Koyudo Brushes Part III

Yes, more Koyudo brushes ^.^ I love them!

Quick notes for this batch: 

1. As usual, all brushes were photographed pre-wash. Unlike the Hakuhodo brushes, the smaller Koyudo eye shadow brushes are starched, which means measurements are totally off for those. I did take post-wash pictures for those. 

2. Despite some brushes being starched in the pre-wash photos, for visual folks like me a seeing is still better than nothing. CD Japan isn't too great about pictures and measurements of the Koyudo brushes.  

3. Again, cameras don't have the same depth-perception as our eyes. Measurements are only estimates and not so much engineer-precise, plus the starching of the brushes.

4. Brushes are listed by collection, then model number. 

Brushes in this batch, from left to right: BP002, BP034, fu-pa10-p, fu-pa11-p, Pr004, and Pr005.

Face Stockholm x JCrew Lipstick Part II

I really loved the Face Stockholm x JCrew Lipstick in French Martini, so I bought this Peony Pink color also.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Maybelline ColorSensational Color Whisper Part III

Saw this Maybelline ColorSensational Color Whisper in 260 I Crave Coral on Citrine's blog way back in the spring, but for some reason the Walgreens in SF didn't stock them until the summer right before I moved away.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

I have already mentioned I don't like this formula so much, but this color looked like a pretty orange so I decided to pick it up when I saw it. 

- 260 I Crave Coral: and it's orange indeed, not coral at all! On my lips it turns a tad peachy but still no signs of coral, which is odd because oranges usually turn coral on me. Hmm... Either way, I do like the seemingly shimmer free translucency, and an orange that stays orange is relatively rare in my stash so I'm glad I bought it.

See my previous posts:
- Maybelline ColorSensational Color Whisper
- Maybelline ColorSensational Color Whisper Part II

Coffret D'Or Full Memory Rouge Part II

Having tried the Coffret D'Or Full Memory Rouge in RD-168 Color, I got curious and wanted to know what the Glow version would be like, so I picked up this OR-98 Glow on a whim to fill my cart. This lipstick has been discontinued for a couple of years now, but they're still available on E(vil)bay if you're curious.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense

This mini Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in 03 Mightiest Maraschino was among the GWP items from Sak's 5th Avenue's Holiday 2013 GWP, and it took me a long time to even try it despite my love for the original Chubby Sticks. The reason being, as you can guess, it's way too intense for my taste ^.^'

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick

Got this mini Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in the controversial color Celebutard in a recent Sephora order. I hesitated with this review for a while because of all the uproar with this color name, and late last year Sephora had to pull this color off of their shelves because of all the outrage. So imagine my surprise when it showed up as one of the freebie options at checkout, and out of curiosity I picked it ^.^

Let me put this out there - yes, I do think the name is offensive. My argument is along the same line as this article's, if "n1gfuschia" and "h*m*pink" are not okay, then "celebutard" is not okay either.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Lancome Le Crayon Khol

Had two of these 0.7g/0.02oz. GWP size of Lancome Le Crayon Khol in Black Coffee. I gave one to my sister who uses it to fill in her brows and kept one for myself.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash. Sorry for the dry hand in the swatch picture. It's really dry where I live now :(

Caudalie Merlot Friction Scrub

During the same Caudalie summer sale I also picked up this 150g/5.3oz. tub of Merlot Friction Scrub. I loved the Vinotherapie Crushed Cabernet Scrub which was a brown sugar scrub that left my skin moisturized and super soft the next day, so I thought I'd give this one a try too.

Caudalie Fleur de Vigne Shower Gel

Another quick review for this 200mL/6.7fl oz. of Caudalie Fleur de Vigne Shower Gel I bought this past summer in the green tube.

Like The des Vigne Shower Gel in the red wine tube, this one is soap free and SLS-free and does not foam much if at all. It's a tad milder too, so not as drying. I like this one much better, as it has the same leafy vine scent as most other Caudalie products, like the Cleansing Water for example. I'm looking forward to the orange tube most though, as it's supposed to be a delicious peach scent. Will post a short review for that one too when I get to using it.

Caudalie The des Vigne Shower Gel

Caudalie had a nice sale this past summer and I picked up 3 different shower gels, each in a 200mL/6.7fl oz squeeze tube. I was curious to try them out as they are soap free with no sodium laureth sulfate. This is a quick review for The des Vigne Shower Gel in the wine colored tube.

I find that most of the fragrance in Caudalie products are nice, this shower gel I didn't like at all! It smelled like a grapey old lady's perfume! It doesn't foam much, if at all, being soap and SLS free. And yet it's still too harsh and drying for my skin T.T Thankfully hubby didn't mind it so I just left him to finish the tube while I deferred to my favorite L'Occitane Bonne Mere Gentle Body Wash Milk, which of course has been discontinued. Argh!

