'Tis the Season of Giving - Asian Brands

Updated Friday, February 24, 2017.

Blog sale for charity final update.

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Long post ahead. 

Hubby and I are going to move again in eight months' time, this time just across town, at least that's to my knowledge. We've learned to *not* double down on our words because every time we say we're staying somewhere for a while, we ended up moving the next year.

The biggest reason for our next move being:

Yes, there's a tiny one coming and we now need a shoe-box for three.

So I'm letting go of a substantial portion of my collection.

After moving so many time, I've realized I've missed out on the vast majority of my collection because I can only take so much with me. Since I haven't been around to enjoy them, I thought someone else might be.

IMPORTANT:
1. All sales are final. No returns or exchanges.
2. All proceeds will go to charity:
- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). See their ratings.
- The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). See their ratings.
- Doctors Without Borders, aka (MSF, Médecins Sans Frontières). See their ratings.
3. Paypal payments in USD only.

ORDERING DETAILS:
1. To order, please leave a comment and spell out your email address (to avoid spam). I will contact you privately.
2. All orders will be sent via USPS Flat-rate boxes with tracking and insurance. I hold no responsibilities for lost packages.
3. Shipping fee varies.
- Domestic: Small ($6.80), Medium ($13.45), Large ($18.75).
- International: we'll work something out privately.
4. My home is smoke and pet-free.
5. My collection is housed in a wooden craft cabinet placed in a cool and dry corner of my bedroom.
6. All items will be sent in a cosmetic bag chosen at random.
7. Eyeshadow palettes and face powders are without applicators, brushes, or puffs. I use my own brushes and have long given away the others. If you need them, please indicate so and I'll include new/unused ones at random.

Let's get on to the good stuff. Click on images to zoom. Follow links for reviews and swatches.

T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes Part IV

Playing around with Coffret D'Or Trance Deep Eyes made me nostalgic for my beloved T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes, so I dug them out and promptly discovered that one of the 4 palettes I own, the 02 Gray, was never used. What?!? How did that happen? O.o

T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes palette 02 Gray. All pictures taken indoor with flash unless otherwise noted.

T'estimo Color Lighting Part III

Happy Thanksgiving!

These are the last of my T'estimo Color Lightings that I've been holding onto since forever but haven't had the chance to try :( But it's shimmer season, so I'm going all out with all my pretty daytime highlighters ^.^ 

These T'estimo ones are even more subtle than the Canmake Highlighter in 05 Beige I reviewed yesterday. Their pearlized shimmers are less dense, so even with scattered shimmer particles that are a little more visible, the overall effect is more gentle. This makes me regret not trying these sooner as they might be passable for use during the summer too. Oh well, there are sunny days during the winter, and these light up my face when the sun hits. Love it! The down side is that during cloudy days without any sun, these don't make much of a difference at all and I couldn't even tell I was wearing any highlighter. Boo. 

EX-08: an off white with gold color dots and gold shimmer overspray. 

All pictures taken indoor with flash.

T'estimo Frame Impact Eyes Part II

More of the forgotten T'estimo Frame Impact Eyes *sniff* I actually have 3 of these palettes, and have only begun to use these late last year when I, umm, "re-discovered" them in my makeup mountain T.T But thank goodness both palettes work perfectly fine, even the cream liners still show up well and pigmented and didn't dry out at all! All the more reason to mourn T'estimo, yes, still, even now.

All pictures taken indoor with flash unless otherwise noted.

T'estimo Frame Impact Eyes

This T'estimo Frame Impact Eyes #03 - Purple is another one of T'estimo palettes I'd forgotten about. It came out in Spring 2007 and I bought it around the winter time of the same year and didn't touch it since. I have been using the palette along with the T'estimo Grande Shine Eyes #01 - Pink Brown starting last October, the Pink Brown palette for work and this Purple palette for when I go out.

T'estimo Grande Shine Eyes

After hubby and I settled down in Yokohama, I finally dug through my makeup (yes, I lugged them with me across the big pond) and -gasp- found a few brand new T'estimo palettes I bought ages ago but totally forgot about and haven't touched since! Oh T'estimo, darling, would you ever forgive me?

