YSL ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain and Rouge Volupté Shine lipstick in #15 Corail Intuitive Review and Swatches

Hi guys!

Here are my YSL Glossy Stain review and swatches ^_^ I also included the swatches of my Rouge Volupté Shine lipstick; just figured I would group them all together since those are all the YSL lip products I own XD




From let to right: YSL Glossy Stains in 9, 29, 23, and Rouge Volupté Shine in 15 Corail Intuitive


Bare lips



Bare lips. See why I'm addicted to lip products this year? XD Lip color really can transform a person's complexion in an instant. Even more so than blushes in my opinion. Look so dead without lip color lol.


First let's look at the lipstick

Rouge Volupté Shine in 15 Corail Intuitive. This picture is a little bit washed out.


Corail Intuitive is a nice nudey pink color. This picture is pretty true to color. In general I don't tend to like nude lip colors, but I thought this is such a beautiful color! I think it has a youthful effect on the lips. The formula is pretty moisturizing, but you do have to exfoliate your lips otherwise it will accentuate dry patches somewhat. Not terrible but also not the smoothest. I also get a weird tingling feeling from using this lipstick, which I'm not a fan of. Does anyone else get that? I'm happy to have this lipstick, but I don't think I will purchase another YSL lipstick (by far, Za has my favorite lipstick formula. See here for my review).


Now onto the glossy stains! I'm really happy with the turnout of all the photos hereon forth-- they're all very true to color. The sun was cooperating =D

Just a quick mention, my favorite way to apply these glossy stains is to apply them to my lips (I like to transfer the products to the back of my hand first because if I'm eating/drinking I feel like it's unsanitary to touch the applicator to my lips after O_O) and smooth them out with my fingers for a more faded effect. If you desire a more intense look I'd suggest apply directly from the applicator and just rub your lips together.

First let's look at #29, Rose Forreau, the color that led me down this path of no return O_o


ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain in 29 Rose Forreau


I ADORE this color. It's a mix between a nude pink and tawny pink. Under some lighting it can look more tawny and brown than pink, like in here. I used quite a light hand in this picture, but if you use more, the finish will be more glossy and shiny, like here.


Next, #23 Fuchsia Cubiste. In the tube as shown in the first picture, it looks like such an intimidating, dark, vampy lip color. But fear not my friends! It actually applies pretty sheer, and is the absolute, PERFECT berry lips for fall/winter.

ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain in 23 Fuchsia Cubiste. There are little glitters inside but you can't really see/feel them once applied to your lips.


I LOVE this berry color so so SO much. Berry lips cannot get more perfect than this. I have found the perfect color for winter/fall :)



Last but certainly not least, #9 Rouge Laque

ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain in 9 Rouge Laque. Look how gorgeous and opaque this red is!



#9 Rouge Laque is a beautiful orangy red. Personally I found orange red suits my complexion much much better than blue-toned red. At first I was debating between this and #20 Rouge Enamel, but after seeing #20 in person, #20 leans more blue (more like a true red), and has glitters in it. #20 is beautiful and looks more luxurious but I just decided to go with #9 because I think it's more me.



Among the three glossy stains I own, this one is the most opaque.



And since I wore red in my last swatch, I happen to have some photos of what #9 looks like as a stain (after the gloss has faded)

Personally really like it when the gloss has faded as well.





My thoughts on glossy stains?

The texture of the formula is SUPERB. It is not sticky at all (to my standards at least. As a reference, I think Lancome Juicy Tubes are not sticky and has really good formula. MAC lipglosses/glasses are very sticky and drying to me the last time I tried them, which to be fair I haven't tried them in years so I have no idea if they have improved their formulation or not), and the best part is that those glossy stains actually feel moisturizing-- a lot of glosses tend to make my lips feel very dried out at the end of the day (which is why I stopped using glosses).

Now onto the wear. After having worn these glosses for a good amount of time, I actually think the staining needs work. Bottom line is, if you wear the glossy stains and just do nothing (talking is fine), then they do last for good 2-4 hours. But if you eat or drink, then the glosses are gone. I mean even with just a sip of water. Not a trace of the stain will remain. To be honest, these lip stains don't even stain that much to begin with; I would consider them to be more just glosses than stains because the stains are so faint and the stains don't last. In that respect, for the price point of these products, I think YSL needs to improve on the longevity of the wear, namely the staining power, because even Revlon balm stains perform better than glossy stains. I still really love the glossy stain formula though and I am definitely interested in trying out more colors (although probably won't buy another one in a while because the lack of longevity is making me think twice about its worth).

