March 2014 Hits & Misses

Hi guys!

Here's my March Hits & Misses. I honestly thought I was gonna be on time for March =_= and before I knew it, it's almost mid-April O_o

So I actually don't have a lot to share for March. Most of them I've already done reviews so I'll link those when appropriate. I actually have a lot on my plate at the moment so I'm just gonna go ahead and jump right into it!

1. Cover Girl Lipperfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in 215











Naked lips


With the gloss balm. This really isn't the best picture because the balm does look pinker in person... but no matter what lighting/angle I took my pictures at, they all kind of turn out baby pink ish. So just keep in mind that the balm is pinker than shown above.

My thoughts?

Ummm I don't know exactly why, but I just don't like this product much. The color swatch looks like something I will love, but on my lips, it just translates a lot pinker-- too pink for what I was looking for. I wish it would look exactly the color swatch on the back of my hand. It also has a plastic/rubbery lipstick scent (think MAC lipsticks) which I found to be very off-putting. Texture-wise it's nothing crazy, kind of like Clinique Chubby Stick.

Here's a side to side comparison swatch to Revlon Just Bitten Kissable balm stain in Lovesick. Actually in retrospect, I should've done a comparison swatch with the Clinique Chubby Stick in Mighty Mimosa... those are much more alike. The Chubby Stick was in my school bag when I did the swatches so I forgot about it O_o But anyway, Mighty Mimosa is a nuder pink compared to Cover Girl.

Revlon has a drier formula (whereas you can see Cover Girl has a balmy formula), and Revlon also has a minty scent.




2. Tanya Burr Lip Glosses

I already did a review on those, if you haven't seen it, please refer here. In short: huge hit! If I were to recommend anything from this month's hits & misses, it'd be these glosses ^_^


3. Mamonde Real Skin Founder

Also already did a review. I wouldn't say I love this, but I do really like it.


4. A'PIEU Essential Source Snail Vital Cream



This product, unfortunately, is a miss for me. My skin was very unstable/breaking out a lot last month, and it seemed to coincide a lot when I was using this product. But then again at that time I wasn't entirely sure if it was from this cream. Anyway, my skin is finally clear these days and I gave it another go-- yep, broke me out. It has a thick gel texture. Kind of reminds me of a sleeping pack texture.


5. Luca's Papaw Ointment



Thought it's pretty cool it came with a twist-open seal.






Please note: it contains fermented fruit.


So I ordered this following my Dior lip balm disaster. It's nice. At first I was like this thing smells really pungent O_o then later I realized it contains fermented fruit, haha. Took me a few days to get used to the smell but now I find the scent pretty comforting XD I guess I would say it's good and it does the job? I feel like it's nothing too impressive (like it didn't wow me like my Aveda lip balm did) but when I switched to my other lip balms I did notice a difference. So I guess it's good. Regarding the claims that it's also good for insect bites... I have applied it on my nasty mosquito bites from PR but I feel like it did nothing. Actually I'm not even sure what it's supposed to do for insect bites?? Maybe it's only intended for a protective layer? But I learned in my self-care class that you're not supposed to put ointments over insect bites LOL (insect bites, especially the swollen kind, are usually considered "wet" wounds, and applying ointments can provide a physical barrier that traps in moisture/secretions/bacteria and lead to infections. Gels are considered "drying" and are more appropriate for wet wounds).

6. Bumble and bumble Surf Spray

Again, already did a review. I feel like this item is gonna be either hit or miss for a lot of ppl, depending on their hair texture and how much effort they put into their hair routines.


7. Aveeno Natural Protection Lotion Sunscreen






This product is a disappointment. It is quite thick (hard to spread) and leaves a ridiculous white cast.



Can you see the white cast? It's kind of ridiculous when you apply it on all four limbs. Plus it's so hard to spread. Lesson learned: rather spend more on high end sunscreens. Never had a problem with Shisiedo face & body sunscreen. But I ran out of that a long time ago.

8. Aveeno Pure Renewal Shampoo





I guess it's alright? No complaints there-- but then again I rarely ever go crazy over shampoos. In fact, I think I've ever only gone crazy for one shampoo-- Aveda Pure Abundance. I feel like this is just a typical drugstore shampoo-- along the lines of Dove and Pantene (in my opinion, Garnier Fructis and Herbal Essence make the worst shampoos-- they leave HORRIBLE residues. But they smell amazing though lol).


9. Aveeno Positively Radiant Targeted Tone Corrector
 
Heard this evens out skin tone-- not true for me. In fact, it stings and made my face red. I returned it.


10. Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser

This is the second time that my face broke out from using a foaming cleanser (first time was with Caudalie). But with this one I can clearly feel it leaves residue on my face-- there's definitely a layer of something on my face even after rinsing out my face several time. And I can smell it on my face -.-  I have concluded that foaming cleansers are just no good for me. Returned this as well.


11. Aussie Hair Insurance

Sorry I forgot to take a pic so I just reused one of my old pics haha. Honestly, I'm not sure how to tell a good heat protectant from a bad one? My hair is damaged enough as it is so I can never tell if a heat protectant works or not lol. It comes out like a lotion, which in all honesty, I find to be a bit heavy/thick. I would prefer something lighter. Shame because it smells amazing. If I ever use it up (which I suspect I won't) I know it's not something I would repurchase.


12. Makeup Forever Aqua brow

It's a hit!! =) In short-- looks natural (if you use the right tool), and yes IT IS WATERPROOF. Awesome. Review here.


And lastly... I want to mention, oatmeal has been a favorite facial cleanser once again for this month lol. Still using oatmeal to cleanse my face. I feel like it's hard for me to go back to normal/chemical cleansers now X_x

Hope some of you found this post helpful :)


<3 Frances

Mamonde Real Skin Founder Review (+ Mini ibuyBeauti Haul)

Hi guys!

I'm back from PR :)  back to reality LOL. I had a nice time in PR, but sadly due to my food allergy right before my trip, I got hives all over my body (and I mean my entire front and back) so I did not get to wear any of my bikinis XD sob sob. Oh well. Luckily I do have one full body swimming suit so I had something to wear for snorkeling. PR was nice, but to be honest, and not to sound ungrateful, but I feel like PR is a little bit overrated. I'm glad I traveled there, but I don't think I will be going back there again. It's very touristy. The one thing I looked forward to the most was snorkeling, but due to the weather/strong current that day, they had to cancel our last, and supposedly best snorkeling site :( (there were 3 snorkeling sites scheduled for our trip). Which I guess was okay, because I vomited my guts out XD I used to think you just go to the deeper part of the beach and you can just snorkel there XD but it turns out they have to "drive" you to snorkeling sites via boat, and man, I got the worst motion sickness. Vomited 3 times -_- (even with 3 different medications kindly provided by my classmates) and I can't even remember when was the last time I threw up. So I guess it was good that the last leg of our journey was cancelled, because I don't think I would have been able to tolerate the boat ride orz..... couldn't keep anything down. Haha. That was the last day of our trip and I think it must have affected me more than I thought. Been feeling ill/not quite myself :(  Sorry I got all chatty. Hope I didn't sound like I was complaining a lot because I still enjoyed myself. Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan) was such a lovely little town and I will miss it, along with the warm and friendly PR ppl :) 

Ahem, where was I? Oh yeah, Mamonde XD So a little while back I purchased a couple of things from ibuybeauty.com

My purchases are the Mamonde Real Skin Founder and A'pieu Essential Source Snail Cream, the others are free samples. 


So I pretty much wanted these two items based on Sunnydahye's recommendations :)

She's my latest subscription :D I think she has such an adorable personality. Anyway she raves about the Mamonde Real Skin Founder and it looks super nice in her videos, so I really wanted to try it :P

Of course, you don't have to buy the Mamonde Real Skin Founder on ibuybeauty.com, you can find it on eBay or Amazon or other websites. But I like how ibuybeauty.com the sellers actually answers questions about shades/matching and stuff :P good sellers deserve encouragement!


They even included this thank you card that's printed on this super nice quality paper O_o When I saw it I was like dang printing this alone would've cost them so much more money.

Just FYI, shipping for me took 19 days.

Here's the star of the show!

It has SPF33 PA++

My shade is in #2



For you Korean readers out there. I'm guessing it's saying foundation+powder=founder?? Hahaha





I actually wasn't expecting the product itself to have its own sealed package! Why am I so easily impressed XD Oh yeah by the way I only purchased the refill. I think I mentioned before I don't usually repurchase base makeup (too many things I want to try xD) so I consider makeup cases a waste. However when I went to PR I was regretting not purchasing the case... but now I'm home it's whatever. Haha.






Comes with a puff






Wonder what does the sticker say?


The puff is pretty nice.




By the way, this thing closes very firmly. Major props to that!


After it's been used

Downside... not most hygienic. I haven't used it for touching up but somehow I got flint all over it =/ I do wash the puff every time I use it and let it air-dry. Perhaps that's how the lint got onto the puff then into the product.


Thick cream


In the pan it looks pretty skin-toned, but I'm quite surprised to see how pink it swatches on the back of my hand.






I didn't try to blend this thing all the way out, because it dries super fast, and by the time I finished taking pics, I knew if I blended it out on my hand it'd look super powdery.


