CLINIQUE Perfect Eyes and Brows 5900yen
Whenever I go overseas -which isn't as often as I wish it was- one of the most exciting things to me is to shop at the duty free shop. Sadly, I am quite a poor beauty blogger who cannot afford high-end beauty products unless they are massively discounted, and though their discount rate isn't that amazing, still duty free shopping is something I look forward to.
CLINIQUE is definitely one of the counters I hit. Last summer I got their Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm from the duty free shop in Okinawa, and I was impressed by the quality. And now I am introduced to this travel retail exclusive kit called 'CLINIQUE Perfect Eyes and Brows', I am even more impressed by the brand. This kit is 5900yen, and the contents are more than 10,000yen worth. And all of the products in this kit are actually brilliant.
Superfine Liner For Brows / Deep Brown
This super slim eyebrow pencil is now one of my favourites for sure! It glides on super smoothly, not too waxy and not too powdery.
This shade Deep Brown actually is a tad too dark for my hair colour but I'm using it on the end of my eyebrows where I have no hair, and fill in the sparse areas with lighter powder. It creates such a nice and natural eyebrow look, and it lasts longer than just using powder.
Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes / Bountiful Beige
Chubby Stick is something I had always wanted to try but every time I went to the counter, none of the shades matched my liking. This shade Bountiful Beige looks very orangy and kind of boring, but actually it's a very simple and useful shade to have in your collection.
It matches my skin tone perfectly, so when I apply it on my eyelid, it just evens out the skin tone and gives a shimmery effect. It's such a perfect base for any eyeshadow on top. I sometimes wear it on its own when I want to pull off 'no makeup makeup'
Lash Power Feathering Mascara / Black Onyx
Now, let's talk about this mascara. I have never seen a beauty blogger or youtuber talking about this particular mascara, but this is such an amazing mascara that I will definitely repurchase when I've finished my current tube.
I believe it's the brush that makes this mascara standout. I hadn't seen this kind of brush for ages. It's kind of an old fashioned mascara brush that I like, which catches small hair and emphasise them.
It makes my lashes look fuller, which is all I ask for. I don't want my lashes to look longer, as long as they are separated and look fuller, I'm a happy bunny. And it doesn't smudge yet is easy to remove with warm water, and the curl lasts all day.
All About Eyes
I love the fact this kit contains an eye cream, because it's an essential to create a perfect eye look! I actually just finished up my All About Eyes Rich, and I wasn't a huge fan of it as it was too thick, whereas this one is this perfect texture in between cream and gel, which I really like. I use it every morning to create a smooth canvas for concealers.
Overall, there is no product that I don't like in this kit. All of them are my new favourites, and I've been really enjoying them all. It looks like a very simple and basic kit, but this is something you won't regret purchasing. CLINIQUE is such a lovely brand, and I really hope to explore more in the future!
Today I'm going to talk about some products that disappointed me. They all are new launches that just came out in early 2015. I hope you find it helpful!
Rimmel Maginal Stay Lip Coat 1200yen
Let's talk about Japanese Rimmel first, shall we? If you see a Rimmel stand in Japan, stay away from it. Well, I have one lipstick that I like from Japanese Rimmel, but most of their products are rubbish. They are completely different from the original Rimmel that I love, that I even wish they didn't call the brand Rimmel in the first place.
This product just came out in the end of Feb, and I got to try it out last month. It's basically a top coat for your lips, that makes your lip stick lasts for a long time. There are several reasons I dislike this product.
First of all, it feels disgusting. It's basically a silicone primer kind of formula that feels a little oily and slippery. I applied it on top of my lipstick without dragging it, and voila! It made my lipstick look so patchy! And it instantly changed the texture of the lipstick. On top of a glossy lipstick, it makes it look like a patchy semi-matte lipstick. On top of a matte lipstick, it makes it look a little shiny (oily, in other words). It changes the colour of the lipstick as well...it makes any lipsticks look so dull. Do not waste your money on it, it's so rubbish that I cannot even cope.
SUGAO AirFit CC Cream Pink Bright 1380yen
I always wanted to try out SUGAO. Their original CC Cream was a big hit and everyone and their dog was raving about it. I tested it out at the drugstores a few times, but I always put it back in the shelf because it didn't look that attractive. Then the opportunity came, when they launched the brand new Pink Bright version in March. I was given this tube to review, and I was very excited to finally be able to try it out.