One of these forgotten palettes is T'estimo Grande Shine Eyes, belonging to the later collections T'estimo unveiled Summer 2007 before the brand folded. Then I open up the palette and remember why I chose to put it away for a while when I first got it (and ended up forgetting about it for, like, 3 years...): it had a cream liner. Yeah, I wasn't too thrilled about the cream liner then, and I'm still not too thrilled about it now. For someone who likes her makeup sheer, it's a bit too dramatic and too much work. Then again, I've forgotten it for so long that if I don't give it a try now, I might as well throw it out. Poor thing. I decided what the hell, I'd give it a try. Let's hope it hadn't gone bad and is still usable.

T'estimo Color Eyes Part III

Review for these T'estimo Color Eyes are waaaaaay over due, sorry. I've been using these off and on since December but got distracted with other things and never got around to review them.

And actually, since my first review for these single T'estimo Color Eyes was in October 2007 and my last review for them was in March 2008, it's been so long since that I will re-list the 4 Intensities of Pigmentation and 5 Finishes below. Actually, I used to know of only 4 finishes and 1 new finish was just added in this review (see GY-35).

4 Intensities of Pigmentation:
- Very sheer: these usually provide just a translucent wash or as a highlighter/eye brightener, can be used as a base or finisher shadow (in the case of the super sparklies) and layering won't help with intensity
- Low: can be layered to reach medium intensity
- Medium: these are usually crease/accent colors, can be layered to reach high intensity
- High: I mostly use these as liner shadows; as they are so pigmented, I don't recommend layering them; well, unless you're going for that raccoon -erh, rock star- look, which some people can pull off pretty well actually; as you can tell though, I'm not one of them :P

5 Finishes: some shades can be duo-chromatic, i.e., metallic pearl, metallic satin, etc.
- Shimmer: low to medium intensity with luminous shine.
- Pearl: very sheer to medium intensity with fine iridescent/opalescent shine.
- Metallic: very sheer to medium intensity with intense metallic shine.
- Matte: very sheer to high intensity with no shine, may have a few sparkles that aren't noticeable unless examined closely or under direct light, appears completely matte otherwise.
- Satin: low to medium intensity with luminous satiny shine; these have shimmers so fine that they aren't really "shimmery" but instead "satiny" (hope that makes sense...)

- WN-32: metallic, medium intensity, the color is self explanatory in its name :) This color is gorgeous! Normally, a crease shadow in this color range will make me look like I got punched in the eyes or haven't slept for days, but this one is deep enough that I can get away with it as a liner or even to create smoky eyes. I'm actually starting to get into a "purple" phase and anything along the purple spectrum will attract me, provided it has to be deep enough to avoid the "bruised" effect.


- GD-25: metallic, very sheer, a metallic and sparkling champagne that's a staple for me and I have back-ups to prove my love for it :D It's a fail-proof eye opener/brightener, at least for me, and a sheer wash is all I need for cheerful sparkles in the sun. I did say sparkles, right? Yeah, it's very sparkly, which is fine by me :) I think it is neutral enough for those with cooler skin tone too.


- BR-70: metallic, medium intensity, although it shows up cooler in the swatch picture, it is a warm golden wood brown that I can actually wear on the crease (with a light hand, it's decently pigmented and can drown out the liner color) and doesn't turn all muddy or make me look like I've smeared dirt all over my eyes. This color makes a sultry bronzed-babe combo with the GD-25 as the wash and the WN-32 as the liner.


Top: WN-32
Bottom: GD-25
Left: BR-70


- DB-13: metallic, high intensity, a cool dark denim. Makes a great liner!


- GY-35: satin, medium intensity, a very pretty blue-toned smoky gray that I haven't really figure out how to use :( Okay, fine, I actually don't know what to do with it :X


- BU-61: metallic, very sheer, a warmer blue wash with hints of green shimmers.


