Makeup Tutorial: Cowgirl (Inspired by Girls' Generation/SNSD)

October 31st is just around the corner! Guess what my costume is this year?

My friends and I love going trick-or-treating en masse dressed as K-pop girl groups. This year, we decided to draw inspiration from Girls' Generation's cowgirl concept for its recent single, "Hoot"!

To match the Western feel, I found an old cowboy hat and matched it with a flannel shirt from Hollister, blue skinny jeans, and some tan high-heeled boots.

Excuse the messiness :S

For the makeup, I wanted the eyes to look natural, yet with a little extra drama (after all, it's only this one day a year when you can get away with wearing pretty much anything). I kept the eyeshadow simple and added some black eyeliner to deepen the look.

Face:

1. Skin79 Hot Pink BB Cream (reviewed here) - It's been about 11 hours since I applied it so my skin doesn't look perfect, but it still holds up pretty well.
2. Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Cream
3. Wet N Wild Color Icon Blusher in Pearlescent Pink

Eyes:

1. Prep eyelids with Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin.
2. Apply a shimmery burnt gold shadow (I used Mac Pigment in Gold Mode) over entire lid up to the crease.
3. Tightline and line the waterline with a black pencil liner (Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in  Zero).
4. Line the upper lashline with a black gel liner (Wet N Wild Creme Eyeliner in Black), extend the line out to create a wing.
5. Apply dark khaki-colored shadow (Lancome Color Focus Eyeshadow in Blink) just above the eyeliner.
6. Line the outer corners of the lower lashline with a light copper shadow (Mac Pigment in Melon).
7. Dot a pearly highlighter (Benefit High Beam) on the inner corners of the eyes and below the browbone; blend.
8. Curl lashes and apply mascara (Covergirl Lashblast Mascara).
9. If desired, glue demi lashes on the outer corners of the eyes and glue 2-3 individual lashes on the bottom lashline.

Lips:

1. Apply a cool pink lipstick, such as Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Guava

This look is actually wearable in everyday life, perhaps if you skipped the falsies and lightened up on the eyeliner.

Have a happy Halloween, guys!

Love, 

Jessica

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Aquolina Pink Sugar (Eau de Toilette and Hair Perfume) Review

Pink Sugar has a special place in my heart because it’s the first “grown-up” perfume I’ve ever owned.  It’s definitely one of the most popular and distinctive scents out there- when a girl leaves a sweet-smelling trail as she passes by, I can assure you 99% of the time that she was wearing Pink Sugar.

Pink Sugar hair perfume and a pretty-much-gone bottle of the eau de toilette

Product Description

“Stylish and lively, with a distinctive personality, Pink Sugar takes you on a journey through the pleasures and flavors of childhood with a playful blend of vanilla and caramel.”

Other Info

Notes: Bergamot, Sicilian Orange, Raspberry, Fig Leaves, Lily of the Valley, Licorice, Strawberry, Red Fruit, Cotton Candy, Vanilla, Caramel, Musk, Wood, Powder

Packaging

Both the eau de toilette and hair perfume come in tall, slim bottles (the toilette bottle is made of glass, while the hair perfume bottle feels like hard plastic).

Experience

[Toilette review below, hair perfume review under “Other Products”]

Scent

This scent is extremely popular for many reasons. The name “Pink Sugar” is perfect- it smells girly and super sweet. Upon initial spray, a bakery-like aroma fills the air around you; you can clearly smell the vanilla, cotton candy, and caramel notes. And I find that depending who you come in contact with, the opinion of what this “smell” is can change- while wearing this scent, I’ve heard everything from “You smell like marshmallows” to “Something here smells like cupcakes” from guys and girls alike. As the scent develops and dries down, the deeper notes of musk and powder start to come through while still retaining the sweetness from before.

There’s no doubt that Pink Sugar is meant to make you smell like some sort of sugar-laden treat. While some may find that they love gourmand (foodie) scents like this (I personally love them), others may be turned off by the idea of coming off as a walking desert. This candy-like smell can suit all ages, but depending on your taste, you might consider this smell to be too childish.

The main drawback I find with this product not with the product itself, but its popularity. It’s one of the most-rated products on Sephora and I can recognize girls who wear this perfume everywhere I go, especially in school. They all smell delicious, but that’s the problem- they ALL smell delicious. When you wear this scent in public, chances are, another person will also be wearing it and you may not feel as unique. Lately I've stopped using this scent simply because I smelled it all the time.

