla/en/ (Website)

collagen powder HEALTH BENEFITS

I’m sure everyone has heard of collagen before, but what do collagen powder products do and what benefits do they have?

Basically, collagen powder is a beauty supplement that gives you a daily dosage of collagen to help achieve a youthful appearance.

Not only that, collagen powder has many health benefits from anti-aging, to promoting healthy hair, to alleviating joint pain.  Some people even claim it helps them with their rosacea!

For me, the two noticeable things I saw for my skin was the collagen’s healing and anti-aging effects:

Before taking collagen, four days after my fall.

While drinking the powder daily I noticed my skin was smoother and had a younger ‘baby-faced’ complexion.

One week after using Meiji Amino Collagen.

meiji amino collagen results Before and after photos of the chin area.

meiji amino collagen results Before and after photos of the eye area.

meiji amino collagen results After 3 weeks. There’s a bit of scar showing but after putting on some foundation it’s all covered and even toned!

Healing and ANTI – AGING Effects

The results were amazing! I have never used collagen products before but look at my face! Within a week of taking the collagen powder, the injuries I sustained from my fall drastically healed the majority of my face wounds faster than any cream or herbal pills I was using previously. I was able to remove the scabbing and though my chin was still bulgy (can’t be avoided), the bruising was very well gone!

Also, because collagen is a key component in skin tissue development it also has anti-aging properties to give you a youthful appearance. I not only noticed that my face was becoming more even-toned but my fine lines disappeared within a few days!

EASE OF USE

The great thing about buying the Meiji Amino Collagen Powder is that the packaging also comes with a measuring spoon which helps take the guesswork out of using it. Just a spoonful into your favourite hot or cold beverage once a day is all that is needed to intake its skin benefits. It’s that easy!

Another question I bet you’re asking is – what does it taste like?

There isn’t a strong taste though I still like to mix it into my morning coffee or tea to enjoy drinking it. There is, however, a scent similar to vanilla wheat or milk flavoured products like Ovaltine or Horlicks. I personally think it also has a sort of “fish” or “seafood” undertone – maybe from the fish collagen peptides. On the other hand, Talyssa didn’t smell this at all. Overall, it’s not overly powerful to wrinkle your nose at.

Value for Money

The price point for collagen powder products isn’t too expensive for a beauty supplement at around 2,980 yen in Japan.

Considering the 200 gram can type Meiji Amino Collagen Powder is a month’s supply worth of collagen powder it gives you an affordable option for skin care because:

  • when stored properly the dry powder gives you a longer shelf life.
  • powder forms give you the freedom to consume it whenever you want.

However, The Meiji Amino Collagen Powder is around AU$50 online which is a bit pricey but is definitely worth it if you want to cure wounds or blemishes fast. 

WHERE TO BUY

This is not a sponsored post.

Updated: 22 August 2019
Beauty Reviews

Review: MAC Ruby Woo and Bobbi Brown Old Hollywood – A Red Lipstick Handbook

4 Comments

Red lipstick, red lipstick – Oh, how I love thee.

The red lipstick look is definitely one of my favourites and can add that classy and classic finish to your outfit.  Unfortunately a lot of girls steer clear of red lipstick.  Why?  Because of the fear of being unable to pull it off.

I’m not going to lie though, my red lipstick journey was not an easy one.  It’s pricey, there are SO many different shades, it’s hella difficult to apply and then you need to gather the guts to actually wear it out in public!

But I urge you – Do pursue!  Because once succeeded, a perfect pair of red lips is an excellent – possibly even crisis saving – skill to have up your sleeve.

So, let your red lipstick journey begin…

1.  Find what you feel comfortable in. 

There are so many different kinds of red lipstick to choose from – duller shades, darker, lighter, glossy and matte.  If you’re a bit scared try something duller as a first step, but if you want that classic vintage look (the one I love) go vibrant!

2.  Find what suits YOU

Look at your skin tone – typically orange or coral based reds suit fair skin and mauve or blue based reds suit tanned to darker complexions best.  My skin is quite fair, but I’m type 3 on the skin chart meaning, I can and do tan. So personally, I prefer to go with blue based reds. I feel comfortable in them and I feel like they suit me better.

