Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Review | Nars Sheer Glow Foundation


As promised I am finally getting around to doing that Nars Sheer Glow review I promised. I finally feel like I have used it for long enough to be able to give you an honest review. Please don't forget though that whether you like a foundation or not will depend on many different factors. Therefor, I would not advise buying it without having tested it. Your skin might not react well to the product, the shade might be off, or the foundation wouldn't be right for your skin type.
In my case, I had to order it online and was not able to test it before I bought it. I do think that it is crucial, that you will read as many reviews as possible if you cannot check out the product in person. Makeupalley.com is a great resource. There you can read reviews from people with similar skin types.

Here's what NARS says:

A glowing, satin-finish foundation with sheer and buildable coverage. Replete with skincare benefits and the NARS Complexion Brightening Formula, skin is hydrated, more luminous, softer and smoother. Used daily, Sheer Glow Foundation improves skin brightness, radiance and texture. For normal to dry skin types.

* Minimizes visible discoloration
* Brightens and clarifies overall skin tone
* Improves skin luminosity and radiance
* Hydrates for softer and smoother skin
* Dermatologist tested. Non-comedogenic. Fragrance free.

A pump is now available ($6)

1.0 Fl. Oz. 30 mL
$42.00

A little bit about my skin:
I have combination skin with an oily T-zone and dry patches on my cheeks every now and then.

Packaging:

A sleek glass bottle with a lid that is made out of a rubbery plastic material. The lid seems to attract a lot of dirt. It doesn't come with a pump. I really dislike the packaging, simply because they weren't selling a pump when I bought mine. It is really messy. Not only that, you can't really control how much product comes out.

Shades:
I have this in Fiji. I am an NC25 when I am not tanned. It is a little more neutral and a tad lighter than NC25 but can be worn by both NC25s and NW25s.
They have a lot of shades, even though I do think that most of them have more yellow than pink undertones.

My thoughts:

Sheer glow gives medium to buildable coverage and has a satin finish. It has a light feel to it and you can't actually feel that you have foundation on. As far as scents go, it hardly has a scent to it.

According to NARS, it is for people with normal to dry skin. I have normal skin with an oily T-zone with occasional dry spots, and I must say that within a few hours my T-Zone turns into an oil slick. I do need to use a blotting powder within 4 hours into wearing it. That being said, I also noticed that it accentuates any dry spots as well as fine lines that I may have.

By no means do I think this foundation makes my skin look flawless. However, I do like how it feels on my skin when my skin is almost flawless to begin with. I like this foundation for days that my skin is relatively normal (not too oily, not too dry). I do believe this foundation is best for normal skin types or oily (with loads of blotting). I usually apply this foundation with my hands and work it well into my skin, as it tends to be streaky when you don't blend it in well.

As far as the price goes, I do think this product is well overpriced.
More cons: The product does not photograph well and does not have an SPF.

Did I notice an improvement in my skin?
No.

Will I repurchase?
Maybe. I might give this foundation another try once I have used up my foundation collection.

Some pictures:





From top to bottom: Nars Sheer Glow Fiji, MAC SFF NC25, MAC F&B C2


I hope this review will help some of you.

Please do share your thoughts or ask away should you have any questions.

Love,
Maya

Sunday, June 27, 2010

What am I listening to?

Hi!

I hope everyone is doing well!

I have been on a long hiatus, but am planning a come back including hauls, swatches and reviews! I was in Germany for a couple of weeks and did some shopping.

I am also hoping to start a new blog about weight loss, health, exercise for noobs, meditation and all kinds of goodness. I'll keep you posted.

For now, I want to share with you what I am currently listening to:



It's a great album. Check it out if you're into hip hop!

Love,
Maya

Saturday, April 24, 2010

collective MAC haul

Hi my dear readers!

Wow, it's been quite some time again! So sorry, I really haven't been good at updating my blog as frequently as I would like to.

Work has been stressful and I just came back from a 3 day meditation retreat!

So, what better way to get back into things by sharing with you, what I got from MAC in the past 2 months.

