Lipstick Aventures Part 2 Purchase Review: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine

Before I start my review, I wanted to say that there is an issue going on with Blogger in that people are having difficulty commenting on their own posts and especially other people's posts. I was even having problems posting a post. It is a known issue with Blogger that you can kind of follow up on here. I have always used Internet Explorer but when I tried switching to using Firefox, it helped to resolve this problem for now. Others have told me that Google Chrome works as well. Okay, on to my review...

I got caught up in the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine hype when I was looking around for a new lipstick. I finally broke down and bought it in 57 Aventure.
 

It is a lush pink color with a hint of gold. According to the Chanel website, Rouge Coco Shines are LE hydrating sheer lipshines. It is supposed to "provide a lasting moisturizing shine in a water-light texture. The formula glides on for easy application, and a unique HYDRATENDRE complex hydrates and softens lips, giving them a healthier and fuller appearance. Available in a complete range of shades, from delicate beiges to dazzling berries, with a hint of shimmer to enhance a glossy finish."

 Naked lips

 Aventure applied to half of my lips

 Aventure fully applied

I love how it does apply sheerly with a wash of color. As Chanel said, it does glide on really nicely and has a watery finish to it, which I love. It does feel nice and hydrating. I love the color Aventure. The downside to it is that the hydrating, watery feel doesn't last. After wearing it for about an hour or so, my lips do not feel like it's being hydrated. The color doesn't fade but the hydration does so I feel like I have to reapply it. I'm sure that if I used a lip balm before applying Aventure, it would help but I wanted to test it without using a lip balm. Using a lip balm kind of defeats the purpose of purchasing a hydrating lipstick. Considering the price, I would be a bit hesitant to purchase this again, although I do love the color.


*Kat*

Gift Review: Hada Labo BB Moist Cream--Picture Heavy

I was recently gifted the Hada Labo BB Moist Cream in Natural Ochre by the very lovely and generous Nic Nic of bang bang she shoots.

I seem to have a love/hate affair with BB Creams--as much as I love the concept of them, I find them not the right color for me--either too light or most of them are a gray/ashy color, they oxidize too much, are not hydrating enough. I recently wrote about how I loved the finish and glow that I got from Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream but it was way too light for me. I managed to get a sample of the same BB cream but in the darker shade and it definitely didn't work out for me. It ended up being too dark and oxidizing to the point where I looked almost ashy orange. Prior to that I had been using Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream in #23 one of the darker shades. I liked it although it oxidized quite a bit and is a gray/ashy color. I tried it in the lighter shade as well and it's a bit too light. So how did the Hada Labo BB Moist Cream fare? Let's take a look at the color comparison chart that I did first:

Sorry, that one picture got rotated automatically by blogger. Don't know why it does that. You can click on the picture to view it at a larger size.

 This picture was taken after several hours to show how much each one oxidizes. The only one that doesn't seem to turn ashy is Hada Labo.

So we'll start with my scary naked face which has only been prepped and primed.

I conceal using Lise Watier concealer wheel. I mainly conceal the darker, more prominent spots.

Next I set the concealer using MAC Motif eyeshadow. Strange but true. Why? Well, I found that when I set the concealer using powder, the large area concealed on my cheek would show up as a white spot after I applied foundation and blush. One MUA told me that they use orange cream or an orange lip pencil to conceal spots when doing photo shoots because it covers the spots more effectively. I started using Motif because it's in the orange color range and yet more of a skin-tone color. I think that it ends up looking much more natural.

Next is Hada Labo BB Moist Cream on half of my face. While slightly lighter than my natural coloring, it's not extremely noticeable.

Here I've fully covered my face with the BB cream. It does look a little whiter than my normal coloring.

Makeup fully done with the face/neck comparison as far as coloring goes. Again, there is a slight difference but not shockingly noticeable.

This is the last picture, I promise! This is taken after more than 10 hours of wear with no touch up. It has faded a slight bit. I have to admit though, that this day wasn't hot and humid at all.


I have to say that I LOVE this BB cream. The color match is as good as I can get, almost perfect. It does oxidize a slight bit but it oxidizes nicely and ends up matching my skin tone better. It is definitely hydrating, which is a big plus for me. It does stay a bit sticky after applying so it's best to set it with powder. I haven't been big on setting with powder since it tends to bring out my fine lines. I have been using Cle de Peau loose powder and applying it sparingly on my face with an even lighter application on the under eye area. This BB cream gives me a really nice finish in which I think that my complexion looks brighter and glowy. It also has really nice coverage, a bit heavier than most BB creams. It is also unscented.

From what I could read, it has SPF 32+ PA+++, comes in a 45g squeeze tube and is available in two different shades, Natural Beige and Natural Ochre.


I've been using this every day since I received it from Nic Nic.


*Kat*

More Love!