I have to say YSL has really impressed me since the launch of the Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation. The TE foundation and those glossy stains are really beautiful products! (really TOO bad the stains don't last) Now I'm a lot more interested in trying out more YSL products-- Creme de Blush in particular =P So far the only thing I truly dislike from YSL is the Touche Eclat Radiant Touch pen (which ironically, is their best-selling product).

What do you guys think about YSL? Any recommendation?

Hope some of you found this review helpful!


And in case I don't post again, Happy Thanksgiving everyone ^_^

<3 Frances

Benefit They're Real! Mascara Review

Hi guys!

So I thought I'd do a quick review on the Benefit "They're Real!" mascara today :)

Ummm... first of all, I forgot to take a picture of what the mascara wand looks like XD But I figured most people already knew anyway. If you don't, it looks exactly like the picture shown below:

"World's #1 Mascara" huh? Such a cocky statement XD To point out the unique feature of this particular mascara wand, you will notice there are little brushes at the tip of the mascara wand. I think it allows you to get the hard-to-get small lashes at the corners of your eyes, as well as help with vertical application on lower lashes. By the way this mascara wand is HUGE! At least for my tiny eyes lol.

Now onto the formula. The formula is rather wet and I found myself have to be careful about blinking right after application, but nothing too bothersome.

Things I DON'T like about this mascara:
1. It has NO curl hold whatsoever. A primer is a must. If I apply this mascara to my curled, bare lashes, it makes my lashes go stick-straight.

2. It is NOT waterproof. It can be washed away with cold water. But it will really start to come off earnestly if you use warm water. I believe you can take this mascara off completely just by warm water.

3. It can smudge a little on my lower eyelid at the end of the day. This kind of goes hand in hand with the fact that this mascara is not waterproof. ***My solution: I found that applying a bit of loose powder on my lower eyelids really prevented the mascara from smudging!

4. It can clump easily. Now that's not something I'm too concerned about, since clumpy lashes is better than no lashes. But thought I'd put it out there.***update: Actually I think the clumping I experienced initially was because of how wet the formula was. Now I've been using it for a while it's not as clumpy anymore. Also the clumping can be easily removed by a mascara comb 

Now onto things I DO like about this mascara:
1. I do like the applicator, despite it being too large for my eyes.

2. Volume and lengthening are quite impressive! With a good primer, this mascara really does perform well.


Bottom line: I personally will NOT spend $23 on this mascara, because waterproof is very important to me! Of course I'm comparing it to my Majolica Majorca mascaras, which does not budge until I remove it at the end of the day (I have worn MJ mascara to waterparks-- did not move ^_^)

Curl hold is also important to me, but since I use a primer anyway, it's not that big of an issue. But for those who don't want to use a primer and have stubborn straight lashes, this mascara is probably not for you.

Now onto application photos:


Curled, bare lashes


Coated with Majolica Majorca mascara primer.


With one coat of They're Real! Mascara.

I feel like above application photos don't really do this mascara justice, as I usually try to build it up for a more dramatic effect. Here goes!



I don't know about you, but I think this is quite impressive, hehe.

Even though I will not spend $23 on this mascara, if there's ever a free sample/100 point gift on Sephora, I will not hesitate to pick it up ^_~

That's all for my review! Hopefully some of you found it helpful ^_^


<3 Frances

20% Off Haul from Wholefoods, Beauty.com, and Sephora!

Hi guys,

Ummm... if you can believe it, this haul is even bigger than the last -_-...
I'm actually quite surprised that I haven't seen many haul videos/posts on Youtube/blog =( at least not from the people I subscribed to. I love seeing what others buy!!  Oh well, since I have a lot to share, let's just get right into it ^_^

Wholefoods:

So Wholefoods was having a 5-day 20% off all Dr. Hauschka's prodcuts, and I jumped! I've always wanted to try out Dr. Hauschka ever since learning about it from Lisa Eldridge, what better time to try out the products? :) I later found out that Beauty.com carries Dr. Hauschka's products too LOL.


