Motives Pressed Blush in Dreamsicle

Further to the review of Motives Mineral Blush in Empress previously, today I will be reviewing another blush from Motives. It is none other than Motives Pressed Blush in Dreamsicle.

Motives Pressed Blush in Dreamsicle is a warm toned peach blush that comes with a satin finish. I personally like orange and peach tone blush because my cheeks get flushed very easily so I always find pink toned blush just makes my cheeks look redder.

The pigmentation of the blush is impressive as I just need a gentle tap of my brush on the product and I can already see pigments being pick up on the brush. So I suggest for you ladies who are keen to try this product to go easy on the application and build up the pigmentation to your desired state.

So, as usual, I like to compare swatches of this new product to my existing stash and also take a look at how different the swatch of Dreamsicle looks like as compared to other products. I managed to dig out other blushes that I think look close enough to be compared and they are:-

1) Dior My Lady 007
2) THREE 24 Into The Ather
3) Benefit Sugarbomb
4) MAC Springsheen
5) Motives Dreamsicle

From the swatches above, you can tell how the blushes look different when swatched. During swatching, I found THREE to be the blush that is most difficult to pick up the pigment and this is no surprise considering Japanese cosmetics tend to lean on the 'natural and almost non existent shade'. Benefit and MAC has the same satin finish as Motives Dreamsicle but the pigment look lighter. Dior, on the other hand is a matte finish blush but would look closer in terms of the colour.

Retailing at $29 for 4g of product, you will get a blush that is paraben, fragrance and oil free. It's currently retailing at www.allyourfamilyneeds.sg (residing in Singapore), or www.allyourfamilyneeds.com (any countries other than Singapore).

Dior Summer 2014 (Transat Edition) eyeshadow in Pavillon

I have to admit that I can be sometimes retarded in recognising a gem in sight. Honestly, I cannot believe how long I took to fall in love with Dior Summer 2014 (Transat Edition) eyeshadow in Pavillon.

Lately I have been going 'naked' on my eye makeup due to the morning rush so if I intend to do any eye makeup, my preference is to go simple with just a shade of eyeshadow and eyeliner. Pavillon came at a good time when I am looking for a nice, peach golden shade.

The intertwined tweed pattern on the pan looks so pretty that I can't bear to destroy it.

Ain't the shade gorgeous? Pavillon carries the right amount of peach tone that does makes my monolids puffy and the metallic golden tone looks so safe and subtle without looking too dramatic. If you like your shade to stand out stronger, just apply Pavillon with a wet brush. Texture is smooth and making it a breeze to pick up and apply the pigment on the lids.

Dior Summer mono eyeshadow does not come cheap at $50 for only 2.2oz of product but the quality and shade of Pavillon eyeshadow more than justify the price tag.

Diorskin Nude Shimmer Illuminating Powder in Rose

How has everyone’s weekend been? Mine was relaxing enough but truly not long enough!! Why is weekend only 2 days and not more? Haha. I am already looking forward to the coming weekend because it’s movie date night with hubby and X-men!!! Before that, let’s get distracted with Diorskin Nude Shimmer Illuminating Powder in Rose (001).

Diorskin Nude Shimmer Illuminating Powder comes in 2 shade: Rose (001) and Amber (002) and is supposedly to replace Diamond Skin Shimmer which I know is a favourite highlighter among many. I have not tried Diamond Skin Shimmer so I will not be making any comparison against it.

Similar to the Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo launched last summer, the palette comes in the same silver packaging with 2 shades in opposing quadrant. The 2 shades look light pink and coppery-pink. To me, the distinction of shades in the pan works more like a design without any functional use as I do not think I would use just 1 shade (unless I am using an eyeshadow brush) and would more likely swirl my brush across the whole pan to pick up the pigments for application.

Below are the swatches of the light pink, coppery pink and mixed shade of Diorskin Nude Shimmer Illuminating Powder in Rose. Even though the shades does not stand out as strong as a normal blush, I love how subtle the shades are to give that kissable cheeks look. The texture of Diorskin Nude Shimmer Illuminating Powder is smooth and not dry at all and I do not experience difficulties in using my MAC brush to pick up the powders.

From left to right: Light pink, coppery pink, mixed

Diorskin Nude Shimmer Illuminating Powder come in a velvet pouch and a small kabuki brush (which I did not use). Despite the cute factor of the kabuki brush, I prefer my MAC or Hakuhodo brush for application.

