L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire by Color Riche
First of all, let me thank lovely Danniella from famousinjapan, who kindly sent me the shade Nude Ballet from L'Extraordinaire when we did a swap a couple of weeks ago. I had been eying on L'Extraordinaire since the launch in the US, I knew I would love them because I love L'Oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash, and L'Extraordinaire seemed very similar and even better.
The shade Danniella sent me was Nude Ballet, and I purchased Rose Melody myself on eBay because I loved Nude Ballet so much and wanted to try other shades.
The left is Rose Melody, a beautiful nude pink with tiny silver glitter particles. The right is Nude Ballet, a creamy nude beige with a rosy / pinky undertone which doesn't wash you out.
Rose Melody
Look how pretty it looks on the lips! I'm so glad that it's not a kind of pink that has a blue / purple undertone which I'm not a big fan of. It's a perfect nude pink that you can wear on daily basis.
Nude Ballet
I've been in love with nude lips since I discovered Nude Delight and Notting Hill Nude from Rimmel, as a nude lipstick makes the whole look sophisticated when the shade is right for you. And I must say that Nude Ballet is the new favourite nude of mine! It goes with any look, from smoky-eye to natural no-makeup-makeup. It makes your lips look pinker yet less red if that makes sense...You know why I love this shade, look at the photos, it's gorgeous!!
I must mention that it has a subtle scent that some people might not like. For me it smells like Origins Drink Up, kind of fresh and fruity. I don't mind the scent at all, but I can understand if someone says it's disturbing.
L'Extraordinaire is not a lip stain, but it stays on the lips for hours. It remains pretty glossy for hours without reapplication, which is very handy for me at work as I literally don't have time to re-apply a lippie. One thing I don't like about this product is that it is a little bit sticky and kind of gooey on the lips. You never forget that you are wearing it on your lips, as it reminds you every time you open and close your mouth. But at the same time, I shouldn't be complaining about it because this is why it stays on the lips for so long...If you are not a big fan of sticky lipgloss, you might not like this product.
Overall I'm loving both Rose Melody and Nude Ballet at the moment. They are always in my bag, I take them wherever I go. I wonder why L'Oreal in Japan is so crappy, although the brand has so many great products in the US and UK. I've been eying on the nude lips that were inspired by the actresses. I'm thinking of getting Cheryl's nude or Eva's nude!
What's your favourite L'Oreal product?
If you are in Japan you must have heard already, but Bourjois is leaving Japan in July. I was gutted to hear that back in May, as Bourjois is one of my favourite drugstore beauty brands that you can get in Japan. Their price tag is ridiculous considering the one in the UK, but still I have been loving their foundation, concealer and lipsticks. And now PLAZA is having 20% off sale on all of Bourjois' products, so I decided to stock up with their nail polishes. You can get Bourjois from ASOS and lookfantastic, but nail polishes cannot be shipped because of the restriction. I thought it's smart to stock up with something I cannot get from ASOS.
So laque glossy nail polish #02
(How odd that we don't have a name on each shade in Japan. Boring!)
This is such a gorgeous summery shade! I've been wearing it none-stop recently as it pops yet goes with any style. This orangey-red shade compliments my skin tone, I love wearing it on my toes as well. The formula is very opaque, you only need two coats to get the colour and it never goes on streaky. And it doesn't chip for days.
One second gel nail polish #19
Love the shade, such a unique purple with a brown undertone. The brush is wide and easy to apply, but I tend to miss the tips of the nails with this brush for some reason. I have to be extra careful, otherwise my nails look chipped although they are freshly painted!
One second gel nail polish #05
I thought I would love this shade but I am not a big fan actually. It's more orangey than I wanted it to be, and it makes my skin look dull. I also don't like the glitter particles, without them it would look much more glossy I guess :(
So laque glossy nail polish #07
Love this nude shade with a hint of pink, it makes my fingers longer and slimmer! The only downside is that it's too sheer that you need like 3 coats or more to get the colour in the bottle. I usually apply 2 coats only though you can see the nails through the nail polish. It doesn't go on too streaky, but you definitely need multiple coats to create an even finish.
So laque glossy nail polish #09
This shade is pain in the butt to apply!! I literally applied 4 coats when I took the photo above. You can see how thick it looks on my nails. It's so streaky and apply unevenly. I want it to look a bit sheerer and paler but I just needed to apply coat after coat to fix the streaky finish. I love the shade, it's such a pretty pale blue but I don't recommend it if you are not a professional manicurist who don't have a special technique to make it work...because it takes ages!
Do you have any other favourite shades from their nail polish collection? What is your favourite item from Bourjois? :)
RAFRA Balm Orange 3240yen
I had never heard of this brand called RAFRA before I was sent this beautiful cleansing balm smells like fresh orange juice. RAFRA calls for a theory of "simple skincare" and this cleansing balm is their main product which acts as a cleanser, make-up remover, massage balm, exfoliator and face mask. It warms up on your skin and remove dirt in the pores, while hydrating with hyaluronic acid, collagen, royal jelly and honey.
It looks like jelly in the tub (is it a tub? or a jar? or...what is this?) but actually the texture is slimy which is more like honey. I warm it up in my palms to make it softer before applying it on my face, otherwise it's pretty hard to work on the skin. Once applied, it immediately warms up and remains warm for a long time. I usually massage my face for about a minute, and apply a little bit of warm water around my eyes where I want to remove my makeup the most -that way all my mascara and eyeliner dissolves- and rinse off.
This whole process is so relaxing because of the amazing scent. It literally smells like fresh orange juice, and I don't think there is anybody who hates this scent. It's such a lovely, fresh and sweet scent that makes me want to eat it.
And another amazing thing about this cleaner is that it makes my skin so soft and smooth. I didn't expect it to work this well as an exfoliator because it doesn't contain AHA/BHA or salicylic acid. This is the most gentle exfoliator I have ever tried, which works wonders without irritating or drying my skin.
I use this cleaner every 3-4 days. I want to use it every single day but the price tag stops me to do so. You don't need too much to remove makeup, but still 100g jar isn't going to last for months if you use it every day. Every time I use it, my skin feels softer, smoother and very hydrated without being oily or greasy.This is definitely one of the best cleansers I have ever used. They have a trial set which is handy for travel as well, which I might purchase for a holiday that I'm planning in September. They also have a limited foaming cleanser which has a cooling effect which sounds refreshing in summer. RAFRA definitely has become one of my favourite skincare brands!
