REVIEW: Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup

Sleek packaging - long and slim

 ~AG~

This foundation works better than I had expected! It is very, very lightweight and feels like nothing on my skin. Urban Decay Naked Liquid Makeup is definitely my new favourite. This foundation provides light to medium coverage. It has a demi-matte finish with light-diffusing spheres that makes your skin illuminated. It works well to conceal my redness around the nose, and my blemishes. Though, it is not provide enough coverage enough for my dark circles. For those that prefer or need more coverage, you would have to layer the foundation over a concealer to get the desired look. Urban Decay Naked Liquid Makeup stays on well, even without a primer. It does not smudge off from my combination skin. *clap clap* This foundation will also work well for those with oily skin type, though prepping your face with a face primer will be advised. In addition, my sensitive combination skin did not have any adverse reaction to this foundation. No new breakouts, no bumps or no redness. Yay! Urban Decay Naked Liquid Makeup is paraben-free. 
My cousin who has an acne-prone skin tried my Urban Decay Naked Liquid Makeup and liked it. She said that the texture is nice, and looks very natural. The coverage provided was good enough for her. 

With a metal-finish pump dispenser

According to Urban Decay, infused with Matrixyl 3000 (a powerful anti-wrinkle peptide), protective and brightening Litchiderm, antioxidant green tea and vitamins. :

• 100% of participant in a clinical studies had a measurable improvement in the appearance of skin imperfections
• 96% of participants had a measurable improvement in skin radiance
• 90% of participants had a measurable improvement in skin firmness
• 93% of participants had a measurable improvement in the appearance of fine lines

Shade 3.0 matched my medium skin tone perfectly. For shade reference, I am Bourjois Shade 52 (Vanille), MAC NC 30, Bobbi Brown Beige (3) and Chanel Beige (10). 

Shade 3.0

 

It is pricey at S$52 for 30 ml worth of product. But I will still recommend this Urban Decay Naked Liquid Makeup especially for those who prefers a natural skin finish. It looks like you are not wearing makeup at all. This foundation works well for special occasions, and is also comfortable for daily use. 

NEW BUY: Soap & Glory Kick Ass Blur & Brighten Concealer Crayon

~AG~

Whenever I travel overseas, one of my favorite-st thing to do is to browse through the local drugstore. I love walking up and down the aisles, discovering new brands and products. During my time in Bangkok last month, I just had to pay a visit to Boots, a UK pharmacy chain that is commonly found there. Boots is similar to Guardian and Watsons stores in Singapore, though the products that they carry are slightly different. One of the brands available at Boots is Soap & Glory. You probably have heard about the brand before. It is famous for its body products such as the Flake Away Body Polish and The Righteous Butter Body Butter. I was particularly interested in Soap & Glory's makeup line. Though I have not heard much about their makeup products, I decided to try the Kick Ass Blur & Brighten Concealer Crayon. It retailed for THB 400 (~S$16). Not exactly the cheapest concealer at the drugstore, but the packaging and the texture of the concealer convinced me to purchased it. The texture felt nice, and was not too drying. The shade, Medium, also seemed to match my skin tone well when I swatched it on my hands. (I know I know, that is not the right way to color match a concealer, but I did not want to put the tester anywhere near my face).

According to Soap & Glory official website: This multi-action, no-nonsense concealer crayon blurs imperfections and banishes shadows for a flawless finish. With long-lasting coverage that leaves skin looking revived and refreshed, this roll up, multi-tasking concealer crayon is perfect for girls on the go!

Though, I still love my Cle de Peau Beaute concealer, I was on a lookout for a decent concealer that I can carry around in my bag for touch-up. A more affordable concealer that will provide coverage for my dark circles and redness. Soap & Glory's Kick Ass Concealer's crayon applicator makes it super convenient for traveling with. I cannot wait to try it out! I hope the shade and texture works for me :)

REVIEW: Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer

Quickly minimize the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother-than-smooth skin! Apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skintones and helps makeup stay put. Contains a Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals.

~AG~
This primer can be used under or over makeup. Recently, I been putting this primer to good use. I apply it after putting on the DRX Hydrator (moisturizer). You only need a tiny amount of  this primer for the whole face. I apply a needle-head size to a few spots on my face - the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. I gently pat it on, and my skin feels instantly smoother.

I use Benefit POREfessional primer prior to using Hera CC Cream. After several uses, I noticed that Hera CC Cream stays on better with the application of Benefit POREfessional primer. Without the use of the primer, Hera CC Cream tends to melt in the high-humidity Singapore's climate. Especially with the weather being so hot recently, this primer helps to keep my face makeup in place. I <3 that it is an oil-free formula. As my T-zone areas tend to get oily, this primer works great on those areas.

The primer comes in a flesh tone shade. Though, it does not add any colour to the face.
My sensitive skin has not had any adverse effects to this primer. Some primers cause my skin to breakout after use, but I had not had any issues with this one. The primer feels weightless on my skin, which I enjoy! The primer is quickly absorbed into the skin. I do not like primers that I can feel sitting on top of my skin.

I will recommend this to anyone that needs a primer to keep their face makeup in place. This primer works well in Singapore's extreme humid weather. Even with the constant perspiration, my face makeup does not melt off with the help of this primer.

