REVIEW | Fenty Beauty By Rihanna

I'm pretty sure that I'm the last person on planet earth to be doing this review, but it's with good reason! It's been well over a month (almost two) since Rihanna slayed the makeup game - and our existence -  by dropping her new makeup line, Fenty Beauty, and it's taken me this long to finally get this post up because: a. work has been absolutely nuts and b. I ended up making a second, follow-up order for a lighter foundation and two previously out-of-stock items to give you guys a better review. So le'go!

Fenty Beauty officially launched on September 8th, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that their products also dropped on the same day on Sephora Hong Kong's website! I'm not usually one to buy into all the hype with celebrity makeup (I have never purchased a single Kylie Cosmetics or KKW product) but this is RiRi, and I just couldn't help myself. Her initial launch (her second launch - the galaxy holiday collection - already dropped two weeks ago and I can barely keep up) was complexion-focused and offered products to create the perfect base, so that's exactly what I got - the foundation, the concealer, contour and highlight match sticks, and in my second order, another foundation in a lighter shade, one of the duo highlighters, and the lip gloss. I think we can all agree that Rihanna's makeup is always on freakin' point, so if using her makeup products means I can look half as good as her, I'm sold. Just take my money.

Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation

$280 HKD at Sephora HK | $34 USD at Sephora

40 shades | 32 ml

First things first - Rihanna launched a whopping 40 shades of foundation during her initial launch (say whaaat), catering to a huge, inclusive range of skin tones and undertones. Bravo! But, I must say, picking my shade online was an absolute pain in my behind - the swatches provided on models of different skin tones (shown below) did help a bit, since the names of the shades are all very similar. After watching what felt like hundreds of youtube videos and checking to see what shades other people purchased, I narrowed my choices down to either 230 or 260, both described as 'medium shades with neutral undertones'. Considering the fact that everyone was saying this foundation oxidises a shade darker, I finally made the painstaking decision to get 230. Aaaaand, you guessed it - it was still. way. too. dark. Heartbreaking, I know. I also got a deluxe sample in the shade 210 with my first order which, disappointingly, was also too dark. This is why I made a second order and chose shade 140 - after another stressful deliberation - described as 'light warm', and it turned out to be significantly lighter (a bit too light, actually) than shade 230. So now, I just use a mix of 140 and 230 to get my perfect shade and it works like a charm.

Image from Sephora Hong Kong

The foundation is packaged in a beautiful frosted glass bottle and comes with a pump (thank youuu), and is described to be "a soft matte, long-wear foundation with buildable, medium-to-full coverage, in a boundary-breaking range of shades". I've had this on almost every single day for the past month or so, and I've decided (drumroll please) that I have a love-hate relationship with this thing. It has a nice, liquidy consistency that blends nicely but dries down quickly in comparison to other bases. It does offer a solid medium coverage upon first application and is indeed mattifying, leaving just a slight sheen on the cheeks. Although this foundation is wonderfully catered to a diverse range of skin tones, I don't think it will complement all skin types - if you are dry, normal or even combination, more likely than not you'll find this drying and that it clings to dry patches, so you must prep the skin incredibly well to be able to wear this comfortably throughout the day.

Even after setting my T-zone with powder, my nose and forehead gets very shiny after just three hours to the point where I can't not blot. On my oily-combination skin, I looked dry in certain areas (mostly around the chin) and found it also emphasized some texture around my nose and on my cheeks - if you looked close enough. I will say, my skin looks absolutely flawless from far away and also phenomenal in pictures, but the closer you get, the more flaws you can detect.

However, this foundation is truly long-lasting, and is still pretty much intact at the end of the night before I wash my face. Even on days when I am sweating profusely, beads of sweat will just seep through and sit on top of the skin while the foundation manages to stay put, undisturbed. So as you can see, there are different aspects that I love and hate with this foundation and it'll probably take me a while to decide which side I'm leaning towards.

