Guerlain Rouge G 864 Rose Grenat

I have fallen in love with Guerlain Rouge G lipstick since scoring Madam Reve so I have been checking out Guerlain counters for more shades. I actually missed the boat of getting Guerlain Rouge G Rose Grenat over the counters in Singapore so I decided to just get it over Nordstrom since I am getting other online purchases too.

Similar to other Rouge G, Rose Grenat comes in the heavy magnetic case with a mirror in it. The specialty is deep fuchsia lacquered case instead of the usual shiny silver case.

Rose Grenat is a cool deep fuchsia reddish pink that look almost similar to it's lacquer case.

I did a comparison against some of my existing lipstick stash and here are the swatches.

As you can see from the swatches above, the pigmentation of Rose Grenat is the strongest and none of my lipsticks here is a complete dupe to it. To demonstrate how pigmented Rose Grenat is, check out the picture below. It left a stain even after I removed the swatch with Bioderma Cleansing Water. So be sure to use a good makeup remover while wearing this shade.

The texture of Rouge G is impressively smooth but I would still recommend wearing a lip balm before applying Rouge G to protect your lips since the staining power is pretty strong.

Not sure how much is Rose Grenat retailing over the counters in Singapore but it was USD54 on Nordstrom, USD3 higher than normal Rouge G.

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi is one item that has been in and out of my wish list for the longest time. At times, I desperately need it and sometimes it becomes a pure lustful want. Eventually, I decided to just get it one day and add it to my shopping cart.

NARS Satin Lip Pencil is no stranger here since I had already owned 2: Hyde Park and Rikugien and I just love the formula and pigmentation. Lodhi is a warm orangey shade which is something new to my lip product stash.

I tried to find a lip product in my stash that I can make a close comparison and here is Rouge Dior in Rose Cirnoline.

From left to right: NARS Lodhi, Dior Rose Cirnoline

NARS Lodhi definitely is more pigmented than Dior Rose Cirnoline, Rose Cirnoline also has stronger beige tone while Lodhi is more orangey.

I'm not sure if I am going to pick up more NARS Satin Lip Pencil after this as the existing shades are not calling out to me (Thank God for that!). But I will certainly be waiting for more exciting shades to be launch under this range of lip product.

NARS Tropical Princess Eyeshadow Duo

The eyeshadow duo that I will be introducing today is one which I never imagine picking up, you will see why later. This is none other than NARS Tropical Princess Eyeshadow Duo.

NARS Tropical Princess Eyeshadow Dup is part of NARS Adult Swim Collection for Summer 2014 and is a limited edition shade. Initially I thought I would be drawn towards the other eyeshadow duo, Lost Coast but when I checked out the counter in person, I went for Tropical Princess instead.

Tropical Princess Eyeshadow Duo is made up of a neon green shade and icy lavender shade. Honestly, these 2 shades are not part of my usual 'eyeshadow wardrobe' but I was sooo impressed by the shade and especially texture when I swatched it at the counter.

As you can see from the swatch below, for 2 light looking shades, it looks pretty pigmented. And here is what blown me away, the TEXTURE. It is sooooooo smooth and soft. It is almost impossible to not pick up any pigment from this palette.

How I have been applying this eyeshadow duo was using the graduation method with the neon green nearer to the eyelashes and icy lavender above it. The trick is to go easy with the pigment and slowly build up. Without eyeshadow primer, Tropical Princess last a reasonable 5 - 6 hours on my oily lids which is fairly reasonable. I love how the neon green gives my mono hooded lids a nice wake up look.

I know many have been really unhappy with the rubbery case of NARS that looks disgusting after some time. I usually store NARS product in the box that it comes with and they haven't gave me any problem. This could be a tip that might be helpful. :)

Have you check out NARS Adult Swim Collection? Do share with me your haul. :)

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!

Marc Jacobs Beauty Love Marc Lip Gel in 114 Understudy

Following the review of Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Crayon Eyeliner in the previous post, here I am to review the other Marc Jacobs item that I picked up at Sephora, Love Marc Lip Gel in 114 Understudy.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Love Marc Lip Gel is interestingly called a 'lip gel' instead of lipstick as it is different from the traditional waxy lipstick and comes with a gellified formula that is creamy and glossy. The Lip Gel is housed in a magnetic black case which weighs slightly heavier than a normal lipstick.

I couldn't make up my mind which shade to get while swatching over the Sephora counter and the SA recommended 114 Understudy after understanding from me that I would like some neutral shade.

114 Understudy looks reddish brown in the tube and seems like a wise choice to get. Swatching it on my hand, the swatch come out true to its shade.

I decided to do a comparison against the reddish brown lipsticks that I have in my stash and here are the lipsticks I am comparing against:-

- Lunasol lipstick in 40 Red Beige
- Burberry Beauty Lip Cover in 23 English Rose
- Chanel Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle
- NARS Sheer lipstick in Dolce Vita

From the swatches below, I felt 114 Understudy is closer to Lunasol lipstick in 40 Red Beige but stronger in pigmentation. The other 3 shades have more brown or pink tones in them.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Love Marc Lip Gel in 114 Understudy has a very comfortable texture that is very forgiving to my dry lips, I love it. It had a very faint vanilla scent but this doesn't bothers me at all.