Happy Monday people! Hang in there, the weekend is near, lol!

Dior Addict Fluid Stick in 479 Magique and 669 Rose Tricheuse

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks have definitely taken the beauty blogsphere by storm. For ladies who love the shine of a gloss but the high colour lip intensity of a lipstick, you will have to check out Dior Addict Fluid Sticks.

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks come in 16 shades and it's difficult for me to make my choices from the available selection. After multiple visits to the counters, I finally purchased 479 Magique and 669 Rose Tricheuse over separate occasion.

I really like the texture of Dior Addict Fluid Stick. It's not too thick and very easy to apply. The applicator makes it easy for me to apply the product evenly to all corners of my lips. It is also not overly sticky that makes me feels uncomfortable.

479 Magique is a bright pink shade that is just gorgeous.

669 Rose Tricheuse is a pretty understated red shade. Ladies who would like to try red shades but is concern that it will be too bright, try this shade.

From left to right: 479 Magique, 669 Rose Tricheuse

Some might ask how does Dior Fluid Stick compares to YSL Glossy Stain? Here are some of my thoughts:-

Longevity: YSL Glossy Stain
Just as the name states 'stain'. YSL Glossy Stain leaves behind a light stained look even after 6 hours but for Dior Fluid Stick, it just disappears after 4-5 hours.

Texture: Dior Fluid Stick
Dior Fluid Stick does not feels as sticky as YSL Glossy Stain.

Ease of application: Dior Fluid Stick
It could be the shape of the applicator or the texture of the product but I find it easy to apply the product evenly to all corners of my lips with Dior Fluid Stick. I have experience with YSL Glossy Stain whereby the application becomes uneven and it looks weird on my lips.

Colour variety: YSL Glossy Stain
YSL Glossy Stain offers a bigger variety of shades from light to strong shades but Dior Fluid Stick currently only has 16 shades.

Looks like we have a tie here, haha.

Dior Fluid Stick is retailing at $47 each and is available for sale at all major counters. Do check them out if you are interested.

Dior Trianon Collection for Spring 2014 - Rouge Dior in 531 Rose Crinoline and Nail Vernis in 457 Bouquet

Spring is finally here and many collections have been launched by various brands. Our pocket is definitely screaming 'HELP' here but I simply cannot resist some of the items. Today's post is to share the 2 items that I purchased from Dior Trianon Collection for Spring 2014: Rouge Dior in 531 Rose Crinoline and Nail Vernis in 457 Bouquet.

Rouge Dior in 531 Rose Crinoline was a choice, courtesy of my man. He love the light nudish coral which is really quite pretty.

Rose Crinoline is almost non-existent on my natural pigmented lips, except for the tinge of light shade. Disappointingly, the beauty on the swatch disappears when I apply it on my lips. :(

Since it looks lighter than my natural lip colour, it is important for me to exfoliate my lips before application (which I clearly did not do it from the lip swatch below). The texture is smooth and non drying but for me with dry lips, it would definitely be better to apply some lip balm before application. The lasting power of Rouge Dior is around 4 hours, after a cup of coffee and sandwich for breakfast which is quite decent.

Next up in my purchase from Dior Trianon Collection is nail vernis in 457 Bouquet. This nail vernis is actually the main item that I wanted to purchase. I simply cannot resist the pink coral shade. Love it!

As you can see below, Dior's Rouge Dior in Rose Cironline and Nail Vernis in Bouquet are also 'Eden-approved'. My princess knows her stuffs too!!

Dior Blush 756 Rose Chérie

Today I'll be raving about the new love of mine, Dior Blush in 756 Rose Chérie. I never thought that I will be attracted to Dior blushes, but this new range of blushes has really pretty colours. You will be spoiled for choices and I decided to go with a 'safe' colour, Rose Chérie.

Can you see how gorgeous Rose Chérie looks in the pan?? Pink with that subtle gold shimmers to give that gold sheen, it's just a beauty.

When swatched, it takes quite a while to build up the colour intensity but it also means you are in control on how strong you want the colour to stand out. A gentle sweep with my MAC brush gives that glow on the face and a few more sweeps and the colour becomes stronger. The gold shimmers do not look obvious on my face and definitely does not accentuate my pores or make me look like disco ball. Love it!!