Let's get started with some items from the permanent line:

Soft Ochre Paint Pot


Bare Study Paint Pot:


Eye shadows:
1st row: All that glitters, Patina
2nd row: Sable, Club


Bare Slimshine:


Onto the LE stuff now...

Ripe Peach:


Shell Pearl Beauty Powder


Prim & Proper:


I also got the 109 Brush and Prep & Prime SPF 50, which I couldn't take a decent picture of.

All in all I must say I like all the products I got. I will hopefully get around doing some reviews in the near future. Please let me know if you have any questions about any of the products.


Love,
Maya

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Mini Nars Haul

Hello everyone!
So I gave in and ordered a couple of Nars products including the popular Sheer Glow foundation and a blush in Madly.

I ordered the items from www.hqhair.com and am happy to report that their shipping is amazing! It took 10 days for the items to ship from the UK to the Middle East. I am sold and will be repurchasing from them!





On to the products:

I ordered the Sheer Glow in Fiji after doing extensive research and Saadeh's recommendation. (Please check out her blog if you aren't a follower already: http://shadowylady.blogspot.com/)

I have been using the foundation for a few days now and will be doing a separate review post after I have had more of a chance to really use it.

I also got Madly after hearing great reviews from youtube gurus Laura (lollipop26) and Tiffany (Makeupbytiffanyd). It's a neutral peachy brown shade with a slight pinkish undertone and silver flecks in it. It's a pretty neutral and safe colour but can look a little muddy if overdone.

Love,
Maya

Monday, April 12, 2010

Bday FOTD

Hello lovelies,

It was my bday last week! :)

Here's my FOTD from my bday.




Products used:
face:
MAC SFF in NC25
MAC Dainty
NARS Laguna
MAC by Candlelight MSF

eyes:
NARS Ashes to Ashes on the lid
MAC Smut in the outer V and crease
MAC Brule highlight on browbone
MAC by Candlelight MSF inner corner highlight
MAC fluidline in Blacktrack
MAC Buckwheat eyeshadow (LE) on lower lashline
YSL Faux Cils Mascara

Lips (don't remember, probably a lip balm)

Monday, April 5, 2010

Yves Saint Laurent goodies

Hello again!

I got some gift cards and decided to use some of them to get a couple of YSL products that have been raved about in the blog and youtube sphere.

I got the Rouge Volupte in No 2 and the Faux Cils mascara in black that also came with a eye makeup remover.




YSL is known for their gorgeous packaging, hyked prices and awesome smelling products. Most people seem to be crazy about the Rouge Volupte lipsticks and the Faux Cils mascara.
Rouge Volupte lipsticks are said to be super smooth and creamy and very opaque. I have also heard that they're not drying your lips out as much as MAC lipsticks. No 2 is a beigy nude colour.
Faux Cils is supposed to be one of the best false lash effect mascara.




First impressions:
- The packaging of both products is gorgeous! It's golden, shiny and heavy.
- I have never, ever, ever (!) come across such a nice smelling mascara before. All I can say is yummy!
- I have only used the mascara once and so far I like it, but I wouldn't necessarily say that it's worth the hype considering the price. There are plenty of drugstore dupes out there for a fraction of the price.
- The Rouge Volupte applies very smoothly. It also has a gorgeous scent. The taste is kinda yuck tho. (Even tho I have heard people also rave about the taste...)
- No 2 is very close to Mac's Blankety. Blankety is slightly deeper in colour tho when swatched. However, I couldn't see much of a difference when applied to the lips.

Rouge Volupte No 2 vs Blankety:



Blankety on top, Rouge Volupte No 2 on the botton.



(all pictures taken in natural lighting)

Have you tried any YSL products?
Do you like them? Can you recommend them? Or do you think they're over-hyped?

Please share!

Love,
Maya

Friday, April 2, 2010

March Favourites

Hi all!

This is my first monthly favourites post ever! Woohoo!

This month has been all about neutral eye makeup and flawless looking skin.
Let's get started, shall we.