Sorry that I haven't been blogging or commenting much lately. Life is overwhelming me right now.

This past week I was extremely surprised when a package arrived. I definitely wasn't expecting any purchases in the mail. I received a love package from Brianna of  The Sungirl Says.

The package included a very sweet note along with some very wonderful products! A bow-shaped red dotted hair velcro, Hello Kitty scrubby bath towel, Hello Kitty oil blotting sheets and a bunch of samples. There was also a Canmake Shimmer Jelly Eyes 02, which is an eyeshadow that is waterproof! It's a beautiful "nude" color. There was also a bottle of Lush, It's Raining Men shower gel!!! I had been trying to get this at my local Lush store and it was completely out. I'm so grateful to Brianna for gifting this to me. I can't wait to try it! Thank you so much Brianna for the wonderful surprise and for your friendship. It was truly something that helped to brighten my week.


As I mentioned, I've been overwhelmed by life. It's been our busy period at work and I've been working every day with long hours. On top of that, this week we had to get our roof completely redone. Coming home from work late and being tired, it wasn't fun coming home to a house that has been completely covered by a film of dust. I would have to spend my time cleaning up the entire house before I could do anything else. My son is coming home for a visit next week Friday and it was decided a couple of weeks ago that they would hold a private wedding ceremony and reception here. He was going to register his marriage in Japan a while ago but has been having some difficulties with the Board of Education as far as his apartment situation. With the cancellation of bigger celebrations in Hawaii and Japan, this private affair will be his main celebration. With this in mind, I've been scrambling to secure permits for a beach wedding and we're still trying to figure out where to hold the mini reception. I have also decided, on my own, to make this very much like a regular reception and have been busy trying to figure out party favors, order a cake and buy the wedding cake top. I'm also in the process of making the wedding announcements which will be mailed out after the ceremony. The original design was very intricate and my electronic cutting machine has been giving me major problems so I've had to redesign the announcement. With all of this happening, I will probably be away from blogging for longer periods until after they return to Japan. I will be reading blogs and hopefully comment but if not, I promise that I'll catch up on everything eventually.


*Kat*

Lipstick Aventures Part 1 Review: Dior Addict Lipstick

As I posted recently, I went on a major lipstick haul, just to find a replacement for my all time favorite lippie, which is from Japan, Maquillage Perfect Glossy Rouge. It's quite expensive, except that I finally did find it at a reasonable price on Adam Beauty. By that time though, I had already started my lipstick search.

Today I will be featuring not one but TWO Dior Addict lipsticks. I present to you, 583 Backstage and 578 Diorkiss.

I had actually bought a Dior Addict lipstick about a year or two ago and while I thought that it was okay, I wasn't super impressed by it. Dior recently revamped the formula of this lipstick so I was excited to try it as I heard that it's much very moisturizing.

When I made my first purchase, I had forgotten to take my Maquillage with me so I couldn't do a color match with it. I tried the two above colors and Mai liked 583 Backstage, so I bought it.

no lipstick

lipstick on half of lip

lipstick on entire lip

It's a "my lips but better" color. I like it a lot although I realized after I got home that my Maquillage is much more pink toned, while this one is more of a mauve.

A couple of days later, Jess of Oh...pretty! blogged about 578 Diorkiss and how it is such a pretty pink that would probably match anyone. That was it! I just knew that I had to get it, especially since I did have a hard time deciding between the two colors originally.

half of lip

entire lip (sorry for the messy application, I was in a rush)

The formula is much better than my 1st Dior Addict lippie that I bought. I think that it glides on and feels very moist, not sticky at all. It is nicely pigments but not overly pigmented. The color will last for several hours on me until I eat something. The moistness does dissipate over time but lips don't feel dried out. I'm loving both colors very much.

*Kat*

Showered With Love!

Yesterday I had to work by myself for several hours and it would get pretty crazy. During the craziness, the mailman came and told me that I'm so lucky because I have two packages. I do? I don't recall ordering anything that I was waiting for.

It turns out that I got showered with love because Nic Nic of bang bang she shoots and Georgina of Coffretgorge sent me packages. I was totally surprised and shocked by these love packages as it was completely unexpected.

Since I was so busy, I couldn't open my packages right away and they were really teasing and tempting me. First of all with Georgina's package, I wouldn't have been able to open it up quickly even if I wanted to. It was completely taped up!

It really took some effort to open up her package. The effort that it took though was so totally worth it! There were so many wonderful goodies inside. A beautiful gold pouch which housed some goodies and a printed plastic bag with more goodies inside.

In the printed plastic bag a cute cat coin purse, a Celeteque mini skincare set, Etude House mini Collagen Moistfull (can't wait to try this) and some masks (love masks!).