The first thought that came to my mind when I saw Rose Chérie is to compare against my favourite MAC blush in Springsheen, which is a coral pink blush with gold shimmers. As you can see from the pans, Springsheen is darker than Rose Chérie.

From the swatch below, Rose Chérie leans more towards pink whereas Springsheen is more coral.

Have you tried any blushes from the new Dior Blush range? Would love to hear your recommendations.

2013 has finally come to an end and 2014 is just a blink away. I hope I have not bored you with my blog so far and would like to wish all readers out there a Happy New Year!

Dior Diorblush Cheek Creme in Pareo and Panama

The trend lately seems to be running on cream blushers and I am unknowingly (or knowingly) drawn into it. I was previously not a fan of cream blushers because of my combination skin. Somehow, I feel uncomfortable piling more cream to my existing oil field. But thank goodness for the ever changing product quality of products in the highly competitive beauty industry, consumers benefit from these wonderful products.

The cream blushers I am reviewing today is from Dior Summer 2013 collection and honestly, I am not sure if 'cream' is the right description for it. I will share more later. There are 4 shades of cream blush available in this collection and I am sharing 2 of them: Pareo and Panama

Dior Diorblush Cheek Creme comes in a small glass pot with a screw on top. The opening of the jar is wide which it easy for you to get the product out using your finger or a brush.

The first shade I am introducing is Pareo which is a bright fuchsia pink shade and it looks stunning. That was the first shade I swatch when I saw it at the Dior counter. It almost look like the 'elder sister' of Capri which is a lighter pink shade.

The next shade in my collection is Panama, a orangey shade.

Here are the swatches I got of Pareo and Panama and I included Capri as a form of comparison for readers out there.

I would say medium toned ladies would look better with Pareo and Panama as Capri seems too light. 

Now, back to my comment that I feel the description of 'cream' is misleading..... The texture feels more like a mousse than cream. It feels powdery after application and yet it stays on VERY well. After 6 hours of wearing it, I can still see the colour on my cheeks (even though it looks lighter).

The SA told me that there is 2 way of applying Dior Cheek Creme: 

1) After foundation and before setting with loose powder

2) After foundation and loose powder

I tried both methods with my finger / stippling brush and both work fine. It all boils down to your personal preference.

Dior Diorblush Cheek Creme is retailing at $52 over retail counters and $43 at Changi Airport DFS. The savings is pretty substantial at DFS so if you happen to be going on a holiday over the long weekend, do check these blush out. :)

I currently on a cream blush high and is still reviewing Le Blush Creme de Chanel and I am totally excited!! I shall leave a picture here for your anticipation!!

Dior Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Coral Glow (comparison included)

If you recall from my early post here, I have mentioned previously that I had my eyes set on Coral Glow instead of Pink Glow initially. The only reason why I decided to get Pink Glow was because Coral Glow is not coming to our shores. However, I couldnt get pass the fact that my original choice is not available here in Singapore and thus decided to order it online via Nordstrom. So here I am the proud owner of both Nude Tan Paradise Duo! I will be show-casing Coral Glow in the post and will be comparing against Pink Glow as well.

As the name states it all, Coral Glow is a beautiful orangey coral shade as compared to its peachy pinkish sister, Pink Glow.

For ladies who are concerned that the orangey coral shade might turns out too orangey or muddy, I do not feel so when I did the swatches. In fact, I kind of like how it reminds me of beach gals who had that healthy sun-kissed look while playing beach volleyball. :) Texture and pigmentation is indeed top-notch. As the pigmentation and texture of Coral Glow is intense and smooth, do take note to lightly apply the colours on and slowly build up to the intensity that you desire.

Now comes the question...... Coral Glow or Pink Glow??? Let's take a look from the pan. They both look pretty close doesn't it? But if you slowly observe, you can see that Pink Glow on the left looks pinkier and Coral Glow on the right looks more orangey and coral. I do not see any difference in the 2 bronzer shades on the left side of the pan.

Pink Glow (left), Coral Glow (right)

From the swatches below, the difference between Pink and Coral Glow starts to show up more. Other than the 2 bronzer shades which look almost identical (in fact, I think they are), the stronger orange peach tone in Coral Glow (top row) stands out against the pink tone of Pink Glow (bottom row).

More comparison below:-

Coral Glow (top row), Pink Glow (bottom row)

Coral Glow (top row), Pink Glow (bottom row)

Do you need both? I think no because once it's applied on the cheeks, the difference could almost be negligible. The choice to make is whether you like orange undertone better or pink undertone better. My choice still stands with Coral Glow but I am glad I had both to satisfy my own curiosity on which is my preference.

