La Roche-Posay Hydraphase UV & Anthelios Melt-in Cream Review

Today's sunscreen review is based on my husband's experience. He has oily skin and used these products for an extended period of time now. (Until he recently switch to Neutrogena)

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase UV Rehydration Intensive SPF 30

Product spread out

This sunscreen's active ingredient is Mexoryl, one of the UV absorbers used in sunscreen. It does not claim to have anything else other than sun protection and non-comedogenic.

If you have sensitive skin this might not be for you. It is very thick and tends to leave a bit of oil film after application. The sunscreen is also scented and does not smell like the typical sunscreen.

Cons:

• Not suitable for sensitive skin
• Thick and quite oily, might cause breakouts for some
• Leaves skin with an oil film
• Heavily scented

The next sunscreen is also from La Roche-Posay, but I believe this is their newer collection.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Cream SPF 60

Product spread out

This sunscreen has a higher protection, however that is insignificant as you are meant to reapply every 2 hours for maximum sun protection. 

This sunscreen is noticeably thicker and also scented like the one mentioned before. Active ingredient is also the same product. When my husband was using this sunscreen, his face was extremely oily all the time and quite disgusting when he comes home in the evening. I do not recommend this product if you have oily skin. 

Cons:

• Thick formula, leaves skin very heavy
• Oily and creates oil film
• Scented, might not be suitable for sensitive skin

I have not personally tried these myself because I don't like scented face products. If you have tried them and have similar or better result please comment. 

Thank you and see you tomorrow!

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color Review

I was lucky enough to pick up a magnetic nail polish that has been popular since the launch of it several months ago. Of course I did not cave in to buy one from Sephora cause it is wayyyyy too out of my budget for a nail polish. I'm happy that Sally Hansen now has a more affordable version at about $8 from Walmart.

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in 903 Silver Elements

The current selection only has 8 colours, and majority of them are rather dark. I'm not a person who wears dark colour too often because my nails are tiny and it makes them look even more tiny!

The nail polish dries really quickly so you will have to put the magnet over the polish once you painted it. 2nd or 3rd coat is required. 

My husband mentioned that you could just buy Iron Oxide to add into your nail polish. If you have done that please leave a comment and let me know how it went! I'm very curious! ^.^

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face Sunscreen SPF 60 Review

Summer is getting really hot in Toronto! I love the heat though so I can't really complain :)

If you have read my previous blog posts, I'm sure you might have noticed that I'm very much into sun protection. It is super important to prevent your skin from being burnt and potentially turn into melanoma! At the same time, protecting yourself from the sun is also the best way to prevent aging skin. 

When I used to live in Sydney, sun protection education was very widespread due to the broken Ozone layer in Australia. It does seem like Canadians are not so much into that, but nonetheless, if you are reading this, stop tanning and start protecting your skin! 

I have been loyal to my Asian sunscreens for many years, but because I'm running out of them and they are also hard to obtain, I've decided to pick up something that is available at the local drugstore.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face Sunscreen SPF 60

This sunscreen costs about $14 to $16 depending where you go. It claims to be oil-free, non greasy, water and sweat proof, gentle for sensitive skin, fragrance-free, and also non-comedogenic.

The sun screen is a little bit thick, so a little goes a long way. Make sure you apply enough otherwise it would have no use againts the UVA and UVB rays. 

Spread out

So as you can see, the little bit that I squeezed out from the tube can spread out quite far. It is easy to blend and dries in less than a minute after application. It also does not have the sun screen scent (that I hate), or any scent as a matter of fact.

I wore this out, although I was not exposed under the sun too much. I applied my usual Revlon Photo Ready Foundation in Nude on top of the sunscreen and it looks just like usual. No changes to my make up application required.

Skin condition after 10 hours of wear

Because I was not exposed to the sun most of the time, nor I went into the water or sweat, I did not reapply. Above is my skin after 10 hours of wear. There is no noticeable oil or any weird white cast.

I know some people think that this sun screen is too thick, but I'm not sure if they have changed the formula but this is definitely easy to spread. I am definitely going to continue using it. 

