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

Tanya Burr Lip Glosses Swatches & Review

Hi guys!

So this is the last of my pre-typed posts. Hope you guys have been enjoying the frequent posting so far :)

Today I want to share my thoughts on the recently launched Tanya Burr lip glosses. I bought mine from feelunique.com. It has free international shipping over purchases over $20 (not bad at all!). Shipping for me took about 18 days. By the way, I got them with a coupon code, so I suggest you guys sign up for the newsletter and make your purchases when there's a coupon :D


The lip glosses are $12.23 apiece. Not expensive but not cheap either. Tanya looks so gorgeous in this pic ^_^ Got mine in "Picnic in the Park" and "Heart Skipped a Beat"

It claims:
- Super moisturizing
- Incredible shine
- Rich beautiful color


So when I first got them I struggled to open these. Later I realized you could just pop the plastic part out XD LOL gosh. I was sitting there forever trying to peel open the thing without ruining it.


Ingredients for Picnic in the Park



Ingredients for Heart Skipped a Beat




These are taken under sunlight and true to color (the swatches on feelunique.com are horrible!)


So here's me with bare lips:




Picnic in the Park




Dabbed at the center


After rubbing lips together






I'm actually quite surprised at the picture turn-out. It looks more like a bright pink to me in real life?? It looks like a nude pink in these pics. You can see my lip lines quite clearly but this gloss does thicken up a little bit and set after a few minutes. I didn't wait for it to set because I was in a hurry >_<















Heart Skipped a Beat

I has shimmers in it but you definitely don't feel them. Nor do they dry up and stick to your lips.



Dabbed at the center
 
Forgot to take a pic of when the lips were evenly coated orz.... Anyway this pic is just to show how much I used.



With just a little bit on gloss you get this super natural, dewy-lipped look ^_^



Adding more on.
















I also like to mix them together XD

PITP on top, HSAB on bottom.









Guess it's hard to tell the difference in these pics XD but you get a redder pink color (duh XD)







So my thoughts on these glosses?

First of all... let me just say... I was "shockingly" surprised (a whole different level of "pleasantly" surprised XD)

I wasn't expecting the product to be bad... and I didn't exactly have low expectations... but somehow I was mentally preparing myself that I wouldn't like these? Because for one thing, I never liked glosses that much (they tend to dry my lips out). For another, the last time I tried out Tanya's suggestions (Rimmel Stay Matte powder, Michael Todd products) I hated them all. So yeah, you can kind of see why I was apprehensive trying out things she loves? Haha.

Anyway, I. LOVE. these. It lives up to all 3 claims-- hydrating, shine, and opaque colors. The most shocking to me is the hydration part-- these lip glosses actually do hydrate (as opposed to just not drying your lips out). I can reapply them without feeling the need to apply lip balm in between. Definitely a first! Of course toward the end of the day I would still need some lip balm, but pretty damn impressed.

I love everything about these glosses! The first thing I noticed is that they smell incredibly yummy! They smell like strawberries :D :D :D some ppl might find the smell unappealing/candy-like, and quite frankly I usually don't like fragranted cosmetics, but I adore the smell of these!

Texture is great. You do want to give it a minute to set, it thickens up ever so slightly and coats your lips evenly. Doesn't sink into lip lines. I like to use my fingers to spread out my lip products, and they feel really sticky to my fingers. However on the lips they don't feel sticky at all ^_^ Also, I noticed that these glosses do stain-- after you've been wearing them for a while, not instantly. Much much better than YSL glossy stains!

Overall, I cannot be happier with these glosses. A+. I don't think you've ever seen me give such a high rating for a lip product here on my blog before (except the Za lipsticks). But I really do love them that much. So glad I didn't decide not to try them because they are glosses. If you are a gloss girl, definitely give these a go! If you're not a gloss girl like me, these are legit, and might change your mind about glosses... like it did with me ;)

For now I'm trying to control not buying more because I have soooo many lip products, but I do look forward to collecting more of Tanya Burr's lip glosses =) Maybe I will let myself buy more if I use up some of my YSL glossy stains?



Have you tried Tanya Burr products? Now I'm quite curious about her nail polishes.

Have an awesome day guys!


<3 Frances