140 | 210 | 230

The shade 230 comes out yellow-toned straight out of the bottle, but then oxidizes - well, more accurately 'dries down' - after a few minutes to a much darker, peachy shade. Oh, the horror! I was honestly quite upset as soon as I saw the shade discrepancy as I thought I had already picked a light enough shade and accounted for the oxidisation. Shade 210 also dried down darker and shade 140, although at least two shades too light, turned out to be the closet match to me out of the three. FYI, 210 is the exact same shade as my Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Powerless Foundation in 128 Warm Nude straight out of the tube, and dries down to be half a shade darker.

Match Stix Trio

$450HKD at Sephora HK | $54USD at Sephora

4 different sets

So I was probably a little more excited about these match sticks then I was about the foundation solely based on the packaging - 'cos look at them! Pink, magnetic hexagon tubes that stick together and form a honeycomb design - super cute, and super easy to store and travel with. The Match Stix are sold individually as well as in trios with pre-chosen shades to conceal, contour and highlight, and I decided to go with the trio in Light, which came with the shades Linen, Amber and Starstruck. These sticks are of a creamy yet stiffer consistency - it requires a bit more pressure upon application - but nonetheless they still blend seamlessly into the skin (for the most part), and its cream to powder formula seems to work in sync with the foundation.

Linen | Amber | Starstruck

Linen | "fair to light cool pinky undertones"
As a concealer for under my eyes, this is a no-go - the consistency, colour, and coverage all don't work well under the eyes. However, using this to highlight my forehead, down the nose, as well as underneath my contour has been working wonderfully.

Amber | "contour shade with cool undertones"
My favourite shade of the three, hands down. It is the perfect contour shade for my complexion, with the perfect balance of grey and warm tones, creating the perfect shadow in the hollows of my cheek. Obsessed. And I actually prefer the drier consistency with this stick because it doesn't feel like my contour will slip off as the day goes on. A month on and this has been my go-to contouring product.

Starstruck | "iced-out pearl"
This has the driest consistency of the trio and applying it directly from the tube onto my skin actually disturbs my foundation underneath, so the best way to apply this is warming it up on my finger then tapping it on my face, or applying it using a small, tapered highlighting brush. This is an icy pink shade that looks quite soft and pretty on the skin, and while I usually prefer more gold and champagne highlighters, this one works well when I want a subtle, "feminine" glow.

 Linen | Amber | Starstruck

Lastly, I noticed that inside each of the match stick caps is a thin, foamy insert that 'cushions' the product and prevents it from getting all mushed up and destroyed if twisted up too high when capped off. That's just a tiny design aspect that shows incredible attention to detail and I had to point it out! Sometimes, it's the smallest things that make the biggest difference.

Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter Duo

$280HKD at Sephora HK | $34USD at Sephora
4 shades

I didn't get to buy this highlighter in my first order, and could not stop thinking about how much I wanted it in my collection. This particular duo in Mean Money/Hu$tla Baby called out to me (although I was also contemplating over the duo in Lightning Dust/Fire Crystal) and the pearly, golden shades are right up my street. The formula is described to be a weightless cream to powder, and application is so easy and effortless with either just fingers or a brush. Mean Money is the lighter, more subtle shade of the two (perhaps too subtle for some, but a great highlighter for work days), whereas Hu$tla Baby really packs a punch and instantly lights up the face (aka the go-to shade for a blinding highlight on girls' night out or weekend adventures).

Hu$tla Baby | Mean Money

My apologies for the poor swatches, but it was a struggle to capture the radiance of the two shades, especially when they are quite similar to my skin tone.  Hu$tla Baby turns out to be a close dupe to Becca's Champagne Pop - a long-time favourite of mine - with Champagne Pop being just a slight bit darker and more pigmented.

Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer

$180 HKD at Sephora HK | $24USD at Sephora

1 universal shade

I can count the number of times I've worn lip gloss this past year on one hand, but this just looked way too pretty to resist. Plus, almost every review and video I came across gave this absolutely glowing reviews, and it keeps on selling out online! Fenty Glow is a universal rose nude shade with "explosive shine" that is supposed to look (and feel) amazing on everyone, and has an "addictive peach vanilla scent" that truly smells quite delish. My lips are quite pigmented on their own, so while this doesn't add too much colour, it does provide a beautiful, moisturizing sheen to my lips, making them look fuller, plumper and more kissable (although I do advise against this while having this on) and it doesn't have the dreaded sticky texture that most glosses have. Staying power isn't great, but I don't mind reapplying since both the scent and the look it gives my lips are so yummy.

Well, I think this has to be one of the longest reviews I've ever posted on this blog - huge props if you're still here! So let's try to end this massive review with a short yet sweet conclusion - I'm really pleased with my first venture into Fenty Beauty, and mark my words, this definitely won't be my last. My standouts from this haul would have to be everything except the foundation (in which I will continue to perform intensive testing). It'll be exciting to see whether Rihanna comes out with another foundation formula that is more moisturising and catered to drier skin types, cos I'll be all over that. It's so lovely to see Fenty Beauty make a statement on inclusivity and diversity through their makeup, and I cannot wait to see what other products Rihanna comes out with next. Keep slayin', RiRi!

HAUL x REVIEW | Inglot Cosmetics

We arrived in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, around sunset after a long day of driving and exploring, and decided to stretch our legs at Akropolis, a massive shopping centre right outside the city. I walked straight into Douglas, the European equivalent of Sephora, to look for new brands to try out, and that's when I spotted Inglot Cosmetics.

I recall hearing some chatter over Inglot's Freedom System palettes a few years back, where you could mix and match all your favourite makeup products - eyeshadow, blush, lipstick, concealer - into one sturdy, convenient palette, but the brand hasn't been on my radar since. As I've mentioned before, I'm usually not one to splurge on makeup that I haven't done my research on. But of course, my wifi decided to stop working on my phone, and my dad was impatiently sulking in the corner of the store, so I just settled on three products and quickly got outta there. I wanted to try these on as soon as possible, so I improvised and took these pictures on the window ledge of my hotel room the next morning before slapping everything on my face for a test run.

I picked up the Under Eye Concealer in shade 92 which looked like the closet match for me out of the four shades on display. It's a very lightweight, liquidy concealer that feels hydrating under the eyes and dries to a powdery finish. It blends out with ease but loses its coverage once smoothed out - sheer to light coverage at most, and doesn't cover my dark circles. This shade also oxidizes a smidge darker and turns a tiny bit grey, which is odd, and looks rather dull and not at all brightening for under the eyes. Looking back, the first shade in 91 would've been a much better option. It's a shame as I do enjoy the moisturising formula, but the coverage just isn't there and the shade isn't the best match. I'll still reach for this (cos I ain't about wasting money) but only for days when I'm lounging around the house.

Swatched | Blended out

The Freedom System Camouflage Concealers in 124 and 125 also caught my eye, especially with the cooler undertones that I thought would be ah-mazing for contouring. 124 is a warmer milk chocolate brown, whereas 125 is a very cool-toned greyish brown. The consistency of these are stiffer and takes a bit more work to blend out for that seamless finish, but they are hella pigmented and will not budge once set and stays on all day. I use 124 for a more natural contour, and 125 for the rarer occasion when I want to carve out my face and create angles and bone structure I don't even have. Slay, gurl. But do be reminded that 125 can look a tad unnatural if you go overboard - the grey undertones have the potential of looking slightly ashy and muddy - so less is definitely more.

124 | 125

Top 124 | Bottom 125

All three products are decently priced - the Under Eye Concealer retails for 11.50€ and the Freedom System Camouflage Concealers are 5€ each. I wouldn't recommend the Under Eye Concealer if you prefer full coverage, but it could be worth a try for drier skin types and natural makeup days. And if you're contour-obsessed like me, these Camouflage Concealers could be a great (and inexpensive) addition to your arsenal!