Keep in mind that I have normal to dry skin. My husband has been using this product for over a week now and he has really oily skin, he seems to be loving it because it does not leave his skin with an oil film like the La-Roche Posay one that he was previously using. 

In summary,

Pros:

• Light weight
• Easy to spread/ blend
• Non oily
• Fragrance free

Cons:

• Quite expensive

Leave a comment and let me know what other sunscreens you love! I would love to try new ones when mine runs out.

See you tomorrow!

Nose and Face Contour

Hello everyone! I'm back today with a face and nose contouring tutorial.

This is suitable for faces with less dimension or if you wish to look more tan. I have to admit that I over applied on my face for the purpose of this tutorial.

Choose a colour that is 1 or 2 shades darker than your skin tone, do not go overboard with it even though you want to look as slim as possible.

BEFORE

AFTER

You may or may not have realised, but none of my pictures in the blog are edited. I post them as-is because I find that it's the best way to demonstrate the looks I have without altering them with photoshop.

My cheeks are quite defined so usually I will just lightly contour my face with a light matte bronzer. It is important to use a matte powder for contouring because you do not want to enhance the puffiness of the contoured area.

My face certainly looks slimmer and my nose is also sharper in the AFTER photo.

Here are some of the tools I used:

Sleek Face Contour Kit in 885 Medium; ELF Studio Complexion Brush; Sigma F35

Close Up

To begin with, use a big tapered brush and lightly blend across your face in a shape of 3. Just like the photo, it would be across the forehead, underneath the cheek bones, and underneath the jaw line. 

If you have protruding jaw or if you want your face to look shorter, bring the colour to your chin as well. 

Use a pointed smaller brush, in this case I used F35, and blend the dark colour on the side of your nose. I start from the tip of my eyebrows and blend downwards. Make sure you use a lighter hand on your nose than the side of your face.

Remember to not create a stark line. Otherwise you will end up looking like this:

That's all for today! Leave a comment to share your tips and tricks on contouring :) 

June Favourites / Summer Essentials

What a hot day in Toronto today! I thought there was no better day to share my June/ Summer make up favourites. Items listed below are not in any specific order.

1.

Peach Bellini 3 wick Candle from Bath & Body Works

This candle smells absolutely divine! It's sweet but not too excessive so the husband likes it too :)

2.

 

Beauty Blender Makeup Sponge

I actually got this from Sephora at a higher price (ouch!). Check the link underneath the picture to get it at a better deal. I love this because it's meant to be use wet. Any foundation or concealer that are too cakey or heavy can be easily blended using this sponge. It creates a flawless finish and makes your foundation look extremely natural, like a 2nd skin!

3. 

Beauty Rush Dazzle Shine Lipgloss from Victoria's Secret in Dazzling Citrus

Not sticky and extremely shiny! I have rather dry lips and this totally hides it!

4. 

Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

This product is absolutely AMAZINNNNG! I used this for my wedding ceremony in Malaysia (30C+; 99% humidity) and my make up still looks the same after over 10 hours of wear! I kid you not, I was sweating like mad and none of my make up moved! I did not even touch up! I will do a wedding make up tutorial soon.

5.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner Trio in Nude Eyes (Black)

My favourite black pencil liner so far. Does not smear, smudge or transfer on my oily lids. Very reliable!

6. 

Maybelline Falsies Volume Black Drama Mascara

I picked up the non waterproof formula because I hate scrubbing off my eyes trying to remove my eye makeup. The formula is not too dry or wet. Your lashes will looks thick with a lot of  volume after about 3 quick coats. Favourite drugstore mascara so far!

7. 

NYC Bronzer in Sunny

Initially I thought this colour was way too light for me but I was wrong. It's very affordable and one of the best matte bronzer out there in the market that does not look orangey if piled on. Perfect for contouring!

8.

ZA 2 Way Brightening Powder

I only use it 1 way, which is the dry way. I apply it with my ELF Flat Top studio brush for full coverage. I like using powder foundation when the weather is hot.

9.

Essie Nail Polish in Lights

Loving this neon pink nail polish for summer. It is quite long lasting and does not chip. Mine chipped after about 5 days without top and base coat.