I hereby end this post with a simple look that I had with Coral Glow on. I had it on very lightly (which seems almost non-existent, so sorry!) but hey, I had a good hair day, haha.

Dior Addict Extreme in 643 Diablotine

Even since my first Dior Addict lipstick some time back, I have not gone back to Dior in grabbing a second Dior Addict lipstick because I am just not sure if I like the sheer pigmentation of Dior Addict lipsticks despite them feeling moisturising and glossy. Despite the launch of Dior Addict Extreme (which is more pigmented), no shades caught my eyes long enough to make me cave in and part with my money. However, seeing Dior Addict Extreme in 643 Diablotine is like love at first sight for me, I HAVE to get it!!!

Diablotine is a gorgeous coral pink shade that is just so perfect for summer. For me who hardly wear much makeup to work (being the lazy lazy me), this shade is just perfect to perk me up.

The texture is creamy and despite me not putting any lipbalm before application, it does not emphasize on the lines on my naturally dry lips. After 2 meals and some drinks and coffee, Diablotine stayed on my lips like a light stain which is just perfect (since I am too lazy for touch up in office).

For ladies who would like to try a stronger shade away from your usual pinks and nudes, I strongly recommend Diablotine. You can sweep it gently on your lips to get a light stained look for go stronger on your application to get a more intense shade. below is how I look with just a gentle application and I love it!

Dior Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Pink Glow

The 2 Dior Nude Tan Paradise Duo has been creating a lot of hype on the beauty blogsphere and I was really looking forward to getting them for myself. I actually had my eyes on Coral Glow but it was unfortunately not available in Singapore thus I decided to go ahead and purchase Pink Glow at $90 from DFS Scotts last Friday when I met up with Elaine for a dinner date.

Dior Nude Tan Paradise Duo is a bronzer-blush duo which gives us the versatility to use it as a bronzer or blush. I personally like to mix up all the shades and apply it as a blush to achieve that bronzed, glowy look. More close up pics of this beauty.....

For ladies who dislike shimmers in your bronzer so that it can be using for contouring, you will be glad to know that the 2 bronzer shades in the pan are matte. The pink peachy shades do not contain shimmers but it was not exactly matte with a satin finish which is perfect as a blush. Here are the swatches:-

Left to right: Top row bronzer, top row blush, bottom row bronzer, bottom row blush, mixed

The texture is smooth and and soft and the pigmentation is amazing. The colours show up well with just 1 swatch.

A few friends have been asking me how does it compare to Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzer in Nude so here is the tissue swatch for you, hope it is clear enough.

Top row: Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzer in Nude

Bottom row: Dior Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Pink Glow

I would say Dior Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Pink Glow is warmer and more pigmented than Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzer in Nude. Dior also wins hands down in terms of texture as Guerlain is just not as smooth and buttery as Dior. If you can only get 1 between the 2, go for Dior!

Here is the FOTD with Dior Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Pink Glow. I really like the natural glowy effect of this bronzer duo!

Dior Nude Tan Paradise Duo is currently available at DFS Scotts only and I'm not sure when it will be launched over the counters. But if you really would like to own this beauty now, suggest for you to quickly pop by DFS Scotts. :)

Sephora 20% off haul

When I heard that Sephora is having 20% storewide discount for their members, I was disappointed because I wasn't a member. Then I told myself that I need nothing so it's ok. But guess what, I went back to Sephora for 3 consecutive days to get the following!!!

Top row: MUFE HD liquid foundation, Clarins UV Plus HP, Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser, Sephora lip brush
Bottom row: Sephora Daily Brush Cleanser, Fresh Sugar Lip Polish, Dior Rouge Nude lipstick

On the 1st day of visiting Sephora, I was all prepared to purchase the lip brush at full price in order to get the membership so that I can immediately use the membership to get 20% off the MUFE foundation. However, when I was paying at the cashier and the cashier asked if I am a member and I said no, this nice lady behind me offered me her card so that I can immediately get 20% off. It's truly comforting to meet a kind soul.

Anyway, eventually I did get my membership by purchasing MUFE Aqua Shadow waterproof pencil (which is not shown in the pic above) and I became a happy (cum obsessive!!!) shopper hauling skincare and more makeup, lol.