Bare face

I'm honestly surprised at how even my skin looks in these pics -_- skin had been breaking out so much since PR. I can only attribute it to oatmeal T____T Been cleansing my face with oatmeal again cuz my face was breaking out all over the place. But since I've been using oatmeal it's clearing up again haha. By the way I don't normally get pimples, but rather I get these patches of red bumps. 









Half face application:

Left with Real Skin Founder. Right without. You can see the product is just a tad lighter than my NC20 complexion.


half


half


The half side without


The half side with. You can see it's semi-matte finish but still has a glow. Kind of like the MUFF Mat Velvet+


Full face effect:

Applied with the blue puff provided.













Another day, applied with a wet BeautyBlender:

It's hard to tell the difference in the pictures, but as you can see, the finish is similar enough. However, I do feel like using a wet BeautyBlender tones down the powdery-ness of the product. Also I feel like the product clings to my skin even better than using the puff. Using the BeautyBlender doesn't affect the longevity of the wear. In fact, I think it helps the product wear better (especially when I'm using a moisturizing sunscreen-- it doesn't get patchy with this method).




So my overall thoughts?

Like I mentioned before, Mamonde Real Skin Foundtion in #2 looks just a tad paler than my NC20 complexion. But that may be because it leans more pink and that tends to make me look "whiter"/paler. So #2 is not a great match for those ppl who prefer yellow undertones, but definitely can be pulled off on NC20. It might suit NW20 best??? Not sure if NW15 can pull it off cuz I'm not familiar with that shade. But if you are any darker than NC20, then don't try!

Now onto the application. Be really careful not to overdo this foundation! I mean with any foundation you have to be careful not to apply too much, but I found that true especially with this foundation. Because of its medium-full coverage (it's quite a thick "cream") and semi-matte/powdery finish, it's really easy to end up looking mask-like if you use a heavier hand. The first time I tried it I used too much and omg I looked terrible. I suggest get the tiniest amount with your puff and build up the coverage.

To demonstrate my point of using the tiniest amount, this is how much I use each time to build the coverage up on my face. Super little right? XD With that said I am very impressed with its coverage-- A little does go a long way, and I found myself pretty amazed at how it simplifies my foundation routine. I literally just take the puff, dab a little in the product, pat pat pat pat, repeat this process another 2 times, then I'm done O_O


Now onto the performance of this product. I realized what you use as a base really does affect how this "founder" performs.

I was extremely pleased with its performance while I was in PR, where I was using it in conjunction with my Anessa sunscreen. It wore beautifully throughout the day and I could not be any happier with it (not saying it stayed matte because it didn't, but it held up well). However, when I use it with my Josie Maran sunscreen-- which is my winter, moisturizing sunscreen-- I am less pleased with its performance. It would look more patchy on my oily nose at the end of the day. So you are a combination gal like me, make sure you use a more oil-controlling base with this particular product. Another plus for this founder is that because you use so little of the product, it feels super light on the face.

I don't know if I would recommend this product to girls who needs a lot of coverage??? Because I feel like while the coverage is good, but it's not super buildable due to the powdery finish-- it is extremely easy to over-do this foundation and end up looking not necessarily cakey, but white. But then again I guess it could work the other way too since you only need a little?

I wouldn't necessarily say this is the most natural-looking foundation. Maybe because the shade is pinker/whiter on me, plus the fact the finish is semi-matte, it is quite obvious that I'm wearing makeup. With that said I'm not saying it looks unnatural or heavy on me, I'm merely pointing out compared to foundations that match me well, I think I do look a bit more made-up with this foundation than usual. If you're the type of girl who likes the "polished" makeup look, I think you will like this product :)


And I think it photographs pretty nicely XD

Sorry I kept using the same old pics. I lazy...






See what I mean about looking made-up? Like I don't think the foundation looks unnatural by any means, but because the shade is whiter/pinker, it's obvious I'm wearing foundation.


more close-up pictures








Pulled my hair out of the way to show the color difference between my face and neck. With this foundation, my face looks slightly pinker than my body.


Overall I am happy that I tried it out. Was super happy I had it with me in PR. I didn't end up using my other powder foundations I brought with me lol and I didn't end up putting it in my purse either because touching up wasn't necessary. I've been reaching for this quite a lot because it is so easy to use and feels so weightless. I guess the only downfalls are the color match (which I can live with) and the need to avoid moisturizing base products (which I guess is true for all foundations for me, but for other products I tend to just look more oily/shiny, whereas for this foundation it starts to get patchy. I still look shiny without using a moisturizing sunscreen, but the foundation wouldn't look patchy, so there's a difference there).



Have you tried the Mamonde Real Skin Founder? What are your thoughts?

Hope some of you found this review helpful :)

<3 Frances