I cannot remember the price that I paid but I do vaguely recall it to be $42. I certainly hope for Marc Jacobs to launch more new shades of this lip gels than the current 16 shades. :)

Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Crayon Eyeliner in Th(ink)

Even since Marc Jacobs Beauty products are available in Sephora, I have been wanting to check out the products in person. I wasn't exactly impressed by the selection of eyeshadows but their gel eyeliners and lipsticks definitely caught my attention. Today I will be sharing my thoughts on Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Crayon Eyeliner in Th(ink).

Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Crayon Eyeliner is a long-lasting, waterproof pencil eyeliner that has the smooth texture of a gel eyeliner. I am curious to try out on my oily, hooded lids already.

There were 6 shades available from this range and I chose Th(ink) which is a dark blue with coppery shimmer and it was love at first slight for me. Just in case you are wondering. I did not commit a typo mistake with the name. It is indeed Th(ink). I later on realised that the 'ink' in the name Th(ink) meant this is a blue shade just like Ro(cocoa) = brown, N(ice) = white for example. Pretty innovative, I must say.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Crayon Eyeliner comes with a retractable crayon stick and has a small sharpener at the end of the pencil, very similar to the design of my HG pencil eyeliner, Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner. The texture is really smooth and I find it a breeze to draw without tugging my lids.

So how does it fares against my HG pencil eyeliner, Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner? I decided to put these 2 products through the water and rub test.

Here I have Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Crayon Eyeliner on the left and Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner on the right. Not sure if it is visible to you but do you find the swatch of Chanel looking drier in comparison?

Let's run them through the water shall we?

After dipping dry with a tissue paper, both swatches look almost the same as before. BUT after a few rubs (in the next picture), you will see fainting of the Chanel swatch while Marc Jacobs still look as good as new!

After water test

After rub test

In fact, I was wearing it for more than 8 hours (as you can see from the oil on my face), there are no signs of smudges or panda eyes! Impressive or what??? Looks like I just found a new HG pencil eyeliner!

Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Crayon Eyeliner is available at Sephora outlets and retailing at $36 and although it is not exactly considered cheap, I personally felt it is worth every single penny. A disadvantage I can think of Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Crayon Eyeliner is that the crayon tip gets blunt very easily (considering the creamy texture) and you will constantly need to sharpen it which can results in some form of product wastage. But I doubt this con will stop me from purchasing more. :)

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat and Mood Exposure

Hourglass is a brand that I never really has a chance to explore. We can sure order from overseas website but shipping can be pretty expensive. When Meryl quickly told us that Net-a-porter is having free shipping, I immediately jumped on the wagon and got the highly raved blushes from Hourglass. So here I ended up with Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat and Mood Exposure.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush is housed in a simple shiny gunmetal plastic case which is totally fuss-free. It does not come with a brush but it does have a mirror in it. You may think what is your hype about these blushes anyways..... It's a fuse of blush with their very successful range of highlighter powder (Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder) so it is supposed to give the pigment of a blush with highlighter function.

Diffused Heat is a bright coral shade which screams scary if not for Diffused Light Ambient Lighting Powder in it.

Mood Exposure, on the other hand looks plum in the pan and when swatched looks pinkish plum.

Mood Exposure, Diffused Heat

Mood exposure, Diffused Heat

These Ambient Lighting Blush are quite pigmented so you just need a light swirl of the brush in the pan to avoid looking like a clown. The texture is sooooo smooth....... You will love it. :)

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.

SK-II Magic Ring Test: How old is your skin?

I have always wonder the age of me mentally and physically given the unhealthy lifestyle that I am living in. Long working hours and late nights, coupled with unhealthy food, it is no surprise to me if I am physically and mentally older than my chronological age. When I knew that SK-II Magic Ring test is able to tell the age of my skin, I was intrigued to give it a go.

Extracted from SK-II:
The Magic Ring™ device is the latest in our line-up of breakthrough beauty technology across the years. A state-of-the-art skin analysis tool exclusively available at SK-II beauty counters, the Magic Ring™ helps you discover how your skin fares against the five dimensions of crystal clear skin as well as glean an understanding of what your skin age is. Used across time, SK-II users can qualify and quantify the effect of the miracle on their skin.

Our philosophy in offering such dedicated technologies for deeper insights into your skin ensures that our beauty consultants will be able to personalize a perfect regimen and support you in every step along your journey to crystal clear skin.

The result of my skin analysis test shows that there are many areas of improvements! The skin analysis test result was sort of within my expectation as I knew my skin was in bad condition lately due to work stress and late nights. The SK-II Magic Ring test serves as a reminder that I need to make improvement to my lifestyle and use the right products consistently to improve my skin.

The 5 areas of concern targetted by the Magic Ring Test are: Texture Refinement. Firmness Power, Wrinkle Resilience, Spot Control and Radiance Enhancement. My oh my, I am older than my chronological age!!! In fact, for consistent FTE user, their skin will be 26 years old only!!!

The SA at Robinsons Raffles City, Sharon shared with me that hope is not all lost for me. Considering that Spot Control fare the lowest for me, she strongly recommended Whitening Power Spots Specialist for my current spots and also hidden spots. I am shocked by the amount of hidden spots under the skin surface. According to Sharon, these are the spots that if not properly taken care of now, they will eventually surface up. OMG!!!

The SK-II Magic Ring Test is a true wake up call for me. I have been complacent and lazy in my skincare regime lately and I can already see deterioration in my skin condition. No more lazy Ruby!!!! I will seek Sharon's advice and make sure I use the correct and suitable products to bring my skin back to good condition again.

For all SK-II and non SK-II users, I strongly encourage you to do the Magic Ring Test. You will be in for a surprise. :)