Summer Break

I'm getting lousier and lousier with titles, I really have no idea what to name my posts anymore~

I was thinking of Discontinued: Summer Break for today's feature, as it's no longer sold in stores.... I think it's discontinued from their recent Beach Cruisers collection.

I've still decided to post about Summer Break ($5.35) though, in hopes that they may still be available to purchase at some Priceline stores.

It's a gradient blush guys! Yes! A gradient blush!

I really liked the look of this blush when I first saw it as a part of their collection's release. Never really thought too much about it though. I was worried it may not be pigmented and Priceline never had testers. Didn't seem like I needed another blush anyways.

However, after receiving this to trial, it quickly became my most-reached for blusher as of recent! I've been loving coral FOTD's and my favourite lippy to go to would be Sportsgirl Pout About It Lipstick in Fruity Tingle.

The only problem I have with wearing this shade is that, I have zero blusher to match its tone. The coral blushers I own are just very off, and you see, I have this thing with making sure that my lippy and blusher are 100% matched (never will you see me with pink cheeks and coral lips).

Wearing: Coral shades

Summer Break is such a beauty though. A spectrum, as you could see, from red to a light coral. Adds to my collection of corals AND makes itself the first red in my collection! Yay!

And the pigmentation... thumbs up!

The long-lasting power lasts on my dry/normal skin throughout the day, so that's good too. Can't find any fault in this one, except that the packaging is a tad flimsy. Drop and you can greet it bye-bye..

Wearing: Coral shades

Definitely a keeper, and one I'd recommend if you're after some convenient corals!


P.S. I hope the colour shows up on your screens!! Eeeeep.


Disclaimer: Product was provided for review consideration only. Opinions are mine!

Think Pink! -- Mehron Cheek Powder in Rose Wood

Oh Lord! As I was typing up this post, I just realised that I STILL haven't got to my overdued IMATS haul from the end of September!! Holy golly.. Pinky promise to get to that soon, but I'll show you one of the items that I've purchased from IMATS first! 

I've heard of Mehron products for a while now, but that was my first time coming across Mehron products! Their stand was so interesting! So many bright colours with beautiful displays and their prices were so affordable!


Of course, there's no way in hell that I could skip their blushers range so.... I grabbed two -- one in Rose Wood and one in Tropic Coral (something along the lines of that). Not sure of their retail price, but at IMATS, these were $8 each!

They are packaged in the most simple plastic packaging. Not meant to look luxurious, so that's fine with me although I don't want to imagine the after results when dropped. Adding to that, has a clear cap, so all that means is it'll allow easier navigation in your stash of ten thousand blushers :P

Since it IS a make-up brand for professional make-up artists, I've already expected this blush to be super duper pigmented, so its rich pigmentation doesn't really hit me by surprise. Needless to say, it surely is the most pigmented blush I own to date. Even more pigmented than the powder blush that I've purchased from Ben Nye two years ago from IMATS.

Ultimately, that means... a teeny tiny bit will go a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG way. Please don't go swirling your brush in this blush. A dab is enough, I kid you not!

There are some loose fall outs though, so be highly cautious about that!

The colour is medium-deep reddish-pink with a true matte finish. Matte finishes can be versatile for both daily and professional theatre uses, but if you're after luminous or shimmery blushers, probably skip Mehron. Their powder blusher range only features matte finishes, so... either skip, or top it off with a luminous powder highlighter (like moi!).

Its long lasting powder for everyday is use is preeeeettty decent. Vivid when freshly applied at 11AM with about 30% opacity at 10PM. Impressive, anot?

Blended vs. Heavy handed swatch

So overall, if you do pass Mehron products from online shopping or next time you're at IMATS, I'd highly recommend you to give their blushers a go! $8 a pot isn't a bad price! Cheaper than Ben Nye's and I like it much better than Ben Nye's!



Mehron Cheek Powder in Rose Wood, $7.95, available at Mehron's Official Website and/or CameraReadyCosmetics.

Think Pink! -- Savvy By DB Blusher in Silky Pink

FINALLY a blushers post! And I mean... Finally a blushers post for this Think Pink! project AND for my blog. I really can't remember the last time I've reviewed a blusher.

This blusher, Savvy by DB's Blusher in Silky Pink, I've had it in my collection for a while now. I've hoarded it home from Priceline's 40% OFF sale which happened a while ago, so if I could remember correctly... this costed a mere $3.


I also really wanted their Baked Blushers, but they were a tad more expensive (I was on a budget then okay?!?!), so I've settled with this instead.

Their classic blushers are packaged in a simple plastic packaging. It feels sturdy enough to last, but also feels like one drop is enough to break. It has a see-through cover, which ultimately calls for easier navigation in your stash of ten thousand blushers. Ha!

The blusher itself, is decently pigmented. You won't find yourself needing to sit and swirl your brush forever, a slight second of a swirl is enough! You also won't find any fall outs, so don't fret!

My main concern with this blusher is its long-lasting power. It lasts for a fair amount of time.. 4-5 hours before I saw the colour fading on me. There's still that little bit of colour, but it just didn't look as vibrant as how I've applied it at first.