Skincare:
I have been using the Yes to Tomatoes facial wash a few times a week. It really clears my skin, but dries it out if I use it daily. I have also been using MAC's Volcanic Ash Thermal mask that came out with the style black collection. I just love how it warms up on my skin. Perfect weekend treat!




Foundation:
(All MAC)
Remember that review I did on the Moisturelush eye cream? Well, I found a new use for it. I have been using it as an all over moisturizer rather than an eye cream. And I love it. It makes my foundation look less matte and nice and glowly.
On top of that I have been using SFF in NC25, Moisture cover concealer in NW25 mixed with Select Coverup Concealer NW20 for my under eye area. I have been setting my foundation with the Mineralize Skinfinish in Natural Medium-Plus or Medium. On good skin days, I went with just concealer and Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.





Cheeks:
Nars Laguna as a contour! HG for now.
I love MAC's mineralize blush in Dainty for natural pinky peachy glowing cheeks! This is seriously my go-to blush.




Eyes:
I have been going for rather neutral eye looks in March.
MAC's Brule is my favorite matte high-light for my brow bone. I have been mixing all that glitters and shroom to achieve a gorgeous champagny colour as an all over lid colour. For that extra pop of colour on the lower lashline, I have been using the plummy colour from the play on plums mineralize duo .
For "smokey" days I simply used Smut as an all over lid colour and blended it out really well.
My favourite eyeliner has been L'Oreal's Carbon Black Lineur Intense.




Which products have you been enjoying this month?

Love,
Maya

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

NARS collective shopping spree

Hi Everyone!

This will be the first of quite a few "haul" posts.
(I worked quite hard in the past few months and my bday is coming up. ;) )

I finally got my hands on some nars products. Unfortunately, I can't buy them here, but some friends & family got them for me from the States. I am one happy girl.



First, I got the infamous Laguna bronzer. It is my first bronzer and I really like it for contouring. It works well with my NC25 skin tone. I wonder if it will be noticeable in summer when I get darker?




I also decided to get a few eye shadows. I was looking for a cooler taupe and a warmer taupe. After doing some careful research, I picked out Ashes to Ashes and Cairo. Both are very lovely shades and I am sure I will get a lot of use out of them.



ashes to ashes to the left; cairo to the right

I must say that I am a sucker for the packaging. It's uber cute. What I don't like tho is that the rubber case gets dirty quite easily.

I definitely wanna check out Ondine, the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation and Madly blush.

What are your favorite Nars products?

Love,
Maya

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Tag - What am I currently reading?

Hey guys!

Wow, a non make-up related post. Yes, I do read. Books, actually. I try to read as frequently as possible, but unfortunately find that I don't read enough.

Thought I'd quickly share what I am currently reading in the form of a tag. Nobody tagged me, I am not even sure if this tag exists yet. Well, now it does.

I tag anyone who wants to do this tag.

Lets get started:

Jonathan Safran Foer - Eating Animals

I love Jonathan Safran Foer's writing style, so it wasn't really a surprise when I picked this book up. This book is about the meat industry and vegetarianism. I have gone through different stages of veganism and vegetarianism since the age of 16 and would ideally like to go back to being a vegetarian. Eating animals is not radical, but it's informative. So far I like it.



His Holiness The Dalai Lama & Howard Cutler - The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World

My b/f recently picked up the sequel to The Art of Happiness which was published some time in the late nineties (if I am not mistaken). It was the first book on Buddhism I read. This was a couple of years back.
The author Howard Cutler is a Psychologist and he interviewed the Dalai Lama intensively on happiness and how to achieve it from a Tibetan Buddhist view point. Both books are geared towards western readers and make it easy to get acquainted with Buddhist ideas and incorporate them into our day to day lives.



and last, but not least:

Eckhart Tolle - The Power of Now



This us Eckhart Tolle's first book on being present. I like it so far.

What are you currently reading?

