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Curiously Carmen

Etude House Lip Mask Review

January 16, 2017

I love trying Asian beauty products, but I don’t get to try Asian products as much as I want due to lack of Asian beauty stores in Canada. I also hate waiting for products to ship, and rather have the instant gratification of buying in person! Luckily, Maki loves to purchase Asian products and I was able to try this product out as a gift.
Etude House is pretty much a staple in Asia. Although it is Korean, you can find it in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, pretty much in any big Asian metropolis. Think of Etude House as the Covergirl or Maybelline equivalent, in terms of availability and price-wise.

Initially, when I first heard of lip masks, I wasn’t sure what the point of them was. I mean, don’t lip balms pretty much do the same thing? But after reading a few reviews on lip masks, I was curious to try them out.

On this particular day, I had just returned home from a weekend getaway in Victoria, where I sadly caught a nasty cold. Whenever I get sick, my lips get really dry and cracked because I have to breathe through my mouth. Even my normally trusty ol’ Burt’s Bees lip balm wasn’t helping! It was the perfect opportunity to try out this lip mask.
Etude House is so popular that even though it is a Korean brand, they have English for their non-Korean customers. There are instructions on the back that were quite easy to follow, along with a cute picture!

I tried the cherry flavour, which had a pleasant and nice scent to it. Even though it is a lip product, I didn’t want to exactly taste or eat the product to taste whether there was a cherry taste LOL. But, the scent was definitely there!

The mask is a gel texture and moderately soaked in product. Compared to face masks where the product juices are known to spill out and drip everywhere, the lip gel mask was definitely a LOT cleaner to use. Because it was a gel texture, it also had a bit of a cooling effect!
I found that the mask did not stick well to my skin, so I ended up lying down when using it. Part of the reason is because the mouth sticks out from your face and isn’t a flat surface, so it’s harder for the mask to cling on to (I suck at explaining but hope that made sense!).

I would also recommend that your lips be slightly opened, so that more product can be absorbed.

I also mentioned above that the reason why I decided to try this out was because I was sick with a cold, and my lips were very cracked and dry. Well, I should have thought of this idea more thoroughly because it was so hard to breathe! Actually, scratch that- I couldn’t breathe due to my stuffed nose. I ended up poking a hole in the middle of the mask for air LOL!

After taking off the mask, my lips were noticeably a lot softer and smoother. Because I was sick, the softness only lasted about 3 hours. But, I have full confidence that it would have lasted longer should I not had to breathe through my mouth and lips.

  • Mess free, product does not drip everywhere
  • Has a nice scent
  • Leaves lips soft and smooth

  • Hard for mask to stick on your lips unless you lie down
  • If you’re sick with a stuffed nose like I was, make sure you poke a hole in the middle so you can breathe LOL!

Yay!

Product received as a gift. 


Filed Under: Beauty, lips Tagged: asia, asian beauty, beauty, beauty blogger, beauty review, etude house

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

November 17, 2016

I love writing foundation reviews, although I don’t get to write them as often as I would like! The main reason for that being I don’t wear foundation on a daily basis, so I don’t have a large amount to review. I also really love reading foundation reviews!
estee-lauder-foundationIn September, I attended the Estee Lauder media preview and was exposed to many different Estee Lauder foundations. There was also a super pretty foundation bar that showcased many of their foundations!

At the end of the event, attendees were colour matched and sent a foundation of their choice to try out. It was hard for me to pick just one, but eventually I decided on the Double Wear foundation because it has great reviews and I was looking for a medium/full coverage foundation.
estee-lauder-double-wear-stay-in-place-makeup-reviewWhat it says (Taken from Sephora):

  • Estēe Lauder’s Double Wear Makeup delivers flawless, 15-hour staying power, and it is natural-looking for carefree coverage.
  • A lightweight, oil-free, and buildable formula, it doesn’t change color, leaving your makeup looking as fresh as when you first applied it.
  • This product is fragrance-free and non-acnegenic. It has been dermatologist tested.

I didn’t know acnegenic was a thing? But anyways, 15 hours is a pretty bold claim! Let’s see if this foundation is any good.
estee-lauder-double-wear-stay-in-place-makeup-review-ivory-beigeApplication: I was a bit wary of the bottle packaging ever since trying the Covergirl Clean Foundation, which also comes in a glass jar.

For the Covergirl foundation, it was incredibly difficult to get product out. I had to continuously slam the jar very hard on my hand for product to come out. An easier way would have been to just stick a clean q-tip every time, but that’s a bit annoying.

