Makeup Revolution Eye Foils / Rose Gold £4.00
I might have forgotten to tell you, but I did a pretty big Boots / Superdrug shopping back in July. My husband was in England taking care of his family, and I took the opportunity to order as many drugstore products as possible, had them shipped to his house, and asked him to bring them back to Japan. He also got me my favourite magazines (Look, Grazia and Boots mag along with Stylist mags that I ordered online) which ended up to weigh 12kg in total. Anyway cut the long story short, I've got quite a few UK products to review. I've been writing reviews on them on my Japanese blog but am trying to focus on Japanese products here as a lot of my lovely readers here must be interested in Japanese products rather than the UK ones, as there are tons of great UK bloggers here. So I decided to write reviews of the products that stood out here, to share my thoughts with you.
Phew, the longest intro ever.
So, I got this eyeshadow only because I wanted the Stila one so bad when it came out. The idea of it is that you mix the liquid primer with the eyeshadow to create this "foil" look which is not too glittery but more intense than a normal shimmery eyeshadow. But the Stila one was ridiculously expensive. When I found this Makeup Forever version, I didn't even hesitate to purchase it. I picked the shade Rose Gold, as it seemed to be the most wearable.
The eyeshadow has this very unique texture. It's in between cream and powder. I take a little bit of it and...
...place it on the tray, and add a drop or two of the liquid primer. I used the brush to mix and apply when I tried it for the first time, but it made a huge mess so I wouldn't recommend it. You need to be really careful how much of the eyeshadow and primer you mix together, because when it's too hard, it literally makes you look like putting a piece of aluminum foil on your eyelids, and you cannot even blink. I realised a lot more of the primer than I expected is required to create the perfect consistency.
The bottom swatch is the eyeshadow alone, without the primer. The middle is the eyeshadow + primer applied with a brush. Then the top is the eyeshadow + primer applied with a finger.
When applied correctly, this eyeshadow looks really beautiful reflecting the light and making the eyes pop. I needed to practice a couple of times, and it was absolutely pain in the butt to remove it with a cotton pad with Bioderma. You need a good cleansing balm or oil to remove it completely from your face. But now that I learnt how to make the perfect formula, and how to apply, I am enjoying wearing it with Maybelline ColorTatoo in On and On Bronze on the outer corner to give a little bit of umph to the look.
I wish they had more unique shades such as taupe, grey, burgundy, khaki etc...hopefully they will come up with new shades in the autumn / winter! Have you tried this product? What do you think of it?
CANMAKE Lasting Multi Eyebase 500yen
I was pretty satisfied by the eyeshadow primer from Rimmel that I got from ASOS. Once I'd used it up, I immediately started searching for a replacement as I didn't want to order the primer from ASOS again just because the pound was like 175yen at that time, and also ASOS changed the delivery term and now you need to spend more than 15 pound to get free delivery. Ridiculous. So I was hoping to get something in Japan. Then I remember, this primer from CANMAKE had been hyped up. So I decided to give it a go.
It's a typical silicone-base primer that smooths out the skin and creates the perfect base for anything applied on top. It's not tinted but strangely it feels like it evens out the skin tone too -it could be only in my mind-.
In the morning, I apply this eyeshadow primer after applying the normal makeup primer all over my face. I take a tiny bit on my fingertips and apply it on my eyelids, brow bones and under the eyes. It prevents the eyeshadow from getting creased, and also makes them last much longer. I wear makeup more than 14 hours on weekdays, and any eyeshadow goes away after like 8 hours in this heat. But with this eyeshadow primer, I still can tell the colour of my eyeshadow at the end of the day, which is impressive!
Also it makes concealers go smoothly too, and they never get cakey and dry with this primer on underneath. I cannot rave about it enough, especially considering the fact it's only 500 yen.
Yes it's tiny, but it lasts for at least 3 months. I would say 6 months, probably. It is definitely one of the best products that you can get from a drugstore. It's waterproof which makes it wearable at the beach, too. I cannot put my makeup on without it, and have been using it none-stop since I got it a couple of months ago. It's a must-buy if you have a chance to come to Japan. I guarantee you!
I took photos in May when I received some requests for my skincare routine post, and finally I'm writing about it today! It took me 3 months to do it, and I even used up some of the products I was enjoying at that time. But seriously, all the products I'm talking about today are amazing.
- MORNING -
I take a shower every morning, and use Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser to cleanse my face. It's kind of a boring cleanser but obviously gentle on the skin. It never irritates my skin and leaves my skin fresh and clean without the tight feeling that I hate. I also love Origins Checks and Balances, which smells of mint mixed with some other essential oils. It's perfect for combination skin as it hydrates the dry areas and gets rid of excess oils at the same time. It leaves my skin more refreshing than Cetaphil does, which makes it more suitable for summer in my opinion. I love love love this cleanser, maybe the best one I've ever tried.
After washing my face, I use Nature Conc Clear Lotion with a cotton pad to gently exfoliate and hydrate my skin. I love using it in the morning because it doesn't leave any greasy feels on the skin. Such a refreshing toner that makes my skin look clearer. Then I use Estee Lauder CyberWhite HD Advanced Brightening Moisture Creme to moisturise my skin. It's a perfect moisturiser for daytime as this siliconny texture creates a smooth skin surface and my makeup would sit very nicely on top of it. I also love using Clinique Superdefense Daily Defense Moisturizer SPF 20 especially on my day off when I don't wear makeup as it protects my skin from the sun.
Then I apply Superdefense SPF 20 Age Defense Eye Cream from Clinique. I love the idea of this eye cream having SPF effect, as my eye areas tend to get dark spots more than any other parts of my face. I apply the sunscreen from Origins as well, it's a little greasy to be honest but it leaves the right amount of oil once blotted. It's a shame it's only sold in Asia!
- Night-time -
RAFRA Balm Orange is definitely one of the best cleanser when it comes to removing makeup and leaving the skin super smooth at the same time. It literally smells like orange juice, and the consistency is much thicker than normal balm cleansers which warms up on the skin and gently exfoliates and removes makeup and dirt on the skin. It makes your skin feel like a baby's for sure, I promise.
Then I use Clinique Even Better Essence Lotion or Dr. Ci : Labo Herbal Serum to hydrate my skin. Even Better Essence Lotion is such a nice lotion that hydrates the skin without being too heavy. It feels very light on the skin but makes my skin moisturised and kind of plumped. Herbal Serum isn't a serum, but it's got oxygen, 15 different kinds of plant extracts, vitamins, collagen, hyaluronic acid and ceramide. It sinks into the skin very quickly and makes my skin feel fresher and smoother.
To moisturise, I use Estee Lauder CyberWhite HD Advanced Brightening Night Creme. I almost use up one jar, and I've got another one waiting for me to open. I'm not sure if it really does brightens up my skin tone, as I just found some new dark spots around my eyes today (damn myself didn't wear sunscreen until I was like 25) haven't noticed any difference on my complexion, but I love how moisturising it feels on my skin. I also love the scent, it could be a little overpowering for some people but I love it so so so much.
I also use argan oil sometimes to combat dry patches, and Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (I got a 50ml one the other day, woohoo!) for a special care. Also, RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum is something you need to try out if you haven't tried it yet. It really does make your lashes longer and thicker in a week. I had bald patches in my eyelashes but it made my lashes fuller instantly! I was really impressed, and now I cannot live without it....I don't know what to do when it's gone empty as it's quite pricey and I don't think I can purchase it myself!
So these are the products I use on my face day and night. I have some more products I'm loving right now, I will make sure to write about them soon!
