[Chit Chat] Hera UV Mist Long Stay Cushion, SK-II Auractivator CC Cream, Neuve Eye Brow Pencil

Hi blogger friends!

Back with another chit chat post =) Hope you guys like this format of blogging XD


So I reviewed the Hera Mist Long Stay Cushion on my Instagram a while ago, but I still wanted to share some camera quality pictures to show you guys the finish





Taken with yellow lighting... don't mind it please =)


Here's what it looks like on my face

Very pretty semi-matte finish








Overall effect

Sorry about the stupid bangs... didn't have many good overall photos to show that's why I decided to post this one X(



Short summary:

1. Beautiful semi-matte finish.
2. Got mine in C21 so the coverage is pretty good
3. Since it's semi-matte (unlike Laniege BB cushion which is super glowy), the shade 21 doesn't have that "pale" effect (I found some dewy cushions tend to make my face look lighter/brighter even if the shade matches because of how glowy they are) so I think 21 is pretty safe for NC20. Although it leans ever so slightly pink. I think Innisfree #23 is even paler than Hera #21.
4. DISAGREE with the "long stay" claim. Staying powder is horrible. It's a bit like the IOPE XP one-- I get that feeling that it doesn't really set, but it doesn't slip as much as the IOPE one.
5. No oil control.
6. Separates and settles into pores as I get oily (tried it with matte/oil-controlling base and it performs even worse than when paired with my Dior sunscreen, which has a bit of stick to it. Think this cushion performs better when it has something to stick to).
7. Also settles into expression lines if you talk and laugh a lot
8. Compared to Innisfree Long Wear Cushion which can emphasize dry patches, this one does better in that aspect
9. Aside from the beautiful finish, overall negative experience.

Guess that summary isn't that short after all XD
If I wasn't trying to take photos for this "review", I wouldn't have bothered with this cushion at all.



I gave in and bought the SK-II CC cream that I've been lusting after for a while.

For the longest time I was wearing nothing but sunscreen when I go out lol. But I kind of wanted something with sun protection and minimal coverage to reduce my resemblance to a zombie XD


Since it is a CC cream, please don't expect any coverage from it! You will only be disappointed if you're looking for coverage!





Short summary:
1. Super glowy finish. If you look closely you can see very very fine glitters, but don't worry they do not accentuate pores
2. MINIMAL coverage (if you have a lot of redness, probably won't be enough for you. Not the best to cover up blackheads either but decent enough for me).
3. Texture reminds me a bit of sunscreen. It's blendable but not liquidy as I anticipated.
4. When first applied, the finish is more semi-matte. But as it sets and blends with skin, it becomes very dewy and glowy
5. Feels quite heavy as I get oily (probably more suitable for winter)
6. Coverage turns transparent as it wears off (I don't know if I should use the word "disappear" because when I wipe my face with tissue you can still see the pigment...  so it's still on my face. But it would pretty much look like I'm not wearing anything).
7. Longevity depends on how fast you get oily. It lasts about 3-4 hours on me before it "disappears". (Definitely one of the shortest wear base product I've tried. Although it doesn't patch up/separate so I don't mind that).
8. One shade only and my face does look significantly lighter than my body. I don't mind it but keep in mind it's a very Asian look LOL (like... face paler than body haha). Finish is lighter than NC20... I would guess it's probably more NC15. However since it does turn transparent, I'd say you only look significantly paler for the first hour or so.
9. I like to rub it all over my face then pat it in. Find that gives the best/most even application. 
10. It can be sticky (hair sticking to the face yayyyyy!! NOT. lol).

Overall, it suits my needs and I don't mind it disappearing on me cuz my skin tends to look better/need less coverage later in the day (can always take it off and reapply-- should be doing that for sun protection anyway XP) but I don't like how heavy it feels as I get oilier. It's probably from the extra added skincare properties. I find that when I get home I want to do nothing but take it off my face.

I got mine from Cosme-De.com cuz it's on a promotion price. I neither recommend or not recommend it (depends on your needs!) but I for sure will not recommend it at $90 haha. At almost $60 (I had additional discount) I actually didn't regret purchasing it.

By the way, Cosme-De.com is a Chinese company but it's actually based in Hong Kong. I came across this website when I was searching for the CC cream with Google shopping. I wouldn't have purchased from them if it was based in China, but after learning it's based in HK, felt totally safe about it lol (by the way-- shipping only took a week. I was impressed).



Hope you guys enjoyed the brief reviews! Let me know if you want to see a detailed review but I think I covered everything.


Lastly, want to talk about this eye brow product called "Neuve"



For the longest time I thought Neuve is a Taiwanese brand because I hear Taiwanese bloggers talk about it all the time (in Taiwan it's called 惹我眉筆) but it's actually by Shiseido! I was shocked lol. 


I actually can't remember if it comes in different shades... tossed my packaging away. I think it does though?? 




Naked brows 


Naked brows


With neuve eye brow pencil



With neuve eye brow pencil

Short summary:

1. At first I didn't like it cuz it was too soft-- it deposits pigments too easily and I had to use a Q-tip to remove the excess pigments. But after a week or so I got through the "soft" part and it's great-- it applies easily but it no longer "crumbles"/deposit too much.
2. I think as far as brow products go, this one has low wax content (but I'm not super familiar with brow products!)
3. I don't normally have issues with brow products disappearing on me, so I can't comment on longevity since pretty much all brow products I've tried so far work well on me.
4. It only costs $80 TWD... which is like less than $3 USD. Can't beat that price. If you can get it for that price, go for it!