- BU-58: shimmer, medium intensity, a brighter chalky blue that's on the cool side


- Top: DB-13
- Right: BU-61
- Left: GY-35
- Bottom: BU-58


See my previous posts:
- T'estimo Color Eyes
- T'estimo Color Eyes Part II

T'estimo Color Lighting Part II

It's been a couple of years, but I've finally got my hands on a couple more of these T'estimo Color Lighting, and what do you know, I just had to try them right away :D

EX-09 is a lilac-toned highlighter, you can't really tell from the picture at all, but I guarantee you it's lilac :) The whole pan is rather pale, but the three circles in the middle are definitely lilac, and they're pressed all the way down the bottom of the pan too, not just a thin layer at the surface. On top of them though are three circles of over-sprayed lilac shimmers arranged a bit skewed to the right as though are overcasts. This layer is gone after the first use. The highlighter is not shimmery at all but rather very subtly pearly, and even then, you'll have to swipe some on the back of your hand to notice the fine pearly shine.


To be honest I'd never had a highlighter that was lilac before. The highlighters I'd tried had white, pink, gold, green, and blue, but never lilac or anything purple-ish. So I wasn't too sure what this highlighter was supposed to do, but I wore it during the day anyway. The powder was soft and was neither chalky or dusty. After putting it on, though, I was quite disappointed - I couldn't tell any difference at all! I thought, damn, it's T'estimo, I was so sure I was going to like it! And then I put on some blush, and -wow- my face just got this strange...glow. It was subtle, nothing like the airbrushed effect, but it had this very healthy glow to it that wasn't there before. I looked awake and fresh! But then I wasn't about to just credit the highlighter, after all, it might have very well been the blush. So on another occasion, I put the blush on first instead of the highlighter (as I usually highlight first) and the glow wasn't there. Then I applied the highlighter, and -poof- there it was again, that glow! So I think this highlighter does have some effect after all, but that effect is not visible without a follow up blush. So yes, I am rather happy with this highlighter :D It's like a more subtle version of the highlighter in the Canmake Cheek & Highlight. And because its effect is too subtle for the night, I have to say it's definitely a daytime highlighter. Don't even bother with it at night, you won't see a thing!

EX-11 is entirely white, even the 3 circles in the middle. The 3 shimmery circle over spray are iridescent, but they disappear after the first use so really, they're just for appearance. Again, the powder is soft but not chalky or dusty. And while this highlighter is not overly shimmery by any means, it's definitely a lot more shimmery than EX-09. In fact, I think I've found a 24-hour highlighter - a highlighter that's suitable for day and night use! *squeals in happiness* It's like a more subtle version of my beloved Victoria's Secret Mosaic Highlighter but at the same time, not at all over the top for day use. How is that possible? I guess I'm just lucky! A total keeper! *smooch*


See my previous T'estimo Color Lighting post.

T'estimo Color Cheek Part III

I'm really supposed to rotate my makeup every once in a while, but then it's been so long and I miss T'estimo so much I pushed everything else aside to go back to the brand. I've got tons of stuff I haven't even touched, but luckily I also have T'estimo items I haven't used either, like these Color Cheeks :D Hooray!

OR-16 is not orange at all. Instead, it is a matte coral-toned powder pink that reminds me of the reddish flush my cheeks and chin (and nose too, unfortunately) get on colder days. That's just looking at it though. Upon application, it sheers out to just a natural glow. Oh well, it's still a very pretty natural blush. It just didn't do what I thought it would.


RD-19 is a strawberry red that does what I thought OR-16 would do - giving me the flush my face would get in colder days. Let's just say I've been looking for a blush that could this for a very long time, not because I want to look cold, but I wanted to recreate Vicki Zhao Wei's look in the picture below.


Isn't her blush just adorable? I love it! She's my favorite Chinese actress, by the way. I've been watching her ever since her debut in Huanzhu Gege days.

***I've no idea where this picture came from. If it is yours, please leave me a comment along with your website URL so I can properly credit the picture. Thanks!***

PK-17 is your good ol' pink blush that just can't go wrong. It looks a bit cooler in the picture, where as in natural light it's a bit more muted. I could have sworn there were some purplish shimmers in the blush, but then after the first couple of swipes, they were all gone, so perhaps they were just sprayed on. Hmm...


