[Review] Etude House Collagen Moistfull Smoothing Ampule Primer

Etude House Moistfull Collagen Smoothing Ampule Primer is a hydrating moisturizing primer that lifts and tightens complexion to promote a radiant glow prior to foundation makeup application.

The Collagen Moistfull series has been around for quite some time, and this Smoothing Ampule Primer has been my first ever face primer. It comes in a tube, and the full size is 30ml -- which is pretty lasting because you don't need a whole lot each time. Despite being in a tube, it's rather easy to control the amount you want with a light squeeze. I do recommend putting it in a upright position as shown below as it is easier to squeeze the primer out this way without splattering everywhere due to the air pressure (if you lay it flat parralel to the table).

Full size at 30ml!

Pink blob with little shimmers!

As you can see, the primer is pink with little shimmers in it. This helps you to achieve a dewy finish with 'ampule' shine. Basically you apply it before putting on your BB cream or foundation to allow smoother application. It blends really well and settles nicely into any skin shade, with minimal shimmers visible.

Comparison under natural, sunlight

Close-up of shimmer

Comparison under white light

As you can see, the shimmers are only visible under the white light (as compared to being under the sunlight), and since you will be adding either foundation or BB cream on top, you don't have to worry about the shimmers -- they are definitely not over-bearing!

Comparison: with and without primer

As you can see (even though the 'after' picture is a little blur) that the shimmers are minimal, gives a pink-toned glow and also cover some of my wide pores. The coverage is light and cover some of my scars and tiny hairs and it does make foundation application smoother, easier but it does not truly fill in the wide pores. It brightens up complexion as well!

The only thing I have against it is the oil-control. I recommend giving it some time to let it set on the face before applying the foundation for better oil-control. Still, my face (especially nose) starts to shine after 3-4 hours in the humid weather. 

Pros:
[o] Brightens complexion
[o] Dewy finish with no over-bearing shimmers
[o] Formula is not too sticky and glides on the skin easily, allowing it to blend into different skin shades.
[o] Hydrating formula, but recommended for people with dry-combination skin
[o] Creates a smoother canvas for foundation

Cons:
[x] Oil control could be improved. Oils up in 3-4 hours.
[x] Doesn't really even out skin tone, especially in red areas around my nose, or the dark eye circles beneath my eyes.
[x] Coverage is so-so, minimizes pores but doesn't actually fill them or totally cover them

Will I buy it again? Probably not. It's not really suited for my skin type, and there are some other brands I'm looking to try (Banila Co., anyone?) so I'd skip out on this one the next time. :)

[Review] China Glaze The Hunger Game Series in Stone Cold

China Glaze Hunger Game Series is a collection of 12 different nail polishes that aims to represent the 12 different districts. This time I picked up the matte shade Stone Cold, a shade that gives a graphite-like, grainy finish, truly representative of District 2.

I do like the shade, both in matte and glossy (with top coat). It's really different, and gives a pretty solid, dark grey base with light shimmers for that cold-toned stone finish. 

I actually thought that it's a fun colour to play with. In matte, it turns out to be a grey tone, but with a top coat the colour looks closer to black, and the grains looked a little shimmers under the light, and is a totally different shade altogether (it looks more like lead than graphite with a normal top coat). I usually go with the glossy, top coat for that extra shimmer. 

I know it's not a popular shade in the series, but I do love it. I also have to say, for some reason, I liked it better on my feet than on my hands. It's a little tricky when applying though, especially for beginners (like me!): apply with a thick layer, and be quick for a smooth finish. It takes one coat on the average, about two for the thumbs, and like any other matte polishes it dries really quickly. 

Pros:
[o] One-two coats is all it takes
[o] Two different shades when in matte and glossy
[o] Dries fast (due to matte formula)

Cons:
[x] Matte formula makes it difficult (and even messy) to work with, especially for beginners.

Anyone else liked this shade? :)

[Review] Etude House Precious Mineral All Day Strong BB Cream #02

I've tried this BB cream for a couple of days (don't underestimate the power of this sample pack, since you only need a little BB cream for each use) and here's my final review of this.

My really tattered sample.
I forgot to take a photo before using! >///<

Using this much~

Ta daa~
Comparison; under natural, sunlight

Comparison, away from direct sun light

As you can see from the above picture, the side with the BB looks more dewy and slightly whiter than the one on the left. Coverage is not too bad, it kinda covered the colour of my veins; the cream looks darker than it actually is on my skin.

Even though #02 is suppose to be a natural-beige kind of colour, which is my usual shade range, especially in summer (and the first few months following it) it actually brightens up my face when I apply it, and sadly doesn't seem to oxidise well because I look a little too white at the end of the day. The formula feels a little sticky, but spreads out well when applied, and allows for a little layering (but not too much, I feel that it actually cakes up a little when too much is applied).

Comparing it under the sun and in a room, this BB actually don't look that bad when faced away from direct sunlight. It blends into my skin pretty well, not being a tad too bright, while still giving it that little shine, dewy kind of finish.

Pros:
[o] All day long is as suggested, pretty much long lasting. BUT! it does makes my face looks alittle too ash-white at the end of the day.
[o] A little bit goes a long way.
[o] Pretty much waterproof unless wiped under running water (unless you wipe your face with a towel under pouring rain, it probably won't come off)
[o] It gives a dewy kind of finish.