Anyways, I was quite pleased when this foundation came out of the bottle easily, without any banging or frustration. It would be nice to have a pump though.

The foundation applied pretty easily, with a medium-full coverage. A little goes a long way, and it does make your skin look pretty natural. It also felt really lightweight and breathable. At times, I often forgot I was wearing foundation!
estee-lauder-double-wear-stay-in-place-makeup-review-blogWear: Throughout the day, I was expecting the foundation to smudge off. But, I was really surprised at how flawless it was even after 7-8 hours! It did not require a touch up, and my skin gets pretty oily. I removed the foundation at night after ten hours of wear, and it still looked pretty good!

Apart from wanting to let my skin breathe, one of the MAIN reasons I don’t like wearing foundation is because it always smudges on my glasses and I think that’s just disgusting.

I hate taking off my glasses and seeing nasty foundation smudges or residue on it, it just really turns me off from wearing foundation.

But with this foundation, I was pleasantly surprised that it barely left any residue on my glasses! If you’re a daily glasses wearer like me, you will understand my delight.

1

  • Long lasting
  • Light weight, comfortable to wear
  • Medium – full coverage, a little goes a long way
  • Does not smudge off to glasses as much as other foundations
  • Does not look cakey

2

  • Pours out from a glass bottle, making it harder to control the amount that comes out

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

I would recommend this if you’re looking for a comfortable and long lasting medium/full coverage foundation. This retails at Sephora for $46 CAD, which is a bit pricey but worth every dollar!

Press sample featured. Opinions are own.


Filed Under: face, makeup Tagged: beauty, beauty blogger, beauty review, estee lauder, foundation

ELF Tone Adjusting Face Primer

September 14, 2016

Since I’ve been jobless for the past few months and will continue to be while I strap on and focus on my FINAL semester of university, I’ve been cutting down on a lot of my spending. Lately, I’ve been really into looking at drugstore alternatives to alleviate costs!

I came across the ELF Tone Adjusting Face Primer while watching beauty videos on Youtube. One of my favourite beauty gurus, Weylie, really recommended this primer and said it kept her foundation locked in on a 40 degrees Celsius day picking berries in the California heat.

ELF Green Primer

For only $8, I was really intrigued and wondered if it would work just as well for me! I bought the primer a few weeks later at my local Superstore.
ELF Tone Adjusting Primer PackagingThe product is pretty straightforward and easy to use. It dispenses in a pump, and is green. Green helps cover up redness, which I tend to have.

I usually pump about one and a half pump for my full face. Once you put it on your face, it really smooths out your skin and creates a nice, lightweight and breathable film for your foundation to go on. It also blurs out your pores nicely.
ELF Primer SelfieTo give this primer the ultimate test, I wore it to Whytecliff Park on a super hot, 30 degree day. The sun was shining directly on me, no shade at all, and the perfect weather to climb the huge boulder (about a 10 minute steep trek up the boulder).

I was SUPER IMPRESSED when I got back home, and my foundation was just as nice as when I had put it on in the morning!
ELF PrimerHere is another picture with the primer, with no filter or photo editing. I am also wearing the L’Oreal true match foundation and Maybelline mineral powder. The two products work well with the primer and are really blendable!

I’ve been using this for about three weeks now, and I absolutely LOVE it and am so impressed! My makeup lasted a full day with this on. Even my blush did not budge at all, and stayed put at the end of the day. For only $8, it is definitely a steal!

yay-nay-or-mehYay!


Filed Under: Beauty, face Tagged: beauty, beauty blog, beauty blogger, beauty community, beauty review, canada, drugstore, drugstore makeup, drugstore product, ELF, eyes lip face, vancouver

ACI Fall 2016 Preview

September 2, 2016

I feel as if I haven’t blogged for awhile, although it’s only been a week! As some of you may know already, the past two months were absolutely crazy for me. I finally have the tail end of summer to relax, and I’ve been really trying to savour the sunny days before fall rolls in.

Another year has gone by, and it is time to share with you all the upcoming products from ACI Beauty. ACI is a Canadian beauty distributor, or in super simple terms, they bring products to the shelves of our favourite beauty stores.
Paul & Joe Looney TunesPaul & Joe never fails to impress me with their product designs. Like seriously, who designs their packaging because it is seriously amazing. This season, Paul & Joe have partnered up with Looney Tunes to launch a limited collection set of themed products!