MONTHLY FAVORITES | April 2016

Finally, my first monthly favorites post!

Let's press pause on all the travel chatter and talk about my beauty favorites this month, aka the products I decided to bring with me on my two week trip. You know I absolutely love these if I handpicked them from my entire makeup collection. You'll see that most of them are products that are easy to apply but look super effortless. Winning.

Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Instant Infusion Treatment Toner | 

Fresh is one of my all-time favorite skin care brands ever, and this toner is incredible. I got a sample size of this as a gift with purchase and immediately went out and bought the full size when I was done. This has a blend of black tea, blackberry leaf extra and lychee seed extract, and smells super fresh (dangit!) and soothing. I remember how amazing my skin felt the first time I tried it, and I've been obsessed ever since. I use this both in the morning and night after washing my face. Two thumbs up!

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue in Buttercream 03 | 
I talked about this previously in my Sephora haul, but this is, by far, the easiest and most effortless base to apply on the go - I can either use my hands or a brush - and it melts into the skin flawlessly and gives a healthy, dewy, natural everyday complexion. Also has SPF 30!

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ |
My face got burnt the day after we arrived in the Netherlands (that Dutch sun, man), and I am so proud of myself (hehe) for deciding to throw this in my makeup bag last minute. This sits really nicely under makeup, and the high SPF ensures that my face is well protected - my dad even used this for his race! The price is a bit steep - I got the 30ml bottle for $325HKD, which is a little over $40USD - but sun protection is crucial, and I haven't been able to find another sunscreen product that sits as well under makeup.

Sephora Pro Flawless Airbrush #56 | 
Okay, the long handle on this brush makes it not the friendliest option for travel, but I love, love, lurve how this brush flawlessly buffs in foundation. It's also super versatile - I can use it to buff in my concealer, apply my contour, blush and even highlighter. One brush to rule them all. It should be called Sephora Pro Flawless Everythanggg #1. You need this in yo life, peeps.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Light 10 |
My absolute favorite concealer from the drugstore - amazing texture and coverage, super blendable, and works great for both the face and the under eyes. It's also a very close dupe for NARS' Creamy Concealer, at close to one fourth of the price! The shade range is a little lacking, I have to say, but a must-have if you do find a suitable shade.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer |
I usually don't have time to contour and chisel out my (nonexistent) cheekbones while on holiday - sorry Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour palette, I still love you - so this old favorite was the obvious choice for a warm, natural bronzer for everyday. 

Urban Decay 24 Hour Eye Shadow Pencil in Juju and Rehab |
My favorite easy, no-fuss eyeshadow combo. Apply, blend, wham-bam done. These are beautiful and don't budge or smudge once they set. I use Juju all over the lid, and Rehab to darken along the lash line. Easy, breezy, beautiful, shadow pencils. 

Benefit Roller Lash Super Curling & Lifting Mascara |
I've been using this mascara every single day since I hauled it a few months ago. Yes, it really does curl (yay!) and lift (yipee!) my lashes and also hasn't smudged on me (yet) which is a huge plus. 

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk |
I bought this a few months ago after giving into the hype, and it's been my number one go-to lip product - it's super creamy, and the perfect my-lips-but-better shade to make them look poutier and more perfected. I can wear it with any makeup look, by itself or under lipstick. So in love!

Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit Eau de Parfum |
Just look at how cute and tiny this bottle is! -squeals- I got this in a limited edition Fresh perfume set from Nordstrom last year. It smells super citrus-y and fresh (dangit! Not again), like you drenched yourself in a mixture of oranges, lemons and grapefruit. That might sound off-putting to some of you, but I really dig it. The lasting power is not the best, but the bottle is so cute and small that I don't mind just throwing it in my purse and reapplying whenever. Go check it out in stores! My ultimate favorite is still the Sugar Lychee scent. So. Good.

