swytnightmares ❤

BOO.

WARNING: This is going to be a super long entry talking about make-up! Skip to the next entry "End of CNY 2012!" that I posted today together with this entry if you're not interested!

Just wanna update some of the stuff I bought!

Messish Contact Lens

Bought it during my trip to Korea. The tour guide brought my cousin & I specially to his neighborhood to buy! Costs 60,000 Korean Won! (Roughly SGD60!) And he got the little bottle of solution and the 2 casings for me wahahaha. Anyway, the lens is grey. There's a photo of me wearing it below!

MAC Satin Lipstick in B71 Pink Noveau

This photo was taken with my iPhone. So it's a little blueish toned =/
But the color is about there!

Anyways, this is currently my favorite lipstick because it's so versatile! I can always use a lighter hand for a cute baby pink or a heavier hand for hot pink! And the moisturizing level is definitely better than my Revlon Super Lustrous Matte Lipstick in 012 Sky Pink. Sky Pink is sooooooo drying because it's a matte lipstick! What a pity 'cause the color's a beauty too.

With Pink Noveau!

Taken with iPhone too! See the blueish hue?!
Take that away and you'll get the perfect Hot Pink Shade :D

Urban Decay!

Urban Decay Brightening Complexion Primer Potion

Hmm. I prefer my Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. Because I started off with Hourglass as my first primer, it's natural that I compare UD with it.

I just realized that I have never wrote (I shall not say 'review' because I'm not professional enough for that!) anything about my Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer! How about writing it now? *runs to dig out photo of the primer*

Left: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Ignore the right one! It's my makeup setting spray Skindinavia!
Not gonna talk about that!

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer Oil Free SPF15
(Let's just call it HVMP for short!)

Mineral based primer with SPF 15 developed to even skin tone and prep skin for flawless makeup application. Clean, satin-finish formula helps keep makeup fresh, while absorbing excess oils and minimizing enlarged pores.

SPF 15
Oil/Paraben/Fragrance/Nanoparticle/Gluten/Synthetic Dye/Sulfate/Phthalate Free
Vegan
Water-Resistant

1) Mineral: I don't know much about makeup products being mineral but I like the sound of it! Some people say mineral makeup is good for our skin and some say mineral makeup can last longer than normal ones! There are also people who say that those are just marketing gimmicks but I guess I'm believing it! Most of my makeup for the face are mineral and I try to keep that point in check! And so far, I have never come across any product that can cause me outbreaks. I'm not saying I'm invincible, but the mineral part probably works eh?

2) Evens out skin tone: Yes it totally does! I would say that my skin is a little sensitive. Sensitive in the sense that it turns red very easily, especially my nose and the area around it. It turns red whenever I wash my face with a little more strength or when I massage my face. But whenever I use the HVMP, the redness would decrease. I think this is probably because of its whitish formula. (You can see from the photo that it's white.) I've read reviews saying that it's not good because it gives a whitish cast on the face but if you ask me, I'd say "less is more". You only need a very small amount for the whole face! I always use one pump, and sometimes I can't even finish that amount! And I never get a whitish cast!

3) Minimizing enlarged pores: Yes for normal pores but no for acne scars! Alright I know that it's PORES not SCARS. But I've always thought that when they say 'minimizing pores', it means that there's hope for the acne scars on my nose D; Yes I used to have more acne on my nose than the other parts of my face and I can never go without popping them. Thus the scars on my nose!

Anyways, back to topic. I don't have enlarged pores. My pores are normal. So with HVMP, my pores are almost invisible! Almost, I said! As for the acne scars (the holes after you squeeze the acne), they are actually a little minimized! They will never be gone! My regrets!

Then again, that's only my part of the story. I'm not trying to show off but there are 2 things about me that people might say why HVMP works. One, I have fair skin. That's why the whitish cast doesn't apply to me. Two, like I said, I don't have enlarged pores! So it's up to people whether they want to believe my words and try it! I'm not bearing any responsibility! Hahaha.

4) Flawless makeup application: You know what? I'm unable to live without HVMP now. It minimizes pores and with its satin-finish formula, it makes my skin soooooooooooooooooooooo smooth! No joke! There was once when I forgot to apply HVMP and my scars and pores are visible after powder application! (You need to be as close to me as I am to the mirror though.) Since then, I have never forgotten to apply my HVMP!

5) Keeps makeup fresh, absorbs excess oils: I can't really justify the first part because there's something about my face.. My makeup never fades/slides/whatever you call it. (Except for my eye area! Certain eyeliners and mascaras smudge on me!) Makeup stays on my face no matter what! Powder.. Blush.. Eyeshadow.. You name it. I have a few reasons though. One, it might be because of my mineral makeup, provided that it's true that mineral makeup lasts longer than normal makeup. Two, I don't touch my face as much as a normal person does!