Last fall, the boyfriend and I watched Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, presented by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. I am really loving how companies are coming out with modern ways to invoke nostalgia. (Side note, I really recommend going to the Bugs Bunny at the Symphony if the VSO brings it back! Not sponsored btw)
Paul & Joe blushThese were too cute not to include. Apart from the lipsticks, they also have blush and shadow compacts with the limited edition Looney Tunes sets. Which one is your favourite design?
Paul & Joe catRemember the cat lipsticks I talked about last year? Well, Paul & Joe has launched a new cat blush this season. The cats here are also blush beads. But with a product so cute, I would be really reluctant to use it up.
Cargo CosmeticsCargo is a brand that I’ve seen here and there, but I was able to learn more about it at the event. I am a big fan of palettes, so I am pretty excited to try and test their palettes out!
Korres CreamI raved about my Korres wild rose oil back in May, and have really started to take a liking to this Greek brand. This Fall, they are releasing a few skincare products and a soap bar.

I’ve been using the wild rose day cream & night mask for the past week, the two on the left and right pictured above. So far, it’s been working really well with my skin and leaves it hydrated and plump. I’m going to use it a bit longer before I write the review, but I’ve been really loving it!
Stila HighlighterThis star light, star bright highlighting trio is part of Stila’s holiday collection. Just like their putty foundation that I reviewed last year, the highlighters also have a nice bounce to it.
Stila Liquid LipstickSome liquid lipsticks from Stila! These come in sets of three, but I just put them all together so you can see what colours they offer.
Ceramic GlazeNail polishes from Seche & Ceramic Glaze. Both are companies that I can vouch for. Once I discovered the Seche Vite top coat, there was no going back. Seriously, it’s a phenomenal top coat and I recommend that you try it for yourself if you haven’t already.
Fusion BeautyFusion is a smaller brand that I haven’t tried that much of yet, but so far, I’ve been really liking the browfusion. It is a double ended brow pencil and gel. I love how angled the pencil is, and how easy it is to get a nice shape!

Apart from the browfusion, they seem to specialize in mascaras. Pictured above are their new mascara launches, which I need to try!
St TropezLast but not least, new products from St. Tropez. Self tanning seems pretty intimidating to me, I’ve heard many horror stories of people trying this at home and coming out looking like an orange. Perhaps one day I’ll give it a shot!

However, we were told that the gradual tan mousse (pictured on the right, the white can) is perfect for beginners because the tan builds up slowly!

Press event. Opinions are own.


Filed Under: Beauty, body, events, eyes, face, lips, makeup Tagged: beauty, beauty blog, beauty blogger, beauty community, beauty event, beauty preview, beauty review, canada, vancouver

Stila Stay All Day Foundation (Re-Launch)

May 28, 2016

This summer, Stila has relaunched their Stay All Day foundation. The formula itself stayed the same, but they have repackaged the bottle into an easier center dispensing dish. The previous packaging featured a mini scoop, which Stila decided was a bit too messy.
Stila Stay All Day Foundation
Stila Stay All Day Foundation To use the foundation, you simply press lightly on the center plate. Product will come out afterwards in a neat circle, which makes it sanitary as well.

The foundation is a medium to full coverage. I was impressed at the coverage after one pump, but I decided to use another pump because I had this annoying zit on my face that did NOT want to be covered up! But it failed the battle, because this foundation was able to cover it up >=)
Stila Stay All Day Foundation Since the bottle is opaque and you’re unable to see the shade, there is a ‘window’ on the side of the bottle in which you can see the shade.
FoundationMy first impression of the foundation was that I really liked it. I loved the medium coverage and the slightly dewy and sheen finish as you can see in the photo above. Although, the description says it is a matte finish, it was on the dewy side for me. The foundation really smoothed out my skin tone and it still looks pretty natural.

However, after wearing it a few more times after, I’ve noticed that this foundation does not like to be used in conjunction with other facial products. When wearing this foundation with primer and setting powder as I always do, this foundation looked cakey, dry, and flakey, instead of the nice dewy finish I was used to.

When I wore this foundation again on its own again, I did not have a problem with it being flaky. So, I would only recommend using this product with moisturizer only and no other foundations. I’m glad that this foundation is long lasting even without primer. I really love this foundation and it will be using it as one of my regulars in the future!

I’m curious to see if others with combination skin like myself, or other skin types, found that this foundation didn’t mix well with primers and finishing powder foundations? Let me know!

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Thanks for reading,
Carmen

Media samples featured. Opinions are own.


Filed Under: face, makeup Tagged: beauty, beauty blog, beauty blogger, beauty review, blogger, face, foundation, foundation review, makeup, makeup blog, makeup blogger, stila, vancouver

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