Cons:
[x] Does not oxidise well on my face -- I look really white at the end of the day under the sun!
[x] Oil control is so-so: Oils up about 3-4 hours.
[x] Could cake up a little/feel heavy if too much is used

Will I purchase again:
No. The formula isn't something I'm looking for, especially the oiling up part. I'm not too fond of looking too white either, sadly. I'd probably be looking into their newer BB cream formulas, which I hope had made adjustments to suit combi-oily skin like mine.

Samples, samples and more samples!

Samples!

I just realised I've accumulated a series of samples, along with the ones I just bought the other day.

BB creams

Cleansing Foam

Mask/massage Pack

Shower Gel

Moisturizer

Samples come from Innisfree, Missha, Nature Republic, Tony Moly, The Face Shop, Skin Food and Etude House~Guess there's reviews I can do with these samples. :)

[Review] Nature Republic Red Clay Konjac Sponge

About: Nature Republic Vegetable Konjac -- Red Clay Cleansing Puff
            Konjac 90% & Red Clay 10%
            Korean Red Clay helps with sebum absorption, and oil control, maintain balance               of oil and water (pH levels, basically)
     1. Red Clay Control Sebum O.K.
               Excellent sebum control helps skin balance water and oil.
     2. All skin type O.K.
              Vegetable product can be applied for all skn types.
    3. After washing face, moisture retaining O.K.
              Cleans contaminant and helps to keep skin moisturized for a long time.

Nature Republic Red Clay Konjac Sponge

This is not my first konjac sponge; I previously used one from a Taiwan brand, which I bought at Watsons, but I thought I'd try this red clay one from Nature Republic (through GMarket) since oil control is one of my biggest problems.

I would say that it is definitely a good cleansing tool for the face because of its shape. These konjac sponges are half a sphere in shape, where the round side is good for the cheeks and the flatter side for the areas around the eyes and the sides of the face, and is gentle on the face.

I think Nature Republic's konjac sponge was slightly better than the one from Taiwan because of its high moisture content. This one locks water content better to allow better foaming of the soap for cleansing, and while I'm a little sceptical about the oil control part, I'd say that it does exfoliate lightly, and my face feels smoother after using this. And moisturised too! Definitely going to be part of my cleansing routine. :)

Pros: 

[o] Great cleansing tool -- especially when cleaning areas around the eyes due to its special shape.

[o] Gently exfoliate skin for a smooth finish

[o] A little oil control

Cons:

[x] You'd have to change this every 3-4 months

Military Caps/ Vintage Army Caps!

So recently I've purchased two of these military caps on Gmarket, thinking that I could gift one of them to my cap-loving brother as his birthday present (and give myself a reason to get my own cap, :D). I certainly did not regret my purchase.

This seller [FORPURE] had a really pretty good rating, and upon receiving my order, I think that the caps are worth every penny spent. With a relatively fast delivery time, the caps came in great condition and I couldn't believe that I can get it at this relatively low price of SGD$9. You hardly find these kind of prices in Singapore!

The above pic is my cap, model no. AH077. I love the denim-blue (sadly, not clearly visible due the the sunlight) and the metallic buttons along the side of the visor/bill of the cap. It's not too flashy while adding on a nice touch to the other-wise plain cap. Love the words along the side of the cap too! Some k-pop fans would know that these caps are getting pretty popular with K-entertainment recently (Lee Minho, Tiffany and Micky Yoochun were spotted with these kind of caps recently) and I've been meaning to get one because it makes a pretty good accessory while serving its purpose in the hot, sunny weather of Singapore. :)

[Review] Canmake Colorful Nails: no. 53 Peppermint Cream

I just went to Watsons the other day, and I found that Canmake Colorful Nails series are having a sale at 2 for S$12.90 (Otherwise, it'd be S$17.80 for 2), and recently being infatuated with nail polish, decided to snoop them into my basket. The two colours I picked are no. 53 Peppermint Cream (this review!) and no. 52 in Sandy Brown. The Canmake official descriptions are given below:

These are my very first Canmake nail polish, and I was pretty excited to grab them. Canmake has a pretty good reputation amongst the Japanese drugstore brands, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Took me about 2-3 layers to get the following effect:

No. 53 Peppermint Cream is a pretty pastel emerald colour. While the official site used a rather pastel sky blue icon, the colour's as you can see in my picture above, has a greenish undertone. Under sunlight, and to some people, the colour actually does seems to be closer to a shade of pastel blue than a paster green, but with comparison, it is pretty clear that the green undertone stands out.

Pros:

[o] Jelly like texture provides not just extra shine, but also ease of layering.

[o] The brush cap might be a little small, but the brush is just nice for me. Not too hard, not too soft, and picks up a good amount of polish.

[o] Small, easy to keep with it's square design.

[o] Once completely dry, not prone to chipping.

Cons:

[x] Rather expensive for a small bottle if it's bought at usual price (S$8.90). I can easily top up to get a much bigger O.P.I or China Glaze.

[x] Take note: the more layers you have, the longer it takes for it to be completely dried and fixed; if you're not careful, the layers could slide if you press too hard on it, and you'd have to start over again.

[x] I heard that the bottle dries up pretty quickly? I'm not sure since it's my first purchase, but you might want to keep that in mind.

Overall:

As a relative beginner, I think this nail polish is pretty good, for the brush makes it easy not to go out of the boundaries (or rather, not too much anyway). And I love this pastel colour! If you're fond of easy to layer kind of nail polish, or just want to try a certain colour, you can consider this nail polish for it's small size and easy to glide on liquid formula. :)