Overall, I like =D  Price point is amazing. Been using it for about 2 months now and haven't had to sharpen it... haha.


Thanks for taking the time to read my blog ^_^ Hehe will be back again in a few~


<3 Frances

Laneige BB Cushion Review

Hi guys!

I'm currently super sleepy... it's 1:30am (haven't been up this late for a really long time X_x) but as I am still waiting for the yogurt on my face to sink in enough... figured I might as well come up here and type type type type type xD (← This intro was obviously written on a different day haha)

Another super overdue post... Here's my review for the Laneige BB Cushion. Also took these pics like a month ago. But this cushion did take longer for me to review because I had different experiences compared to the first time I used it, so I wanted to make sure I gave it sufficient tries before I can write about it. 


The pics in this post are all a bit dark... cuz it was a gloomy/rainy day.
By the way, if you guys remember from a haul post from wayyy back, you'll recall that I badmouthed this BB cushion and said this was exactly like the IOPE cushion.

WRONG.

Dear Laneige BB cushion, please accept my apologies XD

Eventually, I did decide to keep this cushion (:

Ingredients




Got my shade in Light. I am fairly sure Light= 23. Not 21.




















Pretty much exactly identical to IOPE.



Oh look! Twins!




The difference between 21 and 23.




Here's a comparison swatch. IOPE N21 versus Laneige Light (#23)


Even though you can see #23 is just a hair darker for me, it's still a much better match for me at the moment (about NC25) because it's so brightening-- it still tends to make my face look lighter.

Bare face.

My skin was relatively clear at that time. Excuse the zit underneath my lip... that's why my lower lip looks so swollen. I never broke out there before O_o so weird. But I woke up that day with a HUGE zit. And later that night I saw it was close to bursting so I proceeded to squeeze it out. Man the thing had roots, it's like squeezing freaking toothpaste. Took me two tries to get everything out. Umm sorry if it's TMI XD but the satisfaction oh man XD



With BB cushion


It is pretty glowy finish.




I want to mention that I was using my Diorsnow UV Shield underneath that day, so the finish is extra extra glowy. So please keep that in mind. Just imagine this finish but taken down a notch XD It's really not super different, this BB cushion itself gives a really glowy finish on its own anyway.

And um yeah that time of the month= zit on my temple XD I didn't apply the cushion over it cuz my hair covers the thing anyway... not fussed about it.






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~guest product time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Haha I thought I might as well guest star a review for this product since I was wearing it in this pic. The Revlon Moisture Stain in "Barcelona Nights"

Bare lips



Application. The color looks quite vibrant off the tube, but after it sets on the lips it's more muted. 


The color isn't as vibrant as it looks from the applicator/when it first applied, but I do like this color. It's an easy color to throw on that will add life to your complexion and it goes with pretty much anything.


The staining of this product is just okay though. Didn't find that particularly impressive.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of guest star~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


After putting on full face of makeup (no blush). I want to say that... I notice with super shiny/glowy finish foundations... you should really take care to powder down the sides of your face. Or contour it. Because of how brightening it is, it can make your face look bigger/ a little bit swollen. Just imagine if you put highlight all over your face... it's gonna make everything stand out... hence... bigger face XD


Anyone else agrees glowy makeup makes my face wide? Lol don't be shy it's okay X)






Not gonna lie I adore the finish. Looks so HD. Hehe.





===================================================================
10 hours later
===================================================================
I did spend the whole day running around... and it was the very gloomy but humid type of weather so I remember sweating quite a bit that day. Let's take a look at how the foundation held up!


Besides the obvious oiliness on my nose, it actually held up pretty well! The foundation around my mouth got rubbed as I ate and wiped my mouth.


By the way, I have worn this cushion to the gym... it fared pretty well too, I was really surprised LOL (I didn't touch my face that much though... but in general I've learned not to touch my face when I'm wearing makeup lol).




The staining of the Revlon moisture balm isn't too attractive, haha.


I was pretty oily, and I did start to feel the cushion foundation was starting to feel heavy.

I want to let you guys know that until the Innisfree Long Wear Cushion came along, I actually didn't realize how heavy the IOPE and Laneige cushions feel... not that my skin feels like it's being suffocated when I wear them, but I can now feel the difference. Regardless, I still adore it since it has a pretty different finish from the Innisfree one.

And in regards to my first experience with this cushion where I said it made me extra oily like the IOPE one... I really don't know what happened that time. I distinctly remembered it made me extra oily on my nose, and the oil beads just sit on top of my nose, exactly like the way the IOPE one did. But it never happened again O_O so I have no idea. But I do like it enough to keep it :D

That's all for my review! By the way I got mine from Target. I suggest you guys to go online and check the product availability first because from my understanding, it's not available at every store.

Alrighty folks! Hope some of you found this review helpful. Did you try the Laneige BB cushion? I think in general this BB cushion has received pretty good reviews. I definitely like this a lot more than the IOPE one! The price is much cuter too. Grrrr.

Whew... only one more cushion left to try/review :D Still haven't tried out my Hera one but I'm really looking forward to using that one ^_^

I'm off to get some dinner. Hope you guys enjoyed the frequent posting this week hehe. Don't get used to it, because now I ran out of pre-typed drafts so I'll prob go into MIA again XD I felt like I got carpal tunnel from all the excessive typing from blogging and work T_T

Have a lovely weekend and remember to keep warm <3> <3 Frances