Love,
Maya

Thursday, March 18, 2010

My MAC lip products - including swatches

To be honest, I am not a very big lip product person, although I really try to be. I simply hate reapplying lipsticks and find that most lip products wear off too fast and dry out my lips.

Generally speaking, wearing lip products definitely requires some maintenance and I just might be too lazy.

However, I have accrued a few MAC lippies that I love, but rarely wear.




Top to bottom (w/o flash/w flash): pink fish TLC, plum lip pencil, subculture lip pencil, lipsticks: rebel, snob, angel, nude rose, blankety, creme d'nude *


I only own 3 lip glosses from MAC*:


* skin tone on underarm is probably around nc20.



My top 3 products:
1. pink fish tinted lip conditioner
2. ventian lustreglass
3. angel frost lipstick

My least 3 products:
1. underage (sticky)
2. lychee luxe (sticky)
3. snob (too drying and too cool toned for my complexion)
(These three I can only wear with a good lip balm or pink fish.)

Which MAC lip products do you like? Which ones can you recommend? And which ones should we stay away from?

Love,
Maya

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Tag - 3 things :)

Hey Guys,
I know it's been forever. There has been so much going on that I was too tired to update my blog.

Saadeh from http://shadowylady.blogspot.com/ tagged me.
And I tag anyone who wishes to do this tag too.

Three names I go by:

1. Maya - also just one

Three jobs I have had:
1. Supervisor in a health food store
2. Helpdesk techie
3. forex operations associate

Three places I have lived:
1. Toronto
2. London (UK)
3. Jerusalem

Three favorite drinks:
1. Coke Zero
2. Rooibos tea
3. Cappucino

Three TV shows I watch:
1. Lost
2. Gossip Girl
3. Vampire Diaries

Three places I have been:
1. Tangier, Morocco
2. NYC, NYC
3. Berlin, Germany

Three places I would like to visit:
1. Mongolia
2. Cuba
3. Australia

Three people who text me regularly:
1. b/f
2. mom
3. a close friend

Three favorite old TV shows:
1. Sex and the City
2. The OC
3. Beverly Hills 90210

Three favorite dishes:
1. Sushi
2. Anything Chinese
3. Apple Goo (yummy apple side dish, baked with oats, brown sugar and cinnamon)

Three makeup/beauty products I cannot live without:
1. MAC Dainty
2. L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara
3. a good Scrub

Three things I'm looking forward to:
1. Going back to Uni
2. The weekend
3. getting all zen

Sunday, February 14, 2010

MAC Blushcreme in Ladyblush - A Review

Hello my dear readers!
As promised I will be reviewing some products that I bought lately.

I was looking for a pink cream blush and after reading many raves, I decided to go for MAC's blushcreme in Ladyblush.
I got this shade because I was looking for a pink, yet natural looking cream blush that would make my cheeks pop, look dewy and make my powder blush last longer.

Here's what MAC says about the product:

Luxuriously soft and creamy, this cream blush tenderly flushes the cheeks or brings them into full-blown rosy bloom. Blends well; layers exquisitely. Gives a vibrant, dewy fresh, slightly shiny look to the cheeks. Apply with a brush or fingers.

6g / 0.21 oz US $18.50/£16.50/€21.50





A little about the packaging:
The blushcreme comes in the usual blush packaging. You can also buy the refill for the pro palette.

Here's what I think:
I love the colour of this blushcreme. It's a rosy pink when applied lightly and will be more pigmented when layered.
The product will add a gorgeous dewy look to your skin and look more natural than powder blushes generally do.
The texture is a little waxy and heavy when you apply too much of it. I generally dab my finger into the product once and swirl it around and add two little dots of colour on each cheek and blend it out towards my cheekbones. That way I use little product and I avoid the waxy feeling on my cheeks.
I generally don't find this product too greasy when applied lightly, but that is probably because my cheeks tend to be quite dry in winter.
I can wear this baby all day and it will still be in place at the end of the day.
That being said, I can see how this cream blush might be too heavy and greasy for ladies with oily skin. Also, the lasting power might not be as long if you have oily skin.