In the gold pouch a honey/shea butter lip balm (love shea butter), 2 NYX lippies (I've been on a lipstick binge lately), nail polish, an....eyeshadow? (Help Georgina! What is that one item?) It looks gorgeous. AND...oh my! A Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek in Peach Macaron!

I had read some posts about the Puff de Cheek coming out and it sounded interesting. I will definitely try and do a review on this item.

After opening the package, I understood why it was completely taped up. Georgina fashioned pieces of thin styrofoam sheets into a box. I've never seen this done before.

What a totally clever idea! I'm sure that the weight of it was much lighter than a cardboard mailing box. I'm going to have to remember this idea. Thank you Georgina for this wonderful love package!

The lovely Nic Nic's package was just as awesome! In her envelope were two packages that were stuffed with goodies. Also there was a beautiful card. I love sakura and the card is a sakura design.

I just love Japanese packaging. It is so pretty and decorative. In the first package there were masks (love!), Maquillage lipstick sampler set and Dr. Ci Labo samples (various samples). I have used something from this line before (can't remember what it was...haha) and liked it but it was a bit too pricey for me to continue using it.

The second package is actually not quite plastic but more like paper fabric which has the two ribbon ties on the sides. This is also in a sakura print. In this bag there is a Lunasol lipstick, which I'm excited to try, my favorite Gokubuto mascara and I literally squealed when I saw the Hada Labo Moist BB Cream!

My adventure with BB creams will continue! I'm super excited to try this new BB cream out.

I've been having difficulties with color matching lately with both the current BB creams and foundations so I've been on the hunt for something new. I will definitely be doing a review on this in the near future. Thank you so much Nic Nic for thinking of me and sending me this lovely gift.

Once again, thank you to these two ladies who I call friend. I've been truly blessed to have met such wonderful people in the blogging community. I treasure my friendship with each of you. You both have been so generous in your love packages to me.

*Kat*

Lipstick Adventures and Surprise Announcement

Last week and this week is really busy for me at work so I'll be working late hours. Last week after getting home from work, I would continue working until midnight or so. I'm a bit tired so I haven't had a chance to respond to all of the comments on various posts. I will catch up soon.

For about a month now, I've been actively seeking a replacement to my all time favorite lippie, Maquillage Perfect Glossy Rouge. I know that I could order it online from a couple of places but it's so expensive. I recently discovered it's available on Adam Beauty for a very reasonable price. I will now have to wait a long while to buy it because...well, keep on reading and you'll understand why.  As you can see, it's down to me having to use a lipbrush to get to the very end of it.

I like Laura Mercier Stick Gloss but there is only a very few colors and most are not to my liking. Thanks to beauty bloggers on Twitter, I received a few suggestions. There was also a very active discussion and excitement about the Chanel Coco Rouge Shine Trio Set. So, in this last month, here is what I ended up with to try to find a replacement for that one favorite lipstick:

Five different lipsticks! Thank you dear lovelies (you know who you all are) for being such enablers. What happened to my no buy resolve? Well, I did say that I would buy only what I need to replace so I'm trying to replace that one favorite lippie. How's that for reasoning? I will be doing reviews on these in the upcoming days.

Now, onto my our surprise announcement...

It's a little late but we wanted to do a giveaway in celebration of Mother's Day. We also noticed that we now have 107 public followers and wanted to say thank you. This time I used random.org to choose the winner.

And the winner is...

Blair of bijinblair.blogspot.com! Congratulations Blair! Please contact me by email with your mailing address!

I almost forgot! Here is what your prize is:

Brushroll with brushes from The Body Shop, Too Faced Leopard Love Cheek Palette, mini mirror, Too Faced Lashlight mascara and The Body Shop Eye Shimmer.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

*Kat*

Mini Shopping Excursion

Earlier this month, the long anticipated opening of Bath and Body Works in Hawaii finally happened. It's taken this long for Mai and I to schedule a time to go and check it out.

Even though it's been a couple of weeks since the opening, it was still quite packed inside, although one employee said that it was actually not crowded. Really? We could barely walk without bumping into someone and getting help from a SA was difficult. The store was a lot larger than I thought it would be and was actually larger than the one that I usually go to in Las Vegas. It seems that they have also changed their packaging somewhat

I know that K from cosmeddicted loves Twilight Woods so this next picture is for you. Please let me know the next time you're headed back to Japan and I'll be sure to send you things.

Mai and I were quite good and actually bought only anti-bacterial soap in Kitchen Lemon. It's our favorite for using in the kitchen. It was 6 for $20.00 so we split it.

I usually come back from Las Vegas with tons of products but knowing that I can now go and make a purchase at any time, I didn't feel it was urgent to buy a whole lot and stock up.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend.

*Kat*

Gift Review: Canmake Jewel Stars Eyeshadow and EOTD

A few months back I posted about receiving the Canmake Jewel Stars Eyeshadow #9 in a love package. I finally got around to trying it out and am featuring it in today's EOTD.

