2014 Favorites

I don't think that I've done a yearly favorites post before. I decided to base mine on products that I either purchased or received and used in 2014. There are many items that are a standard item in my routine and I've used them for years. I didn't want to include those. There really aren't too many especially since, as I mentioned before, 2014 ended up being a crazy year for me so I just didn't do much shopping other than to replace loved items. This also was a reason why I wasn't motiviated to blog--nothing new to talk about. 

So onto my favorites:

Tony Moly 7 Days Tatoo Eyebrow

You can read my review here. It has become a staple item that I can't live without. Although I'm debating (and have been for years but am scared) getting it permanently tattooed, I will probably still keep this in my stash to use.

K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24h WP

Although I have mentioned this eyeliner as being my HG before, I have always used the black eyeliner. At the beginning of the year, I decided that black was a bit harsh to use to line my lower lash line so I decided to purchase this in brown. It's not that easy to find it in brown but I managed to do so. I also purchased more while I was in Japan in November. What I found interesting was that I recently read a blog post by K of Cosmeddicted who wrote that she started using a brown eyeliner because she felt black was too harsh. 

RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum

This was recommended by a friend who tried it and liked it. I'm so glad that she did. I found that it worked really well for me. While I don't think that my lashes got thicker, it did lengthen quite a bit and some bare spots did fill in. I know that I had taken pictures and had planned to do a blog post on it but never did. I will be using it again but have taken a break for a while. When I do start using a lash enhancing product again, I'l be using Latisse. It was given to me by Mai, who had won or received it from her doctor's office. She is very cautious with her eyes so she doesn't want to use it. I'm the lucky person who gets to.

Daiso Mascara

I just wrote about this mascara and you can read about it here. Even though I only started using it from the end of November, it has already become a favorite of mine. Mai loves it too.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre

This is used a lot by makeup artists as a primer. It can also be used as a moisturizer. I use it as a primer and really like it. I don't like primers that feel like it has a lot of silicone in it. It makes my face feel like it's itching, although there is no adverse reaction.

bareMinerals Bareskin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation

You can read my review here. I first reviewed it back in July and I'm still using the original bottle that I purchased. It is just about reaching the end so I bought a replacement. Sephora just released a similar type of foundation under their own brand. I tried it but it doesn't feel the same as the bareMinerals. 

Makana Academy Brand Blush

Back in October, Mai took me to Makana Academy to get a facial done for my birthday. After we were done, I was browsing in the lobby and found a shelf with various makeup that was being cleared out. I was told that they were in the process of moving so they wanted to lighten their load. It was very reasonably priced so I picked up this blush along with a some eyeshadow palettes. I must say that this is one of the best blushes that I have used in a long time. I had been reaching for it everyday until I needed to try another blush that was given to me.

Sparkle Collagen Peptide Supplement

I really need to do a blog post on this because I am duly impressed. When I went to Japan, I was fortunate enough to meet up with Yu Ming of Beauty-Box Online. I love her blog and when I had last looked, she had been selling a variety of different products from her online store. Apparently, she discontinued it but along with her husband, developed their own collagen supplement and named it Sparkle. She was so generous and gave me a tub to try. I will definitely do a blog post on it but just so you know, I am currently on my third tub. In the meantime, if this intrigues you, you can check out the Sparkle website here. No, I am not affiliated with them in any way. Just a satisfied customer and think of Yu Ming as a dear friend.

Did you discover anything new in 2014 that has become a favorite?

*Kat*

Gift Review: Lise Watier Pink Power Blush

I recently received a wonderful gift! Thank you to my "sakura soul sister", Justine of Sakura Lovely, I was able to add to my blush collection from Lise Watier's Spring 2013 Collection.

Lise Watier is a Canadian cosmetic company and while they do take online orders, it is unfortunate that at this time they only will ship to Canadian addresses. I first heard about them because of their concealer wheel, which contains a variety of different shades of concealer to address all of your concealing needs.

As soon as I had seen previews from Canadian bloggers who had attended an event, which was probably at the end of 2012, I knew that I had to get the blush.