Don’t know if you are cool or warm toned?
A tip I read somewhere which was surprisingly accurate was to look at the underside of your wrist.  If your veins are greenish looking, you are warm-toned,  if they are purple or blue looking you are cool-toned.

My suggestion?  Try a few shades on, check yourself out in the mirror and buy the one you like best.

Oh no!! Red lipstick makes my teeth look yellow!??!
Never fear!! I struggled with this too and actually thought I would never be able to wear red lipstick in public.  This is not true!  For me, I found that blue based red lipsticks kept my teeth looking white, where as the coral/orange based ones made them look yellow.

3.  Matte or Glossy?

For me, matte wins hands down.  I find it looks more classic and elegant, whereas glossy comes across as looking cheap when I wear it (thought other people pull it off fine).  Matte lipsticks also tend to be more forgiving, I find.  They eliminate those lipstick “no no’s” such as bleeding into the fine lines around your lips and the colour doesn’t smudge or transfer onto you coffee cup as easily.  It’s also much easier to control and you can easily tone down how vibrant the product is.  The negative – matte lipsticks dry your lips out a lot more than their glossy counterparts.

Go glossy if you want a very “look at me” effect.  They also keep your lips feeling hydrated and are generally easier to apply, gliding on with ease.

How do I know if a lipstick is matte?
Good makeup brands, such as M.A.C will have it written on the product.

 4.  Application

Red lipstick is hard to apply and because its so bright and vibrant, there is very little room for error.  It you happen to have unfortunate thin lips like me, it’s even harder!!

A few things that are essential to prevent feathering, bleeding and colour fading, are all handled through the art of application.

  • Outline your lips with lipliner, this will prevent your lipstick from feathering.
  • Fill in your lips with the liner.  This will give you a base on which you can easily and neatly apply your lipstick on top of.
  • Apply concealer on the outermost edge of your lips to clean up any mistakes. You can also dab some on your lips to help the lipstick stay vibrant for longer.
  • Apply your lipstick with a lip brush to get a precise outline of your lips.

5.  Preparation

Pulling off the perfect pair of red lips also takes some preparation.

Remember to:

  • Exfoliate your lips with a soft bristle, wet toothbrush.  This will remove dead skin.
  • Keep you lips moisturised regularly
  • Make sure to apply the lipstick and liner all the way to the inner corner of your lips.  Not  only does this create a poutier set of lips, it helps to avoid looking like you’ve missed a few spots when you smile.
  • I don’t usually have a problem with getting red lipstick on my teeth, but to be better safe than sorry, you can always try Jenna Marbles tip of putting your index finger in your mouth, forming a tight “o” around it and pulling it out.

 Bobbi Brown: Old Hollywood (Semi glossy) V.S. M.A.C: Ruby Woo (Matte)

Bobbi Brown: Old Hollywood

Bobbi Brown’s Old Hollywood formula combines color-saturated coverage with a lightweight texture.  This delivers pure, crisp colour with just one swipe.  Colour is long lasting, non drying and has no odour with a semi-matte finish.

Price:   $25 AUD

The following list of pro’s and cons are based on what I personally found when using the products and are based on what I generally look for in a lipstick.

Pro’s

  • Easy application – get full colour coverage in just one swipe.  The lipstick literally glides on.
  • Soft and smooth
  • Easy to remove
  • Affordable price (I got it for cheaper $12 on special)

Con’s

  • I personally find this lipstick quite Glossy although it is considered a “semi-matte.”
  • Teeth slightly show as yellow.
  • Prone to feathering and bleeding, if no lipliner is used
  • Wipes off easily
  • The finished look is not as elegant as other lipsticks.

Overall, a really good lipstick, although not my favorite for a red.  Worst attribute: The time a wore it, it bled terribly to the point where it looked like I had crows feet wrinkles…ON MY LIPS. yeah. I know.  Best attribute:  Intense colour in one swipe – easily glides on.

 

M.A.C:  Ruby Woo

M.A.C’s Ruby Woo formula creates bold, long lasting colour with a matte finish.  The blue based red is most noticeably known to make teeth look extremely white.   Ruby Woo is pigmented in one swipe however can be built up for a more intense colour. It’s also vanilla scented…YUM!!!