The shadow itself is housed in a cute, small and clear plastic container. It is a cream eyeshadow and #9 is a taupe color.

I know that I've said this before but I use Mezaik Double Eyelid Stretch Fiber mainly because the outer ends of my eyelids droop down. Sometimes my double eyelids, undouble themselves. Using Mezaik I can make the ends less droopy and as a result, it also makes my eyes look a bit bigger. The drawback to using Mezaik is that nothing oil based can be used on your eyelids or the Mezaik will not hold. For this reason, I haven't used cream eyeshadows in a long time. There are days when I either forget or am too lazy to apply Mezaik so I decided that on those days, I can use a cream eyeshadow.

Products used:

UD Primer Potion
Canmake Jewel Stars #9
Stila Artists Inspiration Palette
K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner
Fairy Drops Mascara

I applied UD Primer Potion to my entire eyelid. Dapple from Still palette (middle shadow, bottom row) is applied in contour area from crease line to just under brow bone. Jewel Stars #9 applied on eyelid to crease line and softly blended upward. Golightly (left shadow, bottom row) is applied from middle of eye to outer eye to just above the crease line and blended upward and out. Kitten (right shadow, bottom row) is dotted on in the middle of eyelid. Ebony (middle shadow, top row) is applied to the outer "V" of upper eyelids and to the bottom lash line of the outer eye, only 1/4" (25.4 mm). Lined upper lash line and lower lash line with K-Palette. Applied Fairy Drops mascara.

I must say that I love, love, love the Canmake Jewel Stars #9 eyeshadow. The color is gorgeous and combined with the UDPP, lasting power is great. I had no problems with it creasing, even after a long, humid day. If you compare my eye with the previous EOTD post, you can see how my eye at the outer corner is a little more droopy, crease is not as big and actually looks hooded. I will admit that it's not bad although there are days when I absolutely need to use the Mezaik. It's pretty much an automatic morning routine for me to apply Mezaik.

NOTE: I love Dapple and am so disappointed that it is only in this Stila LE palette. I have managed to find and purchase another palette off of a blog sale but if anyone sees this palette anywhere else, can you please let me know.

*Kat*

Purchase Review and EOTD: YSL

NOTE: REPOSTING THIS AS BLOGGER WENT DOWN AND IT'S NOT SHOWING UP AS A POST. IT'S A GOOD THING IT WAS SAVED AS A DRAFT.

YSL is a brand that I was recently introduced to having been gifted with a blush. I happened to see this beautiful YSL 5 Color Harmony #5 eyeshadow palette on a blog sale and decided to try it out. The blue colors are all very gorgeous and the eyeshadows are very pigmented and apply smoothly.

My only concern with using these blues is an EOTD turning out looking like it's something from the 60's. My dear blogger friend BV of Beauty Verdict termed it "Endoraesque" because of the bad and scary blue eyeshadow look that Endora from Bewitched sported.

I primed my eyelids using UD Primer Potion in Greed. From the YSL palette, I used the blue in the upper right hand corner from inner lid to just past middle of eyelid and up to the crease line. The deeper blue in the lower left hand corner is applied from mid lid to outer corner of lid and blended upward above the crease line and inward towards the inner corner of the eye to blend out any harsh lines. It was at this point that I freaked and my brain screamed "Endoraesque"! To mute the bright blue of the shadow, I blended the charcoal blue/gray color in the upper left hand corner over the entire eyelid where the blue shadows had been applied. This layering blended into a beautiful sapphire blue color, which I totally love! The dark navy color was applied to the outer corners of my eyelids and just slightly on the outer corners of my lower lid. Lined my eyes with K-Palette Real Lasting eyeliner.

I really liked the end result of this EOTD. The shadows blend easily together. I didn't experience any fallout while applying it. I'm really glad that I decided to try this high end brand eyeshadow and even happier that I was able to do so at a very reasonable price.

*Kat*

Love Package from K

A couple of weeks ago, I received a love package from K of cosmeddicted. The amazing thing about this love package is that there was two of everything--one for Mai and one for me! She is an amazing and generous blogger.

Mai wanted to purchase the clarisonic brush heads from K but she just sent it so we had sent her a brush head as well.  We each received some face masks, an eyeliner pencil, nail polish, lip gloss and mascara. The little jars with the yellow tapes on them each have Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream, Skin Food Mushroom BB Cream, Skin Food Aloe BB Cream, Sleek Glory Pigment Powder and MAC Bell Bottom Blue Pigment Powder. I also received a double pack of the Mezaik Double Eyelid Stretch Fiber, my HG double eyelid "maker".

We've been so blessed to have made so many wonderful blogger friends like K. We look forward to the next time you are in Hawaii so that we can do a meet up again. Thank you K!

*Kat*