As for the oil absorbing part, I'd say it works to a certain extent. To all like me, with oily T-Zones, we all know that there's no product that can control oil 100%. But what we do know is that, some products can slow down the period of time it takes for our face to get oily. And one of them would be HVMP! With HMVP, my face would only start to get oily halfway through my lessons. If without, my face would start to get oily even before class started!

6) SPF 15: To me this is a very good plus point to the product because I don't use moisturizers with SPF and I'm really lazy to use an extra product - the sunscreen. And I hate the feeling of sunscreens on my skin. I just feel.. Urghhh. HVMP is different! It's smooth, fragrance free and evens out my skin tone! So many in one!

7) Water-Resistant: I suppose we normal people don't stick our heads in water out of nowhere right? Hahaha. But if you're talking about being drenched in the rain, trust me, HVMP is going to be your best friend! But again, this part also depends because I need to emphasize that makeup doesn't slide off me! Yes! Not even in the rain! POWER FACE \m/

Packaging wise.. It actually looks very classy to me. The translucent glass bottle and it's shiny, dark brown pump nozzle and cap. I can't figure out what it's made of though. Oh and it's quite robust! I've dropped the bottle from quite a height once and it didn't break! No cracks either!

Conclusion:
I have already listed HVMP as a must-have in my makeup routine. The only imperfection of this product is its price. SGD76 for 30ml. Lasts quite long though. For a pump a day, I guess it could last you for a good 4-5 months! I'm finally finishing my first bottle! Can't wait for Sephora to restock!

Now, let's go back to Urban Decay's Primer Potion (UDPP)!

Dull skin? Fine lines? Disappearing foundation? Try Brightening Complexion Primer Potion under foundation (or alone!) for skin that looks brighter and feels tighter. The light-weight, oil-free, never greasy formula includes Matrixyl 3000 and Hyaluronic Filling Spheres to minimize the look of fine lines while leaving skin beautifully moisturized. Your skin will look youthful and lifted: your foundation will apply smoothly, evenly, and last longer!

Alright, I'm going to compare its claims to HVMP!

1) Skin that looks brighter and feels tighter: It doesn't look bright as compared to HVMP. In fact, I don't really see any difference, except for smoother skin. The redness around my nose area can still be seen. I don't feel my skin getting any tighter!

2) Minimizes look of fine lines: It didn't mention pores but I'm going to talk about pores because I don't have wrinkles.. YET! True that it minimizes pores, but it doesn't look like it works as good as HVMP because it is simply translucent.. And you can't really spot the difference before you apply powder/foundation.

3) Foundation will apply smoothly, evenly & last longer: To me this part works almost the same as HVMP. However, the application of this primer isn't as smooth as HVMP. Sometimes it gives me a sticky feeling and looks oily on my nose!

4) No SPF!

5) Oil controlling ability: I saw a big difference when I first switched to UDPP. It was as good as not having it on! My T-Zone became oily as fast as when I have no primer on!

Conclusion:
Not my favorite. But for the pore minimizing ability, I'll keep this as a backup just in case my HVMP runs out! (It's almost always out of stock!) I'll slowly finish this tube and I probably won't purchase it again although it's cheaper than HVMP. SGD55 for 30ml!

Anyway, I admit that I'm quite biased here because I was already in love with HVMP but this shows that UDPP doesn't have enough to win me over!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in Ozone.

Smooth, creamy and waterproof - our Lip Pencil keeps lipstick and gooey gloss in check.

YES IT WORKS!

Normally, lipstick stays on me the whole day until the moment I eat oily stuff. But with lip pencil, the lipstick stays all the way! Plus point: it's transparent so you don't have to worry about it not being able to blend with your lip/lipstick color! Yes that's all that I have to say about it!

Moving on!

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in 080 Strawberry Shortcake!

Shiny Color.. Buttery Balm. As Irresistible As You Are.
94% of women felt lips were softer, smoother, and instantly hydrated.

Screen shot taken from Revlon.com!

According to my research, lip butter is something in between lip balm and lipstick. Moisturizing like a lip balm, pigmentation comparable to lipstick! Note that it's something 'in between' and NOT a combination of both. So if you want to moisturize your lips, I'd suggest going for a lip balm instead. And if you love solid bold colors for your lips or simply lots of pigmentation, go for a lipstick! MAC has a wide range of colors hahaha (:

1) Yes it is moisturizing, and definitely more moisturizing than normal lipsticks.

2) Glides on lips buttery smooth: True too. But I think it depends on the conditions of your lips too. And I can't think of any other ways to prove that it isn't difficult to apply this lip butter. All I can say is, the application of this is definitely smoother than my MAC Pink Noveau's!

3) Sheer to medium color with buttery shine: As proven in the photo below!

4) Only 8 shades available in Singapore currently!