Price: $36 AUD

Pro’s

  • Makes teeth look SUPER white.  Love it.
  • Excellent Matte finish
  • No bleeding/feathering
  • Love the vanilla scent!!
  • Finish is very classy and elegant.

Con’s

  • Really, really dry formular
  • Dry formula means the product does not glide on as easily.
  • Colour is not as intense as Bobbi Brown’s Old Hollywood on first application, however intensity can easily be built up.  This allows for colour control, if you aren’t so keen on going mega intense on your first application

I.LOVE.THIS.LIPSTICK.  I love the super matte finish so much that I don’t mind how drying the formula is.  To combat the drying anyway, I always prep my lips with lip balm.  This doesn’t give as great of a finish, however if you build the colour on (takes a bit longer to apply with lip balm) you can definitely achieve the look with prepped lip-balmed lips.  I definitely think out of M.A.C’s red lipstick collection, this is my favourite – even against the popular “Russian Red.”

 Lipstick Comparison

Talyssa xo

Beauty Reviews, Makeup, Uncategorized

REVIEW: 3 Concept Eyes Lip Pigment and Cream Blusher

11 Comments
With soft and light creamy texture, color stays on forever!

If you haven’t heard of the success that is Style Nanda, from humble beginnings their story started as a web store which grew into Korea’s No. 1 most popular women apparel store in 2 short years. With such a strong female following, it’s no wonder they would naturally create their own cosmetic line ‘3 Concept Eyes.’ I mean, Korea + cosmetics go hand-in-hand! Plus they just opened their new flagship store in Hongdae. Hongdae is love. Nuff said.

Calming down from my makeup haul high, I purchased the 3 Concept Eyes Lip Pigment in #Issue and #Electro Pink and 3 Concept Eyes Cream Blusher in #Coral Coral to test out their range.

These nifty single color tube wonders are high pigment, matte with a smooth creamy texture and true to colour. You want hot pink? You got hot pink! The Lip Pigment range also lets you mix other colours to create different combinations and shades! How awesome is that? The first thing I was impressed with was the pro looking packaging. It’s like something a makeup artist would buy from a supplier and create their own colour palettes.

#Issue is a orange base red colour, very similar to my Holika Holika’s Heart Ful Moisture Lipstick in Fresh Orange which I adore to bits ever since I got it from Korea! So bright and flirty when you smile, I find orange red tones just compliments any skin type and are great for those who aren’t quite sure which red lippie to get because, honestly, it is SO damn hard to find THE right red lippie!

#Electro Pink is an intense hot pink that has a very slight hint of fuchsia undertone in it. My main reason to purchase this was to correct my mistake of choosing MAC Lipstick in ‘Snob’ back when 70s nude pinks were ‘it.’ Unfortunately the colour didn’t match my skin type. This hot pink brought my lips back to life!

Really bad focus for the #Electro Pink :(
Much better for #Issue :)

Not to be applied with fingers, use a lip brush as the pigment is quite strong causing staining. It also leaves a bit of a strain on your lips which helps to reduce reapplying constantly.

Blusher in #Coral Coral

I’ve never tried cream based blushers before since they involve much blending to not only apply it evenly to your cheeks but I find I look like a hot mess as I overdo one side and not the other.  The trick is obviously to use a little to build up the pigmentation to the right colour you want and to have a little foresight when putting it on your cheeks. Remember don’t wipe, 톡톡톡！ (tapping sound in Korean)

3 Concept Eyes Lip Pigment

Price: $13.21 USD

Overall:
★★★★

4/5

PROS:

Nice packaging

Good coverage

Pigments are true on application

Great selection of shades

Becomes a tint after wiping

CONS:
Stains your fingers

 ++

3 Concept Eyes Cream Blusher

Price: $13.21 USD

Overall:

★★★1/2

3.5/5

PROS:

Nice packaging

Good coverage

Pigment is true on application

Lasts for a long time

CONS:

Stains your fingers

Need to blend properly to render nicely

Can be messy

Practice is needed to get right application

 ++

You can buy 3 Concept Eyes products at Style Nanda.

This is not a sponsored post.