1. Dr. Hauschka Eye Contour Day Balm




Ingredients:



I desperately need a new/good eye cream cuz the fine lines underneath my eyes are getting OUT OF CONTROL. The perks of aging. LOL. Been using it for about 2 weeks now? It's alright, haven't noticed any difference =/ Glad I bought this with discount otherwise I wouldn't think it's worth the price. Also I don't understand why it's called a Day Balm? It's a balm texture so there's a certain ointment/oily quality to it, and I obviously cannot use that under my makeup. I just use it as a nighttime eye cream lol. Some people might not like it for the balmy texture. Also, it doesn't sink in immediately, so for those who don't like having products hang around on your face, you might not like this (but it does get fully absorbed while I sleep, because when I wake up in the morning it's completely gone... or maybe it just got rubbed of?? LMAO).



2. Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream

I have been using it every day, although I don't feel like I've been using a lot of it, it does seem like it's going pretty fast.

Ingredients:

I was debating between the Melissa Day Cream and this one, but in the end went for this one because it's described to be suitable for sensitive skin. I don't know about the calming effects, but so far I'm extremely happy with it. It's thick so I like to apply it to my face while my face is still damp to help it spread, but it's super moisturizing and I'm loving the way my skin looks in the morning. I don't know, I feel like my skin has been looking less tired in the morning since using this??? Does that even make sense? lol. Anyway, super happy with this and will be trying the Melissa Day Cream next.



3. MyChelle Capillary Calming Serum




Ingredients:





You guys all know about my obsession with my redness in my face lol. I will admit since using oatmeal to cleanse my face the redness in my skin has gone down considerably, but that doesn't stop me from being intrigued by this product XD I really love the scent of this product... it's a very soothing herbal scent, I feel really calm/relaxed whenever I apply this :) However, so far noticed no difference. Also my face always feels kind of itchy after using this??? My face doesn't turn red or break out or anything from this product, it just itches and it goes away after a while. Since I noticed no difference (and it's been about 2 weeks), I will be returning this.





Next, my haul from Beauty.com

Nothing new there, just stocking up on essentials :)




Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Face Cleanser and  Skin Relief Face Cream. You guys all know about the gist about my skin sensitivity problem and this is the only product that actually calms my skin (besides natural yogurt mask). If you're on a budget, I would recommend trying out the face cleanser first, because it is quite effective as well. Can't live without this cleanser :P I decided to pick up the face cream as well since I I have used this quite a lot this year and I'm almost running out.


Last but not least, from Sephora:



1. Clinique Even Better Dark Circle Corrector


Ingredients:


Ingredients continued:

Bought this because my dark circles are also going out of control lol. Although the best solution is probably to just go to bed early haha. Right now I'm using the Dr. Hauschka eye cream and the bareMinerals eye cream I bought a while ago so it will be a while before I get to this eye cream hahahahaha. Or I might just open it and start using it XD

2. YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain



Got the colors in 9, 23 and 29.
.
Guys this is probably one of my top 3 exciting makeup items I've bought this year... >.<

I will admit I'm really not a gloss person, and if you've been reading my blog for a while you will notice I almost never use gloss. Lipsticks nowadays have such supreme and moisturizing texture, so I never feel the need to use glosses to make my lips look extra dewy. In fact, a lot of times I feel like glosses actually dry my lips out instead of moisturizing them. Plus not a fan of the stickiness of glosses (my hair always got stuck to my lips when I used to wear gloss haha).

So when YSL glossy stain came out and despite all the rave reviews that followed its "debut," I was just not interested at all. But last month when I went shopping with a friend, she wanted to buy a glossy stain so we stopped by a YSL counter. While she was trying out the colors, I decided to try some on because they looked amazing on her. I literally was not expecting anything but immediately I was BLOWN AWAY. The gloss is not sticky, and does not feel drying at all. That coupled with the amazing colors, I was immediately sold. I walked around the mall for the rest of the day and 4 hours later, the color AND the glossy finish were still there. On top of that my lips still felt moisturized. Fabulous! But I will say if you do eat and drink then the stain/gloss does not last at all. In that respect Revlon balm stains actually last longer than YSL lol because those do last through eating. I never thought I would see the day where I would splurge $34 on a gloss (but I had 20% off =D), let alone 3 at one go. But alas, my friends, it has happened. And worth it. Highly recommend!