Application and Staying Power

The staying power of the toilette is incredible; I can still clearly smell the perfume on my skin at the end of the day, and it sometimes sticks to my clothes for the next few days. Take extreme caution as to not bathe yourself in this perfume. Just a few spritzes on the pulse points are definitely enough before it becomes overpowering. Any more and you will definitely give those around you, and yourself, a headache. This scent is quite heavy and is probably best suited for colder months, but can be worn from daytime to nighttime.

Other Products

The hair perfume has the same scent, but slightly fainter and lacking just a little in the depth department compared to the toilette. As a hair product, it doesn’t deliver very much. Alcohol denatured is listed as the first ingredient, so it can be slightly drying, but it contains silicones to “soften hair” and other ingredients for UV protection. The product will weigh down hair if used excessively.

However, the hair perfume can be used solely for the purpose of its scent. It gives the hair a delicious, faint Pink Sugar smell (I find myself sniffing my wads of hair from time to time), and can be spritzed on the body for a lighter but not-as-long-lasting smell than the toilette. I bought this for $15 at Sephora, so if you want to experiment with the scent but don’t want to spend money on an entire bottle yet, I strongly recommend you purchase this.

Final Thoughts

• Very candy-like, young scent
• Will receive comments and compliments
• Extremely popular
• Insanely long staying power
• The toilette is very strong; spritz sparingly
• Better for colder months, can be worn day to night
• Hair perfume fails as a hair product, but succeeds as a fragrant mist
• Hair perfume is a great value
• While the toilette bottle looks pretty on the dresser, due to its high concentration of vanilla scent, the perfume will yellow over time.

Recommend it? Yes and yes.

Rating: Eau de toilette gets a 8.7/10, hair perfume gets a 7.9/10

Love,

Jessica

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Nail Polish Haul! (Essie, Wet N Wild, and more!) [Swatches]

Just last week, I decided to stop by my local drugstore (Harmon Discount) to grab a new blush and bronzer. While I was there, I picked up a few different brands of nail polish, one of which I've never tried before, Wet N Wild's Wild Shine line. Overall, I have mixed feelings about each polish.

The names of the nail polishes from left to right are: Essie's Absolutely Shore, Revlon's Minted, Sally Hansen nailgrowth Miracle in Creamy Olive, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Lacey Lilac, and Wet N Wild Tickled Pink, Blazed, and Sunny Side Up.

I am definitely in love with Essie's Absolutely Shore; the shade is not too dark and gives a pale minted color which I think is suitable for the chilly weather we've been getting here. The only problem I have with Essie is the thin formula they use for their polishes. I've experienced streaking problems before. Therefore, it's hard to fix a nail when you mess up. In addition, because it is thin, I recommend applying at least three to four layers to have the color evenly spread on your nails.

Unlike Essie, Revlon did have a thicker formula, so applying it was a lot quicker and easier; I only had to apply a maximum of two layers. Like the name implies, the color is very Minted, maybe a little greener than what I would have preferred.

The Sally Hansen Creamy Olive is indeed very creamy. At first, I though application would be smooth and easy because of its thick formula. However, the application brush proved to be a hassle to work with; the brush resembled an flat eye shading brush. Although it may have picked up an adequate amount of nail polish (maybe too much at times), it will take some practice to get use to the odd brush shape. The color is a little dark for what I would usually wear but it is definitely wearable.

From top to bottom: Absolutely Shore, Minted, Creamy Olive

 Originally, instead of purchasing Sally Hansen's Lacey Lilac, I was going to bring home Essie's Lilacism. However, after witnessing my friend's experience with the color (the color turned blue after few days of application), it deterred my attention. This color is absolutely adorable! The shade of purple mirrors a cute lavender color and is darker than Essie's Lilacism. Similarly, it has a thick formula but does not have the unusual brush tip like in the other nail polish. I only had to apply two coats which is always a plus!

Finally, the three Wet N Wild nail polishes I purchased were summer like colors (Oh how I miss summer!) The Tickled Pink is a very sugary pink, not as pastel as I thought it would be. I also purchased the color Blazed thinking it would resemble the color of a watermelon, but it came out redder than I thought it would. And last, the Sunny Side Up was disappointing for me; it was not as bright as what I had expected. The orange color actually seems a little dull. As for the name "Wild Shine", I don't really notice any drastic shininess than when my other nail polishes are applied. In addition, the polish had a very thin formula which definitely requires 3+ coats. Overall,  the colors are wearable but I personally am not in love with them.  Considering the price I bought them at ($0.89 for each), the saying "You get what you paid for" would be suitable here.