This blush is called PInk Power. There is a very lovely sakura design on top of a metallic silver case. The case itself is very sturdy and well constructed. I think that the presentation is quite elegant.

The blush on the inside is stunning! The sakura flowers are raised as well as the petals. The background is embossed. The pink blush is matte while the pale pink sakura has some iridescent glitter in it. I don't know if it's just an overlay or if it is throughout the flower.

At the time that I took these pictures, I had only taken it out to admire its beauty. I finally used it over the weekend. I used it twice and so far the fine iridescent glitters are still there so perhaps it is throughout the flower. I am hoping so since it adds just the hint of sparkle to your cheeks. The blush itself is nicely pigmented. A little goes a long way. It gave a nice pink flush to my cheeks. This is definitely a blush that I will have a hard time using on a regular basis, only because it is so beautiful to look at.

Thank you Justine for gifting this to me. I really, really like it.

*Kat*

Gift Review: Fashionista Blush Plus A Couple of Creative Ideas

As I was preparing for my current trip, I really wanted to try to pack all ofmy makeup into my Freestyle Magnetic Palette. In the past, I've used the NARS Orgasm blush that I have in there, which I use to help with concealing. During my trip to Japan, I found that I really wanted to use another blush other than Orgasm and ended up purchasing a couple of blush at Daiso. Remembering this, I went in search of a blush that I could depot and use as I wasn't too keen on depotting my Daiso blush just yet. I found a Fashionista blush in my stash. It's a UK brand, I think, and I know that it was given to me as a gift, but I don't remember how long ago and by who. It's really a neat blush as it pops out of the case, although still encased in the plastic base.

The color is Cinnamon Spice #2.

Using my heat gun method, I depotted it, added a magnet and label to the back and placed it into my magnetic palette.

The blush itself is really nicely pigmented. The powder is on the soft side so it picks up a lot of color easily. I found that this color is really pretty on and it gives a nice flushed look.

I'm so glad that I decided to give this blush a try and that it depotted very nicely.

In my last post I wrote that I would post about a creative idea. In a previous creative idea post I wrote about using the Swifter Dry Refill sheet as a covering inside of a palette and it helps to pick up the stray and loose powders from pans of shadows that you have used. That post is here. Remember the little pack of cut up Swifter sheets in my travel makeup bag? Well, I discovered that if I keep a little piece of it by me when I'm applying makeup, I can tap my brush on it to take off excess and loose powders on my brush before applying the makeup. It has helped with eyeshadow fallout. It has also helped me with highly pigmented colors, which can get packed onto your brush. I also tend to pick up blush color with a heavy hand so being able to tap off some of the color onto the Swifter Dry refill sheet helps me to avoid excessive color. All I do is pick up color, whether eyeshadow or blush and stipple tap it on the Swifter a couple of times.

All I need is a small rectagular piece, similar in size to a cosmetic puff rectangle.

When I traveled to Japan, one thing that I found is that there isn't great lighting in Japanese homes. I found it difficult to apply makeup the way that I normally do because it not bright enough for me. Thinking about this for next time, I really didn't want to pack and lug around my lighted mirror so I played around a bit and came up with trying out a gooseneck clip on book light. I ended up with the Hello Kitty one because it uses regular AAA batteries. There was another one that I wanted to try but it used those little button type batteries and I didn't want to fuss with those.

I clip it onto the top of my mirror and angle it to my preference for how I like my lighting to be. It works well enough but it's definitely not perfect. Hopefully I can search around some more to see if I can find another clip on light that I like but for now, it works. My mirror is a stand alone mirror. It's really thin so it's great for traveling. I have a tissue in front of the mirror so that I could take a picture without the flash reflecting off. You can see a slightly better picture of the mirror in the previous post. I'll be putting this to a good test this week so I'll report back on how well it worked.

*Kat*

This is a scheduled post

Gift Review: Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation and Blush (Picture Heavy)

I recently wrote about the wonderful package that I received from the very lovely Yasumi. In it were two Bourjois foundations, Healthy Mix Serum Foundation and 123 Perfect Foundation. Both are in shade #53. I will do a proper review of the Heatlhy Mix Serum Foundation of of these days but did want to say that although they are both the same shade, I think it's slightly lighter with the Healthy Mix.