See my previous posts...
- T'estimo Color Cheek
- T'estimo Color Cheek Part II

T'estimo Eye Bright Up Base

Yep, this is me being curious and shelling out money for stuff I don't use. Again. This time for T'estimo Eye Bright Up Base. What can I say? I read all these raves about it so I just had to see what kind of miracle it packs. T'estimo has been discontinued, so these Eye Bright Up Base have become a hard to get and rare item. And that only increases its mysteriousness to me :D

There are 2 colors: 01-Yellow and 02-Peach, with 01-Yellow having a shimmery finish while 02-Peach is matte.

***Picture from JK Online Beauty.

01-Yellow: I picked this color for its brightening properties - the shimmers. It comes in a tiny little squeeze tube and is a thin liquid, so you need very very little.




I fumbled quite a bit with this Eye Bright Up Base just to use it correctly, however, probably because I don't use eye shadow base so I don't know how to use them. I had to apply a small amount and blend until it's completely dry, otherwise it would actually crease even the my powder shadows. Hmm... Once I let it dry properly though, wow, it made my shadow lasts all night without creasing at all! By the end of the night, my eye makeup looks just as fresh as when I first put them on!

This thing is as amazing as they say, just that it's a bit too much work. LOL! Yah, me lazy bum. Although I do find that when I'm really really lazy, I could just wear it alone and it does brighten my eye area. If you use eye shadow base regularly, you might want to give these a try. They should be floating around somewhere on Ebay. I got mine from JK Online Beauty.

T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes Part III

This is palette 01 Brown, and although I've seen people describing it as a neutral palette, I think it's rather warm.

All pictures taken indoor with flash, unless otherwise noted.

T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes Part II

I love T'estimo. I don't love everything from that brand, but its blushes and eye shadows are among some of my most treasured items. I was very sad and heartbroken when Kanebo discontinued it and replaced it with a blah successor named Coffret D'Or. To make the matter worse, the introductory Coffret D'Or collection looks more like a generic Maybelline item rather than a mid-end Kanebo item with a huge marketing effort behind it. Come on!!!

All pictures taken indoor with flash, unless otherwise noted.


But I digress. Finally, after all this time I at last got around to trying more of the T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes I absolutely adore. I won't go into details again as I already described the generals with 03 Beige. The one I'm reviewing today is 05 Rose, which is more of a cooler palette with cooler pinks and purple. I have 4 out of the 5 palettes, and I love these so much I'm thinking of getting 04 Blue too just to have them all even though I can't manage cooler colors very well on my warmer skin tone.

T'estimo Color Eyes Part II

Finally, I got around to use more of these lovely T'estimo Color Eyes! More is to come too as I still have a gazillion of them I haven't even touched!

The pyramid shaped ones first, of course, as these are my favorite! I think they are the silkiest of all. Sadly, they are also an older release and most of the colors available with this pattern are either sold out or no longer available. Hell, the entire T'estimo line is going away, so what am I talking about? Damn Kanebo! See what rotten luck I have? My favorite things always get discontinued! Not cool. Not cool at all.

WT-07: Metallic, very sheer
A milky white that's turns a bit frosty on me. I still like the formula though, so I end up using this shade as a base and highlight, which is what they're for, right? I mean, it's white, what else can you do with it? haha Silly me :D


These next ones look like 4 sunken pyramids with softer edges. Pretty neat to look at.

SV-23: metallic, low intensity
The color is silver, but it's more like a translucent white with chunky silver glitter. In fact, it's so glittery I can't wear it as a base or a highlight, making it one of my least favorite T'estimo Color Eyes! It's formula is also more chalky and dusty, which is probably the result of the chunky glitters. I usually just slightly press the tip of my ring finger on it and then swipe it across my lids as the last finish, blending well. I find this gives my eye makeup a 3-dimensional effect, but that's about all it's good for.