From top to bottom: Lacey Lilac, Tickled Pink, Sunny Side Up, Blazed, Minted

My favorite and recommended nail polishes out of my whole purchase would be Absolutely Shore and Lacey Lilac. Hope you guys enjoyed reading my first haul! :)

Love,
Melody

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Benefit Cosmetics Feelin’ Cheeky! Minis Set (Posietint, High Beam, and Benetint) Review [Swatches]

I bought this Benefit set a few months ago and have used each product many times since, hence the scratched-up bottles heh.

Product Description

“A travel-size set of Benefit's three bestselling cheek products: Benetint, Posietint, and High Beam. This trio features Benetint, for the sexiest flush you can get from a bottle; Posietint, which imparts a poppy-pink tint to brighten cheeks and lips; and High Beam luminescent complexion enhancer.”

Packaging

Each small, cylinder-shaped bottle stands about two inches tall. The white caps house nail polish-like brushes with firm bristles. Each bottle holds about 0.13 oz. of product.

Posietint bottle

Benetint brush

Experience

Posietint

Posietint is a bubble gum pink gel stain. A few blended dots on the cheeks will give you a youthful and natural pink glow, while on the lips Posietint tints your lips an even, sweet pink color. The consistency is gel-like and easily spreadable, therefore you have a little more time to work. It also stains more evenly than liquid Benetint. I find myself using Posietint most often out of the three products in this set.

High Beam

High Beam is a luminous pink “complexion enhancer”. The consistency is creamy and packed with shimmer; High Beam is meant to highlight rather than color like Posietint or Benetint. Although it looks very opaque and pearly in the bottle, it thins out to give any feature a soft glow. Apply it on high points of the face or any points you want to illuminate (such as the tops of the cheeks, browbone, bridge of the nose, cupid’s bow, and inner corners of the eyes) and blend to instantly brighten with extremely fine shimmer that would flatter any skin tone.

Benetint

Benetint is a rose-tinted, rose-scented liquid stain. On your cheeks, you can use the brush applicator to apply a swipe of tint on the apples of your cheeks and quickly use fingers to blend upwards for a sheer red flush. The color is buildable and looks natural only when applied properly. Similarly, Benetint can be dotted on the lips and patted on for a just-ate-a-cherry-popsicle look. However, make sure your lips are exfoliated and moisturized! The liquid stain looks quite unflattering on chapped lips and will color unevenly (the inner portion of your lips will look redder than the rest). But because the consistency is watery and packed with color, the stain will last a long time- much longer than many lipsticks and blushes of the same color. Also, be careful of your clothes! Benetint doesn't just stain lips and cheeks.

Posietint, High Beam, and Benetint unblended

Posietint, High Beam, and Benetint blended

All three products work very well and yield beautifully natural results, but what really makes this set a winner is the value. Everything costs $15 at Sephora, and is a great way to sample each product before shelling out $28 for a full-sized bottle of one. Moreover, the cute little bottles are portable and last a surprisingly long time. I've been using Posietint on the lips almost daily for the past few months and I feel that I won't run out until the next two or three months.

Final Thoughts

• Posietint gives you a youthful pink flush, I use this most often
• High Beam adds a shimmery but natural glow to the face
• Benetint stains lips and cheeks a rosy red, but the liquid consistency can make it tricky to apply
• An awesome value ($15) and lasts a pretty long time

Recommend it? Indeed I do.

Rating: 9.7/10

Love,

Jessica

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What is BB Cream?

In a nutshell, BB creams are an all-in-one skincare and cosmetic product: moisturizer, primer, foundation, and concealer. Most contain SPF, and some offer even more added benefits such as wrinkle improvement, whitening, skin texture improvement, etc. BB creams are prized for offering natural-looking coverage, containing ingredients that improve the skin's health, and speeding up beauty routines by combining many steps in one easy application.

BB creams, or blemish balm/blemish base/beblesh balm creams, originated in Germany as a healing face cream prescribed by dermatologists to improve and protect the complexions of patients who had recently undergone cosmetic procedures. When Korean actresses began to use these creams in popular dramas to achieve flawless skin, cosmetic companies in Korea started to create various BB creams to sell to the public. After years of exposure, BB creams are now extremely popular throughout Asia.

Due to its main popularity in oriental countries where skin tones are generally consistent, there is very limited shade selection. Pale skin is coveted in Asian culture; BB creams often come in only a few fair shades. Moreover, SPF is widely used in BB creams to prevent sun damage; BB creams with higher amounts of SPF may make the face look too pale in flash photography.