123 Perfect Foundation:

123 Perfect Foundation, according to the product description, gives an even, flawless complexion for 16 hours.

It has 3 perfection pigments so that there are no imperfections.

The coverage is medium, has SPF 10 and provides 24 hour hydration. I really like that is has a nice pump dispenser.

So let's see how it works on my spotty face. I've only done regular skin care routine and primed.

Normally I do my eye makeup first and then apply my foundation but I wanted to show you how the application looks after it's sat on my skin for awhile so I applied it on half of my face. The product does oxidize slightly--sometimes it takes up to an hour before it does. On the large spot pigmentation as well as other larger spots and under the eye, I do use a concealer.

As you can see, the color match on this is pretty good, although a slight bit too light. However, I prefer to work with foundations that are too light versus too dark. It gives nice coverage and does even out my skin tone quite nicely.

Foundation is applied to whole face.

Again, very nice coverage and even the freckles that I didn't cover up with concealer are not so visible.

Bourjois Blush in 34 Rose D'or

I love the cute little concave brush that is included in the blush. Not that I use it but I think it's so cute.

It is a beautiful pink with gold shimmer. The color is perfect--it's so me!

Blush applied to my cheek.

Front view with face fully done.

The 123 Perfect Foundation does what it says it does--provides an even, flawless complexion with the 3 perfection pigments. I usually don't wear my foundation for 16 - 24 hours so I can't personally vouch for their claim that it will last for 16 hours or provide 24 hour hydration. It's been really humid here recently so after 8 - 10 hours, I have found my makeup to be "melting" on me. It is okay for me to go throughout the day with but I will need to touch up here and there if I want to go out without completely redoing my makeup. Normally I prefer a more dewey finish because I like that slight glow and I do not like matte finish because I find the product tends to settle into fine lines and look cakey but I haven't had that problem with this foundation. This has been the foundation that I have been reaching for everyday as it provides me with nice coverage and doesn't feel like I have anything on. It's especially great in this humid weather that we've been having. The blush is nicely pigmented, a bit light but since I tend to have a heavy hand, it's great for me to apply and not get "clown cheeks". As I mentioned earlier, I love the color.

I will do a review on the Healthy Mix Serum Foundation as soon as I use it regularly. I must admit though, it may be a while since I'm loving this foundation so much right now.

Thank you again Yasumi for the wonderful gifts!

*Kat*

Gift Review: Puff de Cheek

Back in May, I had received the Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek in Peach Macaron from the very lovely and sweet Georgina of Coffretgorge.

It is packaged in a very cute tin and has the cutest puff applicator. In the picture, it looks like it's dark and orangey but in person, it's actually quite light and more of a pinky peach color. While the powder itself is not heavily pigmented, the color is buildable, which is really nice because it's difficult to end up with clown cheeks.

I think that this color is the perfect color for the summer. It goes on lightly and gives your cheeks a nice flush. I love pinks and this pinky peach color is really nice. If I ever, ever run out of blush, which doesn't seem likely at this point, I would love to collect more of these. I think that it's a nice addition to anyone's blush collection. Besides, it is so cute to look at!

Thank you Georgina for this very lovely gift! I'm really loving it!

*Kat*

Purchase Review: MAC Semi Precious and a New Kat

As most of you are aware, I'm supposed to be on a "no buy, use my stash" mode. I originally wasn't impressed by the pictures that I saw of the MAC Semi Precious collection. That is until I saw Feeling Flush Mineralize Blush. I thought that it was so pretty that I had to have it. I also ended up buying two brushes from the collection, #234, which is a split fibre blending brush and #128 which is a split fibre cheek brush.

According to the MAC website, the #234  is "Specifically designed to deliver two unique results for eyes; the natural goat hair in this split fibre picks up & applies powders & pigments, while the synthetic fibres blend colour for professional quality results" and the 128 is "Designed for exceptional Blush application, this split fibre brush delivers a soft, diffused look with its unique combination of natural & synthetic fibers." I thought that I'd use the cheek brush to lightly appy highlights to my cheekbones. The 234 hasn't worked out as I'd like but sometimes it takes me a while to get used to a new brush. We'll see what happens. I'll probably be using these as part of my Brush of the Month collection but we shall see. (That reminds me, I still have to do my June Brush of the Month post.)