The colour, I don't mind it. It's a cute, medium warm-toned rose-pink with a luminous sheen. When swatched, the sheen stands to be very visible, but when applied, you can barely see it. I wished that the sheen stood to be as visible as it does when swatched, but this isn't much of a problem since I could easily top it off with my kick-ass The Balm Mary-Louminizer! Omgggaaah, I need to post about that soon, please stay tuned!

But anyways, overall, it's surely a nice blush to have in the stash. Pretty affordable, and good in quality, so I don't see what's the problem! Also great if you're just starting out with make-up. You can easily find SAvvy By DB's range at Priceline ^~^

Do YOU own any Savvy By DB products?

I just remembered that I also have a few lipsticks from the brand.. Still need to get down to photographing them, so I can go ahead and trial! Sighhhh!

Saturday's Swatches: Australis Pretty Pastels Palette

Saturday's Swatches have been off for a few weeks now.. Unfortunately, I've ran out of palettes and eyeshadows to swatch! I'll have to dig through my stash again, but meanwhile, please give a round of applause for our guest today -- Australis' Pretty Pastels Palette!

I've won this from Sandy's YouTube/Blog giveaway some time ago (thanks Sandy! ^_^!), but I believe you can still find the palette at Priceline for $9.95 (currently on sale for $7.96 at Priceline).

As expected, the lighweight palette is packaged in Australis' killer colours -- black and hot pink! I like that the palette itself is pretty thin and isn't too big, but still feels quite sturdy. The palette itself comes with 3 eyeshadow shades, a blusher shade, a bronzer shade, a fixed shade of pressed powder and a VERY clear and big "HD-quality" mirror.

As you can tell, all three shades are wearable neutral shades! I've decided to compare some of these shades to a selective fewer from Urban Decay's NAKED Palette:

• #1 -- This one swatches to be a bit chalky, but makes SUCH a pretty sheen over the lids. It reminds me of Urban Decay's Virgin the most, but this one by Australis has a shimmery finish rather than that pearly finish in comparison to Virgin.
• #2 -- This shade is like.. a grey-toned taupe colour. It swatches to be sheer on my arm, and also applies to be almost the same... I can't find a similar shade from UD's Naked for this particular shade.
• #3 -- Reminds me of Dark Horse, except that this Australis' shade is more neutral toned than Dark Horse. This particular shade is very pigmented, and also has alot of fall outs so please be careful!

Ok! Onto the blusher, bronzer and face powder...

• Blusher: Such a pretty dusty pink colour! It swatched to be a tad sheer, but actually applies to be quite pigmented! It also has a matte finish. I actually don't have anything similar to this colour in my stash, so this is a nice addition! 
• Bronzer: This bronzer shade has a shimmery finish, but when applied, it passes off as almost a luminous finish. It's much more ideal to use this to 'bronze' rather than to 'contour', not only because of the finish, but the colour is also a bit off. I can use this [and get away with it] at a lighter hand, but with a heavy hand, it tends to look a tad orange and pink-toned.. X_X
• Face Powder: I think this MAY be the same face powder from their Fresh and Flawless compacts... which I really like! It's smooth to apply, and also gives a flawless heavy-duty look! 

Overall, I like the soft-toned palette! It's a handy palette for those who prefer minimal make-up looks, or for those who are starting out with make-up even! It'd be better if they had these palettes available with different shades of pressed powders though.. Or perhaps replace the pressed powder with another universal face/eye product. A powder highlighter would be PERFECT for me!

That's all for today's Saturday's Swatches post! I'm trying to get back into a consistent blogging schedule, so sorry for the random updates! ^_^

On a brighter note, it's not rainy today, so I will be able to go to Sunday markets tomorrow! I haven't been there in 3 weeks or so! Eeep!

Catch you guys in 2 days~

Picnic with Nutrimetics Colour Wardrobe System!

Cosmetics nowadays comes in all sorts of colours from wearable to whack-able, but something to strongly consider is... which of these colours suit you?

The first step to determining which colours suit you is to:

• Determine your skin's undertone -- warm, cool, neutral, olive. 
• Determine the product's undertone -- warm, cool, neutral.

Looks easy, but hell, if you struggle to determine your own skin's undertone in the first place.. then you stand no chance to be able tell undertones of cosmetic products! 

Now.. Nutrimetics has introduced their 'Colour Wardrobe' colour-matching system for their cosmetics -- something that I appreciate very much! Products are now labelled with 'C' for Cool and 'W' for Warm, making it easier for you to find shades that will suit your complexion.

Yeap. I got fancy with these photos, don't blame me though. Blame the yummy and cutesy names they gave to these products!

Nutrimetics Pure Touch Blush in 500W Peach ($25.00) -- is a straight-up peach blush that you can't go wrong with -- a naturally, flushed peachy shade with a light hand and bold and daring with a heavy hand. It's texture is holy golly smooth and silky which blends beautifully on the skin!

It fades a tad by the end of 8 hours of wear, which is fair-fair. I really love the texture and pigmentation, but sadly, there's only 4 shades to play with in this range... meep. 

