Beaua Organic Link Cleansing Oil

I've been using this 300mL pump bottle of Beaua Organic Link Cleansing Oil for a few weeks now. I bought it while in Taipei, at the same time as Beaua 10 Essences Cleansing Oil and PharmaAct Additive Free Cleansing Oil.

The bottle says this Organic Link Cleansing Oil has "essential oil fragrance," and that it's "infused with organic rosemary, lavender, thyme, sage, rose hip, bilberry leaf, cucumber, crataegus, and yarrow," so I was expecting it to have that nice herbal scent like the Beaua 10 Essences, but it turns out to smell like generic soap, very similar to the PharmaAct Additive Free! In terms of texture, it's almost identical to PharmaAct Additive Free, a cushy gel-like feel that isn't thick or greasy, and it doesn't melt into an oil after some massaging like the Beaua 10 Essences.

So if I have to choose, I would pick the Beaua 10 Essences, not only because it smells nice, but also because the PharmaAct Additive Free and this Beaua Organic Link feel like the same product in different packaging. And given that Kumano Yushi owns both Beaua and PharmaAct, they might very well be the same product in different packaging ^.^

Chikuhodo Brushes

Among the big names of the Japanese artisan makeup brush world, Chikuhodo (竹宝堂) has two decades over Hakuhoho, having been established in 1952 (Hakuhodo was founded 1974). Chikuhodo started with calligraphy brushes, and makeup brushes didn't come along until 1960's. Still, the later venture proved quite successful as they are now the brush maker for high end brands such as Suqqu, Lunasol, RMK, etc. Check out this New York Times feature on Chikuhodo last April!

Anyway, when I was preparing for my first foray into Japanese makeup brushes, I skipped over Chikuhodo as I thought their prices were exorbitant. In general, between 2 similar brushes the Chikuhodo one will cost roughly 20-25% more than the Hakuhodo one. And honestly, I think the two brands are on par when it comes to quality and craftsmanship, so Chikuhodo's markup put me off somewhat. Then fast forward just this past August, distribution for Chikuhodo outside of Japan switched from Now-Eproject to Visage USA, and along with this switch is a roughly 20-25% reduction in price. To further sweeten the deal, the Visage USA ran a 3-months long promotion for an extra 18% off to celebrate new management! So yup, I finally got my hands on some Chikuhodo brushes, and at a fantastic price too! xD

A few notes for this batch and we'll move on to the goodies: 

1. As usual, all brushes were photographed pre-wash. Like Koyudo, the smallest Chikuhodo brush is starched, and the measurements are off for that brush. I did take post-wash pictures though. 

2. 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.

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

4. I totally smashed through my no-squirrel rule again ^.^"

Brushes in this batch, from left to right: Artist 12-2, G-03, G-04, G-05, G-10, Passion Eye Shadow, and R-S1. I've noted both the before and after prices, to give you an idea how significant the reduction was.

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.