Swatches: MAC Lustre Twins Pro Longwear Lipgloss and Starflash Collection

So after working 12 hours today and getting off at 8 pm, I headed down to the mall to get some swatches. Anyway, I'm pretty sure ya'll saw them all already... but here they are anyway.

Click to enlarge...

LUSTRE TWINS PRO LONGWEAR LIPGLOSS

STARFLASH


*Sunset B. was meant to be Lotusland

I haven't picked up anything yet in this collection. I'm still trying to determine whether or not I already own similar colored eyeshadows. I'm really trying to be good :). However, I'm eyeing on Go! and Smoke and Diamonds. But I think I'm definitely going to pickup one Lustre Twin. Man, they weren't kidding about being it longwear. The swatches on my hand won't even budge with soap and water or rubbing it off my skin!!

What will/did you pick up from this collection?

EDIT: A good makeup remover took the lippie swatches of my arm. I used the Clinique eye makeup remover. I wasn't about to go to work with swatches on my arm.

Bourjois Coup de Theater Mascara (Review)

What they say about it: Coup de Theatre False Lash Illusion - Duo Mascara (Original Price $18) Coupe de Theatre is a unique, extra lengthening, and ultra-thickening dual-ended mascara. One end contains a unique cero-fibrillar complex consisting of wax, nylon fibers, and silica fibers that thicken and lengthen lashes, and the other end contains a pro-vitamin B5 enriched, highly pigmented, mascara for ultra rich color and shine.

Price: $12.60

Available at: Sephora and Sephora.com


Bourjois Paris Coup de Theatre Mascara

Quality: 3.5 out 5
Price: 3.5 out of 5
Packaging: 4 out 5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5


Reference:

What I like about it: Even without the primer and with only one coat of mascara, my eyelashes seem more prominent compared to my clean lashes. It lengthen my lashes a bit althought it's nothing too dramatic and seemed to hold the curl pretty well. With two coats of mascara, my lashes looks even better because it's thicker and has defined my lashes really well. I also like how it doesn't come out with too much goop on the mascara wand unlike some mascaras do. It just has enough to coat your lashes which prevents the clumping.






What I don't like about it: It doesn't really volumnize your lashes. Don't expect killer flutters with this mascara. It wouldn't be my go to mascara for a night out since it only defines whatever lashes you have. The primer seemed pretty unnecessary to achieve defined lashes. If anything, the primer just weighs down the curl. I find that I rarely use the primer side of the of this mascara duo. Also, after two coats of the mascara with the primer, my lashes has a tendancy of clumping afterwards.






Overall: I probably won't repurchase this again. Since I'm not a big fan of the primer that it comes with, I can't justify just buying the mascara for $12.60 that it retailed for (and that's already the sale price) solely for the mascara end of the tube. The mascara is pretty mediocre that you can probably get same results, if not, better from drugstore brands. The only reason I picked it up is because I was a bit intrigued and decided to try it out. Now that I have, I'm very much happy to let it go.

Sorry of the being MIA for a few days. I just got back from Vegas last night, so two nights before my short vaca trip was pretty busy both at work and at home. Ahh... and it's pretty much insane at work right now. Too many deadlines to make including the weekly tasks I have to do. So, I apologize if I've been a tad slow answering/leaving comments and e-mails. I'm working on it :).

Ojon Hair Daily Intensive Shine Treatment (Review)

I know some of you have requested a review for the Ojon products that I bought at the conference in Las Vegas. Sorry for the lag, but I had to test the product out before I give my final verdict.

What they say about it: Created to instantly bring life back to dull and damaged hair, this smoothing serum contains light polymers that create an ultra-smooth effect while blow-drying, and create frizz-free curls when drying naturally. Plant derived conditioning agents fight the effects of humidity, while vitamins A and E leave hair soft and nourished.

Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, Elaeis Oleifera (Palm) Oil, Dimethiconol, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Parfum (Fragrance), Agar, Alginic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Linolenate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Glyceryl Linoleate, Methylparaben, Lecithin, Tocopheryl, Acetate, Butylparagen, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben, Citronellol, Linalool, Coumarin, Limonene, CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77492 (Iron Oxides), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides). (Source)

Price: $24 (Tradeshow price $15)

Available at: Sephora stores, Sephora.com, Ulta stores, Ulta.com, and Ojon.com

Ojon Hair Daily Intensive Shine Treatment

Quality: 3.5 out 5
Price: 2.5 out of 5
Packaging: 3 out 5

Overall: 3 out of 5
How the product looks like when you pump it out of the bottle. Notice how the small beads have been broken down.