And this is what the blushcreme looks like on my NC25-NC30 skin:



Product itself:
4 out of 5.

Scent:
4 our of 5. (No scent really)

Texture:
3.5 out of 5.

Packaging:
4 out of 5

Price:
4 out of 5.

My overall rating:
4 out of 5.

Will I repurchase?
Probably not. But that is only because I want to try other cream blushes.




Saturday, February 6, 2010

Question: All That Glitters vs. Naked Lunch

Hello all.
I am looking for an everyday colour for work. Ideally it would be a warm beige with golden undertones, that's a shade or two darker than my skin tone (NC25 at the moment).
I am thinking about purchasing one of these shadows, but I am having a hard time deciding.

Do you own one or both of them?
Which would do you like better, and why?


All that glitters



Naked Lunch

Any advise will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Maya

Thursday, February 4, 2010

January's goodies

Hello everyone,

These are the items I purchased in January. Some of them I received as gifts too. :) All MAC items, except for one product.



1. Mineralize Skinfinish in "By Candlelight"
2. SFF in NC25
3. Hypnotizing eyeshadow
4. Ladyblush
5. Paintpot in Constructivist (in package)
6. H&M eyebrow colour

I may be posting swatches and reviews soon.
So far I have been enjoying these products.

Love,
Maya

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Favourite Lip Combo of January

Well, hello there! Long time, no post!

I thought I'd share my new found favourite lip combo with you.

I have been grabbing for these two products almost every day in the month of January.


MAC Underage Lipglass & Pink Fish Tinted Lip Conditioner from the Hello Kitty Collection

I generally find Underage lipglass quite difficult to work with. I am not a big fan of the stickyness and find that the colour is too light for me to be worn on it's own. But luckily, I found a way to use the product.

So what I generally do is apply a good layer of Pink Fish, followed by a coat of the lipglass. Et Voila, a moisturizing pinky nude lip that doesn't wash me out. I am loving it!

What has been your favourite lip combo of the month?

Love,
Maya

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Product Review | MAC Moisturelush Eye Cream


I had been looking for an eye cream for a while and decided that it was finally time to invest in a good eye cream. I have normal skin with an oily T-zone. I wouldn't say that my under eye area is particularly dry. I have a few very fine lines.

After doing some research, I thought I would give MAC's Moisturelush eye cream a shot. As you might remember from one of my haul posts, I bought this product a few months back and have been using it since then.



Price tag:

15 ml / 0.5 oz US $30.00£20.50 (in the UK)€34.00 (in the EU)

This is what MAC says:
"A richly hydrating eye cream with optical effects. Rejuvenates, reconditions and refreshes. Visibly lifts and firms skin around the eyes: helps reduce early morning/late night puffiness and balance the skin’s moisture levels. Provides long-lasting moisture."

Packaging:

It comes in a small pot out of the same plastic material that's used for any of the other moisturelush products.
I don't find the packaging hygienic at all since you keep sticking your fingers in there. You have to make sure that your hands are super clean, before getting any product out. Otherwise it will be a breeding ground for bacteria and you don't want to get it anywhere near your eyes. I suppose using a spatula would be an option.

Here's what I think:

The cream has a pleasant scent and an iridescent sheen to it. It is very soft and creamy.

I did not notice any firming/lifting around my eyes. Nor did I notice a reduction in puffiness.
It does moisturize, however I don't think it's any more moisturizing than a regular face cream designed for normal/dry skin.

When using this cream, I have to be very careful not to get it into my eyes. Unfortunately, it burns when I get this product into my eyes, which is quite ridiculous, as this cream is meant to be used around the eye area.
Furthermore, I do not like the sheen this product has. It makes my skin look oily and accentuates any pores I have on my upper cheek area.

Now, if this product actually delivered what MAC claims, I would be more than happy to pay this amount of money.
However, since it doesn't live up to the description at all, I find the price to be way too high for what you get.

Will I repurchase?
No.

Hope this review helped those of you who were considering whether to buy this product or not.
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.

Love,
Maya

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