That's all for now! See you tomorrow for more beauty posts. In the meantime, stay cool! And for my friends in Australia, stay warm!

4th of July Makeup Tutorial

I hope that everyone had a great weekend! I have to apologise here for my irregular posting during the last 4 days as I was away for the Canada Day long weekend. I'm back now and things are going back to normal again. 

Today I'll be sharing a tutorial inspired by the American flag, in celebration of the 4th of July. Although I'm not American myself, most of my readers are and I hope that this will be able to help some ladies out there.

Complete Look

Let me begin with the tools that I used for this look.

Coastal Scents 42 Color Double Stack Shimmer Palette

The colours I used are Yellow (Most left; 3rd down), White (Top left hand corner), Royal Blue (3rd row from the right, 2nd down), and Black (Most right, 2nd down).

The blush I used is the light peachy pink colour at the top left hand corner.

Sigma E30; Elf Essential Eye Shadow Brush; Elf Eyeshadow C Brush; Sigma E40 (old & new)

To begin with..

Before

I applied my usual foundation Revlon Photo Ready with my sigma F80 brush and tight lined my eyes using the Physicians Formula gel eyeliner in black.

Sigma F80; Revlon Photo Ready Foundation in 004 Nude

MAC 209SE; Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Cream Liner in Hazel Eyes

Base and eyes complete

First eyeshadow

First use your flat eyeshadow brush and dip into the royal blue eyeshadow, apply from the outer corner towards the inner corner of your eyelids. Leave the inner 1/3 empty.

2nd colour

Use a clean flat eyeshadow brush, dip into the yellow and apply it in the inner corner sweeping into the blue. With a pencil brush, use the same blue to line the bottom lash line.

Darken the outer corner

Clean the pencil brush on a tissue paper, with the black colour eyeshadow, slowly darken the outer corner for more dimension.

Final eyeshadow + eyeliner

Apply with white colour on the inner lower lash line to brighten the eyes and line the eyes with the same gel liner.

With eyes open

Sigma F40; NYC Sunny Bronzer

Apply bronzer in the shape of "3" to contour. Lightly dust on the side of the nose to create a higher looking bridge.

With the same brush, use a light peachy pink blush and swipe it across the cheeks.

Almost there!

Bourjois Lip pencil in 11 Enjoleuse; Revlon ColorStay Soft & Smooth Lipstick in 375 Ripened Red

TADAH! Complete look! :D

Complete Look

Close Up

I realised that the last few photos have a slight blue tint. My battery ran out and I had to use another camera. Sorry!

Happy 4th of July to the Americans! ^.^

Elf Flawless Finish Foundation Review

Happy Canada Day to Canadians! We were busy celebrating with our families yesterday so I wasn't able to get a post up on time. Today I'll be sharing a review of  the ELF Flawless Foundation. ELF is one of the brands that I always come back to, it is great no matter in quality or price point. Although some products are not so great, but most of the times they are able to deliver wonderful cosmetics.

I don't have a lot of problems on my skin, but I do like that a foundation to have at least a medium coverage to reduce the appearance of redness on my skin. The ELF Flawness Foundation is affordable, at a cost of $6, sturdy packaging, and comes with a pump! A foundation that has a pump is always great for hygiene.

BEFORE

AFTER, Foundation in colour Sand

The foundation has a smooth application and medium to full coverage. I used the Beauty Blender to apply this foundation.

Finish look with complete makeup

I went ahead and apply my usual make up but did not set the foundation to see how it will withstand the hot summer.

6 hours of wear

At the 3rd hour of wear, I noticed that my blush started sliding off my face. Coverage is still ok but my face makeup is definitely moving downwards.

After 7 hours of wear

Close up after 7 hours of wear

As you can see in the close up, my blush is definitely not where it is suppose to be. My eye make up also wore off a little bit. In general it looks decent but needs a touch up.

To summarise:

Pros:

• Affordable
• Medium to heavy coverage
• Feels light and smooth on the skin
• Good packaging

Cons:

• Not long lasting, needs to set with powder
• Oxidizes slightly

I love this foundation and I will definitely continue to use it! :D

Have a great weekend!