What I like about it: It made my hair soft and silky. One pump, and your hair has transformed into fabulous! I couldn't stop running my fingers through my hair after putting this on. It didn't weigh my hair down unlike some serums, and it didn't leave my hair as if it's been doused in grease. It gave me the shine that I needed, and managed the frizzies. It's even better after blowdrying or straightening your hair.

What I didn't like about it: The SMELL! The smell smells!! I couldn't stand it. Because I loved how the product made my hair look and feel, I just dealt with the smell in the beginning. The smell never really faded away in time. I thought it wasn't that bad until my dad had mention something. I mean I noticed it too, but I didn't think it was that bad. I just hate how the product smells like an old, musty man and tiger balm (you know that Asian ointment). I even got complaints in our house to stop using whatever I was using because the smell was unpleasant. I'm really particular about the smell that goes into my hair because people do get a whiff of whatever hair products I have on. And another bad thing was, you can prolly finish the bottle in a month. The picture shown above was after 3-4 uses only! And it doesn't help that the small bottle doesn't come cheap. Not too practical

Overall: I probably won't purchase this again. Not only it's expensive, the smell is just really bad. Although I really like the results, I'm just really turned-off by the fact that it smells like tiger balm. It's not worth the trouble for me. Maybe if they change the smell then I would consider getting it again. I'm just not down smelling like an old man.

How To: Apply Ly-Na Pearl Cream

I know it sounds silly that I'm even doing this post, but I do have people ask me how do I apply Ly-Na Pearl Cream on my face. I've decided to do a picture post of what I do. It's really simple and there's really nothing special that I do except for what I've mentioned already.



By the way, I also blocked my eyes in some of the pictures where I start to look silly. With or without the black bar, yes I am fully aware that I look ridiculous in the pictures with the cream on! Please hold the giggles :).


None of the pictures are photoshopped! Except for the text added, watermark, and the cropping of the pictures. Images are clickable to enlarge.

*ALWAYS, ALWAYS, wash your face before putting it on. Make sure all the dirt and grime have been washed off with a good cleanser. You'll run the risk of breaking out if you don't clean your face properly. Make sure to also keep your hair out of your face. So pony tail it, use a headband, bobby-pinned your hair... whatever gets the hair off your face. No, I don't have foundation on in this picture. No, I didn't do any photoshop editing on my face. No, I am not 15, 16, 17, or 18 years old. I'm actually 21 almost 22. Yes, those are ginormous pimples... imagine those pretty much all over my forehead and cheeks... that would be me a year ago. But right now those pimples are ok since it's that time of the month.

* I use Nivea Visage because it's just super gentle on my face and it doesn't sting upon application. Not to mention it smells good too.




*See the difference with and without the Ly-na Cream. Ly-na will give you a pasty white face so it's highly suggested that you only use this as a night cream. And don't slap too much of the cream because it can clog your pores.

* See what I mean? Compare my face and neck? I'm 10 shades lighter. Make sure you apply a thin and even layer on your face.

*I just do this to use up my MAC Fix+, but it does kinda give you a refreshing feeling. But I don't think it has any additional benefits in doing this.

I hope this helps and clear up any question about how I do it. This is how it has worked for me and how I keep doing it every night. Who needs La Mer or any other expensive brands when you have Ly-Na Pearl Cream. Don't let the packaging fool you!

Related Posts:
Skin Dilemma: Skin Timeline Pt. 1
Product Review: Ly-Na Face Pearl Cream

Side Note: For the beauties attending the Lipstick Pow Wow on August, I'm planning to bring a Ly-Na Pearl Cream as my item for my Yankee Swap. Yay or Nay??? Should I bring something else? Am I suppose to tell what I'm bringing anyway??? LOL.

Product Review: Crown Brush - For Your Eyes Only! Pt.1

Because of the length of this product review will be a multi-part post. Pt. 1 features brushes for the eyes.


WARNING: Extremely Long Post!!!!