But it just wasn't for me. If you have perfect skin that doesn't have any discolouration or pores, then you might like it. But if you have that kind of perfect skin, I don't see why you would need a CC cream anyway. This moussey-textured CC cream just disappears. You cannot even tell, on which part of your face you put this cream. It literally disappears, whilst leaving a stinky sunscreen smell on the skin. It doesn't prevent my skin to get shiny throughout the day, it doesn't cover my pores, it doesn't even out the skin tone....what does it do then? Absolutely nothing.
But the weird thing is that there are people raving about it. I am not sure if they are being honest, or they feel like they have to say that because the product was given for free. Either way, I do not recommend it at all if you are looking for a proper C cream.
Rimmel CC Powder Airy Finish 002 2000yen
Surprise surprise, another Rimmel product! This CC Powder just came out on 1st April along with CC cream. I tried the CC cream too but the shade didn't match at all -it made me look like an orange. Yes I'm talking about the fruit- so I cannot tell whether it's a good product or not.
I had high hope for this powder because it looked pretty. The puff is so thick and soft, which alone made me happy. The one I got is 002 shiny, and there is another one 001 natural, apparently. I was worried that 002 shiny contains chunky glitters, but it didn't seem to have any glitters really, and the powder itself didn't look shiny at all.
What it claims to do is that the powder contains oil, squalane and hyaluronic acid which keep moisturising your skin throughout the day while covering the imperfection of the skin.
When I tried it for the first time, it applied beautifully which impressed me. The powder seemed very creamy and didn't dry out my skin at all. And it did something opposite instead. You guess it right, it made my face look like I dipped my face into a bowl full of oil. It was disgusting how greasy my face looked! I had never looked that shiny in my life, it was awful. It might work on really really dry skin, but does not work on dehydrated skin because it wouldn't hydrate the skin but put oily surface on top.
I'm not sure if 001 natural makes the face this greasy as well, or just 002 is shiny as the name suggests...but I can say that I do not recommend 002 shiny.
I hope it was helpful!
Following my post about my morning skincare routine, I am going to write about my nighttime skincare routine today!
To remove my makeup off, I've been enjoying Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm (Thanks Danniella xx) after I've completely used up Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm from CLINIQUE. This cleanser contains Shea Butter, Rosehip and Jojoba oils to leave the skin silky smooth. Especially Rosehip oil is known to be very good for your skin, though it stinks. I tried some pure Rosehip oils in the past but i just couldn't bear the fishy smell. This cleanser does not have any odd smell, instead it smells of essential oils -which unfortunately I cannot identify which ones- and it's very relaxing.
I reviewed YSL Forever Youth Liberator Lotion back in February, so click HERE for more in-depth review. The reason why I use this at night only is because I like taking time to let it sink into my skin using my palms. I take a couple of minutes to gently press it into the skin, for a plumped and hydrated feel. It really does make my skin feel soft and hydrated, I cannot get enough of it.
Then I use Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair that I reviewed before as well (HERE). I had no clue what the hype was about before I tried it, but now I'm obsessed. I've been using it since last autumn and I've used up about 30% of 50ml bottle already, which gives me an anxiety attack! It's much cheaper in the UK than it is in Japan, and I believe it's cheaper at Bicester Village than it is at the duty free shop. It really does shrink my pores, you can see the result the next day which is absolutely impressive. It's definitely worth the hype.
I was using DEW SUPERIOR Lift Concentrate Cream at the time I took the photos, but actually I gave it away because it didn't agree with my skin. It's a very luxurious cream and smells wonderful, but felt a little too oily on my combination skin. My husband seems to be enjoying it a lot, so it must completely depends on the skin type. Right now I'm using Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream. This is such a lovely cream, very basic but it hydrates the skin instantly.
Then I finish up my skincare routine with Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye Cream. I tried the sample a couple of times before I purchased it, and every time I saw a massive difference which truly impressed me. My dark circles are not due to lack of sleep, it's pigmentation that skincare items normally cannot fix. But when I use this eye cream, it makes my under eyes look brighter and smoother the next day.
One more skincare routine related post is coming up soon x
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