3. Phyto 7 Dry Hair Hydrating Day Cream with 7 Plants




Ingredients:

Been wanting to try this ever since seeing Lisa Eldridge talk about this in her favorite hair products/tools video. I have to say, I am SUPER impressed! Kind of shocked at how good it is; the texture just feels like your ordinary cream, but omg it makes my hair SO SOFT, SO SMOOTH, SO TANGLE-FREE. I also only use a tiny bit at the ends of my hair, so hopefully it will last me for a while. Highly recommend as well!


4. REN Rosa Centifolia No.1 Purity Cleansing Balm


Ingredients:

Note: The top ingredient is sweet almond oil. Unlike *coughs* Eve Lom, which the top ingredient is mineral oil and lanolin -_-"


Been intrigued about this cleansing balm ever since Claire mentioned it her her favorites video. Wasn't going to purchase it this time since I'm still working on two cleansing oils, but after trying it out in the store I was like oOoOOooohhhhh O_O+  Super excited for this. It's ridiculously expensive but you only need a little bit so hopefully it will last me for a good amount of time. I also picked up the REN BB cream sample while I was at the store, and I have to say I am super impressed with that too. It has sheer coverage so not what is typically expected from BB creams, but I adore the texture and the feel of it. I'm gonna be good and work on finishing my current 4 foundations though >_<

So that's the end of my haul! What did you guys buy from the Friends & Family sale?? Please do share!

Now onto other products I was contemplating purchasing but didn't end up buying because I didn't like them after trying out samples:

1. Murad Renewing Eye Cream



So originally I was planning on purchasing the Murad Renewing Eye Cream recommended by TiffanyD, since she said it helped with her lines, but I got a sample from Sephora and it broke me out -__- yep, it broke me out around my eyes, also on my cheeks (how did that happen?? LOL). Happy I tried it out first before buying it since it's no good for me.

2. GlamGlow Supermud

Also another product recommended by TiffanyD from that same video. Also got a sample from Sephora. It's basically a blend of different kinds of acids lol. I will say it helped smoothing the bumpy texture of my nose from the blackheads, but did nothing about diminishing them. Again, happy I tried it out before committing myself to the full-size product. Guess the best treatment for blackheads is just squeeze them out lol.


Now, onto other things on my wishlist but did not end up buying:

1. Dior Rosy Glow Healthy Glow Awakening Blush

This have been on my wishlist FOREVER ever since I saw it on Jen's blog. But $44 for a blush....... -__-" CANNOT JUSTIFY. This will have to wait until I'm rich LOL.


3. Marc Jacobs Honey Perfume


If you've read my recent blog posts you knew that I intended to purchase the full size. Well, it was originally on my list, but since I got distracted by the YSL glossy stains O_o I decided to forgo this perfume for now. Yes YSL glossy stain >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> perfume XD Plus I already bought two perfumes this year X_x I don't know, I might not end up purchasing this perfume after all. I still think Dot suits me best :P We'll see if I still like this perfume next year.

3. Dior Creme de Rose Smoothing Plumping Lip Balm


I'm not sure exactly who I've heard this product from... might be Hollyannaeree?? I can't remember lol I just know I've been seeing this a lot on Youtube lately. It's really funny because sometimes all the Youtube gurus I follow would all of a sudden be talking about/recommending the same products... which makes me wonder if we all watch the same channels? haha.


5. Dolce & Gabbana The Eyeshadow Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Desert 123

Yep, you've seen this before, and yep, still lusting after it. But I hardly bother with eye shadows on a daily basis... so... will not collect this in a very long time, hahaha. I just like to keep it in my "love" list and admire it XD

6. Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray


Saw this in Jenn's favorites video and I LOVE the effect it has on her hair! But as I hardly bother with hair-styling... XD Tried it in the store the other day and I feel like it gave my hair more texture/volume??? Maybe because of the sea salt in there drying my hair out???? (although my hair didn't really feel dry, but I read some reviews complaining about how this product really dries out the hair). Might try out the mini size of this eventually. Desperately need volume in my hair LOL.

That's all I have! Man I feel like there are so many product reviews I want to do but time just hasn't really permitted me to do so... =( Bear with me guys. The glossy stain swatches will definitely be coming soon though cuz I'm just way too overly excited about them =P

Have a lovely rest of the weekend guys!

<3 Frances