Feeling Flush is a sweet pink color, which I'm really loving. I forgot just how pigmented the mineralize powders can be so my first application was a bit of a disaster as I ended up looking like I had clown cheeks.  The next time I applied it, I used a much lighter application and it was perfect. I used the 187 duo fibre brush to apply the blush.

I paired it with Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Aventure and I think that the combination matched very well.

On Friday, I finally went to get my hair cut. I was thinking of going with a "boy" cut (think Emma Watson) but my hairstylist nearly had a heart attack. I told her that isn't it usual that for older women, shorter hair is better but she didn't like it for me. I then showed her a picture of a shoulder length cut and she really liked it and said that it would match me well.

This is probably the longest that I have ever had my hair. I had grown up with short hair. For some reason, all the hairstylists liked to cut my hair really short which, at that time, I hated because it made me look like a pixie. That's why it was all the more surprising that I thought about doing a boy cut. Unfortunately with my hair being this long, it had gotten brittle, dry and had major heat styling damage. I also have fine hair so the longer it gets, the thinner and stringier it looks.

With this shorter cut, my hair looks fuller and heathier. I think that it probably makes me look older but the first thing that my husband said is that I look younger. Other people have said it as well. I saw Mai yesterday and she really likes my new hairstyle too.

I really was apprehensive as I liked having it long because I felt that it made me look younger. I'm glad that I finally made the decision to cut my hair shorter.

*Kat*

Purchase Review: Maquillage Face Creator

As I mentioned earlier, I failed miserably last month on trying to stick to my "no unnecessary purchases" rule. I made some Sephora purchases, MAC purchase, Clinique purchases and blog sale purchases. I happened to come across the Maquillage Face Creator #11 on a blog sale. I've been really curious about this since Nic Nic likes it so much.

I know that many of you already know about how to use the Maquillage Face Creator so I won't bore you with the usage details. I think that by using and following the different colors, it does help to "sculpt" your face.

The only thing that I don't really like about it is the different colors are so small that it makes it difficult to use my regular brushes to pick up the colors easily. In order for me to get an even amount of coverage on my brush, I try to pick up the color around my brush and then I swirl it onto the mirror to disperse the color evenly before applying to my cheeks.

NOTE: I have decided that when I do reviews, I'll put whether it was a gift, purchase or sample in the title.

*Kat*

Review: YSL Touche Blush

Last month I received a love package from Lisa of Makeup and Life and it was an enormously generous love package. I was immensely touched by her generosity and it really helped to brighten my mood as it arrived at at time of some stress from worrying about my son and his fiancee who live in Fukushima.

One of the items that I received was the YSL Touche Blush in #5 Black Current. I have never owned anything YSL, which is indeed a very elegant line of products.

This blush is a powder blush that is so luxurious and ultra-fine. The unique packaging of it combines the powder with a puff which is supposed to allow you to apply the powder with a "luminous and natural glow".

The net weight of it is 0.15 oz./4.5g. #5 Black Current is a beautiful dark berry color. Berry is a color that I used to use a long time ago but haven't used dark colors in recent years. It is very much pigmented and I think this would be lovely to wear when going out at night. The powder is indeed ultra-fine and glides on beautifully. I did have some problems applying it with the puff since I've used only brushes to apply any type of powders in years and years. I also think that my problem with using the puff is that it was the first time using it so it hasn't even spread throughout the puff. Personally I think that it's a huge waste of this luxurious powder blush to squeeze it into the puff as the puff is quite thick. I will open it up and use the powder sparingly. There is a lot of product in the container and since it's a dark color and highly pigmented, I will be using only a little at a time. This will probably last me for the rest of my life!

Thank you again Lisa for such a wonderful surprise!

*Kat*

Review and Brush of the Month: Muji Blush, Sonia Kashuk LE Multipurpose Blush/Powder Brush

Today I wanted to do a review on the Muji blush that I received from Nic Nic when I met up with her in Hawaii. I decided to do my Brush of the Month post at the same time.