I bought this primer as part of the Benefit Cosmetics Perfect Hideaway set which retailed at $42.90. It came with a full-size of POREfessional and a mini version of Fake Up. 
See link for more details http://beautyloverssisters.blogspot.sg/2015/01/new-buy-benefit-cosmetics-perfect.html

Alternatively, Sephora USA retails the mini version (7 ml or 0.25 fl. oz.) for USD$10 and the full size (22 ml or 0.75 fl. oz) for USD $31. You can find Benefit POREfessional primer at Sephora Singapore stores as well. But I am not sure whether the mini version is available in Singapore.

Lancome Miracle Cushion

~AG~

Lancôme is following the Korean beauty trend. Foundation in a cushion form! Hoooraayyyy!
Lancôme USA official website is selling it for US$46.50. The price point is similar to that of high-end Korean brand, Hera UV Mist CC Cushion, which retails for about US$45. But Lancôme's Miracle Cushion is more expensive than Banila Co., IOPE, Laneige and innisfree. For comparison purpose, these are the more affordable CC Cushions:
Banila Co it Radiant CC Cushion - US$35
IOPE Air Cushion - US$35
Laneige BB Cushion - US$34 
innisfree Cushion - around US$20

The plus point about this product is that it comes in 11 shades! You will be able to find the shade that is most suitable for your skin tone. Whereas for Korean brands, only two or three shades of CC Cushion are available. Sometimes, the shade offered by the Korean brands are too light for medium to dark skin tones. The shade offered by Lancôme will definitely work better for medium to dark skin tones.

This Miracle Cushion claims to be ultra lightweight with a refreshing and cooling sensation upon application. It also claims to hydrate and brighten the skin, while leaving a nice dewy finish. This product allows you to create a buildable coverage - from sheer to moderate coverage.

I cannot wait to get my hands on this, and compare it to Korean CC Cushions.

REVIEW: Laura Mercier Undercover Pot

~AG~

The shade that I use is UC-3 which is for light to medium skin tone. It retails for USD$34 at Sephora. But I bought it during their Family & Friends sale. So there was a 15% or 20% off the retail price. Previously,  I have used the Laura Mercier Secret Concealer. I somehow missed out on doing a review on that product on this blog. Anyway, I really liked the Secret Concealer. I used it to conceal my dark circles. The salmon shade help neutralise the darkness, and brightens the eye area. Its creamy consistency makes it glides on easily. Even though it is creamy, I find that it does not crease. Overall, it was a good under eye concealer 

I decided to get the Laura Mercier Undercover Pot because I thought it will be a great go-to concealer for travelling. Instead of bringing various concealers and loose powder while travelling, I had hope that this will meet all my concealing needs. The Secret Concealer (on the right side of the pot) to conceal dark circles and the Secret Camouflage (on the left side of the pot) to conceal redness and blemishes. Plus, it comes with the Translucent Loose Setting Powder to set the concealers. 

It turns out that I used the Secret Concealer faster than the Secret Camouflage and Translucent Loose Setting Powder. That bit of Secret Concealer lasted me less than six months. I use it everyday to conceal my dark circles. About the Secret Camouflage, it has a thicker consistency compared to Secret Concealer. It is also more yellow-based, and I find it more powdery. It does work to conceal redness, but it has a more light to medium coverage compared to my Cle de Peau concealer. So I have to apply more to cover up the redness around my nose. Sometimes, this tends to make my makeup looks cakey. It does not work well on huge blemishes because of the inadequate coverage. The Translucent Loose Setting Powder is pretty good. It does not make my makeup looks too powdery. It is rather finely milled. It does not have any color as it is a setting powder. I use a small powder brush to apply it. 

Overall, I do recommend it for those who want an all-in-one product for all their concealing needs. It is a convenient product to have in your makeup bag. However, if you are those that mostly need to conceal dark circles, I will recommend the Secret Concealer instead. Because the amount of Secret Concealer in Undercover Pot is too minimal, and Secret Camouflage does not work well on dark circles. But for those that need to conceal redness and minor blemishes, the Secret Camouflage is adequate. 

Above Left: The right side of the pot is the Secret Camouflage. On the left side of the pot, I have replaced it with my Bourjois foundation.  
Above Right: The Translucent Loose Setting Powder.

REVIEW: Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer

~AG~


The Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer has been on my wishlist for a long time. But I thought it is too pricy for a mere concealer.

Decided to try it out when I was at Nordstrom the other day. The saleslady applied a little bit of the product with a concealer brush. She used it on my dark circles, acne and redness around my nose.

When she showed me the finished result, I was impressed, my skin looks flawless. The concealer had magically hide away my imperfections. The redness around my nose had disappeared. The concealer also works well in covering pimples and bumps. For my undereye area, because the concealer is more of a yellow tone, it did help to cover my dark circles. However, on days where my dark circles are really bad, layering it with a salmon colored concealer will be necessary.

Even though it has a USD$70 price tag, it is a beauty must-have. A little bit of this product is all that is needed to cover small imperfections. The stick formula is also convenient for those who are on-the-go.


The color she tried on me was Ocher, and it matched my skin tone perfectly.

I totally recommend this to you!