Nutrimetics Hydra Brilliance Lipstick in 104W Persimmon ($25.00) -- is a daring, bright, bold coral-red that... shocked me. It's shocking bright in the tube and to be honest, it's not a shade I'd pick up for myself. I'm at the "lipstick" stage where I'm still trying to feel comfortable with reds, so orange is just out of the question at this moment!

Is it not? Ok. Maybe it doesn't look so bright in the photo, but trust me on this peeps and peepos!

Anyways, I truly LOVE the packaging of this lipstick! It has a magnetic and mirrored lid.... yeap, you read right! The magnet keeps the lid on so no more lids lost in that blackhole of your handbag and you can also use the cap as a mirror on the go! Yay!

The formula is impressively pigmented, smooth and silky, non-drying and lightweight on the lips.... and.. um.. heaps transferable. I touch up after every single snack. I'm talk about Oreos and popcorn :(

I'll have to powder this down, add a lipliner as base and touch up frequently with this one unfortunately.. Meep. 

And then there's two Colour Impact Eyeshadows ($20.00)....... Fawn and Chocolate. 

Fawn is a matte, light tan colour with yellow tones. You see, I tried to match the names with a nice relative background shot, but I had no idea what to do with a shade of the name "Fawn". Seriously..

Chocolate is what it is -- a matte, dark chocolate brown colour.... Ya, that was so helpful Tram........ Unlike products that I've mentioned so far, this eyeshadow I received is cool-toned with a 'C' label on the back. Must've been a mistake on their end :P

These eyeshadows are moderate in terms of pigmentation with that same smooth and silky texture, just like their blusher! I feel like they swatch to be very pigmented on the hands, but when using a brush, you'll need to layer and layer and layer.... or use a primer.

Peach, Chocolate, Fawn, Persimmon

Of course, they're still really love eyeshadows to have but their prices leaves me umm-ing and ahh-ing...

FOTD time!

All in all, I really love the concept of undertone-labelling for these products! I know MAC is known for their range of NC/NW coverage ranges, but I personally think it's important to know the undertones of colour cosmetics too!

Are YOU strict with matching products' undertones to YOUR skin tone?
Have you tried any Nutrimetics products before?

You can find Nutrimetics products from their official website or find a consultant in your area.

Disclaimer: Products mentioned in this post were provided for review consideration. All opinions expressed within this post are of my own and remains uninfluenced. Please refer to this site's disclosure policy. 

Colour Me In: 4 Affordable Pink Blushers!

'Colour Me In' is a series of posts in collaboration with Alice of ArsyParsy, Tezza of Myteeefine and Amanda ofThai-Tales!

*****

Yeap yeap, it's Thursday! My post this week will walk you through some of the most affordable pink blushers! Last week, I've posted about 4 Ravishing Red Lipsticks, so check that out if you are into the brights and bold!

My blusher collection are majority pinks and they are all quite affordable, nothing pricey actually!

So first up, I have Sportsgirl's Get Cheeky Cheek & Eye Shimmer Trio in Rose. I think many people do avoid Sportsgirl's beauty products, but they're actually not that bad at all! Promise! This trio is actually decently pigmented with a shimmery bronze, pale pink and deep dusty rose shade. I only use this on days I skip illuminators to avoid lookin' overload shimmery!

..and on days that I do use luminous/shimmery highlighters, I do opt for matte blushers instead. That's when I lean towards Australis' Paparazzi Perfect HD and alternate between Flash It and Shoot To Thrill*! I wholey heart this range! Besides the awesome pigmentation and price, I love that they're available in trios which allows you to mix and match the shades!

Lastly, is my least favourite pink blusher from my little collection. Yeap. It's the Maybelline Fit Me Blusher in Medium Pink. I have nothing against the shade, although I have to say it's probably not best suited for me as it's too light. What I loathe about this product is its sheerness. Sheer is okay! It's not always bad! But this Fit Me Blusher is so incredibly sheer that it can pass as 'not pigmented at all'. Ya know?

And of course, here are some swatches!

From left to right:

1. Sportsgirl Get Cheeky Cheek & Eye Shimmer in Rose (middle strip)

2. Australis Paparazzi Perfect HD Blusher in Flash It! 

3-5. Australis Paparazzi Perfect HD Blusher in Shoot To Thrill

6. Maybelline Fit Me Blusher in Medium Pink

So that's four affordable pink blushers that you may (or may not.. *ahem* Maybelline Fit Me) want to look at if you're seeking for a pretty pink blusher.

What colour blushers do YOU prefer? Coral? Pink? Purple?

I do think corals suit me better, but I love pink lippies which doesn't really work with coral cheeks! Gah!

You love being pretty in pinks don't ya? Check out Tezza's Real Technique babies, Amanda's collection of pink lipsticks and duo two-toned lips and also Alice's go-to pink lippy!


Disclaimer: Products marked with (*) was from ABBW2011's goodie bag. However, I am not obligated to review or post about the product. All opinions are of my own and are truthful and unbiased.