15% Cash Back on Ebates!

Hello guys!

Just a super quick announcement! Ebates is currently having 15% off cash back!!!
(this is a referral link by the way)




You guys should just know that 15% cash back happens like once a year ;)
Of course, Sephora and Nordstrom are all I care about XD

I'm currently on no-buy but I couldn't resist the deal... so I did place a small order on Sephora T_T it's daily necessity I swear!!! plus I needed to get a graduation gift for a friend.

If you guys haven't signed up for Ebates yet, I really recommend you guys to do it!  I've been using Ebates for over a year now and it does save me some money here and there. Pretty awesome.

I really want to buy a new Giorgio Armani foundation on Nordstrom and I told myself I cannot buy one until Ebates has its birthday cash back deal... unfortunately I still haven't used up my current foundations -_- so maybe next year. I must be good!

That's all! I don't know when this deal ends, but hopefully if you need to buy something you get to take advantage of it =) Happy shopping!


<3 Frances

Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint and Kissful Tint Choux Swatches & Review

Hi guys!

Guess what... it's that time of year... to bust out bright colors =D
Maybe a lot of you are already sick of the gradient lips trend... but personally I'm still digging it XD 
Totally just reorganized my lip product drawer so my most-used Spring/Summer products are in the front half of my drawer =D

So a friend's friend was in Korea and I shamelessly asked her to pick up these products for me XD
These are the Etude House Kissful Tint Choux, and Fresh Cherry Tint. Really wanted to try them ever since reading about them on Bubzbeauty =D 


From left to right:
- Kissful Tint Choux in No.4
- Fresh Cherry Tint in PK001 Cherry Pink
- Fresh Cherry Tint in PK002 Cherry Hot Pink

Here are the swatches in the same order:
 


To be honest... PK001 and PK002 look the same to me -_- On my hand there's a subtle difference, on my lips I can't tell the difference.


Fresh Cherry Tint PK001








Lip action:












Fresh Cherry Tint in PK002













Honestly... can you even tell if there's a difference b/w PK001 and PK002? -_-"







My conclusion is... PK001 and PK002 look the same. 囧

By the way, you totally do NOT need these products to create the gradient lip look... I did one a long time ago with Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. Click here to check it out. The KBS give a more matte finish compared to those stains-- however I think the effect is similar enough :P But I'm currently still pretty interested in trying out more lip tint/stain products =D



My thoughts on the Fresh Cherry Tints?

I like! The formula is wayy better than the Benefit lip cheek/lip stains. It stains much better (unlike Benefit I have to do quite a few layering to get the intensity I want), and it is a lot less drying. I wouldn't go as far to say it's moisturizing because I definitely need a balm when I use these tints, but at least they don't make my lips crease the way the Benefit tints do (if you keep reapplying without using a lip balm in between then yes they do dry your lips out. And I do found that I have to reapply these tints quite often). Overall, the formula is better, and the price tag is much much cuter (with a lot less product though, but I personally prefer smaller quantity/cheaper price =P)

Oh year I forgot to mention, the longevity of these stains are meh -_- Kind of disappointed in that. They lose that initial finish really quickly (and that's without eating, drinking or talking). My lips are still stained but they just don't look as nice or vibrant and I found that I would want to keep reapplying to get that finish back.  


Now onto Kissful Tint Choux in No. 4




Upon first application, it looks like a nude pink color


Lol was trying to let you guys see lip product on my ring finger vs. on my lips. But it didn't show up well. FAIL.





Really really like this color! It looks so soft. Super work-appropriate too. Me very likey.


However, I noticed that after this lip product sets, it kind of turns more pink

looks like nude pink


Hmmm pinker?


Ok really pink now O_O


Lol so interesting (PS: the color change is more obvious on a PC monitor).


Another day. Was trying to capture how it looks pinker on me but I guess it didn't show up that well -_- I was in a hurry to leave so I didn't check to see how the photos turn out ~_~

Was feeling lazy that day but still wanted to be somewhat presentable... so a light dusting of powder foundation + blush + eye brows +  lip color. Basically everything minus the eye makeup ahaha.


My thoughts on Kissful Tint Choux?
I really like the formula! It's actually pretty moisturizing! I feel like this product is more oil-based? When you squeeze the product out of the tube you can see just a little of the color/oil separation. I think the oil base is what gives this product a really glossy finish.  




So when I put on the Fresh Cherry Tint PK001/002, it reminded me of my Benefit Posie Tint. And the Kissful Tint Choux reminded me of my YSL Glossy Stain in #29. So I thought I could do some comparison swatches.

By the way, I have done a "full" review on the Benefit Posie Tint. Click here to see the review and swatches. Please scroll all the way to the middle of the page XD

For YSL Glossy Stain #29 review, click here.

Here are the side-by-side swatches:

I must say... I was shocked that YSL swatches SO dark next to the Kissful Tint Choux (KTC). If you look at my review from before, it honestly looks more like the KTC No.4. All I can say it... it's all relativism.... LOL.