So how does BB cream compare to tinted moisturizer and foundation? Generally, in terms of coverage, tinted moisturizer < BB cream < foundation. BB creams offer more skin-nourishing ingredients to go beyond hiding imperfections. And once again, BB creams are standalone products that are meant replace other skincare steps while tinted moisturizers and foundations require the use of other products.

BB creams can be applied in many ways: with a foundation brush, with a stippling brush, with a damp sponge, or simply clean fingers. Many BB creams can be spread for thinner coverage or patted on, like concealer, for thicker coverage of problem areas. BB creams are still cosmetics products; they must be washed off with cleanser at the end of the day.

The most popular BB cream makers (e.g. Missha, Lioele, Skin79, Etude) are based in Asia, so it can be difficult to find a certain BB cream in other countries and shipping may be expensive as well. However, the BB cream fad has been making its way into the United States. Brands such as Mac, Boscia, and Clinique have rolled out BB creams for the American market, and it seems like more brands will follow.

IN CONCLUSION:
The Good

• All-in-one skincare/cosmetic
• Improves skin
• Great, nautral coverage
• SPF to protect against UV rays

The Bad

• Very limited shade selection
• High SPF can lead to ghostly complexions in photos
• Hard to find and/or expensive if you live outside Asia
• U.S. BB cream market only in infant stages

Love,
Jessica

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Skin79 Super Plus Triple Functions BB Cream (Hot Pink Label) Review [Swatches]

Mel bought this BB cream from Hong Kong over the summer and we’ve both been using it everyday for the past three months.

Product Description

“Moisture based triple function BB cream takes care of the base as well as colour makeup and allows the skin to look bright and natural without greasiness or feeling tight”

Other Information

• Contains ingredients to protect, brighten, and whiten (fades acne scars and discoloration over time)
• Contains anti-aging ingredients
• Controls oil
• SPF 25 pa++

Packaging
This BB cream comes in an adorable hot pink cylinder container with a hygienic vacuum pump. The mirrored, silver top has a button you press to dispense the product with ease and control. Contains 40g of product.

Experience

Not sure what BB cream is? Read our article here.

Overall, we both like our experience with the Skin79 Hot Pink BB Cream. Considering that Mel has combination skin with dry patches and Jess has oily and acne-prone skin, this BB cream has proven to be quite versatile and suitable for most skin types. This BB cream did not break any of us out, but it can accentuate dry patches on Mel’s skin.

Like most BB creams, this one only comes in one shade. It has a slight grey cast but will oxidize to suit most pale skin tones. The consistency out of the pump is thick compared to most mid-coverage foundations, but applies thin once smoothed out with fingers (our preferred method), sponge, or a brush.

Swatches on the back of Mel's hand

BB creams are generally very pigmented; a little goes a long way. The coverage is definitely buildable. It provides medium coverage, if rubbed on, to full and concealer-like coverage, when patted on with fingers. It covers sunspots very well (in fact, even whitened them) and covers pimples and acne scars moderately well. In addition, it doesn’t accentuate pores or wrinkles.

This BB cream gives a satin finish that should be set with powder if you need to control oil or prefer a more matte finish. Because it contains SPF 25 pa++, your face will appear paler than the rest of your body in flash photography (set your face with a tinted powder containing no SPF to fix this problem).

Though the product claims to minimize sebum production, the oil control is medium. It doesn’t contribute to oiliness, but the natural oils produced by your skin throughout the day will not be completely absorbed. Those with dry to normal skin should not have any problems, but girls with oily skin or those who plan to wear this all day should set the BB cream with powder and keep blotting sheets handy.

The scent is mild and pleasantly floral. It fades after application and should not be offensive to those who are sensitive to strong smells.

Because this BB cream is an imported product, it can be hard to find and expensive if you order it out of Asia. Mel bought this BB cream for 55% off at Sasa for 89 HKD, or 11.44 USD.

Final Thoughts

• Does most of what it claims (lightens spots, protects and anti-ages with SPF, but can’t say anything about anti-wrinkle yet)
• Good experience with different skin types
• Only comes in one shade, so not be suitable for all skin tones
• Thick consistency, applies thin
• Buildable, medium to full coverage
• Medium oil control
• Container is a bit smaller than expected, but still holds a lot of product
• Imported, may be expensive and/or hard to find

Recommend it? Definitely.

Rating: Jess gives it a 9.5/10, Mel gives it an 8.7/10

Love,
Jessica and Melody

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