Origins Super Spot Remover |
This product is a life-saver and an old favorite since high school. You can apply the gel straight onto your blemish using a cotton bud, and you should start feeling it tingle and sting straight away, which I find super satisfying. My blemishes are much less inflamed the next morning and usually dry up within two, three days with continuous application, morning and night. Can't live without it.

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue in Buttercream 03 | Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Light 10 | Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen | Benefit Hoola Bronzer | Urban Decay 24 Hour Eye Shadow Pencil in Juju | Urban Decay 24 Hour Eye Shadow Pencil in Rehab | Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk

I would love to know your April beauty favorites, and I hope you enjoyed seeing mine!

REVIEW | Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette

I've been absolutely in love with this product for the past few months, and knew right away that this baby would be featured in my first ever blog post. Let’s get started!

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette 

$46 USD at Sephora

3 Shade powders and 3 Light powders

First of all, you need to know that I am a bronzer-over-blush-any-day type of person. Who doesn't love a good contour and a bronzed up face? No blush, no problem. No bronzer? Houston, we have a problem.

So when Kat Von D came out with this palette a while back, I was dy-ing to get my hands on it. It’s not sold here in Hong Kong, so when I found out my best friend was coming back from the states for the holidays, I made a tiny haul (she would say otherwise) from Sephora and made her lug it back halfway across the world for me. That’s what best friends are for, right?!

The Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette consists of 3 Shade powders (Sombre, Shadowplay, Subconscious) for bronzing and contouring, and 3 Light powders (Lucid, Lyric, Levitation) for highlighting that you can use to create depth and dimension in your face. The packaging is made of sturdy cardboard with a magnetic closure, and comes with a full sized mirror so it would be easy to travel with. All shades are matte, which is great to create a natural contour and a subtle highlight, and the powders are all super soft, pigmented and most importantly, blendable. The shades are pretty much universal, and you'll definitely find something in there that suits you - you can even mix shades together. For myself, I like to mix Sombre and Shadowplay as my bronzer, use Lyric for setting and brightening up my under eyes after concealer, and Lucid on my cheekbones as a subtle highlight. During the summer, I can definitely see myself using a bit of Subconscious and Levitation as well. Just a tip - I even use all these shades as eyeshadow, it works amazing. A little bit of Sombre in the crease is everything. 

Lucid, Lyric, Levitation

Sombre, Shadowplay, Subconscious

Swatches in natural light

According to Sephora's website, Lucid is a pinkish nude, Lyric is a yellow beige, Levitation is a soft peach, Sombre is a true taupe, Shadowplay is a soft brown, and Subconscious is a deep brown. The swatches on my skin in natural light seem to reflect those descriptions to a tee. Sombre is one of the best grey-toned powders I've found that actually mimics a shadow perfectly and makes your contour look so natural. Paired with Shadowplay, which has a touch more warmth, it's the perfect bronzing combo. Love.

Price-wise, I think it’s a very good deal at $46 USD for 6 shades with a total of 0.72 oz. Let’s compare it to my two other bronzer favorites, Benefit’s Hoola and Nars’ Laguna.

Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer | $29 USD, 0.28 oz

Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna | $39 USD, 0.28 oz

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette | $46 USD, 0.72 oz (0.48 oz shade powders)

So for a slightly higher price tag, you get 2.5 times more total product, and almost double the amount of shading powder alone. Come on. Needless to say, this palette will last you a looong time.

The only con about this palette is that the shades aren't in refill pans, so if you run out of a shade, you need to buy a whole new palette. But word through the grapevine is that Kat Von D will be coming out with refill pans for individual shades. Fingers crossed! 

Bottom line, I love this palette and it is hands down the best contouring palette in the market. It is a must for those of you who love a good contour, appreciate high quality, and like the ease of having a palette that you can travel with, and that has both bronzing and highlighting shades together. If so, then I suggest you put on your eyebrows, slap on some pants, run out the door and get this NOW. (Or, if you're in the same situation I was, beg your best friend to bring it back for you.)

Who else loves this palette? Do you guys have other favorite contouring palettes? I would love to hear your thoughts!