The Muji blush is a gradient type of blush in pink. I believe that it is a drugstore brand but not too sure--Nic?

I must say that I am really impressed by this blush! I don't feel that it is chalky at all and the pigmentation on this is just right. There are a lot of blushes out there that will apply too lightly and you have to really layer it on to get color. There are also a lot of blushes out there that are too pigmented and you really have to watch how you apply it so that you don't get clown cheeks. Admittedly, I have a heavy hand so it is really difficult for me to work with the highly pigmented blushes. The Muji blush applies very easily and gives your complexion a nice glow. I think that because of the different gradient colors, it does help to give your cheeks a 3-D effect.

I can get decent coverage with one application but I usually layer it on a couple of times.

To apply this blush, I used my new Sonia Kashuk LE Multipurpose Blush/Powder Brush. I had seen this from a posting that K of cosmeddicted had written in her recent Weekly Reads #7.

As soon as I saw it, I knew that I wanted it and rushed out to Target to get it. Of course my major concern was that it wasn't going to be in stock because I had either already missed out on it, it didn't arrive in Hawaii yet or that Hawaii wasn't going to get it at all.  I was so happy that I was able to get it! (I actually got more than 1.)

I have to admit that I was a little bit apprehensive because this LE brush handle is shorter than their regular line brushes. As I have had so many problems with travel-size brushes, it was a bit of a concern. Since I've gotten the brush, I haven't had any experience with any of the bristles falling out. I really love this brush! It applies my blush very nicely. Since it's a flat-top brush, it's not soft, it's actually a firm brush but it works out well for me. I swirl it into my blush and I can tap it onto the apples of my cheek and brush it along my cheekbone. It is a wonderful brush to add into my collection of brushes. I'm so glad that I saw K's post as it was coming up towards the end of the month and I still hadn't decided what brush I was going to buy.

*Kat*

Review: Benefit Bella Bamba Blush

At the end of 2010, I had decided that I really needed to save up some money for the upcoming events at the middle of 2011 so I was to use up my cosmetic stash instead of buying anything new unless it was something that I ran out of and needed. There were a couple of exceptions because prior to making that decision, I had said that I was going to buy a new brush a month to build up my brush collection. I also knew that Sephora's Hello Kitty line was going to be launched and I knew that I was going to have to buy some things.

So how have I been doing? Well, I had been good BUT the line to our kitchen sink and washer got clogged so I needed to call the repair service to get it unclogged. My oven is also not working right now and I need to call the repair service for that--thank goodness the stove works so at least I can cook. This is probably going to cost at least $150.00. *sigh*

So having to spend the "saved" money on service repairs, I decided to go ahead and purchase Benefit's new blush, Bella Bamba. I haven't tried Benefit blush before because I actually don't like the cardboard box that it comes in.

Bella Bamba does come in a cardboard box and includes a brush. According to Sephora's website, Bella Bamba is a "watermelon-pink blush laced with shimmering gold undertones". It will "amplify cheekbones and create the illusion of sculpted features for a gorgeous 3D effect. Your face will look instantly brighter with just a quick swipe of this ultra-flattering color on the cheeks".

My first thought when I brought it home was that it looked so much like NARS Orgasm. Orgasm is a peachy-pink with golden shimmer.

I had difficulty in swatching these and getting decent pictures. In their respective containers, the colors do look quite similar and when swatched on white paper, I think that it's similar too. 

Swatching it on my arm, there is a subtle difference. You can see that Bella Bamba is definitely more of a watermelon pink color.

I think that Benefit Bella Bamba is a softer cake powder than Orgasm so it applies much more pigmented than Orgasm. The end result of the shimmers highlighting your cheeks is really pretty and I think that it's quite similar to Orgasm in that respect. While Bella Bamba is not a dupe for Orgasm, I think that it comes in really close. It is $2.00 more than Orgasm but you get .28 oz of product with Bella Bamba while Orgasm has .16 oz of product. I honestly do not like either casing that the products come in.

Is Bella Bamba calling to you?

*Kat*