Even though YSL looks so dark in these pics, you guys should still use my other review as reference. That's a better representation of what YSL looks like on my lips. 

Like in the pics shown before, KTC No. 4 actually turns pretty pink as it sets, while YSL remains a true nude/tawny/brown pink. So it just depends on what kind of look you're going for.


To be honest, I thought Fresh Cherry Tint (FCT) in PK001 was going to look more like Benefit Posie Tint (talk about misleading packaging), and PK002 was going to look like PK001 (which is almost the same as PK002 anyway but you know what I'm saying-- I was expecting PK001 to be lot more milky-looking pink, and PK002 to be just the way it is). 







Another day, I decided to compare Benefit Posie Tint again with the FCTs just to see if I can capture any differences.

Left to right:
- FCT PK001
- FCT PK002
- Benefit Posie Tint




I guess you can kind of see the subtle differences... Posie Tint like I said is a baby milky pink. PK001 is just ever so slightly brighter/more neon. But like I said before, you won't be able to tell the difference once they're on the lips. I essentially bought the same thing twice.... ha, ha, ha


Before I end this post, word of caution to you guys: I noticed when these lip stains fade (all 3 of them), they kind of fade in patches

This day the majority of the stain has faded, but I was left with some stain on the inner part of lips, which is no biggie at all.


This day though, I was left with those weird patches O_O So my suggestion is, make sure you reapply/check your lips throughout the day, otherwise you might end up with uneven, awkward, patchy-looking lips. They were easily removed by makeup remover though, so no worries there.









Do you like lip tints? If so, what's your favorite color/brand? I want to look for more red colors =D



Hope you guys enjoyed this review! ^_^ happy weekend :D


<3 Frances

Makeup Forever Mat Velvet+ Foundation Review

Hi guys!

I can't believe it took me THIS long to review this foundation O_o I get sidetracked so easily XD



My shade is in 30 (MAC NC20)


It says it's water resistant-- which I actually haven't tested that out.
Another thing to note about this foundation is that it contains no SPF. So make sure you wear sunscreen underneath this! (I always wear a separate sunscreen anyway)



Ingredients:





It comes in a squeeze bottle






It looks quite liquidy but it's actually pretty thick





Bare face



Bare face


With the foundation (applied with wet BeautyBlender)

 
With foundation

 
Without foundation


With foundation


With foundation


I was surprised that it photographs so matte! But in person I feel like it's semi-matte-- there's a certain glow to the finish (not the dewy kind of glow though).

Full-face effect





My thoughts on this foundation?
So I guess the reason why I haven't really talked about this foundation because I hadn't been using it a lot-- I used to save it for more special occasions, when I need my foundation to last longer. Well I don't really have that many special occasions XD so that explains why I hadn't used it much. But I changed that now and I'm starting to use this on regular days :)

Reason why I used to save it for special occasion: it keeps my oiliness at bay longest compared to my other liquid foundations. Of course, if you really want your foundation to last, using a suitable primer would be the way to go (just make sure your primer and your foundation have the same formula-- for example, if your foundation is silicone-based, then you'd do best with a silicone-based primer). Or you can blot/touch-up. Me being the lazy ass I am, I never like to touch-up on my makeup when I'm out and about. This foundation allows me to look shine-free for longer, but if I wear it long enough, I still end up looking oily like I do with any other foundation. Another plus for this foundation is that it wears well-- I don't have to worry about it breaking down on me or getting patchy.

I feel like this foundation is pretty misunderstood-- some people bashed this foundation because of how thick it is, making the wearer end up looking mask-like. I can only say that's because they haven't used the right method to apply this foundation. To get a smooth, non mask-like finish, I recommend using a wet foundation brush (I usually use my Sigma flat top synthetic kabuki brush) or a wet BeautyBlender. That way you can "dilute" and sheer out the foundation. I think this foundation has enough coverage that when it's sheered out, it actually ends up looking like how you would normally apply a foundation without thinning it out. Otherwise, if you apply it straight from the bottle with your fingers-- it WILL apply very thickly and you WILL end up looking mask-like. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to use some wet medium to thin this foundation out-- I have applied this foundation with my fingers before and it looks absolutely horrible.

As much as I love my YSL Touche Eclat foundation, I find myself to be liking this foundation more and more. I think YSL really wins in terms of the initial finish-- the glow it gives is just incredible and makes your skin look so healthy, and I can never get past that XD but at the end of the day, Mat Velvet+ does look better on my face. PS: However, if I use an oil-controlling sunscreen or a good primer, AND a loose powder, then YSL performs just fine. I was talking about wearing the foundation on its own then MUFF has better longevity.

In conclusion, I really like this foundation, especially for oily girls! Girls who have dry skin really don't need to try this one out-- unless you adore matte finish. And may I just emphasize again please use water to thin out this foundation before you judge it XD



That's all I have for this foundation! Have you tried Mat Velvet+? What are your thoughts?

Hope some of you found this review helpful!

PS. This is another one of these pre-typed posts. Ahhh so busy. Happy weekend everyone ^_^ and if you're having finals, good luck!!!!!

<3 Frances