DB-12: metallic, high intensity
An inky blue that looks almost black but is actually very obviously blue, does that make sense? :P I find this color makes a beautiful eye liner because you can tell it's blue and it makes brown eyes pop! This one doesn't have chunky glitters like silver one above, and the glitters you see are just sprayed on. The formula is also much softer and blends smoothly. My prized eye liner shadow!


Top row, from left: WT-07, SV-23
Bottom row: DB-12


BR-71: Shimmers, medium intensity
A mauvy brown with hints of eggplant. Another excellent eye liner!


GY-34: Metallic, low intensity
As you can see, it's actually not gray and is a lovely smoky mauvy silver. I usually pair this color with the BR-71, wearing this color on the lids and use the brown as eye liner for a smoky eye :D


PK-42: Metallic pearl, very sheer
A translucent veil that gives off a pink sheen at an angle. Makes a good highlighter and base but can be a bit too cool for me depending on how much I use.


WT-08: Metallic pearl, very sheer
Another translucent color, an off white that instantly brightens my eyes. Love this one!


Top row, from left: BR-71, GY-34, PK-42
Bottom row: WT-08


See my previous T'estimo Color Eyes post.

T'estimo Shining Eyeliner

I was so excited when I first saw these two colors, EX-01 Silver and EX-02 Gold. Silver and gold liquid eye liners, how much better can life be? But no, I was utterly crushed when I first opened these. They were clear gel with chunky silver and gold glitters. Worse, the glitter would flake off, fall into my eyes and irritate the hell out of them. In two words: they suck. Don't waste your money on these. If you really want to try, try them in a different color.

T'estimo Gradually Eyes Part III

My third Gradually Eyes palette is #1 - Peach Brown:

- Canary yellow highlighter: metallic, low intensity
- Cloud pink base: metallic, very sheer, a very pale pink that goes on white with a slight metallic pink sheen
- Golden peach crease: metallic, low intensity
- Coppery brown liner: shimmer, medium intensity



You can see the coppery brown better with this picture.


See T'estimo Eye Palettes - Gradually Eyes Part II.
See T'estimo Eye Palettes - Gradually Eyes Part I.

T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes

T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes palette is my favorite out of all the palettes T'estimo makes. Not only the powder shadows are soft and smooth, they are very decently pigmented. I wear my makeup sheer so I don't mind the pigmentation so much, but I'm sure there are plenty others out there who appreciate a pigmented eye shadow. Oh, and they are very super sparkly, and that just can't go wrong with me :D 

There are 5 palettes available:

- 01 Brown

- 02 Grey

- 03 Beige

- 04 Blue

- 05 Rose

I am reviewing the 03 Beige today. All pictures taken indoor with flash, unless otherwise noted.

T'estimo Color Cheek Part II

Recent additions.

PK-18 is a muted blush pink that shows up as a sheer flush of color on my cheek. Good for a more natural look.


RD-18 is a pale tomato red with gold shimmers that looks mesmerizing in the pan. I thought I have found my perfect blush, but it goes on a golden orange instead, with more gold than orange. Oh well, it's still pretty, just not what I was hoping it would be.


See my previous T'estimo Color Cheek post.

T'estimo Gradually Eyes Part II

The second Gradually Eyes palette I got is #03 - Cool Beige:

- White highlighter: metallic, low intensity, goes on with a translucent but metallic sheen
- Ivory base: metallic, very sheer
- Champaign beige crease: metallic, low intensity, goes on champaign with a translucent but metallic sheen
- Chocolate brown liner: shimmer, medium intensity

T'estimo Mix Change Powder

T'estimo Mix Change Powder is a highlighter available in 2 shades:

- EX-01 Cool
- EX-02 Warm

T'estimo Color Cheek

T'estimo Color Cheek, yep, another awkward sounding name. That's just the tip of the iceberg. It gets worse, I promise :) I got these in BE-14 and PK-19. It's hard to tell from the picture, but one is much lighter than the other.

BE-14, is, well, nothing close to beige. It is actually bronzy peach with gold shimmers, medium intensity (at least on my skin). It goes on more gold than peach and keeps its hint of bronze. A very summery blush - it could look a bit out of place in the winter.