Skin79 The Oriental Perfect Cover BB Cream

Been looking forward to this 10g tube of Skin79 The Oriental Perfect Cover BB Cream, as I've read it's one of the more popular ones in Korea!

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Skin79 Snail Nutrition BB Cream

So, having tried - and liked - Nature's Republic Snail Therapy skincare, I spotted this Skin79 Snail Nutrition BB Cream and was super curious. The 15g pump bottle I purchased came with a 5g tube as GWP, although it's unlikely that I'll ever finish that 15g to begin with!

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Dr.G Gowoonsesang BB Gift Kit

So, uhh, I realized I changed my blog's title again. That's because I've moved home yet again (I think I mentioned I was moving once or twice, but I don't remember :X). Seems to happen quite often, doesn't it? And just when I thought this would be our last move, hubby's boss asked if we would be willing to move to Tokyo again in a couple of years, so hubby can head up the company's new branch office there. Sigh. I love Japan and I would go in a heartbeat, but the thought of it right now is just... depressing, especially when we've finally begun to settle down a couple of months after moving for the umpteenth time. May be it's best I don't think about it, at least not now. There's no point in worrying about something that may not even happen.

Anyway, enough whining. I do realize too that my posting has been really spotty this whole year. Lots of change have happened, the most important of which is a realization of what I truly want to do with my life. I won't bore you with the details, and I won't make excuses for the lackluster posts as of late either. I thought about quitting this blog, because what got me into cosmetics in the first place - Japanese makeup - has been really slumping in the past few years, which saddens me greatly. I guess that has more to do with the state of the Japanese economy than anything. Still, it takes too much effort and time to take pictures and write about products, and for a hobby that's quite costly, not just in terms of energy and time, but also financially - I purchased everything I've reviewed on this blog (the freebies are GWPs), I've never allowed ads on my blogs, and I don't do promotional reviews for PRs either. Then again, it's not as if my curiosity and fascination for cosmetics are going away anytime soon LOL!

Alrighty, time to pick up where I left off with the bb cream bandwagon. I bought this mini set of Dr.G Gowoonsesang BB Gift Kit earlier in the summer via Sasa dot com, a Hong Kong-base retailer that's very much like the Sephora of Asia. In fact, I just spotted yet another slightly different kit on Sasa, and it's on its way to me as I type ^.^

Dr.G Gowoonsesang BB Gift Kit includes 5g each of (from left to right) Hydra Intensive Blemish Balm SPF30 PA++, Perfect Pore Cover BB Cream SPF30 PA++, Total Active Dual BB Cream SPF50+ PA+++, Actifirm Recovery Super Blemish Base SPF30 PA++, and Primer BB Protector SPF38 PA+++. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Estee Lauder Artist's Eye Pencil

A quick review for this Estee Lauder Artist's Eye Pencil in the color 01 Softsmudge Black. I don't remember how I got this mini pencil, but it's been in my travel makeup bag for a while now.

This is a more "traditional" formula that feels more like kohl and less like the gel formula that's really popular right now. This means it's not buttery and more "pencil-y", only softer and isn't scratchy. And interestingly enough, it's the formula like these that works better with my oily lids, staying on and doesn't melt off and stains my contact lenses like most others.

- 01 Softsmudge Black: a soft smokey black that's on the warm side, which I prefer to the cooler and, in my humble opinion, harsher blacks. I can dress up a little bit on the go with this pencil, lining my eyes and use a sponge tip applicator to smudge it out.

Coffret D'Or Juicy Memory JM Rouge

These Coffret D'Or Juicy Memory JM Rouge were cart fillers from an order earlier this summer. Like the AA Aqua Rouge, these have been discontinued. And honestly, who the heck named these? Juicy Memory? Erhh..., what? I think I'd tell that person to keep their juicy memories to themselves.

I have 3 colors, OR-103, PK-244, and RD-181. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Cleansing Foam

Had 2 of these 50mL/1.7fl oz. pump bottles of L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Cleansing Foam from 2 separate gift sets, the Brighten Up Collection and the Divine Secret Collection. I ended up using only one and gave the other to my mum.

This is a cleansing liquid scented with the same crushed dandelion scent as the other Immortelle products, which doesn't bother me. It foams a little bit when pump through the foaming dispenser, although the foam itself is very thin, if at all foamy. While the cleanser is decent I needed about 4 pumps each time for an adequate wash of my neck/decolletage and face, and between my husband and I we went through this bottle in about 3 weeks! The thing is, 4 pumps are what I needed but they leave my skin slightly dry, and if I were to use any less, say 3 pumps, my face just doesn't feel clean. What's up with that? :(