The review most of ya'll have been waiting for... brushes from Crown Brush. Yes, I know I took insanely long in writing this review (and thank you for being patient), but I had to really test these brushes out to make sure it's just not "love at first sight." I also took some comparison photos of it's length and the brush heads of the Crown Brushes next to the other brush brands that I own which has similar uses to it, so you can get a better idea how long these brushes are. Because of the ridiculous amount of brushes that I own, I've only picked a few of them to go side-by-side with my Crown Brushes, but I definitely included any MAC brushes that I own in the mix that has similar use to the Crown Brushes mentioned.

The brushes on this post are not all the brushes that I bought from Crown Brush. But here is the list of the brushes that I bought at the conference:

1. IB119 Deluxe Crease
2. BK17 Round Angle Blender
3. BK1 Jumbo Powder Dome
4. BK6 Flat Bronzer
5. BK14 Deluxe Oval Shadow
6. IB113 Taklon Liner
7. C208 Chisel Deluxe Fluff
8. C160 - 1/8
9. C217 Bent Liner
10. C224 Oval Camouflage
11. C210 Small Chisel Fluff
12. C200 Deluxe Crease
13. C202 Round Contour
14. C208 Chisel Deluxe Fluff
15. S205 Pointed Blush
16. Pink Kabuki
17. Stipling brush (same as C313 but longer and with a silver ferrule)
18. 23 Brush set + professional brush apron (not available on the website, I don't think)

If I didn't mention a brush in this review and you're curious and interested about it, leave a comment or e-mail me and I'll try to answer any question you may have about it.

GETTING STARTED...

Prior to using these brushes, I've washed them with baby shampoo and luke warm water. Even if my new brushes are sealed and packaged, I still make the habit of washing them before using them. Packaging doesn't necessarily mean its sanitary. You don't know where it's been regardless of the brand. Washing your brushes is definitely crucial if the brush is not packaged wrapped since people do play with them, and you don't know where they've swiped or dropped the brushes, let alone where there hands have been. So just a smart tip: ALWAYS wash your brushes before using it.


Anyway, as I was washing these brushes, I have experience minimal to no shedding. The brush that probably shed the most was the stippling brush that I bought (face brushes will be reviewed in Pt. 2 of this post) which is probably a few hair here and there. I also didn't experience any bleeding on any of the brushes. As far as the smell goes, the only thing I smelled was when I took the brushes out of their plastic packaging. It just had the new, "plasticky" smell that you usually get when you open a brand new item in a plastic packaging. I didn't smell any "wet-dog" smell or any pungent smell after washing both face and eye brushes.

After I've washed my brushes, I just laid them all flat on top of a clean towel to dry. It probably took a few hours and not longer than a day for the brushes to dry. I've noticed that some of the natural bristles kinda flared out after it dried which kinda made the brushes "fatter" than I had it in the beginning. I'm not sure if it has to do with they type of shampoo I used since I used the generic baby shampoo from Target or it's just something normal. Some brushes came out not as super soft compared to when I initially got it, but they were still pretty soft and were not scratchy against my skin.

Over time as I keep using these brushes, I found that some of the eye brushes tend to shed when I clean them by swiping brushes back and forth on a piece of papertowel using my MAC Brush Cleanser. It wasn't pieces of the bristles breaking off but the whole piece of hair coming out from the ferrule (metal part of the brush). I didn't really have this problem when I was washing them with baby shampoo and water, but I found that by swiping the brush in one direction and one side at a time also help prevent the problem. You just have to pretty much be gentle when cleaning them. I only had this problem with the C210 Round Contour Brush and the C222 Small Chisel Fluff.


***CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE***

AND ON TO THE BRUSHES...

Since the website is in Javascript, I'm unable to provide the direct link to these brushes. However, I've included the series they belong to as well as the whole name of the brush and price for your convenience :).

CREASE BRUSHES:

C200 Deluxe Crease - Studio Series ($2.65)
IB119 Deluxe Crease - Italian Badger Series ($2.99)

LENGTH

The length of both Crown Brushes are almost the same length of the Sonia Kashuk. It's also not that much shorter than the MAC brushes.

BRUSH HEADS
The brushes seem to have the same density feeling across the board. However, MAC 224 has a wider brush head compared to the to both Crown Brush. In my opinion, both Crown Brush are much softer than my MAC ones as my MAC one has become scratchy on my eye. Both Deluxe Crease from Crown Brush has made it easier for me to blend my eyeshadows especially when I use it for my crease. It also pick up enough color of eyeshadow from the pan. I find myself reaching for either one of my Crown Brush because it gives me a better result in blending my eyeshadows. Both C200 and IB119 are made out of natural hair bristles.

HIGHLIGHTER BRUSH:

BK14 Deluxe Oval Shadow - Luna Series ($2.39)
LENGTH

BRUSH HEADS
The Crown Brush BK14 is much denser and stiffer than the MAC 227. The Crown Brush is a great tool for highlighting the browbone and it's definitely a great alternative for the 227 which can cost you $30 for A BRUSH. However, the MAC 227 can be also used to highlight your cheeks since it's not as stiff as the BK14. But at the low price of the Crown Brush BK14, you can probably snag another brush that can highlight your cheeks and it'll still cost you less than purchasing the MAC 227. BK14 is also good for creating a smokey look.

EYESHADOW BRUSH

C210 Small Chisel Fluff - Studio Series ($2.29)
C153 Large Chisel Fluff - Studio Series ($1.95)
K6 Firm Shadow - not available in site; part of the apron brush set from the tradeshow

LENGTH

BRUSH HEADS
Pardon the dirty brushes :). But as you can see, I don't own the fluff brush from MAC. Why? Because I can't justify paying $22.50 for a single brush just to put eyeshadow on. I've used my Loew-Cornell Maxine Mop (painter's brushes found at Michael's) as an alternative instead. Although the Loew-Cornell are another great alternative, I sometimes find myself 'digging' through my eyeshadow pan when using this. It doesn't pick up color too well. However, with the Crown Brush C210, it picks up enough color with one swipe. Not to mention the Crown Brush are soft! The K6 firm shadow brush I found is better when used in applying mineral makeup or pigments since it's made out of synthetic hair.

Here is a comparison of the C210 brush next to my eye. It's small enough for easy eyeshadow application on your lids.

CONTOUR BRUSH:

C222 Round Contour Brush - Studio Series ($2.80)

LENGTH

BRUSH HEAD
The Crown Brush C222 round contour were one of the brushes that flared after washing, but it didn't affect the quality of of the bristles. It was still soft. The brush head size is almost similar to the MAC 219 except it has a different use. MAC 219 is used as an eyeshadow liner for your upper or lower lashline because of its pointed tip while the Crown Brush is more for contouring your crease. The C222 brush, however, is a great brush to use when you're trying to add some depth in your crease since it's smaller in size than the crease brush mentioned above.


So those are only a few of the many brushes that you can get at a cheaper price at Crown Brush. These brushes are very affordable and good in quality. It's a great starter for beginners just experimenting with makeup or for the makeup addicts who are in search of inexpensive brushes does the good job. It's also a steal for professionals who are looking for good quality brushes without the high price. You really don't need to pay ridiculous amount of money to get a good brush (and why would you?). There are definitely alternatives out there available that are just as good or even better than the named brand ones. It's just a matter of knowing where to get them.

Tutorial: Lime Green Eyes

What I used (all MAC unless otherwise stated):

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (base)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Lemon
Golden Lemon pigment
Golden Olive pigment
Emerald Green pigment
Your Ladyship pigment
Blacktrack fluidline
L'Oreal Voluminous mascara
Ardell Brow gel


1. After applying your eye primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance), apply NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Lemon on your lid up to your crease.


2. Pat NYX Lemon on your lids to set.


3. Apply MAC Golden Lemon pigment (foiled) on the inner corner of your lid.




4. Apply MAC Golden Olive pigment (foiled) on your middle lid (don't worry about blending the colors yet).




5. Apply Emerald Green pigment (foilded) on your outer V...




6. ... and up to your crease


7. Using a clean and dry brush, apply the dry pigments over the foiled e/s and blend any harsh lines.




8. Highlight brow bone with MAC Your Ladyship pigment (dry)




9. Line lower lash line with Golden Lemon on the inner half of your lower lash line and Emerald Green on the outer half and apply eyeliner on your upperlash line and mascara. And you're done!